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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Briefly Perfectly Human
Adult Nonfiction. "Arthur recalls in her elegant debut memoir how she became a death doula, providing emotional support and guidance to those who are nearing death. Arthur poignantly recalls how her clients prepared for death, whether in quiet privacy or surrounded by music, art, and friends, 'in full surrender, grateful for the gift to have been... human.' Taken together, these stories portray death as simultaneously personal, universal, and unknowable, a complexity that Arthur acknowledges with consummate respect." PW
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The Familiar
Adult Fiction. "Servant Luzia Cotado hides her talent for milagritos (little miracles) in fear that their discovery would also uncover her Jewish roots and the Ladino spells she uses...bringing the Inquisition to her door. But when her magic is discovered, it attracts the attention of a patron who's desperate for the favor of the king - and she's quickly tossed into a contest of miracles that is at the center of the politics of a struggling Spain. As she begins lessons under the mysterious, dark force of nature Santangel, she realizes that survival is not enough for her; Luzia wants to show the world what she's capable of.: Booklist
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I Cheerfully Refuse
Adult Fiction. "The transcendent latest from Enger is at once a dystopian love story, a nautical adventure, and a meditation on loss, kindness, and natural beauty. The story unfolds in a near-future America where the billionaire class has complete control and reading has been abandoned. Even so, narrator Rainy and his wife, Lark, have found happiness in a small town on the shores of Lake Superior. Their idyll ends with the arrival of a new boarder, Kellan, a fugitive from a billionaire's work camp. In a desperate world where kindness is a luxury, Rainy befriends the few people willing to help him..." PW
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Knife
Adult Nonfiction. "From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring - and surviving - an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him. Speaking out for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, about the traumatic events of August 12, 2022, Rushdie answers violence with art, and reminds us of the power to make sense of the unthinkable, Knife is a gripping, intimate, and ultimately life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art - and finding the strength to stand up again." Pub description
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The Paris Novel
Adult Fiction. "When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading 'Go to Paris.' Stella is hardly cut out for adventure...But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother's last wishes...[S]he stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. She buys the dress - and embarks on an adventure. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home." Pub description
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Street Trees of Seattle
Adult Nonfiction. "Using data visualization as a starting point, Ebrahimi takes readers on a tour of existing street trees throughout Seattle's neighborhoods and iconic parks through charming illustrations and maps. In the process, she educates readers on the history of the trees and the city, and offers up sketches of trees, leaves, and leaflets to identify trees throughout 33 different neighborhoods. The most notable of each species are highlighted, so urban adventurers can fully appreciate their surroundings or design their own walking routes to experience these natural wonders in their favorite areas of the city." Pub description
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James
Adult Fiction. "Everett portrays in this ingenious retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn a Black man who's mastered the art of minstrelsy to get what he needs from gullible white people. Many of the same things happen as they do in Twain's original...The main difference is in the telling. Jim narrates, not Huck...Everett also pares down the prose and adds humor in place of sentimentality. Jim's wrenching odyssey concludes with remarkable revelations, violent showdowns, and insightful meditations on literature and philosophy. Everett has outdone himself." Publishers Weekly
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Slow Productivity
Adult Nonfiction. "Our current definition of 'productivity' is broken. It pushes us to treat busyness as a proxy for useful effort, leading to impossibly lengthy task lists and ceaseless meetings. We're overwhelmed by all we have to do and on the edge of burnout, left to decide between giving into soul-sapping hustle culture or rejecting ambition altogether. But are these really our only choices? Newport deconstructs the absurdities inherent in standard notions of productivity, and then provides step-by-step advice for cultivating a slower, more humane alternative." Publisher description
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The Kamogawa Food Detectives
Adult Fiction. :The Kamogawa Food Detectives is the first book in the bestselling, mouth-watering Japanese series...Down a quiet backstreet in Kyoto exists a very special restaurant. Run by Koishi Kamogawa and her father Nagare, the Kamogawa Diner serves up deliciously extravagant meals. But that's not the main reason customers stop by...The father-daughter duo are 'food detectives.' Through ingenious investigations, they are able to recreate dishes from a person's treasured memories - dishes that may well hold the keys to their forgotten past and future happiness." Publisher description
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The Other Significant Others
Adult Nonfiction. "Cohen questions in her illuminating debut the notion 'that a long-term monogamous romantic relationship is necessary for a normal, successful adulthood' and considers what a life that prioritizes 'devoted' friendships might look like instead. According to Cohen, society is hard-pressed to understand friendships that in some ways supersede romantic relationships because they're a 'provocation - unsettling the set of social tenets that circumscribe our intimate lives.' It's a smart and heartfelt testament to the power of social bonds outside 'compulsory couplehood.'" Kirkus
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