October 2023 Staff PicksLike this list

19 items

• Black Sheep

  Harrison, Rachel, 1989-

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  Vesper, a 23-year-old waitress, has been estranged from her deeply religious family since she ran away several years ago. After receiving an invitation to the wedding of her former boyfriend and her best friend, Vesper returns home to the cult-like…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Boys Weekend

  Lubchansky, Matt,

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  Nib cartoonist Lubchansky's graphic novel blends satire, horror, and dystopian elements. Sammie is a transfemme person at a time in their life of important self-discovery and transition, navigating what it means to be queer in spaces that are…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Bright Young Women

  Knoll, Jessica,

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  Inspired by the survivors and victims from the 1978 Florida State University killings, Knoll's novel is a first-class rendition. An assailant breaks into the Chi Omega sorority house and murders two girls and injures two others, leaving the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Cleat Cute

  a Novel

  Wilsner, Meryl,

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  Phoebe Matthews is elated. At 22, she just got drafted to play professional soccer and received an invite to the US Women's National Team camp. That means she has a small chance to make the World Cup team. She's still leaning how to be a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Good Night, Irene

  Urrea, Luis Alberto,

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  Chicagoan Urrea's newest novel draws on his mother's experiences serving in the Red Cross during World War II. "Donut Dollies," as they were known, followed Patton's troops, delivering coffee, music, conversation and dancing to the front. Irene and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Holly

  a Novel

  King, Stephen, 1947-

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  Holly Gibney is dealing with a lot. She just attended the Zoom funeral of her mother, and her partner in their private investigation firm has caught COVID. Never one to give up on a challenge, Holly accepts the task of finding a young woman who went…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lady Tan's Circle of Women

  a Novel

  See, Lisa,

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  In this fictional autobiography of a historical physician, the reader is immersed in the culture and atmosphere of Ming Dynasty China. All her life, Tan Yunxian is surrounded by women in the seclusion from men and the outside world that is demanded…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Land of Lost Things

  Connolly, John, 1968-

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  In Connolly's unexpected follow-up to his acclaimed "The Book of Lost Things" (published in 2006), readers get to take another captivating trip to Elsewhere. Decades after the first story took place, a single mother named Ceres is living every…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Maniac

  Labatut, Benjamín, 1980-

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  Labatut's follow-up to his acclaimed novel When We Cease to Understand the World expands on his theme of the toll of genius on great figures in modern physics, mathematics and computing. This novel focuses on three such figures, beginning with a…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Postcard

  Berest, Anne, 1979-

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  An actual postcard sent to Berest's mother inspired this engrossing autobiographical debut novel. The postcard in the novel arrives unsigned and bearing the names of four family members who died in Auschwitz. Curious about her Jewish roots, which…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Roaming

  Tamaki, Jillian,

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  Cousins Jillian and Mariko Tamaki (the award-winning author and illustrator of the teen classic This One Summer) return to the graphic novel format with their coming-of-age story Roaming. It's spring break 2009 and childhood best friends Dani and…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Rouge

  a Novel

  Awad, Mona,

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  Mirabelle Nour is a half-Egyptian woman who obsesses over beauty and skincare. When her white mother Noelle, whom she all but worships, passes away in a strange accident, Belle must travel to Southern California to settle her family's affairs. There…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Starter Villain

  Scalzi, John, 1969-

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  Charlie's had a rough couple of years. He's gone from being a happily-married business reporter at the Chicago Tribune to an unemployed divorcee. (Journalism jobs aren't exactly growing on trees these days.) When his long-lost uncle dies, Charlie…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Thunderclap

  a Memoir of Art and Life & Sudden Death

  Cumming, Laura,

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  Art critic Cumming's Thunderclap is centered around the 1654 death of Dutch artist (and Rembrandt apprentice) Carel Fabritius when an explosion of gunpowder stores took out an entire block of Delft. Only a dozen of his paintings remain, one of which…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Under Alien Skies

  a Sightseer's Guide to the Universe /

  Plait, Philip C.,

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  Pluto is very icy and therefore more reflective than most celestial bodies, and Pluto was long thought to be bigger than it is for that reason. This is one of the interesting facts astronomer Philip Plait shares in his book. Each chapter talks about…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Underworld

  Journeys to the Depths of the Ocean

  Casey, Susan, 1962-

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  It was long believed that the deep ocean was a lifeless wasteland, but for most of history people rarely got beyond the thin top layer (the "sunlight zone") or a bit of the next layer (the "twilight zone") to see for themselves. Only quite recently…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Vaster Wilds

  Groff, Lauren,

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  Three-time National Book Award finalist Groff may again find herself as an awards contender with her seventh novel, the tale of a 17th century adolescent servant girl who tries to escape certain death in a blighted and starving American colony by…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Wild Girls

  How the Outdoors Shaped the Women Who Challenged a Nation

  Miles, Tiya, 1970-

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  Expertly mixing nature, history & memoir, Miles tells the stories of legends like Harriet Tubman, Dolores Huerta, Grace Lee Boggs & more, illuminating their individual lives, full of triumphs & tragedies, and centering their marginalized voices to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Witch King

  Wells, Martha,

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  As a fantasy, Witch King sets a very different tone from Wells's beloved sci-fi Murderbot series, yet fans will happily recognize familiar touches such as sarcastic characters and richly-detailed world-building. The story follows Kaiisteron, also…Read moreRead more of this annotation