Editorial Content for The Lotus Shoes
Book
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
In THE LOTUS SHOES, an engrossing novel of old China set in the late 1800s, Jane Yang recounts the sometimes-tragic lives of girls and women at a time when females were undervalued. Little Flower's father died when she was six, and her mother was forced to sell her as a slave to a wealthy family so that her brother wouldn’t starve to death. She was to be a maidservant to Linjing, the daughter of the family, who was the same age as her. Read More
Teaser
1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or "golden lilies," are the mark of an honorable woman. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant --- a muizai --- to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery. Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower's escape. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status, but also her life. If Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?
Promo
1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or "golden lilies," are the mark of an honorable woman. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant --- a muizai --- to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery. Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower's escape. But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status, but also her life. If Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?
About the Book
An empowering, uplifting tale of two women from opposite sides of society, and their extraordinary journey of sisterhood, betrayal, love and triumph.
1800s China. Tightly bound feet, or "golden lilies," are the mark of an honorable woman, eclipsing beauty, a rich dowry and even bloodline in the marriage stakes. When Little Flower is sold as a maidservant --- a muizai --- to Linjing, a daughter of the prominent Fong family, she clings to the hope that one day her golden lilies will lead her out of slavery.
Not only does Little Flower have bound feet, uncommon for a muizai, but she is extraordinarily gifted at embroidery, a skill associated with the highest class of a lady. Resentful of her talents, Linjing does everything in her power to thwart Little Flower's escape.
But when scandal strikes the Fongs, both women are cast out to the Celibate Sisterhood, where Little Flower’s artistic prowess catches the eye of a nobleman. His attention threatens not only her improved status, but also her life --- the Sisterhood punishes disobedience with death. And if Linjing finds out, will she sabotage Little Flower to reclaim her power, or will she protect her?
Audiobook available, read by Catherine Ho and Katharine Chin
Editorial Content for The Killing Fields of East New York: The First Subprime Mortgage Scandal, a White-Collar Crime Spree, and the Collapse of an American Neighborhood
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
From the outside, the five boroughs of New York City may seem like monolithic sections. But New Yorkers know that once you zoom in, each is a collection of neighborhoods that can be quite distinct. In the 1970s and ’80s, East New York was a little-known part of Brooklyn and one of the most dangerous places in the nation. In THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK, Stacy Horn details the history of East New York and how it came to be at the center of a financial and housing scandal that had life-and-death consequences for the hard-working and innocent residents. Read More
Teaser
On a warm summer evening in 1991, 17-year-old Julia Parker was murdered in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. An area known for an exorbitant level of violence and crime, East New York had come to be known as the Killing Fields. In the six months after Julia Parker’s death, 62 more people were murdered in the same area. In the early 1990s, murder rates in the neighborhood climbed to the highest in NYPD history. East New York was dying. But how did this once thriving, diverse, family neighborhood fall into such ruin? The answer can be found two decades earlier. A compulsively readable hybrid of true crime and investigative journalism, THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK reveals how white-collar crime reduced a prospering neighborhood to abandoned buildings and empty lots.
Promo
On a warm summer evening in 1991, 17-year-old Julia Parker was murdered in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. An area known for an exorbitant level of violence and crime, East New York had come to be known as the Killing Fields. In the six months after Julia Parker’s death, 62 more people were murdered in the same area. In the early 1990s, murder rates in the neighborhood climbed to the highest in NYPD history. East New York was dying. But how did this once thriving, diverse, family neighborhood fall into such ruin? The answer can be found two decades earlier. A compulsively readable hybrid of true crime and investigative journalism, THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK reveals how white-collar crime reduced a prospering neighborhood to abandoned buildings and empty lots.
About the Book
In this groundbreaking work of investigative journalism and true crime, Stacy Horn sheds light on how the subprime mortgage scandal of the 1970s and a long history of white-collar crime slowly devastated East New York, a Brooklyn neighborhood that would come to be known as the Killing Fields.
On a warm summer evening in 1991, 17-year-old Julia Parker was murdered in the Brooklyn neighborhood of East New York. An area known for an exorbitant level of violence and crime, East New York had come to be known as the Killing Fields. In the six months after Julia Parker’s death, 62 more people were murdered in the same area. In the early 1990s, murder rates in the neighborhood climbed to the highest in NYPD history. East New York was dying.
But how did this once thriving, diverse, family neighborhood fall into such ruin? The answer can be found two decades earlier. In response to redlining and discriminatory housing practices, the Johnson administration passed the Housing and Urban Development Act in 1968. The Federal Housing Authority aimed to use this piece of legislation to help low-income families of color finally achieve homeownership. But they could never have predicted how banks, lenders, realtors and corrupt FHA officials themselves would use the newly passed law to make victims of the very people they were supposed to help, and the devastation they would leave in their wake.
A compulsively readable hybrid of true crime and investigative journalism, THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK reveals how white-collar crime reduced a prospering neighborhood to abandoned buildings and empty lots. Following the dual threads of the hunt for the network of criminals behind the first subprime mortgage scandal and the ensuing downfall of East New York, Stacy Horn weaves a compelling narrative of government failure, a desperate community, and ultimately the largest series of mortgage fraud prosecutions in American history.
THE KILLING FIELDS OF EAST NEW YORK deftly demonstrates how different types of crime are profoundly entangled, and how the crimes committed in nice suits and corner offices are just as destructive as those committed on the street.
Audiobook available, read by EJ Lavery
Editorial Content for A Sea of Unspoken Things
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Adrienne Young, the New York Times bestselling author of SPELLS FOR FORGETTING and THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW, returns with yet another magical, atmospheric mystery about confronting the ghosts of one’s past. Read More
Teaser
James and Johnny Golden were once inseparable. For as long as she can remember, James shared an almost supernatural connection with her twin brother, Johnny, that went beyond intuition. So when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone. When James arrives in the secluded town of Six Rivers, California, to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to revisit the ominous events of their shared past and finally face Micah, the only other person who knows their secrets --- and the only man she has ever loved. But as James delves deeper into Johnny’s world, she realizes that their unique connection hasn’t completely vanished. The more she immerses herself in his life, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew.
Promo
James and Johnny Golden were once inseparable. For as long as she can remember, James shared an almost supernatural connection with her twin brother, Johnny, that went beyond intuition. So when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone. When James arrives in the secluded town of Six Rivers, California, to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to revisit the ominous events of their shared past and finally face Micah, the only other person who knows their secrets --- and the only man she has ever loved. But as James delves deeper into Johnny’s world, she realizes that their unique connection hasn’t completely vanished. The more she immerses herself in his life, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew.
About the Book
In this captivating atmospheric novel from the New York Times bestselling author of THE UNMAKING OF JUNE FARROW, a woman investigates her twin brother’s mysterious death while confronting the ghosts of her own haunted past.
James and Johnny Golden were once inseparable. For as long as she can remember, James shared an almost supernatural connection with her twin brother, Johnny, that went beyond intuition --- she could feel what he was feeling. So when Johnny is killed in a tragic accident, James knows before her phone even rings that her brother is gone and that she’s alone --- truly alone --- for the first time in her life.
When James arrives in the secluded town of Six Rivers, California, to settle her brother’s affairs, she’s forced to revisit the ominous events of their shared past and finally face Micah, the only other person who knows their secrets --- and the only man she has ever loved.
But as James delves deeper into Johnny’s world, she realizes that their unique connection hasn’t completely vanished. The more she immerses herself in his life, the more questions she has about the brother she thought she knew. Johnny was hiding something, and he’s not the only one. The deeper she digs, the more she is compelled to unravel the truth behind the days leading up to Johnny’s death. Ultimately, James must decide which truths should come to light, and which are better left buried forever.
Audiobook available, read by Christine Lakin
January 31, 2025
Well, it’s the end of January, so it's time to examine what happened to all of those resolutions that were made in the champagne haze of New Year’s Eve.
On my end, I have upped my time at the health club and have organized a lot of my life. I still am juggling reading both print books and audiobooks. I have not carved out enough sitting-in-front-of-the-fire reading time. As the holidays wound down, I pictured Saturdays and Sundays stretched out on the couch much the same way that I do by the pool in the summer --- with a book in hand. Somehow, though, it never worked out like that. Football got in the way a lot. But with just the Super Bowl left on the football schedule, I am turning back to my weekend book reading plan. Let’s see how that goes.
Ashley Elston Book Group Event
Ashley Elston Book Group Event
Which of this year’s Oscar-nominated films that are based on books have you seen or do you plan to see? Please check all that apply.
January 31, 2025, 633 voters
January 31, 2025
At the beginning of each year, I have lots of ideas about what I want to take on personally and professionally. Now, 31 days later, I think of everything I have done. I got the Christmas ornaments back to the attic, redid my bedroom closet, and celebrated my two sons’ birthdays. We did three big “Bookaccino Live” events, I conducted five “Bookreporter Talks To” interviews, we hosted four Winter Reading contests and two Word of Mouth giveaways, we packed up 80 books for our year-end Bets On contest, we got two sets of “Bookaccino Live” prizes out, and we did five weekly updates.










