Ingrid Lundström, the daughter of a wealthy Swedish banker, has been a global roamer since she left school. An iconic blond, she resembles Agnetha Fältskog of Abba fame. These attributes dominate her existence, especially when she moves to Papua New Guinea, to work. Because of her connection to wealth, she becomes the target of criminals. Because of her appearance, she attracts special interest at every turn. When aspiring teacher Michael Mannion hears about Ingrid's fate at the hands of kidnappers, he travels to Papua New Guinea to track her down and attempt a rescue. However, he encounters many surprises. What he doesn't know is that he's as much the problem as the solution. They say love conquers all, but in a country where it's hard to separate fact from fiction, the serious from the lighthearted, and good guys from bad guys, love may not be enough. For Ingrid and Michael, love is their path to salvation but this path takes them on a different and sometimes unpredictable adventure.

The Red Sheep is a story about Jessica Grant and the challenges faced by families as they deal with aging, mortality, religion, and relationships. Jessica, an only child, was immersed in a stable and supportive family but it did not hide the fact she was different. As such, she saw the world differently. As a child she questioned her being. As a teenager she set her mother in search of answers. As an adult she learned to accept life was what she made of it. Jessica's journey was filled with childhood joy at having special grandparents. When Nan and Pop passed away, it was her youthful logic that helped her cope with their loss. With Nan and Pop's opposing views of an afterlife deeply embedded in her outlook, Jessica explored her background with conviction. The answers she found highlighted how unique she was. The story will make you laugh. It will make you cry. It will make you question the world around you. It will cause you to marvel at the extraordinary lives led by everyday ordinary people.

Stories about My School Life is a book about schools and the people who made them what they were. In its own way it tells the recent history of schools. It also paints a picture of what it is like to work in them. Anyone who has been to school will enjoy the funny, often incredible stories in this book. Whether a snowball fight, a microwaved pig's head; or a frog in the toilet; whether in outback Queensland, England or Papua New Guinea; from the classroom to the cricket pitch, the stories are sure to bring back memories of your own school life.

"Would you care to dance?" he asked. Would she ever! Just one look and Cara's heart is hooked. She dances into the arms of this debonair stranger-and into an impetuous, magical romance. Cara and her best friend Josie are cruising the Mediterranean, and Cara immediately falls for handsome, cavalier, and very Italian Nick. Josie pegs Nick as a no-good opportunist, but Cara, smitten beyond reason, insists Nick is the man for her. Bonding as tight as any Italian meatball, Cara and Nick begin an odyssey filled with pasta and passion. A bit of temper surfaces, but Cara dismisses it. After all, Nick is Italian. Then startling mood swings and explosive anger begin to strike fear in her heart. Afraid to confront him and afraid not to-Cara is terrified. Could Josie have been right?

Mavis Gallant is the modern master of what Henry James called the international story, the fine-grained evocation of the quandaries of people who must make their way in the world without any place to call their own. The irreducible complexity of the very idea of home is especially at issue in the stories Gallant has written about Montreal, where she was born, although she has lived in Paris for more than half a century. Varieties of Exile, Russell Banks's extensive new selection from Gallant's work, demonstrates anew the remarkable reach of this writer's singular art. Among its contents are three previously uncollected stories, as well as the celebrated semi-autobiographical sequence about Linnet Muir—stories that are wise, funny, and full of insight into the perils and promise of growing up and breaking loose.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins and Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. “Red Rising ascends above a crowded dys­topian field.”—USA Today ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness “I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.” “I live for you,” I say sadly. Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.” Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so. Praise for Red Rising “[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, and Ender’s Game. . . . [Red Rising] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”—Entertainment Weekly “Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”—Scott Sigler “Red Rising is a sophisticated vision. . . . Brown will find a devoted audience.”—Richmond Times-Dispatch Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga: RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER

In this hilariously sweet story about an opposites-attract friendship, chock-full of Yiddish humor, a girl and her best bird friend’s perfect day turns into a perfect opportunity to see things differently. Gitty and her feathered-friend Kvetch couldn’t be more different: Gitty always sees the bright side of life, while her curmudgeonly friend Kvetch is always complaining and, well, kvetching about the trouble they get into. One perfect day, Gitty ropes Kvetch into shlepping off on a new adventure to their perfect purple treehouse. Even when Kvetch sees signs of impending doom everywhere, Gitty finds silver linings and holds onto her super special surprise reason for completing their mission. But when her perfect plan goes awry, oy vey, suddenly it’s Gitty who’s down in the dumps. Can Kvetch come out of his funk to lift Gitty’s spirits back up?