Rita Zoey Chin, author of the memoir Let the Tornado Come, joins us on release day to discuss The Strange Inheritance of Leah Fern, a luminous novel about a fiercely lonely young woman's quest to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance.

Our Event Coordinator Ashleigh says: "This is one of the most introspective, emotional, uncanny, stop-and-read-that-again books I've read in a long time. It is ultimately a redemptive, bittersweet, and vivid story of discovering who you are and how you got there. While some books feel like a hug, journeying with Leah feels like holding hands as you stumble through the dark, and then sharing the radiant, revitalizing triumph of surviving together as you come into the light. I will recommend it to everyone I know."

Rita will be in conversation with E.B. Bartels, author of Good Grief: On Loving Pets, Here and Hereafter.

Matthew E. Henry (a.k.a. MEH) joins us to discuss his new collection of poetry, the Colored page.

Henry's collection is a visceral meditation on the multi-layered experience of a Black body in educational spaces. His poems ask us to look at the vile and call it out, but then we are tasked to shift our focus to the glory that is the student who triumphs.

"Playful language meets the grit of reality, and the combination pulls you through each page."

–Ashley Elizabeth, author

Jennifer Frank joins us for Storytime with the Author to read her picture book, The Worm Family Has Its Picture Taken. No need to RSVP; just show up!

Worms don't take good family photos, do they? Find out in this hilarious picture book from a Caldecott Honor illustrator and debut author about a young worm who comes to appreciate her very unusual family for who they are.

"Sure to worm its way into readers’ hearts."

–Kirkus

James Beard Award-winning food and travel writer J.M. Hirsch joins us to discuss Pour Me Another, his essential handbook for cocktail lovers and home mixologists that will expand your palate and help you discover your new favorite drink.

Everyone loves a Margarita, but have you tried the Manhattan-inspired La Rosita? Is your go-to order the classic Mojito? Switch things up with the bold and briny Dunlop. There are scores of options to explore in this tempting tome.

Your $10 ticket includes a cocktail tasting at the event!

"Milk Street editorial director J.M. Hirsch uses cocktails you already love as a starting point for embracing new and exciting combinations, with 250 recipes that will turn your home bar into a choose-your-own adventure experience."

–Epicurious

We revisit Lucy Barton, who now is riding out the pandemic in Maine with her ex-husband William. Elizabeth Strout’s observations of this hallucinogenic time are pitch perfect and somehow comforting, despite the bleakness of the situation. The feelings of isolation, the inability to sit down and read, the endless walking, and also the finding of joy in nature. Spending this time with the two of them is both uplifting and heartbreaking. What a writer she is!

I was totally captured reading this book by Sadie Jones. Three couples, best friends, purchase two farm lots in England and decide to live communally. Through the eyes of the two oldest children, from two of the families, we are told the story of their experiment. Amy and Lan traverse their lives jumping in mud, helping with their siblings and loving the land--at once completely innocent and very observant and knowing. As tensions grow, the idyll unravels, but not before we have been taken on a wonderful, articulate ride.

I loved this book.

What a book! This is the story of Carlotta, possessed of an uncanny gift for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, recently out of (men's) prison on parole, trying to make sense of a Brooklyn that's very different from the one she left 20 years ago, transgender. The story is told in the third person, as if Carlotta is trying to make a more-or-less traditional narrative out of her life--but her own first-person consciousness keeps barging in, acting as a commentary and a (sometimes bitterly hilarious) disruption. (She essentially RiffTraxes herself.) It was really hard not to quote passages of this book aloud to whoever happened to be around as I was reading!

A masterful, fast-paced, high-stakes conclusion to one of my favorite duologies--bravo! It was as brutal as promised, and its pacing left me breathless. I love the complicated relationships: with so many characters and plot twists, the nuances could have been lost, but Amanda and C.L. deftly wove each person together and into the interactions with others. The complexities of the not-quite-friendships and alliances and romances are perfect for fans who want to dive in and feel the heat of each battle, the gutting of every loss, and the fierce triumphs hard-earned alongside these competitors. There is so much to ponder with this book--it's one to revisit many times over.

Middle-Grade Monthly is our subscription service for kids ages 8-12! Each month our children's book buyer Lauren selects a newly-released chapter book. Get your hands on the newest and soon-to-be coveted books of the year. We offer monthly and yearly subscriptions, and you can pick up your book at the store or have it mailed to you. Click on the link below for FAQs about the program.

The September 2022 pick is Attack of the Black Rectangles by Amy Sarig King. To find out more about our subscription service, click here.

A Child's Library is our subscription service for children ages 0-5! Lauren selects one newly-released picture book each month to be sent or picked-up from the store. The goal of A Child's Library is to help foster a love for books within the child's home. It makes a great baby shower gift!

The September 2022 pick is Song in the City by Daniel Bergstrom and Jenin Mohammed. To find out more about our subscription service, click here.