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“If my body could speak” is a phrase that has a lot to say, and I know that because it’s been rolling around in my head for years — all the inevitable questions, and answers that can be tacked onto the end, growing and gathering as they find more meaning. Some of the thoughts this phrase brings up are much easier to answer but some are ever-changing and seemingly unanswerable. After all, our bodies are what carry us through our day-to-day; it isn’t always easy or enjoyable to think about the effects that the past has had on us or the scrapes and scars, both literal and metaphorical, our bodies carry...

So I know the holidays are all cozy and cute, and there are presents, and we tell the people who we love that we love them. And that’s nice! Sure! But also — the holidays can be pretty creepy too. For one, Santa Claus sees you when you’re sleeping? Creepy! All You Want For Christmas Is Me? Kidnappy! Why are there so many birds being gifted during the 12 days of Christmas? Birds are weird. And I don’t think I need to get into “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.”...

Picture it, my crafty friends: it’s a chilly Sunday afternoon. You’re wearing your softest sweater and warmest socks. You’re settled into your most comfortable armchair with a blanket across your lap. Your favorite mug is beside you, and it’s filled with steaming coffee or tea. You’re listening to an audiobook or perhaps some holiday music. And you’re deep in the flow of your latest craft project...

I’m sad to say that this is our final list of new translated literature this year — we like to give our booksellers a little bit of a break in December, since we all need a little bit of a break — but what a year it’s been for literature in translation! And this past month was no exception.

Below, you’ll find a Korean memoir that looks at high-functioning depression and anxiety; a bilingual collection of early work from a German-speaking Jewish Romanian poet; a Hungarian short story collection “full of dark humor and sly historical allusions”; a Japanese novel about a lost dog, told through vignettes; a breath-length novel from a Hungarian master...

It’s nearly the end of Native American Heritage Month, and although we like to celebrate and read Indigenous authors year-round, we didn’t want to miss the opportunity to feature some of our favorite recent nonfiction titles that center Indigenous stories. This is a list filled with books that highlight reclamation, identity, sexuality, climate, and white supremacy (to only name a few) via oral storytelling, art, music, poetry, and interview (to only name a few). This is by no means an exhaustive list (of titles, or subjects), merely a starting point to encourage you to keep reading, keep exploring, and keep learning from Native American voices.

Best Nonfiction of 2022 | Best Debuts of 2022 | Best Sci-Fi, Fantasy, Horror, Romance & Graphic Novels of 2022 | Best Kids' and YA of 2022

As fun as it is to put these lists together, it’s also so, so difficult, because there are always so many books we want to include. This year, we did our best to contain it to 10 books, but the more we read and discussed and argued, the more we wanted to add an extra 5, and then another 5, which is how we ended up here...

Personally, I think October gets too much credit during spooky season. November is (in my opinion) just as spooky, and since November is also Native American Heritage Month, I wanted to pull together a (by-no-means-exhaustive) list of horror titles from Native American authors. On this list, you’ll find entities and shapeshifters, cosmology and mythology, social commentary and superstition, doomsday preppers and imposters. We know the days are getting shorter, but that just means you’ll have more hours to read these spooky books by candlelight...