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Shopgirls
by Jessica Anya Blau
Nineteen-year-old Zippy lands her dream job as the youngest salesgirl at San Francisco’s upscale I. Magnin department store. Coming from a humble background with little guidance, the job promises a more elegant, exciting life. Surrounded by a mix of tough and supportive coworkers, and guided by her ambitious roommate, Zippy navigates the challenges of adulthood in 1985. Just as she starts finding her footing, two unexpected events threaten her sense of self and her hard-won place at the store.
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My Friends
by Fredrik Backman
Louisa, an aspiring artist about to turn eighteen, is captivated by three tiny figures in a famous painting—figures most overlook. Determined to uncover their story, she traces the artwork’s origins to a seaside town decades earlier, where a group of teens found solace and friendship on an abandoned pier. When the painting unexpectedly comes into Louisa’s possession, she embarks on a surprising journey to uncover its past. Along the way, Louisa learns that happy endings are possible, but often come in unexpected forms.
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The Emperor of Gladness
by Ocean Vuong
Nineteen-year-old Hai, on the brink of despair in post-industrial East Gladness, Connecticut, is stopped from jumping off a bridge by Grazina, an elderly widow with dementia. Becoming her caretaker, Hai forms a transformative bond that reshapes his understanding of himself, family, and community. The Emperor of Gladness explores love, labor, loneliness, and resilience on society’s margins, weaving loss and hope into a powerful story of second chances through Vuong’s lyrical, innovative prose.
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Atmosphere
by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Joan Goodwin, a reserved physics professor and star enthusiast, dreams of joining NASA’s Space Shuttle program. Selected in 1980, she trains alongside a diverse, talented group of astronauts, forging unexpected friendships and discovering new passions. As Joan’s world expands, she begins to question her place in the universe—until a fateful December 1984 mission changes everything.
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The Phoenix Pencil Company
by Allison King
Monica Tsai, a reclusive college freshman, spends her days coding a program to connect strangers online while worrying about her elderly grandmother, Yun, a Chinese war survivor with fading memories. When Monica’s program links her to a young woman and a mysterious pencil, she uncovers a hidden family history of women with a secret power tied to words and espionage during WWII. Blending past and present, this heartfelt novel explores who owns our stories and how they can heal and reconnect families across generations.
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The River is Waiting
by Wally Lamb
Corby Ledbetter is struggling. New fatherhood, the loss of his job, and a growing secret addiction have thrown his marriage to his beloved Emily into a tailspin—and that's before he causes the tragedy that tears apart his family. Sentenced to prison, Corby struggles to survive life on the inside, where he witnesses frightful acts of brutality. But he also experiences small acts of kindness and kinship. Buoyed by those and by his mother’s enduring faith in him, Corby begins to transcend the boundaries of his confinement, sustained by his hope that mercy and reconciliation might still be possible. Can those he loves ever forgive his crimes?
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Notes on Infinity
by Austin Taylor
Zoe, the daughter of an MIT professor who grew up in her brother’s shadow, can envision her future anew at Harvard University. Jack, a boy in Zoe’s organic chemistry class with unruly hair and a gleam of competitiveness, matches her intellect and curiosity with every breath. When Jack refers Zoe for a position in a prestigious professor’s lab, the two become entwined as colleagues, staying up late to discuss scientific ideas. They find themselves on the cusp of a breakthrough: the promise of immortality through a novel anti-ageing drug.
Zoe and Jack set off on their new project in secret. Finding encouraging results, they bring their work to an investor, drop out of Harvard, and form a startup. But after the money, the magazine covers, and the national news stories detailing their success, Zoe and Jack receive a startling accusation that threatens to destroy both the company they built and their partnership.
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So Far Gone
by Jess Walter
After a violent outburst following the 2016 election, Rhys Kinnick retreats to a remote cabin to escape a world he no longer recognizes. Seven years later, when his grandchildren arrive fleeing a dangerous father involved with a militia, Rhys must leave his isolated refuge. With help from a retired detective and his sharp ex-girlfriend, he embarks on a chaotic journey to rescue the kids and confront the fractured life he left behind.
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The Paper Birds
by Jeanette Lynes
Fresh out of high school, Gemma Sullivan takes a secret government codebreaking job in Mimico, Ontario, run by the brilliant Miss Fearing. Bound by a strict oath of secrecy, Gemma can’t tell even her aunt, who hates war. Amid intense, mind-numbing work, Gemma risks everything when she befriends Toby, a nearby German POW. As the mental strain and secrecy grow, Gemma becomes a vital part of a tight-knit team of female codebreakers who must learn to work together to succeed during wartime.
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Flashlight
by Susan Choi
After Louisa’s father disappears during a beach walk, leaving her barely alive at age ten, Susan Choi’s Flashlight unravels the ripple effects on their fractured family. Told through shifting perspectives, the story explores secrets tied to Louisa’s Korean-Japanese father, her American mother’s troubled past, and the sudden return of Anne’s estranged son, Tobias—challenging what it means to love and understand when so much remains hidden.
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