Claudia Durastanti

Elizabeth Harris

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Alaska

A Novel

"Durastanti casts the universal drama of the family as the sieve through which the self--woman, artist, daughter--is filtered and known." --Ocean Vuong
 
A work of fiction about being a stranger in your own family and life.

Every family has its own mythology, but in this family none of the myths match up. Claudia's mother says she met her husband when she stopped him from jumping off a bridge. Her father says it happened when he saved her from an attempted robbery. Both parents are deaf but couldn't be more different; they can't even agree on how they met, much less who needed saving.
 
Into this unlikely yet somehow inevitable union, our narrator is born. She comes of age with her brother in this strange, and increasingly estranged, household split between a small village in southern Italy and New York City. Without even sign language in common - their parents have not bothered to teach them - family communications are chaotic and rife with misinterpretations, by turns hilarious and devastating. An outsider in every way, she longs for a freedom she's not even sure exists. Only books and punk rock--and a tumultuous relationship--begin to show her the way to create her own mythology, to construct her own version of the story of her life.
 
Kinetic, formally dazzling, and spectacularly original, this book is a funny and profound portrait of an unconventional family that makes us look anew at how language shapes our understanding of ourselves.
 

Strangers I Know

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Erik Tarloff

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

A novel about sexual love, straight and queer, about love between friends, between exes, between parents and children, between lovers old and new, Erik Tarloff's Tell Me the Truth About Love tells the story of Toby Lindeman, a divorced man in San Francisco leading what appears to be an enviable bachelor's life. Suave, attractive, somewhat detached from the emotional needs of those around him, he seems to sail blithely above life's common difficulties as he goes about his duties as chief fundraiser for the San Francisco Opera. But then, to his own surprise, he falls passionately in love with the most inappropriate woman possible, the long-time mistress of the powerful man on whom his own future seems to depend. As Toby navigates the risks of this relationship, encountering heartbreak and professional catastrophe along the way, he also finds himself reconnecting on a much deeper level with all the people in his life. Suspenseful, sexy, and often laugh-out-loud funny, Tell Me the Truth About Love is a very contemporary look at the varieties of human connection.

Tell Me the Truth about Love

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Kimberly Garza

There is residue on the back from the envelope the book was delivered in. But otherwise new, never read. ARC (advanced reader copy)

"Vivid . . . Garza's accomplished debut enriches the public imagination of this corner of America, and the communities within." --Melissa Chadburn, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)

A blazing and kaleidoscopic debut about a tight-knit community of Mexican and Filipino American families on the Texas coast from a voice you won't soon forget.

Welcome to Galveston, Texas. Population 50,241.

A popular tourist destination and major shipping port, Galveston attracts millions of visitors each year. Yet of those who come to drink by the beach, few stray from the boulevards to Fish Village, the neighborhood home to individuals who for generations have powered the island.

Carly Castillo has only ever known Fish Village. Her grandmother claims that they descend from the Karankawas, an indigenous Texas people once believed to be extinct, thereby tethering them to Galveston. But as Carly ages, she begins to imagine a life elsewhere, undefined by her family's history. Meanwhile, her boyfriend and all-star shortstop turned seaman, Jess, treasures the salty, familiar air. He's gotten chances to leave Galveston for bigger cities with more possibilities. But he didn't take them then, and he sure as hell won't now. When word spreads of a storm gathering strength offshore, building into Hurricane Ike, each Galveston resident must make a difficult decision: board up the windows and hunker down or flee inland and abandon their hard-won homes.

Moving through these characters' lives and those of the extraordinary individuals who circle them, Kimberly Garza's The Last Karankawas weaves together a multitude of voices to present a lyrical, emotionally charged portrait of everyday survival. The result is an unforgettable exploration of familial inheritance, human resilience, and the histories we assign to ourselves, reminding us that the deepest bonds are forged not by blood, but by fire.

The Last Karankawas - ARC

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Emma Donoghue

"A wrenching love story" (Chris Bohjalian, The Washington Post) based on the true story of two girls who fall secretly, deeply, and dangerously in love at boarding school in 19th century York, from the bestselling author of Room and The Wonder. Drawing on years of investigation and Anne Lister's five-million-word secret journal, Learned by Heart is the long-buried love story of Eliza Raine, an orphan heiress banished from India to England at age six, and Anne Lister, a brilliant, troublesome tomboy, who meet at the Manor School for young ladies in York in 1805 when they are both fourteen. Emotionally intense, psychologically compelling, and deeply researched, Learned by Heart is an extraordinary work of fiction by one of the world's greatest storytellers. Full of passion and heartbreak, the tangled lives of Anne Lister and Eliza Raine form a love story for the ages.

Learned by Heart (ARC)

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Taylor Byas

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Poems

Inspired by The Wiz, this debut, full-length poetry collection celebrates South Side Chicago and a Black woman's quest for self-discovery--one that pulls her away from the safety of home and into her power

I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times takes its inspiration and concept from the cult classic film The Wiz to explore a Black woman's journey out of the South Side of Chicago and into adulthood. The narrative arc of The Wiz--a tumultuous departure from home, trials designed to reveal new things about the self, and the eventual return home--serves as a loose trajectory for this collection, pulling readers through an abandoned barn, a Wendy's drive-thru, a Beyoncé video, Grandma's house, Sunday service, and the corner store. At every stop, the speaker is made to confront her womanhood, her sexuality, the visibility of her body, alcoholism in her family, and various ways in which narratives are imposed on her.

Subverting monolithic ideas about the South Side of Chicago, and re-casting the city as a living, breathing entity, I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times spans sestinas, sonnets, free-verse, and erasures, all to reimagine the concept of home. Chicago isn't just a city, but a teacher, a lingering shadow, a way of seeing the world.

I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times

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Kate Baer

Some light shelf wear and water damage at top of pages 

A stunning and honest debut poetry collection about the beauty and hardships in being a mother, a wife, and a woman.

What Kind of Woman

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The author of the #1 New York Times bestseller What Kind of Woman returns with a collection of erasure poems created from notes she received from followers, supporters and detractors-- a ritual that reclaims the vitriol from online trolls and inspires readers to transform what is ugly or painful in their own lives into something beautiful. "I'm sure you could benefit from jumping on a treadmill" "Women WANT a male leader . . . It's honest to god the basic human playbook" These are some of the thousands of messages that Kate Baer has received online. Like countless other writers--particularly women--with profiles on the internet, as Kate's online presence grew, so did the darker messages crowding her inbox. These missives from strangers have ranged from "advice" and opinions to outright harassment. At first, these messages resulted in an immediate delete and block. Until, on a whim, Kate decided to transform the cruelty into art, using it to create fresh and intriguing poems. These pieces, along with ones made from notes of gratitude and love, as well as from the words of public figures, have become some of her most beloved work. I Hope This Finds You Well is drawn from those works: a book of poetry birthed in the darkness of the internet that offers light and hope. By cleverly building on the harsh negativity and hate women often receive--and combining it with heartwarming messages of support, gratitude, and connection, Kate Baer offers us a lesson in empowerment, showing how we too can turn bitterness into beauty.

I Hope This Finds You Well

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T. A. Barron

Some light shelf wear and a sticker on the back (all pictured)

Avalon, the great tree world connecting the earth and the heavens, is about to be destroyed. The warlord Rhita Gawr is bent on conquest--and using an army of deathless warriors, a corrupted crystal, and a plague of arrogance and greed to succeed.

Three unlikely heroes are Avalon's only hope. Tamwyn, the wilderness guide, must travel the secret pathway to the stars. Elli, the brave young priestess, must defeat a terrible sorcerer in a realm of utter darkness. And Scree, the eagleman, must lead his winged people to do what seems impossible . . .

This spectacular final volume of T. A. Barron's bestselling trilogy combines gripping adventure with profound ideas about the powerful connections between humanity and the world.

The Eternal Flame

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Western Alliances (ARC)

Laurien Berenson

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

A Charming and Humorous Cozy Mystery

Murder, She Wrote meets The Odd Couple in award-winning author Laurien Berenson's brand-new series spun off from her much-loved Melanie Travis Canine Mysteries and featuring Melanie's elderly aunts--cantankerous Peg and soft-spoken Rose--who'll put asoide their differences to stop a killer... if they don't throttle each other first!

Rose Donovan looks for the good in everyone. With her sister-in-law, Peg, that sometimes requires a lot of searching. Even a sixty-something former nun like Rose has her limits, and gruff Peg Turnbull sure knows how to push them. But after forty years of bickering, they're attempting to start over, partnering up to join the local bridge club.

Peg and Rose barely have a chance to celebrate their first win before one of the club's most accomplished players is killed in his home. As the newest members, the sisters-in-law come under scrutiny and decide to start some digging of their own. Bridge is typically seen as a wholesome pastime, yet this group of senior citizens harbors a wealth of vices, including gambling, cheating, and adultery . . .

By comparison, Peg and Rose's fractious relationship is starting to feel almost functional. But as their suspect list narrows, they're unaware that their logic has a dangerous flaw. And they'll have to hope that their teamwork holds steady when they're confronted by a killer who's through with playing games . . .

"Engaging...[Peg and Rose] stand on their own as capable, witty women who are more than up to the task of crime-solving." -Bookpage

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder

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Just Pursuit (ARC)

Bought new, never read. Illumicrate edition. 

A Scatter of Light (Illumicrate)

V. S. Alexander

An engrossing novel inspired by the mysterious true story of Irmgard Keun, a female novelist who defied all the rules during Berlin's volcanic post-WWI years, as a young German writer exiled for her ideas flees her country and her Nazi-supporting husband, fighting for her art, her life, and her child. 1920s Germany: Though the world has changed in the wake of the Great War, it is still ruled by men. Even a woman as resourceful and intelligent as Niki Rittenhaus needs alliances in order to survive. Her marriage to Rickard Länger, a movie producer for Berlin's Passport Pictures, seems convenient for them both. When Rickard succumbs to increasing pressure from the Nazis to make propaganda movies, a horrified Niki turns away from her own film aspirations and instead, begins to write. Niki's first novel, The Berlin Woman, is published under a pseudonym to great success. But Niki knows she cannot stay anonymous for long. The Nazis are cementing their power over Germany--and over her husband. Though she succeeds in escaping Rickard, he directs Hitler's Brownshirts to do the unthinkable: kidnap their daughter. With her books blacklisted, her life in danger, and Europe descending into war, Niki travels to Amsterdam, joins the Dutch Resistance, and then returns to war-torn Berlin determined to claim freedom for herself and her child, and to write her own story at last.

The Novelist from Berlin

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Christina Britton

Four years ago, a scandal cost Miss Katrina Denby everything. Now, companion to the irascible Lady Tesh and in possession of wonderful friends, she believes her luck has finally changed. Until the man responsible for her ruination returns to England and promptly dies in a fall from her bedroom window. Now the life she had begun to build for herself is in shambles. And not only is she ostracized and vilified, but her friends are suffering as well because of their association with her. Katrina will do anything to gain respectability again and protect those she cares for. But her plans to marry one of the few men who will still have her despite the stain on her name and lack of fortune are thrown into turmoil with the arrival of the only man Katrina ever loved. A man who is now about to become engaged to another. Sebastian Thorne, Duke of Ramsleigh, was a carefree rogue when he first met and began to fall in love with Katrina. But his father's horrible actions forced him to give up on his dreams of a future with her. Now, after years of trying to save the dukedom, there is only one option left: to marry, and marry well. But though he has nearly secured the woman--and her fortune--necessary to protect the people who are counting on him, his future father-in-law sends him on one final errand to earn his blessing. What Sebastian doesn't expect while seeing that job through, however, is Katrina--or that his feelings for her have not faded. In fact, they have only grown stronger, Katrina's hold on his heart even more powerful than before. With both of their futures on the line and so many lives at stake, will their passion for one another lead to the ruin of them both--or give them a happiness they never dared to dream of?

What's a Duke Got to Do with It

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American Blues

New, never read. Signed by author with a message to me.

Marked

The Counterfeit Scoundrel (ARC)

Carry The Dog (ARC)

Victoria Christopher Murray

New, never read. A little bit of shelf wear on spine (pictured).

The 7 Deadly Sins series that inspired several Lifetime original movies continues with this unputdownable novel following an entrepreneur who is determined to get everything she wants, no matter who she has to take it from. Perfect for fans of Succession.

Jewel Baldwin has always felt like the black sheep of her family. A lifetime in the shadow of her younger sister, Ivy, has inspired Jewel to claw her way to the vice presidency of marketing in her family's beauty company. But when her mother is diagnosed with Alzheimer's and appoints Ivy as CEO, Jewel hatches a business plan that she is sure will cement her own legacy away from her family.

When business gets tough, however, Jewel finds herself tempted to borrow from Baldwin Beauty to make ends meet. Or will her pride get in her way and be her downfall? Combining family drama with shady business dealings, Pride is a gripping and timeless exploration of ambition versus obligation.

Pride

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Patience Is A Subtle Thief (ARC)

Bought new, never read. The Illumicrate edition with sprayed edges, foiling, and signed by the author. 

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

The Unbroken (Illumicrate)

Caroline Day

Goldsboro edition that is signed and has sprayed edges

Hope Nicely's Lessons for Life (Goldsboro - signed + sprayed edges)

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M. Dressler

Ex-library copy with stamps/markings identifying it as an ex-library book. Minimal wear and tear though!

The Last Ghost Series, Book One

Book Pipeline 2017 Grand Prize Winner
Winner of the Audiofile Magazine 2018 Earphones Award for Fiction

For fans of Lauren Oliver and Kazuo Ishiguro, The Last to See Me is a spellbinding American ghost story deftly weaving past and present into an unforgettable narrative about a young woman's fight for a life of her own--long after her life is over.

Over one hundred years ago, Emma Rose Finnis was born and died in the remote northern California town she now haunts. When she was alive, she was a lowly chambermaid and worse, a Finnis. Now, no one remembers her hardworking life and her grand dreams--because there are none left to remember. In a world where phantoms are considered "unclean," the spirits of her town have already been removed. All except Emma Rose.

But when a determined hunter arrives with instructions to extinguish her once and for all, Emma Rose refuses to be hounded from her haunt, the stately Lambry Mansion. She's earned her place and she'll keep it--even if it means waging a war on the living. After all, she's got nothing left to lose. The same might not be said for those who still enjoy the luxury of a breath . . .

Browse by categories

Claudia Durastanti; Elizabeth Harris

Strangers I Know

Erik Tarloff

Tell Me the Truth about Love

Kimberly Garza

The Last Karankawas - ARC

Emma Donoghue

Learned by Heart (ARC)

Taylor Byas

I Done Clicked My Heels Three Times

Kate Baer

What Kind of Woman

Kate Baer

I Hope This Finds You Well

T. A. Barron

The Eternal Flame

Wilton Bernhardt

Western Alliances (ARC)

Laurien Berenson

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder

Laura Coates

Just Pursuit (ARC)

Melinda Lo

A Scatter of Light (Illumicrate)

V. S. Alexander

The Novelist from Berlin

Christina Britton

What's a Duke Got to Do with It

Polly Hamilton Hilsabeck

American Blues

K. A. Gandy

Marked

Lorraine Heath

The Counterfeit Scoundrel (ARC)

Stephanie Gangi

Carry The Dog (ARC)

Victoria Christopher Murray

Pride

Abi Ishola-Ayodeji

Patience Is A Subtle Thief (ARC)

C. L. Clark

The Unbroken (Illumicrate)

Caroline Day

Hope Nicely's Lessons for Life (Goldsboro - signed + sprayed edges)

M. Dressler

The Last to See Me

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