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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)

Into the Water

Paula Hawkins

Hawkins keeps you guessing until the very end and then still manages to make you rethink everything you thought you knew. The multiple narrators will keep you on your toes, though the storyline continuously flows along with the harrowing river that women keep disappearing into. I loved the allusions to the European witch hunts, as the book had a very witchy vibe to me from the start.
Recommended by Parker W.

The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. the United States of America

Eric Cervini

An incredibly moving and inspirational story about a veteran and government employee who was fired after being outed as gay. Follow Frank Kameny on his painstaking journey for justice as he fights for the rights of the marginalized. I really appreciated experiencing the Stonewall Uprising and legalization of gay marriage from this unique perspective.
Recommended by Parker W.

The Stonewall Reader

New York Public Library, Edmund White

This anthology is so incredibly touching and inspiring. The New York Library has pulled together its extensive collection to bring us multiple first-hand accounts of what happened both inside and outside of the Stonewall, making you feel as if you were there. These are accounts of Stonewall that weren't a part of any documentaries that I'd seen, and I felt lucky to have stumbled upon all the different and unique points of view laid out in this... (read more)
Recommended by Parker W.

Nothing But Blackened Teeth

Cassandra Khaw

I loved Khaw's beautiful prose and how she describes everything so perfectly. I was able to picture everything she described and it really threw me into the story. I am in awe of her ability to craft similes and metaphors in such a clever and brilliant way. I also learned a lot about Japanese folklore, which is incredibly interesting, and wonderfully terrifying.
Recommended by Parker W.