The Boswellians' Top 5

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Each year, every bookseller who works at Boswell compiles a list of their top 5 books of the year. These are not easy choices. Some of us spend days, weeks, and even in some cases months agonizing over our choices, rating and ranking every book we've read. And we read a lot! But somehow each of us manages to decide - often with no small amout of cajoling from our buyer Jason - and choose the 5 books that we think are the best of the year. And so, here is the complete list of our absolute favorite books of 2020.

 

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The Knockout Queen: A novel Cover Image

The Knockout Queen: A novel (Hardcover)

By Rufi Thorpe
$21.56
ISBN: 9780525656784
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf - April 28th, 2020

Top 5: Chris & Ogi

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The Vanishing Half: A Novel Cover Image

The Vanishing Half: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Brit Bennett
$21.60
ISBN: 9780525536291
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Riverhead Books - June 2nd, 2020

Top 5: Kira & Rachel

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Oona Out of Order: A Novel Cover Image

Oona Out of Order: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Margarita Montimore
$21.59
ISBN: 9781250236609
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Flatiron Books - February 25th, 2020

Top 5: Jenny & Kay

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Hench: A Novel Cover Image

Hench: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Natalie Zina Walschots
$22.39
ISBN: 9780062978578
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: William Morrow - September 22nd, 2020

Top 5: Jen & Margaret

Luster: A Novel Cover Image

Luster: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Raven Leilani
$20.80
ISBN: 9780374194321
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - August 4th, 2020

Top 5: Madi & Parker

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Broken People Cover Image

Broken People (Hardcover)

By Sam Lansky
$22.39
ISBN: 9781335013934
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Hanover Square Press - June 9th, 2020

Top 5: Chris

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Cool for America: Stories Cover Image

Cool for America: Stories (Hardcover)

By Andrew Martin
$27.00
ISBN: 9780374108168
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - July 7th, 2020

Top 5: Chris

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Homeland Elegies: A Novel Cover Image

Homeland Elegies: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Ayad Akhtar
$22.40
ISBN: 9780316496421
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown and Company - September 15th, 2020

Top 5: Chris

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Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays Cover Image

Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why: Essays (Hardcover)

By Alexandra Petri
$20.76
ISBN: 9781324006459
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: W. W. Norton & Company - June 2nd, 2020

Top 5: Chris

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The King at the Edge of the World: A Novel Cover Image

The King at the Edge of the World: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Arthur Phillips
$21.60
ISBN: 9780812995480
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House - February 11th, 2020

Top 5: Conrad

Tyll: A Novel Cover Image

Tyll: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Daniel Kehlmann, Ross Benjamin (Translated by)
$26.95
ISBN: 9781524747466
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Pantheon - February 11th, 2020

Top 5: Conrad

Utopia Avenue: A Novel Cover Image

Utopia Avenue: A Novel (Hardcover)

By David Mitchell
$24.00
ISBN: 9780812997439
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House - July 14th, 2020

Top 5: Conrad

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We're Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s America Cover Image

We're Not Here to Entertain: Punk Rock, Ronald Reagan, and the Real Culture War of 1980s America (Hardcover)

By Kevin Mattson
$22.36
ISBN: 9780190908232
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Oxford University Press, USA - August 6th, 2020

Top 5: Conard

The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World—and Globalization Began Cover Image

The Year 1000: When Explorers Connected the World—and Globalization Began (Hardcover)

By Valerie Hansen
$24.00
ISBN: 9781501194108
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Scribner - April 14th, 2020

Top 5: Conrad

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The Color of Air: A Novel Cover Image

The Color of Air: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Gail Tsukiyama
$26.99
ISBN: 9780062976192
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperVia - July 7th, 2020

Top 5: Jane

A Long Petal of the Sea: A Novel Cover Image

A Long Petal of the Sea: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Isabel Allende, Nick Caistor (Translated by), Amanda Hopkinson (Translated by)
$28.00
ISBN: 9781984820150
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ballantine Books - January 21st, 2020

Top 5: Jane

The Lost and Found Bookshop: A Novel Cover Image

The Lost and Found Bookshop: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Susan Wiggs
$27.99
ISBN: 9780062914095
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: William Morrow - July 7th, 2020

Top 5: Jane

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The Second Home: A Novel Cover Image

The Second Home: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Christina Clancy
$21.59
ISBN: 9781250239341
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: St. Martin's Press - June 2nd, 2020

Top 5: Jane

The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives Cover Image

The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Hardcover)

By Nancy Pearl, Jeff Schwager
$22.39
ISBN: 9780062968500
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperOne - September 8th, 2020

Top 5: Jane

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Before the Coffee Gets Cold Cover Image

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (Hardcover)

By Toshikazu Kawaguchi
$15.99
ISBN: 9781335430991
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Hanover Square Press - November 17th, 2020

Top 5: Jason

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The Only Good Indians Cover Image

The Only Good Indians (Hardcover)

By Stephen Graham Jones
$21.59
ISBN: 9781982136451
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Gallery / Saga Press - July 14th, 2020

Top 5: Jason

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The Relentless Moon: A Lady Astronaut Novel Cover Image

The Relentless Moon: A Lady Astronaut Novel (Paperback)

By Mary Robinette Kowal
$17.99
ISBN: 9781250236968
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Tor Books - July 14th, 2020

Top 5: Jason

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Tender Is the Flesh Cover Image

Tender Is the Flesh (Paperback)

By Agustina Bazterrica, Sarah Moses (Translated by)
$16.00
ISBN: 9781982150921
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Scribner - August 4th, 2020

Top 5: Jason

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We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence Cover Image

We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence (Hardcover)

By Becky Cooper
$23.20
ISBN: 9781538746837
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grand Central Publishing - November 10th, 2020

Top 5: Jason

Afterlife Cover Image

Afterlife (Hardcover)

By Julia Alvarez
$20.76
ISBN: 9781643750255
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Algonquin Books - April 7th, 2020

Top 5: Jen

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Mexican Gothic Cover Image

Mexican Gothic (Hardcover)

By Silvia Moreno-Garcia
$21.60
ISBN: 9780525620785
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Del Rey - June 30th, 2020

Top 5: Jen

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The Eighth Detective: A Novel Cover Image

The Eighth Detective: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Alex Pavesi
$21.59
ISBN: 9781250755933
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Henry Holt and Co. - August 4th, 2020

Top 5: Jen

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The House in the Cerulean Sea Cover Image

The House in the Cerulean Sea (Hardcover)

By TJ Klune
$26.99
ISBN: 9781250217288
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Tor Books - March 17th, 2020

Top 5: Jen

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Legendborn Cover Image

Legendborn (Hardcover)

By Tracy Deonn
$15.19
ISBN: 9781534441606
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Margaret K. McElderry Books - September 15th, 2020

Top 5: Jenny

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Today Tonight Tomorrow Cover Image

Today Tonight Tomorrow (Hardcover)

By Rachel Lynn Solomon
$15.19
ISBN: 9781534440241
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Simon Pulse - July 28th, 2020

Top 5: Jenny

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Cover Image

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue (Hardcover)

By V. E. Schwab
$21.59
ISBN: 9780765387561
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Tor Books - October 6th, 2020

Top 5: Jenny

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A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance #1) Cover Image

A Deadly Education: A Novel (The Scholomance #1) (Hardcover)

By Naomi Novik
$22.40
ISBN: 9780593128480
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Del Rey - September 29th, 2020

Top 5: Jenny

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Florida Man: A Novel Cover Image

Florida Man: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Tom Cooper
$22.40
ISBN: 9780593133316
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Random House - July 28th, 2020

Top 5: Kay

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Highfire: A Novel Cover Image

Highfire: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Eoin Colfer
$15.99
ISBN: 9780062938558
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harper Perennial - January 28th, 2020

Top 5: Kay

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Leave the World Behind: A Novel Cover Image

Leave the World Behind: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Rumaan Alam
$22.39
ISBN: 9780062667632
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Ecco - October 6th, 2020

Top 5: Kay

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The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone's Legendary Druid Pack Cover Image

The Reign of Wolf 21: The Saga of Yellowstone's Legendary Druid Pack (Hardcover)

By Rick McIntyre, Marc Bekoff (Foreword by)
$21.56
ISBN: 9781771645249
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Greystone Books - September 29th, 2020

Top 5: Kay

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Anxious People: A Novel Cover Image

Anxious People: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Fredrik Backman
$22.40
ISBN: 9781501160837
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Atria Books - September 8th, 2020

Top 5: Kira

Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love Cover Image

Good Morning, Destroyer of Men's Souls: A Memoir of Women, Addiction, and Love (Hardcover)

By Nina Renata Aron
$27.00
ISBN: 9780525576679
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Crown - April 21st, 2020

Top 5: Kira

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Pizza Girl: A Novel Cover Image

Pizza Girl: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Jean Kyoung Frazier
$19.96
ISBN: 9780385545723
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Doubleday - June 9th, 2020

Top 5: Kira

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The Last Book on the Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers Cover Image

The Last Book on the Left: Stories of Murder and Mayhem from History’s Most Notorious Serial Killers (Hardcover)

By Ben Kissel, Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, Tom Neely (Illustrator)
$20.80
ISBN: 9781328566317
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt - April 7th, 2020

Top 5: Madi

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Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park Cover Image

Action Park: Fast Times, Wild Rides, and the Untold Story of America's Most Dangerous Amusement Park (Paperback)

By Andy Mulvihill, Jake Rossen
$17.00
ISBN: 9780143134510
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - June 30th, 2020

Top 5: Madi

Just Us: An American Conversation Cover Image

Just Us: An American Conversation (Hardcover)

By Claudia Rankine
$24.00
ISBN: 9781644450215
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Graywolf Press - September 8th, 2020

Top 5: Madi

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Save Yourself Cover Image

Save Yourself (Hardcover)

By Cameron Esposito
$27.00
ISBN: 9781455591435
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grand Central Publishing - March 24th, 2020

Top 5: Madi

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Such a Fun Age Cover Image

Such a Fun Age (Hardcover)

By Kiley Reid
$20.80
ISBN: 9780525541905
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons - December 31st, 2019

Top 5: Margaret

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We Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel Cover Image

We Ride Upon Sticks: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Quan Barry
$21.56
ISBN: 9781524748098
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Pantheon - March 3rd, 2020

Top 5: Margaret

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The Lost Book of Adana Moreau Cover Image

The Lost Book of Adana Moreau (Hardcover)

By Michael Zapata
$21.59
ISBN: 9781335010124
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Hanover Square Press - February 4th, 2020

Top 5: Margaret

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He Must Like You Cover Image

He Must Like You (Hardcover)

By Danielle Younge-Ullman
$15.19
ISBN: 9781984835710
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Viking Books for Young Readers - July 14th, 2020

Top 5: Margaret

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Axiom's End: A Novel (Noumena #1) Cover Image

Axiom's End: A Novel (Noumena #1) (Hardcover)

By Lindsay Ellis
$22.39
ISBN: 9781250256737
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: St. Martin's Press - July 21st, 2020

Top 5: Ogi

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A Burning: A novel Cover Image

A Burning: A novel (Hardcover)

By Megha Majumdar
$20.76
ISBN: 9780525658696
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf - June 2nd, 2020

Top 5: Ogi

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Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre Cover Image

Devolution: A Firsthand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre (Hardcover)

By Max Brooks
$28.00
ISBN: 9781984826787
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Del Rey - June 16th, 2020

Top 5: Ogi

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The Shadows: A Novel Cover Image

The Shadows: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Alex North
$21.59
ISBN: 9781250318039
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Celadon Books - July 7th, 2020

Top 5: Ogi

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Bonds of Brass: Book One of The Bloodright Trilogy Cover Image

Bonds of Brass: Book One of The Bloodright Trilogy (Paperback)

By Emily Skrutskie
$16.00
ISBN: 9780593128916
Availability: Coming Soon - Available for Pre-Order Now
Published: Del Rey - January 12th, 2021

Top 5: Parker

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The Montague Twins: The Witch's Hand Cover Image

The Montague Twins: The Witch's Hand (Paperback)

By Nathan Page, Drew Shannon (Illustrator)
$14.39
ISBN: 9780525646778
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers - July 14th, 2020

Top 5: Parker

Plain Bad Heroines: A Novel Cover Image

Plain Bad Heroines: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Emily M. Danforth, Sara Lautman (Illustrator)
$22.39
ISBN: 9780062942852
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: William Morrow - October 20th, 2020

Top 5: Parker

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Tweet Cute: A Novel Cover Image

Tweet Cute: A Novel (Hardcover)

By Emma Lord
$14.39
ISBN: 9781250237323
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Wednesday Books - January 21st, 2020

Top 5: Parker

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Omni Vol. 1: The Doctor Is In Cover Image

Omni Vol. 1: The Doctor Is In (Paperback)

By Devin Grayson, Alitha E. Martinez (Illustrator)
$14.99
ISBN: 9781643376196
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: H1 - September 1st, 2020

Top 5: Rachel

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Dress Coded Cover Image

Dress Coded (Hardcover)

By Carrie Firestone
$14.39
ISBN: 9781984816436
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers - July 7th, 2020

Top 5: Rachel

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Providence Cover Image

Providence (Hardcover)

By Max Barry
$21.60
ISBN: 9780593085172
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: G.P. Putnam's Sons - March 31st, 2020

Top 5: Rachel

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Shorefall: A Novel (The Founders Trilogy #2) Cover Image

Shorefall: A Novel (The Founders Trilogy #2) (Hardcover)

By Robert Jackson Bennett
$22.40
ISBN: 9781524760380
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Del Rey - April 21st, 2020

Top 5: Rachel

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Prairie Lotus Cover Image

Prairie Lotus (Hardcover)

By Linda Sue Park
$13.59
ISBN: 9781328781505
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Clarion Books - March 3rd, 2020

Top 5: Tim

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Dear Justyce Cover Image

Dear Justyce (Hardcover)

By Nic Stone
$15.19
ISBN: 9781984829665
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Crown Books for Young Readers - September 29th, 2020

Top 5: Tim

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Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America Cover Image

Overground Railroad: The Green Book & Roots of Black Travel in America (Hardcover)

By Candacy Taylor
$28.00
ISBN: 9781419738173
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Harry N. Abrams - January 7th, 2020

Top 5: Tim

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Crooked Hallelujah Cover Image

Crooked Hallelujah (Hardcover)

By Kelli Jo Ford
$20.80
ISBN: 9780802149121
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Grove Press - July 14th, 2020

Top 5: Tim

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Naturalist: A Graphic Adaptation Cover Image

Naturalist: A Graphic Adaptation (Hardcover)

By Edward O. Wilson, Jim Ottaviani, C.M. Butzer (Illustrator)
$22.40
ISBN: 9781610919586
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Island Press - November 10th, 2020

Top 5: Tim

Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day Cover Image

Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day (Hardcover)

By Jay Shetty
$27.00
ISBN: 9781982134488
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Simon & Schuster - September 8th, 2020

Top 5: Rose

Untamed Cover Image

Untamed (Hardcover)

By Glennon Doyle
$22.40
ISBN: 9781984801258
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: The Dial Press - March 10th, 2020

Top 5: Rose

The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami Cover Image

The Journey Home: Autobiography of an American Swami (Paperback)

By Radhanath Swami
$17.99
ISBN: 9781601090560
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Mandala Publishing - January 19th, 2010

Top 5: Rose

Growing Old: Notes on Aging with Something like Grace Cover Image

Growing Old: Notes on Aging with Something like Grace (Hardcover)

By Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
$20.79
ISBN: 9780062956439
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperOne - April 28th, 2020

Top 5: Rose

Blossoms and Bones: Drawing a Life Back Together Cover Image

Blossoms and Bones: Drawing a Life Back Together (Hardcover)

By Kim Krans
$23.19
ISBN: 9780062986382
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperOne - March 3rd, 2020

Top 5: Rose

Agent Lion Cover Image

Agent Lion (Hardcover)

By Jacky Davis, David Soman (Illustrator), David Soman
$17.99
ISBN: 9780062869173
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperCollins - February 4th, 2020

Top 5: Barb

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera Cover Image

Honeybee: The Busy Life of Apis Mellifera (Hardcover)

By Candace Fleming, Eric Rohmann (Illustrator)
$18.99
ISBN: 9780823442850
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Neal Porter Books - February 4th, 2020

Top 5: Barb

Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us Cover Image

Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us (Hardcover)

By Lauren Castillo
$16.99
ISBN: 9781524766719
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf Books for Young Readers - May 5th, 2020

Top 5: Barb

Black Brother, Black Brother Cover Image

Black Brother, Black Brother (Hardcover)

By Jewell Parker Rhodes
$16.99
ISBN: 9780316493802
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers - March 3rd, 2020

Top 5: Barb

On the Horizon Cover Image

On the Horizon (Hardcover)

By Lois Lowry, Kenard Pak (Illustrator)
$16.99
ISBN: 9780358129400
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HMH Books for Young Readers - April 7th, 2020

Top 5: Barb