A sizzling yet sweet festive rom-com about a small-town theatre director forced to put her faith in the woman who once shattered her heart, so they can save not only the show, but their whole community, too.

In Cedar Creek, Christmas is no joke, and the annual seasonal play is the centerpiece of the festivities. As director, Bo Amaratunga is not only filling the boots of her mother, but fulfilling her role as community organizer—bringing people together for a night of queer joy and merriment.

When a local landmark goes up for sale, and the town looks to Bo to save it, she does exactly what her mother would do: draws up plans to produce the loudest, most magical play to save the day—or at least bring in enough ticket sales to fend off any prospective buyers. To pull it all off, Bo needs a set builder who can bring her vision to life, but the only option seems to be the newly returned Val Morales, Bo’s long lost high school sweetheart. Sure, Val’s incredibly talented, more than willing to help, and still makes Bo’s pulse race, but how can she trust the girl who ghosted her and left her devastated ten years ago? And why did Val come back after all these years, anyway?

Val Morales didn’t think she’d ever find herself back in Cedar Creek. Freshly divorced, unemployed, and floundering, she was glad to take the lifeline when her demanding parents offered her a job helping out with their realtor business. When they ask her to find a buyer for their lucrative property in Cedar Creek, she jumps at the opportunity to escape their disappointment at her life’s recent downturn and hopefully even impress them. She wasn’t expecting to run into Bo, her first, most pivotal love, or for Bo to ask for her help designing the set for the annual holiday play. When Val realizes the property she’s trying to sell is the same one the play is trying to save, she is forced into an impossible place—will she break Bo’s heart all over again?

As the past and their longing for one another creeps up on them, Bo and Val must figure out a way to maneuver around their conflicting goals and pressures.

At once an utterly delightful holiday romcom and a tender exploration of past, present, and future selves, Tanya Boteju’s adult debut Setting the Stage For Christmas will warm hearts in any season.

*ships in 7-10 business days

The first comprehensive book about anti-Black bias in the Latino community that unpacks the misconception that Latinos are “exempt” from racism due to their ethnicity and multicultural background

Racial Innocence will challenge what you thought about racism and bias and demonstrate that it’s possible for a historically marginalized group to experience discrimination and also be discriminatory. Racism is deeply complex, and law professor and comparative race relations expert Tanya Katerí Hernández exposes “the Latino racial innocence cloak” that often veils Latino complicity in racism. As Latinos are the second-largest ethnic group in the US, this revelation is critical to dismantling systemic racism. Basing her work on interviews, discrimination case files, and civil rights law, Hernández reveals Latino anti-Black bias in the workplace, the housing market, schools, places of recreation, the criminal justice system, and Latino families.

By focusing on racism perpetrated by communities outside those of White non-Latino people, Racial Innocence brings to light the many Afro-Latino and African American victims of anti-Blackness at the hands of other people of color. Through exploring the interwoven fabric of discrimination and examining the cause of these issues, we can begin to move toward a more egalitarian society.

What if the writing life isn’t about daily word counts―but about daily attention to your whole self?

You don’t need to write every day to be a writer. You don’t need perfect conditions, endless hours, or a life free from doubt. What you need is permission to bring your whole, imperfect self to the page―and practices that nourish your soul as you write.

All of life is the writing life.

Drawing on her experience as a spiritual director working primarily with writers, Charlotte Donlon offers something rare: a book that honors both the craft of writing and the care of the soul. Through contemplative practices, personal stories, and wisdom from writers like Toni Morrison, Margaret Walker, and Kaveh Akbar, she invites you to discover how rest, doubt, grief, and joy all become sacred ground for creative flourishing.

Structured around five essential movements―“Begin,” “Belong,” “Become,” “Behold,” “Bestow”―this book offers practical rituals and gentle companionship for the real conditions of your life. Whether you’re navigating resistance, recovering from burnout, or simply longing for a more sustainable practice, you’ll find permission to write from exactly where you are.

Writers of all backgrounds are welcome here. People of deep faith and profound doubt. Those who write every day and those who write in stolen moments. Published authors and private journalers. This is a sanctuary, not a system―a space where your creative identity isn’t measured by output but nourished by attention.

Spiritual Direction for Writers doesn’t promise to make you more productive. It promises something better: to help you become more fully yourself, on and off the page. Because when writing helps make you a kinder, wiser, and more generous human being―when it opens you to what matters most―you’ve already succeeded.

“Charlotte’s book makes space, supports readers, writers, and listeners, and truly cares about the people who encounter its pages. It is a place to land and rest, a place to be curious, to experiment, to pray, to breathe, to feel, and to embrace the truth of your identity as a writer.”
―Ashley M. Jones, poet laureate emerita of Alabama

From the queen of genre-bending speculative fiction, comes the newest Sauútiverse offering, a mystery like no other, where the investigator is not a detective, but a sound scientist.

In a world where sound is a tangible force, Muso’mi is a maadiregi―an expert in the art of consuming it. At the prestigious Mahadum, she researches the language of silence, seeking to master the gift her mother calls theft. But academic intrigue turns to deadly peril when her friend vanishes after unearthing a hidden truth. Pursuing clues through pools of quietude across worlds, Muso’mi stumbles upon a horrifying discovery: a pattern of carnage left in fields of harvested silence. Now, the hunter becomes the hunted, as her unique expertise draws her into the orbit of a serial killer who understands the power of sound all too well.

Includes a glossary of Bantu, Afrocentric and made-up words from this cross-cultural tale written in gorgeous lyrical language packed with emotion.

From award-winning author Rhonda McKnight comes a new story of faith, history, and the power of legacy that merges the romance of The Bookshop Sisterhood with the rich Lowcountry setting of Mary Alice Monroe.

Alexandra Chambers is a writer who has run out of words. Struggling with writer's block and the pressure to secure a new book deal, she wins a week in a writer-friendly cabin through a drawing held at a Lowcountry literacy center.

What she finds is far more than she expected--a vibrant community brimming with inspiration, a past steeped in history and culture, and a man who both intrigues and unsettles her.

Gabe Scott, a bestselling author and the former writer-in-residence, is everything Alex feels she's not--acclaimed, award-winning, and unshakably confident. When their paths cross at the center, his literary brilliance and dedication to helping struggling Gullah students stir feelings Alex isn't ready to confront. Though undeniably attracted to him, Alex wrestles with the fear that her books pale beside his celebrated work.

When a surprising family connection unearths long-hidden truths about her past, Alex is forced to confront a lie that has shaped her life. Guided by the quiet wisdom of Ms. Kate, an elderly Gullah cleaning woman with losses of her own, Alex finds the strength to forgive truths long withheld, embrace her voice, and write the story only she can tell.

Writer in Residence is a rich and layered choice for book clubs eager to explore themes of identity, family secrets, creative reinvention, and the power of place. McKnight's lush Lowcountry setting and unforgettable cast of characters spark meaningful conversation about Gullah Geechee culture, the stories we inherit, and the courage it takes to tell our own truth. An included discussion guide makes it easy for groups to dig deeper into Alex's journey of rediscovery--and perhaps reflect on the hidden roots in their own lives.

James Beard Outstanding Pastry Chef finalist and Food & Wine Best New Chef Caroline Schiff believes a sweet treat is the perfect daily ritual, and her book is designed to sweeten life in just the right dose.

Why wait for a special occasion when dessert can be part of every day?

Star chef Caroline Schiff believes a sweet treat is an important daily ritual―something small and simple, or occasionally a showstopper to celebrate big moments. Daily Dessert is her joyful, highly versatile collection of recipes designed to sweeten life in just the right dose.

Sometimes that means one perfect cookie warm from the oven, a snacking cake to last all week, a no-bake refresher on a scorching day, or a cozy pudding for a winter night. Organized by mood and moment, chapters move from Simple Little Sweets (quick, small-batch recipes) to Weekly Snacking Bakes, Sunny Day Sweets, Cozy Day Confections, Dessert for Breakfast, No-Bake Treats, and Celebration Sweets―plus a Basics section with Schiff’s essential doughs, sauces, and toppings.

Recipes are approachable yet irresistible, the kind of things fans already love from Schiff: Hot Butterscotch Pecan Blondies, Upside-Down Clementine Olive Oil Snacking Cake, Raspberry Crème Fraîche Galette, Espresso Crunch Coffee Cake, Gingersnap and Orange Cream Sandwiches, No-Churn Toasted Cinnamon Ice Cream, and her iconic Baked Alaska for a Crowd.

Daily Dessert is an invitation to embrace the joy of sweets as part of everyday life. With Schiff’s playful voice, professional know-how, and unfussy recipes, this book is for everyone―novice bakers, seasoned pros, and anyone who simply believes dessert makes life better.

We're excited to host our very first Cookbook Club featuring California Soul!

BOOK CLUB MEETING DEETS

Quarterly, we'll gather to discuss a cookbook and share food. Yes, we expect everyone to bring a dish to the book club meeting. 

When: Sunday, August 24 @ 4:30 PM CST

Where: Kindred Stories (2310 Elgin St, Houston, TX 77004)

How:  Purchase of the book is required to attend the book club meeting. 

ABOUT THE BOOK

80+ comfort-filled recipes that trace the roots of modern California soul food to the Great Migration—from the acclaimed chef and author of Brown Sugar Kitchen.

Through more than 80 seasonally inspired recipes, Tanya Holland's California Soul showcases modern soul food from the acclaimed chef of Brown Sugar Kitchen and host of Tanya's Kitchen Table. Tanya’s inventive cuisine—rooted in a Black Southern cultural repertoire with a twenty-first-century sensibility using local, sustainable, chef-driven, seasonal ingredients—is showcased in recipes for every season, such as Collard Green Tabbouleh, Zucchini–Scallion Waffles with Toasted Pecan Romesco, Grilled Shrimp and Corn with Avocado White BBQ Sauce, Fried Chicken Paillards with Arugula and Pea Shoot Salad, and Honey Lavender Chess Pie. 

The recipes—influenced by the historical migration of African American families, including Tanya’s own—reveal the key ingredients, techniques, and traditions that African Americans brought with them as they left the South for California, creating a beloved version of soul food. Beyond recipes, Tanya spotlights fifteen contemporary Black Californian foodmakers—farmers, coffee roasters, and other talented artisans—whose work help defines California soul food, with stunning portraiture and stories. Filtered through the rich history of African American migration that brought her own family from the Deep South to the West Coast, Tanya's recipes are as comforting and delicious as they are steeped in history.

Hip, hip, hooray! It's Hairiette's Birthday!

With her glowy hair done and the perfect dress picked out, Hairiette is ready for her special seventh birthday present. But on the big day, there is no bike in sight! All she gets is a stinking barrette and comb. It looks like it isn't going to be a hip hip hooray day after all…until a class unit on imagination changes everything!

i + magi + nation = My Magic Nation!

Using the power of her imagination, Hairiette turns her boring birthday gifts into charmed objects that whisk her off to an enchanted place called Magic Nation where she can have hip hip hooray days every day! All she needs is a little creativity and the magic words, "Razzle, Dazzle, Diddly, Do!" and soon the adventures begin!