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Staff Fiction Favorites

A rotating selection of some of our staff's favorite titles, both new and old. New reviews added quarterly, matching our in-store display.

Swimming Back to Trout River by Linda Rui Feng

Music is Momo's refuge, a gift that he hopes will shelter Junie through her childhood and an ocean of separation. It's a trans-Pacific love letter set amidst China's cultural revolution. Love exists in the unexpected everyday moments: music drifting from windows, flower bulbs, and hushed hellos. These small moments alter lives in profoundly meaningful ways. - Charlotte

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Swimming Back to Trout River: A Novel By Linda Rui Feng Cover Image
$26.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9781982129392
Published: Simon & Schuster - May 11th, 2021

Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Moreno-Garcia transplants the tropes and trappings of the classic European gothic romance to 1950s Mexico, creating a vivid novel that comments on the genre while standing on its own as a modern fable. Mysterious, lovely, creepily chilling—but driven by the determination of its indomitable heroine to carry through to the last page. Every person I've recommended this to has likewise devoured it, and immediately called me up to discuss it. - Jocelyn

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Mexican Gothic By Silvia Moreno-Garcia Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780525620808
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Del Rey - June 15th, 2021

Phoenix Extravagant by Yoon Ha Lee

Torn between following their passion for painting by working for the Razanei government and upholding their duty to their sister and the rebellion, Gyen Jebi becomes embroiled in the political and magical power of their art. As an artist myself, I found Gyen Jebi's passion and angst all too relatable! This fantastical steampunk world is wholly original with a slew of great characters. - Eli

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Phoenix Extravagant By Yoon Ha Lee Cover Image
$24.99
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9781781087947
Published: Solaris - October 20th, 2020

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

Lauren has "hyperempathy syndrome," rendering her incapable of witnessing pain. This is complicated by the fact that her world is nothing but pain: the novel is set against a dystopian backdrop in which water is reserved for the rich and suffering is rampant. To cope with her reality, Lauren is creating a new religion, wherein God is Change.

—Holly

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Parable of the Sower By Octavia E. Butler Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781538732182
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grand Central Publishing - April 30th, 2019

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo

Elaborate magical heist? Brilliantly realized world inspired by historical Amsterdam, filled with complex characters coming together for the pay-off of their lives—and maybe to save the world? I devoured this novel of criminals and misfits who refuse to accept a world that won’t accept them. A follow-up to Bardugo’s Shadow and Bone series that stands on its own (and may in fact be the best place to start, if you're new to the Grishaverse).. - Jocelyn

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Six of Crows By Leigh Bardugo Cover Image
$11.99
ISBN: 9781250076960
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Square Fish - February 6th, 2018

Out by Natsuo Kirino

Out is the story of four women working a drab and monotonous graveyard shift at a bento factory in Japan. Kirino explores the desire to escape one’s circumstances and live a truthful life, good or bad, through some seriously twisted, but very human feelings. Follow these characters into the dark—from murder to scattering dismembered body parts to outmaneuvering Yakuza.

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Out: A Thriller (Vintage International) By Natsuo Kirino Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9781400078370
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - January 4th, 2005

The Firekeeper's Daughter by Angeline Boulley

A teenage girl, Danuis, whose mother's family is white and father's family is Ojibwe, gets pulled into an undercover FBI meth investigation. The author wanted to write a "Native Nancy Drew" and Danuis is a heroine you want to root for—her culture and connection to community is her strength. With a distinct sense of place, this taut thriller is almost impossible to put down. - Celeste

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Firekeeper's Daughter By Angeline Boulley Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781250766564
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) - March 16th, 2021

The Death of Vivek Oji by Awaeke Emezi

Set in Nigeria, this beautiful and heartbreaking exploration of sexuality and gender identity is a story of family secrets, love, and grief. Vivek Oji is dead, found wrapped in cloth on his mother's doorstep. How this came to be is a riveting tale that Emezi tells with simple, evocative, profound prose. A rich, emotionally rewarding read, I found this difficult to put down. - Trey

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The Death of Vivek Oji: A Novel By Akwaeke Emezi Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780525541622
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Riverhead Books - May 25th, 2021

The Seventh Mansion by Maryse Meijer

Full disclosure: I used to be a bookseller with Maryse. When she moved on my life got a little less weird. If you, too, are missing a little weird in your life, or feel like you haven't recently read enough books that feature ossophilia and radical environmental activism, then check out this wonderfully strange book. It brought my weird quotient up by seven points!

—Dave

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The Seventh Mansion: A Novel By Maryse Meijer Cover Image
$16.00
This item may be available from the publisher! Give us a call or send us an email to find out.
ISBN: 9780374298463
Published: FSG Originals - September 8th, 2020

Hate to Want You by Alisha Rai

This is possibly my favorite contemporary romance. A tattoo artist and a budding CEO, haunted by a shared past, are given a second chance—at love, but more importantly at their own lives. Their story is a taut tale of redemption, betrayal, sex, and romance. With complex characters, sizzling tension, juicy drama, and intricate tattoos (and desert) I finished fully satisfied. - Jocelyn

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Hate to Want You: Forbidden Hearts By Alisha Rai Cover Image
$8.99
ISBN: 9780062566737
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Avon - July 25th, 2017

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