Books You May Have Missed 2020: Combined

In his fourth collection, 13th Balloon, Mark Bibbins turns his candid eye to the American AIDS crisis. With quiet consideration and dark wit, Bibbins addresses the majority of his poems to Mark Crast, his friend and lover who died from AIDS at the early age of 25. Every broken line and startling linguistic turn grapples with the genre of elegy: what does it mean to experience personal loss, Bibbins seems to ask, amidst a greater societal tragedy?

"The rebels will be hanged at dawn, and their brotherhood is already plotting revenge. Stephen Doyle, an Irish-American veteran of the Civil War, arrives in Manchester from New York with a thirst for blood. He has joined the Fenians, a secret society intent on ending British rule in Ireland by any means necessary. Head Constable James O'Connor has fled grief and drink in Dublin for a sober start in Manchester, and connections with his fellow Irishmen...

“An arresting and meticulously researched collection of poems” about the life of Phillis Wheatley, the first black woman to publish a book in America (Ms. Magazine).
 
In 1773, a young African American woman named Phillis Wheatley published a book of poetry, Poems on various Subjects, Religious and Moral (1773). When Wheatley’s book appeared, her words would challenge Western prejudices

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"Ty wishes his family would play with him, but everyone is too busy before dinner-time. Luckily, Ty knows just what to do... Time for fun. Celebrate the power of imagination in All Aboard!"--Publisher's description.

Intimacy has always eluded twenty-seven-year-old Maggie Krause-despite being brought up by married parents, models of domestic bliss-until, that is, Lucia came into her life. But when Maggie's mom, Iris, dies in a car crash, Maggie returns home only to discover a withdrawn dad, an angry brother, and, along with Iris's will, five sealed envelopes, each addressed to a mysterious man she's never heard of. In an effort to run from her own grief and discover...

"Take a beautifully illustrated journey -- with an adorable kiwi bird as your guide -- through the vast and colorful world of birds, with its tapestry of textures, sounds, and sights."--Publisher's description.

"From the author of the classic memoir Nothing to Declare, a new travel narrative examining healing, redemption, and what it means to be a solo woman on the road."-- Provided by publisher.

Illustrations and easy-to-read text reveal that while letters of the alphabet resemble each other, each is also unique, as if they, like human beings, are part of the same family.

"Inclusive, optimistic, and scorching, this romance sends the series out on a high note." —Publishers Weekly, starred review
Award-winning author Adriana Herrera delivers hot romance and social justice in equal measure in this sexy contemporary read.
Juan Pablo Campos doesn't do regrets. He's living the dream as a physical therapist with his beloved New York Yankees. He has the best friends and family...

"After fourteen-year-old Aru Shah and her friends fail to keep a prophecy from the Sleeper, they undergo a rebranding campaign to prove the Pandavas's trustworthiness, but Aru believes they need to focus on finding the Tree of Wishes before the Sleeper and stopping war between the devas and the demons." -- (Source of summary not specified)