Staff Favorites List

Each of these titles is personally recommended by one of our Brilliant Booksellers.  The list features both newly published and older books for readers of all ages and draws from a wide array of writers, styles, and genres, making for a list as eclectic and unique as our Brilliant customers. Find past lists in our Staff Favorites Archive.

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Orlando: A Biography By Virginia Woolf Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9780156701600
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mariner Books Classics - October 24th, 1973

Orlando is one of my favorite Virginia Woolf books. The titular character is inspired by Woolf's lover, Vita Sackville-West, and at the start of the novel, he is a sixteen-year-old boy living in Queen Elizabeth I's court. This epic spans three centuries, and by its end, Orlando is a thirty-six-year-old woman. Strange, funny, and ahead of its time, Orlando examines themes of sexuality and gender identity in ways hardly seen before. 

—Carissa


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Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect: A Novel By Benjamin Stevenson Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9780063279070
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mariner Books - January 30th, 2024

Oh, I enjoyed this one!  I didn't think author Benjamin Stevenson could pull off a follow-up that matched the dry humor and almost-but-not-quite parody of the mystery genre that was Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, but this sequel nailed it.  No one is safe, either from murderous intentions, or humorous lambasting, as this tale takes on the publishing and book industry in ways that (as a bookseller) I found especially amusing.  If you're a fan of golden age mysteries that don't take themselves too seriously, you will not want to miss the somewhat hapless adventures of author/amateur sleuth Ernie Cunningham.

—Caitlin


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Hijab Butch Blues: A Memoir By Lamya H Cover Image
By Lamya H
$27.00
Email or call for price.
ISBN: 9780593448762
Published: The Dial Press - February 7th, 2023

This memoir absolutely blew me away. Structured around stories from the Qur'an, Lamya H beautifully explores the intersections between faith, identity, culture, and belonging. I learned so much while reading this book, and really valued Lamya's unique perspective on queerness and religion. Incredibly raw and honest, this is a memoir I will be thinking about for a long time. 

—Macsen


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Shadow & Claw: The First Half of The Book of the New Sun By Gene Wolfe Cover Image
$19.99
ISBN: 9781250781253
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Tor Books - June 8th, 2021

There is no greater encapsulation of the beauty and complexity of the science fiction genre than Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. A masterpiece, a lifelong reading project, my personal desert island read. That is all.

—Stefen


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$15.95
ISBN: 9780807006474
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Beacon Press - January 10th, 2023

I'm a big fan of Maintenance Phase so I was super excited to read this. This is one of those books that I genuinely want *everyone* to read. This book is incredibly well-researched and approachable from any point on your journey to unlearn anti-fat bias. It is inspiring, galvanizing, and healing. Gordon offers reflection questions and resources along with her in-depth, informed myth-busting. Move this to the top of your TBR pile, it is well worth it to change the way you view the world. 

—Tory


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Girl, Woman, Other: A Novel (Booker Prize Winner) By Bernardine Evaristo Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9780802156983
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grove Press, Black Cat - November 5th, 2019

Girl, Woman, Other is a literary book that follows a group of Black British women like Amma, a successful lesbian playwright, and her daughter Yazz, or Bummi, a Nigerian immigrant who feels empowered by owning her own business but struggles grappling with her daughter, who feels more and more "English" every day. The book is beautifully and lyrically written, showing how some of these women's lives intertwine with each other and culminating with them all together at an after-party for one of Amma's shows. I couldn't put this Booker Prize-winning book down. 

—Carissa


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Butts: A Backstory By Heather Radke Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781982135492
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - June 13th, 2023

What first drew me to the book Butts was, of course, the cover. But, beyond what may be silly or eye-catching is a broader and deeper look at the butt throughout time and place. Rigorously breaking down something one might think is simply silly and eye-catching and looking at what it is — and what it means. Radke provides a critical look at what lies behind us and what it may mean for us now.

—Delaney


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The Wheel of the Year: An Illustrated Guide to Nature's Rhythms By Fiona Cook, Jessica Roux (Illustrator) Cover Image
By Fiona Cook, Jessica Roux (Illustrator)
$19.99
ISBN: 9781524874803
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Andrews McMeel Publishing - October 24th, 2023

This book is so beautiful and a wonderful guide for anyone that deeply connects with the natural world and its' rhythms. Following the wheel of the year and its seasons, Cook guides readers to find the magic in the world around them, calling on ancient traditions and activities to celebrate these wonders. Gorgeous illustrations from Jessica Roux pair perfectly with the thoughtfully guided activities making the reading of this book a lovely experience. While targeted to children, I feel like its a great choice for anyone that loves a beautiful book and specifically for families looking to embrace traditions and rituals based in nature.

—Rachel


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Disruptions: Stories By Steven Millhauser Cover Image
$28.00
ISBN: 9780593535417
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf - August 1st, 2023

Disruptions was a wild surprise, and definitely my favorite short story collection of the year. The collection is worth the price of admission for the first story alone. Millhauser has an incredible way of capturing the very small, unvoiced dreams and anxieties that percolate just under the surface of everyday life. Very subtle, very humane writing, but always with an eye towards the strange, the uncanny. He's a modern Kafka, but kinder.

—Stefen


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The Happy Couple: A Novel By Naoise Dolan Cover Image
$28.99
ISBN: 9780063330467
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ecco - November 7th, 2023

Celine and Luke are supposed to be a happy couple — it's why they're engaged. However, this portrait of their engagement is rendered by many hands, including family members and exes, who all want to have their say on the coupling. Humor, romance, secrets, and doubts persist as the wedding day looms closer. A thoughtful and clever picture of a couple and all the things that hold them together — and everything that threatens to pull them apart.

—Delaney


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Sooner or Later Everything Falls Into the Sea: Stories By Sarah Pinsker Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781618731555
Availability: Not Currently In-Store; May require 2-3 days before shipping
Published: Small Beer Press - March 19th, 2019

I'm devastated to have only just recently discovered Sarah Pinsker. What a deft hand, what a beautiful voice. Speculative fiction is lucky to have her, and this collection in particular is one of the best collections I've read. From the first story's enigmatic, weird scifi about cybernetic enhancement to the title story's ultimately hopeful dissection of art at the end of the world, these stories are exactly what I look for in science fiction and fantasy: high concept carried by impeccable prose. 

—Stefen


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Treacle Walker By Alan Garner Cover Image
$22.00
ISBN: 9781668025512
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Scribner - November 14th, 2023

I have to admit, I did not know about Alan Garner. So when I recently picked up Treacle Walker, I was utterly delighted! In his 87th year, Alan Garner has spent his career writing magical and philosophical books for children and adults steeped in English mythology. Treacle Walker tells the story of Joe, an adolescent boy with a lazy eye, who spends his days alone in his home reading comics and gathering bird eggs for his collection with no family to speak of. He meets a rag-and-bone man named Treacle Walker and exchanges goods with him, which leads Joe on a series of new and wild adventures that play with the idea of time, space and reality. Wandering into the woods behind his home, Joe meets Thin Amren, a bog man that helps him understand changes to his vision and perception. This is something magical about the way that Garner weaves old stories with new ideas. Treacle Walker feels timeless, a coming of age story and a fable, a story that is for everyone.  I found myself laughing at the playful language and dialect, and left with a lot to think about in the end. 

—Rachel


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The Nice House on the Lake: The Deluxe Edition By James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martino Bueno (Illustrator) Cover Image
$49.99
ISBN: 9781779521576
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: DC Comics - October 24th, 2023

I was instantly grabbed by this mysterious, end-of-the-world tale. Old friends gather for one last hurrah in a luxurious house on a lake, only to discover that one amongst them is not who they thought. Filled with some stunning, visceral artwork, and lots of twists and turns, this book satisfied the part of me that still misses and laments the tv show Lost. Readers of Stephen King, Paul Tremblay, or Sam J. Miller should definitely check this out.

—Stefen


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Who Needs Gay Bars?: Bar-Hopping Through America's Endangered LGBTQ+ Places By Greggor Mattson Cover Image
$30.00
ISBN: 9781503629202
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Redwood Press - May 30th, 2023

I will be the first to admit that I am 100% biased on this one, as I contributed to the research, writing, and editing of this book. I can attest to how well-researched, thoughtful, and downright interesting this book is. If you have ever wondered why there used to be more gay bars, or if you're just wondering that for the first time as you read this, Who Needs Gay Bars? provides the answers to that question and beyond, including insight into the fate of bars and leisure, identity and community, small businesses, drag queens, and more in the tales of a wild American road trip with me, Tory, interviewing owners of gay bars all across the country. 

—Tory


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Cold: A Novel By Drew Hayden Taylor Cover Image
$17.95
ISBN: 9780771002892
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: McClelland & Stewart - January 9th, 2024

Winter holds its own horrors for me (I am not a fan of cold weather), so in my opinion, it's the perfect season for reading horror, especially winter/cold-oriented stories.  As the title may hint, this is indeed one of those.  I was intrigued by the description of the book as both horror and comedy, a pairing that I don't always enjoy, but something about this one just seemed to line up.  As I listened to the full cast audio recording, I quickly realized that not only does the humor and horror work beautifully, the book overall is something special.  It reminds me a little bit of American Gods, but less...heroic.  After all, when your rag-tag monster-hunting team consists primarily of an almost-washed-up hockey-player and an unambitious academic specializing in indigenous folklore, you know it's going to be a bumpy (but very entertaining) ride.  


Staff Pick Badge
Freedom Is a Constant Struggle: Ferguson, Palestine, and the Foundations of a Movement By Angela Y. Davis, Frank Barat (Editor), Cornel West (Preface by) Cover Image
By Angela Y. Davis, Frank Barat (Editor), Cornel West (Preface by)
$15.95
ISBN: 9781608465644
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Haymarket Books - February 9th, 2016

I first read this when it came out in 2016 and returned to it recently. This was the first book that really helped me understand Palestine, and it is just as relevant today as it was when it was released. Who else but one of the greatest freedom fighters of our time shall we turn to in order to understand the incomprehensible violence against the Palestinian people? Davis reminds us that all fights for liberation are connected. She makes those connections visible and encourages us to think both globally and collectively as we imagine, build, and work towards the world we want to live in. 

—Tory