Paige's Preferred Pages

Mexican Gothic

“Delightfully creepy. Dread builds steadily throughout the book. As a listener, you know that something is wrong but it’s hard to put your finger on it. Like the main character, you will doubt everything: the characters, their motivations and even your own deductive abilities. This book keeps you on your toes, flitting from one theory to the next. Mexican Gothic takes all the best of traditions of gothic house horror and infuses it with something new: the evils of colonialism. Listen carefully and consider keeping the lights on!”

Samantha, Rediscovered Books

Laugh-out-loud, deeply insightful, and emotion-filled essays from multitalented actress, comedian, podcaster, and writer Casey Wilson.

Casey Wilson has a lot on her mind and she isn’t afraid to share. In this dazzling collection, each essay skillfully constructed and brimming with emotion, she shares her thoughts on the joys and vagaries of...

Now an HBO series: the first volume in the New York Times bestselling “enduring masterpiece” (The Atlantic) about a lifelong friendship between two women from Naples.

Beginning in the 1950s in a poor but vibrant neighborhood on the outskirts of Naples, Elena Ferrante’s four-volume story spans almost sixty years, as its main characters, the fiery...

Normal People

“What a treat to discover Sally Rooney! This novel stands out shining from the current onslaught of mediocre prose and less-than-suspenseful thriller plots. Normal People is the story of a relationship between two high school classmates in a small town in Ireland, and how it changes over time, through their last year of college in Dublin. Rooney’s spare and brilliant writing illuminates her insight and makes the unfolding of these two personalities completely compelling.”

Georgiana Dix Blomberg, Magnolia's Bookstore

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

“Epic, beautifully written, heartwarming, and heartbreaking, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue is a contemplation on life, death, what it means to make your mark on the world, and why we feel it’s important to do so. Addie makes a deal with a demon so she can live her life the way she wants to. But, like most deals, there are strings attached — and these strings make it so she is forgotten by everyone she meets. Dancing about time, the book shows Addie’s life over 300 years and takes a closer look at her modern life — after a boy in a bookshop remembers her. Months later, I’m still thinking about this book and how beautiful it is; my words don’t even come close to doing it justice. Read this book.”

Lindsey Pattavina, R.J. Julia Booksellers

Recursion

“As soon as I saw Blake Crouch’s name, I scooped this book up. As a huge fan of Dark Matter, I knew I was in for a treat. In his newest, Crouch quickly reveals the cause of the ‘fake memories’ that are plaguing the population, but the twists and thrills just keep coming. I haven’t been this satisfied with a book in a long time. Hitting and exceeding all of my expectations, this one will be hard to beat as my favorite book of the year.”

Mary Salazar, The Country Bookshop

Broken (in the best possible way)

“San Antonio author Jenny Lawson's newest collection was worth the wait! We have giggled over her previous book, FURIOUSLY HAPPY, many times here at the store. Now, we have BROKEN (IN THE BEST POSSIBLE WAY). Her hilarious, meandering life stories had me laughing in every chapter. Not only does she make comedy out of her (#relatable) social missteps and quirky passions, she also freely shares her mental health journey, adding poignant thoughts along the way on identity, love, and family. Listen to the author herself read the audiobook, which has a bonus chapter reflecting on the pandemic.”

Kim, Lark & Owl

A collection of never-before-seen humor pieces—essays, satire, short stories, poetry, cartoons, artwork, and more—from 150 of the biggest female comedians today, curated by Amy Solomon, a producer of the hit HBO shows Silicon Valley and Barry, performed by the author and Jo Firestone, Mitra Jouhari, Whitmer Thomas, Lauren Lapkus, Sasheer Zamata,...

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

“Steeped in the glory of Hollywood when marriages were made for reasons other than love and could be slipped on and off like a fine dinner jacket, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo reveals the behind-the-scenes stories of lives full of hunger, self-pity, jealousy, and rage, as well as lost love. This is a story that could have been pulled from the pages of fan magazines of the '50s. It's so entertainingly real that you will be wondering why you can't remember the great star Evelyn Hugo and the movies she made famous. Read for pure pleasure, and you'll be tempted to play the game of, 'Who is this about, really?' What fun!”

Linda Bond, Auntie's Bookstore

The New York Times bestselling WORLDWIDE phenomenon

Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Fiction | A Good Morning America Book Club Pick | Independent (London) Ten Best Books of the Year

"A feel-good book guaranteed to lift your spirits."—The Washington Post

The dazzling reader-favorite about the choices that go into a life well lived,... Read more »

Enjoy this hilarious and deeply insightful take on the indignities of middle age and how to weather them with grace—from the former editor-in-chief of Real Simple. "A pure pleasure to read." (Cathi Hanauer, author of Gone)
 
Do you hate the term “middle age?” So does Kristin van Ogtrop, who is still trying to come up with a less annoying way to... Read more »