A charming, uplifting debut novel—full of humor and depth—that has taken readers around the world by surprise. Everyone has a story to tell. But does Janice have the power to unlock her own? She can’t recall what started her collection. Maybe it was in a fragment of conversation overheard as she cleaned a sink? Before long (as she dusted a sitting room or defrosted a fridge) she noticed people were telling her their stories. Perhaps they had always done so, but now it is different, now the stories are reaching out to her and she gathers them to her ... Cleaner Janice knows that it is in people’s stories that you really get to know them. From recently widowed Fiona and her son Adam to opera-singing Geordie, the quiet bus driver Euan, and the pretentious Mrs. “YeahYeahYeah” and her fox terrier, Decius, Janice has a unique insight into the community around her. When Janice starts cleaning for Mrs. B—a shrewd and prickly woman in her nineties—she finally meets someone who wants to hear her story. But Janice is clear: she is the keeper of stories, she doesn’t have a story to tell. At least, not one she can share. Mrs. B is no fool and knows there is more to Janice than meets the eye. What is she hiding? After all, doesn’t everyone have a story to tell?

"She'd noticed immediately that I understood the lure of a good story. Sometimes a world that doesn't exist is the only escape from the one that does." When successful New York editor Jen Gibbs discovers a decaying slush-pile manuscript on her desk, she has no idea that the story of Sarra, a young mixed-race woman trapped in Appalachia at the turn of the twentieth century, will both take her on a journey and change her forever. Happy with her life in the city, and at the top of her career with a new job at Vida House Publishing, Jen has left her Appalachian past and twisted family ties far behind. But the search for the rest of the manuscript, and Jen's suspicions about the identity of its unnamed author, will draw her into a mystery that leads back to the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains . . . and quite possibly through the doors she thought she had closed forever.

An enchanting novel about fate, second chances, and hope, lost and found, by the Amazon Charts bestselling author of The Last of the Moon Girls. Soline Roussel is well schooled in the business of happy endings. For generations her family has kept an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, where magic is worked with needles and thread. It's said that the bride who wears a Roussel gown is guaranteed a lifetime of joy. But devastating losses during World War II leave Soline's world and heart in ruins and her faith in love shaken. She boxes up her memories, stowing them away, along with her broken dreams, determined to forget. Decades later, while coping with her own tragic loss, aspiring gallery owner Rory Grant leases Soline's old property and discovers a box containing letters and a vintage wedding dress, never worn. When Rory returns the mementos, an unlikely friendship develops, and eerie parallels in Rory's and Soline's lives begin to surface. It's clear that they were destined to meet―and that Rory may hold the key to righting a forty-year wrong and opening the door to shared healing and, perhaps, a little magic.

A telepathic girl is the key to an unknown world—and it’s up to her to save it—in the Keeper of the Lost Cities series. The first three books are now available as a collectible paperback boxed set! Sophie Foster has never quite fit into her life. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at least, that’s what she thinks… It turns out the reason Sophie has never felt at home is that, well…she isn’t. And as she sets out for a new life that is vastly different from what she has ever known, telepathy is just the first of many shocking secrets that will be revealed. This complete boxed set collection of the Keeper of the Lost Cities series includes Keeper of the Lost Cities, Exile, and Everblaze.

In The Keeper of the Stories, I describe the devolution of the doctor-patient relationship through the lens of my career in medicine, showing how the value of intense listening, and a strong personal connection with patients, has been replaced by a system that treats doctors and patients as impersonal cogs in a vast medical machine designed to maximize profits for hospitals and insurance companies. Now, with no time to listen, doctors today are deprived of the subtle cues and relevant information that can be gathered about patients from hearing details of their life. Listening is especially important for patients who are elderly, infirm, or mentally illthose marginalized and vulnerable to the impersonal forces of a health-care system that sees them as potential expenses, not human beings. In the book, I present some of these stories, gathered to illustrate the surprising ways personal narrative can inform a doctors treatment or simply unburden a patient of painful memories. The fascinating narratives describe a diverse range of experience from survivors of horrors like the Holocaust to witnesses to major events in history. They are a testament to the remarkable lives we all lead.

When lighthouse keeper Hannes Harker is posted to a remote island with his young wife, he discovers something long-hidden in the tower that causes him to lose his footing and fall. Seriously injured, Hannes is evacuated to hospital and nursed back to health by Sister Rika, to whom he haltingly tells the story of his life: of his mother's mysterious death, of his wild young wife, Aletta, and of the desolate island inhabited only by the lighthouse keepers and guano workers - two communities confined together, yet rigidly separated in one of the bleakest places on earth. With the arrival of a figure from Aletta's past, her own secrets erupt into the present, just as the simmering tensions and injustices endured for so long by the guano workers erupt into a single, shocking act of violence. Written in the exquisite, haunting prose for which Marguerite Poland is renowned, The Keeper is the story of two generations of lighthouse keepers - men obsessed by their duty to the light - and the wives who accompany them into a life of frightening isolation. The Keeper is a novel about the power of secrets, the power of love, and the power of stories.

"The magic system is unique and fascinating... the cast is diverse and well drawn... Fantasy readers will appreciate the settings and genuine sense of camaraderie among the characters..." Publishers WeeklyThe Fallen Lord knows how traditional stories unfold: And unlikely hero will gather a member of every race and every nation to discover his dark secret and cause his defeat. But the Fallen Lord has discovered a new tactic, and has made sure this group can never gather.And now, Adal, an old, world-weary man and the most unlikely of heroes, must guide those who survive.But will the stories be satisfied with the company he leads? Has the Fallen Lord at last found a way to conquer the Storied Lands by turning the very tales against them?Jonathon Mast has woven a tale where stories come alive. Their telling narrates the world around them, giving heroism to the brave or bringing evil to power. Mast brings a distinctive and varied cast along into an unusual quest, led by an aged king who carries his doubts in the folds of his robes. This rich and epic adventure shows us the power of imagination and the influence of true friends, and how the combination enhances our courage and gives us strength.Stories are alive. They will be told."This is an engaging and enjoyable book with many unexpected twists and trials. The characterizations are wonderful and fit the storyline almost too well. Each character plays its part well." The Library Journal

In post-independence Singapore, tradition clashes with modernity in this compelling tale of the importance of defining one's own story. When their father Sujakon comes home late one night, raving about bad people coming to take them away, siblings Zuzu and Hakeem are forced to leave everything behind and live in a tent at Changi Beach, with a secret community called Anak Bumi—the Children of the Earth. Here, they learn to live off the land and fend for themselves, and partake in a communal storytelling ritual under the stars called the Wayang Singa. But just as they’ve acclimatised to their new lives, their father disappears without a word and a strange man washes ashore warning of mortal danger from just offshore.

Supernatural evil and magic collide as the Keepers are pulled into an epic struggle to protect the veil between two worlds from unseen forces threatening to doom them all in this complete five book spell-slinging, darkness chasing, devilishly haunting adventure fantasy set in the modern world. Join Truddie Mae, Gordy, Niles, and a complete cast of superpowered individuals as they battle a nefarious plot to destroy the universe as secrets uncover lies and friends turn to enemies. Danger lurks around every corner and, as the stakes are raised, the Keepers will need to join forces to face the greatest threats ever to slip into their reality. As the war rages on, will a thrown-together family save the day, or will sinister plans finally prevail? *Included in this set are all five complete eBooks of The Keeper Chronicles series as listed below. * Bitter Awakenings (Book 1): Southern charm meets devilish intent. Pulled from her tranquil existence by the veil’s calling out for assistance, Truddie Mae will once again dive headfirst into terror forcing her to reawaken old wounds and explore old haunts. Against a ticking monstrosity of devouring darkness, will she and the others stop new this threat, or will time run out for them all? Twisted Reunions (Book 2): Three people can keep a secret if two are dead. A simple excursion leads to a discovery threatening the Keepers on every level. Forced to act as leader, Truddie Mae must rally remaining teammates and dig deeper into the mystery of their magical lives. New threats and unseen forces strike back, this time with more bite. Sometimes the past rises to the top no matter how deep you bury the bodies. Struggling to maintain the veil while dodging a conspiracy, will her group unearth the agenda meant to end them before it finally does? Withering Haunts (Book 3): Danger has never been so close to home... safety never so far away. With everyone a possible threat, fear, and suspicion rule the day. Driven by duty to protect the veil, doubts soon become ominous when a late-night phone call of panic ends up being the tip of an even darker iceberg waiting to sink them all. New threats emerge, foes become friends, and truths become lies. A new global menace looms on the horizon. Can the remaining Keepers thwart the increasing danger or will nefarious plans finally bear fruit and force their magical lives to wither away? Jagged Remains (Book 4): Sometimes, to stop unspeakable evil one must battle themselves... Danger lurks behind every tree, every whisper. The veil is eroding while teammates remain lost. For Truddie Mae, abandoning safety for answers will soon find her plunging deeper into the magical darkness. As panic and desperation collide, will her magic find a way? Sinister players are finally revealed, and the truth is earth-shattering. The battle to save our reality is reaching its darkest hour. Will they be able to stop a doomed future, or will they all become jagged remains of a broken past? Frayed Endings (Book 5): For every start, an end. With every dusk, a new dawn. As old friends offer help and plans unfold to keep two worlds apart, Truddie Mae will soon find that stopping the coming storm may be a losing battle for them all. As the Keepers battle to prevent a universe-ending disaster, they'll learn that the coils of their supernatural lives are frayed on both ends and that sometimes the simplest of cuts are the deadliest.

A NATIONAL BESTSELLER—for fans of All the Light We Cannot See and The Tattooist of Auschwitz! A BookBub Pick for Best Historical Fiction of Summer 2023 A heartwarming story about the power of books to bring us together, inspired by the true story of the underground library in WWII Warsaw, by the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Bookshop in London. All her life, Zofia has found comfort in two things during times of hardship: books and her best friend, Janina. But no one could have imagined the horrors of the Nazi occupation in Warsaw. As the bombs rain down and Hitler’s forces loot and destroy the city, Zofia finds that now books are also in need of saving. With the death count rising and persecution intensifying, Zofia jumps to action to save her friend and salvage whatever books she can from the wreckage, hiding them away, and even starting a clandestine book club. She and her dearest friend never surrender their love of reading, even when Janina is forced into the newly formed ghetto. But the closer Warsaw creeps toward liberation, the more dangerous life becomes for the women and their families – and escape may not be possible for everyone. As the destruction rages around them, Zofia must fight to save her friend and preserve her culture and community using the only weapon they have left - literature. “Readers will be on the edge of their seats as they are transported…with Madeline Martin's vivid and inspiring characters.” —Kelly Rimmer, author of The Warsaw Orphan "Madeline Martin immerses us in the expertly rendered and fascinating worlds.” —Natasha Lester, author of The Riviera House Don't miss Madeline Martin's next heartwarming historical novel, The Booklover's Library! Also by Madeline Martin: The Librarian Spy The Last Bookshop in London