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"A single mother is desperate to protect her family as they are targeted by a group of violent conspiracy theorists in this riveting and all too plausible thriller from USA Today bestselling author Alison Gaylin. Meg Russo was behind the wheel when it happened. She and her husband Justin were driving their daughter Lily to college, the family celebrating the eighteen-year-old's future. Then a car sidled up beside them, the young men inside it behaving erratically. The Russos' car went off the road, and Justin didn't survive the accident. Four months later, Meg works to distract herself from her grief, reopening her small local bookstore. But soon after returning to work, bizarre messages and visitors begin to arrive, with strangers threatening Meg and vandalizing the store. They are obsessed with a young adult novel tiled The Prophesy, which was published 20 years earlier. An online group of believers are convinced the book predicted a plague, and social media posts link it to Satanism. People are sure it heralds the apocalypse. These conspiracy theorists vow to seek revenge on its author...Meg. As the threats turn more violent, Meg begins to suspect that Justin's death may not have been an accident. To find answers and save herself and Lily, she must get to the root of the lies fueling these people to come after them-and find a way to face them head on"-- Provided by publisher.

A collection of stories and parodies reimagining stereotypes and misrepresentations to create new conversations.

"In this lyrical and stirring companion to the "spellbinding" (Harper's Bazaar) Shallow Waters, Oya-the Yoruban deity of the weather-is brought to life during 1870s America. Perfect for fans of Children of Blood and Bone and Black Sun. Born in Cuba after her mother Yemaya's adventures in the New World, Oya has inherited otherworldly powers from her Yoruba Orisha lineage. While Yemaya is known for her healing abilities, Oya's influence over the storm proves to be destructive, posing a threat to her mother and the island's safety. Sent to New Orleans to study under Marie Laveau, the Queen of Voodoo, Oya begins a journey across the still young America, encountering a myriad of historical figures, including Mary Ellen Pleasant, Jesse James, Lew Hing, and more. As Oya navigates the landscapes of racism, colorism, and classism, she grapples with her own identity and powers, striving to find her place in a fraught and complex society. A moving, vivid exploration of resilience, heritage, and the enduring spirit of a young woman coming into her own, The Wind on Her Tongue transports you to a world where magic and reality intertwine"-- Provided by publisher.

"A funny, sexy, and heart-wrenching literary debut that explores exile, ambition, and hope across three generations of Palestinian American women"-- Provided by publisher.

"A former postal inspection agent tracks a violent crew through the midwest to rescue a kidnapped woman."--Jacket flap.

"Chryssy Hua Williams comes from such a long line of women who are so unlucky in love that she has started to believe that her great-great-great-great grandmother has caused them to be cursed. Chryssy accepts that she may never have a happy ever after of her own so she sets out to discover how traditional Chinese medicine may bring lasting love to others. When Chryssy meets Vin, a serial dater who has found fame as a classical musician, she attempts to keep him at a distance to avoid heartbreak. After all, it's not Vin, but his brother, who she's been hired to help. While trying to cure one brother, she can't help falling for the other. Now the only logical plan of action is...to break the unbreakable curse"-- Provided by publisher.

Alice Einstein -- known as "Malice" to her former schoolfriends -- likes to tell herself stories. There's a good one she's workshopping about how, despite once being a critically acclaimed literary novelist, she's ended up blocked and uninspired, living in her timid, conflict-averse sister Liesl's spare room. But then Liesl sends her an SOS worthy of a thriller novel. The horror! The horror! Sam is back. Sam, Liesl's wealthy ex-husband, vanished ten years ago, leaving her a chunk of money but no explanation. Sam is handsome, charming, manipulative . . . and now he claims he's sick. But Alice, with her experience of spinning tales, knows a liar when she sees one. Haunted by a childhood tragedy that gave birth to the cruel nickname "Lethal," Liesl now specialises in saving things: dogs, children, sisters. Telling herself it's time she returned the favor, Alice engages the services of Brigid Quinn, a hardboiled local private investigator with a shady past, to help her get rid of Sam for good.

"A funny, achingly sad, sneakily wise story of family and what happens when three men--all of whom are completely ill--suited for fatherhood-take charge of a toddler following his mother's sudden death. Boy-made-good Téo Erskine is back in the north London suburb of his youth, visiting his father--stubborn, selfish, complicated Vic. Things have changed for Téo: he's got a steady job, a brand-new car and a London flat all concrete and glass, with a sliver of a river view. Except, underneath the surface, not much has changed at all. He's still the boy seeking his father's approval; still the young man playing late-night poker with his best friend, unreliable, infuriating Ben Mossam; still the one desperately in love with the enigmatic Lia. Lia's life, on the other hand, has been transformed: now a single mother to two-year-old Joel, she doesn't have time for anyone--not even herself. When the unthinkable happens, Joel finds himself at the center of a strange constellation of men--Téo, Vic, Ben--none of whom is fully equipped to look after him, but whose strange, tentative attempts at love might just be enough to offer him a new place to call home"-- Provided by publisher.

During a recent undercover sting gone bad, hit man Gustavo Toro died in the arms of FBI Special Agent Daniela "Dani" Vega. But Toro had secrets he refused to take to the grave. In the event of his death, Toro left behind a video that promises to expose a mysterious mastermind who has been operating with impunity for decades. But there's a catch. Dani's team must follow Toro's cryptic clues on a cross-country hunt for justice, and piecing together his past is more twisted than Dani could have imagined. But as Dani and her team race to gather the evidence, it's clear this powerful adversary will stop at nothing to keep their secrets--including eliminating those who threaten to reveal them.

Isaac is at a crossroads in his young life. Growing up in Missouri, the son of a caustic, hard-driving father, he was conditioned to suppress his artistic pursuits and physical desires, notions that didn't align with a traditional view of masculinity. But now, in late '80s Chicago, Isaac has finally carved out a life of his own. He is sensitive and tenderhearted and has built up the courage to seek out a community. Yet just as he begins to embrace who he is, two social catalysts, the AIDS crisis and Rodney King's attack--collectively extinguish his hard-earned joy. At a therapist's encouragement, Isaac begins to write down his story. In the process, he taps into a creative energy that will send him on a journey back to his family, his ancestral home in Arkansas and the inherited trauma of the nation's dark past. But a surprise discovery will either unlock the truths he's seeking or threaten to derail the life he's fought so hard to claim.

"From Edgar Award-winning author Erika Krouse, a visceral, dazzling collection of stories set across the globe, about characters desperate for salvation. Erika Krouse's Edgar Award-winning debut memoir, Tell Me Everything, was hailed by The New York Times Book Review as "lyrical, jarring, propulsive," and The Washington Post as "mesmerizing on every page." Now, with an electrifying new collection of stories, Save Me, Stranger, she further cements her reputation as an essential voice. From the coldest town on earth, to a sex shop in Bangkok, to a haunted bed and breakfast in the Rockies, we meet characters at hinge moments. A runaway fights for her future while driving an ice cream truck in gang territory; a cleaning woman investigates the teenager who died in her stead; an Alaskan terminal patient discovers new life in helping others die. This collection explores the borderlands between humor and hurt, community and self, and hope and despair, redefining what it means to survive. Scalpel-sharp, unsparingly funny, and achingly wise, Krouse's expansive stories build to unforgettable emotional catharses, as these men and women must decide how far they are willing to go to save each other-and themselves"-- Provided by publisher.

"Klara -- who's always thought of herself as a little different, a sneaker in a world full of kitten heels and polished boots -- is feeling a disconnect these days. She has type 1 diabetes, currently works in a dead-end job, and is in desperate need of a change. When her dad falls ill, Klara begrudgingly agrees to help run his small construction company while he recovers, even though it means moving back home and pushing the boundaries of her comfort zone to the extreme. Alex has been a shell of himself since his brother died in an accident. He's unemployed, has bills piling up, and is distant from friends and family. His therapist is encouraging him to keep things manageable by setting up a calendar, checking off tasks each day, and looking for work to help get him back on his feet. When an ad pops up for a carpenter position at a small construction company, he jumps at the chance to take a step forward. Klara's and Alex's stories unfold through a series of miscommunications in this clever and witty novel from debut author Ally Zetterberg that's about finding acceptance and even love in unexpected places." -- Back cover.

"It's been years since Meena separated from her husband, Nikhil . . . years since they first laid eyes on each other in their home state of Texas, years since they spontaneously wed in Las Vegas and she felt true happiness. Now a high-powered lawyer on Capitol Hill and ready to move on (at least, she thinks so) with another successful lawyer, Shake, Meena has returned to Texas. This time, finally to obtain a divorce. But there’s one thing Meena didn't account for: a hurricane forming in the Gulf, veering right toward them and giving them no choice but to hunker down in the home they had built together. Suddenly, she finds herself trapped amid gale-force winds and pelting rain with the man she once loved. As they spend more time together, Meena begins to remember everything that drew her to Nikhil: his small-town charm, his thoughtful nature . . . his absurdly good looks. But being with Shake makes sense to her. He's steady, ambitious, and wants exactly what she wants. So she'll stick to her plan, come hell or high water. But will her windswept heart make the right choice, once the eye passes over and the storm settles?"-- Provided by publisher.

"Celebrated stage actress Mona Zahid wakes up on Thanksgiving morning to the clamor of guests packed into her Manhattan apartment and to a wave of dread: her in-laws are lurking on the other side of the bedroom door; she's still fighting with her husband; and in just a few weeks she will begin rehearsals as Shakespeare's Cleopatra, the hardest role in theater. In an impulsive burst, Mona bounds out the door with the family dog in tow ("I forgot the parsley!" is her lame excuse) to find her estranged mentor, Milton Katz, who was recently forced out of the legendary theater company he founded amid accusations of sexual misconduct. Mona's escape turns into an overnight adventure that brings her face-to-face with her past, with her creative power and its limitations, and ultimately, with all the people she has ever loved. Beguilingly approachable and intricately constructed, at once funny and sad and wise, Mona Acts Out is a novel about acting and telling the truth, about how we play roles to get through our days, and how the great roles teach us how to live."--Amazon

"Millie has never taken the expected path. Her childhood love for bugs and science led her to entomology, and her role as a curator, inspiring museum visitors every day. It's her dream to run her own department--so when a rare director position opens, she is determined nothing will distract her from her goal. Especially not Finn, her grumpy coworker with his permanent scowl, electric blue eyes, and endless supply of astronomy ties. Not that she's spent time noticing any of those things. Finn doesn't mean to glare at everyone, but he's juggling his role at the museum, navigating the grief of losing his sister, attempting to make his nieces smile, and trying not to ruin dinner for the fifth night in a row. He can't afford to let anything slip, and certainly doesn't need more to deal with--especially not Millie literally stumbling into him, with her bright smile and sunny optimism. He bugs her. She's too starry-eyed for him. They want nothing to do with each other. But with Finn on the interview committee, avoidance is impossible. And Millie soon realizes it's one thing when a job is on the line. It's quite another when it's her heart"-- Provided by publisher.

What happens when you are forced to let go of the things you love the most? What are you left with?In her stunning debut short story collection, The Goodbye Process, Mary Jones uses her distinctive voice to examine the painful and sometimes surreal ways we say goodbye.The stories--which range from tender and heartbreaking to unsettling and darkly funny--will push you out of your comfort zone and ignite intense emotions surrounding love and loss. A woman camps out on the porch of an ex-lover who has barricaded himself inside the house; a preteen girl caught shoplifting finds herself in grave danger; a Los Angeles real estate agent falls for a woman who helps him detach from years of dramatic plastic surgery; a man hires a professional mourner to ensure his wife's funeral is a success. Again and again, Jones's characters find themselves facing the ends of things: relationships, health, and innocence. Arresting, original, and beautifully rendered, this story collection packs a punch, just the way grief doesknocking us off our feet.

"A stymied reporter in his early thirties embarks on an investigation of three unconnected suicides. All he has to go on are photos of the faces of the dead. Other suicidies begin to proliferate, while a colleague in the archives sends him historical justifications of self-murder by thinkers of all sorts: Diogenes, David Hume, Emile Durkheim, Margaret Mead. His investigation becomes an obsession, and he finds himself ever more attracted to its subject as it proceeds." -- Back cover.

"Ever since she was a child, Louise has been not quite hearing and not quite deaf. After an audiology test shows that almost all her hearing is gone, her doctor suggests a cochlear implant. This irreversible operation would give Louise a new sense of hearing, but it would come at the expense of her natural hearing, which has shaped her relationship with the world, full of whispers and shadows." -- Amazon.

Too often, science fiction and fantasy stories erase--or cure--characters with disabilities. Soul Jar, edited by author and bookstore owner Annie Carl, features thirty-one stories by disabled authors, imagining such wonders as a shapeshifter on a first date, skin that sprouts orchid buds, and a cereal-box demon. An insulin pump diverts an undead mob. An autistic teen sets out to discover the local cranberry bog's sinister secret. A pizza delivery on Mars goes wrong. This thrillingly peculiar collection sparkles with humor, heart, and insight, all within the context of disability representation. #OwnVoices.

"1942.Though she survived the bomb that destroyed her home, Yvonne Rudellat's life is over. She's estranged from her husband, her daughter is busy with war work, and Yvonne--older, diminutive, overlooked--has lost all purpose. Until she's offered a chance to remake herself entirely... The war has taken a turn for the worse, and the men in charge are desperate. So, when Yvonne is recruited as Britain's first female sabotage agent, expectations are low. But her tenacity, ability to go unnoticed, and aptitude for explosives set her apart. Soon enough she arrives in occupied France with a new identity, ready to set the Nazi regime ablaze. But there are adversaries on all sides. As Yvonne becomes infamous as the nameless, unstoppable woman who burns the enemy at every turn, she realizes she may lose herself to the urgent needs of the cause..."--Page 4 of cover.

"The darkly comic tale of three generations of a Jewish family in today's Poland"-- Provided by publisher.

"The heroine of the spare and haunting It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over is voraciously alive in the afterlife. Adrift yet keenly aware, she notes every bizarre detail of her new reality. And even if she has forgotten her name and much of what connects her to her humanity, she remembers with an implacable and nearly unbearable longing the place where she knew herself and was known (and loved), and she is determined to get back there at any cost. Our dead heroine travels across the landscapes of time and space (heading always west and carrying a dead but laconically opinionated crow in her chest), encountering and losing parts of her body and her self in one terrifying, hilarious, and heartbreaking situation after another. A bracing writer of great nerve and verve, Anne de Marcken bends reality (and the reader's mind) with throwaway assurance. It Lasts Forever and Then It's Over plumbs mortality and how it changes everything, except possibly love. Delivering a near-Beckettian whopping to the reader's imagination, this is one of the sharpest and funniest novels of recent years, a tale for our dispossessed times"-- Provided by publisher.

"Born into slavery on a Mississippi plantation, Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield has been raised in the safety of Philadelphia's Quaker community by a wealthy adoptive mother. Sheltered and educated, Eliza's happy childhood always included music lessons to nurture her unique gift: a glorious three octave singing voice that leaves listeners in awe. But on the eve of her twenty-fourth birthday, young Eliza's world is thrown into a tailspin when her mother dies. Eliza's inheritance is contested by her mother's white cousins, leaving her few options. She can marry her longtime beau, Lucien, though she has no desire to be a wife and mother. Or she can work as a tutor for rich families. Her mother's dying wish was for Eliza to pursue her talent and become a professional singer, but that grand vision now seems out of reach. When a chance performance on a steamboat to Buffalo, New York, leads to a surprising opportunity, fearless Eliza seizes her moment. Within a year she is touring America, singing to packed houses, and igniting controversy wherever she goes. In a country captivated by "the Swedish Nightingale" Jenny Lind, Eliza is billed by tour promoters as "the Black Swan." An unlikely diva, Eliza is tall, dark-skinned, and robust of figure compared to the petite European prima donna, but even the harshest critics can't deny Eliza's extraordinary gift. Menaced by racist crowds, threatened by slave-catchers who kidnap free Black people, Eliza lives a public life full of risk, but one which also holds the promise of great riches, and the freedoms those buy."--Back cover

"When a harpooned whale offers proof the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is endangering all life in the Columbia River Basin, Luke Hinson, a brash young scientist, seizes the chance to avenge his father's death but a thyroid cancer diagnosis derails Luke's research. Between treatments, he dives back in, making enemies at every turn. On an overnight trek, Luke discovers evidence that Mary, his former neighbor, embarked on the same treacherous trail, and her disappearance, a decade prior, may be tied to Hanford's harmful practices mired in government-mandated secrecy. A love story wrapped in a mystery, this stunning Cold War home-front tale reveals the devastating costs of the birth of the nuclear age, and celebrates the quiet courage of wronged women, the fierce determination of fatherless sons, and the limitless power of the individual"--Page 4 of cover.

"Technology never works well the first time. Or even the second. Army veteran John Reiff is living proof. John is revived in the back of a dilapidated ambulance, on the run from a shadowy organization that is desperate to take him back. He is the first one, their archetype, and they need to know what happened after his escape. What is happening to his body and his mind. And they need to know now. Because Reiff knows things he shouldn't. About them and about what they are hiding. A secret that has been in cold storage for several hundred years. And the insidious, methodical plan that has been in motion for half a century. John Reiff is their key--a problem and the solution. A lab rat gone rogue at the worst possible time. But they will find him. They have to. And they will stop at nothing to get what they want"-- Dust jacket flap.

"Author Grady Green is having the worst best day of his life. He calls his wife, Abby, to share some exciting news as she is driving home. He hears Abby slam on the brakes when she sees something in the road ahead. Over Grady's protests, Abby gets out of the car. When he eventually finds her car by the cliff edge, the headlights are on, the driver's door is open, her phone is still there... but his wife has disappeared. A year later, Grady is still overcome with grief and desperate to know what happened to Abby. He can't sleep, and he can't write, so he travels to a tiny, remote Scottish island to try and get his life back on track. And then he sees the impossible: a woman who looks exactly like his missing wife"--Inside jacket flap.

"An exploration of the macabre, where the seemingly mundane takes on a terrifying significance. . . . A pregnant woman's sketches on a seemingly innocuous blog conceal a chilling warning. A child's picture of his home contains a dark secret message. A sketch made by a murder victim in his final moments leads an amateur sleuth down a rabbithole that will reveal a horrifying reality. Structured around these nine childlike drawings, each holding a disturbing clue, Uketsu invites readers to piece together the mystery behind each and the over-arching backstory that connects them all. Strange Pictures is the internationally bestselling debut from mystery horror YouTube sensation Uketsu--an enigmatic masked figure who has become one of Japan's most talked about contemporary authors." -- Publisher annotation.

"Ethan and Gabe's marriage is tested when Ethan announces his congressional run as a Republican, while Nicole rekindles a romance with Ethan's sister Kate, a political reporter whose life spirals as family and career collide"-- Provided by publisher.

"A powerful and fierce reimagining of the founding of the Roman empire and the legend of Romulus and Remus-and the mother whose sacrifice made it all possible. The twins Romulus and Remus may be known as the mythical founders of Rome, but history is silent in regards to their mother, Rhea Silvia. If she is remembered at all, it is as a preface to her sons' journey, the princess turned priestess-and a victim of rape-condemned to death alongside her children. But that is not the full story. Though born into royalty, when Rhea's family is beset by tragedies and her father loses his kingdom in a treacherous coup, she is sent to the order of the Vestal Virgins, to ensure she will never produce an heir. Except when mortals scheme, gods laugh. Rhea becomes pregnant, and human society turns against her. Alone, ostracized, and facing the gravest punishment, Rhea forges a dangerous deal with the divine to protect what she loves, one that will forever change the trajectory of her life...and her land. All roads may lead to Rome, but they began with Rhea Silvia"-- Provided by publisher.

""A stunning and accomplished debut, with hugely relatable characters and an addictive storyline that kept me turning the pages well into the night. Bravo!" --BA Paris, NYT bestselling author "Wow, The Business Trip was nonstop twists and turns. I loved the unusual way that the story was told, and I kept reading all day long because I couldn't wait to see how it ended!" -- Freida McFadden, NYT bestselling author THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia. Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don't know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man-the messages becoming stranger and more erratic. And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women- or what did they do to him? Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?"-- Provided by publisher.

Kerry's life is in shambles: Her husband has left her, her drinking habit has officially become a problem, and though the deadline for her big book deal--the one that was supposed to change everything--is looming, she can't write a word. When she sees an ad for a caretaker position at a revitalized roadside motel in the Catskills, she jumps at the chance. It's the perfect getaway to finish her book and start fresh. But as she hunkers down in a blizzard, she spots something through the window: a pale arm peeking out from a heap of snow. Trapped in the mountains and alone with a dead, frozen body, Kerry must keep her head and make it out before the killer comes for her too. But is the deadly game of cat-and-mouse all in her mind? The body count begs to differ…"-- Provided by publisher.

"Lila Crayne is America's sweetheart: she's generous and kind, gorgeous and magnetic. She and her fiancé, visionary filmmaker Kurt Royall, have settled into a stunning new West Village apartment and are set to begin filming their feminist adaptation of Fitzgerald's Tender Is the Night. To prepare for the leading role, Lila begins working with charming and accomplished therapist Jonah Gabriel to dig into the trauma of her past. Soon, Lila's impeccably manicured life begins to unravel on the therapy couch--and Jonah is just the man to pick up the pieces. But everyone has a secret, and no one is quite who they seem. A twisty, thought-provoking novel of construction and deconstruction in conversation with the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald and told through the lens of the film industry, Sweet Fury is an incisive and bold critique of America's deep-rooted misogyny. With this novel, Bischoff examines the narratives we tell ourselves, and what happens when we co-opt others into those stories; and she probes the blurred lines between victim and perpetrator and the true meaning of justice"-- Provided by publisher.

When Franck gets out after five years in jail, he expects to find the brother he protected with his silence. Instead, waiting for him is his brother Fabien's girlfriend. Jessica takes him to the gloomy country house where she lives with her cantankerous, hard-drinking parents and her eight-year old daughter, Rachel. Time passes, Fabien doesn't return, and Franck is increasingly mystified by Jessica's behavior, seductive at times, hostile at others. Nonetheless, Franck follows her around on her crazy nocturnal rounds until he finds himself with a gun pointed at his head. It's the beginning of a crescendo of retaliation in a gang war in which Franck believes he is participating, only to realize he's merely a sacrificial pawn.

""Tough, explosive, badass, and brilliant, Fearless is everything you could want in a thriller...If you like Reacher, you'll LOVE this." -Chris Whitaker, New York Times bestselling author of We Begin at the End. What is a truly fearless man capable of? They're about to find out... Ben Koenig used to head the US Marshal's elite Special Operations Group. His team hunted the bad guys-the really bad guys, and he could find anyone. Then one day Koenig himself disappeared. Koenig has been on the run for six years. Now suddenly his face is on every television screen in the country and his cover is blown. A woman has gone missing, and her father will do anything to find her. He wants Koenig to discover what happened, no matter the cost. The trail leads Koenig to a small town in the burning heat of the Chihuahuan Desert, where some people have a secret they'll do anything to protect. But Koenig has a secret of his own: a unique condition that makes him unable to feel fear. Now Koenig is coming for them. And they should be afraid. With Fearless, award-winning author M. W. Craven launches a new series, featuring the man who can't feel fear, Ben Koenig"-- Provided by publisher.

"For forty-two years, Sally Harrison has been building a library. Each year, on her daughter's birthday, she adds a new book to her shelves - with a note in the front dedicated to her own greatest work. But Ella - Sally's only child - fled to Australia twenty-one years ago after a heated exchange, and never looked back. And though Sally still dutifully adds a new paperback to the shelves every time the clock strikes midnight on July 11th, her hopes of her daughter ever thumbing through the pages are starting to dwindle. Then disaster strikes and Ella is forced to return to the home she once knew. She is soon to discover that when one chapter ends, another will soon follow"--Amazon.com.

"Los Angeles attorney Charles Warren is helping a young widow find her late husband's missing money when he recognizes a con job that targeted his widowed mother years before, and he quickly becomes entangled in the web of fraud, betrayal, and criminals surrounding the theft"-- Provided by publisher.

"A witty, atmospheric, and brilliantly told novel that offers compelling portraits of womanhood, motherhood and female friendship, along with the irresistible intrigue surrounding an extraordinary British family Arriving at the University of Edinburgh for her first term, Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she'll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father's-now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox-lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lord Lennox's centuries-old estate with his enveloping, fascinating family, Pen begins to unravel her parents' secret, just as she's falling in love for the first time... As Pen experiences the sharp shock of adulthood, she comes to rely on herself for the first time in her life. A rich and rewarding novel of campus life, of sexual awakening, and ultimately, of the many ways women can become mothers in this world, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus asks to what extent we need to look back in order to move forward"-- Provided by publisher.

"A big and bighearted novel-one enthralling, transformative year in the life of a child actor coming of age in a bygone Manhattan. Griffin Hurt is in over his head. His role as Peter Proton on the hit TV show The Nuclear Family and high school at Boyd Prep on New York's Upper West Side-along with the increasingly compromising demands of his wrestling coach-have him teetering on the edge of collapse. Then comes Naomi Shah, twenty-two years Griffin's senior. Unwilling to lay his burdens on his shrink-whom he shares with his father, mother, and younger brother, Oren-Griffin soon finds himself in the back of Naomi's Mercedes sedan, again and again, confessing all to the one person who might do him the most harm. Less a bildungsroman than a story of miseducation, Playworld is a novel of epic proportions, bursting with laughter and heartache. Adam Ross immerses us in the life of Griffin and his loving (yet disintegrating) family while seeming to evoke the entirety of Manhattan and the ethos of an era-with Jimmy Carter on his way out and a B-list celebrity named Ronald Reagan on his way in. Surrounded by adults who embody the age's excesses-and who seem to care little about what their children are up to-Griffin is left to himself to find the line between youth and maturity, dependence and love, acting and truly grappling with life"-- Provided by publisher.

"An epic and intimate tale of one couple across sixty years as world events pull them together and apart, illuminating the Chinese diaspora and exploring what it means to find home far from your homeland"-- Provided by publisher.

"Stacie Shannon Denetsosie confronts long-reaching effects of settler-colonialism on Native lives in a series of gritty, wildly imaginative stories. A young Navajo man catches a ride home alongside a casket he's sure contains his dead grandfather. A gas station clerk witnesses the kidnapping of the newly crowned Miss Northwestern Arizona. A young couple's search for a sperm donor raises questions of blood quantum. This debut collection grapples with a complex and painful history alongside an inheritance of beauty, ceremony, and storytelling" -- Publisher's description.

"Poe and Kafka meet The Twilight Zone in this anthology of fifty fantastical tales, many of them reflecting the political and social energies of the time, by an Italian master of the short story. The modern Italian writer Dino Buzzati wrote a huge body of short fiction, several hundred pieces, spanning a forty-year period. They offer a remarkable inventory of fantastic premises and tropes, international in the reach of their geographical settings, at times commenting on Italian issues but usually reflecting the worldwide horrors, catastrophes, and fanaticisms that characterized the twentieth century. A journalist for much of his life, Buzzati was adept at turning current events into fantasies that depicted social and political nightmares. He challenged the ideological complacencies of his era in accessible stories that solicit the reader's vicarious response, mixing sentiment, humor, and tragedy. Here Poe and Kafka meet Rod Serling's The Twilight Zone. Lawrence Venuti presents a retrospective anthology that ranges from Buzzati's first publications to texts written as he was dying of cancer. Buzzati's own book-length selections are sampled, so that previously untranslated stories join new versions of classics like "Seven Floors," an absurdist tale of a patient fatally caught in hospital bureaucracy; "Panic at La Scala," where, fearful of a left-wing revolution, the Milanese bourgeoisie are imprisoned at the opera house; and "Appointment with Einstein," in which the scientist encounters a gas station attendant who is the Angel of Death. Venuti's crisp translations re-create Buzzati's technique of making the fantastic seem frighteningly plausible, establishing unreal worlds that disrupt dominant notions of what is real. The Bewitched Bourgeois is a definitive gathering of Buzzati's work in short fiction"-- Provided by publisher.

"Teddy Knight's band has just broken up in spectacular fashion after his longtime bandmate and-he'd thought-closest friend decides to go solo. So when he's offered a last-minute gig to fill in as an artist-in-residence at a summer arts camp-which comes with a lake cabin and lots of free time to work on a revenge album-he takes it. No matter that he knows nothing about nature, dislikes kids, and is generally a grump. Gretchen Miller is having a mid-life crisis. Luckily, her summer job as the dance teacher at Wild Arts summer camp will allow her to drop out of society for a while. Having sworn off dating, she decides she'll go into the woods and become a crone. She might skip the "luring innocent children to their death" part of cronedom, but she's all for the "curse men" aspect. Teddy and Gretchen clash from the get-go when he mistakes her for a fan, and she relegates him to the "entitled jerk" ash heap. Despite their determination to dislike each other, a wary friendship blooms as the magic of the woods starts to unwind them, and they spend long hours by the campfire talking about art, being stuck, and the idea of starting over. But woods are often filled with monsters, and Teddy and Gretchen will have to face their fears if they want to start over together"-- Provided by publisher.

1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or "golden lilies," are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich dowry and even bloodline in the marriage stakes. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery. Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, uncommon for a muizai, but she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower's escape. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower's artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status, but her life, the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?

"A never before published novel from beloved author Zora Neale Hurston, revealing the historical Herod the Great--not the villain the Bible makes him out to be but a religious and philosophical man who lived a life of valor and vision"-- Provided by publisher.

"Sylvie Devereaux is the wealthy daughter of affluent artists living in New York City. During a trip with her boyfriend to Scotland, Sylvie sneaks into Barclay Manor to retrieve a photo of a family heirloom. While sneaking around the mansion, she meets broody Scottish billionaire Killian Barclay and runs from the house, dropping her phone in her haste to get away. Weeks later, she's approached by Killian's sister. She has a proposal for Sylvie-to marry Killian for a term of three years and ten million dollars under the guise of improving his playboy reputation. What Killian doesn't know is that the marriage scheme is really a front for his sister and the rest of his family to extract him from their family home, Barclay Manor, by utilizing the fine print of their family's trust against him. Sylvie agrees to these terms, but over the course of the three years, she starts to grow feelings for Killian and regrets what their marriage will do to him. Is the love of a good man with a dark soul worth telling the truth, or is she willing to break Killian's heart now that it's well and truly hers?"-- Provided by publisher.

"Conwoman Harmony Hale has sold lies up and down California for years, never looking back at her crafty scams or one-night stands. Now she's come to Brookville, California, with her sights set on its wealthy mayor--the man who stole her father's music-streaming algorithm and ruined his life. Harmony is finally ready to take him down, with her trusty con of selling a nonexistent music festival. All she needs is the cooperation of the man who owns the potential festival site. Autistic librarian and piano teacher Preston Jones spends his days fighting book challengers trying to shut down his library programs. He's responsible for raising his selectively nonspeaking little sister and needs to focus on keeping his job. He doesn't have time for a romance like the ones in his books--and certainly none for the brassy festival promoter who wants to use his land for her "Coachella North." Preston sees things in black and white, and he sees Harmony--amazing curves, flashy smile, and all--as nothing but trouble. But when Harmony promises to help him win the public over and save his youth programs, Preston finds himself wondering if this hustler with a heart of gold might be the someone he's been waiting for. Soon things are getting steamy in the stacks, and with her con coming to a crescendo, Harmony needs to choose: revenge and running again or the happy ending she never saw coming.

"Madison Bettencourt has tried to assemble all the pieces of a perfect life, but nothing fits quite the way it should. She's moved back home to Montana to care for her grandmother, who is slipping further and further away. And she's called off her wedding, and worries her dreams of a family are fading with it. As Madison rattles around her family home, childhood memories come flooding back. Bliss Morgan transformed eight-year-old Madison with her loyalty, and for a while, the two girls were as close as can be. But Madison never understood why Bliss suddenly vanished, leaving only a friendship bracelet and a message etched into a matchbook"-- Provided by publisher.

"The Holliman sisters have voices like angels. In 1972, when their father, Garland, hears the girls' beautiful harmonies, he decides to start a family gospel group with his wife Big Jean and four teenage children: the twins, Jeannie and Junior, and their younger sisters, Debbie and Patty. The Gospelettes become a popular act, traveling throughout Kentucky and the surrounding states spreading the gospel in song. But as society outgrows their way of life, changes are encroaching even on their small town and the sheltered Holliman children. The Evolution of the Gospelettes follows the family and their transformation from old-time gospel singers in the 1970s to performers on a televangelist program in the 1980s to founding members of a megachurch in the 1990s. As the new millennium approaches, Jeannie, whose beliefs have evolved and irreversibly departed from her family's, fears what will happen the more entrenched they become in fundamentalist thinking and finds herself in a fight to save the people she loves from self-destruction. This debut novel is a compelling exploration of family ties and rifts, faith and doubt, and holiness and hypocrisy in a changing world"-- Provided by publisher.

"One year after a devastating hurricane, bride-to-be Ruth Bancroft is marrying her perfect groom in a quaint fishing village on the Gulf Coast. The weekend is carefully curated, with the displays of pomp and social media magic meant to promote an area still struggling to rebuild as well as bring Ruth's estranged family back together. Yet as good intentions often go, this road to wed is hell and paved in complications. With tensions rising between the family and the bridal party, long-buried secrets come to light, and accusations start flying. Things officially spiral out of control when the oceanfront rehearsal dinner is rocked by a series of gunshots, and a high-profile guest goes missing. As the investigation gets underway, it turns out that everyone has something to hide."--Goodreads