A book within a book that blends contemporary mystery with gothic suspense and maybe a ghost story – this is a perfect October read.
Katie
This book will make you laugh and destroy you emotionally, often at the same time. You've never met a hero like Gideon before. Plus, you can't go wrong with lesbian necromancers in space.
Shana
A beautifully baffling book about the peripatetic wanderings of your own mind through the hotels, hallways, & postcards of the protagonists, or about the instability hiding in every apparently solid building, or maybe even how you don’t know an event is significant until some disconnected and celestial phenomenon illuminates it.
Josh
Part travel narrative, part nature writing, part good old-fashioned unexplained mystery, as a Sasquatch skeptic goes into the woods with an open mind.
Sarah
In 2019's most ambitious novel Ellmann puts us in the mind of one of literature's most neglected characters; an average woman and mother doing her best in a world that respects neither women nor mothers. Rambunctiously political, tenderly personal, and profoundly humanist, Ellmann's simple respect for her protagonist's thoughts, feelings, faults, & successes is revolutionary. And on top of everything else in this towering achievement of a novel, you'll find yourself desperately rooting for a mountain lion.
Josh
A genuinely fascinating (And equal parts funny and chilling) look into gun culture from a newcomer on the inside.
John
When two young sisters disappear from a strip mall parking lot, their mother hires a bounty hunter to help find them. Shut out by an overworked police department, Alex Vega enlists a disgraced former detective to help her. Perfect for mystery fans looking for a new gritty antihero to root for.
Rebecca
In this modern romance, we meet Rhiannon, a cynical dating app owner who has a magical night with former pro-football player Samson Lima. But then he ghosts her...only to re-appear months later as a business competitor. Ouch. Rai engages with current issues such as the #MeToo movement and CTE in the NFL, and she does so masterfully while still creating a fun and enjoyable read.
April
If you recently binged "Tuca & Bertie," this is what you should read! Quirky, funny, and odd, Hanawalt's comics are, in turns, a critique of contemporary society and comforting...not to mention that her use of color is incredible.
Marika
It’s tough to be a woman, especially in a superhero world. They tend to be casualties to the storylines of men, and it’s so common there’s a name for it: women in refrigerators. Valente gives these women a voice and the chance to take their stories back and claim their own narrative. It’s brutal, brilliant, and beautiful and even knowing the stories can’t end well, you find yourself hoping maybe this one will be different.
Shana
As I’m writing this review, I am in Japan right now! This book is hilarious and helpful, so even if you’ve been to Tokyo before, there are parts in here that will make you laugh then relate. If you have any questions about the comic, the author, Evangeline Neo is quite a delight and is actively on social media. Or ask me!
Sinny
A man on the run travels across the west while a woman on the frontier tries to protect her home and family. Tea Obreht's new book is fantastic! Filled with complex characters, mysterious beasts, and a little bit of magic, I couldn't put this one down.
Heather
This is the rare book where the mundane details of life put you on the edge of your seat. Equal parts thrilling and thoughtful, Scorah's memoir is the first time I've seen my own experience living overseas reflected pitch-perfectly on the page. A timely reminder that sometimes it's easier to find ourselves in words than it is in the culture around us.
Caleb
Karl Marlantes transports the reader to the early 1900’s in the Pacific Northwest and the early logging industry, through the story of the Koski family fresh from Finland - and doesn’t let you go until the last of the 700 pages. He writes with such authority about logging, fishing, immigration, unions, women’s empowerment, and the environment at the time. The story is held together by the bonds of the Koski’s as they navigate through the hardships of life in a new country while maintaining their connection to their traditions and myths. This is a sprawling novel with richly drawn characters, so worth getting pulled into.
Carol
A little dark, a little spooky, and just as winding as the river that was the inspiration. A well crafted story with characters that run the gamut from serene and innocent to really creepy. A good way to start the fall season if you like a little chill.
Stacey