“You can fall in love: someone will catch you.” – Ali Hazelwood, The Love Hypothesis
100 Places to See After You Die: A Travel Guide to the Afterlife by Ken Jennings
nonfiction / comedy / history / philosophy / religion.
Ever wonder which circles of Dante’s Inferno have the nicest accommodations? Where’s the best place to grab a bite to eat in the ancient Egyptian underworld? How does one dress like a local in the heavenly palace of Hinduism’s Lord Vishnu, or avoid the flesh-eating river serpents in the Klingon afterlife? What hidden treasures can be found off the beaten path in Hades, Valhalla, or NBC’s The Good Place? Find answers to all those questions and more about the world(s) to come in this eternally entertaining book from Ken Jennings .
100 Places to See After You Die is written in the style of iconic bestselling travel guides—but instead of recommending must-see destinations in Mexico, Thailand, or Rome, Jennings outlines journeys through the afterlife, as dreamed up over 5,000 years of human history by our greatest prophets, poets, mystics, artists, and TV showrunners. This comprehensive index of 100 different afterlife destinations was meticulously researched from sources ranging from the Epic of Gilgamesh to modern-day pop songs, video games, and Simpsons episodes. Get ready for whatever post-mortal destiny awaits you, whether it’s an astral plane, a Hieronymus Bosch hellscape, or the baseball diamond from Field of Dreams.
Fascinating, funny, and irreverent, this light-hearted memento mori will help you create your very own bucket list—for after you’ve kicked the bucket.
“Everything you always wanted to know about the afterlife but were too alive to ask… An entertaining, amusing collection of a wide variety of visions of the afterlife.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[An] eclectic mix of 100 accounts, ranging from mythology and religion to ideas floated in books, movies and TV shows… light and irreverent… it reads a lot like what you expect in a book by Jennings: long on knowledge and mercifully short on claims about the grand truth of things.” – Nicholas Cannariato, Washington Post
“[A] gung-ho travel guide to Heaven, Hell, and beyond… [Jennings] approaches his subject with a wry, ready-to-be-delighted open-mindedness…” – Sarah Larson, The New Yorker
1964: Eyes of the Storm by Paul McCartney
nonfiction / photography / history / music.
“Millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget.” – Paul McCartney
Taken with a 35mm camera by Paul McCartney, these largely unseen photographs capture the explosive period, from the end of 1963 through early 1964, in which The Beatles became an international sensation and changed the course of music history. Featuring 275 images from the six cities―Liverpool, London, Paris, New York, Washington, D.C., and Miami―of these legendary months, 1964: Eyes of the Storm also includes:
• A personal foreword in which McCartney recalls the pandemonium of British concert halls, followed by the hysteria that greeted the band on its first American visit
• Candid recollections preceding each city portfolio that form an autobiographical account of the period McCartney remembers as the “Eyes of the Storm,” plus a coda with subsequent events in 1964
• “Beatleland,” an essay by Harvard historian and New Yorker essayist Jill Lepore, describing how The Beatles became the first truly global mass culture phenomenon
Handsomely designed, 1964: Eyes of the Storm creates an intensely dramatic record of The Beatles’ first transatlantic trip, documenting the radical shift in youth culture that crystallized in 1964.
“…extraordinary… This beautiful art book serves as a most welcome companion to Beatles scholarship and 1960s culture in general.” – Gregory Stall, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“A luminous photographic record of the dawn of Beatlemania… Sir Paul knows his way around just about every artistic medium, and these photographs are a must for Beatles fans.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
Be Mine by Richard Ford
fiction.
Over the course of four celebrated works of fiction and almost forty years, Richard Ford has crafted an ambitious, incisive, and singular view of American life as lived. Unconstrained, astute, provocative, often laugh-out-loud funny, Frank Bascombe is once more our guide to the great American midway.
Now in the twilight of life, a man who has occupied many colorful lives–sportswriter, father, husband, ex-husband, friend, real estate agent–Bascombe finds himself in the most sorrowing role of all: caregiver to his son, Paul, diagnosed with ALS. On a shared winter odyssey to Mount Rushmore, Frank, in typical Bascombe fashion, faces down the mortality that is assured each of us, and in doing so confronts what happiness might signify at the end of days.
In this memorable novel, Richard Ford displays the prose, wit, and intelligence that make him one of our most acclaimed living writers. Be Mine is a profound, funny, poignant love letter to our beleaguered world.
“Ford’s fans will find much to love.” – Publishers Weekly
“Frank Bascombe receives the send-off he deserves in this fifth book of the series… Frank remains a funny guy, both ha-ha funny and a little odd, but Ford couldn’t be more serious about his craft, his precision, his attention to detail, his need to say exactly what he means. If this is also Ford’s curtain call, he has done himself proud.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Ford’s prose attains a rare combination of exquisite beauty powered by dialogue that has the casual familiarity of a jocular Everyman gifted with a winning, sly wit. Be Mine ultimately charts the journey of the human condition and the strivings, failings, and resiliency of the human heart. A fitting finale to the landmark Bascombe saga, this ranks among Ford’s best.” – Bill Kelly, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Better Living Through Birding: Notes from a Black Man in the Natural World by Christian Cooper
nonfiction / memoir / nature / travel.
Christian Cooper is a self-described “Blerd” (Black nerd), an avid comics fan and expert birder who devotes every spring to gazing upon the migratory birds that stop to rest in Central Park, just a subway ride away from where he lives in New York City. While in the park one morning in May 2020, Cooper was engaged in the birdwatching ritual that had been a part of his life since he was ten years old when what might have been a routine encounter with a dog walker exploded age-old racial tensions. Cooper’s viral video of the incident would send shock waves through the nation.
In Better Living Through Birding, Cooper tells the story of his extraordinary life leading up to the now-infamous incident in Central Park and shows how a life spent looking up at the birds prepared him, in the most uncanny of ways, to be a gay, Black man in America today. From sharpened senses that work just as well at a protest as in a park to what a bird like the Common Grackle can teach us about self-acceptance, Better Living Through Birding exults in the pleasures of a life lived in pursuit of the natural world and invites you to discover them yourself.
Equal parts memoir, travelogue, and primer on the art of birding, this is Cooper’s story of learning to claim and defend space for himself and others like him, from his days at Marvel Comics introducing the first gay storylines to vivid and life-changing birding expeditions through Africa, Australia, the Americas, and the Himalayas. Better Living Through Birding recounts Cooper’s journey through the wonderful world of birds and what they can teach us about life, if only we would look and listen.
“A celebration of the delights of watching birds… [an] engaging debut memoir… Candid reflections from an appealing guide to the birding life.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…Cooper is a thoughtful, enthusiastic narrator… Tying these multifaceted strands together is no easy feat, but Cooper does it well.” – Alice Cary, BookPage
“[A] lively, thoughtful memoir… [the] more sweeping arguments are never made with a cudgel; instead, they organically emerge from his captivating personal story. Meanwhile, his passion for birding could make hobbyists of even the most avian-agnostic. This rewarding memoir adds heft and heart to the headlines.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
A Crown of Ivy and Glass by Claire Legrand
fiction / fantasy / romance.
Lady Gemma Ashbourne seemingly has it all. She’s young, gorgeous, and rich. Her family was Anointed by the gods, blessed with incredible abilities. But underneath her glittering façade, Gemma is deeply sad. Years ago, her sister Mara was taken to the Middlemist to guard against treacherous magic. Her mother abandoned the family. Her father and eldest sister, Farrin—embroiled in a deadly blood feud with the mysterious Bask family—often forget Gemma exists.
Worst of all, Gemma is the only Ashbourne to possess no magic. Instead, her body fights it like poison. Constantly ill, aching with loneliness, Gemma craves love and yearns to belong.
Then she meets the devastatingly handsome Talan d’Astier. His family destroyed themselves, seduced by a demon, and Talan, the only survivor, is determined to redeem their honor. Intrigued and enchanted, Gemma proposes a bargain: She’ll help Talan navigate high society if he helps her destroy the Basks. According to popular legend, a demon called The Man With the Three-Eyed Crown is behind the families’ blood feud—slay the demon, end the feud.
But attacks on the Middlemist are increasing. The plot against the Basks quickly spirals out of control. And something immense and terrifying is awakening in Gemma, drawing her inexorably toward Talan and an all-consuming passion that could destroy her—or show her the true strength of her power at last.
“Best-selling YA author Legrand’s first novel for adults is full of high stakes for her characters and detailed fantasy worldbuilding with interesting mythology for readers.” – Morgan Lockard, Library Journal
Everything the Darkness Eats by Eric LaRocca
fiction / horror / fantasy.
After a recent string of disappearances in a small Connecticut town, a grieving widower with a grim secret is drawn into a dangerous ritual of dark magic by a powerful and mysterious older gentleman named Heart Crowley. Meanwhile, a member of local law enforcement tasked with uncovering the culprit responsible for the bizarre disappearances soon begins to learn of a current of unbridled hatred simmering beneath the guise of the town’s idyllic community—a hatred that will eventually burst and forever change the lives of those who once found peace in the quiet town of Henley’s Edge.
From the Bram Stoker Award®-nominated author of the viral sensation, Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke, Everything the Darkness Eats is a haunting supernatural thriller from a new and exciting voice in genre fiction.
“LaRocca’s writing is as lush as a baroque painting… LaRocca’s true talent lies in his ability to bring his readers into the lives of his characters – a mother’s desperation to help her blind child; a widower’s mourning; a gay couple’s fight against discrimination. It’s through such explorations that readers can enter other lives, and feel empathy for those who are like us, and those who are not. That, LaRocca’s novel seems to argue, is the point of fiction – to crack open the shell of otherness and explore all that’s inside.” – Danielle Trussoni, New York Times
“LaRocca brings some serious Clive Barker vibes to the table… This is no easy, breezy summer read. It’s bleak, but not without light, and not without hope. LaRocca has been steadily building a solid reputation in the horror genre, and this novel represents a giant step forward for him. Strongly recommended.” – Blu Gilliand, Cemetery Dance
“With scenes of palpable fear, deep-seated trauma, and visceral villainy, this remarkable novel will move readers through every possible emotion… The story is undeniably full of shock and disgust but also seeks to elevate love and allow humanity to shine through… A perfect example of how writers from historically marginalized communities, like Hailey Piper, R.J. Joseph, and V. Castro, are actively mining the horror of their personal experiences to create terrifying, original, and emotionally resonant works that speak loudly to readers.” – Becky Spratford, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
The First Bright Thing by J.R. Dawson
fiction / fantasy / historical fiction.
If you knew how dark tomorrow would be, what would you do with today?
Ringmaster — Rin, to those who know her best — can jump to different moments in time as easily as her wife, Odette, soars from bar to bar on the trapeze. And the circus they lead is a rare home and safe haven for magical misfits and outcasts, known as Sparks.
With the world still reeling from World War I, Rin and her troupe — the Circus of the Fantasticals — travel the midwest, offering a single night of enchantment and respite to all who step into their Big Top.
But threats come at Rin from all sides. The future holds an impending war that the Sparks can see barrelling toward their show and everyone in it. And Rin’s past creeps closer every day, a malevolent shadow she can’t fully escape.
It takes the form of another circus, with tents as black as midnight and a ringmaster who rules over his troupe with a dangerous power. Rin’s circus has something he wants, and he won’t stop until it’s his.
“Perfect for fans of The Night Circus… The First Bright Thing is a genre-bending and wholly absorbing tale that will envelop readers in its exploration of light and dark.” – B&N Reads
“…fans of gentle, uplifting speculative fiction will find much to enjoy in this heartfelt celebration of difference.” – Publishers Weekly
“Dawson mashes up history, fantasy, and the magic of the circus in an emotionally immersive, character-driven story.” – Kristi Chadwick, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand ★
fiction / romance.
Hollis Shaw’s life seems picture-perfect. She’s the creator of the popular food blog Hungry with Hollis and is married to Matthew, a dreamy heart surgeon. But after she and Matthew get into a heated argument one snowy morning, he leaves for the airport and is killed in a car accident. The cracks in Hollis’s perfect life—her strained marriage and her complicated relationship with her daughter, Caroline—grow deeper.
So when Hollis hears about something called a “Five-Star Weekend”—one woman organizes a trip for her best friend from each phase of her her teenage years, her twenties, her thirties, and midlife—she decides to host her own Five-Star Weekend on Nantucket. But the weekend doesn’t turn out to be a joyful Hallmark movie.
The husband of Hollis’s childhood friend Tatum arranges for Hollis’s first love, Jack Finigan, to spend time with them, stirring up old feelings. Meanwhile, Tatum is forced to play nice with abrasive and elitist Dru-Ann, Hollis’s best friend from UNC Chapel Hill. Dru-Ann’s career as a prominent Chicago sports agent is on the line after her comments about a client’s mental health issues are misconstrued online. Brooke, Hollis’s friend from their thirties, has just discovered that her husband is having an inappropriate relationship with a woman at work. Again! And then there’s Gigi, a stranger to everyone (including Hollis) who reached out to Hollis through her blog. Gigi embodies an unusual grace and, as it happens, has many secrets.
The Five-Star Weekend is a surprising and captivating story about friendship, love, and self-discovery set on Nantucket. It will be a weekend like no other.
“All hail the reigning queen of the beach read!… While this book could easily fall into the predictable, this fresh and diverse cast of characters keeps the reader on their toes until the very end. Bring on all the five-star puns, because Hilderbrand’s latest delivers.” – Sarah Gelman, Amazon
“The people in her books may screw up, but Hilderbrand always gets it right. Kind of amazing.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] stunning, sun-drenched mix of romance and women’s fiction… This should become a beach bag staple.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Hilderbrand deftly writes of the ups and downs of relationships, from friends to lovers to children. She will have readers laughing, crying, and sighing in satisfaction as all is resolved… Beach-read perfection.” – Melissa DeWild, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Flight & Anchor by Nicole Kornher-Stace
fiction / science fiction.
Young SecOps operatives 06 and 22 were about to be sent out for their first military engagement. Just a few years earlier, they were child refugees of a corporate civil war; Stellaxis modified them into supersoldiers. But 06 and 22 have escaped their prison barracks and entered a city they can barely remember. In the dead of winter, they sleep in an abandoned shipping container and scavenge for resources.
The Director of the Stellaxis supersoldier program knows that 06 and 22 are gone, where they are, and that she has no easy way of retrieving them. The Director also knows that if she sends anyone after them, there will be a bloodbath—or at least a great deal of bad press. But all operatives’ days are numbered. 06 and 22 must make a terrible choice: their freedom or each other.
“…captivating… a fast-paced game of cat and mouse that will leave readers wanting more.” – Publishers Weekly
“This distressing yet delightful prequel explains the history between 06 and 22, cementing the reasoning behind their actions in Firebreak and expanding readers’ understanding of the dystopian, corporate-owned world Kornher-Stace has created.” – Booklist
“A terrific entry point into this compelling, corrupt, dystopian world, with a story about the forging of unbreakable bonds set against harrowing adventure, heartrending choices, and traumatic consequences.” – Marlene Harris, Library Journal
Inside Threat by Matthew Quirk
fiction / suspense.
Assume the worst. Code Black.
The day that every secret service agent trains for has arrived. The White House has been breached; the President forced to flee to a massive doomsday bunker outside DC to defend against whatever comes next. Only the most trusted agents and officials are allowed in with him—those dedicated to keeping the government intact at all costs.
Among these is Erik Hill, who has given his life to the Secret Service. They are his purpose and his family, and his impressive record has made him a hero among them. Despite his growing disillusionment from seeing Washington corruption up close, Erik can’t ignore years of instincts honed on the job. The government is under attack, and no one is better equipped to face down the threat than he is.
The evidence leads him to a conspiracy at the highest levels of power, with the attack orchestrated by some of the very individuals now locked in with him. As the killers strike inside the bunker, it will take everything Erik Hill has to save his people, himself, and his country.
“[A] taut thriller…” – Christina Ianzito, AARP
“…page-turning… Quirk masterfully ramps up the tension and paranoia as the body count rises, agents turn on each other, and Hill tries to suss out who is the greater threat… The breakneck pace never flags, and the interplay between Hill’s world-weary cynicism and Cody’s institutional confidence is a delight. Readers will be eager for a sequel.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Knife Drop: Creative Recipes Anyone Can Cook by Nick DiGiovanni
nonfiction / food / cooking.
Forget the rules. Just cook!
Home-cooked food doesn’t have to be over-the-top, fussy, or time-intensive to be absolutely amazing. In his debut cookbook, Nick DiGiovanni gives you the tools to become fearless in the kitchen and to create delicious meals.
Building on a foundation of staple recipes such as basic pasta dough and homemade butter, Nick shares a mouthwatering selection of his favorite recipes. Feast on New England favorites like Browned Butter Lobster Rolls and Garlic Butter Steak Tips, enjoy decadent pasta dishes like Smoky Mezcal Rigatoni and Sungold Spaghetti, and recreate fan favorites like his Viral Pasta Chips and Dino Nuggets. And of course, Nick had to include some “collab” recipes from his famous friends like Andrew Zimmern, Robert Irvine, Joanne Chang, Lynja, and more.
Knife Drop also includes Nick’s expert advice on equipment, ingredients, and techniques, so home cooks of any ability level can pick up some new skills. Explore a library of QR codes linking to video tutorials showcasing key cooking techniques, from holding a chef’s knife and making a piping bag to pronouncing “gnocchi” the correct way.
“The instructions are simple, and DiGiovanni’s light humor (‘I’m convinced nuggets taste better in dinosaur form,’ he says of the dino chicken nuggets) and anecdotes (‘My grandpa taught my brothers and me to catch blue crabs when we were little, so this dish always reminds me of him,’ he says of the crab and artichoke dip with Old Bay crostini) add charm… DiGiovanni’s clear passion for food will inspire home cooks of all levels to embark on their own culinary adventures.” – Publishers Weekly
Leg: The Story of a Limb and the Boy Who Grew From It by Greg Marshall
nonfiction / memoir / comedy.
Greg Marshall’s early years were pretty bizarre. Rewind the VHS tapes (this is the nineties) and you’ll see a lopsided teenager limping across a high school stage, or in a wheelchair after leg surgeries, pondering why he’s crushing on half of the Utah Jazz. Add to this home video footage a mom clacking away at her newspaper column between chemos, a dad with ALS, and a cast of foulmouthed siblings. Fast forward the tape and you’ll find Marshall happily settled into his life as a gay man only to discover he’s been living in another closet his whole life: he has cerebral palsy. Here, in the hot mess of it all, lies Greg Marshall’s wellspring of wit and wisdom.
Leg is an extraordinarily funny and insightful memoir from a daring new voice. Packed with outrageous stories of a singular childhood, it is also a unique examination of what it means to transform when there are parts of yourself you can’t change, a moving portrait of a family in crisis, and a tale of resilience of spirit. In Marshall’s deft hands, we see a story both personal and universal—of being young and wanting the world, even when the world doesn’t feel like yours to want.
“Marshall’s debut book is laugh-out-loud-hilarious while simultaneously managing to be poignant and tender. At its core, it’s an examination of what it means to transform when there are parts of yourself you can’t change.” – Brandon Wetherbee, District Fray
“Marshall has written a riotously funny book that will grab your attention and steal your heart from the very first page. His writing brings to mind early David Sedaris, with its bitingly funny caricatures and descriptions, bathed in blistering commentary, deep-seated opinions, wit, intellect and, above all else, fierce family love… Rare is the book that makes me both laugh out loud and shed actual tears, but Leg made me do both.” – Alice Cary, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“This hilarious and wholly unique memoir by Greg Marshall tackles many subjects: disability, family relationships, and coming out (twice). With signature wit and humor, Marshall takes material that could be morbid in the hands of a lesser writer, and dares his readers not to laugh. He knows he’s had an unconventional life, but there’s no self-pity here. Instead, he embraces the absurdity of it all and leans into it, making one hell of an entertaining book.” – David Vogel, BuzzFeed
Loot by Tania James ★
fiction / historical fiction.
Abbas is just seventeen years old when his gifts as a woodcarver come to the attention of Tipu Sultan, and he is drawn into service at the palace in order to build a giant tiger automaton for Tipu’s sons, a gift to commemorate their return from British captivity. His fate—and the fate of the wooden tiger he helps create—will mirror the vicissitudes of nations and dynasties ravaged by war across India and Europe.
Working alongside the legendary French clockmaker Lucien du Leze, Abbas hones his craft, learns French, and meets Jehanne, the daughter of a French expatriate. When Du Leze is finally permitted to return home to Rouen, he invites Abbas to come along as his apprentice. But by the time Abbas travels to Europe, Tipu’s palace has been looted by British forces, and the tiger automaton has disappeared. To prove himself, Abbas must retrieve the tiger from an estate in the English countryside, where it is displayed in a collection of plundered art.
“James’s ravishing prose and trademark blend of lyricism and suspense animate this ingenious caper meets politically acute coming-of-age story.” – Oprah Daily
“From the tyrannical opulence of Tipu’s palace to the fading glory of a British country manor, James weaves a lustrous tale of intrigue and survival, cunning and romance.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] spectacular tale of creativity and colonialism… There’s an unceasing exuberance to the prose, and James’s descriptions are endlessly witty… Rarely is a novel so dense with painful themes also such fun. At once swashbuckling and searing, this is a marvelous achievement.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Captivating… James is a master miniaturist who can create the illusion of a saga in a chapter. And she’s not afraid to radically reset the novel’s place and tone. Her pages feel as full as a 19th-century bildungsroman, with collapsing kingdoms, sailing ships and elaborate schemes… And her prose is lush with the sights, sounds and smells of India, France and England, and always laced with Dickensian wit.” – Ron Charles, Washington Post
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
fiction / romance / comedy.
The many lives of theoretical physicist Elsie Hannaway have finally caught up with her. By day, she’s an adjunct professor, toiling away at grading labs and teaching thermodynamics in the hopes of landing tenure. By other day, Elsie makes up for her non-existent paycheck by offering her services as a fake girlfriend, tapping into her expertly honed people pleasing skills to embody whichever version of herself the client needs.
Honestly, it’s a pretty sweet gig—until her carefully constructed Elsie-verse comes crashing down. Because Jack Smith, the annoyingly attractive and broody older brother of her favorite client, turns out to be the cold-hearted experimental physicist who ruined her mentor’s career and undermined the reputation of theorists everywhere. And that same Jack who now sits on the hiring committee at MIT, right between Elsie and her dream job.
Elsie is prepared for an all-out war of scholarly sabotage but… those long, penetrating looks? Not having to be anything other than her true self when she’s with him? Will falling into an experimentalist’s orbit finally tempt her to put her most guarded theories on love into practice?
“[A] decidedly quirky and thoroughly charming tale… Readers will cheer for Jack and Elsie and their bumpy road to happily ever after.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Elsie and Jack’s banter is electric and hilarious from the start… A dynamic rivals-to-lovers romance.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“…full of delightful humor, realistic emotions, and the messy search for self-acceptance… Hilarious misunderstandings and well-paced, clever plot twists keep the pages turning as these adversaries transform into lovers with chemistry that’s off the charts.” – Kristina Giovanni, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Maddalena and the Dark by Julia Fine ★
fiction / historical Fiction / fantasy.
Venice, 1717. Fifteen-year-old Luisa has only wanted one thing: to be the best at violin. As a student at the Ospedale della Pietà, she hopes to join the highest ranks of its illustrious girls’ orchestra and become a protégé of the great Antonio Vivaldi. Luisa is good at violin, but she is not the best. She has peers, but she does not have friends. Until Maddalena.
After a scandal threatens her noble family’s reputation, Maddalena is sent to the Pietà to preserve her marriage prospects. When she meets Luisa, Maddalena feels the stirrings of a friendship unlike anything she has known. But Maddalena has a secret: she has hatched a dangerous plot to rescue her future her own way. When she invites Luisa into her plans, promising to make her dreams come true, Luisa doesn’t hesitate. But every wager has its price, and as the girls are drawn into the decadent world outside the Pietà’s walls, they must decide what it is they truly want—and what they will do to pay for it.
Lush and heady, swirling with music and magic, Maddalena and the Dark is a Venetian fairytale about the friendship between two girls and the boundless desire that will set them free, if it doesn’t consume them first.
“[A] beguiling fairy tale.” – Vanity Fair
“A slow-burn gothic novel… This is the kind of book that will make you lose track of your surroundings as you sink into its enchanted salt marshes… Maddalena and the Dark is an atmospheric banger of a novel.” – McKayla Coyle, Literary Hub
“…decadent… Fine delivers a masterly exploration of the shifting power dynamics of the protagonists’ relationship, particularly as Maddalena’s devotion to Luisa curdles into obsession. With the alluring Venice backdrop, this will frighten and captivate in equal measure.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] stunning, sensual novel that drips with period details, gothic atmosphere, and teenage intrigue… Maddalena and the Dark brings 18th-century Venice to life in a unique tactile way, with a memorable mix of historical richness and otherworldly magic.” – Adam Morgan, Chicago Reader
Many Things Under a Rock: The Mysteries of Octopuses by David Scheel; illustrated by Laurel “Yoyo” Scheel
nonfiction / science / nature.
Of all the creatures of the deep blue, none is as captivating as the octopus. In Many Things Under a Rock, marine biologist David Scheel investigates four major mysteries about these elusive beings. How can we study an animal with perfect camouflage and secretive habitats? How does a soft and boneless creature defeat sharks and eels, while thriving as a predator of the most heavily armored animals in the sea? How do octopus bodies work? And how does a solitary animal form friendships, entice mates, and outwit rivals?
Over the course of his twenty-five years studying octopuses, Scheel has witnessed a sea change in what we know and are able to discover about octopus physiology and behavior―even an octopus’s inner life. Here he explores amazing new scientific developments, weaving accounts of his own research, and surprising encounters, with stories and legends of Indigenous peoples that illuminate our relationship with these creatures across centuries. In doing so, he reveals a deep affinity between humans and even the most unusual and unique undersea dwellers.
Octopuses are complex, emotional, and cognitive beings; even as Scheel unearths explanations for the key mysteries that have driven his work, he turns up many more things of wonder that lurk underneath. This is the story of what we have learned and what we are still learning about the natural history and wondrous lives of these animals with whom we share our blue planet.
“Includes numerous such dramatic and captivating octopus factoids, but it also presents an accessible and nuanced exploration of the lives of these intriguing invertebrates… An engaging read.” – Dan Blustein, Science
“[A] fascinating exploration of how octopuses experience their world… The detailed descriptions of octopus behavior and stimulating research on their perceptive faculties makes for a complex portrait of a surprising animal. Fans of the BBC’s Blue Planet should seek this out.” – Publishers Weekly
“The author’s passion for octopuses, combined with his accessible language and vivid descriptions of his encounters, creates a memorable book that is sure to appeal to fans of underwater adventures and anyone who enjoyed the film My Octopus Teacher… A heartfelt and enlightening look at one of Earth’s most curious creatures.” – Kirkus Reviews
A Most Tolerant Little Town: The Explosive Beginning of School Desegregation by Rachel Louise Martin
nonfiction / history.
In graduate school, Rachel Martin volunteered with a Southern oral history project. One day, she was sent to a small town in Tennessee, in the foothills of the Appalachians, where locals wanted to build a museum to commemorate the events of September 1956, when Clinton High School became the first school in the former Confederacy to undergo court-mandated desegregation.
But not everyone wanted to talk. As one founder of the Tennessee White Youth told her, “Honey, there was a lot of ugliness down at the school that year; best we just move on and forget it.”
For years, Martin wondered what it was some white residents of Clinton didn’t want remembered. So she went back, eventually interviewing over sixty townsfolk—including nearly a dozen of the first students to desegregate Clinton High—to piece together what happened back in 1956: the death threats and beatings, picket lines and cross burnings, neighbors turned on neighbors and preachers for the first time at a loss for words. The national guard rushed to town, along with national journalists like Edward Morrow and even evangelist Billy Graham. But that wasn’t the most explosive secret Martin learned…
In A Most Tolerant Little Town, Rachel Martin weaves together over a dozen perspectives in a kaleidoscopic portrait of a small town living through a tumultuous turning point for America. The result is a spellbinding mystery, a riveting piece of forgotten civil rights history, and a poignant reminder of the toll on those who stand on the frontlines of social change.
You may never before have heard of Clinton, Tennessee—but you won’t be forgetting the town anytime soon.
“In A Most Tolerant Little Town, Rachel Louise Martin captures the violence, fear and fortitude that accompanied the first court-mandated school desegregation in America.” – BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] wide-ranging history… A timely contribution to the literature of the post–Brown v. Board Civil Rights Movement.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Historian Martin paints a compassionate and nuanced portrait of the Black community of Freedman’s Hill in Clinton, Tenn., and its struggles to achieve equality following the passage of Brown v. Board of Education… Telling the story in flashbacks and vignettes, Martin, who collected oral histories for 18 years, strikes an expert balance between the big picture and intimate profiles of the families involved. The result is a vivid snapshot of the civil rights–era South.” – Publishers Weekly
The Mythmakers by Keziah Weir ★
fiction.
Sal Cannon’s life is in shambles. Her relationship is crumbling, and her career in journalism hits a low point after it’s revealed that her profile of a playwright is full of inaccuracies. She’s close to rock-bottom when she reads a short story by Martin Keller: a much older author she met at a literary event years ago. Much to her shock, the story is about her and the moment they met. When Sal learns the story is excerpted from his unpublished novel, she reaches out to the story’s editor—only to learn that Martin is deceased. Desperate to leave her crumbling life behind and to read the manuscript from which the story was excerpted, Sal decides to find Martin’s widow, Moira.
Moira has made it clear that she doesn’t want to be contacted. But soon Sal is on a bus to Upstate New York, where she slowly but surely inserts herself into Moira’s life. Or is it the other way around? As Sal sifts through Martin’s papers and learns more about Moira, the question of muse and artist arises—again and again. Even more so when Martin’s daughter’s story emerges. Who owns a story? And who is the one left to tell it?
The Mythmakers is a nesting doll of a book that grapples with perspective and memory, as well as the battles between creative ambition and love. It’s a story about the trials and tribulations of finding out who you are, at any stage in your life, and how inspiration might find you in the strangest of places.
“This is a page-turner that raises big questions about memory, truth, and who really owns a narrative.” – theSkimm
“…Weir offers a provocative perspective on the stories we tell about ourselves and their consequences.” – Margaret Quamme, Booklist
“The novel gathers complexity and momentum as the voices of multiple narrators speed toward a cluster of climaxes, each one complicating the last. What meaning will Sal make of the material she uncovers? And is it her story to tell?” – Lucy McKeon, Vogue
“…engrossing… Weir has a journalist’s eye for mood and setting, whether in her perceptive account of Sal’s trials or her astute portrayal of Martin’s turbulent early years as a novelist. It’s a rather auspicious debut.” – Publishers Weekly
Never Give Up: A Prairie Family’s Story by Tom Brokaw
nonfiction / memoir / history / biography.
Tom’s father, Red, left school in the second grade to work in the family hotel—the Brokaw House, established in Bristol, South Dakota, by R. P. Brokaw in 1883. Eventually, through work on construction jobs, Red developed an exceptional talent for machines. Tom’s mother, Jean, was the daughter of a farmer who lost everything during the Great Depression. They met after a high school play, when Jean played the lead and Red fell in love with her from the audience. Although they didn’t have much money early in their marriage, especially once they had three boys at home, Red’s philosophy of “Never give up” served them well. His big break came after World War II, when he went to work for the Army Corps of Engineers building great dams across the Missouri River, magnificent structures like the Fort Randall and the Gavins Point dams. Late in life, Red surprised his family by recording his memories of the hard times of his early life, reflections that inspired this book.
Tom Brokaw is known as one of the most successful people in broadcast journalism. Throughout his legendary career, Brokaw has always asked what we can learn from world events and from our history. Within Never Give Up is one answer, a portrait of the resilience and respect for others at the heart of one American family’s story.
“Brokaw constructs this memorable family history with all the concision and color of a good journalistic profile. It’s hard not to be moved.” – Publishers Weekly
“With an economy of words but a wealth of emotion, Brokaw evokes his parents’ hardscrabble childhoods, their solid and storied marriage, and their struggles to create a secure home for a growing family… Brokaw’s candid and heartfelt memoir offers a timely reflection infused with his trademark sincerity and unabashed appreciation for the bedrock inspirational values that always deserve attention.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist
Nightbloom by Peace Adzo Medie
fiction.
When Selasi and Akorfa were young girls in Ghana, they were more than just cousins; they were inseparable. Selasi was exuberant and funny, Akorfa quiet and studious. They would do anything for each other, imploring their parents to let them be together, sharing their secrets and desires and private jokes.
Then Selasi begins to change, becoming hostile and quiet; her grades suffer and she builds a space around herself, shutting Akorfa out. Meanwhile, Akorfa is accepted to an American university with the goal of becoming a doctor. Although hopeful that she can create a fuller life as a woman in America, she discovers the insidious ways that racism places obstacles in her path once she leaves Ghana. It takes a crisis to bring the friends back together, with Selasi’s secret revealed and Akorfa forced to reckon with her role in their estrangement.
A riveting depiction of class and family in Ghana, a compelling exploration of memory, and an eye-opening story of life as an African-born woman in the United States, Nightbloom is above all a gripping and beautifully written novel attesting to the strength of female bonds in the face of societies that would prefer to silence women.
“Thought-provoking and beautifully told…” – Jane Harper, Booklist
“A powerful portrayal of class, family, and female bonds in Ghana and the US.” – Morgan Menzies, SheReads
“…poignant… Medie keenly explores the nuances of the women’s friendship and their misplaced blame.” – Publishers Weekly
On Earth As It Is On Television by Emily Jane
fiction / science fiction / comedy.
The arrival of spaceships can bring up a lot of big questions:
What does it mean that we’re not alone?
Why did aliens come here?
Who knew beforehand?
Where… are the aliens going?
Wait… They can’t just leave! Without inviting us into their galactic federation—or at the very least obliterating us!
In Emily Jane’s debut—a rollicking paean to what it means to be alive in the twenty-first century—the fleeting presence of alien vessels, and the certainty that humans are not alone in the universe, sparks intense uncertainty as to our place within it.
Blaine has always been content to go along with whatever his supermom wife and television-addicted, half-feral children want. But when the kids blithely ponder skinning people to see if they’re aliens, and his wife announces a surprise road trip to Disney World, even steady Blaine begins to crack.
Half a continent away, Heather, bored in a Malibu pool while the ships hover overhead, watches as the Arrival heralds the demise of her dead-end relationship and sets her on a quest to understand herself, her accomplished (and oh-so-annoying) stepfamily, and why she feels so alone in a universe teeming with life.
And Oliver, suddenly conscious and alert after twenty catatonic years, struggles to piece together broken memories and understand why he’s following a strange cat on a westward journey and into the greatest adventure of his—or anyone’s—lifetime.
“Like a science-fiction novel that runs in the margins of I Can Has Cheezburger? memes, On Earth as It Is on Television is an unusually fun and absurd take on what might otherwise be just another imitation of Independence Day or The Day the Earth Stood Still.” – Amy Brady, Scientific American
“A compelling plot with some quirky features makes this book a great entry for a new sf reader.” – Booklist
“Jane’s novel subverts the classic first-contact story to explore humanity’s responses to uncertainty in the modern age… [an] energetic and contemporary debut…” – Erin Niederberger, Library Journal
The Puzzle Master by Danielle Trussoni
fiction / mystery / suspense / horror.
All the world is a puzzle, and Mike Brink—a celebrated and ingenious puzzle constructor—understands its patterns like no one else. Once a promising Midwestern football star, Brink was transformed by a traumatic brain injury that caused a rare medical condition: acquired savant syndrome. The injury left him with a mental superpower—he can solve puzzles in ways ordinary people can’t. But it also left him deeply isolated, unable to fully connect with other people.
Everything changes after Brink meets Jess Price, a woman serving thirty years in prison for murder who hasn’t spoken a word since her arrest five years before. When Price draws a perplexing puzzle, her psychiatrist believes it will explain her crime and calls Brink to solve it. What begins as a desire to crack an alluring cipher quickly morphs into an obsession with Price herself. She soon reveals that there is something more urgent, and more dangerous, behind her silence, thrusting Brink into a hunt for the truth.
The quest takes Brink through a series of interlocking enigmas, but the heart of the mystery is the God Puzzle, a cryptic ancient prayer circle created by the thirteenth-century Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia. As Brink navigates a maze of clues, and his emotional entanglement with Price becomes more intense, he realizes that there are powerful forces at work that he cannot escape.
Ranging from an upstate New York women’s prison to nineteenth-century Prague to the secret rooms of the Pierpont Morgan Library, The Puzzle Master is a tantalizing, addictive thriller in which humankind, technology, and the future of the universe itself are at stake.
“[An] impressive thriller… Fans of Dan Brown’s Robert Langdon novels would do well to pick this up.” – Publishers Weekly
“This page-turner incorporates motifs of religion, security, meaningfulness, and loss into a mystical narrative that traverses different centuries focused on the same puzzle quest. This is a literary Da Vinci Code–like title that readers of quest-based thrillers and mysteries alike will enjoy.” – Laura Hiatt, Library Journal
“[A] surefire hit for fans of puzzles of a linguistic or mathematical nature… an ambitious story, expertly told. Comparisons to Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code are perhaps on point, but it must be noted that Trussoni is a much better writer than Brown, and this book is altogether more satisfying than Brown’s best-seller. A sequel, The Puzzle Box, is in the works, and it can’t come soon enough.” – David Pitt, Booklist
The Spectacular by Fiona Davis
fiction / historical fiction / mystery.
New York City, 1956: Nineteen-year-old Marion is over the moon to have been selected to be one of the Rockettes, Radio City Music Hall’s glamorous precision-dancing troupe. It’s an honor to perform in the world’s most spectacular theater, an art deco masterpiece. But with four shows a day as well as grueling rehearsals, not to mention exacting standards of perfection to live up to, Marion quickly realizes that the life of a Rockette has both extraordinary highs and devastating lows.
Then one night a bomb explodes in the theater. It’s only the latest in a string of explosions around the city orchestrated by a person the press has nicknamed the “Big Apple Bomber.” They have been terrorizing the citizens of New York for sixteen years by planting bombs in popular, crowded spaces. With the public in an uproar over the lack of any real leads after a yearslong manhunt, the police, at Marion’s urging, turn in desperation to a radical new technique: psychological profiling.
As Marion finds herself pulled deeper into the investigation, she realizes that as much as she’s been training herself to blend in—performing in perfect unison with all the other identical Rockettes—if she hopes to catch the bomber, she’ll need to stand out and take a terrifying risk. But she may be forced to sacrifice everything she’s worked for, as well as the people she loves the most.
“Fiona Davis has once again written a great novel… It keeps you engaged throughout, and adds to her stellar resume of books.” – Red Carpet Crash
“In The Spectacular, Fiona Davis has created a beautiful, evocative story of old New York. Marion and her fellow characters are fully alive, feeling individuals, who totally inhabit their world right down to the bittersweet ending.” – Cindy Matthews, AuthorLink
“This propulsive novel is a fast-paced race throughout 1950s New York City to stop a deadly bomber from striking again. Set against the backdrop of the legendary Radio City Music Hall, Fiona Davis brings some of New York City’s most memorable landmarks to life as a Rockette is entangled in the mystery of the ‘Big Apple Bomber’ who is terrorizing the city.” – Chanel Cleeton, CrimeReads
To Name the Bigger Lie: A Memoir in Two Stories by Sarah Viren
nonfiction / memoir.
Part coming-of-age story, part psychological thriller, part philosophical investigation, this unforgettable memoir traces the ramifications of a series of lies that threaten to derail the author’s life—exploring the line between truth and deception, fact and fiction, and reality and conspiracy.
Sarah’s story begins as she’s researching what she believes will be a book about her high school philosophy teacher, a charismatic instructor who taught her and her classmates to question everything—in the end, even the reality of historical atrocities. As she digs into the effects of his teachings, her life takes a turn into the fantastical when her wife, Marta, is notified that she’s been investigated for sexual misconduct at the university where they both teach.
Based in part on a viral New York Times essay, To Name the Bigger Lie follows the investigation as it upends Sarah’s understanding of truth. She knows the claims made against Marta must be lies, and as she uncovers the identity of the person behind them and then tries, with increasing desperation, to prove their innocence, she’s drawn back into the questions that her teacher inspired all those years ago: about the nature of truth, the value of skepticism, and the stakes we all have in getting the story right.
A compelling, incisive journey into honesty and betrayal, this memoir explores the powerful pull of dangerous conspiracy theories and the pliability of personal narratives in a world dominated by hoaxes and fakes. To Name the Bigger Lie reads like the best of psychological thrillers—made all the more riveting because it’s true.
“A poignant musing on the changing nature of truth.” – Rebekah Kati, Library Journal
“[A] propulsive, one-of-a-kind meditation on truth and conspiracy… a mesmerizing page-turner pulled tight with psychological tension. This is breathtaking stuff.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“…both stories are gripping; they unfurl with a sense of suspenseful foreboding to show how lies can tear apart the fabric of everyday life and our most intimate relationships.” – Maggie Taft, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Wannabe: Reckonings with the Pop Culture That Shapes Me by Aisha Harris
nonfiction / memoir / comedy / film / television / music.
Aisha Harris has made a name for herself as someone you can turn to for a razor-sharp take on whatever show or movie everyone is talking about. Now, she turns her talents inward, mining the benchmarks of her nineties childhood and beyond to analyze the tropes that are shaping all of us, and our ability to shape them right back.
In the opening essay, an interaction with Chance the Rapper prompts an investigation into the origin myth of her name. Elsewhere, Aisha traces the evolution of the “Black Friend” trope from its Twainian origins through to the heyday of the Spice Girls, teen comedies like Clueless, and sitcoms of the New Girl variety. And she examines the overlap of taste and identity in this era, rejecting the patriarchal ethos that you are what you like. Whatever the subject, sitting down with her book feels like hanging out with your smart, hilarious, pop culture-obsessed friend–and it’s a delight.
“Aisha Harris is one of our smartest, most entertaining modern cultural critics. The nine pieces offer insight on Stevie Wonder, the Spice Girls, Pen15, and New Girl—among many other pop artifacts, of course—which might as well be parlance for, ‘Read me immediately.’” – Lauren Puckett-Pope, Elle
“…refreshing… serv[es] up insightful perspectives in animated prose that affirm Harris’s status as a first-rate cultural critic. As incisive as they are entertaining, these essays are a treat.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[The] pop culture maven millennials have been waiting for… deftly explores the intersection of pop culture and politics, noting how our political climate changes the way we tell stories… The humor incorporated throughout the book is truly a delight, and each chapter is chock full of so many witty asides that Harris, were she a television writer, could be the new Amy Sherman-Palladino… When Harris applies her refined, journalistic scrutiny to subjective nostalgia, the behind-the-scenes magic of Wannabe becomes truly clear… this book is the best pop culture guide of all time!” – Rachel Hoge, BookPage
When the Hibiscus Falls: Stories by M. Evelina Galang
fiction.
Seventeen stories traverse borderlines, mythic and real, in the lives of Filipino and Filipino American women and their ancestors.
Moving from small Philippine villages of the past to the hurricane-beaten coast of near-future Florida, When the Hibiscus Falls examines the triumphs and sorrows that connect generations of women. Daughters, sisters, mothers, aunties, cousins, and lolas commune with their ancestors and their descendants, mourning what is lost when an older generation dies, celebrating what is gained when we safeguard their legacy for those who come after us. Featuring figures familiar from M. Evelina Galang’s other acclaimed and richly imagined novels and stories, When the Hibiscus Falls dwells within the complexity of family, community, and Filipino American identity. Each story is an offering, a bloom that unfurls its petals and holds space in the sun.
“A portrait of how complicated it is to face the history you inherit.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Centering the lives of Filipino American women in seventeen stories, Galanga explores the complexities of ancestry, identity, and community, resulting in a collection that honors the deep connections that exist between descendants and ancestors.” – Lupita Aquino, Today
“…masterly… What makes these stories so powerful and poignant are the inner lives of the characters, a complex blend of nostalgia, desire for assimilation, and defiance. This is a winner.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
You Can’t Stay Here Forever by Katherine Lin
fiction.
Just days after her young, handsome husband dies in a car accident, Ellie Huang discovers that he had a mistress—one of her own colleagues at a prestigious San Francisco law firm. Acting on impulse—or is it grief? rage? Probably all three—Ellie cashes in Ian’s life insurance policy for an extended stay at the luxurious Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Antibes, France. Accompanying her is her free-spirited best friend, Mable Chou.
Ellie hopes that the five-star resort on the French Riviera, with its stunning clientele and floral-scented cocktails, will be a heady escape from the real world. And at first it is. She and Mable meet an intriguing couple, Fauna and Robbie, and as their poolside chats roll into wine-soaked dinners, the four become increasingly intimate. But the sunlit getaway soon turns into a reckoning for Ellie, as long-simmering tensions and uncomfortable truths swirl to the surface.
Taking the reader from San Francisco to the gilded luxury of the south of France, You Can’t Stay Here Forever is a sharply funny and exciting debut that explores the slippery nature of marriage, the push and pull between friends, and the interplay of race and privilege, seen through the eyes of a young Asian American woman.
“Don’t miss this trip.” – People
“A probing, astute portrayal of a fraught and late-blooming coming-of-age.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A riveting debut with rich characterization, scenic setting, and sharp insights on relationships, class, and one Asian American woman’s experience.” – Catherine Coyne, Library Journal
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