Short stories that are “achingly true to life when it comes to the many ways mothers and daughters grow together and apart, over and over again”

(

O, The Oprah Magazine

).

  “Mothers and daughters go at it in the way only mothers and daughters can, with full hearts and claws out, in Natalie Serber’s funny, bittersweet collection” of short fiction named a New York Times Notable Book (

Vanity Fair

).   In a battle between a teenager and her mother, wheat bread and plain yogurt become weapons. An aimless college student, married to her much older professor, sneaks cigarettes while caring for their newborn son. On the eve of her husband’s fiftieth birthday, a pilfered fifth of rum, an unexpected tattoo, and rogue teenagers leave a woman questioning her place. And in a suite of stories, we follow capricious, ambitious single mother Ruby and her cautious, steadfast daughter, Nora, through their tumultuous life—stray men, stray cats, and psychedelic drugs—in 1970s California.   “The characters are irresistible . . . Serber writes with exquisite patience and sensitivity, and is an expert in the many ways that love throws people together and splits them apart, often at the same time.” —

The

Wall Street Journal

  “From its first page, Serber’s debut collection plunges us into the humid heat and lightning of a perfect storm: that of American mothers and daughters struggling for power, love, meaning, and identity. . . . Serber’s writing sparkles: practical, strong, brazenly modern, marbled with superb descriptions.” —

San Francisco Chronicle

  “Mothers and daughters burst from these pages in stories about food, boyfriends, birthdays, husbands and more.” —

Houston Chronicle

  “In the tradition of Lorrie Moore and Tobias Wolff, Natalie Serber’s stories uncover the secret hearts of seemingly ordinary people. Funny, heart-felt, and keenly perceptive, this is a book worth shouting about.” —Dan Chaon, author of

If I Loved You I Would Tell You This

Guests can be surprising…

Ann and Rhonda continue their work at The Beach House Hotel, always striving to make their upscale property the best on the Gulf Coast of Florida. As they’ve learned, not all guests are easy. When they receive a request from Hilda Hassel, a member of the Bavarian royal family, for a two-week stay at the hotel in January, demanding the best room and high tea every afternoon, Ann is uneasy. Other Hassel family members cancelled a large, fancy wedding at the last moment leaving a mess behind. But Rhonda convinces Ann that having a royal guest could increase important European business, and Ann agrees.After deciding to give Hilda the Presidential Suite for two weeks during their high season and welcoming her to the hotel, Ann and Rhonda are left to wonder if they’ve made the biggest mistake of their lives when Hilda arrives with her “nephew” and strange things begin to happen.Another of Judith Keim’s series books celebrating love and families, strong women meeting challenges, and clean women’s fiction with a touch of romance—beach reads for all ages with a touch of humor, satisfying twists, and happy endings

From the author of the national bestseller Girls’ Poker Night comes the hilarious yet poignant story of a woman trying to resist the urge to live with one foot constantly out the door

Ask Again Later is a humorous and revealing novel about Emily, a lawyer by default in her 20s, living in New York City. We meet Emily after quits her job in order to help her mother, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Emily soon finds that she’s not really cut out for nursing, and takes a responsibility-free job as a receptionist at a law firm headed by her father, with whom she hasn’t had a relationship in 20 years. Reappearing in their lives upon hearing of his ex-wife’s illness, her father quickly brings Emily back to a past she would rather forget, but whose challenges help her get closer to the future she has always wanted.

Jill Davis is at her most fresh and sharp, Ask Again Later reveals the laugh-out-loud pros and cons of finally going for the gusto, but finding out it isn’t exactly what you wanted.

The Truth About Love and Lighting is a deliciously emotional story of family, forgiveness, love, and magic from Susan McBride.

A lie that Gretchen Brink told 40 years ago comes back to haunt her when a tornado brings together Sam, a mysterious man who can’t remember anything, and Abby, her newly pregnant daughter who is convinced Sam is her long-lost father. Though decades old, when Gretchen’s secrets are revealed, the ramifications will affect them all in ways they never could have imagined.

A mesmerizing study of family and love, The Truth About Love and Lightning is touching and observant, reminding us that we never know when our lives are on the precipice of change.

‘A witty, warm-hearted romp through the lives and loves of three friends’ Debbie Johnson

Meet The Vintage Cinema Club….

Izzy is a wow at making unwanted things pretty, but with three brothers and her shabby chic furniture business to run she doesn’t have time to date. Could a fabulous French proposal change her mind?

Single mum Luce’s vintage bridal dresses are exquisite, but there’s no way she’s ever going to wear one or walk down the aisle for that matter. She’s a strictly no romance, one night kind of woman – or so she thinks…

Dida seems to have it all – a chocolate and banana cake recipe to die for, lovely kids (most of the time!) and a great lifestyle. But what good is a fabulous home, when your marriage has more cracks than a pavlova and your husband is having it off with half of Lithuania?

Three retro fabulous friends, in love with all things vintage, run their dream business from the faded grandeur of a rescued cinema. When that dream comes under threat, they’ll do whatever it takes to save it.

Fans of Lucy Diamond, Michele Gorman and Milly Johnson are going to love this heartfelt, funny story.