Staff Picks Booklist
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
The world burns and the world drowns as global warming threatens all. But the youth rise up and meet the challenge. Net zero carbon emissions is reached. The earth begins to heal. But the old guard "climate criminals" try to reassert their influence, and those who fought them are not happy. Emi Vargas struggles with the possibility that her mother may be a vigilante seeking justice for all the has been lost. Great read!
— Rachel
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
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
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
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
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.
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
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.
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
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.
A "veddy, veddy" British rom-com/mystery. Quick characters and witty banter make for a delightfully droll read.
— Abbe
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.
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
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.
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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.
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
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
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
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
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.
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.
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.
“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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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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