Editorial Content for Proof
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Jon Cowan brings readers PROOF, a taut legal thriller, drawing on his cinematic skills he honed as a writer for the hit television series “Suits.” It starts off with a bang and ratchets up the tension from there.
As the partner of a prestigious law firm, one holds a great deal of power in Los Angeles. But beware the power struggles within; they have a way of revealing secrets best left buried. It’s a cutthroat world at Thompson & West. Read More
Teaser
As a disgraced lawyer with a drinking problem, Jake West is coasting on what’s left of his charm and money. He used to be the kind of lawyer who could convince anyone of anything --- until he decided to take on his father’s biggest client and prove his dad was corrupt. Now Jake finds himself almost at rock bottom, and that’s before his ex-best friend is murdered and Jake is accused of the crime. In a desperate bid to save himself, Jake must sober up and search for the real killer, whom he suspects might be hidden in one of the case files of his father’s illustrious law firm. As he delves into a labyrinth of lies and corruption, Jake teams up with an eclectic group of equally broken people as they all must skirt the law in order to find the proof he needs…no matter the personal or professional cost.
Promo
As a disgraced lawyer with a drinking problem, Jake West is coasting on what’s left of his charm and money. He used to be the kind of lawyer who could convince anyone of anything --- until he decided to take on his father’s biggest client and prove his dad was corrupt. Now Jake finds himself almost at rock bottom, and that’s before his ex-best friend is murdered and Jake is accused of the crime. In a desperate bid to save himself, Jake must sober up and search for the real killer, whom he suspects might be hidden in one of the case files of his father’s illustrious law firm. As he delves into a labyrinth of lies and corruption, Jake teams up with an eclectic group of equally broken people as they all must skirt the law in order to find the proof he needs…no matter the personal or professional cost.
About the Book
From a writer and executive producer of "Suits" comes a riveting and gritty legal thriller about murder, cover-ups, redemption and Los Angeles --- perfect for fans of #1 bestselling authors John Grisham and Scott Turow.
As a disgraced lawyer with a drinking problem that he doesn’t view as a problem, Jake West is coasting on what’s left of his charm and money. He used to be the kind of lawyer who could convince anyone of anything --- until he decided to take on his father’s biggest client and prove his dad was corrupt. Now Jake finds himself almost at rock bottom, and that’s before his ex-best friend is murdered and Jake is accused of the crime.
In a desperate bid to save himself, Jake must sober up and search for the real killer, whom he suspects might be hidden in one of the case files of his father’s illustrious law firm. As he delves into a labyrinth of lies and corruption, Jake teams up with an eclectic group of equally broken people as they all must skirt the law in order to find the proof he needs…no matter the personal or professional cost.
Audiobook available, read by Andrew Eiden
Editorial Content for Meet Me at the Crossroads
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Twin sisters Ayanna and Olivia have always been a little disappointed not to share any of those mystical twin connections you always read about. Perhaps they never had a chance to nurture these psychic bonds, given that their parents divorced when they were small. Although they grow up spending their weekends together, their upbringings are very different. Olivia, who chooses to live with her mother after the divorce, is raised Catholic. Read More
Teaser
On an ordinary summer morning, the world is changed by the appearance of seven mysterious doors that seemingly lead to another world. People are, of course, mesmerized and intrigued: A new dimension filled with beauty and resources beckons them to step into an adventure. But, perhaps inevitably, people soon learn that what looks like paradise may very well be filled with danger. Ayanna and Olivia, two Black midwestern teens --- and twin sisters --- have different ideas of what may lie in the world beyond. But will their personal bond endure such wanton exploration? When one of them goes missing, will the other find solace on her own? And will she uncover the circumstances of what truly happened to her once constant companion and best friend?
Promo
On an ordinary summer morning, the world is changed by the appearance of seven mysterious doors that seemingly lead to another world. People are, of course, mesmerized and intrigued: A new dimension filled with beauty and resources beckons them to step into an adventure. But, perhaps inevitably, people soon learn that what looks like paradise may very well be filled with danger. Ayanna and Olivia, two Black midwestern teens --- and twin sisters --- have different ideas of what may lie in the world beyond. But will their personal bond endure such wanton exploration? When one of them goes missing, will the other find solace on her own? And will she uncover the circumstances of what truly happened to her once constant companion and best friend?
About the Book
From the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of LAKEWOOD and THE WOMEN COULD FLY, a dazzling novel about two brilliant sisters and what happens to their undeniable bond when a mysterious and possibly perilous new world beckons.
On an ordinary summer morning, the world is changed by the appearance of seven mysterious doors that seemingly lead to another world. People are, of course, mesmerized and intrigued: A new dimension filled with beauty and resources beckons them to step into an adventure. But, perhaps inevitably, people soon learn that what looks like paradise may very well be filled with danger.
Ayanna and Olivia, two Black midwestern teens --- and twin sisters --- have different ideas of what may lie in the world beyond. But will their personal bond endure such wanton exploration? When one of them goes missing, will the other find solace on her own? And will she uncover the circumstances of what truly happened to her once constant companion and best friend?
Megan Giddings brings her customarily brilliant and eye-opening powers of storytelling to give us a narrative that dazzles the senses and bewitches the mind. MEET ME AT THE CROSSROADS is an unforgettable novel about faith, love and family from one of today’s most exciting and surprising young writers.
Audiobook available, read by Brittany Bradford
Editorial Content for Ecstasy
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
ECSTASY by Ivy Pochoda reads like a deconstructed Greek tragedy told through a feminist lens and full of relentlessly unsettling moments that will shake even the staunchest reader. This fever dream of a story is short and can be consumed easily in one sitting.
Lena’s wealthy husband has just passed away. She is now dealing with her son, Drew, who is all business without much of a personality or sense of wonder. He has designs to use the family fortune to support his latest pet project: the luxurious Agape Villas in Naxos, Greece. Read More
Teaser
Lena’s wealthy, controlling, humorless husband has just died, and now she contends with her controlling, humorless son, Drew. She lands in Naxos with her best friend in tow for the unveiling of her son's pet project --- the luxurious Agape Villas. Here, she yearns to rediscover her true nature and remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was. But Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel and demanding that she fall in line. Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night and hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she'll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether or not Lena will join them and what it will cost her.
Promo
Lena’s wealthy, controlling, humorless husband has just died, and now she contends with her controlling, humorless son, Drew. She lands in Naxos with her best friend in tow for the unveiling of her son's pet project --- the luxurious Agape Villas. Here, she yearns to rediscover her true nature and remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was. But Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel and demanding that she fall in line. Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night and hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she'll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether or not Lena will join them and what it will cost her.
About the Book
A deliciously dark horror reimagining of a Greek tragedy, by Ivy Pochoda, winner of the LA Times Book Prize.
Lena wants her life back. Her wealthy, controlling, humorless husband has just died and now she contends with her controlling, humorless son, Drew. Lena lands in Naxos with her best friend in tow for the unveiling of her son's pet project --- the luxurious Agape Villas.
Years of marriage amongst the wealthy elite has whittled Lena's spirit into rope and sinew, smothered by tasteful cocktail dresses and unending small talk. On Naxos she yearns to rediscover her true nature, remember the exuberant dancer and party girl she once was, but Drew tightens his grip, keeping her cloistered inside the hotel, demanding that she fall in line.
Lena is intrigued by a group of women living in tents on the beach in front of the Agape. She can feel their drums at night, hear their seductive leader calling her to dance. Soon she'll find that an ancient God stirs on the beach, awakening dark desires of women across the island. The only questions left will be whether or not Lena will join them and what it will cost her.
ECSTASY is a riveting, darkly poetic, one-sitting read about empowerment, desire, and what happens when women reject the roles set out for them.
Audiobook available, read by Cassandra Campbell and Nancy Wu
Editorial Content for Songs of No Provenance
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Lydi Conklin's debut novel (they previously published an award-winning short fiction collection) is unusual in a number of ways. The first is its plot structure. Unlike many novels, which build up to a moment of crisis and/or a day of reckoning, that's where SONGS OF NO PROVENANCE starts. Read More
Teaser
SONGS OF NO PROVENANCE tells the story of Joan Vole, an indie folk singer forever teetering on the edge of fame, who flees New York after committing a shocking sexual act onstage that she fears will doom her career. Joan seeks refuge at a writing camp for teenagers in rural Virginia, where she's forced to question her own toxic relationship to artmaking --- and her complicated history with a friend and mentee --- while finding new hope in her students and a deepening intimacy with a nonbinary artist and fellow camp staff member.
Promo
SONGS OF NO PROVENANCE tells the story of Joan Vole, an indie folk singer forever teetering on the edge of fame, who flees New York after committing a shocking sexual act onstage that she fears will doom her career. Joan seeks refuge at a writing camp for teenagers in rural Virginia, where she's forced to question her own toxic relationship to artmaking --- and her complicated history with a friend and mentee --- while finding new hope in her students and a deepening intimacy with a nonbinary artist and fellow camp staff member.
About the Book
A suspenseful, wildly engaging debut novel by the award-winning author of RAINBOW RAINBOW, following a musician spiraling in self-doubt and self-searching after a night --- and a relationship --- gone wrong
SONGS OF NO PROVENANCE tells the story of Joan Vole, an indie folk singer forever teetering on the edge of fame, who flees New York after committing a shocking sexual act onstage that she fears will doom her career. Joan seeks refuge at a writing camp for teenagers in rural Virginia, where she's forced to question her own toxic relationship to artmaking --- and her complicated history with a friend and mentee --- while finding new hope in her students and a deepening intimacy with a nonbinary artist and fellow camp staff member.
A propulsive character study of a flawed and fascinating artist, SONGS OF NO PROVENANCE explores issues of trans nonbinary identity, queer baiting and appropriation, kink, fame hunger, secrecy and survival, and the question of whether a work of art can exist separately from its artist.
Audiobook available, read by Kristin James
Editorial Content for Randy Travis: Storms of Life
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Diane Diekman has delved deep into the life events and storied career of American music’s acclaimed, awarded and much appreciated singer, songwriter and authentic character, Randy Travis. Read More
Teaser
Randy Travis’ 1986 breakthrough put him at the forefront of Nashville’s new traditionalist sound and, in the words of Garth Brooks, saved country music. The singer’s warm baritone and all-time classic songs landed him atop the charts 16 times. His cross-genre appeal brought a level of multiplatinum success that no country artist before him had ever achieved. Diane Diekman’s biography follows the life and career of one of country music’s most beloved figures. She uses dozens of interviews and in-depth research to fill in the details of Travis’ pre-fame life and his enormous impact on country, popular and gospel music. From there, she pivots to telling the story of the singer’s difficult divorce, subsequent problems with alcohol and run-ins with the law, and the challenges he overcame in the aftermath of a devastating 2013 stroke.
Promo
Randy Travis’ 1986 breakthrough put him at the forefront of Nashville’s new traditionalist sound and, in the words of Garth Brooks, saved country music. The singer’s warm baritone and all-time classic songs landed him atop the charts 16 times. His cross-genre appeal brought a level of multiplatinum success that no country artist before him had ever achieved. Diane Diekman’s biography follows the life and career of one of country music’s most beloved figures. She uses dozens of interviews and in-depth research to fill in the details of Travis’ pre-fame life and his enormous impact on country, popular and gospel music. From there, she pivots to telling the story of the singer’s difficult divorce, subsequent problems with alcohol and run-ins with the law, and the challenges he overcame in the aftermath of a devastating 2013 stroke.
About the Book
Randy Travis’ 1986 breakthrough put him at the forefront of Nashville’s new traditionalist sound and, in the words of Garth Brooks, saved country music. The singer’s warm baritone and all-time classic songs, like “Forever and Ever, Amen,” landed him atop the charts 16 times. His cross-genre appeal brought a level of multiplatinum success that no country artist before him had ever achieved.
Diane Diekman’s biography follows the life and career of one of country music’s most beloved figures. Steered from a troubled path as a teen, Travis served a long apprenticeship under manager and future wife Lib Hatcher before being rejected by the Nashville music industry as “too country.” The single “On the Other Hand” and his smash debut album did away with the doubters and began a dominant four-year run that stretched into ongoing success as a recording artist, trailblazing live performer, and actor in film and television.
Diekman uses dozens of interviews and in-depth research to fill in the details of Travis’ pre-fame life and his enormous impact on country, popular and gospel music. From there, she pivots to telling the story of the singer’s difficult divorce from Hatcher, subsequent problems with alcohol and run-ins with the law, and the challenges he overcame in the aftermath of a devastating 2013 stroke.
Informed by a wealth of new research and interviews, RANDY TRAVIS is the first in-depth biography of the country music legend.
June 27, 2025
The scorching heat here in the tri-state area disappeared on Thursday with just a few drops of rain ushering in temps back in the 60s and 70s. It's lovely timing since we all were wilting earlier in the week.
Next week, we will not be doing our weekly Friday update or newsletter so the staff can enjoy a long --- and much-needed --- holiday weekend. We have been working like crazy, and we can use some time to plan for the rest of the year. We also will kick it back a big notch, and read and relax.










