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October 15, 2022

One of my favorite parts about meeting with my book group is hearing the varied ways that we each look at a book. Yes, there are times when we all agree that we like a book, but there are always nuggets that come up in discussion that can give me a new perspective on it. I call it the 360 View!

Celeste Ng, author of Our Missing Hearts

Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving but broken father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. For a decade, their lives have been governed by laws written to preserve “American culture” in the wake of years of economic instability and violence. To keep the peace and restore prosperity, the authorities are now allowed to relocate children of dissidents, especially those of Asian origin, and libraries have been forced to remove books seen as unpatriotic --- including the work of Bird’s mother, Margaret. Bird has grown up disavowing his mother and her poems. But when he receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, he is pulled into a quest to find her.

Laurie Lico Albanese, author of Hester

Isobel Gamble is a young seamstress carrying generations of secrets when she sets sail from Scotland in the early 1800s with her husband, Edward. An apothecary who has fallen under the spell of opium, his pile of debts have forced them to flee Glasgow for a fresh start in the New World. But only days after they've arrived in Salem, Edward abruptly joins a departing ship as a medic --- leaving Isobel penniless and alone in a strange country. When she meets a young Nathaniel Hawthorne, the two are instantly drawn to each other. As the weeks pass and Edward's safe return grows increasingly unlikely, Nathaniel and Isobel grow closer and closer. Together, they are a muse and a dark storyteller; the enchanter and the enchanted. But which is which?

Jess Kidd, author of The Night Ship

1629: A newly orphaned young girl named Mayken is bound for the Dutch East Indies on the Batavia, one of the greatest ships of the Dutch Golden Age. Curious and mischievous, Mayken spends the long journey going on misadventures above and below the deck, searching for a mythical monster. But the true monsters might be closer than she thinks. 1989: A lonely boy named Gil is sent to live off the coast of Western Australia among the seasonal fishing community where his late mother once resided. There, on the tiny reef-shrouded island, he discovers the story of an infamous shipwreck.

Joanna Quinn, author of The Whalebone Theatre

One blustery night in 1928, a whale washes up on the shores of the English Channel. By law, it belongs to the King, but 12-year-old orphan Cristabel Seagrave has other plans. She and the rest of the household --- her sister, Flossie; her brother, Digby, long-awaited heir to Chilcombe manor; Maudie Kitcat, the kitchen maid; and Taras, a visiting artist --- build a theatre from the beast’s skeletal rib cage. Within the Whalebone Theatre, Cristabel can escape her feckless stepparents and brisk governesses. As Cristabel grows into a headstrong young woman, World War II rears its head. She and Digby become British secret agents on separate missions in Nazi-occupied France --- a more dangerous kind of playacting that threatens to tear the family apart.

Jodi Picoult, author of Mad Honey

Olivia McAfee’s picture-perfect life was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined that she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown with her son, Asher. Meanwhile, Lily Campanello and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school for what they hope will be a fresh start. For just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Editorial Content for Less Is Lost

Teaser

In this follow-up to the “bedazzling, bewitching, and be-wonderful” (New York Times) bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning LESS, the awkward and lovable Arthur Less returns in an unforgettable road trip across America.

Promo

In this follow-up to the “bedazzling, bewitching, and be-wonderful” (New York Times) bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning LESS, the awkward and lovable Arthur Less returns in an unforgettable road trip across America.

About the Book

In the follow-up to the “bedazzling, bewitching, and be-wonderful” (New York Times) bestselling and Pulitzer Prize-winning LESS, the awkward and lovable Arthur Less returns in an unforgettable road trip across America.

“Go get lost somewhere, it always does you good.”

For Arthur Less, life is going surprisingly well: he is a moderately accomplished novelist in a steady relationship with his partner, Freddy Pelu. But nothing lasts: the death of an old lover and a sudden financial crisis has Less running away from his problems yet again as he accepts a series of literary gigs that send him on a zigzagging adventure across the US.

Less roves across the “Mild Mild West,” through the South and to his mid-Atlantic birthplace, with an ever-changing posse of writerly characters and his trusty duo --- a human-like black pug, Dolly, and a rusty camper van nicknamed Rosina. He grows a handlebar mustache, ditches his signature gray suit, and disguises himself in the bolero-and-cowboy-hat costume of a true “Unitedstatesian”...with varying levels of success, as he continues to be mistaken for either a Dutchman, the wrong writer or, worst of all, a “bad gay.”

We cannot, however, escape ourselves --- even across deserts, bayous and coastlines. From his estranged father and strained relationship with Freddy, to the reckoning he experiences in confronting his privilege, Arthur Less must eventually face his personal demons. With all of the irrepressible wit and musicality that made LESS a bestselling, Pulitzer Prize-winning, must-read breakout book, LESS IS LOST is a profound and joyous novel about the enigma of life in America, the riddle of love and the stories we tell along the way.

Editorial Content for Lucy by the Sea

Teaser

From Pulitzer Prize–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown --- and the love, loss, despair and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

Promo

From Pulitzer Prize–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown --- and the love, loss, despair and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

About the Book

From Pulitzer Prize–winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author Elizabeth Strout comes a poignant, pitch-perfect novel about a divorced couple stuck together during lockdown --- and the love, loss, despair and hope that animate us even as the world seems to be falling apart.

With her trademark spare, crystalline prose --- a voice infused with “intimate, fragile, desperate humanness” (The Washington Post) --- Elizabeth Strout turns her exquisitely tuned eye to the inner workings of the human heart, following the indomitable heroine of MY NAME IS LUCY BARTON through the early days of the pandemic.

As a panicked world goes into lockdown, Lucy Barton is uprooted from her life in Manhattan and bundled away to a small town in Maine by her ex-husband and on-again, off-again friend, William. For the next several months, it’s just Lucy, William and their complex past together in a little house nestled against the moody, swirling sea.

Rich with empathy and emotion, LUCY BY THE SEA vividly captures the fear and struggles that come with isolation, as well as the hope, peace and possibilities that those long, quiet days can inspire. At the heart of this story are the deep human connections that unite us even when we’re apart --- the pain of a beloved daughter’s suffering, the emptiness that comes from the death of a loved one, the promise of a new friendship, and the comfort of an old, enduring love.

Editorial Content for The Matchmaker's Gift

Teaser

Lynda Cohen Loigman's THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT is a heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to realize their unique talent of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places.

Promo

Lynda Cohen Loigman's THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT is a heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to realize their unique talent of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places.

About the Book

Lynda Cohen Loigman's THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT is a heartwarming story of two extraordinary women from two different eras who defy expectations to realize their unique talent of seeing soulmates in the most unexpected places.

Is finding true love a calling or a curse?

Even as a child in 1910, Sara Glikman knows her gift: she is a maker of matches and a seeker of soulmates. But among the pushcart-crowded streets of New York’s Lower East Side, Sara’s vocation is dominated by devout older men --- men who see a talented female matchmaker as a dangerous threat to their traditions and livelihood. After making matches in secret for more than a decade, Sara must fight to take her rightful place among her peers and to demand the recognition she deserves.

Two generations later, Sara’s granddaughter, Abby, is a successful Manhattan divorce attorney, representing the city’s wealthiest clients. When her beloved Grandma Sara dies, Abby inherits her collection of handwritten journals recording the details of Sara’s matches. But among the faded volumes, Abby finds more questions than answers. Why did Abby’s grandmother leave this library to her, and what did she hope Abby would discover within its pages? Why does the work Abby once found so compelling suddenly feel inconsequential and flawed? Is Abby willing to sacrifice the career she’s worked so hard for in order to keep her grandmother’s mysterious promise to a stranger? And is there really such a thing as love at first sight?

Editorial Content for The Real Mrs. Tobias

Teaser

THE REAL MRS. TOBIAS is a sharply funny and big-hearted multigenerational story about the deeply complicated relationships between mothers- and daughters-in-law, told through three women who marry into the same family.

Promo

THE REAL MRS. TOBIAS is a sharply funny and big-hearted multigenerational story about the deeply complicated relationships between mothers- and daughters-in-law, told through three women who marry into the same family.

About the Book

A sharply funny and big-hearted multigenerational story about the deeply complicated relationships between mothers- and daughters-in-law, told through three women who marry into the same family --- a treat for fans of THE NEST and FLEISCHMANN IS IN TROUBLE. 

It’s 2015 in New York City, and three women all known as Mrs. Tobias --- Veronika, the matriarch; her daughter-in-law, Mel; and Mel’s daughter-in-law, Birdie --- are trying to navigate personal difficulties, some of which are with one another. Veronika and Mel, despite having little in common, are both psychotherapists who are more skilled at helping other people than solving their own problems. Birdie, still dealing with the culture shock of moving to New York City and marrying into the Tobias clan, is pushed to her limit when her husband gets into trouble. No amount of badgering from his steely grandmother, smart-mouthed mother or disillusioned wife can convince him to own up to what he’s done.

Overwhelmed, Birdie bolts --- along with the couple’s young daughter --- to her Midwestern hometown, hoping that space, warmth and wisdom from her own feisty grandmother will help her find a path forward. And though Birdie begins to find comfort in unexpected places --- a local bookstore and the arms of her old boyfriend --- her absence stirs up long-simmering troubles back home forcing the Tobiases to reconsider their relationships to each other and, ultimately, what it means to be a family.

Will the three Tobias-women-by-marriage ever find themselves --- and a way back to one another? THE REAL MRS. TOBIAS is a timely look at how women hold families together.