Susannah's Picks

The Blacktongue Thief By Christopher Buehlman Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250621191
Availability: Available from our Warehouse (Not in store currently)
Published: Tor Books - May 25th, 2021

Buehlman's first foray into fantasy proves a thoroughly amusing adventure, full of verve and humor. The protagonist, Kinch Na Shannack, a scrappy and clever thief, provides an exceedingly entertaining narrative voice that really buoys the story, as he's flung from rock to hard place and back again.


Slow Horses (Deluxe Edition) (Slough House #1) By Mick Herron Cover Image
$16.95
ISBN: 9781641292979
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Soho Crime - November 24th, 2020

A modern spy novel in which all the spies are screw-ups. The Slow Horse's, as they are collectively known, have all done something to shunt them out of M15 proper. Slow Horses has a classic twisty story line with plenty of backstabbing, conspiracies, and double crossing and introduces readers to a cast of witty, mismatched characters. I read it in one day and immediately started the next book.


The Priory of the Orange Tree (The Roots of Chaos) By Samantha Shannon Cover Image
$20.00
ISBN: 9781635570304
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - February 18th, 2020

"Hit me with those 800 pages of high fantasy cause that's the only acceptable way to murder me fyi." -Susannah


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Circe By Madeline Miller Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780316556347
Availability: Backordered
Published: Little, Brown and Company - April 10th, 2018

I read this book in one night. It is beautiful; flawless and intelligent. Despite knowing the fate of Circe, Miller brings the goddess impossibly to life. Showing her to be at once divine and yet also heart-breakingly human. This book surpassed all my expectations and I can not wait to see what Miller writes next. 


Every Last Fear: A Novel By Alex Finlay Cover Image
$26.99
ISBN: 9781250268822
Availability: Available from our Warehouse (Not in store currently)
Published: Minotaur Books - March 2nd, 2021

This was so much more than I thought it would be and one of the best thrillers I've read in a while. Even with its heart-thumping pace, the characters don't get regulated to dimensionless entities. Very well-executed. I absolutely did not set it down. Even more impressive? It's Finlay's debut novel.


Later By Stephen King Cover Image
$14.95
ISBN: 9781789096491
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Hard Case Crime - March 2nd, 2021

As per usual, and because I couldn't put it down, I sped through King's latest novel within a couple hours. This is a horror, but it is also a coming of age story, mysterious and even funny in some places. King once again showcases his ability to immerse readers into his worlds. I'm reluctant to give any clues as to the plot, but I just have to say: don't let the grand pulp style cover art put you off.


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Long Bright River: A Novel By Liz Moore Cover Image
$26.00
Unavailable
ISBN: 9780525540670
Published: Riverhead Books - January 7th, 2020

For a nearly 500 pags novel, Long Bright River is extremely fast paced with a gritty uneasy narrative and characters so visceral, that I constantly felt breathless- as if a great weight pressed on my lungs. MNothing about this book is easy and in no way is this a straight forward grime novel It's a gut-wrenching, powerful story about addiction and the bond of sisters. 


The Hollow Places: A Novel By T. Kingfisher Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781534451124
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Gallery / Saga Press - October 6th, 2020

A breath of fresh horror. If you ever had a childhood dream of stumbling upon a portal to another world, this book will firmly destroy it. Weird, Lovecraft inspired psychological and physical horror that was superbly entertaining.


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The Rook: A Novel (The Rook Files #1) By Daniel O'Malley Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316098809
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Back Bay Books - October 16th, 2012

Our Protagonist wakes with no memory and two envelopes detailing two paths she can take. She must navigate her job (a paranormal M15) without giving away how clueless she is. A witty, complex and downright hilarious urban fantasy. 


Sin Eater: A Novel By Megan Campisi Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781982124113
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Atria Books - April 13th, 2021

Absolutely splendidly original. An imaginative piece of alternative historical fiction wherein our main character listens to death bed confessions and then eats to take on their sins. You heard that right. And each sin requires a different food to be prepared. Dark and strange, with a bit of mystery to pull you along. Read it.


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Desert Solitaire By Edward Abbey Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780671695880
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Touchstone - January 15th, 1990

No other author writes as eloquently or as sincerely about the southwest - and in this tribute to wilderness Abbey is the Thoreau of the desert. A mesmerizing and often times painfully accurate portrayal of our relationship to the land we all rely upon. Let nature be wild. 


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The Book of the Cat: Cats in Art By Angus Hyland, Caroline Roberts Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781786270719
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Laurence King Publishing - August 29th, 2017

Exquisite, witty, reverent renderings of cats in all their many moods. A miniature treasury of feline art, essential for every person blessed with the good taste and fortune to enjoy the company of cats. 


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The Unspoken Name (The Serpent Gates #1) By A. K. Larkwood Cover Image
$25.99
Unavailable
ISBN: 9781250238900
Published: Tor Books - February 11th, 2020

This debut novel is among the mos creative, exciting, amd brilliantly-told epic fantasy novels I've read. It is an immersive experience that grabbed my attentino right at the start, then grew at a staggering rate until I found myself being launched through fantastic worlds, meeting wonderful characters, and caught in. amagnetic prose that left me spellbound. 


Underland: A Deep Time Journey By Robert Macfarlane Cover Image
$27.95
ISBN: 9780393242140
Availability: Available from our Warehouse (Not in store currently)
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - June 4th, 2019

How much do you know about what's under your feet? The stories and adventures awaiting? Macfarlane unearths. aworld that is as exciting as it is dangerous. A lyrically written journey through time, inspiring everyone to dig a little deeper. 


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The Hummingbird's Daughter By Luis Alberto Urrea Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316154529
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Back Bay Books - April 3rd, 2006

An enchanting historical fiction novel set in 1889 Mexico. following the life of Teresita Urrea, a modern day "saint" who awakens the power to heal others. But with war on the horizon, it'll take all she has to pull through. A hugely satisfying read. 


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The Alienist: A Novel (The Alienist Series #1) By Caleb Carr Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780812976144
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House Trade Paperbacks - October 24th, 2006

Not for the faint of heart.  This dark mystery, set in the back drop of historical 1896 New York, is gritty, painful and utterly unforgiving but utterly worth a read. The writing is a perfect fit for the era, and follows a cast of characters thta steal the show. 


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Mythos By Stephen Fry, Stephen Fry (Foreword by) Cover Image
By Stephen Fry, Stephen Fry (Foreword by)
$29.95
ISBN: 9781452178912
Availability: Available from our Warehouse (Not in store currently)
Published: Chronicle Books - August 27th, 2019

The funny thing about Greek mythology is its absolute brutal weirdness. And Stephen Fry totally gets it; he plays on it and as he re-tells it he injects it with a plethora of witty comments. Far from feeling like another dry recounting of our favorite Greek myths, Fry's down-to-earth humor and modern storytelling have turned these gods into something relatable. 


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In the Dream House: A Memoir By Carmen Maria Machado Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9781644450031
Availability: Available from our Warehouse (Not in store currently)
Published: Graywolf Press - November 5th, 2019

In the Dream House is a most umemoir-like memoir. A poignant account of Machado's struggle with an abusive relationship. Her writing plays with form blending elements of literary criticism, pop culture essays, folk tales and the shadowy worlds of her fiction. "...We can't stop living... we are alive... we are humans and we are human..." -Machado


Kings of the Wyld (The Band #1) By Nicholas Eames Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316362474
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Orbit - February 21st, 2017

Once a famous band of death-defying mercs, Saga's members have gone their separate ways and are now well past their glory days. They must reunite to save one of their own, but it's more likely they'll bite the dust before they get halfway. An intense saitrical romp through a dense fantasy world on the brink of ruin. 


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Meddling Kids: A Novel (Blumhouse Books) By Edgar Cantero Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9781101974445
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Anchor - May 29th, 2018

The unholy - and ludicrously fun- union of Scooby-doo meets Lovecraft's monsters. A gang of amateur sleuths are getting back together after the mysterious death of one of their own 13 years previously. Will they be able to make it out of this newest mystery alive?


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No Time To Spare: Thinking About What Matters By Ursula K. Le Guin Cover Image
$15.99
ISBN: 9781328507976
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial - January 15th, 2019

You know the saying "down to earth"? I never encountered that idiom more than in this book. It invokes sitting on an old porch, drinking tea, while Ursula LeGuin chats with you about wondrously mundane yet unavoidably (painfully) important wisdom. Wisdon that is not out of reach or hard to see, but very present. That is, if you have some time to spare for it. 


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Kindred By Octavia E. Butler Cover Image
$16.00
ISBN: 9780807083697
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Beacon Press - February 1st, 2004

Inexplicably yanked back in time to Maryland in 1815 from her comfortable home in 1976 Cali, Dana must save a young slave master from himself... at great risk to herself. It's amazing to me that this story, written in the 70's still feels fresh and relevant today. I immediately went on to read all Butler's other works. 


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The Cuckoo's Calling (A Cormoran Strike Novel #1) By Robert Galbraith Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316206853
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mulholland Books - April 29th, 2014

A perfectly entertaining read, just right for those craving a late night read. A mystery balancing a cast of characters and an assortment of clues so intriguing that I had to get to the end. A worthwhile debut who-done-it crime novel. 


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'Salem's Lot By Stephen King Cover Image
$9.99
ISBN: 9780307743671
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Anchor - December 27th, 2011

Need a book about vampires that doesn't absolutely suck? That doesn't romanticize the undead? Look no further than the King of terror himself! Salem's Lot presents them as they should be; creatures of horror- inhuman, chilling, and utterly heartless. 


Memoirs of Hadrian (FSG Classics) By Marguerite Yourcenar, Grace Frick (Translated by) Cover Image
By Marguerite Yourcenar, Grace Frick (Translated by)
$19.00
ISBN: 9780374529260
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - May 18th, 2005

Ever wonder what you would write if you transformed yourself into a vessel for a long-dead Roman Emperor's spirit? If you're Marguerite Yourcenar then you create a book that is, what she describes as "half history, half magic." A contemplation of what history we leave behind. Even emperors dream of being someone else.


100 Poems That Matter By The Academy of American Poets Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781524858131
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Andrews McMeel Publishing - December 13th, 2022

There are undoubtedly more than 100 poems that matter -- but for someone like me, who struggles to choose a single poet to closely follow, this book is a great starting point for discovery. An inspiring volume; both for the newbies and the aficionado.


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The Book of the Cat: Cats in Art By Angus Hyland, Caroline Roberts Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781786270719
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Laurence King Publishing - August 29th, 2017

Exquisite, witty, reverent renderings of cats in all their many moods. A miniature treasury of feline art, essential for every person blessed with the good taste and fortune to enjoy the company of cats.


Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution By R. F. Kuang Cover Image
$27.99
ISBN: 9780063021426
Availability: Available from our Warehouse (Not in store currently)
Published: Harper Voyager - August 23rd, 2022

If you're looking for pure fantasy, then check out her book series The Poppy Wars (which is amazing). If you're looking for a love of language and history intertwined with strange magic this is the one. There is a lot to unpack in this standalone novel, so read it with a warm cuppa and give yourself time to enjoy.


O Caledonia: A Novel By Elspeth Barker, Maggie O'Farrell (Introduction by) Cover Image
By Elspeth Barker, Maggie O'Farrell (Introduction by)
$16.00
ISBN: 9781668004616
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Scribner - September 20th, 2022

Witty and energized prose that is full of life; Barker stole my complete concentration to follow a surreal and humorous journey to its dark end.


The Book of Raven: Corvids in Art and Legend By Angus Hyland, Caroline Roberts Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781786277015
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Laurence King Publishing - October 19th, 2021

A celebration and anthology of corvids (mostly Ravens)! Take a section at a time to dip into and enjoy a collection of beautiful artwork, alongside interesting text spanning ages and cultures aplenty. It feels a bit like flipping through someone's dedicated scrapbook on their favorite animal.