An unexpected wind picks up from the north and the wall of fire becomes a living thing, a dragon roaring toward the first responders who try to tame it. I'm frozen in place, watching this hellscape. These thirty-mile-per-hour gusts have seemingly arrived out of, well, thin air.
I'm going blind as I write this. It feels less dramatic than it sounds. The words aren't disappearing as I type. I'm sitting comfortably in the sunroom. The sun is rising like it's supposed to. I can plainly see Lily sitting next to me, reading in her striped pajamas. The visible world is disappearing, but it's not in a hurry.
The Calamity Club ~ by Kathryn Stockett, 2026, historical fiction (Mississippi), 656 pagesSeptember 1933 ... Downtown Drugstore had a bell on the door that made a single tink sound when you opened it. Oxford Pharmacy had two bells on its door so it was more of a ta-tink, though nothing to startle over. But the Gathright-Reed Drug Co. door bore a foot-long strip of brass sleigh bells on its knob, which, when turned, sent metal balls clanging to announce somebody's coming in the dang store so you better turn around and look see who it is. And if you did, you'd see me.
Maisie Dobbs glanced around, taking account of the congregation gathered in Chelstone's ancient parish church. She was sure not one more person could be squeezed into the edifice. Every single pew was packed with villagers and visitors who had traveled from far and wide to pay their respects to the deceased.
The Comfort of Ghosts (Book #18 in the Maisie Dobbs Series) ~ by Jacqueline Winspear, 2024, historical mystery, 360 pages
London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion — the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Psychologist and Investigator Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners and discovers that a demobilized soldier, gravely ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, has taken shelter with the group.Maisie’s quest to bring comfort to the youngsters and the ailing soldier brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning Maisie’s first husband, James Compton, who was killed while piloting an experimental fighter aircraft. As Maisie unravels the threads of her dead husband’s life, she is forced to examine her own painful past and question beliefs she has always accepted as true.
The award-winning Maisie Dobbs series has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers, readers drawn to a woman who is of her time, yet familiar in ours — and who inspires with her resilience and capacity for endurance. This final assignment of her own choosing not only opens a new future for Maisie and her family, but serves as a fascinating portrayal of the challenges facing the people of Britain at the close of the Second World War.
The Personal Librarian ~ by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, 2021, biographical historical fiction (New Jersey), 341 pagesThe Old North bell tolls the hour, and I realize that I'll be late. I long to break into a sprint, my voluminous skirts lifted, my legs flying along the Princeton University pathways. But just as I gather the heavy material, I hear Mama's voice: Belle, be a lady at all times. I sigh; a lady would never run.
Modern science fiction, among the insiders in the field, is a phrase that refers to a readily identifiable change in the format of the science fiction story, which was begun in 1938 and was readily apparent by the middle of 1939. The revolutionary was John W. Campbell, who not ony forcibly moved this branch of fiction in the direction in which he wanted it to go but under the name of Don A. Stuart had previously written prototypes of the kind of stories he had in mind.
"Are we alone?" This short but profound question has been repeatedly posed by us on Earth as we attempt to discover if there is life on other planets.
World of the Unexplained: Alien Encounters ~ by Sam Pilger and Leo Moynihan, 2024, unidentified flying objects, 176 pagesHas human history been influenced by extraterrestrials for up to 12,000 years? There are a group of authors and academics who say there is strong evidence this is the case, and aliens have walked the Earth, helping to build the iconic pyramids in Egypt, the holy site of Puma Punku in Bolivia, and even had a role with the Ark of the Covenant.
I can't think of a better way to kick things off than with a discussion of black cats and all the superstitions swirling around them. Whether you are a cat person or a dog person, super religious or a stone-cold atheist, you've probably heard that seeing a black cat is a bad omen.
When all is said and done, killing my mother came easily. Dementia, as it descends, has a way of revealing the core of the person affected by it. My mother's core was rotten like the brackish water at the bottom of a weeksold vase of flowers.
In the next twenty-four hours, I will be arrested for first-degree murder.
The sound of breaking glass shattered the predawn quiet. Some-where in the distance, shards cascaded onto the street to incongrous laughter.
'What was that?' Lilly reached across to her husband's side of the bed to find it empty, the covers blung back in haste. Her bare arms bristled against an unexpected rush of cold air. Salo stood beside the window, craning his neck to peer out.
Another smash. Louder and closer than before.
Vienna, 1938. Newlywed Lilly is looking forward to the future with her husband until the Nazi annexation of Austria throws everything into uncertainty. Suddenly, their Jewish heritage turns them into outcasts, facing persecution and daily humiliation.Despite their tireless efforts to emigrate, no country will grant them the visas they desperately need. Then Kristallnacht, the Night of Broken Glass, shatters Lilly's world.With the outbreak of WWII, Lilly remains trapped in Vienna, fearful of what lies ahead. Her cousin discovers a possible escape: joining a group of Jewish refugees on a daring journey down the Danube River and across the Black Sea to the Promised Land.Leaving comes at a price, and though it may offer Lilly a second chance and new friendships, it will also test her resilience to the limit. With danger and difficulties at every turn, can Lilly and all the other refugees survive the journey and reach safety?
The motivation to write this book certainly comes from the desire to help the many people we have seen suffering from depression. But this is not just a book about getting rid of your depression. Our more earnest hope is to give you tools to help you transform your life. Transformation doesn't happen by merely getting rid of a problem. Transformation occurs when you have the capacity to greet the problems in your life with an open awareness and a keen interest. Learning how to be open to life and face painful problems is at the heart of our interest in exploring how mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy can be tools of transformation.
Salty ~ by Kate Myers, 2025, humorous fiction, 320 pagesYou wouldn't know it was happening until the water reached your bed.Something this big doesn't go down fast, like a beer can to the bottom of a pool. Density, buoyancy, mass, and fiberglass — I'm not getting into that with you.Trust me. It takes a very long time. Overnight, for example. And I'm telling you, if you're asleep after you've had a few, you're not going to notice.
What has life taught you? Would you share it with me? That is the simple premise behind this book and its predecessor.In 1992 I compiled and edited the first volume of Live and Learn and Pass It On, and on a whim asked readers to send me whatever wise sayings, humorus observations, and practical advice they would like to share. Thousands of readers accepted my invitation. This book is a collection of my favorite responses, along with some of my own discoveries.Here's a small sampling:
- on finance; "I've learned that loaning money to friends and relatives causes them to get amnesia."
- on self-esteem: "I've learned that if you are in a relationship with someone who doesn't believe in you, you should get out before you stop believing in yourself."
Gestures are all I have; sometimes they must be grand in nature. And while I occasionally step over the line and into the world of the melodramatic, it is what I must do in order to communicate clearly and effectively. In order to make my point understood without question. I have no words I can rely on because, much to my dismay, my tongue was designed long and flat and loose, and therefore, is a horribly ineffective tool for pushing food around my mouth while chewing, and an even less effective tool for making clever and complicated polysyllabic sounds that can be linked together to form sentences.
From the dust jacket: Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver.Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side. Having learned what it takes to be a compassionate and successful person, the wise canine can barely wait until his next lifetime, when he is sure he will return as a man.
Dear Mrs. Fortier, I hope this letter finds you well. For that matter, I hope it finds you, since I am sending it to Northwest Home & Life magazine, where I so enjoyed your recent tale about digging for clams.
Creamy risotto alla Milanese. Mussels in a hot, buttery broth. Chicken spiced with cinnamon and cloves. Joan Bergstrom and Imogen Fortier understand the key to a savored life — delicious food. Young Joan is just discovering herself as a foodwriter in bustling Los Angeles, while experienced columnist Imogen is settled in her decades-long marriage on Camano Island outside Seattle. When Joan sends a fan letter to Imogen with an enclosed packet of saffron and a recipe, their journey of culinary exploration and soul-deep friendship begins. A long-lost flavor surfaces buried memories, and a quest to make carne asada opens the doors of a sheltered life. Into this beautiful, intimate world comes the ultimate test of their friendship, and of their belief that food and love can sustain us during our darkest hours.
I have never been what you'd call a cryig man. My ex-wife said that my "nonexistent emotional gradient" was the main reason she was leaving me (as if the guy she met in her AA meetings was beside the point).
I have never, ever tried to read a book this long before, but the idea intrigued me. The front cover inside the front cover (yes, read that again) has a different headline that the one above. It says: "JFK ESCAPES ASSASSINATION." So I brought it home and have read several chapters so far.
I was standing at the bar in the Green Parrot, waiting for a guy named Carlos from Miami who'd called my cell a few days ago and said he might have a job for me.
The pool is located deep undergrounw, in a large cavernous chammber many feet beneath the streets of our town. Some of us come here because we are injured, and need to heal. We suffer from bad backs, fallen arches, shattered dreams, brokwn hearts, anxiety, melancholia anhedonia, the usual aboveground afflictions. Others of us are employed at the college nearby and prefer to take our lunch breaks down below, in the waters, far away from the harsh glares of our colleagues and screens.
From the award-winning author of The Buddha in the Attic and When the Emperor Was Divine comes a novel that "starts as a catalogue of spoken and unspoken rules for swimmers at an aquatic center but unfolds into a powerful story of a mother’s dementia and her daughter’s love" (The Washington Post).The swimmers are unknown to one another except through their private routines (slow lane, medium lane, fast lane) and the solace each takes in their morning or afternoon laps. When a crack appears at the bottom of the pool, they are cast out into an unforgiving world without comfort or relief.One of these swimmers is Alice, who is slowly losing her memory. For Alice, the pool was a final stand against the darkness of her encroaching dementia. Without the fellowship of other swimmers and the routine of her daily laps she is plunged into dislocation and chaos, swept into memories of her childhood and the Japanese American incarceration camp in which she spent the war. Alice's estranged daughter, reentering her mother's life too late, witnesses her stark and devastating decline.
One reviewer wrote: "As the book progresses, I found [the crack at the bottom of the pool to be] a clear metaphor for the beginning of Alice's demise, the crack in her mind so to speak." Now I'm into the book and enjoying it so far.
In the fall of 2000, nearly a decade after I began my legal practice defending victims of violence in the courts of Iran, I faced the ten most harrowing days of my entire career. The work I typically handled — battered children, women hostage to abusive marriages, political prisoners — brought me into daily contact with human cruelty, but the case at hand involved menace of a different order.
