The Old Sleigh is a tale of family, a celebration of movement, a story of changing and staying the same. Beautiful illustrations highlight a delightfully cozy tale.
The Old Sleigh by Jarrett Pumphrey, (List Price: $18.99, Norton Young Readers, 9781324054122, November 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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There are different types of cookbooks. Some focus on the science…others on weeknight meals…but this one focuses on beauty, gorgeous pictures make this cookbook an adult picture book that you want to look at over and over. The recipes are not simple but works of art that will take your time and reward you with all things beautiful, beautiful to look at and pop in your mouth.
Gateaux by Mori Yoshida, (List Price: $40, Tra Publishing, 9781962098120, April 2025)
Reviewed by Ashby Rushing, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Stella Sedgwick is a young black woman in late 19th-century England. She wants to be a writer and an independent woman. When a surprise inheritance brings her into London society, she resurrects her mother’s newspaper advice column anonymously in this fun YA historical romance.
The Great Misfortune of Stella Sedgwick by S. Isabelle, (List Price: $19.99, Isabelle, S., 9781335006967, July 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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I love this celebration of forts, the ones found in nature, to the ones you can build for yourself. Forts are for gathering with friends or being alone in this delightful picture book.
Forts by Katie Venit, (List Price: $18.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593466155, July 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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I loved this book. I never learned how to cook and have spent most of my life struggling with feeding myself. What I would give to go back in time and hand this book to younger versions of myself. I’m also someone with a history of disordered eating and depression, and this book speaks so kindly to those parts of me. If you struggle with feeding yourself, either because you didn’t learn how to cook, or you’re depressed or low-energy, or you just have a demanding job and can’t deal with making yourself an involved, multi-step dinner, this book is the answer. It helped me so much that I told the registered dietitian I work with about it, and she bought one for her office. I’m also obsessed with one of the meals in the book: potstickers, broccoli, and ramen. And not for nothing, this is one of the funniest books I’ve ever read. Three cheers for Margaret!
You Gotta Eat by Margaret Eby, (List Price: $19.99, Quirk Books, 9781683694427, November 2024)
Reviewed by Kim Baldwin, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Margot is determined to become a real songwriter. If she does, her dad may come home. When she finds an abandoned synthesizer, she’s sure her songs will sound better with it than her ukulele. But the instrument may be haunted by a pop star from the 1980s!
Free Piano (Not Haunted) by Whitney Gardner, (List Price: $23.99, Simon and Schuster Books for Young Readers, 9781665938136, July 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Ren lives in hiding with her adopted family in the mountains, performing as an acrobat in their traveling caravan. When danger strikes, she releases her magical power of light. Sunho lives in the Under World, his memories erased. He is one of many sent to find Ren and capture her. When they meet, he doesn’t realize she is the girl he’s looking for as they begin their journey together.. This immersive fantasy world is very cinematic with an intriguing story.
The Floating World by Axie Oh, (List Price: $19.99, Feiwel & Friends, 9781250853080, April 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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The Raven Boys is one of my absolute favorite series, and I was really interested to see how it would be adapted for this graphic novel. The storyline is complex and not necessarily well suited to this format, and the writing is so beautiful and atmospheric that I wasn’t sure how it would translate. I can happily say this edition does a SUPERB job. Everything looks exactly as I imagined. Every page was full of magic and atmosphere. As a fan of the series, there were so many foreshadowing clues. I absolutely cannot wait to see the rest of the series adapted. Whether a long-time fan or a newbie to Maggie Stiefvater, any lover of magic and dark whimsy will devour this!!
The Raven Boys: The Graphic Novel by Maggie Stiefvater, (List Price: $17.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593621189, August 2025)
Reviewed by Rachel Randolph, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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8th grader Bea survives a shooting at her school, carrying the aftermath with her. Therapeutic horseback riding and her community help her grow toward healing as she raises her voice for change in this powerful verse novel.
Please Pay Attention by Jamie Sumner, (List Price: $17.99, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 9781665956079, April 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Look, whatever Brian Selznick does, I’m here for it–and his first YA novel is no exception! I loved watching Danny and Angelo’s story unfold as they discover the city of Rome, stories hidden across art history, and their love for one another.
Run Away With Me by Brian Selznick, (List Price: $24.99, Scholastic Press, 9781339035529, April 2025)
Reviewed by Lindsay Lynch, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Clara Harrington is summoned to England to retrieve the dictionary of her mother’s lost language. The dictionary disappeared, along with her mother, many years ago. Clara’s journey is full of more questions than answers, but she refuses to leave until she uncovers the truth. This is an enchanting novel inspired by a true literary mystery.
The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan Henry, (List Price: $29.99, Atria Books, 9781668011874, March 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Maeve’s world burned down (literally) seven years ago. Her father was responsible for the crime. A letter from the past arrives, claiming he’s innocent. Maeve practices scriptomancy, the magic of enchanting letters. She impersonates her way into the only place she can uncover the truth in this atmospheric, dark fantasy.
The Otherwhere Post by Emily J. Taylor, (List Price: $20.99, G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers, 9780593404546, February 2025)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Piper Waterstone loves her books! She loves them so much, she wants to keep them with her forever. When she discovers the library, she learns the art of sharing and friendship in this beautiful picture book.
All the Books by Hayley Rocco, (List Price: $18.99, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9780316512749, October 2024)
Reviewed by Rae Ann Parker, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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Beginning in New York City in a tangled web of post-academia adulthood, in the late-20s, early-30s haze, Masquerade follows Meadow through a life in New York City, a childhood left behind in Shanghai, a friendship with his mysterious artist friend, and an ever-increasingly odd set of coincidences of mirrors and doubles, wrapped up in an odd book of 1930s Shanghai. Past the layers of mirrors and doubles, peeling away history and memory, Masquerade is about resisting the inertia of remaining in life when and where it’s comfortable and instead (re)-writing the story as you would like to see it.
Masquerade by Mike Fu, (List Price: $17.95, Tin House Books, 9781959030843, October 2024)
Reviewed by Mikey LaFave, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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An orphan with her own agenda of revenge, Arthie is forced to steal from vampire society in order to keep her teahouse and her found family safe. The worldbuilding, the vibes, and the cast of characters are all perfection. Faizal has delivered a twisty page-turner that I haven’t stopped thinking about.
A Tempest of Tea by Hafsah Faizal, (List Price: $20.99, Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR), 9780374389406, February 2024)
Reviewed by Chelsea Stringfield, Parnassus Books in Nashville, Tennessee
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