Vannotes

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

Indiana

Piggy Original Graphic Novel

Permanent Detention

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Scholastic

The 100% Official Piggy Survival Manual

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Joseph Earl Thomas

Light Hardcover (1 lb or less)

A Memoir

"A brilliant and brilliantly different" (Kiese Laymon), wrenching and redemptive coming-of-age memoir about the difficulty of growing up in a hazardous home and the glory of finding salvation in geek culture.



Stranded within an ever-shifting family's desperate but volatile attempts to love, saddled with a mercurial mother mired in crack addiction, and demeaned daily for his perceived weakness, Joseph Earl Thomas grew up feeling he was under constant threat. Roaches fell from the ceiling, colonizing bowls of noodles and cereal boxes. Fists and palms pounded down at school and at home, leaving welts that ached long after they disappeared. An inescapable hunger gnawed at his frequently empty stomach, and requests for food were often met with indifference if not open hostility. Deemed too unlike the other boys to ever gain the acceptance he so desperately desired, he began to escape into fantasy and virtual worlds, wells of happiness in a childhood assailed on all sides.



In a series of exacting and fierce vignettes, Thomas guides readers through the unceasing cruelty that defined his circumstances, laying bare the depths of his loneliness and illuminating the vital reprieve geek culture offered him. With remarkable tenderness and devastating clarity, he explores how lessons of toxic masculinity were drilled into his body and the way the cycle of violence permeated the very fabric of his environment. Even in the depths of isolation, there were unexpected moments of joy carved out, from summers where he was freed from the injurious structures of his surroundings to the first glimpses of kinship he caught on his journey to becoming a Pokémon master. SINK follows Thomas's coming-of-age towards an understanding of what it means to lose the desire to fit in--with his immediate peers, turbulent family, or the world--and how good it feels to build community, love, and salvation on your own terms.

Sink

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Jes Smyth

Signed by the author. Includes 1 bookmark and 1 postcard. 

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Have you ever wondered ?If I had met this person as who I am now instead of who I was then, would it have changed anything?For fans of Rebecca Serle and Josie Silver. Two people. Ten years. One winding love story.Time, for Jolie, is the worst. It moves too slowly when she needs it to speed up; too fast when she wishes she could just bring everything to a halt. But for her and Jace, timing is everything. And they can't seem to get it right.Time, for Jace, is simple. The plan is obvious and the outcome is inevitable: earn a degree, get a job, make a life. All in due time. But for him and Jolie, timing is complicated. And they have a habit of falling out of sync.As they navigate the tides of their relationship amid the uncertainties of life after graduation, Jolie and Jace enter a decade-long cycle of passion, heartbreak, bad timing, and, ultimately, self-discovery. All in pursuit of an answer to the inescapable question: Will time, for once, ever be on their side? Time for Once is an adult coming-of-age story about love, acceptance, and the mistakes we all make in the messy but crucial process of growth.

Time for Once (signed!)

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Jason B. Rosenthal

An inspiring memoir of life, love, loss, and new beginnings by the widower of bestselling children's author and filmmaker Amy Krouse Rosenthal, whose last of act of love before her death was setting the stage for her husband's life without her in a column in the New York Times. On March 3, 2017, Amy Krouse Rosenthal penned an op-ed piece for the New York Times' "Modern Love" column --"You May Want to Marry My Husband." It appeared ten days before her death from ovarian cancer. A heartbreaking, wry, brutally honest, and creative play on a personal ad--in which a dying wife encouraged her husband to go on and find happiness after her demise--the column quickly went viral, reaching more than five million people worldwide. In My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me, Jason describes what came next: his commitment to respecting Amy's wish, even as he struggled with her loss. Surveying his life before, with, and after Amy, Jason ruminates on love, the pain of watching a loved one suffer, and what it means to heal--how he and their three children, despite their profound sorrow, went on. Jason's emotional journey offers insights on dying and death and the excruciating pain of losing a soulmate, and illuminates the lessons he learned. As he reflects on Amy's gift to him--a fresh start to fill his empty space with a new story--Jason describes how he continues to honor Amy's life and her last wish, and how he seeks to appreciate every day and live in the moment while trying to help others coping with loss. My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me is the poignant, unreserved, and inspiring story of a great love, the aftermath of a marriage ended too soon, and how a surviving partner eventually found a new perspective on life's joys in the wake of tremendous loss.

My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me

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Traci Rhoades

A Story of Church

Not All Who Wander (Spiritually) Are Lost

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Propaganda

Building a Better World





In this debut collection of essays and poetry, musician, speaker, and activist Propaganda inspires us to create a better, more equitable world.



"If we get to make the very cultures that shape who we are, then let us remake them in the best way possible."

In this deep, challenging, and thoughtful book, Propaganda looks at the ways in which our world is broken. Using the metaphor of terraforming--creating a livable world out of an inhospitable one--he shows how we can begin to reshape our homes, friendships, communities, and politics.

In this transformative time--when we are redefining what a truly just and equitable world looks like, and reflecting on the work that needs to be done both in our spiritual and secular lives--Propaganda rallies readers to create that just world. He sheds light on how nefarious origin stories have skewed our views of ourselves and others and allowed gross injustices, and demonstrates how great storytelling and excellent art can create and shape new perspectives of the world and make all of us better. 

Terraform

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Katie Proctor

A Novel 

My Storied Year

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Donald Miller

About 30 pages have highlighting. Otherwise, perfect condition.

Light, God, and Beauty on the open Road

Fueled by the belief that something better exists than the mundane life they've been living, free spirits Don and Paul set off on an adventure-filled road trip in search of deeper meaning, beauty, and an explanation for life. Many young men dream of such a trip, but few are brave enough to actually attempt it. Fewer still have the writing skills of Donald Miller, who records the trip with wide-eyed honesty in achingly beautiful prose. In this completely revised edition, he discusses everything from the nature of friendship, the reason for pain, and the origins of beauty. As they travel from Texas to Oregon in Paul's cantankerous Volkswagen van, the two friends encounter a variety of fascinating people, witness the fullness of nature's splendor, and learn unexpected lessons about themselves, each other, and even God. "A record of a classic road trip. Miller's tale is full of serendipitous adventures and thoughtful Christian reflection . . . offering the sort of deep-thought wanderings into meaning and significance that are the meat of college-age existence . . . a reminder that life was meant to be lived, not just gotten through." (Publishers Weekly)

Through Painted Deserts

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Scot McKnight

Rethinking How You Read The Bible, Revised Edition

The Blue Parakeet

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Melissa Maimone

Curt Thompson

Depression, Grace, and the Gifts of a Dark Place

"In The Radiant Midnight you will find not merely abstract ideas about the essence of darkness or how to go about facing it. You will also find humor, Wisdom. Honesty. You will find Melissa's very bone and blood...it is here, then, in reading--rather, perhaps, listening to--her words, that your heart, trapped as it may feel in its own midnight, begins to see the first signs of dawn." -Curt Thompson, MD, author of Anatomy of the Soul



Grace and Hope for Long Dark Nights



Have you ever suffered with depression, sadness, or the feeling that you just can't seem to get it together? Do you wonder if you could ever view your deepest wounds in a different light?

 

Through candid storytelling, biblical truth, honest lament, and unexpected humor, The Radiant Midnight is a bold refusal to simplify the experience of suffering by moving too quickly to try to relieve it. With questions to guide you and practical suggestions to lead you through dark moments, this book takes you on a journey of surrender, suffering, rest, and restoration as it encourages and comforts you in whatever struggle you face.



The message of The Radiant Midnight is fueled by the passionate belief that not only will God lead you out of darkness, He will be fully and beautifully present within it. You can find deep contentment in painful circumstances and discover a profound intimacy with a compassionate, tender God who is with you in every moment--in each hope-filled dawn and every radiant midnight.

The Radiant Midnight

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Jenny Lee

A Love Story

A national indie bestseller! Meet Anna K: every happy teenage girl is the same, while every unhappy teenage girl is miserable in her own special way... At seventeen, Anna K is at the top of Manhattan and Greenwich society (even if she prefers the company of her horses and dogs); she has the perfect (if perfectly boring) boyfriend, Alexander W.; and she has always made her Korean-American father proud (even if he can be a little controlling). Meanwhile, Anna's brother, Steven, and his girlfriend, Lolly, are trying to weather an sexting scandal; Lolly’s little sister, Kimmie, is struggling to recalibrate to normal life after an injury derails her ice dancing career; and Steven’s best friend, Dustin, is madly (and one-sidedly) in love with Kimmie. As her friends struggle with the pitfalls of ordinary teenage life, Anna always seems to be able to sail gracefully above it all. That is...until the night she meets Alexia “Count” Vronsky at Grand Central. A notorious playboy who has bounced around boarding schools and who lives for his own pleasure, Alexia is everything Anna is not. But he has never been in love until he meets Anna, and maybe she hasn’t, either. As Alexia and Anna are pulled irresistibly together, she has to decide how much of her life she is willing to let go for the chance to be with him. And when a shocking revelation threatens to shatter their relationship, she is forced to question if she has ever known herself at all. Dazzlingly opulent and emotionally riveting, Jenny Lee's Anna K: A Love Story is a brilliant reimagining of Leo Tolstoy's timeless love story, Anna Karenina—but above all, it is a novel about the dizzying, glorious, heart-stopping experience of first love and first heartbreak.

Anna K

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Denise J. Hughes

Cheri Gregory

Saundra Dalton-Smith

A Guide for Highly Sensitive Persons and Those Who Love Them

Embrace the Unique Way God Designed You Perhaps you’re bothered by bright lights or you struggle to tune out background noise. Maybe you’re quick to notice the details others miss or you need more time to process events. You may feel emotions deeply and hear, “You’re just too sensitive.” But what if you learned you’re not “too sensitive”? What if your sensitivity is part of your design and comes with corresponding strengths? One in five people are HSPs—Highly Sensitive Persons—with the genetic trait of sensory sensitivity. As an HSP, you are not fragile or frail. You can be a strong friend in relationships, strong partner in business, and strong member of your community. Sensitive and Strong is your guide to navigating the HSP journey of exploration and growth. It will help you… discover you’re different, not defective understand your genetic disposition to an over-abundance of stimuli see how your sensitivities correlate to key strengths respond to stressful situations with confidence and calm harness your strengths to serve others Release the worry that you’re “too high maintenance” or just plain “too much” and embrace the many ways you can be both sensitive and strong.

Sensitive and Strong

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Mary Hollis Huddleston

Asher Fogle Paul

Bridezillas meets The Devil Wears Prada in this hilarious romp through the world of extravagant Southern weddings and the most expensive events money can buy.

Without a Hitch

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Melissa Ferguson





She's Insta-famous. He uses a flip phone.

 When her business partner is accused of serious financial crimes, superstar influencer Cat Cranwell--an engineered marvel of beauty, energy, and fun--falls from her penthouse perch. Desperate to get away from the online trolls and paparazzi documenting her disgrace, Cat accepts her uncle's offer to work with him in Kannery National Park. Montana. And about as far as possible from life as she's known it.

 Cat's world shifts from the swirling haze of likes and comments to literal blizzards of frostbite temperatures and waist-deep snow. In place of negotiating brand deals she finds herself negotiating at the ledge of a frozen lake with her die-hard Polar Bear Plunge coworkers. Instead of padding through the marble kitchen of her Manhattan loft, she's sharing a tent-sized cabin with a roommate eager to bond like characters in sitcoms. But something curious is also happening in this overwhelming breath of fresh air as she reacquaints with the most honest parts of herself and begins to ask the hard questions. Can Cat love herself with, and without, the world watching

 Then there's that other tiny problem--she's falling for Zaiah, the ruggedly handsome Park Ranger--and he hates anything remotely connected to social media, quite possibly her included.

 Written with bestselling author Melissa Ferguson's signature wit and charm, this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy of opposites attract is full of hilarious romp and a romance that will melt readers' hearts.

Famous for a Living

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Ellen Elliott

Devotions for Nerds, Geeks, and Dorks Everywhere

Go Forth and Geek Out! Nerd. Geek. Dungeon Master. These used to be derisive labels. But now, geek is the new chic. Humorist, cartoonist, and geek culture enthusiast Ellen Elliott invites you to embrace your inner Spock and boldly go where no devotional has gone before—on a righteous, pop culture-filled quest for truth, meaning, and authenticity. From Lost to Back to the Future to Minecraft, and worlds beyond, join Ellen as she searches for spiritual Easter eggs hidden all over the geek multiverse. Get a Kung Fu grip on what God's Prime Directive says on topics such as hardship, fear, courage, and more. And now, true believer, you know what this book is all about. And as you also know, knowing is half the battle.

Geek and Ye Shall Find

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Faith Erin Hicks

A Novel

A sweet, funny contemporary teen romance for the inner geek in all of us from graphic novelist Faith Erin Hicks. Miriam's family should be rich. After all, her grandfather was the co-creator of smash-hit comics series The TomorrowMen. But he sold his rights to the series to his co-creator in the 1960s for practically nothing, and now that's what Miriam has: practically nothing. And practically nothing to look forward to either-how can she afford college when her family can barely keep a roof above their heads? As if she didn't have enough to worry about, Miriam's life gets much more complicated when a cute boy shows up in town . . . and turns out to be the grandson of the man who defrauded Miriam's grandfather, and heir to the TomorrowMen fortune. In her endearing debut novel, cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks pens a sensitive and funny Romeo and Juliet tale about modern romance, geek royalty, and what it takes to heal the long-festering scars of the past (Spoiler Alert: love).

Comics Will Break Your Heart

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Mary E. DeMuth

J. D. Greear

How the Church Can Respond Redemptively to the Sexual Abuse Crisis

"Timely and necessary...This book is not only a warning. It is an opportunity. An opportunity to live out the gospel we so passionately proclaim. And it starts with listening."—J.D. Greear, President of the Southern Baptist Convention Time’s Up: Addressing the Unspoken Crisis in the Church We like to think the church is a haven for the hurting. But what happens when it’s not? Author and advocate Mary DeMuth urges the church she loves to rise up and face the evil of sexual abuse and harassment with candor and empathy. Based on research and survivors’ stories, along with fierce fidelity to Scripture, DeMuth unpacks the church’s response to sexual violence and provides a healthy framework for the church to become a haven of healing instead of an institution of judgment. In the throes of the #MeToo movement, our response as Christians is vital. God beckons us to be good Samaritans to those facing trauma and brokenness in the aftermath of abuse and provide safe spaces to heal. DeMuth advocates for a culture of honesty and listening and calls on the church to enter the places where people are hurting. In the circle of that kind of empathetic #WeToo community, the church must become what it’s meant to be—a place of justice and healing for everyone.

We Too

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Marie Benedict

Victoria Christopher Murray

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. But Belle has a secret, she is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to - for the protection of her family and her legacy - to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world as she helps build a world-class collection. But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first

The Personal Librarian

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Wendy Alsup

Trillia J. Newbell

Comfort for Times of Loss and Loneliness

Companions in Suffering

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David Lagercrantz

Ian Giles

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER • Inspired by Sherlock Holmes, an exhilarating new thriller from the best-selling author of The Girl in the Spider’s Web—a murder investigation in which two unlikely allies race to uncover a shadowy international conspiracy. Professor Hans Rekke is a world authority on interrogation techniques, capable of dizzying feats of logic and observation. He was born into wealth and power and has a picture-perfect wife and daughter. But he also has a fragile psyche that falls apart under pressure. Micaela Vargas is a street-smart police officer, the daughter of Chilean political refugees, who grew up in the projects on the outskirts of Stockholm and has two brothers on the wrong side of the law. She is tenacious and uncompromising, and desperate to prove herself to her fellow cops. Micaela needs Hans’s unique mind to help her solve the case of a murdered asylum-seeker from Afghanistan. Hans needs Micaela to save him from himself. Together, they need to find the killer before they’re both silenced for good.

Dark Music

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M. B. Zucker

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

A Novel of John Quincy Adams and the Monroe Doctrine

The classical era of American history began with the Revolution and ended with emancipation. Between these bookends lies the absorbing yet overshadowed epic of a new nation spearheading liberty's cause in a world skeptical of freedom arriving at all, much less in slaver's garb. M. B. Zucker takes readers back to that adolescent country in the care of an enigmatic guide, John Quincy Adams, heir to one president by blood and another, Washington, by ideology. Adams is the missing link between the founders and Abraham Lincoln, and is nigh unanimously regarded as America's foremost Secretary of State. Through Adams' eyes, readers will experience one of history's greatest and most forgotten crises: his showdown with Europe over South American independence, the conflict which prefigured the Monroe Doctrine. With his signature dialogue and his close study of Adams' 51-volume diary, M. B. Zucker's The Middle Generation is a political thriller and character piece that surpasses his achievement in The Eisenhower Chronicles and ascends to the cinematic heights of the historical epics of David Lean and Steven Spielberg. It is an unforgettable portrait and a leap forward for one of our rising historical fiction novelists. ***** "This captivating read offers an insightful portrait of one of the most important figures in American history: John Quincy Adams. The author's ability to portray the distant, flinty Adams, as a flesh and blood human being represents a remarkable achievement. This is historical fiction at its best, for the characters who animate Michael Zucker's novel ring true from the first page to the last. Zucker's novel is full of vibrant portrayals of all the key figures from the so-called Era of Good Feelings, including James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, John C. Calhoun, and Henry Clay. The Middle Generation: A Novel of John Quincy Adams and the Monroe Doctrine is an entertaining and enlightening read that all students of historical fiction and of American history will enjoy." -Stephen F. Knott, former Professor of National Security at the Naval War College and the author of Coming to Terms with John F. Kennedy ﻿﻿"M. B. Zucker goes well beyond a story of simple political intrigue. He offers one of the most moving literary portraits of a President I have ever encountered." -Dr. Jeffery Tyler Syck, Author of The Revolution of 1828: John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, and the Origins of American Democracy﻿ "John Quincy Adams is one of a small group of presidents whose major achievements to his country preceded and followed his time in the White House. In this splendid account of Adams's years as Secretary of State, Michael Zucker, a rising star in the area of historical fiction, recaptures JQA's extraordinary vision and true greatness." -Alvin S. Felzenberg, Presidential Historian and Author of The Leaders We Deserved...Rethinking the Presidential Rating Game

The Middle Generation

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Kaitlin Culmo

Emily McDermott

Kezia Gabriella

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Historic Achievements--And the Women Who Actually Made Them Happen

Authors Kaitlin Culmo and Emily McDermott (with stunning art by Kezia Gabriella) give new life to women whose achievements have been stolen, overlooked, or just plain ignored throughout recorded history. You may have learned that Cervantes "invented fiction" with Don Quixote in the 17th century. In reality, Lady Murasaki predated him by hundreds of years with her Tale of Genji in 11th-century Japan. These stories, which span science, art, and innovation of all kinds, will keep you both amused and enraged. But don't just get mad: get even by reading about--and effectively taking back--thousands of years' worth of female achievement.

To Her Credit

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David Baldacci

A Thriller

A cryptic murder pulls a former soldier turned financial analyst deep into the corruption and menace that prowl beneath the opulent world of finance, in #1 New York Times bestselling author David Baldacci's new thriller.



Every day without fail, Travis Devine puts on a cheap suit, grabs his faux-leather briefcase, and boards the 6:20 commuter train to Manhattan, where he works as an entry-level analyst at the city's most prestigious investment firm. In the mornings, he gazes out the train window at the lavish homes of the uberwealthy, dreaming about joining their ranks. In the evenings, he listens to the fiscal news on his phone, already preparing for the next grueling day in the cutthroat realm of finance. Then one morning Devine's tedious routine is shattered by an anonymous email: She is dead. 



Sara Ewes, Devine's coworker and former girlfriend, has been found hanging in a storage room of his office building--presumably a suicide, at least for now--prompting the NYPD to come calling on him. If that wasn't enough, before the day is out, Devine receives another ominous visit, a confrontation that threatens to dredge up grim secrets from his past in the army unless he participates in a clandestine investigation into his firm. This treacherous role will take him from the impossibly glittering lives he once saw only through a train window, to the darkest corners of the country's economic halls of power . . . where something rotten lurks. And apart from this high-stakes conspiracy, there's a killer out there with their own agenda, and Devine is the bull's-eye.

The 6:20 Man

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Katheryne Kristen

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