The Color Purple Series by Alice Walker

The Color Purple: A Novel by Alice Walker

Book 1 of 3: The Color Purple

“A powerful cultural touchstone of modern literature, The Color Purple depicts the lives of African American women in early twentieth-century rural Georgia. Separated as girls, sisters Celie and Nettie sustain their loyalty to and hope in each other across time, distance, and silence.

Through a series of letters spanning twenty years, first from Celie to God, then the sisters to each other despite the unknown, the novel draws readers into its rich and memorable portrayals of Celie, Nettie, Shug Avery and Sofia and their experience.” -Amazon

The Temple of My Familiar: A Novel by Alice Walker

Book 2 of 3: The Color Purple

“Celie and Shug from The Color Purple subtly shadow the lives of the dozens of astonishing characters in The Temple of My Familiar, all of whom are dealing in some way with the legacy of the African experience in America. From recent African immigrants to a woman who grew up in the mixed-race rainforest communities of South America to Celie’s own granddaughter living in modern-day San Francisco, they must come to terms with the brutal stories of their ancestors in order to confront their own troubled lives.” -Amazon

Possessing the Secret of Joy: A Novel by Alice Walker 

Book 3 of 3: The Color Purple

“This is the searing story of Tashi, a tribal African woman first glimpsed in The Color Purple, whose fateful decision to submit to the Itsunga’sI knife and be genitally mutilated leads to a trauma that informs her life and fatefully alters her existence.” -Amazon

New Nonfiction

 Israel Alone by Bernard-Henri Lévy

“On October 8, 2024, Bernard-Henri Lévy flew to Israel to bear witness to the unprecedented invasion and massacre committed by Hamas. Israel Alone begins here and weaves in Lévy's fifty years on the ground in Israel, from his first trip in 1967, his experiences writing on all the conflicts since, and his participation in various peace plans and contacts with all the Israeli leaders from Menachem Begin to Shimon Peres and from Ariel Sharon to Yitzak Shamir and Yitzak Rabin.” -Publisher

Jane Against the World: Roe v. Wade and the Fight for Reproductive Rights by Karen Blumenthal

“Tracing the path to the 19th century to the pivotal decision in Roe v. Wade and the continuing battle for women's rights, Blumenthal examines, in a straightforward tone, the root causes of the current debate around abortion and its repercussions that have rippled through generations of American women.” -Amazon

The Gates of Gaza: A Story of Betrayal, Survival, and Hope in Israel’s Borderlands by Amir Tibon

“On the morning of October 7, Amir Tibon and his wife were awakened by mortar rounds exploding near their home in Kibbutz Nahal Oz, a progressive Israeli community less than a mile from Gaza City. Soon, they were holding their two young daughters in the family’s reinforced safe room, urging them not to cry as gunfire echoed just outside the door.

 

In The Gates of Gaza, Amir Tibon tells this harrowing story in full for the first time. He describes his family's ordeal—and the bravery that ultimately led to their rescue—alongside the histories of the place they call home and the systems of power that have kept them and their neighbors in Gaza in harm’s way for decades.” -Amazon

Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party by Jonathan Karl

“Tired of Winning explores how Donald Trump remade the Republican Party in his own image--and the wreckage he's left in his wake. Packed with new reporting, Tired of Winning: Donald Trump and the End of the Grand Old Party tracks Trump's improbable journey from disgraced and defeated former president to the dominant force, yet again, in the Republican Party. From his exile in Mar-a-Lago, Donald Trump has become more extreme, vengeful, and divorced from reality than he was on January 6, 2021. His meddling damaged the GOP's electoral prospects for third consecutive election in 2022. His legal troubles are mounting. Yet he's re-emerged as the frontrunner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. Jonathan Karl has known Donald Trump since his days as a New York Post reporter in the 1990s, and he covered every day of Trump's administration as ABC News's chief White House correspondent. No one is in a better position to detail the former president's quest for retribution and provide a glimpse at what the GOP would be signing up for if it once again chooses him as its standard -bearer.” -WorldCat

New Nonfiction

Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by Maggie Haberman

“Few journalists working today have covered Donald Trump more extensively than Maggie Haberman. And few understand him and his motivations better. Now, demonstrating her majestic command of this story, Haberman reveals in full the depth of her understanding of the 45th president himself, and of what the Trump phenomenon means.” -Publisher

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance

“Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The decline of this group, a demographic of our country that has been slowly disintegrating over forty years, has been reported on with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck.” -Amazon

Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI by Yuval Noah Harari

“Nexus looks through the long lens of human history to consider how the flow of information has shaped us and our world. Taking us from the Stone Age, through the canonization of the Bible, early modern witch hunts, Stalinism, Nazism, and the resurgence of populism today, Yuval Noah Harari asks us to consider the complex relationship between information and truth, bureaucracy and mythology, wisdom and power. He explores how different societies and political systems throughout history have wielded information to achieve their goals, for good and ill. And he addresses the urgent choices we face as non-human intelligence threatens our very existence.” -Amazon

The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times by Michelle Obama

"Mrs. Obama offers readers a series of fresh stories and insightful reflections on change, challenge, and power, including her belief that when we light up for others, we can illuminate the richness and potential of the world around us, discovering deeper truths and new pathways for progress. Drawing from her experiences as a mother, daughter, spouse, friend, and First Lady, she shares the habits and principles she has developed to successfully adapt to change and overcome various obstacles--the earned wisdom that helps her continue to 'become.' She details her most valuable practices, like 'starting kind,' 'going high,' and assembling a 'kitchen table' of trusted friends and mentors. With trademark humor, candor, and compassion, she also explores issues connected to race, gender, and visibility, encouraging readers to work through fear, find strength in community, and live with boldness." -Publisher

New Fiction

Children of Anguish and Anarchy by Tomi Adeyemi

Legacy of Orisha; Book Three

“When Zélie is captured and taken away from her homeland, she must face her captor, King Baldyr, and find allies to stop the impending catastrophe threatening her people at the hands of the Skulls.” -WorldCat

Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

The Inheritance Games; Book Five

“An amnesiac playboy and the woman with every reason to hate him. A daredevil, his favorite heiress, and three nights in Prague. An unlikely pairing between a cowboy and a goth. Four brothers with an inescapable bond, strengthened by the family they chose, in a house of wonders that promises to always deliver one more secret. 

 

Discover their stories of love and loss, power, puzzles, and life-and-death secrets in this mind-blowingly romantic collection that proves that when you love the way Hawthornes love, there is no going back.” -Amazon

Heroes: A Novel of Pearl Harbor by Alan Gratz

"December 6, 1941: Best friends Frank and Stanley have it good. Their dads are Navy pilots stationed at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii, and the boys get a front-row view of the huge battleships and the sparkling water. Yes, World War II is raging in Europe and in Asia, but the US isn't involved in the war, and the boys are free to dream about becoming comic book creators. 

December 7th, 1941: Everything explodes. That morning, Frank and Stanley are aboard the battleship USS Utah when Japanese planes zoom overhead and begin dropping bombs on the ships below. Frank and Stanley realize what's happening: Japan is attacking America! As the boys fight to make their way home amidst the carnage, it's clear that everything has changed. Stanley's mother is Japanese American and he is suddenly facing a terrible prejudice that he's never known before--he's now seen as the 'enemy,' and Frank, who's white, cannot begin to understand what Stanley will now face. Can their friendship--and their dreams--survive this watershed moment in history?” -Publisher

The Davenports: More Than This by by Krystal Marquis

The Davenports; Book Two

“Newly engaged Ruby Tremaine is eagerly planning her wedding to the love of her life when a nasty rumor threatens her reputation and her marriage. Olivia Davenporthas committed to the social justice cause and secretly hopes she’ll be reunited with dashing lawyer Washington DeWight—until her parents decide she’s to marry someone else. Amy-Rose Shepherd is making her lifelong wish of owning a salon come true, but when an incident forces her to return to Freeport Manor, she’s back in the path of John Davenport, who still holds her heart. Helen Davenport is determined to get over her own heartbreak and bring the Davenport Carriage Company into the new century, even if it means teaming up with a thrill-seeking racecar driver who just loves to get under her skin.” -Amazon

The Eternal Ones by Namina Forna

The Gilded Ones; Book Three

“In her quest to confront the gods and save a crumbling empire, Deka must find the source of her divinity before her mortal body deteriorates, leading her and her friends to a new realm that unveils a heart-wrenching choice: become a god and lose her loved ones, or trigger the world's destruction.” -WorldCat

New Graphic Novels

An Outbreak of Witchcraft: A Graphic Novel of the Salem Witch Trials by Deborah Noyes and M. Duffy

“From 1692 to 1693, fear reigned in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. The night Abigail Williams and Betty Paris first accused their servant of witchcraft was only the beginning. Several more accusations would follow suit, sparking a widespread panic that consumed Salem in one of the longest cases of witch trials in America, where more than twenty innocent lives were lost, and mistrust ran amok.

The community was in ruins, from the afflicted who fanned the flames of superstition to the judges who used their power unjustly and the accused who were falsely charged and hanged in consequence. In the absence of due process and with hysteria abounding, no one in Salem was safe. Journey into how it all began in this arresting, true-to-life look at how lies became facts, friends turned to foes, and loved ones turned to enemies.” -Amazon

Belle of the Ball by Mari Costa

"High-school senior and notorious wallflower Hawkins finally works up the courage to remove her mascot mask and ask out her longtime crush: Regina Moreno, head cheerleader, academic overachiever, and all-around popular girl. There's only one teensy little problem: Regina is already dating Chloe Kitagawa, athletic all-star ... and middling English student. Regina sees a perfectly self-serving opportunity here, and asks the smitten Hawkins to tutor Chloe free of charge, knowing Hawkins will do anything to get closer to her." - WorldCat

Hockey Girl Loves Drama Boy by Faith Erin Hicks

“It should have been a night of triumph for Alix's hockey team. But her mean teammate Lindsay decided to start up with her usual rude comments and today Alix, who usually tries to control her anger, let it finally run free. Alix lashes out and before she knows it, her coach is dragging her off Lindsay, and the invitation to the Canada National Women's U18 Team's summer camp is on the line. She needs to learn how to control this anger, and she is sure Ezra, the popular and poised theater kid from her grade is the answer. So she asks for his help. But as they hang out and start to get closer, Alix learns that there is more to Ezra than the cool front he puts on. And that maybe this friendship could become something more.” -WorldCat

Manga Classics Sherlock Holmes Vol. 1 A Study in Scarlet by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Author), Crystal Chan (Author), Julien Choy (Artist)

“It is 1887 and a man has been murdered in an abandoned house. On his face is an expression of utter horror; in his pocket is a woman's wedding ring. On the wall above him is the word RACHE, written in blood. But whose blood is it?

Thus begins the story of one of the world's most famous partnerships. Join Manga Classics now as we return to the first appearance of Sherlock Holmes, in which he and his newfound partner Dr. John Watson unravel the mystery behind a murder that spans the globe!” -Amazon

Pardalita by Joana Estrela and Lyn Miller-Lachmann

“16-year-old Raquel lives in a small town in Portugal, the kind of place where everyone knows everyone else's business. Her parents are divorced and she's just been suspended for cursing out a school aide who asked about her father's new marriage. She has two best friends, Luísa and Fred, but she wants something more. Then, from afar, she sees Pardalita, a senior and a gifted artist who's moving to Lisbon to study in the fall. The two girls get to know each other while working on a play. And Raquel falls in love. Using a gorgeous blend of prose poems, illustrations, and graphic novel format, the author captures the feeling of being a teenager in a way that feels gentle, joyful, and real. - WorldCat

Rick Riordan Presents

Rick Riordan Presents is one small branch of the Disney-Hyperion Publishing family. These books should appeal to Rick Riordan fans. In other words, they will probably be some type of middle grade adventure, with lots of humor and action, and probably draw on myth or folklore in some way.

It Waits in the Forest by Sarah Dass

“Unlike the other residents of the small Caribbean Island of St. Virgil, Selina DaSilva does not believe in magic. With a logical mind and a knack for botany, Selina used to dream of leaving the island to study Pharmacology—until a vicious, unsolved attack left her father dead and her mother in a coma. Now her guilt over her mother’s condition keeps her tethered to the island, but when one of those tourists ends up at the center of a string of strange murders, the truth that Selina has been denying can no longer be avoided: there is evil lurking in the forests that surround St. Virgil. 

Desperate to put an end to the killings and claim justice for Selina’s family, she and ex-boyfriend Gabriel race to find answers. But evil bides its time. And as long-buried feelings and long-hidden secrets about Selina’s family’s past begin to reveal themselves, only one answer remains—and it waits in the forest.” -Amazon

The Dark Becomes Her by Judy I. Lin

“When a ghost from the spirit world transforms her sister, Ruby Chen confronts the dark upheaval in Vancouver's Chinatown as she enters into an ancient battle over the gateway to the underworld in an attempt to save her sister and her community.” -WorldCat

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity Series

 

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 1 by Saka Mikami

“Chidori High is a boys' school that takes in the dregs of society with the lowest grades. Next door stands Kikyo Girls' High, where the wealthy, high-class families send their precious daughters. Chidori second-year Rintaro, who has a fierce face but a gentle heart, is helping at his family's patisserie when he meets a girl named Kaoruko. The two hit it off right away . . . but this blissful peace is quickly disturbed when Rintaro discovers that Kaoruko is actually a student at Kikyo. Worse, she doesn't seem to realize what a huge problem this really is! Will these two be able to forge a path for themselves, and sidestep the traps (metaphorical and literal) laid by their classmates?" - WorldCat

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 2 by Saka Mikami

“Chidori High second-year Rintaro is a gentle soul, with a fierce face and an even fiercer reputation. Used to being judged by everyone around him, he finds himself thrown off balance when he meets the open-hearted Kaoruko, a girl who attends a rival school and should be his polar opposite in every way. But her genuine attitude slowly makes his walls crumble. Despite their growing relationship, the rivalry between the two schools becomes a deep chasm that may be hard to cross, especially after Kaoruko's best friend, Subaru Hoshina, finds out about their relationship.” -WorldCat

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 3 by Saka Mikami 

“Despite the hostile rivalry between their schools, after spending time together, Rintaro and Kaoruko have begun to feel comfortable around each other. However, even with their growing bond, the barriers between the two schools are so high that Rintaro finds himself at a loss with his friends. The secret of his relationship is putting up walls between them. And so, Rintaro calls Kaoruko and her friend Subaru to a meeting, hoping to find a solution.” -WorldCat

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 4 by Saka Mikami

“Despite his new closeness with Kaoruko, the divide between Chidori and Kikyo had become a constant source of worry for Rintaro. Fortunately, the introductions between his friends and Kaoruko's friend, Subaru, went well. Not only are they starting to build a good relationship, but Rintaro finally decided to open up more to the people around him. With Rintaro revealing his past struggles, the bonds of friendship deepen. Summer is right around the corner and now that he has so many new friends to spend it with, it's time to make plans!” -Amazon

The Fragrant Flower Blooms With Dignity 5 by Saka Mikami

“After spending so much time together, Rintaro has grown comfortable around Kaoruko, and has even begun to suspect he may like her as more than a friend. But just as the school term was drawing to a close and Rintaro began looking forward to spending his first summer vacation with all his friends, Kaoruko's friend springs a surprise on him: her birthday is only a few weeks away! So now, after agonizing over what to get her, he finally decides to bake her a cake with his own two hands. Will the effort and devotion he's putting towards his cake be able to touch Kaoruko's heart?” -WorldCat

"Huda F" graphic novels by Huda Fahmy

Huda F Are You?

“Huda and her family just moved to Dearborn, Michigan, a small town with a big Muslim population. In her old town, Huda knew exactly who she was: She was the hijabi girl. But in Dearborn, everyone is the hijabi girl. Huda is lost in a sea of hijabis, and she can't rely on her hijab to define her anymore. She has to define herself. So she tries on a bunch of cliques, but she isn't a hijabi fashionista or a hijabi athlete or a hijabi gamer. She's not the one who knows everything about her religion or the one all the guys like. She's miscellaneous, which makes her feel like no one at all. Until she realizes that it'll take finding out who she isn't to figure out who she is.” -Book jacket

Huda F Cares?

“In this laugh-out-loud funny sequel to Huda F Are You?, the Fahmys are off to Disney World, but self-conscious Huda worries her family will stand out too much. Huda and her sisters can't believe it when her parents announce that they're actually taking a vacation this summer... to DISNEY WORLD! But it's not quite as perfect as it seems. First Huda has to survive a 24-hour road trip from Michigan to Florida, with her sisters annoying her all the way. And then she can't help but notice the people staring at her and her family when they pray in public--there's not as many Muslim families around like in her hometown of Dearborn. It's a vacation of forced (but unexpectedly successful?) sisterly bonding, a complicated new friendship, a bit more independence, and some mixed feelings about her family's public prayers. Huda is proud of her religion and who she is, but she still sure wishes she didn't care so much what other people thought.” -WorldCat

New Graphic Novels

 

Ash’s Cabin by Jen Wang

"Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids Ash's age are more interested in pop stars and popularity contests than in fighting for change. Even Ash's family seems to be sleepwalking through life. The only person who ever seemed to get Ash was their Grandpa Edwin. Before he died, he used to talk about building a secret cabin, deep in the California wilderness. Did he ever build it? What if it's still there, waiting for him to come back...or for Ash to find it? To Ash, that maybe-mythical cabin is starting to feel like the perfect place for a fresh start and an escape from the miserable feeling of alienation that haunts their daily life. But making the wilds your home isn't easy. And as much as Ash wants to be alone...can they really be happy alone? Can they survive alone?." - Publisher

Brownstone by Samuel Teer and Mar Julia

"Almudena has always wondered about the dad she never met. Now, with her white mother headed on a once-in-a-lifetime trip, she's left alone with her Guatemalan father for an entire summer. Xavier seems happy to see her, but he expects her to live in (and help fix up) his old, broken-down brownstone. And all along, she must navigate the language barrier of his rapid-fire Spanish -- which she doesn't speak. As Almudena tries to adjust to this new reality, she gets to know the residents of Xavier's Latin American neighborhood. Each member of the community has their own joys and heartbreaks as well as their own strong opinions on how this young Latina should talk, dress, and behave. Some can't understand why she doesn't know where she comes from. Others think she's "not brown enough" to fit in. But time is running out for Almudena and Xavier to get to know each other, and the key to their connection may ultimately lie in bringing all these different elements together. Fixing a broken building is one thing, but turning these stubborn individuals into a found family might take more than this one summer." - Publisher

Spy x Family, Volume 13 by Tatsuya Endo

“Twilight has overcome many challenges in putting together the Forger family, but now all his hard work might come undone when Yor's younger brother Yuri pops in for a surprise visit! Can Twilight outsmart Yuri, who actually works for the Ostanian secret service?” -WorldCat

Tower of God Volume Four by Siu

"Twenty-Fifth Bam must journey skyward in a mysterious tower if he has any chance of reuniting with his best friend Rachel, even if that means facing his own death. Using his strength, skill, and wits, Bam climbs higher and higher up the Tower despite the dangers. Bam makes both allies and enemies on his quest to find his friend; however her intention to reconnect with him becomes unclear as new revelations about their friendship reveal a much deeper, darker secret. " -WorldCat

Witch Hat Atelier 13 by Kamome Shirahama

"The true mastermind responsible for the havoc in Ezrest is subdued at last, but not without exacting a heavy price on Coco. She is still eager to rejoin the search for Custas, and fortunately Beldaruit knows just the spell to allow her to do so without worrying Qifrey. Meanwhile, the other witches are called to where they are most needed in the aftermath. As strings of fate never meant to interact are further entangled, the starlight reveals society’s true nature." -Amazon

New Fiction

Beloved by Toni Morrison

“Staring unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery, this spellbinding novel transforms history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby. Sethe, its protagonist, was born a slave and escaped to Ohio, but eighteen years later she is still not free. She has too many memories of Sweet Home, the beautiful farm where so many hideous things happened. And Sethe’s new home is haunted by the ghost of her baby, who died nameless and whose tombstone is engraved with a single word: Beloved.” -Amazon

In the Lives of Puppets by TJ .Klune

“In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled ‘HAP,’ he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio--a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?” -WorldCat

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison

“Pecola Breedlove, a young black girl, prays every day for beauty. Mocked by other children for the dark skin, curly hair, and brown eyes that set her apart, she yearns for normalcy, for the blond hair and blue eyes that she believes will allow her to finally fit in.Yet as her dream grows more fervent, her life slowly starts to disintegrate in the face of adversity and strife. A powerful examination of our obsession with beauty and conformity, Toni Morrison’s virtuosic first novel asks powerful questions about race, class, and gender with the subtlety and grace that have always characterized her writing.” -Amazon

The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

"Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted. Their first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. But the city's placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. And even worse : Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom." - Publisher

Under the Whispering Door by TJ Klune

“Welcome to Charon's Crossing. The tea is hot, the scones are fresh, and the dead are just passing through. When a reaper comes to collect Wallace from his own funeral, Wallace begins to suspect he might be dead. And when Hugo, the owner of a peculiar tea shop, promises to help him cross over, Wallace decides he's definitely dead. But even in death he's not ready to abandon the life he barely lived, so when Wallace is given one week to cross over, he sets about living a lifetime in seven days.” -WorldCat