Carmel's Picks

A searing memoir of reckoning and healing by acclaimed journalist Stephanie Foo, investigating the little-understood science behind complex PTSD and how it has shaped her life

“Achingly exquisite . . . providing real hope for those who long to heal.”—Lori Gottlieb, New York Times bestselling author of Maybe You Should Talk to Someone

ONE OF THE... Read more »

How to Be Perfect

“This is the kind of book that has you taking notes and trying to find ways to recall all the concepts when you'll certainly need them in the future. Invitingly straightforward and charmingly relatable, Schur navigates big ethics questions and players. He delivers hilarious conversational sidebars about how to pronounce words that had me in stitches. A wonderful 'how to lead a moral life 101' guide, he answers questions with insightful humor, wit and delightful engagement that prompts judgment-free introspection. For anyone interested in philosophy and contemplating how they fit in the world while connecting to other folks.”

Keithe, The Snail on the Wall

Satellite Love

“Two unreliable narrators, and an incredible exploration of mental illness and the struggles of so many people. Written from multiple points of view, the reader still won't know quite what happened, which is the best way to end this book- left wondering what parts were real.”

Laura, Red Hen Bookshop

Hench

“Super witty, super charged, and super villainous! Anna is a normal temp hench, working for ho-hum villains to make rent. But when she finally steps out from behind her desk, she's severely injured by a superhero. The pain and unpaid time off leads her to start running the numbers on the damage to humans and material objects caused by the so-called good guys. Burning with revenge and hatred, Anna soon captures the attention of the online world and a true villain- Leviathan. Soon Anna is using her gifts with numbers and burning passion to ruin superheroes to use, but when the chance to get more than even against the hero who hurt her appears, it might just be her own fall she's engineering. Absolutely recommending this book, especially on audio. It's narrated by Alex McKenna, who brings the large cast to life. McKenna captures Anna's snark, Leviathan's otherness, and Supercollider's pompous entitlement perfectly! ”

Kate, Fountain Bookstore

Convenience Store Woman

“Keiko loves rules. Having worked a part-time job in a Japanese convenience store for 18 years, she loves having a corporate script to recite, sales goals to reach, and a list of tasks to complete. What she doesn't love - or even understand - are the more complicated rules of society at large. She doesn't want a husband, or children, or a real job. What she does want is a satisfactory answer to the endless personal questions that will allow her to be left alone. Convenience Store Woman is a quirky and hilarious look at society and its misfits, and what happens when we try to bend ourselves to the needs of others.”

Rachel, The Book Table

From the award-winning, bestselling author of The Circle comes an exciting new follow-up. When the world’s largest search engine/social media company, the Circle, merges with the planet’s dominant ecommerce site, it creates the richest and most dangerous—and, oddly enough, most beloved—monopoly ever known: the Every.

Delaney Wells is an unlikely... Read more »

"[Oprah Winfrey and Bruce D. Perry] are both capable, likable narrators who are sincerely engaged with their subject matter...The performances of these two humanitarians make this a must-hear for anyone recovering from their traumatic past." -- AudioFile Magazine

This program is read by the authors.

Our earliest experiences shape our lives far...

Man’s Search for Meaning is the chilling yet inspirational story of Viktor Frankl’s struggle to hold on to hope during the unspeakable horrors of his years as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on...

If you enjoyed Looking for Alaska, then you’ll love The Anthropocene Reviewed.

“Witty and moving essays about everything from air conditioning to Canada geese, Green artfully distills much of the human condition and what it means to be alive. Each essay's subject ends with his rating out of five stars -- I give this book five stars.”

Violet, Second Star to the Right

This #1 internationally bestselling and award-winning memoir about overcoming trauma, prejudice, and addiction by a Métis-Cree author as he struggles to find a way back to himself and his Indigenous culture is “an illuminating, inside account of homelessness, a study of survival and freedom” (Amanda Lindhout, bestselling coauthor of A House in... Read more »

Circe

“This remarkable journey into mythology brings the ancient gods directly and viscerally into the present. Circe is a perfect mashup of elegant language, glorious storytelling, and exquisitely modern sensibilities. Miller's telling left me awed and moved by Circe and her story, all while wishing I could invite her over for a glass of wine on the porch. How this amazing author so perfectly melds the human and the divine, creating a story both immediate and epic, is dazzling.”

Beth Albrecht, The Magic Tree Bookstore

As a botanist and professor of plant ecology, Robin Wall Kimmerer has spent a career learning how to ask questions of nature using the tools of science. As a Potawatomi woman, she learned from elders, family, and history that the Potawatomi, as well as a majority of other cultures indigenous to this land, consider plants and animals to be our... Read more »