STONE YARD DEVOTIONAL Shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2024

A song without any answer in it?
That's the sound of waiting.
Livia Bohusz misses her brother, Cyrus.
Unmoored by his death, and the stifling silence of the family farm, eleven-year-old Livia has no choice but to survive.
Her only solace: music, an escape in the quiet rapture piano practice brings.
The promise of a new life her talent offers, intoxicating.
So when Livia starts her college music scholarship it feels as if a new life might begin. Immersing herself in her passions in a world where she excels, even as she struggles to fit in with more urbane classmates, she glimpses the possibilities of a life beyond the farm and her parents.

Min Jin Lee, the acclaimed author of Pachinko, returns with a breathtaking contemporary epic that follows one family as they reckon with personal dreams and familial duty.

John and Helen Koh and their three children – Bo, DH and Mido – are building new lives in Korea when they find their worlds upended, first by a terrible betrayal and then by the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Striving to regain their footing, the Kohs set out to do whatever it takes to provide for their children’s futures.
They leave Seoul for Sydney and eventually settle in California, where new opportunities open for the Koh children, as the parents, strangers in a strange land, adjust to a difficult existence in which their qualifications mean little. Their way forward is lit by the faith that education will lead the next generation to the success and security that have eluded their parents.

At New England boys boarding school Welton Academy, tradition is celebrated and high achievement is expected. When former Welton student and new English teacher John Keating encourages students to "make their lives extraordinary" with his unorthodox teaching methods, he shakes up the stuffy preperatory school's high-pressure environment and guides his pupils on a journey of self-discovery.


Inspired by Keating, high school junior Todd Anderson and friends resurrect the Dead Poets Society—a secret club where, free from the constraints and expectations of school and parents, they let their passions run wild. But the Dead Poets pledges soon realize that their newfound freedom can have tragic consequences. Can the club and the individuality it inspires survive the pressure from authorities determined to destroy their dreams?

Sweet and gentle, calm and collected, nervous and inexperienced, Tobias Mitchell was death cloaked in the form of a handsome man. But, instead of running the other way, she fell for him.


Aria Miller is a scientist researching rare genetic diseases when her world is tilted off its axis, and she collides with Tobias. When she takes him on as her assistant, he becomes infatuated with her in ways he can't comprehend.


When reality hits and Aria is forced to leave the country, Tobias is faced with the thought of losing the object of his desire. His mask slips, showing her his true self for the first time.

Aria is his, and he'll do anything to make sure she stays that way.

It all began with just one line. . .
The first letter arrived the day my husband was buried. It was postmarked from the state penitentiary and contained a single sentence:
I’ll wait forever if I have to.

It was signed by Dante, a man I didn’t know.

Out of simple curiosity, I wrote back to ask him what exactly he was waiting for. His reply?

A love story and a tale of life-enhancing friendship: Pulitzer Prize winner Andrew Sean Greer showcases his wit, sophistication and deep knowledge of focaccia in this magical tale set amidst the Tuscan hills.


Broke and directionless, our young man takes a job in the Italian countryside as the all-purpose assistant to Lisabetta, known to her friends as Coco - a strong-willed, wealthy widow of great local renown.


Trained as an archivist, he thinks he's been hired to catalogue the contents of the beautiful, crumbling mansion nestled in the green Tuscan hills... but what are his actual duties?
Days are spent ridding the house of a marten - whatever that is - locating the antediluvian septic system, entertaining an endless carousel of guests (from bohemian painters to elderly princesses to unnervingly handsome nephews), attending a funeral in order to make off with the urn, and not inadvertently sabotaging Coco's great and final plan-to locate the lost love of her life and be reunited before it's too late.


As summer turns into autumn and the Italian countryside begins to work its magic on our protagonist, the secrets of Villa Coco and its inhabitants are slowly brought to light - and with them, an unforgettable story of the enduring power of friendship.

The princess isn’t supposed to dethrone the king.

Elsa
He told me he’d destroy me - and he did.
I might have lost the battle, but the war is far from over.
They say it takes just one move to dethrone a king.
No one warned me he’d drag me down with him on the way.

Aiden
If Steel’s little princess wants a war, then she’ll get one.
There’s only one rule: follow mine - or none at all.
So go ahead, sweetheart.
Show me what you’ve got.

The London winter of 1947 is as cold as St Petersburg during the Revolution. Albertine, the wife of a British army officer often abroad on covert government business, finds herself increasingly lonely.

Eager to distract herself with work, she takes a job as companion to the mysterious 'Monsieur Ka', a Russian emigre. As she is drawn into Ka's dramatic past, her own life is shaken to its foundations.

As a girl, Clara del Valle can read fortunes, make objects move as if they had lives of their own, and predict the future. Following the mysterious death of her sister, Rosa the Beautiful, Clara is mute for nine years. When she breaks her silence, it is to announce that she will be married soon to the stern and volatile landowner Esteban Trueba.

East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a sweeping novel that intertwines the lives of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, over multiple generations in California's Salinas Valley. The story explores complex themes of good and evil, free will, and the struggle for identity and redemption.

The narrative primarily follows the Trask family, beginning with Adam Trask, who moves to California after a tumultuous relationship with his half-brother, Charles. Adam marries the enigmatic and morally corrupt Cathy Ames, who later abandons him and their twin sons, Caleb ("Cal") and Aron. Cathy becomes a brothel owner, embodying the novel's exploration of inherent evil.

The Hamilton family, particularly Samuel Hamilton and his daughter, Liza, provide a counterpoint with their integrity and moral strength. Samuel becomes a close friend to Adam Trask, helping him through his struggles.

As the story progresses, the focus shifts to the next generation, particularly the contrasting paths of Cal and Aron. Cal, feeling overshadowed by his idealized brother Aron, grapples with feelings of guilt and a desire for his father's approval. The novel culminates in Cal's ultimate struggle with his own nature and the choices he makes, echoing the biblical story of Cain and Abel.

What’s worse than a big little lie? An even bigger little truth...

It has been a decade since the ill-fated quiz night at Pirriwee High. A man died. Accusations of murder were rife. For mothers and best friends Madeline, Celeste and Jane, the fall out still feels like it happened yesterday. Never mind that their kids have grown into grouchy teenagers with too many hormones. Or that, as their frazzled mothers, they don’t have enough.

Because life always has its challenges, big and small.

As a third-year Ph.D. candidate, Olive Smith doesn't believe in lasting romantic relationships - but her best friend does, and that's what got her into this situation. Convincing Anh that Olive is dating and well on her way to a happily ever after was always going to take more than hand-wavy Jedi mind tricks: Scientists require proof. So, like any self-respecting biologist, Olive panics and kisses the first man she sees.

That man is none other than Adam Carlsen, a young hotshot professor - and well-known ass. Which is why Olive is positively floored when Stanford's reigning lab tyrant agrees to keep her charade a secret and be her fake boyfriend. But when a big science conference goes haywire, putting Olive's career on the Bunsen burner, Adam surprises her again with his unyielding support and even more unyielding...six-pack abs.