Categories
Full List of New Arrivals

NEW ARRIVALS – OCTOBER 2025

ADULT FICTION

“A Girl Within A Girl” by Nanda Reddy — “This debut is a beautiful, if sometimes harrowing, exploration of one woman’s journey, not only from one country to another but through pain and trama. . . to a life built by her own grit and determination.” –Library Journal, starred review

“Alice, or the Wild Girl” by Michael Robert Liska — “Alice, or The Wild Girl takes the reader on a voyage from French Polynesia to the terminus of the American frontier, as it charts the unlikely bond that develops between an aging US naval commander and the lost, damaged girl he attempts to “civilize” as a way of alleviating his own loneliness and ennui. Steeped in period detail and layered with fascinating thematic threads, Michael Robert Liska’s bold tale examines existential questions about the nature of history, time, and identity, in a vanished America that is at once alien and strikingly like our own.” — Simon & Schuster

“Art of a Lie: A Novel” by Laura Sheperd-Robinson — “In 18th-century England, a widowed confectioner is drawn into a web of love, betrayal, and intrigue and a battle of wits in this masterful historical novel from the author of the “delicious puzzle-box of a novel” — The New York Times

“Coded Justice: A Thriller (Avery Keene)” by Stacey Abrams –“Through politics, fiction and her latest novel, Stacey Abrams aims to inspire action…. Avery Keene has unraveled international conspiracies and investigated mysteries involving the Supreme Court, but now she’s focused on what could be a deadly side of artificial intelligence.” —NPR

“It’s Not the End of the World” by Jonathan Parks-Ramage — “After the success of his debut modern gothic novel Yes, Daddy, Parks-Ramage returns with this new yarn chronicling the lives of queer men navigating homophobia, political opposition, a totalitarian government, and climate collapse in a futuristic world…This is a wild ride that spans a century in the life of two queer fathers in the future.” — Jim Piechota, Bay Area Reporter

“Show Don’t Tell” by Curtis Sittenfeld — “Utterly diverting . . . Sittenfeld’s worldview is more utopian than dystopian; Jane Austen-like, she treats her characters with humanity, even when their actions are cringe-inducing. . . . Sittenfeld is a sharp observer of social mores and an astute judge of character.”The Los Angeles Times

“Something in the Woods Loves You” by Jarod K. Anderson — “…SOMETHING IN THE WOODS LOVES YOU tells the story of the darkest stretch of a young man’s life, and how deliberate and meditative encounters with plants and animals helped him see the light at every turn. Ranging from optimistic contemplations of mortality to appreciations of a single mushroom, Anderson has written a lyrical love letter to the natural world and given us the tools to see it all anew”–Baker & Taylor

“The Correspondent” by Virginia Evans — “[M]asterful is the pace at which Evans fills in the blanks of her protagonist’s life and the reminder that we’re each of us the mongrel sum of motley associations, showing different faces to different people and just trying to get by.”—Frank Bruni, The New York Times

“The Swallows of Kabul” by Yasmin Khadra — “Disturbing and mesmerizing, the beautifully written Swallows puts a human face on the suffering inflicted by the Taliban.” –San Francisco Chronicle

“While the Getting is Good” by Matt Riordan — “A modern day tragedy so believable that I asked the author, Matt Riordan, if it had been based upon a family history […] his prose style [conveys] a sense of lives caught up in the Great Depression.” —The Historical Novel Society

ADULT MYSTERY

“King of Ashes” by SA Cosby — “Cosby keeps things tense, making great use of the crematorium and freshening the genre with lofty philosophizing. . . Rarely has a crime fiction family been given a more bitter spin than this one. Another strong outing by a modern noir master.”―Kirkus, starred review

“We Are All Guilty Here” by Karin Slaughter — “This intense novel starts big and never lets up, as layer after layer is revealed and peeled away. Another suspenseful winner from Slaughter.” — Library Journal (starred review) on We Are All Guilty Here

ADULT BIOGRAPHY

“Coming Up Short: A Memoir of My America” by Robert Reich — “In Coming Up Short, the former adviser to multiple presidents lays out all that’s wrong with the country and how we might get back on track….A full-throated…rallying cry to get things back to where they belong.”
The Washington Post

“How to Lose Your Mother: A Daughter’s Memoir” by Molly Jong-Fast — “Grief and rage coincide with comedy and uptown-literati charm. . . . Reading How to Lose Your Mother, one senses that the mother got the very daughter she wanted, even if she had no idea what to do with her when she arrived.” —The New York Times

“North to the Future: An Offline Adventure Through the Changing Wilds of Alaska” by Ben Wiessenbach — “Weissenbach spins the immersive travel writing into a soulful meditation on the value of getting back to nature…[North to the Future] will transport readers.”  ―Publishers Weekly

“The Lucky Generation: Growing Up in Depression and War” by Allen Davis — “Hardwick, a rural, northern Vermont town of about 2,700 people in the throes of The Depression, was where and when Allen Davis grew up. His memoir, The Lucky Generation, focuses on his first 10-15 years. The book is a delightful, detailed story that draws out the strength of family and community, which gave him the foundation he needed to venture into the world and to return with comfort and knowledge the lessons of his youth remain relevant today. The book is a pleasure to read.” —Ross Connelly, Editor & Co-publisher The Hardwick Gazette, 1986-2017

ADULT NON-FICTION

“Empire of the Elite: Inside Conde Nast, The Media Dynasty That Reshaped America” by Michael M Grynbaum — “The newest entry in the small but mesmerizing genre you might call Condé lit…this reported saga doubles as a shrewd cultural history of the 20th century.” —New York Magazine

“Gifts from the Garbage Truck: A True Story about the Things We (Don’t)Throw Away” by Andrew Sarsen — “A reminder that we can discover beauty, joy, and worth from the materials right in front of us.” ― Horn Book magazine

“Invisible ADHD: Proven Mood and Life Management for Smart Yet Scattered Women” by Shanna Pearson — “If you’re ready to understand the ‘why’ behind the struggles that come with ADHD and, more importantly, the ‘how’ to move forward with confidence, this book is for you, and I encourage you to take this opportunity to learn from one of the best.” ― Dr. Daniel Amen

“It Was the Way She Said It: Short Stories, Essays and Wisdom” by Terry McMillan — “Terry McMillan . . . has assembled a collection of short stories and essays that portray candid vignettes of Black American life. With unflinching honesty and verve, McMillan writes stories that suck readers in from start to finish.”—Harper’s Bazaar

“Matrescence: On Pregnancy, Childbirth, and Motherhood” by Lucy Jones — “Wide-ranging and hugely ambitious…Marshalling memoir, science, sociology, and history, Jones argues that, outside of adolescence, there is no transformation as dramatic in a human’s life [as motherhood], in both its emotional and biological impacts.” —The New Yorker

“Perfect Victims and the Politics of Appeal” by Mohammed El-Kurd — “El-Kurd’s book offers a fresh, unapologetic, and powerful critique of mainstream modes of representation and the years of Palestinian politics of appeal that have only served to concede too much. It is an assertion of Palestinian dignity unshackled from the need for recognition, an insistence on a politics that does not hinge on the benevolence of an imagined audience.” ―Abdaljawad Omar, Mondoweiss

“Rehab: An American Scandal” by Shoshana Walter — “In this stunning debut investigation…Pulitzer finalist Walter shines a light on the ‘$53 billion per year’ network of mismanaged treatment centers…a horrific indictment of America’s profit-driven healthcare system.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Rot: An Imperial History of the Irish Famine” by Padraic Scanian — “A vigorous and engaging new study of the Irish Famine…Above all, Rot reminds us that the Great Hunger was a very modern event, and one shaped by a mindset that is now again in the ascendant.”―Fintan O’Toole, New Yorker

“Sound: Discovering Vibrations We Hear” by Olga Fadeeva — “Fadeeva’s work is chock-full of clear explanations, suggestions for experimenting with sound, elegant infographics, and rich vocabulary, all defined in context…Brimming with cogent insights, delightful visuals, and infectious wonder.” ―Kirkus Reviews (STARRED REVIEW)

“The Shape of Wonder” How Scientists Think, Work and Live” by Alan Lightman & Martin Rees — “[This] delightful new book. . . . [explores] the nature of science, examining the role of critical thinking, and looking at how scientific theories are created and revised as new evidence emerges.” —Physics World

BLUE/DVD MOVIES

“Lilo & Stitch (2025)”
“Nova: Dino Bird”
“Snow White (2025)”
“Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Cracking Collection”


BOARD BOOK

“On the Farm” by Max Walther

PICTURE BOOK

“Abner and Ian Get Inside” by Dave Eggers
“Cafe at the Edge of the Woods” by Mikey Please
“Earhart: The Incredible Flight of a Mouse Around the World” by Torben Kuhlmann
“Flora and the Jazzers” by Astric Sheckels
“Maple and Rosemary” by Alison James
“A Mischief of Mice” by Christie Matheson
“Sea Dog Rescue” by Astrid Sheckels
“We Go Slow” by Martahadessa Tallie
“Where the Deer Slip Through” by Katey Howes

JUVENILE FICTION

“Beyond Mulberry Glen” by Millie Florence — “An absorbing fantasy centered on a resilient female protagonist facing growth, change, and self-empowerment.” – Kirkus Reviews

“Murray Out of Water: A Stonewall Honor Novel-in-Verse About Self-Discovery, Inner Magic, and the Power of Friendship” by Taylor Tracey — “This lovely, moving novel in verse combines beautiful language with emotional honesty to create a resonant story of identity and growing up. A heartfelt examination of queer identity through the lens of one lovable kid.” — Kirkus Reviews

“The Library of Unruly Treasures” by Jeanne Birdsall — “A well-paced, original story with intriguing characters and intertwined threads of reality and magic.” —Booklist, starred review

“Troubling Tonsils! (Jasper Rabbit’s Creepy Tales!)” by Aaron Reynolds — “From the team behind the New York Times bestselling and Caldecott Medal–winning Creepy Carrots! and its sequels comes the first entry in a spin-off chapter book series in which Jasper Rabbit tells the story of a young marmot whose tonsils get the better of him.” — Amazon.com

JUVENILE MOVIES

“Lilo & Stitch (2025)”
“Snow White” by Rachel Zegler
“Wallace & Gromit: Complete Cracking Collection” by Wallace & Gromit

YOUNG ADULT FICTION

“All We Lost was Everything” by Sloan Harlow — “Part mystery, part thriller, part romance, River’s story is difficult to put down.” —Booklist

“The Maid and the Crocodile: A Novel in the World of Raybearer” by Jordan Ifueko — “The book contains thoughtful conversations around domestic abuse and labor inequities, the queer characters are well rounded and self-determined, and the romance, intimacy, and understanding of explicit consent are truly swoonworthy. A beautifully realized evergreen story about finding love and community.”―Kirkus Reviews

YOUNG ADULT NON-FICTION

“Shift Happens: The History of Labor in the United States” by J. Albert Mann — “Mann explores the often oppressive, abusive, and bloody history of labor conditions and the merciless rise of capitalism with wit, snark, and comprehensive context…. Riveting, enlightening, infuriating, and timely: compulsory reading.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

YOUNG ADULT GRAPHIC NOVEL

“Homebody: A Graphic Memoir of Gender Identity Exploration” by Theo Parish — “Across cool-toned pages blotted with highlights of pink is a palpable message that safety, self-love, and pride comes with defiantly building one’s sense of gender and self, an idea applicable to trans, nonbinary, and questioning youth, as well as any child impacted by cis/heteronormative expectations of gender.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books (starred review)

Categories
Highlighted New Arrivals

The Greatest Gift

(The Heartwood Hotel, #2)

Kallie George

“Settle in a cozy chair and pass the cheese crumble! Mona’s adventures continue in this critter-crammed sequel that will pull at your heartstrings as well as your funny bone.” ―Cyndi Marko, author and illustrator of the Kung Pow Chicken series

Categories
Full List of New Arrivals

NEW ARRIVALS – AUGUST 2025

ADULT FICTION

“Back After This: A Novel” by Linda Holmes — “Holmes once again crafts an engaging, appealing tale of a woman coming into her own and learning to leave her people-pleasing ways behind. But it is not just Cecily who readers will connect with; all of the cast members are fully realized, with their own motivations and insecurities. Blending witty humor, a tender romance, and true character growth, this is a winner.” — Booklist, starred review

“Daikon: A Novel” by Samuel Hawley — “What if not two but three atomic bombs wound up in the Pacific theater?…Hawley’s impeccably detailed narrative offers an unnerving fictional answer…The novel’s tension mounts in highly cinematic fashion, despite our awareness of what the history books tell us.” —The New York Times

“Food Person: A Novel” by Adam Roberts — “In cookbook author and food blogger Roberts’ delightful debut novel, Isabella, a lost, twentysomething foodie agrees to ghostwrite a has-been actress’ cookbook….Roberts’ love for food shines….Filled with ‘salty surprise,’ Food Person is perfectly cooked.” —Booklist, starred

“Ordinary Love: A Novel” by Marie Rutkoski — “A raw and moving second-chance love story that tenderly tracks a woman’s determined efforts to regain self-worth as she heals from an abusive marriage and reunites with a past love…. Rutkoski tracks their slow rekindling in stunning prose that skillfully weaves past and present. The result is a brutal yet beautiful story that captures what it means to genuinely support, cherish, and love another person.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“People of Means: A Novel” by Nancy Johnson — “Johnson’s rich examinations of ambiguities in this moral dilemma take center stage, but institutional racism and its constant, draining impact are the boards these players stand on. And can’t escape…The Kindest Lie is an easy, accessible novel filled with hard, important truths.” — New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice

“Port Anna: A Novel” by Libby Buck — “Readers looking for an escape to coastal Maine, with both its bucolic and forbidding moods, will find that here, along with the depiction of a community where everybody minds everybody else’s business, and a touch of romance. A reassuring look at making peace with a rocky past and place.”—Kirkus

“So Far Gone: A Novel” by Jess Walter — “Propulsive…Walter serves up a rollicking and heartrending adventure about a broken man determined to set things right in an increasingly divided America….Walter offers an honest and even touching look at the [characters’] need for purpose while finding deadpan humor in their failings….This captivates.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“The Bright Years” by Sarah Damoff — “Social worker Damoff’s heartfelt debut focuses on the impact of alcohol addiction on a family over four generations…This family drama rings true.”—Publishers Weekly

“The Dirty Version: A Novel” by Turner Gable Kahn — “Set during heated nights on Florida’s coast, with characters who are flawed, fabulous, and forced to write sexy scenes together, this is a sizzling romance debut from Kahn.” — Library Journal, starred review

“The Girls Who Grew Big: A Novel” by Leila Mottley — “This striking novel tracks the friendships among a group of teen moms as they struggle and strive in a small, gossipy beach town in Florida’s sticky-hot panhandle.” —The New Yorker

“The Monkey Wrench Gang(50th Anniversary Edition)” by Edward Abbey — “A thing of beauty. . . . A wildly funny, infinitely wise, near to tragic tale of man against the bog god machine.”Houston Chronicle

“Wild Dark Shore: A Novel” by Charlotte McConaghy — “Spellbinding…Captivating…McConaghy keeps the novel moving at a blustery pace, thanks to her deft plotting and shared point of view…To read this exceptionally imagined, thoroughly humane novel feels like following the last people on Earth as they prepare to leave some part of their souls to the most beautiful place they’ll ever know.” ―Washington Post

ADULT MYSTERY

“Edge of Honor:A Thriller (Scott Harvath, #24)” by Brad Thor — “After six months abroad, elite spy Scot Harvath returns to a shifting political landscape in America, where a powerful secret cabal threatens to destabilize the nation in the latest addition to the long-time series following Shadow of Doubt.” — Atlas Publishing

“Killer on the Road: The Babysitter Lives” by Stephen Graham Jones — Sixteen-year-old Harper’s friends, sister, and ex join her on the road to keep her from hitchhiking, but a serial killer has been trolling the highway and is after them all; when Charlotte babysits the Wilbanks twins, the house is filled with noises only the twins understand, echoes of horrors from years before.” — Atlas Publishing

“The Red Queen (Richard Jury Mysteries, #26)” by Martha Grimes — “A sudden murder in an English village pub sets off the twenty-sixth novel in the bestselling series starring superintendent Richard Jury, from bestselling author Martha Grimes, still “one of the most fascinating mystery writers today”” — Houston Chronicle

“The Woman in Suite 11 (Lo Blacklock, #2)” by Ruth Ware — “Journalist Lo Blacklock travels to a luxury Swiss hotel hoping to revive her career, but when a mysterious woman draws her into a dangerous chase across Europe, she must weigh ambition against survival in a world of wealth and shifting alliances.” — B & T Entertainment

ADULT BIOGRAPHY

“Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed and Lost Idealism” by Sarah Wynn-Williams — “Careless People is darkly funny and genuinely shocking…Not only does [Sarah Wynn-Williams] have the storytelling chops to unspool a gripping narrative; she also delivers the goods.” –Jennifer Szalai, The New York Times

“Deep House: The Gayest Story Ever Told” by Jeremy Atherton Lin — “A strong cocktail of memoir, legal history and sociology…Atherton Lin beautifully captures the Bay Area at the turn of the millennium: the creeping gentrification, the tech bros, the video shops, the aging hippies. He’s also not shy in his descriptions of sex of many kinds and configurations, with all the attendant sensations. (At times you can almost smell it.)”―The Washington Post

“Passing for Human: A Graphic Memoir” by Liana Finck –“This story is as tender as it is wry. . . . Becoming human is a lifelong task—but Finck illustrates it with humor and panache.”Publishers Weekly

ADULT NON-FICTION

“Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free” — Elizabeth Dickinson — “In the hands of Dickinson, this is more than just the biography of a fashion revolutionary: It is a story of the fight for women’s identity and, incidentally, the birth of an American industry.”—The New York Times

“Every Living Thing: The Great and Deadly Race to Know All Life” by Jaxon Roberts — “[An] engaging and thought-provoking book, one focused on the theatrical politics and often deeply troubling science that shape our definitions of life on Earth.”—The New York Times

“Face with Tears of Joy: A Natural History of Emoji” by Keith Houston — “Houston knows that any language whose mascot is a smiling poop pile can be treated only so seriously, so the text is charmingly filled with emoji as illustrations and within sentences, making it both a product of a new way of communicating as well as a study of it. A pleasurable and well-researched journey into pop iconography.” ― Kirkus Reviews

“Garlic, Olive Oil + Everything Mediterranean: Simple Recipes for the Home Cook” by Daen Lia — “…Lia’s enthusiasm is infectious and the rustic photography appeals… Anyone looking to expand their Mediterranean repertoire will find this a handy resource.” —Publishers Weekly

“Strata: Stories From Deep Time” by Laura Poppick — “Making a convincing argument that understanding strata can help scientists better respond to climate change, Poppick movingly describes these layers of rock and sediment. … [Strata] provides an impressive look at how scientific ideas take shape and evolve as new data enters the picture. … Poetic and passionate, this is science writing with flair.”― Publishers Weekly

“The Furies: Women, Vengeance and Justice” by Elizabeth Flock — “Incisive. . . . In the hands of a less adept journalist, The Furies might read as a predictable, even formulaic feminist exposé. But Flock acknowledges the women’s fallibilities as readily as she does their strengths. . . . Flock clears space for opposing truths, demonstrating how many women embody myriad, simultaneous contradictions to survive. . . . Though Brittany, Angoori, and Cicek ultimately fall prey to systemic patriarchal forces, Flock’s work feels hopeful, even rebellious. Because, just as women confront similar challenges, so too can they stage analogous forms of resistance.” — Los Angeles Review of Books

PICTURE BOOK

“Sydney and Taylor Explore the Wide World” by Stuart Gibbs
“Through the Fairy Door” by Lars De Goor

JUVENILE FICTION

“Greatest Gift, (Heartwood Hotel #2)” by Kallie George — “Settle in a cozy chair and pass the cheese crumble! Mona’s adventures continue in this critter-crammed sequel that will pull at your heartstrings as well as your funny bone.” ―Cyndi Marko, author and illustrator of the Kung Pow Chicken series

“Goats for Christmas” by Jacqueline Kelly — “Callie and Travis need sheep for the town Christmas pageant. Travis is playing the shepherd in the Nativity scene, and what’s a shepherd without his flock? Unfortunately, Fentress is low on sheep–but not on goats. When Callie and Travis decide to borrow two goats from their neighbor, they don’t know what they’re in for. As it turns out, the main trouble with goats is that they’ll eat just about anything. This will be one Christmas pageant Fentress won’t forget!”– Baker & Taylor

JUVENILE GRAPHIC NOVELS

“Evil Spy School The Graphic Novel” by Stuart Gibbs — “After being expelled from spy school, 12-year-old Ben Ripley accepts an offer to join evil crime organization SPYDER, crossing over to the dark side until he discovers their sinister plan and must get word to the good guys without getting caught.”– Atlas Publishing

“Spy Ski School The Graphic Novel” by Stuart Gibbs — “A 13-year-old Ben Ripley has been kidnapped, shot at and survived a bomb and missiles, so the CIA sends him on a mission to become friends with the daughter of a suspected Chinese crime boss and learn her father’s secrets.” — Atlas Publishing

Categories
Highlighted New Arrivals

Strata: Stories From Deep Time

Laura Poppick

“Making a convincing argument that understanding strata can help scientists better respond to climate change, Poppick movingly describes these layers of rock and sediment. … [Strata] provides an impressive look at how scientific ideas take shape and evolve as new data enters the picture. … Poetic and passionate, this is science writing with flair.”― Publishers Weekly

Categories
Highlighted New Arrivals

Wild Dark Shore: A Novel

Charlotte McConaghy

“Spellbinding…Captivating…McConaghy keeps the novel moving at a blustery pace, thanks to her deft plotting and shared point of view…To read this exceptionally imagined, thoroughly humane novel feels like following the last people on Earth as they prepare to leave some part of their souls to the most beautiful place they’ll ever know.” ―Washington Post

Categories
Highlighted New Arrivals

Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the Twentieth Century

Hannah Zeavin

“This is a brilliant exploration of mothers’ labor, which Zeavin illuminates as both subterranean and ubiquitous, both ignored and fundamental to a society’s conception of itself. Profound work for a profound topic.” —Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility

Categories
Highlighted New Arrivals

Atmosphere: A Love Story

Taylor Jenkins Reid

“Thrilling . . . heartbreaking . . . uplifting. . . Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, Atmosphere, is the fast-paced, emotionally charged story of one ambitious young woman finding both her voice and her passion as she fights to become one of the first female NASA astronauts in the 1980s. You’ll barrel through this electric novel, rooting for the women to not only succeed in the space program but to soar. A pitch-perfect ending . . . I loved it.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

Categories
Highlighted New Arrivals

Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens and other Marvels of the Dark

Leigh Ann Henton

“In Night Magic, darkness is revered, and its secrets are revealed . . . Henion’s vivid style of nature writing and complementary self-reflection are reminders that witnessing the extraordinary can be as easy as shifting your bedtime back an hour and going outside.”―Scientific American+

Categories
Highlighted New Arrivals

Just for the Summer

Abby Jimenez

“This witty, emotion-filled novel from Jimenez isn’t one to just read, it’s one to sink into.” — Library Journal, starred review

Categories
Full List of New Arrivals

NEW ARRIVALS – JUNE 2025

ADULT FICTION

” Anima Rising: A Novel” by Christopher Moore — “Hilarious . . . [Moore’s] imagination swings into overdrive. He contemplates the sex lives of Klimt and Egon Schiele, writes pastiches derived from Frankenstein and the Freud-Jung correspondence, and even finds room to include a grating failed artist named Hitler. . . Plenty of fun to be had.” — Publishers Weekly

“Atmosphere: A Love Story” by Taylor Jenkins Reid — “Thrilling . . . heartbreaking . . . uplifting. . . Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel, Atmosphere, is the fast-paced, emotionally charged story of one ambitious young woman finding both her voice and her passion as she fights to become one of the first female NASA astronauts in the 1980s. You’ll barrel through this electric novel, rooting for the women to not only succeed in the space program but to soar. A pitch-perfect ending . . . I loved it.”—Kristin Hannah, author of The Women

“Beach House Rules” by Kristy Woods Harvey — “Charming and beachy in the best way, Beach House Rules will appeal to those looking for an escape with emotional depth.” — Booklist, starred review

“Big Bad Wool” by Leonie Swann — “Witty . . . As in the previous book, Swann gives each of her animal protagonists a distinctive voice and personality, and she stirs up hilarious misunderstandings between the flock and their human counterparts. The mystery itself is brisk and surprising. Cozy mystery fans will be delighted.” —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“Consider Yourself Kissed” by Jessica Stanley — “Follows Coralie’s journey through a decade of love affair with single dad Adam, marriage and motherhood, exploring the complexities of balancing personal aspirations with the demands of family life against the backdrop of a tumultuous era in British history. ” — Atlas Publishing

“Crush” by Ada Calhoun — “[In Crush,] Calhoun’s cleverest feat is blowing us along in this whirlwind of desire and possibility. As ever, Calhoun suggests, women must carve some new path through a thicket of emotional briars. That may sound grim, but rest assured this is not another tale about women’s sexuality that’s so depressing.” The Washington Post

“Death at the White Hart: A Novel” by Chris Chibnall — “Despite the contemporary setting, there’s a classic feel to this police procedural. The mystery is rooted in human emotions, like classic whodunits of a century ago. The cast of suspects is varied and interesting, much more than stereotype or even archetype, but the true delight is the introduction of Nicola and her team, a group of misfits who complement each other with dry humor and absolute commitment to their jobs. Hopefully, this is the start of a beautiful series.” —Kirkus

“Fever Beach: A Novel” by Carl Hiassen — “Carl Hiaasen’s Fever Beach turns, like many of his novels, on the actions of a collection of enthusiastic, comically unfocused malcontents….Mr. Hiaasen’s eye for the absurd, like his ear for dialogue, is as sharp as ever.” — Anna Mundow, Wall Street Journal

“Float Test” by Lynn Steger Strong — “Lynn Steger Strong’s exquisitely written fourth novel, The Float Test, is a piercing portrait of the Kenner clan … Steger Strong here experiments with point-of-view and memory, at times seeming to interrogate the validity of the novel form itself.” — Washington Post

“Great Big Beautiful Life” by Emily Henry — “Henry (Funny Story, 2024) continues to burnish her reputation for fashioning sublimely satisfying love stories with another perfectly calibrated, delectably witty tale featuring endearingly quirky, thoughtfully nuanced characters.”—Booklist (starred review)

“Just for the Summer” by Abby Jimenez — “This witty, emotion-filled novel from Jimenez isn’t one to just read, it’s one to sink into.” — Library Journal, starred review

“Mansion Beach” A Novel” by Meg Mitchell Moore — “Just as F. Scott Fitzgerald did, Moore looks critically at the spectacle of class and wealth. And though it’s fun for a Gatsby fan to note the ways the story follows and diverges from the original’s characters and plot, Mansion Beach stands on its own. It’s a summer read with a bite, like a cocktail with an extra shake of bitters.” — BookPage

“Open Season” by C. J. Box — “…an exciting nonstop ride…CJ Box has the uncanny ability to hold your full attention throughout this intriguing murder mystery….” — Dave Bragonier

“Run for the Hills” by Kevin Wilson — “In Kevin Wilson’s poignant, comic stories, the theatricality of family life often takes center stage. . . . This is Wilson’s special terrain, that sweet hurt where love and disappointment intersect. . . a slim, winsome story.” — Washington Post Book Review

“The Bombshell” by Darrow Farr — “Farr’s accomplished debut deftly balances heady ruminations on colonialism and revolution with relatable human moments…vibrant prose lends texture and urgency, while the fully fleshed characters’ increasingly thorny interpersonal relationships raise the story’s stakes and give it soul. A passionate powder keg of a novel.” —Kirkus Reviews

ADULT BIOGRAPHY

“Notes to John” by Joan Didion — “An intimate chronicle of [Didion’s] struggle to help her daughter. . . . Written with her signature precision though without her usual stylistic, incantatory repetitions, it is the least guarded of Didion’s writing.” —NPR

“Sad Tiger” by Neige Sinno — “Sinno’s prose is equal parts raw and lucid, and it’s enriched by fascinating readings of the sexual abuse depicted in Lolita and other works of literature. This is brilliant.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

ADULT NON-FICTION

“Abundance” by Ezra Klein and Derek Thompson — “A guide for liberals shaken by an age of factional polarization . . . [Klein and Thompson] are the best in the business at digesting and synthesizing expertise from a host of fields. . . . Abundance might inspire a demoralized Democratic Party to think big again.” —Samuel Moyn, New York Times Book Review

“Empty Vessel: The Story of the Global Economy in One Barge” by Ian Kumekawa — “A stellar account of a complex offshore world, as seen through the tangled history of a humble barge. . . . Throughout his epic telling, Kumekawa weaves in lucid and eye-opening explanations of the murky worlds of tax havens and loose regulations. The barge is at the heart of it all. The vessel has ‘no motor, no keel, no rudder,’ he writes, but his book has undeniable drive.” —Kirkus (starred review)

“Fatherhood: A History of Love and Power” by Augustine Sedgewick — “Sedgewick describes how thinking about dads has changed over time. What is striking is the sheer variety of nonsense that people have believed . . . [but he] concludes on a personal note. When he asks his young son what a father should be, the boy replies that a dad should be ‘funny and good at hugging.’ As parenting advice goes, that is hard to beat.” —The Economist

“Girl on Girl: How Pop Culture Turned a Generation of Women Against Themselves” by Sophie Gilbert — “Gilbert has earned a National Magazine Award and a spot on the Pulitzer Prize shortlist for her work as a critic with The Atlantic. In Girl on Girl, her first book-length work, Gilbert trains her gimlet eye on popular culture in the past 30 years and the ways that its pervasive images “calibrated to male desire” have reduced, distorted and ultimately undermined the promises of feminism.” —NPR.org

“Let’s Move the Needle: An Activism Handbook for Artists, Crafters, Creatives and Makers” by Shannon Downey — “This stimulating, thoughtfully-organized guide to craftivism will appeal both to activist-minded creatives and noncrafters looking for practical steps to help turn their intentions into action.” ―Library Journal, starred review

“Mother Media: Hot and Cool Parenting in the Twentieth Century” by Hannah Zeavin — “This is a brilliant exploration of mothers’ labor, which Zeavin illuminates as both subterranean and ubiquitous, both ignored and fundamental to a society’s conception of itself. Profound work for a profound topic.” —Lydia Kiesling, author of Mobility

“Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers” by Caroline Fraser — “Murderland is, by design, an extremely disturbing book . . . The killers’ individual stories are skillfully intertwined with suspenseful accounts of the eventually successful efforts to catch (most of) them . . . This propulsive narrative is buttressed by extensive research documented in voluminous footnotes. This is a cautionary tale, not a triumphal one, and Fraser closes with a passionate, angry passage whose biblical cadences ring with righteous fury. Carefully documented though it is, Murderland is at heart a cry of outrage.” —Washington Post

“Native Nations: A Millenium in North America” by Kathleen DuVal — “An essential American history . . . Examining both past and present from an indigenous rather than a European perspective, [Kathleen] DuVal fuses a millennium of Native American history into a thought-provoking, persuasive whole.”””The Wall Street Journal

“Night Magic: Adventures Among Glowworms, Moon Gardens, and Other Marvels of the Dark” by Leigh Ann Henion — “In Night Magic, darkness is revered, and its secrets are revealed . . . Henion’s vivid style of nature writing and complementary self-reflection are reminders that witnessing the extraordinary can be as easy as shifting your bedtime back an hour and going outside.”―Scientific American+

“Tequila Wars: Jose Cuervo and the Bloody Struggle for the Spirit of Mexico” by Ted Genoways — “I am amazed by the research that Ted Genoways has done on the Cuervo family. I treasure these stories of more than two hundred years of my ancestors, particularly the stories of the life of my great-uncle Jose Cuervo―and every word of it is true. . . . May Tequila Wars be read widely, now and for generations to come.” ― Luís Cuervo Hernández, author of La Familia Cuervo

“Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future” by Daniel Lewis –“Lyrical and lovely . . . A mix of personal encounter and plea for conservation. The dozen species that fall under his gaze include the giant redwood, sequoia, bristlecone pine, and ebony. . . . Seriously, who doesn’t love a tree, especially at Christmas?” The Guardian, “Best Science and Nature Books of 2024”