From the beloved Pulitzer Prize-winning author--now in the fiftieth year of her remarkable career--a brilliantly observed, joyful and wrenching, funny and true new novel that reveals, as only she can, the very nature of a family's life.
"It was a beautiful, breezy, yellow-and-green afternoon." This is the way Abby Whitshank always begins the story of how she fell in love with Red that day in July 1959. The whole family--their two daughters and two sons, their grandchildren, even their faithful old dog--is on the porch, listening contentedly as Abby tells the tale they have heard so many times before. And yet this gathering is different too: Abby and Red are growing older, and decisions must be made about how best to look after them, and the fate of the house so lovingly built by Red's father.
Brimming with the luminous insight, humor, and compassion that are Anne Tyler's hallmarks, this capacious novel takes us across three generations of the Whitshanks, their shared stories and long-held secrets, all the unguarded and richly lived moments that combine to define who and what they are as a family.
First Love is an extraordinary portrait of true love that will move anyone who has a first love story of their own. Axi Moore is a "good girl": She studies hard, stays out of the spotlight, and doesn't tell anyone how all she really wants is to run away from it all. The only person she can tell is her best friend, Robinsonâwho she also happens to be madly in love with.
When Axi spontaneously invites Robinson to come with her on an impulsive cross-country road trip, she breaks the rules for the first time in her life. But the adventure quickly turns from carefree to out of control after the teens find themselves on the run from the police. And when Robinson suddenly collapses, Axi has to face the truth that this trip might be his last.
A remarkably moving tale very personal to James Patterson's own past, First Love is a testament to the power of first loveâand how it can change the rest of your life.
Bonjour, my name is André Chevalier. It has been my joy and my great honor to help those who have lost their way.
Not long after I began my journey, I met two such wounded souls. Renata Koreman, my little mouse. She came to me as a childâshy, mute, injured⊠broken. It took oh-so many years to start to bring her back to herself! Yet, I could not fully heal her.
Years later, Grant Wilkinson, he too fell into my hands. The ex-Army Ranger was badly disfigured and saw himself as a monster. Isolated by secrets, solitary and self-contained, his colleagues affectionately named him âFrosty.â Yet, how should one behave when besieged by a lifetime of confusion and guilt?
The moment I saw him, I thought of her and I wondered. The eyes, they cannot always see clearly. And the heart? Ah, the heart can only guess at the truth. So it was that I remained uncertain.
Could the mouse and the monster heal each other?
Pay It Forward is a wondrous and moving novel about Trevor McKinney, a twelve-year-old boy in a small California town who accepts a challenge from his teacher. This challenge offers a chance to earn extra credit by coming up with a plan to change the world for the betterâand to put that plan into action.
The idea that Trevor comes up with is so simple and so naive that when others learn of it, they are dismissive. Even Trevor himself begins to doubt when his "pay it forward" plan seems to founder on a combination of bad luck and the worst of human nature.
In the end, Pay It Forward is the story of seemingly ordinary people made extraordinary by the simple faith of a child. It is a story of hope for today and for many tomorrows to come.
Tessa has everything to lose. Hardin has nothing to lose⊠except her.
After a tumultuous beginning to their relationship, Tessa and Hardin were on the path to making things work. Tessa knew Hardin could be cruel, but when a bombshell revelation is dropped about the origins of their relationshipâand Hardinâs mysterious pastâTessa is beside herself.
Hardin will always be⊠Hardin. But is he really the deep, thoughtful guy Tessa fell madly in love with despite his angry exteriorâor has he been a stranger all along? She wishes she could walk away. Itâs just not that easy. Not with the memory of passionate nights spent in his arms. His electric touch. His hungry kisses.
Still, Tessaâs not sure she can endure one more broken promise. She put so much on hold for Hardinâschool, friends, her mom, a relationship with a guy who really loved her, and now possibly even a promising new career. She needs to move forward with her life.
Hardin knows he made a mistake, possibly the biggest one of his life. Heâs not going down without a fight. But can he change? Will he change for love?
Lost. That one single word best describes my life at this very moment. I lost the last games of the season and both my team and my coach blame me. I lost the last two months because I drowned in my own despair like a complete loser. And I lost the only girl who ever mattered because I was afraid being with me would destroy her.
But now I realize how truly lost I am without her. She has become my storyâŠand even though she acts like sheâs moved on, I know she still thinks about me just as much as I think about her. Sheâs beautiful, sweetâand so damn vulnerable, all I want to do is help her. Be there for her. Love herâŠ
If only I could convince Fable to give me a second chance. Then I wouldnât feel so lost anymore, and neither would she. We could be found together. Forever.
A Christmas Memory is a heartwarming short story by Truman Capote, first published in 1956. This autobiographical recollection of Capote's rural Alabama boyhood has become a modern-day classic.
Seven-year-old Buddy knows that the Christmas season has arrived when his cousin, Miss Sook Falk, exclaims: "It's fruitcake weather!" Thus begins an unforgettable portrait of an odd but enduring friendship between two innocent soulsâone young and one oldâand the memories they share of beloved holiday rituals.
This reminiscence of a Christmas shared by a seven-year-old boy and a sixtyish childlike woman is filled with enormous love and friendship, capturing the essence of holiday spirit and nostalgia.
Forced to represent an outlaw biker, a married attorney must come to terms with her feelings for her client while avoiding the danger he brings into her sedate life.
President of the Lost Kings MC, Rochlan "Rock" North, hasn't managed to find a woman capable of making him want to curb his wild waysâuntil he meets sweet, innocent, married lawyer Hope Kendall. Forced to represent the outlaw biker, Hope is rattled by her immediate attraction to Rock. Hope is a good girl in a good marriage. Rock thrills her, but she's not going to throw away everything she's built on a fling with her criminal client.
Rock respects Hope enough to leave her alone, even as he realizes he's become a little obsessed with her. When their connection endangers her life, he'll have to destroy her in order to save her. After tragedy strikes, Rock is determined to earn Hope's forgiveness and convince her that even with their staggering differences, they're meant to be together.
Willow Chance is a twelve-year-old genius, obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions, who finds it comforting to count by 7s. It has never been easy for her to connect with anyone other than her adoptive parents, but that hasnât kept her from leading a quietly happy life...until now.
Suddenly Willowâs world is tragically changed when her parents both die in a car crash, leaving her alone in a baffling world. The triumph of this book is that it is not a tragedy. This extraordinarily odd, but extraordinarily endearing, girl manages to push through her grief. Her journey to find a fascinatingly diverse and fully believable surrogate family is a joy and a revelation to read.
To Whom it May Concern,
It was easy to call us forbidden and harder to call us soulmates. Yet I believed we were both. Forbidden soulmates.
When I arrived in Edgewood, Wisconsin, I didnât plan to find him. I didn't plan to stumble into Joe's bar and have Daniel's music stir up my emotions. I had no clue that his voice would make my hurts forget their own sorrow. I had no idea that my happiness would remember its own bliss.
When I started senior year at my new school, I wasnât prepared to call him Mr. Daniels, but sometimes life happens at the wrong time for all the right reasons.
Our love story wasnât only about the physical connection. It was about family. It was about loss. It was about being alive. It was silly. It was painful. It was mourning. It was laughter. It was ours.
And for those reasons alone, I would never apologize for Loving Mr. Daniels.
-Ashlyn Jennings
Lullabies is a sequel to the hugely popular, best-selling Love & Misadventure. This collection continues to explore the intricacies of love and loss, set to a musical theme.
Love's poetic journey in this new, original collection begins with a Duet and travels through Interlude and Finale with an Encore popular piece from the best-selling Love & Misadventure.
Lang Leav's evocative poetry speaks to the soul of anyone who is on this journey. Her talent for translating complex emotions with astonishing simplicity has won her a cult following of devoted fans from all over the world.
Lang Leav is a poet and internationally exhibiting artist.
Three weeks. Two sisters. One car. A True Story.
Raina canât wait to be a big sister. But once Amara is born, things arenât quite how she expected them to be. Amara is cute, but sheâs also a cranky, grouchy baby, and mostly prefers to play by herself.
Their relationship doesnât improve much over the years, but when a baby brother enters the picture and later, when something doesnât seem right between their parents, they realize they must figure out how to get along. They are sisters, after all.
Raina uses her signature humor and charm in both present-day narrative and perfectly placed flashbacks to tell the story of her relationship with her sister, which unfolds during the course of a road trip from their home in San Francisco to a family reunion in Colorado.
You have to teach your heart and mind how to sing together... then you'll hear the sound of your soul.
Mia Kelly thinks she has it all figured out. She's an Ivy League graduate, a classically trained pianist, and the beloved daughter of a sensible mother and offbeat father. Yet, Mia has been stalling since graduation, torn between putting her business degree to use and exploring music, her true love.
When her father unexpectedly dies, she decides to pick up the threads of his life while she figures out her own. Uprooting herself from Ann Arbor to New York City, Mia takes over her father's cafe, a treasured neighborhood institution that plays host to undiscovered musicians and artists.
She's denied herself the thrilling and unpredictable life of a musician, but a chance encounter with Will, a sweet, gorgeous, and charming guitarist, offers her a glimpse of what could be. When Will becomes her friend and then her roommate, she does everything in her power to suppress her passionsâfor him, for musicâbut her father's legacy slowly opens her heart to the possibility of something more.
Sweet Thing explores the intensity and complexities of first love and self-discovery.
Nikolai Leokov never thought he'd fall in love with the only girl he's ever befriended. Valentina Tomic has issues with commitment after the ultimate betrayal. When Tina decides to make broody Nik's day better, she never thought she would end up friends with the hard man.
Nik has never had a woman be so affectionate to him without expecting something in return. Nik and Tina cordially invite you to read Friend-zoned. A story of friendship, humour and love.
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeonâthe kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?
Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.
Lucy - There is a love so fierce it cannot be measured.
A heart so strong it will never slow.
There is a promise so sure it can never lie.
He promised me that love forever. Even when it wasn't enough.
Cameron - Forever. Everlasting. Eternal.
There is no measure of time. No sounds of the ticking of a clock.
Just the rising and falling of the sun.
And our own sense of forever.
But our forever isn't always.
How do you keep going when you feel like your life is over?
Maggie never thought sheâd see Clay again. So, she attempts to put her life back together after her heart has been shattered to pieces. Moving on and moving forward, just as Clay wanted her to.
Clay never stopped thinking of Maggie. Even after ripping their lives apart and leaving her behind to get the help he so desperately needed. He is healing... slowly. But his heart still belongs to the girl who tried to save him.
When a sudden tragedy brings Maggie and Clay face to face again, nothing is the same. Yet some things never change. Can the darkness that threatened to consume them be transformed into something else and finally give them what they always wanted? And can two people who fought so hard to be together, finally find their happiness? Or will their demons and fear drive them apart for good?
The thing about love is that even when it destroys you, it has a way of mending what is broken. And in the shadows, you can still see the light.
Set amid the austere beauty of the North Carolina coast, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner recently returned from the Second World War. Noah is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.
Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. It is a story of miracles and emotions that will stay with you forever.
Heartbreaking and timely novel by Afghan-American author follows one manâs journey from New York to the clutches of the Taliban and into an unintentional polygamist union. "He is picking up the same bags with the same clothes Lisa packed and folded a year ago. He wishes he were like his clothes, untouched by external forces."
Family man Nick Blake is living in New York City and working for the United Nations. Born and raised in the United States with broad knowledge of the Afghan culture, he is living the All-American life with his wife, Lisa, and their children. His life is turned upside down when, while on a diplomatic mission to Afghanistan, Nick is kidnapped and finds himself in the clutches of the Taliban. Omar Farhadâs debut novel Honor and Polygamy follows Nick throughout his eighteen months in Afghanistan and the devastating and unexpected turns his life takes, as he learns the true meanings of home, history and culture. After being held captive for several months, Nick is forced to marry the sixteen-year-old Shaista. Although he cannot forget his beloved wife and children back home, he finds himself falling in love with his second wife and, overwhelmed with guilt, is torn between his old life and his new one.
Honor and Polygamy is far from simply a captivating fiction story, but is also a brilliant commentary on the United Statesâ situation with Afghanistan. Farhad expresses his views on both the political and the cultural sides of Afghanistan. Politically, he is predicting how he feels the war will ultimately end, while culturally, he shows readers not familiar with Afghanistan that the 35-year-old war has created a population, which is uneducated, disloyal, and without identity. The United States and many other nations have continuously disrupted Afghanistan with no clear political objectives, and, in his novel, Farhad explores the consequences of these actions. The story of Nick Blake represents the reality of the Afghan culture and the results and disappointments of the political realities in Afghanistan, and shows readers just how unaware we all are of other cultures.
Written by an author who has lived both the American and Afghan ways of life, Honor and Polygamy is a harrowing, haunting and deeply moving tale for our times.
What happens when the one that got away comes back?
Rachel and Ben. Ben and Rachel. It was them against the world. Until it all fell apart. Itâs been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.
From the moment they met, theyâd been a gang of two; partners in crime and the best of friends. But life has moved on. Ben is married. Rachel is definitely not. In fact, the men in her life make her want to take holy ordersâŠ
Yet in that split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return. And along with it, the broken heart sheâs never been able to mend.
Hilarious, heartbreaking, and everything in between, youâll be hooked from their first âhelloâ.
Lena Rose Winter is a typical seventeen-year-old girl, or so everyone thought. She has a secret, something she hates talking about. She knew what love is, and she dreads it, especially after losing someone close to her heart.
Liam Christopher Black is far from your typical bad boy. He's a good guy, the one who sits at the back of the class, not making any sound. They say that time heals everything, but he's nowhere near being healed, especially after the news of his family dying in a car crash traumatized him enough for him to lose his voice.
Becoming friends with someone is a risk because you could always end up caring too much, but Lena is willing to face it. She fought for the boy and for his friendship, and they ended up falling for each other. HARD.
It seemed as if the world doesn't want them together as they face struggle after struggle to beat the odds. But will the risks be enough for their relationship to survive? And amidst the trials and bad experiences, will both of them learn to truly love again?
Heâs thirty-eight. Iâm twenty-three.
He speaks Spanish. I speak English.
He lives in Spain. I live in Canada.
He dresses in thousand-dollar suits. Iâm covered in tattoos.
Heâs married and has a five-year-old daughter. Iâm single and canât commit to anyone or anything.
Until now. Because when they say you canât choose who you fall in love with, boy ainât that the f*#king truth.
To a restless dreamer like Vera Miles, it sounded like the experience of a lifetime. Instead of spending her summer interning for her astronomy major, she would fly to Spain where sheâd spend a few weeks teaching conversational English to businessmen and women, all while enjoying free room and board at an isolated resort. But while Vera expected to get a tan, meet new people, and stuff herself with wine and paella, she never expected to fall in love.
Mateo Casalles is unlike anyone Vera has ever known, let alone anyone sheâs usually attracted to. While Vera is a pierced and tatted free spirit with a love for music and freedom, Mateo is a successful businessman from Madrid, all sharp suits and cocky Latino charm. Yet, as the weeks go on, the two grow increasingly close, and their relationship changes from purely platonic to something⊠more. Something that makes Vera feel alive for the first time. Something that can never, ever be. Or so she thinks.
As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.
We are not quite novels. We are not quite short stories. In the end, we are collected works.
A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died; his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history; and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Islandâfrom Chief Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward him; from Ismay, his sister-in-law, who is hell-bent on saving A.J. from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who persists in taking the ferry to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude.
Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, he can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.
And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, though large in weightâan unexpected arrival that gives A.J. the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew.
It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J., for the determined sales rep Amelia to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light, for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world. Or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming.
Ember Walsh was always the quiet one, enjoying a book and a glass of wine over the noise and crowds of a club. But when her best friend asks her to come out and meet the boy she likes, Ember's world is turned upside down.
He appears like a mythical avenging angel, inked, gorgeous, and completely out of her league. But with one look, Ember no longer wants the quiet; she wants him.
Trace Montgomery has buried his damaged past with women and fighting until one day he meets an angel and suddenly he wants more, he wants her. For her, he's determined to overcome his demons. But will the dark secret that links their pasts bring them closer, or will it tear them apart?
When Cash Mayson was forced to choose between the love of his life and his unborn child, he knew exactly what he had to do. No matter how broken it left him.
When Lilly Donovan was forced to accept that the guy she loved wasnât who she thought he was and became a single mother, she knew exactly what she had to do. Proving just how strong she was.
What happens when years later you find out that everything you thought you knew was a lie? Can two people who once loved each other overcome the obstacles that are thrown at them and fall in love all over again?
Cash Mayson had forgotten how it felt to be loved until Lilly came back into his life. And now that he remembers, he will do everything within his power to keep not only the woman that he loves but also his children.
The power of love is a beautiful thing.
This Star Won't Go Out is a poignant collection of the journals, fiction, letters, and sketches of the late Esther Grace Earl, a vibrant young girl who touched many lives before passing away in 2010 at the tender age of 16.
With heartfelt photographs and essays by family and friends, this book beautifully narrates Estherâs journey. The introduction by award-winning author John Green, who dedicated his #1 bestselling novel The Fault in Our Stars to her, adds a special touch.
This collection is not just a tribute but a celebration of a life filled with love, courage, and hope. It reminds us of the true meaning of lifeâhelping and loving othersâeven in the face of adversity.
Despite her outgoing demeanor, Olivia is painfully insecure around the opposite sexâusually, she canât get up the nerve to approach guys sheâs interested in. But moving to Edinburgh has given her a new start, and, after she develops a crush on a sexy postgrad, she decides itâs time to push past her fears and go after what she wants.
Nate Sawyer is a gorgeous player who never commits, but to his close friends, heâs as loyal as they come. So when Olivia turns to him with her relationship woes, he offers to instruct her in the art of flirting and to help her become more sexually confident.
The friendly education in seduction soon grows into an intense and hot romance. But then Nateâs past and commitment issues rear their ugly heads, and Olivia is left brokenhearted. When Nate realizes heâs made the biggest mistake of his life, he will have to work harder than he ever has before to entice his best friend into falling back in love with himâor he may lose her foreverâŠ.
Ryan Kendall is broken. He understands pain. He knows the hand of violence and the ache of loss. He knows what it means to fail those who need you. Being broken doesnât stop him wanting the one thing he canât have; Finlay Tanner. Her smile is sweet and her future bright. Sheâs the girl he grew up with, the girl he loves, the girl he protects from the world, and from himself.
At nineteen, Ryan leaves to join the Australian Army. After years of training, he becomes an elite SAS soldier and deploys to the Afghanistan war. His patrol undertakes the most dangerous missions a soldier can face. But no matter how far he runs, or how hard he fights, his need for Finlay wonât let go.
Returning home after six years, one look is all it takes to know he canât live without her. But sometimes love isnât enough to heal what hurts. Sometimes people like him canât be fixed, and sometimes people like Finlay deserve more than whatâs left.
This is a story about war and the cost of sacrifice. Where bonds are formed, and friendships found. Where those who are strong, fall hard. Where love is let go, heartache is born, and heroes are made. Where one man learns that the hardest fight of all, is the fight to save himself.
She has just two weeks. Two weeks to teach him how to fall in love â with his own life.
Adam Basil and Christine Rose are thrown together late one night, when Christine is crossing the Halfpenny Bridge in Dublin. Adam is there, poised, threatening to jump. Adam is desperate â but Christine makes a crazy deal with him. His 35th birthday is looming and she bets him she can show him that life is worth living before then.
Despite her determination, Christine knows what a dangerous promise sheâs made. Against the ticking of the clock, the two of them embark on wild escapades, grand romantic gestures and some unlikely late-night outings.
Slowly, Christine thinks Adam is starting to fall back in love with his life. But has she done enough to change his mind for good? And is that all thatâs starting to happen?
The orphan girl Pollyanna moves in with her strict aunt in New England. Despite a difficult start, Pollyanna's exuberance and positivity affect everyone who meets her, and she spreads joy and love wherever she goes. But when tragedy strikes, Pollyanna finds her optimistic attitude tested, and she must learn to find happiness again.
A heartwarming tale that has become one of the most loved children's stories of all time, Eleanor H. Porter's 1913 best-sellerâthe first in a long series of Pollyanna novels by the author and other writersâis a beautiful story with a powerful moral message.
In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time. The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.
He returns to our world - now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began - and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so.
On a lazy Sunday morning, two young people are wheeled into Room No. 509 of GKL super specialty hospital.
A brilliant nineteen-year-old medical student, suffering from an incurable, fatal disease, is hurtling towards a slow, painful, uncertain death.
A wasteful twenty-five-year-old drug addict, with no appreciation of life, finds every organ system of his body slowly shutting down.
Two prodigious doctors, fighting their own demons from the past, strive to keep these two patients alive, putting their medical licenses at risk. Death looms in the tiny 12x13-foot room as they fight for every breath of their lives, even as the doctors put them through unapproved experimental treatments to prolong their lives.
How will the last month of pain and struggle change their lives? How will it transform the doctors who work steadfastly to make them live a little longer?
Don't Make Me Beautiful is a romantic suspense novel by New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Elle Casey. This story, inspired by true events, explores themes of survival, healing, and the power of love.
At twenty-two, Nicole's life has been overshadowed by a monster, leaving her to hide in darkness, believing she deserves nothing more. Her world is changed unexpectedly when an autographed baseball from Brian Jensen enters her life, offering a glimmer of hope and the potential for transformation.
Temptation and fear intermingle as Nicole grapples with the idea of accepting help and revealing her deepest secrets. Despite knowing the pain hands can cause, she dares to hope they might also heal.
Elle Casey sheds light on the important subject of domestic violence, crafting a narrative that is both heart-wrenching and heartwarming. Nicole's journey of restoration and courage is a testament to the strength found in vulnerability and the possibility of a second chance at life.
Note: This book contains themes of violence and adult situations, making it suitable for mature readers.
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler is a soaring debut interweaving the story of a heartbreaking, forbidden love in 1930s Kentucky with an unlikely modern-day friendship.
Eighty-nine-year-old Isabelle McAllister has a favor to ask her hairdresser, Dorrie Curtis. It's a big one. Isabelle wants Dorrie, a black single mom in her thirties, to drop everything to drive her from her home in Arlington, Texas, to a funeral in Cincinnati. With no clear explanation why. Tomorrow.
Dorrie, fleeing problems of her own and curious whether she can unlock the secrets of Isabelle's guarded past, scarcely hesitates before agreeing, not knowing it will be a journey that changes both their lives.
Over the years, Dorrie and Isabelle have developed more than just a business relationship. They are friends. But Dorrie, fretting over the new man in her life and her teenage son's irresponsible choices, still wonders why Isabelle chose her.
Isabelle confesses that, as a willful teen in 1930s Kentucky, she fell deeply in love with Robert Prewitt, a would-be doctor and the black son of her family's housekeeperâin a town where blacks weren't allowed after dark. The tale of their forbidden relationship and its tragic consequences makes it clear Dorrie and Isabelle are headed for a gathering of the utmost importance and that the history of Isabelle's first and greatest love just might help Dorrie find her own way.
Body-snatching has never been so heartwarming. The Humans is a funny, compulsively readable novel about alien abduction, mathematics, and that most interesting subject of all: ourselves. Combine Douglas Adamsâs irreverent take on life, the universe, and everything with a genuinely moving love story, and you have some idea of the humor, originality, and poignancy of Matt Haigâs latest novel.
Our hero, Professor Andrew Martin, is dead before the book even begins. As it turns out, though, he wasnât a very nice man--as the alien imposter who now occupies his body discovers. Sent to Earth to destroy evidence that Andrew had solved a major mathematical problem, the alien soon finds himself learning more about the professor, his family, and âthe humansâ than he ever expected. When he begins to fall for his own wife and son--who have no idea heâs not the real Andrew--the alien must choose between completing his mission and returning home or finding a new home right here on Earth.
Before Peter Pan belonged to Wendy, he belonged to the girl with the crow feather in her hair...
Fifteen-year-old Tiger Lily doesn't believe in love stories or happy endings. Then she meets the alluring teenage Peter Pan in the forbidden woods of Neverland and immediately falls under his spell.
Peter is unlike anyone she's ever known. Impetuous and brave, he both scares and enthralls her. As the leader of the Lost Boys, the most fearsome of Neverland's inhabitants, Peter is an unthinkable match for Tiger Lily. Soon, she is risking everythingâher family, her futureâto be with him.
When she is faced with marriage to a terrible man in her own tribe, she must choose between the life she's always known and running away to an uncertain future with Peter.
With enemies threatening to tear them apart, the lovers seem doomed. But it's the arrival of Wendy Darling, an English girl who's everything Tiger Lily is not, that leads Tiger Lily to discover that the most dangerous enemies can live inside even the most loyal and loving heart.
This beloved Newbery Medalâwinning book is the first of five books in Patricia MacLachlan's chapter book series about the Witting family. Set in the late nineteenth century and told from young Anna's point of view, Sarah, Plain and Tall tells the story of how Sarah Elisabeth Wheaton comes from Maine to the prairie to answer Papa's advertisement for a wife and mother. Before Sarah arrives, Anna and her younger brother Caleb wait and wonder. Will Sarah be nice? Will she sing? Will she stay?
This children's literature classic is perfect for fans of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie books, historical fiction, and timeless stories using rich and beautiful language. Sarah, Plain and Tall gently explores themes of abandonment, loss and love.
Tell the Wolves I'm Home is a heartfelt story of love, grief, and renewal set in 1987. The narrative revolves around two unlikely friends who discover that sometimes you don't know you've lost someone until you've found them.
The only person who has ever truly understood fourteen-year-old June Elbus is her uncle, the renowned painter Finn Weiss. Shy at school and distant from her older sister, June can be herself only in Finnâs company; he is her godfather, confidant, and best friend. So when he dies, far too young, of a mysterious illness her mother can barely speak about, Juneâs world is turned upside down.
But Finnâs death brings a surprise acquaintance into Juneâs life. At the funeral, June notices a strange man lingering just beyond the crowd. A few days later, she receives a package in the mail containing a beautiful teapot she recognizes from Finnâs apartment, and a note from Toby, the stranger, asking for an opportunity to meet. As the two begin to spend time together, June realizes sheâs not the only one who misses Finn, and that this unexpected friend just might be the one she needs the most.
Meet the Cooke family: Mother and Dad, brother Lowell, sister Fern, and Rosemary, who begins her story in the middle. She has her reasons. âI was raised with a chimpanzee,â she explains. âI tell you Fern was a chimp and already you arenât thinking of her as my sister. But until Fernâs expulsion...she was my twin, my funhouse mirror, my whirlwind other half and I loved her as a sister.â As a child, Rosemary never stopped talking. Then, something happened, and Rosemary wrapped herself in silence.
In We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler weaves her most accomplished work to dateâa tale of loving but fallible people whose well-intentioned actions lead to heartbreaking consequences.
Through the tender voice of her protagonist, Fowler explores themes of family, memory, language, science, and indeed the question of what constitutes a human being. This gripping, big-hearted book provides a heartfelt exploration of what it means to be part of a family, and the complexities that can arise within.
Seventeen-year-old Kari meets Neil Mars. "Neil as in Armstrong and MarsâŠas in Bruno." A boy who beats every vampire, werewolf, highlander fantasy Kari has ever had. But she knows she canât get close to him. Not ever. Because that would mean telling him everything. Coming clean.
Kari canât bear the idea of changing the way Neil looks at her. Like sheâs the only girl in the world. His reverence is something too precious to lose. Perhaps even at the cost of losing him. But Kari doesn't know why Neil calls her his âAngelâ and when she finds out, she realizes what love is all about: Boundless joy, unending longing, and a lot of heartache.
Nine-year-old Nicholas Benedict has more problems than most children his age. Not only is he an orphan with an unfortunate nose, but he also has narcolepsy, a condition that gives him terrible nightmares and makes him fall asleep at the worst possible moments. Now he's being sent to a new orphanage, where he will encounter vicious bullies, selfish adults, strange circumstances â and a mystery that could change his life forever. Luckily, he does have one thing in his favor: He's a genius.
On his quest to solve the mystery, Nicholas finds enemies around every corner, but also friends in unexpected places â and discovers along the way that the greatest puzzle of all is himself.
Have you ever wondered if we're missing it? It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universeâthe Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minorâloves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.
Whether you've verbalized it yet or not, we all know something's wrong. Does something deep inside your heart long to break free from the status quo? Are you hungry for an authentic faith that addresses the problems of our world with tangible, even radical, solutions?
God is calling you to a passionate love relationship with Himself. Because the answer to religious complacency isn't working harder at a list of do's and don'tsâit's falling in love with God. And once you encounter His love, as Francis describes it, you will never be the same. Because when you're wildly in love with someone, it changes everything.
Honor is a powerful novel by internationally bestselling Turkish author, Elif Shafak. Set against the backdrop of 1970s London, this dramatic tale delves into the lives of Turkish immigrants as they navigate love, family, and cultural misunderstandings.
The story follows twin sisters born in a Kurdish village. Jamila remains in the village, embracing her role as a midwife, while Pembe ventures to London with her Turkish husband, Adem, in search of a new life. In London, they face a pivotal choice: remain loyal to their old traditions or attempt to assimilate into a new culture.
When Adem abandons the family, their eldest son, Iskender, steps up to protect the family's honor. As Pembe embarks on a chaste affair with Elias, Iskender learns the heart-wrenching truth that love can coexist with the potential for deep hurt.
Honor is a gripping exploration of guilt and innocence, loyalty and betrayal, and the trials faced by immigrants. It is a poignant reflection on the love and heartbreak that often fracture families.