When Brid Harcus is sent to the Orkney Islands, in the far reaches of Scotland, she has high hopes for her trip being short, straightforward and lucrative.

Her mother has inherited a cottage from her Great Aunt Jennet which has been unlived in and unloved for decades, and the time has come to make it habitable and saleable. Easy, right?

But Midness Cottage has other ideas. For one thing it’s rather more ‘fixer upper’ than Country Living, with a resident goose and her goslings who have made themselves at home. And Brid definitely hadn’t planned for the strongly-held local belief that the cottage is meant to be the home of the Orkney Witch, and whomever lives in it must fulfil this role. Not the best message for the estate agent brochure and of course Brid doesn’t believe in magic, let alone have healing powers.

But Orkney does have healing powers. Its beauty and peace are enchanting, its people welcoming, and Brid’s handsome new friend Magnus is rather charming too. When her life back in York starts calling her home, will Brid sell up and ship out? Or did the last Orkney Witch cast a spell and leave a legacy of love if only Brid believed in magic…

Praise for Jane Lovering:

‘I adored the dual timeline aspect of this gorgeous story and discovering the secrets from the past. Beautifully written and both heartbreaking and heartwarming’ Jessica Redland

‘A funny, warm-hearted read, filled with characters you’ll love.’ Matt Dunn on A Country Escape

What readers are saying about Jane Lovering:

‘I love a Jane Lovering book, she writes so wonderfully about real lives, relatable characters and situations. They are full of humour, as well as serious issues too but always the perfect balance so drama/sadness and joy/humour. Jane has her own unique style, one that I find full of heart, emotion, so engaging and enjoyable her books are just full of love.’

‘This was another wonderful read from an author who never disappoints – and yes, you’ve guessed it, it might just be my new favourite. Go on, add it to your reading list – you’re going to love it too!’

‘This is a sensitively written masterpiece and it grieves me to only award five stars because it truly deserves a 10 plus! Having finished it in less than a day, I am off to read it a second time because it is simply just that good!’

‘Jane has an easy going writing style that is easy to get used to and easy to get along with. In fact reading one of Jane’s books feels more like a chat between friends rather than reading a book. I hope that makes sense. Jane’s love for her characters shines through in the very vivid and realistic way in which she describes them. She makes her characters seem just as real as you and I.’

‘Another well written and cunningly contrived book from Jane. Once more she combines humour, sensitivity and serious social issues with her well drawn and filled out characters.’

The post The Island Cottage first appeared on Ebook Reader Z.

The daughter of a legend finds the love of a lifetime in this passionate, heart-wrenching installment in J.R. Ward’s #1New York Timesbestselling Black Dagger Brotherhood series.

Nalla, the blooded daughter of Zsadist, has led a sheltered life. Protected by her father and the Brotherhood, she is chafing against the walls of the very safety that has ensured her survival. One night, she gives in to her restlessness…and finds herself face-to-face with a male whose inner darkness rivals even that of her sire’s horrific origins.

Nate is a fighter with nothing to lose and nothing to live for. Tortured in a human lab as a young, then cursed with immortality, he is all vengeance and no purpose because he cares for no one—not even himself. The Brotherhood knows this all too well and following Nate’s deliberate violation of the cardinal rule in the war, they declare him a dangerous liability that must be dealt with.

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WINNER OF THE 2023 BOOK EXCELLENCE AWARD (3/19/23)
A 2021 INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST (6/19/21)

“An exquisitely told, beautifully realised historical tale.” – Mrs B’s Book Reviews
“Haunting and beautiful.” – Demelza

The rules were crystal clear. She broke them all…

1918 … When Rose Porter arrives on the shores of Sydney with little money, she must take a job as a parlourmaid at the mysterious North Head Quarantine Station. It’s a place of turmoil for passengers and strict rules for employees.

But Rose discovers some rules were made to be broken.

2019 … Over a century later, Emma Wilcott is struggling to help her dementia-suffering grandmother from wandering at night. Her long-term memories are leading her somewhere, and Emma realises she is searching for someone from her past.

Emma’s investigation takes her to the Quarantine Station where she meets Matt, the station carpenter, and together they unravel a mystery so compelling it has the power to change lives, to change everything Emma ever knew about herself.

The post The Quarantine Station first appeared on Ebook Reader Z.

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • A PEN/FAULKNER AWARD FINALIST • Set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse—the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. • Now an original series on HBO Max. • Over one million copies sold!

Kirsten Raymonde will never forget the night Arthur Leander, the famous Hollywood actor, had a heart attack on stage during a production of King Lear. That was the night when a devastating flu pandemic arrived in the city, and within weeks, civilization as we know it came to an end.

Twenty years later, Kirsten moves between the settlements of the altered world with a small troupe of actors and musicians. They call themselves The Traveling Symphony, and they have dedicated themselves to keeping the remnants of art and humanity alive. But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who will threaten the tiny band’s existence. And as the story takes off, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, the strange twist of fate that connects them all will be revealed.

Look for Emily St. John Mandel’s bestselling new novel, Sea of Tranquility!

The post Station Eleven: A Novel (National Book Award Finalist) first appeared on Ebook Reader Z.

Within these pages lie eighteen stories, from eighteen worlds shaped by some of today’s best writers of science fiction and fantasy, all guests on the Aurora Award-winning podcast The Worldshapers during its first year. There are original stories from Tanya Huff, Seanan McGuire, David Weber, L.E. Modesitt, Jr., John C. Wright, D.J. Butler, Christopher Ruocchio, Shelley Adina, and Edward Willett, plus fiction by John Scalzi, David Brin, Julie Czerneda, Joe Haldeman, Gareth L. Powell, Dr. Charles E. Gannon, Fonda Lee, Derek Kunsken, and Thoraiya Dyer. Some are international bestsellers. Among them are winners and nominees for the Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy, Aurora, Sunburst, Aurealis, Ditmar, British Science Fiction Association, and Dragon Awards. Some have been writing for decades, others are at the beginning of their careers. All have honed their craft to razor-sharpness. A teenage girl finds something strange in the middle of the Canadian prairie. An exobiologist tries to liberate a giant alien enslaved on its homeworld by humans. The music of the spheres becomes literal for an Earth ship far from home. A superhero league interviews for new members. Strangers share a drink on a world where giant starships fall. Two boys, one a werewolf, one a mage, get more than they bargained for when they volunteer to fight an evil Empire. A man with amnesia accepts a most unusual offer. A young woman finds unexpected allies as she tries to win a flying-machine race in steampunk London . . . Ranging from boisterous to bleak, from humorous to harrowing, from action-filled to quiet and meditative; taking place in alternate pasts, the present day, the far, far future, and times that never were; set on Earth, in the distant reaches of space, in fantasy worlds, and in metaphysical realms, each of these stories is as unique as its creator. And yet, they all showcase one thing: the irrepressible need of human beings to create, to imagine, to tell stories. To shape worlds.

Praise for Shapers of Worlds

“One of the most wide-ranging volumes I’ve encountered in terms of sub-genre. It’s rather like a speculative fiction buffet, offering steampunk, fantasy, military fiction, magic, space opera, post-apocalyptic, hard science fiction, and others . . . Inventive and varied, the collection has a lot to offer for those seeking an interesting, entertaining, and thought-provoking read.” – Lisa Timpf, The Future Fire

The post Shapers of Worlds first appeared on Ebook Reader Z.

Grand Prize Winner for the CIBA 2022 CYGNUS Award for Science Fiction

A rebellious princess chasing destiny. Menacing villains. The Last Lumenian is a captivating sci-fi fantasy with a touch of charming alien romance. A coming-of-age tale of the chosen one, Lilla, as she battles outdated traditions and shapes her own destiny. Breaking away from the damsel in distress trope, Lilla emerges as the heroine her world needs. Tasteful romance complements a world meticulously crafted by debut author S.G. Blaise.

MULTI-AWARD WINNING BOOK:

2020 New York Book Festival Winner: Romance Honorable Mention: Science Fiction
2020 San Francisco Book Festival Winner: Science Fiction
2020 Annual Best Book Awards Winner: Best Cover for Fiction
2020 New England Book Festival Winner: Science Fiction
2021 Independent Press Award Distinguished Favorite: Fantasy

The post The Last Lumenian first appeared on Ebook Reader Z.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOKS OF 2022
ONE OF BARACK OBAMA’S FAVORITE BOOKS OF 2022
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 BOOKER PRIZE

“Buzzy and enthralling …A glorious novel about empires and erasures, husbands and wives, staggering fortunes and unspeakable misery…Fun as hell to read.” —Oprah Daily

“A genre-bending, time-skipping story about New York City’s elite in the roaring ’20s and Great Depression.”—Vanity Fair

“A riveting story of class, capitalism, and greed.” —Esquire

“Exhilarating.” —New York Times

Even through the roar and effervescence of the 1920s, everyone in New York has heard of Benjamin and Helen Rask. He is a legendary Wall Street tycoon; she is the daughter of eccentric aristocrats. Together, they have risen to the very top of a world of seemingly endless wealth—all as a decade of excess and speculation draws to an end. But at what cost have they acquired their immense fortune? This is the mystery at the center of Bonds, a successful 1937 novel that all of New York seems to have read. Yet there are other versions of this tale of privilege and deceit.
Hernan Diaz’s TRUST elegantly puts these competing narratives into conversation with one another—and in tension with the perspective of one woman bent on disentangling fact from fiction. The result is a novel that spans over a century and becomes more exhilarating with each new revelation.
At once an immersive story and a brilliant literary puzzle, TRUST engages the reader in a quest for the truth while confronting the deceptions that often live at the heart of personal relationships, the reality-warping force of capital, and the ease with which power can manipulate facts.

The post Trust (Pulitzer Prize Winner) first appeared on Ebook Reader Z.

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From one of our most accomplished novelists, a mesmerizing story about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War—and a brilliant portrait of family endurance against all odds

“A tour de force.” —Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage

In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives.

The omnipresent vagaries of war and race rise to the surface as we learn their story: their flight to the highest mountain ridges of western Virginia; the disappearance of ConaLee’s father, who left for the War and never returned. Meanwhile, in the asylum, they begin to find a new path. ConaLee pretends to be her mother’s maid; Eliza responds slowly to treatment. They get swept up in the life of the facility—the mysterious man they call the Night Watch; the orphan child called Weed; the fearsome woman who runs the kitchen; the remarkable doctor at the head of the institution.

Epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted, Night Watch is a stunning chronicle of surviving war and its aftermath.

The post Night Watch (Pulitzer Prize Winner): A novel first appeared on Ebook Reader Z.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and beloved television host comes We’ve Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America’s Soul and Sanity, a new book on how to come home to our core values, fortify our families, and re-embrace self-determination and self-governance.

Do you think mainstream America needs to find its voice? If so, you’re not alone. The country is under attack by extremists at the fringes who put ideology before sanity and stoke division for their own gain. They are trying to rob America of its common sense and deny empirical truths, and we’re all suffering the consequences.

In We’ve Got Issues: How You Can Stand Strong for America’s Soul and Sanity, Dr. Phil employs his signature no-nonsense approach to analyze America’s cultural crisis and offers practical, empirically based, action-oriented strategies to restore and support our country’s collective mental health.

This compelling work combines a brutally honest look at the sustained attack on the core values that have defined America at its best and offers prescriptive guidance on what you can do in your own life to stop the madness. With his ten working principles for a healthy society, Dr. Phil provides the tools for mainstream America to fight back against the forces of division with sensible and urgently needed advice supported by the latest social, medical, and psychological findings.

Dr. Phil demystifies the “tyranny of the fringe” and deconstructs their assault on the principles that made our nation prosperous, free, and powerful. With the hard-earned wisdom of years spent working with Americans of all backgrounds, Dr. Phil charts a course from cancel culture to counsel culture, from fear to acceptance, from victimhood to community, and from the tyranny of the fringe to a more civil society where we heal our divides and every one of us decides to be who we are on purpose. Dr. Phil is here to show us how.

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