We’ve been delighted with our community’s response to the addition of Overdrive’s ebooks and audiobooks, known affectionately as Libby. As a fan of audiobooks and a frequent traveler, I take full advantage of both Libby and CloudLibrary to read and listen on the go. CloudLibrary continues to impress me with the quality of their narrators. It isn’t unusual for me to enjoy a book read to me in CloudLibrary that I just couldn’t get started with in print. To me, the narrator makes or breaks an audiobook.
Libby has special features that invite readers to engage beyond reading or listening, including their own Book Lounge podcast and some advanced readers advisory features that help you choose the next great read. This month the 2026 Libby Awards were announced, a list of books chosen by over by 1,600 librarians and library staff from across the US and Canada, that represent the best books of the year, as selected by librarians. Not interested in electronic books, you say? Why not try these titles in print?
Book of the Year – Adult Fiction
Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Buckeye by Patrick Ryan
Book of the Year – Adult Nonfiction
A Flower Traveled in My Blood by Haley Cohen Gilliland
A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst
Book of the Year – Young Adult Fiction
Sisters in the Wind by Angeline Boulley
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Audiobook of the Year
Katabasis by R. F. Kuang
My Friends by Fredrik Backman
Debut Author of the Year
Alchemised by SenLinYu
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
Best Book Club Book
Bog Queen by Anna North
Wreck by Catherine Newman
Best Comic/Graphic Novel
Absolute Wonder Woman: Volume 1 by Kelly Thompson, Hayden Sherman, et al
Best Cookbook (yes, Libby includes cookbooks!)
Baking Across America by B. Dylan Hollis
Turtle Island by Sean Sherman with Kate Nelson and Kristin Donnelly
Best Fantasy
Alchemised by SenLinYu
Bury Our Bones in the Midnight Soil by V.E. Schwab
Best Historical Fiction
Isola by Allegra Goodman
The Antidote by Karen Russell
The Land in Winter by Andrew Miller
Best Memoir & Autobiography
One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad
Raising Hare: A Memoir by Chloe Dalton
Best Personal Improvement
Shift: Managing Your Emotions—So They Don’t Manage You by Ethan Kross
We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, and Amanda Doyle
Best Mystery
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman
The Librarians by Sherry Thomas
Best Romance
It Had to Be Him by Adib Khorram
These Summer Storms by Sarah MacLean
Best Romantasy (Romantic fantasy)
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
The Knight and The Moth by Rachel Gillig
Best Science Fiction
Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor
What We Can Know by Ian McEwan
Best Horror
The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones
Best Thriller
Julie Chan Is Dead by Liann Zhang
The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark
Best Picture Book (Yes, there’s a whole section for kids on Libby)
Cranky, Crabby Crow (Saves the World) by Corey R. Tabor
Don’t Trust Fish by Neil Sharpson, illustrated by Dan Santat
Best Middle Grade Book
All the Blues in the Sky by Renée Watson
Scarlet Morning, Book 1 by ND Stevenson
Reader’s Choice
For the first time, the top five most checked out books in the Libby app were voted on by patrons from all around the world and narrowed down to two front-runners.
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry
Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros
Tax Forms and Booklets Available
Pick up Colorado tax forms and booklets as well as federal 1040 and 1040A forms and instructions. Tax help is still available by appointment. Contact Kathy at 970-553-9150 or kathy.taxhelp@gmail.com to make an appointment.
GED by Appointment Only
As we gear up for the grand opening of our new library space, we’re taking a break from regular GED hours. If you are working toward your General Education Degree or a high school equivalency exam, or if you could use a tutoring session to help you with your educational goals, give the library a call at 970-264-2209 and we’ll connect you with our instructor.
New 2026 Colorado Parks Passes for Checkout
It may seem like the wrong time of year to visit Colorado state parks, but with our mild winter, why not get outside and enjoy the parks’ off-season? The Ruby Sisson Library has free Colorado Parks passes for checkout that include a backpack with nature guides, binoculars, and fun activities. Reserve yours today.
Conversational Spanish
Our popular Conversational Spanish group continues on Mondays from 4-5 p.m. at St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church at 225 South Pagosa. This is a great opportunity to practice your Spanish in a free group setting. No minimum skill level needed.
Adult Book Club
Join us for Ruby’s Book Club is held the second Tuesday of each month, alternating between fiction and nonfiction titles. Our April title, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley, is a novel about an unlikely friendship between 21-year-old college dropout Tanner and 84-year-old Louise, who go on a cross-country road trip after Louise’s past as a jewel thief catches up with her. Anyone is welcome to attend the book club. During construction it takes place at the new Harman Park Transit Center, 83 Harman Park Drive, next to the Sheriff’s Office.
Writers Guild
Thursdays from 9-11 a.m. the Ruby’s Writers Guild welcomes writers looking for support, guidance, resources and camaraderie with other writers at this free gathering. During construction the group will meet at the Senior Center, 451 Hot Springs Blvd. Enter through the left side of the building.
Tech Time
Free in-person slots are available from 2-4 p.m. on Thursdays. Taylor helps with basic questions relating to computers, smartphones and tablets and also provides assistance in accessing the library’s online resources. No appointment is needed, but please bring your device’s charger and passwords with you.
New Nonfiction
Four Corners Voices: Stories, Poetry, Essays, winner of the Colorado Book Award (2 vol.)
All About Allergies: Everything You Need to Know about Asthma, Food Allergies, Hay Fever, and More, by Zachary Rubin, M.D.
A World Appears: A Journey into Consciousness, by Michael Pollan.
The Score: How to Stop Playing Somebody Else’s Game, by C. Thi Nguyen.
New Fiction
Cleopatra tells her own story in an epic novel by Saara El-Arifi
Brad Meltzer is back with The Escape Artist, a thriller about a woman’s body that mysteriously falls from the sky after leaving a military base in Alaska.
The Devil’s Bible by Steve Berry. Former Justice Department operative Cotton Malone is called to Sweden when the younger sister of King Wilhelm is kidnapped.
A Good Animal by Sara Mauer, described as an unforgettable novel that captures the ache of first love.
New Nonfiction in Large Print
Race Against Terror: Chasing an Al Qaeda Killer at the Dawn of the Forever War, by Jake Tapper.
Polar War: Submarines, Spies, and the Struggle for Power in a Melting Arctic, by Kenneth Rosen
Barbara Brattin is honored to lead the Ruby M. Sisson Memorial Library through this exciting time in its history. When she's not at the library, she's hiking with her Anatolian Shepherd Gigi and Rez dog Vic, traveling the world, visiting her grandchildren, or... you guessed it... reading !