The Beautiful Place

On a patch of Sri Lanka’s exquisite southern coast stands the Villa Hibiscus. It is Padma’s home. The owner of the villa, Gerhardt, is an elderly Austrian architect to whom Padma was taken when young by Sunny, her scheming father. He had hoped to use his attractive child to entice the wealthy new foreigner in the area. Gerhardt, in turn, adopted Padma, paying Sunny to stay away until she would be grown up, when Gerhardt expects to have sent Padma to university, far away. But Padma fails her exams and is lonely in the city, gladly returning to her beloved old home by the sea. With Gerhardt’s help, she creates a guest house at the villa. Soon, guests start to arrive, opening new vistas for Padma through their friendship and love. This is when Sunny appears, ready to reclaim his daughter ... A captivating novel about the meaning of home and family, love and loss, Beautiful Place marks the arrival of a dazzling new voice.

Lee Gowan's new novel is an audacious sequel to Sinclair Ross' prairie classic, As for Me and My House. The Beautiful Place is about a man who is in trouble in love and work--a darkly funny cautionary tale for our times. "A preposterous, pan-Canadian tale, straight-faced, that evolves into a quest for a dead man's frozen head. Subtly hilarious, beautifully crafted and with lots of moving parts, this novel is fresh, original, and compelling." --Ken McGoogan, award-winning author "Where is home? Where is here? In The Beautiful Place we discover that the true geography of art begins in the heart. Profound, witty, and charming: read this novel!" -- Kim Echlin, author of Speak, Silence The man we know only as Bentley is facing a triple threat--in other words, his life is a hot mess every way he looks. Like anyone who feels that he's on the brink of annihilation, Bentley thinks back to his misspent youth, which was also the year he met his famous grandfather, the painter Philip Bentley, for the first time. To make matters worse, he has inherited his grandfather's tendency to self-doubt, as well as that cranky artist's old service pistol. Our hero is confused about so much. How did he end up as a cryonics salesman--a huckster for a dubious afterlife--when he wanted to be a writer? And who is the mysterious Mary Abraham, and why is she the thread unravelling his unhappy present? What will be left when all the strands come undone? Lee Gowan's The Beautiful Place is the best kind of journey: both psychological and real, with a lot of quick-on-the-draw conversations and stunning scenery along the way --and only one gun, which may or may not be loaded.

Born in 1928 in the small coastal town of Murrells Inlet, South Carolina, Genevieve “Sister” Peterkin grew up with World War II bombing practice in her front yard, deep-sea fishing expeditions, and youthful rambles through the lowcountry. She shared her bedroom with a famous ghost and an impatient older sister. But most of all she listened. She absorbed the tales of her talented mother and her beloved friend, listened to the stories of the region’s older residents, some of them former slaves, who were her friends, neighbors, and teachers. In this new edition she once again shares with readers her insider’s knowledge of the lowcountry plantations, gardens, and beaches that today draw so many visitors. Beneath the humor, hauntings, and treasures of local history, she tells another, deeper story—one that deals with the struggle for racial equality in the South, with the sometimes painful adventures of marriage and parenthood, and with inner struggles for faith and acceptance. This edition includes a new foreword by coastal writer and researcher Lee G. Brockington and a new afterword by coauthor and lowcountry novelist William P. Baldwin.

Screenwriter Nunn draws on her true-life experience growing up in Africa to create this darkly romantic crime novel set in 1950s apartheid South Africa. Detective Emmanuel Cooper is caught up in a time and place where racial tensions and the raw hunger for power make for dangerous times.

Somewhere on the periphery of Seoul, between the modern metropolis and the traditional farming communities, lies a "distant and beautiful place," the neighborhood of Wonmi-dong. Here, a young couple from the city struggles to make a home for themselves; a hapless "salary man" is forced into door-to-door sales after losing his job; a precocious seven-year-old questions the meaning of friendship and community. Everyone seems to be chasing the intangible dream of a better life. Set against the backdrop of South Korea's breakneck drive for industrialization and economic development in the 1980s, these compassionate and often humorous stories capture the essence of modern South Korean life-including the ubiquitous atmosphere of violence and fear that clouded the country prior to democratization in 1987. They also depict the Korean people's unfailing optimism and love of life. A Distant and Beautiful Place first appeared as a series of linked stories in literary journals between 1985 and 1987. It was published as the collection Wonmi-dong saramdul in 1987 and quickly became a best seller. Yang Kwija, one of South Korea's most respected and popular authors, has since published dozens of novels and shorter pieces.

Are you lonely? Do you struggle to find the real friends you long for? Here is your invitation to build lasting friendship through meaningful and intentional practices that anyone can do. The older we get, the less we find ourselves spending time in the company of good friends. Organic friendship becomes nearly impossible—after all, there are all sorts of obligations tugging at our attention. Or we find ourselves getting frustrated with shallow, draining conversations. Or, most painful of all, we feel like no one wants us—and who wants to be rejected? If you have found yourself desperately wanting connection but confused about why you are not experiencing it, you are not alone. And you don’t have to stay there. As Christian women, our faith calls us to support one another on the path of growing as a follower of Jesus—a call that will connect us, create a solid foundation for trust, and bind us together in Jesus’ love, no matter what struggles we face on the road of friendship. Together Is a Beautiful Place offers practical habits that are sustainable, deep, and valuable. You will identify what makes a godly, lasting friendship; tackle lies and false expectations about what it takes to build lasting friendship; and learn to tackle the barriers to friendship and invite healthy friendship rhythms. You will find that it is possible to grow healthy friendships, starting now.

First in the series that’s “a breath of fresh air with a touch of murder most foul”—now a movie series on Hallmark Channel starring Jesse Metcalfe (Denver Rocky Mountain News). Ex-cop J. W. Jackson searches for answers after a mysterious and deadly boat explosion on Martha’s Vineyard. During his career as a Boston cop, Jeff “J. W.” Jackson saw enough of the evil that men do to last a lifetime. So he retired to the serenity of Martha’s Vineyard to spend his days fishing for blues. But when a local’s boat mysteriously explodes off the coast, killing an amiable young drifter, Jackson finds himself reluctantly drawn back into the investigative trade. Praise for the Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries “Fun . . . an enjoyable book . . . perfect for hot weather relaxing.” —Los Angeles Daily News “An exciting adventure . . . [that] lets the reader become an islander for a while.” —The Houston Post “Refreshing . . . entertaining . . . a nicely crafted mystery.” —Knoxville News Sentinel “Spending time with Craig on Martha’s Vineyard is the next best thing to vacationing on the island itself.” —Minneapolis Star-Tribune “Craig knows his angling and his sailing . . . but he also knows how to make engaging characters.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer

A memoir details the haunting and redemptive events of the author's life, covering such topics as his con-man father's betrayal, the murder-suicide of a houseguest, and his decade spent in the Arctic as a translator of Inuit tales.