Four Winds: 20 books

What does it mean when people say “You can’t compare apples and oranges”? Are comparisons across genres inherently invalid, or can they be insightful and illuminating? In this brilliant and provocative collection of essays, Dutch author Maarten Asscher maintains that comparisons can be the highest...

Sacred Bones is based on the true story of Deusdona (“God’s gift”), a ninth-century Roman deacon who worked in the catacombs, digging up worthless bones and selling them off as the holy remains of saints and martyrs. Deusdona thanked God for his worldly success, but he was also a clever businessman...

Inspired by the spirit and approach of Bertolt Brecht's Manual of Piety, the poems of Laughing Cult often employ the structures of ballads, folksongs, and other traditional forms to create miniature sketches marked by romantic ambiguity, occultism, science fiction, and quirky angst. As cool in tone as...

In March 1964, a secret task force of United States warships and tankers set sail from the Caribbean bound for Brazil. The flotilla, which had the code name Operation Brother Sam, included the world’s largest aircraft carrier, several destroyers, a troop carrier, and three tankers. Its purpose was...

In Buenos Aires, a corrupt cop is assigned to investigate a murder he committedCommissioner Miguel Fortunato is nearing retirement after a long, dishonest career. Six months ago he was ordered to kidnap foreigner Robert Waterbury for reasons left unclear. The kidnapping turned to murder. Now the Americans...

An invitation from a dead man propels a Chicago plumber on a perilous journey from Hong Kong to Inner Mongolia in search of a fabled map of the Invisible WorldAndrew Mann's mundane existence ends the day his jet-setting childhood friend, Clayton Smith, sends Andrew an airplane ticket to Asia along with...

#3 in the Women of Strength Diaries After the death of her father, Dana Morrison noticed that her mother’s house was becoming cluttered. First she saved grocery bags, then newspapers, and empty boxes. In no time flat, her house was filled with junk, junk, and more junk! Dana made the mistake...

Jennifer has always been a wallflower, so when Mike Palmer flatters her—and asks her out—she feels on top of the world. But Mike's a sports nut, and soon Jennifer feels like she's playing second fiddle to every sport televised. Her ultimatum has Mike reconsidering their relationship. But it's...

Emily as always had a problem with her weight. Yo-yo dieting was something she’d accepted as part of her life. But when an opportunity arrives to expand her horizons, she leaps at the chance. That brings her a new income source and a chance at love. But when her new significant other plots to keep...

Amy Reynolds thought she had a great boyfriend, until one by one all her freedoms began to disappear. When her job is threatened, Amy decides it’s time to become more independent. But that’s not how her boyfriend Brad feels. He’s likes things the way they are and will go to any length to keep...

#2 in the Women of Strength Diaries One hot September afternoon, Annie Henderson's life changed forever. That was the day she was raped. Nine months later, she gave up the daughter she'd conceived on that terrible day. Forging a new life was difficult, but Annie had a successful military career...

Kathy Wilson was a loving daughter and wanted to do the right thing when it became apparent that her mother wasn’t able to take care of herself any more. But getting her mom into assisted living became a nightmare--and that was just the beginning of her troubles. Tonya Thomas writes gripping...

When Kathryn Garner took her life, she could not have known the devastation she would unleash for her family, friends, and the people she came in contact with every day. She was hurting, but she did she have any clue as to the pain her ultimate solution would cause the other women in her life? Dealing...

Ambitious Lisa and Jim Mitchell thought they made the perfect power couple—that they’d live a perfect life together. That all changed when Lisa decided to start their family—without consulting her husband. From that day on, things changed. Their lives changed because they both had hidden agendas...