Deni Rydell was raised in the small, working-class town of Prosperity in Northern California. She attended school with the rich children from neighboring Gold Hills. Feeling ostracized, she was happy to become friends with the wealthy Luna. Deni had a huge crush on Cal Copper, though she believed she didn't stand a chance with him. But years later, Deni, working as a waitress in the local cafe, became engaged to Cal and eagerly awaited their wedding and the start of her new l

Meet Bartie Maddox. He handles public relations for SGM Studios. He is an image-maker. A fixer. Starting from humble beginnings, Bartie made his way to Los Angeles, where he helped shape the public personas of the stars and cleaned up their messes. Head back to the days of Old Hollywood, when the studios gave the public what they wanted and kept far from them, the true stories that would destroy the images of the top movie stars. Bartie helped to create and protect the caree

Dominic Salt and his three children are the last inhabitants of Shearwater Island. Situated between Antarctica and Tasmania, the island houses a seed vault intended to replenish food supplies in the event of a global disaster. Until recently, a team of climate change researchers also lived there. However, due to rising sea levels, the outpost is shutting down and Dominic, its caretaker, is getting the seeds boxed up awaiting a ship to arrive which will transport the seeds to

Michaela Turner, once beloved as a child star for her role as Daisy Breyer on Breyer's Town , a sitcom still airing in reruns. She's now 27-years-old but to the public, she's still Daisy. Her acting career ended with the show, and instead of pursuing a new path, she has become a party girl, making a living off her celebrity status by appearing at the trendiest clubs. Her only true friend is Josh, who is struggling to shed this image as the popular lead in a former boy band..

During World War II, San Francisco was the second busiest port for with over 1.6 million military personnel sent overseas. In 1944, 20-year-old Irene Mary Cleary is doing her part by volunteering, along with her best friend Trixie, at the USO dances. By day, Irene manages her own seamstress shop, which she inherited from Anna, the kind woman who mentored her after growing up in a Catholic orphanage. When Irene is summoned to Nob Hill to redesign a dress for Cynthia Burke, one

In Lahore, Pakistan, Lalloo's parents are indentured laborers living in a small hut on a bhatti , where they produce bricks. The debt they owe the landowner is too substantial for them to escape their circumstances. When Lalloo's older brother Jugnu is brutally killed, his parents send seven-year-old Lalloo away to work as an apprentice for his safety. As the years go by, Lalloo, feeling abandoned, has had minimal contact with his parents. Now in his 20s, Lalloo has been savi

Cricket Campbell is 26 years old and living in New York City. She's bright but is still searching to find herself. Her older sister Nina has been caring for their father, Arthur, who has Alzheimer's. When Nina gets an opportunity that requires her to move abroad, the plan is to move Arthur into a memory care facility. However, Cricket decides it's her turn to take responsibility, and she becomes her father's caregiver, moving into his house on Catwood Pond in the Adirondacks.

Meet Margot Miyake. She and her husband, Ian, are living in tight quarters in the Washington, D.C. area while trying to purchase their dream home. But it's a seller's market, and they keep getting outbid. Margot, who is 37 years old, is also struggling with getting pregnant. She wants it all and believes she deserves to have it all. When the perfect home is about to come on the market, Margot is determined to ensure that it becomes hers. And she'll do anything to get it. An

Following the death of her mother in 2020 at the age of 96, a uthor Gish Jen started writing a memoir about Loo Shu-Hsin (Agnes), with whom she had a difficult relationship. However, since her mother rarely spoke about her childhood in Shanghai, the memoir evolved into an autobiographical novel. Loo was born in 1925 into a large, affluent family. Her mother showed little regard or affection for Loo despite being a bright girl. After college, Loo was permitted to travel to the

If you've seen Almost Famous , you have an idea of who Cameron Crowe is. While the film is a fictionalized version of his early life, this delightful memoir, The Uncool , tells the true story of the remarkably talented Crowe. Most of the book focuses on Crowe's teenage and early adult years as a rock journalist. Growing up in California, his sisters instilled in him a love for music, and Crowe went from being a fan to writing about the musicians he came to love. Amazingly,

Gwen Tanner is employed at a financial services company. In her free time, she enjoys using the pottery wheel at Painting Pots. She leads a quiet life, avoiding close relationships. That's because Gwen is not her real name; she is actually Marin Haggerty. At the age of nine, her father, serial killer Abel Haggerty, was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison. Her mother, Reanne, was found guilty of aiding and abetting him. Two decades later, her mother is released

It's 1965 when we meet Lily Berg, a suburban housewife in Ohio, married to a doctor and pregnant with her second child. (Lily would refer to it as being in the "family way.") The family takes in a teenager from a local home for unwed mothers. Fifteen-year-old Betsy Ann Eubanks moves in with the Bergs, helping Lily care for her daughter, Jo-Jo, while awaiting the birth of her own baby. Lily is very close to her sister Rose, who works as a teacher and lives nearby with her husb

She’s called Jordan by Sam and Yash, two best friends that she met in a literature class. They gave her the nickname after The Great Gatsby ’s Jordan Baker. It’s her senior year in college, and the aspiring writer has fallen hard for Sam. As she spends time with both friends, Jordan finds that she is increasingly drawn to Yash. It becomes a complicated love triangle. Years later, as a successful writer, Jordan has a surprise visit that eventually leads to the three friends re

Walter Nash has been leading a fairly uneventful life. He's a nice, mild-mannered, married man with a daughter, and is a diligent, well-paid, and valued employee at Sybaritic Investments. He had been estranged from his tough, Vietnam veteran father, Tiberius. After his father's funeral, the FBI approaches Walter with shocking information about his company and its CEO, Everett “Rhett” Temple. Nash has no choice but to cooperate with the FBI, but is soon forced into hiding,

Meet the Sun Clan. Following the death of Big Boss Sun, the billionaire head of Sunfang Global, his family was faced with a dilemma. The large Sunfang trust was meant to be passed down to a male of paternal lineage, but there was no suitable heir within the family. Roses Sun, Big Boss' eldest daughter, family matriarch, and CEO of Sunfang Global, was told by her fortune teller that without an heir, the family would be destined to become “hungry ghosts” in the afterlife. Feari

Attorney Mickey Haller, long known as the Lincoln Lawyer, has decided to take on civil litigation cases after devoting his career to criminal defense. He is hired by Brenda Randolph, the mother of Rebecca, a 16-year-old who was murdered by her former boyfriend, Aaron Colton, to sue Tidalwaiv Technologies, a company that markets an AI app for teens. It is uncovered that Aaron was obsessed with his AI chatbot companion, who encouraged him to "get rid of" Rebecca after she broke

Tim Curry's career has been truly extraordinary. His iconic role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show was followed by a wide range of performances on screen and stage, showcasing his versatility. In addition to Rocky Horror , roles in Annie , Clue , and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York are also memorable audience favorites. Curry's portrayal of Pennywise in the 1990 TV mini-series, It, might be the most terrifying clown ever. In his memoir, Vagabond , the Ap

Halston Graham is a brilliant young woman on a mission. When we first meet her, she is at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships, placing bets on the matches. With insider help, she is doing very well. But she has a much bigger plan. She cleverly finds a way to get an audience with Anton Nikolov, a major crime boss. Halston is a new employee at Echelon, an exclusive auction house where only members can bid on its rare art. She is aware that a newly discovered Picasso painting wil

Clodagh “Clo” Harmon has arrived! It's 2001, and she has been hired as an editorial assistant at a prominent fashion magazine in New York City. Originally from Philadelphia, Clo is a smart young woman who understands that she'll have to put in extra effort to get ahead. She's what is referred to as a "workhorse". She's fortunate to have the job but lacks the pedigree of other assistants known as "show horses". Her colleague Davis Lawrence is a prime example. Davis is the dau

It's 2008, and Cherokee archaeologist, Syd Walker, is living in Rhode Island, working for the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Following her boss's retirement, Syd is promoted and has a troubling new case. An anonymous call sends her to Camp Quahog, which is run by the Founders Society, an organization whose members' ancestry can be traced back to the Mayflower. Human female bones have been uncovered and are believed to originate from the Narragansett Reservation, which is see