If you could leave your true love one final gift, what would it be? This intense, moment-by-moment chronicle begins with the officer's words, "She is deceased." For the next thirteen days following the fatal automobile accident of his wife, renowned thought-leader Dr. Seana Lowe Steffen, the author draws on nearly forty years of study and training with gurus and meditation teachers to discover ecstatic love, save fractured relationships, and glimpse a greater arc and purpose for being alive. The Final Gift of the Beloved: Her Disappearance--13 Days is the story of one man's sudden, astonishing brush with devastation and the Divine under the most heartbreaking of circumstances. A love story disguised as a tragedy, Steffen weaves extraordinarily poignant and powerful experiences with honesty and revelations that will change lives. Along with intense pain and emotion, prepare yourself for great beauty and transcendent insight, for nothing is as it appears.

The story of one courageous woman--Louise Viola Swanson Wollenberg--and her tremendous love of life and family and her faith and resolve. But it is also the story of her equally courageous family who, in the process of rising to the occasion and observing Louise's long-held final wishes, not only overcame so many stigmas about the process of death, but, at the same time, rediscovered what it means to celebrate life itself.--p. 4 of cover.

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

The standout memoir from BBC broadcaster and podcast founder, Rachel Bland, who captured the nation's hearts with her cancer journey.

In 130 of the Common Era Hadrian, the Emperor of all Rome, lost his Beloved to the muddy waters of the Nile. The loss of Antinous changed the emperor and the once sensible man was now dark, dangerous and consumed by guilt and obsession; guilt for the death of the youth and obsession with making that youth a god. The eight years that followed Antinouss death saw Hadrian feed that obsession with temples and sculptures of his Beloved as well as patronage of the cult that grew out of the story of the tragic youth. Despite the many beauties in his empire eager to satisfy his needs, those distractions paled in the morning light leaving a deeper sense of desolation in Hadrians life. Wandering the roads of that empire his thoughts always found their way to the memory of the blue-black curls, the sensuous mouth, the body more godlike than mortal. Even when surrounded by the power of his legions and the adoration of his minions, his life remained a journey alone.

The apostle John tells the story of Christ's passion and resurrection.

12-year-old twins Frankie and Tracy Considine are excited to be moving to Leams, Massachusetts to live in their grandmother's beautiful old house. Typical brother and sister, they're always fighting, pummeling each other and playing tricks. With their mutual thirteenth birthday looming near, Tracy and Frankie have much to look forward to--or so they believe. When their beloved dog, Muffin, disappears, they begin to wonder if this was the right move after all. Tracy's friend, Carol, is distant, odd--but she did just turn 13, so perhaps that's all it is. Tracy hears strange sounds coming from the woods, but everyone insists it's her imagination, and Frankie teases her mercilessly about it. Bizarre events begin to occur: Girlfriends turn up with frightening tattoos; a young boy abruptly disappears; a fortuneteller warns her that those she most trusts are not to be trusted. Tracy rationalizes away all her doubts, eagerly looking forward to her 13th birthday party. Frankie learns about Leams' unusual, horrifying history and realizes his sister's life is in danger. He must save her--and himself--from what is destined to happen. Will Tracy and Frankie escape their fate, or will they be the next victims of the town's tragic curse?