Feb 10

Feb 10 28 Books Publishing This Week

The afternoon in mid-February holds a quiet kind of softness, as if winter has exhaled just enough to remind you that change is coming—even if it isn’t here yet. The light outside is brighter than it was in January, lingering a little longer, stretching across sidewalks and rooftops in pale gold. Snow, if there is any left, has softened at the edges. The air is still cold, but there’s a gentleness to it now, a promise tucked somewhere beneath the surface.

You notice it when you settle into your afternoon—how the day feels less heavy, less closed in. You move through your space with an easy rhythm, making yourself something warm to drink out of habit more than necessity. Tea, maybe. Coffee if you need the comfort of routine. The mug warms your hands, grounding you in the present moment, and you carry it to your favorite place to sit.

The house feels calm, suspended in that mid-afternoon quiet when most of the world is still busy elsewhere. Light filters through the window, catching dust motes in the air, making everything feel suspended and peaceful. You pull a blanket loosely across your lap, not because you’re cold, but because it feels right to be held in something soft this time of year.

The book you’ve been meaning to start rests beside you. You pick it up, feeling the smooth cover beneath your fingers, the slight stiffness of untouched pages. There’s something about mid-February that makes beginnings feel thoughtful rather than urgent. January was for intentions. February is for settling into them—slowly, honestly, without pressure.

You open the book, listening to the quiet crack of the spine. The first page greets you calmly, without spectacle. The story begins in a way that feels steady and grounded, and you let yourself sink into it without rushing. Outside, the wind shifts softly. Somewhere, snowmelt drips from a gutter. The world feels like it’s waking in tiny increments.

You read slowly, not because you have to, but because you want to. The sentences feel like they belong to this moment—measured, thoughtful, patient. You pause occasionally, lifting your gaze to the window, noticing how the afternoon light has grown warmer since you first sat down. The sky holds that pale, hopeful brightness that only comes in late winter.

You take a sip of your drink, now cooling slightly, and return to the page. The characters begin to take shape. The world of the book opens outward, offering you space to step inside. You feel yourself relaxing deeper into the cushion, into the quiet, into the simple pleasure of being here.

Mid-February has a way of loosening winter’s grip without fully releasing it. You feel that same balance inside yourself—still reflective, still moving slowly, but lighter somehow. The book becomes part of that shift, something steady and companionable as the season turns.

Time moves gently. You don’t notice how many pages you’ve read. The heater hums. The light softens. The world outside remains quiet and patient. You shift slightly, tucking your feet beneath you, pulling the blanket higher.

When you finally pause and close the book—only temporarily—you mark your place carefully. You hold it for a moment, appreciating the simple satisfaction of beginning something new without forcing it. Outside, the light has shifted toward early evening. Inside, you feel grounded, calm, accompanied.

This is how mid-February asks you to live: slowly, honestly, with small, meaningful beginnings. And this afternoon, with a book opening page by page in your hands, feels like exactly the right way to answer.

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Books Publishing February 8 - 14

An Unconventional Lady by Sarah E. Ladd

In An Unconventional Lady, her latest sweet Regency romance, Sarah E. Ladd explores the expanding world of science (and pseudoscience) as two childhood friends work together to separate fact from fiction. Perfect for fans of Julie Klassen and BBC dramas.

Ella Wilde is no ordinary young woman. Outspoken, curious, and fiercely independent, she grew up in a world of natural philosophy, encouraged by her scientist parents to question everything. But when her mother dies mysteriously while studying phrenology in Austria, Ella is left with more questions than answers. Especially when a study is released claiming that a phrenological examination of Ella's mother prior to her death indicated mental instability, calling into question what really happened the night of her death. Years later, at a scientific symposium hosted by her father's school and focused on phrenology, Ella seizes the chance to clear her mother's name and debunk phrenology as pseudoscience.

Gabriel Rowe is a barrister with a mission of his own. Tasked with finding a runaway girl linked to the same phrenologist who will be speaking at the symposium, Gabriel's path leads him back to Keatley Hall--and to Ella, his childhood friend.

As the symposium unfolds, Ella and Gabriel join forces to expose the phrenologist's fraud. But with the audience enamored by the charlatan's charm and the stakes rising, they must navigate a web of deceit and danger. When the missing girl is found and the phrenologist vanishes with the symposium's funds, Ella and Gabriel embark on a thrilling journey to reclaim their reputations and discover the love and acceptance they've been seeking.

Travel back to Regency England with An Unconventional Lady by Sarah E. Ladd and learn about little-known parts of history while being completely swept off your feet by a sweet, clean romance.

Keeper of Lost Children by Sadeqa Johnson

In this new novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The House of Eve, one American woman’s vision in post WWII Germany will tie together three people in an unexpected way.

Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American Officer, is living in Occupied Germany in the 1950s. After discovering a local orphanage filled with the abandoned mixed-race children of German women and Black American GI’s, Ethel feels compelled to help find these children homes.

Philadelphia born Ozzie Phillips volunteers for the recently desegregated army in 1948, eager to make his mark in the world. While serving in Manheim, Germany, he meets a local woman, Jelka, and the two embark on a relationship that will impact their lives forever.

In 1965 Maryland, Sophia Clark is given an opportunity to attend a prestigious all white boarding school and escape her heartless parents. While at the school, she discovers a secret that upends her world and sends her on a quest to unravel her own identity.

Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms—familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self—can be transcendent.

The Fourth Princess: A Gothic Novel of Old Shanghai by Janie Chang

From the internationally bestselling author of The Porcelain Moon comes a haunting Gothic novel set in 1911 China. Two young women living in a crumbling, once-grand Shanghai mansion face danger as secrets of their pasts come to light, even as the mansion’s own secret threatens the present.

Shanghai, 1911. Lisan Liu is elated when she is hired as secretary to wealthy American Caroline Stanton, the new mistress of Lennox Manor on the outskirts of Shanghai’s International Settlement. However, the Manor has a dark past due to a previous owner’s suicide, and soon Lisan’s childhood nightmares resurface with more intensity and meld with haunted visions of a woman in red. Adding to her unease is the young gardener, Yao, who both entices and disturbs her.

Newly married Caroline looks forward to life in China with her husband, Thomas, away from the shadows of another earlier tragedy. But an unwelcome guest, Andrew Grey, attends her party and claims to know secrets she can’t afford to have exposed. At the same party, the notorious princess Masako Kyo approaches Lisan with questions about the young woman’s family that the orphaned Lisan can’t answer.

As Caroline struggles with Grey’s extortion and Thomas’s mysterious illness, Lisan’s future is upended when she learns the truth about her past, and why her identity has been hidden all these years. All the while, strange incidents accelerate, driving Lisan to doubt her sanity as Lennox Manor seems unwilling to release her until she fulfills demands from beyond the grave.

Warning Signs by Tracy Sierra

The heart-stopping second novel from the author of Nightwatching, in which a father-son ski weekend becomes a desperate fight for survival

Twelve-year-old Zach is cautiously optimistic. His father Bram, whose business is in dire need of cash, has put together a father-son backcountry ski weekend to wine and dine his biggest investors. Schooled in outdoor survival by his mother, Zach is eager to prove himself to the hypercritical Bram. Maybe if Zach shows how useful he is, he can earn his father’s love.

But Zach knows to be on high alert around Bram, and he sees the way the group ignores the increasingly threatening conditions. For the first time in his beloved mountains, he is faced with the unknown, convinced that something watches their cabin from the treeline. Something that leaves behind strange tracks and picks its prey clean.
As the adults recklessly test the limits of the outdoors, Zach worries he might be in even more danger than he realized. Could the men around him prove more violent than the unforgiving weather, and the strange creature lurking in the dark? Zach will have to rely on his wits if he hopes to make it home safely. But he knows all too well that the wilderness can be unpredictable even at the best of times. And at the worst? Deadly.

Marriage and Other Monuments by Virginia Pye

In the summer of 2020, social justice protests and the removal of Confederate monuments rock the city of Richmond, Virginia, as the marriages of two estranged sisters implode.

When Cynthia's husband, Bobby, can no longer hide his dire financial situation, their union finally ruptures. Melissa, her sister, has dedicated herself so fully to racial justice activism that she becomes alienated from her own Black husband. As the summer heats up and their marriages veer in opposite directions, the sisters have no choice but to turn to one another. Meanwhile, their husbands conspire in a racial reckoning that their ancestors-one old Virginia White, the other old Virginia Black-would never have dreamed of.

Marriage and Other Monuments shows how secrets within a marriage erode trust, and that for couples to evolve they must be true to who they are as individuals and as members of an imperfect society.

Untamed Heart by Gemma Morr

Welcome to Diamond Back Ranch: the stunning, small-town series from Gemma Morr. Perfect for fans of Elsie Silver, Devney Perry, and B.K. Borison.

When Lottie Wright is laid off from her London law firm, and finds out that her banker boyfriend Kyle is cheating on her, she gets the hell out of dodge and straight on a plane to Jackson Hole. Her plan is to get back in the saddle at her family's ranch, the Diamond Back, on the edge of the Grand Teton National Park.

Drowning her sorrows in a Jackson Hole bar, she has a steamy encounter with a tempting cowboy named Cole, only to find out he's also employed at Diamond Back—meaning things must stay professional. Life at the ranch then throws shirtless bull-rider Beau into her path, whose cowboy skills are as daunting as they are dazzling.

Under the vast western skies and the majestic shadow of the Rocky Mountains, Lottie must take charge of her life, deciding who she wants to be and who will capture her heart.

Antihero by Gregg Hurwitz

In the next book in this New York Times best-selling series, Evan Smoak takes on his most complex mission yet―one where he not only has to protect but also avenge, and find a way to balance vengeance with mercy.

Once a black ops assassin for the government known as Orphan X, Evan Smoak broke with the program and went deep underground, using his operational rules and skills to help the truly desperate with nowhere else to turn.

When Luke Devine, one of the most powerful men in the world, has a psychological crisis, Evan flies to the East Coast to help him. While there, he learns of a young woman who was kidnapped off the New York City subway, clearly in danger and in need of aid. With no name and few clues, Evan and his team track down the missing woman, who was assaulted and abandoned. Evan offers his help―and sets out finding the young men responsible. But the woman insists that Evan abandon his usual methods―no vengeance and, in particular, no killing. Which will prove no easy feat given the mounting incoming threats from all sides. In a mission that takes Evan from coast to coast, from the poorest corners of society to the richest, Orphan X must figure out a way to protect the innocent, avenge the victimized, and balance justice with a measure of mercy.

Should Have Told You Sooner by Jane Ward

While studying art history at a London university, Noel Enfield falls passionately in love with aspiring artist and art school student Bryn Jones. Shortly after Bryn leaves for a five-month painting trip through Italy, Noel discovers she is pregnant. She is ecstatic and believes Bryn will be too—they have plans to marry, after all. But mishaps part the two lovers, and a desperate Noel makes a split-second choice to move forward in a way that will change not only her life but also the lives of everyone she loves.

Three decades later, when she is offered a six-month secondment to a London museum, Noel decides it’s time to prove she really has moved on from that difficult period by returning to the city where she met and lost Bryn. But rather than proving she has persevered, the move lands Noel in the thick of London’s insular art world, with only one or two degrees of separation from her past and the people she once loved. After she reconnects with an old, dear friend and learns finally what kept Bryn from returning to her all those years ago, the very underpinnings of her life are rocked to their core. Some decisions made in the past can never be put behind her, she realizes, and armed with this new understanding, she sets out on a journey to reclaim what—and who—she left behind.

The Secret Courtesan by Kerry Chaput

Two determined women four hundred years apart. One mysterious statue. And a bombshell that could change history.

Art historian Mia is running out of time to prove her theory that the sculptor of an unearthed erotic statue was a courtesan erased from history—a scandal no one will believe. Chasing through Venice, she tracks down hidden details of Sofia, a powerful courtesan who seems to have left a trail of sex-fueled art buried across the city, but Mia’s now being followed, and even her boss might be in on the lie.

Meanwhile, in 1609, Sofia defies Venice’s unfair laws to create illicit art that could ruin her future. Her aspirations to become a great artist go up in flames when her patron’s wife steals her work and threatens her lover.

Four hundred years later, it's up to Mia to discover the truth, but now she’s uncovered a world of art theft that could leave her ousted—or, worse, right in the crosshairs of the most powerful crime family in Italy, who will stop at nothing to force her to authenticate the famous statue. Mia’s only hope is to prove Sofia’s existence before everyone involved silences them both forever.

The Better Mother by Jennifer van der Kleut

Still recovering from a devastating breakup, 34-year-old Savannah Mitchell has finally managed to put her life back together when she gets the shock of her life—after a brief fling with a man named Max, she is pregnant.

When she gets in touch to tell him, he reveals that he’s just gotten back together with his ex, Madison, and he will need time to break it to her. Surprisingly, Madison isn’t upset—in fact, she’s excited, and wants to help.

Max insists Madison has the best of intentions, but Savannah finds her efforts—popping by uninvited, demanding lifestyle changes, and pretty much trying to take over the pregnancy—anything but helpful. When Savannah finally stands up for herself, Madison’s treatment of her goes from casually cruel to downright dangerous.

All Savannah wanted to do was form a friendly co-parenting relationship with the father of her child—but his new girlfriend obviously has much more sinister plans in mind.

She has no plans to co-parent at all.

The Soulmate Strategy by Corey Seemiller

Days after Corey’s breakup, a photo of her ex wrapped in the arms of another woman goes viral on Facebook. Confronted with this gleeful boast about “happily ever after,” Corey, a forty-something lesbian, decides that she can’t live in a state of perpetual loneliness, plagued with the burden of her own failure in finding happiness and love.

Armed with her meticulously crafted checklist, Corey embarks on a mission to heal, move on, and find “the one.” But no matter how many items she checks off her list or how faithfully she follows the sage wisdom of psychics, her breakup coach, and the legendary rapper Eminem, her hope in finding her one true love begins to fade away—until she’s suddenly torn between two.

Now, with her heart unexpectedly on the line, Corey must find out what she really wants—and where her true happiness lies.

Motor City Love Song by Lisa Peers

No one knows why the queen of indie rock vanished from the Detroit scene twenty years ago. Now, her ex-girlfriend is determined to track her down—and what she uncovers will change everything.

Detroit, 1997. At the Artemis Club, Paloma is chasing rock-and-roll stardom, with her girlfriend and manager Jace committed to making her a worldwide indie sensation. But when Paloma suddenly disappears from the public eye in 2001, Jace is left to pick up the pieces.

Two decades later, Jace learns The Artemis Club is in trouble. Saving it will mean tracking down Paloma, whose early-career hit just went viral. Paloma has her reasons for not wanting to be found, and Jace isn’t eager to reopen old wounds. Still, each keeps measuring her life against the love she lost. With the Artemis Club’s fate at stake, Jace and Paloma are pulled back into the scene they once ruled . . . and back toward each other.

Told in two voices, this sapphic salute to Detroit’s garage-band era shows that sometimes the truth is the most powerful love song of all.

Trad Wife by Saratoga Schaefer

A "traditional wife" influencer allows a demonic creature to impregnate her in this unnerving horror novel, perfect for fans of Nightbitch and Mary, from the author of Serial Killer Support Group.

Every #tradwife needs a baby. She’ll get one at any cost.

When Camille Deming isn’t cooking, cleaning, or homesteading in her picture-perfect country farmhouse, she’s posting about her tradwife lifestyle for her online followers. She takes inspiration from other tradwives on social media, aspiring to be like them, but Camille’s missing a key component: a baby. And contrary to what she posts online, things with her husband, Graham, have been strained. Pressured by her eager followers, Camille fears that without a baby, her relationship will suffer and her social media will never grow out of its infancy.

When Camille discovers a mysterious, decrepit well in the wheatfield behind her house, she makes a wish for a baby. Afterward, she has unsettling experiences that she convinces herself are angelic in nature, and when she’s visited one night by a strange creature, her wish comes true.

Camille’s pregnancy announcement gets more engagement than anything she’s ever posted—so what if Graham’s reaction is lukewarm? Camille’s life is finally falling into place. Never mind that her pregnancy is developing freakishly rapidly and she’s suddenly craving raw meat. Being a traditional wife is worth it.

Rosemary’s Baby for the digital age, this disturbing horror novel is one you’ll want to devour in just one bite.

Out of the Loop by Katie Siegel

She spent two years in a time loop. Now she’s ready to solve a murder. And maybe grab a bagel.

The Seven Year Slip meets Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers in this wholly original time loop mystery.

For the past two years, Amie Teller has been stuck in a time loop. Each day, she wakes up, and it’s September 17. Same day, same weather, same people, same conversations. Until one day, it’s September 18, and Amie is free.

Before she can celebrate, Amie learns her neighbor was murdered the day before—the day Amie has lived hundreds of times. Amie knows she has to help; nobody knows yesterday like she does. But acclimating to her new nonrepeating life proves to be more difficult than expected. How does one resume their life after a time loop, anyway?

Assisted by an ex-girlfriend who wants to make their friendship work and a grumpy neighbor who spends his days building Rube Goldberg machines, Amie sets out to track down who killed (and killed and killed and killed) Savannah Harlow.

Readers who love time loop novels, amateur sleuth mysteries, and original takes on classic tropes will love Out of the Loop.

I'm Looking for a Man in Finance by Sabrina Waldorf

How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days meets Gossip Girl in this steamy, enemies-to-lovers rom-com.

Sparks fly when a journalist seeking the most eligible man on Wall Street goes head-to-head with the finance bro determined to get in her way.

Journalist Hallie Woods has a new assignment: date the hottest guy on Wall Street and document every moment for the magazine she works for. The only problem? Finance bros couldn’t be further from Hallie’s type.

But as Hallie reluctantly flirts her way through the Financial District, there's one annoyingly handsome 6′5″, blue-eyed man who keeps getting in her way.

James Rossi is a typical finance bro on paper but a hopeless romantic at heart. After being burned by an ex-girlfriend who used him for his money, he's also fiercely protective of himself and his friends. So when he realizes the new regular at his favorite bar is flirting with his colleagues as fodder for an article, he decides to sabotage her plans.

Hallie and James clash at happy hour every week. But soon their dislike for each other turns into something unexpected, and Hallie questions whether she wants her personal life spread across the pages of a magazine.

Hallie might have found her man in finance, but she also has a choice to make: publish the article or risk her career and invest in true love.

The Wandering Queen by Claire Heywood

An epic and fiercely imaginative retelling of the story of queen Dido, the legendary founder of Carthage, from the author of the national bestseller Daughters of Sparta

When the King of Tyre dies, he decrees that the rule of the kingdom will pass equally to both his children: Elissa, his clever and strong-willed daughter, and Pygmalion, her young half-brother. But Elissa, not yet skilled in the machinations of court, quickly finds herself sidelined by a band of powerful merchants in favor of her more malleable brother.

Forced out of her palace home, Elissa resolves to forge her own path. Both triumph and heartbreak await in the life that she builds, transforming herself from a sheltered princess into a strong and formidable leader. When she leads her followers on an epic journey in search of a new home in a faraway land, she earns herself a name that will echo through millennia: Dido, the wanderer.

Then one day, a mysterious stranger, Aeneas, arrives at the city gates, fleeing the Trojan War. As Dido and Aeneas are increasingly drawn to each other, Dido is forced to make an impossible choice between power and love.

House of Splinters by Laura Purcell

House of Splinters is the long-awaited prequel to bestselling and multi-award-winning author Laura Purcell’s gothic horror classic, The Silent Companions.

Not every house is a home …

Belinda Bainbridge has spent her life in the shadow of her anxious mother, so when her father-in-law dies at The Bridge, his remote ancestral seat, she is secretly thrilled. His death means she, her husband, Wilfred, and their children can relocate and finally begin to create their own happy home together: born a merchant’s daughter, she will now be lady of the manor.

But their new home quickly proves far from ideal. The garden is a wilderness, the estate is struggling financially, there are whispers about the mysterious death of a servant many years before, while their young son, Freddie, seems unusually fixated on the strange wooden figures—so-called “silent companions”—that were once owned by his ancestors.

When Wilfred’s charismatic brother, Nathan, arrives unexpectedly from abroad, bringing a very different account of the family’s past, Belinda begins to question what her husband has told her. What really lies behind the sad history of the house?

And are Belinda’s children truly safe here?

Hard Reset by Jonathan Yanez

Hard Reset is a fast-paced, unpredictable, and clever take on the LitRPG genre, blending beloved sci-fi and apocalyptic themes to create an intricate new reality.

In this world, life begins in a coffin, cars float, a good ray gun is your best friend, and computer displays are activated with a flick of the wrist. It all feels so real, so right … and it all feels so wrong.

Some things remain the same in every reality: People with power crave more power. You're free to live your life as long as you don't challenge the status quo.

Tom doesn't like the status quo. Never has.

Never will.

With a smart-mouthed computer program, a quick-shooting bounty hunter, and a pissed-off stranger as his allies, Tom takes on a corrupt, authoritarian government.

All the while, in another world, someone is studying his every move and thought. Tom may hold the key to humanity's future.

If he can survive the game … without being reset.

Dollartorium by Ron Pullins

Ralph makes world-class corndogs in a small Kansas shop. It’s humble work, but honest. The problem? The bills pile up faster than the money rolls in, and Ralph can’t help but notice the widening gap between the haves and the have-nots. As he puts it:

“As far as I can tell, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting… what? Screwed? If I think about it too much—my situation, the way the money runs out before the month does—I start wondering if anyone’s even paying attention. And if they are, I’m pretty sure I’m at the bottom of the heap.”

Ralph’s wife has had enough. She’s determined to get rich, one way or another. So when an infomercial for the “Dollartorium” promises untold wealth through a few simple business courses, Ralph reluctantly agrees to give it a shot.

Soon he’s learning how to hire, fire, market, and hustle his way to success. And for a while, it works—until the entire Dollartorium empire collapses under the weight of its own greed.

In the end, it’s Ralph’s daughter, Stella, who saves him. With her help, he finds his way back to what really matters: honest work, family, and the best damn corndogs in Kansas.

The Navigator’s Letter: The True Story of Two WWII Airmen, a Doomed Mission, and the Woman Who Bound Them Together by Jan Cress Dondi

The Navigator’s Letter brings to light one of the best untold and dangerous stories of World War II, chronicling a moving and heroic story of patriotic duty, familial bonds, brotherhood, and love.

One of the riskiest air raids of World War II occurred on August 1, 1943, over the oil fields at Ploesti, Romania—Nazi Germany’s primary fuel source. The Allies believed that the destruction of Hitler’s oil refineries would shorten the war. Using an untested strategy, it was worth the gamble, but the mission did not go according to plan—with 53 aircraft and 532 crewmen lost, it was the costliest US air raid of the war.

A true story, The Navigator’s Letter is a tale of uncanny coincidences: two friends from the same small Illinois town; both joined the Air Corps; both became navigators; both were assigned to B-24 Liberators; both flew missions over Europe; both of their planes were forced down over Ploesti; and both went missing-in-action.

Intertwined with events of WWII, the story follows the two B-24 navigators coursing through wartime, both with ties to the same woman. Their lives unfurl with the Air Force’s darkest day, Operation Tidal Wave. It was the first-ever zero-altitude air raid, which lead to Operation Reunion, the largest evacuation by air in history repatriating 1,162 POWs from Romania back to American air bases in Italy.

It's All In Your Head by Sabina Nordqvist

Skylar is done with offline relationships—especially romantic ones. Living with chronic illness means she’s heard it all before: unreliable, high-maintenance, too much. She’d rather spend her free time in her online chronic pain support group, and lately, she can’t help but notice Pike, the hot new guy with a penchant for broody poetry. When a chaotic night in the group forces her to pose as his girlfriend, she reluctantly agrees to keep up the charade in real life. Surprisingly, he’s thoughtful, sweet, and—most importantly—doesn’t flinch at the things that have scared others away.

Fake dating gets a lot more complicated when she discovers Pike isn’t just some guy. He’s a professional snowboarder whose career-ending injury is as infamous as his playboy past. He won’t talk about that, though. He’s fine. Really. But pretending to be in love with Skylar turns out to be the least depressing thing he’s done in months. As they spend more time together, she starts to notice the cracks in his carefully crafted image, and for once, he doesn’t mind being seen.

After all the bed-sharing and late-night talks, it becomes harder for both of them to pretend. But just as things start turning real, the paparazzi catch on, wanting the scoop on how everyone’s favorite Olympic medalist is doing post-accident. Dating while disabled comes with challenges of its own, but public speculation and invasive questions are something else entirely. If their newfound feelings can’t survive the spotlight, their not-so-fake relationship may be over before it ever truly begins.

The Spaces that Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World by Danish Kurani

Change your space, change your life.

Did you know the design of a room could improve your relationships, benefit your physical and mental health, and enhance your productivity and focus? It’s true: we live in a symbiotic relationship with the spaces around us. But, the world that we’ve designed isn’t living up to its potential to support our health, happiness, and well-being. The good news is, we can rethink and redesign the spaces that make us.

For 20 years, Danish Kurani, one of the world’s most innovative architects, has been transforming spaces to improve people’s health and happiness through the design of homes, schools, offices, and neighborhoods across four continents. With The Spaces That Make Us: Why Design Is Broken and How We Can Create a Happier, Healthier World, he changes how we see our environment, illuminates what isn’t working, and helps people remake their spaces for a happier, healthier life. Insights include:

How design affects our thoughts, mood, and behavior
Design’s impact on our physical health, emotional well-being, and relationships—and how current norms make life worse
How to create spaces that are functional, beautiful, and life-changing
Practical strategies for using smarter design to improve your life, at any budget level

Danish’s unique, easy-to-follow design philosophy, Baaham (pronounced BAH-hum), draws from psychology, sociology, anthropology, and evolutionary biology. With practical approaches and real-world examples, The Spaces That Make Us is a roadmap for reimagining the places where we spend most of our time.

Death of a Groom by M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green

Sergeant Hamish Macbeth returns to protect his sleepy Scottish village of Lochdubh in the latest mystery in M.C. Beaton’s beloved, New York Times bestselling series.

It is February and the Scottish Highlands village of Lochdubh is dealing with heavy snow and freezing temperatures. Sergeant Hamish Macbeth can handle the weather, but with a surprise influx of high-society visitors for a Valentine's Day wedding at Tommel Castle Hotel, he has bigger problems.

The guest list includes not one, but two women from his own romantic past! And Hamish isn't the only one disrupted by the arrival of the wedding party. The groom—the supposedly suave and sophisticated Darius Palmerston—is involved in a series of incidents in the local pub. Tensions between guests and villagers escalate until, shortly after the lavish wedding ceremony, a body is found in the hotel dining room.

The gruesome killing means Hamish suddenly has a murder investigation on his hands, one with a very long list of suspects.

Bianca's Cure by Gigi Berardi

For fans of Lessons in Chemistry, a based-in-fact novel imagining young Renaissance noblewoman Bianca Capello’s experiences as she pursues a cure for malaria in the Medicis’ Florence.

Florence, 1563. Forbidden from practicing her herbal cures in Venice, the young noblewoman Bianca Capello flees to Florence, where the ruling Medici family practices alchemy. There, she wins herself an invitation to their palace, and, as it turns out, a path to the duke regent Francesco’s bed.

The impassioned bond between Francesco de Medici and Bianca is at the core of this fact-driven dive into medicine, politics, love, and ultimately death in Renaissance Florence. Malaria killed many of the Medicis, but traces of the poison arsenic were recently found in Francesco’s remains. Even more sinister: Bianca’s remains have never been found. To this day, what happened to Bianca and Francesco remains one of the greatest mysteries surrounding Renaissance Italy’s legendary Medicis.

Bianca’s Cure probes what might have been as Bianca’s quest for a malaria cure—in palaces, gardens, sick rooms, and whorehouses—collides with Francesco’s intensifying illness. Her main tool is the herb artemisia—medicine still used today. A woman who dared to practice science well ahead of her time, Bianca fights off self-doubt until she believes herself invincible. But is she? When only she stands between Francesco and death, her skill may save him or doom them both.

Europa by James Ponti

In this seventh installment in the New York Times bestselling series from Edgar Award winner James Ponti, the young group of spies work to prevent a dangerous criminal from escaping prison in another international adventure perfect for fans of Spy School and Charlie Thorne.

The City Spies are ready to start fresh with a new home, new schools, and a new directive now that Clementine has come in from the cold and Le Fantôme has been put behind bars. But their plans are put into jeopardy when Umbra threatens to attack multiple high-level targets across Europe unless he is released from prison. With intel leading them to Rome, Paris, London, and Amsterdam, the City Spies split up and race across the continent solving codes and chasing clues in an effort to thwart the attacks. With so many moving parts, the City Spies are going to have pull out all the stops if they have any chance to succeed at this latest mission.

The Night Prince by Lauren Palphreyman

From BookTok sensation Lauren Palphreyman comes the highly anticipated sequel to The Wolf King, a romantasy for fans of enemies to lovers, shifters, forbidden romance, villains you love to hate (or maybe just love!), and werewolves. With her wolf awakening, enemies closing in, relationships tested, and secrets revealed—Aurora may be the only one who can stop an ancient evil from rising. If she can stay alive.

Promise Me by Sara Cate

From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Sara Cate comes the next book in the Sinful Manor series, a contemporary billionaire romance. He let him get away once… Now he has seven days to get him back. With just one week until vows are exchanged, Declan must decide—stay silent and lose Colin for good, or risk everything and ask the one who got away to promise him forever.

The Faith to Flourish by Christine Caine

Discover how God has created you and called you to flourish even in the most difficult times.

Join bestselling author Christine Caine as she shows you how God created you with a powerful purpose and destiny. He wants you to flourish.

Sometimes it feels like hardships and struggles are endless. Like a new storm is always brewing on the horizon. You face challenging circumstances, strained relationships, or shattered dreams. And the weight of it all can feel crushing. You simply long for rest. But how can you flourish when you feel like you can barely breathe from it all?

In The Faith to Flourish, Christine shows you that it's possible to thrive in every season of life—including the hardest ones—by grounding yourself in God's truth and activating the peace, resilience, and purpose he gives you. Using the biblical symbolism of the olive tree in Psalm 52:8, Christine unpacks how you can:

Develop deep spiritual roots that anchor you to withstand life's storms
Identify spiritual stagnation and experience renewed vitality and purpose
Behold the beauty of God and cultivate a heart of wonder
Nourish inner peace and joy through intentional shifts in perspective
Foster reconciliation and build stronger, more fulfilling relationships
Embrace God's plans and purpose for your life, while bearing fruit that impacts others

No matter the challenges you face, God's design for your life has not changed—to have the faith to flourish and be fruitful. This book will equip you with the courage, resilience, and wisdom you need to thrive through every challenge, in every season.

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