New September Book Releases

since 2010

Mill Town: Reckoning with What Remains by Kerri Arsenault

A galvanizing and powerful debut, Mill Town is an American story, a human predicament, and a moral wake-up call that asks: what are we willing to tolerate and whose lives are we willing to sacrifice for our own survival? Kerri Arsenault grew up in the rural working class town of Mexico, Maine. For over 100 years the community orbited around a paper mill that employs most townspeople, including three generations of Arsenault’s own family. Years after she moved away, Arsenault realized the price she paid for her seemingly secure childhood. The mill, while providing livelihoods for nearly everyone, also contributed to the destruction of the environment and the decline of the town’s economic, physical, and emotional health in a slowmoving catastrophe, earning the area the nickname “Cancer Valley.”

Chaos Rising

by Timothy Zahn Discover Thrawn’s origins within the Chiss Ascendancy in the first book in an epic new Star Wars trilogy from bestselling author Timothy Zahn. Beyond the edge of the galaxy lies the Unknown Regions: chaotic, uncharted, and near impassable, with hidden secrets and dangers in equal measure. And nestled within its swirling chaos is the Ascendancy, home to the enigmatic Chiss and the Nine Ruling Families that lead them. The peace of the Ascendancy, a beacon of calm and stability, is shattered after a daring attack on the Chiss capital that leaves no trace of the enemy. Baffled, the Ascendancy dispatches one of its brightest young military officers to root out the unseen assailants. A recruit born of no title, but adopted into the powerful family of the Mitth and given the name Thrawn. JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956 by Fredrik Logevall

By the time of his assassination in 1963, John F. Kennedy stood at the helm of the greatest power the world had ever seen, a booming American nation he had steered through some of the most perilous diplomatic standoffs of the Cold War era. Born in 1917 to a striving Irish American family that had ascended the ranks of Boston's labyrinthine political machine, Kennedy was bred for government, and his meteoric rise to become the youngest elected president ever cemented his status as one of the most mythologized political figures in American history. And yet, in the decades since his untimely death, hagiographic portrayals of his dazzling charisma, reports of his extramarital affairs, and disagreements over his political legacy have made our 35th president more mysterious than ever--a problem further exacerbated by the fact that no genuinely comprehensive account of his life has yet been attempted.

Well Played

by Jen DeLuca Another laugh-out-loud romantic comedy featuring kilted musicians, Renaissance Faire tavern wenches, and an unlikely love story. Stacey is jolted when her friends Simon and Emily get engaged. She knew she was putting her life on hold when she stayed in Willow Creek to care for her sick mother, but it's been years now, and even though Stacey loves spending her summers pouring drinks and flirting with patrons at the local Renaissance Faire, she wants more out of life. Stacey vows to have her life figured out by the time her friends get hitched at Faire next summer. Maybe she'll even find The One. When Stacey imagined "The One," it never occurred to her that her summertime Faire fling, Dex MacLean, might fit the bill.

Fifty Words for Rain

by Asha Lemmie

From debut author Asha Lemmie, a sweeping, heartrending coming-of-age novel about a young woman's quest for acceptance—and the unexpected ally that will change everything—in post–World War II Japan. Kyoto, Japan, 1948. "If a woman knows nothing else, she should know how to be silent. . . . Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist." Such is eightyear-old Noriko "Nori" Kamiza's first lesson. She will not question why her mother abandoned her with only these final words. She will not fight her confinement to the attic of her grandparents' imperial estate. And she will not resist the scalding chemical baths she receives daily to lighten her shameful skin.

The Meaning of Mariah Carey

by Mariah Carey, Michaela Angela Davis (Cowriter) It took me a lifetime to have the courage and the clarity to write my memoir. I want to tell the story of the moments - the ups and downs, the triumphs and traumas, the debacles and the dreams, that contributed to the person I am today. Though there have been countless stories about me throughout my career and very public personal life, it’s been impossible to communicate the complexities and depths of my experience in any single magazine article or a tenminute television interview. And even then, my words were filtered through someone else’s lens, largely satisfying someone else’s assignment to define me. This book is composed of my memories, my mishaps, my struggles, my survival and my songs. Unfiltered. I went deep into my childhood and gave the scared little girl inside of me a big voice. I let the abandoned and ambitious adolescent have her say, and the betrayed and triumphant woman I became tell her side.

Who We're Reading When We're Reading Murakami

by David Karashima Thirty years ago, when Haruki Murakami's works were first being translated, they were part of a series of pocket-sized English-learning guides released only in Japan. Today his books are in fifty languages and have won prizes and sold millions of copies globally. How did a loner destined for a niche domestic audience become one of the most famous writers alive? This book tells one key part of the story. Its cast includes an expat trained in art history who never intended to become a translator; a Chinese-American ex-academic who never planned to work as an editor; and other publishing professionals in New York, London, and Tokyo who together introduced an understated, popinflected, unexpected Japanese voice to the wider literary world. David Karashima synthesizes research, correspondence, and interviews with dozens of individuals—including Murakami himself—to examine how countless behind-the-scenes choices over the course of many years worked to build an internationally

celebrated author's persona and oeuvre.

I Have Something to Tell You

by Chasten Glezman Buttigieg

A moving, hopeful, and refreshingly candid memoir by the husband of former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg about growing up gay in his small Midwestern town, his relationship with Pete, and his hope for America’s future. Throughout the past year, teacher Chasten Glezman Buttigieg has emerged on the national stage, having left his classroom in South Bend, Indiana, to travel cross-country in support of his husband, former mayor Pete Buttigieg, and Pete’s groundbreaking presidential campaign. Through Chasten’s joyful, witty social media posts, the public gained a behind-the-scenes look at his life with Pete on the trail—moments that might have ranged from the mundane to the surprising, but that were always heartfelt.

WRONGS WRITING MOVIE moviewrongs.com

by: JIM WEST

Directed by Christopher Nolan | Written by Christopher Nolan

Since his cult classic Memento (2000), Christopher Nolan has time and time again proved he is both a talented writer and director. His helming of the Batman Trilogy with Christian Bale was a marvelous take on that often rehashed storyline. Then he wowed audiences with Inception (2010) with Leonardo DiCaprio. He likes to play with the ideas of memory and time. He really dived deep into these idea with Interstellar (2014). Another great mark of a artist that he is to reveal as little as possible about his films and even in the film’s trailers he gives you just enough to peak your curiosity and not give away the film at all. That is such a breath of fresh air given how most trailers nowadays show you all the highlights and you essentially know what the film is about and how it ends. Nolan is a master storyteller ad he handles the writing and directing roles with ease here. This film was complex, and action packed yet did not feel so confusing to follow. This film is one meant to be seen on the big screen. This will be a ‘Writing a Movie RIGHT’ review. Tenet stars John David Washington as the unnamed Protagonist. Robert Pattinson as Neil, a Tenent operative, who helps the Protagonist run missions in effort to prevent World War III by inverting time.

Here comes the spoilers. The film kicks off with a terrorist attack on an opera house. The pacing is tight and fast and we quickly get thrown into a CIA operation that is trying to pull out a spy whose cover is blown and extract an artifact he is carrying. The protagonist (John David Washington) is captured and subsequently tortured to give up is team. He refuses and takes a cyanide capsule to die. He wakes up to learn this was a test and that he will no longer work for the CIA as there is a bigger threat and mission that impacts the entire world. He is given the codeword Tenet and sent to track down the source of the unusual bullets used in the attack. He is shown by a scientist studying the bullets that they are inverted or their entropy has been reversed. Meaning the bullets are travelling back through time while we are moving forward. The film does not hold your hand at all and it keeps a quick pace as the protagonist is tracking down the source of these bullets to learn more about what is going on. He soon crosses paths with Neil (Robert Pattinson) who helps him on the coming operations. As the film progresses, we learn about the artifacts are pieces of a device sent back through time to destroy the world. The protagonist eventually has to come face to face with a Russian Oligarch Andrei Sator whose estranged wife is being blackmailed by him over a forged painting, but her desires to stay in touch with her son keep her trapped in her marriage. This human element to the story plays out well against the tempo of the action. Other operatives working for Tenet do get quickly introduced and although it would have been nice to get more background for these characters it is just amazing to see how instantly people are trusting of people inverted through time. My only misgiving for this part is that some sort of knowledge reveal or deep secret would need to be exchanged to validate the level of immediate trust. Just to avoid betrayals in this line of work. The concepts of time inversion are well explained and even so provide so much complexity to the film’s plot. It is a technical feat to display people moving backwards and forward in a film at such a scale. The ‘loops’ or when we see things from another character’s ‘time’ perspective is quite engaging and interesting. I think that alone will beg for at least a repeat viewing alone. With great performances by the cast and explanations that don’t slow down the pace of the film make this another great film in a great director’s portfolio. I can’t wait to see what this brilliant writer and director comes up with next to delight audiences. This is what a cinematic experience should be.