Teatime For The Firefly

1870s India. In a tiny village where society is ruled by a caste system and women are defined solely by marriage, young Biren Roy dreams of forging a new destiny. When his mother suffers the fate of widowhood--shunned by her loved ones and forced to live in solitary penance--Biren devotes his life to effecting change. Just when his vision for the future begins to look hopeless, he meets Maya, the independent-minded daughter of a local educator, and his soul is reignited.

"A guide to history of tea throughout Asia, its origins, and its popularization across the world. Complete with recipes using tea as ingredients and suggestions on pairing tea with food."--

TEATIME FOR THE FIREFLY

Benjamin Weaver, a Jew and an ex-boxer, is an outsider in eighteenth-century London, tracking down debtors and felons for aristocratic clients. The son of a wealthy stock trader, he lives estranged from his family—until he is asked to investigate his father’s sudden death. Thus Weaver descends into the deceptive world of the English stock jobbers, gliding between coffee houses and gaming houses, drawing rooms and bordellos. The more Weaver uncovers, the darker the truth becomes, until he realizes that he is following too closely in his father’s footsteps—and they just might lead him to his own grave. An enthralling historical thriller, A Conspiracy of Paper will leave readers wondering just how much has changed in the stock market in the last three hundred years. . . .

Max Parkman is perfect in his mother's eyes. Until he's accused of murder. Attorney Danielle Parkman can't deny her son's behavior has been getting worse—drugs and violent outbursts have become a frightening routine. But when she receives the diagnosis from a top-notch adolescent psychiatric facility that Max is deeply disturbed—and dangerous—it seems too devastating to accept. Until she finds Max, weapon in hand, at the bedside of a fellow patient who has been brutally stabbed to death. Separated from Max and trapped in a maelstrom of doubt and fear, Danielle's mothering instincts snap sharply into focus. The justice system is bearing down on her son, so she must use her years of legal experience to find out the truth, no matter what that might be. But has she, too, lost touch with reality? Is her son truly a killer? Previously published.

“Effortlessly transports readers back to India on the brink of independence . . . fans of women’s romantic fiction will be enchanted.” —Booklist, starred review My name is Layla and I was born under an unlucky star. For a young girl growing up in India, this is bad news. But everything began to change for me one spring day in 1943, when three unconnected incidents, like tiny droplets on a lily leaf, tipped and rolled into one. It was that tiny shift in the cosmos, I believe, that tipped us together—me and Manik Deb. Despite being born under an inauspicious horoscope, Layla Roy is raised to be educated and independent. By cleverly manipulating the hand fortune has dealt her, she finds love with Manik Deb—a man betrothed to another. All were minor miracles in India that spring of 1943, when women’s lives were predetermined—if not by the stars, then by centuries of family tradition and social order. Layla’s life as a married woman takes her into the jungles of Assam, where the world’s finest tea thrives on plantations run by native labor and British efficiency. Fascinated by the culture of expats who seem unfazed by earthquakes and man-eating leopards, she struggles to find her place among the prickly English wives, and the servants now under her charge. Navigating the tea-garden set won’t be her biggest challenge. Powerful changes are sweeping India on the heels of WWII. Colonial society is at a tipping point, and Layla and Manik are caught in a perilous racial divide that threatens their very lives. “A lyrical novel that touches on themes both huge and intimate.” —Kirkus Reviews

1940's India. During this volatile and transitional time in the country's fight for independence, Layla is astrologically doomed never to marry. Manik's career and arranged marriage were charted for success. But by cleverly manipulating the hand fortune has dealt her, Layla has found love with Manik. Layla's life as a newly married woman takes her away from home and into the jungles of Assam, where the world's finest tea thrives on plantations run by native labor and British efficiency. Fascinated by this culture of whiskey-soaked expats who seem fazed by neither earthquakes nor man-eating leopards, she struggles to find her place among the prickly English wives with whom she is expected to socialize, and the peculiar servants she now finds under her charge.

#1 National Bestseller and New York Times Bestseller Paris, 1878. Following her father’s sudden death, Marie van Goethem is dispatched to the Paris Opéra, where for a scant wage she is trained to enter the famous Ballet. Her older sister, Antoinette, finds work—and the love of a dangerous young man—as an extra on the stage. Marie is soon modeling in the studio of renowned artist Edgar Degas, who will immortalize her image forever, while Antoinette must make the choice between a life of honest labor and the more profitable avenues open to a willing young woman—that is, unless her perilous love derails her completely. Set at a moment of profound artistic, cultural, and societal change, The Painted Girls is a tale of two remarkable sisters rendered uniquely vulnerable to the darker impulses of civilized society. Praise for THE PAINTED GIRLS #1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NPR BEST BOOK GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BEST BOOK GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD FINALIST ONTARIO PUBLIC LIBRARY EVERGREEN AWARD WINNER CHATELAINE BOOK CLUB PICK PEOPLE MAGAZINE PICK ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY MUST LIST PICK VANITY FAIR HOT TYPE PICK VOGUE BOOKS PEOPLE ARE TALKING ABOUT PICK HARPER’S BAZAAR WHAT WE’RE READING NOW PICK USA TODAY NEW & NOTEWORTHY PICK CHRISTIAN SCIENCE MONITOR SMART NEW HISTORICAL NOVELS PICK SAN FRANCISO CHRONICLE BOOK RECOMMENDATION BOSTON GLOBE WORD ON THE STREET PICK INDIE NEXT PICK GOOD MORNING TEXAS BUY THE BOOK PICK ASPEN DAILY NEWS BOOKSELLERS STAFF PICK ZOOMER BOOKMARK PICK SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL BEST BOOK SAFEWAY BOOK OF THE MONTH