Our September Picks Are Here!

Our Monthly Mystery & Thriller Pick
The Butterfly House
Katrine Engberg
“Solve the case” is a line that crops up halfway through The Butterfly House. That’s the goal of Nordic noir, and Engberg sticks to the genre tradition faithfully. The language is direct. The case is simple enough: find the killer who is dumping bodies into fountains of Copenhagen. Engberg brings us precariously close to each of the suspects. Detective Jeppe Korner has more at stake than simply finding the killer. Excellent pacing keeps us riveted and our pulse increases until the sound of our pumping heart startles us. The notion of our fragile existence hangs on every page.”—Jules H, Mystery & Thriller Buyer
 
 

Our Monthly Speculative Fiction Pick
Master of Poisons
Andrea Hairston
“Wow. Wow. Wow. This is an epic fantasy, conjured from African mythology and lush prose, featuring magicians, pirates, smoke-walkers, floating cities, spymasters and more, in a mesmerizing story where men and women race against time to save their world — and themselves. This page-turner speaks to our moment on multiple levels and is a deeply satisfying read for fans of N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth trilogy and Leigh Bardugo’s Grishaverse, or Tomi Adeyemi’s Legacy of Orïsha and Sabaa Tahir’s An Ember in the Ashes series.”—Shannon D, Speculative Fiction Buyer
 
 

Our Monthly Fiction Pick
What Could Be Saved
Liese O’Halloran Schwarz
“This unputdownable novel is THE perfect mix of family drama and suspense. (Think The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt + Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng.) Laura Preston’s life isn’t quote what she expected: her career as a painter is stalled, her mother’s health is failing, and she’s fallen out with her sister, Bea. And when a stranger claiming to be her brother (who disappeared 40 years earlier) appears, Laura’s forced to face her family’s darkest secrets…”—Shannon D, Fiction Buyer
 
 

Our Monthly Non-Fiction Pick
The Deepest South of All
Richard Grant
“The Deepest South of All is Richard Grant’s love letter to his adoptive city of Natchez, Mississippi. Seamlessly blending travelogue, history, memoir, and anecdote, spiced by a good strong dose of irony, any eye for incendiary humor and just plain weirdness. A little Twin Peaks, a lot of Southern Gothic, Grant coaxes out the good, the lovely, the ugly, the sublime and delivers a wholly engaging portrait of this “Jewel of the Mississippi,” a town with a deep and complicated history.”—Sallye L, Nonfiction Buyer
 
 

Our Monthly Young Adult Pick
Sisters of Sword & Song
Rebecca Ross
“Richly imagined and utterly immersive, Sisters of Sword and Song is a lush standalone fantasy about the unending power of sisterhood, and the lengths we will go to protect the ones we love. With a gorgeous setting, sweeping romance, and plot twists throughout, this masterful adventure is not to be missed.” —Stephanie P, YA Buyer
 
 

Our Monthly Young Reader Pick
The Silver Arrow
Lev Grossman
“Lev Grossman is best known for his bestselling adult works, but his middle grade debut is undoubtedly one for the ages as well. When Kate’s eccentric uncle gifts her with a magical train for her birthday, she sets off on an adventure with her younger brother, Tom, through faraway lands accompanied by an assortment of talking animals. This rollicking tale with an important message is perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and The Phantom Tollbooth.” —Stephanie P, Young Reader Buyer