“A tender, romantic tale about living up to your family’s legacy and the crossroads of what’s expected of you and what your heart desires. Saft’s prose is utterly enchanting; you can’t help but melt into her luscious world. You will swoon!” said Joseline Diaz of Kepler’s Books in Menlo Park, California.
“The Fury is a perfectly paced, charming, devious mystery novel to fall in love with. On a small, private, Greek island, mythology, history, and personal baggage put our small cast to the test. Intense, captivating, and satisfying,” said Becky Doherty of Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, New York.
“Molly is back with another entertaining mystery to solve at the Regency Grand Hotel. This time, a famous author is under scrutiny, featuring a pack of rabid fans and a peek into Molly’s past,” said Jenny Stroyeck of The Homer Bookstore in Homer, Alaska.
“Ali Hazelwood’s young adult debut delivers an exciting ride of rediscovery and second chances,” said Kaylie Padgett of Women & Children First in Chicago, Illinois.
“Jesmyn Ward is one of the most important writers of our time. This may be her best to date. Heartbreaking and gorgeous, Annis carries us through her story of loss and brutal enslavement — a story of strength, love, enduring, and finding a way,” said Jeanne Costello of Maria’s Bookshop in Durango, Colorado.
“A hike becomes a metaphysical journey straight into the center of grief, featuring literature’s most memorable cactus. Broder delivers us directly to the site of the wound and somehow makes us want to linger,” said Kristen Iskandrian of Thank You Books in Birmingham, Alabama.
“Lauren Groff is at the height of her power as a writer. The Vaster Wilds explores how one young woman’s experience of survival defines her. Rich in nuance, gorgeous, and full of the mystery of spirit, this novel meditates on life itself,” said Deirdre Kidder of Book Passage in Corte Madera, California.
“This was a good ghost story with polite ghosts, a mouse-sympathizing cat, and some adventure-seeking fifth graders. A great story for kids to read by themselves or out loud — I can’t wait to share it!” said Angela Burns of Little Bean Books in Antioch, Illinois.
“This beautiful and heartbreaking story explores the power of love, grief, and taking those first steps towards moving on,” said Beth Seufer Buss of Bookmarks in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
“An oddly delightful and delightfully odd story that is wonderfully drawn and concisely told. Follow our runaway heroine as she happens upon a kindred spirit embodied (or, disembodied) in a skull. Witty, with a dash of dark humor,” said Ernio Hernandez of River Bend Bookshop in Glastonbury, Connecticut.