Flyleaf Books

Fervor by Toby Lloyd

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Fervor by Toby Lloyd
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Is it nature? Nurture? Unacknowledged familial trauma? Kabbalah? God? Does it matter? Toby Lloyd’s stunning novel debut feels like a long-lost dream, rippling with uncertainty for the best kind of unsettled reading experience — just after finishing, I wanted to read it all again.In a London, modern Ashkenazi Jewish home, our intersecting narrators offer multiple realities, inviting us to hold them amidst reflections on tradition, power, and existence with heart-wrenching beauty. Impressively succinct writing that unfolds in the mind like a flower in bloom with heart-wrenching beauty and depth – the rest of 2024’s reads are up against a powerhouse.

FervorFervor by Toby Lloyd, (List Price: $28, Avid Reader Press, Simon & Schuster, 9781668033333, March 2024)

Reviewed by RC Collman, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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A Really Strange and Wonderful Time by Tom Maxwell

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A Really Strange and Wonderful Time by Tom Maxwell
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A beautifully written tribute, documentation, and exploration of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro, NC (and environs) indie music scene in the decade leading up to Y2K. The scope of what Maxwell covers is impressive: musical personalities- musicians and bands, yes, but also the producers, promotors, WXYC DJs and station managers, the labels big and small- Merge, Mammoth, and others. The migrations and importance of clubs like Cat’s Cradle and Local 506, recording studios (The Yellow House!), the rise of the internet and streaming radio, Maxwell illustrates the importance of the local ecosystem- the ‘zines and copy shops (Kinkos, Copytron) and then, ultimately, the internet and the changing of music distribution. A fantastic read on many levels, whether you want to revisit the bands (Superchunk, Squirrel Nut Zippers, Pipe, The Veldt, Ben Folds Five, The Pressure Boys, Sex Police) or just understand how a small community turned out some kick-ass music. An illustration of how indie music created a magical Third Place, coined by sociologist Ray Oldenberg as “a place where people meet, exchange ideas, have a good time and build relationships”. An eloquent honoring of a place and time where indie rock was paramount and the community was passionate for it.

A Really Strange and Wonderful Time by Tom Maxwell, (List Price: $30, Hachette Books, 9780306830587, April 2024)

Reviewed by Jamie Fiocco, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson

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Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson
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Fast-moving, silly, with just the right amount of character introspection. When you fail at something you’ve literally dedicated your life to, it can feel like you’ve failed at life. Mira’s journey is very literal in that she gets injured and can no longer skate, disrupting her parents’ plans for the Olympics. Luckily, she’s kidnapped by a vampire roller derby team that is in desperate need of a “mandatory human member.”

Blood City Rollers by V.P. Anderson, (List Price: $13.99, Labyrinth Road, 9780593485712, April 2024)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura

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Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura
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A searing debut that deftly explores the effects of an unhealthy relationship between a predatory male writer and a young woman on the cusp of adulthood – I couldn’t stop reading it! The characters in this story are all too real, and post #MeToo we see Tatum grappling to understand her story and the abuse she suffered from the toxic man she viewed as her superior for far too long.

Like Happiness by Ursula Villarreal-Moura, (List Price: $28, Celadon Books, 9781250882837, March 2024)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Max in the House of Spies by Adam Gidwitz

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Max in the House of Spies by Gidwitz, Adam
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Gidwitz has done it again, creating a tale – and a hero – full of humor and heart. You’ll laugh, cry, and cheer for Max as he takes on bullies, both big and small, from the schoolyard in London right back to where he started in Nazi Germany. But this time, he’s trained as a British spy…

Max in the House of Spies by Gidwitz, Adam, (List Price: $18.99, Dutton Books for Young Readers, 9780593112083, February 2024)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons

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No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons
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Easily one of the most precious picture books I’ve ever seen!!!! Clarisse is a sweet little stray who loves books, and the library calls to her. The only problem – she isn’t allowed in! Lovingly illustrated, the happy ending to this book made me tear up for sure.

No Cats in the Library by Lauren Emmons, (List Price: $18.99, Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 9781665933681, March 2024)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Madness: Race and Insanity in a Jim Crow Asylum by Antonia Hylton

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Madness by Antonia Hylton
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Hylton’s Madness shines a light on the intersection of systemic racism and mental health, and the legacy of de-institutionalization. Crownsville in Maryland was once the only asylum that accepted Black patients and also served as an unofficial jail for the same population, where some families would never know that their loved one had lived and died within its walls. Antonia Hylton treats this topic with the care it deserves, weaving in her own family’s hardships with mental illness, and the oral histories of the workers and patients of Crownsville. A necessary read for anyone interested in equity and anti-racist medicine.

Madness by Antonia Hylton, (List Price: $30, Legacy Lit, 9781538723692, January 2024)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah

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Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
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I’m not one for short stories, but Friday Black may have changed that. Drop into these stories in media res, and be swept into the dystopia of racism, consumerism, and injustice. Adjei-Brenyah’s fresh voice and twisted creativity has an uncanny ability to build complex worlds with few words and endless ingenuity. Read this, then Chain Gang All-Stars, for Adjei-Brenyah’s brilliance on a novel’s scale.

Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, (List Price: $16.99, Mariner Books, 9781328911247, October 2018)

Reviewed by RC Collman, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hell, North Carolina

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Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu by Ying Chang Compestine, Crystal Kung (illus)

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Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu by Ying Chang Compestine, Crystal Kung (illus)
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A breathtakingly illustrated reimagining of a well-loved fairytale. The story of Ra Pu Zel is of a stubborn girl and her love of food, and of the cuisine that encourages her to leave her tower. Guaranteed to make you laugh and leave you hungrier than when you started.

Ra Pu Zel and the Stinky Tofu by Ying Chang Compestine, Crystal Kung (illus), (List Price: $18.99, Rocky Pond Books, 9780593533055, January 2024)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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It: a Novel by Stephen King

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It by Stephen King
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It consistently tops lists of ‘scariest books of all time’ and after reading it for the third time, I’ve gotta say that I agree. It is an incredible achievement in horror fiction and a landmark book. The town of Derry, Maine is cursed, as a small group of children discover one summer. Years later, they reunite to finally deal with the evil that has ravaged their hometown. After you read It, read the Dark Tower books. It’s all connected, man!

It by Stephen King, (List Price: $21.99, Scribner, 9781982127794, July 2019)

Reviewed by Colin Sneed, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson

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Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
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Snow Crash is the most fun I’ve had with a book in ages. Simultaneously a darkly hilarious, satirical vision of the near future and an absolutely pulse-pounding thriller, you won’t be able to put it down until the explosive conclusion.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, (List Price: $17, Del Rey, 9780553380958, May 2000)

Reviewed by Henry Williams, Flyleaf Books in , North Carolina

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The New Naturals by Gabriel Bump

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The New Naturals by Gabriel Bump
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The US has been a breeding ground for utopian societies since its earliest days. The seekers we meet in The New Naturals are brought together by grief, anger, marginalization and mental illness, dreaming of a better place and acceptance. A sad but ultimately hopeful tale.

The New Naturals by Gabriel Bump, (List Price: $27, Algonquin Books, 9781616208806, November 2023)

Reviewed by Maggie Robe, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais

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The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais
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To me, Little Red Riding Hood has always been the forbearer of modern children’s stories. The warnings of: listen to your adults, not to stray from the path dictated, and not talk to strangers emanate from every version of this story. In this tale, these messages are still here, but are challenged. In the end, our hero is rescued and the evil defeated, themes of misunderstanding being our main take-away.

The Little Red Wolf by Amélie Fléchais, (List Price: $9.99, Oni Press, 9781637152430, October 2023)

Reviewed by Jamie Kovacs, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong

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On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
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This bestseller sat on my shelf for two years before I had the courage to read it. I knew it would wreck me, and wreck me it did. Through a son’s letter to his mother, we learn the story of Little Dog and the meaning of love, loss, family, and belonging. Ocean Vuong creates a surreal experience of the senses, redefining the meaning of narrative — each page more breathtaking than the last. As someone who rarely keeps fiction past the first read, this one has a permanent place on my bookshelf.

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, (List Price: $18, Penguin Books, 9780525562047, June 2021)

Reviewed by RC Collman, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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Champions of the Fox by Kevin Sands

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Champions of the Fox by Kevin Sands
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Oh wow, what an amazing conclusion to a thrilling trilogy! Cal and his squad of thieves have one last mission to carry out before the Eye will let them go… but what if their success means the end of the world as they know it? To thwart the Eye, they must find allies among Spirits, industrialists, and runners for the rival thieves guild. These characters were as electric as ever, and the magic of this world was tantalizing.

Champions of the Fox by Kevin Sands, (List Price: $18.99, Viking Books for Young Readers, 9780593620953, November 2023)

Reviewed by Jordan April, Flyleaf Books in Chapel Hill, North Carolina

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