Nonfiction

Language of Flowers

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The Language of Flowers: A Fully Illustrated Compendium of Meaning, Literature, and Lore for the Modern Romantic By Odessa Begay Cover Image

The Language of Flowers: A Fully Illustrated Compendium of Meaning, Literature, and Lore for the Modern Romantic (Hardcover)

By Odessa Begay
$27.99
ISBN: 9780062873194
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Harper Design - April 7th, 2020

 

Humans of all cultures have ascribed so much meaning to flowers and plants that you can often miss so much in literature (and in general) without knowing what is going unsaid. If you love flowers, mythology, colorful illustrations, and a dash of history, this is a compendium for you.

Stacey

I Dream of Dinner

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I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To): Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes: A Cookbook By Ali Slagle Cover Image

I Dream of Dinner (so You Don't Have To): Low-Effort, High-Reward Recipes: A Cookbook (Hardcover)

By Ali Slagle
$29.99
ISBN: 9780593232514
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Clarkson Potter - April 12th, 2022

 

The answer to the eternal question: what am I going to make for dinner tonight? Unfussy recipes that are interesting and packed with flavor, but don't require a special trip to the store. There's even an index of "recipes by cravings, mood & realities." Everything I've tried has been delicious - I bought a copy for myself and my mom for Mother's Day. 

 

Katie

Garbo

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Garbo By Robert Gottlieb Cover Image

Garbo (Hardcover)

By Robert Gottlieb
$40.00
ISBN: 9780374298357
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Farrar, Straus and Giroux - December 7th, 2021

Famed editor (The New Yorker, Simon and Schuster) Robert Gottlieb takes a valiant stab at the life of the illusive film actress Greta Garbo (1905-1990).   With a luminous face loved by the camera, Garbo was discovered working as a model and part-time actress in her native Sweden. She came to Hollywood in 1926, made 26 movies for M-G-M and promptly quit the business in 1942 only to the spend the rest of her life walking the streets of New York, traveling the world and living very much alone.  Her beauty and talent were never questioned, but Garbo was, as Gottlieb implies, one of the most uninteresting interesting people to grace Hollywood. 

Nathan

How Emotions Are Made

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How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain By Lisa Feldman Barrett Cover Image

How Emotions Are Made: The Secret Life of the Brain (Paperback)

By Lisa Feldman Barrett
$17.99
ISBN: 9781328915436
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Harper Paperbacks - March 13th, 2018

If you've ever wanted an owner's manual for your brain, this book is for you. Barrett busts common myths about "universal" emotions that everyone experiences, and she bases her arguments in excellent critiques of classic studies, as well as her own research. For skeptics of freudian & pop psychology, her theory of human emotion is a (mindbending) breath of fresh air! This book gave me a way to love my biology and changed my life in a way that many self-help books promise but few deliver.

Murphy

Levon

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Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of the Band and Beyond By Sandra B. Tooze Cover Image

Levon: From Down in the Delta to the Birth of the Band and Beyond (Paperback)

By Sandra B. Tooze
$19.99
ISBN: 9781635769135
Availability: Available to Order from Supplier: Arrives at Store in a Week(ish)
Published: Diversion Books - August 31st, 2021

I loved the way Tooze describes the sultry musical landscape of Levon Helm’s formative years in the Mississippi Delta and his life beyond The Band. A well-researched account of Helm’s musical style and personal journey for both new and die-hard fans.

Kate M

The Liar's Club

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The Liars' Club: A Memoir By Mary Karr Cover Image

The Liars' Club: A Memoir (Paperback)

By Mary Karr
$18.00
ISBN: 9780143035749
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Penguin Books - May 31st, 2005

As someone who’s been a skeptic of memoirs, The Liar’s Club helped remind me of the power that they can carry. Mary Karr wrote it beautifully and with an often dark sense of humor.  Reading her work was a simultaneously heavy and uplifting experience, that I highly recommend.

Seamus

Special Topics in Being a Human

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Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I've Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself By S. Bear Bergman, Saul Freedman-Lawson (Illustrator) Cover Image

Special Topics in Being a Human: A Queer and Tender Guide to Things I've Learned the Hard Way about Caring for People, Including Myself (Paperback)

By S. Bear Bergman, Saul Freedman-Lawson (Illustrator)
$21.95
ISBN: 9781551528540
Availability: In Stock: Click Title to See if it's in CAMBRIDGE or BOSTON
Published: Arsenal Pulp Press - October 12th, 2021

If you've ever felt dissatisfied with an apology, or struggled to remember someone's pronouns, or grappled with a big decision, this book is for you!  Self help books are great in theory, but in practice, it's often hard to find time to sit down and read them through. Bear's book is illustrated and broken into manageable chunks, so it's easy to pick up and set down for folks who are overscheduled or struggle with attention span (or both, like me)! Best of all, he even includes handy cheatsheets at the end of each topic, so you can snap a picture and take the highlights with you for later when you've forgotten the details. 

Murphy

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