Garbage Land: On the Secret Trail of Trashby Elizabeth Royte

A “fascinating [and] downright entertaining” look at what we throw away–and where it all goes (Booklist, starred review).

Out of sight, out of mind? Into our trash cans go dead batteries, dirty diapers, bygone burritos, broken toys, tattered socks, eight-track cassettes, scratched CDs, banana peels…. But where do these things go next? In a country that consumes and then casts off more and more, what actually happens to the things we throw away?

In Garbage Land, science writer Elizabeth Royte leads us on a wild adventure to answer that question. Along the way, we meet an odor chemist who explains why trash smells so bad; garbage fairies and recycling gurus; neighbors of massive waste dumps; CEOs making fortunes by encouraging waste or encouraging recycling–often both at the same time; scientists trying to revive our most polluted places; fertilizer fanatics and adventurers who kayak amid sewage; paper people, steel people, aluminum people, plastic people, and even a guy who swears by recycling human waste. With a wink and a nod and a tightly clasped nose, Royte takes us on a bizarre cultural tour through slime, stench, and heat–in other words, through the back end of our ever-more supersized lifestyles.

By showing us what happens to the things we’ve “disposed of,” Royte reminds us that our decisions about consumption and waste have a very real impact–and that unless we undertake radical change, the garbage we create will always be with us: in the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we consume. Garbage Land is a brilliant exploration into the soiled heart of the American trash can.

“The author’s adventures in waste management provide a riveting travelog punctuated by a scathing indictment of American consumption.” —Wired

“A thorough, perceptive, graceful, and often witty writer.” —Washington Monthly

Love at the French Stationby Bonnie Shiloh

Out of money during a gap year in Europe, Laurie is recruited by a couple of savory characters to deliver a package. After a little murder and mayhem, Laurie finds herself fleeing across the continent. She is joined in her escape by the blisteringly hot drifter, Joshua, who seems to rescue her at every turn. After getting the hang of being on the run, Laurie starts to have feelings for the handsome loner and provides the anchor he so badly needs. Together they face the daily challenges of survival until luck finally begins to smile on them. Their good fortunes present even greater trials. Thinking you love someone when your lives depend on it is one thing, but what happens when the living is easy? Joshua and Laurie struggle, both in the lean days and the salad days. Maybe there will be time for love later, but now they must elude the contract killer and cash in their treasure.

Just This Once (Escape to New Zealand Book 1)by Rosalind James

Audie nominee, Best Romance Audiobook, 2015
Everyone needs to be rescued sometimes.
Everyone but Hannah Montgomery, that is. She just needs a vacation. Three weeks in New Zealand to sort out her life, figure out what she wants, seems just right. Oh, and to relax. She should definitely put that on the agenda. She certainly isn’t looking for a sexy fling with a professional rugby player, no matter how attractive he is. Hannah doesn’t do casual. But maybe just this once …

As much as he’s shared with Hannah, Drew Callahan has kept one very big secret: that he’s the captain of the All Blacks, New Zealand’s international rugby team, not to mention the best-known rugby player on earth. And learning the truth, now that she’s back home again, has made Hannah warier than ever. Drew knows that she’s right for him. But how can he convince her to let down her guard enough to explore what they could have together?

Note: This romance, like New Zealand, contains some steam. If that isn’t your cuppa, you may want to visit another country … er, book.

CREEPLES!by Patrick D. Pidgeon

Let’s just come right out and say it . . . stranger things do happen at Aberdasher Academy of ScienceWe’re talking weird science, with fantastical consequences such as a slithering colossal Mongolian Death Worm, clashing medieval Bog People, an ambushing Ayia Napa sea monster, and a ravaging mythical beast, just to name a few! Desperate to raise funds to save their favorite teacher’s Genomic department from closing, Johnny “Spigs” Spignola, Theresa Ray “T-Ray” Rogers, and Pablo “Peabo” Torres team up to launch a crowdfunding lab experiment, but hastily use a mysterious DNA serum that astonishingly creates six pint-size, magical humanoids–the students affectionately call Creeples–who unleash mystical mayhem and campus chaos.But even more shocking, a startling mystery emerges for these intrepid teens. Their noble but foolish actions uncover a shadowy insider’s evil plan to gain demonic supremacy from the academy’s hidden powers of ancient sorcery–and the Creeples unwittingly stand in the way!

The Existence Of Amyby Lana Grace Riva

Amy has a normal life. That is, if you were to go by a definition of ‘no obvious indicators of peculiarity’, and you didn’t know her very well. She has good friends, a good job, a nice enough home. This normality, however, is precariously plastered on top of a different life. A life that is Amy’s real life. The only one her brain will let her lead.

A fictional story that depicts the reality of mental illness behind a perception of normality.