“Never trust people who don’t have something in their lives that they love beyond all reason.” – Fredrik Backman, Beartown
The Adventures of Mary Darling by Pat Murphy
fiction / fantasy / historical fiction / mystery.
Mary Darling is a pretty wife whose boring husband is befuddled by her independent ways. But one fateful night, Mary becomes the distraught mother whose three children have gone missing from their beds. After her well-meaning uncle John Watson contacts the greatest detective of his era (but not that great), Mary is Sherlock Holmes’s prime suspect in her children’s disappearance.
To save her family, Mary must escape an attempt to have her locked away as mad, and to travel halfway around the world. Along the way, her allies include a Solomon Islander whose village was destroyed by Western civilization; a Malagasy woman on an island that is run by women; Captain Hook and the crew of the Jolly Roger; and of course, Nana, the faithful dog and nursemaid.
This witty and adventurous new novel from Pat Murphy (The City Not Long After) will delight fans of classic Victorian tales, as well as those who are looking for a radical new take on the British Empire.
“…delicious… Murphy cleverly reworks favorite Victorian stories into something delightfully new. The wit, wisdom, and whimsy on offer here are sure to win fans.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Mary’s story is a dangerous and delightful adventure that turns the bigotry and misogyny of Victorian England on its head as she takes charge of her own life and rescues everyone with the help of her friends.” – Marlene Harris, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Murphy turns the Great Detective trope on its head… This fantastical romp features pirates and fairies and adventure, explores the ill effects of gender roles and colonialism, and is a lot of fun.” – Susan Maguire, Booklist
The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman by Niko Stratis
nonfiction / memoir / essays / music.
When Wilco’s 2007 album Sky Blue Sky was infamously criticized as “dad rock,” Niko Stratis was a twenty-five-year-old closeted trans woman working in her dad’s glass shop in the Yukon Territory. As she sought escape from her hypermasculine environment, Stratis found an unlikely lifeline amid dad rock’s emotionally open and honest music. Listening to dad rock, Stratis could access worlds beyond her own and imagine a path forward.
In taut, searing essays rendered in propulsive and unguarded prose, Stratis delves into the emotional core of bands like Wilco and The National, telling her story through the dad rock that accompanied her along the way. She found footing in Michael Stipe’s allusions to queer longing, Radiohead’s embrace of unknowability, and Bruce Springsteen’s very trans desire to “change my clothes my hair my face”—and she found in artists like Neko Case and Sharon Van Etten that the label transcends gender. A love letter to the music that saves us and a tribute to dads like Stratis’s own who embody the tenderness at the genre’s heart, The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman rejoices in music unafraid to bare its soul.
“Many people could produce essays on the songs in their lives that saved them, but Stratis’s well-practiced skill at writing on music, memory, and emotion gives this memoir a piercing and poetic quality that will move most readers.” – Kathleen McCallister, Library Journal
“…stirring… [an] appealing blend of emotional honesty and self-aware humor. The result is a poignant ode to music’s power to change lives.” – Publishers Weekly
“Mirroring the tone of its subjects, the book is a heartfelt tribute to the tenderness of dad rock and caring fathers, intertwining high-minded rock criticism with personal stories about Stratis hanging out with her father, working grueling jobs, enduring bigotry, and struggling with addiction. The poetic prose also evokes landscapes both physical and emotional in a pitch-perfect manner… A transcendent personal essay collection, The Dad Rock That Made Me a Woman ruminates on music, life, trans identity, and fatherhood. It executes its mixtape conceit to perfection and ends with poignant lyrics from a tearful, album-ending song. By the time it reaches the end of the tape, the curated compilation had already crescendoed to sonorous heights.” – Joseph S. Pete, Foreword Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
Hotter in the Hamptons by Tinx
fiction / romance.
As New York City’s fashion it-girl, Lola has been living her dream. But when her career comes to a screeching halt after a very public snafu, everything Lola has worked for – her loyal following, her designer closet, her perfect boyfriend – starts to go up in flames. And when notorious culture critic Aly Ray Carter lights the final match by writing a scathing exposé, it feels as if Lola has lost it all.
When Lola flees to the Hamptons to escape her mistakes, she expects to spend her summer drinking Minuty by the pool while carefully rebuilding both her confidence and her brand. Instead, she looks over the trimmed hedges to see none other than her rival and newest neighbor: Aly Ray Carter.
As summer blazes on, Lola is swept into an intoxicating situation with the woman who ruined her life, marred by chaos and confusion as she tries to pinpoint why Aly has her so captivated. She thought the Hamptons would be the perfect place to outrun her mess, but quickly realizes there’s no place to run.
“…the perfect beach read…” – Shelby Stivale, Us Weekly
“A distinctly modern romance with unconventional hooks that blend together to create a steamy, spicy and satisfying story of love and growth.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
“Bestselling self-help author Tinx centers a steamy summer fling in her beachy romance debut… Tinx mines plenty of heat from their whirlwind relationship while not shying away from its flaws… there’s plenty here to entice.” – Publishers Weekly
Karen: A Brother Remembers by Kelsey Grammer
nonfiction / memoir / true crime / psychology.
Karen by Kelsey Grammer delves into the tragic story of the author’s sister, Karen, who was brutally murdered at the age of eighteen. Kelsey was just twenty years old when his younger sister, a recent high school graduate, moved to Colorado Springs, where she was kidnapped by several men who had intended to rob the Red Lobster where she worked. They instead kidnapped Karen, raped her, and ultimately stabbed her to death.
Through this memoir, Grammer poignantly recounts the memories of his sister and the impact her loss had on his life and family. With raw honesty, Grammer explores the profound grief and devastation that followed Karen’s death, as well as the long and arduous journey toward healing. He bravely confronts the pain of losing a loved one to senseless violence, offering readers a glimpse into the complexities of coping with such a profound loss.
Karen also serves as a testament to Grammer’s lifelong journey with grief and his struggle to defeat the sting of death with the memory of a life filled with joy—irreplaceable joy. In sharing his story, Grammer aims to help others who have experienced similar loss, offering solace and encouragement to cherish the love they knew, however brief, on their own path toward healing.
This book is a moving tribute to Karen and the brother’s love that survives her.
“Frasier actor Grammer stuns with this devastating memoir… This is a gift to readers who’ve struggled with their own grief.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] raw, courageous, and deeply moving exploration of grief, healing, and the enduring power of love.” – Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper
Kiss Me, Maybe by Gabriella Gamez
fiction / romance.
Librarian Angela Gutierrez has never been kissed. But after posting a video about her late bloomer status and ace identity, she’s finally ready to get some firsts out of the way. Using her new influencer status to come up with a scavenger hunt idea in which the winner earns her first kiss, Angela realizes she may need some help to pull off the event.
Enter Krystal Ramirez, hot bartender and Angela’s unrequited crush of five years. Despite vowing that romantic love isn’t for her, Krystal seems awfully determined to help Angela pull off the scavenger hunt and find true love.
There’s just one problem: the connection between Angela and Krystal is getting stronger and stronger the more they hang out, until Angela isn’t sure she wants to go through with the scavenger hunt after all. But Krystal is convinced that she isn’t capable of love and before long, Angela realizes she’s falling head over heels for a woman who may never love her back.
“A fizzy and fun follow-up to Gamez’s debut, The Next Best Fling.” – Elizabeth Gabriel, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] surprisingly high-heat exploration of gray-asexual desire, complete with a realistic approach to the rewards and difficulties of being queer in the age of social media and a loving focus on the lives of queer Latinx Texans.” – Publishers Weekly
The Missing Half by Ashley Flowers with Alex Kiester ★
fiction / mystery / suspense.
Nicole “Nic” Monroe is in a rut. At twenty-four, she lives alone in a dinky apartment in her hometown of Mishawaka, Indiana, she’s just gotten a DWI, and she works the same dead-end job she’s been working since high school, a job she only has because her boss is a family friend and feels sorry for her. Everyone has felt sorry for her for the last seven years—since the day her older sister, Kasey, vanished without a trace.
On the night Kasey went missing, her car was found over a hundred miles from home. The driver’s door was open and her purse was untouched in the seat next to it. The only real clue in her disappearance was Jules Connor, another young woman from the same area who disappeared in the same way, two weeks earlier. But with so little for the police to go on, both cases eventually went cold.
Nic wants nothing more than to move on from her sister’s disappearance and the state it’s left her in. But then one day, Jules’s sister, Jenna Connor, walks into Nic’s life and offers her something she hasn’t felt in a long time: hope. What follows is a gripping tale of two sisters who will do anything to find their missing halves, even if it means destroying everything they’ve ever known.
“[A] tightly written thriller.” – Kimberly McGee, Library Reads, TOP PICK
“[It] builds to a breathless and shocking conclusion that readers won’t see coming. Impossible to put down, this stellar thriller will stick with readers long after the final page is turned.” – Kristine Huntley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Psychologically nuanced, the book veers unexpectedly in its final chapters in ways that are as beautiful as they are unsettling. Perfect for readers of Ashley Winstead and Nita Prose, this is a hard book to put down; expect to miss sleep looking for the Mishawaka girls.” – Emily Bowles, Library Journal
My Friends by Fredrik Backman ★
fiction.
Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows otherwise, and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures.
Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant seaside town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their bruising home lives by spending long summer days on an abandoned pier, telling silly jokes, sharing secrets, and committing small acts of rebellion. These lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream, a reason to love.
Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be placed into eighteen-year-old Louisa’s care. She embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn how the painting came to be and to decide what to do with it. The closer she gets to the painting’s birthplace, the more nervous she becomes about what she’ll find. Louisa is proof that happy endings don’t always take the form we expect in this stunning testament to the transformative, timeless power of friendship and art.
“A moving tale about art and friendship, My Friends is a testament to love and the mysteries of life from the author of A Man Called Ove.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
“Masterfully crafted… an absolute career highlight… Together with Louisa, you discover just how magic the world can be if you have the right people at your side… A devastatingly beautiful love letter to teen friendships and the way they shape who you are and who you want to be, My Friends is Backman’s best story yet.” – Mimi Koehler, The Nerd Daily
“Bestselling novelist Fredrik Backman has built his career with idiosyncratic characters in stories that demolish a reader’s heart before stitching it back together. My Friends may be the pinnacle of Backman’s heartbreaking powers… In My Friends, Backman again pays tribute to the forces that make an ordinary life extraordinary. By focusing his tremendous empathy on the power of art and friendship, he has created a novel that celebrates the beauty of being alive.” – Carla Jean Whitley, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“What Backman did for curmudgeonly seniors in his beloved debut, A Man Called Ove, he now does for obstreperous teens; namely, he renders them lovable beyond all reason. Their quirks, their fears, their bravado, their vulnerability all come blazing through, exploding in isolated episodes of candor and harrowing moments of defensiveness. Irrepressible humor, boundless grief, and eternal loyalty coalesce in Backman’s tribute to youthful imagination and unfettered faith in art’s power to heal and nurture.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
My Name Is Emila del Valle by Isabel Allende; translated by Frances Riddle
fiction / historical fiction.
In San Francisco in 1866, an Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman.
To pursue her passion for writing, she is willing to defy societal norms. At the age of seventeen, she begins to publish pulp fiction using a man’s pen name. When these fictional worlds can no longer satisfy her sense of adventure, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at The Daily Examiner to hire her. There she is paired with another talented reporter, Eric Whelan.
As she proves herself, her restlessness returns, until an opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile. She seizes it, as does Eric, and while there, she meets her estranged father and delves into the violent confrontation in the country where her roots lie. As she and Eric discover love, the war escalates and Emilia finds herself in extreme danger, fearing for her life and questioning her identity and her destiny.
A riveting tale of self-discovery and love from one of the most masterful storytellers of our time, My Name Is Emilia del Valle introduces a character who will never let hold of your heart.
“An action-packed, brightly detailed historical novel…” – Kirkus Reviews
“A love story, a coming-of-age tale and a war novel wrapped in one, the incomparable Isabel Allende returns with a sweeping story that reintroduces us to the Del Valle family.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
“Emilia’s story is exciting, empowering, and inherently feminist… The adventures she encounters along the way fill Allende’s pages with violence, love, high society, and human interest… Allende applies riveting storytelling to an exploration of history through the lens of a fictional heroine.” – Julia Kastner, Shelf Awareness
The Names by Florence Knapp ★
fiction / historical fiction.
In the wake of a catastrophic storm, Cora sets off with her nine-year-old daughter, Maia, to register her son’s birth. Her husband, Gordon, a local doctor, respected in the community but a terrifying and controlling presence at home, intends for her to name the infant after him. But when the registrar asks what she’d like to call the child, Cora hesitates…
Spanning thirty-five years, what follows are three alternate and alternating versions of Cora’s and her young son’s lives, shaped by her choice of name. In richly layered prose, The Names explores the painful ripple effects of domestic abuse, the messy ties of family, and the possibilities of autonomy and healing.
With exceptional sensitivity and depth, Knapp draws us into the story of one family, told through a prism of what-ifs, causing us to consider the “one… precious life” we are given. The book’s brilliantly imaginative structure, propulsive storytelling, and emotional, gut-wrenching power are certain to make The Names a modern classic.
“[A] book that insists that we all contain multitudes and that it’s possible for each of us to find the best version of ourselves.” – Chris Hewitt, Minnesota Star Tribune
“[A] compelling, emotionally wrenching debut… In clear, compelling prose, Knapp delicately builds a layered story about fate, free will, trauma, and hope… Both devastating and hopeful, this novel and its characters will linger with readers long after they finish the last page.” – Halle Carlson, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Readers won’t be able to stop talking about this intelligent exploration of a single choice’s long tail of repercussions.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“The Names, Florence Knapp’s debut novel, may well be the most devastating book you read this year… immensely powerful… a wildly original and emotionally profound novel, and details from it have not stopped swimming around my head in the weeks since I finished it.” – Ellen Peirson-Hagger, The Observer
The Night Birds by Christopher Golden
fiction / horror / suspense.
Charlie Book and Ruby Cahill have history. After their love ended in heartbreak years ago, they never expected to see each other again.
Now, as part of his work for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Book lives aboard the Christabel, a 19th century freighter half-sunken off the shore of Galveston. Over many years, a massive forest of mangrove trees has grown up through the deck of the ship, creating a startlingly beautiful enigma Book calls the Floating Forest. As a powerful storm churns through the Gulf, he intends to sleep on board as usual.
But when he arrives at the dock, he’s stunned to find Ruby there waiting for him. And she’s not alone. With her are a mysterious woman and her infant child, asking Book to hide them safely aboard the Christabel while they’re on the run. Only it isn’t the police who are after them, it’s a coven of witches the woman, Mae, has fled, stealing away the helpless infant for whom the coven had hideous plans… or so Mae claims.
It’s lunacy and Book wants nothing to do with it. But after the way he and Ruby ended things, and the unspoken pain between them, he can’t refuse. Yet even as he brings them out to the ruined ship and its floating forest, there are shadowed figures looming back in Galveston, waiting out the storm. And despite the worsening wind and rain, the night birds are flying, scouring the coastline for their prey.
“[A] hair-raising siren song of horror… Golden’s skill is on full display here as he crafts crackling action scenes, a horrifying creature, great dialogue, and an inclusive cast of characters.” – Jeremiah Paddock, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Heartbreakingly beautiful, filled with action, evil, shape-shifting witches, superior world building, and visceral terror, this is a tale where every detail matters, and readers’ emotions will be put through the wringer—but not left without hope.” – Becky Spratford, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Golden showcases his gift for eerie scene setting in this outstanding horror novel with an unusual location… Golden spins this setup into a tense, atmospheric thriller. John Connolly fans will be riveted.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Ocean: Earth’s Last Wilderness by David Attenborough & Colin Butfield
nonfiction / science / nature.
Award-winning broadcaster and natural historian David Attenborough and longtime collaborator Colin Butfield present a powerful call to action focused on our planet’s oceans, exploring how critical this habitat is for the survival of humanity and the earth’s future.
Through personal stories, history and cutting-edge science, Ocean uncovers the mystery, the wonder, and the frailty of the most unexplored habitat on our planet—the one which shapes the land we live on, regulates our climate, and creates the air we breathe. This book showcases the oceans’ remarkable resilience: they can, and in some cases have, recovered the fastest, if we only give them the chance.
Drawing a course across David Attenborough’s own lifetime, Ocean takes readers on an adventure-laden voyage through eight unique ocean habitats, countless intriguing species, and the most astounding discoveries of the last 100 years, to a future vision of a fully restored marine world—one even more spectacular than we could possibly hope for. Ocean reveals the past, present and potential future of our blue planet. It is a book almost a century in the making, but one that has never been more urgently needed.
“The world’s best-known natural historian has not lost his touch… Readers will enjoy this paean to the ocean’s beauty and weirdness…” – Kirkus Reviews
“[An] awe-inspiring exploration of the open ocean, kelp forests, and six other marine biomes… Attenborough’s admirers will savor this.” – Publishers Weekly
Old School Indian by Aaron John Curtis
fiction.
Abe Jacobs is Kanien’kehá:ka from Ahkwesáhsne―or, as white people say, a Mohawk Indian from the Saint Regis Tribe. At eighteen, Abe left the reservation where he was raised and never looked back. He met the love of his life, started writing poetry, and began an open marriage.
Now at forty-three, Abe is suffering from a rare disease―one his doctors in Miami believe will kill him. Running from his diagnosis and a marriage teetering on collapse, Abe returns to the Rez, where he’s persuaded to undergo a healing at the hands of his Great Uncle Budge. But Budge―a wry, recovered alcoholic prone to wearing punk T-shirts―isn’t all that convincing. And Abe’s time off the Rez has made him a thorough skeptic.
To heal, Abe will undertake a revelatory journey, confronting the parts of himself he’s hidden ever since he left home and wrestling with the imprint left by his once-passionate marriage.
Delivered with crackling wit and heart-wrenching tenderness, Old School Indian is a striking exploration of the power and secrets of family, the capacity for healing and intimacy, and the ripple effects of history and culture.
“…electrifying… This astonishes.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] sharply comic and touching debut…” – Margaret Quamma, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“An affecting tale of loss and healing that thrives through its seriocomic style.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
fiction / romance.
Good things happen at the lake. That’s what Alice’s grandmother says, and it’s true. Alice spent just one summer there at a cottage with Nan when she was seventeen—it’s where she took that photo, the one of three grinning teenagers in a yellow speedboat, the image that changed her life.
Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she’s most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she’s been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry’s Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.
Charlie Florek was nineteen when Alice took his photo from afar. Now he’s all grown up—a shameless flirt, who manages to make Nan laugh and Alice long to be seventeen again, when life was simpler, when taking pictures was just for fun. Sun-slanted days and warm nights out on the lake with Charlie are a balm for Alice’s soul, but when she looks up and sees his piercing green gaze directly on her, she begins to worry for her heart.
Because Alice sees people—that’s why she is so good at what she does—but she’s never met someone who looks and sees her right back.
“…fans have been begging her to give Charlie his happily ever after for years—and she’s fully delivered with a sweet, summer love story.” – Meaghan Kirby, E! News
“The sparks between Alice and Charlie fly off the page and endearing Nan adds heart. This is a treat.” – Publishers Weekly
“One Golden Summer might just be the perfect beach read. The lake setting, the sense of nostalgia, the characters’ personal journeys, and of course a sweet and spicy romance, Carley Fortune’s newest knockout novel hit all the marks and then some.” – Sara, Harlequin Junkie, TOP PICK
Parents Weekend by Alex Finlay
fiction / suspense / mystery.
In the glow of their children’s exciting first year of college at a small private school in Northern California, five families plan on a night of dinner and cocktails for the opening festivities of Parents Weekend. As the parents stay out way past their bedtimes, their kids—five residents of Campisi Hall—never show up at dinner.
At first, everyone thinks that they’re just being college students, irresponsibly forgetting about the gathering or skipping out to go to a party. But as the hours click by and another night falls with not so much as a text from the students, panic ensues. Soon, the campus police call in reinforcements. Search parties are formed. Reporters swarm the small enclave. Rumors swirl and questions arise.
Libby, Blane, Mark, Felix, and Stella—The Five, as the podcasters, bloggers, and TikTok sleuths call them—come from five very different families. What led them out on that fateful night? Could it be the sins of their mothers and fathers come to cause them peril or a threat to the friend group from within?
Told through multiple points of view in past and present—and marking the return of FBI Special Agent Sarah Keller from Every Last Fear and The Night Shift—Parents Weekend explores the weight of expectation, family dysfunction, and those exhilarating first days we all remember in the dorms when our friends become our family.
“Finlay has a gift for intertwining many story lines and characters in a cohesive, compelling way… plenty of surprises and red herrings will keep readers interested. Fans won’t want to miss Finlay’s latest.” – Stephanie Howes, Booklist
“[Finlay scatters] red herrings galore, and he caps the proceedings with a particularly shocking conclusion. Fans of Mary Higgins Clark will enjoy themselves.” – Publishers Weekly
“As with all Alex Finlay books, this was a page turner… The mystery was compelling, and the pacing kept me hooked from start to finish.” – Allison Speakmon, Speaking of…
Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age by Amanda Hess ★
nonfiction / memoir / parenting / technology.
As an internet culture critic for The New York Times, Amanda Hess had built a reputation among readers as a sharp observer of the seductions and manipulations of online life. But when Hess discovered she was pregnant with her first child, she found herself unexpectedly rattled by a digital identity crisis of her own.
In the summer of 2020, a routine ultrasound detected a mysterious abnormality in Hess’s baby. Without hesitation, she reached for her phone, looking for answers. But rather than allaying her anxieties, her search sucked her into the destabilizing morass of the internet, and she was vulnerable—more than ever—to conspiracy, myth, judgment, commerce, and obsession.
As Hess documents her escalating relationship with the digital world, she identifies how technologies act as portals to troubling ideologies, ethical conflicts, and existential questions, and she illuminates how the American traditions of eugenics, surveillance, and hyper-individualism are recycled through these shiny products for a new generation of parents and their children.
At once funny, heartbreaking, and surreal, Second Life is a journey that spans a network of fertility apps, prenatal genetic tests, gender reveal videos, rare disease Facebook groups, “freebirth” influencers, and hospital reality shows. Hess confronts technology’s distortions as they follow her through pregnancy and into her son’s early life. The result is a critical record of our digital age that reveals the unspoken ways our lives are being fractured and reconstituted by technology.
“Hess’s memoir-meets-investigation of the convergence of parenthood and technology is a must read to understand the bizarre realities of having a child in the digital age.” – Literary Hub
“With wit, discernment and candor, [Hess] captures the anxiety and weirdness of reproduction in our modern screen-based, app-oriented culture… insightful and occasionally very funny…” – Meghan Cox Gurdon, Wall Street Journal
“Cultural critic Hess’s fierce and funny debut memoir is an astute document of pregnancy and parenting in the internet era… Bringing journalistic scruples to her explorations of eugenics, disability advocacy, and the algorithmic churn of life in the 2020s, Hess balances her own story with a broader portrait of the anxious buzz of the modern world. Parents will feel especially seen by this incisive and refreshing account.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“In her new memoir, Second Life, [Amanda Hess] leaves behind the stale conventions that plague so much parenting writing, and treats digital culture and the internet as it is: a character in our lives, deserving of our sharpest critical engagement, but also part of how we make ourselves at home in the world… tender and often very funny… Hess’s writing about her and her partner’s pathways through the ever-shifting ethical terrain of genetic testing is unflinching and curious. She is a generous thinker, even when she’s up against ideologies that repel her.” – Kathryn Jezer-Morton, The Cut
Silver Elite by Dani Francis
fiction / fantasy / romance / science fiction.
TRUST NO ONE.
Wren Darlington has spent her whole life in hiding, honing her psychic abilities and aiding the rebel Uprising in small ways. On the Continent, being Modified means certain death—and Wren is one of the most powerful Mods in existence. When one careless mistake places her in the hands of the enemy and she’s forced to join their most elite training program, she’s finally handed the perfect opportunity to strike a devastating blow from inside their ranks.
LIE TO EVERYONE.
But training for Silver Block can be deadly, especially when you’re harboring dangerous secrets and living in close quarters with everyone who wants you dead.
AND WHATEVER YOU DO, DON’T FALL FOR YOUR GREATEST ENEMY.
As the stakes grow ever higher, Wren must prove herself to Silver Block. But that’s easier said than done when your commanding officer is the ruthless and infuriatingly irresistible Cross Redden, who doesn’t miss anything when it comes to her. And as war rages between Mods like her and those who aim to destroy them, Wren must decide just how far she’s willing to go to protect herself… and how much of the Continent is worth saving.
“A sexy, high-octane dystopian debut.” – Maria Martin, Library Journal
“Nonstop action, great world building, and a blisteringly hot enemies-to-lovers romance make this a winner.” – Jayna McDaniel-Browning, Library Reads
“…tense and steamy… Francis expertly builds this high-stakes surveillance state and crafts beautifully flawed, emotionally complex characters. Readers will eagerly await the next installment.” – Publishers Weekly
Speaking in Tongues by J.M. Coetzee & Mariana Dimópulos
nonfiction / language / philosophy.
Language, historically speaking, has always been slippery. Two dictionaries provide two different maps of the universe: which one is true, or are both false? Speaking in Tongues—taking the form of a dialogue between Nobel laureate novelist J. M. Coetzee and eminent translator Mariana Dimópulos—examines some of the most pressing linguistic issues that plague writers and translators well into the twenty-first century.
The authors address questions that we must answer in order to understand contemporary society. They inquire if one can truly love an acquired language, and they question why certain languages, like Spanish, have gender differences built into them. They examine the threat of monolingualism and ask how we can counter, if at all, the global spread of the English language, which seems to maraud like a colonial power. They question whether it should be the duty of the translator to remove morally objectionable, misogynistic, or racist language. And in the conclusion, Coetzee even speculates whether it’s only mathematics that can tell the truth about everything.
Drawing from decades of experience in the craft of language, both Dimópulos and Coetzee face the reality, as did Walter Benjamin over a century ago in his seminal essay “The Task of the Translator,” that when it comes to self-expression, some things will always get lost in translation. Speaking in Tongues finally emerges as an engaging and accessible work of philosophy, shining a light on some of the most important linguistic and philological issues of our time.
“…thought-provoking… a work of what we might call quantum criticism, in which every argument comes encoded with its antithesis, with ‘reality’ depending on the observer’s position.” – David L. Ulin, 4Columns
“You could read this book in an hour. You could think about it for the rest of your life.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Mr. Coetzee and Ms. Dimópulos probe [several] issues in exchanges that are stimulating and occasionally surprising, with insights that can only arise from two authors who have ‘the experience of using our language as if it were a foreign one.’” – Henry Hitchings, Wall Street Journal
The Survivor Wants to Die at the End by Adam Silvera
fiction / young adult / romance / fantasy.
Paz Dario stays up every night, waiting for the Death-Cast call that would mean he doesn’t have to keep faking his way through this lonely life. After a devastating day, Paz decides he’s done waiting around for Death-Cast. If they say he’s not dying, he’ll just have to prove them wrong. But right before Paz can die, a boy saves his life.
Alano Rosa is heir to the Death-Cast empire that encourages everyone to live their best lives, but he doesn’t feel in control of his own existence thanks to his father. And with a violent organization called the Death Guard threatening Alano, his End Day might be closer than he thinks. It’s time to live.
Fate brings Paz and Alano together, but it’s now up to the boys to survive the tragic trials ahead so no one dies at the end.
“As suspenseful and emotionally wrenching as the previous titles in the series… Raw, delicate, and deeply caring.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Packed with all the themes and tropes you’ve loved in the series so far, the third installment offers up two new characters to fall in love with as they grapple with their fate.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
The Tenant by Freida McFadden
fiction / suspense / mystery.
Blake Porter is riding high, until he’s not. Fired abruptly from his job as a VP of marketing and unable to make the mortgage payments on the new brownstone that he shares with his fiancée, he’s desperate to make ends meet.
Enter Whitney. Beautiful, charming, down-to-earth, and looking for a room to rent. She’s exactly what Blake’s looking for. Or is she?
Because something isn’t quite right. The neighbors start treating Blake differently. The smell of decay permeates his home, no matter how hard he scrubs. Strange noises jar him awake in the middle of the night. And soon Blake fears someone knows his darkest secrets…
Danger lives right at home, and by the time Blake realizes it, it’ll be far too late. The trap is already set.
“[A] gripping psychological thriller that keeps you guessing until the very end.” – Corette Wurst, Medium*
“Author Freida McFadden returns with another tension laden thriller leaving readers scrambling to figure out who can be trusted once again. All the author’s signature wicked plot twists are here up to and including the final last chapter shocker readers have come to expect.” – Sandra Hoover, Mystery & Suspense
Tequila Wars: José Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico by Ted Genoways
nonfiction / biography / history / business.
At the dawn of the twentieth century, José Cuervo inherited his family’s humble distillery, La Rojeña, in the Tequila Valley. Within a decade, he had transformed it into a complex national enterprise that would become Mexico’s leading producer of tequila. Cuervo grew his kingdom of agave by acquiring thousands of acres of estates throughout the valley; he brought electricity and a railroad line to Tequila, so he could reach drinkers across the country. But when the Mexican Revolution erupted, a charge of treason and a death threat against him by Pancho Villa forced Cuervo to flee. His disappearance turned him into an obscure, shadowy historical figure—despite having one of the most famous names in Mexican history.
In Tequila Wars, award-winning author Ted Genoways restores Cuervo to his place as a key player in Mexico’s formative period. Before the revolution, Cuervo’s acclaim spread worldwide, and once war broke out, Cuervo remained an impresario, kingmaker, and cultural force. In the face of his own government’s corruption and the nationalism of his northern neighbors, Cuervo reached American drinkers by establishing Mexico’s covert form of cross-border commerce with the United States. As the largest and most important distilleries in the Tequila Valley recognized the threat posed by Mexico’s unraveling, Cuervo also lobbied for suspending normal competition in favor of “a union of tequila makers”—what would become the first Mexican cartel.
With extensive original research, including access to the secret archives of the Cuervo and Sauza families, Genoways follows the violent, unpredictable, and hugely profitable world of tequila through the story of its most successful maker. The first biography of Cuervo, Tequila Wars uncovers the history of the man who would forever change not only the business of tequila, but international relations between Mexico and the United States.
“…Genoways offers a rigorous and unique lens on Mexico’s revolutionary period.” – Publishers Weekly
“This rich, edifying book remedies a striking gap in the historical record… smart pacing and memorable detail are this book’s primary features.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] textured account… By drawing on family, newspaper, government and university archives, as well as the extant scraps of Cuervo’s professional and personal correspondence, Genoways is able to paint a nuanced portrait of an elusive figure… If the Terry Pratchett observation that ‘a man’s not dead while his name is still spoken’ stands, José Cuervo will live for the foreseeable future — and thanks to Ted Genoways, as more than just a brand name.” – J.D. Biersdorfer, New York Times
Up in Smoke by Nick Brooks
fiction / young adult / mystery / suspense.
After Cooper King is pressured by big brother figure Jason to go on a looting spree during a local march, the unthinkable happens: gunshots ring in the air and someone ends up dead. After Cooper flees, the news shows four teens in ski masks near the scene of the murder—Cooper and his friends. Cooper fears the cops will come knocking at his door, and the pressure only mounts when a suspect is taken into custody: Jason.
Monique, Jason’s sister and Cooper’s longtime crush, is willing to go any length to clear her brother’s name. Even if she needs to go into the belly of the beast and confront the killer herself. When she teams up with Cooper, they fall down the investigation rabbit hole and start to fall for each other. But little does Monique know that within this web of deception, Cooper is shrouding the truth that he was there when the shots went off. If the pair fail to uncover the real murderer, Jason will get locked up for a crime he didn’t commit—and drag down Cooper with him.
“A thrilling, heart-racing mystery with a page-turning budding romance at its center.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Monique and Coop’s alternating perspectives unspool in this intense thriller by Brooks, who cleverly utilizes classic murder mystery elements to craft an expansive story that contends with issues surrounding racism, police brutality, and corruption. Readers will root for the protagonists’ dynamic relationship and quest for justice.” – Publishers Weekly
We Can Do Hard Things: Answers to Life’s 20 Questions by Glennon Doyle, Abby Wambach, & Amanda Doyle
nonfiction / self help.
Every day, Glennon Doyle spirals around the same questions: Why am I like this? How do I figure out what I want? How do I know what to do? Why can’t I be happy? Am I doing this right?
The harder life gets, the less likely she is to remember the answers she’s spent her life learning. She wonders: I’m almost fifty years old. I’ve overcome a hell of a lot. Why do I wake up every day having forgotten everything I know?
Glennon’s compasses are her sister, Amanda, and her wife, Abby. Recently, in the span of a single year, Glennon was diagnosed with anorexia, Amanda was diagnosed with breast cancer, and Abby’s beloved brother died. For the first time, they were all lost at the same time. So they turned toward the only thing that’s ever helped them find their way: deep, honest conversations with other brave, kind, wise people.
They asked each other, their dearest friends, and 118 of the world’s most brilliant wayfinders: As you’ve traveled these roads—marriage, parenting, work, recovery, heartbreak, aging, new beginnings—have you collected any wisdom that might help us find our way?
As Glennon, Abby, and Amanda wrote down every life-saving answer, they discovered two things:
1. No matter what road we are walking down, someone else has traveled the same terrain.
2. The wisdom of our fellow travelers will light our way.
They put all of that wisdom in one place: We Can Do Hard Things—a place to turn when you feel clueless and alone, when you need clarity in the chaos, or when you want wise company on the path of life.
“The book becomes ‘one huge locker of life preservers,’ according to Doyle, ready to rescue everyone who struggles with these thoughts (which is pretty much anyone living through adolescence and beyond).” – Candace Smith, Booklist
“We Can Do Hard Things is a friendly — and necessary — reminder that we all need a helping hand through life’s tricky bits, from a beloved trio of remarkable women.” – Isabelle McConville, B&N Reads
What Happens in Amsterdam by Rachel Lynn Solomon
fiction / romance.
Dani Dorfman has somehow made it to her thirties without knowing what she wants to do with her life. So when an office romance ends poorly and gets her fired, she applies for a job in Amsterdam, idly dreaming of escaping the mess she’s created, but never imagining she’ll actually get it.
Except she does. By the end of her first week in Amsterdam, she’s never felt more adrift or alone. Then she crashes her bike into her high school ex-boyfriend—and suddenly life is blooming with new opportunities.
Wouter van Leeuwen was a Dutch exchange student Dani’s family hosted, a forbidden love that ended in a painful breakup. Years later, there’s still sizzling chemistry between them, and okay, maybe a little animosity. More importantly, Wouter needs to be married to inherit a gorgeous family home on a canal—and when Dani’s job falls apart, she needs a visa. As the marriage of convenience pushes them together in unexpected ways, Dani must decide whether her new life is yet another mistake—or if it’s worth taking a risk on a second chance.
“[A] wonderfully sensitive and sexy expat love story…” – Melissa DeWild, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“…sizzling… Solomon showcases her talent for creating flawed but appealing characters, and it’s gratifying to see Dani and Wouter’s relationship mature. The author’s fans will not be disappointed.” – Publishers Weekly
“[A] love letter to Amsterdam… What Happens in Amsterdam is sure to make your reader’s heart blossom like a tulip in spring!” – Mimi Koehler, The Nerd Daily
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