"The #1 New York Times bestselling author of Small Great Things returns with a powerful and provocative new novel about ordinary lives that intersect during a heart-stopping crisis. The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center a women's reproductive health services clinic its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters: A nurse who calms her own panic in order save the life of a wounded woman. A doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before. Apro-lifeprotester disguised as a patient, who now stands in the cross hairs of the same rage she herself has felt. A young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy. And the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard. Told in a daring and enthralling narrative structure that counts backward through the hours of the standoff, this is a story that traces its way back to what brought each of these very different individuals to the same place on this fateful day. Jodi Picoult one of the most fearless writers of our time tackles a complicated issue in this gripping and nuanced novel. How do we balance the rights of pregnant women with the rights of the unborn they carry? What does it mean to be a good parent? A Spark of Lightwill inspire debate, conversation. and, hopefully, understanding"--

"Newlyweds Celestial and Roy, the living embodiment of the New South, are settling into the routine of their life together when Roy is sent to prison for a crime he didn't commit. An insightful look into the lives of people who are bound and separated by forces beyond their control"--

A sinister fire in a Copenhagen bookshop ignites a relentless hunt across four continents…A superb SIGMA FORCE thriller from the bestselling author of MAP OF BONES and THE DOOMSDAY KEY. Arson and murder reveal an insidious plot to steal a Bible that once belonged to Charles Darwin. As Commander Gray Pierce investigates, he is soon caught up in a mystery that dates back to Nazi Germany – and to horrific experiments performed in a now abandoned laboratory buried in a hollowed-out mountain in Poland. A continent away, madness ravages a remote monastery high in Nepal. As Lisa Cummings, a young American doctor, begins to investigate reported atrocities at the monastery, she is suddenly the target of an assassin. Her only ally is Painter Crowe, director of SIGMA FORCE, now undercover – and already showing signs of the baffling malady destroying the minds of the monks. Now it is up to Gray Pierce to save both Painter and Lisa – and a world in jeopardy…

"Finished" comprises the third book in H. Rider Haggard's so-called Zulu trilogy, the first two novels being "Marie" and "Child of Storm." This is a magnificent set of books that deals with the downfall of the Zulu people, as personally witnessed by Allan Quatermain, the hero of 14 of Haggard's novels, including "King Solomon's Mines." "Finished"" has all the elements that Haggard's fans have come to expect from him: a great and fast-moving story, scenes of big-game hunting, interesting and amusing characters, bloody and well-described battles, all with a dash of mysticism and some supernatural elements thrown into the mix. It is a real rouser. In the first half of this book, our hero Quatermain gets personally involved in the problems of a young couple in the bush veld in Africa, but the entire second half of the book details his stay with the Zulus, their war councils, and the great battles that the Zulus fought against the English in the late 1870s. The tone of the book is suitably elegiac, mourning the passing of a proud people and culture.It is set against the background of the Anglo-Zulu War of 1879, covering events leading up to the war, and ending with the death of Cetewayo. Quatermain is depicted as being one of the few survivors of the Battle of Isandhlwana. Like others in the series, several real-life characters appear, such as Cetewayo and Anthony Durnford.

A smart high-concept thriller for fans of Before I Go To Sleep by SJ Watson, The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton, and Hollywood blockbuster Inception, from the ITV Be A Bestseller finalist. Your partner doesn’t remember anything: how you met, your first kiss, not even your wedding day. An experimental treatment promises to recover the memories they lost. But some memories are better off hidden.

From the author of the acclaimed novel A Pigeon and a Boy comes a charming tale of family ties, over-the-top housekeeping, and the sport of storytelling in Nahalal, the village of Meir Shalev’s birth. Here we meet Shalev’s amazing Grandma Tonia, who arrived in Palestine by boat from Russia in 1923 and lived in a constant state of battle with what she viewed as the family’s biggest enemy in their new land: dirt. Grandma Tonia was never seen without a cleaning rag over her shoulder. She received visitors outdoors. She allowed only the most privileged guests to enter her spotless house. Hilarious and touching, Grandma Tonia and her regulations come richly to life in a narrative that circles around the arrival into the family’s dusty agricultural midst of the big, shiny American sweeper sent as a gift by Great-uncle Yeshayahu (he who had shockingly emigrated to the sinful capitalist heaven of Los Angeles!). America, to little Meir and to his forebears, was a land of hedonism and enchanting progress; of tempting luxuries, dangerous music, and degenerate gum-chewing; and of women with painted fingernails. The sweeper, a stealth weapon from Grandpa Aharon’s American brother meant to beguile the hardworking socialist household with a bit of American ease, was symbolic of the conflicts and visions of the family in every respect. The fate of Tonia’s “svieeperrr”—hidden away for decades in a spotless closed-off bathroom after its initial use—is a family mystery that Shalev determines to solve. The result, in this cheerful translation by Evan Fallenberg, is pure delight, as Shalev brings to life the obsessive but loving Tonia, the pioneers who gave his childhood its spirit of wonder, and the grit and humor of people building ever-new lives.

Fourteen-year-old Cynthia Bigge wakes up one morning to find her entire family gone. Twenty-five years later, their unexplained disappearance still haunts her. She agrees to appear on the reenactment show Deadline, hoping the TV exposure might provide her with some answers, although her husband, English teacher Terry Archer, is considerably more skeptical. Indeed, not long after the show airs, the two are shaken down by a psychic, receive a series of bizarre phone calls, and become the victims of a break-in, although nothing is taken; instead, something is left--a hat that Cynthia is convinced belonged to her father.

THE PRINCETON REVIEW GETS RESULTS! Get all the prep you need to ace the NEW, shorter TOEFL iBT with 2 full-length simulated TOEFL iBT tests, audio sections available as streaming files, thorough reviews of core topics, and proven strategies for a high score. Techniques That Actually Work • Step-by-step strategies for every section of the exam, updated for the new streamlined 2024 TOEFL • Lessons on how to identify the main ideas of a passage or lecture • Tips on how to effectively organize your ideas Everything You Need for a High Score Grammar review to brush up on the basics Information tailored to the newly-shortened Reading section Expert subject reviews for the core concepts of the TOEFL iBT Comprehensive guidance on how to write a high-scoring essay

The Book of Sand: the first novel in an epic series created by one of the most gifted and invented storytellers of the twenty-first century. 'Shocking and satisfying ...a compelling, absorbingly different quest fantasy' Guardian 'An utterly original novel from an extraordinarily creative mind' Karin Slaughter 'Unique and fearless' Mark Billingham 'I inhaled it! It's beautifully written and utterly compelling' Harriet Tyce 'Fearless and compelling, lyrical and devastating by turns, the story never slackens pace.' Jane Corry ______________ SAND. A hostile world of burning sun. Outlines of several once-busy cities shimmer on the horizon. Now empty of inhabitants, their buildings lie in ruins. In the distance a group of people - a family - walk towards us. Ahead lies shelter: a 'shuck' the family call home and which they know they must reach before the light fails, as to be out after dark is to invite danger and almost certain death. To survive in this alien world of shifting sand, they must find an object hidden in or near water. But other families want it too. And they are willing to fight to the death to make it theirs. It is beginning to rain in Fairfax County, Virginia when McKenzie Strathie wakes up. An ordinary teenage girl living an ordinary life - except that the previous night she found a sand-lizard in her bed, and now she's beginning to question everything around her, especially who she really is ... Two very different worlds featuring a group of extraordinary characters driven to the very limit of their endurance in a place where only the strongest will survive.

"Eighteen-year-old Izzy O'Neill knows exactly who she is--a loyal friend, an aspiring comedian, and a person who believes that milk shakes and Reese's peanut butter cups are major food groups. But after she's caught in a compromising position with the son of a politician, it seems like everyone around her is eager to give her a new label: slut. Izzy is certain that the whole thing will blow over and she can get back to worrying about how she doesn't reciprocate her best friend Danny's feelings for her and wondering how she is ever going to find a way out of their small town. Only it doesn't. And while she's used to laughing her way out of any situation, as she finds herself first the center of high school gossip and then in the middle of a national scandal, it's hard even for her to find humor in the situation. Izzy may be determined not to let anyone else define who she is, but that proves easier said than done when it seems like everyone has something to say about her" -- Front jacket flap.

"The story of the rivalry between a beautiful, innocent girl and her equally beautiful and cruel mother has been endlessly repeated and refashioned all over the world, as shown here in this collection of "Snow White" tales. In Switzerland you might hear about seven dwarfs who shelter a girl, only to be murdered by robbers. In Armenia a mother orders her husband to kill his daughter because the moon has declared her "the most beautiful of all." The Brothers Grimm gave this story the name by which we know it best, and in 1937 Walt Disney sweetened their somber version to make the first feature-length, animated fairy tale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Since then the Disney film has become our cultural touchstone-the innocent heroine, her evil stepmother, the envy that divides them, and a romantic rescue from domestic drudgery and maternal persecution. But, as every fan of the story knows, there is more to Snow White than that. The magic mirror, the poisoned apple, the catatonic sleep, and the strange scene of revivification are important elements in the phantasmagoria of the Snow White universe, as Maria Tatar's Introduction makes clear"--

"Pendle Hill Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth is with child again. As the mistress of Gawthorpe Hall, she is anxious to provide her husband with an heir. But none of her previous pregnancies have come to term. Then she discovers a hidden letter from her physician that warns her husband that she will not survive another pregnancy. Distraught over the frightening revelation, Fleetwood wanders the woods of Pendle Hill, where she meets a young local woman named Alice Gray. A midwife, Alice promises Fleetwood she can help her deliver a healthy baby. But soon Alice is drawn into the frenzied accusations of witchcraft sweeping the countryside. Even the woodland creatures, the "familiars," are suspected of practicing the dark arts. Can Fleetwood trust that Alice is really who she says she is? As the two women's lives become intertwined, Fleetwood must risk everything to prove Alice's innocence in order to save her own unborn child. The hunt for witches reaches fever pitch. Time is running out. The trials are about to begin. Both their lives are at stake. Only they know the truth. Only they can save each other. Set against the Pendle Witch Trials of 1612, this rich and compelling novel draws its characters from historical figures as it explores the lives and rights of seventeenth-century women, ultimately raising the question: Is witch-hunting really just women-hunting?"--

Book of the Year 2023 according to New York Times, New Yorker, Guardian, Economist, Observer, The Spectator, Financial Times, Vogue, The Times, The Oldie, i Paper, The Standard, Washington Post, Independent, Daily Express SHORTLISTED FOR WATERSTONES BOOK OF THE YEAR 2023 SHORTLISTED FOR THE WRITERS’ PRIZE FOR FICTION 2024 ONE OF SARAH JESSICA PARKER’S BEST BOOKS OF 2023 LONGLISTED FOR THE WALTER SCOTT PRIZE FOR HISTORICAL FICTION 2024 ‘A writer at the peak of her powers’ The Telegraph Truth and fiction. Jamaica and Britain. Who gets to tell their story? In her first historical novel, Zadie Smith transports the reader to a Victorian England transfixed by the real-life trial of the Tichborne Claimant, in which a cockney butcher, recently returned from Australia, lays claim to the Tichborne baronetcy, with his former slave Andrew Bogle as star witness. Watching the proceedings, and with her own story to tell, is Eliza Touchet – cousin, housekeeper and perhaps more – to failing novelist William Harrison Ainsworth. From literary London to the Jamaica’s sugar-cane plantations, Zadie Smith weaves an enthralling story linking the rich and the poor, the free and the enslaved, and the comic and the tragic. ‘It’s difficult to give any idea of how extraordinary this book is. One of the great historical novels, certainly. But has any historical novel ever combined such brilliantly researched and detailed history with such intensely imagined fiction?' Michael Frayn ‘As always it is a pleasure to be in Zadie Smith’s mind . . . Dickens may be dead, but Smith, thankfully, is alive’ New York Times ‘Zadie Smith’s Victorian-set masterpiece holds a mirror up to Britain . . . The Fraud is the genuine article’ Independent ‘Smith’s dazzling historical novel combines deft writing and strenuous construction in a tale of literary London and the horrors of slavery’ Guardian

The surprises, challenges and delight of parenting kids with additional needs Kate Jones and Mandy Hose have experienced the highs and lows of parenting – and they wouldn’t change a thing. The pair met a decade ago and bonded over their premature twins with additional needs, and their remarkable capacity for love, laughter and swearing like a trooper. As the mothers grew closer, however, they confided that they felt ‘on-the-floor lonely’ sometimes because nobody was talking about what life was like for families like theirs. It was time to give their community a voice. So began Too Peas in a Podcast, a weekly conversation in which the two friends discuss the surprises, the challenges and the joys of parenting twins with additional needs. It was meant to support other multiple-birth mums and mums of kids with disabilities, but they were shocked to discover therapists, doctors, nurses, teachers, even people without kids were also listening. Now, Kate and Mandy are sharing their story on the page, delving deeper into the issues they care about and offering reassurance for those navigating a child’s disability. They write candidly about what it’s like to receive the initial diagnosis, how they perceive their children’s lives have been impacted by their additional needs, how their own lives have changed, and those of their family and friends. Above all, they convey their immense love for their children and the happiness they have brought into their lives. With their signature empathy, honesty and compassion, the Too Peas invite you into their world to laugh, cry and make a difference.

"A new spine-tingling thriller from the author of The New Neighbors--perfect for fans of Behind Closed Doors, The Perfect Girl, and The Couple Next Door--that takes place over the course of a therapy session, in which neither patient nor therapist are who they claim to be. Two liars. One room. No way out. Susanna Fenton has a secret. Fourteen years ago she left her identity behind, reinventing herself as a therapist and starting a new life. It was the only way to keep her daughter safe. But when a young man, Adam Geraghty, walks into her office, claiming he needs Susanna's help but asking unsettling questions, she begins to fear that her secret has been discovered. Who is Adam, really? What does he intend to do to Susanna? And what has he done to her daughter?"--

"Richard Osman is back with everyone's favorite mystery-solving quartet, and the second installment of The Thursday Murder Club series is just as clever and warm as the first-an unputdownable, laugh-out-loud pleasure of a read"--

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, an exclusive gated community, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive… As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with the therapist who lived there before. Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened. But no one wants to talk about it. And her neighbours are hiding something… The million-copy Sunday Times bestselling author B A Paris returns to her heartland of gripping psychological suspense in this powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret. Praise for The Therapist: ‘Alice’s smart new home in The Circle comes with a nightmarish secret in B A Paris’s tense and compulsive new thriller – I gobbled it up in two sittings’ Louise Candlish ‘Suspicion, betrayal and dark secrets abound in this tense story – all hidden just beneath the surface of a seemingly perfect suburban life’ TM Logan ‘A delicious web of lies. Be prepared for your head to spin and your fingers to fly!’ Jane Corry ‘B A Paris is the queen of psychological thrillers and her latest does not disappoint’ My Weekly ‘This spooky thriller with excellent twists and a really fast-paced shock finale’ Heat ‘Totally hooked. Completely gripping’ Mel McGrath ‘A propulsive and deliciously dark page-turner. Perfectly paced and tightly plotted’ Lucy Clarke ‘Domestic suspense at its very best. An aspirational setting, an unsolved crime, a plethora of suspects and twisted allegiances at every turn … I loved it’ Caz Frear ‘Tense and suspenseful … a delicious slice of suburban noir shot through with secrets, lies, paranoia and the unsettling claustrophobia of a staunchly closed community’ Kia Abdullah.

"Drawing on the true story of the White Rose--the resistance movement of young Germans against the Nazi regime-- The Traitor tells of one woman who offers her life in the ultimate battle against tyranny, during one of history's darkest hours. In the summer of 1942, as war rages across Europe, a series of anonymous leaflets appears around the University of Munich, speaking out against escalating Nazi atrocities. The leaflets are hidden in public places, or mailed to addresses selected at random from the phone book. Natalya Petrovich, a student, knows who is behind the leaflets--a secret group called the White Rose, led by siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl and their friends. As a volunteer nurse on the Russian front, Natalya witnessed the horrors of war first-hand. She willingly enters the White Rose's circle, where every hushed conversation, every small act of dissent could mean imprisonment or death at the hands of an infuriated Gestapo. Natalya risks everything alongside her friends, hoping the power of words will encourage others to resist. But even among those she trusts most, there is no guarantee of safety--and when danger strikes, she must take an extraordinary gamble in her own personal struggle to survive."--Publisher.

Featuring Jack Reacher, hero of the blockbuster movie starring Tom Cruise. Sergeant Amy Callan and Lieutenant Caroline Cooke have a lot in common. Both were army high-flyers. Both were aquainted with Jack Reacher. Both were forced to resign from the service. Now they're both dead. Found in their own homes, naked, in a bath full of paint. Apparent victims of an army man. A loner, a smart guy with a score to settle, a ruthless vigilante. A man just like Jack Reacher.

CRIME & MYSTERY. In 2006, three-year-old Phoebe Piper went missing on a family holiday. Despite massive publicity and a long investigation, no trace of her was ever found. Seven years later, Molly Jackson, aged ten and recently uprooted to a Norfolk village, finds her great uncle Dan dead in his bed. Molly remembers nothing of her early years, but she's been sure for ages that she is Phoebe. Everything in her life points to it and now, finally, she has proof. Dan's death brings his hippie sister Janice back to Norfolk where she's re-united with Molly's mother Suze, the daughter she gave up for adoption decades earlier. Janice discovers that a former lover, Joe Vincent, lives nearby. Joe was a rock star who, at the height of his fame, turned his back on public life. As she is drawn back into the past, Janice begins to wonder if Dan's death and Joe's reputation as a reclusive acid casualty are quite what they appear...And then Molly disappears.