Essays

It Came From the Closet (Staff Pick)

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It Came from the Closet: Queer Reflections on Horror By Joe Vallese (Editor), Carmen Maria Machado (Contribution by), Bruce Owens Grimm (Contribution by) Cover Image
By Joe Vallese (Editor), Carmen Maria Machado (Contribution by), Bruce Owens Grimm (Contribution by)
$25.95
ISBN: 9781952177798
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Feminist Press - October 4th, 2022

Last year I spent October reading each essay in this book and then watching the corresponding movie, and let me tell you it made for one of the most magical (and spookiest) Octobers I've had in a while. This book had me nodding along as I read essays that echoed my own thoughts (such as Carmen Maria Machado's take on Jennifer's Body) as well as seeing some old favorites in a completely new way.

- Katherine


101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered (Staff Pick)

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101 Horror Books to Read Before You're Murdered By Sadie Hartmann Cover Image
$23.99
ISBN: 9781645677802
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Page Street Publishing - August 8th, 2023

It's never too early to plan for Halloween! Let Sadie Hartmann (aka Mother Horror) help you pick out your perfect spooky season read ahead of time! With over 100 books and authors to choose from, there is a horror novel here for everyone. With useful keys for genre, tropes, and content warnings, Mother Horror makes sure to give you the devious details without spoiling the story. Her endearing love for horror shines through every page! Whether you're new to horror or it's old hat, your next read awaits you.

- Jen


The Collected Schizophrenias

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The Collected Schizophrenias: Essays By Esmé Weijun Wang Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9781555978273
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Graywolf Press - February 5th, 2019

Esme Wang won the Graywolf Press Nonfiction Prize, as well as the Whiting Award for Nonfiction for her book, The Collected Schizophrenias.  She writes about schizophrenia related illnesses from her own lived experience, which is a perspective not often enough given a voice.  As such, her writing has the beauty and thorough consideration of someone who’s life is personally impacted by the illness as well as someone who’s an amazing author. 

Seamus


Tacky

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Tacky: Love Letters to the Worst Culture We Have to Offer By Rax King Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9780593312728
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Vintage - November 2nd, 2021

This reads more like a memoir in essays than a collection of cultural criticism. By delving into certain pieces of pop culture, King reveals the way “low culture” makes an indelible mark on us. From her introduction to Hot Topic as an antidote to the popular clique, to the bond she shares with her father over Jersey Shore, these “love letters” argue that just because something isn’t “good” doesn’t mean they aren’t perfect.

Dave


A Swim in the Pond in the Rain

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A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life By George Saunders Cover Image
$28.00
It's Complicated--Contact Us for More Information
ISBN: 9781984856029
Published: Random House - January 12th, 2021

I’ve read a lot of books on ‘how to write,’ and this is the first one that genuinely resonated with me. George Saunders employs his straight-talking, big-hearted sense of humor as he guides you through the Russians. He slowly deconstructs the each story with discussions and suggested exercises that uncover the core strategies writers use to make good fiction. Keep a pencil nearby because you will take notes. Great for readers and writers alike.

Wendy


Carpe Every Diem: The Best Graduation Advice from More Than 100 Commencement Speeches

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Carpe Every Diem: The Best Graduation Advice from More Than 100 Commencement Speeches : A Graduation Book By Robie Rogge Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9780593139752
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Clarkson Potter - March 23rd, 2021

 

This is the perfect gift for a recent graduate. Full of great quotes from famous commencement speakers like Neil Gaiman, David Foster Wallace, Spike Lee, Gloria Steinem, John Waters, Barack Obama and Oprah, it's both inspiring and yet amusing. This charming book relays all the wisdom of those eloquent commencement speakers into sage advice for grads of all ages. 

Nathan


Goodbye, Again

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Goodbye, Again: Essays, Reflections, and Illustrations By Jonny Sun Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9780062880857
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Harper Perennial - April 20th, 2021

 

Jonny Sun has the amazing ability to write about anxiety in a way that makes you feel settled, and loneliness in a way that makes you feel less alone. From scrambled eggs to plants to jazz to the end of the world, these illustrated essays are deeply personal but encompass the universal. They made me laugh, cry, contemplate life, and breathe a little deeper.

Kate


Grieving

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Grieving: Dispatches from a Wounded Country By Cristina Rivera Garza, Sarah Booker (Translator) Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781936932931
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Feminist Press - October 6th, 2020

 

Grieving is a hard read, but the central idea is so beautiful, the heart-punches you take along the way are worth it. To be human is to be vulnerable but we can envelop that vulnerability in community so that no one is helpless. Though directly about the tragedies surrounding the drug war in Mexico, Grieving illuminates more general human experiences of trauma, national myth, and politics. And I might read the last chapter, "Keep Writing," once a month to help me keep going.

Josh


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