Ann Patchett's Blog, page 8

20 November Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

November’s staff picks for the young and young at heart are the perfect group to cap off the year! We’ve got a great mix of longtime favorite authors and exciting debuts to share with you, so sit back, have a browse, and find a fun new read.

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Sarah Giraffe Is Too Tall for This Book

By DK Ryland

As a tall person whose head has been cut out of more than one photo, I loved this fun story of Giraffe’s friends working together to make sure everyone is included (and in frame!).

Recommended by Chelsea How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney?

By Mac Barnett, Jon Klassen (Illustrator)

Barnett’s words and Klassen’s art are the perfect pair, and readers will delight in fresh Santa speculation. My favorite illustration is Santa washing his laundry while the cat peers on. This is an instant holiday classic that will capture the hearts of kids (and adults) for a long time.

Recommended by Jake The King Penguin

By Vanessa Roeder

Percival (a King Penguin) is tired of his subjects (other penguins) constantly questioning his rightful rule. He decides to seek out other animals to rule over, but quickly finds out that many of them would rather just eat him. Featuring everyone’s favorite flightless bird and a great story about discovering community, The King Penguin is a delight.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Sarah The Apartment House on Poppy Hill

By Nina LaCour, Sònia Albert (Illustrator)

This delightful chapter book features a curious apartment home, a precocious 9-year-old, and a whimsical bunch of neighbors. Parents and young readers alike will love this charming story!

Recommended by Gavin, 7th grade Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Chalice of the Gods

By Rick Riordan

This book is a wonderful return to form to what made the first five Percy Jackson books so great. This book has all the spirit of the adventure book that you’d expect from Rick Riordan, and most of it takes place locally in Manhattan.

Recommended by Rachel The Puppets of Spelhorst

By Kate DiCamillo, Julie Morstad (Illustrator)

As always, Kate DiCamillo has written another must read 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.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Rae Ann Artifice

By Sharon Cameron

The daughter of an artist attempts to learn the secrets of an art forger to create a painting that could save innocent lives in this compelling WW2 story.

Recommended by Jenny A Curse for True Love (Once Upon a Broken Heart #3)

By Stephanie Garber

The last installment on the Once Upon a Broken Heart series, Evangeline Fox returns, but her memories have not. Does she trust the dashing Prince Apollo or the mysterious Archer? Full of fantastical twists and turns, this is a fast and fun read.

Recommended by Cheryl Bittersweet in the Hollow

By Kate Pearsall

Small West Virginia community has murders past and present that relate to a Mothman folk story. Add four sisters with witchlike powers and you have a darn good tale.

Recommended by Rae Ann I Loved You in Another Life

By David Arnold

This book is a lyrical love story across the ages.

Recommended by Tara Check & Mate

By Ali Hazelwood

If you binged The Queen’s Gambit on Netflix, Check & Mate is a must-read. Ali Hazelwood’s YA debut is cheeky, empowering, and not to be missed!

Recommended by Ashby What the River Knows: A Novel 

By Isabel Ibañez

I love mysteries, Egypt and Inez. After hearing of her parents’ death and her inheritance of their fortune, Inez travels to Egypt alone to find out what happened. Witty and independent, she sets her own path, evident in ongoing banter with her uncle’s assistant. In Cairo, she realizes the complexity: a larger game means her life is in danger. A magical ring from her father sends her down mysterious paths.

Recommended by Chelsea By Any Other Name

By Erin Cotter

A teen actor out of his job teams up with a wealthy stranger to solve a murder. The twist? It’s set in Shakespearean England, plus there’s pirates and traitors and Queen Elizabeth I. This is historical fiction at its finest, and I loved every minute of it. If you loved The Song of Achilles or Anatomy, make this your next read.

Recommended by Jordan The Fall of Whit Rivera

By Crystal Maldonado

After a challenging summer and a diagnosis of PCOS, Whit Rivera is looking forward to fall, her favorite season. When she’s assigned to plan the school’s Fall Fest with her nemesis Zay, Whit has doubts about the entire season not being a disaster. This book beautifully tackles themes of chronic illness, fatphobia, sexuality, and class. It will also have you laughing out loud!

Recommended by Ashby The Rosewood Hunt

By Mackenzie Reed

This debut YA novel is a fast-paced treasure hunt. Following her grandmother’s death and the reading of her will, Lily and her friends are left cryptic messages that lead them all over town even as they are hunted. Treasure maps must be pieced together alongside characters that must be as well. Broken relationships are mended as clues lead the friends to the solution. I couldn’t stop until I finished it.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Rae Ann The War That Saved My Life

By Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Ada has never left her London apartment. When her brother is sent away to safety during the war, he carries her with him. They find a new life in the country where they learn to ride horses, and watch for spies. Pick up the sequel, too!

Recommended by Tara The Naturals

By Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Naturals centers around a group of teenagers with a unique skill set that helps the FBI solve cold cases in an elite school that is reminiscent of the X-Men School for Mutants . It it felt like a mashup of Dexter and X-Men and I literally could not put it down.

Sprout Book Club: November Selection Wintergarden

By Janet Fox, Jasu Hu (Illustrator)

The November 2023 Sprout Book Club selection is Wintergarden by Janet Fox and Jasu Hu. A girl and her mom plant seeds in pots on their windowsill during the winter. They grow and produce leafy vegetables that taste like spring. When spring does arrive, she selects more seeds to start again.

Early praise for the book:

“Glowing and warm, full of life” – Kirkus, starred review

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: November Selection Jawbreaker

By Christina Wyman

The November 2023 Spark Book Club selection is Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman. Max Plink needs braces, super duper braces that she must wear at school. She’s bullied by other students and her own sister. When a journalism competition has a video component, she must decide whether to enter, headgear and all.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“A hugely relatable must-read: witty, intensely emotional, and full of heart.” – 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: November Selection What the River Knows: A Novel

By Isabel Ibañez

The November 2023 ParnassusNext selection is What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez. Inez Olivera sails to Egypt after the tragic death of her archeologist parents. She has a golden ring infused with old world magic, sent to her by her father before he died. She attempts to elude her uncle’s handsome assistant to follow the magic of the ring and solve the secrets surrounding her parents’ activities in Egypt.

Early praise for the novel:

“Expertly plotted, explosively adventurous, and burning with romance.” – Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author

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.

A Little Bit of Everything: 35 Reads for November

Welcome to our last monthly staff pick roundup of 2023! Don’t worry — we’ll be back later this month with some holiday gift guide posts. But we figured now is the appropriate time to reflect on the past year of Parnassus reads and recs. We’ve covered everything from romance and sci-fi, to literary fiction and poetry, to history and true crime, and beyond! Our booksellers sure do read widely and often. All of those recs come to a whopping total of 335 unique titles for adults recommended this year!! Whether you’ve been updating your TBR piles with us since the first days of 2023 or you’ve just joined us recently, we’re glad to have you. Here’s to another year of good books!

FICTIONRecommended by Lindsay Blackouts: A Novel

By Justin Torres

Blackouts is the first novel from Justin Torres in over a decade (if you haven’t read We the Animals, it’s beautiful!) and, trust me, it’s well worth the wait. Part ghost story, part personal narrative, part archival study, Blackouts is an incredible examination of cultural memory and what we lose when we erase queer histories. Blackouts is a beautiful testament to storytelling as an act of preservation.

Recommended by Kathy Chenneville: A Novel of Murder, Loss, and Vengeance

By Paulette Jiles

A man undertakes a cross-country odyssey across the post-Civil War frontier to avenge the death of his beloved sister and her family. If you liked Jiles’ previous works, News of the World and Simon the Fiddler, this is for you.

Recommended by Jordan Family Meal: A Novel

By Bryan Washington

Bryan Washington is back with another vulnerable LGBTQ tearjerker. Family Meal is about grief and heartbreak, love and loss, addiction and chosen family. This is a great read for those looking to pull on the heartstrings.

Recommended by Sydney The Vulnerables: A Novel

By Sigrid Nunez

Sigrid Nunez has a knack for depicting human-animal dynamics. This time, it is with our narrator and an attention-hungry parrot named Eureka. Set during the height of COVID-19, The Vulnerables paints a beautiful reflection of the defenseless in our contemporary world.

Recommended by Rachel Lilith: A Novel

By Nikki Marmery

An epic retelling of Christian history through the female gaze. If you’ve spent time in the Christian church, this book will press your buttons and reveal wisdoms to you. Like taking a bite of forbidden fruit, Lilith will drop the scales from your eyes and give you new sight.

Recommended by Cheryl Let Us Descend: A Novel

By Jesmyn Ward

A young slave is haunted by a spirit carrying the experiences of her female ancestors. There are moments where the spirit is a godmother and others where she is absent in order to strengthen her inner warrior. She carries words and stories as she walks from SC to LA. Reader is haunted as well as enlightened.

Recommended by Rae Ann Enchanted Hill

By Emily Bain Murphy

This historical mystery is filled with twists and turns, glittering Hollywood stars, and secrets waiting to be divulged.

Recommended by Sarah The Bell in the Fog (Evander Mills #2)

By Lev AC Rosen

If you’re a fan of historical mysteries and haven’t read Lavender House yet, go do that now. When you’re done and are inevitably itching for another installment in the P.I. Mills story, The Bell in the Fog won’t disappoint! I loved learning more about Andy’s background and following his investigation as the past catches up to him. Rosen writes both an intriguing mystery and a moving portrait of queer history.

Recommended by Lindsay Let the Dead Bury the Dead: A Novel

By Allison Epstein

I loved Allison Epstein’s debut novel A Tip for the Hangman and am so happy to see more queer historical fiction from her! Let the Dead Bury the Dead is a delight, filled with court intrigue, spies, folklore, and poorly behaved aristocrats.

Recommended by Jake 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.

Recommended by Rachel The Glutton: A Novel

By A.K. Blakemore

Tarare is a young boy in a French village with a belly that is never full, no matter how many truly disgusting objects he consumes. The Glutton walks a fine like between disturbing and beautiful. I wept for Tarare. I felt his hunger as if it was my own, and I consumed his story so rapidly that it left me sick with sorrow.

Read Rachel’s Musing interview with A.K. Blakemore!

Recommended by Patsy  Roman Stories

By Jhumpa Lahiri

As in her previous works (The Namesake, Interpreter of Maladies), Lahiri explores themes of belonging, alienation, and identity in this collection of short stories. Amidst the splendor of Rome, characters reveal the difficulties of modern life and the consequences of xenophobia. A gem!

Recommended by Ashby The Corset & the Jellyfish: A Conundrum of Drabbles

By Nick Bantock

Bantock’s 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.”

Recommended by RJ Iris Kelly Doesn’t Date

By Ashley Herring Blake

Ashley Herring Blake brings her fabulous Bright Falls trilogy to a close with a beautiful, sexy story that has it all: Shakespeare, fake dating, meta romcom jokes, complex characters, and powerful queer friendships. If this is your first trip to Bright Falls or your last, there’s a lot to love here!

Recommended by Jennifer Sword Catcher

By Cassandra Clare

In her adult fantasy debut, author Cassandra Clare returns with an action-packed adventure. Enemies, lovers, and friend all look the same in Castellane as a fight for power becomes immersed in court intrigue and forbidden magic. If you are looking for a book you can’t put down, this is it.

Recommended by Katie Love Interest: A Novel

By Clare Gilmore

Leave it to Clare Gilmore to makes numbers very, very sexy in her debut romance. When Casey and Alex are thrown together on a work project, it doesn’t take long for them to start throwing insults. But when late night meetings turn to surprise kisses, these two find more than just their next professional opportunity in each other. A fantastically fun debut packed with heart, self-discovery and all your favorite tropes!

Recommended by Rae Ann Murder by Degrees: A Mystery

By Ritu Mukerji

In 1875 Philadelphia, Dr. Lydia Weston is drawn into a murder investigation when the body of her patient is pulled from the river. She uses her skills as a physician combined with the dead woman’s diary of poetry to aid the police in solving the murder.

Recommended by Ashby Last Night at the Hollywood Canteen: A Novel

By Sarah James

A throuple’s break-up in NYC moves to Hollywood when Annie gets a studio contract so she can follow the other two. She joins a group of friends, and when one of the group is found dead, they are determined to solve it. The Hollywood Canteen was where the famous danced with GIs…and where the body was found. Studio secrets abound, making readers want to sip a Sidecar or French 75 while figuring this one out.

Recommended by Katie Stars in Your Eyes

By Kacen Callender

Kacen Callendar is one of those once in a blue moon writers who can deftly write across genres and we are so lucky for it. Stars in Yours Eyes is a beautiful story of love and heartbreak, forgiveness and self-discovery. I don’t often love to cry during my romance reads (and I sobbed for this one) but I would let Logan and Mattie break my heart over and over again.

Recommended by Lauren The Burnout: A Novel

By Sophie Kinsella

After a breakdown 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.

Recommended by Ashby A Holly Jolly Ever After: A Christmas Notch Novel

By Julie Murphy, Sierra Simone

With this title, I was expecting a Christmas meet cute. Wrong. This one is more spicy Santa! Opposites come together as stars of a steamy holiday film. Goodie-two-shoes meets playboy and needs some “pleasure research” to make her on-screen scenes seem real. You can guess who ends up under the mistletoe…

Recommended by Tara Better Hate than Never (The Wilmot Sisters Series #2)

By Chloe Liese

Better Hate than Never is a childhood enemies to lovers romance with nods towards the 90’s classic 10 Things I Hate About You. Chloe Liese brings the spice as always in this book, but her emotionally grounded characters were what left me wanting to be a part of the Wilmot family.

Recommended by Katie Hunt on Dark Waters (Crimson Sails #1)

By Katee Robert

Sound the alarm! Katee Robert has gifted us with a new series! HECK YES! It has a sexy AF pirate! It has a chaotic bisexual witch! And the exact amount of steam we have come to know and love from the reigning queen of bonkers romance. Long live Katee Robert!

NONFICTION & POETRYRecommended by Elyse The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

By Margaret Renkl

This book changed how I go about my life day to day. I am paying more attention to what’s around me – I’m seeing more and listening carefully to the natural world. This is such a magnificent, beautifully written book – I’ll be giving it as a gift to everyone I know!

Recommended by Natalie Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones

By Dolly Parton

A must-have for every Dolly fan! Brighten up your coffee table with a dazzling collection of photos and stories that give an inside look on this fashion icon’s wardrobe through the years. This book is the perfect addition to every Backwoods Barbie’s Dreamhouse!

Recommended by Chelsea In the Pines: A Lynching, A Lie, A Reckoning

By Grace Elizabeth Hale

Hale, a professor of history, grapples with learning the truth about the family legend of her grandfather and his time as sheriff in a small town. Well-researched and casting a critical eye on her narration of a lynching story, In the Pines seeks to uncover the hidden, underreported stories of lynchings. A must read for anyone with family roots in the South.

Recommended by Tara Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People’s Business

By Roxane Gay

In Roxane Gay’s newest essay collection, she graces us with some of her best opinion articles written over the last decade. She covers topics ranging from politics, to art collecting, to literature and everything in between. Roxane has such a distinct voice that shines in this newest collection.

Recommended by Jake The Big Time: How the 1970s Transformed Sports in America

By Michael MacCambridge

Rather than a mere collection of winners and losers, The Big Time is a fascinating look at US History through the captivating lens of sports and the social and political changes it reflected throughout the tumultuous 1970s. Lending attention to every major sport in America and spending time with the likes of Billie Jean King, Muhammad Ali, and everyone in between, The Big Time is the best sports book of the year.

Recommended by Jenness This House of Grief: The Story of a Murder Trial

By Helen Garner, Sarah Weinman (Introduction by)

Helen Garner presents a compelling, firsthand account of the 2007 murder trial against Robert Farquharson – an Australian father accused of killing his three young sons in a bizarre drowning “accident.” Her committed presence in the courtroom throughout the proceedings and ability to blend both journalistic objectivity and all-too-human emotions is riveting.

Recommended by Lindsay Very Small Horses Living Their Greatest Lives: Big Life Lessons from the Littlest Guys

By Amy Lewis, Stephanie Spartels (Illustrator)

This is my favorite book of 2023, including my own book.

Editor’s Note: Lindsay’s book is wonderful, and a personalized copy would make a fantastic holiday gift!

Recommended by Hannah P. The Asking: New and Selected Poems

By Jane Hirshfield

Jane Hirshfield is one of those poets that I always find myself coming back to. In this long-awaited collection of new and selected pieces, Hirshfield bridges the gaps between spirit and science, beauty and pain, wisdom and wonder. If you are a reader of Mary Oliver or Louise Glück, do yourself a favor and pick this up. Flip to page 119 for one of my all-time favorite poems!

Recommended by Jenness The Witching Year: A Memoir of Earnest Fumbling Through Modern Witchcraft

By Diana Helmuth

Using resources both ancient and modern, Diana Helmuth spends a year delving into witchcraft as a passage to deepen her spiritual exploration. Her experiences of modern witchcraft are steeped in ritual, but expansive – taking her from Stonehenge to Salem – providing an engaging and enlightening narrative through her quest to further connect with nature, her forebearers, and herself.

Recommended by Sydney Disaster Dates & Lucky Escapes

By Tess Smith-Roberts

Olive is a serial dater navigating the wild west that is online dating apps. Horribly hilarious, this comic is quite colorful in both its illustration and writing.

Recommended by Hannah P. The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA

By Liza Mundy

I couldn’t put down this thrilling deep-dive into the hidden history of women-led spycraft in the CIA. If you’re itching to learn about women saving the world (on more than one occasion), this is your next great history read.

Recommended by Sissy Surely You Can’t Be Serious: The True Story of Airplane!

By David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, Jerry Zucker

I memorized this hilarious movie as a wee child. Young people – get this for your parents if they are over 45!

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Cheryl Beneath a Scarlet Sky

By Mark Sullivan

This book is easy to recommend because it tells the little known contributions of Italy during WWII. Based on a true character who led Jews over the alps, spied as the driver of a high Nazi commander and found the love of his life. Wide appeal.

Recommended by Tara The Cheat Sheet: A Novel

By Sarah Adams

If you are also unironically obsessed by Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce dating, then this is a MUST read. Friends become lovers in this sweet fake dating tale and it is pure serotonin.

First Editions Club: November Selection Absolution: A Novel

By Alice McDermott

 

I’ve been a fan of Alice McDermott’s since she published her first book, That Night, in 1987. She’s a writer I’ve long counted on for a beautifully written and thought provoking novel, and she always delivers. I’ve loved all her books, and so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of Absolution. This, I thought, is going to be good, because Alice McDermott is always good.

I had no idea.

Absolution is the story of Tricia, the wife of an engineer who’s working with Naval Intelligence in Saigon in 1963. Young and newly married, Tricia hopes to start a family soon. In the meantime, she goes to parties and mingles with the other officers’ wives. That’s where she meets Charlene, who’s figured out how to sell Barbies in Vietnamese costumes to raise money for children in the hospital. Charlene is determined to be helpful in a country that needs a lot of help.

But what constitutes being helpful? The farther the reader follows Tricia and Charlene, the more questions there are to ask, about them, about our country, and about ourselves. The more things twist, the less certain we are, and the more brilliant the book becomes.

Absolution is a moral masterpiece, and the best book I’ve read all year. Turn off your phone and find a comfortable chair. You will be amazed.

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.

Hungry for More: An Interview with A.K. Blakemore

A.K. Blakemore returns to the literary scene with The Glutton, a poetic retelling of real life historical figure Tarare, the Glutton of Lyon. Blakemore walks the line between the beautiful and the grotesque expertly, depicting the full spectrum of the human spirit. I wept for Tarare. I felt his hunger as if it was my own, and I consumed his story so rapidly that it left me sick with sorrow. Getting to discuss the novel with A.K. was the metaphorical cherry on top to this perfect reading experience.

— Rachel Randolph, Parnassus bookseller

A.K. Blakemore | Photo by Alice Zoo

Rachel Randolph: What originally drew you to the history of The Glutton of Lyon? I’m curious if there was a particular moment when you connected to his character and knew you wanted to tell his story?

A.K. Blakemore: I first encountered him years and years ago – before I was even contemplating writing novels – during one of those late-night Wikipedia black holes that you get into when you’re in your early twenties and not great at sleeping. Or that I did, anyway? Beyond the obvious drama and intensity of his life, as it’s been presented to us, I suppose what most drew me to Tarare and his story was the dissonance I felt between the horrific and nightmarish qualities of his experience, and the light-hearted, almost comedic way he’s presented in the folk tradition, or pop culture (when he’s presented at all). The idea of being hungry all the time was one of the most terrifying, psychologically deleterious things I could imagine happening to a person – and yet he’s usually treated as a figure of fun. I suppose I wanted to approach him as a human. To deepen and complicate him as a historical figure, however I could, while staying as close as possible to what we know of his actual life as he lived it.

RR: Tarare is not your first historical character. Can you tell us what power lies in history as inspiration? How do you walk the line between truth and tale, and what sort of research goes into that?

AKB: Generally, I try to stay as close to the facts of the story I’m telling as possible – or as close to the ‘spirit’ of the facts as they are presented to us. Which is probably why so far I’ve been attracted to historical figures whose biographies are already made more vivid or strange by the context in which they were recorded – carnival performers, witch-hunters – figures variously othered, monstered, driven outside.

I try to do enough historical research to move comfortably through the world I’m trying to portray, but you can rely on that too much, I think. It’s still the imagination doing the heavy lifting, by necessity, when writing about characters about whom limited archival or documentary evidence exists. I usually spend more time with literature contemporaneous with the era I’m writing about than non-fiction about the era itself. It really helps me pin down the feel of the time, I think. To get a handle on the vocabulary, the texture, the contours (the vibe, essentially) that I need to go for.

RR: So many sentences had me fervently underlining so that I could return to them again later, and yet the story never dulled. It is as page-turning as it is beautiful. As a poet and novelist both, does one skill come more naturally? Is your rough draft story-focused with the poetic prose coming later, or the opposite?

AKB: The skills don’t really feel that different to me, in practice, actually? My first drafts are usually pretty complete, adorned, dressed in Sunday best etc. I find it easier to trim down than to elaborate in the later stages. Certainly with The Glutton, where I was trying to create a sense of appetite and sensuality and spontaneity that felt appropriate to Tarare and Tarare’s psychology, I sort of just threw myself into it, followed where the story (and Tarare) seemed to want to lead me.

I think, at the moment, anyway, I actually find writing prose probably easier. I’m quite a perfectionist when it comes to poetry, and working with such compressed space, as you are in a poem, it really feels more pressurised. Prose still feels like more of a place for play.

RR: Though the prose is beautiful, much of The Glutton is concerned with the disturbing and grotesque. As a society that upholds beauty, what meaning is there in the ugly? Can you speak to why it may be important to tell such ugly-seeming stories?

AKB: I think what we find ugly or repellent – and why – is a much more compelling question than what we find beautiful or appealing. I’ve been thinking a lot recently about questions of the grotesque, and what we mean when we say something is ‘grotesque’. The French literary critic and philosopher Bakhtin formulated a lot of interesting ideas around ‘grotesque literature’, and he thinks of it as literature that situates the human body within the natural world and portrays it as part of the natural world, rather than as separate, or somehow isolated from and ‘better than’ the natural world (I’m simplifying and paraphrasing here, obviously). So it’s the art of orifices and excretions and things that go out of the body and go into it – an art of rot and of decay. And obviously when we consider the horrible global consequences of mankind’s abuse of the natural world – an abuse borne partly from a sense of separation from and superiority to the natural world, reified through capitalism – the political significance of a ‘grotesque art’ that challenges these perceptions seems clear. The grotesque can also be a powerful form of ‘outsider art’, a way of taking ownership of what people find disgusting about you, or would use to other you. I’ve been recommending Lauren Elkin’s Art Monsters to everyone recently – it’s great on the uses of the grotesque in the feminist visual arts and feminist literature.

RR: Did you eat anything strange in preparation for writing the “insatiable man?” Was it difficult to come out of Tarare’s mindset after writing?

AKB: Absolutely not! Actually, kind of the opposite – I’ve been a vegetarian my whole adult life, and haven’t eaten meat in more than a decade now, so meat/flesh/blood already hold a certain level of sensory ick for me. Like, I find it very difficult to watch someone eating a steak, and the smell of frying bacon or a butchers’ shop make me feel a bit ill. So I suppose I did, to a certain extent, tap into that pre-existing aversion when I was writing the novel, and that was quite useful. I also did a lot of thinking about the taboos around food we still hold. It was interesting to me, how so little literature really centres our relationship to food and nourishment, when it structures all our lives so deeply.

RR: Before you published The Manningtree Witches, what writers did you look up to? What books make you think “I wish I wrote that”?

AKB: Some of my favourite contemporary writers are Claire Louise-Bennett (her Checkout 19 is, to my mind, the best novel published in the past five years), Gwendoline Riley and Fernanda Melchor. I also love Kafka, McCarthy and Nabokov. A lot of Russians. When I was writing The Glutton, I was deep in Emile Zola’s Les Rougon Macquart novels, and his sort of bathetic, effervescent theatrical-social-realism was a huge influence.

RR: And finally, as is tradition, I must ask: what is your favorite thing about independent bookstores?

AKB: The people who work there. Mainly wonderful stone-cold weirdos, in my experience.

The Glutton is on our shelves now! Grab a copy here.

Keeping Up with the Classics: An Interview with Jewell Parker Rhodes

The Spark Book Club’s selection for October is Treasure Island: Runaway Gold. An imaginative retelling of the classic Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson, this adventure is set in modern-day Manhattan in which three kids go on a treasure hunt. I had a blast reading this, and I learned so much about the history of New York City. Jewell Parker Rhodes was kind enough to answer some questions about her latest work!

— Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus bookseller

Jewell Parker Rhodes, with Ripley and Gurgi | Photo by Jay Watson

Chelsea Stringfield: I loved the idea of setting Treasure Island in Manhattan! How did this idea come about? Why did you choose Treasure Island to adapt into a modern-day adventure?

Jewell Parker Rhodes: As a professor at Arizona State University, I’ve taught Robert Louis Stevenson’s work numerous times. His psychological depictions and, at times, ambiguous morality was ground-breaking. In the original story, Long John Silver’s betrayal of Jim Hawkins was a rare literary instance when an adult betrayed a child! Unheard of in1883!

Emotionally, I was drawn to the orphaned Jim, who became my main character, Zane. Like Jim, Zane, grieving for his dead father, longs for a substitute father-figure. During his adventure, he matures, learning about loyalty, morality, and his capacity to survive physical and mental challenges.

A trio of contemporary friends: Zane, Black; Kiko, African and Japanese-American; and Jack, white, upend the singular, white-child-centered Western classic. Showing love and friendships between diverse characters is important to me. As a historical novelist, I’m able to demonstrate that despite changing times, core humanity remains valuable and vulnerable and always capable of goodness and hope.

I also love the N.C. Wyeth illustrations in the original book. In my children’s bedrooms, we framed his images of King Arthur, Long John Silver and his pirates, and so much more! Raymond Sebastien did the wonderful illustrations in Treasure Island: Runaway Gold.

This is my celebration of classic literature, an honoring of celebrated artists (Stevenson and Wyeth), as well as a praise-song to today’s kids, reminding them that they, too, are heroes.

CS: The story takes Zane, Kiko, and Jack to several important historical places in New York. What research did you do for this book? Why did you feel that it was important to include the history of these places?

JPR: Riches are not just tangible gold but also a spiritual awareness of one’s heritage. The historical past reverberates today. Decades ago, I learned that Wall Street began as a municipal slave market in the 1700s. Slaves built the wall from which they were sold. They also contributed to the economic engine of New York—clearing land, laying foundations, building prisons, hospitals, and premier buildings such as Trinity Church, Fraunces Tavern, and much of Wall Street itself. The history of how over a million enslaved people between 1700 to 1800 helped transform New York into the world’s economic heart has been repressed. This history ignites Zane’s awareness and empathy and causes him to question whether any pirated treasure should just be “finders-keepers.”

Research is wonderful. I visited New York multiple times, read tons of books and articles, visited historical museums, such as the African American Burial Ground (of the U.S. Park Service), and interviewed people. I love writing stories that combine facts, compelling characters, and action!

CS: We are big fans of dogs here at Parnassus Books, and Hip-Hop was my favorite character. I also noticed that your author photo has dogs! Tell us about your dogs! Do you think they would make good shop dogs?

JPR: Ripley and Gurgi are nine-year-old sisters! Same father, different mothers. In my author photo, Ripley is the dog looking at me. I named her after the Sigourney Weaver character in the Alien movie. Ha! Ripley is more likely to defend with kisses rather than bites! She’s super chill and loves sleeping on her back. Her sister, Gurgi, is a week older and super anxious. My husband, Brad, named her Gurgi after the furry character in Lloyd Alexander’s The Chronicles of Prydain (his favorite series as a boy). Ripley likes to explore the world. Gurgi wants to keep track of me and her sister.  Ripley would be the perfect shop dog. She’d want to meet everyone and make friends. Gurgi would bark-bark-bark. But, occasionally, for a very special person, she’d sniff and lick their hand.

Hip-Hop, the dog in the book, is based upon a beloved Jack Russell terrier named Leia (as in Princess Leia). When my daughter went away to school, Leia became my dog. I loved how Leia slept with me, her fur against my legs. She was so warm and snuggly, yet feisty. Like all terriers, she loved to dig holes and chase after small animals– squirrels, mice, and, yes, sometimes our cats!

CS: Do you have any advice for young readers who want to write their own stories?

JPR: Read, read, read, and read some more. Consciously and unconsciously, you’re learning what makes a story and developing your own taste and style. Study people. And when you write, start first with characterization—not just the outside appearance and actions but also the inside desires and motivations.

CS: Finally, we always ask, what is your favorite thing about independent bookstores?

JPR: My summer jobs and part-time jobs were in independent bookstores. As a fourteen-year- old, I worked in a Half Price Bookstore. I developed so much self-confidence and was exposed to an amazing range of stories and people’s favorites. I loved opening new boxes and inhaling book scents. I even loved stocking and rearranging the shelves. The bookstore was a sacred place that informed my desire to become a writer. Words are powerful for enlightening the mind and opening the heart.

Several members of my family were illiterate. My grandmother who raised me never finished third grade; my parents didn’t graduate high school. Today, I’m amazed I’m a writer and the Virginia G. Piper Endowed Chair Professor at Arizona State University. Every time I enter an independent bookstore, I know I am safe in a world of books with people who care and who connect readers to their magic. Booksellers who nurtured me and exposed me to new ideas are my heroes. Especially the booksellers who welcomed the little girl, me, browsing among the shelves (even though I hadn’t any money) and finding safety and care surrounded by words.

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. Sign up today, and grab a copy of Treasure Island: Runaway Gold!

Happy Birthday, Between the Covers: Spotlighting the #23for23 Challenge

Happy Birthday, Between the Covers! It’s been a whole year since we met for the first time to discuss When in Rome by Sarah Adams, and since that very first meeting we have done so much. We fell in love with a stern brunch daddy dragon via Katee Robert’s The Dragon’s Bride, rallied the absolute best heist crew with Sara Desai in To Have and To Heist, and learned all about the art of Chinese Zodiac Matchmaking with Lauren Kung Jessen in her book Lunar Love. We have had the joy of falling in love over and over again this past year, and I am so grateful to have this fantastic community to fall with.

As a bookseller and host of Between the Covers, I put an enormous amount of thought into the books I pick. From the beginning, we at Parnassus wanted to make sure that we use the small power we have as booksellers to spotlight queer and BIPOC romance authors and their stories, and we hope our selection over the past year reflects that commitment. We’ve been so inspired by the new #23for23 campaign started by authors Nisha Sharma, Adriana Herrera, and Nikki Payne in an effort to support and center queer and BIPOC romance authors. We are so grateful to be joined by all three founders to tell us more about the #23for23 campaign and to help us celebrate our one year anniversary. If you haven’t had a chance to grab their most recent books, I cannot recommend them enough!

— Katie Garaby, Parnassus bookseller and host of Between the Covers

Nisha Sharma

Katie Garaby: Thanks so much for taking time to chat with us. I am a big fan of all of your work, and I am so excited to have you join us on Musing. Can you share a little bit about the #23for23 campaign with our readers?

Nisha Sharma: Sure! The mission for #23for23 is to elevate BIPOC authors writing BIPOC communities in romance. The intention is to bring race and ethnicity back into the conversation. We believe that intersectional representation in what we read is vital for equity and equality in publishing, and we hope that those in bookish communities can be more intentional about the media they consume. Statistics, science and technology have all shown us that we need to make an effort if we are going to start to diversify the publishing industry.

KG: How did you all come up with the idea for #23for23? Was this campaign something you had been ruminating on for a while or was it really a love child of Steamy Lit Con?

Adriana Herrera: The idea came up as we were planning to host a soiree for influencers during Steamy Lit Con. Nikki, Nisha and I wanted to celebrate the creators who make a point of amplifying our work. We wanted to leave them with a call to action after the event and while we brainstormed, Nisha came up with reading twenty-three books by the end of 2023.

Nikki Payne

KG: Romance as a genre is very cis/het/white. The statistics are staggering (not a single Black romance author has been on the NYT since 2021!?), which makes our shopping choices so important. Aside from making sure that we are buying books by queer and BIPOC authors, how else can we support the campaign?

Nikki Payne: I think there is a crisis of invisibility on platforms like Instagram and TikTok and YouTube for BIPOC books. And it becomes a vicious cycle of creators not posting about BIPOC books because they don’t get views, and BIPOC books not getting exposure on these platforms because creators do not post about them. So yes, buy the book, those numbers matter. But also share the book. Tell a friend. Shout about it on your account. Books get sold because someone you trust tells you that this is a good story. TikTok has been able to operationalize that. We can leverage that same phenomena.

KG: How would you like to see indie bookstores, like Parnassus, showing up for the #23for23 campaign?

Nisha: We would love if indie bookstores can make BIPOC books more accessible to readers both on social media and in stores. Indie bookstores have smaller footprints which means display real estate is very difficult to come by, but if Parnassus and others can focus on sharing BIPOC titles front and center, and encourage readers to be more intentional, then readers and authors will get the support they need to complete the challenge.

Note: We know not all of you reading this post live in Nashville, so we’ve come up with a list of 23 books (a virtual display, if you will) you can read to complete the #23for23 challenge! Click here for the list.

Adriana Herrera

KG: One thing I have noticed about the romance community is that we love to gush and share with other readers the authors and stories we are crushing on. I know I love hearing who my favorite authors are reading right now. Who is an author you love and would like to see on readers’ #23for23 list?

Adriana: I absolutely love Charish Reid’s latest book, Mickey Chambers Shakes It Up. It is one of my favorite contemporary romances so far this year. Angelina Lopez is also a superstar and I wish everyone read her Freedom series. It is the perfect small-town romance series.

KG: And finally, we always like to finish up with this question: What is your favorite thing about independent bookstores?

Nikki: The community of folks. The book clubs! The reading groups. For many it can be a found family They’re committed to a store, oftentimes to a locality and to an idea of a place. I love independent bookstore communities.

Adriana: I’ve lived in a lot of different places and almost always end up finding my people at the local bookstore. There is nothing better than book folks, and independent bookstores are social hubs, safe havens, places to think, to learn, to build community.

Nisha: The booksellers! I absolutely love connecting with like-minded passionate booksellers at indie bookstores who are there because they are as passionate about books as I am. Thank you for all that you do!

Check out Nisha, Nikki, and Adriana’s books below! If you want some help picking out books for the #23for23 challenge, we’ve got you covered! Click here for Katie’s curated list.

Woman vs. Nature: An Interview with Melissa Broder

Is there any better feeling than being just a few chapters into a new book and already knowing that you’re about to read a story that is going to stick with you for years to come? Friends, if any book this year is going to give you that feeling, it’s Death Valley by Melissa Broder.

I’m unable to talk about Death Valley without a smile creeping onto my face. Even months after reading it, I’m still so easily brought back its all-consuming absurdity, surrealism, and depth. There was not a moment I spent reading this book when I knew what was coming next. Melissa Broder has outdone herself with this one. I am so excited for more of you to read Death Valley this fall, and I am thrilled I had the chance to pick Melissa’s brain about this book.

— Maddie Grimes, Parnassus bookseller

Melissa Broder | Photo by Petra Collins

Maddie Grimes: You’ve managed to craft a story that is so wonderfully whimsical and uniquely entertaining despite it centering around some seriously somber and painful themes. This was my experience with Death Valley as a reader, but I’m curious how you experienced the novel while writing it? Were you also experiencing this mix of whimsy and pain during the drafting process?

Melissa Broder: I knew that I wanted to write a funny book about grief rather than a grief-y book about grief. My friend, the writer Susan Cheever, says that you can always tell when a writer is having a good time writing a book, and that it makes it more enjoyable. She said this of Thackeray’s Vanity Fair, but I believe it to be true of so many novels.

During the writing process I was relieved from grieving my father—drawn away from rumination and pain into a different part of my brain that made me feel like we still had some time left together, some forward propulsion, so long as I was still writing the book. It was the times when I wasn’t writing that were harder for me. And after.

MG: The premise alone for Death Valley is so striking. How long did it take you to have the bare-bones concept for the novel fully solidified in your mind?

MB: The magic cactus came to me right away—a gift of an image—as did the desert setting. I was literally driving in the desert when the first line of the novel came to me. The lost in the desert element came much later, on a different desert trip, when I briefly got lost on a hike, panicked, and injured myself getting back to the car. Once I’d stop crying, I celebrated. Now I knew what had to happen in my novel.

MG: One of the many things that adds to the reading experience of Death Valley is how meta of a story it is. How much of yourself did you put into your main character, and how much of this book would you say is autobiographical?

MB: The book begins as a mix of autofiction and fiction. My father was in the ICU for six months before he died. He did have a mustache. My husband has been sick for many years (twice as long as the narrator’s husband) with a progressive immune disease. I do push him around supermarkets in his wheelchair and I have knocked him into cracker displays. He does stand up from his wheelchair in public and I do shout, “It’s a miracle!” And I, too, love a Best Western and get panic attacks from Red Bull.

From there, the novel departs into pure fiction. I’ve never been inside a magic saguaro cactus. I’ve talked to rocks, but they’ve never spoken back. I’ve never pissed off a tribe of teen bunnies, and I’ve never ridden on top of a bird named Mustache Oriole. I’ve never ridden any bird.

MG: A large part of Death Valley is the main character embarking on a classic, archetypal “man-vs-nature” journey. Do you have any favorite man-vs-nature stories from literature or film that inspired this part of your novel?

MB: I read Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire four times while writing the novel. The Passion According to G.H. by Clarice Lispector was an influence, though that is more of a woman vs. the void story. Generally, I love the journals of May Sarton and she’s constantly having skirmishes with the elements—particularly red squirrels that invade her home and anything that attacks her garden.

MG: A lot of readers see you as one of the spearheads of the increasingly popular weird-and-unhinged women’s-fiction subgenre. Do you feel any pressure as an author to out-weird your previous books? Or do you feel empowered to know that you are encouraged to push boundaries and break the lit-fic mold?

MB: I don’t feel any pressure to out-weird. I think the weird comes naturally. I get these images—the merman, the magic cactus—that make so much sense to me on an archetypal level. Sometimes, if I tell a writer friend my idea at the beginning phase of writing a novel, I’ll get a blank look. Recently, I was talking to my friend Ryan O’Connell, who writes for television and is very good at structure, about a germ I had for a novel involving an old woman riding a younger man around a supermarket with a floor covered in baked beans. He was like: “What’s the plot?” I was like, “That’ll come. But baked beans!”

As for the unhinged part, that also comes naturally. I never think of my characters as “unlikeable protagonists,” though I hear that said of my work. But I like my protagonists very much.

MG: As always, we like to end on this question: what is your favorite thing about independent
bookstores?

MB: The potentiality! Walking into an independent bookstore feels like hope. It’s a buffet of mysterious paper rooms (not to mix metaphors). It’s an hour that will then become many days and universes. Also, as an author, there is no greater thrill than walking into a bookstore and seeing your book in there. None! It will never get old.

Death Valley is on our shelves now!

Trick or Treat! 20 New Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

We have a proposition: What if instead of asking for a trick or a treat this Halloween, we ask for a book or a bark? If you choose a book, you get a great new read. If you choose a bark, one of our shop dogs will bark at you about a book they love. It’s a win-win, right? (Don’t worry, we’ll have candy too.) Happy Halloween, and happy reading!

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Rae Ann Dear Unicorn

By Josh Funk, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Two pen pals (a human child and a unicorn) are surprised when they finally meet in this fun and beautifully illustrated story.

Recommended by Chelsea Pepita Meets Bebita

By Ruth Behar, Gabriel Frye-Behar, Maribel Lechuga (Illustrator)

Pepita is the baby of the family until another bebita is brought home. How will Pepita adjust to sharing her family and their love? This is a great read for families expecting new little ones, and the illustrations are too cute.

Recommended by Ashby How to Make a Peanut Butter Sandwich in 17 Easy Steps

By Bambi Edlund

Starting with an extensive list calling for 1 mini donkey, 6 cheekfuls of peanuts and 4 wooden clogs, this book really ends with a peanut butter sandwich! After the donkey polkas on the peanuts to crunchy or smooth texture, there is peanut butter. Great to think about following directions and all the steps involved with things!

Recommended by Rae Ann Mighty Muddy Us (Feeling Friends)

By Caron Levis, Charles Santoso (Illustrator)

Caron Levis and Charles Santoso bring readers another beautiful picture book based on a true story. When elephant Enid’s baby brother, Ely, can’t move on his own, she stays by his side and shows him the way in this endearing sibling story.

Recommended by Rachel In the Dark

By Kate Hoefler, Corinna Luyken (Illustrator)

Strange things occur in the woods, but maybe they aren’t what they seem? A beautiful and autumnal picture book about witches, woods, perspective, and fear.

Recommended by Ashby Cone Dog

By Sarah Howden, Carmen Mok (Illustrator)

Emma the dog returns from the vet with a “lampshade” but finds ways it is useful, like scaring Keith the squirrel. Perfect for anyone whose pet is having a procedure or needs help with discussions about the health of animals. A lot of silly as well!

Recommended by Katie I Am Stuck

By Julia Mills

Have you ever been absolutely down, just totally stuck, like a turtle on it’s back? I know I have. This debut picture book is the story of a sweet little turtle who finds himself stuck and is a reminder of how important good friends are.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Rae Ann The Museum on the Moon: The Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface

By Irene Latham, Myriam Wares (Illustrator)

Facts intertwine with poems about items left on the moon (including footprints) in this fascinating science book highlighting the moon as a museum.

Recommended by Jenness Wrecker

By Carl Hiaasen

“Wrecker” Jones comes from a long and storied family of divers, but none of that can prepare him for the adventure that begins when he recovers a trove of illegal treasure from the wreckage of a very familiar-looking boat connected to a very shady-looking man. This story zips along, riding the wave of excitement, humor, and heart that fills every Hiaasen book.

Recommended by Aly The Otherwoods

By Justine Pucella Winans

River is not brave. They are afraid of everything from confronting their mean teacher to the monsters they see every day, including the one under their bed. One day these monsters take their first and only friend. With their cat, Mr. Fluffy Pancakes, by their side, River embarks on an adventure to prove anyone can be a hero.

Recommended by Hannah P. The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying Tales

By Tehlor Kay Mejia

Based on the 90s Nickelodeon horror franchise, a new Midnight Society gathers around the campfire to share three chilling tales inspired by Hispanic folklore. If you’re not Afraid of the Dark now, you will be after this fun and spooky read!

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Jenny Foul Heart Huntsman (Foul Lady Fortune)

By Chloe Gong

In this riveting sequel to Foul Lady Fortune, all of our favorite characters are back with even more precarious missions. As who is a hero and who is a villain becomes more and more difficult to discern, will the patchwork crew of spies be able to save the lives of those they love the most? If you are looking for action, magic, and love, Foul Heart Huntsman will keep you turning pages for more.

Recommended by Tara The Name Drop

By Susan Lee

We’ve all daydreamed about a Freaky Friday-esque life swap scenario, but The Name Drop brings this fantasy to life. This is such a fun twist on a prince and pauper tale that will have you swooning.

Recommended by Chelsea Thieves’ Gambit

By Kayvion Lewis

Ross Quest comes from a family of thieves, and she’s drawn into the Thieves’ Gambit with the prize of one wish to whoever wins. A rollercoaster from start to finish, Ross’s international adventures had me on the edge of my seat, and you can’t help but root for Ross as the competition between the other thieves gets more dangerous and possibly deadly.

Recommended by Lauren This Dark Descent

By Kalyn Josephson

To save her family and their ranch, Mikira must win the Illinir – a prestigious and dangerous race with enchanted horses, but most riders do not make it out alive. Mikira teams up with Arielle, an enchanter who is discovering how powerful she really is. This YA fantasy is filled with magic, friendship, love, and suspense that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Recommended by Jenny Curious Tides (The Drowned Gods Duology)

By Pascale Lacelle

Atmospheric, Curious Tides introduces a powerful university full of lunar magic. Emory, born under a New Moon, is a mediocre healer grieving the mysterious disappearance of her best friend, Romie. Baz, Romie’s brother, is a stigmatized Eclipse-born with dangerous powers. Together, can they survive the dark magic of the tide or will it consume them all?

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Marcia The Outsiders

By S. E. Hinton

How did I get to where I am in life now without reading this? When my son’s 7th grade Lit class began reading the book this semester, I started to read it after he went to sleep at night. A wonderful, awkward, and painfully beautiful world of rival gangs, the Greasers and the Socs, and the loyalties that lie within. A powerful story of tragedy and those that can rise above their backgrounds to redeem themselves.

Sprout Book Club: October Selection If I Was a Horse

By Sophie Blackall

The October 2023 Sprout Book Club selection is If I Was A Horse by Sophie Blackall. This adorable picture book lets kids imagine what they might do if they were a horse, with beautiful illustrations to act out the ideas.

Early praise for the book:

“Delightful…[with] colorful, sweet, gently humorous illustrations…There’ll be no neigh-sayers for this one.” – 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: October Selection Treasure Island: Runaway Gold

By Jewell Parker Rhodes

The October 2023 Spark Book Club selection is Treasure Island: Runaway Gold by Jewell Parker Rhodes. This reimagining of the classic novel, Treasure Island, takes place in modern-day New York City. Three kids must dodge a threatening crew of skater kids while navigating the city’s hidden history, all while tracking down a buried treasure.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“Whether or not readers are familiar with Robert Louis Stevenson’s original, they’ll be drawn into this accessible, action-packed adventure, full of mysteries, pirates, skateboard drama, and a whole new underground world. The artful, verse-like sentence structures intentionally and effectively evoke the resonance and rhythm of the African American oral tradition. Daringly honors old heroes, stunningly integrating past and present with pitch-perfect success.” –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: October Selection All That Consumes Us 

By Erica Waters

The October 2023 ParnassusNext selection is All That Consumes Us by Erica Waters. It is a gothic dark academia novel that delves into the human capacity for great love, great art, and great evil.

Please join us for the launch of All That Consumes Us at Parnassus on October 18th at 6:30 pm. Register here.

Early praise for the novel:

“Gothic horror for fans of dark academia.” –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.

Spooky Season: 42 New Reads for October

Happy October, friends! Spooky season is upon us, and clearly our booksellers got the memo. There’s a plethora of mysteries, frights, and magic to choose from this month. If things that go bump in the night aren’t your jam, we’ve still got plenty of options for you; our staff of reading machines has a whopping forty-two books to highlight this month, so start perusing!

FICTIONRecommended by Lindsay The Vaster Wilds: A Novel

By Lauren Groff

Lauren Groff’s latest follows a girl who takes to the wilderness amid plagues and strife in seventeenth century Jamestown. Come for the scrumptious meals of insects and tree bark, stay for the affirmation of life and the beauty of human perseverance–I adored The Vaster Wilds.

Also loved by Cat!

Recommended by Maddie Rouge: A Novel

By Mona Awad

Mona Awad has proven herself yet again as the patron saint of unhinged women. In Rouge, Belle becomes more and more consumed by her complicated relationship with her mother and by her unhealthy obsession with maintaining the perfect skincare routine (OK, who hasn’t been there?). This book is a twisting, creeping fairytale of a story that will continue to haunt you long after you put it down.

Also loved by Aly!

Recommended by Jordan 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.

Recommended by Kathy The Caretaker: A Novel

By Ron Rash

Blackburn Gant, crippled by polio, spends his life taking care of the local cemetery. When his only friend, Jacob, gets drafted into the Korean War, Jacob asks him to take care of his wife Naomi. What could go wrong? This is a compelling story of unexpected betrayals and shocking actions by all the characters.

Also loved by Cheryl!

Recommended by Jenness Normal Rules Don’t Apply: Stories

By Kate Atkinson

Kate Atkinson’s wit and ingenuity float through these short stories, assigning each with the whimsy of a fairy tale and the fullness of a novel. This collection woven together feels both both grounded and uplifting, sober and exhilarating.

Recommended by Rachel Penance: A Novel

By Eliza Clark

A true crime biography but make it fictional? That’s Penance in a nutshell. Three girls in a seaside town set their classmate on fire. The text is made of podcast scripts, first-person interviews, tumblr posts, and prose sections, all compiled by a fictitious journalist with her own motives in mind. Penance dives head first into our culture’s obsession with true crime and will not let you look away.

Recommended by Cheryl The River We Remember: A Novel

By William Kent Krueger

No one was sad about the death of this small town’s richest citizen. Was it suicide or murder? If it was murder, anyone could have done it, including the sheriff. As the stories unfold from the past, painful wounds and prejudices make the solving as hard as overcoming the river current. The reader is there with the characters. Another great read from Krueger.

Recommended by Heath The Golden Gate: A Novel

By Amy Chua

1940’s San Francisco – a murdered presidential candidate, a rich family hiding something, a detective to root for, and even an appearance by the first lady of China. The Golden Gate is a great new addition to the detective noir category, while also being a really fun read. I could see this becoming a series, and that would be completely fine with me.

Recommended by Maddie Death Valley: A Novel

By Melissa Broder

I’m unable to talk about this book without a smile creeping onto my face. Even months after reading it, just thinking about Death Valley brings me back to its all-consuming absurdity, surrealism, and depth. There was not a moment I spent reading this book where I knew what was coming next. Melissa Broder has outdone herself with this one.

Recommended by Jake The Free People’s Village

By Sim Kern

Set in a world where climate change has been eradicated, The Free People’s Village follows punk rocker Maddie. After learning her favorite venue is set to be demolished for a new highway for the wealthy, Maddie and her band become increasingly drawn into the radical protest group Save The Eighth. Deeply political, stunningly realized, and effortlessly readable, this is climate fiction for a new generation.

Recommended by Katie Godkiller: A Novel

By Hannah Kaner

A dark and thrilling world with sharply written characters bent on revenge and a small desire to make their world right. Civil war seems inevitable unless wildly different heroes can pull it together and figure out a plan to defeat the Gods and those in power. Flush with queer and disability rep, this book scratched an itch I had to dive head first into an epic fantastical adventure.

Recommended by Cheryl The Heart of It All

By Christian Kiefer

A Pakistani immigrant’s company is the small Ohio town’s largest employer. A young black man is sent to his aunt’s to live. These two families are the only minorities. Tensions start to ease as the town starts to discover that they have more in common than differences. Beautiful resolution for the town and the people.

Recommended by Ashby The Last Devil to Die: A Thursday Murder Club Mystery

By Richard Osman

The fourth Thursday Murder Club brought me a first: I cried reading a mystery. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ibrahim and Ron face art forgers and drug dealers to solve a friend’s murder. In addition, Osman depicts love, loss and dementia as beautifully as his whodunit. Osman plans to take a break from the four and write something different; I will miss these four until he goes back to Coopers Chase Retirement Village.

Also loved by Tara!

Recommended by Rae Ann What Became of Magic: A Novel

By Paige Crutcher

A woman is summoned to a town that doesn’t exist on any map where she must use her hidden talents to rescue magic, who by chance, is a person. The perfect read for fall.

Recommended by Marcia 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!

Recommended by Chelsea A Shot in the Dark: A Novel

By Victoria Lee

Lee’s adult debut is a moving novel that explores religious identity, addiction, and queerness. Ely and Wyatt are both tender, genuine characters that I truly loved. Beautifully written, A Shot in the Dark is perfect for readers of Honey Girl and One Last Stop.

Recommended by Sissy Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror

By Jordan Peele (Editor)

I’m always on the lookout for fresh horror by women and people of color. Peele’s intro grabbed me immediately. If you have enjoyed his films, check out these tales to scare yourself silly this autumn!

Recommended by Sydney 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.

Recommended by RJ Starling House

By Alix E. Harrow

Starling House is the story of a poisoned town with monsters in its mist, a house with a mind of its own, and a haunting picture book hiding dark secrets in plain sight. A slow-burn contemporary fantasy of love, revenge, and family with Alix Harrow’s signature enchanting prose.

Recommended by Jennifer The Fragile Threads of Power

By V. E. Schwab

A return to the world of the Darker Shade of Magic series, Fragile Threads of Power takes place seven years later, in a world on the brink of chaos. Reunite with old favorites and meet new characters, all with dubious desires and morally-grey compasses. In realms where magic is power, what happens when the most powerful dimensions collide?

Recommended by Ashby Murder in the Family: A Novel

By Cara Hunter

Captivating! Completely different format. The premise: true crime Netflix series featuring crime experts, police detectives, psychologist, lawyer and reporter. Luke Ryder’s murder happened 20 years ago. Told through text messages, interviews, newspaper articles, emails and the show’s script, there are tons of twists and turns in each episode until the murderer is revealed.

Recommended by Katie Cleat Cute: A Novel

By Meryl Wilsner

If you are nursing your wounds after the US Women’s team loss, look no far than our romance bestie, Meryl Wilsner’s newest book, Cleat Cute. Y’all, Meryl never lets us down. Not ever. And this grumpy/sunshine, age-gap romance between two players at opposite ends of their career is all your Sapphic fantasies come true.

Also loved by Chelsea!

Recommended by Jenness Black River Orchard

By Chuck Wendig

Wendig’s latest spooky and spell-binding novel is perfect for October – bursting with deceptively delicious apples; creepy, culty townspeople; and an evil, encompassing sense of dread that just keeps building. A remarkably balanced tale of supernatural horror and the everyday terror of human connection.

Also loved by Sissy!

Recommended by Sarah Roaming

By Jillian Tamaki, Mariko Tamaki

Roaming is such an authentic representation of being nineteen and infatuated with new people and new places. You’ll cringe at the characters’ choices and relate to their joys. The artwork is absolutely stunning and makes a muted color palette feel vibrant and alive. I’m not an avid graphic novel reader, but this one captured my heart.

Recommended by Sydney 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.

Recommended by Ashby Murder on the Orient Express: The Graphic Novel

By Agatha Christie, Bob Al-Greene (Illustrator)

I love all things Christie! I am surprised it has taken this long for a graphic novel version of a fan favorite. Al-Green captures Poirot, the quirky little Belgian, who finds himself on a train full of murderers. It’s fun to compare the book, the movie versions and this graphic novel to see all the different angles of the story and imagine Christie herself who took a ride on the train before writing this mystery.

Recommended by Katie Salt Kiss (Lyonesse)

By Sierra Simone

Have you ever thought to yourself, “I really want to read an absolutely filthy retelling of Tristan and Isolde”? Yes? Well, look no further. Our reigning queen of steam is back with a new series that will absolutely break your brain. It’s over the top, dramatic and so so spicy. Sierra Simone is a delightfully wild romance author and so much fun to read. If you loved her New Camelot series, Salt Kiss will thrill you.

Recommended by Chelsea Red Rabbit

By Alex Grecian

Did I know “folk horror” was a genre designation? Absolutely not, but this ended up being the perfect autumnal read to usher in the change in seasons. If you’re looking for a western hero’s journey with witches, demons, and ghosts, you’ve found your next read.

NONFICTIONRecommended by Ann Necessary Trouble: Growing Up at Midcentury

By Drew Gilpin Faust

Gilpin Faust, the former president of Harvard, takes us through the Cold War, the Women’s Movement, Civil Rights and Vietnam. In doing so, she shows us history as it was lived.

Also loved by Cheryl!

Recommended by Lindsay The Slip: The New York City Street That Changed American Art Forever

By Prudence Peiffer

Fans of narratives about midcentury art communes in NYC (all two of you!) rejoice, Prudence Peiffer’s The Slip is an incredible history of the artists who took over a row of lofts in Lower Manhattan through the 1960s. Robert Indiana, Ellsworth Kelly, Agnes Martin, and James Rosenquist all make appearances in this engrossing and gossipy read about the art world.

Recommended by Cat 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.

Recommended by Cheryl How Far to the Promised Land: One Black Family’s Story of Hope and Survival in the American South

By Esau McCaulley

There are several troubling memoirs of Black men being raised by single moms trying to do better than the previous generations. This one has hope, love and faith. He grew up in Huntsville, went to Sewanee and continued to educate himself. His story is individual but he strives to find the promised land for all people. Uplifting.

Recommended by Patsy 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.

Recommended by Jordan The Feminist Killjoy Handbook: The Radical Potential of Getting in the Way

By Sara Ahmed

Do you refuse to laugh at sexist jokes? Get accused of being too “woke”? Queer feminist scholar and activist Sara Ahmed provides an in-depth analysis on what it means when people equate feminism with being a killjoy and why it is important to rain on the parade of life in order to speak up and speak truth. This is a must-read for people wanting to expand their understanding of intersectional feminism.

Recommended by Jenness Pockets: An Intimate History of How We Keep Things Close

By Hannah Carlson

A curious and eye-opening micro-history of human’s desire for – and usage of – pockets: how they’re designed, who gets them (and who doesn’t), and what we do with them. Our modern “pocket patriarchy” actually has deep, dark, and interesting roots.

Recommended by Ashby Insane Emperors, Sunken Cities, and Earthquake Machines: More Frequently Asked Questions about the Ancient Greeks and Romans

By Garrett Ryan

I needed this book when I studied Latin. It answers the important questions. Did Greeks and Romans wear swimsuits? Nope. How did they prove their identity? Not easily. A few Nero impersonators made it quite some time before being discovered. There were no drivers’ licenses for chariots. Full of facts and anecdotes, this book provides lots of conversation tidbits for any cocktail party.

Recommended by Hannah P. Monsters on the Couch: The Real Psychological Disorders Behind Your Favorite Horror Movies

By Brian A. Sharpless

Have you ever wanted a clinical psychologist to guide you through a fascinating analysis of movie monsters, classic horror films, and the real psychological disorders that inspired them? Well, here you go. Well-researched, witty, and compulsively readable, this one is a must for fans of the genre.

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Tara The Bookshop on the Corner: A Novel

By Jenny Colgan

Every year when the weather starts to get a little crisp, I pull out The Bookshop on the Corner. Set in the dreamy Scottish highlands, this book follows our protagonist Nina as she moves from a bustling city to a remote village and opens a bookmobile. This is the perfect book to read on a chilly day cozied up with a mug of tea, and it’s sure to leave you grinning from ear to ear.

Recommended by Heath ‘Salem’s Lot

By Stephen King

In a small town in Maine, people start dying or disappearing around the same time a mysterious stranger moves into the abandoned mansion on the hill. This is King’s take on the vampire novel, and he does a wonderful job of slow building the tension and then unleashing the eventual horror. If you’re looking for a scary book for Halloween, consider this classic.

Also loved by Jake, Sissy, and Chelsea!

Recommended by Hannah P. We Have Always Lived in the Castle

By Shirley Jackson

Years after a poisoning incident kills the rest of the family, a strange girl lives in isolation with her sister and uncle. This stunning portrait of “otherness” is one of my go-to autumn reads and also (what I consider to be) Shirley Jackson’s greatest gothic masterpiece. It’s eerie, atmospheric, and bizarrely engrossing from start to finish. Bonus points for a great unreliable narrator.

Recommended by Patsy Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory

By Ben Macintyre

British intelligence invent a ruse: drop a dead body with attached briefcase containing “classified documents” into the sea, hoping the plans will reach Hitler and convince him to move his troops. The Allies are able to make a foray into southern Europe in June 1943 thanks to this wild plan. Even more implausible: now a fantastic musical on the London stage.

First Editions Club: October Selection The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year

By Margaret Renkl

 

Sometimes things are easy.

Thanks to Margaret Renkl, picking the First Editions Club book for October was a snap. As soon as I read The Comfort of Crows, I knew this was the one. Sure, Margaret is a dear friend of mine and a friend of Parnassus. Sure, she’s both a local author and a national treasure. But really, none of that matters. What matters is how brilliant this book is, and how important.

The premise is deceptively simple: Margaret charts a year through the lens of her own backyard—the rose-breasted grosbeak arriving in spring; the remnants of a hurricane showing up in summer; the scourge of leaf
blowers in the fall. The writing is gorgeous and fierce, the observations subtle, exalted, soaring, enraged and knocked sideways by beauty. Week by week, she reminds us of what we’ve lost, what we still have, and all that looms ahead. Together these essays form a call to action. This life, this place where we live, deserves our fullest attention.

And that would have been more than enough to make a great book, but Margaret partnered with her brother, the artist Billy Renkl, and Billy made a piece of art for every chapter. Prepare to be amazed. The result is a work whose power is more than doubled by two siblings at their creative best joining forces. The Comfort of Crows is telling us to open our eyes to what we have and what we’re doing.

You’ll be back to buy copies for everyone you know.

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.

Collaboration and Conversations: An Interview with Traci Sorell & Charles Waters

Mascot is a novel in verse co-written by award-winning authors Charles Waters and Traci Sorell. An assignment debating the pros and cons of Indigenous People as mascots sparks change for students and their community in this middle grade novel. Thank you to Charles Waters and Traci Sorell for taking the time to answer my questions about their new novel for young readers!

— Rae Ann Parker, Director of Books and Events for Young Readers

Traci Sorell | Photo by Cody Hammer

Rae Ann Parker: What is the origin story of Mascot as a middle grade novel in verse? Did you intend to co-write the book from the beginning?

Charles Waters and Traci Sorell: We met at the Highlights Foundation’s novel in verse workshop in 2017. We both were writing poetry and picture books at the time and discussed working together in the future. Fast forward to 2019 when Charles reached out to Traci with the idea of writing a NIV together based on young people examining the Native themed mascot issue in their school district. 

RAP: What was your process of co-writing this book? How does co-writing a book feel different than working solo on a project? What was your favorite thing about working on Mascot together?

CW & TS: We discussed our personal knowledge and experiences with Native

Charles Waters | Photo by Kim-Julie Hansen

themed mascots in college and professional sports. Then we compiled and read a lot of research articles, including dissertations, and news articles about the issue’s impact on K-12 education and young people nationwide. We used Google Docs to house our research and jointly create the manuscript.

CW: One of the things I appreciate about collaboration is batting ideas back and forth with someone else as opposed to by yourself. Also, accountability is a big factor. If you both establish a homework assignment, i.e. writing poems about a certain subject or fleshing out a character and so forth, you’re accountable not only for yourself but the person you’re working with as well. 

TS: I take a long time to think about a story (often years) before I ever write it down and involve others. Co-writing required me to research and formulate the story more quickly than I do on my own, but that process was easier because I partnered with Charles from the start. 

CW & TS: Our favorite thing about working on Mascot together is we knew the story wouldn’t be as strong without the other person. We complemented each other very well that way.

RAP: There are seven points of view in this novel, six students and their teacher. How did you decide which classmates needed to tell the story and what role their teacher would play? 

CW & TS: We needed to be true to the setting. In looking at Virginia’s Fairfax County, where the fictional Rye suburb is located, we needed to reflect the population. In addition to the Black and white populations, people from India and El Salvador make up the two largest immigrant communities there. As there are also Native people living across the DC metro area, and most certainly in the suburbs of northern Virginia, it made sense to have Callie’s family move there near other Black and Native families. 

Ms. Williams, the teacher, knows about the mascot issue, the high school students’ activism in the district, and also who the eighth grade students are in her Honors English classroom. Her poems provide the reader with insights and information that those students would not necessarily know, but are important for the story. 

RAP: Do you have a favorite character?

CW: I don’t have one. Each of them felt personal to me with some of the characteristics they had. 

TS: No, I enjoyed developing all of them with Charles. Each one has some aspect that I’m intrigued by, which I hope is how readers feel also.

RAP: How did the setting influence the story? Why did you choose to set the novel in a Washington, D.C. suburb, rather than a rural area or another part of the country?

CW & TS: Great question! Setting is always one of the first considerations in storytelling.

Often people assume Native themed mascots in K-12 education occur mostly in rural areas, but that’s not the case. Over 1,900 schools have Native themed mascots in cities, suburbs and rural areas nationwide. The population in Mascot is reflective of most of the area―well educated with higher incomes and living near esteemed universities, international embassies and national museums. 

Getting rid of the DC area professional football team’s racist Native themed mascot happened because of Native Nations, their citizens and advocates pressuring the team’s financial sponsors to do the right thing―not due to masses who live in that large, metro area.

RAP:  What do you hope young readers experience in reading the novel?

CW & TS: In reading the research, it was staggering to see the negative impact of adults’ decisions on the overall health of young people. We hope it gives them encouragement to have conversations among themselves about what they find unjust in their schools, communities and the broader world while hopefully understanding they can make better choices for themselves, their peers and all those around them.

RAP: Do you have advice for young readers who are interested in writing their own stories?

CW & TS: Read a variety of stories in prose, poetry, and graphic script. Study the artwork in a book. Ponder what story the art tells beyond the text. Listening to audiobooks allows you to hear the voice and rhythm of a story. Then just start writing, drawing or recording your own stories. Understand your first draft or sketches will not be that good, but just keep going. The magic comes in revision as you polish the text and/or the art.

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

CW: The knowledgeability of the staff in book recommendations.  

TS: I love how the stores are decorated and the variety of books available. When I walk in, I know I’m going to leave with at least one new book. Usually it’s several because the booksellers introduce me to books I’ve never heard about (and I read a lot about upcoming books!). I love experiencing the diversity of indie bookstores nationwide.

Mascot is on shelves now. Grab your copy here!

Dragons, Kittens, and Pheasants, Oh My! 17 Reads for the Young & Young at Heart

If you have a young animal lover in your life, this month’s staff picks are for them! From scary kittens to sneaky squirrels, there are lots of laughs to be found in this roundup. If animals aren’t their jam, we’ve got everything from barbarians to bodies to brujas, so have a browse and pick up a new book!

PICTURE BOOKSRecommended by Rae Ann The Imaginary Alphabet

By Sylvie Daigneault

Clever wordplay and stunning illustrations make this a fabulous alphabet book.

Recommended by Chelsea The Truth About Dragons

By Julie Leung, Hanna Cha (Illustrator)

The lyrical story told by a mother to her child at bedtime is just so sweet, and each page is full of beautiful detail. I really loved how the differences between the two dragons are celebrated, but their similarities are also highlighted. An enriching celebration of multicultural identity.

Recommended by Rae Ann A Practical Present for Philippa Pheasant

By Briony May Smith

Philippa Pheasant gets a brilliant idea after seeing the school crossing guard in this sweet story about community and working together.

Recommended by Chelsea The Scariest Kitten in the World

By Kate Messner, MacKenzie Haley (Illustrator)

Need a great read-aloud for the upcoming spooky season? Actually not scary at all, The Scariest Kitten in the World will elicit endless laughs as Kitten does their very best to terrify readers in very adorable, cute ways.

Recommended by Rae Ann Hopefully the Scarecrow

By Michelle Houts, Sara Palacios (Illustrator)

This is a book about a friendship between a scarecrow (named Hopefully) and a girl. It’s also about the power of stories.

Recommended by Rae Ann The Story of a Book

By Joy McCullough, Devon Holzwarth (Illustrator)

A beautiful ode to the joy of books.

INDEPENDENT READERSRecommended by Rae Ann Maid for It

By Jamie Sumner

Franny doesn’t have a lot of hope for the future when her mom’s car accident derails their life. She questions whether her mom was sober and what will happen next. Franny blackmails a school bully into helping her take on her mom’s cleaning clients and tests out a first crush while keeping her afterschool life a secret. A heartwarming tale of family and second chances.

Recommended by Chelsea All Bodies are Wonderful: Use Science to Celebrate Everyone’s Body!

By Beth Cox

Do you know how many cells are in the human body? Or that we are made of stardust? This incredible book explains with inclusive, accessible language just how normal being different is. I dare anyone to pick up this book and NOT learn something.

Recommended by Rae Ann Mascot

By Charles Waters, Traci Sorell

An assignment debating a middle school’s mascot brings new perspectives and some surprises to an 8th grade class in this novel in verse.

Recommended by Lily, age 8 Barb and the Battle for Bailiwick (Barb the Last Berzerker #3)

By Dan Abdo, Jason Patterson

This book is about a young barbarian named Barb, and the quest is very exciting! I love how nobody believes in the Ghost Blade, but Barb proves them wrong. This story reminds me of one of my favorite book series, Wings of Fire. This story was amazing. I would definitely recommend this book!

Recommended by Rae Ann One Smart Cookie: (A Graphic Novel) (Norma and Belly #4)

By Mika Song

Norma and Belly are sure that if all of the fortune cookie fortunes say “Feed this cookie to a squirrel,” they’ll have lots of treats. So they sneak into the factory to put their plan into action.

YOUNG ADULTRecommended by Ashby Suddenly a Murder

By Lauren Muñoz

Secret passages, 1920s dresses, diamonds, blackmail. Wealthy high schoolers – except one – go to a mansion for a graduation party. Kassidy and best friend Izzy are opposites: Izzy is poor and Kassidy is rich. When Kassidy’s boyfriend Blaine is found dead, the investigation reveals answers to secrets. What is Izzy referring to that is so horrible she brought a knife and went to Blaine’s room?

Recommended by Katie A Tall Dark Trouble

By Vanessa Montalban

A fantastically magical YA debut from Vanessa Montalban, A Tall Dark Trouble casts the perfect spell on readers. Set in present day Miami and 1980s Cuba, the de Armas women are haunted by a curse that ruins any chance at love. When the twins start having premonitions of a potential murderer targeting brujas, they are forced to reckon with their magic to save their family. An absolutely thrilling debut!

CLASSICS & BACKLISTRecommended by Tara Just Listen

By Sarah Dessen

This book made me fall in love with angsty curly-haired boys with iPods. It is serving mid 2000’s realness and is a must-read for fans of young adult romance.

Sprout Book Club: September Selection I’m From

By Gary R. Gray, Jr., Oge Mora (Illustrator)

The September 2023 Sprout Book Club selection is I’m From by Gary R. Gray, Jr. and Oge Mora. This book is an ode to the small things in life that make up our day. From family breakfast, to a ride on the school bus, and bedtime stories at night, this book celebrates a boy’s daily routine and the people he loves. 

Early praise for the book:

“The reiterative phrase ‘I come from…’ frames the reflections of a Black child narrator discussing their identity in this tenderly observed picture book. Layered collage spreads by Caldecott Honoree Mora pulse with vibrant color and movement. Poet Gray, making a picture book debut, models the process of, and the power in, learning that ‘I come from/ somewhere.'” – Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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: September Selection The Lost Library

By Rebecca Stead, Wendy Mass

The September 2023 Spark Book Club selection is The Lost Library by Rebecca Stead and Wendy Mass. It is the story of a boy, a cat, and a ghostly librarian. When a boy finds a Little Free Library that appeared overnight, he is drawn into a mystery that involves his future, and that of his entire town.

Early Sparks for the novel:

“A page-turner with striking characters and a satisfying puzzle at its heart.” – 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: September Selection Those Pink Mountain Nights

By Jen Ferguson

The September 2023 ParnassusNext selection is Those Pink Mountain Nights by Jen Ferguson. A weekend shift at Pink Mountain Pizza takes an unexpected turn for three teens when they try to stop the sale of the pizza place while dealing with the past and the present.

Early praise for the novel:

“Set in Alberta, this introspective, character-driven story examines heavy topics, including Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, depression, and anti-Blackness, with sensitivity and compassion.” – Kirkus, starred review

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