Virginia Bookstores

Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones

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Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones
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I will forever love Leslie Jones and this book just solidified that for me. It’s equal parts hilarious and touching and there are so many laugh-out-loud moments I could not keep it together. Jones has always been true to herself and who she is and I love the example that she sets in standing up for herself and her coworkers. This book is a true gem by a true gem.

Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones, (List Price: $30, Grand Central Publishing, 9781538706497, September 2023)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

The Best Bad Day Ever by Marianna Coppo

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The Best Bad Day Ever by Marianna Coppo
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The Best Bad Day Ever is a precious children’s book about how even on the worst days, things can turn around for the better. For Wolfie, everything is going wrong today: his cookies are short on chocolate chips, his toothpaste tingles his tongue too much, the sky is "full" of clouds, and even his sidekick Pepito is grumpy. No one understands Wolfie, except for a new friend named Penguin who may just turn the day around. Between the tender message and the adorable yet hysterical illustrations, this is truly the definition of a warm and fuzzy read.

The Best Bad Day Ever by Marianna Coppo, (List Price: $18.99, Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, 9780711283343, July 2023)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick

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Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick
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Change the Game follows a young Colin Kaepernick as he navigates late high school, and his lack of offers to play college football. He confronts the societal obstacles in his way head on and continues to fight for and believe in himself. Great for young athletes who are looking for an inspiring story of overcoming challenges, both in the outside world and in their own heads.

Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game (Graphic Novel Memoir) by Colin Kaepernick, (List Price: 24.99, Graphix, 9781338789669, May 2023)

Reviewed by Alex Einhorn, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

The Wounds That Bind Us by Kelley Shinn

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The Wounds That Bind Us by Kelley Shinn
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I did not want this book to end. Shinn is a true adventurer who is willing to take risks to find insight, inner peace, help others and have a good time along the way. She has suffered more than a few wounds that could have wrecked any normal person, but Shinn wrestles her way through each blow with incredible courage, sharing what she’s learned along the way. She is funny, extremely wise and super brave. Read this.

The Wounds That Bind Us by Kelley Shinn, (List Price: 21.99, West Virginia University Press, 9781952271861, June 2023)

Reviewed by Lisa Uotinen, Book No Further in Roanoke, Virginia

A Very Gay Book by Jenson Titus

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A Very Gay Book by Jenson Titus
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The cover on this book is so deceptive – it’s hilarious from page one! You’ll laugh out loud on every page of the satirical gay history primer! Along with quirky art, this book touches on cultural moments and throughout time, and measures how gay they are (spoiler – they’re all very gay). Silly and delightful!

A Very Gay Book by Jenson Titus, (List Price: 30, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 9781524876449, May 2023)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron

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You're Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron
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A June 2023 Read This Next! Title

I automatically love a creepy-camp scenario and Bayron’s first horror novel knocks it out of the park! Charity and her friends run the immersive horror game at Camp Mirror Lake, the site where a slasher movie was filmed years ago. The scares become all too real as her team starts to disappear without a trace and odd strangers show up at the camp. The disinterested owner is no help so Charity and her gang are left to find out what is going on – and to try to escape with their lives. Can this Final Girl save the day? This tense, scary book keeps you riveted until the last page!

You’re Not Supposed to Die Tonight by Kalynn Bayron, (List Price: 19.99, Bloomsbury YA, 9781547611546, June 2023)

Reviewed by Andrea Richardson, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

The Nature Book by Tom Comitta

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The Nature Book by Tom Comitta
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A deftly experimental book that seeks to portray a world sans humans, Nature Book borrows from a history of rich, descriptive prose to reconstruct the cycles of days, seasons, and migrations as they continue quiet and unobserved, separate from human society. And yet, human description and literary convention make up the entirety of this story! This beautifully avant garde novel from an organic and unfettered nonbinary perspective is an awe-inducing teleportation into a beautiful cosmos and a rapidly changing climate as captured throughout the history of literature. Great for reading piecemeal or overwhelmingly all at once.

The Nature Book by Tom Comitta, (List Price: $17.95, Coffee House Press, 9781566896634, March 2023)

Reviewed by Amanda Depperschmidt, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard

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We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard
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A May 2023 Read This Next! Title

A unique take on a memoir (kind of) that immediately hurls you into Hannah Pittard’s crumbling world. Her husband has just cheated on her with her best friend. Recounting conversations over a decade, Pittard brings a mix of fact and fiction at times as well when recalling memories with friends, families, and others. The first part’s structure is phenomenal: Told in a play-like format that jumps throughout the years and touches on conversations of eating disorders, infidelity, grief, and just the tender human experience. A book that truly bares its soul to the world, and it pays off in the best way possible.

We Are Too Many by Hannah Pittard, (List Price: 26.99, Henry Holt and Co., 9781250869043, May 2023)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker

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Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker
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Leeva at Last is the reason I will recommend "kids" books to people of any age. Such a charming, feel-good story of a girl named Leeva, and the journey she goes on to change her community. The illustrations and Sara Pennypacker’s delightful humor tie this precious, yet important book together. Reading this made me feel like a kid again, I cant wait for everyone to enjoy this magical book.

Leeva at Last by Sara Pennypacker, (List Price: 19.99, Balzer + Bray, 9780063114425, March 2023)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Couplets by Maggie Millner

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Couplets by Maggie Millner
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Couplets is a fresh and modern poetry collection that delves into polyamory, identity, and queerness amongst other themes. A love story written in stanzas, but reads like a novel or a short story, I truly cannot get enough of this. We follow one woman’s coming out and the love she yearns and searches for. A fantastic meditation not just on queerness, but also relationships as a whole, I cant recommend it enough.

Couplets by Maggie Millner, (List Price: 25, Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 9780374607951, February 2023)

Reviewed by Grace Sullivan, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

World by Ana Luísa Amaral

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World by Ana Luísa Amaral
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For poetry on joy, wonder, and passion found through the observation of nature, look no further than World, a posthumous work by Portuguese poet Ana Luisa Amaral. Filled with odes and paens to spiders, magpies, and centipedes, World reads like a cheerful wave goodbye to a beautiful planet. Each translated poem sits alongside the original Portuguese, and through both we enter a unique vision of the tiny garden growing in Amaral’s heart. Grand and affirming, Amaral returns to the spring of life with the clarity of winter.

World by Ana Luísa Amaral, (List Price: 16.95, New Directions, 9780811234832, April 2023)

Reviewed by Amanda Depperschmidt, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Closer Baby Closer by Savannah Brown

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Closer Baby Closer by Savannah Brown
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Those who spent a lot of time on the spoken word poetry side of Youtube in the 2010s will recognize Savannah Brown, who’s been bearing her soul for the internet for almost a decade. I was happy to find with this collection, that Brown’s poems have matured while maintaining the same vulnerability, humor, and unabashed desire for attention. Written in free verse and unconventional format, Brown delivers intimacy for the digital age, capturing the feelings of (among other things) being loved and in-love, jealousy and guilt. Skillfully, sensually written and easily digestible!

Closer Baby Closer by Savannah Brown, (List Price: 18.95, Not a Cult, 9781739618100, February 2023)

Reviewed by Julia Lewis, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

The Path to Kindness by James Crews

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The Path to Kindness by James Crews
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While I love poetry, I will admit to being a beginning reader still finding my way and what I like in the genre. Some of my favorite contemporary poets (and pretty much all of the dead ones) are so depressing though. Beautiful and powerful, but depressing. The Path To Kindness was an unexpected discovery! This anthology explores the themes of connection and joy. Uplifting and accessible from diverse voices, I turn to it often and have given many copies to friends.

The Path to Kindness by James Crews, (List Price: 14.95, Storey Publishing, LLC, 9781635865332, April 2023)

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll

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A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll
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This short natural history book is a great pick for anybody who liked Sapiens or Astrophysics for People in a Hurry, anybody who likes the work of Mark Kurlansky or even Michael Pollan. It is a look at the four billion-year journey of our planet. The author is a professor of ecology and earth and planetary sciences. This book took him two decades to write but will probably only take you a couple of hours to read. It’s a fun fascinating look at the ground beneath your feet and will give you a sense of perspective and new appreciation of your home in the universe.

A Brief History of Earth by Andrew H. Knoll, (List Price: 19.99, Mariner Books, 9780062853929, April 2023)

Reviewed by Kelly Justice, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

Beware the Blue Bagoo by Karl Newson

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eware The Blue Bagoo by Karl Newson
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There’s a lot of rumors about the Blue Bagoo, and a young girl sets out to investigate for herself, discovering along the way that the rumors and conspiracies don’t have any root in facts. In an era where children will be exposed to a lot of misinformation spread by social media (or their friend’s older brother’s best friend’s uncle), this is a great way to introduce them to ascertaining the facts for themselves, to dig beyond the scare tactics, and search the truth out when others hide it with their fear and ignorance. Also, the Blue Bagoo is adorable, the drawings are vibrant, and the words are just fun to read aloud.

Beware the Blue Bagoo by Karl Newson, (List Price: $18.99, Happy Yak, 9780711267848, February 2023)

Reviewed by Kate Towery, Fountain Bookstore in Richmond, Virginia

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