Barack. Obama

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Pennsylvania

Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream

The junior senator from Illinois discusses how to transform U.S. politics, calling for a return to America's original ideals and revealing how they can address such issues as globalization and the function of religion in public life.

The Audacity of Hope

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The dust jacket front is rippled and there is a small dent on the bottom edge of the front cover.

Transcendent Kingdom

Barbara Belford

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

A Certain Genius

In this elegant and affectionate biography of one of the most controversial personalities of the nineteenth century, Barbara Belford breaks new ground in the evocation of Oscar Wilde's personal life and in our understanding of the choices he made for his art. Published for the centenary of Wilde's death, here is a fresh, full-scale examination of the author of The Importance of Being Earnest and The Picture of Dorian Gray, a figure not only full of himself but enjoying life to the fullest. Based on extensive study of original sources and animated throughout by historical detail, anecdote, and insight, the narrative traces Wilde's progression from his childhood in an intellectual Irish household to his maturity as a London author to the years of his European exile. Here is Wilde the Oxford Aesthete becoming the talk of London, going off to tour America, lecturing on the craftsmanship of Cellini to the silver miners of Colorado, condemning the ugliness of cast-iron stoves to the ladies of Boston. Here is the domestic Wilde, building sandcastles with his sons, and the generous Wilde, underwriting the publication of poets, lending and spending with no thought of tomorrow. And here is the romantic Wilde, enthralled with Lord Alfred Douglas in an affair that thrived on laughter, smitten with Florence Balcombe, flirting with Violet Hunt, obsessed with Lillie Langtry, loving Constance, his wife. Vividly evoked are the theatres, clubs, restaurants, and haunts that Wilde made famous. More than previous accounts, Belford's biography evaluates Wilde's homosexuality as not just a private matter but one connected to the politics and culture of the 1890s. Wilde's timeless observations, whichmake him the most quoted playwright after Shakespeare, are seamlessly woven into the life, revealing a man of remarkable intellect, energy, and warmth. Too often portrayed as a tragic figure--persecuted, imprisoned, sent into exile, and shunned--Wilde emerges from this intuitive portrait as fully human and fallible, a man who, realizing that his creative years were behind him, committed himself to a life of sexual freedom, which he insisted was the privilege of every artist. Even now, we have yet to catch up with the man who exhibited some of the more distinguishing characteristics of the twentieth century's preoccupation with fame and zeal for self-advertisement. Wilde's personality shaped an era, and his popularity as a wit and a dramatist has never ebbed.

Oscar Wilde

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Tracey Enerson Wood

Historical fiction based on the wife of President Woodrow Wilson. 

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

A Novel

"A fascinating read!" --Kristina McMorris, New York Times bestselling author of Sold on a Monday and The Ways We Hide The incredible story of the First Lady who clandestinely assumed the presidency Socialite Edith Bolling has been in no hurry to find a new husband since she was widowed, preferring to fill her days with good friends and travel. But the enchanting courting of President Woodrow Wilson wins Edith over and she becomes the First Lady of the United States. The position is uncomfortable for the fiercely independent Edith, but she's determined to rise to the challenges of her new marriage--from the bloodthirsty press to the shadows of the first World War. Warming to her new role, Edith is soon indispensable to her husband's presidency. She replaces the staff that Woodrow finds distracting, and discusses policy with him daily. Throughout the war, she encrypts top- secret messages and despite lacking formal education becomes an important adviser. When peace talks begin in Europe, she attends at Woodrow's side. But just as the critical fight to ratify the treaty to end the war and create a League of Nations in order to prevent another, Woodrow's always-delicate health takes a dramatic turn for the worse. In her determination to preserve both his progress and his reputation, Edith all but assumes the presidency herself. Now, Edith must contend with the demands of a tumultuous country, the secrets of Woodrow's true condition, and the potentially devastating consequences of her failure. At once sweeping and intimate, The President's Wife is an astonishing portrait of a courageous First Lady and the sacrifices she made to protect her husband and her country at all costs. Perfect for fans of bestselling historical fiction authors Marie Benedict, Fiona Davis, and Kate Quinn!

The President's Wife

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William Trevor

Collection of short stories by an Irish writer.

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

From the bestselling author of "The Story of Lucy Gault, Death in Summer, After Rain," and "Felicia's Journey" comes a collection of short fiction. Trevor is a regular contributor to "The New Yorker" magazine.

A Bit on the Side

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Tom Vitale

Around the World and Behind the Scenes with Anthony Bourdain

"In the nearly two years since Anthony Bourdain's death, no one else has come close to filling the void he left. His passion for and genuine interest in the cultures he visited made the world feel smaller and more knowable. Despite his affable, sometimes arch TV persona, the real Tony was intensely private, deeply conflicted about his fame, and an enigma even to those close to him-except for the crew following him around the world. And almost no one knew him better than his long-time producer and director Tom Vitale. Over the course of ten years traveling together, Tony became a boss, a friend, a hero and, sometimes, a tormentor. In the Weeds takes readers behind the scenes and behind the guise, to reveal not just the insanity that went into filming in some of the most volatile places in the world, but the complicated man behind the Anthony Bourdain persona. Tom tells the stories behind-the-scenes of traveling to places like Borneo, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Libya, and many more, all while trying to film a TV show"--

In the Weeds

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Joyce Carol Oates

A collection of thirty-seven essays, reviews, and works of criticism includes the author's discussions of key works by Sylvia Plath, Emily Brontë, and Ernest Hemingway. By the author of We Were the Mulvaneys. 25,000 first printing.

Uncensored: Views And (Re)views

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Dai Sijie

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

During the Chinese Cultural Revolution, two boys are sent to the country for reeducation, where their lives take an unexpected turn when they meet the beautiful daughter of a local tailor and stumble upon a forbidden stash of Western literature.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

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Steven Heller

Anne Fink

Book and dust jacket have some light wear. 

The New Simplicity in Graphic Design

Less Is More

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Susan Yelavich

Beautifully illustrated with all things design from architecture to tableware to labels to furniture. It’s a joy to page through all of the beauty.

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Our Daily Lives, the Spaces We Shape and the Ways We Communicate, as Seen through the Collections of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum

Produced in cooperation with the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution to mark its centennial anniversary, "Design for Life" draws on a century of collecting, documenting, and studying graphic, industrial, and product design in daily life. With a wealth of illustrations from the museum's unrivaled collection, this is a fascinating exploration of the centrality of design to human existence. 500 photos, many in color.

Design for Life

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Nicolo Machiavelli

George Bull

Anthony Grafton

There is some underlining on several pages mostly in the introduction. The spine is creased.

Treatise on political power, statecraft, and the qualities of the ideal ruler.

The Prince

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Juhea Kim

There is a small tear on the cover near the top of the spine.

"A spectacular debut filled with great characters and heart." --Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

FINALIST FOR THE 2022 DAYTON LITERARY PEACE PRIZE · FINALIST FOR THE BALCONES FICTION PRIZE · LONGLISTED FOR THE HWA DEBUT CROWN AWARD

An epic story of love, war, and redemption set against the backdrop of the Korean independence movement, following the intertwined fates of a young girl sold to a courtesan school and the penniless son of a hunter

In 1917, deep in the snowy mountains of occupied Korea, an impoverished local hunter on the brink of starvation saves a young Japanese officer from an attacking tiger. In an instant, their fates are connected--and from this encounter unfolds a saga that spans half a century.

In the aftermath, a young girl named Jade is sold by her family to Miss Silver's courtesan school, an act of desperation that will cement her place in the lowest social status. When she befriends an orphan boy named JungHo, who scrapes together a living begging on the streets of Seoul, they form a deep friendship. As they come of age, JungHo is swept up in the revolutionary fight for independence, and Jade becomes a sought-after performer with a new romantic prospect of noble birth. Soon Jade must decide whether she will risk everything for the one who would do the same for her.

From the perfumed chambers of a courtesan school in Pyongyang to the glamorous cafes of a modernizing Seoul and the boreal forests of Manchuria, where battles rage, Juhea Kim's unforgettable characters forge their own destinies as they wager their nation's. Immersive and elegant, Beasts of a Little Land unveils a world where friends become enemies, enemies become saviors, heroes are persecuted, and beasts take many shapes.

A Recommended Read from: USA Today · The Washington Post · Entertainment Weekly · The Today Show · Real Simple · Good Morning America · Harper's Bazaar · Buzzfeed · Fortune · Vulture · Goodreads · Lit Hub · Book Riot · PopSugar · E! Online · Ms. Magazine · Chicago Review of Books · Bustle · The Oregonian · The Millions

Beasts of a Little Land

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Muriel Spark

Set in a Women’s hostel in London in 1945. 

The last months of World War II bring unforgettable experiences to the residents of a young spinsters' club in Londons' West End

The Girls of Slender Means

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Ayn Rand

Leonard Peikoff

Equality 7-2521 dares to defy the ideals of collectivism in a futuristic state

Anthem

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Damon Galgut

Set in a rural South African hospital just after the end of Apartheid. The covers and spine are creased. 

When Laurence Waters arrives at his rural hospital posting, Frank is instantly suspicious. Laurence is everything Frank is not - young, optimistic and full of new schemes. The two become uneasy friends, while the rest of the staff in the deserted hospital view Laurence with a mixture of awe and mistrust.

The Good Doctor

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Kelly Rimmer

Follows two women on opposing sides of World War II and how they eventually meet and interact. Alternates timelines and locations. 

"Skillfully researched and powerfully written, The German Wife will capture you from the first page." --Madeline Martin, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London



The New York Times bestselling author of The Warsaw Orphan returns with a gripping novel inspired by the true story of Operation Paperclip: a controversial secret US intelligence program that employed former Nazis after WWII.



Berlin, Germany, 1930--When the Nazis rise to power, Sofie von Meyer Rhodes and her academic husband benefit from the military ambitions of Germany's newly elected chancellor when Jürgen is offered a high-level position in their burgeoning rocket program. Although they fiercely oppose Hitler's radical views, and joining his ranks is unthinkable, it soon becomes clear that if Jürgen does not accept the job, their income will be taken away. Then their children. And then their lives.



Huntsville, Alabama, 1950--Twenty years later, Jürgen is one of many German scientists pardoned and granted a position in America's space program. For Sofie, this is a chance to leave the horrors of her past behind. But when rumors about the Rhodes family's affiliation with the Nazi party spread among her new American neighbors, idle gossip turns to bitter rage, and the act of violence that results tears apart a family and leaves the community wondering--is it an act of vengeance or justice?



"An unforgettable novel that explores important questions highly relevant to the world today." --Christine Wells, author of Sisters of the Resistance



 

The German Wife

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Steven Rowley

An Indie Next List Pick

A LibraryReads Hall of Fame Pick

A Big Chill for our times, celebrating decades-long friendships and promises--especially to ourselves--by the bestselling and beloved author of The Guncle.

It's been a minute--or five years--since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives officially began. Now Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle find themselves at the brink of a new decade, with all the responsibilities of adulthood, yet no closer to having their lives figured out. Though not for a lack of trying. Over the years they've reunited in Big Sur to honor a decades-old pact to throw each other living "funerals," celebrations to remind themselves that life is worth living--that their lives mean something, to one another if not to themselves.

But this reunion is different. They're not gathered as they were to bolster Marielle as her marriage crumbled, to lift Naomi after her parents died, or to intervene when Craig pleaded guilty to art fraud. This time, Jordan is sitting on a secret that will upend their pact.

A deeply honest tribute to the growing pains of selfhood and the people who keep us going, coupled with Steven Rowley's signature humor and heart, The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth and the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living.

The Celebrants

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Nic Stone

"For the life of him, William "Scoob" Lamar can't seem to stay out of trouble--and now the run-ins at school have led to lockdown at home. So when G'ma, Scoob's favorite person on Earth, asks him to go on an impromptu road trip, he's in the RV faster than he can say FREEDOM. With G'ma's old maps and a strange pamphlet called the 'Travelers' Green Book' at their side, the pair takes off on a journey down G'ma's memory lane. But adventure quickly turns to uncertainty: G'ma keeps changing the license plate, dodging Scoob's questions, and refusing to check Dad's voice mails. And the father they go, the more Scoob realizes that the world hasn't always been a welcoming place for kids like him, and things aren't always what they seem--G'ma included."--Jacket flap.

Clean Getaway

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Anton DiSclafani

Set in the American South in the 1930’s. 

“Emotionally engaging... [A] romantic page-turner.” —Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times “A sexy, suspenseful, gorgeously written book.” —Curtis Sittenfeld, author of Prep A propulsive novel about sex, love, family, money, class, home, and horses - all set against the ominous threat of the Depression, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is part scandalous love story, part heartbreaking family drama. It is 1930, the midst of the Great Depression. After her mysterious role in a family tragedy, passionate, strong-willed Thea Atwell, age fifteen, has been cast out of her Florida home, exiled to an equestrienne boarding school for Southern debutantes. High in the Blue Ridge Mountains, with its complex social strata ordered by money, beauty, and girls’ friendships, the Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is a far remove from the free-roaming, dreamlike childhood Thea shared with her twin brother on their family’s citrus farm—a world now partially shattered. As Thea grapples with her responsibility for the events of the past year that led her here, she finds herself enmeshed in a new order, one that will change her sense of what is possible for herself, her family, her country. Weaving provocatively between home and school, the narrative powerfully unfurls the true story behind Thea’s expulsion from her family, but it isn’t long before the mystery of her past is rivaled by the question of how it will shape her future. Part scandalous love story, part heartbreaking family drama, The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls is an immersive, transporting page-turner—a vivid, propulsive novel about sex, love, family, money, class, home, and horses, all set against the ominous threat of the Depression—and the major debut of an important new writer.

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

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Charles Bock

The award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Children has created an unflinching yet deeply humane portrait of a young family's journey through a medical crisis, laying bare a couple's love and fears as they fight for everything that's important to them.

New York, 1993. Alice Culvert is a caring wife, a doting new mother, a loyal friend, and a soulful artist--a fashion designer who wears a baby carrier and haute couture with equal aplomb. In their loft in Manhattan's gritty Meatpacking District, Alice and her husband, Oliver, are raising their infant daughter, Doe, delighting in the wonders of early parenthood.

Their life together feels so vital and full of promise, which makes Alice's sudden cancer diagnosis especially staggering. In the span of a single day, the couple's focus narrows to the basic question of her survival. Though they do their best to remain brave, each faces enormous pressure: Oliver tries to navigate a labyrinthine healthcare system and handle their mounting medical bills; Alice tries to be hopeful as her body turns against her. Bracing themselves for the unthinkable, they must confront the new realities of their marriage, their strengths as partners and flaws as people, how to nourish love against all odds, and what it means to truly care for another person. 

Inspired by the author's life, Alice & Oliver is a deeply affecting novel written with stunning reserves of compassion, humor, and wisdom. Alice Culvert is an extraordinary character--a woman of incredible heart and spirit--who will remain in memory long after the final page.

Praise for Alice & Oliver

"This hauntingly powerful novel follows a family's fight for survival in the face of illness. A stirring elegy to a marriage."--O: The Oprah Magazine

"A rewarding reading experience . . . a testament to the resilience of humans and our willingness to forgive."--San Francisco Chronicle

"The novel's power is in its two characters' messy negotiation of their fears, errors and shifting affections. . . . Bock offers a forceful reminder that there are plenty of roiling emotions underneath that till-death-do-us-part."--Los Angeles Times

"[A] heart-wrenching story of a young couple whose lives change when Alice gets diagnosed with cancer . . . a refreshingly unsentimental look at the vicious disease."--Entertainment Weekly

"Alice & Oliver [has a] tough-minded commitment to truth-telling."--The Washington Post

"Even more than the meticulous details of drugs, treatments and side effects, Bock's tender portrayal of [his characters] in all their desolation gives [Alice & Oliver] its ring of truth. . . . I loved this novel."--Marion Winik, Newsday

"Alice & Oliver shows that, even in a situation that's about as terrible as it can be, there can still exist happiness, surprise, and life, that strange strong spirit that's with us until the end."--The Boston Globe

"The most honest, unsentimentally powerful novel about cancer that I've ever read."--Michael Christie, The Globe & Mail

"Wrenchingly powerful . . . Bock chronicles the daily struggles of a young wife and mother facing her own imminent mortality. This is a soul portrait of a family in crisis, written with a fearless clarity and a deep understanding of the bonds that can hold two people together even in the darkest hour."--Richard Price

Alice and Oliver

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Daniel M. Lavery

Purchased new and read once. Excellent condition. 

From the New York Times bestselling author and advice columnist, a poignant and funny debut novel about the residents of a women's hotel in 1960s New York City. The Beidermeier might be several rungs lower on the ladder than the real-life Barbizon, but its residents manage to occupy one another nonetheless. There's Katherine, the first-floor manager, lightly cynical and more than lightly suggestible. There's Lucianne, a workshy party girl caught between the love of comfort and an instinctive bridling at convention, Kitty the sponger, Ruth the failed hairdresser, and Pauline the typesetter. And there's Stephen, the daytime elevator operator and part-time Cooper Union student. The residents give up breakfast, juggle competing jobs at rival presses, abandon their children, get laid off from the telephone company, attempt to retrain as stenographers, all with the shared awareness that their days as an institution are numbered, and they'd better make the most of it while it lasts. As trenchant as the novels of Dawn Powell and Rona Jaffe and as immersive as The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and Lessons in Chemistry, Women's Hotel is a modern classic--and it is very, very funny.

Women's Hotel

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Amy Stewart

Minor wear to edges. Clean, no writing. Book five in the series. First Edition.

In the fifth installment of Amy Stewart's clever and original Kopp Sisters series, the sisters learn some military discipline--whether they're ready or not--as the U.S. prepares to enter World War I. It's the spring of 1917 and change is in the air. American women have done something remarkable: they've banded together to create military-style training camps for women who want to serve. These so-called National Service Schools prove irresistible to the Kopp sisters, who leave their farm in New Jersey to join up. When an accident befalls the matron, Constance reluctantly agrees to oversee the camp--much to the alarm of the Kopps' tent-mate, the real-life Beulah Binford, who is seeking refuge from her own scandalous past under the cover of a false identity. Will she be denied a second chance? And after notoriety, can a woman's life ever be her own again? InKopp Sisters on the March, the women of Camp Chevy Chase face down the skepticism of the War Department, the double standards of a scornful public, and the very real perils of war. Once again, Amy Stewart has brilliantly brought a little-known moment in history to light with her fearless and funny Kopp sisters novels.

Kopp Sisters on the March

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Bob Ross

Michelle Witte

Inspirational quotes with paintings. All by Bob Ross.

The Wit and Wisdom of Bob Ross

A tribute to Bob Ross-the soft-spoken artist known for painting happy clouds, mountains, and trees -- Happy Little Accidents culls his most wise and witty words into one delightful package.

Ross has captivated us for years with the magic that takes place on his canvas in twenty-six television minutes-all while dispensing little branches of wisdom. His style and encouraging words are a form of therapy for the weary, but with Bob it is always about more than painting. There is a hidden depth within his easy chatter, another layer to everything he says. When he talks about painting, he's using it as a metaphor for life!

Happy Little Accidents: The Wit and Wisdom of Bob Ross opens with an introduction and brief biography of Ross, followed by a collection of Ross's greatest quotes and most majestic works of art.
Relax. Unwind. Be inspired.

Happy Little Accidents

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Tui T. Sutherland

Clean, no writing. Book seven in the series.

Wings of Fire

Daring mission... or deadly mistake? Winter has been a disappointment to his royal IceWing family his whole life. When his sister, Icicle, runs away from Jade Mountain Academy, fleeing terrible crimes and possibly planning to commit more, Winter knows that they both need a second chance to make things right -- if only he can find her. Winter s new clawmates, Moon, Qibli, and Kinkajou, won t let him make this dangerous journey alone. They don t seem to understand that IceWings, the most superior of all dragon tribes, can fix their own problems. When their search leads the dragonets straight into Queen Scarlet s vicious talons, Winter is grateful to have some help. But even the bravest dragons can t follow him to the Ice Kingdom, where he ll have to face the greatest threat of all: his own family."

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