Part adventure, part coming-of-age, a little bit of a heist, and a general feel of a classic Greek tragedy, Amor Towles spins a true gem with his third novel. Rather, it’s a daring experiment in the idea of women living in community and the ways it can provoke and rupture established society. But this isn’t a book bogged down with horses, candles, and other period details. Almost nothing is known about the life of 12th century Middle English poet Marie de France, but Groff uses that mystery as the spark for this singular work of historical fiction.

Lucid and captivating with a strikingly unique vision, MATRIX was deservedly a National Book Award finalist. We’ve come to expect great writing from Lauren Groff, but this is something in an entirely new realm.

Most are still in stock or will be soon, so if you’ve got a gift card to burn or extra time to read on winter break, dive in! The list below is not in any particular order or ranking – it’s just a mix of beloved titles from Amy, Crete, Joe, Katarina, and me. So today I asked our erstwhile and exhausted booksellers to look around and pick a few of their favorites from 2021. While we certainly sold plenty of the Big New Books this month, we also sold dozens of older paperbacks simply on the recommendation of our staff. One of the most frequent compliments we received from the throngs of holiday shoppers was about our ‘Staff Picks’ shelf talkers that you’ll find scattered across the stacks. It’s a great time to take stock (literally, as we close for inventory on Jan. This week has been much quieter than we’ve gotten used to in the past few weeks, but I really enjoy the break from the ferocity of December. If this is your second holiday season shopping with us, I am doubly grateful for your support as we got our storefront opened for business in 2021. It was as busy a season as we could have hoped for, and we have you, dear readers, to thank. Indeed, I opened the doors this morning to see wisps of ribbon and paper rolling like tumbleweed across the floor. The dust is still settling on the holiday shopping rush.

Diamond rush desperation distrust