“All the things that are wrong in the world seem conquered by a library’s simple unspoken promise: Here I am, please tell me your story; here is my story, please listen.” – Susan Orlean, The Library Book
1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History – and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin ★
nonfiction / history / economics / business / politics.
From the bestselling author of Too Big to Fail, “the definitive history of the 2008 banking crisis,” (The Atlantic) comes a riveting narrative of the most infamous stock market crash in history—one with ripple effects that still shape our society today.
In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a generation. But behind the flashing ticker tapes and panicked traders, another drama unfolded—one of visionaries and fraudsters, titans and dreamers, euphoria and ruin.
With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naivete in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today’s world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again.
This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that this time is different. It’s about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming—only to be dismissed until it was too late.
Hailed as a landmark book, Too Big to Fail reimagined how financial crises are told. Now, with 1929, Sorkin delivers an immersive, electrifying account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time—with lessons that remain as urgent as ever. More than just a history, 1929 is a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.
“[A] vivid and historically accurate account of the boom, crash and aftermath… one of the best narrative histories I’ve read… In his afterword, Mr. Sorkin says his model was Walter Lord’s A Night to Remember, about another crash, that of the Titanic. Mr. Sorkin says he, too, wants ‘to restore the texture and detail of the human lives’ that lived through tragedy. He has succeeded.” – Judge Glock, Wall Street Journal
“From one market crash to another, Andrew Ross Sorkin returns with an exacting look at the 1929 Wall Street collapse, outlining how and why such a catastrophe happened, and what we can learn from it in today’s volatile world.” – B&N Reads
“Journalist Sorkin has written a vivid account of the events leading to the Great Stock Market Crash of 1929, which caused financial chaos, wiped out fortunes, and led to the Great Depression… a historical blueprint for understanding the past and present financial situations in the U.S. Highly recommended and essential reading.” – Lucy Heckman, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“[An] extensive account of how Wall Street and the US government dragged the country into the Great Depression… the parallels to today exist almost down to the person… The events of 1929 should serve as a warning, not that we are necessarily on the cusp of a financial crisis of that magnitude, Sorkin argues, but that if lessons aren’t learned, ‘we could go down the same road.'” – Natalie Korach, Vanity Fair
American Grammar: Race, Education, and the Building of a Nation by Jarvis R. Givens
nonfiction / history / politics.
A new history of US education through the nineteenth century that rigorously accounts for Black, Native, and white experiences; a story that exposes the idea of American education as “the great equalizer” to not only be a lie, but also a myth that reproduces past harms.
Education is the epicenter of every community in the United States. Indeed, few institutions are as pivotal in shaping our lives and values than public schools. Yet the nature of schooling has become highly politicized, placing its true colors on full display—a battleground where clashes over free speech and book bans abound, and where the suppression of knowledge about race, gender, and sexuality have taken center stage. Political forces are waging a war on academic freedom, raising serious questions. What gets taught, how, by whom, and who gets to decide? Yet, how might our perception of this reality shift when we recognize such battles as expressions of a relationship between race, power, and schooling as old as the country itself?
Access and equity in public education have long been discussed and attempts to address the educational debts owed to historically oppressed groups have taken the form of modern innovations and promises of future improvement. Yet the past plays an equally significant role in structuring our present reality—and in the case of our education system, there is a dark, unexamined history that continues to influence how schools forge our world.
Harvard University professor Jarvis R. Givens, an expert in the fields of American Educational History and African American Studies, draws on his own personal experiences and academic expertise to unveil how the political-economic exploitation of Black and Indigenous people played an essential role in building American education as an inequitable system premised on white possession and white benefit. In doing so, he clarifies that present conflicts are not merely culture wars, but indeed structural in nature. American Grammar is a revised origin story that exposes this legacy of racial domination in schooling, demonstrating how the educational experiences of Black, white, and Native Americans were never all-together separate experiences, but indeed relational, all part of an emergent national educational landscape. Givens reveals how profits from slavery and the seizure of native lands underwrote classrooms for white students; how funds from the US War Department developed native boarding schools; and how classroom lessons socialized students into an American identity grounded in antiblackness and anti-Nativeness, whereby the substance of schooling mirrored the very structure of US education.
In unraveling this past, Givens provides more honest language for those working to imagine and build a truly more egalitarian future for all learners and communities, and especially those most vulnerable among us.
“A timely, vital read.” – Town & Country
“…fascinating… a worthy study of how the nation set about schooling Black and Native children.” – Kirkus Reviews
Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory
fiction / historical fiction.
Jane Boleyn watches from the shadows of the Tudor court, where secrets are currency, every choice is dangerous, and even the faintest whisper can seal the fate of queens.
For Jane, survival demands playing every role required of her: a loving wife who conceals her doubts, a devoted sister to Anne Boleyn at the height of her power, and an obedient spy who carefully wields her words. But in a court ruled by ambition and a tyrant’s sword, Jane must rely on her sharp wit and skillful maneuvering to outthink those around her, knowing that one wrong move could cost her everything.
Philippa Gregory masterfully shines a spotlight on the untold story of Jane Boleyn, peeling back the myths to reveal a complex portrait of a woman who dared to survive at any cost. Perfect for fans of thrilling historical drama and readers captivated by the intrigue of the Tudor period, Boleyn Traitor is a must-read.
“Richly atmospheric, Gregory’s novel delivers a riveting portrait of Jane and the drama of the cunning stakes involved in trying to survive Henry’s reign.” – Leah Strauss, Booklist
“[A] shockingly relevant cautionary tale about tyrants… Gregory skillfully captures the lust for power and wealth that overcomes those who serve a mentally unstable ruler.” – Joanna Burkhardt, Library Journal
Female Fantasy by Iman Hariri-Kia
fiction / romance / fantasy.
Joonie has two great loves. Writing fanfic about her favorite fantasy romance series and swooning over its hero, Ryke, a broody, impossibly perfect merman. No real-life boyfriend has ever come close. Why settle for ordinary when your fictional crush is… well, an impossibly hot, impossibly wonderful Ryke?
But then Joonie discovers a secret: Ryke was inspired by a real man. And she’s determined to find him. Cue a whirlwind road trip, complete with her brother’s aggravatingly hot best friend at the wheel, clumsy kidnappers, psychics, and her fiercely loyal fanfic crew. He doesn’t believe in love. She refuses to believe in anything else. And neither is ready for the sparks that start flying.
“A playful romp and ode to all who believe in true love and happily-ever-afters.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“A charming exploration of how fictional ideals shape expectations of love.” – Michelle Mistalski, Library Journal
“[An] epic quest filled with heart, humor, and… merpeople… the novel bridges our deepest book fantasies with the often harsh realities of real-life romance.” – Tamara Fuentes, Cosmopolitan
Future Boy: Back to the Future and My Journey Through the Space-Time Continuum by Michael J. Fox & Nelle Fortenberry
nonfiction / memoir / film / television.
In early 1985, Michael J. Fox was one of the biggest stars on television. His world was about to get even bigger, but only if he could survive the kind of double duty unheard of in Hollywood. Fox’s days were already dedicated to rehearsing and taping the hit sitcom Family Ties, but then the chance of a lifetime came his way. Soon, he committed his nights to a new time-travel adventure film being directed by Robert Zemeckis and produced by Steven Spielberg―Back to the Future. Sitcom during the day, movie at night―day after day, for months.
Fox’s nightly commute from a soundstage at Paramount to the back lot at Universal Studios, from one dream job to another, would become his own space-time continuum. It was in this time portal that Alex P. Keaton handed the baton to Marty McFly while Michael J. Fox tried to catch a few minutes of sleep. Alex’s bravado, Marty’s flair, and Fox’s comedic virtuosity all swirled together to create something truly special.
In Future Boy, Fox tells the remarkable story of playing two landmark roles at the same time―a slice of entertainment history that’s never been told. Using new interviews with the cast and crew of both projects, the result is a vividly drawn and eye-opening story of creative achievement by a beloved icon.
“A fun read for fans of the billion-dollar franchise.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[An] engaging and often hilarious walk through a golden moment in time that any entertainment fan will enjoy… feels more like a personal storytelling session with Fox than a traditional memoir. Anyone who loves entertainment history, movies, or television will be delighted to read it.” – Bridgette Whitt, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“The spirit of gratitude that runs through all of Mr. Fox’s books continues to be a pleasure and an attraction. Despite his neurological torments, he savors the wonderful things that have happened to him and the career he has enjoyed… [an] amusing scrapbook of memories… aimed directly at devoted fans of Back to the Future.” – Kyle Smith, Wall Street Journal
Gone Before Goodbye by Reese Witherspoon & Harlan Coben
fiction / suspense / mystery.
Maggie McCabe is teetering on the brink. A highly skilled and renowned Army combat surgeon, she has always lived life at the edge, where she could make the most impact. And it was all going to plan… until it wasn’t.
Upside down after a devastating series of tragedies leads to her medical license being revoked, Maggie has lost her purpose, but not her nerve or her passion. At her lowest point, she is thrown a lifeline by a former colleague, an elite plastic surgeon whose anonymous clientele demand the best care money can buy, as well as absolute discretion.
Halfway across the globe, sequestered in the lap of luxury and cutting-edge technology, one of the world’s most mysterious men requires unconventional medical assistance. Desperate, and one of the few surgeons in the world skilled enough to take this job, Maggie enters his realm of unspeakable opulence and fulfills her end of the agreement. But when the patient suddenly disappears while still under her care, Maggie must become a fugitive herself—or she will be the next one who is… Gone Before Goodbye.
“[A] dark, electrifying powerhouse thriller that stands shoulder to shoulder with the very best books of the year… Heart-racing, twist-loaded, and impossible to put down, Coben and Witherspoon, a surprising dream team, deliver pure suspense with Gone Before Goodbye, a can’t-miss thriller that fans of smart, suspenseful, and emotionally charged fiction will devour in a single sitting.” – Ryan Steck, The Real Book Spy
“[A] story that pulls the reader deep into a rarefied world where ethics are mere technicalities and the needs of the rich take precedence over petty trivialities like, say, morality… Witherspoon and Coben revel in the details… This is the kind of thriller that invites you into a gilded empyrean that compels you and repels you in equal measure… the two authors deliver a fun ride into a shadow land where the rich are convinced that money can insulate them from everything, including their own mortality — even if they have to murder a few people to get there.” – Marc Weingarten, Los Angeles Times
Grace & Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon by Matthew Norman
fiction / romance.
The new year had barely begun when Grace White and Henry Adler both lost their spouses. Now, nearly a year later, the first holiday season since their “Great and Terrible Sadnesses” approaches. Although their mothers scheme to matchmake the two surviving spouses, it’s clear that neither is ready to date again. Yet no one understands what they are going through better than each other, and a delicate friendship is born.
When Henry sees an ad for a Christmas movie marathon—once an annual tradition for him and his wife—Grace offers to watch some films with him, despite her aversion to a few of his picks. Her two young kids, Ian and Bella, also join in whenever possible—bedtimes permitting, of course.
With each movie, Grace and Henry’s shared grief eases as they start to see a life beyond the sadness. But as they draw closer, other romantic possibilities leave them uncertain about their future together. Is their bond merely the result of loneliness and shared circumstances, or have they found something that’s worth taking a shot at… again?
“A winning, bittersweet love story that has just as much hope as it does heartbreak.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“This raw, emotional tale is not the typical holiday romance fare, but readers looking for a tearjerker with a hopeful ending will want to check it out—and have tissues at the ready.” – Publishers Weekly
“Norman’s characters may be on a difficult journey, but the author leavens it with heart and humor, making for a satisfying romantic read perfect for the holidays and beyond.” – Jane Harper, Booklist
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar ★
fiction.
In a near-future Kolkata beset by flooding and famine, Ma, her two-year-old daughter, and her elderly father are just days from leaving the collapsing city behind to join Ma’s husband in Ann Arbor, Michigan. After procuring long-awaited visas from the consulate, they pack their bags for the flight to America. But in the morning they awaken to discover that Ma’s purse, containing their treasured immigration documents, has been stolen.
Set over the course of one week, A Guardian and a Thief tells two stories: the story of Ma’s frantic search for the thief while keeping hunger at bay during a worsening food shortage; and the story of Boomba, the thief, whose desperation to care for his family drives him to commit a series of escalating crimes whose consequences he cannot fathom. With stunning control and command, Megha Majumdar paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of two families, each operating from a place of ferocious love and undefeated hope, each discovering how far they will go to secure their children’s future as they stave off encroaching catastrophe.
A masterful new work from one of the most exciting voices of her generation.
“…luminous… There’s no clear-cut villain here, just people attempting to survive and protect their own. This proves once again that Majumdar is a master of the moral dilemma.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“In her devastatingly powerful second novel, A Guardian and a Thief, Megha Majumdar tells a gripping story of two desperate people trying to save their families from climate crisis… It’s wrenching, but with this incredible story Majumdar has given us something precious: truth.” – Cat Acree, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“Fully inhabiting both characters over the ensuing seven days, Majumdar reveals her unsettling message: A guardian and a thief lives in each of us. Her evocation of the lost world that lives in the characters’ memories makes the situation not just terrifying but almost criminally poignant, and the way she manages to connect all the storylines with a resolution that unfolds both globally and in one small living room is genius. This electrifying depiction of dignity and morality under siege reveals the horror hidden by the bland term ‘climate change.’” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“At just a hair more than 200 pages, A Guardian and a Thief manages superbly (and efficiently) to be many things: A beguilingly simple tale. A complicated morality play. A sensitive evocation of a time — the near future — and a place — Kolkata, India — during a period of flooding, drastic food shortages and heat like ‘a hand clamped upon the mouth’. Most universally, it is a story of human imperfection, of bad acts done for virtuous motives. And it all arrives naturally in an eventful narrative marked by accumulation and loss. Majumdar’s brilliant choices result in what feels like the ideal order. Instead of feeling jerked around by plot, we are borne aloft by story.” – Claude Peck, Minnesota Star Tribune
Happy People Don’t Live Here by Amber Sparks
fiction / horror / mystery / fantasy.
Just past the edge of summer, Alice and her daughter, Fern, arrive at the Pine Lake Apartments―a former sanatorium occupied by an ensemble of peculiar neighbors and a smattering of ghosts. Among the living: the Mermaid Lady, who performs in a nightclub fish tank; the building’s handyperson, moonlighting as a medium; and an awkwardly charming professor of medieval studies. Fern alone is acquainted with the undead, who pass like troubled clouds through the apartments, humanity mostly lost ages ago. For the determinedly private Alice, Pine Lake seems the perfect place at the edge of the world to hide herself and her daughter―until the day Fern finds a dead body in the dumpster.
Intent on solving the mystery of this discarded corpse, Fern eagerly puts her encyclopedic knowledge of detective novels to good use while dodging warnings from her increasingly paranoid mother. She soon comes to realize that within the strange tapestry of Pine Lake residents, nothing is ever quite as it seems. Her investigation digs up long-buried secrets, including her mother’s, that implicate each of her neighbors… and conjures a new one from beyond the grave.
The hotly anticipated debut novel from “master of the fantastic” (Roxane Gay) Amber Sparks, Happy People Don’t Live Here is an unforgettable portrait of family―whether by birth or by chance or by choice―and the sometimes dangerous myths we make to keep ours together.
“…whimsical… Suffused with humor and characters that delight, Sparks’ tale is sensitive to the protagonists’ varied frustrations and hesitations, ghostly or otherwise.” – Leah Strauss, Booklist
“…beneath the spunky girl detective plot is a finely crafted novel about fraught relationships, both between a mother and daughter and between the living and the dead. It’s a cozy supernatural delight.” – Publishers Weekly
Joyride: A Memoir by Susan Orlean ★
nonfiction / memoir / writing / journalism.
“The story of my life is the story of my stories,” writes Susan Orlean in this extraordinary, era-defining memoir from one of the greatest practitioners of narrative nonfiction of our time. Joyride is a magic carpet ride through Orlean’s life and career, where every day is an opportunity for discovery and every moment holds the potential for wonder. Throughout her storied career, her curiosity draws her to explore the most ordinary and extraordinary of places, from going deep inside the head of a regular ten-year-old boy for a legendary profile (“The American Man Age Ten”) to reporting on a woman who owns twenty-seven tigers, from capturing the routine magic of Saturday night to climbing Mt. Fuji.
Not only does Orlean’s account of a writing life offer a trove of indispensable gleanings for writers, it’s also an essential and practical guide to embracing any creative path. She takes us through her process of dreaming up ideas, managing deadlines, connecting with sources, chasing every possible lead, confronting writer’s block and self-doubt, and crafting the perfect lede—a Susan specialty.
While Orlean has always written her way into other people’s lives in order to understand the human experience, Joyride is her most personal book ever—a searching journey through finding her feet as a journalist, recovering from the excruciating collapse of her first marriage, falling head-over-heels in love again, becoming a mother while mourning the decline of her own mother, sojourning to Hollywood for films based on her work including Adaptation and Blue Crush, and confronting mortality. Joyride is also a time machine to a bygone era of journalism, from Orlean’s bright start in the golden age of alt-weeklies to her career-making days working alongside icons such as Robert Gottlieb, Tina Brown, David Remnick, Anna Wintour, Sonny Mehta, and Jonathan Karp—forces who shaped the media industry as we know it today.
Infused with Orlean’s signature warmth and wit, Joyride is a must-read for anyone who hungers to start, build, and sustain a creative life. Orlean inspires us to seek out daily inspiration and rediscover the marvels that surround us.
“Orlean offers a master class in nonfiction writing and an indelible portrait of a bygone era of magazine journalism in this excellent personal history… Writers new and established will savor every word.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“A spry, entertaining memoir/writing workshop by a nonfiction artist at the top of her game.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Orlean is always superbly good literary company, here she deepens the intimacy, welcoming readers into the thoughts, feelings, and experiences of an exemplary and empathetic writer who revels in life’s oddities, mysteries, and splendor.” – Donna Seaman, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[This] memoir, which reckons with her own life story and lessons for mastering reportage, weaves intimate disclosures with durable writing advice to make an ebullient, and often edifying, read… an exhilarating experience… There is nothing small about Orlean’s life, and Joyride blossoms beautifully.” – Nathan Smith, Air Mail
The Keeper of Magical Things by Julie Leong
fiction / fantasy / romance.
Certainty Bulrush wants to be useful—to the Guild of Mages that took her in as a novice, to the little brother who depends on her, and to anyone else she can help. Unfortunately, her tepid magic hasn’t proven much use to anyone. When Certainty has the chance to earn her magehood via a seemingly straightforward assignment, she takes it. Nevermind that she’ll have to work with Mage Aurelia, the brilliant, unfairly attractive overachiever who’s managed to alienate everyone around her.
The two must transport minorly magical artifacts somewhere safe: Shpelling, the dullest, least magical village around. There, they must fix up an old warehouse, separate the gossipy teapots from the kind-of-flaming swords, corral an unruly little catdragon who has tagged along, and above all, avoid complications. The Guild’s uneasy relationship with citizens is at a tipping point, and the last thing needed is a magical incident.
Still, as mage and novice come to know Shpelling’s residents—and each other—they realize the Guild’s hoarded magic might do more good being shared. Friendships blossom while Certainty and Aurelia work to make Shpelling the haven it could be. But magic is fickle—add attraction and it might spell trouble.
“[A] winning cozy-fantasy novel. Readers will be as charmed by Certainty as Aurelia is. Perfect for fans of cottagecore fantasy, especially the recent The Spellshop, by Sarah Beth Durst.” – Lynnanne Pearson, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] delightfully cozy romantasy… Themes of companionship and community undergird the sweet romance as the heroines discover what they truly value in life. The result is a quietly satisfying tale set in a world readers will be eager to return to.” – Publishers Weekly
“[It] draws you in with its warmth, gentle magic, and endearing characters… a delightful escape for anyone who enjoys stories centered on quiet bravery, community, and gentle magic… it delivers exactly what cozy fantasy promises: comfort, charm, and the feeling of being welcomed into another world.” – Jaimee Jordan, The Gloss
Little F by Michelle Tea
fiction.
In Spencer’s fantasies, the breezy, queer streets of Provincetown, MA, are utopia, a place where he can be free. Yet when a violent attack in his suburban Arizona schoolyard sends him to the hospital, he decides queer utopia can’t wait. And one night, with the help of his best friend, the teenage witch Joy, he hitches a ride to find it.
The cross-country road odyssey that follows brings Spencer from new moon rituals in Arizona canyons to Texas bus stations, from the luxe drag stages of Houston’s Montrose district to the jazz-soaked streets of the French Quarter and beyond. This new novel from Michelle Tea tells the story, by turns raw, romantic, and sweet, of a sheltered boy taking his first leap into queer life, among all the complicated queers who live it.
“A comical, tender, queer coming-of-age, where the journey is the destination.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“By turns heartbreaking, hilarious, and hope-filled… Each episode in the colorful and gritty narrative captures the reader’s attention, but the main attraction is Spencer’s barbed voice: ‘I was born to solid, stable, functional, miserable straight people.’ This coming-of-age story soars.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Minor Black Figures by Brandon Taylor ★
fiction.
New York simmers with heat and unrest as Wyeth, a painter, finds himself at an impasse in his own work.
After attending a dubious show put on by a collective of careerist artists, he retreats to a bar in the West Village where he meets Keating, a former seminarian. Over the long summer, as the two get to know each another, they talk and argue about God, sex, and art.
Meanwhile, at his job working for an art restorer, Wyeth begins to investigate the life and career of a forgotten, minor black artist. His search yields potential answers to questions that Wyeth is only now beginning to ask about what it means to be a black artist making black art amid the mess and beauty of life itself.
As he did so brilliantly in the Booker Prize finalist Real Life and the bestselling The Late Americans, Brandon Taylor brings alive a captivating set of characters, this time at work and at play in the competitive art world. Minor Black Figures is a vividly etched portrait, both sweeping and tender, of friendship, creativity, belief, and the deep connections among them.
“…dazzling… a poetic meditation on Black art, friendship, young love and intimacy.” – Clare Mulroy, USA Today
“A piercing, precise, and affecting tale of young love and high art” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Brandon Taylor is always a must-read, and his newest, Minor Black Figures, is another masterpiece… a moving, thoughtful take on friendship, love, and art.” – Town & Country
“In Minor Black Figures, [Taylor] captures the anxious beats of our post-pandemic era, delineating how Covid reshaped New York’s art scene into a ‘vast network of petty relations’… [this] is Taylor’s most accomplished novel — a sustained, idiosyncratic portrait of an artist… Taylor’s cerebral bent is nothing new, but here, it’s imbued with a fresh, tentative sweetness, and anchored by a genuinely swoony summer romance.” – David Canfield, New York Times
Red City by Marie Lu
fiction / fantasy / romance.
Alchemy is the hidden art of transformation. An exclusive power wielded by crime syndicates that market it to the world’s elites in the form of sand, a drug that enhances those who take it into a more perfect version of themselves: more beautiful, more charismatic, simply more.
Among the gleaming skyscrapers and rolling foothills of Angel City, alchemy is controlled by two rival syndicates. For years, Grand Central and Lumines have been balanced on a razor’s edge between polite negotiation and outright violence. But when two childhood friends step into that delicate equation, the city―and the paths of their lives―will be irrevocably transformed.
The daughter of a poor single mother, Sam would do anything to claw her way into the ranks of Grand Central in search of a better life. Plucked away from his family as a boy to become a Lumines apprentice, Ari is one of the syndicates’ brightest rising stars. Once, they might have loved each other. But as the two alchemists face off across opposite sides of an ever-escalating conflict, ambition becomes power, loyalty becomes lies, and no transformation may be perfect enough for them both to survive the coming war.
“Both heartbreaking and action-packed: an immense achievement.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“…captivating… Marie Lu stuns with this dark contemporary fantasy that probes the true cost of perfection.” – Michelle Anya Anjirbang, Shelf Awareness
“Lu has created a well-developed world of wondrous magic and terrifying brutality, populated with absorbingly complex characters. Lu’s writing feels like alchemy as her words form an utterly gripping and heartrending story.” – Melissa DeWild, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Remain by Nicholas Sparks & M. Night Shyamalan
fiction / romance / mystery / suspense / fantasy.
When New York architect Tate Donovan arrives in Cape Cod to design his best friend’s summer home, he is hoping to make a fresh start. Recently discharged from an upscale psychiatric facility where he was treated for acute depression, he is still wrestling with the pain of losing his beloved sister. Sylvia’s deathbed revelation—that she can see spirits who are still tethered to the living world, a gift that runs in their family—sits uneasily with Tate, who struggles to believe in more than what reason can explain. But when he takes up residence at a historic bed-and-breakfast on the Cape, he encounters a beautiful young woman named Wren who will challenge every assumption he has about his logical and controlled world.
Tate and Wren find themselves forging an immediate connection, one that neither has ever experienced before. But Tate gradually discovers that below the surface of Wren’s idyllic small-town life, hatred, jealousy, and greed are festering, threatening their fragile relationship just as it begins to blossom. Tate realizes that in order to free Wren from an increasingly desperate fate, he will need to unearth the truth about her past before time runs out… a quest that will make him doubt whether we can ever believe the stories we tell about ourselves, and the laws that govern our existence. Love—while transformative—can sometimes be frightening.
A story about the power of transcendent emotion, Remain asks us all: Can love set us free not only from our greatest sorrows, but even from the boundaries of life and death?
“The blending of best-selling novelist Sparks’ signature romance with renowned film director Shyamalan’s supernatural touches is brilliant.” – Candace Smith, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…the authors deserve credit for making the relationship between the living and the dead moving. Fans of both authors will not be disappointed.” – Publishers Weekly
“Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan wonderfully blend romance and the supernatural to craft a story that had me hooked from the first page.” – Justin Soderberg, Capes & Tights
Vagabond: A Memoir by Tim Curry ★
nonfiction / memoir / film / theater.
There are few stars in Hollywood today that can boast the kind of resume Tony award-nominated actor Tim Curry has built over the past five decades. From his breakout role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show to his iconic depiction as the sadistic clown Pennywise in It to his critically acclaimed role as the original King Arthur in both the Broadway and West End versions of Spamalot, Curry redefined what it meant to be a “character actor,” portraying heroes and villains alike with complexity, nuance, and a genuine understanding of human darkness.
Now, in his memoir, Curry takes readers behind-the-scenes of his rise to fame from his early beginnings as a military brat to his formative years in boarding school and university, to the moment when he hit the stage for the first time. He goes in-depth about what it was like to work on some of the most emblematic works of the 20th century, constantly switching between a camera and a live audience. He also explores the voicework that defined his later career and provided him with a chance to pivot after surviving a catastrophic stroke in 2012 that nearly took his life.
With the upcoming 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the 40th anniversary of Clue, there’s never been a better time for Tim to share his story with the world.
“…delightful… Curry’s iconic characters have captured generations of movie-goers’ imaginations; so will his first book.” – Carolyn Mulac, Booklist
“…charming… Curry dedicates much of the account to his love of craft, but he’s never pretentious. Along the way, he weaves in personal reflections on the aftermath of his 2012 stroke and maintains an infectious enthusiasm. Even those unfamiliar with the actor’s work will be delighted.” – Publishers Weekly
“For someone who has dedicated his career to performing fictional characters, he is refreshingly free of pretense… in the audio he sounds authentic as can be: older and unprettified, more tentative in tone, yet unmistakably Tim Curry… a fun read, thanks to Curry’s dry sense of humor.” – Laura Collins-Hughes, New York Times
“…it is a real pleasure to read about how one of the most iconic character actors of our times started out and how he moved from character to character with everything in between… a fantastic read that gives a peek into the life that has brought so many great characters into our lives and is well worth grabbing a copy of.” – Chris O’Conner, Impulse Gamer
Workhorse by Caroline Palmer
fiction.
At the turn of the millennium, Editorial Assistant Clodagh “Clo” Harmon wants nothing more than to rise through the ranks at the world’s most prestigious fashion magazine. There’s just one problem: she doesn’t have the right pedigree. Instead, Clo is a “workhorse” surrounded by beautiful, wealthy, impossibly well-connected “show horses” who get ahead without effort, including her beguiling cubicle-mate, Davis Lawrence, the daughter of a beloved but fading Broadway actress. Harry Wood, Davis’s boarding school classmate and a reporter with visions of his own media empire, might be Clo’s ally in gaming the system―or he might be the only thing standing between Clo and her rightful place at the top.
In a career punctuated by moments of high absurdity, sudden windfalls, and devastating reversals of fortune, Clo wades across boundaries, taking ever greater and more dangerous risks to become the important person she wants to be within the confines of a world where female ambition remains cloaked. But who really is Clo underneath all the borrowed designer clothes and studied manners―and who are we if we share her desires?
Hilariously observant and insightful, Workhorse is a brilliant page-turner about what it means to be in thrall to wealth, beauty, and influence, and the outrageous sacrifices women must make for the sake of success.
“Tense, propulsive, and authentic.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] dark comedy that will leave you wondering just how much of it is based on a true story.” – Gracie Wiener, Air Mail
“Former fashion editor Palmer renders Clo’s world in vivid, gritty detail alongside sharp commentary on class, ambition, and women’s roles in the publishing industry. Set against the slow decline of the glossies and swollen with paranoia, manipulation, backstabbing, and greed, Palmer’s debut novel is a darker, more vicious take on the cutthroat world of The Devil Wears Prada.” – Rebecca Hopman, Booklist
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