"Dave Eggers introduces us to Mokhtar Alkhanshani-- underdog and protagonist of this tale of the American Dream. Mokhtar (Yemeni-American raised in San Francisco) travels to Yemen to discover his people's history through the country's coffee farmers. All seems well until war erupts and Mokhtar must make a harrowing escape." - Bryan S.
"If you've ever worked in the service industry, this book is a must-read. I have never seen anything so honestly written about being young, adrift, and the characters you meet at that time. You will follow Tess in her education in life, love, food, drugs, and high-end wines. Beautifully written, this book will leave a bittersweet taste with you in the end." - Bug
"One of my favorites by Smith (Though I haven't read them all). Swing Time is a timeless story of best friends and the real life divisions that can make or break a friendship." - Charley
The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America (Paperback)
"In the span of just a few months, Didion lost both her daughter and her husband, entering into her 'magical year of thinking'. A perfect pandemic (or post-pandemic) read that guides the reader through grief, loss, love, and the power of surviving it all." - Collyn
"Home Fire moves at a breakneck pace, largely due to Shamsie cleverly using different character perspectives to propel each section of the book to the next. Exploring love, religion, violence, and family-- I couldn't put it down!" - Consuelo
"I don't say this lightly: Ted Chiang is a classic among us, one of the only living authors whose work can stand side by side with the great literature of past centuries. Winner of 4 Hugo and 4 Nebula Awards with only two books to his name, Chiang is a meticulous craftsman, often spending months honing each of his works, each of which is a brilliant, cerebral, soulful gem, a transcendent marriage of thought and feeling." - Elijah B.
"Summer, 1984. Three kids go in the woods. Only one comes out. Twenty years later the lone survivor, Detective Rob Ryan, finds himself working a case disturbingly similar to his own... Welcome to Tana French's Dublin Murder Squad series-- you WILL get sucked into this all-consuming, addictive world of buried secrets and stunning language, where the detectives are as big a part of the puzzle as the killers." - Eugenia
"There are lots of funny grammar books, but how many of them have the gall to correct Shakespeare in their title?" - Gina
"Imagine The Grand Budapest Hotel as a novel, except it spotlights the hotel tenants. Filled with colorful characters of all types, from dashing lovers to dastardly crooks to forlorn ballerinas and bitter rivals, this is a great bag of possibilities. Vicki Baum's classic novel is not only a snapshot of its time but a gleeful comedy of manners." - Gregoire
"Lovecraft is synonymous with horror. So much so that one can find Cthulhu's tiny tentacles slithering into modern works such as The Thing, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Evil Dead, and many, many others. Horror fans, writers, and critics all owe it to themselves to read those influential stories of madness, terror, and the bizarre." - Jack
"My COVID addiction over this past year has been STAR WARS. The animated series Rebels and (like everyone else in the world) The Mandalorian in particular captured my attention. Grand Admiral Thrawn was the main villain in Rebels and is assumed to be the main villain in the upcoming Ahsoka series on Disney Plus. This is his story." - Joe
"Téa Obreht's debut novel embraces the idea that the truth is often not what we assume and that though we may pass on, we remain on this earth through the stories we've lived and told. A blend of myth and reality, this book will keep you enthralled until the end." - Lilli
"Sunlight. Out the other end. The river quieting to black water, the rock folding back to hills, woods unburned. I can see duck smattering the pools. Herons out of the reeds, angular, spreading those huge wings at the sound of the plane. Color of smoke.
What do you want? Hig. What?
I want to be the color of smoke." - Recommended by Lindsey
"Binged the Netflix series? See where it all began! Sharp, witty, and dark. Riveting from the first page to the last. No chess experience required." - Madeline
"History is complicated and messy. Traditionally framed by 'the winners', it can be hard to acknowledge when what we have learn contradicts accounts from those who suffered. Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz doesn't pull any punches about the brutal realities of Manifest Destiny, but in order to grow as a nation, we must own up to our past." - Mattie B.
"A post-Arthurian fragile Britain, a mythical quest, and musings on memory and love." - Maya
"When the deadly bubonic plague infects a small English village in the 17th century, they choose to isolate themselves to try to contain it and save lives outside their community. Based on a true story about the ORIGINAL SOCIAL DISTANCERS!" - Merrilee
"This is a great place to begin your adventure in the World of MARADAINE. Satrine Rainey (former street-rat, ex-spy, and mother of two) is partnered with Inspector Welling (an Uncircled mage) to solve the ritual murder of mages around the city. Great world building! Great adventure!" - Michael Stuart
"Have you ever wondered, 'What if John Hughes made The Exorcist?' My Best Friend's Exorcism is an equal parts fun and terrifying romp through teenage friendship and the satanic bumps along the way. Join Abby as she races to save her BFF from the forces of Hell! If you're a fan of Stephen King, Supernatural, and Sixteen Candles, then this is the book for you!" - MK
"Maybe you've heard that Blood Meridian is messed up? Child's play compared to this one." - Molly
"This novel (written as an oral history) makes this 1970s rock band feel so real that you'll want to look up all their songs. How did these legends come together, and why did they break up at the height of their fame? You'll be glued to the page to find out..." - Olivia
"'The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena... who spends himself in a worthy cause.' - Theodore Roosevelt, 1910.
Vulnerability. Shame. Joy. Brave. Perfectionism. Being present. Courage. Understanding. Wholehearted. It's transformational." - Rachel
"I've got a fever, and the only prescription is
more cowbell.letting out a full body CACKLE while reading this on my roommate's floor during the Great Texas Ice Storm, and trying to read excerpts to her but laughing too hard to get any words out." - Scout
"Utterly fascinating and essential reading for radicals, young and old." - Mr. Schusterbauer
"I love a good sci-fi novel and this book delivers! Jason Dessen leads a humble happy life, that is until someone decides to take it all away, throwing him into a frightening adventure through parallel worlds. He must fight the known, the unknown, and the unknwon known. Very cool!" - Staci
"An unheralded classic by Japan's most beloved author. This one is dusted with just the right amount of *magic* to have you guessing throughout this slim but seductive noir-like mystery about unrequited love." - Uriel
"A book that's so entertaining you'll want to swallow it whole, this memoir tails about sex, marriage, work, writing, and resilience. It invites us to Mongolia, strip clubs in Queens, and airy, elite garden parties in California. After staying home for a year, this book lets us take a bite of a deliciously well lived life, and leaves us hungry for more. For fans of WILD by Cheryl Strayed." - Vivie
"Tens of millions of tons of cells originating from Henrietta Locks, a poor Black farmer, have been grown in laboratories across the globe. Those unique cervical cancer cells were harvested without her knowledge or permission, and have subsequently been used to make some of the most important scientific advances of the century. A must read for anyone interested in medical ethics." - Zach