VIEW FROM OUR SHELVES A Publication Since 1975 Rainy Day Books has provided the Greater Kansas City community with a gathering place a wellspring for ideas and creative thought and an ongoing voice for literacy and awareness Our shop has always been our living room It is a place where we gather with friends to share stories While we are not yet ready to open the doors again we are taking steps to make things more open more bright more safe and more full of the joy that books can bring to our lives In our inaugural issue of VIEW FROM OUR SHELVES we hope you ll take a few minutes to browse our shelves and see some of what we have to offer These titles arrived within the last month and there s a little something for everyone in these pages Volume 1 Issue 1 Summer 2020
VIEW FROM OUR SHELVES Newly Released Titles from Rainy Day Books A selection of titles that we recommend HOW TO USE THIS BOOK A Guide to Virtual Browsing 1 Navigational tools are your friend Use the arrows on either side of the page to turn the page Almost as fun as turning a real books page 2 Click Throughout the book you ll find clickable links Feel free to click on them to follow your favorite books back to RainyDayBooks com 3 Enjoy the browse And remember there s more to see at RainyDayBooks com
The Pull of the Stars FICTION Emma Donoghue Hardcover In Dublin 1918 a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu is a small world of work risk death and unlooked for love in Donoghue s best novel since Room Kirkus Reviews Emma Donoghue once again finds the light in the darkness in this new classic of hope and survival against all odds Hamnet Maggie O Farrell Hardcover England 1580 The Black Death creeps across the land an ever present threat infecting the healthy the sick the old and the young alike The end of days is near but life always goes on Hamnet is mesmerizing seductive impossible to put down a magnificent leap forward from one of our most gifted novelists The Stone Girl Dirk Wittenborn Hardcover The Stone Girl is a riveting tale of deception vengeance and power set against the haunting beauty of the Adirondack wilderness Mother Daughter Widow Wife Robin Wasserman Hardcover From the author of Girls on Fire comes a psychologically riveting novel centered around a woman with no memory the scientists invested in studying her and the daughter who longs to understand
FICTION Artifact Arlene Heyman Hardcover A sweeping debut novel about love sex motherhood and ambition that follows a gifted and subversive scientist s struggle to reach beyond cultural constraints for the life she wants Thrilling Like all the best literature Artifact leaves you feeling as if you ve been through a major life experience and you re stronger for it Sandra Newman author of The Heavens The Golden Cage Camilla L ckberg Hardcover An exhilarating new novel from a global superstar a sexy over the top psychological thriller that tells the story of the scorned wife of a billionaire and her delicious plot to get her revenge and bring him to his knees A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Book of 2020 The Color of Air Gail Tsukiyama Hardcover From the New York Times bestselling author comes a gorgeous and evocative historical novel about a Japanese American family set against the backdrop of Hawai i s sugar plantations PARADE s Best Books to Read this Summer Seven Lies Elizabeth Kay Hardcover It all started with just one little lie But we all know that it never ends there Because of course one lie leads to another Seven Lies is a relentless chilling story of what happens when friendship becomes obsession Keep the lights on you ll be turning pages deep into the night with this one Harlan Coben 1 New York Times bestselling author of Run Away
Her Last Flight FICTION Beatriz Williams Hardcover The beloved author returns with a remarkable novel of both raw suspense and lyric beauty the story of a lost pilot and a wartime photographer that will leave its mark on your soul One of Summer s Most Anticipated Reads according to Goodreads SheReads and Bookish Friends and Strangers J Courtney Sullivan Hardcover An insightful hilarious and compulsively readable novel about a complicated friendship between two women who are at two very different stages in life A TODAY SHOW ReadWithJenna BOOK CLUB PICK Never Ask Me Jeff Abbott Hardcover Each of us has a question we dread When the simple community of Lakehaven is shaken by a violent crime doubts begin to arise among the locals about whom they can trust Like a stage magician Abbott often seems to be doing one thing when he s actually doing something else and when we realize what he s been up to we can t help but shake our heads in admiration Booklist The Book of Lost Names Kristin Harmel Hardcover Inspired by an astonishing true story from World War II a young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this unforgettable historical novel A heart stopping tale of survival and heroism centered on a female forger who risks everything to help Jewish children escape Nazi occupied France People 20 Best Books to Read this Summer
FICTION Universe of Two Stephen P Kiernan Hardcover This is a novel of conscience love and redemption a fascinating fictionalized account of the life of Charlie Fisk a gifted mathematician who was drafted into Manhattan Project and ordered against his morals to build the detonator for the atomic bomb With his musician wife he spends his postwar life seeking redemption and they find it together Luster A Novel Raven Leilani Hardcover Irresistibly unruly and strikingly beautiful razor sharp and slyly comic sexually charged and utterly absorbing Raven Leilani s Luster is a portrait of a young woman trying to make sense of her life her hunger her anger in a tumultuous era It is also a haunting aching description of how hard it is to believe in your own talent and the unexpected influences that bring us into ourselves along the way My Life as a Villainess Essays Laura Lippman Paperback In this collection of new and previously published essays New York Times bestselling author Laura Lippman offers her take on a woman s life across the decades Her childhood and school years her newspaper career her experiences as a novelist Lippman finds universal touchstones in an unusual life that has as many twists as her award winning crime fiction The Lions of Fifth Avenue Fiona Davis Hardcover In nationally bestselling author Fiona Davis s latest historical novel a series of book thefts roils the iconic New York Public Library leaving two generations of strong willed women to pick up the pieces Davis delves into the history of the New York Public Library in this delightful mystery The characters and story are stellar but the real star of the show is the library which Davis evokes beautifully Publishers Weekly starred review
FICTION The Weekend A Novel Charlotte Wood Hardcover Three women in their seventies reunite for one last life changing weekend in the beach house of their late friend Friendship ambition love sexual politics and death it s all here in one sharp funny heartbreaking and gorgeously written package I loved it Paula Hawkins author of The Girl on the Train The Butterfly Lampshade Aimee Bender Hardcover The first novel in ten years from the author of the beloved New York Times bestseller The Particular Sadness Of Lemon Cake a luminous poignant tale of a mother a daughter mental illness and the fluctuating barrier between the mind and the world The Wife Who Knew Too Much Michele Campbell Hardcover From Michele Campbell the bestselling author of It s Always the Husband comes a new blockbuster thriller Cleverly revealed subterfuge and a genuine aura of danger and confusion make this a fast and exciting read for fans of Liv Constantine Booklist His Hers Alice Feeney Hardcover His Hers is a twisty smart psychological thriller A gripping tale of suspense told by expertly drawn narrators that will keep readers guessing until the very end For the ultimate roller coaster reading experience this year look no further than His Hers by Alice Feeney Woman Home
NON FICTION Becoming Duchess Goldblatt Anonymous Hardcover Part memoir and part joyful romp through the fields of imagination the story behind a beloved pseudonymous Twitter account reveals how a writer deep in grief rebuilt a life worth living One of the New York Times 20 Books to Read in 2020 Filthy Beasts A Memoir Kirkland Hamill Hardcover Running with Scissors meets Grey Gardens in this gripping true riches to rags tale of a wealthy family who lost it all and the unforgettable journey of a man coming to terms with his family s deep flaws and his own long buried truths A stunning deeply satisfying story about how we outlive our upbringings Kirkus Reviews starred review Notes on a Silencing A Memoir Lacy Crawford Hardcover A powerful and scary and important and true memoir of a young woman s struggle to regain her sense of self after trauma and the efforts by a powerful New England boarding school to silence her at any cost A New York Times Book Review Editors Choice Chasing the Light Writing Directing and Surviving Platoon Midnight Express Scarface Salvador and the Movie Game Oliver Stone Hardcover An intimate memoir by the controversial and outspoken Oscar winning director and screenwriter about his complicated New York childhood volunteering for combat and his struggles and triumphs making such films as Platoon Midnight Express and Scarface
NON FICTION Exercise of Power American Failures Successes and a New Path Forward in the Post Cold War World Robert M Gates Hardcover From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed 1 best selling memoir Duty a candid sweeping examination of power in all its manifestations and how it has been exercised for good and bad by American presidents in the post Cold War world Five Days The Fiery Reckoning of an American City Wes Moore with Erica L Green Hardcover From the New York Times bestselling author of The Other Wes Moore a kaleidoscopic account of five days in the life of a city on the edge told through eight characters on the front lines of the uprising that overtook Baltimore and riveted the world The Cold Vanish Seeking the Missing in North America s Wildlands Jon Billman Hardcover For readers of Jon Krakauer and Douglas Preston the critically acclaimed author and journalist Jon Billman s fascinating in depth look at people who vanish in the wilderness without a trace and those eccentric determined characters who try to find them Once Upon a Time I lived on Mars Space Exploration and Life on Earth Kate Greene Hardcover When it comes to Mars the focus is often on how to get there the rockets the engines the fuel But upon arrival what will it actually be like Greene is a talented writer and her words shine throughout whether discussing science or its influence on her This engaging account will interest sf lovers scientists and dreamers who see the red planet in the night sky and wonder what if Library Journal
NON FICTION The Beauty in Breaking A Memoir Michele Harper Hardcover An emergency room physician explores how a life of service to others taught her how to heal herself Riveting heartbreaking sometimes difficult always inspiring The New York Times Book Review As seen heard on Fresh Air The Daily Show with Trevor Noah NBC Nightly News MSNBC Weekend Edition and more Eat the Buddha Life and Death in a Tibetan Town Barbara Demick Hardcover A gripping portrait of modern Tibet told through the lives of its people from the bestselling author of Nothing to Envy Barbara Demick s new book is essential reading for anyone interested in China and Tibet The reporting is rich the writing is beautiful and the stories will stay with you I couldn t put it down John Pomfret author of The Beautiful Country and The Middle Kingdom Lake of the Ozarks My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America Bill Geist NOW IN PAPERBACK Beloved TV host Bill Geist pens a reflective memoir of his incredible summers spent in the heart of America in this New York Times bestseller The Ice at the End of the World an Epic Journey into Greenland s Buried Past and our Perilous Future John Gertner NOW IN PAPERBACK A riveting urgent account of the explorers and scientists racing to understand the rapidly melting ice sheet in Greenland a dramatic harbinger of climate change Jon Gertner takes readers to spots few journalists or even explorers have visited The result is a gripping and important book Elizabeth Kolbert Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Sixth Extinction
NON FICTION The Journeys of Trees A Story about Forests People and the Future Zach St George Hardcover An urgent and illuminating portrait of forest migration and of the people studying the forests of the past protecting the forests of the present and planting the forests of the future These stories vividly evoke the deep bonds between people and trees In the paradoxical surprising journeys of trees is writ the sylvan future of forests and cities alike David George Haskell author of The Forest Unseen STET Dreyer s English A Game for Language Lovers Grammar Geeks and Bibliophiles Benjamin Dreyer GREAT GIFT Start having fun while improving your grammar with this witty and informative card game for language lovers based on the New York Times bestseller Dreyer s English It s perfect for every level of writer from high school students wanting to brush up before a test to co workers looking for an engaging ice breaker With STET English has never been more stylish The Well Gardened Mind The Restorative Power of Nature Sue Stuart Smith Hardcover A distinguished psychiatrist and avid gardener offers an inspiring and consoling work about the healing effects of gardening and its ability to decrease stress and foster mental well being in our everyday lives Big Friendship How We Keep Each Other Close Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman Hardcover A close friendship is one of the most influential and important relationships a human life can contain Anyone will tell you that But for all the rosy sentiments surrounding friendship most people don t talk much about what it really takes to stay close for the long haul
CHILDREN S Click Clack Moo Cows That Type 20th Anniversary Edition Doreen Cronin Illus by Betsy Lewin Hardcover Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin s Caldecott Honor winning book is celebrating its twentyyear anniversary with a brand new edition featuring bonus content Only the Cat Saw Ashley Wolff Hardcover What does a curious farm cat see when the sun goes down the stars come out and everyone else is fast asleep Find out in this brand new fully refreshed and repainted edition of Ashley Wolff s classic Only the Cat Saw Rescuing Mrs Birdley Aaron Reynolds Illus by Emma Reynolds Hardcover In this wildly charming and fantastically imaginative story by the New York Times bestselling author of Creepy Carrots and Creepy Pair of Underwear a young animal expert knows just what to do when she spots her teacher in the wild Antiracist Baby Picture Book Ibram X Kendi Illus by Ashley Lukashevsky Hardcover A 1 New York Times Bestseller From the National Book Award winning author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an Antiracist comes a new 9x9 picture book that empowers parents and children to uproot racism in our society and in ourselves now with added discussion prompts to help readers recognize and reflect on bias in their daily lives
CHILDREN S How to Read to a Grandma or Grandpa Jean Reagan Illus by Lee Wildish Hardcover From the creators of the New York Times bestsellers How to Babysit a Grandma and How to Babysit a Grandpa comes a fun and exciting way to share the joy of reading with grandparents I Got the School Spirit Connie Schofield Morrision Illus by Frank Morrison Hardcover This exuberant celebration of the first day of school illustrated by award winning illustrator Frank Morrison will have every kid cheering for school to begin The school spirit helps us all strive and grow What will you learn today Max Explains Everything Puppy Expert Stacy McAnulty Illus by Deborah Hocking Hardcover In this hilarious tongue in cheek guide kid expert Max reveals everything you need to know about getting a new puppy Dozens of Doughnuts Carrie Finison Illus by Brianne Farley Hardcover A generous but increasingly put upon bear makes batch after batch of doughnuts for her woodland friends without saving any for herself in this delightful debut picture book about counting sharing and being a good friend
CHILDREN S The Stepmom Shake Up Niki Lenz Hardcover Middle Reader Grace her dad Davy Team Gravy No way is a new stepmom going to break up this team Filled with reverse Parent Trap like pranks The Stepmom Shake Up is a hilarious and heartfelt look at what it means to be a family The Bad Guys in Dawn of the Underlord Aaron Blabey Paperback Chapter Book This is book number 11 in the The Bad Guys series They may look like Bad Guys but these wannabe heroes are doing good deeds whether you like it or not This New York Times bestselling illustrated series is perfect for fans of Dog Man and Captain Underpants The Queen s Secret Rose Legacy Jessica Day Geroge Paperback Middle Reader Bestselling author Jessica Day George continues her heartfelt fantasy series about a girl who can communicate with horses and a kingdom on the brink of collapse Dead Voices Katherine Arden Paperback Middle Reader New York Times bestselling author Katherine Arden returns with another creepy spine tingling adventure in this follow up to the critically acclaimed Small Spaces
CHILDREN S A Good Kind of Trouble Lisa Moore Ram e Paperback Middle Reader From debut author Lisa Moore Ram e comes this funny and big hearted debut middle grade novel about friendship family and standing up for what s right perfect for fans of Angie Thomas s The Hate U Give and the novels of Ren e Watson and Jason Reynolds Coop Knows the Scoop Taryn Souders Paperback Middle Reader The whole town is talking about what s buried beneath the playground Windy Bottom Georgia is usually a peaceful place Coop helps his mom at her caf and bookstore hangs out with his grandpa and bikes around with his friends Justice and Liberty The town is full of all kinds of interesting people but no one has ever caused a problem Until now War Stories Gordon Korman Hardcover Middle Reader From the 1 New York Times bestselling author of Restart a story of telling truth from lies and finding out what being a hero really means A fresh approach to the familiar topic of bullying kept credible by believable characters and events with typical Korman humor and just the right touch of mystery School Library Journal starred review The Brave James Bird Hardcover Middle Reader Perfect for fans of Rain Reign this middle grade novel The Brave is about a boy with an OCD issue and his move to a reservation to live with his biological mother This lyrical tale will leave your hopes buoyed your courage bolstered and your heart on the lookout for magic A stunning debut and a novel to cherish Katherine Applegate New York Times bestselling author of The One and Only Ivan and Wishtree
YOUNG ADULT FICTION The Mysterious Messenger Gilbert Ford Hardcover Eleven year old Maria de la Cruz is trapped under the thumb of Madame Destine her pseudo psychic mother Destine is a bona fide con artist who will stop at nothing to swindle her customers into believing she can communicate with the dead But Maria unlike her mother has a big secret she really can communicate with the dead most frequently with a ghost named Edward who has been her only friend since she was a child The Circus Rose Betsy Cornwell Hardcover From a New York Times best selling author a queer retelling of Snow White and Rose Red in which teenage twins battle evil religious extremists to save their loves and their circus family YA fantasy perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo Mackenzi Lee and Laini Taylor This creative exploration of chosen family self knowledge love and the tension between opposites is both timely and timeless Dazzling Kirkus STARRED Something Like Gravity Amber Smith Paperback Chris and Maia aren t off to a great start A near fatal car accident first brings them together and their next encounters don t fare much better Chris s good intentions backfire Maia s temper gets the best of her But they re neighbors at least for the summer and despite their best efforts they just can t seem to stay away from each other As beautiful as it is breathtaking BuzzFeed Will give you all the feels Charlotte Magazine
YOUNG ADULT FICTION Girl Unframed Deb Caletti Hardcover A teen girl s summer with her mother turns sinister in this gripping thriller about the insidious dangers of unwanted attention from Printz Honor medal winning and National Book Award finalist author Deb Caletti perfect for fans of Courtney Summers s Sadie Ghosts of the Shadow Market Cassandra Clare NOW IN PAPERBACK A 1 New York Times bestseller From 1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestseller Cassandra Clare comes an exciting short story collection that follows Jem Carstairs as he travels through the many Shadow Markets around the world Ghosts of the Shadow Market is set in the world of the Shadowhunters Take Me With You Tara Altebrando Hardcover Eden Eli Marwan and Ilanka barely know each other beyond having a class or two together But when they are all summoned via messaging app to an empty classroom after school they find a small cube sitting on a desk Its sides light up with rules for them Do not tell anyone about the device Never leave the device unattended And then Take me with you or else From the acclaimed author of The Leaving comes a new psychological thriller that challenges our trust in the electronic devices we keep close
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