Staff Picks

 

Publisher's description:

It's been a minute--or five years--since Jordan Vargas last saw his college friends, and twenty-eight years since their graduation when their adult lives officially began. Now Jordan, Jordy, Naomi, Craig, and Marielle find themselves at the brink of a new decade, with all the responsibilities of adulthood, yet no closer to having their lives figured out. Though not for a lack of trying. Over the years they've reunited in Big Sur to honor a decades-old pact to throw each other living "funerals," celebrations to remind themselves that life is worth living--that their lives mean something, to one another if not to themselves. But this reunion is different. They're not gathered as they were to bolster Marielle as her marriage crumbled, to lift Naomi after her parents died, or to intervene when Craig pleaded guilty to art fraud. This time, Jordan is sitting on a secret that will upend their pact. A deeply honest tribute to the growing pains of selfhood and the people who keep us going, coupled with Steven Rowley's signature humor and heart, The Celebrants is a moving tale about the false invincibility of youth and the beautiful ways in which friendship helps us celebrate our lives, even amid the deepest challenges of living.

 

This beautiful and illuminating memoir from Japanese Breakfast lead singer Michelle Zauner will break your heart and put it back together again. Zauner writes of growing up Korean American and of the tragic loss of her immigrant mother to cancer. She provides the reader with vivid descriptions of food and hauntingly sad portrayals of her time reconnecting with her mom during her battle with cancer. Gosh, this was so good. So beautiful and heartbreaking. I was literally sobbing at one point while reading it. Read this book if you are interested in a lyrical and gorgeous memoir about mother/daughter relationships, growing up biracial in America, and being the daughter of an immigrant. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend it to everyone.

 

Publisher's description:

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist of Japanese Breakfast fame. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian-American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the east coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her.

 

Find Crying in H Mart in our online catalog.

This story is a disturbing yet powerful exploration of trauma, imagination, and the limits of conformity. While the book's cute cover belies its dark and uncomfortable content, Murata masterfully weaves elements of magical realism to create a haunting story that lingers on the mind.

 

Publisher's description:

As a child, Natsuki doesn't fit into her family. Her parents favor her sister, and her best friend is a plush toy hedgehog named Piyyut who has explained to her that he has come from the planet Popinpobopia on a special quest to help her save the Earth. Each summer, Natsuki counts down the days until her family drives into the mountains of Nagano to visit her grandparents in their wooden house in the forest. One summer, her cousin Yuu confides to Natsuki that he is an extraterrestrial, and Natsuki starts to wonder if she might be an alien too. Later, as a married woman, Natsuki feels forced to fit in to a society she deems a "baby factory" but wonders if there is more to the world than the mundane reality everyone else seems to accept. The answers are out there, and Natsuki has the power to find them.

 

Mother figures are enigmatic and our relationships with them are never straight-forward. This is almost written in a train-of-consiousness style that remains easy and engaging to read. We look into the brains of different characters to view the memories they had of their mother. None of the characters, not even Mom, are perfect, which makes them and their sacrifices come alive. The ending leaves the reader in a state of a satisfying lack of closure that is so well-written and lyrical that it lifts the characters off the page and breathes life into them. All in all, this book is really worth it and proves the powers of taking creative choices in literature.

- Natasha, ninth-grade teen volunteer

 

Publisher's description:

Follows the efforts of a family to find the mother who went missing from Seoul Station and their sobering realizations when they recall memories that suggest she may not have been happy.

 

This memoir made me laugh out loud and tear up, too. There were so many things I didn't know about Beth Moore, from the challenges she faced as an Evangelical woman in ministry to the hardships she and her husband face together. If you enjoy religious memoirs, you will definitely enjoy this one!

 

Publisher's description:

Author, speaker, visionary, and founder of Living Proof Ministries Beth Moore has devoted her whole life to helping women across the globe come to know the transforming power of Jesus. An established writer of many acclaimed books and Bible studies for women on spiritual growth and personal development, Beth now unveils her own story in a much-anticipated debut memoir. All My Knotted-Up Life includes...an exploration of Beth's childhood, love, marriage, and motherhood; insights on what it was like when she was 'waist-deep in a season of loss;' a discussion of her 2018 break with the Southern Baptist movement; and details on the origins of Living Proof Ministries. All My Knotted-Up Life is told with surprising candor about some of the personal heartbreaks and behind-the-scenes challenges that have marked Beth's life. But beyond that, it's a beautifully crafted portrait of resilience and survival, a poignant reminder of God's enduring faithfulness, and proof positive that if we ever truly took the time to hear people's full stories … we'd all walk around slack-jawed.

 

Only in Boulder can you find such interesting subjects for photos. Jacot has really captured the spirit of Boulder. Join in the fun and see how many photos you recognize--maybe that's your wish that your dogs could talk, or your pink flamingoed yard. And nothing says "Boulder" more than the "Free Range Children" sign. Take a few minutes to enjoy the joy that is our city.

 

Publisher's description: 

Take a walk through the City of Boulder with photographer Karen Jacot. Whether you’re a first time visitor or a longtime local, you’ll discover things that surprise and delight you. Jacot’s eye for the “extra” in the everyday ordinary tells the story of Boulderites’ lives and the ways in which we’re all connected through streets and strides.

 

Canadian writer Oza, winner of numerous prizes for her short fiction, debuts with the sweeping saga of an Indian family's migrations in Africa, Europe, and North America. Told from the multiple perspectives of a large cast, this is recommended for readers who enjoyed Yaa Gyasi's epic, Homegoing.

 

Publisher's description:

In 1898, Pirbhai, a teenage boy looking for work, is taken from his village in India to labor for the British on the East African Railway. Far from home, Pirbhai commits a brutal act in the name of survival that will haunt him and his family for years to come. So begins Janika Oza's masterful, richly told epic, where the embers of this desperate act are fanned into flame over four generations, four continents, throughout the twentieth century. Pirbhai's children are born in Uganda during the waning days of British colonial rule, and as the country moves toward independence, his granddaughters, three sisters, come of age in a divided nation. Latika is an aspiring journalist, who will put everything on the line for what she believes in; Mayuri's ambitions will take her farther away from home than she ever imagined; and fearless Kiya will have to carry the weight of her family's silence and secrets. In 1972, the entire family is forced to flee under Idi Amin's military dictatorship. Pirbhai's grandchildren are now scattered across the world, struggling to find their way back to each other. One day a letter arrives with news that makes each generation question how far they are willing to go, and who they are willing to defy, to secure their own place in the world. A History of Burning is an unforgettable tour de force, an intimate family saga of complicity and resistance, about the stories we share, the ones that remain unspoken, and the eternal search for home.

 

I found A Tale for the Time Being through unusual circumstances, much like Ruth finds Noa's diary on the Pacific Northwest shore; so cool. The quantum storyline, vivid ecological setting and playful incorporation of Zen creates a shimmering matrix through which these endearing characters gleam.

 

Publisher's description:

In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there's only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates' bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who's lived more than a century. A diary is Nao's only solace--and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine.

 

In fewer than 150 pages, Chokshi weaves a story of love and magic using minor characters from other fairy tales as her protagonists. I was swept up in the story, their circumstances, and their choices. Thoroughly entertaining and surprisingly thought-provoking!

 

Publisher's description: A fairy tale prince and princess get a second chance at getting what they truly desire as they embark on an enchanted road trip and encounter a delightful cast of magical characters. Imelda and Ambrose have forgotten why they got together in the first place. After a whirlwind courtship and a fairy-tale wedding, they embark on life together as royalty of Loves Keep. But when Imelda is in trouble, Ambrose sacrifices their love to save her life, little knowing that the loss of their love will jeopardize the entire kingdom

 

And There Was Light by Jacques Lusseyran is an incredible memoir that tells the story of a remarkable man who overcame immense challenges to become a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations to come. The book chronicles Lusseyran's life from his early childhood to his time as a resistance fighter during World War II. Despite losing his sight at a young age, Lusseyran never let his disability hold him back. In fact, he saw his blindness as a gift, a way of seeing the world in a different and more profound way.
What I love about this book is Lusseyran's writing style. His prose is simple and direct, yet it has a poetic quality that makes the book a joy to read. He writes about his experiences with such vividness and detail that you can't help but be drawn into his world.
And There Was Light is also a book about resilience, courage, and the power of the human spirit. Lusseyran faced numerous obstacles in his life, from the loss of his sight to the horrors of war. Yet, through it all, he remained optimistic and hopeful, believing that the world was fundamentally good and that he had a role to play in making it a better place. Overall, I would highly recommend And There Was Light to anyone looking for a powerful and inspiring memoir. It's a book that will leave you feeling uplifted and inspired, and one that you'll want to share with others.

- Bella, eighth-grade teen volunteer

Publisher's description:

Autobiography addressing the author's childhood experience of inner spiritual vision after becoming blind as a boy, his forming a boys' resistance group in occupied Paris at age seventeen (which later merged with Défense de la France), and his imprisonment in the Buchenwald concentration camp--

 

Find And There Was Light in our online catalog.