The Melody by Jim Crace
Synopsis
From the Booker Prize-shortlisted author of Harvest, Quarantine, and Being Dead, a tender new novel about music, celebrity, local intrigue, and lost love--all set by the Mediterranean Sea
Aside from his trusty piano, Alfred Busi lives alone in his villa overlooking the waves. Famed in his town for his music and songs, he is mourning the recent death of his wife and quietly living out his days, occasionally performing the classics in small venues--never in the stadiums he could fill when in his prime. On the night before receiving his town's highest honor, Busi is wrested from bed by noises in his courtyard and then stunned by an attacking intruder--his hands and neck are scratched, his face is bitten. Busi can't say what it was that he encountered, exactly, but he feels his assailant was neither man nor animal.
The attack sets off a chain of events that will cast a shadow on Busi's career, imperil his home, and alter the fabric of his town. Busi's own account of what happened is embellished to fan the flames of old rumor--of an ancient race of people living in the surrounding forest--and to spark new controversy: something must finally be done about the town's poor, the feral vagabonds at its edges, whose numbers have been growing. All the while Busi, weathering a media storm, must come to terms with his wife's death and decide whether to sing one last time.
In trademark crystalline prose, Jim Crace portrays a man taking stock of his life and looking into an uncertain future, all while bearing witness to a community in the throes of great change--with echoes of today's most pressing social questions.
Aside from his trusty piano, Alfred Busi lives alone in his villa overlooking the waves. Famed in his town for his music and songs, he is mourning the recent death of his wife and quietly living out his days, occasionally performing the classics in small venues--never in the stadiums he could fill when in his prime. On the night before receiving his town's highest honor, Busi is wrested from bed by noises in his courtyard and then stunned by an attacking intruder--his hands and neck are scratched, his face is bitten. Busi can't say what it was that he encountered, exactly, but he feels his assailant was neither man nor animal.
The attack sets off a chain of events that will cast a shadow on Busi's career, imperil his home, and alter the fabric of his town. Busi's own account of what happened is embellished to fan the flames of old rumor--of an ancient race of people living in the surrounding forest--and to spark new controversy: something must finally be done about the town's poor, the feral vagabonds at its edges, whose numbers have been growing. All the while Busi, weathering a media storm, must come to terms with his wife's death and decide whether to sing one last time.
In trademark crystalline prose, Jim Crace portrays a man taking stock of his life and looking into an uncertain future, all while bearing witness to a community in the throes of great change--with echoes of today's most pressing social questions.
Honeybee by Trista Mateer
Synopsis
You will meet people in your lifetime who demand to have poems written about them. It's not something they say. It's something about their hands, the shape of their mouths, the way they look walking away from you. Honeybee is an honest take on walking away and still feeling like you were walked away from. It's about cutting love loose like a kite string and praying the wind has the decency to carry it away from you. It's an ode to the back and forth, the process of letting something go but not knowing where to put it down. Honeybee is putting it down. It's small town girls and plane tickets, a taste of tenderness and honey, the bandage on the bee sting. It's a reminder that you are not defined by the people you walk away from or the people who walk away from you. Consider Honeybee a memoir in verse, or at the very least, a story written by one of today's most confessional poets.
Delightful by Adrianne Lee
Synopsis
BAD BOYS ARE HER WEAKNESSIce Erickksen has "one-night stand" written all over him. Once he's finished shooting the Big Sky Pie reality show, this hot-as-hell TV producer is going to hightail it out of Montana and return to his glamorous life in L.A. But Ice gets into hot water when one of the goodies in the pie shop-a delightful blonde with marriage on her mind-burns up the camera lens.
Andrea Lovette, the manager of the shop, always picks the bad boys. But after her divorce, she's determined to find the good family man that her two young sons deserve. Although Andrea's body sizzles whenever Ice is near, she knows in her heart that he's not marriage material. Then why does the bad boy still seem like such a good idea?
Andrea Lovette, the manager of the shop, always picks the bad boys. But after her divorce, she's determined to find the good family man that her two young sons deserve. Although Andrea's body sizzles whenever Ice is near, she knows in her heart that he's not marriage material. Then why does the bad boy still seem like such a good idea?
Fog Island Mountains by Michelle Bailat-Jones
Synopsis
What if you could rewrite a tragedy? What if you could give grace to someone s greatest mistake? Huddled beneath the volcanoes of the Kirishima mountain range in southern Japan, also called the Fog Island Mountains, the inhabitants of small town Komachi are waiting for the biggest of the summer's typhoons. South African expatriate Alec Chester has lived in Komachi for nearly forty years. Alec considers himself an ordinary man, with common troubles and mundane achievements until his doctor gives him a terminal cancer diagnosis and his wife, Kanae, disappears into the gathering storm. Kanae flees from the terrifying reality of Alec's diagnosis, even going so far as to tell a childhood friend that she is already a widow. Her willful avoidance of the truth leads her to commit a grave infidelity, and only when Alec is suspected of checking himself out of the hospital to commit a quiet suicide does Kanae come home to face what it will mean to lose her husband. Narrating this story is Azami, one of Komachi's oldest and most peculiar inhabitants, the daughter of a famous storyteller with a mysterious story of her own. A haunting and beautiful reinterpretation of the Japanese kitsune folktale tradition, Fog Island Mountains is a novel about the dangers of action taken in grief and of a belief in healing through storytelling.
Stand Up Straight and Sing! by Jessye Norman
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In this uplifting memoir, the acclaimed singer reflects “on life, the arts, and spirituality . . . Inspiring” (Booklist).
Jessye Norman is one of the world’s most admired and beloved singers—and her life story is as moving and dramatic as the great operatic roles she has performed on stage.
Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, she studied the piano and sang the songs of her childhood, never dreaming that this passion for music might lead to her life’s profession. Here she presents “a rich portrait of a childhood firmly grounded by family, church and community,” and recalls in rich detail the strong women who were her role models, from her ancestors to family friends, relatives, and teachers (The Wall Street Journal). She also discusses her relationship with the pioneering African American singer Marian Anderson—revealing the lifelong support she provided through her example of dignity and grace at all times.
Norman also describes coming face-to-face with racism, both as a child living in the segregated South and as an adult out and about in the world. Filled with inspiration and wisdom, Stand Up Straight and Sing! is not just for lovers of music, but for everyone.
Jessye Norman is one of the world’s most admired and beloved singers—and her life story is as moving and dramatic as the great operatic roles she has performed on stage.
Born and raised in Augusta, Georgia, she studied the piano and sang the songs of her childhood, never dreaming that this passion for music might lead to her life’s profession. Here she presents “a rich portrait of a childhood firmly grounded by family, church and community,” and recalls in rich detail the strong women who were her role models, from her ancestors to family friends, relatives, and teachers (The Wall Street Journal). She also discusses her relationship with the pioneering African American singer Marian Anderson—revealing the lifelong support she provided through her example of dignity and grace at all times.
Norman also describes coming face-to-face with racism, both as a child living in the segregated South and as an adult out and about in the world. Filled with inspiration and wisdom, Stand Up Straight and Sing! is not just for lovers of music, but for everyone.
Liar's Paradise by Steven Hartman and Eddrick Bedford
Synopsis
Reformed criminal, Lex Tennessee, lived a quiet law-abiding life—until a reckless "superhero" killed his wife. Drunk with vengeance, Lex vowed to end The Cadet’s career and avenge his wife’s death. The serial killer will harm again, unless Lex stops him.
The Beautiful Daughters by Nicole Baart
Synopsis
From the highly acclaimed author of Far From Here and Sleeping in Eden, described as “intense and absorbing from the very first page” (Heather Gudenkauf), comes a gripping new novel about two former best friends and the secrets they can’t escape.
Adrienne Vogt and Harper Penny were closer than sisters, until the day a tragedy blew their seemingly idyllic world apart. Afraid that they got away with murder and unable to accept who they had lost—and what they had done—Harper and Adri exiled themselves from small-town Blackhawk, Iowa, and from each other. Adriran thousands of miles away to Africa while Harper ventured down a more destructive path closer to home.
Now, five years later, both are convinced that nothing could ever coax them out of the worlds in which they’ve been living. But unexpected news from home soon pulls Adri and Harper back together, and the two cannot avoid facing their memories and guilt head-on. As they are pulled back into the tangle of their fractured relationships and the mystery of Piperhall, the sprawling estate where their lives first began to unravel, secrets and lies behind the tragic accident are laid bare. The former best friends are forced to come to terms with their shared past and search for the beauty in each other while mending the brokenness in themselves.
Nicole Baart’s lush and lyrical writing has been called “sparkling” (Publishers Weekly), “taut and engrossing” (Booklist), and “evocative and beautiful” (Romantic Times). The Beautiful Daughters is another exquisitely rendered, haunting story that will stay with readers long after the last page.
Adrienne Vogt and Harper Penny were closer than sisters, until the day a tragedy blew their seemingly idyllic world apart. Afraid that they got away with murder and unable to accept who they had lost—and what they had done—Harper and Adri exiled themselves from small-town Blackhawk, Iowa, and from each other. Adriran thousands of miles away to Africa while Harper ventured down a more destructive path closer to home.
Now, five years later, both are convinced that nothing could ever coax them out of the worlds in which they’ve been living. But unexpected news from home soon pulls Adri and Harper back together, and the two cannot avoid facing their memories and guilt head-on. As they are pulled back into the tangle of their fractured relationships and the mystery of Piperhall, the sprawling estate where their lives first began to unravel, secrets and lies behind the tragic accident are laid bare. The former best friends are forced to come to terms with their shared past and search for the beauty in each other while mending the brokenness in themselves.
Nicole Baart’s lush and lyrical writing has been called “sparkling” (Publishers Weekly), “taut and engrossing” (Booklist), and “evocative and beautiful” (Romantic Times). The Beautiful Daughters is another exquisitely rendered, haunting story that will stay with readers long after the last page.
The Two-Plate Solution by Jeff Oliver
Synopsis
A James Beard Award-winning chef stands atop a 50-foot-high diving platform having just plated a competition-winning culinary masterpiece. He looks down, faints from fear of heights, and careens into the water below. Worst of all? He knocks over his dish on the way down.
So begins The Two-Plate Solution, and it only gets better from there. Follow a diverse cast of young talented chefs as they compete in a high-stakes TV cooking competition set in Israel. Their culinary foes: fake “terrorists” brought in by the producers—that is, until some actual terrorists show up on set, and the producers must scramble to either integrate them into the show, or risk death.
Mysteries deepen, romances bloom, and chefs cook for their lives in this laugh-out-loud culinary adventure from Jeff Oliver, a major force in TV cooking shows the past fifteen years. His talented pen will have you caring about each character . . . and wondering how the many unforeseeable story twists will turn out.
Investing Quickstart Guide by Ted D. Snow, CFP, MBA
Synopsis
The book you wish you'd had before you began investing.
The Investing QuickStart Guide offers a simplified but expansive introduction to the world of investing. Author Ted Snow brings 30 years of experience in the finance industry, much to the benefit of novice learners and experienced investors alike. Snow provides readers with the complete picture on stocks, bonds, treasuries, ETFs, mutual funds, indexes, REITS and several other investment securities.
Snow’s intrepid but practical asset-allocation investment philosophy is marvelously
communicated and highly appropriate for market newcomers.
The key insights of Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, Burton Malkiel, and James Altucher all play important roles in this seminal investment resource. But unlike most of today’s books on investment, the Investing QuickStart Guide threads the needle between thorough and simple.
You will learn the market from end to end, while also enjoying Snow’s fascinating personal stories and insights from the front lines of the finance industry.
The Investing QuickStart Guide offers a simplified but expansive introduction to the world of investing. Author Ted Snow brings 30 years of experience in the finance industry, much to the benefit of novice learners and experienced investors alike. Snow provides readers with the complete picture on stocks, bonds, treasuries, ETFs, mutual funds, indexes, REITS and several other investment securities.
Snow’s intrepid but practical asset-allocation investment philosophy is marvelously
communicated and highly appropriate for market newcomers.
The key insights of Warren Buffett, Peter Lynch, Burton Malkiel, and James Altucher all play important roles in this seminal investment resource. But unlike most of today’s books on investment, the Investing QuickStart Guide threads the needle between thorough and simple.
You will learn the market from end to end, while also enjoying Snow’s fascinating personal stories and insights from the front lines of the finance industry.
Decoding the Mystery of When Will Jesus Return by Raymond J. Moore
Synopsis
Is there a specific Bible prophecy that must first be fulfilled before the return of Jesus Christ? Yes. While it is true that no exact date can be set for this event, the scriptures provide us with a clear context of specific world events that will create the time line for Jesus return. Jesus said, Of that day and hour no one knows (Matt. 24:36). If this was meant to be a mystery, it was also meant to be revealed eventually. Amos 3:7 says, Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets. This book brings to light the hidden mystery contained in the scripturesthat the return of Jesus Christ should not be a surprise to those who believe.
Jesus also made it clear that there will be a final and specific generation who will witness the fulfillment of all remaining end-of-time prophecies. This book brings clarity regarding the great tribulation. Is it seven years or three and a half years? What is the wrath of God, and why and how does it play a role in the last days? Beyond the general prophecies of wars, famines, earthquakes, etc., lies a great wealth of other specific and unique signs that will indicate the imminent return of Jesus. Are you ready?
Idyll Hands by Stephanie Gayle
Synopsis
In the small, sleepy town of Idyll, Connecticut, Police Chief Thomas Lynch assists police officer Michael Finnegan to uncover clues to his sister's disappearance two decades ago.
Charleston, Massachusetts, 1972: Rookie cop Michael Finnegan gets a call from his mother. His youngest sister, Susan, has disappeared, the same sister who ran away two years earlier. Anxious not to waste police resources, Finnegan advises his family to wait and search on their own. But a week turns into two decades, and Susan is never found.
Idyll, Connecticut, 1999: In the woods outside of town, a young woman's corpse is discovered, and Detective Finnegan seems unusually disturbed by the case. When Police Chief Thomas Lynch learns about Finnegan's past, he makes a bargain with his officer: He will allow Finnegan to investigate the body found in the woods--if Finnegan lets the bored Lynch secretly look into the disappearance of his sister.
Both cases reveal old secrets--about the murder, and about the men inside the Idyll Police Station and what they've been hiding from each other their whole careers.
Charleston, Massachusetts, 1972: Rookie cop Michael Finnegan gets a call from his mother. His youngest sister, Susan, has disappeared, the same sister who ran away two years earlier. Anxious not to waste police resources, Finnegan advises his family to wait and search on their own. But a week turns into two decades, and Susan is never found.
Idyll, Connecticut, 1999: In the woods outside of town, a young woman's corpse is discovered, and Detective Finnegan seems unusually disturbed by the case. When Police Chief Thomas Lynch learns about Finnegan's past, he makes a bargain with his officer: He will allow Finnegan to investigate the body found in the woods--if Finnegan lets the bored Lynch secretly look into the disappearance of his sister.
Both cases reveal old secrets--about the murder, and about the men inside the Idyll Police Station and what they've been hiding from each other their whole careers.
If They Come For Us by Fatimah Asghar
Synopsis
Poet and co-creator of the Emmy-nominated web series Brown Girls captures her experience as a Pakistani Muslim woman in contemporary America, while exploring identity, violence, and healing.
“A debut poetry collection showcasing both a fierce and tender new voice.”—Booklist
an aunt teaches me how to tell
an edible flower
from a poisonous one.
just in case, I hear her say, just in case.
Orphaned as a child, Fatimah Asghar grapples with coming of age and navigating questions of sexuality and race without the guidance of a mother or father. These poems at once bear anguish, joy, vulnerability, and compassion, while also exploring the many facets of violence: how it persists within us, how it is inherited across generations, and how it manifests itself in our relationships. In experimental forms and language both lyrical and raw, Asghar seamlessly braids together marginalized people’s histories with her own understanding of identity, place, and belonging.
“A debut poetry collection showcasing both a fierce and tender new voice.”—Booklist
an aunt teaches me how to tell
an edible flower
from a poisonous one.
just in case, I hear her say, just in case.
Orphaned as a child, Fatimah Asghar grapples with coming of age and navigating questions of sexuality and race without the guidance of a mother or father. These poems at once bear anguish, joy, vulnerability, and compassion, while also exploring the many facets of violence: how it persists within us, how it is inherited across generations, and how it manifests itself in our relationships. In experimental forms and language both lyrical and raw, Asghar seamlessly braids together marginalized people’s histories with her own understanding of identity, place, and belonging.
Apostle of the East by Russell M. Lawson
Synopsis
Naturalist, scientist, pastor, missionary - Daniel Little. In 18th century America, Daniel Little became known as the "Apostle of the East" by his contemporaries and admirers for his many missionary journeys along Maine's eastern frontier. He spent much of his life ministering to the English settlers and Indians of the Penobscot valley. Follow his fascinating life story in Russell Lawson's latest book.
Expecting Sunshine by Alexis Marie Chute
Synopsis
After her son, Zachary, dies in her arms at birth, visual artist and author Alexis Marie Chute disappears into her “Year of Distraction.” She cannot paint or write or tap into the heart of who she used to be, mourning not only for Zachary, but also for the future they might have had together. It is only when Chute learns she is pregnant again that she sets out to find healing and rediscover her identity—just in time, she hopes, to welcome her next child.
In the forty weeks of her pregnancy, Chute grapples with her strained marriage, shaken faith, and medical diagnosis, with profound results. Glowing with riveting and gorgeous prose, Expecting Sunshinechronicles the anticipation and anxiety of expecting a baby while still grieving for the child that came before—enveloping readers with insightful observations on grief and healing, life and death, and the incredible power of a mother’s love.
In the forty weeks of her pregnancy, Chute grapples with her strained marriage, shaken faith, and medical diagnosis, with profound results. Glowing with riveting and gorgeous prose, Expecting Sunshinechronicles the anticipation and anxiety of expecting a baby while still grieving for the child that came before—enveloping readers with insightful observations on grief and healing, life and death, and the incredible power of a mother’s love.
So that is all the books I got in the mail in June. These posts are getting smaller and smaller now that Goodreads is charging authors to host giveaways and most of those are ebooks. But that's okay because it means it will take longer before my husband starts telling me I have too many books again. - Katie
Holy buckets!!! This is a ton of mail to have received in June!!! Did all these come from Goodreads giveaways?!
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