A Lost Lady is a novel by American author Willa Cather, first published in 1923. It centers on Marian Forrester, her husband Captain Daniel Forrester, and their lives in the small western town of Sweet Water, along the Transcontinental Railroad. However, it is mostly told from the perspective of a young man named Niel Herbert, as he observes the decline of both Marian and the West itself, as it shifts from a place of pioneering spirit to one of corporate exploitation. Exploring themes of social class, money, and the march of progress, A Lost Lady was praised for its vivid use of symbolism and setting, and is considered to be a major influence on the works of F. Scott Fitzgerald. It has been adapted to film twice, with a film adaptation being released in 1924, followed by a looser adaptation in 1934, starring Barbara Stanwyck. A Lost Lady begins in the small railroad town of Sweet Water, on the undeveloped Western plains. The most prominent family in the town is the Forresters, and Marian Forrester is known for her hospitality and kindness. The railroad executives frequently stop by her house and enjoy the food and comfort she offers while there on business. A young boy, Niel Herbert, frequently plays on the Forrester estate with his friend. One day, an older boy named Ivy Peters arrives, and shoots a woodpecker out of a tree. He then blinds the bird and laughs as it flies around helplessly. Niel pities the bird and tries to climb the tree to put it out of its misery, but while climbing he slips, and breaks his arm in the fall, as well as knocking himself unconscious. Ivy takes him to the Forrester house where Marian looks after him. When Niel wakes up, he's amazed by the nice house and how sweet Marian smells. He doesn't't see her much after that, but several years later he and his uncle, Judge Pommeroy, are invited to the Forrester house for dinner. There he meets Ellinger, who he will later learn is Mrs. Forrester's lover, and Constance, a young girl his age.

"My Mortal Enemy" is a novella written by American author Willa Cather, first published in 1926. It is a poignant and introspective work that explores themes of love, regret, and the passage of time. The story is narrated by Nellie, who reflects on the life of her cousin, Myra Henshawe, a woman who had been the subject of gossip and speculation due to her complex relationship with her husband Oswald. Myra is portrayed as a woman of strong will and passion, whose choices in life have led to both fulfillment and regrets. The novella delves into the contrast between personal desires and societal expectations. "My Mortal Enemy" is a short but emotionally rich work that examines the consequences of choices made in the pursuit of personal happiness and the price one may pay for deviating from conventional norms. It showcases Willa Cather's talent for character exploration and her ability to capture the human experience with depth and sensitivity.

September 1860 America is coming apart at the seams. Tensions are high throughout the country, even in the state of Wisconsin, admitted to the Union just 12 years earlier. The issue of slavery, and the abolition of it, is on every adult's mind.10 year-old Mary Anne Fahey, however, is not thinking about slavery at all. She is excited that she will be taking a ride on a side-wheel steamship, the Lady Elgin, from Milwaukee to Chicago, where her father Patrick, her mother Mary, her friend Willie, and his dad, Captain Garrett Barry, will all be participating in a parade and attending a rally for Stephen Douglas, the Democrat from Illinois who is running for President against the Republican candidate, Abraham Lincoln.Mary Anne and Willie have no idea that they are about to become part of the largest tragedy to ever occur on Lake Michigan. The Lady Elgin, already considered by some to be cursed, is about to go down in history for the greatest loss of life on the waters of the Great Lakes. Who will survive? Lost Lady is based on the true story of the disaster that rocked a nation already in the throes of discord and conflict. The events leading to this horrific tragedy, along with the heroic attempts both on land and sea to save the lives of so many, is an account worthy of tribute to the heroes and in deference to all those who perished on that fateful night.

A classic historical romance by John Buchan. Set in Scotland amongst the chaos of the Jacobite rebellion of 1745. Our hero is Francis Birkenshaw and man for who the Jacobite cause means nothing until a meeting with a beautiful Jacobite women called Margaret Murray, she offers him the chance of danger and adventure as we follow them both to Culloden moor.

One Monday morning in April, a middle-aged writer walks into her living room to water the plants and finds a woman standing beside her potted fig tree. Dressed in a navy blue trench coat and white Nikes, the woman introduces herself as "Mary. Mother of God.... You know. Mary." Instead of a golden robe or a crown, she arrives bearing a practical wheeled suitcase. Weary after two thousand years of adoration and petition, Mary is looking for a little R & R. She's asked in for lunch, and decides to stay a week. As the story of their visit unfolds, so does the story of Mary-one of the most complex and powerful female figures of our time-and her changing image in culture, art, history, as well as the thousands of recorded sightings that have placed her everywhere from a privet hedge to the dented bumper of a Camaro. As this Everywoman and Mary become friends, their conversations, both profound and intimate, touch upon Mary's significance and enduring relevance. Told with humor and grace, Our Lady of the Lost and Found is an absorbing tour through Mary's history and a thoughtful meditation on spirituality, our need for faith, and our desire to believe in something larger than ourselves.