In 1965 the Bedloe family lives on a quiet street in Baltimore. Seventeenyear-old Ian has dreams for the future, until the night when he meddles in his older brother's life--and from that careless moment on, nothing can ever be the same.

Nathan Empson has just accepted the most unusual summer job of his life. In exchange for serving as a "caretaker" for Ellen Broderick, the eccentric matriarch of an exclusive coastal community, he'll earn a generous paycheck and gain access to one of the last bastions of old New England wealth. But not everyone in town is welcoming-or even civil. And while he discovers companionship with a philosophical, ex-punk Episcopalian pastor, and more than...

The Russian Debutante's Handbook takes us from New York City's Lower East Side to the hip frontier wilderness of Prava-the Eastern European Paris of the '90s-whose grand and glorious beauty is marred only by the shadow of the looming statue of Stalin's foot. There, with the encouragement of the Groundhog, a murderous (but fun-loving) Russian Mafioso, Vladimir infiltrates the American ex-pat community with the hope of defrauding his young middle-class

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Best friends Matt and Eric are hatching a plan for one big final adventure together before Eric moves away: during the marching band competition at a Giant Amusement Park, they will sneak away to a nearby comics convention and meet their idol--a famous comic creator. Without cell phones. Or transportation. Or permission. Of course, their final adventure together is more than just that-really, it's a way for the boys to celebrate their friendship,...

In the summer of 1953, two 11-year-old boys--best friends--are playing in a Little League baseball game in New Hampshire. One of the boys hits a foul ball that kills his best friend's mother. Owen Meany believes he didn't hit the ball by accident. He believes he is God's instrument. What happens to Owen after 1953 is extraordinary and terrifying. A Prayer for Owen Meany is a coming-of-age tale that ranks among the most cherished American classics....

The beautiful and damned tells the story of Anthony Patch, a 1920s socialite and presumptive heir to a tycoon's fortune, and his wife, Gloria. Young, gorgeous and rich, they dedicate their lives to the reckless pursuit of happiness. But this intimate story turns tragic, as their marriage disintegrates under the weight of their expectations, dissipation and jealousy. Fitzgerald skillfully portrays the east-coast elite as the Jazz Age begins its ascent....

"Reminiscent of Zadie Smith and Michael Chabon, this "gorgeous, wildly funny and, above all, profoundly moving and humane" (Peter Orner, author of Am I Alone Here) coming-of-age tale follows a young man who is forced to flee his homeland of Rwanda during the Civil War and make sense of his reality"--

A young man hopes to gain control of his life in the midst of family turmoil.

"Benny Catspaw's perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He's not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn't know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he's never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time. How strange - though it's a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what's inside the crate. He's a seven-foot-tall...