Elly's Picks

Most of us probably think of disasters as times when social order breaks down, when neighbors turn on each other, when…

This novel is everything. At its most simplistic, it's a love story set in Nigeria, the US, and the UK. It's so much…

In a drought-stricken Portland, Oregon, a Robin Hood-esque water thief is caught on camera redistributing an illegal…

This extraordinary story of courage and faith is based on the actual experiences of three girls who fled from the…

This is a novel that reads as a page-turning, barely-fictionalized memoir about squatting in New York City in the 90s. A…

Our world has become dependent on our constant attention and data production, whether it is in our professions,…

Decoded is billed as rapper Jay-Z's annotated lyrics. In reality, it's a whip-smart, beautifully written memoir that…

Since its publication by Sierra Club Books in 1977, The Unsettling of America has been recognized as a classic of…

Based on Gabor Maté’s two decades of experience as a medical doctor and his groundbreaking work with the severely…

As a rocker, poet, photographer, and now memoirist, Patti Smith follows her heart and her amazing mind to places that…

This book is so many things: a grief memoir, a story of a lifelong obsession (and skill) with birds of prey, and the…

Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. In a world where “never enough” dominates and…

Imagine knowing what the brain craves and what keeps readers transfixed. The vast majority of writing advice focuses on…

A bleak moon settled by utopian anarchists, Anarres has long been isolated from other worlds, including its mother…

The Death and Life of Great American Cities is a direct and wonderfully optimistic indictment of the short-sightedness…

Born in Russia in 1869 and immigrating to America at 16, Emma Goldman played a significant role in the anarchist and…

From the bestselling author of 1491, this is a deeply engaging new history of how European settlements in the…

In the 1880s, as the European powers were carving up Africa, King Leopold Ii of Belgium seized for himself the vast and…

If you tried to explain this book to someone, you'd probably find yourself go on for a while about conversations between…

Queer is a non-fiction graphic novel that take us on an extraordinary journey through the history that has shaped 'queer…

A huge book to help you visualize and understand a huge topic. These gorgeous, detailed infographics get right tothe…

This short, sweet novel manages to be both funny and profoundly respectful of its oddball characters. Keiko, a woman…

This novella is a brilliant feminist retelling of H.P. Lovecraft's The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath. The title…

A perfectly-plotted book that follows two unlikely friends from besieged childhood to dystopian adulthood, along with…

This is the best novel I've read in years. Vivek Shraya weaves a page-turning web of friendship, food, music, and…

Michelle Tea brings her panache, wit, sobriety, and queerness to the tarot, stripping away the latent christianity in…

WTF Is Tarot...& How Do I Do It? is what I'd imagine a book about tarot and magic to look like if it was written by Dr.…

Once you've read enough standard mainstream fantasy novels, you start to see some pretty funny patterns—like, why…

A delightful coming of age graphic novel about roller skating, girl power, and lost friendships. The summer before…

What are the successes and failures of punk and its institutions? What happened to a once-thriving punk underground…

Trees play a crucial role in the existence of humanity, offering oxygen, soil stabilization, and habitats for numerous…

The second edition of Londonderry, published by Montreal-based cyclo-feminist collective Les Derailleuses, is all about…

Sometimes you want to know everything that's going on around you, your brain whirring like a machine, soaking it all in.…

Dr. Faith Harper is a badass funny lady with a PhD, a professional counselor, a certified sex therapist, and an adult…

What do sloths do when they're done with their shift at the DMV? At last, this question's been answered. They get cozy…

 The purr side of the punk scene. Beau with his skull shirt—a traveling cat.