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Books on Ice

Hockey fans: this is the list for you! Select a fiction or nonfiction title celebrating the energetic sport of hockey – whether you are an avid Avs fan, or want to learn some practical game tips, or just want some hockey romance. Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Force of Nature: Joe Sakic, a Star-Studded Team, and How the Colorado Avalanche Built a Stanley Cup Winner by Peter Baugh

This is the book for Avalanche fans! Baugh reports on the championship season for our celebrated Colorado hockey team and plenty of inside scoops on the game and the players.

Force of Nature: Joe Sakic, a Star-Studded Team, and How the Colorado Avalanche Built a Stanley Cup Winner by Peter Baugh Book

Force of Nature: Joe Sakic, a Star-Studded Team, and How the Colorado Avalanche Built a Stanley Cup Winner by Peter Baugh eBook

Draft Day: How Hockey Teams Pick winners or Get Left Behind by Doug MacLean

The author is a former NHL coach so he knows a bit about how hockey teams are formed. This informative book highlights the careful consideration that goes into forming a team and assessing the talent.

Draft Day: How Hockey Teams Pick winners or Get Left Behind by Doug MacLean Book

Hockey Plays and Strategies by Mike Johnston and Ryan Walter

This updated 2nd edition gives practical advice for how to dominate on the ice. You will learn practical skills, techniques, and game requirements for all levels of hockey.

Hockey Plays and Strategies by Mike Johnston and Ryan Walter Book

Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look by Greg Wyshynski

This is considered the go-to classic introduction for people new to hockey. Increase your appreciation and knowledge of the game and each player’s roles in this worthwhile guide.

Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look by Greg Wyshynski Book

Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look by Greg Wyshynski eBook

Take Your Eye Off the Puck: How to Watch Hockey by Knowing Where to Look by Greg Wyshynski eAudiobook

99: Stories of the Game by Wayne Gretzky

A candid memoir by hockey legend Gretzky with details about teammates, rivals, and life both on and off the ice.

99: Stories of the Game by Wayne Gretzky Book

Beauties: Hockey’s Greatest Untold Stories by James Duthie

A compilation of 57 stories from hockey’s greatest players, fans, and unsung heroes. Get a front-row seat to funny and heart-warming stories about a variety of personalities, well-known and lesser-known.

Beauties: Hockey’s Greatest Untold Stories by James Duthie Book

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace

This break-out bestselling romance has twice the ice! When a figure skater and a hockey player are forced to share an ice rink, things get competitive. The wait list for this popular title will be worthwhile if you enjoy the “enemies–to–lovers” romance trope.

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace Book

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace eBook

Icebreaker by Hannah Grace Large Print

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid

If you prefer “bromance-to-romance” fiction then Reid’s sexy bestseller will make you smile. Set in Calgary, Landon is the quiet goalie. Casey is the superstar winger. Let the games begin!

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid Book

Time to Shine by Rachel Reid eAudiobook

Head Coach by Lia Riley

Set in Colorado, this charming romance has Neve, a hard-hitting sports reporter, doing a story on Tor Gunnar, the icy Scandinavian hockey legend.

Head Coach by Lia Riley Book

Head Coach by Lia Riley eBook

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith

No list of hockey books would be complete without bestseller Fredrik Backman. This second book in the trilogy returns the reader to Beartown, where hockey rivalries run strong with the neighboring town of Hed. But will their precious hockey team be disbanded? Set in a small town in the Swedish forest with a diverse cast of complex, flawed characters this story will grip you from beginning to end.

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith Book

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith Large Print

Us Against You by Fredrik Backman, translated by Neil Smith CD Audiobook

Cyberpunk

Dive into the electrifying world of cyberpunk, where neon-soaked cityscapes meet the gritty underbelly of the future. In this genre, technology reigns supreme, but so does corruption, as mega–corporations battle for control amidst a backdrop of societal decay. Follow protagonists navigating the maze of virtual reality, hacking into the very fabric of existence, while grappling with themes of identity, rebellion, and the human condition in a world where the line between man and machine blurs. Whether you’re a seasoned fan or a newcomer to the genre, cyberpunk offers a thrilling journey into a dystopian tomorrow that feels all too close to home.

Neuromancer by William Gibson

William Gibson’s groundbreaking novel “Neuromancer” transformed science fiction, igniting a revolution that shaped our understanding of technology and society. Winner of prestigious awards including the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards, it introduced the term “cyberpunk” and foresaw the emergence of virtual reality and the internet age. Gibson’s gritty yet visionary narrative continues to resonate, serving as a beacon for those navigating the complexities of our rapidly evolving world.

Neuromancer by William Gibson eAudiobook

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

In a post-apocalyptic world ravaged by war, scarcity drives humanity to covet living creatures, resorting to realistic simulacra for those who can’t afford them, including lifelike humans. As Earth bans unauthorized androids, these artificial beings hide among humans, posing a threat that official bounty hunter Rick Deckard is tasked to eliminate. Deckard’s mission becomes perilous when the hunted androids resist capture, leading to a high-stakes battle for survival.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick Book

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick eBook

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick CD Audiobook

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

In a dystopian Los Angeles overrun by corporate franchises, Hiro delivers pizza while defending his territory with samurai swords from marauders. Immersed in the Metaverse, his legendary avatar navigates a virtual landscape, but his reality takes a dangerous turn when fellow hackers are incapacitated by a new drug, Snow Crash. Teaming up with fearless skateboard courier Y.T., Hiro delves into an investigation tracing back to ancient Sumerian origins, racing against a shadowy virtual adversary determined to conquer the world.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson Book

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson eBook

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor

Dubbed AO for Artificial Organism, Anwuli Okwudili defies societal norms, embracing her augmented body despite its perceived abnormalities. After a fateful encounter at her local market, she finds herself on the run, teaming up with a Fulani herdsman named DNA for a high-stakes journey across the deserts of Northern Nigeria. As their escapades unfold in a world where everything is streamed and watched, the narrative explores themes of identity, destiny, and the unpredictable nature of the future.

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor Book

Noor by Nnedi Okorafor eAudiobook

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo

Set in a dystopian 2019, it tells the story of Shōtarō Kaneda, the leader of a biker gang whose childhood friend, Tetsuo Shima, acquires incredible telekinetic abilities after a motorcycle accident, eventually threatening an entire military complex amid chaos and rebellion in the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Neo-Tokyo.

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo Book

Akira by Katsuhiro Otomo Movie

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan

In the twenty-fifth century, humanity’s expansion across the galaxy is overseen by the U.N., with technological advancements allowing consciousness to be stored in cortical stacks, granting virtual immortality. Takeshi Kovacs, an ex-U.N. envoy, finds himself resurrected in a new body in Bay City, thrust into a treacherous conspiracy that challenges the norms of a society where life and identity are commodified. Set against the backdrop of a dystopian future, Kovacs navigates a world where existence is a commodity, confronting a sinister plot that transcends the boundaries of morality.

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan eAudiobook

Infomocracy by Malka Older

In a world dominated by Information, a search engine monopoly that ushered in global micro-democracy, the Heritage party has won two consecutive elections, while the upcoming Supermajority contest hangs in the balance. For Ken, aligned with the idealistic Policy1st party, the election presents an opportunity for advancement, while Domaine sees it as a battleground against the status quo. Mishima, an Information operative, navigates the complex political landscape, grappling with the challenge of maintaining stability amidst conflicting interests.

Infomocracy by Malka Older Book

The Wind-Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi

Anderson Lake, working undercover for AgriGen, scours Bangkok for extinct foodstuffs as the Calorie Man, while Emiko, the engineered Windup Girl, struggles for survival in a world where bio-engineered plagues and corporate greed reign supreme. As calories become currency and bio-terrorism fuels corporate profits, Bacigalupi’s acclaimed novel explores the chilling consequences of a post-human evolution, marking it as a standout in twenty-first-century science fiction.

The Wind-Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi Book

Busted Synapses by Erica L. Satifka

The world of tomorrow holds wonders unlike anything humanity has ever seen! But only for those lucky few. Alicia, a runaway New Woman, comes to small-town Wheeling, West Virginia, and gets entangled with Jess and Dale, throwing their lives of pointless work and drug-fueled virtual reality into chaos. Meanwhile, truths are uncovered of the nation’s rewritten history–truths powerful corporations would rather leave hidden.

Busted Synapses by Erica L. Satifka Book

Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney

In the aftermath of a near-collision with an asteroid in 2142, renowned scientist Akira Kimura, once celebrated as a hero, reaches out to her former head of security for help as she fears for her safety. When Akira is found gruesomely murdered at her deep-sea home, the detective risks everything to unravel the mystery, delving into their shared past and confronting themes of research, class, and the dark side of progress in this gripping neo-noir thriller.

Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney Book

Big Block of Cheese Day Books

An odd title for a booklist, I know. If you’re a West Wing fan or a history buff, you may be familiar with the big block of cheese Andrew Jackson aged for two years(!) in the entrance hall of the White House. He invited the public to come and eat it (it was gone within two hours), and his staff, while serving cheese, listened to the people’s concerns.

What does this have to do with books? Well, this librarian is a West Wing fan. In the show, they had Big Block of Cheese Day at the White House. The Chief of Staff sets aside time where his staff must meet with organizations who normally couldn’t get the attention of the White House. It is in this spirit that I offer you a list of non-fiction books that might not normally get your attention – books with unique topics. Enjoy your cheese….I mean books!

The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back by Donald Cohen & Allen Mikaelian

This book examines how the decades-long trend of privatizing public services in the U.S. does not serve the average citizen. The authors argue that when private interests take over, they strip public goods of their power to lift people up and instead create a tool for further inequality. Looking at a broad spectrum of issues, this book raises larger questions about who controls the public things we all rely on.

The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back by Donald Cohen & Allen Mikaelian Book

The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back by Donald Cohen & Allen Mikaelian eBook

The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back by Donald Cohen & Allen Mikaelian eAudiobook

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee

In this political commentator’s debut book, she explores how self-destructive white supremacy is and its rising cost to all of us—including white people. Cohesively written, this book tracks the history of race relations in the U.S. from slavery to modern times, documenting when racism against Black Americans has diminished everyone’s quality of life. McGhee makes a convincing case that finding common ground with others and rejecting zero-sum structures can move us forward.

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together by Heather McGhee Book

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez

You’ve probably heard of the gendered wage gap. But have you heard of a gendered gap in data? Accessible and well-researched, Perez examines how this gap in data (all kinds – from heart attack symptoms to public transit usage) disadvantages women at home, at work, in public spaces, the doctor’s office, and more. This material is handled with wit, calm authority, and looks towards solutions to this cacophony of problems.

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez Book

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez eBook

Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez eAudiobook

Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America’s Woods by Lyndsie Bourgon

Let’s jump to the illegal timber market. Hey, I told you up top these books would have niche subjects. Bourgon traces three timber poaching cases, while she introduces us to all the players – poachers, law enforcement, logging communities, environmental activists, international timber cartels (you read that right), indigenous communities, and more! All of this is to demonstrate the morality of tree poaching isn’t black and white, and that we need to come together to prevent these ecosystems from dying.

Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America’s Woods by Lyndsie Bourgon Book

Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb

Space. The final frontier. This book, buy a top Harvard astronomer, tackles two issues. Firstly, he believes there is evidence for extraterrestrial life. Secondly, he’s not sure humans are ready to accept that fact. In this short and powerful book, he outlines the evidence for extraterrestrials and its implications for humanity. Will you check out this out-of-this-world book?

Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb Book

Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb eBook

Extraterrestrial: The First Sign of Intelligent Life Beyond Earth by Avi Loeb eAudiobook

The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care and How to Fix It by Marty Makary, MD

You’re probably aware our medical system has problems. Well, Makary can tell you about those problems in depth. This surgeon and professor demonstrates, using accessible language, why health care has become a bubble. He draws from on-the-ground stories, research, and his own experiences to expose the price-gouging, middlemen, and elusive money games that need serious repair. Not only does he show you where the money goes, he talks about ways you can do something about it!

The Price We Pay: What Broke American Health Care and How to Fix It by Marty Makary, MD Book

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Explain Everything About the World by Tim Marshall

In order to understand world events, you often think about people, ideas, and movements. Marshall argues that if you don’t think about geography, you’ll never understand the full picture. Covering the world throughout ten chapters, this well-traveled author explains the world (past, present, and future) through maps, essays, and a little bit of personal experience.

Prisoners of Geography: Ten Maps that Explain Everything About the World by Tim Marshall Book

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell

Etymology is the study of the origins of words and their, often evolving, meanings. Looking at cults through this lens, Montell argues in this engaging book that “language is the key means by which all degrees of cult-like influence occur.” With this thesis she deep dives into the indoctrination techniques of cults like Heaven’s Gate and the Peoples Temple, and other cult like groups like fitness influencers.

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell Book

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell eBook

Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism by Amanda Montell eAudiobook

Horror Classics Reimagined

Did you love Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher and want to find more reimagined classic horror and suspense stories? Well move over Mike Flanagan– here’s a list of ten novels that put a new spin on classic tales that will be sure to give you a new perspective on old favorites.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

Patricia Highsmith’s 1950 novel Strangers on a Train, adapted for film by Alfred Hitchcock, is reimagined for modern times. If you are a fan of Gone Girl and Girl on a Train, you’ll enjoy this twisty story of what happens when two seemingly strangers meet and devise a plan to murder.

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson Book

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson eBook

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson eAudiobook

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher

Award winning author Kingfisher offers a retelling of Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “The Fall of House of Usher” in this 2022 novel. Unlike Netflix’s adaptation, What Moves the Dead offers a dark look at Madeline and Roderick Usher as they are consumed by the nature surrounding their estate in the countryside of Ruritania.

What Moves the Dead by T. Kingfisher Book

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry

Set 20 years after Irving’s “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” short story, Henry’s protagonists are 14-year-old boys questioning if the stories they heard about Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman are town myths or reality. This read is for you if you have ever wondered what happened to Sleepy Hollow after Ichabod Crane disappears.

Horseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina Henry Book

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White

The Frankenstein family adopts Elizabeth to be a companion for their explosive son, Victor. If you have ever wanted more from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein universe or questioned the origin story of the man who would go on to make the Creature, look no further than this gripping story from the perspective of a young girl trying to survive.

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White Book

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein by Kiersten White eBook

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Calling H.G. Well fans! Here’s a fresh modern take on the 1896 The Island of Doctor Moreau that explores colonialism, feminism, and patriarchal themes as Carlota, Dr. Moreau’s daughter, is used in experimentations. Her courtship and engagement to Montgomery leads to a series of events that reveal dark secrets and deadly consequences.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Book

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia Large Print

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia eBook

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

For fans of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House or The Amityville Horror universe, this novel follows Maggie, the daughter of a popular haunted house memoirist, as she navigates her perils and ghosts in the same house of her childhood. Her disbelief regarding past events starts to get challenged by supernatural encounters.

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager Book

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager Large Print

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager eBook

TEN by Gretchen McNeil

If you don’t mind dipping a toe in YA, TEN gives you a modern, fresh look at Agatha Christie’s classic And Then There Were None. Ten teenagers expect an enjoyable weekend on an island but are terrified as each one begins to die one by one. If you love a proper suspense whodunit, you’ll enjoy this call back to one of Christie’s most beloved tales.

TEN by Gretchen McNeil Book

TEN by Gretchen McNeil eBook

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King

Blurring the lines between classic and classic reimagined, this powerhouse Stephen King book from 1975 is often noted to be heavily influenced by Dracula. One of King’s earlier works and often considered one of his best, you can see how he adapted early vampire stories into this modern classic about a writer returning to his small town and finding danger along the way.

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King Book

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King eBook

Salem’s Lot by Stephen King eAudiobook

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente

This novella by Valente follows Sophia’s seemingly idyllic life and marriage. Based on the French gothic folktale “Bluebeard” about a husband with a secret, locked room and what lies on the other side, Comfort Me with Apples is a fun, short horror reimagining.

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente Book

Comfort Me with Apples by Catherynne M. Valente eAudiobook

The Man He Never Was by James L. Rubart

A new take on Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Man He Never Was follows Torren Daniels as he reunites with his wife and kids after eight months. His personality is completely altered. He’s no longer filled with rage and eradicate behavior, but no one can explain the radical change. Torren begins remembering details and questions if he can truly escape all the different aspects of his psyche.

The Man He Never Was by James L. Rubart Book

The Man He Never Was by James L. Rubart eAudiobook

The Love of Friendship

The month of February celebrates more than Valentines Day, which traditionally focuses on the love between romantic partners. In fact, February 15th is Singles Appreciation Day, a day to celebrate love in all forms, such as the love between friends, family, and self. Coincidentally, February 11th is Make a Friend Day. This reading list combines the celebration of these two lesser-known days, offering up books that celebrate friendship and/or singledom and the appreciation and love of self (no matter one’s relationship status).

Circe by Madeline Miller

Hailed by The New York Times as a “bold and subversive retelling of the goddess’s story,” Miller’s Circe is the story of a daughter who does not seem to equal the power and strength of her father, the god Helios, nor her mother’s beauty and allure. An outsider among her own, she finds companionship in the world of mortals. She also discovers she does indeed possess power – the power of witchcraft. When she is banished by Zeus to a deserted island, Circe must make her own way. In doing so, she finds empowerment and encounters many mythic figures, including Odysseus. Circe is the tale of a strong, independent woman who forges her own path, and Miller infuses the narrative with Circe’s emotional and moral complexity. A classic tale told through a feminist lens, Circe is a book that celebrates a woman’s strength, determination, and agency.

Circe by Madeline Miller Book

Circe by Madeline Miller eAudiobook

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Dark and humorous, Carty-Williams’ titular character is a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London. Frustrated by racial politics at the newspaper where she works and nursing the wound of a messy breakup, Queenie runs through a string of bad-for-her men and worse decisions – all of which cause her to question her actions, choices, and her own identity. Queenie explores what it means to be a woman who is true to herself in a world that thinks it knows best what women should be.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams Book

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams eBook

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

Described by NPR as “[a stunning] portrait of the enduring grace of friendship,” A Little Life follows the lives of four male university graduates who move from New England to New York City to establish their professional lives. Though the novel follows the lives of all four men across several decades, it is the life of Jude, abandoned in infancy and raised by abusive monks, that permeates all 700 pages of Yanagihara’s much praised book. A warning: this is not an easy read because the reader is immersed in Jude’s trauma and the abuse, self-harm, and suicidal tendencies that are associated with it. The novel is dark and bleak. And yet…there are many beautiful moments of light which shine through that darkness, and those illuminating sources originate from the bonds of friendship, love, and brotherhood the four men share.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara Book

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara eBook

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Honeyman’s witty and weird protagonist and narrator, Eleanor Oliphant, is a socially awkward and isolated young finance clerk living in Glasgow, Scotland. Eleanor keeps to a precise and altogether depressing schedule of work, crossword puzzles, solo vodka drinking, and dutiful weekend calls to “Mummy.” Despite all signs pointing otherwise, Eleanor thinks she is completely fine and focuses not on herself but on a local musician whom she believes she is destined to be with despite having never actually met him. She avoids almost everyone else around her until the day she and a new colleague named Raymond witness an elderly man collapse in the street. When Raymond and Eleanor take action to save the man’s life, it sparks the genesis of something Eleanor has been living without – friendship. Her bond with Raymond and the elderly man (Sammy) has unexpected and healing consequences for Eleanor, who suffered a trauma she has long suppressed. The relationships she forms open Eleanor’s life to the joy of friendship, kindness, and love. Honeyman’s novel is a moving, often funny story of one young woman’s journey out of loneliness and into a more fully lived and abundant life.

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman Book

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman eBook

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman eAudiobook

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, Walker’s epistolary novel about two sisters, Celie and Nettie, is ultimately a story about the bonds between women. When the sisters’ abusive stepfather marries young Celie to a man called Mister, the union leads to Nettie and Celie’s separation. As time goes on and Celie does not hear from Nettie, she believes her to be dead. Mister and his children misuse and scorn Celie, and her life is filled with hard work, pain, and loneliness until Mister’s longtime mistress Shug Avery comes to town. Shug brings joy, love, and hope into Celie’s life and discovers years’ worth of letters from Nettie that Mister hid from Celie. Emboldened by the realization that her sister is alive and by Shug’s support and encouragement, Celie forges a path the leads to her personal freedom. A Color Purple is a PBS Great American Read Top 100 selection and has recently been adapted into a musical film (released in December 2023) starring Fantasia Barrino (Celie) and Halle Bailey (Nettie).

The Color Purple by Alice Walker Book

The Color Purple by Alice Walker eBook

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Though this book is young adult historical fiction, readers of all ages will enjoy Wein’s tale of espionage, war, survival, and the power of friendship. When a British spy plane carrying two women, a pilot (Maddie) and a spy (“Verity”), crashes in Nazi-occupied France, one is lost to the wreckage, and the other is captured by the enemy. Forced to divulge her secrets or die, Verity chooses to tell her story, and it is one of courage, friendship, and dedication to the people and ideals which matter most. Set during World War II, Code Name Verity is a page-turning thriller that offers strong, capable female protagonists and a surprising and moving plot.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein Book

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein eBook

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein CD Audiobook

No One Tells You This: A Memoir by Glynnis MacNicol

Lauded by New York Magazine as “a rare and necessary perspective on the profound exhilaration of the untethered female life,” MacNicol’s memoir chronicles the journey of self-discovery she embarked on during her 40th year. Leading up to that birthday, MacNicol found that – despite being a successful writer and living a fulfilling New York City life – she had not accomplished what the world expected of her. She was not a wife or mother. Because there “was not a good blueprint for how to be a woman alone in the world,” MacNicol decided to create one of her own. No One Tells You This tracks her adventures, mishaps, and revelations in doing so. “A fearless reckoning with modern womanhood,” MacNicol’s memoir “is an exhilarating adventure that will resonate with anyone determined to live by their own rules.”

No One Tells You This: A Memoir by Glynnis MacNicol Book

The Lonely Hunter: How Our Search for Love is Broken by Aimée Lutkin

Part memoir, part reportage, The Lonely Hunter explores the reasons why society refuses to accept that an increasing number of people (single-person households have more than tripled since 1940) choose to remain single. Through a year of intense research, a whole lot of dating, Netflix binging, and rumination, Lutkin chronicles her experience of being alone. Along the way, she exposes the biases against and misconceptions about the uncoupled. Described as “blazingly smart, insightful, and full of heart,” The Lonely Hunter is a book for anyone who values and celebrates walking their own path.

The Lonely Hunter: How Our Search for Love is Broken by Aimée Lutkin Book

Untamed by Glennon Doyle

Reese Witherspoon declared Doyle’s memoir to be “packed with incredible insight about what it means to be a woman today.” Doyle spent years denying her own discontent until a moment of love at first sight changed everything. While speaking at a conference in 2016, Doyle looked out into the room, saw a woman, and said “There she is.” In that moment of clarity, Doyle realized that she’d been suppressing her own authentic voice to be who others expected her to be. Untamed tells the story of Doyle reclaiming her own identity, navigating divorce, a new marriage, a blended family, and using her authentic voice to call herself and others to action. “She quit being good so she could be free. She quit pleasing and started living.” In telling her own story, Doyle guides readers on a journey of their own self-discovery so that “each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts, so that we can become women who can finally look at ourselves and say ‘There she is.’”

Untamed by Glennon Doyle Book

Untamed by Glennon Doyle CD Audiobook

Single on Purpose: Redefine Everything / Find Yourself First by John Kim

“The Angry Therapist” (John Kim) shares the story of his painful divorce and realization that – until that divorce – he’d never been on his own. Single on Purpose asks the question: “Why does being alone = being lonely?” and details the journey Kim embarked upon to discover the answer and to rebuild his relationship with himself. With his signature “no BS” tone and an honest depiction of his struggles and discoveries in singlehood, Kim shows readers how it’s possible to be alone and fulfilled and to have a more authentic relationship with oneself no matter one’s relationship status.

Single on Purpose: Redefine Everything / Find Yourself First by John Kim Book

Closed Circle Mysteries

Closed circle mysteries is a mystery in which the murder/crime’s circumstances limit the number of suspects- the criminal is one of the people present at or nearby the scene, and the crime could not have been committed by some outsider. The detective has to solve the crime, figuring out the criminal from this pool (circle) of suspects, rather than searching for a totally unknown perpetrator.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie

First, there were ten—a curious assortment of strangers summoned as weekend guests to a little private island off the coast of Devon. Their host, an eccentric millionaire unknown to all of them, is nowhere to be found. All that the guests have in common is a wicked past they’re unwilling to reveal—and a secret that will seal their fate. For each has been marked for murder. One by one they fall prey. Before the weekend is out, there will be none. Who has choreographed this dastardly scheme? And who will be left to tell the tale? Only the dead are above suspicion.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie Book

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie eBook

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie eAudiobook

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena

A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway. But when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off the electricity–and all contact with the outside world–the guests settle in and try to make the best of it. Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead–it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, they start to panic. Within the snowed-in paradise, something–or someone–is picking off the guests one by one. And there’s nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm–and one another.

An Unwanted Guest by Shari Lapena Book

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a dark and terrifying nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong.

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The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley

For the past ten years, a group of thirtysomething college friends take an annual vacation together. For this year’s vacation, they’ve chosen an idyllic and isolated estate in the Scottish Highlands—the perfect place to get away and unwind by themselves. They arrive on December 30th, just before a historic blizzard seals the lodge off from the outside world. Two days later, on New Year’s Day, one of them is dead.

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The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers

During a painting retreat, a killer takes a creative approach to the ancient art of murder… The majestic landscape of the Scottish coast has attracted artists and fishermen for centuries. Sandy Campbell’s body is found at the bottom of a steep hill while his art easel is at the top of the hill, suggesting he fell while painting. Campbell was a hated resident, and no one weeps when he dies. But “accidental” death doesn’t sit right with gentleman sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey. Which of Campell’s fellow retreaters killed him?

The Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers Book

Murder on the Ballarat Train by Kerry Greenwood

The Honourable Miss Phryne Fisher, a 1920s London socialite living in Australia, is off for a week in Ballarat for a little vacation. However, the sedate journey by train turns out to be far from the restful trip she was planning. What was planned as a restful country sojourn turns into the stuff of nightmares: a young girl who can’t remember anything, rumors of slavery, and the body of an old woman missing her emerald rings. And Phryne is at the center, working through the clues to arrive at the incredible truth before another murder is committed.

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The Last Guest by Tess Little

In this dark, cinematic suspense novel, a glamorous birthday dinner in the Hollywood Hills ends with the famous host, Richard Bryant, dead. In the weeks that follow, each of the eight guests come under suspicion: the school friend, the studio producer, the actress, the actor, the new partner, the manager, the cinematographer, and Richard’s ex-wife, Elspeth. What starts out as a locked-room mystery soon reveals itself to be much more complicated, as dark stories from Richard’s past surface, colliding with Elspeth’s memories of their marriage that she vowed never to revisit.

The Last Guest by Tess Little Book

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

Just after midnight, a snowdrift stops the famous Orient Express in its tracks as it travels through the mountainous Balkans. The luxurious train is surprisingly full for the time of the year but, by the morning, it is one passenger fewer. An American tycoon lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Famous detective Hercule Poirot just happens to be on the train on vacation. Isolated and with a killer on board, Poirot must identify the murderer—in case he or she decides to strike again.

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They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall

Are you a fan of thrilling contemporary suspense? Seven strangers are invited to a luxurious private island. However, each is harboring a sinful secret. Accidents begin to befall the group as one by one, They All Fall Down.

They All Fall Down by Rachel Howzell Hall Book

World War II

This curated booklist is filled with compelling titles set against the backdrop of World War II, transporting readers to a tumultuous era of history. These books promise a journey through evocative storytelling that captures the essence of the time, offering readers a window into the human experience during this pivotal period in history.

All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Marie-Laure, a young blind girl, lives with her devoted father in Paris, where he works as the master of locks at the Museum of Natural History. When the Nazis occupy Paris, Marie-Laure and her father flee to the walled city of St. Malo, where her uncle lives. Unbeknownst to Marie-Laure, her father brings a potentially valuable item with him.

In a small town in Germany, a boy called Werner and his sister have endured life in an orphanage. Werner enjoys tinkering with radios, eventually becoming an expert at building and fixing them. His skills earn him a place at a Hitler Youth academy and a job tracking the resistance, which brings him to St. Malo, where he and Marie-Laure’s paths collide.

All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr Book

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The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larsen

Erik Larsen uses his incredible storytelling abilities to transport us back to wartime Britain. Winston Churchill faces the seemingly impossible task of holding Britain together during an intensive bombing campaign, while building up Britain’s air force and naval strength, thwarting Nazi invasions, and convincing President Franklin D. Roosevelt that Britain was a worthy ally. This riveting look at Churchill covers only one year of his term as Prime Minister, but gives an intimate glimpse into the workings of his war room, his private life, and his personality.

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The Whalebone Theatre by Joanna Quinn

When a whale washes up on the beach of Dorset, Cristabel Seagrave, a twelve-year-old orphan, hatches an ingenious plan to build a theatre from the enormous ribcage. She enlists the help of her sister Flossie, her brother Digby, the maid Maudie Kitcat, and a traveling artist called Taras. This proves to be just what Cristabel needs to bring her imagination to life and escape the drudgery of her reality. When World War II begins, Cristabel and Digby are called upon to use their acting skills in circumstances with much higher stakes.

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Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan

There are many books about heroism in the Second World War, but not all are as astonishing as Beneath a Scarlet Sky. This book is based on the true story of Pino Lella, a young Italian man who, despite wanting nothing to do with the war, ends up using his exceptional climbing and skiing skills to help Italian Jews escape to Switzerland. After being forced to enlist as a soldier in the German army, he shows incredible courage by becoming a spy for the allies from inside the German High Command, risking his own life and everything dear to him.

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Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan

The U.S. is at war, and Anna Kerrigan’s father has vanished. While working as a diver for the Navy, repairing ships, she meets her father’s former boss, Dexter Styles. She becomes involved with him and is plunged into the underground world of gangsters. Over time, she begins to understand what must have happened to her father, and what she must do.

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The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan

Hearts are breaking in the charming village of Chilbury, England. Sons and husbands are leaving to go to war, and on top of that, the vicar has announced that the choir will close until the men return. Singing is exactly what the ladies need to lift their spirits, so they set about forming their own choir. In doing so, they discover a way to forget their troubles and learn the true value of friendship.

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Midnight in Broad Daylight by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto

This is the epic true account of a Japanese-American family that found itself on opposing sides during World War II. Three Brothers, Harry, Frank, and Peirce, who were born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, move back to their mother’s homeland of Japan. Harry ends up returning to the States, while his brothers remain there. When war breaks out, Harry is sent to an internment camp, but is released to fight for the U.S. army. Meanwhile, his brothers enlist in the Japanese Imperial Army. Alternating between the brothers’ perspectives, we witness the horror of the bombing of Hiroshima from both sides of the war. This heartbreaking story takes us on a rollercoaster of love, loss, and reconciliation.

Midnight in Broad Daylight by Pamela Rotner Sakamoto Book

Just.One.Word.

Read a book with a one-word title! Whether you are in the mood for a memoir, a classic graphic novel, or a suspenseful thriller, pick it up. And. Read. It. Select from your to-read pile or choose from the following diverse suggestions.

Spare by Prince Harry

Yes, the holds lists are under control (mostly) so now is a good time to read this global bestselling memoir. Prince Harry provides an inside glimpse at life inside and outside British royalty. Honest and Entertaining.

Spare by Prince Harry Book

Spare by Prince Harry eBook

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Spare by Prince Harry Large Print

Getaway by Zoje Stage

This psychological thriller centers on three women fighting for survival after a hiking trip down the Grand Canyon goes horribly wrong. As their supplies disappear, they realize they are not alone.

Getaway by Zoje Stage Book

Binti by Nnedi Okorafor

This short novella (first in a trilogy) introduces readers to the unique character of Binti, a student who chooses to attend a galaxy academy over the protests of her traditional and isolationist family. Winner of both the Hugo and Nebula awards.

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Pearl by Josh Malerman

How about some Horror? This is the frightening story of Pearl, a telepathic pig with the ability to control the minds of humans and drive them mad. Quirky, unique, and horrifying.

Pearl by Josh Malerman Book

Watchmen by Alan Moore

This is the graphic novel that basically redefined the entire comic genre. It offers an alternate history where mystery and conspiracy abound. When a group of superheroes are being threatened, who ya gonna call? Crimebusters!

Watchmen by Alan Moore Book

Watchmen by Alan Moore eBook

Beloved by Toni Morrison

If you prefer literary classics, this book is the winner of multiple awards including the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. Dealing with slavery following the Civil War, this family story is haunting and brutal.

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Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Book one in the best-selling series, this is a time-travelling love story for the brave and adventurous. Strong and colorful characters in a beautiful Scottish setting, this series continues to gather fans.

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Becoming by Michelle Obama

This bestselling memoir from 2018 is not only a glimpse into the life of a young Michelle, but also a vulnerable look into the life of the First Lady—before, during, and after the White House. Honest and personal.

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Dracula by Bram Stoker

I doubt this one-word title needs much introduction. Maybe it is time to re-visit this classic (or enjoy it for the first time!). A dark castle in a dark forest with a mysterious host…what could possibly go wrong? This is Vampire story-telling at its creepiest best.

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Beartown by Fredrik Backman (translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith)

This heart-tugging and relevant story will prove why Backman is so beloved worldwide. Beartown is a small town that loves hockey. But pressure to win the championship mounts while the community unravels with secrets, struggles, and decisions about telling the truth. Engaging, thought-provoking, and inspiring.

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Time Travel and Parallel Universes

If you’re the type that thinks about the ‘what ifs’, those moments where there was a fork in the road, then these books are for you. This is your chance to live vicariously through characters who get to explore alternate possibilities, live different lives and rewrite their history.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig

Imagine the existence of a magical library filled with books containing not only your life story as it is, but every variation of the life you could have lived, if you had made different choices along your life’s journey. If you had the chance to live these alternate lives, would you?

In The Midnight Library, Nora Seed, having reached rock bottom, has the opportunity to explore what might have been. In doing so, she must look within to discover what really makes life worth living.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig Book

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig eBook

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Recursion by Blake Crouch

Can we trust our memories? NYC cop Barry Sutton is tasked with investigating a terrifying new phenomenon dubbed ‘False Memory Syndrome’, where people are being driven mad by memories of a life they never had.

Meanwhile, Neuroscientist Helena Smith is developing groundbreaking technology to help preserve memories. Both Barry and Helena hold the key to deciphering this puzzle. Together they must join forces to confront their deepest fears to battle the evil that threatens to disrupt the very fabric of time.

Recursion by Blake Crouch Book

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The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton

This fast-paced whodunnit will keep you guessing right up to the end.

Aiden Bishop is trapped in his own Groundhog Day! Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and end the cycle. To complicate things further, every time the day begins again at Blackheath Manor, Aiden wakes up inhabiting the body of a different guest. Some of his hosts prove more helpful than others, and no one is quite what they seem…

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The Sea of Tranquility by Emily St John Mandel

A novel of time travel and love, Sea of Tranquility spans five hundred years and involves four different timelines: in 1918, Edwin St. Andrew, an exile of British polite society is travelling through Canada; in 2020, Mirella Kessler is searching Manhattan for her former friend, Vincent Alkatis Smith; in 2203, writer Olive Llewellyn is embarking on a book tour from her home on the second colony of the moon; and in 2401, detective Gaspery-Jacques Roberts is investigating an anomaly that links all four timelines and slowly reveals their interconnected stories.

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This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone

The world is dying when an agent of the Commandant finds a letter saying, “Burn before reading, Signed Blue”. So begins a correspondence between two rival agents in a war that spans the vastness of time and space. Now what started as a taunt, or a battlefield boast, turns into something more. Something dangerous. Something that could alter the past and the future. The discovery of their shared bond risks everything.

This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone Book

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The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley

Is it worth changing the past to save the future, even if it costs you everyone you’ve ever loved?

Joe Tournier has amnesia. His first memory is of stepping off a train in England, a nineteenth-century French colony. The only clue Joe has about his identity is an old postcard of a Scottish lighthouse that arrives in London the same month he does. The postcard is signed with the letter “M,” but whomever wrote it seems to know him better than he knows himself, and he’s determined to find out who M is. The search for M will lead Joe from French-ruled London to rebel-owned Scotland, and then onto the battleships of the former Royal Navy. Swept out to sea, Joe will rewrite history, and discover himself.

The Kingdoms by Natasha Pulley Book

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

If you could travel back to your youth, would you?

Alice is about to turn forty. Life isn‘t awful. Although her job isn’t exactly right for her, she likes it. She‘s happy with most aspects of her life, but her dad is unwell, and it feels like something is missing. Astonishingly, she wakes up the next morning in 1996, reliving her sixteenth birthday. But the biggest shock is seeing her dad healthy and full of life again. Given this new perspective on her own life and his, events of the past take on new meaning. What could she change, and should she?

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Dark Academia

Embark on a literary journey that delves into the enigmatic realm of academia’s shadows and gothic literature. This curated booklist invites you to explore the haunting allure of the genre, where hallowed halls conceal secrets, mysteries, and the esoteric beauty of intellectual pursuits.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

Under the influence of their charismatic classics professor, a group of clever, eccentric misfits at an elite New England college discover a way of thinking and living that is a world away from the humdrum existence of their contemporaries. But when they go beyond the boundaries of normal morality they slip gradually from obsession to corruption and betrayal, and at last—inexorably—into evil.

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Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

Hailsham, an idyllic English boarding school, nurtures its students in art and literature, shielding them from the outside world. Kathy, alongside friends Ruth and Tommy, only discovers the unsettling truth about Hailsham once they venture beyond its confines. Kazuo Ishiguro’s ‘Never Let Me Go’ defies literary conventions, seamlessly weaving a captivating mystery, a poignant love story, and a poignant critique of human arrogance, offering a powerful reflection on memory, the past, and our treatment of the vulnerable in society..

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Alias Grace By Margaret Atwood

In 1843, Grace Marks is imprisoned for the brutal murders of her employer and his mistress. While some believe in her innocence, others deem her insane or malevolent. An emerging expert in mental illness endeavors to uncover the truth, blurring the line between Grace’s forgotten past and a potential pardon. Margaret Atwood’s “Alias Grace” is a gripping exploration of memory, crime, and the human psyche, showcasing the author’s formidable storytelling prowess.

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Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde

Oscar Wilde’s sole novel follows a young man who trades his soul for eternal youth and beauty, leading to a haunting portrayal of the consequences of decadence in 19th-century England. As Dorian Gray descends into a life of debauchery, his portrait bears the grotesque marks of his sins, hidden from the world. This enduring tale of horror and suspense remains a pivotal work in Wilde’s canon and a classic of its genre.

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Babel by R.F. Kuang

In 1828, orphan Robin Swift is taken from Canton to London by enigmatic Professor Lovell. He undergoes rigorous training in language and magic at the Royal Institute of Translation, known as Babel, center of global linguistic power. As Robin grapples with loyalties between his homeland and Britain, a pivotal decision awaits him amidst an impending conflict over silver and opium.

Babel by R.F. Kuang Book

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The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

The year is 1327. Benedictines in a wealthy Italian abbey are suspected of heresy, and Brother William of Baskerville arrives to investigate. When his delicate mission is suddenly overshadowed by seven bizarre deaths, Brother William turns detective. His tools are the logic of Aristotle, the theology of Aquinas, the empirical insights of Roger Bacon—all sharpened to a glistening edge by wry humor and a ferocious curiosity. He collects evidence, deciphers secret symbols and coded manuscripts, and digs into the eerie labyrinth of the abbey, where “the most interesting things happen at night.”

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco Book

The Turn of The Screw by Henry James

In Henry James’ 1898 horror novella “The Turn of the Screw,” a young governess takes on her first job caring for two peculiar children, Miles and Flora, in a desolate estate haunted by malevolent forces. As sinister apparitions draw nearer, the governess realizes they seek to corrupt the children’s bodies and minds. To her dismay, she finds that Miles and Flora are strangely unafraid of the looming evil, desiring a connection with the supernatural just as eagerly.

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Piranesi By Susanna Clarke

In an extraordinary, infinite house, Piranesi navigates endless corridors adorned with countless unique statues. He embraces the ocean’s rhythms within the labyrinth, fearlessly exploring every inch. His routine with The Other, focused on unlocking A Great and Secret Knowledge, is disrupted as evidence of a third presence emerges, unearthing a profound and unsettling truth about the world he thought he knew.

Piranesi By Susanna Clarke Book

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Maurice By E.M. Forster

Set in Edwardian Cambridge, this novel by a master storyteller follows Maurice Hall from his adolescence at fourteen through public school and Cambridge, and into his father’s firm. In a society marked by strict conventions, Maurice is a conventional young man in every aspect, except for his homosexuality. Written in 1913-1914 but not published until 1971, Maurice is a groundbreaking exploration of love between men, challenging societal norms and affirming the possibility of happiness in such relationships.

Maurice By E.M. Forster Book