The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali

In 1950s Tehran, seven-year-old Ellie lives in grand comfort until the untimely death of her father, forcing Ellie and her mother to move to a tiny home downtown. Lonely and bearing the brunt of her mother’s endless grievances, Ellie dreams of a friend to alleviate her isolation.

Luckily, on the first day of school, she meets Homa, a kind, passionate girl with a brave and irrepressible spirit. Together, the two girls play games, learn to cook in the stone kitchen of Homa’s warm home, wander through the colorful stalls of the Grand Bazaar, and share their ambitions for becoming “lion women.”

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Week of July 29, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of July 29th include CUTTING TEETH by Chandler Baker, a witty, thrilling story of parental love that asks: Is there anything a mother won’t do for her children?; Liz Nugent's STRANGE SALLY DIAMOND, an utterly immersive mystery that follows an enigmatic woman confronting her unknown past; A TWISTED LOVE STORY by Samantha Downing, a reckless, delicious thriller that gives a whole new meaning to the dangers of modern dating; WITNESS, Jamel Brinkley's second collection of short stories, all of which are set in the changing landscapes of contemporary New York City and feature a range of characters --- from children to grandmothers to ghosts --- who live through the responsibility of perceiving and the moral challenge of speaking up or taking action; and the paperback original LOOK IN THE MIRROR, a heart-pounding suspense novel from Catherine Steadman in which escape rooms and “Squid Game” collide.

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Week of July 22, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of July 22nd include THE SPECTACULAR by Fiona Davis, a thrilling story about love, sacrifice and the pursuit of dreams, set amidst the glamour and glitz of Radio City Music Hall in its mid-century heyday; Michael Cunningham’s first novel in nearly a decade, DAY, an exploration of love and loss, the struggles and limitations of family life --- and how we all must learn to live together and apart; J. Randy Taraborrelli's JACKIE, a fresh and often startling look at the life of legendary former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis; ALL THE DEAD SHALL WEEP by Charlaine Harris, a family drama of murderous and magical thrills that marks the return of young gunslinging mercenary Lizbeth Rose; and JUST ANOTHER MISSING PERSON, a heart-stopping thriller from Gillian McAllister in which a missing person case unravels deeper, darker secrets that lead a detective to an impossible moral choice.

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Week of July 15, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of July 15th include THE EXCHANGE, a stunning legal thriller from John Grisham that marks the return of Mitch McDeere, the brilliant hero of THE FIRM; UNNATURAL DEATH, the 27th thrilling installment in Patricia Cornwell's Dr. Kay Scarpetta series, in which the chief medical examiner finds herself in a Northern Virginia wilderness examining the remains of two campers wanted by federal law enforcement; BOLDLY GO, an inspiring, revelatory and exhilarating collection of essays from living legend William Shatner, who reflects on the interconnectivity of all things, our fragile bond with nature, and the joy that comes from exploration; and WOMEN WE BURIED, WOMEN WE BURNED, a riveting memoir of survival, self-discovery and forgiveness from award-winning journalist Rachel Louise Snyder, who has been a fierce advocate reporting on the darkest social issues that impact women's lives and now tells her own story.

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