In this distinct selection of stories marked by struggle and compassion, Pieces Like Pottery is a powerful examination of the sorrows of life, the strength of character, the steadfast of courage, and the resiliency of love requisite to find redemption. Filled with graceful insight into the human condition, each linked story presents a tale of loss and love mirroring themes from each of the five Sorrowful Mysteries. In Expect Dragons, James Hinri learns that his old high school teacher is dying. Wanting to tell Mr. Smith one last time how much his teaching impacted him, James drives across the country revisiting past encounters with his father's rejection and the pain of his youth. Disillusioned and losing hope, little did James know that Mr. Smith had one final lesson for him. In The Gravesite, Lisa and Mike's marriage hangs in the balance after the disappearance of their only son while backpacking in Thailand. Mike thinks the authorities are right--that Chris fell to his death in a hiking accident--but Lisa has her doubts. Her son was too strong to die this young, and no one can explain to her why new posts continue to appear on her son's blog. Twenty-Two looks in on the lives of a dock worker suffering from the guilt of a life not lived and a bartender making the best of each day, even though he can see clearly how his life should have been different. The two find their worlds collide when a past tragedy shockingly connects them. A collection of nine stories, each exquisitely written and charged with merciful insight into the trials of life, Pieces Like Pottery reminds us of the sorrows we all encounter in life and the kindness we receive, oftentimes from the unlikeliest of places.

    Mariana, the eldest, is on the verge of throwing away a distinguished reputation in journalism, along with her marriage. Nina, the middle daughter, has returned from a medical mission overseas as a changed woman but won’t discuss it with anyone. And Beata, the youngest, has a hostile teenaged son who just discovered the existence of a father who didn’t know about him either. Meanwhile, their cousin Zoe is making divorce look like a death match, while her brother, Zack, is grappling with the fallout from his popular television dramedy, which is based far too closely on Lydia herself.It might be easier to find their paths if they could step out of Lydia’s shadow—but the biggest women’s march in history is underway, and Lydia and her family are at the centre of it.Over the course of an eventful year, the Hennessey children contend with the big struggles of midlife: aging parents, raging teens, crumbling marriages and bodies, new loves and the choice between playing it safe or taking life-altering risks. And as they inch toward a new definition of happiness, they might even persuade their parents—and themselves—that they’re all grown up.

      Doctor Julie Walker has just signed her divorce papers when she receives news that her younger sister, Heather, has gone into labor. Though theirs is a strained relationship, Julie sets out for the hospital to be at her sister’s side—no easy task since the streets of San Francisco are filled with commotion. Today is also the day that Julie will find herself at the epicenter of a violent standoff in which she is forced to examine both the promising and painful parts of her past—her Southern childhood; her romance with her husband, Tom; her estrangement from Heather; and the shattering incident that led to her greatest heartbreak.   Infused with emotional depth and poignancy, Golden State takes readers on a journey over the course of a single, unforgettable day—through an extraordinary landscape of love, loss, and hope.

    . . In Danielle Steel’s powerful novel, four San Francisco trauma doctors – the best and brightest in their field – confront exciting and exacting new challenges, both personally and professionally, when given a rare opportunity. Bill Browning heads the trauma unit at San Francisco’s busiest emergency room. With his ex-wife and daughters in London, he immerses himself in his work and lives for the little time he can spend with his children. A rising star at her teaching hospital, Stephanie Lawrence has two young sons, a frustrated stay-at-home husband, and not enough time for any of them. Harvard-educated Wendy Jones is a dedicated trauma doctor, trapped in a dead-end relationship with a married cardiac surgeon. And Tom Wylie’s popularity with women rivals the superb medical skills he employs at his medical centre, but he refuses to let anyone get too close, determined to remain unattached forever. These exceptional doctors are chosen for an honour and a unique project: to work with their counterparts in Paris in a mass-casualty training programme. As professionals they will gain invaluable knowledge, but as ordinary men and women they will find that the City of Light opens up incredible new possibilities, exhilarating, enticing and frightening. When an unspeakable act of mass violence galvanizes them into action, their temporary life in Paris becomes a stark turning point: a time to make harder choices than they have ever faced before – with consequences that will last a lifetime.

    . . and the power of love to change lives. In 1926 the Holborn twins, Ginny and her blind sister Emily, disappear from their comfortable home in Wolverhampton. Why? No one knew. Ten years later, aspiring solicitor Charlie Commoner is dispatched to France to track them down. What he finds instead is a mystery, a tragedy and a love affair. But as the Second World War darkens over Europe, so, too, does the legacy from a terrifying disease that holds the family in its grip . . . As warmhearted as Maeve Binchy, as compulsive as The Shell Seekers, Two Silver Crosses is unputdownable. Beryl Kingston was born and brought up in Tooting. After taking her degree at London University, she taught English and Drama at various London schools as well as bringing up her three children. She and her husband now live in Sussex. Her other titles include Hearts and Farthings, Kisses and Ha’pennies, A Time to Love, Tuppenny Times, Fourpenny Flyer, Sixpenny Stalls, London Pride, and War Baby.

    Spending three decades in love with a wonderful but unattainable man is pretty high up on her list of missteps, as is a long line of unsuccessful love affairs accompanied by a seemingly endless supply of delicious cocktails.When the young bride flees—taking with her a family heirloom and leaving behind six hundred bewildered guests—her mother offers Margo fifty grand to retrieve her spoiled brat of a daughter and the invaluable property she stole. So, together with the bride’s jilted and justifiably crabby fiancé, Margo sets out in a borrowed 1955 red MG on a cross-country chase. Along the way, none of what she discovers will be quite what she expected. But it might be exactly what she’s been seeking all along.From acclaimed humor writer Jane Lotter comes this madcap, laugh-out-loud adventure, The Bette Davis Club. Revised edition: This edition of The Bette Davis Club includes editorial revisions.

    

    

    Since escaping his family’s notoriety in Australia Will Kidd has spent a decade sailing the seas, never looking back. Content to live the life of a wanderer, everything changes in a single moment when he comes face to face with a ghost from his past on a cloudy beach in Liverpool.The daughter of an abusive zealot, every step of Hannah Dawson's life has been laid out for her... until she meets Will by chance and is set on a new path. Their love is forbidden and forces on all sides divide them, but their bond is undeniable. Now, they will have to fight against all the odds to escape the chains of their histories and find their way back to one another. A compelling tale of family secrets and love against the odds, perfect for fans of Fiona Valpy and Gill Paul. Praise for Storms Gather Between Us 'Another great book by Clare Flynn’ Reader Review‘A really gripping and moving pre WWII story’ Reader Review‘I would recommend this book without hesitation’ Reader Review‘Very descriptive, immersive and well written. This book is guaranteed to make you turn each and every page.’ Reader Review‘I was totally gripped from the first page’ Reader Review

    But, obsessed with order and routine, he’s a prisoner to perfection. Disengaged from the emotional life of his North Carolina family, Felix has let his wife, Ella, deal with their special-needs son by herself.A talented jewelry designer turned full-time mother, Ella is the family rock…until her heart attack shatters their carefully structured existence. Now Harry, a gifted teen grappling with the chaos of Tourette’s, confronts a world outside his parents’ control, one that tests his desire for independence.As Harry searches for his future, and Ella adapts to the limits of her failing health, Felix struggles with his past and present roles. To prevent the family from being ripped apart, they must each bend with the inevitability of change and reinforce the ties that bind.

    Courtney Sullivan and Elin Hilderbrand, about a single mother who inherits a beautiful beach house with a caveat—she must take care of the ornery elderly woman who lives in it. For years, Maggie Sheets has been an invisible hand in the glittering homes of wealthy New York City clients, scrubbing, dusting, mopping, and doing all she can to keep her head above water as a single mother. Everything changes when a former employer dies leaving Maggie a staggering inheritance. A house in Sag Harbor. The catch? It comes with an inhabitant: The deceased’s eighty-two-year old mother Edith.Edith has Alzheimer’s—or so the doctors tell her—but she remembers exactly how her daughter Liza could light up a room, or bring dark clouds in her wake. And now Liza’s gone, by her own hand, and Edith has been left—like a chaise or strand of pearls—to a poorly dressed young woman with a toddler in tow.Maggie and Edith are both certain this arrangement will be an utter disaster. But as summer days wane, a tenuous bond forms, and Edith, who feels the urgency of her diagnosis, shares a secret that she’s held close for five decades, launching Maggie on a mission that might just lead them each to what they are looking for.

    "A moving, memorable story... a highly recommended, evocative read..." Set in the San Francisco Bay Area and inspired by a vivid dream with the author's deceased sister shouting from a mountain top, this intriguing novel blends autobiographical fact and narrative fiction straight from the author's heart. "Riveting." If you enjoy CS Lewis, Ann Voskamp, Eckhardt Tolle, Oprah, Judith Orloff, or mystical stories like The Shack, or The Alchemist, or The Celestine Prophecy, you'll be captivated. Kate Kindrick is born gifted with a 7th sense ─ the ability to read human hearts coupled with keen intuition. Kate struggles to understand her premonitions while surrounded by skeptical, sometimes cruel, family members and their secrets. Is Kate psychic? A medium? Simply intuitive? Empowered by Angels? The segments of this story that embrace death are drawn from Sherry's real-life experiences when she was present with beloved family members as they passed away. Her wondrous encounters of loved ones' spirits after their physical deaths are deeply engaging. This tantalizing novel percolates with subtle wisdom that is inspirational, transformational, and healing. "A breath of fresh, clean air..." "Intriguing characters" "... a page turner" Whether you believe in the supernatural, existence of souls, miracles, the power of prayer, angels, heaven, or not, this thought-provoking book explores issues relevant to many of today's societal woes: prejudice, abuse, eating disorders, and limiting belief systems. It delves into the mysteries of death and of angels, intuition, finding God in all, and true love. Full of spirit, it brims with inspiration, daring, hope, and the importance of following our dreams. "This book is phenomenal. If you are someone who is intuitive, this is the book for you... I couldn't put this book down... one I will read again and again." ─ Anna Blackard, 5-stars, Amazon Reviewer ─ WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO, OR DON'T, LISTEN TO YOUR INTUITION, YOUR HEART? ─ "Truly a page-turner, engaging the reader from the first page until the last." ─ Deborah Lloyd, 5-Stars, Readers' Favorite Reviewer, International Gold Medal "This book weaves spiritual,mystical, and experiential themes into the most compelling family storyline ever..." ─ Dr. John Horn, Retired Superintendent, Mesquite ISD Gold Medal ─ 2017 Readers' Favorite International Award ─ Fiction, Christian 1st Place ─ 2018 The Paris Book Festival ─ Fiction, Spiritual 1st Place ─ 2018 The Great Northwest Book Festival ─ Fiction, Spiritual 1st Place ─ 2017 Texas Association of Authors Award ─ Fiction,Inspirational 1st Place ─ 2018 The Great Southeast Book Festival ─ Fiction, Spiritual Best Book ─ 2016 Pinnacle Book Achievement Award ─ Fiction,Inspirational Award Winner ─ 2018 The Great Southwest Book Festival ─ Fiction Spiritual Gold Medal ─ 2016 Beverly Hills Book Awards ─ Fiction,Religion Award Winner ─ 2016 London Book Festival ─ Fiction, Spiritual /Religious Finalist ─ 2017 Eric Hoffer Book Award ─ Fiction,Spiritual Award Winner ─ 2016 Great Midwest Book Festival ─ Fiction,Spiritual Finalist ─ 2017 Bookvana Life. Spirit. Knowledge.

    Can little Cally break free from poverty, and forge a successful life for herself? When Cally loses her beloved mum, she hopes her father will comfort and protect her. But instead she soon acquires a cruel and vengeful stepmother, and Cally begins to fear that she is on her own. Through uncomfortable years in service, to a terrifying brush with the streets, through hard work and determination, Cally finally finds a place for herself. She even trusts enough in the future to create her own family, despite being so cruelly abandoned by her own. At last in a place of peace and contentment, Cally has all she ever hoped for, but with World War 2 looming, how long can she hold on to the people she loves? Taking us from 1926 all the way to end of the Second World War, Chrissie Walsh has written a heart-breaking tale of love and survival, perfect for fans of Dilly Court and Lyn Andrews.

    Linked through bloodlines and grocery lines, they respond to life's bruises by grabbing power, sex, or the family silver. As they atone and forgive, they unmask the love and truth that hop white picket fences. Michelle Brafman is the author of the novel Washing the Dead. Her short fiction and essays have appeared in Slate, Tablet, the Washington Post, Lilith, the the minnesota review, and elsewhere. She teaches fiction writing at the Johns Hopkins University MA in Writing Program and lives with her family in Glen Echo, Maryland.

    The pressure is on to create new books to distract readers from the grim realities of the war, but Partridge's rising star, Alice Cotton, leaves abruptly and cannot be found. Alice's secret absence is to birth her child, and although her baby's father remains unnamed, Alice's mother promises to help her raise her tiny granddaughter, Eadie. Instead, she takes a shocking action.Theo Bloom is employed by the American office of Partridge. When he is tasked with helping the British publisher overcome their challenges, Theo has his own trials to face before he can return to New York to marry his fiancee.Inspired by real events during the Second World War, Finding Eadie is a story about the triumph of three friendships bound by hope, love, secrets and the belief that books have the power to change lives.PRAISE FOR ELEANOR'S SECRET'Fans of Natasha Lester and Kate Morton will very much enjoy this new release and the dual time zones mean the book will appeal to a broader audience.' DebbishdotcomPRAISE FOR MAGGIE'S KITCHEN'Extremely engaging . . . reads like the work of a veteran storyteller.'