middle grade

I recently had the pleasure of watching the tv show Only Murders in the Building (shout out to Rosa, Claire, and Allie for recommending it!) and I was delightfully charmed from start to finish. I quickly fell into this cozy mystery set in New York City following the unexpected trio of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez as they try to solve a murder that took place in their fancy apartment building while starting a true crime podcast along the way. I was pulled in by the eclectic cast of characters, funny moments, and the twists and turns as the plot thickened.

As someone who tends to veer away from things with murder in the title, this show reminded me how fun a mystery can be and that there is in fact an entire genre of cozy mysteries out there to explore. So, if you too have just finished binging this show and are searching for some fun and not-too-scary cozy mysteries to read, check out the list below! And if you haven't watched the show yet, please go and remedy that right away. Happy sleuthing!

In honor of Latinx Heritage Month, here is a list of some incredible books by Latinx and Hispanic authors! From fiction to romance to young adult and middle grade, I hope you're able to find a new story to fall into.

Let us know what you're reading during Latinx Heritage Month by tagging us @thirdplacebooks on social media! We always love seeing what you're reading and finding new recommendations. This month long celebration takes place from September 15th - October 15th, as many independence anniversiaries for Latin American countries are between that time range.

While the sun is currently trying to kill us with it's fiery rays of doom here in Seattle (and no, I'm not being dramatic), I have compiled a list of bright and colorful young adult and kids books that scream summertime (with slightly less apocalyptic heat wave vibes than this week). 

If you're feeling nostalgic for lemonade stands, summer camp, and first loves, this list is for you. If you're dreaming of summer vacations, plunging into crystal clear waters, and a sandy beach to scrunch your toes in, this list is for you. If you're craving fruity popsicles, boppin' tunes, and road trips, you guessed it, this list is for you. The books are organized in the following order: Young Adult Fiction, Young Adult Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Middle Grade Graphic Novels, and Illustrated books. The sweet escape of a good story awaits you. Happy reading friends and I hope you're staying as cool as you can in this merciless heat.

May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!!! To celebrate, I've put together a list of incredible kids and young adult books by AAPI authors to fill your life with wonderfully diverse stories :) As there are quite a few books on this list (I couldn't help myself, truly), I recommend bookmarking this tab so you can refer back to it throughout the year whenever you are in need of some inspiration for what kids books to read next. Stay tuned for adult book recommendations for AAPI heritage month coming next week!

Also, if you have the means, please consider donating to local organizations that support AAPI communities such as API Chaya here in Seattle (a local non-profit organization that seeks to end systemic violence in our communities). Every bit helps <3 <3

With February and thus Black History Month coming to an end, we wanted to compile this list of recommendations to encourage everyone to read books by Black authors all year long. There are titles from all different genres and even a couple pre-orders to look forward to. We hope you will read some of these incredible stories and continue to support and celebrate Black authors post-February and beyond.