Our newest recommendations are right at the top of the list. Enjoy!
Dry, witty, and unapologetic, May loves literature and her work as a botanist for the university in her hometown. Closer to plants than people, May begins to suspect she isn't very good at friendship and wonders if it's possible to improve with practice. Granted some leave from her job, she sets out on a journey to spend time with four long-neglected friends. "On friendship and more. My copy is dog-eared with wisdom & humor underlined in green." Recommended by Alena
Faith dabbles in magic, and where magic sometimes gets her what she wants, it also gets her in too deep. Faithless is a graphic novel equivalent to a sucker punch to the gut when that's exactly what you want. Magic, Sex, Drugs, and the Devil! Sounds like fun, right? Recommended by Rob
A clever premise with vivid character development, astute social commentary, and a wry sense of humor. This book was everything I want from urban Fantasy, and was an absolute treat to read. Recommended by Molly
Gently pulled me into its world till I didn't want to leave. Recommended by Alena
This book reminds me why I love poetry. The language is particular and transcendent. The images are motile and visceral. In these poems, which evoke a USA and a Self that are often shunted into the abyss, Smith accomplishes the wild and sacred poet's role of defying truth while embodying it. Recommended by Hunter
You will race through this book with your heart beating as fast as the main characters -- desperate for them to escape danger and anxious for them to reach safety. Recommended by Jeanette
A "history" narrated through multiple voices, this novel is a MASTERPIECE. It describes the attempted assassination of Bob Marley, the CIA subversion of Jamaica, the devastation of (manufactured) gang warefare and the inward texture of consciousness beset by violence and upheavals of identity. But do you have the courage to read? Recommended by Hunter
These poems describe a town where deafness becomes a protest against an occupying military force. Though fictional, the brutality, horror and fierceness of crushed and struggling love is very real. Sometimes the words of the destroyer must be absolutely denied, and the words of the victim uplifted. Kaminsky shows us what poetry can be for. Recommended by Hunter
Familiar with flash fiction? If not, this is a thoughtful introduction. If you're already a fan, you'll appreciate the succint and evocative pieces here. Recommended by Jeanette
Beauty, heart, and ancient magic amid the horrors of a dark time. I WAS CAPTIVATED. Recommended by Alena
Gideon the Ninth is a science fiction swords and space romp filled with nonstop action and thrills. VIOLENCE NECROMANCY and lots of HUMOR. If you love Sci-Fi with a fresh face THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU! Recommended by Rob
This book is:
The voice of the wind calling your name.
The cold blue face you see under the ice.
The name you see written on the wall in blood.
It's one of the spookiest collections of modern horror in a long time.
Recommended by Rob
From the guy who brought us 30 Days of Night, the book is perfect for Halloween. October Faction is a family of monster hunters who go through all the drama of normal family dynamics as well as the occasional werewolf and vampire slaying. Great gothic atmosphere and amazing characters! Recommended by Rob
I was fascinated by this novel. Through parallel narratives of Mary Shelly and near-future AI, the author creates an amazing story about science, poetry, and the metaphysics of love. Recommended by Hunter
This anthology is beautiful and devastating. It draws from a diversity of voices that seem to articulate an entire continent. Radical, emotive, genuine, this disrupts poetic monoculture like nothing else. Recommended by Hunter
This book proves that there's more to Stephen Chbosky than The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Chbosky takes the life lessons of youth and slathers them with a special sauce of supernatural thrills and suspense. This is the most unique book I've read this year and it's terrifying, intense, and somehow strangely empowering. It's Perks ... meets Stranger Things. Recommended by Rob
This book is its own doorway into the magical tale of January Scaller. A beautifully written fantastical adventure and love letter to the power of story. This book is a reminder of why we read. You might plan for being late to work -- it's that enthralling! Recommended by Julie & Alena & Molly & Jane
Providence is a book that rides between the lines of several genres. A love story that goes horribly wrong when the boy vanishes, only to have him return after two years, not quite right! Throw in a nice blend of urban fantasy, mystery, and some H.P. Lovecraft and you have Providence. Magical and intense. Recommended by Rob
I have a very high tolerance for horror, and have been seeking fear, finding nothing ... until now. This will scare you. Recommended by Hunter
A fun romp with a good heart that naturally glides into a story of insight and depth. I love Vivian Morris, the story she tells, and all her people! Recommended by Alena
In this debut novel, Locascio accomplishes gorgeous metaphysical interiority while engaging with real human experiences. Through a young woman's coming-of-age narrative, the reader is treated to a stunning alchemy of xenophobia, physical sexual insight, and Denmark. The prose is also absolutely beautiful. Recommended by Hunter
Part Elmore Leonard, part Douglas Adams, part David McCoullough and something else altogether -- FKA USA is hilarious and frightening. An entertaining frontier tale set in a chilling all-too-believable futurescape. I can't get this book out of my head -- so, I want you to read it -- you'll see what I mean. Recommended by Jane
I had to keep coming up for air as I raced along with a once enslaved boy, flying across the sky in an early experimental hot air balloon, trekking across the frozen Arctic, and diving among undersea life. This novel enthralls with both its heights and its depths. Recommended by Jeanette
Remember what it was like as a child to be transfixed by a book? Regain that magic with this tale. The author's enchanting language casts as much as a spell as the story itself. Recommended by Jeanette
... With surprisingly poignant depth and a bit of classic Irish humor, our gentleman friend finds a unique route to wrapping up his complicated life -- leaving those whom he loved, and each of us who joins in his goodbyes, all the better for his having lived. Recommended by Mary
Sweet and steamy, the Kiss Quotient won the 2018 Goodreads Choice Award for Romance, and is earning well deserved praise for its depiction of an autistic-spectrum heroine. Recommended by Molly
Of all the bookshops in all the towns in all the world, this book had to walk into mine. Moore has come up with both, one of the best San Francisco novels and one of the best noir crime novels ever, and it's filled with amazing atmosphere and that incredible Christopher Moore humor. One of my favorite books of the year. Recommended by Rob
Told in a series of interviews, this story covers the entire career of the seminal but fictional 1970s rock band Daisy Jones & The Six. Written flawlessly. You'll love them, you'll hate them, you'll want them to be a real band. A must read for music history buffs and fans of classic Rock 'n' Roll. Also included, lyrics from their last album. Recommended by Rob
I like the people in this book so much!!! And the writing. And the story. And the river. I have that double feeling of wanting to read and read to know how it ends -- but not wanting it to end. Recommended by Alena
Holy shit, this is something else altogether. "Cross-dressing gun-fighter" doesn't even scratch the surface. It really stuck with me. Recommended by Christie
A beautifully dark fantasy epic that surges with mythology and imagination. Derived from African sources, the realms of this world feel dream-like and startling, and full of unexpected characters. A wonderful read. Recommended by Hunter
I wish this book had come out a few years ago when I still worked with Native American juvenile delinquents so they could have gained some insights from the realistic portraits of urban NDNs. Take a look! Recommended by Jeanette
These stories are feral, stunning in their ferocity, and definitely NOT here to play nice. I loved it! Recommended by Molly
Complex, wonderful, impressive -- it's impossible to look away from these scenes of individual intimacy and historic tragedy. Lost Children Archive is exactly the right novel for our times. Recommended by Christie
Guilty as a mom snooping through her teen's diary, I peered into God's journal about his existential crisis -- unable to stop myself from reaping secret insights. Recommended by Jeanette.
Brilliant. Intense. Cerebral. And impossible to put down! Recommended by Christie
You know that luscious feeling when you immediately know you are in the hands of a beguiling writer who will take you on a memorable journey? That's the sensation which lasted for me throughout this unusual road trip of a novel with characters I wished I could continue accompanying well past when they reach their final destination. Recommended by Jeanette
For everyone who ever loved a tree. Recommended by Alena
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Follow Lois, a robotics specialist, as she embarks on a most unusual journey and discovers what truly makes her happy. I loved SOURDOUGH, but be forewarned: It is zany -- wonderfully so -- and, it may just inspire you to bake -- it did me! Recommended by Jane
P.S. Boonville makes a cameo appearance.
Geni seems to know something about humans & nature that the rest of us don't. The Wildlands, like her previous novel, delves into those places in the psyche that can be revealed only at the extremes: tornado, disaster, isolation. It's gripping! Recommended by Christie
Vivid, violent, gory, and gorgeous, with luscious illustrations, these fairy-tales come from a recently re-discovered cache of German folk tales. At once both unknown yet recognizable, these are new (to us) stories with familiar shapes, and they are delicous. Recommended by Molly
