January New Releases We're Excited For!
2024 is here and January is coming in hot with some great new releases our book buyers break down here!
Here are our Fiction and Nonfiction New Releases!
This Plague of Souls by Mike McCormack
Boy do I love me a dark, twisty, Irish novel! It’s being described as “existential noir,” and sounds as brooding and insightful as I would expect from this Booker-longlisted author. Start your year off right with something to dig your teeth into!
Out January 2nd!
Rental Person Who Does Nothing: A Memoir by Shoji Morimoto
While the above is definitively Irish, this book is acutely Japanese. Morimoto starts his own business in which he will do anything for someone, as long as it’s nothing. Here he details his interactions with clients, from offering support during surgery to holding a space in line.
Out January 9th!
Poor Deer by Claire Oshetsky
Children are rarely written well in fiction, but when they are, these stories tell us a lot about ourselves. Our young protagonist must come to terms with a friend’s death and her role in it: enter Poor Deer, a mystical creature in her stories that helps her face the truth.
Out January 9th!
Making It in America: The Almost Impossible Quest to Manufacture in the U.S.A. (and How It Got That Way) by Rachel Slade
This piece of journalistic writing follows a Maine couple on their quest to produce an all American-sourced hoodie. Their trials reveal Americans’ struggles throughout history to both create products at home and to create them affordably. Eye-opening!
Out January 9th!
Behind You Is the Sea by Susan Darraj Muaddi
We follow three Palestinian families in this tale of immigration and generational discord, all three of which have found different sorts of welcomes to the US. We delve deep into their community and become part of the family.
Out January 16th!
Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science by Benjamin Breen
Inspired by one of my favorite novels, Lily King’s Euphoria, this book explores the history of psychedelics and their place in US history from the Cold War to the birth of Silicon Valley. For fans of Pollan’s How To Change Your Mind and psilocybin.
Out January 16th!
Disillusioned: Five Families and the Unraveling of America's Suburbs by Benjamin Herold
I’m fascinated by the wax and wane of cities and suburbs and this exploration promises to satisfy some of my curiosity. Following these families, Herold reports on the state of American suburbs and even offers up hope toward renewal.
Out January 23rd!
Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar
I really enjoy Akbar’s poetry, so I’m very much looking forward to his debut novel. A book about a son of immigrants (perhaps a theme this month!), it’s also about addiction, family secrets, inherited violence and loss, and perhaps most importantly: art.
Out January 23rd!
The Bullet Swallower by Elizabeth Gonzalez James
When some will be impatiently waiting for the latest Sarah J Mass, this is what I’ll pick up: a family saga that’s also a western that’s also magic realist. In this book the author asks how to break generational trauma and how to pay for the sins of our ancestors.
Out January 23rd!
Bad Foundations by Brian Allen Carr
I was fortunate enough to read an advance copy of this book. My favorite parts: father-daughter walks in the graveyard, work group texts that quickly derail, actually learning in depth about foundations, and most of all his honest, funny, loveable voice.
Out January 23rd!
Here are our Young Adult, Middle Grade, and Children's New Releases!
Dark Star Burning, Ash Falls White by Amelie Wen Zhao
This is the sequel to Song of Silver, Flame Like Night which was my staff pick January of 2023. So, I am excited to check this one out!
Out January 2nd!
The Misfits #1: A Royal Conundrum by Lisa Yee, illustrated by Dan Santat
About a group of misfits who try to take down a notorious jewel thief.
Out January 2nd!
Grumpy Monkey Spring Fever by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang
I love spring and I love Grumpy Monkey.
Out January 2nd!
Buffalo Fluffalo by Bess Kalb, illustrated by Erin Kraan
It’s a fluffy buffalo, enough said!
Out January 2nd!
Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Crystal Kung
I love retellings and this one is a feminist retelling of Rapunzel with a twist.
Out January 2nd!
Gravity Is Bringing Me Down by Wendelin Van Draanen, illustrated by Cornelia Li
About a little girl who’s having a personal problem with gravity. For all the little clumsy readers out there. I would have loved this as a child and will be checking it out since I am still very clumsy.
Out January 16th!
Not Quite a Ghost by Anne Ursu
I am a big fan of sad middle grade that is usually my go to when I pick one up and this one is no exception.
Out January 16th!
A Fragile Enchantment by Allison Saft
Magic, Romance and a gossip columnist that wants to reveal the royal family secrets? Sign me up!
Out January 23rd!
Eyes That Weave the World's Wonders by Joanna Ho and Liz Kleinrock, illustrated by Dung Ho
I am a big fan of this authors work and was excited to see she has something new coming out I can’t wait to get my hands on it!
Out January 23rd!
The Invocations by Krystal Sutherland
This one is one of my most anticipated books of January. A Witchy thriller that you won’t want to put down.
Out January 30th!
ABOUT THE BOOKSELLERS
Despite spending decades on the East Coast, Llalan--our book buyer--remains a stalwart Midwesterner. And although she has an MA in Publishing and Writing from Emerson College in Boston, she prefers the life of a Bookstore Lady. Llalan loves literary fiction, nature writing, and craft beer.
Jordan, our YA, middle grade, and children's book buyer, has a fraternal twin sister. She has never been on an airplane--the farthest she has ever traveled was New Jersey by train. She is an avid K-Pop Collector and owns over 500 K-Pop albums!