Bookshelf

(Los Angeles: TKO Studios, 2023).

This colorful and engaging hardcover graphic novel by Orlando and Andrés, a chef and humanitarian, shares stories of the people involved with World Central Kitchen, an organization that has provided over 300 million meals to communities in times of crisis. Dynamic illustrations by Alberto Ponticelli bring to life the work of World Central Kitchen as its people travel into natural disasters across the world to bring food and hope to those most affected by natural disasters, man-made crises, and humanitarian emergencies.

(North Charleston, S.C.: Palmetto Publishing, 2023).

In this, his first novel, the author crafts a compelling tale of intrigue and romance set in pre-World War II New York, Italy, and The Vatican. The protagonist, Tommy “Mac” McCabe Martin — who has something in common with Morelli: they are both lawyers — finds himself plucked from his Wall Street law firm and thrust into the world of international espionage.

“As a counsel to the Vatican, Mac’s descriptive reports about Italy, its people, and their sentiments toward Fascism and America earn the attention of President Roosevelt,” notes the publisher. “Yet amidst the political tension, Mac’s heart is ensnared by two women: the mysterious Slavic spy, Sara, who vanishes as swiftly as she appears, and the enchanting Italian belle, Carla, whom he weds in a ceremony worthy of royalty. As Mac’s world is further embroiled in the war’s turmoil, their lives take unexpected turns, from the glitzy world of Broadway to the dangerous frontlines in Sicily. With vivid portrayals of iconic settings like the Brooklyn Navy Yard, Little Italy, and the glamorous steamship journeys across the Atlantic, Morelli paints an immersive tapestry of love, betrayal, and destiny.”

(self-published, 2023).

Writing under the pen name George Garcia, the author spins this heartwarming tale about inclusivity and friendship. Young readers will “wriggle, squiggle and laugh” as the Taliaferro’s niece Clementine convinces a new little friend to go with her to school. 

(New York: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024).

The latest from the New York Times bestselling author — and the third book in the Crescent City series — House of Flame and Shadow continues the story of Bryce Quinlan and Hunt Athalar, whose relationship is forced to the brink and their world on the verge of destruction as they fight to pull their realm back from ruin. Entertainment Weekly has called the series, “A dizzying, suspenseful whirl that surprises at every turn.”

(New York: NYU Press, 2024).

Described as the first book to examine the American prison system through the eyes of those trapped within it, Inside Knowledge draws from writings collected through the American Prison Writing Archive, which the author founded in 2009. Larson draws from the archive’s first-person narratives created by incarcerated individuals and prison workers to illustrate how mass incarceration does less to contain any harm perpetrated by convicted people than to spread and perpetuate harm among their families and communities.

The publisher notes, “If prisons are places where convicted people are sent to learn a lesson, then imprisoned people are the ones who know just what American prisons actually teach. At once profound and devastating, Inside Knowledge is an invaluable resource for those interested in addressing mass incarceration in America.”

(Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2023).

The publisher notes, “Thin body, white skin, and big eyes. Such beauty ideals are ubiquitous across Shanghai, where salons and weight-loss clinics offering an array of products and treatment options beckon city dwellers with promises of a better life.’ Set against the backdrop of China's post-reform era, Modified Bodies compares the radically different attitudes of middle-class Chinese and Western women living in Shanghai toward the pursuit of beauty. Through comparative ethnography, anthropologist Julie E. Starr parses how experiences of bodies and embodied identities, and the politics ascribed to them, are culturally produced for both groups of women. With a focus on the ways in which late capitalism interacts with different bodies, Starr joins an ongoing conversation about the impact of recent economic reforms on social life in China.”

(New York: Poets of Queens, 2023).

According to the publisher, “Moving between narrative and reflection, and reveling in the genre of the long poem, Robert Kaplan uses detailed imagery to invite the reader into a slice of 1980s New York City: the urban landscape, the national politics, gay exuberance and loss, and, weaving throughout, the shadow of the AIDS epidemic. The title poem, “Past/Present,” which is the first half of the book, sprawls through layers of time, failed romance, geographic movement, and growing self-awareness as the narrator sheds multiple selves to find his core. The poems in the second half of the book (re)create a sensory and personal landscape which becomes a metaphorical and meditative platform upon which to address questions of memory, identity, relationships, and how to navigate through an increasingly unstable world.”

(self-published, 2023).

Bringing us closer to our natural environment, this book chronicles life in the forest through stunning photos and artful poetry. Its authors are a highly acclaimed team of photographers and poets from Europe and the United States. According to the author, “… explore the metamorphoses of bugs transforming bygone life into new creations, find solace and guidance from the river's secrets, unlock natural therapies from ancient trees talking with fungi, or take a deep breath of fresh air as leaves breathe and flowers speak.”

  (New York: Del Rey, 2023).

“A rebellious young heroine begins a voyage of self-discovery in the third novel of an epic fantasy series set in the world of Viridian Deep, from the legendary author of the Shannara saga.” So says the publisher of Brooks’ latest work, which tells the story of Char, a girl who runs away from home a month before her 15th birthday to join a Human pirate crew. Her new life leads to love, a daring rescue attempt and “an adventure that will uncover secrets she never suspected about herself, one that will maybe, finally, teach her to look before she leaps.”

Brooks is the author of 44 books — his goal is to publish 50 before he retires — most of which have been New York Times bestsellers. 

(Madison, Wis.: University of Wisconsin Press, 2024).

According to the publisher, “Imperial Rome privileged the elite male citizen as one of sound mind and body, superior in all ways to women, noncitizens, and nonhumans. One of the markers of his superiority was the power of his voice, both literal (in terms of oratory and the legal capacity to represent himself and others) and metaphoric, as in the political power of having a “voice” in the public sphere. Muteness in ancient Roman society has thus long been understood as a deficiency, both physically and socially. In this volume, Koenig deftly confronts the trope of muteness in imperial Roman literature, arguing that this understanding of silence is incomplete. By unpacking the motif of voicelessness across a wide range of written sources, she shows that the Roman perception of silence was more complicated than a simple binary and that elite male authors used muted or voiceless characters to interrogate the concept of voicelessness in ways that would be taboo in other contexts.”

As one reviewer noted: “Koenig brings a fresh perspective to the understanding of silence in the culture of the Roman empire, showing that loss of voice can unlock new possibilities of expression that allow the mute person to signify facts and feelings otherwise difficult or dangerous to communicate.”