Tuesday, October 13, 2020

iTunes Store: Top 25 Books in Fiction & Literature 2020-10-13

S M Boland - Mrs Keiller's Marmalade artwork Mrs Keiller's Marmalade
S M Boland
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: September 03, 2015
Publisher: Warblebox
Seller: Warblebox Ltd

“Such an interesting scenario and I love the way that marmalade is intrinsic to the story” (Judy Moir Agency).  “Well written and I was left wanting to read on.... It is certainly an intriguing concept” (Troubador) “Writing is dynamic and fast-paced. There's a definite charm about the novel that, I think, would appeal to the kind of audience cultivated by writers such as Marina Lewycka” (HHB Agency) “What a charming novel. I’m from Dundee myself, and the masterful way you wove together setting and culture was admirable. Your characters, too, were powerful yet compassionate, and the prose had a lovely twisting quality” (Canongate Press) “This is fresh and intriguing” (Andrew Lownie) Mrs Keiller's Marmalade is a book about marmalade, the isolation of old age, respect for tradition and the pain of abandonment. Maggie Keiller is a fictional descendent of John Keiller, the last patriarch of Keiller marmalade, whose clan famously created the first ‘Dundee Marmalade’. She is married John's son Billy Keiller in 1909 but lost him in the same year to a storm which visited their small enclave of Auchobane, a village perched precociously on the Dundee coastline of North-East Scotland. Forward fifty years, and Maggie lives a lonely life in Rose Cottage surrounded only by her jars of fine and vintage homemade marmalade. Her only visitor is Dougie, an elderly grocery man and decorated veteran. Maggie’s life is changed when she unexpectedly receives a letter from her estranged niece in London, asking for haven for her teenage daughter. Maggie takes her on, not out of affection for her niece whom she loathes, but to fill the void left by her childless marriage. Isla arrives in 1969, a year on the cusp of a revolution in the London she has just left, and in her own life, hiding the pregnancy she has kept from her mother. Maggie teaches Isla about her heritage, and hopes to pass on to her the tradition of marmalade making. For Isla, abandoned by mother and lover, and struggling to cope with the imminent arrival of an unwanted child, her bond with Maggie becomes a channel to help regain the self-esteem taken from her over her young years. The book culminates in Isla’s entry into the silver spoon Marmalade competition, fifty years after Maggie Keiller had taken the same prize.



Ken Follett - The Evening and the Morning artwork The Evening and the Morning
Ken Follett
Genre: Historical
Price: $17.99
Publish Date: September 15, 2020
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author, a thrilling and addictive new novel--a prequel to The Pillars of the Earth --set in England at the dawn of a new era: the Middle Ages "Just as transporting as [ The Pillars of the Earth ] . . . A most welcome addition to the Kingsbridge series." -- The Washington Post It is 997 CE, the end of the Dark Ages. England is facing attacks from the Welsh in the west and the Vikings in the east. Those in power bend justice according to their will, regardless of ordinary people and often in conflict with the king. Without a clear rule of law, chaos reigns. In these turbulent times, three characters find their lives intertwined. A young boatbuilder's life is turned upside down when the only home he's ever known is raided by Vikings, forcing him and his family to move and start their lives anew in a small hamlet where he does not fit in. . . . A Norman noblewoman marries for love, following her husband across the sea to a new land, but the customs of her husband's homeland are shockingly different, and as she begins to realize that everyone around her is engaged in a constant, brutal battle for power, it becomes clear that a single misstep could be catastrophic. . . . A monk dreams of transforming his humble abbey into a center of learning that will be admired throughout Europe. And each in turn comes into dangerous conflict with a clever and ruthless bishop who will do anything to increase his wealth and power. Thirty years ago, Ken Follett published his most popular novel, The Pillars of the Earth. Now, Follett's masterful new prequel The Evening and the Morning takes us on an epic journey into a historical past rich with ambition and rivalry, death and birth, love and hate, that will end where The Pillars of the Earth begins.



Douglas Clegg - The Hour Before Dark artwork The Hour Before Dark
Douglas Clegg
Genre: Horror
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: June 17, 2012
Publisher: Alkemara Press
Seller: Douglas Clegg

Home is where the haunt is. "Fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz will appreciate this atmospheric gem." ★★★★★ "Kept me on the edge of my seat!"★★★★★  A children's game played in the dark brings on a terrifying rampage in this gothic horror page-turner by the NY Times bestselling author of Neverland and The Children's Hour . After the brutal murder of a loved one, Nemo Raglan must return to the New England island he thought he'd escaped for good…and the shadowy home called Hawthorn. "Douglas Clegg has become the new star in horror fiction, and The Hour Before Dark is his best and most exciting novel to date. This is pure imagination, and it is wearing speed skates." -- Peter Straub, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Story and, with Stephen King, The Talisman . "A classic of modern supernatural horror." *"...An eerie psychological tale of supernatural horror that builds suspense gradually as the characters slowly peel back the layers of their past and face the terrors of their shared childhood. Clegg approaches horror with a stark and vital simplicity that is utterly convincing. Fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz will appreciate this atmospheric gem." -- Library Journal . "I was compelled to keep turning the pages as fear...raised my pulse to racing level from cover to cover." -- DarkEcho . From the Publishers Weekly Starred Review: "Suspenseful and relentlessly spooky, told in economical prose yet peopled by characters as fully realized as one’s own blood kin, this is at once the most artful and most mainstream tale yet from one of horror’s brightest lights."   "... A dark,psychologically astute novel that pushes beyond the horror genre and into raw suspense...THE HOUR BEFORE DARK is a powerful and deeply engaging novel of disturbance and redemption...highly recommended to any reader who enjoys Stephen King, Dean Koontz, or Pat Conroy. " -- The BookReporter . "In his finest novel to date, Clegg establishes himself firmly as one of the leading authors in the horror genre...Hold onto your chair; The Hour Before Dark is a powerhouse of a read." -- Cemetery Dance Magazine . A gripping read that is refreshingly character-driven, yet still produces a palpable sense of dread." - Fangoria .



Andrei Bely & John Elsworth - Petersburg artwork Petersburg
Andrei Bely & John Elsworth
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $2.99
Publish Date: January 06, 2009
Publisher: Steerforth Press
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

"One of the four most important works of twentieth century literature." - Vladimir Nabokov Set in the Russian capital during the Revolution of 1905, this modern classic often draws comparisons to James Joyce’s Ulysses for its display of symbolism and humor   After enlisting in a revolutionary terrorist organization, the university student Nikolai Apollonovich Ableukhov is entrusted with a highly dangerous mission: to plant a bomb and assassinate a major government figure. But the real central character of the novel is the city of Petersburg at the beginning of the twentieth century, caught in the grip of political agitation and social unrest. Intertwining the worlds of history and myth, and parading a cast of unforgettable characters, Petersburg is a story of apocalypse and redemption played out through family dysfunction, conspiracy and murder. Winner of the 2009 Rossica Translation Prize  



Jane Davis - At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock artwork At the Stroke of Nine O'Clock
Jane Davis
Genre: Historical
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: July 13, 2020
Publisher: Jane Davis
Seller: Draft2Digital, LLC

London 1949. The lives of three very different women are about to collide. 'You don't read a Jane Davis novel – you inhabit it. This is no exception.' Clare Flynn, author of The Pearl of Penang. Like most working-class daughters, Caroline Wilby is expected to help support her family. Alone in a strange city, she must grab any opportunity that comes her way. Even if that means putting herself in danger. Star of the silver screen Ursula Delancy has just been abandoned by the man she left her husband for. Already hounded by the press, it won't be long before she's making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Patrice Hawtree was once the most photographed debutante of her generation. Now childless and trapped in a loveless marriage, her plans to secure the future of her ancient family home are about to be jeopardised by her husband's gambling addiction. Each believes she has already lost in life, not knowing how far she still has to fall. Six years later, one cause will unite them: when a young woman commits a crime of passion and is condemned to hang, remaining silent isn't an option. "Why do I feel an affinity with Ruth Ellis? I know how certain facts can be presented in such a way that there is no way to defend yourself. Not without hurting those you love."



Lisa Harris, Lynne Gentry, Elizabeth Goddard, Robin Patchen, Lisa Phillips, Lynnette Bonner, Jan Thompson, Luana Ehrlich & D.L. Wood - Dangerous Deceptions: A Christian Romantic Suspense Boxed Set Collection artwork Dangerous Deceptions: A Christian Romantic Suspense Boxed Set Collection
Lisa Harris, Lynne Gentry, Elizabeth Goddard, Robin Patchen, Lisa Phillips, Lynnette Bonner, Jan Thompson, Luana Ehrlich & D.L. Wood
Genre: Religious
Price: $0.99
Publish Date: October 13, 2020
Publisher: Pacific Lights Publishing
Seller: Draft2Digital, LLC

Lives...and hearts...are on the line in eight brand-new Christian Romantic Suspense novels from the genre's most explosive authors. Lethal Outbreak : Lisa Harris & Lynne Gentry Virus hunter Aiden Ballinger believes the source of the lethal outbreak that decimated a remote Tibetan village came from disturbing the permafrost. Desperate to rebury it before it buries the world, Aiden enlists Rachel Scott, a beautiful epidemiologist. But while Aiden and Rachel pursue the cure—and their feelings for each other—someone is hunting them. Whoever wants them dead will not stop until they are silenced. Collision Course : Elizabeth Goddard His cover blown, FBI Special Agent Reg Jacobson finds refuge on the other side of the country, but trouble follows him when he faces off with a woman from his past. Private Investigator Nicole Weatherly, hired to catch a thief, suspects Reg. When the bullets fly, Reg and Nicole must escape secrets from their pasts before their futures collide. Glimmer in the Darkness : Robin Patchen When Cassidy learns another child has been kidnapped from her hometown, she's convinced the man who took the girl she'd been babysitting seven years earlier is behind the recent abductions. She alone holds the key to finding him. Though James blames Cassidy for his sister's death, he'll help if there's a chance to save a child's life. Can Cassidy and James identify the serial killer in time to rescue his latest victim? Expired Plot : Lisa Phillips A man after justice. A local crime boss. The woman caught between. Undercover FBI agent Will Briar is working his way to the top of an illegal operation. But when he discovers the identity of the boss, everything changes. Hollis knows nothing is as it seems. Now she must either save her father and doom herself, or take a chance on the man who could be the answer…to everything. Ice : Lynnette Bonner Camryn Hunt witnessed a murder. Now she's in the protective custody of handsome sheriff Holden Parker. The small-town life might be pleasant if the sheriff wasn't so demanding. Determined that no harm come to Camryn, Holden secludes her at his fishing cabin. He wishes she wasn't so intriguing. He must not divide his focus. Especially when a local busybody discovers Camryn! Never A Traitor : Jan Thompson The last thing Private Investigator Earl Young expects is to pose as a fake boyfriend to a whistleblower. His driving need to solve problems forces him to work with paranoid Sienna Halstead as she draws him deeper into her corporate world of secrets and subterfuge. The more time they spend together, the more attraction grows. When another whistleblower is murdered, Sienna knows she's next. How far will Earl go to protect her? Ben in Love : Luana Ehrlich Is CIA operative Ben Mitchell really in love with the daughter of a Turkish dissident? Titus Ray, his mentor, isn't buying it; he thinks Ben needs intel on a Muslim cleric. But when Titus follows Ben to northern Virginia, he discovers Ben's deception is more dangerous than he thought. With their lives on the line, can Titus convince Ben to abandon his plans before it's too late? Liar Like Her : D.L. Wood When disbarred attorney Quinn Bello discovers a body that inexplicably vanishes, no one in her seaside town believes her—no one, that is, except newcomer Ian Wolfe, who for his own mysterious reasons doesn't hold Quinn's past against her. Together they search for the truth, but doubts about Quinn's sanity and innocence increase as the danger escalates. Will they expose the heart of the deception before Quinn becomes the next victim?



Elin Hilderbrand - Troubles in Paradise artwork Troubles in Paradise
Elin Hilderbrand
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $18.99
Publish Date: October 06, 2020
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Seller: Hachette Digital, Inc.

Travel to the bright Caribbean one last time in the satisfying conclusion to the nationally bestselling Winter in Paradise trilogy by Elin Hilderbrand, "Queen of the Summer Novel" ( People ). After uprooting her life in the States, Irene Steele has just settled in at the villa on St. John where her husband Russ had been living a double life. But a visit from the FBI shakes her foundations, and Irene once again learns just how little she knew about the man she loved.  With help from their friends, Irene and her sons set up their lives while evidence mounts that the helicopter crash that killed Russ may not have been an accident. Meanwhile, the island watches this drama unfold -- including the driver of a Jeep with tinted windows who seems to be shadowing the Steele family. As a storm gathers strength in the Atlantic, surprises are in store for the Steeles: help from a mysterious source, and a new beginning in the paradise that has become their home. At last all will be revealed about the secrets and lies that brought Irene and her sons to St. John -- and the truth that transformed them all.



Aimie K. Runyan - Duty to the Crown artwork Duty to the Crown
Aimie K. Runyan
Genre: Historical
Price: $4.99
Publish Date: October 25, 2016
Publisher: Kensington Books
Seller: Kensington Publishing Corp.

Set amid the promise and challenge of the first Canadian colonies, Aimie K. Runyan’s vividly rendered novel provides a fascinating portrait of the women who would become the founding mothers of New France.   In 1677, an invisible wall separates settlers in New France from their Huron neighbors. Yet whether in the fledgling city of Quebec or within one of the native tribes, every woman’s fate depends on the man she chooses—or is obligated—to marry.   Although Claudine Deschamps and Gabrielle Giroux both live within the settlement, their prospects are very different. French-born Claudine has followed her older sister across the Atlantic hoping to attract a wealthy husband through her beauty and connections. Gabrielle, orphan daughter of the town drunkard, is forced into a loveless union by a cruel law that requires her to marry by her sixteenth birthday. And Manon Lefebvre, born in the Huron village and later adopted by settlers, has faced the prejudices of both societies and is convinced she can no longer be accepted in either. Drawn into unexpected friendship through their loves, losses, and dreams of home and family, all three women will have to call on their bravery and resilience to succeed in this new world…   Praise for Promised to the Crown “A gripping 17th c. sleigh ride through the joys and sorrows of the brave and resilient women who colonized Quebec. Runyan has crafted a fine, character-driven study of a landscape rarely chartered in Historical Fiction. Brava!”--Juliet Grey, author of the acclaimed Marie Antoinette trilogy



Robert Morgan - The Truest Pleasure artwork The Truest Pleasure
A Novel
Robert Morgan
Genre: Family
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: January 09, 1998
Publisher: Workman Publishing
Seller: OpenRoad Integrated Media, LLC

A “wondrous” novel of a marriage in the Appalachian Mountains, from the New York  Times –bestselling author of Gap Creek ( San Antonio Express-News ).   Ginny and Tom have a lot in common—a love of the land, and fathers who fought in the Civil War. Tom’s father died, but Ginny’s father came back to western North Carolina to hold on to the farm and turn a profit. Ginny’s was a childhood of relative security, Tom’s one of landlessness. Truth be known—and they both know it—their marriage is mutually beneficial in purely practical terms. Tom wants land to call his own, and Ginny knows she can’t manage her aging father’s farm by herself.   But there is also mutual attraction, and a growing love as time passes. What keeps getting in the way of it, though, are their obsessions. Tom is a workaholic who hoards time and money. Ginny is obsessed by Pentecostal preaching. That she loses control of her dignity, that she speaks “in tongues,” that she is “saved,” seem to her a blessing and to Tom a disgrace. It’s not until Tom lies unconscious at the mercy of a disease for which the mountain doctor has no cure that Ginny’s truest pleasure comes into focus.   Named a Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year, this novel by a winner of the Thomas Wolfe Prize is filled with “marvelously vivid imagery” and insight into the timeless truths of love and marriage ( The New York Times Book Review ).   “Morgan deeply understands these people and their world, and he writes about them with an authority usually associated with the great novelists of the last century . . . The book is astonishing.” — The Boston Book Review   “Simple, eloquent language . . . Pulses with poetry.” — The Washington Post Book World



Emily St. John Mandel - The Glass Hotel artwork The Glass Hotel
A Novel
Emily St. John Mandel
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: March 24, 2020
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Seller: Harper Collins Canada Limited

SHORTLISTED FOR THE SCOTIABANK GILLER PRIZE #1 national bestseller New York Times bestseller From the award-winning author of Station Eleven, a captivating novel of money, beauty, white-collar crime, ghosts and moral compromise in which a woman disappears from a container ship off the coast of Mauritania and a massive Ponzi scheme implodes in New York, dragging countless fortunes with it. Vincent is a bartender at the Hotel Caiette, a five-star glass-and-cedar palace on the northernmost tip of Vancouver Island. New York financier Jonathan Alkaitis owns the hotel. When he passes Vincent his card with a tip, it’s the beginning of their life together. That same day, a hooded figure scrawls a note on the windowed wall of the hotel: “Why don’t you swallow broken glass.” Leon Prevant, a shipping executive for a company called Neptune-Avramidis, sees the note from the hotel bar and is shaken to his core. Thirteen years later, Vincent mysteriously disappears from the deck of a Neptune-Avramidis ship. Weaving together the lives of these characters, The Glass Hotel moves between the ship, the skyscrapers of Manhattan and the wilderness of remote British Columbia, painting a breathtaking picture of greed and guilt, fantasy and delusion, art and the ghosts of our pasts.



Delia Owens - Where the Crawdads Sing artwork Where the Crawdads Sing
Delia Owens
Genre: Literary
Price: $14.99
Publish Date: August 14, 2018
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING PHENOMENON More than 6 million copies sold A Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick A Business Insider Defining Book of the Decade  "I can't even express how much I love this book! I didn't want this story to end!"--Reese Witherspoon "Painfully beautiful."-- The New York Times Book Review For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark, the so-called Marsh Girl. But Kya is not what they say. Sensitive and intelligent, she has survived for years alone in the marsh that she calls home, finding friends in the gulls and lessons in the sand. Then the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. When two young men from town become intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new life--until the unthinkable happens. Where the Crawdads Sing  is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.



Jodi Picoult - The Book of Two Ways artwork The Book of Two Ways
Jodi Picoult
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: September 22, 2020
Publisher: Random House of Canada
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From the #1 bestselling author of A Spark of Light and Small Great Things , a riveting novel about the choices that change the course of our lives . Everything changes in a single moment for Dawn Edelstein. She's on a plane when the flight attendant makes an announcement: prepare for a crash landing. As thoughts flash through her mind, Dawn braces herself for impact. The shocking thing is the thoughts are not of her husband but of a man she last saw fifteen years earlier.      Miraculously, Dawn survives the crash, but so do all the doubts she suddenly feels. She has led a good life. Back in Boston, she has her husband, Brian, her beloved daughter, and her work as a death doula who helps to ease the transition between life and death for her clients. But somewhere in Egypt is Wyatt Armstrong, who works as an archaeologist unearthing ancient burial sites, a job she once studied for, but was forced to abandon. Now, when it seems that fate is offering her second chances, she is not as sure of the life choices she once made.      After the crash, once they've been checked out by a doctor, the airline offers the passengers flights to a destination of their choice. The obvious thing for Dawn is to fly home, to her work, to her family. The other option that occurs to her, though, is to travel to the archaeological site she left years before, reconnect with Wyatt and their unresolved history, and maybe even complete her research on The Book of Two Ways--the first known map of the afterlife.      As the story unfolds, Dawn's two futures unspool side by side, as do the secrets and doubts she's kept buried. And then there are the questions she's never truly asked: What does a well-lived life look like? When we leave the earth, what do we leave behind? Do we make choices or do our choices make us? And, who would you be, if you hadn't turned into the person you are right now?     



Gil Adamson - Ridgerunner artwork Ridgerunner
Gil Adamson
Genre: Literary
Price: $17.99
Publish Date: May 12, 2020
Publisher: House of Anansi Press Inc
Seller: House of Anansi Inc

November 1917. William Moreland is in mid-flight. After nearly twenty years, the notorious thief, known as the Ridgerunner, has returned. Moving through the Rocky Mountains and across the border to Montana, the solitary drifter, impoverished in means and aged beyond his years, is also a widower and a father. And he is determined to steal enough money to secure his son’s future. Twelve-year-old Jack Boulton has been left in the care of Sister Beatrice, a formidable nun who keeps him in cloistered seclusion in her grand old house. Though he knows his father is coming for him, the boy longs to return to his family’s cabin, deep in the woods. When Jack finally breaks free, he takes with him something the nun is determined to get back — at any cost. Set against the backdrop of a distant war raging in Europe and a rapidly changing landscape in the West, Gil Adamson’s follow-up to her award-winning debut, The Outlander, is a vivid historical novel that draws from the epic tradition and a literary Western brimming with a cast of unforgettable characters touched with humour and loss, and steeped in the wild of the natural world.



Gabbie Hanna - Dandelion artwork Dandelion
Gabbie Hanna
Genre: Poetry
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: October 13, 2020
Publisher: Atria Books
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

New York Times bestselling author Gabbie Hanna delivers everything from curious musings to gut-wrenching confessionals in her long-awaited sophomore collection of illustrated poetry. This edition includes a collection of uncomfortably honest personal essays about Gabbie’s childhood and relationships. In this visually thrilling installment of the inner-workings of Gabbie’s mind, we’re taken on a journey of self-loathing, self-reflection, and ultimately, self-acceptance through deeply metaphorical imagery, chilling twists on child-like rhymes, and popular turns of phrase turned on their heads. Through raw, provocative tidbits, Dandelion explores what it means to struggle with a declining mental health in a world where mental health is both stigmatized and trivialized. The poems range from topics of rage and despair to downright silliness, so if you don’t know whether to laugh or cry, just laugh until you cry.



Courtney Miller Santo - The Roots of the Olive Tree artwork The Roots of the Olive Tree
A Novel
Courtney Miller Santo
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $2.99
Publish Date: August 07, 2012
Publisher: William Morrow
Seller: Harper Collins Canada Limited

An extraordinary new voice in contemporary woman’s fiction, Courtney Miller Santo makes her magnificent debut with The Roots of the Olive Tree, a novel that will delight fans of Sarah Blake’s The Postmistress, The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, and the works of Kristin Hannah. Set in a house on an olive grove in northern California, The Roots of the Olive Tree is a beautiful, touching story that brings to life five generations of women—including an unforgettable 112-year-old matriarch determined to break all Guinness longevity records—the secrets and lies that divide them and the love that ultimately ties them together.



Jeanine Cummins - American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club) artwork American Dirt (Oprah's Book Club)
A Novel
Jeanine Cummins
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $15.99
Publish Date: January 21, 2020
Publisher: Flatiron Books
Seller: Macmillan

#1 New York Times Bestseller OPRAH’S BOOK CLUB PICK “ Extraordinary .” — Stephen King “This book is not simply the great American novel; it’s the great novel of las Americas . It’s the great world novel! This is the international story of our times. Masterful.” —Sandra Cisneros También de este lado hay sueños. On this side, too, there are dreams . Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable. Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same. Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia —trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte , Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to? American Dirt will leave readers utterly changed. It is a literary achievement filled with poignancy, drama, and humanity on every page. It is one of the most important books for our times. Already being hailed as "a Grapes of Wrath for our times" and "a new American classic," Jeanine Cummins's American Dirt is a rare exploration into the inner hearts of people willing to sacrifice everything for a glimmer of hope.



Kristin Harmel - The Book of Lost Names artwork The Book of Lost Names
Kristin Harmel
Genre: Historical
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: July 21, 2020
Publisher: Gallery Books
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Inspired by an astonishing true story from World War II, a young woman with a talent for forgery helps hundreds of Jewish children flee the Nazis in this unforgettable historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of the “epic and heart-wrenching World War II tale” (Alyson Noel, #1 New York Times bestselling author) The Winemaker’s Wife . Eva Traube Abrams, a semi-retired librarian in Florida, is shelving books one morning when her eyes lock on a photograph in a magazine lying open nearby. She freezes; it’s an image of a book she hasn’t seen in sixty-five years—a book she recognizes as The Book of Lost Names . The accompanying article discusses the looting of libraries by the Nazis across Europe during World War II—an experience Eva remembers well—and the search to reunite people with the texts taken from them so long ago. The book in the photograph, an eighteenth-century religious text thought to have been taken from France in the waning days of the war, is one of the most fascinating cases. Now housed in Berlin’s Zentral- und Landesbibliothek library, it appears to contain some sort of code, but researchers don’t know where it came from—or what the code means. Only Eva holds the answer—but will she have the strength to revisit old memories and help reunite those lost during the war? As a graduate student in 1942, Eva was forced to flee Paris after the arrest of her father, a Polish Jew. Finding refuge in a small mountain town in the Free Zone, she begins forging identity documents for Jewish children fleeing to neutral Switzerland. But erasing people comes with a price, and along with a mysterious, handsome forger named Rémy, Eva decides she must find a way to preserve the real names of the children who are too young to remember who they really are. The records they keep in The Book of Lost Names will become even more vital when the resistance cell they work for is betrayed and Rémy disappears. An engaging and evocative novel reminiscent of The Lost Girls of Paris and The Alice Network , The Book of Lost Names is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the power of bravery and love in the face of evil.



Brit Bennett - The Vanishing Half artwork The Vanishing Half
A Novel
Brit Bennett
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: June 02, 2020
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD  A GOOD MORNING AMERICA Book Club Pick  “Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel,  The Bluest Eye.”  —Kiley Reid,  Wall Street Journal   “ A story of absolute, universal timelessness …For any era, it's an accomplished, affecting novel. For this moment, it's piercing, subtly wending its way toward questions about who we are and who we want to be….” – Entertainment Weekly From  The   New York Times -bestselling author of  The Mothers , a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing . Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. As with her New York Times -bestselling debut The Mothers , Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.



Sam Hepburn - Gone Before artwork Gone Before
A twisty and completely gripping psychological thriller
Sam Hepburn
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $1.99
Publish Date: October 12, 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Seller: StoryFire Ltd

‘My name is Phoebe Locklear. I think I’m your daughter.’ I rehearse the words as I walk up the path, clutching a faded old photograph of a little girl with thick dark hair. When I knock, the door opens, and there she is: the woman I believe is my mother. The woman whose five-year-old daughter disappeared fifteen years ago. Had I known what would happen next, would I have knocked on that door? Would I take back the lives I’ve destroyed? But now that I’ve started, there’s no going back. I can’t stop until I find out who I really am. Even if the truth could kill me. Addictive, nail-biting and utterly unputdownable, Gone Before  asks what happens when your whole life turns out to be a lie. Perfect for fans of Mark Edwards, Gone Girl  and  The Silent Patient. What readers are saying about Gone Before: ‘ Moly!!! Sam Hepburn can WRITE! Gone Before kept me so gripped from the first page right through to the last … loved every minute of it! I loved the character development. I loved not knowing who to trust… I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough! Definite 5 stars from me!’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘I can’t remember when I last read a book with so many twists and turns. Wow !... This book kept me captivated, and I had to finish it in one go … This was the first book by Sam Hepburn I’ve read, but it won’t be the last.’ The World is Ours to Read , ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ After the first two chapters I was hooked! 60% through I was enchanted. This is one of those suspenseful, addictive stories that has to be read in one sitting .’ Netgalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ Exquisite. Perfect from start to finish. Addictive. Charged. Suspenseful. A masterpiece . Highly recommend this to everyone. Five stars are not enough. One of the best thrillers I have ever read .' Renita D’Silva, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ This is a 5 star book … well plotted, stunningly written, fast paced … Completely unpredictable . Every time I thought I knew where the book was taking me I was wrong and I couldn't put the book down .’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ From the first chapter I just knew I was going to love this twisty thriller . This is a must read for fans of psychological thriller books.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ An absolutely fantastic read … both gripping and addictive … the author has definitely kept me guessing. A definite five-star read, I highly recommend this book . ’ Little Miss Book Lover 87 , ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ This is the first book I've read from this author and I can't wait to read more. A psychological thriller full of twist. Stunningly written, fast paced, addictive from start to finish .’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ This is a terrific book! Took my interest from page 1 and I read it in a day , really well written and a fab page turner!’ Netgalley Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ Caught my attention from the first page and all I wanted to do was keep reading to the end … Sam Hepburn is a new author for me and I definitely will be checking out more by her.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ An intensely emotional domestic thriller with many twists and turns … Superbly plotted, this novel will have you alternatively rooting for Phoebe and for Kay. Definitely a novel that I shall recommend and pass on to my friends! ’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ I loved this … I love books with a good twist and this had more than its fair share. Kept me going through the early hours of a sleepless night .’ I’m Reading , ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘ Grabbed hold of me and whenever I wasn’t reading it, I was desperate to get back to it . A great read which I thoroughly enjoyed.’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Great book, loved all the twists and turns . Certainly kept me up at night trying to race towards the end .’ Goodreads Reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐  



Emma Donoghue - The Pull of the Stars artwork The Pull of the Stars
A Novel
Emma Donoghue
Genre: Historical
Price: $16.99
Publish Date: July 21, 2020
Publisher: HarperAvenue
Seller: Harper Collins Canada Limited

Dublin, 1918: three days in a maternity ward at the height of the Great Flu. A small world of work, risk, death and unlooked-for love, by the bestselling author of The Wonder and ROOM. In an Ireland doubly ravaged by war and disease, Nurse Julia Power works at an understaffed hospital in the city center, where expectant mothers who have come down with the terrible new Flu are quarantined together. Into Julia’s regimented world step two outsiders—Doctor Kathleen Lynn, on the run from the police, and a young volunteer helper, Bridie Sweeney. In the darkness and intensity of this tiny ward, over three days, these women change each other’s lives in unexpected ways. They lose patients to this baffling pandemic, but they also shepherd new life into a fearful world. With tireless tenderness and humanity, carers and mothers alike somehow do their impossible work. In The Pull of the Stars, Emma Donoghue once again finds the light in the darkness in this new classic of hope and survival against all odds. 



Suzanne Kelman - When We Were Brave artwork When We Were Brave
A completely gripping and emotional WW2 historical novel
Suzanne Kelman
Genre: Literary
Price: $4.99
Publish Date: February 24, 2020
Publisher: Bookouture
Seller: StoryFire Ltd

The face of the woman in the photograph was tilted upwards, as if enjoying the sunshine just for a moment, even as the wreckage of the bombed-out street lay behind her… 1944, Cornwall: Blinded by love, Vivienne Hamilton eloped to Paris with a Nazi prisoner-of-war, never to be seen again. A disgrace to her family, her name would not be mentioned by any of her relatives for over 75 years. Present day, London: When Sophie discovers a photograph of her great aunt Vivi from World War Two, it throws her into a world of confusion. Because, as she learns about this secret relative, she quickly realises that the photograph doesn’t fit with her family’s story. It shows Vivi leaving an address associated with a spy network in London – a place she had no reason to be – and it is dated right before she disappeared. Meanwhile Sophie’s own life feels as blasted and bombed as the blitzed city in the photograph she’s looking at. Her beautiful daughter – as full of joy and wild energy as Vivi had apparently once been – is gone; and Sophie’s heart has been left broken into pieces. Retreating to the family home in rural Cornwall to seek solace from her pain and the feelings of guilt that she could have done more to protect her daughter, Sophie finds herself becoming obsessed with Vivi’s life. But nothing can prepare Sophie for what she is about to uncover – the story of a woman who risked everything for the person she loved the most; and a secret family history that could be the key to Sophie’s own future. A powerful, haunting and unforgettable read about love, heartbreak and betrayal set in Second World War Britain and France. Perfect for fans of The Nightingale , Beneath a Scarlet Sky and My Name is Eva. Readers love When We Were Brave : ‘ Wow! Just wow! This book kept me on the edge of my seat right from the get-go !... [An] amazing story.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘Fantastic… Historical fiction at its best. Characters that you fall in love with, a story you will hate to end .’ NetGalley Reviewer   ‘ Totally captivating … About the bravery of the silent heroes of WWII, the secret agents who intercepted codes… A wonderful, compelling story that will grip you to the very end, it will break your heart but it will also leave you with a sense of gratitude for these selfless individuals. I can't stop thinking about this story .’ Krafti Reader , 5 stars ‘I [am] hooked on this FANTASTIC author. When We Were Brave is another OUTSTANDING piece of fantastic writing … I have nothing but total admiration.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars   ‘ Mesmerising and captivated me with every turn of the page… Absolutely heart-breaking… Filled with sadness, love, courage and sacrifice – I couldn’t put this book down.’ Stardust Book Reviews , 5 stars   ‘ A heartbreaking tale of war, love, loss, betrayal and courage .’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘ Oh my goodness I loved this book!!! … A beautifully woven time-slip novel… This story and its characters will stay with me .’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars ‘ I LOVED THIS BOOK! … Vivi is a fierce heroine and represents the bravery that everyone had to have during the war… I recommend this book to everyone that loves historical fiction .’ NetGalley Reviewer, 5 stars ‘A truly heartbreaking and inspirational read. I was gripped from page one and literally flew through the pages .’ Jaynie’s Book Reviews , 5 stars ‘ After reading When We Were Brave [Suzanne Kelman] is officially added to my autobuy author list … For a book to bring tears to my eyes it has to be amazing... I highly recommend this one to anyone who loves WWII fiction and even those that normally do not … You will not be disappointed.’ Goodreads Reviewer, 5 stars



Fredrik Backman - Anxious People artwork Anxious People
Fredrik Backman
Genre: Literary
Price: $13.99
Publish Date: September 08, 2020
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Seller: Simon & Schuster Canada

#1 New York Times bestseller From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and “writer of astonishing depth” ( The Washington Times ) comes a poignant comedy about a crime that never took place, a would-be bank robber who disappears into thin air, and eight extremely anxious strangers who find they have more in common than they ever imagined. Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths. First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle , an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car. As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people. Rich with Fredrik Backman’s “pitch-perfect dialogue and an unparalleled understanding of human nature” ( Shelf Awareness ), Anxious People ’s whimsical plot serves up unforgettable insights into the human condition and a gentle reminder to be compassionate to all the anxious people we encounter every day.



Rumaan Alam - Leave the World Behind artwork Leave the World Behind
A Novel
Rumaan Alam
Genre: Family
Price: $17.99
Publish Date: October 06, 2020
Publisher: Ecco
Seller: Harper Collins Canada Limited

A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! Finalist for the 2020 National Book Award (Fiction) A Recommended Book From: Vogue * TIME * The Washington Post * Buzzfeed * The Boston Globe * The Wall Street Journal * Vulture * Newsweek * NY Observer *  Refinery29 * The New York Post * Town & Country * Parade * The Millions * PopSugar * AARP * Publishers Weekly * Apartment Therapy * AV Club * Kirkus *  LA Mag * BookPage * Alma * Lit Hub * The Week A magnetic novel about two families, strangers to each other, who are forced together on a long weekend gone terribly wrong. From the bestselling author of Rich and Pretty comes a suspenseful and provocative novel keenly attuned to the complexities of parenthood, race, and class. Leave the World Behind explores how our closest bonds are reshaped—and unexpected new ones are forged—in moments of crisis. Amanda and Clay head out to a remote corner of Long Island expecting a vacation: a quiet reprieve from life in New York City, quality time with their teenage son and daughter, and a taste of the good life in the luxurious home they’ve rented for the week. But a late-night knock on the door breaks the spell. Ruth and G. H. are an older couple—it’s their house, and they’ve arrived in a panic. They bring the news that a sudden blackout has swept the city. But in this rural area—with the TV and internet now down, and no cell phone service—it’s hard to know what to believe. Should Amanda and Clay trust this couple—and vice versa? What happened back in New York? Is the vacation home, isolated from civilization, a truly safe place for their families? And are they safe from one other? 



Ken Follett - The Pillars of the Earth artwork The Pillars of the Earth
A Novel
Ken Follett
Genre: Historical
Price: $10.99
Publish Date: July 09, 1990
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Seller: Penguin Random House Canada

#1 New York Times Bestseller Oprah's Book Club Selection The “extraordinary . . . monumental masterpiece” ( Booklist ) that changed the course of Ken Follett’s already phenomenal career—and begins where its prequel,  The Evening and the Morning , ended. “Follett risks all and comes out a clear winner,” extolled  Publishers Weekly  on the release of  The Pillars of the Earth . A departure for the bestselling thriller writer, the historical epic stunned readers and critics alike with its ambitious scope and gripping humanity. Today, it stands as a testament to Follett’s unassailable command of the written word and to his universal appeal.    The Pillars of the Earth  tells the story of Philip, prior of Kingsbridge, a devout and resourceful monk driven to build the greatest Gothic cathedral the world has known . . . of Tom, the mason who becomes his architect—a man divided in his soul . . . of the beautiful, elusive Lady Aliena, haunted by a secret shame . . . and of a struggle between good and evil that will turn church against state and brother against brother.   A spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England, this is Ken Follett’s historical masterpiece.



David Wong - Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick artwork Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick
A Novel
David Wong
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Price: $15.99
Publish Date: October 13, 2020
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group
Seller: Macmillan

New York Times bestselling author David Wong's Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick is the latest—and arguably greatest—sci-fi thriller in the Zoey Ashe Series. In the futuristic city of Tabula Ra$a, Zoey Ashe is like a fish so far out of water that it has achieved orbit. After inheriting a criminal empire, the twenty-three year-old finds herself under threat from all sides as a rogue's gallery of larger-than-life enemies think they smell weakness. On the eve of the world's most lavish and ridiculous Halloween celebration, a steamer trunk-sized box arrives at Zoey's door and she is shocked to find that it contains a disemboweled corpse. She is even more shocked when that corpse, controlled by an unknown party, rises and goes on a rampage through the house. Speaking in an electronic voice, it publicly accuses Zoey of being its murderer. This is the kind of thing that almost never happened at her old job. The city was already a ticking time bomb of publicity-hungry vigilantes with superhuman enhancements and Zoey knows this turn of events is unlikely to improve the situation. Now, she and her team of high-tech tricksters have to solve this bizarre murder while simultaneously keeping Tabula Ra$a from descending into chaos. “Biting humor and blatant digs at modern society overlay a subtly brilliant and thoughtful plot” ( Publishers Weekly ) in John Dies at the End author David Wong’s first installment of the Zoey Ashe Series, Futuristic Violence and Fancy Suits . Now, “one of today’s great satirists” ( Nerdist ) is back with Zoey Punches the Future in the Dick , the second installment in a “Technicolor tomorrowland.” ( Kirkus Reviews )