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Asylum
by Edafe OkporoA poignant, moving memoir and urgent call to action for immigration justice by a Nigerian asylee and global gay rights and immigration activist Edafe Okporo.On the eve of Edafe Okporo&’s twenty-sixth birthday, he was awoken to a violent mob outside his window in Abuja, Nigeria. The mob threatened his life after discovering the secret Edafe had been hiding for years—that he is a gay man. Left with no other choice, he purchased a one-way plane ticket to New York City and fled for his life. Though America had always been painted to him as a land of freedom and opportunity, it was anything but when he arrived just days before the tumultuous 2016 Presidential Election. Edafe would go on to spend the next six months at an immigration detention center in Elizabeth, New Jersey. After navigating the confusing, often draconian, US immigration and legal system, he was finally granted asylum. But he would soon realize that America is exceptionally good at keeping people locked up but is seriously lacking in integrating freed refugees into society. Asylum is Edafe&’s eye-opening, thought-provoking memoir and manifesto, which documents his experiences growing up gay in Nigeria, fleeing to America, navigating the immigration system, and making a life for himself as a Black, gay immigrant. Alongside his personal story is a blaring call to action—not only for immigration reform but for a just immigration system for refugees everywhere. This book imagines a future where immigrants and asylees are treated with fairness, transparency, and compassion. It aims to help us understand that home is not just where you feel safe and welcome but also how you can make it feel safe and welcome for others.
The Night Ship
by Jess KiddBased on a true story, an epic historical novel from the award-winning author of Things in Jars that illuminates the lives of two characters: a girl shipwrecked on an island off Western Australia and, three hundred years later, a boy finding a home with his grandfather on the very same island.1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia, one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks. 1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck… With her trademark &“thrilling, mysterious, twisted, but more than anything, beautifully written&” (Graham Norton, New York Times bestselling author) storytelling, Jess Kidd weaves &“a true work of magic&” (V.E. Schwab, author of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue) about friendship, sacrifice, brutality, and forgiveness.
The Viper
by J.R. WardA heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world from #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.Framed for the grisly murder of his shellan, Kane is condemned to the notorious prison camp—unaware of the dark truth behind his arranged mating. Centuries later, when he is horribly burned while attempting to save others, he prays he&’ll finally be reunited in the Fade with his mate…not knowing what revelations await him. Nadya is a self-taught nurse who does what she can to ease the suffering of the prisoners. When Kane comes under her care, she cannot help but empathize with his condition for very personal reasons—and as the guards take him away one last time, she fears he is facing a terrible death. After a daring rescue, Kane is offered a treatment that will change his very nature. Choosing life, for the time being, he goes back for the female who took such good care of him—but his duty to Nadya sets him on a collision course with his own past. When long-buried secrets are exposed, his self-destruction is inevitable…unless true love can save his soul.
Dream On
by Angie HockmanIn this fresh romantic comedy from the author of Shipped, heralded as an &“absolutely sparkling debut&” by Entertainment Weekly, a woman wakes up from a car accident with memories of a boyfriend she&’s never met...only to run into him a year later. Perfect for fans of Christina Lauren and Rebecca Serle.What would you do if your dream man turned out to be real? When law grad Cass Walker wakes up after surviving a car accident, she is flooded with memories of a man named Devin. The only problem? Devin—as confirmed by family, friends, and doctors—doesn&’t exist. Everything about him, from his coffee-brown eyes to the slightly crooked angle of his pinkie to his high-wattage charm, is a figment of Cass&’s coma-addled imagination. Still, she can&’t get him out of her head. So when she happens upon the real Devin a year later in a Cleveland flower shop, she&’s completely shocked. Even more surprising is that Devin actually believes her story, and despite his protective younger brother&’s doubts, they soon embark on a real-life romance. With her dream man by her side and a new job at a prestigious law firm, Cass&’s future seems perfect. But fate might have other plans... From the beloved author of Shipped comes a magical and witty romantic comedy that explores what happens when our dreams come true—even when they&’re not the ones we expect.
On Gin Lane
by Brooke Lea Foster&“Utterly captivating. What a lovely summer novel!&” —Elin Hilderbrand, New York Times bestselling author &“On Gin Lane encapsulates the very best of historical fiction.&” —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author After her fiancé whisks her off to the glistening shores of Southampton in June of 1957, one young socialite begins to realize that her glamorous summer is giving her everything—except what she really wants—in this new novel from the author of Summer Darlings.Everleigh &“Lee&” Farrows thinks she finally has life all figured out: a handsome fiancé named Roland, a trust in her name, and a house in Bronxville waiting for her to fill it with three adorable children. That is, until Roland brings her out to the Hamptons for a summer that will change everything. Most women could only dream of the engagement present Roland unexpectedly bestows on Lee—a beachside hotel on the prized Gin Lane—but Lee&’s delight is clouded by unpleasant memories of another hotel, the Plaza, where she grew up in the shadow of her mother&’s mental illness. Shaking off flashbacks, Lee resolves to dive into an unforgettable summer with poolside Bellinis, daily tennis matches, luncheons with her Manhattan circle, and her beloved camera in tow. But when tragedy strikes on the hotel&’s opening weekend, the cracks in Lee&’s picture-perfect future slowly begin to reveal themselves, and Lee must look deep within herself to determine if the life she&’s always wanted will ever truly be enough. From the regal inns to the farmland, the well-heeled New Yorkers to the Bohemian artists, the East End of Long Island is a hodge-podge of the changing American landscape in the late 1950s—and the perfect place for Lee to discover who she really is.
Just Pursuit
by Laura Coates&“A firsthand, eye-opening story of a prosecutor that exposes the devastating criminal punishment system. Laura Coates bleeds for justice on the page.&” —Ibram X. Kendi, National Book Award–winning author of Stamped from the Beginning and How to Be an AntiracistWhen Laura Coates joined the Department of Justice as a prosecutor, she wanted to advocate for the most vulnerable among us. But she quickly realized that even with the best intentions, &“the pursuit of justice creates injustice.&” Through Coates&’s experiences, we see that no matter how fair you try to fight, being Black, a woman, and a mother are identities often at odds in the justice system. She and her colleagues face seemingly impossible situations as they teeter between what is right and what is just. On the front lines of our legal system, Coates saw how Black communities are policed differently; Black cases are prosecuted differently; Black defendants are judged differently. How the court system seems to be the one place where minorities are overrepresented, an unrelenting parade of Black and Brown defendants in numbers that belie their percentage in the population and overfill American prisons. She also witnessed how others in the system either abused power or were abused by it—for example, when an undocumented witness was arrested by ICE, when a white colleague taught Coates how to unfairly interrogate a young Black defendant, or when a judge victim-blamed a young sexual assault survivor based on her courtroom attire. Through these revelatory and captivating scenes from the courtroom, Laura Coates explores the tension between the idealism of the law and the reality of working within the parameters of our flawed legal system, exposing the chasm between what is right and what is lawful.
The Other Side of Yet
by Michelle D. HordA raw and powerful memoir about how resilience, hope, and defiant faith can lead to powerful transformation even in the midst of our darkest hours.Media executive Michelle D. Hord has suffered loss at almost every major phase in her life; the most devastating being the murder of her beloved daughter at the hands of her ex-husband. Yet through it all, there was a voice inside her insisting that she must let the light shine through the holes in her heart. With evocative prose and spiritual insight, The Other Side of Yet offers a compassionate blueprint on how to harness your inner strength. She shares how, while we can&’t control the pain or trauma that alters life as we knew it before, we can always pivot to a yet and rebuild a new after. The Other Side of Yet is about creating a life of purpose, passion, and possibility regardless of what is thrown at us. It highlights how we can face our hardships, yet also choose to keep fighting. A timeless and accessible book for anyone who has experienced grief or loss, it will give you the inspiration and tools you need to reclaim your story.
The Marsh Queen
by Virginia HartmanFor fans of Where the Crawdads Sing, this &“marvelous debut&” (Alice McDermott, National Book Award–winning author of The Ninth Hour) follows a Washington, DC, artist as she faces her past and the secrets held in the waters of Florida&’s lush swamps and wetlands.Loni Murrow is an accomplished bird artist at the Smithsonian who loves her job. But when she receives a call from her younger brother summoning her back home to help their obstinate mother recover after an accident, Loni&’s neat, contained life in Washington, DC, is thrown into chaos, and she finds herself exactly where she does not want to be. Going through her mother&’s things, Loni uncovers scraps and snippets of a time in her life she would prefer to forget—a childhood marked by her father Boyd&’s death by drowning and her mother Ruth&’s persistent bad mood. When Loni comes across a single, cryptic note from a stranger—&“There are some things I have to tell you about Boyd&’s death&”— she begins a dangerous quest to discover the truth, all the while struggling to reconnect with her mother and reconcile with her brother and his wife, who seem to thwart her at every turn. To make matters worse, she meets a man in Florida whose attractive simple charm threatens everything she&’s worked toward. Pulled between worlds—her professional accomplishments in Washington, and the small town of her childhood—Loni must decide whether to delve beneath the surface into murky half-truths and either avenge the past or bury it, once and for all. The Marsh Queen explores what it means to be a daughter and how we protect the ones we love. Suzanne Feldman, author of Sisters of the Great War, writes that &“fans of Delia Owens and Lauren Groff will find this a wonderful and absorbing read.&”
Universal Human
by Gary ZukavThe author of the legendary #1 New York Times bestseller The Seat of the Soul shows us step-by-fascinating-step how to create a life of love and where that will lead for humanity in this &“unique and transformative book&” (Ellen Burstyn, Academy Award–winning actress). Internationally acclaimed author and teacher, Gary Zukav, shares a new vision of power and hope in this time of extraordinary transformation. Universal Human gives us fresh tools to grow spiritually and shows us how to transform everyday experiences of hopelessness, emptiness, and pain into fulfillment, meaning, and joy. With his accessible and life-changing prose, he points us toward a startling new destination—a species that is beyond culture, religion, nation, ethnic group, and gender, a species whose allegiance is to Life first and all else second—and shows us how to get there. Universal Human examines our disintegrating social structures and the new ones that are replacing them. It shows us a new creation story—our new creation story—as we create it with our choices, our deeds, and our words. Authentic power—the alignment of the personality with soul—is replacing external power, the ability to manipulate and control. Zukav explains that the potential of a new era of humanity based on love instead of fear is upon us, but only we can bring it into being. Universal Human shows us how and &“offers a ray of hope&” (Booklist) for us all.
The Art of Teaching Children
by Phillip DoneAn essential guide for teachers and parents that&’s destined to become a classic, The Art of Teaching Children is one of those rare and masterful books that not only defines a craft but offers a magical reading experience.After more than thirty years in the classroom, award-winning teacher Phil Done decided that it was time to retire. His days of teaching schoolchildren may have come to an end, but a teacher&’s job is never truly done, and he set out to write the greatest lesson of his career: a book for educators and parents that would pass along everything he learned about working with kids. The result is this delightful and insightful teaching bible, The Art of Teaching Children. From the first-day-of-school jitters to the last day&’s tears, Done writes about the teacher&’s craft, classrooms and curriculums, the challenges of the profession, and the reason all teachers do it—the children. Drawing upon decades of experience, Done shares sound guidance, time-tested tips, and sage advice: Real learning is messy, not linear. Greeting kids in the morning as they enter the classroom is one of the most important parts of the school day. If a student is having trouble, look at what you can do differently before pointing the finger at the child. Ask yourself: Would I want to be a student in my class? When children watch you, they are learning how to be people, and one of the most important things we can do for our students is to model the kind of people we would like them to be. Done tackles topics you won&’t find in any other teaching book, including Back to School Night nerves, teacher pride, lessons that bomb, the Sunday Blues, Pinterest envy, teacher guilt, and the things they never warn you about in &“teacher school&” but should, like how to survive lunch supervision, recess duty, and field trips. Done also addresses some of the most important issues schools face today: bullying, excessive screen time, unsupportive administrators, the system&’s obsession with testing, teacher burnout, and the ever-increasing demands of meeting the diverse learning needs of students. With great wit and wisdom, first-rate storytelling, and boundless compassion, The Art of Teaching Children is the definitive guide to educating today&’s young learners and the perfect resource for teachers and parents everywhere.
Infinite Country
by Patricia EngelI often wonder if we are living the wrong life in the wrong country.
Talia is being held at a correctional facility for adolescent girls in the forested mountains of Colombia after committing an impulsive act of violence that may or may not have been warranted. She urgently needs to get out and get back home to Bogotá, where her father and a plane ticket to the United States are waiting for her. If she misses her flight, she might also miss her chance to finally be reunited with her family in the north. How this family came to occupy two different countries, two different worlds, comes into focus like twists of a kaleidoscope.
We see Talia’s parents, Mauro and Elena, fall in love in a market stall as teenagers against a backdrop of civil war and social unrest. We see them leave Bogotá with their firstborn, Karina, in pursuit of safety and opportunity in the United States on a temporary visa, and we see the births of two more children, Nando and Talia, on American soil.
We witness the decisions and indecisions that lead to Mauro’s deportation and the family’s splintering—the costs they’ve all been living with ever since. Award-winning, internationally acclaimed author Patricia Engel, herself a dual citizen and the daughter of Colombian immigrants, gives voice to all five family members as they navigate the particulars of their respective circumstances. And all the while, the metronome ticks: Will Talia make it to Bogotá in time? And if she does, can she bring herself to trade the solid facts of her father and life in Colombia for the distant vision of her mother and siblings in America?
Rich with Bogotá urban life, steeped in Andean myth, and tense with the daily reality of the undocumented in America, Infinite Country is the story of two countries and one mixed-status family—for whom every triumph is stitched with regret, and every dream pursued bears the weight of a dream deferred.
A New York Times Bestseller
Wish You Were Gone
by Kieran ScottA &“captivating thriller full of twists and surprises&” (Megan Miranda, New York Times bestselling author) about what happens when the death of a husband and father isn&’t the tragedy everyone believes—perfect for fans of the Netflix original series Dead to Me.Emma Walsh has finally worked up the courage to confront her husband James about his drinking. But James never shows up to meet her as planned, and all her righteous words go unsaid. And unsaid they remain, because the next time Emma sees James, his body lies crumpled amidst the wreckage of his flashy car. In the aftermath of the fatal crash, Emma and her teenage children begin to embrace life without James&’s looming, volcanic presence. Buoyed by the support of her two closest friends, she struggles to deal with her grief, complicated by the knowledge that her husband&’s legacy as an upstanding business owner and family man shines only because so many people, for so long, were so willing to keep his secrets—secrets that twist into new and unexpected shapes as the mysterious details of his last day of life begin to come to light. A &“stylish&” (Publishers Weekly) and &“delicious&” (Booklist) domestic thriller, Wish You Were Gone will keep you guessing &“until not just the last page, but the last paragraph&” (Chandler Baker, New York Times bestselling author).
The Mission House
by Carys DaviesThe Sunday Times (London) Novel of the Year &“Luminous…a writer to watch—and to savor.&” —Oprah Daily From the award-winning author of West and The Redemption of Galen Pike, a &“sublime&” (The Toronto Star) and propulsive novel that follows an Englishman seeking refuge in a remote hill town in India who gets caught in the crossfire of local tensions.In this &“jewel of a novel&” (The Observer), Hilary Byrd flees his demons and the dark undercurrents of contemporary life in England for a former British hill station in south India. Charmed by the foreignness of his new surroundings and by the familiarity of everything the British have left behind, he finds solace in life&’s simple pleasures, travelling by rickshaw around the small town with his driver Jamshed and staying in a mission house beside the local presbytery where, after a chance meeting, the Padre and his adoptive daughter Priscilla take Hilary under their wing. The Padre is concerned for Priscilla&’s future, and as Hilary&’s friendship with the young woman grows, he begins to wonder whether his purpose lies in this new relationship. But religious tensions are brewing and the mission house may not be the safe haven it seems. A &“skillful drama of well-meant misunderstandings and cultural divisions&” (The Wall Street Journal), The Mission House boldly and imaginatively explores postcolonial ideas in a world fractured between faith and nonbelief, young and old, imperial past and nationalistic present. Tenderly subversive and meticulously crafted, it is a deeply human story of the wonders and terrors of connection in a modern world.
The Little Book of Big Ethical Questions
by Susan LiautaudPerfect for your next dinner party discussion, The Little Book of Big Ethical Questions presents some of today&’s most thought-provoking ethical questions in a welcoming, easy-to-discuss Q&A format, with guidance from a renowned ethicist.Often a single question can spark a meaningful exchange—like &“Would you apply for a job you know your friend is applying for?&” Or &“Should voting be mandatory?&” Or what about police using facial recognition technology? Questions like these spur us to consider: What would I have done? Is there one correct answer? And ultimately: How can ethics help us navigate these situations to find the best outcome for ourselves and others? An ethicist who advises leaders and organizations worldwide, Susan Liautaud asks intriguing questions that encourage lively discussion across a range of subjects, from family and friends to health and technology to politics, work, and consumer choices. She then walks through the ways you might approach each situation to find the best answer for you. Grab the book, gather a few friends, and dive in!
Credible Threat
by J.A. JanceAli Reynolds and her team at High Noon Enterprises must race against the clock to save an archbishop who faces mysterious death threats in this &“masterly study of the effects of grief, rage, and the power of forgiveness&” (Publishers Weekly) by New York Times bestselling author J.A. Jance.Years after her son&’s fatal overdose, grieving mother Rachel Higgins learns that his addiction may have grown out of damage suffered at the hands of a pedophile priest while he was in high school. Looking for vengeance, she targets the Catholic Church&’s most visible local figure, Archbishop Francis Gillespie. When the archbishop begins receiving anonymous threats, local police dismiss them, saying they&’re not credible. So he turns to his friends, Ali Reynolds and her husband, B. Simpson. With B. out of the country on a cybersecurity emergency, it&’s up to Ali to track down the source of the threats. When a shooter assassinates the archbishop&’s driver and leaves the priest himself severely injured, Ali forms an uneasy alliance with a Phoenix homicide cop in hopes of preventing another attack. But Ali doesn&’t realize that the killer has become not only more unhinged but also more determined to take out his or her target. Credible Threat is another &“terrific entry in a series distinguished by its consistent quality, [and] sensitive treatment of a difficult subject makes this an extraordinary literary experience&” (The Providence Journal).
Hammer
by Joe Mungo ReedAn art auction house employee helps a Russian oligarch sell his prized collection, ensnaring himself in a dangerous romance and an even more treacherous political plot.It&’s 2013, and much of the world still reels from the global economic collapse. Yet in the auction rooms of London, artworks are selling for record-breaking prices. Seeking a place in this gilded world is Martin, a junior specialist at a prestigious auction house. Martin spends his days catering to the whims of obscenely wealthy clients and his nights drinking in grubby pubs with his demoralized roommate. However, a chance meeting with Marina, an old university friend, presents Martin with a chance to change everything. Pursuing distraction from her failing marriage and from a career she doesn&’t quite believe in, Marina draws Martin into her circle and that of her husband, Oleg, an art-collecting oligarch. Shaken by the death of his mother and chafing against his diminishing influence in his homeland, Oleg appears primed to change his own life—and perhaps to relinquish his priceless art collection long coveted by London&’s auction houses. Martin is determined to secure the sale and transform his career. But his ambitions are threatened by factors he hasn&’t reckoned with: a dangerous attraction between himself and Marina, and half-baked political plans through which Oleg aims to redeem himself and Russia but which instead imperil the safety of the oligarch and all those around him. Hammer is a riveting, ambitious novel—at once a sharp art world exposé, a tense geopolitical thriller, and a brooding romance—that incisively explores the intersection of wealth, power, and desire.
The Winners
by Fredrik BackmanReturn to the close-knit, resilient community of Beartown with this &“engrossing page-turner&” (Woman&’s World) about first loves, second chances, and last goodbyes—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Anxious People and A Man Called Ove.Over the course of two weeks, everything in Beartown will change. Two years have passed since the events that no one wants to think about. Everyone has tried to move on, but there&’s something about this place that prevents it. The destruction caused by a ferocious late-summer storm reignites the old rivalry between Beartown and the neighboring town of Hed, a rivalry which has always been fought through their ice hockey teams. Maya Andersson and Benji Ovich, two young people who left in search of a better life, come home and joyfully reunite with their closest childhood friends. There is a new sense of optimism and purpose in the town, embodied in the impressive new ice rink that has been built down by the lake. Maya&’s parents, meanwhile, are caught up in an investigation of the hockey club&’s murky finances, and Amat—once the star of the Beartown team—has lost his way after an injury and a failed attempt to get drafted into the NHL. Simmering tensions between the two towns turn into acts of intimidation and then violence. All the while, a fourteen-year-old boy grows increasingly alienated from this hockey-obsessed community and is determined to take revenge on the people he holds responsible for his beloved sister&’s death. He has a pistol and a plan that will leave Beartown with a loss that is almost more that it can stand. Discover what it means to forgive with this &“hell of a conclusion to an outstanding series&” (Booklist, starred review).
Magic Lessons
by Alice HoffmanIn an unforgettable novel that traces a centuries-old curse to its source, beloved author Alice Hoffman unveils the story of Maria Owens, accused of witchcraft in Salem, and matriarch of a line of the amazing Owens women and men featured in Practical Magic and The Rules of Magic.Where does the story of the Owens bloodline begin?
With Maria Owens, in the 1600s, when she’s abandoned in a snowy field in rural England as a baby. Under the care of Hannah Owens, Maria learns about the “Unnamed Arts.” Hannah recognizes that Maria has a gift and she teaches the girl all she knows. It is here that she learns her first important lesson: Always love someone who will love you back.
When Maria is abandoned by the man who has declared his love for her, she follows him to Salem, Massachusetts. Here she invokes the curse that will haunt her family. And it’s here that she learns the rules of magic and the lesson that she will carry with her for the rest of her life. Love is the only thing that matters. Magic Lessons is a celebration of life and love and a showcase of Alice Hoffman’s masterful storytelling.
A New York Times Bestseller
The Body
by Stephen KingSet in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine #1 New York Times bestselling author Stephen King&’s timeless novella &“The Body&”—originally published in his 1982 short story collection Different Seasons, and adapted into the 1986 film classic Stand by Me—is now available as a stand-alone publication.It&’s 1960 in the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine. Ray Brower, a boy from a nearby town, has disappeared, and twelve-year-old Gordie Lachance and his three friends set out on a quest to find his body along the railroad tracks. During the course of their journey, Gordie, Chris Chambers, Teddy Duchamp, and Vern Tessio come to terms with death and the harsh truths of growing up in a small factory town that doesn&’t offer much in the way of a future. A timeless exploration of the loneliness and isolation of young adulthood, Stephen King&’s The Body is an iconic, unforgettable, coming-of-age story.
White Ivy
by Susie Yang&“A truly addictive read&” (Glamour) about how a young woman&’s crush on a privileged former classmate becomes a story of love, lies, and dark obsession, offering stark insights into the immigrant experience, as it hurtles to its electrifying ending in this &“twisty, unputdownable, psychological thriller&” (People).Ivy Lin is a thief and a liar—but you&’d never know it by looking at her. Raised outside of Boston, Ivy&’s immigrant grandmother relies on Ivy&’s mild appearance for cover as she teaches her granddaughter how to pilfer items from yard sales and second-hand shops. Thieving allows Ivy to accumulate the trappings of a suburban teen—and, most importantly, to attract the attention of Gideon Speyer, the golden boy of a wealthy political family. But when Ivy&’s mother discovers her trespasses, punishment is swift and Ivy is sent to China, and her dream instantly evaporates. Years later, Ivy has grown into a poised yet restless young woman, haunted by her conflicting feelings about her upbringing and her family. Back in Boston, when Ivy bumps into Sylvia Speyer, Gideon&’s sister, a reconnection with Gideon seems not only inevitable—it feels like fate. Slowly, Ivy sinks her claws into Gideon and the entire Speyer clan by attending fancy dinners, and weekend getaways to the cape. But just as Ivy is about to have everything she&’s ever wanted, a ghost from her past resurfaces, threatening the nearly perfect life she&’s worked so hard to build. Filled with surprising twists and a nuanced exploration of class and race, White Ivy is a &“highly entertaining,&” (The Washington Post) &“propulsive debut&” (San Francisco Chronicle) that offers a glimpse into the dark side of a woman who yearns for success at any cost.
Little Wet-Paint Girl
by Ouanessa YounsiBorn to a French-Canadian mother and Algerian father, Ouanessa Younsi is a bold and unique voice in modern Francophone poetry. In this intensely personal recitation on identity and ethnicity, Younsi takes the reader on a surreal odyssey through a liminal world of belonging and unbelonging, absence and presence, mind and body. Her visionary work, first published in French and translated here by Rebecca Thompson, is unsettling, riveting and guaranteed to leave readers contemplating the existential mysteries of “self.”
Lac/Athabasca
by Len FalkensteinStories are carried like cargo on trains from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast in this cautionary tale of what happens when we’re haunted by the hunger for the ever-greater development and exploitation of natural resources. A nineteenth-century fur trader and his Métis guide are harrowingly pursued by an unseen monster on the Athabasca River. Two freshwater biologists in present-day Fort McMurray investigate pollution downstream from the oil sands, until one becomes obsessed with his discovery of a centuries-old skeleton. A young man comes to work in the Alberta oil sands, but is driven home after discovering the body of a missing co-worker. The residents of a small town unite in grief after an entirely preventable disaster. Stories intersect and echo, connecting the dots between voraciousness and victimhood, beasts without and beasts within, and ravaged landscapes and ruined souls.
Einstein's Gift
by Vern ThiessenEinstein’s Gift follows the life and work of Nobel laureate Dr. Fritz Haber, a man who risked everything for a country that never accepted him. Haber, a chemist who worked hard to enhance life, discovered too late that when his knowledge was put in the hands of the wrong people, millions would die and that his efforts to serve humanity were futile against political will, nationalism, and war. This updated edition of Vern Thiessen’s compelling play about the collision of power and pride still resonates with verve and vigour.
This Is War
by Hannah MoscovitchMaster Corporal Tanya Young, Captain Stephen Hughes, Private Jonny Henderson, and Sergeant Chris Anders have lived through an atrocity while holding one of the most volatile regions in Afghanistan. As each of them is interviewed by an unseen broadcasting organization, they recount their version of events leading up to the horrific incident with painful, relenting replies. What begins to form is a picture of the effects of guilt and the psychological toll of violence in a war where the enemy is sometimes indiscernible.
Currently Between Husbands
by Cathrine MahoneyTrust me, there is life and love (and plenty of laughter) after divorce, even when your ex is one of Australia&’s highest profile sport stars. Actually, I Don&’t Like Cricket Or Blow Jobs! (And to be honest, I suck at both.) Yes, that was what I originally wanted to call this book. But then I realised that some women like cricket. Also, reading this in front of your inquisitive seven-year-old could lead to some awkward conversations. So, in stepped Currently Between Husbands to save the day and any blushes. Having a relationship in the spotlight is hard enough, but in Currently Between Husbands, Cathrine Mahoney details the unique experience of breaking up with one of Australia's highest profile sport stars. Even for a self-confessed over-sharer, the breakdown of her marriage to rugby league player Andrew Johns was more public than she was used to. In her first book, the writer, podcaster and publicist provides a self-deprecating and hilarious look at her life – from fashion mistakes and early crushes as a kid growing up in Wales, to her years working with some of the world's biggest stars at Sony Music, to navigating life and love as a &‘solo&’ mum, and coming to terms with hitting the big 4-0. Currently Between Husbands is the equivalent of having a chat with your bestie over a drink or two, with all the inappropriate confessions, front bottom revelations and teary moments that entails.&‘Desperately funny, fearless and full of heart.&’ Meg Mason, author of Sorrow and Bliss&‘Strap in. You&’re in for a fabulous ride. And you&’ll be wishing (like I was before I knew her) that she was your friend. It&’s a bloody good book, and I didn&’t want it to end.&’ Amanda Keller OAM, radio and TV host&‘My all-time favourite movie is Bridget Jones&’ Diary – to anoint a real-life version is a big deal – but Cathrine Mahoney is it Bridget to a tee. I&’d pay to read a post it note she wrote, let alone a book. Cathrine&’s ability to be funny, clever, relatable, self-deprecating and just so loveable is unlike anyone I&’ve ever met.&’ Erin Molan, TV presenter, radio host and writer