On June 27, 1976, an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris was hijacked by a group of Arab and German terrorists who demanded the release of 53 terrorists. The plane was forced to divert to Entebbe in Uganda --- ruled by the murderous despot Idi Amin, who had no interest in intervening. Days later, Israeli commandos disguised as Ugandan soldiers assaulted the airport terminal, killed all the terrorists and rescued all the hostages. Three of the country's greatest leaders --- Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin --- planned and pulled off one of the most astonishing military operations in history.

In 1937, a schoolteacher on the island of Maui challenged a group of poverty-stricken sugar plantation kids to swim upstream against the current of their circumstance. The goal? To become Olympians. In spite of everything --- including the virulent anti-Japanese sentiment of the late 1930s --- by their third year, they'd be declared the greatest swimmers in the world, but they'd also face their greatest obstacle: the dawning of a world war and the cancellation of the Games. Still, in 1948, they'd have one last chance for Olympic glory.

When Homer Hickam (the father of the author) asked for Elsie Lavender’s hand, Elsie instead chose a dancing actor named Buddy Ebsen. But ultimately her dreams of a life with him were crushed, and she married Homer. She was reminded of her carefree days with Buddy every day because of his unusual wedding gift: an alligator named Albert she raised in the bathroom. When Albert scared Homer by grabbing his pants, he gave Elsie an ultimatum: “Me or that alligator!” After giving it some thought, Elsie concluded there was only one thing to do: Carry Albert home.

Maviah, the Queen of the Outcasts, is a woman whose fate was sealed on her birth by this world. But then she met a man named Yeshua who opened her eyes. Because of what he taught her, she has gathered her own traveling kingdom of outcasts deep in the desert. But when her growing power threatens the rulers around her, they set out to crush all she loves. She must find Yeshua to save her people, but when she does, she will be horrified to discover that he faces his own death.

Over the course of 12 Mitford novels, readers have kept a special place in their hearts for Dooley Kavanagh, first seen in AT HOME IN MITFORD as a barefoot, freckle-faced boy in filthy overalls. Now, Father Tim Kavanagh’s adopted son has graduated from vet school and opened his own animal clinic. Since money will be tight for a while, maybe he and Lace Harper, his once and future soul mate, should keep their wedding simple. In COME RAIN OR COME SHINE, Jan Karon delivers the wedding that millions of Mitford fans have waited for.

Everyone in Crow Hollow knows of Alvaretta Graves, the old widow who lives in the mountain. Many call her a witch; others whisper she’s insane. Everyone agrees that the vengeance Alvaretta swore at her husband’s death hovers over them all. That vengeance awakens when teenagers stumble upon Alvaretta’s cabin, incurring her curse. Now a sickness moves through the Hollow. Rumors swirl that Stu Graves has risen for revenge. And the people of Crow Hollow are left to confront not only the darkness that lives on the mountain, but also the darkness that lives within themselves.

Groomed from birth with the relentless message that he was destined for greatness, William Jennings Worthington VI has always pushed himself to succeed --- nearly as much as his never-satisfied financial tycoon father pushes him. Becoming CEO of the world's largest and most adventuresome oil company seems the next logical step on the success ladder. But when circumstances turn, Will finds himself staring down a road that leads to Capitol Hill. Can he trade the board room for the Senate floor? Or will family secrets keep him from his destiny?

After growing up as an orphan, Millie Longfellow is determined to become the best nanny the East Coast has ever seen. Unfortunately, her playfulness and enthusiasm aren't always well-received. Everett Mulberry has quite unexpectedly become guardian to three children that scare off every nanny he hires. About to depart for Newport, Rhode Island, for the summer, he's desperate for competent childcare. At wit's end with both Millie and Everett, the employment agency gives them one last chance --- with each other.

Libby, a free spirit who can’t be tamed by her parents, finds solace with her neighbor Oliver, the son of Lord Croft of Ladenbrooke Manor. But then she finds herself pregnant and alone when her father kicks her out, and Oliver mysteriously drowns in a nearby river. Sixty years later, Heather Toulson, returning to her family’s cottage in the shadows of Ladenbrooke Manor, is mourning her father’s passing but can’t let go of the anger and resentment over their strained relationship. What she uncovers while sorting through her family’s belongings will change everything she thought she knew about her family’s history.