Adult

In the unforgiving class system of the 1950s, Lucy de Bourgh, daughter of one of Rhode Island's first families and beneficiary of an ample trust fund, was married to Thomas Snow, son of a Newport garage owner and his bookkeeper wife. Decades later, a chance meeting brings Lucy together with Philip, our narrator. They'd known each other earlier, and he remembers her as a ravishing, funny, ready-for-anything hellion. He also remembers Thomas, killed in a freak accident years after his and Lucy's divorce, and is shocked to hear Lucy refer to Thomas insistently as "that monster." How is he to reconcile that unexpected and overflowing reservoir of bitterness and resentments with his own memories?

LOVE, DISHONOR, MARRY, DIE, CHERISH, PERISH leaps cities and decades as the late David Rakoff sings the song of an America whose freedoms can be intoxicating, or brutal. The characters' lives are linked to each other by acts of generosity or cruelty. Rakoff's insistence on beauty and the necessity of kindness in a selfish world raises this novel far above mere satire.

It's 1943 and the Rosatis, an Italian family of noble lineage, believe that the walls of their ancient villa will keep them safe from the war raging across Europe. Twelve years later, Serafina Bettini, an investigator with the Florence police department, is assigned to a gruesome case --- a serial killer targeting the Rosatis, murdering the remnants of the family one-by-one in cold blood. She finds herself digging into a past that involves both the victims and her own tragic history.

When Leila discovers the website Red Pill, she feels she has finally found people who understand her. Thus she is thrilled when Adrian, the website's founder, asks to meet her, flattered when he invites her to be part of "Project Tess." As they email, chat and Skype, Leila becomes enveloped in the world of Tess, learning every single thing she can about this other woman --- because soon, Leila will have to become her.

When two plane crashes set off a spellbinding chain reaction of murder, inadvertent kidnapping, corporate corruption, and financial double-dealing, it’s not enough that Niceville detective Nick Kavanaugh (ex–Special Forces) has to investigate. He and his wife, family lawyer Kate, have also just taken in brutally orphaned Rainey Teague. Something bothers Nick about Rainey --- and it isn’t just that the woman in charge of attendance at Rainey’s prep school has disappeared.

In the tradition of M. F. K. Fisher, Laurie Colwin and Ruth Reichl, BLUE PLATE SPECIAL is a narrative in which food --- eating it, cooking it, reflecting on it --- becomes the vehicle for unpacking a life. Kate Christensen explores her history of hunger --- not just for food, but for love and confidence and a sense of belonging --- with a profound honesty, starting with her unorthodox childhood in 1960s Berkeley as the daughter of a mercurial legal activist who ruled the house with his fists.

Jo Marie Rose welcomes a new set of guests to the Rose Harbor Inn: Mary Smith, who's recovering from a difficult illness, and Anna Newton, who's arranging a celebration for her grandparents' wedding anniversary. Compassion and joy await Jo Marie, Annie and Mary, as they make peace with their pasts and look boldly toward their futures.

Rorke Denver trains the men who become Navy SEALs. With his years of action-packed mission experience and a top training role, Lieutenant Commander Denver understands exactly how tomorrow's soldiers are recruited, sculpted, motivated and deployed. Now, Denver takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he now oversees.

California girl Livvi Gray has always been haunted by a terrifying nightmare of an eerily beautiful stranger in a shimmering silver dress. Shortly before Livvi’s 30th birthday, she will come face to face with the stranger from her dream, an encounter that will not only alter Livvi’s future, but change much of what she thinks she knows about the past.

Louise Bessire and her daughter, Isobel, are both anticipating an exciting summer. Louise is hosting an important wedding that could make her business. Isobel is looking forward to writing her style and fashion blog and getting to know charming nineteen-year-old Jeff Otten. But as the wedding draws closer, mother and daughter must find the courage to overcome unexpected challenges through the strength of their shared bond.