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Andrea's Favorite Books & Music of 2020
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My Sister, the Serial Killer : a novel
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
Fiction - Realizing that her beautiful, beloved younger sister has murdered yet another boyfriend, an embittered Nigerian woman works to direct suspicion away from the family, until a handsome doctor she fancies asks for her sister's number. A first novel.
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It Is What It Is / by Thundercat
Music - Produced by Flying Lotus and Thundercat, the album features musical contributions from Ty Dolla $ign, Childish Gambino, Lil B, Kamasi Washington, Steve Lacy, Steve Arrington, Badbadnotgood, Louis Cole, and Zack Fox.
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Bedtime Bonnet
by Nancy Amanda Redd
Picture Book - A celebration of family and nighttime Black hair traditions features a little girl whose multi-generational family members get ready for bed by putting on durags, wraps, caps and scarves while she searches everywhere for her missing braid bonnet.
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Animal Crossing: New Horizons (Switch)
Video Game - Escape to a deserted island and create your own paradise as you explore, create, and customize in the Animal Crossing: New Horizons game. Your island getaway has a wealth of natural resources that can be used to craft everything from tools to creature comforts. You can hunt down insects at the crack of dawn, decorate your paradise throughout the day, or enjoy sunset on the beach while fishing in the ocean. The time of day and season match real life, so each day on your island is a chance to check in and find new surprises all year round. Show off your island utopia to family and friends—or pack your bags and visit theirs. Whether playing online* or with others beside you**, island living is even better when you can share it. Even without hopping on a flight, you’ll meet a cast of charming animal residents bursting with personality. Friendly faces like Tom Nook and Isabelle will lend their services and happily help you grow your budding community. Escape to your island getaway—however, whenever, and wherever you want. (Rated E)
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Grass
by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim
Graphic Novel - Grass is a powerful anti-war graphic novel, offering up firsthand the life story of a Korean girl named Okseon Lee who was forced into sexual slavery for the Japanese Imperial Army during the second World War - a disputed chapter in 20th century Asian history. Beginning in Lee's childhood, Grass shows the leadup to World War II from a child's vulnerable perspective, detailing how one person experienced the Japanese occupation and the widespread suffering it entailed for ordinary Korean folk. Keum Suk Gendry-Kim emphasizes Lee's strength in overcoming the many forms of adversity she experienced. Grass is painted in a black ink that flows with lavish details of the beautiful fields and farmland of Korea and uses heavy brushwork on the somber interiors of Lee's memories.
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Almost American Girl : an illustrated memoir
by Robin Ha
Graphic Novel / Memoir - Moving abruptly from Seoul to Alabama, a Korean teen struggles in a hostile blended home and a new school where she does not speak English before forging unexpected connections in a local comic drawing class.
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Final Fantasy VII Remake (PS4)
Video Game - The legend returns for all generations. What begins as a rebellion against an evil corporation becomes much more. And what erupts goes beyond imagination. The story of this first, standalone game in the FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE project covers up to the party's escape from Midgar and goes deeper into the events occuring in the city than the original FINAL FANTASY VII. (Rated T)
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Dancing at the Pity Party : a dead mom graphic memoir
by Tyler Feder
Graphic Novel - A debut graphic novel traces the author’s experiences with the loss of her mother, tracing the poignant journey of her mother’s diagnosis and treatment and her own experiences with sitting Shiva and making sense of life after her mother’s death.
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Just Like a Mama
by Alice Faye Duncan
Picture Book - Carol Olivia Clementine wishes her parents did not live so far away, but Mama Rose provides a home, loves her, and cares for her just like a mother would.
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Act
by Kayla Miller
Kids Graphic Novel - A lively follow-up to Click and Camp finds sixth grader Olive looking forward to an upcoming field trip before organizing a student-council election after discovering that school policy is preventing some of the kids from participating.
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Trejo's Tacos : Recipes and Stories from L.A
by Danny Trejo
Nonfiction - The legendary actor and L.A. restauranteur shares his favorite—and badass—recipes for bold, fun and versatile Mexican dishes along with stories about his lifelong love of food, in this cookbook that is symbolic of L.A.’s vibrant Latino culture.
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Once Upon an Eid : stories of hope and joy by 15 Muslim voices
by Aisha Saeed
Fiction - Featuring contributions by such established genre authors as Hena Khan, Randa Abdel-Fattah and Ashley Franklin, a collection of short stories celebrates Muslim culture and the joyful holiday traditions of Eid. Co-edited by the author of Amal Unbound.
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The Only Good Indians : a novel
by Stephen Graham Jones
Fiction - Four American Indian men, who shared a disturbing event during their youth, are hunted down years later by an entity bent on revenge that forces them to revisit the culture and traditions they left behind.
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Be Gay, Do Comics! : Queer History, Memoir, and Satire from the Nib
by Matt Bors
Graphic Novel / Nonfiction - The dream of a queer separatist town. The life of a gay, Jewish Nazi-fighter. A gender reveal party that tears reality apart. These are just some of the comics you'll find in this massive queer comics anthology from The Nib. [This book] is filled with dozens of comics about LGBTQIA + experiences, ranging from personal stories to queer history to cutting satire about pronoun panic and brands desperate to co-opt pride.
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Chicano Eats : Recipes from My Mexican-American Kitchen
by Esteban Castillo
Cookbook - A popular and award-winning food blogger who specializes in Chicano cuisine offers 85 easy-to-make, traditional and fusion Mexican dishes including Poutine de Carnitas, Mac and Queso Fundido, Fried Nopal Fritters, and Pistachio Horchata.
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You Had Me at Hola : a novel
by Alexis Daria
Fiction - Rendered the subject of tabloid gossip by a messy public breakup, soap star Jasmine takes a part in a new bilingual comedy at the side of a telenovela costar who would revitalize his career.
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Un Poco Perdido/ A Bit Lost
by Chris Haughton
Picture Book - Will Pequeño Búho, with the help of his newfound friend Ardilla, find his home? Chris Haughton's beloved Little Owl Lost arrives at the US, in Spanish for the first time!
Pequeño Búho se ha perdido y no encuentra a su mamá. Con la ayuda de Ardilla, ¿conseguirá regresar a su nido?
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Snapdragon
by Kat Leyh
Kids Graphic Novel - Befriending an eccentric but savvy older woman who suggests that they help each other while raising a litter of orphaned baby opossums, a young girl discovers that the woman may possess real magic and a possible connection to her family.
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Binti
by Nnedi Okorafor
Science Fiction - When Binti is offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy, she must rely on the gifts of her people and the wisdom found within the school.
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Exit West : a novel
by Mohsin Hamid
Fiction - The internationally best-selling author of The Reluctant Fundamentalist presents the story of two young lovers whose furtive affair is shaped by local unrest on the eve of a civil war that erupts in a cataclysmic bombing attack, forcing them to abandon their previous home and lives.
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Death Stranding (PS4)
Video Game - Besieged by death's tide at every turn Sam Bridges must brave a world utterly transformed by the Death Stranding. Carrying the stranded remnants of the future in his hands, Sam embarks on a journey to reunite the shattered world one step at a time. What is the mystery of the Death Stranding? What will Sam discover on the road ahead? A genre defining gameplay experience holds these answers and more. (Rated M)
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So You Want to Talk about Race
by Ijeoma Oluo
Nonfiction - A Seattle-based writer, editor and speaker tackles the sensitive, hyper-charged racial landscape in current America, discussing the issues of privilege, police brutality, intersectionality, micro-aggressions, the Black Lives Matter movement, and the "N" word.
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Witch Hat Atelier
by Kamome Shirahama
Graphic Novel - Meet young Coco, curious and bright, and desperate to learn how magic's wrought, but witches keep their secrets hidden tight, and witches, Coco knows, are born, not taught. Then one day Coco spies upon a witch as he prepares the charms for which she yearns. And sees that, like her skill with thread and stitch, the truth is, magic's something she can learn. Now with this knowledge, Coco starts to try to teach herself the witches' way with charms. And yet her aspirations go awry, as Coco's magic causes grievous harm. To set things right young Coco leaves her home and so begins the tale with this tome.
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The Blue House
by Phoebe Wahl
Picture Book - Both Leo and his father are angry and sad when their landlord says their old house will be torn down, but soon they find a way to make their new house feel like home.
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Sonya's Chickens
by Phoebe Wahl
Picture Book - Raising her three birds from chicks to adulthood, Sonya is upset when one goes missing, but she soon learns a valuable lesson about the interconnectedness of nature and what it is to care for another creature.
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Beastars 1
by Paru Itagaki
Graphic Novel - At this high school, instead of jocks and nerds, the students are divided into predators and prey.
At a high school where the students are literally divided into predators and prey, it's personal relationships that maintain the fragile peace. Who among them is a Beastar--an academic and social role model destined to become a leader in a society naturally rife with mistrust?
Last night at Cherryton Academy, an herbivore student was killed and eaten. Among the members of the drama club, the herbivores' suspicions naturally turn to their carnivore classmates... The prime suspect? Legosi, a large wolf. But he wouldn't hurt a fly--or would he? And will dwarf rabbit Haru bring out the beast in him? Or are his feelings for her...something else?
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Skulls!
by Blair Thornburgh
Kids Nonfiction - Revealing how skulls are more than just spooky Halloween symbols, an introduction to the human skull and its importance combines upbeat, engaging facts with kid-friendly artwork by the award-winning illustrator of Zombie in Love.
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Baking With Kim-joy : Cute and Creative Bakes to Make You Smile
by Kim-Joy
Cookbook - If you've ever wanted to know how to bring your baking to life, Kim-Joy will show you how in this fun and practical book. As well as basic cake mixes, cookie doughs, fillings/frostings and decorating techniques, she shares 40 of her wonderfully imaginative designs for iced cookie creatures, big occasion cakes, character macarons and meringues, ornate breads and showstopping traybakes. Recipes include step-by-step photography and adorable illustrations accompanied by little messages of positivity throughout.
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Anna K : a love story
by Jenny Lee
Teen Fiction - A modern reimagining of Anna Karenina is set in the elite enclaves of Manhattan and Greenwich society and finds a reluctant socialite navigating teen life before falling for a notorious playboy who harbors a shattering secret.
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Effin' Birds : a field guide to identification
by Aaron Reynolds
Nonfiction - Effin' Birds is the most eagerly anticipated new volume in the grand and noble profession of nature writing and bird identification. Sitting proudly alongside Sibley, Kaufman, and Peterson, this book contains more than 150 pages crammed full of classic, monochrome plumage art paired with the delightful but dirty aphorisms (think "I'm going to need more booze to deal with this week") that made the Effin' Birds Twitter feed a household name. Also included in its full, Technicolor glory is John James Audubon's most beautiful work matched with modern life advice. Including never-before-seen birds, insults, and field notes, this guide is a must-have for any effin' fan or birder.
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Fusion for Beginners and Experts
by Rebecca Sugar
Fiction - Steven, Garnet, Amethyst, Pearl, and the rest of the Gems on Earth explain what fusion, and love, mean to them.
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Notes on a Case of Melancholia, or, A Little Death
by Nicholas Gurewitch
Graphic Novel - Death's wayward child drives him to become a patient of a recently-bereaved psychoanalyst. Featuring hand-chiseled images which have been carved into inked clay, this labor of love was composed using an astounding number of lines over the course of several years!
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