Ask a bookseller

Every week, The Thread checks in with booksellers around the country about their favorite books of the moment.

Ask a Bookseller: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
Yes, we know Halloween was last week, but vampires are an any-time-of-year kind of story, right? — especially for a suspense thriller described as “Steel Magnolias-meets-Dracula.” 
Ask a bookseller, Halloween edition: An apocalyptic read keeps you asking 'what else could happen?'
This Halloween, Gretchen West of Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, Minn., recommends the novel “Leave the World Behind” by Rumaan Alam, which came out earlier this month. 
'Piranesi,' a perfect fall read leading up to Halloween
Chloe Deblois of Sherman’s Maine Coast Book Shop in Damariscotta, Maine, recommended the novel “Piranesi” by Susanna Clarke, the bestselling author of “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.”
A bookseller recommends 'The City in the Middle of the Night'
In the “The City in the Middle of the Night” by Charlie Jane Anders, there is a planet that is half in constant darkness and half in unending sunlight. Humans can only survive in the margin where the two halves meet. From two opposite cities — one autocratic, one lawless — come two girls whose lives intertwine.
'Vote for Our Future' answers kids' questions about elections
Ask a Bookseller wraps up its monthlong focus on books for young readers with a recommendation for a picture book that teaches kids about elections. Bookseller Christian Nardi of the kids' bookstore Bee Hive in Santa Fe, N.M., recommends "Vote for Our Future" by Margaret McNamara and Micah Player.
A book that gives you 'Some Kind of Happiness' on lonely, blue days
We're continuing our September focus on great books for kids and teens. This week, Britt Margit of Second Star to the Right Books in Denver, Colo., recommended "Some Kind of Happiness" by Claire Legrand.
A West African fantasy with enveloping world-building
This week, bookseller Linda Stack-Nelson of Wild Rumpus Books for Young Readers in Minneapolis recommended the debut young adult novel “Raybearer” by Nigerian-American author Jordan Ifueko. 
A bookseller recommends 'I Am Every Good Thing' for back to school
“When there are so many negative stereotypes against black boys and black children, this is just a beautiful poem, almost a love letter, letting them know that they are every good thing,” said bookseller Lorielle J. Holloway.