When Mike Bennek's ailing grandfather asks him to take time off from work for a research holiday to the Ukraine, Mike eagerly accepts. He looks forward to connecting with his family's past; along with his brothers and a few friends, he embarks on the vacation of a lifetime.

From the moment they arrive, the group becomes enchanted with the different culture surrounding them. Exotic new foods, architectural wonders, and the language itself wrap them in the past. But Mike also realizes that, while the Ukrainian people have not forgotten their troubled past, today they are still being haunted by a harmful Russian influence. It is one more narrative he must add to his grandfather's story.

Mike finds his grandfather's birthplace with the help of the beautiful, strong-willed Natasha. He hears stories from long ago and learns more about his family and their culture than either he or his grandfather thought possible. From traditional Easter eggs and the peasants' disdain for the aristocracy to a benevolent nobleman who played a major role in his family's life, Mike comes to appreciate his grandfather-and his history-more than ever before.

With colorful details of the Ukraine and a dash of romance, "Old Country Surprises" speaks to the importance of family and the bonds of loyalty.

"A Blazing Gilded Age" is the epic story of a volatile nation burning with ambition, yet bleeding with injustice. It was a time of profound change; boldly transforming from an agrarian backwater into an industrial powerhouse. Center stage in this turbulent saga, are the Wozniaks; a poor coal mining family struggling to achieve the elusive American dream. Confronted by the evil ways of their ruthless and depraved boss, Archibald Desmond Huxley, the Wozniak family is thrust into utter turmoil, thus igniting a blazing journey of revenge and survival. During the Wozniaks' quest, the lavish lifestyle of Huxley and his fellow titans, including J.P. Morgan, Carnegie, Vanderbilt, Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain and others, are woven into the story line, thus painting a broad and vivid canvas of 19th century America. Springing to life are legendary figures and historic events that accurately depict an era boiling with bravado, innovation and astounding progress, yet blistering with corporate greed, class warfare, and political corruption. After many unexpected twists of fate (some fortuitous and others heartbreaking), the Wozniaks emerge victorious, thus finally achieving the American dream, yet not without scars. Both powerful and poignant, "A Blazing Gilded Age" serves as an entertaining and enlightening read of how and why America has gone astray, and why it became a world leader. While on a personal level, it imparts the harrowing, yet triumphant, tale of a family's struggle to survive in an age that, in many ways, was as dark and rough as coal, and, at times, could be as blazing as Hell.

Young World War II veteran George Edwards needs a drink-all the time. Although it is a new year-1952-in New York City, George's life remains the same. As he centers his daily routine around a whiskey bottle, George begins to drive both himself and his devoted wife, Margie, straight into the depths of destitution. George is bitter. Once he was a star ballplayer with lofty goals, but his dreams have been shattered by the injuries he suffered while serving in North Africa. Now George entertains himself by insulting others, including Margie, a devoted Catholic who is torn between the demands of her faith and the need to escape the verbal abuse she endures daily. Desperate for love and attention, she somehow finds herself in bed with Doc Hayden. But even though George is a drunk, he is no fool. Now it appears that the only way George and Margie will ever survive is to go their separate ways. "I Really Wanna Go Home" is the compelling tale of a young couple's struggle to escape poverty and the effects of a debilitating disease destined to transport both on distinct journeys that soon meet in a catastrophic collision with destiny.

Marcellus Box is restless, and he does not know how to find what he is missing most in his life. He was raised-up in the deep woods of the "Big Thicket," which is northeast of Houston, Texas. In August of 1926, he receives a mysterious postcard from his cousin, Estella, begging him to come to Loma Linda, California, immediately.

Now, Estella has always held a special place in Marcellus's heart. They have always watched out for each other, and when she and her family left Texas for California, he was desolate He asks for time off from work and then begins his quest across the country as a hobo to join Estella, his Dulcinea. Marcellus's trip to California is also a quest to find the deeper meaning in his life, his destiny.

What drives Marcellus to look deeper into his understanding of life and search for true happiness? We follow him as he travels the rails through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and then into California. He meets fascinating people along the way who stretch his mind. He learns new concepts about the earth's origin; and he experiences a new energy inside himself; which lift s him up to a higher existence.

Set deep in the Yorkshire Dales, Diane Allen's A Child of the Dales is a sweeping novel of family, deceit, separation and love. Abandoned as a baby on the steps of a remote inn, Ruby Blake has been raised by the innkeeper's wife, Martha Metcalfe, unknowing of the family searching for her. One wild stormy night, Ruby is reunited with her long-lost father, who wants to whisk her away to Banksgill Farm for a happy life with her true family. Feeling betrayed by Martha, Ruby follows her father for the chance of a new life. However, Ruby is quickly outcast from her real family for being born of Romani blood by everyone but the charming stable hand, Tom Adams. Struck with loneliness in a village of people who find ways to make her miserable, she seeks friendship and love in Tom. As their relationship blossoms, Ruby is faced with the temptations of a handsome local miner, and when rumours begin to spread, Ruby feels more lost and confused than ever. With his long-lost daughter now safely under his wing, Reuben Blake is still desperately searching for Ruby's mother, and vows he will not rest until he finds his true love. With Rueben's mission leading him to the darkest corners of Brough Hill, his search shows only signs of heartbreak and despair. As neither father or daughter feel quite whole, will either finally find where they truly belong?

As a drought and the Great Depression continue to ravage Fremont County, Kansas, Deborah Nelson is attempting to raise seven boys, with the help of her neighbors and the spirit of her beloved friend, Grandfather Blue Sky. With her husband, Christian, missing for two years, Deborah has had no choice but to learn to rely on herself in uncertain and challenging times.

Even as black blizzards rage throughout the plains, Deborah is still determined not to return to Minnesota where life is sure to be easier. Thankfully, her bachelor neighbor, Victor Whitesong, has agreed to share parenting responsibilities, relieving some of her burden. Encouraged by the county agent, Deborah implements Roosevelt's conservation programs on her land. Tensions escalate as the KKK wreaks havoc on the community, forcing it to take action. Deborah and Victor fall in love. But they must keep their relationship secret, fearing the sheriff, who already abhors Deborah and suspects they caused harm to her husband, even though his body has never been found.

In this continuing historical saga, Deborah is about to discover the depths of racial prejudice when she opens her heart to her Indian friends and changes the dynamic of her family once again.

When they meet at a summer camp, two ten-year-old boys from opposite worlds become friends and begin an exciting series of exploits that will test their mettle and friendship. Court-ordered forced busing, for the sole purpose of integrating the school system, leads to tumultuous, chaotic times in a city suddenly torn apart by fear and prejudice.The two boys learn the meaning of courage when each must face the shadows of time that follow them from ghetto streets riddled with crime and hostility to unexpected dangers in the local mountains. When confronted with their most jeopardous adventure, DC and Henry meet their destiny.The time is the late 70's. The lives of our two young heroes become forever intertwined through circumstances no one could predict. Bravery is part of life, whether in the forests of Kentucky or in the 'jungles' of Los Angeles.Step into this fascinating, stirring epic of two boys swept up by turbulence and chaos. This is their story in the "Shadows of Time."

It is 1931 in Fremont County, Kansas, and Deborah Nelson's husband, Christian, disappeared months ago. But Deborah has no time to feel sorry for herself. Two children need her love, livestock require feeding, and farm crops must be tilled. Deborah is desperately trying to survive in a man's world-an especially challenging task for a woman believed to be an Indian.

Even after a drought begins to cause dire conditions, Deborah refuses to leave, for her soul is still connected with the land. She decides she must sell her cattle and stop planting wheat and then finds herself fighting a field fire that comes close to burning her farmstead and threatens the life of her old friend. Things go from bad to worse when she, her children, and the community experience the first horrifying dirt storm of the drought. Deborah partners with her closest neighbors to share labor and valuable resources, not realizing that very soon, one neighbor will leave her with five more mouths to feed and a promise he may not be able to keep.

The Marrow of Life continues the saga of one woman's determined journey through the hardships of the Depression and Dust Bowl era as she slowly comes to the realization that she must turn to others for help.

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'His best novel yet ... A Middlemarch-like triumph' Telegraph 'A pleasure bomb of a novel' Vogue 'A true modern master' Independent It's 23 December 1971, and the Hildebrandts are at a crossroads. Fifteen-year-old Perry has resolved to be a better person and quit dealing drugs to seventh graders. His sister Becky, the once straight-laced high school social queen, has veered into counterculture, while at college, Clem is wrestling with a decision that might tear his family apart. As their parents - Russ, a suburban pastor, and Marion, his restless wife - tug against the bonds of a joyless marriage, Crossroads finds a family, and a nation, struggling to do the right thing. 'Funny, moving, crackling with life, it has what all great fiction should have' Financial Times 'Intoxicating - a luxuriant domestic drama' Guardian THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * A GUARDIAN BEST FICTION BOOK OF 2021 * AN INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR * A WHITE REVIEW BOOK OF THE YEAR * A LIT HUB BOOK OF THE YEAR

Spanning four generations and an infinite range of human emotions, "When We Were Young" is the story of the Mitchell family, beginning in England at the outbreak of World War II and chronicling the triumphs and tragedies of those tumultuous times. Most of all, it is the story of Jim Mitchell, a young, ambitious English boy, hardened by his wartime experience. Eager to grasp life's opportunities, he embarks on an adventure peopled by a rich cast of characters he meets along the way. The raven-haired, charismatic, Maggie Bernadette O'Toole, rebellious daughter of his father's sister, and her Irish immigrant husband; James Thompson, marine engineer extraordinaire, friend, world traveler, and mentor. Nikolai Concalves Cavalantis, an older Brazilian playboy, who was heir to one of the world's leading hotel corporations and his young olive-skinned wife, the beautiful Maria; Lydia Louise Henning, a brilliant academic who served in the SAS during World War II and was captured by the German Gestapo and brutally tortured, leaving her with a fear of men; Jim Mitchell, his grandfather, a farmer, lay preacher, and mentor in his forma

"An intelligent, slum-dwelling teenage girl takes drastic measures to survive when her father throws her out of her home, in this spellbinding historical saga"
Poplar, London, 1920. Fourteen-year-old Victoria Keats is horrified when her father demands that she go to work for wealthy Mr Preston everyone knows why he takes young girls into his house. But her violent father, who s never let her forget she s not the son he wanted, won t listen to her concerns and when she stands up for herself, he throws her out of their dingy little house in the slums.
Intelligent, book-loving Vicki vows to make her father regret this day; but she is all alone in the world. Despite her courage and quick wits, it seems likely she will starve until two men, both complete strangers, provide her with no-strings-attached help.
As Vicki s life improves beyond all recognition, she can t help but fixate on the mystery of these two good Samaritans: who were they? And why did they help her? She determines to find the men and thank them, but tracking them down may be harder and more life-changing than she thinks . . ."

Seventeen-year-old Carrie Mathers can't escape the memory of the unspeakable abuse she endured at the hands of her disturbed and brutal uncle. She's tried to commit suicide three times, and the latest attempt has landed her in a hospital bed in a psychiatric ward. Hope for any sort of bright future has long disappeared for Carrie. All she wants is to die and escape the torment forever.

But renowned New York psychiatrist Dr. Jeffrey Barnes is determined to keep her alive.

Dr. Barnes has his own unshakeable history. Years ago, a patient much like Carrie committed suicide under his care, throwing him into turmoil. After spiraling into alcoholism and losing his marriage and nearly his career, Barnes's life has finally stabilized. He swore never to treat any more abuse victims, but something about Carrie compels him to take her case.

Barnes tries to put the pieces of Carrie's shattered psyche back together. With every session with Carrie, his confidence wavers, and his faith falters. One young woman has already lost her life due to his mistakes; the risk to Carrie's life and his own may be too great. But it just might be possible that Carrie is his second chance-and that he is hers.

An unforgettable novel of redemption and forgiveness, "The Broken" shows how our deepest hurts can become our greatest triumphs.

On a frigid January night in 1937, a fierce windstorm arrives in an already ravaged western Kansas, bringing with it the most tragic of Deborah Nelson's experiences with the Depression and Dust Bowl on her western Kansas farm.

Deborah has already seen more than her share of hardship in the years since her husband, Christian, disappeared and left her a single mother in charge of their farm. For six years, Deborah and her neighbors, Victor Whitesong and the Goodmans, have valiantly battled relentless windstorms with limited success.

Now, as a new year of drought and dust begins, Deborah rides out to check her fences and finds a neighbor's child dead in a drift of dirt. Sadly, it is only the beginning of more challenges. Measles hits the community's children, including Deborah's son. Desperate for help, Deborah must send her remaining children away. Emotional and health problems worsen in the community. In the meantime, she must deal with Sheriff Stoddel, who hates her because he believes she is Indian. He is convinced she and Victor have killed Christian. The only saving grace is her loving relationship with Victor, as she hopes for rain and prays that a world war is not imminent.

Sky Bird continues the saga of one woman's struggle to endure adversity and find joy in the uncertainty pervading America in the late 1930s.