“Someone else’s choice doesn’t change who you are.” – Casey McQuiston, Red, White & Royal Blue
After Oz by Gordon McAlpine
fiction / historical fiction / mystery / fantasy / suspense.
Kansas, 1896. After a tornado destroys the Gale family farm, eleven-year-old Dorothy goes missing. As the days pass, the Gales are increasingly terrified the worst has happened. But when the girl turns up unharmed four days later, the townsfolk breathe a sigh of relief. That is, until Dorothy herself relates her account of the events that took place during her disappearance.
In vivid detail, Dorothy describes a fantastical land and its magical inhabitants: a scarecrow, a tin man, a cowardly lion, a wizard, a witch. Her recollections are not only regarded as delusional, but also as pagan and diabolical in nature, especially when the body of a local spinster is found matching Dorothy’s description of a witch she claims to have killed. Authorities find incriminating evidence tying Dorothy to the real murder, and they sentence Dorothy to the Topeka Insane Asylum.
When twenty-eight-year-old psychologist Dr. Evelyn Grace Wilford arrives at the asylum to interview Dorothy, she begins to wonder if Dorothy truly committed the crime or if something unfathomable has really occurred.
In a small town full of insidious secrets, Evelyn sets out to save Dorothy from her terrible circumstances, but can’t help but fear whether something menacing may be lurking just out of sight.
“[An] interesting, intense new look at the life of Dorothy Gale, that you will not want to put down.” – Red Carpet Crash
“Far more than Wizard of Oz fan fiction, this novel by McAlpine is an exploration of the hypocritical treatment of outsiders and nonconformers… A fast and engaging story for readers familiar with The Wizard of Oz.” – Vicki Briner, Library Journal
“I was honestly surprised by the ending and the reveal in the best way possible… Mental health, prejudice and religion are all themes and at the forefront. Like Baum’s Oz, the story is dark but [it’s] an utterly unique take on [material] that’s been redone to death.” – Shelley, The Book Review Crew
The Art of Power: My Story as America’s First Woman Speaker of the House by Nancy Pelosi
nonfiction / memoir / politics / history.
When, at age forty-six, Nancy Pelosi, mother of five, asked her youngest daughter if she should run for Congress, Alexandra Pelosi answered: “Mother, get a life!” And so Nancy did, and what a life it has been.
In The Art of Power, Pelosi describes for the first time what it takes to make history—not only as the first woman to ascend to the most powerful legislative role in our nation, but to pass laws that would save lives and livelihoods, from the emergency rescue of the economy in 2008 to transforming health care. She describes the perseverance, persuasion, and respect for her members that it took to succeed, but also the joy of seeing America change for the better. Among the best-prepared and hardest working Speakers in history, Pelosi worked to find common ground, or stand her ground, with presidents from Bush to Biden. She also shares moving moments with soldiers sent to the front lines, women who inspired her, and human rights activists who fought by her side.
Pelosi took positions that established her as a prophetic voice on the major moral issues of the day, warning early about the dangers of the Iraq War and of the Chinese government’s long record of misbehavior. This moral courage prepared her for the arrival of Trump, with whom she famously tangled, becoming a red-coated symbol of resistance to his destructive presidency. Here, she reveals how she went toe-to-toe with Trump, leading up to January 6, 2021, when he unleashed his post-election fury on the Congress. Pelosi gives us her personal account of that day: the assault not only on the symbol of our democracy but on the men and women who had come to serve the nation, never expecting to hide under desks or flee for their lives—and her determined efforts to get the National Guard to the Capitol. Nearly two years later, violence and fury would erupt inside Pelosi’s own home when an intruder, demanding to see the Speaker, viciously attacked her beloved husband, Paul. Here, Pelosi shares that horrifying day and the traumatic aftermath for her and her family.
The woman who has been lauded by her opposition as “the most powerful Speaker” ever shows us why she is not afraid of a good fight. The Art of Power is about the fighting spirit that has always animated her, and the historic legacy that spirit has produced.
“…offers insights into the enduring effectiveness of Pelosi’s leadership strategy… makes a claim for using political power to advance the common good… Whether you agree with Pelosi’s policies, The Art of Power leaves readers with a disconcerting question: What will become of the political process in America if people as courageous as Pelosi decide that running for office is simply not worth the risk?” – Frances Stead Sellers, Washington Post
“Pelosi’s words are a demonstration of how power is wielded — and shrewdly maintained — how a more perfect union is shaped, how the victories are especially sweet and how falling short of the ideal is part of the process. Or in Pelosi’s case, just another day at the office.” – Denise Sullivan, San Francisco Chronicle
Blood Like Mine by Stuart Neville
fiction / horror / mystery / suspense.
On a snowy December night, single mother Rebecca Carter drives her van into a snowbank to avoid hitting an elk on a desolate mountain highway. She is at the end of her rope, out of money and food. Still, she refuses help from a man in a pickup truck—Rebecca’s adolescent daughter, Moonflower, is on the run from a grisly secret, and the last thing they can afford is to be remembered by anyone they meet.
Meanwhile, Special Agent Marc Donner of the FBI has spent the better part of two years hunting down a gruesome serial killer who drains victims of blood before severing their spinal cords, leaving a trail of bodies throughout the country. As Agent Donner’s investigation brings him closer and closer to where Rebecca and Moonflower are hiding out, in the foothills of Colorado, the life that Rebecca has fought so hard to hold together for her daughter becomes increasingly imperiled.
In this deadly, high-stakes game of cat and mouse, nobody is safe and nothing is certain—not even the line between predator and prey.
“You’ll be reading this one from behind your fingers.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
“[A] riveting road trip… The straightforward writing style enhances both the suspense and the depth of character development. Horror fans will be entranced.” – Lucy Lockley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“The chapters toggle between Marc’s and Rebecca’s perspectives, sustaining breathless suspense as the story builds to its wild and cinematic finale. This is a satisfying exercise in high-voltage horror.” – Publishers Weekly
The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss ★
nonfiction / history / business.
Bookstores have always been unlike any other kind of store, shaping readers and writers, and influencing our tastes, thoughts, and politics. They nurture local communities while creating new ones of their own. Bookshops are powerful spaces, but they are also endangered ones. In The Bookshop,we see the stakes: what has been, and what might be lost.
Evan Friss’s history of the bookshop draws on oral histories, archival collections, municipal records, diaries, letters, and interviews with leading booksellers to offer a fascinating look at this institution beloved by so many. The story begins with Benjamin Franklin’s first bookstore in Philadelphia and takes us to a range of booksellers including the Strand, Chicago’s Marshall Field & Company, the Gotham Book Mart, specialty stores like Oscar Wilde and Drum and Spear, sidewalk sellers of used books, Barnes & Noble, Amazon Books, and Parnassus. The Bookshop is also a history of the leading figures in American bookselling, often impassioned eccentrics, and a history of how books have been marketed and sold over the course of more than two centuries—including, for example, a 3,000-pound elephant who signed books at Marshall Field’s in 1944.
The Bookshop is a love letter to bookstores, a charming chronicle for anyone who cherishes these sanctuaries of literature, and essential reading to understand how these vital institutions have shaped American life—and why we still need them.
“…fantastic… The Bookshop argues persuasively that not only are these institutions a crucial part of U.S. social and political history, but that they are also worth fighting for in the face of a new generation of technological and financial threats.” – Michelle Anya Anjirbag, Shelf Awareness
“If you love books, and bookstores, you’re absolutely going to love Evan Friss’s The Bookshop… ‘That bookstores continue to endure is, in some ways, something of a miracle,’ Friss writes in his introduction. But we’re so thankful they do—and that there’s this tribute to them.” – Adam Rathe, Town & Country
“A thoroughly engaging, delightful excursion into the wondrous world of books.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“[An] upbeat and immersive take on bookselling’s much ballyhooed demise… an entrancing deep dive into the book industry, reports of whose death have been greatly exaggerated.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Boys of Riverside: A Deaf Football Team and a Quest for Glory by Thomas Fuller
nonfiction / sports.
In November 2021, an obscure email from the California Department of Education landed in New York Times reporter, Thomas Fuller’s, inbox. The football team at the California School for the Deaf in Riverside, a state-run school with only 168 high school students, was having an undefeated season. After years of covering wildfires, war, pandemic, and mass shootings, Fuller was captivated by the story about this deaf football team. It was uplifting. During the pandemic’s gloom, it was a happy story. It was a sports story but not an ordinary one, built on the chemistry between a group of underestimated boys and their superhero advocate coach, Keith Adams, a deaf former athlete himself. The team, and Adams, tackled the many stereotypes and seemed to be succeeding. Fuller packed his bags and drove seven hours to the Riverside campus just in time to see them trounce their opponent in the second game of the playoffs.
The Boys of Riverside looks back at the historic 2021 and 2022 seasons in which the California School for the Deaf chased history, following the personal journeys of Keith Adams (their dynamic deaf head coach), a student who spent the majority of the season sleeping in his father’s car parked in the Target lot, a fiercely committed player who literally played through a broken leg in order not to miss a crucial game, and myriad heart-wrenching and uplifting stories of the players who had found common purpose. Through their eyes, Fuller reveals a portrait of high school athletics, and deafness in America.
“An uplifting book about triumphing over adversity.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…stirring… As far as underdog stories go, this one is a surefire crowd-pleaser.” – Publishers Weekly
“[An] uplifting, deeply inspiring true story… captivating, life-affirming… This triumphant, hopeful story ultimately reveals the many virtues–personally and via teamwork–that combined to achieve the quintessential American Dream.” – Kathleen Gerard, Shelf Awareness
The Chamber by Will Dean
fiction / suspense / mystery.
Six experienced saturation divers are locked inside a hyperbaric chamber. Calm and professional, they know that rapid decompression would be fatal and so they work in shifts, breathing helium, and surviving in hot, close quarters.
Then one of them is found dead in his bunk.
With four days of decompression to go before the locked hatch to the chamber can be safely opened, the group must watch one another’s backs at all times. And when another diver is discovered unresponsive, everyone is on edge. What… or who… is taking them out one by one? And will any of them still be alive by the time the four days is up or will paranoia, exhaustion, suspicion, and pressure destroy them all?
“Holy schmoly! What a ride this book was… [it] blew me away… very edge-of-your-seat stuff for breathless readers.” – Debbish.com
“Dean shrewdly reimagines the closed-circle murder mystery in this tense and claustrophobic nail-biter… Dean maintains unyielding strain on his characters, brilliantly riffing on a classic setup while flexing his gifts for style and characterization. The results are gripping.” – Publishers Weekly
“Claustrophobic, distressing and psychologically unsettling, The Chamber is another gripping and fiercely intense thriller from the twisted mind of Will Dean. It will test your nerves, send your heart racing and increase your anxiety in a way only the most vivid and suspenseful books can do.” – Steve Netter, The Best Thriller Books
The Coven by Harper L. Woods
fiction / fantasy / romance.
Revenge.
Raised to be my father’s weapon against the Coven that took away his sister and his birthright, I would do anything to protect my younger brother from suffering the same fate. My duty forces me to the secret town of Crystal Hollow and the prestigious Hollow’s Grove University—where the best and brightest of my kind learn to practice their magic free from human judgment.
There are no whispered words here. No condemnation for the blood that flows through my veins. The only animosity I face comes from the beautiful and infuriating Headmaster, Alaric Grayson Thorne, a man who despises me just as much as I loathe him and everything he stands for.
But that doesn’t mean secrets don’t threaten to tear the school in two. No one talks about the bloody massacre that forced it to close decades prior, only the opportunity it can afford to those fortunate enough to attend.
Because for the first time in fifty years, the Coven will open its wards to the Thirteen.
Thirteen promising students destined to change the world.
If the ghosts of Hollow’s Grove’s victims don’t kill them first.
“Perfect for fans of Jennifer Armentrout, Carissa Broadbent, and anyone who loves the trend of romantasy in an academic setting like Rebecca Yarros’s ‘Empyrean’ series.” – Eve Stano, Library Journal
“The start of our favorite new (and bloody) series; The Coven is rich with the dark academia allure of The Atlas Six and the bite of a classic gothic tale.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
“The ending of this book stole my breath away and has been living rent free in my head ever since I finished it. If you are a fan of dark romances and you enjoy the darker side of witchy elemental magic, then The Coven is a book that you need to grab right now!” – Michelle, Book Briefs
Dark Restraint by Katee Robert
fiction / romance / fantasy.
Ariadne Vitalis is in trouble. She’s betrayed her father—and his dangerous benefactor—and now she’s left to rely on Olympus’ questionable mercy. But in this city, mercy comes with a price. For Ariadne, that means a sham marriage to Dionysus. She has no choice but to agree, even if there’s only one man she’s ever wanted—a man she fears just as much as she desires.
The Minotaur never had any illusions about Minos’s plans. He was willing to get his hands dirty as long as the old man kept his word—at the end of their bloody work, the Minotaur would be given Ariadne as a reward. She’s meant for him, and he intends to have her, no matter the cost.
Ariadne knows better than to encourage the Minotaur—she’s all too aware of how hot a passion like theirs can burn. Besides, she can never forgive him for the terrible things he’s done, and he can never change. But when his hands are on her body and his wicked words are whispered in her ear, she might just be willing to let all of Olympus burn…
“…scintillating… whisks readers along on a fast-paced thrill ride… This has all the elements Robert’s fans crave: twisty plotting, moral ambiguity, larger-than-life characters, and some deliciously filthy sex scenes. This series just keeps getting better.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Dead Cat Tail Assassins by P. Djèlí Clark ★
fiction / fantasy / science fiction / mystery.
Eveen the Eviscerator is skilled, discreet, professional, and here for your most pressing needs in the ancient city of Tal Abisi. Her guild is strong, her blades are sharp, and her rules are simple. Those sworn to the Matron of Assassins—resurrected, deadly, wiped of their memories—have only three unbreakable vows.
First, the contract must be just. That’s above Eveen’s pay grade.
Second, even the most powerful assassin may only kill the contracted. Eveen’s a professional. She’s never missed her mark.
The third and the simplest: once you accept a job, you must carry it out. And if you stray? A final death would be a mercy. When the Festival of the Clockwork King turns the city upside down, Eveen’s newest mission brings her face-to-face with a past she isn’t supposed to remember and a vow she can’t forget.
“This quick but lively and memorable read should make fans of the author out of all who pick it up.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“This wildly surprising caper fantasy from Clark will keep readers on the edge of their seats working out who ‘dunit,’ and how and why, as they explore the gritty underbelly of this world of living contracts, dead gods, and legal necromancy…” – Marlene Harris, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Clark has created another memorable and intriguing fantasy setting in this fast-paced novella, which will be a hit with fans and newcomers alike.” – Anna Mickelsen, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…the richness of detail that Clark provides gives the whole thing something of the flavor of a hardboiled mystery set in New Orleans during Mardi Gras… Clark is adept at balancing his central mystery with quirky character development and enough witty details to suggest that Tal Abisi has its own versions of science and pop culture… Tal Abisi is far more textured than a generic fantasy stage setting, just as Eveen is far more complex than most of those lurking assassins who have become nearly an archetype of fantasy novels and games. Prickly as she may be, we end up thinking we’d like to know more about her (just as she’d like to know more about herself), and to spend a bit more time exploring the colorful mean streets of Tal Abisi.” – Gary K. Wolfe, Locus
Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party: How an Eccentric Group of Victorians Discovered Prehistoric Creatures and Accidentally Upended the World by Edward Dolnick
nonfiction / history / science / nature / biography.
In the early 1800s the world was a safe and cozy place. But then a twelve-year-old farm boy in Massachusetts stumbled on a row of fossilized three-toed footprints the size of dinner plates—the first dinosaur tracks ever found. Soon, in England, Victorians unearthed enormous bones—bones that reached as high as a man’s head. No one had ever seen such things. Outside of myths and fairy tales, no one had even imagined that creatures like three-toed giants had once lumbered across the land. And if anyone had somehow conjured up such a scene, they would never have imagined that all those animals could have vanished, hundreds of millions years ago. The thought of sudden, arbitrary disappearance from life was unnerving and forced the Victorians to rethink everything they knew about the world.
Now, in Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party, celebrated storyteller and historian Edward Dolnick leads us through a compelling true adventure as the paleontologists of the first half of the 19th century puzzled their way through the fossil record to create the story of dinosaurs we know today. The tale begins with Mary Anning, a poor, uneducated woman who had a sixth sense for finding fossils buried deep inside cliffs; and moves to a brilliant, eccentric geologist named William Buckland, a kind of Doctor Doolittle on a mission to eat his way through the entire animal kingdom; and then on to Richard Owen, the most respected and the most despised scientist of his generation.
Entertaining, erudite, and featuring an unconventional cast of characters, Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party tells the story of how the accidental discovery of prehistoric creatures upended humanity’s understanding of the world and their place in it, and how a group of paleontologists worked to bring it back into focus again.
“A delightful, engrossing confluence of Victorian science and history.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A masterful and enormously entertaining book.” – David Pitt, Booklist
“…Dolnick provides a colorful narrative of a world making sense of discoveries that would shatter notions of where humans stood in history and life overall.” – Andrew Demillo, AP
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
fiction / suspense / mystery.
On the outside they were the golden family with the perfect life. On the inside they built the perfect lie.
A young nanny who plunged to her death, or was she pushed? A nine-year-old girl who collects sharp objects and refuses to speak. A lawyer whose job it is to uncover who in the family is a victim and who is a murderer. But how can you find out the truth when everyone here is lying?
Rose Barclay is a nine-year-old girl who witnessed the possible murder of her nanny – in the midst of her parent’s bitter divorce – and immediately stopped speaking. Stella Hudson is a best interest attorney, appointed to serve as counsel for children in custody cases. She never accepts clients under thirteen due to her own traumatic childhood, but Stella’s mentor, a revered judge, believes Stella is the only one who can help.
From the moment Stella passes through the iron security gate and steps into the gilded, historic DC home of the Barclays, she realizes the case is even more twisted, and the Barclay family far more troubled, than she feared. And there’s something eerie about the house itself: It’s a plastic house, with not a single bit of glass to be found.
As Stella comes closer to uncovering the secrets the Barclays are desperate to hide, danger wraps around her like a shroud, and her past and present are set on a collision course in ways she never expected. Everyone is a suspect in the nanny’s murder. The mother, the father, the grandmother, the nanny’s boyfriend. Even Rose. Is the person Stella’s supposed to protect the one she may need protection from?
“…terrifying… The excellent portrayal of fragile psyches and knife-edge suspense throughout make this a winner.” – Connie Fletcher, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Featuring a finely drawn cast of suspects, brought into sharp relief by Stella’s keen observation skills, Pekkanen’s latest is a winding mystery that makes an atmospheric setting of Washington, D.C., and its affluent suburbs. It’s one of the author’s most engrossing and satisfying thrillers yet.” – Joanna Harris, Library Journal
“This suspenseful, thrilling novel is perfect for fans of The Push by Ashley Audrain.” – KC Davis, Library Reads, TOP PICK
Hum by Helen Phillips ★
fiction / science fiction.
In a city addled by climate change and populated by intelligent robots called “hums,” May loses her job to artificial intelligence. In a desperate bid to resolve her family’s debt and secure their future for another few months, she becomes a guinea pig in an experiment that alters her face so it cannot be recognized by surveillance.
Seeking some reprieve from her recent hardships and from her family’s addiction to their devices, she splurges on passes that allow them three nights’ respite inside the Botanical Garden: a rare green refuge where forests, streams, and animals flourish. But her insistence that her son, daughter, and husband leave their devices at home proves far more fraught than she anticipated, and the lush beauty of the Botanical Garden is not the balm she hoped it would be. When her children come under threat, May is forced to put her trust in a hum of uncertain motives as she works to restore the life of her family.
Written in taut, urgent prose, Hum is a work of speculative fiction that unflinchingly explores marriage, motherhood, and selfhood in a world compromised by global warming and dizzying technological advancement, a world of both dystopian and utopian possibilities. As New York Times bestselling author Jeff VanderMeer says, “Helen Phillips, in typical bravura fashion, has found a way to make visible uncomfortable truths about our present by interrogating the near-future.”
“[A] striking new work of dystopian fiction… Textured, intimate, and taut with dread, Phillips’s latest is a well-crafted machine with a throbbing pulse.” – Vogue
“…stunning… a thoughtfully written and deeply engaging story that proves hard to put down. It’s one of my favorite reads this year and it will certainly get readers talking.” – Sean Farrell, AFPL Journal
“There’s a lot going on in this novel, but trust Helen Phillips to navigate it effortlessly… It’s Anxiety Central, but in a good way.” – Eliza Smith, Literary Hub
“This chilling vision of a near future, one where its dwellers ‘can’t avoid the void,’ resonates unnervingly with the way things already are. Readers won’t be able to look away.” – Publishers Weekly
“Writing with precision, insight, sensitivity, and compassion, Phillips renders the way love and family bonds—between partners, parents and children, and siblings—can act as a balm and an anchor amid the buffeting winds of a fast-changing, out-of-control world. A perceptive page-turner with a generous perspective on motherhood, identity, and the pitfalls of ‘progress.'” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
The Mercy of Gods by James S.A. Corey
fiction / science fiction / fantasy.
How humanity came to the planet called Anjiin is lost in the fog of history, but that history is about to end.
The Carryx – part empire, part hive – have waged wars of conquest for centuries, destroying or enslaving species across the galaxy. Now, they are facing a great and deathless enemy. The key to their survival may rest with the humans of Anjiin.
Caught up in academic intrigue and affairs of the heart, Dafyd Alkhor is pleased just to be an assistant to a brilliant scientist and his celebrated research team. Then the Carryx ships descend, decimating the human population and taking the best and brightest of Anjiin society away to serve on the Carryx homeworld, and Dafyd is swept along with them.
They are dropped in the middle of a struggle they barely understand, set in a competition against the other captive species with extinction as the price of failure. Only Dafyd and a handful of his companions see past the Darwinian contest to the deeper game that they must play to survive: learning to understand – and manipulate – the Carryx themselves.
With a noble but suicidal human rebellion on one hand and strange and murderous enemies on the other, the team pays a terrible price to become the trusted servants of their new rulers.
Dafyd Alkhor is a simple man swept up in events that are beyond his control and more vast than his imagination. He will become the champion of humanity and its betrayer, the most hated man in history and the guardian of his people.
This is where his story begins.
“…intelligent and innovative… Nail-biting suspense makes for an engaging and compulsively readable intro to yet another ambitious series from this writing team.” – Andrea Dyba, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Writing duo Corey once again does a masterful job of populating their settings with deeply drawn, unique characters. The settings are immersive and interesting, and the history of the Carryx provides compelling depth to the grand conflict of the story… This is old-fashioned space opera on a grand scale and a promising start for an epic new series.” – John Keogh, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“While the character development is exceptional, the pacing breakneck, the emotional intensity off the charts, and the worldbuilding simply extraordinary, it’s the sheer scope of the narrative—the Carryx’s backstory, their ‘long’ war, the countless sentient races they’ve conquered and/or destroyed, etc.—that will have science fiction fans befittingly blown away. The sense of wonder associated with the story’s magnitude is simply breathtaking… Simply mind-blowing.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady by Heath Hardage Lee
nonfiction / biography / history / politics.
In America’s collective consciousness, Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and made Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times. She survived the turmoil of the Watergate scandal with her popularity and dignity intact. The real Pat Nixon, however, bore little resemblance to the woman so often described as elusive, mysterious and “plastic” in the press. Pat married Richard Nixon in June of 1940. As the couple rose to prominence, Pat became Second Lady from 1953-1961 and then First Lady from 1969-1974, forging her own graceful path between the protocols of the strait-laced mid-century and the bra-burning Sixties and Seventies.
Pat was a highly travelled First Lady, visiting eighty-three countries during her tenure. After a devastating earthquake in Peru in 1970, she personally flew in medical supplies and food to hard-hit areas, meeting one-on-one with victims of the tragedy. The First Lady’s 1972 trips with her husband to China and to Russia were critical to the detente that resulted. Back in the US, Pat greatly expanded upon previous preservation efforts in the White House, obtaining more art and antique objects than any other First Lady. In the domestic arena, she was progressive on women’s issues, favoring the Equal Rights Amendment and backing a targeted effort to get more women into high level government jobs. Pat strongly supported nominating a woman for the Supreme Court. She was pro-choice, supporting women’s reproductive rights publicly even before the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.
When asked to define her “signature” First Lady agenda, she defied being put into a box, often saying: “People are my project.” The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, Heath Hardage Lee presents readers with the essential nature of this First Lady, an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered world-wide.
“Drawing on her extensive interviews with family, former White House staff, longtime friends, and historians, Lee offers a clarifying portrait of this elusive and enigmatic woman.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist
“An enjoyable, detailed biography about a first lady perceived to be highly mysterious and private.” – Amy Lewontin, Library Journal
“[A] fine-grained biography… elegantly written… readers in search of a new perspective on the Watergate era will find it here.” – Publishers Weekly
Mystery Lights: Stories by Lena Valencia ★
fiction / short stories / horror.
Set against the stark background of the Southwestern desert, Lena Valencia’s Mystery Lights glows with the promise―and fear―of the world we know and the worlds we don’t, following women and girls as they navigate dangers both supernatural and existential.
An influencer attempts to derail a viral TV marketing campaign with her violent cult following. A marriage between two ghost hunters is threatened when one of them loses her ability to see spirits. The lives of a famous painter in the twilight of her career and a teenage UFO enthusiast converge when a mysterious glowing orb appears in their small desert town. And a slasher-flick screenwriter looking for inspiration escapes a pack of wild dogs only to find herself locked in an SUV with a strange man beside her. Set primarily in deserts throughout the American Southwest, Lena Valencia’s Mystery Lights is a debut collection of stories about women and girls at the crossroads of mundane daily life and existential dread.
From the all-too-real horror of a sexual predator on a college campus to a lost sister transformed by cave-dwelling creatures, Mystery Lights grapples with terrors both familiar and fantastic, introducing an electrifying new voice in contemporary fiction while bringing to light the many faces of the forces that haunt us.
“…delicious… In the umbra of these darkly tinged stories, readers will experience late-night fears and the sweet relief of daylight.” – Lorraine Berry, Los Angeles Times
“[An] accomplished debut collection… Throughout, Valencia exhibits a mastery of plot and keen perception of her characters’s vulnerabilities. These alluring stories deserve a wide readership.” – Publishers Weekly
“…10 genre-bending tales… that are as thoughtful as they are full of wonder. A perfect marriage of quiet character insight and pulpy plot, these stories entertain as they enlighten… With cinematic sensibilities, Valencia excels at blurring the lines between the literary and the commercial.” – Alice Martin, Shelf Awareness
“These dark and moody stories are such a treat to read. They’re quick-witted and filled with unexpected twists and turns. Valencia drops readers into evocative worlds with skillfully crafted characters. Read this if you want something a little off-kilter. It delivers on making you squirm, gasp out loud, and think hard.” – Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful
The Pairing by Casey McQuiston ★
fiction / romance / comedy.
Theo and Kit have been a lot of things: childhood best friends, crushes, in love, and now estranged exes. After a brutal breakup on the transatlantic flight to their dream European food and wine tour, they exited each other’s lives once and for all.
Time apart has done them good. Theo has found confidence as a hustling bartender by night and aspiring sommelier by day, with a long roster of casual lovers. Kit, who never returned to America, graduated as the reigning sex god of his pastry school class and now bakes at one of the finest restaurants in Paris. Sure, nothing really compares to what they had, and life stretches out long and lonely ahead of them, but—yeah. It’s in the past.
All that remains is the unused voucher for the European tour that never happened, good for 48 months after its original date and about to expire. Four years later, it seems like a great idea to finally take the trip. Solo. Separately.
It’s not until they board the tour bus that they discover they’ve both accidentally had the exact same idea, and now they’re trapped with each other for three weeks of stunning views, luscious flavors, and the most romantic cities of France, Spain, and Italy. It’s fine. There’s nothing left between them. So much nothing that, when Theo suggests a friendly wager to see who can sleep with their hot Italian tour guide first, Kit is totally game. And why stop there? Why not a full-on European hookup competition?
But sometimes a taste of everything only makes you crave what you can’t have.
“[A] hedonistic delight… Sensual and unabashedly queer, The Pairing cements McQuiston’s place as our premier chronicler of millennial romance.” – Susan Maguire, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…rich, lush and indulgent… Reading it is like going on vacation yourself… joyful… Just beware – The Pairing may have you looking up the cost of European food and wine tours. All I’m saying is, if we see a sudden spike in bookings for next summer, we’ll know who to thank.” – Clare Mulroy, USA Today
“This may be my new favorite romance novel. I loved it. The descriptions of food and drink, plus the beautiful locales, make this feel so decadent. It’s also steamy and sweet at the same time, with a heavy dose of yearning. It’s the perfect summer read.” – Danika Ellis, Book Riot
“Lush scenery, well-drawn secondary characters, and believable, grounded conflicts lead to a sweet and satisfying ending for Kit and Theo in McQuiston’s funniest, sexiest novel to date…” – Whitney Kramer, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
The Seventh Veil of Salome by Silvia Moreno-Garcia ★
fiction / historical fiction / mystery / romance / suspense.
1950s Hollywood: Every actress wants to play Salome, the star-making role in a big-budget movie about the legendary woman whose story has inspired artists since ancient times.
So when the film’s mercurial director casts Vera Larios, an unknown Mexican ingenue, in the lead role, she quickly becomes the talk of the town. Vera also becomes an object of envy for Nancy Hartley, a bit player whose career has stalled and who will do anything to win the fame she believes she richly deserves.
Two actresses, both determined to make it to the top in Golden Age Hollywood—a city overflowing with gossip, scandal, and intrigue—make for a sizzling combination.
But this is the tale of three women, for it is also the story of the princess Salome herself, consumed with desire for the fiery prophet who foretells the doom of her stepfather, Herod: a woman torn between the decree of duty and the yearning of her heart.
Before the curtain comes down, there will be tears and tragedy aplenty in this sexy Technicolor saga.
“…intelligent, exciting, and written absolutely beautifully. A rousing success: Moreno-Garcia proves, once again, that she is a master of her craft.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“…dazzling… Moreno-Garcia is a gifted storyteller, vividly rendering both the intrigue and dangers of the ancient world Salome inhabits and the allure and ugliness (ingrained sexism and racism) of Golden Age Hollywood while spinning a thoroughly captivating, thrilling tale.” – Kristine Huntley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…in Moreno-Garcia’s skillful hands, you’ll find the satisfaction of richly drawn characters, saturated settings and deftly constructed plot twists… a compulsive page turner… Moreno-Garcia keeps us hooked.” – Lauren LeBlanc, New York Times
“There is magic in the work of Silvia Moreno-Garcia… [she] infuses every page with a sense of mythic power, ensuring that readers will be gripped… The Seventh Veil of Salome is another triumph from Moreno-Garcia, a page-turning historical drama with mythic overtones that will please readers of her realistic fiction and her more fantastical work alike.” – Matthew Jackson, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher
fiction / fantasy / horror.
Cordelia knows her mother is… unusual. Their house doesn’t have any doors between rooms—there are no secrets in this house—and her mother doesn’t allow Cordelia to have a single friend. Unless you count Falada, her mother’s beautiful white horse. The only time Cordelia feels truly free is on her daily rides with him.
But more than simple eccentricity sets her mother apart. Other mothers don’t force their daughters to be silent and motionless for hours, sometimes days, on end. Other mothers aren’t evil sorcerers.
When her mother unexpectedly moves them into the manor home of a wealthy older Squire and his kind but keen-eyed sister, Hester, Cordelia knows this welcoming pair are to be her mother’s next victims. But Cordelia feels at home for the very first time among these people, and as her mother’s plans darken, she must decide how to face the woman who raised her to save the people who have become like family.
“Dark fantasy fans will be enraptured by the descriptive narrative and well-developed characters.” – Lucy Lockley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“In T. Kingfisher’s retelling of the Goose Girl fairytale, there’s an emphasis on found family, and finding strength in yourself that you didn’t know you had. I would like Hester and Cordelia to be my new best friends, please and thank you.” – Cora Kelly, Indie Next
“…deeply compassionate, thrilling, and often laugh-out-loud… Expertly blending humor with folkloric horror, this incredibly satisfying fantasy will delight Kingfisher’s fans and newcomers alike.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
This Ravenous Fate by Hayley Dennings
fiction / fantasy / romance / historical fiction / suspense.
It’s 1926 and reapers, the once-human vampires with a terrifying affliction, are on the rise in New York. But the Saint family’s thriving reaper-hunting enterprise holds reign over the city, giving them more power than even the organized criminals who run the nightclubs. Eighteen year-old Elise Saint, home after five years in Paris, is the reluctant heir to the empire. Only one thing weighs heavier on Elise’s mind than her family obligations: the knowledge that the Harlem reapers want her dead.
Layla Quinn is a young reaper haunted by her past. Though reapers have existed in America for three centuries, created by New World atrocities and cruel experiments, Layla became one just five years ago. The night she was turned, she lost her parents, the protection of the Saints, and her humanity, and she’ll never forget how Elise Saint betrayed her.
But some reapers are inexplicably turning part human again, leaving a wake of mysterious and brutal killings. When Layla is framed for one of these attacks, the Saint patriarch offers her a deal she can’t refuse: to work with Elise to investigate how these murders might be linked to shocking rumors of a reaper cure. Once close friends, now bitter enemies, Elise and Layla explore the city’s underworld, confronting their intense feelings for one another and uncovering the sinister truths about a growing threat to reapers and humans alike.
“An atmospheric, tension-filled fantasy debut.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…bewitching… High stakes and bitter romantic tension culminate in a delicious historical fiction fantasy that uses the Harlem Renaissance as a rhythmic soundtrack.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“This Ravenous Fate features the perfect blend of historical fiction and urban fantasy… a standout debut that had me hooked from the very first page…” – Sam Yanis, Pine Reads Review
The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava ★
fiction / romance / comedy.
Ember Lee Cardinal has not always been a liar—well, not for anything that counted at least. But her job search is not going well and when her resumé is rejected for the thirty-seventh time, she takes matters into her own hands. She gets “creative” listing her qualifications and answers the ethnicity question on applications with a lie—a half-lie, technically. No one wanted Native American Ember, but white Ember has just landed her dream accounting job on Park Avenue (Oklahoma City, that is).
Accountant Ember thrives in corporate life—and her love life seems to be looking up too: Danuwoa Colson, the IT guy and fellow Native who caught her eye on her first day, seems to actually be interested in her too. Despite her unease over the no-dating policy at work, they start to see each other secretly, which somehow makes it even hotter? But when they’re caught in a compromising position on a work trip, a scheming colleague blackmails Ember, threatening to expose their relationship. As the manipulation continues to grow, so do Ember’s lies. She must make the hard decision to either stay silent or finally tell the truth, which could cost her everything.
“A captivating romance that effortlessly balances laugh-out-loud scenes and heartwarming family moments.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“With heartfelt storylines about family and identity, this steamy debut rom-com is a must-read.” – Migdalia Jimenez, Library Reads
“Emotional, witty, and tender, this debut Native rom-com is a perfect workplace romance!” – Coco Zephir, Indie Next
“…delightful… The author delivers some delicious rom-com moments while also sensitively portraying the overt and covert racism her characters face… With wit, smarts, and abundant heart, this office romance is a triumph.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Villa E by Jane Alison
fiction / historical fiction.
Along the glittering coast of southern France, among a jungle of olive trees and aloes, a white villa rose from an earthen terrace. Eileen, a new architect previously known for her elegant chairs and furniture, built it as a haven for her and her lover; she realized each detail, designing the villa around their movements and habits. When the outspoken Le G, a founder of Modernist architecture, first laid eyes on the house, he could see his influence in the sleek lines. Affronted and impassioned, he took a paintbrush to the villa’s clean, white walls…
Now, Le G is in the final week of his life. He has spent the last thirty years infiltrating Eileen’s house, erasing her presence and forgetting her name. But finally, the tide has come in, and Eileen is called back to her beloved coastline, where both artists will contend with the transformative power of memory.
Inspired by the real-life collision of Irish designer Eileen Gray and famed Swiss architect Le Corbusier, and the extraordinary place that bound them, Jane Alison boldly reimagines a now-infamous feud into a lushly poetic and mesmerizing novel of power, predation, and obsession.
“[An] elegant meditation on aging, art, and nature… Readers are in for a treat.” – Publishers Weekly
“A remarkable gender parable filtered through a sophisticated imagination.” – Kirkus Reviews
“In prose, by turns, as exquisite as Eileen’s creation and as seething as Le Grand’s lust, Alison incisively evokes artistic genius and angst, while infusing a historic scandal with profound heartache and resolve. ” – Donna Seaman, Booklist
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