A poignant, heartfelt new novel by the award-nominated author of Together Tea—extolled by the Wall Street Journal as a “moving tale of lost love” and by Shelf Awareness as “a powerful, heartbreaking story”—explores loss, reconciliation, and the quirks of fate. Roya, a dreamy, idealistic teenager living amid the political upheaval of 1953 Tehran, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri’s neighborhood stationery shop, stocked with books and pens and bottles of jewel-colored ink. Then Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer—handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi’s poetry—and she loses her heart at once. Their romance blossoms, and the little stationery shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran. A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square when violence erupts—a result of the coup d’etat that forever changes their country’s future. In the chaos, Bahman never shows. For weeks, Roya tries desperately to contact him, but her efforts are fruitless. With a sorrowful heart, she moves on—to college in California, to another man, to a life in New England—until, more than sixty years later, an accident of fate leads her back to Bahman and offers her a chance to ask him the questions that have haunted her for more than half a century: Why did you leave? Where did you go? How is it that you were able to forget me?

Fasciné par la Lune, cet astre intrigant qui conserve tant de secrets, Taketori Okina a transformé sa passion en podcast à succès. Chaque jour, des centaines d’auditeurs dispersés aux quatre coins du Japon s’échappent de leur quotidien, portés par sa voix réconfortante. Une infirmière qui vient de quitter son emploi, un humoriste qui n’arrive pas à percer, une lycéenne qui rêve d’indépendance… tous sont confrontés à des décisions qui vont bouleverser leur destin. Tout comme le clair de lune guide les tortues la nuit de leur naissance, Taketori pourra-t-il éclairer le chemin et inspirer les choix de ceux qui sont à son écoute ? Un roman choral émouvant qui célèbre le pouvoir de la nouvelle lune et l’importance de la générosité et du partage dans nos vies. Michiko Aoyama est une journaliste et autrice japonaise. En tête des ventes au Japon et traduits dans le monde entier, ses romans ont été vendus à plus de deux millions d’exemplaires. Son nouveau roman, La Forêt au clair de lune, a connu un succès immédiat au Japon et a été sélectionné pour le prestigieux Prix des libraires.

Emily Austin, the bestselling “queen of darkly quirky, endearingly flawed heroines” (Sarah Haywood, author of The Cactus), returns with a luminous new novel following a librarian who comes back to work after a mental breakdown only to confront book-banning crusaders in an empowering story of grief, love, and the power of libraries. Darcy’s life turned out better than she could have ever imagined. She is a librarian at the local branch, while her wife Joy runs a book binding service. Between the two of them, there is no more room on their shelves with their ample book collections, various knickknacks and bobbles, and dried bouquets. Rounding out their ideal life is two cats and a sun-soaked house by the lake. But when Darcy receives the news that her ex-boyfriend, Ben, has passed away, she spirals into a pit of guilt and regret, resulting in a mental breakdown and medical leave from the library. When she returns to work, she is met by unrest in her community, and protests surrounding intellectual freedom, resulting in a call for book bans and a second look at the branch’s upcoming DEI programs. Through the support of her community, colleagues, and the personal growth that results from examining her previous relationships, Darcy comes into her own agency and the truest version of herself. Is This a Cry for Help? not only offers a moving portrait of queer life after coming of age but also powerfully explores questions about sexuality, community, and the importance of libraries.