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Ottessa Moshfegh, author of Lapvona

Little Marek, the abused and delusional son of the village shepherd, never knew his mother. One of life’s few consolations for Marek is his enduring bond with the blind village midwife, Ina, who suckled him when he was a baby. Ina’s gifts extend beyond childcare: she possesses a unique ability to communicate with the natural world. Her gift often brings her the transmission of sacred knowledge on levels far beyond those available to other villagers, however religious they might be. For some people, Ina’s home in the woods outside of the village is a place to fear and to avoid. By year’s end, the veil between blindness and sight, life and death, the natural world and the spirit world, will prove to be very thin indeed.

Week of June 19, 2023

Paperback releases for the week of June 19th include THE 6:20 MAN, a brilliant thriller from David Baldacci in which a cryptic murder pulls a former soldier turned financial analyst deep into the corruption and menace that prowl beneath the opulent world of finance; COLD, COLD BONES, Kathy Reichs' 21st novel of suspense featuring forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan, who, after receiving a box containing a human eyeball, uncovers a series of gruesome killings eerily reenacting the most shocking of her prior cases; BITTERSWEET by Susan Cain, an Oprah's Book Club pick that explores the power of the bittersweet personality, revealing a misunderstood side of mental health and creativity while offering a roadmap to facing grief in order to live life to the fullest; and Ron Shelton's THE CHURCH OF BASEBALL, the extremely entertaining behind-the-scenes story of the making of the cult classic Bull Durham --- courtesy of the award-winning screenwriter and director of the film --- and an insightful primer on the art and business of moviemaking.