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The Unmothers

The Unmothers is a triumph of folk horror that will gratify lovers of Midsommar and The Handmaid’s Tale.”—Library Journal, starred review

In this raw and lyrical folk horror novel, a journalist sent to a small town begins to unravel a dark secret that the women of the town have been keeping for generations.

Marshall is still trying to put the pieces together after the death of her husband. After she is involved in a terrible accident, her editor sends her to the small, backwards town of Raeford to investigate a clearly ridiculous rumor: that a horse has given birth to a healthy, human baby boy.

When Marshall arrives in Raeford, she finds an insular town that is kinder to the horses they are famous for breeding than to their own people. But when two horribly mangled bodies are discovered in a field—one a horse, one a human—she realizes that there might be a real story here.

As she’s pulled deeper into the town and its guarded people, her sense of reality is tipped on its head. Is she losing her grip? Or is this impossible story the key to a dark secret that has haunted the women of Raeford for generations?

Unbearably tense and utterly gripping, this atmospheric tale of female rage, bodily autonomy, and generational trauma hails the arrival of a masterful storyteller.

Posted by Christina Schillaci

Such a Bad Influence

For fans of Ashley Winstead, a razor-sharp debut about what happens when one of the first child stars of the social media age grows up . . . and goes missing.

Hazel Davis is drifting: she’s stalled in her career, living in a city she hates, and less successful than her younger sister @evelyn, a lifestyle influencer. Evie came of age on the family YouTube channel after a viral video when she was five. Ten years older and spotlight-averse, Hazel managed to dodge the family business—so although she can barely afford her apartment, at least she made her own way.

Evie is eighteen now, with a multimillion-dollar career, but Hazel is still protective of her little sister and skeptical of the way everyone seems to want a piece of her: Evie’s followers, her YouTuber boyfriend and influencer frenemies, and their opportunistic mother. So when Evie disappears one day during an unsettling live stream that cuts out midsentence, Hazel is horrified to have her worst instincts proven right.

As theories about Evie’s disappearance tear through the internet, inspiring hashtags, Reddit threads, and podcast episodes, Hazel throws herself into the darkest parts of her sister’s world to untangle the truth. After all, Hazel knows Evie better than anyone else . . . doesn’t she?

Posted by Christina Schillaci

The Z Word

“Sexy, scathing, delightful, and intimately devastating.”—Gretchen Felker-Martin, author of Manhunt and Cuckoo

Packed with action, humor, sex, and big gay feelings, The Z Word is the queer Zombieland you didn’t know you needed.

Chaotic bisexual Wendy is trying to find her place in the queer community of San Lazaro, Arizona, after a bad breakup—which is particularly difficult because her ex is hooking up with some of her friends. And when the people around them start turning into violent, terrifying mindless husks, well, that makes things harder. Especially since the infection seems to be spreading.

Now, Wendy and her friends and frenemies—drag queen Logan, silver fox Beau, sword lesbian Aurelia and her wife Sam, mysterious pizza delivery stoner Sunshine, and, oh yeah, Wendy’s ex-girlfriend Leah—have to team up to stay alive, save Pride, and track the zombie outbreak to its shocking source. Hopefully without killing each other first.

The Z Word is a propulsive, funny, emotional horror debut about a found family coming together to fight corporate greed, political corruption, gay drama, and zombies.

Posted by Christina Schillaci

The Sneaky Parent

More than 200 clever tips to help stubborn kids go to bed, clean their room, take a bath, and more—without tears or fights.

As a parent, you want nothing more than to keep your child fed, clothed, clean, healthy, and safe. Your kid, meanwhile, wants nothing more than to eat junk, go nude, stay up all night, and fall down a well. Begging doesn’t work. Bribery isn’t sustainable. You don’t want to shout. It’s time to get sneaky.

The Sneaky Parent offers a full playbook of clever ploys for beating kids at their own game. With the strategies outlined in this book, you can gently guide kids toward positive choices—while letting them think they’re the ones in control. Learn how to:

  • Boost oral hygiene by pretending a toothbrush is a paintbrush for teeth
  • Render long plane trips painless with a game of “Name That Cloud”
  • Calm separation anxiety by developing fun ways to wave goodbye
  • And dozens of other clever tactics, tricks, and games

With a little benevolent sneakiness, your child will enthusiastically try new foods, embrace bath time, go to sleep on a schedule, and other necessary but unpopular life skills. The best part? They’ll be sure it was their idea.

Previously published as How to Con Your Kid (2012) this edition includes gender-neutral language, updated screen time advice, and more for today’s parent.

Posted by Kim Ismael

Thrive Where You’re Planted

Find peace through this meditative guided journal that will train you to notice and appreciate the wonder of the natural world—without leaving your own neighborhood.

Everyone knows that being in nature can help you feel less anxious, more centered, and at peace. The sound of a waterfall, a swaying green canopy, a distant horizon—all of these things slow your heart rate, open your lungs, and calm your mind. But what if—like most North Americans—you live in a suburb or a city and can’t go into the great outdoors every day?

Naturalist Andrea Debbink will show you that nature is all around you, even in the densest metropolis and will teach you how to find wildness in a city sparrow, beauty in a roadside dandelion, and stillness on a park bench.

Organized by month, this guided journal encourages you to center yourself in the cycle of the seasons through:

  • Nature-inspired meditation exercises
  • Outdoor activities and crafts
  • Flora and fauna trackers
  • Weather charts
  • Urban foraging tips

This hardcover journal is perfect for throwing in a backpack and taking to the park, featuring a rounded spine for easy writing, a fabric bookmark to keep your place, and a full-color illustrated design that changes with the seasons.

Posted by Kim Ismael

This Wretched Valley

Four ambitious climbers hike into the Kentucky wilderness. Seven months later, three mangled bodies are discovered. Were their deaths simple accidents or the result of something more sinister?

This nail-biting, bone-chilling survival horror novel is inspired by the infamous Dyatlov Pass incident, and is perfect for fans of Alma Katsu and Showtime’s Yellowjackets.

This is going to be Dylan’s big break. Her friend Clay, a geology student, has discovered an untouched cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness, and she is going to be the first person to climb it. Together with Clay, his research assistant Sylvia, and Dylan’s boyfriend Luke, she is going to document her achievement on Instagram and finally cement her place as the next rising star in rock climbing.

Seven months later, three bodies are discovered in the trees just off the highway. All are in various states of decay: one body a stark, white skeleton; the second emptied of its organs; and the third a mutilated corpse with the tongue, eyes, ears, and fingers removed.

But Dylan is still missing. Followers of her Instagram account report seeing disturbing livestreams, and some even claim to have caught glimpses of her vanishing into the thick woods, but no trace of her—dead or alive—has been discovered.

Were the climbers murdered? Did they succumb to cannibalism? Or are their impossible bodies the work of an even more sinister force? Is Dylan still alive, and does she hold the answers?

This page-turning debut will have you racing towards the inevitable conclusion.

Posted by Christina Schillaci