Ann Patchett's Blog, page 7

Sticking Together: 12 Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

If there’s a theme to be found among this month’s picks for the young and young at heart, it’s the importance of community and togetherness. These books celebrate the ones who help us through all of life’s ups, downs, and in-betweens. Grab a pal and come get one of these sweet reads!

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Rae Ann I Lived Inside a Whale

By Xin Li

A quiet girl in a noisy family builds a boat to sail away inside a whale. When a loud friend joins her, she finds that balance is best in this whimsical picture book about taking time for yourself while also engaging with others.

Recommended by Hannah P. Ride Beside Me

By Lucy Knisley

A mother and child hop on their bike for a ride through town, meeting all kinds of people on all kinds of cycles. It isn’t long before their zooming group gets bigger and bigger! I adore this story that celebrates the joys of biking and diverse communities.

Recommended by Chelsea The Friend Ship

By Kat Yeh, Chuck Groenink (Illustrator)

When Hedgehog is lonely, she overhears someone talking about the Friend Ship, so off she goes to find it. With comforting repetition, warm illustrations, and a plucky heroine, The Friend Ship proves that the journey may be destination all along. I dare you to read this book and not feel warm and fuzzies.

Recommended by Rachel Treehouse Town

By Gideon Sterer, Charlie Mylie (Illustrator)

After reading this picture book, I’m packing my bags and moving to Treehouse Town! That place truly has it all! You could spend hours poring over every last detail in the beautiful illustrations here, plus the story is a perfect celebration of community, teamwork, and joy!

Recommended by Hannah P. Time to Make Art

By Jeff Mack

What is art? How do you make it? A young girl has her questions answered by artists throughout history from around the globe. This insightful book is sure to inspire any young creative. Bonus points for the micro bios of each artist in the backmatter!

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Jenness The Curse of Eelgrass Bog

By Mary Averling

Curious 12-year-old Kess cares for her family’s Museum of Unnatural History – often looking for new and interesting specimens. While exploring, she and her new friend Lilou discover a mysterious curse linked to her parents and Lilou’s grandfather. The girls encounter witches, monsters, and more in their quest to break the curse. This is a fun adventure about friendship, secrets, responsibility – and a bit of magic.

Recommended by Rae Ann Ferris

By Kate DiCamillo

Ferris Wilkey’s summer is not relaxing. Her sister wants to be an outlaw and her grandmother starts seeing a ghost. Before the summer ends, an act of kindness will bring light and joy to her entire household and found family.

Recommended by RJ DnDoggos: Get the Party Started

By Scout Underhill, Liana Sposto (Contributions by)

DnDoggos is the start of a new graphic novel series about a group of dog friends playing a tabletop role-playing campaign. Featuring the cutest adventuring party of all time, this story blends table-side antics and in-game action to create a fun, accessible story for young D&D players and beyond.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Chelsea A Tempest of Tea

By Hafsah Faizal

An orphan with her own agenda of revenge, Arthie is forced to steal from vampire society in order to keep her teahouse and her found family safe. The worldbuilding, the vibes, and the cast of characters are all perfection. Faizal has delivered a twisty page-turner that I haven’t stopped thinking about.

Recommended by Aly This Day Changes Everything

By Edward Underhill

With all of the twists and turns of a well-executed rom-com, this story is not what it appears, but exactly what I wanted it to be. Heartwarming and funny, but full of emotion and fan-girling. This book has everything and more.

Sprout Book Club: March Selection Tiny Wonders

By Sally Soweol Han

The March 2024 Sprout Book Club selection is Tiny Wonders by Sally Soweol Han. This is a picture book about the wonder of tiny things, like wishes and flower seeds.

Early praise for the book:

“Full of hope, warmth, and charm, a reminder that it’s the little things that matter.” —Kirkus Reviews

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: March Selection Ferris

By Kate DiCamillo

The March 2024 Spark Book Club selection is Ferris by Kate DiCamillo. Ferris Wilkey’s summer is full of pandemonium. Her little sister wants to be an outlaw and her grandmother sees a ghost. Before the summer ends, an act of kindness brings joy and light to her entire family.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“DiCamillo’s gift for conveying an entire person and world in a few brushstrokes of storytelling provides depth and quiet magic to this account of an eventful summer . . . Tenderly resonant and memorable.” – Kirkus, 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: March Selection Under This Red Rock

By Mindy McGinnis

The March 2024 ParnassusNext selection is Under This Red Rock by Mindy McGinnis. This psychological thriller follows a teen girl grappling with the death of her brother as she starts a new job, only to become the number one suspect in her co-worker’s murder.

Early praise for the novel:

“Striking a careful balance of dry humor and occasionally harrowing depictions of Neely’s mental health challenges, McGinnis delivers a compassionate and gripping read.” –Publishers Weekly, 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.

Spring Reading: 37 Books for March

This is a big spring for books, y’all. The first week of March brought us so many new releases, and we’re only just getting started! But savoring a new book requires time, so we’ll pace ourselves with just a mere 37 reads for you to choose from. Get your TBRs ready!

FICTIONRecommended by Ann Wandering Stars

By Tommy Orange

Tommy Orange follows his Pulitzer finalist debut There There with Wandering Stars, a novel that both lives up to the first book’s promise and exceeds it.

Wandering Stars is our First Editions Club selection this month! Scroll to the bottom of this post to read more about it.

Recommended by Lindsay The Great Divide

By Cristina Henríquez

I’m so delighted Cristina Henríquez is back with a new novel! Her latest, The Great Divide, is set around the construction of the Panama Canal. This novel is such an incredible testament to what great historical fiction can do–by looking at the intersecting lives of the workers, doctors, activists, and citizens of Panama, Henríquez gives us an entirely new perspective on this chapter of history.

Recommended by Jennifer The Warm Hands of Ghosts

By Katherine Arden

A deep and powerful walk through the Great War, this beautifully crafted story shows us the ties that bind when the world is falling apart.

Recommended by Ashby Women of Good Fortune

By Sophie Wan

Ocean’s 8 meets Crazy Rich Asians. Three friends each want something different: escape a wedding, get cosmetic surgery, and freeze eggs. How? Stealing the safe where wedding guests will deposit monetary gifts. They recruit a crew and form a plan but there are mishaps along the way. Favorite character? Michelangelo who makes perfect knock-off designer handbags and is enlisted to make a replica of the safe.

Recommended by Jenness Anita de Monte Laughs Last

By Xochitl Gonzalez

Anita de Monte is a young, vibrant Latina artist whose life is cut short by her abusive, egotistic artist husband. His star rises as hers fades into obscurity. Until… Twenty years later, Raquel is an intelligent, driven art history student facing the same sexism and racism, as well as an overbearing boyfriend. Both women relate their compelling stories which eventually intertwine in a cathartic, incredible finale.

Also loved by Ashby!

Recommended by Lindsay The Tower

By Flora Carr

I adored this debut from Flora Carr! The Tower takes place during Mary Queen of Scots’ imprisonment in a remote Scottish castle, where she is joined only by enemies and a select group of attendants. What follows is an immersive and propulsive story of perseverance and the bonds that save us.

Recommended by Patsy American Spirits

By Russell Banks

Devastating and hard to put down, this collection of three interrelated stories of the residents of Sam Dent, NY, explores the dark undercurrents of divisiveness in a community. Great reading and rich food for thought in an election year. I heartily recommend.

Recommended by Tara Trouble

By Lex Croucher

Lex Croucher is back with another legendary regency romp. Emily Laurence is sent in her sister’s place to be the governess at Fairmont House, but trouble seems to follow her wherever she goes. Trouble is loosely inspired by The Sound of Music. Readers will delight in the subtle nods to The Sound of Music as well as the queer and feminist twist that Lex Croucher is known for.

Recommended by Jenness The Hunter

By Tana French

The return of a ne’er-do-well local to his Irish township ignites a slow-burn thriller in Tana French’s latest. Bouncing between three well-drawn main characters, the narrative never veers far from the secrets, obligations, rivalries, and resentments that flourish in small communities.

Recommended by Jennifer An Education in Malice

By S. T. Gibson

Academic rivals Carmilla and Laura are unprepared for their chemistry in their poetry class nor the bloody malice that haunts the school halls.

Recommended by RJ What Feasts at Night (Sworn Soldier #2)

By T. Kingfisher

You will never look at a disintegrating horse the same way again.

Recommended by Jennifer Thirst

By Marina Yuszczuk, Heather Cleary (Translated by)

A sapphic gothic novel, Thirst follows the footsteps of an ancient vampire searching for meaning and peace through the centuries in Buenos Aires. This is the perfect moody read.

Recommended by Chelsea How You Get the Girl

By Anita Kelly

A sweet, warm romance about basketball, families, and living in your honesty. Kelly does such a wonderful job of writing characters exploring their identities and truths – both Julie and Elle captured my heart from the first chapters. I eagerly look forward to what Kelly does next.

Also loved by Katie!

Recommended by Rachel The Book of Love

By Kelly Link

The Book of Love is the epitome of good fantasy. Link bends the rules of the world we know, bringing in Gods, deals with devils, boys named David Bowie, and all sorts of monsters, but we still recognize the spirit of this world deep in our souls. The characters are not names on a page but lives captured in magic, preserved in their perfect, flawed forms, forever.

Recommended by Ashby The Kamogawa Food Detectives

By Hisashi Kashiwai, Jesse Kirkwood (Translated by)

A book of umami. What if someone could perfectly recreate a meal from your past?. Vividly. Not just food. Time. Place. People. Conversations. This father-daughter team does just that. A half-finished meal when the woman ran from a marriage proposal. The everyday udon a wife made her husband. In solving the mystery and making the meal, they bring something unique to clients. It brings food memories flooding back.

Recommended by RJ The Butcher of the Forest

By Premee Mohamed

A horror-tinged fantasy novella about a nightmarish forest and a woman desperate to save two children lost inside. The tension remains high throughout the entire story, with a conclusion you won’t forget. Perfect to read in one sitting.

Recommended by Maddie Green Dot

By Madeleine Gray

Oh my god I loved this book. I want to be Hera’s best friend. I want to hang out and listen to Taylor Swift with her while we complain about our jobs and muse about what our futures might look like. And then I want to grab her by the shoulders and yell at her to get her life together. Gray’s writing is refreshing and real and seriously funny. I will be singing this book’s praises for the rest of time.

Recommended by Cheryl Love and Hot Chicken: A Delicious Southern Novel

By Mary Liza Hartong

If you are looking for a good southern rom-com of two women who meet and fall in love at a hot chicken restaurant in a small Tennessee town, then this is the book for you! It is so funny with its witty remarks that you honestly cannot read it with a full bladder. This debut novel is a hoot and half!

Also loved by Katie!

Recommended by Katie A Love Song for Ricki Wilde

By Tia Williams

A breathtaking new release from Tia Williams (Seven Days in June). A Love Song for Ricki Wilde is a gorgeous love story 100 years in the making. Set in Harlem, the story follows Ricki and Ezra, a florist and a musician in a race to undo a hundred-year-old curse. Full of found family with a tinge of magical realism, this is a fantastic pick for lovers of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue.

Recommended by Rachel The Other Valley

By Scott Alexander Howard

A quiet yet thrilling dystopia exploring memory, grief, and time travel. The Other Valley is a gem of a novel with a most unique set up. Imagine endless valleys, each with the same exact town, but one direction goes 20 years into the future, and the other 20 years into the past. Now mix in humans with their greed and complexities, and you end up with a prophetic and meditative novel.

Recommended by Natalie Listen for the Lie

By Amy Tintera

Everyone thinks Lucy murdered her best friend. Including Lucy. When a handsome podcaster begins investigating the case, Lucy starts to question her past and what really happened that night her friend died. Perfect for fans of Sharp Objects and What Lies in the Woods. For an extra treat listen to the audiobook which is produced to sound like a real true crime podcast!

Recommended by Katie The Friendship Study

By Ruby Barrett

The Friendship Study centers around two sexy little sad MCs who sign up for a research study that’s trying to figure out why millennials can’t make friends. While the study doesn’t allow for any hanky panky, Jesse and Lulu’s chemistry quickly has them finding creative workarounds. If you love a good hurt/comfort trope Jesse and Lulu will be your 2024 couple of the year. This book is SO good.

Recommended by Sydney Help Wanted

By Adelle Waldman

Help Wanted follows the fictional lives of a logistics team working for a big box superstore. I know that sounds terribly boring, but this would be a fantastic read for anyone who has ever worked in retail or customer service. The interpersonal dynamics of ordinary people doing ordinary things is what makes this novel something special.

Recommended by Jenness Greta & Valdin

By Rebecca K. Reilly

Greta and Valdin are siblings in Auckland, NZ, and have the enviable, easy-going relationship that makes you want to join their family. In fact, I loved the characterizations of every one of their quirky, supportive family and friends (including their Maori mom and Russian dad). The writing is delightfully witty, interesting, smart, and real, as you follow along through ups and down. It’s just a really great book.

Recommended by Maddie The Hearing Test

By Eliza Barry Callahan

A book that flows so effortlessly and is so easy to read from start to finish, you’ll not even get the chance to notice how impressively smart it is until you look up from the last page. A story about a woman who wakes up one morning with sudden hearing loss, The Hearing Test reads like a whisper in your ear—steady and contemplative, subtly and gently commanding your attention.

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Cat Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story

By Leslie Jamison

Leslie Jamison seems incapable of shying away from the parts of herself that many of us find hard to look at. Those that struggle, fail, and feel shameful. I was captivated by the ways in which this memoir about divorce and single motherhood turns difficult moments and emotions into something full of resilience, framing them in such a way that I was continuously reminded that it is in the imperfect that life happens.

Recommended by Jake Black Caesars and Foxy Cleopatras: A History of Blaxploitation Cinema

By Odie Henderson

A deft and illuminating account of the Blaxploitation genre, Odie Henderson’s book is destined to become the definitive text on the subject. Giving equal weight to objective criticism and subjective experience, the result is a delightfully enthusiastic combination of both. Covering movies from Shaft to Foxy Brown and everything in between, this is one of the most entertaining film history books ever written.

Recommended by Rachel 300,000 Kisses: Tales of Queer Love from the Ancient World

By Seán Hewitt, Luke Edward Hall

This BEAUTIFUL book takes a look at Queer representation in classic Greek mythology! From Apollo and Hyacinthus to Sappho to Socrates, Hewitt explains the mythos in perfect depth, and Hall’s illustrations add the perfect luscious imagery.

Recommended by Cat Grief Is for People

By Sloane Crosley

I adore Sloane Crosley’s candor and disturbing sense of humor. If those two things combined with talking about loss and grief sound like good time to you then grab this book. Within one month, Sloane’s apartment is broken into, some heirloom jewelry is taken and then her best friend commits suicide. What follows is her circuitous journey to try and make sense of the two very different events.

Recommended by Chelsea Momma Cusses: A Field Guide to Responsive Parenting & Trying Not to Be the Reason Your Kid Needs Therapy

By Gwenna Laithland

Don’t be distracted by Laithland’s sarcasm, wit, and snark – this book is a refreshing, informative look at parenting. I found her approach to be extremely relatable and really appreciated the actionable steps and ideas that were in each chapter. Laithland strikes the perfect balance between practical and anecdotal, and I highly recommend this to parents at any stage.

Recommended by Andy Jimmy Breslin: Essential Writings

By Jimmy Breslin, Dan Barry (Editor)

The Library of America has collected 72 of Breslin’s columns which essentially tell the history of the later part of the twentieth century. The struggle for Civil Rights, Vietnam, Trump, Son of Sam, and the murder of John Lennon are just of few of the topics that Breslin lent his unique perspective to. Who would have thought to cover the assassination of JFK through the eyes of the man who dug his grave – Breslin would.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Jake Fortune Favors the Dead

By Stephen Spotswood

A new take on the classic murder mystery, Fortune Favors The Dead combines whodunnits, classic noir, and locked room enigmas to make something spectacularly new. Following private detectives Pentecost and Parker, their first case together sees them investigating a seemingly impossible murder whose solution just might be supernatural. Fast paced and whip smart, this is a breath of fresh air for the genre.

Recommended by Sarah This Is What It Sounds Like

By Susan Rogers, Ogi Ogas

Susan Rogers, an iconic record producer turned neuroscientist, will help you listen to music in ways you never have before. I found so many things to appreciate about songs I would have previously written off as “just not my taste.” This is a fun and enlightening read for any music nerd!

Recommended by Mac Metamorphoses

By Ovid, Stephanie McCarter (Translated by)

Stephanie McCarter revitalizes the feminist themes of Ovid’s masterpiece in a way that is beautiful and approachable – for anyone wanting a more refreshing take on this classical work.

Recommended by Kathy Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

By Jamie Ford

This one slipped by me 13 years ago. Set in the Asian neighborhoods of Seattle and the Japanese internment camps during and after WWII, it tells the story of young love that lasts a lifetime against all odds. It’s not often that historical fiction is both educational and heartwarming. This book is both.

Recommended by Hannah P. Upstream: Selected Essays

By Mary Oliver

It shouldn’t surprise anyone that I, a longtime lover of her poetry, am now even more deeply devoted to the church of Mary Oliver after reading her magical essays. These breathtaking pieces on writing, the wild beauty of the natural world, and great literary figures make for a powerful and tender reading experience. I’m not kidding when I say this book literally healed me!

First Editions Club: March Selection Wandering Stars

By Tommy Orange

Tommy Orange became a major voice in American fiction with his first novel There There. It was a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and won the American Book Award. It wasn’t just that people were reading this book, they were talking about it, studying it, teaching it. The most amazing part of all is that this enormous success neither finished Tommy Orange off nor waylaid him for a decade. In the face of universal celebration, he did something miraculous: he wrote a second book that’s even better than the first.

Wandering Stars begins with a bright flash of happiness that represents life as it was, as it might have stayed, before diving headlong into the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. Jude Star survives but is left starving, voiceless, and utterly bereft. This mass murder is the engine of destruction that will define all the generations going forward, even when they no longer remember Jude or know the details of what happened. The novel follows the characters to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, through displacement and addiction and poverty, as well as love, determination, and the bonds of family. It holds the thread of Jude Star until it meets the characters of There There who are, in this present day, struggling to recover from Orvil Redfeather’s shooting.

Wandering Stars reexamines the history of our country through the stories of the people who endured it, and seeks to explain why so much suffering put in motion more than a hundred and fifty years ago continues to shape the lives of people today. The result is this complex, heart-stopping, beautiful book.

When you’ve finished, be sure to read the acknowledgments. Here’s the last line, “Big thanks to Kaveh Akbar, for trading pages the whole way through, for being a bandmate and dear friend in ways I never knew I needed.” I love to think of these two great books being made together by two great friends.

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: March Selection The Phoenix Bride

By Natasha Siegel

It is 1666, one year after plague has devastated England. Young widow Cecilia Thorowgood is a prisoner, trapped and isolated within her older sister’s cavernous London townhouse. At the mercy of a legion of doctors trying to cure her grief with their impatient scalpels, Cecilia shows no sign of improvement. Soon, her sister makes a decision born of desperation: She hires a new physician, someone known for more unusual methods. But he is a foreigner. A Jew. And despite his attempts to save Cecilia, he knows he cannot quell the storm of sorrow that rages inside her.

David Mendes fled Portugal to seek a new life in London, where he could practice his faith openly and leave the past behind. Still reeling from the loss of his beloved friend and struggling with his religion and his past, David is free and safe in this foreign land but incapable of happiness. The security he has found in London threatens to disappear when he meets Cecilia, and he finds himself torn between his duty to medicine and the beating of his own heart.

Facing seemingly insurmountable challenges, David and Cecilia must endure prejudice, heartbreak, and calamity before they can be together. The Great Fire is coming—and with the city in flames around them, love has never felt so impossible.

Praise for the book:

“Set in 17th-century London, this sumptuous romance tells the story of two star-crossed lovers drawn together under tumultuous circumstances. . . . Narrated in alternating points of view and featuring diversity along multiple axes, including religion and LGBTQIA+ identity, this lyrically written and utterly romantic novel from [Natasha] Siegel will appeal to readers of historical fiction and epic love stories.”—Library Journal, starred review

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.

Lucky Ducks: 19 Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

If you’re a YA fan, you sure are a lucky duck! We have not one, not two, but eleven fantastic new YA titles to recommend to you this month. Looking for great picture books and middle grade stories? We have those too! Don’t forget to scroll all the way down to see what we’ve picked for our young readers subscription boxes for February as well. Happy reading!

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Rae Ann Lucky Duck

By Greg Pizzoli

Susan thinks she has bad luck, but she’s truly a lucky duck. This charming story shows how things can turn out for the best when you least expect it.

Recommended by Chelsea Like So

By Ruth Forman, Raissa Figueroa (Illustrator)

Simple, repetitive text comforts as the illustrations astound. This sweet book about grandmothers, love, and the natural world is perfect for readers of all ages.

Recommended by Lindsay The Teeny-Weeny Unicorn

By Shawn Harris

I read this book and immediately pledged my lifelong fealty to the Teeny-Weeny Unicorn. If you’re with me, we ride at dawn.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Last Stand

By Antwan Eady, Jerome Pumphrey (Illustrator), Jarrett Pumphrey (Illustrator)

This intergenerational story of a family’s farm stand is told in color-filled scenes that show the passage of time.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Rae Ann Not Quite a Ghost

By Anne Ursu

Violet’s family moves into a new house. Her new room in the attic is creaky and may be haunted. After she becomes ill, she starts to wonder if the yellow wallpaper is causing it or if there’s someone trapped there, and what she should do about it.

Recommended by Annika, 7th grade The Liars Society

By Alyson Gerber

The Liars Society is a very quick read with an exciting plot. The two main characters, Jack and Weatherby, both attend a prestigious school. Strange things keep happening, like when the money for their school trip gets stolen, and when they both get invited to play a mysterious game. I love how the plot ties together in the end.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Rachel Most Ardently: A Pride & Prejudice Remix

By Gabe Cole Novoa

As someone who adores Pride and Prejudice, I am very protective of its main characters, and I am happy to report that Gabe Cole Novoa gave them brilliant new lives in this retelling. My little queer heart was bursting at the seams!

Recommended by Lauren Powerless (The Powerless Trilogy)

By Lauren Roberts

Paedyn is an Ordinary, but she must keep this a secret because The King wants all Ordinaries dead or banished from the kingdom. This secret becomes difficult to keep after she saves The King’s son and is now thrown into The Trials to show her worth, alongside Kai, who is The King’s son and the Enforcer that banishes The Ordinaries. Powerless is a great dual POV and I can’t wait for the next book to come out in July!

Recommended by Jenny So Let Them Burn (The Divine Traitors #1)

By Kamilah Cole

After a war defending their island country, sisters Faron and Elara face even bigger dangers that threaten the entire world. After Elara is bonded to the deadly, but beautiful, Signey and her dragon, Faron must join forces with her rival Reeve to save her. This is a perfect choice anyone looking for an action-packed fantasy with enemies-to-lovers and DRAGONS.

Recommended by Aly That’s Not My Name

By Megan Lally

It is so rare that I can’t guess the ending to a mystery, and this one really threw me for a loop. Such a good true crime thriller with dual POVs and a twist ending you will not see coming, or at least if you do please don’t tell me.

Recommended by Katie Sinner’s Isle

By Angela Montoya

It’s okay to judge a book by it’s cover. Lucky for us, the story in Sinner’s Isle is every bit as gorgeous. In a world where magic is highly coveted, Majestics are sequestered away to train and sold to the highest bidder. When Rosalinda comes of age, she is committed to finding freedom for herself and others. And if that freedom is tied to a very moody (and sexy) pirate prince, well there could be worse fates.

Recommended by Chelsea Ghost Roast

By Shawneé Gibbs, Emily Cannon (Illustrator), Shawnelle Gibbs

Despite her father’s ghost hunting business, Chelsea’s social life is looking up until one night lands her in hot water – and her father’s business for the summer. Her burgeoning spiritual gifts lead her to commune with some ghosts, but can she get the whole story before her dad exorcizes the spirits for good? This perfectly paced graphic novel weaves in history, social commentary, and the cringe of being a teenager.

Recommended by RJ Infinity Alchemist

By Kacen Callender

Infinity Alchemist is the first book in a new magical series from award-winning powerhouse Kacen Callender. High stakes, a simple but flexible magic system, and complex, well-developed queer characters makes this an engaging, tense, and deeply romantic read.

Recommended by Ashby These Deadly Prophecies

By Andrea Tang

A fantastical murder mystery. Say what? Tabatha, Sorcerer Solomon’s apprentice, must solve his murder, a murder he predicted. Tabatha teams up with Callum, the sorcerer’s son, to discover the murderer. But can she trust him? And what about his magic-wielding siblings?

Recommended by Jordan Dungeons and Drama

By Kristy Boyce

A romcom with a fake dating trope between an eccentric theatre girl and a nerdy gamer boy? Count me in! This book has something special for the romance lovers and the Dungeons and Dragons fans as well.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Ester Sorcery of Thorns

By Margaret Rogerson

Sorcery of Thorns follows Elisabeth and her journey in becoming a warden of magical grimoires. Tangled in a crime she didn’t commit, Elisabeth has to work with Sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn and his demonic servant. This is perfect for fans of whimsical, Studio Ghilibi-esque stories– full of banter and found family, this fantasy standalone checks every box!

Sprout Book Club: February Selection My Thoughts Have Wings

By Maggie Smith, Leanne Hatch (Illustrator)

The February 2024 Sprout Book Club selection is My Thoughts Have Wings by Maggie Smith and Leanne Hatch. A girl’s bedtime thoughts take over her imagination. When she realizes her thoughts have wings, they fly her away to happy places.

Early praise for the book:

“The cozy ideas will comfort nervous young readers and make a strong conversation starter for less-than-sure caretakers. ‘Everyone worries,’ and barring a late-night banana bread craving, the soothing suggestions will surely bring somnolence on soft feathers. Fortitude against fluttering fears.” – 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: February Selection The World-Famous Nine

By Ben Guterson, Kristina Kister (Illustrator)

The February 2024 Spark Book Club selection is The World-Famous Nine by Ben Guterson. Zander’s grandmother owns a nineteen-story department store, The Number Nine Plaza. He’s excited to experience the rooftop Ferris wheel, and the monorail on his summer visit. When strange accidents start happening, Zander and a friend follow clues to a mysterious object that protects the store’s existence.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“Ben Guterson dives headlong into adventure, employing flights of fancy and imagination and humorous situations to instantly charm readers.” – Publisher’s Weekly

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: February Selection This Day Changes Everything

By Edward Underhill

The February 2024 ParnassusNext selection is This Day Changes Everything by Edward Underhill. A teen on a band trip in New York City plans to let her best friend know she’s in love with her by giving her an annotated copy of their favorite romance novel. When she gets lost in Manhattan, a new friend helps her salvage the day.

Early praise for the novel:

“A pair of touristy queer teens turn getting lost in New York City into an entertaining rom-com adventure.” – 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.

Suspects, Swooning, & Stardust: 39 New Reads for February

We took a couple months off from staff picks, and boy howdy are our booksellers itching to share their favorite new reads with you! We have 39 books to highlight, so we won’t keep you any longer. Scroll on down and have a browse!

FICTIONRecommended by Lindsay Martyr!

By Kaveh Akbar

Y’all, the way that Kaveh Akbar’s Martyr! permanently altered my brain chemistry! This debut is such a stunning portrayal of the twinned darkness and hilarity of contemporary life in America, covering everything from addiction, to geopolitical history, queer love, performance art, and casually also the meaning of the life. At turns profound and comic, Martyr! is unlike anything I’ve read before.

Also loved by Jake, Maddie, Paige, and Sarah!

Recommended by Kathy The Storm We Made: A Novel

By Vanessa Chan

Malaysia 1938/1945 – A woman compromises her family to fulfill her own needs when she becomes a spy for a handsome Japanese official in wartime. Such interesting characters in a twisty story, from a piece of history we know little about.

Recommended by Sarah Interesting Facts about Space

By Emily Austin

A list of things I thought this book was about while reading it: neurodivergence, bald men, space, sexuality, mental health, family, true crime, friendship. Turns out, it’s about all those things and much more. The quirky structure and unique protagonist drew me in, and Austin’s keen insights about life and love had me savoring each page.

Recommended by Elyse The Waters: A Novel

By Bonnie Jo Campbell

A story about Herself, an herbal healer, her three daughters, and granddaughter as they navigate through their own world on (and off) a marshy island in Northern Michigan where they try to preserve their family, and ways of life. Told in a language that flows like the waters that surround the island, the story celebrates nature, and the strength and resilience of women, family, and community.

Recommended by Lindsay Come and Get It

By Kiley Reid

No one writes class and social hierarchies like Kiley Reid. In her latest, Come & Get It, Reid turns her eye to a college campus in Arkansas, digging into all the petty drama, hushed side conversations, backhanded compliments, and codeswitching among the students and faculty. The result is an engrossing and explosive story, told with Reid’s signature wit–I loved it.

Recommended by Cheryl Family Family: A Novel

By Laurie Frankel

Once again Frankel uses young characters who break the mold to show adoption from all perspectives. It can be happy! Without giving away the plot, it builds the story of the birth mother and the families who adopt. It is not a search for love because it is love in all aspects. With humor facing real issues it becomes a new example of an extended family.

Recommended by Aly Good Material

By Dolly Alderton

I genuinely laughed so hard reading this heartfelt and supremely messy comedy about the fallout from a breakup nobody ever saw coming. Well, at least the narrator didn’t. A very fresh take on a realistic romance that will break your heart and put it back together again.

Recommended by Ashby Queens of London: A Novel

By Heather Webb

“Diamond Annie”, Alice, runs an all-girl gang trying to stay ahead of detective Lilian. A brilliant mastermind up against one of the best at Scotland Yard. Both want to prove themselves, women in 1925 London. Full of coppers and thieves.

Recommended by Jennifer The City of Stardust

By Georgia Summers

An exciting debut, The City of Stardust is an atmospheric dark academia fantasy that feels like a Grimm’s fairy tale. Violet is the next in line for a fated curse. She goes on an adventure to break the curse and finds love, betrayal, and herself along the way. I really enjoyed how completely immersive the story was, and I would recommend for anyone who likes their fairy tales a little dark.

Recommended by Cheryl The Women: A Novel

By Kristin Hannah

This historical novel follows the journey of a nurse who served in the Vietnam War. The loss of her soldier brother prompts her to leave her easy life. It has heartache plus non-acceptance with her return as a veteran by both the VA and her community. The only people who understand are the two women who served with her. Hannah’s thorough research shows. Harsh and authentic, but you want to cheer at the end.

Also loved by Rae Ann!

Recommended by Tara The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels: A Novel

By Janice Hallett

Janice Hallett is the undisputed queen of mystery. Told through emails, texts, and transcripts, this book attempts to solve a cold case involving a cult called the Alperton Angels. From start to finish this book was utterly unputdownable.

Recommended by Sydney The Fury

By Alex Michaelides

The Fury is for readers who still aren’t over The Silent Patient (and please, don’t read this if you have not read its predecessor—spoilers!). Alex Michaelides has kept his signature jaw-dropping twists with this Greek island thriller, accompanied by a mildly infuriating (pun intended) narrator.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Frozen River: A Novel

By Ariel Lawhon

The Frozen River is a story of early America, also relevant for today. A midwife knows the secrets of the women in her community. When a dead man is retrieved from the river’s ice, she is  determined to learn his secret, too, while protecting the ones he hurt.

Recommended by Ashby The Antique Hunter’s Guide to Murder: A Novel

By C.L. Miller

This is not Antiques Roadshow! This hunt is a series of mysteries, one inside another, like treasures in an antique store. Freya distanced herself from her mentor, blaming him for the death of the man she loved. After his death, Freya gets pulled back into his world. With each mystery she solves there is another, but solving them allows her to regain her sense of self.

Recommended by Katie Red String Theory

By Lauren Kung Jessen

Fair warning – I am the President, Vice President and Publicist for the LKJ Fan Club. And I am so excited for Red String Theory!! Equal parts a swoony love story and a deep meditation on the role that fate and choice play in our own love story, Lauren Kung Jessen’s sophomore romance sparkles like the night sky.

Also loved by Tara!

Recommended by Rae Ann Unsinkable

By Jenni L. Walsh

Violet Jessup survives the Titanic and two other maritime disasters. Her true story is paired with the story of a WWII spy. Each woman faces unthinkable challenges with resilience in this captivating novel.

Recommended by Natalie Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect: A Novel

By Benjamin Stevenson

Ernest Cunningham finds himself caught up in the midst of yet another murder mystery. Full of twists and turns this novel is great for fans of Agatha Christie or The Thursday Murder Club. Told with the same humor and wit that made the debut such a magnificent read, this book is perfect for the amateur sleuth who wants to see if they can spot the culprit before the narrator or if they are a page too late…

Also loved by Heath and Tara!

Recommended by Rachel The Atlas Complex (Atlas Series #3)

By Olivie Blake

I *almost* wish this book hadn’t come out, because then I could go on living as if its contents had never happened, lost in the world of the Atlas Six trilogy. But Blake knows the characters like her deepest friends. Trust her to carry you where the story must end.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Heiress: A Novel

By Rachel Hawkins

The death of an infamous heiress, who was kidnapped as a child, divides her descendants at their family estate in this gothic novel. Once you start reading, it’s hard to put down.

Also loved by Tara!

Recommended by Kathy The Madstone: A Novel

By Elizabeth Crook

This is News of the World with sass! A journey across South Texas after the Civil War becomes a harrowing adventure for a young pregnant mother, her 4 year old son, and the men who will try to save them from potential kidnappers. Narrated by her “savior” Benjamin, it’s laugh-out-loud funny, clever and touching.

Recommended by Jenness The Parliament

By Aimee Pokwatka

A quiet Thursday evening at the library turns into a nightmare as dozens of adults and kids realize they are trapped inside by the mesmerizing, ever-growing flock – parliament – of owls surrounding them. An engaging and surprisingly deep story about internalized trauma, resilience, and the power of community. And murder owls.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Magic All Around

By Jennifer Moorman

A woman returns to her family home after her mother’s death. As she works through an assigned list of tasks with the help of a magical house, she may find where she truly belongs.

Recommended by Katie That Time I Got Drunk and Saved a Demon (Mead Mishaps #1)

By Kimberly Lemming

I lost my dang mind when I saw that Kimberly Lemming’s beloved Mead Mishaps series was taking the leap from indie to a trad-pub deal. Because as far as I am concerned, the more people reading Lemming the better. This series is a delicious romp through the world of monstery-romances. Campy and sexy with a cover so HOT you might actually faint. I am a HUGE fan of hers. I know you will be too!

Recommended by Natalie First Lie Wins: Reese’s Book Club Pick (A Novel)

By Ashley Elston

A devious spy vs. spy con game where you don’t know who you can trust till the very end. If you love to see a smart female spy outmaneuvering her opponents, this one is for you. Fans of Alias or Oceans 8 will enjoy this novel full of morally grey characters and espionage.

Recommended by Jennifer The Tainted Cup

By Robert Jackson Bennett

A true blend of mystery and fantasy, The Tainted Cup follows Din, the eye-rolling assistant to a rather unhinged investigator. In a world where humans can be genetically altered in order to protect the realm, Din must help Ana help solve a murder involving an exploding flower before its too late. If you liked Knives Out and also crave a well-crafted fantasy world, look no further!

Recommended by Katie Time to Shine

By Rachel Reid

I’ve read many hockey romances this past year. So when I tell you that Reid is the best, I say so as someone who considers themselves an actual expert on the topic. (Not on hockey itself because gross but gay hockey romance – totally.) Time to Shine is her latest addition to the m/m hockey romance canon and I beg of you to pick up every last one of her books right now. Reid is actual perfection and my newest obsession.

Recommended by RJ Fifty Beasts to Break Your Heart: And Other Stories

By GennaRose Nethercott

This short story collection is a lush mix of fairytale, fantasy, and horror that I devoured in one night. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a collection where I loved every story so consistently. With some unique formats (one story is told through illustrated bestiary entries, others through lists or dictionary definitions) and beautiful prose, this is a spectacular read.

Recommended by Tara Last Call at the Local

By Sarah Grunder Ruiz

Not only is this a lovely romance set in a small town in Ireland, but it also has the most realistic representation of OCD I have ever read in a book.

NONFICTIONRecommended by Rachel Alphabetical Diaries

By Sheila Heti

Sheila Heti took a knife, carved open my chest, and carefully lifted out my heart to preserve it in the pages of this book. The crazy part? It is in alphabetical order, down to the very last letter of the last word. Utterly genius and one of a kind.

Recommended by Jennifer Black Liturgies: Prayers, Poems, and Meditations for Staying Human

By Cole Arthur Riley

A powerful adage to the Instagram phenomenon, Black Liturgies walks us through all parts of life, from love, to loss, to Lent, and gives us poetry, meditations, prayers, and reflections on how to navigate. Written in a similar style to the Book of Common Prayer but with Black voices, Cole Arthur Riley revives the human in all of us. This is a truly magnificent book for all seekers looking for meaning.

Recommended by Jordan Everyone But Myself: A Memoir

By Julie Chavez

This memoir about mental health and panic attacks reads like a conversation over lunch with a best friend. Full of humor and hope, readers are sure to see themselves in this relatable story.

Recommended by Rachel Witchcraft: A History in Thirteen Trials

By Marion Gibson

A reminder that history is the most brutal and devastating of all stories. This book made me at times desperately sad and then bursting with fiery hot rage. Gibson takes you through the evolution of demonology and the persecution of women through patriarchal and Christian beliefs.

Recommended by Patsy Cashing Out: The Flight of Nazi Treasure, 1945–1948

By Neill Lochery

Fascinating tale of Nazi attempts to secure their plunder by sending it out of the war zone via neutral countries Spain, Portugal, Sweden and Switzerland. This prompts the Allies to launch Operation Safehaven in efforts to thwart the theft of national and personal treasures. Reads like fiction! For fans of The Monuments Men and Operation Mincemeat.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Jennifer The Bear and the Nightingale: A Novel (Winternight Trilogy #1)

By Katherine Arden

A dark winter classic, cuddle up with a hot drink and enjoy this magical story infused with Russian folklore. One of my all-time favorites!

We’re so excited to host Katherine Arden for her new book, The Warm Hands of Ghosts, on February 15 at 6:30pm! Register to attend the event for free HERE.

Recommended by Maddie One’s Company: A Novel

By Ashley Hutson

What happens when the only thing keeping you going in life is your obsession with a ’70s sitcom and then you just happen to win the lottery? Obviously you use your winnings to recreate that show’s set and then spend the rest of your days in isolation acting out your own delusion-fueled one-woman show. (Yes, the premise of this book is actually that insane, and yes, it is just as weird and fun as you hope it will be.)

Also loved by RJ and Jordan!

Recommended by Jake Gloria (Tcg Edition)

By Branden Jacobs-Jenkins

A Pulitzer Prize finalist, Gloria is just one of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ many excellent dramas. Seamlessly intertwining comedy and tragedy, this play follows half a dozen employees at a large magazine in Manhattan. Brilliantly incorporating commentary on journalistic values, social norms, and the modern workplace, Gloria also manages to include the single most shocking end to a first act I’ve ever encountered.

Recommended by Tara Pit Bull: The Battle over an American Icon

By Bronwen Dickey

This book covers the history of pit bulls in America and the ever-changing perception and treatment of them. I consider this book a must-read for every dog owner.

Also loved by Natalie!

Recommended by Sarah Boulder

By Eva Baltasar, Julia Sanches (Translator)

One of my goals for 2024 is to read more translated literature, and Boulder was a fantastic place to start! Baltasar explores love, queer motherhood, and restlessness in a fantastically honest and straightforward way while still managing to be poetic and lyrical. Short and intense, Boulder doesn’t leave a word out of place.

First Editions Club: February Selection Come and Get It

By Kiley Reid

I almost missed this one.

Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus fiction buyer and wonderful novelist, read it first and loved it. I started it and thought, this is too much fun. This is maybe too delightful. I thought, I need something heavier for the First Editions Club, and so I put it down. I read some more books for February, all of them heavier and less delightful. I kept thinking about Millie, the heroine of Come and Get It. I wondered what she was up to, wondered how college was treating her. I went back to Come and Get It. As soon as I started reading again I felt relieved. I knew there were other books I should be reading but this was the one I wanted. I put it
down again. Picked it up again. College girls, dorm life, money worries, love. Was it enough?

Then I noticed the Washington Post quote on the cover of the advanced reader’s edition. It said, “Reid constructs a plot so beautifully intricate and real and fascinating that readers will forget it’s also full of tough questions about race, class, and identity.”

That was it exactly. Reid was doing the novelist’s job so well I was overlooking the complexity in favor of the story. The same had been true with her celebrated, best selling first novel Such a Fun Age, which was about babysitting, and so much more than babysitting. It was a finalist for the Booker Prize.

Give yourself over to the enjoyment of this novel. Let it sneak up on you. I’m still thinking about Millie, her dear, singular, sensible self. I love her.

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: February Selection Sex, Lies and Sensibility

By Nikki Payne

Sex, Lies & Sensibility by Nikki Payne is February’s Love, Parnassus pick, and I cannot wait for folks to crack this book open. When two sisters inherit a crumbling inn in rural Maine the two must figure out how to work with the local community (and one very sexy local in particular) in order to make their project work.  We love an Austen retelling, and Payne’s Sex Lies and Sensibility is a deliciously steamy addition to the canon. —Katie Garaby, bookseller and founder of Love, Parnassus

Praise for the book:

“In Sex, Lies and Sensibility, Nikki Payne skillfully spins the tale of a well-known Jane Austen classic and makes it entirely her own. Thoughtful, hilarious, and smolderingly steamy, I stayed up late into the night reading Nora and Bear’s story, rooting for their well-deserved HEA. I can’t wait to read what Nikki Payne writes next!”—Kristina Forest, author of The Neighbor Favor

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.

Listen Up: 26 Audiobooks to Start 2024 Off Right

Folks seem to have strong opinions on audiobooks and whether or not they “count” as actually reading. The science has been considered, as has history, and we here at Parnassus are here to tell you that we believe audiobooks absolutely count as reading. In fact, when folks ask us how our booksellers are able to read as many books as we do, our answer is often attributed to our friends at Libro.fm, our audiobook partner. Wish you could get back to that completely absorbing read while you’re doing chores? Jogging? Driving? Audiobooks are your answer, and you can support your local independent bookstore when you listen on Libro.fm. Our booksellers have recommended some titles they especially enjoyed on audio to get your 2024 reading goals off to a good start!

FICTIONRecommended by Maddie

The Three of Us 

By Ore Agbaje-Williams, Narrated by Jake Fairbrother, T’Nia Miller & Tariye Peterside

This audiobook is absolutely perfect. Three different POVs, three different narrators, and each of them reads their part with such personality and conviction, I was immediately dissuaded from my previously held belief that “I can’t do fiction on audio.” Set over the course of a single evening, The Three of Us is packed with so much tension it will have you holding your breath as if you’re really in the kitchen with these three friends witnessing them insult and jab at each other.

Recommended by Sarah

How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water: A Novel 

By Angie Cruz, Narrated by Kimberly M. Wetherell & Rossmery Almonte

Told in a series of 12 sessions between a career counselor and our narrator, Cara Romero, this is the equally heartwarming, heartbreaking, and laugh-out-loud funny story story of Cara’s life as a Dominican immigrant in New York. Cara’s vivacity and unabashed confidence are infectious, and her growth as she faces her flaws is unexpectedly touching. Narrator Rossmery Almonte brought so much life to the text. I can’t recommend this audiobook highly enough!

Recommended by Rae Ann

Carrie Soto Is Back: A Novel 

By Taylor Jenkins Reid, Narrated by Stacy Gonzalez, Mary Carillo, Patrick Mcenroe, Rob Simmelkjaer, Brendan Wayne, Max Meyers, Reynaldo Piniella, Vidish Athavale, Tom Bromhead, Heath Miller, Julia Whelan & Sara Arrington

A tennis pro comes out of retirement to try to reclaim her record, while being coached by her dad. This multi-cast audiobook is fabulous!

Recommended by Cat

Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date 

By Ashley Herring Blake, Narrated by Kristen DiMercurio

The final book in Ashley’s Bright Falls trilogy, you will fall head over heels for both Stevie and Iris. And no, you don’t have to have read the first two books to enjoy this one but I recommend it because they are both so good. A one night stand gone horribly wrong, this is a story about falling in love but also being brave and choosing yourself.

Recommended by Katie

Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake: A Novel 

By Mazey Eddings, Narrated by Summer Morton & Will Peters

If I were to teach a course on the genre of romance, Lizzie Blake’s Best Mistake would most certainly be on the syllabus, and Summer Morton and Will Peters make for a fantastic listening experience. These two perfectly encompass Lizzie’s too-much-girl and Rake’s beloved stick-in-the-mud energy. Plus is there anything sexier than an Australian accent? Nope.

Recommended by Tara

Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect: A Novel 

By Benjamin Stevenson, Narrated by Barton Welch & Megan Smart

I could listen to an Australian man talk all day long, but add a fast-paced mystery in and it’s an unbeatable combination.

Recommended by Rachel

Sword Catcher 

By Cassandra Clare, Narrated by Christian Coulson & Fiona Hardingham

Listening to Sword Catcher was like living in a movie! Both narrators are fantastic, and hearing all the invented languages read aloud was fascinating. You won’t want it to ever end.

Recommended by Marcia

First Lie Wins

By Ashley Elston, Narrated by Saskia Maarleveld

Start your year with a con-artist thriller!

Recommended by RJ

Siren Queen 

By Nghi Vo, Narrated by Natalie Naudus

I will read anything Nghi Vo writes, and I will listen to anything Natalie Naudus narrates, so imagine my joy whenever these two cross paths. Siren Queen is a gorgeous novel set in an alternate-universe old Hollywood full of strange magic that alternates between dreamlike and nightmarish. An immersive listen (or read) you won’t forget.

Recommended by Natalie

Maybe Next Time

By Cesca Major, Narrated by Clare Corbett

A beautiful love story of a married couple who have become disconnected in the midst of their never ending to-do lists. Follow Emma as she must relive the day that ends in her husbands untimely death. The ending will leave you needing to hear more! This time-loop novel is the perfect listen for a cozy day at home. The narrator’s lovely British accent took over as the voice in my head for days after I finished!

Recommended by Rae Ann

The Lincoln Highway: A Novel 

By Amor Towles, Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini, Marin Ireland & Dion Graham

An 18 year-old is released from a juvenile work farm. But he doesn’t go home alone. Two escapees traveled with him. Soon they’re on another journey to New York. A road trip audiobook narrated by multiple characters.

Recommended by Katie

Daughter of the Moon Goddess

By Sue Lynn Tan, Narrated by Natalie Naudus

If I see that Natalie Naudus is narrating a book it’s an automatic buy for me. Usually people are like that about authors, but if you casually scroll through the list of books narrated by Natalie she only picks winners. So it’s almost always a sure thing. I loved Daughter of the Moon Goddess immensely, with magic, dragons, Chinese Folklore, AND a love story. It has literally everything.

Recommended by RJ

All the Right Notes 

By Dominic Lim, Narrated by Aaron J Albano

This beautiful queer love story about a piano player/composer and his second chance romance is made all the more amazing by the musical touches in the audiobook. No spoilers, but there’s a scene towards the end where the audio production actually had me choked up.

NONFICTIONRecommended by RJ

The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession 

By Michael Finkel, Narrated by Edoardo Ballerini & Michael Finkel

I have not been able to stop talking about this book since I finished listening to it. It’s the story about the world’s most prolific (yet astoundingly unremarkable) art thief. While it’s a short listen, it’s fascinating beginning to end, full of twists and immersive details.

Recommended by Cat

The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA 

By Liza Mundy, Narrated by Liza Mundy

I love an untold story from history, but this history of women in the CIA from its inception up to today is fascinating, infuriating, and action-packed. I was astounded again and again at the sheer daring it took for so many of these women to create unconventional lives for themselves, not to mention the moral nuances and gray areas they had to navigate.

Recommended by Sarah

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life.: Essays 

By Samantha Irby, Narrated by Samantha Irby

If you think you’re “just not an audiobook person,” I dare you to listen to any of Sam Irby’s essay collections and not fall in love with hearing an author read their work to you. Irby’s wit and humor will have you laughing to the point of tears!

Recommended by Tara

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) 

By Mindy Kaling, Narrated by Mindy Kaling, B. J. Novak, Michael Schur & Brenda Withers

Reading this book is like being on a 4 hour call with your bestie. There’s workplace tea, sparkling wit, and the book is voiced by Kaling herself which makes for a delightful listening experience.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Rae Ann

You: The Story: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory 

By Ruta Sepetys, Narrated by Ruta Sepetys

Ruta Sepetys gives writing tips interspersed with stories from her childhood and her first career managing rock bands in LA. Bonus: Ruta narrates this one herself!

Recommended by RJ

Legendborn 

By Tracy Deonn, Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

If for some reason you haven’t read Legendborn yet (and I’m the firm opinion everyone who likes YA fantasy should read Legendborn), please let the quality of its audiobook convince you. This book full of family secrets and Arthurian magic is full of deep emotions that narrator Joniece Abbott-Pratt conveys beautifully. Plus the sequel is already out!

Recommended by Tara

Arya Khanna’s Bollywood Moment 

By Arushi Avachat, Narrated by Nikhaar Kishnani

A must read for fans of Mindy Kaling’s hit show Never Have I Ever.

Recommended by Rachel

The Raven Boys 

By Maggie Stiefvater, Narrated by Will Patton

I reread The Raven Boys every year, but now I always re-listen! Just the best production for the best series! The narrator does a fantastic job bringing beloved characters to life, and there’s music composed and played by the author herself!

Recommended by RJ

Iron Widow 

By Xiran Jay Zhao, Narrated by Rong Fu

Iron Widow is such a cinematic blockbuster of a book, with an inventive setting, sci-fi action, great characters, and excellent romance. I listened to it through Libro.fm, and now I’m counting down the days until the sequel.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by RJ

Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky

By Kwame Mbalia, Narrated by Amir Abdullah

The Tristan Strong books are amazing reads, and equally amazing listens. It’s a high-stakes fantasy adventure with great characters and humor, and Amir Abdullah nails the delivery of every single joke. If anyone is enjoying the new Percy Jackson series and wants to check out something from the “Rick Riordan Presents” imprint, this is a great place to start.

Recommended by Rachel

The Puppets of Spelhorst

By Kate DiCamillo, Narrated by Allan Corduner

As always, Kate DiCamillo writes another must listen for ALL ages!! Puppets of Spelhorst follows a troupe of five puppets who face the darkest parts of life together and come out on the other side. Their story holds core truths that will connect with all readers and sweep them away on an epic and hopeful adventure.

Recommended by Rae Ann

Clean Getaway 

By Nic Stone, Narrated by Dion Graham

Scoob’s G-Ma takes him on a surprise road trip using the Travelers Green Book as their guide. A break from school turns into an unexpected adventure into G-Ma’s past and a few surprises about the present. The narrator makes you feel like you’re in the RV with them.

Recommended by RJ

The Dragonet Prophecy

By Tui T. Sutherland, Narrated by Shannon McManus

I have listened to all 15+ books in this series. Narrator Shannon McManus truly brings the colorful, adventurous, funny, and dangerous characters of Tui T. Sutherland’s dragon-filled world to life, which is no small feat with a cast that seems to grow exponentially with each new book.

First Editions Club: January Selection Martyr!: A novel

By Kaveh Akbar

January matters. A lot of people start their First Editions Club subscription in January. The first book of the year should be smart, dazzling, different, not just a book you’d want to read but a book you’d want to keep. I called my friend Todd who knows everything that’s going on in publishing. Did he have any suggestions?

He said, yes. He said, problem solved. He said, Martyr!

Kaveh Akbar is a celebrated poet who is about to be a celebrated novelist. Martyr! is a first novel of depth and complexity, tragedy and humor. Cyrus Shams is a poet, a drunk and a seeker, who wants both to bury his past and dive into it headfirst, because what we want is never just one thing. Cyrus was born in Iran where his mother’s plane was shot down because of a stupid error. His father then takes him to the States to raise him in the Midwest where he’s found a job on a chicken farm. The past is too enormous to bear, and the future too unknown to decipher. Cyrus, with the help of friends (and one friend in particular) is left to try and figure out this present moment.

This book is thrilling. There’s no other word for it. It’s like watching the novel itself be reinvented. Make a note of the quote from Tommy Orange, “An absolute jewel of a novel. A diamond. I haven’t loved a book this much in years. Kaveh’s writing is so thoroughly powerful and gorgeous you can feel it from where dreams come, and all over your brain, and straight from the bottom of your heart. This book does everything. It is so funny and sad and true and beautiful. Kaveh Akbar is one of my favorite writers. Ever.”

That pretty much sums it up.

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.

Sprout Book Club: January Selection Love Is My Favorite Color

By Nina Laden, Melissa Castrillon (Illustrator)

The January 2024 Sprout Book Club selection is Love is My Favorite Color by Nina Laden and Melissa Castrillon. This picture book celebrates the wonder of every day with beautiful illustrations to carry us on this journey.

Early praise for the book:

“Another treasure from a well-matched team.” – 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: January Selection The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum

By Lisa Yee, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

The January 2024 Spark Book Club selection is The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum written by Lisa Yee and illustrated by Dan Santat. Olivia Cobin Zang is suddenly dropped off at the strangest boarding school ever, a reforming arts school (RASCH). But the academy isn’t what it seems. And Olivia has arrived just in time.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“A fantastical blend of quirky characters and goofy adventures.” – 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: January Selection A Fragile Enchantment

By Allison Saft

The January 2024 ParnassusNext selection is A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft. A magical dressmaker travels to a neighboring kingdom to design the wardrobe for a royal wedding. Her magic infuses fabric with emotions, but comes at a cost to her. Beneath the fairytale exterior lies secrets that could destroy the kingdom if exposed. When the dressmaker begins to fall for the prince, her life may be in danger in this magical tale.

Early praise for the novel:

“Fans of Regency romances will revel in this fantastical affair.” – 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.

2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Part 3

We’ve arrived at the third and final installment of our 2023 gift guide! In addition to rounding out the booksellers’ favorites, we’re spotlighting some last-minute gift ideas at the end of the post. (Good news: They don’t require shipping anything in time for Christmas arrival!). But don’t worry, you still have a few days of wiggle room. Place your holiday online orders with expedited shipping by our deadline of December 16, or come see us in-store!

ASHBY’S FAVORITES Never Met a Duke Like You (Taming of the Dukes)

By Amalie Howard

This locked room regency rom-com starts with Lady Vesper and Lord Greydon, who have known each other since infancy, locked in a room together as friends turned enemies, then enemies turned friends but really enemies turned lovers. Of course there is lots more going on. A mother’s failed marriage. An inheritance to save. A father wrongfully institutionalized. A rescue from an asylum. And lots of verbal sparring.

Murder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicide

By Rupert Holmes

This is Rupert Holmes who wrote The Pina Colada song? YES! Begin with the premise that there are ethical reasons for killing someone AND there is a school to teach you how to do it. Take classes, practice on classmates, write a thesis that is your murder plan, get it approved by your professors, and kill. Entertaining throughout, and the graduates’ targets seem worthy of being bumped off.

The Wishing Game: A Novel

By Meg Shaffer

Need some magic? Reading this book is like the Golden Ticket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Lucy wants nothing more than to adopt seven-year-old Christopher. Her only hope is to win the contest run by her favorite childhood author. Jack Masterson’s Clock Island books were Lucy’s escape. She goes back to the island in Maine where she once ran away to try and land herself inside Jack’s fictional world.

The Corset & the Jellyfish: A Conundrum of Drabbles

By Nick Bantock

His Griffin and Sabine books told entirely through correspondence mesmerized me so I was thrilled to see he had come up with a new, intriguing format. Each drabble is exactly 100 words and is paired with a drawing. It is up to the reader to solve the mystery of how they are connected. How can you not be fascinated by a story that starts, “During the night the cat and the clock traded identities.”

CHERYL’S FAVORITES Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution

By R. F. Kuang

Speculative fiction about the control of words. Oxford is the only depository of translations of words from the languages of the world. Exceptional students are selected for their language skills. The words are worth more than the silver on which they are engraved. Words have political power. in how they can be translated leading to colonialism. Brilliant!

Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt’s Ancient Temples from Destruction

By Lynne Olson

Imagine Spielberg and Hitchcock making a movie of an adventurer as a student reading hieroglyphics at a dig in Egypt, later joining the Paris Resistance, uncovering tombs, and saving ancient temples from drowning in the Nile dam by uniting unfriendly nations. This is not a male role but the true story of a daring determined female Louvre Egyptologist.

The Covenant of Water (Oprah’s Book Club)

By Abraham Verghese

This is not a short novel, nor is it short on brilliant character development. It takes place in India starting after WWI and ends in 1977, so history is part of the setting. The reader will gasp at some of the decisions resulting from a belief in a family curse. The plot has surprises. There are quotes worth underlining. It’s an investment in time to complete but it will stay with you after the last page.

JAKE’S FAVORITES I Have Some Questions for You: A Novel

By Rebecca Makkai

A perfect balance of addictive mystery and fine-tuned literary fiction, Rebecca Makkai’s latest is a true masterpiece. Following a professor’s efforts to solve the murder of her former roommate, this is an incredible satire of true crime as well as a moving character study, expertly written with literary prowess and precise prose. I Have Some Questions For You is my single favorite novel of the year.

West Heart Kill

By Dann McDorman

Among the best of the recent meta murder mysteries, West Heart Kill follows private detective Adam McAnnis as he accepts an invitation for a weekend among the fabulously wealthy (and equally suspicious) members of an exclusive hunting club. But with bodies piling up as quickly as clues disappear, a killer must be hiding. Equal parts captivating and educational, West Heart Kill is my favorite whodunnit of the year.

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder

By David Grann

When a group of castaways from a British naval ship wash ashore, they share a torrid tale of survival. But months later, a separate group of castaways appears and accuses the others of mutiny. An investigation begins, and the guilty will surely be tried and hanged. A gripping book that reads like pitch-perfect fiction, The Wager is hard proof that David Grann is one of the finest nonfiction writers alive.

KATHY’S FAVORITES The River We Remember: A Novel

By William Kent Krueger

Compelling mystery, small town sheriff with big secrets, Native Americans..do you like Longmire or Dark Winds? You’ll love this book!

West with Giraffes

By Lynda Rutledge

This could be the “word-of-mouth” book of the past year. 75 showed up to the book club meetings, 75 people raved! Give this to someone who wants a feel-good, well-written, escapist read.

The Queen of Dirt Island: A Novel

By Donal Ryan

4 generations of Irish women and their triumphs and tragedies, fierce loyalties and betrayals, a family full of love peace and refuge from life’s cruelties. This is a novel told in all 2-page chapters, so easy to read with brilliant writing.

LINDSAY’S FAVORITES The Story of Art Without Men

By Katy Hessel

When E. H. Gombrich first published The Story of Art in 1950, he only featured art by men–in 2023, art historian Katy Hessel has some things to say about that. Her beautiful book, The Story of Art Without Men, is a crash course in art history, featuring centuries of work left out of the predominately white, male art history canon. This is a gorgeous and necessary book.

In Memoriam

By Alice Winn

Alice Winn’s incredible debut has one of the most arresting love stories I’ve read in a long time. Set during WWI, In Memoriam follows the young boys who were sent to the front, and the lengths two of them will go to find one another. Get ready to feel your feelings—don’t say I didn’t warn you!

PATSY’S FAVORITES The Book of (More) Delights: Essays

By Ross Gay

This new collection of short essays is perfectly enchanting: a child’s wave, garlic sprouting in the garden plot, the new moon, dreaming of an unaged parent. Poet Ross Gay has a gift for observing the small moments of joy in everyday life. This is the book you didn’t know you needed.

RJ’S FAVORITES How Can I Help You

By Laura Sims

Two small-town librarians, one with a deadly past and the other with an unstoppable curiosity, come face to face in this story of paranoia and obsession. This tense psychological novel had me engrossed from beginning to end.

As You Walk On By

By Julian Winters

As You Walk on By is a funny and heartfelt story of complex friendships, house party hijinks, and high school identity with a Breakfast Club-like ensemble cast readers will absolutely love.

An Island Princess Starts a Scandal

By Adriana Herrera

This lush, deeply emotional historical romance follows an aristocratic artist who convinces a duchess (and ruthless businesswoman) to give her a tour of Paris’s secret Sapphic delights. A gorgeous and highly original take on the genre.

SYDNEY’S FAVORITES Monica

By Daniel Clowes

I’m just going to say it—this is the best graphic novel of 2023. Daniel Clowes is a comic mastermind, and this work (five years in the making) knocked my socks off. Blurring the lines between what feels like every genre, Monica is a breathtaking collection of short stories following its female protagonist whilst interweaving horrific accounts from the Vietnam War.

Bright Young Women: A Novel

By Jessica Knoll

Sadly, notoriety in the true crime realm mainly goes towards perpetrators, not victims. Jessica Knoll flips that notion on its head with this fictional retelling of the Bundy murder spree, focusing on the female victims and the repercussions that impact their friends and family. That judge may have called Ted Bundy a bright young man, but this story is about those Bright Young Women.

Once Upon a Tome: The Misadventures of a Rare Bookseller

By Oliver Darkshire

Before I started working as a bookseller some-odd years ago, I, too, overly-romanticized what it must be like to work at a bookstore. I’ve since had plenty of bizarre experiences to wake me from that perfect fantasy—but for those of you who don’t see yourself slinging books for a living anytime soon, I highly recommend Darkshire’s chronicles of working in an antiquarian bookshop. Cynical and cozy all at once!

TARA’S FAVORITES With Love, from Cold World

By Alicia Thompson

This is the perfect book to warm you up during the wintertime. Set in the fictional Cold World (think knock-off theme park but with ice), this book follows nemesis Asa and Lauren as they’re forced to work together to try to save Cold World. With Love, from Cold World is full of high jinks, humor, and heart.

The Villa: A Novel

By Rachel Hawkins

The Villa is a mashup between Daisy Jones and the Six and season 2 of White Lotus, which makes for such a fun reading experience! This is the perfect book to cozy up with on a rainy day.

Between Us: A Novel

By Mhairi McFarlane

I could not put this book down. While this is a romance, parts of the book read like a mystery with you trying to put the pieces together alongside our heroine. If you’re a fan of Sophie Kinsella or Beth O’Leary, you HAVE to read this.

THEO’S FAVORITES Tasting History: Explore the Past through 4,000 Years of Recipes (A Cookbook)

By Max Miller, Ann Volkwein

I discovered my love of food history when I found Max Miller’s YouTube channel back in 2020. I am so excited to now have my favorite recipes in book form! His pumpion pie recipe from 1670 has become a staple of my family’s Thanksgiving celebration. Even if you don’t like to cook, this beautiful book is a great introduction to regional cuisine from ancient Babylon to Reconstruction America.

LAST MINUTE GIFTS!First Editions Club

The perfect gift for the bookworm in your life who seems to have read everything! Each month, members receive 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!

Love, Parnassus

Our brand new subscription box! Love, Parnassus 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. This subscription will include books that are explicit in nature, so it’s best suited for folks 18+.

ParnassusNext

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.

Spark Book Club

Spark Book Club is the first editions club for middle grade readers (typically ages 8-12). Every month members will receive a first edition middle grade novel picked by the expert children’s booksellers here at Parnassus — plus a letter written by the author especially for club members! Makes a great gift for the voracious independent reader.

Sprout Book Club

Sprout Book Club is the book subscription box for picture book lovers. The club is geared towards kids from birth to age 7, but it can be for anyone! Every month members will receive a new first edition picture book handpicked by the Parnassus team. If you know anyone expecting a new addition to the family, this would make a perfect holiday gift. Help them build a sweet library of modern classics!

Gift Cards

When all else fails, gift certificates make great gifts for the book lover in your life! They can be used online in addition to in-store shopping, so you can give them to a loved one even if they don’t live in Nashville.

Browse through these recommendations and many more in our 2023 Holiday Catalog!

2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Part 2

In Part 2 of the Musing Holiday Gift Guide, we have a new roundup of booksellers sharing their favorite books of the year! Need nonfiction recs? Look no further than Andy’s favorites. Is fantasy more your speed? Jenny’s picks are for you! Looking for gifts for young readers? Chelsea, Rae Ann, and Jordan have some ideas. And don’t forget about our subscription boxes! They make great gifts for folks who are searching for new reads all year round. Scroll to the bottom of the post for the December Sprout, Spark, and ParnassusNext picks!

ANDY’S FAVORITES And There Was Light: Abraham Lincoln and the American Struggle

By Jon Meacham

Now out in paperback, Meacham explores how–and why–Lincoln confronted secession, threats to democracy, and the tragedy of slavery to expand the possibilities of America. An important work in today’s political climate.

The Deadline: Essays

By Jill Lepore

One of the best historians writing today. Lepore offers insight into many of today’s most pressing issues. On topics big and small, personal, and political, Lepore will offer the reader a new and insightful perspective.

Empress of the Nile: The Daredevil Archaeologist Who Saved Egypt’s Ancient Temples from Destruction

By Lynne Olson

The building of the Aswan High Dam on the Nile in the 1960’s created a race against time to save many Egyptian temples from the flood waters. Olson has found another unsung heroine in Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt who led the fight to save these temples. Weaving ancient history, the plundering of archaeological sites, the Suez Crisis of 1956 and more while telling of this woman’s courageous fight against unsurmountable odds is an incredibly readable and fascinating tale.

Golf Architecture for Normal People: Sharpening Your Course Design Eye to Make Golf (Slightly) Less Maddening

By Geoff Shackelford

Geoff Shackelford is one of the country’s experts on golf design. He takes the reader through golf architecture in reader-friendly, humorous manner while imparting why understanding golf design can improve one’s score and appreciation for the game. This book will help golfers of all skill levels become keener observers while getting more joy out of playing any course.

CHELSEA’S FAVORITES All the Sinners Bleed: A Novel

By S. A. Cosby

Cosby’s latest twisty, real-life inspired thriller makes readers consider the weight of racism, institutional religion, and justice. I could not put this down. Perfect for anyone looking for this year’s hottest mystery.

When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era

By Donovan X. Ramsey

Longlisted for the National Book Award, this debut does what the best nonfiction does: examines history and encourages the reader to fully examine and understand the legacy of that history. An engrossing and accessible read.

Warrior Girl Unearthed

By Angeline Boulley

Easily one of my top reads of this year, Warrior Girl Unearthed is a page-turning heist novel that not only entertained me but educated me. A great gift for any teen reader in your life.

HEATH’S FAVORITES Small Mercies: A Detective Mystery

By Dennis Lehane

Set in the summer of 1974 on the eve of the Boston Public Schools being integrated, a high school girl from Southie goes missing and her mother, Mary Pat, will do whatever it takes to find her. While Mary Pat is definitely flawed, it was refreshing to not only see a woman as the main character in this type of narrative, but also as the most badass. This is one of Lehane’s best.

Return to Valetto: A Novel

By Dominic Smith

An American widower visits his eccentric aunts and grandmother in their family’s medieval villa in a nearly abandoned Italian village, and drama ensues. A life-altering family secret from WWII comes to surface, and the family must learn how to reconcile with the past. This is Beautiful Ruins-adjacent, and the descriptions of scenery, food, and wine made me feel like I was in Italy.

Speech Team: A Novel

By Tim Murphy

Now well into their 40’s, former members of the high school speech team decide to confront their coach who made disparaging and lasting comments to each of them. This is about the power of words and how they can affect us, but there are also some hilarious moments. Come for the totally rad 80’s references and stay for the heart.

JENNY’S FAVORITES The Jasad Heir (The Scorched Throne #1)

By Sara Hashem

The Jasad Heir is an intriguing Egyptian-influenced fantasy following Sylvia, the lost queen of Jasad. Hidden away from the world, she accidentally reveals her magic to her archnemesis Arin, the heir of the rival kingdom. Struggling to keep her queenship a secret, Sylvia teams up with Arin in a deadly game of magic that will make her question everything–and everyone– she thought she knew.

Divine Rivals: A Novel (Letters of Enchantment #1)

By Rebecca Ross

For Iris Winnow, life has never been easy. In a magical world at war with itself, it is all Iris can do to just stay alive. Her journalistic rival, the wealthy and handsome Roman Kitt, doesn’t make matters any easier. However, Iris has a secret getting her through this war: secret letters delivered through a magical portal. As Iris finds herself in the frontlines, will she have the courage to love in the midst of a divine war?

JORDAN’S FAVORITES Evil Eye: A Novel

By Etaf Rum

If you are craving a fresh and emotional coming-of-age story for adults and about adults, then this is the book for you. Yara, a Palestinian-American woman seeks to know and love herself better while unpacking the guilt of knowing she has more freedom than her mama and teta could dream of. Yara balances honoring her culture and herself while learning about generational trauma and breaking the cycle of abuse.

Is This Normal?: Judgment-Free Straight Talk about Your Body

By Dr. Jolene Brighten, NMD

I have a feeling this book will live on my nightstand forever because even after I finished reading it, I am constantly wanting to look back at it for reference. Remember the puberty books we all got when we were 12? This is like that, but for adults.

The Vanderbeekers Ever After

By Karina Yan Glaser

This beloved series, which has been charming readers of all ages since 2017 has come to an emotional yet satisfying conclusion this year with the seventh installment. If you have not read any of the Vanderbeekers books before, grab the entire series but be sure to have a box of tissues with this one.

LAUREN’S FAVORITES Fourth Wing (The Empyrean #1)

By Rebecca Yarros

I still can’t put Fourth Wing down! Dragons, special powers, spicy love interests, and a powerful heroine. Fourth Wing is the perfect mix between Divergent by Veronica Roth and the film How To Train Your Dragon.

The Burnout: A Novel

By Sophie Kinsella

After a break down at work, Sasha decides to take a relaxing holiday to the beach she visited as a child. Sasha learns to love life and herself again – and possibly a man at the hotel. This book is perfect for anyone who has felt burnt out by the corporate world or life in general.

Monsters: A Fan’s Dilemma

By Claire Dederer

Claire Dederer beautifully explores the fine line between the artist and the art. Are we able to separate these two when the artist has done horrible things? And when do we classify someone as a monster in this complex, biographical society?

MARCIA’S FAVORITES Just the Nicest Couple

By Mary Kubica

Attention, suspense readers! A surgeon leaves for work one morning after a fight with his wife and doesn’t come back home. Did he leave his marriage or has something more sinister happened? Who was the last person to see him and what do they know? I stayed up way too late reading this and have zero regrets about it. So good!

Pineapple Street

By Jenny Jackson

I devoured this book in just over two days! A humorous and wildly entertaining novel about an uber-rich family in Brooklyn coming to terms with their wealth and how best to deal with it. Take this book on your spring break trip!

Mother-Daughter Murder Night

By Nina Simon

Lana Rubicon is a LA real estate force to be reckoned with. Until her diagnosis. She then finds herself moving in with her daughter and granddaughter in their small beach bungalow as she works through her illness. She also finds herself completely bored. Until there’s a dead body and her granddaughter is a suspect. There is nothing better in my opinion than a mystery beach read!

RAE ANN’S FAVORITES The Secret Book of Flora Lea: A Novel

By Patti Callahan Henry

Two sisters evacuated from London during the Blitz are held together by a story they invent about a magical land called Whisperwood, until one disappears. Twenty years later, a book called Whisperwood lands in Hazel’s hands reopening old wounds and cracking open the door of hope that her sister might be alive.

What the River Knows: A Novel (Secrets of the Nile #1)

By Isabel Ibañez

Inez Olivera sails to Egypt after the tragic death of her archeologist parents with a ring steeped in old world magic. She attempts to follow the ring and elude her uncle’s handsome assistant to solve the secrets of her parents’ quest in this immersive historical fantasy.

The Labors of Hercules Beal

By Gary D. Schmidt

Herc Jones is the smallest kid in his class. His school assignment to replicate the Twelve Labors of Hercules in real life and write about them takes him on an unexpected journey in his family, school, and community.

SISSY’S FAVORITES Time’s Mouth: A Novel

By Edan Lepucki

While Lepucki pulls the past into her novel, there’s nothing sweet or sentimental about her writing. Generational trauma chases her characters as they run from one another, and collide with one another. She’s a master of creating a beautiful setting that can hold deep darkness. While one child runs from pain and forms a cult, another child runs from the cult to free himself from pain. Gripping!

Congratulations, The Best Is Over!: Essays

By R. Eric Thomas

Like David Sedaris, Thomas hilarious and gets deeper and more introspective with each work. I really connected with this book as I faced the same feelings in my thirties… was I really an adult? What on earth was I going to achieve in my life?!?! If you need a lift, this will do it.

Soulfull: A Weekly Devotional to Nourish the Mind, Body, and Spirit

By Farrell Mason

I am … an easily overwhelmed person. Farrell and I have spoken again and again about my loves, my hates, what I can do, and what I simply cannot. I want peace and I do not want foolishness. I want rest and I do not want busy-ness. She’s written a devotional book just for me. I may not go to church, but I must feed my soul and body.

Sprout Book Club: December Selection Winter: A Solstice Story (The Solstice Series)

By Kelsey E. Gross, Renata Liwska (Illustrator)

The December 2023 Sprout Book Club selection is Winter: A Solstice Story by Kelsey E. Gross and Renata Liwska. This picture book gives us a glimpse into the magic of the forest on a winter night. As Owl and his friends celebrate the longest night of the year, they welcome a new friend in this beautifully illustrated picture book.

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: December Selection The Winterton Deception 1: Final Word

By Janet Sumner Johnson

The December 2023 Spark Book Club selection is The Winterton Deception 1: The Final Word by Janet Sumner Johnson. Twelve-year-old twins Hope and Gordon enter a spelling bee to try to save their family from financial ruin. They also hope to meet the wealthy Wintertons, their late father’s family who sponsor the bee. When they arrive at Winterton Chalet, there are clues to solve and a spelling bee to win.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“Intelligent, intricately plotted, and ultimately moving.” – Kirkus, 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: December Selection Betting on You

By Lynn Painter

The December 2023 ParnassusNext selection is Betting on You by Lynn Painter. Bailey and Charlie meet on a ten-hour flight. He is her polar opposite, disagreeing with her on every topic. Two years later, they both work at a summer waterpark. When they see two coworkers flirting, they make a bet. Can a guy and girl be platonic friends? When Bailey and Charlie fake date, it turns into something more. But all bets may be off if Charlie’s secret is revealed.

Early praise for the novel:

“Painter breathes new life into a familiar premise to present an entertaining low-conflict romp.” – Publisher’s Weekly

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. 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.

Browse through these recommendations and many more in our 2023 Holiday Catalog!

2023 Holiday Gift Guide: Part 1

Welcome to the Parnassus Holiday Gift Guide! We asked our booksellers to rise to the herculean task of narrowing down their favorite books of 2023 to just a handful of titles, and after much discussion about who got to recommend what, and how many titles constitute a “handful,” they each decided on a few books to claim as their favorites. The picks range from middle grade novels, to YA fantasy, to sociology, to mysteries and pretty much everything in between. If you don’t already have a go-to bookseller for recommendations, you will soon. Enjoy Part 1 of the Gift Guide, and stay tuned for more!

ALY’S FAVORITES Y/N: A Novel

By Esther Yi

This may be the weirdest book I have ever read, but somehow it makes sense. Our character falls into the world of K-pop fandom and her life is consumed, rationalizing her increasingly obsessive thoughts and behavior through a Your Name self-insert fanfiction. Hauntingly accurate at times, Yi gives us a narration that shows exactly what we don’t want to become and what we are worried others think we might be.

Rouge: A Novel

By Mona Awad

Beauty takes a twisted turn in this dark take on a modern Snow White tale. After her mother’s death, Belle returns to her home and her childhood traumas. Around every corner is something leading her to what might be a skincare-based cult, and in every mirror is a new reflection on what makes us beautiful.

Chaos & Flame

By Tessa Gratton, Justina Ireland

This start to a series pulls you in immediately. In a world divided by warring houses, where myth and magic might not be a thing of the past, Darling Seabreak comes across two brothers who will change her life and the world forever.

CAT’S FAVORITES The Great Transition: A Novel

By Nick Fuller Googins

A hopeful book about the climate crisis? Yes! Fast-paced and contemplative, this is a novel about what it means to be part of a community and a family and all the ways people sacrifice to show up for those they love.

The Secret of Cooking: Recipes for an Easier Life in the Kitchen

By Bee Wilson

Have you ever thought about cooking and what it means to fall in love with it at different points in your life? The mundane things like how to time the poaching of a carrot or something big like making banh mi at home for the first time? Bee Wilson has written an ode to home cooking and I loved just reading this book as much as I loved cooking from it. Perfect for cooks of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Absolution: A Novel

By Alice McDermott

Set in the simmering heat and bustling unrest of 1963 Saigon, an older Tricia recounts her time in Vietnam as the wife of an engineer brought to consult with the military. This is historical fiction with a lot of bite- McDermott creates a complex story and cast of characters who stayed with me and forever changed the way I think about how history is lived by everyday people.

ELYSE’S FAVORITES Day: A Novel

By Michael Cunningham

A compelling story of big family love, loss, and grief, with every character so beautifully realized. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Michael Cunningham has written another stunning novel. I’m tempted to turn to page one and start all over again.

The Postcard

By Anne Berest, Tina Kover (Translator)

An anonymous postcard is delivered to a family in present day Paris during the holidays, opening up an epic dive into the horrors of the holocaust and it’s effect on a particular family. It’s a haunting mystery that is gripping until the final page

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel

By James McBride

A novel about community, struggle, survival and hope. Part history and mystery, a compelling book written by a brilliant storyteller.

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

By Margaret Renkl

Each essay inspired me to connect more deeply with the natural world. A magnificent gem that is a celebration of the spectacular, and vulnerable, world around us. I will be giving this to everyone I know and love!

JENNESS’S FAVORITES Wrecker

By Carl Hiaasen

A decades-spanning murder mystery set in the Christmas summer of rural Australia, this novel pulls you in and does not let go. Family secrets and small-town suspicion permeate this atmospheric drama which builds to a deeply human, complex – and satisfying – ending.

Maame

By Jessica George

I loved this quiet, quirky, heartfelt book about 25-year-old Maddie and her journey through many of life’s contrary experiences: first love and heartbreak, familial responsibility and independence, ambition and settlement. Naive yet over-burdened for her age, Maddie is a sympathetic and dauntless character you will root for. It makes you wish her world – our world – was a little easier to navigate.

KATIE’S FAVORITES Ander & Santi Were Here: A Novel

By Jonny Garza Villa

This book is perfect. That’s my review. Anything else I say will be woefully inadequate. But that’s probably not enough, is it? Ander and Santi Were Here is a beautiful story of queer first love, of fighting for that love when the cards are stacked against you, and for finding your own way in this world. I loved this book with my whole heart.

Vampires of El Norte

By Isabel Cañas

Vampires of El Norte is a paranormal western set in 1840s Mexico. Nena and Nestor are childhood friends separated in their youth after a violent attack on Nena by a monster the rancheros cannot identify. Reunited a decade later as the Yankee army encroaches on Mexico, the two friends are reunited and must heal wounds to fight a common enemy. All while mysterious and deadly attacks continue to plague their community. This is a fantastic genre defying novel that grabs you from the get-go and doesn’t let go.

Something Wild & Wonderful

By Anita Kelly

Have you ever read a book and catch yourself weeks later still swooning? That is how I feel about Anita Kelly’s sophomore release. A perfect grumpy/sunshine dynamic, a spectacular meet cute. and chemistry for days. This lovely book is one that I found myself coming back to again and again throughout the year and sighing with happiness.

MADDIE’S FAVORITES Ripe: A Novel

By Sarah Rose Etter

Ripe is a gut punch. In it, we follow Cassie as she struggles in a demanding and demoralizing Silicon Valley tech job and goes through her days constantly accompanied by a floating black hole that follows her at all times (yeah, seriously). This book is brilliantly intriguing from the first page. It is smart, it is poignant, and in the best way possible, it is weird.

The Laughter: A Novel

By Sonora Jha

This novel is masterful from beginning to end. In The Laughter, Oliver Harding is a middle-aged tenured professor who has developed an obsession with his younger Muslim Pakistani colleague, Ruhaba. Jha somehow pulled off writing a narrator that I despised from page one yet still felt so eager and compelled to keep reading from. I would call this the most under-rated book to come out this year.

How to Think Like a Woman: Four Women Philosophers Who Taught Me How to Love the Life of the Mind

By Regan Penaluna

Parts memoir, parts biography, this is a rich account of women philosophers ignored by history and the experience of what it’s like to be a woman today pursuing a field that has worked for centuries to erase you. After graduating with a minor in philosophy without ever learning about a woman in the field, I realize how critical books like this are.

RACHEL’S FAVORITES Masters of Death: A Novel

By Olivie Blake

Masters of Death is Olivie Blake’s masterpiece. The set-up is simple: vampire real estate agent must sell a haunted house, but the execution is genius. I’m baffled by how she turns this premise into devastating literature. The ensemble cast has complex relationships and heartbreaking backstories that jump off of the page. This book is not just for fantasy fans, but for any mortal who ponders death.

Gwen & Art Are Not in Love: A Novel

By Lex Croucher

Gwen & Art are not in love. Instead, they’re pretending to help each other hide their queer identity. This will go down in history as one of my favorite comfort reads. Gwen and Art and the knight and prince they each fall in love with are the characters I visit when I’m feeling down. Their campy, swoon worthy romances were pure escapism with the perfect dash of hope.

The Centre

By Ayesha Manazir Siddiqi

How far is society willing to go for advancement? The Centre ponders this question amid the backdrop of gothic horror, obsessive female friendship, secret societies, and an ending to match Ari Aster’s Midsommar. No line is left uncrossed.

SARAH’S FAVORITES Lucky Red: A Novel

By Claudia Cravens

A queer, feminist take on the classic Western novel? Count me in! Bridget, penniless and alone, crosses the American prairies and happens upon Dodge City, where she takes up residence in a brothel in order to survive. What follows is a gorgeously written, deeply human, and completely immersive story about queer womanhood, friendship, and freedom. I loved every page.

The Sea Elephants: A Novel

By Shastri Akella

A powerful, emotional, and at times disturbing story of a young gay man growing up in India. The incorporation of Indian myths and legends was the beautiful thread that tied the story together. It’s a profound debut.

Learned by Heart

By Emma Donoghue

Based on the true story of the relationship between Anne Lister and Eliza Raine, Learned by Heart is a gorgeously written historical novel about deep and dangerous love. I cherished the slow, deliberate pace of the story and felt completely immersed in the 19th century boarding school setting.

First Editions Club: December Selection Day: A Novel

By Michael Cunningham

Writing about a pandemic during a pandemic is a tricky business. When faced with uncertainty, many of us looked to the past (some glorious historical fiction was written during the pandemic) or we concentrated on an unknowable future light years ahead (lots of dystopian fiction as well). In Day, Michael Cunningham chooses instead to look around.

Told in three parts, Day takes place on April 5th, 2019, April 5th, 2020, and April 5th, 2021—three views from one family over the long haul of COVID-19. Dan and Isabel live in a Brooklyn brownstone with their two young children, Nathan and Violet. Isabel’s brother Robbie lives upstairs. It’s a balance that worked until it didn’t. With everyone trying to do their jobs and go to school from home, things are too close now, space is too tight. Robbie needs to leave but it’s very possible that Robbie is the glue that’s holding things together. Robbie, meanwhile, is held together by the perfect man who he’s invented on Instagram.

With spare and gorgeous writing and pitch-perfect dialogue, this book stands beside Cunningham’s masterpiece, The Hours, both for its structure and the delicacy with which the story unfolds. It feels less like a novel about life and more like life itself. Day also functions as something of a time capsule. It’s as if Cunningham scooped up the pandemic and put it in these pages so that we would remember what it was really like. What was it like? It was complicated.

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.

Browse through these recommendations and many more in our 2023 Holiday Catalog!

Finding Confidence in Carrots: An Interview with Bee Wilson

Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and many of us have cooking on our minds. Whether you’re a seasoned cook who looks forward to preparing the big meal every year or you feel totally out of your depth in the kitchen, Bee Wilson is here to provide culinary inspiration, tips and tricks, and a compulsively readable collection of recipes and stories. Store manager Cat Bock had the chance to chat with Bee ahead of Turkey Day about her newest cookbook, The Secret of Cooking! Check out the interview, then grab a copy for the cook (or cook-to-be!) in your life.

Cat Bock: The Secret of Cooking is so conversational and personal. I loved reading your thoughts on each of the recipes and concepts, as well as the way the book progresses in terms of how involved the recipes are as you read through it. How did you decide on the format you would use for this cookbook?

Bee Wilson | Photo by Charlotte Griffiths

Bee Wilson: Thank you so much! This makes me so happy to hear because I really wanted the reader to feel that we were having a conversation in the kitchen. I decided quite early on that I wasn’t going to follow the conventional format of appetisers, entrees, side dishes and so on because I wanted to highlight the ways in which cooking has to be tailored to different moments and stages of life. We need different kinds of recipes whether we are cooking alone, in a hurry, for kids or at times when we are flat-out exhausted. No matter what the recipe, the secret of cooking is always the person who cooks. I had a lot of fun thinking up the chapter titles because I really wanted them to reflect the overlooked aspects of cooking — for example ‘What No One Tells You About Cooking’ addresses the fact that so much of cooking is really about washing dishes, and ‘Treat cooking as a remedy (because it is)’ is about the ways that cooking can make everyday life better in small, subtle ways, whether it’s finding a new and delicious way to make eggs or making a series of salad recipes which will taste great but also make you feel healthier.

CB: I began reading and cooking from this book when I was trying to get out of a rut in the kitchen — months of not trying anything new and not feeling very inspired. What are some of your favorite things about home cooking that keep you interested and motivated as you move through different phases of life?

BW: I have a few different approaches to getting out of a cooking rut. It slightly depends on why you are in the rut. If the rut is caused (as it often is in families) by the frustrations of cooking for picky eaters, meals after meal, then part of the answer could be trying to expand the range of foods your child eats – I have some suggestions for this in the book. On the other hand, I know that lots of us get demotivated when cooking for one. If this is the case, I would focus on making things with lovely flavours which can be flung together in one tray or one pot so easily that it is almost as if someone else did the cooking. I have two recipes in the book – one for a spiced paneer jalfrezi and one for chicken with fennel and citrus – which kick start me back into enjoying cooking for myself again at times when I lose inspiration.

Another way is just to embrace the rut and to find ways to make dishes which take almost no time so that you don’t resent the process so much. I rely on the recipes in the book for ‘universal sauces’ for moments like this. I make a series of different sauces – a red curry, a green curry, a sauce that tastes like French fish soup though it’s also great with root vegetables and legumes and a yellow laksa sauce and stash them in the freezer for nights when I am feeling uninspired or tired or both. Half the work of dinner is already done. You just take any of the sauces and add whatever you have in the fridge, ranging from chicken or fish or tofu to just a few random vegetables from the salad drawer.

CB: You cook so widely across culinary traditions and cultures. Is there anything you haven’t made yet that you are excited to try? And what are you currently loving to cook?

BW: Thank you! There are so many dishes I yearn to try. I would love to make a Turkish lahmacun – a kind of pizza-like flatbread topped with minced meat, herbs and vegetables. I’ve eaten it once in Istanbul but never cooked it. One of the dishes I am cooking on repeat at the moment is the Ixta Belfrage recipe for oyster mushroom noodles with caraway onions from her book Mezcla – so comforting.

CB: If you had to prepare a meal for any one person or group of people, who would it be and why? What would you make for them?

BW: My mother died a year ago and I find I am missing her more and more. It’s obviously impossible but if I could, I would like to cook her the ‘chicken stew for tired people’ in the book, which was inspired by the stews she made for me when I was growing up, flecked with parsley with lots of vegetables and white wine. And I’d follow it with the vegan pear and ginger cake in the book which I first made thinking of her because she was obsessed with pears.

CB: What is your advice to anyone just learning to cook at home?

BW: This sounds very obvious but just cook! And cut yourself some slack, which is the title of the first chapter. And trust yourself. Most of our fears about cooking are about feeling that we can’t do it or that there is some mystery which others understand and we don’t. But the way we learn about cooking is just by doing it and figuring out what we like and don’t like. I have a section called Teach Yourself To Cook With A Carrot, my thinking being that you can teach yourself a lot of basic knife skills and cooking techniques just with a bag of carrots – so cheap and accessible – and then you have the confidence to cook with other ingredients.

CB: And our favorite question to ask: What is your favorite thing about indie bookstores?

BW: I‘ve spent a lot of time in indie bookstores since I was a child and they always feel to me like a kind of magical and protected space where you can escape into other worlds.

The Secret of Cooking is on our shelves now! Get your copy today.

Meet Your Match: An Interview with Ali Hazelwood

Ali Hazelwood, the wildly popular romance author of The Love Hypothesis, Love, Theoretically, and more, marks herself as a fresh new voice in the young adult genre with her YA debut, Check & Mate. This book follows our badass heroine Mallory as she takes us along on a journey into the male-dominated field of competitive chess. There’s rivalry, humor, and at the heart of it all, a compelling love story. Getting the chance to chat with Ali was such a joy and I’m so excited this book is finally out in the world!

— Tara Leimkuehler, Parnassus bookseller

Ali Hazelwood | Photo by Justin Murphy

Tara Leimkuehler: Ali, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us! I have been obsessed with your books since The Love Hypothesis debuted. I was so excited when I heard you would be coming out with a YA novel! In Check & Mate, Mallory differentiates herself from typical YA protagonists by being a foul-mouthed, sex positive heroine. What inspired you to want to create a character that stands out in this genre?

Ali Hazelwood: Thank you so much!! You know, I actually think that there’s a huge variety in YA protagonists, at least within the books I read. For instance, a book I’ve recently read and loved (This Is Why They Hate Us by Aaron Aceves, I highly recommend it) has a main character who’s just as foul-mouthed and sex positive as Mallory—and delightful in his own chaotic way. I would argue that all book characters stand out and are unique in their own way. When I began writing Mallory, I wanted her to be a perfect storm of talent, insecurities, confidence, loneliness, humor, and a few psychological wounds, and I wanted her to be both charming and frustrating. I feel very protective of her, and I hope readers will love her as much as I do!

TL: We all know you as a queen of making seemingly unsexy things — such as science, and now chess — sexy. What is your history with chess, and what drew you to writing a book that centered on this game?

AH: I think chess has always been sexy, and I blame (credit?) Star Trek for that. There hasn’t been a single chess
game played in Star Trek that didn’t ooze sexual tension. As a Spock fangirl, I was primed to love this sport!

TL: In a previous interview, you described Mallory and Nolan as your favorite couple you’ve written. That’s big, considering how beloved the other couples you’ve created have been. Why are Mallory and Nolan your favorite? What about their relationship made them stand out?

AH: They have a specific dynamic that really fascinates me: they are two people who are incredibly brilliant and talented, and are pitted against each other by circumstances. In the eyes of the world, they are rivals, and they should be enemies. In truth, they haven’t really met anyone who’s their peer so far, and they are much more interested in getting to know each other (and falling in love) than in fighting.

TL: In the beginning of the book, you describe Nolan as being the Gen Z sex symbol of chess. Who would be on your shortlist to play him in a hypothetical screen adaptation?

AH: Jacob Elordi. That’s it—he’s the shortlist.

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

AH: The booksellers! I’ve built so many great friendships with booksellers in the last couple of years. We start by
bonding over our love for good books, and the next thing I know, we’re in Italy eating gelato together—I love t
sooo much!

Check & Mate is on our shelves now. Grab a copy today!