Mercurial May Staff Picks

WINNER OF THE 2021 TORONTO BOOK AWARD
 
NOMINATED FOR THE 2022 EVERGREEN AWARD

From the internationally bestselling and Giller-shortlisted author of The Disappeared, an astounding, poetic novel about war and loss, suffering and courage, and the strength of women through it all.

It’s been eleven years since Gota has seen Kosmos, yet she still finds... Read more »

Winter Counts

“Weiden’s book is a thriller with an important social and political message. Following a Lakota ‘enforcer’ who enacts extrajudicial punishment to fill the gaps in the legal system, Winter Counts is a twisty new addition to the growing Indigenous literature canon. Weiden’s exploration of the injustices of reservation life is vital.”

Ashley Baeckmann, Briars & Brambles Books

From the New York Times bestselling author of Mexican Gothic comes a sweeping romance with a dash of magic.

They are the Beautiful Ones, Loisail’s most notable socialites, and this spring is Nina’s chance to join their ranks, courtesy of her well-connected cousin and his calculating wife. But the Grand Season has just begun, and already Nina’s...

Klara and the Sun

“Klara and the Sun from Nobel-winner Kazuo Ishiguro is a radiant new novel about the bond between Klara, an Artificial Friend, and Josie, her human companion. The setting, a dystopian realm of genetic editing and stark class divisions, is not surprising given the author’s previous work, yet Ishiguro’s immense, unwavering portrayal of kindness is astonishing and revitalizing. Classic Ishiguro themes of loyalty, friendship, and sacrifice weave through the novel, but the thread of love runs deep, giving the book warmth and hope so that the earned twist feels more like a dawn than a sunset. Whether you’re returning to Ishiguro or discovering his voice for the first time, I’m excited for you. This is a chance to bask in the brilliance of one the greatest writers of our time.”

Caroline McGregor, Books & Books

Working at the local processing plant, Marcos is in the business of slaughtering humans—though no one calls them that anymore.

His wife has left him, his father is sinking into dementia, and Marcos tries not to think too hard about how he makes a living. After all, it happened so quickly. First, it was reported that an infectious virus has made... Read more »

Uprooted

“Every ten years, a girl is chosen from the valley to live with the wizard in the tower, the Dragon. The villagers don't like it, but the Dragon is the only defense between them and the dangerous, vindictive forest on the edge of the valley, where every year, more and more people disappear, never to be heard from again. Or worse, returned to them, but an empty, violent version of the person who went into the forest. Agnieska knows this year, that girl will be her best friend, Kasia, because Kasia is perfect. But then it's...not. Agnieska is chosen and brought to the tower, only to discover that she, too, has a strange power. But all the while, the forest creeps steadily forward, consuming in its path. A riveting modern fairytale with loving female friendships, an ancient secret, and lots of magic. You'll love it!”

Lafe, Oblong Books

If J. J. Abrams, Margaret Atwood, and Alan Weisman collaborated on a novel … it might be this awesome.

Area X has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second...

ONE LOVE STORY. TWO MARRIAGES. THREE VERSIONS OF THE TRUTH.

Too Good to Be True is an obsessive, addictive love story for fans of Lisa Jewell and The Wife Upstairs, from Carola Lovering, the beloved author of Tell Me Lies.

Skye Starling is overjoyed when her boyfriend, Burke Michaels, proposes after a whirlwind courtship. Though Skye seems to...

When the Stars Go Dark

“All I want to do right now is listen to this! I'm listening in the car, while I exercise, while I cook/clean...and just while sitting on my deck. McClain's multi-part, suspenseful narrative uses both real-life people and fictional characters. Combined with the author's own deeply personal experiences and the latest findings on the long-term effects of childhood trauma, the blurred line between fact and fiction is part of this literary mystery's power. When the Stars Go Dark is a departure from McClain's usual historical fiction genre, and I, for one, am glad she took this detour.”

Shirley Wells, Watermark Books

The Soulmate Equation

“What can I say about this book without becoming a blubbering, incoherent mess? To say I loved it with my whole heart would be an understatement. The Soulmate Equation is the best mix of enemies to lovers and quasi-fake/forced dating I’ve read in a while, and who could say no to the genetic dating app premise (I wish the app was real)? I was holding in my squeals so as not to wake anyone because I couldn’t stop listening. If you like your romance with a dash of science, nerd puns, and a sultry cinnamon roll, this one is for you. And Jess’s kid? Can we be best friends?”

Britt, Second Star to the Right

Sir Phillip knew that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster, and so he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except . . . she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to... Read more »

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball-or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome... Read more »

A deeply-reported examination of why "doing what you love" is a recipe for exploitation, creating a new tyranny of work in which we cheerily acquiesce to doing jobs that take over our lives.

You're told that if you "do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life." Whether it's working for "exposure" and "experience," or enduring poor... Read more »

A Best Book of 2021 by NPR and Esquire

From Kliph Nesteroff, “the human encyclopedia of comedy” (VICE), comes the important and underappreciated story of Native Americans and comedy.

It was one of the most reliable jokes in Charlie Hill’s stand-up routine: “My people are from Wisconsin. We used to be from New York. We had a little real estate... Read more »

For fans of Morgan Matson's Save the Date comes a charming novel about one teen's summer tackling disasters including, but not limited to, family, romance, and weather—as she plans her sister's Bollywood-style Indian wedding.

Mini's big sister, Vinnie, is getting married. Their mom passed away seven years ago and between Dad's new start-up and... Read more »

In the tradition of Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, Mary Cecilia Jackson's devastating but hopeful YA debut is about a ballerina who finds the courage to confront the abuse that haunts her past and threatens her future.

There are two kinds of people on the planet. Hunters and prey
I thought I would be safe after my mother died. I thought I could...

Acclaimed author of Ash Malinda Lo returns with her most personal and ambitious novel yet, a gripping story of love and duty set in San Francisco's Chinatown during the 1950s.

"That book. It was about two women, and they fell in love with each other." And then Lily asked the question that had taken root in her, that was even now unfurling its... Read more »

A young girl must find a way to help her family survive in a desolate and impoverished Bolivian silver mining community in this eye-opening tale of resilience.

Twelve-year-old Ana wants nothing more than to escape the future set for her and her classmates in her small mining village. Boys her age are beginning to leave school to become silver... Read more »

“Full of heart and depth.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Henkes is a master of characterization. —The Horn Book (starred review)

“A first-rate choice for reading aloud.”—Booklist (starred review)

Billy Miller is back! This stand-alone companion to two-time Newbery Honor author Kevin Henkes’s award-winning, acclaimed, and bestselling The Year of...