The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson
Forty years ago, Harriet Vanger disappeared from a family gathering on the island owned and inhabited by the powerful Vanger clan. Her body was never found, yet her uncle is convinced it was murder – and that the killer is a member of his own tightly knit but dysfunctional family. He employs disgraced financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist and the tattooed, truculent computer hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate. When the pair link Harriet’s disappearance to a
Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under
City of Bones, Cassandra Clare
When fifteen-year-old Clary Fray heads out to the Pandemonium Club in New York City, she hardly expects to witness a murder― much less a murder committed by three teenagers covered with strange tattoos and brandishing bizarre weapons. Then the body disappears into thin air. It’s hard to call the police when the murderers are invisible to everyone else and when there is nothing―not even a smear of blood―to show that a boy has died. Or
The Silver Linings Playbook, Matthew Quick
Meet Pat. Pat has a theory: his life is a movie produced by God. And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure a happy ending for him — the return of his estranged wife Nikki. (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent time in a mental health facility.) The problem is, Pat’s now home, and everything feels off. No one will
Room, Emma Donoghue
To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it’s where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits. Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive
From Darkest Skies, Sam Peters
After a five year sabbatical following the tragic death of his wife and fellow agent Alysha, Keona Rause returns to the distant colony world of Magenta to resume service with the Magentan Intelligence Service. With him he brings an artificial recreation of his wife’s personality, a simulacrum built from every digital trace she left behind. She has been constructed with one purpose – to discover the truth behind her own death – but Keona’s relationship
The Hatching, Ezekiel Boone
Deep in the jungle of Peru, where so much remains unknown, a black, skittering mass devours an American tourist whole. Thousands of miles away, an FBI agent investigates a fatal plane crash in Minneapolis and makes a gruesome discovery. Unusual seismic patterns register in a Kanpur, India earthquake lab, confounding the scientists there. During the same week, the Chinese government “accidentally” drops a nuclear bomb in an isolated region of its own country. As these
Bright Air Black, David Vann
In Bright Air Black, David Vann transports us to 13th century B.C. to give a nuanced and electric portrait of the life of one of ancient mythology’s most fascinating and notorious women, Medea. In brilliant poetic prose Bright Air Black brings us aboard the ship Argo for its epic return journey across the Black Sea from Persia’s Colchis – where Medea flees her home and father with Jason, the Argonauts, and the Golden Fleece. Vann’s
Swimming Lessons, Claire Fuller
Ingrid Coleman writes letters to her husband, Gil, about the truth of their marriage, but instead of giving them to him, she hides them in the thousands of books he has collected over the years. When Ingrid has written her final letter she disappears from a Dorset beach, leaving behind her beautiful but dilapidated house by the sea, her husband, and her two daughters, Flora and Nan. Twelve years later, Gil thinks he sees Ingrid
The Witchfinder’s Sister, Beth Underdown
Essex, England, 1645. With a heavy heart, Alice Hopkins returns to the small town she grew up in. Widowed, with child, and without prospects, she is forced to find refuge at the house of her younger brother, Matthew. In the five years she has been gone, the boy she knew has become a man of influence and wealth–but more has changed than merely his fortunes. Alice fears that even as the cruel burns of a
The Peculiar Life of a Lonely Postman, Denis Thériault
Bilodo lives a solitary daily life, routinely completing his postal rounds every day and returning to his empty Montreal apartment. But he has found a way to break the cycle—Bilodo has taken to stealing people’s mail, steaming open the envelopes, and reading the letters inside. And so it is he comes across Ségolène’s letters. She is corresponding with Gaston, a master poet, and their letters are each composed of only three lines. They are writing
Good Me, Bad Me, Ali Land
Fifteen year old Milly was raised by a serial killer: her mother. When she finally breaks away and tells the police everything about her mother’s crimes and years of abuse, she is given a new identity and placed in an affluent foster family and an exclusive private school. She wrestles with being the daughter of a murderer and the love she still feels for her mother, despite her crimes, but her hopes are simple. Milly
The White Raven, Carrie D. Miller
In her thirteenth life, Aven has settled into the now witchcraft-friendly Salem where she has found true happiness and friendship, maybe even love. Despite her contentment, the truth of Aven’s existence haunts her. When she dies, her Spirit is forced from the Veil to live again in the body of a stranger. Does the elusive white raven, who has shadowed Aven through each of her lives, hold the secret to her release–or is it the
The Lonely Hearts Hotel, Heather O’Neill
The Lonely Hearts Hotel is a love story with a difference. Set throughout the roaring twenties, it is a wicked fairytale of circus tricks and child prodigies, radical chorus girls, drug-addicted musicians and brooding clowns, set in an underworld whose economy hinges on the price of a kiss. It is the tale of two dreamers, abandoned in an orphanage where they were fated to meet. Here, in the face of cold, hunger and unpredictable beatings, Rose
Before the Fall, Noah Hawley
On a foggy summer night, eleven people–ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter–depart Martha’s Vineyard headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the passengers disappear into the ocean. The only survivors are Scott Burroughs–the painter–and a four-year-old boy, who is now the last remaining member of a wealthy and powerful media mogul’s family. With chapters weaving between the aftermath of the tragedy and the backstories of the passengers and crew members–including a Wall Street
Blackwing, Ed McDonald
The republic faces annihilation, despite the vigilance of Galharrow’s Blackwings. When a raven tattoo rips itself from his arm to deliver a desperate message, Galharrow and a mysterious noblewoman must investigate a long dead sorcerer’s legacy. But there is a conspiracy within the citadel: traitors, flesh-eaters and the ghosts of the wastelands seek to destroy them, but if they cannot solve the ancient wizard’s paradox, the Deep Kings will walk the earth again, and all will be lost. The
The Mother Gene, Lynne Bryant
Dr. Miriam Stewart works tirelessly to help Appalachian women gain control over their bodies—to make a deliberate decision whether to be a mother. Bone-weary, but with a nagging fear of the obsolescence of retirement, Miriam is sandwiched between two frustratingly independent women; neither will listen to her advice. Her aging mother, Lillian, a locally beloved, retired mountain midwife, refuses to leave her farmhouse nestled deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Olivia, her thirty-year-old daughter, searches
Moon Mountain, Jess Porto
The year is 1997 and it’s a Friday night with a full moon in the sky. And it’s Halloween. Morgan Thomas and her best friend and roommate, Sheridan, plan to make it a night to remember. Having recently started her senior year at Clarkes College in the inimitably charming country town of Moon Mountain, North Carolina, Morgan feels this year could be her best yet. But Morgan’s world begins to unravel on this chilly autumn
Wave Pulse, Michael Zucaro
Waves are central to our source of energy. Here’s how waves pulse in most of our lives, if not all. Wave energizes us to give a body to our ideas that might otherwise fall into waste. Waves are not only for swimming; they’re also for decision making and choosing the most vitalizing directions and strategies. Yet waves can engage us out of isolation, into interaction with others around us. Their choices may help us select
Found by the Road, Dale E. Lehman
Tales of warmth, wit, and wickedness. You never know what you’ll find along this road. Minds and machines rend space and time. The doomed and the immortal discover new life. Justice turns criminal while crime serves justice. And at every turn, ordinary people find inspiration in the unexpected. In this eclectic gathering of thirty-one short tales by award-winning author Dale E. Lehman, you’ll tour the most extreme moon in the solar system, open doors to
The Reprobates, Benjamin Grose
Welcome to Munks…home to the lost, the lonely, and those in perpetual limbo. A famous nightclub now in decline. New owners with wayward ideas are determined to redeem this place of moral bankruptcy. Amongst the rot, the depravity, the crime, and the hedonism – a young man tries to save it from ruin, instead of saving both himself and everyone in it. The Reprobates is an incredible and fascinating book that stands out amongst its
The House in the Middle of the Street, Jennifer Sklias-Gahan
There once was a house and it sat in the middle of a simple and quaint treelined street. A beautiful woman named Rebecca lived in this house with her faithfully devoted husband and their new born daughter. They were happy and they were proud. The house had originally belonged to a Great Great Aunt of Rebecca’s named Minerva. She lived in the house all the days of her life and she died there, on the
Secrets of the Elementals, Alexander Sotberg
An unforeseen adventure. A magical companion. A rekindled rebellion. When Garon stumbles deep into the forest, he hears a voice – one strangely familiar. The voice guides him to the entrance of a new world – the world where he was born. Tired of the relentless bullying at school and the strict and unfair discipline of Sir and Madame at the orphanage, he escapes to Xanador, a world where Great Beasts roam the lands, and
Dark Blood Awakens, Michelle Corbier
Dark Blood Awakens is a paranormal urban fantasy incorporating Black girl magic with myths from the African diaspora. As a child, Makeda’s mom forced her to abandon sorcery. Instead, she pursued a career in nursing while killing monsters with her family of mwindaji. For over a millennium, the mwindaji have hunted Korlemo, a 1000-year-old vampire. While working in Haiti, Makeda’s desire to recapture her sorcery skills increases. When a lead takes her to a Kentucky
A Bedtime Story, Denise Gassner
As young children grow, their bedtime rituals morph and change. This beautiful rhyming story takes you on a journey through early childhood, from nursing in the dark to monsters in the closet and that last cup of water. Sweet, soothing, and achingly beautiful, A Bedtime Story is a wonderfully relatable read for parents no matter which part of the bedtime journey they’re currently on. There is nothing more precious than a sleeping child, but for
Your Safe Retirement Roadmap, Frank Gutta
Today we are living longer and longer more than any generation before us, with that comes tremendous opportunities as well as staggering challenges. The opportunities are, that we can dream bigger dreams, spend more time with our loved ones, travel tp farther places, more than out parents and grand parents could have ever imagined. The challenge however, is How do we make sure our money lasts as long as we do! This book will show
Dead Reckoning, Lea O’Harra
Indiana, January 2010. It’s a hot summer’s day in 1984 when twelve-year-old Gilly and her friend Sally find a dead new-born in a shoebox in the cemetery of their tiny town. Deciding to keep their discovery a secret, they bury the body in Gilly’s yard. The results are disastrous. Flowers are mysteriously left on strollers. Two local children disappear and end up dead. A suspect is arrested and confesses, blaming the deaths on the girls’
The Color of the Elephant, Christine Herbert
An outstanding new voice in memoir, Christine Herbert takes the reader on a “time-machine tour” of her Peace Corps volunteer service as a health worker and educator from 2004–2006 in Zambia. Rather than a retrospective, this narrative unfolds in the present tense, propelling the reader alongside the memoirist through a fascinating exploration of a life lived “off the grid.” At turns harrowing, playful, dewy-eyed and wise, the author’s heart and candor illuminate every chapter, whether
The Bell Tolling, Amena Jamali
An epic spiritual, political, and military fantasy full of profound thoughts about the meaning of freedom, human compassion, women’s empowerment, true leadership, and the stark contrast between absolute good and absolute evil The Blood-soaked Sorcerer tyrannizes the land of Icilia with every form of cruelty imaginable, dying his armor red in the blood of innocents. Crushed to pieces under such savagery, the people of Icilia abandon hope and begin to forget the gifts of civilization
Not Your Job, Pierce Brantley
Do you know why most entrepreneurs never see their business grow to its fullest potential? It’s not their talent or work ethic that stops them. It’s not even the quality of the product or service. Even the best small businesses will fail if the owner never discovers how to how to leverage the time and talent of other people. In Not Your Job, you will discover a new approach to people management that is fast,
The Walls of Woodmyst, Robert E. Kreig
A body is discovered. Mutilated beyond recognition, perched upon a hill overlooking the village. Questions are raised. Prayers are offered. Fears grow as rumours are spread behind the Walls of Woodmyst. They come at night. Lurking in the forest nearby, the strangers watch and wait. Who are these fiends? What do they want from the peaceful village? Terror builds in the hearts of men upon the Walls of Woodmyst. Commanded by Alan Warde, and the
Jesus, Were You Little?, Sally Metzger
“Out of the mouths of infants and nurslings you have brought forth praise” (Mt 21:16). In Jesus, Were You Little? children full of questions and wonder take readers on a journey of discovery, making Jesus real and relatable to young and old. With innocent curiosity, children ask the King of kings if he ever climbed a tree, spilled his milk, or skinned his knee. “Were you little? Just like me?” Adventure by adventure, we realize
Sky Full of Stars, Chris Reilly
Jenna never expected to be saved from a messed up situation with her ‘now ex’, by one of the hottest strangers she’s ever seen. Barely spending thirty minutes in his presence, he makes an impression. And he steals her phone number. She’s determined not to develop feelings for a man who only did her a favor, but the more they text, the more she longs to know everything about him. But he’s cagey, always travelling
Drawn Into Hell, Don VanLandingham Sr.
Mississippi, 1964. A state torn apart by bigotry, hate and distrust. In June 1964 “Freedom Summer” sent Civil Rights volunteers into the state to help African Americans register to vote. Three of those workers, Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Cheney met a violent end to their lives. This is a story about that tragedy. As the car with the three civil rights workers approached Meridian, a Ku Klux Klan meeting was being held in
A Divine Intervention, Sharon Wagner
This extraordinary spiritual experience occurred during Sharon Wagner’s first semester of college. At nineteen, she secretly planned her suicide. One night, Sharon questioned ending her life and wished there was someone to talk with since no one knew of her plans. That night, one of her spirit guides came during her dream state. He knew all about her life, her plan, and her past lives! He took Sharon to the Other Side, showed her an
Are You Still In Love With Who?, Nicole S. Brown
This book is a poetry journal that carries out the story of two people who never intended to fall in love. It’s a love rollercoaster that will make the reader want to fall in love with love in general. It makes you want to love whoever you were with before over and over again. This story is about a man and a woman who in the world’s eyes were not fit for each other, but
Author Spotlight
Kirsten Pursell, Author Spotlight
A coming-of-middle-age novel that challenges the assumption that the status quo is as good as it gets. A love story of self, of past, of present, of future. One woman’s journey to put the pieces of her life together in the most meaningful way – at times chaotic, at times cathartic, but ultimately beautiful in all its imperfect pieces. Jenn, fifty-something and empty-nesting, feels like a donut: whole on the outside but missing the middle.
Teri M. Brown, Author Spotlight
How does a man show his love – for country, for heritage, for family – during a war that sets the three at odds? What sets in motion the necessity to choose one over the other? How will this choice change everything and everyone he loves? Jacob Miller, a first-generation American, grew up in New Berlin, a small German immigrant town in Ohio where he endured the Great Depression, met his wife, and started a
Howard Giskin, Author Spotlight
These essays are an exercise in self-examination, a meditation on the author’s life and interests as they have evolved over time. Part memoir and part reflection on the broad range of human concerns, Essays explores memories of the author’s early years and family life, as well as some of the extensive international traveling he has done throughout the years since. Other essays delve into his experiences of solitude, art and literature, astronomy, evolution, the nature
Isa Millot, Author Spotlight
A Coffee with Archangels is a heartfelt dialogue by the author for its readers. Psychic since her childhood, she has long been lost, subjected to the duality between her beliefs and a spirituality whose codes are imposed by men. After successive hardships, God gives her the ultimate sign to renew her faith by sending four of His most important emissaries: Archangels Michael, Gabriel, Raphael and Uriel. For one year, they stay by her side to