Nancy Pearl presents a Book Lust rediscovery

Ruth Doan MacDougall

Set against the changing social landscape of the early 1970s, this thoughtful coming-of-age novel follows a young woman facing an unexpected crisis that forces her to reconsider her relationships, responsibilities, and hopes for the future. With emotional honesty, it explores family tensions, identity, independence, and the difficult choices that accompany growing up. The story offers a compassionate portrait of a young person searching for strength and direction when life no longer seems to follow a simple plan.

Jon Cohen

In the small town of Waverly, Louis Malone has lived in seclusion since a devastating fire left him badly disfigured, while lonely nurse Iris Shula has nearly given up on the possibility of love. Their lives collide unexpectedly when Louis falls from his second-story window, drawing Iris into a relationship neither could have imagined. As two wounded, compassionate people discover one another, they confront isolation, appearance, vulnerability, and the transformative power of human connection. Tender, poignant, and often humorous, this is an unconventional love story about learning to be seen—and finding hope in the most unlikely place.

Deirdre McNamer

Set against the restless optimism of 1920s America, this novel follows siblings Jerry and Daisy Lou Malone as they pursue sharply different versions of the American dream. Jerry joins homesteaders on the Great Plains, while Daisy seeks fame and glamour on the stages of New York City, but changing fortunes bring them back together in a struggling Montana town. There, an ambitious plan tied to the era’s legendary heavyweight championship offers the community one last chance at revival—and the siblings a fleeting opportunity to reinvent their lives. Rich in period detail and wry, compassionate storytelling, the novel explores ambition, family, resilience, and the seductive promise of starting over.