Hilary's Picks

Mercury Pictures Presents: A Novel By Anthony Marra Cover Image
$28.99
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ISBN: 9780451495204
Published: Hogarth - August 2nd, 2022

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Bathe the Cat By Alice B. McGinty, David Roberts (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Alice B. McGinty, David Roberts (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781452142708
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Chronicle Books - February 8th, 2022

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I'd Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog By Philip C. Stead Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780593375082
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Doubleday Books for Young Readers - April 5th, 2022

True Biz: A Novel By Sara Novic Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593241509
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Random House - April 5th, 2022

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Apple and Magnolia By Laura Gehl, Patricia Metola (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Laura Gehl, Patricia Metola (Illustrator)
$18.00
ISBN: 9781947888357
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Published: Flyaway Books - February 8th, 2022

The Swimmers: A novel By Julie Otsuka Cover Image
$23.00
ISBN: 9780593321331
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Published: Knopf - February 22nd, 2022

Fiona and Jane By Jean Chen Ho Cover Image
$26.00
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ISBN: 9780593296042
Published: Viking - January 4th, 2022

What Is Love? By Mac Barnett, Carson Ellis (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Mac Barnett, Carson Ellis (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781452176406
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Published: Chronicle Books - December 28th, 2021

Siren Queen By Nghi Vo Cover Image
By Nghi Vo
$26.99
ISBN: 9781250788832
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Published: Tordotcom - May 10th, 2022

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The Traces: An Essay By Mairead Small Staid Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9781646052004
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Strange Object - November 1st, 2022

Be My Neighbor? By Suzy Ultman (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Suzy Ultman (Illustrator)
$15.99
ISBN: 9781452177120
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Chronicle Books - February 8th, 2022

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Home By Carson Ellis, Carson Ellis (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Carson Ellis, Carson Ellis (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780763665296
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Published: Candlewick - February 24th, 2015

Two Nights in Lisbon: A Novel By Chris Pavone Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780374604769
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Published: MCD - May 24th, 2022

Good Morning, Neighbor: (Picture book on sharing, kindness, and working as a team, ages 4-8) By Davide Cali, Maria Dek Cover Image
$18.95
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ISBN: 9781616896997
Published: Princeton Architectural Press - September 4th, 2018

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Time Is a Flower By Julie Morstad Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780735267541
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Tundra Books - September 21st, 2021

How do you explain “time” to a child? Well, I have trouble trying to explain it to myself, but this gorgeous book made me ponder the concept of time in its many simple iterations - not just a clock, a calendar, number... - but found in a seed, a pebble, a spider’s web, a sunset, a song. At the end, the book asks, “Is it a line? Or a circle?”  Maybe we don’t know, but that is the beauty of it. 

The illustrations are playful, and interesting, and perhaps most importantly, captivated me and my 3.5 year old equally. While it might seem like a leap for a youngster to consider the abstract nature of time, this book makes it worth the attempt. Perhaps my favorite picture book published this year. A gem.


The Cold Millions: A Novel By Jess Walter Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780062868091
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Harper Perennial - October 5th, 2021

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The Vanishing Half: A GMA Book Club Pick (A Novel) By Brit Bennett Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780525536963
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Riverhead Books - February 1st, 2022

This book is so good.  It has everything going for it. Engaging, topical plot. Smart, stylish prose. Page-turning pacing. Unforgettable characters.  The novel is the story of twin sisters and the diverging paths their lives take when one decides to pass as white. It is important look at there performance of race (and also gender) and it’s psychological cost over the generations in a family.  I couldn’t put it down and I can’t stop thinking about it. And I want to talk about it to everyone I know. I bet you’ll be itching to unravel this multifaceted, sophisticated novel, too. Read it and then, let’s talk.


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The Dutch House: A Read with Jenna Pick By Ann Patchett Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9780062963680
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial - January 5th, 2021

I’ve been an Ann Patchett fan since college. I regularly recommend her writing, enjoying both her non-fiction and her novels over the years, but this is definitely her best work yet. I love this fairytale-like novel of two siblings Danny and Maeve, told through the eyes of the younger brother Danny, and spanning from their childhood to middle age. It is the story of how our personal history is created partially by imagining the inner lives of those within our family orbit. Ultimately, it is the characters’ confrontation and grappling with their childhood perceptions of familial roles and situations that propel the novel. A thoughtful meditation on the shifting sands of personal histories and how the stories we tell ourselves, often clouded by misconceptions, can be radically altered with a little empathy. 


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Our Little Kitchen: A Picture Book By Jillian Tamaki Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781419746550
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Abrams Books for Young Readers - September 22nd, 2020

I love Jillian Tamaki and this is one of my favorites from the past year. It is the story of a soup kitchen that Tamaki based on her own experience volunteering at a community kitchen. It's all about coming together for your neighbors, delighting in your imagination when using a variety of donated, grown, and leftover food items, and the sights and sounds of people coming together in a small space to create a meal. My daughter loves this book and her curiousity about what all the characters are doing and why which makes for a great interactive conversation. - Hilary 


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The Old Truck By Jerome Pumphrey, Jarrett Pumphrey Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9781324005193
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Norton Young Readers - January 7th, 2020

Authors and Illustrators Jerome and Jarret Pumphrey were inspired by the strong, resourceful women in their family tree, including their mom, grandmothers, and even their great-grandmother (who bought her own farm with money earned picking cotton). They imagine a little girl growing up on a farm along side an old truck, which gets neglected with time, but eventually gets fixed up when the girl becomes a new farmer herself. As a truck-loving toddler, my daughter especially loves seeing a little girl in the truck, as so many truck books feature boys as the protagonist. Simple text exploring ideas of imagination and determination combined with beautiful images in a gentle color palate (made with over 250 custom-made stamps) make this picture books a standout.  - Hilary 


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Two Little Trains By Margaret Wise Brown, Greg Pizzoli (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Margaret Wise Brown, Greg Pizzoli (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062676511
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: HarperCollins - March 3rd, 2020

My (almost) two-year-old daughter Greta and I love this book! Snappy, delightful text from Margaret Wise Brown (author of classics Goodnight, Moon and Runaway Bunny, among others) updated with bright, bold illustrations by Greg Pizzoli (best known for his book The Watermelon Seed). Charming and energetic, this story of Two Little Trains, and all they see on their way heading west, is a perfect read aloud for preschoolers. 


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Malibu Rising: A Novel By Taylor Jenkins Reid Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9781524798659
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Ballantine Books - June 1st, 2021

Looking for a beach read? Look no further. It is 1983 Malibu and the celebrity Riva siblings are hosting their legendary summer bash. It is supposed to a happy celebration, but their tumultuous interior lives are presenting them with a feeling of dread heading into the night. Each sibling was marked indelibly by their famous (infamous?) rockstar father Mick. The chapters alternate between the siblings in 1983 and the backstory of Mick and their mother June in the 1950s. Ultimately, it is their parents’ doomed love story that creates the complicated sibling dynamic and leaves them questioning their place in the family and their own love lives. A page-turning, drama-filled, character-driven perfect summer read.

 


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The Color Monster: A Story About Emotions By Anna Llenas Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316450010
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - September 4th, 2018

This is a great book for helping preschoolers understand basic emotions and feelings. It classifies them as colors, which is easy to grasp for little minds (e.g. red is angry, blue is sad, yellow is happy). As my two year old processes her feelings, it’s nice to have a book that we can use to guide a conversation about all those BIG emotions. I don’t know about you, but I could use some help figuring out my emotions these days, too. - Hilary 


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Bear Came Along (Caldecott Honor Book) By Richard T. Morris, LeUyen Pham (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Richard T. Morris, LeUyen Pham (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316464475
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - June 4th, 2019

This 2019 Caldecott honor book is a winner. The story of a bear, and a group of forest  friends that come along on a river ride, is playful with colorful, lively illustrations. The cadence of the text guides you along the river run with all the different animals and their particular personalities, all while gently conveying the importance of teamwork. Coronoavirus note: For Grandparents, or others, looking to read a book to kids over video this would be a good pick! 


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A Place for Us: A Novel By Fatima Farheen Mirza Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781524763565
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: SJP for Hogarth - March 5th, 2019

Layla and Rafiq come to America, a land that holds no past for them, but one in which they must make a future in. Both are immigrants from India looking to create a fruitful life together. We witness them try their best to raise their children Hadia, Huda, and Amar, and instill a deep reverence for their Muslim faith. This proves a challenge in a defiantly indifferent America. The novel blooms as it follows each child's struggle in their path to adulthood. These alternating perspectives provide a nuanced portrait of the ways we reconcile the lives we wish to pursue and the ones our parents envision for us. Heartbreaking, timely, and genuinely moving.


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Auntie Poldi And The Sicilian Lions (An Auntie Poldi Adventure #1) By Mario Giordano Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781328588784
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ecco - February 5th, 2019

Meet Auntie Poldi, a sassy 60-something widow who retires to Sicily to live out her days imbibing on vino, savoring good food, and admiring a view of the sea. That is until the handsome handyman who is helping her renovate her villa goes missing and is found murdered. Poldi immerges as Sicily’s new amateur sleuth – but her snooping into the lives of the townsfolk proves irksome to the sexy police inspector in charge of the investigation. Giordano, a writer of both books and screenplays, has a knack for cinematic writing with snappy dialogue and page-turning plot twists. For fans of international mysteries set amid beautiful landscapes and filled with quirky, lovable characters. 


Census: A Novel By Jesse Ball Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062676146
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Ecco - May 7th, 2019

A Separation: A Novel By Katie Kitamura Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780399576119
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Riverhead Books - February 6th, 2018

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Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel By Jesmyn Ward Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781501126079
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Scribner - May 8th, 2018

My favorite book of 2017. Ward is master storyteller and so graceful in showing us the depths of grief, the pain of emotional suffering, the grip of sadness. We see generation after generation of a family endure loss. Smell the blood of those gone and see it spill from those still here. Witness not just with eyes, but with heart, the hardship of those that came before and those that come after. But the novel is equally adept at showing us love, not matter how subtle. We see how love can be carried, not matter how small, and can become a tiny gem that allow the characters to bear what life brings. Even with the heavy weight of sorrow running through the novel, the book is somehow lightened through Ward’s generously beautiful prose. She shows us what it is to live, to love, to die. What an extraordinary book. One I will take with me the rest of my life. 


The Bright Hour: A Memoir of Living and Dying By Nina Riggs Cover Image
$17.99
ISBN: 9781501169373
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Published: S&S/ Marysue Rucci Books - January 16th, 2018

Moonglow: A Novel By Michael Chabon Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9780062225566
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Harper Perennial - September 19th, 2017

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Zorrie By Laird Hunt Cover Image
$26.00
Email info@literatibookstore.com or call for price
ISBN: 9781635575361
Published: Bloomsbury Publishing - February 9th, 2021

Laird Hunt has been on my radar for years, as his books have been well-reviewed and are often admired by authors I love, but I hadn’t picked up a book of his until Zorrie. What a lovely surprise. This elegant, subtle novel is a character study of a person, a place, a lifestyle. We follow the title character Zorrie and over the course of the 20thcentury in the rural Midwest, mostly in Indiana, where she dreams, learns, loses, loves, and persists. Akin to novels from Elizabeth Strout and Marilynne Robinson or even Willa Cather, Zorrie may seem simple, but it confronts big questions that get at the heart of life. How do you to find happiness or muster hope despite the setbacks and heartaches of life?  We witness resilience, fortitude, and empathy through Hunt’s gracefully distilled writing.  This slim novel holds many treasures and despite its length you feel as though you’ve encountered a grand chronicle of a life. - Hilary 


Miss Jane: A Novel By Brad Watson Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9780393354386
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - July 11th, 2017

The Association of Small Bombs: A Novel By Karan Mahajan Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143109273
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Penguin Books - October 18th, 2016

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Story Boat By Kyo Maclear, Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Kyo Maclear, Rashin Kheiriyeh (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780735263598
Availability: Backordered
Published: Tundra Books - February 4th, 2020

An immensely lovely picture book about how we create a feeling of home when home doesn't necessarily physically exist. A family is leaving (fleeing?) and their sense of "here" is always changing. So instead of a place, "here" becomes a familiar tea cup, the steady comfort of the stars, a song that everyone can sing. There have been a number of books about the refugee experience, but this is the best I've seen - one that captures the idea that while there is lots of waiting and sometimes hardship, there is also kinship and strength. It uses simple concepts that children can relate to when thinking about how we create a sense of home and belonging. And how our personal stories are created as we move through life and that there can be hope even in difficult situations. - Hilary 


Fates and Furies: A Novel By Lauren Groff Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781594634482
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Riverhead Books - September 13th, 2016

The Tsar of Love and Techno: Stories By Anthony Marra Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780770436452
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Hogarth - July 19th, 2016

Mothers, Tell Your Daughters: Stories By Bonnie Jo Campbell Cover Image
$14.95
ISBN: 9780393353266
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - October 4th, 2016

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10:04: A Novel By Ben Lerner Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9781250081339
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Picador - October 13th, 2015

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Station Eleven: A Novel (National Book Award Finalist) By Emily St. John Mandel Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780804172448
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - June 2nd, 2015

Dancer: A Novel (Picador Modern Classics) By Colum McCann Cover Image
$18.00
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ISBN: 9781250051790
Published: Picador Modern Classics - June 2nd, 2015

A Field Guide to Getting Lost By Rebecca Solnit Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143037248
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Penguin Books - June 27th, 2006

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Too Loud A Solitude By Bohumil Hrabal Cover Image
$12.99
ISBN: 9780156904582
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperVia - April 27th, 1992

For thirty-five years, Hanta has been compacting wastepaper and books, and it's his love story. Set in Prague under Communist rule, Hanta sees thousands of books destroyed under his watch. But he "saves" as many as he can and collects them in his home. He may be simple, and at times just plain foolish, but he loves his books as ardently as any intellectual. My favorite book of all time, I reread this book over and over again, and its beautiful, rambling sentences become my own kind of devotional. I absolutely love this book for its silly, misguided narrator and his compulsive love for the written word.


Men Explain Things to Me By Rebecca Solnit Cover Image
$15.95
ISBN: 9781608464661
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Haymarket Books - September 1st, 2015

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Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the Reinvention of American Taste By Luke Barr Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780307718358
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Clarkson Potter - November 4th, 2014

A quiet green notebook with "Provence, 1970" scribbled on the cover was found by M.F.K. Fisher's nephew buried in a storage unit afer her death. From the notebook, letters, and her diaries, he pieces together the story of one winter spent in Provence cooking, musin, and collaborating with Paul and Julia Child, James Beard, Richard Olney, and a number of mid-century chefs. You'll delight in the peculiarities of the personalities, the elaborate menus, and the remembrances of a life well liked.


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A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel By Anthony Marra Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780770436421
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Hogarth - February 4th, 2014

One of the best debut novels I've ever read. Period.


The English Patient: Man Booker Prize Winner (Vintage International) By Michael Ondaatje Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780679745204
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - November 30th, 1993

Lila (Oprah's Book Club): A Novel By Marilynne Robinson Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781250784032
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Picador - August 4th, 2020

The Faraway Nearby By Rebecca Solnit Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143125495
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - April 29th, 2014

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Go, Girls, Go! By Frances Gilbert, Allison Black (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Frances Gilbert, Allison Black (Illustrator)
$17.99
ISBN: 9781534424821
Availability: Usually Available in 2-5 Days
Published: Beach Lane Books - November 5th, 2019

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Pachinko (National Book Award Finalist) By Min Jin Lee Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781455563920
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grand Central Publishing - November 14th, 2017

I devoured this book as a sleep-deprived mother, precariously turning pages while holding a sleeping newborn child. Despite my better judgement, I couldn't put it down to get must needed rest. It is the best book I've read on the immigrant experience. The most nuanced and complex historical novel. One of the truest portraits of the trials of motherhood. And the most epic family story I've encountered. Definitely a top 10 novel of all time in my reading life. 


The Digger and the Duckling (The Digger Series) By Joseph Kuefler, Joseph Kuefler (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Joseph Kuefler, Joseph Kuefler (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780063062542
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Balzer + Bray - February 22nd, 2022

Hello Lighthouse (Caldecott Medal Winner) By Sophie Blackall Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780316362382
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - April 10th, 2018