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Awakened : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
"On a morning much like any other, 30-something queer Brooklynite Wilder makes the miraculous discovery: suddenly, as if by magic, they can understand every language in the world. Dazed and disconnected, Wilder is found and taken in by a small coven of trans witches who have all become Awakened with mystical powers of their own. Quibble, a handsome portal traveler, Artemis, the group's caretaker and seer, and Mary Margaret, a smart-ass teen with telekinetic powers all work to make the cagey and suspicious Wilder feel comfortable, both within their group and with the knowledge that magic is, in fact, real. Just as Wilder is finding their footing, a malicious AI threatens to dismantle the delicate balance of the coven and the world as they know it. Newly assembled and tenuously bound, the group scrambles to stay united as they parse the difference between difficult and dangerous, asking themselves continuously: is any consciousness--be it artificial, material, or magical--too dangerous to exist?" 6/16
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Osw
Pioneer summer
Author(s):
Silʹvanova, Katerina,
Fisher, Anne O.,
Description:
"The year is 1986, and Yurka Konev, 16, has been sent off for another summer at Pioneer Camp. Impulsive, forthright, and unfairly branded as a troublemaker, he anticipates the weeks ahead of him with boredom and dread. But when he's pushed into working on the camp's theater production, he meets serious, thoughtful troop leader Volodya. Yurka finds himself drawn to the slightly older boy, and, surprisingly, Volodya seems to like him, too. The two boys grow closer and closer, and though both fear the consequences of their illegal attraction, its gravity pulls them together. Now, 20 years later, Yury returns to the abandoned camp to reminisce on the relationship that changed his life forever--and discovers that not all history is destined to remain in the past" 6/16
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Sil
Isabella Nagg and the pot of basil : a novel
Author(s):
Darkshire, Oliver
Grunnet, Sophie,
Description:
"On a tiny farm on the edge of the miserable village of East Grasby, Isabella Nagg is trying to get on with her tiny, miserable existence. Dividing her time between tolerating her feckless husband, caring for the farm's strange animals, cooking up "scrunge," and crooning over her treasured pot of basil, Isabella can't help but think that there might be something more to life. When Mr. Nagg returns home with a spell book purloined from the local wizard, she thinks: what harm could a little magic do? This novel reimagines a heroine of Boccaccio’s Decameron in a delightfully deranged world of talking plants, walking corpses, sentient animals, and shape-shifting sorcerers. As Isabella and her grouchy, cat-like companion set off to save the village from an entrepreneurial villain running a goblin-fruit Ponzi scheme, Darkshire’s tale revels in the ancient books and arcane folklore of a new and original kind of enchantment" 6/16
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Dar
My best friend's honeymoon
Author(s):
Description:
"Elsie Hoffman has been engaged to her college boyfriend for a year and a half. Ginny Holtz has been in love with Elsie for almost a decade and a half. When Elsie discovers her fiancé already planned their wedding and honeymoon as a surprise and she's expected to be in a white dress in seven days, she swiftly realizes she's let herself become too comfortable with a future she never wanted. She breaks things off, and a week later is on a plane to the Caribbean for her non-refundable honeymoon with her best friend Ginny instead. Ginny thinks it's high time Elise learned how to speak up for herself. So, they make a deal with her. For the next week, Elsie can have whatever she wants, wherever, however, and whenever she wants it, as long as she asks. They never expected Elsie to want them. What starts as choosing activities and taking selfies soon turns to toe-curling kisses and much, much more. But what happens when the honeymoon is over?" 6/16
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Wil
Gold Coast dilemma
Author(s):
Description:
"During an opulent publishing party, Ofosua Addo crosses paths with Cole Drake for the first time. Their flirtatiously witty exchange culminates in a kiss that etches a permanent mark on both their hearts. But Ofosua's identity as a Ghanaian heiress comes before Cole. She loves the vibrant traditions of Ghana's Gold Coast, and her hand is already promised to a man that even her overbearing mother loves. Yet, when her big Ghanaian wedding transforms from a fairy tale into a spectacle, she's thrust into a whirlwind of heartbreak and self-discovery. In the midst of it all, Cole enters her life once again, under circumstances far different from their magical first encounter. Can Ofosua and Cole's rediscovered spark overcome the weight of tradition?" 6/9
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Mal
That's what she said : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
Serena and Beth are best friends who couldn’t be more different--Beth is an avowed demisexual, who lacks confidence in her career and in her chances at a happy relationship due to her sexual orientation. Serena is a free spirit who oozes with confidence, both in her job and her sexual proclivities. And yet, since the moment they met, they knew they were platonic soulmates. So, when Beth decides that she officially wants to take charge of her sex life and explore the things that scare her the most, Serena is more than happy to help. Speed-dating, sex therapy, tantra, a perplexed but ultimately very nice escort--it’s all on Beth’s Sexual Odyssey List. But when Beth’s crush from her old job comes back and Serena’s favorite friend-with-benefits pushes for more than just sex, it throws their whole world into a tailspin. And suddenly, this sexual odyssey is more than a fun gag. It’ll set them down a course that’ll make them so much closer--or end their friendship for good. 6/9
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Pil
Open, heaven
Author(s):
Description:
Set in a remote village in the north of England, Open, Heaven unfolds over the course of one year in which two teenage boys meet and transform each other’s lives. James--a sheltered, shy sixteen-year-old--is alone in his newly discovered sexuality, full of an unruly desire but entirely inexperienced. As he is beginning to understand himself and his longings, he also realizes how his feelings threaten to separate him from his family and the rural community he has grown up in. He dreams of another life, fantasizing about what lies beyond the village’s leaf-ribboned boundaries, beyond his reach: autonomy, tenderness, sex. Then, in the autumn of 2002, he meets Luke, a slightly older boy, handsome, unkempt, who comes with a reputation for danger. Abandoned by his parents--his father imprisoned, and his mother having moved to France for another man--Luke has been sent to live with his aunt and uncle on their farm just outside the village. James is immediately drawn to him 'like the pull a fire makes on the air, dragging things into it and blazing them into its hot, white centre,' drawn to this boy who is beautiful and impulsive, charismatic, troubled. But underneath Luke’s bravado is a deep wound--a longing for the love of his father and for the stability of family life. 6/2
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Hew
Captain America. Vol. 1, Stand
Author(s):
Straczynski, J. Michael, 1954-
Brabo, Belardino,
Description:
"Decades ago, Steve Rogers changed the world forever. Now, powerful and insidious forces are assembling to ensure he never does it again. Past, present and future collide as the Sentinel of Liberty reckons with an existential threat determined to set the world on a darker path--at any cost! So the last thing Steve needs is for Spider-Man to crash date night seeking help foiling the Sinister Six's latest plot! Meanwhile, more and more of Captain America's former enemies are being recruited by a mysterious entity--one seemingly connected to a foe Steve faced long before he picked up the shield. And when Misty Knight uncovers a string of murders with seemingly supernatural origins, something strikes Cap as familiar" 6/2
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Str
Zeal : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
Harlem, 2019: Ardelia and Oliver are hosting their engagement party. As the guests get ready to leave, he hands her a love letter on a yellowing, crumbling piece of paper... Natchez, 1865: Discharged from the Union Army as a free man after the war's end, Harrison returns to Mississippi to reunite with the woman he loves, Tirzah. Upon his arrival at the Freedmen's Bureau, though, he catches the eye of a woman working there, who's determined to thwart his efforts to find his beloved. After tragedy strikes, Harrison resigns himself to a life with her. Meanwhile in Louisiana, the newly free Tirzah is teaching at the Freedmen's School, and discovers an advertisement in the local paper looking for her. Though she knows Harrison must have placed it, and longs to find him, the risks of fleeing are too great, and Tirzah chooses the life of seeming security right in front of her. Spanning over a hundred and fifty years, Morgan Jerkins's novel intertwines the stories of these star-crossed lovers and their descendants. As Tirzah's family moves across the country during the Great Migration, they challenge authority with devastating consequences, while of the legacy of heartbreak and loss continues on in the lives of Harrison's progeny. When Ardelia meets Oliver, she finds his family's history is as full of secrets and omissions as her own. Could their connection be a cosmic reconciliation satisfying the unfulfilled desires of their ancestors, or will the weight of the past, present and future tear them apart? 6/2
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Jer
The colony
Author(s):
Norlin, Annika, 1977-
Olsson, Alice E.,
Description:
"Burnt-out from a demanding job and a bustling life in the city, Emelie has left town to spend a few days in the country. Once there, in the peaceful, verdant hills, down by the river she encounters a mysterious group of seven people, each with personal stories full of pain, alienation, and the longing to live differently. They are misfits, each in their own way, and all led by the enigmatic and charismatic Sara. How did they end up there? Are they content with the rigid roles they've been assigned? And what happens when an outsider appears and is initially drawn to their alternative lifestyle but cannot help but stir things up?" 6/2
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Nor
Eat the ones you love
Author(s):
Description:
"During a grocery run to her local shopping center, Shell Pine sees a 'HELP NEEDED' sign in a flower shop window. She's just left her fiancé, lost her job, and moved home to her parents' house. She has to make a change and bring some good into her life, so she goes inside and takes a chance. Shell realizes right away that flowers are just the good thing she's been looking for, as is Neve, the beautiful florist who wrote the sign asking for help. The thing is, Neve needs help more than Shell could possibly imagine. An orchid growing out of sight in the heart of the mall is watching them closely. His name is Baby, and the beautiful florist belongs to him. He's young, he's hungry, and he'll do just about anything to make sure he can keep growing big and strong. Nothing he eats -- nobody he eats -- can satisfy him, except the thing he most desires. Neve. He adores her and wants to consume her, and will stop at nothing to eat the one he loves" 5/19
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Gri
You must take part in revolution
Author(s):
Description:
"It is 2035. The US and China are at war. America is a proto-fascist state. Taiwan is divided into two. As conflict escalates between nuclear powers, three idealistic youths who first met in Hong Kong develop diverging beliefs about how best to navigate this techno-authoritarian landscape. Andy, Maggie, and Olivia travel different paths toward transformative change, each confronting to what extent they will fight for freedom, and who they will become in doing so" 5/19
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Bad
Free from falling
Author(s):
Description:
"Justin 'Matts' Matthews is good at a lot of things: Rubik's Cubes, playing guitar, herding cattle, and most importantly for his career in the NHL, hockey. He's not good at human interactions or social cues, especially when it comes to women. This deficiency is an annoyance rather than a problem, right up until he meets Sydney Warren. If it's not love at first sight, it's sure something close. Sydney Warren, frontwoman for up-and-coming rock band Red Right Hand, is fierce, driven, and she doesn't do relationships. Being an out trans woman in the music industry is more than enough pressure--a romantic entanglement would be added stress she doesn't need. A romantic entanglement with a professional hockey player who, to all accounts, is only just learning to be an ally is definitely not what she needs. And yet. After a chance encounter, Matts and Sydney become unlikely friends. However, in the stolen moments of their busy schedules---late-night phone calls between NHL games and concert tour dates--they start to question if maybe 'friendship' isn't so apt a description for whatever this is between them. But can they overcome the outside pressures from family and media that would rather their relationship end before it has a chance to start?" 5/19
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Mas
When the wolf comes home
Author(s):
Description:
"One night, Jess, a struggling actress, finds a five-year-old runaway hiding in the bushes outside her apartment. After a violent, bloody encounter with the boy's father, she and the boy find themselves running for their lives. As they attempt to evade the boy's increasingly desperate father, horrifying incidents of butchery follow them. At first Jess thinks she understands what they're up against, but she's about to learn that there's more to these surreal and grisly events than she could've ever imagined. And that when the wolf finally comes home, no one will be spared" 5/19
Format:
Large Print
Call Number:
FIC Cas
Mutual interest : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
"At the turn of the 20th century, Vivian Lesperance is determined to flee her hometown of Utica, New York, and live a life worthy of the society pages she writes for. When she meets Oscar Schmidt, a queer middle manager at a soap company, Vivian finds a partner she can guide to build the life she wants--not least because Oscar will leave Vivian to tend to her own romances with women. But Vivian's plans require capital, so they approach Oscar's old-money rival, Squire Clancey. Together they found Clancey & Schmidt, a preeminent manufacturer of soap, perfume, and candles. When Oscar and Squire fall in love, the trio form a new kind of partnership. Vivian reaches the pinnacle of her power building Clancey & Schmidt into an empire of personal care products while operating behind the image of both men. But exposure threatens, and all three partners are made aware of how much they have to lose" 5/12
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Wol
Rose of Jericho
Author(s):
Description:
"Something wicked is going on in the village of Ascension. A mother wasting away from cancer is suddenly up and about. A boy trampled by a milk cart walks away from the accident. A hanged man can still speak, broken neck and all. The dead are not dying. When Rabbit and Sadie Grace accompany their friend Rose to Ascension to help take care of her ailing cousin, they immediately notice that their new house, Bethany Hall, is occupied by dozens of ghosts. And something is waiting for them in the attic. The villagers of Ascension are unwelcoming and wary of their weird visitors. As the three women attempt to find out what's happening in the town, they must be careful not to be found out. But a much larger--and more dangerous--force is galloping straight for them" 5/12
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Gre
Mỹ documents : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
"Ursula, Alvin, Jen, and Duncan grew up as cousins in the sprawling Nguyen family, but the truth about their family is much more complicated. As young adults, they're on the precipice of new ventures--Ursula as a budding journalist in Manhattan, Alvin as an engineering intern for Google, Jen as a naive freshman at NYU, and Duncan as a promising newcomer on his high school football team. Their lives are upended when a series of violent, senseless attacks across America create a national panic, prompting a government policy forcing Vietnamese Americans into internment camps. Jen and Duncan are sent with their mother to Camp Tacoma while Ursula and Alvin receive exemptions. Cut off entirely from the outside world, Jen and Duncan try to withstand long dusty days in camp, forced to work jobs they hate and acclimate to life without the internet. That is until Jen discovers a way to get messages to the outside. Her first instinct is to reach out to Ursula, who sees this as an opportunity to tell the world about the horrors of detention--and bolster her own reporting career in the process. Informed by real-life events from Japanese incarceration, the Vietnam War, and modern-day immigrant detention, Kevin Nguyen gives us a version of reality only a few degrees away from our own--much too close for comfort. Moving and finely attuned to both the brutalities and mundanities of racism in America, Mỹ Documents is a strangely funny and touching portrait of American ambition, fear, and family" 5/12
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Ngu
The hymn to Dionysus : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
"Raised in a Greek legion, Phaidros has been taught to follow his commander's orders at all costs. But when Phaidros rescues a baby from a fire at Thebes's palace, his commander's orders cease to make sense: Phaidros is forced to abandon the blue-eyed boy at a temple, and to keep the baby's existence a total secret. Years later, struggling with panic attacks and flashbacks, Phaidros is enlisted by the Queen to find her son, Thebes' young crown prince, who has vanished to escape an arranged marriage. The search leads him to a blue-eyed witch named Dionysus, whose guidance is as wise as the events that surround him are strange. In Dionysus's company, Phaidros witnesses sudden outbursts of riots and unrest, and everywhere Dionysus goes, rumors follow about a new god, one sired by Zeus but lost in a fire" 5/12
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Pul