Bookshelf

(Black Lawrence Press, 2024).

This literary chapbook of flash fiction — essentially a short book of 12 very short stories — includes tales of longing and desire for escape. “Whether the characters yearn for a different, unknown life, or they wish themselves out of something else, Turner’s surreal yet relatable collection offers glimpses to the depths beneath, above, or in-between our own domestic realities,” notes the publisher.

(BookBaby, 2024).

Do you want to be free? Come fly with me. The publisher describes this children’s book as a story with adventure, fun, scary things, and a happy ending. “The story takes the child on an adventure, with our symbolic heron, who finds friends, goes on a fun adventure, has scary moments, and comes home for a happy ending. However, reading it will stir the parent’s imagination, too.”

(Scribner’s, 2024).

The author, a professor of English at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, takes us on a fast-paced and entertaining tour of playful animals and the scientists who study them. The publisher notes, “From octopuses on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef to meerkats in the Kalahari Desert to brown bears on Alaska’s Aleutian Islands, we follow adventurous researchers as they design and conduct experiments seeking answers to new, intriguing questions: When did play first appear in animals? How does play develop the brain, and how did it evolve? Are the songs and aerial acrobatics of birds the beginning of avian culture? Is fairness in dog play the foundation of canine ethics? And does play direct and possibly accelerate evolution?

(New York University Press, 2024).

“In the face of numerous challenges, small-scale farming for local markets requires enormous courage and optimism. The decision to become a farmer often arises from a profound desire to uphold certain values and beliefs, driven by the moral and emotional motivations to contribute to a greater good,” notes the publisher.

 

(Arc-Humanities Press, 2024).

This book examines the legend of Prester John (from the Latin “presbyter,” meaning priest), which first came to light through a forged letter that surfaced in Western Europe in the late 12th century. This letter, purportedly from Prester John himself to the Byzantine Emperor Manuel Komnenos, described his immense power and wealth, generating widespread excitement across Europe — particularly at the prospect that John’s armies could aid fellow Christians in the Crusades.While the legend of Prester John and the famous letter have been studied by medievalists for over a century, Eldevik’s research sheds new light on how the letter was copied and circulated in manuscript collections, often alongside works on geography, history, and apocalyptic theology.

(Modern Language Association of America, 2024).

According to the publisher, “This volume brings a diverse range of voices - from anthropology, communication studies, ethnomusicology, film, history, literature, linguistics, sociology, theater, and urban geography - into the conversation about film from the People’s Republic of China. Essays seek to answer what films can reveal or obscure about Chinese history and society and demonstrate how studying films from the PRC can introduce students to larger issues of historical consciousness and media representation.
 

(Harper Muse, 2024).

As one reviewer notes, “Put on a pot of coffee, cut yourself a wedge of chess pie and dive in.”

Set in a gossipy small town during the turbulent 1960s — and full of Southern charm and unforgettable characters — this hilarious book by a first-time novelist tells the story of 38-year-old Posey Jarvis, who knows she’s the rightful “empress” of rural Spark in Cooke County, Tennessee . . . if only everyone else would just realize it too.

(University of California Press, 2023).

Everyone speaks with an accent, but what is an accent? This interdisciplinary collection, which was awarded the 2024 René Wellek Prize for Best Edited Collection by the American Comparative Literature Association, introduces accent as a powerfully coded yet underexplored mode of perception that includes looking, listening, acting, reading, and thinking.

(Harvard Education Press, 2024).

Drawing on extensive research and case studies, the authors outline successful strategies for whole child and whole community support that can help school systems meet broader student needs in times of disruption. They focus on Integrated Student Support (ISS), an approach to education policy and practice in which schools focus on attending to students’ basic physical, social, and emotional needs before learning occurs.

 (She Writes Press, 2024).

Klara Lieberman is 49, single, a professor of archaeology at a small college in Maine — a contained person living a contained life. That was before she receives an unexpected letter from her estranged mother, Bessie, with the long-overdue news that her father is dead. What prompts her mother’s timing? The Polish government is giving financial reparations for land it stole from its Jewish citizens during World War II, and Bessie wants the money. Klara, on the other hand, wants answers about her father. She flies to Warsaw, determined to learn more.