Diverse Books for a Neighborhood of Readers
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Other Worlds

Science Fiction, Fantasy, Science Fantasy, Speculative Fiction, Afrofurturism, Feminist & Queer World-Building - an invitation to step into other worlds has always been at the center of our brick-and-mortar. Our first scifi/fantasy lists were built by WisCon fans, heavy on Butler and Le Guin and the other founding women of the genre. We’ve maintained our commitment to find, read, shelve, and recommend diverse voices. Browse here and find books for middle-grade and up, as the best speculative fiction crosses ages and genres!

Hank Green, "The Carls"

Hank Green, "The Carls"

from $17.28

Price includes state and local tax. Book can be picked up at the store or delivered to your home in Northwest Philadelphia. We don’t yet mail books - if you live outside of our delivery area, please visit Bookshop.org to have this great book mailed to you.

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In his wildly entertaining debut novel, Hank Green--cocreator of Crash Course, Vlogbrothers, and SciShow--spins a sweeping, cinematic tale about a young woman who becomes an overnight celebrity before realizing she's part of something bigger, and stranger, than anyone could have possibly imagined.

The Carls just appeared.

Roaming through New York City at three a.m., twenty-three-year-old April May stumbles across a giant sculpture. Delighted by its appearance and craftsmanship--like a ten-foot-tall Transformer wearing a suit of samurai armor--April and her best friend, Andy, make a video with it, which Andy uploads to YouTube. The next day, April wakes up to a viral video and a new life. News quickly spreads that there are Carls in dozens of cities around the world--from Beijing to Buenos Aires--and April, as their first documentarian, finds herself at the center of an intense international media spotlight.

Seizing the opportunity to make her mark on the world, April now has to deal with the consequences her new particular brand of fame has on her relationships, her safety, and her own identity. And all eyes are on April to figure out not just what the Carls are, but what they want from us.

Compulsively entertaining and powerfully relevant, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing grapples with big themes, including how the social internet is changing fame, rhetoric, and radicalization; how our culture deals with fear and uncertainty; and how vilification and adoration spring for the same dehumanization that follows a life in the public eye. The beginning of an exciting fiction career, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing is a bold and insightful novel of now.

Nalo Hopkinson, "Brown Girl in the Ring"

Nalo Hopkinson, "Brown Girl in the Ring"

$18.35
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Octavia Butler, "Kindred, Fledgling, Collected Stories (Loa #338)"

$37.80
Nghi Vo, "The Chosen and the Beautiful" available 06/01/21

Nghi Vo, "The Chosen and the Beautiful" available 06/01/21

$29.15
Naomi Novik, "Spinning Silver"

Naomi Novik, "Spinning Silver"

$18.36
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Ursula K Le Guin, "The Left Hand of Darkness"

from $17.28