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  The Sunset Limited

  Cormac McCarthy

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  A recipient of the National Book Award, National Book Critics Circle Award and the Pulitzer Prize, Cormac McCarthy has established himself as the rare author whose every work is a cause for celebration. With this novel in  dramatic form, McCarthy gives voice to existential dread and ultimate meaning. “Like the novelists he admires—Melville, Dostoyevsky,  Faulkner—Cormac McCarthy has created an imaginative oeuvre greater and deeper than any single book. Such writers wrestle with the gods themselves.”—Washington Post Book World

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  The Final Confession of Mabel...

  Robert Hough

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  Meet the Tiger Queen—in this "extravagantly entertaining” novel based on the wild life of the famous animal trainer and circus celebrity (The Boston Globe).   In the 1920s, during the golden age of the big top, Mabel Stark was the superstar of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus, and one of America’s most eccentric and unlikely celebrities. A tiny, curvaceous Kentucky blonde in a white leather bodysuit, Mabel was brazen, sexually adventurous, and the greatest tiger trainer in history. She was fearlessly courageous. That was then. This is now.   It’s 1968. Mabel is turning eighty and is about to lose her job at Jungleland, a Southern California game park. Devastated by the loss of her cats, she looks back on her life, her five marriages, her regrets, and her triumphs. From her time as a mental institution–escapee; the notorious belly dancer, Little Egypt; and a crowd-roaring success with her one true love—a 550-pound Bengal tiger named Rajah—Mabel delivers an audacious confession of dark secrets, broken dreams, and escapades both comic and tragic.   In The Final Confession of Mabel Stark, Robert Hough resurrects the life of a formidably independent, proudly scarred, naughtily ribald, and totally unapologetic star in “one of the most rollicking, good-time books of the year” (USA Today).   “Mabel Stark developed an act so original, so daring, so brave, that it puts all the stupid human tricks on today’s reality shows to shame . . . a captivating portrait of a woman and a way of life that no longer exist.” —The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review   “Narrating with a saucy, bouncy verve, [Mabel Stark] recounts a life story that is one part John Irving, two parts blue movie.” —Time Out New York

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  The Thoughts and Happenings of...

  Wendy Jones

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  A historical fiction debut. “An old-fashioned story exploring first love, loyalty and loss—this diverting novel is pure pleasure” (The New York Times Book Review).   Under the heady influence of a springtime picnic and vague notions of obligation, young undertaker Wilfred Price blurts out a marriage proposal to a woman he barely knows. Much to his consternation, she says yes. As Wilfred attempts to extricate himself from the situation, his betrothed’s overbearing father presents further complications. And when Wilfred meets another woman he does wish to marry, a comedy of manners ensues. Set in rural Wales during the 1920s, Wendy Jones’s charming first novel is a deceptive, subtly humorous entrance to the mores and social conventions of a world gone by.   “A life-embracing novel.” —The Boston Globe   “A skillfully drawn comedy of manners.” —The New Yorker   “[Jones’] characters are delightfully drawn, lovingly described, and infused with life that transcends the printed page.” —World Literature Today   “Wilfred’s sentimental education is wrought so delightfully and affectionately.” —Sunday Times   “Light, compassionate drama about a small, very tightly bound, ancient corner of the world.” —The Guardian   “This is a spryly told tale whose heart is an ample match for its more knowing qualities.” —Daily Mail   “A comedy of errors in rural Wales evolves into a dark tale of family secrets in this very accomplished debut.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

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  The Second Life of Mirielle West

  Amanda Skenandore

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  1920s Los Angeles: Socialite Mirielle West's days are crowded with shopping, luncheons, and prepping for the myriad glittering parties she attends with her actor husband, Charlie. She's been too busy to even notice the small patch of pale skin on the back of her hand. Other than an occasional over-indulgence in gin and champagne, which helps to numb the pain of recent tragedy, Mirielle is the picture of health. But her doctor insists on more tests, and Mirielle reluctantly agrees.The diagnosis—leprosy—is devastating and unthinkable. Changing her name to shield Charlie and their two young children, Mirielle is exiled to rural Louisiana for what she hopes will be a swift cure. But the hospital at Carville turns out to be as much a prison as a place of healing. Deaths far outnumber the discharges, and many patients have languished for years.At first, Mirielle keeps her distance from other residents, unwilling to accept her new reality. Gradually she begins to find both a community and a purpose at Carville, helping the nurses and doctors while eagerly anticipating her return home. But even that wish is tinged with uncertainty. How can she bridge the divide between the woman, wife, and mother she was, and the stranger she has become? And what price is she willing to pay to protect the ones she loves?

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  The Evening Chorus - A Novel

  Helen Humphreys

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  A “delicate and incandescent” novel of love, loss, escape, and the ways the natural world can save us amid the chaos of war (San Francisco Chronicle).  World War II. Downed during his first mission, James Hunter is taken captive as a German POW. To bide his time, he studies a nest of redstarts at the edge of camp. Some prisoners plot escape; some are shot. And then, one day, James is called to the Kommandant’s office. Meanwhile, back home, James’s new wife, Rose, is on her own, free in a way she has never known.   Then, James’s sister, Enid, loses everything during the Blitz and must seek shelter with Rose. In a cottage near Ashdown Forest, the two women jealously guard secrets, but form a surprising friendship. Each of these characters finds unexpected freedom amid war’s privations and discover confinements that come with peace.   “Beautifully written [and] extremely controlled.” —The Washington Post   “Lyrical . . . Humphreys is a metaphysical novelist; for her, intricate emotional content finds specific analogues in the made world.” —The New Yorker   “With her trademark prose—exquisitely limpid—Humphreys convinces us of the birdlike strength of the powerless.” —Emma Donoghue   “This riveting novel is a song. Listen.” —Richard Bausch    

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  Betrayal - Thomas Kydd Book 13

  Julian Stockwin

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  Who will steal the greatest prize of Empire? South America’s Spanish colonies are in a ferment of popular unrest. Rumors of a treasure hoard of Spanish silver spur Thomas Kydd’s commander-in-chief, Commodore Popham, to assemble a makeshift invasion fleet and launch a bold attack on Buenos Aires. The British invasion force wins a battle against improbable odds, but soon finds itself surrounded by a hostile population. Now Kydd's men must face resistance and the betrayal of their closest allies...A W. F. Howes audio production.

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