An anthology of short fiction and essays by award-winning fantasy writer Nicola Griffith. She is Here explores gender, sexuality, chronic illness, and the massive gap in our literary eco-system where disability fiction should live. If you aren’t already a Griffith superfan, this is the perfect place to start.

Sex-worker-turned-assassin Murder Bimbo has just killed pro-athlete-turned-politician Meat Neck. He’s an extremist, a liar, and is not to be trusted––sound familiar? But as we comb through Bimbo’s emails, she begins to look no better than the man she was hired to silence. The perfect unreliable narrator in our post-truth world, Murder Bimbo is a stark reminder that the political is always personal.

Also loved by Naomi!

I read A Little Buzzed for the tea, but stayed for the intimacy. After a brutal breakup, Scout swears off love and sex—ironic, since she’s the genius virgin behind BuzzCorp’s hottest toys. Problem: Her team finds out. Enter Hudson, charming software developer, who’s just as inexperienced. Solution: hands-on research. This is the book that made me a contemporary romance stan.

Also loved by Katie & Chloe!

An actor who portrayed Sherlock Holmes plays him in real life when someone ends up dead on a Greek island during a storm. He finds his Watson and the two work to discover the murderer as the death toll climbs. A true fan of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s plotted the murders. Can the actor channel Holmes and solve it?

A British ornithologist on a remote island in Ireland receives his supply order short of items, but with something extra: a wild, mute child. Set during the potato famine and told as a scientist’s journal, this book is highly descriptive of one man’s experiences studying the Great Auks, adorable puffins, while saddled with a child and the unrest of the time. I truly laughed AND cried.

This novel explores how words impact us. Cristina deletes social media then expands to speech, stopping talking. She continues to work, even maintaining a sexual relationship. Is speech an addiction, like cigarettes or alcohol? “The happiest time of my life was when I expressed myself through inarticulate sounds. I am fairly certain that the trouble starts where language begins.”

Also loved by Abigail & Ella!

If you know me, I have a tough time with cozy fantasy, but this one really won me over. A grumpy but endearing Agnes is trying to just keep her, her sister, and the cats of her cat shelter safe amidst magical mayhem. This would be so much easier if the neighborhood Dark Lord weren’t so charming.

A deep, dark historical fantasy with a queer love story that will sink into your bones.

Also loved by Chloe!

A staffer on Capitol Hill beats the one-in-quadrillion odds and fills out a perfect March Madness bracket. Cassandra, a D.C. fundraiser who can see the future, decides to go along for the ride. Start this for a messy adventure through the NCAA, then stay to see what happens when an Average Joe flies too close to the sun.

Also loved by Abigail & Jake!

Type A meteorologist Jackson can’t put his finger on why chaotic, clumsy broadcaster Delilah gets under his skin. But when they’re forced to report on a blizzard together, isolated in the mountains, romantic winds start to shift. It may be freezing outside, but things between them reach a sweltering heat. The forecast: grumpy with a chance of sunshine. How it ends: wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?

Also loved by Raegyn & Ella!

Fans of The Light Between Oceans have been waiting more than 10 years for another book from M.L. Stedman. This family saga is so worth the wait! The MacBrides have lived on a vast sheep station in the Australian Outback for decades, when a tragic accident upends all of their lives and its aftermath reverberates for generations. A story of deep love, sacrifice, and secrets. I loved this book so much!

Virginia and Jeanine are Buffalo Jills. But when Jeanine goes missing, and people in power fail to protect them, the NFL cheer squad begins an investigation of their own. As Ginny uncovers more clues about her best friend’s seedy past, she hears Jeanine’s words ringing in her ears: You can never go back. This book is a drug-induced fever dream, proving the “mob wife” life comes at a high, dangerous price.

If you, like me, are obsessed with watching the Winter Olympics and wish you had a front row to watching the athletes kiss…I mean be great and awesome and athletic, then lucky for you this book does both. A charming love story between the captain of GB’s women’s hockey team and and a sports photographer working on his first big shoot who decide to fake date through the games. A gold medal romance.

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Alice in Wonderland. The Wizard of Oz. And this book. Alix goes through a hidden door finding a magical space inside the Boston Public Library where she can “live” inside books AND save the library!

In the summer of ‘69, Susannah defies her family to go to a music festival in upstate New York with her best friend. She steps out of her comfort zone, letting her true talent emerge. Reading Kissing the Sky feels like falling into a Woodstock documentary.

A beautiful & propulsive spin on Cinderella, as told through the lens of the “evil step-mother” that asks us what we are willing to do for our children. Twice widowed and left with a crumbling manor, two daughters and an ungrateful step-daughter, Etheldreda is forced to figure out a way to survive. Perfect for fans of Circe, Wicked and––I know this sounds kind of like a long shot––James. This book had me FIRED up.

The surviving three Esme siblings reunite at the family home in Fell, NY (haunted in its own right), to settle the estate but they are confronted by the secrets and tragedies of the past, including the spirit (?) of their long-lost little brother. Twisty and full of surprises and lore, this is a captivating mystery.

An Afghan father fulfills the American dream by building businesses, a home and the best for his daughter. There is a death and his world falls apart in many ways. The story is told by many witnesses including family and friends. His Muslim community suffers as well due to media stereotypes. It will make you uncomfortable. Brilliant debut.

Also loved by Patsy!

Victorian London. A woman loses her friend and searches for the murderer alongside a detective. This book has dark alleys and a hairpin serial killer. This is the first in the series and will appeal to fans of Miss Scarlet on PBS.

The short stories in this collection by the incredible Lauren Groff move up and down the East Coast (plus a brief foray to California). It spans the historical and the present, and centers characters from childhood through middle age. Like the titular brawler, a teenage diver who punches boys in fifth period and takes care of her wasting-away mother, each character is fighting their own self along with the outside world.

Also loved by Abigail!

Following the announcement of a scathing tell-all about their toxic past, two ex-co-stars-turned-lovers reunite in a small New England town in a one-sided attempt to resolve their unfinished business. Andy is determined to protect the life she worked hard to rebuild. Nikki is determined to get Andy back in this sapphic second-chance romance.

An impressive debut that packs a punch but leaves you laughing. Nicole struggled with infertility for a decade, on a return trip to visit her surrogate she finds that her husband having an affair. As she wrestles with all this means for the future she reconnects with a Logan, a former coworker, who provides a much needed distraction for her imploding life. Tender, heartfelt & funny; a love story that sticks with you.

After the death of a close family friend, orphaned siblings Tom, Anna, Jack, and Peggy O’Leary are looking for a fresh start in the rural Irish village of Ballycrea. However, as Anna grows closer with an older woman in town, the O’Leary’s best-kept secrets threaten to spill over. An intricately woven story full of grief, sapphic obsession, and deadly secrets, this book will literally keep you guessing until the very last page. Howarth is a master at her craft!

Also loved by Abigail!

Dear creatures of the night, the book you’ve been antici…pating is here! Time warp back to ’75 and go on a strange journey with 26 LGBTQ writers reflecting on Rocky’s impact in their lives and culture at large. Equal parts chilling, thrilling, and fulfilling, Absolute Pleasure is a sweet transgression in these horrifying times. There’s a light in the darkness and it’s this book, dammit! Don’t dream it, be it!

Also loved by Hannah P.!

The micro form of these essays did not diminish how invested I was in this author’s story. Fennelly covers a variety of topics––successes and sorrow, family and friends––in such beautiful prose.

Also loved by Ella!

This book is an in depth look at seven historical texts that built the ideological foundation that crushes reproductive rights to this day. Sarah Ruden is genius and I would follow her anywhere she leads.

“I refuse to be good.” How are you not going to read a book that opens with that sentence? In this collection of essays, Nolan writes boldly about womanhood, fatness, divorce and a certain type of man she calls “voting-booth feminists.” A blend of memoir, reporting and history, this book is a roadmap away from compulsory compliance.

These poems explore the ache between cultural identity and nationalism. My favorite line: “Remember, America is only one possibility.”

A look at the “film school brats” (Coppola, Lucas, and Spielberg, with cameos from De Palma and Scorsese) in 1970s New Hollywood, this book is a fascinating origin story for some of the most influential filmmakers who ever lived. From their college days to the breaking of every conceivable box office record, The Last Kings of Hollywood is a compulsively readable history of an era in which filmmakers reigned supreme.

Also loved by Paige!

A compelling portrait of both Julius “Dr. J” Erving and Moses Malone on their way to the 76ers’ 1983 championship season. Moses and the Doctor is a powerful ode to the lasting legacy of the ABA on the modern game and a moving reclamation of the 80s as more than just Magic versus Bird. Meticulously researched and captivatingly written, this might be all that 76ers fans have to look forward to for some time.

The story of the Civil Rights Movement is incomplete without this memoir of James Lawson. His workshops provided the training for the the nonviolent crusaders who demanded change. His teaching resonates just as strongly today – that nonviolence can win over violence.

An anthology of some of the most significant essays and documents in our country’s history. Meacham reminds us that “This anthology seeks to put our best and our worst before a divided and often dispirited nation—and to remind us that conscientious citizenship is essential to bringing out the more perfect Union envisioned in the Preamble to the Constitution.”

Tomasz Jedrowsk’s story of queer love amid societal upheaval in 1980s Communist Poland is a stunning read–deeply felt and incredibly astute. Swimming in the Dark absolutely broke my heart in the best way.

Also loved by Abigail!

Oh, how I love this book. Bad Habit is the story of a trans woman coming of age in Madrid’s blue-collar San Blas neighborhood. Our narrator has such a distinct voice, at times witty and humorous, at others poetic and devastating. She tells us about the people and places that shaped her life with such clarity and reverence that I could see them all standing before me. If you’re looking for a short, profound read, this is it.

I’m a fan of The New York Times‘ games just as much as the next person, but logic puzzles will always be my favorite––even if it’s rare to find them in stores. Using your deductive reasoning skills, follow along with the clues provided to determine which phenomena go together. These puzzles are totally challenging, slightly unnerving, but incredibly rewarding when you solve them perfectly!

Also loved by Ella!

Punctuated with humor and bittersweet moments, this book follows the story of a gentleman searching for a woman he met on the bus many years ago. More than that though, the book tells the story of how we can affect the lives of others, even through brief encounters.

Noted design writer Witold Rybcynski explores the history of the car and the engineers, artists, dreamers and gearhead who designed them. A fun read for a wide audience not just car enthusiasts. Now out in paperback!

First Editions Club: March Selection

Love, Parnassus: March Selection