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Editorial Content for The Lost Village

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Reviewer (text)

Joe Hartlaub

While THE LOST VILLAGE is Camilla Sten’s sophomore effort, it is the first of her novels to be published in the United States (thanks in part to a stellar translation by Alexandra Fleming) and is quite different from her debut in tone, plot and genre. If I were looking for a one-word description of the book, I would reflexively, though still quite accurately, use the term “creepy.” Read More

Teaser

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy. Ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left --- a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn --- have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened. Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice: They are not alone.

Promo

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy. Ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left --- a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn --- have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened. Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice: They are not alone.

About the Book

The Blair Witch Project meets Midsommar in this brilliantly disturbing thriller from Camilla Sten, an electrifying new voice in suspense.

Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left --- a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn --- have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone.

They’re looking for the truth…
But what if it finds them first?

Come find out.

Audiobook available, read by Angela Dawe

Editorial Content for Every Last Fear

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Joe Hartlaub

It is always enjoyable to discover a new kid on the reading block, so to speak, and pass the word on to your friends. May I accordingly introduce Alex Finlay, whose debut novel has readers and book clubs talking? EVERY LAST FEAR straddles multiple subgenres in the mystery and thriller categories while providing a number of puzzles that will keep you reading all night to untangle. Read More

Teaser

Matt Pine’s mom, dad, little brother and sister have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain. Matt’s older brother, Danny --- currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend, Charlotte --- was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. But the night Charlotte was killed, Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty. As the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison, forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Promo

Matt Pine’s mom, dad, little brother and sister have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain. Matt’s older brother, Danny --- currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend, Charlotte --- was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. But the night Charlotte was killed, Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty. As the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison, forcing him to confront his every last fear.

About the Book

“They found the bodies on a Tuesday.” So begins this twisty and breathtaking novel that traces the fate of the Pine family, a thriller that will both leave you on the edge of your seat and move you to tears.

After a late night of partying, NYU student Matt Pine returns to his dorm room to devastating news: nearly his entire family --- his mom, his dad, his little brother and sister --- have been found dead from an apparent gas leak while vacationing in Mexico. The local police claim it was an accident, but the FBI and State Department seem far less certain --- and they won’t tell Matt why.

The tragedy makes headlines everywhere because this isn’t the first time the Pine family has been thrust into the media spotlight. Matt’s older brother, Danny --- currently serving a life sentence for the murder of his teenage girlfriend Charlotte --- was the subject of a viral true crime documentary suggesting that Danny was wrongfully convicted. Though the country has rallied behind Danny, Matt holds a secret about his brother that he’s never told anyone: the night Charlotte was killed Matt saw something that makes him believe his brother is guilty of the crime.

When Matt returns to his small hometown to bury his parents and siblings, he’s faced with a hostile community that was villainized by the documentary, a frenzied media, and memories he’d hoped to leave behind forever. Now, as the deaths in Mexico appear increasingly suspicious and connected to Danny’s case, Matt must unearth the truth behind the crime that sent his brother to prison --- putting his own life in peril --- and forcing him to confront his every last fear.

Told through multiple points-of-view and alternating between past and present, Alex Finlay's EVERY LAST FEAR is not only a page-turning thriller, it’s also a poignant story about a family managing heartbreak and tragedy, and living through a fame they never wanted.

Audiobook available, read by Cady McClain and Jon Lindstrom

Editorial Content for The Ladies of the Secret Circus

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

From Constance Sayers, author of A WITCH IN TIME, comes THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS, a spellbinding, magical tale that spans lifetimes and realms as it follows the most fantastical circus imaginable. Read More

Teaser

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder. It's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love. Soon secrets about Lara’s family history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance.

Promo

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder. It's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything. Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love. Soon secrets about Lara’s family history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance.

About the Book

Spanning Jazz Age Paris to modern-day American, THE LADIES OF THE SECRET CIRCUS is a decadent and magical tale of family secrets and lost love set against the backdrop of an extraordinary circus from the author of A WITCH IN TIME.

Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder --- a world where women weave illusions of magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. Bound to her family's circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate affair that could cost her everything.

Virginia, 2004: Lara Barnes is on top of the world, until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. When her desperate search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother’s journals, Lara is swept into a story of a dark circus and ill-fated love.

Soon secrets about Lara’s family history begin to come to light, revealing a curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. A curse that might be tied to her fiancé’s mysterious disappearance.

Audiobook available, read by Emily Lawrence

Editorial Content for Vera

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Rebecca Munro

Bestselling and critically acclaimed author Carol Edgarian immerses her readers in post-1906 earthquake San Francisco in VERA, a beautifully imagined coming-of-age drama. Read More

Teaser

Meet Vera Johnson, 15-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San Francisco’s most legendary bordello. 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 quiet domestic life of the family paid to raise her. On the morning of the great quake, Vera’s worlds collide. As the city burns and looters vie with the injured, orphaned and starving, Vera and her guileless sister, Pie, are cast adrift. Disregarding societal norms and prejudices, Vera begins to imagine a new kind of life. She collaborates with Tan, her former rival, and forges an unlikely family of survivors, navigating through the disaster together.

Promo

Meet Vera Johnson, 15-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San Francisco’s most legendary bordello. 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 quiet domestic life of the family paid to raise her. On the morning of the great quake, Vera’s worlds collide. As the city burns and looters vie with the injured, orphaned and starving, Vera and her guileless sister, Pie, are cast adrift. Disregarding societal norms and prejudices, Vera begins to imagine a new kind of life. She collaborates with Tan, her former rival, and forges an unlikely family of survivors, navigating through the disaster together.

About the Book

New York Times bestselling author Carol Edgarian delivers “an all-encompassing and enthralling” (Oprah Daily) novel featuring an unforgettable heroine coming of age in the aftermath of catastrophe, and her quest for love and reinvention.

Meet Vera Johnson, 15-year-old illegitimate daughter of Rose, notorious proprietor of San Francisco’s most legendary bordello. 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 quiet domestic life of the family paid to raise her.

On the morning of the great quake, Vera’s worlds collide. As the city burns and looters vie with the injured, orphaned and starving, Vera and her guileless sister, Pie, are cast adrift. Disregarding societal norms and prejudices, Vera begins to imagine a new kind of life. She collaborates with Tan, her former rival, and forges an unlikely family of survivors, navigating through the disaster together.

“A character-driven novel about family, power, and loyalty” (San Francisco Chronicle), Vera brings to life legendary characters --- tenor Enrico Caruso, indicted mayor Eugene Schmitz and boss Abe Ruef, tabloid celebrity Alma Spreckels. This “brilliantly conceived and beautifully realized” (Booklist, starred review) tale of improbable outcomes and alliances takes hold from the first page, with remarkable scenes of devastation, renewal and joy. VERA celebrates the audacious fortitude of its young heroine, who discovers an unexpected strength in unprecedented times.

Audiobook available, read by Kathe Mazur

Editorial Content for Reality and Other Stories

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Joe Hartlaub

John Lanchester is a British author who is critically acclaimed on both sides of the Atlantic for his novels and nonfiction. In 2017, he wrote, of all things, a ghost story that was published in, of all places, The New Yorker. The name of that piece is “Signal,” which combines elements of the classic spirit tale with very modern technology. Lanchester has written several other works of short fiction since then, eight of which --- including “Signal” --- are collected in REALITY AND OTHER STORIES. Read More

Teaser

In 2017, inspired in part by Henry James’ THE TURN OF THE SCREW, the acclaimed English novelist John Lanchester published a ghost story in The New Yorker. "Signal," an eerie story of contemporary life and the perils of technology, was a sensation among readers --- and since then Lanchester has written several more. REALITY AND OTHER STORIES gathers the best of these, taking readers to an uncanny world familiar to fans of “The Twilight Zone” or “Black Mirror.” Household gizmos with a mind of their own. Mysterious cell phone calls from unknown numbers. Reality TV shows and the creeping suspicion that none of this is real.

Promo

In 2017, inspired in part by Henry James’ THE TURN OF THE SCREW, the acclaimed English novelist John Lanchester published a ghost story in The New Yorker. "Signal," an eerie story of contemporary life and the perils of technology, was a sensation among readers --- and since then Lanchester has written several more. REALITY AND OTHER STORIES gathers the best of these, taking readers to an uncanny world familiar to fans of “The Twilight Zone” or “Black Mirror.” Household gizmos with a mind of their own. Mysterious cell phone calls from unknown numbers. Reality TV shows and the creeping suspicion that none of this is real.

About the Book

Ghost stories for the digital age by the Booker Prize --- longlisted author of THE WALL.

In 2017, inspired in part by Henry James’ THE TURN OF THE SCREW, the acclaimed English novelist John Lanchester published a ghost story in The New Yorker. "Signal," an eerie story of contemporary life and the perils of technology, was a sensation among readers --- and since then Lanchester has written several more.

REALITY AND OTHER STORIES gathers the best of these, taking readers to an uncanny world familiar to fans of "The Twilight Zone" or "Black Mirror." Household gizmos with a mind of their own. Mysterious cell-phone calls from unknown numbers. Reality TV shows and the creeping suspicion that none of this is real.

This is a book of disquiet that captures the severe disconnection and distraction of our time.

Audiobook available; read by Richard Armitage, Antony Boyle, Emilia Fox and Hugh Quarsie

Editorial Content for Cloudmaker

Book

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Lorraine W. Shanley

Malcolm Brooks follows up his bestselling debut novel, PAINTED HORSES, with CLOUDMAKER, a family saga set in 1937 Montana --- 10 years after Charles Lindbergh’s famous flight across the ocean, and as the world awaits word of Amelia Earhart’s fate. Read More

Teaser

The summer of 1937 will be a turning point for 14-year-old Houston “Huck” Finn. When he and a friend find a dead body in a local creek, with a rare Lindbergh flight watch on its wrist, it seems like a sign. Huck is building his own airplane. That summer also marks the arrival of his cousin Annelise, sent to live with the family under mysterious circumstances. It turns out she has had flying lessons --- another sign. As Huck’s airplane takes shape, so does his burgeoning understanding of the world, including the battle over worldliness vs. godliness that has split Annelise from her family and, in a quieter way, divides Huck’s family. Meanwhile, there’s the matter of the watch, which the dead man’s cohort of bank robbers would very much like back.

Promo

The summer of 1937 will be a turning point for 14-year-old Houston “Huck” Finn. When he and a friend find a dead body in a local creek, with a rare Lindbergh flight watch on its wrist, it seems like a sign. Huck is building his own airplane. That summer also marks the arrival of his cousin Annelise, sent to live with the family under mysterious circumstances. It turns out she has had flying lessons --- another sign. As Huck’s airplane takes shape, so does his burgeoning understanding of the world, including the battle over worldliness vs. godliness that has split Annelise from her family and, in a quieter way, divides Huck’s family. Meanwhile, there’s the matter of the watch, which the dead man’s cohort of bank robbers would very much like back.

About the Book

From the nationally bestselling author of PAINTED HORSES, Malcolm Brooks returns with a soaring, spirited novel set during the summer of Amelia Earhart’s final flight --- a tale of American ingenuity and optimism set against the backdrop of a deepening Great Depression.

The summer of 1937 will be a turning point for 14-year-old Houston “Huck” Finn. When he and a friend find a dead body in a local creek, a rare Lindbergh flight watch on its wrist, it seems like a sign. Huck is building his own airplane, a fact he has concealed from his mother. That summer also marks the arrival of his cousin Annelise, sent to live with the family under mysterious circumstances. As it turns out, she has had flying lessons --- another sign. As Huck’s airplane takes shape, so does his burgeoning understanding of the world, including the battle over worldliness vs. godliness that has split Annelise from her family and, in a quieter way, divides Huck’s family too. And meanwhile, there’s the matter of the watch, which it turns out the dead man’s cohort of bank robbers would very much like back.

In Brooks’ trademark “lush, breathtaking prose” (San Francisco Chronicle on PAINTED HORSES) and with a winking nod to the Sam Clemens who inspired its hero’s nickname, CLOUDMAKER is a boisterous, heartfelt novel that brings to life the idealism, inventiveness, traditionalism and deep contradictions of the American spirit.

Editorial Content for You'll Thank Me for This

Contributors

Reviewer (text)

Christine M. Irvin

Twelve-year-old Karin is a member of her local Scout troop and has signed up to be part of their annual “dropping” event, a rite of passage for many Dutch children. She and three other kids are blindfolded and dropped off at a location unknown to them inside the Hoge Veluwe National Forest. All they have are a map of the forest, a compass and basic survival tools. They are to work together to find their way to the base camp, where they will be reunited with their troop leaders and other scouts who have completed this challenging and daring activity. Read More

Teaser

Twelve-year old Karin is blindfolded and dropped into the Hoge Veluwe National Forest with three other children. With nothing but a few basic supplies and emergency food, the children are tasked with working together to navigate one of the Netherlands' most beautiful and wild locations and return to where their families are anxiously waiting. Karin quickly finds herself at odds with two of the older teens, and suddenly looks up to see that the other children have vanished. As Karin struggles against the elements to find her way back, she soon realizes that something far more sinister lurks in the woods. While Karin fights for survival, and Grace hastens to find her daughter, the night culminates in the reveal of a deadly secret --- and a shocking confrontation --- that will push each of them to her edge.

Promo

Twelve-year old Karin is blindfolded and dropped into the Hoge Veluwe National Forest with three other children. With nothing but a few basic supplies and emergency food, the children are tasked with working together to navigate one of the Netherlands' most beautiful and wild locations and return to where their families are anxiously waiting. Karin quickly finds herself at odds with two of the older teens, and suddenly looks up to see that the other children have vanished. As Karin struggles against the elements to find her way back, she soon realizes that something far more sinister lurks in the woods. While Karin fights for survival, and Grace hastens to find her daughter, the night culminates in the reveal of a deadly secret --- and a shocking confrontation --- that will push each of them to her edge.

About the Book

A pulse-pounding psychological thriller based on the popular Dutch tradition of blindfolding and dropping teens and preteens in the middle of a forest --- and what happens when it goes horribly wrong.
 
Twelve-year-old Karin is blindfolded and dropped into the Hoge Veluwe National Forest with three other children. With nothing but a few basic supplies and emergency food, the children are tasked with working together to navigate one of the Netherlands' most beautiful and wild locations and return to where their families are anxiously waiting.
 
Karin quickly finds herself at odds with two of the older teens, and suddenly looks up to see that the other children have vanished. As Karin struggles against the elements to find her way back, she soon realizes that something far more sinister lurks in the woods.
 
Grace, Karin’s mother and an American married to a Dutch husband, has been nervous about this practice from the start. At first she tells herself the space is good for her daughter, but as the hours begin to tick by and the children fail to arrive at their designated campsite, she becomes certain something has gone horribly wrong.
 
As Karin fights for survival, and Grace hastens to find her daughter, the night culminates in the reveal of a deadly secret --- and a shocking confrontation --- that will push each of them to her edge.

Audiobook available, read by Tavia Gilbert

Editorial Content for What Stories Are You Living?: Discover Your Archetypes - Transform Your Life!

Reviewer (text)

Barbara Bamberger Scott

In WHAT STORIES ARE YOU LIVING?, Dr. Carol S. Pearson --- the internationally recognized developer of the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator (PMAI) --- delves deeply into the broader meanings and functions of our individual archetypes and the “stories” that support them. Read More

Teaser

Renowned archetype expert Carol S. Pearson guides you through the journey of discovering and understanding the archetypes active in your life. These universal themes may be invisible to you now, but through this book you will learn how they inspire the behaviors and relationships that drive your life story. As you become conscious of your archetypal potential, you can cultivate the hero or heroine within you by living your stories consciously, in your own unique way. WHAT STORIES ARE YOU LIVING? provides a roadmap for achieving deeper self-understanding, and includes clear steps for reshaping your life stories, awakening your authenticity, and finding meaning, direction and purpose.

Promo

Renowned archetype expert Carol S. Pearson guides you through the journey of discovering and understanding the archetypes active in your life. These universal themes may be invisible to you now, but through this book you will learn how they inspire the behaviors and relationships that drive your life story. As you become conscious of your archetypal potential, you can cultivate the hero or heroine within you by living your stories consciously, in your own unique way. WHAT STORIES ARE YOU LIVING? provides a roadmap for achieving deeper self-understanding, and includes clear steps for reshaping your life stories, awakening your authenticity, and finding meaning, direction and purpose.

About the Book

Renowned archetype expert Carol S. Pearson guides you through the journey of discovering and understanding the archetypes active in your life. These universal themes may be invisible to you now, but through this book you will learn how they inspire the behaviors and relationships that drive your life story. As you become conscious of your archetypal potential, you can cultivate the hero or heroine within you by living your stories consciously, in your own unique way. This book provides a roadmap for achieving deeper self-understanding, and includes clear steps for reshaping your life stories, awakening your authenticity, and finding meaning, direction and purpose.

This book, and the free access to the Pearson-Marr Archetype Indicator® (PMAI®) instrument that comes with it, reveals how we can live our archetypal stories more consciously and powerfully. Its larger purpose is to develop our narrative intelligence and our capacity to recognize story patterns in ourselves and in the world as a fundamental life skill.

Dr. Pearson, coauthor of the PMAI® assessment, internationally recognized scholar and well-known author of numerous books, shares actionable ideas, theories and data throughout the book. Readers will find two rich sets of archetype descriptions to help recognize archetypal patterns in our inner and outer life, along with numerous inspiring examples of how people utilize this knowledge to enhance their lives.

The experience of reading the book is a call to authenticity and potential greatness, providing benefits to many professional and personal situations, including instructors and students in creative writing and game-making classes, coaches, counselors, consultants and their clients, and anyone wanting to help team members work together more effectively. So many of us today are yearning for greater depth, and we can use archetypal stories as portals to find that depth as we engage in the practical tasks of living moral and productive lives. WHAT STORIES ARE YOU LIVING? provides motivation and energy to live authentic lives by revealing evocative images, characters and narratives to help us life our best life story.

Stuart Woods, author of Double Jeopardy: A Stone Barrington Novel

Stone Barrington is settling in for a stretch in New York when he receives news that demands immediate action. An old family matter has unexpectedly resurfaced, and Stone must decamp to the craggy shores of Maine to address the issue head-on. There, Stone finds that a dual-pronged threat is hiding in plain sight among the stately houses and exclusive coastal clubs, and the incursion isn't easily rebuffed. These enemies have friends in high places, funds to spare, and a score to settle with Stone...and only the cleverest plot will draw them out into the open. From luxuriously renovated homes to the choppy ocean waters, the pursuit can only lead to an explosive end.

Jacqueline Winspear, author of The Consequences of Fear: A Maisie Dobbs Novel

While on a delivery, young Freddie Hackett, a message runner for a government office, witnesses an argument that ends in murder. When he arrives at the delivery address, he’s shocked to come face to face with the killer. Dismissed by the police when he attempts to report the crime, Freddie goes in search of a woman he once met when delivering a message: Maisie Dobbs. While Maisie wants to help the boy, she must maintain extreme caution: she’s working secretly for the Special Operations Executive, assessing candidates for crucial work with the French resistance. Her two worlds collide when she spots the killer in a place she least expects. She soon realizes she’s been pulled into the orbit of a man who has his own reasons to kill --- reasons that go back to the last war.