Sponsored by Red Press
This is a story about what we stand for, and how that makes us who we are.
It’s a coming-of-age tale about a girl, a boy, a dog, a dam, a travel ban, an orange toddler, a political movement and the hip-hop guide to life. It’s a novel that confronts questions of privilege, identity, voice and influence in a post-truth world.
But most of all, it’s about the power of the stories we tell ourselves.
Sponsored by Algonquin Books
In the middle of London’s red-light district, among the theaters and sex shops and pubs, sits a building. It’s a prime piece of real estate, and a young millionaire wants to convert it into luxury condos as soon as she can kick out all the tenants. The problem is, the building in question houses a brothel, and Precious and Tabitha, two of the women who live and work there, are not going to go quietly. By the author of the Booker Prize finalist Elmet, Hot Stew confronts questions about class, gender, and power, all through an entertaining, cinematic story.
Sponsored by Scribner
Imagine that your twin sister disappears in a mysterious sailing accident, spurring you to return, for the first time in years, to your gothic childhood home, where you and your sister created a shared imaginary world, called Mirrorland, filled with pirates and witches.
With your sister’s husband in residence while you try to unravel her disappearance, the arrival of strange warnings, and each day bringing unwelcome realizations–what pieces of the past might be waiting for you?
Mirrorland will keep you guessing, but just remember: the most dangerous stories are the ones we tell ourselves.
Sponsored by Educated, the runaway bestseller by Tara Westover
Born to survivalists in the Idaho mountains, Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she entered a classroom. Her family was so isolated from mainstream society, there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. But Tara taught herself enough math and English to take the ACT and apply to college. Her quest for knowledge transformed her, taking her to Harvard and then to Cambridge University. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.
Sponsored by Lilac Grove Entertainment
MOST PRINCESSES NEED SAVING. THIS ONE WILL SAVE YOU.
Lilla is a rebel fighting for the refugees’s freedom from oppression.
The arrival of Callum, a powerful Teryn general, complicates her life and leads to conflicted feelings and friction with Arrov, a handsome pilot and fellow rebel.
Her life is complicated with meddling gods, love interests and sudden magical abilities but it is her reality.
Now the Era War between two ruling archgods forces Lilla to act: accept who she is; find true love; fulfill her destiny by defeating the Archgod of Chaos and Destruction before He finds her.
Sponsored by Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé with Fierce Reads
Gossip Girl meets Get Out in Ace of Spades, in this blistering exploration of racism, identity, and privilege by debut author Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé.
When Devon and Chiamaka are selected to be part of their elite school’s senior class prefects, it looks like their year is off to an amazing start. Shortly after the announcement, someone begins using anonymous text messages to reveal secrets about the two of them that turn their lives upside down. What seemed like a sick prank quickly turns into a dangerous game, with all the cards stacked against them. Show your hand on 06.01.2021.
Sponsored by Amazon Publishing
In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended by the edge of a forest. But when she returns, Viola is gone. Convinced she can only harm her family more, Ellis departs on a mountain wilderness trek. In a remote area of Washington, a young girl named Raven keeps secrets inside, too. Secrets about her family, and her own rare gifts. As Ellis and Raven each confront their powerful longings, their journeys will converge in unexpected ways, pulled together by the forces of nature, love, and family. Read The Light Through the Leaves by Glendy Vanderah.
Sponsored by Amazon Publishing
For two friends, the burden of the past has nothing on the promise of the future. As children, Emma Merrill and Sophia Mason promised to never lose touch, but their paths eventually diverged. Emma has struggled with depression. Sophie became an artist. Now, they’ve reconnected and Sophie invites Emma away to a small artists’ colony in south Texas, a beautiful landscape where wildflowers bloom. For Sophie and Emma, the artists’ colony in Texas is more than a safe place. It’s a second chance at friendship, love, and happiness. Read Hummingbird Lane by Carolyn Brown.
Sponsored by Why We Swim by Bonnie Tsui, now in paperback from Algonquin Books.
An immersive, unforgettable, and eye-opening perspective on swimming—and on human behavior itself.
Why We Swim—one of the best books of 2020, now in paperback!—is propelled by stories of Olympic champions, modern-day Japanese samurai swimmers, and even an Icelandic fisherman who improbably survives six hours in a wintry sea. Author/swimmer Bonnie Tsui dives into the deep herself, from the San Francisco Bay to the South China Sea, investigating why water—despite its dangers—seduces us again and again.
“[An] enthusiastic and thoughtful work mixing history, journalism and elements of memoir.” —The New York Times
Sponsored by Somewhere Between Bitter and Sweet
Penelope Prado has always dreamed of opening her own pastelería next to her father’s restaurant, Nacho’s Tacos. But her parents have different plans—leaving Pen to choose between disappointing them or following her own path. Xander Amaro has been searching for home since he was a boy. For him, a job at Nacho’s is an opportunity for just that—a chance at a normal life, to settle in at his abuelo’s, and to find the father who left him behind. Together, Pen and Xander must navigate first love and discovering where they belong in order to save the place they call home.