August 2018 Staff PicksLike this list

18 items

• Baby Teeth

  Stage, Zoje,

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  Enjoy a fiendish and manipulative young protagonist? This creepy debut is for you. Hanna Jenson is a 7-year-old child who doesn’t speak. She's been expelled from a number of schools, and she's now home-schooled by her mother. Their relationship is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bellewether

  Kearsley, Susanna, 1966-

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  When Charley Van Hoek's brother unexpectedly passes away, she decides to move to Long Island to help care for her teenage niece. There she takes a position as curator of the Wilde House Museum, a colonial mansion famous in the area as the birthplace…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Clock Dance

  Tyler, Anne,

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  Anne Tyler’s latest novel centers on Willa Drake, a seemingly ordinary woman who can count on one hand the defining moments of her life. In 1967, her mother disappears. In 1977, she marries her college sweetheart. In 1997, she becomes a young widow.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Court Dancer

  Sin, Kyŏng-suk,

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  Kyung-Sook Shin’s beautifully written novel gives a unique perspective on the complex themes of identity, patriotism and assimilation through the familiar lenses of love, family and loyalty. The central figure is court lady Yi Jin, an intelligent,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Destiny Thief

  Essays on Writing, Writers, and Life

  Russo, Richard, 1949-

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  In the title essay of this refreshing collection, the self-deprecating author of Nobody's Fool explores how he went from wait-listed MFA student to Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist while those 'destined' for literary heights had lesser careers or…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Frankenstein in Baghdad

  a Novel

  Saʻdāwī, Aḥmad

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  Set during the American occupation of Baghdad, this modern twist on Shelly's classic novel offers a fresh look at how hubris can haunt us. A monster composed of the victims of bombings comes to life and prowls the streets, given life by an old woman…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Freshwater

  Emezi, Akwaeke,

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  Debut novelist Emezi brings Igbo culture to light through their multi-narrative story of separate selves and living between two worlds. When Ada is born in Nigeria, spirits are born within her, and as she leaves Nigeria to attend school in America,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• How to Write An Autobiographical Novel

  Chee, Alexander,

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  A second-generation Korean-American immigrant and gay, Alexander Chee explores various issues of his identity in this skillful collection. He also revisits painful episodes from his past such as losing his father, who died in a car accident, as well…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• If You Leave Me

  a Novel

  Kim, Crystal Hana, 1987-

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  Set in South Korea between 1951 and 1967, a time of war and division, this moving, lyrical family saga is the story of Haemi Lee. Haemi is a refreshingly strong-willed young woman, made unlikeable by the familial and societal pressure she is under.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kill the Farm Boy

  Dawson, Delilah S.,

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  Kill the Farm Boy is a fairy tale about five people who initially set out on an adventure through the magical kingdom of Pell to save someone’s life. Somewhere along the way their adventure takes a different course. With a colorful cast of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Last Cruise

  a Novel

  Christensen, Kate, 1962-

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  The Queen Isabella is a cruise ship built in the 50s. She is taking one last trip from California to Hawaii and back before being scrapped. The story is told from the perspective of three people on the ship. Christine is a farmer who is travelling…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Milk!

  a 10,000-year Food Fracas

  Kurlansky, Mark,

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  As he's done before, with Salt, Cod and Paper, Kurlansky takes up a topic most of us don't give much thought to and dives deep into the history, science and culture surrounding it. This time, it's milk: cow milk, human milk, goat milk, donkey milk,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Our House

  Candlish, Louise,

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  Bram and Fiona separate after she finds him making love to another woman in their sons’ playhouse. In order to maximize the stability of the boys’ lives, Fi proposes a "bird's nest" custody arrangement – the boys will stay in the house at all times…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Providence

  a Novel

  Kepnes, Caroline, 1976-

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  Teenagers Chloe and Jon don't seem to have much in common: she is pretty and popular, he is awkward and bullied. But their friendship is so strong, they seem bonded to each other by an invisible force. When Jon is kidnapped by a former substitute…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sabrina

  Drnaso, Nick,

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  The fate of a Chicago woman drives this disturbing story that captures the alienation, violence and paranoid underbelly of contemporary life. A divorced Air Force cybersecurity worker named Calvin takes in his old high school friend Teddy after…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Space Opera

  Valente, Catherynne M., 1979-

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  Long ago, the races of the universe warred to determine who was sentient. Realizing it was futile, they settled on a song contest instead. Finally, humans have been noticed, and it is their turn to perform. If they lose, the hairless monkeys will be…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Spinning Silver

  Novik, Naomi,

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  Readers breathlessly awaiting the final novel of Arden’s Winternight Trilogy will want to grab Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik to help tide them over. Both stories take place in a frozen Russian countryside haunted by creatures from Russian folklore…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tin Man

  Winman, Sarah, 1964-

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  Shifting between the 1960s and the 90s, this short novel explores the life of an intense friendship that crosses over into first love. Ellis and Michael meet when they are twelve years old. They become fast and inseparable friends, bonding over…Read moreRead more of this annotation