Staff Picks

The Thursday Murder Club

“Richard Osman is a relative newcomer to the mystery scene. The Thursday Murder Club begins the adventures of a group of retirees who meet every Thursday to discuss unsolved crimes. Of course, they end up solving them. So far there are only three books in this series, so you can get in on the ground floor. I can't wait for the next installment.”

Bill, Quail Ridge Books

If you enjoyed Hello, Molly!, then you’ll love Ten Steps to Nanette.

“I loved Hannah Gadsby in Please Like Me and was blown away by her Netflix special, Nanette, so it’s no surprise that I appreciated her memoir, too. I learned not only more about her life but also about the history of homophobic laws and politics in Australia, as well as quite a bit about autism, trauma and ADHD, all of which Gadsby lives with. The combination of raw honesty and wit that she writes with is pretty much unparalleled and it's a treat that she narrates it herself. Highly recommended. In case you haven’t seen it, I think watching Nanette is pretty much a pre-requisite for reading this.”

Tracey, Turning the Tide Bookstore

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

“Very fun. For fans of Knives Out and classic murder mysteries. Stevenson is like a stage magician who tells you how the trick works and still makes it work. ”

Robin, Books & Books @ The Studios of Key West

If you enjoyed This Tender Land, then you’ll love The Lincoln Highway.

“THIS BOOK EXCEEDED ALL EXPECTATIONS! As a huge fan of A Gentleman in Moscow and Rules of Civility, The Lincoln Highway had a lot of pressure and holy cow did it surpass anything I could have hoped for. From the first page, I was immediately drawn into Towles' magical writing and superb characters. This felt like a modern classic, the new and updated version of Huckleberry Finn that I actually wanted to read in high school. You cannot beat the quirkiness of Towles' characters. You feel so deeply about every single one of them and it feels like they leap off the page with specificities with which they are written. Duchess and Woolly, the stowaways, felt like a modern day George and Lennie from Of Mice and Men with Woolly's gentle giant innocence and Duchess' take-the-lead wile. Emmett is the stoic, do-right midwesterner who always fixes the messes. And Billy is the smartest, sweetest kid who inspires those around him. You fall in love with them and are left with all the feels. A glorious five out of five stars for me, The Lincoln Highway will be my go-to recommendation this fall.”

Kimi, Buttonwood Books and Toys

If you enjoyed I'm Glad My Mom Died, then you’ll love Crying in H Mart.

“In Crying in H Mart Michelle Zauner goes into detail about her mothers cancer, the nights she spent next to her bed, the secrets she learned about her later on, the small yet wonderful moments she remembers with clarity, and of course the raw emotion that goes with losing a mother. I had gotten over halfway through when I fell asleep listening to it one night, accidentally “finishing” it. I ended up shelving it for later, listened to about 10 more audiobooks, before finally picking it up again. I ADORED IT. I love listening to audiobooks while cooking, and can promise a few tears slipped into my food. I normally watch or read something physically while eating, and found myself never wanting to turn it off. Michelle Zauner does a phenomenal job at reading her book, her voice rhythmic yet steady. ”

Makayla, Tattered Cover

EDGAR AWARD FINALIST • A private investigator revisits the case that has haunted her for decades and sets out on a deeply personal quest to sort truth from lies.
 
CLUE AWARD FINALIST • “[A] haunting memoir, which also unfolds as a gripping true-crime narrative . . . This is a powerful, unsettling story, told with bracing honesty and skill.”—The... Read more »

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST • NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • ONE OF TIME’S 100 MOST INFLUENTIAL PEOPLE • A ruthlessly honest, emotionally charged, and utterly original exploration of Asian American consciousness

“Brilliant . . . To read this book is to become more human.”—Claudia Rankine, author of Citizen

In... Read more »

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You

“The history of Black Americans from two people who get it. But this isn't just a history book: it's a recount of why America is the way that it is today, why we have people who think they way they do, and why we have a racist in the White House. Jason Reynolds melodic voice comes through in audio and on the pages. You are guaranteed to learn something new (no matter how learned or woke you are), and it's a good one.”

Lauren, M. Judson Booksellers

HIP-HOP (AND OTHER THINGS) is the third book in the (And Other Things) series. The first two—Basketball (And Other Things) and Movies (And Other Things)—were both #1 New York Times bestsellers. Read more »

A New York Times bestseller and National Book Award winner

Jacqueline Woodson, the acclaimed author of Another Brooklyn, tells the moving story of her childhood in mesmerizing verse. 
 
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African... Read more »

This Is Your Mind on Plants

“This book helps illustrate ways in which the proper uses of plants that are designed to help us, are not recognized properly in our society.”

James, Bookstore1Sarasota

I'm Glad My Mom Died

“Wonderful read that draws you in with its intensity. While a lot of the content is heavy, there's an unflinching honesty about this memoir that is resounding and deeply touching. Not for the faint of heart (TW: eating disorders, child abuse, religious trauma)”

Jayme, Second Flight Books

Devil House

“Playing with form, voice, and the reader's expectations of how a novel should operate; Devil House is a thrilling, bracing, and unmissable reading experience. Darnielle's latest novel begins straightforward enough - a true crime writer moves into a house where brutal murders took place to research his next project. With each passing chapter, the story morphs and expands; masterfully carried along by Darnielle's incredible writing and nuanced characters. Come for the satanic murder but stay for the fascinating exploration of what it means to the truth about the past.”

Caleb, Bookmarks

From a spectrum of talented authors, a collection of essays on food, and its entwinement with our emotions and our lives.

Of all the essentials for survival: oxygen, water, sleep, and food, only food is a vast treasure trove of memory and of sensory experience. Food is a portal to culture, to times past, to disgust, to comfort, to love: no matter... Read more »

README.txt

“I really didn't know anything about Chelsea Manning or her whistleblowing and activism. This book gives explicit insight into what was going on with her and why she made the decisions she did. It left me wondering more about her life after her incarceration ended.”

Ellen, Banter Bookshop