New and Notable
The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O by Neal Stephenson and Nicole Galland $35
From bestselling author Neal Stephenson and critically acclaimed novelist Nicole Galland comes a captivating and complex near-future thriller combining history, science, magic, mystery, intrigue, and adventure that questions the very foundations of the modern world.
When Melisande Stokes, an expert in linguistics and languages, accidently meets military intelligence operator Tristan Lyons in a hallway at Harvard University, it is the beginning of a chain of events that will alter their lives and human history itself. The young man from a shadowy government entity approaches Mel, a low-level faculty member, with an incredible offer. The only condition: she must sign a nondisclosure agreement in return for the rather large sum of money.
Tristan needs Mel to translate some very old documents, which, if authentic, are earth-shattering. They prove that magic actually existed and was practiced for centuries. But the arrival of the scientific revolution and the Age of Enlightenment weakened its power and endangered its practitioners. Sheesh, if that doesn't grab you, what will??
Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, The Rise and Reign of the Unruly Woman by Anne Helen Petersen $25 From celebrity gossip expert and BuzzFeed culture writer Anne Helen Petersen comes an accessible, analytical look at how female celebrities are pushing boundaries of what it means to be an "acceptable" woman.
You know the type: the woman who won't shut up, who's too brazen, too opinionated-too much. She's the unruly woman, and she embodies one of the most provocative and powerful forms of womanhood today. In Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud, Anne Helen Petersen uses the lens of "unruliness" to explore the ascension of pop culture powerhouses like Lena Dunham, Nicki Minaj, and Kim Kardashian, exploring why the public loves to love (and hate) these controversial figures. With its brisk, incisive analysis, Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud will be a conversation-starting book on what makes and breaks celebrity today.
Modern Tarot; Connecting with Your Higher Self Through the Wisdom of the Cards by Michelle Tea $22.99
The beloved literary iconoclast delivers a fresh twenty-first century primer on tarot that can be used with any deck. While tarot has gone mainstream with a diverse range of tarot decks widely available, there has been no equally mainstream guide to the tarot-one that can be applied to any deck-until now. Infused with beloved iconoclastic author Michelle Tea's unique insight, inviting pop sensibility, and wicked humor, Modern Tarot is a fascinating journey through the cards that teaches how to use this tradition to connect with our higher selves.
Whether you're a committed seeker or a digital-age skeptic-or perhaps a little of both-Tea's essential guide opens the power of tarot to you. Modern Tarot doesn't require you to believe in the supernatural or narrowly focus on the tarot as a divination tool. Tea instead provides incisive descriptions of each of the 78 cards in the tarot system-each illustrated in the charmingly offbeat style of cartoonist Amanda Verwey-and introduces specially designed card-based rituals that can be used with any deck to guide you on a path toward radical growth and self-improvement.
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Mega Tech, Technology in 2050 edited by Daniel Franklin $18.99 In the not-too-distant future, we'll be plugging our brains into the internet, replacing our worn-out body parts, and eating meat grown in a lab. If we're lucky, we'll be living in a world of more productivity, more energy, and more equality-and if we're not, we'll be facing the profound threat of nonexistent privacy, ecological collapse, and nuclear proliferation. Of course, we can't know the future, but Megatech: Technology in 2050 is a mind-clearing guide to the possibilities.
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When You Look Out the Window; How Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Built a Community by Gayle E. Pitman with illustrations by Christopher Lyles $15.95 This is an easy-reader biography about Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin, one of San Francisco's most well-known and politically active lesbian couples. In this story, Phyllis and Del point out landmarks through the city that can be seen out their window, each being one they left their mark on. This is a unique way to introduce children to untold stories in history while also being a clever tribute to two notable women.