McNally Jackson's Bestselling Fiction Staff Picks
A gentle, beautifully paced novel about a cafe that offers its guests the opportunity to time travel, given that they follow a certain set of rules. What inspires someone to want to time travel? Often it's because we regret something that happened in the past, we wish we could just go back and say the right thing, do the right thing, just change the present outcome somehow... Although the characters coming to this cafe often find themselves in such circumstances, this book is one of the most hopeful things I've ever read. It's sure to warm your heart and keep you engaged, but just remember to take a break every once in a while, before your own coffee ends up getting cold...
— Kestin
When a crush doesn't text back, some of us post way too much on Instagram, or craft strongly worded vague tweets. In Annie Ernaux's case, she wrote an entire book about it. Ernaux's prose is angry, sharp enough to cut glass, yet at the center of this novel is a soft, lonely person who just wants to be loved. Ernaux is one of my favorite writers, and this is an excellent place to start for those just now discovering the absolute gift that is her work.
— Peter
Trying to graduate through high school is tough. Trying to make it to graduation when your high school is actively trying to kill you is even harder. Throw in a prophecy that basically says you’re going to bring about the death of untold millions and a golden boy who irritatingly won’t stop saving your life, and you’ve got A Deadly Education by Naomi Novik. Perfect for fans of Harry Potter… if Harry Potter were rated PG-13 and told from the perspective of Draco Malfoy.
— Melanie