“I want the world to remember that small acts, done in love, matter every bit as much as the ones that make the newspaper and the history books.” – Ariel Lawhon, The Frozen River
Acid Green Velvet by Grace Krilanovich ★
fiction / horror / historical fiction.
In the late 19th century on the central California coast, two wayward young hoboes — Paulette and Kenneth — threaten to kill a menacing man who wronged them: Paulette’s father, Rodney Eligon.
A handful of years later, the town of Anzar has become the stomping grounds for all manner of cults, eccentrics, earth religions, and communal living. Presiding over the town from the luxe frivolity of their family manor, the Hasleys have ruled Anzar for generations. Their grip on the town is threatened by the rise of the working class, and their union with the itinerant population. Meanwhile, Paulette has taken up residence in the home of Johnny Hasley, a wealthy faux-socialist poseur, hoping to become his wife. Her plans are complicated by boot-prints in the garden signaling the arrival of Kenneth, who carries with him a dark secret that poses a grave threat to both of them.
In Anzar’s cracked mirror, Californian freakiness meets Victorian preoccupations with the domestic, pollution and filth, haunted houses, fringe societies, living death, spiritualism, vampiric women, and class parasites. Acid Green Velvet is a surreal powder keg of nihilism, fathers and their failures, manifest destiny, and American identity, penned in rapturous prose by the fiercest writer of her generation.
“[A] mesmerizing story of class war and youthful rebellion in Gilded Age California… Krilanovich’s tall tale takes on immense proportions, but the main event is the arresting prose. It’s dynamite.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“[It’s] easy to get caught up in Krilanovich’s electric sentences and unique narrative tone… The story becomes as much a tinderbox as the city of Anzar it imagines into being, at once completely California and otherworldly… One strange simmering spectacle.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Acid Green Velvet is the hallucinogenic hard stuff; I’ll be feeling the effects of its vertiginous language, its scary truths about power and money, and its portrayal of a deranged (yet still moral) world for a long time.” – Benjamin Rybeck, The Indie Next List
“[Grace Krilanovich is] the very best of her generation of authors, and not for nothing. A book packed with so much, both thematically and textually, that’s this good is a testament to the brilliance of its author. The pairing of prose style with content makes it all leap off the page, hellishness surrounding the reader like a hood. Acid Green Velvet is a strikingly beautiful nightmare of trust and fear in a world primed for explosion into a war on many fronts.” – Luke Alchin-Scolnick, L’Esprit Literary Review
All the Presidents’ Wars: Twenty-Five Years of America’s War on Terror by Peter Bergen
nonfiction / history / politics.
2026 is the twenty-fifth anniversary of 9/11, the most devastating attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor. Within days, the United States began to declare its war on terror: “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists,” President George W. Bush proclaimed. The resulting war on terror cost trillions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives, a series of misguided wars, and the damaged perception of American power. And yet despite its blunders, this campaign has kept America safe from large-scale foreign attack.
Based on hundreds of interviews, All the Presidents’ Wars focuses on critical decisions of four successive presidents―Bush, Obama, Biden, and Trump―and their global consequences. One of the few journalists to interview Osama bin Laden and have unparalleled access to the US intelligence community, Peter Bergen covers the history that might have been avoided: the many terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda and its affiliated groups around the world; the rise of al-Qaeda in Iraq, largely responsible for the Iraqi civil war in the mid-2000s; the birth of ISIS; the resurrection of Afghanistan’s Taliban; and Trump’s war with Iran. From the failure to capture and the eventual killing of Osama bin Laden to the disastrous rise of sectarian violence in the Middle East, Bergen traces the profound ramifications of this epoch in American life.
All the Presidents’ Wars also explores the innovations and unintended consequences of each presidency’s military and political decisions, including debates over military intervention and withdrawal; the tactics of special operations units, armed drones, and armies of counterterrorism partners; and whether the idea of war ever properly captured the defining conflict of recent American foreign policy. All the Presidents’ Wars is essential reading to understand America’s devastating war on terror and to avoid the mistakes of the past.
“A profoundly insightful account of why we’re mired in forever wars, and likely will be long into the future.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Few writers are better placed than Bergen to take the measure of the war on terror… Every citizen―and especially those who will make U.S. policy in the future―should reckon with the primary lesson of All the Presidents’ Wars.” – Philip H. Gordon, Foreign Affairs
“…damning and meticulously researched… Bergen covers a tremendous amount of ground in his book… a steady accretion of revealing anecdotes and insider details that transport the reader from surprise to a peculiar sense of wonderment at the scale of the ineptitude.” – Scott Anderson, New York Times
Ambivalence: An Education by Brian Dillon
nonfiction / memoir / philosophy / art / literature.
When Brian Dillon was sixteen his mother died, and he stopped caring about school. While he courted failure, his real education was going on elsewhere: with books, music, films, and television. When against all odds he made it to college, his head was already full of avant-garde writing, art, and ideas. Could he live up to the hopes and dreams he attached to culture? Halfway through college his father died, and the stakes of Dillon’s education seemed even higher.
Ambivalence is a memoir of the author’s native city of Dublin in the 1980s and ’90s, a portrait of the author as a young man, and an intimate defense of radical thinking about literature and life. In vivid, present-tense passages, Dillon describes his first encounters with writers such as Virginia Woolf, Walter Benjamin, Roland Barthes, and Jacques Derrida. He recalls being seduced by androgyny, ambiguity, and ambivalence on the page and in the life he hoped his reading would transfigure.
“[Ambivalence is] a careful account of self-development through art… the book is a page-by-page pleasure… So strong is [Dillon’s] passion for his way of finding himself in the world, so dedicated is he to be true to his idols, that we long for him to make it. And this book is proof that he did.” – John Self, Financial Times
“…Brian Dillon is a stimulating intellectual companion, quietly heroic in his determination ‘to pursue a life in words and ideas’…” – Blake Morrison, The Guardian
“A poignant and sometimes very funny account of a life in late 1980s and early 1990s Dublin and an elegy for the revolutionary force of an education gleaned through wide and close readings of music and style magazines, German films and French theories… The book is filled with moments of joy… Ambivalence foregrounds the wrongheadedness of youth but never judges it; in fact, it celebrates it.” – Colm McAuliffe, The Irish Times
Big Bad Wolf by Laurie Gilmore
fiction / romance / fantasy.
Ruby Bellerose lives on the edge of the woods, in a cottage more akin to a fairy tale than modern day life. Her love life is practically non-existent, and she keeps away from the whispered gossip that travels through Maple Hollow.
Until a chance encounter with Rafe.
As mysterious as he is brooding, Ruby is drawn to the woodsman, curious to find out about the stranger who lives deep within the woods.
But Rafe is hiding a secret. And with something lurking in the shadowy forest, will Ruby find that Rafe is her knight in shining armor, or something altogether more dangerous…
“Her seriously sexy take on Little Red Riding Hood is a bit darker and edgier than her Dream Harbor romances but still delivers the small-town coziness and sharp humor her readers love.” – John Charles, Booklist
“Gilmore fans will be pleased.” – Publishers Weekly
“The chemistry between the two leads is off the charts, and the book is filled with fun, quirky characters… This one is not to be missed.” – Red Carpet Crash
Cemetery Boys: Espíritu by Aiden Thomas
fiction / young adult / fantasy / romance.
Julian used to be a ghost and now he can’t stop seeing them.
Ever since Julian was sacrificed as part of a forbidden ritual, he has been able to see and talk with spirits. And that’s really cool, since it allows him to be part of his new boyfriend’s community. But Julian’s seeing other things, too: flickers at the edge of his vision, eyes burning in the night, and “dark spots” on people―gaping wounds that thrum and bleed shadow. Yadriel has never heard of anything like it, either, and he’s so busy with his new brujx responsibilities that Julian hates for his problems to ruin what little time they have together.
Then a strange new brujx shows up. Angel, as a nonbinary bruje, can heal the living and release the dead, but more than that, they can also see the same dark spots as Julian. Despite Yadriel’s reservations, Julian eagerly accepts their help. But, Angel’s ruthless methods feel wrong to Julian.
With the shadows growing darker and the discovery of a gaping dark spot on his friend Luca, Julian has to decide who he wants to put his trust in, and just how far he’s willing to go to save what is his.
“A richly thematic and suspenseful mystery.” – Kirkus Reviews
“With a beautifully crafted coming-of-age message around mental health, healing, and trusting loved ones, the story envelops readers in a peaceful shower of marigolds. The pacing provides an engaging rotation between action-packed thrills, emotional confrontations, and cozy holiday scenes.” – Sarah Varenhorst, School Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Whether you’re looking for a slightly haunted narrative with a great mystery and wholesome found family vibes to get you in the autumn mood or just want to reunite with beloved characters, fantastic queer rep and epic found family vibes, diving into Espíritu is sure to keep you turning those pages all night long!” – Mimi Koehler, The Nerd Daily
The Electron: A Biography by Brian Clegg
nonfiction / science / chemistry.
As a fundamental particle, the electron is central to an understanding of the nature of matter.
All of chemistry is dependent on the interaction of electrons on the outside of atoms. But the electron has also become increasingly central to our lives, first through the deployment of electricity and then as the essential driving force of electronics, with all its quantum subtlety. We spend our entire lives now, bathed in the electron’s output, whether we are simply turning on a light, looking at a phone or working on a computer. And with the move away from fossil fuels, the electron becomes ever more our most important servant.
In this fascinating book, Brian Clegg reveals a remarkable story of scientific wonder and innovation, and paints a compelling picture of one of the most essential components of life itself.
“Could you accurately describe an electron, its function, genesis, discovery or future? If not, then enter Brian Clegg… a handy refresher in the shape of a biography.” – Liz Else, New Scientist
“Clegg takes us through fascinating historical steps in our interactions with electricity, from Franklin’s kite and The Electrical Boy to Aldini electrifying a criminal’s corpse in 1803… an engaging insight into the life and work of this fundamental particle.” – Pop Science Books
Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima
fiction / mystery / suspense.
A routine welfare check becomes a nightmare when Deputy Mattie Walker finds a young mother dead and a hysterical toddler, possibly the only witness to a brutal crime. Before the investigative team can start piecing together what happened, Mattie discovers another criminal act in Timber Creek.
During a traffic stop for speeding, Mattie observes a nervous driver and a teenage passenger frozen with fear. A quick sweep of the car with her K-9 partner, Robo, reveals a dangerous mix of drugs and suspected human trafficking, providing Mattie with grounds to arrest the driver. After she places the teenager in protective custody, the sheriff’s department hands the case over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
As the team gathers evidence and information, Mattie’s husband, veterinarian Cole Walker, notices suspicious activity during ambulatory calls at dog kennels, indicating yet a third crime lurking in the shadows. What begins as isolated incidents quickly reveals a chilling truth: Organized crime has infiltrated their rural mountain community.
Every clue leads to more questions, and each answer brings them closer to greater danger. Do Mattie and her law enforcement partners have what it takes to shut down this criminal ring before it claims more victims? And could its next victim be someone Mattie loves?
“The unusual perspective of police work alongside a K-9 partner adds an extra layer of authenticity and intrigue. This series only gets better with each book, making it a must-read for fans of crime fiction and police procedurals.” – Jeff Ayers, First Clue Reviews
“A well-appointed procedural with special appeal to lovers of dogs and the great outdoors.” – Kirkus Reviews
“I was hooked from the start and could not turn the pages fast enough… exceeded my expectations. I could not have wished for a better ending.” – Alma Boucher, Readers’ Favorite
Fury in Death by J.D. Robb
fiction / mystery / romance / suspense.
NYSPD lieutenant Eve Dallas never knows what to expect when she gets word of a body. It could be an elderly man who made the mistake of climbing a ladder in slippery footwear. And the next call could be a wealthy biotech executive beaten to death in his home office―but what was Larry Chu’s mistake?
The victim’s corpse is so mangled and damaged it’s hard to believe a lone, unarmed assailant could have managed it. The killer was clearly unnaturally strong―and smart enough to find a way into Chu’s highly secure building. Most of all, whoever did this was very, very angry.
The excessive violence leads Dallas to conclude that this was a deeply personal act, born of a rage that she can’t excuse but can understand thanks to her own traumatic past. And though the motive seems rooted in heated emotion rather than cold hard cash, she can’t ignore the suspicious bank account in the Cayman Islands, or the shadowy, profit-hungry company Chu worked for. The mystery only grows when it turns out Chu isn’t the only victim―and Dallas will need to tear through one layer of secrecy after another to reveal what lies behind this explosion of fury…
“Readers will be on the edge of their seats with this latest intricately crafted thriller in Robb’s bestselling series.” – Linsey Milillo, Library Journal
“…another dynamically paced, danger-infused plot. Despite being set three decades into the future, this tale is remarkably relevant to today and features a new element in the form of a surprisingly sympathetic antagonist.” – John Charles, Booklist
“A satisfying thriller that will warm the hearts of fans who already take comfort in hating the forces of evil.” – Kirkus Reviews
Massif by Garth Nix
fiction / science fiction / fantasy.
It’s business as usual for Ship Leader Parnell Shi-Sawahla and the crew of the corvette Sassafras. Ride a Massif to a new system, fight the enemy, repeat. For more than two hundred years humans have been hitching rides on these sentient, starfaring mountain ranges, colonizing planets and exporting an on and off again war between Earth and Mars.
But the big questions are always there, behind every battle, every new colony, every new star system discovery.
Why do the Massifs carry humans to the stars?
Why do they help us export our wars?
What’s in it for the Massifs?
Ship crews aren’t supposed to ask these questions, they aren’t supposed to think about these questions, and they definitely aren’t supposed to go deep and talk to Massif avatars. But now Parnell and his tight-knit crew must try to find the answers, to save not only themselves but the future of humanity.
“[A] riveting space opera… a staggering adventure that should win Nix a whole new set of fans.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
“Part military sf and part space opera, this detailed novel will appeal to sf readers who crave detailed world building, space warfare, and likable characters.” – Craig Clark, Booklist
“[A] brilliant and poignant stand-alone story of sentient starships, galactic warfare, and the bonds a crew forms far, far from Earth.” – LitStack
Outsmart Everyone: Spy Skills to Gain an Unfair Advantage in Work and Life by Andrew Bustamante
nonfiction / self-help / business.
Information is the lifeblood of spycraft, and the key to unlocking opportunity, influence, and freedom in everyday life. But in a world of infinite newsfeeds and data sources and AI-generated search results, the most powerful person in the room isn’t the person with the most information, or even the best information. It’s the person who knows how to turn that information into knowledge. This is what intelligence operatives do better than anyone on earth―and ex-CIA officer Andrew Bustamante is here to tell you how. Packed with high octane stories from his seven years undercover and practical strategies the CIA doesn’t want you to know about, Outsmart Everyone reveals how to:
- Cut through information overload and transform raw data into actionable insight
- Detect lies and hidden agendas by reading people like a professional interrogator
- Build powerful networks using the same methods CIA uses to recruit foreign assets
- Navigate complex human dynamics to get an edge in negotiations, networking, and teamwork
- Separate signal from noise to notice what others miss and remember details others forget
- Master the art of asking questions to unlock human intelligence
- And much more
These are the same elite skills that CIA operatives use to hunt terrorists, learn enemy secrets, cultivate sources, and stay alive. In this one-of-a-kind field guide, you’ll learn how to deploy them to win untold success, power, and influence in your everyday life.
“The author’s professional background lends authenticity… hose seeking a strategic approach to emotional intelligence and decision-making will find plenty to chew on.” – Publishers Weekly
Pictures of You by Josh Malerman
fiction / suspense / mystery / horror.
After a magical night out on the town with her boyfriend Jack, Emily wakes alone in a huge bed in a beautiful, well-lit room. But the pink ceiling, the mauve walls, and the deep, dark corners are nothing like the hotel she and Jack rented.
More worrisome yet: Emily has no memory of this place from the night before.
Where is she?
A woman’s voice directs her to remain in bed.
Just so…
And beyond the end of the bed, a picture frame upon an easel—a frame with no canvas, no painting, no art.
Only… there is the silhouette of a person Emily does not recognize. A person emanating demand, danger, evil. And the way the woman talks… and the things she says… She’s acting as if Emily herself is the painting. The still life. The art.
Emily is as scared as she is confused. But it’s immediately clear Jack’s life is on the line with her own. And if she attempts to escape the bed and the wood frame of this nightmare masterwork, neither will survive the experience.
Emily is fierce, independent, brilliant, but to get out of this, she’ll have to think like an artist herself.
The clock is ticking.
For Emily.
For Jack.
For being forever trapped.
“[A] taut horror-thriller that also offers a metacommentary on art… By moving at a frenetic pace between Emily’s struggles to escape and her captors’ fraying mental state, Malerman sets a ticking clock in readers’ minds, keeping them hooked until that clock hits zero with a haunting twist.” – James Gardner, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“[An] unsettling and horrifying thriller filled to the brim with suspense and tension.” – Justin Soderberg, Capes & Tights
“The immense power that an artist holds to create pieces that make people experience very real feelings (good, bad, or ugly) is explored in horrific fashion by best-selling author Malerman… Malerman frames this short novel with tight writing and intense narrative control, drawing out maximum tension by shifting points of view in alternating chapters. Just as readers get important information from one character, they’re forced to switch to another, squirming with discomfort, helplessly held hostage, watching as it all spirals out of control—but loving every minute of it.” – Becky Spratford, Booklist
The Pirate Queen by Ariel Lawhon ★
fiction / historical fiction / adventure.
Grace O’Malley was born to be a sea captain. But despite her natural skill on the water, Grace learns early that her dreams of a life at the helm are not compatible with the expectations of her noble family. As the only daughter of a powerful chieftain, her role is to secure a strong alliance and bear children. But when she’s sent to foster with a nearby clan, Grace falls for a clever and open-minded second son—a man she cannot have.
Married off against her will to a brutal warrior, Grace performs her duty, all the while gathering followers loyal to her, and consolidating her husband’s power, only to be ousted from his lands. But this betrayal offers Grace the opportunity to return to sea, finally leading clan O’Malley’s mighty fleet. Just as she finds true independence, Queen Elizabeth’s incursions into Ireland grow bolder and Grace must fight to defend her land, her ships, and the people she loves most against the cruel and power-hungry English deputies, who will stop at nothing to check her influence.
Keenly observed and fiercely written, Ariel Lawhon’s new action-packed novel channels the untamed beauty and harsh realities of sixteenth-century Ireland, as seen through the eyes of an unforgettable heroine who rightly became “the Pirate Queen of Ireland.”
“[A] page-turner… Bold and daring, it’s a thrill-a-minute adventure with an absolute badass at the helm.”- Kristyn Kusek Lewis, Real Simple
“Legendary historical figure Grace O’Malley commands the page as she once commanded the Atlantic in this thrilling tale of clan rivalries, daring escapades, bloody betrayals, and female power… Lawhon’s swaggering epic transports us to a mythic era complete with brave heroes and heroines, loyal servants and vile villains…” – Oprah Daily
“[An] immersive odyssey… Through the novel’s engaging format, readers not only come to know Grace as the formidable historic leader, but also as an ambitious girl, passionate woman, and fierce mother.” – Patricia Smith, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“…exhilarating… The clever storytelling style, inspired, according to an author’s note, by the Celtic Trinity Knot, rewards attentive readers, with recurring imagery and motifs forming an increasingly complex portrait of the heroine. This is transportive.” – Publishers Weekly
Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft: A Memoir on Writing by Harlan Coben
nonfiction / memoir / writing.
With 100 million books in print world-wide and over twenty blockbuster television and film adaptations of his work, Harlan Coben has much to teach us about the creative process. Part deeply personal memoir, part masterclass in storytelling, Plot Twist is a refreshingly honest look at the life of a writer whose stories have thrilled us for decades.
Plumbing memories from his suburban childhood and his early years trying to break into publishing, Coben tells his own story for the first time, revealing the real-world inspirations for some of his most beloved characters as well as the innovative plots that drive his propulsive novels. Filled with useful tips and techniques on the creative process, Coben does away with the traditional “categories” of writing―characters, plot, setting, etc―and looks at the process holistically.
Plot Twist is a masterclass on the act of being a writer, and everything that comes with it: the self-doubt, the hubris, the contradictions, the passion and dedication. At the end of the day, his calculus is a simple one: “If it helps me produce pages, good. If it doesn’t, bad.” This book will help every aspiring writer produce pages.
Honest, funny, insightful, and at times deeply moving, this is both a captivating memoir and an essential guide for anyone looking to master the art of storytelling from one of our most beloved authors.
“…charming and personable…” – Kirkus Reviews
“Bestselling mystery novelist Coben skillfully blends the personal and the professional in this affable memoir peppered with advice for aspiring authors… Throughout, Coben’s humor and humanity shine through, making this a must-read for his many fans and aspiring writers seeking practical guidance from a literary insider.” – Publishers Weekly
“Entertaining memories and advice are mixed together throughout, but what comes through most strongly is Coben’s discipline and dedication to his craft… for Harlan Coben fans, this could be a good hang.” – Connie Fletcher, Booklist
Queenie Is Working on It by Candice Carty-Williams
fiction / comedy.
Queenie Jenkins is moving on up.
She’s thirty-three, the editorial director for The Good Sis, a thriving media network amplifying the voices of Black women—a far cry from her former toxic workplace. With a great platform and a renewed sense of purpose, she’s fighting the good fight.
So when an appointment for research goes haywire and reveals startling truths about her own fertility, Queenie is confronted with a racing biological clock when she’s not even sure she wants kids in the first place. She’s sort of seeing someone, but it’s not that serious (according to him), and her mom, grandma, and aunt Maggie all mean well, but they keep asking when she’s going to settle down.
Surrounded by loyal friends who seem to fall in love with their person and get pregnant at the drop of a hat and the reappearance of an old flame she never stopped loving while being pulled into a series of confusing “situationships” that really do NOT go anywhere means that for Queenie, time is running out in all parts of her life. She’s determined to do what she thinks is best to get back on track, no matter how many mistakes it takes to get this right.
Bigger. Not better. Older. Not wiser. The beloved and flawed Queenie Jenkins is scared, she is frustrated, she is confused… but she is working on it.
“[Candice’s] keen ear for female friendships – the deep affection, the stubborn solidarity, the ribald humour – endures, as does her understanding of how the particular experience of race suffuses the ordinary lives of Black women… the experience of race is a condition of Queenie’s existence, but never the thing that defines her. It’s a point that Carty-Williams always makes with a skilfully light touch.” – Shahidha Bari, The Guardian
“…both thought-provoking and laugh-out-loud funny… Queenie is an unforgettable character … and isn’t that what we all hope to find in our next read?” – Beth Mowbray, The Nerd Daily
“There’s humor, discomfort, and a profound honesty in Carty-Williams’ writing that calls for self-reflection. Queenie Is Working On It, dropping on September 8, succeeds where many sequels fail: it evolves while staying entirely true to its source material.” – Kayla Conti, Ebony
A Right to Housing? by Samuel Stein
nonfiction / current events / urbanism / politics.
In the fight for housing, we are caught between the world we know and the world we want. This book is both a road map and a reckoning. Drawing on his own experience of on-the-ground organizing, Samuel Stein presents practical policies for enacting a right to shelter, a right to a home, and a right to the city itself.
With raw honesty, he then explores why these visions founder on the rocks of political reality. He reveals the forces blocking our path—from the power of real estate capital to the inadequacy of our institutions—and captures the complex feelings of a left that has lost faith in the future.
Written in the heady weeks surrounding Zohran Mamdani’s historic election for New York City mayor, Stein frames the book around the stirring possibilities and structural constraints of a socialist administration in the financial center of a sputtering empire. He opens a space for action in the absence of hope. This is an examination of life and politics at the intersection of optimism and pessimism, nihilism and naivety, faith and doubt—an essential book for activists, planners, and anyone who refuses to accept the housing crisis as inevitable or immutable.
“It should come as a surprise to no one that the cost of housing has far outpaced growth in wages since 2000—it’s nothing short of an economic catastrophe for the idea of an American middle class. So, how can we unravel a tangled system that exists at local, state, and federal levels? Stein, a policy researcher and housing advocate writing in the wake of Zohran Mamdani’s historic political victory, has some worthwhile ideas, both practical and aspirational.” – Jonny Diamond, Literary Hub
“…nuanced… Progressives will appreciate Stein’s candor and measured encouragement.” – Publishers Weekly
“Stein’s succinct and highly readable book is recommended for readers concerned about housing as a significant public and social issue.” – Jerry Stephens, Library Journal
Saving Noah by Lucinda Berry
fiction / suspense / mystery.
A mother’s love is supposed to be unconditional.
But what if it shouldn’t be?
Noah is the boy everyone admires―an honor student, a champion swimmer, a hometown success story. Until he confesses to sexually abusing young girls during swim practice. In a single moment, his future evaporates, and his family shoulders the fallout.
After eighteen months in a juvenile sexual rehabilitation center, Noah returns home. But the town recoils, and his father refuses to let him back into their family’s life. Noah’s mom, Adrianne, is forced into an impossible role: the mother of a child no one believes deserves saving.
Loving Noah means losing everything else―her marriage, her community, and her certainty about right and wrong. As devastating truths emerge, Adrianne must confront the darkest question of all: when does standing by your child become a betrayal of everyone around you?
Brutally honest and deeply unsettling, Saving Noah explores one of society’s last untouchable taboos and the terrifying gray area between compassion and accountability. This gripping, emotional novel by bestselling author Lucinda Berry refuses easy answers and will keep readers up late at night questioning beliefs they once thought were true.
“[A] thought-provoking story that tugs at your heartstrings, one way or another… one of the most intense, heartbreaking stories I’ve ever read… [it] will haunt you for days.” – Miles of Comfort and Books
“…spine-chilling… a tough book, and one with some twists that you don’t expect.” – Baddie Book Reviews
“It’s intense and heavy, but it’s also very compelling and brilliantly handled, forcing you to think about a situation you hope to never face in reality.” – Read, Watch & Drink Coffee
Sez I to Myself: The Collected Essays of Frank and Malachy McCourt by Frank McCourt & Malachy McCourt; edited by Tom Allon & Jonah Allon
nonfiction / essays.
In 1996, a retired New York City high school English teacher published a memoir that took the publishing world by storm. Angela’s Ashes, the story of Frank McCourt’s childhood in Ireland, was a bold account of poverty and family tragedy, suffused with humor and compassion. It went on to sell over ten million copies and won the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Critics Circle Award.
Frank McCourt was suddenly an internationally celebrated memoirist, a writer who had invigorated the genre. But most readers didn’t know that Angela’s Ashes wasn’t Frank’s first published writing.
For years, he and his actor brother Malachy contributed a column to a neighborhood newspaper called The West Side Spirit. Malachy, himself a bestselling writer, also contributed to Our Town, Irish America, and The Southampton Review. And Frank went on to write for prominent publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times, Esquire, Life, and Rolling Stone.
Sez I to Myself collects the best of those essays and works of journalism. Here the brothers McCourt tackle parades and pubs, classrooms and churches, the immigrant experience, loss, 9/11, the writing life, and more. This is a charming, tender, and insightful collection, a welcome new book from two masterful and much-loved writers.
“Ah, yes, we remember these guys. With pleasure.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] boisterous collection… This posthumous tribute is an Irish wake echoing with laughter and tears.” – Publishers Weekly
She’s a Doll by Barbara Truelove
fiction / horror / fantasy.
Lucy McQuinn has been murdered, but she’s not about to go quietly.
If she doesn’t get to keep breathing, then neither does Kyle, her killer. Possessing the body of an antique doll, she sets out on a quest for revenge. But it’s hard when you’re eighteen inches tall and made of porcelain.
For help, she turns to Nicola, a human and fellow outsider with her own reasons to hate Kyle. But in their small idyllic town, no one wants to hear the truth, especially not about such a promising young man. If they can’t expose his crimes, Lucy will have to roll up her lacy little sleeves and teach him a lesson the old-fashioned way—as slowly and painfully as possible.
From LA Times bestselling author Barbara Truelove, She’s a Doll is a ghoulish and gleeful tribute to the unstoppable power of female rage and a love letter to the friends who have our back—in this life and the next.
“This is not your usual haunted doll story. Violent, devastating, and surprisingly serious as well as hilarious.” – Clara Gauthier, The Indie Next List
“Lucy’s story is zany, hilarious, and downright creepy in a scary-movie kind of way. Yet it also balances the true terror of what she went through at the hands of a monster made all the more infuriating by his frightening humanity. Her grief and rage are both so visceral, making the well-deserved conclusion fitting and fully justified… Fast paced and bursting with energy, wit, and unique characters, She’s a Doll is a perfect not-so-scary spooky-season read.” – Abigail Blake, The Gloss
“This book is dead goth girl-turned-bridal doll, chipped porcelain and ripped veils, emo music and Manic Panic hair dye, teacups and Mad Hatter cosplays, glue-guns and safety pins and staples, punk rock DIY meets Lewis Caroll surrealism… a wild ride: sometimes serious, sometimes campy as hell, with all the absurdity you might expect from an eighteen-inch toy hellbent on a vicious, blood-soaked killing spree.” – Aardvark Book Club
Switzy by Emma Cline ★
fiction.
A private plane cuts through the winter night, somewhere over Greenland. David, a retired executive, sits back in his leather seat, playing solitaire on his phone. Click. Click. Drag. Click. The notebook in his jacket pocket is filled with familiar phrases, urgent reminders to himself, but he struggles to recognize his own handwriting.
A mystery, among many mysteries. The world, once so knowable, has been rendered inscrutable.
This is what David knows: Cody, his assistant, asleep in the seat next to him, will shepherd him along the voyage. A stopover in London. Dinner with his adult daughter. A meeting in France with an old friend, estranged for decades.
His final destination is Zurich.
David glides through hotel rooms and airports and foreign cities, running out the clock on his mortal life. His grasp on the present slips away, and the past rushes in: the Sunday roasts of childhood. The stiff clothes meant only for church. A summer at a school friend’s house. The losses and missteps that punctuate a life.
As David’s arrival in Zurich looms, an exquisitely rendered portrait of an unraveling mind emerges, both darkly humorous and profoundly moving. Hypnotic and startlingly original, Switzy probes the depths of human consciousness, revealing what a man is left with when the accomplishments and compromises that have defined him, and the illusions he’s relied on, vanish.
“…profoundly moving… the last pages of Switzy, which mingle horror, beauty, absurdity, and a sense of profound finality, will probably stay with me forever.” – Chris Power, The Guardian
“Unexpected, beautifully controlled, and almost dangerously captivating.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Tackling a subject as heavy as the end of a person’s life as his grasp on himself and the world weakens is no small feat, but Cline handles it deftly, avoiding clichés and pat emotional catharses to explore both the weight and unburdening of a man’s final days. This truly profound journey will stay with readers long after the last page is turned.” – Kristine Huntley, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“The writing is piercing and suspenseful, and Ms. Cline deserves praise for engraving a style recognizably her own… The book powerfully constricts as it nears the final appointment, describing a terrible itinerary of last things—David’s last meal, his last change of clothing, his last bit of paperwork. Ms. Cline recounts it all without looking away.” – Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal
Taipei Story by R.F. Kuang ★
fiction.
College freshman Lily Chen is off to spend the summer in Taipei at an intensive language program like so many Chinese American students before her, hoping to connect with the culture she inherited but never fully understood. But a promising start quickly unravels. Her classes are grueling, her roommate is driving her insane, and a reckless trip to the hot springs with a guy she barely knows soon has her classmates viciously gossiping. She feels adrift, a foreigner in a country she thought would feel like home.
Then shocking news arrives: Lily’s grandfather has passed away. The loss forces her to grapple with now-unanswerable questions about her family history. As Lily grieves, she’s drawn into a journey of self-discovery—piecing together memories, stories, and silences over a series of hilarious and devastating attempts at connection.
Taipei Story asks: What if the diaspora fantasy of homecoming never comes true? What if learning a language can’t bring you any closer to the people you’re trying to reach? What if you search for your family’s history, but your family doesn’t want to share? What if you wait too long to ask the right questions? As Lily struggles for answers, her summer becomes a poignant search for understanding—of herself, her family, and the meaning of home.
“A visceral exploration of language as a bridge and a barrier.” – Kirkus Reviews
“Quiet, moving and thought-provoking, Taipei Story is an examination of how the stories we inherit shape who we are. It will speak to anyone who set out to learn how to belong, only to discover that they first needed to answer the question ‘Who am I?’” – Maya Fleischmann, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“Now that the curtains of Kuang’s more habitual genre influences have fallen, what’s left is pure literary fiction, and she does it so well that if you didn’t know better it would be hard to imagine her writing in any other register… her narration is evenly, consistently wry, sarcastic, plain-spoken, intimidatingly wise.” – Lauren Christensen, New York Times
“…I enjoyed Taipei Story a lot. Kuang’s observations of the shifting power relationships among 20-year-old friends ring sharp and true… Taipei Story has the authenticity of genuine self-expression.” – Laura Miller, Slate
Tempest by Victoria Aveyard ★
fiction / fantasy / romance / adventure.
Cat Rose knows what it is to live in two worlds, in two times. Before—as Lady Catrine Rose of the Meridian Empire, chained to a loathsome lord with a dwindling fortune. And after—as the Widow Rose, queen of a pirate tavern in the Lyrian Sea, determined to be the master of her own fate.
But tides turn and winds change. The Meridian Empire looms on the horizon, the full weight of her navy falling on the Lyrian, bent on reclaiming the wealthy colonies and crushing the pirate republic once and for all. Ship after ship is captured, save for one, captained by a pirate who continually evades both noose and blade: the legendary Valerian Kane.
With his fearsome ship and uncanny connection to the song of the sea, Valerian is the only man who might rally the pirates who remain. The only man who threatens the Empire. And the only man Cat has ever loved, blazing in and out of her life like a star.
Desperate for victory, the Empire offers Cat a devastating choice: bring them Valerian or hang. In truth, no choice at all.
But Cat Rose is nothing if not a survivor.
A storm is rising on the Lyrian Sea—the question is, what will it leave in its wake?
“Aveyard, in her adult debut, builds a rich history for both the region and the primary characters while smoothly setting up for an eagerly anticipated sequel.” – Frances Moritz, Booklist
“…stunning… Not only does the novel prove why we can’t get enough of [Aveyard’s] incredible storytelling as we travel across the Lyrian Sea, but it finally gives us a delicious and heart-pumping pirate story that we’ve been longing for.” – Tamara Fuentes, Cosmopolitan
“It is a delight to read and to watch the world of the Lyrian Sea spring to life like pieces of a pop-up book… the world Victoria Aveyard has built with Tempest is exquisite. Reading the novel, her background in screenwriting is starkly apparent because, unlike almost any book you could take off the shelf, you can truly see everything that is happening… It is not just Cat Rose that goes on this adventure — it is you, dear reader.” – Ayla Kruse Lawson, The Cornell Daily Sun
“If you love Pirates of the Caribbean, you’ll LOVE this. Particularly if you adored Elizabeth Swan… addictive, tense, and tantalising.” – Caitlin Lloyd, FanFiAddict
The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman ★
fiction / fantasy / historical fiction.
Once upon a time, women were drowned in the river and the only witnesses were the crows in the trees. The Puritans blamed Eve for the sins of the world. That was when we began to meet in the name of Lilith, Adam’s first wife—banished for refusing to do as she was told.
We Fly Together…
By the 1950s, Cambridge, Massachusetts feels far removed from the legendary witch trials that marked its early days as a colony. Ava, a bright young woman from a small town in Maine, arrives for her first year at Radcliffe College. There, she meets Lauren, her opposite in every way—the wild and brazen daughter of a wealthy and well-established Cambridge family. But the two have more in common than they think. Both are recruited by the Lilith Society, a secret organization of witches at Radcliffe dating back to colonial times. As they learn more about their legacy, Ava and Lauren form a close bond that is put to the test as they learn to navigate their new power, friendship, and love.
While Radcliffe seems like a safe haven, the shadow of McCarthyism looms large, an ever-present threat to the flourishing creative and intellectual life in Cambridge. And as girls from the Lilith Society begin to go missing, Ava and Lauren realize the witch trials of the past may not be as deeply buried as they once believed.
“Hoffman proves she’s still capable of magic.” – Publishers Weekly
“Ambitious, lyrical and vast in scope, this book proves Hoffman still has fresh spells to cast, and more to say about women who dare to seize their innate gifts and build their lives as they wish… [a] luxurious reading experience… There’s something undeniably magical about reading a book like this from one of our finest mainstream fiction voices at this phase of her career.” – Matthew Jackson, BookPage, STARRED REVIEW
“The Witches of Cambridge is a lush and heartfelt story of love and friendship, dense with poetic imagery and historical detail – perfect for anyone looking for a world to get lost in.” – Joe Murray, Readings
“Hoffman’s latest sagely bewitching immersion in New England history, magic, misogyny, and resistance incisively parallels the colonial assaults against women accused of witchery with McCarthyism and its witch hunts targeting communists, educators, creatives, and gay men. Spiked with fascinating facts, incandescent with lush evocations of nature and the supernatural, and propelled by ravishing and suspenseful struggles for love against all odds, this is an enrapturing, illuminating, and slyly relevant saga.” – Donna Seaman, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
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