Where can you check out books, movies and TV shows, attend tech classes, enjoy book discussions and more? The Reading Room at the Senior Center is open to all.
State-of-the-art library-on-wheels makes its debut, offering greater accessibility, modern features.
On Thursday, August 13, the library’s centennial celebration continued by Celebrating a Century of Fun at the Arlington Heights Senior Center.
Your Next Great Read
The princess trap
"A charming standalone royal fake dating romance by bestselling author and TikTok favorite Talia Hibbert. Cherry Neita is done with men-until one irresistible night with a sexy stranger shatters her dry spell and her peace of mind. Too bad he turns out to be a scandal-prone prince, and their steamy alleyway kiss just became front-page news. Now Ruben has a plan to fix it all...if Cherry agrees to fake an engagement with the royal pain who ruined her life"-- Provided by publisher
Whisper Creek
"After the sudden death of her husband, Ellen McKenna is doing everything she can to keep her Texas farm afloat. She and her family hope to expand their operation, but times are tough and making ends meet is more expensive than she imagined, much less trying to grow. Many of their neighbors in Cooke County have thrown in the towel and agreed to sell their farms to a local businessman, but despite similar pressure, Ellen refuses to let her dreams die. On top of the usual hardships, a series of recent storms has left the region partly flooded, and as the heavy rain begins again one morning, all the members of the McKenna family jump into action to protect their land and animals. Ellen's oldest son discovers an injured dog - and the dog leads him to a man barely clinging to life, the apparent victim of a brutal home invasion. Then, Ellen's younger kids go to check on a nearby neighbor and walk into a threat none of them saw coming. Before anyone can figure out what's really going on in their idyllic rural valley, the storm picks up again in intensity, and the McKenna kids find themselves in over their heads with no way to call for help. To protect her farm--and her family--Ellen must face down all the forces trying to tear them apart"--
Majestic Hills
"Tired of the daily drama in his emergency room, Dr. Langdon Blaque is in search of a place where he can leave the world behind. He loves his job and has no delusions about the suburbs being perfect, but he wants peace and quiet. His wife Josephine, a lawyer, grew up listening to her father's stories about the Jim Crow South, and sundown towns. She prefers the city. Still, she agrees to move with the caveat that they stay for a year and reassess. The tight-knit, predominantly white group of neighbors in Majestic Hills initially welcomes them with open arms. But beneath the veneer of privileged harmony, tensions simmer. When a horrifying crime rocks the community, the illusion of safety is shattered, and Josephine and Langdon find themselves at the heart of a brewing storm that pits neighbor against neighbor, exposes deeply ingrained prejudices, and threatens to implode into violence. As their experiment in suburban living ticks toward the one-year mark, the Blaques are pushed to a breaking point. Can they find a way to make a home in Majestic Hills? Or has the move put their future, their marriage, and even their safety in jeopardy?"--
Names have been changed
"A stylish and fast-paced debut novel follows Ophir--not her real name--as she reveals the story of her last ten years on the run around the world, in a confessional podcast that soon charms countless fans, even as she risks her anonymity and freedom"-- Provided by publisher
A splintering
"In a village in rural Pakistan, Tara is watching and waiting. The smell of dung and dust hangs over her world. She is desperate to leave her petty life in the village and escape the iron grip of her violent, unpredictable brother. Marrying a middle-class accountant allows her to escape to the capital, but she soon finds that life as a respectable housewife is not enough. She wants what the rich mothers at her children's school have. Her desire for wealth and freedom becomes an obsession--one for which she'll push her marriage and herself to the brink. When her brother comes back into her life, dragging the specter of all she's escaped, Tara must decide if there are any lines she won't cross to live the life she deserves. Set against a hypnotic, oppressive backdrop of political violence and natural disaster, A Splintering traces the class struggle of a woman stuck between province and metropolis, between motherhood and ambition. Disquieting and utterly gripping, it is an extraordinary achievement by Dur e Aziz Amna, an exploration of a complex and unforgettable character who will risk everything to carve out a life of her own."--Amazon
Brain damage
"From #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Intruder! How can you survive when you can't remember who wants you dead? Dr. Charly McKenna had the perfect life: a thriving dermatology practice, a luxury apartment overlooking Central Park, and a handsome husband who adored her. Until the night a bullet tore through her skull... and stole everything. Now Charly wakes in a rehabilitation hospital unable to walk, speak, or remember her own name. All she knows is that someone tried to kill her--and they may still be out there. As fragments of memory surface, so do unsettling questions about the people around her, including the attentive man who keeps appearing at her bedside. The truth of what happened that night lives somewhere inside her brain. And as Charly pieces together the jagged edges of her past, she begins to realize the most terrifying possibility: the person who wants her dead might be the one she once trusted most. From #1 New York Times bestselling author Freida McFadden comes a scalpel-sharp psychological thriller about fractured memory, buried secrets, and how far the mind will go to protect you from the truth"--
Beneath the trees where nobody sees rite of Spring
It's been eight long years since a bloodlusting brown bear drove into the city, kidnapped a kind young duck, dissected his body, and buried the pieces in the woods. The duck's family painstakingly sought justice, but this brown bear was smart. She covered her tracks, and in the '80s, there simply wasn't a way for the duck's family to find answers. But it's not the '80s anymore. Almost a decade after cuddly brown bear Samantha Strong solidified herself as the sole serial killer in Woodbrook, the world is entering a new era. As Samantha will soon find out, there are no secrets in the age of the internet. And those who lost loved ones to her massacre haven't given up the flame of justice. A reckoning is coming to Woodbrook. Join visionary writer and artist Patrick Horvath as he returns to the hit series that has taken the comic world by storm!
Corto Maltese fable of Venice and other adventures
"Corto, a modern Ulysses whose wanderings in the early decades of the 20th century take him to the most fascinating places on Earth, is a hard-luck, hard-driving iconoclastic anti-hero who values freedom and independence more than wealth and status. In 'Fable of Venice,' a riddle from a deceased friend plunges Corto into a phantasmagorical mystery thriller that zigzags between the solidity of dreams and the fluidity of reality. A frantic chase in 1921 Venice ensues, up twisting stairs and down tangled alleys, as Corto vies against Freemasons, occultists, budding fascists, and his friend (suddenly back from the dead) in a mad scramble to secure a mystical emerald that will open the doors of forbidden magic and unravel time and space itself!"--
The boat house
"An unexpected inheritance from their late uncle brought Madison (Taylor) Wainwright and her brother Lincoln to Smuggler's Cove. But it's the quirky, close-knit locals who've convinced them to stay for the summer. The little town may be worlds away from the privileged existence the siblings knew before their father was arrested for fraud, but here, they've found a sense of belonging. After renovating the dilapidated boat house that once served as a local marina for crabbers and clammers, Madison and Lincoln are settling in for a true Jersey Shore summer, complete with the town's famous Seafood Festival. Visitors love learning about the area's history--the tales of pirates and privateers, cryptic maps and buried treasure. Those stories seem like harmless fantasy until a seemingly worthless map is stolen from their boathouse. Could their uncle's rudimentary map show the true location of Captain Kidd's treasure? Or was there another, more sinister motive behind the theft? As Madison and Lincoln dig deeper, they learn that the legends underpinning Smuggler's Cove's history may also have the power to tear it apart, unless they can quickly separate fiction from fact, and guilty from innocent..."--
Everything we found
"On the outside, Nadia Jacobs is a cool, confident architect at the top of her game. But for the past decade, she's been quietly building walls to keep the people she loves most at arm's length. All because of him. Thomas Donato sacrificed everything when he forced Nadia to keep a dangerous secret from everyone they knew. He did it to protect his family. But it cost him the woman he's secretly loved since they were kids. ... When his past abruptly crashes into their present, they are both suddenly on the run. Not only are they forced to confront the price of a secret they've kept for a decade, but a truth even more treacherous: their feelings for each other. With time running out and nowhere to hide, will their love heal what darkness broke in them all those years ago, or will it shatter them forever?"--Page 4 of cover
The unselected journals of Emma M. Lion. Vol. 5
"The Year is 1883 and Emma M. Lion has returned to her London neighborhood of St. Crispian's. But Emma's plans for a charmed and studious life are sabotaged by her eccentric Cousin Archibald, her formidable Aunt Eugenia, and the slightly odd denizens of St. Crispian's. Emma M. Lion offers up her Unselected Journals, however self-incriminating they may be, which comprise a series of novella-length volumes. Armed with wit and a sideways amusement, Emma documents the curious realities of her life at Lapis Lazuli House."-- Provided by publisher
Married with benefits
"Lainey Davis can't wait for the day she'll be able to escape her tiny Wisconsin town. But she's not even close to covering her health insurance premiums and pricey migraine medication, let alone saving up enough to start over some place new. That is, until Lainey receives some news that might upend her unlucky streak. Through the archaic legal doctrine of adverse possession, Lainey has inadvertently squatted her way into owning one of the most notorious houses in modern architectural history. But Lainey owns only the house. The surrounding property, a lakeside money pit the previous owner used as a front to deal illegal reptiles, has been willed to newcomer Elliot Hodges, a D.C. architect who wants to rent the place to fellow architecture lovers. Neither can rent or sell without reaching an agreement. Desperate to rent out the only valuable house on the property, Elliot proposes an unconventional arrangement: marry him for health insurance and in exchange, she'll allow him to rent the house as part of his resort until he's saved enough to buy her out. It's a win-win situation: Lainey will finally have a way out of her small town, and he'll own the house designed by his architectural idol. But when the end date looms and their connection grows, Lainey's no longer sure what's more terrifying: leaving Elliot behind or letting him in"-- Provided by publisher
How to ruin a wedding
"Lucy Delgado knows all about things that don't work out. Between two failed marriages and losing her job, "meant to be" doesn't seem to mean much anymore. And watching her sister's marriage deteriorate isn't convincing Lucy otherwise. Desperate for money and disillusioned by love, she turns her nothing-left-to-lose attitude into action as a professional wedding saboteur. Lucy knows how to play any part--old lover, nosy relative, wise stranger--to save brides and grooms from making the same mistakes she did. Until she crashes the wrong ceremony. For Anders Kennedy, Lucy's timing couldn't be better. She's exactly what he needs to derail his own sister's upcoming nuptials by posing as Anders's new girlfriend so she can slip into the family circle and sabotage from within. And Anders has the kind of money Lucy can't afford to turn down. As they fake-date their way through family celebrations, high jinks, and secrets, Lucy and Anders are forced to confront their cynicism about marriage. Their schemes were meant for the greater good, but what if love really does conquer all?" --Amazon
The final chapter
"Ten years ago, a bestselling, critically acclaimed literary author disappeared without a trace...and without a final novel. In recent days, that missing manuscript has surfaced, but strangely enough, it's not another genius work of literary fiction, but an espionage novel full of all-too-stereotypical spycraft and James Bond-like twists. His former publisher has asked the author's best friend--and fellow author named C.B. Everett--to annotate the novel with details from real life to give the strange novel context within his larger oeuvre. But as C.B. reads, he finds the espionage thriller is filled with references to events and people who feel a little too familiar, and soon he's wondering if the novel might in fact be a key to his missing friend's disappearance. There's text and subtext aplenty, and C.B. is determined to learn once and for all what happened to his friend through solving the mystery woven into the pages. But the final chapter may hold secrets darker and more threatening than anyone anticipated."--
A deal at dawn
"Katherine Wilcox Palmers, the Viscountess of Hampton, has lost custody of the daughter she secretly bore to Jahleel Charles, now the Duke of Torrance. The bitter court ruling was engineered by the duke himself, but now he is gravely ill. If he dies, Katherine, branded a scandalous bigamist by her late husband's vengeful family, may never see her child again--unless she makes a bold offer . . . Desperate, Katherine swallows her pride and proposes that she will nurse the Jahleel back to health, serve his every need, and keep up appearances, on one condition: he will secure her a respectable husband to silence society's gossip. In private, she will be his mistress. . . . But Jahleel has plans of his own. Pressured to produce an heir, he resolves to marry someone else. The hereditary blood sickness that plagues them both means Katherine can never be his bride again--no matter how fiercely their old passions reignite. As dangerous forces gather, composed of those who would erase their child from the peerage for her mixed heritage, Jahleel and Katherine must confront the betrayals and deceptions that tore them apart. To protect their daughter, and fight for the future they were denied, they must jeopardize everything. Especially their hearts." --
I identify as blind a brazen celebration of disability culture, identity, and power
"Lachi is an award-winning musician and leader who awakens the world to this truth: Disability has long shaped our culture and is an identity worth brazenly celebrating. In this book, Lachi welcomes readers into the vibrant world of Disability Culture, centering identity, innovation, and unapologetic pride. I Identify as Blind pulses with energy. Through magnetic storytelling, pop-culture deep dives, and historical insight, Lachi challenges mainstream views on disability with humor, heart, and high fashion. She reveals how the adaptability of visionaries with disabilities throughout the years have always driven progress. The book features dynamic conversations with trailblazing figures like U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth, Breaking Bad star RJ Mitte, Microsoft executive Jenny Lay-Flurrie, and so many more. Lachi even takes readers behind the scenes at Coldplay concerts, since after Chris Martin developed tinnitus, he transformed his concerts into some of the most accessible in the world. Each story reframes disability not as a deficit but as a wellspring of collective strength. And inventions created for people with disabilities benefit everyone-from audiobooks to curb cuts to the Internet. (Vint Cerf helped develop the first commercial email service, because he had trouble communicating by phone.) With punchy humor and radical honesty, Lachi dismantles stereotypes and builds a new narrative of Disability identity. I Identify as Blind is an invitation to a cultural movement-welcoming everyone to celebrate Disability as a source of power and pride. Come for the laughs, stay for the mic drops"-- Provided by publisher
Vietnamese for beginners learning conversational Vietnamese
The complete Vietnamese language guide-designed to get you speaking, reading and writing quickly! This comprehensive and engaging language guide gives beginning learners everything they need to speak, read and write Vietnamese with minimum fear or fuss. Learners will appreciate the extensive introduction to the alphabet, sounds and tones of the language, the lively dialogues and grammar notes, helpful etiquette tips and insights on life in Vietnam today. This book has several unique features: Two introductory chapters devoted to presenting the Vietnamese alphabet, with free online audio recordings by native speakers designed to help you master the difficult sounds and tones of the language Contemporary real-world dialogues about daily life, travel and family in Vietnam-presented in text form and in entertaining manga-style comic strips Illustrated readings and proverbs offer authentic windows onto traditional and modern Vietnamese culture Plus 200 free downloadable flashcards and extensive glossaries at the back of the book Author Tri C. Tran has taught Vietnamese to English speakers for over two decades at the university level, and has designed this book to enable learners to pick up the language easily with or without the help of a teacher
Bookish how reading shapes our lives
Bookish: How Reading Shapes Our Lives by Lucy Mangan is a memoir exploring the role of reading and literature across different stages of the author's life. The work traces the author's development from childhood through adulthood, examining how books influenced her personal growth, education, relationships, and experiences of work, parenthood, and loss. Through reflections on a range of literary genres and reading environments, the book considers the cultural and emotional significance of reading and the ways in which shared literary experiences foster connection among readers
Building outdoor kitchens for every budget DIY instructions and over 300 photos to bring attractive, functional kitchens no matter your budget
Everyone wants an outdoor kitchen, but most people think they can't afford one... this book will fix that! Incorporating lots of design ideas, plenty of dream kitchens for inspiration, step-by-step instruction, and clear how-to photographs, Building Outdoor Kitchens for Every Budget shows the budget-conscious homeowner how to bring attractive and functional outdoor kitchens within your reach. This book includes more than 300 photographs and plenty of DIY-friendly projects, which have the aesthetics and utility of expensive professional projects at a fraction of the price! It shows you how to build lightweight masonry counters using steel studs and concrete backboard and offers alternatives to high-end appliances to stretch your renovation dollar. You'll find creative budget tips, dreaming and planning guides, and example kitchen styles to stoke the fires of your imagination (and your grill). Also included is information on accessories and amenities to affordably customize an outdoor kitchen: Fire pits, a variety of adobe or clay ovens, pergolas, awnings, TV and stereo equipment, mosquito abatement, misters and heaters, fireplaces, pizza ovens, and standup churrasco grills. From backsplashes and pizza ovens to grills and awnings, there are enough wallet-friendly tips here to transform your outdoor space into a functioning modern kitchen and keep it all within a limited budget
The Cloudbuster Nine the untold story of Ted Williams and the baseball team that helped win World War II
"In 1943, while the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals were winning pennants and meeting in that year's World Series, Ted Williams, Johnny Pesky, and Johnny Said practiced on a skinned-out college field in the heart of North Carolina. They and other past and future stars formed one of the greatest baseball teams of all time. They were among a cadre of fighter-pilot cadets who wore the Cloudbuster Nine baseball jersey at an elite Navy training school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. As a child, Anne Keene's father, Jim Raugh, suited up as the team batboy and mascot. He got to know his baseball heroes personally, watching players hit the road on cramped, tin-can buses, dazzling factory workers, kids, and service members at dozens of games, including a war-bond exhibition with Babe Ruth at Yankee Stadium. Jimmy followed his baseball dreams as a college All-American but was crushed later in life by a failed major-league bid with the Detroit Tigers. He would have carried this story to his grave had Anne not discovered his scrapbook from a Navy school that shaped America's greatest heroes including George H. W. Bush, Gerald Ford, John Glenn, and Paul "Bear" Bryant. With the help of rare images and insights from World War II baseball veterans such as Dr. Bobby Brown and Eddie Robinson, the story of this remarkable team is brought to life for the first time in The Cloudbuster Nine: The Untold Story of Ted Williams and the Baseball Team That Helped Win World War II"--
Teach yourself complete German
"Learn German that you'll actually use and deepen your appreciation of German-speaking cultures with Teach Yourself complete German. Designed with the independent learner in mind, you'll find clear explanations and targeted practice, fun conversations and storyline, and vibrant culture notes and audio. With plenty of support to plan, track and stay on your learning journey, this course is perfect whether you want to rekindle your knowledge and love of the German language and German-speaking cultures or if you're keen to explore something new!"--Page 4 of cover
Love poems
"For the first time, Rupi Kaur's heartfelt love poems are together in one intimate and timeless collection! ...'love will come and when love comes love will hold you love will call your name'... Since her groundbreaking debut with the bestselling milk and honey, Rupi Kaur's poetry has become a source of comfort, empowerment, and emotional truth for millions around the world. Now, for the first time ever, her most cherished reflections on love are together in one place! Love Poems by Rupi Kaur is a curated collection of love poems from Kaur's acclaimed body of work, including poems from milk and honey, the sun and her flowers, and home body, along with an all-new introduction. These timeless pieces capture the sensuality, romance, passion, and all-consuming nature of modern love, making it the perfect gift for anyone who has loved deeply or is learning to love themselves."--Amazon.com
The dangerous shore how a motley crew of scientists, mobsters, double agents, retirees, volunteer pilots (and a boy scout) stopped the invasion of America
"Sara Vladic, New York Times bestselling author of Indianapolis, reveals the gripping, untold history of the United States under attack during World War II and the improbable patriots who stepped up to defend their country in her hour of need."--Amazon
Teach yourself beginners' Indonesian
Beginners' Indonesian is for absolute beginners and those who've had some previous experience with the language and want to refresh their knowledge. Clear and simple explanations make the course appropriate and accessible to anyone learning Indonesian. There are extensive illustrations and tools to help you plan your studies and track your progress, all designed to support learning on your own. This course is also ideal to use with one-to-one tutoring and as a classroom course, and it's the perfect resource to pair with a language-learning app
Christianity in the crosshairs ruling class and radicals find a common enemy
"In Christianity in the Crosshairs, Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League, shows how the ruling class allied with the radical left to fundamentally transform America. But patriotic and independent-minded Americans--particularly faithful Catholics--are impeding their progress. As a result, these defenders of faith and family have become the targets of an ongoing campaign of persecution. Donohue analyzes at length the many fronts of this war on Christianity and then calls upon his listeners to fight back. The ruling class, argues Donohue, has teamed up with radicals to remake American cultural institutions and weaken civil liberties guaranteed in the Constitution. Seduction and control are what motivates elites, especially those who occupy the command centers in the political arena. More than anything else they want the creation of a compliant citizenry. Unlike the tyrants of old, today's ruling class opts for democratic despotism, the soft version of totalitarianism. They are no less a threat to freedom. The elite class and their radical allies are willing to do anything to accumulate more power and control. Despite their efforts, however, Donohue reminds Christians of how we can battle effectively "against the world rulers of this present darkness."" --
The cost of quiet how to have the hard conversations that create secure, lasting love
"An empowering, healing guide that reveals the true cost of avoidant behavior in a relationship-disconnection, disengagement, and divorce-and shows how we can instead learn to speak up and start connecting with the ones we love most. "I wish I had spoken up sooner." People think relationships fail because of deal breakers like infidelity, finances, or parenting problems. But the real culprit is often much less dramatic: emotional disconnection after years of staying silent and avoiding conflict. We're afraid to say what we need because we worry about what will come next. Avoidant behavior-the need to "keep the peace" rather than dealing with conflict head on-isn't our fault. Our ingrained attachment wiring urges us to sidestep day-to-day disputes and brush lingering problems under the rug. But silence is a losing proposition in the long term, leading us to self-abandon and essentially "quiet quit" our relationships. We can make another choice. In The Cost of Quiet, licensed marriage and family therapist Colette Jane Fehr shines a light on the epidemic of avoidant behavior and how to overcome it. Drawing from the latest attachment science and evidence-based therapies she's used to repair the bond between hundreds of couples, Fehr gives us the tools to approach those we love with openness, honesty, and vulnerability. The ultimate goal: a securely attached relationship that engages with conflict productively, and the confidence that comes from speaking up and being heard-because a good relationship is worth fighting for"--
The nonalcoholic bar classic and creative cocktails for everyone
"There are plenty of reasons to need or want a drink--and plenty of reasons for that drink not to contain alcohol. But simply omitting it often yields a glass of something boring: more than just a buzz-maker, alcohol creates complexity and interest when it's in a drink. So how do you make up for that when you leave it out?"--Cover page 2
Guide to hydroponic gardening : how to grow food in any space without soil or sunlight
"Guide to Hydroponic Gardening is your all-in-one manual for growing your own food--without dirt, and without limits. Hydroponics offers a clean, efficient, and highly adaptable way to garden indoors using water-based systems that thrive in small spaces and low-light environments. This comprehensive guide walks you through everything you need to know to get started and succeed. From choosing between a store-bought setup or DIY build to understanding essential tools, avoiding common pitfalls, and keeping your plants pest-free, Martin answers the questions every new hydroponic gardener asks--before you even think to ask them. Whether you're growing for flavor, fun, or food security, Guide to Hydroponic Gardening gives you the tools to harvest success--right from your kitchen counter." -- Provided by publisher
Everlasting blooms 25+ floristry projects to bring the magic of dried flowers into your life
"If you've ever wished your flowers could last forever in all of their colourful glory, this book will teach you how. Learn how to dry flowers while retaining their vibrancy, then create statement wreaths, mantel arrangements, wall hangings and even lampshades to weave the magic of forever flowers into your home decor for years to come. Layla Robinson is a floral artist who creates colourful dried flower arrangements that harnesses nature's wild beauty into unique sustainable pieces which will bring the joy of spring and summer into your home even through the depths of winter. Dried flowers and foliage can often look brown and crispy, whereas Layla's technique preserves the bright hues of high summer in a dazzling array of textures and colours that will bring any space alive with its detail and vibrancy. In this book, you'll learn the basics of how to cut and prepare flowers, and craft stunning floral arrangements to decorate your home without fading the flowers' vibrant natural beauty"--Publisher's description
Uncluttered faith own less, love more, and make an impact in your world
"This work is a transformative guide to experiencing the fullness of God's promises through the power of minimalism-from the bestselling author of The More of Less and The Minimalist Home"-- Provided by publisher
Speaking of Harpo
"The autobiography of Harpo Marx's wife, Susan Fleming, tells the story of her time as a Broadway showgirl during the Roaring Twenties, her struggles as an up-and-coming movie actress in 1930s Hollywood, and her twenty-eight-year marriage to Harpo. But her story doesn't end there: Susan rediscovered her own identity as a relatively young widow after Harpo's death in 1964"--
Don't buy what I'm selling on breaking up with advertising and finally learning to love my whole, fat self
"As a high-level advertising creative director for 14 years, Lu Chekowsky willed inanimate objects to life and made people want to buy stuff they didn't need. Her colleagues called her "Mary Manifesto" because she could whip up an emotional ad campaign like no one else. Need someone to channel Michael Jordan so people will line up and buy his latest sneaker? That's Lu. Need to convince a cranky teen heartthrob to take his shirt off for an ad designed to get teenage girls across America to swoon? That's her too. It was a regular workday when she made same-day cross-country trips between New York and LA to satisfy the CEOs who counted on her to pump up their profits--ignoring her own voice and using it in service of their company's bottom line. Chekowsky was great at her job because she'd trained for it her whole life. She'd gotten the memo about how worthless her body was at moving products--because she was the one who wrote it. As someone whose body was always far from what the world held up as ideal, Chekowsky grew up trying to find a place where she could fit in. Everywhere she looked, the images she saw were designed to make girls feel terrible. The only person who could make her feel worthy was her larger-than-life mom; but even that was complicated when her mother got sick with cancer when she was just eleven years old. For years, Chekowsky tried to look past what it felt like to be underestimated by her male colleagues, the 14-hour work days spent satisfying the demands of the latest celebrity/boss/pop star/social media app, and her work that required her to, every day, perpetuate unrealistic beauty standards, before she went home and binged alone on bags of takeout."--
Clothes, clothes, clothes music, music, music boys, boys, boys a memoir
"A raw chronicle of music, fashion, love, sex, feminism, and more that connects the early days of punk to the Riot Grrl movement and beyond ... [Songwriter and musician] Viv Albertine's ... memoir is the story of an empowered woman staying true to herself and making it on her own in the modern world"--Amazon.com
John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band
Hindsight & all the things I can't see in front of me
There was a little girl the real story of my mother and me
The award-winning actress and best-selling author of Down Came the Rain explores her relationship with her tough single mom, detailing her role in shaping Shields' career, her fierce protectiveness and her struggles with alcohol. Brooke Shields never had what anyone would consider an ordinary life. She was raised by her Newark-tough single mom, Teri, a woman who loved the world of show business and was often a media sensation all by herself. Only Shields knows the truth of the remarkable, difficult, complicated woman who was her mother. And now, in an honest, open memoir about her life growing up, Shields will reveal stories and feelings that are relatable to anyone who has been a mother or daughter
They went another way a Hollywood memoir
"A darkly comic memoir about being a working creative person in a world that is growing ever more dysfunctional, by acclaimed New Yorker cartoonist and television writer Bruce Eric Kaplan In January of 2022, Bruce Eric Kaplan found himself confused and upset by the state of the world and the state of his life as a television writer in Los Angeles. He started a journal to keep from going mad. That journal is now They Went Another Way. The book's through line traces his trying to get a television project set up in the increasingly Byzantine world of Hollywood. But as he details the project's ups and downs, Kaplan finds himself not only ruminating on show business, but also on today's political and social issues, on old movies and TV shows and music, on his family, on his friends, on his past, on his failing heating system, and on all the dead birds that kept showing up in his backyard. This hilarious and surprisingly moving book is about life-about art, about love, about alienation, about connection, about ugliness and beauty, about disappointment and wonder and hope. In short, it is about everything. And if it's not, it almost is"--
Average at best
Astrid Jorgensen is on a mission to teach the world to sing. But she's not promising to make anybody better at singing - she simply wants people to feel less ashamed of whatever voice they have. The thing about 'best' is - it's rare. Elusive, even. Life doesn't hand it out freely. And that's exactly why Astrid is so determined not to let the pursuit of 'best' rule her life. She's all-in for chasing those ordinary, but extraordinary, moments that make this one precious life feel truly full. As the creator of Pub Choir - a global phenomenon that unites complete strangers to connect, laugh and make beautiful music - Astrid takes you behind the curtain as she unflinchingly stares down her dizzying highs, her crushing lows, and everything in between. Astrid has performed on stages around the world, rubbed shoulders with prime ministers and celebrities, and has taught hundreds of thousands of people how to work together in literal harmony. Along the way, she low-key became the best at something, while sometimes feeling the worst. Is that... balance? From almost becoming a nun (seriously) to committing unspeakable crimes against a chip packet, this joyful debut traverses the divide between confidence and doubt. Because most things happen between the extremes. This is an imperfect perfectionist's account of how all of it counts in the end
Insomnia
"The rock legend tells the story of his wild ride with Martin Scorcese--as friends, adventure-seekers, and boundary-pushing collaborators--with all the heart of his New York Times bestselling memoir, Testimony. For three decades, Robbie Robertson has produced soundtracks for Martin Scorsese's films, a relationship that began when Robertson convinced Scorsese to direct The Last Waltz, the iconic film of the Band's farewell performance at the Winterland Ballroom on Thanksgiving 1976. The closing of the Band's story with that landmark concert opened a new door in Robbie Robertson's life--specifically the door to Scorsese's Malibu home. With both men on the outs with their wives, Robertson moved into Scorsese's place, inaugurating a two-year "lost weekend" of wild revelry and adventure. Though both men had already accomplished culture-changing feats, neither had reached thirty-five years of age, and each in his way stood at a creative precipice, searching for the beginning of a new phase of life and work. Their shared journey would take them around the world and down the rabbit hole of American culture in the long hangover of the seventies, a path lined with equal parts hedonism and paranoia, set against the backdrop of the disco-fueled streets of New York and the grand mansions of Mulholland Drive. With a cast of characters featuring Robert De Niro, Harvey Keitel, Sam Peckinpah, and many more, Insomnia is part comedy, part travelogue, echoing the blissed-out ride of Fear and Loathing as taken by two titans of American arts. Insomnia is an intimate portrait of a remarkable creative friendship, one that would explore the outer limits of excess and experience before returning to tell the tale"-- Provided by publisher
Return a journey back to living wild
"From internationally acclaimed eco-warrior and environmentalist-and the subject of recent New York Times, The Guardian, and Outside magazine profiles-Lynx Vilden comes a stunning debut memoir on how to return to and nurture the Earth and ultimately, ourselves"--
Turn to stone : a memoir
"Down on the ground, it was hard to connect, hard to attach, hard to untangle, hard to let go. But up here, I understood. Up here, I could make it good." Broken by an abusive relationship, Emily Meg Weinstein impulsively tries rock climbing on a California road trip, following strangers into the vertical world. Soon, she is consumed by her addiction to the freedom she feels when she's up on the wall. Holding on to the rocks, she is free from societal constraints and expectations, free from her own sorrows and longings. Raw and dark, but also funny, Weinstein describes the steep learning curve of becoming a climber, spending weeks at a time sleeping in the back of her Subaru, and a long, dark night stuck on top of a mountain. As she ascends, Weinstein faces her demons, finding power and grace in risk and adventure. A memoir of sex, angst, and rocks, Turn to Stone chronicles one woman's ascent--on walls of stone and within herself--as she faces her demons and finds freedom and power in the raw and wild adventure of rock climbing."
Group Living and Other Recipes
"Lola Milholland grew up in the nineties, the child of iconoclastic hippies. Both her parents threw open their rambling house in Portland, Oregon, to long-term visitors and unusual guests in need of a place to stay. Years later, after college and after her parents' separation, Milholland returned home. There, she joined her brother and his housemates--an eccentric group of stop-motion animators and accomplished cooks--in furthering the experiment of communal living into a new generation. Group Living and Other Recipes tells the story of the residents of the Holman House--of transcendent meals and ecstatic parties, of colorful characters coming together in moments of deep tenderness and inevitable irritation, of a shared life that is appealing, humorous, confounding, and, just maybe, utopian--with a wider exploration of group living as a way of life. From spending time at her aunt and uncle's intentional community in Washington State to finding her footing in the kitchen as a student in Japan to mushroom hunting in the forests of the Pacific Northwest, Milholland offers an expansive and vibrant reevaluation of the structures at the very center of our lives. Thoughtful, quirky, candid, and wise, Group Living and Other Recipes introduces a gifted memoirist and thinker, making a convincing case that "now is always the right time to reimagine home and family."--
Look at you now my journey from shame to strength
On writing : a memoir of the craft
Stephen King reflects on how his writing has helped him through difficult times and describes various aspects of the art of writing
The beauty of dusk on vision lost and found
"From New York Times columnist and bestselling author Frank Bruni comes a wise and moving memoir about aging, affliction, and optimism after partially losing his eyesight. One morning in late 2017, New York Times columnist Frank Bruni woke up with strangely blurred vision. He wondered at first if some goo or gunk had worked its way into his right eye. But this was no fleeting annoyance, no fixable inconvenience. Overnight, a rare stroke had cut off blood to one of his optic nerves, rendering him functionally blind in that eye--forever. And he soon learned from doctors that the same disorder could ravage his left eye, too. He could lose his sight altogether. In The Beauty of Dusk, Bruni hauntingly recounts his adjustment to this daunting reality, a medical and spiritual odyssey that involved not only reappraising his own priorities but also reaching out to, and gathering wisdom from, longtime friends and new acquaintances who had navigated their own traumas and afflictions. The result is a poignant, probing, and ultimately uplifting examination of the limits that all of us inevitably encounter, the lenses through which we choose to evaluate them and the tools we have for perseverance. Bruni’s world blurred in one sense, as he experienced his first real inklings that the day isn’t forever and that light inexorably fades, but sharpened in another. Confronting unexpected hardship, he felt more blessed than ever before. There was vision lost. There was also vision found."--Publisher's website
Planting gardens in graves III
"r.h. Sin completes his bestselling series with Planting Gardens in Graves III, another powerful collection of poetry that hones in on the themes dearest to his readers. This series celebrates connection, mourns heartbreak, and above all, empowers its readers to seek the love they deserve."--provided by Amazon.com
The prophet
The immortal soul salvage yard poems
Scorched earth
"SCORCHED EARTH moves between ruins and radical love--fragility and tenderness in the wake of a divorce transform and expand into virtuosic stanzas, full of ache and sweetness. From ekphrastic poems on Kara Walker, to a standout series on the first Black Bachelorette, Clark's stanzas shift between reverence and irreverence, hold institutional and historical pains alongside sensuality and queer, Black joys"--
Circle of grace a book of blessings for the seasons
Within the struggle, joy, pain, and delight that attend our life, there is an invisible circle of grace that enfolds and encompasses us in every moment. Blessings help us to perceive this circle of grace, to find our place of belonging within it, and to receive the strength the circle holds for us
New collected poems
In New Collected Poems, Berry reprints the nearly two hundred pieces in Collected Poems, along with the poems from his most recent collections--Entries, Given, and Leavings--to create an expanded collection, showcasing the work of a man heralded by The Baltimore Sun as "a sophisticated, philosophical poet in the line descending from Emerson and Thoreau . . . a major poet of our time." Wendell Berry is the author of over fifty works of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction, and has been awarded numerous literary prizes, including the T. S. Eliot Award, a National Institute of Arts and Letters award for writing, the American Academy of Arts and Letters Jean Stein Award, and a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship. While he began publishing work in the 1960s, Booklist has written that "Berry has become ever more prophetic," clearly standing up to the test of time.--publisher description
Pretty boys are poisonous poems
"Megan Fox showcases her wicked humor throughout a heartbreaking and dark collection of poetry. Over the course of more than seventy poems Fox chronicles all the ways in which we fit ourselves into the shape of the ones we love, even if it means losing ourselves in the process."--Amazon
Poetics
The gift of animals poems of love, loss, and connection
"This unique collection of poems from diverse contemporary voices offers a range of perspectives on humans' complex relationship with animals, celebrating and bearing witness to the lives of animals both wild and domestic. The Gift of Animals includes poems by some of today's most beloved poets, including Ellen Bass, Lucille Clifton, Michael Collier, Toi Derricotte, Rita Dove, Camille Dungy, Mark Doty, Nick Flynn, Jorie Graham, Joy Harjo, Terrance Hayes, Yusef Komunyakaa, Ada Limón, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Craig Santos Perez, Paisley Rekdal, and more" --
Diary of a romantica. Volume II, Lovers remembered
"We present the debut poetry book from the viral social media phenom, Celia (ceis) Mar̕tnez AKA diaryofaromantica (on Instagram) and powerhouseofthecel (on TikTok). From the head and heart of the hopeful romantica Yale alumna, "Diary of a romantica, vol. II" brings to life part two of the poetic journey of falling in love."--
The gift poems by the great Sufi master
Splitting an order
Scattered snows, to the North
"An arresting study of memory, perception, and the beauty and finitude of the human condition from Pulitzer Prize winner Carl Phillips"--
Love her wild poems
"The first collection of poetry by Instagram sensation Atticus. Love Her Wild is a collection of new and beloved poems from Atticus, the young writer who has captured the hearts and minds of hundreds of thousands of avid followers on his Instagram account @atticuspoetry, including superstars like Karlie Kloss and Shay Mitchell. He was dubbed the "#1 poet to follow" by Teen Vogue and "the world's most tattoo-able" poet by Galore magazine, in Love Her Wild, Atticus captures what is both raw and relatable about the smallest and the grandest moments in life: the first glimpse of a new love in Paris; skinny dipping on a summer's night; the irrepressible exuberance of the female spirit; or drinking whiskey in the desert watching the rising sun. With honesty, poignancy, and romantic flair, Atticus distills the most exhilarating highs and the heartbreaking lows of life and love into a few perfectly evocative lines, ensuring that his words will become etched in your mind--and will awaken your sense of adventure"--
A poetry handbook
The Calamity Club
"Oxford, Mississippi, 1933. Abandoned by her mother one Christmas Eve, eleven-year-old Meg Lefleur has learned the hard way to rely on no one. Now one of the unadoptable 'big girls' at the Lafayette County Orphan Asylum, she fights each day to keep her spirit unbowed. Birdie Calhoun, unmarried and outspoken, has come to Oxford to ask her socialite sister to help the struggling family she's left behind. But as the Depression tightens its grip, Birdie discovers her sister's seemingly charmed life is a tapestry of lies. Then, Birdie encounters Charlie, a woman running low on luck with little left to lose. When their fates--and Meg's--converge, Charlie comes up with an audacious plan to claim what's rightfully theirs. But in a place and time where hypocrisy is rife and women's freedom is fragile, even the smallest act of defiance can have dangerous consequences"--Inside jacket flap
Theo of golden
"Questions linger about Theo, a pleasant but mysterious stranger, after his arrival in the southern city of Golden. Who is he, and why is he here? He arrives early one spring and by chance -- or is it? -- he visits a coffee shop where 92 framed pencil portraits are on display. Inspired, Theo sets out on a mission of purchasing all the portraits one at a time and quietly bestowing them on their 'rightful owners.' Stories are told; friendships are born; and lives are changed. Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted story about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the far-reaching possibilities of anonymous kindness."--
Dungeon Crawler Carl the graphic novel. Volume one
"You know what's worse than breaking up with your girlfriend? Getting stuck on a sadistic alien game show with her cat"--Page 4 of cover
Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone
Rescued from the outrageous neglect of his aunt and uncle, a young boy with a great destiny proves his worth while attending Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry
My friends
"#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman, who "captures the messy essence of being human" (The Washington Post), returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a stranger's life twenty-five years later. Most people don't even notice them-three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it's just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There's Joar, who never backs down from a fight; quiet and bookish Ted who is mourning his father; Ali, the daughter of a man who never stays in one place for long; and finally, there's the artist, a boy who hoards sleeping pills and shuns attention, but who possesses an extraordinary gift that might be his ticket to a better life. These four lost souls find in each other a reason to get up each morning, a reason to dream. Out of that summer emerges a transcendent work of art, a painting that will unexpectedly be put into eighteen-year-old Louisa's care. As she struggles to decide what to do with this bequest, she embarks on a surprise-filled cross-country journey to learn the story of how the painting came to be. The closer she gets to the painting's birthplace, the more she feels compelled to unleash her own artistic spirit, but happy endings don't always take the form we expect in this fresh testament to the transformative power of friendship and art"--
Lady Tremaine
"Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband's title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters' future through marriage. When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters--only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn. As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world's most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother's love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes"-- Provided by publisher
Yesteryear
"A social media celebrity, a wife and mother who sells her fantasy pioneer lifestyle of sourdough and farm-fresh eggs to her millions of followers, suddenly wakes up cold, dirty, and hungry in the year 1805 and must uncover the nature - hoax, reality show, test from God - of her terrifying new existence in this sensational debut novel. "My name was Natalie Heller Mills, and I was perfect at being alive." Natalie lives a traditional lifestyle. Her charming farmhouse is rustic, her husband a handsome cowboy, her six children each more delightful than the last. So what if there are nannies and producers behind the scenes, her kitchen hiding industrial-grade fridges and ovens, her husband the Republican equivalent of a Kennedy? What Natalie's followers - all 8 million of them - don't know won't hurt them. And The Angry Women? The privileged, Ivy League, coastal elite haters who call her an anti-feminist iconoclast? They're sick with jealousy. Because Natalie isn't simply living the good life, she's living the ideal - and just so happens to be building an empire from it. Until one morning she wakes up in a life that isn't hers. Her home, her husband, her children - they're all familiar, but something's off. Her kitchen is warmed by a sputtering fire rather than electricity, her children are dirty and strange, and her soft-handed husband is suddenly a competent farmer. Just yesterday Natalie was curating photos of homemade jam for her Instagram, and now she's expected to haul firewood andhand washh clothes until her fingers bleed. Has she become the unwitting star of a brutal reality show? Could it really be time travel? Is she being tested by God? By Satan? When Natalie suffers a brutal injury in the woods, she realizes two things: This is not her beautiful life, and she must escape by any means possible. A gripping, electrifying novel that is as darkly funny as it is frightening, Yesteryear is a gimlet-eyed look at tradition, fame, faith, and the grand performance of womanhood"-- Provided by publisher
The two towers being the second part of The lord of the rings
Frodo and his Companions of the Ring have been beset by danger during their quest to prevent the Ruling Ring from falling into the hands of the Dark Lord
Dolly all the time
"If they start by pretending, can they end with something real? Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn't solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home. So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield: annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family: with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it's in her nature to help. But Stewart's proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She's never relied on anyone besides herself, can she really start now?"--Provided by publisher
Dolly all the time
"If they start by pretending, can they end with something real? Dolly Brick has never met a problem she couldn't solve. Not when her mom left when she was twelve, and not at thirty-nine when she moves with her son back to Whitfield, Rhode Island for the summer to keep her dad and brother from losing the family home. So when she comes across Stewart Whitfield: annoyingly handsome scion of the Whitfield family: with a flat tire and at the wrong end of a very public, very humiliating breakup, it's in her nature to help. But Stewart's proposed arrangement ends up being more than either of them bargained for, because as public dinners and high society benefits turn into sunset boat rides and kisses that hit her bloodstream like a ghost pepper, Dolly starts to feel something more than helpful. She's never relied on anyone besides herself, can she really start now?"--Provided by publisher
Remarkably bright creatures
"For fans of A Man Called Ove, a luminous debut novel about a widow's unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus reluctantly residing at the local aquarium-and the truths she finally uncovers about her son's disappearance 30 years ago"--
Harry Potter and the chamber of secrets
When the Chamber of Secrets is opened again at the Hogswart School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, second-year student Harry Potter finds himself in danger from a dark power that has once more been released on the school
Kingdom of ash
With Aelin locked in an iron coffin by Queen of the Fae Maeve, Aedion and Lysandra struggle to defend Terrasen, Chaol, Manon, and Dorian face their own fates, and Rowan seeks his captured wife and queen. The series concludes in a final epic battle
The possession of Alba Díaz
"When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn't trust... from bestselling author Isabel Cañas. In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family's isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong. Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family's legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin's betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can't help but notice her every time she enters a room or the growing tension between them... and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon's thirst for blood grows stronger. In the fight for her life, Alba and Elías become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and one another... not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom"--
My name is Emilia del Valle
"In San Francisco in 1866, an Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman. To pursue her passion for writing, she is willing to defy societal norms. At the age of seventeen, she begins to publish pulp fiction using a man's pen name. When these fictional worlds can no longer satisfy her sense of adventure, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at The Daily Examiner to hire her. There she is paired with another talented reporter, Eric Whelan. As she proves herself, her restlessness returns, until an opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile. She seizes it, as does Eric, and while there, she meets her estranged father and delves into the violent confrontation in the country where her roots lie. As she and Eric discover love, the war escalates and Emilia finds herself in extreme danger, fearing for her life and questioning her identity and her destiny." --
The Grand Paloma Resort
"The Grand Paloma Resort is a lush paradise in the Dominican Republic where the guests enjoy incredible luxury, and the staff is always eager to please-that is, until they are pushed to the brink"-- Provided by publisher
Hombrecito
"A novel by a brilliant new voice, Hombrecito is a queer coming-of-age story about a young immigrant's complex relationships with his mother and his motherland."--
Catalina
"Catalina is trying to work out her own life as she leaves her undocumented family behind to enter Harvard. Suffering from bouts of PTSD, she struggles to connect to her new world just as she struggled to make sense of her old one. She infiltrates the subcultures of elite undergrads-internships and college newspapers, parties and secret societies-and observes them like an anthropologist, but then falls in love, or something like love, with a fellow student, an actual anthropology scholar who wants to teach her about the Andean world she was born in but never knew. They are drawn to each other by the strange attraction of exocticized fascination-she, a real live Latin American, becomes a subject of academic interest; he, in turns, draws her fascination as a white legacy admit born into the strange world she now navigates. Catalina is uncertain: should she let herself become what he wants her to be and take up residence in his secure and privileged world? Or should she return to the life she's known, with all its thorny precarity? Who is she anyway?"--
The dance and the fire
"After years apart, three high school friends return to Cuernavaca, Mexico, where an intense love triangle once left an indelible mark on their adolescence. The city, surrounded by a ring of claustrophobic wildfires, brings out the past and confronts them with their present: they must once again face the entanglement of friendship and desire, the seemingly distant discovery of sexuality, complex parental relationships, and the daunting task of artistic fulfillment. In the background, two forces of chaos and destruction are a constant presence. As fires ravage the physical landscape, one of the friends begins choreographing an ecstatic dance inspired by the German expressionist Mary Wigman and medieval Danse Macabre. What starts as a coping mechanism for the anxieties of youth and climate catastrophe becomes an overpowering, all-consuming hysteria. Mysterious powers are awakened, the boundary between reality and myth begins to blur, and the friends find themselves immersed in an increasingly turbulent and uncertain universe"--
Loca
"It's 1999, and best friends Sal and Charo are striving to hold on to their dreams in a New York determined to grind them down. Sal is a book-loving science nerd trying to grow beyond his dead-end job in a new city, but he's held back by tragic memories from his past in Santo Domingo. Free-spirited Charo is surprised to find herself a mother at twenty-five, partnered with a controlling man, working at the same supermarket for years, her world shrunk to the very domesticity she thought she'd escaped in her old country. When Sal finds love at a gay club one night, both his and Charo's worlds unexpectedly open up to a vibrant social circle that pushes them to reckon with what they owe to their own selves, pasts, futures, and, always, each other." --
Speak to me of home
"What does it mean to call a place home? From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jeanine Cummins comes a deeply felt multigenerational family story On her wedding day in San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1968, Rafaela Acuña y Daubón has mild misgivings, but she marries Peter Brennan Jr. anyway in a blaze of romantic optimism. She has no way of knowing how dramatically her life will change when she uproots her young family to start over in the American Midwest, unleashing a fleet of disappointments. In the 1980s, against the backdrop of her mother's isolation in St. Louis, Missouri, Rafaela's daughter, Ruth Brennan, wants only to belong. Eager to fit in, Ruth lets go of her language, habits, and childhood memories of Puerto Rico. It's not until decades later when Ruth's own daughter, Daisy, returns to San Juan that her mother and grandmother begin to truly reflect on the choices that have come to define their lives. When a hurricane ravages the island in 2023, leaving Daisy critically injured, Rafaela and Ruth return to the city where it all began. As they gather at Daisy's bedside, we follow them back into the pasts that brought them to this point: we watch as they come of age, fall in love, take risks, and contend with all the heartbreaks, triumphs, and reversals of fortune--both good and bad--that make up a meaningful life. As old memories come to light, so do buried secrets, leaving everyone in the family wondering exactly where it is that they belong. A striking, resonant examination of marriage, family, and identity, Speak to Me of Home is ultimately a story of mothers and daughters that asks: How can three women who share geography and genetics have such wildly different ideas of where they come from? And, more importantly, can they discover a common language to find their way back home?"--
The intrigue
"Handsome con artist Ulises has long charmed lonely women via letters to steal their money, but money is hard to come by in 1940s Mexico. Ulises knows his looks won't last forever, and he's desperate to get his hands on a real fortune. He thinks he's found it when he captivates his newest correspondent, Perla, the owner of a small-town boardinghouse in picturesque Veracruz. But when he meets her, he finds something he didn't expect. The woman has a niece, Inés, who is as observant as she is desperate to escape her aunt's household. When Inés discovers Ulises' true intentions, she wants in on the scheme. They'll convince her aunt that Ulises is a great catch, Perla will marry him, and her money will vanish. Easy, fast and clean. But Perla is not the desperate, silly spinster Ulises imagines. She harbors secrets. And although Ulises does not believe in true romance, Inés is more alluring than he bargained on. Suddenly, a simple plan may become perilously complicated. Venture into the streets of a small town where the patina of convention and good manners conceals a cauldron of avarice and lust"--
Last night in Brooklyn
"New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a captivating story about a young woman whose life becomes ensnared in her glamorous neighbor's secret past, laying bare the mounting tensions at play in a rapidly gentrifying, early 2000's Fort Greene, Brooklyn. SPRING, 2007 At twenty-six, Alicia Canales Forten feels smothered by her future. She's in a long-distance relationship, living at home with her mother's beliefs, saving up for her wedding to a future doctor. But after Alicia ventures out one night in the neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, she finds herself lured by the siren song of youth and possibility that the striving crowd of creatives holds, and moves in. No one embodies this more than La Garza, a larger-than-life, up-and-coming fashion designer whose epic house parties fuel neighborhood lore. La Garza's life, observed by Alicia from her apartment across the street, seems to hold the allure and fearlessness Alicia has never dared to imagine for herself. But when Alicia's wealthy banker cousin moves to the neighborhood, she finds herself increasingly drawn into both his and La Garza's precarious lives. Against the backdrop of a potentially life-changing presidential election and a looming once-in-a-generation fiscal crisis, Last Night in Brooklyn explores the dark compromise of the American Dream for people of color living, unknowingly, in the twilight of a cultural moment. It is a story about everything money can buy--and the destruction of what it can't"--
I give you my silence
"In his final novel, the Nobel Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa returns to his native Peru"-- Provided by publisher
Autobiography of cotton
"In 1934, a young Jose Revueltas traveled to Tamaulipas to support the cotton workers' strike in Estacion Camaron, which became the basis of his landmark novel Human Mourning. In her own groundbreaking novel, Autobiography of Cotton, Cristina Rivera Garza recounts her grandparents' journey from mining towns to those same cotton fields as it intersects with Revueltas's life in a vivid and evocative history of cotton cultivation along the Mexico-US border. Through archival research and personal narrative, Rivera Garza chronicles the way cotton transformed the borderlands by reconstructing the cotton workers' strike and reveals how cycles of deprivation and ecocide persist across generations. Deeply personal and politically acute, Rivera Garza crafts a new kind of border novel that tells how a brittle land radically altered her grandparents' lives and the territories they helped develop. An intimate fictionalization, Autobiography of Cotton reveals a rich social history of agricultural colonization, labor activism, environmental degradation, and cross-border migration"-- Provided by publisher
Frida's cook
"This colorful, emotive historical debut whisks us to the home of Frida Kahlo, where food, art, and love weave together an unforgettable story of friendship and loyalty, with a bright Coyoacán as a vivid background. A hidden painting. A buried past. A legacy waiting to be uncovered. Mexico City, 1939: Young and determined Nayeli Cruz flees from her Oaxaca home to arrive in Mexico City with neither friends nor prospects. Alone and armed only with her sharp wit and extraordinary talent in the kitchen, she finds herself in front of La Caza Azul, the home of Frida Kahlo. As she begins work as the artist's cook, Nayeli is pulled into Frida's world of pain, passion, and defiance. But it isn't long before amid the vibrant tapestry of flavors, scents, and colors, the two women form a deep bond--one that will shape the course of Nayeli's life and leave behind a secret buried in art. Buenos Aires, Present Day: Paloma, Nayeli's granddaughter, stumbles upon a mysterious painting depicting her grandmother as a young woman. The artist's identity is unknown, but the artwork's existence threatens to unravel long-held family secrets. As Paloma delves into her grandmother's past, she uncovers a tale of passion, betrayal, and resilience that challenges everything she thought she knew about the one woman who raised her"--
My name is Emilia del Valle
"In San Francisco in 1866, an Irish nun, abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman. To pursue her passion for writing, she is willing to defy societal norms. At the age of seventeen, she begins to publish pulp fiction using a man's pen name. When these fictional worlds can no longer satisfy her sense of adventure, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at The Daily Examiner to hire her. There she is paired with another talented reporter, Eric Whelan. As she proves herself, her restlessness returns, until an opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile. She seizes it, as does Eric, and while there, she meets her estranged father and delves into the violent confrontation in the country where her roots lie. As she and Eric discover love, the war escalates and Emilia finds herself in extreme danger, fearing for her life and questioning her identity and her destiny." --
Deeper than the ocean
"One hundred years after the shipwreck of the Valbanera, known to history as the 'poor man's Titanic', Mara Denis gets an assignment to report on the Canary Islands, where her ancestors lived before they moved to Cuba. Unexpectedly, she discovers that the grandmother her mother cherished was listed among the dead of the Valbanera, years before Mara's mother was even born. This fateful twist changes everything Mara thought she knew about her family and herself, and sends her on a quest to find the truth. If her great grandmother is a ghost, who is she and where did she come from?"--
Malinalli
An imaginative retelling of the triumphs and sorrows of one of the most controversial and misunderstood women in Mexico's history and mythology
Last night in Brooklyn
"New York Times bestselling author Xochitl Gonzalez delivers a captivating story about a young woman whose life becomes ensnared in her glamorous neighbor's secret past, laying bare the mounting tensions at play in a rapidly gentrifying, early 2000's Fort Greene, Brooklyn. SPRING, 2007 At twenty-six, Alicia Canales Forten feels smothered by her future. She's in a long-distance relationship, living at home with her mother's beliefs, saving up for her wedding to a future doctor. But after Alicia ventures out one night in the neighborhood of Fort Greene, Brooklyn, she finds herself lured by the siren song of youth and possibility that the striving crowd of creatives holds, and moves in. No one embodies this more than La Garza, a larger-than-life, up-and-coming fashion designer whose epic house parties fuel neighborhood lore. La Garza's life, observed by Alicia from her apartment across the street, seems to hold the allure and fearlessness Alicia has never dared to imagine for herself. But when Alicia's wealthy banker cousin moves to the neighborhood, she finds herself increasingly drawn into both his and La Garza's precarious lives. Against the backdrop of a potentially life-changing presidential election and a looming once-in-a-generation fiscal crisis, Last Night in Brooklyn explores the dark compromise of the American Dream for people of color living, unknowingly, in the twilight of a cultural moment. It is a story about everything money can buy--and the destruction of what it can't"--
Upcoming Programs
Sep
12
Sat
Sep
12
Sat
10–10:30 a.m.
Sep
12
Sat
10–11 a.m.
Sep
12
Sat
1–4 p.m.
Sep
12
Sat
1–3 p.m.
Sep
13
Sun
noon–3 p.m.
Sep
13
Sun
noon–2 p.m.
Sep
13
Sun
noon–1:30 p.m.