River Bend Staff Favorites

"Narrators Fiona Hardingham and Steve West lend their exceptional vocal skills to this fantasy novel...Both narrators deliver commanding performances steeped in drama and suspense, drawing out every ounce of emotion and intrigue: — AudioFile Magazine, Earphones Award winner

Set in a richly detailed world inspired by ancient Arabia, Hafsah...

The Gilded Wolves

“This is one of the coolest YA fantasy books I have ever read. The characters are imperfectly perfect, the magic system is incredible and the story is one that will keep you on your toes until the very end. I had so much fun reading this and I cannot wait for book two!”

Colleen, An Unlikely Story

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

“Epic, beautifully written, heartwarming, and heartbreaking, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a contemplation on life, death, what it means to make your mark on the world, and why we feel it’s important to do so. Addie makes a deal with a demon so she can live her life the way she wants to. But, like most deals, there are strings attached — and these strings make it so she is forgotten by everyone she meets. Dancing about time, the book shows Addie’s life over 300 years and takes a closer look at her modern life — after a boy in a bookshop remembers her. Months later, I’m still thinking about this book and how beautiful it is; my words don’t even come close to doing it justice. Read this book.”

Lindsey Pattavina, R.J. Julia Booksellers

One Last Stop

“Dreamy otherworldy time loop trouble. Check. Swoony, sexy, queer love story. Check. Charming, Mysterious impossible characters. Check. Awesome displays of found family. Check. What more could you want? Honest, dazzling and downright amusing, from the author of the breakout hit Red, White & Royal Blue.”

Zinna, A Great Good Place for Books

The Sign for Home

“Unforgettable and completely unique! Fell illuminates DeafBlind life in Arlo Dilly, who will steal your heart as he journeys to experience life and independence, and to break free of those who have been holding him back. A must read!”

Maxwell Gregory, Madison Street Books

Sixth-grader Rory’s story of his impossible-to-hide speech challenge and middle-school drama is perfect for fans of Sharon Draper’s Out of My Mind.

Rory still can’t say his r’s, but that’s just the beginning of his troubles. First Rory’s ex-best-friend Brent started hanging out with the mean lacrosse kids. But then, a terrible accident takes... Read more »

A new stand-alone adventure--appropriate for all ages--by Lemony Snicket, one of the twenty-first century's most beloved authors.

For more than twenty years, Lemony Snicket has led millions of young readers through a mysterious world of bewildering questions and unfortunate events. With this latest book--a love letter to readers young and old... Read more »

If you enjoyed Minor Feelings, then you’ll love Crying in H Mart.

“This memoir is an unflinchingly honest portrayal of grief as well as a tender look at the complex relationship between a mother and daughter bridging generational and cultural gaps through the comforting creation of food. This book had me simultaneously sobbing and starving. A perfect read.”

LeeAnna, Blue Cypress Books

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK

“A con artist story, a pop-feminist caper, a fashionable romp . . . Counterfeit is an entertaining, luxurious read—but beneath its glitz and flash, it is also a shrewd deconstruction of the American dream and the myth of the model minority. . . . Chen is up to something innovative and...

Sea of Tranquility

“Incredibly crafted mystery through time & space that attempts to answer if we exist in a simulation, or the reality that we have always accepted.”

James, Bookstore1Sarasota

This Time Tomorrow

“Time travel and 1990s teen angst and awkwardness with Emma Straub at the helm? Sign me up! This is the perfect blend of heartbreak and heartfelt laughter that we could all use a dose of right now.”

Javier Ramirez, Exile in Bookville

A “captivating portrait” (The Wall Street Journal), both “poignant and intriguing” (The New Republic): from award-winning author Paulina Bren comes the remarkable history of New York’s most famous residential hotel and the women who stayed there, including Grace Kelly, Sylvia Plath, and Joan Didion.

Welcome to New York’s legendary hotel for... Read more »

If you enjoyed The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, then you’ll love Remarkably Bright Creatures.

“Absolutely delightful story that is read by the perfect narrators! This is a feel good story that will have you laughing and crying. Michael Urie perfectly captures the curmudgeonly octopus's voice.”

Kristine, Buttonwood Books and Toys

The Final Girl Support Group

“What if gruesome murders like that of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Scream, or The Texas Chain Saw Massacre actually took place? What then happens afterward to the girls who survive the ridiculous combination of crazy guy, improvised weapon, and spooky setting? Nearly 2 decades after their respective brushes with death, these “final girls” still meet in an unamusing church basement in hopes of moving on. But when one of their own ends up dead, it’s possible their pasts have finally come for them. The Final Girl Support Group is a frenzied ride through horror movie tropes come to life. Fans of ‘80s and ‘90s slasher films will get a kick out of this satire mixed with realistic characters and topped off with ample servings of crazy. Grady Hendrix has outdone himself with this novel that runs both hard and fast, as well as realistic and over the top. An entertaining commentary on the slasher genre, through and through.”

Nicholas, Mysterious Galaxy Books

If you enjoyed Save Me the Plums, then you’ll love Taste.

“Stanley Tucci tells his life's story through food, complete with recipes. Taste is a book of love, of family and friends, and of how food connects us all. Tucci is an endearing narrator, heartwarming and sincere, filled with gratitude, funny and self-deprecating...I listened to Taste on audio @librofm and arrived at work each day drooling. When it was over, I purchased a hardcover to sit on my kitchen shelf filled with cookbooks.”

Julie, Honest Dog Books

'Beautiful World, Where Are You is Rooney's best novel.' THE TIMES

The *new* novel from the internationally bestselling author of Normal People.

Alice, a novelist, meets Felix, who works in a warehouse, and asks him if he'd like to travel to Rome with her. In Dublin, her best friend Eileen is getting over a break-up and slips back into flirting...

The Forest of Vanishing Stars

“A little girl is kidnapped from her parents and raised in the wilderness. As a young woman, she uses her skills to help Jewish refugees survive in the forests of Poland. From the first page, I didn't want to put the book down.”

Jill Gregory, A Likely Story

Bewilderment

“An homage to the heartbreaking Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, this intimate story of a grieving father and his troubled son is an intelligent and touching story of tragedy and hope.”

Genevieve, A Great Good Place for Books

For readers of Helen Macdonald and Elizabeth Alexander, an intimate and haunting portrait of grief and the search for meaning from a singular new talent as told through the prism of three generations of her Chinese American family.

Kat Chow has always been unusually fixated on death. She worried constantly about her parents dying---especially her... Read more »

A riotous collection of "witty and captivating" essays by a gay Filipino immigrant in America who is learning that everything is about sex (Bitch Magazine) -- and sex is about power.
When Matt Ortile moved from Manila to Las Vegas, the locals couldn't pronounce his name. Harassed as a kid for his brown skin, accent, and femininity, he believed he... Read more »