NCW Libraries

After twenty-four years of marriage and two daughters, Elizabeth and Jackson Shore have drifted apart.

Set in the mid-twentieth century and told with beauty and tenderness, Robert Seethaler's A Whole Life is a story of man's relationship with an ancient landscape, of the value of solitude, of the arrival of the modern world, and above all, of the moments, great and small, that make us who we are.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Includes Dean Koontz’s short story “Wilderness”!
This ebook edition contains a special preview of Dean Koontz’s The Silent Corner.
In Innocence, Dean Koontz blends mystery, suspense, and acute insight into the human soul in a masterfully told tale that will resonate with readers forever.
He lives in solitude beneath the city, an exile...

It's early 2000 on New York City's Upper East Side, and the alienation of Moshfegh's unnamed young protagonist from others is nearly complete when she initiates her yearlong siesta, during which time she experiences limited personal interactions. Her parents have died; her relationships with her bulimic best friend Reva, an ex-boyfriend, and her drug-pushing psychiatrist are unwholesome. As her pill-popping intensifies, so does her isolation and determination...

"For readers of Jon Krakauer and The Lost City of Z, a remarkable tale of survival and solitude--the true story of a man who lived alone in a tent in the Maine woods, never talking to another person and surviving by stealing supplies from nearby cabins for twenty-seven years. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human...

"Pauline lives with her mother, father, little brother and sister, and there's a new baby on the way. Her friends tell her she's lucky to be the eldest -- she's the one who gets new clothes and can stay up late -- but Pauline isn't so sure. In her busy, crowded, noisy house, she never knows what she's supposed to do. One minute she's told to help her little sister, and the next to leave her alone! It seems like she's never in the right place at the...

"From the author of Mastered and Dominated comes the third of the Enforcers novels. Kept is the searing story of a woman who finds sanctuary in surrender... He can't change who he is. A horrific childhood has made Silas the man he is today: dangerous, distrustful and demanding. He's lived in self-imposed solitude, convinced that no woman could ever accept his need for absolute control--in business and pleasure. That is, until a young violinist walks...

After nearly three decades of wilderness dwelling far from neighbours and roads, with the nearest community accessible only via float plane or days of hiking, Czajkowski purchases a derelict homestead with rough road access at Ginty Creek, an hour's drive south of Anahim Lake. Although the property is mostly swamp and the packrat-infested buildings are uninhabitable, the location affords beautiful views and abundant wildlife and the asking price is...

"Combining the soul-baring insight of Wild, the profound wisdom of Shop Class as Soulcraft, and the adventurous spirit of Eat, Pray, Love, Lynn Darling's powerful, lyrical memoir of self-discovery, full of warmth and wry humor, Out of the Woods. When her college-bound daughter leaves home, Lynn Darling, widowed over a decade earlier, finds herself alone--and utterly lost, with no idea of what she wants or even who she is. Searching for answers, she...