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Wise Gals: The Spies Who Built the CIA and Changed the Future of Espionage

by Nathalia Holt


From the New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Rocket Girls comes the never-before-told story of a small cadre of influential female spies in the precarious early days of the CIA—women who helped create the template for cutting-edge espionage (and blazed new paths for equality in the workplace) in the treacherous post-WWII era.

In the wake of World War II, four agents were critical in helping build a new organization that we now know as the CIA. Adelaide Hawkins, Mary Hutchison, Eloise Page, and Elizabeth Sudmeier, called the “wise gals” by their male colleagues because of their sharp sense of humor and even quicker intelligence, were not the stereotypical femme fatale of spy novels. They were smart, courageous, and groundbreaking agents at the top of their class, instrumental in both developing innovative tools for intelligence gathering—and insisting (in their own unique ways) that they receive the credit and pay their expertise deserved.
     Throughout the Cold War era, each woman had a vital role to play on the international stage. Adelaide rose through the ranks, developing new cryptosystems that advanced how spies communicate with each other.  Mary worked overseas in Europe and Asia, building partnerships and allegiances that would last decades. Elizabeth would risk her life in the Middle East in order to gain intelligence on deadly Soviet weaponry. Eloise would wield influence on scientific and technical operations worldwide, ultimately exposing global terrorism threats. Through their friendship and shared sense of purpose, they rose to positions of power and were able to make real change in a traditionally “male, pale, and Yale” organization—but not without some tragic losses and real heartache along the way.   
     Meticulously researched and beautifully told, Holt uses firsthand interviews with past and present officials and declassified government documents to uncover the stories of these four inspirational women. Wise Gals sheds a light on the untold history of the women whose daring foreign intrigues, domestic persistence, and fighting spirit have been and continue to be instrumental to our country’s security.

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Lords and Ladies: A Discworld Novel

by Terry Pratchett

"Unadulterated fun . . . witty, frequently hilarious. . . Pratchett parodies everything in sight." —San Francisco Chronicle

From bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett, the world’s foremost practitioner of satire and send-up, this delightful installment in the Discworld series finds Granny Weatherwax and her tiny coven of witches faced with their biggest challenge yet as an invasion of elves threatens to disrupt Lancres' dreamy Midsummer Night — and throw their world into chaos.

It's a dreamy Midsummer Night in the Kingdom of Lancre, and music and romance fill the air. But on this night, dreams are especially powerful — strong enough to pull down the wall between realities. Magic and mischief are afoot, threatening to spoil the royal wedding of King Verence and his favorite witch, Magrat Garlick.

The witches return home to discover that elves have invaded Lancre, particularly nasty creatures. Soon it won't be only champagne that's flowing through the streets . . .

The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Lords and Ladiesis the fourth book in the Witches series. The Witches collection includes:

  • Equal Rites
  • Wyrd Sisters
  • Witches Abroad
  • Lords and Ladies
  • Maskerade
  • Carpe Jugulum
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Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder—A Gripping Japanese Murder Mystery

by Asako Yuzuki


 

The cult Japanese bestseller about a female gourmet cook and serial killer, and the journalist intent on cracking her case, inspired by a true story

There are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine

Gourmet cook Manako Kajii sits in the Tokyo Detention House convicted of the serial murders of lonely businessmen, whom she is said to have seduced with her delicious home cooking. The case has captured the nation’s imagination, but Kajii refuses to speak with the press, entertaining no visitors. That is until journalist Rika Machida writes a letter asking for her recipe for beef stew, and Kajii can’t resist writing back.

Rika, the only woman in her news office, works late each night, rarely cooking more than ramen. As the visits unfold between her and the steely Kajii, they are closer to a master class in food than journalistic research. Rika hopes this gastronomic exchange will help her soften Kajii, but it seems that Rika might be the one changing. Do she and Kajii have more in common than she once thought?

Inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer—the “Konkatsu Killer”—Asako Yuzuki’s Butter is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the transgressive pleasures of food in Japan.

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Unspoken Words

by Linda Joyce


What happens when the truth you’ve hidden becomes the key to your greatest fear—and your greatest hope?
For years, Jane Landry has carried a secret that could break hearts and heal them all at once. Her son, Christopher Marcus, is the light of her life—but he’s also the boy no one knows about. Not his father, her ex-husband Mark, nor his wife Maggie, or his sister Suzanne, Jane’s best friends from childhood. Now, with a 
cancer diagnosis threatening her future, Jane must summon the courage to confess her secret. She prays they’ll embrace Christopher as family before time runs out.

But just as Jane takes the first step, tragedy strikes—Mark is killed in an accident after learning he has a son. The devastating loss leaves Jane grappling with how to face Maggie and Suzanne, the two women she’s avoided for years but now desperately needs. Her truth risks alienating them, yet the stakes are higher than ever. Christopher needs a home. Jane needs to know her boy will be loved when she’s no longer there to protect him.

As Jane uncovers the secrets Maggie and Suzanne have been hiding, she realizes she’s not the only one carrying the weight of the past. Old wounds, unexpected betrayals, and the search for forgiveness weave together in a story about love, loss, and the lengths we’ll go to for family.


Set against the vivid backdrop of New Orleans, Unspoken Words explores the messy, beautiful journey of redemption and the bonds that hold us together—even when stretched to their breaking point.
Get your copy today and discover a story that will break your heart, heal your soul, and stay with you long after the final page.

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Hooked on You: THE grumpy x sunshine workplace romcom you need for 2025!

by Ada Barumé

This job is about to hook, line and sink her…

Ore has (almost) landed her dream job as an investigative reporter for the New Yorker. There’s only one catch – they’ll only give her the job if she can get the scoop on working for the elusive billionaire Harrison Marigold. To write the article, she’s got to spend two weeks on his luxury yacht off the coast of Australia, and convince the crew to spill the beans.

Daniel has (almost) landed his dream job as captain of a super yacht down under. There’s only one catch – he has to take one last job, chartering a yacht for an eccentric billionaire, and making sure an unfairly beautiful journalist doesn’t distract his crew from their work.

But making sure Ore doesn’t sink his chances of staying on course by sea-ducing his crew turns into a much harder job than Daniel expected. Ore’s also finding her assignment more difficult than she ever thought, thanks to the crew’s loyalty to Captain Daniel, but also, the waves of attraction towards him that keep crashing over her.

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Seconds: A Graphic Novel

by Bryan Lee O'Malley


#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY USA TODAY AND THE DAILY PLANET

The highly anticipated new standalone graphic novel from Bryan Lee O’Malley, author and artist of the hugely bestselling Scott Pilgrim graphic novel series


Katie’s got it pretty good. She’s a talented young chef, she runs a successful restaurant, and she has big plans to open an even better one. Then, all at once, progress on the new location bogs down, her charming ex-boyfriend pops up, her fling with another chef goes sour, and her best waitress gets badly hurt. And just like that, Katie’s life goes from pretty good to not so much. What she needs is a second chance. Everybody deserves one, after all—but they don’t come easy. Luckily for Katie, a mysterious girl appears in the middle of the night with simple instructions for a do-it-yourself do-over:
 
1. 
Write your mistake
2. 
Ingest one mushroom
3. 
Go to sleep
4. 
Wake anew
 
And just like that, all the bad stuff never happened, and Katie is given another chance to get things right. She’s also got a dresser drawer full of magical mushrooms—and an irresistible urge to make her life not just good, but perfect. Too bad it’s against the rules. But Katie doesn’t care about the rules—and she’s about to discover the unintended consequences of the best intentions.
 
From the mind and pen behind the acclaimed Scott Pilgrim series comes a madcap new tale of existential angst, everyday obstacles, young love, and ancient spirits that’s sharp-witted and tenderhearted, whimsical and wise.


Praise for Seconds
 
“The cartoonist, best known for the Scott Pilgrim series, delivers one of the most enjoyable reads I’ve had all year with this magical graphic novel. I dare you to not read it all in one sitting.”
—Whitney Matheson, USA Today
 
Seconds arrives with high expectations, and it meets them all, delivering the style and humor of [Bryan Lee] O’Malley’s past works with greater emphasis on mood, detail, and complex character relationships.”The A.V. Club

“Richly imagined and vibrantly drawn, 
Seconds is a funny, surprising, and enchanting read.”Publishers Weekly

“In 
Seconds, Bryan Lee O’Malley plays the angst of youth against the fabric of a larger epic. In doing so, he enriches both. A great ride!”—Guillermo del Toro

“Bryan Lee O’Malley’s 
Seconds is adorable, haunting, funny, and beautiful. A perfect recipe for a great graphic novel.”—Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics

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Hitman: The Untold Story of Canada's Deadliest Assassin

by Lisa Fitterman


 

The wild and gripping story of Yves “Apache” Trudeau. Ideal for true crime readers and fans of crime podcasts.

For Yves Trudeau, the blood was all business. An assassin for the Hells Angels in the ’70s and ’80s, Trudeau was known as Apache, the Mad Bumper and the Mad Bomber. As a contract killer, he did his job so well that the bikers sometimes lent him out to other organized-crime empires in Montreal, including the east-end French gangs led by the deadly Dubois brothers and the upstart Irish Mafia in the west end.

Yves Trudeau remains one of Canada’s most prolific serial killers. When he narrowly missed being assassinated because he was in rehab, he turned government informant and confessed to his crimes, which included killing forty-three people. But as a witness, Trudeau was a disaster. His testimony led to so many acquittals that prosecutors avoided him.

Award-winning writers Julian Sher and Lisa Fitterman tell the incredible story of how this assassin escaped the police and the justice system for over a decade.A compelling and revealing account of corruption, incompetence and murder, Hitman is based on extensive research and exclusive new interviews with police, lawyers and bikers who knew Yves “Apache” Trudeau. 

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The Frozen Flame: Publisher's Pack 1: An Epic Sword & Sorcery Boxset

by Paul J Bennett


Magic is the key...but will it save them, or consume them?


Contains books 1, 2 and the Prequel of The Frozen Flame series.

Torn from her mother's arms, Natalia is borne away to the Volstrum, an institution steeped in mystery. There, trained as a battle mage, she has the potential to be one of the most powerful spellcasters ever. Yet the price they demand of her is too high!

Athgar's life was shattered when his magical potential was released by the very fire that nearly consumed him. Blindly driven by revenge, it's not until he meets Natalia and nearly dies again that he realizes something much more sinister is evolving.

Now, Natalia is on the run from her family while Athgar desperately hunts for his.

Together, they journey across the Continent, searching for clues of a conspiracy that remained secret for years.


Will their enemies destroy them before they reveal the truth?

Discover a land infused with magic and mystery as Paul J Bennett's newest Sword & Sorcery series, The Frozen Flame, begins. Curl up with your copy today, and enjoy a spellbinding tale!

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Choosing the Montana Cowboy (The Miles of Montana Book 1)

by Kyra Jacobs


Putting down roots means something very different to this Midwest girl and sexy Montana cowboy.

Natalie Wrightloves being a development coordinator for new construction. But while the travel was exciting at first, she’s ready to put her suitcase away. All she needs is one more successful project, which seems simple until a certain cowboy walks into her public hearing in Marietta, Montana.

Sam Mileshas his hands full overseeing the Flying J ranch and being a single dad. But when he learns there are plans to drop some swanky resort on the land next door, he will do all he can to block the project—a task that would be infinitely easier without Natalie’s megawatt smile.

They’re soon exchanging playful barbs, neither willing to give an inch on which goal should take priority for the town. Then news of an endangered species habitat on the development site threatens to jeopardize the resort’s progress, and Sam and Natalie team up to protect both their livelihoods—and try not to get their hearts broken along the way.

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Take the Bait (Love in Danger Book 1)

by Cindy Dees


Fresh out of law school, Dani Wellford is determined to make her mark with her first solo case. Too bad her mysteriously uncooperative client seems determined to land behind bars. And too bad the smoking hot assistant DA prosecuting the case makes her pulse race every time they clash.

Cameron Townsend has an impressive conviction record, but his latest case is proving... challenging. Not because the evidence is weak—it's ironclad. Not because the rookie defense attorney is incompetent—she's smart, funny, and way too sexy. The problem? He can't stop thinking about her, and she's getting dangerously close to costing him the conviction that will make his whole career.
Enemies in court, lovers after hours--they're trapped in an impossible choice: honor their oaths as attorneys and lose the person who sets their souls on fire or follow their hearts and betray everything they've ever fought to become. Either way, when the verdict comes in, they''ll both lose something they can't bear to live without.
Justice has never been so complicated—or so seductive.

Cindy Dees is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of over 100 novels and creator/executive producer of an upcoming thriller television series. She draws upon her experience as a U. S. Air Force pilot to create intense suspense and love on the edge of danger.
Lovers of Dees’ high-stakes, fast-paced action will find exponentially increasing tension in each scene and pulse-pounding adventure that will keep readers enthralled. -- RT

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Before I Lose My Own Mind: Navigating Life as a Dementia Caregiver

by Beverly E. Thorn


“This is a book I immediately wanted to give to a friend—and keep a copy for my bookshelf. Wise, clear, well-researched, and helpful.” —Katy Butler, bestselling author of 
Knocking on Heaven’s Door and The Art of Dying Well

When Dr. Beverly E. Thorn became a caregiver for her husband, Walt, she joined a massive army. Worldwide, unpaid dementia caregiving requires the equivalent of forty million full-time workers, and that number will only grow. But navigating dementia caregiving can feel like trying to climb a mountain in the dark—and few resources exist to support caregivers in finding their way.

In 
Before I Lose My Own Mind, Thorn—a psychologist, neuroscientist, and end-of-life doula—provides an honest vision of caregiving that is tender, openhearted, and genuinely useful. Filled with resources and insights on financial planning, advance care directives, clinical trials, support groups, death with dignity, grief, recovery, and more, this book is a roadmap for all caregivers, whether they’re family or friends, spouses or children, professionals or novices.

For those coping with the grief, exhaustion, and loneliness of a challenge they never expected, help is out there. Surviving dementia caregiving is a team effort. Consider this book a part of your support crew.

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The Boss (Fire's Edge Book 2)

by Abigail Owen


Finn Conleth leads his team of enforcer dragon shifters with an iron fist and a cold heart. Every dragon seeks his destined mate, but the process to turn the woman he once thought was his killed her and devastated him. He will never risk his heart again. His team is his family now. When his body eventually gives out, he'll leave, living his last days alone.


Delaney Hamilton moved across the country to escape the freak fires that plague her. But when another suspicious fire erupts and rapidly escalates around her, her hopes for a new life go up in smoke. She has no choice but to turn to the mysterious men who come to her aid.

Finn knows the fire is dragon-caused, which puts Delaney's problems directly in his jurisdiction. No matter how her wounded grey eyes call to every part of him, he refuses to risk her life in the mating process.

Until another dragon threatens to claim Delaney for his own, and Finn has to sacrifice everything to keep her alive...

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The Munich Girl: A Novel of the Legacies that Outlast War

by Phyllis Edgerly Ring


Anna Dahlberg grew up eating dinner under her father’s war-trophy portrait of Eva Braun.

Fifty years after the war, she discovers what he never did—that her mother and Hitler’s mistress were friends.

The secret surfaces with a mysterious monogrammed handkerchief, and a man, Hannes Ritter, whose Third Reich family history is entwined with Anna’s.

Plunged into the world of the “ordinary” Munich girl who was her mother’s confidante—and a tyrant’s lover—Anna finds her every belief about right and wrong challenged. With Hannes’s help, she retraces the path of two women who met as teenagers, shared a friendship that spanned the years that Eva Braun was Hitler’s mistress, yet never knew that the men they loved had opposing ambitions.

Eva’s story reveals that she never joined the Nazi party, had Jewish friends, and was credited at the Nuremberg Trials with saving 35,000 Allied lives. As Anna's journey leads back through the treacherous years in wartime Germany, it uncovers long-buried secrets and unknown reaches of her heart to reveal the enduring power of love in the legacies that always outlast war.

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Project Hail Mary

by Andy Weir


THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER FROM THE AUTHOR OF THE MARTIAN Soon to be a major motion picture starring Ryan Gosling, directed by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, with a screenplay by Drew Goddard

Winner of the 2022 Audie Awards' Audiobook of the Year

Number-One Audible and New York Times Audio Best Seller

More than one million audiobooks sold

A lone astronaut must save the earth from disaster in this incredible new science-based thriller from the number-one New York Times best-selling author of The Martian.

Ryland Grace is the sole survivor on a desperate, last-chance mission - and if he fails, humanity and the Earth itself will perish.

Except that right now, he doesn't know that. He can't even remember his own name, let alone the nature of his assignment or how to complete it.

All he knows is that he's been asleep for a very, very long time. And he's just been awakened to find himself millions of miles from home, with nothing but two corpses for company.

His crewmates dead, his memories fuzzily returning, he realizes that an impossible task now confronts him. Alone on this tiny ship that's been cobbled together by every government and space agency on the planet and hurled into the depths of space, it's up to him to conquer an extinction-level threat to our species.

And thanks to an unexpected ally, he just might have a chance.

Part scientific mystery, part dazzling interstellar journey, Project Hail Mary is a tale of discovery, speculation, and survival to rival The Martian - while taking us to places it never dreamed of going.

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Revved Up

by Willa Brooks


Get ready for a heart-pounding journey through the bustling streets of the Big Apple in this sizzling romantic suspense novel!

Meet Janine, a fearless taxi driver with a knack for navigating the chaos of New York City. When fate reunites her with Luke, her former high school rival turned suave hotel manager, their worlds are set on a collision course. Luke presents Janine with an unexpected opportunity to become the personal chauffeur for elite hotel guests. Little do they know, this seemingly glamorous job is the gateway to the perilous realm of a notorious mob boss.

As the city's underbelly reveals its treacherous secrets, sparks ignite between Janine and Luke, casting them into a whirlwind of danger and deception. Will their love survive the high-stakes game they've unwittingly entered?

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The Spellshop

by Sarah Beth Durst


AN INSTANT 
NEW YORK TIMESUSA TODAY AND INDIE BESTSELLER!
A #1 LibraryReads pick!
An Indie Next pick!


The Spellshop
 is Sarah Beth Durst’s romantasy debut–a lush cottagecore tale full of stolen spellbooks, unexpected friendships, sweet jams, and even sweeter love.

Join Kiela the librarian and her assistant, Caz the sentient spider plant, as they navigate the low stakes market of illegal spellmaking and the high risk business of starting over.

“Sarah Beth Durst is the hidden gem of the fantasy world.” —
Book Riot

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she’d never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.

The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island’s first-ever secret spellshop.

Her plan comes with risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high.


Like a Hallmark rom-com full of mythical creatures and fueled by cinnamon rolls and magic, Sarah Beth Durst’s The Spellshop will heal your heart and feed your soul.

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Ice Breakers: A Mika Chalmers Hockey Mystery (The Mika Chalmers Hockey Mystery Series Book 1)

by H. C. Cardona


The last person private investigator Mika Chalmers expects to walk in her office is ex-boyfriend and NHL player, Eric Foresburg. He looks just like he did three years ago, tall, blond, and every inch a Viking.

This isn't a social call.

Eric has gotten himself into some hot water. A woman is going to publicly accuse Eric of rape and he needs Mika to prove his innocence. With pressure from her father - who happens to be the head coach of Eric's NHL team - and smarmy defense attorney, Ryan King, Mika has her work cut out for her. When feelings for Eric - feelings she buried a long time ago - start to resurface, her job of finding the truth no matter what gets increasingly difficult to do.

Despite the fact that Mika has connections with the police department - including the arrogant Detective Alex Beech - the answers aren't black and white. Evidence reveals that Eric and the victim were together, but it turns into a heated he-said, she-said. It doesn't help that Eric has been keeping things from Mika, things he should have disclosed before she agreed to take his case.

With the help of Beech, Mika must determine whether or not Eric is innocent before the court of public opinion finds him guilty and his entire life is ruined.

With the heated chemistry of 
Castle and the unpredictable twists and turns of Bones, hockey fans are devouring this new romantic mystery series.

*Formerly published under Heather C. Myers

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The Secret of Seaside (Paige Comber Mystery Book 1)

by Agatha Ball


Welcome to Seaside! A sleepy, island village filled with sweet summer romance, sandy beaches, colorful characters... AND MURDER!


Paige Comber dreams of running off to Paris to train at the Cordon Bleu, but fresh out of college, she is stuck running her granny's coffee shop in the small town of Seaside. It looks like a lousy summer until a handsome stranger named Nate arrives.

He's here to help his Uncle Byron with his affairs, but when his uncle's body washes up on the beach and he is accused, it is up to Paige to find out who might have been crazy enough to do it.


BOOK ONE in the cozy PAIGE COMBER MYSTERY series

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The Head's Tale

by Susan Kinsolving


This secret could swamp her.

Miranda Crandell, the Head of Strutthorn Academy, has a brilliant idea to one-up the other elite New England prep schools with their piddling plots of organic veggies for experiential learning: She'll buy a swamp. Yes, a bog, a quagmire, an oozy acre, where she intends to build a special science center. What she doesn't account for is Paul Dickersen-her newly hiredfreshwater biologist, who is strikingly handsome (even in cargo pants) and turns out to be an irresistible lover.

Miranda's days are fraught with student and personnel issues, but soon she becomes her own big problem. The Head of School is supposed to be a steadfast and principled role model for impetuous teenage students. Instead, Miranda becomes crazed with lust, spiraling into a wild and messy journey of self-discovery. Funny, sexy, and irreverent, The Head's Tale is a delightful tromp through the muck of prep school drama-and a reminder that the process of growing up never truly ends

 

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Twice the Family: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Sisterhood

by Julie Ryan McGue


Growing up as an adoptee and identical twin, Julie McGue will take you on her journey for identity and individuality, searching for answers through tragedy and adversity.


“A heartfelt exploration of connection, community, and the unbreakable bond between sisters . . . Her journey beautifully reminds us of the strength we find within ourselves as we seek to uncover where we truly belong.”— Simone Knego, author of The Extraordinary UnOrdinary You

In this coming-of-age memoir, set in Chicago’s western suburbs between the 1960s and ’80s, adopted twins Julie and Jenny provide their parents with an instant family. Their sisterly bond holds tight as the two strive for identity, individuality, and belonging. But as Julie’s parents continue adding children to the family, some painful and tragic experiences test family values, parental relationships, and sibling bonds.

Faced with these hurdles, Julie questions everything—who she is, how she fits in, her adoption circumstances, her faith, and her idea of family. But the life her parents have constructed is not one she wants for herself—and as she matures, she recognizes how the experiences that formed her have provided her a road map for the person and mother she wants to be.

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