Bookseller Recommendations: Adult
Black Food
Edited by Bryant Terry (4 Color) $40
Recommended by Sara Luce Look, co-owner, Charis Books and More, Decatur, Ga.
We’re excited about the essays, art, and recipes in this beautiful book, curated by one of our favorite food activists. And of course, Bryant Terry includes his signature musical playlist. He is gifting us all with this collection, and we want to share it with everyone we know!
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina
Zoraida Córdova (Atria) $27
Recommended by Henry Padrón-Morales, co-owner, Hipocampo Children’s Books, Rochester, N.Y.
The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina transports the reader on a journey into a Latinx family’s complex and untold secrets. You will smell the food, travel through time and landscapes, hear the cacophony of voices, and feel the gamut of emotions that lead to a finale of love and understanding.
The Anomaly
Hervé Le Tellier, trans. from the French by Adriana Hunter (Other Press) $16.99
Recommended by Pamela Klinger-Horn, event coordinator, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, Minn.
The Anomaly grabbed me on the first page, as I do love a novel with a good psychopath. Le Tellier has crafted a work of literary fiction with just the right dash of devilishly clever thriller elements, and a drop of sci-fi for added flavor. It goes down like a glass of fine champagne. It’s also a paperback original, which should make it perfect for book clubs as well as holiday gifts. I like to do “book on a bed” at Christmas so that everyone goes to bed (or wakes up) to a new book. I may have to buy a case of The Anomaly.
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan (Grove) $22
and
How I Became a Tree
Sumana Roy (Yale Univ.) $25
Recommended by Aggie Zivaljevic, buyer and inventory manager, Kepler’s Books, Menlo Park, Calif.
Small Things Like These moved me so much. And I have been carrying it everywhere with me, underlining favorite passages (too many!). This little book is a prayer, an elixir of courage, a school of life, a healing balm for our sorrows, a song to human kindness, and a gift of hope.
Reading How I Became a Tree, with its intricate philosophical musings on trees throughout history, mythology, and literature, is like a portal opening to one’s secret, sacred places. This book is a gorgeous hybrid of memoir and essay form, reaffirming the importance of our connection to mother nature. A perfect companion for the readers of Braiding Sweetgrass and The Overstory.
Smile
Sarah Ruhl (Simon & Schuster) $27
Recommended by Nina Barrett, owner, Bookends & Beginnings, Evanston, Ill.
In her warm, wise new memoir, acclaimed playwright Sarah Ruhl tells the story of what happened when one side of her face was suddenly paralyzed right after she gave birth to twins. But this story encompasses other stories: about motherhood, about maintaining your artistic self when you are torn in many other directions, and about why women, especially, feel we always have to keep a smile on our faces. Reading this book is like meeting your new best friend.
Bookseller Recommendations: Children's
Rise Up and Write It
Nandini Ahuja, illus. by Anoosha Syed (HarperFestival, ages 4–8) $16.99
Recommended by Pamela Bailie, co-owner, Hipocampo Children’s Books, Rochester, N.Y.
This book will inspire young readers who want to do something to better their world. In it, young Farah Patel pulls together her friends, family, and community to take over a parking lot and create a community garden. The illustrations are vibrant and lively, and the book has interactive treasures throughout—letters, petitions, and postcards.
The Cookie Maker of Mavin Road
Sue Lawson, illus. by Liz Anelli (Candlewick, ages 3–7) $18.95
Recommended by Tegan Tigani, book buyer and bookseller, Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle
In The Cookie Maker of Mavin Road, Benedict Stanley and his cat, Audrey Mae, live by themselves on a busy street. Benedict quietly brings joy to many through secret cookie deliveries, baked from his wife’s recipes. Neighbors speculate about who the mysterious cookie maker might be, until the cookies stop coming and Benedict himself needs some help. When the neighbors come together and reach out at the end, the vibrant colors and smiles light up the pages. The back matter includes the base recipe for cookies—a tasty invitation to pass along some cookies and caring.
