Staff Picks
LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK • Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America’s own in this explosive, hotly-anticipated debut novel from the New York Times bestselling author of Friday Black
An awesome addition to the shelf!
—Mary
So sweet and cozy! Perfectly encapsulates the young person's desire to lead a life of their own but still choose to be where they're happiest, even if that's where they've been all along.
—Taylor
A sweeping, enthralling and passionate multi-generational saga that's difficult to put down, this is a brilliant story of land, family and unforgettable characters in South India.
—Anne
Another stunning novel from a master!
—Mary
No one does horror and lyricism quite like Khaw! A perfectly grotesque, heartbreaking, and romantic dark fairy tale!
—Nikki
Pete Oswald, the #1 New York Times bestselling illustrator and father of three sons unravels the confusing emotions inside boys today against the backdrop of a day at the beach.
This is the story about the brilliant tech entrepreneur Tony Shieh, best known as the CEO of Zappos.com, who sold his first company to Microsoft at the age of 24 and later embarked on using his riches to revitalize a portion of downtown Las Vegas. It’s a gripping tale of his successes and rise to fame that turned into increasing use of various drugs and a descent into what can only be described as madness.
—Anne
This book resonated so strongly with me and made me cry so much (in a good way). It felt like looking in a mirror at times. Henry creates a beautiful found family that is perfectly flawed and filled with so much love.
—Taylor
A dazzling Sephardic multigenerational saga that moves from Istanbul to Barcelona, Havana, and New York, exploring displacement, endurance, and family as home.
An absorbing non-fiction nautical shipwreck thriller, this is the story of the ill-fated journey of the Wager in 1740-41 trying to sail round Cape Horn, the treacherous tip of South America. The hardships seem unreal: starvation, illness (scurvy, typhus), death, but also murder and a mutinous crew, never mind the truly wild weather and being ship-wrecked and marooned on a deserted island. A fantastic adventure story for all to read!
—Anne
Bright, lyrical poems and lovely illustrations encourage children to immerse themselves in the natural world.
Today I am sunlight!
Heart happy,
bright
as a yellow bird
flying to the top
of the sky,
shining and calling
HOORAY!
Goldlight,
gladlight,
today
A deeply evocative and imaginative portrayal of the life of Isabella Stewart Gardner, the daring trailblazer for women everywhere. Her vision not only created an inimitable legacy in American art but also transformed a city.
A young readers' edition of the bestselling book from Auschwitz survivor H di Fried that answers lasting questions about the Holocaust.
Nature's Best Hope (Young Readers' Edition): How You Can Save the World in Your Own Yard (Paperback)
This middle grade edition of the groundbreaking bestseller by Doug Tallamy will inspire kids to use their backyard to help save the planet.
Douglas W. Tallamy awakened thousands of readers to an urgent situation: wildlife populations are in decline because the native plants they depend on are fast disappearing. His solution? Plant more natives.
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS’ CHOICE • “The Brothers Grimm meet Black Mirror meets Alice in Wonderland. . . . In seven remixed fairy tales, Link delivers wit and dreamlike intrigue.”—Time
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Blue skies, empty land—and enough wide-open space to hide a horrifying secret. A woman with a past, a mysterious trunk, a town on the edge of nowhere, and an “absorbing, powerful” (BuzzFeed) new vision of the American West, from the award-winning author of The Changeling.
Kingfisher has such a fun tangled imagination! I love how she transforms the mundane quirks of flora and fauna to create an utterly gripping and shocking haunted house story! Eerie, Gothic, and extremally satisfying!
—Nikki
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
Opening like a fairy tale and ending like a nightmare, this cannonball of a queer coming-of-age novel follows a young man's relationship with a violent older boyfriend—and how he and his sister survive a terrible crime
We use water, electricity, and the internet every day--but how do they actually work? And what’s the plan to keep them running for years to come? This nonfiction science graphic novel takes readers on a journey from how the most essential systems were developed to how they are implemented in our world today and how they will be used in the future.
Award-winning creators Mac Barnett and Christian Robinson tap deep into childhood curiosity with a mind-tickling ode to the open-ended.
A New York Times bestseller | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick
“The season’s first beach read, a delicious romp of a debut featuring family crises galore.”— The New York Times
From New York Times bestselling author Owen King, who “writes with witty verve” (Entertainment Weekly) comes a “richly imagined” (The New York Times) Dickensian fantasy of illusion and charm where cats are revered as religious figures, thieves are noble, scholars are revolutionaries, and conjurers are the most wonderful criminals you can imagine.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Win Every Argument shows how anyone can communicate with confidence, rise above the tit for tats on social media, and triumph in a successful and productive debate in the real world.
**An Amazon EDITOR'S PICK for BEST BOOKS OF 2023 SO FAR in BIOGRAPHY/MEMOIR and HISTORY**
**An Amazon EDITOR'S PICK for BEST BOOKS OF THE MONTH (March 2023)**
**A Bookshop.Org EDITOR'S PICK (March 2023)**
“This is the story of one of the boldest women in American history: self-made millionaire, a celebrity in her era, a woman beloved by
The New York Times bestselling stunning, standalone prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree.
“A magnificent, sweeping epic. Shannon has created a world rich in intricate mythology, beautifully realized and complex.” Jennifer Saint, bestselling author of Ariadne
Based on actual events, a gripping novel of sex, love, history and justice in the tinderbox of British Mandatory Palestine, by the acclaimed author of A Palestine Affair
"The story of what is arguably Israel’s foundational murder trial—a tale of multiple identities and loyalties." —Joshua Cohen, Pulitzer-Prize-winning author of The Netanyahus
A wildly over-the-top social satire reimagining the mad misadventures of the iconic royal cousins King Ludwig and Empress Sisi, from the incomparable Jac Jemc.
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
“A twisty, immersive whodunit perfect for fans of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History.” —People
"Spellbinding." —The New York Times Book Review
"[An] irresistible literary page-turner." —The Boston Globe
"A brilliant and brilliantly different" (Kiese Laymon), wrenching and redemptive coming-of-age memoir about the difficulty of growing up in a hazardous home and the glory of finding salvation in geek culture.
Stranded within an ever-shifting family’s desperate but volatile attempts to love, saddled with a mercurial mother mired in crack addiction, and demeaned da
From superstar creators Tom King and Elsa Charretier comes he first volume of a thrilling epic in the tradition of SANDMAN and SAGA. Joan Peterson discovers that she is trapped in an endless, terrifying cycle of "romance"--a problem to be solved, a man to marry--and every time she falls in love she's torn from her world and thrust into another tear-soaked tale.
Hank Phillippi Ryan books just keep getting better and better! This one is a delicious read that I cannot wait to share!
—Mary
BOOKER PRIZE NOMINEE • GMA BUZZ PICK • A dazzling story of modern Nigeria and two families caught in the riptides of wealth, power, romantic obsession, and political corruption from the celebrated author of Stay with Me, "in the lineage of great works by Chinua Achebe and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie" (The New York Times).
This debut novel is perfectly terrifying in every way! It has everything a true Gothic novel should; a family curse, repressed memories, mysterious pasts, vengeful spirits, long-buried secrets, doppelgangers, madness, generational land squabbles, unstable spaces, shit disappearing and reappearing. It's a brilliant exploration of a family's love, inherited guilt, atonement, and the past refusing to die!
—Nikki
I seriously cannot stop thinking about this book and didn’t want it to end! It is so hilarious, dark, cynical, and kind of shocking. “Messy bisexual” doesn’t even begin to describe Greta or the subject of her obsession, Big Swiss. Beagin’s brilliant novel describes what can occur when running away from your trauma actually brings you face-to-face with it, and brings you right in the middle of Hudson, NY.
—Nikki
Dizz Tate’s debut, BRUTES, is great for fans of BUNNY, THE GIRLS, and JAWBONE. Tate’s writing evokes the claustrophobia of the Florida climate and the secrets and horrors that exist all around us if we’d just pause to take a look. Messy, mysterious, and multi-voiced. I loved this propulsive and unsettling novel!
—Nikki
A demonic road trip with a cult! Absolute genius!
—Nikki
A queer book conservator finds a mysterious old love letter, setting off a search for the author who wrote it and for a meaningful life beyond the binary in early-2000s New York City.
It's 2003,and artist Dawn Levit is stuck.
An artistic cocktail book that is as beautiful as it is practical. By utilizing design and their expertise, Sammi and Olivia have created a vibrant, knowledgeable mixology book for both seasoned and newbie drinkmakers.
Part travelogue, part natural history. Darlington's fascination with the behavior of owls entwined with her son's health takes her all over the world! Beautifully poetic, informative, and heartfelt!
—NIkki
In this very engaging and powerful story about family, duty, grief, cultural differences, racism, love and the power of friendship that still manages to be witty, we get to know quirky, introverted Maddie on her journey of finding her own way and becoming confident in who she is.
—Anne
A crime thriller about the rarely told reality of the Sami people in northern Sweden, where their reindeers are poached and brutally killed and the police rarely come to investigate. 9 year old Elsa is threatened to remain quiet after she witnesses the malicious killing of her reindeer calf, and becomes painfully aware of how her indigenous origins provoke hatred. Don’t miss this book.
—Anne
A lively, frank and funny memoir from the pandemic year 2020, this is about a lot more than knitting. The author, a life-long knitter, set out to make a sweater from scratch: shear, spin and dye the wool into yarn. In the process, she learnt much about the history of fiber production: invention of spinning, women's rights, climate and environmental concerns and the impact of technology. Great read!
—Anne
I started this book, and the next thing I knew, it was two hours later. This book is FANTASTIC! It made me think happily of other books about sports that were about so much more — The Silver Linings Playbook, The Art of Fielding, Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese. I LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
—Mary
A plot full of buried family histories and Greek mythology, this is the story of a young woman in 18th century London living with her crooked uncle who sells fake antique items. An atmospheric story that almost lets you smell the stench of the filthy London lanes and its people, this is an absorbing read (or listen as audio on Libro.fm).
—Anne
TELL ME I’M WORTHLESS is such a terrifying and fantastic book! A haunted house standing in for English imperialism, white supremacy, and fascism that wants to absorb everything in its shadow. TMIW is about enduring scars of the past, violence, and complicity. Fast-paced enough to read in one sitting, and so much to reflect on that you can also keep coming back to it and be just as hooked. It’s utterly horrifying and full of rage!
—Nikki
A wildly original debut from a supremely talented writer! Speculative, scary, spectacular!
—Nikki
From the Orange Prize–winning author of A Crime in the Neighborhood comes a “sharply witty” and “impeccably written” (Star Tribune, Minneapolis) novel featuring a therapist attempting to unlock the most difficult cases of her life—those of her son and of her mother.
“[A] brave and heartfelt book of truths.”—New York Times Book Review (A Group Text Pick and Editors' Choice)
From bestselling author Laura Zigman comes a heartfelt novel about two offbeat and newly divorced sisters who move in together as adults—and finally reckon with their childhood
This blend of memoir and cultural criticism draws people of mixed race into the conversation on race in America. In a series of essays on identity, Mehta lays bare the nuances of the experiences mixed-race individuals face that complicate their feelings of connections with the family and community in the US. Thoughtful and honest.
—Anne
What an intelligent, absorbing crime story! This is not just a captivating murder story set in New Zealand, it also dives deep into Maori tribal history and cultural identity. It’s like nothing I’ve read before - so good! A compelling page-turner!
—Anne
This is a fascinating and intimate story about the challenges facing Sam growing up, where she dares to climb and then falls, gives up and then wants to risk more. It’s a coming-of-age story set in the working-class world of Boston’s north shore told from the point-of-view of Sam which will stay with you long after you’ve finished it.
—Anne
An addictive story of startling corruption, epic wealth, greed, political power and forbidden romance. Set in India, the lives of Ajay, Sunny and Neda become intertwined as each tries to escape the very different lives they were born into. An epic, action-packed crime thriller and family saga.
—Anne
Part memoir, part nature/science writing, this is an amazing book. The author's ability to weave together the wonders of marine biology with stories exploring their own existence and coming of age lets us experience the world in a different light. Original and thought-provoking.
—Anne
An extremely profound epistolary mystery that will leave you breathless with it's scope and gorgeous prose!
—Nikki
I really enjoyed the efficiency of storytelling in Ferrada's latest. This is a touching story about a boy who looks up to his uncle whom everyone else views as strange, and raises questions of point-of-view, individuality, and growing up.
—Nikki
A little coming-of-age story plus a crime story equals an unusual novel that follows two bored teenagers who don't really fit in and whose "project" goes off the rails. Once again, the author has created a reality that is just a little beyond believable, yet captures human emotions so well.
—Anne
I love these stories so so much!!!!
—Mary
Great!
—Mary
Dystopian and occult-y. Fast-paced and dreamlike. This book is another knockout from Unnamed Press!
—Nikki
These essays are so smart, fun, and honest about the affinity for horror so many queer people feel. These contributors ask "how are we to think about the complicated relationship between the queer community and the horror genre? How can we find camaraderie in the very thing that so often slights us?" It's so enjoyable to revisit some of my favorite films through these fresh lenses!
—Nikki
This may be her best book yet! Set in the near future where Asian Americans are mistrusted, children can be removed form their families due to parent’s “harmful” views and libraries are forced to remove unpatriotic books, this is a story about the boy Bird trying to find his mother who vanished a few years earlier when her work became seen as subversive. It’s a story about the power of art and storytelling to create change.
—Anne
I read this in three nights. Gorgeous and terrifying, both fantastical and very very real!
—Mary
I loved this book! The mother/son relationship was so moving, and funny!
—Mary
Love love love this! Spellbinding!
—Mary
A perfectly atmospheric, claustrophobic, and utterly gross (in a good way) horror novel! A unique blend of contemporary apocalypse fiction with Frankenstein-in-the-Arctic Gothic tropes that had me on the edge of my seat. I’ll definitely be looking forward to future writing from Ennes!
—Nikki
This book is so eerie and smart and is the first book to ever give me motion sickness while reading it (page ) which is kind of amazing! Hogarth's writing is so precise and grotesque, this is an instant favorite!
—Nikki
This is a book you won’t want to put down. A series of interconnected stories of four Nigerian women who formed a strong sisterhood while students at boarding school. Moving between Nigeria and the US, we follow the trajectories of their lives as they grapple with the possibilities and challenges of the independence they believe is their right. Creative and epic - also fantastic as audio book thru Libro.fm.
—Anne
Brilliant story telling! Thru a dozen interview sessions at a job assistance program in New York City, we gradually get to know Cara and her struggles, thoughts and life as a Dominican immigrant. Loved it!
—Anne
These stories blew me away!
—Mary
I cannot say enough great thing about this book! Each of these interwoven stories stand on their own as powerful examinations on race, heritage, family, and identity. And together they make an extraordinary saga that is epic in scope and gorgeous in prose!
—Nikki
A compelling collection of stories about blended identities, race, parental favoritism and financial struggles. A Jamaican family moves to Miami, but their youngest son struggles to fit in, constantly wondering who he is, always feeling like an outsider even within his own family. Beautiful writing.
—Anne
A propulsive, twisty, effed-up mystery that will keep you picking up breadcrumbs until you have a whole sandwich! Ford’s Cottonmouths was spectacular, and her second novel was just as satisfying!
—Nikki
An INCREDIBLE historical fantasy novel that confronts the impacts of colonialism through students attending the translation institute at Oxford University. It explores how language can be used to enforce racism, while also showcasing the beauty and power languages and the art of translation. It asks thought-provoking questions about the purpose of academia, the use and control of language, colonialism, racism, sexism, and the necessity of violence to bring about revolution. Babel is well researched and beautifully, artfully, written. The way Kuang weaves in so much linguistic information into this story is incredible, and I loved every minute of it. And it has footnotes!! The footnotes add a depth and academic vibe to this book that really works and brings you even deeper into the world Kuang has created. This book deserves all the awards and all the praise. It might be my favorite read this year. Honestly, just incredible, and well worth the read.
—Michelle
Loved it just as much as The Love Hypothesis! I will read anything this woman writes.
—Taylor
I loved her previous book and I think this will appeal to even more people. It's a moving and clear-eyed novel that surprises at every turn. Also, great cover!
—Mary
I have to say this: this memoir is compelling, even enjoyable and kind of witty! Don’t let the topic put you off: the end of a marriage. You are a fly on the wall, listening to the author's candid and sort of stream-of-consciousness internal monologue as she processes what’s happening to her. An intimate portrait of healing.
—Anne
Once you leave, is it ever really the same when you come back? A young man during the Cultural Revolution's harsh programs, now a mathematician in the US, returns to his Chinese rural village after a long absence to search for his father who’s gone missing. Seeking help from his first love, he wrestles with feeling lost between two cultures and the two loves of his life. A must-read!
—Anne
You can feel your heart cracking open as you read Bartels' memories of her lost pets. With impeccable research and examination, she explores our love affair with our pets and why we continue to welcome them into our families in spite of the weight of their loss. Any one who has ever loved and lost a pet needs to read this book!
—Nikki
I really loved this totally unique book! It raises really interesting questions of knowledge vs information, found family vs blood, and social conformity vs independent thought.
—Nikki
One of my favorite reads of the year! So fast-paced, funny, and sweet.
—Taylor
A fantasy, adventure and even a bit of romance, this riff of the H.G. Wells century-old classic is a great read with a strong, intelligent woman at its center.
—Anne
I absolutely adored this book! It's by far the funniest novel about mass extinction and the latest of late-stage-capitalism out there!
—Nikki
Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield is a gorgeous book about discovery, loss, grief, and memory. Told in alternating chapters between Leah - a deep sea explorer who's been at the ocean's floor for six months - and her wife Miri - who's been waiting for her to resurface. Armfield’s prose is ominous, beautiful, haunting, and a little disturbing. This is already one of my favorite novels of 2022, maybe ever. And really, I can’t stop thinking about it!
—Nikki
This queer and mushroom-y retelling of Poe's "The Fall of the House of Usher" has all the mystery and horror you could want in a single sitting! As always, Kingfisher's masterful at the slow build and finding the uncanny in the mundane. It totally freaked me out and I can't wait to read it again!
—Nikki
At times tense, often full of unexpected twists and turns, this is a gripping story of what happens in the aftermath of a catastrophic hurricane. How resilient are people in the face of having lost home, security, everything? A hard-to-put-down book.
—Anne
Love, love, LOVE it. Dark and brutal and provocative story about motherhood in a small town.
—Michelle
This hooked me from the first chapter. Relatable to any millennial/zillennial, it's reads like you're in Sam's head, and I love it. The chapters are each named for a cocktail, with a recipe to go along with. Full of character and New York vibes.
—Michelle
This book had me at page one! I'm drawn to books about female friendship, and this one, about two young women living on the edges of society and poverty, drawn into opioid use and dealing, is edgy and astonishing. This will be able to find readers whose interests in Elena Ferrante and Hillbilly Elegy intersect!
—Mary
Ok, I'm really excited for this one to come out. It's dark, and terrible, and magical, and classic. It hooked me in the first chapter and I couldn't help but want to keep reading.
—Michelle
Fabulous!!!
—Mary
10! 10! 10! 10! 10! Revisiting the larger-than-life character of Tracy Flick from his groundbreaking debut novel Election, Tom Perrotta does the astonishing -- he picks up her story in a way that feels so incredibly authentic and sincere. We've all wondered what happened to Tracy Flick -- and we're fully rooting for her here, where she finally -- finally!! -- comes into her own. Maybe. I LOVE THIS BOOK!
—Mary
Like a Victorian-era Umbrella Academy, this mysterious story caught my attention. It was really interesting and I'm excited to see what comes next in the series!
—Michelle
I love reimaginings of fairy tales, and this delivered! About a support group of women haunted by the trauma from their fairy tale paths. It's like someone read the Grimm brother's fairy tales and put all those characters in a room together to talk about the horrible ways their stories happen and it's great. Angsty and great.
—Michelle
A generational story with dystopian futures and environmental disaster? Count me in. Really excited about this one.
—Michelle
A shining example of Arnett’s mastery of writing bodies and place, she knows exactly how to crawl up into those unspeakable crevices we’d rather avoid--relationships, motherhood, self-image--and draw out what needs to be said. Despite our exhaustive efforts we don’t always know what others are thinking, what ties us to them, or why we need them. This book is slippery and messy, it’s witty and scary, it is sharp and unforgettable.
—Nikki
I LOVED Three Women, and Animal is an extraordinary novel to follow Taddeo's debut. It is a page-turner, a feminist manifesto, and a brutal self-awakening all at once. I loved it!
—Mary
Out of stock at the moment; would not arrive before the holidays.
A condemnation of the ways the rich and powerful prey on the vulnerable and anyone they consider less, this thriller hits hard. In this contest to see who can hide and survive in this terrifying game of hide-and-seek, White brings you close to the characters and doesn't just rely on horror character tropes. She lets you into the mind of each character, making this book hit even harder. And while the monster exists inside the game, it is not the only monster in this world. This story met all my expectations--I couldn't put it down.
—Michelle
I loved this strange and moving book!
—Mary
Heartfelt and wise, a lovely read.
—Mary
I loved this new book by Jokha Alharthi! It is even better than Celestial Bodies and more accessible!
—Mary
This had me from the very first sentence! A fantastic new read!
—Mary
A can't-put-down saga set in London about family, faith, class, race, culture, politics, sex… What starts as a more typical first get-together between a newly engaged couple’s families soon takes a turn as each family’s dysfunctional behavior and deep secrets begin to surface, threatening to unravel Joe’s and Yasmin’s future life together.
—Anne
Emily Henry is the romance queen. I loved this book so much! Nora and Charlie have my heart.
—Taylor
As someone from the Pacific Northwest, I had to read this. It's beautiful and sad and well worth the read.
—Michelle
Epic. I'm excited about this one. I love speculative fiction and climate fiction and dystopian futures, and historical fiction, and this book checked all those boxes in an incredible, creative way.
—Michelle
I love the way this book is told mostly through memories and I love the reports scattered in between chapters of the Dragoning. It's a magical story where women can become dragons, but no one is allowed to speak of it, where the roles of women in society are questioned, and how we can break free. This book provides a really exciting, unique way to approach the 1950s and the role of women in America.
—Michelle
I'll read anything Solomon writes, and I absolutely devoured this! It has horror, cults, motherhood, politics, fantasy, and beauty. My heart was racing as I read this!
—Nikki
Weird and suspenseful and wholly original!
—Mary
A tale of homelessness, hardship, survival, secrets and love, two marginalized people uncover long-held family secrets. So well written, so worth reading.
—Anne
Out of stock at the moment; would not arrive before the holidays.
An uplifting and hopeful novel about trying to do the best for the people you love, even if you've messed up in the past. I wanted to keep hanging out with the folks at the Maple Street Cemetery and hear more tales from the town!
—Nikki
A New York Times Editors’ Choice
One of NPR’s Best Books of the Year
“A beautifully wrought ode to life…a precious gift to the world.” —The Washington Post
From the bestselling author of I Miss You When I Blink comes a poignant and powerful new memoir that tackles the big questions o
Schulman once again shows her special literary relationship with animals that lets her weave together human stories with analogies to some of the world’s wild and intelligent mammals!. Deaf Cora discovers she can “hear” the dolphins underwater and ends up as a research assistant to Dr. Blum, but her strong bond with the dolphins eventually puts her on collision course with the scientists.
—Anne
A Pakistani police officer has been asked to cover up a violent death in Lahore’s red-light district, but instead he investigates which leads him into his own past. A novel of family and politics, strong women marginalized by society and men in powerful positions. Great story telling!
—Anne
A powerfully told history of a rather overlooked part of the abortion-rights movement. While Roe v Wade made abortion legal, ensuring safe access was often up to activists/volunteers, sometimes putting their lives on the line. A timely book about the fight to preserve abortion rights.
—Anne
I was looking forward to this book from the moment I saw it, but it still surprised me with how fun it was. The writing is so clever and quirky, and I immediately was smiling, and couldn't put it down.
—Michelle
A really original book, with a captivating mix of folklore and the realism of coming of age and gender identity. A fascinating tale, not to be interrupted.
—Michelle
Many reviews see this as a companion to Mandel's The Glass Hotel, but I think it works amazingly well as a standalone novel as well. I read it without reading the Glass Hotel and absolutely loved it. I love Mandel's narrative style and the interlaced stories and characters. The time travel and they way this one spot in Victoria links each character is magical, and the way it shows how our lives are intertwined with music and small moments is beautiful. I could read Emily St. John Mandel all day.
—Michelle
A gorgeous follow up to Optic Nerve -- I love this as well!
—Mary
An imaginative book set in the years around the Civil War. Libertie is born free and lives with her mother, a doctor, who she spends hours helping in Brooklyn. When she marries, she sails with her husband to his native Haiti. But once there, she feels trapped and begins to see how class distinctions divides Haiti: those working for themselves Vs those working for others.
—Anne
I loved this book weaving together mythology and memoir to build Zimmerman's understanding of modern feminism.
—Nikki
These sharp essays on pop-culture commentary and queerness are perfect for any rapidly-aging millennial (like me)!
—Nikki
Cohen's debut collection is hilarious, messy, and electric! Each story centers around a main character named Sarah trying to forge their own identities. I loved the weirdness and the tenderness of these stories!
—Nikki
Out of stock at the moment; would not arrive before the holidays.
This is a clever fable following the overthrow of one oppressive tyrant in the (fictional) African country of Jidada and the rise of another one. An inventive satire inspired by the overthrow of Mugabe in Zimbabwe in 2017, it is a story of our times when resistance movements crop up in many places around the world, challenging various forms of oppression.
—Anne
Do robots have an inner life? Can they feel, love? Set somewhere in the future, Klara is an AF (Artificial Friend) who is helping Josie get thru the lonely adolescent years until college. But Klara isn’t just a robot. She learns by observation, and is intensely loyal to “her" teenager.
—Anne
A gory, touching, and unapologetic look at queer survival in a hostile world. I utterly devoured this book!
—Nikki
Out of stock at the moment; would not arrive before the holidays.
An incredibly fun, twisty, ominous debut novel! It has all the characteristics of a classic Gothic novel combined with an utterly luscious eat-the-rich plot. Mayquist's writing is cinematic and captivating, I really didn't want this book to end!
—Nikki
I loved this wildly original take on a haunted house story about a mixed race American academic who marries an Italian man building a house/compound in Madagascar. The house seduces her as well as the inhabitants of their island community, haunted by its colonial past. None of this describes the book very well though -- it unfolds over Shay's life time, and we witness her drawing deeper into the mysterious pull of the island. Hypnotically readable.
—Mary
Out of stock at the moment; would not arrive before the holidays.
I really loved this magical, heartfelt coming-of-age about queerness, heartbreak and found family!
—Nikki
A love story between two enslaved boys set on an antebellum plantation amid the horrors of slavery. The voices of a large cast of characters come to life, from the best to the worst of humanity, each with their desires, fears and depravations. A compelling story.
—Anne
I loved this book so much! A disgraced lifestyle influencer and her childhood friend start a cult to cure the world of toxic masculinity and it goes both exactly and nothing at all like you'd expect! It's smart, shocking, hilarious, and scary how on the mark it is.
—Nikki
Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes! H is for Hawk meets The Wire, a gripping and uplifting memoir of a Black man convicted of dealing drugs turn conservationist and master falconer. Truly astonishing!
—Mary
An excellent collection of short stories. They are dark and surprising, fantastical and sublimely human. My favorites were "Pre-simulation Consultation," "Twenty Hours," "The Doll," and "June Bugs." Full of grief and growth and human feeling--it was all great.
—Michelle
This book is utterly poetic and gorgeous both in theme and style. Death is a shape-shifting Black woman who's getting weary of her calling and wanting her story to be known. As she tells her story to Wolf Willeford the narrative shifts perspectives from prose to verse as they both grow closer through contemplating death. I've truly never read anything like this book before.
—Nikki
A story of clues and twists a la Agatha Christie, this fictionalized telling of her 1926 disappearance is a fun read!
—Anne
This book is so eerie and fun! New mom, Megan finds her home suddenly inhabited by the ghosts of Margaret Wise Brown and Michael Strange. A really unique look into postpartum psychosis with all the supernatural elements I need!
—Nikki
This incredible accessible, hopeful book traces the intersectional history of abolition feminist movements and organizations, and—vitally—highlights how urgent this issue is right now. The conversations on abolition are growing and changing every day, and I loved the practice of unlearning in order to learn new ways to better our communities.
—Nikki
Four people settle in the high house to manage as best they can in a post-apocalyptic climate world. A moving story about the gentle Grandy, two women and a curious young boy and their everyday attempts to live in a world turning ever more inhospitable.
—Anne
Playfully inventive and so much fun!
—Mary
This is a short but wildly in-depth history of one of the most magical meals on earth! And the book is light enough to read with one hand while you're twirling your fork with the other.
—Nikki
I'm utterly in love with this book! Oshetsky expertly crafted the bizarre and magical family dynamics that present themselves when parents disagree on how to raise their different child. Tiny is a heartbreaking and funny narrator, and I finished the book desperately wanting to swaddle Chouette and tell her everything will be okay!
—Nikki
Deón's writing is deep and beautiful, and her themes are timeless. This book is highly ambitious and Deón rises to it spectacularly!
—Nikki
Anyone who has ever loved an old dog, or any elderly animal will rejoice and bawl their eyes out reading about good boy Woodrow's last year on this planet and how he and his awesome human made the most of it. Wise, funny, and Boston-centric, this memoir inspires us all to be more present in the moment with our own interspecies soulmates.
—Mary
This book is beautiful and will be well appreciated!!!
—Mary
This is an undeniably great series! Vaughn and Chiang perfectly capture the feeling of being a small town kid in the late 80s. The humor, slice-of-life, epic storytelling, supernatural twists, and gorgeous illustrations and coloring had me obsessed from page one! Fans of Stranger Things, Lumberjanes, Saga, Mockingbird, and any classic teen sleuth gang will LOVE this series!
—Nikki
These essays are hilarious and smart, and made me feel great about my love of novelty bands and reality television!
—Nikki
A fabulous adventure story in an extreme environment. Engaging and fast-paced, Sven, a disfigured loner, is prodded into action by his friends. It’s a story of self-reliance and toughness, solitude and survival, where friendship plays a central role.
—Anne
This short and creepy books had serious Haunting of Hill House vibes, but with some horrifying new twists! Perfect for a one-sitting night-time read!
—Nikki
This book seduced me from page one! I loved being in this author's hands and I can't wait to share with others!
—Mary
A groundbreaking novel about what family, motherhood, and femininity can mean. My heart ached while reading this!
—Nikki
So fun and totally original!
—Mary
I loved Welcome to Lagos, and I am loving this even more!
—Mary
A fascinating memoir about how three Egyptian women’s passions for books resulted in their opening a unique bookstore/cafe in Cairo. They learned to navigate this patriarchal society as they went, including handling censorship, hiring/firing staff, and making customers understand that a bookstore is not a library and must make money. Through the aisles of the bookstore, we also get to know the writer and all those around her who supported her business.
—Anne
When I opened this book and saw the dedication to the 250,000 - 300,000 people presumed killed in the Haitian earthquake of 2010, I was shocked and astonished, and ashamed that I hadn't realized/remembered the scale of devastation. This book reads like a testimony of the lives lost, upended, and scattered. Can a single book do justice to the memory of a cataclysmic event and all the millions effected by it? If any book can, it's this novel.
—Mary
I did not expect it would be this entertaining to read stories about “when nature breaks the law”. They are often wild, funny and amusing, but it’s really her way with words, the little side comments, fun facts and wry remarks that made me laugh. In the process, she helps us gain a better understanding of the animal world.
—Anne
A fantastic multigenerational saga spanning two millennia, weaving together three stories: royal twins from the Maya kingdom, a young American on a trip to Belize, and two people vying to influence the fate of the few humans left on Earth after it suffers massive climate change. It totally grabbed my attention as it imagines our future while exploring how our past can impact our present.
—Anne
A compelling collection of stories about the lives of Chinese and Chinese American women across time and place, I really enjoyed the vivid writing about motherhood, loss, migration and language.
—Anne
I was hooked from page one!
—Mary
An intense, heartbreaking and powerful story of war and myth! Set in WWI, a Senegalese soldier is consumed by guilt and descends into madness after helplessly witnessing his childhood friend’s death on the frontlines.
—Anne
This Fascinating memoir of family secrets will draw you in as the author searches for answers to the mystery of her parents' marriage and her own experiences with her elusive father. You can't help but root for her to find the answers—enjoy the ride!
—Mary
A highly atmospheric and engrossing novel about the English witch trials in the 1600s. Blakemore's writing is dark and poetic, and greatly conveys the paranoia and anxieties of the time. Blakemore's extensive research came through--I love when a historical novel inspires me to keep digging, and The Manningtree Witches did just that!
—Nikki
At times brutal, at other times tender, Broder blows me away again with this weird and hilarious journey into food, sex, and control.
—Nikki
I was on the edge of my seat the entire time reading this! Awad's writing is utterly captivating and magical, and she never fails to deliver on the thrills, twists, and drama!
—Nikki
I really wanted to be a horse girl as a kid, but I could not because I am afraid of horses and that's just what it is. LUCKILY I can relive those dreams and emotions through this wonderful collections featuring some incredible memoirists. You'll want to rein this in (get it?).
—Nikki
When the Reckoning Comes is utterly horrifying, suspenseful, and gothic! A visceral southern journey to the ghost's of America's past and present, and how we're all tied to it whether we want to be or not.
—Nikki
Oooh, I loved this strange and beautiful book!
—Mary
Out of stock at the moment; would not arrive before the holidays.
A labyrinthine story about motherhood, rage, art, femininity, transformation, domesticity, and dogs. I loved every page!
—Nikki
Kristen Radtke has given us a beautiful, haunting, and yet somehow ultimately comforting book about something we all experience but can't often verbalize as eloquently as the author/illustrator. It's gorgeous and oddly joyful to read!
—Mary
Out of stock at the moment; would not arrive before the holidays.
Taylor's stories are so precisely written, and gives such clear insight into his character's lives. Real Life was one of my favorite books of 2020, and this was an exquisite follow-up!
—Nikki
Brammer is utterly hilarious and perfectly witty in memoir chronicling his life as a closeted mixed-race kid to advice columnist!
—Nikki
I loved this novel about trans queer belonging and found families and our need to be connected and understood no matter how advanced we become. Also succulents and witchcraft!
—Nikki
A wholly original take on the classic detective story! There has been a murder and the suspects are genetically-modified members of the world's most popular boy band! Such a fun one-sitting read with a supurb twist ending!
—Nikki
These essays by French novelist and filmmaker, Despentes, are full of rage, punk ideology, and insight!
—Nikki
A devastating look at some of Zauner's most private memories dealing with race, her relationship with her mother, and forming her own identity. This book took me fully into someone else's world, and I'm not sure I ever really came back.
—Nikki
A fascinating story of murder, Stanford University, eugenics, fish and the meaning of life. Part memoir, part biography, Lulu Miller researched David Starr Jordan's life hoping for a role model she could draw lessons from on how to handle self-doubt, pain, be optimistic. Instead, she finds a very ugly side of Jordan’s past, as well as why fish don’t exist. Read this unusual story!
—Anne
One of the most wrenching and beautiful books I've ever read! Bieker's world is harrowing and allencompasing and I am now looking forward to more of her work!
—Nikki
I loved these super short stories! They're quirky, philosophical, and deep, and are great to read in order, by theme, or just skip around!
—Nikki
I cried multiple times while reading this and felt reborn afterwards. Washburn's writing is gorgeous and evocative, and this book will stay with you for a long time afterwards.
—Nikki
An almost dreamlike story of grief and trauma of two half siblings in the southwest, mourning the death of their mother over a weekend. They are haunted by ghosts of the past, a hard life from childhood, their mother’s strange behavior and the Explorer’s abuses. As part of a pact on leaving town, the siblings perform in the plaza to earn enough money from white tourists who don’t really see them, but rather romanticize their struggle and poverty.
—Anne
Within 20 pages, this was one of my new favorite books of all-time. I cannot begin to express how much I loved this book and how much of an impact it left on me.
—Taylor