A biweekly selection from our shelves, as curated by your favorite SPL librarians!
For the week of July 5, 2022: Fiction | Nonfiction | Graphic Novels | Movies/TV, Music & More
Fiction
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Book Boyfriend by Kris Ripper
A secret crush leads to not-so-secret romance in this delightful romantic comedy from Kris Ripper |
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Four Aunties and a Wedding by Jesse Q. Sutanto
The aunties are back, fiercer than ever and ready to handle any catastrophe--even the mafia--in this delightful and hilarious sequel by Jesse Q. Sutanto, author of Dial A for Aunties. |
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The High House by Jessie Greengrass
In this powerful, highly anticipated novel from an award-winning author, four people attempt to make a home in the midst of environmental disaster. |
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Kamila Knows Best by Farah Heron
Jane Austen's Emma goes Bollywoood in this delightful retelling from the highly acclaimed author of Accidentally Engaged, perfect for fans of Abby Jimenez and Jasmine Guillory. |
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Magpie by Elizabeth Day
When their new lodger, Kate, becomes obsessed with her, her husband, and the baby they are desperately trying to conceive, Marisa must find out who Kate really is before she loses everything she's worked so hard to create--her perfect romance, her perfect family, and her perfect self. |
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Sword and Shadow by Michelle Sagara
In Elantra, the law is upheld by a few groups, and the most feared are the emperor's executioners. Severn Handred, newest member of this elite force, joins a mission against those who will kill to keep their secrets. |
Nonfiction
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100 Things We've Lost to the Internet by Pamela Paul
The acclaimed editor of The New York Times Book Review takes readers on a nostalgic tour of the pre-Internet age, offering powerful insights into both the profound and the seemingly trivial things we've lost. |
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Black Love Matters: Real Talk on Romance, Being Seen, and Happily Ever Afters edited by Jessica P. Pryde
An incisive, intersectional essay anthology that celebrates and examines romance and romantic media through the lens of Black readers, writers, and cultural commentators, edited by Book Riot columnist and librarian Jessica Pryde. |
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Love in the Time of Contagion: A Diagnosis by Laura Kipnis
In this timely, insightful, and darkly funny investigation, the acclaimed author of Against Love asks- what does living in dystopic times do to our ability to love each other and the world? |
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Muddy People: A Muslim Coming-Of-Age by Sara El Sayed
For readers of Patricia Lockwood's Priestdaddy and Michelle Zauner's Crying in H Mart, this heartwarming book about family and identity introduces a compelling new voice, with a coming-of-age story that will speak to everyone who's ever struggled to figure out where they belong. |
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That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles: 62 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life by Joe Schwarcz
In this collection of delightful, instructive, witty, and thoroughly accessible essays, Dr. Schwarcz presents stories of science and its illegitimate imitators. This authoritative book, well grounded in science, turns the table on the pseudo-science of snake oil nostrums, palliatives, and nutritional nonsense. |
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The Weekday Vegetarians: 100 Recipes and a Real-Life Plan for Eating Less Meat by Jenny Rosenstrach
You don't need to be a vegetarian to eat like one! With over 100 recipes, the New York Times bestselling author of Dinner: A Love Story and her family adopt a "weekday vegetarian" mentality. |
Graphic Novels
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Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey
When the rich and powerful are literal cannibals, how can regular people avoid being on the menu? |
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Flung Out of Space: Inspired by the Indecent Adventures of Patricia Highsmith by Grace Ellis and Hannah Templer
A fictional and complex portrait of bestselling author Patricia Highsmith caught up in the longing that would inspire her queer classic, The Price of Salt. |
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How to Be Ace: A Memoir of Growing up Asexual by Rebecca Burgess
Brave, witty and empowering, this graphic memoir follows Rebecca as she navigates her asexual identity and mental health in a world obsessed with sex. From school to work to relationships, this book offers an unparalleled insight into asexuality. |
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Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao
Seamlessly toggling between past and present, this funny graphic memoir follows a queer Chinese American's immigration to Texas where she just wants to make the basketball team, escape Chinese school, and figure out why she is attracted to girls. |
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Metax by Antoine Cossé
This lusciously illustrated, science fiction fantasy by French cartoonist Antoine Cossé moves with the grace of a swan. Dark, romantic, and compassionate, it is an exploration of greed, its consequences, and the possibility of escape. |
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Red Rock Baby Candy by Shira Spector
Shira Spector, whose drawing is visceral, symbolic and naturalistic, literally paints a vivid portrait of the most eventful 10 years of her life, encompassing her tenacious struggle to get pregnant, the emotional turmoil of her father's cancer diagnosis and eventual death, and her recollections of past relationships with her parents and her partner. |
Movies/TV, Music & More
Movies/TV
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The Business of Birth Control by Abby Epstein Format: DVD Sixty years after the pill revolutionized women's emancipation, the documentary examines the complex relationship between hormonal birth control and women₂s health and liberation. The documentary traces the feminist movement to investigate and expose the pill's risks alongside the racist legacy of hormonal contraception and its ongoing weaponization against communities of color. Weaving together the stories of bereaved parents, body literacy activists, and femtech innovators, the film reveals a new generation seeking holistic and ecological alternatives to the pill while redefining the meaning of reproductive justice. |
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My Life is Murder. Series 2 Format: DVD When determined detective Alexa Crowe brings her unique brand of investigation to an unsuspecting New Zealand, she quickly finds herself entangled in compelling new murder mysteries centered on fascinating and dangerous characters who will challenge, flirt with and frustrate her, and sometimes threaten everything she cares about. Being back in her hometown brings its own brand of difficulties as she has to confront the family she's avoided for decades. |
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The One and Only Dick Gregory by Andre Gaines Format: DVD Chronicles the incredible life and times of legendary comedian and activist Dick Gregory. |
Music
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Keys by Alicia Keys Format: CD The singer's eighth recording project consists of two parts: the first, called Originals, is described as "the classic side of me", while the second, Unlocked, is "a whole other sonic experience". The album features the singer as producer and songwriter on all twenty-six tracks, with numerous songwriters and producers participating. |
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The Women of Def Jam by Various Artists Format: CD This unique and groundbreaking Def Jam Recordings collection features the female artists that dominated hip-hop and R&B from the '90s to the present day. This project celebrates timeless classics that have reshaped the culture, featuring hits from Nikki D., Foxy Brown, Ashanti, Chrisette Michelle, Teyana Taylor, Alessia Cara, Rapsody, Danileigh, 070 Shake, Kaash Paige, Jhene Aiko, and more. |
& More
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Origin: A Genetic History of the Americas by Jennifer Raff Format: Spoken CD 20,000 years ago, people crossed a land bridge from Siberia into Western Alaska and then dispersed southward. This book explores how the tools of genetics reveal details about human history and evolution. |