Freedom

      Jaycee Dugard
     Freedom

In the follow-up to her #1 bestselling memoir, A Stolen Life, Jaycee Dugard tells the story of her first experiences after years in captivity: the joys that accompanied her newfound freedom and the challenges of adjusting to life on her own.

Read online

  • 292

    Dark Energy

      Robison Wells
     Dark Energy

We are not alone. They are here. And there's no going back. Perfect for fans of The Fifth Wave and the I Am Number Four series, Dark Energy is a thrilling stand-alone science fiction adventure from Robison Wells, critically acclaimed author of Variant and Blackout.Five days ago, a massive UFO crashed in the Midwest. Since then, nothing—or no one—has come out.If it were up to Alice, she'd be watching the fallout on the news. But her dad is director of special projects at NASA, so she's been forced to enroll in a boarding school not far from the crash site. Alice is right in the middle of the action, but even she isn't sure what to expect when the aliens finally emerge. Only one thing is clear: everything has changed.

Read online

  • 292

    Lady Be Good

      Meredith Duran
     Lady Be Good

Meredith Duran returns with another witty, humorous and smart romance in the third book of her Rules for the Reckless series. Fans of Julia Quinn, Jane Feather and Eloisa James will delight in Meredith's trademark headstrong heroine, cunning hero and tale of deep emotional intensity!Born to a family of notorious criminals, Lilah Marshall has long abandoned her past. A hostess at Everleigh's, London's premier auction house, she leads a virtuous life of art and culture. Lilah has almost transformed into the perfect lady - until an enigmatic viscount catches her in the act of one last, reluctant theft.Christian 'Kit' Stratton, Viscount Palmer, is society's most dashing war hero. But his charming façade masks a dark secret: he's haunted by a madman's vow to destroy anyone he loves. When Kit catches Lilah red-handed, he strikes a bargain she can't refuse. Their attraction is instant, but as their very lives hang in the balance, one tempting touch could be their undoing... Want more Rules for the Reckless? Don't miss That Scandalous Summer or *Fool Me Twice.***

Read online

  • 292

    The Street of the City

      Grace Livingston Hill
     The Street of the City

When a neighbor becomes sick, an elderly woman hails a skater using the frozen river to commute to work. Val Willoughby is happy to help the family and alert the daughter, Frannie, at her job. When Frannie Fernley meets Val, there is instant attraction, but they are from different walks of life. Then when the local weapons plant is threatened, both Val and Frannie are pulled into intrigue that will shake their faith in God and man.

Read online

  • 292

    Fireborn

      Katie MacAlister
     Fireborn

What if a war was taking place under your nose?Two ancient races locked in a battle for survival.Which side would you take?Allegria appears to all to be nothing more than a simple priestess devoted to worship of the sun goddess. Hallow is a masterless apprentice. Deo was meant to save the world and bring the Fireborn and Starborn together in peace.But then invaders beseiged the land of the Starborn, breaking the prophecy. Now Allegria has fled the priesthood, and wields the power of the sun. Hallow accepts the mantle of leadership he so long avoided. And Deo is tormented and tortured by the power of the invaders, using chaos itself to create an army that will drive the interlopers from the land, and bring about the peace of the Fourth Age.The three unlikely heroes must learn to trust where there is suspicion, to believe where there is only doubt, and to fight when all hope is lost.

Read online

  • 292

    All the Stars in the Heavens

      Adriana Trigiani
     All the Stars in the Heavens

Adriana Trigiani, the New York Times bestselling author of the blockbuster epic The Shoemaker's Wife, returns with her biggest and boldest novel yet, a hypnotic tale based on a true story and filled with her signature elements: family ties, artistry, romance, and adventure. Born in the golden age of Hollywood, All the Stars in Heaven captures the luster, drama, power, and secrets that could only thrive in the studio system—viewed through the lives of an unforgettable cast of players creating magic on the screen and behind the scenes.In this spectacular saga as radiant, thrilling, and beguiling as Hollywood itself, Adriana Trigiani takes us back to Tinsel Town's golden age—an era as brutal as it was resplendent—and into the complex and glamorous world of a young actress hungry for fame and success. With meticulous, beautiful detail, Trigiani paints a rich, historical landscape of 1930s Los Angeles, where European and American artisans flocked to pursue...

Read online

  • 292

    Santa's on His Way

      Lisa Jackson
     Santa's on His Way

Open your heart to the holidays with these stories of unexpected love . . . A BABY FOR CHRISTMAS * Lisa Jackson The uneventful Christmas Annie McFarlane expected is suddenly anything but. First, there's the adorable baby left on the snowy doorstep of her Oregon cabin. Second, there's the extremely attractive, yet extremely angry man claiming to be the father. Liam O'Shaughnessy may be intimidating, but this is one precious gift Annie isn't giving up so easily . . . WHAT THE COWBOY WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS * Maisey Yates When Meg O'Neill's longtime boyfriend lets her down, again, on Christmas no less, she braves an Oregon blizzard to get to her best friend Noah's comforting arms. But this time Noah's not telling her what she wants to hear—he's telling her the truth, from his heart. And his words just might be the gift Meg's been wishing for all along. SNOWED IN * Stacy Finz Rachel Johnson has...

Read online

  • 292

    Babayaga

      Toby Barlow
     Babayaga

By the author of Sharp Teeth, a novel of love, spies, and witches in 1950s Paris—and a cop turned into a fleaWill is a young American ad executive in Paris. Except his agency is a front for the CIA. It’s 1959 and the cold war is going strong. But Will doesn’t think he’s a warrior—he’s just a good-hearted Detroit ad guy who can’t seem to figure out Parisian girls.Zoya is a beautiful young woman wandering les boulevards, sad-eyed, coming off a bad breakup. In fact, she impaled her ex on a spike. Zoya, it turns out, has been a beautiful young woman for hundreds of years; she and her far more traditionally witchy-looking companion, Elga, have been thriving unnoticed in the bloody froth of Europe’s wars.Inspector Vidot is a hardworking Paris police detective who cherishes quiet nights at home. But when he follows a lead from a grisly murder to the abode of an ugly old woman, he finds himself turned into a flea.Oliver is a patrician, fun-loving American who has come to Paris to start a literary journal with the help of friends in D.C. who ask a few favors in return. He’s in well over his head, but it’s nothing that a cocktail can’t fix. Right?Add a few chance encounters, a chorus of some more angry witches, a strung-out jazzman or two, a weaponized LSD program, and a cache of rifles buried in the Bois de Bologne—and that’s a novel! But while Toby Barlow’s Babayaga may start as just a joyful romp though the City of Light, it quickly grows into a daring, moving exploration of love, mortality, and responsibility.

Read online

  • 292

    Christmas Letters

      Debbie Macomber
     Christmas Letters

Katherine O'Connor often spends her days at a cozy café on Blossom Street in Seattle—where she writes Christmas letters for other people. She's good at making their everyday lives sound more interesting. More humorous. More dramatic.But for Dr. Wynn Jeffries, who also frequents the café, Christmas means lies and deception. In fact, the renowned child psychologist recommends that parents "bury Santa under the sleigh." Katherine, however, feels that his parenting philosophy is one big mistake—at least, based on her five-year-old twin nieces, who are being raised according to his "Free Child" methods.She argues with Wynn about his theories, while he argues that her letters are nothing but lies. They disagree about practically everything—and yet, somehow, they don't really want to stop arguing.As the days—and nights—move closer to Christmas, Katherine and Wynn both discover that love means accepting your differences. And Christmas is about the things you share....From Publishers WeeklyKatherine O'Connor, a Seattle medical transcriptionist, has a booming sideline business, writing other people's Christmas letters. A run-in with Dr. Wynn Jeffries, however,ruins her holiday cheer. Katherine's sister is a devotee of Jeffries's Free Child movement, advocating "no boundaries for kids," a technique that has turned Katherine's into terrors. Jeffries just happens to live in Katherine's building, and their debate over parenting technique turns predictably, if perplexingly, to lust. Sticky with sentimentality, Macomber's latest is a fine companion to a glass of eggnog, but don't expect sustenance. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistSimilar in format to Keys to the Imagination [BKL F 1 06], a previous StoryWatchers Club episode, this title features Christmas stories. Kevin Condi relays the story of Marie in "A Gift for Santa," and Christine Petrell Kallevig uses paper folding to enhance "Home for Christmas," a nineteenth-century immigrant tale of unselfishness. Mary Jo Huff humorously relays that Santa is under the weather in "Christmas Is Cancelled," while Michael R. Kasony-O'Malley concludes with a recitation of "The Christmas Fairy of Strasburg," a participation tale that takes an original view of the first Christmas tree. A multicultural group of puppet friends leads viewers into the stories and helps segue into the next tale. There are some studio-audience shots, but the main focus is on the storytellers. Suggested for holiday and storytelling collections. John CharlesCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Read online

  • 292

    Ride Wild

      Laura Kaye
     Ride Wild

Brotherhood. Club. Family.They live and ride by their own rules.These are the Raven Riders... Wild with grief over the death of his wife, Sam "Slider" Evans merely lives for his two sons. Nothing holds his interest anymore—not even riding his bike or his membership in the Raven Riders Motorcycle Club. But that all changes when he hires a new babysitter.Recently freed from a bad situation by the Ravens, Cora Campbell is determined to bury the past. When Slider offers her a nanny position, she accepts, needing the security and time to figure out what she wants from life. Cora adores his sweet boys, but never expected the red-hot attraction to their brooding, sexy father. If only he would notice her... Slider does see the beautiful, fun-loving woman he invited into his home. She makes him feel too much, and he both hates it and yearns for it. But when Cora witnesses something she shouldn't have, the new lives they've only just...

Read online

  • 292