Brené Brown

Dare to be vulnerable. This is a well researched, inspiring book

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Delaware

How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

The #1 New York Times bestseller. More than 2 million copies sold! Look for Brené Brown’s new podcast, Dare to Lead, as well as her ongoing podcast Unlocking Us! From thought leader Brené Brown, a transformative new vision for the way we lead, love, work, parent, and educate that teaches us the power of vulnerability. “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”—Theodore Roosevelt Every day we experience the uncertainty, risks, and emotional exposure that define what it means to be vulnerable or to dare greatly. Based on twelve years of pioneering research, Brené Brown PhD, MSW, dispels the cultural myth that vulnerability is weakness and argues that it is, in truth, our most accurate measure of courage. Brown explains how vulnerability is both the core of difficult emotions like fear, grief, and disappointment, and the birthplace of love, belonging, joy, empathy, innovation, and creativity. She writes: “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.” Daring Greatly is not about winning or losing. It’s about courage. In a world where “never enough” dominates and feeling afraid has become second nature, vulnerability is subversive. Uncomfortable. It’s even a little dangerous at times. And, without question, putting ourselves out there means there’s a far greater risk of getting criticized or feeling hurt. But when we step back and examine our lives, we will find that nothing is as uncomfortable, dangerous, and hurtful as standing on the outside of our lives looking in and wondering what it would be like if we had the courage to step into the arena—whether it’s a new relationship, an important meeting, the creative process, or a difficult family conversation. Daring Greatly is a practice and a powerful new vision for letting ourselves be seen.

Daring Greatly

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Anne Applebaum

Large print book. Read once. Some pencil markings

The Dictators Who Want to Run the World

From the Pulitzer-prize winning, New York Times bestselling author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the 21st century, that bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned not by one dictator, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies in one country do business with corrupt companies in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America. International condemnation and economic sanctions cannot move the autocrats. Even popular opposition movements, from Venezuela to Hong Kong to Moscow, don't stand a chance. The members of Autocracy, Inc, aren't linked by a unifying ideology, like communism, but rather a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity. In this urgent treatise, which evokes George Kennan's essay calling for "containment" of the Soviet Union, Anne Applebaum calls for the democracies to fundamentally reorient their policies to fight a new kind of threat.

Autocracy, Inc

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David Daley

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Inside the Far Right's 50-Year Plot to Control American Elections

Equal parts Dark Money and Democracy in Chains, Antidemocratic is a riveting yet disturbing history of the fifty-year Republican plot to hijack voting rights in America, its profound implications for the 2024 presidential election, and the crucial role that Chief Justice John Roberts has played in determining how we vote. In 1981, a young lawyer, fresh out of Harvard law school, joined the Reagan administration's Department of Justice, taking up a cause that had been fomenting in Republican circles for over a decade by that point. From his perch inside the Reagan DOJ, this lawyer would attempt to bring down one of the defining pieces of 20th century legislation--the Voting Rights Act. His name was John Roberts. Over thirty years later in 2013, these efforts by John Roberts and the conservative legal establishment culminated when Roberts, now Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, wrote Shelby County vs. Holder, one of the most consequential decisions of modern jurisprudence. A dramatic move that gutted the Voting Rights Act, Roberts's decision--dangerously premised on the flawed notion that racism was a thing of the past--emboldened right-wing, antidemocratic voting laws around the country immediately. No modern court decision has done more to hand elections to Republicans than Shelby. Now lauded investigative reporter David Daley reveals the urgent story of this fifty-year Republican plot to end the Voting Rights Act and encourage minority rule in their party's favor. From the bowels of Reagan's DOJ to the walls of the conservative Federalist Society to the moneyed Republican resources bankrolling restrictive voting laws today, Daley reveals a hidden history as sweeping as it is troubling. Through careful research and exhaustive reporting, he connects Shelby to a well-funded, highly-coordinated right-wing effort to erode the power of minority voters and Democrats at the ballot box--an effort that has grown stronger with each election cycle. In the process Roberts and his conservative allies have enabled fringe conservative theories about our elections with the potential to shape the 2024 election and topple the foundations of our democracy. Timely and alarming, Daley offers a powerful message that, while Shelby was the misguided end of the Voting Rights Act, it was also the beginning of something far darker.

Antidemocratic

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Pete Dexter

Great writing by a former writer of the Phila. Daily News

Young Leon Hubbard was arrogant and near psychotic. So when he was killed on a South Philadelphia construction site, everyone who knew him wanted to bury the bad news with the body. All, that is, except two--Leon's mother and the local columnist for the common man. Now back in print, God's Pocket is the powerful first novel from the National Book Award-winning author of Paris Trout.

God's Pocket

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Sindya Bhanoo

This is a book of touching, poignant, short stories of Indian immigrants and their families. Some stories are linked. Others are not. Good read. 

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

*Winner of the 2022 New American Voices Award*

Finalist for the 2023 Oregon Book Award for Fiction
Longlisted for the 2023 Carnegie Medal for Excellence
Longlisted for the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection

These intimate stories of South Indian immigrants and the families they left behind center women's lives and ask how women both claim and surrender power--a stunning debut collection from an O. Henry Prize winner

Traveling from Pittsburgh to Eastern Washington to Tamil Nadu, these stories about dislocation and dissonance see immigrants and their families confront the costs of leaving and staying, identifying sublime symmetries in lives growing apart.

In "Malliga Homes," selected by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie for an O. Henry Prize, a widow in a retirement community glimpses her future while waiting for her daughter to visit from America. In "No. 16 Model House Road," a woman long subordinate to her husband makes a choice of her own after she inherits a house. In "Nature Exchange," a mother grieving in the wake of a school shooting finds an unusual obsession. In "A Life in America," a professor finds himself accused of having exploited his graduate students.

Sindya Bhanoo's haunting stories show us how immigrants' paths, and the paths of those they leave behind, are never simple. Bhanoo takes us along on their complicated journeys where regret, hope, and triumph appear in disguise.

Seeking Fortune Elsewhere

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Nora Roberts

From Nora Roberts comes the #1 New York Times bestseller Shelter in Place (June 2018)—a powerful tale of heart, heroism...and propulsive suspense. It was a typical evening at a mall outside Portland, Maine. Three teenage friends waited for the movie to start. A boy flirted with the girl selling sunglasses. Mothers and children shopped together, and the manager at the video-game store tending to customers. Then the shooters arrived. The chaos and carnage lasted only eight minutes before the killers were taken down. But for those who lived through it, the effects would last forever. In the years that followed, one would dedicate himself to a law enforcement career. Another would close herself off, trying to bury the memory of huddling in a ladies' room, hopelessly clutching her cell phone--until she finally found a way to pour her emotions into her art. But one person wasn't satisfied with the shockingly high death toll at the DownEast Mall. And as the survivors slowly heal, find shelter, and rebuild, they will discover that another conspirator is lying in wait--and this time, there might be nowhere safe to hide.

Shelter in Place

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Nancy Bubel

Suggests seasonal projects, including making a simple graft, growing grapes, starting a window box, making a flower press, harvesting flowers for drying, building a cold frame, and raising houseplants from seed

Fifty-Two Weekend Garden Projects

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The essential book on all types of gardening

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Gardening Essentials

25 Easy-to-Follow Designs for Beautiful Landscapes 

Garden Blueprints

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Starting Your Own Flowers, Vegetables, Fruits, Berries, Shrubs, Trees, and Houseplants

The Secret of Plant Propagation

Ken Druse

It’s a beautifully photographed books of natural gardens by a master gardener. 

Oversized Hardcover (4 to 6 lbs)

A fresh new design movement in American gardening is introduced in this lavish & lushly illustrated book. Ken Druse, gardening editor of House Beautiful, tells and shows, with more than 400 gorgeous full-color photographs, how to create a garden that practically takes care of itself. The smartest thing in gardens now is the Natural Garden--a landscape planted in harmony with nature that appears spontaneous, unstructured, and intentionally innocent. Taking inspiration for the environment--even from potential problems such as rock outcrops, wild trees, or steep slopes--and using native plants, wildflowers, and hardy perennials, natural gardeners have created colorful gardens that require a minimum of attention. The spectacular full-color photographs present a beautiful seaside garden California chaparral, an "English cottage" garden (on Long Island), and many others, both small and large, in urban, suburban, or country settings all over the United States. There are 12 chapters covering everything from perennials & vines to water plants & permanent elements such as benches, pools, & garden paths. A complete directory provides sources for plants, seeds, tools, publications, where to write for help, & outdoor furniture. This is the perfect book to inspire novice or seasoned gardeners toward a backyard with a fresh new look. Ken Druse is an award-winning garden writer & photographer. Former editor of Garden Design magazine, he is now gardening editor at House Beautiful.

The Natural Garden

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A must have for the gardener that loves flowers

Huge Paperback (6 to 8 lbs)

How to Plan, Plant and Grow a Beautiful Easy-Care Garden

Ridale’s No-Fail Flower Garden

Eva Monheim

Excellent book for  anyone looking for beautiful natural shrubs and pollinators. It gives detailed information on leaf size and flowering.  

Discover, Grow, and Care for the World's Most Popular Plants

A practical, ordinary person's guide to choosing, planting, and caring for the world's most popular plants, Shrubs & Hedges delivers all the know-how you'll need to grow beautiful, healthy shrubs. Whether they're flowering shrubs or evergreen hedges, these long-lived plants fill a lot of space in our landscapes; yet they don't capture as much attention as perennials, annuals, and even trees. The front doors and picture windows of millions of houses world-wide are adorned by shrubs. Despite their ubiquity, selecting and maintaining shrubs remains a mystery to many. Shrubs are all-too-often inappropriately pruned into "meatball" shapes, or alternatively, left to become an overgrown tangle of branches. But as you'll discover in the pages of Shrubs & Hedges, when cared for properly, these workhorse plants have much to offer. They mask foundations, delineate property lines, increase privacy, stabilize soils, provide food for wildlife, and add beauty and interest to the landscape. It’s time for shrubs to take center stage. Shrubs & Hedges eliminates the ambiguities of shrub selection and care by offering: Advice on how to pick the best shrubs for your growing conditions Plant profiles of both dependable classic shrubs and new rising stars Step-by-step propagation instructions for making more shrubs—for free! Shrub identification tips A lesson on the value of hedges and hedgerows The best shrubs for pollinators and other wildlife Pruning illustrations and tips to maximize shrub performance and health Tips for designing with shrubs Drawing on her decades of experience in the plant-care and landscape industries, author and horticulture educator Eva Monheim proves you don’t have to be a “gardener” to see the value in this extensive group of plants.

Shrubs and Hedges

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This is a wonderful resource book for anyone who wants to grow flowers inside and in the garden all year. It gives detailed planting plan for the outside garden. 
 

Oversized Paperback (4 to 6 lbs)

Your House and Garden in Bloom from January to December

A Year of Flowers

Geraldine Brooks

A Novel

March

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Maggie Haberman

The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America

The instant #1 New York Times bestseller.

"This is the book Trump fears most." - Axios

"Will be a primary source about the most vexing president in American history for years to come." - Joe Klein, The New York Times

"A uniquely illuminating portrait." - Sean Wilentz, The Washington Post

"[A] monumental look at Donald Trump and his presidency." -- David Shribman, Los Angeles Times

From the Pulitzer-Prize-winning New York Times reporter who has defined Donald J. Trump's presidency like no other journalist, Confidence Man is a magnificent and disturbing reckoning that chronicles his life and its meaning from his rise in New York City to his tortured post-presidency.

Few journalists working today have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few understand him and his motivations better. Now, demonstrating her majestic command of this story, Haberman reveals in full the depth of her understanding of the 45th president himself, and of what the Trump phenomenon means.

Interviews with hundreds of sources and numerous interviews over the years with Trump himself portray a complicated and often contradictory historical figure. Capable of kindness but relying on casual cruelty as it suits his purposes.  Pugnacious. Insecure. Lonely. Vindictive. Menacing. Smarter than his critics contend and colder and more calculating than his allies believe. A man who embedded himself in popular culture, galvanizing support for a run for high office that he began preliminary spadework for 30 years ago, to ultimately become a president who pushed American democracy to the brink.

The through-line of Trump's life and his presidency is the enduring question of what is in it for him or what he needs to say to survive short increments of time in the pursuit of his own interests.    

Confidence Man is also, inevitably, about the world that produced such a singular character, giving rise to his career and becoming his first stage. It is also about a series of relentlessly transactional relationships. The ones that shaped him most were with girlfriends and wives, with Roy Cohn, with George Steinbrenner, with Mike Tyson and Don King and Roger Stone, with city and state politicians like Robert Morgenthau and Rudy Giuliani, with business partners, with prosecutors, with the media, and with the employees who toiled inside what they commonly called amongst themselves the "Trump Disorganization."  

That world informed the one that Trump tried to recreate while in the White House. All of Trump's behavior as President had echoes in what came before.  In this revelatory and newsmaking book, Haberman brings together the events of his life into a single mesmerizing work. It is the definitive account of one of the most norms-shattering and consequential eras in American political history.

Confidence Man

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Andre Dubus

When a former colonel of the Iranian Air Force and his family purchase a small California home at auction, they are faced with a great conflict as the former owner and her police officer boyfriend fight to get it back at any cost.

House of Sand and Fog

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Alka Joshi

Escaping from an arranged and abusive marriage, seventeen-year-old Lakshmi makes her way alone from her 1950s rural village to the vibrant pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the henna artist--and confidante--most in demand to the wealthy women of the upper class. But trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own. Known for her original designs and sage advice, Lakshmi must tread carefully to avoid the jealous gossips who could ruin her reputation and her livelihood. As she pursues her dream of an independent life, she is startled one day when she is confronted by her husband, who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow--a sister Lakshmi never knew she had. Suddenly the caution that she has carefully cultivated as protection is threatened. Still she perseveres, applying her talents and lifting up those who surround her as she does. Vivid and compelling in its portrait of one woman's struggle for fulfillment in a society pivoting between the traditional and the modern, The Henna Artist opens a door into a world that is at once lush and fascinating, stark and cruel.

The Henna Artist

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Jodi Picoult

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, Small Great Things is the stunning new page-turner from Jodi Picoult. SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE "[Picoult] offers a thought-provoking examination of racism in America today, both overt and subtle. Her many readers will find much to discuss in the pages of this topical, moving book."--Booklist (starred review) Ruth Jefferson is a labor and delivery nurse at a Connecticut hospital with more than twenty years' experience. During her shift, Ruth begins a routine checkup on a newborn, only to be told a few minutes later that she's been reassigned to another patient. The parents are white supremacists and don't want Ruth, who is African American, to touch their child. The hospital complies with their request, but the next day, the baby goes into cardiac distress while Ruth is alone in the nursery. Does she obey orders or does she intervene? Ruth hesitates before performing CPR and, as a result, is charged with a serious crime. Kennedy McQuarrie, a white public defender, takes her case but gives unexpected advice: Kennedy insists that mentioning race in the courtroom is not a winning strategy. Conflicted by Kennedy's counsel, Ruth tries to keep life as normal as possible for her family--especially her teenage son--as the case becomes a media sensation. As the trial moves forward, Ruth and Kennedy must gain each other's trust, and come to see that what they've been taught their whole lives about others--and themselves--might be wrong. With incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor, Jodi Picoult tackles race, privilege, prejudice, justice, and compassion--and doesn't offer easy answers. Small Great Things is a remarkable achievement from a writer at the top of her game. Praise for Small Great Things "Small Great Things is the most important novel Jodi Picoult has ever written. . . . It will challenge her readers . . . [and] expand our cultural conversation about race and prejudice."--The Washington Post "A novel that puts its finger on the very pulse of the nation that we live in today . . . a fantastic read from beginning to end, as can always be expected from Picoult, this novel maintains a steady, page-turning pace that makes it hard for readers to put down."--San Francisco Book Review "A gripping courtroom drama . . . Given the current political climate it is quite prescient and worthwhile. . . . This is a writer who understands her characters inside and out."--Roxane Gay, The New York Times Book Review "I couldn't put it down. Her best yet!"--New York Times bestselling author Alice Hoffman "A compelling, can't-put-it-down drama with a trademark [Jodi] Picoult twist."--Good Housekeeping "It's Jodi Picoult, the prime provider of literary soul food. This riveting drama is sure to be supremely satisfying and a bravely thought-provoking tale on the dangers of prejudice."--Redbook "Jodi Picoult is never afraid to take on hot topics, and in Small Great Things, she tackles race and discrimination in a way that will grab hold of you and refuse to let you go. . . . This page-turner is perfect for book clubs."--Popsugar

Small Great Things

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Erica Spindler

Moving to her husband's Louisiana horse-farm estate after a whirlwind romance, Bailey Browne is dismayed by rumors about the suspicious death of his first wife and the disappearances of other women from the area. By the best-selling author of Justice for Sara.

The First Wife

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Brian Alexander

The book reflects on a small town hospital, and it’s corporate takeover and its effect on health care in America.

Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town

An intimate, heart wrenching portrait of one small hospital that reveals the magnitude of America's health care crises."With his signature gut-punching prose, Alexander breaks our hearts as he opens our eyes to America's deep-rooted sickness and despair by immersing us in the lives of a small town hospital and the people it serves. " --Beth Macy, bestselling author of Dopesick By following the struggle for survival of one small-town hospital, and the patients who walk, or are carried, through its doors, The Hospital takes readers into the world of the American medical industry in a way no book has done before. Americans are dying sooner, and living in poorer health. Alexander argues that no plan will solve America's health crisis until the deeper causes of that crisis are addressed. Bryan, Ohio's hospital, is losing money, making it vulnerable to big health systems seeking domination and Phil Ennen, CEO, has been fighting to preserve its independence. Meanwhile, Bryan, a town of 8,500 people in Ohio's northwest corner, is still trying to recover from the Great Recession. As local leaders struggle to address the town's problems, and the hospital fights for its life amid a rapidly consolidating medical and hospital industry, a 39-year-old diabetic literally fights for his limbs, and a 55-year-old contractor lies dying in the emergency room. With these and other stories, Alexander strips away the wonkiness of policy to reveal Americans' struggle for health against a powerful system that's stacked against them, but yet so fragile it blows apart when the pandemic hits. Culminating with COVID-19, this book offers a blueprint for how we created the crisis we're in.

The Hospital

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Fiona Hill

Excellent writing and true story about a foreign policy expert who was vilified by a corrupt administration and her positive outlook on democracy

Finding Opportunity in the Twenty-First Century

A celebrated foreign policy expert and key impeachment witness reveals how declining opportunity has set America on the grim path of modern Russia--and draws on her personal journey out of poverty, and her unique perspectives as an historian and policy maker, to show how we can return hope to our forgotten places.

There Is Nothing for You Here

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Nathan Raab

Luke Barr

Interesting facts about the antique document business and history

On the Trail of the World's Lost Treasures--From the Letters of Lincoln, Churchill, and Einstein to the Secret Recordings Onboard JFK's Air Force One

Nathan Raab, America’s preeminent rare documents dealer, describes his years as the Sherlock Holmes of historical artifacts—questing after precious finds and determining their authenticity—and he shows us what the past can tell us about the present. A box uncovered in a Maine attic with twenty letters written by Alexander Hamilton; a handheld address to Congress by President George Washington; a long-lost Gold Medal that belonged to an American President; a note that Winston Churchill wrote to his captor when he was a young POW in South Africa; paperwork signed and filled out by Amelia Earhart when she became the first woman to fly the Atlantic; an American flag carried to the moon and back by Neil Armstrong; an unpublished letter written by Albert Einstein, discussing his theory of relativity. Each day, people from all over the world contact Nathan Raab for help understanding what they have, what it might be worth, and how to sell it. The Raab Collection’s president, Nathan is a modern-day treasure hunter and one of the world’s most prominent dealers of historical artifacts. Most weeks, he travels the country, scours auctions, or fields phone calls and emails from people who think they may have found something of note in a grandparent’s attic. In The Hunt for History, Raab shares some fascinating stories about his professional exploits: spotting a letter from British officials that secured the Rosetta Stone; discovering a piece of the first electric cable laid by Edison; restoring a fragmented letter from Andrew Jackson that led to the infamous Trail of Tears; and locating copies of missing audio that had been recorded on Air Force One as the plane brought JFK’s body back to Washington. Whether it’s the first report of Napoleon’s death or an unpublished letter penned by Albert Einstein to a curious soldier, every document and artifact Raab uncovers comes with a spellbinding story—and often offers new insights into a life we thought we knew.

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