Alisa's pick!
“The Wager is an extremely rich and detailed account of a harrowing voyage. I learned so much! And I read it three times!"
Paul's pick!
“Though in four volumes, I consider Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels, beginning with My Brilliant Friend, a single work. It's impossible not to fall in love with the flawed heroines at the center of this novel. Their relationship may be the most richly complex one I've ever read. This masterpiece is simply told and yet endlessly beguiling; both a broad political history of a place as well as a minutely observed human drama."
Jules' pick!
“This book was delightfully funny without being slapstick, and it had plenty of moments of genuine warmth and heartache as well. I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes to laugh, likes character-driven stories, or likes a good mystery.”
Rachelle's pick!
"You might read the back cover of How High We Go in the Dark and think, ‘Oof, a novel about a pandemic? Too soon!’ If you have the nerve to read about a brutal near future where the primary businesses and occupations cluster around the funerary, I recommend this wholly. The end is expansive and will leave you thinking, ‘Oh wow, what if…?’
Lili's pick!
“Babel explores colonialism and institutionalized racism while perfectly intertwining etymology lessons on language and translation. The characters feel like family and by the end I wanted to give them a warm and tearful embarace before saying goodbye. Most of all, it gave me of a feeling I haven’t felt since I was a pre-teen. It reminded me of how I once read with such fervor and why I fell in love with reading in the first place.”
Lee's Pick!
"Divine Rivals pulled at me like a marionette, tugging at my heartstrings. It lead me through a range of emotions only certain books can achieve. I came for the magical typewriters and hate-to-love romance; I stayed for the stunning portrayals of grief and diverse found family dynamic. Plus, I can't resist bitter gods fighting it out."
Naomi's pick!
Karen's pick!
“The book grabs you at the first sentence and keeps you in its grip for all of its 650 pages. I literally could not put it down. Murray takes us on a wild ride through the lives of an Irish family floundering through the economic crisis of 2008. Chapters switch focus from character to character, with Murray brilliantly capturing the distinct voice of each as they muddle through situations that are simultaneously terrifying and hilarious. Loved it!”
Elayna's Pick!
“I flew through this 500+ page historical fiction novel, entranced by the unique voice of Smith's protagonist. Widowed at a young age with not a penny to her name in 19th Century England, Mrs. Touchet devoted her life to her cousin-by-marriage, a famous author who runs in the same literary circle as Dickens. Cleverer than most of those men, we follow Mrs. Touchet's observation of the big story of the day: The Tichborne Trial, in which a man has claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne and demands his noble family hand over Sir Roger's inheritance.
“I loved how funny Smith's narration is and this glimpse into what a woman could make of herself at a time that was not kind to single women."
Justyn's pick!
“A fertile uncertainty worth more than all of the confident deliveries from homespun pundits broadcasting from overpowered pocket computers. Bringhurst makes the seemingly counterintuitive case that it is the inefficiencies of language that allow us to make any meaning with words. Meander with him through a forest of Native American languages to find a different structure of poetics often overlooked.”
Kass's pick!
“What a great year for all Hunger Games lovers! My favorite series got an another book and a new movie. Young Snow will make you fall in love with him, then rip your heart out by the end, but it's a great addition to an already amazing series!”
Rebecca's, Michelle's, and Rachelle's Pick!
"This novel deals with the aftermath of societal collapse. It speaks to how we survive and rebuild and, ultimately, to what we leave behind. The Vaster Wilds is brilliantly constructed and showcases an author at the top of her game." - Rebecca
“Hands down the best book I read in 2023 and my favorite of all of Groff’s work. Without saying too much about the plot, my heart sat in my throat, crumbled into pieces, and was somehow made whole again. The word ‘hope’ never felt so sharp. The prose is soft and musical and contrasts with the brutality of an early colonial survivalist story.” - Michelle
“I felt The Vaster Wilds in my soul. It’s a tale of survival yet by the end (and I don’t think I’m giving too much away), it’s not so much about the character’s survival but the reader’s own. How on earth did Groff pull that off? Pure wizardry. I am in awe.” - Rachelle
Holly's pick!
“If you think you know why Harry and Meghan stepped away from being working Royals, this book will make you realize how maligned they’ve been by the media reports. This is the story of a boy literally born to be a “spare” heir. His efforts to make his own way were thwarted at every turn by the British tabloids and the complicit Royal Family, who found it easier to allow Harry—and later Meghan—to be scapegoated rather than face their own shortcomings. A wonderful and eye-opening memoir, written with ghostwriter J.R. Moehringer."
Kathleens's pick!
“I read The Memory Police at the very beginning of 2023, but I still feel like I’m lost in its dream. An atmospheric, deeply wise fable.”
Naomi's pick!
Lee's pick!
"The way I feel about In the Dream House can't be conveyed through words. It’s a cathartic scream, a retching memory, a feeling not easily contained. It is a harrowing retelling of an abusive relationship told with exquisite lyricism. Machado is an extraordinary talent who gives voice to thousands who do not have the same platform to tell their story. As her dedication says, 'If you read this book, it is for you.'"
Elayna's Pick!
“I absolutely adore prose written by poets, and this enthralling memoir is no exception. It is both a tribute to her incredibly hard-working immigrant mother and an exploration of what it means to live in a female Asian body in a country and time that often either fetishizes or detests Asian women. Yet Wong's perspective is never self-pitying, and the way she opens her inner psyche to us is a privilege and a gift.”
Rebecca's pick!
Alisa's Pick!
“Go as a River is a beautiful saga of one woman's life in Colorado through layers of loss. The narrative continually resurfaces to take fresh gulps of triumph, hope, and life itself.”
Paul's Pick!
“God, Human, Animal, Machine is a brilliant and rigorous traipse down the rabbit holes of philosophy, technology, minds, religion, and death. O'Gieblyn, a lapsed evangelical, approaches her subject from a unique perspective with refreshing insight and a cutting sense of irony.”