September Staff Picks
Looking for your next great read? Need to fill some spots in our 26 in ’26 Reading Challenge? Here’s three books our staff have loved recently.
In need of more recommendations? Check out past Staff Pics on our What We’re Reading page, or complete a short form and we’ll email you a list of personalized recommendations.
Libby says,
“How often have you heard this story: A once-thriving company files for bankruptcy, their decline inevitably traced back to their being purchased by private equity several years earlier. American companies from Big Lots to Vice Media suffer mismanagement, layoffs, and cutbacks, and the only ones who come out on top are the private equity companies themselves. How did we get here? Megan Greenwell knows, and uses incredibly detailed and heart-wrenching personal stories of private equity’s impact on the retail, hospital, property management, and newspaper industries to create a compelling intellectual history of private equity in the United States.”
Celeste says
“In Babylonia, Costanza Casati imagines the life of Semiramis, a historical and mythological queen of the Neo-Assyrian Empire in the 800s BCE. Casati’s extensive research incorporates Mesopotamian history and culture, and notably uses The Epic of Gilgamesh to mirror the messy relationships between Semiramis, her king Ninus, and his top governor, Onnes. This book truly has everything: family drama, murder, political intrigue, war, grief, a morally dubious love triangle, brutal power plays, and just delicious tension all around. Casati makes this lesser-explored ancient world feel real and lived in, despite the differences that a culture based on the Code of Hammurabi presents to modern readers. Read Babylonia for the tale of Semiramis’ rise to glory, with all the drama and intrigue of a soap opera and all the action and grandeur of epic poetry — an unforgettable book that stands out in the growing genre of novels about ancient women.”
Jamie says,
“It’s 2016, and Erica is a 35-year-old, recently divorced, closeted trans woman and English teacher living in small-town South Dakota. She doesn’t know any other trans people – except for her 17-year-old student, Abigail. In this novel, Yellowjackets writer Emily St. James explores an unlikely friendship, small-town community, and the power of living as your true self. This book’s title refers to blending into the woodwork, or living as one’s affirmed gender while hiding one’s past. It’s a tempting strategy in a hostile world, but it comes with a cost. This novel explores both the temptation and the costs with clarity and empathy. If you’ve ever felt a desire to hide from the world – or from yourself – Woodworking is for you.”