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Katherine Arden's most recent novel, The Warm Hands of Ghosts (2024), expanded my understanding of what a novel dealing with an actual historical event can do.

Learning about the lives of your ancestors can be fun and rewarding! Wheaton Public Library has a variety of genealogy resources including programs, databases, reference materials, and more for creating your family tree. 

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• Enjoy eAudiobooks from anywhere using the Libby app
• Watch movies and TV shows on popular streaming platforms with our Rokus
• Learn a new language with the Mango Languages app
• Browse the Chicago Tribune website and read today's digital newspaper
• Borrow new and trending books, movies, and

The first in the Secret Staircase mystery series features magician Tempest Raj after her career implodes. Something went horribly wrong during her last show in Las Vegas and everyone assumes she’s to blame. Tempest returns to her childhood home in small-town California, reluctantly joining the family business of renovating homes to add magical features such as secret reading rooms and hidden entrances.

Atmosphere (2025) is set during the 1980s NASA space program, when women were first accepted into the astronaut training program. The main character, a brilliant astrophysics professor, was fascinated by space from a very young age. She is determined to be among the rare women accepted into this NASA astronaut program.

I especially enjoy true crime books with a local connection, so I knew I needed to get on the wait list for Something Big: The True Story of the Brown’s Chicken Massacre (2025) by Patrick Wohl. This horrific crime occurred in January 1993, in Palatine, a northwestern suburb of Cook County.

Effy and Arlo are just two of the students at their boarding school who are chosen to enter a prestigious writing program during their January term at an isolated estate. The program is led by Meredith Graffam, a legendary writer, actress, and director with an eccentric teaching style who everyone admires. At the end of the program, one writer will have their dreams come true-- but not everything at the estate is as it seems, and the competition is fierce. It might even be deadly.

A book you can read in one sitting, Between Friends and Lovers (2024) blends relationship fiction and romance effortlessly. Jo, an MD who provides health education via her social media platforms, has been in love with her best friend (and movie star) Ezra since college. After they have a falling out, Jo meets and connects with awkward writer Malcolm.

Calling all artists! 

Your creative design could be featured on the next Wheaton Public Library card. Fit the theme of WPL’s mission statement: “Wheaton Public Library is a welcoming destination that connects the community to literacy, information, ideas and experiences. Grow with us!” Winners will be chosen from the following age groups: Youth (ages 0-11), Teens (ages 12-17), and Adults (ages 18+). Participation is limited to WPL cardholders. Deadline to submit is October 15.

You’ll want to put on a cozy Icelandic sweater and have a cup of tea next to you while reading Death on the Island (2025), an atmospheric mystery. A group of international figures, including a Canadian diplomat and his entourage, a politician, the owner of a high-profile fishing company, and an artist, all gather for dinner in a tiny village on an island off the coast of Iceland.

The Data Detective: Ten Easy Rules to Make Sense of Statistics (2020), by Tim Harford, is a fascinating look at statistics and how they have been regularly used and mis-used around the world and throughout history.

A sweet quirky cozy mystery with hints of romance, How to Have a Killer Time in D. C. (2025) is a fun escape. Oliver Popp is a 24-year-old gay autistic travel writer on his first feature assignment. His orderly plans are upended by Ricky, the impulsive freelance photographer he’s paired with, who wants to show him the less touristy parts of Washington, D.C.