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.
"Required reading for the queers! Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl serves as a smutty overview of 90s queer history through the eyes of Paul, a shapeshifting college student who has dated anyone and everyone (and lived to tell the tale). When Paul realizes that he can use his shapeshifting ability to explore the more complicated aspects of his gender identity, he unlocks a part of himself, and his community, he had never before experienced. Paul Takes the Form of a Mortal Girl is self-aware and totally delicious, perfect for cis and trans readers alike. Jerakah gives it 5 super gay stars!!" -Jerakah
"As a fan of noir mystery and sci-fi both this was a great pick for me. Nick Harkaway does an excellent job of keeping the style of both genres and I highly recommend him for fans of Philip K Dick." -Will
"Despite not knowing much about the modeling world or industry, I found myself captivated by Emily Ratajkowski's writing and her ability to place the reader in her shoes regardless of obvious differences. Her essays opened my eyes to the underlying issues and emotions that come with having one's body commodified and trying to reclaim the autonomy of both one's body and name." -Salma
"I know we throw around this phrase loosely these days, but I genuinely think Elena Ferrante altered my brain chemistry with the Neapolitan Novels (of which My Brilliant Friend is the first). Complex female friendship, class, suppressed envy and rage, and the formation of the self are the stakes, and Ferrante writes them as if she alone has been granted the power to see the minute threads that form the fabric of a relationship, or the inner workings of the mind. Genius, showstopping, brilliant. I will never be the same." -Eileen
"A gorgeous, open-hearted memoir about the power of literature and community. I loved following Alba's journal entries reflecting on life in the Apuan Alps as she stewards her tiny bookshop. She beautifully captures the ways that we find connection through words and can propagate hope from the stories of those who came before us."
"Kochai's remarkable short story collection focuses on Afghan experiences in recent history, deliberately ruminating in the quotidian in a way that throws into relief the unique intensity of normal life amidst a perpetual war zone (or as part of the diaspora in the adversarial country). The stories are intertwined yet distinct, and I immediately wanted to reread the collection with pen and paper to chart the various relationships throughout. A sharp, essential work that grips and haunts." -Holly
Recommended by Nicole
Immortal creatures roam the night, taking what they crave without regard for the laws of man. With transgressive violence and forbidden passion, Lost Souls splatters a picture of yearning against a canvas of human flesh." -Steven
"More than just an academic history or a cultural anthropology, Low Life represents a vast living mythology of New York City. From the exaltation of murder in Gilded Age slums to the vampiric avarice of the upper crust, Lucy Sante draws a map of the city with the blood of the people it has slain and the quicksilver of the people who have adapted. Intercut with her own hallucinatory experiences on the Lower East Side, Low Life plunges into the dreams of the city that never sleeps." -Steven
So I love my family and all, but my god I felt this in my BONES. The delightful and hilarious chaos of being descended on by well-meaning, quirky aunties en masse is so relatable, the art is lively and colorful, the long-suffering of the protagonist is so funny. And it's also inspiring to us future-weirdo-elders. I look forward to the day I declare my arrival at family gatherings with a dramatic, "OH NO, THE AUNT IS HERE." -Mindy