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Bookshop Santa Cruz staff recommendation:

The following books are recommended by our staff as great choices for book groups. Sign up for our Book Ends email newsletter to receive more great book group recommendations.

Looking for more book group recommendations? Find curated book lists for the following categories:

Surviving 2020: Books That Will Make You Believe in Humanity
Strong Women Through the Ages
Book Group Sleepers: Great Books Your Group May Have Missed

Some books linger with you after you read them, shifting the way you view the world and making you feel as though you’ve come through the experience changed. Starling’s latest has done just that, haunting, if you will. She’s woven a story of beauty and horror, ghosts and corrupt magicians, that is as much Jane Eyre as it is House on Haunted Hill and I dare say as well crafted as either. Just take care not to read too long in the dark…

—Jax

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The Death of Jane Lawrence: A Novel By Caitlin Starling Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781250272584
Availability: This item is likely out of print! We may be able to order it from the publisher. If it's unavailable, we will refund you ASAP.
Published: St. Martin's Press - October 5th, 2021


A fascinating and in-depth look at the Covid-19 pandemic, Gupta gives us a look at what is needed to ensure that this doesn’t happen again. He writes with compassion and lively curiosity, so that even those without a science background will be engrossed. I came out of this book with more hope than I expected, and the certainty that if we can only take preventative measures, we have the power to keep future generations safe.

—Jax

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World War C: Lessons from the Covid-19 Pandemic and How to Prepare for the Next One By Sanjay Gupta, M.D., Kristin Loberg (With) Cover Image
$28.00
Warning: This item is likely out of print. We may be able to order it from the publisher. We will refund you if it unavailable.
ISBN: 9781982166106
Published: Simon & Schuster - October 5th, 2021


Calling all bartenders, both professional and amateur! In Welcome Home, the founders of Death & Co. give an expert class on creating cocktails and understanding the mindset and habits that make them great. I really enjoyed the pieces where they write about creating a positive work culture, as well as the suggestions for tastings to do at home (or with friends) to refine and expand one’s palate. As complex and delightful as any of their cocktails, this one is sure to please.

—Jax

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Death & Co Welcome Home: [A Cocktail Recipe Book] By Alex Day, Nick Fauchald, David Kaplan, Devon Tarby (With), Tyson Buhler (With) Cover Image
$40.00
ISBN: 9781984858412
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ten Speed Press - November 16th, 2021


Full of mouthwatering pastas and perfect risottos that use fresh ingredients like olives, garlic, and fresh herbs, this is a comprehensive bible on Mediterranean cuisine, written by a culinary legend. With gorgeous photos and classic recipes like salmon tartare and bouillabaisse, this is both a travel book and a lesson on the history of the food. I have so many new ways of preparing chicken, and you have to try the Spicy Roasted Carrot Salad!—Jason

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Claudia Roden's Mediterranean: Treasured Recipes from a Lifetime of Travel [A Cookbook] By Claudia Roden Cover Image
$40.00
ISBN: 9781984859747
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ten Speed Press - November 9th, 2021


I’m a huge fan of the New York Times cooking app, so I was excited to delve into more recipes from the Times. What I found was even better: one woman’s wonderful and wry journey through American cooking history. The Essential New York Times Cookbook is an atlas for the cooks who are endlessly curious and are interested in everything from the history of the gin fizz to the countless ways immigrants have shaped the food we eat. Happy cooking!

—Jax

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The Essential New York Times Cookbook: The Recipes of Record By Amanda Hesser Cover Image
$55.00
ISBN: 9781324002277
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - November 2nd, 2021


What a delight! Waffles and Pancake are two kittens looking to have a fun day with their Dad-cat, and boy does the planetarium deliver. From cool skeletons and exhibits to delicious tots at the cafeteria, this gem is sure to get any kid excited about a day at the museum. I really appreciated how they dealt with what to do if you get lost, and a small nod to the fact that the kitten’s parents live in separate households, normalizing it in a lovely way.

—Jax

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Waffles and Pancake: Planetary-YUM By Drew Brockington Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9780316500425
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown Ink - October 26th, 2021


I’m not really sure how to pitch this novel of a has-been (but still very gay) actor taking his young niece and nephew in for the summer after their mother passes away, but I can tell you that I haven’t read something this surprisingly sharp yet delightfully sweet in ages. I giggled, I gasped, I cried, and most of all I fell in love with this family that just won’t quit trying to be there for each other, despite everything. 

—Jax

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The Guncle By Steven Rowley Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780525542308
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons - April 5th, 2022


Fans of Red, White & Royal Blue, rejoice! Here’s something similarly steamy and full of all the feels; it hooked me immediately. Nicholas has doubts about his new costar Chris, but as the cameras get rolling and the sparks start flying, he discovers there’s more than fame and fortune on the line. I loved the chemistry between these two and the sweet supporting cast, and I found it almost impossible to put down. Delectable and delightful, this is a perfect summer indulgence. 

—Jax

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Eight Weeks in Paris: The Perfect Beach Read By S. R. Lane Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9781335623928
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Carina Adores - June 7th, 2022


I'm a sucker for fantastical quests, magical companions, and princesses who refuse to be the victim. This book delivered all that and more, with a darker spin on these tropes that I absolutely devoured. For some of us the perfect beach read takes place in a dappled wood where the vines get twisty and something magical or malicious (or both?) lingers beneath the leaves. If that sounds like a good time, Nettle & Bone is perfect for you. 

—Jax

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Nettle & Bone By T. Kingfisher Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9781250244048
Availability: Not On Our Shelves, But Available from Warehouse - Usually Delivers in 3-14 Days
Published: Tor Books - April 26th, 2022


Munroe, the creator behind the webcomic XKCD, takes us on another wild ride through science, humor, and above all, the joy of curiosity. It was such a pleasure to remember that while some questions may seem absurd, there is value in silly questions as well as serious ones. Some of Munroe’s answers may cause you to rethink your place in the universe (there are more stars, and therefore more solar systems, than grains of sand on Earth) and some may cause you to laugh (Soupiter, anyone?), but all of them remind us to keep asking.

—Jax

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What If? 2: Additional Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions By Randall Munroe Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780525537113
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Riverhead Books - September 13th, 2022


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