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Staff Picks Booklist

Our booksellers' recent staff reviews are listed below.

Browse more staff picks.

Kids and teens

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A Darker Shade of Magic: A Novel (Shades of Magic #1) By V. E. Schwab Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781250891211
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Tor Books - May 16th, 2023

"Addictive and immersive, this series is a must-read." —Entertainment Weekly

Enter #1 New York Times bestselling author V. E. Schwab’s beloved Shades of Magic trilogy—a dazzling world of parallel Londons where magic thrives, starves, or lies forgotten,
and where power can destroy just as quickly as it can create.


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The Frozen River: A Novel By Ariel Lawhon Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780385546874
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Doubleday - December 5th, 2023

The Frozen River is an engaging, page-turning, historical fiction mystery based on the diaries of real life midwife, Martha Ballard. Martha lived near present day Augusta, Maine along the Kennebec River during the post Revolutionary 18th century. As a midwife, she administers to local women during births as well as providing medicinal herbs, potions and salves. On occasion Martha also testifies to the local courts for paternity cases. This story begins with a local man being found dead in the frozen river. The townsmen ask Martha for her opinion on the cause of death and she believes it is murder. The frozen victim just happens to be one of the men that Martha’s maternity patient, pastor’s wife Rebecca Foster, said sexually assaulted her months earlier. The other assailant happens to be the local judge overseeing the case. Martha believes the murder is related to the sexual assault and she begins to piece together that relationship. This book not only describes the struggles of a colonial midwife, it also reveals the court system of early American New England. The author weaves in excerpts of Martha’s diary entries that tell the story of this admired woman. As a History lover, I couldn’t put this book down.

— Liz


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The Hedgewitch of Foxhall By Anna Bright Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780063083578
Availability: On our shelves
Published: HarperTeen - March 12th, 2024

The Hedgewitch of Foxhall is a deliciously magical medieval Welsh fantasy that weaves an intoxicating spell from the very first page. My favorite of 2024 so far! Magic has been drained from the Welsh kingdoms, cut off by an earthen wall constructed in the dead of night by an enemy king and his army. Desperate to protect their kingdom from invasion, two princely brothers and a feral cranky hedgewitch set out to destroy the wall and return magic to its rightful place in the world. But as their quest continues, it is endangered by kings and fathers with their own agendas, witches and mothers with their own games to play, hearts that do not do as they are told, and magical creatures slowly returning to their rightful homes. Also included: impeccable cottagecore vibes, nuanced takes on consumption and work, kissing, spooky folklore, and witty banter.

— Rebecca S.


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The Curse of Pietro Houdini: A Novel By Derek B. Miller Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781668020883
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - January 16th, 2024

This story follows a larger-than-life man and the young narrator he takes on as an apprentice to save Italian art from Nazi Germany. The narrator’s interiority is some of the best I’ve read and the character work is impeccable. Aside from being a technical masterpiece, the story itself is compelling and grounded. I found myself invested in every moment, whether they were hiding from American bombings or simply talking in a vault beneath the abbey of Monte Cassino. Overwhelmingly, this novel bleeds with love for one’s country, friends, and art. Explore human relationships with struggle, innocence, legacy, family, and the multifaceted self.

— Maggie


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The Meth Lunches: Food and Longing in an American City By Kim Foster Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781250278777
Availability: On our shelves
Published: St. Martin's Press - October 10th, 2023

Author Kim Foster is a James Beard Award winning food writer whose husband's career took them to Las Vegas, NV.  When she and her husband begin to renovate their downtown 1940s bungalow, they hire Charlie, a pseudo-homeless man with carpentry skills -- who also happens to be addicted to meth.  As Kim and her family bond with Charlie over the lunches she prepares and shares, she comes to know the person and the troubles behind Charlie's addiction. Ultimately Charlie moves on from their life, but Kim meets denizens of the Vegas Strip who struggle with addiction, mental illness, trauma, and incarceration.  Because Kim is the ultimate foodie, many of her interactions with those who struggle take place over meals, often lunch, which as a foodie she describes in exquisite detail. Meth Lunches ultimately illuminates the lives of those at the periphery, those often victimized by government and society, those people who sometimes just need a helping hand that is not coming. And Kim's descriptions of the food she prepares and eats will make you quite hungry..

— Rachel


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The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel By James McBride Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593422946
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Riverhead Books - August 8th, 2023

Hilarious and heartbreaking. A community rallies around a deaf child in the 1920s.  A mystery that begins in the 1970s and rewinds to the Black & Jewish community in Pottstown, PA. A worthy follow up to Deacon King Kong.

— Trish

A glorious story filled with memorable characters and a twisty plot.

— Abbe

I’ve never read a book by James McBride that I didn’t love, and this one is no exception. Set in Pottstown PA, this is the story of the Jewish and Black communities who came together to solve a mystery and protect one of their own, a young deaf boy named Dodo. 
 

— Mamie


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Bride By Ali Hazelwood Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9780593550403
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Berkley - February 6th, 2024

A suspenseful and fun romance. Hazelwood's first paranormal romance is her best book yet!
I could not put this book down and absolutely loved the tension between Misery and Lowe.  The story (and mystery) is just as thrilling as the developing relationship.

A great read for all romance readers!

— Michelle


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The Women: A Novel By Kristin Hannah Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781250178633
Availability: On our shelves
Published: St. Martin's Press - February 6th, 2024

Kristin Hannah has created a magnificent story about the resilience and strength of women.

When Frankie hears that women can be heroes too, she enlists as a nurse in Vietnam. Frankie is quickly overwhelmed by the chaos of war but finds solace in her friendships with her fellow nurses.

After her tour ends, not only does she struggle to overcome the trauma of what she witnessed overseas- she is left adrift in a divided and unsupportive America.  

The Women is an emotional and lyrical novel that tells the story of  a remarkable heroine as she comes of age during a dark and defining time

— Michelle


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The Scarlet Alchemist By Kylie Lee Baker Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781335458018
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Inkyard Press - October 3rd, 2023

In an alternate China where alchemy can keep you alive longer and raise you from the dead, Zilan must compete in the imperial exams to become a royal alchemist. But there are monsters lurking within the palace walls...

This book was engaging, unpredictable, and fast-paced. Immerse yourself in the magic, violence, and political intrigue. You won't be able to put it down. 

— Amber


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Love Poems of Catullus By Gaius Valerius Catullus, Tynan Kogane (Editor) Cover Image
$13.95
ISBN: 9780811237499
Availability: On our shelves
Published: New Directions - November 28th, 2023

If you thought you couldn’t relate to a poet from 2000 years ago, you’d be dead wrong. This collection of poems from Rome’s raunchy and controversial poet covers the extremes of human experience, from passionate love to abject despair. There are even quite a few retorts to his critics, including one that wasn’t published until the 20th century for being too filthy. Enjoy!

— Maggie


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Fight Like Hell: The Untold History of American Labor By Kim Kelly Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781982171063
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Atria/One Signal Publishers - August 29th, 2023

Solidarity forever, for the union makes us strong! This is a powerful, inclusive, and accessible history of the often-unsung heroes of American labor history, whose tireless work and sacrifices paved the way for the workplace rights and safety we enjoy today. But what makes this book special is that it reminds us that those rights are increasingly insufficient for survival in our current reality, that they are constantly under siege by the bosses and powers-that-be. and that there is always strength and solidarity in the union.

— Rebecca


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Thin Places By Kerri Ní Dochartaigh Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781639550623
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Milkweed Editions - November 14th, 2023

Moving effortlessly between the generational violence of the Troubles and the redemptive solace of the Irish landscape, Thin Places is at once a searing meditation on trauma and healing, a wild celebration of nature, and a wise reckoning with the complicated legacies of history, identity, and language. It is a beautiful and haunting memoir; it sings its way into your blood and your bones, takes you by the hand, and leaves you changed, scoured clean, and ultimately, hopeful for the future.

— Rebecca


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Hangman: A Novel By Maya Binyam Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9780374610074
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - August 8th, 2023

Maya Binyam’s debut novel begins with the protagonist on a flight from the U.S. to his home country in Sub-Saharan Africa, a place he hasn’t been in 26 years. He doesn’t know why he’s going – his ticket was bought for him, his bags packed for him, and he was taken to the airport without an explanation. Throughout the story, he endeavors to find the reason he’s been sent home.

The mystery of the unknown journey and stream-of-consciousness first person writing style is at times both exhilarating and unsettling – but, it had me dying to know what would happen next.

Laced with humor, thoughtful social commentary, and interesting characters, this book was hard to put down and sat with me for a long time after I finished reading.

— Eric


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Sugar, Baby By Celine Saintclare Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781639732463
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - January 9th, 2024

Sugar, Baby is a compelling debut centered on 21-year-old Agnes as she is pulled from her standard life with her strict, pious Caribbean mother in the outskirts of London into the glittering world of wealthy sugar babies. She is fascinated by the perceived elegance and ease of sugaring, but her friends have safety nets and Agnes is more isolated than ever. Her new world comes with unparalleled opulence, but also drugs and powerful men who can rip Agnes's false sense of control away in the blink of an eye. Sugar, Baby is addictive, intoxicating, and impossible to put down as Saintclare racks up the tension with every chapter. Agnes is a wonderfully interesting character to follow, inspiring empathy and mind-numbing frustration within the same paragraph. You'll root for her, fear for her, and recognize yourself in her desire to belong and be wanted. This is such a well done debut and I can't wait to see what Saintclare will write next!

— Emma


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Poverty, by America By Matthew Desmond Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593239919
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Crown - March 21st, 2023

Matthew Desmond, best selling author of "Evicted," is back to examine the causes of poverty in America.  Since the Johnson Administration in the 1960s, the American government has waged war on poverty.  Vast amounts of money are spent annually fighting poverty, but poverty seems to be an entrenched part of American society.  

Desmond argues and presents some convincing evidence that poverty continues because it benefits the wealthy and middle classes.  Those who 'have' exploit the poor by driving down wages and forcing them to overpay for housing and access to credit.  In short, we all benefit from financial exploitation whether or not we know it.

The author then offers some innovative solutions to the poverty problem and calls on all of us to become poverty abolitionists.

This is a thought provoking book even if you may disagree with parts of Desmond's premise and some of his conclusions.  Recommended.

— Rachel


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Orbital By Samantha Harvey Cover Image
$24.00
ISBN: 9780802161543
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Atlantic Monthly Press - December 5th, 2023

This sedate, dreamlike exploration of a single day in the life of a space station’s international crew is, in many ways, an extended love poem to life on Earth. There’s no plot per se; rather, the reader experiences 16 orbits of our planet through internal monologues, flashbacks, and descriptions of the world below.

By turns moving, thought-provoking, and heartbreaking, each sentence of this little novel is so dense–at times tumbling into stream-of-consciousness outright–that I had to break often to digest what I’d read. Think of “As I Lay Dying,” but in space.

— Charlotte


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Bliss Montage: Stories By Ling Ma Cover Image
By Ling Ma
$17.00
ISBN: 9781250893543
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Picador - September 12th, 2023

I'm not a big fan of short story collections— I inevitably get bored halfway through— but I loved Ling Ma's debut novel Severance, so I gave Bliss Montage a chance. I burned through the whole thing in a single day. Every piece has its merits, but I'm still mulling over the toxic friendship at the center of the story "G" (not to mention the drug that renders its user invisible). I also particularly loved "Peking Duck" for its skillful construction, with one story nested inside another like so many Russian dolls.

Overall, Bliss Montage reminded me of the power (and delight) of short form magical realism. Sometimes what a person needs is a small but potent dose of absurdity.

— Ryan


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In Memoriam: A novel By Alice Winn Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593534564
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Knopf - March 7th, 2023

The queer, WWI work of historical fiction you didn't know you needed.  And you most certainly do.

In 1914, war broke out in Europe.  The scions of the English upper class rushed from school to join the British Expeditionary Force before the war ended and they missed 'the fun'.  Young Henry Gaunt feels extra pressure to enlist from his exclusive public school for two reasons:  First, Gaunt is half German and he needs to enlist to prove his family's loyalty to the Crown.  Second, he is infatuated with fellow-student Sydney Ellwood and he wants to escape the tempest of emotions Sydney's presence provokes in him.  What he doesn't count on is Sydney's enlisting in the same regiment and his arrival to serve at the front under Gaunt's command.

Winn does an outstanding job painting the grim reality of life in the trenches: the filth and fear and close proximity to death.  She does an even better job of depicting the complex relationship between Gaunt and Ellwood as they grapple with forbidden love in a world of extreme violence.

— Rachel


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Wellness: A novel By Nathan Hill Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780593536117
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Knopf - September 19th, 2023

Jack and Elizabeth are Gen-Xers who meet and fall in love in Chicago.  It is a fairytale romance.  Twenty-years later they are still married but the fairytale has ended.  Their only child is on the autism spectrum.  They have put all of their money into designing a dream condominium, which may or may not ever be built.  Both have trauma from their pasts which suddenly must be dealt with if they want to stay together.   And that 'if' is a big open question.  

Hill is a master of language and story and he draws his reader into the story quickly.  You'll care about these characters and probably recognize yourself and your life in them too.  Especially if you've ever watched HGTV or wondered what to do with what's left of your life.. 

— Rachel


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The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial By David Lipsky Cover Image
$32.50
ISBN: 9780393866704
Availability: On our shelves
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - July 11th, 2023

Climate science and climate change denial is hot right now.  But scientists have been warning us about climate change and global warming for over 100 years.  

Author David Llipsky chronicles the rise of industrialization in the 1900s and the resulting increase in carbon emissions.  He notes that scientists very early on determined rising global temperatures were directly caused by industrial pollution.   By the 1950s, it was commonly understood by politicians, scientists and the general public that global warming was the reality and the reason behind it was carbon.  Then the backlash began and climate deniers began spreading lies and disinformation about climate change and whether it was even real.

This is a wildly entertaining and sometimes exasperating book.  Lipsky does a masterful job telling the story of how we got to where we are now: With half of the population convinced the climate crisis is real and the other half equally convinced it is a hoax.

— Rachel


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Sex with a Brain Injury: On Concussion and Recovery By Annie Liontas Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781668015544
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Scribner - January 16th, 2024

Always poignant and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, queer writer and scholar Annie Liontas chronicles her life after a bicycling accident in California leaves her with a traumatic brain injury.  Two other concussions follow in rapid succession and Liontas finds herself struggling to continue her life as she had known it.  Ultimately this book is about what it is to be wounded, what it actually means to 'recover'. Liontas expertly weaves her personal narrative into the larger discussion of health and disability among women and minorities.  She discusses the legacy of brain injury in historical figures like King Henry VIII and Harriet Tubman, and she examines the seldom considered impact of traumatic brain injury in the American criminal justice system.  An excellent book and highly recommended.

— Rachel


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Chain Gang All Stars: A Novel By Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9780593317334
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Pantheon - May 2nd, 2023

In the near future, US prisons are run by private corporations for maximum profit and maximum punishment.  Prisons are a hellscape of physical pain and emotional torture.  But there is an avenue of escape for those who are desperate enough: The Chain-Gang All-Stars.  Prisoners can volunteer for a modern-day Roman arena where they fight their fellow inmates to the death.  No survivors.  No mercy.  Survive for three years on the Chain-Gang and you earn your freedom along with fame and fortune.

Murderer Loretta Thurwar is the best of the best and weeks away from earning her freedom.  The only problem is she may have to kill her best friend to get there.

A captivating but troubling novel that shines a bright light on our criminal justice system and presents a dystopian future that is frighteningly possible.

— Rachel


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November 1942: An Intimate History of the Turning Point of World War II By Peter Englund, Peter Graves (Translated by) Cover Image
By Peter Englund, Peter Graves (Translated by)
$32.00
ISBN: 9781524733315
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Knopf - November 21st, 2023

Gazing into the past from the present, history often seems inevitable.  For example, we often might think the Axis was always going to lose World War II because that's what happened.  But history is not inevitable and did not seem so to those who lived it.  

Historian Peter Englund takes a cast of 39 historical characters - both military and civilian - and chronicles their collective daily experiences throughout November 1942.  We now know November 1942 was the turning point of the Second World War, but that wasn't obvious then.  By the end of the month the Allies had turned back the Axis armies at Guadalcanal, el-Alamein, and Stalingrad.  The war was not over but the Axis's chances for winning effectively ended.

History can seem like random dates and facts, but Englund's treatment brings this singularly important month to life in a way most histories can't.

— Rachel


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The Fury By Alex Michaelides Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250758989
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Celadon Books - January 16th, 2024

A masterful story that twists past and present reality - or does it? The Fury by Alex Michaelides had me doubting my perceptions and reasoning savvy. I was beguiled by the narrator's charm and candor and thrilled at trying to unravel the perplexing murder among long time friends and family on a weekend getaway to a private Greek island. Swivels, spins, illusions, potholes, jarring aberrations -- all course through the story in a churning current until the truth, the absolute truth, is realized. A page-turning-'til-late-night-becomes-early-morning worthy read!

— Belinda


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They're Going to Love You: A Novel By Meg Howrey Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780593468005
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Anchor - September 5th, 2023

The perfect book club pick!  They’re Going To Love You is set in the 1980’s New York City ballet world. Carlisle is estranged from her father for 19 years and has one last chance to see him and set things right.

Get comfortable, grab a glass of wine. This is a great read that will give you a whole lot to talk about.

— Peggy


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The Once and Future Sex: Going Medieval on Women's Roles in Society By Eleanor Janega Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780393867817
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - January 17th, 2023

This history of women and gender roles in the Middle Ages is as enjoyable to read as it is informative—impeccably researched and humorous without sacrificing scholarly merit (as long as we can all agree that noting "medieval people loved a good fart joke" does not diminish academic integrity). While much of the existing information on women from this period pertains to members of the ruling class or eccentric religious mystics, Janega pays particular attention to the lives of everyday women, who were not only wives and mothers but business owners, tradespeople, laborers, medical professionals, artists, and scholars. In holding women's contributions to medieval society against men's discourses on how the "ideal" woman should look, behave, and generally exist, Janega notes how modern expectations of women, though often drastically different, are hardly less restrictive.

— Lily


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House of Suns By Alastair Reynolds Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780316462624
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Orbit - September 29th, 2020

What if your family reunion came once every 200,000 years? Oh, and also, your entire family was clones of you. And you were running a few decades late because you had to stop and rescue a sentient robot. And by the time you and your new robot pal and your sister-clone-lover got to the reunion, everyone else was dead.

A murder mystery on the grandest possible scale, this original, inventive, slow-burn thriller beautifully balances hard sci-fi and space opera–and will forever change the way you think about the phrase “the long game.”

— Charlotte


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Last Call at the Local By Sarah Grunder Ruiz Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780593549063
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Berkley - January 2nd, 2024

Last Call at the Local is a cute romance with excellent ADHD and OCD representation. I found Raine and Jack endearing and very relatable, but the character who REALLY stole the show was Sebastian - I wish Quail Ridge had a cat just like him! A good book for anyone wanting a cozy sweet romance.

— Michelle


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Double or Nothing: James Bond is missing and time is running out By Kim Sherwood Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780063236516
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: William Morrow - April 11th, 2023

James Bond is missing, and time is running out for the new generation of Double O agents tasked with rescuing him. Double or Nothing is a heart-pounding, breakneck adventure with all the decadence of a classic Bond novel and the smarts of a modern spy thriller. It will keep you guessing until the very last page, and will have you chomping at the bit for the next book in the series! 

— Rebecca S.


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Knockout: A Hell's Belles Novel By Sarah MacLean Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780063056794
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Avon - August 22nd, 2023

This was my favorite book of 2023 - Sarah MacLean has done it again with her best book yet! Knockout is a fiery, flirty, combustible delight, a perfect example of everything that romance has to offer readers. Imogen, Tommy, and their Hells Belles are the best of the best.

— Rebecca S.


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Things in Jars: A Novel By Jess Kidd Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781982121297
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Atria Books - September 29th, 2020

Things in Jars is a jewel among books. It follows Irish lady sleuth Bridie Devine as she is confronted with her most baffling case yet: the kidnapping of a nobleman’s secret daughter, whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors trading in curiosities. Luckily, Bridie is aided in her search for the girl by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an observant snake woman, among others. Things in Jars is part detective story, part fairy tale, part twisty thrilling slice of Victorian London, and it is so beautiful, magical, and hopeful without being sentimental or overwrought. It stomped on my heart, then picked it up and blew light back into it. But it was also grumpy about it. I LOVED IT SO MUCH.

— Rebecca S.


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Galatea: A Short Story By Madeline Miller Cover Image
$12.00
ISBN: 9780063280519
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Ecco - November 8th, 2022

This slim volume packs a punch. The writing is gorgeous, the character development is astonishing given the brevity of the book, and the ending is gratifying. The audiobook read by Ruth Wilson is brilliantly narrated.

— Kaley


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Bookshops & Bonedust (Legends & Lattes) By Travis Baldree Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781250886101
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Tor Books - November 7th, 2023

Everything I loved about Legends & Lattes is back in Bookshops & Bonedust: a loveable and diverse gang of characters, a cozy plot surrounding a beloved business, witty banter, quick bursts of fantasy action, and a whole lot of heart. This story can be read on its own, but you'll get more out of it if you've already spent time with Viv in her future life.

— Kaley


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Eileen: A Novel By Ottessa Moshfegh Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780143128755
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Penguin Books - August 16th, 2016

The titular narrator of Eileen reflects, from 50 years in the future, on her 24-year-old self: a mousy secretary at a boys' juvenile detention facility with a laxative abuse problem, an alcoholic father, and a spiraling obsession with her beautiful new coworker, Rebecca. (Frankly, the bizarre bisexual girl representation I personally need.) Since the film adaptation of Eileen just premiered, I thought it would be a nice time to buckle up and reread this darkly humorous and kind of unhinged little novel. And good news: it was a nice time! I loved it!

— Ryan


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So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men By Claire Keegan Cover Image
$20.00
ISBN: 9780802160850
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Grove Press - November 14th, 2023

The three stories in Claire Keegan’s collection, So Late in the Day, were powerful and elegantly written. The most striking of these, the final story entitled, “Antarctica,” took a turn at the end that left me stunned. This was the first thing of Keegan’s I’d read, but I will be reading more of her now that I know how impressive a writer she is.

— Mamie


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Roman Stories By Jhumpa Lahiri, Jhumpa Lahiri (Translated by), Todd Portnowitz (Translated by) Cover Image
By Jhumpa Lahiri, Jhumpa Lahiri (Translated by), Todd Portnowitz (Translated by)
$27.00
ISBN: 9780593536322
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Knopf - October 10th, 2023

Each of the stories in Jhumpa Lahiri’s new collection, Roman Stories, was simply beautiful. Lahiri’s lyrical writing, memorable characters, and the setting of Italy combine to make a perfect addition to her vast body of work. I find her consistently delightful.

— Mamie


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Hunting the Falcon: Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the Marriage That Shook Europe By John Guy, Julia Fox Cover Image
$35.00
ISBN: 9780063073449
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Harper - October 24th, 2023

Anne Boleyn is one of the most famous women in British history, but so little is solidly known of her character. These authors went above and beyond in investigating how her earlier life may have influenced her later decisions: her family relations, the time she spent in France, her loves and losses. In short, they did a phenomenal job encapsulating such a complex figure, and highlighting the injustices Henry VIII inflicted on her--and all the women in his life. I am stoically not a nonfiction reader, but this was a wonderfully written, thoroughly researched book with a strong narrative focus. Definitely my most interesting read of 2023. 

— Emma


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Devil House: A Novel By John Darnielle Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9781250862884
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Picador - October 4th, 2022

Devil House is the third novel by John Darnielle, Durham resident best known for his band The Mountain Goats... and it's a killer. The book centers on Gage Chandler, a best-selling true crime author known for physically immersing himself in each story. His latest project brings him to Milpitas, California, where he sets out to write the account of Devil House and the unsolved 1980s murder that took place inside (which is fraught with Satanic Panic implications). There, he reckons with the nature of truth, the blurry boundaries between fact and fiction, and the very real people whose lives get chewed up by the true crime genre.

Darnielle experiments with form here and it pays off—overall, Devil House is a beautifully crafted piece of meta-fiction that unfolds, with great purpose, through time and space. Probably one of my forever favorites.

— Ryan


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The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History By Joseph M. Marshall, III Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143036210
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Penguin Books - September 27th, 2005

Largely remembered as the dynamic leader of the Lakota forces at the Battle of Little Big Horn, Crazy Horse was most certainly that. A charismatic and bold warrior, he was a commanding figure among the various Native American forces that defeated Custer and his 7th Cavalry on that fateful day. However, there was so much more to the man himself as well as his tribe – a glaring omission that The Journey of Crazy Horse works to rectify. It is a story of a man and his people struggling to exist against overwhelming odds. A struggle that continues well into the 21st Century.

— Bud


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Christmas and Other Horrors: A winter solstice anthology By Ellen Datlow (Editor), Garth Nix, Josh Malerman, Alma Katsu, Stephen Graham Jones Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781803363264
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Titan Books - October 24th, 2023

Just how well do you truly know the myths and legends surrounding this time of year?

I’m not talking about the Jolly Old Elf. We’ve heard plenty enough of those stories.

No, what I’m talking about are the old stories of the Winter Solstice – tales that retain a foothold upon the darkest corners of the human psyche to this day. Tales that continue to terrify and delight both the wary and unwary.

Christmas and Other Horrors is just that: a delightful anthology of stories that look beyond the trappings of the modern day holiday spirit back to a time when unknown magic and darkness held sway. Some things should not be forgotten.

— Bud


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Check & Mate By Ali Hazelwood Cover Image
$14.00
ISBN: 9780593619919
Availability: On our shelves
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - November 7th, 2023

Ali Hazelwood never disappoints, and her first YA novel is no different. I cannot recommend this book enough to romance readers of all ages! Mallory is forced back into the chess world despite her past, and meets Nolan, the current world chess champion. Tension, pining, angst, and swoon-worthy.

— Chloe


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The Frugal Wizard's Handbook for Surviving Medieval England (Secret Projects) By Brandon Sanderson Cover Image
$29.99
ISBN: 9781250899675
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Tor Books - June 27th, 2023

This book is absolutely delightful. Sanderson introduces a thought experiment – what if alternate realities were for sale? – and crafts a compelling narrative in a unique blend of futuristic sci-fi and historically respectful fantasy. While it’s a departure in tone from the majority of his work, you can tell he had fun writing it, which makes it endlessly fun to read. Expect to laugh out loud and ponder some questions you’ve never thought of before.

— Maggie


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Bright Young Women: A Novel By Jessica Knoll Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781501153228
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books - September 19th, 2023

WOWZA. Bright Young Women is based on the real murders of a serial killer. If you have any background knowledge of true crime in the 1970s you will know which killer Knoll has used as the basis of the defendant . HOWEVER, unlike the numerous books, TV specials, and movies, Jessica Knoll gives us an intense literary crime novel that focuses on the victims. Primarily told through the view of Pamela Schumacher, a key eye witness, the defendant is brought down several pegs to his rightful place, not a bright young man, but a disturbed, egotistical individual with far more confidence than his ineptitude should have allowed.

— Michelle


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The Great Transition: A Novel By Nick Fuller Googins Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781668010754
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Atria Books - August 15th, 2023

The world buns and the world drowns as climate change driven by global warming threatens all.  But the youth rise up and face the challenge.  With great sacrifice, net carbon neutral emissions is achieved.  The earth begins, if ever so slightly, to heal.  

But the old guard, the 'climate criminals' who profited from the world's destruction, try to reassert their influence, and those who fought so hard to create a new society are not happy.Teenager Emi Vargas is a privileged girl born into the new green world.   Her parents were true heroes of 'the Great Transition.'  They fought massive wildfires and rebuilt cities lost to disaster.  Now Emi now must face with the real possibility that her mother is a vigilante responsible for terrorist attacks against unpunished climate criminals.

— Rachel


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Starling House: A Reese's Book Club Pick By Alix E. Harrow Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250799050
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Tor Books - October 3rd, 2023

Starling House is a Southern Gothic fairy tale about a strange house in a small town with a dark history. Alix E. Harrow has quickly become one of my favorite authors. Her plots are well-paced and memorable, and her writing is gripping and beautiful. This is the book to read this fall. 

— Amber


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Bloom By Delilah S. Dawson Cover Image
$22.99
ISBN: 9781803365756
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Titan Books - October 3rd, 2023

Ro (short for Rosemary) meets Ash at a farmers market where Ash sells her delicious cupcakes and delicate soaps and it's infatuation at first sight. Ash is intoxicating and wildly unique and Ro is immediately consumed by their courtship. But this isn't a happily ever after sort of romance.

Bloom is the blueprint for sapphic horror and I could not be more obsessed. It's succinct and flowery, small and mighty, beautiful and gross. The duality of love and violence leaps out of every page and it's impossible to look away.

— Emma

Ro meets Ash at the farmers market and realizes she's into women. Through a steady stream of cupcakes, homemade soap, and plant-mom advice, they develop a sweet romance together. Sounds cute, right? Well, it's all downhill from there. If you've ever wanted a sapphic cottagecore romance that turns into a graphic horror novella, here it is. Beautifully written, weirdly relatable, and immensely disturbing.

— Kaley


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Death Valley: A Novel By Melissa Broder Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9781668024843
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Scribner - October 3rd, 2023

Funny and poignant, Melissa Broder’s new novel Death Valley is smart, original work. Her novel is set in the California high desert — and a very amusing Best Western — where we follow one woman’s solo trip in search of inner peace and respite.

Lovely, thoughtful, and very witty.

— Peggy


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Rebecca By Daphne du Maurier Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780316575201
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Back Bay Books - September 5th, 2023

Reading Rebecca for the first time, I was frequently rendered speechless by aesthetic appreciation of the prose. I'm a sucker for lush, atmospheric descriptions of nature and architecture, and there's plenty to be found here. Though it's not quite horror, this is a gorgeously written, nebulously spooky gothic tale that leaves you constantly feeling like something is not quite right.

— Kaley


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Children of Ash and Elm: A History of the Vikings By Neil Price Cover Image
$22.99
ISBN: 9781541601116
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Basic Books - September 13th, 2022

The very word 'Viking' conjures up all kinds of thrilling images: horned warriors, bloodthirsty berserkers, many-oared longships, brutal battles, and pillaged monasteries all spring to mind. However, archaeologist Neil Price peels back centuries of myth and misconceptions and propaganda to paint a fascinating, detailed, and comprehensive portrait of these warriors from the North whose diaspora spread from Scandinavia to the Silk Roads and North America (and sorry, none of their helmets had horns.) I loved falling into this engaging history of the Vikings, which focuses on their history, art, culture, politics, and cosmology in equally intriguing measure, in prose that is both informative and exciting, beautiful and sneakily funny. If you're looking for a nice chunky nonfiction book to immerse yourself in this winter, this one is perfect. (AND, if you want to really live like a Viking and absorb your history through oral storytelling, the audiobook is beautifully read by Samuel Roukin.)

— Rebecca S.


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Land of Milk and Honey: A Novel By C Pam Zhang Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593538241
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Riverhead Books - September 26th, 2023

Trading deserts for desserts, C Pam Zhang leaves behind the American frontier of her debut novel for a wealthy mountaintop community in the near future. As a smog covers the world, destroying most of the natural food sources, a chef looking to find her way back through the closed borders of America accepts a mysterious job offer at an exclusive restaurant for the rich, where the world's problems seem so very far away. Zhang squeezes every morsel of flavor out of her characters, each scene peeling back layers of pain, memory, and dread. Land of Milk and Honey is a wonderful novel about the nature of pleasure, and the cost it extracts from a world simply trying to survive. 

— Todd


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Godkiller: A Novel (Fallen Gods #1) By Hannah Kaner Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780063348271
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Harper Voyager - September 12th, 2023

Did you want The Witcher books to be good?? And not sexist??? Read this book immediately! A godkiller, a baker-knight, a noble girl, and a little god of white lies embark on a perilous quest to a gods-ravaged city...and that is just the tip of the iceberg that is this excellent and gorgeously-written fantasy novel! Godkiller has the atmosphere of The Witcher, the heart of T. Kingfisher, and its own unique magic that makes it impossible to put down.

— Rebecca S.


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Red Rabbit By Alex Grecian Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250874689
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Tor Nightfire - September 19th, 2023

This is a paranormal western horror. Yes, all of those things. And it's fun. We follow an unlikely group including two vagabond cowboys, a witch hunter, a mysterious orphan, and a widowed schoolteacher as they make their way to Burden County to collect a bounty for Sadie Grace, witch. On their way they encounter ghosts, demons, serial killers, and assorted other obstacles, which may or may not have been laid out by Sadie Grace herself. Red Rabbit is smart, adventurous, creepy, and often quite funny. This has opened my eyes to a new genre I may have previously overlooked.

— Tee

A ragtag bunch of weirdos - an old witch hunter, a couple of cowboys, a widowed schoolteacher, and a child who doesn't speak - sets out to collect the bounty on a witch's head. Along the way, they encounter friends and enemies both natural and supernatural. The witch herself doesn't fit neatly into either category...

This story meanders in the best way, roping in too many characters to count and disposing of them as needed. It is often disturbing, occasionally provokes a laugh, and tends toward melancholy. I blew through the second half in one sitting, unwilling to put it down.

— Kaley


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All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack, a Black Family Keepsake By Tiya Miles Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781984855015
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - February 1st, 2022

In the years leading up to the American Civil War, a nine-year-old enslaved Black girl named Ashley was sold away from her family, carrying only a cotton sack with a few keepsakes hastily packed by her mother, Rose. Generations later, one of Ashley's descendants would embroider the sack with Ashley's story, including Rose's words for her daughter: "It be filled with my Love always." All That She Carried is a masterful book of American history and material culture, following Ashley's Sack, the institution of slavery, and all of its insidious corners through the years to the artifact's current place at the NMAAHC in DC. If I could make it required reading in every single US history class, I would. 

— Rebecca S.


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The Clementine Complex By Bob Mortimer Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781668024164
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Gallery/Scout Press - September 5th, 2023

A "veddy, veddy" British rom-com/mystery. Quick characters and witty banter make for a delightfully droll read.

— Abbe


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Olga Dies Dreaming: A Novel By Xochitl Gonzalez Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250786180
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Flatiron Books - February 7th, 2023

Set in 2017 New York City in the months leading up to Hurricane Maria, Olga Dies Dreaming is a dazzling debut from a powerful writer that weaves a vivid family story into a rich tapestry of wealth, class, race, and diaspora. It is wise and warm and witty, observing its characters' failures and triumphs without sentimentality, bitterness, or cynicism, and it shifts from the personal to the political and back again with ease.

Xochitl Gonzalez writes exquisitely about the immigrant experience, the American Dream, and community action, and she has crafted a story that celebrates hope, healing, accountability, and the everyday revolutions we must continually fight for our own self-worth. Olga Dies Dreaming is a stunning debut, one that will linger long after the book is closed, and--hopefully--throughout the years. Pa'lante. Siempre pa'lante. 

— Rebecca S.


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North Woods: A Novel By Daniel Mason Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593597033
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Random House - September 19th, 2023

I read Daniel Mason’s book, North Woods, on a trip across the country. In the car, when I finished the last page, I turned to my husband and said, “Oh my gosh—I’ve got to start reading this again immediately!” Spanning around 400 years of inhabitants of a house in Massachusetts, this novel is haunting and haunted. Mason makes use of many literary forms, including the loveliest poetry and epistolary writing, to tell the story of the intertwined lives of the people who lived in the yellow house with the orchard of Wonder apples.

— Mamie


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Certain Dark Things: A Novel By Silvia Moreno-Garcia Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781250785589
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Tor Nightfire - September 7th, 2021

In an alternate Mexico City, where police prowl the streets and narco-vampires lurk outside city limits, a jaded vampire on the run crashes into the life of a lonely street kid, setting them both on a propulsive collision course that threatens to devour them and the city whole. Certain Dark Things is an electrifying and effortlessly cool thriller, back from the dead and destined to become a classic of genre fiction. 

— Rebecca S.


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Black Sheep By Rachel Harrison Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9780593545850
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Berkley - September 19th, 2023

Rachel Harrison knows what she's doing. What I fell in love with in Such Sharp Teeth (her character crafting, her masterful dialogue, her gripping and often disturbing descriptions) returns in Black Sheep with a vengeance. She makes you feel the sticky August heat, makes you smell the sulfur and the blood. She weaves together Vesper's nostalgic and innocent childhood memories with the sinister revelations of her present in such a way that it had me questioning absolutely everything.

This book had me yelling, squirming, covering my eyes (and then laughing at how dumb I was for thinking I could continue to read with my eyes covered), and gushing about it to absolutely anyone I could trap long enough to listen. I love when a horror novel can make me sad and contemplative as well as unsettled, and this one left me feeling completely drained. It's such a fantastic journey.

— tee


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Tom Lake: A Reese's Book Club Pick By Ann Patchett Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780063327528
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Harper - August 1st, 2023

Do you know the scene in Mama Mia where Meryl Streep is brushing Amanda Seyfried's hair as they get her ready for her wedding day? Nostalgic music plays in the background as they look through old photos and reminisce together. Watching it you feel cozy and warm and loved.

Well that is EXACTLY how reading Tom Lake made me feel. Ann Patchett did a beautiful job of creating a story where you are entranced by the events of the past and engaged with the relationships of the present.  In a world and time of stories filled with regrets and missed opportunities it was refreshing to read a novel where the heroine recognizes her life isn't what she thought it would be but is so grateful it turned out the way it did. 

Perfect for mothers, daughters, and everyone else. 

— Michelle


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Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland By Patrick Radden Keefe Cover Image
$20.00
ISBN: 9780307279286
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Anchor - February 25th, 2020

At once a sprawling political narrative of the Troubles in Northern Ireland and an intimate character study of the conflict's key players, SAY NOTHING is an absolutely stunning book, and definitely one of my favorites of the year. In it award-winning New Yorker-staffer Patrick Radden Keefe examines a wide array of complicated characters and events: radical IRA terrorists planting carbombs in the center of London; British prisons full of hunger-striking political prisoners; a top-secret archive at Boston College containing dangerous and incendiary testimony; and, perhaps most importantly, the notorious disappearance and killing of Jean McConville, a thirty-eight-year-old mother of ten, from her home in December 1972. Skillfully written and compulsively readable, SAY NOTHING is a mesmerizing depiction of a society plagued by brutal sectarian violence that has never fully been reckoned with, and how the repercussions of that decades-long war still affect Northern Ireland today. A must-read.

— Rebecca S.


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The Vaster Wilds: A Novel By Lauren Groff Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593418390
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Riverhead Books - September 12th, 2023

If you’ve ever seen an interview with Lauren Groff, you might think it’s all fun and games with her. But when that woman starts writing, she’s full-tilt serious business. Her new novel, The Vaster Wilds, follows a young servant girl, Lamentations, from the colony of Jamestown as she flees traumatic events in the household where she worked. Did Lauren Groff spend a few months surviving in the woods? That’s the only way I can imagine that she knew the concrete details about how the girl managed for so long on only her ingenuity and instinct. Fear is a mighty motivator, and it was fear of capture that kept Lamentations on the run and fear for her safety that kept me turning the pages. In the end, I was breathless from the journey.

— Mamie


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Rouge: A Novel By Mona Awad Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781982169695
Availability: On our shelves
Published: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books - September 12th, 2023

Hypnotic, unsettling and bizarre, the author of Bunny has drawn us once again into a Mad Hatter world with no way out. When Mirabelle's estranged mother dies, she is dragged back to California to settle her affairs. What she finds is thousands of dollars of debt and a cult-like spa where her mother spent her last days. With her own extensive skincare routine, it doesn't take much convincing for Mirabelle to agree to their treatments. But is beauty worth the price of her memories? And what really happened to her mother? 

A stunning mosaic of dark fairy tales, surrealism, and satirized beauty standards with a culmination that knocks you off your feet. Gothic, terrifying, heady, there aren't enough words to describe Rouge - you'll just have to read it for yourself.

— Emma


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The Six: The Untold Story of America's First Women Astronauts By Loren Grush Cover Image
$32.50
ISBN: 9781982172800
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Scribner - September 12th, 2023

In 1978, NASA announced the members of its latest group of Astronauts. Of 30,000 applications, 35 were selected.  Up until then, every astronaut chosen had been a white, male, military test pilot.  But the time's they were a-changin'. The Thirty-Five New Guys (TFNG), as they called themselves (their military associates in typical style, called them The F**king New Guys), included women and minorities.  With the dawning of the Space Shuttle era, it was possible to send astronauts called "mission specialists" into space. Not all astronauts from here out would need to be pilots.

The Six, by Loren Grush tells the story of the remarkable women who became America's first female spacefarers.  As with the first of anything, the road was not easy. Bias and sexism met them at every turn.  But many of them had advanced degrees in male-dominated disciplines, so they were better prepared than most to handle it. The pressure to do well so as not to handicap any women who followed in their footsteps was incredible. The training was arduous, and the Six did as well as any man had ever done.  Grush poignantly and sympathetically tells the story of the triumphs and tragedies of Sally Ride, Judy Resnik, Anna Fisher, Kathy Sullivan, Shannon Lucid, and Rhea Seddon -- modern day pioneers.

— Bill


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Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine By Anne Applebaum Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9780804170888
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Anchor - September 4th, 2018

Red Famine was a difficult read, but also incredibly powerful and affecting. It is a fascinating and harrowing account of the Holodomor, the devastating famine of 1932-33 that was manufactured by Joseph Stalin and the Soviet Union to eliminate the Ukrainian people and their independence movements. Applebaum also does an incredible job to tie the devastation of the Holodomor to current (as of 2017) unrest along the Russian-Ukrainian border, and it does not take a huge leap to see the same sort of motivations playing out in Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. A must-read for anyone wanting to understand more about Ukraine and its history. 

— Rebecca S.


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The Only One Left: A Novel By Riley Sager Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593183229
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Dutton - June 20th, 2023

Eight. That is the number of times I texted my girlfriend back-to-back while reading the ending of this book when the twists JUST. KEPT. COMING. What was a steadily eerie and intriguing mystery throughout culminated in shock after shock and my lil heart just couldn't handle it. Except it could, and I want more. Riley, write more.

— Tee


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All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel By S. A. Cosby Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781250831910
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Flatiron Books - June 6th, 2023

What appears at the start to be a story about a Black boy being killed by police turns into a layered tale of sustained abuse, systemic neglect, and deranged evangelical serial killers set in a small Appalachian town. At no point reading this powerful and suspenseful mystery did I have any guess where it was going and it was such a wonderful ride. I have directly told several coworkers that they need to read this and I'm patiently waiting for someone to so we can talk about it (looking at you, Belinda).

— Tee


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Mister Magic: A Novel By Kiersten White Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593359266
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Del Rey - August 8th, 2023

What if The Babadook had a children's show in the 90s? What if that same show was suddenly cancelled after a tragedy occurred on set and any record of it is wiped clean? That's where we start this tale. We follow Val, a woman in her late thirties who can't remember anything from before the age of 8, who is corralled by her former cast members to attend a reunion for a show she has no memory of. White weaves a compelling narrative that gives you just enough information to make you feel like you're progressing in the mystery but always leaves more questions that it answers. I was enraptured, I was unsettled, I immediately told my mom to read it. You should too.

— Tee


This book is for the gardener as well as the cook. It combines growing tips and seasonal recipes so you can make the most of your garden.

Favorite recipes: Peach Panzanella Style Salad, page 157; Herb Infused Salt, page 219

— Laura


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Cook It Wild: Sensational Prep-Ahead Meals for Camping, Cabins, and the Great Outdoors: A Cookbook By Chris Nuttall-Smith Cover Image
$29.99
ISBN: 9780593578476
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Clarkson Potter - May 9th, 2023

Camping food can still be fancy! Each recipe is divided into "at home" and "at camp" sections to make packing and prep as simple as possible.

Favorite recipes: Pack-Bottom Sesame Slaw, page 194; Ash-Burbled White Beans, page 124

— Laura


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Vampires of El Norte By Isabel Cañas Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593436721
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Berkley - August 15th, 2023

A thrilling supernatural Gothic Western about a headstrong rancher's daughter and her vaquero childhood sweetheart set during the Mexican-American War. Brimming with adventure, horror, romance, and things that go bump in the night, VAMPIRES OF EL NORTE is a perfect spooky book to keep you turning the pages until well after bedtime.

— Rebecca S.


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Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc By Katherine J. Chen Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781984855824
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - June 20th, 2023

This is one of my favorite fiction reads of the past few years! It is a powerful, secular reimagining of the life of Joan of Arc, written in gorgeous prose and vivid detail by Katherine J. Chen. This is a Joan of Arc for today: fierce, furious, and true to the spirit of a mysterious teenage girl who inspired a country to fight back. It is poetic and brilliant and beautiful and I wanted to read it again as soon as I finished.

— Rebecca S.


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When We Were Birds: A Novel By Ayanna Lloyd Banwo Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780593313619
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Anchor - February 14th, 2023

This book is incredible! It is a lush, mythic, and magical love story set on Trinidad & Tobago that follows Yejide, a young woman burdened with the secrets of her extraordinary family, and Darwin, a young man newly exiled from his Rastafarian faith. These two lost souls first meet within the gates of Fidelis, the city's oldest cemetery, amidst dangers both spiritual and concrete, and neither of them anticipate the reckoning with death and destiny that awaits them both. One of my favorites of 2022!

— Rebecca S.


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The Invisible Hour: A Novel By Alice Hoffman Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781982175375
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Atria Books - August 15th, 2023

“The bond between writer and reader is a cherished and mysterious one. A book doesn’t live when it’s written. It lives when it’s read.” 

What an enchanting read! Our story begins with Ivy Jacob, a pregnant runaway who seeks refuge in a commune, and winds it's way through her daughter Mia and her escape from the very same community. The parallel of two lost girls running to and from perceived safety and a shared prison is heart-wrenching. With close ties to The Scarlet Letter, this book is part magical realism, part feminist disparity, and part love letter to literature as a whole. This is a thematic tour de force and a beautiful journey through time and books. 

— Emma


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The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth By Elizabeth Rush Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781571313966
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Milkweed Editions - August 15th, 2023

A beautifully written, immediately engaging book about exploring a new area of the Antarctic, experiencing climate change on a vast yet immediate scale, and still deciding to bring a child into the world. The author pulls from her experiences as an observer on an exploration vessel to chart a path into the future. Excerpts from her interviews with others aboard the ship - scientists, but also the crew and even the ship's cooks - bring multiple perspectives into her musings on everything from the breaking ice to birth stories. While the themes of the book are urgent, the messages are hopeful: there is work for everyone, and together we can accomplish more; and when we mess up, which we all do, own the error and don't make the same mistake again.

— Ginger


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Whalefall: A Novel By Daniel Kraus Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781665918169
Availability: On our shelves
Published: MTV Books - August 8th, 2023

Whalefall, by Daniel Kraus, is based on a ridiculous premise -- a skinny little scuba diver is swallowed by a huge sperm whale.  Also, the first couple of chapters are kind of slow going.  So why am I recommending this book?  Because it is a rollercoaster of a story.  Jay Gardiner's estranged father commits suicide by drowning himself.  We know it's suicide because the man was a legendary diver in his state.  Jay was not there when his father was diagnosed with mesothelioma, nor when Mitt Gardiner killed himself.  The guilt Jay feels motivates him to go diving to find any of his father's remains.  While searching, Jay is accidentally swallowed by the whale in a completely plausible event.  The rollercoaster effect of the book starts at this point. Jay's air is running out.  In fact, the chapter titles are PSI numbers. While trying to free himself from the whale, Jay embarks on a spiritual journey of hope, despair, and forgiveness.

— Bill


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Shark Heart: A Love Story By Emily Habeck Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781668006498
Availability: On our shelves
Published: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books - August 8th, 2023

Shark Heart is a devastating exploration of change and freedom and womanhood and it just absolutely gutted me. Habeck had me contemplating very seriously if I could stay with my partner if he, too, turned into a great white shark. It's hard to make your reader relate to such an absurd scenario, but at the end of the day pain is pain. And Wren's pain is woven so deeply into every word. This book is wonderful and weird and so, so heartbreaking all at once. 

— Emma


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Those We Thought We Knew By David Joy Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780525536918
Availability: On our shelves
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons - August 1st, 2023

Raw, gritty and masterful, David Joy's latest novel, Those We Thought We Knew, is set in his beloved Appalachian mountains among folks who believe their town is peaceful and nurturing. But that facade is lifted when Toya Gardner, a young Black artist, comes to stay with her grandmother at the family homestead to finish her MFA thesis project. She dares to expose parts of the town's history, and present, that many refuse to see. Tensions rise, violence threatens, and the pressure builds so palpably that sleeping is elusive - for me and the law keepers. As Sheriff John Coggins and police detective Leah Green work to contain the threats to their community, they are forced into a reckoning of their own. Joy's exceptional skill led me to a reckoning of my own that went down hard, but I am better for it. 

— Belinda


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The Postcard By Anne Berest, Tina Kover (Translator) Cover Image
By Anne Berest, Tina Kover (Translator)
$28.00
ISBN: 9781609458386
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Europa Editions - May 16th, 2023

Beautifully written, tragic, and enthralling. The Postcard takes inspiration from a page of the author’s family history - a postcard appears in the mail, with the names of family members killed in the Holocaust as its sole message. From this spark, she gives us a fictional family receiving a similar postcard and spins the story of a Jewish family making repeated cross-continental journeys, moving between Russia, Central Europe, Palestine, and France - only to be caught up in the Holocaust. The complicity of occupied France and French neighbors using appeasement as an excuse to absorb Jewish/foreign businesses and personal wealth - and the denial of their descendants - was stunning. While the subject is dark and the story tragic from the start, the vivid characters kept me reading and the mystery of who sent the postcard kept me wondering.

— Ginger


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Where Are Your Boys Tonight?: The Oral History of Emo's Mainstream Explosion 1999-2008 By Chris Payne Cover Image
$32.00
ISBN: 9780063251281
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Dey Street Books - June 6th, 2023

Relive your younger years with this book on emo's heyday. Where Are Your Boys Tonight? is a chaotic ride, told entirely through interviews with the major players of the day with no editorializing. Even a regular reader of early 2000s fansites will find something new here.

— Kaley


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Did You Hear About Kitty Karr?: A Novel By Crystal Smith Paul Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781250815309
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Henry Holt and Co. - May 2nd, 2023

Intriguing from the start and layered through decades-long remembrances and current-day drama, this one will keep you strapped to the seat and dazzle you with a new view of Golden Age Hollywood.

For those who love a multi-generational story, historical fiction, and myriad characters.

— Emily


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Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age By Katherine May Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9780593329993
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Riverhead Books - February 28th, 2023

In Wintering, Katherine May encouraged us to see life as cyclical, not linear, in order to better handle our inevitable low periods. In Enchantment, she presses forward in her journey to see the world in a new, gentler way. Separated into sections loosely based around earth, water, fire, and air, Enchantment explores different means by which we can renew our sense of wonder. May's curiosity leads us from a not-so-ancient stone circle to a hidden holy well, from a historical meteor shower to a beehive. This is an important book in the vein of Sharon Blackie's The Enchanted Life.

— Kaley

British author Katherine May knows exactly what I need when I need it. I read her book, Wintering, during the hardest days of the pandemic. She wrote of a time in her life, pre-pandemic, when she felt hopeless, but her words resonated with my feelings of despair during the isolation of 2020. Her newest book, Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age, is just as timely. Though very personal, she addresses the universality of our shock at the fallout from the pandemic and how we can recover some of our contentment and joy. The book is beautifully written, and there are many lines that will linger with me.

— Mamie


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Banyan Moon: A Read with Jenna Pick By Thao Thai Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780063267107
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Mariner Books - June 27th, 2023

Taking place across different periods of time in Vietnam and Florida, "Banyan Moon" follows a multi-generational family of Vietnamese-American women and the secrets they keep and sacrifices they make for their loved ones. Told in three different perspectives, follow Minh's journey from a naive, love struck teenager to a determined woman fighting to save her children from the shadow of the Vietnam War; Huong's struggle with her marriage and ever devolving relationship with her daughter; and Ann with her eternal struggle between happiness and practicality. These women are tied together through their history and love for each other, and you'll find a piece of yourself in each of their stories. This is a beautiful book about immigration and loss and the unique bonds of motherhood.

— Emma


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The Tao of the Backup Catcher: Playing Baseball for the Love of the Game By Tim Brown, Erik Kratz (With) Cover Image
By Tim Brown, Erik Kratz (With)
$30.00
ISBN: 9781538726556
Availability: Ships from warehouse to store in 3-6 business days
Published: Twelve - July 11th, 2023

Erik Kratz is a special man. His wife Sarah, is even more remarkable, because she helped Erik follow his dream, even when the dream kept evading him. The Tao of the Backup Catcher by Erik and NYT bestselling author Tim Brown, is the story of that dream. Erik played professional baseball for 19 years with 15 teams.  He was always good enough to make the team, but never good enough to be the Number One Catcher, or stay with one team too long. He played backup catcher for all those years because he loved the game, accepted what his talents were (and were not), and truly felt he was making a difference on every team he played for. I can relate to this because I too, found a job I loved and did it to the best of my ability. Yes, it was Quail Ridge Books, not Pro Ball, but I feel very much like Erik.  This book tells the story of the proverbial "journeyman", in whatever form that may take. Baseball fans should love it, but everyone can take something from it.

— Bill


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The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession By Michael Finkel Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780525657323
Availability: On our shelves
Published: Knopf - June 27th, 2023

I was there -  in the room, jaw agape, with the most successful art thief in history as he did the deed, time and time again. In The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime and a Dangerous Obsession, author Michael Finkel describes in astounding detail how Stâephane Breitwieser made off with artworks valued in the billions of dollars. Finkel's years of research resulted in a mesmerizing portrait of a young man driven to steal by elusive motivations. An incredible account of a fascinating and infuriating individual.  

— Belinda


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