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ENJOY YOUR SELF NOW!

Drawing from Buddhism, Hinduism, and Sufism, each of the 66 chapters includes a dharma (teaching) and sadhana (practice) to help people shift from suffering to peace. The aim is to move from an agitated “monkey mind” and to instead “perceive what is truly happening in the freshness, juiciness, and awe of the present moment.” The […]

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A GOOD, HARD SLAP

It’s 1930, and famous movie star Garland Westover is dead. Gracie Perkins and six other girls in the steno pool at Kaplan Talking Pictures are the only people who know this; they are also covering up his murder. Keeping this all a secret proves especially hard for Gracie, a 21-year-old who had been conducting an […]

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WHOSE HOUSE IS THIS?

Each dwelling is a distinctive, unexpected shape. At Lucy’s, there’s a cat silhouetted in one of the round, eyelike windows. “Does [the house] have…ears?” Not only do the attic dormers look just like cat ears, but the lunette over the door evokes a nose and the mailbox has feline features. A cross section shows Peter […]

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THE PEACH

In the summer of 2003, the author, a NICU nurse, traveled to California after leaving an unhealthy relationship. A routine trip to the Santa Monica Farmers Market turned into a life-altering tragedy when 86-year-old Russell Weller’s “pedal error” caused his Buick to speed through the crowd, killing 10 and injuring many more. Cronin was hospitalized […]

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WHODUNLIT?

Austen’s invitation to afternoon tea at Chawton Cottage—in the form of a handwritten note—implores the recipient to “come with an open mind and a readiness to engage in a few puzzles, ciphers, and mysteries.” At tea, Austen explains that since you have “no ties to our tangled social circles,” she can trust you to discover […]

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THE EASTERN FRONT

Even after a century, the bloody, mud-soaked images of World War I are deeply ingrained in the public consciousness. However, that is only one part of a larger picture, according to veteran WWI historian Lloyd, author of The Amritsar Massacre, Hundred Days, and Passchendaele. In Eastern Europe, there was a very different war. This book […]

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EXPLORING MATH-FOCUSED CAREERS

Dougherty opens by explaining the many ways that math is applied in the real world, including online data encryption, digital animation, and even when strategizing specific plays in sports. The six subsequent chapters each focus on specific careers that center on math—being an actuary, economist, financial analyst, math teacher, physicist, and operations research analyst. Each […]

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EDDIE HEST VS. SUBURBIA

Eddie Hest loves living in Detroit and doesn’t want to move, but her landlord has sold the building where she resides. Divorced from her young daughter’s drug-addicted father, Eddie has only 30 days to find a new place for herself and Grace. Eddie has always been a bit of a nonconformist (think purple hair and […]

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ACCIDENTAL DEMONS

Bernadette Crowley’s family are an esteemed Missoula, Montana, clan of Irish American witches led by powerful and spirited Grandma Orla. But their specialty—using blood for summoning demons—has become more complicated since 13-year-old Ber’s diabetes diagnosis. Because she must prick her finger to check her glucose levels, she’s begun summoning by accident. Big sister Maeve cooks […]

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RACHEL WEISS’S GROUP CHAT

Rachel can never let a noteworthy update escape the group chat. From hot-yoga blackouts to hot guys wearing loafers without socks, Rachel and her friends Eva, Sumira, and Amy lay it all out over text. Out of the four girls, Rachel is by far the chattiest of the chat—but why wouldn’t she be? Rachel’s mom […]