Three sisters–a therapist, a working mom, and a nun–return home to care for their mother, who is in the early stages of dementia and has a unique request for them. As a reader, I often have to skip any book that touches on dementia, but as a fan of Meg Howrey, I had to give this one a shot. I’m so glad I did–Body Language is a gorgeous story of sisterhood and family bonds.

Also loved by Paige!

Local author and beloved fantasy queen Hannah Whitten takes on Horror! Reliquary is the PERFECT Summerween read! When Claire’s fiance dies, her in-laws invite her to their private island for his wake. On the island, Claire ignores strange red flags because of her desperation to make a connection. The atmosphere pulls you in and the dread makes it impossible to put down. I’m here for Hannah, no matter the genre!

Full of secrets, betrayal, intrigue, and sweeping romance, the highly anticipated sequel to The Knight and the Moth was everything I dreamed it would be. Do yourself a favor and grab a copy NOW!

A little pop culture, a little cross-country road trip/escape, and a lot of technology whirl together in this trippy tale as a some-time gamer “escorts” a former tech bro to his final resting place. Why? How? Does it all work out? I was along for the ride – and the side quests, and the WTF moments – the whole, fantastic book!

I love mystery AND romance. In Oxford? With spies? Even better. A mismatched pair – working class and wealthy, veteran and undergraduate, Gin and Sidney – are teamed up by MI5 to figure out who poisoned a librarian. Watching these two trade barbs and solve it is a fun ride.

Hear me out… If you liked Warrior Cats or Wolves of the Beyond as a kid, this is the grown up version. Violent, dark, and brutal, Blacktail’s vengeful actions against the two-legs lead to a massive manhunt for his life. Part folktale, part horror, part fantasy, Blacktail is an epic exploration of the wrongdoings of humanity from many creatures’ points of view.

Liane Moriarty can write a helluva mystery-tinged family drama. A decade after the events of Big Little Lies, the five women are parenting teens, caring for older parents, and dealing with the “for better or worse” aspects of marriage. Stories unfold from multiple perspectives and weave their way back together perfectly.

A lush and sprawling family saga that takes place on the Lamb family’s century farm in West TN over the course of several generations. In just a few pages you’ll be pulled in by the ghosts of each generation that haunt the property, judge the living and tell the family’s story. A truly beautiful debut.

Also loved by Jenness!

After years of anticipation for a western release, Naoki Urasawa’s cartoon conspiracy thriller masterpiece, Billy Bat, is finally available in English. When a cartoonist wonders if he accidentally plagiarized his most famous creation, he finds himself unraveling a conspiracy.

This book! My heart! Set over the course of a summer in 1985, The Nightingales follows a teenage girl who befriends an unexpected houseguest–her father’s coworker, who’s newly diagnosed with AIDS and was illegally removed from his apartment. Emil Wilson has crafted a beautiful story about what we owe to one another, both the necessity and discomfort of building community with those in need. I savored every page.

A thriller rom-com featuring a magic wish gone wrong, the Mr. Beast of murderers, & laugh-out-loud hijinks.

A group of perfectly pretentious friends from college reunite in the Danish countryside for a week at the lake, but the idyllic setting doesn’t quell the simmering tension and desire among them. A wonderfully messy mix of drama and incisive social commentary, Waist Deep is the smart summer read you’ve been looking for.

Also loved by Lindsay & Abigail!

Meet the Fiends – demonic scions and black sheep with centuries-old bloodlines, the underworld ruling class. Fractures and feuds among the blooded families have led to all-out war – and have possibly opened a portal to Hell? Bloody, fantastical, chaotic, and a bit cheeky. Thank you again, Chuck Wendig!

Sharing a small apartment with her tween daughter, Zoe feels stuck. Daydreaming of her own house, she stumbles across cheap treasure houses that are filled with somebody else’s “treasures” and need work. On a whim, she buys a house in a small coastal Maine town. But as Zoe and Flo sort through the physical treasures (junk) that fills their house, it’s the past stories that shape their lives now and in the future.

Sing, Emily Wilson, of your own brilliance. A lush collection of essays about topics ranging from the works of antiquity to her translation process to the art form itself. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and you’ll hope reading it lasts as long as Odysseus’ journey home.

A modern day road trip book told through an ex Air Force, butch lesbian channeling Steinbeck that’ll make you remember that empathy is all we have.

This memoir in verse tells the author’s experiences at her Christian youth group, including the abuse and grooming she suffered at the hands of her youth pastor. Spaced between each chapter, McCullough uses her poetic voice to retell misunderstood girls in history, many of whom were burned at the stake. A horrifying must read, that unfortunately encompasses many women’s shared experiences.

Punctuation fascinates. Romans liked the notion of readers having to interpret meaning, meaning not being fixed, but punctuation makes meaning. From punctuation to emojis, Hazrat writes an entertaining history of punctuation which she argues is the history of humanity. Readers and writers will delight in the story.

I love my job but I count down the minutes until I can go home, put on soft pants, an audiobook and pull out my current WIP. If you are in your crafting era and experiencing chronic pain, don’t give up! Lui is a board certified physical therapist, and can help you find the perfect stretches to deal with pesky cramped hands, neck tension or painful spine issues. Craft on (but pain free), friend!

In a world made for adults, how can we better engage and serve children? In the midst of so much violence and oppression––often aimed at kids––how can we liberate them? If you’re looking for ideas, start here, because a world built in solidarity with kids is a world preparing for our joint future. As James Baldwin says, “The children are always ours, every single one of them.”

Wiley and Micajah Harp may have been America’s first serial killers — but the story is so much more complicated than that. Drawing on a stunning number of primary resources still available from that time, Grandjean deftly crafts a picture of early American life and all of its trials and tribulations, seeking to understand more about what kind of country creates men like the Harp brothers than about the men themselves.

Dominion is the story of a small town in Mississippi, the first lady of the biggest church there, her favorite son, and the son’s girlfriend. Read for under-appreciated Southern slang, a comedically accurate Mississippian of a certain age, and the tricky consequences of being a boy mom. Now in paperback!

Also loved by Abigail!

On September 11, 2001, when the unimaginable happened, air travel over the United States was shut down. The small town of Gander, Newfoundland welcomed more than 35 planes bound for US destinations. But the people didn’t just allow the planes to come in; they opened their homes and businesses and showed unbelievable hospitality to the passengers. If you need your faith in humanity restored, this is the book for you.

When Ernesto puts on his lucha mask, he is the famous El Rey Coyote––a hero. Out of the ring, secrets and trauma threaten the Vega legacy. Tackling themes of masculinity, immigration, and queerness, The Sons of El Rey follows three generations of a lucha libre family dynasty, spanning from 1960s Mexico to pandemic-era LA. This book is a knockout, a punch to the heart, a reminder to always put up a fight.

A heartbreakingly beautiful story of friendship, the truth, and how they change as you get older. Leav’s lyrical prose and imagery are not to be missed in her continued journey into suburban-girlhood.

This is a perfect time to read Didion’s 1968 collection of essays, especially if, like me, you’ve missed it somehow. This isn’t simply reporting on Haight-Ashbury, John Wayne, growing up in California, or Joan Baez’s Institute of the Study of Non-Violence, but more so portraits of Americans in the midst of sweeping societal change, so relevant today. Highly recommended!

First Editions Club: September Selection

“Los Angeles, 2031: The first spring after the collapse of the United States, peacekeeping troops withdraw from the city, the Jacaranda trees blossom, and the curfew is finally lifted.”

In a world where real life is tense enough, this sentence, which opens the jacket copy of Emily St. John Mandel’s new novel Exit Party, would be enough to make me close the book. I do not want to read a book about the future in which there has been a second civil war in our country. I do not.

But I didn’t want to read Mandel’s breakout book Station Eleven for similar reasons: it gave me a look into a future I wanted no part of—a post-pandemic world plunged into darkness. I read it months before publication because I was looking for a selection for our First Editions Club. It was 2014. I can remember where I was sitting when I read the last hundred pages. I remember that I could not get up. I remember how smart I felt for having picked such a winner.

All of which is to say, if post-civil war speculative fiction takes you out of your comfort zone, you are in good company, and, more importantly, you are in good hands. Emily St. John Mandel is a brilliant writer. In Exit Party she manages to populate two worlds full of doppelgangers. Time and space slide back and forth, characters lead long and complicated lives, what is true in one state is not exactly true in another, and yes, part of Paris is under glass. And never for one sentence was I confused about what was going on. Never for one sentence was I anything short of riveted. I know exactly where I was sitting when I finished it.

Enjoy.

Ann Patchett

More about our First Editions Club: Every member receives a first edition of the selected book of the month, signed by the author. Books are carefully chosen by our staff of readers, and our picks have gone on to earn major recognition including the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the PEN/Faulkner Award. Plus, there’s no membership fee or premium charge for these books. Build a treasured library of signed first editions and always have something great to read! Makes a FABULOUS gift, too.

Love, Parnassus: September Selection