Our March Picks are Here!

Kat Sarfas

It’s time to spring ahead into some amazing reads! Our March Monthly Picks are here, and these fresh picks have us buzzing with excitement. So, explore a universe at war, find your louding voice, uncover a dark prophecy, get inspired by an unlikely band of brothers, unearth secrets that were never meant to be buried and open a portal to the farthest corners of the galaxy!

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The First Sister (The First Sister Trilogy #1)

Linden A. Lewis

4.9

Paperback

$18.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Our Monthly Speculative Fiction Pick
The First Sister
Linden A. Lewis
“The fight for humanity in a broken society underscores the thrilling action in Lewis’ debut speculative novel The First Sister. Compelling characters, diverse representation, rich world-building, superb plot development, and phenomenal twists all combine to form the space opera you didn’t know you were waiting for. A must-read!” —Shannon D, Fiction Buyer

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The Girl with the Louding Voice

Abi Daré

4.5

Paperback

$19.00

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Our Monthly Fiction Pick
The Girl with the Louding Voice
Abi Daré
“Powerful and unforgettable. This is the type of novel that will stay with you long after you finish it and make you immediately recommend it to your closest friends. Adunni’s tale is one of heartbreak, but also of perseverance, resilience, and a light that cannot be dimmed. The Girl with the Louding Voice is told with such an original voice that it will most likely inspire you to find your own.” —Shannon D, Fiction Buyer

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The Chill

Scott Carson

4.3

Paperback

$17.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Our Monthly Mystery & Thriller Pick
The Chill
Scott Carson
“Memory and disaster (both natural and man-made) haunt this story of ghosts creeping their way into each of the characters’ lives. We often think of ghosts haunting a home. The Chill reminds us that nature is our original home; and that, too, is not off-limits to the other world. It is an eeriness that seeps into the novel; the way water drips slowly so you don’t notice the flood.” —Jules H, Mystery & Thriller Buyer

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A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America's First All-Black High School Rowing Team

Arshay Cooper

4.7

Paperback

$18.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Our Monthly Nonfiction Pick
A Most Beautiful Thing: The True Story of America’s First All-Black High School Rowing Team
Arshay Cooper
“The true story of the first all-Black high school crew team that went on to do great things. An inspirational story of Arshay Cooper and students from Manley High School in Chicago’s West Side who stumble upon crew, learn to row, and become champions. The sport, and the conditioning it requires, bring about physical changes to their bodies, but it’s the positive mental and emotional benefits they discover that are the best part.” —Edward A, Nonfiction Buyer

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The Lake

Natasha Preston

3.9

Paperback

$10.99

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Our Monthly YA Pick
The Lake
Natasha Preston
“Esme and Kayla are back at Camp Pine Lake as counselors-in-training, years after they agreed to cover up a terrible incident that occurred while they were campers there themselves. Unfortunately, it’s not all fun and games at camp, and when mysterious threats aimed at the counselors start getting more and more violent, the girls know they aren’t the only ones who know their secret. Preston’s latest thriller is dark, gripping and, wait for it — a bit campy (in the best way possible).” —Stephanie P, YA Buyer

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Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox (Finniverse Series #1)

Michael Buckley

Paperback

$8.99

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Notes From Your Bookseller

Our Monthly Young Reader Pick
Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox
Michael Buckley
“What do you get when your little sister’s pink unicorn lunchbox turns out to be a portal to another part of the galaxy? Giant alien bugs, seven-foot-tall robots, and a quest to save the universe, of course! Finn and the Intergalactic Lunchbox is a rollicking, non-stop adventure that will leave young readers begging to pick up the next installment.” —Stephanie P, Young Readers Buyer

Monthly Roundups

Poured Over: Emily Wilson on Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea

Crossing the Wine-Dark Sea by Emily Wilson takes readers on a tour through the ancient world for an entertaining examination of Greek and Roman literature and their impact on our modern world. Emily joins us to talk about the joys and challenges of interpreting antiquity, the stakes of poetic form and re-translating The Odyssey with cohost Jenna Seery.

Celebra el Mes de la Herencia Hispana con libros que inspiran, emocionan y dejan recuerdos imborrables.

Este Mes de la Herencia Hispana, te invitamos a descubrir una selección de libros para adultos y chicos que destacan el talento, la creatividad y la diversidad de grandiosos escritores latinoamericanos. Son historias que entretienen, inspiran, y nos permiten acercarnos a distintas experiencias y perspectivas, mientas celebramos las aportaciones de la comunidad hispana en los Estados Unidos.

The Black Shield: A Guest Post from Wilbur L. Cooper

In The Black Shield, reporter Wilbert L. Cooper explores the complex lives of Black cops living and working in Cleveland as part of the Black Shield organization. Read on for an essay from Wilbur L. Cooper about writing The Black Shield. When I talk about The Black Shield, I often tell people that I started writing it in 2020, the year of George Floyd's murder. I do this because the book is nominally about Black cops, and in the aftermath of Floyd's murder, there was a lot of talk about diversity as a panacea for the racial problems of American policing. Some people made the argument that the hiring of more Black cops would ensure that what happened to Floyd would never happen again. And it's true, I did spend 2020 talking to experts and historians, diving into police archives and reading studies. I did a lot of real journalism stuff. But if I’m being honest, I didn't start thinking about Black cops in 2020. I've been reflecting on the conflicting promise and plight of Black cops my whole life, because I was born into a family of Black cops. I've had family members in the Cleveland police department since the end of World War II up through the Black Lives Matter Era. And so I’ve been thinking about Black cops and what they mean and what they do since I was a child watching my mother, a strong Black woman named Gayle, don a blue uniform and a silver badge. Even as a little child, I desperately wanted to know who my mother transformed into when she went out into the world with a city-issued gun in her holster. And when there have been these visceral incidents of police violence like George Floyd or Tyre Nichols, I've wondered, What my mother's role could be in an institution like that? What does that killing have to do with the work of my father, my sister, my uncle and great uncles? To answer that question, I've been having talks with my family that I never had before, tracing their journeys into policing, as well as talks with their peers and Black cops from all across the country of various generations. So while The Black Shield encapsulates my own story, it's also filled with all of their testimony. Their witnessing for you from behind the blue wall is more harrowing than what you might hear from an activist who advocates for police abolition. For the readers who are still wondering if diversity can make policing work for Black folks, you will have a lot to think about when reading my book. But The Black Shield also addresses much bigger issues of family, assimilation, survival in America, and freedom. I hope that you all will go on that journey with me.