Finding Freedom: A Cook's Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch by Erin French

 

 

**New York Times Bestseller**

From Erin French, owner of the critically acclaimed The Lost Kitchen, a TIME world dining destination, a life-affirming memoir about survival, renewal, and finding a community to lift her up

Long before The Lost Kitchen became a world dining destination with every seating filled the day the reservation book opens each spring, Erin French was a girl roaming barefoot on a 25-acre farm, a teenager falling in love with food while working the line at her dad’s diner and a young woman finding her calling as a professional chef at her tiny restaurant tucked into a 19th century mill. This singular memoir―a classic American story―invites readers to Erin's corner of her beloved Maine to share the real person behind the “girl from Freedom” fairytale, and the not-so-picture-perfect struggles that have taken every ounce of her strength to overcome, and that make Erin’s life triumphant.

In Finding Freedom, Erin opens up to the challenges, stumbles, and victories that have led her to the exact place she was ever meant to be, telling stories of multiple rock-bottoms, of darkness and anxiety, of survival as a jobless single mother, of pills that promised release but delivered addiction, of a man who seemed to offer salvation but in the end ripped away her very sense of self. And of the beautiful son who was her guiding light as she slowly rebuilt her personal and culinary life around the solace she found in food―as a source of comfort, a sense of place, as a way of bringing goodness into the world. Erin’s experiences with deep loss and abiding hope, told with both honesty and humor, will resonate with women everywhere who are determined to find their voices, create community, grow stronger and discover their best-selves despite seemingly impossible odds. Set against the backdrop of rural Maine and its lushly intense, bountiful seasons, Erin reveals the passion and courage needed to invent oneself anew, and the poignant, timeless connections between food and generosity, renewal and freedom.

On the House: A Washington Memoir by John Boehner

 

 

“A rollicking, foil-mouthed” [memoir]....Boehner has delivered a classic Washington “tell-all,” albeit one with his typical jocular style.” --The Washington Post

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner shares colorful tales from the halls of power, the smoke-filled rooms around the halls of power, and his fabled tour bus.

John Boehner is the last of a breed. At a time when the arbiters of American culture were obsessing over organic kale, cold-pressed juice, and SoulCycle, the man who stood second in line to the presidency was unapologetically smoking Camels, quaffing a glass of red, and hitting the golf course whenever he could.

There could hardly have been a more diametrically opposed figure to represent the opposition party in President Barack Obama's Washington. But when Boehner announced his resignation, President Obama called to tell the outgoing Speaker that he'd miss him. "Mr. President," Boehner replied, "yes you will." He thought of himself as a "regular guy with a big job," and he enjoyed it.

In addition to his own stories of life in the swamp city and of his comeback after getting knocked off the leadership ladder, Boehner offers his impressions of leaders he's met and what made them successes or failures, from Ford and Reagan to Obama, Trump, and Biden. He shares his views on how the Republican Party has become unrecognizable today; the advice--some harsh, some fatherly--he dished out to members of his own party, the opposition, the media, and others; and his often acid-tongued comments about his former colleagues. And of course he talks about golfing with five presidents.

Through Speaker Boehner's honest and self-aware reflections, you'll be reminded of a time when the adults were firmly in charge.

Vera Kelly Is Not a Mystery by Rosalie Knecht

 

 

* A Lambda Literary Award Finalist *

The “splendid genre-pushing” (People) Vera Kelly series returns in full force as our recently out-of-the-spy-game heroine finds herself traveling from Brooklyn to a sprawling countryside estate in the Caribbean in her first case as a private investigator. 

When ex-CIA agent Vera Kelly loses her job and her girlfriend in a single day, she reluctantly goes into business as a private detective. Heartbroken and cash-strapped, she takes a case that dredges up dark memories and attracts dangerous characters from across the Cold War landscape. Before it’s over, she’ll chase a lost child through foster care and follow a trail of Dominican exiles to the Caribbean. Forever looking over her shoulder, she nearly misses what’s right in front of her: her own desire for home, connection, and a new romance at the local bar.

In this exciting second installment of the Vera Kelly series, Rosalie Knecht challenges and deepens the Vera we love: a woman of sparkling wit, deep moral fiber, and martini-dry humor who knows how to follow a case even as she struggles to follow her heart.

 

Aftershocks: A Memoir by Nadia Owusu

 

 

In the tradition of The Glass Castle, a deeply felt memoir from Whiting Award–winner Nadia Owusu about the push and pull of belonging, the seismic emotional toll of family secrets, and the heart it takes to pull through.

“In Aftershocks, Nadia Owusu tells the incredible story of her young life. How does a girl—abandoned by her mother at age two and orphaned at thirteen when her beloved father dies—find her place in the world? This memoir is the story of Nadia creating her own solid ground across countries and continents. I know the struggle of rebuilding your life in an unfamiliar place. While some of you might be familiar with that and some might not, I hope you’ll take as much inspiration and hope from her story as I did.” —MALALA YOUSAFZAI

Young Nadia Owusu followed her father, a United Nations official, from Europe to Africa and back again. Just as she and her family settled into a new home, her father would tell them it was time to say their goodbyes. The instability wrought by Nadia’s nomadic childhood was deepened by family secrets and fractures, both lived and inherited. Her Armenian American mother, who abandoned Nadia when she was two, would periodically reappear, only to vanish again. Her father, a Ghanaian, the great hero of her life, died when she was thirteen. After his passing, Nadia’s stepmother weighed her down with a revelation that was either a bombshell secret or a lie, rife with shaming innuendo.

With these and other ruptures, Nadia arrived in New York as a young woman feeling stateless, motherless, and uncertain about her future, yet eager to find her own identity. What followed, however, were periods of depression in which she struggled to hold herself and her siblings together.

Aftershocks is the way she hauled herself from the wreckage of her life’s perpetual quaking, the means by which she has finally come to understand that the only ground firm enough to count on is the one written into existence by her own hand.

Heralding a dazzling new writer, Aftershocks joins the likes of Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and William Styron’s Darkness Visible, and does for race identity what Maggie Nelson does for gender identity in The Argonauts.

 

An Earl, the Girl, and a Toddler by Vanessa Riley

 

 

Acclaimed author Vanessa Riley infuses the ballroom settings of Regency England with hints of Demerara Island and Jamaican flair in Rogues and Remarkable Women, her series revolving around The Widow's Grace, a secret society of widows battling society to regain their money and a chance at love everlasting. In this sweeping, swoon-worthy second installment, a shipwrecked woman searches for her memories and becomes entangled with a conflicted nobleman who holds more answers than he realizes...

An OMag.com & Bibliolifestyle Most Anticipated Romance of 2021
A PopSugar Best Romance of April
A Publishers Weekly Top 10 Romance of Spring 2021
 
A witty and moving story from the acclaimed author of A Duke, the Lady, and a Baby, about the lengths to which a woman will go for the love of her child…and the love of a man who knows her worth. Breaking with traditional Regency rules and customs, Vanessa Riley pens an unforgettable story perfect for fans of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton, Evie Dunmore, and Eloisa James looking for something fresh and stirring!
 
“Elaborate storytelling…a more diverse Regency world than is traditionally found. Well-researched, with a fascinating author's note at the end…A historical romance of impressive heft.” – Kirkus Reviews
 
“Fans of Shonda Rhimes’ adaptation of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books will devour this series.” – Booklist STARRED REVIEW
 
“Move over, Bridgertons. There’s a new set of scandalous aristocrats waiting to take London society by storm.” – Library Journal 
 
Masterminded by the ton's most clever countess, the secret society The Widow’s Grace helps ill-treated widows regain their reputations, their families, and even find true love again—or perhaps for the very first time . . .
 
Surviving a shipwreck en route to London from Jamaica was just the start of Jemina St. Maur's nightmare. Suffering from amnesia, she was separated from anyone who might know her, and imprisoned in Bedlam. She was freed only because barrister Daniel Thackery, Lord Ashbrook, was convinced to betray the one thing he holds dear: the law. Desperate to unearth her true identity, Jemina’s only chance is to purloin dangerous secrets with help from The Widow’s Grace—which means staying steps ahead of the formidable Daniel, no matter how strongly she is drawn to him . . .
 
Married only by proxy, now widowed by shipwreck, Daniel is determined to protect his little stepdaughter, Hope, from his family’s scandalous reputation. That’s why he has dedicated himself not just to the law, but to remaining as proper, upstanding—and boring—as can be. But the closer he becomes to the mysterious, alluring Jemina, the more Daniel is tempted to break the very rule of law to which he's deevoted his life. And as ruthless adversaries close in, will the truth require him, and Jemina, to sacrifice their one chance at happiness?
  
RAVES FOR A DUKE, A LADY, AND A BABY
 
“One of the best historicals I’ve read in years.” —Kristan Higgins, New York Times bestselling author
 
“Smart and witty . . . the perfect historical read.” —Julia Quinn, #1 New York Times bestselling author
 
“Expertly crafted romance.” —Publishers Weekly, STARRED review
 
“Riley gifts readers a sparkling love story” —Entertainment Weekly

American Ulysses: A Life of Ulysses S. Grant by Ronald C. White

 

 

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of A. Lincoln, a major new biography of one of America’s greatest generals—and most misunderstood presidents

Winner of the William Henry Seward Award for Excellence in Civil War Biography • Finalist for the Gilder-Lehrman Military History Book Prize

In his time, Ulysses S. Grant was routinely grouped with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln in the “Trinity of Great American Leaders.” But the battlefield commander–turned–commander-in-chief fell out of favor in the twentieth century. In American Ulysses, Ronald C. White argues that we need to once more revise our estimates of him in the twenty-first.

Based on seven years of research with primary documents—some of them never examined by previous Grant scholars—this is destined to become the Grant biography of our time. White, a biographer exceptionally skilled at writing momentous history from the inside out, shows Grant to be a generous, curious, introspective man and leader—a willing delegator with a natural gift for managing the rampaging egos of his fellow officers. His wife, Julia Dent Grant, long marginalized in the historic record, emerges in her own right as a spirited and influential partner.

Grant was not only a brilliant general but also a passionate defender of equal rights in post-Civil War America. After winning election to the White House in 1868, he used the power of the federal government to battle the Ku Klux Klan. He was the first president to state that the government’s policy toward American Indians was immoral, and the first ex-president to embark on a world tour, and he cemented his reputation for courage by racing against death to complete his Personal Memoirs. Published by Mark Twain, it is widely considered to be the greatest autobiography by an American leader, but its place in Grant’s life story has never been fully explored—until now.

One of those rare books that successfully recast our impression of an iconic historical figure, American Ulysses gives us a finely honed, three-dimensional portrait of Grant the man—husband, father, leader, writer—that should set the standard by which all future biographies of him will be measured.

Praise for American Ulysses

“[Ronald C. White] portrays a deeply introspective man of ideals, a man of measured thought and careful action who found himself in the crosshairs of American history at its most crucial moment.”—USA Today

“White delineates Grant’s virtues better than any author before. . . . By the end, readers will see how fortunate the nation was that Grant went into the world—to save the Union, to lead it and, on his deathbed, to write one of the finest memoirs in all of American letters.”—The New York Times Book Review

“Ronald White has restored Ulysses S. Grant to his proper place in history with a biography whose breadth and tone suit the man perfectly. Like Grant himself, this book will have staying power.”—The Wall Street Journal

“Magisterial . . . Grant’s esteem in the eyes of historians has increased significantly in the last generation. . . . [American Ulysses] is the newest heavyweight champion in this movement.”—The Boston Globe 

“Superb . . . illuminating, inspiring and deeply moving.”—Chicago Tribune

“In this sympathetic, rigorously sourced biography, White . . . conveys the essence of Grant the man and Grant the warrior.”—Newsday

 

Shifter Kings: A Romantic Fantasy Collection by Lisa Blackwood

 

 

Heroes still learning to be human…

Master of the Hunt and Night Huntress:
In a land of three warring kingdoms, a centaur huntsman and a warrior priestess might be the only hope for peace. If the two enemies don’t kill each other first, they might even find love.

Seira of Blackstone has fought in many border skirmishes against the centaurs of the lowlands, but when she comes upon a massacre, it’s soon apparent the centaur and human dead weren’t fighting each other.

Toryn, a centaur huntsman, is following the trail of a new enemy when he encounters Seira, the most exquisite female he’s ever beheld. She’s majestic, battle-hardened, strong-willed, and her sharp tongue fires his blood more than any other female he’s ever met.

While Seira’s natural instinct is to kill the horseman, she’s also swift to see they have a better chance of success if they work together.

Dragon Archer

When a fierce huntress meets a fire-breathing dragon, enough sparks fly to start an inferno.

Warrior-Priestess Rhavana of High Rock owes her freedom to Seira of Blackstone and Crown Prince Toryn of the centaurs, so when duty requires them to journey into the homeland of the dragons in order to discover how deep the soul-mage conspiracy runs, Rhavana joins them.

But trouble meets them at the border in the form of a big red dragon calling himself Kolaith.

First Queen of the Gryphons:

When the Goddess Ishtar orders King Hillalum of the Gryphons to watch over a human shepherdess, he thinks he’ll find the sheep more interesting than the woman, but once he meets Amata, he soon realizes she’s his perfect match.

Ishtar’s Blade:

The court of the gryphon king has ever been a dangerous and seductive place. Yet as the childhood companion of King Ditanu, Iltani never doubted her place in either his kingdom or his heart.

Then duty called her away to complete her training.

Now, a woman grown and a sword-maiden to the goddess Ishtar, Iltani returns and takes up her sacred destiny to protect the royal line. But so much has changed. Ditanu most of all.

The youth she knew is gone. A stoic, untouchable king now sits the throne.

Blade’s Honor

Rescued from her grandfather’s dungeon by the King of the Gryphons, Enkara only wishes to repay that great debt by serving as one of the elite Shadow Guards tasked with protecting the royal line. Unfortunately, the gods have other plans…

Betrayal’s Price

Warrior-Scout Ashayna Stonemantle has no awareness of her fate until her sentient magic manipulates her into seeking out one of the enemy—Sorntar, Crown Prince of the Phoenix. If she dare trust the word of an enemy prince who is also an avian shape-shifting mage, their souls and futures are eternally linked.

Herd Mistress

From the moment Shadowdancer encountered Sorsha, he knew she was a Herd Mistress—a rare worker of magic, key to the Santhyrian nation's survival. His first obligation is to protect her and bring her back to the safety of the herd, but when Sorsha is threatened by Lord Master Trensler and his priesthood, they soon discover Trensler serves a darker master, one willing to devour all magic until the world dies. And that evil wants Shadowdancer and Sorsha.

Maiden’s Wolf:

Beatrice, a young healer living on the outskirts of the human port settlement of River’s Divide, simply wishes to hide herself from the searching eyes of the Priesthood of the Revealing Light.

Her already complicated life grows more perilous when a lupwyn scout stumbles into a trap set by the priesthood. If she sits back and does nothing, the wolf-like shapeshifter will be drained dry by the priests until he is an empty, soulless slave.

Shifter Kings contains Master of the Hunt, Night Huntress, Dragon Archer, First Queen of the Gryphons, Ishtar’s Blade, Blade’s Honor, Betrayal’s Price, Herd Mistress and Maiden’s Wolf.

A Wing and a Prayer (Broken Wings Book 1) by M W Arnold

 

 

When Betty Palmer's sister dies under suspicious circumstances whilst landing her Tiger Moth, Betty and three other women pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary in WWII England unite to discover who killed her and why. Estranged from her family, Penny Blake wants simply to belong. American Doris Winter, running from a personal tragedy, yearns for a new start. Naturally shy Mary Whitworth-Baines struggles to fit in. Together though, they are a force to be reckoned with as they face the mystery that confronts them. Against the backdrop of war, when ties of friendship are exceptionally strong, they strive to unravel the puzzle's complex threads, risking their lives as they seek justice for Betty's sister.

Scars to Bear (Dear Teddy: A Journal of a Boy Volume 5) by JD Stockholm

 

 

Beyond Dear Teddy Scars to Bear follows the boy into the world beyond Dear Teddy. Child abuse doesn't end when the child is out of the environment. Everything that has happened is a shadow that follows through life. Dealing with the trials of being a young father, and the trauma of his own childhood, little Jamie shows you his world once more.

The Light Through the Leaves: A Novel by Glendy Vanderah

 

 

Go on a powerful journey of forgiveness and healing with The Light Through the Leaves, a transcendent novel of love, loss, and self-discovery by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Where the Forest Meets the Stars.

One unbearable mistake at the edge of the forest.

In a moment of crisis, Ellis Abbey leaves her daughter, Viola, unattended―for just a few minutes. But when she returns, Viola is gone. A breaking point in an already fractured marriage, Viola’s abduction causes Ellis to disappear as well―into grief, guilt, and addiction. Convinced she can only do more harm to her family, Ellis leaves her husband and young sons, burying her desperate ache for her children deeper with every step into the mountain wildernesses she treks alone.

In a remote area of Washington, a young girl named Raven keeps secrets inside, too. She must never speak to outsiders about how her mother makes miracles spring from the earth, or about her father, whose mysterious presence sometimes frightens her. Raven spends her days learning how to use her rare gifts―and more important, how to hide them. With each lesson comes a warning of what dangers lie in the world beyond her isolated haven. But despite her mother’s cautions, Raven finds herself longing for something more.

As Ellis and Raven each confront their powerful longings, their journeys will converge in unexpected and hopeful ways, pulled together by the forces of nature, love, and family.

 

I'm in Seattle, Where Are You?: A Memoir by Mortada Gzar (Author), William Hutchins (Translator)

 

 

An award-winning Iraqi writer creates a new world for himself in Seattle in search of lost love.

As the US occupation of Iraq rages, novelist Mortada Gzar, a student at the University of Baghdad, has a chance encounter with Morise, an African American soldier. It’s love at first sight, a threat to them both, and a moment of self-discovery. Challenged by society’s rejection and Morise’s return to the US, Mortada takes to the page to understand himself.

In his deeply affecting memoir, Mortada interweaves tales of his childhood work as a scrap-metal collector in a war zone and the indignities faced by openly gay artists in Iraq with his impossible love story and journey to the US. Marginalized by his own society, he is surprised to discover the racism he finds in a new one. At its heart, I’m in Seattle, Where Are You? is a moving tale of love and resilience.

 

The Venice Sketchbook: A Novel by Rhys Bowen

 

 

“Rhys Bowen crafts a propulsive, unexpected plot with characters who come vibrantly alive on the page.” ―Mark Sullivan, author of Beneath a Scarlet Sky

Love and secrets collide in Venice during WWII in an enthralling novel of brief encounters and lasting romance by the New York Times bestselling author of The Tuscan Child and Above the Bay of Angels.

Caroline Grant is struggling to accept the end of her marriage when she receives an unexpected bequest. Her beloved great-aunt Lettie leaves her a sketchbook, three keys, and a final whisper…Venice. Caroline’s quest: to scatter Juliet “Lettie” Browning’s ashes in the city she loved and to unlock the mysteries stored away for more than sixty years.

It’s 1938 when art teacher Juliet Browning arrives in romantic Venice. For her students, it’s a wealth of history, art, and beauty. For Juliet, it’s poignant memories and a chance to reconnect with Leonardo Da Rossi, the man she loves whose future is already determined by his noble family. However star-crossed, nothing can come between them. Until the threat of war closes in on Venice and they’re forced to fight, survive, and protect a secret that will bind them forever.

Key by key, Lettie’s life of impossible love, loss, and courage unfolds. It’s one that Caroline can now make right again as her own journey of self-discovery begins.

 

The Good Sister: A Novel Hardcover by Sally Hepworth

 

 

Sally Hepworth, the author of The Mother-In-Law delivers a knock-out of a novel about the lies that bind two sisters in The Good Sister.

There's only been one time that Rose couldn't stop me from doing the wrong thing and that was a mistake that will haunt me for the rest of my life.

Fern Castle works in her local library. She has dinner with her twin sister Rose three nights a week. And she avoids crowds, bright lights and loud noises as much as possible. Fern has a carefully structured life and disrupting her routine can be...dangerous.

When Rose discovers that she cannot get pregnant, Fern sees her chance to pay her sister back for everything Rose has done for her. Fern can have a baby for Rose. She just needs to find a father. Simple.

Fern's mission will shake the foundations of the life she has carefully built for herself and stir up dark secrets from the past, in this quirky, rich and shocking story of what families keep hidden.

The Future In A Nutshell by Chris Williams

 

 

Should Christians study eschatology--the part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind? What does the Bible say about End Times and how can laypeople learn about it without having to scale "Mount Prophecy" to get there? Biblical prophecy is the topic of countless books, many that are long and use theological language that often escapes the average, faithful member of a Bible-believing church. The Future in a Nutshell covers in simple language the basic tenets of Biblical eschatology, providing a useful overview about what the Bible teaches about the future.

Angel by the Bed: A Paranormal Love Story by Pam Farley

 

 

There is a saying that all true love ends with tragedy, but it was not that way for Dan and Gabby.

Gabby and Dan’s short-lived affair cannot be forgotten, not even after Dan’s
death in the trenches at Gallipoli.

He chooses to become Gabby’s guardian angel to be close to her. After more than ten years, the Fates who rule Heaven have other plans for him. They assign him a task to befriend Gabby’s husband, Doctor Tom Harrington, and encourage his work on a new vaccine.

Dan is thrown into a chaotic life which tests more than his soul. His battle-damaged body is one hurdle that Tom helps him to overcome, but no one, not in Heaven or on earth, can stop him from loving Gabby.

Scars to Bear (Dear Teddy: A Journal of a Boy Volume 5) by JD Stockholm

 

 

Beyond Dear Teddy Scars to Bear follows the boy into the world beyond Dear Teddy. Child abuse doesn't end when the child is out of the environment. Everything that has happened is a shadow that follows through life. Dealing with the trials of being a young father, and the trauma of his own childhood, little Jamie shows you his world once more.

Hidden Justice: A mystery and suspense stand alone crime thriller (No Justice Series) by JK Ellem

 

 

FROM BESTSELLING THRILLER AUTHOR, JK ELLEM - A mystery and suspense adult stand-alone crime thriller“Totally engrossed in this read, fantastic, brilliant what more can I say. This book was so intense I couldn't put it down, full of twists and turns and secrets, a must read for this who enjoy these sorts of books."It’s not what you hide, it’s who you hide from…For two years, Annie Haywood has lived in the small picturesque town of Erin’s Bay on Long Island, thinking she was safe. Until now…Abigail Brenner is also hiding her own secrets, the whereabouts of her missing father, Edward Brenner, is not one of them. He disappeared three years ago, took his sailing boat out one day on the calm blue waters of Erin’s Bay, and was never seen again. Without the influence of her father, some say Abigail Brenner has turned in to a wild, uncontrollable little rich girl who’s just biding her time until she can access her trust fund and the family fortune. Others in the town just want her dead.But someone is lurking amongst the wind-swept dunes at night, watching and waiting. And there are strange lights in the night sky above the lighthouse on Moors Island, a desolate, uninhabited rock that holds dark secrets of its own. Then there is Ben Shaw, a stranger in town. He started out from the boardwalk on Coney Island, and kept heading east until Abigail Brenner offered him a ride. Hidden under the surface of this seemingly idyllic community of wealth and privilege lies an undercurrent of jealousy, greed, and burning revenge.There is no justice in this town. But justice is coming…Hidden Justice is the latest adult thriller from best-selling author JK Ellem.

Thunder on the Plains: A Pecos Quinn Western Adventure by John Rose Putnam

 

 

In the 3rd Pecos Quinn Western, I tip my hat to Zane Grey, with deep respect. He showed us that even amid the savagery of the buffalo hunts on the Great Plains, romance could be found. And when Pecos and Andy set out to rescue Doctor Burns, who'd been treating the Comanche, they find a mother and daughter desperately in need of help, thus adding spice to a dangerous task.

The Elephant of Belfast: A Novel by S. Kirk Walsh

 

 

Inspired by true events, this vivid and moving story of a young woman zookeeper and the elephant she's compelled to protect through the German blitz of Belfast during WWll speaks to not only the tragedy of the times, but also to the ongoing sectarian tensions that still exist in Northern Ireland today—perfect for readers of historical and literary fiction alike.

Belfast, October 1940. Twenty-year-old zookeeper Hettie Quin arrives at the city docks in time to meet her new charge: an orphaned three-year-old Indian elephant named Violet. As Violet adjusts to her new solitary life in captivity and Hettie mourns the recent loss of her sister and the abandonment of her father, new storm clouds gather. A world war rages, threatening a city already reeling from escalating tensions between British Loyalists and those fighting for a free and unified Ireland.

The relative peace is shattered by air-raid sirens on the evening of Easter Tuesday 1941. Over the course of the next five hours, hundreds of bombs rain down upon Belfast, claiming almost a thousand lives and decimating the city. Dodging the debris and carnage of the Luftwaffe attack, Hettie runs to the zoo to make sure that Violet is unharmed. The harrowing ordeal and ensuing aftermath set the pair on a surprising path that highlights the indelible, singular bond that often brings mankind and animals together during horrifying times.

Inspired by a largely forgotten chapter of World War II, S. Kirk Walsh deftly renders the changing relationship between Hettie and Violet, and their growing dependence on each other for survival and solace. The Elephant of Belfast is a complicated and beguiling portrait of hope and resilience--and how love can sustain us during the darkest moments of our lives.

A Season with Mom: Love, Loss, and the Ultimate Baseball Adventure by Katie Russell Newland

 

 

“Maybe you’ve been putting your own dreams on hold. Maybe you’re recovering from your own illness. Maybe you’ve lost someone you care about . . . After reading this book, you’ll be eager to imagine your own amazing next season.” -- Peyton Manning, from the foreword

 A Season with Mom offers readers an intimate, true story about the bond shared between a mother and daughter, a road trip to all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) parks, and the importance of relishing every joy and struggle along the way.

The book is highly recommended for

• mothers and daughters
• cancer survivors
• baseball and sports fans of all ages
• anyone who has experienced loss . . . and maybe fallen in love along the way

Join Katie as she travels more than 30,000 miles to all 30 MLB parks in a single season, a rare feat covered by the likes of ESPN. Along with black-and-white photographs, Katie shares letters written to her mom, who died of cancer before the two of them could go on the adventure of a lifetime together.

During the journey, Katie beautifully illustrates the brevity of life, the impetus of adventure, and the clarity that comes by watching America’s favorite pastime.

A Season with Mom reminds readers that in life, as in baseball, sometimes you strike out, but sometimes you hit home runs. And even if the wait is longer than you’d hoped--like it was for the Chicago Cubs’ long-sought World Series win--dreams can come true.