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 Journey Continues, Eugene Miskelly
The story of how an ordinary healthy person finds himself on the wrong end of an unfortunate series of events leading to an extraordinary set of experiences – though thankfully not all bad. Eugene had never spent a day in hospital, except during the birth of his children, until he was diagnosed with an unusual and critical heart condition. A complication following open-heart surgery led to a traumatic near-death and medically induced coma. Life had
A Darker Demise, M.C. Ryder
A Unity of Balance – It all started with Immilla and the prophecy of the Dragon’s Eye. A time when witches existed. A time when it was light magic versus dark magic. A time when a witch had to choose a side, for they could not represent both. Follow Immilla’s journey through her eyes. Will balance be restored? My Salvation – There was only one thing on Marc’s mind when he changed, unwillingly, into a
Thinly Veiled, Eliza Modiste
The past haunts her, the present beguiles her…and the future is ready to bring her full circle. Freshly escaped from her unfulfilling and unnecessarily stressful criminal past of drug dealing and theft (and the manipulative ex-boyfriend associated with it), the beautiful, foul-mouthed romantic Claire Branson needs a fresh start. Routine. Monotony. An authentic happiness that could feel…simple. She needs her chaotic life to go right for once – please, and thank you. Claire never expected
Wild Horses, Amy Pendino
What strings are attached to “easy money”? Dani Holden has lived in small-town Crestview, Iowa, for almost two years, but she won’t be able to stay without a new source of income, especially now that she’s adopted an old racehorse. Her good friend Donna introduces Dani to Jim, a trucker who’s become a regular at Susie’s Café, the town’s local meeting spot. He’s got an opportunity for Dani, a way for her to earn some
Watershed, Ranae Lenor Hanson
A personal health crisis, stories from environmental refugees, and our climate in danger prompt a meditation on intimate connections between the health of the body and the health of the ecosystem The body of the earth, beset by a climate in crisis, experiences drought much like the human body experiences thirst, as Ranae Lenor Hanson’s body did as a warning sign of the disease that would change her life: Type 1 diabetes. What if we tended
The Name I Choose, Holly Brough
Questions about Amalia’s past become more concerning when she’s uprooted at the young age of fifteen from the only life she knows and into an abusive nobleman’s household. As a young female in nineteenth-century Spain and a dominant patriarchal society, Amalia’s choices are limited. That couldn’t be more evident than in her employer’s household. Manuel Tudó watches Amalia closely. He says disturbing things about her mother and seeks opportunities to pursue her and catch her
Grift and Shadow, L. Rigdon
Stealing from the largest security firm in the Rupt World was the easy part. Now, Bogdan and his team of career criminals, including two dragons (Hank and Peggy), a shape shifter (Will), and a non-human weapons expert (Sparks), will all have to put their grifting skills to the test as they pull the most dangerous con of all – double-crossing Isabel Bryxur, a red-headed terrorist who has a penchant for torture and dismemberment. Bogdan and
Artefactum, J.E. Tobal
“Sam was only seven-years old when he destroyed his first universe. He didn’t do it on purpose, though. In fact, he had no idea what he was doing.” So begins the story of Sam, a sarcastic bartender who one day accidentally stumbles upon the means to travel to alternate realities by way of an Aboriginal fertility sculpture. But after the sudden and untimely death of his girlfriend, Una, Sam’s sanity becomes a wobbling tightrope act
Poetic Meditations for the Evolutionary Journey, Anjali Soi
Learn or meditate on the meaning of the zodiac from Aries to Pisces through astrology-themed poetry. Evolutionary Astrology focuses on Pluto, the Soul, and the path of evolution, embodied by the meaning of Scorpio and the 8th house. Pluto is the Soul’s Unconscious desires and the Plutonian theme of birth, death and transformation is alive throughout the zodiacal journey. These are the same meditations in Poetic Meditations for the Astrological Journey – Adult Coloring Book.
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
Breaking News of Tomorrow, Igor Chirashnya
What would you do if you knew what would happen in the world news of tomorrow? Mike leads a quiet, unremarkable life. He is smart but lacks the charisma to rise in the ranks of his job. Tired of always being overlooked, Mike isn’t sure what to do. But all of that changes late one night, when he accidentally discovers a mysterious website: Breaking News of Tomorrow. At first, Mike assumes the website is some
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
Bacon Grief, Joel Shoemaker
Tim, a lover of crinkle-cut pickles, black olives and other forgivably-disgusting crudités, belongs to a conservative Christian pastor and devout mother who move to the rural town to staff a small church that, predictably, holds little place for Tim. After meeting online and given the green light to attend a youth group at another church, Tim and Charlie become fast friends with more and more in common. When they consider more than friendship, Tim is
A Few Casualties So What, Wilson Jackson
Some Body wants to start a gang war Two teens from rival crime families (Prohibition and Hip-hopper) die in a car bomb. Neither family knew about the forbidden Romeo and Juliet romance and the mayor fears a possible gang war between the rival families blaming the other for their children’s deaths. Enter ex hit-man now troubleshooter CHUBBY PONE to stop a gang war by solving the murders of the two teens. But Pone has to
The Marlowe Murders, Laura Giebfried & Stanley Wells
In 1955, Alexandra Durant is unexpectedly dismissed from her graduate program mere months before receiving her PhD. Hardened by her experiences and the disease that took away her mother’s memory, Alexandra is wary when the powerful dean of the psychology department, John Marlowe, offers her a servant position at his elderly mother’s house with the dangling promise that — if she’s a good girl — she’ll get her life back. Now, secluded on a private
Elvia and the Gift of Passion, Ruthy Ballard
An alarming family secret leads an adventurous girl into a world of witch doctors, child-eating lions, and an intragalactic submarine escapade in this delightful middle-grade portal fantasy. Passionate, ten-year-old Elvia Hill is bored with her safe, dishwater dull life with her stiflingly overprotective parents. She knows she was meant for something… more. But the young girl gets more than she bargains for when she discovers an alarming family secret and is swept away on an
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