THE SECRETS OF the past meet the shocks of the present. Aslaug is an unusual young woman. Her mother has brought her up in near isolation, teaching her about plants and nature and language—but not about life. Especially not how she came to have her own life, and who her father might be. When Aslaug’s mother dies unexpectedly, everything changes. For Aslaug is a suspect in her mother’s death. And the more her story unravels, the more questions unfold. About the nature of Aslaug’s birth. About what she should do next. About whether divine miracles have truly happened. And whether, when all other explanations are impossible, they might still happen this very day. Addictive, thought-provoking, and shocking, Madapple is a page-turning exploration of human nature and divine intervention—and of the darkest corners of the human soul.

One Mad Apple By: Tom Pratt In One Mad Apple, a successful art dealer reinvents himself and moves to a small town to help care for his dying mother. He finds himself up against an unlikely foe that is out to destroy him and everything he holds dear, one who threatens the peaceful town and its innocent children. This story of a small town in turmoil and fear because of a combatant and mentally unstable elected official, who just happens to serve on the local school board. One Mad Apple evokes the fear of many of us: mentally unstable individuals threatening our communities and especially our children.

Following a series of murders, an apothecary’s apprentice must solve puzzles and decipher codes in pursuit of a secret that could destroy the world in this “spectacular debut” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). “Tell no one what I’ve given you.” Until he got that cryptic warning, Christopher Rowe was happy, learning how to solve complex codes and puzzles and creating powerful medicines, potions, and weapons as an apprentice to Master Benedict Blackthorn—with maybe an explosion or two along the way. But when a mysterious cult begins to prey on London’s apothecaries, the trail of murders grows closer and closer to Blackthorn’s shop. With time running out, Christopher must use every skill he’s learned to discover the key to a terrible secret with the power to tear the world apart. In his stunning debut novel, Kevin Sands brings readers on a heart-stopping adventure rich with suspense, mystery, and unforgettable characters.

Wanderlust: A Book Club Sampler from Simon & Schuster is your boarding pass to the beautiful, the mysterious, and the unknown. This book club sampler was created to pay homage to a book’s unique ability to transport your imagination around the world, taking you on journeys across distance and time. Whether you’re in the mood for a historical love story set on a sheep station in rural Australia or an illuminating memoir of life in the war-torn Middle East, these are books you and your reading group won’t want to miss: Day of Honey: A Memoir of Food, Love, and War by Annia Ciezadlo, Wildflower Hill by Kimberley Freeman, The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman, Amaryllis in Blueberry by Christina Meldrum, The Hundred-Foot Journey by Richard C. Morais, The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, This Burns My Heart by Samuel Park, An Atlas of Impossible Longing by Anuradha Roy. Each excerpt in Wanderlust is accompanied by a collection of bonus materials intended to enrich your reading experience, including discussion questions, suggestions for enhancing your book club meeting, and author interviews. In the spirit of looking to the horizon, we also asked each author featured in this sampler one question: “What is your favorite travel memory?” Their answers are fittingly diverse—from Christina Meldrum’s summers spent at a family cottage in Lake Margrethe, Michigan, to Alice Hoffman’s inspirational first trip to Masada, the setting of her epic new novel The Dovekeepers. Anuradha Roy, the author of An Atlas of Impossible Longing, describes the lure of armchair travel best: “All readers…carry within themselves sediments of the places they have traveled to in books, the people they’ve met on the way. Therefore the strange déjà vu is when you land in a foreign country and wonder if you’ve been there before.” So, sit back, relax, and get ready for the trip of a lifetime. Bon Voyage!

A Test of Time is an adventure novel in which three young girls, Maddie, Mary, and Ella, embark on a journey in an attempt to thwart a sinister plan. Unwarned and unprepared for the impossible tasks that lay before them, the girls are faced with situations that challenge them in ways they could never have predicted. Courage, faith, self-worth, and family love is tested, stretched, and demanded as the young girls discover just what it means to bear the weight of the world and begin to figure out what things are here for a season and what will withstand even the test of time.

Volume contains: (William Rubin against 65 Walton Ave Corp & Israel Weinraub) (William Rubin against 65 Walton Ave Corp & Israel Weinraub) (William Rubin against 65 Walton Ave Corp & Israel Weinraub) (William Rubin against 65 Walton Ave Corp & Israel Weinraub) (Max Rumack et al against Joseph A. McNamara et al) (Max Rumack et al against Joseph A. McNamara et al) (Max Rumack et al against Joseph A. McNamara et al) (Max Rumack et al against Joseph A. McNamara et al) (Peggy Sage Inc against Revlon Products Corp) (Peggy Sage Inc against Revlon Products Corp) (Peggy Sage Inc against Revlon Products Corp) (Saminey Realty Corp against Maralyn Mattlin) (Saminey Realty Corp against Maralyn Mattlin) (Saminey Realty Corp against Maralyn Mattlin) (ex rel Howard A. Scalone against Elena Eggers & Fred William Eggers) (ex rel Howard A. Scalone against Elena Eggers & Fred William Eggers) (ex rel Howard A. Scalone against Elena Eggers & Fred William Eggers) (Joseph Scharvaroch et al against Fox Square Laundry Co Inc against Sutton Carpet Cleaners Inc) (Joseph Scharvaroch et al against Fox Square Laundry Co Inc ) (Joseph Scharvaroch et al against Fox Square Laundry Co Inc against Sutton Carpet Cleaners Inc) (Joseph Scharvaroch et al against Fox Square Laundry Co Inc against Sutton Carpet Cleaners Inc) (Ben L. Schauer et al against Kunstler & Co & The Chase Natl Bankof the City of NY ) (Ben L. Schauer et al against Kunstler & Co & The Chase Natl Bankof the City of NY ) (Ben L. Schauer et al against Kunstler & Co & The Chase Natl Bankof the City of NY ) (Ben L. Schauer et al against Kunstler & Co & The Chase Natl Bankof the City of NY ) (Heinrich J. Schneider v John F O'Connell et al) (Heinrich J. Schneider v John F O'Connell et al) (Heinrich J. Schneider v John F O'Connell et al) (Charles Schwartz et al against Sterling Drug Inc et al & Roy M.Sterne) (Charles Schwartz et al against Sterling Drug Inc et al & Roy M.Sterne) (Charles Schwartz et al against Sterling Drug Inc et al & Roy M.Sterne) (Seamlex Co In against Blumstein Bros) (Seamlex Co In against Blumstein Bros) (Seamlex Co In against Blumstein Bros) (Morris Shaprio & Mack Shapiro against Front Line Sweaters Inc) (Morris Shaprio & Mack Shapiro against Front Line Sweaters Inc) (Morris Shaprio & Mack Shapiro against Front Line Sweaters Inc)

Dangerous, dark and difficult to detect, poisons have been a common character in literature from ancient times to the modern day. Their ability to perform deadly deeds at a distance is a common device for creating dramatic tension and playing on our real life fears. But what is fact and what is pure fiction? From Shakespeare and Dickens to Hugo and Poe, the macabre world of literary poisonings is as large as it is fascinating. Utilising real forensic science Poisonous Tales explores the real science inspiring the toxins and tinctures in our favourite works. Could a poison really mimic death in Romeo and Juliet? What is the cause of the mad Hatter's malady in Alice in Wonderland? And could a stone from the stomach of a goat really have been used as an antidote in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince? Through these and many more 'cases' we discover the captivating truth in the texts and how real-life tragedies can replicate themselves in fiction.