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HOLDING UP THE SKY

Campbell candidly shares his experiences raising three children alongside his wife, Linda. Their oldest daughter, Alana, was born at an alternative birth center with no complications. Three years later, their second daughter, Kathryn, was also born without any trouble—only to be diagnosed with viral myocarditis (a life-threatening infection that attacks the heart) at just 10 […]

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RACING AGAINST TIME

In this memoir that highlights the challenges and rewards of training at an older age, the author emphasizes throughout that perseverance and adaptability are essential to progress. Here, Weiss looks back on his eventful athletic journey: from tentative first races—including an early, stinging DNF (Did Not Finish) that fueled his later determination—to completing a half-marathon […]

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UNTIL THEY SLEEP

In the early 20th century, Frona grows up as the responsible oldest daughter in a hardworking family, troubled by her many appetites and guilty about the reproving looks she thinks are given to her by the family icon of Mary and Jesus. Betrothed at 14, she moves at 18 to a new village with the […]

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GOTHAM AT WAR

Wallace, professor of history at John Jay College and author and contributor to previous volumes in this series, points out that two national leaders entered and left office during these years: Hitler and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. This is social history, so the Depression, war, politics, and these two men, although rarely absent from the pages, […]

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THE SEVEN THUNDERS

Hermium Goodspeed has something that thousands of kids his age want: an acceptance letter to one of the elite Seven Thunder military schools. However, Hermium is more nervous than he is excited; he doubts he’ll fit in at the school, because he’s scrawny, shy, and tends to sleepwalk. He’d much rather stay home and tinker […]

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WHAT’S THAT BUILDING?

Aiming to get readers thinking like architects and imbued with the fundamental principle that form follows function, Donnelly tallies basic requirements for a collection of buildings that Cho incorporates into a series of compelling and absorbing cutaway views. A school, for instance, should ideally have both learning and office spaces with easy access between floors, […]

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THE YEAR OF THE TIGER

The year is 1974, and Mike Turner is a 13-year-old boy living at Children’s Christian Hostel in Singapore. He spends his time going to school, putting up with his immature roommates, and most notably, awaiting his parents’ return from South Vietnam. However, during their time working in the Foreign Service, Mike’s parents suddenly go missing. […]

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THE OTHER BARRIO

Encompassing works published from 1975 to 2013, this collection by Murguía reflects a flinty but compassionate sensibility, focused on people struggling on society’s lower rungs, especially in the Bay Area. The title story exemplifies the approach, narrated by a San Francisco building inspector investigating a fatal Mission District fire; the story encompasses the narrator’s personal […]

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HEARTBREAK HOTEL

Laura and Maya were childhood friends who have drifted apart in high school. Maya carries a torch for Laura but keeps it to herself, but then she and Laura kiss at Laura’s birthday party. Maya wakes up at the Heartbreak Hotel; this offers her a “timeout” from her life, but she’s stuck in a time […]

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DENIED ACCESS

In current-day Barcelona, Spain, Mitch Rapp just wants to spend time with his girlfriend, Greta Ohlmeyer, who knows he’s a killer for the CIA. Greta’s grandfather is a prominent banker who has connections with interim CIA Director Thomas Stansfield. But someone is threatening all the Ohlmeyers, and Mitch will do anything to protect Greta. His […]