Books

Cormorant Books (2022)

Danah Calsely was only nine when her mother abandoned her. Years later, as a promising Sociology PhD candidate, Danah appears largely unaffected by this traumatic loss — until she finds a letter that she’s convinced is from her missing mother. The truth about Jane Lily and her disappearance is wrapped in a long history of silence, and Danah’s grandmother, Edith, has no interest in rehashing the past.

Danah becomes obsessed with the letter and the secrets she believes Edith is keeping from her. Edith is convinced she’s only protecting her granddaughter, but she has her own reasons for staying silent. As for Jane Lily herself, she has a certain knack for disappearing.

A story of heartbreak and hope, guilt and redemption, Sins of the Daughter explores the fragility of the bond between mothers and daughters and the domino effect that the choices of one generation have on the next.

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Zoe Emmerson has a secret, one she’s kept for years. Her quiet world is shaken when her past finally catches up with her: the investigation into the murder of a six-year-old neighbour is re-opened thirty years after the fact, threatening to destroy her and everyone she’s fought so hard to protect.

Zoe Emmerson has a secret, one she’s kept for years. Her quiet world is shaken when her past finally catches up with her: the investigation into the murder of a six-year-old neighbour is re-opened thirty years after the fact, threatening to destroy her and everyone she’s fought so hard to protect.

As the past collides with the present, Zoe is forced to face a most difficult truth.

She was just a child when it happened, scared and confused, and she’s never been entirely sure what she saw. But she kept her brother’s suspected involvement in the murder from the police, and the knowledge that she withheld a crucial piece of information haunts her.

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Sally loved taking baths. It wasn’t because the water was full of bubbles — or because she had the bathroom all to herself — and it was not because she always came out squeaky clean — Sally loved taking baths because it was the only time she could talk to the Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain. 

Sally found out about him when her mother sang to Sally”s baby brother about Baa Baa Black Sheep and his three bags of wool — one of which went to the Little Boy Who Lived Down the Drain. And thus a friendship was born. 

Every bath that Sally took after that was devoted to discovering more about her new friend. But this charming picture book is about more than the Little Boy, it”s about family and siblings, and friends — and about growing up.

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Where I live, lots of lights flash and glow in the night sky.
It’s different at Grandpa’s house.

During a week-long visit to Grandpa’s house, a young child sees the night sky clearly for the first time and realizes all the wonderful things that can be seen in the stars with Grandpa’s help and a bit of imagination: penguins, rubber boots, and even an elephant!

When Grandpa has to go to the hospital, and everything feels wrong and sad, the child comes up with a plan to recreate the special night sky they shared. With the help of some craft supplies and paper, the child’s bedroom ceiling is transformed into a comforting masterpiece where it just might be possible to see Grandpa marching with penguins.

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