“Every book is a little mirror, and sometimes you look into it and see someone else looking back.” – Travis Baldree, Bookshops & Bonedust
The American Revolution: An Intimate History by Geoffrey C. Ward & Ken Burns
nonfiction / history.
“From a small spark kindled in America, a flame has arisen not to be extinguished.” – Thomas Paine
In defeating the British Empire and giving birth to a new nation, the American Revolution turned the world upside down. Thirteen colonies on the Atlantic coast rose in rebellion, won their independence, and established a new form of government that radically reshaped the continent and inspired independence movements and democratic reforms around the globe.
The American Revolution was at once a war for independence, a civil war, and a world war, fought by neighbors on American farms and between global powers an ocean or more away. In this sumptuous volume, historian Geoffrey C. Ward ably steers us through the international forces at play, telling the story not from the top down but from the bottom up—and through the eyes of not only our “Founding Fathers” but also those of ordinary soldiers, as well as underrepresented populations such as women, African Americans, Native Americans, and American Loyalists, asking who exactly was entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
Enriched by guest essays from lauded historians such as Vincent Brown, Maya Jasanoff, Jane Kamensky, and Alan Taylor, and by an astonishing array of prints, drawings, paintings, texts, and pamphlets from the time period, as well as newly commissioned art and maps—and woven together with the words of Thomas Paine— The American Revolution reveals a nation still grappling with the questions that fueled its remarkable founding.
“A well-written and thoughtful history shrouded in myth, but even more interesting when laid bare.” – Kirkus Reviews
“This gripping, in-the-moment, thought-provoking, visually exciting history profoundly deepens our understanding of our nation’s origins and how the past is shaping our volatile present.” – Donna Seaman, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…the revolution is often seen ‘in gallant, bloodless terms,’ whereas the achievement of this volume is to be forthright and occasionally critical, but still grand and stirring. All truths are self-evident for Burns and Ward, not just the easy ones.” – Publishers Weekly
A Biography of a Mountain: The Making and Meaning of Mount Rushmore by Matthew Davis
nonfiction / history.
“Well, most people want to come to a national park and leave with that warm, fuzzy feeling with an ice cream cone. Rushmore can’t do that if you do it the right way. If you do it the right way people are going to be leaving pissed.”
Gerard Baker, the first Native American superintendent of Mt. Rushmore, shared those words with author Matthew Davis. From the tragic history of Wounded Knee and the horrors of Indian Boarding Schools, to the Land Back movement of today, Davis traces the Native American story of Mt. Rushmore alongside the narrative of the growing territory and state of South Dakota, and the economic and political forces that shaped the reasons for the Memorial’s creation.
A Biography of A Mountain combines history with reportage, bringing the complicated and nuanced story of Mt. Rushmore to life, from the land’s origins as sacred tribal ground; to the expansion of the American West; to the larger-than-life personality of Gutzon Borglum, the artist who carved the presidential faces into the mountain; and up to the politicized present-day conflict over the site and its future. Exploring issues related to how we memorialize American history, Davis tells an imperative story for our time.
“Absolutely fascinating.” – David Pitt, Booklist
“A meaningful read that wrestles with the complexity of American history and its presentation.” – Kirkus Reviews
Brigands & Breadknives by Travis Baldree ★
fiction / fantasy / romance.
Fern has weathered the stillness and storms of a bookseller’s life for decades, but now, in the face of crippling ennui, transplants herself to the city of Thune to hang out her shingle beside a long-absent friend’s coffee shop. What could be a better pairing? Surely a charming renovation montage will cure what ails her!
If only things were so simple…
It turns out that fixing your life isn’t a one-time prospect, nor as easy as a change of scenery and a lick of paint.
A drunken and desperate night sees the rattkin waking far from home in the company of a legendary warrior, an imprisoned chaos-goblin with a fondness for silverware, and an absolutely thumping hangover.
As together they fend off a rogue’s gallery of ne’er-do-wells trying to claim the bounty the goblin represents, Fern may finally reconnect with the person she actually is when nothing seems inevitable.
“A truly entertaining romp with the assurance of warmth, welcome, and delicious treats at the end of the road.” – Sarah Rice, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“Readers will be delighted to encounter more of Viv and her friends, as will anyone who loves cozy fantasies such as Rebecca Thorne’s Tomes and Tea series.” – Marlene Harris, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“While this road trip romp is more action-packed than previous installments, Baldree still conjures up the sense of cozy intimacy the series is known for. It’s a delight.” – Publishers Weekly
The King’s Ransom by Janet Evanovich
fiction / mystery / adventure / suspense / romance.
Gabriela Rose, recovery agent extraordinaire, can find just about anything. Too bad she can’t seem to lose her gorgeous-but-infuriating ex-husband Rafer Jones. And now he needs her help. His cousin, Harley, is in trouble… big trouble.
As the president of a too-big-to-fail bank, he invested an astronomical amount of money in insuring some of the world’s most priceless artifacts at the urging of his board. It seemed like a low-risk, high-reward business move, so he jumped in with both feet. But recently, these insured pieces started going missing and worse, there’s no paper trail of Harley being directed to make these risky investments. Unless the artwork can be recovered soon, it looks like Harley is going to be heading to jail as the fall guy for an ingenious crime.
Gabriela knows what she must do: travel around the world with Rafer to find the missing works of art, keep Harley out of jail, and save both his skin and his bank. Along the way, she’ll encounter corruption, threats, murder, mysterious dark forces behind a global conspiracy to destroy the world’s wealth, and a nefarious villain who will stop at nothing to bring the world to the brink of ruin.
“…fun [and] frothy… a swift and enjoyable adventure that proves this series has legs” – Publishers Weekly
“…readers are treated to Evanovich’s laugh-out-loud humor, diabolically clever plotting, outlandish characters, unexpected twists, fiendish baddies, and even a bit of romance. Outstanding.” – Emily Melton, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Lucky Seed by Justinian Huang
fiction.
The billionaire Sun Clan of Greater Los Angeles is your typical American family, with power-struggling aunties, emasculated uncles, scheming cousins, scandalous secrets and a fortune teller on retainer. But at the end of each combative day, the Suns are chained together with golden handcuffs, whether they like it or not.
Yet strange storms are a-brewing. Their matriarch, Roses Sun, is grappling with an existential crisis: she must produce a male heir that bears the clan’s surname. She fears that if her generation is the one in which their esteemed lineage ends, they will be punished as “hungry ghosts” in the afterlife—an ancient but very real Asian superstition.
Faced with this terrifying fate, Roses summons her favorite nephew, Wayward. Believing him to possess the “lucky seed,” Roses presents Wayward with a mandatory suggestion: to father a baby boy who will inherit everything. When the other members of the Sun Clan catch wind of Roses’s plot, all hells break loose. Wayward’s family will now clash like never before in an epic war over the future of the Suns… if there is a future at all.
Yet through the chaos, Wayward sees opportunity. What if he can leverage all the conflict into a solution for his problematic family? What if he can reunite the Sun Clan by healing them? And what if the tumultuous Suns can finally learn how to love each other for the first time?
“[A] wickedly entertaining family drama… Readers looking for an unpredictable plot that manages to capture the allure of Succession, Crazy Rich Asians, and Knives Out all in one will be delighted by this salacious novel.” – Patricia Smith, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…delectable… The delightfully over-the-top plot is rife with shifting alliances, manipulations, and intergenerational tensions. Readers will eat this up.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
Midnight Flyboys: The American Bomber Crews and Allied Secret Agents Who Aided the French Resistance in World War II by Bruce Henderson
nonfiction / history.
In 1943, the OSS—precursor to the CIA—came up with a plan to increase its support to the French resistance forces that were fighting the Nazis. To start, the OSS recruited some of the best American bomber pilots and crews to a secret airfield twenty miles west of London and briefed them on the intended mission. Given a choice to stay or leave, every airman volunteered for what became known as Operation Carpetbagger.
Their dangerous plan called for a new kind of flying: taking their B-24 Liberator bombers in the middle of the night across the English Channel and down to extremely low altitudes in Nazi-occupied France to find drop zones in dark fields. On the ground, resistance members waited to receive steel containers filled with everything from rifles and hand grenades to medicine and bicycle tires. Some nights, the flyers also dropped Allied secret agents by parachute to assist the French partisans.
Though their story remained classified for more than fifty years, the Carpetbaggers ultimately received a Presidential Unit Citation from the US military, which declared: “it is safe to say that no group of this size has made a greater contribution to the war effort.” Along with other members of the wartime OSS, they were also awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.
Based on exclusive research and interviews, the definitive story of these heroic flyers—and of the brave secret agents and resistance leaders they aided—can now be told. Written in Bruce Henderson’s “spellbinding” (USA Today) prose, Midnight Flyboys is an astonishing tale of patriotism, courage, and sacrifice.
“A vital addition for those interested in military history and stories of international cooperation…” – Lawrence Mello, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“[A] propulsive account… Novelistic and enlightening, this will captivate WWII buffs.” – Publishers Weekly
Nash Falls by David Baldacci
fiction / suspense / mystery.
Nash is an intelligent man, tough but fair-minded. He has a wife and a daughter and a very high-level position at Sybaritic Investments, where his innate skills and dogged tenacity have carried him to the top of the pyramid in his business career. Despite never going on grand adventures, and always working too many hours, he has a happy and upscale life with his family.
However, following his estranged Vietnam-veteran father’s funeral, Nash is unexpectedly approached by the FBI in the middle of the night. They have an important request: become their inside man to expose an enterprise that is laundering large sums of money through Sybaritic. At the top of this illegal operation is Victoria Steers, an international criminal mastermind that the FBI has been trying to bring down for years.
Nash has little choice but to accept the FBI’s demands and try to bring Steers and her partners to justice. But when Steers discovers that Nash is working with the FBI, she turns the tables on him in a way he never could have contemplated. And that forces Nash to take the ultimate step both to survive and to take his revenge: He must become the exact opposite of who he has always been.
And even that may not be enough.
“Baldacci has done it again. His new series starter is a worthwhile investment that will have readers eager to follow Nash in his continuing pursuit of justice.” – Jeff Ayers, Library Journal
Next Time Will Be Our Turn by Jesse Q. Sutanto
fiction / romance / historical fiction.
Izzy Chen is dreading her family’s annual Chinese New Year celebration, where they all come together at a Michelin-starred restaurant to flaunt their status and successes in hopes to one up each other. So when her seventy-three-year-old glamorous and formidable grandmother walks in with a stunning woman on her arm and kisses her in front of everyone, it shakes Izzy to her core. She’d always considered herself the black sheep of the family for harboring similar feelings to the ones her Nainai just displayed.
Seeing herself in her teenage granddaughter’s struggles with identity and acceptance, Magnolia Chen tells Izzy her own story, of how as a teen she was sent by her Indo-Chinese parents from Jakarta to Los Angeles for her education and fell in love with someone completely forbidden to her by both culture and gender norms—Ellery, an American college student who became Magnolia’s best friend and the love of her life. Stretching across decades and continents, Magnolia’s star-crossed love story reveals how life can take unexpected turns but ultimately lead you to exactly who you’re meant to be.
“Prolific Sutanto presents more page-turning fiction with empathy, humor, and just enough bite.” – Terry Hong, Booklist
“This is at times a frothy rom-com, at others an absorbing portrait of South Asian women hemmed in by impossible expectations. A queer Chinese Indonesian tear-jerker: a winning combination.” – Kirkus Reviews
Star of the Show: My Life on Stage by Dolly Parton with Tom Roland
nonfiction / memoir / music.
In Star of the Show, the culminating book in Dolly Parton’s photographic trilogy—following Songteller (lyrics) and Behind the Seams (fashion)—the global superstar finally shares a definitive look at her career as one of the world’s most dazzling and beloved performers.
Featuring engaging stories and memories from Parton’s dynamic life behind the microphone, this book spotlights her signature performances and star-making moments, from singing in front of her family to premiering on the Grand Ole Opry stage and beyond. Her formative years performing with country legend Porter Wagoner are chronicled as she learns hard lessons from life on the road. Breaking out on her own at state fairs and critically acclaimed venues, she toured the world performing for millions of fans in arenas, stadiums, and at festivals. From making her onscreen debut in the blockbuster feature film 9 to 5 to playing the Dallas Cowboys’ 2023 Thanksgiving halftime show to 42 million viewers, this global superstar knows no limits. Along the way, Dolly shares the stage with Kenny Rogers, Linda Ronstadt, Emmylou Harris, and others, while offering insight on touring big, singing strong, and staying on top for seven decades.
Brimming with Parton’s trademark wit and heartfelt sincerity, Star of the Show: My Life on Stage is not only an homage to one of history’s most cherished artists, but also a must-have collector’s item for—and love letter to—any fan of the one and only Dolly Parton.
“As cheerful and bighearted as the legend herself.” – Kirkus Reviews
“A visual feast… The charming text reads as if Parton is leafing through stacks of chronologically arranged photo albums and sharing anecdotes about every aspect of her professional life… A beautifully curated collection of career-spanning photos and also an entertaining and encyclopedic catalog of Parton’s unstoppable work ethic.” – Kevin Howell, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
Sword Beach: D-Day Baptism by Fire by Max Hastings
nonfiction / history.
Between 1941 and 1944, the British army contributed relatively little to World War II. On the unremittingly bloody Eastern Front, no Russian or German soldier had experienced the luxury of having four years to prepare and train for a resumption of the European continental campaign. But on D-Day―June 6, 1944―the lives of British soldiers changed. Thiry-five thousand infantrymen, airmen, and special service operatives were sent headfirst into the whitest heat of war, almost overnight.
Max Hastings’s Sword Beach tells the story of a handful of British soldiers and their critical role in D-Day’s parachute and seaborne offensive. On Sword, the codename of one of the two beaches assaulted by the British, scores of soldiers were killed by the first shots that they ever heard fired in anger. One British corporal insisted on apologizing to his enemy prisoners, and the Free French troops, 120-men strong, suffered 60 percent losses in the first days of fighting. With his signature blend of drama and detail, Hastings shows how the men who landed on Sword played a critical role in Britain’s preeminent landmark victory and the most spectacular battlefield event of World War II in the West.
Sword Beach fills in many of the missing pieces and human stories that have long been left out of the sweeping macro-stories of the Normandy invasion. Based on published memoirs, interviews with D-Day veterans, and rigorous research, Hastings lends color and shade to the climactic action of the Western Front’s most famous battle. Sword Beach describes the lives of a small number of men, on a single day, who faced the immediate transition from make-believe battle to the war’s most violent circumstances.
“Another Hastings page-turner.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“The best kind of history books draw on compelling, richly textured human stories in order to chronicle wider events―and Hastings does this with aplomb.” – Anna Bonet, The Independent
“Enthralling… Just when you think there’s nothing new to say about D-Day, Max Hastings proves you wrong with this gripping, insightful and extraordinarily vivid retelling of the pivotal moment of the Second Front.” – Saul David, BBC History Magazine
“Hastings delivers a powerful, focused narrative of the British landings on June 6, 1944… Challenging Americacentric D-Day narratives, Sword Beach is essential reading for military historians, WWII students, and readers seeking a ground-level, deeply human account of one of history’s most defining battles. Hastings ensures the British experience is no longer a footnote; it is front and center.” – Dominic J. Caraccilo, Booklist
Turtle Island: Foods and Traditions of the Indigenous Peoples of North America by Sean Sherman
nonfiction / food / cooking / history.
Growing up on South Dakota’s Pine Ridge Reservation, Oglala Lakota chef Sean Sherman understood that his people’s food was rich in flavor, heritage, and connection to the land. It was in the midst of a successful restaurant career mainly cooking European cuisines that he realized the lack of understanding about Native American foodways—a revelation that sent him on a journey to learn more about how Indigenous communities have preserved and evolved their cuisines through the centuries. Now a leading figure in the Indigenous food movement, he shares in Turtle Island the unique and diverse Native foodways of North America through both traditional and modern recipes made with ingredients that have nourished Indigenous peoples physically, spiritually, and culturally for generations.
Organized by region, this book delves into the rich culinary landscapes of Turtle Island—as many Indigenous cultures call this continent. Learn to eat with the seasons, consume meat and fish nose-to-tail, focus on plant-forward dishes, and discover how to better feed yourself. Alongside delicious recipes like Smoked Bison Ribeye, Wild-Rice Crusted Walleye Cakes, Charred Rainbow Trout with Grilled Ramps, Sweet Potato Soup with Dried Venison and Chile Oil, Sunflower Seed “Risotto,” and Sweet Corn Pudding with Woodland Berry Sauce (and so much more), you’ll see the inspiring Indigenous food scene through Sean’s eyes.
Exemplifying how Native foodways can teach us all to connect with the natural world around us, Turtle Island features rich narrative histories and spotlights the communities producing, gathering, and cooking these foods, including remarkable stories of ingenuity and adaptation that capture the resilience of Indigenous communities.
“…beautifully written and designed… Sherman’s work is essential and is recommended for those who enjoy reading cookbooks as much as cooking from them, as well as for readers interested in culinary and Indigenous history.” – Jocelyn Castillo, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Cooking with unfamiliar ingredients may seem intimidating, but Sherman’s vast knowledge and thoughtful recipe construction make connecting to Indigenous foodways both welcoming and attainable… Curious home cooks, clean food enthusiasts, sportsmen, and many more will find an entry point to this cookbook, which shares Sherman’s passion for reviving the original foodways of North America.” – Sarah Tansley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes ★
fiction.
April is a young mother raising her daughter in an intergenerational house of unspoken secrets and loud arguments. Her only refuge is to hide away in a locked bathroom, her ears plugged into an ambient soundscape, and a mantra on her lips: dead inside. That is, until one day, as she finds herself spiraling toward the volcanic rage she calls the white hot, a voice inside her tells her to just… walk away. She wanders to a bus station and asks for a ticket to the furthest destination; she tells the clerk to make it one-way. That ticket takes her from her Philly home to the threshold of a wilderness and the beginning of a nameless quest—an accidental journey that shakes her awake, almost kills her, and brings her to the brink of an impossible choice.
The White Hot takes the form of a letter from mother to daughter about a moment of abandonment that would stretch from ten days to ten years—an explanation, but not an apology. Hudes narrates April’s story—spiritual and sexy, fierce and funny—with delicate lyricism and tough love. Just as April finds in her painful and absurd sojourn the key to freeing herself and her family from a cage of generational trauma, so Hudes turns April’s stumbling pursuit of herself into an unforgettable short epic of self-discovery.
“Wow! This novel was absolutely beautiful!” – Kelsey Jagneaux, The Southern Bookseller Review
“…astounding and vibrant… The White Hot is wide-ranging, thought-provoking, tender, and raw–unforgettable.” – Julia Kastner, Shelf Awareness
“Hudes’ talent as a dramatist is on display in the interaction and movement between her characters, yet heightened by the interiority a novel can offer. A rich and startling feat of imagination.” – Annie Bostrom, Booklist
“The end of April’s letter is gut-wrenching, but the novel offers profound clarity, particularly in how it traces the roots of April’s anger and restlessness to her grandmother’s migration from Puerto Rico in the 1980s and other generational traumas. This sizzles.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
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