Illustrated by Cornelius Van Wright and Ying-Hwa Hu Belinda doesn't like the house by the river and, when a dramatic storm approaches, wishes she lived on higher ground in the town. If only her father was alive, she thinks, then she'd feel saver. But what Belinda discovers through the long night is that her house is made from more than wood and brick - it is fortified by the family. An unforgettable story of love and courage. Full colour illustrations thoughout. Ages 4 - 9.
Stephen Byrne strangled his housemaid to silence her screams. He felt no compulsion to admit his crime, but instead enlisted the help of a friend to help dispose of the body, before pointing the finger at this same friend in an attempt to steal the man’s lover. This chilling story of murder, betrayal and revenge reaches a thrilling climax.
A NATIONAL BESTSELLER "A fiery tour de force... I could not put this book down. It truly was terrifying and unutterably beautiful." -Alison Borden, The Denver Post From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars, the story of two college students on a wilderness canoe trip--a gripping tale of a friendship tested by fire, white water, and violence Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: The next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And, if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.
As a girl growing up in remote central Oregon, Sarahlee Lawrence dreamed of leaving her small town in search of adventure. By the age of twenty-one, she had rafted some of the most dangerous rivers of the world as an accomplished river guide. But living her dream as guide and advocate, riding and cleaning the arteries of the world, led her back to the place she least expected to find herself--her dusty beginnings and her family's ranch. River House is the beautiful chronicle of a daughter's return and her relationship with her father, whom she enlists to brave the cold winter and help her build a log house"--Cover flap.
THE BOOK CLUB PICK OF 2016! The River House is a spellbinding debut novel, resonant of childhoods past and the beauty of the Australian countryside. It is the late 1940s, and the Broody River runs through a maze of sandbanks into the Coral Sea. On its southern bank lies the holiday town of Baroodibah. But its northern shore is wild – unsettled except for the River House, an old weatherboard box on stumps where the Carlyle family take their holidays. For four-year-old Laurie Carlyle the house and its untold stories fire the imagination. It is a place of boating trips and nature collections, of the wind howling, the sheoaks sighing and the pelicans soaring into the blue sky. But when a squabble between Laurie and her older brother Tony takes an unexpected turn, she detects the first hints of family discord. As the years pass, the River House holidays seem to shine a light on the undercurrents in the family: the secret from her mother’s past, the bitterness between Tony and their father Doug, and her sister Miranda’s increasingly erratic and dangerous behaviour . . . Following the family’s story through the decades, The River House is a richly nostalgic novel about love and betrayal, personal tragedy and thwarted ambition, illusion and remorse. Above all it is about change, and the slow but relentless march of time. "Evocative, deeply Australian and beautifully written. A treat to read" Susan Duncan
Jocelyn Larsen returns to Virginia for the first time since she was a little girl to oversee repairs on her family's old river house. It feels like it's been at least that long since she followed her heart rather than a carefully laid plan. With room to breathe and time to think, she hopes for the chance to reflect on a life she's uncertain she still wants for herself. When she is reunited with Jack, her childhood bully, her intentions to relax and recenter herself are threatened by feelings she is resolved to get under control. He might have changed, but her determination to see all of her hard work through to the end has not.Jack Abrams is a contractor in Farnham, Virginia along the Rappahannock River, where he was born and raised. His life is far from what he imagined it would be a year earlier. In fact, most days, he feels as transient as the houseboat that he calls home. Ungrounded, detached, and at risk of drifting out to sea. But when Jocelyn, his childhood crush, unexpectedly renters his life, her light delivers hope of guiding him back to solid ground once again. As the space between Jocelyn and Jack grows smaller, and the need to rediscover one another grows stronger, they must both decide which life they want; the one they built for themselves, or the one that they built together.
A man must confront a terrifying evil in this captivating horror novel that's "as much F. Scott Fitzgerald as Dean Koontz."* Haunted by memories of the Great War, failed academic Frank Nichols and his wife have arrived in the sleepy Georgia town of Whitbrow, where Frank hopes to write a history of his family's old estate--the Savoyard Plantation--and the horrors that occurred there. At first their new life seems to be everything they wanted. But under the facade of summer socials and small-town charm, there is an unspoken dread that the townsfolk have lived with for generations. A presence that demands sacrifice. It comes from the shadowy woods across the river, where the ruins of the Savoyard Plantation still stand. Where a long-smoldering debt of blood has never been forgotten. Where it has been waiting for Frank Nichols....
“You think you got away with something, don’t you? But your time has run out. We know where you are. And we are coming.” Andrew Ranulf Blankenship is a stylish nonconformist with wry wit, a classic Mustang, and a massive library. He’s also a recovering alcoholic and a practicing warlock. His house is a maze of sorcerous booby traps and escape tunnels, as yours might be if you were sitting on a treasury of Russian magic stolen from the Soviet Union thirty years ago. Andrew has long known that magic is a brutal game requiring blood sacrifice and a willingness to confront death, but years of peace and comfort have left him more concerned with maintaining false youth than with seeing to his own defense. Now a monster straight from the pages of Russian folklore is coming for him, and frost and death are coming with her.
A heartwarming and timely tale featuring Bramble Badger and friends, from Roald Dahl Funny Prize Winner, Peter Bently, and beautifully illustrated by Charles Fuge, creator of the Little Wombat series. Bramble and his friends have no water! The brave badger must head upstream to find the problem. Can Bramble bring the water back to his friends? A warm and uplifting story, filled with adventure, to encourage conversations about caring for the world around us, with a gentle rhyme, loveable characters and and stunning illustrations. Other titles in the series: A Home Full of Friends A Home in the Snow
“This character-driven tale flows effortlessly with the author’s descriptive prose painting every emotional scene with care. Her skill at peeling away the layers of and revealing the raw pain in this incredibly complicated family is exemplary and extremely important to the narrative….Fans of Karen White, Kristin Hannah, Barbara Delinsky, and fantastic women’s fiction will have difficulty putting down this novel.” — Library Journal (starred review) "Beautiful, heart-rending, life-affirming." — Clare Mackintosh, author of I Let You Go and After the End “No one does dark family secrets like Hannah Richell . . . Beguiling, beautifully written and richly evocative, The River Home will sweep you away.” — Veronica Henry, author of How to Find Love in a Bookshop "Beautifully written, with powerful messages of hope and redemption woven through the sadness of the story. Very moving, very immersive. I loved it!" — Katherine Webb, author of The Legacy “A tender portrait of a perfectly imperfect family; wise, big-hearted, and beautifully written.” — Emylia Hall, author of The Book of Summers “Beautiful and gripping.” — Libby Page, author of The Lido “A brimming glassful of apple-scented summer escapism.” — Kirkus Reviews “Stunning . . . Amazing characters, beautiful setting, and utterly heart-breaking.” — Katherine Slee, author of The Book of Second Chances “Heartwrenching and beautifully written.” — Susan Elliot Wright, author of The Secrets We Left Behind Praise for The Peacock Summer: "A juicy mix of secrets and betrayals make The Peacock Summer by Hannah Richell a perfect holiday read.” — Good Housekeeping (UK) “This moving novel of family and missed opportunity will appeal to fans of Barbara Kingsolver.” — Booklist “The prose is lush and full-blooming, the pacing taut, and the setting brilliant with light and color as the suspense builds, pushing each woman to her breaking point. . . . Lillian and Maggie are rich and complex characters, struggling to embrace passion and yet fulfill their duty, and their alternating stories balance well against one another, imparting lessons on life, love, family, obligation, and—most of all—the enduring power and beauty of art. An immensely satisfying read.” — Historical Novel Society “Even more beguiling than her previous books. Stuffed full of family secrets, it’s a tale of longing and dappled sunlight and the shimmering heat of lust. Exquisite, glamorous and breath-holdingly plotted.” — Veronica Henry “Poignant, romantic and beautifully written, I was completely captivated by this dual narrative story about forbidden love. Hannah Richell is a gifted storyteller; The Peacock Summer a wonderfully immersive book. Absolutely gorgeous.” — Kate Riordan
