In many of Bellinger’s stories, nothing particularly notable occurs. Or rather, what occurs is commonplace and deeply, tenderly human. These often very brief stories are not concerned with grand, sweeping plots or unexpected twists; instead, they mine the complex, often fraught relationships between characters. In one story, a violinist’s “one-day stand” leads her to reflect […]
The women are friends, all single and childless (though not by choice), and each is a little quirky. By the time Essie’s 11, she’s read a great deal about the world but experienced little. Meeting G.E., a boy who looks just like her, makes her dream of being part of a large family. The two […]
This second visit to the Dogtown animal shelter brings back some familiar furry faces while introducing a new narrative perspective—that of one of the mice residing in the building’s rafters. Mouse enjoys lounging in the basement with the “unadoptable” pups, among them Buster, a “bounceback,” who has been adopted several times but then been returned […]
Arlo Hatch is a lawyer specializing in business litigation. Though his love for Stella, the daughter of one of his clients, is a bright spot in his life, Arlo is disenchanted with his career and yearns for a change. After Arlo is unsuccessfully mugged, Kostya Kozlov—a former client who was recently released from prison—benevolently takes […]
Leah Covington, on her way home from the restaurant she runs with her uncle in Oklahoma City, survives a frightening assault. The assailant lands in jail, but Leah’s social life, even months later, has yet to recover. When she finally goes out with her little sister, Kayla, Leah reunites with the muscular, handsome police officer […]
Sir Kelton, Squire, and Shadow are escorting Cade to wizard school, but they keep returning to the same marked cairn. They encounter Sir Reynholm the Bold of Upper Claxtonbury, but the group is separated when a swarm of giant mosquitoes attack. Squire relies on his wits, survival skills, and flashback memories of a conversation with […]
Throughout her illustrious career, from her 1950s star-making Broadway debut as an understudy in Pajama Game to leading roles in acclaimed films like Some Came Running and The Apartment, Shirley MacLaine has diligently chronicled her life’s journey. Her bestselling memoirs, beginning with Don’t Fall Off the Mountain (1970) and including Out on a Limb (1983), […]
The story of the main character, Susan, begins before she is born. Susan, as a soul (with the name of Soonam), makes the decision to incarnate on Earth. Her arrival occurs in 1947. Even though this is a choice on her part, she often wonders as a child what exactly she’s doing on the planet. […]
Just six months past her divorce, Meg Bloomberg decides to channel her self-pity in a different, more useful direction: playing pickleball. Actually, her friend Annie Yoon cajoled her into it, but after just a few volleys Meg can’t help but admit that playing pickleball is kind of fun. Meg joins Annie’s Lakeview pickleball league, which […]
Lady Georgiana Rannoch is cousin to David (King Edward VIII to you), sister to a duke, and wife of Darcy O’Mara, a spy for Great Britain. Happy to leave her exciting past behind and devote herself to doting on her adorable infant son, she lives with her family on the estate she’ll inherit from her […]