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In 1856 Philadelphia, runaway slave Genie Oliver uses her dress shop as a front for her work with the Underground Railroad; and reluctant heiress Abby Read runs a rooming house not just because she hates the life of the idle rich society woman, but because she has no intention of ever marrying a man. When the daughter of Abby's free black servant is grabbed by rogue slave catchers, an unlikely group of people come together, first out of necessity, and then, gradually, in friendship. And in the case of Abby and Genie, something much more.
Seth Johnson's debut story collection comprises twelve linked tales set in Kentucky against the backdrop of the disintegration of a young marriage amidst thwarted expectations and contrasted by illustrations of the unconditional love freely given by dogs. A man on the run hides out at a boarding house owned by a paraplegic woman whose uncle's dog gives birth with an ease that impresses the observers of this ordinary event. A young man confesses his extramarital affairs to his mother. A housewife attends the funeral of a young woman whom she never knew. In precise, evocative prose, The Things We Do for Women explores the perpetual desire for love and the obstacles to obtaining it.
In this stunning departure from her mystery writing, Penny Mickelbury's collection of stories God's Will and Other Lies, attends to the lives of Black women, mostly aging and elderly, all determined to face life with strength and grace. A nearly blind woman is determined to venture out into the world alone, and must face the consequences of her travels. A woman estranged from her community ponders the meaning of hearsay and its devastating consequences. A middle-aged woman leaves the danger of the city only to find it lurking in her own backyard. And in the novella, "Into the Fire," Mickelbury follows the life of a southern family as they strive for success amidst the violence and uncertainty of 1960s Detroit. In beautiful and exacting prose, Mickelbury gives voice to an often-overlooked coterie of women in this superb collection of fiction.
With patience, persistence and love, a man called Bird befriends Annie, an abused and difficult mare. Eventually, Annie reciprocates Bird's affection, but their relationship is sorely tested when they are separated by a catastrophic wildfire. In order to reunite, they must battle not only the forces of nature but the greed and cunning of unscrupulous men.
Nazifa Islam's debut poetry collection tells the story of Rosemary who wants to love and to be loved but finds it tragically impossible.
Compelling and vivid, the stories in Bread and Salt use the metaphor of salvage to consider the reclamation of the natural environment, human relationships, and material objects. The characters in these stories live and travel in Tunisia, India, Indonesia, Italy, Turkey, France, and the United States and consider their individual agency in both local and global contexts. The characters' conflicts reveal how family and friendships are enriched by differences.
Hank LaFarge finds himself in middle-age, having achieved at least some of what most people would consider to be the hallmarks of success but without any sense of purpose. He’s convinced that there must be some hidden meaning to life, and he has undertaken a mission to extract the secret from his elderly mother. In his quest, Hank must battle the delusions, antics, and competing agendas of a small army of psychologically challenged siblings, not to mention the world-weariness of his mother herself as she approaches her transition into the great beyond. Hank ultimately discovers the answers to his questions which are not what he expected but were staring him in the face all along.
Kentucky was only ever going to be a summer job. Come fall, Blue Riley would be back in North Carolina, in college. But one job led to another, one town led to another, and one woman led to another. Now, after twenty years Blue faces the hardest question of all—is it time to go home?
Grace Carter, a "source" of magic, has spent the last nine months searching for Maggie Mulvaney, her "catalyst." The joy of reuniting with her partner--and her lover--is thwarted by her worst fear: Maggie doesn't remember Grace or their life together. Grace blames the Order of Saint Teresa, the centuries-old organization that trained them to be the strongest demon-hunting duo in generations. But why has the Order done this? As Maggie and Grace begin to piece their lives back together, they discover that their memories have been masked by someone within the Order. Should the Horde succeed in their plan, those who have committed their lives to slay worldly demons will be relegated to little more than minions as humans are completely enslaved. Now, Grace and Maggie must sacrifice everything, possibly even their lives, as they battle to save humanity.
Darkness Descending, the highly anticipated fourth book in the Mimi/Gianna Mystery Series is here. In this sophisticated and intriguing novel, Mickelbury is masterful in her exploration of the underground world of the Ags, Doms and down-low brothas and the hidden worlds in which they live.