Ann Patchett's Blog, page 2

Weird, Funny, Broken, Villainous, Heroic: An Interview with Niko Stratis

I love pop culture. For years, I’ve listened to a daily podcast by the CBC called Commotion. Five days a week, host Elamin Abdelmahmoud has guests on to discuss the pop culture of the day. Niko Stratis quickly became one of my favorite voices on the pod. Stratis is an award-winning culture writer based in Toronto, where she writes about music, TV, video games and more.

In her new memoir, The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman, Stratis talks about growing up in the Yukon as a journeyman glazier, getting bullied and abused as a teen working in a grocery store and coming out as a trans woman in her thirties. The memoir is told through essays, each of which is tied to a song or album in what I’m calling the Dad Rock Canon. 

This is music writing at its best, and personal essay writing at its best. Stratis’ book is part of the University of Texas Press’ American Music Series, edited by Jessica Hopper, Charles Hughes, and Hanif Abdurraqib. The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman is in good company alongside Maybe We’ll Make It by Margo Price, Woman Walk the Line by Holly Gleason and Go Ahead in the Rain by Hanif Abdurraqib.

I spoke to Stratis by email about writing the book she wanted to write, how she defines “dad rock” and her hopes for the future of trans writers. The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman is on our shelves now. Pick up a copy for yourself and grab one for any aspiring music writer or personal essay writer in your life.

— Kim Baldwin, Parnassus bookseller

Niko Stratis

Kim Baldwin: You spoke to Emma Specter for Vogue last year and said that when people started approaching you about writing a book, a lot of those people wanted you to write your transition memoir. How did you find your way to writing the book you wanted to write?

Niko Stratis: A lot of it is because of the press I worked with University of Texas Press who allowed me to frame the book exactly how I wanted, and never pressured me to make it something I had no intention of writing. I wrote the outline very intentionally as a book about a lot of different things and they supported my vision from the outset. I was able to trust my vision for where I wanted this book to go because I had the support of a team who heard me, and helped me write from a place of honesty. 

KB: For folks who haven’t read your book yet, how do you define dad rock?

NS: Truth be told, even folks who have read the book might still be a little unsure. I intentionally left the definition vague, and instead spent the book hinting at the idea of it and asking the reader to engage with the idea that Dad Rock can kind of be anything. What it is, in a vague sense, is the sense of someone who has lived, failed, tried again. Kept going. Here to tell you about the road they walked, and here to give guidance where possible without ever trying to force you on a path. 

KB: In 2023, you and Tuck Woodstock collaborated on the zine 2 Trans 2 Furious, which won a Lambda Literary Award. Then you and Tuck turned your zine concept into a press called Girl Dad Press. How is that going? Are you still working on the Sex and the City anthology?

NS: We are actively working on the SATC collection! It’s close to being through our first round of edits, we’ll start doing layouts, etc soon as well. 

KB: What do you hope for the future of trans literature and trans publishing?

NS: I hope we are allowed to exist in publishing and literary circles as whole, complex, and wildly different people who have stories to tell beyond the tales of our transitions. I hope we get to be weird, funny, broken, villainous, heroic. Everything. It’s hard to be trans in any industry right now and not feel stigmatized or pushed out altogether, and oftentimes we are only read as a single dimension. I hope we get to thrive in the depth of what we have to offer. I hope more trans writers are given the opportunity to swing wide with bold ideas, and are given second, third, and fifth chances to make their mark. 

KB: You’re working on your debut novel, Girls of Summer, a punk rock novel about three friends spending a life-altering day at the Vans Warped Tour in 2001. How was the switch to fiction after writing this memoir?

NS: Hard! But also comforting. It’s nice to create a new world and people to populate it, albeit one grounded in landscapes that are familiar to me. It’s a challenge, and I love a challenge. 

KB: We share a friend in Alex Steed, your co-host on the podcast The OC, Again. I assume everyone knows this, but The OC was one of the defining TV shows of the early Aughts. How would you describe your relationship to ’90s and early Aughts pop culture?

NS: I’m constantly re-evaluating my relationship to those eras, as they were formative for me as a teen and in my 20s. There are parts of it I love despite their flaws and creaky bones, and there are artifacts I once held as cherished treasures I have learned to let go of. It’s a complicated era that I think is so often written as being virtuous in ways it was not. I love it, but I often have a hard time with it. But I love it. 

KB: Any advice for other trans writers hoping to publish a book?

NS: Push to tell the stories you want with the voice that you have. I wish I had better advice, but truth be told I often wonder if I’m successful at all, and who should even listen to me. 

KB: I’m not sure if you’ve been to Nashville, but if you were coming here, what would you like to see? Any food you’d want to try?

NS: I’ve never been, but always wanted to. I would love to do a food tour of the city! BBQ obviously, but also very curious what the local diner scene is like, and I always love to try local coffee roasters wherever I go. I’ve been sober for 6-ish years now, so it’s always an interesting challenge to reframe how I explore a new city as so often it was around party/nightlife things but I am always down to explore. I’m sure it’s touristy or whatever, but would love to see the Grand Ole Opry. 

The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman is on our shelves now!

Good Company: 24 Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

Summer is here! While you’re perusing our shelves for your required school summer reading, be sure to pick up a just-for-fun book too. No matter where your adventures take you over the next couple of months, a great book will always make excellent company. Have a look at the books our booksellers have spent time with recently!

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Rae Ann Next to MeDaniel Salmieri, Sophia Haas

This vivid picture book highlights the comfort of routine and the delight of noticing things as we move through the world around us.

Recommended by Natalie The Woman Behind the Magic: How Lillian B. Disney Shaped the Disney LegacyBrittany Richman, Joanie Stone (Illustrator)

This beautiful biography teaches us about the woman behind the wonderful world of Disney and reminds us that those in the spotlight are not the only ones making the magic.

Recommended by Rae Ann NightsongSally Soweol Han

When a bus breaks down on a late night journey, a boy explores nature around him before the new bus arrives. He finds joy in the music of the nighttime creatures and their songs. The black and white illustrations accentuated with pops of color tell a beautiful story.

Recommended by Cheryl Where the Deer Slip ThroughKatey Howes, Beth Krommes (Illustrator)

A simple day on a farm becomes a lyrical telling. The illustrations make it a work of art.

Recommended by Ashby The Aliens Do NOT Want to Go HomeAdam Gustavson

Words no one wants to hear? “Time to go home.” The aliens come up with all sorts of excuses…need to say goodbye, need dessert, to put on their shoes, to clean up…a book to help with conversations about what to do when it is time to go home.

Recommended by Rachel As the World Goes ByJonny Lambert

A story about noticing the small moments of beauty in a busy world! With the perfect narrator puppy!

Recommended by Michelle Abuelo, the Sea, and MeIsmée Williams,Tatiana Gardel (Illustrator)

When your home is miles and a lifetime away, how do you share the memories with your family? Abuelo, the Sea and Me is a beautiful story of a Cuban abuelo sharing the stories of his island with his granddaughter through flavors, scents, sounds, and the ocean. A must-read for anyone who has ever shared a special moment with their grandparent. From a girl who often visited the sea with her abuelo.

Recommended by Hannah P. When You Find a HopeAllie Millington, Anne Lambelet (Illustrator)

This tender story about a girl who finds Hope growing on a tree branch and takes it with her everywhere is destined to become a classic. When her Hope breaks, she discovers how lost Hope can plant seedlings for new Hopes, and how Hope flourishes when it’s shared.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Cheryl The Midwatch Institute for Wayward GirlsJudith Rossell

This home for female orphans appears very strict but is actually a training school for sleuths. Safe cracking gets an award. There are hidden passageways, pages of useful knowledge as they crack city crime.

Recommended by Hannah P. Afia in the Land of WondersMia Araujo

A luminous and lyrical retelling of Alice in Wonderland drawing from West African culture and folklore. This emotional and whimsical debut, accompanied by stunning artwork, is a breath of fresh air and a rabbit hole I could fall down forever.

Recommended by Cat Camp FrenemiesLiz Montague

The summer after 6th grade Bea would rather hang out in her room with her stuffed animals but her dad is making her spend a week at sleepaway camp! She can make it through, right? When Bea doesn’t get along with her cabin mate Virginia, though Roxy seems pretty nice, she has to decide how she will make it through the week. Bea, Virginia, and Roxy were so funny and this graphic novel is such a fun story of friendship.

Recommended by Ashby Montgomery Bonbon: Murder at the MuseumAlasdair Beckett-King, Claire Powell (Illustrator)

A fun series! Famous detective Montgomery Bonbon is really a girl: Bonnie Montgomery. A mysterious death at the museum calls the detective to action. From his outfit to his accent, she is a fabulous detective who outsmarts the police and solves it

Recommended by Cheryl Down Syndrome Out Loud: 20+ True Stories of Disability and DeterminationMelissa Hart, María Perera (Illustrator)

These true stories from people with Down Syndrome show success through dreams and determination. Uplifting and informative.

Recommended by Aly So Over SharingElissa Brent Weissman

Hadley and Willow are sick of social media. Specifically, constantly appearing on their moms’ social medias without their consent. This is a great story of friendship, family, and what we don’t see in the lives of influencers.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Katie SalvaciónSandra Proudman

Salvación is a Zorro-inspired historical fantasy set in 1848 just after the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Lola De La Pena becomes the masked heroine Salvación in order to save her family and community from the man who is bent on destroying the magic that sets her community apart. A perfect blend of action and adventure with a splash of romance, Salvación makes for a sparkling debut for Proudman.

Recommended by Cheryl Now She’s DeadRoselyn Clarke

It’s been a year since Mandy’s best summer friend died in an accident at their family resort. Is she guilty of murder? It is awkward being back with everyone looking over their shoulder. This thriller has clues galore but the ending comes out of left field.

Recommended by Ashby Celestial BanquetRoselle Lim

A fantasy book that grabs with its creative premise: a cooking competition for the gods. Cai is a noodle chef who enters a once-in-a-generation contest hoping to open a restaurant, save her town, and gain fame and fortune. Managing friends and love interests while hunting and serving up sea creatures among other things makes for an exciting contest and book.

Recommended by Chelsea Summer GirlsJennifer Dugan

A sweet, fun sapphic romance set at a beach town. I loved the friends-to-enemies-to-lovers path that Cass and Birdie went down, and the arcs of both girls were fun, tender, and enlightening to read.

Recommended by Katie The Romance RivalrySusan Lee

Only one bed at the inn? This book will keep you warm. No such thing as fated mates? This book is your cosmically destined other half. Reading feel like the enemy? This book is your lover. The Romance Rivalry is MY WIFE energy. My grand gesture is to wave this book in front of anyone who will listen and tell them to grab a copy. Lee wrote this book for romance lovers and it’s the perfect pair of grey sweatpants.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Ester A Study in DrowningAva Reid

There are so many components that make this book a 5-star read for me. It’s a cozy yet eerie, rivals-to-lovers story that sticks with you long after you finish. While the plot is slow and character driven, Reid’s prose creates an atmosphere that sucks you right in. This is a story about stories and I can’t recommend it enough.

Recommended by Aly Since You’ve Been GoneMorgan Matson

When Emily’s best friend, Sloane, disappears right at the start of the summer, she is at a total loss of how to track her down. The only thing she can think to do is complete the list of things she and Sloane were supposed to do together. It doesn’t hurt that the cute boy down the street might be willing to help complete her list.

Sprout Book Club: June Selection You Can Sit with MeRachel Tawil Kenyon

The June 2025 Sprout Book Club selection is You Can Sit With Me by Rachel Tawil Kenyon and Tatiana Kamshilina. This picture book radiates kindness in showing how one friend can change a person’s world. Nashville author Rachel Tawil Kenyon’s words paired with Tatiana Kamshilina’s illustrations make the perfect guide to reaching out a hand in welcome.

Early praise for the book:

“The new kid on the block weathers ups and downs with guidance from a compassionate classmate. Kindness 101.” – Kirkus

SPECIAL EVENT: Join us for Storytime with Rachel Tawil Kenyon at Parnassus on Saturday, June 7th at 10:30 am. Info here.

Sprout Book Club is the book subscription box for picture book lovers. Every month members will receive a first edition picture book.  Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite picture book lover for 3, 6, or 12 months. 

Spark Book Club: June Selection Confessions of a Junior SpyRosaria Munda

The June 2025 Spark Book Club selection is Confessions of a Junior Spy by Rosaria Munda. Bea lives in the Pangean Hotel, a home for spies and their families. Her mom is a world-class spy who wants Bea to grow up to be a “Normal” person. When a new friend in danger needs help, Bea and two friends take on the mission.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“This adventurous series opener has a clear, quick plot that fluidly drives the story forward within its well-drawn world.”  – Kirkus

Spark Book Club is the first editions club for middle grade readers.  Every month members will receive a first edition middle grade novel — plus a letter written by the author especially for club members. Makes a great gift for the independent reader! Sign ups are available for 3, 6, or 12 months.

ParnassusNext: June Selection Let Them Stare: A NovelJonathan Van Ness, Julie Murphy

The June 2025 ParnassusNext selection is Let Them Stare by Jonathan Van Ness and Julie Murphy. Sully’s plans for escaping their small town for a gap year in New York crash when their fashion internship is cancelled. They console themselves with a vintage bag that turns out to be haunted. Sully teams up with Brad, who they may have a crush on, to solve the mystery of the ghost and uncover their town’s queer history in this fun story.

Early praise for the novel:

“Quippy dialogue and a kinetic pace distinguish this uplifting novel.” – Kirkus, starred review

ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.

New Summer Classics: 36 Reads for June

All of your favorite summer subjects are covered in this month’s roundup — road trips, beaches, romance, murder, if that’s your jam. No matter your preference, we have a summer read waiting for you. Use our booksellers’ picks to get your summer TBR started!

FICTIONRecommended by RJ Run for the Hills: A NovelKevin Wilson

Run for the Hills is a funny and fascinating family story, as well as one of the best road trip novels I’ve ever read. Readers are guaranteed to feel themselves swept along with the colorful cast of half-siblings as they follow the increasingly disjointed history of their shared runaway father.

Also loved by Aly, Jenness, Patsy, & Cat!

Recommended by Mac The Emperor of Gladness: A NovelOcean Vuong

Emperor of Gladness tells a tale of “kindness without hope,” as Vuong put it in an interview with the New York Times. Peeling back some of his expected lyrical approach, Vuong tells the story of Hai, a teenage addict who becomes friends with Grazina, an 82-year-old Lithuanian immigrant. You will see yourself and your loved ones in this story of community beneath our typical line of sight.

Recommended by Maddie Disappoint Me: A NovelNicola Dinan

I loved this book — an impressively realistic portrait of two young millennials struggling to find themselves and hoping the answers can be found within each other. Max and Vincent meet each other with a lot of skeletons in both of their closets, and the relationship that unfolds is tender yet prickly, heartwarming yet tragic.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Martha’s Vineyard Beach and Book Club: A NovelMartha Hall Kelly

A woman arrives on Martha’s Vineyard with questions about the past. A story unfolds of two sisters on the island during WWII, a special book club, a U-boat sighting, and a possible spy.

Also loved by Cheryl!

Recommended by Rachel A Language of Limbs: A NovelDylin Hardcastle

An exploration of the queer experience in 1970s Australia. Language of Limbs follows two women, one forced out of the closet and the other fighting to keep herself inside of it. Time after time they near-miss each other, lives braiding in and out of shared experience, finally culminating in a mind boggling ending.

Recommended by Chelsea The Road to Tender Hearts: A NovelAnnie Hartnett

This novel chronicles a life-changing road trip for all involved: PJ, who is trying to avoid his feelings about his ex-wife’s impending marriage, his grandniece and grandnephew who are freshly orphaned, his adult daughter who has no idea her next phase in life, and a cat who foretells death. I fell in love with every character, quirks and all, and didn’t want this book to end.

Also loved by Jenness!

Recommended by Kathy Lay Your Armor Down: A NovelMichael Farris Smith

Can these three desperate souls outrun the forces of evil that promise to overtake them if they don’t fulfill their mission? This one will have you reading into the night.

Recommended by Chloe Atmosphere: A Love StoryTaylor Jenkins Reid

It’s lesbians in space. It made me cry and gave me stress dreams. I loved it!

Also loved by Cat and Chelsea!

Recommended by Jenness Fever Beach: A NovelCarl Hiaasen

All of America is now Florida – with its political corruption, white nationalism, and ineptness. But Hiaasen still makes it laughable, even when you’re seething inside. Fever Beach is a joy and a balm in these times.

Recommended by Sarah A Sharp Endless Need: A NovelMarisa Crane

This one is for all you sapphic yearners out there. Bonus points if you’ve ever had a thing for a teammate.

Recommended by Jennifer The IncandescentEmily Tesh

As a magical headmistress, Dr. Walden, or Saffy as she allows her colleagues to call her, is a woman of distinguished and powerful magic. She is a dedicated professional (read: workaholic) doing what she loves: protecting and teaching students. But when a powerful demon and its strange love of the school challenges everything she holds dear, Saffy must rely on an unlikely ally to save the day.

Recommended by Katie Rules for RuinMimi Matthews

A brand new series from beloved historical romance writer Mimi Matthews, Rules for Ruin shows us just what a talent Matthew is in the genre. Brimming with action, drama and the swooniest romantic leads, I am so into this book! Can’t wait to see what’s next for the women of the Crinoline Academy. (Look closely at the cover!)

Recommended by Ashby Aftertaste: A NovelDaria Lavelle

Meals can provide momentary connections to those who have died. What if someone had the power to connect us through food? Kostya doesn’t see ghosts but tastes their favorite foods. He moves up in the restaurant world, opening Hell’s Kitchen Supper Club and offering to reconnect people with deceased loved ones, but there are rules about the afterlife. This book will make you think and connect to your memories.

Recommended by Chelsea Anji Kills a KingEvan Leikam

A sudden decision in an opportune moment changes Anji’s (and her kingdom’s) future, and now she’s being escorted to her trial by the Hawk, a member of the peacekeeping Menagerie. As external threats abound, Anji and the Hawk grow closer, and their ideals may be more alike than either of them expect. Deft worldbuilding and fascinating characters captured my attention early on, and I stayed for the unexpected plot twists.

Recommended by Cheryl The Missing Half: A NovelAshley Flowers

Two young women form a team to find their missing sisters from several years ago. It’s a small town with its politics, lack of resources and innocent people lying to protect their own secrets, thus hampering the search. Tense thriller.

Recommended by Ashby The Love Haters: A NovelKatherine Center

What happens when Katie agrees to profile a Coast Guard rescue swimmer, but cannot swim? She gets swim lessons from him. A sign the two were meant to be? His enormous dog loves her. Throw in a hurricane, a dog stuck on a boat, and you have a delightful rom-com that takes you to the beach.

Recommended by Katie Dying to Meet You: A Domestic ThrillerSarina Bowen

The perfect book to take with you on vacation this summer. Set in coastal Maine, Rowen is a single mom with a high stakes commission restoring a historic mansion when she becomes a suspect for the murder of the man that just dumped her. GASP! This book is fast paced and full of rich people behaving badly, big elaborate lies, twists I didn’t see coming and a sneaky second chance romance. Such a fun time!

Recommended by Genevieve Two-Step DevilJamie Quatro

For fans of Flannery O’Connor, William Faulkner, and other weird Southerners. In Lookout Mountain, Alabama, The Prophet, an old man who paints his end times visions, sees a teenage girl named Michael zip-tied in the back seat of a car and decides to rescue her–or kidnap her, depending on who’s telling the story.

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Rachel Things in Nature Merely GrowYiyun Li

A contemplation on loss and living. Yiyun Li writes about the hardest facets of life with intense intellectualism, allowing this memoir to go far beyond grief as a concept, instead facing the question: is life worth living?

Also loved by Jake and Ann!

Recommended by Andy The Determined Spy: The Turbulent Life and Times of CIA Pioneer Frank WisnerDouglas Waller

Everything you would want in a great spy novel but it’s all true. Frank Wisner was one of the most powerful men in the world as the Cold War developed. Douglas Waller provides a fascinating look at the career of Wisner and the personal toll it took on this CIA pioneer.

Recommended by Jake Corpses, Fools and Monsters: The History and Future of Transness in CinemaWillow Maclay, Caden Gardner

An exploration of the trans image on film, Corpses, Fools and Monsters is an entertaining and deeply informative film history book. I found so much in this book that I had never heard of before, as it does a great job of shedding a spotlight on an entire canon of deserving films and filmmakers. This book is a powerful reminder that trans folks have always existed and always will, both onscreen and off.

Recommended by Lindsay JuveniliaHera Lindsay Bird

If your love poetry doesn’t include lines like “When I’m not with you I am like / a lonely wrestler with nobody to break chairs on,” then, sorry, I don’t want it! Shout out to Hera Lindsay Bird for writing poetry that’s equal parts brilliant, campy, and romantic.

Recommended by Elizabeth The Condiment Book: Unlocking Maximum Flavor with Minimal EffortClaire Dinhut

It’s Condiment Claire! If you are familiar with her work, you already know how lovingly and generously she talks about everything from Dijon mustard to chili oil. If you aren’t familiar with her, allow me to introduce you. In this book, Claire illuminates the myriad histories and uses of all of her (and your!) favorite condiments. Trust me: your kitchen will thank you!

Recommended by Andy Milk Street Backroads Italy: Finding Italy’s Forgotten Recipes (A Cookbook)Christopher Kimball, J. M. Hirsch

The Milk Street team scour small restaurants, local markets and visit home cooks throughout the Italian peninsula. They found that cooks in Italy throw away their garlic, they don’t stir their polenta and they never labor over pans of risotto. Filled with essays about their travel and over 175 recipes. Every page will inspire anyone who loves to cook or just enjoys good food.

Recommended by A.J. Mark TwainRon Chernow

Looking for a Father’s Day gift? Look no further! In typical Chernow fashion, get to know the paradoxical Samuel Clemens over the course of 1k+ pages, seeing the good, the bad, and the ugly of one of the U.S.’s most celebrated authors. Don’t be intimidated by the size–just like his novels, Twain’s life is more than entertaining enough to keep on chugging.

Recommended by Paige Life and Art: EssaysRichard Russo

How we view ourselves and the world may shift depending on the lens through which we are looking. In this lovely collection, the beloved novelist Russo is looking through the lens of a pandemic, but also the lens of age and hard-earned wisdom. With essays that delve into his personal life, and others that contemplate movies and music, we get to reflect alongside the author on the art of living.

Recommended by Andy The Playing Lesson: A Duffer’s Year Among the ProsMichael Bamberger

Bamberger chronicles a year looking for the essence of golf. Inspired by those who love the game from dusty driving ranges to The Masters. Caddying, playing in ProAms, interviewing the famous and unknowns, Bamberger reminds us that “no matter our level of play, golf gives us the freedom to make our own crappy decisions, along with some good ones.”

Recommended by Jenness Murder Ballads: Illustrated Lyrics & LoreKaty Horan

Gorgeous illustrations accompany and illuminate tragic, historic tales set to music. From folklore to true crime, murder ballads have woven their way into culture, and Horan’s dark, lovely images are the perfect complement.

Recommended by Treva Little Miss Diagnosed: A Surgeon’s Guide to Breaking Bones and Bending RulesErin Nance, MD

Dr. Erin Nance is an orthopedic surgeon with a large online following. She is a staunch advocate for women and others who feel unheard in medical settings, as well as for those with lesser known diagnoses that often go misdiagnosed. This is her story of working her way through the challenges of training in orthopedic medicine and becoming a successful surgeon who cares deeply for her patients.

Recommended by Patsy The Secret Life of a Cemetery: The Wild Nature and Enchanting Lore of Père-LachaiseBenoît Gallot

Fascinating look at Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, by its resident caretaker. The history of this final resting place of 1.3 million souls (Piaf, Wilde, Proust, Molière, Chopin, Jim Morrison …) with emphasis on the rich biodiversity and wildlife: foxes, cats, and birds; funerary monuments; and tales of those who visit, seeking connection with the dead.

Recommended by Andy Remember Us: American Sacrifice, Dutch Freedom, and a Forever Promise Forged in World War IIRobert M. Edsel

Opening with Hitler’s invasion of the Netherlands, it’s a story of losing your freedom and then regaining it. Edsel illustrates the horror of war and power of gratitude, showing the extraordinary measures the Dutch have taken to thank their liberators.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by A.J. In Tongues: A NovelThomas Grattan

Certified Weird Boy Fiction. A 24 y/o gay man moves to Manhattan and begins working as a dog walker for The People who Lunch, only to be hired by a gay couple to be their assistant, and lines quickly start to blur. Clever, well-written, and compelling.

Recommended by Elizabeth Four Seasons in Rome: On Twins, Insomnia, and the Biggest Funeral in the History of the WorldAnthony Doerr

If you find yourself traveling to Italy or dreaming about Italy this summer, add this memoir to your reading list! Exactly no one is surprised, but it turns out that Anthony Doerr’s nonfiction is as poetic and grand as his fiction, and he has written quite the love letter to Rome.

Recommended by Lindsay The Line of Beauty: A NovelAlan Hollinghurst

It’s been twenty years since Alan Hollinghurst published this novel about class, politics, and sexuality in London under the regime of Margaret Thatcher–I’m happy to say The Line of Beauty holds up and hits just as hard in 2025 America. A combination of queer coming-of-age story and social satire, The Line of Beauty is an incredible reckoning with the fallacy of being apolitical in your day-to-day life.

First Editions Club: June Selection Endling: A NovelMaria Reva

A novel that starts with malacology is bound to be a hit with me. Still, I recognize that some readers need more than snails to hold their interest. Endling has everything. First, there’s Yeva, the loner biologist who drives her van / mobile lab through the wilds of Ukraine, looking for snails to save from extinction. To fund her research, Yeva dabbles in “romance tours,” a sort of dating service for hapless foreign bachelors hoping to find beautiful Eastern European brides. That’s where Yeva meets Nastia and Solomiya, two sisters in search of their radical activist mother. When Nastia comes up with a plan that will bring about enough publicity to entice their mother back, the sisters, in need of a van, team up with Yeva. They want to kidnap some bachelors. Yeva just wants to save the snails before it’s too late.

But then the Russians invade, and everything is too late.

At this point the book, which is strange to begin with, gets a whole lot stranger. What if in the middle of writing a novel about snails and a sketchy dating service, your home country is invaded by Russia? How would that change the trajectory of the story? Maria Reva was born in Ukraine and lives in Canada. One imagines that when her life turned upside down she had no choice but to turn her novel upside down as well.

An endling is the last of its kind, a creature like Yeva’s beloved snail Lefty who has nothing but its own life to forestall extinction. As the tanks roll into Kiev, the fate of some snails serve as a harbinger for the fate of Ukraine. Endling is funny, smart and timely, full of science, longing and adventure, all the while reminding us what the world stands to lose, and what it’s already lost. This is essential reading.

Enjoy.

Ann Patchett

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.

Love, Parnassus: June Selection A Rare FindJoanna Lowell

Elfreda Marsden has finally made a major discovery—an ancient amulet proving the Viking army camped on her family’s estate. Too bad her nemesis is back from London, freshly exiled after a scandal and ready to wreak havoc on her life. Georgie Redmayne is everything Elfreda isn’t–charming, popular, carefree, distractingly attractive, and bored to death by the countryside. When the two collide (literally), the amulet is lost, and with it, Elfreda’s big chance to lead a proper excavation. Now Elfreda needs new evidence of medieval activity, and Georgie needs money to escape the doldrums of Derbyshire. Joining forces to locate a hidden hoard of Viking gold is the best chance for them both.

Marsdens and Redmaynes don’t get along, and that’s the least of the reasons these enemies can’t dream of something more. But as the quest takes them on unexpected adventures, sparks of attraction ignite a feeling increasingly difficult to identify as hatred. It’s far too risky to explore. And far too tempting to resist. Elfreda and Georgie soon find that the real treasure comes with a steep price… and the promise of a happiness beyond all measure.

The Love, Parnassus box is a monthly subscription box for romance readers curated by the experts at Parnassus Books. Each month you will receive a first edition book (which is sometimes signed), a letter from the author, a custom sticker, and a bookmark to track your reading. The Love, Parnassus selection will focus on debut and new-to-you romance authors. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite romance reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.

The Music Marches On: An Interview with Sarah Landenwich

Sarah Landenwich’s debut novel, The Fire Concerto, is the story of a woman who has turned her back on her dreams who decides to step out of the shadows to ensure a brilliant female musician lost to history is not forgotten. When I first heard about Sarah’s novel, I wanted to read it immediately! The story takes readers on a journey of forgiveness, of oneself and others, and the pursuit of second chances. Thank you to Sarah for talking with me about this fabulous novel.

— Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books

Sarah Landenwich

Rae Ann Parker: The Fire Concerto begins with this line, “The invitation arrived on a Friday, care of The Andromeda Club.” This sets the stage for your story about classical musicians, set mostly in a dive bar in Austin, Texas. When did the story first come to you, and how did you choose this setting?

Sarah Landenwich: The initial spark for this novel arrived one night several years ago while driving down a dark highway in Colorado. I was traveling down the empty road, and the idea literally flashed into my mind: three female pianists, one in the nineteenth century, one in the early twentieth, and one in modern times, connected by their pedagogical lineage—a line of shared teachers. That was all. I was working on another novel at the time and didn’t pursue the idea for years, but it was there, percolating in the background.

I’m a classically-trained pianist. I was very serious about music as a young person. My favorite musical period is the Romantic era. This is the time of Chopin, Liszt, Brahms, the Schumanns, etc. When I started thinking more concretely about the book that would become The Fire Concerto, it was my experience with the music that helped me conceive of the nineteenth-century storyline, which was the part of the novel that came to me first. I’ve spent enough time sitting at a piano playing the music of that period to feel like I’ve ventured into a few nineteenth-century parlors. It was easy to imagine my characters sitting at a different piano a hundred and fifty years ago playing those same pieces, feeling similarly moved by them. Of course I also did a load of research into actual musical figures of that era. But ultimately, the music was the conduit.

My present-day protagonist came later. I knew I wanted my character to have been a prodigy who stopped playing because of an injury to her hand, but I didn’t know yet who she was or what the injury was from. Injury or chronic illness is something most people carry privately. You can’t see migraines or back pain or PTSD from the outside. But I thought how much more friction my character would have on the page if her injuries—and therefore her past and her trauma—were visible to the outside world. I keep a notebook of observations—just little jots of things I observe here and there. I was looking through my notebook one day and saw this: “Bartender in Austin with Bell’s Palsy.”

I took a weekend trip to Austin a few years ago. I’d never been, and I loved it. I loved the food and the music culture and the general vibe of the city. I love a good cocktail as well, and one evening my husband and I went to a bar. The bartender was a beautiful woman, about thirty years old, whose face was paralyzed on one side, as if she’d had a stroke or suffered from Bell’s Palsy. She was very striking. There was a young man sitting near me at the bar who seemed to be a regular. He was trying hard to flirt with her, but she had so many defenses up, I don’t even know that she was aware of it. Maybe he was terrible, who knows? But my novelist’s imagination got going, and I wondered if her guardedness had anything to do with her appearance. I also thought what a challenge it might be to be a young, beautiful woman with such an obvious physical anomaly in a job where you’re constantly interacting with new people. When I came across that line in my notebook years later, I knew I had found my protagonist.

Instead of facial paralysis, I gave her scars from a fire, scars that also burned her hand badly enough to end her career. It felt natural after that to set the book in Austin. As I say in the novel, “It’s a city of music, but nothing like the music Clara had devoted her life to.”

RAP: I was drawn to your novel because it’s a story about music and a long-lost metronome. It also has a fabulous cover! What is your relationship with music? Is the metronome significant to you?

SL: I started playing piano when I was six and pursued it pretty assiduously until I was nineteen, when I felt so burnt-out on it that I quit. I tried for a while to make music my hobby, but being a musician is like being an athlete: if you don’t use it, you lose it. Like my protagonist, Clara, once I was away from the rigor of daily practice, I didn’t have the skills to play the way I wanted or the pieces I wanted to play. After that, I couldn’t find a way to have a relationship with music that wasn’t beset by either guilt or longing.

Fifteen years later, I missed it enough to try again. I bought a piano and made three strict rules about it: I would only play when I wanted to, I wouldn’t feel guilty if I didn’t practice, and I would let go of the idea of being good at it. It’s still hard sometimes to keep those promises—especially the guilt about not playing. But it’s good to have it back in my life. There’s a moment in the book when Clara approaches a piano for the first time in a long time and says, “Hello, old friend.” That’s the only moment in the book that I have actually lived.

There is no special metronome in my life (though believe me, one day I’ll have one made according to the exact design that I describe in the book). When I conceived of this novel, I knew I wanted an object to connect the three women across time. The exigencies of the plot required it to be an object that goes missing. A piano is pretty hard to lose track of, but a metronome is small enough to be passed around, passed down, lost, and rediscovered. It’s an object that can live many lives.

RAP: Your story is set in the present and dips into the past. The way it’s structured, all of the characters feel present and timely to the reader. How did you get to know the characters from the 19th century as well as the modern-day ones?

SL: Because of my musical background, it was relatively easy to conjure a Romantic composer. The composer in the book, Aleksander Starza, is completely fictional, but so much of who he is was drawn from or inspired by real composers of the Romantic period. It was satisfying to finally find a repository for all the random classical music information I’d accumulated over the course of my life. The nineteenth-century pianist in the book, Constantia Pleyel, came to me similarly. I imagined how hard it would be to exist as a prodigiously talented woman in that moment of history. Think of how tough you would have to be to endure the constant belief that you weren’t good enough! It still makes my skin tingle to think of it.

The modern-day characters developed more slowly, over many revisions. In my early drafts of Clara, she was too guarded for a reader to get to know. I had to crack her open a little at a time. In many ways, that meant cracking myself open a little at a time to ask not just “What would make for a good story?” but also, “How would I feel if this happened to me?”

RAP: This is your debut novel. Why was it important to you to tell this story?

SL: At its heart, this book is about how we rebuild when a dream is lost. I began writing The Fire Concerto during a period of great personal upheaval. This book is my debut, but I wrote another novel before this one. It took five years to write, then I spent about eighteen months submitting it to agents and revising it according to the feedback of all those different agents, none of whose opinions overlapped. Needless to say, that book never got published. I was deep in the slough of those rejections when I started working on The Fire Concerto. I was so fed up with being told what my writing needed that I was finally ready to let the critics go and write a book for myself—to “write the book you want to read,” as the old writing maxim says. I’d also just had a baby and was experiencing some health problems, and the hour a day I had while my baby napped was mine to tell myself a story of heartbreak and hope that I needed to hear as much as I needed to write.

RAP: Lastly, we ask everyone, what is your favorite thing about independent bookstores?

SL: Anywhere readers gather is a space where inquiry is celebrated. When you meet a reader, you know you’ve met someone who has empathy. An independent bookstore has the added bonus of attracting people who are also committed to building local community. A place of empathetic, inquiry-loving people committed to building local community? Who doesn’t want to go there?

The Fire Concerto hits shelves on June 10, 2025. Pre-order your copy now!

Lesson Learned: 21 Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

Books are a fantastic way for young readers (and all of us, really) to learn valuable lessons about the world. They’re an entry point for life’s hard questions, such as, “How do I make friends with someone different from me?” and “Will everything be okay when my family moves to a new place?” and “Why shouldn’t I trust fish?” You know, the big questions. Take a look at all the great titles and lessons our booksellers have for you this month!

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Rae Ann The Peddler of PuddlesBeth Ferry, Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)

This is an adorable picture book about a turtle who travels the land providing puddles when needed to animals and humans, until one day his friends introduce him to the joys of home.

Recommended by Jake Don’t Trust FishNeil Sharpson, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

You should not, under absolutely any circumstance, trust fish. Don’t believe me? Open this book and you will find many, many reasons why fish simply cannot be trusted. Filled from cover to cover with fun facts, compelling arguments, and hilarious insights, Don’t Trust Fish is guaranteed to have you giggling in no time. And even more importantly, you will learn exactly why it is that fish are just so…fishy.

Also loved by Chelsea!

Recommended by Rachel Cat Family Four Seasons: A Lift-the-Flap Book

Lucy Brownridge, Eunyoung Seo (Illustrator)

A lift-the-flap storybook with endless details, the cutest of critters, and an overall cottagecore feeling of community, joy, and little treats through the year!

Recommended by Sarah Woods & Words: The Story of Poet Mary Oliver

Sara Holly Ackerman, Naoko Stoop (Illustrator)

A gorgeous, lyrical biography of one of our most beloved poets. This one is for Mary Oliver fans of any age!

Recommended by Hannah P. The Bear Out ThereJess Hannigan

Jess Hannigan, you’ve done it again. I literally cackled reading this tongue-in-cheek Goldilocks-esque tale and was awed by the vibrant and sharp artwork on each page. My new favorite read-aloud for storytime!

Recommended by Ashby Me & Lavender

Melody C. Peugh, Eve Farb (Illustrator)

Ella is supposed to stay clean for afternoon tea, but it is too hard, especially when an elephant shows up. The two have great adventures but clean up in time for tea. A happy reminder to use your imagination.

Recommended by Cheryl Elvis & RomeoDavid Soman, Jacky Davis

Two dogs are taken to the dog park: one eager, one grumpy. Sometimes it is hard to make a friend until you find out what you have in common. It is so much fun to see them become great friends over the funniest thing.

Recommended by Rae Ann Here Is a BookElisha Cooper

A book takes a journey from idea to a reader’s hands in this beautifully illustrated love letter to books.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Rae Ann Earl & Worm #1: The Bad Idea and Other StoriesGreg Pizzoli

Earl is a happy-go-lucky bird who plays his saxophone to plants. His neighbor worm would rather stay inside and read in silence. Through this trio of stories, they become best friends.

Recommended by Ashby The Tontine CaperDianne K. Salerni

Tontine = a pool of money held by a group; the survivor gets it all. Take one orphan treated badly, one innkeeper who is the source of the bad treatment, and an assortment of odd characters who are part of the tontine, and you have a book with twists and turns where you hope the orphan will end up a winner, but will he?

Recommended by Cheryl The Wrong Way HomeKate O’Shaughnessy

A young girl is taken away from her friends where she had grown up when her mother takes her suddenly across the country to California. Her life had been very structured with total faith in the leader of her community. It was an angry adjustment. However as she starts school, a freer life with a new friend, she realizes that her mother had made a bold but healthy decision.

Recommended by Rae Ann Please Pay AttentionJamie Sumner

8th grader Bea survives a shooting at her school, carrying the aftermath with her. Therapeutic horseback riding and her community help her grow toward healing as she raises her voice for change in this powerful verse novel.

Recommended by Hannah P. Once for YesAllie Millington

Allie Millington knocks it out of the park yet again with her second novel. Every character, even the voice of an old apartment building, feels as real and warm as an old friend. I laughed and cried my way through this tender story of hope, community, loss, and healing.

Recommended by Cheryl Chronicles of Whetherwhy: The Age of EnchantmentAnna James

Juniper studies at Thistledown Academy for Enchanter training while her twin brother Rafferty takes a bookbinder apprenticeship to be nearby. He gets embroiled in a dark secret society and they must team up to fight the monsters.

Recommended by Rachel A Song for You and I: (A Graphic Novel)K. O’Neill

A cozy and slow paced fantasy world where the message is learning the importance of the calmer aspects of life, and that being a hero doesn’t always mean racing into action. Reading this feels like a perfectly paced stroll through breathtaking scenery.

Recommended by Rae Ann Creaky Acres: A Graphic NovelCalista Brill, Nilah Magruder

Nora hates leaving her horseback riding team behind when her family moves to the country. Her new barn, Creaky Acres, is very different. After a few mishaps, Nora shines as a leader when her new team competes in a show. This graphic novel is for anyone who loves horses or has moved and felt out of place.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Aly The Floating WorldAxie Oh

Cast in a land of darkness, below the magical floating world, a mercenary looking for his brother and a performer with a secret stumble upon one another. Is it by accident or by fate? Either way, they’ll need each other to find the light above in this fantastical tale of magic, danger, and deception.

Recommended by Rachel The Kiss of DeceptionMary E. Pearson

Favorite plot twist of all time! The Kiss of Deception is a perfectly plotted fantasy with world building of epic proportions and a headstrong runaway bride for a main character.

Also loved by Ester!

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Katie Hilda and the TrollLuke Pearson

Our dear Hilda can’t sit still to save her life, so she’s constantly setting off on adventures. While on an expedition she finds an a troll so intriguing that she must draw him, but she swiftly falls asleep. When she wakes up, she finds herself in the middle of a snow storm, desperate to get home. With beautiful art, loveable characters, and silly antics, this graphic novel is so charming.

Recommended by Ester Shatter MeTahereh Mafi

It’s time to reenter your 2010s dystopian era. Prepare to meet one of the best book boyfriends of all time. Absolutely no one compares.

Sprout Book Club: May Selection The Bear Out ThereJess Hannigan

The May 2025 Sprout Book Club selection is The Bear Out There by Jess Hannigan. A little girl warns that there is a BEAR out there in the woods. When someone knocks on the door, it’s the bear who comes into his house while the girl flees. This delightful fractured fairy-tale turns the story of Goldilocks upside down.

Early praise for the book:

“Feisty fractured fairy-tale fun.” – Kirkus

Sprout Book Club is the book subscription box for picture book lovers. Every month members will receive a first edition picture book.  Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite picture book lover for 3, 6, or 12 months. 

Spark Book Club: May Selection The Trouble with HeroesKate Messner

The May 2025 Spark Book Club selection is The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner. Finn Connelly is caught on camera vandalizing a cemetery two years after his father’s death. The grave belongs to a legendary mountain climber whose daughter makes a deal with Finn. She will not press charges if he agrees to climb all forty-six Adirondack High Peaks in one summer. Also, he must bring the late climber’s dog with him. This novel in verse is a heartfelt story of a boy and a dog on a journey to healing.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“Moving and profoundly funny verse and prose informed by postpandemic loss to craft a timely meditation on grief, anger, and the solace offered by nature.” – Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

Spark Book Club is the first editions club for middle grade readers.  Every month members will receive a first edition middle grade novel — plus a letter written by the author especially for club members. Makes a great gift for the independent reader! Sign ups are available for 3, 6, or 12 months.

ParnassusNext: May Selection The Floating WorldAxie Oh

The May 2025 ParnassusNext selection is The Floating World by Axie Oh. Ren is an acrobat, living with her adopted family in their traveling caravan. When danger strikes, she releases her hidden magical power of light. A gang of mercenaries are sent to capture the girl of light. One of them is Sunho, a former soldier whose memories have been erased. When he meets Ren, he doesn’t realize she’s the girl he’s looking for. This immersive fantasy world is very cinematic with an intriguing fast-paced story.

Early praise for the novel:

“Intriguing, bittersweet, and strongly paced.” – Kirkus

ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.

Planning Ahead: 36 Reads for May

It’s time to start thinking about which books you’ll be bringing with you on vacation this summer! This month, our booksellers have thirty-six titles for your consideration. Looking for a feel-good romance to bring to the beach? We’ve got it. A thrilling mystery that will keep you turning the pages? We have that too. We even have some recs for those of you who want to spend your vacations in your feels. Happy browsing!

FICTIONRecommended by LindsayThe Lilac People: A NovelMilo Todd

Set in alternating timelines between 1930s Berlin and the final days of WWII, The Lilac People is a powerful testament to trans lives and history. Beautifully written and thoroughly researched, this is one of my favorite debuts of the year so far.

Recommended by ElyseMy Friends: A Novel

Fredrik Backman

One of my favorite books of the year. A story of 4 teenagers, the painting that showcases their friendship, and an aspiring young artist, years later, determined to know the story of the painting and the figures in it.

Also loved by Rachel and Jordan!

Recommended by JenniferAudition: A NovelKatie Kitamura

Written in Kitamura’s characteristically crafted prose, Audition takes place in two parts where a character divides between herself and her other possible reality. Who are we in the paths left untread? What happens when we walk those same paths once thought lost to us? Evocative and compelling, Kitamura does it again in this thoughtful take on what is real.

Also loved by Rachel and Jake!

Recommended by KathyHeartwood: A NovelAmity Gaige

A young woman hiking the Appalachian Trail goes missing. This is told in various documents, reports and letters from the people involved in the search, ratcheting up the suspense level so you won’t be able to put it down.

Recommended by JakeThe Director: A NovelDaniel Kehlmann

Having escaped to Hollywood, Austrian expatriate and film director G.W. Pabst returns to his homeland just as the Nazis seize power. With no way out, Pabst begins directing films under the watchful eye of the Third Reich. The resulting novel is a stunning look at art under fascism and the easy path to succumbing to the temptation of power and complicity of evil. This is the great anti-fascist novel of the year.

Recommended by MaddieSky Daddy: A NovelKate Folk

Dear reader, Have you ever had a thought or habit so shameful, so plainly weird, you could never dream of speaking it out loud? Trust me, reader, our main character Linda has you beat. Follow along on this absurdly salacious story of a woman whose erotic obsession with planes is derailing her whole life. You will gasp, you will gawk, but I believe if you let yourself, you will also see seeds of your own reflection.

Also loved by Jordan!

Recommended by Rae AnnFun for the Whole Family: A NovelJennifer E. Smith

Estranged siblings – the famous actress, the novelist who has made the rest of the family angry, the soccer player, and the one who held them together – reunite in a semblance of the road trips the Extraordinary Endicotts took as children. But why did their famous sister call them together, and can they be friends again? This is a wonderful story about family and forgiveness.

Recommended by CherylThe Correspondent: A NovelVirginia Evans

This novel flows with the correspondence of an older woman’s life. It reveals mistakes, joys, grief and reconciliation. The letters are carefully crafted and she even receives replies from famous authors including a famous Nashville one. But are these wonderful letters a replacement for closeness? You may not think you enjoy epistolary novels, but surprise yourself with this one.

Also loved by Kathy and Paige!

Recommended by Ashby The Maid’s Secret: A Maid NovelNita Prose

Biggest book in the series. Not size. Content. Molly the maid is loveable. You want a rags to riches story for her and she just might… Alternating between present – Molly trying to solve a theft involving a Faberge egg – and past – her gran’s journal revealing how she went from only child of wealthy parents to maid. Molly and her friends work to piece past with present to solve it. I cried. A lot.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits (Deluxe Limited Edition): A Novel

Jennifer Weiner

Cherry knows her mom was half of the famous duo, The Griffin Sisters. She doesn’t know why they broke up and never spoke to each other again. Cherry runs away to chase her dream of becoming a professional musician against her mother’s wishes. Her unspoken wish is to bring the Griffin Sisters back together, but she has no idea what secrets she may uncover.

Recommended by Jenness The Staircase in the WoodsChuck Wendig

Kaleidoscopic and claustrophobic, bursting with nightmares supernatural and all-too-human – this is more than just a horror story about teens getting lost in the woods. Trapped in a maze of terrors, are your friends still your friends? Are your fears really your fears? Come for the haunted house, stay for the lingering unease.

Also loved by Rachel!

Recommended by Lindsay Open, Heaven: A NovelSeán Hewitt

Oh, my heart! This book! Seán Hewitt’s debut novel is queer coming of age as only a poet could pull it off–I took my sweet time with the 224 pages because every sentence is stunning. Open, Heaven is a perfectly weighted balance of nostalgia and disquiet, the liminal spaces between youth and adulthood. To all my fellow yearners: this one’s for you.

Recommended by Ashby Fair Play: A NovelLouise Hegarty

This debut mystery checks the boxes. New Year’s house party. Murder mystery game. What Abigail planned as a birthday celebration for her brother turns into murder. In walks the detective — a combination of Benoit Blanc and Hercule Poirot. He has to figure out who’s who, whose secrets led to murder, and how murder occurred in a locked room. The multiple endings reminded me of the movie Clue.

Also loved by Jake!

Recommended by Cheryl The Book Club for Troublesome WomenMarie Bostwick

1950’s housewives have the perfect life according to magazines and TV. They re-evaluate once they read The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, forming a book club named The Betties. By reading and discussing other writers they start thinking for themselves. They are united, liberated and educated.

Recommended by Katie No Ordinary LoveMyah Ariel

No Ordinary Love is no ordinary romance. This one is for the readers who love their love a little old school, who sway their hips whenever classic 90s R&B comes on, and who rooted hard for Mariah and Derek long before Taylor and Travis. Miles and and Ella are a sexy second chance romance you would be foolish to miss out on.

Recommended by Lauren Wild and Wrangled: A Rebel Blue Ranch NovelLyla Sage

This is possibly my favorite book in the Rebel Blue Ranch series! Cam finds herself all alone at the local bar in her wedding dress after her soon-to-be-husband left her at their wedding. In walks Dusty, her high school ex-boyfriend who she hasn’t talked to in years. I love how this book goes back and forth between present Cam and Dusty and their high school selves. I also love the friendships and family dynamics.

Recommended by Ashby Murder by Cheesecake: A Golden Girls Cozy MysteryRachel Ekstrom Courage

Move over, J.B. Fletcher! Blanche, Sophia, Dorothy, and Rose are detectives. Rose’s niece moves her wedding from St. Olaf to Miami. Feuding families. A body in the walk-in fridge. Four ladies in ridiculous costumes getting to the bottom of things. The best part? How perfectly each Golden Girl is depicted. I giggled at the St. Olaf stories while waiting for the murderer to be revealed.

Recommended by Sydney She’s a Lamb!: A NovelMeredith Hambrock

Delusional, narcissistic, and a full-blown danger to society, Jessamyn is THE unreliable narrator. She’s desperate for her big break and nothing will keep her from starring as Maria in her regional theater’s production of The Sound of Music—whether she gets the role or not. If you’ve watched and enjoyed Pearl (the 2022 horror film), please pick this up. She’s a Lamb! is a trainwreck you can’t look away from.

Recommended by Natalie Any Trope but You: A NovelVictoria Lavine

Margot knows that happily-ever-afters only exist in works of fiction. As a romance author, she uses these false promises to spin the perfect love stories. But when her cynical views become public, Margot retreats to the Alaskan wilderness to write her first mystery novel. It is there that Margot begins experiencing first hand all the cringey tropes she despises. But her heart is too smart to fall for that…right?

Recommended by Rachel Modern DivinationIsa Agajanian

Cozy and dark at the same time, Modern Divination is a witchy take on dark academia with five-star prose. The most atmospheric read of the year.

Recommended by Katie What Happens in AmsterdamRachel Lynn Solomon

Set in Amsterdam, this second chance romance turned marriage of convenience between high school sweethearts is just about the best thing since fresh stroopwafel. RLS is one of my favorite contemporary romance authors, and I always look forward to a new release from her.

Recommended by Patsy Friends of the Museum: A NovelHeather McGowan

McGowan’s writing captures the chaos of a day behind the scenes at the fictitious New York City Museum as they host their annual fundraiser. Director Diane and a wide variety of characters juggle their duties and personal dramas, while trying to please donors and coax loans of personal collections. Witty and dark, with a surprising turn.

Recommended by Jordan My Best Friend’s HoneymoonMeryl Wilsner

After calling off her engagement to her college boyfriend, a young woman brings her nonbinary best friend on the honeymoon her ex had planned for her. Spicy hijinks ensue, leaving the pair to decide what this means for their friendship.

Recommended by Theo We Never Took a Bad PictureAshley N. Roth

Ashley N. Roth has a knack for creating deeply flawed characters and then making you love them anyway. This is the story of the unspoken foundational problems in Artie and Gloria’s 50 “picture-perfect” years of marriage. No book has made me both laugh out loud and weep openly like this before!

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Jake Lessons from My Teachers: From Preschool to the PresentSarah Ruhl

An excellent collection of short essays, acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl examines the many teachers, both in school and long after graduation, in our lives and their never-ending impact. Ruhl’s writing is eloquent and precise and does a superb job of distilling why these life lessons have stuck with her. As the child of educators, I think Lessons from My Teachers is a must-read for anyone with a favorite teacher.

Recommended by Hannah P. Poetry Is Not a Luxury: Poems for All SeasonsAnonymous

Inspired by the famous words of Audre Lorde, “Poetry is not a luxury,” this powerful anthology focuses on accessible poems for everyone, whether you’re a new or seasoned poetry reader. Organized by seasons, this collection takes you through a year of reflection and inspiration. I started by marking all of my favorite poems, but had to stop, because almost every poem fit the bill.

Recommended by Cheryl The 10: A Memoir of Family and the Open RoadE.A. Hanks

Dear Author, Thank you for taking me along on your road trip. You were so brave to drive solo, following the tire tracks of the same trek you took with your complicated mother when you were young, but 20 years after her death. I enjoyed the places you took me on the 10. There were nail biting moments, lots of quotes to underline, and I was sorry to see it end.

Recommended by Aly How to Giggle: A Guide to Taking Life Less SeriouslyHannah Berner, Paige DeSorbo

This is exactly what I needed to read right now. Paige Desorbo and Hannah Berner have created a celebration of cherishing female friendships, being your authentic self in the pursuit of happiness, and never taking life to seriously. Grab your bestie for a buddy-read and get ready to giggle!

Recommended by Elizabeth We’ve Decided to Go in a Different Direction: EssaysTess Sanchez

I love this book! Sanchez offers classic, inside-Hollywood stories that shine with warmth and exceptional comedic timing, which is perhaps no surprise given that she’s also married to New Girl star Max Greenfield. (Speaking of which, their love story?! It’s what movies are made of.) A career casting executive, wife, mother, daughter, and so much more, Sanchez explores each of these roles with great depth and heart.

Recommended by AJ Julia Child’s Kitchen: The Design, Tools, Stories, and Legacy of an Iconic SpacePaula J. Johnson

Part deux of my ongoing fixation avec Mme. Child. We grew up watching her whack jars open on the counters, now we get a behind-the-scenes view at her iconic kitchen–pegboards replete with copper crockery and all. Fun fact: Paul, her husband, custom-built everything in the room to perfectly fit her 6’2 frame. Bon Appétit!

Recommended by Lindsay Museum of Dogs: A Romp through Art History for Dog PeopleJessica Poundstone

This book is an important reminder that since the dawn of time, people have been like, “Hey, you want to see a cool dog?” And yes, yes we do.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Katie Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in DisguiseRuth Reichl

Renowned food critic and former Editor-in-Chief of Gourmet Magazine, Ruth Reichl is one of my favorite non-fiction writers. Her fame forced her to get creative in order to stay anonymous, so she created a cast of characters to move through the food scene undetected. Garlic and Sapphires is a hilarious peek into Rechl’s different personas as well as a collection of some of her most well loved reviews.

Recommended by Jake Homicide: A Year on the Killing StreetsDavid Simon

Before he created The Wire, David Simon followed the homicide division of the Baltimore police department for an entire year. The resulting book is a pulpy, propulsive, and fascinating journalistic account of a world most of us can’t even imagine. Taking in the brief highs and many lows of life on the street, Homicide is a relentlessly compelling book that will leave you shaken to your core and unable to look away.

Recommended by AJ My Life in FranceJulia Child, Alex Prud’homme

One of my new year’s resolutions was to cook much more, and naturally, I overestimated my own skills and leapt to Mme. Child’s recipes. This book chronicles her life in France with her husband, Paul, in a France still reeling from two world wars, and how she fell in love with cooking. Forewarning, your stomach will growl at least once per chapter.

Recommended by Chloe QuicksilverCallie Hart

Fast paced, funny, and full of twists. Quicksilver pulled me out of my post-Onyx Storm reading slump with its lovable characters and steamy romance.

First Editions Club: May Selection The Emperor of Gladness: A NovelOcean Vuong

Our buyer at Parnassus, the wonderful author Lindsay Lynch (see: FEC pick Do Tell) loves nothing more than a poet writing a novel. I was never sure. It seemed a fairly small subset to get excited about. But then I read Kaveh Akbar (see: FEC pick Martyr!) and I understood her point. It’s not just the beauty of the language and the precise and jolting insights into human nature, it’s the freedom with which the whole idea of “novel” is approached. Novelists, nearly all of us, are burdened by ideas about how novels should be written, but the poets? They could care less what we think. The poets are flying.

Again and again, Ocean Vuong’s The Emperor of Gladness knocked me to the floor, so much joy and pain existing peaceably side by side.

Take this idea for example: that a boy beside a boy could form an island called “okayness.” “‘With him,’ he said, ‘it wasn’t that I was happy—but that I was okay. And okay was even better than happy because I thought it had a better chance of lasting.’ He turned and was startled to find her staring right at him. ‘Okay is underrated. You know what underrated means, right?’

‘More than what the Lord planned.’ she said.”

I sat with that one for a long time.

One of the main things we look for when we make our choices of the First Editions Club is to find a book you’ll want to keep, a book that, someday in the future, you won’t be able to believe you have a signed first edition of. That’s what you’re holding in your hands now.

Enjoy.

Ann Patchett

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.

Love, Parnassus: May Selection Gold Coast Dilemma: A NovelNana Malone

During an opulent publishing party, Ofosua Addo crosses paths with Cole Drake for the first time. Their flirtatiously witty exchange culminates in a kiss that etches a permanent mark on both their hearts.

But Ofosua’s identity as a Ghanaian heiress comes before Cole. She loves the vibrant traditions of Ghana’s Gold Coast, and her hand is already promised to a man that even her overbearing mother loves. Yet, when her big Ghanaian wedding transforms from a fairy tale into a spectacle, she’s thrust into a whirlwind of heartbreak and self-discovery.

In the midst of it all, Cole enters her life once again, under circumstances far different from their magical first encounter. Can Ofosua and Cole’s rediscovered spark overcome the weight of tradition?

The Love, Parnassus box is a monthly subscription box for romance readers curated by the experts at Parnassus Books. Each month you will receive a first edition book (which is sometimes signed), a letter from the author, a custom sticker, and a bookmark to track your reading. The Love, Parnassus selection will focus on debut and new-to-you romance authors. Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite romance reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.

An Interview with Matthew Hubbard & an Excerpt from His Forthcoming Novel

Tennessee author Matthew Hubbard is back with another timely, heartwarming, and hopeful story of queer resistance and joy. Parnassus floor manager Katie Garaby chatted with Matthew about The Rebel’s Guide to Pride (out May 6, 2025), and Matthew was even kind enough to share an excerpt of the book! Pre-order now to get a signed/personalized copy!

Matthew Hubbard | Photo by Mandy Rhoden

Katie Garaby: I’ve had the honor of following your writing career for nearly a decade now, and seeing your dreams come true has been an immense privilege. Can you tell us a little bit about your path to writing and why YA books are so important to you?

Matthew Hubbard: My path to writing started back in my early teens when I tried to write my own version of a popular children’s book, but it wasn’t until my last year of college that I’d finished a manuscript. I had attempted to find a literary agent with no luck. Then I wrote another . . . and another . . . and after I wrote my fifth attempt, my life changed after more than a decade trying. I signed with my agent, and she sold my manuscript in a two-book deal to Delacorte Press, who published it as The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge in 2024 with The Rebel’s Guide to Pride coming out May 6. Writing queer YA books is so important to me because representation on the page allows readers (of any age!) to come into their own unique identity. But it’s more than that. Seeing yourself represented as a main character lets you know you aren’t alone. This message is of the utmost importance for those, much like my younger self, struggling to belong.

KG: Can you remember the first book you read with queer characters? What was it like to see queerness on page?

MH: The first book I read with queer characters still burns brightly in my memory. It’s The Vast Fields of Ordinary by Nick Burd. I vividly recall the life-changing trip to a bookstore back in 2009 when I saw it on display. The cover was innocuous—a teen boy in a bright plaid shirt lying on green grass—but there was something about it that made me walk over to the shelf. Maybe it was the slight tilt of the boy’s chin or the delicate hand he held against his chest. Either way, I picked it up and read the jacket. It promised a tale of dreamy-eyed misfits, boyfriends, and coming out. With sweaty palms, I immediately put it back and walked away as though a giant arrow flashed above my head. While my friends were busy, I snuck back to the YA section and bought it. Later, when I returned home, I began reading behind a locked door. It was the moment I saw myself for the first time. My life began to make sense as I discovered myself on the pages. So, at 22 years old, I came of age while reading a young adult novel. I felt seen, but most importantly, I didn’t feel like a burden. It was both life-affirming and lifesaving. That moment is a driving force to where I am today, writing YA books for queer teens to see themselves as I did.

KG: Zeke and his friends are up against some big obstacles in their hometown. That can feel daunting for someone at any age. How do you, as a writer, show care for your characters in your books and how are they cared for by their peers so they can get up and fight the good fight each day?

MH: I think my biggest responsibility as an author writing these unfortunately real-life obstacles into my stories is to empower my characters. I like to write myself in as a parent or mentor who cares about them. With Zeke, I stepped into the shoes of his mother and other mentors in town, like Carmen the indie bookstore owner and Owen the ranger. It gave me a way to guide him and his friends as I would my own child. I think it’s crucial to show them how to find their voice and community while advocating for their rights. It’s equally crucial to show them they deserve the many facets of queer joy and friendship. Having these older characters care is my way to show Zeke and reader that they’re worth fighting for, and sometimes knowing you aren’t alone is all you need to get up and face the day.

KG: Something that many of us in the queer community struggle with is being “a good enough gay”. I certainly related to Zeke’s journey as he comes out and tries to figure out what his queer identity looks like. Did you relate at all to Zeke’s struggle and what advice do you give yourself on days you don’t feel like you are a “good enough gay”?

MH: Zeke’s journey is the most personal I’ve ever written because it is also my own. His questioning of where he fits in and how he can make a difference is something I’ve done most of my life. At first, I was terrified to write that into his character, from his shame to his inability to fully comprehend the laws targeting our community. Then I realized I wasn’t alone, but it wasn’t something many of us talk about. It felt important to show Zeke’s struggle and ways to combat it by never giving up—that’s what I tell myself when I don’t feel good enough. As long as I’m trying to better myself, trying to understand and learn and grow, that’s the most important takeaway in his journey.

KG: Zeke and his fellow QSA crew (a mix of besties and frenemies) plan a series of underground speakeasies to combat a city ordinance banning Pride. What I wouldn’t give to kick Mayor Buchannon in the shins. I know that these subversive speakeasies were inspired by The Great Gatsby, but how did you think to put it all together as an act of rebellion for Zeke, Sawyer, Kennedy and Cohen?

MH: The idea of this story came to me in a dream, as cheesy as that is to admit. I’d read news articles on proposed bans on drag and Pride events right before bed. Somehow my mind twisted this harsh reality with the Roaring Twenties and what it must have felt like living in a time of prohibition and speakeasies. As someone who is a fan of The Great Gatsby and the author’s wife, Zelda Fitzgerald (the first American flapper and an Alabama socialite!), I began to make connections from the 1920s to the 2020s. I thought about those queer rebels at Stonewall who fought back, and asked myself what a group of teenage rebels would do if they had speakeasy-style events to fight a mayor’s ban. The result is something bigger than I could have ever imagined when I first jotted down “Zeke and friends hold underground queer speakeasies to combat an anti-Pride law” in my notes.

KG: Do you have a favorite scene from The Rebel’s Guide to Pride? Was there a scene that was hard or felt too close to home?

MH: My favorite scene is also the scene that felt too close to home. Early in the book, Zeke has a shoebox full of everything he’d been made to feel ashamed about: a Pride flag, sign-up forms to join his school’s Queer-Straight Alliance, a newspaper clipping of a protest in DC, etc. Having him go through the things he hid felt like reclaiming parts of myself that I’d also hidden. It was empowering to have Zeke refuse to feel shame for who he is, and it was equally hard digging through the past I’d buried—and I’m so proud of what that meant for his character (and me).

KG: TRGTP is packed full of cultural references, music, television, which gives the book a real richness. Can you talk a bit about this?

MH: I like to ground my characters with cultural references, just enough to make the reader believe this could be a real place with real people happening right now. My approach is to pick references that make sense for the character and serve a purpose, and I think that’s what brings them to life. As much as I wanted Zeke and Sawyer to be Swifties, it didn’t feel right. They wanted to live their “brat summer” and swoon over Chappell Roan. The same goes for Doctor Who rather than Buffy the Vampire Slayer like I’d originally planned, and how a long- running show can shape how they view the world.

KG: What are you working on at the moment?

MH: I’m working on my third book, Drop Dead Handsome, coming out Fall 2026 with Delacorte Romance—my first full-fledged romance that’s a play on Miss Congeniality, one of my favorite movies, but make it queer(er)! It’s about an outspoken senior in Tennessee who enters his high school’s “Miss Spirit” pageant for his college essay, only to face sabotage. With the help of the nerdy but adorable student government president, he sets out to find the culprit while receiving a crash course in the pageantry of first love, while also dealing with the fallout of being in the pageant.

KG: One of my favorite podcasters and comedians, Cameron Esposito, always asks their guests to give a shout out to a “Quero” from their life. This is a queer person you know (or maybe just someone you admire) whose praises you want to shout from the rooftops. Who is your “quero”?

MH: There are so many incredible “queros” in the world, doing wonderful things. The person I thought of immediately is Becky Albertalli. I once admired her greatly from a distance, and now I’m fortunate to call her a friend. Not only has she done wonders for representation on the page, but she also fights for our rights much like Zeke, Sawyer, and the other rebels in The Rebel’s Guide to Pride.

KG: Your book balances queer joy and defiance so beautifully. I think that is really important right now when the world feels like it is spiraling out of control quickly. What is an easy way you’d encourage people to get involved and fight back in their own community?

MH: Thank you! Showcasing queer joy and defiance has become my driving force. While the rest of the world feels like it’s spiraling out of control, I’d encourage people to focus on what they can control. Often, this is in our own community. The easiest way to do this is by speaking out using social media and voicing your concerns at your local school/library board and city council meetings, which you’re entitled to attend. To borrow advice from Zeke’s mother, you never know who is listening, so be proud—and speak up because you don’t know who needs to hear it.

KG: We always end every interview by asking, “what’s your favorite thing about indie bookstores?”

MH: My favorite thing about indie bookstores is the sense of belonging. I make it a point to visit and support an indie bookstore when I venture to new cities. The atmosphere is always welcoming, and my favorite story about indie bookstores is visiting one and asking for a book recommendation. The bookseller took me around the shelves pointing out books she’d read that I might like—that’s what I love. Indie bookstores are real people in real communities who enhance the reading experience.

Exclusive Excerpt: The Rebel’s Guide to Pride by Matthew HubbardExcerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

There’s a run-down building right off Beggs Town Square. I only ever knew it to be the old Walt’s Diner that closed when I was a kid. My mom, however, saw what it could be. She used her life savings to buy it on the same day she left my father. In three months’ time, she’d opened Roaring Mechanics. Its vibrant emerald-green logo shined like a beacon of hope.

Automotive repair was in her genes, and owning her own shop like her father’s had been a lifelong dream. My father had never allowed it, though. What would people think if my wife did manual labor, Katherine? He never understood why she wanted to tinker on engines. That’s why she secretly taught me how, just like my grandfather had shown
her. Working on the family SUV had become our thing over the years. But I never thought living above the mechanic shop would also become our thing.

That week between last Christmas and New Year’s Day had been a blur, but I can still remember how she’d kept promising to make it right as we moved in. With each box we unloaded, I’d replayed the series of events: I came out, my father told my baseball coach it was a joke, the argument over dinner that led to Mom slamming down her fork and declaring, “Enough!” Each moment had led to us starting over, but the second-floor apartment was a considerable downgrade from the plush life we’d had before.

My new room was tiny in comparison to the one I’d grown up in. There was just enough space for a bed, nightstand, and dresser. I told myself it was temporary, a quick escape until she found us a house. Yet nearly six months later, we were still here, still living among boxes and clutter as she tried to save up enough money. At least the lone window in my room opened to a fire escape. I was able to climb down and ride my dirt bike when the walls felt like they were closing in.

And sneak back up without alerting Mom of my comings and goings.

I used it to avoid her after the blue hole. She’d given up on calling me while we were there, and the silence was much worse. I knew she’d have a lot to say when I finally left my room. Until then, I was doing everything I could to put it off.

My backpack was on the bed, the contents of the shoebox I’d swiped from the old bedroom dumped out. Over the years, I’d been using it to hide everything that earned my father’s disapproval. The first spark plug I’d changed in the family SUV. Club forms for the QSA I’d been too afraid to fill out. A rainbow flag Sawyer brought back from last year’s Birmingham Pride, even though we’d argued over me not going. Every volume of the X-Men graphic novels, because he didn’t consider them “real” books. An old edition of The Montgomery Southern Gazette newspaper. And a picture of Mom holding me as a baby

I picked up the frame, a finger tracing along the glass. Mom was standing outside of my grandfather’s mechanic shop in Montgomery. Both of us were looking at the camera, my toothless grin wide as I held on to a doll. That might’ve been the first and last time I’d been truly free, without the JACass domineering my life.

After setting the picture on the dresser, I turned my attention to the newspaper. It was from June 2023 with the headline “THOUSANDS MARCH ON WASHINGTON, DC, FOR PRIDE.” But it was the photo accompanying the article that had stuck with me. An unnamed man was caught mid-scream as he waved a sign protesting anti-LGBTQIA+ bills. The way he stood tall in his black leather jacket identical to mine, ripped jeans, the same maroon Converse sneakers I spent a month searching for—he was who I always wanted to be.

Unapologetically queer.

I carefully tacked it on the wall by my nightstand and then unfolded the rainbow flag. It was huge, with bright colors that lit up the bare white walls of the room. That was how my life felt now after the divorce—a fresh canvas I could color in. I glanced at the space above my headboard and knew it would look perfect there.

As I hung it up, I heard the distinct sound of a chair scraping across the floor. My breath stilled as footsteps padded down the hallway. Mom had left the small dinette she used as a home office, each creaking step coming closer to my room.
Here we go, I thought as the doorknob twisted. Her presence brought the smell of flowery perfume like the gardenias she’d planted in our old front yard. Slowly, I pushed in the last thumbtack on the flag without looking at her. Silence exuded from where she stood at the threshold while I waited for her to lay into me.

“Zeke,” Mom finally said, but her tone didn’t denote any anger. Instead, it sounded like it always did when she called me the middle name she’d chosen. Like she said it with a smile because she named me after Zelda Fitzgerald, her favorite woman in history.

“Sorry I didn’t answer your calls,” I said with caution, finally turning toward her. “Sawyer and I were swimming and—”

“Dear god.” Mom cut me off with a sharp intake of breath. “What happened, hun?”

She hurried toward me and tilted my chin down to get a better look at my eye. Heartbeats throbbed in my face as she studied the bruise. Lines etched on her brow, and I knew that look. It was the same overthinking one I saw in the mirror—along with the same heart-shaped face and unruly blond waves. However, it was the green of her eyes that set us apart, never letting me forget I was my father’s son.

“Did you get in another fight?” she asked through an exasperated sigh.

“What’s your definition of a fight?” I countered. “Because I threw a punch, and then he threw one. That’s all.”

“That’s two too many.” She pursed her lips, standing on her tiptoes to inspect the damage. “At least you don’t need stitches again.”

“It was totally my bad. I misjudged Billy’s strength. Next time—”

“There better not be a next time, Zeke. You’re gonna get hurt if you don’t stop picking fights.” She shook her head slowly, collecting her thoughts. “Does this have something to do with what happened to your dad’s billboard?”

“No … Well, kinda. More like really bad timing.”

“He called to give me an earful.”

“Oh?” My curiosity was piqued. “Please tell me he’s as upset as I’m hoping.”

“Upset would be an understatement,” she admitted and sat down on the edge of my bed. My triumphant grin was short-lived as she exhaled slowly, fixing me with a pleading stare. “You can’t keep causing trouble, Zeke. And don’t even get me started on your grades. He had a lot of thoughts about how it was my fault they slipped this last semester.”

I ducked my head, biting at my lip. We’d had the same conversation right after midterms. My father blamed Mom, and she blamed him for pressuring me. “They’re not so bad, Mom.”

“Not bad?” She laughed loudly like it was the funniest joke. “You bombed so hard that you nearly failed eleventh grade.”

“I think the operative word is ‘nearly.’”

No longer amused, she leveled her gaze. I started to argue but stopped myself. There was no use, because she was onto my self-destructive mission. “Sorry,” I said and took a seat beside her.

She reached across the quilt and grasped my hand. “Hun,” she began, squeezing it gently, “I know it’s been hell, but you can’t let what happened affect your future, okay?”

I nodded even though I didn’t buy her concern. No matter how many times she apologized, she’d still allowed my father to micromanage my life for years. Now I didn’t know what I wanted anymore. Didn’t know who I was without his rules looming over my head. Sometimes, I caught myself wishing I could go back to before. To when I never had to think about where Anthony stopped and Zeke began.

“You need to try,” she added. “Stay out of trouble this summer and start senior year fresh.” I shrugged again; school was the last thing on my mind. “Maybe you’d stay out of trouble if you had a summer job.”

“A what?” I blanched. “Everything’s fine, I promise—”

“You’ve been making a lot of those but not keeping them.” The firm line of her mouth told me she’d made up her mind. “It’s either work or be grounded like your father suggested.”

“I’ll take the first option,” I said quickly, unwilling to give him the satisfaction.

“Thought you’d see it my way,” she said, and bumped my shoulder. “Good thing I already got you a job.”

“Doing what exactly?”

“You’ll be my mechanic assistant this summer,” she explained. “It’ll be like old times when we worked on the SUV together.”

I nodded as the words sank in but knew it would never be like before. Neither one of us was the same person we used to be. The divorce was the first time she’d stood up for herself, for me. My father had manipulated her into thinking she needed him. However, that didn’t excuse the fact she’d allowed him to keep both of us under his thumb. She still felt like a stranger I didn’t know how to trust.

“When do I start?” I asked, accepting my fate.

“Tomorrow—”

“I’m supposed to help the QSA plan for Pride,” I interrupted. “We’re meeting before Sawyer has to work …”

She considered me for a moment and let her gaze drift to the rainbow flag I’d just hung up. “Fine.” She obliged, her narrowed eyes softening. We both knew it hadn’t been easy for me, and she was trying to be more supportive. “You’ll start Friday.”

I groaned inwardly and tried to summon the strength to get through this plot twist. Summer freedom was already fading, and it was only the first day. It would be a long two months stuck in this small-ass town with nothing to do.

The Rebel’s Guide to Pride hits shelves on May 6, 2025. Pre-order your signed/personalized copy!

Look Up: An Interview with Kate Folk

Dear Reader,Have you ever had a thought or habit so shameful, so plainly weird, you could never dream of speaking it out loud? Trust me, reader, our main character Linda has you beat. Follow along on this absurdly salacious story of a woman whose erotic obsession with planes is derailing her whole life. You will gasp, you will gawk, but I believe if you let yourself, you will also see seeds of your own reflection. Sky Daddy has been my most anticipated release of 2025, and I could not have been more thrilled to chat with Kate Folk about this perfectly unhinged and beautiful book.— Maddie Grimes, Parnassus bookseller

Kate Folk | Photo by Andria Lo

Maddie Grimes: Before Sky Daddy came out, I was a huge fan of your short story collection, Out There. I’m curious if Sky Daddy ever started out as a short story, or what made you realize that this premise was different and that Linda was a character you wanted to spend 350 pages with?

Kate Folk: I always knew this one was a novel. I felt like there was so much to explore in the idea of a woman who’s sexually obsessed with airplanes. I thought of it as a study of a fascinating, flawed character, similar to some of my favorite first-person narrated books, such as Lolita, My Year of Rest and Relaxation, and Convenience Store Woman. While I typically think of a short story as focusing on one moment or incident in a character’s life, I wanted this story to have room to meander. I believe that the ideal form of a story is embedded in its DNA, and as a writer my task is to find that form.

MG: Sky Daddy falls into this subgenre of unhinged female main characters that really seems to be having a moment in the spotlight right now. For you as a writer, does the increased popularity of these “unhinged” books give you more freedom to explore and push boundaries, or do you feel constricted, like there is more pressure to compare yourself to others?

KF: I’m a fan of many of those books, though I try not to think in marketing terms while writing. I think the term is useful in bringing readers to the book who will potentially be into it, but it can backfire in that it creates an expectation for them that the book never set out to fulfill. For instance, I’ve seen some people wanting it to be “more unhinged.” I do like that there is such an appetite for these books—particularly for books about weird, complicated women. In years past, there’s been discourse around the “unlikeable woman” in fiction. Readers have had less tolerance for  weird, messy, or otherwise “unlikeable” female characters, while embracing male anti-heroes in all forms. It seems like that is changing now, which is great to see. I always found the imperative for characters to be “likeable” to be strange, anyway. To me, it’s far more important for a character to be interesting than to be likeable.

MG: When I was reading this book I realized how much terminology and jargon actually exists about airplanes that I was completely ignorant to, but of course for Linda all of this lingo is like a natural second language to her. What was your research process like for Sky Daddy?

KF: In writing this novel, I didn’t need to be an expert about aviation, but I needed to get close to Linda and her obsession. Linda follows planes furtively, using the internet and apps, and I did the same. I wrote the book over a period of four years or so, and that whole time, I felt like I was seeing the world through Linda’s eyes, even when I wasn’t actively working on the book. I downloaded a flight-tracking app, and would always look up planes I saw flying above me, to see what type of plane they were and where they were headed. I became like Linda, my gaze fixed to the sky. The most intensive research for the story itself involved a later part of the book, when Linda takes many flights in quick succession. It was surprisingly difficult to figure out what a particular plane’s daily schedule might be, and to imagine how someone would go about booking multiple flights on it.

MG: Beyond its attention-grabbing premise, what I love most about Sky Daddy is what I see at its heart. To me, what’s so special about this book is that each one of us has our own private inner worlds and thought lives that we would never want to share with another person, and reading Linda’s story gives us a kind of permission to bring these hidden parts of ourselves to the forefront, acknowledge them, and understand that we are not so alone after all. Can you speak to this aspect of the novel and how Linda might be a more relatable character than people would expect?

KF: Yes, I think that’s a great reading of the book. While I don’t share Linda’s desire for planes, I channeled my own feelings to write her character. In a way she is a vessel for some of my feelings of being on the outside of “normal” society, looking in. I think many of us can relate to her in how she feels a bit alienated and like she is constantly
performing a role, either to get people to like her or to escape being judged. Her desire for planes can be read as any unusual desire that we are ashamed to admit to.

MG: Another interesting theme for me as a reader was how Linda’s obsession with planes is really intertwined with her isolation. Linda is a deeply lonely woman, and I wonder if in your mind this loneliness is caused by her secret obsession, or is it the other way around? How can these two traits fuel each other?

KF: Linda is very isolated, but I’m not sure she feels lonely most of the time, or at least, she isn’t quite aware of how lonely she might feel if she allowed herself to. I think she would like to have more connection with other people—and gradually accomplishes this over the course of the novel—but any potential loneliness is compensated for by her joyful connection with planes. I think she also sees solitude as the price she must pay to continue pursuing what she believes to be her destiny. Linda has a spiritual outlook on her life, realizing her time on earth is only temporary, and prioritizing the eternal over the day-to-day.

MG: Obviously I’m obsessed with your work; so I want to know what’s next from you! Is there anything you’re working on now you can hint to, or goals for future projects?

KF: Thank you! I’m working on another novel that’s very different from my previous work. It’s set in the early 1990s in Iowa, and the main character is an insurance salesman. I’m thinking of it as a suburban noir.

MG: Thank you so much again for taking time to answer my questions! To close, we always end with this: What is your favorite thing about independent bookstores?

KF: Independent booksellers have such evident passion for books. I love how every store is unique, and booksellers are so creative in setting up displays and staff picks sections. Independent bookstores’ enthusiasm for Sky Daddy has been incredible. As an author, it makes it all feel worth it.

Sky Daddy is on our shelves now!

You Love to Hate Them: An Interview with Olivie Blake

In Gifted & Talented, Olivie Blake showcases her ability to make you love a character you would hate in real life. The Wren siblings are an obnoxious trio of trust-fund billionaires with a multitude of daddy issues & gifted child burnout syndrome, and yet by the end of the book you can’t help but cry for their failures as if they are your own. I was so excited for the opportunity to dive in and ask Olivie all my burning questions!

—Rachel Randolph, Parnassus bookseller

Rachel Randolph: Gifted & Talented focuses on a large cast of characters, all wrestling with love and ambition in their own distinct ways. When drafting, how do you get to know these characters and their voices? Do they ever do things you wish they wouldn’t or you did not plan for?

Olivie Blake: Oh, I never know what these silly little guys are going to get up to and wouldn’t begin to know how to tell them what to do. G&T was an especially lawless process because it was the first manuscript I worked on after concluding the Atlas series. While I was working on Atlas, I was pretty effectively using a “living outline” for each book where I’d skeletally divide the story into 8 or so parts and then flesh out each section as I arrived there, with four POVs for each part balanced between the six characters. But each time I tried to follow the Atlas process for G&T—i.e., stopping myself every 20k or so to be like “hey Olivie, where is this going?”—I’d just shrug and keep writing because I didn’t yet know the answer. Which is my long-winded way of saying I’m a pantser at heart, and this book was proof that I don’t actually know how to write a book; one magically manifests by sheer force of will, and that’s the artistic process, baby. One thing that’s always true, though, is that I don’t start writing until I understand 1) the form the novel will take (what the structure will be, which perspectives will be included, who is narrating and how) and 2) what the narration sounds like. Even more so than my other books, this story is really not driven by plot—what’s important are the emotional stakes and voice, and those things usually take shape naturally as I explore the character dynamics.

RR: The narrative voice is a distinct character all of their own. Without getting into spoiler territory, did you always know this voice was the way the story needed to be told?

OB: Yes! This is what I mean by choosing the form in advance. 99% of the time I will choose a particular mechanism for no other reason than because it amuses me. In this case, I thought it would be funny to use a supposedly objective narration style only for the narrator to gradually reveal themselves to be not only not an objective lens on the story, but also wildly biased against the story’s main characters. As an author, I think about the reader a lot—not so much what the reader wants or expects, but what emotions I want them to be experiencing as they read. So I thought about the reader experiencing the story like “hey wait, I think this voice of God narrator is expressing opinions, what gives?” and went from there. Sometimes this narrator is even making things up for their own amusement. It all just seemed like a fun, interesting way to tell what is otherwise a straightforward story we’ve all heard versions of before.

RR: I must confess, there were a few times I nearly threw the book out of pure surprise. The dramatic timing is spot on in each of the many plot lines of Gifted & Talented. Is that timing intuitive or is it trial and error? How do you decide when to hold your cards close and when to reveal?

OB: Ha, so, as I was writing, I did ask myself: does it matter if someone sees this twist coming? And because each time I was like no, it’s fine, how we arrive there is much more important than the existence of the twist, I kind of forgot that some people wouldn’t predict those moments—until my husband literally gasped aloud while reading (which has never happened before). I promise that with some books I’m more methodical than others, but this one was very much an intuitive process. I was treating it a lot like a soap opera—my grandma loved American soaps, my mom loved this one Filipino show, Maalaala Mo Kaya, which I occasionally watched parts of without understanding the language—and there were always moments like, this is so unserious. I’m gonna do it. There’s nothing more absurd than family dynamics, so it felt like the right context to explore the secrets people keep.

RR: Similar to the rest of your body of work, the novel plays with time and chronology, jumping back and forth and looping all around, yet as a reader I always felt in the right place at the right time. How do you balance the past and present narratives?

OB: There are quite a few jumps you could be referring to, but what leaps to mind for me to mention is that Meredith and Jamie’s storyline was originally a concept I’d been exploring for a contemporary Persuasion adaptation set in the tech world. One thing I’ve always said about Persuasion is that it’s super juicy (the YEARNING) but could also be astronomically juicier, for those of us who love mess, if we could see glimpses of both perspectives throughout. In terms of navigating chronology more generally, I’m a curious person and I write accordingly—I always want to know how things got here, and I want to see it for myself, voyeuristically. I’m the author who’s always going to reward your impulse to look in people’s windows. At the same time, I’m an easily bored craftsman, so I prefer to jump around and show you what I think is relevant to the present moment rather than progress through time linearly. For me, the balance is giving just enough of the past to justify the emotional stakes in the present, because the present (and more specifically, forward motion) is ultimately how the story takes shape. The story isn’t what happened then—it’s what created the circumstances for what’s happening now.

RR: Can you talk about genre and genre breaking? Gifted & Talented is categorized as fantasy, and yet it is also a family drama, corporate thriller, and grief narrative. With your self-published history and now trad-pub success, how is genre different in those two spaces?

OB: People often comment that my books break genre constraints in various ways, but I think I’m just kind of a magpie. I take the shiny stuff from all the books I love as a reader, which often happen to be genre hallmarks from thriller, fantasy, sci-fi, romance, and then applying certain literary sensibilities (mainly in my disregard for form conventions). In this case I was definitely going for family dramedy—to me, this book is heavily inspired by The Royal Tenenbaums, which I consider a film with profound emotional stakes despite its absurdist tone. The Wes Anderson aesthetic is exaggerated, distinctive, a little storybook—all things I was consciously doing with Gifted & Talented as well, because it struck me as a playful way to tell a story about what it means to be lonely, disillusioned, and, frankly, incompetent at love. I do think genre matters more to the audience than it does to the artist, which you’re right to observe is a consequence of my entering traditional publishing through my self-published backlist. Genre matters because it informs reader expectations, but it’s not that helpful for the writer, in my personal opinion. Of course, I’m functionally crowdsourced as a result of my self-published books going viral, so I’ve never really had to follow industry rules, and I’ve just… kept doing what I was doing. I think if anything I’m proving retroactively that there has always been an appetite for works that cross genre, it’s just harder for publishing to sell something there isn’t data for. But since I entered the market, I’m seeing a lot more freedom in terms of how a book can make use of “mismatched” settings, tropes, and archetypes.

RR: How long have you been working on Gifted & Talented? Does it have a different subtext than you expected coming out in 2025? How is the novel in conversation with the current state of capitalism?

OB: I actually wrote this book from June-August 2023, so before the election and before we were exposed to the extent of technofascism as we’re witnessing it now. I don’t think I really understood how angry I was about the lack of innovation in tech, or the impact that existing in a minimally effective, profit-driven, unregulated virtual landscape has had on our lives, until I’d finished writing this book. I didn’t really see it as an incisive take on the tech industry while I was writing, but everything I wrote about fraud is not about how it’s incidental to one character, but how it’s systemically enabled, because the current climate of the tech industry has pushed the fluidity and scale of capital without any meaningful contributions to match. Startup culture under capitalism, enshittification, the fact that a bunch of tech billionaires betrayed everyone politically just to hoard their personal wealth—these things are all related. And there is also a relationship to the girlboss, win-at-all costs mindset that underwrites the attitude for which the book is named. This book asks about happiness, and what happiness is or what it means or how much is possible to achieve, as something that is impossible within the sociopolitical constraints of our current system. The only true freedom of choice we currently have amounts to personal ethics, which has massively limited efficacy considering the way whole industries evade accountability. This was true when I was writing, obviously, but the transparency of corruption is currently so blatant I almost worry I’m preaching to the choir.

RR: As a chronic overachiever myself, the Wren family’s individual hungers for success felt eerily familiar to me. Why do you think so many people relate to these ideas? What do you hope they take away from Gifted & Talented?

OB: It took me a long time to stop seeing life as a series of accolades to check off. I think it’s that “gifted kid” mindset, the feeling that you have to stay ahead or you’re failing. If you’re not overachieving then you’re not achieving at all, and if you’re not achieving, you’re not deserving. It’s a particularly Millennial attitude, but probably registers beyond, where we were told we would have good lives if we just performed the dance correctly: get good grades, go to a good college, get a good job, do good work. But the reality is that completing the circuit still guarantees nothing; not to linger too long on this note, but the social safety nets aren’t there and our system is working as intended—which is to say, a few people have most of the wealth. The GATE program itself is built on system inequalities that are reinforced at every level. So what do you do, then, if you’re forced to play an unwinnable game? Structural policy changes aside, you make the best choice you can. You reframe what it means to live well. Everyone loves an ingenue, it’s customary to laud the empty space of potential, but the reality of being an adult means recognizing that your gifts and talents are immeasurable and intrinsic, and maybe there are no gold stars for making the ethical choice. But there’s no glory in compromise, and happiness doesn’t come from profitability. So maybe the success we were promised was always
an exploitative lie.

RR: And finally some bookish questions to finish us off! What novels would you consider part of the fabric of who you are as a writer?

OB: I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith, The Song of the Lioness quartet by Tamora Pierce, everything by Liane Moriarty, Vicious and the Shades of Magic trilogy by V.E. Schwab, the Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante, White Teeth by Zadie Smith. This particular book was also influenced by the structure of Fleishman Is in Trouble by Taffy Brodesser-Akner, and tonally by The Idiot by Elif Batuman.

RR: What is your favorite memory inside of an indie bookstore?

OB: I didn’t marry a reader—he became one over the course of our relationship. One time he set me free at our local indie and gave me a limit of—get this!—five books. I was the kid whose parents complained about reading; I had a flashlight I used to read at night and always got in trouble. Plus we couldn’t afford more than one new book in a blue moon. So a limit of FIVE BOOKS felt tantamount to getting away with murder. And I always love an indie because it feels more like a treasure hunt, even though there are sages in the form of booksellers to help you cheat.

Gifted & Talented is on our shelves now!

A Shelf Full of Words: 19 Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

What’s better than having a shelf full of books? Filling it with even more books! (Disclaimer: This may sometimes also require getting more shelves.) We have some great new releases for the young and young at heart this month to grace your home libraries. Happy browsing!

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Rachel Ins and OutsElizabeth Withey, Salini Perera

A surprisingly clever picture book with very few words! Ins and Outs is a tale of opposites shown through page-turning puzzles & pictures.

Recommended by Jake Nellie’s Big SplashCori Doerrfeld

Nellie, a sea turtle, has just hatched. But while her siblings head for the sea, Nellie is scared of the waves and heads the other way. She climbs higher and higher, but the waves only follow her up. Finally, Nellie sees the ocean beyond the waves and finds the courage to be brave. Nellie’s Big Splash is yet another excellent picture book from Cori Doerrfeld, and tells a powerful tale of facing your fears head on.

Recommended by Michelle Hope in a JarDeborah Marcero

Llewellyn is very good at collecting his hopes and dreams in jars. But what happens when things don’t go your way? Llewellyn learns how to collect new dreams, let old ones go, and the excitement of watching your dreams come true.

Recommended by Rae Ann So Tortoise DugEmmy Kastner

When their burrow floods, Tortoise digs a new one for herself and her best friend, Mouse. When Mouse disappears, new friends show up looking for a home. The reveal of Mouse’s journey and the delightfully detailed illustrations make this a wonderful book about friendship and community.

Recommended by Shop Dog Roxy Hazel the HandfulJamie Michalak, Matt Myers

As a shop dog, I am the center of attention. This book deals with a new baby (almost as challenging as a new puppy in my opinion) through a dog’s point-of-view. Eventually, Hazel shares her favorite toy, Chuck the Pig, with the new baby. Not sure I would do the same. A great way to have conversations about the arrival of a new baby which is NOT something I want to face.

Recommended by Cheryl A Chest Full of WordsRebecca Gugger, Simon Röthlisberger

A boy finds a mysterious trunk in the forest that is loaded with words that activate when released. A hedgehog becomes fluorescent! What a creative way to introduce vocabulary with anticipation. There is also a QR code at the back for additional downloadable activities.

Recommended by Katie Robinson’s New ThingJulia Mills

Robinson the raccoon LOVES to collect things. Something every parent of a small child can relate to. But Robinson meets Rosie the Snail and she is seriously unimpressed with his collection. So she shows him her own collection of bubbles in a stream, stars in the northern lights and slowly Robinson learns that the best collections aren’t always made up of things but moments you can hold onto with friends.

Also loved by Austin!

Recommended by Rae Ann EchoAdam Rex

Everyone agrees with Junior, including the mysterious voice from across the valley. When a new girl moves in next door, she doesn’t believe Junior is right all the time. He runs to the valley to meet his echo and realizes constant validation may not be the best in the humorous picture book.

Recommended by Michelle The Baby Who Stayed Awake ForeverSandra Salsbury

A hilarious story of a baby who is determined to stay awake FOREVER, and their tired family (and neighbor) who are just trying to rest. Who needs to sleep when you can have a dance party at 1 AM?

Recommended by Austin Monty and the MushroomsDev Petty, Jared Chapman

The delightful pictures in this book had me laughing all on their own. The story of Monty and his noisy neighbors is simply delightful and the lessons in being considerate of those around you is always valuable.

Recommended by Rachel Charley Mouse Cleans HouseKaterina Gorelik

A cottage core dream of pink whimsy & details galore! Charley Mouse Cleans House has picturesque scenes with search-and-find & counting games hidden throughout.

Recommended by Cheryl Off They Run!Katie Cotton, Rob Hodgson

This is a clever board book. A tiger chases a monkey so you have to turn the book around and around to follow the chase. Delightful!

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Rae Ann A Day at the BeachGary D. Schmidt, Ron Koertge

A Day at the Beach covers a single day at the beach featuring kids encountering friends and strangers for a moment throughout the day.

Recommended by Chelsea Rebellion 1776Laurie Halse Anderson

One of my most anticipated books of 2025! Rebellion 1776 is a tale of an epidemic in the midst of a rebellion, told through the eyes of Elsbeth, a thirteen-year-old whose father has disappeared during the Revolution. This is historical fiction at its best, drawing readers in with compelling details of life in 1776 while making timely connections to today’s world.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Lindsay Run Away With MeBrian Selznick

Look, whatever Brian Selznick does, I’m here for it–and his first YA novel is no exception! I loved watching Danny and Angelo’s story unfold as they discover the city of Rome, stories hidden across art history, and their love for one another.

Recommended by Katie Camila Núñez’s Year of DisastersMiriam Zoila Pérez

An ominous tarot reading, her parents’ shaky marriage, and a recent heartbreak have left Camilla reeling. A summer trip to Miami to visit her family may just be the getaway she needs. Perez’s debut doesn’t shy away from hard conversations about anxiety, queer identity, body shaming, and so many other issues young people face, all explored with the thoughtful lens of a writer who understands just how tender these topics are.

Recommended by Michelle Sunrise on the ReapingSuzanne Collins

It’s the 50th Hunger Games, and Haymitch has everything to lose: his family, his girl, and his life. When double the amount of tributes are reaped for the second Quarter Quell, are the odds ever in his favor? Sunrise on the Reaping is where the past meets the future, and where resistance takes root.

Also loved by Tara!

Recommended by Tara Say a Little PrayerJenna Voris

When Riley is ordered to attend a week-long church camp, she turns it into a challenge. Can she commit all 7 deadly sins in 7 days? We watch Riley spend those days grappling with the beliefs she was taught growing up and catching feelings for the pastor’s daughter.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Chelsea We All PlayJulie Flett

This is my two-year-old’s favorite bedtime book right now. The book focuses on the connection between animals and children, both who love to play! At the end, as the animals fall asleep, so do the children. Featuring dual-language elements with English and Cree and beautiful illustrations, We All Play belongs on the bedside of every infant and toddler you know.

Sprout Book Club: April Selection Nellie’s Big SplashCori Doerrfeld

The April 2025 Sprout Book Club selection is Nellie’s Big Splash by Cori Doerrfeld. When sea turtle Nellie hatches among her siblings on the beach, she’s very happy. When it’s time to dive into the ocean and swim, she’s afraid. She soon realizes when she looks past the scary waves, there’s a whole new world waiting for her.

Early praise for the book:

“In this sweet story, scary things may remain scary, but pushing past them yields enormous rewards.” —Kirkus

Sprout Book Club is the book subscription box for picture book lovers. Every month members will receive a first edition picture book.  Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite picture book lover for 3, 6, or 12 months. 

Spark Book Club: April Selection Rebellion 1776Laurie Halse Anderson

The April 2025 Spark Book Club selection is Rebellion 1776 by Laurie Halse Anderson. In the spring of 1776, Elspeth Culpepper’s father disappears in the middle of the rebellion as smallpox sweeps through Boston. Elspeth’s immunity to the disease allows her to provide medical aid as controversy over the smallpox vaccine simmers in the community. She continues to search for her father as her world erupts in chaos in this historical adventure by award-winning author, Laurie Halse Anderson.

Early Sparks for the novel:

Told through Elsbeth’s clever, feminist, often-humorous perspective, this original and timely story immerses readers in her observations on an epidemic and vaccination, early American politics and society, and the meaning of family. Engrossing, entertaining, and heartfelt.  – Kirkus

Spark Book Club is the first editions club for middle grade readers.  Every month members will receive a first edition middle grade novel — plus a letter written by the author especially for club members. Makes a great gift for the independent reader! Sign ups are available for 3, 6, or 12 months.

ParnassusNext: April Selection Run Away With MeBrian Selznick

The April 2025 ParnassusNext selection is Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick. In his debut YA novel, author/illustrator Selznick tells the story of two boys who fall in love one summer in Rome. American Danny spends his summer in Rome while his mother works at a museum dedicated to the preservation of books. As he explores Rome, he meets a boy named Angelo, who knows every hidden gem of the city. Brian Selznick’s illustrations pair perfectly with the text to tell this story of the history of Rome and a blossoming relationship.

Early praise for the novel:

“Intricate and wondrous.” – Kirkus, starred review

EVENT ALERT: Please join us for an in-store event with Brian Selznick on Friday, April 11th at 6:30 pm. Click here to buy tickets! (ParnassusNext members — use the code that was emailed to you to redeem your free ticket!)

ParnassusNext is the book subscription box for YA lovers. Every member of ParnassusNext receives a first edition hardcover of each month’s selected book, signed by the author. There is no membership fee to join — and no line to stand in for the autograph. Not only will you have one of the best YA books of the month when it comes out, you’ll have it straight from the author’s hands, with an original, authentic signature! Set up a subscription for yourself or buy a gift membership for your favorite YA reader for 3, 6, or 12 months.