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STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS

James by Percival Everett. In his stunning new novel, Everett isn’t just retelling The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim (James, here), he turns the whole world in which the tale takes place on its head. The basic framework of the story is very familiar, but the details Everett uses to fill in the setting he’s created tell a very different tale than Twain’s and paint a very different picture of the American South of the time. Everett’s stunning use of language takes readers on an adventurous, horrifying, and humorous journey with Huck and James, as they grapple with an unforgettable alternative version of Black and White. - Eric

Annie Bot by Sierra Greer. On its surface this is a relationship book, albeit one between a human man and the female robot he has purchased and programmed to meet his every need. But as Annie begins to learn and grow from living with Doug, deeper issues and questions rise to the surface for her and for the reader: How can true intimacy exist when one person has all the power? How do we maintain our own autonomy within a relationship? Can we trust someone ever again after being deeply hurt? This is one of the most unusual, compelling and disturbing novels I've ever read; quite the page turner. - Carolyn

The Book of Love by Kelly Link. There are four kinds of love: Philia (Friendship), Eros (Romantic), Storge (Affection), Agape (Charity and Love of Humankind). The question is, which kind of love is most important, and which kind lives on after we die? Laura, Susannah, Daniel and Mo started a band in junior year, and then three of them had died.  And then a year later they came back. Their fate will now be controlled by two, standing in balance: Mr Anabin, music teacher and raiser of the dead, and Bogomil, who smelled of ashes and roses. Now they must play a game to see if they will live or stay dead. Kelly Link writes expansive, elastic, prismatic fiction. We get delightful doses of magic and the fantastical, with wry humor thrown in, and also clear characters who tell us of their philosophies, their doubts and their loves. Fantastic descriptions of life when you get to be alive again, even if only temporarily. - Heida

The Hunter by Tana French. This winning sequel brings back characters from The Searcher, which introduced Cal Hooper, an ex-Chicago cop who moves to an Irish village to find peace and serenity. Instead, he develops unexpected relationships with a young teen, Trey, and a local woman, Lena. Now, two years later, the return home of Trey's fast-talking, ne’er-do-well dad feels ominous from the outset. His attempt to sell the townspeople on a get-rich-quick scheme involving gold buried on their land is nothing more than an attempt to bail himself out of a debt he can't repay. As the stakes rise and the town roils, a murder takes place, Trey becomes a person of interest, and Cal is back on the case. - Hut

The Riders Come Out at Night: Brutality, Corruption, and Cover-Up in Oakland by Ali Winston and Darwin BondGraham (new in paperback). This is a captivating and extensive investigative look into the brutality and misconduct of a group of vigilante cops in the Oakland Police Department who terrorized Black and low-income neighborhoods during Jerry Brown's tenure as mayor in the late 1990’s and early aughts. Rich in detail and paced like a thriller, The Riders Come Out At Night places Oakland within a larger historical context as a city with a complicated 150+-year history with police; it's necessary reading to deeper understand the dynamics of race, power, and collusion within the OPD, an organization that has been repeatedly rocked by scandals. A fast, enthralling read, as chilling as it is illuminating. - Hannah

The White Lady by Jacqueline Winspear (now in paperback). Taking a break from her Maisie Dobbs mystery series, Winspear introduces a compelling new heroine, ex-spy Elinor White. The book is primarily set in post war Britain in 1947,  where White--veteran of two wars, trained killer, and protective of her anonymity-- is drawn back into a world of menace to protect a neighboring family trying to escape the husband's criminal past. The book also takes trips back in time to reveal how Elinor became involved in wartime espionage - from child saboteur in WWI  to skilled operative in WWII. As befits a good spy story, there is a twist or two and not everyone is quite who they seem. - Hut

Blood Debts by Terry J. Benton-Walker (now in paperback). Can I start a recommendation with WOW? Well, I am. Wow, just wow. This young adult contemporary fantasy, set in New Orleans, is a family saga that is steeped in mystery, magic, young love and social commentary. Terry J. Benton-Walker has created an incredible world with richly realized characters,  ferocious plot lines and so much drama; I am here for it all. I can't wait to read what's coming next in this new series! P.S. The hotly anticipated sequel Blood Justice comes out 4/23! - Carolyn


WE'VE JUST RECEIVED AUTOGRAPHED COPIES OF "THAT OCTOPUS BOOK"

We recently received a limited quantity of signed copies of Remarkably Bright Creatures, the wonderfully quirky debut novel by Shelby Van Pelt about a widow's unlikely friendship with an ornery octopus. Fueled by readers' word of mouth and independent bookstore love, the book has been a bestseller for nearly two years and has become affectionately known as "that octopus book," because that's how customer queries usually identify it.


AUTHOR DROP INS

LISA MOORE RAMÉE is the author of the Walter Honor Award-winning A Good Kind of Trouble, about a 12-year-old girl becoming involved with the Black Lives Matter movement, and the middle grade fantasy Mapmaker - an absorbing, imaginative adventure about a Black boy who has the magical ability to bring maps to life.

DEBBIE  BERNE holds The Design of Books: An Explainer for Authors, Editors, Agents, and Other Curious Readers, her informative and accessible introduction to book design for authors, editors, and other book people that reveals how books are put together, with discussions of production considerations, typography and fonts, page layouts, use of images and color, special issues for ebooks, and the very face of each book: the cover. 

DONNA LAMBO-WEIDNER has written There Are No Dragons In This Book, a debut picture book filled with humor (and dragons) that encourages close observation and discovery. "Children will love the contradictions throughout, as well as the comparisons that give life to the narrator’s case. A combination of story and mystery, this book is a grand addition to any children’s collection." — School Library Journal


AUTOGRAPHED COPIES AT MRS. DALLOWAY'S

          

       

          

        

      


AUTHOR EVENT RECAPS

LAURENCE RALPH (left) discussed his new book SITO: An American Teenager and the City That Failed Him with Stanford Professor FORREST STUART. The book is a riveting and heart-wrenching story of violence, grief and the American justice system, exploring the systemic issues that perpetuate gang participation in one of the wealthiest cities in the country, through the story of one teenager. Following the presentation, Laurence autographed copies and posed with his book.


SPECIAL OFFER FROM AUTHOR AIDA SALAZAR!


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MARCH IS WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

Check Out Our Children's Book Display!


PRE-ORDER THE NEW TEEN ROMANCE NOVEL FROM EVA DES LAURIERS

(Click on the image for details)


REMAINING 2024 CALENDARS NOW HALF PRICE!

Get them while they last!



LITTLE LIBRARY

Help start a library for a young reader in your life with Mrs. Dalloway’s Little Library subscription service! Every month for the length of your subscription, we'll gift wrap and send your recipient a book that fits their age and interests. Our experienced staff selects titles from our ever-changing inventory of new titles and rediscovered hidden gems. To find out more and sign up, click here.


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Next Event



Join us on Tuesday, March 19th at 7:00 pm when author PETER COVIELLO reads from, discusses, and signs copies of his new book Is There God After Prince?: Dispatches From an Age of Last Things, a collection of  essays considering what it means to love art, culture, and people in an age of accelerating disaster.

This event is free, but you must register on Eventbrite or in the store to attend. Click here to order a copy Is There God After Prince?

 

This is a book about loving things—books, songs, people—in the shadow of a felt, looming disaster. Through lyrical, funny, heart-wrenching essays, Peter Coviello considers pieces of culture across a fantastic range, setting them inside the vivid scenes of friendship, dispute, romance, talk, and loss, where they enter our lives. Alongside him, we reencounter movies like The Shining, shows like The Sopranos; videos; poems; novels by Sam Lipsyte, Sally Rooney, and Paula Fox; as well as songs by Joni Mitchell, Gladys Knight, Steely Dan, Pavement, and the much-mourned saint of Minneapolis, Prince.

Navigating an overwhelming feeling that Coviello calls “endstrickenness,” he asks what it means to love things in calamitous times, when so much seems to be shambling toward collapse. Balancing comedy and anger, exhilaration and sorrow, Coviello illuminates the strange ways the things we cherish help us to hold on to life and to its turbulent joys. Is There God after Prince? shows us what twenty-first-century criticism can be, and how it might speak to us, in a time of ruin, in an age of “Last Things.”


PETER COVIELLO is the author of six books, including Make Yourselves Gods, a finalist for the 2020 John Whitmer Historical Association Best Book Prize; Tomorrow’s Parties, a 2013 finalist for a Lambda Literary Award in LGBT Studies; and Long Players, a memoir selected as one of ARTFORUM’s Ten Best Books of 2018. His newest book, Is There God After Prince?: Dispatches from an Age of Last Things, was selected for The Millions’ “Most Anticipated” list for 2023. He taught for many years at Bowdoin College and since 2014 has been at UIC, where he is Professor and Head of English.

THIS EVENT is free but pre-registration is requested. Registration ends at 5:00 pm on January 16th.

BECAUSE SEATING is limited, please register only if you plan to attend.

DUE TO SPACE limitations, we may not be able to accommodate every person at an event, so early registration is encouraged.

WALK-INS will be accommodated only if space allows.

WE ASK that attendees arrive between 6:45 and 7:00 PM for the event.

PLEASE leave your non-support companion animals at home.

OUR shared restrooms are not accessible after 6:30 PM, please plan accordingly.

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 - 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Is There God after Prince?: Dispatches from an Age of Last Things By Peter Coviello Cover Image
$18.00
ISBN: 9780226828084
Availability: Most titles are on our shelves or available within 1-5 days.
Published: University of Chicago Press - October 6th, 2023