Books We Love
Our top three recommendations first...
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER. From the author of The Martian.
A tale of discovery, speculation, and survival. A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science—in development as a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling.
A tale of discovery, speculation, and survival. A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this “propulsive” (Entertainment Weekly), cinematic thriller full of suspense, humor, and fascinating science—in development as a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling.
>"A propulsive adventure." —Entertainment Weekly
>"Brilliantly funny and enjoyable . . . one of the most plausible science fiction books I’ve ever read." —Tim Peake, ESA astronaut and internationally bestselling author of Limitless
>"Reading Project Hail Mary is like going on a field trip to outer space with the best science teacher you’ve ever had—and your class assignment is to save the world. This is one of the most original, compelling, and fun voyages I’ve ever taken." —Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One
>"Brilliantly funny and enjoyable . . . one of the most plausible science fiction books I’ve ever read." —Tim Peake, ESA astronaut and internationally bestselling author of Limitless
>"Reading Project Hail Mary is like going on a field trip to outer space with the best science teacher you’ve ever had—and your class assignment is to save the world. This is one of the most original, compelling, and fun voyages I’ve ever taken." —Ernest Cline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Ready Player One
#2 Seveneves by Neil Stephenson
What would happen if the world were ending?
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a race against the inevitable, nations around the world band together with an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity. In outer space.
A catastrophic event renders the earth a ticking time bomb. In a race against the inevitable, nations around the world band together with an ambitious plan to ensure the survival of humanity. In outer space.
From a New York Times bestselling author - an exciting, thought-provoking Sci Fi epic - a grand story of annihilation & survival spanning five thousand years.
>Included on President Obama's Summer 2016 reading list.
>One of only five books recommended by Bill Gates as "must reads" for Summer 2016.
#3 In the Land of the Feathered Serpent by Richard Brusca
The story of a bright but naïve young biologist, with an outsized libido, who finds himself on a Homeric journey in Latin America during the turbulent 80s. A time when Latin America was struggling to break free from decades of dictatorial rule by despots propped up by the U.S. government. As with Odysseus, Odel’s journey takes place both in the physical terrain and in the landscape of his mind as he travels through the jungles of the rainforest and the high sierras of Guatemala’s Maya realm. Odel is caught up with dirty politics and the CIA, seduced by a dark siren, nearly killed by a Cyclops, and swept into the world of Maya mysticism.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
The world is a recognizable place: A rich Nigerian boy lounges around the pool; a foster kid with religious parents who hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family.
Then a vital new force takes root, with devastating effects. Teen girls now have immense power: They can cause pain and even death. With this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.
>"Electrifying! Shocking! Will knock your socks off! Then you'll think twice, about everything."—Margaret Atwood
>"Alderman has written our era's Handmaid's Tale, and, like Margaret Atwood's classic, The Power is one of those essential feminist works that terrifies and illuminates, enrages and encourages....This book sparks with such electric satire that you should read it wearing insulated gloves."—Ron Charles, Washington Post
#3 In the Land of the Feathered Serpent by Richard Brusca
The story of a bright but naïve young biologist, with an outsized libido, who finds himself on a Homeric journey in Latin America during the turbulent 80s. A time when Latin America was struggling to break free from decades of dictatorial rule by despots propped up by the U.S. government. As with Odysseus, Odel’s journey takes place both in the physical terrain and in the landscape of his mind as he travels through the jungles of the rainforest and the high sierras of Guatemala’s Maya realm. Odel is caught up with dirty politics and the CIA, seduced by a dark siren, nearly killed by a Cyclops, and swept into the world of Maya mysticism.
>Featured novel in the Manhattan Book Review 2020.
>"The U.S.-backed Contras are corrupting Nicaragua, and the Guatemala military is massacring the Maya Indian population. Odel's time there becomes a journey of self-discovery...[With] adventurously sensual temptresses, and a big one-eyed guy out to kill him Brusca is clearly injecting some Homer into the narrative. Add to that, special tea and mushrooms and Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec serpent god..." —Arizona Daily Star/Christine Wald-Hopkins. Book critic (San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, Arizona Daily Star, etc.), essayist, and member of the National Book Critics Circle.
>"By the time this odyssey is complete, Brusca will seamlessly stitch the inner and the outer into a dense and satisfying tapestry of action and self-discovery. A wonderful, engaging writer, Brusca has produced an entertaining and touching hero’s journey, an epic of the soul." —Mary Ellen Hannibal. Author of The Spine of the Continent, Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction, and other award-winning books.
Also excllent reads...>"The U.S.-backed Contras are corrupting Nicaragua, and the Guatemala military is massacring the Maya Indian population. Odel's time there becomes a journey of self-discovery...[With] adventurously sensual temptresses, and a big one-eyed guy out to kill him Brusca is clearly injecting some Homer into the narrative. Add to that, special tea and mushrooms and Quetzalcoatl, the Aztec serpent god..." —Arizona Daily Star/Christine Wald-Hopkins. Book critic (San Francisco Chronicle, Denver Post, Arizona Daily Star, etc.), essayist, and member of the National Book Critics Circle.
>"By the time this odyssey is complete, Brusca will seamlessly stitch the inner and the outer into a dense and satisfying tapestry of action and self-discovery. A wonderful, engaging writer, Brusca has produced an entertaining and touching hero’s journey, an epic of the soul." —Mary Ellen Hannibal. Author of The Spine of the Continent, Citizen Scientist: Searching for Heroes and Hope in an Age of Extinction, and other award-winning books.
The Power by Naomi Alderman
The world is a recognizable place: A rich Nigerian boy lounges around the pool; a foster kid with religious parents who hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family.
Then a vital new force takes root, with devastating effects. Teen girls now have immense power: They can cause pain and even death. With this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets.
>"Electrifying! Shocking! Will knock your socks off! Then you'll think twice, about everything."—Margaret Atwood
>"Alderman has written our era's Handmaid's Tale, and, like Margaret Atwood's classic, The Power is one of those essential feminist works that terrifies and illuminates, enrages and encourages....This book sparks with such electric satire that you should read it wearing insulated gloves."—Ron Charles, Washington Post
(We carry resources for The Power. It's not appropriate for K-12 schools.)
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
After the Fall of Saigon, the un-named narrator is a refugee sent to the U.S. to start a new life, but he's quickly recruited back to work as a spy for the communist North Vietnamese.
>Pulitzer Prize winner
>The New York Times Bestseller
>"Startlingly insightful and perilously candid." —The New York Times
We Kiss Them With Rain by Futhi Nsthingila
Life wasn’t always this hard for 14-year-old Mvelo. There were good times living with her mother and her mother's boyfriend. Now her mother is dying of AIDS and what happened to Mvelo is the elephant in the room, despite its growing presence in their small shack. In this Shakespeare-style comedy, the things that seem to be are only a façade and the things that are revealed hand Mvelo a golden opportunity to change her fate. We Kiss Them With Rain explores both humor and tragedy in this modern-day fairy tale set in a squatter camp outside of Durban, South Africa.
>Selected as a 2019 Outstanding International Book by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
>"Ntshingila's lyrically wrought North American debut is a slim yet satisfying novel sure to trigger a wide range of emotions." —Kirkus, starred review
After the Fall of Saigon, the un-named narrator is a refugee sent to the U.S. to start a new life, but he's quickly recruited back to work as a spy for the communist North Vietnamese.
>Pulitzer Prize winner
>The New York Times Bestseller
>"Startlingly insightful and perilously candid." —The New York Times
We Kiss Them With Rain by Futhi Nsthingila
Life wasn’t always this hard for 14-year-old Mvelo. There were good times living with her mother and her mother's boyfriend. Now her mother is dying of AIDS and what happened to Mvelo is the elephant in the room, despite its growing presence in their small shack. In this Shakespeare-style comedy, the things that seem to be are only a façade and the things that are revealed hand Mvelo a golden opportunity to change her fate. We Kiss Them With Rain explores both humor and tragedy in this modern-day fairy tale set in a squatter camp outside of Durban, South Africa.
>Selected as a 2019 Outstanding International Book by the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
>"Ntshingila's lyrically wrought North American debut is a slim yet satisfying novel sure to trigger a wide range of emotions." —Kirkus, starred review
(We carry resources for We Kiss Them With Rain. Great for high school.)