Recommendations and Reviews

Highlights of what we've been reading and loving.

Books in Bloom

Can you believe all the pollen this year, friends? It's enough to make us stay inside and read all day. Which, yes, doesn't take much. But who can blame us when you see some of the exciting new releases coming into our store? Here, we've collected all of the staff's newest favorites, including picture books, middle grade, and half a dozen wonderful new novels. Make some space on your shelf and come see us — we need someone to talk with these about!

Fourteen Fresh Faves

What a spring it's shaping up to be for new books! We've been reading up a storm to keep up with all the shipments coming in from our publisher friends. Here, we've collected a whopping fourteen of our favorite new releases. It's a list studded with familiar faves (hello, Kate DiCamillo and Andre Dubus III) and a few fresh faces, too. The best part? We've got a pick for any reader aged five and up. Dig in!

From Book to Screen: Blue Willow Goes to the Movies

Here at the shop, we've been talking a lot about... Well, books, naturally. But also movies. So many of our favorite books have recently been adapted to film or TV, from Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen's Shapes Trilogy to Lessons in Chemistry. With this year's Oscars right around the corner, we decided to roll out the (imaginary) red carpet and host our own little awards show spotlighting some of the staff's very favorite book-to-screen adaptations. You'll find suitable viewing for readers of all ages in the roundup below — and you can find the books behind the screens nestled on our shelves.

What are your favorite book-to-screen adaptations? Tell us in the comments, won't you?

Without further ado: The envelope, please...

New Books to Get Lost In

If you ask us, a good book is a form of time travel, transporting you to a different life, era, or world. Time melts away as you're turning the pages. Suddenly you come to, hours into the future and richer and wiser for what you've just read. This week, we're highlighting fourteen new releases with that special time warp quality — books to savor and get lost in, books you'll wish would never end. We have magical realism, science fiction and fantasy, history, mystery, and much more within — read on!

Keepers by the Dozen

Are your bookshelves looking a little sparse lately? Ours sure aren't. We've been receiving box after box of brand new releases that we can't wait to send home with you. This week, we've got a classic Blue Willow roundup of fresh new reads for all ages — from charming new picture books all the way into page-turning adult fiction. No matter what kind of reader you are, you'll find a new goodie or two below. Dig in!

Eleven New Reasons to Visit Us

We're still wrapping our heads around this whole "2024" thing, so it feels a little strange to say that we've already encountered some contenders for the best books of the year. It's true, though — our latest staff recommendations have real staying power. Read on to discover a charming graphic novel, a new middle grade fave from a local author, unputdownable fiction from heavy hitters like Laurie Frankel and Alex Michaelides, and more great books that have just hit our shelves. We'll be waiting for you in the store! 

Ten Great Books to Kick Off the New Year

Folks, we are so back. After a busy December spent gift matchmaking (and honing our wrapping skills), the Blue Willow team enjoyed a quiet week between the holidays full of rest, relaxation, and reading. Especially reading. Here, we've collected ten new books from these first few days of January that stood out to us as particular favorites. Any one of them would be a great pick to kick off your year in books — take a look below and see what catches your eye. Then, come and pay us a visit — there's lots more on our shelves that we're eager to share with you!

Twelve Books Releasing in 2024 We Can’t to Share With You

The days in December are ticking away, your gifts are all wrapped, and the holiday menu is set... It's time to start looking ahead to another year full of new memories, new experiences, and — of course — new books. One of our resolutions for 2024 is to read even more. We've shared close to 300 recommendations with you on our blog this year, but we bet we can do better. Here's a head start: Twelve books across all ages that we can't wait to share with you in the first few months of the new year. We have precious picture books from some of our favorite creators, a superstar middle grade collaboration, atmospheric teen intrigue, and novels to suit a range of literary tastes. Get ready to discover some new favorites with us this year (and maybe don't make any plans on February 6, phew), and watch this space for plenty more recommendations once the calendar flips. Here's to another year of great stories.

Book Bites: End-of-Year Releases You Don't Want to Miss

Don't ask us quite how, but the end of the year is right around the corner. We're usually turning our attention towards holiday shopping and gift wrapping this time of December, but we couldn't resist sharing one last roundup of great new releases we think you'll love. We have some late-breaking favorites here that we know are going to stick with us well into 2024 — from beautiful literary fiction to history and mystery to the best piece of Florida-set narrative nonfiction this side of The Orchid Thief. Read on!

What the Blue Willow Staff Is Gifting This Holiday Season

If you're here, we probably agree that books make the best gifts. A lesser-known maxim is that all the other fun stuff in a bookstore works great in wrapping paper and bows, too. As we approach this season of gifting, we've asked our team of booksellers to weigh in with which books, puzzles, games, stationery, and more has caught their eyes this year. Browse through their picks for some inspiration while you fill out your holiday shopping list, or check our separate post on the best books of 2023 for more great ideas. Then, stop by and see us! We'll be ready with personal recommendations and on-the-house gift wrapping from the elves in our back room. Happy holidays!

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