New Amanda Gorman, "Iron Women," and Valentine's Day 😍

New from Chris Enss, local historian

Iron Women: The Ladies Who Helped Build the Railroad

Although the physical task of building the railroad had been achieved by men, women made significant and lasting contributions to the historic operation. The female connection with railroading dates as far back as 1838 when women were hired as registered nurses/stewardesses in passenger cars. Those ladies attended to the medical needs of travelers and also acted as hostesses of sorts helping passengers have a comfortable journey. Beyond nursing and service roles, women played a larger part in the actual creation of the rail lines than they have been given credit for. Iron Women includes their stories and many more in this illustrated volume celebrating women and the railroad.

Coming soon! Pre-order your copy here.

Letters of Note: Love

Bridgerton: The Duke and I

Good Dog Carl's Valentine

How Do We Relationship?

Love Can Come in Many Ways

Little Blue Truck's Valentine

We believe that everyone should have the chance to share stories...

World Read Aloud Day started in 2010 in celebration of the power of reading aloud to create community, to amplify new stories, and to advocate for literacy as a foundational human right. Over the last eleven years, World Read Aloud Day has evolved into a global movement of millions of readers, writers, and listeners from communities all across the world coming together to honor the joy and power of reading and sharing stories, and continue expanding the definition and scope of global literacy.

Now, we are turning the challenges of 2020 into opportunities to reimagine World Read Aloud Day for 2021. Community and connectedness are more important than ever, so we look forward to joining together again as we prepare for the twelfth annual World Read Aloud Day: February 3, 2021! Check out the list of virtual read-alouds.

February New Releases

The Four Winds

By Kristin Hannah - 28.99 - Hardcover - Coming February 2

In this uncertain and dangerous time, Elsa Martinelli—like so many of her neighbors—must make an agonizing choice: fight for the land she loves or go west, to California, in search of a better life. The Four Winds is an indelible portrait of America and the American Dream, as seen through the eyes of one indomitable woman whose courage and sacrifice will come to define a generation.

The Glass Hotel

By Emily St. John Mandel - 16.95 - Paperback - Coming February 16

In this captivating story of crisis and survival, Emily St. John Mandel takes readers through often hidden landscapes: campgrounds for the near-homeless, underground electronica clubs, the business of international shipping, service in luxury hotels, and life in a federal prison. Rife with unexpected beauty, The Glass Hotel is a captivating portrait of greed and guilt, love and delusion, ghosts and unintended consequences, and the infinite ways we search for meaning in our lives.

My Year Abroad

By Chang-Rae Lee - $28.00 - Hardcover - Coming February 2

My Year Abroad is an exploration of the surprising effects of cultural immersion—on a young American in Asia, on a Chinese man in America, and on an unlikely couple hiding out in the suburbs. Tinged at once with humor and darkness, electric with its accumulating surprises and suspense, My Year Abroad is a novel that only Chang-rae Lee could have written, and one that will be read and discussed for years to come.

The Desolations of Devil's Acre

By Ransom Riggs - 22.99 - Hardcover - Coming February 23

The last thing Jacob Portman saw before the world went dark was a terrible, familiar face. Suddenly, he and Noor are back in the place where everything began—his grandfather’s house. Jacob doesn’t know how they escaped from V’s loop to find themselves in Florida. But he does know one thing for certain: Caul has returned. Jacob and his friends will face deadly enemies and race through history’s most dangerous loops in this thrilling page-turner, the final adventure in the beloved Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children series.

Deacon King Kong

By James McBride - 17.00 - Paperback - Coming February 2

In September 1969, a fumbling, cranky old church deacon known as Sportcoat shuffles into the courtyard of the Cause Houses housing project in south Brooklyn, pulls a .38 from his pocket, and, in front of everybody, shoots the project’s drug dealer at point-blank range. As the story deepens, it becomes clear that the lives of the characters—caught in the tumultuous swirl of 1960s New York—overlap in unexpected ways. When the truth does emerge, McBride shows us that not all secrets are meant to be hidden, that the best way to grow is to face change without fear, and that the seeds of love lie in hope and compassion.

Let Me Tell You What I Mean

By Joan Didion - 23.00 - Hardcover - Coming January 26

From one of our most iconic and influential writers: a timeless collection of mostly early pieces that reveal what would become Joan Didion's subjects, including the press, politics, California robber barons, women, and her own self-doubt. These twelve pieces from 1968 to 2000, never before gathered together, offer an illuminating glimpse into the mind and process of a legendary figure. They showcase Joan Didion's incisive reporting, her empathetic gaze, and her role as "an articulate witness to the most stubborn and intractable truths of our time."

Baby Sitters Club #09 - Claudia and the New Girl

By Ann M. Martin - 12.99 - Paperback - Coming February 2

Claudia has always been the most creative kid in her class... until Ashley Wyeth comes along. Ashley's really different: She wears hippie clothes and has multiple earrings, and she's the most fantastic artist Claudia has ever met. Ashley says Claudia is a great artist, too, but thinks she's wasting her artistic talent with The Baby-sitters Club. When Claudia starts spending more time with Ashley and missing BSC meetings, it becomes clear that Claudia has to make a decision -- one of them has to go!