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  A Wagner Matinee - From their...

  Willa Cather

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  Willa Sibert Cather had Welsh ancestry but like her parents Charles and Mary, was born in Virginia, on 7th December 1873.  Despite strong roots in the community, Willa was 9, when the family moved to Nebraska, to work the rich soil and avoid TB of which there were numerous outbreaks in Virginia.   
  The vastness and drama of the Nebraska prairie and its’ extreme weather conditions as well as the many diverse cultures of the local families proved to be a major influence on her and can be evidenced in much of her later writing.   
  Her first writing was for the local journal when she was at the University of Nebraska and later became the managing editor of the student newspaper.    
  In 1896 she obtained work for a woman’s magazine in Pittsburgh and soon after became a regular contributor to the Pittsburgh Leader and wrote poetry and short stories for the Library, another local publication.   
  Her first collection of short stories, ‘The Troll Garden’, was published in 1905 and contains several of her most famous including ‘A Wagner Matinee’ and ‘Paul's Case.’ As a writer Cather was now taking immense strides forward.   
  Between 1913 and 1918 Cather wrote her Prairie Trilogy: ‘O Pioneers!’, ‘The Song of the Lark’, and ‘My Ántonia’ and in 1922 the Pulitizer Prize was hers for her novel ‘One of Ours’ set during WWI.  
  Acknowledged as one of America's greatest writers’ further honours flowed. In 1943 she was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. The following year Cather received the gold medal for fiction from the National Institute of Arts and Letters.  
  A determinedly private person, Cather destroyed many old drafts, personal papers, and letters. Her will would also restrict the ability of scholars to quote from personal papers that remained. 
  On 24th April 1947, Willa Siebert Cather died of a cerebral haemorrhage at her Manhattan home. She was 73.

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  Modern Japan - From Isolation to...

  Rolf Hedger

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  This meticulously researched work chronicles the dramatic evolution of Japanese society, politics, and culture across five crucial periods that shaped modern Japan. 
  The Edo Period (1603-1868) sets the stage for Japan's modernization, examining the isolationist Sakoku policy that limited foreign contact for over two centuries. Explore how this era of peace under Tokugawa rule fostered a unique urban culture, flourishing arts, and a complex social hierarchy. 
  The Meiji Era (1868-1912) unveils Japan's remarkable metamorphosis following the fall of the shogunate. Witness the rapid industrialization, constitutional monarchy, and wholesale adoption of Western technologies and institutions that transformed Japan. 
  The Taisho Era (1912-1926), though brief, represents a critical period of liberalization and cultural experimentation. Discover the blossoming of democratic ideals, the emergence of "Taisho democracy," and the cultural renaissance that saw Western influences blend with traditional Japanese aesthetics during this often-overlooked chapter of Japanese history. 
  The Showa Era (1926-1989) encompasses Japan's most tumultuous and consequential decades, from militarism and war to miraculous economic recovery. Follow Japan's journey through ultranationalism, World War II, Allied occupation, and its stunning rise as an economic superpower. 
  Imperial Japan (1868-1945) examines the nation's complex imperial period, from the restoration of Emperor Meiji to the aftermath of World War II. Understand the interplay between ancient imperial traditions and modern state-building that fueled Japan's rise as a colonial power and its fateful path to war. 
  Richly illustrated and accessibly written, this definitive five-in-one volume offers both newcomers and Japan enthusiasts a comprehensive understanding of the forces that shaped modern Japan.

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  Rilla of Ingleside

  L. M. Montgomery

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  "Rilla is Anne and Gilbert Blythe’s youngest daughter, an excitable 15-year-old who is unaware of how the world works, and is only interested in having fun. But the world is on the brink of a global war, and soon Rilla’s family and life are turned upside down, as several of her brothers enlist in the army and are sent to fight overseas.The book follows Rilla’s life through the duration of World War I, as she grows up quickly from the responsibilities put on young women in this time. She adopts an orphaned child and raises him, runs the local Junior Red Cross, falls in love with a soldier just before he deploys, and even assists in the elopement of a soldier to his beloved.This novel captures the anxiety of living with one’s family away at war, as well as captures the unique perspective of a woman’s life at home during the First World War (and is the only Canadian novel that shows this perspective written by a contemporary of the war). Through the sadness and bleak moments brought to the world in this war, and the loss that the Blythes face, there is yet again hope to be found in the love of the families and neighbors of Ingleside."

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  Murder at Styles Resort - A...

  Laurel Osterkamp

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  Sometimes, the best way to hide is in plain sight… 
  After experiencing both emotional and physical trauma, Helen, a security guard at the Minnesota State Capitol, needs to get away. State senator John Cavendish owes Helen his life, so he invites her to stay at his family’s luxury resort along the shores of Lake Superior. But trouble is brewing, and family drama leads to the murder of wealthy matriarch Emily Styles-Cavendish. 
  Helen witnesses it all! But who poisoned Emily? 
  Was it her creepy younger husband, one of her two stepsons, her duplicitous daughter-in-law, or the enigmatic poison expert lurking about? Thank God Helen runs into her old friend/college professor Perle, a brilliant detective and eccentric neat freak. Together they will solve the puzzle, discerning truth from lies and uncovering multiple secrets along the way. 
  Murder at Styles Resort is a modern, female-centric adaptation of Agatha Christie’s The Mysterious Event at Styles, which was the debut novel for the beloved character Hercule Poirot.

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  Mists over the Channel Islands -...

  Sarah Sundin

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  Behind enemy lines, adversary and ally become impossible to distinguish.  
   
  The German invasion of the British Channel Islands shatters Dr. Ivy Picot's peaceful world, forcing her to shoulder the weight of her father's medical practice and hold together a family unraveling under the strain of war. As conditions worsen in Jersey with the arrival of thousands of forced laborers, Ivy's quiet allegiance to the Allies compels her to risk everything by providing medical aid to escaped workers--even as danger closes in. 
   
  Dutch engineer and resistance member Gerrit van der Zee volunteers to build fortifications for the Germans so he can secretly send maps and diagrams to the Allies. On his arrival in the Channel Islands, he crosses paths with Ivy, who shows him contempt for the uniform he wears. As tensions mount and their missions grow increasingly dangerous, Ivy and Gerrit must confront the cost of courage, the meaning of sacrifice, and whether love can survive in the shadow of war. Will their covert efforts turn the tide--or will they pay the ultimate price for defiance? 
   
  Renowned WWII fiction author Sarah Sundin crafts a compelling historical romance featuring enemies-to-lovers, wartime resistance, and medical intrigue--a tale of loyalty, resilience, and courage when love and duty collide.

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  The Evil Abbess

  Kenneth Westlin

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  Evil has taken control of the monastery. In search of a solution, Hildegard is drawn into a profound murder mystery driven by her worst nightmares. 
  The Evil Abess 
  A Cloister Mystery 
  The bells toll. The blood dries. The prayers go on. 
  In the year of our Lord 1123, something unpleasant is growing behind the abbey walls. It smells like murder, sounds like chanting, and behaves very much like a cover-up. 
  Sister Hildegard has never been particularly obedient. She sees too much. She hears what isn't said. And she asks questions no nun should. 
  Now someone is punishing sins that haven't been confessed—and the Rule of Saint Benedict offers no guidance for corpses in the cloister. 
  The abbess says it's the Devil. 
  Hildegard suspects something worse. 
  Something local. 
  A tale of sacred rituals, petty power struggles, and suspicious silence, The Evil Abess reveals what happens when the truly faithful stop forgiving—and start investigating.

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