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Jennie's Picks

Jennie JENNIE
Supreme tech nerd Jennie — master of the site that is web — likes reading non-fiction philosophy, social issues, media studies, and history. When she gets tired of being so serious, she likes to delve into bizarre, scary, corny or gross fantasy, science fiction, and horror. She is embarassingly good at Harry Potter trivia and thinks zombies and hackers are super awesome. She has a Bachelors of Arts in Philosophy from ASU, but currently does not use it for anything other than impressing people at bars.

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Too Much Magic: Wishful Thinking, Technology, and the Fate of the Nation (Hardcover)

By James Howard Kunstler
$25.00
ISBN-13: 9780802120304
Availability: Coming Soon - Available for Pre-Order Now
Published: Atlantic Monthly Press, 7/2012
In 2006, Kunstler predicted that the global economy was about to enter a period of long decline, which he dubbed "The Long Emergency." In 2008, the stock market crashed, precipitating a global financial crisis that shows no sign of improving. Now, in Too Much Magic, Kunstler warns that our faith in technology -- solar power, super-efficient cars, vertical farming, and more -- is leading us head-long into ruin. He pragmatically argues for walking-scale urban planning, mass transport, and other traditional, time-tested methods to solve our financial crisis, put people back to work, and dismantle our unsustainable suburban car culture before it's too late. With insightful commentary on American politics, the Euro Crisis, rotting urban zones like Detroit, and more, Kunstler shows how depending on technology in an era that will be defined by rising energy costs is foolhardy. We ignore him at our own peril.

Insignia (Hardcover)

By S. J. Kincaid
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780062092991
Availability: Coming Soon - Available for Pre-Order Now
Published: Katherine Tegen Books, 7/2012
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I found it--the next Hunger Games. Insignia is everything that the dystopian genre was made for. Kincaid cribbed right from the headlines: countries run by dirty corporate money, wars fought with public funds for private wealth, and a world nearing ecological collapse, where food and even water itself is copyright protected. The plot dragged me at a breakneck pace towards the triumphant finish: a high-stakes battle fought by teenagers piloting spaceships with computers implanted in their brains. Ender's Game meets Harry Potter meets The Hunger Games -- Insignia is a crowd-pleaser, and should be one of the summer's hottest releases.

The Wolf Gift (Hardcover)

By Anne Rice
$25.95
ISBN-13: 9780307595119
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Knopf, 2/2012
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She's back! The virtuoso horror/supernatural author who made vampires broody and sexy decades before Twilight returns to form with her take on the century-old werewolf myth. Her protagonist, Reuben, goes through the usual gruesome shenanigans you'd expect from a man-eating super-strong werewolf -- but with a philosophical twist. He is man, wolf, neither, or both? While horror fans will love the fast-paced action and dark mood, fans of Anne's signature supernatural/spiritual twists will stay for the existential crisis. Even literary snobs should be impressed by Rice's sweeping metaphors and lush imagery. This one is sure to be a hit with both adults and older teens!  --Jennie

A Wrinkle in Time (Paperback)

By Madeleine L'Engle
$9.99
ISBN-13: 9781250004673
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Square Fish, 1/2012
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A Wrinkle in Time was the first book I ever read that deserved to be called ‘epic.’ To this day, it’s still one of the best science-fiction books I’ve had the distinctive pleasure of reading. Meg Murry, L’Engle’s plucky protagonist, was a constant companion of my childhood— reminding me to be brave and resist conformity, no matter how much I hated my hair and my bookish, nerdy nature. Rediscover the magic of the tesseract in this commemorate edition with plenty of new content, or give the gift of resiliency and tenacity to a new generation of young readers!

Cinder: Book One in the Lunar Chronicles (Hardcover)

By Marissa Meyer
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780312641894
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Feiwel & Friends, 1/2012
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Meyer's debut novel may be inspired by Cinderella -- and it may involve a prince and a ball -- but that's about where the similarity ends. Cinder, our cyborg heroine, is a mechanic in post-World War IV New Beijing. Technology may be advanced enough to give her artificial limbs and a robot for a best friend, but it can't cure the victims of a deadly pandemic sweeping the globe, nor can it save the world from the Moon Queen's tyrannical ambitions. Drawing themes from the classic fairytale, Blade Runner-esque cyberpunk, and Sailor Moon (yes, really), Cinder is a satisfying entry to the YA sci-fi genre, and a promising start to a quartet of novels.

Under the Never Sky (Hardcover)

By Veronica Rossi
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780062072030
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: HarperCollins, 1/2012
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Even though it’s been favorably compared to Hunger Games and Divergent, Veronica Rossi’s debut novel Under the Never Sky stands out from the pack. Her world-building — eerie, high-tech and animalistic, bleak and somehow beautiful — invokes the feeling of famously detailed epic video games (like the Final Fantasy series) rather than cookie-cutter apocalyptic sci-fi. Fast-paced and exciting without being melodramatic, this is an exciting start to a unique trilogy — and a book so readable it’ll be hard to not finish it in one sitting. —Jennie

Alanna: The First Adventure (Paperback)

By Tamora Pierce
$8.99
ISBN-13: 9781442426412
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Published: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 12/2010
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Tamora Pierce was the first fantasy author whose name I learned by heart. A pre-teen, I learned how to navigate the labyrinth stacks of the library partly so that I could find more of her wonderful heart-pounding adventures. The Song of the Lioness series, which begins with this book, was the first of her series I ever picked up, and it’s still one of the best. Alanna is absolutely everything you could want in a protagonist and more—resilient, intelligent, and easy to relate to with Pierce’s brilliantly written accounts of her human flaws and character growth. Here’s a great gift for anyone looking to fill the hole that the end of Harry Potter left in his or her imagination! —Jennie

Dark Eden (Hardcover)

By Patrick Carman
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780062009708
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Published: Katherine Tegen Books, 11/2011
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Dark Eden brings me back to those days when, as a pre-teen and teenager, my literary diet consisted solely of gruesome horror, creepy fantasy, or anything lacking a happy ending. Carman's newest YA novel nostalgically invokes the readability, mystery, and fright of R. L. Stine's Goosebumps series for a slightly older set. Read the book, download the immersive app at enterdarkeden.com, and face your deepest, darkest fears! —Jennie

Avatar: The Last Airbender - The Art of the Animated Series (Hardcover)

By Bryan Konietzko, Michael Dante DiMartino, Bryan Konietzko
$34.99
ISBN-13: 9781595825049
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Dark Horse Comics, 10/2010
This artbook is a fantastic endcap to Avatar: The Last Airbender, (in my opinion) the most epic American cartoon series ever made. DiMartino and Konietzko include hundreds of sketches that really make you appreciate the effort, artistry, and research chops was put into, of all things, a children's cartoon. I definitely don't regret splurging on this one — the huge art spreads that detail the world building behind the show are worth the price of the book ten times over. It might be massively dorky to own, but hey, you gotta give respect where respect is due. There aren't a lot of television shows, let alone cartoons for children that are as finely crafted as Avatar, and this book proves it. —Jennie

When She Woke (Hardcover)

By Hillary Jordan
$24.95
ISBN-13: 9781565126299
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 10/2011
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Jordan’s sophomore novel is a work of stunning authenticity and shear chutzpah. When She Woke is one of the best books of the year and everything the dystopian genre was made for—a hugely politically-relevant gauntlet of human misery caused by state and culture. Hannah ends her pregnancy in a near-future United States that considers abortion murder. Her punishment and escape triggers her transformation—with the help from a cadre of underground pro-choice “terrorists”—from a chaste, meek girl into an adult women fully in control of her destiny, sexuality, and agency. Jordan touches on hot-button issues like abortion, electronic surveillance, privacy, sexism, and the eroding separation of church and state in unflinchingly lurid and enthralling prose. This is The Handmaid’s Tale for the 21st century, an instant classic, and sure to spark not a small bit of controversy.

If Jack's in Love (Hardcover)

By Stephen Wetta
$25.95
ISBN-13: 9780399157523
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Published: Berkley Trade, 9/2011
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The characters in Wetta’s debut novel are unbelievably raw and real—Jack Witcher, his 12 year-old protagonist, is the most unforgettable child narrator since Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird. Likewise, the people populating his family and neighborhood are equally compelling and complex, shown muddling through the author’s masterful construction of small-town angst in the upheaval of the ‘60s. With subplots such as a murder mystery or hilariously awkward first (and forbidden!) love, and timeless themes such as racism, poverty, and self-discovery, there’s plenty of meaty substance in If Jack’s In Love to please any reader. This is an exemplar of high-thinking literary fiction with a compulsively readable satirical twist. —Jennie

Reamde (Hardcover)

By Neal Stephenson
$35.00
ISBN-13: 9780061977961
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: William Morrow, 9/2011
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Neal Stephenson has his fingers on the pulse of the thriving geek subculture, offering up another sprawling and absolutely engrossing brick of a novel. REAMDE is equal parts techno-thriller, geeky philosophic navel-gazing, and serious littérature, invoking both Crichton and Vonnegut with the author’s acute skill for writing the thrilling and the absurd. A large, compelling and wholly unique cast of characters—including former spetsnaz hired guns, terrorists, San Francisco hackers, insane Russian gangsters, MI6 agents, Chinese gold farmers, and billionare man-child virtual architects—get caught up in the crossfire of a hacking scheme gone bad. But underneath the slapstick plot, there’s some seriously high-minded world building and techy speculation. REAMDE is a meaty, complicated tour-de-force of “idea porn” wrapped in a satirical page-turner, and sure to please sci-fi and espionage fiction fans equally. —JENNIE

Just My Type: A Book About Fonts (Hardcover)

By Simon Garfield
$27.50
ISBN-13: 9781592406524
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Gotham, 9/2011
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From the immensely silly IKEA Font War to President Obama's iconic 2008 campaign posters, Simon Garfield expertly reveals the wonderful, nerdy power of typefaces in Just My Type. I found this book both completely fascinating and intensely gratifying -- especially since it justified my shameful, sordid love for Gills Sans and passionate hatred of both Papyrus and Comic Sans. Most of all, I'm happy to know that there are people out there that spend just as much time thinking about typeface as I do. —Jennie

Machine Man (Paperback)

By Max Barry
$14.95
ISBN-13: 9780307476890
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Vintage, 8/2011
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Barry expertly captures the voice of Charlie, his single-minded, anti-social, obsessively left-brained protagonist in his newest, highly readable, speculative novel. Although it’s a quick, action-packed read, Machine Man explores meaty issues such as the metaphysical definition of the self and the philosophical mind-body duality (or lack thereof). Through characters with vastly different, and sometimes morally abhorrent, viewpoints, Barry leaves the reader with more questions than answers—a hallmark of satisfying speculative fiction. Highly recommended to sci-fi fans looking for a fun summer read, or anyone looking for a novel that revels in the gray areas of ethics and leaves you not a small bit disconcerted. —Jennie

The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry (Hardcover)

By Jon Ronson
$25.95
ISBN-13: 9781594488016
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Published: Riverhead Hardcover, 5/2011
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Are ruthless CEOs and politicians more likely to be psychopaths? Are the mechanisms of power tuned and constructed by the 1% of the population unable to feel empathy or remorse? If, like me, you're a pessimist about the state of the world, then the idea of sociopaths calling the shots explains an awful lot. So when I discovered that Jon Ronson (Them: Adventures with Extremists and The Men Who Stare at Goats)—no stranger to the insane—was working on another book on his favorite well trod but darkly fascinating subject, it shot to the top of my reading list. When I finally got my hands on his deranged and utterly absorbing odyssey through the madness industry, it was absolutely everything I hoped it would be. Ronson provides a heady combination of his signature self-deprecating wit and unsettling interviews with psychopaths and the people (not much saner themselves) who diagnose, condemn, or advocate for them. In his travels, he discovers a lot more about himself, the "science" of psychology, and the hidden structures of our society. Peppered with disquieting insight and riveting moral dilemmas, The Psychopath Test is insanely (pun intended) good, and extremely hard to put down. —Jennie

Warm Bodies (Hardcover)

By Isaac Marion
$24.00
ISBN-13: 9781439192313
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Published: Atria Books, 4/2011
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Isaac Marion’s debut novel sparkles with effervescent prose and compelling, heartrendingly human characters—whether they are alive or the undead. R, the undead protagonist, is a homage to classic Night of the Living Dead zombies with a twist—his pensive and brilliantly verbose inner life contradicts his shuffling, moaning personage. He remembers nothing of his own past, but experiences the addictive pleasures of live by snacking on the brains of the living. One of these brains belonged to Perry, the melancholy artiste boyfriend of one Julie—the very girl he finds himself starting to fall for. As R struggles with his feelings for Julie and whether they are real, or the shadows of the love he glimpsed in mouthfuls of Perry’s brain, Warm Bodies asks: is life merely the daily motions of our cells, or a state of being fueled by love, hope, and the human connection? A must-read for zombie fans aching for something new, or anyone with a taste for brains and gore, action scenes begging for a film adaptation, and a little bit of transformative romance. —Jennie

Reality Bites Back: The Troubling Truth about Guilty Pleasure TV (Paperback)

By Jennifer L. Pozner
$16.95
ISBN-13: 9781580052658
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Seal Press, 10/2010
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If reality television is a disaster, Jennifer Pozner (founder of Women In Media & News) is its forensic investigator: making sense out of seemingly harmless shows like American Idol, The Bachelor, America’s Next Top Model, Flavor of Love, and others. With stellar, absorbing insight, she teases apart the decade-long history of reality television, examining its impact on our culture, its toxic messages, and how and why it has come to dominate the airwaves. Startlingly progressive, Pozner leaves no stereotype untouched: from blacks, to women, to gays, and to less-talked about (but no less important) minorities like transgendered people and Asian-Americans, she argues that reality television thrives and persists on the ugliest, most bigoted stories unscrupulous television producers have to sell. Funny, poignant, and seriously educational, Reality Bites Back is required reading for everyone living in the era of “reality” television.  —Jennie

Curly Girl: The Handbook [With DVD] (Paperback)

By Lorraine Massey, Gabrielle Revere, Michele Bender
$13.95
ISBN-13: 9780761156789
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Workman Publishing, 1/2011
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If you told me that not to touch my hair with shampoo, brush, or comb for a month, I’d look at you funny. If you told that and that my hair would look fabulous too, I’d ask if you were crazy. But Lorraine Massey proposes “curly girls” do exactly that—and it works. I haven’t brushed, combed, or shampooed my hair in weeks. I’ve worn my hair down more this month than I ever had in my life. Total strangers compliment me on my full-bodied, glossy, frizz-free curls, even on those high-humidity days where everyone else has their hair up! Massey’s routines for curly or wavy hair might seem bizarre, but they really work—I feel like I’ve wasted years of my life with over-processed, dry, unruly hair that I hated when I could have amazing, beautiful hair that I love. Plus, her tips and recipes are far healthier and more environmentally-friendly than your old regimens and products. Going natural and finally having low-maintenance fantastic hair… what’s not to like? Give Curly Girl a try and you’ll see what I mean!   —Jennie

Pathfinder (Hardcover)

By Orson Scott Card
$18.99
ISBN-13: 9781416991762
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Published: Simon Pulse, 11/2010
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Card has done it again! Pathfinder is everything you could ask for in a fantasy epic—compelling characters, expansive world-building and enough bizarre flair for even the most hardcore nerd. Two stories are intertwined in this satisfying read: that of Rigg, a newly orphaned quick-witted boy with an epic quest and a dangerous gift; and that of Ram, captain of a starship who finds himself amongst the most baffling paradoxes in the universe. Somehow, Card manages to mesh these two plots into a fascinating, well-paced novel that showcases his stellar wit and sense of parody. Unlike many novels that hand-wave bizarre physics, Pathfinder embraces the conundrums of time-travel with hilarious and brain-bending dialogue. The ending is particularly noteworthy, where science fiction, politics, fantasy, and adventure all fall into place to create a satisfying whole. More speculative fiction than clichéd seat-of-your-pants adventure, Pathfinder is the first in a new series that is bound to delight even the pickiest of fantasy/sci-fi readers. —Jennie

The Radleys (Hardcover)

By Matt Haig
$25.00
ISBN-13: 9781439194010
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Published: Free Press, 12/2010
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Matt Haig is known for his dark takes on “ordinary” family life. The Radleys—literary fiction about the modern nuclear family with an oddly metaphoric vampiric twist—is Haig at his best. Peter—limping towards a midlife crisis—and Helen—plagued by secrets and regrets—have lied to their unpopular, awkward children Rowan and Clara since they were born. They’re all “abstainers”—vampires who refuse to drink blood. Their practiced lies and feigned suburban banality fall apart when shy Clara gives in to her violent nature and Uncle Will, a practicing vampire, visits to unearth the secrets and habits of a sordid, bloody past they thought they could forget. Haig’s dark humor and wit pulled me in to the Radley’s dramas; teenagers and adults alike will also find it easy to relate to the characters. Through domestic derangement and vampire lore, Haig crafts a satisfying, well-paced novel that explores denial, hard bargains, the bonds of family, and what sin can cost—or win—us. –Jennie

The Lost Gate (Hardcover)

By Orson Scott Card
$24.99
ISBN-13: 9780765326577
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Published: Tor Fantasy, 1/2011
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With The Lost Gate, the debut novel of The Mither Mages Series, Orson Scott Card (Ender’s Game) proves that he might be one of the most prolific and imaginative sci-fi/fantasy writers still publishing today. Combining a heady mix of vivid world-building, multicultural mythology, urban fantasy, and science fiction, Card starts out the wholly unique saga of Danny North—exiled heir to a family of once great “gods” cut off from their power source. Fans of Tolkien will appreciate the unique premise of Card’s universe and his lush descriptions, while younger readers will find it easy to identify with the teen protagonist—whose identity and voice are remarkably well-crafted in a sea of sci-fi/fantasy novels featuring unsatisfying character development. Readers will also appreciate Card’s genre-savvy humor, especially when he turns his wit to satirizing the usual plot devices of urban fantasy. All in all, this is novel that really shouldn't be missed; the brutal sequel-baiting ending left me with more questions than answers, and eagerly awaiting the sequel.  —Jennie

A Thousand Cuts (Hardcover)

By Simon Lelic
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ISBN-13: 9780670021505
Availability: Special Order - Subject to Availability
Published: Viking Adult, 3/2010
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Even with disturbing tales of student suicides evoked by ruthless bullying screaming from recent headlines, few of us are willing to delve into the unremarkable daily tortures behind the spectacle. Lelic brings the issue of bullying—in the school and in workplace, by children and adults—home with his unsettling, penetrating debut novel. Through his protagonist, police investigator Lucia, he asks, “Why was the onus always on the weak when it was the strong who had a liberty to act? Why were the weak obliged to be so brave when the strong had license to behave like such cowards?” His characters are unremarkable and average—which makes their inaction, their cruelty, all the more chilling. Through cutting prose, he masterfully evokes the gut-wrenching betrayal that bullying victims feel when their cries for help go unanswered, and authority tacitly endorse, or even encourage, unspeakable barbarism. A Thousand Cuts leaves you with the disquieting question: what do we cause when we scorn the weak and plea ignorance in the face of cruelty? —Jennie

The Moral Landscape: How Science Can Determine Human Values (Hardcover)

By Sam Harris
$26.99
ISBN-13: 9781439171219
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Published: Free Press, 10/2010
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The Moral Landscape is the most optimistic book I've read all year. Harris starts with the common-sense proposition that science (any rational study of reality) can tell us what is morally right or wrong. From there, he offers the reader a machete to cut through the thorny proposition that only religious demagogues have anything universal to say about morality, and that science and liberal cultural relativists must remain forever silent—and never turn "is" propositions into "oughts". Pithy enough to quote around the dinner table, but academic enough to reference in an academic essay (especially if you tackle the 100+ pages of notes and cross-references), The Moral Landscape makes a great gift for anyone looking to think critically about moral truths. Now readers can offer no apology when they say that the worst things humanity has to offer—genocide, bigotry, and other jingoism—are wrong in principle, not opinion. As for me, I'm definitely putting Harris's masterwork up next to John Stuart Mill's Utilitarianism in the philosophy section of my bookshelf.  —Jennie

The Weather of the Future: Heat Waves, Extreme Storms, and Other Scenes from a Climate-Changed Planet (Hardcover)

By Heidi Cullen
$25.99
ISBN-13: 9780061726880
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Published: Harper, 8/2010
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Cullen combines climatology with sociology to present a glimpse into the future for seven areas sure to be impacted by the all-but-inevitable climate change in The Weather of the Future. Using compelling data we see how varied and extreme the results of climate change will be in different areas—Bangladesh flooded, California's agricultural industries in ruin, a melted Greenland transformed into a cornucopia of minerals ripe for the picking, and New York City battered by hurricanes. But Cullen's book is more than just 300 pages of doom-and-gloom, she also offers optimistic views of what certain communities—like the Inuit in the Arctic circle and New York's Climate Change Adaptation Task Force—have done to prepare for an intimidating future. Highly recommended for anyone who wants to connect apocalyptic headlines about melting ice to the weather patterns we might see just outside our front doors. —Jennie

For the Win (Hardcover)

By Cory Doctorow
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780765322166
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Published: Tor Teen, 5/2010
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Doctorow isn't afraid to write long, meaty books with complex political and economic themes. As someone not enamored of dumbing-down literature for teens, I loved For The Win. Although it's set in the present, Doctorow's novel about virtual economies has enough sci-fi flair and steam-punk-esque vibes to appeal to fans of apocalyptic futures such as Hunger Games or the Uglies Trilogy. Doctorow writes superb characters: driven, ambitious kids with revolutionary spirits and a good heads on their shoulders. I especially liked 15-year-old Mala ("General Robotwalla") whose leadership and vision carried her virtual troops to victory. For the Win has a lot to teach readers about how serious, and deadly, any economic system—even the virtual ones—can become. Doctorow has intense zeal for the new political crises of the virtual age—privacy, gaming, intellectual freedom, and social justice—and it shows through the passion he channels to craft this masterful thriller. Highly recommended to adults, teens, and anyone who knows that it's never just a game. —Jennie

I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned from Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, (Paperback)

By Julie Klausner
$15.00
ISBN-13: 9781592405619
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Published: Gotham, 2/2010
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Instead of urging unlucky-in-love readers to "settle" for Mr. Right There, Klausner penned a scathing and hilarious anti-Marry Him manifesto about the "Nice Guys"—faux-sensitive "take care of me" guys—that every woman has dated—and later discovered that they weren't so nice. I thought that Klausner's message was like a breath of fresh (and sane!) air in a sea of dating books telling women to "settle" for immature needy guys. Her point that some Nice Guys that are intimidated by pretty women aren't cute and shy, they're "reacting to the intimidating female as an intruder, an alien, and somebody they can't relate to," was totally spot-on. This isn't a "woe is me" fest though! Reading I Don't Care About Your Band was like talking to a really cool friend who was always ready to tell you that you're so awesome that even a long lonely dry spell or a spectacularly bad relationship can't destroy you. On the other hand are the dating books tell women to "not feel so good about yourself" so that you pass up too many dudes and "end up alone"... guess which message I prefer? I really recommend this book to anyone that wants a little company in the shared misery of bad relationships, or just wants to laugh at the bad behavior we put up with in the search for love. -Jennie

The Apprenticeship of Big Toe P (Hardcover)

By Rieko Matsuura, Michael Emmerich
$24.95
ISBN-13: 9784770031167
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Published: Kodansha International, 1/2010
As a connoisseur of weird novels, I have to say that this one is definitely one of the weirdest. Kazumi Mano—a young woman formerly content to passively let life happen to her—wakes up one day with the wrong genitalia... on her toe! Soon, Kazumi is forced to reevaluate her life, her sexuality, and everything she ever took for granted. Along the way, she finds love and friendship with a cast of "sexual freaks" just like herself. I thought this novel was hilarious and thought-provoking. A classic coming-of-age story masquerading as a bizarre fairy-tale, Matsuura's novel is really hard to put down. Even as I identified with Kazumi, I was totally unprepared for where this novel took me. This is a great novel for anyone searching for a conversation piece and just downright good story-telling! —Jennie

Ash (Hardcover)

By Malinda Lo
$16.99
ISBN-13: 9780316040099
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Published: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 9/2009
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I usually dislike YA fantasy romance novels, as they all feel like cheap spin-offs of Twilight. Ash, Malinda Lo’s subversive debut novel, decidedly stands out from the pack. Even though it’s a retelling of Cinderella, it’s more a coming-of-age story than a sappy romance. Torn between the memories of her dead parents and the reality of her cruel stepmother, Aisling finds her escape in the woods she loves and the dangerous fairies that live there. Until she meets Kaisa, the King’s huntress, Ash lives as an abused servant by day and a bewitched victim of fairy magic by night. The atmospheric and eerie plot leads to a surprising conclusion—much different than the classic fairy tale—but ultimately much more convincing! The romance in Ash is less purple prose or a storm of clichés and more poignant and touching—based on friendship more than an unhealthy attraction to danger. I couldn’t put this one down, and I’m glad I didn’t: the ending is utterly satisfying and sweet. I recommend this novel to anyone with a penchant for romance, fantasy, and strong female protagonists. —Jennie

How Fantasy Becomes Reality: Seeing Through Media Influence (Hardcover)

By Karen E. Dill
$27.95
ISBN-13: 9780195372083
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Published: Oxford University Press, USA, 9/2009
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If Hollywood, the television, and any other media came with an instruction manual, this would be it. Dill's How Fantasy Becomes Reality is a invaluable resource for understanding the impact that media has on both individuals and society—for better or for worse. Instead of taking a reactionary or dismissive tone, Dill backs up all of her points with tons of research and psychological studies, which I found both extremely enlightening and interesting. Not only does Dill contest that fantasy has the power to shape our reality, she also presents really compelling reasons why we resist acknowledging just how much power media has over us. This book is extremely empowering: now I feel that I can made educated choices about the media I consume and preempt the ways it can affect me by recognizing the psychological tactics that used to slip under my radar. Highly highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in the impact of media and conscious consumption! -Jennie

The Magicians (Paperback)

By Lev Grossman
$16.00
ISBN-13: 9780452296299
Availability: On Our Shelves Now
Published: Plume, 6/2010
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Lev Grossman’s fantasy novel is filled with so much more than satisfyingly complex magic and mystery; it’s also tribute to favorites like Rowling, Lewis, and Tolkien. The Magicians is character-driven in a way that many fantasy novels are not. Quentin, the protagonist, invokes shades of The Catcher in the Rye’s gifted but disaffected Holden, while Alice, his foil, mirrors a more traditional hero. I highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever once wished to be whisked away from a life of normalcy to Middle-Earth or Hogwarts, especially misfits like me who sometimes wish their drama was a bit more fantastic. —Jennie

Lessons from the Fat-o-sphere: Quit Dieting and Declare a Truce with Your Body (Paperback)

By Kate Harding, Marianne Kirby
$13.95
ISBN-13: 9780399534973
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Published: Perigee Trade, 5/2009
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Common sense: self-acceptance and health is more important than any number on a scale. But with the constant bombardment of fad diets and feel-bad marketing, most of us are hard-pressed to admit it. With the tongue-in-cheek wit of their blog writing, Harding and Kirby use this common sense proposition to present twenty-seven ways to reframe everything you know about dieting and weight. Isn’t it time that someone said that being unshakably happy and healthy is more important than waiting to enjoy life until you’re acceptably thin? I recommend this book to anyone, because everyone should feel fabulous at any weight! —Jennie

Youth in Revolt: Now a major motion picture from Dimension Films starring Michael Cera (Paperback)

By C.D. Payne
$17.99
ISBN-13: 9780767931243
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Broadway, 11/2009
Other Editions of this Title
The inspiration for the same-named movie starring Michael Sera (2009), Youth In Revolt is even funnier (and dirtier) in print. Nick Twisp can't get a break: after unsuccessful schemes to lose his virginity and the increasingly dangerous (and illegal) hijinks of his alter-ego, Francois, he finds himself a homeless fugitive. What’s a 14-year old boy in search of sex and rebellion to do? Youth in Revolt chronicles the raunchy slapstick misadventures of an honors-student turned oversexed revolutionary. This is the subversive coming-of-age story for children of the 90s—and a daringly naughty book that you'll read again and again. If riotous laugh-out-loud novels are your thing, this isn’t one to miss! -Jennie

The Red Badge of Courage (Mass Market Paperback)

By Stephen Crane
$3.95
ISBN-13: 9780553210118
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Bantam Classics, 3/1981
Poignant, moving, and evocative, Stephen Crane's coming-of-age Civil War novel is just as relevant today as the day it was first published. The Red Badge of Courage is told from the view of the nameless "youth", a naïve teenager drawn into the horrors of warfare. With stunning imagery and unsettling ethical dilemmas, this is one classic that will satisfy any literary connoisseur, young or old. More than that though, it is the titular example of "show, not tell" when it comes to setting and characterization. How Crane illustrates the turbulence of the protagonist's emotions as his worldview is traumatically uprooted is sublime and almost unmatched, even over a century after the initial publication. -Jennie

The Republic (Paperback)

By Plato, Dover Thrift Editions
$3.50
ISBN-13: 9780486411217
Availability: Usually Ships in 1-5 days
Published: Dover Publications, 4/2000
Plato’s Republic probably one of the titular titles anyone thinks of when they contemplate ancient philosophy—and for good reason. Unlike contemporaries such as Zeno and Aristotle, Plato’s theories of forms and intense commitment to a political meritocracy still have meaning and application, even over two thousand years after they were written. And unlike even more “modern” philosophers like Kant or Mill, Plato’s political and ethical theories are startlingly modern and mostly devoid of unsavory biases like apologetics for colonialism or musings on the inherent inferiority of the female sex. Plato’s Republic is a masterwork of epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and political philosophy. Any inspiring philosopher really ought to have this title under his or her belt—not only for posterity, but also because it truly is good enough to stand the test of the millennia solely on its own merits. —Jennie
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