Staff Picks
Such a stunningly raw and lyrical piece of Japanese literature!! This book will leave you absolutely heartbroken alongside the characters, while still reeling in the uplifting beauty of a story of two teenagers who find friendship in the midst of social isolation. (The bullying scenes can be a bit difficult to read, but it’s well worth it.)
- Alyssa
This irreverent, dark comedy coming of age story about a young artist in 1940s La Plata, Argentina made me chuckle. Don’t want to take my word for this strange posthumous translation? Then let the introduction by Mariana Enríquez persuade you.
- Katie H
This fits into the category of books where reading it increasingly becomes a life experience. Royall Tyler's translation, notes, and appendices are the perfect blend of the scholarly and literary. And for anyone looking to get ahead on their holiday shopping, this is a beautiful edition and would make a lovely gift (although I’m not sure it would fit in a stocking).
- James
This closely focused history Tulsa's Greenwood neighborhood, starting with the Tulsa Massacre, shows how thoroughly racism shaped and shapes American society. Though a history of tragedy, it is also a history of how people can triumph despite the systemic forces against them.
- Josh
This book is my go-to when I start spiraling over climate change and capitalism. For hope & determination without self-delusion, there is no better teacher than Ailton Krenak, an Indigenous leader who has survived decades of colonial oppression in Brazil.
- Murphy
Organized like a devotional prayer book, Renkl’s fifty-two, short meditations closely observing the wonders of nature in her small backyard is a perfect book to daily turn to reconnect with the web of life sustaining us.
- Dale
Lose yourself in the beauty and imagination of literary gardens (and see if you can guess what garden belonged to which writer).
- Stacey
Inspired by the sculpture of Danish artist Lea Guldditte Hestelund, this experimental, philosophical sci-fi consists of a smattering of HR interviews from humans and humanoids aboard a spaceship. Among topics discussed are the nature of humanity, mortality, and the uncanny objects that have been brought on board and seem to hold a mysterious sway over the psyches of the crew. Eerily beautiful, this novel is as spare and cryptic as Hestelund’s art.
- Rachael
Fine dining in a blighted world. Zhang’s new book is mysterious, engaging and the most delicious dystopian novel you’ll ever read. A 1984 Chianti—dark, rich, and densely layered with thematic notes of consumption, conservation and the violent, primal pleasures we take in eating the flora and fauna of a dying planet.
- Sam
Currents, waves, tides, physics -- all about how the ocean moves water (and everything else) around the world
- Sarah
Because you loved The Secret History by Donna Tartt.
- Wendy
Affirmations already make me cry, but now you have a frog in a mushroom hat and high heeled boots telling me them?? Tissues are sold out everywhere.
- Jane
As a girl who dreams about running away and living alone in the woods at any minor inconvenience, I had been searching for a book like this for a while! This novel reads like a poetic breath of fresh air, and a unique decent into madness, all set in the Italian Alps. Strange, stunning, and beautifully written; you wont want to put this book down, or live alone in the woods.
- Emma
"I dream sometimes about a house I’ve never seen. I should be scared, but in the dream I don’t hesitate. In my dream, I’m home." Starling House is a contemporary Southern Gothic novel about a small town, a haunted house, and a young woman trying desperately to be a Good Adult; it also happens to be my favorite 2023 release! Charming, heartbreaking, delightfully creepy, and hilariously romantic, this is a great addition to everyone's fall to-be-read list!!!
- Engel
Told in split timelines, this novel of epic suspense will keep you hooked from page one. From simple childhood summers in 1970s Vermont, to hunting a kidnapper across the country in the 2010s, we follow this cast of characters to hell and back. You'll truly question your own morality and be left wondering who the real monsters are.
- Jen