The Gutter Bookshop Picks

Where the Crawdads Sing

“Film adaptation currently in theaters! You can't go wrong with this beautifully written, well paced tale that is equal parts coming-of-age survival story and salacious murder mystery. And if that wasn't enough, there's loads of lush nature writing. Fun Fact: This was the most popular book of my 11-person book club in 2019. We haven't agreed on a book since.”

Zinna, A Great Good Place for Books

Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know—like the need for physical activity to get your brain working its best. How do we learn? What exactly do sleep and stress do to our brains? Why is multi-tasking a myth? Why is it so... Read more »

Sadie

“Engrossing, thrilling and original. The story alternates between a podcast format and Sadie’s voice. Sadie is a compelling protagonist - strong, determined and on a mission. Fantastic listen!”

Jennifer, East City Bookshop

An Anonymous Girl

“Fascinating turns abound in this story, which swirls around characters whose livelihoods are meant to hold them to the very highest of moral standards, including a psychologist conducting a study on morality who finds the perfect subject while she arranges for a duplicitous test of her husband’s fidelity. This book is unrelenting in its tension, but in the best way. I stayed up well past 3:00 a.m. sorting out the very last pages, with no regrets the next day. I highly recommend you keep your eye on Hendricks and Pekkanen, for any project these ladies engage upon will surely delight!”

Melissa Middleton, Joseph-Beth Booksellers

Children of Blood and Bone

“A sprawling fantasy teeming with deep and meaningful magic. One of the things I like most about this debut is that it raises very real and important issues of our time through multiple character's perspectives. No character is one-dimensional, and every character must learn from failure and introspection to become who they were meant to be.”

Kelly, Mysterious Galaxy Books

Maid

“Stephanie Land’s Maid is a must-read of the highest order, a memoir of a single mother struggling to survive while performing the household labor that many of us take for granted. While at once deeply personal — you’ll fall hard for Stephanie and her daughter, Mia — it is also essential social commentary about how we treat the myriad domestic laborers who toil in our homes, oftentimes unseen and unappreciated. Read it alongside Nickel and Dimed or Evicted for a stunning, unforgettable look at American poverty and determination.”

Emilie Sommer, East City Bookshop

Heavy

“"I wanted to write a lie," Kiese Laymon says in the opening pages of his brutal, beautiful memoir, Heavy. The book is written in the second person, addressed to his mother, with whom Laymon shares a turbulent, intimate relationship. She feeds his mind with books, but critiques the way Laymon feeds his body as he struggles with his weight. She is his best friend, yet demands excellence through regular beatings. And yet, Laymon's complicated love for his mother is absolute. It is palpable in his voice as he reads the words he wrote for his mother, as he tells you his story of being a black boy, a black man, in Mississippi and America. This is a book that will knock you flat on your back. This is a book that will make you sob in the grocery store. Laymon had me captivated from the very first word he spoke. It was a privilege to listen.”

Maggie, Square Books

An American Marriage

“Tayari Jones comes in fierce with An American Marriage. Delving into the lives of the newly married Roy and Celestial, this is a novel that pulls no punches from beginning to end. I won't ruin the surprise, but they're hit with a harrowing event that will define not only their relationship, but each of their lives, forever. Writing with an intensity and pace worthy of Donna Tartt, Jones yanks us into her characters' lives with a grip that never lets up. I cannot wait to put this in people's hands!”

Angela Spring, Duende District