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THE TALE OF MR. CROCODILE TAKES TEA

The author returns to the world of anthropomorphic animals, this time in a transcontinental adventure that explores what it means to be human—even for members of other species. The story opens in an unnamed African village on the banks of the Sillibilli River, where a family of crocodiles, led by the very large Mr. Crocodile, […]

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THE QUEEN’S MUSICIAN

Mark Smeaton is born into inauspicious circumstances; his father is a poor carpenter, which, for most, would set one’s destiny in stone. However, he’s also a prodigiously talented musician—a composer, singer, and lutenist—and becomes a court musician for the king, who admires his abilities. He impresses Anne Boleyn as well, a beautiful woman of “silken […]

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DAVID HOCKNEY

Published to coincide with a major exhibition of works by British-born artist David Hockney (b. 1937) at the Fondation Louis Vuitton, Paris, this lushly illustrated volume offers a detailed overview of the artist’s life and work, along with chapters focused on his various styles and subject matter, a chronology, and a glossary of the many […]

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JUNAH AT THE END OF THE WORLD

It’s September 1999, and Y2K is on the horizon. On Junah’s first day of sixth grade, his teacher, Miss Meechum, assigns an unusual project: Fill a shoebox “with things that tell what it was like to be alive in Carolina at the end of the world. Your capsule will tell your story.” This is the […]

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MAKING LIGHT BLOOM

Until Clara Driscoll’s letters to her family were found, no one knew that she was responsible for these creations. After studying art and design, Clara moved from her Ohio farm to New York City and was hired by glassmaker Louis Comfort Tiffany to work on his stained glass windows. He liked her “flair for glass” […]

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EDEN’S CLOCK

When Frederick Heigold begins his tale of an unlikely cross-country sojourn, the year is 1906 and his intended audience is Jack London, who’s sitting at the table next to his at a hotel bar. The story isn’t being spoken out loud, however; Heigold has been mute ever since he was shot in the neck at […]

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INFIDELITY RULES

When it comes to getting involved with men, independent Quinn, a gorgeous, green-eyed, 6-foot-tall redhead, has one unshakeable rule: They have to be unhappily married, with no kids. (After all, she’s no homewrecker.) Having sworn off marriage after two failures, only hot sex and romance with no expectations on either side does it for Quinn. […]

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SEA, MOTHERS, SWALLOW, TONGUES

In the Bernese German dialect, “grossmeer,” or grandmother, translates literally to “large ocean,” and the sense the narrator has of their own beloved but often troubling Grossmeer reflects this vast, enveloping unknowability. As Grossmeer’s condition declines, the narrator sets out to compile the stories that form the complex throughline from their cloistered childhood in the […]

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THE WANDERING FEATHER

A diving hawk on the hunt for a mouse loses one of its beautiful feathers. When it lands on the ground, a squirrel snatches it up and uses it in her nest. The wind shakes it free, sending it high above the treetops until it lands in a woman’s hat. And so it goes, flying […]

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THE MITHAI BOX IS NOT EMPTY

Young Ria and her faithful dog, Cheetah, are busy preparing to welcome Baba and Dadi, who are flying in from India. Ria greets them with warm hugs, and they ply her with presents and a mithai box bursting with her favorite sweets. As Ria makes an offering of a ladoo to the god Ganesha, her […]