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This contemporary novel about a woman navigating love, loss, and the whispering call of her neglected artistic dreams will appeal to fans of Lily King and Jojo Moyes. Right after Sabina watches her rock star husband walk out on their marriage, a phone call reveals that her beloved grandmother is in the ICU in Santa Cruz, CA. So, Sabina hits the road with a tear-stained face, a duffel bag of clothes, and no plan for her future. In her grandmother’s seaside world, Sabina reconnects with several old passions: ocean swimming, process painting, and a long-lost summer love named Graham—all of which force her to confront the artistic dream she abandoned to support her husband. Meanwhile, a mysterious voice keeps calling to her. Sabina wonders if it’s a Selkie, one of the mythical shape-shifting seal folk from her grandmother’s stories. As both her marriage and her grandmother’s health deteriorate, Sabina wrestles with the choices she’s made. Is it too late to reclaim her dream? Must she choose between art and love? And is the voice she’s hearing a sign she’s lost it or a key to unlocking her true self? Author: Megan Walrod Publication Date: June 10, 2025
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For adventurous fiction lovers, this debut novel tells the story of a young geologist working with ancient rocks who finds herself in present mortal danger when Mount St. Helens erupts with catastrophic power. After an inspiring trip to the Grand Canyon, Lauren Brown falls in love with geology—so much so that she convinces her husband, Kenny, to follow her from Philadelphia to East Texas, where she enters a male-dominated graduate program at Texas Polytechnic. Lauren thrives on the adventure geology affords her—studying undersea volcanoes, shepherding clueless undergraduates in a remote national park, and climbing canyons in Oregon to collect rock samples—but at home, things are deteriorating. After separating from her straying husband, she becomes best friends with Chris, an honorable male colleague who helps her fend off a predatory professor. When Mount St. Helens awakens, geologists from all over the world flock to Washington. Lauren is determined to be part of the action and witness an erupting volcano. The dream event of a lifetime is at hand. On a Saturday in May, she and Kenny, with whom she has reconciled, convene with Chris to stake out Mount St. Helens. The first day, the mountain remains annoyingly quiet. The next day, it erupts with catastrophic power—and irreversibly upends Lauren’s life. Author: Susan Sizer Bogue Publication Date: May 6, 2025
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For fans of Jennifer Weiner and Helen Fielding, a debut contemporary women’s fiction novel about a woman in the country music industry navigating the ins and outs of friendship, love, jealousy, and life on tour. Who knew a broken heel can change your life? Though she has her dream job—finding new songs for singers in the booming country music industry—music executive Christine Matthews lives an unexciting life. That is, until a broken shoe sends her sprawling on the street right in front of Nashville singing sensation Austin Garrett’s tour bus, and Austin himself comes to her aid. When Austin recognizes Christine as the woman who pitched him his recent number one hit, he invites her to be his date at the CMT Awards that night, and like that, Christine is catapulted from a life of solitude to the spotlight. Suddenly, she’s the subject of much speculation—and criticism. Some jealous fans think she’s not pretty or thin enough, and they begin to cyber-bully and body shame her. But that’s not the only reason Christine thinks accepting Austin’s invitation to join him on tour and help him find another big hit might be a bad idea. She’s also developing feelings for his tour manager, Matt. And one of her online bullies has turned threatening, bringing up trauma from Christine’s past. Is the turmoil worth it? Or is her only real solution to walk away from all of it—even the man who might just be the love of her life? Author: Lee Adams Publication Date: June 17, 2025
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For fans of The Glass Castle and Educated, a child sex abuse survivor-turned-domestic violence advocate examines the full circle of generational trauma, resilience, and healing. The average person can keep a secret for forty-seven hours. Babs Walters held the worst kind of secret for nearly 70 years. Beginning at the age of 11, Babs suffered childhood sexual abuse at the hands of her father. His edict, “Children should be seen and not heard,” defined her childhood and groomed her to silence. Desperate to be loved and seeking approval, the good little girl absorbed both the responsibility and the shame that was not hers to begin with. Despite the generational trauma and abuse that haunted her childhood, Walters made a promise to herself when she realized that “We are not what happens to us. We are the meaning and purpose we give to what happens to us.” Now, decades later, author Babs Walters shows us how uncovering the truth is a critical step to healing. Facing the Jaguar is an inspirational story of resilience and courage—a story that proves anything is possible when we claim our truth and shine a light in even the darkest of places. Author: Babs Walters Publication Date: June 17, 2025
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In this uplifting debut memoir perfect for fans of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Deb Miller discards the myth of Prince Charming once she realizes he can’t get her to happily ever after and instead gets on the white horse herself, safely straps her kids on behind her, and figures out how to get there on her own. In Forget the Fairy Tale and Find Your Happiness, Deb Miller learns to slay the myth of Prince Charming and redefine what it means to live happily ever after. When Deb’s college sweetheart can’t deliver the fairy tale she expects, she takes charge and creates her own. Her love of tennis opens new professional doors but also leads to a tumultuous second marriage. This powerful memoir chronicles her transformation from a Midwest housewife to a global executive as she navigates societal expectations, personal setbacks, and professional triumphs. Throughout her journey, Deb draws fascinating parallels with Disney’s ever-evolving princesses, who have moved from damsels in distress to courageous, independent characters who embrace their unique strengths and forge their own paths. Along Deb’s winding, bumpy course to happiness, she learns a few lessons worth sharing. Her story will empower other women who might be taking a different path than the traditional one they were taught to tread. This is her tale of resilience, pursuing a better life for her children, and finding genuine happiness for herself. Author: Deb Miller Publication Date: June 24, 2025
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A compelling narrative about a pioneering woman’s connection to wild rivers as a whitewater world champion, and how the journey heals past and current childhood trauma. Alternating between two time periods, Risk is about Sue Norman’s journey as a pioneer in international whitewater kayaking and rafting competition. Outdoor adventure helped the author cope with the trauma of her mother’s diagnosis of acute multiple sclerosis when she was five, which rapidly forced her family into poverty and separation. As an adult, Sue was thrust into becoming a first-time parent after menopause to her four-year-old nephew. Her nephew's early years were spent with biological parents who struggled with addiction and mental illness. Does Sue have what it takes to parent a child considered to be at risk? Risk explores how pursuing “good risk” through adventure can help one escape, and face, their fears. Author: Susan Norman Publication Date: June 24, 2025
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For fans of Liane Moriarty and Maria Semple, this contemporary debut novel weaves together romance, mystery, and adventure as a woman travels to the Grand Canyon seeking answers after uncovering an old family secret. After crashing into a devastating revelation, Cyd’s tranquil life on the Florida panhandle is further upended when she receives a letter announcing an inheritance from an estranged aunt. The inheritance contains mysterious “items of a personal nature” which Cyd must collect in person halfway across the country. In a last attempt to salvage her deteriorating marriage, Cyd agrees to travel with her husband on what he promises—and she questions—will be the trip of a lifetime. As they set out, a hurricane threatens their hometown. Soon, fueled by the growing threat of the storm and the tension brewing between them, the couple’s long-suppressed problems erupt. Cyd digs deep for the courage to continue the journey on her own, unsure if either her home or her marriage will survive. Once in Phoenix, Cyd learns the strange details of the inheritance and a decades-old family secret. But what was the whole truth? Clues and instinct lead Cyd to Sedona and then to the Grand Canyon. She descends into the vast chasm alone searching for answers to newly raised questions and age-old mysteries. She steps off the beaten path, literally, knowing she must make peace with her pain-filled past and her uncertain future. Author: Jayne Mills Publication Date: July 8, 2025
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An acclaimed author’s collection of short stories for fans of genre-bending fiction, Shot blends social impact fiction and activist fiction, tackling the gun violence crisis head on. Anna argues with her mom about a school science award. Ben discovers in his seventh decade that he is Jewish. Chester searches for his little sister in a snowstorm. Dixie is pregnant with her second child. Their stories and twenty-two others read like the ABC’s of everyday life. One way or another, the challenges that bring drama to our lives work themselves out, right? Or maybe not. Sometimes the ending isn’t at all what you expect. Shot is a collection of short stories about gun violence, organized as a dictionary, with a story for each letter of the alphabet. Each life is precious. And life itself is to be celebrated. Author: Jude Berman Publication Date: July 15, 2025
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For fans of Anne Tyler and Jojo Moyes, a tartly compassionate and contemporary tale of sibling love and conflict, marital challenges, and what personal fulfillment looks like—or doesn’t—in middle age. Mid-life: Its obligations and demands, its petty foibles and evasions. And sometimes, its crises. Dreams are deferred, shortcomings rationalized. Like favorite old clothes, petty misdemeanors may feel comfortable, but they’re not a good look. The Talley siblings are planning a family beach vacation—all four of them together for the first time in years. They suspect it will be their last. And God knows they all need a vacation. But wait, is it really such a good idea? Corina, with her recently diagnosed Alzheimer’s, can hardly manage to get through a day without a debacle. Pete is a just-barely-walking catalog of medical calamities stemming from his longtime addictions. Becca is reeling from her teenage son’s latest misadventure. And then there is Kathy, the eldest. After firmly avoiding going back to Rincón Bay, the beach town just a few hours south of the Arizona–Mexico border that has haunted her since a college spring break trip three decades ago, she’s determined to go back and face her ghosts—though she might be better off facing the fact that her marriage is in serious trouble. When the Talley siblings and their entourage (two spouses, added on at the last minute, and Corina’s Mexican housekeeper/caregiver) finally land in Rincón Bay, they all encounter unexpected consequences from the wounds inflicted by careless loving—but maybe, too, the seeds of healing and hope. Author: Linda Dahl Publication Date: July 22, 2025
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Experience a year immersed in the healing power, adventure, and tranquility of the natural world, on sixteen acres of wild land in Southern Ontario, Canada. With personal vignettes and color photographs that track the seasons of a single year, Infinite Paradise connects readers with the wildlife on sixteen acres of forest and water meadow along the Conestoga River in Southern Ontario, Canada. Broken into seasons and then further into months and days, the book focuses on the buoyancy of life, showing readers that in a world battered by global warming, habitat destruction, and species extinction, many riches still remain. Interacting with nature can combat stress, heal the human spirit, and foster new and calming perspectives on life. As Infinite Paradise illustrates, the complexity, beauty, and power of the natural world is available to any reader who stays open to the splendid lifeforms they live among. Author: Dianne Beeaff Publication Date: July 22, 2025
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Written by a former arms control negotiator turned historical novelist, this epic WWII tale of betrayal and second chances details how a woman trapped in occupied Russia fights the Nazis—and her own demons. For fans of Kate Quinn and Mark Sullivan, a haunting World War II novel of mistakes and second chances, of courage and the search for forgiveness, and of finding peace with oneself. Driven by a blind devotion to the Communist Party, self-centered Katya Karavayeva has broken the most important rule in Soviet society: never say anything that can be used against you. On the heels of that betrayal, Nazi Germany invades and the Soviet Union mobilizes. Katya hopes to halt her downward spiral by joining the volunteer militia, but within a few short weeks finds herself under attack. After escaping with another volunteer, Katya spends weeks on the run before landing in a town under Nazi occupation. There, she finds a place and a purpose and learns to fight a different kind of war, repaying German brutality with a harsh justice of her own. All the while she struggles against her inner demons and dreams of reunion with her daughter and forgiveness from her husband—the one she betrayed. Author: Suzanne Parry Publication Date: August 5, 2025
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Fans of Oliver Sacks and Gabor Maté will be intrigued by this journey into the human brain, full of fascinating stories—both personal and professional—by a neurologist who’s dedicated her life to understanding the body’s most complex organ. Do you hear them? The whispers that tell the untold stories of the human mind? In Whispers of the Mind, neurologist Carolyn Larkin Taylor shares stories, both professional and deeply personal, about her journey through the labyrinth of neurology. Composed of essays spanning from medical school to private practice, this memoir reveals Taylor’s growth as both a healer and a human being and, through vivid and compassionate storytelling, captures the essence of neurology—a field rarely associated with joy but rich in profound rewards. Each essay in Whispers of the Mind chronicles true events that highlight the intricate connection between the brain, heart, and soul and illustrate the resilience of the human spirit, lessons learned from patients, and the beauty found in the courage of those facing neurological challenges. In sharing her stories, Taylor invites readers into the mystique of the human brain, providing a heartfelt glimpse into the life of a neurologist dedicated to understanding and healing the most complex organ of all—the mind Author: Carolyn Larkin Taylor Publication Date: July 22, 2025
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For readers touched by Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and anyone with a life-threatening illness seeking healing of body, mind, and spirit, a fellow patient shares her journey of choosing to have the best day of her life by working as though she will live and living every moment as though she might die. Waking to the stunning realization she had cancer, Jocelyn Rasmussen’s first thought was that she needed a miracle. Her second thought was that she didn’t want to die with any unspent love or grace inside her. Guided by this principle, she entered treatment with faith that she could accept any outcome—from a complete remission to death. As Rasmussen underwent chemotherapy and radiation, she plunged into the mysteries and certainties of life and death. All of creation, nature and humanity, became fodder for her reflections about healing, time, hope, dreaming, and loving. The deeper she went, the more she realized she was already living the miracle she’d asked for. It was being revealed in every sacred moment of her life—she simply hadn’t always recognized it. Life, she discovered, was radiant with the light of wisdom, the strong and gentle touch of caregiving, the gratitude for another breath, and the surprise of all that was arising. Tender and uplifting, This Day Won’t Come Again will encourage you to trust your own radiance and allow it to guide you into the unique meaning and purpose that is yours to share as you navigate treatment or caregiving for life-threatening illness. Author: Jocelyn Rasmussen Publication Date: August 12, 2025
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A debut contemporary memoir about a young woman struggling to understand her identity as the daughter of a Jewish mother and Christian Palestinian father, coming of age in Colombia as increasing violence and the instability of the 1980s engulf her country. Sonia Daccarett grew up with a Jewish mother and a Christian Palestinian father in Colombia during the drug-war 1980s. When she asks her parents questions about their family’s ethnicity and religion they answer evasively, defining their family religion and ethnicity as “nothing.” Grandparents and family members who speak Yiddish, Hebrew, and Arabic and fled from places called the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Russia, Bethlehem, and the Ottoman Empire, does not sound like “nothing” to Sonia. At the same time, Sonia grapples with her American education at school. She is both enchanted and challenged by the tropical landscape of her childhood in a remote suburb of Cali, which is rapidly changing as cocaine trafficking and drug cartels begin to dominate the city’s life. As she tries to discover what her family is, Colombia begins unraveling around her through violence, kidnappings, and the death of acquaintances and friends. At the same time, her parents’ marriage and their personal identities are rocked by the faraway Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982. Soon, she will have to decide whether to stay in Colombia with her family or leave them behind to find the answers she seeks. Author: Sonia Daccarett Publication Date: August 12, 2025
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For fans of Jeannette Walls, Jodi Picoult, and Alice Sebold, a heartening memoir about a girl who survives abuse and molestation to become a powerful advocate against gun violence in America. The inspiring memoir of a woman who overcomes the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of her early life to blossom into a gun violence prevention activist. Growing up in a toxic, male-centered household where she’s repeatedly told, “Don’t be a dumb girl,” Heidi’s abused by her dad—starting with a punch in the face at five years old—and left to fend for herself by her alcoholic mom, who neglects to protect her from either her violent father or her brother who molests her. For years, Heidi’s traumatized and without a voice. Then comes Columbine. Thirteen years after Heidi graduates from Columbine High, this horrific school shooting rocks the nation—and gives her a sudden sense of purpose. Despite her childhood wounds, or perhaps even because of them, she becomes determined to stop gun violence. Gradually, she finds her voice: organizing vigils and protests, joining the Brady Campaign Board to battle the NRA, and eventually writing a book and directing a documentary about the after-effects of gun violence. In doing so, she finds her inner strength and resolve and overcomes her fear of conflict—and learns that when you frame it the right way, even being “dumb” can be a superpower. Author: Heidi Yewman Publication Date: August 19, 2025
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For fans of Lori Gottlieb’s Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, a contemporary memoir by a psychologist whose sexual conflict with her screenwriter husband threatens to destroy her marriage. Can a loving relationship endure career setbacks, infidelities, and mismatched sexual desires? This is the question psychologist Bonnie Comfort grapples with as she navigates her unpredictable thirty-year marriage to Hollywood screenwriter Bob, while she provides marital therapy to others. Bob is affectionate, brilliant, and hilarious—but his sexual desires are incompatible with Bonnie’s. Despite her misgivings, she indulges his kinks, which often include photographing her in lingerie. Their Hollywood life is exciting, but eventually Bob’s growing career frustrations lead to his complete sexual shutdown. Tensions rise, and Bob suggests Bonnie have discreet affairs and not tell him. She does just that—but when she confesses her infidelities five years later, his sexual demands become more extreme. When she complies, Bonnie feels shame; when she refuses, as she increasingly does, their fights threaten to tear their marriage apart. Bonnie understands the rhythm of disconnection and repair that is common in love relationships. With honesty and vulnerability, she recounts the highs and lows of her own marriage which sadly ends with Bob’s death. As she grieves, Bonnie reflects on her role in their marital struggles and offers profound insights from personal and professional experience. Her story lays bare the complexities of love, the ongoing challenges women face in intimate relationships, and how even difficult marriages can find a way to thrive. Author: Bonnie Comfort Publication Date: August 19, 2025
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For fans of Kate Quinn’s The Rose Code and Jacqueline Winspear’s The Consequences of Fear comes a gripping novel, set in post–WWII San Francisco, about a young female newspaper publisher and a story that could change the course of her city’s future. In the jubilant aftermath of Japan’s surrender in World War II, San Francisco erupts in celebration. But for Sandy Zimmer, the thirty-two-year-old widow publisher of the Prospect newspaper, the revelry masks a darker truth. In the chaos of the VJ Day Peace Riot, eleven deaths and six rapes take place. Driven by journalistic integrity and battling her own instincts to maintain peace, Sandy directs her paper to investigate the riot. Her quest for truth pits her against formidable adversaries: her controlling civic-leader father-in-law, the newspaper’s resistant board, and authorities desperate to bury the scandal as they vie to attract the United Nations Headquarters to San Francisco. Based on little-known historical events, An Unlikely Prospect follows Sandy’s fight to find her voice in the male-dominated world of 1945 journalism. As she navigates power dynamics, gender roles, and the steep price of printing the truth, Sandy must confront her own transformation from a people-pleasing widow into a determined publisher willing to challenge the status quo.Author: Shelley Blanton-Stroud Publication Date: August 19, 2025