Adult

Devastated by the sudden death of her mother --- a quiet, loving and intensely private Southern seamstress called Miss Mabel --- Sutton Douglas makes the impulsive decision to head north to the Michigan resort town where she believes she’ll find answers to the lifelong questions she’s had about not only her mother’s past but also her own place in the world. Recalling Miss Mabel’s sewing notions that were her childhood toys, Sutton buys a collection of buttons at an estate sale from Bonnie Lyons, the imposing matriarch of the lakeside community. Propelled by a handful of trinkets left behind by her mother and glimpses into the history of the magical lakeshore town, Sutton becomes tantalized by the possibility that Bonnie is the grandmother she never knew. But is she?

Art Barbara was a 17-year-old high school loner in the late 1980s who started an extracurricular club for volunteer pallbearers at poorly attended funerals. His new friend brought along her Polaroid camera to take pictures of the corpses. Okay, that part was a little weird. So was her obsessive knowledge of a notorious bit of New England folklore that involved digging up the dead. And there were other strange things --- terrifying things --- that happened when she was around, usually at night. Decades later, Art tries to make sense of it all by writing The Pallbearers Club: A Memoir. But somehow this friend got her hands on the manuscript and, well, she has some issues with it. And now she’s making cuts.

As an expert in relationship-evasion and the host of the popular student radio show “Brown Sugar,” Kiki Banjo has made it her mission to make sure the women of the African-Caribbean Society at Whitewell University do not fall into the mess of “situationships,” players and heartbreak. But when the Queen of the Unbothered kisses Malakai Korede, the guy she just publicly denounced as “The Wastemen of Whitewell,” in front of every Blackwellian on campus, she finds her show on the brink. They’re soon embroiled in a fake relationship to try and salvage their reputations and save their futures. But surprisingly entertaining study sessions and intimate late-night talks force Kiki to look beyond her own presumptions. Is she ready to open herself up to something deeper?

War has swept across Marquensas. Ruthless raiders have massacred the inhabitants of Beran’s Hill, including Gwen, the beloved wife of Declan Smith. Declan swears to track down and destroy the raiders, an ambition shared by Baron Daylon Dumarch, whose family was massacred as they fled the capital. Meanwhile, Hava, whose gift for piracy has seen her acquire the treasure ship Borzon’s Black Wake and the swift Azhante sailing vessel, Queen of Storms, and won her the name of “the Sea Demon,” is closing in on the whereabouts of those who unleashed the murderous hordes. Her husband, Hatushaly, the last remaining member of the ruling family of Ithrace, the legendary Firemanes, seeks to control the magical powers he has inherited.

Summer has finally arrived on Ireland’s west coast. On the Finfarran Peninsula, Hanna Casey is looking forward to al fresco lunches with friends and balmy evenings with her boyfriend, Brian, in their stunning new home in beautiful Hag’s Glen. But life takes a turn when Brian's adult son suddenly moves in and Hanna unexpectedly runs into Amy, a former flatmate from Hanna’s 20s in London. When Amy suggests a reunion in London with old friends, Hanna accepts. When she’s offered a new opportunity --- the chance to be more than a local librarian in the little rural community where she grew up --- Hanna is faced with a difficult choice: to decide what her heart truly wants.

Vinh Pham is a world-class physical therapist --- a member of a new breed that dissects how people really move. Early in his career, he discovered a disappointing truth: most of his patients came to him already in pain. They had poor, deeply ingrained lifestyle habits that misaligned their joints and tightened their muscles. If you’re sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time without getting up, you may be heading toward a world of hurt. Vinh’s answer to the host of muscle maladies that ails us has been a revolutionary concept: why not futureproof? Instead of reacting to chronic pain after it flares up, what if we focused on a “movement discipline” that not only prevents injuries but leads to longer lives, healthier bodies and a clearer mind?

Jamie is a Florida Woman. She grew up on the beach, thrives in humidity, has weathered more hurricanes than she can count, and now, after going viral for an outrageous crime she never meant to commit, she has the requisite headline to her name --- and the impending jail time with it. So when Atlas Wildlife Center, a shelter for exotic monkeys, offers Jamie the chance to take a community service sentence for the summer, it seems like just the fresh start Jamie needs to finally get her life back on track…until it’s not. Something sinister stirs in the dark palmetto woods, and secrets lurk among the three beguiling staff women of Atlas as they affectionately take Jamie under their wing. Soon her summer is set to become material for an even stranger Florida headline than she could’ve imagined.

Victor Li is a man without a past. To his new employer, Mark, he’s just an anonymous hired hand to help with the dirty work. Together, they break into storage units that contain the possessions of the recently deported, pocketing whatever is worth selling. Only Victor and his sister, Jules, know that he’s a wanted man. Amid the backpacks and suitcases, Victor makes the find of a lifetime: a gem rare and valuable enough to change his fortunes in an instant. Thankfully, its former owner, a woman named Song Fei, also left a book of cryptic notes --- including the name of a gemstone dealer in Mexico City. When Victor and Mark cross the southern border, they quickly realize that this gem is wrapped up in a much larger scheme than they imagined.

Carol misses red flags about Joe’s need for control before she marries him, dashing her dreams for herself and her family. Trouble escalates after their daughter, Ellie, is paralyzed by the polio virus and Joe returns from WWII. Carol realizes how brutal waking life can be, and she conceals bruises and protects her children the best she can. THE MOMENTS BETWEEN DREAMS is a captivating story of a 1940s housewife who conforms to the rulebook of society until Joe pushes her too far. His constant intimidation shrinks Carol’s confidence while she tries to boost Ellie’s. Church-going neighbors in Carol’s tight-knit Polish community are complacent, but Sam, a handsome reporter, stirs up Carol’s zest for life. Despite impossible circumstances, Carol plans a secret escape.

During the throes of the Great Depression, Polly marries for money. After her husband, Sam, dies in a freak farm accident, new bride Polly assumes she is financially set to pursue her dream of opening a hat-making business. Instead, she becomes the prime suspect in Sam's murder. Secrets abound, and even Polly's family can't figure out the truth. Narrated by Polly; her self-righteous older sister, Sarah; and Sarah's well-meaning but flawed husband, Wesley, a Methodist minister, the story follows several twists through the landscape of the rural Midwest. Each narrator has a strong compelling voice. Polly's early letters to her mother both reveal and hide her naivete, her fears and her dreams. Sarah is both caring and critical. Wesley is dedicated to his calling and his parishioners, but his weaknesses are prominent.