Corook , Olivia Barton, Mike Curato
[isbn]
I personally must have listened to this song at least a million times when it came out, and every time, it still managed to make me tear up while dancing with glee. It taught me about appreciating my body, loving my friends, and most importantly, loving myself. While this book may be geared for children, I think that it's the perfect gift for anyone who needs a little encouragement to be who they are.
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Greg Marshall
[isbn]
Reading Marshall's memoir reminded me of why I love this genre in the first place. You go into the book expecting one thing (a coming-of-age story alongside Marshall's coming-out story) and then you finish the book examining what it meant for him to have to come out twice: the second time as a gay man with cerebral palsy, which is something that his parents decided not to tell him about, instead telling him that his limp and other various... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Alexandria Bellefleur
[isbn]
Oh, Bellefleur, what have you done to me? I picked this one up because I felt like it would be the perfect book to get lost in, and I was right. There's so much to unwrap here, and while the book does use popular tropes (marriage of convenience; third act plot twist; there's also another secret being hidden), it feels fresh and interesting. I found myself laughing while reading it, which rarely happens (some romances bill themselves as funny,... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Nicole Chung
[isbn]
Oh, I was so lucky and grateful to read the advance reader copy (ARC) of this book last year. Chung has written another beautiful book about the hardships of life, this time focusing on the American healthcare system, the loss of her parents a few years apart due to various health issues, and what it means when a child parents a parent in the last stages of their life. I managed to hold it together until a scene where Chung's mother calls her on... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Megan Bannen
[isbn]
Let me take a moment to sing the gospel praise of this book right here. I have been convincing all of my coworkers to read it because it's so romantic and remarkable, and all of them have enjoyed it, just like I knew that they would. Any book billed as You've Got Mail meets ______ is going to be a winner in my book. I laughed, I cried, I swooned. I fell in love, I rooted for our two main leads, and I also yelled at them when they were... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Elise Bryant
[isbn]
I don't know HOW Elise Bryant manages to keep pulling at my heart strings with every new book she releases, but maybe I don't want to know. Maybe I want to continue finding bits of pieces of myself within these multi-dimensional characters who are on their own journeys to figure out who they are becoming. Reggie and Delilah are so adorable, that I audibly squealed while reading this book (#softie). You're going to love this book if you love... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Amy Lea
[isbn]
As a fellow hopeless romantic, I really enjoyed getting to follow Tara's quest for a happily ever after. There's something really wonderful about being yourself and figuring out that you're worthy of a great love, especially as you confront all of your past... mistakes. It's a true quirky, funny, smart, steamy, slow burn that you're bound to enjoy. This one goes out to all of the women who have ever been called a "crazy ex-girlfriend" by their... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Elise Bryant
[isbn]
I have been singing the praises of Happily Ever Afters for months, and I'm still just as excited to share my feelings about this book with you as I was in January. Happily Ever Afters is such a charming and refreshing story, one that I think of often and smile. When Tessa suddenly develops writer's block after transferring to a prestigious arts school, her best friend Caroline comes up with a brilliant idea: turning Tessa's life... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Isaac Fitzgerald
[isbn]
As someone who reads a lot of memoirs, it takes a lot for me to read one and think "This book has changed me as a person, a reader, or as a writer." Dirtbag, Massachusetts manages to hit all three in a way that left me clutching the book to my chest when I finished. This book is for every adult who grew up with a traumatic childhood, made some mistakes, and lived to tell the tale. It's for the misfits, romantics, dreamers, doers, and... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Emma Straub
[isbn]
You ever pick up a book and realize halfway through that it was exactly what you needed? This Time Tomorrow was that book from me. It was funny, it was poignant, it was awkward (in the best way!), but most importantly, it was real. It opened my eyes in unique ways, and I think that this is a book that will stick to my ribs from here on out. Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Lisa Fipps
[isbn]
Starfish by Lisa Fipps is a book that will stick with you. I read it in the span of two hours, and then walked home, crying afterwards. It is a magnificent book that addresses the topics of bullying, fatphobia, and how we should all practice being kind to each other. Ellie is a character that you'll love as soon as you open to the first page. Watching her learn to stick up for herself when it comes to her parents, her classmates, her... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Ashley Herring Blake
[isbn]
I didn't expect to love Delilah Green Doesn't Care as much as I did, but whew, much like Delilah and Claire eventually discover, love finds you at unexpected times. This may sound cliché, but while reading this romance novel, I laughed, I cried, and frankly, I grew as a person and as a reader. With Delilah Green Doesn't Care, Ashley Herring Blake asks the reader "How much of our core memories are actually true? Do we always... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Lyssa Kay Adams
[isbn]
Did the Bromance Book Club series by Lyssa Kay Adams cure my depression? No, but it surely came close! As someone who reads a lot of romance novels, it was so nice to come across a series with a fresh and promising premise. Adams takes toxic masculinity and flips it on its head, showcasing what it would be like if high-powered men took a deep breath and read romance novels to figure out what is going wrong with all of their relationships,... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Ruth Coker Burks, Kevin Carr OLeary
[isbn]
I had been looking forward to this memoir for ages, ever since I first heard the name Ruth Coker Burks. Yes, All the Young Men is about the AIDS epidemic, but it is also about kindness, compassion, and love for other people even when you're afraid or unsure of what it means to be afraid. This book is not for the faint of heart, but as Burks takes you on her journey as she cares for these young men — men exiled by their families — you... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Saeed Jones
[isbn]
How We Fight for Our Lives might be one of the best memoirs that I've ever read, and as someone who reads a lot of memoirs, I don't say that lightly. It's obvious after reading this memoir that Jones is a poet. Each sentence appears carefully selected, poised and brimming with emotion. I would read a few pages at a time, not noticing that I was holding my breath the entire time until I exhaled. Jones is a rare talent: he is both funny... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Carmen Maria Machado
[isbn]
If you have ever heard a story about abuse and thought, "Why would this person ever stay in this unsafe situation?," this book is for you. In the Dream House is an astonishing read. It's an eye-opening book about abusive domestic violence in a lesbian relationship, something that is rarely talked about. This memoir is a genre-bending slice of life and even though you know that it has a happy ending, you still worry and care about Carmen... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Casey McQuiston
[isbn]
I'm a firm believer that we all need a little romance in our lives from time to time. There's been so much hype about Red, White, and Royal Blue (at one point, a coworker saw me pull up an image of the book and shouted "Oh my God, I loved that book!") and I just wanted to see what all of the fuss was about. It turns out that the fuss is correct. I experienced so many emotions while reading this book. I laughed, I cried, I sighed... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Jeannie Vanasco
[isbn]
The Glass Eye was a surprise. Instead of being a simple story about a daughter who loses her father, it takes on a life on its own. Vanasco's grief isn't simple. Instead, you're left sitting there with tears in your eyes and a sob in your throat, because you realize just how much her father’s death affected her, even when the subject switches to her mental illness or relationships with her mother and others. Read this book. It will... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Meaghan O'Connell
[isbn]
I should start this staff pick by saying that I am undecided about whether or not I will have children. It shouldn't be anyone's business, but of course, somehow it is. I am not entirely sure what I expected from this memoir, but for one thing, I didn't expect to love it. Meaghan O'Connell writes with such heartfelt candor, but at the same time she writes with brutal honesty, which is extremely refreshing. She wanted to have a child, but she... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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T. Kira Madden
[isbn]
T Kira Madden writes with kindness, even when the world hasn't been as kind to her. I finished Long Live the Tribe of Fatherless Girls in a coffee shop by my house, promptly closing my eyes and sighing as I held the book to my chest. Cliché? Maybe. Do I care? Not really. This book is stunning, and is so much more than I could have ever hoped that it could be. I cried, I laughed, I imagined. Madden is spectacular.
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Jessie Oliveros, Dana Wulfekotte
[isbn]
I cried when I first discovered this book because it felt so personal. When I was about 10 years old, my grandmother started developing dementia, and watching someone who was once so vibrant start to wither away and forget our history together really broke my heart. I think that this book is relevant no matter how old you are. The artwork is beautiful. The premise is heartwarming. It helps to remind you as the reader that there can be still... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Leni Zumas
[isbn]
Red Clocks will make you angry, and if it doesn't, then you're reading the book wrong. Red Clocks is a story that sounds too familiar (wow, the government is trying to police women's bodies AGAIN), but is somehow fresh (so many new laws that are all so awful and dehumanizing). You will become attached to the characters because they remind you of your sister, or your aunt, or your best friend. Heck, sometimes they'll even remind... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Angie Thomas
[isbn]
I'm not going to lie: I didn't know if Angie Thomas could do it. After the massive success of The Hate U Give, I figured, Her next book will be good, and I will like it, but I don't know just how good it will be. Surprise, surprise. Her next book, On the Come Up, is excellent. Maybe it's excellent because it felt so personal to me. I also grew up in a single-parent household, one where it was sometimes a toss-up to... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Genevieve Hudson
[isbn]
Now that I write nonfiction, I don't tend to read as much fiction as I used to. It's a shame, but that's what happens. I happen to work with Kevin Sampsell, who runs Future Tense Books, which is the publisher for Pretend We Live Here: Stories. I happened to see the cover one afternoon and I loved the brightness of it, so I checked it out and gave it a shot. Readers: You need this book in your life. I'm serious. Do you like queer stories... (read more)
Recommended by Katherine M.
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Samantha Irby
[isbn]
We Are Never Meeting in Real Life is the funniest book that I've read this year. It's sassy, heartbreaking, a super great read. I have recommended this book to every single friend of mine, and guess what? They all thought the same thing!
Recommended by Katherine M.
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