Staff Picks: Sept. 2024

Updated August 29, 2024
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The adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi : a novel
Chakraborty, S. A.
Paper Book
"A thrilling, transportative adventure that is everything promised-Chakraborty's storytelling is fantasy at its best." -- R.F. Kuang, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Babel and The Poppy War "An exhilarating, propulsive adventure, stitched from the threads of real history, Amina's...
A better world : a novel
Langan, Sarah
Paper Book
For fans of Nightbitch and While No One Is Watching, comes "one of the best books this year, or any year" (Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World)--a disturbing dystopian thrillfest about a woman moving to a glittering town of the future, whose...
City of thieves
Benioff, David.
Paper Book
Four months into the siege of Leningrad, the city is starving. 17-year-old Lev has been arrested for looting. Along with his charismatic cellmate, Kolya, Lev is given a choice - find a dozen eggs for an NKVD colonel, or face execution.
Daughter of the pirate king
Levenseller, Tricia
Paper Book
There will be plenty of time for me to beat him soundly once I've gotten what I came for. Sent on a mission to retrieve an ancient hidden map--the key to a legendary treasure trove--seventeen-year-old pirate captain Alosa deliberately allows herself to be captured by her...
Endlessly ever after : pick your path to countless fairy tale endings! : a story of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack, Hansel, Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, a wolf, a witch, a goose, a grandmother, some pigs, and endless variations
Snyder, Laurel
Paper Book
This funny, original, choose-your-path picture book of fractured fairy tales will charm any young fan of the genre, putting the power of storytelling right in the reader's hands! Grab your basket and your coat. Put on some walking shoes. Turn the page...
Everybody knows
Harper, Jordan
Paper Book
In this "dazzling" (New York Times Book Review) mystery from an Edgar Award winning author, a fearless black-bag publicist exposes the belly of the L.A. beast. A New York Times Best Crime Book of the Year *  A NYTBR Editors' Choice Selection * An...
Gnomon
Harkaway, Nick
Paper Book
A GUARDIAN BOOK OF THE YEAR 'Gnomon is an extraordinary novel, and one I can't stop thinking about some weeks after I read it. It is deeply troubling, magnificently strange, and an exhilarating read.' Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven...
The guest list
Foley, Lucy (Novelist)
Paper Book
*A Reese's 'Hello Sunshine' Book Club pick* A gripping, twisty murder mystery thriller from the No.1 bestselling author of The Hunting Party. 'Lucy Foley is really very clever' Anthony Horowitz 'Thrilling' The Times 'A classic whodunnit' Kate Mosse ...
Gwen & Art are not in love
Croucher, Lex
Paper Book
'Exactly what I needed right now - a delightful, heartwarming, hilarious historical romp, overflowing with queer panic and terrible jokes. I loved it' - ALICE OSEMAN, bestselling author of HEARTSTOPPER 'Fun and genuinely funny, with lovely friendships and first-rate...
The harder they come : a novel
Boyle, T. Coraghessan
Paper Book
Acclaimed New York Times bestselling author T.C. Boyle makes his Ecco debut with a powerful, gripping novel that explores the roots of violence and anti-authoritarianism inherent in the American character. Set in contemporary Northern California, The Harder They Come explores the volatile...
Howl's moving castle
Jones, Diana Wynne.
Paper Book
This entrancing classic fantasy novel is filled with surprises at every turn. An international bestseller, this much-loved book is the source for the Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature. Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to...
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell
Clarke, Susanna
Paper Book
OVER 4 MILLION COPIES SOLD WORLDWIDE Shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award and the Guardian First Book Award Longlisted for the Man Booker Prize 'Unquestionably the finest English novel of the fantastic written in the...
The kitchen house
Grissom, Kathleen.
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller -- Orphaned onboard a ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives at a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of the master's illegitimate daughter, she becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family....
The library of the unwritten
Hackwith, A. J
Paper Book
Age range 14+ 'Elaborate world-building, poignant and smart characters, and a layered plot...An ode to books, writing, and found families.' -- Library Journal, Starred Review 'Hackwith writes a fast-paced, suspenseful story set in an intriguing world...
A magic steeped in poison
Lin, Judy I.
Paper Book
A #1 New York Times Bestseller! Judy I. Lin's sweeping debut A Magic Steeped in Poison, first in a duology, is sure to enchant fans of Adrienne Young and Leigh Bardugo. I used to look at my hands with pride. Now all I can think is, "These are the...
Magpie murders
Horowitz, Anthony
Paper Book
When editor Susan Ryeland is given the tattered manuscript of Alan Conway's latest novel, she has little idea it will change her life. She's worked with the revered crime writer for years and his detective, Atticus Pund, is renowned for solving crimes in the sleepy English villages of the 1950s. As...
A memory called empire
Martine, Arkady
Paper Book
Winner of the 2020 Hugo Award for Best Novel A Locus, and Nebula Award nominee for 2019An NPR Favorite Book of 2019 An Esquire Best Sci-Fi Book of All Time A Guardian Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Book of 2019 and "Not...
Men, women, and chain saws : gender in the modern horror film
Clover, Carol J.
Paper Book
Do the pleasures of horror movies really begin and end in sadism? So the public discussion of film assumes, and so film theory claims. Carol Clover argues, however, that these films work mainly to engage the viewer in the plight of the victim-hero, who suffers fright but rises to vanquish the...
The mountains sing : a novel
Nguy??n, Phan Qué? Mai
Paper Book
The International Bestseller A New York Times Editors' Choice Selection A Winner of the 2020 Lannan Literary Awards Fellowship A Best Book of 2020: NPR's Book Concierge * PopMatters * Washington Independent...
Normal
Ellis, Warren
Paper Book
A smart, tight, provocative techno-thriller straight out of the very near future--by an iconic visionary writer Some people call it "abyss gaze." Gaze into the abyss all day and the abyss will gaze into you. There are two types of people who think professionally...
The other Bennet sister : a novel
Hadlow, Janice
Paper Book
A NPR CONCIERGE BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR "Jane fans rejoice! . . . Exceptional storytelling and a true delight." --Helen Simonson, author of the New York Times bestselling novels Major Pettigrew's Last Stand and The Summer Before the War<...
The red palace
Hur, June
Paper Book
June Hur, critically acclaimed author of The Silence of Bones and The Forest of Stolen Girls, returns with The Red Palace--a third evocative, atmospheric historical mystery perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Kerri Maniscalco. To enter the palace...
The silent patient
Michaelides, Alex
Paper Book
Small game : a novel
Braverman, Blair
Ebook
A gripping debut novel about a survival reality show gone wrong that leaves a group of strangers stranded in the northern wilds  Four strangers and six weeks: this is all that separates Mara from one life-changing payday. She was surprised when reality TV producers came knocking at...
Summer sons
Mandelo, Lee
Paper Book
Lee Mandelo's debut Summer Sons is a sweltering, queer Southern Gothic that crosses Appalachian street racing with academic intrigue, all haunted by a hungry ghost. Andrew and Eddie did everything together, best friends bonded more deeply than brothers, until Eddie left...
Vampire weekend
Chen, Mike
Paper Book
From the New York Times bestselling author of Star Wars: Brotherhood "A love letter to the power of music, this thoughtful, humorous exploration of what constitutes living versus mere survival sees Chen (Light Years from Home) at the top of his game." -...

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