Our booksellers can’t stop raving about this book – yours truly included! Based on the true story of the Batavia shipwreck, our October Book Club pick weaves together the lives of two children three-hundred years apart, connected across time by one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. In 1629, Mayken is headed for the Dutch East Indies to live with her father after her mother’s untimely passing. She fills the long days of the journey searching for the mythical monster she believes is belowdecks, but the monsters she finds may not be so mythical. In 1989, Gil arrives at an island off the coast of West Australia to live with his grandfather. There among the fishing community, he learns about the wreck of Batavia and is determined to find out more – and how his own story may be connected. Jess Kidd seamlessly entwines both Gil’s and Mayken’s stories, allowing us to experience a defining moment in maritime history through their eyes. Hear how Batavia became The Night Ship in our Poured Over interview with Jess Kidd, who will also be joining us for our B&N Book Club Event! 

A novel that travels both time and the world can only be embodied by the magnificent LEGO Ideas Globe. The Globe is as masterfully crafted as Kidd’s novel: beautiful, intricate, complex, fascinating, and utterly genius in its design. Follow our protagonists’ journeys across the LEGO ocean as you follow them through the pages – and even find a ship along the way! Though the piece count is daunting (though maybe not as much as a months-long journey across the ocean on a wooden boat), the finished piece is well worth the effort. Plus, you can’t get much cooler than a LEGO Globe that ACTUALLY SPINS on its axis! 

The Atlas Six fulfilled every bibliophile’s wish by bringing us to a world where the Library of Alexandria still stands shrouded in magic and mystery and only accessible to an elite few. In the much-anticipated sequel, the new members of the Alexandrian Society are pitted against each other once more as the Society’s true power – and motives – are revealed. Better set aside a couple nights for this one, ‘cause you’re not going to want to put it down. 

Speaking of nights, the set I chose for this book evokes all the mystical twists and turns of Blake’s text through the eyes of another great creator: Vincent van Gogh – The Starry Night. LEGO partnered with the Museum of Modern Art to bring every detail of van Gogh’s original painting to life in a gorgeous display piece. The layers of tiles and 3D pop-outs not only depict the piece itself – right down to the tiny village below the stars – but the elaborate brush strokes that The Starry Night is famous for. Like The Atlas Paradox, every angle of the set reveals something new and unexpected. 

Jimi. Hendrix. I’m not sure there’s anything more I need to say – or at least nothing that won’t turn into a novel about the cultural impact of an actual rock god. If that novel does sound like something you’d be interested in reading, you’re in luck: the ultimate tribute to Hendrix comes out in November, celebrating what would have been his 80^th birthday! Composed in collaboration with Hendrix’s sister, Janie, the comprehensive visual contains never-before-seen photographs, lyrics and memorabilia. It also includes quotes from today’s rock gods – names like Lenny Kravitz and David Grohl – about Hendrix’s lasting influence on rock ‘n roll. 

The LEGO Ideas Fender Stratocaster is perfect for those of us who want to rock like Jimi without shelling out for a real Woodstock Strat. You can build the iconic scale-model guitar – accurate down to the whammy bar and single-coil pickups – in black or bright red depending on whether your style leans pop punk or hard rock. Plus, if you want to get really creative, the amp has enough room in the back to fit a small Bluetooth speaker. Pair your music collection with the amp and bring the rock show to your living room! I know it’s the only way I’ll ever get a smooth version of “The Wind Cries Mary” to come out of an electric guitar. 

Lore Olympus is the most popular series bringing 2000s BC to 2000s AD. The Eisner-winning webcomic reveals what the gods do after dark in a modern retelling of the Hades and Persephone myth. Our Exclusive Edition of Volume 3 – featuring original cover art from Rachel Smythe – brings you the forbidden romance gossip that has all of Olympus talking. As if fielding “will-they-won’t-they” rumors all day isn’t enough, both Hades and Persephone struggle under the weight of their friends’ and families’ expectations and the burden of their roles on Olympus. When your family has reality-bending powers, the phrase “why can’t you be more like your brother” becomes a threat. 

The LEGO Icons Orchid ties in too perfectly with the Hades & Persephone mythology to pass up pairing it with Lore Olympus. Persephone is the Greek goddess of spring, when all the allergies flowers are in full bloom. Smythe’s distinctive illustrative style uses color as a form of characterization, and Persephone’s vibrant shades of pink perfectly match the orchid’s petals. And what’s more classic than flowers when trying to woo your unattainable romantic interest? Best of all, this is one bouquet that won’t wither on your desk, as undying as Hades’ love for Persephone (the irony of him being the God of the Dead is just icing on the cake). Add the Succulents and the Bouquet and you’ll have a garden even Demeter would be proud of! 

Don’t worry, I’m not judging you if you’re an adult building the Wizarding World LEGO sets. After all, we thirty-somethings are the ones who grew up with Harry Potter, right? Speaking of growing up with Harry Potter, our most anticipated biography this month is from another man who grew up with the series – on the set of the movies! Tom Felton talks about becoming Draco Malfoy, spending his teen years on the set of one of the biggest film franchises of all time, and everything he learned in both the Muggle and Wizarding Worlds.  

The Wizarding World is what we’re here for, of course, so the LEGO I’m pairing this with is The Ministry of Magic Set first visited in the fifth Harry Potter book (the illustrated version of which is available now). The attention to detail is impressive; I especially enjoy Arthur Weasley’s office (rubber duck included!) and the interactive Floo fireplace. The Harry, Ron, and Hermione minifigures are double-faced so you can transform them into their Polyjuice Potion disguises used to infiltrate the Ministry for Slytherin’s locket (fun fact: the first ever minifigure to have a face on each side of its head was Quirrell/Voldemort from the 2001 Harry Potter Final Challenge set). Relive your favorite moments from the film in brick form, then get a behind-the-scenes look at the magic from the star Slytherin student. For more behind-the-scenes stories from famous Slytherins in Hogwarts movie history, check out Madly, Deeply, by the late Alan Rickman (Severus Snape).