Rachel's Pick
I absolutely loved this book. It is a whirlwind of exceptional writing and enigmatic story lines. The first story in this collection threw me for a loop and hung in my mind for days and days. Part Steven King's The Shining, part French New Wave. Chilling, experimental and succinct. I'm forever a fan of Peter Stamm.
Rachel's Pick
Existential dread set in a Mexican jungle! Add too much liquor, communicating with mosquitoes, a bit of an ecological distaster and you've got a masterpiece far ahead of its time. For anyone who loves Roberto Bolano, Gabriel Garcia Marques or Valeria Luiselli.
Rachel's Pick
Eric Kim is my favorite! He is a contributing food writer for the NYTimes and is absolutely the best. I've been anticipating his debut cookbook for years. Full of inspiring recipes that truly combines Korean and American cooking cultures. Korean American doesn't disappoint!
Rachel's Pick
This debut is a slow burn with an unexpected explosion! It begs to question human motivation while under great hardship. This compact novella is a quick read that engages from beginning to end and leaves behind fragments of contemplation. For fans of Rachel Cusk or Jenny Offill.
Rachel's Picks
The Cover says it all! This baking book delivers tried and true recipes for old favorties like pumpkin pie as well as some offbeat treats like croquembouche. There's a savory section for when you need a quiche or a bagel. AND the best part, a foundations chapter with a range of frostings, doughs and crusts. The baking book I've been waiting for!
Rachel's Pick
Nothing else does what poetry can do. Alive at the End of the World does it! Honest, thoughtful and intense. Poetry for our time. That's Not Snow, its Ash is pure perfection.
Rachel's Pick
My favorite book the year! A rich multigenerational tale wrapped up with the flora, fauna and folklore of the Pyrenees Mountains. Each chapter is written from the perspective of a different person, animal, plant, etc. This is perfect experimental translated fiction!
Rachel's PIck
Think Kelly Link mixed with Ottessa Moshfegh and a pinch of surrealism. You'll find unexpected surprises in each story. Murata's Voice is unique and so much fun to read (as long as you don't mind dark humor and disturbing themes)! 100% weird and absolutely delightful!
Rachel's Pick
So Good! Fantasy and Adventure. Strong female characters. Nordic Folklore and cozy fires. Each chapter leaves you anticipating the next. A page-turner that will keep you and your kiddo enthralled!
Rachel's Pick
So much praise has been given for this debut! Unexpectedly tender and witty. Fans of Crying in H Mart and On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous will love this collection of stories for its depiction of transnational Asian identities, grief and family. I loved Clark's ability to subtly draw the reader in and leave them in a web of complexities.
Rachel's Pick
In Vuong's deeply intimate second collection of poetry, grief is deep and the desire to survive is persistent. Vuong is a miracle worker with words and these are no exception. If poems are a journey, hold on tight...Time is a Mother is quite a ride!
Rachel's Pick
The Queen of Russian misery strikes again with this collection of short stories loosely based on fairy tales and mythology. I love short stories and Petrushevskaya is the reason why! She crafts immensely dramatic tales in a matter of a few pages. Always fun and always miserable.
Rachel's Pick
If Franz Kafka and Tina Fey had a baby, it would be Nightbitch. Dark, witty and laugh out loud funny! Feel the power of human biology in this hilarious and meaty debut novel by Rachel Yoder. You might even grow a tail!
Rachel's Pick
I rarely enjoy nonfiction but when i do, I want to scream from the rooftops "This is the one! Everyone read this one!" On Freedom is the one! Nelson is SMART. Each paragraph gives the reader mountains to digest. It takes some dedication but your brain will tingle with new ideas. If you read one book this year, let it be On Freedom!
Rachel's Pick
What is it about Sally Rooney?! Beautiful World, Where are You is entirely unputdownable. It is both erotica for modern times and a fictional analysis of our socially isolating world. The characters are flawed, relatable and simply so much fun to read. I give it an A+!
Rachel's Pick
Take a stroll back to the 1600s, is humanity basically the same? In this expertly woven story, Galchen uses wit, intellect and inquiry to show what happens in a climate of fear, ignorance and cultural anxiety. Plus what a great title!! Rivka Galchen is magnificent!
Rachel's Pick
Has there been a book written like this before? A memoir that spans centuries. A female irish poet reaches back to the 1700s to find strength in the story of another irish female poet. Personal, tragic, poetic and shining!
Rachel's Pick
For me, the best cookbooks meet three criteria: 1. Inspiring, easy to find ingredients, 2. Recipes I wouldn't come up with on my own, 3. Great photos. Nothing Fancy checks all three boxes! Incredibly delicious and unique. Can't wait to see what Roman comes up with next!
Rachel's Pick
Is this the true origin of the vampire myth? Predating Bram Stoker's Dracula by 26 years, this tale is chock full of the eerie gothic eroticism and intrigue we love. Damn it feels good to be a Vampire (and to read about one too).
Rachel's Pick
A short and sharp novella about fitting (or not fitting) into the corporate ladder. Thought-provoking, feminist and anti-racist. And this is being hailed as modern day Mrs. Dalloway.
Rachel's Pick
A page-turning graphic novel that grownups and kids will find hard to put down! Great story, great characters and a great moral. Stand up to bullies and find your own voice with DRAGOSLAVA!
Rachel's Pick
It is with difficult work like The Year of Magical Thinking that we can hope to understand the loss of a loved one and how grief shapes our daily life. This meditative memoir is exquisitely researched and explained. A perfect read for anyone who has suffered a loss.
Rachel's Pick
Hiromi Kawakami writes like no one else. She seamlessly mixes fairytales and folklore into the reality of everyday life with an innocent dreamlike quality. It is a sheer joy to read Kawakami and People From My Neighborhood is no exception.
Rachel's Pick
As good as all the reviews say! A memoir of grief, food, music and culture from the Indie rockstar of Japanese Breakfast. Delightful and heart-wrenching from beginning to end. You will find yourself longing for your favorite comfort food and fully appreciating all that it has to offer.
Rachel's Pick
History, memoir and fiction are seemlessly melded to create an inquisitive, metaphorical examination of each "lost" object. From an extinct tiger to an Italian villa in ruin to a long forgotten religion, this book buzzes with the beauty and impermanence of life. The entire book (from the text to the font) is a perfectly conceptualized work of art and it is absolutely stunning!
Rachel's Pick
Equal parts humor and devastation. Full of warmth, joy and grief. Kooser is a Pulitzer Prize Winner and former US Poet Laureate. This collection is a delight!
Rachel's Pick
Full of joy, sorrow, and introspection. These poems will make you laugh and cry all in the same breath. Because we all need a good cry sometimes, and a good laugh for that matter.
Rachel's Pick
I love a quick novella, especially when it has the power to alter everyday experiences. This tale of a preoccupation gradually begins to blur the lines of reality and peronal identity. In the tradition of Ingmar Bermans' 1966 film Persona, this Japanese feminist tale of obsession is a HIT!
Rachel's Pick
The perfect remedy when you don't know what to read next. One of those I-just-can't-put-this-down books! Pure Escapism. A smart mystery with slightly creepy undertones that keeps you on your toes. Victorian hierarchy, debutantes, culture clashes, and secret gardens!
Rachel's Pick
Fans of Toni Morrison, Marlon James and N.K. Jemisin will love this thrilling collection. Equal parts afrofuturism, gothic ghost story and African American history. From the deep south to Harlem, these stories are beautiful, poignant and chilling! I can't praise this book enough. Everyone should read it. And Henry Dumas' short life is a too common American horror story in and of itself.
Rachel's Pick
Mushroom fans and skeptics alike will resonate with this book. Merlin Sheldrake's writing is full of knowledge, skill and passion. His writing magically weaves us into nature and leaves us enthusiastically heading outdoors. Check out the YouTube video of Sheldrake growing mushrooms out of a copy of this very book, sauteeing them, and eating them. Fascinating!!
Rachel's Pick
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Alice Munro is a gem amongst contemporary fiction. She masters the art of the short story with such skill that you are instantly immersed into her world in just a few sentences. Dear Life is a must read!
Rachel's Pick
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, Alice Munro is a gem amongst contemporary fiction. She masters the art of the short story with such skill that you are instantly immersed into her world in just a few sentences. Dear Life is a must read!
Rachel's Pick
From the author of Outline Trilogy comes this stunning novel. Set in a picturesque marshy landscape, a woman sets forth on a journey of self discovery through art, family and the questioning of fate. A book that places power and importance on the aging female body. It is sharp and insightful, written with PERFECT idyllic prose.
Rachel's Pick
Limon most know for Dead Bright Things, brings this accessible, heartfelt and absolutely stunning collection of poems. The Carrying touches on the darkness and resilience of the human soul. Bonus- many of these poems are set in Kentucky!
Rachel's Pick
An eye-opening essential reading on all aspects of racism in America. Maybe you've heard of this book and considered reading it, now is the time! While it is a heady read, it will find a forever home on your shelf. Use it as reference to educate yourself and teach others. We will all be better people after reading Kendi's work. Illuminating!
Rachel's Pick
I love this book! Strange and weird hiding under the surface of the mundane.Think a Japanese fairytale infused with David Lynch. Just when you think it couldn't get anymore strange - it wraps up into the neatest little package.
Rachel's Pick
Rich in intellect and emotion. Playful and quizzical. At once a greek myth and modern day coming-of-age tale. This is the book you can read many times over and always find new treasures.
Rachel's Pick
A genre-bending book of awakening, reading Eula Biss makes us better people and better equipped to understand our future. * My top book of 2020*
Rachel's Pick
For fans of magical realism who want to dip their toes into masterful poetic prose. This multigenerational tale of Taiwanese immigrants knocks it out of the park! Imaginative, mournful and ferocious.
Rachel's Pick
This is the perfect book. A complex puzzle and dream...in only 170 pages. It is modern yet transfixed within ancient and mythological wisdom. The overlying plot of sexial violence and revenge wraps around the extraordinary power and intelligence of one girl. A tale to avenge sexual violence AND a lesson in art and culture. Rarely have i enjoyed reading as much as this!
Rachel's Pick
Short stories. Perfection in a few pages. The good ones give you goosebumps and stick with you for years. This collection by Kathryn Scanlan is chock full of good ones! She has written for all the great literary journals from The Paris Review to Granta. With The Dominant Animal, Scanlan has created strange and masterful tales that cut you straight to the bone. Don't miss out!
Rachel's Pick
Wit and intelligence. Unique and sporadic. Hempel is the first author that I fell in love with. Sometimes celebrating the connection between humans and animals, other times expressing the realitites of womanhood in all its forms. How do you take a story about dogs and turn it into a portrait of the worst and best bits of life?
![Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore [A Cookbook] Cover Image](https://images.booksense.com/images/books/390/580/FC9780399580390.JPG)
Rachel's Pick
There is whole a section on vodka...need I say more?! This delightful cookbook, full of gorgeous pictures and recipes, will leave you feeling full of Russian hygge. The recipes are easy to follow, the ingredients are easy to find, and the photos will make you want to move to Russia and wear woolen vests.! It is coherent and inspiring, the perfect cookbook combo.
Rachel's Pick
Eerie, disturbing AND SO MUCH FUN TO READ! This psychological tale of human entanglement will leave you wanting more...of Yukio Mishima! (who'se own life is quite the psychological tale in and of itself).
Rachel's Pick
Who needs drugs when you can read Lispector?! Reading Lispector is like reading the inner most corners of one's mind, like walking a thin line into delirium. It is fascinating and dangerous. Maddening and somewhat like fresh morning dew. Essential for any fan of Latin American literature. And arguabley her most controversial work!
Intelligent, elegantly written, and relevant. This thought-provoking coming-of-age tale focuses on the drama of its multigenerational characters. Through this narrative, Lerner accurately examines toxic masculinity in American culture. Everyone should read this book.
Rachel's Pick
Ever been obsessed with something...a person, a book, a food, a city? This is a book obsessed with the color BLUE. It's emotions, it's brilliance, it's music, it's affect on people, it's history. Unique, intellectual and beautifully written. I found myself washed in Maggie Nelson's blue light and wanting to dive further into her world.
Rachel's Pick
A charming, illustrated tale of friendship. Quietly touches on topics of bravery, appreciation of nature, the evolution of time and the cylcle of life (all the good things). Beautiful and enchanting for children and adults alike!! Marianne Dubuc's brilliance as a writer/illustrator shines in this unique, sweet book.
Rachel's PickAn uncommon examination of love (or rather the trials of joy and heartache in life shown through the guise of love). Nettel has an uncanny ability to write the human condition through eccentric characters that fit neatly into everyday existence. One of the best contemporary Latin American authors today, right up there with Valeria Luiselli.
Rachel's Pick
The title suggests this a book about raising children, it is instead a deliberate and questioning view of whether or not to have children. Heti is a genius writer and Motherhood is a modern work of philosophical feminist fiction! Philosophy by a woman! Yes!
Rachel's Pick
Morbidly Hilarious. One of my top 10 books! It has the horror and humor of Roberto Bolano all wrapped up into a short novella.It is intense and stunning. You'll want to read it twice!
Rachel's Pick
My favorite children's book author and illustrator! Beautifully illustrated, touching story about discovering the wonders of the great outdoors and ditching your device. Playful, magical, and serene!!
Rachel's Pick
Surreal and intense! Kang, who has won numerous awards including the Man Booker, has a direct, imaginiative way of writing that cuts straight to the bone and leaves you in awe. Full of desire, violence and introspection. Not for the faint of heart, this book is brilliant!
Named A Best Book of 2016 by Wall Street Journal, Vulture, Refinery29, Financial Times, and The Guardian
Rachel's Pick
I loved every second of this book...and I'm not a non-fiction reader. It is heartfelt, educational, and extremely well researched. Great from beginning to end, Eula Biss continues to amaze me with her skill as a writer! Pub date: September 30.
Rachel's Pick
This sweet novella instantly carried me to a dream-like snowy icelandic landscape. The plot moves between a fox hunt and the lives of the 19th century characters, creating an experience that is delightful, magical, and almost mythical. You might turn into a fox! Sjon has written lyrics for Bjork and his work has only recently been translated into English. Defintely worth the read!
Rachel's Pick
Originally published in Quebec, now availble in US. Fantastic illustrations accompany thouthful story of Helene and her life as a tween....along with bullies, camp, and day dreams. A great mix of graphic novel and picture book. Perfect for 11years and up...and up.
Rachel's Pick
Newly translated post-modern work by rediscovered Russian author Gaito Gazdanov. Extremely pleasurable read. Short yet potent. Explores ideas of death, guilt, dreams, reality....you'll want to savor each bite.
Rachel's Pick
Collection of short stories go from everyday to absurd. Great for animal lovers as each story embraces the unique relationships between humans and our animal friends (or foes)! I can't say how much I loved reading this! Nettel has such a unique voice.
Rachel's Pick
Realist Fables. Heartbreakingly beautiful short stories, each ending with a desire to read the next. Spend a rainy afternoon having your heartbroken by Ludmilla...its exquisite.
Rachel's Pick
Delightful alternative to overly saccharin children's books. Jon Klassen illustrates this beautiful example of Snicket's storytelling that will prove entertaining even after the 20th read. Afraid of the dark?...read this.
Rachel's Pick
A collegue recommended this to me years ago, I only recently read it....and he was right!! I loved it! Fantastical Stories from the inside of a handbag, warrior rabbits, anything goes. Unnerving and bizarre yet strangely everyday and ordinary. You'll never look at a handbag the same. Kelly Link has a unique style that lingers and I can't wait to read her next!
Rachel's Pick
Terrible Title, hilarious book! I laughed so hard I cried, several times. Better than Tina Fey's "Bossy Pants." Moran touches on several controverial issues with a warm-hearted feminist point of view that any woman can appreciate. Great gift for yourself....or better yet...your sister!
![Vegetable Literacy: Cooking and Gardening with Twelve Families from the Edible Plant Kingdom, with over 300 Deliciously Simple Recipes [A Cookbook] Cover Image](https://images.booksense.com/images/books/916/741/FC9781607741916.JPG)
Rachel's Pick
Every cookbook collection needs this book! It's perfect!
This book cannot be returned.
Rachel's Pick
Enjoyable. Educational. Insightful snipets of the lives of artists, writers, musicians, and philosophers. Inspiring. Great gift. Want to know about Patricia Highsmith's snails? or Simone de Beauvoir's lovers? Yes of course!! Perfect addition to any library or collection.
Rachel's Pick
The Mars Room is the kind of book that sinks into your everyday thoughts and shifts your perspective. The writing is humorous, dark and enormously smart. The tale is tough (most of which takes place in a women's prison or strip club) but ultimately full of empathy and a deeper understanding of humanity in all its forms. A powerful work for our time!
Rachel's Pick
How do you mix the creepy with the monotony of everyday? Davila has figured it out!! For fans of Poe, Shirley Jackson, and Kafka. This collection of short stories will delight AND creep you out. A perfect read for a chilly night.
Rachel's Pick
Sexually charged and fast-paced, unexpectedly tender and sincere. A beautiful investigation of all of life's absurdities, shown through the lens of fame. Published by New Directions, for the first time in English. A masterful work, more accessible than the orginal date of publication in 1961. For fans of Murakami and Calvino!
Rachel's Pick
Mythological Witch!! For fans of Margaret Atwood. A fast-paced intelligent read. Brilliantly writtten. An illumination of the life of the Goddess Circe. Educational and Delightful. You won't want to put it down!
Rachel's Pick
The perfect my-kid-is-almost-reading book. Entertaining for both for kids and grown-ups. It captures the imaginative play of 6/7 year olds and perfectly mixes it with the everyday of being a kid. Like changing into a dog to avoid your nemesis, Mrs. Gobblegracker, but having to go to a doctor's appointment. Fun for the whole family. Plus it is a series!
Rachel's Pick
Ottolenghi always delivers the most delicious and accessible recipes. Now, they have gone even further with this book of recipes anyone can master with ingredients found at your regular grocery. You won’t be disappointed!
Rachel's Pick
Take a trip into the dream world of Bolano’s mind with this giant collection of prose, verse and cross-genre stories. Bolano’s poems have rarely been translated into English making this a perfect edition to your poetry or Bolano collection. Or in my case, both!
