May 2022 Staff PicksLike this list

17 items

• Black Nerd Problems

  Evans, William Henry, lll,

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  William Evans and Omar Holman capture not just the Black nerd experience but the American experience in these short takes on pop culture. Whether it's the pathos of hard parenting choices in Jupiter's Legacy or the painfully white gaze of Mad Men,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Book Lovers

  Henry, Emily,

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  Henry's hotly-anticipated new novel does not disappoint. Successful and ambitious literary agent Nora has built a life she loves in New York City, except for the fact that her boyfriends keep leaving her for small town relationships. So when her…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Camera Man

  Buster Keaton, the Dawn of Cinema, and the Invention of the Twentieth Century

  Stevens, Dana (Film critic),

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  Buster Keaton was always on the cutting edge of entertainment. As a child, he and his parents travelled the country as one of the bigger vaudeville acts. This was how Buster learned many of the physical comedy moves he was so famous for perfecting.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Constructing a Nervous System

  Jefferson, Margo, 1947-

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  In this slim but sophisticated blend of autobiography and cultural criticism, the celebrated writer Margo Jefferson draws on her memories growing up in Chicago, the daughter of a pediatrician, and throughout her career. She moves with exciting…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Dead Collections

  Fellman, Isaac R.,

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  Dead Collections is the kind of book that feels filled all the way to the seams. It manages to contain a brilliant paranormal protagonist, an incredibly authentic and complex love story, reflections on grief, mysterious and unexplained happenings in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Finding Me

  Davis, Viola, 1965-

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  Davis, the first African American to win the "Triple Crown of Acting," recounts intimate details about her heartbreaking yet triumphant path to find purpose and discover her voice in an unkind and unfamiliar world. Poverty, racism, acts of domestic…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Hacienda

  Cañas, Isabel,

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  In this mix of classic gothic tale and historical fiction set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence, Beatriz's father, a general, is executed and her home set on fire as the fight for Mexican independence from Spain comes to a close.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Latinist

  a Novel

  Prins, Mark,

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  This timely debut, an adaptation of the Daphne and Apollo myth, takes a deep dive into the politics and machinations of contemporary academia, also offering readers interested in classics and philology a meaty subplot to sink their teeth into.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Memphis

  a Novel

  Stringfellow, Tara M.,

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  Memphis begins in 1995 when Miriam North flees an abusive relationship, along with her two daughters Joan and Mya. The three women end up at Miriam's childhood home in Memphis, now her sister August's home. The reunion unearths trauma from a past…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Remarkably Bright Creatures

  a Novel

  Van Pelt, Shelby,

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  Tova knows grief. Her son, Erik, vanished in the sea when he was just a teenager and, now in her seventies, she's lost both her husband and brother. Tova muddles her way through a nice, but quiet life. To stay busy, she takes on a night job cleaning…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sadie on a Plate

  Elliot, Amanda,

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  In this excellent addition to the recent subgenre of romance novels that take place during the production of a reality TV show, Sadie went from having everything - the perfect job, the perfect boyfriend - to losing it all at once. When she's offered…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sandy Hook

  An American Tragedy Became a Battle for Truth /

  Williamson, Elizabeth (Journalist),

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  This is not a book about school shootings (the 2012 events of Sandy Hook are summarized in the first chapter) or guns but rather an investigation of the conspiracy theories that rose up in its immediate aftermath and their impact on the victims of…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sea of Tranquility

  Mandel, Emily St. John, 1979-

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  In 1912, a young Englishman, too rebellious for his family's taste, is packed off for Canada, where he experiences something inexplicable in a forest. In 2020, an avant-garde composer's concert includes a video that captures something strange. In…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Siren Queen

  Vo, Nghi,

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  Award winning author Nghi Vo (The Chosen and the Beautiful) crafts a moody and mysterious interpretation of what it's like to be a rising star in 1930s golden-age Hollywood in Siren Queen. At twelve years old, Luli Wei crosses onto an unfamiliar…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Tell Me Everything

  the Story of a Private Investigation

  Krouse, Erika,

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  Krouse's blend of true crime reportage and memoir is as captivating as fiction. Krouse was a struggling writer juggling temp jobs when an interaction at a bookstore landed her a job as a personal investigator for an attorney. Krouse's unremarkable…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ten Steps to Nanette

  a Memoir Situation

  Gadsby, Hannah,

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  In her memoir, Gadsby, the brilliant stand-up comic made famous by her controversial yet beloved Netflix comedy special Nanette, continues to skate the line between laugh-out-loud comedy and the kind of raw honesty that takes your breath away. She…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• True Biz

  a Novel

  Nović, Sara, 1987-

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  This fictional account of Deaf life is the true biz. Readers are immersed into the halls of River Valley School for the Deaf and the daily lives of those intertwined in the Deaf community. Not an obvious mystery, it reads like one from its opening…Read moreRead more of this annotation