Legends and Lattes

by Travis Baldree

Things to Look Forward To: 52 Large and Small Joys for Today and Every Day

by Sophie Blackall

The Sentence

by Louise Erdrich

My Nest of Silence

by Matt Faulkner

A Career in Books

by Kate Gavino

A Career in Books is a real treat: a substantial graphic novel full of wisdom, heart, and humor. The story centers on three best friends, fresh out of college and living together in New York. Each roommate is struggling with a different aspect of navigating the publishing industry as a young Asian American woman. Nina is the go-getter editorial assistant at a large publishing house, whose ambitions often exceed the reality of an entry-level position. Silvia works for a privately funded one-woman publisher, but dreams of writing her own book. Meanwhile, music-loving Shirin has a position at a university press, but isn’t even sure if working in publishing is what she wants to do. Meeting their neighbor, a nonagenarian Booker Prize–winning author whose books have mostly gone out of print, changes the course of each woman’s life. Author Kate Gavino has drawn on her own experience working as an editorial assistant to fully flesh out this story and its characters.

Otherlands: A Journey Through Earth’s Extinct Worlds

by Thomas Halliday

The Wall

by Marlen Haushofer, translated by Shaun Whiteside

I made the mistake of beginning The Wall on the first day of a trip, and throughout the week my mind was constantly drawn back to thinking about the book and wondering what was going to happen next. On a visit to a cabin in Austria, our protagonist wakes to find an unbreakable invisible wall separating her from the town and countryside beyond. This may sound like a sci-fi plot, but the wall is merely a device in a quiet tale of isolation and survival. If she wants to live, the narrator will have to push her strength and wits to the limits. Though originally written in 1963 (and translated from German), The Wall feels timeless. This is a book that I will keep turning over in my head for a long time and sharing with anyone looking for a recommendation.

Foster

by Claire Keegan

Bachelor Brothers’ Bed and Breakfast

by Bill Richardson

Lonely Castle in the Mirror

by Mizuki Tsujimura, translated by Philip Gabriel

I picked up Lonely Castle in the Mirror knowing nothing beyond the back-cover copy, and I think that's the best way to approach this puzzle of a fantasy novel. Thirteen-yea- old Kokoro spends her days alone in her room, too traumatized to return to junior high after a bad experience with the other students. When her mirror lights up one day, she discovers it's a portal to a mysterious castle. Six other junior high students have also been called to the castle and assigned a quest: to find the key to a room that will grant the finder one wish. This very special book twists and turns and had pierced me through the heart by the end. If you want to cry your eyes out (in a good way), read this book! Fans of The House in the Cerulean Sea will find similar themes of connection and friendship here. While we have Lonely Castle in the Mirror shelved in our adult fantasy/sci-fi section in the store, I'd also recommend it for young adult and even middle grade readers.