kmerwin

by Katherine Applegate Thimble-born from tip to toe, Pocket Bear remembers every moment of his becoming: the glimmering needle, the silken thread, the tender hands as each careful stitch brought him closer to himself. Born during the throes of WWI, he was designed to fit into the pocket of a soldier's jacket, eyes sewn a bit higher than normal so that he always gazed upward. That way, glancing at his pocket, a soldier would see an endearing token of love from someone back home, and, … [Read more...] about 2025 Top Read: Pocket Bear

by X. Fang A New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Children's Book! * Join Mei Mei on her hilarious and emotional journey in this dramatic and tenderhearted picture book about guilt and forgiveness, from the acclaimed creator of We Are Definitely Human. When Mei Mei accidentally breaks her ama's favorite cup, she's convinced it's the end of the world. What if Ama is angry? What if she yells? What if she kicks Mei Mei out of her house? Mei Mei can't face it. But when Mimi, … [Read more...] about 2025 Top Read: Broken

by Aubrey Hartman In one of the best-reviewed children's books of 2025, an undead fox and an entirely dead badger begrudgingly team up to change their destinies--perfect for fans of Kate DiCamillo and Tim Burton. Clare is the undead fox of Deadwood Forest. Here, leaves grow in a perpetual state of fall: not quite dead, but not quite alive--just like Clare. Long ago, he was struck by a car, and, hovering between life and death, he was given the choice to either cross … [Read more...] about 2025 Top Read: The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest

A Memoir by Susan Orlean "The story of my life is the story of my stories," writes Susan Orlean in this extraordinary, era-defining memoir from one of the greatest practitioners of narrative nonfiction of our time. Joyride is a magic carpet ride through Orlean's life and career, where every day is an opportunity for discovery and every moment holds the potential for wonder. Throughout her storied career, her curiosity draws her to explore the most ordinary and extraordinary of … [Read more...] about 2025 Top Read: Joyride

A Novel by Jess Walter "As talented a natural storyteller as is working in American fiction."--Washington Post From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Beautiful Ruins--and in the wild, propulsive spirit of Charles Portis' True Grit--comes a hilarious and brilliantly provocative adventure through life in modern America, about a reclusive journalist forced back into the world to rescue his kidnapped grandchildren. A few weeks after the 2016 election, at Thanksgiving with his … [Read more...] about 2025 Top Read: So Far Gone

A Novel by Kiran Desai When Sonia and Sunny first glimpse each other on an overnight train, they are immediately captivated yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them, a clumsy meddling that served only to drive Sonia and Sunny apart. Sonia, an aspiring novelist who recently completed her studies in the snowy mountains of Vermont, has returned to her family in India. She fears that she is haunted by a dark spell cast by an artist to whom she … [Read more...] about 2025 Top Read: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny