Riley's Picks

In elementary school, her teachers would tell Riley they'd never seen a kid with such an innate passion for reading. Her love of books quickly graduated to a love of writing, and she is currently working toward a Professional Writing degree at Champlain College. Her greatest dream is to be a bestselling novelist.

The Call of the Wild, White Fang & To Build a Fire By Jack London

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Riley
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The Call of the Wild, White Fang & To Build a Fire (Modern Library Classics) (Paperback)

By Jack London, E.L. Doctorow (Introduction by)
$10.00
ISBN: 9780375752513
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days.
Published: Modern Library - September 14th, 1998

Jack London's three timeless tales of the Arctic belong together in this book. London's characterization of dogs is truly his own, weaving together familiarities of man's best friend and our own human race. London expertly juxtaposes and assimilates dogs and people as well as the wild and civilization in these well-loves stories.

Into the Wild By Jon Krakauer

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Into the Wild (Paperback)

By Jon Krakauer
$15.00
ISBN: 9780385486804
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Anchor - January 20th, 1997

A tale of a young man entranced by figures of transcendentalism who embarks on a lonesome, nomadic adventure and ends up dead in the Alaskan Bush. Fueled by romanticized goals of unity with nature and scorn for the material world, Chris McCandless reminds us of a primal desire hidden deep within ourselves. Jon Krakauer's narration completes the piece, chalk full of thorough research and insightful analysis. A nonfiction masterpiece!

The Power by Naomi Alderman

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Riley
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The Power (Hardcover)

By Naomi Alderman
$26.00
ISBN: 9780316547611
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days.
Published: Little, Brown and Company - October 10th, 2017

What happens when a biological shift suddenly gives women a power that men will never have? Strange, provocative, and "electrifying," The Power illustrates what can happen in a world ruled by women.

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

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Where the Crawdads Sing (Hardcover)

By Delia Owens
$26.00
ISBN: 9780735219090
Availability: Not in stock. At Our Partner Warehouse: Usually Ships in 4-7 Days.
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons - August 14th, 2018

An extraordinary story about a girl growing up in a swamp in the most unconventional way. There's nature, adventure, love, and murder. What else do you really need?

The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson

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The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration (Paperback)

By Isabel Wilkerson
$17.95
ISBN: 9780679763888
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Vintage - October 4th, 2011

I don't normally read history, but this book gripped me from start to end. Wilkerson's research is phenomenal, writing about these real people and stories with such detail and passion that it is as if she had created them herself. Well worth all 525 pages!

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

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The Vanishing Half: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Brit Bennett
$27.00
ISBN: 9780525536291
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Riverhead Books - June 2nd, 2020

There's a reason this topped the Indie Bestseller's list and a reason I now list it as one of the best books I've read. I would have believed anything who told me that this was a true story because of eloquent way Bennett crafted and wrote Desiree, Stella, Jude, and Kennedy. Two separate worlds that have more in common than they care to admit, and what happens when someone crossed from one into the other without looking back.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

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My Brilliant Friend: Neapolitan Novels, Book One (Paperback)

By Elena Ferrante, Ann Goldstein (Translated by)
$17.00
ISBN: 9781609450786
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Europa Editions - September 25th, 2012

Truly captures what it is like to grow up with a best friend. Relatable, humble, and stark, I breezed through the first book in the series.

The Candymakers by Wendy Mass

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Riley
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The Candymakers (Paperback)

By Wendy Mass
$9.99
ISBN: 9780316002592
Availability: Click Title to See Location Inventory
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - October 3rd, 2011

All of Wendy Mass' books are extraordinary, but this one is something else. Unassuming with its goofy cover and candy theme, The Candymakers pleasantly surprised me with winding plot and thirst-quenching mystery. One timeline with four perspectives told one at a time. With each new POV, there is explanation... yet the mystery seems only to thicken...

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