“If you see someone without a smile today, give ’em yours.” – Dolly Parton
An Academy for Liars by Alexis Henderson
fiction / fantasy / horror / mystery / romance.
Lennon Carter’s life is falling apart.
Then she gets a mysterious phone call inviting her to take the entrance exam for Drayton College, a school of magic hidden in a secret pocket of Savannah. Lennon has been chosen because—like everyone else at the school—she has the innate gift of persuasion, the ability to wield her will like a weapon, using it to control others and, in rare cases, matter itself.
After passing the test, Lennon begins to learn how to master her devastating and unsettling power. But despite persuasion’s heavy toll on her body and mind, she is wholly captivated by her studies, by Drayton’s lush, moss-draped campus, and by her brilliant classmates. But even more captivating is her charismatic adviser, Dante, who both intimidates and enthralls her.
As Lennon continues in her studies, her control grows, and she starts to uncover more about the secret world she has entered into, including the disquieting history of Drayton College. She is increasingly disturbed by what she learns, for it seems that the ultimate test is to embrace absolute power without succumbing to corruption… and it’s a test she’s terrified she’s going to fail.
“The breathless pace and constant escalation keep the plot moving, letting themes like autonomy and Black scholars’ disproportionate academic sacrifices float in the background before later landing like a sucker punch… Henderson brings dark academia back to its roots with an incisive look at the inhumanity people enact to gain power.” – Katherine Sleyko, Library Journal
“This dark academia fantasy is an immersive, glittering jewel shot through with tendrils of true horror… Henderson is a wholly unique voice in the genre.” – Gregg Winsor, Library Reads
“…one of the most interesting works of dark academia I’ve encountered so far… every page is worth it!” – Anne Mai Yee Jansen, Book Riot
Bringer of Dust by J.M. Miro
fiction / fantasy / historical fiction / horror.
Agrigento, Sicily, 1883. With the orsine destroyed, Cairndale lies in ruins, and Marlowe has vanished. His only hope of rescue lies in a fabled second orsine—long-hidden, thought lost—which might not even exist.
But when a body is discovered in the shadow of Cairndale, a body wreathed in the corrupted dust of the drughr, Charlie and the Talents realize there is even more at stake than they’d feared. For a new drughr has arisen, ferocious, horned, seemingly able to move in their world at will—and it is not alone. A malevolent figure, known only as the Abbess, desires the dust for her own ends. And deep in the world of the dead, a terrible evil stirs—an evil that the corrupted dust just might hold the secret to reviving or destroying forever.
So the dark journey begun in Ordinary Monsters surges forward, from the sinister underworld of the London exiles, to the mysteries of a sunlit villa in nineteenth-century Sicily, to the deep catacombs hidden under Paris. Against bone witches, mud glyphics, and a house of twilight that exists in a netherworld all its own, the Talents must work together—if they are to have any hope of staving off the world of the dead, and saving their long-lost friend.
“Miro has a gift for big twists grounded in sympathetic characters… readers of epic and dark fantasy will enjoy the bloody, visceral magic and suspenseful twists here.” – Leah von Essen, Booklist
“…Miro handles pacing and the details of his intricate worldbuilding with admirable dexterity, and the charming characters grow in richness and depth the more time readers spend with them.” – Publishers Weekly
Buried Deep and Other Stories by Naomi Novik
fiction / short stories / fantasy.
From the dragon-filled Temeraire series and the gothic magical halls of the Scholomance trilogy, through the realms next door to Spinning Silver and Uprooted, this stunning collection takes us from fairy tale to fantasy, myth to history, and mystery to science fiction as we travel through Naomi Novik’s most beloved stories. Here, among many others, we encounter:
• A mushroom witch who learns that sometimes the worst thing in the Scholomance can be your roommate.
• The start of the Dragon Corps in ancient Rome, after Mark Antony hatches a dragon’s egg and bonds with the hatchling.
• A young bride in the Middle Ages who finds herself gambling with Death for the highest of stakes.
• A delightful reimagining of Pride & Prejudice, in which Elizabeth Bennet captains a Longwing dragon.
• The first glimpse of the world of Abandon, the setting of Novik’s upcoming epic fantasy series—a deserted continent populated only by silent and enigmatic architectural mysteries.
Though the stories are vastly different, there is a unifying theme: wrestling with destiny, and the lengths some will go to find their own and fulfill its promise.
“Filled with spirited characters, exciting action, and magical beasts… [a] delightful collection.” – Kristi Chadwick, Library Journal
“Naomi Novik’s mastery in creating fantasy and mythical worlds is prominently displayed throughout this collection… Her ability to engage readers with diverse narrative styles and story structures speaks to her versatility and deep understanding of speculative genres… Buried Deep will captivate long-time fans and new readers, solidifying her status as a master storyteller.” – Megan Volpert, Pop Matters
Connie: A Memoir by Connie Chung ★
nonfiction / memoir / journalism / television.
Connie Chung is a pioneer. In 1969 at the age of 23, this once-shy daughter of Chinese parents took her first job at a local TV station in her hometown of Washington, D.C. and soon thereafter began working at CBS news as a correspondent. Profoundly influenced by her family’s cultural traditions, yet growing up completely Americanized in the United States, Chung describes her career as an Asian woman in a white male-centered world. Overt sexism was a way of life, but Chung was tenacious in her pursuit of stories – battling rival reporters to secure scoops that ranged from interviewing Magic Johnson to covering the Watergate scandal – and quickly became a household name. She made history when she achieved her dream of being the first woman to co-anchor the CBS Evening News and the first Asian to anchor any news program in the U.S.
Chung pulls no punches as she provides a behind-the-scenes tour of her singular life. From showdowns with powerful men in and out of the newsroom to the stories behind some of her career-defining reporting and the unwavering support of her husband, Maury Povich, nothing is off-limits – good, bad, or ugly. So be sure to tune in for an irreverent and inspiring exclusive: this is Connie like you’ve never seen her before.
“[An] intimate and rewarding personal history.” – Publishers Weekly
“An irreverent, inspiring chronicle of a great life.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“A groundbreaker in the truest sense of the word, Chung is as delightful, forthright, and candid on the page as she is on air.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist
Does This Taste Funny?: Recipes Our Family Loves by Stephen Colbert & Evie McGee Colbert
nonfiction / food / cooking.
“Hopefully reading this book and cooking these recipes will feel like hanging out with us at home. We basically live in the kitchen anyway.” – Evie & Stephen Colbert
As Evie and Stephen explain it, Does This Taste Funny? had its beginnings in the Covid lockdown. “We were all stuck together and couldn’t go out, so we cooked. We had all three kids back under one roof for the first time in a long time, and we had dinner each night as a family. Cooking together became a major source of entertainment.”
Now, the Colberts invite us into their kitchen and around their dining room table. Sharing Stephen and Evie’s favorite recipes, as well as those of their family and friends, this book offers everything from Party Food (called “party food” because “appetizers” implies something to follow when we all know that, often, this is the only course), to Seafood, to Poultry and Meat (“Evie and I have different relationships to meat. I like it. Evie can take it or leave it, and mostly she leaves it.”), to Desserts (“This is one of the largest sections of the book. Evie always reminds me that desserts are a great way to postpone clearing up.”), to Drinks (“I love cocktail hour. It feels like a reward for having gone so long without a cocktail”), all tied together with playful dialogue between Stephen and Evie and gorgeous shots of their food, family, and home.
“A solid, well-thought-out cookbook sure to have wide appeal to cooks and Colbert fans.” – Ron Block, Library Journal
“[A] bighearted collection of family recipes… charming. Vibrant photos throughout show the couple cooking, serving, entertaining, and lounging with family and friends. Fans will eat this up.” – Publishers Weekly
“…as much recipe index—it’s full of both family hand-me-downs and new discoveries—as it is a master class in couples therapy.” – Pervaiz Shallwani, Bon Appétit
Entitlement by Rumaan Alam ★
fiction / suspense.
Brooke wants. She isn’t in need, but there are things she wants. A sense of purpose, for instance. She wants to make a difference in the world, to impress her mother along the way, to spend time with friends and secure her independence. Her job assisting an octogenarian billionaire in his quest to give away a vast fortune could help her achieve many of these goals. It may inspire new desires as well: proximity to wealth turns out to be nothing less than transformative. What is money, really, but a kind of belief?
Taut, unsettling, and alive to the seductive distortions of money, Entitlement is a riveting tale for our new gilded age, a story that confidently considers questions about need and worth, race and privilege, philanthropy and generosity, passion and obsession. It is a provocative, propulsive novel about the American imagination.
“[A] visceral and absolutely mesmerizing novel of power plays and capitalism.” – Poornima Apte, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] sharp indictment of privilege and the darkness of the American dream, with the unsettling and undeniable intrigue reminiscent of an episode of Succession.” – Michael Welch, Chicago Review of Books
“Alam is quickly emerging as one of the best social novelists working today… It’s a book about what it’s like to be alive today. As engaging as it is unnerving.” – Emily Temple, Literary Hub
“[A] slow-burning, insidiously creepy study of money and culture… quietly distressing… With an atmosphere that is sexy, enchanting, and unsettling, Rumaan Alam’s expert fourth novel probes concepts of privilege, wealth, value, and morality.” – Julia Kastner, Shelf Awareness
Frighten the Horses: A Memoir by Oliver Radclyffe
nonfiction / memoir.
From the outside, Oliver Radclyffe spent four decades living an immensely privileged, beautifully composed life. As the daughter of two well-to-do British parents and the wife of a handsome, successful man from an equally privileged family, Oliver played the parts expected of him. He checked off every box—marriage, children (four), a white-picket fence surrounding a stately home in Connecticut, and a golden retriever named Biscuit.
But beneath the shiny veneer, Oliver was desperately trying to stay afloat as he struggled to maintain a facade of normalcy—his hair was falling out in clumps, he couldn’t eat, and his mood swings often brought him to tears. And then, on an otherwise unremarkable afternoon in September, Oliver Radclyffe woke up and realized the life of a trapped housewife was not one he was ever meant to live. In fact, Oliver had spent his entire life denying the deepest, truest parts of himself. In the wake of this realization, he began the challenging, messy journey toward self-acceptance and living a truer life, knowing he risked the life he’d built to do so.
That journey was fraught, as Oliver navigated leaving a marriage and reintroducing himself to his children. And despite the challenges he faced, Oliver realized there was no way for him to go back to the beautiful lie of his previous life. Not if he wanted to survive.
Frighten the Horses is a trans man’s coming of age story, about a housewife who comes out as a lesbian and tentatively, at first, steps into the world of queerness. With growing courage and the support of his newfound community, Oliver is finally able to face the question of his gender identity and become the man he is supposed to be. The story of a flawed, fascinating, gorgeously queer man, Frighten the Horses introduces Oliver Radclyffe as a witty, arresting, unforgettable voice.
“A stunning memoir about discovering one’s identity late in life.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Radclyffe’s riveting, moving memoir about his journey of self-discovery is a page-turner that reads like a novel.” – Katy Duperry, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“…sincere and searching… There’s great power in Radclyffe’s vulnerable and generous portrayal of his trans experience, throughout which there are more dimmer-switch dawnings than flashes of light, and readers will be grateful for it.” – Annie Bostrom, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Good Lookin’ Cookin’: A Year of Meals by Dolly Parton & Rachel Parton George
nonfiction / food / cooking.
“Hey, good lookin’—what ya got cookin’?”
This is what Dolly Parton sings to her sister Rachel Parton George whenever she walks into her kitchen. It’s what you do when a love for good music and good food runs in the family.
In Good Lookin’ Cookin’ Dolly and Rachel share tips for hosting events all year long, including twelve multi-course menus of cherished recipes for New Year’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and more. You’ll learn how much butter or whipped cream goes into a “Dolly Dollop,” what condiment is almost always on the table at Parton family meals, and what special dish Rachel makes at Dolly’s request every year for her birthday. Recipes include American classics such as Country Ham and Biscuits, Barbecue Spare Ribs, Family Favorite Meatloaf, Slaw of Many Colors, Watermelon Fruit Salad, Mac and Cheese, and Strawberry Shortcake.
Filled with more than 80 delicious dishes as well as photographs of Dolly and Rachel cooking and hosting all year long, Good Lookin’ Cookin’ is a treasured cookbook that will make you feel like part of the Parton family. With their trademark warmth and sisterly love, Dolly and Rachel remind you that cooking doesn’t need to be serious—it should be fun! And always good lookin’!
“This tasty and heartfelt outing is a gift for Parton’s fans.” – Publishers Weekly
“File this one under kitchen must haves!” – Southern Living
Health and Safety: A Breakdown by Emily Witt
nonfiction / memoir.
In the summer of 2016, a divisive presidential election was underway, and a new breed of right-wing rage was on the rise. Emily Witt, who would soon publish her first book on sex in the digital age, had recently quit antidepressants for a more expansive world of psychedelic experimentation. From her apartment in Brooklyn, she began to catch glimpses of the clandestine nightlife scene thrumming around her.
In Health and Safety, Witt charts her immersion into New York City’s dance music underground. Emily would come to lead a double life. By day she worked as a journalist, covering gun violence, climate catastrophes, and the rallies of right-wing militias. And by night she pushed the limits of consciousness in hollowed-out office spaces and warehouses to music that sounded like the future. But no counterculture, no matter how utopian, could stave off the squalor of American politics and the cataclysm of 2020.
Affectionate yet never sentimental, Health and Safety is a lament for a broken relationship, for a changed nightlife scene, and for New York City just before the fall. Sparing no one—least of all herself—Witt offers her life as a lens onto an era of American delirium and dissolution.
“…bleakly brilliant… Self-eviscerating, honest, often painful—a superbly realized chronicle of an ever-darkening age.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“…coolly precise… haunting… Witt writes so well about the parties and the drugs — meandering weekends of ‘polyintoxication’; pounding techno that shook loose her layers of consciousness and allowed her to enter ‘the nothing that I craved’ — that I had no trouble imagining the experiences she had, and how meaningful they were for her.” – Jennifer Szalai, New York Times
“[An] arresting memoir rife with techno music, drugs, and the blush of new romance… Witt’s well-honed prose makes her gut-wrenching portrait of 2010s boom-and-bust hedonism feel like the sharp observations of a trusted friend. This intense portrait of one woman’s wild years deserves a wide audience.” – Publishers Weekly
Lost: Back to the Island: The Compete Critical Companion to the Classic TV Series by Emily St. James & Noel Murray
nonfiction / essays / television / criticism.
For fans of one of the most successful and highly discussed shows in recent memory, Lost: Back to the Island is both a delightful time capsule and a rousing work of entertainment criticism.
Before it premiered in the fall of 2004, Lost looked doomed to be an expensive, disastrous plane crash of a TV show. Instead, Lost was a massive hit, debuting with the biggest audience for a new drama on ABC in over a decade, reaching heights of over 23 million viewers at its peak, and holding on to a hefty fan-base for its entire six-season run.
The elements that made the series seem like a boondoggle proved, instead, to be a big part of its appeal. Audiences loved the exotic island setting, became invested in the morally compromised characters, and feverishly tried to unravel the show’s many mysteries.
In Lost: Back to the Island, TV critics and veteran Lost recappers Emily St. James and Noel Murray revisit what made the show such a success and an object of enduring cultural obsession, twenty years later.
Through essays, episode summaries, and cultural analysis, they take us back to the island and examine Lost’s lasting impact—and its complicated, sometimes controversial legacy—with a clear-eyed and lively investigation.
“Lost loyalists will find vindication, but even detractors will be forced to admit that the show’s execution wasn’t as haphazard as the internet suggests.” – Terry Bosky, Library Journal
“…spirited commentary… the best selections feel like lively debates with fellow superfans… Discerning and fun, this will delight anyone who’s gotten into a heated discussion about the show’s many mysteries.” – Publishers Weekly
“For years, Emily St. James was one of my favorite TV critics, and I’m so excited to see her go long on that most polarizing of shows (which she wrote brilliantly about for AV Club way back when) in tandem with Noel Murray, another great critic. The Lost resurgence—and much-deserved critical reevaluation—is imminent.” – Sophia M. Stewart, The Millions
The Night We Lost Him by Laura Dave ★
fiction / mystery / suspense.
Liam Noone was many things to many people. To the public, he was an exacting, self-
made hotel magnate fleeing his past. To his three ex-wives, he was a loving albeit distant family man who kept his finances flush and his families carefully separated. To Nora, he was a father who often loved her from afar – notably a cliffside cottage perched on the California coast from which he fell to his death.
The authorities rule the death accidental, but Nora and her estranged brother Sam have other ideas. As Nora and Sam form an uneasy alliance to unravel the mystery, they start putting together the pieces of their father’s past—and uncover a family secret that changes everything.
With Laura Dave’s trademark combination of soulful suspense and evocative family drama, The Night We Lost Him is a riveting page-turner with a heartbreaking final twist that you will never see coming.
“[A] twisty thriller that will keep you guessing.” – Shannon Carlin, Time
“[A] compelling, family-driven mystery… Dave should have another hit on her hands with this involving tale.” – Kristine Huntley, Booklist
“[An] emotional thriller… the twists and turns are plentiful… [with] long buried secrets, mysterious circumstances, and messy family history.” – Amy Atzert, Somerset County Library System of New Jersey
On Freedom by Timothy Snyder
nonfiction / history / politics / philosophy / sociology.
Timothy Snyder has been called “the leading interpreter of our dark times.” As a historian, he has given us startling reinterpretations of political collapse and mass killing. As a public intellectual, he has turned that knowledge toward counsel and prediction, working against authoritarianism here and abroad. His book On Tyranny has inspired millions around the world to fight for freedom. Now, in this tour de force of political philosophy, he helps us see exactly what we’re fighting for.
Freedom is the great American commitment, but as Snyder argues, we have lost sight of what it means—and this is leading us into crisis. Too many of us look at freedom as the absence of state power: We think we’re free if we can do and say as we please, and protect ourselves from government overreach. But true freedom isn’t so much freedom from as freedom to—the freedom to thrive, to take risks for futures we choose by working together. Freedom is the value that makes all other values possible.
On Freedom takes us on a thrilling intellectual journey. Drawing on the work of philosophers and political dissidents, conversations with contemporary thinkers, and his own experiences coming of age in a time of American exceptionalism, Snyder identifies the practices and attitudes—the habits of mind—that will allow us to design a government in which we and future generations can flourish. We come to appreciate the importance of traditions (championed by the right) but also the role of institutions (the purview of the left). Intimate yet ambitious, this book helps forge a new consensus rooted in a politics of abundance, generosity, and grace.
“Much like life itself, freedom needs to be defined and redefined. On Freedom offers fresh insight into essential aspects of human existence—the values and obligations inherent in every individual’s life.” – Ai Weiwei
“An incisive, urgently relevant analysis of—and call to action on—America’s foundational ideal.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Pensive yet urgent, this meditation is itself an exercise of intellectual freedom.” – Brendan Driscoll, Booklist
Rejection by Tony Tulahimutte ★
fiction / short stories.
Sharply observant and outrageously funny, Rejection is a provocative plunge into the touchiest problems of modern life. The seven connected stories seamlessly transition between the personal crises of a complex ensemble and the comic tragedies of sex, relationships, identity, and the internet.
In “The Feminist,” a young man’s passionate allyship turns to furious nihilism as he realizes, over thirty lonely years, that it isn’t getting him laid. A young woman’s unrequited crush in “Pics” spirals into borderline obsession and the systematic destruction of her sense of self. And in “Ahegao; or, The Ballad of Sexual Repression,” a shy late bloomer’s flailing efforts at a first relationship leads to a life-upending mistake. As the characters pop up in each other’s dating apps and social media feeds, or meet in dimly lit bars and bedrooms, they reveal the ways our delusions can warp our desire for connection.
These brilliant satires explore the underrated sorrows of rejection with the authority of a modern classic and the manic intensity of a manifesto. Audacious and unforgettable, Rejection is a stunning mosaic that redefines what it means to be rejected by lovers, friends, society, and oneself.
“A blistering collection of interconnecting short stories, Rejection takes a magnifying glass to the mind in the internet age.” – Hannah Jackson, Vogue
“These stories vibrate with pity and perversion, hardened by Tulathimutte’s sardonic authority on the page… If our chronic online existence is like shouting into the void, then Rejection is the void shouting back.” – Luke Gair, The Sewanee Review
“[A] shrewd novel in stories populated by characters longing for IRL connections… The prose is consistently sharp and funny as Tulathimutte cuts to the truth of his characters’ dilemmas. It’s a first-rate exploration of yearning and solitude.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“…phenomenal… uniquely wonderful, disturbing, fearless, and hilarious… All of these stories will resonate deeply with anyone who spent a lot of time online in the early 2000s; few writers dramatize the effects of being perennially online as astutely and engagingly as Tulathimutte does here. Rejection is thoughtfully and artfully constructed and outrageously entertaining.” – Alexander Moran, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
The Road: A Graphic Novel Adaptation by Cormac McCarthy; illustrated by Manu Larcenet
fiction / graphic novel / science fiction.
The story of a nameless father and son trying to survive with their humanity intact in a postapocalyptic wasteland where Earth’s natural resources have been diminished, and some survivors are left to raise others for meat, The Road is one of Cormac McCarthy’s bleakest and most prescient novels.
Dedicated to his son, John Francis McCarthy, McCarthy’s The Road is one of his most personal novels. Ranked 17th on The Guardian’s 100 Best Novels of the 21st century, it was the recipient of the Pulitzer Prize for literature, and the James Tait Black Memorial Award, the Believer Award, and it was nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award.
This first official graphic novel adaptation of McCarthy’s work is illustrated by acclaimed French cartoonist Manu Larcenet, who ably transforms the world depicted by McCarthy’s spare and brutal prose into stark ink drawings that add an additional layer to this haunting tale of family love and human perseverance.
Cormac McCarthy personally approved the making of this book before his death, and the adaptation bears the approval of the McCarthy estate.
“Larcenet’s brooding black-and-white drawings suit the original perfectly.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“The dark and detailed artwork carries the heavy burden of showing how bleak the landscape has become…” – Suzanne Temple, Booklist
“Gritty, dark and desolate scenes brought to life, this is The Road like you’ve never read it before.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
She-Wolves: The Untold History of Women on Wall Street by Paulina Bren
nonfiction / history / biography / business.
First came the secretaries from Brooklyn and Queens—the “smart cookies” who saw that making money, lots of it, might be within their grasp. Then came the first female Harvard Business School graduates, who were in for a rude awakening because an equal degree did not mean equal opportunity. But by the 1980s, as the market went into turbodrive, women were being plucked from elite campuses to feed the belly of a rapidly expanding beast, playing for high stakes in Wall Street’s bad-boy culture by day and clubbing by night.
In She-Wolves, award-winning historian Paulina Bren tells the story of how women infiltrated Wall Street from the swinging sixties to 9/11—starting at a time when “No Ladies” signs hung across the doors of its luncheon clubs and (more discretely) inside its brokerage houses and investment banks. If the wolves of Wall Street made a show of their ferocity, the she-wolves did so with subtlety and finesse. Research analysts signed their reports with genderless initials. Muriel “Mickie” Siebert, the first woman to buy a seat on the NYSE, threatened she’d have port-a-potties delivered if the exchange didn’t finally install a ladies’ room near the dining room. The infamous 1996 Boom-Boom Room class action lawsuit, filed by women at Smith Barney, pulled back the curtain on a bawdy subculture where unapologetic sexism and racism were the norm.
As engaging as it is enraging, She-Wolves is an illuminating deep dive into the collision of women, finance, and New York.
“Writing with flair and passion, Bren salutes the courage and talent of true groundbreakers.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“…enthralling… Though the tales of sexism outrage, what sticks with readers will be the resourcefulness and resilience of Bren’s subjects. It’s a sharp look at the difficulties women faced breaking up Wall Street’s boys club.” – Publishers Weekly
“Determination is embedded in every page (such as the Merrill Lynch telephone clerk who rose to be managing director), as are stories of discrimination, pay inequity, and outright harassment. Applause for a searingly honest, detailed history of women working in American finance.” – Barbara Jacobs, Booklist
Something Lost, Something Gained: Reflections on Life, Love, and Liberty by Hillary Rodham Clinton
nonfiction / memoir / politics.
What would it be like to sit down for an impassioned, entertaining conversation with Hillary Clinton? In Something Lost, Something Gained, Hillary offers her candid views on life and love, politics, liberty, democracy, the threats we face, and the future within our reach.
She describes the strength she draws from her deepest friendships, her Methodist faith, and the nearly fifty years she’s been married to President Bill Clinton—all with the wisdom that comes from looking back on a full life with fresh eyes. She takes us along as she returns to the classroom as a college professor, enjoys the bonds inside the exclusive club of former First Ladies, moves past her dream of being president, and dives into new activism for women and democracy.
From canoeing with an ex-Nazi trying to deprogram white supremacists to sweltering with salt farmers in the desert trying to adapt to the climate crisis in India, Hillary brings us to the front lines of our biggest challenges. For the first time, Hillary shares the story of her operation to evacuate Afghan women to safety in the harrowing final days of America’s longest war. But we also meet the brave women dissidents defying dictators around the world, gain new personal insights about her old adversary Vladimir Putin, and learn the best ways that worried parents can protect kids from toxic technology. We also hear her fervent and persuasive warning to all American voters. In the end, Something Lost, Something Gained is a testament to the idea that the personal is political, and the political is personal, providing a blueprint for what each of us can do to make our lives better.
Hillary has “looked at life from both sides now.” In these pages, she shares the latest chapter of her inspiring life and shows us how to age with grace and keep moving forward, with grit, joy, purpose, and a sense of humor.
“[An] affectionate ode to the women in her life… interspersed with thoughtful reactions to the political events that have taken place since What Happened…” – Sadie Stein, New York Times
“…this book is deeply personal. She talks at length – and movingly – about friendship, family, faith… one of the most impactful books I have read in a long time. Clinton writes with piercing clarity – and no punches pulled – about the state of our world. The book is, in part, a howl of anguish. Much more importantly, it is a call to action.” – Nicola Sturgeon, The New Statesman
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez; translated by Megan McDowell ★
fiction / short stories / horror / fantasy.
On the shores of this river, all the birds that fly, drink, perch on branches, and disturb siestas with the demonic squawking of the possessed—all those birds were once women.
Welcome to Argentina and the fascinating, frightening, fantastical imagination of Mariana Enriquez. In twelve spellbinding new stories, Enriquez writes about ordinary people, especially women, whose lives turn inside out when they encounter terror, the surreal, and the supernatural. A neighborhood nuisanced by ghosts, a family whose faces melt away, a faded hotel haunted by a girl who dissolved in the water tank on the roof, a riverbank populated by birds that used to be women—these and other tales illuminate the shadows of contemporary life, where the line between good and evil no longer exists.
Lyrical and hypnotic, heart-stopping and deeply moving, Enriquez’s stories never fail to enthrall, entertain, and leave us shaken. Translated by the award-winning Megan McDowell, A Sunny Place for Shady People showcases Enriquez’s unique blend of the literary and the horrific, and underscores why Kazuo Ishiguro, winner of the Nobel Prize for Literature, calls her “the most exciting discovery I’ve made in fiction for some time.”
“A Sunny Place for Shady People feels as vivid and essential as Kafka’s tales. Considered by many to be a Nobel contender, Enriquez is surely on a path to Stockholm.” – Hamilton Cain, Star Tribune
“Another can’t-miss Halloween-time read… Enriquez’s writing is mesmerizing and beautiful, yet it also worms its way inside of you and sets the seeds for a haunting that you will be thinking about for long after you’ve finished reading.” – Michael Welch, Chicago Review of Books
“[A] masterful collection full of grotesque body horror, red-hot terror, and mysterious events, revealing the pain and loss endured by women in modern-day Buenos Aires… Enriquez’s stories gain their power through surprise, as they often begin with a realistic setting before taking a terrifying or unsettling swerve, and she brilliantly explores themes of guilt, shame, and vanity. These provocative tales are first-rate literary horror.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Enriquez’s darkly humorous world view throbs throughout these weird and riveting tales, exerting the morbid fascination of a train wreck… [the] political charge brings real traumatic depth and texture to tales that are creepy enough to bring a shiver to every reader.” – Sara Martínez, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
The Third Gilmore Girl: A Memoir by Kelly Bishop
nonfiction / memoir / television / theater / film.
Kelly Bishop’s long, storied career has been defined by landmark achievements, from winning a Tony Award for her turn in the original Broadway cast of A Chorus Line to her memorable performance as Jennifer Grey’s mother in Dirty Dancing. But it is probably her iconic role as matriarch Emily in the modern classic Gilmore Girls that cemented her legacy.
Now, Bishop reflects on her remarkable life and looks towards the future with The Third Gilmore Girl. She shares some of her greatest stories and the life lessons she’s learned on her journey. From her early transition from dance to drama, to marrying young to a compulsive gambler, to the losses and achievements she experienced—among them marching for women’s rights and losing her second husband to cancer—Bishop offers a rich, genuine celebration of her life.
Full of witty insights and featuring a special collection of personal and professional photographs, The Third Gilmore Girl is a warm, unapologetic, and spirited memoir from a woman who has left indelible impressions on her audiences for decades and has no plans on slowing down.
“Come for the Gilmore Girls anecdotes, stay for the revealing truths about what it takes to build a lifelong career in and out of Hollywood.” – Cindy White, AV Club
“A captivating narrative, engagingly told.” – Claire Sewell, Library Journal
“Catnip for fans of the title series, and a revealing look at the craft of character acting.” – Kirkus Reviews
Want: Women’s Fantasies in the Twenty-First Century edited by Gillian Anderson
nonfiction / essays / short stories / psychology / sexuality.
A collection of confessions from women around the world, Want is a revelatory, sensational and game-changing exploration of women’s sexuality that asks, and answers: How do women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally anonymous?
What do you want, when no one is watching?
What do you want, when the lights are off?
What do you want, when you are anonymous?
When we talk about sex, we talk about womanhood and motherhood, infidelity and exploitation, consent and respect, fairness and egalitarianism, love and hate, pleasure and pain.
And yet for many reasons—some complicated, some not—so many of us don’t talk about it. Our deepest, most intimate fears and fantasies remain locked away inside of us, until someone comes along with the key.
Here’s the key.
In this generation-defining book, Gillian Anderson collects and introduces the anonymous letters of hundreds of self-identifying women from around the world (along with her own anonymous letter).
From a Sikh woman who writes about her secret lust for her brother-in-law, an Apache American woman who wants to be worshipped like a divine creature, a white British woman who just wants to be properly kissed one last time, another who likes to role play as a panther, or a Hispanic Jewish woman living in Bangladesh, for whom the pinnacle of sexual arousal is a doorknob, Want reveals how women feel about sex when they have the freedom to be totally anonymous.
What do you want?
“[An] intriguing cabinet of curiosities showcasing the sheer glorious variety of female desire… any platform that allows us to speak up about an aspect of our lives that is still frequently veiled in shame is to be applauded.” – The Guardian
“Expansive, and impossibly specific. Transgressive, and devastatingly unambitious… contributors lay out dreams that they’ve never told anyone in eye-popping detail… Anderson writes the introduction as well as a short precis for each section. Her prose is clear, sensitive, and funny – and her stake is personal as well as purely editorial.” – Emily Watkins, i
We Solve Murders by Richard Osman ★
fiction / mystery / suspense / comedy.
Steve Wheeler is enjoying retired life. He still does the odd bit of investigation work, but he prefers his familiar routines: the pub quiz, his favorite bench, his cat waiting for him at home. His days of adventure are over. Adrenaline is daughter-in-law Amy’s job now.
Amy Wheeler thinks adrenaline is good for the soul. Working in private security, every day is dangerous. She’s currently on a remote island protecting mega-bestselling author Rosie D’Antonio, until a dead body and a bag of money mean trouble in paradise. So she sends an SOS to the only person she trusts…
As a thrilling race around the world begins, can Amy and Steve outrun and outsmart a killer?
Solving murders. It’s a family business.
“[A] delightful and twisty read.” – Town & Country
“With huge dollops of heart and humor, this will delight Osman fans and attract new readers who will get caught up in the thrill of it all.” – Ilene Cooper, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Osman pulls off the tricky task of making his leads both zany and human, with a sufficiently brain-teasing mystery to boot. This series is sure to garner a loyal following.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“It’s much more of a thriller than the [Thursday Murder Club] books but lightly done and just as funny… The surprisingly charming constant in Osman’s books is the idea that everyone needs a friend, and that loneliness is a bad thing, but curable. There could be worse messages in a wild-ride, luxury, bloodthirsty thriller. And honestly, in this book we are all in first-class together.” – Moira Redmond, i
Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments by Joe Posnanski
nonfiction / sports / history / football.
After his bestselling home run books Why We Love Baseball and The Baseball 100, Joe Posnanski turns from the national pastime to the number one sport in America. Why We Love Football is Posnanski’s newest must-have deep dive into the archives and legends of the sport, and the result is a rousing tale of the 100 greatest moments in football lore.
This is the best kind of sports writing. Entertaining, enlightening, heartbreaking, hilarious, and always fascinating, these stories of the sport offer a panoramic look across its history. From hidden gems and classic tales to famous moments told from previously unheard perspectives, this book is the football book for even its most ardent fans.
From Patrick Mahomes’s magic to the Ice Bowl, from Doug Flutie’s Hail Mary pass to a plethora of football “miracles,” Why We Love Football is an unforgettable, conversational masterpiece you won’t ever want to end, and a can’t-miss take on football from one of the greatest sportswriters of our time.
“Posnanski’s collection hits its marks.” – Alan Moores, Booklist
“A learned but lightly delivered pleasure for fans of the gridiron and its history.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…Posnanski rolls the highlight reel on the most memorable plays to ever grace the gridiron… Brimming with a fan’s enthusiasm and capturing the awe, bemusement, and thrills that the sport inspires, this is another win from Posnanski.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Wildes by Louis Bayard
fiction / historical fiction.
In September of 1892, Oscar Wilde and his family have retreated to the idyllic Norfolk countryside for a holiday. His wife, Constance, has every reason to be happy: two beautiful sons, her own work as an advocate for feminist causes, and a delightfully charming and affectionate husband and father to her children, who also happens to be the most sought-after author in England. But with the arrival of an unexpected houseguest, the aristocratic young poet Lord Alfred Douglas, Constance gradually—and then all at once—comes to see that her husband’s heart is elsewhere and that the growing intensity between the two men threatens the whole foundation of their lives.
The Wildes: A Novel in Five Acts takes readers on the emotional journey of this family, moving from the Italian countryside, where Constance Wilde flees from the aftermath of Oscar’s imprisonment for homosexuality, to the trenches of World War I and an underground bar in London’s Soho, where Oscar’s sons Cyril and Vyvyan must both grapple with their father’s legacy. And in a brilliant feat of the imagination, act 5 reunites the entire cast in a surprising, poignant, and tremendously satisfying tableau.
With Louis Bayard’s trademark sparkling dialogue and deep insight into the lives and longings of all his characters, The Wildes could almost have been created by Oscar Wilde himself. Lightly told but with hidden depths, it is an entertaining and dramatic story about the human condition.
“Bayard turns the Wilde family’s tragedy into an engrossing, eternally relevant fable of fame, scandal, and love.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Scandal knows no century nor season; historically, its villains and victims remain tragically entwined. Bayard considers these themes through dialogue as crackling as any Wilde himself would write and unfolds the Wilde family’s story with the same attention to conflict and resolution as Wilde’s legendary plays.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“It’s hard to imagine anyone doing this sort of imaginative historical reconstruction better than Bayard, who did it superbly once before in Jackie & Me. A sometimes elegiac but mostly tragic recreation of one of the great what-ifs of literary history. Readers will find it difficult to put down.” – David Keymer, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
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