"Liv Green barely scrapes by to make ends meet, often finding escape in a good book. She can't believe her luck when she lands a job housekeeping for her hero, bestselling author Essie Starling. The last thing Liv expected was to be the only person Essie talks to, which leads to a tenuous friendship. When Essie passes away suddenly, Liv is astonished to learn that her dying wish was for Liv to complete her final novel. To do so, Liv will have to step...

"As the youngest of eight, painfully average Pup Flanagan is used to flying under the radar. He's barely passing his classes. He lets his longtime crush walk all over him. And he's in no hurry to decide on a college path. The only person who ever made him think he could be more was his older brother Patrick. But that was before Patrick died suddenly, leaving Pup with a family who won't talk about it and acquaintances who just keep saying, "sorry for...

"The time for do-overs is over. Ever since she became a parent, Mary Louise Kelly has said "next year." Next year will be the year she makes it to her son James's soccer games (which are on weekdays at 4 p.m., right when she is on the air on NPR's All Things Considered, talking to millions of listeners). Drive carpool for her son Alexander? Not if she wants to do that story about Ukraine and interview the secretary of state. Like millions of parents...

"Asha lives in the foothills of the Himalayas. Money is tight and she misses her papa, who works in the city. When he suddenly stops sending his wages, a ruthless moneylender ransacks their home, and her mother talks of leaving. From her den in the mango tree, Asha makes a pact with her best friend, Jeevan, to find her father and make things right. But the journey is dangerous: they must cross the world's highest mountains and face hunger, exhaustion,...

"Like other well-bred young women in Edwardian England, Lily Throop is expected to think of little beyond marriage and motherhood. Passionate about the stage, Lily has very different ambitions. To her father's dismay, she secures an apprenticeship at London's famous Imperial Theatre. Soon, her talent and beauty bring coveted roles and devoted admirers. Yet to most of society, the line between actress and harlot is whisper-thin. With her reputation...

"Emily, a popular but bookish prep school senior, goes missing after a night out with friends. She was last seen leaving a party with Alex, a football player with a dubious reputation. But no one is talking. Now three mothers, Catherine, Leslie, and Morgan, friends turned frenemies, have their lives turned upside down as they are forced to look to their own children--and each other's--for answers to questions they don't want to ask"--

"A gorgeous, jewel of a novel about a mother caring for her two sons while everything else--her marriage, the fishing industry her New England community relies on - threatens to crumble around her. After a fishing accident leaves her husband hospitalized across the border in Canada, Jill is left to look after "the wolves" - her two teenage boys - alone. Nothing comes easy in their remote corner of Maine: money is tight, her son Sam is getting into...

"Your best friends are your dog Homer and your cat Zogg. But there's a secret about them that no one knows but you: Zogg and Homer can talk! When your school friend, Janice, invites you to Paris for two weeks, you're not sure if you can leave Homer and Zogg all alone. They had big plans to take you to outer space this summer. Space?! So what will you do? Should you let Squarks and diamond-covered mice teach you about different life-forms in the Universe?...

"College librarian and struggling artist India Hayes isn't sure how she was talked into running a face-painting booth at the Founders' Day Festival. But there she is in gingham dress and mobcap, on a chilly late October day. Then india discovers the body of basket weaver Tess Ross on the grounds. Tess leaves behind an angry blacksmith husband, greedy siblings, a dysfunctional artists' co-op, and a chocolate labradoodle with a two-million-dollar trust...