Staff Pick Sleepers

Sometimes when we read a book we can’t wait to write up a staff pick card, thinking “This book was great, I’m sure everyone will love it!.” And then, the book just sits on the shelf…hardly anyone buys a copy. Why is that? Here are seven books we thought were wonderful, expecting you would share our love for them. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case. Let's give these books the appreciation they deserve!

Bogie & Bacall by William J. Mann

Roxanne says: A comprehensive double biography which delves into truth over myth. Mann looks at several viewpoints to come up with his best estimate of Bogie and Bacall's lives behind closed doors. Terrific movie anecdotes included as well!

The Hero of This Book by Elizabeth McCracken

Bryn and Andrea’s pick. Andrea says: An ode to the narrator's mother who lived a full, but painful life. I really enjoyed the narrator's voice and was heartened by the relationship of mother and daughter.

Juliette, or the Ghosts Return in the Spring by Camille Jourdy

Andrea says: A beautifully drawn, melancholy look at family life. It left me feeling more sad than happy, but I liked it a lot, especially the artwork.

Quite Street: An American Privilege by Nick McDonell

Nora says: McDonell writes beautifully and unsparingly about the world he grew up in: the one percent of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and meditates on the costs of this entrenched wealth, both to the individuals within this gilded cage and to society at large. This is a nuanced, careful parsing of a life and a world he both loves and finds appalling. Highly recommended.

True West by Robert Greenfield Roxanne says: True West is a comprehensive, yet succinct look at Shepard's serpentine and creative life. Robert Greenfield is able to entertainingly weld together various sources and accounts of Shepard's various identities; from self-hating playwright to swaggering ladies' man to closeted malcontent. Greenfield's ability to tell anecdotes is a fun escape.

Hope Against Hope by Nadezhda Mandelstam

Scott says: The classic memoir of life and death among the Russian literary intelligentsia in the time of Stalin, a testament to the irrepressible spirit of poet Osip Mandelstan and his circle, a singular love story.

The Happy Couple by Naoise Dolan

Roxanne says: A recent study reported that a significant portion of thirty-somethings are marrying within their friends group. The Happy Couple takes this finding to a fun, snappy fictionalized degree. Her snappy dialogue and love of list making provide a fun, will-they-or-won't-they read.