Staff Picks
A sapphic detective agency is put to the test when a year's old small town murder raises suspicion once more. Written with the most sparkling wit, clever plot twists, and page-turning urgency, How To Find A Missing Girl takes readers on the investigation of a lifetime without sacrificing the laughs along the way.
- Cindy
You know a retelling is really outstanding when you forget while reading it that it's not, in fact, the original. A Bit of Earth preserves all the good from The Secret Garden while modernizing the tale. I especially loved Maria Latif, a hurt and angry and lost little girl who learns to open herself up again.
The Hunger Games meets The Bachelor in this dystopian YA romance. America Singer is forced to compete to become the next Princess of Illea, leaving her home & secret love behind. You'll fall head over heels in love with the first book in The Selection trilogy!
- Halle
If you are looking for the perfect dark academia read to cozy up with, look no further! Curious Tides has everything I have ever wanted in a book: split POVs, romance, unique magic, amazing characters, immaculate vibes, and a mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I fell in love with this book on the first page, and by the last, it had become one of my favorite books released this year!
- Emma
Evie is at it again, adventuring out to rescue the ghosts of Blight Harbor- this time from the nefarious Nighthouse Keeper. With the help of Lark and a plump ghost spider, can she rescue her ghostly friends or will she, too, fall prey to the dark?
- Jen
An phenomenal tale of visual storytelling. For those with active mind's eyes, every page explodes with possibility. As much a piece of artwork as a book.
- Stacey
The Museum of Human History is high on my list of favorite books I’ve read this year. I’m also convinced this novel is the source of some recent wild and vivid dreams. Surreal, philosophical, futuristic. Yet also eerily reminiscent of our world today, especially the portrayal of biotech and pharma industries. Each line in this debut evokes memory and pain and probes at those ancient, human concerns of happiness and mortality.
- Katie H.
This dog has pink pajamas, a fondness for blueberries, and a very complicated relationship with seagulls. Just look at that face! The perfect gift for a human with an anxious doggo.
- Murphy
I honestly didn't think I'd be interested in this book based on the description (the focus on meat didn't sound particularly appealing), but I read it in two days. A captivating story about media, meat, sex, fertility and love with beautiful prose and strong female characters.
- Alyssa
When it comes to Halloween reading, it doesn’t get much better than the Inferno. The notes and commentary by Robert Hollander illuminate the history and composition of the poem, and I love that his wife Jean (a poet) did the translation, which she renders skillfully into verse. Dante's Italian is also presented on the facing page for those who would like to explore the original text.
- James
This sprawling novel soars with characters so compassionately rendered and writing so rich, it’s hard to let it go at the end. Loosely based on Little Women, this extraordinary novel tells the story of the four Padavano sisters – each with their own distinct personality, each with their own secrets, each with their own loves. Profoundly moving, Hello Beautiful explores the intense connections of family, love, trauma and healing.
- Nathan
I've picked up a lot of how to draw/ how to sketch books in my life, and Jason Brubaker may have been the one crack that maybe just maybe there's a little more to it then "Here's how to shade a circle and draw a square."
- John
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I've picked up a lot of how to draw/ how to sketch books in my life, and Jason Brubaker may have been the one crack that maybe just maybe there's a little more to it then "Here's how to shade a circle and draw a square."
- John
The sequel to She Who Became the Sun -- in other words, a queer alternate history of the Ming Dynasty, now with more feuds, battles, and scheming.
- Sarah
History buffs will appreciate seeing key U.S. events of 1857-78 through the eyes of Theo, a half-Black, half-Irish girl living in the multiethnic “slum” of Five Points, Manhattan, as her two communities interweave and are ultimately rent horribly apart. Author Corthron brings a playwright’s feel for character, dialogue, pacing, and poignancy.
- Rachael
A cleverly bewitching design and fun illustrations make this book pretty irresistable. The edges might be a shiny green, but the subjects are certainly morally grey at best.
- Stacey