New April Releases

since 2010

The Last Bookshop in London:

A Novel of World War II by Madeline Martin

August 1939: London prepares for war as Hitler’s forces sweep across Europe. Grace Bennett has always dreamed of moving to the city, but the bunkers and blackout curtains that she finds on her arrival were not what she expected. And she certainly never imagined she’d wind up working at Primrose Hill, a dusty old bookshop nestled in the heart of London. Through blackouts and air raids as the Blitz intensifies, Grace discovers the power of storytelling to unite her community in ways she never dreamed—a force that triumphs over even the darkest nights of the war. “A gorgeously written story of love, friendship, and survival set against the backdrop of WWII-era London.”

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

The year is 2025, and a mysterious virus has broken out in Scotland--a lethal illness that seems to affect only men. When Dr. Amanda MacLean reports this phenomenon, she is dismissed as hysterical. By the time her warning is heeded, it is too late. The virus becomes a global pandemic--and a political one. The victims are all men. The world becomes alien--a women's world. What follows is the immersive account of the women who have been left to deal with the virus's consequences, told through first-person narratives. Dr. MacLean; Catherine, a social historian determined to document the human stories behind the "male plague"; intelligence analyst Dawn, tasked with helping the government forge a new society; and Elizabeth, one of many scientists desperately working to develop a vaccine.

Meet Me in Another Life

by Catriona Silvey

Thora and Santi are strangers in a foreign city when a chance encounter intertwines their fates. At once, they recognize in each other a kindred spirit—someone who shares their insatiable curiosity, who is longing for more in life than the cards they’ve been dealt. Only days later, though, a tragic accident cuts their story short. But this is only one of the many connections they share. Like satellites trapped in orbit around each other, Thora and Santi are destined to meet again: as a teacher and prodigy student; a caretaker and dying patient; a cynic and a believer. In numerous lives they become friends, colleagues, lovers, and enemies. But as blurred memories and strange patterns compound, Thora and Santi come to a shocking revelation—they must discover the truth of their mysterious attachment before their many lives come to one, final end.

Other People's Children

by R.J. Hoffmann

Gail and Jon Durbin moved to the Chicago suburbs to set up house as soon as Gail got pregnant. But then she miscarried— once, twice, three times. Determined to expand their family, the Durbins turn to adoption. When several adoptions fall through, Gail’s desire for a child overwhelms her. Carli is a pregnant teenager from a blue-collar town nearby, with dreams of going to college and getting out of her mother’s home. When she makes the gut-wrenching decision to give her baby up for adoption, she chooses the Durbins. But Carli’s mother, Marla, has other plans for her grandbaby. In Other People’s Children, three mothers make excruciating choices to protect their families and their dreams—choices that put them at decided odds against one another. You will root for each one of them and wonder just how far you’d go in the same situation. This riveting debut is a thoughtful exploration of love and family, and a heart-pounding page-turner you’ll find impossible to put down.

The Light of Days: The Untold Story of Women Resistance Fighters in Hitler's Ghettos by Judy Batalion

One of the most important stories of World War II, already optioned by Steven Spielberg for a major motion picture: a spectacular, searing history that brings to light the extraordinary accomplishments of brave Jewish women who became resistance fighters—a group of unknown heroes whose exploits have never been chronicled in full, until now. Witnesses to the brutal murder of their families and neighbors and the violent destruction of their communities, a cadre of Jewish women in Poland—some still in their teens—helped transform the Jewish youth groups into resistance cells to fight the Nazis. With courage, guile, and nerves of steel, these “ghetto girls” paid off Gestapo guards, hid revolvers in loaves of bread and jars of marmalade, and helped build systems of underground bunkers. They flirted with German soldiers, bribed them with wine, whiskey, and home cooking, used their Aryan looks to seduce them, and shot and killed them. They bombed German train lines and blew up a town’s water supply. They also nursed the sick and taught children.

The Dictionary of Lost Words

by Pip Williams

In 1901, the word ‘Bondmaid’ was discovered missing from the Oxford English Dictionary. This is the story of the girl who stole it. Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the ‘Scriptorium’, a garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Esme’s place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word ‘bondmaid’ flutters to the floor. Esme rescues the slip and stashes it in an old wooden case that belongs to her friend, Lizzie, a young servant in the big house. Esme begins to collect other words from the Scriptorium that are misplaced, discarded or have been neglected by the dictionary men. They help her make sense of the world. Over time, Esme realises that some words are considered more important than others, and that words and meanings relating to women’s experiences often go unrecorded. While she dedicates her life to the Oxford English Dictionary, secretly, she begins to collect words for another dictionary: The Dictionary of Lost Words.

Second First Impressions by Sally Thorne

Ruthie Midona has worked the front desk at the Providence Luxury Retirement Villa for six years, dedicating her entire adult life to caring for the Villa’s residents, maintaining the property (with an assist from DIY YouTube tutorials), and guarding the endangered tortoises that live in the Villa’s gardens. Somewhere along the way, she’s forgotten that she’s young and beautiful, and that there’s a world outside of work—until she meets the son of the property developer who just acquired the retirement center. Teddy Prescott has spent the last few years partying, sleeping in late, tattooing himself when bored, and generally not taking life too seriously—something his father, who dreams of grooming Teddy into his successor, can’t understand. When Teddy needs a place to crash, his father seizes the chance to get him to grow up. He’ll let Teddy stay in one of the on-site cottages at the retirement home, but only if he works to earn his keep. Teddy agrees—he can change a few lightbulbs and clip some hedges, no sweat. But Ruthie has plans for Teddy too. Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner

In this exquisite story of family, food, grief, and endurance, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist. With humor and heart, she tells of growing up the only Asian American kid at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother's particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; of treasured months spent in her grandmother's tiny apartment in Seoul, where she and her mother would bond, late at night, over heaping plates of food. As she grew up, moving to the East Coast for college, finding work in the restaurant industry, and performing gigs with her fledgling band--and meeting the man who would become her husband--her Koreanness began to feel ever more distant, even as she found the life she wanted to live. It was her mother's diagnosis of terminal pancreatic cancer, when Michelle was twenty-five, that forced a reckoning with her identity and brought her to reclaim the gifts of taste, language, and history her mother had given her. Vivacious and plainspoken, lyrical and honest, Zauner's voice is as radiantly alive on the page as it is onstage. Rich with intimate anecdotes that will resonate widely, and complete with family photos, Crying in H Mart is a book to cherish, share, and reread.

DEBORAH CALMEYER

This authentic experience not only sets a new paradigm in ultra-luxe adventure and sustainable travel but also is a robust catalyst for change by facilitating active participation and insightful dialogue between informed, conscious travelers and local communities.

Words: José Berrocoso Photography: Emirates Executive & ROAR AFRICA

A First-of-its-Kind experience Transforming 10 Guests into Change Agents for Conservation and Sustainability. This is what ROAR AFRICA, the leader in ultra-luxe South and East African travel, promises. Based in New York and Cape Town, founder Deborah Calmeyer and her bi-cultural team curate the most comprehensive and discerning range of storybook experiences. Providing the ultimate in insider access with an extraordinary dedication to making every detail perfect, ROAR AFRICA is unique in the industry, creating a seamless and uncomplicated experience from the moment guests step off the plane. ROAR AFRICA has long been committed to conservation, humanitarian work, and economic education and development in Africa. All employees devote time, money and attention to the preservation and support of the people, animals, and environment of their fragile and extraordinary homeland. This is reflective of ROAR AFRICA’S core values and its employees are fervent believers in these causes. Through actions large and small, direct cause-related activities, and indirectly through travels in Africa, ROAR AFRICA and its clients combine their resources to make a profound and powerful difference.

www.roarafrica.com

The inaugural ROAR AFRICA Emirates Executive Private Jet Safari is an extraordinary ‘bucket list’ travel experience designed to preserve and support Africa’s wildlife, wild spaces and communities. This is the first time that the premier airline has partnered with a travel specialist to curate an epic journey, with an ethos rooted in humanity, targeting sustainability and conservation. The life-changing itinerary delivers 10 guests in unbridled luxury to the four iconic African destinations that offer the ultimate adventure and encounters with environmental educators and conservation change makers. Specialist guides, knowledgeable escorts and renowned leaders in a variety of fields provide thoughtful insight throughout the journey. The 12-day safari is priced at $125,000 per person.

“It has never been more important than now to curate experiences that facilitate an understanding of how the natural world works, and why and how we should help,” says Deborah Calmeyer. “To this end, we have curated this strategic itinerary by working from a place of deep insight and acute understanding of Africa’s many strengths and complexities. We have painstakingly selected profound destinations and intimate wildlife discoveries to reveal what must be done to ensure that Africa’s people, nature and animals survive and thrive. And knowing that time is a non-renewable resource, guests will appreciate the absolute exclusivity and unparalleled ease of travel. Our goal is to change the philosophy and worldview of leaders, and I truly believe this is the greatest and most impactful safari experience on earth … it will make your wildest dreams come true,” she adds. For Calmeyer, “I also believe it is the safest safari on earth, in this post-Covid era. Our 10 guests will be travelling in a bubble by private plane with a fully vaccinated crew and all travellers and camp staff also vaccinated, with seamless PCR testing on hand as we move countries. Guests will be staying at exclusive-use camps throughout the trip, privately taken over solely for ROAR Africa.”

Emirates A319 Executive Private Jet

Providing the sole means of international transport throughout the journey (from Dubai to Africa, and to and from the four African countries visited), the Emirates A319 was created for guests who want to go “beyond first class,” and reflects the glamour of a bygone era when air travel was both exclusive and an integral aspect of luxury travel experiences. The jet features 10 private suites, private shower spa and powder room, an expansive lounge which functions as a communal gathering space or restaurant, and a cabin crew committed to providing the highest levels of personal service. Guests will also enjoy screenings of documentaries about Africa from notables such as historian David Attenborough, conservationists Dereck and Beverly Joubert, and environmentalist and filmmaker Craig Foster.

The Itinerary

What can only be described as the holy grail of Africa, the transformative and life-changing itinerary includes taking in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls (one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World), the Okavango Delta in Botswana (the largest inland delta in the world), Kenya’s Great Migration, and the world’s last wild mountain gorillas in the forests of Rwanda. Guests will experience spectacular positioning of stellar properties, hand-picked because of their shared vision and commitment to creating a better future, combined with the charm and hospitality of their local communities and residents.

Giving Back

Conscious that flying on the new A319 Executive Private Jet creates a significant carbon footprint, ROAR AFRICA is ensuring the entire trip (flights and on-the-ground emissions) will be carbon-neutral with high-quality offsets. The environmental projects being funded from this journey are the installation of 69 solar panels in local villages in Rwanda; planting of 1,300 trees and access to freshwater for 3,000 people in Kenya; funding the protection of a rhino calf through Rhinos Without Borders in Botswana