Adult

Mercy Louis, the star of the championship girls’ basketball team, seems destined for greatness, but the road out of town is riddled with obstacles. At the periphery of her world floats team manager Illa Stark, who is spellbound by Mercy’s beauty and talent. But a note discovered in Mercy’s gym locker reveals that her life may not be as perfect as it appears. The last day of school brings the disturbing discovery, and as summer unfolds and the police investigate, every girl becomes a suspect.

Nobel laureate Mario Vargas Llosa’s latest novel, THE DISCREET HERO, follows two fascinating characters whose lives are destined to intersect: neat, endearing Felícito Yanaqué, a small businessman in Piura, Peru, who finds himself the victim of blackmail; and Ismael Carrera, a successful owner of an insurance company in Lima, who cooks up a plan to avenge himself against the two lazy sons who want him dead.

Have you recently lost your husband? Are there days when you feel so terribly alone --- and that no one else could possibly understand? As a recent widow herself, author Gayle Roper understands. Join Gayle as she draws on her emotions during the loss of her beloved husband, Chuck, and offers you a compassionate devotional to encourage you through your darkest days. Gayle knows a widow’s pain is deep. But she also knows God’s love is deeper still. And it’s in His love you’ll find your deepest comfort.

As a young bride, Jennifer Smith couldn’t wait to build her life with the man she adored. She dreamed of closeness, of being fully known and loved by her husband. But the first years of marriage were nothing like she’d imagined. Instead, they were marked by disappointment and pain. Trapped by fear and insecurity, and feeling totally alone, Jennifer cried out to God: What am I doing wrong? Why is this happening to us? It was as if a veil had descended between her and her husband, and between her and God --- one that kept her from experiencing the fullness of love.

The three wily and beautiful McDougal sisters can swindle a man faster than it takes to lasso a calf. But their luck is running out, and they’re about to be hauled off to jail. When the wagon carrying them falls under attack, each sister is picked up by a different man. Anne-Marie, the middle sister, is saved by Creed Walker, a Crow warrior. It’s loathing at first sight, but with bandits on their tail and a cache of gold to hide, Creed and Anne-Marie need each other. Will they learn to put aside their differences and trust each other --- and God? And can their growing faith turn their lives around?

Fresh out of college, Hannah Brencher moved to New York, where she found herself lonely and depressed. When she noticed a woman who looked like she felt the same way on the subway, Hannah did something strange --- she wrote the woman a letter. She folded it, scribbled “If you find this letter, it’s for you...” on the front and left it behind. When she realized that it made her feel better, she started writing and leaving love notes all over the city. She found solace in the idea that her words might brighten someone’s day.

Many of us believe that in order to please God, we have to be perfect. In a culture that emphasizes accomplishment and ever-higher goals, we feel driven to do more, achieve more, be more. The result? Anger, frustration and anxiety that keep us far away from the life of peace that Jesus promised. For years, Sandra McCollom lived in this trap. In I TRIED UNTIL I ALMOST DIED, she shares how she left behind her burden of anxiety and fear, and shows you how to experience for yourself the freedom of trusting solely in the perfecting power of God’s grace.

Just a few short weeks into her year-long training at the Blessing Hospital, Miriam Hastings is called home to Chicago, where her mother is gravely ill. With siblings to care for, Miriam pleads to be allowed to finish her training in Chicago. Her nursing supervisor grants her a brief reprieve but extracts a promise that Miriam will return to Blessing and fulfill her one-year commitment. While in Chicago, Miriam has tried to get Trygve Knutson and Blessing out of her mind, but his letters make that impossible.

The Bible urges Christians to rise above worries and experience the "peace that passes understanding." But how does this really happen in everyday life? Based on John MacArthur's bestselling ANXIOUS FOR NOTHING, this small and concise book moves beyond pop psychology's temporary cures and returns readers to the true source of comfort and victory: Scripture. As MacArthur writes, the key to worry-free living is to develop habits of prayer, right thinking and action. Here he draws on rich biblical truths to show readers how.