DISCUSSION GUIDES

“A beautiful and profound retelling” (Madeline Miller) of the Greek myth of Medusa, illuminating the woman behind the legend. Exiled to a far-flung island after being abused by powerful Gods, Medusa has little company other than the snakes that adorn her head. Haunted by memories of life before everything was stolen, she's forced to make peace with her present: she’s Medusa the Monster. But when charming Perseus arrives on the island, it unleashes desire, love—and betrayal. For readers of Circe and Ariadne, Medusa is an astonishing reinvention that brings to vivid life a heroine history has set in stone.

Two girls’ lives are irrevocably intertwined the summer of 1985 in the streets of Brooklyn, New York, and neither will ever be the same in this coming-of-age story that spans decades.

From the acclaimed author of Garden Spells comes an enchanting tale of lost souls, lonely strangers, secrets that shape us, and how the right flock can guide you home. Includes a brand new bonus story of how Mallow Island came to be!

When a father goes missing, his family's desperate search leads them to question everything they know about him and one another--both a riveting page-turner and a deeply moving portrait of a family in crisis from the award-winning author of Miracle Creek.

"A brilliant, satisfying, compassionate mystery that is as much about language and storytelling as it is about a missing father. I loved this book."--Gabrielle Zevin, New York Times bestselling author of Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow

"I fell in love with the fascinating, brilliant family at the center of this riveting book."--Ann Napolitano, author of Hello Beautiful

"We didn't call the police right away." Those are the electric first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything--which is why she isn't initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don't return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia's brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another.

Sara Leibovits, a 16-year-old Jewish girl, was a passenger on the train, together with her family. Within minutes, on the platform in Auschwitz, their horrific fate was sealed. Seventy years after the horrors of the Holocaust, Eti reveals in this powerful true story the inherited trauma of the second generation and completes the Holocaust survivor’s tale.

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author known for her “superb pacing, twisted characters, and captivating prose” (BuzzFeed), Lisa Jewell returns with a scintillating new psychological thriller about a woman who finds herself the subject of her own popular true crime podcast.

In a place where enemies become friends and friends become monsters, Kathryn will face her biggest challenge yet.

Travel on a journey of love, heartbreak, passion, and the unexpected with Angelina as she discovers “The Weight of Salt.”

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A powerful coming-of-age tale about a shy, damaged boy who must overcome unimaginable personal tragedy – both as its victim and its perpetrator. Raw, honest, and filled with heart, Earl, Honey recounts an extraordinary search for redemption amid the perilous world of the 1920s American South.

Bette Gartner, a ninety-five-year-old widow, wakes up one morning and decides to throw a dinner party that night for her small family, staff, two neighbors, and a medium—and no one knows why. A resonant tale of love, loss, and learning how to let go, Alpha Bette is more than the story of a particular family’s history.