Braille Books Acquired: Fall 2025

Welcome

Welcome to Braille Books Acquired. This quarterly newsletter contains a list of Braille books recently acquired by the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA). Previous issues are available at celalibrary.ca/braille-books-acquired.

In this issue:

Announcements

Letter from our Executive Director

This past year has been a pivotal one for CELA in many ways. Issues around funding and changing technology required us to make the difficult decision to cease CD production and distribution. Many of our users who relied on CDs have been learning new ways of reading their books, and our library partners have supported us and their patrons through this change. We were pleased to launch the Accessible Reading Canada skill, which allows users with an Alexa smart speaker device to listen to their books in a new way. I’d like to extend my appreciation to all of you for working with us through this transition.

We’ve also been pleased to take on new projects and opportunities to meet with colleagues at home and abroad to learn from one another and to better support accessible reading for all who require alternate formats.

CELA welcomed new staff this year to help us both behind the scenes and with our outreach efforts. These new team members have already made invaluable contributions to our organization. One aspect of this work will be contacting new users for their feedback on our onboarding process and our services. Watch for a survey from us in the new year. In addition, we have started our new strategic planning process and we will have more information to share in the new year on how you can contribute.
And most recently, we’ve been responding to the proposed repealing of the Canada Post Free Literature for the Blind in Bill C-15, and we’ve been especially grateful for the community of libraries, organizations and colleagues who are committed to ensuring people across Canada have fair and equitable access to reading materials.

Happy reading,
Laurie Davidson

A note about dates

Although the majority of these books have been published within the last 5 years, there may be some books listed here which are older, but which were only recently added to our collection. To make this clearer for you, we include the date of the print version of each book at the end of its annotation.

Uncontracted braille

Canadian history

6641543 The kids book of Black history in Canada by Rosemary Sadlier.

This updated edition of Rosemary Sadlier's bestselling and award-winning The Kids Book of Black Canadian History has been reimagined for a new generation of young readers and includes topics from Canada's legacy of slavery to global impacts of the Black Lives Matter movement. A celebration of the incredible history, achievements and contributions of Black people and communities in Canada, this essential book is necessary reading for all Canadians. For grades 3-7. 2024.

Family stories

6575139 Saturday by Oge Mora.

When all of their special Saturday plans go awry, Ava and her mother still find a way to appreciate one another and their time together. For grades P-2. 2019.

Humourous fiction

6575116 Today I will fly! (Elephant and Piggie) by Mo Willems.

Piggie is determined to fly and Elephant is skeptical of the situation. When Piggie gets a little help from others, they discover amazing things can happen. Uncontracted braille. For grades P-2. 2007.

Law and crime

6727127 Duped!: true stories of the world's best swindlers (It actually happened series #1) by Andreas Schroeder.

Schroeder uncovers the facts behind eight of the most outrageous scams of all time. Read about a Stone Age tribe discovered in the jungles of the Philippines, lost documents written by Shakespeare, and a 1938 radio broadcast that reported that something strange has crashed into a field in New Jersey and that hostile Martians then started attacking! For grades 4-7. 2011.

Parenting

6581160 Something's up with Arlo by Matteo L Cerilli.

A spooky-sweet middle-grade novel about remembering the past in order to brave the future, for fans of Anne Ursu Twelve-year-old Emily Nero’s best friend is a ghost. For as long as Nero can remember, she’s been haunted by Arlo. He’s always had her back, especially as Nero navigates her workaholic mother, irritable father, even the mega-jerks at school. Nero’s been caught too many times looking at "nothing" and talking to "no one," which officially made her "the weird girl." So when she has the chance to start over as "normal" at a prestigious private school, Nero is hopeful that things will change for the better. If she can get top grades at a top school, maybe she’ll stop feeling like she’s never good enough. Maybe her parents will finally see her—and she’ll stop feeling like a ghost too. But on Nero’s first day at her new school, something’s up with Arlo, something very wrong: her best friend has suddenly turned on her. Glitching electronics, flickering lights, bad smells and cold drafts are only the beginning. Arlo is changing into something scary. And the only clues he gives Nero leave her with more questions than answers. If she wants to save Arlo and their friendship, Nero will have to break old cycles. She will have to let herself be seen, let in new friends, and—worst of all—say goodbye to the past. Spooky and sweet in turns, Something’s Up with Arlo is about the stories we tell ourselves and finding the courage to make our truth be heard. For grades P-2. 2025

Sports fiction

6602032 The Kodiaks: home ice advantage (The breakout chronicles #1) by David Robertson.

Eleven-year-old Alex is a natural on the ice, but can he stand proud when he's judged for who he is and where he comes from? Hockey fans will love this action-packed middle grade novel about teamwork, overcoming adversity, and being proud of who you are and where you come from. Everything is changing for 11-year-old Alex Robinson. After his father accepts a new job, Alex and his family move from their community to the city. For the first time in his life, he doesn't fit in. His fellow students don't understand Indigenous culture. Even a simple show of respect to his teacher gets him in trouble. Things begin to look up after Alex tries out for a local hockey team. Playing for the Kodiaks, Alex proves himself as one of the best, but he becomes a target because he's Indigenous. Can Alex trust his teammates and stand up to the jerks on other teams? Can he find a way to fit in and still be who he's meant to be? For grades 4-6. 2024.

Fiction printbraille

Alphabet, number and picture books

6752479 By the sea (What's that sound?) by Sheryl McFarlane.

What does it sound like by the sea? The wind whistles, sea lions bellow, and tugboats rumble. Little ones will delight in turning the sturdy pages of these books full of sound. Grades P-K. 2006.

6752474 Shapes by Tactile Vision Inc.

Children can feel the shape of 8 simple shapes and read their names. They are then asked to identify shapes in 3 simple graphics. Includes tactile illustrations. For grades P-K. 1999.

Family stories

6704214 A garden called home by Jessica J Lee.

A little girl goes to her mother's homeland and develops an appreciation for nature. Returning to Canada she plants a garden that represents both sides of her heritage as Taiwanese plants grow side-by-side with Canadian wildflowers. For grades P-2. 2024.

6681019 Mandeep's cloudy days by Kuljinder Kaur Brar.

A beautiful picture book exploring how to cope with difficult and complex emotions when we're away from the people we love. Spending time with her dad makes Mandeep's days shine. They have cha parties, perform Bhangra shows, and best of all, they write jokes together in her favorite unicorn journal. But when Dad starts a job as a truck driver, he starts being away from home most of the week. Without Dad, storm clouds start taking over Mandeep's sunny days, casting a shadow on all the things she used to love doing. Can anything help Mandeep feel better? For grades P-2. 2024.

6681020 The blue bowl by Flo Leung.

A young boy and his family discover a way to merge their Chinese and North American backgrounds by combining traditional foods from both cultures. Max loves his family's Cantonese meals, like steamed rice and gai lan greens with oyster sauce, homemade dumplings, and scallion bread. But sometimes he can't help thinking about French fries, tacos, and ice cream with rainbow sprinkles. For his birthday dinner, Max is really hoping for spaghetti and meatballs, but instead he and his family are headed to Maa Maa and Ye Ye's house for a celebration dinner - and Max is pretty sure that spaghetti won't be served in the familiar blue bowls that came all the way from Hong Kong with his grandparents. But Max is delighted to discover that his understanding family has discovered a way to bring two cultures together with delicious dishes that are a combination of all the foods he loves. This story shows the experience of a child living in between two cultures and how confusing that can sometimes be. It's based on Flo's own experiences growing up, longing to belong/be organically part of the North American culture, but also feeling a strong sense of home and family when immersed in her Chinese culture. For grades P-2. 2024.

6727086 The book that almost rhymed by Omar Abed.

A boy begrudgingly composes a sometimes-rhyming adventure with his precocious little sister. For grades P-2. 2024.

Multi-cultural fiction

6790345 Patty dreams by Nadia L Hohn.

After moving away from his beloved Jamaica where his father owned a bakery, a young boy misses the delicious, flaky Jamaican patties that made the bakery so famous. He begs his father to make patties for him in their new country, but his father, exhausted from working long hours at a cookie factory to make ends meet, just can't bring himself to do it. So one night, the boy takes matters in to his own hands and attempts to make the patties himself. This prompts his father to get out his apron once again -- and the resulting patties become so popular in their new neighborhood that the family can start a brand-new business. A story of immigration and belonging, Patty Dreams is also an homage to a quintessential Jamaican delicacy that is now also enjoyed in North America and Europe. (Recently, when an Eglinton Avenue establishment specializing in Jamaican patties announced it would have to close, Drake tweeted that he'd buy the place himself!) This story about food culture includes themes of immigration and the traditions that connect you to home and family. For grades K-2. 2025.

Non-fiction printbraille

Customs and cultures

6564761 Meena can't wait by Farida Zaman.

Today Meena and her nanu (grandmother) are having a tea party with a special Bengali tea called doodh cha, and even though Meena is impatient, she learns that it's worth the wait to make the special tea together. For grades P-K. 2024.

Food and drink

6704216 Baker makers by Kim Smith.

With a focus on overcoming fails and pivoting to new ideas, this hilarious story stars a young boy who dreams of baking extraordinary cakes but struggles with perfectionism in the midst of competition from fellow Baker Makers. Naveen loves to bake. In fact, he’s sure he’s practically a master baker. So, he is thrilled when his class is assigned to tackle creative cake-making at Baker Makers Lab. Naveen is positive his cake will be the most astonishing and extraordinary one of all. But the mismatch between his fertile imagination and his actual skills leads to disaster. Will he find a way to embrace the unexpected? Find out in this delicious and delightful STEAM-centred picture book about letting go of perfection from New York Times–bestselling author-illustrator Kim Smith, creator of Boxitects. For grades P-2. 2024.

General non-fiction

6704215 Black boy, Black boy by Angela Bowden.

A vibrantly illustrated, inspiring picture book celebrating Black boyhood from celebrated spoken-word poet Angela Bowden. Black boy, you are a gift Of the past and the present You’re the sun You’re the moon You’re the stars EVERYTHING Black Boy, Black Boy celebrates self-love and identity for Black boys globally. Written by acclaimed author and poet Angela Bowden, this poignant spoken-word poem encourages young minds to embrace their cultural roots and identities, and to dream boundlessly. Using vivid imagery and verse to bring readers on a journey of self-discovery and resilience, Black Boy, Black Boy invites readers to explore legacies passed down from ancestors, embodied in today’s Black men, and destined for future leaders. This moving poem honours achievements in every field, from medicine and music, to the nurturing embrace of Black fatherhood. Renowned artist Ibe Ananaba enriches this journey with vibrant illustrations depicting icons like Nelson Mandela, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Chinua Achebe, Walter Borden, Chadwick Boseman, and other heroes, both iconic and unsung. By showcasing local Canadian icons alongside international ones, the book universally reflects the experiences of Black boys everywhere. It affirms that the spirit and legacy of Black excellence moves beyond geographic borders and resides within each individual, inspiring pride and limitless potential. For grades P-3. 2024.

6564760 Chang'e on the moon (Everlasting tales) by Katrina Moore.

Before she was the goddess of the moon, she was simply Chang'e. Once upon a time, there lived a kind, beautiful woman named Chang'e. She and her husband, Hou Yi, were deeply in love and existed in peaceful harmony . . . Until, one day, ten blazing suns rose into the sky and threatened everything they knew. But while the two worked together to save the lands from burning up -- someone else they trusted was plotting against them. This epic romance follows how Chang'e's bravery and selflessness saved her people, and why, centuries later, they celebrate her and retell her story all over the world. For grades P-3. 2024.

6727085 The friendship guide by Jillian Roberts.

In this sweet picture book, respected child psychologist Jillian Roberts outlines the key building blocks of being a good friend. From welcoming newcomers to being patient and kind, this book will help set up readers for a lifetime of wonderful friendships. For grades P-K. 2025.

6752475 To walk the sky: how Iroquois steelworkers helped build towering cities by Patricia Morris Buckley.

Mohawk author Patricia Morris Buckley tells the story of the brave skywalkers--Native men who work as high steelworkers, building bridges and skyscrapers no matter the dangers. For grades P-3. 2023.

Medicine

6564759 The pie reports by Hayley Lowe.

Despite living an ocean apart, a child connects with her grandfather over a shared love of pie and learns to hold space for him through his progressive illness. For grades P-K. 2024.

Parenting

6602023 Princess Pru and the switcheroo by Maureen Fergus.

Princess Pru has two loving dads, an ostrich named Orville, and an ogre-tastic best friend named Oggy. Oggy and Pru spend their days playing games, having adventures, and getting spoiled by shopkeepers. Then, every evening, Oggy goes home and does whatever he wants. Pru returns to the palace where she has to finish her vegetables, tidy her playroom, and go to bed on time. When her royal dads tell her she can't take Orville for a gallop until she finds all three royal tarantulas, Pru decides she's had enough. So Oggy and Pru hatch a plan for Pru to experience the easy existence of an independent ogre: they'll disguise themselves as each other and switch lives. And it works! Until they start to wonder if maybe it doesn't work quite the way they'd hoped. Why don't the shopkeepers spoil Pru when she's disguised as Oggy? Why don't the townspeople laugh at her jokes? And is that a monster in Oggy's attic? Suddenly missing almost everything about the princess life, Pru eats a bowl of cold ogre stew and tucks herself into bed. Meanwhile, at the palace, an obedient Oggy has the royal dads completely fooled. The kings are so happy that they reward the princess with a pony. But just as Oggy-in-disguise tries to ride it, a dragon swoops in and flies away with him. Much to the relief of the distraught kings, the princess's ogre-best friend (who is really Pru disguised as Oggy) steps in to rescue the princess, to great fanfare on their return. No one is the wiser--except the reader, who will enjoy being in on the secret--and Pru and Oggy both gratefully return to their old lives, which they see with fresh eyes. In this instructive and humorous story, the switcheroo prompts Pru to realize that, even though she chafed under her protective parents, she has a lot to be thankful for with the privileged life she leads--a life that Oggy doesn't share. Seeing the world through Oggy's eyes creates empathy in Pru, which encourages readers toward empathy as well. For grades P-2. 2024.

Self help

6790343 Everybelly by Thao Lam.

Maddie and her mom spend a sunny day at the local public pool where she meets and greets friends and neighbors. Maddie is waist-high on most of them, and she knows there's an interesting person behind every belly she passes -- like Jackie, the artist with a splatter of ice cream across their belly. Maddie's splatter painting often leaves Mama speechless, too! The poolside belly parade keeps Maddie musing: How bellies can make excellent tables, how hard some people work to keep their bellies flat when Maddie prefers her belly full, and how you should never, ever stick your hands in other people's bellies, no matter how soft and doughy they might look. (Maddie's cat taught her that the hard way.) As Maddie dances, swims and makes the long climb up to the diving board, Thao Lam's celebrated cut-paper collage portrays bellies and bodies of all shapes and sizes -- bellies with scars, tattooed bellies, growing bellies, growling bellies, bellies with six-packs, stretch marks, insulin monitors, freckles and more -- proving that every belly deserves its place in the sun. For grades P-1. 2025.

Social issues

6790344 No huddles for Heloise by Deborah Kerbel.

In this humorous picture book, Heloise the penguin doesn't like huddling with her friends (it gives her the collywobbles), so she sets off to find others like her but discovers there's no place like home--especially when your friends support you. For grades P-K. 2025.

Sports and games

6790342 The fabulous Edweena by Edwin Dumont.

Edwin loves his sister Patsy's closet. He adores dresses and earrings and boots with high heels. And when he's finished getting dressed, Edwin is transformed...into the fabulous Edweena! Today is a big day. It's the figure skating competition at school and Edwin has decided to compete as Edweena. What will people say when they meet her for the first time? Can a boy in drag win the competition? Edweena will have to give her best performance ever to find out! For grades 1-3. 2025.

Travel and geography

6564756 Travel guide for monsters part deux: a Canadian adventure by Lori Degman.

Illustrations and easy-to-read text provide guidance for the tourist who wishes to bring a monster along to see the sights in Canada. For grades K-3. 2023.

Fiction for children and young adults

Family stories

6586701 I sang you down from the stars by Tasha Spillett-Sumner.

A Native American woman describes how she loved her child before it was born and, throughout her pregnancy, gathered a bundle of gifts to welcome the newborn. For grades 2-5. 2021.

6549416 Watercress by Andrea Wang.

Embarrassed about gathering watercress from a roadside ditch, a girl learns to appreciate her Chinese heritage after learning why the plant is so important to her parents. For grades P-3. 2021.

Friendship stories

6696854 Small ceremonies: a novel by Kyle Edwards.

Part coming-of-age novel, part searing examination of a community finding itself, Small Ceremonies is a tantalizing and heartbreaking debut. 'I fear for our friendship, for the day it will end, wondering when that day will be . . .' Tomahawk Shields (a.k.a. Tommy) and Clinton Whiteway are on the cusp of adulthood, imagining a future rife with possibility and greatness. The two friends play for their high school’s poor-performing hockey team, the Tigers, who learn at the start of the new season that the league wants them out. Their annual goal is now more important than ever: to win their first game in years and break the curse. As we follow these two Indigenous boys over the course of a year, we are given a panoptic view of Tommy and Clinton’s Winnipeg, where a university student with grand ambitions chooses to bottle her anger when confronted with numerous micro- (and not so micro-) aggressions; an ex-convict must choose between protecting or exploiting his younger brother as he’s dragged deeper into the city’s criminal underbelly; a lonely rink attendant is haunted by the memory of a past lover and contemplates rekindling this old flame; and an aspiring journalist does everything she can to uncover why the league is threatening to remove the Tigers. 2025.

Holiday fiction

6549642 The Passover guest by Susan Kusel.

In Washington, D.C., during the Great Depression, Muriel and her family have no money to prepare the seder meal until a mysterious stranger performs a Passover miracle. Includes notes on the Passover holiday, the Great Depression, and the history of the D.C. Jewish community. For grades P-3. 2021.

6575401 The Passover mouse by Joy Nelkin Wieder.

Chaos ensues, as a little mouse steals a breadcrumb from one house and runs into another, right before Passover. But the villagers notice that the actions of a little furry creature can also bring a community together. For grades P-2. 2020.

Humourous fiction

6575014 Dog diaries: curse of the mystery mutt : a middle school story (Middle school story) by James Patterson.

Junior's idyllic life soon turns to terror when a mysterious creature begins to make trouble in the neighborhood. He suspects the Howly Wiener--that visits town once a year and fills the street with monsters--may be the culprit. For grades 2-4. 2020.

6575400 Don't feed the coos! by Jonathan Stutzman.

A little girl tries all sorts of ways to escape an insatiable flock of pigeons after sharing some bread with one. For grades P-2. 2020.

Mysteries and crime stories

6575423 Goldie Vance: the hotel whodunit by Lilliam Rivera.

St. Pascal, Florida. When a diamond-encrusted swim cap goes missing during the filming of a movie at the Crossed Palms Resort, aspiring detective Goldie investigates. Based on the Goldie Vance comics created by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams. For grades 3-6. 2020.

Science fiction

2424917 The Golden Aquarians by Monica Hughes.

Walt Elliot goes with the father he hasn't seen for years to the planet Aqua, where he discovers that his father's project threatens the existence of a highly intelligent native species. 1994.

Sports fiction

6575051 Ana on the edge by A. J Sass.

Twelve-year-old figure skater Ana strives to win her competitions while learning about gender identity--her own and that of a new friend--and how to be true to herself. For grades 4-7. 2020.

Suspense and thrillers

6080165 The second evil (Fear Street Cheerleaders #2) by R. L Stine.

Corky is trying to put the nightmare of her sister's death behind her, but she hears horrible screams in the gym and then the murders begin again. Has the evil spirit from the Fear Street cemetery returned to destroy them one by one? For grades 11-12. 2023.

Fiction for adults

Bestsellers (Fiction)

6548614 Pineapple Street: a novel by Jenny Jackson.

Darley, the eldest daughter in the well-connected old money Stockton family, followed her heart, trading her job and her inheritance for motherhood but giving up far too much in the process; Sasha, a middle-class New England girl, has married into the Brooklyn Heights family, and finds herself cast as the arriviste outsider; and Georgiana, the baby of the family, has fallen in love with someone she can't have, and must decide what kind of person she wants to be. Rife with the indulgent pleasures of life among New York's one-percenters, Pineapple Street is a smart, escapist novel that sparkles with wit. Full of recognizable, loveable-if fallible-characters, it's about the peculiar unknowability of someone else's family, the miles between the haves and have-nots, and the insanity of first love-all wrapped in a story that is a sheer delight. 2023.

6548903 Romantic comedy: a novel by Curtis Sittenfeld.

Sally Milz is a sketch writer for The Night Owls, a late-night live comedy show that airs every Saturday. With a couple of heartbreaks under her belt, she's long abandoned the search for love, settling instead for the occasional hook-up, career success, and a close relationship with her stepfather to round out a satisfying life. But when Sally's friend and fellow writer Danny Horst begins dating Annabel, a glamorous actress who guest-hosted the show, he joins the not-so-exclusive group of talented but average-looking and even dorky men at the show--and in society at large--who've gotten romantically involved with incredibly beautiful and accomplished women. Sally channels her annoyance into a sketch called the Danny Horst Rule, poking fun at this phenomenon while underscoring how unlikely it is that the reverse would ever happen for a woman. Enter Noah Brewster, a pop music sensation with a reputation for dating models, who signed on as both host and musical guest for this week's show. Dazzled by his charms, Sally hits it off with Noah instantly, and as they collaborate on one sketch after another, she begins to wonder if there might actually be sparks flying. But this isn't a romantic comedy--it's real life. And in real life, someone like him would never date someone like her . . . right? With her keen observations and trademark ability to bring complex women to life on the page, Curtis Sittenfeld explores the neurosis-inducing and heart-fluttering wonder of love, while slyly dissecting the social rituals of romance and gender relations in the modern age. 2023.

6548856 The five-star weekend by Elin Hilderbrand.

Hollis Shaw's life seems picture-perfect. She's the creator of the popular food blog Hungry with Hollis and is married to Matthew, a dreamy heart surgeon. But after she and Matthew get into a heated argument one snowy morning, he leaves for the airport and is killed in a car accident. The cracks in Hollis's perfect life--her strained marriage and her complicated relationship with her daughter, Caroline--grow deeper. So when Hollis hears about something called a Five-Star Weekend"--one woman organizes a trip for her best friend from each phase of her life: her teenage years, her twenties, her thirties, and midlife--she decides to host her own Five-Star Weekend on Nantucket. But the weekend doesn't turn out to be a joyful Hallmark movie. The husband of Hollis's childhood friend Tatum arranges for Hollis's first love, Jack Finigan, to spend time with them, stirring up old feelings. Meanwhile, Tatum is forced to play nice with abrasive and elitist Dru-Ann, Hollis's best friend from UNC Chapel Hill. Dru-Ann's career as a prominent Chicago sports agent is on the line after her comments about a client's mental health issues are misconstrued online. Brooke, Hollis's friend from their thirties, has just discovered that her husband is having an inappropriate relationship with a woman at work. Again! And then there's Gigi, a stranger to everyone (including Hollis) who reached out to Hollis through her blog. Gigi embodies an unusual grace and, as it happens, has many secrets. The Five-Star Weekend is a surprising and captivating story about friendship, love, and self-discovery set on Nantucket. It will be a weekend like no other. 2023.

Family stories

6696853 The tiger and the cosmonaut by Eddy Boudel Tan.

A noirish page-turner about a mysterious disappearance and a moving portrait of a Chinese-Canadian family navigating insecurities, expectations, and simmering anger in their small BC town. Casper Han grew up the dutiful son of immigrants who never felt entirely welcome in their remote corner of British Columbia. Now an adult, living in Vancouver with a boyfriend whose white privilege he quietly resents, Casper rarely returns to his hometown, the site of a grief his family doesn't discuss: the loss of his identical twin, Sam. Over twenty years have passed since Sam went missing, and a pressing crisis has brought Casper and his siblings back. Their father has vanished, only to be found wandering the vast woods beyond the family home, confused and showing signs of memory loss. In order to move forward, the Han family, accustomed to fleeing their problems and accepting the hand dealt to them, must stay put and finally confront the past--untangling the mystery of what really happened the night of Sam's disappearance, and how the town failed them in the aftermath of it. 2025.

Fantasy

6549077 Emily Wilde's map of the Otherlands: a novel by Heather Fawcett.

When mysterious faeries from other realms appear at her university, curmudgeonly professor Emily Wilde must uncover their secrets before it's too late, in this heartwarming, enchanting second installment of the Emily Wilde series. Emily Wilde is a genius scholar of faerie folklore who just wrote the world's first comprehensive encyclopaedia of faeries. She's learned many of the secrets of the Hidden Ones on her adventures . . . and also from her fellow scholar and former rival Wendell Bambleby. Because Bambleby is more than infuriatingly charming. He's an exiled faerie king on the run from his murderous mother and in search of a door back to his realm. And despite Emily's feelings for Bambleby, she's not ready to accept his proposal of marriage: Loving one of the Fair Folk comes with secrets and dangers. She also has a new project to focus on: a map of the realms of faerie. While she is preparing her research, Bambleby lands her in trouble yet again, when assassins sent by his mother invade Cambridge. Now Bambleby and Emily are on another adventure, this time to the picturesque Austrian Alps, where Emily believes they may find the door to Bambleby's realm and the key to freeing him from his family's dark plans. But with new relationships for the prickly Emily to navigate and dangerous Folk lurking in every forest and hollow, Emily must unravel the mysterious workings of faerie doors and of her own heart. 2024.

6548851 Lost in the moment and found (Wayward children #08) by Seanan McGuire.

If you ever lost a sock, you'll find it here. If you ever wondered about a favorite toy from childhood... it's probably sitting on a shelf in the back. And the headphones that you swore this time you'd keep safe? You guessed it....Antoinette has lost her father. Metaphorically. He's not in the Shop, and she'll never see him again. But when Antsy finds herself lost (literally, this time), she discovers that however many doors open for her, leaving the Shop for good might not be as simple as it sounds. And stepping through those doors exacts a price. Lost in the Moment and Found tells us that childhood and innocence, once lost, can never be found. 2023.

Humourous fiction

6548767 Happy place by Emily Henry.

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college-they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now-for reasons they're still not discussing-they don't. They broke up five months ago. And still haven't told their best friends. Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group's yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most. Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they'll all have together in this place. They can't stand to break their friends' hearts, and so they'll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It's a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week...in front of those who know you best? 2023.

Legal stories

6586707 Resurrection walk by Michael Connelly.

Defense attorney Mickey Haller is back, taking the long shot cases, where the chances of winning are one in a million. After getting a wrongfully convicted man out of prison, he is inundated with pleas from incarcerated people claiming innocence. He enlists his half brother, retired LAPD Detective Harry Bosch, to weed through the letters, knowing most claims will be false. Bosch pulls a needle from the haystack: a woman in prison for killing her husband, a sheriff's deputy, but who still maintains her innocence. Bosch reviews the case and sees elements that don't add up, and a sheriff's department intent on bringing quick justice in the killing of one of its own. Now Haller has an uphill battle in court, a David fighting Goliaths to vindicate his client. The path for both lawyer and investigator is fraught with danger from those who don't want the case reopened and will stop at nothing to keep the Haller-Bosch dream team from finding the truth. 2023.

LGBTQ+ fiction

6619883 Subterrane: a novel by Valérie Bah.

A speculative comedy comprised of a carousel of Black and Queer voices being pushed further underground by urban prosperity. New Stockholm, a metropolis like any other across North America, is unofficially divided between two worlds. Its upwardly mobile form the centre of its gleaming eye, but their prosperity and affluence are not the focus of Zeynab's government-funded abstract documentary. Her lens trails to the city's margins instead, in polluted industrial wastelands such as Cipher Falls, one of New Stockholm's last affordable neighbourhoods, where creatives and other anti-capitalist voices increasingly find themselves pushed into demeaning, dead-end jobs. In this growing underground network, Zeynab's lens focuses on the mysterious demise of Doudou Laguerre, whose death may be related to his activism against a construction project. Subterrane connects us to a constellation of Black and Queer voices, the hair braiders, tattoo artists, holistic healers, weed dealers, and sidewalk horticulturists struggling to make a life in New Stockholm. Together, they illustrate how in cities across the continent, entire communities are being sidelined in the name of prosperity. 2024.

Mysteries and crime stories

6549469 Death comes to Marlow: a novel by Robert Thorogood.

It's been an enjoyable and murder-free time for Judith, Suzie and Becks - AKA the Marlow Murder Club - since the events of last year. The most exciting thing on the horizon is the upcoming wedding of Marlow grandee, Sir Peter Bailey, to his nurse, Jenny Page. Sir Peter is having a party at his grand mansion on the river Thames the day before the wedding, and Judith and Co. are looking forward to a bit of free champagne. But during the soiree, there's a crash from inside the house, and when the Marlow Murder Club rush to investigate, they are shocked to find the groom-to-be crushed to death in his study. The study was locked from the inside, so the police don't consider the death suspicious. But Judith disagrees. As far as she's concerned, Peter was murdered! And it's up to the Marlow Murder Club to find the killer before he or she strikes again... 2023.

6586694 Murder in Rose Hill by Victoria Thompson.

Midwife Sarah Malloy and her private investigator husband, Frank, must shine a light on the truth and catch the fiend who killed a young reporter in this new entry in the USA Today bestselling Gaslight Mystery series. Louisa Rodgers is working as a magazine reporter and is hoping midwife Sarah Malloy can help her. New Century Magazine, like Colliers and McClure's, is branching out into investigative articles on pressing social issues. Louisa explains that she is researching the dangers of patent medicines. She had been walking through the neighborhood in search of people addicted to such nostrums to interview when she saw the sign for the clinic. Sarah is only too happy to tell Louisa exactly what she thinks of the so-called medicines that hurt much more than they help. A few days later, Sarah receives a visit from a man who introduces himself as Louisa's father. Bernard Rodgers explains that Louisa has been found strangled in the lobby of the building where New Century has its offices. The police have decided it was a random attack and have made no attempt to investigate, hinting that Louisa got what she deserved for sticking her nose where it didn't belong. Her family found Sarah's card among Louisa's effects, and now it is up to Sarah and Frank to catch a cold-blooded murderer 2024.

Romance

6548668 Bride by Ali Hazelwood.

Misery Lark, the only daughter of the most powerful Vampyre councilman of the Southwest, is an outcast--again. Her days of living in anonymity among the Humans are over: she has been called upon to uphold a historic peacekeeping alliance between the Vampyres and their mortal enemies, the Weres, and she sees little choice but to surrender herself in the exchange again... Weres are ruthless and unpredictable, and their Alpha, Lowe Moreland, is no exception. He rules his pack with absolute authority, but not without justice. And, unlike the Vampyre Council, not without feeling. It's clear from the way he tracks Misery's every movement that he doesn't trust her. If only he knew how right he was.... Because Misery has her own reasons to agree to this marriage of convenience, reasons that have nothing to do with politics or alliances, and everything to do with the only thing she's ever cared about. And she is willing to do whatever it takes to get back what's hers, even if it means a life alone in Were territory...alone with the wolf 2024.

Short stories

6549547 You like it darker: stories by Stephen King.

You like it darker? Fine, so do I, writes Stephen King in the afterword to this magnificent new collection of twelve stories that delve into the darker part of life--both metaphorical and literal. King has, for half a century, been a master of the form, and these stories, about fate, mortality, luck, and the folds in reality where anything can happen, are as rich and riveting as his novels, both weighty in theme and a huge pleasure to read. King writes to feel "the exhilaration of leaving ordinary day-to-day life behind," and in You Like It Darker, readers will feel that exhilaration too, again and again. "Two Talented Bastids" explores the long-hidden secret of how the eponymous gentlemen got their skills. In "Danny Coughlin's Bad Dream," a brief and unprecedented psychic flash upends dozens of lives, Danny's most catastrophically. In "Rattlesnakes," a sequel to Cujo, a grieving widower travels to Florida for respite and instead receives an unexpected inheritance--with major strings attached. In "The Dreamers," a taciturn Vietnam vet answers a job ad and learns that there are some corners of the universe best left unexplored. "The Answer Man" asks if prescience is good luck or bad and reminds us that a life marked by unbearable tragedy can still be meaningful. King's ability to surprise, amaze, and bring us both terror and solace remains unsurpassed. Each of these stories holds its own thrills, joys, and mysteries; each feels iconic. You like it darker? You got it. 2024.

Suspense and thrillers

6548701 Circle of death by James Patterson.

Doomsday is coming as an evil mastermind plots to destroy all of humankind. Not even The Shadow knows the enemy's true identity. But the clock is ticking with people all over the world dropping dead each and every day. As The Shadow gathers a small band of allies, he knows this is one fight he cannot lose. Because anything else means the end of all life. 2023.

Westerns

6586721 Killers never sleep by William W Johnstone.

The sixth action-packed historical western from national bestselling authors William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone featuring Buck Trammel, former Pinkerton-turned Wyoming Territory lawman! Ben Washington and his gang of murdering prairie rats have been terrorizing Wyoming Territory for quite a spell: rustling cattle, robbing stagecoaches and railroads, and slaughtering settlers. When Sheriff Buck Trammel of Laramie learns that Washington and his killers have been menacing an innocent family, he and his deputy ride out and bring Washington in the hard way--at the barrel of a gun. When word spreads fast of Washington's capture, gambler Adam Hagen begins taking wagers on the outlaw's fate--where and when his gang will bust him loose--and quickly finds himself sitting atop a mountain of cash. Naturally, greed forces Hagen to open the stakes nationwide. As the stink of easy money grows, the New Orleans gang known as the LeBlanc Brothers crawl into town posing as cattlemen. And the LeBlanc's never leave a job empty-handed . . . When the LeBlanc Brothers team up with Washington's cut-throats, Trammel is forced to play a dangerous high-stakes game of their own where any move he makes could not only cost a deputy his life, but threaten justice in Laramie forever 2024.

Non-fiction for adults

Biography

6743606 Walter Gretzky: on family, hockey and healing by Walter Gretzky.

Walter Gretzky is considered by many to be the ultimate dad, the man who first coached son Wayne Gretzky in hockey. Here he tells the story of his life, including growing up on a small farm, his marriage, children, work, and most importantly, his values. He also describes his debilitating stroke in 1991, his recovery, and his discovery of a calling to help others. 2001.

Journals and memoirs

6572444 It must be beautiful to be finished: a memoir of my body by Kate Gies.

When Kate Gies was four years old, a plastic surgeon pressed a synthetic ear to the right side of her head and pulled out a mirror. He told her he could make her whole"--could make her "right"--and she believed him. From the age of four to thirteen, she underwent fourteen surgeries, including skin and bone grafts, to craft the appearance of an outer ear. Many of the surgeries failed, leaving permanent damage to her body. In short, lyrical vignettes, Kate writes about how her "disfigured" body was scrutinized, pathologized, and even weaponized. She describes the physical and psychic trauma of medical intervention, and its effects on her sense of self, first as a child needing to be fixed, and later, as a teenager and adult, navigating the complex expectations and dangers of being a woman. It Must Be Beautiful to Be Finished is the story of a girl desperately trying to have a body that makes her acceptable and of a woman learning to own a body she never felt was hers to define. In an age of speaking out about the abuse of marginalized bodies, this memoir takes a hard look at the medical system's role in body oppression and trauma. 2025.

Music

6572443 Heroes and villains: the true story of the Beach Boys by Steven S Gaines.

The author "reveals the gothic tale of drugs, sex, music, greed, booze, and genius behind the wholesome image of the Beach Boys. 1995.

6073830 Into the groove: the story of sound from tin foil to vinyl by Jonathan Scott.

In Into the Groove, vinyl collector and music buff Jonathan Scott dissects a mind-blowing feat that we all take for granted today--the domestication of sound. Thomas Edison's phonograph, the first device that could both record and reproduce sound, represented an important turning point in the story of recorded sound, but it was only the tip of the iceberg, and came after decades of invention, tinkering and experimentation. Scott traces the birth of sound back to the earliest serious attempts in the 1850s, celebrating the ingenuity, rivalries and science of the modulated groove. He examines the first attempts to record and reproduce sounds, the origins of the phonograph, and the development of commercial shellac discs. Then he divulges the fascinating story of the LP record, from the rise of electric recording to the fall of 7-inch vinyl, the competing speed and format wars, and an epilogue that takes the story up to the present-day return of vinyl to vogue. Into the Groove uncovers tales of intrigue and betrayal, court battles and lesser-known names who are often left out of most histories. Discover a new appreciation of the not-so-simple black disc that holds a special place in the history of music and sound. 2023.