Twilight
To me, books are the greatest kind of escapism. I may have a master’s degree, but one of my favorite books is Twilight. It’s just escapist fiction at its absolute best.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
Oh no, I read about it in this awesome book,” I told him. “It’s about these two best friends who go to this mythical land called Las Vegas.
The Voice of the Clown
I’ve been totally absorbed in my book, The Voice of the Clown by Brenda Brown Canary, a pulp horror paperback novel with a lurid cover.
Hollywood Husbands
I remember being with my mother, in line at the grocery store, and picking up Jackie Collins’s latest romance, Hollywood Husbands, a lusty story of high-powered fame and fortune.
Betsy-Tacy series
My mother went to Bamberger’s, a store in Newark, to order three books that she’d seen advertised in the newspaper—the start of Maud Hart Lovelace’s Betsy-Tacy series about childhood best friends.
Everything Is Illuminated
Finally, she turns away from the phone and asks someone else in her household, who tells her that she wants Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer, F-O-E-R.
Golden Girl
I felt like we made it when she gave us a little name-drop in her book Golden Girl—her main character, an author, mentions starting her book tour at Browseabout Books.
I Really Needed This Today
July 2018 and a book signing we had for Hoda Kotb, coanchor of NBC News’s Today show and author of the inspirational book I Really Needed This Today.
Killing Mr. Griffin
The book is Killing Mr. Griffin, a young adult novel by Lois Duncan about some teens who, as a prank, kidnap a teacher, who then has a medical emergency and dies.
Grapefruit
Once, I spot Yoko Ono’s book of conceptual art, Grapefruit, on my friend’s brother’s shelf, and I remember my own copy from back in, like, 1970.
The Joy of Cheesecake
and then a week or two later she comes in buying The Joy of Cheesecake and The Joy of Sex, I think, Good for you, getting back out there again!
The Joy of Sex
and then a week or two later she comes in buying The Joy of Cheesecake and The Joy of Sex, I think, Good for you, getting back out there again!
The Girl on the Train
I read Paula Hawkins’s The Girl on the Train six months before it comes out and just keep nagging the publicist, 'This book is amazing. We want to order hundreds of copies. You have to bring her over for a tour.'
Gabriel Allon series
I quickly come up with a recommendation—Daniel Silva’s Gabriel Allon series, about a master art restorer who’s also an Israeli intelligence operative.
Charlotte's Web
I’d have to say Charlotte’s Web. To this day, I still have this vivid memory of reading it with my dad when I was about seven or eight.
The Big Sleep
I’m always on the lookout for collectible first editions or signed copies, especially any book by early pioneers of the genre, guys like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, who wrote hard-boiled detective classics like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon.
The Maltese Falcon
I’m always on the lookout for collectible first editions or signed copies, especially any book by early pioneers of the genre, guys like Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett, who wrote hard-boiled detective classics like The Big Sleep and The Maltese Falcon.
Out of Sight
Elmore Leonard, an icon best known for crime thrillers like Out of Sight and Get Shorty, began his career in the 1950s and 1960s writing Westerns.
Get Shorty
Elmore Leonard, an icon best known for crime thrillers like Out of Sight and Get Shorty, began his career in the 1950s and 1960s writing Westerns.
The Terminal List
At the Albuquerque Library sale, I luck upon a mint first edition of The Terminal List, bestselling thriller writer Jack Carr’s first novel.
“A” Is for Alibi
I find a lot of gems, such as the first mystery in Sue Grafton’s Alphabet series, “A” Is for Alibi, which can be worth as much as $1,500.
When I Was the Greatest
Way before Jason Reynolds blows up and everybody’s trying to get him, I invite him to our event after reading his amazing coming-of-age novel, When I Was the Greatest, which speaks to young urban teens and the heart of their daily struggles.
Growing Up X
I host Malcom X’s daughter Ilyasah Shabazz for a discussion of her memoir, Growing Up X. My goodness, it’s like being in the presence of a queen.
American Street
During the signing for Ibi Zoboi, the award-winning Haitian American author of American Street, a young lady approaches me and says, 'Listening to this author speak about who she is and where she came from—she was so honest. I could really relate to her.'
Beasts of Prey
As I’m looking over publisher catalogs featuring new and upcoming titles, I stumble upon a debut young adult novel called Beasts of Prey by Ayana Gray.
Santa in the City
I invite an author named Tiffany D. Jackson, whose first holiday picture book, Santa in the City, is coming out, to do a live reading in the outdoor Eastman Reading Garden on opening night.
The Handmaid's Tale
I see Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale in manuscript form. It absolutely blows me away, both as an incredible literary novel and one with incredible bestseller potential.
The Kite Runner
I jump on the idea and start calling authors I know—Anne Lamott, Isabel Allende, and Khaled Hosseini, author of the international bestseller The Kite Runner—with worldwide fan bases.
The Red Lion
One that really impacted me, by a Hungarian author named Mária Szepes, is a novel from the 1940s called The Red Lion, about a man searching for the elixir of immortality.
Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria
After I drop my daughter off at school, I turn on an audiobook called Shad Hadid and the Alchemists of Alexandria by George Jreije.
The Diary of a Young Girl
I didn’t pay much attention to The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank when I read it in eighth grade, so I reread it with fresh appreciation of the book as one of the ten most influential documents in the world.
Nicky & Vera
There are many excellent children’s books about this era of history, like Caldecott-winning author and illustrator Peter Sís’s beautifully illustrated Nicky & Vera, about a British man who helped bring hundreds of Czech children to England to keep them safe during the war.
The Length of a String
The Length of a String by Elissa Brent Weissman is a middle grade book about a Black American girl adopted into the family of a Holocaust survivor who finds the diary her grandmother kept at age twelve and gains a new understanding of her place in the world.
This Light Between Us
And This Light Between Us by Andrew Fukuda is a great YA novel about a Japanese American boy in Washington who becomes pen pals with a Jewish girl in Paris, France, and their experiences during World War II.
The Cider House Rules
There are even three DVDs on the list, all film adaptations of bestselling books: The Cider House Rules; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; and Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family.
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
There are even three DVDs on the list, all film adaptations of bestselling books: The Cider House Rules; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; and Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family.
Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family
There are even three DVDs on the list, all film adaptations of bestselling books: The Cider House Rules; Me and Earl and the Dying Girl; and Boy Erased: A Memoir of Identity, Faith, and Family.
Maus
In February 2022, shortly after the Tennessee school board bans Maus, a graphic novel about the Holocaust, a pastor from the state livestreams a book-burning event on Facebook.
Shadowhunters
My favorite TV show at the time is Shadowhunters, based on Cassandra Clare’s fantasy novels about a Brooklyn teenager with angelic blood, so I’ve also just started reading the series books for the first time.
Percy Jackson & the Olympians
I think it was Little Shop of Stories in Decatur, Georgia, outside of Atlanta, to see Rick Riordan speak and sign books from his Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.
The Monster at the End of This Book
One of my warmest memories is of my grandfather reading aloud to five-year-old me, turning the pages of The Monster at the End of This Book, a story narrated by Grover.
Go Set a Watchman
Earlier that year, HarperCollins announced they’d be releasing Go Set a Watchman by Pulitzer Prize–winning author Harper Lee on July 14.
Danny and the Dinosaur
At home, I pick up my yellowed copy of Danny and the Dinosaur, open it, and smile when I see my own childlike handwriting in the middle of the book jacket.
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets
"Captain Underpants!" the boy says. The dad rolls his eyes. I ignore him and address the excited seven-year-old. "Do you happen to know the rest of the title?" I ask. "The Attack of the Talking Toilets."
Harry Potter
We like series about wizards—J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, the Discworld novels by Sir Terry Pratchett, and tales set in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
Discworld
We like series about wizards—J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, the Discworld novels by Sir Terry Pratchett, and tales set in J. R. R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth.
The Hobbit
After The Hobbit, my dad goes straight into the Lord of the Rings trilogy and finishes reading the final installment to us right as I enter the first grade.
The Lord of the Rings
After The Hobbit, my dad goes straight into the Lord of the Rings trilogy and finishes reading the final installment to us right as I enter the first grade.
Wings of Fire
On the flip side, some kids have the patience to wait months for Tui T. Sutherland’s new Wings of Fire book or another big release, and they get so excited they’re hyperventilating, crying, or freaking out when the book finally comes in.
Library Company of Philadelphia
But a century earlier, in 1731, when Benjamin Franklin was searching for a way around the high cost of importing books from Europe, he formed a “society of mutual improvement” and established a subscription reading room called the Library Company of Philadelphia.
Sag Harbor
Customers can browse works of the “Sagg Main Set”—George Plimpton, Kurt Vonnegut, Truman Capote, and other writers who over the years lived in nearby Sagaponack—and contemporary Hamptons fiction like Colson Whitehead’s Sag Harbor.
I Capture the Castle
There are certain books I always have on the shelves, childhood favorites of mine like Gone with the Wind or I Capture the Castle.
Flowers in the Attic
When I was a preteen, my mom was reading V. C. Andrews’s Flowers in the Attic. It was a bestseller and had a lot of buzz—there’s an incestuous relationship in it, not graphic or anything, but very salacious—and I wanted to read it so badly.
Flowers in the Attic
Guess who read Flowers in the Attic as soon as her mom left for work? This girl. I went on to devour everything that V. C. Andrews ever wrote.
The Personal Librarian
Next, we’re reading The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, historical fiction set in Gilded Age New York about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene.
Inheritance Cycle
We’ve had midnight release parties for other new books...Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle, featuring the adventures of a boy and his dragon.
Mama
I read a book called Mama by Terry McMillan. It’s her first novel, a story about a fierce, strong, and funny Black woman who throws her drunk husband out of the house and sets about raising her five children on her own.
Don’t Look Behind You
Lois Duncan, a master of teen suspense, wrote over a dozen popular YA books like Don’t Look Behind You and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
I Know What You Did Last Summer
Lois Duncan, a master of teen suspense, wrote over a dozen popular YA books like Don’t Look Behind You and I Know What You Did Last Summer.
Stranger Things Holiday Specials
Our next book club pick is the Stranger Things Holiday Specials graphic novel, based on the Stranger Things television series.
I'm New Here
I get a phone call from a preschool teacher who recently bought a lot of books for her classroom. “I want to share a story with you about a book you recommended.” “Which one?” “I’m New Here by Anne Sibley O’Brien.”
Lawn Boy
The other is Lawn Boy by Jonathan Evison, a coming-of-age novel about a young Mexican American man grappling with racism and class inequality.
All Boys Aren't Blue
During the next couple of weeks, “Requests for Reconsideration” are submitted for Gender Queer and Lawn Boy, along with three more books: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson...
This Book Is Gay
...along with three more books: All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M. Johnson, This Book Is Gay by Juno Dawson, and Fun Home (again!) by Alison Bechdel.
The Handmaid’s Tale
One of my most memorable events is with Margaret Atwood, right after the TV adaptation of her novel The Handmaid’s Tale wins eight Emmy Awards in its first season.
An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth
It’s for Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station, and the author of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, as well as the Apollo Murders thriller series, among other titles.
Apollo Murders
It’s for Chris Hadfield, the Canadian astronaut and former commander of the International Space Station, and the author of An Astronaut’s Guide to Life on Earth, as well as the Apollo Murders thriller series, among other titles.
Jack Reacher series
Joanne makes a beeline to the new releases table and picks up a hardcover copy of Lee Child’s latest Jack Reacher novel, which goes on sale today.
Magic Tree House
the books they are coming back to, are the ones parents remember from when they were kids, like Dr. Seuss and Junie B. Jones and Magic Tree House
All American Boys
When Reynolds comes, he speaks about his next book, All American Boys, with such genuine honesty that I can tell he connects on a real, deep level with the inner-city youth in the audience, especially the boys.
The Time Traveler’s Wife
There’s even a scene set in Bookman’s Alley in the bestselling novel The Time Traveler’s Wife, because the author, Audrey Niffenegger, loved it so much as a student.
Harry Potter
It’s a fantastic, funny, and magical middle grade story—by far my favorite children’s pick of the year. I haven’t encountered anything this good since Harry Potter.
A Song of Ice and Fire
I’m frequently mistaken for fantasy author George R. R. Martin, whose A Song of Ice and Fire series is the basis for HBO’s blockbuster Game of Thrones.
Books by Haruki Murakami
I always point to Jay Rubin, a local who’s translated many books by bestselling and award-winning Japanese author Haruki Murakami.
Books by Jess Walter
A lot of our circulation is books about the Pacific Northwest or by authors who have written about the Pacific Northwest, like Jess Walter, Garth Stein, Neal Stephenson, and Maria Semple.
Books by Garth Stein
A lot of our circulation is books about the Pacific Northwest or by authors who have written about the Pacific Northwest, like Jess Walter, Garth Stein, Neal Stephenson, and Maria Semple.
Books by Neal Stephenson
A lot of our circulation is books about the Pacific Northwest or by authors who have written about the Pacific Northwest, like Jess Walter, Garth Stein, Neal Stephenson, and Maria Semple.
Books by Maria Semple
A lot of our circulation is books about the Pacific Northwest or by authors who have written about the Pacific Northwest, like Jess Walter, Garth Stein, Neal Stephenson, and Maria Semple.
The Last of the Mohicans
James Fenimore Cooper was a full-time whaler and part-time writer when he moved to Sag Harbor in 1818 before writing The Last of the Mohicans.
Flowers in the Attic
In fact, I still have my mom’s original set of the first four Flowers in the Attic paperbacks. And I’ve reread them many times over in my adult life as well.
Judy Blume book
I may have been in an unfamiliar place, but I could always go back and read that Judy Blume book or that Beverly Cleary book again and find my friends there.
Beverly Cleary book
I may have been in an unfamiliar place, but I could always go back and read that Judy Blume book or that Beverly Cleary book again and find my friends there.
Lord of the Rings
When I turned eight or ten, my father read us one of his favorite trilogies, J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, out loud from start to finish.
The Little Red Hen
I grew up in Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, and loved reading books like The Little Red Hen and The Three Little Pigs before graduating to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
The Three Little Pigs
I grew up in Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, and loved reading books like The Little Red Hen and The Three Little Pigs before graduating to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
The Hardy Boys
I grew up in Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, and loved reading books like The Little Red Hen and The Three Little Pigs before graduating to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
Nancy Drew
I grew up in Guyana, the only English-speaking country in South America, and loved reading books like The Little Red Hen and The Three Little Pigs before graduating to the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew.
Palaces for the People
“Palaces for the People,” according to industrialist Andrew Carnegie, who donated $60 million of the fortune he’d made in steel to build nearly 2,000 libraries.
The Lake Isle of Innisfree
One of the bookstore’s owners is a huge fan of William Butler Yeats and named the bookstore, which opened in 1992, after the Yeats poem “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.”
James and the Giant Peach
Listening to Kathy and Joanne talking about Reacher reminded me of my second-grade teacher reading us Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach.