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
Scrooge’s Folly – Saving Jacob Marley, David Weinberg
David Weinberg’s Scrooge’s Folly- Saving Jacob Marley ponders where ever did Charles Dickens come up with the names Ebenezer Scrooge and Jacob Marley? From his two best friends. Charitable merchant bankers, they refused to finance A Christmas Carol…which caused them to be turned into elderly curmudgeons in Dickens story. Scrooge eventually becomes a beloved father Christmas…but Marley is forever wrapped in chains. So much the laughingstock in London, his marriage and his happiness are destroyed.
The Way of the Goddess, Ananta Ripa Ajmera
Cultivate inner wisdom and strength through simple, sacred rituals from the ancient Indian goddess tradition. In our chaotic and isolating times, it’s more essential than ever to connect to our highest selves—finding the purpose, pleasure, and freedom that lives inside each of us. Grounded in the Vedic spiritual traditions of Ayurveda, Yoga, and Vedanta, the simple practices in this engaging guide offer us the space and perspective to do just that. You’ll meet the nine
The King’s Feather, Amy Earls
Rescue Mom. Handle The Prophesied Power. And Don’t Fall in Love. Sure. No Problem at All. Pero Moshe’s mom vanished from their Oregon home, and the prophecy says it will happen to Pero, too. But when it does—and Pero is transported to an older universe, life gets more than a little nuts. Throw in a bodyguard who is almost criminally cute, a corrupt and brilliant doctor who wants to steal Pero’s power and rule all
Rez Dog Blues & The Haiku, William George Lindsay
Rez Dog Blues & The Haiku: A Savage Life in Bits and Pieces is an unnerving and realistic depiction of the effects of Indian residential school upon a generation. Set in the protagonist’s youth and written by someone who was there, William George Lindsay explores residential schools, the reservation, addiction, violence, and life as a runaway on the city streets of Canada. His Dickensian tale does not forget, however, the love, hope, humour, and courage
Every Home Needs an Elephant, Jane Heinrichs
One hot summer’s day nine-year-old Sarah goes to the grocery store…and comes home with an elephant. Sarah’s new elephant is not without its challenges, he has trouble fitting through doorways, knocks over everything in sight, is allergic to the neighbor’s cat and cowers at the sight of a mouse. But he also has a knack for arranging flowers and keeping Sarah company. And it’s because of the elephant that Sarah meets her new next-door neighbor
Better Lucky Than Good, Dale Arenson
Follow the Author on an unusual journey of adventure and sometimes danger as he struggles to build a better life. From outlaw biker to construction worker to salesman, to finally follow his dream of working as a professional pilot. His unorthodox path to success nearly got him killed numerous times, but he persevered. This inspirational story is full of drama, humor and fun flying stories. Enjoy book one, you will be waiting with anticipation for
Bullets and Bandages, Robert J. Saniscalchi
Bullets and Bandages: Bond of Brothers is a storyinspired by the words of a US Army Field Medic and the stories about his tour in Vietnam 1968-69. Through those stories, the author was given the unique insight into the men who struggled to survive in a war many of us didn’t understand. The author also brings to us some of his own experiences, in this engrossing time in our history. Fast paced and full of
Hiring Veterans, Matthew J. Louis
The definitive guide to hiring and retaining members of the military community by the foremost authority on the transition from military to civilian work life. Hiring Veterans makes the clear case for the value of employing members of today’s military community. Veterans represent a real-time talent pool of experienced, trained, and dedicated professionals that, when properly harnessed, comprise an instant means of improving your competitiveness and productivity. Case studies of organizations both large and small
Unleashed, Dannet Botkin
To the international marketing world, Veronica Mitchell is the epitome of success. But in her private life, her unmatched business savvy isn’t enough to shield her from harassment, bullying, and those intent on manipulation. Equipped with an indomitable spirit that she wields as a personal shield, she fights back—but will her wounded soul ever get a chance to heal? This story of perseverance and healing will speak to anyone whose spirit has ever been broken—and
Ten Lanterns, Evagoras Evagorou
A story has endured the darkness for half a century. A single match is enough to light up a dark room that hasn’t seen light for years. The match will fuel the branch, the branch will ignite the log, and the fire will heat the room and our hearts. “Story or fairytale, truth or fantasy, fiction or non-fiction”, the mind asks curiously. “What difference does it make? What really matters is what has been awakened
Breaking the Blue Wall, Gilbert Rios III
What do you do when faced with tragedy at work? In Breaking the Blue Wall, author Gilbert Rios offers a candid and deep personal account of the challenges that first responders can face when it comes to mental health. Drawing on his own experiences, including the loss of his good friend to suicide while on duty, Gilbert speaks openly about his journey of overcoming the stigma of mental health, offering valuable insight for others facing
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
The Forever Young Prisoner, Marcus Lessard
130 year-old Henry tells all! Unless the Guardians of the Mysteries of the Clock have the final say. Henry Heck is the mysterious prisoner locked away in the depths of Providence State Penitentiary since the Great War for crimes unknown. Rumors suggest he hasn’t aged a day. Tommy McConnell, inmate #176543, a rollicking, dumpster-diving addict with nothing to lose except his own self doubts, sets out to investigate the Legend of the Forever Young Prisoner.
Joy On the Same Page, Dr. Al Sarno
Relationships are meant to be fun, but often they are quite the opposite. When we don’t know ourselves, it is almost impossible to know our partner. We miscommunicate and misunderstand each other, causing separation. Joy On the Same Page provides principles and practices to know ourselves and our beliefs so that we grow together and enjoy one of our most sacred human needs-relational intimacy. This book gives you the tools to actually find relational intimacy
Gusher, Christopher Stephen Soden
Christopher Stephen Soden received his MFA in Poetry from Vermont College of Fine Arts in January of 2005. He teaches craft, theory, genre and literature. He writes poetry, plays, literary, film and theatre critique for sharpcritic.com and EdgeDallas. Christopher’s poetry collection, Closer was released by Rebel Satori Press on June 14th, 2011. He received a Full Fellowship to Lambda Literary’s Retreat for Emerging LGBT Voices in August 2010. His performance piece: Queer Anarchy received The
My Life on Earth and Elsewhere, Peggy Payne
Sensing she’s about to get bad news, Darcy, sixteen, feels herself—or her spirit, to be more exact—rise weightless, out of her body, lifting off the seat of the patio chair. How can this be happening? Her light-bodied airy self hovers high in a backyard tree. She is not alone! A beautiful teenage boy, shy as a deer, stands in the branches nearby. He sees her and vanishes—as she is pulled back into her body, again
Spencer the Squirrel Scurries to Share, Leni Porfiri
With the sometimes difficult to understand virtues of sharing, kindness, good manners, consequences, proper behavior, thinking of others, empathy, correcting wrongs, helping others, and friendship, Spencer the Squirrel Scurries To Share offers young minds an excellent and valuable introduction to these concepts and values. The book contains many teachable moments that children ranging in age from Nursery, Daycare, Pre K, Kindergarten and beyond should find very relatable and easy to comprehend. Winter is coming, and
Author Spotlight
Mary Bleckwehl, Author Spotlight
An impatient piggy has been waiting forever to sail away to big pig pirate school. When the day finally arrives, the young scallywag gets cold hooves and can’t wait until the day ends! That is…until a surprise treasure drifts in from the high seas and reminds her that good things come to those who wait. Arrrgh! Hello book lovers! Today is a day where I will be writing another author spotlight for a well-accomplished author
Sharkie Zartman, Author Spotlight
Are you ready to tap into the potential power of a formidable predator? Shark Sense is about learning to use our instinctive wisdom to supplement logic and is a simple, no-nonsense approach to life’s challenges. Packed with shark attributes, entertaining stories, tips, illustrations and written by a professor and former All-American Athlete who also happens to be named after a Shark, this book will inspire you to take charge of your life. If you are
Melissa L. Berger, Author Spotlight
Mae is a shy, but not-so-naive young woman, hopeful in starting her new life alone. She wants to attend college for the arts, get a job, and begin an independent life in a brand-new town. Renting an inexpensive guesthouse sounds like a perfect start. Until she discovers a hidden duffel bag and finds herself over her head in clues that grow sinister. There’s a missing girl in town, Genevieve. Who is Genevieve and what happened
B. R. Wade, Jr, Author Spotlight
It’s 1971, and the Naval Investigate Service, or “NIS” as it’s better known, is nothing like the NCIS of present-day television. There are no cell phones, desktop computers, DNA, or the Internet. All the Navy and civilian personnel working for this specialized unit have to rely on are their minds. Logic, investigative skills, and experience hitting the streets are all they have to get the information they need. The work is often dangerous, and sometimes,