FICTION
By the Book by Jasmine Guillory
Isabelle is completely lost. When she first began her career in publishing after college, she did not expect to be 25, still living at home, and one of the few Black employees at her publishing house. Overworked and underpaid, constantly torn between speaking up or stifling herself, Izzy thinks there must be more to this publishing life. So when she overhears her boss complaining about a beastly high-profile author who has failed to deliver his long-awaited manuscript, Isabelle sees an opportunity to finally get the promotion she deserves.
Wild and Wicked Things by Francesca May
On Crow Island, people whisper that real magic lurks just below the surface. Magic doesn’t interest Annie Mason. Not after it stole her future. She’s on the island only to settle her late father’s estate and, hopefully, reconnect with her long-absent best friend, Beatrice, who fled their dreary lives for a more glamorous one. Yet Crow Island is brimming with temptation, and the most mesmerizing may be her enigmatic new neighbor.
Sedating Elaine by Dawn Winter
Frances was not looking for a relationship when she met Elaine in a bar. She was, in fact, looking to drown her sorrows in a pint or twelve and nurse a broken heart, shattered by the gorgeous, electric Adrienne. But somehow (it involved a steady stream of beer and weed, as things often did with Frances) Elaine ended up in Frances’s bed and never left. Now, faced with mounting pressure from her drug dealer, Dom (and his goon, Betty), Frances comes up with a terrible idea: She asks Elaine to move in with her for real.
The Great Passion by James Runcie
In 1727, Stefan Silbermann is a grief-stricken 13-year-old, struggling with the death of his mother and his removal to a school in distant Leipzig. Despite his father’s insistence that he try not to think of his mother too much, Stefan is haunted by her absence, and, to make matters worse, he’s bullied by his new classmates. But when the school’s cantor, Johann Sebastian Bach, takes notice of his new pupil’s beautiful singing voice and draws him from the choir to be a soloist, Stefan’s life is permanently changed.
NONFICTION
Shelter: A Black Tale of Homeland, Baltimore by Lawrence Jackson
With sardonic wit, Jackson describes his struggle to make a home in the city that had just been convulsed by the uprising that followed the murder of Freddie Gray. His new neighborhood, Homeland―largely White, built on racial covenants―is not where he is “supposed” to live. But his purchase, and his desire to pass some inheritance on to his children, provide a foundation for him to explore his personal and spiritual history, as well as Baltimore’s untold stories.
I Came All This Way to Meet You: Writing Myself Home by Jami Attenberg
As the daughter of a traveling salesman in the Midwest, Attenberg was drawn to a life on the road. Frustrated by quotidian jobs and hungry for inspiration and fresh experiences, her wanderlust led her across the country and eventually on travels around the globe. Through it all she grapples with questions of mortality, otherworldliness, and what we leave behind.
Outdoor Kids in an Inside World: Getting Your Family Out of the House and Radically Engaged with Nature by Steven Rinella
In the era of screens and devices, the average American spends 90 percent of their time indoors, and children are no exception. Not only does this phenomenon have consequences for kids’ physical and mental health, but it also jeopardizes their ability to understand and engage with anything beyond the built environment.
Decide and Conquer: 44 Decisions that will Make or Break All Leaders by David Siegel
Decide and Conquer helps all leaders navigate the big decisions that will impact their future and make their organizations a success. Siegel outlines the 44 challenges leaders face when starting a new position, then shows you the decision framework he applied to overcome challenges in his own role.
