Wyatt

Wyatt, what's your role here at Maria's?

I’m a Bookseller––but also a booktalker and a bookthinker

How long have you been in that role?

Since April 2023!

Favorite thing about your role here:

The variety of conversations I have with customers and fellow employees, from lighthearted discussions on food to solving society's most pressing issues. 

What are you reading right now? Wellness by Nathan Hill, The Persuaders by Anand Giriharadas, Putin by Phillip Short, Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Last book you read: Killswitch by Adam Jentleson

Best drink to sip while reading: A cappuccino, draught ale, or an ice-cold Topo Chico

Favorite format for consuming books: Paperback, ideally small and malleable enough to fit inside my coat pocket so I can take it anywhere.

Ideal place to read: Sitting outside a cafe on a quiet street, on a porch, waiting at an airport terminal, or any place where I comfortably sit and people-watch.

Do you read alone? With Company? I enjoy both reading alone and amidst a hum of social interaction at any local business. That being said, I prefer reading among strangers. The more people I know, the less focused I will be. 

What do you eat when you read? Pizza, salt & vinegar chips, bananas, pesto pasta, ice cream

Best book recommendation you’ve received: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

What book do you think everyone should read: Cadillac Desert by Marc Reisner. Written more than thirty years ago, this book accurately predicted our current water crisis––and warned of the severe issues yet to arise. This is the book for understanding the tragic nature of development in the American Southwest. 

What’s your go-to genre? Current events, political science, horror, sociology, and anything written by Jennifer Egan or Haruki Murakami

Quick! Recommend a book! Exhalation by Ted Chiang. This collection of sci-fi short stories explores our burgeoning relationships with virtual reality and AI, as well as the classic debates on existence and free will. Chiang uses a humanistic and emotional approach to discuss these ideas, making the existential conversations more comfortable than your typical sci-fi. 

What meme best describes you?



 

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The Only Good Indians: A Novel By Stephen Graham Jones Cover Image
$16.99
ISBN: 9781982136468
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Gallery / Saga Press - January 26th, 2021

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Why We're Polarized By Ezra Klein Cover Image
$18.99
ISBN: 9781476700366
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster - June 15th, 2021

Staff Pick Badge
A Visit from the Goon Squad: Pulitzer Prize Winner By Jennifer Egan Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780307477477
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Anchor - March 22nd, 2011

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Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life (Pulitzer Prize Winner) By William Finnegan Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9780143109396
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Penguin Books - April 26th, 2016

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How Democracies Die By Steven Levitsky, Daniel Ziblatt Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781524762940
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Crown - January 8th, 2019

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Confluence: Navigating the Personal & Political on Rivers of the New West By Zak Podmore Cover Image
$18.95
ISBN: 9781948814089
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Torrey House Press - October 29th, 2019

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The Water Knife By Paolo Bacigalupi Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9780804171533
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - April 5th, 2016

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Winners Take All: The Elite Charade of Changing the World By Anand Giridharadas Cover Image
$17.00
ISBN: 9781101972670
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage - October 1st, 2019

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Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right By Jane Mayer Cover Image
$19.00
ISBN: 9780307947901
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Anchor - January 24th, 2017

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Grace: President Obama and Ten Days in the Battle for America By Cody Keenan Cover Image
$29.99
ISBN: 9780358651895
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 Days
Published: Mariner Books - October 4th, 2022