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The unforgettable true story of a girl born in the Kovno Ghetto, and the dangerous risk her parents faced in defying the barbarous Nazi law prohibiting childbirth.
THE FORBIDDEN DAUGHTER
The Forbidden Daughter: The True Story of a Holocaust Survivor by Zipora Klein Jakob
Elida Friedman was not supposed to have been born. In the Kovno Ghetto in Lithuania, Nazi law forbade Jewish women from giving birth. Yet despite the fear of death, Dr. Jonah Friedman and his wife Tzila, choose to bring a daughter into the world, a little girl they name Elida—meaning non-birth in Hebrew.
To increase their child’s chance of survival, the Friedmans smuggle the baby out of the ghetto and into the arms of a non-Jewish farm family when Elida is only three months old. It is the beginning of a life marked by constant upheaval. When the Nazis raze the entire Kovno Ghetto, Jonah and Tzila are among those killed. Their only child is left orphaned and alone, dependent on the kindness of strangers.
Despite her circumstances, Elida grows up, changing families, countries, continents, and even names, countless times. Surviving the war and the Holocaust that stole her parents, the young woman never gives up hope. In her lifelong pursuit to find love and belonging, she works to rebuild her identity and triumph over her terrible circumstances.
A moving, powerful chronicle of overcoming impossible odds, The Forbidden Daughter is the true story of one unforgettable woman and her will to survive.
Purchase Links
HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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The New York Times and internationally bestselling author of the “captivating, richly drawn” (Woman’s World) The Paris Library returns with a brilliant new novel based on the true story of Jessie Carson—the American librarian who changed the literary landscape of France.
MISS MORGAN’S BOOK BRIGADE
Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
1918: As the Great War rages, Jessie Carson takes a leave of absence from the New York Public Library to work for the American Committee for Devastated France. Founded by millionaire Anne Morgan, this group of international women help rebuild destroyed French communities just miles from the front. Upon arrival, Jessie strives to establish something that the French have never seen—children’s libraries. She turns ambulances into bookmobiles and trains the first French female librarians. Then she disappears.
1987: When NYPL librarian and aspiring writer Wendy Peterson stumbles across a passing reference to Jessie Carson in the archives, she becomes consumed with learning her fate. In her obsessive research, she discovers that she and the elusive librarian have more in common than their work at New York’s famed library, but she has no idea their paths will converge in surprising ways across time.
Based on the extraordinary little-known history of the women who received the Croix de Guerre medal for courage under fire, Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade is a tribute to the resilience of the human spirit, the power of literature, and ultimately the courage it takes to make a change.
Purchase Links
Simon & Schuster | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Instant New York Times Bestseller
THINK THIS, NOT THAT
Think This, Not That: 12 Mindshifts to Breakthrough Limiting Beliefs and Become Who You Were Born to Be by Dr. Josh Axe
Perhaps you’re busy but still feel empty. Maybe things haven’t turned out how you’d hoped, and life seems stale and unfulfilling. What if you could wake up every morning excited about your purpose, knowing you’re fulfilling your greatest potential?
A more meaningful life is within your reach, and it starts in one place: your mind.
Living with a mindset of false narratives will keep you stuck, locked in a prison of unpursued dreams and goals. But cultivating a new mindset based on what is actually true will set you free—free to start exploring and growing beyond the limits you thought you had.
In Think This, Not That, Dr. Josh Axe unpacks the top twelve mental barriers holding people back from realizing their potential and becoming the greatest version of themselves, and contrasts each one with a new empowering mindset, such as:
- Don’t simply drift; clarify your purpose.
- Don’t define success based on what you accomplish; base it on who you become.
- Don’t be the victim; be the hero.
- Don’t be a slave to your vices; overpower them by building virtues.
- Don’t live by popular opinion; follow enduring principles of wisdom.
- Don’t allow unintentionality; visualize a strategy.
Whether you want to improve your physical or financial health, raise the quality of your relationships, or take your career to new heights, these mindshifts will help transform your life.
It’s time to break through your limiting beliefs and find out who you can become, to build a meaningful life through new thoughts and actions, and to make the switch from what’s stalled you toward a life of ultimate significance.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Sometimes the most valuable treasures are found in the darkest of times. In fact, it’s often in the very heart of our deepest pain and struggle that God chooses to reveal his most precious gifts. Let Katherine Wolf lead you in finding the hope God has for you in your most painful places.
TREASURES IN THE DARK
Treasures in the Dark: 90 Reflections on Finding Bright Hope Hidden in the Hurting by Katherine Wolf
In our lowest, most difficult moments, it’s often impossible to see any good thing around us. We suffer, we struggle, we grow weary. We wonder, Is God at work in my life? Is he near me? Is there any point to my suffering and any hope for change?
Though it’s easy for our overwhelming pain to cloud our view of reality, the truth is that, even though we can’t see it or feel it, God is at work in the darkness. Our Creator is in the business of bringing dead—and nearly dead—things to life.
Even now, no matter how fresh your wounds might be, he invites you to unearth his hidden treasures in your hurting, to reframe your darkness as a sacred space in which the light of hope can shine most brilliantly. Come join Katherine Wolf as she vulnerably shares her own places of wounding and the life-changing insights she has found there. Treasures in the Dark will guide you as you
- find grace for the heartbreak of unmet expectations;
- explore the surprising intersection of pain and purpose;
- wholeheartedly embrace the life you never imagined living with perseverance and joy; and
- recognize how your healing can be a part of the world’s healing.
With her vibrant faith and unique perspective on life as a stroke survivor and person living with significant disabilities, Katherine will inspire, encourage, and strengthen tender and hurting hearts.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Find your passion. Know your voice. Speak for good.
SAY GOOD
Say Good: Speaking Across Hot Topics, Complex Relationships, and Tense Situations by Ashlee Eiland
We know what it means to do good. But in today’s tense and complex world, when topics like political issues, theology, and current events so often divide us, how do we say good? God calls us to speak truth into our communities and relationships, but we all struggle to know when to speak up. We feel intimidated even as we long to engage controversy and division with ease and conviction. How can we know what to say?and when?
In Say Good, Ashlee Eiland helps you discover the power of stewarding your unique voice. You’ll walk into a four-part discernment process?through passion, accountability, influence, and relationship?to understand the spaces, ways, and times where your words are needed. As you do, you’ll find the conviction and confidence to speak up in even the most flammable challenges. This book equips you to:
- Find your voice in complex conversations
- Engage with diverse perspectives and bring about positive change
- Embrace authenticity and accountability
- Foster meaningful relationships
Say Good is a timely, thought-provoking book that contains practical insights, empowering action steps, and a solid framework for using your voice with purpose and impact. Embark on a transformative journey of honing both your words and your heart?for good.
Purchase Links
Nav Press | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Cole and Laila have been inseparable since they could crawl. And they’ve never thought about each other that way. Except for when they have. Rarely. Once in a while, sure. But seriously . . . hardly ever.
COLE AND LAILA ARE JUST FRIENDS
Cole and Laila Are Just Friends by Bethany Turner
Cole Kimball and Laila Olivet have been best friends their entire lives. Cole is the only person (apart from blood relatives) who’s seen Laila in her oversized, pink, plastic, Sophia Loren glasses. Laila is always the first person to taste test any new dish Cole creates in his family’s restaurant . . . even though she has the refined palate of a kindergartener. Most importantly, Cole and Laila are always talking. About everything.
When Cole discovers a betrayal from his recently deceased grandfather that shatters his world, staying in Adelaide Springs, Colorado, is suddenly unfathomable. But Laila loves her life in their small mountain town and can’t imagine ever living anywhere else. She loves serving customers who tip her with a dozen fresh eggs. She loves living within walking distance of all her favorite people. And she’s very much not okay with the idea of not being able to walk to her very favorite person.
Still, when Cole toys with moving across the country to New York City, she decides to support her best friend–even as she secretly hopes she can convince him to stay home. And not just for his killer chocolate chip pancakes. Because she loves him. As a friend. Just as a friend. Right?
They make a deal: Laila won’t beg him to stay, and Cole won’t try to convince her to come with him. They have one week in New York before their lives change forever, and all they have to do is enjoy their time together and pretend none of this is happening. But it’s tough to ignore the very inconvenient feelings blooming out of nowhere. In both of them. And these potentially friendship-destroying feelings, once out in the open, have absolutely no take-backs.
If When Harry Met Sally had a quippy literary love child with Gilmore Girls’ Luke and Lorelai, you’d get Cole and Laila. Just . . . don’t tell them that.
Purchase Links
TNZ Fiction | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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They’re destined to fall in love… if they don’t kill each other first.
BORN OF BLOOD AND MAGIC
Born of Blood and Magic: The Lightless Series, Book 1 by M. C. Hutson
Violet “Vy” Finch is a vampire cursed, for the very blood she needs is poison to her. Suffering unquenchable hunger and shunned for being of mixed lineage, Vy searches desperately for her mother who disappeared over a decade ago—the one person who may be able to heal her. Unfortunately, a great sorceress prophesies that Vy will only get what she wants if Petra Malkovitch willingly works with her to find a magical relic with the power to change everything.
Petra Malkovitch is an assassin. A member of the Order of Light—a shadowy organization that hunts supernatural creatures for profit—she wants only to kill the vampire who took away the last of her family. When Petra’s attempt on Vy’s life is thwarted, she is shocked when her greatest enemy tells her that they can rewrite their pasts if they team up.
But is a common goal enough to bring them together, or will betrayal happen at the earliest opportunity?
Purchase Links
IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Weary of the long path to become a parent? Whether you or a family member is battling infertility, this trusted, encouraging 90-day devotional will comfort and strengthen you.
PRAYING THROUGH INFERTILITY
Praying Through Infertility: A 90-Day Devotional for Men and Women by Sheridan Voysey
Written by men and women who have faced infertility themselves with various outcomes, this book reminds you that you are not alone and will help set your heart free from fear.
Compiled by acclaimed writer, speaker, and broadcaster Sheridan Voysey, Praying Through Infertility is written to let you know that you are:
- Not alone in your sadness, anger, or confusion
- Not alone when you feel jealous of parents who have what you want
- Not alone when a giggling child brings not delight but grief
- Not alone in wondering who you’ll be if you never become a mom or dad
Praying Through Infertility doesn’t offer advice on treatments or give spiritual formulas for miracle conceptions. Instead, it offers an empathetic and hopeful accompaniment through the long dark night you are walking through.
Each daily devotional includes:
- Scripture verse and prayer
- Inspirational story where fears and anger are transformed into confident expectation and pure worship
- Intentional tip of the day to help you personally encounter God
- Prayer references for encouragement
Some of the contributors have been blessed with biological children, some have formed families through fostering or adoption, others are walking forward childless, and a few are still on the path. They have experienced many of the medical options available, from IVF to donor eggs and sperm. What they share is an experience of infertility’s dark depths, and a faith that’s held strong through the testing.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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When a woman discovers a rare book with connections to her past, long-held secrets about her missing sister and their childhood in the English countryside during World War II are revealed in this “beguiling blend of hope, mystery, and true familial love” (Sadeqa Johnson, New York Times bestselling author).
THE SECRET BOOK OF FLORA LEA
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
In the war-torn London of 1939, fourteen-year-old Hazel and five-year-old Flora are evacuated to a rural village to escape the horrors of the Second World War. Living with the kind Bridie Aberdeen and her teenage son, Harry, in a charming stone cottage along the River Thames, Hazel fills their days with walks and games to distract her young sister, including one that she creates for her sister and her sister alone—a fairy tale about a magical land, a secret place they can escape to that is all their own.
But the unthinkable happens when young Flora suddenly vanishes while playing near the banks of the river. Shattered, Hazel blames herself for her sister’s disappearance, and she carries that guilt into adulthood as a private burden she feels she deserves.
Twenty years later, Hazel is in London, ready to move on from her job at a cozy rare bookstore to a career at Sotheby’s. With a charming boyfriend and her elegantly timeworn Bloomsbury flat, Hazel’s future seems determined. But her tidy life is turned upside down when she unwraps a package containing an illustrated book called Whisperwood and the River of Stars. Hazel never told a soul about the imaginary world she created just for Flora. Could this book hold the secrets to Flora’s disappearance? Could it be a sign that her beloved sister is still alive after all these years?
As Hazel embarks on a feverish quest, revisiting long-dormant relationships and bravely opening wounds from her past, her career and future hang in the balance. Spellbinding and atmospheric, “this heartrending, captivating tale of family, first love, and fate will sweep you away” (Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author).
Purchase Links
Simon & Schuster | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Imagine you had a guide—a way out of the chaos and into the calm and clarity you need to face life’s challenges.
I SHOULDN’T FEEL THIS WAY
I Shouldn’t Feel This Way: Name What’s Hard, Tame Your Guilt, and Transform Self-Sabotage into Brave Action by Dr. Alison Cook
When you’re tangled up inside, it’s hard to find clarity.
Yet so many of us guilt-trip or gaslight ourselves instead of working our way through complicated feelings. You should be a good friend, even though you feel hurt by past betrayals. You should be content, even though you feel lonely or unfulfilled. You should just have faith, even though you feel discouraged by unanswered prayers.
This jumbled-up knot is a cry for gentle care and patient attention, but most of us haven’t been given the tools required to unravel it.
Imagine you had a guide—a way out of the chaos and into the calm and clarity you need to face life’s challenges.
Drawing from over twenty years of research and clinical practice, I Shouldn’t Feel This Way guides you through a groundbreaking 3-step process that has helped tens of thousands of people find emotional freedom and surprisingly simple breakthroughs. Dr. Alison shows you how to
- identify guilt and know what to do with it,
- trade feeling stuck in your head for clarity,
- move from comfortable numbing to courageous conversations, and
- make decisions that break cycles of defeat.
Change starts when you finally stop beating yourself up for the way that you feel and say, You know what? I do feel this way! And I can finally do something about it.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Please fill out our super short registration form (click the “Enter Now” button above) by May 31st for a chance to win a set of up to ten copies of one of these great books for your book club! We will randomly choose a winner at the end of the month. This giveaway is open to clubs in the US only (our apologies to friends in other countries).