McReader's Digest
August 2025
Titles you might have missed...
Colored television
William : a novel
The slowest burn : a novel
Bright I Burn
Blue sisters : a novel
Us fools : a novel
The reaping
Graveyard shift : a novella
The witch of Colchis
The cinnamon bun book store
Of gold and shadows
So thirsty
The Last Whaler
In the garden of monsters
Returning to Romance Through Food and Flirty Fun in Fiction with Casey McQuiston
Wednesday, August 20, 6PM

 

 
What's new...
The Academy
by Elin Hilderbrand

Book #1 bestselling author Elin Hilderbrand teams up with her daughter, Shelby Cunningham, to deliver a dishy, page-turning novel following an intertwined cast of characters over the course of one drama-filled year at a New England boarding school.
As the year unfolds, bonds are forged and broken, secrets are shared and exposed, and the lives of Tiffin’s students and staff are changed forever. The Academy is Elin Hilderbrand’s fresh, buzzy take on boarding school life, and a thrilling new direction from one of America’s most satisfying and popular storytellers.
The Austen affair
by Madeline Bell

"Tess Bright just scored her dream role starring in an adaptation of Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey. It's not just the role of a lifetime, but it's also her last chance to prove herself as a serious actress (no easy feat after being fired from her last TV gig) and more importantly, it's her opportunity to honor her mom, who was the biggest fan of Jane Austen ever. But one thing is standing in Tess's way-well, one very tall, annoyingly handsome person, actually: Hugh Balfour. A serious British method actor, Hugh wants nothing to do with Tess (whose Teen Choice Awards somehow don't quite compare to his BAFTA nominations). Hugh is a type-A, no-nonsense, Royal Academy prodigy, whereas Tess is big-hearted, a little reckless, and admittedly, kind of a mess. But the film needs chemistry-and Tess's career depends on it. Sparks fly, but not in the way Tess hoped, when an electrical accident sends the two feuding co-stars back in time to Jane Austen's era. 200 years in the past with only each other to rely on, Tess and Hugh need to ad-lib their way through the Regency period in order to make it back home, and hopefully not screw up history along the way. But if a certain someone looks particularly dashing in those 19th century breeches...well, Tess won't be complaining."-- Provided by publisher
Behind enemy bylines : a novel
by Kathleen Fuller

"Brimming with small-town charm, this latest clean rom-com from USA TODAY bestselling author Kathleen Fuller offers a second chance at romance for one local reporter and his big-city accountant ex"
The Book of Guilt
by Catherine Chidgey

In an alternate world where nobody won WWII, three brothers are the only boys left in an orphanage whose dark secret is the reason for their existence—and the key to their survival—from the acclaimed author of Pet.
 
Boy from the North Country : a novel
by Sam Evan Sussman

"An auto-fictional novel about the courage and resilience of motherhood as well as a window into the life of Bob Dylan at a peak moment of his creative output"
Christina the Astonishing
by Marianne Leone

A coming-of-age novel told from the perspective of the irrepressible Christina, whose encounters with Catholic school nuns, Italian mothers, and small-town Massachusetts will have readers laughing out loud, even when Christina isn’t . . . 

CHRISTINA FALCONE IS A THIRTEEN-YEAR-OLD EIGHTH GRADER at Precious Blood Junior High. She is growing up pazza according to her Italian immigrant mother, Rita, who curses a country that poisons children with chocolate milk and singing mice on television. The nuns at Precious Blood are giving Christina nightmares and facial tics with their daily descriptions of torture and martyrdom. All she wanted as a fourth grader was to become a saint so she could be God’s best friend and go straight to heaven and avoid burning in hell for all eternity. 

At thirteen, though, Christina’s nightmares about eyeless martyrs have become dreams of escaping this place where she can see the entire trajectory of her life looming before her in a never-ending hamster loop that goes from Precious Blood Elementary School to La Sposa Bridal Shoppe and eventually across the street to Carmello’s Funeral Home without ever leaving her neighborhood.
Circle of days : a novel
by Ken Follett

"A FLINT MINER WITH A GIFT Seft, a talented flint miner, walks the Great Plain in the high summer heat, to witness the rituals that signal the start of a new year. He is there to trade his stone at the Midsummer Rite, and to find Neen, the girl he loves.Her family live in prosperity and offer Seft an escape from his brutish father and brothers, within their herder community. A PRIESTESS WHO BELIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE Joia, Neen's sister, is a priestess with a vision and an unmatched ability to lead. As a child, she watches the Midsummer ceremony, enthralled, and dreams of a miraculous new monument, raised from the biggest stones in the world. But trouble is brewing among the hills and woodlands of the Great Plain. A MONUMENT THAT WILL DEFINE A CIVILIZATIONJoia's vision of a great stone circle, assembled by the divided tribes of the Plain, will inspire Seft and become their life's work. But as drought ravages the earth, mistrust grows between the herders, farmers and woodlanders - and an act of savage violence leads to open warfare.."-- Provided by publisher
Clown town
by Mick Herron

"The ninth book in the series behind Slow Horses, an Apple original series now streaming on Apple TV+. "Old spies grow ridiculous, River. Old spies aren't much better than clowns." Or so David Cartwright, the late retired head of MI5, used to tell his grandson. He forgot to add that old spies can be dangerous, too, especially if they've fallen on hard times-as River Cartwright is about to learn the hard way. David Cartwright, long buried, has left his library to the Spooks' College in Oxford, and now it turns out that one of the books has gone missing. Or perhaps it never existed. Now River, once a "slow horse" of Slough House, MI5's outpost for demoted and disgraced spies, has some time to kill while awaiting medical clearance to return to work, and investigating the secrets of his grandfather's library seems a harmless activity. But nothing involving the slow horses ever stays harmless for long. Over at the Park, MI5 First Desk Diana Taverner is in a pickle. An operation carried out during the height of the Troubles revealed the ugly side of state security, and those involved are threatening to expose details. But every threat hides an opportunity, and Taverner has come up with a scheme in which the would-be blackmailer is a solution to a much newer problem. All she needs is the right dupe to get caught holding the bag. Jackson Lamb, the enigmatic and odiferous head of Slough House, does not want any of his joes involved. When Taverner starts plotting mischief people get hurt, and Lamb has no plans to send in the clowns. On the other hand, if the clowns ignore his instructions, any harm that befalls them is hardly his fault. But they're his clowns. And if they don't all make it home, there'll be a reckoning"-- Provided by publisher
Dating After the End of the World
by Jeneva Rose

There’s nothing like the undead to bring the living together in an action-packed and apocalyptically romantic genre-shattering novel by a New York Times bestselling author.

Casey Pearson grew up with a doomsday-prepping father. At eighteen, tired of living an unconventional life, she left home, vowing never to return.

More than a decade later, a mysterious viral outbreak changes everything, including the people it infects, turning them into zombielike creatures. It’s the end of the world, and no one saw it coming—well, except for Casey’s father. With no place left to run and danger lurking around every corner, Casey is forced to return home.

Upon arrival, she’s surprised to find that her dad has hunkered down with a group of survivors, including her archnemesis, Blake Morrison, the high school bully who made Casey’s teenage years a living hell.

While struggling to live on the compound, face outside threats, and survive alongside her handsome enemy, Casey will learn that although the world has ended, hers is just beginning.
Deadly storms
by Christine Feehan

"Danger is gathering on the horizon in this gripping novel of romantic suspense from #1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan. Shabina Foster does her best to lead a normal life. She takes comfort in her friends and her dogs and finds passion in running her own small-town cafâe in the eastern Sierras. But she can't help always looking over her shoulder, not after what happened in her past. Since then Shabina has worked very hard to build herself up and live life to the fullest. Still, there's no denying the scars she carries. Truly opening up her guarded world seems like an impossible dream-especially when it comes to the one man who makes her feel safe. Shabina already feels like she's ruined his life and is determined to keep her distance,even as the ghosts of her past emerge from the shadows.... Security expert Rainier Ashcroft knows firsthand that a storm is brewing and that Shabina is in real trouble. Threats are approaching on all sides and there's no telling when the next hit will strike. But convincing the woman he loves to truly let him in will be just as difficult as keeping her alive"
Denied Access
by Vince Flynn

Don Bentley completes the trilogy begun with American Assassin by taking Mitch Rapp back to his fledgling assassin days, picking up where Kill Shot ended, on a mission to save the woman he loves amid a CIA showdown with the Russian intelligence services in a new thriller from the author of Vince Flynn’s #1 New York Times bestselling series.

The Central Intelligence Agency is in crisis.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Congress is questioning the organisation’s necessity. Interim CIA director Thomas Stansfield must fight for his agency’s survival while explaining why the previous candidate for his job was found murdered in a French hotel – surrounded by booze, cash, and dead men. Worst yet, a brilliantly run sting operation in Moscow has resulted in the arrest of America’s most prized Russian asset and the expulsion of his CIA handler.

With the CIA’s Moscow Station now paralysed by the catastrophic intelligence failure, Stansfield seeks help from Mitch Rapp, a newly minted assassin in the secretive Orion program. But Rapp has problems of his when his Swiss girlfriend Greta’s grandfather receives a box containing the head of a former Cold War comrade along with a note promising that Greta’s head will be next, Rapp finds himself on the frontlines in a war between the American and Russian intelligence services. To protect the woman he loves and save the CIA from destruction, Rapp must be willing to risk everything.
End Game
by Jeffrey Archer

William Warwick and Ross Hogan will return, for one last time, in a gripping and unputdownable finale. Available to pre-order now!

London, 2012. The eyes of the world are on Britain as the country prepares to host the Olympic Games.

But the glare of the spotlight makes London a target for some of the most dangerous people on earth. And the moment the bid is won, an international conspiracy is set in motion to unleash a devastating attack that will leave the world in chaos.

One man stands between triumph and disaster: Commander William Warwick, heading up Scotland Yard's elite team. But as he pursues the shadowy organisation, he sets off a deadly game of cat and mouse which will take him from the bustling streets of London to the hidden corridors of power. Can Warwick stop the assassin before the greatest show on earth becomes a catastrophe …
The Girl from Devil's Lake
by J. A. Jance

Arizona County Sheriff Joanna Brady solves her biggest case yet, from a body in the desert to crimes spanning decades and countries, in the thrilling latest installment in the New York Times bestselling suspense series.
Sheriff Joanna Brady is looking forward to the holidays with her busy family, and to celebrating her daughter Jenny’s graduation from the police academy. But the family is interrupted when a body is discovered beneath a flooded bridge in the Arizona desert, and Joanna is called onto the case.
As a dogged journalist is circling the case and privileged information is leaked, Joanna can’t be sure who to trust. Could a prolific killer be hiding in plain sight? And how far will that person go to keep his many crimes hidden?
The Grave Artist
by Jeffery Deaver

Perfect couples are his perfect victims. Now he’s hunting those hunting him in a riveting thriller by New York Times bestselling author Jeffery Deaver and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Isabella Maldonado.
A wedding reception is coming to a close in the Hollywood Hills when the blissful day is shattered by the death of one of the newlyweds. Though the incident appears to be an accident, Homeland Security Investigations agent Carmen Sanchez and her partner, security expert Jake Heron, discover that the tragedy is the third in a series of similar deaths and conclude something far more sinister is at play. 
Gray Dawn : An Easy Rawlins Mystery
by Walter Mosley

Detective Easy Rawlins has settled into the happy rhythm of his new life when a dark siren from his past returns and threatens to destroy the peace he's fought for, in the latest installment from "master of craft and narrative" Walter Mosley in a legendary series (National Book Foundation).

The name Easy Rawlins stirs excitement in the hearts of readers and fear in the hearts of his foes. His success has bought him a thriving detective agency, with its first female detective; a remote home, shared with children and pets and lovers, high atop the hills overlooking gritty Los Angeles; and more trouble, more problems, and more threat to those whom he loves. In other words, he’s still beset on all sides.
 
A number of below-the-law powerbrokers plead with Easy to locate a mysterious, dangerous woman—Lutisha James, though she’s gone by another name that Easy will immediately recognize. 1970s Los Angeles is a transient city of delicate, violent balances, and Lutisha has disturbed that. She also has a secret that will upend Easy’s own life, painfully closer to home.
Guardian Demon
by Aurora Ascher

A demon with a forgotten past…

Raum is the quiet one who rarely smiles. He’s felt numb since Heaven wiped his memory as punishment for crimes he can’t remember. His only relief comes from his penchant for theft and his unusual connection with animals. That is until he crosses paths with a beautiful angel who traps him with the worst kind of blackmail…

An angel searching for redemption…

A loyal servant of Heaven, Sunshine is fighting to regain her rank and redeem her shameful past. Tasked with retrieving a grimoire from Hell, she binds Raum into her service with an unbreakable contract. He must help her navigate the underworld or lose everything he holds dear. But her ruthless plan backfires when she finds herself drawn to him like a moth to a flame…

A forbidden desire… Giving in means sacrificing everything.

The rivalry between demons and angels is ancient and deep, yet it can’t extinguish their scorching attraction. But when hints of Raum’s past finally come to light, a web of deception and betrayal is revealed that changes everything…
The Hallmarked Man : A Cormoran Strike Novel
by Robert Galbraith

The eighth book sees Strike and Robin take the case of identifying a dismembered corpse discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber – but not everyone agrees with that theory…

A gripping, wonderfully complex novel which takes Strike and Robin’s story to a new level, The Hallmarked Man is an unmissable read for any fan of this unique series.
Here we go : lessons for living fearlessly from two traveling nanas
by Eleanor Hamby

"Life lessons and wisdom from two women whose global adventures as budget travelers reveal how to live fearlessly at any age, how to hold onto joy and gratitude, and the power of female friendship. Eleanor Hamby and Dr. Sandra Hazelip, the two irresistible women who have become known as the TikTok travelling grannies, deliver a book of life lessons drawn from their late-in-life friendship, and the daring and transformational adventures they've undertaken. Together, they have traveled to twenty countries since they turned 80. Life on the road at their age has given them essential wisdom, and they have written this reflection with the goal of sharing their affirming and joyous insights with the world. Ellie and Sandy's life lessons come from the intersections of their discoveries about aging, their shared faith, and their deep friendship. The photographer and doctor duo immerse themselves in the communities they visit, always learning more about themselves and the world around them. Boldly and independently traveling without a guide or staying at resorts, the fullness of Eleanor and Sandra's lives makes for a book you can return to in the face of loss, uncertainty, and to inspire new beginnings"-- Provided by publisher
In the Time of Five Pumpkins
by Alexander Smith Mccall

In this latest installment of Alexander McCall Smith’s beloved No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe and her loyal associates take on a sensitive new case and learn valuable lessons

Life is never dull for Botswana’s premier lady detective, Precious Ramotswe. As a particularly delicate situation is brought to her attention, she must, with the help of her loyal associate Grace Matsuki, set out to investigate the peculiar circumstances surrounding the case. Over the course of their inquiries, unexpected information continues coming to light, leaving the pair puzzled—eventually, Mma Ramotswe will realize that the truth, as ever, is more complicated than it first seems.

With the generosity and good humor that guide all her endeavors, Mma Ramotswe will untangle these questions for herself and her loved ones, and prove that with a healthy dose of wisdom and a steaming cup of red bush tea, compassion will always win the day. 
It Was the Way She Said It : Short Stories, Essays, and Wisdom
by Terry McMillan

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Terry McMillan, a collection of short fiction and essays about love, aging, popular culture and all the things in between, spanning more than forty years of her remarkable career.

An anthology of previously published short fiction and nonfiction as well as unpublished works from renowned author Terry McMillan, collected in one volume for the first time. This special collection includes unpublished short stories, some unfinished, magazine articles, opinion pieces, a commencement speech, a book lecture and collected works from literary journals and anthologies. Whether she's revealing life lessons, pontificating about aging, recalling sources of her inspiration or laying bare the beginnings or her life as a writer, McMillan approaches every piece with enduring humor, wit and fearlessness. Longtime fans and new readers will be delighted to discover these treasures spanning McMillan's long, groundbreaking career.
A Matter of Pedigree
by Leslie Meier

Carole Capobianco has always counted her blessings, but it’s even more fun now that she and her husband Frank are finally making serious money, thanks to Frank’s newly patented Bye-Bye Toilet. With the kids finally on their own, Carole and Frank are empty-nesters, which will give her uninterrupted time to add to her impressive shoe collection—and lavish care on Poopsie, her beloved, very spoiled Brittany spaniel. The cherry on top is a hefty bid on a luxury co-op in a prestige building . . .

But that dream is quickly flushed when the offer is refused by venture capitalist Hosea Brown. Hearing the claim that the Capobiancos won’t fit into their wealthy, snooty community, Frank is outraged enough to roar something about killing that “old Yankee” on his way out the door.  Three months later, Carole is shocked by the news that Hosea has been bludgeoned to death.

When Carole learns Hosea was one of the backers of a big new construction project for which Frank’s company has also been contracted, she’s worried. And that worry grows with every new twist in the case that’s discovered. Armed with her favorite Jimmy Choos and her beloved, if quirky, Poopsie, Carole sets out to clear Frank’s name—and just maybe save their lives . . .
Miss Morton and the Missing Heir
by Catherine Lloyd

Social standing is everything in Regency England—and no one knows better than Miss Caroline Morton, a lady’s companion from a disgraced line. But when she has a chance to claim what’s rightfully hers, the one obstacle in her way is a dangerous murder mystery . . .

Miss Caroline has doubts when she receives an urgent invitation from a London law firm to discuss her late father’s estate. After all, the dishonored Earl of Morton died without a pound sterling to pass on to his two daughters. But while immersing herself in helping Mrs. Frogerton’s capricious daughter navigate the high social season, Caroline meets with a cagey lawyer, Mr. Smith, who shares life-altering news—the earl composed a second will, leaving behind an undisclosed fortune.

Mrs. Frogerton, however, is thoroughly unimpressed with the firm’s conduct and suspicious of their true motives. Her instinct proves right when the two ladies find the office ransacked, staff in turmoil, and Mr. Smith missing. The full weight of the situation doesn’t sink in until Mr. Smith dies following a brutal attack on the street—discovered with an empty envelope bearing Caroline’s name in his pocket.
Murder on the Marlow Belle
by Robert Thorogood

Verity Beresford is worried about her husband. Oliver didn’t come home last night so of course Verity goes straight to Judith Potts, Marlow’s resident amateur sleuth, for help. Oliver, founder of the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, had hired The Marlow Belle, a private pleasure cruiser, for an exclusive party with the MADS committee but no one remembers seeing him disembark. And then Oliver’s body washes up on the Thames with two bullet holes in him – it’s time for the Marlow Murder Club to leap into action.

Oliver was, by all accounts, a rather complicated chap with a reputation for bullying children during nativity play rehearsals, and he wasn’t short of enemies. Judith, Suzie, and Becks are convinced they’ll find his killer in no time. But things are not as they seem in the Marlow Amateur Dramatic Society, and this case is not so clear-cut after all. The gang will need to keep their wits about them to solve this case, otherwise a killer will walk free …
The mysterious case of the missing crime writer / : A Mystery
by Ragnar Jâonasson

"The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jâonasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavâik. One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elâin S. Jâonsdâottir goes missing. There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before its leaked to the press. As Helgi interviews the people closest to her-a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge-he realizes that Elâin's life wasn't what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote. As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of the writer's very unexpected life"-- Provided by publisher
Ninette's War : A Jewish Story of Survival in 1940s France
by John Jay

Constructed through diary entries and conversations writer John Jay had with the protagonist before she died, Ninette's War charts her high society family's fall from grace as they grapple with the hostility of their country - a France that had welcomed previous generations with open arms as the first European country to emancipate its Jewish people.

Ninette's testimony is compelling, heart wrenching and sincere as she chronicles her family's slow realisation of antisemitism and Nazi-collaboration from the Vichy government - led by former first world war hero Philippe Pétain, as he works to brutalise and legislate Jews out to the margins of society and towards death through Nazi rhetoric. Tracing the frailty of national pride through the eyes of a young girl, this is Ninette's War told in heart-breaking detail.Book Annotation
The Phoebe Variations
by Jane Hamilton

The acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World returns with a stunning coming-of-age novel about girls, mothers, and finding one's way in the world.

Seventeen-year-old Phoebe was never interested in her birth family. But on the cusp of her high school graduation, her adoptive mother, Greta, insists on a visit to meet her biological parents and siblings. The encounter is a jolt, a revelation that derails Phoebe.

With the help of her best friend Luna, Phoebe runs away—as far as their friend Patrick O’Connor’s chaotic home, where she hopes to go unnoticed among his thirteen siblings. But when Phoebe asks Patrick to chop off her hip-length hair, she’s suddenly transformed. Patrick’s older brothers can’t help but notice the striking, Peter Pan–like stranger who has suddenly appeared in their midst.

What starts as an adolescent rebellion soon spirals into a whirlwind of self-discovery and unexpected connections. As she grapples with her shifting identity and strained relationships, Phoebe must navigate the tumultuous road out of girlhood and chart a new and unknown course.
Pitcher Perfect
by Tessa Bailey

Boston Bearcats rookie Robbie Corrigan is living the dream. He’s made it to the NHL, his best friend/teammate and fellow “orgasm donor” is his roomie—and the women of Boston love them both. Life is sweet. That is, until he meets Skylar Paige, division 1 softball pitcher, girl least likely to take anyone’s bull…and the one member of the opposite sex immune to his charms. Robbie might be dazzled by the badass pitcher, but Skylar pegs him as a filthy player and wants nothing to do with him.

When he discovers she’s carrying a serious torch for her brother’s best friend, Robbie knows he should just go back to clubbing and whipped cream bikini parties, but he can’t seem to leave Skylar to flounder on her romantic quest to land another man. Nor can he miss out on the opportunity to spend time with her and hopefully redeem himself. Before Robbie knows it, he’s agreed to be Skylar’s fake boyfriend/love coach at an upcoming family wilderness competition where her crush will be in attendance. What could go wrong?

Through a series of contests that require them to trust each other, Robbie and Skylar grow closer and closer until their fake relationship starts to feel like the realest thing they’ve ever known and the sizzling lessons in sensuality burn out of control.

But it’s all just pretend…right?
A Sea View Christmas : An on Devonshire Shores Novella
by Julie Klassen

With a promise to her youngest sister, Sarah Summers declares that this year's Christmas at Sea View will exceed all expectations. But the arrival of Callum Henshall--dashing Scottish widower and returning guest--blows a flurry of doubts into her mind. Sarah had discouraged his attentions before and is once again torn between attraction and duty. Yet even while she's busy managing the family's guest house, alluring thoughts of a second chance at love weave their way into her practical heart.

Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Georgiana eagerly anticipates the exciting Christmas of her dreams after last year's dull, disappointing holiday filled with endless chores. She enjoys all the promised parties, music, and dancing, but is taken by surprise when young love comes knocking. Does the festive romance of a Sea View Christmas hold the key to a happily-ever-after for both sisters?

Return to Sidmouth for this highly anticipated holiday companion novella to the Summers sisters' lives and loves on the charming Devonshire shore.
Seven reasons to murder your dinner guests : a novel
by KJ Whittle

Seven strangers meet for an anonymously hosted dinner party. As the evening winds down, seven cards appear, one in front of each of the guests. On each card is a number - the age at which the guest will die. Spooked but skeptical, the guests disperse into the rainy night with the hope of forgetting the morbid turn of events. Two weeks later, one guest is dead. At exactly the age the card predicted. More guests begin to die as the years go on, each one dead at the same age as their card. It soon becomes clear that something much more sinister is afoot. Now, it's up to the quickly dwindling group of dinner guests to figure out who (or what) was behind that fateful dinner party all those years ago, before their numbers catch up with them, too. Told from the perspectives of each of the seven guests, spanning from hilarious to hateful, Seven Reasons to Murder Your Dinner Guests is a spellbinding and mysterious exploration of mortality, begging the question: how would you live if you knew your number was up?
Silver and Lead : An October Daye Novel
by Seanan McGuire

Something is rotten in Faerie. In the aftermath of Titania's reality-warping enchantment, things are returning to what passes for normal in the Kingdom in the Mists―until it's discovered that the royal vaults have been looted, and several powerful magical artifacts are missing. None are things that can be safely left unsecured, and some have the potential to do almost as much damage as Titania did, and having them in the wrong hands could prove just as disastrous

At least the theft means that Sir October "Toby" Daye, Knight errant and Hero of the Realm, finally has an excuse to get out of the house. Sure, she's eight and a half months pregnant, but that doesn't mean she can’t take care of herself. But with the sea witch offering to stand godmother to Toby's child, maybe there are greater dangers ahead for Toby and her family than it appears....

Old enemies will resurface, new enemies will disguise themselves as friends, and Queen Windermere must try to keep her Hero on the case without getting herself gutted by the increasingly irritated local King of Cats. Sometimes, what's been lost can be the most dangerous threat of all.
A Slowly Dying Cause
by Elizabeth George

Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers and Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley are back in the next Lynley novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth George.

Michael Lobb has just been found dead on the floor of his family’s tin & pewter workshop. It’s suspicious enough that his body was found by a representative of Cornwall EcoMining, a company keen on acquiring his family’s land, and it’s made even worse when he’s revealed to have been the majority owner of the business and the sole obstacle preventing a deal from being made. But it doesn’t take long for Inspector Beatrice Hannaford to unearth the layers of estrangement that surrounded Michael in his final days, pointing suspicions elsewhere. In comes Kayla, a young woman half Michaels’ age, who has just been made a widow.

Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers are brought in to help solve the crime and search for justice amid a community that already trusts no one and fears any outsiders.
Starlight and Moonshine
by O'malley Joseph

In early 1980s Detroit, during the year following the drunk driving death of their alcoholic mother, a chorus of family voices grapple with haunting memories of the joys, regrets and the strains of love that will reverberate throughout all of their lives.

During a Detroit winter’s last snowfall in 1980, feeling fine after a few too many drinks, Hannah Fallon crashes her car through a cyclone fence and into an elm tree, leaving behind a messy wake of love and grief through which her family must wade in the year following her death. The story of the Fallon family, told in retrograde beginning a year out from Hannah’s death through the family members’ varying viewpoints, explores the humor, love, and rancor of a family grappling to keep their tight-knit bonds from unraveling. This elegy of family life under siege, written with Cheeveresque wit, clarity, and intensity, fulfills the promise of a long-awaited first novel.
To the Moon and Back
by Eliana Ramage

Steph Harper is on the run. When she was six, her mother, Hannah, fled an abusive husband—with Steph and her younger sister, Kayla, in tow—to Cherokee Nation, where she hoped they might finally belong. In response, Steph sets her sights as far away from Oklahoma as she can get, vowing that she will let nothing get in the way of pursuing the rigorous physical and academic training she knows she will need to be accepted by NASA, and ultimately, to go to the moon.

Spanning three decades and several continents, To the Moon and Back encompasses Steph’s turbulent journey, along with the multifaceted and intertwined lives of the three women closest to her sister Kayla, an artist who goes on to become an Indigenous social media influencer, and whose determination to appear good takes her life to unexpected places; Steph’s college girlfriend Della Owens, who strives to reclaim her identity as an adult after being removed from her Cherokee family through a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act; and Hannah, Steph and Kayla’s mother, who has held up her family’s tribal history as a beacon of inspiration to her children, all the while keeping her own past a secret.

In Steph’s certainty that only her ambition can save her, she will stretch her bonds with each of these women to the point of breaking, at once betraying their love and generosity, and forcing them to reconsider their own deepest desires in her shadow. Told through an intricately woven tapestry of narrative, To the Moon and Back is an astounding and expansive novel of mothers and daughters, love and sacrifice, alienation and heartbreak, terror and wonder. At its core, it is the story of the extraordinary lengths to which one woman will go to find space for herself.
The tragedy of true crime : four guilty men and the stories that define us
by John J. Lennon

"In 2001, John J. Lennon killed a man on a Brooklyn street. Now he's a journalist, working from behind bars, trying to make sense of it all. The Tragedy of True Crime is a first-person journalistic account of the lives of four men who have killed, written by a man who has killed. John J. Lennon entered the New York prison system with a sentence of twenty-eight years to life, but after he stepped into a writing workshop at Attica Correctional Facility, his whole life changed. Reporting from the cellblock and the prison yard, Lennon challenges our obsession with true crime by telling the full life stories of men now serving time for the lives they took. The men have completely different backgrounds-Robert Chambers, a preppy Manhattanite turned true crime celebrity; Milton E. Jones, a burglar coaxed into something far darker; and Michael Shane Hale, a gay man caught in a crime of passion-and all are searching to find meaning and redemption behind bars. Lennon's reporting is intertwined with the story of hisown journey from a young man seduced by the infamous gangster culture of New York City to a celebrated prison journalist. The same desire echoes throughout the four lives: to become more than murderers. A first of its kind book of immersive prison journalism, The Tragedy of True Crime poses fundamental questions about the stories we tell and who gets to tell them. What essential truth do we lose when we don't consider all that comes before an act of unthinkable violence? And what happens to the convictedafter the cell gate locks?"-- Provided by publisher
The Unexpected Journey : Finding Strength, Hope, and Yourself on the Caregiving Path
by Emma Heming Willis

The day Emma Heming Willis’ husband, Bruce Willis, was diagnosed with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), all they were given was a pamphlet and told to check back in a few months. With no hope or direction, Emma walked out of that doctor’s appointment frozen with fear, confusion and a sense that her world had just fallen apart.

In fact, it had. Bruce and Emma had their story written, their future mapped out. Yet all those dreams crumbled with that diagnosis, and Emma felt alone and more isolated than ever. How would she care for her husband while parenting their young daughters?

At that devastating time, Emma just wanted someone who’d been through it to tell her, “This feels terrible right now. Your life is in shambles. But it’s going to be okay. Here are some things to think about and put in place so you cannot just survive but thrive.”

With The Unexpected Journey, Emma has written the book she wishes she’d been handed on the day of Bruce’s diagnosis: a supportive guide to navigating the complicated, heartbreaking, and transformative experience that is caregiving for your loved one.
We Love You, Bunny
by Mona Awad

In the cult classic novel Bunny, Samantha Heather Mackey, a lonely outsider student at a highly selective MFA program in New England, was first ostracized and then seduced by a clique of creepy-sweet rich girls who call themselves “Bunny.” An invitation to the Bunnies’ Smut Salon leads Samantha down a dark rabbit hole (pun intended) into the violently surreal world of their off-campus workshops where monstrous creations are conjured with deadly and wondrous consequences.

When We Love You, Bunny opens, Sam has just published her first novel to critical acclaim. But at a New England stop on her book tour, her one-time frenemies, furious at the way they’ve been portrayed, kidnap her. Now a captive audience, it’s her (and our) turn to hear the Bunnies’ side of the story. One by one, they take turns holding the axe, and recount the birth throes of their unholy alliance, their discovery of their unusual creative powers—and the phantasmagoric adventure of conjuring their first creation. With a bound and gagged Sam, we embark on a wickedly intoxicating journey into the heart of dark academia: a fairy tale slasher that explores the wonder and horror of creation itself. Not to mention the transformative powers of love and friendship, Bunny.

Frankenstein by way of Heathers, We Love You, Bunny is both a prequel and a sequel, and an unabashedly wild and totally complete stand-alone novel. Open your hearts, Bunny, to another dazzlingly original and darkly hilarious romp in the Bunny-verse from the queen of the fever-dream, Mona Awad.
Wes Anderson All the Films : The Story Behind Every Movie, Episode, and Short
by Christophe Narbonne

The films of Wes Anderson are among the most iconic contemporary works of cinema. From Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums to The Grand Budapest Hotel and The French Dispatch, his movies are instantly recognizable for their highly stylized visuals, meticulous symmetry, idiosyncratic characters, and offbeat humor.

Organized chronologically and covering every short film and movie that Wes has ever directed, Wes Anderson All the Films draws upon years of research to tell the behind-the-scenes stories of how each project was conceived, cast, and produced. The book explores his unique filmmaking style, his use regular cast members like Owen Wilson and Bill Murray, recurring themes, and the visual and narrative elements that have made him a cult favorite in the world of cinema. Featuring hundreds of vivid photographs that celebrate one of film's most iconic artists, this is an authoritative guide will delight all Wes Anderson devotees and movie lovers in general. 
What We Can Know
by Ian McEwan

2014: A great poem is read aloud and never heard again. For generations, people speculate about its message, but no copy has yet been found.


2119: The lowlands of the UK have been submerged by rising seas. Those who survive are haunted by the richness of the world that has been lost.

Tom Metcalfe, an academic at the University of the South Downs, part of Britain’s remaining island archipelagos, pores over the archives of that distant era, captivated by the freedoms and possibilities of human life at its zenith. When he stumbles across a clue that may lead to the lost poem, a story is revealed of entangled loves and a crime that destroy his assumptions about people he thought he knew intimately well.

What We Can Know is a masterpiece, a fictional tour de force that reclaims the present from our sense of looming catastrophe, and imagines a future world where all is not quite lost.
The Women of Oak Ridge
by Michelle Shocklee

In the hills of Tennessee, two women work at a Manhattan Project site during World War II and uncover truths that irrevocably change their lives in this captivating new story from award-winning Southern fiction author Michelle Shocklee.

1944. Maebelle Willett arrives in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, eager to begin her new government job and send money home to her impoverished family. She knows little about the work she will be doing, but she’s told it will help America win the war. Not all is what it seems, however. Though Oak Ridge employees are forbidden from discussing their jobs, Mae’s roommate begins sharing disturbing information, then disappears without a trace. Mae desperately attempts to find her but instead comes face-to-face with a life-altering revelation—one that comes at significant cost.

1979. Laurel Willet is a graduate student in Boston when she learns about the history of Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where thousands unknowingly worked on the atomic bomb. Intrigued because she knows her Aunt Mae was employed there, Laurel decides to spend the summer with her aunt, hoping to add a family connection to her thesis research. But Mae adamantly refuses to talk about her time in the secret city. Mae’s friends, however, offer to share their experiences, propelling Laurel on her path to uncovering the truth about a missing woman. As Laurel works to put the pieces together, the hidden pain and guilt Mae has tried so hard to bury comes to light . . . with potentially disastrous consequences.

Standalone Southern historical fiction great for fans of Lisa Wingate, Donna Everhart, and Lynn AustinA compelling dual-timeline novel set during WWII and the 1970s about the weight of secrets and the power of forgivenessIncludes discussion questions for book groups
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