In an astonishing unsent love letter, a 19th-century Englishwoman looks back at her formative years, when she fell in love with one man but married another—the richest bidder—to save her family.
Souhami has brilliantly and movingly breathed fresh life into a classic story in ways that will appeal to readers entirely unfamiliar with Eliot's fictions. Souhami does not hesitate to address social and gender identity issues that elicit both discussion and contemplation.
Eli Roebuck was nine years old when his mother walked off into the woods with "Mr. Krantz," a large, strange, hairy man who may or may not be a sasquatch. What Eli knows for certain is that his mother went willingly, leaving her only son behind. For the rest of his life, Eli is obsessed with the hunt for the bizarre creature his mother chose over him, and we watch it affect every relationship he has in his long life--with his father, with both of his wives, his children, grandchildren, and colleagues. We follow all of the Roebuck family members, witnessing through each of them the painful, isolating effects of Eli's maniacal hunt, and find that each Roebuck is battling a monster of his or her own, sometimes literally. The magical world Shields has created is one of unicorns and lake monsters, ghosts and reincarnations, tricksters and hexes. The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac is boldly imaginative throughout, and proves to be a devastatingly real portrait of the demons that we as human beings all face.
In this never-before-told account, THE COST OF COURAGE, former long-time reporter for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and press critic for Newsweek, Charles Kaiser exhumes the true story of one family’s extraordinary display of courage and great sacrifice for the French Resistance in Nazi occupied Paris during World War II. Through a host of letters, extensive interviews with surviving family members, previously classified documents released at the author’s petition, and correspondence from the French National Archives, Kaiser masterfully reconstructs a suspenseful story of the patriotism and iconoclasm that propelled one Catholic family into an extraordinary sequence of events. Their journey is one marked by immeasurable displays of bravery and duty, and a turn of events that forever shifted the trajectory of their fate. At once personal and sweeping in scope, THE COST OF COURAGE recounts a stirring and accessible history of the French Resistance, reminds of the timeless threat to freedom and humanity exacted by forces of bigotry, and illuminates both the costs to and the power of the individual to enact change.
Elijah believes two things: that his Nigerian birth mother loves him like the world has never known love, and that he is possessed by a wizard. At seven years old, he is covered in scars and has a history of disruptive behavior. Nikki, his latest adoptive mother, believes that she and her husband Obi are strong enough to accept Elijah’s difficulties. They care for Elijah deeply and, in spite of his demons, he begins to settle into his newfound family. But as Nikki and Obi learn more about their child’s tragic past, they face challenges that could lead to disastrous results.
With THE TURNIP PRINCESS,
the holy trinity of fairy tales—the Brothers Grimm, Charles Perrault,
and Hans Christian Andersen—becomes a quartet. In the 1850s, Franz Xaver
von Schönwerth
traversed the forests, lowlands, and mountains of northern Bavaria
to record fairy tales, gaining the admiration of even the Brothers Grimm. Most of Schönwerth’s work was lost—until a few years ago, when Erika Eichenseer uncovered thirty boxes
of manuscripts in a German municipal archive.
On the surface, Henry Hayden seems like someone you could like, or even admire. A famous bestselling author who appears a modest everyman. A loving, devoted husband even though he could have any woman he desires. A generous friend and coworker. But Henry Hayden is a construction, a mask. His past is a secret, his methods more so. No one besides him and his wife know that she is the actual writer of the novels that made him famous.
For most of Henry’s life, it hasn’t been a problem. But when his hidden-in-plain-sight mistress becomes pregnant and his carefully constructed facade is about to crumble, he tries to find a permanent solution, only to make a terrible mistake.
Now not only are the police after Henry, but his past—which he has painstakingly kept hidden—threatens to catch up with him as well. Henry is an ingenious man and he works out an ingenious plan. He weaves lies, truths, and half-truths into a story that might help him survive. But bit by bit the noose still tightens.
Smart, sardonic, and compulsively readable, here is the story of a man whose cunning allows him to evade the consequences of his every action, even when he’s standing on the edge of the abyss.
When Imogen returns to work at Glossy after six months away, she can barely recognize her own magazine. Eve, fresh out of Harvard Business School, has fired “the gray hairs,” put the managing editor in a supply closet, stopped using the landlines, and hired a bevy of manicured and questionably attired underlings who text and tweet their way through meetings. Imogen, darling of the fashion world, may have Alexander Wang and Diane von Furstenberg on speed dial, but she can't tell Facebook from Foursquare and once got her iPhone stuck in Japanese for two days. Under Eve's reign, Glossy is rapidly becoming a digital sweatshop—hackathons rage all night, girls who sleep get fired, and “fun” means mandatory, company-wide coordinated dances to Beyoncé. Wildly out of her depth, Imogen faces a choice—pack up her Smythson notebooks and quit, or channel her inner geek and take on Eve to save both the magazine and her career. A glittering, uproarious, sharply drawn story filled with thinly veiled fashion personalities, The Knockoff is an insider's look at the ever-changing world of fashion and a fabulous romp for our Internet-addicted age.
What do you think? Not a shabby bunch, eh? I think its a good mix of history, fairy tales, drama, and silly fun. I can't wait to dive into any one of them. Hmm...the only problem is trying to choose which one to read first. Of course I should probably finish the books I'm currently involved with before starting any new ones. What about you? What are you reading? Any titles I should jot down? Let me know. And now, I'm off to finish hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum - talk about unputdownable! Happy reading to you!
4 comments:
How lovely to be surrounded by so many great books. I don't know how you're going to pick what to read first. :) I love the cover of Gwendolyn, and the description of The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac made me smile. I hope you enjoy them all. Happy Reading!
I do not know of the books you're looking forward to here, but I am excited to find out that you love Hausfrau, which I have, too. Yet unread, though, of course.Be
I have Where Women Are Kings, too! I cannot wait to read it.
Lark, I feel so lucky :) The cover is one of the reasons I picked the book - LOL! I'm leaning toward starting Sasquatch first. Thanks so much! Happy reading to you!!
Bellezza, yes! Hausfrau is such a great read - you are going to love it!
Becca, me too! Sounds sooo good!
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