John Irving

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Kentucky

"I am doomed to remember a boy with a wrecked voice—not because of his voice, or because he was the smallest person I ever knew, or even because he was the instrument of my mother's death, but because he is the reason I believe in God; I am a Christian because of Owen Meany." In the summer of 1953, two eleven-year-old boys—best friends—are playing in a Little League baseball game in Gravesend, New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills the other boy's mother. The boy who hits the ball doesn't believe in accidents; Owen Meany believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen, after that 1953 foul ball, is extraordinary.

A Prayer for Owen Meany

789a7801-6a24-4ca9-bf5a-c59f655a465a-1

Heather McGhee

Book is in good condition. Has underlinied passages. It is a great read, very thought provoking. 

What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD • One of today’s most insightful and influential thinkers offers a powerful exploration of inequality and the lesson that generations of Americans have failed to learn: Racism has a cost for everyone—not just for people of color. WINNER OF THE PORCHLIGHT BUSINESS BOOK AWARD • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Time, The Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Ms. magazine, BookRiot, Library Journal • LONGLISTED FOR THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL • “This is the book I’ve been waiting for.”—Ibram X. Kendi, #1 New York Times bestselling author of How to Be an Antiracist Heather McGhee’s specialty is the American economy—and the mystery of why it so often fails the American public. From the financial crisis of 2008 to rising student debt to collapsing public infrastructure, she found a root problem: racism in our politics and policymaking. But not just in the most obvious indignities for people of color. Racism has costs for white people, too. It is the common denominator of our most vexing public problems, the core dysfunction of our democracy and constitutive of the spiritual and moral crises that grip us all. But how did this happen? And is there a way out? McGhee embarks on a deeply personal journey across the country from Maine to Mississippi to California, tallying what we lose when we buy into the zero-sum paradigm—the idea that progress for some of us must come at the expense of others. Along the way, she meets white people who confide in her about losing their homes, their dreams, and their shot at better jobs to the toxic mix of American racism and greed. This is the story of how public goods in this country—from parks and pools to functioning schools—have become private luxuries; of how unions collapsed, wages stagnated, and inequality increased; and of how this country, unique among the world’s advanced economies, has thwarted universal healthcare. But in unlikely places of worship and work, McGhee finds proof of what she calls the Solidarity Dividend: the benefits we gain when people come together across race to accomplish what we simply can’t do on our own. The Sum of Us is not only a brilliant analysis of how we arrived here but also a heartfelt message, delivered with startling empathy, from a black woman to a multiracial America. It leaves us with a new vision for a future in which we finally realize that life can be more than a zero-sum game.

The Sum of Us

8450de58-2e26-4641-893d-ee5165a33ae5-1

Jas Hammonds

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

"An absolute must read." --Buzzfeed

"A gripping portrayal of the South's inherent racism and a love story for queer Black girls." --Teen Vogue

Family secrets, a swoon-worthy romance, and a slow-burn mystery collide in We Deserve Monuments, a YA debut from Jas Hammonds that explores how racial violence can ripple down through generations.

What's more important: Knowing the truth or keeping the peace?

Seventeen-year-old Avery Anderson is convinced her senior year is ruined when she's uprooted from her life in DC and forced into the hostile home of her terminally ill grandmother, Mama Letty. The tension between Avery's mom and Mama Letty makes for a frosty arrival and unearths past drama they refuse to talk about. Every time Avery tries to look deeper, she's turned away, leaving her desperate to learn the secrets that split her family in two.

While tempers flare in her avoidant family, Avery finds friendship in unexpected places: in Simone Cole, her captivating next-door neighbor, and Jade Oliver, daughter of the town's most prominent family--whose mother's murder remains unsolved.

As the three girls grow closer--Avery and Simone's friendship blossoming into romance--the sharp-edged opinions of their small southern town begin to hint at something insidious underneath. The racist history of Bardell, Georgia is rooted in Avery's family in ways she can't even imagine. With Mama Letty's health dwindling every day, Avery must decide if digging for the truth is worth toppling the delicate relationships she's built in Bardell--or if some things are better left buried.

We Deserve Monuments

1510dfd1-da52-4641-a7c7-43ee63f690e3-1

Casey McQuiston

From the New York Times bestselling author of Red, White & Royal Blue comes a new romantic comedy that will stop readers in their tracks... "Dreamy, other worldly, smart, swoony, thoughtful, hilarious - all in all, exactly what you'd expect from Casey McQuiston!" - Jasmine Guillory, New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal and Party for Two Cynical twenty-three-year old August doesn’t believe in much. She doesn’t believe in psychics, or easily forged friendships, or finding the kind of love they make movies about. And she certainly doesn’t believe her ragtag band of new roommates, her night shifts at a 24-hour pancake diner, or her daily subway commute full of electrical outages are going to change that. But then, there’s Jane. Beautiful, impossible Jane. All hard edges with a soft smile and swoopy hair and saving August’s day when she needed it most. The person August looks forward to seeing on the train every day. The one who makes her forget about the cities she lived in that never seemed to fit, and her fear of what happens when she finally graduates, and even her cold-case obsessed mother who won’t quite let her go. And when August realizes her subway crush is impossible in more ways than one—namely, displaced in time from the 1970s—she thinks maybe it’s time to start believing. Casey McQuiston’s One Last Stop is a sexy, big-hearted romance where the impossible becomes possible as August does everything in her power to save the girl lost in time.

One Last Stop

8df76c4b-175b-4773-b62e-e40ba7650b3d-1

Sharon M. Draper

Considered by many to be mentally retarded, a brilliant, impatient fifth-grader with cerebral palsy discovers a technological device that will allow her to speak for the first time.

Out of My Mind

0724af97-d7ba-4e8c-9e40-92cbf24ff1ca-1

Gary Carey

O. L. Mishk

English

Cliff Notes

These novels of pirates on the high seas and intrigue in the Scottish highlands were written on a challenge by Stevenson's teenage stepson to "write something really interesting." The results are these fast-moving and adventurous books, simple and entertaining.

CliffsNotes on Stevenson's Treasure Island and Kidnapped

56067c7a-909e-4e65-882d-f9ed92c7f4b6-1

Therese Anne Fowler

Drama involving effects of class, race, love. 

A Novel

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * One of NPR's Best Books of 2020

"A provocative, absorbing read." -- People

"A feast of a read... I finished A Good Neighborhood in a single sitting. Yes, it's that good." --Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things and A Spark of Light

In Oak Knoll, a verdant, tight-knit North Carolina neighborhood, professor of forestry and ecology Valerie Alston-Holt is raising her bright and talented biracial son, Xavier, who's headed to college in the fall. All is well until the Whitmans--a family with new money and a secretly troubled teenage daughter--raze the house and trees next door to build themselves a showplace.

With little in common except a property line, these two families quickly find themselves at odds: first, over an historic oak tree in Valerie's yard, and soon after, the blossoming romance between their two teenagers.

A Good Neighborhood asks big questions about life in America today--what does it mean to be a good neighbor? How do we live alongside each other when we don't see eye to eye?--as it explores the effects of class, race, and heartrending love in a story that's as provocative as it is powerful.

A Good Neighborhood

a36fd4a2-a370-4b9b-bc83-3164ca9e3468-1

David McCullough

Chronicles the dramatic story-behind-the-story about the Wright brothers, sharing insights into the disadvantages that challenged their lives and their mechanical ingenuity. By the Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning author of Truman.

The Wright Brothers

d072dc83-613a-4ab5-a2fd-58a1162baf28-1

Shawn M. Warner

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Sixteen-year-old Leigh Howard has lost everything she loves. Devastated by the murder of her parents, all she has left is finding out who killed them and why.

Leigh Howard and the Ghosts of Simmons-Pierce Manor

fd975b33-b987-44a2-8c28-edbc52ea0a49-1

David Fisher

Bill O'Reilly

A companion volume to the Fox news series.

Heavy Hardcover (2 to 4 lbs)

Legends and Lies

f7d5aa60-7e52-479e-9619-a2725b2d7a6e-1

Mary Higgins Clark

Carol Higgins Clark

A light, fun read. Light suspense, some humor. If you want a quick, holiday read, this one is for you.

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

Alvirah Meehan, the lottery winner turned amateur sleuth, joins forces once again with private detective Regan Reilly to track down the beautiful ninety-foot tree that has been hijacked on its way to the Rockerfeller Center for the Christmas season.

The Christmas Thief

3d64bab5-2ffa-4d05-91bb-7ed3025bdf12-1

Markus Zusak

A wonderful read. I continue ti think of all the characters rather often.

Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.

The Book Thief

6d92b04a-bba9-4354-9943-95a19d1bf122-1

Ephraim Dodd

History of Company D. Terry's Texas Rangers

Member of Company d, Terry's Texas Rangers

Originally published in 1914, this is the diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd during the Civil War, from December 1862 to January 1864 as a member of Company D of Terry's Texas Rangers.

Diary of Ephraim Shelby Dodd

a5b6d88d-f969-46db-a814-aa7cf14f81ad-1

John Calipari

Michael Sokolove

Coaching from the Inside Out

"If you are a college basketball fan like I am, you’ll understand why I’ve long admired John Calipari’s leadership style. While no coach treasures a win more than John, this terrific book reveals his greater purpose—to lead his young players to better lives, and then challenge them to give back to others." —President William J. Clinton 

In Players First, John Calipari relates for the first time anywhere his experiences over his first four years coaching the Kentucky Wildcats, college basketball’s most fabled program, from the doldrums to a national championship, drawing lessons about leadership, character, and the path to personal and collective victory.

At its core, Calipari’s coaching philosophy centers on keeping his focus on the players—what they need to get the best out of themselves and one another. He is beloved by his players for being utterly honest with them and making promises that he always keeps, no matter what. He knows that in this age, they come to Kentucky to prepare for the NBA; every year he gets players who in a previous era would have gone directly into the pros from high school but now have to play college basketball for one year. Calipari has fought against this system, but he has to play within it, and so he does, better than anyone.

The result is an extraordinary leadership challenge: every year Coach Cal gets a handful of eighteen-year-old kids who have been in a bubble for the previous four years at least, filled with hype about their own greatness, and they come to Kentucky feeling sure that they will play for their coach only for seven months before they go on to greater glory. Every year, he has to reinvent his team. After his 2012 NCAA championship, it was particularly dramatic; he lost his first six players in the first round, meaning that someone who couldn’t even start for Kentucky was a first-round draft pick.

The overall record at Kentucky, and for his career, puts Calipari in the pantheon of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. Bold, funny, and truthful, like Coach Calipari himself, Players First is truly the first deep reckoning with the meaning of his experiences and the gifts of insight they offer.

Players First

167b3845-64ff-418d-83da-b04975868131-1

John Green

Lauren Myracle

Maureen Johnson

Three Holiday Romances

Christmas magic, blossoming romances, and unexpected friendships are intertwined in this collection of three holiday-inspired tales for young adult readers. Original.

Let It Snow

05f12168-394b-4d39-ac33-eaaa6a01f3d0-1

Jean Craighead George

Young Sam Gribley spends a winter alone in the Catskills by living off the land.

My Side of the Mountain (Puffin Modern Classics)

dd07e19f-c148-47e6-91f6-bdb0ef977921-1

Anne Rivers Siddons

A wonderful story of the South where the traditions of southern upbringing collide with the new

Caroline Venable has everything her Southern heritage promised: money, prestige, a rich husband -- and a predictable routine of country-club luncheons and cocktail parties. Caroline is the chatelaine of a magnificent home, hostess to her husband's wealthy friends and prospective clients, and the official "one-woman welcome wagon" for young, eager talent that her husband, Clay, imports to their corner of South Carolina to work for the family company -- a vastly successful land-developing conglomerate.

If Caro drinks a little too much for Clay's liking, he knows the reason why, and he takes comfort in the fact that she can escape to the island in the Lowcountry that her beloved Granddaddy left her. Wild and seemingly timeless, the island is a place of incomparable, breathtaking beauty -- and it is the one place where Caroline can lose herself and simply forget. Roaming the island is a band of wild ponies whose freedom and spirit have captivated Caro since she was a child. When she learns that her husband must either develop the island or lose the company that he spent his whole life building, she is devastated. The Lowcountry is Caroline's heritage -- the one constant she believed would never change. A resort would not only tame (and therefore destroy) the island she loves -- but what will happen to the wild ponies?

Spurred to action and inspired with new purpose, Caroline must confront the part of herself that she has numbed with alcohol and careful avoidance, and she must reconsider her priorities -- what is important enough that she would die for it? In fighting to save the island--her island -- Caroline draws on an inner strength that forces her to reconsider her role in society, her marriage and, ultimately, herself.

Low Country is a story of personal renewal and transformation -- one woman's proper Old South upbringing and expectations colliding with the new South's runaway prosperity. It is magnificently told, and it is Anne Rivers Siddons at her absolute best.

Low Country (first edition)

85306618-9b1d-4a32-a635-b558202f015d-1

Inside the Private World of the White House

America's first families are among the most private public figures on earth. From the mystique of the glamorous Kennedys to the tumult that surrounded Bill and Hillary Clinton during the president's impeachment to the historic yet polarizing residency of Barack and Michelle Obama, each new administration brings a unique set of personalities to the White House—and a new set of challenges to the fiercely loyal and hardworking people who serve them: the White House residence staff. No one understands the president of the United States, and his family, like the men and women who make the White House run every day. Now, for the first time, their stories of fifty years, ten administrations, and countless crises, large and small, are told in The Residence. Drawing on hundreds of hours of interviews with butlers, maids, chefs, florists, doormen, and other staffers—as well as former first ladies and first family members—Kate Andersen Brower, who covered President Obama's first term, offers a group portrait of the dedicated professionals who orchestrate lavish state dinners; stand ready during meetings with foreign dignitaries; care for the president and first lady's young children; and cater to every need the first couple may have, however sublime or, on occasion, ridiculous. In the voices of the residence workers themselves—sometimes wry, often affectionate, always gracious and proud—here are stories of The Kennedys—from intimate glimpses of their marriage to the chaotic days after JFK's assassination The Johnsons—featuring the bizarre saga of LBJ's obsession with the White House plumbing The Nixons—including Richard Nixon's unexpected appearance in the White House kitchen the morning he resigned The Reagans—from a fire that endangered Ronald Reagan late in his second term to Nancy's control of details large and small The Clintons—whose private battles, marked by shouting matches and flying objects, unsettled residence workers The Obamas—who danced to Mary J. Blige on their first night in the White House And just as compelling are the stories of the workers themselves, including Storeroom Manager Bill Hamilton, who served eleven presidents over fifty-five years; Executive Housekeeper Christine Limerick, who married a fellow residence worker; Chief Usher Stephen Rochon, who became the first African American to hold the post; Executive Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier, who feuded fiercely with Executive Chef Walter Scheib; and Butler James Ramsey, who made friends with presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, and whose spirit animated the White House through six administrations before his death in 2014. Working tirelessly to provide impeccable service and earning the trust and undying admiration of each new first family, these extraordinary White House workers served every day in the midst of history—and lived to tell the tales.

The Residence

2797d186-eb0d-4e2a-a09b-74f84d287120-1

A fourteenth wedding anniversary is nothing to sneeze at, Elliott Banner knows, but it's not exactly a landmark year—like fifteen, or twenty, when he plans to take his wife, Laura, to Paris. But when a headache on the drive home from their anniversary date—two days before Christmas—turns out to be more than a migraine, he wishes he had celebrated every year as though it were their last. In this poignant, touching, uplifting story, a woman calmly gathers her family around her during the Christmas holiday to celebrate their lives together—both past and future—and to truly count their blessings. A family history unfolds in a single night in this deeply affecting story that speaks volumes about love, trust, and letting go—a perfect holiday read that underscores the true meaning of the season.

Christmas, Present

142dc7c9-b4e6-4ea3-be34-4294aa5972b0-1


New York Times bestseller Jane Green delivers a riveting novel about two women whose lives intersect when a shocking secret is revealed
New York Times bestseller Jane Green delivers a riveting novel about two women whose lives intersect when a shocking secret is revealed     From the author of Another Piece of My Heart comes Family Pictures, the gripping story of two women who live on opposite coasts but whose lives are connected in ways they never could have imagined.  Both women are wives and mothers to children who are about to leave the nest for school.  They're both in their forties and have husbands who travel more than either of them would like.  They are both feeling an emptiness neither had expected.  But when a shocking secret is exposed, their lives are blown apart.  As dark truths from the past reveal themselves, will these two women be able to learn to forgive, for the sake of their children, if not for themselves?

Family Pictures (First Edition)

9d97c31c-c85c-4225-b29b-02aeef0c1cf4-1

Just put one foot in front of the other. Sounds simple, doesn't it? But when Noreen Kelly takes a buyout from her job of eighteen years and gets dumped by her boyfriend in one fell swoop, she finds it hard to know what that next step is--never mind take it. At first Noreen thinks maybe her redundancy package could be an opportunity, a chance to figure out what to do with the rest of her life while her company foots the bill. Sure, she may have gotten high to "Witchy Woman" and grooved to "Sweet Baby James" back when James Taylor had hair, but she isn't ready for her AARP card. Not yet. But it's the first time in a great many years that Noreen has time to herself--and she has no idea what to do with it. When she realizes that she's mistaken her resume for her personality, Noreen knows that she has to get moving, so she puts on a new pair of sneakers and a seriously outdated pair of exercise pants, and walks. She doesn't get very far at first--just to the end of her street, Wildwater Way--but she perseveres, and when she's joined by her neighbors Tess and Rosie, Noreen realizes that walking is not an extreme sport. It can actually be fun. As the Wildwater women walk and talk, and talk and walk, they tally their steps, share their secrets, and learn what women everywhere are finding out--that time flies and getting fit is actually fun when you're walking with friends. Throw in a road trip to Seattle for a lavender festival, a career-coaching group that looks like a bad sequel to The Breakfast Club, a clothesline controversy that could only happen in the 'burbs, plenty of romantic twists and turns, and a quirky multigenerational cast of supporting characters, and the result is an experience that's heartfelt, exuberant, and above all, real.

The Wildwater Walking Club 

4960ba70-d885-49f0-ac71-5b63adfd9fdc-1

Reading & Language Arts

Young learners will learn to read quickly with this fantastic resource. Catchy melodies make learning fun by introducing new words while reviewing words learned in volume 1. The reproducible lyrics book provides a crucial link between the songs and the written language.

Singing Sight Words

4f1c7887-12a5-4ca9-841a-f0124ea0e4bb-1

Public School Superhero

It isn't that Abby Carson can't do her schoolwork. She just doesn't like doing it. And consequently, Abby will have to repeat sixth grade--unless she meets some specific conditions, including taking on an extra credit project: find a pen pal in a distant country. But when Abby's first letter arrives at a small school in Afghanistan, complications arise. The elders agree that any letters going back to America must be written well, but the only qualified English-speaking student is a boy. And in this village, it's not proper for a boy to correspond with a girl. So, Sadeed's sister will dictate and sign the letters for him. But what about the villagers who believe that girls should not be anywhere near a school? And what about those who believe that any contact with Americans is...unhealthy?

As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of central Asia, across cultural and religious divides, through the minefields of different lifestyles and traditions--a small group of children begin to speak and listen to each other. And in just a few short weeks, they make important discoveries about their communities, about their world, and most of all, about themselves.

Browse by categories