Becca's Staff Picks
EASY BEAUTY is a narrative it entails to navigate the world as someone with a chronic illness that manifests visibly in the body. Exploring the intersections of multiple marginalizations through the philosophy of aesthetics and elegant literary composition, Cooper Jones' memoir will echo in your head long after you've finished reading.
A delightfully strange Science Fiction foray into the mechanics of an alien language and the bond between a translator and the alien species she translates for. With elements of mystery and political intrigue, Drunk On All Your Strange New Words will keep you guessing until the end.
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Adult epic fantasy Pennyblade tells the story of Kyra Cal'Adra, an exiled highblood commrach turned mercenary with a secret and painful past. Kyra's unique voice and the promise of a queer storyline initially drew me in, but I kept reading for the political intrigue, the gritty setting, and the underlying religious and societal critiques.
A stunning debut New-England gothic that feels like the perfect blend of Daphne Du Maurier, Molly Tanzer, and Donna Tartt. Featuring tortured Byronic siblings, med-school dropouts, the horrors of capitalism, and poisonous plants! You can't go wrong with this one
I love Virginia Woolf more than words and To The Lighthouse is my favorite book that she ever wrote (to the point where I wrote not one but two seminar papers about in undergrad.) Lily Briscoe is one of my favorite characters in literature, complex and haunting. The section "Time Passes" is one of the most brilliantly rendered pieces of writing you'll ever read.
This book was completely nuts but in the best way possible. Video games and alien linguistics might seem like a weird mix at first, but somehow Scotto Moore got it to work. Main character Isobel provides a fun point-of-view and I promise the book features enough twists and turns that you'll never know whats coming next.
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First published as De nos fráeres blessâes in 2016 and winner of the prestigious Prix Goncourt, Tomorrow They Won't Dare To Murder Us is a powerhouse of a novel, heart-wrenching in its descriptions of the effects of French colonialism in Algeria. Iveton's character is brilliantly rendered and this translation does justice to the orginal.
This new Scalzi standalone is a romp of a read reminiscent of Jurassic Park and Godzilla that will capture every nature lover and environmentalist's heart. With an incredible cast of characters (Dr. Healy is the best of the bunch and I may be slightly obsessed with them) you will laugh, rage, and maybe even feel a little hope.
This was such a sweet and funny queer rom-com! I read it during one of my grad school breaks and it was like eating a slice of cake after chewing on rocks for a semester: light, easy, and delicious. Main character Phoebe is such an iconic character and her internal monologue is just hysterical. I loved every moment of it.
An new book of poetry that touches on queer identity, American imperialism, and reckoning with trauma. This eloquent and innovative collection plays with vocabulary, syntax, and form, and is overall an incredible debut collection.