Book Club Picks

The daughter of a Chilean father and a Filipina mother, Cecilia Rodriguez Aragon grew up as a shy, timid child in a small midwestern town during the 1960s. Targeted by school bullies and dismissed by many of her teachers, she worried that people would find out the truth: that she was INTF. Incompetent. Nerd. Terrified. Failure. This feeling...

"This is the first audiobook narrated by Hynden Walch, who is famous for her voice acting. Her expertise with voicing all different types of characters is a perfect match for this production and keeps listeners engaged." -- Booklist

Buckle up your seatbelt for Victories Greater Than Death, a thrilling YA sci-fi adventure set against an...

A Master of Djinn

“Fatma el-Sha’arawi is one of the most talented agents in Ciaro’s Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. Though it is 1912, she has worked her way up the male-dominated agency with a combination of raw magical talent, wit, and force of will. When a room of men burnt to a crisp with no sign of fire shows up, Fatma is put on the case. As she digs deeper and deeper, she is thrown into a world of old religion, angels, djinn, and a mysterious masked figure claiming to be an ancient mystic. This is an excellent steampunk who-done-it. I was fully onboard through all the twists and turns this story took. A Master of Djinn is an excellent book for this summer.”

Izzy, Off the Beaten Path

"Extraordinary . . . This inspirational autobiography stands among the finest scientist memoirs."
—New York Times Book Review, Editors' Choice

Meave Leakey’s thrilling, high-stakes memoir—written with her daughter Samira—encapsulates her distinguished life and career on the front lines of the hunt for our human origins, a quest made all the more... Read more »

If you enjoyed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, then you’ll love Persephone Station.

“A little bit A Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, a little bit The Mandalorian, a little bit Rat Queens, Persephone Station is a rollicking, heartfelt, adventure (in space!). Interplanetary corporation and its recent leader (who may have obtained the position through less-than-legal means) trying to colonize “backwater” and "abandoned" land. Our morally-grey cast of characters won’t let that stand. The pay doesn’t hurt either. The not-quite-blackmail hurts a little though. The story follows three fascinating characters: Rosie, owner of Monk’s bar with dark secrets behind their tourist-slash-criminal bar; Angel formerly of the Corpse Corps who leads a rag-tag group of criminals and assassins; and one-of-a-kind Kennedy, who despite outward appearances, is not human at all. Persephone Station shines with colorful world-building just brimming with enchanting details. The danger might be intense, but you’ll still want a front seat to the show.”

Cassie, Wellesley Books

The Echo Wife

“Just wow! I am so delighted that there are writers like Sarah Gailey producing science fiction of this caliber. Their latest novel, The Echo Wife, kept me riveted from beginning to end with elegant prose and a compelling, vulnerable protagonist who narrates the story in a wonderfully intimate first-person point of view. This is a refreshing, fast-paced thriller that gives center stage to questions of our humanity without asking them from a male-only perspective.”

Christine Havens, BookPeople

National Book Award Finalist

Stonewall Book Award Winner

"[A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut...Pet is a nesting doll of creative possibilities." (The New York Times)

The award-winning, genre-defying novel by the New York Times best-selling author of The Death of Vivek Oji that explores themes of identity and justice and asks: How do you share the... Read more »

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS’ CHOICE • An outsider who can travel between worlds discovers a secret that threatens the very fabric of the multiverse in this stunning debut, a powerful examination of identity, privilege, and belonging.

WINNER OF THE COMPTON CROOK AWARD • FINALIST FOR THE LOCUS AWARD • “Gorgeous writing,... Read more »

This program is read by the author

When it comes to Mars, the focus is often on how to get there: the rockets, the engines, the fuel. But upon arrival, what will it actually be like?

In 2013, Kate Greene moved to Mars. That is, along with five fellow crew members, she embarked on NASA’s first HI-SEAS mission, a simulated Martian environment...

In an epic political fantasy unlike any other, two women clash in a world full of rebellion, espionage, and military might on the far outreaches of a crumbling desert empire.
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Touraine is a soldier. Stolen as a child and raised to kill and die for the empire, her only loyalty is to her fellow conscripts. But now, her company has been sent back to... Read more »

In the first book in a brilliant new fantasy series, books that aren't finished by their authors reside in the Library of the Unwritten in Hell, and it is up to the Librarian to track down any restless characters who emerge from those unfinished stories.

Many years ago, Claire was named Head Librarian of the Unwritten Wing-- a neutral space in... Read more »

The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires

“I don’t know about everyone else, but I, for one, am really excited that vampires are making a comeback. I think they’re such a fun trope in pretty much every genre, and this was no exception. True to the Grady Hendrix style, this book was the perfect campy, slightly off-kilter, and moderately gory suburban horror story I didn’t know I needed.”

Kendall, Brilliant Books Audio

Hollow Kingdom

“You wouldn't think a foul-mouthed, wise-cracking crow named S. T. (short for Shit Turd) would be a great companion at the end of the world, but honestly? I couldn't imagine another living being to spend the apocalypse with. Buxton amazingly captures the natural world as the humans have devolved into zombie-like creatures, and given us the narrator we deserve. On top of that, Robert Petkoff is the absolute perfect reader to take us on this journey. Side-splittingly hilarious as well as a thoughtful warning against technology, this unique book is one readers (or listeners!) won't be able to put down. ”

Melissa, Watermark Books

Black Sun

“Black Sun is a fresh take on fantasy that includes rich world building and complex, nuanced character-driven storytelling.”

Jenny, Page 158 Books

Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel
A Locus, and Nebula Award nominee for 2019
A Best Book of 2019: Library Journal, Polygon, Den of Geek
An NPR Favorite Book of 2019
A Guardian Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2019 and “Not the Booker Prize” Nominee
A Goodreads Biggest SFF Book of 2019 and Goodreads Choice Awards Nominee

"A Memory...

Upright Women Wanted

“This book isn't the deepest thing I've ever read (or listened to!) but it was a lot of fun. And fun is plenty sometimes. Never minding my physical resemblance to every villain in the story, I still ended this short little book wanting to ride off into a dusty sunset with the Librarians. It's not often I feel like that.”

Chris, Fact & Fiction

If you enjoyed The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, then you’ll love The House in the Cerulean Sea.

“Go ahead and kick me right in the feels why don’t you? Heartwarming, uproarious, uplifting. I loved every minute, and I completely and utterly fell in love with every single one of the kids. I'm torn between desperately wanting a sequel, and hoping nothing more is ever written because of how perfect this gem is. This is the book that swoops in right when you need it and says you're perfect just as you are. This is the book that shows us family, and hope, and fighting for what's right. Did I mention I loved it?”

Britt, Second Star to the Right

Across the Green Grass Fields

“If you’ve ever wondered if an adult book could be written to be accessible to not just young adult but middle grade readers, too, wonder no longer: The book of your dreams is here. Across the Green Grass Fields is a wonderful coming-of-age story that has all the mandatory trappings: bullying, parental oversight, unicorns, evil queens, and an intersex main character. It’s like Tanith Lee rewriting Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. This standalone novella is a wonderful entrance to the Hooflands, and I can’t wait to double back and read more.”

Lizy Coale, Copperfish Books