Chris Pavone’s 2025 novel, The Doorman, is a social thriller that shifts from the international espionage of his previous works to the class and political tensions of contemporary New York City. Pavone, an Edgar Award-winning author known for bestsellers like The Expats (2012) and Two Nights in Lisbon (2022) sets this story within the confines of the Bohemia, a prestigious Central Park West apartment building. The narrative unfolds from the perspectives of three characters whose... Read The Doorman Summary

The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander transports readers to the world of 11-year-old Kofi in Upper Kwanta, West Africa, in 1860. The story revolves around Kofi's love for his family, his village, and his deep connection to the river. His cultural ways are in jeopardy, as the influence of England is taking over, including through their teachings about learning English. Soon, a tragic event during a fatal tribal wrestling match sets in motion... Read The Door of No Return Summary

German author Carsten Henn’s novel The Door-to-Door Bookstore was first published in German as Der Buchspazierer in 2020. An example of the “Up-Lit” or “feel-good” subgenre of contemporary fiction, the novel centers on Carl Kollhoff, a 72-year-old bookseller in a small German city. Carl’s solitary life revolves around his evening delivery round to a handful of reclusive customers until a precocious nine-year-old girl named Schascha begins following him, forging an unlikely friendship. While maintaining a... Read The Door-To-Door Bookstore Summary

The Do-Over (2022) is a young adult contemporary romance by Lynn Painter. The novel follows Emilie Hornby, a teenage girl who lives her life to scheduled perfection. However, her perfectly planned Valentine’s Day completely unravels when she crashes cars with her surly chemistry partner, Nick Stark; has her prestigious summer internship revoked; witnesses her boyfriend, Josh Sutton, cheating on her with his ex, Macy; and discovers her father is moving across the country for a... Read The Do-Over Summary

The Downstairs Girl (2019) is a work of young adult (YA) historical fiction by Stacey Lee. The unusual coming-of-age story features 17-year-old Jo Kuan, a Chinese American girl trying to assert her identity in the context of racist and gender-based biases in 1890s Atlanta. Jo’s life is turned upside down when she decides to moonlight as a secret advice column writer, while working as a lady’s maid by day. Dispensing radical and witty advice that... Read The Downstairs Girl Summary

The Dragonet Prophecy is the first in the Wings of Fire series about the fantastical land of Pyrrhia. The first arc of the series includes five novels. Each of the dragonets of destiny is a protagonist in the different novels. Wings of Fire includes two more arcs, several short stories, two standalone prequels, and graphic novel adaptations that feature other characters within the same fictional setting.Tui Sutherland is the Venezuelan-American author of Wings of Fire... Read The Dragonet Prophecy Summary

The Dragons, the Giant, the Women: A Memoir by Wayetu Moore (2020) is an account of Moore’s growing up in Liberia during its first civil war (1989-1997), escaping, and building a new life in the United States. Moore was born in Liberia and raised in Spring, Texas. She graduated from Howard University. Moore also has an MFA in creative writing from the University of Southern California and a Master’s in anthropology and education from Columbia... Read The Dragons, the Giant, the Women Summary

The Dreamer (2010), written by Pam Muñoz Ryan and illustrated by Peter Sís, is an illustrated novel marketed for middle-grade audiences. Set in 20th-century Chile, The Dreamer recounts the story of Neftalí Reyes, based on the life and childhood of the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. Sensorial illustrations accompany elements of biography, magical realism, and poetry in this story about a boy’s transformation into a world-renowned artist. The story follows Neftalí on his journey to define... Read The Dreamer Summary

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe is the nonfiction debut of American journalist and author, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, first published in 2011. It chronicles the story of Kamila Sidiqi, a young woman living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who became a fashion entrepreneur at a time when the rights of women were strictly limited. Lemmon traveled to Afghanistan to study... Read The Dressmaker of Khair Khana Summary

The Dutch House is the eighth novel of Ann Patchett, an award-winning author of contemporary fiction. Published in 2019, the novel tells the story of what happens to Danny Conroy and his older sister Maeve Conroy when their stepmother, Andrea Smith, expels them from their sumptuous childhood home after the death of their father, Cyril Conroy. Set in the Dutch House—located in the outskirts of Philadelphia—and New York, the novel is literary fiction with fairy-tale... Read The Dutch House Summary

The Echo of Old Books (2023) by Barbara Davis is a novel that follows the tragic and mysterious romance of two lovers, Hemi and Belle, who detail their story in conflicting, written accounts. The companion books are found decades later by Ashlyn Greer, a rare book dealer with psychometric abilities, who sets out to unravel the mystery behind the betrayal and heartbreak she senses from the story. The book explores themes of Heartbreak, Tragedy, and... Read The Echo of Old Books Summary

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery was published in 2006 and translated by Alison Anderson into English for publication in 2008. The novel has been translated into more than 40 languages and was a major bestseller in France. The novel was adapted into a film called The Hedgehog (Le Hérisson) in 2009 to critical acclaim. The Elegance of the Hedgehog follows the narrative point of view of two erudite narrators: Renée, a concierge... Read The Elegance of the Hedgehog Summary

The Elephant in the Room is the seventh book by acclaimed children's author and screenwriter Holly Goldberg Sloan. The novel, honored with the prestigious Christopher Award, follows the journey of Sila Tekin after her mother returns to Turkey due to an immigration issue. Despite grief and longing for her mother, Sila discovers unexpected companionship in a lottery winner, an autistic classmate, and a retired circus elephant. In The Elephant in the Room, Sloan delves into themes of family and community, empathy... Read The Elephant In The Room Summary

The Empathy Diaries (2021) is a memoir by American sociologist and psychologist Sherry Turkle. It examines the connection between her academic career and personal journey. Though her previous books have been academic, Turkle turns to memoir to unpack her family’s secret history. She stands “for the idea that thought and feeling are one” (332), sharing her private self as it relates to her ideas about technology and emotions. Turkle unpacks her biological father’s unsanctioned experiments... Read The Empathy Diaries Summary

The Endless Steppe is a young adult memoir in which Esther Hautzig, the author, details her five-year exile in Siberia, from June 1941 to March 1946. When the American politician and diplomat Adlai E. Stevenson visited the village of Rubtsovsk and wrote about it, Esther Hautzig wrote to him to tell him about her time living there. Stevenson suggested that Esther write about her experience. Published in 1968, during the Cold War, the book resonated... Read The Endless Steppe Summary

The End of Drum-Time by Hanna Pylväinen is a historical novel that examines cultural erasure and religious coercion in 19th-century Sweden. Set in 1851 in a remote Scandinavian village, the story begins with Mad Lasse, a Lutheran minister who struggles to convert the native Sámi reindeer herders. When a respected herder undergoes a religious awakening, his son Ivvár is left to manage their diminishing herd. Ivvár's chance meeting with Mad Lasse’s daughter, Willa, leads to... Read The End of Drum-Time Summary

The End We Start From (2017) is a dystopian novel by British author Megan Hunter. Set in an apocalyptic version of London, the story centers on climate disaster survival and the trauma of navigating pregnancy and motherhood in the wake of a cataclysmic climate event that alters the world as we know it. The story is primarily told from the first-person perspective of an unnamed narrator and written in a lyrical style that swings between... Read The End We Start From Summary

The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora is a novel for middle graders by Cuban American writer Pablo Cartaya. This study guide refers to the original 2017 Viking edition.Plot SummaryIt is the beginning of summer in Canal Grove, a Cuban enclave in modern-day Miami. For 13-year-old Arturo Zamora, the novel’s narrator, this is usually a season of lazy pastimes, but surprises are in store. When he becomes lovesick over a Spanish girl named Carmen Sánchez, and... Read The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora Summary

The Ersatz Elevator by Lemony Snicket published by Harper Collins in 2001 is the sixth installment in the children’s mystery A Series of Unfortunate Events books. It follows the Baudelaire orphans as they navigate yet another new home while trying to stay ahead of the dastardly villain, Count Olaf, who seeks to steal their fortune. Since the publication of the first book, The Bad Beginning, in 1999, A Series of Unfortunate Events books (13 in... Read The Ersatz Elevator Summary

Published in 2009, Jacqueline Kelly’s The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate is a middle grade novel that follows the life of a young Calpurnia as she explores her love for science in the highly patriarchal society that dominated Texas in the late 19th century. The novel received praise from both readers and critics for its thematic emphasis on discovery and personal growth, earning it the Newbery Honor Award in 2010. This guide refers to the 2011... Read The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate Summary