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Sex and Death on the Beach
by Elaine Viets
Beneath the sun and sea of South Florida, dark crimes and bone-chilling secrets are lurking.
When the body of adult film star Sammie Lant is found buried next to the courtyard pool of the Florodora, Norah McCarthy’s apartment complex, she quickly becomes the police’s prime suspect. Norah was witnessed having an argument with Sammie six months ago, the last day Sammie was seen alive. But events take an even darker turn when more remains are unearthed – ones with an apparent connection to Norah’s tragic past. Is it pure coincidence that more than one person was buried by Norah’s pool? And is the killer closer to home than she thinks?
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The Love Haters
by Katherine Center
Swim lessons, helicopter flights, conga lines, drinking contests, hurricanes, and stolen kisses ensue—along with chances to tell the truth, to face old fears, and to be truly brave at last.
Katie Vaughn has been burned by love in the past—now she may be lighting her career on fire. She has two choices: wait to get laid off from her video producing job, or take a career-making gig profiling Tom “Hutch” Hutcheson, a Coast Guard rescue swimmer in Key West. The catch? Katie’s not exactly qualified. She can’t swim—but fakes it that she can. Plus: Cole is Hutch’s brother. And they don’t get along. Paradise may be messier than it seems!
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The Manor of Dreams
by Christina Li
A haunting novel about the crumbling mansion of a former Hollywood starlet, and the intertwined fates of the two Chinese American families fighting to inherit it.
Vivian Yin, the first Chinese actress to win an Oscar, is dead. The trailblazing ingénue rose to fame in the eighties, only to disappear from the spotlight at the height of her career and live out the rest of her life as a recluse. Now, gathered for the reading of the will, her daughters expect to inherit their mother’s grand, sprawling Southern California garden estate. But due to a last-minute change to the will, the house is passed on to another family instead—one that has suddenly returned after decades of estrangement. Told in dual timelines, spanning three generations, and brimming with romance, betrayal, ambition and sacrifice, The Manor of Dreams is a thrilling family gothic that examines the true cost of the American dream.
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Black Woods, Blue Sky
by Eowyn Ivey
An unforgettable dark fairy tale that asks, “Can love save us from ourselves?”
Birdie’s keeping it together. So what if she’s a little hungover sometimes, and that she has to bring her daughter, Emaleen, to her job waiting tables at an Alaskan roadside lodge? She’s getting by as a single mother in a tough town.
Arthur Neilsen is a soft-spoken and scarred recluse who appears in town only at the change of seasons. Most people avoid him, but when he helps Emaleen after getting lost in the woods, Birdie finds herself drawn to Arthur. To Birdie, he represents everything she’s ever longed for. Against the warnings of those who care about them, Birdie and Emaleen move to his isolated cabin in the mountains on the far side of the Wolverine River. At first, it’s idyllic, but soon Birdie discovers that Arthur is something much more mysterious and dangerous than she could have imagined.
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Such a Good Mom
by Julia Spiro
In the heat of summer, a murder on Martha's Vineyard rocks one new mom to the core, leaving her to search for answers.
With a healthy newborn baby, a devoted husband, and a busy life on Martha’s Vineyard, Brynn Nelson should be the happiest she’s ever been. But instead, she is struggling. Her husband, Ross, grows more distant by the day, and the challenges of postpartum make Brynn feel like she’s slowly losing pieces of herself to motherhood. Then, unexpectedly, a friend of the family is found washed ashore. Dead. And Brynn’s already hectic life is turned upside down when Ross is arrested for the crime. Unsure who she is able to trust, Brynn becomes determined to find the truth.
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Dream State
by Eric Puchner
A thrillingly ambitious ode to the power of friendship, the weird weather of marriage, and the beauty of impermanence.
Cece is in love. She has arrived early at her future in-laws’ lake house in Salish, Montana, to finish planning her wedding to Charlie, a young doctor with a brilliant life ahead of him. Charlie has asked Garrett, his best friend from college, to officiate the ceremony, though Cece can’t imagine anyone more ill-suited for the task. But as Cece spends time with Garrett, his gruff mask slips, and she grows increasingly uncertain about her future. The events of that summer have long-lasting repercussions, not only on the three friends, but also on their children, who struggle to escape their parents’ story. Spanning fifty years and set against the backdrop of a rapidly warming Montana, Dream State explores what it means to live with the mistakes of the past.
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Secrets of Adulthood: Simple Truths for Our Complex Lives
by Gretchen Rubin
Bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Better Than Before distills her key insights into simple truths for living with greater satisfaction, clarity, and happiness.
The right idea, invoked at the right time, can change our lives. Drawing from her long studies of happiness, and from challenges she’s faced herself, writer Gretchen Rubin has discovered the “Secrets of Adulthood” that can help us manage the complexities of life. Perhaps you’re paralyzed by indecision, struggling to navigate a big change, fighting a temptation, or puzzled by the behavior of someone you love; whatever you face, the right aphorism can help. From procrastination to the pursuit of happiness, Secrets of Adulthood is filled with witty and thought-provoking reflections.
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Conquering Crisis: Ten Lessons to Learn Before You Need Them
by William H. McRaven
#1 New York Times bestselling author Admiral McRaven tells stories from his life and career that illustrate the principles of effective leadership during times of crisis.
Throughout his 40-year career, Admiral McRaven has experienced every manner of calamity imaginable. From managing failed hostage rescues to responding to student unrest, McRaven has learned how to successfully navigate crises—those moments that push the limits of your experience and challenge your confidence, when leadership skills alone may not be enough. Conquering Crisis provides a new set of tools for facing these stressful moments with poise. It breaks crises down into five phases—and provides concrete steps to come out the other side stronger.
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Joy Prescriptions: How I Overcame Perfectionism to Embrace Gratitude, Love, and Laughter
by Tiffany Moon
Doctor by day and Bravo’s Real Housewife by night, Tiffany Moon has a prescription for releasing perfectionism and finding joy!
As a self-proclaimed “good girl,” Tiffany was a people pleaser and lifelong overachiever, someone who fit into the roles that were prescribed by her Chinese-American family. Yet Tiffany felt unfulfilled. She spent more time at work than at home with her loving husband and twin girls, didn’t know how to say no to anyone, and was governed by the external pressures of being “perfect” by standards set by society. In Joy Prescriptions, Tiffany shares her journey reconnecting with herself. This book is what she learned by dropping the perfectionist trope and focusing on rediscovering who she was.
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Unmasking for Life: The Autistic Person's Guide to Connecting, Loving, and Living Authentically
by Devon Price
Live your best unmasked Autistic life with this invaluable resource for navigating friendships, family, work, love, and life.
Most masked Autistics have spent a lifetime being told how to perform, how to behave, how to carry themselves, what to feel, and how to live. With his previous book, Unmasking Autism, Dr. Devon Price provided a space for unmasking and embracing their neurodiversity. But no matter where you are in the unmasking process, there is still work to be done. Because Autistic people often fear change, struggle with unfamiliar situations, and have trauma histories, they don't always know how to transform their inner revelations into outer realities. They need practical tools to translate acceptance into assertiveness and interpersonal effectiveness. With powerful insights and transformative resources, Unmasking for Life is a practical guide to living a fully realized Autistic life.
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The Next Conversation: Argue Less, Talk More
by Jefferson Fisher
From communication expert Jefferson Fisher, this book provides actionable strategies and phrases that will forever change how you communicate.
Jefferson Fisher, trial lawyer and one of the leading voices on real-world communication, offers a tried-and-true framework that will show you how to transform your life and your relationships by improving your next conversation. Whether it’s handling a heated conversation, dealing with a difficult personality, or standing your ground with confidence, his down-to-earth teachings have helped countless people navigate life’s toughest situations. Now for the first time, Fisher has distilled his three-part communication system (Say it with control, Say it with confidence, Say it to connect) that can easily be applied to any situation. Your every word matters, and by controlling how you communicate every day, you will see waves of positive impact throughout your relationships.
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Ordinary Magic: The Science of How We Can Achieve Big Change with Small Acts
by Gregory M. Walton
Discover simple psychological shifts that build trust, belonging, and confidence—from the co-director of the Dweck-Walton Lab at Stanford University.
Can I succeed? Do I belong? Does my partner really love me? These are the emotional questions of our lives that can be difficult to face. If you’re expecting an interaction to go wrong, that expectation can make it so. That’s spiraling down. But as esteemed Stanford psychologist Greg Walton shows, when we see these questions more clearly, we can answer them well. Known to social psychologists as wise interventions, these seemingly magical shifts in perspective can help us chart new trajectories for our lives. They help us spiral up. Ordinary Magic puts the tools for change at your fingertips.
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