It's the Unofficial Start of Summer

We hope that you had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend and were able to take a little time to enjoy the weather and start a new book. We have many people coming into the store to look for great vacation reads this time of year and we love helping them find the perfect book. Sometimes the book takes place where they are headed but often it is the book that transports them somewhere new. We hope that you find the newsletter is a good place to start in choosing your next exciting book.

To help you shop, we have extended our hours on Sundays to 11-5.

Need help by phone? Give us a call at (484) 580-6978 or order online.

New Fiction

Flight attendant turned New York Times bestselling author T. J. Newman returns with an edge-of-your-seat thriller about a commercial jetliner that crashes into the ocean and sinks to the bottom with passengers trapped inside—and the extraordinary rescue operation to save them.

“The first terrific thriller of 2023.” —James Patterson

This killer will get inside your head. Brilliant rogue police investigator Harry Hole is back, this time as an outsider assembling his own team to help find a serial killer who is murdering young women in Oslo.

"One of today's most interesting thriller writers."

—Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series

Years ago, a reclusive mega-bestselling children’s author quit writing under mysterious circumstances. Suddenly he resurfaces with a brand-new book and a one-of-a-kind competition, offering a prize that will change the winner’s life.

“Clever and hopeful . . . a love letter to reading and the power that childhood stories have over us long after we've grown up.”

—V. E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

“Good Night, Irene is a beautiful, heartfelt novel that celebrates the intense power and durability of female friendship while shining a light on one of the fascinating lost women’s stories of World War II. Inspired by his own family history—and his mother’s heroism as a Red Cross volunteer during the war—Luis Urrea has created an indelible portrait of women’s courage under extreme adversity. Powerful, uplifting, and deeply personal, Good Night, Irene is a story of survival, camaraderie, and courage on the front line.”

—Kristin Hannah, author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds

"In this spellbinding debut novel, two estranged half-sisters tasked with guarding their family’s library of magical books must work together to unravel a deadly secret at the heart of their collection—a tale of familial loyalty and betrayal, and the pursuit of magic and power.

"Exceptional . . . This suspenseful dark fantasy, full of family drama, is perfect for readers of Leigh Bardugo’s Ninth House, Holly Black’s Book of Night, and Peng Shepherd’s The Cartographers."

— Booklist (starred review)

This extraordinary Strega Prize-winning novel confirms Domenico Starnone's reputation as one of Italy's greatest living writers. Told against the backdrop of Naples in the 1960s, a city that itself becomes a vivid character in this lush, atmospheric novel, The House on Via Gemito is a masterpiece of Italian fiction, one that is steeped in Neapolitan lore.

From the author of Murderbot, “A wildly original and complex fantasy exploring how revolutions are won through trust, and destroyed through selfishness. Wells excels at brooding, powerful inhuman protagonists who just need a little kindness to be their badass best.”

—N. K. Jemisin

"[A] spine-tingling suspense…Manipulating the sense of menace like a virtuoso violinist, Abbott expertly foreshadows the wrenching family secrets that are exposed in a ferocious finale. Sinewy prose and note-perfecting pacing make this a masterful and provocative deep dive into desire, love, and gender politics. Readers will be left breathless.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"The Celebrants is very much about being alive. It’s marketed as a modern-day The Big Chill, but it’s stirred together with a streak of Gen X independence, a pour of wry humor, some St. Elmo’s Fire feels and a loud reminder to live boldly….It’s a book that will inspire you to gather your friends and revel in the now.” —The Washington Post

New Nonfiction

From the New York Times bestselling author of Life Is in the Transitions comes a bold new road map for finding meaning and purpose in what you do, based on insights drawn from hundreds of life stories of Americans of all backgrounds.“[An] energetic challenge to status quo notions of success . . . [Feiler’s] down-to-earth delivery and emphasis on individual agency will resonate with readers seeking direction. Those at professional crossroads will benefit.”

—Publishers Weekly

"Belkin has turned the stories of three men — Tarlov, DeSalvo and the murder victim, Troy — into a somewhat knotty yet exhilarating, intimate study of fate, chance and the wildly meaningful intersections of disparate lives."

NY Times Book Review

"In the Blood is that wonderful kind of true story that is at times utterly unbelievable. Yet Charles Barber’s deep research and graceful prose turns it into something even greater: a portrait of an unlikely yet perfect friendship, a testament to the marriage of ingenuity and salesmanship, a fierce interrogation of groupthink, and a tribute to the courage of American soldiers and corpsmen. The story is inspiring, yet so many moments left me shaken."

—Jeff Hobbs, The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace

New in Paperback

In this “pure, unadulterated feel-good” and warmhearted novel, an old set of encyclopedias leads a young woman to a curious museum and one profoundly moving lesson: that every life is an extraordinary life (Kirkus).

BookRiot Most Anticipated Beach Reads of 2023

Shondaland Best Books of May

“A sweeping, cinematic story of love and family set against the dramatic backdrop of World War II and the American West…. What makes the novel soar is the way Wiggins can evoke landscapes both interior and exterior, especially the expansive valley that has come to exemplify America’s best qualities—and its worst. This majestic novel will satisfy those thirsting for an epic saga of love, family, and the complexities of the American way.”

—Kirkus *Starred Review*

One of the Best Books of 2022

NPR - Them - Lit Hub - CrimeReads - Book Riot - Chicago Review of Books

"A one-of-a-kind queer horror comedy for people who watch The Bachelor and The X-Files back-to-back."

--Kirkus Reviews

*Cathy Recommends*

"This is a collection of dark and hysterically funny essays. I highly recommend listening to this on our partner Libro.Fm, hearing Sedaris voice makes it that much better!"

“Sedaris’ signature wit has always thrived on the macabre, so perhaps it should come as no surprise that Happy-Go-Lucky is some of his darkest—and most astute—writing yet… No topic is out of bounds for Sedaris’ acerbic humor and sharp observations.”

—Time

Based on newly opened Vatican archives, a groundbreaking book about Pope Pius XII and his actions during World War II, by the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Pope and Mussolini

"Kertzer brings all of his usual detective and narrative skills to [ The Pope at War] . . . the most comprehensive account of the Vatican's relations to the Nazi and fascist regimes before and during the war."

--The Washington Post

“This memoir is about the creation of the bookshop but also about so much more. This is a love letter to the town of Lucignana and the Italian literary scene as well as a meditation on Donati's sometimes difficult relationships with family. Her prose is poetic, even melodic at times, and her insights into both books and readers are delightful.”

—Booklist

Kids' Corner

Judy Blume meets Barbara Dee in this tender and empowering middle grade novel told in journal entries and poetry about a young writer on the verge of becoming a woman whose summer with her estranged father doesn’t turn out the way she’d hoped.

“A child spends the day with their beloved Papa . . . playing violins with him outdoors, and meeting Papa’s friend, Mister Blue, a talented musician who is unhoused. . . . Though Papa offers reassurance, the child protagonist has questions about whether Mister Blue is safe outside.”

— Publishers Weekly

In the spirit of The Velveteen Rabbit and Robert Frost’s poem “Nothing Gold Can Stay,” here is a heartfelt and luminously illustrated story about friendship and eternal love.

"Sweetly nostalgic."

—The New York Times

Celebrate AAPI Month

with this new installment in the Amy Wu picture book series.

Amy learns about Chinese ribbon dancing, she can’t wait to try it out herself in this charming and brightly illustrated book.

From the author of written in the stars, All Are Welcome meets Be Kind in this poignant and accessible picture book about the power every bystander—no matter how small—has to extend kindness and stand up in the face of intolerance.

“A loving and lyrical tale about belonging.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Take a thrilling ride on the Big Red Fire Truck Sturdy cardstock manipulative parts allow children to open the station doors, drive safely through traffic, connect the hose, raise the ladder, shoot foam and water to quench the fire, and pack up before returning to the fire station.

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