June 2026 Staff PicksLike this list

17 items

• American Spirits

  Dorn, Anna

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  Obsessive, satirical and sensual, American Spirits is the tale of a boldly reckless pop star, Blue Velour. Blue is at the top of her game, ready to launch a new tour, but it's 2020, and the oncoming threat of an unknown pandemic wrecks Blue's plans.…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Caretaker

  a Novel

  Kliewer, Marcus,

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  Macy Mullins needs a job. With a hefty amount of debt and a little sister to take care of, her bills and her anxiety levels are only mounting. So when a help wanted ad for a caretaker position catches her eye, she jumps at the chance to apply. Macy…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Fountain

  a Novel

  Scieszka, Casey,

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  Vera Van Vulkenburgh has a secret, but you'd never guess it to look at her. Vera cannot die, in spite of multiple attempts. At the eternal age of 26, she has moved back to her Appalachian home to finally try to find out why. If she can find out the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Am Agatha

  Foley, Nancy,

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  Foley's slender debut is centered on Agatha, an artist in her 60s who resides in a hand-built cabin in rural New Mexico and is very loosely based on minimalist painter Agnes Martin. Agatha is reclusive and difficult but cares deeply for her romantic…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Know a Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours

  Cassidy, Nat

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  This collection of short stories, with an emphatically glowing introduction from Stephen King, covers a broad spectrum of the horror genre. The title, "I Know a Place," takes what should be a common phrase and lends it a menacing air. The places Nat…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• John of John

  a Novel

  Stuart, Douglas, 1976-

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  Stuart, the Scottish author of Shuggie Bain and Young Mungo, returns with another fresh and audacious work of fiction. In early 90s, Cal, a young gay art school graduate, struggles to pay his debt in post-Thatcher Scotland. When his strict,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Last Night in Brooklyn

  a Novel

  Gonzalez, Xochitl, 1977-

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  Set in the spring of 2007, Gonzalez's novel follows Alicia Canales Forten, a young woman whose future seems neatly mapped out: an upcoming wedding to a future doctor, a copywriting job at an ad agency, and a life lived carefully according to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• London Falling

  a Mysterious Death in a Gilded City and a Family's Search for Truth

  Keefe, Patrick Radden, 1976-

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  In November 2019, 19-year-old Zac Bettler jumped to his death in the River Thames from the balcony of a luxury apartment in London. His grieving parents were devastated and utterly perplexed. Their search for answers led only to more questions, as…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Mad Mabel

  Hepworth, Sally,

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  Everyone's heard of Mad Mabel, the youngest Australian ever to be convicted of murder - at the age of fifteen. But what connection could that gruesome history possibly have with Elsie Fitzpatrick, a quiet, long-term resident of peaceful Kenny Lane?…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Nonesuch

  a Novel

  Spufford, Francis, 1964-

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  In this immersive historical fantasy set in WWII-era London, Iris Hawkins is a plucky, ambitious secretary at a financial firm. The novel opens in August of 1939, and a feverish pre-war energy is palpable. At a bar where an alternative film is…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Odessa

  Sher, Gabrielle

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  It is 1905 in Eastern Europe and Yetta, a young Jewish girl, is living through a terrifying time for her people. Hostility towards them is extremely high, often descending into riotous violence of the most brutal kind. When one such night of terror…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Planet Money

  a Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life

  Mayyasi, Alex,

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  In this debut book by award-winning NPR podcast Planet Money, Mayyasi uses their extensive episodes as a base to tell eclectic, engaging and informative stories that illuminate the economics of everyday life. The podcast started in 2008 in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A Private Man

  Sy-Quia, Stephanie,

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  Margaret Bendelow, an English catholic, finds fulfillment as one of the first generation of women who could study theology in Rome during the midcentury liberalization of the Vatican II era. David Fletcher was proudly raised by his family to serve…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Radiant Star

  Leckie, Ann,

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  This standalone novel in the award-winning Imperial Radch universe is both a treat for fans and a great pickup for curious sci-fi readers who enjoy detailed, imaginative world-building. The capital city of a remote planet, colonized by the Radch…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sisters in Yellow

  Kawakami, Mieko, 1976-

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  Kawakami's dark coming-of-age novel explores relationships between women in desperate circumstances, and the rigidity of class structures that keep those living in poverty invisible to those with money and status. Hana is fifteen and poor in the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Whistler

  a Novel

  Patchett, Ann,

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  Daphne, a middle-aged English teacher, is enjoying a visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art when her retired husband notices an older man who seems to be stealing glances at her and following them. They test his theory by striding purposely to…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A World Appears

  a Journey Into Consciousness

  Pollan, Michael,

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  What is it like to be a plant? How is that different from being a bat? How are they both different from being a chair? These are some of the questions which led bestselling author Pollan (The Omnivore's Dilemma) to explore the realm of…Read moreRead more of this annotation