“Sometimes, convenience has the appearance of logic.” – Sophie Hannah, The Wrong Mother
FICTION
Homeland Elegies by Ayad Akhtar ★
A deeply personal work about hope and identity in a nation coming apart at the seams, Homeland Elegies blends fact and fiction to tell an epic story of belonging and dispossession in the world that 9/11 made. Part family drama, part social essay, part picaresque adventure — at its heart, it is the story of a father, a son, and the country they both call home.
Akhtar forges a new narrative voice to capture a country in which debt has ruined countless lives and our ideals have been sacrificed to the gods of finance, where a TV personality is president and immigrants live in fear, and where the nation’s unhealed wounds of 9/11 wreak havoc around the world. Akhtar attempts to make sense of it all through the lens of a story about one family, from a heartland town in America to palatial suites in Central Europe to guerilla lookouts in the mountains of Afghanistan, and spares no one — least of all himself — in the process.
Description from Goodreads.
“Tour de force… a poetic confession of the agony of trying to articulate a nuanced critique of faith and politics in an age of shrieking partisanship.” – Washington Post
“Dazzling… a deeply personal examination of the American dream.” – Entertainment Weekly
“An immigrant saga unlike any other… singular in its richness, inventiveness, and braininess and the fiery candor with which Akhtar chars nearly every sentence… For me, this is the book of the year.” – O, The Oprah Magazine
“Achingly intimate… The personal is political in this beautiful, intense elegy for an America that often goes awry while still offering hope.” – Library Journal
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Piranesi by Susanna Clarke ★
Piranesi’s house is no ordinary building: its rooms are infinite, its corridors endless, its walls are lined with thousands upon thousands of statues, each one different from all the others. Within the labyrinth of halls an ocean is imprisoned; waves thunder up staircases, rooms are flooded in an instant. But Piranesi is not afraid; he understands the tides as he understands the pattern of the labyrinth itself. He lives to explore the house.
There is one other person in the house-a man called The Other, who visits Piranesi twice a week and asks for help with research into A Great and Secret Knowledge. But as Piranesi explores, evidence emerges of another person, and a terrible truth begins to unravel, revealing a world beyond the one Piranesi has always known.
For readers of Neil Gaiman’s The Ocean at the End of the Lane and fans of Madeline Miller’s Circe, Piranesi introduces an astonishing new world, an infinite labyrinth, full of startling images and surreal beauty, haunted by the tides and the clouds.
Description from Goodreads.
“A novel that feels like a surreal meditation on life in quarantine.” – The New Yorker
“Unforgettable – surely one of the most original works of fiction this season. It drops you into a mind-bending fantasy world, a vast labyrinth with infinite rooms and seas that sweep into halls and up staircases with the tides… It’s a hypnotic tale that you can devour in a day (and probably will; it’s that hard to put down).” – AARP
“A short and beautiful novel that reads like a poem, not in its use of language (which is very accessible) but rather in its cumulative effect of expressing an emotion and state of being that is inexpressible. It’s a strange and lovely read.” – Buzzfeed
“As questions multiply and suspense mounts in this spellbinding, occult puzzle of a fable, one begins to wonder if perhaps the reverence, kindness, and gratitude practiced by Clarke’s enchanting and resilient hero aren’t all the wisdom one truly needs.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
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Don’t Look for Me by Wendy Walker
One night, Molly Clarke walked away from her life.
She doesn’t want to be found.
Or at least, that’s the story.
The car abandoned miles from home.
The note found at a nearby hotel.
The shattered family that couldn’t be put back together. They called it a “walk away.”
It happens all the time.
Women disappear, desperate to leave their lives behind and start over.
But is that what really happened to Molly Clarke?
Description from Goodreads.
“Distinctive, well-developed characters complement the skillfully paced plot. This moving look at the bond between a mother and her children reinforces Walker’s place at the top of the genre.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Walker’s clever misdirection paves the way to a truly chilling finale, and she has plenty of insightful things to say about the blame placed on women by society and themselves for the idiotic, careless, and sometimes downright evil things men do. Twisty and propulsive.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Secrets, lies, and time jumps will keep readers on their toes.” – Library Journal
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The Awkward Black Man: Stories by Walter Mosley
Bestselling author Walter Mosley long ago proved himself a master of narrative tension, both with his extraordinary fiction and gripping writing for television. The Awkward Black Man collects seventeen of Mosley’s most accomplished short stories to showcase the full range of his remarkable talent.
Mosley presents exceptional characters as they struggle to move through the world and navigate relationships, and paints a subtle, powerful portrait of each of these remarkable black people. In “The Good News Is,” a man’s insecurity about his weight gives way to a serious illness and the intense loneliness that accompanies it. Deeply vulnerable, he allows himself to be taken advantage of in return for a little human comfort in a raw display of true need. “Pet Fly,” previously published in The New Yorker, follows a man working as a mailroom clerk for a big company—a solitary job for which he is overqualified—and the unforeseen repercussions he endures when he attempts to forge a connection beyond the one he has with the fly buzzing around his apartment. And “Almost Alyce” chronicles failed loves, family loss, alcoholism, and a Zen approach to the art of begging that proves surprisingly effective.
Touching and contemplative, each of these unexpected stories offers the best of one of our most gifted writers.
Description from Goodreads.
“Master storyteller Mosley has created a beautiful collection about Black men who are, indeed, awkward in their poignant humanity… Mosley’s is an essential American voice and his portraits of Black men will have profound resonance.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“The tough-minded and tenderly observant Mosley style remains constant throughout these stories even as they display varied approaches from the gothic to the surreal. The range and virtuosity of these stories make this Mosley’s most adventurous and, maybe, best book.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Fifty-plus books into his career, Mosley hasn’t run out of inspired plots, and his interest in social issues remains acute, although he editorializes with the lightest of touches; The Awkward Black Man teems with sharp, quippy dialogue and not a sentence suffers the indignity of a frill… This primo story collection by an author best known for his crime fiction reaffirms his place in the literary pantheon.” – Shelf Awareness
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Like a Bird by Fariha Róisín
Taylia Chatterjee has never known love, and certainly has never felt it for herself. Growing up on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, with her older sister Alyssa, their parents were both overbearing and emotionally distant, and despite idyllic summers in the Catskills, and gatherings with glamorous family friends, there is a sadness that emanates from the Chatterjee residence, a deep well of sorrow stemming from the racism of American society.
After a violent sexual assault, Taylia is disowned by her parents and suddenly forced to move out. As Taylia looks to the city, the ghost of her Indian grandmother dadi-ma is always one step ahead, while another more troubling ghost chases after her. Determined to have the courage to confront the pain that her family can’t face, Taylia finds work at a neighborhood cafe owned by single mother and spiritualist, Kat. Taylia quickly builds a constellation of friends and lovers on her own, daring herself to be open to new experiences, even as they call into question what she thought she knew about the past.
Taylia’s story is about survival, coming to terms with her past and looking forward to a future she never felt she was allowed to claim. Writing this for eighteen years, poet and activist Fariha Roisin’s debut novel is an intense, provocative, and emotionally profound portrait of an inner life in turmoil and the redemptive power of community and love.
Description from Goodreads.
“Taylia’s story is one of survival and the power of community, something Róisín captures with her beautiful prose and a piercing perspective that touches on today’s political and social climate.” – Vogue
“Fariha Róisín’s novel sings of building joy within sorrow and spins a gossamer reverie that clings to the consciousness… With its profound testaments to the love of found families and the courage involved in daring to open a cracked heart, Like a Bird is an unforgettable novel.” – Foreword Reviews
“Well-paced and hopeful, this stirring work will resonate with those interested in stories of young women breaking free of oppression and trauma.” – Publishers Weekly
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SUSPENSE
Total Power by Vince Flynn & Kyle Mills
When Mitch Rapp captures ISIS’s top technology expert, he reveals that he was on his way to meet a man who claims to have the ability to bring down America’s power grid. Rapp is determined to eliminate this shadowy figure, but the CIA’s trap fails.
The Agency is still trying to determine what went wrong when ISIS operatives help this cyber terrorist do what he said he could—plunge the country into darkness. With no concept of how this unprecedented act was accomplished, the task of getting the power back on could take months. Perhaps even years.
Rapp and his team embark on a desperate search for the only people who know how to repair the damage—the ones responsible. But his operating environment is like nothing he’s experienced before. Computers and communication networks are down, fuel can no longer be pumped from gas stations, water and sanitation systems are on the brink of collapse, and the supply of food is running out.
Can Rapp get the lights back on before America descends irretrievably into chaos?
This compulsive thriller proves once again that the Mitch Rapp series is “the best of the best when it comes to the world of special ops” (Booklist).
Description from Goodreads.
“Mills’s suspenseful, strikingly original sixth Mitch Rapp novel… is as riveting as anything penned by Mitch’s creator, Vince Flynn (1966–2013). Mills has really hit his stride with this franchise entry.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“One of the best thriller writers on the planet… Daring, original, and unlike anything fans of this franchise have seen before, it’s hard to imagine anyone else delivering a better thriller than Total Power, the best series entry since Consent To Kill (2005), and a serious contender for best book of the year.” – The Real Book Spy
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MYSTERY
The Killings at Kingfisher Hill by Sophie Hannah
Hercule Poirot is travelling by luxury passenger coach from London to the exclusive Kingfisher Hill estate. Richard Devonport has summoned him to prove that his fiancée, Helen, is innocent of the murder of his brother, Frank. There is one strange condition attached to this request: Poirot must conceal his true reason for being there from the rest of the Devonport family.
On the coach, a distressed woman leaps up, demanding to disembark. She insists that if she stays in her seat, she will be murdered. A seat-swap is arranged, and the rest of the journey passes without incident. But Poirot has a bad feeling about it, and his fears are later confirmed when a body is discovered in the Devonports’ home with a note that refers to “the seat that you shouldn’t have sat in.”
Could this new murder and the peculiar incident on the coach be clues to solving the mystery of who killed Frank Devonport? And can Poirot find the real murderer in time to save an innocent woman from the gallows?
Description from Goodreads.
“Brilliant… a masterfully plotted, mind-bending crime thriller that harkens back to the days when Agatha Christie ruled the genre, The Killings at Kingfisher Hill is hands down the best mystery novel of 2020 so far.” – The Real Book Spy
“Bestseller Hannah displays her superior ability to devise mind-blowing setups… Fans of classic fair-play puzzle mysteries will clamor for more.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Classic Christie… Captures the essence of the originals without being a slavish imitation… Christie aficionados will delight.” – Washington Post
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HISTORICAL FICTION
The Abstainer by Ian McGuire
The rebels will be hanged at dawn, and their brotherhood is already plotting revenge.
Stephen Doyle, an Irish-American veteran of the Civil War, arrives in Manchester from New York with a thirst for blood. He has joined the Fenians, a secret society intent on ending British rule in Ireland by any means necessary. Head Constable James O’Connor has fled grief and drink in Dublin for a sober start in Manchester, and connections with his fellow Irishmen are proving to be particularly advantageous in spying on Fenian activity. When a long-lost nephew returns from America and arrives on O’Connor’s doorstep looking for work, O’Connor cannot foresee the way his fragile new life will be imperiled–and how his and Doyle’s fates will be intertwined.
In an epic tale of revenge and obsession, master storyteller Ian McGuire once again transports readers to a time when blood begot blood. Moving from the gritty streets of Manchester to the rolling hills of Pennsylvania, The Abstainer is a searing novel in which two men, motivated by family, honor and revenge, must fight for life and legacy.
Description from Goodreads.
“McGuire imagines the early years of the Fenian Brotherhood in this taut, atmospheric tale of an Irish American freedom fighter and an Irish detective squaring off on the rainy streets of Manchester, England, in 1867… McGuire demonstrates a mastery of classic realism, building the characters through their reactions to unflinching scenes of brutality, from a Manchester rat-baiting pit to memories of Civil War combat and a botched public hanging. Manchester in particular is evoked with keen impressionistic detail (‘Outside, the rain repeats itself, low and constant, like the hum of a machine or the words of a prayer’). Plot threads of romance and revenge emerge from O’Connell’s dogged impulsiveness, as he pursues Rose and then Doyle through Manchester and beyond. McGuire’s crackling work is one to savor.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“This well-told, suspenseful tale will appeal to fans of Deadwood and Cormac McCarthy.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…a gritty and moody story… succeeds in keeping the reader tense and uneasy, much like the polluted, portentous air hanging over Manchester. The brooding and lyrically written cat-and-mouse narrative of Doyle and O’Connor is excellent… a taut tale exploring the brutal vagaries of men’s hearts, The Abstainer is a provocative novel that invites further discovery of a troubled time.” – Historical Novel Society
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The Evening and the Morning by Ken Follett
It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns.
In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined: A young boatbuilder’s life is turned upside down when the only home he’s ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in… A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land. But the customs of her husband’s homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic… A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power.
Thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, Follett’s masterful new prequel The Evening and the Morning takes us on an epic journey into a historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and hate, that will end where The Pillars of the Earth begins.
Description from Goodreads.
“[A] richly told, complex story… Follett is a powerful storyteller… [whose] fans will enjoy this jaunt through the days before England was merry.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Follett has done it again. Readers will gobble up this exciting prequel.” – Library Journal
“[An] absorbing and lengthy saga of life in a chaotic and unstable England on the cusp of the Middle Ages… Fans of Follett’s ever-popular Kingsbridge series… will flock to this… while intrigued newcomers can start here.” – Booklist
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SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
To Sleep in a Sea of Stars by Christopher Paolini
Kira Navárez dreamed of life on new worlds.
Now she’s awakened a nightmare.
During a routine survey mission on an uncolonized planet, Kira finds an alien relic. At first she’s delighted, but elation turns to terror when the ancient dust around her begins to move.
As war erupts among the stars, Kira is launched into a galaxy-spanning odyssey of discovery and transformation. First contact isn’t at all what she imagined, and events push her to the very limits of what it means to be human.
While Kira faces her own horrors, Earth and its colonies stand upon the brink of annihilation. Now, Kira might be humanity’s greatest and final hope…
Description from Goodreads.
“A fun, fast-paced epic that science fiction fans will gobble up.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…fantastic, big and exciting… [lays] a fantastic groundwork for more space adventures.” – Novelknight
“Bestselling YA author Paolini (Eragon) ventures into the realm of space opera with a satisfying, far-future epic that questions what it means to be human… The high-stakes quest and developing bonds of found family make for a fun epic grounded in an earnest exploration of human consciousness.” – Publishers Weekly
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YOUNG ADULT
Legendborn by Tracey Deonn
After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus.
A flying demon feeding on human energies.
A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down.
And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw.
The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates.
She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.
Description from Goodreads.
“Well-crafted allusions to established legends and other literary works are delightful easter eggs. Don’t look over sea or under stone, this is the fantasy novel for all once and future fans of suspense-filled storytelling.” – Kirkus Reviews
“In Deonn’s rich and explosive debut, readers are introduced to a meticulously-built world of magic with roots in Arthurian legend and traditions of the African American South… This book underscores the movement for more inclusive versions of traditional Western narratives, and will be a favorite of contemporary fantasy readers. Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“…dynamic… Deonn adeptly employs the haunting history of the American South (‘the low buzzing sound of exclusion’) to explore themes of ancestral pain, grief, and love, balancing them with stimulating worldbuilding and multiple thrilling plot twists.” – Publishers Weekly
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The Art of Saving the World by Corinne Duyvis
When Hazel Stanczak was born, an interdimensional rift tore open near her family’s home, which prompted immediate government attention. They soon learned that if Hazel strayed too far, the rift would become volatile and fling things from other dimensions onto their front lawn—or it could swallow up their whole town. As a result, Hazel has never left her small Pennsylvania town, and the government agents garrisoned on her lawn make sure it stays that way.
On her sixteenth birthday, though, the rift spins completely out of control. Hazel comes face-to-face with a surprise: a second Hazel. Then another. And another. Three other Hazels from three different dimensions! Now, for the first time, Hazel has to step into the world to learn about her connection to the rift—and how to close it.
But is Hazel—even more than one of her—really capable of saving the world?
Description from Goodreads.
“A compelling narrative based around the subversion of generic fantasy and science fiction fodder.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Duyvis subverts the Chosen One trope, with a hero thoroughly unprepared for her burden. Hazel’s depiction as an anxious, sheltered protagonist is expanded by the other Hazels’ reflections of her personality… a provocative, genre-bending look at exploring identity.” – Publishers Weekly
“[A] unique concept with strong characters and some insightful discussion… a wild ride…” – School Library Journal
Available Formats:
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NONFICTION
Agent Sonya: Moscow’s Most Daring Wartime Spy by Ben Macintyre
The true story behind the Cold War’s most intrepid female spy.
In 1942, in a quiet village in the leafy English Cotswolds, a thin, elegant woman lived in a small cottage with her three children and her husband, who worked as a machinist nearby. Ursula Burton was friendly but reserved, and spoke English with a slight foreign accent. By all accounts, she seemed to be living a simple, unassuming life. Her neighbors in the village knew little about her.
They didn’t know that she was a high-ranking Soviet intelligence officer. They didn’t know that her husband was also a spy, or that she was running powerful agents across Europe. Behind the facade of her picturesque life, Burton was a dedicated Communist, a Soviet colonel, and a veteran agent, gathering the scientific secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the bomb.
This true-life spy story is about the woman code-named “Sonya.” Over the course of her career, she was hunted by the Chinese, the Japanese, the Nazis, MI5, MI6, and the FBI—and she evaded them all. Her story reflects the great ideological clash of the twentieth century—between Communism, Fascism, and Western democracy—and casts new light on the spy battles and shifting allegiances of our own times.
With unparalleled access to Sonya’s diaries and correspondence and never-before-seen information on her clandestine activities, Ben Macintyre has written a history of a legendary secret agent, a woman who influenced the course of the Cold War and helped plunge the world into a decades-long standoff between nuclear superpowers.
Description from Goodreads.
“Macintyre, the author of numerous books on spies and espionage, has found a real-life heroine worthy of his gifts as John le Carré’s nonfiction counterpart… an enthralling account of the territory that exists between devotion to the cause and sheer love of the game.” – New York Times
“An absorbing study of a remarkably accomplished 20th-century spy.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“…fascinating… Macintyre’s richly detailed account… shines a new light on two of WWII’s most notorious spy rings. Espionage fans will be thrilled.” – Publishers Weekly
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Rage by Bob Woodward
An unprecedented and intimate tour de force of original reporting on the Trump presidency from Bob Woodward.
Rage goes behind the scenes like never before, with stunning new details about early national security decisions and operations and Trump’s moves as he faces a global pandemic, economic disaster and racial unrest.
Woodward, the #1 internationally bestselling author of 13 #1 bestsellers, including Fear: Trump in the White House, shows Trump up close in his entirety before the 2020 presidential election.
President Trump has said publicly that Woodward has interviewed him. What is not known is that Trump provided Woodward a window into his mind through a series of exclusive interviews.
At key decision points, Rage shows how Trump’s responses to the crises of 2020 were rooted in the instincts, habits and style he developed during his first three years as president.
Rage draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand witnesses, as well as participants’ notes, emails, diaries, calendars and confidential documents.
Woodward obtained 25 personal letters exchanged between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that have not been public before. Kim describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a “fantasy film,” as the two leaders engage in an extraordinary diplomatic minuet.
Rage will be the foundational account of the Trump presidency, its turmoil, contradictions and risks. It is an essential document for any voter seeking an accurate inside view of the Trump years—volatile and vivid.
Description from Goodreads.
“…a damning account of Trump’s cowering sycophants and enablers… a detailed portrait of the president and some of his top aides… Woodward’s prose offers readers that delicious, vicarious sense of being an insider, right there in the room with Bob…” – Washington Post
“…a jaw-dropping portrait of a president…” – The Guardian
“…another alarming and deeply reported account of turmoil, dysfunction, and recklessness within the Trump administration… This devastating report will leave a lasting mark.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
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The Last Million: Europe’s Displaced Persons from World War to Cold War by David Nasaw
In May 1945, German forces surrendered to the Allied powers, putting an end to World War II in Europe. But the aftershocks of global military conflict did not cease with the German capitulation. Millions of lost and homeless concentration camp survivors, POWs, slave laborers, political prisoners, and Nazi collaborators in flight from the Red Army overwhelmed Germany, a nation in ruins. British and American soldiers gathered the malnourished and desperate refugees and attempted to repatriate them. But after exhaustive efforts, there remained more than a million displaced persons left behind in Germany: Jews, Poles, Estonians, Latvians, Lithuanians, Ukrainians, and other Eastern Europeans who refused to go home or had no homes to return to. The Last Million would spend the next three to five years in displaced persons camps, temporary homelands in exile, divided by nationality, with their own police forces, churches and synagogues, schools, newspapers, theaters, and infirmaries.
The international community could not agree on the fate of the Last Million, and after a year of debate and inaction, the International Refugee Organization was created to resettle them in lands suffering from postwar labor shortages. But no nations were willing to accept the 200,000 to 250,000 Jewish men, women, and children who remained trapped in Germany. In 1948, the United States, among the last countries to accept refugees for resettlement, finally passed a displaced persons bill. With Cold War fears supplanting memories of World War II atrocities, the bill granted the vast majority of visas to those who were reliably anti-Communist, including thousands of former Nazi collaborators and war criminals, while severely limiting the entry of Jews, who were suspected of being Communist sympathizers or agents because they had been recent residents of Soviet-dominated Poland. Only after the controversial partition of Palestine and Israel’s declaration of independence were the remaining Jewish survivors able to leave their displaced persons camps in Germany.
A masterwork from acclaimed historian David Nasaw, The Last Million tells the gripping yet until now largely hidden story of postwar displacement and statelessness. By 1952, the Last Million were scattered around the world. As they crossed from their broken past into an unknowable future, they carried with them their wounds, their fears, their hope, and their secrets. Here for the first time, Nasaw illuminates their incredible history and, with profound contemporary resonance, shows us that it is our history as well.
Description from Goodreads.
“Nasaw does a masterful job of bringing to light the lasting individual and global consequences of policies and attitudes surrounding the last million… A thought-provoking, highly recommended perspective on a complex and largely overlooked people and period of modern history.” – Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“A richly detailed account of what happened to the one million Holocaust survivors, former slave laborers, and POWs who found themselves in Germany at the end of WWII… Nasaw skillfully and movingly relates a multilayered story with implications for contemporary refugee crises. This meticulously researched history is a must-read.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[M]asterful… A searching, vigorously written history of an unsettled time too little known to American readers.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
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A Better Man: A (Mostly Serious) Letter to My Son by Michael Ian Black
A poignant look at boyhood, in the form of a heartfelt letter from comedian Michael Ian Black to his teenage son before he leaves for college, and a radical plea for rethinking masculinity and teaching young men to give and receive love.
In a world in which the word masculinity now often goes hand in hand with toxic, comedian, actor, and father Michael Ian Black offers up a way forward for boys, men, and anyone who loves them. Part memoir, part advice book, and written as a heartfelt letter to his college-bound son, A Better Man reveals Black’s own complicated relationship with his father, explores the damage and rising violence caused by the expectations placed on boys to “man up,” and searches for the best way to help young men be part of the solution, not the problem. “If we cannot allow ourselves vulnerability,” he writes, “how are we supposed to experience wonder, fear, tenderness?”
Honest, funny, and hopeful, Black skillfully navigates the complex gender issues of our time and delivers a poignant answer to an urgent question: How can we be, and raise, better men?
Description from Goodreads.
“There’s something for everyone in these pages. Hand this to anyone who loved David Sedaris’s Calypso.” – Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Parents will be moved and enlightened by Black’s thoughtful advice.” – Publishers Weekly
“Heartfelt lessons for his college-bound son… Black lays out his thoughts and feelings with few defenses up and a comic lightness that doesn’t belie the book’s rather heavy truths… Thoughtful ruminations on masculinity in the modern age… Whether you’re a parent or simply thinking about life choices, there’s both melancholy and wisdom to be found here.” – Kirkus Reviews
Available Formats:
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The Spymasters: How the CIA Directors Shape History and the Future by Chris Whipple
Only fourteen men and one woman are alive today who have made the life-and-death decisions that come with running the world’s most powerful and influential intelligence service. With unprecedented, deep access to all these individuals, Chris Whipple tells the story of an agency that answers to the United States president alone, but whose activities—spying, espionage, and covert action—take place on every continent.
Since its inception in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency has been a powerful player on the world stage, operating largely in the shadows to protect American interests. For The Spymasters, Whipple conducted extensive, exclusive interviews with nearly every living CIA director, pulling back the curtain on the world’s elite spy agencies and showing how the CIA partners—or clashes—with counterparts in Britain, France, Germany, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and Russia. He covers every topic from the influence of the White House on intelligence activity to simmering problems in the Middle East and Asia to rogue nuclear threats and cyberwarfare.
A revelatory look at the CIA’s impact across the globe, The Spymasters uncovers the inside stories behind the CIA’s seven decades of activity and elicits predictions about which issues—and threats—will occupy the espionage and surveillance landscape of the future. Including eye-opening interviews with George Tenet, John Brennan, Leon Panetta, and David Patraeus, as well as those who’ve just recently departed the Agency, this is a timely, essential, and important contribution to current events.
Description from Goodreads.
“Whipple makes excellent use of insider accounts and provides enough color to keep readers turning the pages. This well-written and accessible survey illuminates a neglected role in American history.” – Publishers Weekly
“An expert chronicle of the CIA through the actions of its directors… This lively, opinionated history makes it clear that presidents and CIA directors sometimes deserve each other.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Better than anyone, Chris Whipple knows how to root out the secrets buried deeply in the federal bureaucracy… When he gives the most secret of our agencies a good shaking the headline stories and secrets come tumbling out… This is the CIA with the bark off, and Washington reporting at its best.” – Bob Schieffer, CBS News
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Angry Weather: Heat Waves, Floods, Storms, and the New Science of Climate Change by Friederike Otto
Massive fires, widespread floods, Category 4 hurricanes—shocking weather disasters dominate news headlines every year, but not everyone agrees on what causes them. In this gripping nonfiction book, renowned scientist Friederike Otto provides an answer with attribution science, a revolutionary method for pinpointing the role of climate change in extreme weather events.
Angry Weather tells the compelling, day-by-day story of Hurricane Harvey, which caused over a hundred deaths and $125 billion in damage in 2017. As the hurricane unfolds, Otto reveals how attribution science works in real time, and determines that Harvey’s terrifying floods were three times more likely to occur due to human-induced climate change.
This new ability to determine climate change’s role in extreme weather events has the potential to dramatically transform society—for individuals, who can see how climate change affects their loved ones, and corporations and governments, who may see themselves held accountable in the courts. Otto’s research laid out in this groundbreaking book will have profound impacts, both today and for the future of humankind.
Description from Amazon.
“[A] thrilling work of nonfiction… If readers were holding any doubt about climate’s effects on weather before picking up this book, that doubt will be eviscerated before the last gripping page.” – Literary Hub
“Those who doubt the severity of climate change will persist, but for the fact-minded, Otto’s arguments are incontrovertible.” – Kirkus Reviews
Available Formats:
Hoopla eBook
The Mexican Home Kitchen: Traditional Home-Style Recipes That Capture the Flavors and Memories of Mexico by Mely Martínez
The long-awaited, bestselling cookbook from Mely Martínez, The Mexican Home Kitchen compiles the traditional home-style dishes enjoyed every day in Mexican households, with influences from states like Tamaulipas, Nuevo León, Veracruz, Puebla, Estado de México, and Yucatán.
Illustrated with stunning photography, this book includes recipes for stews, soups, and side dishes, along with famous dishes like mole, enchiladas, picadillo, and milanesa, and is rounded out with delicious salsas, drinks, and desserts.
For Mely Martínez, Mexican cooking has always been about family, community, and tradition. Born and raised in Tampico, Mely started helping in the kitchen at a very young age, since she was the oldest daughter of eight children, and spent summers at her grandmother’s farm in the state of Veracruz, where part of the daily activities included helping grind the corn to make masa.
Mely started her popular blog, Mexico in My Kitchen, to share the recipes and memories of her home so that her son can someday recreate and share these dishes with his own family. In the meantime, it has become the go-to source for those looking for authentic home-style Mexican cooking.
Complete with easy-to-follow instructions, beautiful images, and stories from Mexico, along with recipes for making corn and flour tortillas and tips for stocking your pantry, The Mexican Home Kitchen will have you enjoying this delicious cooking right in your own home.
Description from Goodreads.
“Dive in just about anywhere randomly, and delicious-looking-and-sounding things jump out that you’ll want to try posthaste… an impressive debut…” – Cooks Without Borders
“The recipes are simple enough for people just getting into Mexican cooking, but also have a nostalgic quality that will appeal to those who grew up with homemade arroz con leche or chicharrón en salsa verde.” – Eater
Available Formats:
Hoopla eBook
Skinnytaste Meal Prep: Healthy Make-Ahead Meals and Freezer Recipes to Simplify Your Life by Gina Homolka
Save time, money, and calories with #1 New York Times bestselling author Gina Homolka’s simple, smart solutions for healthy freezer meals, ready-to-serve dishes, grab-and-go breakfasts and lunches, ingenious “planned-overs,” and more.
Whether you’re looking to lose weight or just eat a little healthier, meal prepping and cooking in advance helps you stay on track with your diet, saves time on busy weeknights, and is great for your budget. Skinnytaste Meal Prep delivers more than 120 healthy, diverse recipes that turn simple, easy-to-find ingredients into flavor-packed meals and snacks you’ll have ready at your fingertips for the week ahead and beyond.
Gina utilizes a number of brilliant time-saving strategies, including recipes to prep ahead so they can go straight from the freezer (your kitchen’s secret weapon!) to the Instant Pot®, slow cooker, or oven to finish cooking, along with dishes that are completely made ahead and easily reheated. With these flexible techniques, you’ll have meals on-hand months in advance, ready whenever the need arises, with no further shopping or cooking required. Imagine stress-free mornings when you can enjoy Lemon Blueberry Sheet Pan Pancakes for breakfast and just grab a DIY Chicken Taco Kit for lunch on your way out the door–no more unhealthful drive-thru breakfast sandwiches or expensive takeout. Healthy bites like Pumpkin Hummus and “Everything” Nuts will fuel you through the afternoon. For no-prep, effortless dinners, Roasted Vegetable Lasagna, Moussaka Makeover, and Greek Chicken Pilaf Bowls will make the entire family happy and satisfied.
With Skinnytaste Meal Prep, cooking smarter and eating healthier just got a whole lot simpler.
Description from Goodreads.
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