September Staff Picks!
"I was prepared to read every damn book in that bookstore just to spend more time with you." --Laurie Gilmore, The Cinnamon Bun Book Store
Happy fall! Welcome the cooler weather and everyone heading back to school with our wide-range staff picks!
Recommended by Alisa
The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson
This book's wide cast of interconnected characters, small town secrecy, and the unshakeable feeling that something's off about the horses had me hooked from the first chapter. If the group crying scene in Ari Aster's Midsommar stuck with you, this book's violent ritualism born out of generations of trauma will strike that same chord.
Recommended by Andrew
Corruptible by Brian Klaas
Does power corrupt? Are corrupt people drawn to power? Do ordinary citizens entrust power in the wrong people or are the institutions of power enabling corruption? In this insightful volume Brian Klaas provides an answer to those questions and more.
Recommended by Anna
Cinnamon Bun Bookstore by Laurie Gilmore
A cozy, small town romance perfect as we slide into fall. Hazel and Noah might not have been looking for love, but the bookish scavenger hunt they embark on may have other plans.
Recommended by Babette
Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare
Enemies to lovers but make it Shakespeare. Featuring two people who have sworn off love and one hilarious scheme to bring them together. Expect witty banter and plots aplenty. This is genuinely one of the best things I’ve ever read. No one does rom-coms like the Bard.
Recommended by Ben
The Plantagenets by Dan Jones
Kings, Queens, and Empires. Battles, bravery, betrayal, tyranny, love, and tragedy. The best part of this fantasy story is that it's actually history.
Recommended by Chloe
The Afrominimalist's Guide to Living with Less by Christine Platt
Informed by the history and beauty of the African diaspora, Pratt advocates for minimalism as a practice, rather than merely an aesthetic. This book places buzz words like sustainability and underconsumption in the context of history and culture, complete with a four-step holistic approach. Recommended by a maximalist trying to see how the other half lives.
Recommended by Elisabeth
The English Understand Wool by Helen DeWitt
Sixty-two pages and an utter delight, The English Understand Wool is a kind of heist story, a treatise on good and bad taste, an indictment of the publishing industry, an epistolary tale with a hyper savvy seventeen-year-old girl at the center - all told in DeWitt’s usual eccentric, madcap style. It’s so fun and funny; read this in an afternoon or less.
Recommended by Jordan
A Magical Girl Retires by Park Seolyeon
A millennial turned magical girl must combat climate change and credit card debt. Short, sweet, and easy to devour, this novel is an ode to all magical girls.
Recommended by Katie
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
Imagine a world in which genetic engineering is taken so far as to destroy an existing civilization and replace it with a new species. This dystopian adventure and love story follows Snowman, who may be the last human on Earth, as he travels the city-turned-wilderness with the bioengineered Children of Crake in search of his missing friends.
Recommended by Kris
Wild Girls by Tiya Miles
In this lyrical book is a powerful look into American history through the lives of incredible women of color and how they were shaped by the natural world.
Recommended by Liora
Chocolate City by Chris Myers Asch
Dive into this local history of race, place and democracy–there’s a lot to be discussed! You’ll look at DC with new eyes once you’re finished.
Recommended by Sara
Islands of Abandonment by Cal Flyn
Solarpunk community unite! If you’ve ever read Becky Chambers and wondered what the beginning of a Psalm of the Wild-Built world would actually look like, this book is for you. A fascinating and cautiously optimistic take on how our Earth is able to heal itself…if we let it.
Recommended by Aly
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Twenty years ago, college student, Julia, disappeared without a trace. Since then, her sisters became estranged. Lydia is a recovering addict raising her daughter by herself while Claire becomes a trophy wife. When Claire's husband is murdered and another girl goes missing, the sisters begrudgingly team up to find some answers as to what happened all those years ago that ultimately tore their family apart.
Recommended by Author's Corner*
They Dream in Gold by Mai Sennaar
"A mouthwatering delight. A reader traverses half the globe through this story, becomes a singer and a dancer and a chef; and is welcomed into a formidable community of women where love is the unshakeable glue." - Sarah Jessica Parker, SJP Lit
*The Inner Loop's Author's Corner supports local authors' independently published books by spotlighting them across all our programming and through community collaborations.
Recommended by Kris
Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
I thought I knew where this was going, but of course the Queen of Mystery pulled the rug over my eyes. This is one of my top five books I wish I could read for the first time again!
Recommended by Jordan
Murdle: Volume 1 by K.T. Karber
Who committed the ghastly deed? What weapon was used to dispatch the victim? Where did the calculated demise occur? Put your detective hat on and help solve these crimes.
Recommended by Anna
End of Loneliness by Benedict Wells
This book is just as much about love, memory, and joy as it is grief and loss. A beautifully written story full of complex characters certain to make you feel the full spectrum of human emotion.
Recommended by Alisa
My Stupid Intentions by Bernardo Zannoni
Camus’s The Stranger meets Aesop’s fables. Bizarre, philosophical, and deeply human, despite (or perhaps because of) its animal protagonist.