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Feature and Contest

Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger

In 1961 New Bremen, Minnesota, all is quiet and serene. The Minnesota River flows through the countryside, the town barber knows everyone’s name, and folks dutifully attend church every Sunday. But that serenity is thrown into turmoil as a series of tragic deaths lead 13-year-old Frank Drum and his family on a hunt for terrible truths. But at what cost comes wisdom?

The Harem Midwife by Roberta Rich

Hannah and Isaac return in this opulent, riveting and suspenseful tale --- a continuation of Roberta Rich's thrilling debut THE MIDWIFE OF VENICE set in Medieval Constantinople.

Evening Stars: A Blackberry Island Novel by Susan Mallery

Small-town nurse Nina Wentworth has made a career out of being a caretaker. More “Mom” than their mother ever was, she sacrificed medical school --- and her first love --- so her sister could break free. Which is why she isn’t exactly thrilled to see Averil back on Blackberry Island, especially when Nina’s life has suddenly become…complicated.

Four Friends by Robyn Carr

From #1 New York Times bestselling author  Robyn Carr comes the story of four friends determined to find their stride. Ultimately, they'll discover what it means to be a wife, mother, lover, friend...and most important: your true self.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly Ayer out of juvie and worse. As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that they aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children. Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life --- answers that will ultimately free them both.

City of Jasmine by Deanna Raybourn

In a story set against the lush, exotic European colonial outposts of the 1920s, New York Times bestselling author Deanna Raybourn delivers the captivating tale of one woman who embarks upon a journey to see the world --- and ends up finding intrigue, danger and a love beyond all reason.

The World Without You by Joshua Henkin

On July 4, 2005, the Frankel family descends upon their summer home in the Berkshires for a memorial to Leo, the youngest Frankel sibling, who was killed while on assignment in Iraq a year before. Over the course of three days, the Frankels will contend with sibling rivalries and marital feuds, volatile women and silent men, and, ultimately, the true meaning of family.

I Shall Be Near to You by Erin Lindsay McCabe

Rosetta doesn't want her new husband Jeremiah to enlist as a soldier in the Civil War, but he joins up nonetheless, hoping to make enough money that they'll be able to afford their own farm someday. Determined to be with him, no matter the cost, Rosetta cuts off her hair, hems an old pair of his pants, and signs up as a Union soldier. Fearing discovery of her secret, Rosetta’s strong will clashes with Jeremiah’s as their marriage is tested by war.

Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon Self-Control, and My Other Experiments in Everyday Life by Gretchen Rubin

One Sunday afternoon, as she unloaded the dishwasher, Gretchen Rubin felt hit by a wave of homesickness. Homesick --- why? She was standing right in her own kitchen. She felt homesick, she realized, with love for home itself. “Of all the elements of a happy life,” she thought, “my home is the most important.” In a flash, she decided to undertake a new happiness project, and this time, to focus on home.

The Returned by Jason Mott

In their old age, Harold and Lucille have settled comfortably into life without their son, who died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. But then one day, Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep --- still eight years old. All over the world, people's loved ones are returning from beyond. The Hargraves are forced to navigate a mysterious new reality and a conflict that threatens to unravel the very meaning of what it is to be human.