RECOMMENDED READS

THE MEMORY OF LAVENDER AND SAGE, Aimie K. Runyan

“A standout voice in women’s fiction. I was captivated from the very first line.” — Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times Bestselling Author of The Summer of Songbirds

Perhaps the secrets of her mother’s past in this tiny French town hold the key to her own future. . .

Food critic Tempèsta Luddington has always felt like the odd person out in her family, ever since she lost her beloved mother at the tender age of thirteen. When her workaholic father passes fifteen years later, Tempèsta is not surprised that the majority of the considerable family money will pass to her dutiful younger brother, Wal. Still, she is left a modest remembrance from her mother, and for the first time Tempèsta has a world of choices before her.

Lost in grief and hoping to reconnect with her memories and her mother’s past, she uses the money to buy a ramshackle manor house in Sainte-Colombe, a small village in Provence, where her mother had grown up. But she is greeted with more questions than answers. Her welcome, especially by the town’s stodgy mayor, is cold at best, and she finds herself wondering if the entire experiment was a mistake.

Yet she stays, stubbornly sticking it out, slowly learning that her mother’s legacy was more than just a nest egg. Through her mother and the village, Tempèsta learns the value of community and friendship, the importance of self-confidence, and the power of love and trust. What’s more, she sees for herself that there is magic and beauty in the everyday—even something as simple as a sprig of lavender and sage.

“For readers who love Under the Tuscan Sun and Chocolat, this is your next heartfelt, delightful read.” —Jennifer Moorman, bestselling author of The Baker’s Man

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ANGELINE, Anna Quinn

A moving, lyrical, melancholy, and spiritual novel by the acclaimed author of The Night Child, in which Sister Angeline, unwillingly sent to a radical convent and confronting her tragic past, asks the deep question, follow your heart or follow the rules?

After surviving a tragedy that killed her entire family, sixteen-year-old Meg joins a cloistered convent, believing it is her life’s work to pray full time for the suffering of others. Taking the name Sister Angeline, she spends her days and nights in silence, moving from one prayerful hour to the next. She prays for the hardships of others, the sick and poor, the loved ones she lost, and her own atonement.

When the Archdiocese of Chicago runs out of money to keep the convent open, she is torn from her carefully constructed life and sent to a progressive convent on a rocky island in the Pacific Northwest. There, at the Light of the Sea, five radical feminist nuns have their own vision of faithful service. They do not follow canonical law, they do not live a cloistered life, and they believe in using their voices for change.

As Sister Angeline struggles to adapt to her new home, she must navigate her grief, fears, and confusions, while being drawn into the lives of a child in crisis, an angry teen, an EMT suffering survivor’s guilt, and the parish priest who is losing his congregation to the Sisters’ all-inclusive Sunday masses. Through all of this, something seems to have awakened in her, a healing power she has not experienced in years that could be her saving grace, or her downfall.

In Angeline, novelist Anna Quinn explores the complexity of our past selves and the discovery of our present truth; the enduring imprints left by our losses, forgiveness and acceptance, and why we believe what we believe. Affecting and beautifully told, Angeline is both poignant and startling and will touch the hearts of anyone who has ever asked themselves: When your foundations crumble and you’ve lost yourself, how do you find the strength to go on? Do you follow your heart or the rules?

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THE LADY WITH THE DARK HAIR, Erin Bartels

Esther Markstrom and her artist mother have always been proud of their ancestor, painter Francisco Vella. They even run a small museum and gallery dedicated to raising awareness of his scandalously underappreciated work. But when Esther reconnects with her former art history professor, she finds her once-solid family history on shaky ground as questions arise about Vella’s greatest work–a portrait entitled The Lady with the Dark Hair.

In 1879, Catalan orphan-turned-fugitive Viviana Torrens has found sanctuary serving in the home of an aging artist in Southern France. It is in his studio that she meets Francisco Vella, a Gibraltarian merchant who sells artists’ pigments. When her past catches up to her, she is compelled to pose as Vella’s sister and join him on his travels or be deported back to Spain to stand trial. Along the way she will discover that the many parts she has been playing in order to hide her identity have far-reaching implications she never could have foreseen.

This dual-timeline story from award-winning author Erin Bartels takes readers from the sleepy Midwest to the sultry Mediterranean on a relentless search for truth, identity, and the freedom to follow one’s dreams.

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DEAR BOBBY: MY GRIEF JOURNEY, Diane Papalia

In Dear Bobby, Diane Papalia Zappa describes the loss of her beloved husband after three short years of marriage. She talks about her own grieving process and outlines ways that can help others cope.

The centerpiece of this book is a collection of several “Dear Bobby” letters that helped Diane process her grief and reestablish her relationship with her husband. She offers several writing prompts to encourage readers to begin their own writing journey. Diane also includes a helpful selection of resources—books about death, grief, and the afterlife; films with afterlife themes; and support groups for those who are grieving.

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A GIRL, STUCK, Kelly Elizabeth Huston

She wants in. He needs out. Found Families series book #3 just might break your heart.

Moments from her small but pivotal role in A Very Crowded House, Harriet “Harry” Smith begins her own story where an Ivy League education, her wit, and talented two hands make no promises, least of all the promise of a happily-ever-after.

A typically tough private investigator and criminology professor, Harry Smith distracts herself from heartbreak by diving headlong into her latest surveillance job. On a steamy New York City night, she sets out on foot, cocksure and reckless, landing face to face with Trey Popov, a serious rising star in the Trubetzkoy crime family whose eyelashes just might be worth killing for. She escapes the verboten interaction but when the two meet again, Harry plunges undercover as a wholesome schoolteacher who turns Trey’s head despite his compulsion to climb the criminal ladder.

Harry’s unconventional, clandestine scheme and forbidden attraction combust in a violent disaster. All she can do is work toward justice for her murdered police detective-dad. Along the way, she hopes to rescue the good, bad guy too far down the wrong road to be saved. For Harry, doing the right thing is also the hardest thing, but crossing some lines isn’t in your DNA when you bleed blue. Devastated by heartache, goaded by ambition, and blinded by attraction, Harry’s allegiances falter, and the differences between academic theory and real-life prove that no one makes it out unchanged. Hell, some don’t make it out at all.

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IF I LOSE HER, Brianne Sommerville

Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?

The pregnancy podcasts warned Joanna Baker about the baby blues, but when a near-fatal mistake places the first-time mom under the watchful eye of Child Protective Services, she receives a serious diagnosis.

Postpartum depression. Jo hears the words, yet they don’t make sense. Nothing does. Her blackouts are increasing, and she can’t recall events she’s been accused of.

As she fights to keep her daughter, she discovers cracks in her neighborhood, family, and her own home. With the support of her sisters, she attempts to piece together her traumatic past and uncover who is truly in control.

Jo must battle her faltering mind to save what’s most important—her daughter.

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BEWARE THE TALL GRASS, Ellen Birkett Morris

Beware the Tall Grass weaves the stories of the Sloans, a modern family grappling with their young son Charlie’s troubling memories of a past life as a soldier in Vietnam, and Thomas Boone, a young man caught up in the drama of mid-sixties America who is sent to Vietnam.

Eve Sloan is challenged as a mother to make sense of Charlie’s increasing references to war, and her attempts to get to the bottom of Charlie’s past life memories threaten her marriage, while Thomas struggles with loss and first love, before being thrust into combat and learning what matters most.

 Beware the Tall Grass explores the power of love and mercy with grace and artful sensitivity in a world where circumstances often occur far beyond our control.

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THE EXILED QUEEN: A ROMAN ERA FANTASY NOVEL,  Roxana Arama

She spent years following the path reserved for highborn men. When she’s thrust back into a subservient role, how will she forge her own destiny?

Rome is marching. Cities and temples are falling. On the outskirts of the empire, Princess Andrada convinces her father to tutor her as his heir despite a taboo against women rulers. But her lifelong battle against entrenched customs shatters when she fails the King’s Challenge and is sentenced to death.

To save Andrada from execution, her father marries her off to a neighboring king who doesn’t care much about governing. Devastated, the new queen resolves to watch over her country from exile, preparing for the inevitable Roman attack. Although the crystal bell she risked everything to claim during the challenge grants odd wishes, she’s dangerously unarmed against an unloving husband who needs a son from her. Meanwhile, her worst enemy is plotting to kill her once and for all.

Can this brave queen unite all the warring factions to stand strong before the mighty Roman Empire?

The Exiled Queen is a gritty and grounded historical fantasy. Pulling together threads from the past of her native Eastern Europe, Roxana Arama reimagines a people on the brink of drastic change. If you like fierce female protagonists, speculative sagas, and dramatic twists, you’ll love this sweeping adventure.

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HOLISTIC WEALTH, Keisha Blair

“We love your work on Holistic Wealth!” —Oprah Daily Editors

Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper Recommended Book, December 2022

Imagine a life where you are financially savvy and independent, living with purpose and generosity while inspiring others.

“In this terrific read, Keisha Blair gives us all the tools to thrive, no matter the obstacles we face. She defines prosperity as something beyond monetary figures. Holistic wealth is financial, physical, and emotional stability combined—and she shows us how to get there.” —Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper

Imagine facing life’s disruption with confidence, knowing how to regain your balance in times of uncertainty. By expanding on the teachings shared in the highly acclaimed first edition of her book and in her viral article, “My Husband Died at Age 34—Here Are 40 Life Lessons I Learned from It,” viewed by more than fifty million people globally, author Keisha Blair presents even more revolutionary strategies—curated for the challenges of today’s world—that will help you find balance and success.

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DAUGHTER OF A PROMISE, Jeanne McWilliams Blasberg

Days after graduation, Betsabé Ruiz’s life in New York is turning out to be nothing less than cinematic. Although her first job at a white-shoe, Wall Street investment bank is the opportunity of a lifetime, she is not prepared for the magnitude of wealth swirling about her, the long hours and close quarters that infuse her professional relationships with intimacy, nor an unexpected attraction to her boss. And like all great films, Betsabé’s New York dream comes with a twist that challenges her to find a balance between where she came from and where she’s going.

Narrated in the retrospective as a letter of wisdom to her unborn son, Daughter of a Promise captures not only Betsabé’s coming of age but also her journey to understand that deep-seated forces such as desire and love are more complicated than she ever could have imagined.

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FROM FIRST BREATH TO LAST, A story about Love, Womanhood and Aging, Dede Montgomery

A mosaic of memories, events, and reflections about Dede Montgomery and her remarkable mother, with insights into the generations and circumstances they were born into that informed the women they became.

Dede Montgomery returns to her own roots in From First Breath to Last, and skillfully weaves her life with her mother’s in a touching tribute to family and what matters most in their lives. She meshes passages from her mother’s memoir, journals, published book, and dissertation with her own memories and how her mother’s journey influenced her own in a celebration of womanhood.

Patty Montgomery was born between the World Wars and was reborn in the 1960s and 1970s during the time women pushed through the barriers to independence and equality. She followed what she believed was the expected path for other women like her who were privileged by whiteness, education, and middle-class income. Until she couldn’t, and broke loose with support from some and criticism by others, while raising her only daughter to be self-confident and self-assured.

From First Breath to Last is a treat to readers of all ages looking to embrace the wisdom from two women told through entertaining stories, fairy tales, and the advice from lives well-lived.

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THE MAKING OF GENEVIEVE, Judy Lannon

Genevieve Austin has carried a secret, tucked away in her heart, for over seventy years.

Did this secret play a role in shaping Genevieve’s identity, or was she always meant to be the woman she became?
In the Making of Genevieve, we follow her journey from her teenage years, where she lived on the picturesque shores of Newport, Rhode Island, all the way through her golden years. We witness her relentless drive to stand out from the ordinary as she raises four children and perseveres through every roadblock she encounters. Some might consider both Nicky and Michael her biggest roadblocks, each posing significant challenges to her road to success.

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BLISS ROAD: A memoir about living a lie and coming to terms with the truth, Martha Engber

Martha Engber lives a charmed life in the suburbs with a husband and two kids where everything is fine, fine, fine until suddenly she’s… completely broken. She’s so used to lying to others and herself that she has no idea who she really is or how she feels about anything. What happened? Why is her life smooth driving one minute and totaled the next?

In this sometimes funny, often devastating memoir, Martha describes the arduous journey toward discovering the invisible roadblock that ran her life off course: her psychological distress is the result of being the neurotypical daughter of a dad with undiagnosed Autism Spectrum Disorder, a condition that affects over 75 million people worldwide.

Martha uses personal anecdotes and research about the emergence of ASD as a diagnosis to explain the psychological, emotional and social challenges she faced as a child, then as an adult and parent. Along the way, she shows the sometimes harrowing, but eminently rewarding, route others can follow to chase down the source of their family angst and so reach a more blissful future.

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IT WAS HER NEW YORK, TRUE STORIES AND SNAPSHOTS, C.O. Moed

True stories and accidental snapshots about undying love, old lesbians, dementia, mothers & daughters, and a disappearing city.

In this engaging new collection of personal essays and full-color photographs, Moed tells true stories of caring for her mother Florence, a broke, Julliard-trained pianist who stumbles into dementia on the Lower East Side. This funny, poignant memoir asks questions both familiar and touching: “What happened to the neighborhood?” and “What happened to my mom?”

It Was Her New York is for anyone who has ever experienced the aging of a parent, the gentrification of a neighborhood, or the unexpected discovery of stifled love and hidden sexuality.

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SUMMONS TO BERLIN: Nazi Theft and A Daughter’s Quest for Justice, Joanna Intrator

On his deathbed, Dr. Joanne Intrator’s father poses two unsettling questions:
“Are you tough enough? Do they know who you are?”

Joanne soon realizes that these haunting questions relate to a center-city Berlin building at 16 Wallstrasse that the Nazis ripped away from her family in 1938. But a decade is to pass before she will fully come to grasp why her father threw down the gauntlet as he did.
Repeatedly, Joanne’s restitution quest brings her into confrontation with yet another of her profound fears surrounding Germany and the Holocaust. Having to call on reserves of strength she’s unsure she possesses, the author leans into her professional command of psychiatry, often overcoming flabbergasting obstacles perniciously dumped in her path.

The depth and lucidity of psychological insight threaded throughout Summons to Berlin makes it an attention-grabbing standout among books on like topics. As a reader, you’ll come away delighted to know just who Dr. Joanne Intrator is. You’ll also finish the book cheering for her, because in the end, she proves far more than tough enough to satisfy her father’s unnerving final demands.

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Ride On! Dame Sarah Storey’s Extraordinary Journey of Triumph: How to Unleash the Power within, Push Boundaries, and Champion Excellence, S.A. Sterling

From surmounting a career-ending injury to thriving in a male-dominated sport, ‘Ride On! Dame Sarah Storey’s Extraordinary Journey of Triumph’ offers a story that goes beyond athletic accomplishment—it’s a masterclass in resilience and personal growth.
Feel stuck in life, burdened by challenges and self-doubt?
This book is your roadmap to breaking free.
Reading ‘Ride On!’ you’ll gain:
• Self-Belief: Harness confidence as your driving force.
• Resilience: Equip yourself with tools to face life’s challenges head-on.
• Adaptability: Learn to pivot your way to success, just like Sarah.

S.A. Sterling captures the indomitable spirit of Dame Sarah Storey, making ‘Ride On!’ a must-read for sports aficionados and anyone inspired by human resilience.
Penned by S.A. Sterling, an author committed to narratives of triumph over adversity, ‘Ride On!’ isn’t just a biography—it’s a guide to unlocking your untapped potential.
As you turn the pages, you won’t just find a compelling story, but actionable insights to elevate you from the ordinary to the extraordinary.
Are you ready to complete your picture?

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SON OF A BASQUE, Deborah Driggs

After the sudden death of his father, young Mark Vergara, the oldest son of immigrant parents, was thrust into the role of principal breadwinner, working hard in the beet fields of Colorado to support his family. After joining the Army Air Corps and flying dozens of combat missions, he bore the physical and emotional scars of his time in the service, yet he was satisfied he had fulfilled his father’s final wish that he do right by his family. From World War II to the Vietnam War, this tale of a military man who was also a devoted family man is based on the author’s own experiences as a proud son of immigrant parents, a distinguished soldier, a loving husband and father, and a loyal friend.

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MOO OF WRITING: A GUIDE FOR CREATIVE WRITERS, Nan Lundeen

Moo of Writing’s First Edition won a finalist spot in the 2017 Next Generation Indie Book Awards and the 2016 National Indie Excellence Awards, writing and publishing category. Moo of Writing’s Second Edition cites writing experience of bestselling authors and the recent surge of scientific research into creativity, confirming Nan Lundeen’s Moo process of exercise, meditation, and relaxation.

Nan, who holds a master’s degree in communication from Western Michigan University, relates personal stories from her thirty years as an award-winning journalist and freelance writer to illustrate the practicality of Moo.

Says UK Writing Magazine Tutor Sue Johnson: “Moo of Writing has an important place on my bookshelf. I have three words on my desk as a reminder – walk, meditate, write. There is never enough time, so I make the most of every spare minute to relax and let the words flow.”

Discover how to unmask your hidden fears; befriend time; listen to belly wisdom; establish a free-writing habit loop; and stay safe in the publishing world.

Writing tips, exercises, and meditations round out this inspirational book that will help free you from self-imposed restraints and coax your creativity onto the page.

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