Smoke Mountain by Erin Hunter (2009)

The Last Great Wilderness... There is a place where bears can live in peace, where there is sea-ice all year, where the forests are full of prey, where flat-faces never go. Polar bears Kallik and Taqqiq, black bear Lusa, grizzly Toklo, and the shape-shifting Ujurak believe that this fabled bear paradise must be the destination of their quest. But the path they follow is dangerous. The burning Smoke Mountains are more treacherous than anything the bears have faced before, and tensions run high as they encounter obstacle after obstacle. A rushing river and hostile flat-faces separate them from their goal, and a bear is pushed to the brink of death. Signs and omens point in different directions, and the bears, though traveling together, must each follow his or her own star... causing one bear to leave the group forever.But as the others travel on, they soon learn that it will take all their strength and determination to reach their destination. And, if they reach it at last, they may learn that what they thought was their quest's end is in fact a new beginning... ---------- **Books in this series** 1. [The Quest Begins][1] 2. [Great Bear Lake][2] 3. Smoke Mountain 4. [The Last Wilderness][4] 5. [Fire in the Sky][5] 6. [Spirits in the Stars][6] [1]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5714303W [2]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5714275W [4]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL5714277W [5]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL14906954W [6]: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL17445024W

The Gathering Storm by Robert Jordan (2009)

Rand al'Thor, the Dragon Reborn, struggles to unite a fractured network of kingdoms and alliances in preparation for the Last Battle. Meanwhile, Egwene al'Vere, the Amyrlin Seat of the rebel Aes Sedai, is being held captive by the White Tower. Knowing the Seanchan attack is imminent, she fights to hold the Aes Sedai together in an epic contest that will prove the mettle of her followers and will decide the future of the White Tower---and possibly the world itself. The first of three novels that will make up "A Memory of Light" and mark the conclusion of the Wheel of Time.

Lila by Marilynne Robinson (2014)

Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by a canny young drifter and together they crafted a life on the run. Despite some petty violence and moments of desperation, their life was laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to reconcile the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle Christian worldview of her husband which paradoxically judges those she loves. Lila, homeless and alone after years of roaming the countryside, steps inside a small-town Iowa church -- the only available shelter from the rain -- and ignites a romance and a debate that will reshape her life. She becomes the wife of a minister, John Ames, and begins a new existence while trying to make sense of the days of suffering that preceded her newfound security. Neglected as a toddler, Lila was rescued by Doll, a canny young drifter, and brought up by her in a hardscrabble childhood. Together they crafted a life on the run, living hand-to-mouth with nothing but their sisterly bond and a ragged blade to protect them. But despite bouts of petty violence and moments of desperation, their shared life is laced with moments of joy and love. When Lila arrives in Gilead, she struggles to harmonize the life of her makeshift family and their days of hardship with the gentle Christian worldview of her husband that paradoxically judges those she loves.

George and the Big Bang by Lucy Hawking (2010)

George tries to escape a host of problems by going to Switzerland to help his friend Annie's father, Eric, run an experiment exploring the origins of the universe, but faces saboteurs and a mysterious message from George's old nemesis, Reeper, there. Includes scientific essays exploring the latest theories on the origin of the universe.

La Biblia De Barro by Julia Navarro Fernandez (2005)

Una arqueóloga iraquí nieta de un poderoso hombre con un oscuro pasado, cuatro ancianos con sed de venganza, traficantes de arte sin escrúpulos, un hombre en la sombra que mueve muchos hilos -El Mentor-, dos asesinos a sueldo y un cura que escuchó una confesión que jamás debió oír... Estos son algunos de los protagonistas de un rompecabezas inquietante que no se resuelve hasta la últmia página. Tral el éxito de su primera novela La Hermandad de la Sabana Santa, Julia Navarro se confirma con La Biblia de Barro como maestra en la creación de tramas que atrapan al lector desde la primera página. El mundo del arte, la Segunda Guerra Mundial y sobre todo el poder que mueve los hilos del mundo por encima de la política y las creencias son los auténticos protagonistas de esta novela que llevará al lector por la historia y la intriga hasta un apasionante y sorprendente final. From the internationally bestselling author of The Brotherhood of the Holy Shroud comes this electrifying new suspense thriller about a biblical discovery in the remote Iraqi desert--and a deadly struggle being waged on the eve of war to uncover a truth that's waited 3,000 years to be told....In St. Peter's Basilica, a man sits in a confessional asking forgiveness for a murder he's about to commit. And a young priest begins a desperate journey to stop him....It's only the beginning of a ruthless race among the world's most powerful to find a rumored cache of sacred texts inscribed with the story of Creation as told by Abraham. This account, on tablets of clay, predates the Bible by a thousand years and could be one of the most important discoveries of all time.Archaeologist Clara Tannenberg's announcement of an excavation to seek the tablets has set off shock waves of outrage, contempt, and outright disbelief. But among four old friends, bound through decades by shared tragedy, the announcement has renewed their hunger for revenge. For Clara's reclusive, infamous grandfather Alfred is a man as feared as he is hated and his enemies will stop at nothing to destroy him--and use anything as a weapon...even his granddaughter.Among rumors of Iraq's imminent invasion, time is already running out. As Clara and her husband Ahmed put together a ragtag team of renegade archaeologists and inexperienced students to excavate the Bible of Clay from deep within the heart of Iraq, another far more sinister team is determined to get there first. For Alfred Tannenberg has roots that reach deeply into the horrors of Nazi Germany and they've come to fruition in today's highest precincts of power.Sweeping from the time of the biblical patriarchs to the front lines of the Iraqi conflict to the parties and back rooms of Washington D.C., and other centers of influence, The Bible of Clay is a thriller of unrelenting, thought-provoking, and all-too-plausible suspense.From the Hardcover edition.

The house by Danielle Steel (2005)

The restoration of a majestic old home provides the exhilarating backdrop for DanielleSteel's sixty-sixth bestselling novel.A young woman's dream, an old man's gift, and the surprises that await us behind every closed door. . .The house on the hill outside San Francisco was magnificent, built in 1923 by a wealthy man for the woman he adored. When Sarah, a perfectly sensible lawyer, walks through its empty rooms, she is drawn to the once-grand mansion in a way she cannot explain.– to a drama that first unfolded in war-torn France, and to a history she never knew she had.Using an unexpected legacy, Sarah takes on the dilapidated house and its mysteries. With the help of architect Jeff Parker Sarah brings the exquisite house back to life, and as one relationship shatters and another begins, she discovers a whole new future.A novel of daring and hope, of embracing life and taking chances ...

The Lowland by Jhumpa Lahiri (2013)

Brothers Subhash and Udayan Mitra pursue vastly different lives--Udayan in rebellion-torn Calcutta, Subhash in a quiet corner of America--until a shattering tragedy compels Subhash to return to India, where he endeavors to heal family wounds.

The Woman in the Window: A Novel by A. J. Finn (2017)

Anna Fox spends her day drinking wine, watching old movies, and spying on her neighbors. But when she sees something she shouldn't, Anna's world begins to crumble.

Bed of Roses by Nora Roberts (2009)

Love blooms in the second novel in Nora Roberts's celebrated Bride Quartet series.As little girls MacKensie, Emma, Laurel, and Parker spent hours acting out their perfect make believe "I do" moments. Years later their fantasies become reality when they start their own wedding planning company to make every woman's dream day come true. With perfect flowers, delicious desserts, and joyful moments captured on film, Nora Roberts's Bride Quartet shares each woman's emotionally magical journey to romance. In Bed of Roses, florist Emma Grant is finding career success with her friends at Vows wedding planning company, and her love life appears to be thriving. Though men swarm around her, she still hasn't found Mr. Right. And the last place she's looking is right under her nose. But that's just where Jack Cooke is. He's so close to the Women of Vows that he's practically family, but the architect has begun to admit to himself that his feelings for Emma have developed into much more than friendship. When Emma returns his passion—kiss for blistering kiss—they must trust in their history...and in their hearts.

Red bones by Ann Cleeves (2009)

In the aftermath of a young archaeologist's discovery of human remains that may be modern, Jimmy Perez is called in to investigate a case that is further complicated by the subsequent murder of an elderly woman.

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson (2012)

"The year is 2312. Scientific and technological advances have opened gateways to an extraordinary future. Earth is no longer humanity's only home; new habitats have been created throughout the solar system on moons, planets, and in between. But in this year, 2312, a sequence of events will force humanity to confront its past, its present, and its future. The first event takes place on Mercury, on the city of Terminator, itself a miracle of engineering on an unprecedented scale. It is an unexpected death, but one that might have been foreseen. For Swan Er Hong, it is an event that will change her life. Swan was once a woman who designed worlds. Now she will be led into a plot to destroy them"--

Inside Out & Back Again by Thanhha Lai (2011)

Inside Out & Back Again is a verse novel by Thanhha Lai. The book was awarded the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and one of the two Newbery Honors. The novel was based on her first year in the United States, as a ten-year-old girl who spoke no English in 1975.

Sizzle and Burn by Jayne Ann Krentz (2008)

Gifted with the unnerving psychometric ability to feel past, violent thoughts and feelings of others and hear them as voices in her head, Raine Tallentyre has used her "intuition" to solve crimes but has learned the hard way not to share the whole truth. Zack Jones, a psychic mirror talent and private investigator, contacts her for help in stopping the evil Nightshade cabal in its deadly quest for power, and she encounters a man who actually understands and shares her abilities-and is drawn into a passionate, heart-stopping, multilayered adventure that takes all of their combined strength to survive. A crazed, witch-burning serial killer, a creative batch of lethal psychics, and exquisitely paired soulmates head the cast of a "sizzlingly" chilling story that takes readers on another incredible journey into the riveting world of the Arcane Society. Krentz (White Lies) continues her action-packed psychic paranormal series, which includes stories set in both late Victorian England (under her Amanda Quick pseudonym) and modern-day America.

Little White Fish by Guido van Genechten (2007)

The Wild Robot by Peter Brown (2016)

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a fierce storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home--until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

Lady Killer by Lisa Scottoline (2008)

Mary DiNunzio is a trademark Lisa Scottoline heroine—she's strong, she's smart, and she's got plenty of attitude. In recent years, she's become a big-time business-getter at Rosato & Associates, but the last person she expects to walk into her office one morning—in mile-high stilettos—is super sexy Trish Gambone, her high school rival. Back then, while Mary was becoming the straight-A president of the Latin Club and Most Likely to Achieve Sainthood, Trish was the head Mean Girl, who flunked religion and excelled at smoking in the bathroom.As it turns out, however, Trish's life has taken a horrifying turn. She's terrified of her live-in boyfriend, who's an abusive, gun-toting drug dealer for the South Philly mob. There's only one problem—Mary remembers the guy from high school too. Unbeknownst to Trish, Mary had a major crush on him.Then Trish vanishes, a dead body turns up in an alley, and Mary is plunged into a nightmare, one that threatens her job, her family, and even her life. She goes on a one-woman crusade to unmask the killer, and on the way, finds new love in a very unexpected place.But before the novel's shocking surprise ending, Mary is forced to confront some very uncomfortable truths about her own past, and the profound effects of lifelong love—and hate.

Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (2020)

England, 1580: The Black Death creeps across the land, an ever-present threat, infecting the healthy, the sick, the old and the young alike. The end of days is near, but life always goes on. A young Latin tutor—penniless and bullied by a violent father—falls in love with an extraordinary, eccentric young woman. Agnes is a wild creature who walks her family’s land with a falcon on her glove and is known throughout the countryside for her unusual gifts as a healer, understanding plants and potions better than she does people. Once she settles with her husband on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon, she becomes a fiercely protective mother and a steadfast, centrifugal force in the life of her young husband, whose career on the London stage is just taking off when his beloved young son succumbs to sudden fever.

Cilka's Journal by Heather Morris (2019)

Her beauty saved her — and condemned her. Cilka is just sixteen years old when she is taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration Camp in 1942, where the commandant immediately notices how beautiful she is. Forcibly separated from the other women prisoners, Cilka learns quickly that power, even unwillingly taken, equals survival. When the war is over and the camp is liberated, freedom is not granted to Cilka: She is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to a Siberian prison camp. But did she really have a choice? And where do the lines of morality lie for Cilka, who was send to Auschwitz when she was still a child? In Siberia, Cilka faces challenges both new and horribly familiar, including the unwanted attention of the guards. But when she meets a kind female doctor, Cilka is taken under her wing and begins to tend to the ill in the camp, struggling to care for them under brutal conditions. Confronting death and terror daily, Cilka discovers a strength she never knew she had. And when she begins to tentatively form bonds and relationships in this harsh, new reality, Cilka finds that despite everything that has happened to her, there is room in her heart for love. From child to woman, from woman to healer, Cilka's journey illuminates the resilience of the human spirit—and the will we have to survive.

Last Argument of Kings by Joe Abercrombie (2008)

The King of the Union lies on his deathbed, the peasants revolt, and the nobles scramble to steal his crown. No one believes that the shadow of war is about to fall across the heart of the Union. Only the First of the Magi can save the world, but there are risks.

Before they are hanged by Joe Abercrombie (2007)

Superior Glokta has a problem. How do you defend a city surrounded by enemies and riddled with traitors, when your allies can by no means be trusted, and your predecessor vanished without a trace? It’s enough to make a torturer want to run – if he could even walk without a stick. Northmen have spilled over the border of Angland and are spreading fire and death across the frozen country. Crown Prince Ladisla is poised to drive them back and win undying glory. There is only one problem – he commands the worst-armed, worst-trained, worst-led army in the world. And Bayaz, the First of the Magi, is leading a party of bold adventurers on a perilous mission through the ruins of the past. The most hated woman in the South, the most feared man in the North, and the most selfish boy in the Union make a strange alliance, but a deadly one. They might even stand a chance of saving mankind from the Eaters. If they didn’t hate each other quite so much. Ancient secrets will be uncovered. Bloody battles will be won and lost. Bitter enemies will be forgiven – but not before they are hanged.