10 books to buy for 50 percent off at the Barnes & Noble Book Haul sale

It’s that age-old book lover’s conundrum — do I finish a book from my tall to-read stack, or do I buy a new one? I tend to fall for the former (so many books in so little time) but sometimes it is hard to make a decision. Barnes & Noble’s annual Book Haul sale makes that choice a little easier by letting you take home even more. You can save up to 50% on dozens of the best-selling hardcover books, both in-store or online, from now until Sept. 5.

These 10 books are recommended to help you narrow down your choices. You don’t have to live in a world of YouTubers and TikTokers sharing Book Hauls.

Image: Penguin Random House

Marlon James’ acclaimed follow-up to Black Leopard, Red Wolf This is the first of the Dark Star trilogies and focuses solely on Sogolon (the Moon Witch). In the first book, Sogolon and the Tracker were attempting to track down a missing boy in mythical terrains. But this sequel focuses on her version of the tale, highlighting the power of this 177-year-old witch while unraveling her life story — from her childhood as an orphan to her ascendance to Moon Witch. We cannot wait for the third installment of James’ impressive, sprawling trilogy.

Image: Simon & Schuster

This recently published sequel to Roanhorse’s critically acclaimed Black Sun This book (the first of the Between Earth and Sky Series) continues where the last one left off. The Crow God’s eclipse has ruined the city of Tova, and Serapio has somehow survived — a fate he never imagined. The return of beloved characters: The sea captain Xiala must navigate rough waters and Naranpa is now helpless to find a way. Fevered starThe world-building and geopolitical conflict of the epic fantasy series is intensified, setting the scene for the future.

Image: Penguin Random House

This contemporary heist is a team of friends trying to accomplish the impossible. They return their precious paintings back to Beijing. The group includes Daniel Liang, the pre-med student (who’s also an ace at lock-picking); Lily Wu, the Fast and Furious-esque driver; Alex Huang, the ex-MIT Silicon Valley hacker; and Irene Chen, the con artist. Portrait of the ThiefThe fun and joy of an accompanies it Ocean’s 8A heist in the Chinese-American style, with an analysis of the diaspora from China and a critical assessment of how museums are intertwined to colonialism. This crew is doing it for a $50 million prize — but also, because they feel it’s right. They will they succeed?

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A Marvellous LightThis is an extremely cozy and fantastical, but also quite horny read. It combines gay Edwardian romance with a lot of magic. Robin, an ordinary man who lives in London, gets thrown into a bureaucratic loop when he’s chosen to liaise between the magical and non-magical worlds. His grumpy and slightly magical companion Edwin are pulled in a web of adventure and action by him and Edwin. Marske’s own website has a list of “AO3-style tags” to give you an ever better picture. My favorites include: “spiteful librarian/genial jock,” “homicidal hedge maze,” and “bound by sexy magical restraints.”

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If you love Becky Chambers (who doesn’t adore a queer found family?) and are a fan of Neil Gaiman’s Good OmensIf so, Uncommon Stars – LightThis is the place for you. Katrina Nguyen is transgender woman and a talented violinist who runs from her home. Shizuka, a violinist and con artist, meets her. She must find seven prodigies who will sell their souls to make the deal. Shizuka only has one left to recruit — and Katrina fits the bill. The book also follows the story of Lan Tran, a retired starship captain who runs a donut shop in California’s San Gabriel Valley. It was unforgettable and deeply moving. Uncommon Stars – Light This book is essential reading.

Image: Tor/Macmillan

GoliathBy Tochi Onyebuchi

Our favorite SFF book of 2022 Goliath is set in the 2050s, at a point where white flight to space colonies has left BIPOC people to survive on a broken, climate-crisis-stricken Earth. But some of these colonists are coming back — and beginning to gentrify the very same planet they fled from. Sadie Gennis was the one who suggested this book:

This is a nonlinear collection of vignettes. Goliath switches between several characters’ perspectives, but the main focus is on a group of stackers, a Black and brown crew of workers who scrape by salvaging bricks from demolished buildings to send to the colonies. With no hope of circumstances improving, they’ve long ago come to accept that grief will be the primary constant in their inevitably short lives — if the cancerous air doesn’t kill them, the automated drone police will. The stackers are unable to stop living in pain and continue their journey, seeking meaning and momentary joy in a world that is designed to end them.

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If you’ve kept up with Janelle Monáe’s discography, or watched the Dirty Computer “emotion picture” — starring Jane 57821, the android determined to break free — then you know they have a mind for the future. This series of short stories is a celebration of queer Afrofuturism, springing out of Monáe’s own explorations of totalitarianism and survival. The collection features celebrated Black women and Black nonbinary authors like Eve L. Ewing, Alaya Dawn Johnson, and Sheree Renée Thomas.

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We are all VillainsChristine Lynn Herman, Amanda Foody

This young adult dark fantasy has drawn a lot of comparisons — fans have called it a fantasy Hunger Games or Battle Royale. The action-thriller reminded me also of V.E.’s bloody magic tournaments. Schwab’s The Conjuring Light. Each family must choose one champion on the Blood Moon. The winner will avail their family with high magick — they, exclusively, may wield it. We are all VillainsThis is the story of four contestants. The Lowe family has emerged victorious countless times in the past — who will win now?

Image: BOOM! Studios

This is volume three and the last of the graphic novel adaptation. Dune: House Atreides, the prequel to Frank Herbert’s science fiction classic. This story traces Leto’s path to becoming Duke of House Atreides, along with the backstory for Duncan Idaho, the fighter with the iconic name. This story is brought to life by beautiful artwork.

Image: Union Square & Co.

This is not just a book you can read but a guide to help you fill in the blanks. The book is ideal for manga artists, or those who are aspiring to become manga artists. The book includes instructions and guidance, as well as 112 pages of storyboarded lines that allow for quick filling in. There is also space for notes and ideas, 60 pages on one side with drawings frames, and room for up to 60 pages. This sketchbook lays flat and is made from acid-free, medium-weight paper with a smooth vellum finish — so that sketches will last — that has perforated edges, so you can tote those finished pieces wherever you need.