Tall, slender Violet Mathers is growing up in the Great Depression, which could just as well define her state of mind. Abandoned by her mother as a child, mistreated by her father, and teased by her schoolmates, the lonely girl finds solace in artistic pursuits. It's only when she's hired by the town's sole feminist to work the night shift in the local factory that Violet comes into her name and blooms. Accepted by her co-workers, the teenager enters the happiest phase of her life, until a terrible accident causes her to retreat once again into her lonely shell. Realising that she has only one choice, Violet boards a bus heading west to California. But when the bus crashes in North Dakota, it seems that fate is having another cruel laugh at Violet's expense. This time, though, Violet laughs back. She and her fellow passengers are rescued by two men: Austin Sykes, who Violet is certain is the blackest man ever to set foot on the North Dakota prairie, and Kjel Hedstrom, who inspires feelings Violet has never before felt. Kjel and Austin are musicians whose sound is like no other, and with pluck, verve and wit, Violet becomes part of their quest to make a new kind of music together. OH, MY STARS is Lorna Landvik's most ambitious novel yet, with a cast of characters whose travails and triumphs you'll long remember. It is a tale of love and hope, bigotry and betrayal, loss and discovery - as Violet, who's always considered herself a minor character in her own life story, emerges as a heroine you'll laugh with, cry with and, most important, cheer for all the way.

A star is born! Whether the preference is for the eclectic or the traditional, for simple family meals or elegant buffets, for sophisticated appetizers or a child's rainy day project, this cookbook embarks on a culinary odyssey that promises something for everyone. Stunning photography showcases a region rich in beauty and lore.

A heartwarming, hilarious Christmas story with a Southern twist from the USA Today bestselling Sally Kilpatrick! Like most things in Ellery, Tennessee, this year’s Drive Thru Nativity is a little unconventional. The Dollar General parking lot doubles as a Bethlehem stable, and widowed writer Ivy Long, who’s been roped into playing Mary, sure as heck isn’t a virgin. But then comes an unexpected development: a genuine, real-life baby left in the manger, with only a brief note. And somehow, in the kerfuffle that follows, Ivy finds her life is about to change . . . The holidays are a bittersweet time for Ivy—filled with memories of her beloved late husband and reminders that life doesn’t always offer the happily-ever-afters her readers expect. So when Ivy ends up with custody of the baby, she can only chalk it up to a Christmas miracle. She doesn’t know if it will be forever, but with help from family, she’ll make little Zuzu’s first Christmas a good one. The nativity’s Joseph, aka Gabe Ledbetter, has a pediatrics background that’s coming in mighty handy. In turn, Ivy is helping Gabe find his place in the quirky community. If that place turns out to be somewhere near Ivy, well, maybe this particular Christmas story will turn out to be merry and bright after all . . . Praise for Sally Kilpatrick’s Previous Novels “Do yourself a favor and grab this book and hide away with its laugh-out-loud and cry-out-loud moments all mixed up in one place.” —Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author “Don't miss this quirky, fun love story. I couldn't put it down.” —Haywood Smith, New York Times bestselling author on Better Get to Livin’ “A pleasantly engaging take on Romeo and Juliet.” —Library Journal on Bittersweet Creek

Oh My Stars! is a children’s book for girls and boys in 3rd through 5th grades or for the young at heart. The book is written to show children how to learn from their big and small mistakes, how to heal, and how to be a leader. A little girl named Paris Lee experiences the sadness of her parents divorce and dealing with the absence of her father by becoming a bully in her school and letting her schoolwork slide. When she finds out there are others in her school who are going through the same or similar circumstances. She decides to turn her life around by becoming a leader in her school rather than a bully and the changes and friendships she makes are healing her spirit and bringing back the happiness she thought she had lost. It is the author's hope that parents with children going through the heartbreak of having their family broken apart, will take the time to read this book to their children, discuss it with them, and help them to understand that all is not lost. Show them that making positive changes in their lives can help them learn to adjust to the circumstances and even help others do the same.

The biographies of Gunnar and May Carlson, a couple from Moline, Illinois whose military wedding included Ronald Reagan, who lived through the Depression and CCC duty, trained Joe Louis and served in World War II, were the first in Occupied Japan and among the first in Vietnam after the French departure, finishing their service to America as a general and his lady.

2019 PRISM Award Winner! “The answer is no, Lyra,” my mother utters her favorite—I swear—phrase. No means I have to travel with them to another planet—again. No means leaving all my friends fifty years in the past. Thanks, Einstein. Seventeen-year-old Lyra Daniels can’t truly blame Einstein or her parents for their impending move across the Milky Way Galaxy. It’s all due to the invention of the Q-net, which made traveling the vast distances in space possible—with one big caveat: the time dilation. But that never stopped Lyra's ancestors from exploring the Milky Way, searching for resources and exoplanets to colonize. What they didn’t expect to find is life-sized terracotta Warriors buried on twenty-one different exoplanets. ... Make that twenty-two. As the Galaxy’s leading experts on the Warriors, Lyra's parents are thrilled by the new discovery, sending them—and her—fifty years into the future. Her social life in ruins, she fills her lonely days by illegally worming into the Q-net. The only person close to her age is the annoyingly irresistible security officer who threatens to throw her into the brig. After the planet they just left goes silent—meaning no communications from them at all—security has bigger problems to deal with than Lyra, especially when vital data files go missing. But that's just the beginning, because they’re not as alone as they thought on their new planet... and suddenly time isn't the only thing working against them.

A retelling of the Navaho legend that explains the patterns of the stars in the sky.