“Good leadership requires you to surround yourself with people of diverse perspectives who can disagree with you without fear of retaliation.” – Doris Kearns Goodwin
Another Day’s Pain by K.C. Constantine
fiction / suspense / mystery.
The police force of Rocksburg, Pennsylvania, doesn’t see a ton of action. With jobs and industry moving away from the small city outside Pittsburgh, Detective Ruggiero “Rugs” Carlucci’s greatest adversaries are his negligent vacation-prone fellow officers and an older divorcee who has a habit of dancing naked on her back porch when she stops taking her medication. Retirement is on the horizon for Rugs, and the Vietnam vet is counting the days until he can move on from the job.
But Rocksburg isn’t going to let Rugs drift off to retirement without a fight. Before he can neatly wrap up his career, Rugs will face a mad shooter, a vengeful city councilman, and, most perilously, his own mother.
With a supporting cast of characters painted through uproarious profanity and heart-wrenching confessions, Another Day’s Pain is a bold and darkly funny novel about crime and the damaged souls it leaves behind.
“[A] fitting, gripping, thrilling swan song for author and character alike.” – Olivia Rutigliano, CrimeReads
“Alternately somber and comical, this book is a fitting end to a masterpiece of a crime fiction series.” – Aubrey Nye Hamilton, Kevin’s Corner
“…deeply moving… Constantine ends the long-running series on a high note, striking an elegaic tone that never tilts into triteness. Here’s hoping this graceful final act will spark new interest in an unsung master of crime fiction.” – Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW
The Beautiful People by Michelle Gable
fiction / historical fiction.
It’s 1961, and for Margo Hightower, everything is about to change. True, her engagement is off, her family has fallen in scandal, and she’s completely broke. But she’s just been hired as assistant to photographer Slim Aarons—famous for his vibrant pictures of high society, royalty, and Hollywood stars—and she knows this opportunity is her ticket to something better.
From the bright beaches of Acapulco to glitzy parties in New York, Margo is thrown headfirst into the glamorous jet-set world she so covets, observing its ways from behind the camera as Slim’s sidekick. There’s Jackie Kennedy, Truman Capote’s Swans, a host of Vanderbilts. Beautiful people in beautiful places.
But when they land in Palm Beach, a scene with few rules and many riches, the lines between work and play begin to blur. As Margo becomes swept up in the city’s social circle—and into a friendship with heiress and rising fashion designer Lilly Pulitzer—the golden life seems increasingly in reach. Until she finds herself entangled in a complicated web of loyalties and secrets that could bring it all crashing down…
“Fluffy and fun, Gable’s novel takes readers on a whirlwind tour of the lives of Palm Beach jet-setters through the eyes of fictional former debutante Margo Hightower.” – Becky Meloan, Washington Post
“This is a fun, character driven novel, based on real life people, that readers will eat up.” – Red Carpet Crash
Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End by Alua Arthur
nonfiction / memoir / self help / psychology.
For her clients and everyone who has been inspired by her humanity, Alua Arthur is a friend at the end of the world. As our country’s leading death doula, she’s spreading a transformative message: thinking about your death—whether imminent or not—will breathe wild, new potential into your life.
Warm, generous, and funny AF, Alua supports and helps manage end-of-life care on many levels. The business matters, medical directives, memorial planning; but also honoring the quiet moments, when monitors are beeping and loved ones have stepped out to get some air—or maybe not shown up at all—and her clients become deeply contemplative and want to talk. Aching, unfinished business often emerges. Alua has been present for thousands of these sacred moments—when regrets, fears, secret joys, hidden affairs, and dim realities are finally said aloud. When this happens, Alua focuses her attention at the pulsing center of her clients’ anguish and creates space for them, and sometimes their loved ones, to find peace.
This has had a profound effect on Alua, who was already no stranger to death’s periphery. Her family fled a murderous coup d’état in Ghana in the 1980s. She has suffered major, debilitating depressions. And her dear friend and brother-in-law died of lymphoma. Advocating for him in his final months is what led Alua to her life’s calling. She knows firsthand the power of bearing witness and telling the truth about life’s painful complexities, because they do not disappear when you look the other way. They wait for you.
Briefly Perfectly Human is a life-changing, soul-gathering debut, by a writer whose empathy, tenderness, and wisdom shimmers on the page. Alua Arthur combines intimate storytelling with a passionate appeal for loving, courageous end-of-life care—what she calls “death embrace.” Hers is a powerful testament to getting in touch with something deeper in our lives, by embracing the fact of our own mortality. “Hold that truth in your mind,” Alua says, “and wondrous things will begin to grow around it.”
“A deeply transformative memoir that reframes how we think about death and how it can help us lead better, more fulfilling and authentic lives…” – Panio Gianopoulos, Next Big Idea Club
“A poetic, inspiring book about how embracing our mortality allows us to find our deepest selves and truly connect with others… Arthur’s powerful memoir underlines the value of every life.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Readers assuming a memoir from a death doula will be somber, sentimental, or sedate will be pleasantly surprised by this upbeat, entertaining, and life-affirming account… She shares what she’s learned: every day we live, we’re one day older than we’ve ever been before and one day closer to death. It’s time to love our ever-evolving selves and make the most of every day. Arthur’s is wise, thoughtful, reassuring counsel.” – Kathleen McBroom, Booklist
A Calamity of Souls by David Baldacci
fiction / mystery / historical fiction / suspense.
Jack Lee is a white lawyer from Freeman County, Virginia, who has never done anything to push back against racism, until he decides to represent Jerome Washington, a Black man charged with brutally killing an elderly and wealthy white couple. Doubting his decision, Lee fears that his legal skills may not be enough to prevail in a case where the odds are already stacked against both him and his client. And he quickly finds himself out of his depth when he realizes that what is at stake is far greater than the outcome of a murder trial.
Desiree DuBose is a Black lawyer from Chicago who has devoted her life to furthering the causes of justice and equality for everyone. She comes to Freeman County and enters a fractious and unwieldy partnership with Lee in a legal battle against the best prosecutor in the Commonwealth. Yet DuBose is also aware that powerful outside forces are at work to blunt the victories achieved by the Civil Rights era.
Lee and DuBose could not be more dissimilar. On their own, neither one can stop the prosecution’s deliberate march towards a guilty verdict and the electric chair. But together, the pair fight for what once seemed impossible: a chance for a fair trial and true justice.
Over a decade in the writing, A Calamity of Souls breathes richly imagined and detailed life into a bygone era, taking the reader through a world that will seem both foreign and familiar.
“A Calamity of Souls is the most profound and captivating story David Baldacci has ever told… a powerful tale that elicits strong emotions… Kudos to Baldacci for taking on such an ambitious and important topic and turning out a brilliant novel. It’s his finest work to date.” – Steve Netter, The Best Thriller Books
“[A] gripping story… a nuanced portrait of a time and place, brought to vivid life by a writer at the top of his game.” – David Pitt, Booklist
“…stirring… Baldacci generates satisfying tension from Jack and Desiree’s clashing personalities, and his real-life experiences both as an attorney and as a child in 1960s Virginia lend the proceedings an air of uncommon authenticity. This ranks among the author’s best.” – Publishers Weekly
Close to Death by Anthony Horowitz
fiction / mystery / suspense.
Riverside Close is a picture-perfect community. The six exclusive and attractive houses are tucked far away from the noise and grime of city life, allowing the residents to enjoy beautiful gardens, pleasant birdsong, and tranquility from behind the security of a locked gate.
It is the perfect idyll, until the Kentworthy family arrives, with their four giant, gas-guzzling cars, gaggle of shrieking children, and plans for a garish swimming pool in the backyard. Obvious outsiders, the Kentworthys do not belong in Riverside Close, and quickly offend every last one of the neighbors.
When Giles Kentworthy is found dead on his own doorstep, a crossbow bolt sticking out of his chest, Detective Hawthorne is the only investigator they can call to solve the case.
Because how do you solve a murder when everyone is a suspect?
“We love puzzling through a mystery where everyone’s a suspect, and this wildly clever story — an ode to the locked-room trope (on a slightly grander scale) doesn’t disappoint.” – Isabelle McConville, Barnes & Noble
“Gloriously artificial, improbable, and ingenious. Fans of both versions of Horowitz will rejoice.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“An absolutely engrossing tale, including a locked-room second murder, written with the abundance of whimsy and dark humor that seems to permeate nearly everything that Horowitz creates. Kudos to anyone who can figure this one out!” – Jane Murphy, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Indian Burial Ground by Nick Medina ★
fiction / horror / mystery.
All Noemi Broussard wanted was a fresh start. With a new boyfriend who actually treats her right and a plan to move from the reservation she grew up on—just like her beloved Uncle Louie before her—things are finally looking up for Noemi. Until the news of her boyfriend’s apparent suicide brings her world crumbling down.
But the facts about Roddy’s death just don’t add up, and Noemi isn’t the only one who suspects that something menacing might be lurking within their tribal lands.
After over a decade away, Uncle Louie has returned to the reservation, bringing with him a past full of secrets, horror, and what might be the key to determining Roddy’s true cause of death. Together, Noemi and Louie set out to find answers… but as they get closer to the truth, Noemi begins to wonder whether it might be best for some secrets to remain buried.
“…best read with the lights on and doors locked.” – Isabelle McConville, Barnes & Noble
“[A] haunting, page-turner of a tale that is as gripping as it is devastating… Expertly blending timelines and perspectives, Medina delivers another atmospheric, unsettling, and downright eerie read that will keep readers guessing until the last page.” – Jennifer Embree, Library Journal
“A great choice for fans of mystery-horror hybrids that offer a compelling, character-focused story that entertains without shying away from a direct portrayal of the generational trauma experienced by marginalized people…” – Becky Spratford, Booklist
In the Shadow of Liberty: The Invisible History of Immigrant Detention in the United States by Ana Raquel Minian
nonfiction / history.
In 2018, many Americans watched in horror as children were torn from their parents at the US-Mexico border under Trump’s “family separation” policy. But as historian Ana Raquel Minian reveals in In the Shadow of Liberty, this was only the latest chapter in a saga tracing back to the 1800s—one in which immigrants to the United States have been held without recourse to their constitutional rights. Braiding together the vivid stories of four migrants seeking to escape the turmoil of their homelands for the promise of America, In the Shadow of Liberty gives this history a human face, telling the dramatic story of a Central American asylum seeker, a Cuban exile, a European war bride, and a Chinese refugee.
As we travel alongside these indelible characters, In the Shadow of Liberty explores how sites of rightlessness have evolved, and what their existence has meant for our body politic. Though these “black sites” exist out of view for the average American, their reach extends into all of our lives: the explosive growth of the for-profit prison industry traces its origins to the immigrant detention system, as does the emergence of Guantanamo and the gradual unraveling of the right to bail and the presumption of innocence. Through these narratives, we see how the changing political climate surrounding immigration has played out in individual lives, and at what cost. But as these stories demonstrate, it doesn’t have to be like this, and a better way might be possible.
“[A] strong indictment of long-standing anti-immigrant practices in the U.S…. A grimly persuasive history, of broad interest to immigration rights activists and reformers.” – Kirkus Reviews
“[A] book with gravitas and a hopeful spirit. In looking to the past, Minian sees that progress is possible.” – Kevin Canfield, San Francisco Chronicle
“…harrowing… Minian’s up-close narration of her subjects’ lives brings home the intimate and unbearable human suffering of incarceration, and her analysis is fueled by anger at both the hypocrisy of a country that denies freedom-seeking immigrants their liberty and the fickleness of protestors who no longer care about immigrant detention (in 2022, America detained approximately 307,000 immigrants). It’s a must-read for anyone invested in U.S. immigration policy.” – Publishers Weekly
It Had to Be You by Mary Higgins Clark & Alafair Burke
fiction / mystery / suspense.
The two identical brothers seemed perfect in every way—handsome, intelligent, popular—until a shocking summer night when one brother killed his parents in cold blood while the other brother had an iron-clad alibi. But which twin was where during the murders? And is it possible the two of them planned the perfect crime together?
Years later, the twins are long estranged, each of them claiming to be convinced that the other is responsible for the death of their parents. Married now with children of their own, they may finally be ready to clear one name at the expense of the other and turn to Laurie Moran and her team to reinvestigate their parents’ murder. But as the Under Suspicion crew gets closer to the truth, the danger that was assumed to be left in the past finds its way into the present.
Featuring chilling suspense, a cast of characters whom loyal readers have come to love, and a final jaw-dropping twist, It Had to Be You is not to be missed.
“Alafair Burke once again puts on a show with her expertly crafted plot, brilliantly mixing intricate character dynamics that help produce a near-uncomfortable level of suspense and tension, all while keeping readers off balance and helplessly engaged… every twist and turn is meticulously plotted and perfectly executed. You might think you have things figured out along the way, but trust me, you don’t… It Had to Be You will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.” – Ryan Steck, The Real Book Spy
Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder by Salman Rushdie ★
nonfiction / memoir / true crime / psychology.
From internationally renowned writer and Booker Prize winner Salman Rushdie, a searing, deeply personal account of enduring—and surviving—an attempt on his life thirty years after the fatwa that was ordered against him
Speaking out for the first time, and in unforgettable detail, about the traumatic events of August 12, 2022, Salman Rushdie answers violence with art, and reminds us of the power of words to make sense of the unthinkable. Knife is a gripping, intimate, and ultimately life-affirming meditation on life, loss, love, art—and finding the strength to stand up again.
“…intimate and often harrowing…” – Shannon Carlin, Time
“…scary but heartwarming, a story of hatred defeated by love.” – Blake Morrison, The Guardian
“…candid, plain-spoken and gripping… [a] humane and often witty book… To paraphrase Roy Blount Jr., I put this book down only once or twice, to wipe off the sweat… Knife is a clarifying book. It reminds us of the threats the free world faces. It reminds us of the things worth fighting for.” – Dwight Garner, New York Times
“No one — including the author himself — knew if he would survive the shocking 2022 attempt on his life, and here he tells the unforgettable (and life-affirming) story as only he can.” – Isabelle McConville, Barnes & Noble
Muse of Fire: World War I as Seen Through the Lives of the Soldier Poets by Michael Korda
nonfiction / history / biography / poetry.
Michael Korda, the best-selling author of Hero and Alone, tells the story of the First World War not in any conventional way but through the intertwined lives of the soldier poets who came to describe it best, and indeed to symbolize the war’s tragic arc and lethal fury.
His epic narrative begins with Rupert Brooke, “the handsomest young man in England” and perhaps its most famous young poet in the halcyon days of the Edwardian Age, and ends five years later with Wilfred Owen, killed in action at twenty-five, only one week before the armistice. With bitter irony, Owen’s mother received the telegram informing her of his death on November 11, just as church bells tolled to celebrate the war’s end.
Korda’s dramatic account, which includes anecdotes from his own family history, not only brings to life the soldier poets but paints an unforgettable picture of life and death in the trenches, and the sacrifice of an entire generation. His cast of characters includes the young American poet Alan Seeger, who was killed in action as a private in the French Foreign Legion; Isaac Rosenberg, whose parents had fled czarist anti-Semitic persecution and who was killed in action at the age of twenty-eight before his fame as a poet and a painter was recognized; Robert Graves and Siegfried Sassoon, whose friendship and friendly rivalry endured through long, complicated private lives; and, finally, Owen, whose fame came only posthumously and whose poetry remains some of the most savage and heartbreaking to emerge from the cataclysmic war.
As Korda demonstrates, the poets of the First World War were soldiers, heroes, martyrs, victims, their lives and loves endlessly fascinating—that of Rupert Brooke alone reads like a novel, with his journey to Polynesia in pursuit of a life like Gauguin’s and some of his finest poetry written only a year before his tragic death. Muse of Fire is at once a portrait of their lives and a narrative of a civilization destroying itself, among the rubble, shadows, and the unresolved problems of which we still live, from the revival of brutal trench warfare in Ukraine and in the Middle East.
“…captivating… Poets and war are a winning combination in the hands of a seasoned historian.” – Kirkus Reviews, STARRED REVIEW
“Muse of Fire is richly detailed, elegantly written and at times idiosyncratic… Even his footnotes, which address intersections between the lives of his subjects and his own biography, are engaging.” – Julia M. Klein, Washington Post
“[An] erudite and often funny group biography of the Allied soldiers who turned their battlefield experiences into verse… skillfully depicts how different classes of men experienced the Western Front and offers an entry point into a rich seam of under-read war poetry.” – Alice Winn, New York Times
New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West by David E. Sanger
nonfiction / history / current events / politics.
New Cold Wars—the latest from the Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and bestselling author of The Perfect Weapon David E. Sanger—is a fast-paced account of America’s plunge into simultaneous confrontations with two very different adversaries. For years, the United States was confident that the newly democratic Russia and increasingly wealthy China could be lured into a Western-led order that promised prosperity and relative peace—so long as they agreed to Washington’s terms. By the time America emerged from the age of terrorism, it was clear that this had been a fantasy.
Now the three powers are engaged in a high-stakes struggle for military, economic, political, and technological supremacy, with nations around the world pressured to take sides. Yet all three are discovering that they are maneuvering for influence in a far more turbulent world than they imagined.
Based on a remarkable array of interviews with top officials from five presidential administrations, U.S. intelligence agencies, foreign governments, and tech companies, Sanger unfolds a riveting narrative spun around the era’s critical questions: Will the mistakes Putin made in his invasion of Ukraine prove his undoing and will he reach for his nuclear arsenal—or will the West’s famously short attention span signal Kyiv’s doom? Will Xi invade Taiwan? Will both men deepen their partnership to undercut America’s dominance? And can a politically dysfunctional America still lead the world?
Taking readers from the battlefields of Ukraine—where trench warfare and cyberwarfare are interwoven—to the Taiwan headquarters where the world’s most advanced computer chips are produced and on to tense debates in the White House Situation Room, New Cold Wars is a remarkable first-draft of history chronicling America’s return to superpower conflict, the choices that lie ahead, and what is at stake for the United States and the world.
“[A] cogent, revealing account of how a generation of American officials have grappled with dangerous developments in the post-Cold War era… a thorough and compelling first draft of history… vividly captures the view from Washington.” – Justin Vogt, New York Times
One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole
fiction / suspense / mystery.
Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can’t refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she’s determined not to ruin their opportunity.
Then a surprise visit from the home’s conservation trust just as a Nor’easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.
Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.
“[A] paranoia-filled murder mystery full of twists and turns.” – Shannon Carlin, Time
“Cole mixes a spooky, isolated setting with a hint of the gothic and a storyline that isn’t afraid to tackle tough social issues, and creates a book that is both entertaining and insightful.” – John Charles, Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW
“Cole presents a master class in characterization and narrative structure as Ken’s headmates ‘front’ in response to the world outside while fighting an internal battle. The mystery of Della’s disappearance coincides with the mystery of the castle in surprising ways that will keep readers on their toes in this brilliant, adroit novel.” – Susan Maguire, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
Other People’s Words: Friendship, Loss, and the Conversations That Never End by Lissa Soep
nonfiction / memoir / self help.
In their twenties, Lissa Soep and her boyfriend forged deep friendships with two other couples—Mercy and Christine; and Emily and Jonnie—until, decades later, Jonnie died suddenly, in an accident, and Christine passed away after a mysterious illness. Christine had been a writer, Jonnie a storyteller. Lissa couldn’t imagine a world without their letters, postcards, texts—a world without their voices. Then she found comfort in a surprising place. As a graduate student, she had studied the philosophy of the Russian critic Mikhail Bakhtin, who wrote about the many voices that can echo through a single person’s speech. Suddenly, Bakhtin’s theory that our language is “filled to overflowing with other people’s words” came to life. Lissa began hearing Jonnie and Christine when least expected. In a conversation with Emily, a familiar phrase was spoken, and suddenly, there was Jonnie, with his riotous laugh, vibrant in her mind. Mercy recited an Adrienne Rich poem in just the way Christine used to and, for a moment, Christine was with them in the room.
Other People’s Words shows us how we carry within us the language of loved ones who are gone, and how their words can be portals to other times and places. Language—as with love—is boundless, and Other People’s Words is an intimate, original, and profoundly generous look at its power to nurture life amid the wreckage of grief. Dialogues do not end when a friendship or person is gone; instead, they accrue new layers of meaning, showing how the conversations we share with those we love continue after them, and will continue after us.
“A genuine, highly personal, thoughtful memoir and memorial.” – Kirkus Reviews
“…engaging and deeply thoughtful… [a] unique combination of memoir, musings and literary scholarship…” – Jessica Zack, San Francisco Chronicle
“Soep writes poignantly of her friendships and deep grief, intertwining them with Bakhtin’s life and work. Anyone who has lost a loved one and still seeks their voice will appreciate this pensive book.” – Rebecca Hopman, Booklist
While We Were Burning by Sara Koffi ★
fiction / suspense / mystery.
After her best friend’s mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith’s picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control—so much so that she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant, Brianna is exactly who she needs and slides so neatly into Elizabeth’s life, almost like she belonged there from the start. Soon, the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend’s death is the same person working with her to uncover the truth behind it.
Because Brianna has questions too.
She wants to know why the police killed her young Black son. Why someone in Elizabeth’s neighborhood called the cops on him that day. Who took that first step that stole her child away from her. And the only way she’s ever going to be able to find out is to entwine herself deep into Elizabeth’s life, where the answers to her questions lie. As the two women hurtle towards an electrifying final showdown, and the lines between employer and friend blur, it becomes clear that neither of them is what they first appear.
“A politically aware thriller from a passionate rookie author.” – Kirkus Reviews
“This is a book you’ll want to talk about with friends who loved Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid.” – Isabelle McConville, Barnes & Noble
“[A] well-plotted cat-and-mouse thriller… The looming, inevitable confrontation between the two is forceful and stunning. Koffi has used the thriller genre with great effect for a prescient critique on the petty resentments and deliberate ignorance that underpin our racist power structure.” – Molly Odintz, CrimeReads
“…gripping… debut author Koffi’s characters are electric with passions…” – Heather Booth, Booklist
An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s by Doris Kearns Goodwin
nonfiction / history / memoir / politics.
Dick and Doris Goodwin were married for forty-two years and married to American history even longer. In his twenties, Dick was one of the brilliant young men of John F. Kennedy’s New Frontier. In his thirties he both named and helped design Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society and was a speechwriter and close advisor to Robert Kennedy. Doris Kearns was a twenty-four-year-old graduate student when selected as a White House Fellow. She worked directly for Lyndon Johnson and later assisted on his memoir.
Over the years, with humor, anger, frustration, and in the end, a growing understanding, Dick and Doris had argued over the achievements and failings of the leaders they served and observed, debating the progress and unfinished promises of the country they both loved.
The Goodwins’ last great adventure involved finally opening the more than three hundred boxes of letters, diaries, documents, and memorabilia that Dick had saved for more than fifty years. They soon realized they had before them an unparalleled personal time capsule of the 1960s, illuminating public and private moments of a decade when individuals were powered by the conviction they could make a difference; a time, like today, marked by struggles for racial and economic justice, a time when lines were drawn and loyalties tested.
Their expedition gave Dick’s last years renewed purpose and determination. It gave Doris the opportunity to connect and reconnect with participants and witnesses of pivotal moments of the 1960s. And it gave them both an opportunity to make fresh assessments of the central figures of the time—John F. Kennedy, Jacqueline Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., Robert Kennedy, Eugene McCarthy, and especially Lyndon Johnson, who greatly impacted both their lives. The voyage of remembrance brought unexpected discoveries, forgiveness, and the renewal of old dreams, reviving the hope that the youth of today will carry forward this unfinished love story with America.
“[A] vivid portrait of peak liberalism.” – Publishers Weekly
“A heartfelt tribute to the author’s late husband and a captivating reflection on this pivotal era in American politics.” – Kirkus Reviews
“As befits all great researchers and eyewitnesses to history, the Goodwins collected a vast trove of archival material from their years as presidential advisers and authors, and it is this unparalleled source material that historian, biographer, and political commentator Kearns Goodwin mines to galvanizing effect in a memoir that purrs with beguiling intimacy and bubbles with effervescent appreciation for an exceptional marriage during more than four decades of profound mutual engagement with politics, social struggles, and each other.” – Carol Haggas, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
You Know What You Did by K.T. Nguyen
fiction / suspense / mystery / horror.
Annie “Anh Le” Shaw grew up poor but seems to have it all now: a dream career, a stunning home, and a devoted husband and daughter. When Annie’s mother, a Vietnam War refugee, dies suddenly one night, Annie’s carefully curated life begins to unravel. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder, which she thought she’d vanquished years ago, comes roaring back—but this time, the disturbing fixations swirling around in Annie’s brain might actually be coming true.
A prominent art patron disappears, and the investigation zeroes in on Annie. Spiraling with self-doubt, she distances herself from her family and friends, only to wake up in a hotel room—naked, next to a lifeless body. The police have more questions, but with her mind increasingly fractured, Annie doesn’t have answers. All she knows is this: She will do anything to protect her daughter—even if it means losing herself.
With dizzying twists, You Know What You Did is both a harrowing thriller and a heartfelt exploration of the refugee experience, the legacies we leave for our children, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.
“With unflinching determination, Nguyen keeps readers pinned to the page in this dark, devastating psychological horror.” – Elle
” A twisty, horror-filled thriller… [an] incredibly compelling debut.” – Stephanie Howes, Booklist, STARRED REVIEW
“[An] exhilarating debut… Braiding together hair-raising psychological suspense and a poignant study of war’s intergenerational trauma, Nguyen adds depth to the familiar setup of the unreliable, mentally ill heroine. Lisa Unger and Tess Gerritsen fans, take note.” – Publishers Weekly
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Talked to Terri Breslin who showed me the NYT Book Review of Sicilian Inheritance and told me the author will be zooming into the Italian Culture Club zoom for May!
That’s exciting news!