A nonfiction account of the 17th Century French women writers that coined the very term “fairy tale,” overshadowed by male counterpart Perrault and later the Brothers Grimm, Hans Christian Andersen, and Disney, this book doesn‘t actually dwell on the biographies of Madame d‘Aulnoy, Marie-Jeanne L‘Héritier, and Charlotte-Rose de La Force, but rather explores the long term cultural, literary, and feminist legacies of their classic “contes de fées.”

Intricate and dazzling, this sharply crafted novella offers a multi-faceted presentation of the world and writings of Charles Perrault, Madame D‘Aulnoy, and their circle of influential and unfortunate fairy tale writers. It‘s no coincidence they coined the term fairy tale during the court of King Louis XIV, a period of history when enchanted palaces, beastly husbands, imperiled princesses, and bloody plots weren‘t confined to “once upon a time…”

Macho bicycle jousting, trans joy, a super steamy bathtub scene, seaweed inspections—What a delight! This charming romp of a queer Victorian romance will have you cycling across the British seaside with an enterprising botanist and the rakish artist she needs to illustrate her upcoming lecture. This is what I love to have in a historical romance: tender and fun, smart and sexy, with utterly lovable characters and an enriching historical context!

A unique magic system and excellent world-building undergird this dark academia fantasy about colonialism and complicity that follows the first female highmage of Tiran and the Kwen janitor her peers assign her as an assistant as the two uncover the shocking truth behind magic. As brilliant as I found Blood Over Bright Haven, it was also a bit predictable and very heavy-handed. Babel Jr.—a less subtle little sibling to one of my favorite books.

If you‘re concerned about democracy and curious about comparisons to 1930s Germany, this worthwhile read follows America‘s first ambassador to Nazi Germany & his family‘s response—particularly his daughter, whose dalliances included the Gestapo chief and a Soviet spy—to the rise of Hitler. A revealing, disturbing, and relevant depiction of moral complicity & political complexity and a dire warning about unexamined biases and underestimating evil.

I have no idea what to say about this surprise fourth novel in Jeff Vandermeer‘s iconic Southern Reach trilogy except “What did I just read?” You may discover more questions than answers here, but, with three narrators spanning 20+ years in over 400 pages, this new entry point (not starting point) offers ever more mesmerizing, uncanny, and extreme views of Area X before Annihilation. Who could resist?

I loved the light academia background of this new rivals-to-lovebirds series-starter from India Holton, whose whimsical Victorian romantasies are always a good time! The magical weightlessness of these British imperial fantasy worlds is starting to weigh on me a bit though, and I find myself itching for more from this writer—more diverse or status quo-questioning characters would be welcome!

This gentle yet deeply felt portrait of an extraordinary yet often overlooked creature was a true pleasure to spend time with. If you need encouragement to slow down and take in the wonders around you—or to feel your kinship with a strange and living world, pick up this peaceful yet powerful science memoir about the author‘s time confined to a sickbed and the extraordinary companionship of a simple snail. 🐌

Take the magnificent train of Murder on the Orient Express, put the menacingly otherworldly landscape of Annihilation right outside the cabin windows, and you‘ll get a sense of this remarkable debut novel. I highly recommend braving a journey through the Wastelands aboard the Great Trans-Siberian Express—you‘ll discover mysterious stowaways, first class liars, a dangerous friendship with a world we have changed and which now seeks to change us…

As a fan of Welcome to St. Hell, I was thrilled to find out a sequel dropped! This installment of Lewis Hancox‘s graphic memoir sees him starting hormone therapy, leaving home, starting college, dating as a trans man, and, above all, learning that being a man doesn‘t mean putting on a winning persona, but being himself. It was a bit tedious watching Lew frequently make the same mistakes, but it made him finding his way all the more satisfying.

Dive into the dragon‘s hoard through this dense but enticing exploration into the medieval imagination—in religion, from the Bible to the legend of Saint Margaret bursting from a dragon‘s belly; in science, through the different classes of dragon in the medieval encyclopedic tradition; in folklore through the story of the Dragon of Mordiford; and in literarure—in Beowulf, Bevis of Hampton, the story of Sigurd and the dragon Fafnir, and more.

Two sisters, friendly oddball Beatrice and fiercely unhappy Magnolia, seek something from the forbidden forest, coming face to face with its magic silk-spinning monster and learning about environmentalism, labor rights, and anti-capitalism along the way, in this creepily-cute and razor-sharp fable that has all the old-school deadly morality of the Brothers Grimm. A challenging, dark, yet adorable picture book for fans of Jon Klassen‘s The Skull.

This is a soft pick for me. This memoir by comedian and celebrity memoir podcaster Chelsea Devantez was entertainingly told, but also so frenetic, which is not entirely the author‘s fault—due to legal issues, she was effectively gagged from discussing the domestic abuse at the center of her story, which greatly disrupts the structure of the book. A moving and powerful and comical story all at once that struggles against a fragmented structure.

A dazzling constellation of science and poetry that will spark your curiosity and leave you in awe, The Universe in Verse sends us on a voyage through space and time on a vessel made of verse by Sylvia Plath, Maya Angelou, Tracy K. Smith, and more, about mycology & octopus intelligence, floriculture & the Hubble telescope, radioactivity & SETI, & more, each one scientifically contextualized by Maria Popova and wondrously illustrated by Ofra Amit.

A Regency-era monster romance by the author of Morning Glory Milking Farm? Yes, please! The disgraced and penniless Eleanor Eastwick has one last chance to secure a marriage and save her family from financial ruin—seduce a match at the Monsters‘ Ball—and a notorious rake, the gargoyle Marquis Silas Stride, has been volunteered to teach her the art of seduction. Fun, spicy, and perfect for those who‘d like their Bridgerton boys with bat wings.

Thank you to Libro.fm for making this audiobook free for Juneteenth! In this brief but sprawling and powerful exploration of Juneteenth, native Texan and Pulitzer Prize-winning Harvard historian Annette Gordon-Reed weaves together history with her own experience growing up in Texas, uplifting the impact Black people have had on Texas history and providing a larger, more complex, and utterly alive historical and cultural context for the holiday.

A boy discovers a world hidden from our own, full of mythological creatures and a flying girl in peril in this middle grade fantasy. The hype for this is so high! I liked it but didn‘t love it, and I‘m not sure why…Was it too plot-driven rather than character-focused for me? Was it unexpectedly dark and yet not serious enough for me? Or is my shriveled old heart not fun enough for middle grades anymore? Was it the hype itself?

This cultural history of 90s America covers politics & pop culture, music & sports, the dawn of the internet, & more. Klosterman makes you feel how foreign the 90s are to today, from our relationship to TV to the iconic “too cool to care” mentality of Gen X, which seems so distant to today‘s attitude. A fascinating read, but not as fun as I‘d hoped—the frenetic focus & lack of structure made it a bumpy ride & the author‘s viewpoint a bit narrow.

Mags has a dark family secret, and her long lost childhood best friend has just returned to town with questions. This moving and mysterious graphic novel so vividly depicts how shame and shouldering responsibility can bleed you dry, but family, friendship, and love can give you the courage to befriend the monstrous in you and bring the darkest parts of you into the light, all through a powerful, beautiful, and tender queer love story.

It‘s been: 0 days since a book made me cry. Inspired by the Buddhist death tradition of bardo, in which the soul remains in a state between life and rebirth for 49 days before moving on, this graphic novel follows both Kit, a young woman who has just died, beyond and her grieving family back home for 49 days. This is a deeply moving and keenly aware meditation on love, life, family, and grief that will make you feel it all.

The author of the Tea Dragon Society has graced us with another beautiful, whimsical, wise, inclusive, gentle fantasy you‘ll want to live inside! An ambitious aspiring ranger, with faithful pegasus, receives a less than thrilling final assignment—only to discover an unlikely friend, the courage to not just prove yourself but to be yourself, and the wisdom that ease and simplicity can be challenging and enriching beyond measure. Coming Spring 2025!

This collection of short stories by one of my all-time favorite authors is a true, glittering dragon‘s hoard for fans and newcomers alike! Gender-defying pirates, Greek myth retellings, a mushroom witch at the Scholomance, Pride & Prejudice & DRAGONS, Buried Deep has a gem of a story for every fantasy lover—and extra thrilling, it ends on an abandoned continent of architectural mysteries, a sneak peek at the setting for Naomi Novik‘s next series!

This epic first book in a debut duology introduces us to a kingdom caught between the old gods and the new, with a magic system full of wraiths, necromancy, and herbal scarecrow guardians who only wake for the worthy across the centuries. If you love a headstrong if reckless heroine and a devout, rule-following enemy who‘s obsessed with her, action-packed battles, treason, found family, and gruesome magic-wielding, you‘ll love this YA fantasy.

This 75-year-spanning study by a Christian historian traces American evangelicals‘ takeover of the Republican Party and shows how their highest values—militarism & masculinity, patriarchy & patriotism—turned a modest Jesus Christ into a macho John Wayne, and made voting for Donald Trump not a necessary evil, but a natural conclusion. As disturbing as it is revelatory, this book is a must read for anyone seeking to make sense of this political era.

A maiden loses a shoe, another moves in with a beast. We all know these tales…but who told them? In a spellbinding brew of literary history and travel writing, through their adventurous lives, unique settings, and, of course, the tales themselves, meet 7 “fairy tellers”: the young Syrian traveler who took Aladdin to Paris, the “ugly duckling” of “Ugly Duckling” fame, the widow behind “Beauty and the Beast,” the wife behind Wilhelm Grimm, and more!

Welcome to New Leaf Tomes & Tea! This cozy fantasy follows an evil queen‘s bodyguard and a powerful head mage who run away together to a small town to open a tearoom and bookshop. I think you‘d be hard-pressed to find someone who doesn‘t *like* this book, but I didn‘t *love* the combination of high stakes and easy resolutions or the flatly evil queen. Still, a pleasant and affirming read I‘d recommend for anyone in the mood for a cozy fantasy!

Gruesome fairy tale meets novel of manners! Inspired by the Grimm Brothers‘ “Goose Girl,” Kingfisher depicts the horror of the power parents wield over their progeny—here pitting an evil sorceress (and one absolutely horrifying horse) against her own awkward, earnest daughter and the canny spinster sister of the rich nobleman she‘s bewitched. In this grisly, horror-tinged fantasy, a lovable found family and a fantastic middle-aged heroine await!

Cheryl Strayed‘s Wild meets Diana Melmuth‘s The Witching Year in this messy but endearingly earnest travel memoir. While grieving her father, writer Signe Pike rambles primarily across England, Ireland, and Scotland, seeking out stories and first-hand accounts of faeries, visiting faery landmarks and sacred places, and reckoning with a devoted but angry father she loved but never understood. Slow and not fully satisfying, but worth the read!

This richly imagined and cleverly-plotted historical fantasy follows a young servant forced to keep her Jewish heritage a secret during the Spanish Inquisition whose mistress discovers her magical powers and demands she use them to advance their fortunes in a high-stakes contest to become the King‘s miracle-worker. I did struggle to get into it due to the slow pace…and I felt the characters and romance weren‘t fully fleshed out. Still worthwhile!

This epic, ambitious, yet tenderly human Arthurian retelling begins with an aspiring knight who arrives at Camelot only to find the legendary King dead, Merlin buried alive by his protégée, and a mere handful of Round Table heroes hanging on—and they need to save a Britain torn between fated past and changing future, old gods and new. I loved the rich exploration of religion, self-acceptance, and found family across the diverse cast of characters.

Jilted opposites attract in this gentle, emotionally resonant romance from Emily Henry. As well as I thought of this book while reading it, I didn‘t find myself giggling and kicking my feet, which is my sign of a favorite rom-com. I think Emily Henry just doesn‘t make me laugh, but I do find her characters‘ struggles moving and realistic and I can totally see why she‘s so many readers‘ favorite romance writer today.

AJW has taken us to: an eco-Christofascist apocalypse, a Victorian asylum full of spirits and mediums, and now an Appalachia haunted by blood feuds and class war. This is his most unputdownable book yet, a bloody tour-de-force, mining and queering West Virginia‘s buried socialist history, with a lovable, neurodivergent, rage-fueled transboy at the center and a whole lot of gore all around him. Prepare to be hurt, haunted, and ultimately heartened.

A renowned classicist takes up running, turning to her Ancient Greek guides to learn about this simple, yet challenging, popular, yet often miserable sport. This reminded me of Murakami‘s memoir—which the author quotes and which I didn‘t enjoy; I‘d recommend for fans of it. I don‘t share either author‘s reasons for running—discipline, fear of death. I prefer books that emphasize running as fun and welcoming, like Slow AF Run Club or Born to Run.

Alex Easton returns, this time to their family‘s neglected hunting lodge, where death comes quietly at night to suck the very breath from your lungs. What Feasts at Night has all the darkly humorous, thrillingly gothic, and deliciously folkloric horror we know and love from its predecessor What Moves the Dead. I just enjoy Alex, Angus, and Miss Potter so much, I‘d follow them into any creepy corner of Gallacia! Read for the #TransRightsReadathon!

Boyz n the Hood meets A Christmas Carol in this powerful and moving young adult novel in verse about a young man contemplating his response, revenge, and “the rules” his brother, just killed in a shooting, taught him. Our bookstore is helping a local teacher give away 60 copies of this book to his students for summer reading!

Ali Hazelwood writes my favorite rom-coms. I count on her for making me giggle and kick my lil feet while two people fall for each other despite each other. I‘m not the first to say her novels tend to be similar, but I‘d argue this one departs in major ways, particularly tone. While I enjoyed the science-set plot as always, and I think this will appeal to Emily Henry girlies, its angst made me miss the FUN I always have while reading Hazelwood.

This popular gothic fantasy has some killer cards to play, with a unique card-based magic system, a steamy enemies-to-lovers romance, and a fantastically sinister monster living inside our heroine‘s head. While the YA/New Adult prose didn‘t always work for me and the first half is very slow to start, the world-building and plot made up for it. That said, I think I‘ll wait till October to read the sequel for all the spooky gothic vibes.

A 9 year old named Violet came into the bookstore to celebrate her birthday and, when she saw my dragon t-shirt, recommended me this middle grades graphic novel about a young Chinese-American girl who‘s gifted a dragon egg! While I didn‘t love the representation of scientists or the emphasis on blood, I was blown away by the action, plot twists, stunning art, and lovable characters—Nate the dragon enthusiastically included!

If you want to get lost in a labyrinthine dragon‘s lair full of phantoms, dark magic, treachery, and worse—The Fireborne Blade is yours for the wielding. While I predict many readers will lament the low page count‘s limitations when it comes to character depth and foreshadowing, this clever, gory novella shines in bringing the bloody and claustrophobic reality of a dragon‘s den to life, with badass, sapphic characters doing the daredeviling.

I picked up a blind date from BBGB Kids Books, and inside was this middle grades graphic novel about two bug besties, a rhino and stag beetle, and their adventures both outside—spelunking, climbing, meeting spider librarians—and internal—facing the existential, feeling your feelings, friendship. It gets surreal, which at times confused me, but remains grounded by very humanist, compassionate values, which makes me recommend for fans of K. O‘Neill.

This memoir astonished and altered me. Coming of age as an American Sikh in the aftermath of 9/11, Valarie Kaur‘s dedication to making a difference and her extraordinary courage in the face of hate crimes, police brutality, and sexual assault are made only more remarkable by her resilient compassion toward those who‘d harm her. Read this if you believe a better world takes both courage and kindness and you‘d like to become more of both.

If you‘d dare to immerse yourself in a light academia fantasy under the sea, you won‘t discover one more enchanting and earnest in equal measure than this epistolary debut! A Letter to the Luminous Deep is lush, romantic, and mysterious, unique, queer, and neurodivergent, and bubbling over with the magic of discovery—whether scientific, world-changing, or tenderly personal. Highly recommended for fans of Emily Wilde‘s Encyclopaedia of Faeries!

A marketing and events manager for a countryside farm finds herself swept off her feet by a bumbling Mothman scientist in this monster romance set in C. M. Nascosta‘s Cambric Creek. The spice here was not only super hot, but super fascinating! Worth reading just for that, but unfortunately I felt we didn‘t learn enough about Merrick‘s past and I was shocked that the ending didn‘t include any pushback about Grace basically asking him to assimilate.

It‘s not every day a business book has us gasping, screaming, cheering, and laughing! Unreasonable Hospitality is part business memoir, part leadership manifesto, a mix of hospitality and humanism, management and magic. Guidara took a NYC restaurant from struggling to #1 in the world; here he shares the lessons he learned in those 11 years. This book makes you feel like you‘re part of that team and will leave you nourished and full of ideas!

This visual guide to a life of effective activism is dramatically illustrated and punchily-written. While the chapter on recognizing your enemies felt too simple for me, much of this brief book made a big impression on me. These will stay with me a long time: the rejection of “smug politics” and how direct action doesn‘t just change the world, it changes the activist—developing talents, increasing confidence, challenging prejudices, and more.

Three elf coworkers venture out on a hedonistic vacation at a nudist resort full of orcs in this fast-paced and spicy novella set not long before C. M. Nascosta‘s hir Morning Glory Milking Farm. The fast pace and multi-POV meant I didn‘t always catch on immediately to which elf was the lead each time, and I didn‘t have as much time to connect with each one, but this was still a good time—and I‘m enjoying just being in the Cambric Creek universe!

This sequel to the mind-bending Eastern European dark academia fantasy Vita Nostra is a bit of a slog, but I was glad for the chance to immerse myself again in the world of Sasha Samokhina, the Institute of Special Technologies, and the Great Speech. There really is no stranger linguistic magic system or higher philosophical stakes than in this series—I‘m hoping this installment just suffered from Middle Book Syndrome.

This pocket-size book takes just an hour or two to read, structurally spans a day and a night, but holds half a century‘s wisdom about bookselling. Paul Yamazaki has been the principal book buyer at Lawrence Ferlinghetti‘s iconic City Lights bookstore in San Francisco for 50 years. This brief but complex and consequential collection of interviews with a venerable bookseller of color who‘s experienced so much is a gift to all who love bookstores.

What does our worship (or opposite) of Taylor Swift have to do with the Halo Effect? What does AI mean for our love of tactile work aka the IKEA Effect? In these essays on cognitive biases in our modern age, Cultish author Amanda Montell pulls together memoir, cultural criticism, and social science and blazes new neural pathways to identifying and understanding these “mental magic tricks” we pull on ourselves, to lively, accessible effect.

She‘s a nonprofit grad with student loan debt and no job prospects, he‘s a Minotaur…What else do you need to know? Violet takes a job at a medical facility where Minotaurs donate their “milk” for money, think plasma center…but not. Enter Rourke, a divorced businessman who yeah happens to be a Minotaur—and really likes her work ethic! This monster romance is, yes, absolutely filthy, and yet so wholesome at the same time?! I read all 24oz in one go!