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Jane Smiley, author of Perestroika in Paris

Paras, short for "Perestroika," is a spirited racehorse at a racetrack west of Paris. One afternoon, she finds the door of her stall open and wanders all the way to the City of Light. Soon she meets an elegant dog, a German shorthaired pointer named Frida, and they keep company with two irrepressible ducks and an opinionated raven. But then Paras meets a human boy, Etienne, and discovers a new, otherworldly part of Paris: the ivy-walled house where the boy and his nearly 100-year-old great-grandmother live in seclusion. As the cold weather and Christmas near, the unlikeliest of friendships bloom. But how long can a runaway horse stay undiscovered in Paris? How long can a boy keep her hidden and all to himself?

Week of November 1, 2021

Paperback releases for the week of November 1st include Tana French's THE SEARCHER, a masterful, atmospheric tale of suspense that asks what we sacrifice in our search for truth and justice, and what we risk if we don't; YOU LOVE ME, the third installment in Caroline Kepnes’ compulsively readable thriller series, with an all-new plot not seen in the blockbuster Netflix show, "You"; PERESTROIKA IN PARIS by Jane Smiley, a captivating, brilliantly imaginative story of three extraordinary animals --- and a young boy --- whose lives intersect in Paris; LOCAL WOMAN MISSING, a smart and chilling thriller in which Mary Kubica takes domestic secrets to a whole new level, showing that some people will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried; and QUEENS OF THE CRUSADES, an epic narrative history from Alison Weir chronicling the first five queens from the powerful royal family that ruled England and France for over 300 years.