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By December of 1952, things are definitely looking up for all the Stample kids of McFarland, North Dakota. Albert and George have a good farm home with the Slovens, for whom their father had worked before his death. Rosie and Edgar are cared for and are happy with the Clausens, who manage the Farmers Union store. They see their big brothers almost daily. The Clausens daughter Annie and next-door neighbor / best friend, Bobby Merritt, make sure Rosie and Edgar take part in all the winter activities, especially skating. Christmas comes with a few surprises for all, but by New Years Eve, life is back to normal. Everyone celebrates at the Clausens, with feasting, card playing, and skating. Another blow, though, is about to strike the Stample kids, and grief and healing must begin anew. While her brothers come to terms with their sorrow, Rosie lives with a gray ache. Everyone is very kind, but Rosie has found only one way to copeone very dangerous way!

In September of 1952, in small-town McFarland, North Dakota, Annie Clausen (the twelve-year-old daughter of the Farmers' Union store manager) doesn't know how good she has it. Annie is pretty sure her loving and hardworking parents expect way too much of her. Her mother's lists of chores take precedence over fun, and the math teacher seems to relish picking on her and her best friend, next-door neighbor, Bobby Merritt. A couple of bullies add to her list of problems. Meanwhile, Rosie Stample takes care of her little brother, Edgar, and doesn't realize how bad their life is going to get. Rosie's mother, who has suffered a horrific shock, has been hospitalized in Minnesota's state mental institution for the last two years. Her father brought his children to McFarland to live because he has found work nearby with a prosperous farmer, Herbert Sloven. Besides caring for Edgar, Rosie tries to do the laundry, cooking, cleaning, and still get to school, while her older brothers manage to bully and alienate everyone. Her father has started drinking again, and the news about her mother's progress gets worse. Neither girl could have predicted the changes that were to come.

Sparky, Harold, and Jo spend one summer finding out life has many mysteries and that lifes situations allow them to decide between options that have many outcomes. Mysteries require their thought and investigation where their sense of right and wrong are always tested. Their strengths are tested in their adventure hunting. How they meet their challenges mold their character and allow them to know their best self.

River of the Sun revealed the indomitable spirit of former slave girl Diamond. Now her intrepid son faces his own struggle for survival... Patricia Shaw's Fires of Fortune is the thought-provoking sequel to the unforgettable saga, River of the Sun. The perfect read for fans of Tricia McGill and Fleur McDonald. As a boy, Ben Beckman is sheltered from the harsher aspects of life by his Aborigine mother Diamond, who is all too familiar with the prejudice rife within Brisbane society. He is unaware that his father is the ruthless Ben Buchanan, a prominent figure in the state political scene. Then one appalling night Diamond's life comes to an end. Crazed with grief, Ben vandalises his neighbour Dr Thurlwell's mansion - as the doctor refused to tend his mother. Ben's actions are to have tragic consequences... Over hard years, Ben's hatred for Dr Thurwell deepens. The girl next door is Phoebe Thurlwell, whom Ben has known all his life. When she offers the hand of friendship he is still motivated by a bitter feud with her parents. Phoebe is sent away to a friend's cattle station to remove her from Ben's influence, but he follows. There he comes face to face with his own father, a far more dangerous adversary than he ever thought possible... What readers are saying about Fires of Fortune: 'An imaginative and compelling account of what life was really like for early pioneers of Australia' 'The characters come alive and keep the reader gripped from first page to last' 'As always, Patricia Shaw writes a great story with great historical care'

The legendary writer Patricia Highsmith is best remembered today for her chilling psychological thrillers The Talented Mr. Ripley and Strangers on a Train, which was made into the classic film by Alfred Hitchcock and Raymond Chandler. A critically-acclaimed best seller in Europe, Highsmith struggled during her life for recognition in the United States, but since her death in 1995 Highsmith’s reputation has grown tremendously, and she is now recognized as one of the signature voices of the troubled twentieth century. “When the dust has settled,” critic A.N. Wilson wrote, “and when the chronicle of twentieth-century American literature comes to be written, history will place Highsmith at the top of the pyramid, as we should place Dostoevsky at the top of the Russian hierarchy of novelists.” Tales of Natural and Unnatural Catastrophes is the last short fiction published during Highsmith's lifetime. The ten eerily up-to-date stories chronicle a world gone slightly mad; environmental degradation, apocalyptic disaster, political chaos, and religious conservatism are captured in incisive prose that leaves us haunted with “afterimages that will tremble—but stay—in our minds” (The New Yorker).

Love Inspired brings you three new titles! Enjoy these uplifting contemporary romances of faith, forgiveness and hope. HIS AMISH TEACHER The Amish Bachelors by Patricia Davids Working with teacher Lillian Keim reminds Timothy Bowman of the close bond they once shared as kids. Before long her kindness and commitment to her pupils have Timothy wishing for more than friendship. He wants Lillian to become his wife. THE SOLDIER AND THE SINGLE MOM Rescue River by Lee Tobin McClain Desperate to find a safe place to raise her baby, widow Gina Patterson accepts rough-spoken veteran Buck Armstrong’s offer of shelter at his sister’s boardinghouse. Though the baby stirs painful memories for Buck, he can’t help wondering if he and Gina could have a second chance at happiness together. SECOND CHANCE ROMANCE by Jill Weatherholt When her ailing aunt needs someone to run her café, Melanie Harper works with co-owner Jackson Daughtry to make sure the business thrives. Soon the small town’s charm wins over the city lawyer—but can the single dad and his precious daughter convince her to stay with them forever?

The McCallister family settles in the northern section of the Oregon Territory in the year of 1853. There they settled and, through many tribulations and sacrifices, they came to love this wild and undeveloped country. Author Patricia N. Richards delivers an auspicious fiction debut that is romantic, compelling, and graceful.

It is 1859 on a Mississippi cotton plantation as Ruth listens to bloodcurdling screams of a tortured fellow slave coming from behind the gin house. Moments later, she sits on the dirt floor and bemoans the terrifying future seemingly destined for her and her daughter, Lila. Years of pain and sorrow have left Ruth browbeaten and depressed. But little does she know that her dreadful life is about to change forever. When Ruth discovers Lila is planning a daring escape, she unsuccessfully tries to talk her out of it. At the last minute, she decides to help, a decision that nearly costs her life. Ostracized by other slaves who are infuriated their meager rations might be cut, it appears Ruth’s life is about to become more miserable—until a fellow slave, Big Aunty, recruits her to help devise an escape plan for two boys doomed to death. It is a great risk since Ruth knows the lynch rope is waiting for her. But when the women stumble upon the Underground Railroad going south, Ruth begins to see the world in a different light. Will she help herself in the process of helping others? All Aboard is the haunting story of two enslaved women who risk everything in 1859 Mississippi to save two boys from a horrifying fate.

The framework for Just for Joy is the Great Depression of the Thirties and World War II. One ended the other. How a small town in the Midwest coped with each of these catastrophes, Patricia Linder guides her readers through the undercurrents of a family's daily life meeting the challenges and conquering the fears of poverty or the desolation that accompanies the impersonal demands of war. This is a biography about an Iowa town and the family that cherished it, making it more than just the place they lived. As seen through the eyes of a child growing up, the reader becomes a member of that family, its loyalties to each other, its laughter and deep sadness. There is an innocence about those desperate years. A parent's anguish goes unnoticed with the promised delights of childhood. Shielded from the realities of the hardness of the times, a generation grew up in the shadow of want and the finality of the atomic bomb. Award-winning writer Patricia Linder, has given us Row, Row, Row Your Boat and The Lady and the Tiger which has received the 2006 Silver Medal for Memoirs from the Military Writers of America.

The world is calling. Time to answer . . . An updated edition of the #1 New York Times–bestseller from “the travel expert who launched legions of bucket lists” (San Jose Mercury News). This “irresistibly idiosyncratic” catalog of destinations (Chicago Tribune) is a continent-by-continent itinerary for the eager traveler: A trek through Morocco’s Atlas Mountains. Sri Lanka’s Hill Country. A sunrise balloon safari over the Masai Mara. Canyon de Chelly. The sacred festivals of Bhutan. The Amalfi Coast. Sailing the Mekong River. In all, one thousand places to give you the shivers: sacred ruins, coral reefs, hilltop villages, deserted beaches, wine trails, hidden islands, opera houses, wildlife preserves, castles, museums, and more. Each entry tells why it’s essential to visit and includes hotels and restaurants from the luxurious to moderately priced gems, as well as festivals to check out. Then come the completely updated nuts and bolts: websites, phone numbers, prices, best times to visit. 1,000 Places reinvented the idea of travel book as both wish list and practical guide. In the words of Newsweek, it “tells you what’s beautiful, what’s fun, and what’s just unforgettable—everywhere on earth.” “For travelers who think they’ve seen it all, surely there’s a place you haven’t visited in this newly revised classic bestseller.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “Schultz has given her iconic guide a complete makeover. With five hundred new photographs, two hundred new entries and twenty-eight new countries, the second edition is more informative, budget-conscious and user-friendly.” —BookPage “Even more informative and inspiring than before.” —Entertainment Weekly