A cosy, enchanting story about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place. The House in the Cerulean Sea is an uplifting, heart-warming queer fantasy from TJ Klune and A New York Times, USA Today and Washington Post bestseller. ‘I loved it. It is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket. Simply perfect’ – V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue Linus Baker leads a quiet life. At forty, he has a tiny house with a devious cat and his beloved records for company. And at the Department in Charge of Magical Youth, he’s spent many dull years monitoring their orphanages. Then one day, Linus is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment. He must travel to an orphanage where six dangerous children reside – including the Antichrist. At the orphanage, Linus must somehow determine if these children could bring about the end of days. But their guardian, the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, will do anything to protect his wards. And, as Arthur and Linus grow ever closer, Linus must choose: his duty, or his dreams . . . Continue the adventure with the second entry in the Cerulean Chronicles, Somewhere Beyond the Sea. ‘This quirky fantasy will sweep you away’ – The New York Times ‘Likely to cause heart-swelling’ – Washington Post ‘A modern fairy tale . . . It’s a beautiful book’ – Charlaine Harris, No. 1 New York Times bestselling author

Cerulean Chronicles

The House in the Cerulean Sea

A magical house. A secret past. A summons that could change everything. Somewhere Beyond the Sea is a story of resistance, lovingly told, about the daunting experience of fighting for the life you want to live and doing the work to keep it. *Winner of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Award for Fantasy* Arthur Parnassus has built a good life on the ashes of a bad one. He’s headmaster at an orphanage for magical children, on a peculiar island, assisted by love-of-his-life Linus Baker. And together, they’ll do anything to protect their extraordinary and powerful charges. However, when Arthur is forced to make a public statement about his dark past, he finds himself fighting for those under his care. It’s also a fight for the better future that all magical people deserve. Then when a new magical child joins their island home, Arthur knows they’ve reached breaking point. The child finds power in calling himself a monster, a name Arthur has tried so hard to banish to protect his children. Challenged from within and without, their volatile family might grow stronger. Or everything Arthur loves could fall apart. TJ Klune's Somewhere Beyond the Sea is the No. 1 New York Times-bestselling sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. Readers love Somewhere Beyond the Sea: ‘If I could give this book a million stars I would’ ‘This book is going to be so healing for a lot of people’ ‘It is warm, it is sad, it is furious, human, but above all that it is bright and warm’ * * * Praise for TJ Klune: ‘I loved it. It is like being wrapped up in a big gay blanket. Simply perfect’ - V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue ‘It will renew your faith in humanity’ - Terry Brooks, author of the Shannara series ‘Will sweep you away’ - The New York Times Somewhere Beyond the Sea was a No. 1 New York Times bestseller w/c 16 September 2024

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK! “This story swept me away with its big dreams, love, and unexpected twists.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club January ’25 Pick) The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo meets First Lie Wins in this electric, voice-driven debut novel about an elusive bestselling author who decides to finally confess her true identity after years of hiding from her past. Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she’s one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn’t really exist. She’s never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she’ll be a whole person again.

The Three Lives of Cate Kay

The Atlas Complex marks the much-anticipated, heart-shattering conclusion in Olivie Blake's trilogy that began with the internationally bestselling dark academic phenomenon, The Atlas Six. Only the extraordinary are chosen. Only the cunning survive. An explosive return to the library leaves the six Alexandrians vulnerable to the lethal terms of their recruitment. Old alliances quickly fracture as the initiates take opposing strategies as to how to deal with the deadly bargain they have so far failed to uphold. Those who remain with the archives wrestle with the ethics of their astronomical abilities; elsewhere, an unlikely pair partner to influence politics on a global stage. And still the outside world mobilizes to destroy them — while the Caretaker himself, Atlas Blakely, may yet succeed with a plan foreseen to have world-ending stakes. It’s a race to survive as the six Society recruits are faced with the question of what they're willing to betray for limitless power — and who will be destroyed along the way. Discover the stunning finale to The Atlas Six trilogy that fans are dying to read 'Desperately excited to be emotionally devastated' - @literamie 'I never want the series to end but I need answers!' - @thelibraryofdais 'Until I have a copy of the book in my hands, I will not know peace' - @vivafalastinleen 'Words can't express how excited I am' - @joereads

Atlas series

The Atlas Complex

Read by a full cast of narrators. Discover The Atlas Paradox, the dark academia sequel to viral sensation The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake – a No.1 Sunday Times bestseller. Inside the Alexandrian Society alliances will be tested, hearts will be broken and all must pick a side. Six magicians were offered the opportunity of a lifetime. Five are now members of the Society. And two paths lie before them. In this thrilling next instalment, the secret society of Alexandrians is unmasked. Its newest recruits realize the institute is capable of raw, world-changing power. It’s also headed by a man with plans to change life as we know it – and these are already under way. But the cost of this knowledge is as high as the price of power, and each initiate must choose which faction to follow. Yet as events gather momentum and dangers multiply, which of their alliances will hold? Can friendships hold true and are enemies quite what they seem? Reader reviews for The Atlas Paradox: ‘Olivie Blake has done it again’ ‘More of everything I loved from the first book’ ‘I was completely shocked. NOW I NEED BOOK 3’

The Atlas Paradox

From New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune, In the Lives of Puppets is a queer retelling of the Pinocchio tale, inviting you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts. ‘A deeply stirring journey through a world of extraordinary robots’ – Chuck Tingle, Hugo-shortlisted author of Camp Damascus *A New York Times, Sunday Times and Indie Bestseller* *Winner of the Goodreads Choice Award for Science Fiction* In a small home, built into the branches of a tree, live a human named Victor and three robots. These are a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, a small vacuum desperate for love and attention, and a fatherly inventor-android named Giovanni Lawson. Together they’re a family, hidden and safe. Then Vic salvages an unfamiliar android labelled ‘HAP’. He learns that Hap and Gio share a dark past, where they hunted humans. And Hap unwittingly gives away Gio’s location. Before they know it, robots from Gio’s former life arrive – to capture and return the android to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. The rest of the unconventional family must travel across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommissioning. Or worse, reprogramming. Along the way, Vic must decide if he can handle his feelings for Hap – even if they come with strings attached. Inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful standalone fantasy adventure from the author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. In the Lives of Puppets was a No. 1 Sunday Times HB Bestseller w/c 24/04/2023.

In the Lives of Puppets

Read by a diverse cast of performers, including the author Olivie Blake Dazzling stories of love, magic and betrayal . . . A sensational collection from internationally bestselling author Olivie Blake. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, the spirit tethered to a magical bridge rapidly approaches burnout – and craves her freedom. Elsewhere, Congress enacts a complex auditing system designed to un-waste your youth. We also follow a banished fairy, as she answers a Craigslist ad. And we meet a Victorian orphan, who gains literacy for her occult situationship. In another time and place, a multiverse assassin contemplates the one who got away. Escape the slow trudge of mortality with these magical ruminations on life, death and the love (or revenge) that outlasts both. This collection also features modified fairy tales, contemporary heists, absurdist poetry and at least one set of actual wedding vows. Januaries is collection of new and existing short stories from the internationally bestselling author Olivie Blake. ‘Olivie Blake is a mind-blowing talent’ – Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights ‘Sign me up for anything she writes’ – Cosmopolitan Also by Olivie Blake: The Atlas Six The Atlas Paradox The Atlas Complex Alone with You in the Ether One For My Enemy Masters of Death Olivie Blake is a multiple Sunday Times and New York Times bestseller - reaching No. 1 for The Atlas Complex in January 2024.

Januaries

Mystery. Manipulation. Murder. Cults are associated with all of these. But what really goes on inside them? More specifically, what goes on inside the minds of cult leaders and the people who join them? Based on the hit podcast Cults, this is essential reading for any true crime fan. Cults prey on the very attributes that make us human: our desire to belong, to find a deeper meaning in life, to live everyday with divine purpose. Their existence creates a sense that any one of us, at any time, could step off the cliff’s edge and fall into that daunting abyss of manipulation and unhinged dedication to a misplaced cause. Perhaps it’s this mindset that keeps us so utterly obsessed and desperate to learn more, or it’s that the stories are so bizarre and unsettling that we are simply in awe of the mechanics that make these infamous groups tick. The premier storytelling podcast studio Parcast has been focusing on unearthing these mechanics—the cult leaders and followers, and the world and culture that gave birth to both. Parcast’s work in analyzing dozens of case studies has revealed patterns: distinct ways that cult leaders from different generations resemble one another. What links the ten notorious figures profiled in Cults are as disturbing as they are stunning—from Manson to Applewhite, Koresh to Raël, the stories woven here are both spellbinding and disturbing. Cults is more than just a compilation of grisly biographies, however. In these pages, Parcast’s founder Max Cutler and national bestselling author Kevin Conley look closely at the lives of some of the most disreputable cult figures and tell the stories of their rise to power and fall from grace, sanity, and decency. Beyond that, it is a study of humanity, an unflinching look at what happens when the most vulnerable recesses of the mind are manipulated and how the things we hold most sacred can be twisted into the lowest form of malevolence.

Cults

“A fizzy, fun, and full-of-heart romcom.” —Booklist Some people search their whole lives to find love. He just wants to avoid it. Teddy Spenser spends his days selling design ideas to higher-ups, living or dying on each new pitch. Stodgy engineer types like Romeo Blue, his nemesis—if you can call someone who barely talks to you a nemesis—are a necessary evil. A cute necessary evil. Working together is bad enough, but when their boss puts them both on a new high-stakes project, “working together” suddenly means:sitting uncomfortably close on the same planestaying in the same hotel room—with only one bedspending every waking minute together.Turns out Mr. Starched Shirt has some hidden depths, and it’s getting harder to ignore the spark Teddy feels with every brush of their hands, with every knowing glance. He might not have been looking for this connection with Romeo, but will he ever be ready to let him go? Carina Adores is home to romantic love stories where LGBTQ+ characters find their happily-ever-afters.

Teddy Spenser Isn't Looking for Love

Domenic Marino has become an expert at code-switching between the hypermasculine and ultrafeminine worlds of his two soon-to-be-wed best friends. But this summer?reeling from his own failed engagement and tasked with attending their bachelor and bachelorette parties?he's anxious over having to play both sides. The pressure is on. The bride wants Dom to keep things clean. The groom wants Dom to let loose with the guys. And Dom just wants to get out of this whole mess with his friendships intact. But once the rowdy groomsmen show up at the beach house?including a surprise visit from the groom's old frat brother, handsome and charming PGA star Bucky Graham?chaos (and unexpected romance) quickly ensues. By the time Dom returns for the bachelorette party, he's accumulated a laundry list of secrets that threaten to destroy everything?from the wedding to Bucky's career and the one thing Dom hasn't been paying nearly enough attention to lately: his own life.

The Gay Best Friend

Conflicts about space and access to resources have shaped queer histories from at least 1965 to the present. As spaces associated with middle-class homosexuality enter mainstream urbanity in the United States, cultural assimilation increasingly erases insurgent aspects of these social movements. This gentrification itself leads to queer displacement. Combining urban history, architectural critique, and queer and trans theories, Queering Urbanism traces these phenomena through the history of a network of sites in the San Francisco Bay Area. Within that urban landscape, Stathis Yeros investigates how queer people appropriated existing spaces, how they expressed their distinct identities through aesthetic forms, and why they mobilized the language of citizenship to shape place and secure space. Here the legacies of LGBTQ+ rights activism meet contemporary debates about the right to housing and urban life.

Queering Urbanism

Amy Poeppel brings her signature “big-hearted, charming” (The Washington Post) style to this wise and joyful novel that celebrates love, hate, and all of the glorious absurdity in between. In the heart of Greenwich Village, three women form an accidental sorority when a baby—belonging to exactly none of them—lands on their collective doorstep. Lauren and her family—lucky bastards—have been granted the use of a spectacular brownstone, teeming with history and dizzyingly unattractive 70s wallpaper. Adding to the home’s bohemian, grungy splendor is the bar occupying the basement, a (mostly) beloved dive called The Sweet Spot. Within days of moving in, Lauren discovers that she has already made an enemy in the neighborhood by inadvertently sparking the divorce of a couple she has never actually met. Melinda’s husband of thirty years has dumped her for a young celebrity entrepreneur named Felicity, and, to Melinda’s horror, the lovebirds are soon to become parents. In her incandescent rage, Melinda wreaks havoc wherever she can, including in Felicity’s Soho boutique, where she has a fit of epic proportions, which happens to be caught on film.​ Olivia—the industrious twenty-something behind the counter, who has big dreams and bigger debt—gets caught in the crossfire. In an effort to diffuse Melinda’s temper, Olivia has a tantrum of her own and gets unceremoniously canned, thanks to TikTok. When Melinda’s ex follows his lover across the country, leaving their squalling baby behind, the three women rise to the occasion in order to forgive, to forget, to Ferberize, and to track down the wayward parents. But can their little village find a way toward the happily ever afters they all desire? Welcome to The Sweet Spot.

The Sweet Spot

“One of the year's most compelling reads.”—Washington Post “Its naturalness and ease with the most fundamental questions of existence make it a big project knocking around in a small package.”—New York Times From the acclaimed author of The Atmospherians, a gender-bending, body-switching novel that explores marriage, identity, and sex, and raises profound questions about the nature of true partnership. When Eli leaves the cramped Bulgarian apartment he shares with Elizabeth, his more organized and successful wife, he discovers that he now inhabits her body. Not only have he and his wife traded bodies, but Elizabeth, living as Eli, has disappeared without a trace. What follows is Eli’s search across Europe and to America for his missing wife—and a roving, no-holds-barred exploration of gender and embodied experience. As Eli comes closer to finding Elizabeth—while learning to exist in her body—he begins to wonder what effect this metamorphosis will have on their relationship and how long he can maintain the illusion of living as someone he isn’t. Will their new marriage wither completely? Or is this transformation the very thing Eli and Elizabeth need for their marriage to thrive? A rich, rewarding exploration of ambition and sacrifice, desire and loss, People Collide is a portrait of shared lives that shines a refreshing light on everything we thought we knew about love, sexuality, and the truth of who we are.

People Collide

Connor Major’s summer break is turning into a nightmare. His SAT scores bombed, the old man he delivers meals to died, and when he came out to his religious zealot mother, she had him kidnapped and shipped off to a secluded island. His final destination: Nightlight Ministries, a conversion therapy camp that will be his new home until he “changes.” But Connor’s troubles are only beginning. At Nightlight, everyone has something to hide—from the campers to the “converted” staff and cagey camp director—and it quickly becomes clear that no one is safe. Connor plans to escape and bring the other kidnapped teens with him. But first, he’s exposing the camp’s horrible truths for what they are—and taking this place down.

Surrender Your Sons

When you drop a box of unwanted items off at the local thrift store, where do they go? Probably across the country—or even halfway across the world—to people and places eager to reuse what you don’t want. In Secondhand, Adam Minter delves into the vast, multibillion-dollar industry that resells used stuff around the world. He follows the trail of unwanted objects from the closets, garages, and storage units of Middle America to epic used-goods markets in Canada, Mexico, Japan, Ghana, India, Malaysia, and beyond. Secondhand takes us through the often painful and heartbreaking process of cleaning out a lifetime’s worth of possessions and shows that used stuff still has a place in a world that values the new and shiny—it entertains us, makes fortunes, fulfills needs, and transforms the way we live and work.

Secondhand

Book 2: SEALs of Honor Stumbling over a dead body is one hell of a way to start a vacation... While growing up, Hawk was always the wild card, the one who couldn't sit still or find a place to belong. Becoming a SEAL gave him a niche and a purpose in the world like no other. Nevertheless, the wild man remains under the surface, waiting for the match to his flame. Ending up back home for a few days' R&R, Hawk notices a new, darker element has moved in next door--and, at least in part, it appears to involve a freckle-faced redhead from his past, the girl he never forgot. Mia remembers her best friend's brother from her childhood only too well. What girl in her right mind could forget Hawk? As a boy, he'd been 24-7 fireworks, lighting up her life. Every encounter with him took her breath away and made her heart beat too fast. But Hawk, the man, home for a holiday, is harder, dangerous--and impossibly sexier than he'd been when she was just a star-struck kid longing to catch his eye. Even as Mia is swept off her feet by her teenage-crush-turned-grownup-acute feelings for him, the town is hit by unprecedented violence...and Mia's smack-dab in the middle of the explosion.

SEALs of Honor: Hawk

Book 5: SEALs of Honor Given a life that's been little more than an uphill battle, it's no wonder Shadow is so damn good at dealing with whatever's the hardest, the most hazardous and hellish. The life of a SEAL is the one place where Shadow is most comfortable existing. He's certain of what he's capable of achieving, knows when to act and exactly how to do what needs to be done. But when he sets off on a mission to rescue Arianna and her family, his world goes from precise, controlled action to blown-to-smithereens chaos. Who is this woman and why does she rattle him the way no one else ever has? Arianna has been plunged into a foreign state of affairs that includes kidnapping, beatings, threats…and Navy SEALs. The only good thing about this nightmare is the dark, dangerous savior watching over them. Shadow doesn't seem to have a clue what to do with her. Although she has a pretty good idea where she'd like to see their relationship go, will they ever get that chance? She's been marked for murder, and it's up to Shadow to save her--or risk losing what he hadn't even realized he wanted, yet now can't live without…

SEALs of Honor: Shadow

Book 10: SEALs of Honor Everyone has a secret they'd like to keep buried, and Chase has more than one. His past is about to blow wide-open as the nightmare he'd tried once before to lock away comes back to horrifying life. With enough painful memories to last her a lifetime, Vanessa vows to keep moving forward instead of looking back in regret. But, when she gets caught up in Chase's struggles, they become as much her own problems as his. To secure the present, they both need to deal with their pasts…before they no longer have a future for any of it to matter.

SEALs of Honor: Chase

Book 7: SEALs of Honor Markus learned firsthand that love hurts when he lost someone who'd meant everything to him. Afraid to feel that deeply again, he's buried his pain, believing his heart is dead. So certain that he'll never be the same, he devotes himself wholly to serving others. Meeting Bree wakes him from a deep sea of grief, and he's stunned to recognize his heart beating for the first time in so long. Lost, alone and in serious peril, Bree reeled at how her life became such a mess, but, when she can finally breathe again without death on her heels, she wants nothing more than to wring every last drop of joy out of life again. But Bree had seen and heard too much and, for that, her enemy can't afford to let her get way with her life intact…

SEALs of Honor: Markus

Healthy aging isn’t simply a roll of the dice. But it also doesn’t happen by accident. How people age is a choice. Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging discusses the biology of aging—why we age and how to slow the aging process. It delves into common health and lifestyle concerns and outlines steps that listeners can take to enjoy longer and more purposeful lives. Researchers are finding that genes play a smaller role in overall health than most individuals realize. More often, the life people lead in their later years is a culmination of personal attitudes, decisions made, and actions taken beginning in young adulthood. The book covers a variety of topics including responding to personal risks, how to challenge the brain and body, healthy diet, physical activity, resiliency, retirement planning, and living a fulfilling life. Listeners also will find practical tips to keep their minds, bodies, and spirits in top shape. Think of this book as an instruction manual that provides the tools needed to live life to its maximum—ensuring that the later years are some of the best years. The advice comes from a wide range of Mayo Clinic specialists, including staff of the Kogod Center on Aging, where discoveries being made suggest aging may be a modifiable risk factor—a process that can be controlled. The Center’s efforts are focused on the goal of increasing human “health span”—the number of years spent living independently and free of age-related diseases and disabilities.

Mayo Clinic on Healthy Aging

Ethan, a young lawyer in New York, learns that his father has long kept a second family - a wife and two kids living in Queens. In the aftermath of this revelation, Ethan's mother spends a year travelling abroad, returning much changed, just as her now ex-husband falls ill. Across town, Ethan's half brothers are caught in their own complicated journeys: one brother's penchant for minor delinquency has escalated and the other must travel to Bangkok to bail him out, while the bargains their mother struck about love and money continue to shape all their lives. As Ethan finds himself caught in a love triangle of his own, the interwoven fates of these two households elegantly unfurl to touch many other figures, revealing secret currents of empathy and loyalty, the bounty of improvised families and the paradoxical ties that weave through life's rich contours. With a generous and humane spirit, Secrets of Happiness elucidates the ways people marshal the resources at hand in an effort to find joy. One of O: The Oprah Magazine's O Mag's Most Anticipated Books of 2021 One of Publishers Weekly's Top 10 picks for Spring 2021

Secrets of Happiness

One of Oprah’s Favorite Things of 2023 Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Pulitzer Prize–winning masterpiece The Color Purple—as well as the acclaimed 1985 film from Steven Spielberg, the Tony-winning Broadway musical, and the all-new film adaptation with this gorgeously designed exploration of the novel’s enduring legacy, featuring contributions from Alice Walker, Oprah Winfrey, Steven Spielberg, Colman Domingo, Fantasia Barrino, Danny Glover, and more. Since its publication in 1982, The Color Purple has resonated with generations of readers across the globe. The novel catapulted author Alice Walker to international fame, brought Oprah Winfrey and Whoopi Goldberg acting acclaim in the 1985 film adaptation, and inspired theatrical productions around the world, including the Tony Award–winning Broadway musical. This cultural touchstone—which so profoundly touches on race, family, survival, spirituality, sisterhood, and love in all forms—continues to beget new iterations, most recently a feature film. Now, an in-depth exploration celebrates The Color Purple’s ever-expanding legacy as never before: Purple Rising features oral histories and fresh anecdotes based on more than fifty original interviews, as well as vibrant, never-before-seen images. It reveals the crucial real-life experiences that inspired the novel, and the transcendent humanity of its themes that continue to connect with audiences, each new adaptation speaking to the changing times and cultural contexts. Creators, actors, producers, activists, cultural critics, and well-known fans comment on the power of Walker’s story and how it has affected their lives and artistic choices, including Whoopi Goldberg, Taraji P. Henson, Danielle Brooks, Halle Bailey, Blitz Bazawule, Jon Batiste, H.E.R., Salamishah Tillet, Ricky Dillard, Gabrielle Union, and many more. An insightful and vivid celebration of an enduring classic, Purple Rising is the ultimate gift for fans of all ages and a true celebration of Black joy, storytelling, and achievement.

Purple Rising

Made famous by the great success of her psychological thrillers, Patricia Highsmith is lauded as one of the most influential and celebrated modern writers. However, there has never been a clear picture of the woman behind the books. The relationship between Highsmith's lesbianism, her fraught personality—by parts self-destructive and malicious—and her fiction has been largely avoided by biographers. She was openly homosexual and wrote the seminal lesbian love story, Carol. In modern times, she would be venerated as a radical exponent of the LGBT community. However, her status as an LGBT icon is undermined by the fact that she was excessively cruel and exploitative of her friends and lovers. In this new biography, Richard Bradford brings his sharp, incisive style to one of the great and most controversial writers of the twentieth century. He considers Highsmith's bestsellers in the context of her troubled personal life: her alcoholism, licentious sex life, racism, anti-Semitism, misogyny, and abundant self-loathing.

Devils, Lusts and Strange Desires

In this startling group memoir, four friends—black and white, gay and straight, immigrant and American-born—use Toni Morrison’s novels as a springboard for intimate and revealing conversations about the problems of everyday racism and living whole in times of uncertainty. Tackling everything from first love and Soul Train to police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, the authors take up what it means to read challenging literature collaboratively and to learn in public as an act of individual reckoning and social resistance. Framing their book club around collective secrets, the group bears witness to how Morrison’s works and words can propel us forward while we sit with uncomfortable questions about race, gender, and identity. How do we make space for black vulnerability in the face of white supremacy and internalized self-loathing? How do historical novels speak to us now about the delicate seams that hold black minds and bodies together? This slim and brilliant confessional offers a radical vision for book clubs as sites of self-discovery and communal healing. The Toni Morrison Book Club insists that we find ourselves in fiction and think of Morrison as a spiritual guide to our most difficult thoughts and ideas about American literature and life.

The Toni Morrison Book Club

“A case study in elegant, honest tragicomedy…by the genuinely hilarious Paul Rudnick” (Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author) that follows the decades-long, rule-breaking romance between the son of one of America’s wealthiest families and a middle-class aspiring author. Devastatingly handsome and insanely rich, Farrell Covington is capable of anything and impossible to resist. He’s a clear-eyed romantic, an aesthete but not a snob, self-indulgent yet wildly generous. As the son of one of the country’s most powerful and deeply conservative families, the world could be his. But when he falls for Nate Reminger, an aspiring writer from a nice Jewish family in Piscataway, New Jersey, the results are passionate and catastrophic. Together, the two embark on a unique romance that spans half a century. They are inseparable—except for the many years when they are apart. Moving from the ivy-covered bastion of Yale to New York City, Los Angeles, and eventually all over the world, Farrell and Nate experience the tremendous upheaval and social change of the last fifty years. From the freedom of gay life in 1970s Manhattan to the Hollywood closet, the AIDS epidemic, and the profound strides of the LGBTQ+ movement, this witty and moving novel shows how the world changes around us while we’re busy doing other things. Written with “engaging wit, side-eyed perceptiveness, and barbed elan” (Michael Chabon), this modern classic proves that style has its limits, love does not.

Farrell Covington and the Limits of Style

A guide to 40 of the most well-known, surprising, notorious, mythical, and sublime non-human citizens of New York City, and love letter to its surprising ecological diversity. From refugee parrots and prodigal beavers to gorgeous Fifth Avenue hawks and vengeful groundhogs, Wild City tells the funny, quirky, and memorable stories of forty of New York City’s most surprising nonhuman citizens. This unconventional wildlife guide and concise environ­mental history of the Big Apple includes tales of the well-known, notorious, and legendary creatures who are as much New Yorkers as their human counterparts. A celebration of some of the city’s most surpris­ing residents and a love letter to this always evolv­ing metropolis, Wild City is an enchanting illustrated volume that is a must-have for every Big Apple devotee and animal lover.

Wild City

A simple walk around the block set journalist Spike Carlsen, bestselling author of A Splintered History of Wood, off to investigate everything he could about everything we take for granted in our normal life—from manhole covers and recycling bins to bike lanes and stoplights. In this celebration of the seemingly mundane, Carlsen opens our eyes to the engineering marvels, human stories, and natural wonders right outside our front door. He guides us through the surprising allure of sewers, the intricacies of power plants, the extraordinary path of an everyday letter, and the genius of recycling centers—all the while revealing that this awesome world isn’t just a spectator sport. Engaging as it is endearing, A Walk Around the Block will change the way you see things in your everyday life. Join Carlsen as he strolls through the trash museum of New York City, explores the quirky world of squirrels, pigeons, and roadkill, and shows us how understanding stoplights, bike lanes, and fine art of walking can add years to our lives. In the end, he brings a sense of wonder into your average walk around the block, wherever you are. Guaranteed.

A Walk Around the Block

“A bulletproof case that sexual diversity exists in the natural world…The Sexual Evolution is a thoughtfully and delightfully written book full of illuminating and entertaining information that will be new to most readers. At a time when ignorance and misinformation about sex, gender, reproduction, and intimacy abound, we could all benefit from reading this research-packed tour.” — Science Evolutionary biologist Nathan H. Lents knows what makes humans unique—and it’s most definitely not our sexual diversity. A professor at John Jay College, Lents has spent his career studying what makes us, well, us, and contrary to what the culture warriors want people to believe—diverse sexual behavior is not a new development, or even a human one. It didn’t just emerge from a progressive culture; it’s the product of billions of years of evolutionary experimentation throughout the animal kingdom. It’s not a modern story, a Florida story, or even a human story. It’s a biological story. In The Sexual Evolution, Lents takes readers on a journey through the animal world, from insects to apes, revealing what the incredible array of sexual diversity can teach us about our own diverse beauty. Nature, it turns out, has made a lot of space for diverse genders and sexual behaviors. And why? Because when it comes to evolution—diversity wins. This is not just a political or social message, instead it’s rooted in science and cultivated from understanding the full breadth of sexuality that exists throughout the world. With shades of both Frans de Waal and Esther Perel, Lents’s storytelling is as fascinating as it is topical, offering eye-opening stories about the diversity of animal life, while relating it to our own sexual journey as a species. At once a forceful rebuttal to bigotry and a captivating dive into the secret sex lives of animals, The Sexual Evolution is the rare book of pop science that leans into the controversy. Sex, the reactionaries say, should only be for procreation between a man and a woman, anything else goes against nature. Well, nature would like a word with them.

The Sexual Evolution

Ooh la la! A historical rom-com with a modern twist—perfect for fans of Bridgerton, A Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue, and She's All That. Evie Clement has perfected the art of avoiding attention as she works at her family’s bakery and dreams of a life where she can trade dusting flour for designing dresses. Her focus is on honing her sewing skills—she doesn’t need to be fawned over by some teenage boy. Least of all Beau Bellegarde—the playboy of Paris, the second son of the ultra-wealthy Bellegarde family, the most popular guy in their prestigious high school. Others may swoon over his rakish charm and winning smile, but not Evie. Unfortunately for Evie, Beau needs her. His conniving step-brother has roped him into an impossible bet: turn the biggest wallflower they know into the winning Bellegarde Bloom at the annual Court of Flowers Ball, or lose his entire fortune. Evie can’t understand why Beau has taken an interest in her, but she can’t help but be intrigued... Can love bloom in the most unexpected of places? ""The She’s All That historical romance retelling of my dreams! When I wasn’t savoring the lush, descriptive prose, I was eagerly devouring the smart, perfectly paced, heart-pounding romance. There’s no doubt about it: Jamie Lilac makes a sparkling debut."" —Brian Kennedy, author of A Little Bit Country

Bellegarde

Book 17: SEALs of Honor Warrick Canton works with Mason's Navy SEAL team and he's going stir-crazy on the sidelines while he heals from an ankle injury. He longs for a relationship like the ones his buddies have, but, after his girlfriend of three years dumps him just when he thinks they're solid, he struggles to believe it's possible. He's invited to a backyard barbecue at Mason's house, where he meets up with the spitfire he's met before and knows won’t give an inch. Warrick is intrigued, even though the she-devil won't stop arguing long enough to get to know her. Penny Magnus loves her job as a clerk in the medical insurance offices, but trying to get stubborn men to fill out a few forms properly isn't her idea of a good time. With a fiery personality, Penny's open to starting a new romance but absolutely not with a difficult man, even if he is gorgeous. Her best friend got herself in an ugly relationship and had to ask Penny for help in escaping him. Now, just when Penny and Warrick are calming down enough to actually connect, her friend's boyfriend contacts her. He blames Penny for the mess she created when she tore the love of his life from him. He goes on a rampage, targeting Penny--only he's thwarted by one big, badass warrior standing firmly in his way, protecting her. All he needs is for Warrick to make one tiny mistake…

SEALs of Honor: Warrick

Book 14: SEALs of Honor Having lost the one good thing in his life, Ryder wants only to forget, to help others and defend his country. After a mission goes south and his SEAL brother is hurt, Ryder checks on him in Medical and finds the one that got away working there. In no time at all, the same damn feelings he used to have for Caitlyn are back as if they'd never gone away. She's not his anymore, but maybe friendship is enough… That's the last thing Caitlyn wants with Ryder. She isn't here by chance. Realizing she screwed up their relationship big-time, she'll do anything to get him back in her life, even if it means working overseas on the off-chance of seeing him sometimes. When the outpost is attacked, medical supplies go missing and Caitlyn is grabbed, all bets for a fairy-tale ending are off. What's really important is all that matters now, and the two of them need to figure out what that is before they lose that very thing again--this time permanently.

SEALs of Honor: Ryder

Intimate, hilarious, and inspiring essays by celebrated drag queens Lagoona Bloo, Julie J., Olivia Lux, Alexis Michelle, Kennedy Ann Scott, and Nina West. Kennedy Ann Scott was awarded Teacher of the Year in Nashville, Tennessee. Olivia Lux starred in Rent and Kinky Boots. Julie J raised more than $100,000 for trans and LGBTQIA+ organizations. Lagoona Bloo is currently starring on the Off-Broadway hit Drag: the Musical, and Alex Michaels received a stellar review from the New York Times for their role in La Cage Aux Falles at Barrington Stage Company. Nina West received an honorary doctorate in May 2024 and is a well-known entertainer, having worked with everyone from Glenn Close to Kermit the Frog. When these gorgeous queens dress up in their stunning gown with picture perfect makeup, haters label them as inappropriate and unlawful. They are entertainers not predators. Drag is an art of self-expression that, at its core, affirms and uplifts LGBTQIA+ people. No Tea, No Shade is a collective anthem written by six drag queens who believe in equality, peace, and in a world that loves and respects all people. The defiant legacy of drag will endure fearmongering and hate because their hearts have endured the unthinkable, their courage has been relentlessly tested, and to be blunt, they have the balls to prevail. No Tea, No Shade features thirty essays written by six talented queens. They discuss: Social activism, Drag Story Hour, and education.Coming out, gender, and equality.Parenting, relationships, setting goals, and rejection.Celebrating womanhood, family, and image.Despite the pervasive danger of being authentic and real, these drag artists have chosen to fight for LGBTQIA+ rights and not give up. They remind us and others who will listen that a person’s identity shouldn’t be marginalized to genitals. Identity categories are not as important as we have been led to believe. The shade casted on drag is just a scapegoat. It is a distraction political figures and trolls use to lure people away from caring about serious issues like gun violence, poverty, and racism. No Tea, No Shade shines a light on a community of people who are paving the way for a better world and holding the light for others to step up.

No Tea, No Shade

In a world ruled by immortals, her only hope may lie in the heart of their darkest prince. When my sister Belle goes missing, I venture deep into the cursed woods to find her. Ruthless vampires rule over our kingdom, and I’m terrified she’s been murdered like so many others. As I’m searching, I’m caught by the worst immortal of them all: Prince Cassius, dark Lord of the Bloodvale. I barely escape with my life, and the memory of his cruel beauty haunts me. So does the thought that Belle might be in his castle. When I join the mortal resistance, I get the chance to infiltrate his stronghold. I’ll find Belle and fight the vampires from within. It’s not easy. I’m worked to the bone by a pair of wicked sisters and danger abounds, but the secrets I discover are worth it. The castle is filled with magic… and so am I. I’ll have to keep my mission and power hidden if I want to survive, but the prince’s stormy gaze follows me everywhere. When he chooses me as his personal servant, can I hide the truth? Or will the magnetic pull between us drag me to my doom? Reign of Cinders and Glass is a standalone Cinderella romantasy with vampires, a dark prince, and a powerful heroine who will endure any risk to save the people she loves. Prepare for action, danger, and a steamy romance with a HEA. This adult Cinderella retelling includes: a strong heroine with a secret power, a brooding vampire prince who is obsessed with the heroine, touch her and die, enemies to lovers, a one-horse moment, found family, discovery of magic, as well as Cinderella favorites: a masquerade ball, a handsome prince, wicked vampire sisters, devoted animal friends, a (tipsy) fairy godmother, and, of course, a Happily Ever After.

Fated Fairytales

Reign of Cinders and Glass

Hit the dance floor with a coven of queer witches on 1980s Fire Island in this gay fantasy romance about finding magic, love, and family in the face of tragedy. A heartwarming LGBTQ+ novel for fans of steamy romance, loathe-at-first-sight, and Red, White & Royal Blue. It’s 1989, and Joe Agabian and his best friend Ronnie set out to spend their first summer working in the hedonistic gay paradise of Fire Island Pines. Joe is desperate to let loose and finally move beyond the heartbreak of having lost his boyfriend to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The two friends are quickly taken in by a pair of quirky, older house cleaners. But something seems off, and Joe starts to suspect the two older men of being up to something otherworldly. In truth, Howie and Lenny are members of a secret disco witch coven tasked with protecting the island—and young men like Joe—from the relentless tragedies ravaging their community. The only problem is, having lost too many of their fellow witches to the epidemic, the coven’s protective powers have been seriously damaged. Unaware of all the mystical shenanigans going on, Joe starts to fall for the super-cute bisexual ferryman who just happens to have webbed feet and an unusual ability to hold his breath underwater. But Joe’s longing to find love is tripped up by his own troublesome past as well as the lure of a mysterious hunk he keeps seeing around the island—a man Howie and Lenny warn may be a harbinger of impending doom. The Disco Witches need to find help—fast—if they’re to save Joe and the island from the Great Darkness. But how? Fans of spicy queer romances with a dash of fantasy will fall in love with this stunning novel of community, love, sex, magic, and hope in desperate times.

Disco Witches of Fire Island

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