Tom Cole, the grandson of a legendary local hero, has inherited an uncanny knack for reading the Niagara River's whims and performing daring feats of rescue at the mighty falls. A chance encounter between Tom and 17-year-old Bess Heath has an explosive effect. When they first meet on a trolley platform, Bess immediately recognizes the chemistry between them, and the feeling is mutual.

But the hopes of young love are constrained by the 1915 conventions of Niagara Falls, Ontario. Tom's working-class pedigree doesn't suit Bess's family, despite their recent fall from grace. Bess's father has been sacked from his position at a hydroelectric power company and has taken to drink, forcing her mother to take in sewing for the society women who were once her peers. Bess pitches in as she pines for Tom, but at her young age, she's unable to fully realize how drastically her world is about to change.

Set against the resounding backdrop of the falls, Cathy Marie Buchanan's carefully researched, capaciously imagined debut novel entwines the romantic trials of a young couple with the historical drama of the exploitation of the river's natural resources. The current of the river, like that of the human heart, is under threat: "Sometimes it seems like the river is being made into this measly thing," says Tom, bemoaning the shortsighted schemes of the power companies. "The river's been bound up with cables and concrete and steel, like a turkey at Christmastime."

Skillfully portraying individuals, families, a community, and an environment imperiled by progress and the devastations of the Great War, The Day the Falls Stood Still beautifully evokes the wild wonder of its setting, a wonder that always overcomes any attempt to tame it. But at the same time, Buchanan's tale never loses hold of the gripping emotions of Tom and Bess's intimate drama.

The Voyage Out is Virginia Woolf's first novel, offering a haunting exploration of a young woman's mind. Join Mr. and Mrs. Ambrose and their niece, Rachel, on a sea journey from London to the South American coast. This is not just any voyage; it is a voyage into the depths of the soul, capturing the mysteries and complexities of the inner life.

Rachel Vinrace, a young girl innocent and wholly ignorant of the world of politics, society, books, sex, love, and marriage, embarks on this journey. She encounters Terence Hewet, an aspiring writer, and her greatest discovery will be her own self.

Woolf began work on The Voyage Out by 1910 and completed it by 1912. The novel had a long and difficult gestation and was finally published in 1915. The resultant work contained the seeds of all that would blossom in her later work: the innovative narrative style, the focus on feminine consciousness, sexuality, and death.

Dreadnought is a riveting chronicle of the personal and national rivalries that led to the twentieth century's first great arms race. Authored by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Robert K. Massie, this book is a richly textured and gripping narrative that brings to life a host of historical figures.

Experience the single-minded Admiral von Tirpitz, the young and ambitious Winston Churchill, and the ruthless Chancellor Bernhard von Bülow, among others. Their stories, along with the story of the era, filled with misunderstandings, missed opportunities, and events leading to unintended conclusions, unfold like a Greek tragedy.

Intimately human and dramatic, Dreadnought is history at its most compelling, capturing the essence of extraordinary lives and the complexities of a transformative era.

Killing Mister Watson is a gripping novel by Peter Matthiessen, the acclaimed author of The Snow Leopard and The Tree Where Man Was Born. This fascinating story unfolds around the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of a man in Florida in 1910.

This man, who had long terrorized his community, is rumored to have a criminal past. Set in the lawless Florida Everglades, the novel brilliantly depicts both the fortunes and misfortunes of Edgar J. Watson, a real-life entrepreneur and outlaw of the early 20th century.

Drawing from fragments of historical fact, Matthiessen's masterpiece offers a vivid portrayal of a bygone era, filled with suspense and intrigue. Killing Mister Watson is a must-read for those who enjoy historical adventures and crime tales.