New Staff Picks
Forget your to-be-read pile and pick up this instant American classic from one of the most incisive, unique writers working today. I don't expect there to be a sequel, but I would devour one - James' narrative voice should go down as one of the most engaging in American literature, right alongside Huck's own. Like a catfish pilfered from a Mississippi trotline, you'll be hooked.
— Nick F.
This evocative collection of poetry from Adrienne Rich is a deep-dive, if you will, into the anger and complexities of the natural and political. With rage and passion in every line, Rich truly brings to light just what it means to survive in an unforgiving world.
— Katie M.
Someone called Tomoyuki Tomoyuki has been writing books in every language, and no one knows who he is or how he does it or what is next. A mind-bending linguistic thriller that excites, delights, and lays bare our very conceptions of things like "plot" and "characters"—EnJoe reads like the most feverish and wild of Nabokov, Calvino, or Eco, and I will henceforth jump down any hole he digs for me.
— Kyle W.
I love books about running. Am I a runner? No. Are you? You'll like this book. You're not? You'll like this book.
— Abby G.
Schwob made history his muse—in his hands, the past is made strange, wicked, sensual. Here, figures both familiar and forgotten are joined in a grand procession: grifters and magicians, kings and false prophets. Each one is imbued with a startling inner life, an emissary of their epoch.
— Enzo E.
The great graphic journalist, Joe Sacco, went to Bosnia during the Bosnian War, collecting stories, letting people talk. Sacco's style is always so detailed and beautifully cartoony. But the stories he reports are anything but...If you value the voices of the afflicted - here from those surrounded by the Bosnian Serb Army - look no further than Sacco's masterpiece of 20th century war reporting.
— Jules N.
Ease on down the road with this stellar poetry collection as it takes you on a journey full of love and a search for a greater truth as it relates to the speaker’s identity and womanhood. Chicago’s south side is well represented as a home that will always welcome you with open arms no matter how far or how lost you may be.
— Pedro R.
A fun and spicy read about a professional golfer and his biggest fan that manages to make golf sexy. It’s fast paced, funny, and so heartfelt. She might be his biggest fan, but he is a man obsessed. He’s grumpy, she’s sunshine, need I say more?
— Hannah C.
20 years have passed since Sei's mother pushed his cousin from a cliff, but questions still linger. This volume finally gives readers a look into the psyche of the terrifying mother figure that the series centers around.
— Nick G.
In Highsmith’s hypnagogic anti-thriller two men pursue each other through the twisting streets of Venice. One is out for revenge while the other is trying to prove his innocence. The action protracts and meanders as motivations shift and blur in this strangely sleepy game of cat-and-mouse!
— Andrei H.
A very insightful introductory book on some of my favorite creatures: axolotls, dolphins, turtles, snakes, waterbears, and more! I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about them and I loved the inclusion of their scientific names and biological classifications, alongside beautiful illustrations!
— Asia F.
This book made me miss my stop on the train and made me want to keep reading till the end of the line. Ryman explores the themes of the Wizard of Oz with a dark realism and child like fantasy that fit snugly like ruby slippers.
— Ben R.
A breathtaking exploration of music as a vessel for social and political understanding that completely shifted the way I think about language, violence, and healing in relation to sound. I will never listen to something the same way again!
— Livia O.
What an incredible document. These photographs are a much-needed archive of spaces we usually only see through a pint glass darkly. Flipping through this fantastic collection is a pub crawl without the hangover, and a real flashback to the joints that've since shuttered.
— Darcie V.
A book about obsession and love, in the form of K-Pop idol named Moon, that you can't antcipate the lengths the main character will go to understand it.
"The question is no longer ‘Who are the people who will accept my unusual love?’ but rather ‘How do I make my love more unusual and more unacceptable?”— Maeve O.
This book explains clearly and concisely why our mental health struggles can’t just be solved with pills. Through fascinating case studies, Hari expands our definition of what an anti-depressant actually is, opening up a whole new world of possibilities for healing and progress. If you’ve ever questioned the efficacy of how you handle your mental health, read this.
— Greg N.
Magical, literally and figuratively, Williams had me willing Ricki and Ezra off the page into real life because, what a shame for this kind of love to exist only in the pages of fiction. LOL hilarious, with a robust supporting cast and Harlem history that brought so much life and also so much grief at how much has been lost. The journey to the HEA has rarely been so satisfying.
— Genay J.
Comyns is everything you'd never expect and nothing you might expect. We witness the dreary, grotesque realities that make up our young narrator's life - perhaps digestible only through her wry humor and quiet hopefulness. The violence of life is relentless and Alice is determined to escape, one way or another. Not for the faint of heart but certainly for anyone read to be stunned by brilliance.
— Julianne DV.
With great foresight, Adorno unwittingly predicted his own backslide into the reactionary with Minima Moralia, diagnosing culture's weakness against moral erosion. The Adorno of this rich polemic would have balked at his late '60s counterpart, the latter symptomatic of that derided bourgeoise intellectualism. The most truthful, honest--and ridiculous--of A1 haters.
— Patrick P.