Displaying books 1-48 of 140 in total

Pied Piper

2042

by Nevil Shute

It is the summer of 1940 and in Europe the time of Blitzkrieg. John Howard, a 70-year-old Englishman vacationing in France, cuts short his tour and heads for home. He agrees to take two children with him.

But war closes in. Trains fail, roads clog with refugees. And if things were not difficult enough, other children join in Howard's little band. At last, they reach the coast and find not deliverance but desperation. The old Englishman's greatest test lies ahead of him.

Pied Piper is set in Nazi-occupied France during World War II. The story follows John Howard, an elderly Englishman who is on holiday in France when the war breaks out. He decides to help evacuate several children to safety in England, but as he journeys through the countryside with the children, he faces many dangers and challenges. Along the way, he meets various people who are also trying to escape the war, and he forms deep bonds with the children in his care. Ultimately, John's determination and kindness help him and the children to reach safety, but not without facing difficult decisions and heart-wrenching losses. The novel is a moving portrayal of the human cost of war and the resilience of the human spirit.

My Name is Emilia del Valle

In this spellbinding historical novel from the New York Times bestselling author of A Long Petal of the Sea and The Wind Knows My Name, a young writer journeys to South America to uncover the truth about her father—and herself.

In San Francisco 1866, an Irish nun, left pregnant and abandoned following a torrid relationship with a Chilean aristocrat, gives birth to a daughter named Emilia Del Valle. Raised by a loving stepfather, Emilia grows into an independent thinker and a self-sufficient young woman.


To pursue her passion for writing, she is willing to defy societal norms. At the age of sixteen, she begins to publish pulp fiction under a man’s pen name. When these fictional worlds can't contain her sense of adventure any longer, she turns to journalism, convincing an editor at the San Francisco Examiner to hire her. There she is paired with another talented reporter, Eric Whelan.


As she proves herself, her restlessness returns, until an opportunity arises to cover a brewing civil war in Chile. She seizes it, along with Eric, and while there, begins to uncover the truth about her father and the country that represents her roots. But as the war escalates, Emilia finds herself in danger and at a crossroads, questioning both her identity and her destiny.


A riveting tale of self-discovery and love from one of the most masterful storytellers of our time, My Name is Emilia del Valle introduces a character who will never let hold of your heart.

Six Days in Bombay

2025

by Alka Joshi

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Henna Artist, this sweeping novel of identity and self-discovery takes readers from Bombay to Prague, Florence, Paris, and London, to uncover the mystery behind a famous painter's death.

When renowned painter Mira Novak arrives at Wadia hospital in Bombay after a miscarriage, she's expected to make a quick recovery, and Sona is excited to spend time with the worldly woman who shares her half-Indian identity, even if that's where their similarities end. Sona is enraptured by Mira's stories of her travels and shocked by accounts of the many lovers she's left scattered through Europe.

Over the course of a week, Mira befriends Sona, seeing in her something bigger than the small life she's living with her mother. Mira is released from the hospital just in time to attend a lavish engagement party with all of Bombay society and invites Sona along. But the next day, Mira is readmitted to the hospital in worse condition than before, and when she dies under mysterious circumstances, Sona immediately falls under suspicion.

Before leaving the hospital in disgrace, Sona is given a note Mira left for her, along with her four favorite paintings. But how could she have known to leave a note if she didn't know she was going to die? The note sends Sona on a mission to deliver three of the paintings—the first to Petra, Mira's childhood friend and first love in Prague; the second to her art dealer Josephine in Paris; the third to her first painting tutor, Paolo, with whom both Mira and her mother had affairs.

As Sona uncovers Mira's history, she learns that the charming facade she'd come to know was only one part of a complicated and sometimes cruel woman. But can she discover what really happened to Mira and exonerate herself? Along the way, Sona also comes to terms with her own complex history and the English father who deserted her and her mother in India so many years ago. In the end, she'll discover that we are all made up of pieces, and only by seeing the world do we learn to see ourselves.

Strangers in Time

2025

by David Baldacci

Strangers in Time is set in the heart of London, 1944, where the echoes of war have left indelible scars on its inhabitants. This gripping tale follows the lives of Charlie Matters, a fourteen-year-old with a penchant for mischief, and Molly Wakefield, a fifteen-year-old returning to a city she once called home.

Charlie, orphaned and without prospects, survives by his wits, stealing what he needs to get by until he can join the fight against the Germans. His life has been a continuous battle for survival, especially after enduring the horrors of the Blitz.

Molly returns to a London that is both familiar and alien, only to discover the heart-wrenching truth that her parents are gone. Her dreams of a joyful reunion are shattered, leaving her adrift in a city teetering on the brink of destruction.

Their paths cross at "The Book Keep", a sanctuary amidst the chaos, owned by Ignatius Oliver, a widower still haunted by secrets that contributed to his wife's demise. Together, they forge an unlikely kinship, drawing strength from each other as they face their demons.

As the bombs continue to fall, their newfound peace is threatened by the shadows of their pasts: Charlie's clandestine activities, a mysterious figure trailing Molly, and Ignatius's burdensome secret. In a world torn apart by conflict, can they find solace and hope in one another?

Strangers in Time is a poignant exploration of friendship, resilience, and the power of community in the darkest of times.

The Paris Express

2025

by Emma Donoghue

Emma Donoghue, the “soul-stirring” (Oprah Daily) nationally bestselling author of Room, returns with a sweeping historical novel about an infamous 1895 disaster at the Paris Montparnasse train station.

Europe is racing towards the future. Steam travel is the emblem of progress; industry and invention are creating ever greater wealth and ever greater deprivation; and on an autumn day in 1895 a young woman determined to make her mark on history boards the Granville to Paris Express with a bomb. With her travel the train crew and her fellow passengers: the men who run the engine, who have built a life together away from their wives; a little boy travelling alone for the first time; a wealthy statesman and his ill daughter; an artist far from home and in search of a muse; and another young woman with a secret of a very different nature hidden beneath the layers of her dress.

The Paris Express is a propulsive novel set on a train packed with a fascinating cast of characters who hail from as close as Brittany and as far as Russia, Ireland, Algeria, Pennsylvania, and Cambodia. Members of parliament hurry back to Paris to vote; a medical student suspects a girl may be dying; a secretary tries to convince her boss of the potential of moving pictures; two of the train’s crew build a life away from their wives; a young anarchist makes a terrifying plan, and much more.

The Paris Express is an evocative masterpiece that effortlessly captures the politics, glamour, chaos, and speed that marked the end of the 19th century.

The Stolen Queen

2025

by Fiona Davis

From the New York Times bestselling author Fiona Davis comes an utterly addictive new novel that will transport you from New York City’s most glamorous party to the labyrinth streets of Cairo and back.

Egypt, 1936: When anthropology student Charlotte Cross is offered a coveted spot on an archaeological dig in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings, she leaps at the opportunity. But after an unbearable tragedy strikes, Charlotte knows her future will never be the same.

New York City, 1978: Eighteen-year-old Annie Jenkins is thrilled when she lands an opportunity to work for iconic former Vogue fashion editor Diana Vreeland, who’s in the midst of organizing the famous Met Gala, known across the city as the “party of the year.” Though Annie soon realizes she’ll have her work cut out for her, scrambling to meet Diana’s capricious demands and exacting standards.

Meanwhile, Charlotte, now leading a quiet life as the associate curator of the Met’s celebrated Department of Egyptian Art, wants little to do with the upcoming gala. She’s consumed with her research on Hathorkare—a rare female pharaoh dismissed by most other Egyptologists as unimportant.

That is, until the night of the gala. When one of the Egyptian art collection’s most valuable artifacts goes missing, there are signs Hathorkare’s legendary curse might be reawakening.

As Annie and Charlotte team up to search for the missing antiquity, a desperate hunch leads the unlikely duo to one place Charlotte swore she’d never return: Egypt. But if they’re to have any hope of finding the artifact, Charlotte will need to confront the demons of her past—which may mean leading them both directly into danger.

Me llaman Artemio Furia

Artemio Furia is no ordinary man. He is a gaucho whose name is spoken with both respect and fear across all levels of society. Between 1806 and 1807, his centaurs and he served in the armies of Juan MartĂ­n de PueyrredĂłn to expel the English.

His influence among the locals is decisive. It is said that, with a mere snap of his fingers, he can incite the entire countryside to rise.

As the May Revolution of 1810 begins to unfold, the patriotic faction, desiring the independence of the RĂ­o de la Plata, calls upon him to fight for freedom. Having the support of the gaucho Furia's forces could mean victory.

Amidst these political intrigues that could end his life, the dark and tragic past of Artemio Furia resurfaces. Although he wishes to forget it, honor compels him to confront it with vengeance. In this other battle, Artemio Furia may lose more than his life. He may lose love.

Dear and Glorious Physician

2024

by Taylor Caldwell

Today St. Luke is known as the author of the third Gospel of the New Testament, but two thousand years ago he was Lucanus, a Greek, a man who loved, knew the emptiness of bereavement, and later traveled through the hills and wastes of Judea asking, "What manner of man was my Lord?"

And it is of this Lucanus that Taylor Caldwell tells here in one of the most stirring stories ever lived or written. Lucanus grew up in the household of his stepfather, the Roman governor of Antioch. After studying medicine in Alexandria, he became one of the greatest physicians of the ancient world and traveled far and wide through the Mediterranean region healing the sick.

As time went on he learned of the life and death of Christ and saw in Him the God he was seeking. To find out all he could about the life and teachings of Jesus, whom he never saw, Lucanus visited all the places where Jesus had been, questioning everyone—including His mother, Mary—who had known Him or heard Him preach. At last, when he had gathered all information possible, he wrote down what we now know as the Gospel according to St. Luke.

Taylor Caldwell has chosen the grand, the splendid means to tell of St. Luke. Her own travels through the Holy Land and years of meticulous research made Dear and Glorious Physician a fully developed portrait of a complex and brilliant man and a colorful re-creation of ancient Roman life as it contrasted in its decadence with the new world Christianity was bringing into being. Here is a story to warm, to inspire, to call forth renewal of faith and love lying deep in each reader's heart.

How the Steel Was Tempered

How the Steel Was Tempered is a classic novel that offers a fictionalized account of author Nikolai Ostrovsky's experiences during the Civil War and his journey of overcoming crippling injuries after the war ended. The story centers on a young man, Pavel Korchagin, and follows his transformation from an ill-mannered malcontent to a disciplined soldier of the revolution.

In a time when the achievements of humanity are being threatened by capitalist barbarism, this novel serves as an inspiration, reminding us of the power of the human spirit and the potential for self-realization. More than just a tale of socialism, it heralds the arrival of a new type of human being, free from material and economic chains.

This literary work is one of the great revolutionary novels that brings the dry analysis of socialism to life, presenting it as a vibrant, historical experience. It is a testament to the enduring importance of revisiting revolutionary literature, as these stories play a crucial role in understanding the evolution of human ideals.

Zoroastrians' Fight for Survival

2020

by Widad Akreyi

Two vikings – one of whom is the formidable former Varangian Guard whose name is carved on a marble slab in Constantinople's Hagia Sophia – settle down in Kurdland, driven by different objectives. Though broken and defined by the opportunities and challenges imposed on them, they both long for recognition and affection.

As their lives intertwine with the enchanting and virtuous doctor, Vesta, the successful Palace manager, Zara, and the newly coronated Kurdish King, Saaid, they try to deal with the inevitable trials of love and loss at a time when uncertainty continues to cloud their future.

Well-researched and seductively charming, The Viking's Kurdish Love spans across continents, cultures, religions and decades of tumultuous regional and global history. Widad's lyrical prose sensuously immerses the reader in the thoughts and perspectives of the time while creatively weaving the themes of injustice, identity, impulsive decisions, traumas, survival, deprival and revival into the story of how the people of the era refuse to be trapped by their past experiences.

The War I Finally Won

Ada and her younger brother, Jamie, now have a permanent home with their loving legal guardian, Susan Smith. Although Jamie adapts more easily, Ada still struggles with the aftermath of her old life, and how to fit into her new life.

World War II continues, and forces the small community to come together and rely on one another. Ada has never been interested in getting to know her friend’s family—especially Maggie’s mother, the formidable Lady Thorton. However, circumstances bring them in close proximity along with other unexpected characters. Ada comes face to face with another German! This time she isn’t sure what she should do. How can she help the ones she loves and keep them safe?

Ada's first story, The War that Saved My Life, won several awards, and this second, marvelous volume continues Ada’s powerful, uplifting story.

Hunting Prince Dracula

Following the grief and horror of her discovery of Jack the Ripper's true identity, Audrey Rose Wadsworth has no choice but to flee London and its memories. Together with the arrogant yet charming Thomas Cresswell, she journeys to the dark heart of Romania, home to one of Europe's best schools of forensic medicine... and to another notorious killer, Vlad the Impaler, whose thirst for blood became legend.

But her life's dream is soon tainted by blood-soaked discoveries in the halls of the school's forbidding castle, and Audrey Rose is compelled to investigate the strangely familiar murders. What she finds brings all her terrifying fears to life once again.

This is the New York Times bestselling sequel to Kerri Maniscalco's haunting debut Stalking Jack the Ripper. Could it be a copycat killer... or has the depraved prince been brought back to life?

The Lost Years of Billy Battles (Finding Billy Battles Trilogy #3)

2018

by Ronald E. Yates

Where in the world is Billy Battles? As Book Three of the Finding Billy Battles trilogy begins, we know where Billy is. He is in Chicago with his wife, the former Baroness Katharina von Schreiber, living a sedate and comfortable life after years of adventure and tragedy.

That changes with a single telephone call that yanks Billy and Katharina back into a life of turmoil and peril. Persuaded by a powerful old friend to go undercover for the U.S. government, the two find themselves in Mexico during the height of the violent 1910-1920 revolution. There they encounter assorted German spies, Mexican revolutionaries, devious political operatives, and other malefactors.

Caught in the middle of the 1914 American invasion of Veracruz, they must find a way out while keeping their real identities secret. After managing to extract themselves from danger, disaster strikes. It is a tragedy Billy is all too familiar with and one that will send him plummeting into a painful abyss of despair and agony.

Consequently, Billy vanishes, leaving family and friends to wonder what happened to him. Where is he? Is he dead or alive? What provoked his disappearance? In Book 3 of the Finding Billy Battles Trilogy, those questions are answered, and the mystery behind Billy’s disappearance is finally revealed.

The City of Brass

Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles. But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass, a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound. In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences. After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for...

Narrenturm

The world did not end in the Year of Our Lord 1420. The Days of Wrath and Vengeance, heralding the Kingdom of God, did not arrive. Satan was not released from his prison to deceive the nations of the Earth. The sinners and opponents of God were not annihilated by sword, fire, famine, hail, the fangs of beasts, scorpion stings, or snake venom. The world did not perish and burn. At least not entirely.

Yet, it was still a merry time, especially for Reinmar of Bielawa, also known as Reynevan, a herbalist and learned medic, related to many of the mighty of the contemporary world. This young man, having fallen in love with the beautiful and spirited wife of a Silesian knight, experiences unforgettable moments of romantic elation. That is, until the relatives of the betrayed husband break down the doors and storm into the chamber. At that moment, Reynevan's merriment comes to an abrupt end.

Commenting on Reynevan's penchant for falling in love, the knight Zawisza the Black, "a knight without blemish or stain," remarked, "Oh, you won't die a natural death, young lad!" Zawisza, soon captured, is executed by the Turks. And what of Reynevan? We have two more volumes of the trilogy to find out.

The Underground Railroad

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, the #1 New York Times bestseller from Colson Whitehead, a magnificent tour de force chronicling a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South. Now an original Amazon Prime Video series directed by Barry Jenkins. Cora is a slave on a cotton plantation in Georgia. Life is hell for all the slaves, but especially bad for Cora; an outcast even among her fellow Africans, she is coming into womanhood—where even greater pain awaits. When Caesar, a recent arrival from Virginia, tells her about the Underground Railroad, they decide to take a terrifying risk and escape. Matters do not go as planned—Cora kills a young white boy who tries to capture her. Though they manage to find a station and head north, they are being hunted. In Whitehead’s ingenious conception, the Underground Railroad is no mere metaphor—engineers and conductors operate a secret network of tracks and tunnels beneath the Southern soil. Cora and Caesar’s first stop is South Carolina, in a city that initially seems like a haven. But the city’s placid surface masks an insidious scheme designed for its black denizens. And even worse: Ridgeway, the relentless slave catcher, is close on their heels. Forced to flee again, Cora embarks on a harrowing flight, state by state, seeking true freedom. Like the protagonist of Gulliver’s Travels, Cora encounters different worlds at each stage of her journey—hers is an odyssey through time as well as space. As Whitehead brilliantly re-creates the unique terrors for black people in the pre–Civil War era, his narrative seamlessly weaves the saga of America from the brutal importation of Africans to the unfulfilled promises of the present day. The Underground Railroad is at once a kinetic adventure tale of one woman’s ferocious will to escape the horrors of bondage and a shattering, powerful meditation on the history we all share. Look for Colson Whitehead’s best-selling new novel, Harlem Shuffle!

A Column of Fire

2017

by Ken Follett

As Europe erupts, can one young spy protect his queen? Ken Follett takes us deep into the treacherous world of powerful monarchs, intrigue, murder, and treason with his magnificent epic, A Column of Fire—the chronological latest in the Kingsbridge series, following The Pillars of the Earth, World Without End, and the prequel, The Evening and the Morning.

In 1558, the ancient stones of Kingsbridge Cathedral look down on a city torn apart by religious conflict. As power in England shifts precariously between Catholics and Protestants, royalty and commoners clash, testing friendship, loyalty, and love.

Ned Willard wants nothing more than to marry Margery Fitzgerald. But when the lovers find themselves on opposing sides of the religious conflict dividing the country, Ned goes to work for Princess Elizabeth. When she becomes queen, all Europe turns against England. The shrewd, determined young monarch sets up the country’s first secret service to give her early warning of assassination plots, rebellions, and invasion plans.

Over a turbulent half century, the love between Ned and Margery seems doomed as extremism sparks violence from Edinburgh to Geneva. Elizabeth clings to her throne and her principles, protected by a small, dedicated group of resourceful spies and courageous secret agents.

The real enemies, then as now, are not the rival religions. The true battle pitches those who believe in tolerance and compromise against the tyrants who would impose their ideas on everyone else—no matter what the cost.

Exciting and ambitious, and set during one of the most turbulent and revolutionary times in history, A Column of Fire will delight longtime fans of the Kingsbridge series and serve as the perfect introduction for readers new to Ken Follett.

Now I Rise

2017

by Kiersten White

Lada Dracul has no allies. No throne. All she has is what she’s always had: herself. After failing to secure the Wallachian throne, Lada is out to punish anyone who dares to cross her blood-strewn path. Filled with a white-hot rage, she storms the countryside with her men, accompanied by her childhood friend Bogdan, terrorizing the land.

But brute force isn’t getting Lada what she wants. And thinking of Mehmed brings little comfort to her thorny heart. There’s no time to wonder whether he still thinks about her, even loves her. She left him before he could leave her. What Lada needs is her younger brother Radu’s subtlety and skill. But Mehmed has sent him to Constantinople—and it’s no diplomatic mission.

Mehmed wants control of the city, and Radu has earned an unwanted place as a double-crossing spy behind enemy lines. Radu longs for his sister’s fierce confidence—but for the first time in his life, he rejects her unexpected plea for help. Torn between loyalties to faith, to the Ottomans, and to Mehmed, he knows he owes Lada nothing. If she dies, he could never forgive himself—but if he fails in Constantinople, will Mehmed ever forgive him?

As nations fall around them, the Dracul siblings must decide: what will they sacrifice to fulfill their destinies? Empires will topple, thrones will be won . . . and souls will be lost.

4 3 2 1

2017

by Paul Auster

Astonishing, a masterpiece, Paul Auster’s greatest, most satisfying, most vivid and heartbreaking novel -- a sweeping and surprising story of inheritance, family, love and life itself.

Nearly two weeks early, on March 3, 1947, in the maternity ward of Beth Israel Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, Archibald Isaac Ferguson, the one and only child of Rose and Stanley Ferguson, is born. From that single beginning, Ferguson’s life will take four simultaneous and independent fictional paths. Four identical Fergusons made of the same DNA, four boys who are the same boy, go on to lead four parallel and entirely different lives. Family fortunes diverge. Athletic skills and sex lives and friendships and intellectual passions contrast. Each Ferguson falls under the spell of the magnificent Amy Schneiderman, yet each Amy and each Ferguson have a relationship like no other. Meanwhile, readers will take in each Ferguson’s pleasures and ache from each Ferguson’s pains, as the mortal plot of each Ferguson’s life rushes on.

As inventive and dexterously constructed as anything Paul Auster has ever written, yet with a passion for realism and a great tenderness and fierce attachment to history and to life itself that readers have never seen from Auster before. 4 3 2 1 is a marvelous and unforgettably affecting tour de force.

Exile for Dreamers

It’s 1814. Napoleon has escaped his imprisonment on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And at Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, five young ladies are secretly being trained for a world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

Tess Aubreyson can’t run far enough or fast enough to escape the prophetic dreams that haunt her. Dreams bring nothing but death and grief, and Tess refuses to accept that she may be destined for the same madness that destroyed her mother.

Until her disturbing dreams become the only means of saving Lord Ravencross, the man she loves, and her fellow students at Stranje House. Tess’s old friend, the traitorous Lady Daneska, and Ghost, the ruthless leader of the Iron Crown, have returned to England, intent on paving the way for Napoleon’s invasion.

Can the young ladies of Stranje House prevail once more? Or is England destined to fall into the hands of the power-mad dictator?

Under a Painted Sky

2016

by Stacey Lee

Missouri, 1849: Samantha dreams of moving back to New York to be a professional musician—a challenging goal, especially for a Chinese girl. But a tragic accident dashes her hopes and leaves her fearing for her life. With the help of a runaway slave named Annamae, Samantha flees town for the unknown frontier.

Life on the Oregon Trail is dangerous for two girls, so they disguise themselves as Sammy and Andy, two boys heading for the California gold rush. Sammy and Andy forge a powerful bond as they each search for a link to their past and struggle to avoid unwanted attention.

When they cross paths with a band of cowboys, the light-hearted troupe becomes unexpected allies. With the law closing in and new setbacks emerging each day, the girls quickly learn there are few places to hide on the open trail.

This beautifully written debut is an exciting adventure and a heart-wrenching survival tale. Above all, it’s a story about perseverance and trust that will restore your faith in the power of friendship.

Das Lächeln der Fortuna

Nach dem Tod seines Vaters, des ehemaligen Earl of Walsingham, reißt der zwölfjährige Robin aus der Klosterschule aus und verdingt sich als Stallknecht auf dem Gut, das einst seiner Familie gehörte. Als Sohn eines angeblichen Hochverräters zählt er zu den Besitzlosen und ist der Willkür der Obrigkeit ausgesetzt. Besonders Mortimer, der Sohn des neuen Earl, schikaniert Robert, wo er kann. Zwischen den Jungen wächst eine tödliche Feindschaft.

Aber Robin geht seinen Weg, der ihn schließlich zurück in die Welt von Hof, Adel und Ritterschaft führt. An der Seite des charismatischen Duke of Lancaster erlebt er Feldzüge, Aufstände und politische Triumphe - begegnet Frauen, die ebenso schön wie gefährlich sind.

Doch das Rad der Fortuna dreht sich unaufhörlich, und während ein junger, unfähiger König England ins Verderben zu reißen droht, steht Robin plötzlich wieder seinem alten Todfeind gegenüber.

Oscar and Lucinda

2015

by Peter Carey

Peter Carey's Booker Prize winning novel imagines Australia's youth, before its dynamic passions became dangerous habits. It is also a startling and unusual love story.

Oscar is a young English clergyman who has broken with his past and developed a disturbing talent for gambling. A country girl of singular ambition, Lucinda moves to Sydney, driven by dreams of self-reliance and the building of an industrial Utopia. Together this unlikely pair create and are created by the spectacle of mid-nineteenth century Australia.

Peter Carey's visionary brilliance, and his capacity to delight and surprise, propel this story to its stunning conclusion.

A School for Unusual Girls

Welcome to Stranje House.

It's 1814. Napoleon is exiled on Elba. Europe is in shambles. Britain is at war on four fronts. And Stranje House, a School for Unusual Girls, has become one of Regency England's dark little secrets. The daughters of the beau monde who don't fit high society's constrictive mold are banished to Stranje House to be reformed into marriageable young ladies. Or so their parents think.

In truth, Headmistress Emma Stranje, the original unusual girl, has plans for the young ladies—plans that entangle them in the dangerous world of spies, diplomacy, and war.

After accidentally setting her father's stables on fire while performing a scientific experiment, Miss Georgiana Fitzwilliam is sent to Stranje House. But Georgie has no intention of being turned into a simpering, pudding-headed, marriageable miss. She plans to escape as soon as possible—until she meets Lord Sebastian Wyatt.

Thrust together in a desperate mission to invent a new invisible ink for the English war effort, Georgie and Sebastian must find a way to work together without losing their heads—or their hearts…

The Assiduous Quest of Tobias Hopkins: The Complete Novel

2015

by James Faro

The Assiduous Quest of Tobias Hopkins - The Complete Novel

The first volume in the Tobias Hopkins series.

It is October in the year 1675. New England trader, Tobias Hopkins, arrives in Jamaica to discover the truth about his missing father. It transpires that, not only has the man been dead for six years, but he has left Toby with a half-brother and a clue to an inheritance which promises to change the course of their lives.

However, Toby's inquiries have attracted the attention of others who will stop at nothing to achieve their aims. Will the cryptic message written by his father lead him to a promised fortune, or will it lead him into the hands of those who aim to destroy him?

Haunted by nightmares from his past, Toby continues with his quest. But who can he trust? His faithful associate, John? The astute businesswoman Elizabeth? Or Magdalena, mother of his half-brother Eduardo? Some of those around him are not what they seem to be, and it soon becomes clear that Toby and those closest to him are in imminent danger.

His quest leads him to the Island of Nevis where he reaps the fruits of his search. All appears well until he travels to Virginia. It is only at this point that Tobias Hopkins is forced to face the consequences of his actions.

Peter: The Untold True Story

Chris Mechling's new historical novel, Peter, introduces readers to the amazing true story behind the fairy tale of Peter Pan. The book tells the adventures of the real boy who came to London and became a well-known figure more than a hundred years before James Barrie penned his classic.

Peter the Wild Boy lived in eighteenth century England, through the reigns of three kings (all named George), and achieved legendary status in his own lifetime. He was not only a popular figure, but also drew intense philosophical and scientific study, and was a subject of interest to literary figures such as Daniel Defoe and Jonathan Swift.

Peter retained a youthful appearance throughout his life and had a joyful, intuitive spirit that was both challenging and infectious. This imaginative dramatization of the life of Peter the Wild Boy captures the joy, innocence, and fire of a bright, feral child living in the midst of the Age of Enlightenment. It is narrated by the girl who perhaps knew him best.

The epic story of his life, spanning approximately seventy years, navigates a tumultuous and thoughtful period in English history, rich with characters. Peter is a magical, poignant tale full of humor, love, and courage in the face of life's difficulties. It will make you laugh, cry, dream, and remember what it means to be young.

The Bone Church

In the surreal and paranoid underworld of wartime Prague, fugitive lovers Felix Andel and Magdalena Ruza make some dubious alliances – with a mysterious Roman Catholic cardinal, a reckless sculptor intent on making a big political statement, and a gypsy with a risky sex life.

As one by one their chances for fleeing the country collapse, the two join a plot to assassinate Hitler’s nefarious Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda, Josef Goebbels. But the assassination attempt goes wildly wrong, propelling the lovers in separate directions.

Felix’s destiny is sealed at the Bone Church, a mystical pilgrimage site on the outskirts of Prague, while Magdalena is thrust even deeper into the bowels of a city that betrayed her and a homeland soon to be swallowed by the Soviets.

As they emerge from the shadowy fog of World War II, and stagger into the foul haze of the Cold War, Felix and Magdalena must confront the past, and a dangerous, uncertain future.

I am Cyrus: The Story of the Real Prince of Persia

2012

by Alexander Jovy

This stunning novel brings Ancient Persia to life, and reveals the captivating story of Cyrus himself, a courageous leader whose passion won the hearts of his subjects and lovers alike.

Cyrus's vision of a society where religious tolerance could and should prevail inspired the foundation of his magnificent empire. Yet, he was ruthless in his conquests, and Ancient Lydia and the fabled city of Babylon fell to him.

The book features an emotional love story and riveting battle scenes, and is written with an energy and passion that infuse every page. I Am Cyrus brings history alive as few other novels do. It is full of action, passion, comedy, tragedy, and inspiration.

Its theme that true cooperation between people is only won through tolerance, is profoundly relevant to our own times.

I Am Cyrus is a story that has been close to Alexander Jovy's heart for many years. He recalls his father telling him about ancient Persia and the mysteries it holds: "I was fascinated even then how such an early civilization could have achieved so much and be so unknown to our modern world."

The Midwife's Apprentice

2012

by Karen Cushman

From the author of Catherine, Called Birdy comes another spellbinding novel set in medieval England. The girl known only as Brat has no family, no home, and no future until she meets Jane the Midwife and becomes her apprentice.

As she helps the sharp-tempered Jane deliver babies, Brat—who renames herself Alyce—gains knowledge, confidence, and the courage to want something from life: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world.

Medieval village life makes a lively backdrop for the funny, poignant story of how Alyce gets what she wants. A concluding note discusses midwifery past and present.

V.

2012

by Thomas Pynchon

The wild, macabre tale of the twentieth century and of two men—one looking for something he has lost, the other with nothing much to lose—and “V.,” the unknown woman of the title.

Der Junge, der Träume schenkte

2012

by Luca Di Fulvio

New York, 1909. Aus einem transatlantischen Frachter steigt eine junge Frau mit ihrem Sohn Natale. Sie kommen aus dem tiefsten Süden Italiens – mit dem Traum von einem besseren Leben in Amerika.

Doch in der von Armut, Elend und Kriminalität gezeichneten Lower East Side gelten die gnadenlosen Gesetze der Gangs. Nur wer über ausreichend Robustheit und Durchsetzungskraft verfügt, kann sich hier behaupten. So wie der junge Natale, dem überdies ein besonderes Charisma zu eigen ist, mit dem er die Menschen zu verzaubern vermag ...

The Execution

2012

by Sharon Cramer

Parallel lives are fated to collide in The Execution, a medieval thriller, dark adventure, and tragic love story set in fourteenth century France.

A young priest enters the prison cell of a condemned mercenary and is shocked to see the face of this murderer is his own—a mirror image of himself. Unknown to each other until now, the twins form a bond of brotherhood, sealed with their darkest secrets.

But with only hours until the execution, the priest begins to question which man should truly be condemned. Should it be the ruthless killer—a boy from an orphanage who suffered the unimaginable—or himself, the man of God whose own tormented desires ended in tragedy? As the sun rises, the young priest knows what he must do. Only one man will die…but two men will be free.

The Sisters Brothers

2012

by Patrick deWitt

Hermann Kermit Warm is going to die. The enigmatic and powerful man known only as the Commodore has ordered it, and his henchmen, Eli and Charlie Sisters, will make sure of it. Though Eli doesn't share his brother's appetite for whiskey and killing, he's never known anything else. But their prey isn't an easy mark, and on the road from Oregon City to Warm's gold-mining claim outside Sacramento, Eli begins to question what he does for a living - and whom he does it for.

With The Sisters Brothers, Patrick deWitt pays homage to the classic Western, transforming it into an unforgettable comic tour de force. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters - losers, cheaters, and ne'er-do-wells from all stripes of life - and told by a complex and compelling narrator, it is a violent, lustful odyssey through the underworld of the 1850s frontier that beautifully captures the humor, melancholy, and grit of the Old West, and two brothers bound by blood, violence, and love.

Death of Kings

The master of historical fiction presents the iconic story of King Alfred and the making of a nation. As the ninth century wanes, England appears about to be plunged into chaos once more.

For the Viking-raised but Saxon-born warrior, Uhtred, whose life seems to shadow the making of England, this presents him with difficult choices. King Alfred is dying and his passing threatens the island of Britain with renewed warfare. Alfred wants his son, Edward, to succeed him, but there are other Saxon claimants to the throne, as well as ambitious pagan Vikings to the north.

Uhtred's loyalty—and his vows—were to Alfred, not to his son, and despite his long years of service to Alfred, he is still not committed to the Saxon cause. His own desire is to reclaim his long-lost lands and castle to the north. But the challenge to him, as the king's warrior, is that he knows he will either be the means of making Alfred's dream of a united and Christian England come to pass or be responsible for condemning it to oblivion.

This novel is a dramatic story of the power of tribal commitment and the terrible difficulties of divided loyalties. This is the making of England, magnificently brought to life.

Conqueror

2011

by Conn Iggulden

From a young scholar to one of history's most powerful warriors, this novel tells the story of Kublai Khan - an extraordinary man who should be remembered alongside Julius Caesar, Alexander the Great and Napoleon Bonaparte as one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever known.

A succession of ruthless men have seized power in the wake of Genghis Khan’s death—all descendants of the great leader, but none with his indomitable character. One grandson, Guyuk, strains the loyalties of the tribes to the breaking point, and another, Mongke, brutally eliminates the opposition and dispatches his younger brothers Kublai and Hulegu to far-flung territories.

Kublai—refined and scholarly, always considered too thoughtful to take power—will devise new ways of warfare and conquest as he builds the dream city of Xanadu and pursues the ultimate prize: the ancient empire of Sung China. His gifts will serve him well when an epic civil war breaks out among brothers, the outcome of which will literally change the world.

The Chronicle of Sapta Sindhu

2011

by Aporva Kala

The Chronicle of Sapta Sindhu is perhaps, India's first proto-historical novel and tells us the tale of the people of Indus Valley and its adjoining cities. It narrates a story of how the people of Sapta Sindhu unite to face the challenges of natural disasters and the Greek invasion, in the year 950BC. A wonderful tale of valor, adventure, faith, love, romance, wars, peace, Rudreeshwar, the discovery of Sanjivini, Wars at Zahaden, Zarang and Zabol (all in Afghanistan).

It also helps us understand the political development of our nation. Moreover, the Rig Veda and Avesta (Zoroastrian holy book) find a prominent place in this book. In times of wars and strife, it speaks of peace and culture, highlighting the places like Iraq (Mesopotamia), Iran (Arianna), Plains of River Helmand (Afghanistan), Syria, Jordan, which were once the cradle of civilization and are now termed as rogue nations.

Lionheart

They were called "The Devil's Brood", though never to their faces. They were the four surviving sons of Henry Plantagenet and Eleanor of Aquitaine. With two such extraordinary parents, much was expected of them.

But the eldest—charming yet mercurial—would turn on his father and, like his brother Geoffrey, meet an early death. When Henry died, Richard would take the throne and, almost immediately, set off for the Holy Land. This was the Third Crusade, and it would be characterized by internecine warfare among the Christians and extraordinary campaigns against the Saracens. And, back in England, by the conniving of Richard's youngest brother, John, to steal his crown.

Only Time Will Tell

2011

by Jeffrey Archer

From the internationally bestselling author of Kane and Abel and A Prisoner of Birth comes Only Time Will Tell, the first in an ambitious new series that tells the story of one family across generations, across oceans, from heartbreak to triumph.

The epic tale of Harry Clifton’s life begins in 1920, with the words “I was told that my father was killed in the war.” A dock worker in Bristol, Harry never knew his father, but he learns about life on the docks from his uncle, who expects Harry to join him at the shipyard once he’s left school. But then an unexpected gift wins him a scholarship to an exclusive boys’ school, and his life will never be the same again.

As he enters into adulthood, Harry finally learns how his father really died, but the awful truth only leads him to question: was he even his father? Is he the son of Arthur Clifton, a stevedore who spent his whole life on the docks, or the firstborn son of a scion of West Country society, whose family owns a shipping line?

This introductory novel in Archer’s ambitious series The Clifton Chronicles includes a cast of colorful characters and takes us from the ravages of the Great War to the outbreak of the Second World War, when Harry must decide whether to take up a place at Oxford or join the navy and go to war with Hitler’s Germany.

From the docks of working-class England to the bustling streets of 1940 New York City, Only Time Will Tell takes readers on a journey through to future volumes, which will bring to life one hundred years of recent history to reveal a family story that neither the reader nor Harry Clifton himself could ever have imagined.

Dragon's Oath

2011

by P.C. Cast

The first in an enthralling new mini-series of novellas from the #1 bestselling authors of the House of Night, Dragon’s Oath tells the story behind the House of Night’s formidable fencing instructor – the love that will transform him, and the promise that will haunt him.

In early 19th century England, long before he’s a professor at the Tulsa House of Night, Bryan Lankford is a troublesome yet talented human teen who thinks he can get away with anything… until his father, a wealthy nobleman, has finally had enough, and banishes him to America. When Bryan is Marked on the docks and given the choice between the London House of Night and the dragon-prowed ship to America, he chooses the Dragon – and a brand new fate.

Becoming a Fledgling may be exciting, but it opens a door to a dangerous world... In 1830’s St. Louis, the Gateway to the West, Dragon Lankford becomes a Sword Master, and soon realizes there are both frightening challenges and beautiful perks. Like Anastasia, the captivating young Professor of Spells and Rituals at the Tower Grove House of Night, who really should have nothing to do with a fledgling…

But when a dark power threatens, Dragon is caught in its focus. Though his uncanny fighting skills make him a powerful fledgling, is he strong enough to ward off evil, while protecting Anastasia as well? Will his choices save her—or destroy them all?

Cascade

What if you not only fell back through time...but fell in love, too?

Gabi knows she's left her heart in the fourteenth century, and she persuades Lia to help her to return, even though they know doing so will risk their very lives. When they arrive, months have passed, and all of Siena longs to celebrate the heroines who turned the tide in the battle against Florence—while their enemies will go to great lengths to see them dead.

Even in the midst of the battles, Gabi is increasingly drawn to Marcello, just as Lia's heart is drawn to Luca. In medieval Italy, the sisters must discover things inside themselves that they couldn't seem to find in the present—connection with their mom, courage within, and the understanding that a life well lived often means encountering sacrifice. But in a world long past, many things still keep Gabi from giving Marcello her heart forever... and one thing in particular calls all three of the Betarrinis home.

Caleb's Crossing

Caleb's Crossing is a richly imagined novel by the acclaimed author Geraldine Brooks. Set in 1665, it tells the story of a young man from Martha's Vineyard who becomes the first Native American to graduate from Harvard College. This novel vividly brings to life a remarkable shard of history.

The narrator, Bethia Mayfield, grows up in the tiny settlement of Great Harbor amidst a small band of pioneers and Puritans. She is restless and curious, yearning for an education that is denied to her because of her gender. As often as she can, Bethia explores the island's glistening beaches and observes its native Wampanoag inhabitants.

At the age of twelve, Bethia encounters Caleb, the young son of a chieftain. They forge a tentative secret friendship that draws each of them into the alien world of the other. Bethia's minister father tries to convert the Wampanoag, awakening the wrath of the tribe's shaman. One of his endeavors is the education of Caleb, who later studies Latin and Greek among the colonial elite in Cambridge.

Caleb's Crossing is an evocative and absorbing tale of love, faith, magic, and adventure. It further establishes Geraldine Brooks as one of our most acclaimed novelists.

Belle

2011

by Lesley Pearse

London, 1910: Fifteen-year-old Belle has lived in a brothel in Seven Dials all her life, with no understanding of what happens in the rooms upstairs. Her innocence is shattered when she witnesses the murder of one of the girls and is subsequently snatched from the streets by the killer. She is sold into prostitution in Paris.

No longer mistress of her own fate, Belle is blown across the globe to sensuous New Orleans, where she comes of age and learns to enjoy life as a courtesan. Yet thoughts of home—and the knowledge that her status as golden girl cannot last—compel her to break out of her gilded cage.

But Belle finds escaping tougher than she imagined. Her life is threatened by desperate men who crave her beauty and attention. Armed only with her resourcefulness and spirit, she has a long and dangerous journey ahead of her.

Will courage be enough to sustain her? Can she make it back to her family and friends and find her chance at true happiness?

Dime quién soy

2011

by Julia Navarro

Una periodista recibe una propuesta para investigar la azarosa vida de su bisabuela, una mujer de la que sólo se sabe que huyó de España abandonando a su marido y a su hijo poco antes de que estallara la Guerra Civil.

Para rescatarla del olvido deberá reconstruir su historia desde los cimientos, siguiendo los pasos de su biografía y encajando, una a una, todas las piezas del inmenso y extraordinario puzzle de su existencia.

Marcada por los hombres que pasaron por su vida -el empresario Santiago Carranza, el revolucionario Pierre Comte, el periodista estadounidense Albert James y el médico militar vinculado al nazismo Max von Schumann-, la vida de Amelia Garayoa es la de una mujer que aprendió que en la vida no se puede volver sobre el pasado para deshacerlo.

Desde la España republicana hasta la caída del Muro de Berlín, pasando por la Segunda Guerra Mundial y los oscuros años de la Guerra Fría, esta burguesa y revolucionaria, esposa y amante, espía y asesina, actuará siempre de acuerdo a sus principios, enfrentándose a todo y cometiendo errores que no terminará nunca de pagar.

Memoria de un siglo convulso, caracterizado por la barbarie de los totalitarismos, esta obra es una vuelta de tuerca en la trayectoria de una de nuestras novelistas más internacionales.

Dime quién soy sorprende por su dramatismo e introspección, por su intriga y por sus emociones a flor de piel. Una aventura desgarradora y cautivadora que tiene unos personajes excepcionalmente perfilados y literariamente inolvidables.

The Wake of the Lorelei Lee: Being an Account of the Adventures of Jacky Faber, on her Way to Botany Bay

2010

by L.A. Meyer

Jacky Faber, rich from her exploits diving for Spanish gold, has purchased the Lorelei Lee to carry passengers across the Atlantic. Believing she has been absolved of past sins against the Crown, Jacky docks in London to take on her crew, but is instead arrested and sentenced to life in the newly formed penal colony in Australia.

To add insult to injury, the Lorelei Lee is confiscated to carry Jacky and more than 200 female convicts to populate New South Wales. Not one to give in to self-pity, Jacky rallies her sisters to "better" their position—resulting in wild escapades, brushes with danger, and much hilarity.

Will Jacky find herself a founding mother of New South Wales, Australia? Not if she has anything to do about it!

Under Heaven

2010

by Guy Gavriel Kay

Under Heaven is an innovative novel by the award-winning author Guy Gavriel Kay, which evokes the dazzling Tang Dynasty of 8th-century China in a story of honor and power.

It begins simply. Shen Tai, son of an illustrious general serving the Emperor of Kitai, has spent two years honoring the memory of his late father by burying the bones of the dead from both armies at the site of one of his father's last great battles. In recognition of his labors and his filial piety, an unlikely source has sent him a dangerous gift: 250 Sardian horses.

You give a man one of the famed Sardian horses to reward him greatly. You give him four or five to exalt him above his fellows, propel him towards rank, and earn him jealousy, possibly mortal jealousy. Two hundred and fifty is an unthinkable gift, a gift to overwhelm an emperor. Wisely, the gift comes with the stipulation that Tai must claim the horses in person. Otherwise, he would probably be dead already...

Vampyr

Vampyr resucita los atributos de la novela gótica de misterio, intriga, amor y venganza. Su ritmo vertiginoso hará latir tu corazón a toda prisa mientras te sumerges en la atmósfera oscura y envolvente que caracteriza las historias de vampiros más inquietantes.

Sus personajes te llevarán a un apasionante recorrido por la Europa del siglo XIX en su afán por descubrir los secretos de los despiadados enemigos que han despertado su sed de venganza.

VAMPYR está lleno de peligros, aventuras e intrigas que te encantará desenredar al tiempo que vives su sorprendente historia de amor.

Ireland

2009

by Frank Delaney

In the winter of 1951, a storyteller arrives at the home of nine-year-old Ronan O'Mara in the Irish countryside. This storyteller is the last practitioner of an honored, centuries-old tradition known as the Seanchai. For three magical evenings, he enthralls his assembled audience with narratives of foolish kings, fabled saints, and Ireland's enduring accomplishments.

However, after being banished for blasphemy, he moves on, but not before leaving a lasting impression on young Ronan. These unforgettable nights set Ronan on a path he will follow for years, as he pursues the elusive, itinerant storyteller and the magical tales that weave the glorious saga of his tenacious, troubled, and extraordinary isle.

Sent

Jonah and Chip have barely adjusted to the discovery that they are actually the missing children of history when a time purist named JB sends them, along with Katherine and Alex, hurtling back in time to 1483. JB promises that if they can fix history, they can all return to their present-day lives.

Now Chip and Alex have to reclaim their true identities—as the king and prince of England. But things get complicated when the four discover that according to the records, the princes were murdered. How can they fix history if it means that Chip and Alex will die?

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