MacMillan

Yeoman warder Christopher Skaife describes himself as being ornithivorous in relation to his job, inhaling all that there is about ravens, no matter the area of study (science, mythology, art, etc.). And while he covers some of those topics in this book, it’s his personal stories that kept me reading late into the night. Skaife’s voice will rumble in your head and you’ll feel like you’re just swapping stories over a pint with a friend. - Rachel

“How do we find meaning in our actions when the world seems to be coming to an end?” asks Jonathan Franzen in the opening essay of his new collection. It’s no secret that Franzen is a bird lover, and The End is largely concerned with the plight of birds. But even as he convincingly details birds’ worth and wonder, he also writes of the deeply confounding tension between climate change’s looming results and the maddening lack of preservation of specific systems right now. Luckily, the pleasures of reading Franzen’s essays make dipping into this fraught subject feel like a rich necessity, with intelligence, humility, and even optimism winning out. - Chorel

Don’t miss our event with Jonathan Franzen on November 29th.

A fun, fast-paced action thriller featuring a snarky math superhero who has some serious character flaws. Cas Russell is good at math, so good that she intuitively performs vector calculus at lightning speed, allowing her to dodge both incoming fists and bullets. She’s a mercenary “retrieval expert” with ambiguous morals, available for hire in Los Angeles, and her latest job is proving to be much more challenging and dangerous than she anticipated. - Trey

Sharon Bolton’s latest gothic-tinged crime fiction The Craftsman is set at the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, where the UK’s largest witch trial was held. Assistant Commissioner Florence Lovelady attends the funeral of a child murderer whom she arrested 30 years before, only to find evidence all these years later that the case isn’t closed after all. This promises to be a twisty, chilling read, perfect for the colder, darker nights. - Ilana

The beauty, pain, and personality of Wayétu Moore’s epic trans-Atlantic story could only be expressed with magic. Moore follows her protagonists from before their births through their lives in the early days of Liberia. Combining folklore, African religions, history, and family narratives, Moore’s beautiful writing brings to life the struggles of justice, slavery, and belonging in this complex, nigh-on-miraculous novel. - Clara

Belinda is a housegirl in Ghana, facing life without her mother and as a steward for a younger housegirl-in-training placed under her care. When her employer family sends her to London to reign in another teen girl who is starting to push family and cultural boundaries, Belinda learns not only how she influences others but ultimately what she needs for herself. Housegirl is a moving story of female friendships and how those ties help or hinder the journey every woman faces to find their true self. - Casey

When Kim Brooks was arrested for leaving her child locked in her ventilated car for only 5 minutes, her life changed forever as did her experience with parenting. Small Animals is her emotionally honest, often funny, well-researched, thoughtful response, a deep dive into the complexity of parenting today, when anxiety runs high and there is an underlying competition, often without context, control, or empathy. How is fear guiding us and to what extent is it harmful? I devoured this book, feeling both unnerved and grateful. - Melinda

Looking for a new fantasy series? Hawke's is a breath of fresh air. Told from the POV of a brother and sister, respectively, who are in the business of poison, I could hardly keep up with the many twists and turns of suspense and action. The character growth was well thought out and the world-building is complex, yet not overwhelming. - Karena

Almost everyone has seen Jaws or has some other preconceived notion about Great White sharks. However, it is only recently that scientists have even begun to understand what makes these fish tick. Casey’s immersive account of living on the Farallon Islands and participating in the shark research there is thrilling and horrifying; a truly fascinating read. - Jade

This intersectional book about period-having people needs to be read by everyone. It removes the stigma of menstruation which has plagued us all, whether you have a period or not. There are essays from a transgender man, a homeless person, a disabled person as well as 9 other voices. It changed my life. No longer will I hide my tampons! Let's have conversations. Let's make it normal. - Karena