The Windfall by Diksha Basu304 p.; Fiction
A charming social satire and family drama set in the world of the modern upper class of India, The Windfall centers around Mr. and Mrs. Jha, who, having come into quite a bit of money from the sale of Mr. Jha’s website, move from the apartment complex in East Delhi where they raised their son, now studying in America, to a mansion in Gurgaon, the neighborhood that houses India’s most wealthy and most ostentatious elite. They are fish out of water in their new home, and their move sets off a chain of events that rocks their son, struggling with romantic dilemmas and questioning how his parents’ new world will affect his own life choices, their nosy neighbors (new and old), and their evolving marriage, bringing unintended consequences and forcing them to reckon with what they really care about and who they want to be.
Hilarious, rollicking, and heartfelt, The Windfall is a story of one family as they try to stay true to themselves while finding out what it means to be upwardly mobile in modern India.
Escape Velocity: A Dire Earth Novel by Jason M. Hough
432 p.; Science Fiction
Selected by an alien AI to save her makers, Skyler Luiken and his crew are headed deep into space…and enemy territory! With the terrifying Swarm Blockade in ruin, Skyler and company have landed on a mysterious world in need of saving…but they have been scattered! Working against a ticking clock and a violent, technologically superior foe, these brave Earthlings must bring down an alien menace if they ever wish to return to Earth.
Twelve Days by Steven Barnes368 p.; Science Fiction
Around the world, leaders and notorious criminals alike are mysteriously dying. A terrorist group promises a series of deaths within two months. And against the backdrop of the apocalypse, the lives of a small shattered family and a broken soldier are transformed in the bustling city of Atlanta.
Olympia Dorsey is a journalist and mother, with a cynical teenage daughter and an autistic son named Hannibal, all trying to heal from a personal tragedy. Across the street, Ex–Special Forces soldier Terry Nicolas and his wartime unit have reunited Stateside to carry out a risky heist that will not only right a terrible injustice, but also set them up for life—at the cost of their honor. Terry and the family's visit to an unusual martial arts exhibition brings them into contact with Madame Gupta, a teacher of singular skill who offers not just a way for Terry to tap into mastery beyond his dreams, but also for Hannibal to transcend the limits of his condition. But to see these promises realized, Terry will need to betray those with whom he fought and bled.
Meanwhile, as the death toll gains momentum and society itself teeters on the edge of collapse, Olympia's fragile clan is placed in jeopardy, and Terry comes to understand the terrible price he must pay to prevent catastrophe.
A House Divided by Donna Hill320 p.; Fiction
Journalist Zoie Crawford had to leave New Orleans to finally make her own life. Her grandmother, Claudia, inspired her to follow her dreams—just as her mother, Rose, held on too tight. But with Claudia’s passing, Zoie reluctantly returns home, where the past is written in the lonely corners of the bayou and the New South’s supercharged corridors of power. And there she discovers a stunning, painstakingly kept secret—one that could skyrocket her career, but destroy another woman’s—and change both their vastly different lives, for better or for much worse.
Zoie has always put the truth first. Now, as the line between the personal and professional blurs, and she tries to understand her relatives’ deception, she must face some tough questions. Is there a way to expose the truth and save those you love? And at what cost? Heartfelt, emotional, and revelatory, A House Divided is an unforgettable tale about making the hardest of choices, coming to terms with all you could lose—and finding what forgiveness and family truly mean.
