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Melanie Benjamin, author of California Golden

Southern California, 1960s. Carol Donnelly is a legendary female surfer struggling to compete in a male-dominated sport --- and her daughters, Mindy and Ginger, bear the weight of her unconventional lifestyle. The Donnelly sisters grow up enduring their mother’s absence, both physically and emotionally. To escape questions about Carol’s whereabouts --- and to chase her elusive affection --- they cut school to spend their days in the surf. From her first time on a board, Mindy is a natural, but Ginger, two years younger, feels out of place in the water. As they grow up and their lives diverge, Mindy and Ginger’s relationship ebbs and flows. But through it all, their sense of duty to each other survives, as they are forever connected by the emotional damage they carry from their unorthodox childhood.

Week of August 5, 2024

Paperback releases for the week of August 5th include THE TRUTH ABOUT THE DEVLINS by Lisa Scottoline, a pulse-pounding novel of domestic suspense about family, justice and the lies that tear us apart; BRIGHT YOUNG WOMEN, an exhilarating thriller from Jessica Knoll in which two women from opposite sides of the country are brought together by violent acts of the same man; Melanie Benjamin's CALIFORNIA GOLDEN, a gripping, emotional story about two sisters who navigate the thrilling, euphoric early days of California surf culture; ONE WRONG WORD by Hank Phillippi Ryan, a heart-racing psychological thriller that explores the insidious nature of gossip, scandal and lies --- and how careers, friendships and even marriages can be shattered forever; and Liza Mundy's THE SISTERHOOD, a fascinating history of three generations at the CIA centered on the women who fought to become operatives, transformed spycraft and tracked down Osama bin Laden.