NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The award-winning book that inspired an Apple Original series from Apple TV+ • A landmark investigation of patient deaths at a New Orleans hospital ravaged by Hurricane Katrina—and the suspenseful portrayal of the quest for truth and justice—from a Pulitzer Prize–winning physician and reporter “An amazing tale, as inexorable as a Greek tragedy and as gripping as a whodunit.”—Dallas Morning News After Hurricane Katrina struck and power failed, amid rising floodwaters and heat, exhausted staff at Memorial Medical Center designated certain patients last for rescue. Months later, a doctor and two nurses were arrested and accused of injecting some of those patients with life-ending drugs. Five Days at Memorial, the culmination of six years of reporting by Pulitzer Prize winner Sheri Fink, unspools the mystery, bringing us inside a hospital fighting for its life and into the most charged questions in health care: which patients should be prioritized, and can health care professionals ever be excused for hastening death? Transforming our understanding of human nature in crisis, Five Days at Memorial exposes the hidden dilemmas of end-of-life care and reveals how ill-prepared we are for large-scale disasters—and how we can do better. ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review • ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, Entertainment Weekly, Christian Science Monitor, Kansas City Star WINNER: National Book Critics Circle Award, J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, PEN/John Kenneth Galbraith Award, Los Angeles Times Book Prize, Ridenhour Book Prize, American Medical Writers Association Medical Book Award, National Association of Science Writers Science in Society Award

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

Do you dream of wicked rakes, gorgeous Highlanders, muscled Viking warriors and rugged Wild West cowboys? Harlequin® Historical brings you three new full-length titles in one collection! MARIANNE’S MARRIAGE OF CONVENIENCE by Lynna Banning (Western) To claim the business she has inherited, Marianne Collingwood enters a marriage of convenience with her coworker, Lance Burnside. Only too late does she consider the bed they will now share… THE WARRIOR’S RUNAWAY WIFE by Denise Lynn (Medieval) Lady Avelyn flees an unwanted betrothal, but is found by fearsome Elrik, Lord of Roul, a legendary warrior. Now Avelyn is bound to Elrik when he is commanded by the courts to wed her! DIARY OF A WAR BRIDE by Lauri Robinson (WWII) Kathryn Winslow knows she should shut off her feelings for American officer Sergeant Dale Johnson—he could be transferred at any time. Fighting her heart feels like the biggest battle of all… Look for Harlequin® Historical’s July 2018 Box set 1 of 2, filled with even more timeless love stories!

Brave, copper-haired Aoife was the daughter of a king, a bold young woman full of life and mischief. But on one winter's night she and her brothers took part in an act of careless mischief with consequences they could never have imagined -- and a deadly blood price must be paid. In the forests to the west, a deadly force is stirring. Off the shores of Innisfail, a new enemy is fast approaching. The druid Dalan has been sent to unite two squabbling kings in the face of this overwhelming force, but chaos and confusion confront him at every turn. As dangerous bargains are made and broken, and truces struck and disregarded, Dalan begins to suspect that an even greater enemy is moving against Innisfail. The last of the Watchers are growing bored. But mortals are an interesting game.

Family life is what makes a great world! What educational courses do we have on this? Do we have a family course in every grade level at school? How many papers do the young write on this topic? How important is family? The value of life itself is reflected in family life and church life and the world. So how high should our expectations of family life be? What action plans can we make and do? When we have plans, we also have a purpose. When the love of family life is at the heart and soul of every boy/man and every girl/woman, beginning at conception and continuing on through every minute of every day, violence will fade as something that is not good. It will be replaced with gratitude for our own lives and the life of every other human being! What can we do and promote to help make this happen? Do we invite grandpas and/or grandmas to our schools and churches to talk about how great it is to be grandpas and grandmas (or great-grandpas and great-grandmas)? Do we ask them to talk about what good things they did to make their family life good and/or what they could have done better and want to teach/tell the younger people? Wouldn’t it be great if the love for family life was so highly valued and if peace and the unity of families would be the future for the next generations? Who is the ideal family? The ideal family reflects God’s love to the world! God’s love is one that sacrifices, one that has empathy for others, one that has performed miracles. It is so good to have plans in a family. An example that became humorous many years later in our family was that our fifth daughter never mowed the lawn, and we were all so busy, we didn’t notice it until she was an adult! So it is good to make sure we have plans and purpose to our family life. Life is too short for us to be just floating along. This is a good memory to laugh about because we do live in a world that is not perfect. This is earth, not heaven. People and human families may have opinions, they may have perspectives, and they may be giving their all to do good for others. This is a good kind of family life!