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Non-Fiction Reads November 2025 |
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The dry season : a memoir
by Melissa Febos
A wise and transformative look at relationships and self-knowledge In the wake of a disastrous two-year relationship, Melissa Febos decided to take a break--for three months she would abstain from dating, from relationships, even from casual sex. Her friends were amused. Did she really think three months was a long time? But to Febos, it was. Ever since her teens, she had been in one relationship or another. As she puts it, she could trace a "daisy chain of romances" from then to now, in her mid-thirties. It was time to focus on herself and examine the lifelong patterns that had produced her midlife disaster. When those three months ended, she feared relapsing into old habits and decided to extend her celibate period. She knew she was taking on a challenge, but had no idea that this year would become the most fulfilling and sensual of her life.
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Speaking in tongues
by J. M. Coetzee
Language, historically speaking, has always been slippery. Two dictionaries provide two different maps of the universe: which one is true, or are both false? Speaking in Tongues―taking the form of a dialogue between Nobel laureate novelist J. M. Coetzee and eminent translator Mariana Dimópulos―examines some of the most pressing linguistic issues that plague writers and translators well into the twenty-first century.
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The gift of low self-esteem : how to turn your deepest doubts into your surprising superpower
by Denise Linn
Do you struggle to feel worthy? Have you tried countless methods to overcome self-doubt that don’t make you feel any more confident—or, in fact, make you feel worse because you’re failing at them? What if you could discover the secret gifts that low self-esteem can give?
Candidly sharing her personal experience of struggling with self-worth, Denise Linn reveals the powerful perceptions she gained on her own journey of redefining her narrative and embracing her life. And she guides you to find your own path.
You’ll learn to identify the personal source of your low esteem, whether it stems from your biochemistry, your childhood experiences, your culture or religion, or the energy of the people and things around you. Maybe you’re feeling drained by predecessor energies, past lives, or toxic “dream stompers” in your life right now. Maybe you’re an empath and absorbing the negative emotions of those around you. Maybe you’re influenced by social media, the news cycle, or even the cycles of nature. Whatever the case, Denise shows you the great benefits of low self-esteem and strategies to support you when it can feel overwhelming.
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With Her Own Hands : Women Weaving Their Stories
by Nicole Nehrig
Spanning continents and centuries, With Her Own Hands brings together remarkable stories of women who have used textiles as a means of liberation, from an eighteenth-century Quaker boarding school that used embroidered samplers to teach girls math and geography to the Quechua weavers working to preserve and revive Incan traditions today, and from the Miao women of southern China who, in the absence of a written language, pass down their histories in elaborate “story cloths” to a midcentury British women’s postal art exchange. Textiles have been a way for women to explore their intellectual capacities, seek economic independence, create community, process traumas, and convey powerful messages of self-expression and political protest.
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Video game design
by Alexia Mandeville
"Introduces beginners to video game design, covering core principles, game engines, character and world creation, playtesting, debugging, and publishing, while providing step-by-step guidance on turning game ideas into playable experiences and exploring game development as a potential career"
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Coastal : 130 recipes from a California road trip
by Scott Clark
A celebration of California home cooking with 130 recipes and more than 300 photos that capture the beauty, magic, and bounty of the coast. From acclaimed chef Scott Clark, who flipped his fine dining chops into the ultimate railroad-car diner at the edge of the Pacific.
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Both/and : essays by trans and gender-nonconforming writers of color
by Denne Michele Norris
This powerful anthology of essays by trans and gender-nonconforming writers of color offers honest, beautifully crafted reflections on identity, community and lived experience, originally developed through an inclusive, pitch-based editorial process to foster creative growth.
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Life and art : essays
by Richard Russo
In twelve masterful new essays, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Somebody's Fool and The Destiny Thief considers how the twin subjects of Life and Art inform each other and how the stories we tell ourselves about both shape our understanding of the world around us.
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I want to burn this place down : essays
by Maris Kreizman
A sharp and witty collection of essays tracing one woman's disillusionment with the American dream, as she unpacks personal and political awakenings that led her from hopeful liberalism to radical critique in a deeply unequal, broken system.
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Sucker punch : essays
by Scaachi Koul
Scaachi Koul's first book was a collection of raw, perceptive, and hilarious essays reckoning with the issues of race, body image, love, friendship, and growingup the daughter of immigrants. When the time came to start writing her next book, Scaachi assumed she'd be updating her story with essays about her elaborate four-day wedding, settling down to domestic bliss, and continuing her never-ending arguments with her parents. Instead, the Covid pandemic hit, the world went into lockdown, Scaachi's marriage fell apart, she lost her job, and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Sucker Punch is about what happens when the life you thought you'd be living radicallychanges course, everything you thought you knew about the world and yourself has tilted on its axis, and you have to start forging a new path forward.
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Want to request any of these titles? Place a hold through the online catalog or call the library for assistance 831-768-3404. |
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Watsonville Public Library
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