National Network for Equitable Library Service

Joyce Matthews raised her beloved younger brother, Gene, after the death of both their parents. Much to Joyce's dismay, however, a year in military service behind the Iron Curtain seems to have completely changed his personality. This haunting drama includes Joyce's cry for help and God's faithful answer.

Lark Summerville’s life has few surprises—and that’s just how she likes it. All she wants is to live out her angst-riddled life in her blue-collar Baltimore neighborhood, punctuated by weekly trips to her local parish, where Lark is organist, and telephone conversations with desperate souls who dial her hotline at 1-777-IPRAY4U. Then one night, Lark’s home is destroyed by a fire, forcing her out of her comfortable nest and back to the childhood home she has avoided for years.

This fast-paced novel takes the world to the brink of destruction when fundamentalist Islamic terrorists acquire nuclear materials, threatening global security and stability.

A rich, reassuring, coming-of-age tale for the dreamer in us all. For every woman who has come into her own or is striving to find her way in the world, Katrina's Wings honors and explores the desire to break free from childhood constraints and soar into the future. A tale of redemption, love, and triumph set entirely in the Deep South, Patricia Hickman's novel offers an intimate, occasionally painful, and frequently humorous glimpse into the lives of two sisters who take different paths in life, yet wind up at the same discovery: Miracles show up in the most unexpected places.

Korey Bontrager and Savannah Zook are just pretending to date—but could their feelings turn into something more? Korey Bontrager knows he's been an immature dummkopp. When his widowed dad remarried, Korey was unwelcoming to his kindhearted stepmother. Then he became estranged from his older brother. But after fourteen months in Ohio, God called Korey back to Pennsylvania. Easier said than done. Back home, Korey feels left behind by his family and friends, who want to see him happily married.

The New York Times bestselling author of The Splendor Before the Dark reveals the untold story of Mary Magdalene—a disciple of Jesus Christ and the most mysterious woman in the Bible. Was Mary Magdalene a prostitute, a female divinity figure, a church leader, or all of those? Biblical references to her are tantalizingly brief, but we do know that she was the first person to whom the risen Christ appeared—and the one commissioned to tell others the good news, earning her the ancient honorific, “Apostle to the Apostles.” Today, Mary continues to spark controversy, curiosity, and veneration.

Ivy Zimmerman is successfully navigating her life as a young Mennonite woman, one generation removed from her parents' Old Order Amish upbringing. But when her parents are killed in a tragic accident, Ivy's way of life is upended. As she deals with her grief, her younger sisters' needs, the relationship with her boyfriend, and her Dawdi and Mammi's strict rules, Ivy finds solace in both an upcoming trip to Germany for an international Mennonite youth gathering and in her great-greataunt's story about Clare Simons, another young woman who visited Germany in the late 1930s.

Can they find a way to stitch their suffering into hope and embrace an uncertain future? Tally Smucker's quiet life of reading and quilting hides her sorrow over her mother's declining health and the lack of a fulfilling future for herself. When her daily life is shaken by her free-spirited neighbor Danielle-who grew up Plain but joined the Army at eighteen-Tally's instinct is to distance herself. Yet she finds she can't turn away when Danielle's brother, Kenan, specifically asks for her help.

Can her dreams for the future—and a budding romance—survive the trouble that comes calling? Larkspur Nielsen is determined to keep her family homestead running and to fulfill their dream of starting a seed catalog, with or without her siblings' help. With Isaac McTavish back in town, Lark finds herself at odds with her own heart and her determination to shoulder the burden of carrying her responsibilities alone. But Isaac is set on convincing her that he's here to stay and she doesn't have to carry everything by herself.

Brianna Kelly has worked at Ballymacool House and Boarding School since she was a wee girl and will likely die there. Despite a sense that she was made for something more, Brianna feels powerless to change her situation, so she consoles herself by exploring the Ballymacool grounds, looking for hidden treasures to add to the secret trove beneath the floorboards of her room. When Michael Wray, the son of local gentry, is sent to Ballymacool to deal with his unruly cousin, he finds himself drawn to Brianna, immediately and inescapably. There is something about her that feels so ... familiar.