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The Air You Breathe


Frances de Pontes Peebles - 2018
    I read The Air You Breathe in two nights. (One might say I inhaled it.). --NPR Echoes of Elena Ferrante resound in this sumptuous saga.--O, The Oprah MagazineEnveloping...Peebles understands the shifting currents of female friendship, and she writes so vividly about samba that you close the book certain its heroine's voices must exist beyond the page. -PeopleThe story of an intense female friendship fueled by affection, envy and pride--and each woman's fear that she would be nothing without the other.Some friendships, like romance, have the feeling of fate.Skinny, nine-year-old orphaned Dores is working in the kitchen of a sugar plantation in 1930s Brazil when in walks a girl who changes everything. Gra�a, the spoiled daughter of a wealthy sugar baron, is clever, well fed, pretty, and thrillingly ill behaved. Born to wildly different worlds, Dores and Gra�a quickly bond over shared mischief, and then, on a deeper level, over music.One has a voice like a songbird; the other feels melodies in her soul and composes lyrics to match. Music will become their shared passion, the source of their partnership and their rivalry, and for each, the only way out of the life to which each was born. But only one of the two is destined to be a star. Their intimate, volatile bond will determine each of their fortunes--and haunt their memories.Traveling from Brazil's inland sugar plantations to the rowdy streets of Rio de Janeiro's famous Lapa neighborhood, from Los Angeles during the Golden Age of Hollywood back to the irresistible drumbeat of home, The Air You Breathe unfurls a moving portrait of a lifelong friendship--its unparalleled rewards and lasting losses--and considers what we owe to the relationships that shape our lives.

The Two Krishnas: A Novel


Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla - 2010
    At the center of the novel is Pooja Kapoor, a betrayed wife and mother who is forced to question her faith and marriage when she discovers that her banker husband Rahul has fallen in love with a young Muslim illegal immigrant man who happens to be their son’s age. Faced with the potential of losing faith in Rahul, divine intervention and family, she is forced to confront painful truths about the past and the duality in God and husband. The Two Krishnas draws inspiration from archetypal Hindu mythology and romantic Sufi poetry, evoking unforgettable characters to explore how, with a new world come new freedoms, and with them, the choices that could change everything we know about those we thought we knew – including ourselves.  “Shiraz immerses us in his gripping narrative as he delves into the nooks and crannies of human desire and explores both its splendor and the havoc it can wreak. A formidably intelligent and adept writer, he has stretched my understanding of a world I know very little about with this touching and masterfully written novel.”—Bapsi Sidhwa, author of Cracking India "The Two Krishnas is a powerful, sure footed novel of love, longing and loss that richly portrays life like no other work of fiction I've read. With his complex cast of characters and poetically drawn landscapes, Dhalla's talent shines and he shows us he's wise beyond his years.”—Mark Jude Poirier, author of Goats  ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE TWO KRISHNAS “In The Two Krishnas, a novel filled with unexpected turns and beauty, Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla has examined with perceptive compassion the complex and heart-wrenching ties that bind families and the secret desires that pull them apart.”—Chitra Divakaruni, bestselling author of The Palace of Illusions “Shiraz immerses us in his gripping narrative as he delves into the nooks and crannies of human desire and explores both its splendor and the havoc it can wreak. A formidably intelligent and adept writer, he has stretched my understanding of a world I know very little about with this touching and masterfully written novel.”—Bapsi Sidhwa, author of New York Times Notable Novel Cracking India "Ghalib Shiraz Dhalla writes with a voice that is both agile and compassionate. He renders scenes of great emotion with equal parts passion and precision. At it's core, The Two Krishnas is a classic tale of tragic, forbidden love, but Dhalla infuses it with an astute discussion of Hindu culture that should appeal to a broad cross-section of readers.”—Christopher Rice, New York Times bestselling author of A Density of Souls and Blind Fall "The Two Krishnas is a powerful, sure footed novel of love, longing and loss that richly portrays life like no other work of fiction I've read. With his complex cast of characters and poetically drawn landscapes, Dhalla's talent shines and he shows us he's wise beyondhis years.”—Mark Jude Poirier, author of Goats and Modern Ranch Living

The Class Prince (#1)


I.J. Hidee
    

Send Me


Patrick Ryan - 2006
    But her ex-husbands linger in the background while her four children spin away to their own separate futures, each carrying the baggage of a complex family history. Matt serves as caretaker to the ailing father who abandoned him as a child, while his wild teenage sister, Karen, hides herself in marriage to a born-again salesman. Joe, a perpetual outsider, struggles with a private sibling rivalry that nearly derails him. And then there’s the youngest, Frankie, an endearing, eccentric sci-fi freak who’s been searching since childhood for intelligent life in the universe–and finds it.Written with wry affection, and with compassion for every character in its pages, Send Me is a wholly original, haunting evocation of family love, loss, and, ultimately, forgiveness.From the Hardcover edition.

The Finder (Stonehaven, #1)


C.J. Morrow - 2014
    Discovering his own hidden powers and a world where magic rules, Elliot is forced to question everything, not least his need for love. Will he finally settle for peace and safety or will he fulfil the prophesy and become The Finder?No swords, no sorcery, just magic, right under your nose. Everyone thinks they’re unique, some people actually are.Grab a copy now and escape into a world of hidden magic where there are no rules, no laws, just expectations. What readers are saying:5* 'Wonderfully entertaining.' 5* 'Mesmerizing.'5* 'Oh. My. Word. Couldn't put this down - to the detriment of the housework, and my husband's lunch.'

Sugar and Shakedowns


Peter Styles - 2017
    But working for the mob isn't exactly a prime way to meet a kind and loving gentleman. When he finally branches out and encounters, Luke, a quiet, gentle baker, everything changes. As they grow closer and their desire for one another intensifies, Sonny fears that telling Luke the truth about his job will destroy everything. And when danger strikes, Sonny knows he must choose between a future with the man he loves and the family who's carried him his entire life. But how can he choose between two things he loves? Sugar and Shakedowns is a 50,000 word novel that takes you through the sweetest and most dangerous waters of the mafia. With strong sexual content and explicit scenes, you are guaranteed to squirm and beg for more of the hot men who claim each other one shakedown at a time.

Vanity Fierce


Graeme Aitken - 1998
    In matters of the heart, he assumed it would be no different. It is quite a shock when he falls in love for the first time, to find his desire is unrequited. But he will have his way — even if he has to cheat, lie and plot.

Notes of a Crocodile


Qiu Miaojin - 1994
    Told through the eyes of an anonymous lesbian narrator nicknamed Lazi, Qiu Miaojin's cult classic novel is a postmodern pastiche of diaries, vignettes, mash notes, aphorisms, exegesis, and satire by an incisive prose stylist and countercultural icon.Afflicted by her fatalistic attraction to Shui Ling, an older woman who is alternately hot and cold toward her, Lazi turns for support to a circle of friends that includes the devil-may-care, rich-kid-turned-criminal Meng Sheng and his troubled, self-destructive gay lover Chu Kuang, as well as the bored, mischievous overachiever Tun Tun and her alluring slacker artist girlfriend Zhi Rou.Bursting with the optimism of newfound liberation and romantic idealism despite corroding innocence, Notes of a Crocodile is a poignant and intimate masterpiece of social defiance by a singular voice in contemporary Chinese literature.

The Lie: A Memoir of Two Marriages, Catfishing & Coming Out


William Dameron - 2019
    On social networks and dating sites, his image and identity—a forty-year-old straight white male—had been used to hook countless women into believing in lies of love and romance. Was it all an ironic cosmic joke? Almost a decade prior, William himself had been living a lie that had lasted for more than twenty years. His secret? He was a gay man, a fact he hid from his wife and two daughters for almost as long as he had hidden it from himself.In this emotional and unflinchingly honest memoir of coming out of the closet late in life, owning up to the past, and facing the future, William Dameron confronts steroid addiction, the shame and homophobia of his childhood, the sledgehammer of secrets that slowly tore his marriage apart, and his love for a gay father of three that would once again challenge the boundaries of trust. At the true heart of The Lie is a universal story about turning self-doubt into self-acceptance and about pain, anger, and the long journey of both seeking and giving forgiveness.

Sebastian


Rigby Taylor - 2011
    If you're you are open to difference, are interested in alternative ways to live and love, and enjoy a fast-paced thriller, then this book is for you—so read and enjoy.Eighteen year-old Sebastian is an enigma. Everyone likes him, but no one knows anything about him. He wears clothes only under protest, but no one seems to mind. To say his home life is unusual is like saying the Amazon is a stream. Bizarre doesn’t even begin to describe his upbringing. He doesn’t know who his father was, he’s used as a therapist for broken youths, and yet he’s managed to remain a ‘normal’ and thoroughly ‘nice guy’…in the opinion of all those who are not concerned by his penchant for nudity.In this fast paced tale of criminal intrigue, porno rings, abductions and mayhem in tropical Australia, Sebastian and his boyfriend, Reginald, fight for their lives against the big-moneyed bad boys.

Bright Lines


Tanwi Nandini Islam - 2015
    For as long as she can remember, Ella has longed to feel at home. Orphaned as a child after her parents’ murder, and afflicted with hallucinations at dusk, she’s always felt more at ease in nature than with people. She traveled from Bangladesh to Brooklyn to live with the Saleems: her uncle Anwar, aunt Hashi, and their beautiful daughter, Charu, her complete opposite. One summer, when Ella returns home from college, she discovers Charu’s friend Maya—an Islamic cleric’s runaway daughter—asleep in her bedroom.  As the girls have a summer of clandestine adventure and sexual awakenings, Anwar—owner of a popular botanical apothecary—has his own secrets, threatening his thirty-year marriage. But when tragedy strikes, the Saleems find themselves blamed. To keep his family from unraveling, Anwar takes them on a fated trip to Bangladesh, to reckon with the past, their extended family, and each other.

Being Found


Arend Richard - 2020
    A double edged gift that has given him fantastic insight into the human mind, and prevented him from making a real connection to the people around him. He has no idea where this “gift” comes from or why it was given to him, but he’s about to find out. One night on his way home from work, Cameron is approached by a mysterious man with purple eyes whose thoughts he cannot hear. Little does Cameron know, that man has come from somewhere far away to awaken him to his destiny.What happens next sends Cameron on a mission that spans the Universe. Discovering the reasons behind his “gift” and his purpose on Earth.

My Brother and His Brother


Håkan Lindquist - 1993
    The story is told by one of them, Jonas, an 18-year old boy. Throughout his teenage years he has been trying to get an image of Paul, the brother he never met, a brother who died at the age of 16, the year before Jonas himself was born. The story is told like a crime story, with loose ends, clues and cliff hangers. In his search for his brother, Jonas soon finds out that Paul had an intense love affair with another boy during the last year of his life."My Brother and His Brother" received very good reviews when it was published in Sweden, and soon new editions followed as well as several translations. The novel has been published in Denmark, Norway, Belgium, Hungary, Iceland, France, Germany and Italy.

Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies


Michael Ausiello - 2017
    From his time at Soaps in Depth and Entertainment Tonight to his influential stints at TV Guide and Entertainment Weekly to his current role as co-founder of the wildly popular website TVLine.com, Michael has established himself as the go-to expert when it comes to our most popular form of entertainment.What many of his fans don’t know, however, is that while his professional life was in full swing, Michael had to endure the greatest of personal tragedies: his longtime boyfriend, Kit Cowan, was diagnosed with a rare and very aggressive form of neuroendrocrine cancer. Over the course of eleven months, Kit and Michael did their best to combat the deadly disease, but Kit succumbed to his illness in February 2015.In this heartbreaking and darkly hilarious memoir, Michael tells the story of his harrowing and challenging last year with Kit while revisiting the thirteen years that preceded it, and how the undeniably powerful bond between him and Kit carried them through all manner of difficulty—always with laughter front and center in their relationship. Instead of a tale of sadness and loss, Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies is an unforgettable, inspiring, and beautiful testament to the resilience and strength of true love.

Warmth of His Light


Frey Ortega - 2019
    As if stumbling across a group of men fighting in an abandoned lot by his home wasn’t shocking enough—one of those men suddenly attacks him...with fangs and claws. Vampire coven leader Julien Blanchard is having a bad day. After failing to apprehend a murderer and traitor to his coven, the absolute last thing he needed was a hapless human stumbling into the picture— especially an intriguing young man who, as it turns out, happens to be his mate. Eos doesn't know if he believes in mating, and knows nothing about the supernatural world he is suddenly thrust into. Julien is a vampire who has always put his coven and his duty first. Warmth of His Light is the first book of the Blanchard Coven series. It is M/M, HEA, and complete at 61,287 words. Will their burgeoning love be enough to see Eos safely through the dangers he finds himself in? And even more so, can it make the cold-blooded Julien relinquish control and embrace Eos, and the warmth of his light? An M/M Vampire Romance.