September's Bookseller Picks

“I'm haunted by this lovely work of magical realism, set in a fictional city in China where "beasts" intermingle with humanity. The beasts are human-like, only differing from humans in small, but significant, ways. Through a series of episodic stories that seems disjointed at first, but eventually form a cohesive whole, Yan Ge presents us with a novelist narrator who leads the reader through the strange, beautiful city and introduces us to the various beasts who inhabit it. I'm not sure what I was expecting from Strange Beasts of China, but its ethereal prose and unfamiliar beauty made it unlike anything I've ever read before.”

“So funny. I couldn’t stop listening until I had heard all of his anecdotes. Loved it.”

“Thoroughly entertaining. Once again, Silvia Moreno-Garcia does a wonderful job capturing the genre she is writing for. The plot, the pacing, the characters are all what they should be for good noir fiction. Add to that, the unique setting of Mexico City post Corpus Christi Massacre and during the Dirty War, and it's also educational! Excellent reading by Gisela Chipe.”

“I remember the addictiveness of Girl on The Train and Into the Water, and Paula Hawkins did not let readers down with this new book. A Slow Fire Burning was an amazing read that I couldn’t put down.”

“This was an instant favorite comfort read for me, with its slow-burn friends-to-lovers historical romance between two women in their forties—a printing press owner and a bee-keeper. Olivia Waite ingenuously crafts realistic happily-ever-afters for queer characters in her historical romances - even with marriage off the table, her characters find a way to make meaningful commitments to each other.”

“A beautifully written novel about people connected by a local library and an amazing reading list. As the characters’ lives are revealed through interweaving storylines, readers will root for them, cry for them, and celebrate their victories.”

“This story opened its broad arms and admitted me into the recharging station that I needed so badly in 2021. It was cute. It was sweet. It was heart-wrenching. It was steamy. It was everything!”

“In a time when we could all use a feel-good book, I’m so happy I got my hands on this heartwarming memoir! London’s Number One Dog-Walking Agency is about the difficulties of navigating your 20s. From trying to find a way out of her lackluster job to her mother constantly nagging her about sticking to society’s life “timeline” Kate covers the beginning of adulthood in a very relatable way. She quits her job and starts her own small business, a dog-walking agency in London. Each chapter follows a specific client of hers and she writes about dogs and their quirky owners with such detail I can picture them completely in my head. I found characteristics of my own dog in each profile and was able to relate to the owners who deal with both the perks and the hard realities of having a pet. I recommend this charming memoir to everyone, but especially those who love dogs! ”

“This book is an eye-opening collection of personal testimonies, research, and history about asexuality, and to a lesser extent, aromanticism. Whether you are new to learning about asexuality or are asexual yourself, by the end of the book you will have a richer and multifaceted understanding of ace identity and experience.”

“Fatma el-Sha’arawi is one of the most talented agents in Ciaro’s Ministry of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities. Though it is 1912, she has worked her way up the male-dominated agency with a combination of raw magical talent, wit, and force of will. When a room of men burnt to a crisp with no sign of fire shows up, Fatma is put on the case. As she digs deeper and deeper, she is thrown into a world of old religion, angels, djinn, and a mysterious masked figure claiming to be an ancient mystic. This is an excellent steampunk who-done-it. I was fully onboard through all the twists and turns this story took. A Master of Djinn is an excellent book for this summer.”

“Confession: I was wary at first about another Holocaust survival story. And then I read the prologue, and couldn't put the book down. From the first pages, Rebecca Frankel had me feeling like a child listening, rapt, to the stories the women in my family would recount about the past. The immediacy and intimacy of the narrative swept me away and I lost track of my physical location, only half aware that I was sitting on my couch instead of hiding in fear for my life. Frankel is gentle, but unflinching, as she relates the events experienced by the Rabinowitz family. While Into the Forest is one tale of Holocaust survival among many such tales, it stands out not only for Frankel's storytelling acumen, but also as a reminder that one kindness can echo into the future in astounding and unpredictable ways.”

“Where has this feral, hurt, angry, loving disaster of a gay trans witch been my whole life? I felt so at home within the pages of this book, and I know other queer & trans readers will feel the same way—this is the fantasy I wish I had in high school and my current favorite book to handsell.”

“Virginia Feito has effortlessly updated the comedy of manners in this darkly funny mystery. This book will haunt you until you reach the breathtaking conclusion, and you’ll remember Mrs. March for a long time to come.”

“With this debut set in a Pacific Northwest logging town, Ash Davidson has immediately established herself as a true writer of the American experience, in all its potential for self-destruction and beauty.”