Dennis Lehane
[isbn]
A gritty and unflinching look at South Boston during a time of racial unrest in the 1970s — a mother stops at nothing to find her missing daughter, tearing an Irish mob-run city apart with her fists and her teeth. Written with beautiful prose and insightful, layered characters, this breathtaking, unforgettable read is one bloody-knuckled knockout of a book that will leave you walloped and bruised. I sit here licking my wounds and recommending... (read more)
Recommended by Heather A.
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KC Jones
[isbn]
Wow. This read felt like being in a movie theater — all of the horrors larger than life, swallowing me whole. Me — wide-eyed and on the edge of my seat, muttering 'oh no' beneath my breath. This is a monster movie of a book. But in the deft hands of K. C. Jones, it's also a character study of two flawed people who find their reason to live at the end of the world. Cancel your plans and get comfy, you're in for a wild ride.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Gus Moreno
[isbn]
This book. Oh god. This clever, creepy, devastating little book full of stark insights and aching loss and deep love and strange happenings and gross monsters and writing so profoundly good it floored me. This book, it's heartbreaking and funny and scary and will rip out your heart and present it back to you beating and raw.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Corinna Luyken
[isbn]
It took me 40 years to learn the lesson of self-acceptance that this achingly gentle picture book lays out in 32 pages. Wow. Not only an important message for any child, but really an important message for any human. It's not until we understand ourselves, and embrace all of the complex prisms of our own hearts, that we can finally know empathy and, ultimately, acceptance.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Mindy McGinnis
[isbn]
I could tell you that this book is powerfully told and elegantly written. That it is an important read for young people, and that it is compelling and empowering. I could tell you all of that and it would all be true. But what I really want to tell you is that this book made me fall in love with it. It wrapped up my mind and heart in its papery arms and spun me around, making me dizzy with awe and breathless with adoration for its creator. And... (read more)
Recommended by Heather A.
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Holly Hobbie
[isbn]
A beautifully illustrated story by Holly Hobbie about home, family, and how the furry ones in our lives are so important to us, and us to them. If you have ever adopted an animal, this is a powerful insight into the journey they may have experienced both before they came to you, and after. Absolutely heartwarming.
"This is perfect. This is home." – Holly Hobbie
Recommended by Heather A.
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Elin Kelsey, Soyeon Kim
[isbn]
A gorgeously creative book about the scientific nature of the world and of ourselves, and how the two are beautifully intertwined. With writing that reads like poetry, the story is science-based but is presented magically, breathlessly. It will leave the reader filled with astonishment at not only the incredible facts about our bodies, but the unbelievable accompanying art as well.
Recommended by Heather A.
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John Sobol, Dasha Tolstikova
[isbn]
A suspenseful and dramatic story about the relationship between a curious, lonely mouse and a silent, watchful cat. With striking and stark illustrations, Friend or Foe fills you with a sense of wonder that will ignite the imagination and leave you thoughtful and filled with hope. My favorite picture book of the year so far.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Dan Simmons
[isbn]
Summer of Night captures the magic of summertime childhood and then darkens those cloudless days with terror. You'll fall in love with these boys, these inseparable friends, and watch helplessly as they're put through hell trying to save their town, and each other, from an ancient evil. One of my absolute favorites. Follow this one up with A Winter Haunting by Dan Simmons for another story featuring one of the boys as an adult.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Susan Hill
[isbn]
Gothic and atmospheric with feelings of isolation and dread — this is the only book to ever give me actual goosebumps and that I've read in one sitting. Scenes from this book still haunt me to this day.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Josh Malerman
[isbn]
Chilling, haunting, and utterly compulsive, with imagery so vivid it will replay in your head like a movie long after you've finished. The perfect gloomy, poetic read to kick off your autumn or winter reading.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Shirley Jackson
[isbn]
When a book so poetically written as The Haunting of Hill House can so deeply disturb, unsettle, and live inside of you like an invading yet welcome organism, you know true literary magic has been created. Such is the case with Hill House. You will not soon forget its odd angled walls and ill-fitting door frames, those ghastly noises that wake you, the malicious presence next to you. Not to mention that such a novel was written... (read more)
Recommended by Heather A.
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Tim Johnston
[isbn]
I haven't read with such urgency and dire need in a long while. Every scene, every sentence is unpredictable, beautifully written, and utterly captivating. Nothing will prepare you for the ending. I think I held my breath for the last 100 pages and then sobbed when I closed the book for the final time.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Thomas Ligotti
[isbn]
It takes something special to truly unsettle me, but Thomas Ligotti does it effortlessly, again and again. He lulls you into a false sense of security with his languid pacing and eloquent prose. But there is no security to be found within these pages — only nightmares and an overwhelming sense of dread. These stories nest inside of you, so be prepared to be a host to madness.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Nick Cutter
[isbn]
A gruesome, brutal coming-of-age story that is as touching as it is terrifying, gory as it is gorgeous. Read it before bed and enjoy your nightmares! Just don't read it while eating your lunch.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Daphne Du Maurier
[isbn]
A beautiful Gothic mystery dripping with atmosphere and teeming with dread. The writing is absolutely elegant and it begins with one of the most memorable first lines in literature. I devoured it in days and the ending left me breathless. It's so fantastic that Hitchcock even turned it into a movie.
Recommended by Heather A.
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Julia Denos
[isbn]
A beautifully illustrated story about the importance of letting the wild things in this world stay wild and accepting that the freedom of nature is not ours to conquer but to behold!
Recommended by Heather A.
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M.H. Clark and Isabelle Arsenault
[isbn]
I can think of no better picture book to read aloud to your little one while tucked in bed or snuggling close. The illustrations are beautiful, the language poetic and brilliant, and the sentiment absolutely lovely. It will become an instant favorite and you'll even be delighted when you're asked to read it "Again!"
Recommended by Heather A.
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Coralie Bickford Smith
[isbn]
This magical story about a lonely fox and his friend, Star, will capture your heart and dazzle your eyes. Lessons of companionship, hope, and courage augment Fox's journey through a dense forest and into the light.
Recommended by Heather A.
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