Madison Library District
Choice Awards
Nonfiction NOMINEES FOR 2026
Voting begins August 18.
Find all the nominees below.
Nominees
The Family Home
by Courtney &
Michael Adamo
In The Family Home, parents of five Courtney and Michael Adamo share how you can create a space that suits your pre-kids style but also meets the needs of a …
Read the full synopsis
Big Dumb Eyes
by Nate Bargatze
Nate Bargatze used to be a genius. That is, until the summer after seventh grade when he slipped, fell off a cliff, hit his head on a rock, and “my skull got, like, dented or …
Read the full synopsis
Brochet
by Steven Borzachillo
Assemble your skeins and polish your The crochet war has begun. From the creator behind viral crochet sensation Brochet, Steven Borzachillo presents an all-inclusive guide to …
Read the full synopsis
Every Day with Babs
by Barbara Costello
From her years of experience feeding her family as a mother of four and now a grandmother of nine, Barbara Costello has perfected her roster of …
Read the full synopsis
The Pioneer Woman Cooks:
The Essential Recipes
by Ree Drummond
Bestselling author, Food Network personality, businesswoman, and mother of five Ree Drummond has her fair share of dog-eared and oil-splattered …
Read the full synopsis
A Marriage at Sea
by Sophie Elmhirst
Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their …
Read the full synopsis
The House of My Mother
by Shari Franke
Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for …
Read the full synopsis
Natural Watercolor
Paint Making
by Joanne Green
Create your own botanical pigments and build a supply of colorful, non-toxic watercolor paints with the help of this comprehensive guide. Through simple tutorials, you’ll …
Read the full synopsis
Everything Is
Tuberculosis
by John Green
Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that …
Read the full synopsis
Dark Renaissance
by Stephen Greenblatt
In brutally repressive sixteenth-century England, artists had been frightened into dull conventionality; foreigners were suspect; popular entertainment largely consisted of …
Read the full synopsis
107 Days
by Kamala Harris
For the first time, and with surprising and revealing insights, Kamala Harris tells the story of one of the wildest and most consequential presidential campaigns in …
Read the full synopsis
Baking Across America
byB. Dylan Hollis
Join B. Dylan Hollis, bestselling author of Baking Yesteryear, on a cross-country culinary journey with 100 uniquely American recipes. From the …
Read the full synopsis
The Beast in the Clouds
by Nathalia Holt
The Himalayas—a snowcapped mountain range that hides treacherous glacier crossings, raiders poised to attack unsuspecting travelers, and air so thin that …
Read the full synopsis
The Land of
Sweet Forever
by Harper Lee
Harper Lee remains a landmark figure in the American canon – thanks to Scout, Jem, Atticus, and the other indelible characters in her Pulitzer-winning …
Read the full synopsis
Realm of Ice and Sky
by Buddy Levy
Arctic explorer and American visionary Walter Wellman pioneered both polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation, making history’s first attempts at each. Wellman has been cast as …
Read the full synopsis
The Scottish Cookbook
by Coinneach MacLeod
Fàilte, I’m Coinneach, the Hebridean Baker. Welcome to my Scottish kitchen. Mastering the art of Scottish baking is more than just perfecting shortbread, scones and clootie…
Read the full synopsis
Sally’s Baking 101
by Sally McKenney
The ultimate baking book for home cooks of all skill levels with 101 sweet and savory, foolproof recipes plus helpful tips for best results—from the creator of …
Read the full synopsis
Pronoun Trouble
by John McWhorter
With his trademark humor and flair, the bestselling linguist and renowned professor busts the myths and shares the history of the most controversial language …
Read the full synopsis
The Potato Book
by Poppy O’Toole
You asked, and she heard—this is Poppy Cooks’ all-potato cookbook. The potato, the humblest of ingredients, is also one of the most accessible, adaptable and …
Read the full synopsis
The Idaho Four
by James Patterson
& Vicky Ward
The murders of four innocent college students attending the University of Idaho left us with so many questions. Now …
Read the full synopsis
No New Things
by Ashlee Piper
For nearly two years, Ashlee Piper challenged herself to buy nothing new. And in the process, she got out of debt, cut clutter, crushed …
Read the full synopsis
Mafalda: Book One by Quino
Mafalda may be small—but her hopes for the world are as big as her heart! Six-year-old Mafalda loves democracy and hates soup. What democratic sector do cats fall into? she asks, then unfurls a toilet paper red carpet and …
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Learning to Listen
by Dale G. Renlund
The gift of the Holy Ghost is available to all those who have been confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet how often do we seek personal …
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My Next Breath
by Jeremy Renner
Two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner was the second most googled person in 2023… and not for his impressive filmography. His searing portrayals on film ranged from an …
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The Women’s
Orchestra of Auschwitz
by Anne Sebba
In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven …
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Lore Olympus: Volume Eight
by Rachel Smythe
“You have no authority here.” Revelations rock Olympus as Persephone’s trial ends, threatening to throw the gods into a new war. Though Persephone and Hades become closer than …
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1929
by Andrew Ross Sorkin
In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a …
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The Boys in the Light
by Nina Willner
An epic true story of the triumph of good over evil. The soldiers of D Company could not believe their eyes as they came face-to-face with the human cost of …
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The Book of Dragons
by Michael Witwer
Delve into the awe-inspiring world of dragons, lavishly illustrated with newly commissioned artworks and penned from the perspectives of Tiamat and …
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The Family Home: Inspiring Ideas for a Home Filled with Joy
by Courtney & Michael Adamo
In The Family Home, parents of five Courtney and Michael Adamo share how you can create a space that suits your pre-kids style but also meets the needs of a growing family.
With stunning photography of homes of all shapes and sizes, from sprawling spaces in California and Byron Bay to inner-city London pads, Courtney and Michael share tips for how your home can inspire play, encourage kids to be independent and be a practical yet beautiful place that the whole family will enjoy being in.
Whether it’s how to store all the shoes that accumulate by the door, clever ways to display children’s artwork, embracing small nooks and crannies, or planning a shared kids’ bedroom, The Family Home is full of beautiful ideas to inspire you to make your house a home.
Big Dumb Eyes: Stories from a Simpler Mind by Nate Bargatze
Nate Bargatze used to be a genius. That is, until the summer after seventh grade when he slipped, fell off a cliff, hit his head on a rock, and “my skull got, like, dented or something.” Before this accident, he dreamed of being “an electric engineer, or a doctor that does brain stuff, or a math teacher who teaches the hardest math on earth.” Afterwards, all he could do was stand-up comedy.* But the “brain stuff” industry’s loss is everyone else’s gain because Nate went on to become one of today’s top-grossing comedians, breaking both attendance and streaming records.
In his highly anticipated first book, Nate talks about life as a non-genius. From stories about his first car (named Old Blue, a clunky Mazda with a tennis ball stick shift) and his travels as a Southerner (Northerners like to ask if he believes in dinosaurs), to tales of his first apartment where he was almost devoured by rats and his many debates with his wife over his chores, his diet, and even his definition of “shopping.” He also reflects on such heady topics as his irrational passion for Vandy football and the mysterious origins of sushi (how can a California roll come from old-time Japan?).
Big Dumb Eyes is full of heart. It will make readers laugh out loud and nod in recognition, but it probably won’t make them think too much.
*Nate’s family disputes this entire story.
Brochet: 30 Easy Patterns for Crochet Weaponry and Ami-gore-rumi
by Steven Borzachillo
Assemble your skeins and polish your The crochet war has begun. From the creator behind viral crochet sensation Brochet, Steven Borzachillo presents an all-inclusive guide to plush weapons, armor, and ami-GORE-rumi. Perfect for beginner crocheters, crafters who need a laugh, con attendees who need an epic prop, and everyone in between, grab a hook and get ready to craft 30 bold projects!
– Sure-U-Can Ninja Star
– Yarn-ssassin’s Dagger
– Wizard’s Staff
– Medieval Flail
– Alien Blaster
– Feeling Wiley TNT
– Guillo-ton of Fun
– Brainy Bro
Because really, who doesn’t need a giant crocheted cannon to face off with a fuzzy foe? Or a cute, cuddly pile of said foe’s entrails? (Side Crochet guts make great winter scarves!)
With accessible instructions and patterns, anyone can craft their very own plush armory. But fair warning! Be careful who you test these on, or you might just find yourself running away from a red yarn–covered crime scene screaming, “It works!”
Every Day with Babs: 101 Family-Friendly Dinners for Every Day of the Week
by Barbara Costello
From her years of experience feeding her family as a mother of four and now a grandmother of nine, Barbara Costello has perfected her roster of comforting and delicious family-approved meals. Now all the mealtime ingenuity that has been passed down to her, or that she’s earned through trial and error, is here in this book, for you! Every Day with Babs will be your go-to dinner resource, with Babs as your surrogate mom or grandma helping to get delicious meals organized, prepped, and on the table in no time, every night of the week.
In the pages of Every Day, Babs has done all the thinking for you because with so much on your plate already, you shouldn’t have to stress about dinner! The chapters are organized by day of the week, each with a particular theme or cooking method that keeps in mind the rhythm of the week. We all know making dinner on a Monday feels very different than a Sunday, so there are recipes to suit everyone’s mood, schedule, and cooking.
No matter how you’re feeling by dinner, there is a recipe in here that will fit the bill. Your family will soon be part of the clean plate club and you will be considered a virtual magician in the kitchen, too! Don’t panic, it’s easier than you think. Babs has you covered!
The Pioneer Woman Cooks: The Essential Recipes by Ree Drummond
Bestselling author, Food Network personality, businesswoman, and mother of five Ree Drummond has her fair share of dog-eared and oil-splattered recipes in constant rotation. She’s learned a lot since she first started sharing recipes with the world almost twenty years ago, and now when she’s in the kitchen, her main focus is finding ways to make her all-time favorite dishes even more delicious versions of themselves—and to ensure each method is absolutely foolproof. This is a book of everybody’s tried-and-true Ree favorites, but re-examined, re-worked, and made even more perfect than the original, so that Ree’s millions of fans (and their families) can share in the delicious results!
Ree focuses on her can’t-live-without dishes—those classic favorites that families turn to, week in and week out, no matter the era or generation—and including many dishes that are destined to be classics for years to come. Whether you’re just starting out as a home cook or you’re already a seasoned pro at feeding a family, you’ll love this one stop shop for all the recipes Ree and her family have loved most for the past twenty-five years, made even better this time around. Because if a recipe is worthy of repeating, it’s worthy of perfecting.
A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck
by Sophie Elmhirst
Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away?
Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But Maurice began to study nautical navigation. Maralyn made detailed lists of provisions. And in June 1972, they set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves.
What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can’t run away from themselves.
Taut, propulsive, and dazzling, A Marriage at Sea pairs an adrenaline-fueled high seas adventure with a gutting love story that asks why we love difficult people, and who we become under the most extreme conditions imaginable.
The House of My Mother: A Daughter’s Quest for Freedom by Shari Franke
Shari Franke’s childhood was a constant battle for survival. Her mother, Ruby Franke, enforced a severe moral code while maintaining a façade of a picture-perfect family for their wildly popular YouTube channel 8 Passengers, which documented the day-to-day life of raising six children for a staggering 2.5 million subscribers. But a darker truth lurked beneath the surface—Ruby’s wholesome online persona masked a more tyrannical parenting style than anyone could have imagined.
As the family’s YouTube notoriety grew, so too did Ruby’s delusions of righteousness. Fueled by the sadistic influence of relationship coach Jodi Hildebrandt, together they implemented an inhumane and merciless disciplinary regime.
Ruby and Jodi were arrested in Utah in 2023 on multiple charges of aggravated child abuse. On that fateful day, Shari shared a photo online of a police car outside their home. Her caption had one word: “Finally.”
For the first time, Shari will reveal the disturbing truth behind 8 Passengers and her family’s devastating involvement with Jodi Hildebrandt’s cultish life coaching program, “ConneXions.” No stone is left unturned as Shari exposes the perils of influencer culture and shares for the first time her battle for truth and survival in the face of her mother’s cruelty.
Tidying Up: 100 Ways to Infuse Order and Joy into Every Area of Your Home
by Ea Fuqua & Meg DeLong
Joy and peace are just around the corner. In fact, they can be around every corner of your home, from the kitchen to the living room to that dangerously dark section of the laundry room. And it’s easier than you think.
In Tidying Up, Meg DeLong and Ea Fuqua—founders and owners of The Tidy Home—offer you a shame-free, straightforward approach to embracing organization as soul care. Whether you have a studio apartment or an overflowing farmhouse, Tidying Up will help you:
- Put into practice 100 strategies—organized room by room—that make an immediate difference
- Create sustainable systems that free you rather than bog you down
- Tailor your living space to complement your personal style and purpose
- Discover how regaining authority over your stuff invites your brain and body to rest
These two sisters have seen it all and have helped countless clients tackle their living spaces and create peaceful and practical homes—so they know what really works and lasts! This book is a must for anyone navigating life with family members, roommates, or even solo-dwellers looking to maximize their space.
Everything Is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection
by John Green
Tuberculosis has been entwined with humanity for millennia. Once romanticized as a malady of poets, today tuberculosis is seen as a disease of poverty that walks the trails of injustice and inequity we blazed for it.
In 2019, author John Green met Henry Reider, a young tuberculosis patient at Lakka Government Hospital in Sierra Leone. John became fast friends with Henry, a boy with spindly legs and a big, goofy smile. In the years since that first visit to Lakka, Green has become a vocal advocate for increased access to treatment and wider awareness of the healthcare inequities that allow this curable, preventable infectious disease to also be the deadliest, killing over a million people every year.
In Everything Is Tuberculosis, John tells Henry’s story, woven through with the scientific and social histories of how tuberculosis has shaped our world—and how our choices will shape the future of tuberculosis.
Natural Watercolor Paint Making by Joanne Green
Create your own botanical pigments and build a supply of colorful, non-toxic watercolor paints with the help of this comprehensive guide. Through simple tutorials, you’ll learn to extract pigments from natural materials, such as leaves, vegetables and flowers, and turn them into vibrant watercolors—no harsh chemicals or specialty tools needed! With a few mason jars, plants from your backyard and a handful of ingredients, you can build a palette of natural hues that gives your art a distinctive, gorgeous look.
Every tutorial includes step-by-step directions and a host of pictures that guide you through the process. Discover the joy of transforming onion skins into a golden yellow paint, or sunflower seeds into a deep rose pigment. Extract a range of blues from red cabbage, and earth tones like coffee brown from orange pekoe tea. With additional information on storing your paints so they stay fresh, using them in fun activities and connecting to the environment as you go, this special book provides everything you need to make watercolor paints with success.
Dark Renaissance:
The Dangerous Times and Fatal Genius of Shakespeare’s Greatest Rival
by Stephen Greenblatt
In brutally repressive sixteenth-century England, artists had been frightened into dull conventionality; foreigners were suspect; popular entertainment largely consisted of coarse spectacles, animal fights, and hangings. Into this crude world came an ambitious cobbler’s son with an uncanny ear for Latin poetry—a torment for most schoolboys, yet for a few, a secret portal to beauty, visionary imagination, transgressive desire, and dangerous skepticism. What Christopher Marlowe found on the other side of that door, and what he did with it, brought about a spectacular explosion of English literature, language, and culture, enabling the success of his collaborator and rival, William Shakespeare.
With propulsive narrative flair and brilliant literary criticism, Stephen Greenblatt reconstructs the youthful involvement with the queen’s spy service that shaped Marlowe’s brief, troubling life and gave us his Tamburlaine and Faustus—dramatic masterpieces on power and its costs. And with detailed historical insight, Greenblatt explores how the people Marlowe knew, and the transformations they wrought, birthed the economic, scientific, and cultural power of the modern world—involving Faustian bargains with which we reckon still.
107 Days by Kamala Harris
For the first time, and with surprising and revealing insights, Kamala Harris tells the story of one of the wildest and most consequential presidential campaigns in American history.
Your Secret Service code name is Pioneer.
You are the first woman in history to be elected vice president of the United States.
On July 21, 2024, your running mate, Joe Biden, announces that he will not be seeking reelection.
The presidential election will occur on November 5, 2024.
You have 107 days.
Written with candor, a unique perspective, and the pace of a page-turning novel, 107 Days takes you inside the race for the presidency as no one has ever done before.
Baking Across America: A Vintage Recipe Road Trip by B. Dylan Hollis
Join B. Dylan Hollis, bestselling author of Baking Yesteryear, on a cross-country culinary journey with 100 uniquely American recipes.
From the deserts of the Southwest to the Green Mountains of Vermont, the USA is as sweet as it gets. In this tour de food, B. Dylan Hollis takes you on a delicious road trip to taste everything from the coffee-crazed creations of the Pacific Northwest to the larger-than-life sheet cakes of Texas.
You’ll be hitting the pavement in vintage style as Dylan leads you on a journey through the culture capitals of America to bring you the very best bakes the country has to offer. His retro recipes span the decades from the 1850s to the 1990s and feature famous (and infamous!) desserts from every state.
With his signature wry humor, Dylan explores the US and uncovers the history of nostalgic local favorites, including Whoopie Pies on the rocky Maine coast, Beignets in jazzy New Orleans, and Date Shakes blended up in a mid-century mansion in Palm Springs.
Baking Across America is the highly anticpated second book from the author of Baking Yesteryear and delivers 100 wild, wacky, and wonderful recipes from every vibrant corner of the good ol’ US of A.
The Beast in the Clouds:
The Roosevelt Brothers’ Deadly Quest to Find the Mythical Giant Panda
by Nathalia Holt
The Himalayas—a snowcapped mountain range that hides treacherous glacier crossings, raiders poised to attack unsuspecting travelers, and air so thin that even seasoned explorers die of oxygen deprivation. Yet among the dangers lies one of the most beautiful and fragile ecosystems in the world.
During the 1920s, dozens of expeditions scoured the Chinese and Tibetan wilderness in search of the panda bear, a beast that many believed did not exist. When the two eldest sons of President Theodore Roosevelt sought the bear in 1928, they had little hope of success. Together with a team of scientists and naturalists, they accomplished what a decade of explorers could not, ultimately introducing the panda to the West. In the process, they documented a vanishing world and set off a new era of conservation biology.
Along the way, the Roosevelt expedition faced an incredible series of hardships as they disappeared in a blizzard, were attacked by robbers, overcome by sickness and disease, and lost their food supply in the mountains. The explorers would emerge transformed, although not everyone would survive. The Beast in the Clouds brings alive these extraordinary events in a potent nonfiction thriller featuring the indomitable Roosevelt family.
The Land of Sweet Forever: Stories and Essays by Harper Lee
Harper Lee remains a landmark figure in the American canon – thanks to Scout, Jem, Atticus, and the other indelible characters in her Pulitzer-winning debut, To Kill a Mockingbird; as well as for the darker, late-’50s version of small-town Alabama that emerged in Go Set a Watchman, her only other novel, published in 2015 after its rediscovery. Less remembered, until now, however, is Harper Lee the dogged young writer, who crafted stories in hopes of magazine publication; Lee the lively New Yorker, Alabamian, and friend to Truman Capote; and the Lee who peppered the pages of McCall’s and Vogue with thoughtful essays in the latter part of the twentieth century.
The Land of Sweet Forever combines Lee’s early short fiction and later nonfiction in a volume offering an unprecedented look at the development of her inimitable voice. Covering territory from the Alabama schoolyards of Lee’s youth to the luncheonettes and movie houses of midcentury Manhattan, The Land of Sweet Forever invites still-vital conversations about politics, equality, travel, love, fiction, art, the American South, and what it means to lead an engaged and creative life.
This collection comes with an introduction by Casey Cep, Harper Lee’s appointed biographer, which provides illuminating background for our reading of these stories and connects them both to Lee’s life and to her two novels.
Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History’s Greatest Arctic Rescue
by Buddy Levy
Arctic explorer and American visionary Walter Wellman pioneered both polar and trans-Atlantic airship aviation, making history’s first attempts at each. Wellman has been cast as a self-promoting egomaniac known mostly for his catastrophic failures. Instead he was a courageous innovator who pushed the boundaries of polar exploration and paved the way for the ultimate conquest of the North Pole—which would be achieved not by dogsled or airplane, but by airship.
American explorer Dr. Frederick Cook was the first to claim he made it to the North Pole in 1908. A year later, so did American Robert Peary, but both Cook’s and Peary’s claims had been seriously questioned. There was enough doubt that Norwegian explorer extraordinaire Roald Amundsen—who’d made history and a name for himself by being first to sail through the Northwest Passage and first man to the South Pole—picked up where Walter Wellman left off, attempting to fly to the North Pole by airship. He would go in the Norge, designed by Italian aeronautical engineer Umberto Nobile. The 350-foot Norge flew over the North Pole on May 12, 1926, and Amundsen was able to accurately record and verify their exact location.
However, the engineer Nobile felt slighted by Amundsen. Two years later, Nobile returned, this time in the Italia, backed by Prime Minister Benito Mussolini. This was an Italian enterprise, and Nobile intended to win back the global accolades and reputation he believed Amundsen had stripped from him. The journey ended in disaster, death, and accusations of cannibalism, launching one of the great rescue operations the world had ever seen.
The Scottish Cookbook by Coinneach MacLeod
Fàilte, I’m Coinneach, the Hebridean Baker. Welcome to my Scottish kitchen.
Mastering the art of Scottish baking is more than just perfecting shortbread, scones and clootie dumpling. It’s about capturing the heart and soul of Scotland in every dish. This cookbook is a celebration of Scotland’s timeless culinary traditions and an introduction to new recipes sure to become future family favourites.
The Scottish Cookbook invites you to explore a delightful array of heart-warming soups and pies, show-stopping desserts and mouth-watering cakes, along with irresistible biscuits perfect for dunking in a cup of tea.
Join me on a Scottish island adventure as I share a collection of recipes, flavours, stories, people and memories with you – one delicious bite at a time.
Sally’s Baking 101: Foolproof Recipes from Easy to Advanced
by Sally McKenney
The ultimate baking book for home cooks of all skill levels with 101 sweet and savory, foolproof recipes plus helpful tips for best results—from the creator of the beloved website Sally’s Baking Addiction.
For years, Sally’s Baking Addiction has been the trusted online resource for anyone who wants to make delicious baked goods from scratch. An expert self-taught baker, Sally McKenney has been dedicated to developing and perfecting a wide range of baking recipes and her devoted audience trusts her implicitly. In this collection of 101 irresistible recipes, she presents an array of crowd-pleasing bakes to suit every occasion and craving, from cookies and bars to cakes, pies, breads, and brunch fare. Sprinkled throughout the book, you’ll find a selection of her most treasured fan favorites, including Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies, Strawberry Cake, Homemade Pizza Dough, and Classic Apple Pie.
With Sally’s Baking 101 as your guide, you’ll gain the knowledge you need to feel confident baking from scratch with tempting, reliable recipes guaranteed to delight family and friends.
Pronoun Trouble: The Story of Us in Seven Little Words by John McWhorter
With his trademark humor and flair, the bestselling linguist and renowned professor busts the myths and shares the history of the most controversial language topic of our pronouns.
The nature of language is to shift and evolve—but every so often, a new usage creates a whole lot of consternation. These days, pronouns are throwing curve balls, and it matters, because pronoun habits die hard. If you need a refresher from eighth grade pronouns are short, used endlessly, and serve to point and direct, to orient us as to what is meant about who. Him, not her. Me, not you. Pronouns get a heavy workout, and as such, they become part of our hardwiring. To mess with our pronouns is to mess with us.
But many of today’s hot button controversies are nonsense. The singular “they” has been with us since the 1400s and appears in Shakespeare. In fact, many of the supposedly iron-clad rules of grammar are up for debate (Billy and me went to the store is perfectly logical!), and with tasty trivia, unexpected twists, and the weird quirks of early and contemporary English, McWhorter guides readers on a journey of how our whole collection of these little words emerged and has changed over time.
Poppy Cooks: The Potato Book by Poppy O’Toole
Fried. Baked. Mashed. Roasted. From TikTok’s queen of the potato comes the ultimate potato cookbook!
You asked, and she heard—this is Poppy Cooks’ all-potato cookbook. The potato, the humblest of ingredients, is also one of the most accessible, adaptable and affordable too, and this brilliant cookbook celebrates the range and variety of recipes possible from one mighty ingredient. In these pages are the tools you need for cooking the perfect potatoes every time—whether they be roast, mash, fondant, gnocchi, wedges, or fries. Poppy starts with a signature classic recipe for each type, then adds tips and tricks for cooking with different methods and flavors. She even includes mouth-watering international classics (think latkes, dauphinoise and tartiflete) and old-school freezer favorites (hello potato smiles, tater tots, and curly fries!).
With 101 recipes, from crispy cubes to french fries to patatas bravas to Poppy’s ultimate 15-hour potatoes, this is THE book you need to raise your potato game and cook like the Potato Queen herself.
The Idaho Four: An American Tragedy by James Patterson & Vicky Ward
The murders of four innocent college students attending the University of Idaho left us with so many questions. Now, after over 300 interviews, James Patterson and prize-winning journalist Vicky Ward finally have some answers.
We know what it was like to live in Moscow, Idaho, on November 13, 2022, the day of the cold-blooded killings.
We know what the local police and FBI did right. And what they did wrong.
We’ve learned so much about the four heartbroken families—the Mogens, Goncalves, Kernodles, and Chapins.
And we have the backstory for Bryan Kohberger, brilliant grad student, loner, apparent incel—now indicted and facing trial.
Now you are the jury.
The evidence is in.
No New Things:
A Radically Simple 30-Day Guide to Saving Money, the Planet, and Your Sanity
by Ashlee Piper
For nearly two years, Ashlee Piper challenged herself to buy nothing new. And in the process, she got out of debt, cut clutter, crushed her goals, and became healthier and happier than ever—all the things she’d always wanted to do but “never had time to” (because she was mindlessly scrolling, shopping, spending, and stressing). After a decade of fine-tuning, No New Things guides readers through the same revolutionarily simple challenge that has helped thousands of global participants find freedom and fulfillment in just thirty days.
The book follows the rise of what Piper calls “conditioned consumerism” and how it sneakily hijacks our time, money, and mental bandwidth, as well as harms the planet. From there, readers follow customizable daily action items that bring about the ease and richness of a life less bogged down by spending and stuff, without compromising on style, convenience, or fun.
Whether you’re a bona fide shopaholic or someone who just wants to buy less and live more, No New Things is the antidote to modern overwhelm.
Mafalda: Book One by Quino
Mafalda may be small—but her hopes for the world are as big as her heart!
Six-year-old Mafalda loves democracy and hates soup. What democratic sector do cats fall into? she asks, then unfurls a toilet paper red carpet and gives her very own presidential address. Mafalda’s precociousness and passion stump all grown-ups around her. Dissident and rebellious, she refuses to abandon the world to her parents’ generation, who seem so lost. Alongside the irascible Mafalda, readers will meet her eclectic group of dreamy Felipe and gossipy Susanita, young-capitalist Manolito and rebellious Miguelito. Quino’s bright irony and intelligence bring the streets and neighborhoods of Buenos Aires to life.
You can clearly see Mafalda is small, but her hopes for the world and her heart are huge and as sincere as can be. Generations of readers have discovered themselves in Mafalda, and learned to question, rebel, and hope.
Since Quino first drew her in the early 1960s, Mafalda has captured public imagination in Latin America and beyond. Her wit and empathy have made her an enduring favorite.
Learning to Listen: Principles for Personal Revelation by Dale G. Renlund
The gift of the Holy Ghost is available to all those who have been confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet how often do we seek personal revelation to help guide us in our lives? And how confident are we in our ability to listen to and understand what the Holy Ghost is trying to tell us?
While most Latter-day Saints understand the principles of personal revelation in the abstract, many struggle to apply them. In this book, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles helps readers understand both the principles and practice of personal revelation and addresses the sincere desire of many Latter-day Saints to have the influence of the Holy Ghost more abundantly in their lives.
Drawing on gospel truths and his personal experiences as a cardiologist—including an extended metaphor on the delicate art of listening through a stethoscope—Elder Renlund explains how personal revelation works. Like learning to use a stethoscope, learning to recognize the Spirit requires effort and practice. The spiritual skill must be developed over a lifetime, but the effort brings great blessings.
My Next Breath: A Memoir by Jeremy Renner
Two-time Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner was the second most googled person in 2023… and not for his impressive filmography. His searing portrayals on film ranged from an Iraq-based army bomb technician in The Hurt Locker and a Boston bank robber in The Town to a crooked Camden mayor in American Hustle before he became heir to the Jason Bourne franchise (The Bourne Legacy). Amongst other iconic roles, he also captured hearts as fan-favorite comic book marksman Hawkeye in seven Marvel films.
Yet, his otherworldly success on-screen faded to the periphery when a fourteen-thousand-pound snowplow crushed him on New Year’s Day 2023. Somehow able to keep breathing for more than half an hour, he was subsequently rushed to the ICU, after which he would face multiple surgeries and months of painful rehabilitation.
In this debut memoir, Jeremy writes in blistering detail about his accident and the aftermath. This retelling is not merely a gruesome account of what happened to him; it’s a call to action and a forged companionship between reader and author as Jeremy recounts his recovery journey and reflects on the impact of his suffering. Ultimately, Jeremy’s memoir is a testament to the human spirit and its capacity to endure, evolve, and find purpose in the face of unimaginable adversity. His writing captures the essence of profound transformation, exploring the delicate interplay between vulnerability and strength, despair and hope, redemption and renewal.
The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz: A Story of Survival by Anne Sebba
In 1943, German SS officers in charge of Auschwitz-Birkenau ordered that an orchestra be formed among the female prisoners. Almost fifty women and girls from eleven nations were drafted into a band that would play in all weathers marching music to other inmates, forced laborers who left each morning and returned, exhausted and often broken, at the end of the day. While still living amid the harshest of circumstances, with little more than a bowl of soup to eat, they were also made to give weekly concerts for Nazi officers, and individual members were sometimes summoned to give solo performances. For almost all of the musicians chosen to take part, being in the orchestra saved their lives. But at what cost?
What role could music play in a death camp? What was the effect on those women who owed their survival to their participation in a Nazi propaganda project? And how did it feel to be forced to provide solace to the perpetrators of a genocide that claimed the lives of their family and friends? In The Women’s Orchestra of Auschwitz, award-winning historian Anne Sebba traces these tangled questions of deep moral complexity with sensitivity and care.
From Alma Rosé, the orchestra’s main conductor, niece of Gustav Mahler and a formidable pre-war celebrity violinist, to Anita Lasker-Wallfisch, its teenage cellist and last surviving member, Sebba draws on meticulous archival research and exclusive first-hand accounts to tell the full and astonishing story of the orchestra, its members, and the response of other prisoners for the first time.
Lore Olympus: Volume Eight by Rachel Smythe
“You have no authority here.”
Revelations rock Olympus as Persephone’s trial ends, threatening to throw the gods into a new war.
Though Persephone and Hades become closer than ever after she opens up to him about all she has endured, their peace is shattered when another truth is revealed: Apollo is Zeus’s son. The announcement shocks the pantheon, and the king of the gods realizes that the would-be usurper wants Persephone’s power to take the throne.
Zeus banishes Persephone to the Mortal Realm and, out of fear, cuts it off entirely from the rest of the gods. This decree succeeds in undercutting Apollo’s plan, but also inadvertently begins a decade-long divine cold war when Hades strikes back by shuttering the Underworld. With the gods scattered and weakened, Kronos uses the ensuing bedlam to finally escape his imprisonment and begin staging his own coup.
Persephone has only one choice when she discovers all the realms on the verge of collapse: Descend into the Underworld to try to defeat the power-hungry Titan, claim her rightful place as queen, and reunite with her one true love.
1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History by Andrew Ross Sorkin
In 1929, the world watched in shock as the unstoppable Wall Street bull market went into a freefall, wiping out fortunes and igniting a depression that would reshape a generation. But behind the flashing ticker tapes and panicked traders, another drama unfolded—one of visionaries and fraudsters, titans and dreamers, euphoria and ruin.
With unparalleled access to historical records and newly uncovered documents, New York Times bestselling author Andrew Ross Sorkin takes readers inside the chaos of the crash, behind the scenes of a raging battle between Wall Street and Washington and the larger-than-life characters whose ambition and naivete in an endless boom led to disaster. The dizzying highs and brutal lows of this era eerily mirror today’s world—where markets soar, political tensions mount, and the fight over financial influence plays out once again.
This is not just a story about money. 1929 is a tale of power, psychology, and the seductive illusion that “this time is different.” It’s about disregarded alarm bells, financiers who fell from grace, and skeptics who saw the crash coming—only to be dismissed until it was too late.
Hailed as a landmark book, Too Big to Fail reimagined how financial crises are told. Now, with 1929, Sorkin delivers an immersive, electrifying account of the most pivotal market collapse of all time—with lessons that remain as urgent as ever. More than just a history, 1929 is a crucial blueprint for understanding the cycles of speculation, the forces that drive financial upheaval, and the warning signs we ignore at our peril.
The Boys in the Light:
An Extraordinary World War II Story of Survival, Faith, and Brotherhood
by Nina Willner
An epic true story of the triumph of good over evil.
The soldiers of D Company could not believe their eyes as they came face-to-face with the human cost of Hitler’s evil: two teenage boys—survivors of Auschwitz and Buchenwald—who had escaped.
The Boys in the Light follows the parallel journeys of Company D and Eddie Willner, the author’s father, as they are caught up on two sides of World War II.
At sixteen, Eddie Willner was among the millions of European Jews rounded up by Hitler’s Nazis. He was forced into slave labor alongside his father and his best friend, Mike, and spent the next three years of his life surviving the death camps, including Auschwitz. Meanwhile, in the United States, boys only a few years older than Eddie were joining the army and heading toward their own precarious futures. Once farmers, factory workers, and coal miners, they were suddenly untested soldiers, thrust into the brutal conflicts of WWII.
A company of 3rd Armored Division tankers, led by 23-year-old Elmer Hovland, quickly became battle-hardened and weary, constantly questioning whether the war was worth it. They got their answer when two emaciated boys stepped out of the woods with their tattooed arms raised.
The Boys in the Light is a testament to survival against all odds, the strength of the bonds forged during war and the resilience of the human spirit. This extraordinary true story is a must-read for fans of Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand, The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown, and Erik Larson’s The Splendid and the Vile.
Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Dragons by Michael Witwer
Unleash the ultimate draconic compendium with Dungeons & Dragons: The Book of Dragons! Delve into the awe-inspiring world of dragons, lavishly illustrated with newly commissioned artworks and penned from the perspectives of Tiamat and Bahamut, the mighty dragon gods themselves. Decades of complex lore are meticulously condensed into detailed summaries, making this a must-own volume for every Dungeons & Dragons fan.
No book has ever been written from the perspectives of Tiamat and Bahamut, making this a fresh and compelling addition to the Dungeons & Dragons lore. Accessible but authoritative, The Book of Dragons is perfect for fans and players from all backgrounds. Complete with a textured cover that mimics the feel of dragon scales, this definitive guide unveils the rich lore, diverse types, and legendary characters of the dragon realm. Essential for every D&D fan, it offers unparalleled insights into these iconic creatures that for decades have been the heart and soul of the game. Elevate your campaigns and deepen your knowledge as you discover why The Book of Dragons is a must-have for every adventurer’s collection.
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