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Staff Picks from Local Indie Bookstores: Read Harder 2025

Task #12: Read a staff pick from an indie bookstore. (Preferably, from your local indie bookstore.) Find staff picks from Black Tea Bookshop, Sabu's Books, and Skylark Bookshop! A huge thank you to them for sharing their recommendations with us! DBRL

Daniel Boone Regional Library

13 items

  • This is a wonderfully written biography of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. I enjoyed it because Eig's masterful storytelling goes beyond sentimentality and historical facts to the heart of the man that King was, flaws and all. A must read! ~…
    BookNew York : Farrar, Straus and Giroux, [2023] — B KIN
  • I love this collection of poetry for the way the author celebrates Black girlhood in all its facets. This is an accessible, delightful and worthy read that takes me back to my growing up years each time I pick it up. ~ Candace from Black…
    BookNew York : Kokila, 2024. — YA811.6 WAT
  • This picture book was illustrated by fellow St. Louisan Cbabi Bayoc. His vibrant depictions are a beautiful compliment to Ibrahim X. Kendi's outstanding imagery of a world where all children have their needs met and are given the space to…
    BookNew York : Kokila, [2022] — E KEN
  • Pride

    A Pride & Prejudice Remix

    Zoboi, Ibi
    I'm excited to read and recommend this reimagining of the Jane Austen classic. It's next up on my TBR! ~ Candace from Black Tea Bookshop
    eBookHarperCollins, 2018
  • Call me a hapless romantic – but having a firsthand experience of finding – losing – and finding love – Heathcliff’s torment is something I can connect with at many levels. ~ Sabreena from Sabu's Books
    BookLondon : Penguin Classics, 2008. — F BRO
  • I am an immigrant myself – although I didn’t have to face the hardship of the characters of the book – I can attest to the fact that immigrant life was hard back then – it is hard even today – only the premise has changed. ~ Sabreena from…
    BookNew York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2016. — F GYA
  • I'm Sorry for My Loss

    An Urgent Examination of Reproductive Care in America

    Little, Rebecca (Freelance writer),
    The setting is Reproductive care in America – what could be more relevant? ~ Sabreena from Sabu's Books
    BookNaperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks, [2024] — 618.392 LIT
  • I am a sucker for good historical fiction, and this is one of the best that I have come across. The story has a unique setting – a little known historical project and showed through the endeavors of the protagonist that what Helen Keller…
    PaperbackNaperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Landmark, [2019] — F RIC
  • An Immense World

    How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us

    Yong, Ed
    I love perceiving the world through the eyes of others – be it another fellow human being or other living beings that we share the world with. This book was an eye-opener for me in many ways. ~ Sabreena from Sabu's Books
    BookNew York : Random House, [2022] — 591.5 YON
  • A novel crafted as a docudrama centered around Ice Skating, but including romance, family, struggle, triumph, and friendship. For fans of Taylor Jenkins Reed. ~ Carrie from Skylark Bookshop
    BookNew York : Random House, [2025] — XX(905301.4)
  • A Walk in the Park

    the True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon

    Fedarko, Kevin,
    A nonfiction outdoor adventure with a multitude of life lessons. ~Carrie from Skylark Bookshop
    BookNew York : Scribner, 2024. — 917.9132 FED
  • A beautiful and contemplative work of fiction that combines nature, philosophy, hope, and warm cups of tea. Always a book worth reading, but especially great if you need a little kindness and hope in your life. ~Matthew from Skylark…
    BookNew York : Tordotcom, a Tom Doherty Associates Book, 2021. — F CHA
  • Can't Spell Treason Without Tea

    a Cozy Fantasy Steeped With Love

    Thorne, Rebecca,
    Cozy Sapphic Romance with knights, wizards, a bookstore and tea shoppe, and just a few bad puns (but not too many). After that sentence you already know if this is a must read for you! ~Matthew from Skylark Bookshop
    Paperback[United States] : [Rebecca Thorne], [2022] — F THO