Peak Picks Current Titles Book List
New titles from the Peak Picks collection that are currently in rotation. Stop by any branch to see what's available today!
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Afterlives
NEW FOR OCTOBER! Adult Fiction. “The latest novel from Nobel laureate Gurnah resists categorization. As a breathtaking historical account, this underscores decades-long horrors of war, displacement, slavery, and colonial conquest. Yet Gurnah also intimately captures luminous facets of humanity through unique characters, each with a rich personal background and attention-grabbing, often humorous, sometimes disturbing idiosyncrasies. Absorbing, powerful, and enduring, Afterlives is an extraordinary reading experience by one of the great writers of our time.” Booklist,
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
NEW FOR OCTOBER! Adult Nonfiction. “A coming-of-age graphic memoir from Beaton best known for her decade-long webcomic Hark! A Vagrant. After graduating from college burdened with student debt in 2005, Beaton left her hometown…to embark upon what eventually became a two-year stint working a mining job in Northern Canada's Athabasca oil sands. Beaton encounters a succession of idiosyncratic employees who open her eyes to the physical and mental tolls of performing grueling labor in harsh conditions..but it's her depiction of how a victim of long-term abuse internalizes their trauma…that lingers beyond the last page.” Library Journal
Format: Graphic Novel
Availability: Available
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I'm Glad My Mom Died
NEW FOR OCTOBER! Adult Nonfiction. “Former iCarly star McCurdy recounts a harrowing childhood directed by her emotionally abusive stage mother, Debra, who pushed her daughter into acting at age six. McCurdy chronicles her efforts to break free from her mother's machinations, her struggles with bulimia and alcohol abuse, and a horrific stint dating a schizophrenic, codependent boyfriend. Despite the provocative title, McCurdy shows remarkable sympathy for her mother. McCurdy's narrative reveals a strong woman who triumphs over unimaginable pressure to emerge whole on the other side.” Publishers Weekly
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Lessons in Chemistry
NEW FOR OCTOBER! Adult Fiction. “It's the 1960s, and chemist Elizabeth Zott is getting pushback from her male-only colleagues at the Hastings Research Institute—except from misanthropic Nobel Prize contender Calvin Evans, who's enchanted by her mind. Meanwhile, Elizabeth has a surprise second calling; she becomes star of a hit TV cooking show called Supper at Six, mixing in chemistry (‘combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a pinch of sodium chloride’) as she subtly signals that women needn't accept things as they are.” Library Journal
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Shrines of Gaiety: A Novel
NEW FOR OCTOBER! Adult Fiction. “1926, in a country still recovering from the Great War, London has become the focus for a delirious new nightlife. In the clubs of Soho, peers of the realm rub shoulders with starlets, foreign dignitaries with gangsters, and girls sell dances for a shilling a time. The notorious queen of this glittering world is Nellie Coker, ruthless but also ambitious to advance her six children, including the enigmatic eldest, Niven, whose character has been forged in the crucible of the Somme. But success breeds enemies, and Nellie’s empire faces threats from without and within.” Publisher description
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Butts: A Backstory
NEW FOR NOVEMBER! Adult Nonfiction. “This whip-smart history charts the changing symbolism and meanings associated with the female bottom in ‘mainstream, hegemonic, Western culture’ over the past two centuries. Radiolab reporter Radke delves into the eugenicist under-pinnings of Sarah Baartman's performances as the ‘Hottentot Venus’ in 19th-century London and the giant faux posteriors of Victorian bustles…to Jane Fonda's butt-centered aerobics and the ‘lineage of butts in mainstream hip-hop.’ Marked by Radke's vivacious writing, candid self-reflections, and sophisticated cultural analyses, this is an essential study of ‘ideas and prejudices’ about the female body. Publishers Weekly
Format: Book
Availability: On order
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Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat, and Family
NEW FOR NOVEMBER! Adult Nonfiction. “Born in Pakistan and raised in the U.S., Chaudry was subject to myths of American nutritional supremacy that favored processed foods. ‘The abundance of America strained at our skin and clothing,’ writes Chaudry, ‘and our relatives were torn between embarrassment... and mild jealousy.’ Chaudry refreshingly eschews conventional narratives about weight loss, as well as fat acceptance. That joy is contagious in descriptions of Pakistani street burgers, the rainbow hues of Punjabi daal, and 50 pages worth of delectable recipes. Victory is sweet and savory in this ebullient tale of self-acceptance.” Publishers Weekly
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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Foster
NEW FOR NOVEMBER! Adult Fiction. “It is a hot summer in rural Ireland. A child is taken by her father to live with relatives on a farm, not knowing when or if she will be brought home again. In the Kinsellas’ house, she finds an affection and warmth she has not known and slowly, in their care, begins to blossom. But there is something unspoken in this new household—where everything is so well tended to—and this summer must soon come to an end. Keegan’s piercing contemporary classic is a heartbreaking story of childhood, loss, and love.” Publisher description
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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I Want to Die but I Want to Eat Tteokbokki
NEW FOR NOVEMBER! Adult Nonfiction. “Sehee grew up in Korea with an abusive father and a hypercritical mother. Internalizing their behavior, she questioned and criticized herself to the point of depression and severe anxiety. The depression is disruptive but not so debilitating that she does not still want her favorite foods, such as tteokbokki, a spicy rice cake popular in Korean cuisine. After initiating therapy with a psychiatrist, the author began to record her sessions. This is a sincere attempt at self-discovery that will resonate with young people who suffer from similar forms of depression and anxiety.” Library Journal
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times
NEW FOR NOVEMBER! Adult Nonfiction. “There may be no tidy solutions or pithy answers to life's big challenges, but Michelle Obama believes that we can all locate and lean on a set of tools to help us better navigate change and remain steady within flux. ‘When we are able to recognize our own light, we become empowered to use it.’ A rewarding blend of powerful stories and profound advice that will ignite conversation, The Light We Carry inspires readers to examine their own lives, identify their sources of gladness, and connect meaningfully in a turbulent world.” Publisher description
Format: Book
Availability: Available
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