Julia Glass

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Glass

Winner of the 2002 National Book Award for Three Junes, Glass says, “I see life as increasingly complex, vivid, colorful, crazy, and chaotic. That’s the world I write about…the world I live in.”

Her latest novel, And the Dark Sacred Night, is “A masterful exploration of the secret places of the human heart…scenes and ideas return to the reader’s mind at quiet times after the last page is turned (as we) return to this place we call real life, enriched with new understanding.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch

Craig Allen Johnson

www.craigallenjohnson.com/

Craig Allen Johnson is the author of the contemporary Walt Longmire mystery series set in the austere west where “The characters talk straight from the hip and the landscape is its own kind of eloquence.” (The New York Times) “(He) combines a vivid sense of… the way human relationships take root in (daily) life with a sure-handed touch for jolting both characters and readers out of their comfort zones. It’s hard to ask for more in a literary mystery. (Booklist)

Maggie Shipstead

www.maggieshipstead.com/

Maggie Shipstead’s classic romantic comedy, “Seating Arrangements, (is a) wickedly clever tragicomedy of manners…with the plotting of a juicy mystery.” (Slate) “In the first five sentences, Shipstead hints at the sexual tension that holds taut the novel’s three-day span…” (New York Times) Astonish Me is “a supple, daring, and vivid portrait of desire and betrayal.” (Booklist) It is a gripping, thoughtful and tightly-written novel, where ballet acts as an effective metaphor for all aspirations and disappointments.

April Smith

www.aprilsmith.net

April Smith’s A Star for Mrs. Blake is a beautiful and unforgettable novel about five Gold Star Mothers whose stories, both personal and universal, bring life to a wrongly forgotten historical footnote. Everyone serving or who has served in the military, their families, and friends needs to read this book. Smith’s FBI Special Agent Ana Grey series include four successful novels of suspense. She “…writes in the forceful style of a true literary maverick.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Salina Yoon

www.salinayoon.com

Salina Yoon creates unique interactive books for children. Named the Best Board Book of 2013 by Parents Magazine, Pinwheel combines “lyrical writing and smart interactive design.” (Publishers Weekly) In Penguin and Pinecone, “Crisp illustrations…capture a genuinely loving heart. (Kirkus Reviews) “…it proves that love comes in many forms.” (Booklist)
“Penguin on Vacation presents “…friendship…with an exotic tropical crab. The magic of friendship does not depend on where you are or what you are doing—it is about being together and learning from each other.” (Kirkus Reviews) “Yoon’s story of an unlikely interspecies friendship is both funny and sweet.” (Horn Book)

Susan Vreeland

www.svreeland.com

In Lisette’s List, Susan Vreeland’s latest novel, you are invited into a beautiful village in the south of France along with three artists, a woman awakening to the power of art, the beauty of provincial life, and love in the midst of war. Readers will enjoy lingering in the sun-dappled, fruit-scented Provençal landscape that (she) brings to life.” (The Boston Globe) Vreeland is the bestselling author of Girl in Hyacinth Blue, Luncheon of the Boating Party and Clara and Mr. Tiffany

Gabrielle Zevin

www.gabriellezevin.com

Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of AJ Fikry takes you into a world you will love.” (The Boston Globe)) “Filled with interesting characters…and very funny depictions of book clubs, Fikry (will prove) irresistible to book lovers everywhere.” (Booklist) With challenging insights into American spending habits and adult children removing themselves from parental influence, The Hole We’re In combines humor with grace. Zevin’s successful books for young adults include Elsewhere, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac and the “Birthright” trilogy.

Héctor Tobar

www.hectortobar.com

Author and journalist Héctor Tobar brings us his latest book–Deep Down Dark. A masterwork of narrative journalism, the incredible story of 33 trapped miners is a riveting, emotionally textured account of a real-life event. Life stood still as the miners experienced imprisonment inside a mountain of stone while families waited above.

NPR: “On the first day of their entombment, supervisor Urzua took off his distinctive white helmet and announced to his workers, ‘We are all equal now. There are no bosses and employees.’”


LA Times: “Only the most determined recluse could have remained unaware of the drama that played out four years ago on the deserts of northern Chile. Readers will recall the incredible story of 33 miners trapped deep underground after a massive explosion blocked their escape. For more than two weeks in August 2010, no one aboveground knew if any of the miners had survived the catastrophe.”