Staff Picks by Tag

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Something Wild & Wonderful By Anita Kelly Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781538754887
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Forever - March 7th, 2023

Oh man. This is the perfect romance novel! Anita Kelly writes fantastic characters here. It's funny, heartwarming, thrilling (spicy!) It has it all. And it fulfilled my deep desire for everything to include birding!

 


Review by Zack

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In the Lives of Puppets By TJ Klune Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250217448
Availability: Coming soon - available for pre-order now
Published: Tor Books - April 25th, 2023

It is rare for me to find a book both darkly funny and euphorically hopeful. When I think of TJ Klune, I expect a cozy, queer hug feeling while reading. This is true of IN THE LIVES OF PUPPETS and also there's something more happening. There's a new feeling unfurling as Victor, Gio, Nurse Ratched, and Rambo discover how much lies beyond the forest. It heightens as they face risks and dangers together. Whatever this new feeling, I want to stay in it as long as the story lets me.


Review by Danielle

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Your Driver Is Waiting: A Novel By Priya Guns Cover Image
$26.00
ISBN: 9780385549301
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Doubleday - February 28th, 2023

Damani is one of the most memorable main characters I've ever had the pleasure of reading! Fast paced, funny, sharp and full of deadly lines that sink into you. For sure one of the best books I've read so far this year. 


Review by Rosa

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Borne of Grief and Flow: A journey of grief and healing after the loss of my love. By Becky Gibler Cover Image
$47.99
ISBN: 9781667870526
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: BookBaby - January 23rd, 2023

Pairing breathtaking photography of the Seattle area with poignant prose, local author/photographer Becky Gibler takes readers on a deeply personal journey through grief after losing her partner of 19 years. It is deeply moving and I would highly suggest it to anyone who is mourning someone they love. Becky has accomplished something incredible here. While the book features an LGBTQ+ relationship (which is not often depicted in this genre) she proves that, truly, love is love. This book is for anyone who has loved or lost and I thank her for writing it.


Review by Brandon

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Even Though I Knew the End By C. L. Polk Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781250849458
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Tordotcom - November 8th, 2022

This novella went in directions I didn't see coming.

Part sapphic love story, part hardboiled detective crime novel, CL Polk imbues 1940s Chicago with magic and intrigue. I want more of this world and I'm also wholly satisfied. 

 


Review by Danielle

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Nona the Ninth (The Locked Tomb Series #3) By Tamsyn Muir Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9781250854117
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Tordotcom - September 13th, 2022

Nona broke my heart.

Like any fan of the Locked Tomb Series, my gaze was focused on Alecto, the anticipated final book of the trilogy with its shifting publication date and promise of answers to all our questions.  I did not expect Nona with her enormous heart, her love of dogs (all shapes and sizes!) and her gang of school friends. Nona with her vaguely familiar features, extremely familiar “family,” disturbing dreams and shocking role to play in all this.

When I thought I could not care more about Gideon, Harrow and the others, I met Nona. And she broke my heart.


Review by Deborah

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Our Wives Under the Sea: A Novel By Julia Armfield Cover Image
$26.99
ISBN: 9781250229892
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Flatiron Books - July 12th, 2022

I can hear the untold depths whispering now and it's this book's fault.


Review by Allie

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Patricia Wants to Cuddle By Samantha Allen Cover Image
$27.00
ISBN: 9781638930044
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Zando - June 28th, 2022

A slasher, on the set of The Bachelor, plus a host of morally questionable lesbians. I loved every single one of these terrible girls, and then I loved watching their terrible fates unfold.


Review by Allie

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Hell Followed with Us By Andrew Joseph White Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781682633243
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: Peachtree Teen - June 7th, 2022

The cover caught your eye, didn’t it? 
 
 
Here’s the rundown: Trans kids fight a cult in a post-apocalyptic world. Here’s a little more: queer rage, religious trauma, “eat your oppressors”, body horror elucidating the trans experience, visceral and atmospheric descriptions of body mutilation and gore, gender dysphoria, and religious zealots trying to destroy the world. This story is for anyone who has felt queer, trans, or autistic rage, the kind of rage from being told you shouldn’t exist because the system told us so. Despite all its dark moments, it is powerful and hopeful, with completely unforgettable characters that make you feel like they are your found family.
 

 


Review by Javi

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Out of the Blue By Jason June Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9780063015203
Availability: On our shelves now at one or more of our stores
Published: HarperTeen - May 31st, 2022

I'm not much of a YA reader, I couldn't say they last time I read one. That said, I very much so enjoyed this! A tender, sweet and often times hilarious story of young queer love. I recommend this to anyone looking for a light, heartwarming read to sit in the sun with.


Review by Zack

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