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The starving saints : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months. Food is running low and there has been no sign of rescue. But just as the survivors consider deliberately thinning their number, the castle stores are replenished. The sick are healed. And the divine figures of the Constant Lady and her Saints have arrived, despite the barricaded gates, offering succor in return for adoration. Soon, the entire castle is under the sway of their saviors, partaking in intoxicating feasts of terrible origin. The war hero Ser Voyne gives her allegiance to the Constant Lady. Phosyne, a disorganized, paranoid nun-turned-sorceress, races to unravel the mystery of these new visitors and exonerate her experiments as their source. And in the bowels of the castle, a serving girl, Treila, is torn between her thirst for a secret vengeance against Voyne and the desperate need to escape from the horrors that are unfolding within Aymar’s walls. As the castle descends into bacchanalian madness--forgetting the massed army beyond its walls in favor of hedonistic ecstasy--these three women are the only ones to still see their situation for what it is. But they are not immune from the temptations of the castle’s new masters... or each other; and their shifting alliances and entangled pasts bring violence to the surface. To save the castle, and themselves, will take a reimagining of who they are, and a reorganization of the very world itself. 6/30
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Sta
The lilac people : a novel
Author(s):
Description:
"In 1932 Berlin, Bertie, a trans man, and his friends spend carefree nights at the Eldorado Club, the epicenter of Berlin's thriving queer community. An employee of the renowned Dr. Magnus Hirschfeld at the Institute of Sexual Science, Bertie works to improve queer rights in Germany and beyond, but everything changes when Hitler rises to power. The institute is raided, the Eldorado is shuttered, and queer people are rounded up. Bertie barely escapes with his girlfriend, Sofie, to a nearby farm. There they take on the identities of an elderly couple and live for more than a decade in isolation. In the final days of the war, with their freedom in sight, Bertie and Sofie find a young trans man collapsed on their property, still dressed in Holocaust prison clothes. They vow to protect him--not from the Nazis, but from the Allied forces who are arresting queer prisoners while liberating the rest of the country. Ironically, as the Allies' vise grip closes on Bertie and his family, their only salvation becomes fleeing to the United States" 6/30
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Tod
The unlikely pursuit of Mary Bennet
Author(s):
Description:
When Mr. Collins dies after just four years of marriage, Charlotte is lost. While not exactly heartbroken, she will soon have to quit the parsonage that has become her home. In desperate need of support, she writes to her best friend, Lizzie. Unable to leave Pemberley, Lizzie sends her sister Mary Bennet in her stead. To Charlotte's surprise, Mary Bennet is nothing like she remembers. Mary's discovery of academia and her interest in botany (as well as getting out from under her mother's thumb) have caused her to flourish. Before long, Charlotte is enraptured, and with each stolen glance and whispered secret, their friendship quickly blossoms into something achingly real. But when her time at the parsonage begins to dwindle and a potential suitor appears, Charlotte must make a choice--the safety and security of another husband, or a passionate life with Mary outside the confines of the ton's expectations. 6/30
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC McL
Brighter than scale, swifter than flame
Author(s):
Description:
"The masked guildknight--Yeva--was thirteen when she killed her first dragon. With her gift revealed, she was shipped away to the imperial capital to train in the rare art of dragon-slaying. Now a legendary dragon hunter, she has never truly felt at home--nor removed her armor in public--since that fateful day all those years ago. Yeva must now go to Quanbao, a fiercely independent and reclusive kingdom. It is rumored that there, dragons are not feared as is right and proper, but instead loved and worshipped. It is rumored that there, they harbor a dragon behind their borders. While Yeva searches for the dreaded beast, she is welcomed into the palace by Quanbao's monarch, Lady Sookhee. Though wary of each other, Yeva is shocked to find herself slowly opening up to the beautiful, mysterious queen. As they grow closer, Yeva longs to let Lady Sookhee see the person behind the armor, but she knows she must fulfill her purpose and slay the dragon. Ultimately, she must decide who--or what--she is willing to betray: her own heart, or the sacred duty that she has called home for so long" 6/30
Format:
Book
Call Number:
FIC Yan
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