NLW Staff Picks: Tonia & Andrew

 

Tonia

 

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer

I knew I wanted to read Annie Bot after spotting a review in a magazine—especially with artificial intelligence being such a hot topic right now. What drew me in was the way this sci-fi story doesn’t feel all that far-fetched anymore. The idea of a robot girlfriend sounds like something out of The Twilight Zone, but the way Sierra Greer tells it, you start to realize how close to reality this could actually become.

Annie Bot is more than just a machine—she’s learning, evolving, and developing feelings that seem anything but robotic. The story has a creepy, unsettling feel that gets under your skin in the best way. It raises big questions about emotional and psychological risks, consent, and control in relationships where one partner was literally built to please the other. I found it to be a fun, thought-provoking, and yes—definitely disconcerting—read. It’s one of those books that stays with you and keeps you thinking about the strange directions our future could take.

 

 Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

 

Mexican Gothic is another favorite in my collection of horror stories that center around unsettling old houses—and this one truly delivers. Set in the remote Mexican countryside, the story revolves around a crumbling mansion full of disturbing secrets and a family that gets creepier the more you get to know them. I loved the eerie atmosphere—it reminded me at times of The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters and Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It has that same haunting, slow-burn suspense where the truth feels just out of reach.

This book is full of vivid nightmares, hallucinations, twisted family dynamics, and a thick gothic vibe that settles in from the very first pages. It’s deeply unsettling in the best way. If you’re a horror fan or someone who enjoys stories where the house feels like a character in itself, this is a perfect choice.

 

Andrew

 

Lord of the Rings, or any books that we have by or about J.R.R. Tolkien.

The Lord of the Rings audiobooks the library has that are narrated by Andy Serkis are amazing.

 

I'm a fan of some older Stephen King titles, such as Firestarter, Carrie, Pet Semetary, and one of my all-time favorites is Needful Things.

 

The Game of Thrones series by George R.R. Martin are some of my favorites as well.

 

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is incredible, but unfortunately the sequel Ready Player Two does not capture the same magic the first book did.

 

Jurassic Park and The Lost World by Michael Crichton are up there as all-time favorites, as is one of Crichton's last titles before he passed away, Micro.

 

Lastly, just to mix things up a bit, The Walking Dead comics by Robert Kirkman are pretty cool, I know we have at least the first compendium.