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Children’s books

“Gato Guapo,” by Anika Aldamuy Denise, illustrated by Zara Gonzalez Hoang

Whether you are new to counting or a seasoned expert, “Gato Guapo” (Handsome Cat) will take you on a hilarious bilingual counting trip! Follow the dapper Gato Guapo and nine mischievous kittens as they stroll through town. In this clever and funny story, the gatitos (kittens) go missing one by one, wearing an article of Gato Guapo’s clothing. With a brother as handsome as Gato Guapo, these little kittens can’t help but want to be just like him. Through fun and whimsical illustrations, Hoang brings Denise’s celebración of numbers to life, one handsome cat at a time. For ages 4 and up.

“Noche Antigua,” escrito por David Bowles, ilustrado por David Álvarez

Inspirado por mitos legendarios mesoamericanos, Noche Antigua nos cuenta los orígenes de la luna y el sol. El conejo y el tlacuache, dos personajes conocidos en la cosmología Maya y Nahua, combinan sus dos historias para crear un mito nuevo. Con palabras poéticas e ilustraciones luminosas, Noche Antigua nos ofrece una perspectiva nueva de la mitología y las creencias mesoamericanas, manteniendo vivas las tradiciones orales de México y Centroamérica. Recomendado para edades de 4 a 8 años. “Noche Antigua” también está disponible en inglés.

Teen books

“Queen of the Tiles,” by Hanna Alkaf

Najwa Bakri is scared. The 15-year-old is competing in her first Scrabble tournament since her best friend and former champion, Trina Low, unexpectedly died. Najwa is trying to manage her grief and feeling the pressure to perform well. Shortly after arriving, though, someone starts posting from Trina’s Instagram account and it becomes clear her death may not have been natural. Now Najwa has to investigate her friends and watch her own back while playing game-by-game toward the final. This taut whodunit will keep readers guessing till the end and fans of spelling games will enjoy the wordplay.

“The Red Palace,” by June Hur

This luscious historical mystery invokes the royal court of 1758 Joseon in Korea. Eighteen-year-old palace nurse Hyeon (an acceptable occupation for illegitimate daughters of the court) is caught up in political intrigue while secretly investigating the grisly deaths of four women at the public medical office. She is an alibi to the crown prince, but she isn’t sure if he was in his rooms that night. The historical details elevate this fast-paced thriller and coming-of-age story.

Adult books

“Deer Man,” by Geoffroy Delorme

Imagine retreating into the Cascades without a tent, sleeping bag or other provisions. Instead, you would wear all wool, sleep in short hour bursts during the day, and at night sleep just for minutes at a time so that you can wake to keep your body temperature up. All the while you eat only roots and leaves and so become one with the forest and the inhabitants. How long would you survive? Delorme did just that, forsaking the human world in Northern France and instead living for seven years a forest existence where he carefully studied and befriended the roebuck — a small deer. Accepted as one of their own, Delorme captures startling images and gains a true understanding of how deer live, exist and the natural habitats that they require to live and flourish. A startling and remarkable read.

“Demon Copperhead,” by Barbara Kingsolver

Born to a single mother, tortured by his stepfather, cast out into the world and forced to harvest tobacco, battery acid and live in tiny foster homes, Demon Copperhead lives an extraordinary life that features the all-too-real dangers of the foster system and opioid addiction in the Appalachian Mountains. Yet for Demon, redemption, humor and hope are always on the horizon. His attitude will make you laugh out loud even in his darkest moments. It won a Pulitzer Prize and for good reason. Kingsolver has taken “David Copperfield” and reimagined it while keeping the heart of the original. Both are bildungsroman and after reading “Demon,” I went back to read “Copperfield.” It is truly fascinating to watch how Kingsolver takes the story arc and spins a new story that still has the people, names, incidents, conversations and situations of the classic.