September 21 Staff Picks
September really just creeped up on us! But fear not, we’ve got some great new book suggestions for this most transitional of months. Some channeling the chaos and unpredictability of the season, some channeling the propulsive page turners of back-to-school, all of these books are hand-chosen with an enthusiastic two-thumbs up from us.
You can find all our past staff picks here.
Nevermoor #01: Trials of Morrigan Crow by Jessica Townsend
Magic and mayhem are in store in Jessica Townsend's Nevermoor! Morrigan Crow is cursed to die on her eleventh birthday, but before she can meet her fate she is swept away into the fabulous world of Nevermoor. Morrigan's found family is so heartwarming. The third book in the series is out in paperback this month. Grab all three! — Aatia
Isadora by Amelia Gray
A brilliant exploration of grief and the life of Isadora Duncan, the Mother of Modern Dance, famously strangled to death by her silk scarf caught in the wheels of her own car. The novel starts shortly after a freak accident resulted in the death of her two children, and follows Isadora as she she teeters on a knife edge between her talent and sanity. Gray’s writing is at times both graceful and as unpredictable as Duncan’s movements on the stage. — Anthony
Netherland by Joseph O'Neill
This is basically a reboot of The Great Gatsby, set in a solemn New York during the years after 9/11. Hans, a Dutch financial analyst, reflects on his friendship with Chuck, a Trinidadian immigrant whose body has been found in the Gowanus Canal. More than just a 9/11 novel. One of the best books written his century. — Eddie
Heartburn by Nora Ephron
Nora Ephron's only novel, this hilarious roman a clef about her divorce from Carl Bernstein, is one of the most delicious (recipes!) and satisfying (short and funny!) books of all time. Meryl Streep (who starred in the film adaptation) also reads the audiobook, which you can get from LibroFM. This is a perfect novel, and I wish I'd written it. — Emma
Teddy & Co by Cynthia Voigt
Winnie the Pooh meets Rudolph & the Island of Misfit Toys. Such an underrated, lighthearted, imaginative read that should be in your children's library! & one of those perfect chapter books just right for nightly storytime (for the whole family!) They say a chapter a day keeps the doctor away... — Jacque
Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley
This is the graphic novel that got me into graphic novels! Everything Lucy Knisley writes & illustrates is pure magic, but Relish resonates in the perfect type of warm and fuzzy way- just like your favorite comfort meal. If you love food, you’ll love it. If you don’t love food…. what’s your deal anyway?? 🤔 — Kristina
The Keep by Jennifer Egan
I love how self aware and meta this novel is: there is a book within a book, gothic tropes being used to the point of absurdity, and a sense that a joke is being played on you as the reader. You're never quite sure which events are real or if you can trust the perspectives of the characters. And that ending! Superb! — Lindsay
True Story by Kate Reed Petty
A twisty-turny page turner that kept me guessing until the final pages. Petty uses multiple writing styles to craft a truly propulsive read. — Mike
The Kissing Bug by Daisy Hernandez
I love this memoir! We got SCIENCE, we got generational TRAUMA, and best of all EXPOSURE OF OUR WHACK HEALTH CARE SYSTEM. Daisy Hernandez weaves together family memoir and investigative journalism to uncover a parasitic disease that ultimately killed her aunt. This is a riveting and nuanced investigation into racial politics and for-profit healthcare in the United States. It's fascinating, informative, and beautiful! You're going to love it! — Natalie
On Lighthouses by Jazmina Barrera
Jazmina Barrera's On Lighthouses is a perfect blend of literature. Part essay, part memoir, part mythology, part literary criticism there is no section to fully classify this extraordinary book. Barrera touches on the haunting loneliness of displacement, isolation, and lastly of peace and place all through a tour of lighthouses across America. This is truly one of my all time favorite books that I return to time and time again. Always pulling something different from it each time. — Nick
Pilgrim Bell by Kaveh Akbar
From one of the most generous, open-hearted poets of our time comes this highly anticipated follow up to Calling a Wolf a Wolf! Akbar is a poet who is not only deeply aware of harm—and almost remarkably accountable to his role & relation to it—but deeply committed, even reverent towards, man’s capacity for redemption. This belief extends beyond principle into discipline. In a world that rewards the constant transaction of violence-for-violence, it takes courage to respond to violence with reflection, with repair, with faith and devotion. Such is the pulse, and nerve, of Pilgrim Bell. — Serena
Dear Senthuran by Akwaeke Emezi
The brilliant Akwaeke Emezi is back with a gorgeous memoir written in epistolary form. I read the first two chapters crouched behind the register on a slow day because I couldn't wait to dive into it (if you look on my staff picks page I've picked them twice!) Dear Senthuran is a revelatory exploration of self, love, and identity. If you have somehow missed the earth-shattering The Death of Vivek Oji, introduce yourself to one of the best writers of our generation by picking this up. If you have read their previous books - get this right away! You know you won't be disappointed. — Shulokhana
The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
This is fantasy for die-hard fans and skeptics alike -- it's sexy, it's funny, it's superbly written, and it's fucking crazy. I read the whole series three times back-to-back last year, and it only gets better. Dead Welsh kings have never been so much fun. — Isabel
We choose new staff picks every month, so stay tuned for regular updates.
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