Will a city girl’s horse dreams ever come true? For Jordan McKenzie, moving from Los Angeles to rural Michigan was a big change. In LA, she was used to giant shopping malls and classmates who came to school in makeup and heels. In North Adams, Michigan, the nearest Walmart is thirty miles away. Since Jordan is a jeans-and-sneakers kind of girl, she hoped she’d fit in better here—plus, there are horses in Michigan! She has wanted one forever, but in LA they were too expensive. Draft horses—gentle giants—are her favorites, with their dependable demeanors, huge size, and muscle power. Even though all the North Adams kids have horses, Jordan’s busy mother barely agrees to let her coop a couple of chickens on their newly rented farm. Jordan’s wish may never come true. Then she meets Star Gazer, a Percheron mare, at a farm auction and makes a desperate bid to save the aging horse from the slaughterhouse. Jordan is thrilled to bring her home, but Star Gazer is lame and skittish. Can Jordan’s loving care nurse her back to health? And can she make Star Gazer a part of the family before her mother decides to find her a new home?
** SELECTED AS ONE OF COSMOPOLITAN'S HOTTEST NEW BEACH READS FOR SUMMER 2022 ** It's a fine line between admiration and envy. Diana Martin has lived her life in the shadow of her sadistic older brother. She quietly watches the family next door, enthralled by celebrity fashion designer Marianne Taylor and her feted daughter, Aurelle. She wishes she were a 'Taylor girl'. By the summer of 1995, the two girls are at university together, bonded by a mutual desire to escape their wealthy families and personal tragedies and forge new identities. They are closer than lovers, intoxicated by their own bond, falling into the hedonistic seduction of the woods and the water at a remote university that is more summer camp than campus. But when burgeoning artist Diana has a chance at fame, cracks start to appear in their friendship. To what lengths is Diana willing to go to secure her own stardom? The lines between love, envy and obsession blur in Laurie Petrou's utterly enthralling, unceasingly tense new novel. A darkly compelling coming-of-age story, perfect for fans of Donna Tartt's The Secret History or Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies. 'A dark and dreamlike journey into the obsession, envy and love between two young friends in the 90s. The tension simmers in this atmospheric lake-side setting until the crushing end. Laurie Petrou's writing is melodic and immersive. A delicious read!' - Ashley Audrain, New York Times bestselling author of The Push 'A lyrical, nuanced deep dive into female friendship and all of its messy complexities. Laurie Petrou writes with a sharp observational eye and lush, gorgeous prose. Stargazer is an emotional masterpiece, both gritty and incandescent at once' - Laurie Elizabeth Flynn, bestselling author of The Girls Are All So Nice 'Tense is an understatement when it comes to describing Stargazer. Dark, but written with elegance, Stargazer will have you hooked' - Living North Magazine 'Stargazer entwines obsession, adulation and chilling female friendship into an enthralling, addictive read. Giving off strong The Secret History vibes, it drew me in from the first pages, and it'll make you want to be a 'Taylor girl', even though you know it's not a good idea...' - Lisa Hall, bestselling author of Between You and Me 'A chilling look at the fine line between love and obsession, longing and desperation, ambition and mania... These women will haunt you' - Gin Phillips, bestselling author of The Well and the Mine 'An outstanding book with some of the most beautiful lines I've ever read' - Samantha M Bailey, bestselling author of Woman on the Edge 'Stargazer is a galaxy of a novel: At once a story of friendship, a coming of age, and a dark and utterly captivating tale of family, lust, loss, fame, art and the ever competing hope and destructiveness of youth' - Amy Stuart, bestselling author of Still Mine 'A sinuous, captivating exploration of the mysterious depths of female friendship that had me hooked from its first pages... This unforgettable novel from a truly talented novelist is perfect for fans of Celeste Ng' - Marissa Stapley, bestselling author of The Last Resort 'A slow-burn literary thriller in the best possible way: eerie, beautiful, and impossible to put down. I loved it' - Robyn Harding, bestselling author of The Perfect Family 'Readers who loved Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend will love Stargazer, a haunting tale of female friendship that explores the delicate and dangerous territory - in art and in love - that lies between inspiration and exploitation' - Heather Young, author of The Lost Girls
The Star Gazer, a coming-of-age novel, is one of those stories. It tells of the struggle of every man to find both joy and meaning in life while battling the instability and unhappiness that surrounds us all.
From the opening line—"Captain Ahab was neither my first husband nor my last"—you will know that you are in the hands of a master storyteller and in the company of a fascinating woman hero. Inspired by a brief passage in Moby-Dick, Sena Jeter Naslund has created an enthralling and compellingly readable saga, spanning a rich, eventful, and dramatic life. At once a family drama, a romantic adventure, and a portrait of a real and loving marriage, Ahab's Wife gives new perspective on the American experience. This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Explore the night sky, identify stars, constellations, and even planets. Stargaze with a telescope, binoculars, or even your naked eye. Allow Dr. Jason Lisle, a research scientist with a masters and PhD in astrophysics, to guide you in examining the beauty of God’s Creation. Lisle designed Stargazer's Guide to the Night Sky for everyone from young students to amateur astronomers. In it you will: Learn the best ways and optimal times to observe planets and stars Discover how to choose the best telescope for you Find 150 stunning, full-color star-charts and other easy to use illustrations for success “How do phases of the moon work? When will the next solar eclipse take place? What is that bright star setting in the west? How do I find Saturn? What sorts of objects can be seen with binoculars?” These questions and many more are easily answered with the helpful tips and basic understanding of astronomy presented in this book. Create or expand the hobby of stargazing; an outdoor, educational hobby to enjoy with friends or family. Regardless of your circumstances and the economy, you will always be able to marvel at the beauty of our night sky.
From the acclaimed author of The Last First Day, here is a beautiful new period novel: a nineteenth-century story of female empowerment before its time, based on the life of Caroline Herschel, sister of the great composer and astronomer William Herschel and an astronomer in her own right. This exquisitely imagined novel opens as William rescues Caroline from a life of drudgery in Germany and brings her to England and a world of music making and stargazing. Lina, as Caroline is known, serves as William’s assistant and the captain of his exhilaratingly busy household. William is generous, wise, and charismatic, an obsessive genius whom Lina adores and serves with the fervency of a beloved wife. When William suddenly announces that he will be married, Lina watches her world collapse. With her characteristically elegant prose, Carrie Brown creates from history a compelling story that interweaves familial collaboration and conflict with a haunting exploration of the sublime beauty of astronomy and our small but essential place within a vast and astonishing cosmos. Through Lina’s trials and successes we witness the dawning of an early feminist consciousness—a woman struggling to find her own place among the stars.
Memories of lifeguard days and of political boss Nucky Johnson get psychiatrist Don Carter thinking about his youth in Atlantic City. Plagued by guilt over an arrest made under the Boardwalk three decades earlier, Don returns to his hometown and finds a wasteland of empty lots and gaudy casinos. Gone is the vitality of former times, when Nucky and then Hap Farley ran the show. As Don puts it, The town has turned to shit! What he doesnt know is that the stargazer he arrested so long ago is waiting for him. Soon Don is swept up in a criminal world he does not understand. Complicating the situation is his infatuation with Laura, an old flame. In desperation, he turns to a man he has deliberately avoided for yearsBenito Desimone, his wifes uncle and a leader of the Philadelphia Mafia. Benito shares Dons love for Pirandello and uses the Sicilian author to try to bring him to his senses about Laura. When Benito makes Don an offer he cant refuse, Don has to decide whether to join forces with him. This psychological thriller reaches its dramatic climax in the mountains of North Carolina.
