Showing titles in Literary Fiction

Told in three loosely connected but inextricably intertwined stories, National Book Award longlisted author Bryan Bliss’ Thoughts & Prayers follows three high school students in the aftermath of a school shooting. Thoughts & Prayers is a story about gun violence, but more importantly it is the story of what happens after the reporters leave and the news cycle moves on to the next tragedy. It is the story of three unforgettable teens who feel forgotten.

Eleven-year-old Be hasn't spoken a word since her mother left. She hangs on to the hope that one day they will be reunited, but after two years of waiting, it's becoming more difficult. Her father can do little to protect her from her stepmother, Big Mother. Thankfully, Be has a secret friend, her little kitten Meo, to comfort her in the worst of times. Unfortunately, Big Mother has other plans.

Teenage burn survivor Wilder Tate begins high school ashamed of his disfigurement. He finds an outlet tapping into his one-dimensional basketball talent as a shutdown defender and courts his cheerleader dream girl, only to endure heartbreak and setbacks that drive him to have a tissue-expander operation to rid himself of his scar tissue for good, but at what price?

Ellory returns to Pine Brook to navigate senior year after a two-month suspension and summer away - no boyfriend, no friends. No going back. Tormented by some and sought out by others, troubled by a mysterious note-writer who won’t let Ellory forget, and consumed by guilt over her not entirely innocent role in everything and everyone she’s lost, Ellory finds that even in the present, the past is everywhere. The path forward isn’t a straight line. And moving on will mean sorting the truth from the lies - the lies Ellory has been telling herself.

A heartfelt tale that unfolds against the backdrop of Ireland's lush landscapes. In this enchanting story, an elderly man seeks solace on the serene shores of Inis Eala after the loss of his beloved wife. Alone except for his faithful dog, Seamus's days of solitude take an unexpected turn when he encounters a group of orphaned siblings. Despite the contrast in their worlds, a bond forms, and Seamus opens his heart and home to these young souls.

The third title in the compelling Tales of the Otori - the story that began with Across the Nightingale Floor and Grass for his Pillow, Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn is an epic tale of love, power and destiny, set in a mythical world inspired by feudal Japan. Takeo and the exquisite Kaede, still only teenagers, are now married, but the implacable forces of destiny that rule their lives tear them apart.

There was a time during Donald Davis's college freshman year when he wasn't really sure he wanted to claim his hometown of Sulpher Springs, North Carolina. But a boy by the name of Stanley Easter changed Davis's mind.

Wenn Sophie es sich aussuchen könnte, wäre ihr Leben simpel. Aber das ist es nicht. Und das war es auch nie. Das fängt damit an, dass ihre Mutter sie direkt nach der Geburt im Stich gelassen hat. Und endet damit, dass Sophies Vater plötzlich beschließt, mit seiner Tochter zu seiner Freundin nach München zu ziehen. Alle sind glücklich. Bis auf Sophie. Was hat es bloß mit dieser verdammten Liebe auf sich? Sophie selbst war noch nie verliebt. Klar gab es Jungs, einsam ist sie trotzdem. Bis sie in der neuen Stadt auf Alex trifft.

Sus pesadillas eran tan vívidas que casi podía respirarlas. Ningún horror escapaba a su experiencia, ya nada la sorprendía, pero... cuán equivocada estaba. En el despertar de la tragedia, ni Lazlo ni Sarai son quienes solían ser. Uno, deidad; el otro, fantasma: ambos luchan por comprender el alcance de los límites propios de su condición, que antes desconocían, pues la mente oscura de Minya los mantiene rehenes, en su intento de venganza contra Weep.

The iron wheel began to spin, slowly at first, then faster and faster. The room grew darker. As the light lessened, so did the sound. Deeba and Zanna stared at each other in wonder. The noise of the cars and vans and motorbikes outside grew tinny. The wheel turned off all the cars and turned off all the lamps. It was turning off London.... Zanna and Deeba are two girls leading ordinary lives, until they stumble into the world of UnLondun, an urban Wonderland where all the lost and broken things of London end up.

Tosh Livingston, superstar student-athlete from small-town USA, thinks he's made it big as a rising freshman at Harvard University. Not so fast! Once on campus, he's ensnared in a frenzied competition to win a spot on Harvard's legendary humor magazine, the Harpoon. Tosh soon finds that joining the Harpoon is a weird and surprisingly dangerous pursuit. He faces off against a secret society of super-rich kids, gets schooled by a philosophy professor who loves flunking everyone, and teams up with a genius student-cartoonist with an agenda of her own.

High school senior Anders Thorson is unusually gifted. His band, Last Things, is legendary in their Northern Minnesota hometown. With guitar skills that would amaze even if he weren’t only 18, Anders is the focus of head-turning admiration. And Thea Malcom, a newcomer to the insular town, is one of his admirers. Thea seems to turn up everywhere Anders goes: gigs at the local coffeehouse, guitar lessons, even in the woods near Anders’ home. When strange things start happening to Anders, blame immediately falls on Thea. But is she trying to hurt him? Or save him?

In a remote mountain village, a boy is born gifted with the supernatural skills of his father, once the deadliest assassin of the Tribe. Set in the years before the beginning of Across the Nightingale Floor, Heaven's Net Is Wide by Lian Hearn is the first and last tale, which both closes the circle and introduces new listeners to the fantastical, beautiful and thrilling world of the Otori. It is an epic story of betrayal, revenge, magic and love.

In the world outside of the Haven Institute, Lyra and Caelum are finding it hard to be human - and Lyra, infected at Haven with a terrible disease, finds her symptoms are growing worse. When Caelum leaves without warning, Lyra follows him, seeking a pioneering organization in Philadelphia that might have a cure. But what they uncover there is a shocking connection to their past, even as their future seems in danger of collapsing.

Laila Piedra doesn’t drink, doesn’t smoke, and definitely doesn’t sneak into the 21-and-over clubs on the Lower East Side. The only sort of risk Laila enjoys is the peril she writes for the characters in her stories: epic sci-fi worlds full of quests, forbidden love, and robots. Her creative writing teacher has always told her she has a special talent. But three months before graduation, Laila’s number one fan is replaced by Nadiya Nazarenko, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who sees nothing at all special about Laila’s writing, leading to a series of unexpected adventures.

From the critically acclaimed author of The Gospel of Winter and the coauthor of All American Boys comes a cool, contemplative spin on hot summer nights and the classic teen love story as two teens embark on a cross-country journey of the heart and soul.

Sixteen-year-old Leo has a way with words, but he doesn’t know it yet. He spends his time texting, polishing soccer maneuvers, and killing time with Niko and Silvia. Until a new teacher arrives and challenges him to give voice to his dreams. And so Leo is inspired to win over the red-haired beauty, Beatrice. She doesn’t know Leo exists, but he’s convinced that his dream to win her over will come true. When Leo lands in the hospital and learns that Beatrice has been admitted too, his mission to be there for her will send him on a thrilling but heartbreaking journey.

"Troubled". That's 17-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter - until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything. As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, she must also confront her most painful memories.

Ash boards a Greyhound bus heading to the place where Bly was last seen: Snowflake, Arizona. Six thousand feet up in the wide red desert, Ash meets Mona, her dog, her goat, and her neighbors, and finds stepbrother Bly, too. In their ramshackle homes, the walls lined with tinfoil, almost all the residents of Snowflake are sick. But this isn’t any ordinary sickness: the chemicals and technologies of modern life are poisoning them.

Faith Valentine has it all – fame, money and extraordinary beauty. But what she wants more than anything is a quiet life away from the cameras. Except nobody ever asks Faith what she wants and her family’s expectations are crushing her. The world thinks she’s perfect, but is there is more to perfection than meets the eye?