Gideon the 9th by Tamsyn Muir
Queer necromancers vie for power, solve ancient puzzles, and cross rapiers while exploring haunted deep-space ruins in this madcap science fantasy romp that manages to be both riotously funny and heartbreaking. Eighteen-year-old orphan Gideon Nav has spent her life devising ways to escape indentured servitude to the Ninth House. When Harrowhark Nonagesimus, the sole daughter and heir to the Ninth, sees a chance to become a Lyctor, right hand to the Necromancer Divine, she needs a cavalier by her side if she hopes to beat out the candidates of the other eight Houses-and only Gideon will do. Much as her necromancers do with human remains, Muir effortlessly compiles macabre humor, body horror, secrets, and tenderness into the stitched-together corpse of a dark universe, then brings it to life with a delightfully chaotic, crackling cast of characters and the connective tissue of their relationships. From the mad science joys of necromantic theory to the deliciously ever-evolving tension between Gideon and Harrow, this adventurous novel not only embraces its strangeness but wrings delight from it. The result is an addictive, genre-bending book that will wow readers with its vibrant energy, endearing cast, and emotional gut-punch of a finale. (Publisher’s Weekly Review, Sept.)
Available as a book, eaudiobook, and ebook.
A Fire in His Soul : Van Gogh, Paris, and the Making of an Artist by Miles Unger
Six hundred pages on two years in his life might seem excessive, until one starts reading.
Van Gogh (1853-1890) may be the only artist whose work is recognized by people with no interest in art. Biographies are plentiful, and journalist and art historian Unger, author of Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the World, insists that this is not another. Instead, it’s a close examination of 1886-88, the years that the artist spent in Paris with his brother after arriving as an obscure painter of drab scenes of peasant life. Unger delivers an account of the young artist that may unnerve readers accustomed to the colorful media portraits. His van Gogh is a cripplingly neurotic, perhaps mentally ill, figure who “found relief from his own pain by inflicting it on those closest to him” and who leeched unmercifully off his younger brother. Unger includes an expert history of France’s art scene over the previous century, dominated by the early struggle and later triumph of the avant-garde. Despite the traditional depiction of van Gogh as a solitary genius, he quickly joined a coterie of like-minded painters (Paul Gauguin, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, Georges Seurat, Paul Signac), and his work began to take on the vivid color and imagery he is known for. It didn’t hurt that his brother was an art dealer more willing than colleagues to patronize new work. By the time van Gogh left for the south of France, his work seethed with the nervous energy that attracted praise even during his lifetime. Despite abbreviated attention to the two years before his death, Unger delivers valuable insights into van Gogh’s person as well as his art.
An incisive inquiry into an immortal artist’s life. –Kirkus Reviews (12/24/2024)
New nonfiction book on order.
Patriot: A Memoir by Alexei Navalny
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: THE NEW YORKER, THE ATLANTIC, NPR • FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD •
The powerful and moving memoir of a fearless political opposition leader who paid the ultimate price for his beliefs. ALEXEI NAVALNY was a Russian anti-corruption campaigner, activist, opposition leader and political prisoner who won international recognition and respect. His many international honors included the Sakharov Prize, the European Parliament’s annual human rights prize. He died in 2024.
In vivid, page-turning detail, including never-before-seen correspondence from prison, Navalny recounts, among other things, his political career, the many attempts on his life, and the lives of the people closest to him, and the relentless campaign he and his team waged against an increasingly dictatorial regime.
Written with the passion, wit, candor, and bravery for which he was justly acclaimed, Patriot is Navalny’s final letter to the world: a moving account of his last years spent in the most brutal prison on earth; a reminder of why the principles of individual freedom matter so deeply; and a rousing call to continue the work for which he sacrificed his life. (Review provided by publisher)
Available as an eBook, eAudiobook, and in New Adult Biography
Allegedly by Tiffany Jackson
Mary Addison, a black 15-year-old from Brooklyn, has been locked up in “baby jail” for six years, after allegedly killing a three-month-old white child. Now living in a group home, Mary is bright, quiet, and well behaved, which makes her the target of the more aggressive girls in the home. Her one escape is volunteering at a nursing home and having secret assignations with Ted, a fellow volunteer also living in a group home. When Mary becomes pregnant and faces losing custody of the baby, she comes forward with a startling confession: she didn’t kill Alyssa. Threaded with media accounts of Alyssa’s killing and police interviews with the nine-year-old Mary, Jackson’s debut is reminiscent of the popular true crime podcasts Serial and Criminal: the characters are complex, the situation unsettling, and the line between right and wrong hopelessly blurred. It’s also intensely relevant, addressing race, age, and mental illness within the criminal justice system. Well conceived and executed, this is an absorbing and exceptional first novel. Ages 14-up. (Publisher’s Weekly Review, Jan.)
Available as an eaudiobook, ebook, and book in Young Adult Fiction.
Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynn Jones
This entrancing classic fantasy novel is filled with surprises at every turn. An international bestseller, this much-loved book is the source for the Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Feature.
Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl’s castle.
To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there’s far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.
In this giant jigsaw puzzle of a fantasy, people and things are never quite what they seem. Destinies are intertwined, identities exchanged, lovers confused. The Witch has placed a spell on Howl. Does the clue to breaking it lie in a famous poem? And what will happen to Sophie Hatter when she enters Howl’s castle?
All fans of classic fantasy books deserve the pleasure of reading those by Diana Wynne Jones, whose acclaim included the World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement.
The three books in the World of Howl are: Howl’s Moving Castle, Castle in the Air, and House of Many Ways.
Available as an eaudiobook, ebook, and a book in the children’s area.
by Boo Walker
Unable to catch a break in life or love as she approaches thirty, Charli Thurman sees red lights at every crossroads. And given the Thurman family’s tumultuous history, she knows things will only get worse, unless she can break the cycle and figure out where-and when-it all went wrong. Charli is skeptical when her best friend introduces her to a “soul reader” who specializes in generational trauma. But during family constellation therapy with the guru, Charli experiences an inexplicable memory of terrible violence. Whatever happened in the past, it created an imbalance that’s still in the Thurman blood. When Charli’s research leads her to Winchester, England, she meets a charming pub owner named Noah, whose own family history is similarly twisted. As the mystery deepens around a damaged inheritance and a tragic death, Charli is resolved to find the truth-and create the fresh start she has been hoping for her whole life”–Provided by publisher.
Available in New Adult Fiction.