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Axed
by Phil BarkerAxed charts the dramatic decline of the magazine industry in Australia from the million-selling highs of the 1990s to the recent round of mergers, closures and mass-redundancies. What went wrong?Australian magazines once boasted the highest circulation per capita in the world. Former magazine editor Phil Barker follows the story from this golden age to today, showing how mismanagement, unchecked spending and the challenge presented by the rise of the internet all combined to undermine the previously unassailable position magazines held in the Australian consciousness.Prominent magazine executives and editors who witnessed the industry&’s decline and failure to capitalise on digital opportunities have gone on the record for the first time. Featuring in-depth analysis of archival reporting and brand-new interviews with key players, Axed lifts the lid on the scandals behind the industry&’s swan dive.But Phil also talks to the people who have managed to pivot in a fast-moving media landscape and believe magazines are a part of Australia&’s future. Are magazines really dead, or is there still some hope for survival?
Revenge
by Tom BowerThis instant #1 internationally bestselling &“explosive tell-all&” (Daily Express, London) reveals the inside story about Meghan Markle&’s journey from minor actress and attempted activist to the woman powerful enough to drive a wedge within the British Royal Family.After a childhood spent on Hollywood film sets, Meghan Markle fought hard for stardom. But even when she landed her breakthrough role on Suits, her dream of worldwide celebrity remained elusive until she met the man who would change her life—Prince Harry. Their whirlwind romance culminated with Meghan&’s ultimate fairy tale ending: their 2018 wedding at Windsor Castle. Finally, the world was her stage. It seemed that the dizzying success of the wedding between the new Duke and Duchess of Sussex marked the beginning of a fresh era for the British Royal Family. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and their Oprah Winfrey interview, the increasingly toxic relationship between the two Windsor sides seemed forever ruptured. What does the future hold for Meghan and Harry? And can the rest of the Windsors restore their reputation? Now, with extensive research and exclusive insider interviews, Britain&’s leading investigative biographer unravels the tangled web of courtroom drama, courtier politics, and thwarted childhood dreams to reveal this &“bombshell&” (The Mirror, London) story of love, betrayal, secrets, deceit, and revenge.
Finding Perfect
by Colleen HooverFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of It Starts with Us and It Ends with Us—the heartwarming conclusion to the Hopeless series that illustrates the power of following a difficult journey to discover what happens next. Friends Daniel, Six, Holder, Sky, and Breckin are planning to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday with a Friendsgiving dinner at Sky&’s parents&’ house. But things have been off within the tightknit group and when Daniel reaches out to Six to ask the hard questions he hasn&’t dared to bring up since they last spoke about their shared secret, he&’s dismayed to learn that it&’s this very secret bringing a cloud over the holiday. Suddenly, Daniel must do everything he can to find answers for the one person he loves the most in the world, but will this search only lead to despair. From an author who has joined &“the ranks of such luminaries as Jennifer Weiner and Jojo Moyes&” (Library Journal), this moving and unputdownable novel will stay with you long after you turn the final page.
O Caledonia
by Elspeth BarkerIn the tradition of Shirley Jackson&’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, a darkly humorous modern classic of Scottish literature about a doomed adolescent growing up in the mid-19th century—featuring a new introduction by Maggie O&’Farrell, award-winning author of Hamnet.Janet lies murdered beneath the castle stairs, attired in her mother&’s black lace wedding dress, lamented only by her pet jackdaw… Author Elspeth Barker masterfully evokes the harsh climate of Scotland in this atmospheric gothic tale that has been compared to the works of the Brontës, Edgar Allan Poe, and Edward Gorey. Immersed in a world of isolation and loneliness, Barker&’s ill-fated young heroine Janet turns to literature, nature, and her Aunt Lila, who offers brief flashes of respite in an otherwise foreboding life. People, birds, and beasts move through the background in a tale that is as rich and atmospheric as it is witty and mordant. The family&’s motto—Moriens sed Invictus (Dying but Unconquered)—is a well-suited epitaph for wild and courageous Janet, whose fierce determination to remain steadfastly herself makes her one of the most unforgettable protagonists in contemporary literature.
Bad Things Happen Here
by Rebecca BarrowI Killed Zoe Spanos meets The Cheerleaders in this &“atmospheric and multi-layered mystery&” (Kara Thomas, author of The Cheerleaders) about an island town with a history of unsolved deaths—and a girl desperate to uncover the mystery behind it all.Luca Laine Thomas lives on a cursed island. To the outside world, Parris is an exclusive, idyllic escape accessible only to the one percent. There&’s nothing idyllic about its history, though, scattered with the unsolved deaths of young women—deaths Parris society happily ignores to maintain its polished veneer. But Luca can&’t ignore them. Not when the curse that took them killed her best friend, Polly, three years ago. Not when she feels the curse lingering nearby, ready to take her next. When Luca comes home to police cars outside her house, she knows the curse has visited once again. Except this time, it came for Whitney, her sister. Luca decides to take the investigation of Whitney&’s death into her own hands. But as a shocking betrayal rocks Luca&’s world, the identity of Whitney&’s killer isn&’t the only truth Luca seeks. And by the time she finds what she&’s looking for, Luca will come face to face with the curse she&’s been running from her whole life.
Turning
by Joy L. SmithIn this raw, searingly honest debut young adult novel, a former aspiring ballerina must confront her past in order to move forward from a devastating fall that leaves her without the use of her legs.Genie used to fouetté across the stage. Now the only thing she&’s turning are the wheels to her wheelchair. Genie was the star pupil at her exclusive New York dance school, with a bright future and endless possibilities before her. Now that the future she&’s spent years building toward has been snatched away, she can&’t stand to be reminded of it—even if it means isolating herself from her best friends and her mother. The only wish this Genie has is to be left alone. But then she meets Kyle, who also has a &“used to be.&” Kyle used to tumble and flip on a gymnastics mat, but a traumatic brain injury has sent him to the same physical therapist that Genie sees. With Kyle&’s support, along with her best friend&’s insistence that Genie&’s time at the barre isn&’t over yet, Genie starts to see a new path—one where she doesn&’t have to be alone and she finally has the strength to heal from the past. But healing also means confronting. Confronting the booze her mother, a recovering alcoholic, has been hiding under the kitchen sink; the ex-boyfriend who was there the night of the fall and won&’t leave her alone; and Genie&’s biggest, most terrifying secret: the fact that the accident may not have been so accidental after all.
Queen of the Tiles
by Hanna AlkafThey Wish They Were Us meets The Queen’s Gambit in this thriller set in the world of competitive Scrabble, where a teen girl is forced to investigate the mysterious death of her best friend when her Instagram comes back to life with cryptic posts and messages.
CATALYST
13 points
noun: a substance that speeds up a reaction without itself changing
When Najwa Bakri walks into her first Scrabble competition since her best friend’s death, it’s with the intention to heal and move on with her life. Perhaps it wasn’t the best idea to choose the very same competition where said best friend, Trina Low, died. It seems that even though Najwa is trying to change, she’s not ready to give up Trina just yet.
But the same can’t be said for all the other competitors. With Trina, the Scrabble Queen herself, gone, the throne is empty, and her friends are eager to be the next reigning champion. All’s fair in love and Scrabble, but all bets are off when Trina’s formerly inactive Instagram starts posting again, with cryptic messages suggesting that maybe Trina’s death wasn’t as straightforward as everyone thought. And maybe someone at the competition had something to do with it.
As secrets are revealed and the true colors of her friends are shown, it’s up to Najwa to find out who’s behind these mysterious posts—not just to save Trina’s memory, but to save herself.
The Little Vampire
by Angela Sommer-BodenburgAn unlikely friendship forms between a young boy and vampire in this sweet and funny first book in the classic middle grade Little Vampire series—newly translated from the original German and perfect for readers who love Hotel Transylvania and The Addams Family!Nine-year-old Tony loves ghosts and horror stories, but when he&’s left home alone one night, he gets quite the fright as Rudolph the little vampire flies in the window! After a rough start, Rudolph stops trying to bite Tony and the two become fast friends. Tony even visits the little vampire&’s family vault in the graveyard where he narrowly escapes the clutches of Rudolph&’s fearsome Great-Aunt Dorothy. But what will happen when Tony&’s parents invite his new friend for dinner?
Exactly Where You Need to Be
by Amelia Diane CoombsTurtles All the Way Down meets Love and Luck in this romantic road trip story about a teen girl&’s last chance to have an epic summer with her best friend before everything changes.Florie&’s OCD and her mother&’s worrying have kept her from a lot of things, like having an after-school job and getting her driver&’s license. And now that she&’s graduated high school, while her best friend Kacey is headed off to Portland in the fall, Florie&’s taking a parent-sanctioned gap year off before starting college. When the decision was made, Florie was on board, but now she can't ignore the growing itch to become the person she wants to be and venture outside the quaint, boring Washington town she grew up in. Winning tickets to see her favorite true crime podcast&’s live show in California gives her the opportunity to do just that, if only for a few days. So—unbeknownst to their parents—Kacey and Florie set off on a road trip to San Francisco. The only downside in Florie&’s opinion? Sam, Kacey&’s older brother and Florie&’s forever crush, is their ride. The Samson Hodge, who Florie hasn&’t seen since winter break, and who she&’d prefer to never see again, if possible. But Florie is willing to put up with Sam if it means one last adventure with her best friend. Making it to San Francisco and back to Washington without their parents catching on isn&’t a given, but one thing is for sure: this trip will change everything.
To Tell You the Truth
by Beth VrabelAn utterly charming Southern-voiced middle grade novel about a young girl and the adventure she embarks upon to prove her Gran&’s stories were true. Perfect for fans of The Unforgettable Guinevere St. Clair and Three Times Lucky.Trixy needs a story, fast, or she&’s going to fail the fourth grade—that&’s a fact. But every time she sits down to write, her mind is a blank. The only stories she can think of are Gran&’s, the ones no one else ever believed but Trixy gulped down like sweet tea. Gran is gone now, buried under the lilac bush in the family plot, so it&’s not like Trixy&’s hurting anybody to claim one of those stories as her own, is she? That stolen story turns out to be a huge success, and soon everybody in town wants Trixy to tell them a tale. Before long, the only one left is the story she vowed never to share, the one that made Gran&’s face cloud up with sadness. Trying to find a way out of this tangled mess, Trixy and her friend Raymond hit the road to follow the twists and turns of Gran&’s past. Maybe then Trixy can write a story that&’s all her own, one that&’s the straight-up truth.
Gone Dark
by Amanda PanitchDry meets Hatchet in this thrilling tale of survival following a teen girl who must lead her friends across the country to the safety of her estranged father&’s survivalist compound after a mass power failure leaves the country in chaos.When seventeen-year-old Zara escaped her father&’s backwoods survivalist compound five years ago, she traded crossbows and skinning hides for electricity and video games…and tried to forget the tragedy that drove her away. Until a malware attack on the United States electrical grids cuts off the entire country&’s power. In the wake of the disaster and the chaos that ensues, Zara is forced to call upon skills she thought she&’d never use again—and her best bet to survive is to go back to the home she left behind. Drawing upon a resilience she didn&’t know she had, Zara leads a growing group of friends on an epic journey across a crumbling country back to her father&’s compound, where their only hope for salvation lies. But with every step she takes, Zara wonders if she truly has what it takes to face her father and the secrets of her past, or if she&’d be better off hiding in the dark.
These Violent Delights
by Chloe GongAn Instant New York Times Bestseller! A BuzzFeed Best Young Adult Book of 2020 Perfect for fans of The Last Magician and Serpent & Dove, this heart-stopping debut is an imaginative Romeo and Juliet retelling set in 1920s Shanghai, with rival gangs and a monster in the depths of the Huangpu River. This paperback edition of These Violent Delights contains never-before-seen letters from Roma to Juliette!The year is 1926, and Shanghai hums to the tune of debauchery.A blood feud between two gangs runs the streets red, leaving the city helpless in the grip of chaos. At the heart of it all is eighteen-year-old Juliette Cai, a former flapper who has returned to assume her role as the proud heir of the Scarlet Gang—a network of criminals far above the law. Their only rivals in power are the White Flowers, who have fought the Scarlets for generations. And behind every move is their heir, Roma Montagov, Juliette&’s first love…and first betrayal.But when gangsters on both sides show signs of instability culminating in clawing their own throats out, the people start to whisper. Of a contagion, a madness. Of a monster in the shadows. As the deaths stack up, Juliette and Roma must set their guns—and grudges—aside and work together, for if they can&’t stop this mayhem, then there will be no city left for either to rule.This paperback edition of These Violent Delights contains never-before-seen content!
Tune It Out
by Jamie SumnerFrom the author of the acclaimed Roll with It comes a moving novel about a girl with a sensory processing disorder who has to find her own voice after her whole world turns upside down.Lou Montgomery has the voice of an angel, or so her mother tells her and anyone else who will listen. But Lou can only hear the fear in her own voice. She&’s never liked crowds or loud noises or even high fives; in fact, she&’s terrified of them, which makes her pretty sure there&’s something wrong with her. When Lou crashes their pickup on a dark and snowy road, child services separate the mother-daughter duo. Now she has to start all over again at a fancy private school far away from anything she&’s ever known. With help from an outgoing new friend, her aunt and uncle, and the school counselor, she begins to see things differently. A sensory processing disorder isn&’t something to be ashamed of, and music might just be the thing that saves Lou—and maybe her mom, too.
A Cruel and Fated Light
by Ashley ShuttleworthHalf-fae Arlo becomes entangled in the courtly intrigue at the Seelie Summer palace as danger for ironborns mounts in this &“beautifully written and deliciously complex&” (Nicki Pau Preto, author of the Crown of Feathers trilogy) sequel to A Dark and Hollow Star that&’s The Cruel Prince meets City of Bones.After thwarting the man behind the gruesome ironborn murders—and breaking several fae laws to do so—all Arlo wants is a quiet summer. As the deity of luck&’s Hollow Star, capable of bringing about endless possibilities, this shouldn&’t be too much to ask, right? But someone is still trying to summon the mythical Seven Deadly Sins. All signs point to immortal meddling, and if this is the gods&’ attempt at returning to the Mortal Realm, it&’s Arlo they&’re going to use to do it. When Queen Riadne offers to host Arlo at the Seelie Summer palace, she jumps at the chance. She&’ll get to see more of Vehan and Aurelian and perhaps even work out her complicated feelings for the gorgeous ex-Fury, Nausicaä. But no one trusts the infamous Queen of Light, even as Arlo wonders if she&’s just been greatly misunderstood. With the Summer Solstice quickly approaching, everyone expects Riadne to finally challenge the High King for his crown. And as Arlo struggles to get control of her powers and take charge of her destiny, she&’ll soon be faced with a choice that won&’t only change the fate of the Mortal Realm forever but could condemn it to a cruelty the likes of which the Courts have never known.
Sia Martinez and the Moonlit Beginning of Everything
by Raquel Vasquez Gilliland&“In a world where we are so often dividing ourselves into us and them, this book feels like a kind of magic, celebrating all beliefs, ethnicities, and unknowns.&” —The New York Times Book Review Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe meets Roswell by way of Laurie Halse Anderson in this astonishing, genre-bending novel about a Mexican American teen who discovers profound connections between immigration, folklore, and alien life.It&’s been three years since ICE raids and phone calls from Mexico and an ill-fated walk across the Sonoran. Three years since Sia Martinez&’s mom disappeared. Sia wants to move on, but it&’s hard in her tiny Arizona town where people refer to her mom&’s deportation as &“an unfortunate incident.&” Sia knows that her mom must be dead, but every new moon Sia drives into the desert and lights San Anthony and la Guadalupe candles to guide her mom home. Then one night, under a million stars, Sia&’s life and the world as we know it cracks wide open. Because a blue-lit spacecraft crashes in front of Sia&’s car…and it&’s carrying her mom, who&’s very much alive. As Sia races to save her mom from armed-quite-possibly-alien soldiers, she uncovers secrets as profound as they are dangerous in this stunning and inventive exploration of first love, family, immigration, and our vast, limitless universe.
Winterwood
by Shea ErnshawDeluxe edition with special embellishments on first printing only. From New York Times bestselling author of The Wicked Deep comes a haunting romance perfect for fans of Practical Magic, where dark fairy tales and enchanted folklore collide after a boy, believed to be missing, emerges from the magical woods—and falls in love with the witch determined to unravel his secrets.Be careful of the dark, dark wood… Especially the woods surrounding the town of Fir Haven. Some say these woods are magical. Haunted, even. Rumored to be a witch, only Nora Walker knows the truth. She and the Walker women before her have always shared a special connection with the woods. And it&’s this special connection that leads Nora to Oliver Huntsman—the same boy who disappeared from the Camp for Wayward Boys weeks ago—and in the middle of the worst snowstorm in years. He should be dead, but here he is alive, and left in the woods with no memory of the time he&’d been missing. But Nora can feel an uneasy shift in the woods at Oliver&’s presence. And it&’s not too long after that Nora realizes she has no choice but to unearth the truth behind how the boy she has come to care so deeply about survived his time in the forest, and what led him there in the first place. What Nora doesn&’t know, though, is that Oliver has secrets of his own—secrets he&’ll do anything to keep buried, because as it turns out, he wasn&’t the only one to have gone missing on that fateful night all those weeks ago. For as long as there have been fairy tales, we have been warned to fear what lies within the dark, dark woods and in Winterwood, New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, shows us why.
Once Upon Another Time
by James RileyStorybook characters collide in this first book in a new trilogy of twisted fairy tales from New York Times bestselling author James Riley, set in the world of his popular Half Upon a Time series—perfect for fans of Fablehaven and Chris Colfer&’s A Tale of Magic series!Five and a half feet might seem pretty tall for a twelve-year-old, but it&’s not when your parents are giants. Lena has kept the fact that she&’s a tiny giant secret, using magic to grow when out in the giant village. But hiding who she is has always felt wrong, even though she knows the other giants might not accept her. Fortunately, Lena has friends down in the Cursed City who understand that looking different doesn&’t make her less of a giant. Someone who knows not to judge by appearances is Jin, a young genie currently serving one thousand and thirty-eight years of genie training that requires him to fulfill the wish of whoever holds his magical ring. In Jin&’s case, it&’s the power-hungry Golden King. At least the king only has two wishes left, one of which is for Jin to go to the Cursed City and capture its protector, the Last Knight—one of Lena&’s closest friends. What Lena and Jin don&’t know is how close the Golden King&’s plans are to coming together, between his dark magic and his horrible Faceless knights. If Jin does find the Last Knight and bring him to the Golden King, why, that could doom the entire fairy-tale world. …This sounds like it&’ll end badly, doesn&’t it?
There's Something about Sweetie
by Sandhya MenonAn NPR Favorite Book of 2019 &“Adorable, joyous.&” —BuzzFeed &“I&’m head-over-heels for this charming, funny, romantic, life-affirming book.&” —Becky Albertalli, New York Times bestselling author of Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda and Leah on the Offbeat The irresistible companion novel to the New York Times bestseller When Dimple Met Rishi, which follows Rishi&’s brother, Ashish, and a confident, self-proclaimed fat athlete named Sweetie as they both discover what love means to them.Ashish Patel didn&’t know love could be so…sucky. After being dumped by his ex-girlfriend, his mojo goes AWOL. Even worse, his parents are annoyingly, smugly confident they could find him a better match. So, in a moment of weakness, Ash challenges them to set him up. The Patels insist that Ashish date an Indian-American girl—under contract. Per subclause 1(a), he&’ll be taking his date on &“fun&” excursions like visiting the Hindu temple and his eccentric Gita Auntie. Kill him now. How is this ever going to work? Sweetie Nair is many things: a formidable track athlete who can outrun most people in California, a loyal friend, a shower-singing champion. Oh, and she&’s also fat. To Sweetie&’s traditional parents, this last detail is the kiss of death. Sweetie loves her parents, but she&’s so tired of being told she&’s lacking because she&’s fat. She decides it&’s time to kick off the Sassy Sweetie Project, where she&’ll show the world (and herself) what she&’s really made of. Ashish and Sweetie both have something to prove. But with each date they realize there&’s an unexpected magic growing between them. Can they find their true selves without losing each other?
Prisoner of Night
by J.R. WardFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author J.R. Ward comes an unforgettable story of passion and vengeance in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world.When Ahmare&’s brother is abducted, there is nothing she won&’t do to get him back safely. She is unprepared, however, for the lengths she will have to go to save his life. Paired with a dangerous but enticing prisoner, she embarks on an odyssey into another world. Duran, betrayed by his father, imprisoned in a dungeon for decades, has survived only because of his thirst for vengeance. He has been biding his time to escape and is shocked to find an unlikely and temporary freedom in the form of a determined young female. Battling against deadly forces and facing unforeseen peril, the pair are in a race to save Ahmare&’s brother. As time runs out, and the unthinkable looms, even true love may not be enough to carry them through.
Once Upon a River
by Diane SetterfieldFrom the instant #1 New York Times bestselling author of the &“eerie and fascinating&” (USA TODAY) The Thirteenth Tale comes a &“swift and entrancing, profound and beautiful&” (Madeline Miller, internationally bestselling author of Circe) novel about how we explain the world to ourselves, ourselves to others, and the meaning of our lives in a universe that remains impenetrably mysterious.On a dark midwinter&’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed. Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless. Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son&’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson&’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone&’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl&’s identity can be known. Once Upon a River is a glorious tapestry of a book that combines folklore and science, magic and myth. Suspenseful, romantic, and richly atmospheric, this is &“a beguiling tale, full of twists and turns like the river at its heart, and just as rich and intriguing&” (M.L. Stedman, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Light Between Oceans).
The Terminal List
by Jack Carr#1 NEW YORK TIMES AND USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR &“Take my word for it, James Reece is one rowdy motherf***er. Get ready!&” —Chris Pratt, star of the #1 Amazon Prime series The Terminal List A Navy SEAL has nothing left to live for and everything to kill for after he discovers that the American government is behind the deaths of his team in this ripped-from-the-headlines political thriller that is &“so powerful, so pulse-pounding, so well-written—rarely do you read a debut novel this damn good&” (Brad Thor, #1 New York Times bestselling author).On his last combat deployment, Lieutenant Commander James Reece&’s entire team was killed in a catastrophic ambush. But when those dearest to him are murdered on the day of his homecoming, Reece discovers that this was not an act of war by a foreign enemy but a conspiracy that runs to the highest levels of government. Now, with no family and free from the military&’s command structure, Reece applies the lessons that he&’s learned in over a decade of constant warfare toward avenging the deaths of his family and teammates. With breathless pacing and relentless suspense, Reece ruthlessly targets his enemies in the upper echelons of power without regard for the laws of combat or the rule of law. &“Told with a deft hand and a keen eye for detail, The Terminal List…is explosive and riveting&” (Kevin Maurer, coauthor of No East Day) and is perfect for fans of Vince Flynn, Brad Thor, Stephen Hunter, and Nelson DeMille.
The Light Over London
by Julia KellyReminiscent of Martha Hall Kelly's Lilac Girls and Kristin Hannah's The Nightingale, this sweeping, entrancing story is a must-read for fans of remarkable women rising to challenges they could never have predicted.
It’s always been easier for Cara Hargraves to bury herself in the past than confront the present, which is why working with a gruff but brilliant antiques dealer is perfect. While clearing out an estate, she pries open an old tin that holds the relics of a lost relationship: among the treasures, a World War II-era diary and a photograph of a young woman in uniform. Eager to find the author of the hauntingly beautiful, unfinished diary, Cara digs into this soldier’s life, but soon realizes she may not have been ready for the stark reality of wartime London she finds within the pages.
In 1941, nineteen-year-old Louise Keene’s life had been decided for her—she’ll wait at home in her Cornish village until her wealthy suitor returns from war to ask for her hand. But when Louise unexpectedly meets Flight Lieutenant Paul Bolton, a dashing RAF pilot stationed at a local base, everything changes. And changes again when Paul’s unit is deployed without warning.
Desperate for a larger life, Louise joins the women’s branch of the British Army in the anti-aircraft gun unit as a Gunner Girl. As bombs fall on London, she and the other Gunner Girls relish in their duties to be exact in their calculations, and quick in their identification of enemy planes during air raids. The only thing that gets Louise through those dark, bullet-filled nights is knowing she and Paul will be together when the war is over. But when a bundle of her letters to him are returned unanswered, she learns that wartime romance can have a much darker side.
Illuminating the story of these two women separated by generations and experience, Julia Kelly transports us to World War II London in this heartbreakingly beautiful novel through forgotten antique treasures, remembered triumphs, and fierce family ties.
Yours Cheerfully
by AJ PearceFrom the author of the &“jaunty, heartbreaking winner&” (People) and international bestseller Dear Mrs. Bird comes a charming and uplifting novel set in London during World War II about a plucky young journalist and her adventures as wartime advice columnist.London, November 1941. Following the departure of the formidable Henrietta Bird from Woman&’s Friend magazine, things are looking up for Emmeline Lake as she takes on the new challenges as a wartime advice columnist. Her relationship with boyfriend Charles is blossoming, while Emmy&’s best friend Bunty, still reeling from the very worst of the Blitz, is bravely looking to the future. Together, the friends are determined to Make a Go of It. When the Ministry of Information calls on Britain&’s women&’s magazines to help recruit female workers to the war effort, Emmy is thrilled to step up and help. But when she and Bunty meet a young mother who shows them the very real challenges that women war workers face, Emmy must confront a dilemma between doing her duty and standing by her friends. As funny, heartwarming, and touching as Dear Mrs. Bird, Yours Cheerfully is an endearing portrait of female friendship and &“a fruitful exploration of the solidarity among women in times of grief, love, and hardship&” (Publishers Weekly).
Vera
by Carol EdgarianNew York Times bestselling author Carol Edgarian delivers an astonishing feat of imagination, a grand adventure set in 1906 San Francisco—a city leveled by quake and fire—featuring an indomitable heroine coming of age in the aftermath of catastrophe and her quest for love and reinvention.Meet Vera Johnson, the uncommonly resourceful fifteen-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San Francisco&’s most legendary bordello and ally to the city&’s corrupt politicians. Vera has grown up straddling two worlds—the madam&’s alluring sphere, replete with tickets to the opera, surly henchmen, and scant morality, and the violent, debt ridden domestic life of the family paid to raise her. On the morning of the great quake, Vera&’s worlds collide. As the shattered city burns and looters vie with the injured, orphaned, and starving, Vera and her guileless sister, Pie, are cast adrift. Vera disregards societal norms and prejudices and begins to imagine a new kind of life. She collaborates with Tan, her former rival, and forges an unlikely family of survivors. Together they navigate their way beyond disaster. In Vera, Carol Edgarian creates a cinematic, deeply entertaining world, in which honor and fates are tested; notions of sex, class, and justice are turned upside down; and love is hard-won. A ravishing, heartbreaking, and profound affirmation of youth and tenacity, Vera&’s story brings to life legendary characters—tenor Enrico Caruso, indicted mayor Eugene Schmitz and boss Abe Ruef, tabloid celebrity Alma Spreckels—as well as an unforgettable cast that includes Vera&’s young lover, Bobby, protector of the city&’s tribe of orphans, and three generations of a Chinese family competing and conspiring with Vera. This richly imagined, timely tale of improbable outcomes and alliances takes hold from the first page, gifting readers with remarkable scenes of devastation, renewal, and joy. Told with unflinching candor and wit, Vera celebrates the audacious fortitude of its young heroine and marks a stunning achievement by an inventive and generous writer.
Misery
by Stephen KingThe #1 New York Times bestselling tale of terror from master storyteller Stephen King about a famous novelist held hostage in a remote location by his &“number one fan&”.Bestselling novelist Paul Sheldon thinks he&’s finally free of Misery Chastain. In a controversial career move, he&’s just killed off the popular protagonist of his beloved romance series in favor of expanding his creative horizons. But such a change doesn&’t come without consequences. After a near-fatal car accident in rural Colorado leaves his body broken, Paul finds himself at the mercy of the terrifying rescuer who&’s nursing him back to health—his self-proclaimed number one fan, Annie Wilkes. Annie is very upset over what Paul did to Misery and demands that he find a way to bring her back by writing a new novel—his best yet, and one that&’s all for her. After all, Paul has all the time in the world to do so as a prisoner in her isolated house...and Annie has some very persuasive and violent methods to get exactly what she wants...