B&N wishlist

Material World: The Six Raw Materials That Shape Modern Civilization by Ed Conway

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/28/books/review/new-books-recommendations.html

Possible library reserve (from Publisher's Weekly, 12/11/23)

 

★ Twice Lived

Joma West. Tordotcom, $26.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-250-81032-8

West (Face) uses parallel worlds to explore the pain of coming of age in this deeply emotional fantasy. Lily and Canna alternately share one body that randomly shifts between two alternate Earths. Shifters normally settle into one or the other in their toddler years but Lily/Canna is 16 and still shifting. As each identity begins to feel uncomfortable in her own skin and the duo’s memories become increasingly blurred, they learn that if they don’t settle soon, they risk psychological fracturing. Racing against time, Lily and Canna each fight to stay in their own world yet prepare their separate families for the worst-case scenario. West does an admirable job portraying the tug-of-war between individuals as they grapple with issues of family, identity, and friendship. Readers young and old will appreciate the notes of tenderness amid the conflict and will find it difficult to choose a side. Replete with a shocking yet satisfying ending that showcases West’s cleverness, this is an impressive feat. (Feb.)

QUOZ: A FINANCIAL THRILLER by Mel Mattison

From Publisher's Weekly, 11/27/23:

Fintech executive Mattison puts his cryptocurrency expertise to good use in his chilling debut, which imagines a near-future threat to the global economy. In 2027, financial experts have developed "a groundbreaking quantum AI platform": the International, Central, and Automated Regulation of the Universe of Securities, or ICARUS. During its brief existence, ICARUS has delivered on its promise to create a more stable global economy and made "bank runs, bailouts, and volatile share prices" things of the past. But just before the platform’s latest upgrade goes live, Kota Nakazawa, one of ICARUS’s chief designers, detects some disturbing anomalies in market trading patterns. He seeks advice from his disgraced former colleague, Rory O’Connor, who’s lived in Caribbean exile since he suffered a breakdown a year earlier. As the two dig into the anomalies, they unearth a vast financial conspiracy orchestrated by America’s foreign enemies that’s designed to collapse global markets. Mattison heightens suspense by cluing in readers to certain details of the book’s central conspiracy before his characters unearth them, and his knowledge of international finance lends weight and authenticity. Joseph Finder fans should check this out. (Jan.)