The Art of Awkward Affection by Alina Jacobs, 625 pages

 I admit it was me who shouted, “Looking good, hot stuff!” at Mr. Richmond this morning, but I didn’t mean it like that.

Honest, I was paying him a compliment! That’s kind of what I do: I’m a proud, small-town Floridian, and Manhattan is craving some Florida sunshine—nothing like a sincere compliment to turn those New York frowns upside down!

Grayson Richmond needs some positivity.
Have you seen how grumpy he is?
Disgustingly wealthy and unfairly hot, the man wears an arrogant snarl almost as well as he wears a suit.
Drool!

The word tyrant doesn’t do him justice, though, when he has me dragged into his office to be reprimanded.
Just FYI, the exact wrong thing to do in that situation is to tell him you’re the one who’s been leaving notes of positive affirmation in his underwear drawer.
As the lowly assistant of the assistant to the secretary of Mr. Grumpy Pants himself, what else do you expect me to do while I’m in his swanky penthouse dropping off the dry cleaning and rehoming Grayson’s food?

No, I am not making a mockery of this company or of him. Believe me, my credit card debt and I are very happy to have this job.
And to have a chance to sprinkle a little joy in Grayson’s life.
I am a kindness fairy on a mission!
Cupcakes, corgi stickers, and surprise visit from my emotional support iguana? Only scowls.

But when he catches me in his penthouse with my blouse undone?
That earns me a genuine, panty-dropping smile.

However, as the cracks form in his carefully controlled life I realize…
Grayson has a dark secret.
And I don’t know if there’s enough sunshine in the world to save him.

Your Choice, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz, 128 pages

 This book comprises the first half of You're Something Else, Charlie Brown, volume 1.

Adversary to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer, 352 pages

 HR Update: The position of “adversary to the villain” has been filled. Evie Sage does not recall applying.

Evie has always tried to be helpful, loyal, and only mildly involved in treason. But with a dangerous prophecy threatening the very magic of Rennedawn—not to mention the race to claim its necessary artifacts before King Benedict does—things are starting to feel…less like a career path and more like a serious problem.

The prophecy won’t stop pointing in Evie’s direction. The Villain’s magic keeps choosing her. And honestly, if you’re going to be accused of evil anyway, you might as well commit.

Unfortunately, the more Evie leans into her alleged villain era, the more her boss starts acting like the hero of a completely different story. Trystan is getting closer—closer than is wise, advisable, or even remotely professional—and looking at her like she’s already chosen a side. His.

Which is deeply inconvenient, because if Evie can’t save the kingdom’s magic, she might just become its greatest threat.

Who Was That Dog I Saw You With, Charlie Brown? by Charles M. Schulz, 128 pages

 

Let's Hear It for Dinner, Snoopy by Charles M. Schulz, 128 pages

 Selected cartoons from Don't hassle me with your sighs, Chuck, vol. 3.

Homebodies by Charles Addams, 128 pages

 

Penguin Special: The Story of Allen Lane, the Founder of Penguin Books and the Man Who Changed Publishing Forever, 448 pages

 The founding of Penguin Books in 1935 revolutionized the publishing industry with the idea that great writing ought to be made available for the price of a pack of cigarettes. In telling the story of Penguin and its founder, Allen Lane, Jeremy Lewis traces the changes the company wrought in cultural and political life in England and in the publishing industry worldwide, from the publication of Ulysses , with its attendant obscenity trial, to the Penguin Specials that alerted prewar Britain to the Nazi threat. Rich with anecdote and suffused with LaneÂ's larger-than-life personality, Penguin Special touches on the entire twentieth century in its portrait of a man and a company that have changed the way the English- speaking world reads.