Julia
Hello! My name is Julia (they/them) and I’m a part-time bookseller at LBB. I’m particularly drawn to books that exist somewhere outside of genre and enjoy a good deal of ambiguity and interdisciplinary subject matter within a read.
Nobody writes like Maggie Nelson and I will stand by that until the day I die. This composition of theory, memoir, gender studies, and philosophy is something I think everyone needs to pick up and savor. Nelson gets you to think, think more, feel, feel deeply, and reframe how you engage with those you hold closest, especially as you both change and endlessly become. I devoured this.
If you're a fan of Dark Academia, and teenage existentialism, this is the one for you. Come for the moral quandary, stay for the exploration of modern Jewish orthodoxy. An incredibly unique, deeply engrossing, and painful read that rivals Tartt and her Dark Academia companions.
THIS IS MY FAVORITE NOVEL OF ALL TIME. A MASTER CLASS IN WRITING AND WE ARE OH SO LUCKY TO HAVE IT!
Hands down one of the best novels I've ever read. Here, speculative fiction meets roadside Americana, mythology, crime, satire, and so much more. Neil Gaiman never disappoints and this novel is one of the greatest we've got. Prepare to meet characters you never could have dreamt up and go along on adventures that question your understanding of the universe, past and present.
This was one of the most engrossing, painful, and complex novels about family dynamics, sibling love, and intergenerational trauma I have ever read. If you are looking for a read that will chew you up from the inside out and spit you out anew, please pick this up. Wally Lamb knows what he's doing and he does it so well.
This was a stunning insight into the socialization of twins while respecting the identities of each sibling as separate and complete on their own. As an identical twin myself, I have never felt more seen or validated. As De Bres puts it, every "singleton" should pick this up, if only to better understand and respect the twin siblings in their lives. Every twin sibling should pick this up to finally hear the words we've always wanted to hear...but you'll have to read to find out!
This is a novel that feels like a dream, or at the very least, a sleepless night in great company. Amidst conversations on leisure, economics, and utopia, Riker delivers a masterpiece that reminds all of us that there is a better world out there, waiting to be created. One of my favorite, unexpected reads of 2023!
Want to be kept in the dark as much as the characters are? Want to be frightened as much as you are repulsed? Want to be lulled with dreamy language as much as you are surprised with vulgarity? This is one of the most unique and creative novels I've ever read and one that will stick with me for a long, long time.
Rukeyser has crafted an experience of female sensuality in its rawest form. Are you in the mood for yearning, Alaskan wilderness, sleaze, and teenage naivety? Then come on in, the water's warm (or cold, seeing as we're talking about Alaska).
If you're a fan of "The Secret History," give this a try! It's just as, if not even more, brooding and intense and features a complicated queer relationship that keeps the tension at a height until the very end.