With a compelling, original depiction of inherited magic, I Am the Swarm is sure to resonate with those seeking thoughtful speculative fiction. ... Read full Story
Bob Shea understands the power of subversive humor and honest truth. Combining the two, Bearsuit Turtle Makes a Friend is a laugh-out-loud romp that won’t just have kids giggling: It will have them begging for a reread. ... Read full Story
With a top-notch blend of gritty mystery and bighearted drama, Ron Currie’s The Savage, Noble Death of Babs Dionne is Dennis Lehane meets Ann Patchett. ... Read full Story
Twelve million Americans work multiple jobs and are still unhoused. Brian Goldstone reveals the complicated reality of homelessness in his incredible There Is No Place for Us. ... Read full Story
Still stuck on the severed floor of Lumon Industries? These books about dystopias, cults and the elusive work-life balance will keep you speculating about the Apple TV+ hit. ... Read full Story
Like Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Twist comments on predatory colonialism in a story of an enigmatic engineer tasked with repairing the underwater fiber-optic cables that carry our internet. ... Read full Story
Emma Pattee brings her expertise as a climate journalist to this fascinating, haunting debut about a pregnant woman’s journey across earthquake-ravaged Portland. ... Read full Story
The hilarious, plucky titular character of Bellamy Rose’s Pomona Afton Can So Solve a Murder will win readers’ hearts while making them laugh out loud. ... Read full Story
Phil Hanley’s frank, vulnerable, funny memoir recounts his journey from struggling student to successful comedian who wears his dyslexia “like a badge of honor.” ... Read full Story
The House No One Sees offers a guiding light to readers through its depiction of a young person who has built a labyrinth of trauma and grief. ... Read full Story
Stalactite & Stalagmite is filled with opportunities for readers to ponder the wonder and beauty of our world—and the loveliness of having a trusted companion through it all. ... Read full Story
Containing slice-of-life snapshots, photojournalism and portraits, Picturing Black History is the definitive photographic account of the Civil Rights Movement. ... Read full Story
"Sly Lives! is exceptionally strong in its attention to musical detail—even more than Questlove's previous cinematic effort, the Academy Award–winning Summer of Soul, Sly Lives! feels like a film made by a great musician. The film's interviewees offer illuminating ruminations on Sly's vocal arrangements, including his penchant for switching back and forth between unison vocal parts and harmonized ones ..." — Jack Hamilton, Slate, 13 Feb. 2025
Did you know?
English has multiple p-words that imply a strong instinct or liking for something, including propensity and proclivity, but to keep things precise, penchant is the proper word for implying a pronounced, persistent taste in a person ("a penchant for pretty pendants") or a predominant predilection for performing particular actions ("a penchant for petting penguins"). Penchant traces back all the way to the Latin verb pendere, meaning "to weigh," but is more immediately preceded in English by the French word penchant, from the present participle of pencher, meaning "to incline."