An American Beauty: Sneak Peek

An American Beauty: Sneak Peek
Author: Shana Abe
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 59
Release: 2023-02-14
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496746309

Be one of the first to read this sneak preview sample edition! For fans of HBO’s The Gilded Age and readers of Marie Benedict, Karen Harper, and Ellen Marie Wiseman, this sweeping novel of historical fiction from New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author Shana Abé is inspired by the true story of Arabella Huntington—a charismatic, complex woman born to poverty who became one of the most powerful and wealthy figures of her time. 1867, Richmond, Virginia: Though she wears the same low-cut purple gown that is the uniform of all the girls who work at Worsham’s gambling parlor, Arabella stands apart. It’s not merely her statuesque beauty and practiced charm. Even at seventeen, Arabella possesses an unyielding grit, and a resolve to escape her background of struggle and poverty. Collis Huntington, railroad baron and self-made multimillionaire, is drawn to Arabella from their first meeting. Collis is married and thirty years her senior, yet they are well-matched in temperament, and flirtation rapidly escalates into an affair. With Collis’s help, Arabella eventually moves to New York, posing as a genteel, well-to-do Southern widow. Using Collis’s seed money and her own shrewd investing instincts, she begins to amass a fortune. Their relationship is an open secret, and no one is surprised when Collis marries Arabella after his wife’s death. But “The Four Hundred”—the elite circle that includes the Astors and Vanderbilts—have their rules. Arabella must earn her place in Society—not just through her vast wealth, but with taste, style, and impeccable behavior. There are some who suspect the scandalous truth, and will blackmail her for it. And then there is another threat—an unexpected, impossible romance that will test her ambition, her loyalties, and her heart . . . An American Beauty brings to vivid life the glitter and drama of a captivating chapter in history—and a remarkable woman who lived by her own rules.

The Second Mrs. Astor

The Second Mrs. Astor
Author: Shana Abe
Publisher: Kensington Publishing Corporation
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2021-08-31
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496732049

After losing her husband on the RMS Titanic, Madeleine Astor, who is constantly surrounded by scandal, finds her status elevated to that of a virtuous, tragic heroine and must decide whether to accept the role assigned to her or carve out her own extraordinary path.

The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking

The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Dressmaking
Author: Lauren Stowell
Publisher: PAGE STREET PUB
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2017-11-21
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1624144535

"This comprehensive guide will walk you through how to make and wear your 18th century dream gown. [The authors] have endeavored to ... [bring] historically accurate dressmaking techniques into your sewing room. Learn how to make four of the most iconic 18th century silhouettes--the English Gown, Sacque Gown, Italian Gown and Round Gown--using the same hand sewing techniques done by historic dressmakers. From large hoops to full bums, wool petticoats to grand silk gowns, ruffled aprons to big feathered hats, this manual has project patterns and instructions for every level of 18th century sewing enthusiast"--Amazon.com.

A Very Large Expanse of Sea

A Very Large Expanse of Sea
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 268
Release: 2018-10-16
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 0062866583

Longlisted for the National Book Award for Young People's Literature! From the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the Shatter Me series comes a powerful, heartrending contemporary novel about fear, first love, and the devastating impact of prejudice. It’s 2002, a year after 9/11. It’s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for someone like Shirin, a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who’s tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She’s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments—even the physical violence—she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. So she’s built up protective walls and refuses to let anyone close enough to hurt her. Instead, she drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He’s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know Shirin. It terrifies her—they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds—and Shirin has had her guard up for so long that she’s not sure she’ll ever be able to let it down.

The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty

The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty
Author: Lauren Stowell
Publisher: Page Street Publishing
Total Pages: 640
Release: 2019-07-09
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1624147917

Master Iconic 18th Century Hair and Makeup Techniques Ever wondered how Marie Antoinette achieved her sky-high hairstyle or how women in the 1700s created their voluminous frizz hairdos? The American Duchess Guide to 18th Century Beauty answers all your Georgian beauty questions—and teaches you all you need to know to recreate the styles yourself. Learn how to whip up your own pomatum and hair powder and correctly use them to take your ’dos to the next level. From there, dive into the world of buckles, hair cushions and papillote papers with historically accurate hairstyles straight from the 1700s. And top all your hair masterpieces with millinery from the time period, from a French night cap to a silk bonnet to a simple, elegant chiffonet. With Lauren and Abby’s step-by-step instructions and insightful commentary, this must-have guide is sure to find a permanent place on the shelves of all 18th century beauty enthusiasts.

The Saints of Swallow Hill

The Saints of Swallow Hill
Author: Donna Everhart
Publisher: Kensington Books
Total Pages: 386
Release: 2022-01-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1496733339

Where the Crawdads Sing meets The Four Winds as award-winning author Donna Everhart's latest novel immerses readers in its unique setting—the turpentine camps and pine forests of the American South during the Great Depression. This captivating story of friendship, survival, and three vagabonds' intersecting lives will stay with readers long after turning the final page. It takes courage to save yourself... In the dense pine forests of North Carolina, turpentiners labor, hacking into tree trunks to draw out the sticky sap that gives the Tar Heel State its nickname, and hauling the resin to stills to be refined. Among them is Rae Lynn Cobb and her husband, Warren, who run a small turpentine farm together. Though the work is hard and often dangerous, Rae Lynn, who spent her childhood in an orphanage, is thankful for it--and for her kind if careless husband. When Warren falls victim to his own negligence, Rae Lynn undertakes a desperate act of mercy. To keep herself from jail, she disguises herself as a man named "Ray" and heads to the only place she can think of that might offer anonymity--a turpentine camp in Georgia named Swallow Hill. Swallow Hill is no easy haven. The camp is isolated and squalid, and commissary owner Otis Riddle takes out his frustrations on his browbeaten wife, Cornelia. Although Rae Lynn works tirelessly, she becomes a target for Crow, the ever-watchful woods rider who checks each laborer's tally. Delwood Reese, who's come to Swallow Hill hoping for his own redemption, offers "Ray" a small measure of protection, and is determined to improve their conditions. As Rae Lynn forges a deeper friendship with both Del and Cornelia, she begins to envision a path out of the camp. But she will have to come to terms with her past, with all its pain and beauty, before she can open herself to a new life and seize the chance to begin again. “Fans of Sarah Addison Allen won't be able to put it down.” —Booklist

A Rose in Winter

A Rose in Winter
Author: Shana Abé
Publisher: Fanfare
Total Pages: 366
Release: 2013-06-19
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307833933

A deeply enthralling, richly romantic novel of passion and adventure by a stunning new voice in historical romance. . . At sixteen, Lady Solange had pledged her love to Damon Wolf, had dreamed they would be together forever. But when her ruthless father threatened Damon's life unless she agreed to marry another, Solange did the only thing she could: she scorned her true love and sent him away. . . never imagining the fate that awaited her, never knowing that one day her destiny would be entwined with Damon's once more. For nine long years, Solange has lived a nightmare, wed to a wealthy lord whose handsome face hides a soul of darkest evil. Yet now, just as she is poised to finally make good her escape, Damon suddenly appears at the castle gate. Gone is the gentle hero of her childhood, replaced by a fiercely attractive, thunderously angry knight, who makes it clear he has never forgiven her betrayal. Convincing Damon to escort her to safety will take all Solange's ingenuity--but the real challenge lies in breaching the walls that Damon has built between them, to win back his trust. . . and his hardened heart.

Beauty and the Streets

Beauty and the Streets
Author: Kim K.
Publisher: Melodrama Publishing
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2014-11-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1620780488

Young Khye was always spoiled and told that her beauty would get her far. However, no one told her that beauty without brains would lead to a dead end. Khye and her family moved to Harlem from London when she was nine. She figured out quickly that her accent garnered attention. A decade later, her now exaggerated accent grabs the attention of many men. But Khye only has eyes for Floyd, a pretty boy making a name for himself in the music industry. When Floyd is murdered in the recording studio, Khye begins investigating. Secrets about who he really was and how he really earned his living begin to surface, and Khye is determined to pick up right where he left off.

The Bohemians

The Bohemians
Author: Jasmin Darznik
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Total Pages: 369
Release: 2022-04-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 059312944X

A dazzling novel of one of America’s most celebrated photographers, Dorothea Lange, exploring the wild years in San Francisco that awakened her career-defining grit, compassion, and daring. “Jasmin Darznik expertly delivers an intriguing glimpse into the woman behind those unforgettable photographs of the Great Depression, and their impact on humanity.”—Susan Meissner, bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things In this novel of the glittering and gritty Jazz Age, a young aspiring photographer named Dorothea Lange arrives in San Francisco in 1918. As a newcomer—and naïve one at that—Dorothea is grateful for the fast friendship of Caroline Lee, a vivacious, straight-talking Chinese American with a complicated past, who introduces Dorothea to Monkey Block, an artists’ colony and the bohemian heart of the city. Dazzled by Caroline and her friends, Dorothea is catapulted into a heady new world of freedom, art, and politics. She also finds herself falling in love with the brilliant but troubled painter Maynard Dixon. As Dorothea sheds her innocence, her purpose is awakened and she grows into the artist whose iconic Depression-era “Migrant Mother” photograph broke the hearts and opened the eyes of a nation. A vivid and absorbing portrait of the past, The Bohemians captures a cast of unforgettable characters, including Frida Kahlo, Ansel Adams, and D. H. Lawrence. But moreover, it shows how the gift of friendship and the possibility of self-invention persist against the ferocious pull of history.

For Spacious Skies

For Spacious Skies
Author: Nancy Churnin
Publisher: Albert Whitman & Company
Total Pages: 35
Release: 2020-04-01
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0807525294

A Mighty Girl's 2020 Books of the Year The true story of the unconventional woman and her enduring song about the spirit of America. Katharine Lee Bates first wrote the lines to "America the Beautiful" after a stirring visit to Pikes Peak in 1893. But the story behind the song begins with Katharine herself, who pushed beyond conventional expectations of women to become an acclaimed writer, scholar, suffragist, and reformer. Katharine believed in the power of words to make a difference, and in "America the Beautiful," her vision of the nation as a great family, united from sea to shining sea, continues to uplift and inspire us all.