The holiday shopping season is here, albeit a little delayed this year! Slow things down and give yourself a moment amid the rush with our, not one but, two Monthly Staff Picks this December. Our Selections both feature smaller sized pieces that provide the perfect spot of reading respite.

‘Life’s Short, Talk Fast’ is a collection of essays, edited by Ann Hood, that has writers celebrating, reminiscing, and dissecting their relationships with the beloved and binged television classic ‘Gilmore Girls’.

And ‘Christmas and Other Horrors’ brings together favorite authors like Garth Nix, Cassandra Khaw, and Stephen Graham Jones for a collection of short horror stories that center around just about any winter holiday you can think of.

These final picks of the year also make great gifts for, perhaps, slightly harder to shop for gift recipients and are available for 20% off through the month of December, while supplies last.

We hope to see you for more Monthly Staff Pick fun in the New Year!

Fast-talking, warm-hearted, and endlessly rewatchable, Gilmore Girls has bonded real-life mothers and daughters since 2000, when its iconic pilot introduced us to Lorelai, Rory, and their idyllic Connecticut town of Stars Hollow. More than twenty years later, it has become one of the most-streamed TV shows, ever.
In an anthology as intimate and quick-witted as Gilmore Girls itself, best-selling author Ann Hood invites fifteen writers to investigate their personal relationships to the show. ("It's a show? It's a lifestyle. It's a religion.") Joanna Rakoff considers how Emily Gilmore helped her understand her own mother; Sanjena Sathian sees herself--and Asian American defiance--in Lane Kim; Freya North connects with her son through the show; Francesco Sedita discovers an antidote to pandemic loneliness; Nina de Gramont offers a comic ode to the unreality of Stars Hollow. For anyone who identifies as Team Logan, Team Jess, or even Team Dean, Life's Short, Talk Fast reveals what Gilmore Girls tells us about ourselves--and why it matters.
This publication has not been prepared, approved, or licensed by Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc.; Warner Bros Television; or any other entity or individual associated with the creation or production of Gilmore Girls.
Hugo Award winning editor, and horror legend, Ellen Datlow presents this chilling horror anthology of 18 original short stories exploring the endless terrors of winter solstice traditions across the globe, featuring chillers by Tananarive Due, Stephen Graham Jones, Alma Katsu and many more.
The winter solstice is celebrated as a time of joy around the world--yet the long nights also conjure a darker tradition of ghouls, hauntings, and visitations. This anthology of all-new stories invites you to huddle around the fire and revel in the unholy, the dangerous, the horrific aspects of a
time when families and friends come
together--for better and for worse.
From the eerie Austrian Schnabelperchten to the skeletal Welsh Mari Lwyd, by way of ravenous golems, uncanny neighbors, and unwelcome visitors, Christmas and Other Horrors captures the heart and horror of the festive season.
Because the weather outside is frightful, but the fire inside is hungry...
Featuring stories from:
Nadia Bulkin
Terry Dowling
Tananarive Due
Jeffrey Ford
Christopher Golden
Stephen Graham Jones
Glen Hirshberg
Richard Kadrey
Alma Katsu
Cassandra Khaw
John Langan
Josh Malerman
Nick Mamatas
Garth Nix
Benjamin Percy
M. Rickert
Kaaron Warren

Monthly Staff Picks | December 2024

Name

First Name

Last Name

Subject

Message

Adult Fiction
- What It's Like in Words - Moss, Eliza (Author)
- Private Rites - Armfield, Julia (Author)
- Poor Deer - Oshetsky, Claire (Author)
- Rental House - Wang, Weike (Author)
Arts & Entertainment
- Falling in Love at the Movies: Rom-Coms from the Screwball Era to Today (Turner Classic Movies) - Zuckerman, Esther (Author)
- Giant Love: Edna Ferber, Her Best-Selling Novel of Texas, and the Making of a Classic American Film - Gilbert, Julie (Author)
Biography
- Autobiography of a Face [Thirtieth Anniversary Edition] - Grealy, Lucy (Author) , Jaouad, Suleika Francey (Foreword by)
Board Books
- Will You Be My Friend? Padded Board Book (Guess How Much I Love You) - McBratney, Sam (Author) , Jeram, Anita (Illustrator)
Body, Mind & Spirit
- How to Thrive in Hard Times: A Buddhist Manual - Fulder, Stephen (Author)
Chapter Books
- Dog Man: Big Jim Begins: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #13) - Pilkey, Dav (Author) , Pilkey, Dav (Illustrator)
- Haunting of the Ghost Dragon: A Branches Book (Dragon Masters #27) - West, Tracey (Author) , Howells, Graham (Illustrator)
Children’s Reference
- The Worry Monster: Calming Anxiety with Mindfulness - Cook-Cottone, Catherine (Author) , Podesta, Lena (Illustrator)
Current Events & Politics
- Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism - Sabin, Paul (Author)
History
- Flee North: A Forgotten Hero and the Fight for Freedom in Slavery's Borderland - Shane, Scott (Author)
- Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening - Brinkley, Douglas (Author)
- The Last Tsar: The Abdication of Nicholas II and the Fall of the Romanovs - Hasegawa, Tsuyoshi (Author)
Homestead
- Ingrained: The Making of a Craftsman - Robinson, Callum (Author)
- Cabin: Off the Grid Adventures with a Clueless Craftsman - Hutchison, Patrick (Author)
Just the Facts
- History as It Happened: A Map-By-Map Guide - DK (Author)
Middle Readers
- Second to None - Howell, Destiny (Author)
- Unraveled Book 9.5 (Keeper of the Lost Cities) - Messenger, Shannon (Author)
- Otters' Moon - Bailey, Susanna (Author)
- Raven Winter - Bailey, Susanna (Author)
- Smugglers' Fox - Bailey, Susanna (Author)
- Once Upon a Tim (Reprint) (Once Upon a Tim #1) - Gibbs, Stuart (Author) , Choi, Chris (Illustrator)
- The Labyrinth of Doom (Reprint) (Once Upon a Tim #2) - Gibbs, Stuart (Author) , Choi, Chris (Illustrator)
- Katie and the Cupcake Cure: Deluxe Edition (Cupcake Diaries #1) - Simon, Coco (Author)
- MIA in the Mix: Deluxe Edition (Cupcake Diaries #2) - Simon, Coco (Author)
- Emma on Thin Icing: Deluxe Edition (Cupcake Diaries #3) - Simon, Coco (Author)
- Alexis and the Perfect Recipe: Deluxe Edition (Cupcake Diaries #4) - Simon, Coco (Author)
My First Readers
- Paddington in Peru: Paddington's Jungle Quest (I Can Read Level 1) - Gerlings, Rebecca (Author)
Mystery & Thriller
- Think Twice (Myron Bolitar) - Coben, Harlan (Author)
Nature
- Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants Is Good for Our Health - Willis, Kathy (Author)
Picture Books
- Lefty - Willems, Mo (Author) , Santat, Dan (Illustrator)
- Bert, the Bowerbird: The Small Bird with a Big Heart - Donaldson, Julia (Author) , Rayner, Catherine (Illustrator)
Romance
- Keep Me in Your Heart (Lancaster Prep Next Generation #2) - Murphy, Monica (Author)
- The Warrior King (Inferno Rising #3) - Owen, Abigail (Author)
- The Cursed King (Inferno Rising #4) - Owen, Abigail (Author)
- Under Loch and Key - Ferguson, Lana (Author)
- Satan's Affair - Carlton, H D (Author)
- Quicksilver (Fae & Alchemy #1) - Hart, Callie (Author)
- Hooked (Collector's Edition) (Never After #1) - McIntire, Emily (Author)
- Scorched (Deluxe Edition) (Special) (Frigid #2) - Armentrout, Jennifer L (Author)
- A Five-Letter Word for Love - James, Amy (Author)
- Private Scandals - Roberts, Nora (Author)
Science Fiction & Fantasy
- The Last One (Deluxe Limited Edition) - Hall, Rachel Howzell (Author)
- Heartsong: A Green Creek Novel (Green Creek #3) - Klune, Tj (Author)
- Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction - Leckie, Ann (Author)
- Timeless: A Drizzt Novel (Generations #1) - Salvatore, R A (Author)
Stickers
- National Parks Stickerology: Stickers for Hikers, Campers, Explorers, and More: Stickers for Journals, Water Bottles, Laptops, Planners, and Smartp… - Potter Gift (Author)
Young Adult
- To Shatter the Night (Deluxe Limited Edition) (Mistlands #2) - Quinn, Katherine (Author)
- Oddity - Brown, Eli (Author) , Rytter, Karin (Illustrator)

Overview (Our Top 5 Picks)

In DOG MAN: BIG JIM BEGINS, discover the origin of our beloved characters from the Dog Man series as they join forces to stop the Space Cuties from destroying the city. Will the past predict the future for Dog Man and his friends? Will goodness and bravery prevail? Can anything happen if you truly believe?
Get ready for another unforgettable book in the #1 worldwide bestselling series from acclaimed graphic novelist and award-winning illustrator Dav Pilkey. AND coming soon, the Dog Man movie from DreamWorks Animation and Universal Pictures!
For more heartfelt and humorous adventures, join Flippy and Li'l Petey in the Cat Kid Comic Club series. Have fun with creativity with the official coloring book, Dog Man with Love. And don't forget about the series that started it all: Captain Underpants!
Prepare to swoon, ugly cry, laugh, and fall in love with this officially licensed exploration of the impact and legacy of one of film's most beloved genres from Turner Classic Movies: the rom-com.
Romantic comedies have had an incredible influence on popular culture, shaping everything from how we think of relationships to fashion. Often swept aside in film history, these movies are thought of as pure comfort viewing. Although they certainly provide those fuzzy feelings, they have also had a significant artistic influence and cultural impact. Spanning decades of romantic comedies--from movies of the 1930s such asIt Happened One Nightand the rom com craze of the 80s and 90s includingWhen Harry Met Sally...all the way to contemporary hits likeCrazy Rich Asians, and everything in between--Falling in Love at the Movieswill make you fall in love (all over again) with romantic comedies.
Esther Zuckerman--accomplished entertainment journalist and member of the New York Film Critic's Circle--takes readers on a journey through the rom-com. She examines the psychological aspects that make us so drawn to these types of films, diving deep into the key auteurs--from Preston Sturges to James L. Brooks to Nora Ephron and beyond--who both created and subverted the canon.These directors, actors, and writers shaped the genre, establishing and also busting traditional pillars and tenets of these movies such as the "Perfect Pair" or "The Man in Crisis" and "The High Maintenance Woman." Featuring full-color images from the films throughout, along the way Zuckerman takes detours, explores iconic lines of dialogue (Who could forget Julia Roberts' "I'm also just a girl, standing in front of a boy, asking him to love her" iconic moment fromNotting Hill?) to memorable scenes (the magical moments at the Empire State Building inAn Affair to RememberandSleepless in Seattle) and weaves in interviews of artists and romantic comedy fanatics in the industry.
Looking beyond the traditional rom-com, Zuckerman digs into the nooks and crannies, the films that buck the trend of "happily ever after," the ones that think beyond heteronormative narratives, and the indies that kept the rom-com alive outside of the studio system, to offer a more comprehensive story of the rom-com than has ever been seen before--and one that you're bound to love. How's that for a happy ending?
LIMITED FIRST PRINT RUN―featuring spray-painted edges with a stenciled design, as well as gorgeously detailed endpapers. This breathtaking first edition is available for a limited time and while supplies last in the US and Canada only.
"Masterful storytelling with a female protagonist worth rooting for."--#1NYTbestselling author Rebecca Yarros
"Romantasy readers won't be able to turn the pages fast enough."--Publishers Weekly
Order now and receive the stunning DELUXE FIRST PRINT RUN while supplies last―featuring gorgeous sprayed edges with stenciled artwork and special cover design features. This breathtaking collectible is only available as part of a LIMITED FIRST PRINT RUN in the US and Canada only, a must-have for any book lover.
Step intoNew York Timesbestselling author Monica Murphy's mesmerizing and emotionally charged romance featuring Rowan Lancaster, the son of Crew and Wren fromA Million Kisses in Your Lifetime.With an exclusive bonus scene.
This was supposed to be the best year of Rowan Lancaster's life. Instead, thanks to a massive linebacker, his ankle is broken and his last football season at Lancaster Prep is done.Just like that. Now his days are dull and gray. Boring.
Except for the days that include Arabella Hartley Thomas.
She's the girl everyone wants to be friends with. Beautiful but approachable. Stylish. Quirky. Yet she gets under Rowan's skin like no other, and he doesn't understand why. Sure, they flirt and banter and give each other grief. But now she invades his dreams and makes his heart pound so hard he's sure she can see it.
Until suddenly, not only does Arabella see every part that he wishes he could hide, he realizes if he let himself, he could fall--hard.
Which is the same day he learns she might be leaving...for good.
A Next Big Idea Club must-read selection for December!
A ground-breaking investigation into newly discovered evidence showing that remarkable things happen to our bodies and our minds when our senses connect with the natural world.
We all take for granted the idea that being in nature makes us feel better. But if you were a skeptical scientist--or indeed any kind of skeptic--who wanted hard scientific evidence for this idea, where would you look? And how would that evidence be gathered?
It wasn't until Dr. Kathy Willis was asked to contribute to an international project looking for the societal benefits we gain from plants that she stumbled across a study that radically changed the way she saw the natural world. In the study there was clear proof that patients recovering from gall bladder operations recovered more quickly if they werelookingat trees.
In fact, in the last decade there has been an explosion of "proof" that incredible things happen to our bodies and our minds when our senses interact with the natural world. InGood Nature, Kathy Willis takes the reader on a journey with her to dig out all the experiments around the world that are looking for this evidence--experiments made easier by the new kinds of data being collected from satellites and big-data biobanks. Having a vase of roses on your desk or a green wall in your office makes a measurable difference to your well-being; certain scents in room diffusers genuinely can boost your immune system; and, in a chapter that Kathy calls "Hidden Sense," we learn that touching organic soil has a significant effect on the healthiness of your microbiome.
What is remarkable about this book is how its revelations should be commonsense--schools should let children play in nature to improve their health and concentration; urban streets should have trees--and yet it reveals just how difficult it is toprovethis to businesses and governments. As Kathy Willis says in her narrative, "We now know enough to self-prescribe in our homes, offices or working spaces, gardens, and when out walking. However small these individual actions might be, overall they have the potential to provide a large number of health benefits. And we need to be encouraging others to do the same. Nature is far more than just something that is useful for our health. It is not a dispensable commodity. It is an inherent part of us."

New Releases | December 3rd, 2024

Name

First Name

Last Name

Subject

Message

Life's Short, Talk Fast: Fifteen Writers on Why We Can't Stop Watching Gilmore Girls (An Unauthorized)

Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology

New Release List (Click to Expand)

Overview (Our Top 5 Picks)

Dog Man: Big Jim Begins: A Graphic Novel (Dog Man #13)

Falling in Love at the Movies: Rom-Coms from the Screwball Era to Today (Turner Classic Movies)

The Last One (Deluxe Limited Edition)

Keep Me in Your Heart (Lancaster Prep Next Generation #2)

Good Nature: Why Seeing, Smelling, Hearing, and Touching Plants Is Good for Our Health