Cale is used to avoiding the troublesome older teenagers in his town. What he doesn't expect is being thrown into an age-old mystery of hidden stones, strange powers and a world of unseen creatures. Bookish and shy, Cale reluctantly finds himself clambering in old riverbeds, climbing distant peaks, walking an ancient tunnel and sneaking into an old church spire. His search gets tangled with a pesky girl, a slow-moving boy, his unwitting Uncle Andrew, a stone giant and an ancient guardian. Dark forces are determined to thwart his quest and the wind is rising. Can they find the hidden stones before they are lost forever?

Ethan Bloom runs Wild Roots Flower Shop with the same meticulous care he brings to everything in life. His carefully ordered world revolves around plant facts, precise arrangements, and maintaining his grandmother's legacy.Leo Torres is Ethan's opposite in every way—loud, spontaneous, and perpetually covered in flour. Since opening Sugar Tide Bakery three months ago, he's infused Port Harbor with the scent of vanilla and the kind of pastries that make people forget their diets.When Leo's condescending ex-boyfriend returns to judge the town's annual Spring Fling competition, panic sends him straight to Ethan with an outrageous proposal—fake dating to show the ex he's moved on. It's a perfectly logical arrangement that definitely won't involve actual feelings... until it does.Soon, buttoned-up Ethan discovers the joy in Leo's chaos, and Leo finds strength in Ethan's steady presence. Between late-night boyfriend "practice," baking lessons, and the...

Starter town. Starter dungeon. Starter harem. Level up everything. Jace needs one clean run to eat today. Instead, he walks out with a room deed, two teammates, and a target on his back. Starter Town calls it an F-rank—the kind of dungeon you clear in borrowed boots. But when a sunshine-bright novice healer and a cat-eyed rogue grab the same quest slip, Jace does the sensible thing: form a party, keep it tidy, and don’t die. Mimic doors that bite. Slime kings that melt steel. Rival delvers who want your loot—and your claim. Good thing Jace’s real skill isn’t swinging a sword; it’s calling the right play. If you like dungeon dopamine, squad chemistry, light system pings, and a harem that grows through teamwork, this cozy, fast-paced LitRPG short will make you turn the page. Level up the party. Level up the heart.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson―creator of the Stormlight Archive, the Mistborn saga, and numerous smash-hit works of science fiction and fantasy―comes Tailored Realities, a new short fiction collection including the never-before-published novella "Moment Zero."Spanning the genres of fantasy and science fiction, Tailored Realities includes ten works of short fiction from the ingenious mind of one of the genre's most beloved bestselling authors.From futuristic detective thrillers to inventive space opera, superhero action, high-tech fantasy, and beyond, these gripping standalone reads have never before been gathered into one volume, with many available here in print for the first time.Along with the thrilling new science fiction novella "Moment Zero," this collection includes: "Snapshot" "Perfect State" "Defending Elysium" (from the world of Skyward)...

At the darkly glamorous height of the Roaring 20s, an independent Black intellectual and her bi-racial foster child are immersed in the vibrant world of the Harlem Renaissance – and a shocking murder on Striver's Row – in this thrilling Jazz Age mystery for reader of Nekesia Afia, Jacqueline Winspear, Avery Cunningham's The Mayor of Maxwell Street.1926: Harriet Stone, a liberated, educated Black woman, and Lovey, the orphaned, biracial, 12-year-old she is bound to protect, are Harlem-bound, embarking on a new, hopefully less traumatic chapter in their lives. They have been invited to move from Connecticut by Harriet's cousin, Junetta Plum, who runs a boarding house for independent-minded single women. It's a bold move, since Harriet has never met Junetta, but the fatalities of the Spanish flu and other tragedies have already forced her and Lovey to face their worst fears. Alone but for each other, they have little left to...

A profound and unparalleled literary voice, Zadie Smith returns with a resounding collection of essaysIn this eagerly awaited new collection, Zadie Smith brings her unique skills as an essayist to bear on a range of subjects that have captured her attention in recent years.She takes an exhilaratingly close look at artists Toyin Ojih Odutola, Kara Walker and Celia Paul. She invites us along to the movies, to see and to think about Tár, and to New York to reflect on the spontaneous moments that connect us. She takes us on a walk down Kilburn High Road in her beloved North-West London and welcomes us to mourn with her the passing of writers Joan Didion, Martin Amis, Hilary Mantel, Philip Roth and Toni Morrison. She considers changes of government on both sides of the Atlantic – and the meaning of "the commons" in all our lives.Throughout this thrilling collection, Zadie Smith shows us once again her unrivalled ability to think through critically...