Not only one of the last of over one hundred slave narratives published separately before the Civil War, Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl (1861) is also one of the few existing narratives written by a woman. It offers a unique perspective on the complex plight of the black woman as slave and as writer. In a story that merges the conventions of the slave narrative with the techniques of the sentimental novel, Harriet Jacobs describes her efforts to fight off the advances of her master, her eventual liaison with another white man (the father of two of her children), and her ultimately successful struggle for freedom. Jacobs' account of her experiences, and her search for her own voice, prefigure the literary and ideological concerns of generations of African-American women writers to come.

Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy manage to lead interesting lives despite Father's absence at war and the family's lack of money. Whether they're putting on a play or forming a secret society, their gaiety is infectious. Written from Louisa May Alcott's own experiences, this remarkable novel has been treasured for generations.

A WOMAN TO BLAME - finalist for the Moonlight and Magnolia's "Maggie" Award.

All Rick Parrish wants is his bar back!

Pappy's Crab Shack is the go-to place for the marina owner & fishing boat captain to kick back, have a cold beer, some conch fritters and, for a little while, leave some unfortunate memories behind. Watching those gaudy-awful sunsets from his favorite chair isn't bad either. So the last thing he wants is his Florida Keys hangout turned into a fancy-ass French restaurant.

Rick returns from vacation to find Pappy is in the hospital and has given granddaughter Bryn (a design consultant) carte blanche to "improve" Pappy's Crab Shack. A furious Rick and a determined Bryn go head to head over the changes. Rick insists nobody on Malabar Key is interested in a gourmet restaurant while Bryn insists it's just the thing to improve business on the key.

Bryn senses Rick has a secret in his past compelling him to fight the changes but she grits her teeth and waits for him to explain. Just what does tiny August Moon Key have to do with Rick and his former wife? Meanwhile Bryn and Rick are shanghaied to co-chair a fund raiser for a new ambulance, but the unwanted sexual attraction they have for each other is complicating everything.

Well into the renovations Bryn comes to realize her upscale restaurant is not a good fit for the laid back life style on Malabar Key. She bravely confesses this to Rick. He is awed by the redhead's humble admission. They can no longer put off the inevitable and begin an intimate and very passionate relationship. Still Bryn wants to know what happened to Rick five years ago out on August Moon Key.

susanconnellbooks.com

A WOMAN TO BLAME - finalist for the Moonlight and Magnolia's "Maggie" Award.

All Rick Parrish wants is his bar back!

Pappy's Crab Shack is the go-to place for the marina owner & fishing boat captain to kick back, have a cold beer, some conch fritters and, for a little while, leave some unfortunate memories behind. Watching those gaudy-awful sunsets from his favorite chair isn't bad either. So the last thing he wants is his Florida Keys hangout turned into a fancy-ass French restaurant.

Rick returns from vacation to find Pappy is in the hospital and has given granddaughter Bryn (a design consultant) carte blanche to "improve" Pappy's Crab Shack. A furious Rick and a determined Bryn go head to head over the changes. Rick insists nobody on Malabar Key is interested in a gourmet restaurant while Bryn insists it's just the thing to improve business on the key.

Bryn senses Rick has a secret in his past compelling him to fight the changes but she grits her teeth and waits for him to explain. Just what does tiny August Moon Key have to do with Rick and his former wife? Meanwhile Bryn and Rick are shanghaied to co-chair a fund raiser for a new ambulance, but the unwanted sexual attraction they have for each other is complicating everything.

Well into the renovations Bryn comes to realize her upscale restaurant is not a good fit for the laid back life style on Malabar Key. She bravely confesses this to Rick. He is awed by the redhead's humble admission. They can no longer put off the inevitable and begin an intimate and very passionate relationship. Still Bryn wants to know what happened to Rick five years ago out on August Moon Key.

susanconnellbooks.com

Priscilla Phipps will not be deterred from her goal, even if it means facing up to the powerful Wyoming Stock Grower's Association and cattle barons like Adam Whittington, who want the homesteaders--the very people who are supporting the newspaper Priscilla is trying to establish--driven out of Wyoming. But Adam has his own means of handling the troublesome spinster who's alienating every cattleman in the area, raising havoc with his libido, and putting a damper on his run for mayor of Cheyenne. And Priscilla, a maiden lady who's never been touched by a man in her life, suddenly finds herself lusting after forbidden desires.

Years after Leah Lynch's divorce, she's grown tired of dead-end affairs and yearns for a lifelong mate. Although she's a sassy, independent woman living in New York City, she fears attending her daughter's upcoming wedding as an unattached woman. To reflect on her past and invent a new lifestyle with a committed man, she books a flight to Madrid for a soul-searching trip. Not included is meeting Miguel Santiago, an intriguing seatmate, who sidetracks her straight into bed when they land. A Collector of Affections: Tales from a Woman's Heart is a heartfelt travelogue of Leah's life with Miguel and their love story, as he struggles with his commitment to another woman. When diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, he faces his sobering truths. Leah also confronts her reality that transcends the magic of travel and chance meetings. It's then they come to grips with life without one another.

This collection chronicles the fiction and non fiction classics by the greatest writers the world has ever known. The inclusion of both popular as well as overlooked pieces is pivotal to providing a broad and representative collection of classic works.

The Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Peter the Great, Nicholas and Alexandra, and The Romanovs returns with another masterpiece of narrative biography, the extraordinary story of an obscure young German princess who traveled to Russia at fourteen and rose to become one of the most remarkable, powerful, and captivating women in history.

Born into a minor noble family, Catherine transformed herself into Empress of Russia by sheer determination. Possessing a brilliant mind and an insatiable curiosity as a young woman, she devoured the works of Enlightenment philosophers and, when she reached the throne, attempted to use their principles to guide her rule of the vast and backward Russian empire. She knew or corresponded with the preeminent historical figures of her time: Voltaire, Diderot, Frederick the Great, Empress Maria Theresa of Austria, Marie Antoinette, and, surprisingly, the American naval hero, John Paul Jones.

Reaching the throne fired by Enlightenment philosophy and determined to become the embodiment of the “benevolent despot” idealized by Montesquieu, she found herself always contending with the deeply ingrained realities of Russian life, including serfdom. She persevered, and for thirty-four years the government, foreign policy, cultural development, and welfare of the Russian people were in her hands. She dealt with domestic rebellion, foreign wars, and the tidal wave of political change and violence churned up by the French Revolution that swept across Europe. Her reputation depended entirely on the perspective of the speaker. She was praised by Voltaire as the equal of the greatest of classical philosophers; she was condemned by her enemies, mostly foreign, as “the Messalina of the north.”

Catherine’s family, friends, ministers, generals, lovers, and enemies—all are here, vividly described. These included her ambitious, perpetually scheming mother; her weak, bullying husband, Peter (who left her lying untouched beside him for nine years after their marriage); her unhappy son and heir, Paul; her beloved grandchildren; and her “favorites”—the parade of young men from whom she sought companionship and the recapture of youth as well as sex. Here, too, is the giant figure of Gregory Potemkin, her most significant lover and possible husband, with whom she shared a passionate correspondence of love and separation, followed by seventeen years of unparalleled mutual achievement.

The story is superbly told. All the special qualities that Robert K. Massie brought to Nicholas and Alexandra and Peter the Great are present here: historical accuracy, depth of understanding, felicity of style, mastery of detail, ability to shatter myth, and a rare genius for finding and expressing the human drama in extraordinary lives.

History offers few stories richer in drama than that of Catherine the Great. In this book, this eternally fascinating woman is returned to life.

Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2011: Once upon a time, there was a minor German princess named Sophia. In 1744, at the age of 14, she was taken by her ambitious mother--removed from her family, her religion, and her country--to a foreign land with a single goal: marry a prince and bear him an heir. Once in Russia, she changed her name, learned the language, and went on to become the world's richest and most powerful woman, ruler of its then-largest empire. She is remembered as Catherine the Great.

There may be no better author than Robert K. Massie to take on the daunting task of documenting this most rare of human lives. Massie, a former president of the Authors Guild, is a seasoned biographer of the 400-year Romanov dynasty, most notably with Peter the Great: His Life and World, which won a Pulitzer Prize in 1981 and remains one of the most arresting biographies I've even encountered.

In his page-turning chronicle of Catherine II, Massie (now 82) compiles the most complete and compelling narrative to date of this singular woman. Married to an incompetent man-child who was unwilling or unable to help her fulfill her primary role--giving birth to a son--she ultimately grew to become a trailblazer among monarchs: friend of philosophical giants, incomparable patron of the arts, prosecutor of multiple wars, pioneer of public health, maker of kings, and prodigious serial lover.

Indeed, her accomplishments and shortcomings as an autocrat and a woman make for a remarkable saga, but that's not to say that just any author could do justice to Catherine's lasting legacy. (Many have tried.) Massie situates Catherine's early life and three-decade reign as empress amidst the tumult of the European Enlightenment, enriching his own narrative with telling excerpts of her letters and rich discussions of her political environment and personal motivations.

Put simply, Massie is just the man to take this endlessly fascinating life and craft an utterly memorable book. Catherine the Great: Portrait of a Woman is a towering accomplishment, one of the year's best books in any genre. --Jason Kirk

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Featured Images from Catherine the Great

The imperial coronation crown designed for Catherine. The crown was used in all six of the Romanov coronations that followed.

Catherine's coronation portrait. She is wearing her new imperial crown.

Paul, Catherine's son, in one of the Prussian uniforms he delighted in wearing.

Portrait of Peter III

Gregory Orlov, Catherine's third lover, who was with her for eleven years and helped to put her on the throne.

Gregory Potemkin, covered with medals, titles, land, palaces, and responsibilities by a passionately loving Catherine.

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For every secret
Detective Lindsay Boxer's long-awaited wedding celebration becomes a distant memory when she is called to investigate a horrendous crime: a badly injured teenage girl is left for dead, and her newborn baby is nowhere to be found. Lindsay discovers that not only is there no trace of the criminals--but that the victim may be keeping secrets as well.

For every lie
At the same time, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano is prosecuting the biggest case of her life--a woman who has been accused of murdering her husband in front of her two young children. Yuki's career rests on a guilty verdict, so when Lindsay finds evidence that could save the defendant, she is forced to choose. Should she trust her best friend or follow her instinct?

There's a different way to die
Lindsay's every move is watched by her new boss, Lieutenant Jackson Brady, and when the pressure to find the baby begins interfering with her new marriage to Joe, she wonders if she'll ever be able to start a family. With James Patterson's white-hot speed and unquenchable action, 10th Anniversary is the most deliciously chilling Women's Murder Club book ever.

This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare s finesse to Oscar Wilde s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library.

The four March sisters--Meg, Amy, Beth, and feisty Jo--share the joys and sorrows of growing up while their father is away at war. The family is poor in worldly goods, but rich in love and character.  


From the Trade Paperback edition.

"A horse is a horse of course unless of course the horse is Black Beauty. Animal-loving children have been devoted to Black Beauty throughout this century, and no doubt will continue through the next. Although Anna Sewell's classic paints a clear picture of turn-of-the-century London, its message is universal and timeless: animals will serve humans well if they are treated with consideration and kindness.

Black Beauty tells the story of the horse's own long and varied life, from a well-born colt in a pleasant meadow to an elegant carriage horse for a gentleman to a painfully overworked cab horse. Throughout, Sewell rails--in a gentle, 19th-century way--against animal maltreatment. Young readers will follow Black Beauty's fortunes, good and bad, with gentle masters as well as cruel. Children can easily make the leap from horse-human relationships to human-human relationships, and begin to understand how their own consideration of others may be a benefit to all. (Ages 9 to 12)"