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Kelsey Ford: New Year, New You: 9 Books for a Better You, 9 Books for a Worse You (0 comment)

I’m not a huge believer in new year’s resolutions — they always feel like set ups for failure and disappointment instead of the well-meaning self-bettering they’re intended to be. However, I do believe in the fresh promise of a new year and taking the opportunity to deliberately (and gently) think about your routines and what you might be missing...

Keith Mosman: Powell's Picks Spotlight: Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham's 'Lunar New Year Love Story' (0 comment)
Kate Brody: What If the Real Monsters Were Inside Us All Along: Kate Brody’s Movie Playlist for ‘Rabbit Hole’ (0 comment)

Whiskey When We're Dry

John Larison

You've never read a voice like Jessilyn Harney’s. Think Cold Mountain meets All the Pretty Horses, but told from a 17-year-old woman's perspective. Larison crafts a beautiful, adventurous, emotional tale of family and survival, complete with sharp-shooting outlaws and stunning descriptions of the landscape of the 19th-century American West.
Recommended by Kathleen B.

Red Clocks

Leni Zumas

Set in a near future where abortion is illegal in the Unites States and adoption is only available to married, straight couples, Red Clocks follows four women as they navigate the complications of these new standards of living. I have been recommending this book to everyone since it was published earlier this year. Zumas uses chapter breaks to tell the stories of all four women. Her writing is poetic and descriptive while remaining... (read more)
Recommended by Kathleen B.

The Mothers: A Novel

Brit Bennett

Seventeen-year-old Nadia's world is turned upside down when her mother commits suicide and she finds out she is pregnant with the pastor's son's child. The narrative of Nadia's remaining high school years and her transition into young adulthood is tainted by the cover-up of her teenage pregnancy and the question: What if she had chosen differently? The plot is engaging and honest, but the aspect of The Mothers that stuck with me long... (read more)
Recommended by Kathleen B.

We Are Never Meeting in Real Life: Essays

Samantha Irby

This collection of essays is actually laugh-out-loud funny. Like watching your favorite show or hanging out with your best friend, the stories within these pages are sweet, honest, hilarious, and thoughtful. Irby covers relatable topics in a fresh way that is both self-deprecating and loving at the same time. This is a book you'll want to share. A great summer read.
Recommended by Kathleen B.