Check out these highly anticipated July releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month!
FICTION
Carnivale of Curiosities by Aimee Gibbs In
Victorian London tickets to a traveling sideshow, the Carnivale of Curiosities,
are a hot commodity. Throngs gather nightly to gaze in wonder at an astounding
assemblage of marvels. For those few in
the know, however, the real magic happens behind the curtain, where for the
right price, the show’s proprietor, Aurelius Ashe, can make any wish come true.
This unique and dazzling gothic tale is set in a spectacular circus where
star-crossed lovers’ destinies are forged at an unexpected price. Intrigued? Author Colson Whitehead calls
Carnivale of Curiosities, “wonderfully imagined” and “fiendishly clever.”
Small Worlds by
Caleb Azumah Nelson This classic coming of age tale set in the West African
neighborhoods of South London, tells the story of aspiring trumpet player,
Stephen, whose overriding passion for music and dance puts him at odds with his
father an ambitious Ghanaian immigrant, who harbors more conventional dreams
for his offspring. Nelson’s lovely prose and quietly meditative tone perfectly
capture the heat of a city summer, the pulsing beat of a smoky dance club, the
intensity of youth, the intimacy of family life, the trauma of
intergenerational conflict, and the yearning for freedom from the expectations
of others.
The Librarianist by
Patrick DeWitt Bob Comet is a retired librarian living a contented life
surrounded by books and small comforts, when an unexpected encounter in a
grocery store motivates him to volunteer at the local senior center where he is
soon surrounded by a host of quirky characters. Gradually the complexities of
Comet’s inner life and past adventures are revealed. This poignant and often very funny book
celebrates the extraordinary depths hidden in even the most ordinary of lives.
NONFICTION
The Country of the
Blind: A Memoir at the End of Sight by Andrew Leland Diagnosed with a
condition called retinitis pigmentosa as a child, Andrew Leland has long known
that he will eventually become totally blind.
Leland has used his
considerable emotional and intellectual resources to explore the social,
cultural, political and, most importantly personal aspects of what it means to
become a citizen of “the country of the blind.” He shares his story with
abundant wit, warmth and no sentimentality, determined to gain whatever insight
he can, into what he maintains is one of the generative experiences of his
life.
Bogie and Bacall: The Surprising True Story of Hollywood’s Greatest Love Affair by William J. Mann Actor Humphrey Bogart was forty-five years
old, an established star and unhappily married when he met 19-year-old Lauren
Bacall on the set of the film To Have or Have Not. Romance ensued; scandal followed and
Hollywood pundits predicted that, of course, the couple would not last. They
were wrong. Following his divorce, Bogie and Bacall married and they remained
together-by all accounts happily-until his death in 1957. In this book, author William Mann offers a
comprehensive look at this remarkable love story, capturing all of its
complications, contradictions and challenges with sympathy and in great depth.
Random Acts of
Medicine: The Hidden Forces that Sway Doctors Impact Patients, and Shape our
Health by Dr Anupam P. Jena and Dr Christopher Worsham Why are children more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD at certain times of year than others?
Why were Republicans far more likely to die of COVID than Democrats? Are marathons bad for your health even if you do not run? Is it better to choose an experienced
physician or a rookie? These are just a few of the questions addressed by
authors Jena and Worsham as they delve into the social, political, economic and cultural factors that help define the
landscape of American healthcare. This
is an entertaining and thought-provoking exploration of one of the most
critical issues of our time.
