Enjoy a selection of our staff's favorite recent reads!
This book is not returnable.
After the murder of his brother-in-law, Owen decides prison isn't enough of a punishment and plots his own revenge: breaking the killer's heart by writing him love letters from a female alias. A dark and inventive journey into a spiraling mind driven mad by obsession. This brilliantly paced psychological thriller will keep you up all night reading!
—Skylar
Underrepresented genius alert! Only VERY recently translated into english, Lispector's work is bursting with sentences so beautiful they had me screaming aloud in the middle of the night as I read in my bed. I'm not joking! I probably woke the neighbors! Evocative, structurally challenging, and a reminder that the hyper-feminine and the hyper-intellectual belong together. Benjamin Moser, Lispector's biographer, was warned by a teacher in his early study of her: "be careful with Clarice, it's not literature... it's witchcraft."
—Jack
How do we continue when everything around is ending, including ourselves? Chang's collection of obit-poems to herself, her family, and the life she once knew, might be one kind of response. Written as if language itself were ending and leaving behind the brightest gems, Obit is a piece striving for clarity within the deepest forms of loss. An important read when so much of what we once knew feels both lost and yet, strangely, still here, Chang’s work is certainly one for the times.
—Uyen
RJ Palacio’s Pony is a book you won’t easily forget. A young boy sets out to find his father, and in doing so, finds himself — with a ghost and a mysterious pony at his side. It’s a coming of age story with all the True Grit feels. Palacio’s writing is stunning and completely different from anything else she has written. Read it if you loved Wonder, read it if you didn't. Read it if you love midgrade, read it if you've never read midgrade before!
—Jen
Classic Peter Heller (Class of '80!) that old and new fans will love! Set three years in the future at a fishing lodge where rich clients can escape from the dangers of the outside world, The Guide combines gorgeous, meditative nature writing with heart-pounding twists and turns. Heller's take on a thriller is exactly what we have come to expect from him in the very best way.
—Allie
Well researched and beautifully written, ALEC enters the world of E. M. Forster’s posthumous novel MAURICE, but from the point of view of Alec Scudder, the gamekeeper that Maurice Hall runs away with in what is perhaps English literature’s first queer happy ending. ALEC follows the outlaw lovers as they forge a life together, from a queer countryside utopia, to the battlefields of WWI, and ultimately as they set out out for a new, more accepting world.
—Dustin
Sharif appropriates phrases from the Department of Defense's Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms to write poems about the effects of the US invasion of Iraq/Afghanistan on her and her family. A great portrait of how America's culture of war influences the way we talk about our most vulnerable relationships.
—Ira
This book is a classic love story between a ghost hunter and a powerful specter. With a cast of engaging and endearing characters, this story is a must-read leading up to Halloween (or at any time you are looking for a delightful blend of horror and romance).
—Zoe
Katherine Howe's debut novel follows Connie Goodwin, a young woman living near Salem, as she delves unwillingly into the past. In the process, she uncovers secrets about her family and the Salem Witch Trials that will change the course of her future forever.
—Andrea
A humorous, vulnerable take on living in a circle of familial trauma. Harkness beautifully chronicles the non-relationships she gets herself into with striking black-and-white illustrations and lucid prose.
—Andy
Erik Larson is a master of narrative nonfiction. In this story with an inevitably tragic ending, he manages to bring to life the passengers of the Lusitania, President Wilson, and the U-boat commander and crew responsible for sinking the ship. He tells their stories with care and grace, proving that at the end of the day, we are all human. Dead Wake is personable, thrilling, and against all odds, extraordinarily suspenseful.
—Bess
Within Roach’s bizarre and wonderful body of work, this may just be the oddest subject yet. Ever wondered how to go about prosecuting an iguana? Look no further.
—Emma
Fans of Agatha Christie and AJ Finn will love this high intensity mystery set in the isolation of a luxury yacht. Ware is adept at maintaining a thrilling momentum while giving her characters a notably contemporary sense of depth and psychological insight. I had to finish this in one day.
—Jon
If you like epic fantasies, a bit of Victorian romance, and shocking cliff-hangers that keep you on your toes, this book is for you. Follow a new generation of Shadow Hunters as they battle demons and explore the seedy underworld of Downworlders.
—Lydia
Rooney's new publication is an absolute must read. Once again, we walk in the streets of Ireland with her wonderfully relatable characters, emerged in tales of sex, love, and friendship. She paints a picture of what it's like to be unabashedly human and makes you fall in love with life itself again; every joke, every moment is poignant and real.
—Olivia
What a wild, creative, and mind-bending ride! All's Well explores chronic pain, karmic justice, and female friendship, all while never losing its snarky wit. Perfect for fans of magical realism, Shakespeare, and thrillers full of spooky twists.
—Skylar