May Staff Picks

 

If there is anything we love more than reading books... it's talking about them! Scroll down to see what books we are raving about this month.

For more recommendations, check out our full Staff Picks Page.

 

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What We Fed to the Manticore By Talia Lakshmi Kolluri Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781953534415
Availability: In stock at Brooklyn or Jersey City -- click for more details
Published: Tin House Books - September 6th, 2022

"What a marvel of a collection. Kolluri's exceptional stories creatively invite the reader into the complex, dignified perspectives of animals around the world, in our present moment. Deeply generous and richly researched, every creature and setting evokes an intricate emotional response. The author's sense of wonder is readily apparent, informed by real-life stories and scientific research. I read with my heart in my throat, anguished and moved in equal measure. I especially recommend it alongside Eg Yong's An Immense World for multiplied profundity." -Holly


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The Saturday Night Ghost Club: A Novel By Craig Davidson Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780143133933
Availability: In stock at Brooklyn or Jersey City -- click for more details
Published: Penguin Books - July 9th, 2019

"Committed to paper in spare, unflinching prose, this harsh but compassionate novel precisely captures the peculiar sadness of being a child. Populated with misfits and eccentrics, pugilists, rebels, and manics, the seedy suburb of Niagara Falls is haunted by the memories of its melancholy past. Three fast friends spend one unforgettable summer investigating the paranormal and all-too human mysteries that shape their community." -Steven


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The Seas By Samantha Hunt Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9781947793569
Availability: Available from our distributor; usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Tin House Books - July 16th, 2019

"The most perfect book I've read in so long." -Aly


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Intimacies: A Novel By Katie Kitamura Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780399576171
Availability: In stock at Brooklyn or Jersey City -- click for more details
Published: Riverhead Books - July 19th, 2022

"Kitamura has an astounding gift for examining motives with a forensic lens, charging even the most innocuous actions with (oftentimes sinister) meaning. In Intimacies, her critically acclaimed fourth novel, she applies this lens to her female protagonist, an unnamed interpreter who has fled New York to work at the Hague and interpret for war criminals on trial in the international court. Spooky, thought-provoking, and technically masterful, this book will stay with you long after you finish it." -Eileen


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Icebreaker: A Novel (The Maple Hills Series #1) By Hannah Grace Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781668026038
Availability: In stock at Brooklyn or Jersey City -- click for more details
Published: Atria Books - February 7th, 2023

"Ice, spice, and everything nice. Basically a retelling of The Cutting Edge. Just pure fun to read if you like high spice levels in your romances." -Nicole


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Hot Dog: (Winner of the 2023 Caldecott Medal) By Doug Salati Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780593308431
Availability: Available from our distributor; usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers - May 24th, 2022

"This book will have you dreaming and patiently waiting for summer. The hot steel city becomes too much when the temperature rises. Can't sit, can't relax, and it is just too hot for anything! Where is the breeze? Sometimes we all need a getaway to a sandy beach paradise and the dog in this book agrees. Oh, how his day turns around when he decides to ditch the city for the oceanside. Beautifully illustrated and heartwarming story." -Nicole


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Surprisingly Sarah (Emmie & Friends) By Terri Libenson, Terri Libenson (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Terri Libenson, Terri Libenson (Illustrator)
$15.99
ISBN: 9780063139213
Availability: In stock at Brooklyn or Jersey City -- click for more details
Published: Balzer + Bray - May 2nd, 2023

"I can't get enough of the Emmie & Friends series. I wish I had books like these when I was in middle school! Surprisingly Sarah has another great set of characters. This graphic novel has friendship and first crushes and all the craziness that comes along with it. Middle school is such a wild ride of new experiences and emotions. Libenson captures it all with every single book. This series will always be faced out on my shelves!" -Nicole


Staff Pick Badge
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder By David Grann Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780385534260
Availability: In stock at Brooklyn or Jersey City -- click for more details
Published: Doubleday - April 18th, 2023

"At heart, I am but a simple girl, with simple needs, and that is to read about desperate, scurvy-ridden men pushed to their extremes, clinging to the shreds of "civilization", and with nothing but the burning, gasping need to survive to buffer against a superbly hostile alien world, all while I sup tea from the comfort of my couch. Grann tells the story of a ship's crew on a fool's errand for British imperialism, struck by disaster and riven by resentment and dissent. And then, he tells of what happens after, when the meager remainders of the crew return to England. It's a story of hubris and determination, and of the cruel consequences of imperialism and greed, told in riveting, literary fashion. Anyways, down with empire and take your Vitamin C." -Mindy