New Staff Picks
For fans of Tove Ditlevsen's Copenhagen Trilogy, Özlü's book is an intense yet sparsely written coming-of-age novel following a young girl become a young woman through psych wards, shock treatments, and explorative sexual encounters. At once salacious and deeply, honestly felt, Cold Nights of Childhood forces its reader to look at the world as it does: dark, difficult, and sensual.
— Kyle
Girls are the entire world in Kurland’s photos. They are cowboys and runaways, they are dancing along highways and burning bonfires in the woods. Her photos capture that essence of being so girl, so young and full of angst and wonder. The world is theirs for the taking, and they’re going to grab it by the horns. Sometimes literally.
— Quinn
NYC, a black hole of depravity where even Kathy Acker catches strays. Gossipy and bitchy and oh so sad, but, like, smart (as the narrator Danny/Mark/etc. would say). The sex is good, the sex is gross, the sex is good and gross; and then I wondered: is this Gary Indiana’s Sex and the City?
— Patrick
There is no denying Althusser's place as one of the great post-war Marxist theorists, though the historical "conjunction" in which he wrote (May 1968) has long since passed. A devout philosopher of the class struggle, here Althusser develops his theory of how the "dominant class" in a given "social formation" (to use his vocabulary) maintains and reproduces systems of capitalist exploitation.
— Max
An investigation of the relationships between theory and conspiracy, the digital and the physical, the symbol and its meaning, and what’s said and what’s meant. Klein puts a mirror between supposed binaries, revealing that even the most opposite of things are often eerie doppelgängers of one another. A great gift for your friend who’s exhausted of the internet, but won’t stop talking about it.
— Theodora
This transhuman (in more ways than one) cyberpunk romp is a classic of 90s queer Taiwanese SF. Newly translated into English by Ari Larissa Heinrich, The Membranes somehow manages to cover AI, climate change, virtual reality, mommy issues, and the nature of selfhood while remaining as delicious and bite-sized as the peach on its cover. Plus, a mind-bending twist with an aftertaste that lingers...
— Richard
For Apollinaire, "the window opened like an orange"; for Reverdy, "the wall revealed its wound." And me? "The one who waits, blushes, not knowing where to stand."
— Patrick
Selin has come out of her shell and she’s ready to be the protagonist in her own Novel. However, she’s the same introspective, bright-eyed, thoughtful Selin we know and love, just a bit bolder.
— Maci
A stunning look at the cyclical nature of stories, Valente takes twentieth-century Russia, turns it on its head, and shakes it so that all of its violent and precious secrets come falling out into the light. Deathless pairs the irreverent whimsy of a Russian Alice in Wonderland-esque tale with the bleak reality of Soviet Russia, and the heady combination will leave readers reeling.
— Melanie
![In Bibi's Kitchen: The Recipes and Stories of Grandmothers from the Eight African Countries that Touch the Indian Ocean [A Cookbook] By Hawa Hassan, Julia Turshen (With) Cover Image](https://images.booksense.com/images/books/739/856/FC9781984856739.JPG)
A beautifully illustrated cookbook that explores food from the nations that touch the Indian Ocean - this is a region characterized by rich cultural hybridity and a long and storied spice trade. This unique history is reflected in the poignant storytelling in this cookbook.
— Stephanie
GOOD SOUP IS GOOD. Finally - an affordable, colorful and delightful cookbook featuring 52 doable recipes from Spanish gazpacho to Moroccan harissa to Malaysian laksa. A happy ode to our favorite comfort food in all its manifestations.
— Cheryl
Treat yourself to the book around which Thomas Pynchon and Richard Fariña, as undergrads at Cornell, tried to start a "micro-cult." You don't have to be a fan of westerns or even historical fiction to appreciate this epic retelling of the Gunfight at the Okay Corral. Hall's characters and dialogue are second to none - this one is truly an all-timer.
— Nick
This is such an exciting book! As an asexual white person, I was both able to find myself in its pages and see the ways that experiences of race intersect with this queer identity. I recommend it to anyone who wants to better understand asexuality, and all queer white people looking to be better allies to the Black people in our community.
— Kari
A heartbreaking book about the toll that a young woman’s mental health takes and all the stress and loneliness that comes with it. Full of vulnerable moments as it relates to depression, needing someone who really listens, and earnestly wishing to be happy in life especially when dealing with the aftermath of traumatic experiences.
— pedro
A satirical romantic comedy that takes a sharp nosedive into a vicious horror novel in its final act. This gory psychothriller is condensed and gripping, capable of creeping under your skin if you let it.
— Daniel