PATCH PICKS: Five Great Books for National Reading Month

March is National Reading Month and yesterday was Read Across America Day—which also happened to be Dr. Seuss' 107th birthday.

There are many great books to choose from available through the Baltimore County Public Library system. In honor of National Reading Month, here are a few hot titles readers have checked out in the system.

1. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (teens) -  After terrorists attack San Francisco, 17-year-old tech-smart Marcus finds that the Department of Homeland Security has the city in a stranglehold. But trading personal freedom for security does not sit well with him.
2. What Do You Stand For? by Barbara A. Lewis (teens) - Ever wonder what it is that makes you respect the people that you do? This unique book examines what it takes to have good character, from good citizenship to empathy.
3. Bottom of the 33rd: Hope and Redemption in Baseball’s Longest Game by Dan Barry (sports) – This book chronicles the longest game in baseball history—a minor-league contest between the Rochester Red Wings and the Pawtucket Red Sox on April 18, 1981. This game featured Hall of Fame baseball players Cal Ripken, Jr. and Wade Boggs.
4. River Marked by Patricia Briggs (science fiction) - Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She's never known any others of her kind. Until now. An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—one that her father's people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help.
5. One Summer by David Baldacci (general fiction) - It's almost Christmas, but there is no joy in the house of terminally ill Jack and his family. With only a short time left to live, he spends his last days preparing to say goodbye to his devoted wife, Lizzie, and their three children. Then, Lizzie is killed in a car accident. With no one able to care for them, the children are separated from each other and sent to live with family members around the country. Just when all seems lost, Jack begins to recover in a miraculous turn of events. He rises from what should have been his deathbed, determined to bring his fractured family back together.