The New York Times bestselling and legendary author of HELEN OF TROY and ELIZABETH I now turns her gaze on Emperor Nero, one of the most notorious and misunderstood figures in history.

The New York Times bestselling and legendary author of HELEN OF TROY and ELIZABETH I now turns her gaze on Emperor Nero, one of the most notorious and misunderstood figures in history.

The New York Times bestselling and legendary author of HELEN OF TROY and ELIZABETH I now turns her gaze on Emperor Nero, one of the most notorious and misunderstood figures in history.

Built on the backs of those who fell before it, Julius Caesar’s imperial dynasty is only as strong as the next person who seeks to control it. In the Roman Empire no one is safe from the sting of betrayal: man, woman --- or child.

As a boy, Nero’s royal heritage becomes a threat to his very life, first when the mad emperor Caligula tries to drown him, then when his great aunt attempts to secure her own son’s inheritance. Faced with shocking acts of treachery, young Nero is dealt a harsh lesson: it is better to be cruel than dead.

While Nero idealizes the artistic and athletic principles of Greece, his very survival rests on his ability to navigate the sea of vipers that is Rome. The most lethal of all is his own mother, a cold-blooded woman whose singular goal is to control the empire. With cunning and poison, the obstacles fall one by one. But as Agrippina’s machinations earn her son a title he is both tempted and terrified to assume, Nero’s determination to escape her thrall will shape him into the man he was fated to become --- an Emperor who became legendary.

With impeccable research and captivating prose, THE CONFESSIONS OF YOUNG NERO is the story of a boy’s ruthless ascension to the throne. Detailing his journey from innocent youth to infamous ruler, it is an epic tale of the lengths to which man will go in the ultimate quest for power and survival.

From USA Today bestselling author Meg Donohue comes a mystery, a love story, and a mother-daughter tale about two women on a precarious journey to uncover their true selves.

From USA Today bestselling author Meg Donohue comes a mystery, a love story, and a mother-daughter tale about two women on a precarious journey to uncover their true selves.

What became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend, fairy tales and Biblical mysteries, THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping us back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries.

What became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend, fairy tales and Biblical mysteries, THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping us back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries.

What became of magic in the world? Who needed to do away with it, and for what reasons? Drawing on myth, legend, fairy tales and Biblical mysteries, THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC brilliantly imagines answers to these questions, sweeping us back to a world where humans and magical beings co-exist as they had for centuries.

Aisling, a goddess in human form, was born to rule both domains and --- with her twin, Anya --- unite the Celts with the powerful faeries of the Middle Kingdom. But within medieval Ireland interests are divided, and far from its shores greater forces are mustering. Both England and Rome have a stake in driving magic from the Emerald Isle. Jordan, the Vatican commander tasked with vanquishing the remnants of otherworldly creatures from a disenchanted Europe, has built a career on such plots. But increasingly he finds himself torn between duty and his desire to understand the magic that has been forbidden.

As kings prepare, exorcists gather, and divisions widen between the warring clans of Ireland, Aisling and Jordan must come to terms with powers given and withheld, while a world that can still foster magic hangs in the balance. Loyalties are tested, betrayals sown, and the coming war will have repercussions that ripple centuries later, in today’s world --- and in particular for a young graduate student named Sara Hill.

THE LAST DAYS OF MAGIC introduces us to unforgettable characters who grapple with quests for power, human frailty, and the longing for knowledge that has been made taboo. Mark Tompkins has crafted a remarkable tale --- a feat of world-building that poses astonishing and resonant answers to epic questions.

You can learn a lot about a husband by reading his email --- sometimes, too much. LOVER, the British writer Anna Raverat’s U.S. debut, is an observation of love, work and life as seen through the lens of a troubled marriage.

You can learn a lot about a husband by reading his email --- sometimes, too much. LOVER, the British writer Anna Raverat’s U.S. debut, is an observation of love, work and life as seen through the lens of a troubled marriage.

Kate --- a wife, a mother of two, and a senior executive at a multinational hotel company --- has made caring for others her life’s work, and she’s good at it. But when she opens her husband’s computer to find a series of email exchanges with an unknown woman, it all begins to fall apart. After 10 years of marriage, Kate is forced to take a closer look at her relationship with her husband, and she must ask herself: How well do I really know him?

Things begin to spiral at work, too, with the political machinations in the office taking on an increasingly Shakespearean level of drama and ferocity. Kate gets caught between the ravings of power-hungry bosses and her job, which is to make the hotel guests happy. With both her work and home lives crumbling around her, Kate, for the first time, begins to think about what it is she really wants: from her husband, from her job, from her life.

LOVER, the British writer Anna Raverat’s U.S. debut, is an observation of love, work and life as seen through the lens of a troubled marriage. With the irresistible wit of Emma Straub’s THE VACATIONERS, the compelling candor of Ayelet Waldman’s LOVE AND OTHER IMPOSSIBLE PURSUITS, and no shortage of brightening humor, Raverat paints an acute portrait of the female psyche, freshly exploring intimacy and the politics of work. Intellectually rich and captivatingly poignant, LOVER is the powerful story of a woman making her way in the world. We hope that the following discussion topics will enrich your reading group’s experience.

A modern-day expansion of Hans Christian Andersen’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, this unforgettable debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale of magic and the power of love as a descendent of the original mermaid fights the terrible price of saving herself from a curse that has affected generations of women in her family.

A modern-day expansion of Hans Christian Andersen’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, this unforgettable debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale of magic and the power of love as a descendent of the original mermaid fights the terrible price of saving herself from a curse that has affected generations of women in her family.

A modern-day expansion of Hans Christian Andersen’s THE LITTLE MERMAID, this unforgettable debut novel weaves a spellbinding tale of magic and the power of love as a descendent of the original mermaid fights the terrible price of saving herself from a curse that has affected generations of women in her family.

Kathleen has always been dramatic. She suffers from the bizarre malady of experiencing stabbing pain in her feet. On her 16th birthday, she woke screaming from the sensation that her tongue had been cut out. No doctor can find a medical explanation for her pain, and even the most powerful drugs have proven useless. Only the touch of seawater can ease her pain, and just temporarily at that.

Now Kathleen is a 25-year-old opera student in Boston and shows immense promise as a soprano. Her girlfriend Harry, a mezzo in the same program, worries endlessly about Kathleen's phantom pain and obsession with the sea. Kathleen's mother and grandmother both committed suicide as young women, and Harry worries they suffered from the same symptoms. When Kathleen suffers yet another dangerous breakdown, Harry convinces Kathleen to visit her hometown in Ireland to learn more about her family history.

In Ireland, they discover that the mystery --- and the tragedy --- of Kathleen’s family history is far older and stranger than they could have imagined. Kathleen’s fate seems sealed, and the only way out is a terrible choice between a mermaid’s two sirens --- the sea, and her lover. But both choices mean death…

Haunting and lyrical, THE MERMAID'S DAUGHTER asks: How far we will go for those we love? And can the transformative power of music overcome a magic that has prevailed for generations?