Washoe County Library System

A salt-of-the-earth Maine native recounts how a friendly annual summer fireworks show rivalry with his neighbor across the lake gradually spirals out of control, with explosive results.

After becoming a part of the Tau, one of twenty-two large global network Affinities in the near future, young Adam Fisk thinks his life has improved for the better until the different Affinities begin to go to war with one another -- in a conflict that will change Adam's world forever.

"Without question, Fawn Birchill knows that her used bookstore is the heart of West Philadelphia, a cornerstone of culture for a community that, for the past twenty years, has found the quirkiness absolutely charming. When an amicable young indie bookseller invades her block, Fawn is convinced that his cushy couches, impressive selection, coffee bar, and knowledgeable staff are a neighborhood blight. Misguided yet blindly resilient, Fawn readies for...

"Man Booker International finalist Yan Lianke has been lauded for his imaginative satire and insightful cultural critique as "one of China's greatest living authors" (Guardian). His internationally bestselling new novel, The Explosion Chronicles, follows the excessive expansion of a rural community from small village to megalopolis. With the Yi River on one side and the Balou Mountains on the other, the village of Explosion was founded more than a...

"Survival of the Fittest: the game show where animal contestants pitch the latest and greatest in scientific innovation to a panel of shark judges! Animals of all sizes and skills compete to see who can come up with the most useful, most creative, most brilliant design for a product based on something that exists in the natural world. Today's theme is: engineering"--