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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Dinosaurs: A Novel
Adult Fiction. “[Millet’s] exquisite new novel is the story of a man named Gil who walks from New York to Arizona to recover from a failed love. After he arrives, new neighbors move into the glass-walled house next door and his life begins to mesh with theirs. In this warmly textured… account of Gil's unexpected devotion to the family, Millet explores the uncanny territory where the self ends and community begins--what one person can do in a world beset by emergencies. Dinosaurs is both sharp-edged and tender, an emotionally moving… novel that asks: In the shadow of existential threat, where does hope live?” Publisher description
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The Door Of No Return
Children’s Fiction. “Alexander's gripping historical novel in verse, a trilogy opener rooted in the Asante Kingdom in 1860, centers 11-year-old Kofi. In early, lyrical chapters that evoke a dreamlike childhood, Kofi lives with his family in Upper Kwanta… When an annual festival pits wrestlers from Upper and Lower Kwanta against one another, an unexpected death sets off a series of tragedies that upend Kofi's world. Interweaving moments of joyful exuberance and heartbreaking sadness, Alexander's sweeping novel conjures a captivating, resonant world of African tradition, life, and ancestral wisdom.” Publishers Weekly
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How We Live Is How We Die
Adult Nonfiction. “In this collection of spiritual teachings and reflections, American Buddhist nun Chödrön (How To Meditate) explains that if people take the time to embrace and navigate transitions in their daily lives, they will be better prepared for death and whatever may follow. The term ‘bardo,’ found and taught in The Tibetan Book of the Dead, usually refers to the intermediate state between lives or any period of transition. Chödrön aspires to use these teachings to encourage an open, curious approach to death and other difficult transitions. Oft-quoted, much beloved, and radiating kindness, Chödrön remains a guiding light for those seeking spiritual growth.” Library Journal
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Inciting Joy: Essays
Adult Nonfiction. “Poet Gay (The Book of Delights) examines in this stunning collection how joy deepens when accompanied by grief, fear, and loss. In ‘Joy and Losing Your Phone,’ he describes relying on the help of strangers; ‘Joy and Death’ is a reflection on losing his father to cancer; ‘Joy and Time’ covers the privilege of not being ‘on the clock’; and in ‘Joy and Laughter,’ he observes that ‘one of laughter's qualities is that it can draw us together.’ This resonant, vivid meditation shouldn't be missed.” Publishers Weekly,
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It Starts With Us: A Novel
Adult Fiction. “Lily and her ex-husband, Ryle, have just settled into a civil co-parenting rhythm when she suddenly bumps into her first love, Atlas, again. But her excitement is quickly hampered by the knowledge that, though they are no longer married, Ryle is still very much a part of her life--and Atlas Corrigan is the one man he will hate being in his ex-wife and daughter's life. It Starts with Us picks up right where the epilogue for bestselling phenomenon It Ends with Us left off. Revealing more about Atlas's past and following Lily as she embraces a second chance at true love while navigating a jealous ex-husband.” Publishers description
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Our Missing Hearts: A Novel
Adult Fiction. “Bird Gardner lives quietly with his shattered father in a society ferociously intent on preserving ‘American culture’ after years of chaos, with books seen as unpatriotic suppressed and the children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, sometimes forcibly relocated from their homes. Now he wants to find his mother, a banned Chinese American poet who left when he was nine years old. He doesn't want to raise any suspicions and risk being separated from his remaining parent… Ng's beautiful yet chilling tale will resonate with readers…” Library Journal
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The Passenger
Adult Fiction. “McCarthy returns with a rich story of an underachieving salvage diver in 1980 New Orleans, the first in a 2-volume work. Bobby Western, son of a nuclear physicist who worked on the atomic bomb, is tasked with investigating a private plane crash in the Gulf. The plane's crew is dead, the black box is missing, and one passenger is unaccounted for. Soon, agents of the U.S. government begin to harass Western and his coworker, then this colleague turns up dead. This thriller narrative is intertwined with the story of Western's sister, Alicia… [McCarthy] dazzles with his descriptions of a beautifully broken New Orleans…The book's many pleasures will leave readers aching for the final installment.” Publishers Weekly
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Stuff They Don't Want You to Know
Adult Nonfiction. “In times of chaos and uncertainty, conspiracy theories find fertile ground. Many are wild, most are untrue, a few are hard to ignore, but all of them share one vital trait: there’s a seed of truth at their center. The authors, hosts of the popular podcast of the same name, interrogate today’s emergent conspiracies—from chem trails and biological testing to the secrets of lobbying and the indisputable evidence of UFOs. Stuff They Don’t Want You to Know is a vital book in understanding the nature of conspiracy and using truth as a powerful weapon against ignorance, misinformation, and lies.” Publisher description
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Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions
Adult Nonfiction. “In her memoir Thinking in Pictures, Grandin, who was not formally diagnosed with autism until she was an adult, defined herself as a visual thinker, a concept she expands in her latest examination of neurodiverse minds. ‘The world,’ she writes, ‘comes to me in a series of associated visual images, like scrolling through Google images or watching the short videos on Instagram or TikTok.’ Drawing on her own experiences and research as well as the findings of psychologists, neuroscientists, animal behaviorists, and educators, the author argues persuasively for the need to encourage visual and spatial thinkers who can make crucial contributions to engineering, problem-solving, inventing, and creating.” Kirkus Reviews
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Dinner in One: Exceptional & Easy One-pan Meals
Adult Nonfiction. “New York Times food columnist Clark follows her best-selling Dinner in French with 100 recipes designed to cook entirely in one pot, pan, or dish, in under one hour. Readers will find fresh takes on soups and stews, pasta bakes, and plenty of roasted meat and vegetables. Clark builds flexibility into her recipes by suggesting substitutions for spices, herbs, vegetables, and cuts of meat. Perfect for beginning cooks and readers looking to build a repertoire of sure-fire dinner options. Library Journal
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