Pierce County Library System: Read Your Way Reading Challenge: Try Something New!: March 2026

Threads of Empire: A History of the World in Twelve Carpets
by Dorothy Armstrong

Carpet specialist Dorothy Armstrong tells the stories surrounding twelve of the world's most fascinating carpets.Dorothy Armstrong's Threads of Empire is a spellbinding look at the history of the world through the stories of twelve carpets. Beautiful, sensuous, and enigmatic, great carpets follow power. Emperors, shahs, sultans and samurai crave them as symbols of earthly domination. Shamans and priests desire them to evoke the spiritual realm. The world's 1% hunger after them as displays of extreme status. And yet these seductive objects are made by poor and illiterate weavers, using the most basic materials and crafts; hedgerow plants for dyes, fibers from domestic animals, and the millennia-old skills of interweaving warps, wefts and knots. In Threads of Empire, Armstrong tells the histories of some of the world's most fascinating carpets, exploring how these textiles came into being then were transformed as they moved across geography and time in the slipstream of the great. She shows why the world's powerful were drawn to them, but also asks what was happening in the weavers' lives, and how they were affected by events in the world outside their tent, village or workshop. In its wide-ranging examination of these dazzling objects, from the 5th century BCE contents of the tombs of Scythian chieftains, to the carpets under the boots of Stalin, Roosevelt and Churchill at the 1945 Yalta Peace Conference, Threads of Empire uncovers a new, hitherto hidden past right beneath our feet.

Embers of the Hands: Hidden Histories of the Viking Age
by Eleanor Barraclough

A New York Times Editors' Choice One of The New Yorker's Best Books of 2025 A brilliantly written, brilliantly conceived (Tom Holland) history of the Viking Age, from mighty leaders to rebellious teenagers, told through their runes and ruins, games and combs, trash and treasure.

Women of War: The Italian Assassins, Spies, and Couriers Who Fought the Nazis
by Suzanne Cope

Historian Suzanne Cope illuminates the roles played by women while Italians struggled under dual foes: Nazi invaders and Italian fascist loyalists. Cope's research and storytelling introduce four brave and resourceful women who risked everything to overthrow the Nazi occupation and pry their future from the fascist grasp. We meet Carla Capponi in Rome, where she made bombs in an underground bunker then ferried them to their deadly destination wearing lipstick and a trenchcoat; and Bianca Guidetti Serra, who rode her bicycle up switchbacks in the Alps, dodging bullets while delivering bags of clandestine newspapers and munitions to the anti-fascist armies hidden in the mountains. In Florence, the young future author of Italy's new constitution, Teresa Mattei, carried secret messages and hid bombs; while Anita Malavasi led troops across the Apennine Mountains--

Queer Enlightenments: A Hidden History of Lovers, Lawbreakers, and Homemakers
by Anthony Delaney

A BOOK RIOT BEST BOOK OF THE YEARA ground-breaking history delivered in a refreshing new voice, Queer Enlightenments details eleven overlooked stories of eighteenth-century queer people who lived extraordinary lives of resistance and joyQueer people have always existed. In an era when this basic truth faces undue scrutiny, here is a dazzling work of restorative history that reveals the hard-won lives of those who dared to break the mold in the long eighteenth-century. At once an illuminating romp through the historical archive and an evocative new chapter in our shared history, Dr. Anthony Delaney's Queer Enlightenments uncovers the remarkable queer people of that complex, sometimes paradoxical time.Unfolding between 1726 and 1836, Queer Enlightenments is a lively journey through the taverns, prisons, and cruising grounds of a bygone era and into the lives of aristocrats, tradesmen, and sex workers who pursued self-expression and freedom no matter the risk. In London, Mother Clap's famous Holborn coffee house is open to all comers, a place of companionship and community, until a tip-off leads to a midnight raid. At the court of King George, a silver-tongued noblewoman remarked of one of Queen Caroline's confidants, The world consists of men, women, and Herveys. And in New York, a Black sex worker endures a degrading trial that labels her the Man-Monster--but between the lines of its transcripts can be found traces of her life, one of acceptance, defiance, and indomitable spirit. Peopled with female husbands, midnight elopements, and one unforgettable soldier/diplomat/spy of ambiguous gender, Queer Enlightenments delves into the archives and emerges with new discoveries and a fresh view of the people who challenged society's expectations.

Daughters of the Bamboo Grove: From China to America, a True Story of Abduction, Adoption, and Separated Twins
by Barbara Demick

NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW EDITORS' CHOICE - The heartrending story of twin sisters torn apart by China's one-child policy and the rise of international adoption--from the author of the National Book Award finalist Nothing to Envy Remarkable . . . Barbara Demick movingly traces this history of overseas Chinese adoptions and their ripple effects on both sides of the Pacific.--The Wall Street Journal WINNER OF THE CHRISTOPHER J. WELLES MEMORIAL PRIZE - FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD - LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NONFICTION A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, NPR, The New Yorker, The Economist On a warm day in September 2000, a woman named Zanhua gave birth to twin girls in a small hut behind her brother's home in China's Hunan province. The twins, Fangfang and Shuangjie, were welcome additions to her family but also not her first children. Living under the shadow of China's notorious one-child policy, Zanhua and her husband decided to leave one twin in the care of relatives, hoping each toddler on their own might stay under the radar. But, in 2002, Fangfang was violently snatched away. The family worried they would never see her again, but they didn't imagine she could be sent as far as the United States. She might as well have been sent to another world. Following stories she wrote as the Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, Barbara Demick embarks on a journey that encompasses the origins, shocking cruelty, and long-term impact of China's one-child rule; the rise of international adoption and the religious currents that buoyed it; and the exceedingly rare phenomenon of twin separation. Today, Esther--formerly Fangfang--lives in Texas, and Demick brings to vivid life the Christian family that felt called to adopt her, unaware that she had been kidnapped. Through Demick's indefatigable reporting, will the long-lost sisters finally reunite--and will they feel whole again? A remarkable window into the volatile, constantly changing China of the last half century and the long-reaching legacy of the country's most infamous law, Daughters of the Bamboo Grove is also the moving story of two sisters torn apart by the forces of history and brought together again by their families' determination and one reporter's dogged work. Excellent . . . entrancing and disturbing . . . Demick] is one of our finest chroniclers of East Asia. . . . Her] characters are richly drawn, and her stories, often reported over a span of years, deliver a rare emotional wallop.--The New York Times

Paris Undercover: A Wartime Story of Courage, Friendship, and Betrayal
by Matthew Goodman

Two women in Nazi-occupied Paris created a daring escape line that rescued dozens of Allied servicemen. With one in a German prison camp, the other wrote a book about it-a memoir that was built on lies. Now the bestselling author of Eighty Days shares their incredible, never-before-told full story--

Dinner with King Tut: How Rogue Archaeologists Are Re-Creating the Sights, Sounds, Smells, and Tastes of Lost Civilizations
by Sam Kean

... an archaeological romp through the entire history of humankind--and through all five senses--from tropical Polynesian islands to forbidding arctic ice floes, and everywhere in between.--Provided by publisher.

The Invisible Spy: Churchill's Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America's First Secret Agent of World War II
by Thomas Maier

As a tough but smart Italian American kid, Ernest Cuneo played Ivy League football at Columbia University and was in the old Brooklyn Dodgers NFL franchise before becoming a city hall lawyer and Brain Trust'' aide to President Roosevelt. He was on the payroll of national radio columnist Walter Winchell and mingled with the famous and powerful. But his status as a spy remained a secret, hiding in plain sight. During this time, Cuneo began a close friendship with British spy Ian Fleming and helped inspire Fleming's James Bond novels. He also began a love affair with one of Churchill's agents at Rockefeller Center--Margaret Watson, a beautiful Canadian woman with a photographic memory ideal for spycraft. In one nighttime attack, Watson was nearly smothered to death by a Nazi assassin inside her women's dormitory near Rockefeller Center. Cuneo's transformation from a gridiron athlete into a high-stakes intelligence go-between and political influencer is one of the great untold stories of American espionage. He has remained invisible in the public eye--until now, with this unveiled look into his life.--Provided by publisher.

The Great Chinese Art Heist: Imperialism, Organized Crime, and the Hidden Story of China's Stolen Artistic Treasures
by Ralph Pezzullo

The extraordinary story of the theft of priceless Chinese antiques around the world and the connection to crimes spanning more than two centuries--with present-day implications. For the past decade, the art world has been rocked by a series of very costly and elaborately planned heists at major museums. The first took place the night of August 6, 2010 at the Drottningholm Palace in Stockholm, Sweden - the official residence of the Swedish Royal family. Others in France, Great Britain and other countries in Europe followed. In Norway, masked men rappelled down from a glass ceiling into the prestigious Kode Museum on Bergen's picturesque central square, three blocks from police headquarters. In all of these break-ins, the thieves made away with ancient Chinese artifacts, most of which were originally displayed in the spectacular Old Summer Palace outside of Beijing nearly two centuries ago. In The Great Chinese Art Heist, bestselling author Ralph Pezzullo takes us back to the Second Opium War and the sacking of Old Summer Palace by French and British troops in 1860 and connects it to the current wave of heists that seem right out of a Mission: Impossible movie. Comprehensive, balanced, entertaining, and expertly balancing diverse cultural and political perspectives, Pezzullo links these looted artifacts and roots of colonialism to today's billionaires and triad gangs, international banks and drug cartels. The wounds of the past, which is still called the Century of Humiliation in China, remain raw. The Great Chinese Art Heist is a sweeping narrative filled with the voices of those who have lived it--art and art crime experts, and museum and government officials in China, Europe, and the US. In this riveting true crime, Pezzulo expertly grapples with the questions of ownership and cultural heritage, and embodies the words of art critic Holland Cotter--The history of art is, in large part, a theft of history.

Secret Tacoma: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure
by Chris Staudinger

Secret Tacoma is a celebration of the best parts of Tacoma. This book is a champion for a city with an underdog reputation. The city wasn't always the underdog, though. Tacoma was once the most important city on the west side of Washington, and it served as the terminus for the transcontinental railroad's northern route. Now you can discover all the hidden clues about this wonderful city's past. From outlandish mansions to the largest private collection of cast iron in the world, there are so many hidden parts of Tacoma that should be cherished. Discover why there is a Liberty Bell hidden in a bush and a coffee pot-shaped building that used to have monkeys inside. Tacoma once hosted some of the most exciting innovations, like the world's longest wheat warehouse and the first police crime lab in the nation. It also welcomed visionaries like Mark Twain and George Francis Train, the man who inspired Around the World in 80 Days. All of these incredible people left behind clues and hidden hangouts today, like the abandoned bathhouse beneath a family restaurant; you just need to know where to look to find them. This book is your treasure map to Tacoma's best secrets.

The Conjuring of America: Mojos, Mermaids, Medicine, and 400 Years of Black Women's Magic
by Lindsey Stewart

Emerging first on plantations in the American South, enslaved conjure women used their magic to treat illnesses. These women combined their ancestral spiritual beliefs from West Africa with local herbal rituals and therapeutic remedies to create conjure, forging a secret well of health and power hidden to their oppressors and many of the modern-day staples we still enjoy. ... Black feminist philosopher Lindsey Stewart exposes this vital contour of American history. In the face of slavery, Negro mammies fashioned a legacy of magic that begat herbal experts, fearsome water bearers, and powerful mojos--roles and traditions that for centuries have been passed down to respond to Black struggles in real time. And when Jim Crow was born, Granny Midwives and textile weavers leveled their techniques to protect our civil and reproductive rights, while Candy Ladies fed a generation of freedom crusaders. ... Above all, The Conjuring of America is a love letter to the magic Black women used to sow messages of rebellion, freedom, and hope--

The Next One Is for You: A True Story of Guns, Country, and the Ira's Secret American Army
by Ali Watkins

Riveting...Will inevitably be compared with Patrick Radden Keefe's nonfiction blockbuster...But its themes are arguably even more resonant in the current political moment.The Washington Post From New York Times reporter and Pulitzer finalist Ali Watkins, the long-buried story of how a group of Philadelphia gunrunners armed the IRA at the height of the Troubles--a true-crime saga that illuminates Irish America's central role in the conflict and its legacy. Northern Ireland, 1975. Violence has erupted on the streets of Belfast. After years as a sleepy, guerilla army, the IRA is clashing with Loyalist gangs and heavily armed British soldiers. But the Troubles have spilled beyond the small island: An ocean away, in the heart of Philadelphia's Irish enclave, a teenage girl finds a letter in her mailbox. Inside is a bullet, and the message is clear: The next one is for you or your family. As celebrated New York Times reporter Ali Watkins reveals in this exquisitely reported nonfiction thriller, the conflict in Northern Ireland might have gone very differently had it not been for a small, ragtag band of carpenters, family men, and fugitives in the United States. The Philadelphia Five, as they came to be known, supplied the Irish Republican Army at its moment of greatest need, bolstering the fight for a united Ireland but fueling the Troubles at an untold cost. This small group of Irish nationalists smuggled hundreds of rifles, rocket launchers, explosives, and armor-piercing bullets across the Atlantic Ocean and into Northern Ireland. Whether they were skimming money from innocuous-seeming charities, coolly slipping weapons into hidden compartments of vans and houses, or scouring local graveyards for the names of dead Irishmen to use on federal firearm forms, the gunrunners approached their mission--to unite Ireland under one flag, by any means necessary--with ruthless poise, even as European and American investigators closed in, members of their own movement began to turn on them, and bodies stacked up on all sides. A gripping tale of crime, rebellion, and the hazy line between them, The Next One Is for You is the definitive account of America's hand in the Troubles--a conflict whose resonance is still felt today, in the United States and Ireland alike.

Agent Zo: The Untold Story of a Fearless World War II Resistance Fighter
by Clare Mulley

During World War II, Elzbieta Zawacka--the WWII female resistance fighter known as Agent Zo--was the only woman to reach London as an emissary of the Polish Home Army command. In Britain, she became the only woman to join the Polish elite Special Forces, known as the 'Silent Unseen.' She was secretly trained in the British countryside, and then she was the only female member of these forces to be parachuted back behind enemy lines to Nazi-occupied Poland. There, while being hunted by the Gestapo (who arrested her entire family), she took a leading role in the Warsaw Uprising and the liberation of Poland. ... Now, through new archival research and exclusive interviews with people who knew and fought alongside Agent Zo, Clare Mulley brings this forgotten heroine back to ... life--while transforming how we value the history of women resistance fighters during World War II--

The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and the World's Most Dangerous Spirit
by Evan Rail

Now in paperback: an astonishing true crime story about an eccentric grifter who blew up the lucrative black market for vintage bottles of the legendary drink of artistic renegades, absinthe . . . Thought to be hallucinogenic and banned globally for a century, absinthe is once again legal and popular. Yet it is still associated with bohemian lifestyles, just as when it was the favorite drink of avant-gardists like Toulouse-Lautrec and Van Gogh and Baudelaire. And today, when vintage, pre-ban bottles are discovered, they can sell for exorbitant prices to private collectors. But such discoveries are increasingly rare. Which is why the absinthe demimonde of rich collectors was electrified when a mysterious bon vivant claimed to be in possession of a collection of precious, pre-ban bottles. Is his secret tranche of 100-year-old bottles real? And just who is the shadowy person selling them? And what about rumors of another secret cache, hidden away in an Italian palazzo? Journalist Evan Rail sets out to discover the truth about the enigmatic dealer and the secret stashes. Along the way, he drinks with absintheurs frantically chasing down the pre-bans, visits modern distillers who have seen their status rise from criminal bootleggers to sought-after celebrities, and relates the legendary history of absinthe, from its birth in Switzerland through its coming of age in France, and on to its modern revival.

Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts: Stories and Recipes from Five Generations of Black Country Cooks
by Crystal Wilkinson

Years ago, when O. Henry Prize-winning writer Crystal Wilkinson was baking a jam cake, she felt her late grandmother's presence. She soon realized that she was not the only cook in her kitchen: there were an abundance of ancestors stirring, measuring, and braising with her. These are her kitchen ghosts, five generations of Black women who arrived in her region of Appalachia and made a life, a legacy, and a cuisine. Part food memoir, part cookbook, [this volume] weaves fiction with historical records, memories, and interviews to present a unique culinary portrait of Black Appalachians. Forty recipes rooted deep in the past yet full of contemporary flavor are brought to vivid life through ... photography and beautiful illustrations. You'll find delicious favorites such as corn pudding, chicken and dumplings, jam cake, and praisesong biscuits woven into the narrative of Crystal's family, portraying the experience and history of Black Appalachians through their voice, spirit, and foodways--

Love & Whiskey: The Remarkable True Story of Jack Daniel, His Master Distiller Nearest Green, and the Improbable Rise of Uncle Nearest
by Fawn Weaver

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLEREmbark on a captivating journey with Love & Whiskey. New York Times bestselling author Fawn Weaver unveils the hidden narrative behind one of America's most iconic whiskey brands. This book is a vibrant exploration set in the present day, delving into the life and legacy of Nearest Green, the African American distilling genius who played a pivotal role in the creation of the whiskey that bears Jack Daniel's name.Set against the backdrop of Lynchburg, Tennessee, this narrative weaves together a thrilling blend of personal discovery, historical investigation, and the revelation of a story long overshadowed by time. Through extensive research, personal interviews, and the uncovering of long-buried documents, Weaver brings to light not only the remarkable bond between Nearest Green and Jack Daniel but also Daniel's concerted efforts during his lifetime to ensure Green's legacy would not be forgotten. This deep respect for his teacher, mentor, and friend was mirrored in Jack's dedication to ensuring that the stories and achievements of Nearest Green's descendants, who continued the tradition of working side by side with Jack and his descendants, would also not be forgotten.Love & Whiskey is more than just a recounting of historical facts; it's a live journey into the heart of storytelling, where every discovery adds a layer to the rich tapestry of American history. Weaver's pursuit highlights the importance of acknowledging those who have shaped our cultural landscape; yet remained in the shadows. As Weaver intertwines her present-day quest with the historical threads of Green and Daniel's lives, she not only pays homage to their legacy but also spearheads the creation of Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey. This endeavor has not only brought Nearest Green's name to the forefront of the whiskey industry but has also set new records, symbolizing a step forward in recognizing and celebrating African American contributions to the spirit world. Love & Whiskey invites readers to witness a story of enduring friendship, resilience, and the impact of giving credit where it's long overdue. It's an inspiring tale of how uncovering the past can forge new paths and how the spirit of whiskey has connected lives across generations. Join Fawn Weaver on this extraordinary adventure, as she navigates through the layers of history, friendship, and the unbreakable bonds formed by the legacy of America's native spirit, ensuring the stories of Nearest Green and his descendants live on in the heart of American culture.

The Book of Secrets: A Personal History of Betrayal in Red China
by Xinran Xue

The spellbinding story of the secret life of a spy in modern China, drawn from an extraordinary archive of personal diaries and letters.

Master Slave Husband Wife: An Epic Journey from Slavery to Freedom
by Ilyon Woo

Presents the remarkable true story of Ellen and William Craft, who escaped slavery through daring, determination, and disguise, with Ellen passing as a wealthy, disabled white man and William posing as his slave.

By the Fire We Carry: The Generations-Long Fight for Justice on Native Land
by Rebecca Nagle

A work of reportage and American history in the vein of Caste and How the Word Is Passed that braids the story of the forced removal of Native Americans onto treaty lands in the nation's earliest days, and a small-town murder in the '90s that led to a Supreme Court ruling reaffirming Native rights to that land over a century later--

The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald
by John U. Bacon

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERSmithsonian - 10 Best History Books of 2025Bookpage - Best Books of 2025 A work of spectral beauty destined to be a classic. Readers of Sebastian Junger's The Perfect Storm, Erik Larsen's Dead Wake, and Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea will love this deeply reported tale. --Hampton Sides, New York Times best-selling author of The Wide Wide Sea and In the Kingdom of Ice The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald' has been told and retold by authors and bards. But never has it been told better than by Mr. Bacon in this colorful and compelling book.... Dead men tell no tales, but their loved ones do. Mr. Bacon tracked them down and listened. --John J. Miller, Wall Street Journal On the fiftieth anniversary of the Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, the bestselling author of The Great Halifax Explosion tells the definitive story of the Mighty Fitz.

For additional reading ideas, talk with your library staff

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