New Items
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Roman Year
The author of Call Me by Your Name returns with a deeply romantic memoir of his time in Rome while on the cusp of adulthood.
In Roman Year, André Aciman captures the period of his adolescence that began when he and his family first set foot in Rome, after being expelled from Egypt. Though Aciman’s family had been well-off in Alexandria, all vestiges of their status vanished when they fled, and the author, his younger brother, and his deaf mother moved into a rented apartment in Rome’s Via Clelia. Though dejected, Aciman’s mother and brother found their way into life in Rome, while Aciman, still unmoored, burrowed into his bedroom to read one book after the other. The world of novels eventually allowed him to open up to the city and, through them, discover the beating heart of the Eternal City.
Aciman’s time in Rome did not last long before he and his family moved across the ocean, but by the time they did, he was leaving behind a city he loved. In this memoir, the author, a genius of "the poetry of the place" (John Domini, The Boston Globe), conjures the sights, smells, tastes, and people of Rome as only he can. Aciman captures, as if in amber, a living portrait of himself on the brink of adulthood and the city he worshipped at that pivotal moment. Roman Year is a treasure, unearthed by one of our greatest prose stylists. -
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things
For fans of American Housewife and the work of Lily King, a provocative, razor-sharp, and riotously entertaining story collection exploring the dark side of family and femininity.
CONTAINS "COMORBIDITIES," WINNER OF THE BBC SHORT STORY PRIZE
In my life, I had always been a good woman; controlling what it was that I wanted. But recently, I had started to notice my bad energy, and I began to follow it, wondering where it would take me . . .
A woman has an unexpected outburst at a corporate therapy session for working mothers. A couple find some long-overdue time to rekindle their relationship and make an ill-advised home movie. A pregnant film director plots revenge on the actress who betrayed her. An ex-wife deliberately causes conflict at her ex-husband's wedding.
This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things illuminates the lives of malicious, subversive, and untamed women. Exploring failed sisterhood, dubious parenting, and the dark side of modern love, this powerful and funny collection exposes how society wants women to behave, and shows what happens when they refuse.
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The Jewel of the Isle
Two very indoor people rough it on a remote island after getting swept up in an archaeologist’s hunt for a famed jewel in this dazzling new adventure rom-com by Kerry Rea, author of Lucy on the Wild Side.
If Emily Edwards knows one thing, it’s that you don’t go to a remote island by yourself. Ever the type A personality, Emily doesn’t want to hike around an unfamiliar island, but she’s determined to fulfill her late father’s national park bucket list, starting with Isle Royale National Park—home to wolves, bears, and hundred-year-old shipwrecks. She has no choice but to hire a tour guide, and there is only one that isn’t booked solid.
Ryder Fleet, co-owner of Fleet Outdoor Adventures, wouldn’t call himself a wilderness expert, and he definitely doesn’t know how to find true north. But when his dormant adventure guide business suddenly finds life again after a random inquiry, Ryder somehow finds himself on a ferry to Isle Royale with a very beautiful, no-nonsense woman. What this woman doesn’t know is that his brother Caleb, who died two years ago, was the outdoorsman of their business, while Ryder just did the marketing. But how hard could it be to hike up a few mountains?
Pretty difficult, actually, when murder is involved. Emily’s perfectly planned trek turns disastrous when she and Ryder witness a brutal crime and are suddenly forced to evade a group of archaeologists on the hunt for a jewel. As they spend nights together too close for comfort, they realize their shoddily built fire isn’t the only thing that’s kindling, and that they must trust each other if they want to escape the island with their lives—and hearts—intact. -
The Icarus Needle
NEW ENTRY IN THE ICARUS SAGA FROM NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING AUTHOR TIMOTHY ZAHN.
Ten thousand years ago, a mysterious people known as the Icari vanished from the Spiral, leaving behind a network of portals that can instantaneously transport passengers hundreds or thousands of light-years across the stars.
Gregory Roarke and his Kadolian partner Selene have been tasked with seeking out these alien artifacts and bringing them under the control of the Icarus Group. But the Group’s leadership has changed, and Roarke soon finds himself at serious odds with the new director’s plans.
The result: a counter-plan that lands Roarke and Selene on a distant world with a broken city, a dozen portals, and a group of aliens called the Ammei who dream of using the portals to bring back their own glory days.
But their ambitions will be costly, and not just for themselves. Roarke and Selene must put together the scattered clues and solve the riddle of the Ammei and their plans, while at the same time fending off the Patth and their bid to claim the city and portals for themselves.
Because the Icari are gone . . . aren’t they? -
The Loose End
Introducing Professor Teigan Craft, a neurodiverse forensic psychologist getting into the minds of Birmingham's most twisted killers.
No one has seen reclusive Emma Matheson for years. But when her mummified remains are found in the cellar of a property in Birmingham during a renovation, the chilling discovery raises more questions than answers.
Forensic psychologist Professor Teigan 'Tig' Craft from Central University is called in to assist DCI Steve Thompson's team with the investigation, and her shrewd observations on her first police case quickly profile a ruthlessly efficient killer. So ruthless they have struck more than once? As Teigan uncovers a number of cold murder cases involving young women linked by geography and time to Emma's terrible fate, Thompson is unconvinced by her theories and unconventional style. Can they learn to work together to catch a serial killer before another tragedy strikes?
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Past Redemption
DI McAvoy must prevent a dangerous convict from being released on parole in the latest instalment of this acclaimed gritty police procedural series.
"An outstanding read for those who like their crime thrillers gritty, graphic, and gripping" Booklist Starred Review
Decland Parfitt, one of Northumberland's most dangerous criminals, is about to be released after fourteen years in prison. It's up to DCS Trish Pharaoh and DI Aector McAvoy to prevent this from happening.
Parfitt's foster daughter Ruby doesn't believe her father is guilty of some of the worst crimes imaginable and is appealing to the parole board for him. McAvoy has to try and convince Ruby to see the real predator in Parfitt.
Meanwhile, Trish has her own investigation which could lead to more answers: tracking down a mysterious, extremely violent vigilante.
But will the duo and their team be able to stop Parfitt's release and what does a body in the middle of a deserted road have to do with their investigation? Are there even darker forces at play that will make McAvoy question his own sanity?
Fans of Val McDermid, Ian Rankin, Denise Mina and Peter Robinson will find DI McAvoy "a true original" (Mick Herron). Another dark and immersive case from the Sunday Times best-selling, Kindle chart-topping author.
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A Thousand Threads
*Named a Most Anticipated Book by New York magazine, The Associated Press, Town and Country, The Guardian, The BBC, and more*
A vibrant memoir from Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Neneh Cherry who shares an inside look at her fascinating career and globe-traversing journeys in a life of love and music.
Born in Sweden in 1964, Neneh Cherry’s father Ahmadu was a musician from Sierra Leone. Her mother, Moki, was a twenty-one-year-old Swedish textile artist. Her parents split up just after Neneh was born, and not long afterwards Moki met and fell in love with acclaimed jazz musician Don Cherry. Eventually, the strong pull New York City in the 1970s drew him them there, but they made a home wherever they traveled. Neneh and her brother Eagle-Eye experienced a life of creativity, freedom, and, of course, music.
In A Thousand Threads, Neneh takes readers from the charming old schoolhouse in the woods of Sweden where she grew up, to the village in Sierra Leone that was birthplace of her biological father, to the early punk scene in London and New York, to finding her identity with her stepfather’s family in Watts, California. Neneh has lived an extraordinary life of connectivity and creativity and she recounts in intimate detail how she burst onto the scene as a teenager in the punk band The Slits, and went on to release her first album in 1989 with a worldwide hit single “Buffalo Stance.”
Neneh’s inspiring and deeply compelling memoir both celebrates female empowerment and shines a light on the global music scene—and is perfect for anyone interested in the artistic life in all its forms. -
Growing Up Urkel
An incisive and insightful memoir by one of the most beloved icons of nineties television Jaleel White, the actor who portrayed Steve Urkel on the hit sitcom Family Matters.
DOES IT BOTHER YOU WHEN PEOPLE STILL CALL YOU URKEL?
“This is a question I get all the time and it’s an interesting one—because the question lands differently from different people. Over the years, I’ve trained myself to hear their tone when saying the name or asking the question. If it’s an older grandmother who hasn’t seen me in a while she’ll say, ‘Oh baby, it’s Urkel!’ with genuine enthusiasm, and I’ll greet her with love and give her a hug.
At this point in my life, I firmly understand that this journey was never just about me. It’s been about finding my calling and figuring out the best ways to use it to bring joy to others. I see my story as a testament to the power of perseverance, authenticity, and reinvention.”
In his memoir, Growing Up Urkel, Jaleel White takes you on a memorable journey through the peaks, valleys, and plateaus of fame and fortune. Join Jaleel as he invites you to relive the unforgettable ride of nineties nostalgia, while uncovering the personal growth behind the iconic suspenders and the lasting impact of his journey as one of America’s favorite sitcom stars. -
Bright Shining
'A powerful book from one of my favorite writers on something we all need more of...and could give more of.' -- Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy
"Luminous. . . . A work to both devour and savour, Baird has, once again, written a book the world needs now.'"--Guardian
From the bestselling author of Phosphorescence comes a beautiful and timely exploration of that most mysterious but necessary of human qualities: grace.
Grace is hard to define. It can be found when we create ways to find meaning and dignity in connection with each other, building on our shared humanity, being kinder, bigger, better with each other. If, in its crudest interpretation, karma is getting what you deserve, then grace is the opposite: forgiving the unforgivable, favoring the undeserving, loving the unlovable.
Sadly, we live in an era when grace is increasingly rare. Our growing distrust of the media, politicians, and each other has choked our ability to trust, to accept, to allow for mistakes, to forgive.
What does grace look like in today's world, and how do we recognize it, nurture it in ourselves and express it, even in the darkest of times? In this luminously beautiful, deeply insightful, and timely book, Baird explores the meaning of grace and how we can cut through negativity to find it today.
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Have a Good Trip
From a much-loved expert and popular science writer comes this straight-from-the-trenches report on how and why folks from all walks of life are using magic mushrooms to enhance their lives.
Interest in psychedelic mushrooms has never been greater – or the science less definitive. Popular science writer and amateur mycologist Eugenia Bone reports on the state of psychedelics today, from microdosing to heroic trips, illustrating how “citizen science” and anecdotal accounts of the mushrooms’ benefits are leading the new wave of scientific inquiry into psilocybin.
With her signature blend of first-person narrative and scientific rigor, Bone breaks down just how the complicated cocktail of psychoactive compounds is thought to interact with our brain chemistry. She explains how mindset and setting can impact a trip – whether therapeutic, spiritual/mystical, or simply pleasure seeking – and vividly evokes the personalities and protocols that populate the tripping scene, from the renegade “’Noccers” of Washington who merrily disperse magic mushroom spores around Seattle, to the indigenous curanderas who conduct traditional ceremonies in remote Mexican villages.
Throughout she shares her journey through the world of mushrooms, cultivating her own stash, grappling with personal challenges, and offering the insights she gleaned from her experiences. For both seasoned trippers and the merely mushroom curious, Have a Good Trip offers a balanced, entertaining, and provocative look at this rapidly evolving cultural phenomenon.
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