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DISCUSSION GUIDES
- 1841.Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers (A Vera Wong Novel)A USA Today bestseller
Edgar Award Winner for Best Original Paperback
Audie Award Winner for Mystery
Libby Award Winner for Best Mystery
A lonely shopkeeper takes it upon herself to solve a murder in the most peculiar way in this captivating mystery by Jesse Q. Sutanto, bestselling author of Dial A for Aunties.
Vera Wong is a lonely little old lady—ah, lady of a certain age—who lives above her forgotten tea shop in the middle of San Francisco’s Chinatown. Despite living alone, Vera is not needy, oh no. She likes nothing more than sipping on a good cup of Wulong and doing some healthy detective work on the Internet about what her Gen-Z son is up to.
Then one morning, Vera trudges downstairs to find a curious thing—a dead man in the middle of her tea shop. In his outstretched hand, a flash drive. Vera doesn’t know what comes over her, but after calling the cops like any good citizen would, she sort of . . . swipes the flash drive from the body and tucks it safely into the pocket of her apron. Why? Because Vera is sure she would do a better job than the police possibly could, because nobody sniffs out a wrongdoing quite like a suspicious Chinese mother with time on her hands. Vera knows the killer will be back for the flash drive; all she has to do is watch the increasing number of customers at her shop and figure out which one among them is the killer.
What Vera does not expect is to form friendships with her customers and start to care for each and every one of them. As a protective mother hen, will she end up having to give one of her newfound chicks to the police? - 1842.Small Mercies: A Novel“An intimate family portrait.”
—The New York Times
“Eddie Joyce’s terrific first novel is so American that the story might as well have taken place at the base of the Statue of Liberty.”
—Richard Russo
“An inside look at one Staten Island family’s struggle with grief . . . [A] poignant, deeply affecting tale.”
—Martha Stewart Living, a Book Club selection
“[A] terrific debut novel. . . . Joyce layers . . . different characters’ perspectives nimbly and skillfully, infusing his portrait of a messy, complicated, loving family with heartfelt emotion.”
—Sara Vilkomerson, Entertainment Weekly, A-
A startling and tender portrait of one family’s struggle to make peace with their son’s death
An ingeniously layered narrative, told over the course of one week, Eddie Joyce’s debut novel masterfully depicts an Italian-Irish American family on Staten Island and their complicated emotional history. Ten years after the loss of Bobby—the Amendola family’s youngest son—everyone is still struggling to recover from the firefighter’s unexpected death. Bobby’s mother, Gail; his widow, Tina; his older brothers Peter, the corporate lawyer, and Franky, the misfit; and his father, Michael, have all dealt with their grief in different ways. But as the family gathers together for Bobby Jr.’s birthday party, they must each find a way to accept a new man in Tina’s life while reconciling their feelings for their lost loved one.
In unflinching but lyrical prose, Joyce shows us one mother’s struggle to keep her family together and preserve the memory of her son. Following Gail as she moves from the corner offices of white-shoe Manhattan law firms to the blue-collar gin mills of the outer boroughs, Small Mercies reveals a different New York, one that exists in the hearts and minds of its inhabitants.
Presented through multiple points of view, Small Mercies explores the conflicts and deep attachments that exist within families. Heart-wrenching and profoundly relatable, Joyce’s debut is a love letter to Staten Island and a deeply affecting portrait of an American family. - 1843.The Billion Dollar Sugar Cube (David Blum Book 2)
From London, Northern Virginia and Maryland, to Cuba and Honduras, the team pursues the scientists and operatives hell-bent on launching and winning the next world war. As the final seconds tick down, Blum must pit his mental strength against that of the Cube itself, knowing he might die in the process.
- 1844.Light in the Shadows: Book 1: Shadows and Light (1 of 4)
Sheltered from the world since birth, eighteen-year-old Haven arrives at the Academy eager to learn what it means to be seraphim. Her excitement quickly fades as she struggles to master her gifts, to befriend and trust others, and above all, to understand herself.
- 1845.Tatae's Promise: Based on the true story of a young woman’s escape from Auschwitz
Tatae’s Promise — an epic historical fiction book — based on the true story of Hinda Mondlak’s amazing survival during the Holocaust and her daring escape from Auschwitz with her younger sister.
- 1846.One Puzzling Afternoon: A Novel
One of People Magazine's "must-read" books!
"A clever, keep-‘em-guessing murder mystery, an empathetic yet realistic portrayal of the toll dementia takes, and a meditation on how the brain can bury the most tragic memories...An outstanding must-read." —Booklist, STARRED review
- 1847.Lost and Found: (A Clean Amish Christian Romance Novel)
Trudy Yoder shares a passion for birding with Micah Weaver—and she has an even greater passion for Micah. Romantic hopes fizzle when Micah volunteers to scout a church relocation. Trudy doesn’t know that Micah is searching for her estranged sister who once broke his heart. And Micah doesn’t realize that what you’re looking for isn’t always what you find.
- 1848.The Leftover Woman: A Compelling Exploration of Motherhood and Survival, Uncover the Secret Ties that Bind Two Women Across Worlds
An evocative family drama and a riveting mystery about the ferocious pull of motherhood for two very different women—from the New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee and Girl in Translation.
- 1849.Mary and the Birth of Frankenstein: A Novel
An intensely gripping reimagining of Mary Shelley’s youth, vividly exploring innocence, young love, gothic mystery and the roots of her literary masterpiece, Frankenstein.
- 1850.There There
A wondrous and shattering award-winning novel that follows twelve characters from Native communities: all traveling to the Big Oakland Powwow, all connected to one another in ways they may not yet realize. Read and discuss the Pulitzer Prize finalist and national bestseller now ahead of Tommy Orange’s highly anticipated follow-up Wandering Stars hits bookstores in 2024.