Quick Reads to Smash Your Reading Challenge!

A woman confronts the most important question of her life in this blistering, fearless, and unforgettable literary debut from "a stunning new writer." (Bernardine Evaristo)

“A quiet, measured call to revolution…This is the kind of book that doesn’t just mark the moment things change, but also makes that change possible.”—Ali Smith, author of...

Why Fish Don't Exist

“Despite having no general interest in ichthyology, taxonomy, or old white eugenicists, Why Fish Don't Exist was one of the most engaging stories I have ever read. The audio edition, read by the author, is ridiculously charming. It meanders between a biography and a memoir, and it's refreshing to read a narrative that isn't afraid to change its course when presented with new information. It made me want to read more about the philosophy of science, as well as anything Miller writes in the future.”

Ian, Page 1 Books

Intimacies

“Katie Kitamura's Intimacies details a few months in the life of an interpreter at The Hague who is looking for belonging to a place and perhaps to a partner. Just as she has to see beyond the words in her work, she has to interpret the actions of her married lover as well as the alleged atrocities of a war criminal she works with at the International Court. This novel is both quiet and thrilling.”

Rachel, Avid Bookshop

All Systems Red is the first tense science fiction adventure novella in Martha Wells' series The Murderbot Diaries. For fans of Westworld and Ex Machina. All Systems Red by Martha Wells begins The Murderbot Diaries, a new science fiction action and adventure series that tackles questions of the ethics of sentient robotics. It appeals to fans of... Read more »

Claudia Rankine's bold new book recounts mounting racial aggressions in ongoing encounters in twenty-first-century daily life and in the media. Some of these encounters are slights, seeming slips of the tongue, and some are intentional offensives in the classroom, at the supermarket, at home, on the tennis court with Serena Williams and the... Read more »

*The third novella from Radicalized*

This audiobook edition features Wil Wheaton reading the title novella, a story of a darkweb-enforced violent uprising against insurance companies told from the perspective of a man desperate to secure funding for an experimental drug that could cure his wife's terminal cancer.

Listen to Radicalized's other...

Whereabouts

“The latest story from Jhumpa Lahiri is told gently, quietly. It’s about a woman, told in her own voice—filled with everyday commonalities that explain little and yet reveal much. The words are lovely, sad, sometimes hopeful, but often disappointed. The author has shared with us a vision of life lived by another and yet there’s something about her that is so familiar. 'Could she be me?' some will ask. 'Am I, too, that private—known only to myself?' Whether or not you follow the author’s work, you’ll treasure this small offering to life, to unknown love, to memory. It’s one to read over again many times. I know I will.”

Linda, Auntie's Bookstore

Mary Oliver has published twenty-one volumes of poetry and six books of prose in the span of five decades, but she rarely performs her poetry in live readings. With At Blackwater Pond, Mary Oliver gives her audience what they've longed to hear: the poet's voice reading her own work. In this audio, she has recorded forty of her favorite poems,... Read more »

Another Brooklyn

“National Book Award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson has crafted a beautiful, heart-wrenching novel of a young girl's coming-of-age in Brooklyn. Effortlessly weaving poetic prose, Woodson tells the story of the relationships young women form, their yearning to belong, and the bonds that are created - and broken. Brooklyn itself is a vivid character in this tale -- a place at first harsh, but one that becomes home and plays a role in each character's future. Woodson is one of the most skilled storytellers of our day, and I continue to love and devour each masterpiece she creates!”

Nicole Yasinsky, The Booksellers at Laurelwood

No One Is Talking About This

“This compact novel captures the life of a social media influencer in such a stunning way—I listened to this book with my jaw on the floor. Incredible (though if you've never opened Instagram or Twitter, this might not be for you).”

Suzanna, Oblong Books

My Sister, the Serial Killer

“My Sister, the Serial Killer is one of the best books to come along in quite a while — fast, funny, and completely engrossing. Oyinkan Braithwaite offers up a tale of Nigerian sisters Ayoola, a beautiful and sociopathic serial killer who destroys boyfriends, aware that all they ever want her for is her appearance, and Korede, a nurse whose average looks leave her continually passed up in preference for Ayoola. Still, taciturn and devoted Korede works hard to cover up her charming sister’s crimes. What will happen when they both fall for the same guy? At once a page-turner and a perversely righteous tale about the emptiness of physical beauty and the superficiality of being charmed by it, My Sister, the Serial Killer is entertaining, provoking, and utterly fascinating!”

Sarah Sorensen, Bookbug

A Psalm for the Wild-Built

“Dex is a monk who dedicates their life to helping and being present for others. But something is missing, and they can't help but answer the call when the voice inside them screams for purpose. A Psalm for the Wild-Built is the perfect example of Becky Chambers' mastery of character creation and development. The emotional responses of her characters, relatable in every respect, demands an equal emotional response from her readers. Becky Chambers is one of those authors whose optimism weaves expertly through stories of hardship and loss. I will never pass by an opportunity visit her incredible worlds. ”

Sophie, Cavalier House Books

The New York Times bestseller by the author of The Bone Clocks and Cloud Atlas | Named One of the Best Books of the Year by San Francisco Chronicle, NPR, Los Angeles Times, The Guardian, The Telegraph, National Post, BookPage, and Kirkus Reviews

Keep your eyes peeled for a small black iron door.

Down the road from a working-class British pub,... Read more »

What It Means When a Man Falls from the Sky

“Intense, haunting, and exquisitely rendered, the stories in Lesley Nneka Arimah's debut collection exist in a category of their own. They are individual worlds linked together by familiar themes - self-discovery, yearnings to love and be loved, generational divides, and the meanings of home and place - refashioned in a fresh, new light. Arimah shines in this debut, whose magic will surely live with you beyond the final page. Absolutely stunning.”

Purvis Cornish, Square Books

For fans of The Lost Daughter by Elena Ferrante and the Netflix movie adaptation directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal and starring Olivia Colman

One of the 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR of The New York Times Book Review

The #1 international bestseller by the author of Adèle, Sex and Lies, and In the Country of Others

“A great novel . . . Incredibly engaging... Read more »

National Book Award Finalist

Stonewall Book Award Winner

"[A] beautiful, genre-expanding debut...Pet is a nesting doll of creative possibilities." (The New York Times)

The award-winning, genre-defying novel by the New York Times best-selling author of The Death of Vivek Oji that explores themes of identity and justice and asks: How do you share the... Read more »

Fever Dream

“Haunting, foreboding, eerie, and ominous, Schweblin's Fever Dream is the first of the Argentine author's books to appear in English. Despite its brevity, Fever Dream throbs with a quickened pulse, as heightening tension is its most effective quality. An intriguing yet purposefully vague plot adds to the story's mystique, one of peril, poison, and the unexplained terror of worms. Metaphorical in scope, Schweblin's impressively constructed tale leaves much to the imagination but is all the richer for doing so. Unsettling and compelling, this is a delirious, potent novel not to be overlooked.”

Jeremy Garber, Powell's Books

Gmorning, Gnight!

“Taken from the tweets of this excellent man of many talents, each page has a thought, pep talk, or sweet encouragement for your morning or evening. Illustrated by Jonny Sun, the man behind everyone’s a aliebn, this little book is just what I need to help me start and end each day. Truly lovely and the perfect little gift book for everyone.”

Jax, Bookshop Santa Cruz

Little Weirds

“Little lovely weirds from the big, lovely, weirdness of Jenny Slate's brain. I am recommending that you get both a physical copy to beautify your shelves and the audiobook so that Slate can croon her little weirds into your ears and that way your hands are free for snacking or petting the dog or arranging acorns on your mantle. You will laugh and sigh and wish her words could bring things to life because she is, after all, a magical person so it should be a thing she can do. And who knows? Maybe she will. ”

Kate, Fountain Bookstore

Misfits

“I loved this book! It is a manifesto of sorts for folks working in creative industries that have been historically unwelcoming to the so-called 'misfits.' Coel talks about her own experiences working in television and makes a really compelling points about transparency, power, and the importance of story telling.”

Lisa, The Booksmith