Susan Ridder Libri

A MONASTERY Hidden deep in the wilderness are the cloisters of two dozen monks - men of prayer and music, famous the world over for their glorious voices. A MURDER But a brutal death throws the monastery doors open to the world. And through them walks the only man who can shine light upon the dark deeds within: Chief Inspector Armand Gamache. A MYSTERY Who among the brothers has become an angel of death? As the peace of the monastery crumbles around him, Gamache finds clues in the divine, the human, and the cracks in between. Ingenious, gripping, and powerful, The Beautiful Mystery is the most outstanding novel yet from international bestselling phenomenon Louise Penny.

A magical novel about a young Iranian woman lifted from grief by her powerful imagination and love of Western culture. Growing up in a small rice-farming village in 1980s Iran, eleven-year-old Saba Hafezi and her twin sister, Mahtab, are captivated by America. They keep lists of English words and collect illegal Life magazines, television shows, and rock music. So when her mother and sister disappear, leaving Saba and her father alone in Iran, Saba is certain that they have moved to America without her. But her parents have taught her that “all fate is written in the blood,” and that twins will live the same life, even if separated by land and sea. As she grows up in the warmth and community of her local village, falls in and out of love, and struggles with the limited possibilities in post-revolutionary Iran, Saba envisions that there is another way for her story to unfold. Somewhere, it must be that her sister is living the Western version of this life. And where Saba’s world has all the grit and brutality of real life under the new Islamic regime, her sister’s experience gives her a freedom and control that Saba can only dream of. Filled with a colorful cast of characters and presented in a bewitching voice that mingles the rhythms of Eastern storytelling with modern Western prose, A Teaspoon of Earth and Sea is a tale about memory and the importance of controlling one’s own fate.

Anna is ervan overtuigd dat je je geluk in eigen hand hebt. Je kunt het plannen, regelen, afdwingen. Ze is tenslotte chef-kok en weet dat je met goede ingrediënten in de juiste verhouding alles voor elkaar kunt krijgen. Dus als ze zwanger wordt, verandert dat niets aan haar droom om ooit met haar man Tobias naar Frankrijk te verhuizen. Deze droom wordt een nachtmerrie als Anna's baby Freya bij haar geboorte verstandelijk en lichamelijk gehandicapt blijkt te zijn. In de wervelstorm van emoties die volgt worden Anna en Tobias geconfronteerd met essentiële levensvragen. Toch besluiten ze samen met Freya naar Frankrijk te gaan en het leven te nemen zoals het komt. Tussen de oude muren van hun bouwvallige boerderij leren Anna en Tobias elkaar opnieuw kennen, maar wordt het jonge gezin ook zwaar op de proef gesteld.

The book we've all (certainly every woman between 25 and 75) been waiting for. Classy, chic, convincing, funny, wise, well-written and very timely. It's the ultimate non-diet book, which nonetheless shows us how to eat with balance, control and above all

Bibi Chen, una signora sulla sessantina di origini cinesi che vive in California e si occupa di arte asiatica, organizza un viaggio in Cina e Birmania, a scopo culturale, per un gruppo di amici e conoscenti. Ma, alla vigilia della partenza, muore in circostanze misteriose. I dodici partecipanti alla spedizione decidono di partire ugualmente. Ben presto i programmi originari cambiano e lungo la strada che li porta dalla Cina alla Birmania, a contatto con una realtà tutt’altro che benigna, nel gruppo esplode la disarmonia. Costretti a lasciare la Cina prima del previsto, arrivano in Birmania e, la mattina di Natale, si verifica l’evento più strano e inquietante: undici dei dodici viaggiatori s’imbarcano per una gita su un lago e spariscono. Sono stati rapiti da una tribù locale, i Karen, duramente perseguitata dal governo birmano.