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We Tell Ourselves Stories: Joan Didion and the American Dream Machine

Alissa Wilkinson

In this riveting cultural biography, New York Times film critic Alissa Wilkinson examines Joan Didion's influence through the lens of American mythmaking. As a young girl, Didion was infatuated with John Wayne and his on-screen bravado, and was fascinated by her California pioneer ancestry and the infamous Donner Party. The mythos that preoccupied her early years continued to influence her work as a magazine writer and film critic in New York, offering glimmers of the many stories Didion told herself that would come to unravel over the course of her career. But out west, show business beckoned.

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Home of the Happy: A Murder on the Cajun Prairie

Jordan LaHaye Fontenot

On January 16, 1983, Aubrey LaHaye's body was found floating in the Bayou Nezpique. His kidnapping ten days before sparked "the biggest manhunt in the history of Evangeline Parish." But his descendants would hear the story as lore, in whispers of the dreadful day the FBI landed a helicopter in the family's rice field and set out on horseback to search for the seventy-year-old banker. Decades later, Aubrey's great-granddaughter Jordan LaHaye Fontenot asked her father, the parish urologist, to tell the full story. He revealed that to this day, every few months, one of his patients will bring up his grandfather's murder, and the man accused of killing him, John Brady Balfa, who remains at Angola Prison serving a life sentence. They'll say, in so many words: "Dr. Marcel, I really don't think that Balfa boy killed your granddaddy." For readers of Maggie Nelson's THE RED PARTS and Emma Copley Eisenberg's THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL, HOME OF THE HAPPY unravels the layers of suffering borne of this brutal crime-and investigates the mysteries that linger beneath generations of silence. Is it possible that an innocent man languishes in prison, still, wrongly convicted of murdering the author's great-grandfather?

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The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future

Keach Hagey

From an acclaimed Wall Street Journal reporter comes the first biography of the enigmatic leader of the AI revolution, charting his ascent within the tech world as well as his ambitions for this powerful new technology. On November 30, 2022, OpenAI released ChatGPT, a chatbot that captivated the world with its uncanny ability to hold humanlike conversations. Not even a year later, on November 17, 2023, Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, was summarily fired on a video call by the company's board. The firing made headlines around the globe: OpenAI is the leader in the race to build AGI--artificial general intelligence, or AI that can think like a human being--and Altman is the most prominent figure in the field. Yet it was mere days before Altman was back running the company he had co-founded, with most of the directors who voted to fire him themselves removed from the board. The episode was a demonstration of how quickly the industry is moving, and of Altman's power to bend reality to his will. In The Optimist, the Wall Street Journal reporter Keach Hagey presents the most detailed account yet of Altman's rise, from his precocious childhood in St. Louis to his first, failed startup experience; his time as legendary entrepreneur Paul Graham's protégé and successor as head of Y Combinator, the start-up accelerator where Altman became the premier power broker in Silicon Valley; the founding of OpenAI and his recruitment of a small yet superior team; and his struggle to keep his company at the cutting edge while fending off determined rivals, including Elon Musk, a former friend and now Altman's bitter opponent. Hagey conducted more than 250 interviews, with Altman's family, friends, teachers, mentors, co-founders, colleagues, investors, and portfolio companies, in addition to spending hours with Altman himself. The person who emerges in her portrait is a brilliant dealmaker with a love of risk, who believes in technological progress with an almost religious conviction--yet who sometimes moves too fast for the people around him. With both the promise and peril of AI increasing by the day, Hagey delivers a nuanced, balanced, revelatory account of the individual who is leading us into what he himself has called "the intelligence age." Altman is a figure out of Isaac Asimov or Neal Stephenson. Or he is the author himself: if it feels as though we have all collectively stepped into a science fiction short story, it is Altman who is writing it.

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Yet Here I Am: Lessons from a Black Man’s Search for Home

Jonathan Capehart

MSNBC anchor Jonathan Capehart is one of the most recognizable faces in cable news. But long before that success, Capehart spent his boyhood growing up without his father, shuttling back and forth between New Jersey and rural Severn, North Carolina, contemplating the complexities of race and identity as they shifted around him. It was never easy bridging two worlds; whether being told he was too smart or not smart enough, too black or not black enough, Capehart struggled to find his place. Then, an internship at The Today Show altered the course of his life, bringing him one step closer to his dream. From there, Capehart embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Yet Here I Am takes us along that journey, from his years at Carleton College, where he learns to embrace his identity as a gay, black man surrounded by a likeminded community; to his decision to come out to his family, risking rejection; and finally to his move to New York City, where time and again he stumbles and picks himself up as he blazes a path to become the familiar face in news we know today. Honest and endearing, Yet Here I Am is an inspirational memoir of identity, opportunity, and of finding one's voice and purpose along the way.

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Better Man

Robbie Williams

Better Man is based on the true story of the meteoric rise, dramatic fall, and remarkable resurgence of British pop superstar Robbie Williams, one of the greatest entertainers of all time. Under the visionary direction of Michael Gracey (The Greatest Showman), the film is uniquely told from Robbie's perspective, capturing his signature wit and indomitable spirit. It follows Robbie's journey from childhood, to being the youngest member of chart-topping boyband Take That, through to his unparalleled achievements as a record-breaking solo artist all the while confronting the challenges that stratospheric fame and success can bring.

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Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis

Suzanne Cope

From underground soldiers to intrepid spies, Women of War unearths the hidden history of the brave women who risked their lives to overthrow the Nazi occupation and liberate Italy. Using primary sources and brand new scholarship, historian Suzanne Cope illuminates the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders and Italian fascist loyalists. Cope's research and storytelling introduces four brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and pry their future from the fascist grasp. We meet Carla Capponi in Rome, where she made bombs in an underground bunker then ferried them to their deadly destination wearing lipstick and a trenchcoat; and Bianca Guidetti Serra who rode her bicycle up switchbacks in the Alps, dodging bullets while delivering bags of clandestine newspapers and munitions to the anti-fascist armies hidden in the mountains. In Florence, the young future author of Italy's new constitution, Teresa Mattei, carried secret messages and hid bombs; while Anita Malavasi led troops across the Apennine Mountains. Women of War brings their experiences as underground resistance fighters, partisan combatants, spies, and saboteurs to life. Essential and original, Women of War offers not only a reexamination of the elision of women from vital WWII history but also a valuable perspective on the ongoing fight for gender equality and social justice. After all, these were the women who launched a feminist movement as they fought for the future of their country, and what that could mean for its women, all while under Nazi and fascist fire.

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Crumb: A Cartoonist's Life

Dan Nadel

The first biography of Robert Crumb--one of the most profound and influential artists of the 20th century--whose iconic, radically frank and meticulously rendered cartoons and comics inspired generations of readers and cartoonists, from Art Spiegelman to Alison Bechdel.

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Our Dear Friends in Moscow: The Inside Story of a Broken Generation

Irina Borogan

Our Dear Friends in Moscow tells the story of a group of young Russians, part of an idealistic generation who came of age in Moscow at the end of the twentieth century, just as the communist era imploded and a future full of potential, and uncertainty, stood in front of them. At home, civil war stalked the Russian border in Chechnya, and terrorism came to Moscow. More discreetly, the new Russian government began to pull back from reconciliation with the United States and the West; by the time of Vladimir Putin's second term as president, the country had embraced a kind of ethno-nationalism and was heading for war at home and abroad. The group is torn apart by the shift in Russia. Some flee; others become sinister agents of the ever more aggressive state. The center cannot hold.

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Gettysburg: The Tide Turns: An Oral History

Bruce Chadwick

The definitive oral history of the battle that turned the tide of the Civil War that combines vivid first-hand accounts with rich historical narrative. In late June of 1863, one month after his victory over Union forces at Chancellorsville, Virginia, General Robert E. Lee, head of the Army of Northern Virginia, invaded the North. He would cross the Potomac River and head towards Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, with the goal of seizing the trains which would then take his army into Philadelphia and perhaps even New York City. He hoped that these victories would force U.S. President Abraham Lincoln to surrender. As he pushed north, Lee was operating without his cavalry leader, J.E.B. Stuart, whom he had allowed to go on a useless scouting mission. At the same time, the Union army, now led by little known commander George Meade was tracking Lee and his men. Both sides clashed at Gettysburg, a tiny Pennsylvania farm village on July 1 in what would be a three-day battle that would change the course of the war. The battle would reveal the mettle of the unheralded Meade and would also call into question General Lee’s reputation as a legendary commander when he unleashed the ill planned and ill prepared Pickett’s Charge. The battle proved costly to both sides. Some 50,000 men were killed across the battlefield and the defeated Lee’s army would never again invade the North. After so much bloodshed, President Lincoln's history-making and eloquent Gettysburg Address came to embody the essence of the war. The address, not even three minutes long, is considered the finest speech ever delivered buy an American President and has been memorized by generations ever since. Using letters, diaries, journals, newspaper articles, and other written sources, Bruce Chadwick has crafted another masterful oral history. Skillfully combining traditional historic narrative with the in-the-moment ethos of an oral history, Gettysburg: The Tide Turns brings this iconic battle to fresh and vivid life.

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50 Vegetarian Recipes from 50 Years at Claire’s Corner Copia

Claire Criscuolo

50 Vegetarian Recipes from 50 Years of Claire's Corner Copia by Claire Criscuolo marks a culinary milestone, celebrating five decades of nourishing a community with vibrant, plant-based cuisine. This anniversary cookbook invites you into the heart of Claire's Corner Copia, the beloved vegetarian restaurant. Divided into five mouthwatering chapters, this collection features some of Claire's most popular recipes, each one a testament to her passion for healthy, delicious food. Alongside these timeless recipes, Claire shares intimate anecdotes from the restaurant's rich history, offering a glimpse into the journey of a culinary icon. The cookbook also includes new recipes inspired by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an emphasis on healing, healthful ingredients, and refreshing mocktails and smoothies designed to support recovery. Lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs of the dishes and the restaurant itself, this book is not just a celebration of Claire's Corner Copia's legacy but a treasure trove of vegetarian recipes that have stood the test of time.

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Buckley: The Life and the Revolution That Changed America

Sam Tanenhaus

At age 25 in 1951, with the publication of God and Man at Yale, a scathing attack on his alma mater, William F. Buckley, Jr. instantly seized the public stage-and commanded it for the next half century, leading a new generation of activists and ideologues to the heights of political power while he himself attained unique fame and public influence. Ten years before his death in 2008, Buckley chose prize-winning biographer Sam Tanenhaus to tell the full story of his life and times, granting him extensive interviews, entrée to his intimate circle, and unrestricted access to his most private papers. Thus began a deep investigation into the vast and often hidden universe of Bill Buckley and the conservative revolution. Buckley vividly captures its subject in all his facets and phases-founding editor of National Review, best-selling novelist and memoirist, jet-setting clubman and socialite, downhill skier and sailboat racer, wisecracking candidate for mayor of New York, flamboyant antagonist of James Baldwin and Gore Vidal, mentor and idol to hundreds who today populate the worlds of politics and media. Tanenhaus also reveals the private and at times secret life of Bill Buckley: his backstage collaborations with Senator Joseph McCarthy and Watergate felon Howard Hunt; thorny relationships with Presidents Nixon and Reagan; flirtations with financial ruin and legal censure-and, late in life, Buckley's lonely struggle to hold together a movement coming apart over AIDS, the culture wars, and the invasion of Iraq. Majestic in its sweep, lushly detailed, rich in ideas and argument, packed with news and revelations, Buckley is the definitive account of an American giant and the revolution he led.

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Throwback

Maurene Goo

A YA contemporary romance about a Korean American girl sent back to the '90s to (reluctantly) help her teenage mom win Homecoming Queen. Being a first-generation Asian American immigrant is hard. You know what's harder? Being the daughter of one. Samantha Kang has never gotten along with her mother, Priscilla-and has never understood her bougie-nightmare, John Hughes high school expectations. After a huge fight between them, Sam is desperate to move forward-but instead, finds herself thrown back. Way back. To her shock, Sam finds herself back in high school . . . in the '90s . . . with a 17-year-old Priscilla. Now this Gen Z girl must try to fit into an analog world. She's got the fashion down, but everything else is baffling. What is "microfiche"? What's with the casual racism and misogyny? And why does it feel like Priscilla is someone she could actually be . . . friends with? Sam's blast to the past has her finding the right romance in the wrong time while questioning everything she thought she knew about her mom . . . and herself. Will Sam figure out what she needs to do to fix things for her mom so that she can go back to a time she understands?

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The Spirit Bares Its Teeth

Andrew Joseph White

A blood-soaked and nauseating triumph that cuts like a scalpel and reads like your darkest nightmare. New York Times bestselling author Andrew Joseph White returns with the transgressive gothic horror of our time! Mors vincit omnia. Death conquers all. London, 1883. The Veil between the living and dead has thinned. Violet-eyed mediums commune with spirits under the watchful eye of the Royal Speaker Society, and sixteen-year-old trans, autistic Silas Bell would rather rip out his violet eyes than become an obedient Speaker wife. After a failed attempt to escape an arranged marriage, Silas is diagnosed with Veil sickness?a mysterious disease sending violet-eyed women into madness?and shipped away to Braxtons Finishing School and Sanitorium. When the ghosts of missing students start begging Silas for help, he decides to reach into Braxtons innards and expose its guts to the world?so long as the school doesnt break him first. Featuring an autistic trans protagonist in a historical setting, Andrew Joseph Whites much-anticipated sophomore novel does not back down from exposing the violence of the patriarchy and the harm inflicted on trans youth who are forced into conformity.

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Spin

Rebecca Caprara

Arachne is a homely girl with no claims to divinity or fortune, ostracized by all but her family and closest friend, Celandine. Turning to her loom for solace, Arachne learns to weave, finding her voice and her strength through the craft. After a devastating loss, Arachne and Celandine flee to the city of Colophon, where Arachne's skills are put to the test. Word of her talent spreads quickly, leading to a confrontation with the goddess Athena, who demands that Arachne repent for her insolence and pride. But Arachne will not be silenced. She challenges Athena, and a fateful weaving contest ensues, resulting in an exposé of divine misdeeds, a shocking transformation, and unexpected redemption.

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The Silence that Binds Us

Joanna Ho

In the year following their son's death, May Chen's parents face racist accusations of putting too much pressure on their son and causing his death by suicide, and May attempts to challenge the racism and ugly stereotypes through her writing, only to realize that she still has a lot to learn and that her actions have consequences for her family as well as herself.

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Lunar New Year Love Story

Gene Luen Yang

Graphic novel superstars Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham join forces in this heartwarming rom-com about fate, family, and falling in love. She was destined for heartbreak. Then fate handed her love . Val is ready to give up on love. It's led to nothing but secrets and heartbreak, and she's pretty sure she's cursed—no one in her family, for generations, has ever had any luck with love. But then a chance encounter with a pair of cute lion dancers sparks something in Val. Is it real love? Could this be her chance to break the family curse? Or is she destined to live with a broken heart forever?

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The Lesbiana's Guide to Catholic School

Sonora Reyes

A sharply funny and moving debut novel about a queer Mexican American girl navigating Catholic school, while falling in love and learning to celebrate her true self. Perfect for fans of Erika L. Sánchez, Leah Johnson, and Gabby Rivera. Sixteen-year-old Yamilet Flores prefers to be known for her killer eyeliner, not for being one of the only Mexican kids at her new, mostly white, very rich Catholic school. But at least here no one knows she's gay, and Yami intends to keep it that way. After being outed by her crush and ex-best friend before transferring to Slayton Catholic, Yami has new priorities: keep her brother out of trouble, make her mom proud, and, most importantly, don't fall in love. Granted, she's never been great at any of those things, but that's a problem for Future Yami. The thing is, it's hard to fake being straight when Bo, the only openly queer girl at school, is so annoyingly perfect. And smart. And talented. And cute. So cute. Either way, Yami isn't going to make the same mistake again. If word got back to her mom, she could face a lot worse than rejection. So she'll have to start asking, WWSGD: What would a straight girl do?

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The Girls I've Been

Tess Sharpe

In this feminist, suspenseful thriller the daughter of a con artist is taken hostage in a bank heist—and will need to tap into all her skills in order to survive. “If you’re looking for a queer YA contemporary book with complex characters, loads of action to keep you reading WAY past your bedtime — and a story so well written I might have shed a tear over it — you need to read The Girls I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe. It will keep you captivated until the last page.” —Culturess Nora O'Malley's been a lot of girls. As the daughter of a con-artist who targets criminal men, she grew up as her mother's protégé. But when her mom fell for the mark instead of conning him, Nora pulled the ultimate con: escape. For five years Nora's been playing at normal. But she needs to dust off the skills she ditched because she has three problems: #1: Her ex walked in on her with her girlfriend. Even though they're all friends, Wes didn't know about her and Iris. #2: The morning after Wes finds them kissing, they all have to meet to deposit the fundraiser money they raised at the bank. It's a nightmare that goes from awkward to deadly, because: #3: Right after they enter the bank, two guys start robbing it. The bank robbers may be trouble, but Nora's something else entirely. They have no idea who they're really holding hostage.

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Gather

Kenneth M. Cadow

A resourceful teenager in rural Vermont struggles to hold on to the family home while his mom recovers from addiction in this striking debut novel. Ian Gray isn't supposed to have a dog, but a lot of things that shouldn't happen end up happening anyway. And Gather, Ian's adopted pup, is good company now that Ian has to quit the basketball team, find a job, and take care of his mom as she tries to overcome her opioid addiction. Despite the obstacles thrown their way, Ian is determined to keep his family afloat no matter what it takes. And for a little while, things are looking up: Ian makes friends, and his fondness for the outdoors and for fixing things lands him work helping neighbors. But an unforeseen tragedy results in Ian and his dog taking off on the run, trying to evade a future that would mean leaving their house and their land. Even if the community comes together to help him, would Ian and Gather have a home to return to? Told in a wry, cautious first-person voice that meanders like a dog circling to be sure it's safe to lie down, Kenneth M. Cadow's resonant debut brings an emotional and ultimately hopeful story of one teen's resilience in the face of unthinkable hardships.

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For Lamb

Lesa Cline-Ransome

An interracial friendship between two teenaged girls goes tragically wrong in this powerful historical novel set in the Jim Crow South. For Lamb follows a family striving to better their lives in the late 1930s Jackson, Mississippi. Lamb’s mother is a hard-working, creative seamstress who cannot reveal she is a lesbian. Lamb’s brother has a brilliant mind and has even earned a college scholarship for a black college up north— if only he could curb his impulsiveness and rebellious nature. Lamb herself is a quiet and studious girl. She is also naive.  As she tentatively accepts the friendly overtures of a white girl who loans her a book she loves, she sets a off a calamitous series of events that pulls in her mother, charming hustler uncle, estranged father, and brother, and ends in a lynching.  Told with nuance and subtlety, avoiding sensationalism and unnecessary brutality, this young adult novel from celebrated author Lesa Cline-Ransome pays homage to the female victims of white supremacy.

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The 9:09 Project

Mark H. Parsons

A thoughtful exploration about finding oneself, learning to hope after loss, and recognizing the role that family, friends, and even strangers can play in the healing process if you are open and willing to share your experience with others. It has been two years since his mom’s death, and Jamison, his dad, and his younger sister seem to be coping, but they’ve been dealing with their loss separately and in different ways. When Jamison almost forgets the date of his mother's birthday, he worries that his memory of her is slipping away. To help make sense of the passing of time, he picks up his camera—the Nikon his mother gave to him. Jamison begins to take photos of ordinary people on the street, at the same time and place each night. As he focuses his lens on the random people who cross his path, Jamison begins to see the world in a deeper way. His endeavor turns into a school project, and then into something more. Along with his new outlook, Jamison forges new and unexpected friendships at school. But more importantly, he’s able to revive the memory of his mother, and to connect with his father and younger sister once again.

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What Happened to Rachel Riley?

Claire Swinarski

In this engrossing and inventive contemporary middle grade novel that's Where'd You Go Bernadette? with a #MeToo message, an eighth grader uses social media posts, passed notes, and other clues to find out why a formerly popular girl is now the pariah of her new school. Anna Hunt may be the new girl at East Middle School, but she can already tell there's something off about her eighth-grade class. Rachel Riley, who just last year was one of the most popular girls in school, has become a social outcast. But no one, including Rachel Riley herself, will tell Anna why. As a die-hard podcast enthusiast, Anna knows there's always more to a story than meets the eye. So, she decides to put her fact-seeking skills to the test and create her own podcast around the question that won't stop running through her head: What happened to Rachel Riley? With the entire eighth grade working against her, Anna dives headfirst into the evidence. Clue after clue, the mystery widens, painting an even more complex story than Anna could have anticipated. But there's one thing she's certain of: If you're going to ask a complicated question, you better be prepared for the fallout that may come with the answer.

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Simon Sort of Says

Erin Bow

For fans of Kate DiCamillo and Jack Gantos, a hilarious, wrenching, hopeful novel about finding your friends, healing your heart, and speaking your truth. Simon O'Keeffe's biggest claim to fame should be the time his dad accidentally gave a squirrel a holy sacrament. Or maybe the alpaca disaster that went viral on YouTube. But the story the whole world wants to tell about Simon is the one he'd do anything to forget: the one starring Simon as a famous survivor of gun violence at school. Two years after the infamous event, twelve-year-old Simon and his family have just moved to the National Quiet Zone—the only place in America where the internet is banned. Instead of talking about Simon, the astronomers who flock to the area are busy listening for signs of life in space. And when Simon makes a friend who's determined to give the scientists what they're looking for, he'll finally have the chance to spin a new story for the world to tell. From award-winning author Erin Bow, Simon Sort of Says is a breathtaking testament to the lasting echoes of trauma, the redemptive power of humor, and the courage it takes to move forward without forgetting the past.

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The Last Cuentista

Donna Barba Higuera

There lived a girl named Petra Peña, who wanted nothing more than to be a storyteller, like her abuelita. But Petra's world is ending. Earth has been destroyed by a comet, and only a few hundred scientists and their children – among them Petra and her family – have been chosen to journey to a new planet. They are the ones who must carry on the human race. Hundreds of years later, Petra wakes to this new planet – and the discovery that she is the only person who remembers Earth. A sinister Collective has taken over the ship during its journey, bent on erasing the sins of humanity's past. They have systematically purged the memories of all aboard – or purged them altogether. Petra alone now carries the stories of our past, and with them, any hope for our future. Can she make them live again?

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Hamra and the Jungle of Memories

Hanna Alkaf

A Malaysian spin on Little Red Riding Hood from the critically acclaimed author of The Girl and the Ghost, Hanna Alkaf. Courage is the strongest magic there is. On Hamra's thirteenth birthday, she receives nothing but endless nagging and yet another errand to run in the Langkawi jungle that looms behind her home. No one has remembered her special day. And so, stifled and angry, Hamra ignores something she shouldn't: the rules of the jungle. Always ask permission before you enter. Hamra walks boldly in. Never take what isn't yours. Hamra finds the most perfect jambu and picks it. Of course, rules exist for a reason, and soon an enormous weretiger is stalking her dreams, demanding payment for her crimes—and Hamra embarks on a quest deep into the jungle to set things right. For fans of Ikegna and A Tale Dark and Grimm comes a story of a brave heroine, a beguiling villain, fantastical worlds, magical adventures, and a journey that will remind you that hope, friendship, and love endures all.

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The Door of No Return

Kwame Alexander

From the Newbery Medal and Coretta Scott King Award winning author Kwame Alexander, comes the first book in a searing, breathtaking trilogy that tells the story of a boy, a village, and the epic odyssey of an African family. In his village in Upper Kwanta, 11-year-old Kofi loves his family, playing oware with his grandfather and swimming in the river Offin. He's warned though, to never go to the river at night. His brother tells him " There are things about the water you do not know . " Like what? Kofi asks. " The beasts ." His brother answers. One fateful night, the unthinkable happens and in a flash, Kofi's world turns upside down. Kofi soon ends up in a fight for his life and what happens next will send him on a harrowing journey across land and sea, and away from everything he loves. This spellbinding novel by the author of The Crossover and Booked will take you on an unforgettable adventure that will open your eyes and break your heart. The Door of No Return is an excellent choice for independent reading, sharing in the classroom, book groups, and homeschooling.

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Don't Want to Be Your Monster

Deke Moulton

A 2024 Sydney Taylor Honor Book! Two vampire brothers must set aside their differences to solve a series of murders in this humorous and delightfully spooky novel for young readers. For fans of Too Bright to See . Adam and Victor are brothers who have the usual fights over the remote, which movie to watch and whether or not it's morally acceptable to eat people. Well, not so much eat . . . just drink a little blood. They're vampires, hiding in plain sight with their eclectic yet loving family. Ten-year-old Adam knows he has a better purpose in his life (well, immortal life) than just drinking blood, but fourteen-year-old Victor wants to accept his own self-image of vampirism. Everything changes when bodies start to appear all over town, and it becomes clear that a vampire hunter may be on the lookout for the family. Can Adam and Victor reconcile their differences and work together to stop the killer before it’s too late?

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Concealed

Christina Diaz Gonzalez

What if you had no name, no past, and no home? Ivette. Joanna. And now: Katrina Whatever her name is, it won't last long. Katrina doesn't know any of the details about her past, but she does know that she and her parents are part of the Witness Protection Program. Whenever her parents say they have to move on and start over, she takes on a new identity. A new name, a new hair color, a new story. Until their location leaks and her parents disappear. Forced to embark on a dangerous rescue mission, Katrina and her new friend Parker set out to save her parents--and find out the truth about her secret past and the people that want her family dead. But every new discovery reveals that Katrina's entire life has been built around secrets covered up with lies and that her parents were actually the ones keeping the biggest secret of all. Katrina must now decide if learning the whole truth is worth the price of losing everything she has ever believed about herself and her family.

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Alone

Megan E. Freeman

Perfect for fans of Hatchet and the I Survived series, this harrowing middle grade debut novel-in-verse from a Pushcart Prize-nominated poet tells the story of a young girl who wakes up one day to find herself utterly alone in her small Colorado town. When twelve-year-old Maddie hatches a scheme for a secret sleepover with her two best friends, she ends up waking up to a nightmare. She's alone--left behind in a town that has been mysteriously evacuated and abandoned. With no one to rely on, no power, and no working phone lines or internet access, Maddie slowly learns to survive on her own. Her only companions are a Rottweiler named George and all the books she can read. After a rough start, Maddie learns to trust her own ingenuity and invents clever ways to survive in a place that has been deserted and forgotten. As months pass, she escapes natural disasters, looters, and wild animals. But Maddie's most formidable enemy is the crushing loneliness she faces every day. Can Maddie's stubborn will to survive carry her through the most frightening experience of her life?

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The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale

Jon Klassen

In a big abandoned house on a barren hill lives a skull. A brave girl named Otilla has escaped from terrible danger and run away, and when she finds herself lost in the dark forest, the lonely house beckons. Her host, the skull, is afraid of something too, something that comes every night. Can brave Otilla save them both? Steeped in shadows and threaded with subtle wit, The Skull is as empowering as it is mysterious and foreboding.

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The Search for the Giant Arctic Jellyfish (Hidden Wonders)

Chloe Savage

In this strikingly illustrated debut with a quirky, surreal sensibility, the tale of an Arctic expedition invites readers to discover an elusive creature. Dr. Morley absolutely loves jellyfish. Her entire life, she has been fascinated by one specific species, a legendary creature that no one has ever seen. Does the giant Arctic jellyfish even exist? After years of research, Dr. Morley and her crew don their red parkas and set off to icy northern waters in hopes of finding the mysterious creature. The Arctic Circle is filled with wonders: playful orcas, the glowing aurora borealis, and formidable ice shelves—but will Dr. Morley find what she is searching for? Or, perhaps, will it find her? Bringing the stark and breathtaking beauty of the Arctic to life, author-illustrator Chloe Savage's whimsical and charming adventure into the unknown is sure to capture the imaginations of young explorers.

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Just Harriet

Elana K. Arnold

From the award-winning author of A Boy Called Bat comes a new young middle grade series in the tradition of Ramona and Clementine, starring an unforgettable girl named Harriet. There are a few things you should know about Harriet Wermer: She just finished third grade. She has a perfect cat named Matzo Ball. She doesn't always tell the truth. She is very happy to be spending summer vacation away from home and her mom and dad and all the wonderful things she had been planning all year. Okay, maybe that last one isn't entirely the truth. Of course, there's nothing Harriet doesn't like about Marble Island, the small island off the coast of California where her nanu runs a cozy little bed and breakfast. And nobody doesn't love Moneypenny, Nanu's old basset hound. But Harriet doesn't like the fact that Dad made this decision without even asking her. When Harriet arrives on Marble Island, however, she discovers that it's full of surprises, and even a mystery. One that seems to involve her Dad, back when he was a young boy living on Marble Island. One that Harriet is absolutely going to solve. And that's the truth.

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The Iguanodon's Horn: How Artists and Scientists Put a Dinosaur Back Together Again and Again and Again

Sean Rubin

Ever since mysterious bones were found in 1822, scientists and artists have tried to figure out what the creature they came from looked like. But it seems that every time they've made up their minds, someone makes a new discovery, and they have to start all over. That's only fair, though--after all, it's how knowledge advances! With an inviting tone and detail-filled art, Sean Rubin traces the process of defining--and redefining--the dinosaur called Iguanodon. Entertaining, accessible, and beautiful, his tale will delight dinosaur fans, budding artists, and anyone curious about how science really works.

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Great Carrier Reef (Books for a Better Earth)

Jessica Stremer

An outstanding STEM picture book documenting the transformation of an aircraft carrier that was gutted and turned into the world's largest artificial reef. What happens when something designed to be unsinkable gets bombed to the bottom of the ocean floor? With careful preparation, new life can take root! This incredible story brings young readers along on the journey of the aircraft carrier USS Oriskany—the Mighty O—as it gets stripped down to a steel shell for a new life below the waves. After 25 years of service, launching more aircraft than any other carrier of its time, the ship found a new mission as an artificial reef off the coast of Florida. The Mighty O was prepped and reefed by a team of more than 150 scientists, engineers, and technicians. Today, it is home to a flourishing variety of marine animals.  Designed to encourage regrowth and protect vulnerable marine life, artificial reefs are a crucial tool in the fight against overfishing, pollution, and warming water temperatures. Extensive back matter reveals more about the Mighty O's history, the diseases eating away at the world's natural reef systems, and the role artificial reefs play under the sea, and budding marine biologists will love poring over the exquisite illustrations. Books for a Better Earth are designed to inspire children to become active, knowledgeable participants in caring for the planet they live on.

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Feathers Together: A Picture Book

Caron Levis

Stork friends Malena and Klepetan look forward to the next migration from Croatia to South Africa, but when Malena is injured and can not join the flock, their time apart brings many challenges and big feelings, pushing them to stay connected and hope for a spring reunion.

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The Egg Incident

Ziggy Hanaor

Make sure you double-knot your shoelaces, Humphrey. Never run. Never jump. And never ever ever sit on a wall. You remember what happened to your uncle... A graphic novel which offers a cautionary tale about caution itself.

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Darwin's Super-Pooping Worm Spectacular

Polly Owen

Charles Darwin is widely known for his Origin of Species book, yet Darwin had another great love, and that was for worms . Told for the first time for children, this is the silly and fascinating true story of how Charles Darwin came to discover that the humble earthworm is the most important species on our planet. Darwin suspected worms were special but his scientist friends laughed at him . In a quest to find out the worms' special talent, Darwin played the bassoon to the worms to see if they could hear, laid out a picnic treasure hunt for them to see how well they could smell, among many other bizarre but entirely true experiments . But so far Darwin didn't find anything extra special about worms. Until, one day he realized that worms do have a superpower. They POOP! Without their life-sustaining, nutrient-rich poop, there would be no plants and no animals on earth. Darwin's 40 years studying worms is still essential to our understanding of worms today, and ever since, scientists have taken him VERY seriously, and never again laughed at his love of worms. The story of Darwin and the worms not only centers around the perennially brilliant subject of poop, it: Teaches children about a key historic figure, the food cycle, and deductive scientific thinking. Is also a heartwarming story of the triumph of a zany underdog who won't let bullies get in the way of his love for worms. Is told in a humorous and engaging way, with nonfiction information on each page to help educate alongside the story. Features charming and humorous full-color illustrations. Curious minds will love this fact-filled, laugh-out-loud book.

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Flashlight Night

Matt Forrest Esenwine

Flashlight Night is an ode to the power of imagination and the wonder of books. Three children use a flashlight to light a path around their backyard at night; in the flashlight's beam another world looms. Our heroes encounter spooky woods, a fearsome tiger, a time-forgotten tomb, an Egyptian god, a sword-fighting pirate, and a giant squid. With ingenuity, they vanquish all, then return to their tree house--braver, closer, and wiser than before--to read the books that inspired their adventure.

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It's a Firefly Night

Dianne Ochiltree

On a warm summer night, a young girl and her daddy catch fireflies, put them in a jar to admire for a brief time, and then release them back into the moonlight. Includes facts about fireflies.

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Little Owl's Night

Divya Srinivasan

Little Owl enjoys a lovely night in the forest visiting his friend the raccoon, listening to the frogs croak and the crickets chirp, and watching the fog that hovers overhead.

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The Night Fire

Lori Lukasewich

With the sun setting on the quiet neighbourhood and the lights aglow in the old fire hall, it's hard to imagine the noise and activity that wait just one alarm bell away. When that bell sounds, everyone leaps into action. There is a night fire blazing and people must be saved! Now even the smallest firefighter can jump aboard the clanging fire engine and race to the rescue. Simple, rhythmic text gives ample opportunity for chiming in during bedtime readings.

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Animals at Night: An Interactive Glow-in-the-Dark Bedtime Story Children's Book about Nocturnal Animals

Anne Jankéliowitch

A glow-in-the dark reference book that helps the reader learn about nocturnal animals. What hides in the deep darkness of the night under the starry sky? What does the light of the moon shine upon? At night, we can see their glowing eyes in the dark. But, what are they? Easy: they are nocturnal animals! The bonus of this book: thanks to a phosphorescent system of glow-in-the-dark images, the reader sees different elements appear such as animals, stars, lights, and other background features.

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The Night World

Mordicai Gerstein

Sylvie the cat persuades her boy to go into the darkness very late at night, where they are greeted by the shadows of roses and other flowers, and by nocturnal animals who whisper, "it's almost here."

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Fox Explores the Night: A First Science Storybook

Martin Jenkins

Fox is hungry. She waits until dark, then emerges from her den to hunt for food. Follow her as she pads through the city streets and learns about sunlight, moonlight, and electric light. Shadows grow along alleys and reflections bounce off store windows as Fox moves through patches of light and dark. Using simple, clear language and beautiful illustrations, this gentle story is the perfect introduction to light and dark for budding scientists.

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Lights Out

Marsha Diane Arnold

Animals embark on a quest to find true darkness when too many artificial lights at night confuse migrating birds, silence singing frogs, and affect the survival of nocturnal animals.

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The Night Box

Louise Greig

Invites young readers to discover what happens between sunset and sunrise as a little boy opens the Night Box and darkness swoops out to cavort and explore, caring for all its creatures until morning comes, and it's time for Night to rest again.

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The Midnight Fair

Gideon Sterer

A fairground in the evening is a glowing beacon of treats and delights. Bright lights paint the midway in cotton-candy pink, lemon yellow, and candy-apple red. Alluring prizes invite folks to try a game of skill or chance. The aromas of spun sugar, warm popcorn, and baking pretzels fill the air. It is any wonder, then, that after the lights go out and the people go home, the creatures in the nearby forest want to take their turn in this color-soaked fantasyland? Join them as they take a wild joyride through the magical, marvelous midnight fair!

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Boo's Dinosaur

Betsy Byars

When young Boo is followed home by a dinosaur that only she can see, it causes a bit of trouble for her older brother, Sammy.

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Fergus and Zeke

Kate Messner

Fergus, the pet mouse in Miss Maxwell's classroom, stows away in a backpack on a field trip to the museum. He makes a new friend, Zeke, another mouse, who shows Fergus many interesting exhibits, but now he wonders how to get back to school.

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Minnie and Moo and the Haunted Sweater

Denys Cazet

It's the farmer's birthday. Minnie is giving him her last cream puff. Moo has knitted him a special sweater—very special. So special that one sleeve is longer than the other, and the sweater can sneeze. Even Elvis the Rooster is— Wait a minute. Where is Elvis?

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Murilla Gorilla, Jungle Detective

Jennifer Lloyd

Jungle detective Murilla Gorilla has to find out who stole Ms. Chimpanzee's muffins, and, even though Murilla appears to be disorganized and forgetful, she has a good idea about how to track down the thief.

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Poppy the Pirate Dog

Liz Kessler

Looking forward to spending a seaside vacation with her family and sharing an adventure on the open sea as a fierce pirate dog, Poppy the Dalmatian loses her courage in the face of numerous bobbing boats, splashing waves, and scary sea creatures.

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Soccer Sam

Jean Marzollo

Sam's cousin from Mexico comes for an extended visit and teaches Sam and all the second graders to play soccer.

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Kids Who Are Changing the World: Ready-to-Read Level 3 (You Should Meet)

Sheila Sweeny Higginson

Have you ever wondered what you could do to change the world? Find out how kids are helping the environment, inventing incredible medical devices, aiding the homeless, designing apps so other kids won't ever have to eat alone in the cafeteria, and more! Learn all about what they've come up with and how their ideas are changing lives in this story of four amazing kids everyone should meet!

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With My Hands: Poems About Making Things

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Building, baking, folding, drawing, shaping ... making something with your own hands is a special, personal experience. Taking an idea from your imagination and turning it into something real is satisfying and makes the maker proud.

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Zelda and Ivy: The Big Picture

Laura McGee Kvasnosky

After fox sisters Zelda and Ivy and their best friend Eugene watch the new Secret Agent Fox movie, they are inspired to do some detective work then practice their new skills when rain threatens their campout plans.

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What Have You Done?

Shari Lapena

Nothing ever happens in sleepy little Fairhill, Vermont. But this morning that will change. And one innocent question could be deadly. What have you done? The teenagers get their kicks telling ghost stories in the old graveyard. The parents trust their kids will arrive home safe from school. Everyone knows everyone. Curtains rarely twitch. Front doors are left unlocked. But Diana Brewer isn't lying safely in her bed where she belongs. Instead she lies in a hayfield, circled by vultures, discovered by a local farmer. How quickly a girl becomes a ghost. How quickly a town of friendly, familiar faces becomes a town of suspects, a place of fear and paranoia. Someone in Fairhill did this. Everyone wants answers.

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The Enigma Girl

Henry Porter

From internationally bestselling author who is "filling the gap left by Len Deighton and John le Carré" (Evening Standard ) comes a propulsive espionage thriller for fans of Mick Herron, Daniel Silva, and Olen Steinhauer. Meet disgraced M15 agent Slim Parsons, a character who-like Lisbeth Salander-will sear your soul. Slim Parsons is all but burned. When her last deep-cover job for M15 ended with a life-and-death struggle on a private jet, she went on the run from her deadly target-a conniving businessman and money launderer codenamed "Hagfish." Now she's back at home, in hiding from her angry bosses in the Security Service, who have accused her of being overly violent and unsuitable for the role of an M15 operative. But after several months off the grid, Slim is called back to another job-Operation Linesman-where she is asked to infiltrate a news website Middle Kingdom whose explosive articles clearly show that they've hacked into the most high-security government databases. She accepts the assignment on condition that the Security Service searches for her missing brother. But Linesman turns out to be anything but simple. Slim uncovers a curious connection between the Middle Kingdom hackers and the legendary Bletchley Park codebreakers. Her new colleagues are becoming suspicious of her intentions, and Hagfish is out for revenge and threatening M15 itself as it all comes together in a shocking crescendo. And all the while she is being watched by someone even deeper in the shadows than she is.

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A Death in Cornwall

Daniel Silva

Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into London to attend a reception at the Courtauld Gallery celebrating the return of a stolen self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh. But when an old friend from the Devon and Cornwall Police seeks his help with a baffling murder investigation, he finds himself pursuing a powerful and dangerous new adversary. The victim is Charlotte Blake, a celebrated professor of art history from Oxford who spends her weekends in the same seaside village where Gabriel once lived under an assumed identity. Her murder appears to be the work of a diabolical serial killer who has been terrorizing the Cornish countryside. But there are a number of telltale inconsistencies, including a missing mobile phone. And then there is the mysterious three-letter cypher she left behind on a notepad in her study. Gabriel soon discovers that Professor Blake was searching for a looted Picasso worth more than a $100 million, and he takes up the chase for the painting as only he can--with six Impressionist canvases forged by his own hand and an unlikely team of operatives that includes a world-famous violinist, a beautiful master thief, and a lethal contract killer turned British spy. The result is a stylish and wildly entertaining mystery that moves at lightning speed from the cliffs of Cornwall to the enchanted island of Corsica and, finally, to a breathtaking climax on the very doorstep of 10 Downing Street.

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The Truth About the Devlins

TJ Devlin is the charming disappointment in the prominent Devlin family, all of whom are lawyers at their highly successful firm-except him. After a stint in prison and rehab for alcoholism, TJ can't get hired anywhere except at the firm, in a make-work job with the title of investigator. But one night, TJ's world turns upside down after his older brother John confesses that he just murdered one of the clients, an accountant he'd confronted with proof of embezzlement. It seems impossible coming from John, the firstborn son and Most Valuable Devlin. TJ plunges into the investigation, seizing the chance to prove his worth and save his brother. But in no time, TJ and John find themselves entangled in a lethal web of deception and murder. TJ will fight to save his family, but what he learns might break them first.

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Bad Publicity

Bianca Gillam

Andie has been awash in grief since the death of her father, but when she lands her dream job as a senior book publicist, she finally finds some buoyancy, a renewed sense of purpose. She’s prepared to take the New York publishing scene by storm.

Until her first day, when she discovers that her biggest author is Jack Carlson—the same Jack who ruined her life at university. Whom she hasn’t spoken to in five years. Who is not only still infuriatingly hot but also incredibly successful. And whose campaign she definitely cannot mess up, if she wants to keep her job.

To make matters even worse, the central part of this career-defining campaign is a book tour. For a month, Andie will have to travel across Europe with the man whom, if she were being totally honest, she’d like to hit with her car. Plus, there's the unrelenting grief and her mother's confusing new beau. Put all this together and you get. . . a lot.  

But she will not lose this opportunity, especially not because of Jack. One month on tour with Jack Carlson, visiting some of the most romantic spots in Europe. Deep breath. She can do this.

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Slow Burn Summer

Josie Silver

When grieving author Hugh Hudson secretly pens a romance novel, talent agent Charlie Francisco hires struggling actress Kate Elliot to pose as the writer, but her anonymous correspondence with Hugh and deepening intimacy with Charlie threatens to unravel their deception.

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Abundance

Ezra Klein

This book discusses the history of the twenty-first century as a story of unaffordability and shortage in America. It highlights the national housing crisis, labor shortages due to limited immigration, insufficient clean-energy infrastructure, and delayed, over-budget public projects. The author argues that the root cause of these problems is a lack of sufficient building and proactive planning over the decades. Many of today's issues stem from past policies and regulations that, while intended to address issues of the 1970s, now hinder progress in areas like urban density and green energy. The book stresses that while we have become more aware of these problems, our ability to solve them has diminished. The book proposes that both liberals and conservatives need to recognize when government is failing or needed, and advocates for a politics of abundance--building solutions for the future, rather than adhering to past approaches focused on scarcity. This approach aims to address current challenges and the growing dissatisfaction with the status quo.

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Mark Twain

Ron Chernow

The Washington Post Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer Ron Chernow illuminates the full, fascinating, and complex life of the writer long celebrated as the father of American literature, Mark Twain Before he was Mark Twain, he was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Born in 1835, the man who would become America’s first, and most influential, literary celebrity spent his childhood dreaming of piloting steamboats on the Mississippi. But when the Civil War interrupted his career on the river, the young Twain went west to the Nevada Territory and accepted a job at a local newspaper, writing dispatches that attracted attention for their brashness and humor. It wasn’t long before the former steamboat pilot from Missouri was recognized across the country for his literary brilliance, writing under a pen name that he would immortalize. In this richly nuanced portrait of Mark Twain, acclaimed biographer Ron Chernow brings his considerable powers to bear on a man who shamelessly sought fame and fortune, and crafted his persona with meticulous care. After establishing himself as a journalist, satirist, and lecturer, he eventually settled in Hartford with his wife and three daughters, where he went on to write The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and Adventures of Huckleberry Finn . He threw himself into the hurly-burly of American culture, and emerged as the nation’s most notable political pundit. At the same time, his madcap business ventures eventually bankrupted him; to economize, Twain and his family spent nine eventful years in exile in Europe. He suffered the death of his wife and two daughters, and the last stage of his life was marked by heartache, political crusades, and eccentric behavior that sometimes obscured darker forces at play. Drawing on Twain’s bountiful archives, including thousands of letters and hundreds of unpublished manuscripts, Chernow masterfully captures the man whose career reflected the country’s westward expansion, industrialization, and foreign wars, and who was the most important white author of his generation to grapple so fully with the legacy of slavery. Today, more than one hundred years after his death, Twain’s writing continues to be read, debated, and quoted. In this brilliant work of scholarship, a moving tribute to the writer’s talent and humanity, Chernow reveals the magnificent and often maddening life of one of the most original characters in American history.

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Who Knew

Barry Diller

The author shares candid insights on his personal and professional growth as he recounts his remarkable career, from starting in a mailroom to revolutionizing the TV industry and launching Fox, to building IAC into a multi-billion-dollar e-commerce empire.

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I Want to Burn This Place Down: Essays

Maris Kreizman

At the heart of this funny, acerbic, and bravely honest book of essays is Maris Kreizman, a former rule follower and ambition monster who once believed the following truths to be self-evident: that working very hard would lead to admission to a good college, which would lead to a good job at a good company, which would then lead to personal fulfillment and a sense of purpose, along with adequate health care and eventual home ownership and plenty of money waiting in a retirement account. Like any good Democrat and feminist, she believed that if she just worked hard and played by the rules, she was guaranteed a safe and comfortable life.

Now in her forties, the only thing Maris Kreizman knows for sure is that she no longer has faith in American institutions or any of their hollow promises. Now she knows that the rules are meant to serve some folks better than others; and, actually, they serve no one all that well—not even Kreizman. Disturbed by the depth and scope of the liberal myths in which she once so fervently believed, Kreizman takes readers on an intimate journey that revisits some of her most profound revelations, demonstrating that it’s never too late to become radicalized.

With Kreizman’s signature wit and blunt self-reflection, and more than a little transformative rage, I Want to Burn This Place Down is a book for anyone who wishes they could go back in time to give their younger selves the real truth about the fractured country they have inherited—and the encouragement to rebuild something better in its place.

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