Emma Straub Books

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER “The pages brim with tenderness and an appreciation for what we had and who we were. I could not have loved it more."—Ann Patchett “The kind of book that will make you laugh, make you cry, and make you call the people you love. Exceptional."—Emily Henry "Delightful"—Boston Globe "Poignant"—New York Times What if you could take a vacation to your past? With her celebrated humor, insight, and heart, beloved New York Times bestseller Emma Straub offers her own twist on traditional time travel tropes, and a different kind of love story. On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice’s life isn’t terrible. She likes her job, even if it isn’t exactly the one she expected. She’s happy with her apartment, her romantic status, her independence, and she adores her lifelong best friend. But her father is ailing, and it feels to her as if something is missing. When she wakes up the next morning she finds herself back in 1996, reliving her 16th birthday. But it isn’t just her adolescent body that shocks her, or seeing her high school crush, it’s her dad: the vital, charming, 40-something version of her father with whom she is reunited. Now armed with a new perspective on her own life and his, some past events take on new meaning. Is there anything that she would change if she could?

Astrid Strick has always tried to do her best for her children. Now, they're finally grown up - but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. Elliot doesn't have any idea who he really is, or how to communicate with his sons. Porter is, finally, pregnant - but feels incapable of rising to the challenge. Nicky has fled to distant New Mexico to live the bohemian dream. And Astrid is up to things that would make her children's hair curl. Until now, the family have managed to hide from each other. But when Nicky's daughter Cecelia comes to stay, her arrival threatens to upturn everything...

This debut story collection showcases the author's signature wit and keen observations of human relationships. Set against a backdrop of contemporary life, the narratives explore themes of love, family, and the complexities of modern existence. Each story delves into the intricacies of personal connections, revealing both the joys and challenges faced by the characters. With a blend of humor and poignancy, the collection captures the essence of everyday experiences, making it a compelling read for fans of literary fiction.

Back in their band's heyday, Elizabeth put on a snarl over her Midwestern smile, Andrew let his unwashed hair grow past his chin, and Zoe was the lesbian all the straight women wanted to sleep with. Now nearing fifty they all live within shouting distance in the same neighborhood deep in gentrified Brooklyn. But nothing has aged them like having to suddenly pass the torch (of sexuality, independence, and the ineffable alchemy of cool) to their own offspring. As secrets and revelations are finally let loose-- about themselves, and about the famous fourth band member who soared and fell without them-- the stability of their lives can never be reclaimed.

A Bookpage Best Books of 2012 pick “At once a delicious depiction of Hollywood’s golden age and a sweet, fulfilling story about one woman’s journey through fame, love, and loss.”—Boston Globe  In 1920, Elsa Emerson is born to the owners of the Cherry County Playhouse in Door County, Wisconsin. Elsa relishes appearing onstage, where she soaks up the approval of her father and the embrace of the audience. But when tragedy strikes her family, her acting becomes more than a child’s game of pretend. While still in her teens, Elsa marries and flees to Los Angeles. There she is discovered by Hollywood mogul Irving Green, who refashions her as an exotic brunette screen siren and renames her Laura Lamont. But fame has its costs, and while Laura tries to balance career, family, and personal happiness, she realizes that Elsa Emerson might not be gone completely. Ambitious and richly imagined, Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures is as intimate—and as bigger-than-life—as the great films of the golden age of Hollywood.

Celebrating their thirty-fifth anniversary and their daughter's high-school graduation during a two-week vacation in Mallorca, Franny and Jim Post confront old secrets, hurts, and rivalries that reveal sides of themselves they try to conceal

Two weeks in a remote island villa with America's most dysfunctional family - what could possibly go wrong? The Posts are going on their first family vacation in years, and it's going to be a special one: Jim and Franny are taking their daughter Sylvia, son Bobby and his girlfriend, and Franny's best friend Charles and his husband, all the way to Mallorca for two weeks of the sort of relaxation, culture and cuisine that only Europe can offer. But there are problems. After a transgression with a twenty-three-year-old editorial assistant, Jim has been unceremoniously sacked from his job, and now his and Franny's marriage is on the rocks. Charles and Lawrence are feeling divided over their future, Bobby is mired in debt problems and stuck in a relationship that's pulling in opposite directions and his girlfriend Carmen, super-fit personal trainer and, at forty-something, far too old for Bobby, seems to have realized her mistake. As for Sylvia, she's eighteen, about to go to college, and determined to lose her virginity before she gets there . . .

Winner of a Foreword IndieFab Book of the Year AwardIn 1967, Joan Didion wrote an essay called Goodbye to All That , a work of such candid and penetrating prose that it soon became the gold standard for personal essays. Like no other story before it, Didion’s tale of loving and leaving New York captured the mesmerizing allure Manhattan has always had for writers, poets, and wandering spirits.In this captivating collection, 28 writers take up Didion’s literary legacy by sharing their own New York stories. Their essays often begin as love stories do, with the passion of something newly discovered—the crush of subway crowds, the streets filled with manic energy, and the certainty that this is the only place on Earth where one can become exactly who she is meant to be.They also share the grief that comes when the metropolis loses its magic and the pressures of New York’s frenetic life wear thin on even the most fervent dwellers. As friends move away, rents soar, and love—still— remains just out of reach, each writer’s goodbye to New York is singular and universal, like New York itself.With Cheryl Strayed, Dani Shapiro, Emma Straub, Ann Hood, and more.

A delightful story for preschoolers, this book by bestselling novelist Emma Straub captures the essence of love and friendship, making it perfect for Valentine's Day. With charming illustrations and heartwarming themes, it invites young readers to explore the joy of sharing and caring in a fun, engaging way. Ideal for reading aloud, it encourages emotional connection and celebrates the sweetness of relationships.

The first picture book by bestselling novelist Emma Straub, this joyous and inventive read-aloud will inspire kids to see ordinary objects in a whole new way. Some people think hats are fancy things you can buy at a dressy store, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. In this book, acorns and raspberries are snug hats for your fingers, and an empty pudding cup is a good hat for a stuffed bear. Pajama pants make dangly hats, books can be dramatic hats, and bubbles make very fine hats as well (if temporary). Readers will be delighted to discover that anything can be a hat if you believe it is. Hats are everywhere you look!