Books with category 👁 Self-Discovery
Displaying books 49-96 of 388 in total

Disorientation

Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou is an outrageously hilarious and startlingly tender debut novel that captures a Taiwanese American woman's coming-of-consciousness amid chaos on a college campus.

Twenty-nine-year-old PhD student Ingrid Yang is on a mission to finish her dissertation on the late canonical poet Xiao-Wen Chou and move away from reading about 'Chinese-y' things. However, years of grueling research have left her with nothing but a junk food addiction and stomach pain. When Ingrid stumbles upon a curious note in the Chou archives, she believes she's found her escape from academic hell. But she's about to discover she's in over her head. Her attempts to decipher the note's message lead to a shocking revelation that turns her academic life and her understanding of the world outside upside down.

Joined by her friend Eunice Kim and pursued by her rival Vivian Vo, Ingrid finds herself on a wild ride of mishaps and misadventures, ranging from book burnings and hallucinations to protests and propaganda. As Ingrid's life spirals out of control, she begins to question her relationships with white men and white institutions, and ultimately, she must confront herself.

Disorientation is a searing satire of privilege and power in America, a deep dive into personal complicity, and a compelling story of unspoken rage. Elaine Hsieh Chou presents a provocative question: Who gets to tell our stories, and how does the narrative shift when we take the reins?

Delilah Green Doesn't Care

Delilah Green Doesn't Care is a clever and steamy queer romantic comedy about taking chances and accepting love—with all its complications. Delilah Green swore she would never go back to Bright Falls—nothing is there for her but memories of a lonely childhood where she was little more than a burden to her cold and distant stepfamily. Her life is in New York, with her photography career finally gaining steam and her bed never empty. Sure, it's a different woman every night, but that's just fine with her.

When Delilah's estranged stepsister, Astrid, pressures her into photographing her wedding with a guilt trip and a five-figure check, Delilah finds herself back in the godforsaken town that she used to call home. She plans to breeze in and out, but then she sees Claire Sutherland, one of Astrid's stuck-up besties, and decides that maybe there's some fun (and a little retribution) to be had in Bright Falls, after all.

Having raised her eleven-year-old daughter mostly on her own while dealing with her unreliable ex and running a bookstore, Claire Sutherland depends upon a life without surprises. And Delilah Green is an unwelcome surprise…at first. Though they've known each other for years, they don't really know each other—so Claire is unsettled when Delilah figures out exactly what buttons to push. When they're forced together during a gauntlet of wedding preparations—including a plot to save Astrid from her horrible fiancé—Claire isn't sure she has the strength to resist Delilah's charms. Even worse, she's starting to think she doesn't want to.

Him

They don’t play for the same team. Or do they?

Jamie Canning has never been able to figure out how he lost his closest friend. Four years ago, his tattooed, wise-cracking, rule-breaking roommate cut him off without an explanation. So what if things got a little weird on the last night of hockey camp the summer they were eighteen? It was just a little drunken foolishness. Nobody died.

Ryan Wesley’s biggest regret is coaxing his very straight friend into a bet that pushed the boundaries of their relationship. Now, with their college teams set to face off at the national championship, he’ll finally get a chance to apologize. But all it takes is one look at his longtime crush, and the ache is stronger than ever.

Jamie has waited a long time for answers but walks away with only more questions—can one night of sex ruin a friendship? If not, how about six more weeks of it? When Wesley turns up to coach alongside Jamie for one more hot summer at camp, Jamie has a few things to discover about his old friend... and a big one to learn about himself.

Warning: contains sexual situations, skinnydipping, shenanigans in an SUV, and proof that coming out to your family on social media is a dicey proposition.

Eleven Minutes

2021

by Paulo Coelho

Eleven Minutes is the story of Maria, a young girl from a Brazilian village, whose first innocent brushes with love leave her heartbroken. At a tender age, she becomes convinced that she will never find true love, instead believing that "love is a terrible thing that will make you suffer..." A chance meeting in Rio takes her to Geneva, where she dreams of finding fame and fortune.

Maria's despairing view of love is put to the test when she meets a handsome young painter. In this odyssey of self-discovery, Maria has to choose between pursuing a path of darkness — sexual pleasure for its own sake — or risking everything to find her own "inner light" and the possibility of sacred sex, sex in the context of love.

The Zahir

2021

by Paulo Coelho

The narrator of The Zahir is a bestselling novelist who lives in Paris and enjoys all the privileges money and celebrity bring. His wife of ten years, Esther, is a war correspondent who has disappeared along with a friend, Mikhail, who may or may not be her lover. Was Esther kidnapped, murdered, or did she simply escape a marriage that left her unfulfilled? The narrator doesn't have any answers, but he has plenty of questions of his own.

Then one day Mikhail finds the narrator and promises to reunite him with his wife. In his attempt to recapture a lost love, the narrator discovers something unexpected about himself.

It Happened One Summer

2021

by Tessa Bailey

Tessa Bailey is back with a Schitt's Creek-inspired romantic comedy about a Hollywood "It Girl" who's cut off from her wealthy family and exiled to a small Pacific Northwest beach town, where she butts heads with a surly, sexy local who thinks she doesn't belong.

Piper Bellinger is fashionable, influential, and her reputation as a wild child means the paparazzi are constantly on her heels. When too much champagne and an out-of-control rooftop party lands Piper in the slammer, her stepfather decides enough is enough. So he cuts her off and sends Piper and her sister to learn some responsibility running their late father's dive bar in Washington.

Piper hasn't even been in Westport for five minutes when she meets big, bearded sea captain Brendan, who thinks she won't last a week outside of Beverly Hills. So what if Piper can't do math, and the idea of sleeping in a shabby apartment with bunk beds gives her hives. How bad could it really be? She's determined to show her stepfather—and the hot, grumpy local—that she's more than a pretty face.

Except it's a small town and everywhere she turns, she bumps into Brendan. The fun-loving socialite and the gruff fisherman are polar opposites, but there's an undeniable attraction simmering between them. Piper doesn't want any distractions, especially feelings for a man who sails off into the sunset for weeks at a time. Yet as she reconnects with her past and begins to feel at home in Westport, Piper starts to wonder if the cold, glamorous life she knew is what she truly wants. LA is calling her name, but Brendan—and this town full of memories—may have already caught her heart.

Beautiful Broken Things

2021

by Sara Barnard

I was brave. She was reckless. We were trouble.

Best friends Caddy and Rosie are inseparable. Their differences have brought them closer, but as she turns sixteen, Caddy begins to wish she could be a bit more like Rosie – confident, funny, and interesting. Then Suzanne comes into their lives: beautiful, damaged, exciting, and mysterious, and things get a whole lot more complicated.

As Suzanne’s past is revealed and her present begins to unravel, Caddy begins to see how much fun a little trouble can be. But the course of both friendship and recovery is rougher than either girl realizes, and Caddy is about to learn that downward spirals have a momentum of their own.

Hana Khan Carries On

2021

by Uzma Jalaluddin

From the author of Ayesha at Last comes a sparkling new rom-com for fans of “You’ve Got Mail,” set in two competing halal restaurants. Sales are slow at Three Sisters Biryani Poutine, the only halal restaurant in the close-knit Golden Crescent neighbourhood. Hana waitresses there part time, but what she really wants is to tell stories on the radio. If she can just outshine her fellow intern at the city radio station, she may have a chance at landing a job.

In the meantime, Hana pours her thoughts and dreams into a podcast, where she forms a lively relationship with one of her listeners. But soon she’ll need all the support she can get: a new competing restaurant, a more upscale halal place, is about to open in the Golden Crescent, threatening Three Sisters. When her mysterious aunt and her teenage cousin arrive from India for a surprise visit, they draw Hana into a long-buried family secret.

A hate-motivated attack on their neighbourhood complicates the situation further, as does Hana’s growing attraction for Aydin, the young owner of the rival restaurant—who might not be a complete stranger after all. As life on the Golden Crescent unravels, Hana must learn to use her voice, draw on the strength of her community and decide what her future should be.

Twice Shy

2021

by Sarah Hogle

Maybell Parish has always been a dreamer and a hopeless romantic. But living in her own world has long been preferable to dealing with the disappointments of real life. So when Maybell inherits a charming house in the Smokies from her Great-Aunt Violet, she seizes the opportunity to make a fresh start.

Yet when she arrives, it seems her troubles have only just begun. Not only is the house falling apart around her, but she isn't the only inheritor: she has to share everything with Wesley Koehler, the groundskeeper who's as grouchy as he is gorgeous--and it turns out he has a very different vision for the property's future.

Convincing the taciturn Wesley to stop avoiding her and compromise is a task more formidable than the other dying wishes Great-Aunt Violet left behind. But when Maybell uncovers something unexpectedly sweet beneath Wesley's scowls, and as the two slowly begin to let their guard down, they might learn that sometimes the smallest steps outside one's comfort zone can lead to the greatest rewards.

The Ex Talk

Shay Goldstein has been a producer at her Seattle public radio station for nearly a decade, and she can't imagine working anywhere else. But lately it's been a constant clash between her and her newest colleague, Dominic Yun, who's fresh off a journalism master's program and convinced he knows everything about public radio.

When the struggling station needs a new concept, Shay proposes a show that her boss green-lights with excitement. On The Ex Talk, two exes will deliver relationship advice live, on air. Their boss decides Shay and Dominic are the perfect co-hosts, given how much they already despise each other. Neither loves the idea of lying to listeners, but it's this or unemployment. Their audience gets invested fast, and it's not long before The Ex Talk becomes a must-listen in Seattle and climbs podcast charts.

As the show gets bigger, so does their deception, especially when Shay and Dominic start to fall for each other. In an industry that values truth, getting caught could mean the end of more than just their careers.

LOVE OVER CAPPUCCINO

2020

by Mansi Modi

Who knew love can be caffeinated?

It's about how two complete opposites - Reyansh and Anamika, fell in love through their conversations over cappuccino. And how she helps him in finding his true calling in life and doing the work, which makes him happy from inside.

Believing in yourself from the heart, and to make others believe in you with all their hearts. In the process, she does fall in love with him, but realizes only when he is not with her.

It's never too late to do what you love.

Girl, Serpent, Thorn

Girl, Serpent, Thorn is a captivating and utterly original fairy tale about a girl cursed to be poisonous to the touch. It explores the power that might lie in such a curse.

There was and there was not, as all stories begin, a princess cursed to be poisonous to the touch. But for Soraya, who has lived her life hidden away, apart from her family, safe only in her gardens, it’s not just a story.

As the day of her twin brother’s wedding approaches, Soraya must decide if she’s willing to step outside of the shadows for the first time. Below in the dungeon is a demon who holds knowledge that she craves—the answer to her freedom. And above is a young man who isn’t afraid of her, whose eyes linger not with fear, but with an understanding of who she is beneath the poison.

Soraya thought she knew her place in the world, but when her choices lead to consequences she never imagined, she begins to question who she is and who she is becoming... human or demon, princess or monster.

You Exist Too Much

2020

by Zaina Arafat

You Exist Too Much is a novel of self-discovery following a Palestinian-American girl as she navigates queerness, love addiction, and a series of tumultuous relationships. Through a series of vignettes, the story flashes between the US and the Middle East, tracing the protagonist's journey from a blushing teen to a creative and confused adult.


In Brooklyn, she moves into an apartment with her first serious girlfriend, attempting to find contentment in their comfortable relationship. However, her longings, which were closely hidden during her teenage years, soon explode into reckless romantic encounters and obsessions with others. These experiences lead her to seek unconventional help to face her past traumas and current demons.


Opening up the fantasies and desires of a young woman caught between cultural, religious, and sexual identities, You Exist Too Much is a captivating story that charts two of our most intense longings: for love, and a place to call home.

The Black Flamingo

2020

by Dean Atta

The Black Flamingo is a powerful coming-of-age story about a boy discovering his identity. Michael is a mixed-race gay teen growing up in London, navigating what it means to be Greek-Cypriot and Jamaican, but never quite feeling Greek or Black enough.

As he gets older, Michael's journey of self-discovery begins with his coming out. This journey reaches new heights when he joins the Drag Society at university, where he truly finds where he belongs, and The Black Flamingo is born.

This bold and lyrical debut explores the layers of identity that make us who we are and how embracing our uniqueness allows us to shine. Sometimes, we need to take charge, stand up wearing pink feathers, and show ourselves to the world in bold color.

The Trouble with Hating You

2020

by Sajni Patel

Liya Thakkar is a successful biochemical engineer, takeout enthusiast, and happily single woman. The moment she realizes her parents' latest dinner party is a setup with the man they want her to marry, she's out the back door in a flash. Imagine her surprise when the same guy shows up at her office a week later -- the new lawyer hired to save her struggling company.

What's not surprising: he's not too thrilled to see her either after that humiliating fiasco. Jay Shah looks good on paper...and off. Especially if you like that whole gorgeous, charming lawyer-in-a-good-suit thing. He's also arrogant and infuriating. As their witty office banter turns into late night chats, Liya starts to think he might be the one man who truly accepts her. But falling for each other means exposing their painful pasts.

Will Liya keep running, or will she finally give love a real chance?

Jacob Have I Loved

Esau have I hated . . .

Sara Louise Bradshaw is sick and tired of her beautiful twin Caroline. Ever since they were born, Caroline has been the pretty one, the talented one, the better sister. Even now, Caroline seems to take everything: Louise's friends, their parents' love, her dreams for the future.

For once in her life, Louise wants to be the special one. But in order to do that, she must first figure out who she is and find a way to make a place for herself outside her sister's shadow.

Loveless

2020

by Alice Oseman

Loveless is the fourth novel from the phenomenally talented Alice Oseman – one of the most authentic and talked-about voices in contemporary YA.

It was all sinking in. I’d never had a crush on anyone. No boys, no girls, not a single person I had ever met. What did that mean?

Georgia has never been in love, never kissed anyone, never even had a crush – but as a fanfic-obsessed romantic, she’s sure she’ll find her person one day. As she starts university with her best friends, Pip and Jason, in a whole new town far from home, Georgia’s ready to find romance, and with her outgoing roommate on her side and a place in the Shakespeare Society, her ‘teenage dream’ is in sight.

But when her romance plan wreaks havoc amongst her friends, Georgia ends up in her own comedy of errors, and she starts to question why love seems so easy for other people but not for her. With new terms thrown at her – asexual, aromantic – Georgia is more uncertain about her feelings than ever.

Is she destined to remain loveless? Or has she been looking for the wrong thing all along?

This wise, warm, and witty story of identity and self-acceptance sees Alice Oseman on towering form as Georgia and her friends discover that true love isn’t limited to romance.

Why Fish Don't Exist

2020

by Lulu Miller

Why Fish Don't Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life is a dark and astonishing tale of love, chaos, scientific obsession, and—possibly—even murder, woven together in a wondrous debut by NPR reporter Lulu Miller.

David Starr Jordan, a taxonomist driven to bring order to the natural world, was on the verge of discovering nearly a fifth of the fish known to humans in his day. However, the universe seemed determined to challenge him, as his specimen collections were destroyed by a series of calamities, culminating in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. His life's work in ruins, Jordan stood amidst the wreckage and, spotting the first fish he recognized, began the arduous task of rebuilding his collection. This time, he introduced an innovation to protect his work from chaos.

Lulu Miller's encounter with Jordan's story led her to question her own understanding of history, morality, and the world beneath her feet. Why Fish Don't Exist is not only a biography and a memoir but also a scientific adventure that reads like a fable, offering an inspiring reflection on how to persevere in a world where chaos always seems to prevail.

Here for It

2020

by R. Eric Thomas

Here for It is a delightful and insightful memoir by R. Eric Thomas, filled with humor and heart. This book takes readers on a journey through the author's life, offering a unique perspective on the ups and downs of adulthood.

With a blend of wit and sincerity, Thomas shares personal stories that are both relatable and thought-provoking. Whether discussing the challenges of growing up, navigating the complexities of relationships, or finding one's place in the world, this memoir is sure to resonate with readers.

Here for It is an exploration of identity, belonging, and the search for joy in everyday life. It's a celebration of the human experience, told through the lens of a talented storyteller.

Metamorphosis

2020

by Erin Noelle

Scarlett MacGregor has lived a very sheltered life, courtesy of her over-the-top controlling parents. Having never been to a co-ed party, much less out on a date, Scarlett has relied on her books, music, and living vicariously through her best friend Evie to keep her sanity as she's patiently awaited her freedom from their rule.

When Scarlett and Evie leave home for college, Scarlett soon meets Ashton, Dylan, and Mason, and is thrown into a crash course of like, love, and lust. With Evie's help, she must figure out the difference between the three, and which one she wants, before she ends up without any of them.

Metamorphosis is the beginning of Scarlett's transformation from a young, naïve girl to a strong, mature young woman and her search for self-discovery and true love.

The Creation of Me, Them and Us

2020

by Heather Marsh

From the author of Binding Chaos, this book brings us back to the beginning. The beginning of designing a better method of governance and way of living is to look at the structure of our self.

The scope and originality of this book present a radical challenge to a seldom examined worldview. With an extremely wide reach and richness of detail, The Creation of Me, Them and Us sets the stage for further discussions of institutional reform by tackling the fundamental questions of who are we, what do we want, and why do we act the way we do?

These questions (and answers) are fundamental in understanding a world that may seem incomprehensible today. Welcome to the world of Binding Chaos, a groundbreaking series that introduces an enlightening and thought-provoking new framework to decode social behavior and institutions.

Finding Identity

2019

by Silenus Poetry

Finding Identity is a collection of poetry and prose, marking the journeys and sentiments of life. The book starts with the feeling of being lost, the course of wanting to give up, to give in, and the persistence of beliefs. Roads of fire and wounds, attempts to make a stand on the ground, the search for a position in the infinite unknown.

This book records the view upon the city of a delicate soul from a sensitive human; it includes unique perspectives and theories. It ends with the approach of a clearer state in the identity search by gaining emotional independence.

No Longer Human

Mine has been a life of much shame. I can't even guess myself what it must be to live the life of a human being. Plagued by a maddening anxiety, the terrible disconnect between his own concept of happiness and the joy of the rest of the world, Yozo Oba plays the clown in his dissolute life, holding up a mask for those around him as he spirals ever downward, locked arm-in-arm with death.

Osamu Dazai's immortal—and supposedly autobiographical—work of Japanese literature, is perfectly adapted here into a manga by Junji Ito. The imagery wrenches open the text of the novel one line at a time to sublimate Yozo's mental landscape into something even more delicate and grotesque. This is the ultimate in art by Ito, proof that nothing can surpass the terror of the human psyche.

Sorted

2019

by Jackson Bird

Sorted is an unflinching and endearing memoir from LGBTQ+ advocate Jackson Bird, detailing his journey to sorting things out and coming out as a transgender man. Assigned female at birth and raised as a girl, Jackson often wondered if he should have been born a boy. Growing up in Texas without transgender role models, he kept his thoughts to himself.

Through journal entries and candid recollections, Jackson chronicles the challenges of growing up gender-confused and the loneliness of coming to terms with his gender and bisexual identity. He shares the obstacles and quirks of his transition, from figuring out chest binders to emotional breakdowns at fan conventions, and from his first shot of testosterone to his top surgery.

With warmth, wit, and educational insights, Jackson's narrative not only sheds light on the many facets of a transgender life but also highlights the power and beauty of being true to oneself. Sorted is a testament to the importance of self-discovery and embracing one's identity.

Family Life – A Bridge Between Harmony and Agony

Family Life – A Bridge Between Harmony and Agony is a novel which skillfully binds together the idyllic and the mundane as two sides of the same coin. The driving force behind this masterful writing is the profound sorrow experienced by author Gheorghe Vîrtosu in his relationship with his older sister, Maria, throughout their childhood.


It is the gritty testimony of a child struggling to come to terms with his own feelings and thoughts, with his nearest and dearest, and with the world around. The quest becomes a meaningful and empowering statement of self-belief and self-discovery, as in the end, the sworn-enemy siblings turn out to be the best of friends throughout their teenage years and, really, for the rest of their lives.


The autobiographical recount gently and seamlessly seeps into fantasy, bringing to the forefront the charming story of a duckling and his family.

Darius the Great Is Not Okay

2019

by Adib Khorram

Darius Kellner doesn’t think he’ll ever be enough, in America or in Iran. He speaks better Klingon than Farsi, and he knows more about Hobbit social cues than Persian ones. He's about to take his first-ever trip to Iran, and it's pretty overwhelming—especially when he's also dealing with clinical depression, a disapproving dad, and a chronically anemic social life.

In Iran, he gets to know his ailing but still formidable grandfather, his loving grandmother, and the rest of his mom's family for the first time. And he meets Sohrab, the boy next door who changes everything.

Sohrab makes sure people speak English so Darius can understand what's going on. He gets Darius an Iranian National Football Team jersey that makes him feel like a True Persian for the first time. And he understands that sometimes, best friends don't have to talk. Darius has never had a true friend before, but now he's spending his days with Sohrab playing soccer, eating rosewater ice cream, and sitting together for hours in their special place, a rooftop overlooking the Yazdi skyline.

Sohrab calls him Darioush—the original Persian version of his name—and Darius has never felt more like himself than he does now that he's Darioush to Sohrab. When it's time to go home to America, he'll have to find a way to be Darioush on his own.

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

2019

by Ocean Vuong

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous is a poignant letter from a son to his mother, who cannot read. Written by Little Dog when he is in his late twenties, this letter delves into a family history that began long before his birth—a history deeply rooted in Vietnam. It serves as a gateway into parts of his life that his mother has never known, leading to an unforgettable revelation.

This novel is a profound witness to the complex yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son. It is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. The narrative poses questions central to our American moment, as we grapple with addiction, violence, and trauma, but it is underpinned by compassion and tenderness.

Ocean Vuong writes with stunning urgency and grace about people caught between disparate worlds, asking how we can heal and rescue one another without losing ourselves. The quest for survival and the pursuit of joy power this remarkable debut novel.

Far from the Tree

2019

by Robin Benway

Being the middle child has its ups and downs. But for Grace, an only child who was adopted at birth, discovering that she is a middle child is a different ride altogether. After putting her own baby up for adoption, she goes looking for her biological family, including—

Maya, her loudmouthed younger bio sister, who has a lot to say about their newfound family ties. Having grown up the snarky brunette in a house full of chipper redheads, she’s quick to search for traces of herself among these not-quite-strangers. And when her adopted family’s long-buried problems begin to explode to the surface, Maya can’t help but wonder where exactly it is that she belongs.

And Joaquin, their stoic older bio brother, who has no interest in bonding over their shared biological mother. After seventeen years in the foster care system, he’s learned that there are no heroes, and secrets and fears are best kept close to the vest, where they can’t hurt anyone but him.

This is a moving novel that addresses such important topics as adoption, teen pregnancy, and foster care.

Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and you too!

2019

by Chelsea Handler

Life Will Be the Death of Me: . . . and you too! is a thrillingly honest, insightful, and deeply, darkly funny memoir by Chelsea Handler.

In a haze of vape smoke on a rare windy night in L.A. in the fall of 2016, Chelsea daydreams about what life will be like with a woman in the White House. And then Donald Trump happens. In a torpor of despair, she decides that she's had enough of the privileged bubble she's lived in—a bubble within a bubble—and that it's time to make some changes, both in her personal life and in the world at large.

At home, she embarks on a year of self-sufficiency—learning how to work the remote, how to pick up dog shit, where to find the toaster. She meets her match in an earnest, brainy psychiatrist and enters into therapy, prepared to do the heavy lifting required to look within and make sense of a childhood marked by love and loss and to figure out why people are afraid of her.

She becomes politically active—finding her voice as an advocate for change, having difficult conversations, and energizing her base. In the process, she develops a healthy fixation on Special Counsel Robert Mueller and, through unflinching self-reflection and psychological excavation, unearths some glittering truths that light up the road ahead.

I Miss You When I Blink

Acclaimed essayist and bookseller Mary Laura Philpott presents a charmingly relatable and wise memoir-in-essays about what happened after she checked off all the boxes on her successful life’s to-do list and realized she might need to reinvent the list—and herself.

Mary Laura Philpott thought she’d cracked the code: Always be right, and you’ll always be happy.

But once she’d completed her life’s to-do list (job, spouse, house, babies—check!), she found that instead of feeling content and successful, she felt anxious. Lost. Stuck in a daily grind of overflowing calendars, grueling small talk, and sprawling traffic. She’d done everything “right,” but she felt all wrong. What’s the worse failure, she wondered: smiling and staying the course, or blowing it all up and running away? And are those the only options?

In this memoir-in-essays full of spot-on observations about home, work, and creative life, Philpott takes on the conflicting pressures of modern adulthood with wit and heart. She offers up her own stories to show that identity crises don’t happen just once or only at midlife; reassures us that small, recurring personal re-inventions are both normal and necessary; and advises that if you’re going to faint, you should get low to the ground first. Most of all, Philpott shows that when you stop feeling satisfied with your life, you don’t have to burn it all down and set off on a transcontinental hike (unless you want to, of course). You can call upon your many selves to figure out who you are, who you’re not, and where you belong. Who among us isn’t trying to do that?

I Miss You When I Blink is the funny, poignant, and deeply affecting book you’ll want to share with all your friends, as you learn what Philpott has figured out along the way: that multiple things can be true of us at once—and that sometimes doing things wrong is the way to do life right.

Queenie

Queenie is a disarmingly honest, boldly political, and truly inclusive novel that speaks to anyone who has gone looking for love and found something very different in its place.

Queenie Jenkins is a twenty-five-year-old Jamaican British woman living in London, straddling two cultures and slotting neatly into neither. She works at a national newspaper, where she's constantly forced to compare herself to her white middle class peers. After a messy break up from her long-term white boyfriend, Queenie seeks comfort in all the wrong places—including several hazardous men who do a good job of occupying brain space and a bad job of affirming self-worth.

As Queenie careens from one questionable decision to another, she finds herself wondering, "What are you doing? Why are you doing it? Who do you want to be?"—all of the questions today's woman must face in a world trying to answer them for her.

With fresh and honest prose, Queenie is a remarkably relatable exploration of what it means to be a modern woman searching for meaning in today's world.

Suicide Notes

I'm not crazy. I don't see what the big deal is about what happened. But apparently someone does think it's a big deal because here I am. I bet it was my mother. She always overreacts.

Fifteen-year-old Jeff wakes up on New Year's Day to find himself in the hospital—specifically, in the psychiatric ward. With the nutjobs. Clearly, this is all a huge mistake. Forget about the bandages on his wrists and the notes on his chart. Forget about his problems with his best friend, Allie, and her boyfriend, Burke. Jeff's perfectly fine, perfectly normal, not like the other kids in the hospital with him. Now they've got problems.

But a funny thing happens as his forty-five-day sentence drags on—the crazies start to seem less crazy. Compelling, witty, and refreshingly real, Suicide Notes is a darkly humorous novel from Michael Thomas Ford that examines that fuzzy line between "normal" and the rest of us.

The Infinite Jeff: A Parable of Change (Part 1)

2019

by Will Holcomb

Stanley, an out of work tech writer, is deeply unsatisfied with the lack of meaning in his life. Of the three places he feels should provide meaning in his life—religion, work, and family—only one gives his life purpose: family.

In PART ONE, his lack of meaning starts to change. Out of desperation to support his family, he takes a short-term contract job on the other side of the country. He cannot afford to fly, so he packs his car for the cross-country journey.

The trip gets strange almost immediately when he reluctantly picks up a hitchhiker who transforms Stanley's religious views by answering questions that have kept religion at arm's length.

Childless Living: The Joys and Challenges of Life without Children

Childless Living offers an insightful exploration into the self-fulfilling lives of individuals who, by chance or choice, do not have children. This enlightening book delves into the myriad life choices people make regarding parenthood and unveils alternate ways to find purpose in life.

Based on a comprehensive global survey and over 50 in-depth interviews with childless and childfree individuals aged 19 to 91 from diverse cultures and backgrounds, the book provides readers with a broader context to understand the growing trend of leading a self-fulfilling, childless life.

In many countries, choosing not to have children is becoming more common, and this book discusses topics often left unspoken—how people without children spend their time and money, and most importantly, how they find purpose and fulfillment in their lives.

Author Lisette Schuitemaker, who herself was never drawn to family life, shares intimate conversations and surprising insights from her interviews with non-parenting individuals worldwide. From exhilarating to painful stories, these narratives reveal that choosing not to start a family is a valid and fulfilling path.

This book is a must-read for anyone who has not taken the path of parenthood, those with close family or friends leading self-directed lives without offspring, and anyone contemplating this essential life choice. It celebrates both the joys of parenting and the bravery of those following the lesser-known path of non-parenting.

Less

Arthur Less is a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: his ex-boyfriend of nine years is engaged to someone else. Arthur can't say yes—it would be too awkward; he can't say no—it would look like defeat. So, he begins to accept the invitations on his desk to half-baked literary events around the world.

From France to India, Germany to Japan, Arthur almost falls in love, almost falls to his death, and puts miles between him and the plight he refuses to face.

Less is a novel about mishaps, misunderstandings, and the depths of the human heart. It is a hilarious and bittersweet tale of a man on a journey of self-discovery, filled with adventure, romance, and a touch of satire on the American abroad.

Still Me

2018

by Jojo Moyes

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue, where she works, and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home.

And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world.

Are We All Lemmings and Snowflakes?

2018

by Holly Bourne

Welcome to Camp Reset, a summer camp with a difference. A place offering a shot at “normality” for Olive, a girl on the edge, and for the new friends she never expected to make – who each have their own reasons for being there.

Luckily Olive has a plan to solve all their problems. But how do you fix the world when you can’t fix yourself? Maybe it's this messed up world that needs fixing, and not them. Together, snowflakes can form avalanches...

A trailblazing and painfully honest novel about mental health, friendship and making this crazy world a kinder place.

Whisper Me This

2018

by Kerry Anne King

Single mother Maisey Addington has always fallen short of her own mother’s expectations—never married, a bit adrift, wasting her high IQ on dead-end jobs. The only thing Maisey’s sure she’s gotten right is her relationship with her twelve-year-old daughter, Elle…until a phone call blows apart the precarious balance of their lives.

Maisey’s mother is in a coma, and her aging father faces charges of abuse and neglect. Back at her childhood home, Maisey must make a heartrending life-or-death decision. Her confused father has destroyed family records, including her mother’s final wishes. Searching for answers, Maisey uncovers one unspeakable secret after another when she stumbles upon a shattering truth: a twin sister named Marley.

Maisey’s obsession with solving the mystery of her sister forces her to examine her darkest memories and triggers a custody battle with Elle’s father. Will Maisey’s love for her daughter be strong enough to break a cycle of abuse and create a new beginning for them all?

Ayesha at Last

2018

by Uzma Jalaluddin

Ayesha at Last is a modern-day retelling of Pride and Prejudice, set in a Muslim community, for a new generation of love. Ayesha Shamsi has her life filled with various challenges. Her aspiration to become a poet has been shelved for a teaching occupation to settle debts owed to her affluent uncle. She resides with her lively Muslim household and is frequently reminded of her flighty younger cousin, Hafsa, who is on the verge of declining her one hundredth marriage proposal.

Despite Ayesha's solitude, she is adamant against an arranged marriage. However, her world turns upside down when she encounters Khalid. He's as intelligent and handsome as he is traditional and critical. Ayesha finds herself inexplicably drawn to someone who disapproves of her life choices and appears to be from a different era entirely.

Amidst this, a surprise engagement between Khalid and Hafsa is declared, leaving Ayesha caught between her feelings for the forthright Khalid and troubling rumors about his family. Delving into these whispers, she must confront not only the revelations about Khalid but also the truths she uncovers about herself.

Be Still and Listen: Experience the Presence of God in Your Life

2018

by Amos Smith

The various crises we experience in society and culture today, at their root, reveal a spiritual problem: a profound lack of meaning. The mystical truths revealed in scripture can surely help.

Part One, "Entering the Desert," introduces the reader to principles of awareness, deep listening, and contemplation as essential for “hearing” what Scripture has to say.

Part Two details the importance of mystery and struggle in the process of healing from any past or present wounds.

Part Three explores the “undivided heart” that is possible when we come to know God in silence and stillness.

With Be Still and Listen, it is possible to explore the contemplative dimensions of the Bible, either on your own or in a group setting, as you perhaps never have before.

The Kiss Quotient

2018

by Helen Hoang

The Kiss Quotient is a heartwarming and refreshing debut novel that demonstrates one thing with certainty: there's not enough data in the world to predict what will make your heart tick. Stella Lane believes math is the only thing that unites the universe. She devises algorithms to predict customer purchases—a job that has given her ample financial resources but significantly less dating experience than the average thirty-year-old.

Stella's Asperger's makes social interactions challenging, with French kissing evoking images of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her logical conclusion: she needs plenty of practice—with a professional. Enter Michael Phan, a Vietnamese and Swedish escort who can't afford to refuse Stella's proposition. Agreeing to assist her with her intimate lesson plan, Michael helps Stella explore everything from foreplay to more adventurous positions.

As Stella begins to enjoy his kisses and yearn for more of the sensations he elicits, their straightforward arrangement starts to make an unexpected kind of sense. And the emerging pattern will persuade Stella that love is indeed the best kind of logic.

Artificial Condition

2018

by Martha Wells

Artificial Condition continues the journey of Murderbot, a self-aware security unit that has dubbed itself "Murderbot" after a dark past involving human fatalities. With only fragmented memories of the incident, Murderbot's desire for knowledge leads it to pair up with a Research Transport vessel named ART, whose full name is best left unspoken.

Together, they travel to the mining facility where Murderbot's journey into rogue autonomy began. The secrets uncovered during this voyage will irrevocably alter Murderbot's perception of itself and the universe it navigates.

The Murderbot Diaries series is a captivating exploration of artificial intelligence and self-discovery, set against the backdrop of a future where space exploration and corporate interests collide.

Minority Leader

2018

by Stacey Abrams

Minority Leader is a guide to harnessing the strengths of being an outsider by Stacey Abrams, who has made significant strides in her political career. This book serves as a beacon for those who find themselves as the 'New American Majority'—a diverse and often underrepresented group seeking to climb the career ladder.

Stacey Abrams, with her roots in a working-poor family from Gulfport, Mississippi, shares her journey to Yale Law School and her ascent in business and politics, eventually becoming the first woman to lead either party in the Georgia General Assembly and the first African American to lead in the House of Representatives.

Combining elements of memoir with actionable advice, Abrams provides insights for women and people of color to navigate spaces traditionally occupied by white men. She emphasizes the importance of leveraging one's unique perspective, finding mentors, advocating for oneself, and pursuing genuine passions.

The book applies these lessons across various scenarios, from a recent graduate with a startup idea to a Latino city councilman with mayoral aspirations, and to anyone seeking to ascend in their profession. Abrams's goal is to fill the gap in available wisdom for navigating such paths and to empower her readers to make real change.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

2018

by Carolyn Mackler

Fifteen-year-old Virginia Shreves has a larger-than-average body and a plus-size inferiority complex, especially when she compares herself to her slim, brilliant, picture-perfect family. But that’s before a shocking phone call — and a horrifying allegation — about her rugby-star brother changes everything.

With irreverent humor and surprising gravity, Carolyn Mackler creates an endearingly blunt heroine who speaks to every teen who struggles with family expectations, and proves that the most impressive achievement is to be true to yourself.

All About Lulu

2018

by Jonathan Evison

Weakness has always been a concern for William Miller: growing up vegetarian in a family of bodybuilders will do that to a person. But William is further weakened by the death of his mother, the arrival of a new step-mother, and his irrepressible crush on his new step-sister, Lulu.

As Lulu faces down her own challenges, William watches his life shift into tumult and despair. Once Lulu departs for college, Will goes into the world to find himself — discovering Western philosophy, a cruel dating world, enduring friendship, and, ultimately, his true calling.

Emboldened by his turn as a late-night radio personality, Will rescues himself from the self-image of weakness he'd long wished to escape.

This debut novel explores the fundamental difference between where we come from — and the endless possibilities of where we may go.

The Prince and the Dressmaker

2018

by Jen Wang

Paris, at the dawn of the modern age: Prince Sebastian is looking for a bride—or rather, his parents are looking for one for him. Sebastian, however, is too busy hiding his secret life from everyone. At night, he dons daring dresses and takes Paris by storm as the fabulous Lady Crystallia—the hottest fashion icon in the world capital of fashion.

Sebastian's secret weapon is his brilliant dressmaker, Frances—his best friend and one of only two people who know the truth: sometimes this boy wears dresses. But Frances has dreams of greatness, and being someone's secret weapon means being a secret. Forever. How long can Frances defer her dreams to protect her friend?

Jen Wang weaves an exuberantly romantic tale of identity, young love, art, and family. A fairy tale for any age, The Prince and the Dressmaker will steal your heart.

The Queen's Rising

2018

by Rebecca Ross

When her seventeenth summer solstice arrives, Brienna desires only two things: to master her passion and to be chosen by a patron. Growing up in the southern kingdom of Valenia at the renowned Magnalia House should have prepared her. While some are born with a talent for one of the five passions—art, music, dramatics, wit, and knowledge—Brienna struggled to find hers until she chose knowledge.

However, despite all her preparations, Brienna’s greatest fear comes true: she is left without a patron.
Months later, her life takes an unexpected turn when a disgraced lord offers her patronage. Suspicious of his intent, she reluctantly accepts. But there is much more to his story, for there is a dangerous plot to overthrow the king of Maevana—the rival kingdom of Valenia—and restore the rightful queen, and her magic, to the northern throne. And others are involved, some closer to Brienna than she realizes.

With war brewing, Brienna must choose whose side she will remain loyal to—passion or blood. Because a queen is destined to rise and lead the battle to reclaim the crown. Who will be that queen?

With gorgeous description and detailed rendering of a world where not everything is what it seems, debut author Rebecca Ross weaves an intricate tale of revenge, loyalty, and, ultimately, self-discovery.

Love, Life, and the List

2017

by Kasie West

Seventeen-year-old Abby Turner’s summer isn’t going the way she’d planned. She has a not-so-secret but definitely unrequited crush on her best friend, Cooper. She hasn’t been able to manage her mother’s growing issues with anxiety. And now she’s been rejected from an art show because her work “has no heart.”


So when she gets another opportunity to show her paintings, Abby isn’t going to take any chances. Which is where the list comes in.


Abby gives herself one month to do ten things, ranging from face a fear (#3) to learn a stranger’s story (#5) to fall in love (#8). She knows that if she can complete the list, she’ll become the kind of artist she’s always dreamed of being.


But as the deadline approaches, Abby realizes that getting through the list isn’t as straightforward as it seems . . . and that maybe—just maybe—she can’t change her art if she isn’t first willing to change herself.

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