new releases

THE FIRST HOMOSEXUALS

Born out of the editors’ desire to “redress a long history of disinterest, ignorance, and/or active censorship around questions of gender and sexuality in art history and museum culture,” this lavish book by queer art historians Katz and Willis accompanies an exhibition at Wrightwood 659 in Chicago. It’s a project composed of a wide array …

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A RETURN TO SELF

In 2019 journalist Taseer wrote a cover story for Time magazine calling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “India’s Divider in Chief.” Months after the article’s publication, the Modi administration revoked Taseer’s immigration status, forcing him to leave India, where he had lived most of his life after being born in Britain. Losing his legal status …

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HOUSE OF BETH

Although it has the outlines of a Hallmark movie—big-city gal in a small town finds love with a childhood friend—this novel is far grittier and more surprising than that basic storyline implies. Opening with ghastly images from Cassie’s mind—people slaughtered, blood gushing, all at her own hand—we find that Cassie’s OCD generates obtrusive, violent thoughts. …

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SPECTRUM

The story begins in a Seattle besieged by anti-globalization protesters in 1999, where teen runaway Melody Parker meets Echo, an androgynous, glam vision in spiky blond hair, white pinstripe jumpsuit with red-orange accessories, and blue lipstick and nail polish. Echo explains that Melody is actually an eons-old, reincarnating demiurge destined to settle a celestial war …

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THE HOUSE AT DEVIL’S NECK

After surviving enough wartime calamities to have killed most soldiers, Maurice Bailey, blind and mute, finally succumbed to his unspeakable injuries a year after the war ended. The last day of August 1939 finds his mother, Virginia Bailey, riding with spiritualist Madame Adaline La Motte and her companion, reporter Imogen Drabble, to the eponymous house …

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THE UNRAVELING OF JULIA

Julia Pritzker has a presentiment that something terrible is around the corner, but she never imagines just how terrible: When her husband, Philadelphia attorney Mike Shallette, tries to protect her from a man who grabs her designer bag, he gets stabbed to death before her eyes. Julia’s grief becomes laced with guilt when she realizes …

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CODED JUSTICE

On the verge of going public, Camasca Enterprises says it will offer vastly improved treatment through its super-sophisticated AI technology, with an emphasis on eliminating bias toward veterans and other traditionally neglected groups. Excited to be investigating a crime after months of boring tasks, “adrenaline junkie” Keene quickly detects that something is amiss at the …

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HOW TO SELL A ROMANCE

Emerson Pierce loves her job as a kindergarten teacher, up to and including everything except her salary. Desperate for the opportunity to make more money—and to connect with other women her own age—she throws herself into becoming a salesperson for skincare company Petunia Lemon after being recruited by a co-worker. All she has to do …

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ARISTOTLE’S GUIDE TO SELF-PERSUASION

Rhetoric, the art of verbal persuasion, is usually reserved for politicians giving stump speeches or lawyers addressing juries. Heinrichs has in mind a jury of just one: yourself. Or, more specifically, your soul. Skipping over Aristotle’s actual philosophy, the author defines the soul as “your you-est you,” the noblest version of yourself that the everyday-schlub …

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INFORMATION AGE

The unnamed, single narrator works in journalism in New York City, covering topics large and small, local and national, in an editor-enforced“Plain-Jane…styleless” style, which makes her feel a hack. She has two roommates: Leon, a friend since childhood, and Susannah, a poet and e-commerce support staffer; another longtime pal, Ruth, shares the up and downs …

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