Here are this month’s great recommendations from staff member Christopher Jennings Penders! Click on a title to place a hold. To find previous Chris Picks just click on the “what to read” link at the bottom of this page or type “Chris Picks” into the search bar on our homepage.

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Since April used to be the traditional month of open fishing, I have decided to do a fishing theme. Growing up from the time I was eight until a little after high school, you couldn’t pry a fishing pole out of my hands. I fished every day.

Here are five books with fishing as the central theme that I think will find some love for everyone:

A River Runs Through It
Though I have never gone fly-fishing, spin casting being my forte, I still loved this book. Fishing as a young boy and teen was my escape from reality. I spent every waking hour with a fishing pole in my hand. Reading this book brought me right back to my youth, which may be one of the reasons I cherish it.

Hungry Ocean
The Perfect Storm
Sword Fishing in the Atlantic Ocean at the same time as The Perfect Storm’s Andrea Gail went missing. I enjoyed reading Hungry Ocean more than The Perfect Storm though both kept me reading until the last page.

The Old Man and the Sea
You can’t go wrong with any Hemingway book. The Old Man and the Sea is vintage Hemingway.

Double Whammy
Carl Hiaasen is a Florida humor writer. Laugh out loud at times. Double Whammy is about a bass fishing tournament gone awry.