AWM Staff Picks: January 2024

Before the Coffee Gets Cold by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, translated by Geoffrey Trousselot

For fans of magical realism and time travel, this story weaves vignettes involving grief and acceptance set in a small coffee shop in Tokyo.

More from the publisher: “Heartwarming, wistful, mysterious and delightfully quirky, Toshikazu Kawaguchi’s internationally bestselling novel explores the age-old question: What would you change if you could travel back in time?”

—Cristina P., Storyteller

Black Panther: Reign at Dusk, Vol. 1 by Eve L. Ewing, illustrated by Chris Allen

From the publisher: “A king without a crown! Banished from the throne, a fugitive in his own homeland, T’Challa still can’t leave Wakanda without its sworn protector. With a new costume and fresh purpose to match, the Black Panther stalks the streets and shadows of the city that bears his father’s name, Birnin T’Chaka. Some people, though, aren’t happy with the rumors that he’s in town—including the alluring thief called Beisa! Fortunately, some new allies and familiar faces will remind T’Challa that outcast or no, the Black Panther is never completely alone! But can even a warrior as brilliant and brave as T’Challa survive an encounter with Deathlok? Who is the Gray Wolf who curses Wakanda? And what can one man do when strife between the ruling crime families threatens to escalate into a full-fledged gang war?”

—Cassidy, Guest Services/Operations Assistant

From a Certain Point of View: Return of the Jedi by various authors

From the publisher: “Celebrate the lasting impact of Return of the Jedi with this exciting reimagining of the timeless Star Wars film featuring new perspectives from forty contributors. On May 25, 1983, Star Wars cemented its legacy as the greatest movie franchise of all time with the release of Return of the Jedi. In honor of its fortieth anniversary, forty storytellers re-create an iconic scene from Return of the Jedi through the eyes of a supporting character, from heroes and villains to droids and creatures. From a Certain Point of View features contributions by bestselling authors and trendsetting artists.”

—Nate, Digital Content Associate

Heartstopper: Vol. 5 by Alice Oseman

From the publisher: “Nick and Charlie are in love. They’ve finally said those three little words, and Charlie has almost persuaded his mum to let him sleep over at Nick’s house. He wants to take their relationship to the next level…but can he find the confidence he needs? And with Nick going off to university next year, is everything about to change? By Alice Oseman, winner of the YA Book Prize, Heartstopper encompasses all the small moments of Nick and Charlie’s lives that together make up something larger, which speaks to all of us.”

—Matt, Community Engagement Manager

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

From the opening line — “In the beginning the Universe was created. This had made many people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move” — the book charms you with its comedic whimsy. It’s science fiction for people who also love Monty Python. It’s about a hapless Englishman named Arthur Dent who is rescued from Earth just before it’s destroyed to make way for a galactic superhighway by his best friend, alien Ford Prefect. Ford is a writer for the travel mag, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy,” and the pair have a series of hilarious misadventures. It’s laugh-out-loud funny but also thought-provoking and definitely worth a re-read at different points in your life. If nothing else, you learn the meaning of life and the universe.

—Annie, Interim Assistant Director of Programming & Education

Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions: My Fortysomething Years in Hollywood by Ed Zwick

From the publisher: “This heartfelt and wry career memoir from the director of Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Legends of the Fall, About Last Night, and Glory, creator of the show thirtysomething, and executive producer of My So-Called Life, gives a dishy, behind-the-scenes look at working with some of the biggest names in Hollywood… Fans with an appreciation for the beautiful mysteries—as well as the unsightly, often comic truths—of crafting film and television won’t want to miss it.”

We are excited to host Zwick on February 8 to read from and discuss his new memoir. Get tickets here to see Zwick in person at the AWM, where he will be signing books. Or register here to view the livestream.

—Nate, Digital Content Associate

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

The writing can cause you to laugh out loud, literally.

More from the publisher: “Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy’s elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris’s tales of tardy trick-or-treaters; the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French; what to do when you’ve been locked out in a snowstorm; the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations; what Halloween at the medical examiner’s looks like; and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry. No matter what your favorite holiday, you won’t want to miss celebrating it with the author who has been called ‘one of the funniest writers alive.'”

—Christopher, Director of Operations

Marvel Zombies: The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 by Reginald Hudlin, Robert Kirkman, and Mark Millar; illustrated by Mitch Breitweiser and Pat Broderick

From the publisher: “The gory, horrifying breakout hit is back! On an Earth shockingly similar to the Marvel Universe, an alien virus has mutated the world’s greatest super heroes—into flesh-eating monsters! What happens when they run out of humans to eat? When the Ultimate Universe’s young Reed Richards unknowingly makes contact with the Zombie-verse, he’ll find out the hard way! Then: When the Silver Surfer arrives, the world-devourer Galactus is never far behind. But the Marvel Zombies might just be a match for his all-consuming hunger! Plus: The Marvel Universe’s New Fantastic Four just crash-landed in the Zombie-verse! If they can’t escape, they’ll be the next hors d’oeuvre for…Zombie Skrulls?!”

—Matt, Community Engagement Manager

The Music of What Happens by Bill Konigsberg

From the publisher: “Max: Chill. Sports. Video games. Gay and not a big deal, not to him, not to his mom, not to his buddies. And a secret: An encounter with an older kid that makes it hard to breathe, one that he doesn’t want to think about, ever. Jordan: The opposite of chill. Poetry. His ‘wives’ and the Chandler Mall. Never been kissed and searching for Mr. Right, who probably won’t like him anyway. And a secret: A spiraling out of control mother, and the knowledge that he’s the only one who can keep the family from falling apart. Throw in a rickety, 1980s-era food truck called Coq Au Vinny. Add in prickly pears, cloud eggs, and a murky idea of what’s considered locally sourced and organic. Place it all in Mesa, Arizona, in June, where the temp regularly hits 114. And top it off with a touch of undeniable chemistry between utter opposites. Over the course of one summer, two boys will have to face their biggest fears and decide what they’re willing to risk—to get the thing they want the most.”

—Matt, Community Engagement Manager

Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang

From the publisher: “Our narrator produces a sound from the piano no one else at the Conservatory can…But when an accident leaves her parents debilitated, she abandons her future for a job at a high-end beauty and wellness store in New York City. Holistik is known for its remarkable products and procedures and her new job affords her entry into a world of privilege and gives her a long-awaited sense of belonging. She becomes transfixed by Helen, the niece of Holistik’s charismatic owner, and the two strike up a friendship that hazily veers into more. All the while, our narrator is plied with products that slim her thighs, smooth her skin, and lighten her hair. But beneath these creams and tinctures lies something sinister. A piercing, darkly funny debut, Natural Beauty explores questions of consumerism, self-worth, race, and identity—and leaves readers with a shocking and unsettling truth.”

—Maya, Marketing & Creative Associate

Pew by Catherine Lacey

From the publisher: “In a small, unnamed town in the American South, a church congregation arrives for a service and finds a figure asleep on a pew. The person is genderless and racially ambiguous and refuses to speak. One family takes in the strange visitor and nicknames them Pew. As the town spends the week preparing for a mysterious Forgiveness Festival, Pew is shuttled from one household to the next. The earnest and seemingly well-meaning townspeople see conflicting identities in Pew, and many confess their fears and secrets to them in one-sided conversations. Pew listens and observes while experiencing brief flashes of past lives or clues about their origin. As days pass, the void around Pew’s presence begins to unnerve the community, whose generosity erodes into menace and suspicion. Yet by the time Pew’s story reaches a shattering and unsettling climax at the Forgiveness Festival, the secret of who they really are—a devil or an angel or something else entirely—is dwarfed by even larger truths.”

—Maya, Marketing & Creative Associate

A Symphony of Echoes by Jodi Taylor

This is the second book in the Chronicles of St Mary’s series. It has off-the-wall characters, historical fantasy, dodos (don’t ask), and time travel again. I seem to have a theme this month.

More from the publisher: “In the sequel to Just One Damned Thing After Another, Max and company visit Victorian London in search of Jack the Ripper, witness the murder of Archbishop Thomas Becket in Canterbury Cathedral, and discover that dodos make a grockling noise when eating cucumber sandwiches. But they must also confront an enemy intent on destroying St. Mary’s—an enemy willing, if necessary, to destroy history itself to do it.”

—Cristina P., Storyteller

The Top of His Game: The Best Sportswriting of W. C. Heinz edited by Bill Littlefield

From the publisher: “Bill Littlefield, the host of NPR’s ‘Only A Game,’ presents the essential Heinz: 38 columns, profiles, and memoirs from the author’s personal archive, including 18 pieces never collected during his lifetime. Though Heinz’s great passion was boxing—the golden era of Rocky Graziano, Floyd Patterson, and Sugar Ray Robinson—his interests extended to the wide world of sports, with indelible profiles of baseball players (Babe Ruth, Joe DiMaggio), jockeys (George Woolf, Eddie Arcaro), hockey players, football coaches, scouts and trainers and rodeo riders.”

I recently had the pleasure of interviewing Littlefield, as well as Heinz’s daughter Gayl, about Heinz’s life and writing and impact on not only sports reporting, but journalism at large. You can listen to this episode of Nation of Writers here or wherever you listen to podcasts.

—Nate, Digital Content Associate

What the Children Told Us: The Untold Story of the Famous “Doll Test” and the Black Psychologists Who Changed the World by Tim Spofford

From the publisher: “Unfolding like a novel, this is the true story of two young Harlem psychologists who developed the famous ‘Doll Test,’ the path-breaking experiment that played a key role in the landmark 1954 Supreme Court ruling against segregated school systems. For Kenneth and Mamie Phipps Clark, this was just the opening act in their struggle for justice and racial integration.”

We hope you can join us on February 6 when journalist and author Tim Spofford visits the AWM to discuss his book. This program is presented in conjunction with our special exhibit Dark Testament, which closes in May 2024. Get your tickets to see Spofford in person here, which includes access to Dark Testament. Or register here to view the livestream.

—Nate, Digital Content Associate