Tamer Lorika: 4 books

After the birth of their daughter, Camilla, new parents Natalie and Maura are looking forward to their first Christmas as a real family. But obligations are fierce -- when both girls are guilted into attending family functions, Christmas looks like it’s going to be split, busy, and no fun for anyone.Maura’s...

Jeanne is now in her eighth year of school, and never has the world seemed more strange. Her little town grows greyer and greyer, and every day the radio tells news of a war just far enough away, it doesn’t matter to her.Yet.What does matter are immediate things: her friends, her family, and a magical...

Adrian Delgado's time in the Peace Corps has been rewarding, but with Christmas around the corner, he is starting to get homesick. Life in Mongolia is very different from Texas, from the holiday celebrations to… dating. Take his coworker Batbayar, for instance—they've slept together several times...

Simone Jackson is struggling in her first job out of college. Running errands for a city councilman in Washington, DC, isn't all that fun in the June heat, but Simone has big plans about being a politician, and this is a big step. Still, the humidity is hard to ignore, as is a tray of free lemonade left...