Peak Picks Current Titles Book List
New titles from the Peak Picks collection that are currently in rotation. Stop by any branch to see what's available today!
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The Ai Con
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Nonfiction. "Linguist Bender and sociologist Hanna, the founders of a merrily debunking podcast about all things AI, write that there's hoopla aplenty about how AI will make our lives better - or perhaps worse. There are real concerns, of course, especially for people of color...[and] those 'daily harms being done in its name' are more profound than a feared robot apocalypse (the authors add, AI probably won't replace your job, 'but it will make your job a lot shittier.') A refreshingly contrarian take on AI and the clouds of hyperbole surrounding it." Kirkus
Format: Book
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The Emperor of Gladness
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Fiction. "Vuong follows up his first novel with a searching and beautiful story of a troubled young man. The reader first meets Hai on a bridge in East Gladness, Conn., where he's about to jump to his death. He's stopped by Grazina, an 82-year-old Lithuanian woman. She invites him to stay with her, and as her dementia worsens, he cares for her... Hai tells his mother he is attending medical school, but in fact, shortly before meeting Grazina, he was released from rehab for opioid addiction. Vuong's scenes are vivid, and the pitch-perfect dialogue cuts like a knife...This downbeat tale soars to astonishing heights." Kirkus
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Is A River Alive?
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Nonfiction. "Nature writer Macfarlane (Underland) serves up a lyrical inquiry into the implications of treating rivers as living beings worthy of reverence and legal rights. Macfarlane skillfully braids his immersive travel writing with illuminating historical background, all told in lithe prose ('The horizon widens into ocean and the co-motion of sky and water is lost in a white, grainy light, and there the river's last trace is slow-vanishing spirals in the water, shallowing as they slip on'). Nature lovers will be riveted." Publishers Weekly
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The Manor of Dreams
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Fiction. "A week before her death, Vivian Yin mysteriously changes her will. The Oscar-winning actress' daughters are shocked when their family's beautiful but deteriorating estate in California goes to Elaine Deng, whose parents were once employed at Yin Manor. Their suspicions are further heightened when Vivian's autopsy comes back positive for poison. So, the two sides make a deal: Vivian's daughters will leave without a fuss if they can't prove that Elaine killed their mother by the end of the week. Li's adult debut beautifully intertwines historical fiction, mystery, and romance, including an LGBTQ love story, in this multigenerational saga." Booklist
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Availability: On order
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Marsha
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Nonfiction. "Black trans icon Marsha P. Johnson (1945-1992)...is best-known for being the person who threw the first brick at the Stonewall riots in 1969 and creating the STAR (Street Transvestite Action Revolutionaries) organization with fellow activist Sylvia Rivera in 1970. [T]his biography is abundant with stories about other things in Johnson's life, such as the Angels of Light and the many people she influenced. Tourmaline does not shy away from tales of jail, addiction, and violence that continue to affect people on the streets and the trans community. A raw, well-told biography of an LGBTQIA+ pioneer." Library Journal
Format: Book
Availability: On order
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Moral Ambition
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Nonfiction. "Historian Bregman (Humankind) presents a passionate ode to a life of activism. Arguing that most people waste their lives toiling away at 'mind-numbing, pointless, or just plain harmful jobs,' he calls on readers to harness their skills to make 'the world a wildly better place.' His advice for doing so includes forging smart alliances that further one's cause...and taking strategic steps to meet objectives. [I]dealists will be galvanized by his relentlessly energetic tone and inspiring profiles of well -and lesser-known activists. The result is an inspiring jolt to the system." Publishers Weekly
Format: Book
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Old School Indian
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Fiction. “In Curtis's electrifying debut, a restless and gravely ill Miami bookseller takes stock of his life and his Mohawk heritage. Abe Jacobs, 43, returns to the St. Regis Mohawk Reservation on the border of New York State and Quebec in 2016, hoping his healer uncle Budge Billings can cure his rare and life-threatening illness. Now, as Abe undergoes his treatment, Budge regales him with Mohawk creation stories and Abe reflects bitterly on the erosion of their culture and language. Moments of heartbreak shape the present-day narrative...Even more impressive is Curtis's ability to find harmony in the novel's distinctive voices. This astonishes." Publishers Weekly
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Spent
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Graphic Novel. "In this self-deprecating and delightful graphic novel, an archly fictionalized Alison finds herself flummoxed by commercial success. Though each 'episode' of the graphic novel shares the title of a chapter in Marx's Das Kapital, Bechdel's alter ego is alternately too confused, distracted, despairing, or creatively blocked to start a revolution. The bold, full-color art displays Bechdel's signature style: detailed characters, assured panel work, and welcomely realistic representations of queer and older folks' naked bodies. For Bechdel's fans, it's a dream to see her skewer fame with such hilarious precision." Publishers Weekly
Format: Book
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Storybook Ending
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Fiction. "April, a smart and lonely tech worker, worries work from home has gotten out of hand: she's left an anonymous note in a book for Westley, the clerk at her Seattle neighborhood bookstore... But thanks to fate, Laura - a busy single mom who had given up on love - buys the book, finds the note, and thinks Westley has left it for her. Meanwhile ,Westley...is too distracted...to notice either of the two women. But as April and Laura's anonymous correspondence continues back and forth, their mundane routines are challenged, sparking a glimmer of hope. Is a happy ending in the cards for them?" Publisher description.
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What Will People Think?
NEW FOR MAY! Adult Fiction. "This beautifully written debut tackles serious issues...using stand-up comedy as a framing device. Mia is a second-generation Palestinian American who has lived with her traditional grandparents since she lost her parents. She and her father shared a love of stand-up, and Mia has been working on her own comedy act in secret. Her heritage is great fodder for her comedy, but her work as a magazine fact-checker pays the bills. When a reporting job opens up...her best friend submits a writing sample for her, along with a video of her stand-up that goes viral. [Mia] is terrified that her new notoriety may lead to [her grandparents'] deportation." Library Journal
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