Staff Picks: Jessie Stratton’s Favorites
I’m Jessie and I work as a Marketing Assistant at Penguin Press. I run our TikTik account and help market books to our consumers via social media and bookseller outreach. I’m a sucker for memoir and literary fiction in particular. You can find me talking about what I love to read on Instagram at @curiousgardenreads, inspired by my time living in France.
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Add to BookshelfKnow My Name
by Chanel Miller
One of the best memoirs I’ve ever read. Heart wrenching in more ways than one, but while injustice and confusion coat the narrative, Miller includes moments of hope, joy, and growth that help you to push on. Beautiful writing and an important lesson for humankind to speak up and hold the systems-at-large accountable. Be the Swede.
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$19.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Interior Chinatown
by Charles Yu
Yu uses a location to tell a story of race, class, and community in this brilliant work of fiction. Dark and comedic, Interior Chinatown is a deeply moving masterpiece about pop culture, immigration, assimilation, and escaping the roles society forces us to play. Be prepared to be wow’d!
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$17.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Malibu Rising: A Read with Jenna Pick
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
A coming-of-age family saga in 1980s Malibu with all the bells and whistles: glamour, rivalry, and a sense of sibling kinship. The dual timeline and underlying mystery around this family’s annual summer party kept me on my toes. Each character was superbly written. This book will have you wanting to find out what happens next!
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$28.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine: Reese’s Book Club
by Gail Honeyman
If ever there was a laugh-out-loud, raw, honest reflection on the human condition and the battle between loneliness and community, this is it. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine discusses mental health and the power of friendship and kindness centered around a quirky main character who just wants to be known. Plus, there’s a cat involved.
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$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
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Outlander (Starz Tie-in Edition)
by Diana Gabaldon
I discovered the Outlander books in 2017, just one year too late since I’d seen Castle Leod the year before in Scotland and not fully appreciated it. Diana Gabaldon awakened the ravenous reader within me with this book. Outlander is full of heart, adventure, and love in all its forms. It’s spicy, it’s heartbreaking, and everything you could want in a historical romance involving time travel!
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$18.00Buy from Other Retailers:
