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Our next Blind Date with a Book selection has arrived! This month's theme, "Last Chance at Love", features well liked hardcovers from the last few years looking for a loving home as we make room on our shelves for an upcoming Fall and Winter full of exciting releases. This batch of Blind Dates are available for 25% OFF, while supplies last!
Keep an eye out here for future Blind Date with a Book announcements, including a spooky take coming in October .
From the national bestselling author of Ghost Tree comes a mind-bending novel inspired by the twisted and wondrous works of Lewis Carroll...
In a warren of crumbling buildings and desperate people called the Old City, there stands a hospital with cinderblock walls which echo the screams of the poor souls inside.
In the hospital, there is a woman. Her hair, once blond, hangs in tangles down her back. She doesn't remember why she's in such a terrible place. Just a tea party long ago, and long ears, and blood...
Then, one night, a fire at the hospital gives the woman a chance to escape, tumbling out of the hole that imprisoned her, leaving her free to uncover the truth about what happened to her all those years ago.
Only something else has escaped with her. Something dark. Something powerful. And to find the truth, she will have to track this beast to the very heart of the Old City, where the rabbit waits for his Alice.
“A sinister and twisted take on Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland. Great for horror fans, and a classic retelling for fans!”
Nostalgic - Intimate - Bittersweet - Romantic - Emotional
"A beautifully observed, tender love story with characters you really care about... a bit like Normal People. I devoured it."―Jojo Moyes, New York Times bestselling author of Someone Else's Shoes
"A gorgeous story of first love, loss, and the people who stick to your ribs... Beautiful, poignant, and heart-wrenching in the best way possible." ―Carley Fortune, New York Times bestselling author of Every Summer After
For fans of Netflix's ONE DAY, a poignant and emotional will they/won't they story that cleverly captures both the thrill and trepidation of first love
Will and Rosie meet as teenagers.
They're opposites in every way. She overthinks everything; he is her twin brother's wild and unpredictable friend. But over secret walks home and late-night phone calls, they become closer - destined to be one another's great love story.
Until, one day, tragedy strikes, and their future together is shattered.
But as the years roll on, Will and Rosie can't help but find their way back to each other. Time and again, they come close to rekindling what might have been.
What do you do when the one person you should forget is the one you just can't let go?
Gen Z often call them "second chance romances".
And to Millennials they're about "the ones that got away".
They are the stories of those who come into our lives and leave an indelible mark. Those who change our world and how we see ourselves in it. Then, for better or worse, things end.
...and then, somehow, perhaps against all odds, life brings us back to each other. They're stories about how sometimes lives are fated to be intertwined. Whether across years or decades. Across miles or continents. Stories about the comfortable familiarity of the patterns we fall into as the relationship continues as though not a moment has passed despite holding the fear in our hearts, all the while, that it could end this time, too.
Love is messy. As too, is life. Few types of stories understand this and the connection between them as well as these. Few too, are as brimming with hope.
In the grand romantic tradition of Austen's 'Persuasion' & Rooney's, perennial Millennial favorite, 'Normal People' and beloved films like 'When Harry Met Sally' & last year's 'Past Lives' comes Claire Daverly's 'Talking at Night', our Monthly Staff Pick this August available for 20% off through month’s end, while supplies last.
“I’ve always been a big fan of Alan Rickman’s work as an actor so it was nice to see who Alan Rickman was as a person - not as the image on a screen. Throughout the 22 years of diary entries Rickman did not hold back and was refreshingly honest about his life in the limelight.” - Teya
We have yet another double staff pick! That means it MUST be good! Right? Alyssa and Justine have a different favorite title in the Court of Thorns and Roses series. What's your favorite?
"A 5 book series filled with “Tamy Tantrums” and enemies to lovers. Come and sip some Suriel tea and dive into Prythian." - Alyssa
The sexy, action-packed first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series from Sarah J. Maas.
When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a terrifying creature arrives to demand retribution. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she knows about only from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not truly a beast, but one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled her world.
At least, he's not a beast all the time.
As she adapts to her new home, her feelings for the faerie, Tamlin, transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But something is not right in the faerie lands. An ancient, wicked shadow is growing, and Feyre must find a way to stop it, or doom Tamlin-and his world-forever.
From bestselling author Sarah J. Maas comes a seductive, breathtaking book that blends romance, adventure, and faerie lore into an unforgettable read.
The seductive and stunning #1 New York Times bestselling sequel to Sarah J. Maas's spellbinding A Court of Thorns and Roses.
Feyre has undergone more trials than one human woman can carry in her heart. Though she's now been granted the powers and lifespan of the High Fae, she is haunted by her time Under the Mountain and the terrible deeds she performed to save the lives of Tamlin and his people.
As her marriage to Tamlin approaches, Feyre's hollowness and nightmares consume her. She finds herself split into two different people: one who upholds her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court, and one who lives out her life in the Spring Court with Tamlin. While Feyre navigates a dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms. She might just be the key to stopping it, but only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future--and the future of a world in turmoil.
Bestselling author Sarah J. Maas's masterful storytelling brings this second book in her dazzling, sexy, action-packed series to new heights.
DescripThe epic third novel in the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas.
Feyre has returned to the Spring Court, determined to gather information on Tamlin's actions and learn what she can about the invading king threatening to bring her land to its knees. But to do so she must play a deadly game of deceit. One slip could bring doom not only for Feyre, but for everything-and everyone-she holds dear.
As war bears down upon them all, Feyre endeavors to take her place amongst the High Fae of the land, balancing her struggle to master her powers-both magical and political-and her love for her court and family. Amidst these struggles, Feyre and Rhysand must decide whom to trust amongst the cunning and lethal High Lords, and hunt for allies in unexpected places.
In this thrilling third book in the #1 New York Times bestselling series from Sarah J. Maas, the fate of Feyre's world is at stake as armies grapple for power over the one thing that could destroy it.tion text goes here
A tender addition to the #1 New York Times bestselling Court of Thorns and Roses series by Sarah J. Maas, bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin and upcoming books.
Feyre, Rhysand, and their friends are still busy rebuilding the Night Court and the vastly altered world beyond, recovering from the war that changed everything. But Winter Solstice is finally approaching, and with it, the joy of a hard-earned reprieve.
Yet even the festive atmosphere can't keep the shadows of the past from looming. As Feyre navigates her first Winter Solstice as High Lady, her concern for those dearest to her deepens. They have more wounds than she anticipated-scars that will have a far-reaching impact on the future of their court.
Bridging the events of A Court of Wings and Ruin with the later books in the series, A Court of Frost and Starlight explores the far-reaching effects of a devastating war and the fierce love between friends.
Sarah J. Maas's sexy, richly imagined series continues with the journey of Feyre's fiery sister, Nesta.
Nesta Archeron has always been prickly-proud, swift to anger, and slow to forgive. And ever since being forced into the Cauldron and becoming High Fae against her will, she's struggled to find a place for herself within the strange, deadly world she inhabits. Worse, she can't seem to move past the horrors of the war with Hybern and all she lost in it.
The one person who ignites her temper more than any other is Cassian, the battle-scarred warrior whose position in Rhysand and Feyre's Night Court keeps him constantly in Nesta's orbit. But her temper isn't the only thing Cassian ignites. The fire between them is undeniable, and only burns hotter as they are forced into close quarters with each other.
Meanwhile, the treacherous human queens who returned to the Continent during the last war have forged a dangerous new alliance, threatening the fragile peace that has settled over the realms. And the key to halting them might very well rely on Cassian and Nesta facing their haunting pasts.
Against the sweeping backdrop of a world seared by war and plagued with uncertainty, Nesta and Cassian battle monsters from within and without as they search for acceptance-and healing-in each other's arms.
Happy Pride!
We’ve curated a handful of fantastic pride themed items such as LGBTQ+ titles, dice for your next campaign, stickers, button badges, and more!
“Before Can’t Resist Her, romance was the only genre I didn’t read. This second chance romance featuring rivals to lovers was my turning point for the genre. If you’re looking for a queer, contemporary romance with characters forced to examine their own moral convictions in a chance for love, look no further.” - Andi
The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue - “Pirates, adventure, and a secret crush set in the eighteenth century makes for a modernized version of a classic style story. Mackenzi Lee writes a fast paced adventure story with good LGBTQ+ representation. Monty is the typical spoiled heir trying to differentiate himself from his father, but through his friendship and the quest for a cure for his friend's epilepsy he learns who he is and who he wants to be.” - Katherine
Want a sneak peek? Click a title in the drop-down below for a peek at the back of the book!
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - A stunning "portrait of the enduring grace of friendship" (NPR) about the families we are born into, and those that we make for ourselves. A masterful depiction of love in the twenty-first century.
After years away from home, Summer Graves is back in Austin, Texas, to accept a new teaching position. Of all the changes to the old neighborhood, the most dispiriting one is the slated demolition of the high school her grandmother founded. There's no way she can let developers destroy her memories and her family legacy. But the challenge stirs memories of another kind.
On the architectural team revitalizing the neighborhood, hometown girl Aiko Holt is all about progress. Then she sees Summer again. Some things never change.
Neither can forget the kiss they shared at their senior-year dance. Neither can back down from her unwavering beliefs about what's right for the neighborhood.
For now, the only thing Summer and Aiko are willing to give in to is a heat that still burns. But can two women with so much passion--for what once was and what could be--agree to disagree long enough to fall in love?
KIRKUS PRIZE NOMINEE
ONE OF NPR'S BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR
NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOK FOR TEENS
NEIBA NEW ENGLAND YOUNG ADULT BOOK AWARD WINNER
Witty, romantic, and irresistible from the first line to the last, The Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue is the unforgettable escapade of Lord Henry "Monty" Montague, a charming young scoundrel who fully expects to carouse his way through his Grand Tour. However, Monty's plan for one last hedonistic hurrah with his best friend and secret crush, Percy, quickly turns into a harrowing manhunt across eighteenth-century Europe. Truly a novel that's meant to be savored and not to be missed.
In the past, the universe is a glitterball I hold in the palm of my hand.
In the past, I am brilliant and I am happy and my every tomorrow is madness.
In the past, I am soaring, and falling, and breaking, and lost.
And now, there is only this.
Once the golden boy of the English literary scene, now a clinically depressed writer of pulp crime fiction, Ash Winters has given up on hope, happiness, and--most of all--himself. He lives his life between the cycles of his illness, haunted by the ghosts of other people's expectations.
Then a chance encounter throws him into the path of Essex-born Darian Taylor. Flashy and loud, radiant and full of life, Darian couldn't be more different...and yet he makes Ash laugh, reminding him of what it's like to step beyond the boundaries of his anxiety. But Ash has been living in his own shadow for so long that he can no longer see a way out. Can a man who doesn't trust himself ever trust in happiness? And how can someone who doesn't believe in happiness ever fight for his own?
"A moving chronicle of trans resilience and joy" (Vogue) from one of Out100's Most Impactful and Influential LGBTQ+ Storytellers
"Groundbreaking . . . [Rocero] quite literally models what triumph can look like."--Glamour (Women of the Year)
A NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY, and WASHINGTON POST BESTSELLER!
A 2021 Alex Award winner!
The 2021 RUSA Reading List: Fantasy Winner!
An Indie Next Pick!
One of Publishers Weekly's "Most Anticipated Books of Spring 2020"
One of Book Riot's "20 Must-Read Feel-Good Fantasies"
Lambda Literary Award-winning author TJ Klune's bestselling, breakout contemporary fantasy that's "1984 meets The Umbrella Academy with a pinch of Douglas Adams thrown in." (Gail Carriger)
A magical island. A dangerous task. A burning secret.
Linus Baker leads a quiet, solitary life. At forty, he lives in a tiny house with a devious cat and his old records. As a Case Worker at the Department in Charge Of Magical Youth, he spends his days overseeing the well-being of children in government-sanctioned orphanages.
When Linus is unexpectedly summoned by Extremely Upper Management he's given a curious and highly classified assignment: travel to Marsyas Island Orphanage, where six dangerous children reside: a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist. Linus must set aside his fears and determine whether or not they're likely to bring about the end of days.
But the children aren't the only secret the island keeps. Their caretaker is the charming and enigmatic Arthur Parnassus, who will do anything to keep his wards safe. As Arthur and Linus grow closer, long-held secrets are exposed, and Linus must make a choice: destroy a home or watch the world burn.
An enchanting story, masterfully told, The House in the Cerulean Sea is about the profound experience of discovering an unlikely family in an unexpected place--and realizing that family is yours.
***An Instant #1 New York Times Bestseller!***
From international drag superstar and pop culture icon RuPaul, comes his most revealing and personal work to date--a deeply intimate memoir of discovery, found family, and self-acceptance. The House of Hidden Meanings is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag.
Central to RuPaul's success has been his chameleonic adaptability. From drag icon to powerhouse producer of one of the world's largest television franchises, RuPaul's ever-shifting nature has always been part of his brand as both supermodel and supermogul. Yet that adaptability has made him enigmatic to the public. In this memoir, his most intimate and detailed book yet, RuPaul makes himself truly known.
In The House of Hidden Meanings, RuPaul strips away all artifice and recounts the story of his life with breathtaking clarity and tenderness, bringing his signature wisdom and wit to his own biography. From his early years growing up as a queer Black kid in San Diego navigating complex relationships with his absent father and temperamental mother, to forging an identity in the punk and drag scenes of Atlanta and New York, to finding enduring love with his husband Georges LeBar and self-acceptance in sobriety, RuPaul excavates his own biography life-story, uncovering new truths and insights in his personal history.
Here in RuPaul's singular and extraordinary story is a manual for living--a personal philosophy that testifies to the value of chosen family, the importance of harnessing what makes you different, and the transformational power of facing yourself fearlessly.
A profound introspection of his life, relationships, and identity, The House of Hidden Meanings is a self-portrait of the legendary icon on the road to global fame and changing the way the world thinks about drag. "I've always loved to view the world with analytical eyes, examining what lies beneath the surface. Here, the focus is on my own life--as RuPaul Andre Charles," says RuPaul.
If we're all born naked and the rest is drag, then this is RuPaul totally out of drag. This is RuPaul stripped bare.
Little Village Toy & Book Shop Monthly Staff Pick - April 2024
2023GMA BUZZ PICK - INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER AND AWARD WINNER - A haunting, virtuosic debut novel about two young men who fall in love during World War I - "Will live in your mind long after you've closed the final pages." --Maggie O'Farrell, best-selling author of Hamnet and The Marriage Portrait
A Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker, The Washington Post, NPR
"In Memoriam is the story of a great tragedy, but it is also a moving portrait of young love, and there is often a lightness to the book."--The New York Times
It's 1914, and World War I is ceaselessly churning through thousands of young men on both sides of the fight. The violence of the front feels far away to Henry Gaunt, Sidney Ellwood and the rest of their classmates, safely ensconced in their idyllic boarding school in the English countryside. News of the heroic deaths of their friends only makes the war more exciting.
Gaunt, half German, is busy fighting his own private battle--an all-consuming infatuation with his best friend, the glamorous, charming Ellwood--without a clue that Ellwood is pining for him in return. When Gaunt's family asks him to enlist to forestall the anti-German sentiment they face, Gaunt does so immediately, relieved to escape his overwhelming feelings for Ellwood. To Gaunt's horror, Ellwood rushes to join him at the front, and the rest of their classmates soon follow. Now death surrounds them in all its grim reality, often inches away, and no one knows who will be next.
An epic tale of both the devastating tragedies of war and the forbidden romance that blooms in its grip, In Memoriam is a breathtaking debut.
Little Village Toy & Book Shop Monthly Staff Pick - June 2023
* HUGO AWARD WINNER: BEST NOVELLA * NEBULA AND LOCUS AWARDS WINNER: BEST NOVELLA *
"[An] exquisitely crafted tale...Part epistolary romance, part mind-blowing science fiction adventure, this dazzling story unfolds bit by bit, revealing layers of meaning as it plays with cause and effect, wildly imaginative technologies, and increasingly intricate wordplay...This short novel warrants multiple readings to fully unlock its complexities." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
From award-winning authors Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone comes an enthralling, romantic novel spanning time and space about two time-traveling rivals who fall in love and must change the past to ensure their future.
Among the ashes of a dying world, an agent of the Commandment finds a letter. It reads: Burn before reading.
Thus begins an unlikely correspondence between two rival agents hellbent on securing the best possible future for their warring factions. Now, what began as a taunt, a battlefield boast, becomes something more. Something epic. Something romantic. Something that could change the past and the future.
Except the discovery of their bond would mean the death of each of them. There's still a war going on, after all. And someone has to win. That's how war works, right?
Cowritten by two beloved and award-winning sci-fi writers, This Is How You Lose the Time War is an epic love story spanning time and space.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - This essay collection from the "bitches gotta eat" blogger, writer on Hulu's Shrill and HBO's And Just Like That, and "one of our country's most fierce and foulmouthed authors" (Amber Tamblyn, Vulture) is sure to make you alternately cackle with glee and cry real tears.
"A sidesplitting polemicist for the most awful situations."--The New York Times
Whether Samantha Irby is talking about how her difficult childhood has led to a problem in making "adult" budgets; explaining why she should be the new Bachelorette (she's "35-ish, but could easily pass for 60-something"); detailing a disastrous pilgrimage-slash-romantic-vacation to Nashville to scatter her estranged father's ashes; sharing awkward sexual encounters; or dispensing advice on how to navigate friendships with former drinking buddies who are now suburban moms (hang in there for the Costco loot!); she's as deft at poking fun at the ghosts of her past self as she is at capturing powerful emotional truths.
Don't miss Samantha Irby's bestselling new book, Quietly Hostile!
