The Staff Shelf: Bank Square Books

When we walk into a bookstore, the first place we go is the staff recommendation shelves—it’s how you get a quick sense of the personality of the store. The very best bookstores are merely a reflection of the eclectic, deeply felt opinions of the book-lovers who work there. As part of our Interview with a Bookstore, we asked the staff at Bank Square Books what they recommend.

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SLIDESHOW: Bank Square Books Staff Shelf

: KATHERINE (BOOKSELLER) RECOMMENDS: Take Alice in Wonderland, add in a resourceful and plucky heroine (more so than Alice), a snarky talking cat, and a dark parallel universe that’s out to get you. A must-read for kids and adults alike!

: ANNIE (OWNER) RECOMMENDS: Ryan’s heartbreaking novel takes readers to Taiwan, an island of complex political relations, families torn apart by physical unrest, and a lush and beautiful landscape. Told in luscious prose, Green Island teaches readers about the humanity of mankind, the brutality of political power and unrest, and why some secrets are never told.

: TAMMY (BOOKSELLER) RECOMMENDS: It’s easy to fixate on our problems that need solving. That’s when I turn to this family favorite.

: JOHN (BOOKSELLER) RECOMMENDS: When I was the event coordinator at BSB, I hosted a discussion with Robin McLean for this collection. Meeting Robin was one of the great blessings from my time here. While I especially like “The True End to All Sad Times,” each story in Reptile House is a knockout.

: ELISSA (EVENT COORDINATOR) RECOMMENDS: This is my favorite memoir I’ve read in a long time, about a 25-year-old who moves to an isolated cabin in Vermont after an injury makes him question his entire life. The book combines gorgeous nature writing with poignant observations on growing up and healing—and I couldn’t put it down.

: CAROLYN (BOOKSELLER) RECOMMENDS: Put on your virtual hiking boots and pack your pocket dictionary for an incredible journey from Rotterdam to Constantinople, circa 1933. A journey like no other!

: KELSY (CHILDREN’S BOOK BUYER) RECOMMENDS: I devoured this fast-paced thriller that tells the tale of conflicted Martial Empire soldier Elias and rebel Scholar girl Laia, who longs for nothing more than to save her older brother from the Empire. In this story, readers experience the love, courage, cunning, and bravery of both Elias and Laia.

: JEWEL (BOOKSELLER) RECOMMENDS: This is a well-researched, imagined account of Margaret Cavendish’s life—a life spent balancing between expectations as a “wife-mother” and her strong desire to share unique scientific ideas and literary works with a society largely critical of intellectual women. The novel is short but packed with beautiful, poetic prose.

: JESS (BOOKSELLER) RECOMMENDS: This has everything I want in a story. It is about survival and compromise, spaceships and ingenuity, and both difficulty and the importance of overcoming habitual prejudice and fear. Binti is very human and immediately likable. When the story turns, you will feel the punch in the gut. Read it.