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The animals of Manor Farm have revolted and taken over. Upon the death of Old Major, pigs Snowball and Napoleon lead a revolt against Mr. Jones, driving him from the farm. The animals embrace the Seven Commandments of Animalism and life carries on, but they learn that a farm ruled by animals looks more human than ever. |
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The New York Times bestseller—for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz! Three women. One daring mission. 1946. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal, Grace Healey finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Inside is a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, leader of a network of female secret agents deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal. In this riveting story inspired by true events, Pam Jenoff weaves a tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances. Don’t miss Pam Jenoff’s new novel, Last Twilight in Paris, a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about love and survival. Read these other sweeping epics from New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff: Code Name Sapphire  The Woman with the Blue Star The Orphan’s Tale The Ambassador’s Daughter The Diplomat’s Wife The Last Summer at Chelsea Beach The Kommandant’s Girl The Winter Guest |
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Discover the BRAND-NEW page-turner from the #1, multi-million copy Bestselling Author Shari Low As dawn breaks, four people are planning journeys that could change their lives forever… Kara McIntyre is supposed to be jetting off to her destination wedding in Hawaii. However, a last-minute hitch appears to have left her without a job, home and, more importantly, a fiancé. TV sensation Ollie Chiles and Kara always have each other’s backs. But when his wife goes viral in a compromising clinch with another man, Ollie must choose between supporting his best friend in her hour of need or going home to save his marriage. Alice Brookes is flying away to a new life after surviving a horrendous marriage and a very public scandal... until a stranger brings a letter from the past that could change everything. After saying goodbye to someone he loves, Zac Conlan should be heading back to Dublin. Now a shocking discovery is threatening to change his plans and his future. When weather delays their flights, Kara, Ollie, Alice and Zac discover that storms are brewing… and the turbulence is about to shake their worlds. Perfect for the fans of Jojo Moyes, Beth Moran and Debbie Howells PRAISE FOR ONE DAY AND FOREVER ‘Beautiful. I loved it!' - Amanda Prowse 'Another winner from Shari Low. Warning: Do not start a Shari Low book until you have time to read it without stopping.' - Reader Review 'Shari Low does it again - a fun and fizzing tale of friendship, lost love, trust and hope - an easy five stars from me' - Zoe Folbigg ' Shari Low has completely done it again. Finished it with a smile on my lips.' - Reader Review 'I was hooked from the first line. FIVE stars!’ – Debbie Viggiano 'AMAZING. Once again Shari did not disappoint. This is a brilliant read which was devoured in less than 24 hours. Great new story with much loved characters from previous books intertwined.' - Reader Review '‘Feel-good and fabulous, another smasher from Shari Low, I didn’t want the story to end’ - Samantha Tonge 'Another awesome tale. I couldn't stop reading this story and zoomed through to the awesome ending. I love these one whole day stories and the complexity that Shari welds into them all' - Reader Review Cleverly plotted with wonderfully warm characters & plenty of surprises!' - Helen Rolfe |
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A REESE’S BOOK CLUB PICK | A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “ Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall is an unforgettable story of love, loss, and the choices that shape our lives…but it’s also a masterfully crafted mystery that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Seriously, that ending?! I did not see it coming.” —Reese Witherspoon “Stirring and mysterious…fires directly at the human heart and hits the mark.” —Delia Owens, New York Times bestselling author of Where the Crawdads Sing A love triangle unearths dangerous, deadly secrets from the past in this thrilling tale perfect for fans of The Paper Palace and Where the Crawdads Sing . “The farmer is dead. He is dead, and all anyone wants to know is who killed him.” Beth and her gentle, kind husband Frank are happily married, but their relationship relies on the past staying buried. But when Beth’s brother-in-law shoots a dog going after their sheep, Beth doesn’t realize that the gunshot will alter the course of their lives. For the dog belonged to none other than Gabriel Wolfe, the man Beth loved as a teenager—the man who broke her heart years ago. Gabriel has returned to the village with his young son Leo, a boy who reminds Beth very much of her own son, who died in a tragic accident. As Beth is pulled back into Gabriel’s life, tensions around the village rise and dangerous secrets and jealousies from the past resurface, this time with deadly consequences. Beth is forced to make a choice between the woman she once was, and the woman she has become. A sweeping love story with the pace and twists of a thriller, Broken Country is a novel of simmering passion, impossible choices, and explosive consequences that toggles between the past and present to explore the far-reaching legacy of first love. |
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A #1 bestseller on The New York Times, USA Today, Washington Post, and Los Angeles Times! From the celebrated author of The Nightingale and The Four Winds comes Kristin Hannah's T he Women —at once an intimate portrait of coming of age in a dangerous time and an epic tale of a nation divided. Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam. The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era. |
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“As intricate and absorbing as a Van Gogh painting…MRS VAN GOGH will stay with me for a long time.” New York Times bestseller Hazel Gaynor “All the characters jump off the page…what we have here is a very fine novel.” Historical Novel Society She’s been painted out of history…until now Who tells her story? In 1890, Vincent Van Gogh dies penniless, unknown, a man tortured by his own mind. Eleven years later his work is exhibited in Paris and his unparalleled talent finally recognised. The tireless efforts of one woman gave the world one of its greatest creative minds. But twenty-eight year old Johanna Van Gogh-Bonger, Vincent’s sister-in-law and the keeper of his immense collection of paintings, sketches and letters, has, until now, been written out of history. This beautiful, moving novel finally gives this extraordinary woman a voice… Praise for Mrs Van Gogh: “[A] brilliantly fictionalized account of the life of a woman who the world needs to know better” Lit Hub “What an exquisitely written book, I loved every moment! How lucky readers are going to be to read this utterly absorbing and deeply moving book for the first time. Such a treat!” USA Today bestseller Deborah Carr “A truly impressive book and a great talent.” Sunday Times bestseller Caroline Corcoran “Brings to vivid life an extraordinary woman… will appeal to all lovers of historical fiction. A story that deserves to be told and widely known.” Essie Fox ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This book is exquisite! Everything about Johanna's story is astoundingly beautiful and hers is a story that needed to be told, a voice that deserved to be heard” ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A beautifully done historical novel, it was so well written and did everything that I was hoping for” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ “A beautifully written historical novel… Johanna was ahead of her time and the author portrayed her authentically” ⭐⭐⭐⭐“Historical fiction at its best. A well-written story about a strong woman with a fascinating life” ⭐⭐⭐⭐ “The author paints a beautiful picture…If you enjoy historical fiction and you like strong female characters, I highly recommend” Reviews Praise for Caroline Cauchi writing as Caroline Smailes: ‘Magical, weird, wonderful’ Matt Haig ‘Witty and touching’ Guardian ‘Haunting, heartfelt and beautiful’ Chris Cleave ‘I loved it, so good!’ Carrie Hope Fletcher About the author Caroline Cauchi is an international bestselling novelist. Her writing seeks to give voice to silenced yet remarkable women, reimagining the stories of those erased from historical narratives. In 2023, her novel Mrs Van Gogh was published in multiple countries and selected as a Heather’s Picks title in Canada. Currently lecturing in Creative Writing at the University of Hull, Caroline lives in the UK with her partner and their many children. |
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Young Rachel Kalama, growing up in idyllic Honolulu in the 1890s, is part of a big, loving Hawaiian family, and dreams of seeing the far-off lands that her father, a merchant seaman, often visits. But at the age of seven, Rachel and her dreams are shattered by the discovery that she has leprosy. Forcibly removed from her family, she is sent to Kalaupapa, the isolated leper colony on the island of Moloka'i. In her exile she finds a family of friends to replace the family she's lost: a native healer, Haleola, who becomes her adopted "auntie" and makes Rachel aware of the rich culture and mythology of her people; Sister Mary Catherine Voorhies, one of the Franciscan sisters who care for young girls at Kalaupapa; and the beautiful, worldly Leilani, who harbors a surprising secret. At Kalaupapa she also meets the man she will one day marry. True to historical accounts, Moloka'i is the story of an extraordinary human drama, the full scope and pathos of which has never been told before in fiction. But Rachel's life, though shadowed by disease, isolation, and tragedy, is also one of joy, courage, and dignity. This is a story about life, not death; hope, not despair. It is not about the failings of flesh, but the strength of the human spirit. |
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A truly uplifting, and unforgettable read from NUMBER ONE bestselling author Beth Moran. A total joy of a book! Perfect for all fans of Shari Low, Jill Mansell and Lucy Diamond One photo and a handful of letters can change everything. Emmie Brown has always known she was adopted. Nellie Brown sacrificed everything to make their life together comfortable and, while not the most demonstrative or warm woman, Emmie never doubted her devotion. But, when Emmie finds a stash of letters and a hidden photo after her mother’s death, everything she has believed changes in an instant. And she won’t be able to rest until she finds the mysterious ‘G’ who sent the letters. Emmie’s quest takes her to the breathtakingly beautiful Isle of Siskin and into the home of the gregarious, fiercely loyal Hawkins family. After an isolated and introverted life, the burst of colour and noise is overwhelming. But soon Emmie feels her heart begin to open, her mind begin to dream. And as her friendship with kind and gorgeous islander Pip Hawkins gets closer, endless possible futures draw into focus. But the discovery of ‘G’s true identity will mean Emmie has to choose. One of her choices would mean revealing secrets hidden for decades, one could lead to happiness, but both will need Emmie to be braver than she’s ever been… An unputdownable read guaranteed to make you smile. Readers love Beth Moran: ‘This was such an engaging read – emotional at times, sometimes painful, but ultimately so wonderfully uplifting and filled with hope. One I’d very much recommend to others – and the author’s writing just continues to get better and better with every book.’ ‘Beth Moran has done it again, she has written a another book that had me running through all my emotions, she always somehow manages to pull me through the wringer when I come out the other side I feel warm and uplifted.’ ‘An absolutely compelling, addictive heart lifting and heart breaking emotional read that kept me turning the pages until late at night. I absolutely devoured it in one sitting and then was gutted I had finished it so quickly but there was no way I could put it down!!’ ‘I realized one day a while back that I’ve read nearly everything Beth Moran has had published. And why? Because she’s a great writer of imperfect people learning to navigate this imperfect world.’ ‘I highly recommend this author as someone who writes beguiling fiction so well, that you really wish it was real life & that the characters had a chance of becoming your best friends. My only regret was that I wished it had been a longer read, as I didn’t want it to end.’ Praise for Beth Moran: 'Beth Moran's heartwarming books never fail to leave me feeling uplifted' Jessica Redland 'Let it Snow is so uplifting. It's cleverly written, witty and smart. A winner!' USA Today Bestseller, Judy Leigh ‘Life-affirming, joyful and tender.’ Zoe Folbigg 'Every day is a perfect day to read this.’ Shari Low |
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In this magical debut, a couple's lives are changed forever by the arrival of a little girl, wild and secretive, on their snowy doorstep. Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart -- he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season's first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone -- but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees. This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them. |
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'A stunning tale about sisters, courage, and sacrifice that will keep you enthralled until the very last page' ANDIE NEWTON 'Really brought a lump to my throat. It has stayed with me since finishing it' SUZANNE GOLDRING 'They were there for each other during the war just like the lighthouse, a source of hope and protection over the years.' 1940: For sisters Alice and Jenny life is just beginning when the Nazis seize control of the island of Jersey, driving the girls down separate paths. While Alice is forced by the enemy to work in the German hospital, Jenny is attracted to the circle of islanders rising up to resist the occupiers. And as the war tightens its grip, it will cause each of the sisters to make an extraordinary choice, experience unimaginable heartbreak and emerge forever changed... 1996: The war may have ended decades earlier, but for the elegant woman sitting alone now, the images live on in her memory: her sister's carefree laughter, the inky black of a German soldier's boots, the little boats that never came back. And the one constant through it all: the lighthouse that always guided them back to the island... A gripping, heartbreaking story of two sisters in occupied Jersey during WWII - one a nurse, who is transported to Nazi Germany, the other, who volunteers for the island's resistance movement - from the author of The Child on Platform One . Perfect for readers of The Nightingale and The Midwife of Auschwitz. ______ What real readers are saying about The Lighthouse Sisters : ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'What an emotional read, I felt like I was actually living along the characters , I absolutely loved this book' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'I was gripped. I couldn't put it down. Heart-wrenching at times and so full of hope and resilience at others.' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ' A real page-turner' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A wonderful read from the first page' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'A beautifully written tale' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Plenty of excitement , heartwarming and gut wrenching moments' ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Emotional and compelling' |
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From the million-copy bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop 'A delicious book that I couldn’t resist devouring in one sitting. It was a delight to lose myself in the world of Edie and the mysterious baker. I would recommend to pastry lovers and book lovers alike!' Sally Page, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Keeper of Stories Nestled among the cobblestone streets of Compiègne, there existed a bakery unlike any other. Rumours were whispered through the town that its pastries offered a taste of magic, chasing away the darkest of sorrows. Just one bite of a croissant might bring luck, unlock a precious memory or reveal hidden longings. But dark clouds were looming on the horizon… For Edie Lane, a recipe for disaster doesn’t require that many ingredients. Take an unhealthy amount of wishful thinking and a sprinkle of desperation and that’s how Edie left everything behind in Ireland for her dream job at a bakery in Paris. Except the bakery isn’t in Paris – and neither is Edie. This might not be where Edie intended to be but she soon realizes it's exactly where she needs to be… Praise for Evie Woods ‘Beautifully written and captures the wonder and awe that a story can bring to its reader…a delightful story for any book lover…an ode to storytelling and the connections that books can make!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Wowwww!! It’s been awhile since I read something so fascinating, captivating and special all in one…It takes you on a journey like most books do, but this one, I just want to inscribe on my back and hope that it becomes a part of me so that I can carry it with me always’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A must read for readers that love books’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A beautiful story that begs to be read in one sitting…a magical story filled with beautiful prose and many surprises that readers will not soon forget’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This spellbinding book hooked me from the very beginning and I couldn't put it down til the end’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ About the author Evie Woods is the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Lost Bookshop, the #1 Wall Street Journal and Amazon Kindle bestseller, which has now sold over a million copies. Living on the West Coast of Ireland, Evie escapes the inclement weather by writing her stories in a converted attic, where she dreams of underfloor heating. Her books tread the intriguing line between the everyday and the otherworldly, revealing the magic that exists in our ordinary lives. |
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An instant classic and eerily prescient cultural phenomenon, from “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” ( New York Times ). Now an award-winning Hulu series starring Elizabeth Moss. In this multi-award-winning, bestselling novel, Margaret Atwood has created a stunning Orwellian vision of the near future. This is the story of Offred, one of the unfortunate “Handmaids” under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred’ s persistent memories of life in the “time before” and her will to survive are acts of rebellion. Provocative, startling, prophetic, and with Margaret Atwood’s devastating irony, wit, and acute perceptive powers in full force, The Handmaid’s Tale is at once a mordant satire and a dire warning. |
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An astonishing novel about redemption and forgiveness from the “amazingly talented writer” ( HuffPost ) and #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult. Some stories live forever... Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t. Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths to which we will go in order to keep the past from dictating the future. |
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Chaque jour, Millie fait le ménage dans la belle maison des Winchester, une riche famille new-yorkaise. Elle récupère aussi leur fille à l'école et prépare les repas avant d'aller se coucher dans sa chambre, au grenier. Pour la jeune femme, ce nouveau travail est une chance inespérée. L'occasion de repartir de zéro. Mais, sous des dehors respectables, sa patronne se montre de plus en plus instable et toxique. Et puis il y a aussi cette rumeur dérangeante qui court dans le quartier : madame Winchester aurait tenté de noyer sa fille il y a quelques années. Heureusement, le gentil et séduisant monsieur Winchester est là pour rendre la situation supportable. Mais le danger se tapit parfois sous des apparences trompeuses. Et lorsque Millie découvre que la porte de sa chambre mansardée ne ferme que de l'extérieur, il est peut-être déjà trop tard... |
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A “vivid, unsentimental, powerful” portrait of a Southern marriage by the New York Times –bestselling author of Ellen Foster ( Publishers Weekly ).   “She hasn’t been dead four months and I’ve already eaten to the bottom of the deep freeze. I even ate the green peas. Used to I wouldn’t turn my hand over for green peas . . .”   Ruby Stokes has died too young and left her husband, Blinking Jack, behind. With alternating entries from each of them, A Virtuous Woman recounts the tale of their years together in an “exquisitely realised piece of writing” (Elizabeth Buchan, The Mail on Sunday ).   From their very different backgrounds—Ruby a daughter of wealth, Jack a penniless tenant farmer—to their relationships with their landlord and his family, and the strength they drew from each other in the face of hardship, this story of a marriage is “full of fantastically gritty metaphors . . . A book that will change your dreams” ( The Observer ).   “Gibbons again flawlessly reproduces the humor and idiom of rural eastern North Carolina.” — Library Journal |
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"Au moment où s’ouvre ce livre, je romps une promesse. Lorsque je l’ai faite, c’est idiot, j’étais sûre que je la tiendrais. Enfin, idiot, je ne sais pas. La moindre des choses, quand on fait une promesse, n’est-ce pas d’y croire ?" Que s’est-il passé avec son compagnon pour que la romancière Claire Lancel doive se défendre devant un tribunal ? Au fil du récit, elle raconte comment elle s’est peu à peu laissé entraîner dans une histoire faite de manipulations et de mensonges. Dans ce roman haletant comme un thriller, Camille Laurens questionne le narcissisme contemporain, l’absence d’empathie, et se demande comment sauver l’amour de ses illusions. Elle nous invite à le célébrer et à le vivre, au-delà des promesses trahies. |
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A poignant and tender story of love, loss, passion, and the fragile threads that bind families together from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Women . “A beautifully simple, deeply compassionate story.”—Diana Gabaldon Annie Colwater's only child has just left home for school abroad. On that same day, her husband of twenty years confesses that he's in love with a younger woman. Alone in the house that is no longer a home, Annie comes to the painful realization that for years she has been slowly disappearing. Lonely and afraid, she retreats to Mystic, the small Washington town where she grew up, hoping that there she can reclaim the woman she once was—the woman she is now desperate to become again. In Mystic, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower unable to cope with his grieving, too-silent six-year-old daughter, Izzie. Together, the three of them begin to heal, and, at last, Annie learns that she can love without losing herself. But just when she has found a second chance at happiness, her life is turned upside down again, and Annie must make a choice no woman should have to make. . . . Praise for On Mystic Lake “Marvelous . . . a touching love story . . . You know a book is a winner when you devour it in one evening and hope there’s a sequel. . . . This page-turner has enough twists and turns to keep the reader up until the wee hours of the morning.” — USA Today “Superb . . . I’ll heartily recommend On Mystic Lake to any woman . . . who demands that a story leave her in a satisfied glow.” — The Washington Post Book World “A luminescent story . . . Kristin Hannah touches the deepest, most tender corners of our hearts.” —Tami Hoag “Excellent . . . On Mystic Lake is an emotional experience you won’t soon forget.” — Rocky Mountain News “Propels readers forward to the final chapter.” — The Seattle Times |
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Tout juste arrivés au camping du lac aux Sables, Max, Laurence et Charlie sont enchantés par la beauté des lieux et se promettent des vacances de rêve. Pendant que la petite Charlie court se baigner, ses parents ouvrent une bouteille et trinquent à l’été. Puis un incident survient, qui fait pâlir le soleil, suivi d’un deuxième incident tournant à l’engueulade. Dans sa colère, Max insiste alors pour repartir aussitôt. Mais il fait nuit, l’orage gronde, ils sont distraits et prennent la mauvaise direction, enfonçant leur énorme VR dans un étroit chemin forestier qui les mènera vers l’horreur. Dans ce roman au suspense haletant, Andrée A. Michaud déploie tout son talent afin de nous faire ressentir l’effroi de cette famille que le hasard entraîne dans une spirale sans fin. |
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A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick A propulsive and uncommonly wise novel about one unexpected wedding guest and the surprising people who help her start anew. It’s a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She’s immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she’s actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn’t here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she’s dreamed of coming for years—she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she’s here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan—which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can’t stop confiding in each other. In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach’s The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined—and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us. |
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Weather and creaking joints permitting, Jim Hawkins could be found every weekend sitting in that rocker right outside the Manix Store in Augusta, whittling and spitting. But Jim Hawkins didn’t say much. Few knew what age Jim Hawkins might own up to, but Big Clem Ellis said he’d heard that Jim Hawkins was fifty years old, which might explain why his hair was so gray, or why he needed a scarred hickory cane to push himself out of that rocking chair, especially when it got cold, and it got bitter cold in Augusta. Especially the past winter. Folks figured the Chinooks would never get there, and the warm winds didn’t arrive in time for many farmers. Come spring, homesteaders by the score gave up, saying good-bye to their mortgages, the unforgiving wind, and forlorn dreams. Still, Jim Hawkins said hardly anything. Ever. That’s how Henry Lancaster felt. That all changed when Jim Hawkins took Henry along on a scouting trip. The man who so rarely talked told his grandson how it was during that winter he could so clearly remember, the winter of 1866. Now that was a hard winter, harder than anyone living could remember, and harder than any winter since |
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NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • GMA BOOK CLUB PICK • AN NPR BOOK OF THE YEAR • From the New York Times bestselling author of I Was Anastasia and Code Name Hélène comes a gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history. "Fans of Outlander ’s Claire Fraser will enjoy Lawhon’s Martha, who is brave and outspoken when it comes to protecting the innocent. . . impressive." —The Washington Post "Once again, Lawhon works storytelling magic with a real-life heroine." —People Magazine Maine, 1789: When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community. Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own. Over the course of one winter, as the trial nears, and whispers and prejudices mount, Martha doggedly pursues the truth. Her diary soon lands at the center of the scandal, implicating those she loves, and compelling Martha to decide where her own loyalties lie. Clever, layered, and subversive, Ariel Lawhon’s newest offering introduces an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice at a time when women were considered best seen and not heard. The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense, and tender story about a remarkable woman who left an unparalleled legacy yet remains nearly forgotten to this day. |
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A senior citizens’ center and a daycare collide with hilarious results in the new ensemble comedy from the New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project When Lydia takes a job running a Senior Citizen’s Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she’ll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards. The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia’s expecting. From Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, these seniors look deceptively benign—but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide. When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the Social Club joins forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door—as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog—to save the building. Together, this group’s unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don’t catch up with them first. |
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“Vonnegut is George Orwell, Dr. Caligari and Flash Gordon compounded into one writer . . . a zany but moral mad scientist.”— Time Mother Night is a daring challenge to our moral sense. American Howard W. Campbell, Jr., a spy during World War II, is now on trial in Israel as a Nazi war criminal. But is he really guilty? In this brilliant book rife with true gallows humor, Vonnegut turns black and white into a chilling shade of gray with a verdict that will haunt us all. “A great artist.”— Cincinnati Enquirer “A shaking up in the kaleidoscope of laughter . . . Reading Vonnegut is addictive!”— Commonweal |
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#1 New York Times Instant Bestseller In Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone , a desperate family seeks a new beginning in the near-isolated wilderness of Alaska only to find that their unpredictable environment is less threatening than the erratic behavior found in human nature. Alaska, 1974. Ernt Allbright came home from the Vietnam War a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes the impulsive decision to move his wife and daughter north where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier. Cora will do anything for the man she loves, even if means following him into the unknown. Thirteen-year-old Leni, caught in the riptide of her parents’ passionate, stormy relationship, has little choice but to go along, daring to hope this new land promises her family a better future. In a wild, remote corner of Alaska, the Allbrights find a fiercely independent community of strong men and even stronger women. The long, sunlit days and the generosity of the locals make up for the newcomers’ lack of preparation and dwindling resources. But as winter approaches and darkness descends, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Leni and her mother learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. |
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A Most Anticipated Book by Real Simple ∙ SheReads ∙ BookBub ∙ and more! Inspired by a remarkable true story, a young teacher evacuates children to safety across perilous waters, in a moving and triumphant new novel from New York Times bestselling author Hazel Gaynor.   1940, Kent : Alice King is not brave or daring—she’s happiest finding adventure through the safe pages of books. But times of war demand courage, and as the threat of German invasion looms, a plane crash near her home awakens a strength in Alice she’d long forgotten. Determined to do her part, she finds a role perfectly suited to her experience as a schoolteacher—to help evacuate Britain’s children overseas.   1940, London : Lily Nichols once dreamed of using her mathematical talents for more than tabulating the cost of groceries, but life, and love, charted her a different course. With two lively children and a loving husband, Lily’s humble home is her world, until war tears everything asunder. With her husband gone and bombs raining down, Lily is faced with an impossible choice: keep her son and daughter close, knowing she may not be able to protect them, or enroll them in a risky evacuation scheme, where safety awaits so very far away.   When a Nazi U-boat torpedoes the S. S. Carlisle carrying a ship of children to Canada, a single lifeboat is left adrift in the storm-tossed Atlantic. Alice and Lily, strangers to each other—one on land, the other at sea—will quickly become one another’s very best hope as their lives are fatefully entwined. |
