Books
Staff Picks
Books, music, and movie recommendations from Mechanics' staff
Catch and kill : lies, spies, and a conspiracy to protect predators
By Farrow, Ronan, 1987- author.
Elizabeth's pick
Add a zero : the step-by-step guide to financial freedom and getting to your first million
By Han, Rose.
Bobbie's pick
Rethinking rescue : Dog Lady and the story of America's forgotten people and pets
By Mithers, Carol Lynn, author.
Bobbie's pick
New Fiction
See more new fiction in our catalog
The ending writes itself : a novel
By Clarke, Evelyn (Novelist), author.
In this mystery novel by Cat Clarke and V. E. Schwab, six writers are invited to a remote private island after the death of a famous and reclusive bestselling author. They are informed that they must collaborate--or compete--to complete the author's unfinished manuscript within a strict time limit. As the participants work under pressure in an isolated setting, tensions rise and questions emerge about the circumstances surrounding the author's death and the motives of those present.
Lady Tremaine : a novel
By Hochhauser, Rachel, author.
"Twice-widowed, Lady Etheldreda Verity Isolde Tremaine Bramley is solely responsible for her two children, a priggish stepdaughter, a razor-taloned peregrine falcon, and a crumbling manor. Fierce and determined, Ethel clings to the respectability her deceased husband's title affords her, hoping it will secure her daughters' future through marriage. When a royal ball offers the chance to change everything, Ethel risks her pride in pursuit of an invitation for all three of her daughters--only to see her hopes fulfilled by the wrong one. As an engagement to the future king unfolds, Ethel discovers a sordid secret hidden in the depths of the royal family, forcing her to choose between the security she craves and the wellbeing of the stepdaughter who has rebuffed her at every turn. As if Bridgerton met Circe, and exhilarating to its core, Lady Tremaine reimagines the myth of the evil stepmother at the heart of the world's most famous fairy tale. It is a battle cry for a mother's love for her daughters, and a celebration of women everywhere who make their own fortunes"--
How to cheat your own death : a novel
By Perrin, Kristen, author.
"1968: Frances Adams is loving her new London life, and she's stepped into a world of glamour thanks to her new friend, Vera Huntington--a magnetic socialite as mysterious as she is provocative. Vera dances around London like she owns it, taking Frances with her. Present day: When Annie Adams heads to London to visit her famous artist mother, Laura, the last thing she expects to find is a dead body. Least of all for it to be Laura's new protégée, left in an alley with her heart surgically removed from her chest. Annie is no stranger to murder--after all, she's solved a few already. And something about this case feels familiar. She's read about one just like it in the journals of her late great aunt Frances, whose friend Vera was killed in the 1960s in the exact same way. As Annie investigates, threats pile up on Laura's doorstep, and it soon becomes clear that she's next. With her mother's life on the line, can Annie find the killer before it's too late?"--
The midnight train
By Haig, Matt, 1975- author.
"When your life flashes before your eyes, where would you stop? No one can change the past, but the Midnight Train can take you there. The chance to re-live the moments that meant most. To see what kind of person you really were. For Wilbur his best days were with Maggie, the love of his life. On his honeymoon in Venice. Before he gave it all away. He wishes he could go back and live differently. But to do so risks everything . . . A magical, time-travelling love story, from the world of The Midnight Library"--
A violent masterpiece : a novel
By Harper, Jordan, author.
"A city ready to explode: A Hollywood pedophile is arrested, and is ready to tear down the city to get his freedom. A young woman goes missing--and men in black rubber gloves who look like cops clean out her apartment in the middle of the night. And the serial killer known as the LA Ripper is on the loose, leaving tragic/graphic/brutal crime scenes in his wake. Three people trying to keep their heads above the dirty water will find themselves coming together to unite these strands into one enormous, unspeakable crime ... Jake Deal is a gonzo live-streaming nightcrawler, beaming the city's chaos straight to his audience of blood-hungry subscribers, giving them the view from the top of the mushroom cloud--until a job he can't refuse drags him back into his old life of Hollywood glamour, drugs, sex and sleaze. Armed with cameras and hidden mics, he'll infiltrate private clubs, gather high-class dirt--and stumble onto a conspiracy woven into the center of LA's most powerful men, who call themselves 'The Kids in the Candy Store.' Doug Gibson is a street lawyer, who fights for his clients against the army of cops, prosecutors and judges--he is the knife they bring to the gunfight. But when he's hired by a Hollywood pedophile ready to sell out his friends for a chance for freedom, he'll take on a fight bigger than he could have imagined. And when his client 'commits suicide' in prison, Gibson will have to stop being a weapon--and become a warrior. Kara Delgado works for an underground private concierge company--a make-a-wish foundation for the terminally rich. She scores drugs, makes connections, and plans multi-million dollar sex parties. She has learned the secret truth of this world: there are no rules, only prices. Her best friend Phoebe has gone missing, and Kara's the only person who knows that Phoebe's place was wiped clean of evidence by men in black rubber gloves. But when she begins to unravel the mystery of what happened to Phoebe, and its connection to the killer known as the LA Ripper, it will drag her into the dark heart of the city. As Jake, Doug and Kara all investigate these crimes, they'll encounter ketamine-addled sitcom stars, bloody riots, homeless gangsters, a killer cop on death row, secret vaults in Beverly Hills, tech-bro orgies, medical cannibals, true crime junkies, private security wet-work teams, reality shows, street takeovers, car chases, coyotes, a sadistic Tarzan, and a three day, fifty million dollar wedding, before everything is revealed and they must each make their choice about how to fight back in this violent world before the bloody, blazing conclusion."--
Platform decay
By Wells, Martha, author.
Everyone's favorite lethal SecUnit is back in the next installment of Martha Wells' bestselling and award-winning Murderbot Diaries series. Having someone else support your bad decision feels kind of good. After volunteering to run a rescue mission, Murderbot realizes that it will have to spend significant time with a bunch of humans it doesn't know. Including human children. Ugh. This may well call for... eye contact! (Emotion check: Oh, for f-) --
Butter : a novel of food and murder
By Yuzuki, Asako, 1981- author.
"The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story. There are two things that I can simply not tolerate: feminists and margarine. Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in Tokyo Detention Center convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, who she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation's imagination but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is, until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew and Kajii can't resist writing back. Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a masterclass in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii but it seems that she might be the one changing. With each meal she eats, something is awakening in her body, might she and Kaji have more in common than she once thought? Inspired by the real case of the convicted con woman and serial killer, "The Konkatsu Killer," Asako Yuzuki's Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan." -- Jacket flap
Transcription : a novel
By Lerner, Ben, 1979- author.
"The narrator of Ben Lerner's new novel has traveled to Providence, Rhode Island, where he is to conduct what will be the final published interview with Thomas, his ninety-year-old mentor and the father of his college friend Max. Thomas is a giant in the arts who seems to hail 'from the future and the past simultaneously' and who 'reenchants the air' when he speaks. But the narrator drops his smartphone in the hotel sink. He arrives at Thomas's house with no recording device, a fact he is mysteriously unable to confess. What unfolds from this dreamlike circumstance is the unforgettable story of the triangle formed by Thomas, Max, and the narrator, and an exploration of fathers and sons, male friendship and rivalry, and the challenges of parenting in a burning world"-- Provided by publisher.
No way home : a novel
By Boyle, T. Coraghessan, author
David Lynch meets Fight Club in T.C. Boyle's No Way Home, an obsessive psychological study that illuminates the darkness that lurks inside all of us.
The midnight taxi
By Gunasekera, Yosha, author.
"When one of her fares turns up dead in her backseat, a Sri Lankan American taxi driver works off the clock to clear her name in this mystery novel by debut author Yosha Gunasekera. Siriwathi Perera doesn't quite know where she's going in life. She never expected to be a taxicab driver in New York City, struggling to make ends meet and still living with her parents at twenty-eight. The true-crime podcasts that keep Siri company as she drives don't do much to make up for the legal career she imagined for herself, or the brother she's grieving. When public defender Amaya Fernando gets into her cab, they make a quick connection through their shared Sri Lankan roots. Siri, whose social circle is limited to her grade-school best friend, Alex, thinks things might finally be looking up with this new potential friendship. But she's suddenly dropped into her own true crime when she discovers her next passenger murdered in the backseat, and she has to call Amaya sooner than she'd expected. Pinned as the obvious and only suspect, and desperate to clear her name, Siri chases down leads across the boroughs of New York City with Amaya's help. But with her court date looming, they have just five days to find out who really killed the midnight passenger--or Siri's life will be over before she can even truly live it"-- Provided by publisher.
New Non-fiction
Middlemen : literary agents and the making of American fiction
By McGrath, Laura B., author.
"Middlemen rewrites literary history from the perspective of one of its most important but least visible figures: the literary agent. Chronicling the story of agents in the United States from the 1950s to today, Laura McGrath uncovers their critical role in the making of American literature. From the famed three-martini lunch to the Frankfurt Book Fair, Middlemen takes readers behind the scenes to show how agents influence what we read. Along the way, it explains why many debut novelists never publish another book, why agents champion short story collections even though they sell poorly, how agents advocate for writers of color in a system that values whiteness, and why there are so many New York novels. Weaving together original archival research, data analysis, and interviews with scores of agents and other publishing professionals, Middlemen demonstrates that agents--eighty percent of whom are in fact women--are much more than "middlemen." As intermediaries between author and publisher, agents act as advocates, matchmakers, negotiators, and tastemakers, and they must balance artistic values with the commercial imperatives of publishing conglomerates. The book describes the decisive role agents have played in celebrated novels--from Jack Kerouac's On the Road to Colson Whitehead's The Intuitionist--but also in the creation of entire literary categories like the debut novel, the story collection, postmodernism, multiethnic fiction, and world literature. Featuring profiles of agents past and present such as Sterling Lord, Lynn Nesbit, Candida Donadio, Marie Brown, and Andrew Wylie, along with perspectives from agents at all stages of their careers, Middlemen is an entertaining and eye-opening account of how literary fiction--and the literary canon--is made."--
Where the music had to go : how Bob Dylan and the Beatles changed each other -- and the world
By Windolf, Jim, author.
"From Dylan's initial dismissal of the Beatles as being for "teenyboppers" to his realization that they were "pointing the direction where music had to go"--and from the Beatles' obsessive spinning of early Dylan records to their impromptu renditions of fifteen Dylan songs during the 1969 Get Back sessions--the book captures the moments that pushed Dylan to "go electric" and inspired the Beatles to deepen their lyrics. Highly entertaining and packed with backstage anecdotes, Where the Music Had to Go is a deep-focus portrait of a heretofore unexamined relationship, one full of camaraderie, competition, and mutual evolution. More than a music biography, this is a front-row seat to the forces that shaped an era--an unmissable experience for music lovers, pop-culture buffs, and anyone curious about the magic that happens when legends collide."--Amazon.
Talking classics : the shock of the old
By Beard, Mary, 1955- author.
"Why the ongoing fascination with the ancient world? This witty, approachable book asks why-for better or (sometimes) worse-antiquity continues to exert such a powerful hold on the contemporary imagination. Recalling a formative childhood encounter with a four-thousand-year-old piece of bread in a museum, Beard introduces the idea of thauma, or wonder, that kick-started a lifetime engaging with classics. It was not the canonical "greats" of ancient literature and art that initially drew her in, she confesses, but rather the more intimate, messy, and humdrum evidence of daily life in the remote past. Confronting the uses and abuses of symbols of the ancient world, Beard reminds us that the traditions and "masterpieces" of Greece and Rome have certainly been politicized, but they belong to neither the left nor the right. Happily, no one owns the past. She warns us not to let a sense of reverence or over familiarity dampen the "shock of the old," arguing that one of the most important things that classics teach us is how to grapple with complicated and controversial things. "The Greeks and Romans are long dead, they cannot answer back, and you can say what you like about them," she reminds readers. "The simple fact that classics belong to none of us can offer a safe space to argue about the most difficult debates we face now." Beard welcomes everyone into classics. "It is not compulsory to be excited by the ancient world," she writes. "But it can be a shame not to be." This charming, sharp, and readable book from one of the world's most entertaining classicists offers something for both new and established fans of classics, bringing new wonder and curiosity to even the most ancient of ideas"--
Quantum 2.0 : the weird physics driving a new revolution in technology
By Davies, P. C. W., author.
"In this exhilarating and mind-bending book, renowned scientist and author Paul Davies offers readers a glimpse of how quantum physics has led to a quantum technology revolution. Quantum 2.0 reveals how today's brightest minds are harnessing exotic states of matter that have no counterpart in everyday life. Specifically, all eyes are on entanglement, called "spooky" by Einstein, which links the activities of separated particles even across vast distances. By manipulating these weird properties of atoms, electrons, and photons, scientists are driving the burgeoning field of "quantum information science," featuring new tools such as quantum computers, quantum cryptography, and the quantum internet. In turn, their efforts have attracted billions of dollars in investments and triggered a frantic quantum arms race between nations. At the same time, theorists are taking a closer look at quantum systems themselves, which possess properties that defy intuition and shred everyday notions of reality. Davies explains how researchers, including himself, are wrestling with quantum theory to make sense of this realm, where ghostly quantum particles produce tiny forces in nanotechnology, cause black holes to evaporate, and may even contribute to the universe's accelerating expansion. A trusted guide, Davies takes readers from the basic concepts to today's cutting edge, inviting us all to glimpse the wonderland of quantum physics and its stunning implications." --
On the abolition of all political parties
By Weil, Simone, 1909-1943, author.
Simone Weil--philosopher, activist, mystic--is one of the most uncompromising of modern spiritual masters. In "On the Abolition of All Political Parties" she challenges the foundation of the modern liberal political order, making an argument that has particular resonance today, when the apathy and anger of the people and the self-serving partisanship of the political class present a threat to democracies all over the world. Dissecting the dynamic of power and propaganda caused by party spirit, the increasing disregard for truth in favor of opinion, and the consequent corruption of education, journalism, and art, Weil forcefully makes the case that a true politics can only begin where party spirit ends. This volume also includes an admiring portrait of Weil by the great poet Czeslaw Milosz and an essay about Weil's friendship with Albert Camus by the translator Simon Leys.
The meaning of your life : finding purpose in an age of emptiness
By Brooks, Arthur C., 1964- author.
"What is the meaning of your life? If you struggle to discern life's meaning, you're not alone. Millions today describe a growing sense of emptiness, a lack of purpose and significance. And there's a reason: Rapid cultural, economic, and technological changes have rewired our brains, reducing our ability to perceive depth and purpose. In The Meaning of Your Life, social scientist Arthur C. Brooks shows you how to push back against these changes and find the meaning you need to live a happy, fulfilling life. Relying on cutting-edge science, he offers practical, evidence-based strategies for breaking free of the powerful trends and personal habits that dull your focus on the why of your life. Drawing on the great philosophers and the world's faith traditions, Brooks argues that everyone can -- and must -- approach life's most important and mysterious questions and provides a blueprint that will help even the most skeptical person find a life of spiritual transcendence, passionate love, and true calling. 'What is the meaning of my life?' is not an unanswerable question, but rather the start of a pilgrimage into unexplored corners of your consciousness. The Meaning of Your Life is your handbook for this journey."--Book jacket flap.
Dogs, boys, and other things I've cried about : a memoir
By Klee, Isabel, author.
"From the social media superstar behind @SimonSits, Isabel Klee--known for her heartwarming tales of dog rescue--comes an utterly winning memoir about a twenty something woman's search for true love in New York City and how the four-legged matches that she fostered helped her find her two-legged match. A Jersey girl by birth, Isabel Klee had always wanted to live in New York City. At age 20, she got her chance, ditching her college upstate and moving into a grungy basement apartment in Manhattan. Dog-obsessed since childhood, her first post-grad job was becoming an assistant to a dog photographer, and something clicked into place: a career focused on helping dogs was the new dream. Isabel quickly found a passion for rehabilitating rescue dogs and helping them get adopted. At the same time, she was caught up in a whirlwind of friendships, parties, fickle boyfriends and grand romances, which she recounts in honest, tender, and sometimes devastating chapters about the search for love and belonging. Isabel's first true love, though, was Simon, a fluffy puppy who'd been saved from the meat trade. As the highs and lows of her twenties hit Isabel in wave after wave, it was Simon who kept her grounded. Together, Isabel and Simon created a community of dog-lovers and a tight-knit group of friends pursuing their dreams. In this honest and moving memoir, Isabel weaves together the stories of her foster dogs--and the challenges she helped them overcome--with tales of complicated relationships, hard decisions, and great loves in New York City, all leading to a happy ending not only for the rescue pups, but for Isabel herself"--
Screen people : how we entertained ourselves into a state of emergency
By Garber, Megan, author.
Whether it's our reality-television-star President or our expertly curated Instagram feeds, the line between fact and fiction--between what's real and what's fabricated for entertainment--has never been more blurred. Screen People explores what happens when we cede our reality to spectacle. Megan Garber explains how today's internet-inflected culture conditions us to
The great book of chocolate : the chocolate lover's guide with more than 50 recipes
By Lebovitz, David, author.
True color : the strange and spectacular quest to define color -- from azure to zinc pink
By Stamper, Kory, author.
London falling : a mysterious death in a gilded city and a family's search for truth
By Keefe, Patrick Radden, 1976- author.
To catch a fascist : the fight to expose the radical right
By Mathias, Christopher (Journalist), author.
Who needs friends : an unscientific examination of male friendship across America
By McCarthy, Andrew, 1962- author.
How flowers made our world : the story of nature's revolutionaries
By Haskell, David George, author.
The infinity machine : Demis Hassabis, DeepMind, and the quest for superintelligence
By Mallaby, Sebastian, author.
Alchemy : an illustrated history of elixirs, experiments, and the birth of modern science
By Ball, Philip, 1962- author.
Why we drink too much : the impact of alcohol on our bodies and culture
By Knowles, Charles, Dr., author.
Tricks, traps, and tips in the chess opening : practical lessons for ambitious improvers
By Ippolito, Dean, author.
The mattering instinct : how our deepest longing drives us and divides us
By Goldstein, Rebecca, 1950- author.
Fear and fury : the Reagan eighties, the Bernie Goetz shootings, and the rebirth of white rage
By Thompson, Heather Ann, 1963- author.
Artificial intelligence : a guide for thinking humans ; with a new preface
By Mitchell, Melanie (Computer scientist), author.
Hated by all the right people : Tucker Carlson and the unraveling of the conservative mind
By Zengerle, Jason, author.
Injustice : how politics and fear vanquished America's Justice Department
By Leonnig, Carol, author.
Enshittification : why everything suddenly got worse and what to do about it
By Doctorow, Cory, author.
Mechanics' Institute Library has over 100,000 circulating materials in its collection and continues to grow. We serve the general reader with a wide, diverse, and eclectic collection covering a vast array of subjects and interests.
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