A droll and poignant novel of family dysfunction, certain to be relished by Anne Tyler and Alice Hoffman fans. April Stevens' spare prose and ear for the varied vernacular of life-styles and generations make her debut novel a wonderfully appealing, and quietly penetrating, study in remembrance and regeneration.

'SMART, FUNNY AND RELEVANT' - Melina Marchetta, bestselling author Looking for Alibrandi and Saving Francesca Five teenagers. Five lives. One final year. The school captain: Ryan has it all ... or at least he did, until an accident snatched his dreams away. How will he rebuild his life and what does the future hold for him now? The newcomer: Charlie's just moved interstate and she's determined not to fit in. She's just biding her time until Year 12 is over and she can head back to her real life and her real friends ... The loner: At school, nobody really notices Matty. But at home, Matty is everything. He's been single-handedly holding things together since his mum's breakdown, and he's never felt so alone. The popular girl: Well, the popular girl's best friend ... cool by association. Tammi's always bowed to peer pressure, but when the expectations become too much to handle, will she finally stand up for herself? The politician's daughter: Gillian's dad is one of the most recognisable people in the state and she's learning the hard way that life in the spotlight comes at a very heavy price. Five unlikely teammates thrust together against their will. Can they find a way to make their final year a memorable one or will their differences tear their world apart?

The author of the bestselling The Third Man Factor examines the shockingly common phenomenon of the "Angel Effect": when people feel visited by an otherworldly presence in times of great danger or desperation. Do "angels" exist?I If so, are they heaven-sent or products of the human brain? After the publication of the bestseller The ThirdMan Factor, which examined the phenomenon of explorers who found themselves at the edge of death and experienced a benevolent presence that led them out of the impossible, John Geiger was inundated with firsthand accounts from people who had the same experience -- a vivid presence that aided them as they faced crises ranging from physical and sexual assaults to automobile accidents, airplane crashes, serious illness, childbirth, and depression. The Angel Effect examines this phenomenon, and Geiger argues that it has the potential to aid us, even to save us, and asks whether it is a trainable skill. He investigates the numerous experiences along with historical accounts and scientific research as he reveals compelling discoveries about the human brain and our innate capacity to hope.

When you really need answers to your pressing life questions, the Angel Guidance Board gives you quick and clear guidance about your career, love life, family, health, finances, and other important areas. Doreen Virtue has used oracle boards (such as Ouija and scrying boards) since childhood, and has always found them to be complicated and time-consuming. So, she designed this board to be extremely simple, quick, and easy to use. Includes: • A folding board • One pair of crystal dice • Four angel markers to give you guidance and answers • An instruction booklet

“Like Richard Russo’s Straight Man this book has a lot to say about the humanities in American colleges and universities…. Very funny and also moving.” —Tom Perrotta, New York Post A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: NPR and Boston Globe Finally a novel that puts the "pissed" back into "epistolary." Jason Fitger is a beleaguered professor of creative writing and literature at Payne University, a small and not very distinguished liberal arts college in the midwest. His department is facing draconian cuts and squalid quarters, while one floor above them the Economics Department is getting lavishly remodeled offices. His once-promising writing career is in the doldrums, as is his romantic life, in part as the result of his unwise use of his private affairs for his novels. His star (he thinks) student can't catch a break with his brilliant (he thinks) work Accountant in a Bordello, based on Melville's Bartleby. In short, his life is a tale of woe, and the vehicle this droll and inventive novel uses to tell that tale is a series of hilarious letters of recommendation that Fitger is endlessly called upon by his students and colleagues to produce, each one of which is a small masterpiece of high dudgeon, low spirits, and passive-aggressive strategies. We recommend Dear Committee Members to you in the strongest possible terms. Don’t miss Julie Schumacher's new novel, The English Experience, coming soon.