A Slice of EscapismLike this list

19 items

• Feather Thief

  Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century

  Johnson, Kirk W.,

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  A favourite re-read. Who could deny a real-life whodunit with the author sleuthing out the answers himself?

• The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl. Vol. 1, Squirrel Power

  North, Ryan, 1980-

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  Sometimes you need to disappear into a world where villains are defeatable by the power of friendship. The art of Henderson and comedy of North helps, too.

• Annihilation

  VanderMeer, Jeff

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  Not a happy escape, but an intense (and slightly spooky) one.

• Binti

  Okorafor, Nnedi,

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  Okorafor always packs so much punch in so few words. No better escapism than into her rich, futuristic-historic worlds.

• The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

  a Novel

  Zevin, Gabrielle

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  A tissue box is a requirement for this one. This smashes together the cozy bookstore genre with romance with poignant family drama. It's a winning combo.

• Paper Girls. 1

  Vaughan, Brian K,

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  Nostalgia + scifi wildness + fun art = an awesome read

• A Curious Beginning

  Raybourn, Deanna

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  I reread this whole series every time a new installment comes out. Main character and lady scientist Speedwell is an absurd delight and plays beautifully off of almost-romantic lead Stocker.

• Shubeik Lubeik

  Muḥammad, Dīnā,

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  Award-winning graphic novel that had me glued to the pages. I love stories that follow different character that then all weave together into one narrative. Muhammad is a fabulous young author to keep an eye on.

• The Devotion of Suspect X

  Higashino, Keigo, 1958-

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  The world is chock full of murder mysteries. This one is by far my favourite. It's rich and spare and surprising.

• Dog Songs

  Thirty-five Dog Songs and One Essay

  Oliver, Mary, 1935-

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  The illustrations are precious. You'll probably cry. It's great.

• Rat Queens. Volume One, Sass and Sorcery

  Wiebe, Kurtis J., 1979-

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  A group of badass ladies cause trouble and save villages while also trying to live the fantasy world equivalent of early 20s life. It's a vibe.

• The Bad-ass Librarians of Timbuktu

  and Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscripts

  Hammer, Joshua, 1957-

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  This story is amazing. It just goes to show that real life really is often wilder than fiction.

• Shadowshaper (The Shadowshaper Cypher, Book 1)

  Older, Daniel José

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  Older's urban worlds are so believable and compelling, and I love the intergenerational aspect balanced by young people coming into their inheritance and making it their own.

• Trail of Lightning

  Roanhorse, Rebecca,

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  If you love a mythology-monster story, this is a great one to reach for. You'll be cheering Maggie on as she tries to keep the locals safe by unravelling a dark and dangerous mystery.

• A Study in Scarlet Women

  Thomas, Sherry

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  I love retellings of classic novels, and this series is a genuinely fabulous one for Sherlock Holmes fans. The main character is refreshing in her perspective and voice, and the people she collects are just as compelling.

• She Who Became the Sun

  Parker-Chan, Shelley

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  Historical fiction meets political intrigue and queer love stories in this whopper of a book. It was especially fun to dig into 14th century China, which was a fascinating time that not many English-language writers cover.

• Georgia O'Keeffe, Art and Letters

  O'Keeffe, Georgia, 1887-1986

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  O'Keeffe is famous for her paintings and drawings. But her letters are even more compelling in my opinion. It's a beautifully expressed glimpse into what life was really like for women of her class at the time.

• Sunshine

  McKinley, Robin

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  Like the main character's favourite book, I only allow myself to read this one any more when I'm sick. My copy is falling apart. Peak comfort read.

• The Book With No Pictures

  Novak, B. J., 1979-

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  This book wins many a March Madness book bracket with young readers year after year. But this book is also a delight for parents and other adults needing a brief bit of absurd whimsy in their life.