A major new novel by the award-winning author of Good to a Fault and The Little Shadows, about two sisters who live aboard a merchant ship on a fateful voyage through the South Pacific. "Up from underneath comes a blue-black swell, a whale rising in a long arc. Kay waits, hovering in the difference between herself and the creature." What is the difference between ourselves and other humans? Between human and animal? Where does that difference persist in our minds? These are the questions Marina Endicott, one of our most beloved storytellers, explores in this sweeping, intoxicating novel set on the Morning Light, a ship from Nova Scotia sailing the South Pacific in 1912. Thea and Kay are half-sisters, separated in age by more than a decade. After the death of their stern father, head of a residential school in western Canada, the elder sister, Thea, returns east for her long-awaited marriage to the captain of the ship. She cannot abandon her younger sister, so Kay joins her, and together they embark on a life-changing voyage around the world. At the heart of The Difference is one crystallizing moment in Micronesia: Thea forms a bond with a young boy from one of the islands, and takes him as her own. The repercussions of this act reverberate through the novel--forcing Kay to examine her own assumptions about what is forgivable, and what is right. Taking inspiration from the true story of a small boy who was brought on board a Canadian sailing ship in the South Seas, Marina Endicott shows us a vanished world in all its wildness and wonder, and its darkness, prejudice, and difficulty too. She also brilliantly illuminates our own times through Kay's preoccupation with the idea of "difference"--between people, classes, continents, cultures, customs, and species. A breathtaking tour-de-force by one of our most celebrated authors, a writer with the astonishing ability to bring a past world to vivid life while revealing the moral complexity of our own.

"As Leonora and Max embark on remarkable journeys together and apart, the full story of their tumultuous and passionate love affair unfolds, spanning time and borders as they seek to reunite and reclaim their creative power in a world shattered by war. When their paths cross with Peggy Guggenheim, an art collector and socialite working to help artists escape to America, nothing will be the same"--Provided by publisher

For almost twenty-five years, Jeff and Pat Robbins lived with the knowledge that their identical twin daughters, Charlotte and Vanessa, diagnosed with cystic fibrosis at age nine months, would die young. In spite of this overwhelming terminal illness, they raised their girls to be joyful, hopeful, full of life and most important, abundant in love. Choosing to live and work on a thoroughbred horse farm, living an idyllic, simple life focused on time spent together as a family, Charlotte and Vanessa grew up trusting in life. Secure in who they were and the bond they shared as twins allowed them to venture into life fearlessly to follow their dreams of acting, painting and writing five children's books together. For college, they moved three thousand miles away from home, where they found happiness and the love of two incredible young men. This is the story of their remarkable journey. Written by Pat, the girls' voices are threaded throughout each chapter, using their own words taken from a documentary, a news program and their journals allowing them to tell their unique story of living and loving.

An Irish mother faces her destiny in California as the acclaimed trilogy comes to an end—“a vibrant picture of American history in the mid-19th century” (Historical Novel Society). With her two children, Gracelin O’Malley travels to post–Gold Rush San Francisco to meet the sea captain who has proposed marriage to her. But when she arrives, he is nowhere to be found. Destitute in a city filled with gangs, disillusioned soldiers, and professional gamblers, Grace takes a position as a cook for one of the city’s most prominent doctors—only to become caught up in a tangled web of blackmail and betrayal. Determined to make a secure life for her children and find her brother, Sean, Gracelin sets in motion a series of events that change the future of everyone around her, never dreaming that the man she thought she’d lost forever is still alive and determined to find his way back to her. Dickensian in scope, with a full cast of riveting characters, Ann Moore’s ’Til Morning Light is the stunning conclusion to the enthralling story of Gracelin O’Malley, a heroine for the ages.

Illustrations and rhyming text evoke images from nature as reassurance at bedtime. On board pages.

Love Never Dies Nothing could have prepared Ginny Brock for the most devastating experience a parent can have—the death of her child. But after an amazing vision in which she finds herself guiding her son Drew's spirit into the light, Ginny embarks on a journey that teaches her that our lost loved ones can, in fact, remain very present in our lives. From vivid dreams to meaningful signs, Ginny learns to recognize how those in spirit communicate with their loved ones on earth. This remarkable true story recounts the beautiful messages Ginny received from the other side, and the extraordinary one-on-one conversations she continues to have with her son Drew. By Morning's Light offers hope to anyone who has ever lost a loved one, showing how we can indeed move through profound grief and continue to have a relationship with those we love.

For newly smitten soul mates Annie Wilson and Peter Franklin, the summer they spend together before college in the picturesque resort towns of Door County, Wisconsin has meaning that may last long after the August sun has faded. That is, if they can just survive the chill of the world beyond it. Morning Light: A Door County Love Story is the captivating work of romantic fiction by Michael Pritzkow that charts the star-crossed tale of two young lovers, who must come together to learn that first love may very well be the one that endures. When Annie and Peter find each other, their romance at first seems as smooth sailing as the excursions they enjoy on their favorite sailboat. However, it's not long before the harsh winds of reality take their toll on the two. When Peter invites her to an elite summer party at the summer home of wealthy friends of his family in the resort town of Ephraim, the difference in their backgrounds becomes painfully clear. The rift also serves as the perfect opportunity for their womanizing friend Dennis to run a little self-serving interference. That's just the beginning of their troubles. Can their love last until the morning light?

The story of a famous abstract painter at the end of her life--her family, her art, and the long-buried secrets that won't stay hidden for much longer. Ninety-three-year-old Violet Swan has spent a lifetime translating tragedy and hardship into art, becoming famous for her abstract paintings, which evoke tranquility, innocence, and joy. For nearly a century Violet has lived a peaceful, private life of painting on the coast of Oregon. The "business of Violet" is run by her only child, Francisco, and his wife, Penny. But shortly before Violet's death, an earthquake sets a series of events in motion, and her deeply hidden past begins to resurface. When her beloved grandson returns home with a family secret in tow, Violet is forced to come to terms with the life she left behind so long ago--a life her family knows nothing about. A generational saga set against the backdrop of twentieth-century America and into the present day, Pale Morning Light with Violet Swan is the story of a girl who escaped rural Georgia at fourteen during World War II, crossing the country alone and broke. It is the story of how that girl met the man who would become her devoted husband, how she became a celebrated artist, and above all, how her life, inspired by nothing more than the way she imagined it to be, would turn out to be her greatest masterpiece.

Weems's lyrical poetry is a reminder of the importance of true discipleship. She challenges Christians to look past the ongoing distractions of the "busy work" of church meetings and socials, new programs and technology, and inevitable conflict, while reminding readers in her singularly expressive voice that the "institution" of the church is, at heart, quite simply all about Jesus. This collection of poems, written to be used in worship, in personal devotions, and in discussion groups, is organized to follow the liturgical year from Advent through Easter. Kneeling in Bethlehem In a style that is contemporary, reverent, and faith-filled, the poet offers a collection of meaningful poems reflecting on the Christmas season.

Reared by her Pharoh father to assume his throne upon his death, Hatshepsut--a real historical figure--has to contend with her weak half-brother before she can realize her dream.