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Weird Rules to Follow
By Kim Spencer. 2022
The Probability of Everything
By Sarah Everett. 2023
“One of the best books I have read this year (maybe ever).” —Colby Sharp, Nerdy Book ClubNPR Books We Love…
2023 | Publishers Weekly Best of 2023 | Winner of the Governor General's Literary Awards for Young People's LiteratureA heart-wrenching middle grade debut about Kemi, an aspiring scientist who loves statistics and facts, as she navigates grief and loss at a moment when life as she knows it changes forever.Eleven-year-old Kemi Carter loves scientific facts, specifically probability. It's how she understands the world and her place in it. Kemi knows her odds of being born were 1 in 5.5 trillion and that the odds of her having the best family ever were even lower. Yet somehow, Kemi lucked out.But everything Kemi thought she knew changes when she sees an asteroid hover in the sky, casting a purple haze over her world. Amplus-68 has an 84.7% chance of colliding with earth in four days, and with that collision, Kemi’s life as she knows it will end.But over the course of the four days, even facts don’t feel true to Kemi anymore. The new town she moved to that was supposed to be “better for her family” isn’t very welcoming. And Amplus-68 is taking over her life, but others are still going to school and eating at their favorite diner like nothing has changed. Is Kemi the only one who feels like the world is ending?With the days numbered, Kemi decides to put together a time capsule that will capture her family’s truth: how creative her mother is, how inquisitive her little sister can be, and how much Kemi's whole world revolves around her father. But no time capsule can change the truth behind all of it, that Kemi must face the most inevitable and hardest part of life: saying goodbye."My heart hurt as I raced through the last chapters of this unique book that shines a light on family, friends, grief, and love." —Lisa Yee, author of Maizy Chen's Last ChanceJo Joe: a Black Bear, Pennsylvania story
By Sally Wiener Grotta. 2013
As a child, Judith Ormand was the only Jew -- and the only Black -- in a small insular Pennsylvania…
mountain village where she was raised by her white Christian grandparents. Now, she must reluctantly break her vow to never return to the town she learned to hate. During her one week visit, she buries and mourns her beloved grandmother, is forced to deal with the white boy who cruelly broke her heart, and is menaced by an old bully who threatens worse. But with her traumatic discovery of a long buried secret, Judith finds more questions than answers about the prejudice that scarred her childhood. A free Study Guide for Jo Joe, for book clubs, teachers and other book discussion groups is available from the publisher Pixel Hall Press.About Black Bear, PennsylvaniaJo Joe.is set in the fictional Pocono Mountains village of Black Bear, Pennsylvania. Black Bear was created as a literary folie à deux by Daniel Grotta and Sally Wiener Grotta. Both Daniel and Sally are dipping into the same pool of invented locale and characters to write a series of separate stories and novels that will eventually paint a full picture of the diversity of life and relationships in a small mountain village. However, every Black Bear story stands alone, as a separate story that doesn't require knowing anything about the town from previous stories. The first Black Bear story was Honor a novella by Daniel Grotta. Both Jeff Smith and his curmudgeonly father-in-law AH Engelhardt from Honor, play key roles in Jo Joe. Daniel Grotta's novel Black Bear One, about the adventures, foibles and complicated relationships of the town's volunteer ambulance corps, will be published in 2015. Members of the ambulance crew include Jeff Smith from Honor and Joe Anderson and Rabbi David of Jo Joe.The Loved Ones: A Modern Arabic Novel
By Hélène Cixous, Alia Mamdouh, Marilyn L. Booth. 1973
"Leaves an indelible impression. [The Loved Ones] is rich with family and neighbors and [Alia Mamdouh] notes all of their…
subtle interactions and secrets."--Library Journal"Ferocious, visceral descriptions . . . give a powerful sense not only of Suhaila's world but also of the way we make and understand memories."--Booklist"Often intense and lyrical."--Kirkus ReviewsThis winner of the Naguib Mahfouz Prize for Literature mingles memories of the past with the shifting voices of the present when the estranged son of an Iraqi exile flies from his home in Toronto to visit her in Paris. As his ailing mother, the once-vibrant Suhaila, lies in a hospital bed, he acquaints himself with her constellation of close friends. Immediately, he becomes immersed in the complex relationships he has fought so hard to avoid: with his mother and his war-torn homeland. Alia Mamdouh weaves a magical tale of the human condition in this stunning and beautifully written novel of faith, family, and hope. Alia Mamdouh is the author of essays, short stories, and four novels, including the most widely translated, Naphtalene. Born in Iraq, she now lives in exile in Paris. Marilyn Booth is a translator of Middle Eastern fiction and autobiography. She received her BA from Harvard-Radcliffe and her DPhil from Oxford University, and has taught at Brown University and The American University in Cairo. Currently, she is visiting associate professor of comparative literature at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Hélène Cixous is a world-renowned French feminist theorist, critic, essayist, novelist, and playwright.Rodney's Wife
By Richard Nelson. 2006
"A full emotional geography of a family . . . Seemingly light conversation scrapes the skins of the characters in…
this sharply etched study of dislocation, loneliness and sexual betrayal."--Ben Brantley, The New York Times"Nelson is a master of the quiet detail, of the oblique rhythm that transforms emotional diffidence into fascinating character."--Linda Winer, Newsday"The early scenes proceed with the closely observed simplicity of Chekhov, whereas the later more wrenching moments evoke the eloquent bitterness of Albee."--David Cote, TimeOut New YorkA new work by leading American playwright Richard Nelson, who for more than 25 years has written prolifically, and with fine detail, on the perplexities of everyday living. In Rodney's Wife, a fading American actor in Rome for the filming of a 1960s spaghetti Western gathers with family and friends at a rented villa. Over the course of one booze-soaked summer night, jealousies and secrets are revealed that crumble the foundations of their relationships. Inspired by Euripides, the play is a tragedy of exiles who continue to need each other, even as they push away.Richard Nelson won Britain's Olivier Award for Best Play for Goodnight Children Everywhere, and the Tony Award for Best Book for his musical James Joyce's The Dead. His plays have been widely produced in the U.S. and Great Britain. He is an Honorary Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Chair of the Playwriting Department at the Yale School of Drama.Go Figure
By Will Browning, Réjean Ducharme. 2003
Go Figure is the hauntingly beautiful tale of a Montreal couple alienated from each other after suffering the miscarriage of…
twin girls. Mammy, the wife of Rémi Vavasseur, has gone away. Not because she no longer loves him, but because she no longer loves herself. She is criss-crossing Europe and Africa in the company of the dangerous and blonde Raïa, Rémi's former mistress. Meanwhile, Rémi remodels a ramshackle house in rural Quebec, designed for Mammy, if she ever comes back, "in flesh and bed." The novel is the journal that he keeps during their parallel journeys.Steps and Stones
By Gail Silver, Christiane Kromer. 2011
When Anh's friends leave and he feels left out at school, his anger shows up to keep him company. Anh…
the protagonist of Gail Silver's previous book Anh's Anger, is a typical and easy-to-relate-to elementary school-age boy. His anger, personified as a red hairy impulsive creature, teaches him some valuable lessons about not getting carried away by his strong emotions. By counting his steps and coordinating them with his breathing Anh is able to slow down and take his anger for a peaceful and magically transformative walk.Reach and Teach.com called Anh's Anger, "One of the best books we've ever seen on the issue of dealing with anger." The New Yorker review highlighted how the book uses "deep breathing... to regain control during a tantrum." And Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh calls the Anh's Anger series, "a wonderful gift for both children and adults who want to learn how to turn unhappy situations into joyful ones."Steps and Stones the second of the Anh's Anger Story trilogy will help children learn to understand the causes of their own strong emotions, and teaches them peaceful ways to resolve difficulties through mindfulness and meditation. An invaluable tool for parents and teachers alike.Steps and Stones is beautifully illustrated by New York artist and children's book illustrator Christiane Krömer. Using a mix of paper, acrylic, cardboard, and found materials, her vibrant multi-textured collages reflect the connection between the characters and their environment and echo the wide range of emotions that come together in the story.Gail Silver writes: "If, at an early age, children become comfortable with identifying and articulating their anger, then they can feel confident working through anger in healthy ways during their adolescent years. There is a lot of adolescent violence in the news today. I am overwhelmed with pain and sadness every time I hear of an adolescent using a gun. While these teens are deeply troubled and have many problems, unresolved anger plays a part in their difficulty. I hope these books can be used as a preventative resource. We can only practice what we know or what we are willing to learn. My hope is that the Anh's Anger stories can contribute to a decrease in adolescent aggression and violence by teaching children at an early age how to safely understand and express their anger."Monument Road
By Charlie Quimby. 2013
Leonard Self has spent a year unwinding his ranch, paying down debts, and fending off the darkening. Just one thing…
left: taking his wife's ashes to her favorite overlook, where he plans to step off the cliff with her into a stark and beautiful landscape. But Leonard finds he has company on a route that intertwines old wounds and new insights that make him question whether his life is over after all."Part modern western, part mystery, this first novel will appeal to fans of Louise Erdrich and Kent Haruf. Quimby's prose reads so true, it breaks the heart."-BOOKLIST, starred review"The Colorado setting and the author's simple style of prose perfectly complement the complexity of the human spirit in this superb debut."-PUBLISHERS WEEKLY"Monument Road is so rich with landscape, character and event that such a small telling cannot begin to do it justice. Read this exquisite story; it is a joy and a wonder and a tour de force of authorship."-SHELF AWARENESS"Quimby's storytelling, his humane impulses and his lyrical passages on the meaning of love and time, and on the history, geology and botany of the region, will surely impress readers."-MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE"Quimby uses words as spare as Colorado's landscape to describe characters who range from endearing to crusty, wise to foolish, spiritual to downright evil. The folks who live near Monument Road aren't just descriptions in a book; they're complex people readers will care about."--FOREWORD REVIEWS"Not to be overlooked is the love, humor and friendship among pain and loss, which makes it a book far more about the richness of life than the finality of death."-GRAND JUNCTION DAILY SENTINEL"Monument Road is a wonderful novel full of wit and wisdom, generosity and malice."-GRAND JUNCTION FREE PRESS"Quimby's writing is sensitive and graceful; he has a talent for revealing slowly blossoming characters who are beautifully flawed and realistic."-THE DESERET NEWS"While not exactly a happy novel, Monument Road is beautiful and real, full of landscape imagery of the American Southwest as a poignant and sometimes haunting metaphor of our connections to the land."-15 BYTES"This is a novel with size and scope and generosity, with an acute understanding of human nature and a deep appreciation for the ways people face change and work out their lives in relation to each other."-Kent Meyers, author of Twisted Tree and The Work of Wolves"In prose that might have been chiseled from the magnificent landscape he describes, Charlie Quimby has written a great big American Novel. Full of pathos and humor and sadness, you won't reach the end of this book without feeling fuller and wiser. What a gift Charlie has given us."-Peter Geye, author of The Lighthouse Road and Safe from the Sea"Monument Road is a legitimate modern western, complete with an impressively authentic and aging rancher, heartache, ghosts, low-lifes, a rural landscape undergoing radical transformation, a glut of evangelical churches, and the ancient, powerful cliffs and mesas that surround it all, in southwestern Colorado. The narrative is likewise unpredictable and wild! A pleasure to read."-Bonnie Nadzam, author of Lamb"The landscape and characters of Monument Road ring true. Charlie Quimby has created a story that is hard to forget. His attention to the details of a fading life and life style are spot on and will be a window to any reader's understanding of the central phenomenon of the New West."-Dan O'Brien, author of Stolen Horses and Buffalo for the Broken Heart: Restoring Life to a Black Hills Ranch"Monument Road is a big-hearted novel chock full of memorable characters, a pleasure to read."-David Rhodes, author of Jewelweed and DriftlessRock, Paper, Scissors
By K. E. Semmel, Naja Marie Aidt. 2015
"The emotions unleashed in this tale . . . are painfully universal. Yet you know exactly where in the universe…
you are. This is the hallmark of great short stories, from Chekhov's portraits of discontented Russians to Joyce's struggling Dubliners."-Radhika Jones, TimeNaja Marie Aidt's long-awaited first novel is a breathtaking page-turner and complex portrait of a man whose life slowly devolves into one of violence and jealousy.Rock, Paper, Scissors opens shortly after the death of Thomas and Jenny's criminal father. While trying to fix a toaster that he left behind, Thomas discovers a secret, setting into motion a series of events leading to the dissolution of his life, and plunging him into a dark, shadowy underworld of violence and betrayal.A gripping story written with a poet's sensibility and attention to language, Rock, Paper, Scissors showcases all of Aidt's gifts and will greatly expand the readership for one of Denmark's most decorated and beloved writers.Naja Marie Aidt was born in Greenland and raised in Copenhagen. She is the author of seven collections of poetry and five short story collections, including Baboon (Two Lines Press), which received the Nordic Council's Literature Prize and the Danish Critics Prize for Literature. Rock, Paper, Scissors is her first novel.K. E. Semmel is a writer and translator whose work has appeared in Ontario Review, the Washington Post, and elsewhere. His translations include books by Karin Fossum, Erik Valeur, Jussi Adler-Olsen, and Simon Fruelund.A Man in a Distant Field: A Novel
By Theresa Kishkan. 2004
Short-listed for the 2005 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize Declan O’Malley came to the coast of British Columbia because it was…
as far away from Ireland as he could possibly go. Haunted by memories of his family’s death at the hands of the Black and Tans, Declan is unable to escape his grief. He immerses himself in a new life, seeking to produce a more perfect translation of Homer’s Odyssey while at the same time becoming closer to the family on whose property he is living. But Declan cannot free himself from his past, and when Ireland beckons, he is drawn to his own history and to the opportunity for a happier future.August: Osage County
By Tracy Letts. 2008
Winner of the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama"A tremendous achievement in American playwriting: a tragicomic populist portrait of a tough…
land and a tougher people."--Time Out New York"Tracy Letts' August: Osage County is what O'Neill would be writing in 2007. Letts has recaptured the nobility of American drama's mid-century heyday while still creating something entirely original."--New York magazineOne of the most bracing and critically acclaimed plays in recent Broadway history, August: Osage County is a portrait of the dysfunctional American family at its finest--and absolute worst. When the patriarch of the Weston clan disappears one hot summer night, the family reunites at the Oklahoma homestead, where long-held secrets are unflinchingly and uproariously revealed. The three-act, three-and-a-half-hour mammoth of a play combines epic tragedy with black comedy, dramatizing three generations of unfulfilled dreams and leaving not one of its thirteen characters unscathed. After its sold-out Chicago premiere, the play has electrified audiences in New York since its opening in November 2007.Tracy Letts is the author of Killer Joe, Bug, and Man from Nebraska, which was a finalist for the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. His plays have been performed throughout the country and internationally. A performer as well as a playwright, Letts is a member of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company, where August: Osage County premiered.The Dependents
By Katharine Dion. 2018
One of TIME magazine's best summer reads, a "wise" (Entertainment Weekly) and "resplendent" (O, The Oprah Magazine) debut that follows…
a new widower confronting the truth about his long marriageOne of the best books of the summer: TIME, Entertainment Weekly, O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Brit + Co."A fine debut, full of intelligent writing . . . This book pleases on many levels." --Jeffrey Eugenides"The Dependents is a big book, one that grapples with important questions through generations...Dion's intelligence and ambition truly shine through sentence after sentence." --Kate Walbert, National Book Award finalist and author of A Short History of WomenAfter the sudden death of his wife, Maida, Gene is haunted by the fear that their marriage was not all it appeared to be. Alongside Ed and Gayle Donnelly, friends since college days, he tries to resurrect happy memories of the times the two couples shared, raising their children in a small New Hampshire town and vacationing together at a lake house every summer. Meanwhile, his daughter, Dary, challenges not only his happy version of the past but also his view of Maida. As a long-standing rift between them deepens, Gene starts to understand how unknown his daughter is to him--and how enigmatic his wife was as well. And a lingering suspicion seizes his mind that could upend everything he thought he knew. Katharine Dion's assured debut moves seamlessly between Gene's present-day journey and the long history of a marriage and friendship. Rich and wonderfully alive, The Dependents is the most moving kind of drama, an intimate glance into the expanse of family life and the way we must all eventually bridge the chasm between what we want to believe and what we know to be true.Jean Harley Was Here: A Novel
By Heather Taylor Johnson. 2018
Finalist for the Readings Prize for New Australian FictionFor readers of Everything I Never Told You and When I’m Gone,…
a profoundly moving, heartwarming debut about family, relationships, and what we leave behind. Jean Harley-wife, mother, lover, dancer-is a shining light in the lives of those who know and love her, full of boundless energy, compassion, and joy. When she's hit by a truck while riding her bicycle and the unthinkable happens, what becomes of the people she leaves behind? Her devoted husband, Stan, is now a single father to their four-year-old son, Orion, who doesn't understand why his mom won't come home. Jean's two best friends, Neddy and Viv, find their relationship unraveling without their third companion. Charley, the ex-con who caused the accident, struggles to reconcile his feelings of elation when the charges against him are dropped with his boundless guilt over knowing he has changed a family forever; while Jean's mother, Pearl, will regret the little girl who left. Gradually, life without Jean goes on, yet her indelible spirit remains.Told from the alternating perspectives of these and other characters who grieve the same death in vastly different ways, Jean Harley Was Here is a moving, poetic novel about loss, memory, and the lives we touch.Among the Lesser Gods: A Novel
By Margo Catts. 2017
For fans of authors like Barbara Kingsolver and Leif Enger, a stunning new voice in contemporary literary fiction."Tragedy and blessing.…
Leave them alone long enough, and it gets real hard to tell them apart." Elena Alvarez is living a cursed life. From the deadly fire she accidentally set as a child, to her mother's abandonment, and now to an unwanted pregnancy, she knows better than most that small actions can have terrible consequences. Driven to the high mountains surrounding Leadville, Colorado by her latest bad decision, she's intent on putting off the future. Perhaps there she can just hide in her grandmother's isolated cabin and wait for something–anything–to make her next choice for her. But instead of escape, she finds reminders of her own troubles reflected from every side–the recent widower and his two children adrift in a changed world, Elena's own mysterious family history, and the interwoven lives within the town itself. Bit by bit, Elena begins to reconsider her role in the tragedies she's held on to and the wounds she's refused to let heal. But then, in a single afternoon, when threads of cause and effect tangle, Elena's fragile new peace is torn apart. It's only at the prospect of fresh loss and blame that she will discover the truth of the terrible burdens we take upon ourselves, the way tragedy and redemption are inevitably bound together–and how curses can sometimes lead to blessings, however disguised.Textile (Jewish Women Writers Ser.)
By Orly Castel-Bloom. 2013
A wealthy Israeli family is at a precipice in their lives in this nuanced, contemporary novel. As Amanda Gruber, the…
matriarch of the family, undergoes an invasive cosmetic procedure, Lirit, her rebellious daughter, takes over operations at the family's pajama factory. Her brother Dael serves in the Israeli army as a sniper, while Irad, their neglectful father, a genius scientist, travels to the United States to conduct research on flak jackets. Each family member is pulled in conflicting directions, forced to examine their contentious relationships to one another. With surprising humor, Textile details the gradual disintegration of a family strained by distance and the corrosive effects of consumerism and militarism.Orly Castel-Bloom is considered a leading voice in Hebrew literature today. Her postmodern classic Dolly City has been included in UNESCO's Collection of Representative Works, and was nominated in 2007 as one of the ten most important books since the creation of the state of Israel. She has received the Tel Aviv Foundation Award, the Alterman Prize for Innovation, the Prime Minister's Prize three times (1994, 2001, 2011), the Newman Prize, the French WIZO Prize for Human Parts, and the Leah Goldberg Prize. Her books have been translated into eleven languages.Finding A Voice: Friendship is a Two-Way Street ...
By Kim Hood. 2014
Shortlisted for the Bookseller YA Prize 2015! Jo could never have guessed that the friendship she so desperately craves would…
come in the shape of a severely disabled boy. He can’t even speak. Maybe it is because he can’t speak that she finds herself telling him how difficult it is living with her eccentric, mentally fragile mother. Behind Chris’ lopsided grin and gigantic blue wheelchair is a real person — with a sense of humour, a tremendous stubborn streak and a secret he has kept from everyone. For a while it seems life may actually get better. But as Jo finds out just how terrible life is for Chris, and as her own life spirals out of control, she becomes desperate to change things for both of them. In a dramatic turn of events, Jo makes a decision that could end in tragedy. This is the story of how an unusual friendship unlocks the words that neither knew they had.Let Us Be Brave: An Alaska Story of Special Olympians Uniting to Survive
By Linda Thompson. 2014
A dramatic bush plane crash in coastal Alaska leaves the pilot injured. The passengers, a team of Special Olympic Athletes,…
must fend for themselves to survive. An Alaska storm first threatens to overwhelm them during the night as they care for their unconscious pilot. Each must confront the challenges of survival in the wilderness, while transcending their limitations. Forced to overcome their habits of dependency and help each other, the group finds courage in the Olympic oath: "Let me win, but if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt."Arcade and the Golden Travel Guide (The Coin Slot Chronicles #2)
By Rashad Jennings. 2019
In Arcade and the Golden Travel Guide, Arcade, Zoe, and their new friend, Doug, travel from New York to Virginia…
to stay with cousins and best friends, Derek and Celeste. It’s a chance for Arcade to feel “normal” again and connect with people and places he’s loved all his life. But nothing is normal as long as the Triple T Token is hanging around his neck. Plus, Derek claims he’s stumbled upon some troubling information, and now a suspicious person is following him. Arcade wonders if the trouble is related to the token—after all, someone has already tried to take it from him once.Where did this Triple T Token come from? And are all the adventures it provides worth all the trouble it brings?A trip through the token’s fantastical doors reveals a clue—a hidden box of old notes. As Arcade, Zoe, and their friends start to put the pieces together, the value of the token becomes clear, and the stakes are higher than ever. Can Arcade keep the token for himself? Or will sinister forces steal it from his grasp?Read as part of the series or as a stand-alone novel! Arcade and the Golden Travel Guide is the second book in the humorous and imaginative Coin Slot Chronicles series by New York Times bestselling author, former NFL running back, and Dancing with the Stars champion Rashad Jennings.Great for reluctant readersBlack and white illustrations includedAnsley's Big Bake Off (Faithgirlz / The Daniels Sisters)
By Kaitlyn Pitts, Camryn Pitts, Olivia Pitts. 2020
From the family that brought you the Lena in the Spotlight series and the popular For Girls Like You magazine…
comes the story of three young sisters who rebuild their lives and find joy in unexpected ways after their mother’s death. Ansley and her family move to a new city to seek a new start after the death of their mother. But that also means ... a new school, new friends, new everything! Fortunately, even though no one could ever take the place of their mom, Aunt Samantha has moved in to help Dad and all the girls. As they all settle into their “new normal,” Lena finds comfort in singing and songwriting. Ashton and Amber record videos documenting their lives and email them to their grandmothers. And Ansley pursues her own dream of becoming an Olympic gymnastics champ when she signs up with Grace and Power Gym. But she soon realizes that using her creativity to bake treats and share them with those she loves brings her as much (or even more) joy—especially since it brings back memories of precious afternoons she spent in the kitchen with her mom. So which dream should she follow? Ansley prays for guidance, and it seems her prayers are answered when she gets the opportunity to both perform as a gymnast and take part in The Big Bake Off at the Roland Lake Founders Day Fair. The Grand Prize is a trophy and a spot on the local morning show, Awake with The Lake! But her dreams of taking home the trophy and being on TV are threatened by her strongest competition: Taylor, a mean girl from her new school who not only teases Ansley and rejects her offers of friendship but comes from a family of professional bakers. Still, with the loving and prayerful support of her own family behind her, Ansley knows she has a real shot at winning. But with Taylor in the mix, will Ansley be able to rise to the occasion? Or will she just get burned? Ansley's Big Bake Off—an important addition to the Faithgirlz series: Features diverse characters, an engaging read for girls ages 8–12 as part of the Accelerated Reader (AR) program. Its a perfect birthday gift from parents and grandparents to tween girls, and is great for Spring Break and summer vacation reading.The Little White Horse
By Elizabeth Goudge. 1974
When orphan Maria arrives at Moonacre Manor, she feels like she's come home. Her new guardian is kind, like an…
old friend. However, beneath the beauty and comfort lies a tragedy. Maria is determined to find out about it, change it, and give her own life story a happy ending.