Description
Books include:
April title: ALIVE DAY, by Tracey Palmer
After three tours in Afghanistan, Sergeant Catherine “Dev” Devlin returns to coastal New England as a below-the-knee amputee plagued by nightmares. Unable to care for herself, let alone for Walker, her estranged young son, she needs help, but asking for it isn’t Army. When one of her nightmares triggers a near catastrophe, she takes Walker and runs into hiding… and straight into a grieving stranger’s tragedy. The three form a tenuous and unlikely bond until Dev’s long-buried Kandahar secret catches up with her and threatens to destroy her chance at redemption, and at becoming the mother she wants to be. Gritty and raw, ALIVE DAY is a searing look at the lasting scars of war, the lies we tell ourselves to survive, and the danger of believing we can outrun our past. But ultimately, it’s about a young mother’s battle to keep her son—and save herself.
Tracey Palmer is a graduate of GrubStreet’s yearlong, MFA-level Novel Incubator program. She is a communications consultant at MIT; a contributor to Cognoscenti at WBUR, Boston’s NPR radio station; and co-editor of the novel-writing blog Dead Darlings. The Texas League of Writers named her yet-to-be-published novel, THE CAGE, a finalist in its manuscript competition. Tracey lives south of Boston with her husband and is the mother of two grown daughters who inspire her every day. She never served in the military, but while writing ALIVE DAY, she learned that at least six members of her family did. Only now is she discovering their compelling stories. ALIVE DAY is her debut novel.
May title: THE YEAR I WROTE YOU, by Leah Abrams and Sara Mann
THE YEAR I WROTE YOU is adapted from the email correspondence of Leah Abrams and Sara Mann, two young women connected through losses–one past and one to come. Delicately weaving together a cancer narrative with wisdom gained through grief, this remarkable joint memoir is above all a detailed and honest record of female friendship, and a testament to the redemptive power of serving as an unflinching witness to the details of another person’s life. The Year I Wrote You will speak to readers who want honesty that cracks them open, storytelling that seeks to make meaning of the senseless, or evidence that empathy still makes a difference in this world.
Leah Abrams is a population health and aging researcher in the Department of Community Health at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts. She holds a PhD in health policy and an MPH in epidemiology from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.
Sara Mann is a visual artist and writer based in Hamilton, Ontario. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and a Master of Arts in Teaching, both from Brown University, and is working toward a three-year Diploma in Fine Art Studio Practice & Theory from the Dundas Valley School of Art. She spent ten years as a high school English teacher in Massachusetts before moving to Canada with her family in 2022.
June title: STRANGERS ON THE RHINE by Robyn Ryle
Seeking hope in the aftermath of a good friend’s death, Fran says yes to public-television advertising and books a Rhine river cruise with her husband Grant. But disillusionment with their fellow passengers and curiosity for vineyards and castles gives way to deep unease when someone on board goes missing. Fran’s mid-western determination mixes with her openness to the river’s mysteries as she connects the clues to name the killer– while her own peril mounts. Even a Dutch windmill proves dangerous once Fran gets too close to the truth. Fans of Ryle’s debut SEX OF THE MIDWEST will enjoy this murder mystery with a twist.
Robyn Ryle is a writer and chronicler of small town life. Though originally from Kentucky, she’s been a Hoosier for the past twenty years. She is the author of Sex of the Midwest, an NPR favorite of 2025, as well as two award-winning books of nonfiction (She/He/They/Me and Throw Like a Girl, Cheer Like a Boy) and a young adult novel (Fair Game). When she’s not writing, she teaches sociology and gender studies to college students in southern Indiana.
