Madigan Library Popular Collection: December 2024

"Leila Meacham is a gift to readers everywhere."--Adriana Trigiani A seemingly perfect suburban housewife is being pursued by a private detective . . . and hunted by a murderer in this riveting, much-anticipated posthumous novel from the beloved author of Roses and Dragonfly. Kathryn Walker enjoys an enviable life. Her husband is an accomplished doctor, her children are bright and successful, and she devotes herself to charity work that uplifts her Suburban Colorado community. Settling into a new year, her life couldn't be better. . . Until April. For Kathryn, April has always rained trouble--but this time may be even stormier than the fraught past she's trying to overcome. Already distraught over the child she miscarried in this same cursed month many years ago, the emotionally fragile woman isn't ready to consider the overwhelming evidence that someone may be trying to take her husband--and her life. Featuring the complex characters and powerful storytelling that are the beloved hallmarks of Leila Meacham's novels beginning with her breakout debut Roses, April Storm is a page-turning triumph that caps a remarkable literary career.

Welcome to Eris: an island with only one house, one inhabitant, one way out. Unreachable from the Scottish mainland for twelve hours each day. Once home to Vanessa: A famous artist whose notoriously unfaithful husband disappeared twenty years ago. Now home to Grace: A solitary creature of the tides, content in her own isolation. But when a shocking discovery is made in an art gallery far away in London, a visitor comes calling. And the secrets of Eris threaten to emerge.... A masterful novel that is as page-turning as it is unsettling, The Blue Hour recalls the sophisticated suspense of Shirley Jackson and Patricia Highsmith and cements Hawkins's place among the very best of our most nuanced and stylish storytellers. "Atmospheric and marvelously twisty." - Danya Kukafka, author of Notes on an Execution "Reminiscent of du Maurier: art, islands, missing spouses ... Hard to put down." - Mick Herron "A masterpiece! Gorgeous and chilling." - Shari Lapena

We begin with a nameless young couple: a boy and a girl, teenagers in love. One day, she disappears . . . and her absence haunts him for the rest of his life.   Thus begins a search for this lost love that takes the man into middle age and on a journey between the real world and an other world - a mysterious, perhaps imaginary, walled town where unicorns roam, where a Gatekeeper determines who can enter and who must remain behind, and where shadows become untethered from their selves. Listening to his own dreams and premonitions, the man leaves his life in Tokyo behind and ventures to a small mountain town, where he becomes the head librarian, only to learn the mysterious circumstances surrounding the gentleman who had the job before him. As the seasons pass and the man grows more uncertain about the porous boundaries between these two worlds, he meets a strange young boy who helps him to see what he's been missing all along.   The City and Its Uncertain Walls is a singular and towering achievement by one of modern literature's most important writers.     "Truth is not found in fixed stillness, but in ceaseless change/movement. Isn't this the quintessential core of what stories are all about?" --Haruki Murakami, from the afterword

From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the first in an icy-hot duology following two friends and the boys who complicate everything for them. "No one could replace me in his life. I knew that. I was the friend who knew everything about him and whom he trusted above everyone else. I was Kyler's best friend. And because of that, he would never love me the way I loved him." For twenty-one-year-old Sydney Bell, being in love with Kyler isn't anything new. They've been best friends ever since he pushed her down on the playground and she made him eat a mud pie. Somewhere over the years, she fell for him and fell hard. The problem? He's never stayed with a girl for longer than a few nights, and with it being their last year of college, Sydney won't risk their friendship by declaring her feelings. Meanwhile, Kyler has always put Sydney on a pedestal too high to reach. To him, she's everything. But he's hidden away his feelings, drowning them in other girls instead. After all, Kyler will always be the poor boy from the wrong side of tracks, and Syd will always be the best thing he can never have. But when they're stranded together at a posh ski resort after a massive snowstorm, there's nothing stopping their red-hot feelings from finally coming to the surface. Can their friendship survive the attraction? Better yet, can they survive at all? Because as the snow falls, someone is stalking them, and this trip may be a life-changer in more ways than one.

A woman helps set up a community garden in the Berkshires, only to find a body in one of the plots on opening day. After life threw Maggie Walker a few curveballs, she's happy to be back in the small, Berkshires town where she spent so much time as a child. Marlowe holds many memories for her, and now it also offers a fresh start. Maggie has always loved gardening, so it's only natural to sign on to help Violet Bloom set up a community garden. When opening day arrives, Violet is nowhere to be found, and the gardeners are restless. Things go from bad to worse when Maggie finds a boot buried in one of the plots... and there's a body attached to it. Suddenly, the police are looking for a killer and they keep asking questions about Violet. Maggie doesn't believe her friend could do this, and she's going to dig up the dirt needed to prove it. The Gardener's Plot takes readers to the heart of the Berkshires and introduces amateur sleuth Maggie Walker in Deborah J. Benoit's Minotaur Books/Mystery Writers of America First Crime Novel Award-winning debut.

Charlie Webb is a third rate lawyer who graduated from a third rate law-school and, because he couldn't get hired by any of the major law firms, has opened his own law firm, where he gets by handling cases for dubious associates from his youth and some court appointed cases. Described as "a leaky boat floating down the stream of life," Charlie has led unremarkable life, personally and professionally. Until he's appointed to be the attorney for a decidedly crackpot artist who calls himself Guido Sabatini (born Lawrence Weiss). Sabatini has been arrested - again - for breaking into a restaurant and stealing back a painting he sold them because he was insulted by where it was displayed. But as Lawrence Weiss, he's also an accomplished card shark and burglar and while he was there, he stole a thumb drive from the owner's safe. Not knowing what else Sabatani has stolen, Webb negotiates the return of the painting and "other items' for the owner dropping charges against Sabatini. But the contents of the flash drive threatens very powerful figures who are determined to retrieve it, the restaurant owner (Gretchen Hall) and her driver (Yuri Makarov) are being investigated for the sex trafficking of minors, and there are others who have a violent grudge against Sabatini. When a minor theft case becomes a double homicide, and even more, Charlie Webb, an insignificant lawyer assigned to an insignificant case, is faced with the most important, and deadliest, case of his life. Going back to his long-time bestselling roots, Phillip Margolin returns with a brilliant standalone legal thriller in the tradition of John Grisham.

In this electrifying novel, Richard Price, the author of Clockers and a writer on The Wire, gives us razor-sharp anatomy of an ever-changing Harlem. East Harlem, 2008. In an instant, a five-story tenement collapses into a fuming hill of rubble, pancaking the cars parked in front and coating the street with a thick layer of ash. As the city's rescue services and media outlets respond, the surrounding neighborhood descends into chaos. At day's end, six bodies are recovered, but many of the other tenants are missing. In Lazarus Man, Richard Price, one of the greatest chroniclers of life in urban America, creates intertwining portraits of a group of compelling and singular characters whose lives are permanently impacted by the disaster. Anthony Carter--whose miraculous survival, after being buried for days beneath tons of brick and stone, transforms him into a man with a message and a passionate sense of mission. Felix Pearl--a young transplant to the city, whose photography and film work that day provokes in this previously unformed soul a sharp sense of personal destiny. Royal Davis--owner of a failing Harlem funeral home, whose desperate trolling of the scene for potential "customers" triggers a quest to find another path in life. And Mary Roe--a veteran city detective who, driven in part by her own family's brutal history, becomes obsessed with finding Christopher Diaz, one of the building's missing. Price, the bestselling author of Lush Life and, most recently, The Whites, has created a bravura portrait of a community on the edge of disintegration. Rich with indelible characters and high drama, Lazarus Man is a riveting work of suspense and social vision by one of our major writers.

Welcome to the Marigold Mind Laundry, where we wash away the stains from your heart. In this enchanting tale--a blockbuster bestseller in Korea--the enigmatic owner of a magical laundromat that erases people's painful memories must learn to find her own peace before she can truly help others. Born with mysterious powers she does not know how to control, young Jieun accidentally causes her family to vanish. She vows to live a million lives in search of them.  Finally, one night, she brings the Marigold Mind Laundry into existence. Its service: to remove the deepest pain from our hearts. Jieun listens while customers share their unhappy memories. As they speak, she transfers their sadness onto T-shirts as stains. After a spin in the washing machine, the stains become flower petals that soar into the air, and Jieun's customers find solace. Five wounded souls come to Jieun for help: a frustrated young filmmaker, a spiraling social media influencer, a mother betrayed by her husband, a woman jilted by her lover, and a talented photographer who hides in the safety of a mundane job. As Jieun listens to each of their stories, she learns that the will to heal is not a rare gift, but a power we all possess--if only we are open to it. Joyous and inspiring, The Marigold Mind Laundry offers wonderment and comfort as it teaches us to tap into the magic that lives within us all.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts continues the hauntingly spectacular Lost Bride Trilogy with book two, The Mirror. When Sonya MacTavish inherits the huge Victorian mansion on the coast of Maine, she has no idea that the house is haunted. The footsteps she hears at night, the doors slamming, the music playing, are not figments of her imagination. In her dreams she sees glimpses of the past. In the present she finds portraits of brides. And when she has visions of an antique mirror, she is drawn to it, sensing it holds dark family secrets. Then one night the mirror appears and Sonya glides through this looking glass, into the past--and sees a bride murdered on her wedding day, the circle of gold torn from her finger. It is a scene that will play out again and again--a centuries-old curse that must be broken--and a puzzle she must solve if there is any hope of breaking the curse.

A foster mother must contend with the emotional turmoil of her new blended family in a heartfelt novel of hope and second chances by New York Times bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde. Maggie Blount, divorced mother of two and California physician, puts her private practice on hold when disaster strikes. Doctors on Wheels takes her and Alex--Maggie's professional and romantic partner--wherever they're needed. After rolling into rural Louisiana in the wake of a category five hurricane, Maggie immediately bonds with two sisters and their puppy, all orphaned by the storm. It's enough to break Maggie's heart, and she's not leaving them behind. Feeling blessed and looking forward to their new foster home in affluent Vista del Mar--a world apart from the one they've known--Jean and Rose are polite, appreciative, and humble. Frankly, they're the polar opposite of Maggie's own self-involved teenage daughters, Willa and Gemma, who resist this intrusion by strangers into their privileged lives. Soon enough, Maggie's new blended family is in chaos. Teaching Willa and Gemma about gratitude and empathy will be hard enough. Maggie must also admit her own role in their entitled upbringing, undo the damage, and anticipate the needs of all four girls and a puppy, all amid faraway natural disasters and those closer to home.

In a sleepy German village, Allina Strauss's life seems idyllic: she works at her uncle's bookshop, makes strudel with her aunt, and spends weekends with her friends and fiancé. But it's 1939, Adolf Hitler is Chancellor, and Allina's family hides a terrifying secret--her birth mother was Jewish, making her a Mischling. One fateful night after losing everyone she loves, Allina is forced into service as a nurse at a state-run baby factory called Hochland Home. There, she becomes both witness and participant to the horrors of Heinrich Himmler's ruthless eugenics program. The Sunflower House is a meticulously-researched debut historical novel from Adriana Allegri that uncovers the notorious Lebensborn Program of Nazi Germany. Women of "pure" blood stayed in Lebensborn homes for the sole purpose of perpetuating the Aryan population, giving birth to thousands of babies who were adopted out to "good" Nazi families. Allina must keep her Jewish identity a secret in order to survive, but when she discovers the neglect occurring within the home, she's determined not only to save herself, but also the children in her care. A tale of one woman's determination to resist and survive, The Sunflower House is also a love story. When Allina meets Karl, a high-ranking SS officer with secrets of his own, the two must decide how much they are willing to share with each other--and how much they can stand to risk as they join forces to save as many children as they can. The threads of this poignant and heartrending novel weave a tale of loss and love, friendship and betrayal, and the secrets we bury in order to save ourselves.

Travis Devine has become a pro at accomplishing any mission he's given. But this time it's not his skills that send him to Seattle to aid the FBI in escorting orphaned, twelve-year-old Betsy Odom to a meeting with her uncle, who's under federal investigation. Instead, he's hoping to lay low and keep off the radar of an enemy-the girl on the train. But as Devine gets to know Betsy, questions begin to arise around the death of her parents. Devine digs for answers, and what he finds points to a conspiracy bigger than he could've ever imagined.   It might finally be time for Devine and the girl on the train to come face-to-face. Devine is going to find out the difference between his friends and his enemies-and in some cases, they might well be both.

A much-anticipated biography--twenty years in the making--of the entertainer who redefined late-night television and reshaped American culture. In 2002, Bill Zehme landed one of the most coveted assignments for a magazine writer: an interview with Johnny Carson--the only one he'd granted since retiring from hosting The Tonight Show a decade earlier. Zehme was tapped for the Esquire feature story thanks to his years of legendary celebrity profiles, and the resulting piece portrayed Carson as more human being than showbiz legend. Shortly after Carson's death in 2005 and urged on by many of those closest to Carson, Zehme signed a contract to do an expansive biography. He toiled on the book for nearly a decade--interviewing dozens of Carson's colleagues and friends and filling up a storage locker with his voluminous research--before a cancer diagnosis and ongoing treatments halted his progress. When he died in 2023 his obituaries mentioned the Carson book, with New York Times comedy critic Jason Zinoman calling it "one of the great unfinished biographies." Yet the hundreds of pages Zehme managed to complete are astounding both for the caliber of their writing and how they illuminate one of the most inscrutable figures in entertainment history: A man who brought so much joy and laughter to so many millions but was himself exceedingly shy and private. Zehme traces Carson's rise from a magic-obsessed Nebraska boy to a Navy ensign in World War II to a burgeoning radio and TV personality to, eventually, host of The Tonight Show--which he transformed, along with the entirety of American popular culture, over the next three decades. Without Carson, there would be no late-night television as we know it. On a much more intimate level, Zehme also captures the turmoil and anguish that accompanied the success: four marriages, troubles with alcohol, and the devastating loss of a child. In one passage, Zehme notes that when asked by an interviewer in the mid-80s for the secret to his success, Carson replied simply, "Be yourself and tell the truth." Completed with help from journalist and Zehme's former research assistant Mike Thomas, Carson the Magnificent offers just that: an honest assessment of who Johnny Carson really was.

The extraordinary life of Cher can be told by only one person . . . Cher herself. After more than seventy years of fighting to live her life on her own terms, Cher finally reveals her true story in intimate detail, in a two-part memoir. Her remarkable career is unique and unparalleled. The only woman to top Billboard charts in seven consecutive decades, she is the winner of an Academy Award, an Emmy, a Grammy, and a Cannes Film Festival Award, and an inductee to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who has been lauded by the Kennedy Center. She is a lifelong activist and philanthropist. As a dyslexic child who dreamed of becoming famous, Cher was raised in often-chaotic circumstances, surrounded by singers, actors, and a mother who inspired her in spite of their difficult relationship. With her trademark honesty and humor, Cher: The Memoir traces how this diamond in the rough succeeded with no plan and little confidence to become the trailblazing superstar the world has been unable to ignore for more than half a century. Cher: The Memoir, Part One follows her extraordinary beginnings through childhood to meeting and marrying Sonny Bono--and reveals the highly complicated relationship that made them world-famous, but eventually drove them apart. Cher: The Memoir reveals the daughter, the sister, the wife, the lover, the mother, and the superstar. It is a life too immense for only one book.

Do you struggle with hormonal imbalances or feel like your diet is out of sync with your body's needs? Do you find it difficult to manage your energy levels throughout the month? Many women experience these challenges, often without understanding why. This book will show you how to use food as a powerful tool to support your body's natural rhythms and guide you to a healthier, more balanced life. Thousands of women worldwide have embraced the fasting lifestyle introduced in Dr. Mindy Pelz's revolutionary worldwide bestseller, Fast Like a Girl, and celebrated the return of regular menstrual cycles, improved fertility, and weight loss that had previously seemed impossible. In Eat Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy teaches how to use food to enhance these benefits. With over 100 recipes for both plant-based and omnivore diets, she shows you how to eat for your hormones and use food to support your fasting lifestyle, while enjoying delicious recipes that reflect the latest nutritional science, including- Quick and easy "fasted snacks" to sustain you while fasting Nourishing choices to break your fast and stabilize blood sugar Meals designed to support hormonal production and balance Recipes that keep blood sugar levels steady and support a healthy gut Dr. Mindy writes, "You deserve to live in a body you love-a healthy, happy, vibrant body that lives congruently with your hormonal wisdom." Eat Like a Girl is more than a cookbook-it's a manifesto for living in tune with your body.

In his final book, the late Henry Kissinger joins forces with two leading technologists to mount "a profound exploration" (Walter Isaacson) of the epochal challenges and opportunities presented by the revolution in Artificial Intelligence: a breakthrough that dramatically empowers people in all walks of life while also raising urgent questions about the future of humanity.   As it absorbs data, gains agency, and intermediates between humans and reality, AI (Artificial Intelligence) will help us to address enormous crises, from climate change to geopolitical conflicts to income inequality. It might well solve some of the greatest mysteries of our universe and elevate the human spirit to unimaginable heights. But it will also pose challenges on a scale and of an intensity that we have never seen--usurping our power of independent judgment and action, testing our relationship with the divine, and perhaps even spurring a new phase in human evolution.   The last book of elder statesman Henry Kissinger, written with technologists Craig Mundie and Eric Schmidt, Genesis charts a course between blind faith and unjustified fear as it outlines an effective strategy for navigating the age of AI.

Mega-bestselling author Tieghan Gerard is busier than ever--always creating recipes, taking photographs, and collaborating with friends. In her fourth cookbook, she returns with a collection of more than 120 recipes that reflect the way she cooks now: simple ingredients, easy to get on the table, short on time yet big on flavor.   Having cooked for her large family from a young age, Tieghan loves the feeling of sharing great food--and now she wants to share that feeling with you. This collection leans into the comfort food she's known for, but with an eye toward getting it ready in a hurry. With many recipes doable in one pot or pan, most in under forty-five minutes, and a more-is-more focus on flavor (but not ingredients), you'll be feasting fast. Start your day with Maple Bacon Pancakes with Bourbon Maple Syrup, snack on Cheesy Roasted Shallot Bread, and make Garlic Butter Steak Bites with Bang Bang Sauce your family's new favorite. Enjoy delicious twists like Sheet Pan Mac & Cheese with All the Crispy Edges, and, of course, finish it all off with something sweet, like a Dark Chocolate Pistachio Cake with Cream Cheese Icing.   Relying on basic ingredients and Tieghan's signature knack for making sauces and dressings that you'll want to double to keep on hand at all times, these recipes will make your meals feel like a warm hug. If you've ever needed a belly full of comfort and a plate bursting with fresh, unexpected flavors--and wanted it all right now--Half Baked Harvest Quick & Cozy is for you.

A riveting history about the little-known rivalry between Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett that profoundly shaped reproductive rights in America In the 1910s, as the birth control movement was born, two leaders emerged: Margaret Sanger and Mary Ware Dennett. While Sanger would go on to found Planned Parenthood, Dennett's name has largely faded from public knowledge. Each held a radically different vision for what reproductive autonomy and birth control access should look like in America. Few are aware of the fierce personal and political rivalry that played out between Sanger and Dennett over decades--a battle that had a profound impact on the lives of American women. Meticulously researched and vividly drawn, The Icon and the Idealist reveals how and why these two women came to activism, the origins of the clash between them, and the ways in which their missteps and breakthroughs have reverberated across American society for generations. With deep archival scope and rigorous execution, Stephanie Gorton weaves together a personal narrative of two fascinating women and the political history of a country rocked by changing social norms, the Depression, and a fervor for eugenics. Refusing to shy away from the enmeshed struggles of race, class, and gender, Gorton has made a sweeping examination of every force that has come in the way of women's reproductive freedom. Brimming with insight and compelling portraits of women's struggles throughout the twentieth century, The Icon and the Idealist is a comprehensive history of a radical cultural movement. 

From the beloved baking authority, the most wide-ranging bread book to be published in a decade--with 125 recipes that meet you where you are, whether novice or bread-head, in a stunning package. Authoritative and accessible, The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread is exceptional for its range: the 125 recipes for yeasted and naturally leavened breads are designed to appeal to novices and advanced bakers alike, as well as those who are deep into sourdough. Everything you want to know about how to make a perfect loaf is here: from techniques for folding and shaping, to information about flour, yeast, and temperature, along with key tips such as how to work with temperamental dough and best practices for storing different breads. Each recipe is accompanied by a gorgeous four-color photo, and the instructional information includes step-by-step photography along with QR codes throughout that direct you to how-to videos. The book also includes an elegant ribbon marker. At the heart of The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread is the most expansive and inclusive list of any bread-baking book, and it boasts new and classic recipes such as the following: -Flatbreads: Focaccia, Naan, Pita, Scallion Pancake, Lavash, Seedy Crackers -Pan Loaves: Everyday Bread, English Muffin Toasting Bread, Tiger Milk Bread -Sourdough: Baguette, Sandwich Bread, Cinnamon Swirl -Hearth Breads: Classic Miche, Chocolate Levain, Sesame Whole Wheat Loaf -Buns, Bagels, and Rolls: Conchas, Bolo Bao, Jerusalem Bagels, Buttermilk Buns -"Fancy" Breads: Basic Babka, Big Sticky Bun, Stollen -Things to Make with Bread: Cheddar Kimchi Strata, Sourdough Lasagna, Migas The King Arthur Baking Company Big Book of Bread demystifies bread baking and will make any newbie a confident baker while expanding the skill and repertoire of experienced bakers.

Martha Stewart celebrates her landmark 100th book with an intimate collection of 100 treasured recipes, along with stunning photos from her personal archives and the stories behind them. A must for anyone who has ever been inspired by the one and only Martha. Join Martha in the kitchen as she shares favorite recipes and invaluable tips. Learn how to cook her mother's humble Potato Pierogi, her decadent Goug res, a comforting Apple Brioche Bread Pudding, and the famous Paella she makes for the luckiest friends who visit her in summer.You'll find something to satisfy everyone's taste, whether it's a simple meal you make for yourself, a weeknight family dinner, or a special celebration, recipes range from breakfast & brunch to soups & salads, hors d'oeuvres, cocktails, dinner, and of course dessert. Like a scrapbook of Martha's life in cookbook form, this is the ultimate collection for devotees as well as newer fans who want to become more confident in the kitchen and do what Martha does best- Start with the basics and elevate them. From timeless classics to contemporary delights,these recipes reflect storied moments from her legendary, trailblazing career.

What do the struggles of the past teach us about the urgent challenges in our own time? Resist chronicles the inspiring story of young Black activists who have fought tirelessly at the helm for justice over the last century, from the 1920s to the Trayvon generation--how they reshaped America, left an indelible mark on history, and pave the way for the crucial work that must be done today. Growing up as a Nigerian immigrant in the South Bronx, award-winning journalist Rita Omokha contended with her Blackness. In 2020, when George Floyd died at the hands of a white police officer, her exploration further developed as she traveled to thirty states attempting to mine contemporary race relations in the United States. During her trip, she encountered audacious young people like 17-year-old Darnella Frazier, who filmed Floyd's murder, entering a seismic tragedy into the public and historical records, and set off a wave of unprecedented protests across the country. Darnella's quick thinking and courage in that moment is part of a more significant legacy: that of the young Black people--often only teenagers--who have been at the forefront of fortifying and safeguarding American democracy in the last hundred years. In Resist, Rita charts the last century of civil rights activism, from the early years of renowned activist Ella Baker and others she inspired, to the first glimpse of allyship in the Bates Seven and a renewed examination of the Black Panther Party, all the way to the current generation of young Black revolutionaries who walked American cities in the wake of the murders of countless Black people. Rita also draws on her own experiences as a Black immigrant living in America, offering a unique and insightful perspective on this ongoing struggle for justice. Rendered with empathy and care, Resist ties these pivotal stories together--and so many more that are lesser known--into an essential and gripping narrative of resilience and unity, and how young Black activists redefined American history.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Braiding Sweetgrass, a bold and inspiring vision for how to orient our lives around gratitude, reciprocity, and community, based on the lessons of the natural world. As Indigenous scientist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass Robin Wall Kimmerer harvests serviceberries alongside the birds, she considers the ethic of reciprocity that lies at the heart of the gift economy. How, she asks, can we learn from Indigenous wisdom and the plant world to reimagine what we value most? Our economy is rooted in scarcity, competition, and the hoarding of resources, and we have surrendered our values to a system that actively harms what we love. Meanwhile, the serviceberry's relationship with the natural world is an embodiment of reciprocity, interconnectedness, and gratitude. The tree distributes its wealth--its abundance of sweet, juicy berries--to meet the needs of its natural community. And this distribution ensures its own survival. As Kimmerer explains, "Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity, where wealth comes from the quality of your relationships, not from the illusion of self-sufficiency." As Elizabeth Gilbert writes, Robin Wall Kimmerer is "a great teacher, and her words are a hymn of love to the world." The Serviceberry is an antidote to the broken relationships and misguided goals of our times, and a reminder that "hoarding won't save us, all flourishing is mutual." Robin Wall Kimmerer is donating her advance payments from this book as a reciprocal gift, back to the land, for land protection, restoration, and justice.

A charming and eye-opening exploration of the special relationship between humans and chickens from Sy Montgomery, "one of our finest chroniclers of the natural world" (The New York Times). For more than two decades, Sy Montgomery--whose The Soul of an Octopus was a National Book Award finalist--has kept a flock of chickens in her backyard. Each chicken has an individual personality (outgoing or shy, loud or quiet, reckless or cautious) and connects with Sy in her own way. In this short, delightful book, Sy takes us inside the flock and reveals all the things that make chickens such remarkable creatures: only hours after leaving the egg, they are able to walk, run, and peck; relationships are important to them and the average chicken can recognize more than one hundred other chickens; they remember the past and anticipate the future; and they communicate specific information through at least twenty-four distinct calls. Visitors to her home are astonished by all this, but for Sy what's more astonishing is how little most people know about chickens, especially considering there are about twenty percent more chickens on earth than people. With a winning combination of personal narrative and science, What the Chicken Knows is exactly the kind of book that has made Sy Montgomery such a beloved and popular author.