Valerie Martin
[isbn]
Would you betray a confidence because it had the germ of a good book? If you told a friend a few family anecdotes, do these stories become common fare? Set in the lovely Sienna countryside, I Give It to You raises these thorny questions, and in a very engaging way.
Recommended by Sheila N.
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Nnedi Okorafor, Vita Ayala, Leonardo Romero
[isbn]
Hey Kids! Comics! There's way too much serious business in the business of comics! Here is a story by the incomparable Nnedi Okorafor, fun for kids... and grown-ups, too.
Recommended by Doug C.
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Mónica Ramón Ríos and Robin Myers
[isbn]
An eclectic, sensational collection of short fiction, Chilean author Mónica Ramón Ríos's Cars on Fire (translated from the Spanish by Robin Myers) is suffused with death and violence and writerly lives and perspectives askew. There is a tantalizing charm to Ríos's writing, as well as a focus on the marginalized and maligned, offering recompense to those so often forsaken and rejected (or worse).
Recommended by Jeremy G.
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Ariana Harwicz and Annie McDermott and Carolina Orloff
[isbn]
Ariana Harwicz has an almost preternatural aptitude for creating fiction that envelops, suffocates, and refuses to relent. Even more feverish than her previous (and already frenetic!) book, Die, My Love, Harwicz’s new one, Feebleminded (translated from the Spanish by Annie McDermott and Carolina Orloff), is a depraved tale of vengeance and mother-daughter dysfunction. Unrelenting and unforgettable, the Argentine author’s latest... (read more)
Recommended by Jeremy G.
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Ngugi wa Thiongo
[isbn]
Kenyan author Ngugi wa Thiong'o's new novel, The Perfect Nine, is a dazzling retelling of the Gĩkũyũ origin myth (Kenya's largest ethnic group), interpreted and translated into English by Ngugi wa Thiong'o' himself. An exuberant epic entwining storytelling-in-verse and edifying mythology, The Perfect Nine is an action-packed, adventurous fable abounding with joy and wisdom. Rich, memorable, and magnificently composed, Ngugi... (read more)
Recommended by Jeremy G.
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Daniel Saldana Paris
[isbn]
Daniel Saldaña París's Ramifications (translated from the Spanish by Christina MacSweeney) is the second of the Mexican author's novels rendered into English (after his stupendous debut, Among Strange Victims). A more serious, somber story than his first, Ramifications is a work of maternal abandonment, emotionally stunted adulthood, and the search for truth. Reckoning with the legacy of his mother's disappearance some... (read more)
Recommended by Jeremy G.
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Elizabeth Gilbert
[isbn]
Gilbert’s newest novel really is everything the cover art promises: sex, spectacle, and Broadway-sized fabulousness cut with Gilbert’s insightful approach to exploring women’s inner lives, and an attention to historical detail that brings postwar NYC to life. Sent to live with her theater-owning aunt as a “punishment,” Vivian Morris finds all of the adventure, love, and sorrow an adventurous girl could hope for, and a reader could desire from... (read more)
Recommended by Rhianna W.
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Richard Osman
[isbn]
Well-crafted, witty, and highly entertaining, The Thursday Murder Club is the perfect book to relax and unwind with. It's good escapist fun and I'd recommend it to anyone who's a Miss Marple fan and who enjoys cozy mysteries set in quiet English villages.
Recommended by Sheila N.
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Susan Abulhawa
[isbn]
This is not an easy book to read but Nahr's (the protagonist) determination and irreverent humor is engaging and the book ends on a hopeful note that leaves you feeling optimistic about Nahr's possible future.
Recommended by Sheila N.
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Adam Cohen
[isbn]
In Supreme Inequality, Cohen makes a convincing argument that for 50 years the courts have been a centerpiece of Republican strategy, and the increasingly conservative Supreme Court has prioritized corporate interests and the wealthy while giving short shrift to marginalized groups. Its decisions have directly helped to create the deep inequalities existent in our country today. With a new, extremely conservative justice confirmed, this... (read more)
Recommended by Emily B.
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Dan Rather
[isbn]
After a long career as one of our best-known and loved journalists, Dan Rather has made himself one of the most essential voices to read in our current political climate. What Unites Us is a hopeful, thoughtful, and rational book about how we can come together as citizens even — and especially — in profoundly troubling and divisive times.
Recommended by Jill O.
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Rosanne Parry and Lindsay Moore
[isbn]
A Whale of the Wild is a beautiful story told deftly from the perspective of a young orca whale separated, along with her brother, from their pod. Their journey home is a harrowing tale Parry created using extensive research into the lives of whales and the details of their fading ecosystem. With its exploration of climate change and the fight for survival, Vega's story, and her point of view, are so important for us to share right now.
Recommended by Gigi L.
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Cathy Camper and Kenard Pak
[isbn]
Beautifully poetic in words, in concept, in art, Ten Ways to Hear Snow is a deceptively simple tale of a young Arab American girl visiting her grandmother. In the lovely sweep of Cathy Camper's words and Kenard Pak's art, though, is an exaltation of the unassuming perfection of kindness and the quiet moments of joy we need so much today.
Recommended by Gigi L.
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Jonathan Hill
[isbn]
Award-winning cartoonist Jonathan Hill contrasts surprising humor with the desolation of a ruined landscape and the longing of three Vietnamese American siblings searching across the country for their missing mother, eight years after the big Cascadia earthquake. With themes of violence, environmentalism, and family, Odessa is much more than a page-turner — but what a page-turner!
Recommended by Gigi L.
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William Ritter
[isbn]
The riveting story of brothers Cole and Tinn, one human and one goblin changeling, continues in The Unready Queen, which pits the brothers and their new friend Fable against villagers bent on destroying the Wild Wood. Rich with menace and magic, this sequel continues the dark atmosphere and adventure of the first book, and will captivate young fantasy fans.
Recommended by Rhianna W.
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Rebecca Stead
[isbn]
When Bea was eight, her parents got divorced. Even though they provided her with a list of things that wouldn’t change, she still started worrying. Now that Bea’s ten, her dad is marrying his partner and she is getting a sister. Yet, while the family plans the wedding, not everything is going Bea’s way. Newbery Award winner Rebecca Stead delivers another outstanding middle grade novel. It is charming, relatable, and perfect for anyone who has... (read more)
Recommended by Jennifer H.
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Jonathan Stutzman and Heather Fox
[isbn]
To quote a young friend of mine, butts are amazing! Squishy, strong, and multipurpose, the human heinie is a source of endless fascination and hilarity. From beginning readers to grandparents, Jonathan Stutzman’s explanatory ode to the tushie gets readers giggling while illuminating the universal wonder of down under.
Recommended by Rhianna W.
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Nisi Shawl
[isbn]
Wahingtonian Nisi Shawl is a veteran speculative fiction writer and multi-award winner and nominee for her short fiction. Her work and teaching career have long focused on diversifying the speculative fiction community and canon, and on the ways sci-fi and fantasy writing can be used to address colonialism, globalization, sexism, and racial inequality. New Suns continues with these themes, focusing on the experience of otherness and... (read more)
Recommended by Rhianna W.
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Yotam Ottolenghi and Ixta Belfrage
[isbn]
What more can I say about Ottolenghi? Every cookbook is a delight of unbelievably delectable plant-based recipes, and will do wonders for chefs of all levels. Ottolenghi Flavor offers more than 100 mouth-watering dishes, and dives into fascinating core concepts like flavor pairings and cooking reactions that will enhance every meal you make.
Recommended by Michelle C.
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Maggie O'Farrell
[isbn]
This is a very engaging reimagining of the life of Shakespeare's wife, Agnes (in this version), who O'Farrell presents as a free-spirited and forthright young woman who entrances the future playwright. Filled with wonderfully rich details, O' Farrell also does a brilliant job of depicting village life in Renaissance England. Makes for poignant reading.
Recommended by Sheila N.
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Foster Huntington
[isbn]
I always wanted to live in a treehouse as a kid, and spend a maybe-embarrassing amount of my adult life watching tiny home TV shows and scrolling through the #vanlife hashtag. Off Grid Life is the perfectly curated collection of my dreams, showcasing beautiful homes — yurts, converted shipping containers, tiny houses of all stripes — in stunning landscapes. With hundreds of photographs and interviews with some fascinating folks living... (read more)
Recommended by Michelle C.
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Steven Johnson
[isbn]
Johnson has a knack for honing in on pivotal moments in scientific history, and making the big, lofty ideas behind them, as well as the more intimate personal aspects of the people involved, riveting. This chronicle of the 1854 cholera outbreak in London is also an exciting detective story — one with huge ramifications for the development and sustainability of urban life. It’s an especially timely read during the age of COVID-19.
Recommended by Lori M.
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Hannah Eliot, Jorge Gutierrez
[isbn]
Gathering flor de muetros, making atole, and placing sugar skulls celebrating the beauty of life
and death are featured in this Day of the Dead board book for little ones. If these fun and
colorful illustrations seem familiar, they’re from Jorge Gutierrez, the creator of the beloved 2014
animated film, The Book of Life. An excellent introduction to Día de los Muertos for ages two
and up.
Recommended by Kim T.
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Jenn Louis
[isbn]
I was a little skeptical when I first saw this title, but as soon as I saw the table of contents I understood — this is not about a single soup. With over 100 recipes from all over the world, Jenn Louis proves this hearty, comforting staple comes in many delicious forms: tom kha gai, poule au pot, green chili chicken stew, to name a few. The “chicken essentials” section has already improved my stock and changed my life.
Recommended by Michelle C.
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Dolly Parton and Robert K. Oermann
[isbn]
It’s hard to talk about Dolly Parton without sounding like you’re describing a mythical figure, even outside of her stage presence and myriad hits. She wrote “Jolene” and “I Will Always Love You” in the same day! Her Imagination Library program has sent hundreds of millions of free books to children to help combat illiteracy! In Dolly Parton, Songteller, she shares the fascinating stories behind the lyrics of her popular songs,... (read more)
Recommended by Michelle C.
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Josh Clark and Chuck Bryant
[isbn]
Building on their popular podcast with this fascinating book, the SYSK hosts are going to change the way you look at everything — Mr. Potato Head, getting lost, facial hair, and more. The ideal read for anyone who’s ever wondered why things are the way they are.
Recommended by Michelle C.
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Jeff Kinney
[isbn]
Life is never boring for erstwhile adolescent Greg Heffley, and this new round of adventures involves a less-than-pleasant RV park, bad weather, and possible calamity. Diary fans will eat up the Heffley family's cascade of problems, and Greg's hilarious — if bad-mannered — take on the highs and lows of life.
Recommended by Matt K.
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Edna OBrien
[isbn]
Completely gut-wrenching, Edna O'Brien's stark yet vivid prose detailing the horrors that our young narrator experiences will stay with you a very long time, as will the anger it inspires. Also well worth reading: Our Bodies, Their Battlefields: War Through the Lives of Women by Christina Lamb.
Recommended by Sheila N.
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Rebecca Watson
[isbn]
One day. Every thought, every observation, every suppression of a particular niggling memory and all the tiny magnified moments that make up that day (and that unbidden memory). Far from being gimmicky, Watson’s experimental prose proves an extremely effective way of portraying, from the inside, the aftermath of betrayal and violation. I was awed by the emotional honesty and compulsive poetry of this slim foreboding novel, and left both... (read more)
Recommended by Lori M.
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Dav Pilkey
[isbn]
From the author of the bestselling Dog Man series comes three stories perfect for getting in the
mood for the season: “Six Small Pumpkins,” “The Costume Party,” and “The Deep Dark Woods”
are all included in this charming Halloween addition to Dragon’s adventures. This easy-to-read
text for young readers is perfect for ages five and up!
Recommended by Kim T.
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Adeline Dieudonne, Roland Glasser
[isbn]
A young girl grows up surrounded by violence and terror. Her only solace is figuring out how to help her beloved younger brother after a terrible accident upends their lives. Our unnamed heroine is intelligent, resourceful, and fiercely independent, and the first half of the book reminded me of Swamplandia! But the second half is like nothing I've ever read before. This dark, feminist thrill ride has stayed with me for months, and is... (read more)
Recommended by Amy W.
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Margaret Atwood
[isbn]
I discovered Margaret Atwood’s poetry in the Seminary Co-Op Bookstore in Chicago, and six years later my best friend was reading “Variations on the Word Sleep” at my wedding. If you love Atwood’s imaginative and incisive novels, her ability to channel those gifts into the discipline of poetry will transport you.
Recommended by Rhianna W.
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Ernest Cline
[isbn]
Let’s face it: We all could use a nostalgia machine right now. Cline’s Ready Player Two is here to whisk you back into the riddle-riddled world of Oasis for a story of wit, trivia, and one-on-one combat.
Recommended by Matt K.
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Nathan W Pyle
[isbn]
Nathan W. Pyle's droll moments in time as seen through the eyes of his uniquely formal-tongued space aliens are a balm for the stressed soul, making us laugh at the ridiculousness and poignancy of everyday life. Stranger Planet is irresistibly enchanting.
Recommended by Gigi L.
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Sandra Boynton
[isbn]
If you have two thumbs and one is typically in your mouth, chances are you adore Sandra Boynton, and you’ll adore this book. With its ridiculous premise, funny illustrations, and engaging prompts, no beginning reader (or adult, for that matter) can resist its charms!
Recommended by Renee P.
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Michael Slack
[isbn]
Three adorable wide-eyed kittens have learned to climb. After conquering the cat tree, a real tree, and an ancient litter box in the trees, they set their sights on the dinosaurs on Dinosaur Island. The determined kitties devise many silly plans to conquer the dinosaurs. This book is so much fun. I love the art, the narration, and it makes me giggle every time I read it.
Recommended by Jennifer H.
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Yaa Gyasi
[isbn]
Transcendent Kingdom is a searching, intimate novel about so many issues: race and the immigrant experience, the twin scourges of addiction and depression and our society's failure to grapple with them, the power and the limitations of religious faith and of scientific inquiry, and how we cope with profound loss and grief. This is a moving, urgent story, and I couldn't put it down.
Recommended by Tim B.
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Sesame Workshop
[isbn]
Masking up and keeping safe are so important, and who better to help get kids and parents alike motivated than Elmo and the Sesame Street gang? Heroes Wear Masks is a sweet, friendly reminder of some very smart practices for kids of all ages.
Recommended by Moses M.
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Karen Russell
[isbn]
In Sleep Donation, insomnia is a mysteriously contracted and potentially fatal condition. Trish works for an organization that has sprung up to help — encouraging people to donate their sleep and parceling it out to sleepless people in need. Ethical quandaries, scientific marvels, and a literal nightmare public relations disaster ensue. Karen Russell is a master of atmosphere: This book gave me goosebumps in a heatwave. It reminded me of... (read more)
Recommended by Michelle C.
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Aiden Thomas
[isbn]
Aiden Thomas’s magical YA debut is an ode to honoring your truth as it follows Yadriel, a trans Latinx teenage boy, as he tries to prove that he is a brujo to his conservative family and to himself. Cemetery Boys is the queer story I’ve been trying to summon this whole year and will return to for years to come.
Recommended by Rachel M.
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Terry Fan and Eric Fan and Devin Fan
[isbn]
A book by the Fan Brothers is always such a welcome treat! Brothers Terry, Eric, and Devin collaborate on this adorable story about Barnabus, a failed half-mouse, half-elephant pet created in an underground lab for genetically modified “perfect” creatures. Barnabus isn’t quite fluffy enough and has been deemed a failed project, due to be recycled along with his other misfit friends. The gang hatches a plan to escape the lab in this gorgeously... (read more)
Recommended by Kim T.
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Maaza Mengiste
[isbn]
From its first beautiful sentence — “She does not want to remember but she is here and memory is gathering bones” — Maaza Mengiste’s magisterial The Shadow King drew me into the stark, dusty sweep of the Second Italo-Ethiopian War. Drenched in the blazing light of near-equatorial Africa , a light that feels almost omniscient as it slants through the narrative, the novel focuses most closely on a female servant named Hirut who becomes a... (read more)
Recommended by Rhianna W.
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Roxane Gay and Tracy Lynne Oliver
[isbn]
From the remarkable Roxane Gay, a graphic novel of her bestselling short story, a world where a tragic event has taken away the light of the sun.
Recommended by Doug C.
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Jessica Hische
[isbn]
The end of the day is the perfect time to look toward tomorrow and plan for momentous things: like being brave, being strong, being curious. Through Jessica Hische’s bold designs and beautiful, shout-it-from-the-rooftops text, kids learn the joy of possibility and the power of words.
Recommended by Matt K.
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Hiroko Oyamada and David Boyd
[isbn]
Three workers get jobs in a sprawling Japanese factory that is a society unto itself. A paper shredder, a proofreader, and a biologist — their jobs so mundane and pointless as to be suspicious. Oyamada's world of the factory is a unique blend of painfully ordinary and fantastical. What could so easily have become Kafkaesque or literary horror remains a subtle, yet surreal commentary on capitalist Japanese culture. I found its understated... (read more)
Recommended by Amy W.
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Alison Bechdel
[isbn]
Before Fun Home and Are You My Mother?, this brilliant creator brought us the long-running, hilarious, insightful, and heartbreaking comic strip, "Dykes to Watch Out For." My all-time favorite soap opera in cartoon form.
Recommended by Doug C.
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Marcus Samuelsson
[isbn]
I can’t but help fall in love with every new Marcus Samuelsson cookbook and The Rise is no exception. The Rise is a global celebration of Black cooking and of Black cooks. Americans owe a great deal of our food history to unsung and forgotten cooks of yesteryear. Samuelsson brings back respect and a feel of history to these folks whom time and society have erased. Here are 150 Black American recipes will energize your kitchen.
Recommended by Tracey T.
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Vivian Howard
[isbn]
Vivian Howard is one of my favorite TV chefs and I adored her first cookbook, Deep Run Roots. So naturally, I am looking forward to This Will Make It Taste Good. Who doesn’t want their food to taste good? She has an easy teaching style and her flavors are bright and often simple. Howard is an outstanding chef who makes your home cooking taste like her restaurant cooking. One hundred and twenty-five recipes, and I have deep love... (read more)
Recommended by Tracey T.
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Jennifer Dasal
[isbn]
Move past the stodgily written museum labels to learn the quirky backstories of the art you visit at the galleries. Monet: not just a blotter of pretty paint, but a rebel badass! Norman Rockwell: painter of cheesy Americana, or really cool and socially conscious artist? ArtCurious is a fun and engaging look art history. No, really, it is!
Recommended by Tracey T.
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Sandro Miller
[isbn]
John Malkovich, truly like you’ve never seen him before, posing as famous photographs. Malkovich as Che Guevara. Malkovich in haunting despair as Migrant Mother in the Dust Bowl shot by Dorothy Lange. Malkovich as a surprisingly beautiful Marilyn Monroe. Both a paean to great photographers and to Malkovich’s simple yet deep acting style.
Recommended by Tracey T.
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Nik Sharma
[isbn]
Nk Sharma’s stunning Flavor Equation deserves to be shelved next to your copy of Salt Fat Acid Heat. Sharma makes the science of cooking cool, fascinating, and completely relevant to growing your skills in the kitchen. Backed by over 100 recipes that exemplify the text and fill the belly.
Recommended by Tracey T.
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Yuval Noah Harari
[isbn]
There are a lot of choices in evolutionary science titles, and I personally feel it can get a bit overwhelming. When Yuval Noah Harari's Sapiens came out a few years ago, it really brought evolutionary science to the masses. Thoughtful, engaging writing that is accessible, even to the non-science-y folks. With The Birth of Human Kind (Sapiens #1), we can see Harari's work brought to life in captivating illustrations, further encouraging... (read more)
Recommended by Corie K-B.
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Charles Henry, Elin Petronella
[isbn]
There are a lot of ways to replace that yearning for travel: read a great book with destinations far and wide, or perhaps watch a favorite movie with beautiful vistas. Good choices indeed, but I'm thinking that combining my love of European cities and embroidery is the way to go for me. The COVID era has given me an opportunity to refine my embroidery skills, and I can't wait to stitch up the streets of Europe for my next project.
Recommended by Corie K-B.
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James Lee Burke
[isbn]
Nobody can bring the sights and flavors of Louisiana to mind quite like James Lee Burke. The incredibly steadfast Detective Robicheaux will guide us through another mystery, but this particular novel contains quite a bit of the supernatural. There is always a little something for everyone in James Lee Burke's novels, and I suspect this one will bring a few more followers to the fold.
Recommended by Corie K-B.
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Tana French
[isbn]
Tana French's latest is set in a small Irish village and features a retired Chicago cop. It's richly atmospheric. Like all French's work, it is dark and utterly compelling.
Recommended by Kathi K.
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Rebecca Roanhorse
[isbn]
The first of a trilogy based on ancient Aztec and Mayan mythology, Roanhorse has created a marvel of world-building and populated it with fascinating, fantastical characters. I loved the hard drinking, mermaid sea captain. This wonderful read left me anxiously waiting for the rest of the story.
Recommended by Kathi K.
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V. E. Schwab
[isbn]
I rarely read fantasy, but this story pulled me compulsively through all 600 pages, from France in the 1700s to current day NYC. Addie LaRue makes a deal with "darkness" for immortality, only the catch is that no one will remember her once she is out of sight. This makes Addie's 300-year adventure a fascinating challenge and a great tale of choosing life despite crippling loneliness, forging a career as an artistic muse, outwitting the "dark,"... (read more)
Recommended by Kathi K.
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Elena Ferrante and Ann Goldstein
[isbn]
Based on my love for Ferrante's Neopolitan Quartet, I'm waiting impatiently for this new offering. Again set in Naples, featuring class struggle and a young woman's coming-of-age, this promises to be classic Ferrante.
Recommended by Kathi K.
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Anthony Horowitz
[isbn]
Horowitz returns to the wonderful characters from Magpie Murders and revisits the book-within-a-book plotting device. It works again, brilliantly, in this bright, modern homage to Agatha Christie.
Recommended by Kathi K.
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Allie Brosh
[isbn]
Allie Brosh fans have been waiting 100 years for this book to be ready. I just know it will be funny, tragic, awkward, and totally relatable.
Recommended by McKenzie W.
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Alyssa Cole
[isbn]
It doesn't sound very sexy to call How to Catch a Queen the perfect romance for 2020, but honestly this is the exactly right book for the world right now. Our heroine is an activist and feminist who agrees to marry the king of a failing kingdom in order to bring positive change to his small country and the people who live there. This story proves that a quiet voice can still be powerful, that ignorance is not a valid excuse, and that you... (read more)
Recommended by McKenzie W.
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Jon Meacham and John Lewis
[isbn]
There is no book that I would rather be reading this fall than His Truth Is Marching On. Jon Meacham is a powerful writer and his portrait of Congressman Lewis is sure to be one of the most significant books of the year.
Recommended by McKenzie W.
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Kate McDermott
[isbn]
I plan to be the most popular person at the Thanksgiving table this year with the help of local author Kate McDermott's Pie Camp. I loved her previous book, The Art of the Pie, and look forward to leveling up my pie skills. Maybe I'm just hungry, but every page of this book makes me want to get out a rolling pin and attempt to recreate her gorgeous pies.
Recommended by McKenzie W.
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Jerry Craft
[isbn]
A companion to Newbery and Coretta Scott King American Library Award winner, The New Kid, Class Act follows Jordan’s friend Drew Ellis, an eighth-grader at Riverdale Academy Day School. This highly anticipated graphic novel for ages eight and above take the reader through Drew’s experience of working 10 times harder than his privileged peers for the same opportunities, while dealing with prejudices and microaggressions from his... (read more)
Recommended by Kim T.
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Oliver Jeffers
[isbn]
In this companion to Oliver Jeffers's Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, What We’ll Build is a letter of hope to build a better future. Together, father and daughter build a world of love, understanding, and compassion, setting aside favorite things and memories for days when everything seems more difficult. Wonderful for reading together.
Recommended by Kim T.
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Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
[isbn]
Sixteen-year-old Amal has been wrongly accused of a crime he didn’t commit, simply for being in the wrong place in the wrong time. Brilliantly written in verse by National Book Award finalist Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam of the Exonerated Five, Punching the Air is an impactful and necessary book for young adults, families, and educators trying to understand the injustice of systemic racism.
Recommended by Kim T.
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Ben Philippe
[isbn]
Sometimes, I need a good rom-com to escape into, and this second novel from Ben Philippe hits the spot. Henri is currently charming his way through his prestigious high school, trying to keep his parents happy, and earn some money walking dogs in order to reach his goal of being accepted into Columbia University. Things are going to plan until his classmate Corinne discovers that the dog walking company he works for is not what it seems. What... (read more)
Recommended by Jennifer H.
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Seaerra Miller
[isbn]
This graphic novel from Portlander Seaerra Miller is gorgeous! The full color brings the quirky and fun illustrations to life. Mason Mooney is a wannabe paranormal investigator who is often outshined by the Paranormal Society led by heartthrob Trent Reilly. Mason finally lands a haunted house case that just may be his ticket to the fame he knows he deserves. Can he and new friend Iris find out who or what is haunting her older sister? This book... (read more)
Recommended by Jennifer H.
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Kelly Yang
[isbn]
I loved Kelly Yang’s previous book, Front Desk, and am so excited for this second book about life at the Calivista Motel. Things are looking up now that the Tang family and their investors have bought the motel, but problems arise for Mia and her best friend Lupe when they go back to school. The girls have a mean new homeroom teacher, and a proposed law cracking down on immigration is on everyone’s mind. I look forward to seeing how... (read more)
Recommended by Jennifer H.
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Sabaa Tahir
[isbn]
At last, the fourth and final book in the An Ember in the Ashes series is almost here! This series has it all: expansive world-building, complicated characters, intense action, steamy romance, and now an approaching apocalypse. I can’t wait to see how this series wraps ups and what happens to Laia, Elias, and the Blood Shrike. Since it is being released December 1, I have plenty of time to go back and reread the first three books to get ready for... (read more)
Recommended by Jennifer H.
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Trung Le Nguyen
[isbn]
I love the art and inventive storytelling in this stunning young adult graphic novel. Tien has a secret that he wants to share with his parents and he's trying to find the right words for it. Tien speaks mostly English, while his parents speak mostly Vietnamese. They connect as a family by reading stories together. Using a beautiful color palate, Trung Le Nguyen weaves together the family’s past and present with the fairy tales they share,... (read more)
Recommended by Jennifer H.
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Tracy Deonn
[isbn]
16-year-old Bree Matthews is living away from home for the first time. She’s dealing with the loss of her mother, and enrolled in a highly competitive academic program. I’ve always been fascinated by Arthurian retakes, but I haven’t read anything lately quite as brilliant as Legendborn. Deonn combines Southern Black culture and history, Arthurian myths, inherited trauma, grief, and more. The result is a smart, sharp urban fantasy that... (read more)
Recommended by Mary Jo S.
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Tina Ontiveros
[isbn]
A memoir of growing up in the Northwest, living below the federal poverty line, with a father who was larger than life, sometimes abusive, and always a force to be reckoned with. One of the things I really loved about this book was how it illuminated new corners of the Northwest — towns I’d never heard of, places I’ve only passed through. Ontiveros’s love of the natural world comes shining through. I also loved her refusal to reduce her father to... (read more)
Recommended by Mary Jo S.
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Cait Flanders
[isbn]
Cait Flanders follows up The Year of Less with Adventures in Opting Out, a guide to navigating the road less traveled. I always feel better after I read Cait Flanders; there’s something about her mix of practicality and truth-telling that both soothes and inspires me. Interviews with fellow travelers, anecdotes, and sound wisdom make this a fast and inspirational read. 2020 has been filled with all sorts of intentional and... (read more)
Recommended by Mary Jo S.
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Madeline Miller
[isbn]
Madeline Miller is quickly making herself the present-day star of rewriting ancient mythology, and in Circe she tackles the age-old conundrum of the gods' preoccupation with mortals. Focusing in on the lesser goddess Circe, Miller paints an epic portrait of a sorceress who tries to understand humankind. Written in engaging and approachable prose, readers aren't required to be fans of mythology to enjoy the book. Nevertheless, the story... (read more)
Recommended by Alex Y.
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Harriet Jacobs
[isbn]
A profoundly harrowing account, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girlby Harriet Jacobs, is too often overlooked in the canon of American classics. Published 16 years after the narrative of Frederick Douglass, Harriet Jacobs presented the particular horrors of female slavery to a majority white male audience for the first time. A vital piece of history, Harriet Jacobs's autobiography deserves to be read and examined by modern audiences.
Recommended by Alex Y.
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Julien Perry, Kyle MacLachlan
[isbn]
We are six months into our new COVID-19 society, and I’m tired of my own home cooking. I want a night out, but I want it at home. Recent cookbook release Washington Wine and Food comes to the rescue. Recipes from local chefs are paired with wine suggestions from Washington vintners. The intro is from winemaker and actor Kyle MacLachlan. The recipes are elevated just enough that the meals are easily made at home, yet feel restaurant... (read more)
Recommended by Tracey T.
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Amy Hempel
[isbn]
In Sing to It, stories told in just a handful of spare paragraphs glint like small precious stones, while others fill page after page with uncommonly brilliant prose, throwing the lid back on the treasure chest. This remarkable collection — Hempel's first in over a decade — was every bit worth the wait.
Recommended by Tove H.
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Bryan Stevenson
[isbn]
“Why do we want to kill all the broken people? What is wrong with us, that we think a thing like that can be right?” If you feel called to learn about criminal justice, but don’t necessarily have a firm understanding of how the legal system operates, Just Mercy is exactly the book to read. Not only is it totally accessible, but the stance from which Bryan Stevenson writes is so utterly compassionate that, as he sheds light on example... (read more)
Recommended by Aubrey W.
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Patti Smith
[isbn]
I'm not the type to underline passages, but this book tested my resolve. A poetic, ruminative dream of a book, Year of the Monkey chronicles a difficult year in a mesmerizing and unpredictable way. Everything Smith writes feels like a gift, and this is no exception.
Recommended by Tove H.
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Neil Gaiman
[isbn]
Appreciated as one of the greatest graphic novel series of all time, The Sandman is Neil Gaiman's first foray into the medium. Working with a wide array of characters, Gaiman breathes new life into biblical figures, American superheroes, Greek and Norse gods, Roman politicos, and so much more. This vast and layered series follows the seemingly innocuous Sandman and asserts his place in mythology, delighting readers for over two decades.
Recommended by Alex Y.
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Akira Himekawa
[isbn]
Zelda enthusiasts will be thrilled to know they can relive the adventure through a beautifully illustrated manga, now with both parts complete in one volume. Ocarina of Time is one of the best installments of the Zelda series, and with this translation to text, none of the Hyrulian magic is left behind. Perfect for die-hard Zelda fans, or the fantasy manga lover in your life.
Recommended by Alex Y.
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Vanessa Veselka
[isbn]
The Great Offshore Grounds is the great American novel turned on its head. I was lost in the pleasure of the language, the characters, and their real but transformative journeys. This book is why I read.
Recommended by Doug C.
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Greg Rucka
[isbn]
Rucka is the cocreator and writer of a long list of great comics, graphic novels, and thrillers. He brought us the series Stumptown, set in a very real and current Portland, and the new Netflix hit, The Old Guard. This is my superhero pick of the season, but there's not much of the costumed kind here.
Recommended by Doug C.
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Alyssa Cole
[isbn]
The publisher describes this as Rear Window meets Get Out. The heartbreak of your lifelong neighborhood being lost to gentrification turns to fear, paranoia, and wonder. What is happening to all those people who moved out of the neighborhood? I can't wait to find out.
Recommended by Doug C.
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Flea
[isbn]
Acid For the Children is a megadose of wild and crazy!
Literary, intelligent, funny and sad. Flea's writing is eloquent, at times profound.
If you are locked down, life on hold, try this awesome memoir of Flea's.
I loved this book!
Recommended by Adrienne C.
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Helen MacDonald
[isbn]
Helen MacDonald returns with an essay collection centered on our relationship to the world around us. Whether she’s discussing migration patterns, mushroom hunting, or returning to her childhood stomping grounds, MacDonald paints an eloquent and illuminating portrayal of the natural world.
Recommended by Mary Jo S.
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Raven Leilani
[isbn]
A dark, literary, funny, impossible-to-put-down book, Luster is centered on 23-year-old Edie. The novel covers a period of her life intersecting with a much older lover, his wife, and their adopted teenage daughter. In phenomenal prose (Edie's descriptions and observations about the world are impeccable), Raven Leilani has captured complex, intimate ways that people help and hurt each other, the drudgery of modern workplaces and the gig... (read more)
Recommended by Michelle C.
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Isabel Wilkerson
[isbn]
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson pulls back the American myth of meritocracy and reveals a rigidly hierarchical caste system with roots that date back to Jamestown. A masterly examination of the deeply rooted systems of power encoded in every facet of American life, and a thought-provoking exploration of the parallels between the American caste system and those of India and Nazi Germany. Caste is necessary reading for... (read more)
Recommended by Emily B.
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Emma Donoghue
[isbn]
Emma Donoghue's luminous story of three days in an Irish maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu is a tale of death and life, of history, of feminism, of determination, of all kinds of love, painted in gorgeous prose that at times made me stop to copy down passages — not just because of their beauty but because of the heart-in-the-throat feeling of being reminded that, in the midst of such brutal reality, can be stunning moments of joy.
Recommended by Gigi L.
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Jennifer De Leon and Elena Garnu
[isbn]
Lili doesn’t know where her father is, and she’s been unexpectedly accepted to a prestigious school, mostly white and upper-class. As she’s adjusting to her new school, she finds out that her parents are undocumented immigrants and that her father has been deported. Debut author De Leon skillfully navigates issues of racial identity, immigration, and social justice.
Recommended by Mary Jo S.
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Jo Nesbo
[isbn]
Here is a standalone thriller from the master of Scandinavian dark mysteries. I'll make sure to read this with the lights on. Sure glad I don't live in Norway!
Recommended by Doug C.
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John Banville
[isbn]
This traditional mystery threatens to become much more. It's the 1950s in Ireland, and the Catholic Church stands against any truth the police might uncover in the untimely murder of a priest.
Recommended by Doug C.
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Nnedi Okorafor
[isbn]
Nnamdi tries to find out who killed his father, the former chief of police. A gift from his father’s ghost imbues him with superpowers which Nnamdi uses to enact vigilante justice, rooting out corruption in his village. Set in southeastern Nigeria, and full of vibrant and colorful characters, Ikenga is a delightful read.
Recommended by Mary Jo S.
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Joy Harjo and Leanne Howe and Jennifer Foerster
[isbn]
Spanning centuries and containing poems from more than 90 tribal nations, this anthology is divided into five geographic regions, each introduced with an essay. United States Poet Laureate Joy Harjo has compiled a rich and varied tapestry for readers to enjoy for years to come.
Recommended by Mary Jo S.
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Betsy Bonner
[isbn]
While attending a bookseller conference inn January (a lifetime ago), I started The Book of Atlantis Black on the plane, and absolutely could not rest until I finished it a couple of days later. The more I talked to other booksellers, the more I heard the same story — once begun, no one could resist its pull. The Book of Atlantis Black is the fascinating, tragic, and utterly compelling narrative of Betsy Bonner's search for what... (read more)
Recommended by Jill O.
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Benjamin Dreyer
[isbn]
An English grammar that you can’t stop reading: I, too, thought that an oxymoron until I picked up Dreyer’s English. Enchanting and nerdy, esteemed copy editor Dreyer’s interest in the nitty-gritty of language is buffeted with enough wit and history that even semi-colons shimmer with glamour. An indispensable resource, Dreyer’s English reminds us that words (and punctuation, and spelling) matter, and that wielding them well is... (read more)
Recommended by Rhianna W.
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Margaret Wilkerson Sexton
[isbn]
This riveting, tautly written novel tells the parallel stories of Josephine, who escapes slavery to become a successful farmer, and her fifth-generation descendant, Ava, both of whom find themselves in the clutches of dangerous white women. The Revisioners illustrates how alive the connections between our past and our present remain, while delivering an intriguing cast of characters and suspenseful plot that make this book difficult to... (read more)
Recommended by Matt K.
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Hope Larson
[isbn]
Larson’s new graphic novel about rocking out and navigating middle school relationships is heartfelt and fun. Perfect for any kid trying to figure out how to get through middle school without sacrificing what makes them special or brings them joy.
Recommended by Lucinda G.
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S Jae Jones
[isbn]
A darkly fantastical mix of Goblin King mythology, romance, family drama, and baroque music. Wintersong is all things lush and gorgeous and breathtaking. This book filled the place in my heart left by Labyrinth.
Recommended by Joanna S.
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