LibraryAware October 2025

Recent Releases

The colonel and the king : Tom Parker, Elvis Presley, and the partnership that rocked the world
by Peter Guralnick

Draws on unpublished correspondence to examine the complex, evolving relationship between Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker, tracing their bond of trust through rising fame and eventual decline, while offering new insight into the personal and professional dynamics behind Presley's meteoric career. Illustrations.

Awake
by Jen Hatmaker

Popular Christian living author and podcaster Jen Hatmaker courageously explores the heartbreaking and humiliating end of her marriage of 26 years and the challenges of reclaiming her independence. Hatmaker, suddenly a single mother of five, is relatable as she searchingly poses questions about her purpose and identity that she had taken for granted for so long. For fans of: Untamed by Glennon Doyle.

Backstage: Stories of a Writing Life
by Donna Leon

Celebrated mystery author and creator of the Guido Brunetti series Donna Leon gives her readers a peek into the workings of a prolific creative mind. In brief but gorgeously crafted essays, Leon relates memorable scenes from her life and talks about some of her inspirations, including Venice, the books of Ruth Rendell, and Baroque music. Readers looking for other authors’ musings about life and art should try A Memoir of My Former Self: A Life in Writing by Hilary Mantel.

You wanna be on top? : a memoir of makeovers, manipulation, and not becoming America's next top model
by Sarah Hartshorne

The only plus-size contestant from America's Next Top Model Cycle 9 recounts her experiences with the show's toxic culture, including harsh auditions, manipulative production tactics, and the impact on contestants' mental health, drawing on her journey and interviews with fellow participants and crew.

Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis
by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley with Mary Jane Ross

More than 50 years after her divorce from the King of Rock and Roll, Priscilla Beaulieu Presley candidly recalls finding her independence after her relationship with Elvis, which had dominated her life since she was 14. Presley is frank about her triumphs (success as an actor) and tragedies (the deaths of her daughter and grandson), as well as the grief she felt after her ex-husband’s death. Try this next: Splinters: Another Kind of Love Story by Leslie Jamison.

Mother Mary Comes to Me
by Arundhati Roy

Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy shares vivid memories of growing up poor in India and her complicated relationship with her single mother, Mary. It is a raw account of living with a headstrong, volatile, and sometimes abusive parent, but one who also ignited the author’s dedication to Indian women’s rights, and whose death in 2022 left Arundhati overcome with grief. For fans of: I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy.

Milena and Margarete: A Love Story in Ravensbrück
by Gwen Strauss

Milena Jesenská and Margarete Buber-Neumann were both prisoners in the Ravensbrück concentration camp during the Holocaust, where they met and formed a passionate romantic relationship. Though the camp’s records were burned before it was captured, historian Gwen Strauss has rescued the women’s stories in an inspiring, heartbreaking account of queer and Holocaust history. For fans of: Lovers in Auschwitz by Keren Blankfeld.

Malaparte : a biography
by Maurizio Serra

A biography of Curzio Malaparte and covers his various careers as soldier, writer, journalist, diplomat, trade unionist, politician and film director.

Contact your librarian for more great books!