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Reading Recommendations
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The Infamous Gilberts
The Remains of the Day meets The Royal Tenenbaums in this darkly funny debut novel about a wealthy, eccentric family in decline and the secrets held within the walls of their crumbling country manor.
Thornwalk, a once-stately English manor, is on the brink of transformation. Its keys are being handed over to a luxury hotelier who will undertake a complete renovation—but in doing so, what will they erase? Through the keen eyes of an enigmatic neighbor, the reader is taken on a guided tour into rooms filled with secrets and memories, each revealing the story of the five Gilbert siblings.
Spanning the eve of World War II to the early 2000s, this contemporary gothic novel weaves a rich tapestry of English country life. As the story unfolds, the reader is drawn into a world where the echoes of an Edwardian idyll clash with the harsh realities of war, neglect, and changing times. The Gilberts’ tale is one of great loves, lofty ambitions, and profound loss, and Angela Tomaski’s mordantly witty yet loving account is an immersive experience. Reminiscent of the haunting atmospheres in Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca and Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Infamous Gilberts offers a fresh take on a classic genre, capturing the essence of a troubled but fascinating family. -
Dinosaur Snores!
In collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, this Level 1 Ready-to-Read shows how the dinosaurs get ready for bed!
After a busy day exploring the rainforest and having fun adventures, the dinosaurs are very tired. Good night, dinosaurs!
The Smithsonian is the world’s largest museum and research complex, dedicated to public education, national service, and scholarship in the arts, Smithsonian sciences, and history. -
The Birdwatcher
A Zibby's Most Anticipated Book of Fall 2025!
From New York Times bestselling author Jacquelyn Mitchard comes a page-turning drama that explores the beauty of female friendship; the relationship between money, power, and sex; and the very human desire to protect the ones we love most.
When she is convicted of a double murder, Felicity Wild, a brilliant grad student turned high-priced escort, declares, "I may not be innocent, but I'm innocent of this."
Reenie Bigelow never doubted it. A jury may have given Felicity a life sentence, but Reenie knows that her childhood best friend is not capable of murder. And so Reenie, a journalist, decides to use her deep connections to Felicity's past to unravel the truth.
The more she uncovers, the more Reenie is convinced that the story the prosecution told is wrong, despite the puzzling fact that Felicity said not one single word in her own defense. But there's one thing Reenie knows for certain: Felicity would never lie.
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Private Rome
This thrilling addition to the bestselling Private series transports readers inside the halls of the Vatican itself when a priest is murdered--and the new lead agent at Private is the number one suspect.
Jack Morgan, ex-Marine helicopter pilot and CIA agent, is in Italy to open the latest outpost of his international private investigation firm. Its wealthy client base demands maximum force and maximum discretion.
But when a priest is murdered at the firm's opening party, Morgan and Matteo Ricci--a decorated former Rome police inspector, now Morgan's newly appointed deputy--come under intense scrutiny. As Morgan and Ricci work the case, they discover that eight priests have died, all under watch of the Swiss Guard and the Vatican Police.
Private relies on the world's most advanced forensic tools to make and break cases. This one rests on breaking the secret hold of the Holy See's all-powerful, all knowing inner circle. -
Queer Enlightenments
A ground-breaking history delivered in a refreshing new voice, Queer Enlightenments details eleven overlooked stories of eighteenth-century queer people who lived extraordinary lives of resistance and joy
Queer people have always existed. In an era when this basic truth faces undue scrutiny, here is a dazzling work of restorative history that reveals the hard-won lives of those who dared to break the mold in the "long eighteenth-century." At once an illuminating romp through the historical archive and an evocative new chapter in our shared history, Dr. Anthony Delaney's Queer Enlightenments uncovers the remarkable queer people of that complex, sometimes paradoxical time.
Unfolding between 1726 and 1836, Queer Enlightenments is a lively journey through the taverns, prisons, and cruising grounds of a bygone era and into the lives of aristocrats, tradesmen, and sex workers who pursued self-expression and freedom no matter the risk. In London, Mother Clap's famous Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid. At the court of King George, a silver-tongued noblewoman remarked of one of Queen Caroline's confidants, "The world consists of men, women, and Herveys." And in New York, a Black sex worker endures a degrading trial that labels her the "Man-Monster"--but between the lines of its transcripts can be found traces of her life, one of acceptance, defiance, and indomitable spirit.
Peopled with female husbands, midnight elopements, and one unforgettable soldier/diplomat/spy of ambiguous gender, Queer Enlightenments delves into the archives and emerges with new discoveries and a fresh view of the people who challenged society's expectations.
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How to Be Less Miserable
In How to Be Less Miserable, Lybi Ma, the executive editor of Psychology Today, provides strategies that challenge negative thinking and inspire a more positive mindset.
As human beings, we are all predisposed to a negative mindset. This tendency is a byproduct of the evolution of our species. Our hunter-gatherer ancestors had to stay vigilant at all times--what if a man-eating predator was lurking in their midst? It was more important to be aware of potential danger than to find food. It's part of our genetic code, and we've carried this innate predisposition that something bad is about to happen to us into the twenty-first century. Even the most optimistic among us aren't immune.
How to Be Less Miserable offers current research on the human brain's tendency toward negative thinking, why we do it, why it's so hard to stop doing it, and how we can use evidence-based methods to overcome the patterns that lead to anxiety, depression, and more. The author covers a wide range of topics, including:
healthy ways to pursue happiness
how to overcome stress and anxiety
tools for dealing with emotions
building resiliency and mental flexibility
the importance of social groups
the perils of social media
personal growth and the pursuit of passions
being kind and true to yourself
The strategies found in this book are based in large part on wisdom from the experts and researchers Lybi Ma has worked with throughout her career. They provide helpful and meaningful ways to manage and overcome negative thinking. Ultimately, How to Be Less Miserable is for anyone searching for a different way to think about emotional and mental health.
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Unseen
From social media star and change-maker Molly Burke, a vulnerable, honest, and darkly humorous memoir on navigating the challenges of being a blind woman in a sighted world
When Molly Burke was four years old, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative eye disease that leads to eventual blindness, forcing her to see the world through new eyes--literally. Growing up disabled didn't stop her from playing sports, becoming a rock-climbing instructor, or winning a beauty pageant, but other people's narrow perceptions of her held her back.
Years of relentless bullying, toxic work environments, a rodent-infested apartment, and life's lowest moments were juxtaposed with red carpets, first-class flights, and personal and professional achievements. Throughout her life, Molly has learned to appreciate the duality, and, most importantly, she's learned the beauty of being unapologetically yourself and standing up for what you truly believe in.
In Unseen, Molly chronicles her journey as a disabled woman, entrepreneur, and entertainer, illuminating what her experiences have taught her and what she hopes others can learn from her hardship and successes. Part memoir, part rallying cry for a more compassionate and empathetic world, Unseen recounts Molly's life and experiences fighting against the expectations society set for her and, in doing so, helps readers find their own voice, inner strength, and self-acceptance. -
The Girl from Devil's Lake
Small-town Sheriff Joanna Brady solves her biggest case yet, from a body in the desert to crimes spanning decades and countries, in the thrilling latest installment in the New York Times bestselling suspense series.
Sheriff Joanna Brady is looking forward to the holidays with her busy family, and to celebrating her daughter Jenny's graduation from the police academy. But the family is interrupted when a body is discovered beneath a bridge in the Arizona desert, and Joanna is called onto the case. A young boy was murdered, and the details of the crime scene tell Joanna two things: This was not the killer's first murder. And it's only a matter of time before they kill again.
As Joanna digs deeper into the case, she begins to understand this murder is just one piece of a much, much bigger puzzle. She uncovers unlikely connections between cases of mysterious deaths and missing persons, having long since gone cold, that extend far beyond the confines of her small town and culminate with the discovery of a body in Devil's Lake. To get justice for the victims and to save the town of Bisbee from a predator, Joanna must chase down every dangerous lead.
Meanwhile, as a dogged journalist is circling the case and privileged information is leaked, Joanna can't be sure who to trust. Could a prolific killer be hiding in plain sight? And how far will they go to keep their many crimes hidden?
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We Are All Guilty Here
An instant #1 New York Times bestseller!
The first thrilling mystery in the new North Falls series from Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Girls and the Will Trent Series.
Welcome to North Falls--a small town where everyone knows everyone. Or so they think.
Until the night of the fireworks. When two teenage girls vanish, and the town ignites.
For Officer Emmy Clifton, it's personal. She turned away when her best friend's daughter needed help--and now she must bring her home.
But as Emmy combs through the puzzle the girls left behind, she realizes she never really knew them. Nobody did.
Every teenage girl has secrets. But who would kill for them? And what else is the town hiding?
"Karin Slaughter's new series starts with a book that is a knock-out punch... My God. Sign me up for more." -- Dervla McTiernan, #1 internationally bestselling author of What Happened to Nina?
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Please Don't Lie
In this stylish, twisty thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christina Baker Kline and award-winning author Anne Burt, a young woman heads to the Adirondacks with her new husband for a fresh start--but the past won't let her go.
Two years ago, Hayley Stone lost everything. First, her parents died in a devastating fire. Then, her sister overdosed, leaving Hayley alone and hounded by a media circus that turned her family's tragedy into tabloid fodder. When her new husband suggests a fresh start in the Adirondacks, the promise of anonymity in an isolated mountain town feels like salvation.
But the mountains hold darker secrets than she ever imagined.
Her once-loving husband grows distant and volatile. The widow down the road keeps spewing vague accusations. Not even their new friends--a free-spirited couple living on the property--can help Hayley shake the creeping sense that something is off.
As winter edges closer, Hayley discovers that her sanctuary is anything but safe. Trapped and isolated, she faces a terrifying truth: in trying to escape her past, she may have run straight into something far more dangerous.