Editorial Content for Summer Longing
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
SUMMER LONGING takes place in the beachside town of Provincetown on Cape Cod, which relies on the tourist trade. But no one is quite ready for the arrival of this summer’s tourists as the town gets turned upside down. Read More
Teaser
Ruth Cooperman arrives in beautiful beachside Provincetown for her retirement. After years of hard work and making peace with life's compromises, she is looking forward to a carefree summer of solitude. But when she finds a baby girl abandoned on her doorstep, Ruth turns to her new neighbors for help and is drawn into the drama of the close-knit community. She even reaches out to her own estranged daughter, Olivia, hoping for a reconciliation. As summer unfolds and friends and family care for the infant, alliances are made, relationships are tested and secrets are uncovered. But the unconditional love for a child in need just might bring Ruth and the women of Provincetown exactly what they have been longing for themselves.
Promo
Ruth Cooperman arrives in beautiful beachside Provincetown for her retirement. After years of hard work and making peace with life's compromises, she is looking forward to a carefree summer of solitude. But when she finds a baby girl abandoned on her doorstep, Ruth turns to her new neighbors for help and is drawn into the drama of the close-knit community. She even reaches out to her own estranged daughter, Olivia, hoping for a reconciliation. As summer unfolds and friends and family care for the infant, alliances are made, relationships are tested and secrets are uncovered. But the unconditional love for a child in need just might bring Ruth and the women of Provincetown exactly what they have been longing for themselves.
About the Book
When a baby is left on the doorstep of a Cape Cod beach house, an unlikely group of women risks all they hold dear to harbor and protect her in this "touching, nuanced summer yarn" (Publishers Weekly).
Ruth Cooperman arrives in beautiful beachside Provincetown for her retirement, renting the perfect waterfront cottage while she searches for her forever home. After years of hard work and making peace with life's compromises, Ruth is looking forward to a carefree summer of solitude. But when she finds a baby girl abandoned on her doorstep, Ruth turns to her new neighbors for help and is drawn into the drama of the close-knit community.
The appearance of the mystery baby has an emotional ripple effect through the women in town, including Amelia Cabral, the matriarch who lost her own child decades earlier; Elise Douglas, owner of the tea shop who gave up her dream of becoming a mother; and teenage local Jaci Barros, who feels trapped by her parents' expectations. Ruth, caring for a baby for the first time in 30 years, even reaches out to her own estranged daughter, Olivia, summoning her to Provincetown in hopes of a reconciliation.
As summer unfolds and friends and family care for the infant, alliances are made, relationships are tested and secrets are uncovered. But the unconditional love for a child in need just might bring Ruth and the women of Provincetown exactly what they have been longing for themselves.
With heartfelt storytelling, SUMMER LONGING is Jamie Brenner's eagerly anticipated return to Provincetown --- another unforgettable tale about motherhood, friendship and finding your way home.
Audiobook available, read by Molly Parker Myers
Editorial Content for Boys of Alabama
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
BOYS OF ALABAMA by Genevieve Hudson is a complex and beautifully rendered coming-of-age story set in a small southern U.S. town. It is both utterly realistic and full of magic. Readers meet Max just as he arrives from Germany to Alabama where his father has moved the family for work. There is culture shock and the shock of the new humid landscape, and there is also all that the teen is leaving behind. What he has brought with him to the town of Delilah is the memory of his best friend and first love, Nils, and the ability to raise the dead. Read More
Teaser
Newly arrived in Alabama, teenager Max already expects some of the raucous behavior of his new, American friends, but he doesn’t anticipate the comradery --- or how quickly he would be welcomed into their world of basement beer drinking. In his new canvas pants and thickening muscles, Max feels like he’s “playing dress-up.” That is until he meets Pan, the school “witch,” in Physics class. Suddenly, Max feels seen, and the pair embarks on a consuming relationship: Max tells Pan about his supernatural powers, and Pan tells Max about the snake poison initiations of the local church. The boys, however, aren’t sure whose past is darker, and what is more frightening --- their true selves, or staying true in Alabama.
Promo
Newly arrived in Alabama, teenager Max already expects some of the raucous behavior of his new, American friends, but he doesn’t anticipate the comradery --- or how quickly he would be welcomed into their world of basement beer drinking. In his new canvas pants and thickening muscles, Max feels like he’s “playing dress-up.” That is until he meets Pan, the school “witch,” in Physics class. Suddenly, Max feels seen, and the pair embarks on a consuming relationship: Max tells Pan about his supernatural powers, and Pan tells Max about the snake poison initiations of the local church. The boys, however, aren’t sure whose past is darker, and what is more frightening --- their true selves, or staying true in Alabama.
About the Book
In this bewitching debut novel, a sensitive teen, newly arrived in Alabama, falls in love, questions his faith and navigates a strange power. While his German parents don’t know what to make of a South pining for the past, shy Max thrives in the thick heat. Taken in by the football team, he learns how to catch a spiraling ball, how to point a gun, and how to hide his innermost secrets.
Max already expects some of the raucous behavior of his new, American friends --- like their insatiable hunger for the fried and cheesy, and their locker room talk about girls. But he doesn’t expect the comradery --- or how quickly he would be welcomed into their world of basement beer drinking. In his new canvas pants and thickening muscles, Max feels like he’s “playing dress-up.” That is until he meets Pan, the school “witch,” in Physics class: “Pan in his all black. Pan with his goth choker and the gel that made his hair go straight up.” Suddenly, Max feels seen, and the pair embarks on a consuming relationship: Max tells Pan about his supernatural powers, and Pan tells Max about the snake poison initiations of the local church. The boys, however, aren’t sure whose past is darker, and what is more frightening --- their true selves, or staying true in Alabama.
Writing in verdant and visceral prose that builds to a shocking conclusion, Genevieve Hudson “brilliantly reinvents the Southern Gothic, mapping queer love in a land where God, guns, and football are king” (Leni Zumas, author of RED CLOCKS). BOYS OF ALABAMA becomes a nuanced portrait of masculinity, religion, immigration and the adolescent pressures that require total conformity.
Audiobook available, read by Charlie Thurston
Editorial Content for Fairest: A Memoir
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Nothing of existence is binary, and Meredith Talusan excavates the complicated intersections of her own identity in this exquisite, unapologetic gem of a memoir. Read More
Teaser
FAIREST is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism, a "sun child" from a rural Philippine village, who would grow up to become a woman in America. Coping with the strain of parental neglect and the elusive promise of U.S. citizenship, Meredith Talusan found childhood comfort from her devoted grandmother. As an immigrant to the United States, Talusan came to be perceived as white. An academic scholarship to Harvard provided access to elite circles of privilege but required Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race, class, sexuality and her place within the gay community. She emerged as an artist and an activist questioning the boundaries of gender. Talusan realized she did not want to be confined to a prescribed role as a man, and transitioned to become a woman, despite the risk of losing a man she deeply loved.
Promo
FAIREST is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism, a "sun child" from a rural Philippine village, who would grow up to become a woman in America. Coping with the strain of parental neglect and the elusive promise of U.S. citizenship, Meredith Talusan found childhood comfort from her devoted grandmother. As an immigrant to the United States, Talusan came to be perceived as white. An academic scholarship to Harvard provided access to elite circles of privilege but required Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race, class, sexuality and her place within the gay community. She emerged as an artist and an activist questioning the boundaries of gender. Talusan realized she did not want to be confined to a prescribed role as a man, and transitioned to become a woman, despite the risk of losing a man she deeply loved.
About the Book
A singular, beautifully written coming-of-age memoir of a Filipino boy with albinism whose story travels from an immigrant childhood to Harvard to a gender transition and illuminates the illusions of race, disability and gender.
FAIREST is a memoir about a precocious boy with albinism, a "sun child" from a rural Philippine village, who would grow up to become a woman in America. Coping with the strain of parental neglect and the elusive promise of U.S. citizenship, Talusan found childhood comfort from her devoted grandmother, a grounding force as she was treated by others with special preference or public curiosity. As an immigrant to the United States, Talusan came to be perceived as white. An academic scholarship to Harvard provided access to elite circles of privilege but required Talusan to navigate through the complex spheres of race, class, sexuality and her place within the gay community. She emerged as an artist and an activist questioning the boundaries of gender.
Talusan realized she did not want to be confined to a prescribed role as a man, and transitioned to become a woman, despite the risk of losing a man she deeply loved. Throughout her journey, Talusan shares poignant and powerful episodes of desirability and love that will remind readers of works such as CALL ME BY YOUR NAME and GIOVANNI'S ROOM. Her evocative reflections will shift our own perceptions of love, identity, gender and the fairness of life.
Audiobook available, read by Meredith Talusan
Editorial Content for Me & Patsy Kickin' Up Dust: My Friendship with Patsy Cline
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In ME & PATSY KICKIN’ UP DUST, country music legend Loretta Lynn tells the story of how she and Patsy Cline met and struck up a close friendship that lasted until the time of Patsy's tragic death. Read More
Teaser
Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends --- country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever, Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death. Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be. Set in the heady streets of the 1960s South, this nostalgia ride shows how Nashville blossomed into the city of music it is today.
Promo
Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends --- country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever, Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death. Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be. Set in the heady streets of the 1960s South, this nostalgia ride shows how Nashville blossomed into the city of music it is today.
About the Book
Discover the "important and inspiring" and never-before-told complete story of the remarkable relationship between country music icons Patsy Cline and Loretta Lynn (Miranda Lambert).
Loretta Lynn and the late Patsy Cline are legends --- country icons and sisters of the heart. For the first time ever Loretta tells their story: a celebration of their music and their relationship up until Patsy's tragic and untimely death.
Full of laughter and tears, this eye-opening, heartwarming memoir paints a picture of two stubborn, spirited country gals who'd be damned if they'd let men or convention tell them how to be. Set in the heady streets of the 1960s South, this nostalgia ride shows how Nashville blossomed into the city of music it is today. Tender and fierce, ME & PATSY KICKIN' UP DUST is an up-close-and-personal portrait of a friendship that defined a generation and changed country music indelibly --- and a meditation on love, loss and legacy.
Audiobook available, read by Patsy Lynn Russell
Editorial Content for Murder, She Wrote: The Murder of Twelve
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
A couple of years ago, I was privileged to learn that Jessica Fletcher and Jon Land were planning a Murder, She Wrote mystery based on the classic Dame Agatha Christie novel, AND THEN THERE WERE NONE. Ironically, at the time, I was acting in the stage version of the novel in the role of Judge Wargrave. Do you need to have read the book to enjoy this latest effort? No, but if you are familiar with the source material, there are so many tidbits stuck inside these pages that will have you squirming with delight. Read More
Teaser
Still staying at the Hill House hotel while her beloved home is being rebuilt, Jessica Fletcher finds herself sharing the space for a weekend with a dozen members of a wedding party who have gathered there for a rehearsal dinner. The families of the bride and groom can't stand each other but have agreed to put aside years of long-simmering tension to celebrate the nuptials. Unfortunately, weather forecasters underestimated the severity of a storm that turns into a historic blizzard that dumps nearly five feet of snow on Cabot Cove, leaving everyone stranded. But the hotel guests have bigger things to worry about than bad weather conditions, because a murderer has shown up uninvited --- one who has vowed to take them down one by one.
Promo
Still staying at the Hill House hotel while her beloved home is being rebuilt, Jessica Fletcher finds herself sharing the space for a weekend with a dozen members of a wedding party who have gathered there for a rehearsal dinner. The families of the bride and groom can't stand each other but have agreed to put aside years of long-simmering tension to celebrate the nuptials. Unfortunately, weather forecasters underestimated the severity of a storm that turns into a historic blizzard that dumps nearly five feet of snow on Cabot Cove, leaving everyone stranded. But the hotel guests have bigger things to worry about than bad weather conditions, because a murderer has shown up uninvited --- one who has vowed to take them down one by one.
About the Book
In the latest entry in this USA Today bestselling series, Jessica Fletcher takes on an Agatha Christie-style mystery when she finds herself stranded in a hotel during a blizzard with 12 strangers and a killer in their midst.
Still staying at the Hill House hotel while her beloved home is being rebuilt, Jessica Fletcher finds herself sharing the space for a weekend with a dozen members of a wedding party who have gathered there for a rehearsal dinner. The families of the bride and groom can't stand each other but have agreed to put aside years of long-simmering tension to celebrate the nuptials.
Unfortunately, weather forecasters underestimated the severity of a storm that turns into a historic blizzard that dumps nearly five feet of snow on Cabot Cove, leaving everyone stranded.
But the hotel guests have bigger things to worry about than bad weather conditions and potential cold feet, because a murderer has shown up ininvited --- one who has vowed to take them down one by one.
Audiobook available, read by Laural Merlington
Editorial Content for The Index of Self-Destructive Acts
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
It seems certain that great works of fiction arrive at just the time we most need them. And so, while the cascading events of THE INDEX OF SELF-DESTRUCTIVE ACTS --- Christopher Beha’s moving and pleasurable third novel --- aren’t instigated by a global pandemic, its timing is auspicious. Set in New York City in 2009, amid a financial crisis whose dimensions are in the process of being eclipsed almost daily before our eyes, the book skillfully links characters trying to regain their balance in a world where their lives, like ours, have been radically disrupted. Read More
Teaser
On the day Sam Waxworth arrives in New York to write for the Interviewer, a street-corner preacher declares that the world is coming to an end. A data journalist and recent media celebrity --- he correctly forecast every outcome of the 2008 election --- Sam knows a few things about predicting the future. His first assignment for the Interviewer is a profile of disgraced political columnist Frank Doyle, known to Sam for the sentimental works of baseball lore that first sparked his love of the game. When Sam meets Frank at Citi Field for the Mets’ home opener, he finds himself unexpectedly ushered into Doyle’s crumbling family empire. While their lives seem inextricable, none of them know how close they are to losing everything, including each other.
Promo
On the day Sam Waxworth arrives in New York to write for the Interviewer, a street-corner preacher declares that the world is coming to an end. A data journalist and recent media celebrity --- he correctly forecast every outcome of the 2008 election --- Sam knows a few things about predicting the future. His first assignment for the Interviewer is a profile of disgraced political columnist Frank Doyle, known to Sam for the sentimental works of baseball lore that first sparked his love of the game. When Sam meets Frank at Citi Field for the Mets’ home opener, he finds himself unexpectedly ushered into Doyle’s crumbling family empire. While their lives seem inextricable, none of them know how close they are to losing everything, including each other.
About the Book
What makes a life, Sam Waxworth sometimes wondered --- self or circumstance?
On the day Sam Waxworth arrives in New York to write for the Interviewer, a street-corner preacher declares that the world is coming to an end. A data journalist and recent media celebrity --- he correctly forecast every outcome of the 2008 election --- Sam knows a few things about predicting the future. But when projection meets reality, life gets complicated.
His first assignment for the Interviewer is a profile of disgraced political columnist Frank Doyle, known to Sam for the sentimental works of baseball lore that first sparked his love of the game. When Sam meets Frank at Citi Field for the Mets’ home opener, he finds himself unexpectedly ushered into Doyle’s crumbling family empire. Kit, the matriarch, lost her investment bank to the financial crisis; Eddie, their son, hasn’t been the same since his second combat tour in Iraq; Eddie’s best friend from childhood, the fantastically successful hedge funder Justin Price, is starting to see cracks in his spotless public image. And then there’s Frank’s daughter, Margo, with whom Sam becomes involved --- just as his wife, Lucy, arrives from Wisconsin. While their lives seem inextricable, none of them know how close they are to losing everything, including each other.
Sweeping in scope yet meticulous in its construction, THE INDEX OF SELF-DESTRUCTIVE ACTS is a remarkable family portrait and a masterful evocation of New York City and its institutions. Over the course of a single baseball season, Christopher Beha traces the passing of the torch from the old establishment to the new meritocracy, exploring how each generation’s failure helped land us where we are today. Whether or not the world is ending, Beha’s characters are all headed to apocalypses of their own making.
Audiobook available, read by Jim Frangione
Editorial Content for The Imperfects
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
The Millers are miles away from each other, both physically and emotionally. Scattered across the country with little to no contact, they resemble strangers more than family. When their spirited and secretive matriarch Helen dies, the Millers come back home. All together for the first time in years, they must manage their current relationships while reflecting on their past. Read More
Teaser
The Millers are far from perfect. When their grandmother passes away, estranged siblings Beck, Ashley and Jake find themselves under one roof with their eccentric mother, Deborah, forced to confront old resentments and betrayals. But their lives are turned upside down when they discover a secret inheritance --- the 137-carat Florentine Diamond, which went missing from the Austrian Empire a century ago. As the Millers race to determine if they are the rightful heirs to the diamond and the fortune it promises, they uncover a secret past that forever changes their connection to their heritage and each other.
Promo
The Millers are far from perfect. When their grandmother passes away, estranged siblings Beck, Ashley and Jake find themselves under one roof with their eccentric mother, Deborah, forced to confront old resentments and betrayals. But their lives are turned upside down when they discover a secret inheritance --- the 137-carat Florentine Diamond, which went missing from the Austrian Empire a century ago. As the Millers race to determine if they are the rightful heirs to the diamond and the fortune it promises, they uncover a secret past that forever changes their connection to their heritage and each other.
About the Book
From the bestselling author of THE BOOKSHOP OF YESTERDAYS comes an unforgettable family saga inspired by the true story of the infamous, still-missing Florentine Diamond.
The Millers are far from perfect. When their grandmother passes away, estranged siblings Beck, Ashley and Jake find themselves under one roof with their eccentric mother, Deborah, forced to confront old resentments and betrayals. But their lives are turned upside down when they discover a secret inheritance --- the 137-carat Florentine Diamond, which went missing from the Austrian Empire a century ago. As the Millers race to determine if they are the rightful heirs to the diamond and the fortune it promises, they uncover a secret past that forever changes their connection to their heritage and each other.
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell
Editorial Content for The First Actress: A Novel of Sarah Bernhardt
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
With his signature attention to detail and penchant for writing strong female characters, C. W. Gortner returns with THE FIRST ACTRESS, the story of the inimitable Sarah Bernhardt, the world’s first modern actress and international celebrity. Read More
Teaser
From her beginnings as the daughter of a courtesan to her extraordinary transformation into the most celebrated actress of her era, Sarah Bernhardt is brought to life by an internationally bestselling author praised for his historical novels featuring famous women. C. W. Gortner’s THE FIRST ACTRESS is a fascinating, intimate account of a woman whose unrivaled talent and indomitable spirit has enshrined her in history as the Divine Sarah.
Promo
From her beginnings as the daughter of a courtesan to her extraordinary transformation into the most celebrated actress of her era, Sarah Bernhardt is brought to life by an internationally bestselling author praised for his historical novels featuring famous women. C. W. Gortner’s THE FIRST ACTRESS is a fascinating, intimate account of a woman whose unrivaled talent and indomitable spirit has enshrined her in history as the Divine Sarah.
About the Book
From her beginnings as the daughter of a courtesan to her extraordinary transformation into the most celebrated actress of her era, Sarah Bernhardt is brought to life by an internationally bestselling author praised for his historical novels featuring famous women.
Sarah’s highly dramatic life starts when she returns to Paris after her convent schooling and is confronted by her mother’s demand to follow in the family trade as a courtesan. To escape this fate, Sarah pursues a career onstage at the esteemed Comédie-Française, until her rebellious acting style leads to her scandalous dismissal. Only 19 years old and unemployed, Sarah is forced to submit to her mother’s wishes. But her seductive ease as a courtesan comes to an abrupt end when she discovers she is pregnant. Unwilling to give up her child, Sarah defies social condemnation and is cast adrift, penniless and alone.
With her striking beauty and innovative performances in a bohemian theater, Sarah catapults to unexpected success; suddenly, audiences clamor to see this controversial young actress. But her world is torn asunder by the brutal 1870 siege of Paris. Sarah refuses to abandon the ravaged city, nursing wounded soldiers and risking her life.
Her return to the Comédie and her tempestuous affair with her leading man plunge Sarah into a fierce quest for independence. Undeterred, she risks everything to become France’s most acclaimed actress, enthralling audiences with her shocking portrayals of female and male characters. Sarah’s daring talent and outrageous London engagement pave her path to worldwide celebrity, with sold-out tours in Europe and America.
Told in her own voice, this is Sarah Bernhardt’s incandescent story --- a fascinating, intimate account of a woman whose unrivaled talent and indomitable spirit has enshrined her in history as the Divine Sarah.
Audiobook available, read by Gabrielle De Cuir
Editorial Content for What Lies Between Us
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
One of my former coworkers read voraciously across many genres, but if there was one type of fiction she couldn’t get enough of, it was novels with an unreliable narrator. I feel certain that she would devour John Marrs’ new book, WHAT LIES BETWEEN US, because it has not one but two unreliable narrators.
Or does it?
Read More
Teaser
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price. But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way --- even if it kills her. Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
Promo
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past. Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price. But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way --- even if it kills her. Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
About the Book
Nina can never forgive Maggie for what she did. And she can never let her leave.
They say every house has its secrets, and the house that Maggie and Nina have shared for so long is no different. Except that these secrets are not buried in the past.
Every other night, Maggie and Nina have dinner together. When they are finished, Nina helps Maggie back to her room in the attic, and into the heavy chain that keeps her there. Because Maggie has done things to Nina that can’t ever be forgiven, and now she is paying the price.
But there are many things about the past that Nina doesn’t know, and Maggie is going to keep it that way --- even if it kills her.
Because in this house, the truth is more dangerous than lies.
Audiobook available, read by Elizabeth Knowelden







