Kristin R.'s Picks

Kristin is an artist who lives in a house that is part library, part weird and eccentric art collection. She is an eclectic reader, often stealing her husband's current book (to the point where he's started leaving bookmarks in things he thinks she might enjoy!) Some of her favorite authors include Ursula K. LeGuin, Jonathan Stroud, Tamsyn Muir, Nicola Yoon and Kiese Laymon. When not at the bookshop, she is usually working on art or...you guessed it, reading. If you find yourself in our Burlington store, check out her mural, right above the children's section.

Sugaring Off by Gillian French

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Kristin R.
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Sugaring Off (Hardcover)

By Gillian French
$17.99
ISBN: 9781643752709
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: Algonquin Young Readers - November 1st, 2022

Owl works alongside her aunt and uncle on their sugaring operation, ten years after a violent incident that sent her father to jail and left her partially deaf. This is an atmospheric story that will resonate with anyone who's spent a length of time outside in a New England winter. Owl is a resolute 17 year old, intrigued by a young ne'er do well who blows into town and is sent to help alongside her on the family's sugarbush. Her deafness is part of her, but not the focus of the story.

Blowin' My Mind Like a Summer by Benjamin Roesch

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Kristin R.
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Blowin' My Mind Like a Summer Breeze (Paperback)

By Benjamin Roesch
$14.99
ISBN: 9781777666835
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Deep Hearts YA - July 22nd, 2022

Music, first love, and discovering yourself, all during an epic 1980's summer concert tour...performing with your parents? It's a great list of ingredients and Burlington author Roesch handles them beautifully. Rainey Cobb goes from feeling stifled but afraid of disappointing her family, to realizing she can be true to herself without the world ending.

Paradise Sands: A Story of Enchantment By Levi Pinfold

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Kristin R.
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Paradise Sands: A Story of Enchantment (Hardcover)

By Levi Pinfold, Levi Pinfold (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9781536212822
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: Candlewick Studio - November 8th, 2022

Four children are traversing a dusty, ominous landscape to pick up their mother from the hospital. During a stop to gather flowers, the brothers are lured into a mysterious palatial building, leaving their sister to rescue them, but at a cost. Pinfold's stunning artwork is worthy of attention from readers of all ages, and barely needs the words to tell the tale. Truly haunting!
 

The Weight of Blood By Tiffany D. Jackson

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Kristin R.
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The Weight of Blood (Hardcover)

By Tiffany D. Jackson
$19.99
ISBN: 9780063029149
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Katherine Tegen Books - September 6th, 2022

Tiffany Jackson may have taken the movie "Carrie" as her jumping off point, but this is no play-by-play imitation. Her love of the original comes through in matching the misery of being an outcast in high school, the immediate horror of the abusive parent, and the insidious horror of trying to survive institutionalized racism. This is one heck of a good read that will have you investing in one character after another, despite knowing few will survive.
 

Kings of B'More by R. Eric Thomas

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Kristin R.
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Kings of B'more (Hardcover)

By R. Eric Thomas
$18.99
ISBN: 9780593326183
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: Kokila - May 31st, 2022

If the last time you watched Ferris Bueller's Day Off made you cringe a bit, this is the perfect antidote. The dual perspective is well done, and the summertime vibes are DELIGHTFUL. Kings of B'More is both an ode to Linus & Harrison's friendship, and a rom-com where the wildest plans somehow come together in an epic manner.
 

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet by Jen Ferguson

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Kristin R.
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The Summer of Bitter and Sweet (Hardcover)

By Jen Ferguson
$17.99
ISBN: 9780063086166
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Heartdrum - May 10th, 2022

Ferguson does a fantastic job of putting the reader in Lou's shoes. Sensitive handling of some triggering topics (I was really grateful for Ferguson's author note!) made it a compelling read. Notes about the family's fantastic ice cream varieties head each chapter and add a tasty backdrop to a gripping story about life as an indigenous teen in the Canadian prairie.

Ironhead, or, Once a Young Lady by Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem, Kristen Gehrman (Translated by)

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Kristin R.
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Ironhead, or, Once a Young Lady (Hardcover)

By Jean-Claude van Rijckeghem, Kristen Gehrman (Translated by)
$18.99
ISBN: 9781646140480
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: Levine Querido - March 1st, 2022

Hard-headed (Con)Stance is a heroine worth cheering for. Never comfortable living within her parent's expectations, she leaves an arranged marriage and joins, of all things, Napoleon's army. Stance quickly becomes one of the boys, with sharp wit, fearlessness, and a well-placed pair of socks. This tale has elements of Terry Pratchett's "Monstrous Regiment," though with more Sapphic undertones. I love historical fiction with a good twist!

Geishaa: A Life by Mineko Iwasaki

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Kristin R
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Geisha: A Life (Paperback)

By Mineko Iwasaki, Rande Brown (With)
$17.99
ISBN: 9780743444293
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: Washington Square Press - September 1st, 2003

An excellent clap-back to the popular "Memoirs of a Geisha," which played into the salacious preconceptions of the Japanese geiko tradition. Iwasaki sets the story straight: how she became one of the legendary geisha performers through her dedication to and appreciation of the arts. The details of life in the Gion Kobu are simply fascinating.

Hench by Natalie Zina Walschots

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Kristin R
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Hench: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Natalie Zina Walschots
$27.99
ISBN: 9780062978578
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days
Published: William Morrow - September 22nd, 2020

It's not often that spreadsheets and data-mining are the basis for a book that's equally gripping and hilarious. Walschots has written a delicious concoction from the tropes of office politics and the darker side of superhero/ supervillain interactions.

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