Recommendations and Reviews

Talk about kicking off 2019 with a bang! We’re just a week into January, and already we’ve read a handful of new releases that would be strong contenders for any year-end list. Readers of all ages are represented below—we’ve got everything from a gentle picture book about the meaning of love to a high-strung thriller stuffed with intrigue. Actually, we’ve got two of that last kind, if you count the new Mac Barnett. Read on!

There's something about the holidays that makes us crave an armchair and a thick stack of books—novels for the evening, say, and raucous readalouds with sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, and grandchildren during the day. And of course, nothing beats a good, holiday-themed book this time of year. We've rounded up a list of a few recent favorites in that category below. Stop by and try a couple, if you'd like—we don't think you'll be disappointed. Happy holidays, friends.

The holidays are almost upon us! Like so many people around the country, we’re looking forward to spending some quality time with family and friends in the weeks to come. And eating some quality food, too—“the holidays” and “feasting” are basically synonyms, as far as we’re concerned. That’s why we’re featuring a different kind of book this week than the usual mix of kid lit, novels, and nonfiction. ‘Tis the season for cookbooks, friends. Not only do cookbooks make wonderful gifts for the kitchen enthusiasts on your list, but they can provide some great inspiration for your own holiday festivities. (By all means, keep don’t stop making your traditional batch of grandma’s fudge. But this year, you can bring a fun new side dish, too.) Happy eating… er, reading.

These twenty-five titles represent our very favorites from a wonderful year in publishing. You’ll find books for readers of all ages and inclinations. Books about food, books about war, books about spies, books about poverty, books about crime, books about race, and gender, and sexuality, and love. And that’s the beautiful thing about books, really. There’s always something for everyone. Books have the power to transform, unite, inspire, excite, and delight us. They can show us our own lives; they can show us lives that we otherwise couldn’t imagine. They can show us the lives of potatoes. Happy reading, friends.

The holiday season is fast approaching! Around here, that means that there are more new books coming in every week than we can shake a stick at. Still, you know us: We always make plenty of time for reading. Take a peek at some of our recent favorites below, which run the gamut from a side-splitting picture book to a weighty biography—with plenty of thrills, tears, adventure, and some exquisitely written prose in between.

Hungry for a new book? You've come to the right place. This week, we've prepared an eight-course literary repast that's sure to please your reading palate. From picture books to graphic novels to buzzy adult fiction, there's something for everyone here. Our best advice? Read 'em all. Your heart will be full—and so will your shelves. Happy browsing, friends.

No matter what you like to read, there’s a new release on our shelves calling your name. Yeah, yeah, we’re a bookstore, we’re supposed to say that kind of thing. But seriously: Want to marvel at the sheer beauty of a book? We’ve got the new Markus Zusak on the horizon, plus Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson’s follow up to their Newbery winner, Last Stop on Market Street. Care to get lost in the folds of a gripping story? The fantasy-friendly reader should head straight to the new Laini Taylor. If it’s tension and realism that you’re craving, check out the long-awaited new novel from Andre Dubus III. History buff? Go for Kate Atkinson or Mackenzi Lee. Fancy a laugh? Eric Idle has a new book out that will have you in stitches, while Laurie Keller’s new picture book will have your stitches in stitches. Come see us sometime soon—we’ve got a lot of great candidates for you to add to your nightstand.

Do you feel that? In the air? That’s fall, friends, and it’s perhaps the most magical time of the year for new books. Not only is it a great time to curl up on an armchair and read, but all the big publishers are starting to put out their very best titles, knowing that they’ll make a perfect gift for your son / daughter / niece / nephew / mom / dad / uncle / aunt. 

We’ve got a particularly fun selection for you this week. Texas author Chris Barton is one of our very favorites—his nonfiction picture books are fun, smart, and sneaky-educational. His latest subject is none other than Houston’s own Barbara Jordan, and how could you not love her? It’s a wonderful book. Next up, we’re staying local (would you expect anything less?) with up-and-coming cartoonist and graphic novelist Ngozi Ukazu. She’s written a charming graphic novel about hockey (and pies) that you will absolutely adore—trust us. 

From there, we move into the novels. We’ve got a fun debut with serious teen/adult crossover appeal written by Hank Green (brother of John!), and a fascinating, feminist retelling of The Odyssey. And finally, nonfiction. Alice was on the edge of her seat reading a Soviet spy memoir that’s earned high praise from none other than John le Carré. And Noah may have gotten a little weepy reading a short, sweet memoir about the incredible power animals have to enrich our lives. Don’t wait, folks—these titles would really look better on your shelves than ours.

If you've been following our blog for long, you know that we usually try to come up with a clever theme that ties together our staff reviews. Unfortunately, all we've got right now is that three of our favorite new releases were written by authors named Sarah. So much for that.

Theme or no theme, the books are magnificent. We've got two hilarious titles for kids by a pair of our favorite authors out there. (Bob Shea reached out after Hurricane Harvey and helped raise over $10,000 to donate to schools and libraries that were impacted by the flood. Mac Barnett is both extremely kind and side-splittingly funny.) Next up, a pair of fantastic works of fiction—one by Texas author and dear friend of the shop >>>Sarah<<< Bird, and the other a fascinating work in translation that's already claimed a Man Booker Prize. Finally, two new nonfiction books deserve a spot on your shelves. One tackles the dark real-life inspiration behind Lolita. The other is a devastating memoir of growing up poor in rural America. Both, for whatever it's worth, were written by Sarahs. 

Read on!

Many people know us for our kids' section. We embrace that. Good writing for children, after all, is what turns people into readers in the first place. So it's safe to say that we're pretty excited for Harbor Me. That's the name of the first middle grade novel that Jacqueline Woodson, National Ambassador for Children's Literature, has written since her National Book Award winner Brown Girl Dreaming. To us, it's pretty much the kids' publishing event of the year. Even better? Woodson went and wrote another book—this one a picture book—and she's releasing it on the same day. What a time to be alive!

Of course, we're still making plenty of room for other books, too. Just check our list of recent favorites—whether you're in the mood for seafaring YA action-adventure, historical American epics, or darkly funny (and very strange) short stories, we've got just the thing you're looking for.