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A haunting so subtle, you’ll question reality.
STRAW GIRL
Straw Girl by Brigid Barry
To believe in that other world, she must first learn to believe in herself.
The signs were always there.
The footsteps.
The cries.
The melancholy music from a faraway place.
Though Melissa Roberts lives alone, she chooses not to believe in superstitions. Locked in the rational prison of her closed imagination, she must open her mind and soul to that other place before it’s too late.
For the voices are rising.
The footsteps draw closer.
Until the music is deafening.
She must prepare herself. She must become the Straw Girl. They are coming for her.
BASED ON TRUE EVENTS
Fans of “The Invited” by Jennifer McMahon, “The Ghost of Slackwood House” by J.T. Westbrook, and Susanna Kearsley’s “The Shadowy Horses” will enjoy Straw Girl.
Purchase Links
IndieBound | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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New York Times bestselling author Charles Martin’s beloved When Crickets Cry (with over 525,000 copies sold!) is now available in a stunning deluxe edition featuring a shimmering revamped cover, designed end papers, sprayed edges, author signature stamped into the case, and new bonus content.
WHEN CRICKETS CRY
When Crickets Cry: Deluxe Edition: A Novel of the Heart by Charles Martin
The moving story of a heart surgeon who’s hiding his own heart, a little girl whose heart won’t last much longer, and a shared journey toward healing for both of them–for fans looking for the emotional depth of Fredrik Backman and the Southern atmosphere of Delia Owens.
It begins on the shaded town square in a sleepy Southern town. A spirited seven-year-old has a brisk business at her lemonade stand. But the little girl’s pretty yellow dress can’t quite hide the ugly scar on her chest.
Her latest customer, a bearded stranger, drains his cup and heads to his car, his mind on a boat he’s restoring at a nearby lake. The stranger understands more about the scar than he wants to admit. And the beat-up bread truck careening around the corner with its radio blaring is about to change the trajectory of both their lives.
Before it’s over, they’ll both know there are painful reasons why crickets cry . . . and that miracles lurk around unexpected corners.
With its beautiful, lyrical writing, engaging characters who stick with you, and a storyline that will touch your own heart, it’s no wonder why so many readers adore When Crickets Cry.
Deluxe Edition Includes:
- Author note reflecting on the story’s origins
- Extended discussion guide for book clubs
- QR code for a video message from Charles
A Southern Living Book of the Month Selection | “If you read any book this year, this is the one.” —Coffee Time Romance | “Charming characters and twists that keep the pages turning.” —Southern Living
Purchase Links
TNZFiction | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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Find the deeply connected life you’ve been longing for when you open your home and let God transform your heart through the spiritual practice of hospitality.
LET THE BISCUITS BURN
Let the Biscuits Burn: Cultivating Real-Life Hospitality in a World Craving Connection by Abby Kuykendall
Do you long for deep, Christ-centered community, but you’re overwhelmed at the thought of inviting people into your home because it doesn’t look “perfect”? Do you find yourself making excuses and saying things like “I can’t cook,” “My house is too small,” or “I don’t have the time or energy to host”? If so, you’re not alone in feeling that way, but practicing hospitality is easier and more transformative than you think.
In Let the Biscuits Burn Abby Kuykendall offers practical advice and biblical inspiration that will help you reclaim hospitality as a ritual that is less about performance and perfection and more about care and connection. She also shares personal stories of imperfect but God-honoring hospitality, along with the tips, tricks, and lists she’s gathered over the years to make every piece of hosting less stressful. She’ll share the profound rewards of welcoming others around your table, helping you:
- Understand the differences between cultural entertaining and Christ-like hospitality,
- Master the art of the invite and confidently open your home and life to others,
- Let go of the excuses that keep you from true connection and community, and
- Gain a clearer idea of who God is and why he calls Christians to the spiritual practice of hospitality.
Building a rich, deeply connected life has little to do with the perfect charcuterie board. Let the Biscuits Burn shows you how to open the door, set the table, and let God transform your heart.
Purchase Links
Faith Gateway | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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With the bite of The White Lotus and the family dynamics of Succession, What a Way to Go is an uproarious and satirical whodunnit about people behaving badly—and perhaps finally getting their just deserts—from the author of the mega-bestseller How to Kill Your Family.
WHAT A WAY TO GO
What a Way to Go by Bella Mackie
When Anthony Wistern died, he expected his family to make a bit more of a fuss about it. Especially after he’d died in such dramatic fashion: skewered by an exorbitantly expensive party decoration in the private lake of his Cotswold’s manor house at his sixtieth birthday party, surrounded by the people for whom he most loved flaunting his wealth. And now even death has disappointed him; instead of Heaven or Hell or an empty void, Anthony’s soul is stuck in a strange kind of purgatory while he tries to figure out who killed him—before he is finally released from this interminably exasperating waiting room.
Olivia Wistern knows she should probably try to appear at least a little upset about her husband’s death, but she honestly can’t be bothered. As usual, he’s left behind an unbelievable mess—financially, socially, personally—that she’s going to have to clean up. Their four grown children will be of absolutely no help; she shouldn’t have let them become so hopelessly spoiled. And is it just her, or are the police and their “murder investigation” intentionally getting underfoot? There’s no shortage of people who hated Anthony, so can’t they look for a killer somewhere other than her house?
While the Wisterns are more concerned about the fate of their money than the fate of their patriarch, one internet sleuth is highly interested in Anthony Wistern’s death. She isn’t about to let the opportunity to create a sure-to-be smash true crime podcast pass by, not when the murder was committed mere yards away, and not when she has her own history with the victim. She’ll make her name and her own fortune off Anthony’s death one way or another, whatever it takes. . . .
Purchase Links
HarperCollins | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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In an evocative follow-up to his Los Angeles Times bestselling Arroyo, Chip Jacobs returns with a gripping tale of brotherhood, recklessness, and footloose souls in the anything goes of late-seventies Southern California.
LATER DAYS
Later Days by Chip Jacobs
As their elite, all-boys prep school turns coed, transforming from suburban Lord of the Flies to gender-roiled soap-opera, two unlikely friends—Luke Burnett and Denny Drummond—alternate rescuing each other from self-destruction amid troubled home lives. Eager to maximize their era as invincible seniors at Stone Canyon Prep, they and their pals commandeer Bob’s Big Boy, explore the secret world beneath Caltech, stumble into a possibly-supernatural lab animal, and grapple with near-ODs at a playoff game. Just as our heroes manage to graduate, their bond is shattered by a wild gunshot that’ll haunt them for decades.
Twenty years later, Luke is a high-powered journalist with a nosediving career, while Denny, a visionary software engineer, is socked by a terminal diagnosis. Desperate to make amends for that coyote shot, Denny guilts his estranged friend into helping him, all climaxing with a Hail Mary bid to demystify mortality, with an assist from Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, while reconnecting with what matters most.
Later Days is a powerful exploration of the ties that bind and break us. Perfect for readers drawn to rollercoaster friendships, forgiveness, and the raw beauty of life skimming its edges to Near-Death Experience. With insight into Pasadena’s buried histories and the psychological baggage of growing up in the shadows of “Great Men” fathers, Jacobs’ second novel is as emotionally resonant as it is intellectually sharp.
Purchase Links
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Rare Bird Books
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Please fill out our super short registration form (click the “Enter Now” button above) by October 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).