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Agatha Arch is afraid of everything
by Kristin Bair O'Keeffe
"Agatha Arch's life shatters when she discovers her husband in their backyard shed in flagrante delicto, giving the local dog walker some heavy petting. Suddenly, Agatha finds herself face-to-face with everything that frightens her... and that's a loooooong list. Agatha keeps those she loves close. Everyone else, she keeps as far away as possible. So she's a mystery to nearly everyone in her New England town. To her husband, she's a saucy, no-BS writer. To her Facebook moms group, she's a provacateur. To her neighbor, she's a standoffish pain in the butt. To her sons, she's chocolate pudding with marshmallows. And to her shrink, she's a bundle of nerves on the brink of a cataclysmic implosion. Defying her aboundant assortment of anxieties, Agatha dons her "spy pants" -- a pair of khakis who's many pockets she jams with binoculars, a fishing line, scissors, a flashlight, a Leatherman Super Tool 300 EOD, candy, and other espionage essentials -- and sets out to spy on her husband and the dog walker. Along the way, she finds another intriguing target to follow: a mysterious young woman who's panhandling on the busiest street in town. It's all a bit much for timorous Agatha. But with the help of her Bear Grylls bobblehead, a trio of goats, and a dog named Balderdash, Agatha may just find the courage to build a better life"--Provided by publisher.
Finlay Donovan knocks 'em dead
by Elle Cosimano
MYSTERY Cosimano Elle
Mystery
"From Edgar-Award nominee Elle Cosimano, comes Finlay Donovan Knocks 'Em Dead-the hilarious and heart-pounding follow-up to Finlay Donovan is Killing It. "A funny and smart, twisty and surprising series."-Megan Miranda Finlay Donovan is-once again-struggling to finish her next novel and keep her head above water as a single mother of two. On the bright side, she has her live-in nanny and confidant Vero to rely on, and the only dead body she's dealt with lately is that of her daughter's pet goldfish. On the not-so-bright side, someone out there wants her ex-husband, Steven, out of the picture. Permanently. Whatever else Steven may be, he's a good father, but saving him will send her down a rabbit hole of soccer moms disguised as hit-women, and a little bit more involvement with the Russian mob than she'd like. Meanwhile, Vero's keeping secrets, and Detective Nick Anthony seems determined to get back into her life. He may be a hot cop, but Finlay's first priority is preventing her family from sleeping with the fishes... and if that means bending a few laws then so be it. With her next book's deadline looming and an ex-husband to keep alive, Finlay is quickly coming to the end of her rope. She can only hope there isn't a noose at the end of it.."--
Added by Alexander
Fence : striking distance
by Sarah Rees Brennan
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Brennan Sarah
Fiction
Nicholas Cox, the illegitimate son of a retired fencing champion, dreams of getting the proper training he could never afford. After earning a place on the elite Kings Row fencing team, Nicholas must prove himself to his rival, Seiji Katayma, and navigate the clashes, friendships, and relationships between his teammates on the road to state championships. Coach Williams takes advantage of the boys' morale after a recent victory and assigns them a course of team building exercises to further deepen their bonds. As the team begins realize they are stronger together than they could ever be apart, will Nicholas have the chance to spar with his golden-boy half-brother? -- adapted from Amazon info
Added by Alexander
The guncle : a novel
by Steven Rowley
FICTION Rowley Steven
Fiction, LGBTQ+
Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. He loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, When Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick's brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of "Guncle Rules" Patrick has no idea what to expect. After years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled acting career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old, Patrick's eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility. Even being larger than life means you're unfailingly human. -- adapted from jacket
Added by Alexander
American dirt
by Jeanine Cummins
FICTION Cummins Jeanine
Fiction
Acapulco. Lydia Quixano Perez runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca; her wonderful husband is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is fairly comfortable. Javier browses at the store and comes up to the register with two of her favorites books. Javier is charming... and the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When her husband's tell-all profile of Javier is published, Lydia and Luca find themselves making their way north toward the United States, the only place Javier's reach doesn't extend. But what exactly are they running to? -- adapted from jacket
Added by Alexander
Miss Marple : the complete short stories
by Agatha Christie
MYSTERY Christie, Agatha
Mystery
Added by Alexander
The queen's gambit
by Walter S. Tevis
FICTION Tevis, Walter
Fiction
Eight year-old orphan Beth Harmon is quiet, sullen, and by all appearances unremarkable. That is, until she plays her first game of chess. Her senses grow sharper, her thinking clearer, and for the first time in her life she feels herself fully in control. By the age of sixteen, she's competing for the U.S. Open championship. But as Beth hones her skills on the professional circuit, the stakes get higher, her isolation grows more frightening, and the thought of escape becomes all the more tempting.
Added by Alexander
The dictionary of lost words : a novel
by Pip Williams
FICTION Williams Pip
Fiction
Motherless, Esme spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip, and is told that the word means "slave girl." Learning that words relating to women's and common folks' experiences often go unrecorded, Esme begins to collect other words discarded by the dictionary men. As she grows up, Esme begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the Dictionary of Lost Words. -- adapted from jacket
Added by Alexander
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections : a novel
by Eva Jurczyk
FICTION Jurczyk Eva
Fiction
"Liesl Weiss has been (mostly) happy working in the rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing. Liesl tries to sound the alarm and inform the police about the missing priceless book but is told repeatedly to keep quiet to keep the doors open and the donors happy. But then a librarian goes missing as well. Liesl must investigate both disappearances, unspooling her colleagues' pasts like the threads of a rare book binding as it becomes clear that someone in the department must be responsible for the theft. What Liesl discovers about the dusty manuscripts she has worked among for so long-and about the people who preserve and revere them-shakes the very foundation on which she has built her life"--
Added by Alexander
The book of cold cases
by Simone St. James
FICTION St. James, Simone
Fiction
"A true crime blogger gets more than she bargained for while interviewing the woman acquitted of two cold case slayings in this chilling new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel. In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect-a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year-old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion. Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases-a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child. When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea's surprise, Beth says yes. They meet regularly at Beth's mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she's not looking, and she could swear she's seen a small girl outside the window. The allure of learning the truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn't right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?"--
Added by Alexander
Be kind
by Pat Zietlow Miller
When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind, and how each act, big or small, can make a difference or at least help a friend.
Added by Alexander
My Shadow Is Purple
by Scott Stuart
My Dad has a shadow that's blue as a berry, and my Mum's is as pink as a blossoming cherry. There's only those choices, a 2 or a 1. But mine is quite different, it's both and it's none.
Added by Alexander
Meet cute diary
by Emery Lee
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Lee Emery
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
(T) "Noah Ramirez thinks he's an expert on romance. He has to be for his popular blog, the Meet Cute Diary, a collection of trans happily ever afters. There's just one problem; all the stories are fake ... When a troll exposes the blog as fiction, Noah's world unravels. The only way to save the Diary is to convince everyone that the stories are true, but he doesn't have any proof. Then Drew walks into Noah's life, and the pieces fall into place"--
Added by Alexander
Hair Love
by Matthew A. Cherry, Vashti Harrison
Black Lives Matter, Kids, Diverse Characters
A New York Times Bestseller and tie-in to Academy-Award Winning Short Film "Hair Love" "I love that Hair Love is highlighting the relationship between a Black father and daughter. Matthew leads the ranks of new creatives who are telling unique stories of the Black experience. We need this." - Jordan Peele, Actor & FilmmakerIt's up to Daddy to give his daughter an extra-special hair style in this ode to self-confidence and the love between fathers and daughters, from Academy-Award winning director and former NFL wide receiver Matthew A. Cherry and New York Times bestselling illustrator Vashti Harrison.Zuri's hair has a mind of its own. It kinks, coils, and curls every which way. Zuri knows it's beautiful. When Daddy steps in to style it for an extra special occasion, he has a lot to learn. But he LOVES his Zuri, and he'll do anything to make her —
Added by Alexander
What if it's us
by Becky Albertalli
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Albertal Becky
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
(G) Told in two voices, when Arthur, a summer intern from Georgia, and Ben, a native New Yorker, meet it seems like fate, but after three attempts at dating fail they wonder if the universe is pushing them together or apart.
Added by Alexander
Dracula
by Stoker, Bram, 1847-1912.
FICTION Stoker, Bram
Bram Stoker's peerless tale of desperate battle against a powerful, ancient vampire When Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania to help Count Dracula purchase a London house, he makes horrifying discoveries in his client's castle. Soon afterwards, disturbing incidents unfold in England: a ship runs aground on the shores of Whitby, its crew vanished; beautiful Lucy Westenra slowly succumbs to a mysterious, wasting illness, her blood drained away; and the lunatic Renfield raves about the imminent arrival of his 'master'. In the ensuing battle of wills between the sinister Count and a determined group of adversaries - led by the intrepid vampire hunter Abraham van Helsing - Bram Stoker created a masterpiece of the horror genre, probing into questions of identity, sanity and the dark corners of Victorian sexuality and desire. For this completely updated edition, Maurice Hindle has revised his introduction, list of further reading and notes, and added two appendices: Stoker's essay on censorship and his interview with Winston Churchill, both published in 1908. Christopher Frayling's preface discusses the significance and the influences that contributed to his creation of the Dracula myth. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
Added by Alexander
My shadow is pink
by Scott Stuart
jE/Stuart
Kids, Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+
Inspired by the author's own little boy, 'Shadow's' main character likes princesses, fairies and things 'not for boys'... he soon learns (through the support of his dad) that everyone has a shadow that they sometimes feel they need to hide. This is an important book for a new generation of children (and adults alike) which exemplifies the concepts of unconditional love, respect and positive parenting.
Added by Alexander
The antique gift shop
by Lee, Eun.
MANGA Lee Antique
Did you know that an antique possesses a soul of its own? The Antique Gift Shop specializes in such items that charm and captivate the buyers that they are destined to belong to. Guided by a mysterious and charismatic shopkeeper, the enchanted relics lead their new owners on a journey into the alternate cosmic universe to their true destinies. Eerily bittersweet and dolefully melancholy, the Antique Gift Shop opens up a portal to a world where torn lovers unite, broken friendships are mended, and regrets are resolved. Do you believe?
Added by Alexander
The Colorado kid
by King, Stephen, 1947-
MYSTERY King, Stephen
On an island off the coast of Maine, a man is found dead. There's no identification on the body. Only the dogged work of a pair of local newspapermen and a graduate student in forensics turns up any clues, and it's more than a year before the man is identified.
Added by Alexander
Loveless
by Alice Oseman
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Oseman Alice
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
(A) Georgia has parents who are still in love, two sets of grandparents that are still together, and a brother who married his girlfriend, but at eighteen she has never even kissed someone (not even her lesbian best friend, Felipa) or particularly even wanted to; at the prom afterparty she is surrounded by couples making out, and she really does not know what is wrong--but in college she comes to understand herself as asexual/aromantic, and to capture the part of her identity that has always eluded her.
Added by Alexander
Dragons Love Tacos
by Adam Rubin
Explores the love dragons have for tacos, and the dangers of feeding them them anything with spicy salsa.
Added by Alexander
House of Leaves
by Mark Z. Danielewski
FICTION/Danielewski, Mark Z.
Fiction, Horror
“A novelistic mosaic that simultaneously reads like a thriller and like a strange, dreamlike excursion into the subconscious.” —The New York TimesYears ago, when House of Leaves was first being passed around, it was nothing more than a badly bundled heap of paper, parts of which would occasionally surface on the Internet. No one could have anticipated the small but devoted following this terrifying story would soon command. Starting with an odd assortment of marginalized youth -- musicians, tattoo artists, programmers, strippers, environmentalists, and adrenaline junkies -- the book eventually made its way into the hands of older generations, who not only found themselves in those strangely arranged pages but also discovered a way back into the lives of their estranged children.Now this astonishing novel is made available in book form, complete with the original colored words, vertical footnotes, and second and third appendices.The story remains unchanged, focusing on a young family that moves into a small home on Ash Tree Lane where they discover something is terribly wrong: their house is bigger on the inside than it is on the outside.Of course, neither Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Will Navidson nor his companion Karen Green was prepared to face the consequences of that impossibility, until the day their two little children wandered off and their voices eerily began to return another story -- of creature darkness, of an ever-growing abyss behind a closet door, and of that unholy growl which soon enough would tear through their walls and consume all their dreams.
Added by Alexander
Solo leveling
by Chugong, author.
MANGA Chugong Solo
"The weakest of the weak, E-class hunter Jinwoo Sung has no money, no talent, and no prospects to speak of. And when he enters a hidden dungeon that fateful day, he ends up being left to die in the aftermath of a horrendous tragedy. At death's door, Jinwoo is suddenly invited to be a "player" by a mysterious voice. Desperate to live, Jinwoo jumps at the chance...but what is this strange new leveling system that only he can see?"--
Added by Alexander
None of the above
by I. W. Gregorio
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Gregorio, I. W.
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
(I) Kristen discovers that she is intersex and possesses male chromosomes, a diagnosis that is leaked to the whole school, throwing Kristin's entire identity into question.
Added by Alexander
Milkyway hitchhiking
by Sirial (Author), author.
MANGA Sirial Milkyway
There are as many people on Earth as there are stars in the sky. Milkyway--a peculiar cat with a pattern of the Milky Way splashed across her back--travels across time and space; sometimes to observe, other times to interact with an unfolding story. From Sirial, the creator of One Fine Day, comes the full-color tale of Milkyway hitchhiking across the bright stars of people's lives, loves, tears, and laughter.
Added by Alexander
Looking for Alaska
by Green, John, 1977-
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Green, John
Sixteen-year-old Miles' first year at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama includes good friends and great pranks, but is defined by the search for answers about life and death after a fatal car crash.
Added by Alexander
She drives me crazy
by Kelly Quindlen
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Quindlen Kelly
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
(L) After an embarrassing loss to her ex-girlfriend in their first basketball game of the season, seventeen-year-old Scottie Zajac gets into a fender bender with her nemesis, Irene Abraham, head cheerleader for the Fighting Reindeer. When the accident sends Irene's car to the shop for repairs, the girls are forced to carpool, and their rocky start only gets worse. In trying to get back at her toxic ex, Scottie bribes Irene into a fake-dating scheme that threatens to reveal some very real feelings.
Added by Alexander
The color trilogy
by Kim, Tong-hwa, 1950-
MANGA Kim Color
First love is never easy. Ehwa grows up helping her widowed mother run the local tavern, watching as their customers – both neighbors and strangers – look down on her mother for her single lifestyle. Their social status isolates Ehwa and her mother from the rest of the people in their quiet country village. But as she gets older and sees her mother fall in love again, Ehwa slowly begins to open up to the possibility of love in her life.In the tradition of My Antonia and A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, from the pen of the renowned Korean manwha creator Kim Dong Hwa, comes a trilogy about a girl coming of age, set in the vibrant, beautiful landscape of pastoral Korea.
Added by Alexander
Murder on the Orient Express
by Christie, Agatha, 1890-1976.
MYSTERY Christie, Agatha
“The murderer is with us—on the train now . . .” Just after midnight, the famous Orient Express is stopped in its tracks by a snowdrift. By morning, the millionaire Samuel Edward Ratchett lies dead in his compartment, stabbed a dozen times, his door locked from the inside. Without a shred of doubt, one of his fellow passengers is the murderer. Isolated by the storm, detective Hercule Poirot must find the killer among a dozen of the dead man’s enemies, before the murderer decides to strike again. “What more . . . can a mystery addict desire?” — New York Times
Added by Alexander
American gods
by Gaiman, Neil.
SCIENCE FICTION Gaiman Neil
Just released from prison, Shadow encounters Mr. Wednesday, an enigmatic stranger who seems to know a lot about him, and when Mr. Wednesday offers him a job as his bodyguard, Shadow accepts and is plunged into a dark and perilous world.
Added by Alexander
Chocolat
by Shin, Ji-Sang, author, illustrator.
MANGA Shin Chocolat
How far would you go to meet your favorite boy band? Kum-Ji was little late getting under the spell of the chart topping boy band DDL. Unable to join the DDL fan club, she almost gives up meeting her idols until she develops a cunning plan, becoming a top member of their rival fan club for a brand-new boy group, Yo-I (Chocolat). This way she can always be near Yo-I at all their concerts. Funnily enough Yo-I always seem to play the same shows with DDL. It's almost the perfect plan except it's really complicated being a super fan for one band when your heart lies with another. Follow the adventures of Kum-Ji in this full-blown romantic comedy as she tries to keep her scheme.
Added by Alexander
Sense and sensibility
by Austen, Jane, 1775-1817.
FICTION Austen, Jane
Jane Austen's first published novel, sparkling with wit and artistry, captures the inequities of birth, class, and marriage faced by the sisters Dashwood. Published in 1811, Sense and Sensibility has delighted generations of readers with its masterfully crafted portrait of two sisters, Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. Forced to leave their home after their father's death, Elinor and Marianne must rely on making good marriages as their means of support. But unscrupulous cads, meddlesome matriarchs, and various guileless and artful women impinge on their chances for love and happiness. The novelist Elizabeth Bowen wrote, "The technique of [Jane Austen's novels] is beyond praise ... Her mastery of the art she chose, or that chose her, is complete." This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition contains a new Introduction by Pulitzer Prize finalist David Gates, in addition to new explanatory notes.
Added by Alexander
Dorothy of Oz
by Son, Hee-Joon.
MANGA Son Dorothy
Mara Shin tries to find her way home along a yellow-brick road that only she can see, along with her dog Toto and her fugitive companions: a human clone with telekinetic powers, a cyborg, and a chimera, in this graphic novel loosely based on the classic story.
Added by Alexander
Perfect on paper
by S. Gonzales
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Gonzales S
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
(B) Seventeen-year-old Darcy Phillips, a bisexual girl who gives anonymous love advice to her classmates, is hired by the "hot" guy at school to help him get his ex back.
Added by Alexander
The heartbreak bakery
by A. R. Capetta
YOUNG ADULT FICTION/Capetta, A. R.
Diverse Characters, LGBTQ+, Young Adult
(Q) Teenage baker Syd sends ripples of heartbreak through Austin's queer community when a batch of post-being-dumped brownies turns out to be magical--and makes everyone who eats them break up. Syd (no pronouns, please) has always dealt with big, hard-to-talk-about things by baking. Being dumped is no different, except now Syd is baking at the Proud Muffin, a queer bakery and community space in Austin. And everyone who eats Syd's breakup brownies...breaks up. Even Vin and Alec, who own the Proud Muffin. And their breakup might take the bakery down with it. Being dumped is one thing; causing ripples of queer heartbreak through the community is another. But the cute bike delivery person, Harley (he or they, check the pronoun pin, it's probably on the messenger bag), believes Syd about the magic baking. And Harley believes Syd's magical baking can fix things, too--one recipe at a time.
Added by Alexander
The picture of Dorian Gray
by Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900
FICTION Wilde, Oscar
The handsome appearance of dissolute young Dorian Gray remains unchanged while the features in his portrait become distorted as his degeneration progresses
Added by Alexander
My Lists
About Me
Alexander Arman has served as a Library Aide since July 2021. Alexander is responsible for checking out library materials such as books and DVDs to patrons and collecting the returned materials to then be organized and reshelved. Additionally, he helps answer any questions from patrons to the best of his ability.
Alexander is intent to gain hands-on experience during his employment here in the Iowa City Public Library before returning to achieve his Master’s Degree in Library Information and Sciences. Alexander has previously volunteered in helping support his community at his high school library and continues to serve in order to help the Library industry. He enjoys reading a variety of works with focus of diverse characters.
He has spoken publicly on topics such as intellectual freedom, inclusive labeling, diverse book displays, and library inclusivity.
Added by Alexander