MPIBA Holiday Gift Guide

The Good Neighbor

“A wonderful biography of an American icon who seemed too good to be true. And yet, believe it or not, he was an even better, more caring man than he portrayed on television. If you are a fan of Fred Rogers and want to understand what drove him to create Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, this is an essential read. Learning more about Rogers’ life through the words of his family and friends in this well-researched and comprehensive biography will give you even more reason to admire the man. And when’s the last time a biography made you cry tears of joy?”

James Wilson, Octavia Books

A contemporary adventure based on Mayan mythology from Rick Riordan Presents!

Zane Obispo spends every day exploring the sleeping volcano in his backyard. "The Beast," as he calls it, is the one place where he can escape other kids, who make fun of him because he has a limp and walks with a cane.

After a twin-engine plane crashes into The Beast, a... Read more »

Treat yourself to an epic #1 New York Times bestselling love story that spans decades and continents as two people at a crossroads -- one from North Carolina and one from Zimbabwe -- experience the transcendence and heartbreak of true love.
Hope Anderson has some important choices to make. At thirty-six, she's been dating her boyfriend, an... Read more »

In this 2018 New York Times Notable Book,Paige Williams "does for fossils what Susan Orlean did for orchids" (Book Riot) in her account of one Florida man's attempt to sell a dinosaur skeleton from Mongolia--a story "steeped in natural history, human nature, commerce, crime, science, and politics" (Rebecca Skloot).

In 2012, a New York auction... Read more »

Maid

“Stephanie Land’s Maid is a must-read of the highest order, a memoir of a single mother struggling to survive while performing the household labor that many of us take for granted. While at once deeply personal — you’ll fall hard for Stephanie and her daughter, Mia — it is also essential social commentary about how we treat the myriad domestic laborers who toil in our homes, oftentimes unseen and unappreciated. Read it alongside Nickel and Dimed or Evicted for a stunning, unforgettable look at American poverty and determination.”

Emilie Sommer, East City Bookshop

What Harry Potter did for magic, Max Einstein does for kids' imaginations! Max leads a group of kid geniuses in this #1 New York Times bestseller officially approved by the Albert Einstein archives.
Max Einstein is not your typical genius. She . . . Hacks the computer system at NYU to attend classes Builds inventions to help the homeless And... Read more »

A heartbreaking and powerful story about a black boy killed by a police officer, drawing connections through history, from award-winning author Jewell Parker Rhodes.

Only the living can make the world better. Live and make it better.

Twelve-year-old Jerome is shot by a police officer who mistakes his toy gun for a real threat. As a ghost, he... Read more »

The official behind-the-scenes book of the hit musical that won 6 Tony Awards, now also a major motion picture!

A letter that was never meant to be seen, a lie that was never meant to be told, a life he never dreamed he could have. Evan Hansen is about to get the one thing he's always wanted: a chance to finally fit in. Both deeply personal and... Read more »

Melmoth

“Fans of The Essex Serpent will savor Perry’s deft and effortless character development. Melmoth, a modern-day gothic horror, opens when a haunted translator from Prague learns her friend’s secret, then disappears. The novel grapples with a beast: Melmoth, macabre, who stalks the guilty, compelling them to wander in shame or choose life. Is Melmoth real or abstract? A horror, a haunting metaphor, or both?”

a.c., Bookshop Santa Cruz

November Road

“Lou Berney’s engrossing novel November Road unfolds in the immediate aftermath of JFK’s assassination, but the heady confusion and shock of that dark day play second fiddle to the stories of Frank Guidry and Charlotte Roy, two desperate individuals seeking to outrun the entanglements of their very different lives. Guidry, a once-trusted player for the Marcello mob, is a marked man fleeing for his life; Roy, a weary housewife, seeks better prospects for herself and her daughters, so she must escape from both her dead-end town and deadbeat husband. Told in sharp, cinematic prose, this novel explodes the boundaries of the typical crime novel and offers up something more literary, a finely tuned exploration of the will to change.”

Mike Wysock, The Book Stall

Between the world wars, no sport was more popular, or more dangerous, than airplane racing. Thousands of fans flocked to multi-day events, and cities vied with one another to host them. The pilots themselves were hailed as dashing heroes who cheerfully stared death in the face. Well, the men were hailed. Female pilots were more often ridiculed... Read more »

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
Now a Hulu original series

from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Big Little Lies

Could ten days at a health resort really change you forever? In Liane Moriarty’s latest audiobook, nine perfect strangers are about to find out...

Nine people gather at a remote health resort. Some are here to lose weight, some are... Read more »

Kingdom of the Blind

“Inspector Gamache has puzzled his way through 13 of Louise Penny’s mysteries, and his 14th is an exceptional read. Penny brings us a mystery that will delight old-school mystery lovers (a storm, the reading of a will) as well as those who enjoy a fast-paced thriller (Gamache’s plans involving the opioids he lost). The pacing is swift and the cast of characters from Three Pines is as charming and wonderful as always. The Kingdom of the Blind is easily one of the best of the series. Thank you, Louise Penny, for reminding us that kindness does exist in this mostly cruel world and that when utilized correctly, it can be inspiring and life-changing.”

William Carl, Wellesley Books

Lucas Ray is shocked when an adorable puppy jumps out of an abandoned building and into his arms. Though the apartment he shares with his mother, a disabled veteran, doesn't allow dogs, Lucas can't resist taking Bella home.

Bella is inexplicably drawn to Lucas, even if she doesn’t understand the necessity of games like No Barks. As it becomes... Read more »

"Saskia Maarleveld's well-paced narration keeps listeners on the edge of their seats throughout the story's many twists and turns, psychological manipulation, and misdirection." — AudioFile Magazine

Trust Me is the chilling standalone audiobook of psychological suspense and manipulation that award-winning author and renowned investigative... Read more »

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson comes a new novella collection, including a brand new, never-been-published story.

Stephen Leeds is perfectly sane. It's his hallucinations who are mad.

A genius of unrivaled aptitude, Stephen can learn any new skill, vocation, or art in a matter of hours. However, to contain all of this,... Read more »

Heirs of the Founders

“Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, and John Calhoun dominated Congress from the War of 1812 through the years before the Civil War. They were respectful but wary of each other: fighting over international relations, the Federal Bank, annexation of Texas, and Indian policy, while each tried — and failed — to be elected president. By the end, their relationship fractured, as did the country, when they failed to reconcile the ideal of a democratic republic with the peculiar institution of slavery.”

Mike Hare, Northshire Bookstore

The worldwide bestseller by the author of The Alchemist takes us on a journey back in time, from South America to Holland to Nepal, drawing on the rich experiences of his own life to relive the dreams of a generation that longs for peace. • "A novelist who writes in a universal language." —Los Angeles Times
 
In Hippie, he tells the story of... Read more »

A warlord killed Caledonia's parents and kidnapped her brother. Now, on the deadly Bullet seas, Captain Caledonia Styx and her all-female crew are ready for revenge.

"This is Mad Max by way of Davy Jones, a high-energy, breathless adventure [about] a group of damaged girls who find home in one another." --Booklist

"The pace of the book is fast... Read more »

“I enjoyed everything about Damien Love’s debut—its title, its breakneck action, its sly sense of humor. I wish my first novel had been as imaginative and assured.” —Anthony Horowitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Alex Rider series

On a winter’s day in a British town, twelve-year old Alex receives a package in the mail: an old tin... Read more »