The unforgettable story of a young woman's odyssey through a series of Los Angeles foster homes on her journey to redemption. Astrid is the only child of a single mother, Ingrid, a brilliant, obsessed poet who wields her luminous beauty to intimidate and manipulate men. Astrid worships her mother and cherishes their private world full of ritual and mystery - but their idyll is shattered when Astrid's mother falls apart over a lover. Deranged by rejection, Ingrid murders the man, and is sentenced to life in prison. White Oleander is the unforgettable story of Astrid's journey through a series of foster homes and her efforts to find a place for herself in impossible circumstances. Each home is its own universe, with a new set of laws and lessons to be learned. With determination and humor, Astrid confronts the challenges of loneliness and poverty, and strives to learn who a motherless child in an indifferent world can become. Oprah Winfrey enjoyed this gripping first novel so much that she not only made it her book club pick, she asked if she could narrate the audio release.

Beloved bestselling author Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni has been hailed by Abraham Verghese as a “gifted storyteller” and by People magazine as a “skilled cartographer of the heart.” Now, Divakaruni returns with her most gripping novel yet, a sweeping, suspenseful coming-of-age tale about a young woman who leaves India for America on a search that will transform her life. THOUGH SHE WAS ORPHANED AT BIRTH, the wild and headstrong Korobi Roy has enjoyed a privileged childhood with her adoring grandparents, spending her first seventeen years sheltered in a beautiful, crumbling old mansion in Kolkata. But despite all that her grandparents have done for her, she is troubled by the silence that surrounds the circumstances of her parents’ death and clings fiercely to her only inheritance from them: the love note she found, years ago, hidden in a book of poetry that had belonged to her mother. As she grows, Korobi dreams of one day finding a love as powerful as her parents’, and it seems her wish has finally come true when she meets the charming Rajat, the only son of a high-profile business family. Shortly after their engagement, however, a sudden heart attack kills Korobi’s grandfather, revealing serious financial problems and a devastating secret about Korobi’s past. Shattered by this discovery and by her grandparents’ betrayal, Korobi decides to undertake a courageous search across post-9/11 America to find her true identity. Her dramatic, often startling journey will ultimately thrust her into the most difficult decision of her life. With flawless narrative instinct and a boundless sympathy for her irrepressible characters, in Oleander Girl Divakaruni brings us a perfect treat of a novel— moving, wise, and unforgettable. As The Wall Street Journal raves, “Divakaruni emphasizes the cathartic force of storytelling with sumptuous prose. . . . She defies categorization.”

Winner of the World Fantasy Award, The Jasmine Throne has been hailed as a series opener that will 'undoubtedly reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come' (Booklist, starred). Now, Tasha Suri's provocative and powerful Burning Kingdoms trilogy continues with The Oleander Sword. The prophecy of the nameless god - the words that declared Malini the rightful empress of Parijatdvipa - has proven a blessing and curse. She is determined to claim the throne that fate offered her. But even with the strength of the rage in her heart and the army of loyal men by her side, deposing her brother is going to be a brutal and bloody fight. The power of the deathless waters flows through Priya's blood. Thrice born priestess, Elder of Ahiranya, Priya's dream is to see her country rid of the rot that plagues it: both Parijatdvipa's poisonous rule, and the blooming sickness that is slowly spreading through all living things. But she doesn't yet understand the truth of the magic she carries. Their chosen paths once pulled them apart. But Malini and Priya's souls remain as entwined as their destinies. And they soon realize that coming together is the only way to save their kingdom from those who would rather see it burn - even if it will cost them. ***Shortlisted for the British Fantasy Awards*** Praise for the Burning Kingdoms trilogy: 'Will undoubtedly reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come' Booklist (starred review) 'Lush and stunning...this sapphic fantasy will rip your heart out' BuzzFeed News 'Raises the bar for what epic fantasy should be' Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights 'This cutthroat and sapphic novel will grip you until the very end' Vulture (Best of the Year) 'It left me breathless' Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter 'I loved it' Alix E. Harrow, Hugo award-winning author of The Once and Future Witches 'Suri's incandescent feminist masterpiece hits like a steel fist inside a velvet glove' Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun

Performing with rock and roll legends. Sailing the high seas. Digging for buried treasure. It's all just part of the adventure for Andy Upchurch. The Oleanders of San Leon recounts how Andy, a passionate musician and sailor, decides that building a house would be the perfect next great adventure. He possesses no construction skills, but that doesn't deter him. With an enthusiastic nature and an optimistic outlook, he purchases some rough, tangled land on the Texas coastal prairie, rolls up his sleeves, and gets to work. The story is written with a pervasive and underlying wit, tongue-in-cheek humor, and drama that's either real or imagined. Clearing the land becomes an epic battle between man and jungle and digging the holes to plant the house pilings becomes a hunt for pirate loot in Andy's wild imagination. Using a nail gun is more like wielding a weapon in the hands of a musician who is more comfortable with pianos. Going from living on a sailboat to building a house on solid ground, Andy doesn't really grasp what he's about to get into, but he will learn—sometimes the easy way, but more often the hard way! The undertaking is full of uncertainty, but he perseveres, and finally, the last nail is in place. Andy christens the house 'The Oleanders,' and the adventure is complete. Filled with hilarious moments, the book is interspersed with stories, snippets, and a yarn or two. It is not a 'how to' book that one would buy to learn all about building houses. It's merely the story of how one person, who definitely marches to the beat of a different drummer, did it. If you have ever wanted to do something you thought you couldn't, find your inspiration in The Oleanders of San Leon.

Ninth-grader Jess Westmark had the best of intentions when she started Operation Oleander to raise money for a girls’ orphanage in Kabul. She named her charity for the oleander that grows both in her Florida hometown and in Afghanistan, where her father is deployed. But on one of her father's trips to deliver supplies to the orphans, a car bomb explodes nearby and her father is gravely injured. Worse, her best friend’s mother and some of the children are killed, and people are blaming Operation Oleander for turning the orphanage into a military target for the Taliban. Is this all Jess’s fault?

In the wake of the 1900 Galveston hurricane, three lives converge despite persecution from the Ku Klux Klan, a bare-knuckle boxing match gone wrong, and the recovery efforts of the American Red Cross. Based on a true story The hurricane of 1900, America’s worst natural disaster, left the island city of Galveston in ruins. Thousands perished, including all ninety-three children at the Sisters of the Incarnate Word orphanage—except six-year-old Hester, who miraculously survived. Oleander City is the tale of this little girl and the volatile collision between the American Red Cross, the Ku Klux Klan, and one of the most famous boxing matches in American history. The bout, organized to raise money for the recovery effort, featured the enigmatic veteran “Chrysanthemum Joe” Choynski, the most successful Jewish boxer in America, and Jack Johnson, a young hometown hero known as “the Galveston Giant.” The storied battle forged a bond between the two legendary fighters and put Johnson on the path to become the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Meanwhile, Clara Barton and the Red Cross minister to the sick and hungry as mounted vigilantes use the chaotic situation to settle old scores. After witnessing a terrible crime, Hester finds sanctuary with the ladies of the Red Cross, in a heartrending convergence of these historic figures.

A poignant and bittersweet memoir from the distinguished British fiction writer Penelope Lively, Oleander, Jacaranda evokes the author's unusual childhood growing up English in Egypt during the 1930s and 1940s. Filled with the birds, animals and planets of the Nile landscape that the author knew as a child, Oleander, Jacaranda follows the young Penelope from a visit to a fellaheen village to an afternoon at the elegant Gezira Sporting Club, one milieu as exotic to her as the other. Lively's memoir offers us the rare opportunity to accompany a gifted writer on a journey of exploration into the mysterious world of her own childhood.

Miller Watkins was an FBI agent until he met the Darkness face to face and failed. Now he works for Oleander fighting the Darkness, however he can, to protect the city he loves. With the help of some supernatural creatures, a couple of dream-sibyls, an invisible housekeeper and his own considerable powers, he solves the problems of the arcane community. Or tries his best. 3 stories of Miller and his unusual allies protecting the vulnerable from the encroaching Darkness.

Blooms of Oleander is a collection of poems and one emotional short story that have had a dramatic impact on the author. Tales of loves lost and found as well as lessons learned along the way are included on each page in excruciating and inspirational detail. As noted throughout the work, what the heart wants can often be hazardous to one's health mentally, physically and spiritually.The scars of those experiences stay with us long after the infatuation of the moment has passed. Love has no middle ground. Romance teaches us that we emote in extremes. What once was adored can be loathed in an instance. Expectations and ideals are often unreasonable. The imperfections of those we place on pedestals eventually become evident. More times than not, those personal blemishes become guideposts to something or someone else better suited for our love and lives. Being in love with love can be a dangerous undertaking. Loving the ideal of someone rather their authentic self is the road to lasting heartache. Blessed with the gift of hindsight, I count all of those disappointments as gain. I am grateful to have lived long enough to tell the tale. These are my stories. At times, the pain of it all capsized my vessel on the sea of life. Rather than drown in my own despair, I kicked against the waves of misery and swam for shore. A native of Mississippi, Steve Robertson has worked as a professional writer since 1997. Blooms of Oleander is his fourth book and first in the poetry genre. His previous works Flim Flam, Stark Villains and Alpha Dawgs have all been mainstays on the Mississippi best seller's list for the past few years. Robertson and his family live in Starkville, Mississippi where he covers Mississippi State sports on a full-time basis. Readers can find out more about Robertson and his earlier books at www.AlphaDawgsTheBook.com