National Network for Equitable Library Service

South of the Dead Sea, between Palestine and Jordan, nestles Petra and the Wadi Musa. That ancient "rose-red city, half as old as time," lies deeply recessed in the Edomite mountains, virtually impregnable against attack. It is a place of natural grandeur with rocky tomb-temples, rediscovered in the last century and doubtless the secret capital of a once-prosperous Arabian trading empire. No wonder archaeologists have endured the hardships of the terrain to gaze upon its well-preserved rock-hewn structures and write scholarly papers about its mysteries.

One Last Goodbye. One Last Adventure. Pearly Laurel is devastated by the death of her beloved husband of thirty-five years. The two had always said they couldn’t live without one another, and Pearly has no desire to even try. Then, in the midst of her grief, Pearly finds a tattered list in Joey’s pocket, entitled, "While I Live, I Want to...." His ultimate to-do list sends her off on a mission to accomplish Joey’s last unfulfilled goals—along with a few of her own—before arranging her own death. But the people she meets along the way have something else in mind.

Competition for church members in Mount Oak has reached a furious peak. When tragedy strikes one of their hometown sons, the church women are drawn together through compassion. The Church Ladies is a contemporary tale illustrating how women can have a major impact on the church. Through friendships that reach beneath surface level - and trials more severe than simple - they unite with common purpose: to pray, share, and comfort. Slowly, the community of believers learns that the church grows when it is rooted in love.

A moving novel entwining the many faces of motherly love. Jillian Connors has the perfect daughter: loving and smart, she's an Olympic hopeful with a bright future. But when Gabby becomes pregnant, Jillian fears that future is lost. Worse, she must confront her own secret past and hope the decisions she's made don't drown their whole family. Gabby can't believe God let this happen to her. She knew the risks, but who thinks about that when they're in love?

The tale of a broken heart's awakening to hope. A moving, richly told story set in a small fishing village in coastal North Carolina, Patricia Hickman's novel portrays a witty, recently widowed heroine who must learn to let go of the past—and discover God's surprising, renewing provision for her future.

When her aunt shows up homeless on her doorstep, Sara suspects anything but a miracle. Sara is an artist with a supportive husband and a house that folks on her block admire outright. But she's restless and bored with life. Then her legendary Aunt Bel shows up, wearing a smile after years without a word. Twenty years ago, fresh out of college, Bel left for a summer missions trip and never returned. Now she's on Sara's doorstep, looking for a place to crash. Sara can't say no to family, even if she hasn't seen Bel since she was a nine-year-old girl.

God let Rachel Westing down. For twenty-six years she's done everything by the book; she figures He should have her back. But then she learns her fiancé is cheating on her. Her parents are getting a divorce. And her Christian mentor has a pill addiction. Where is God in all this? Nowhere, as far as Rachel can see. Wounded, bitter, and with a shattered faith, she quits her job and moves across the country to live with Daphne - her childhood best friend whose soul Rachel once thought she was meant to save.

Sometimes you have to go a little bit crazy to discover the life you were meant to live. Heather Curridge is coming unhinged. And people are starting to notice. What's wrong with a woman who has everything—a mansion on a lake, a loving son, a heart-surgeon husband—yet still feels miserable inside? When Heather spends the summer with two ancient Quaker sisters and a crusty nun running a downtown homeless shelter, she finds herself at a crossroads. Life turns upside down for Heather in *Quaker Summer*.

When four college friends graduated from the University of Northwest Oregon, their lives stretched before them, full of promise and vows to stay connected. But life has a way of derailing well-laid plans. Now they haven't spoken in twenty-five years. But against all odds, three of them have found themselves back in the same place - at their alma mater, wondering how they got there. When they discover their fourth friend, Hope, has died, Jenna, Ireland, and Vicky decide to embark on a wilderness adventure to honor her memory - and for secret reasons of their own.

It's a wonder to behold what happens when love moves in. Former child star Fiona Hume deserted the movie biz a decade ago—right after she left rehab. She landed in Baltimore, bought a dilapidated old mansion downtown, and hatched dreams of restoring it into a masterpiece, complete with a studio for herself. She would disappear from public view and live an artist's life. That was the plan. Ten years later, Fiona's huge house is filled with junk purchased at thrift stores, haggled over at yard sales, or picked up from the side of the road.