Robin Allen is the owner of Forever Books. A former history teacher turned entrepreneur, she opened Forever Books on April Fools Day in 1999 after the closing of a local children's bookstore. When not at the store or working for the store (rare), she enjoys reading non-fiction history, memoirs, fiction, and children's books. Robin received the Entrepreneur of the Year Award from Cornerstone Alliance and served on the board and as Board President of the Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association.
From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole. Charming and thoughtful. Recommended by Robin
The enthralling story of the Great Chicago Fire and the power struggle over the city's reconstruction in the wake of the tragedy. Recommended by Robin
The caretaker of the cemetery in small-town Appalachia is entrusted to watch over the pregnant wife of a childhood friend serving a stint in the Korean War. Bestselling author Rash tells a breathtaking love story and a searing examination of the acts we seek to justify in the name of duty, family, honor, and love. A masterful storyteller! Recommended by Robin
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A sweeping novel about a single house in the woods of New England, told through the lives of those who inhabit it across the centuries--a daring, moving tale of memory and fate from the Pulitzer Prize finalist and author of The Piano Tuner and The Winter Soldier. Riveting! Recommended by Robin
The bestselling author of Vanderbilt returns with another riveting history of a legendary American family, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune. Recommended by Robin
An epic account of the Old West and the life of Charlie Siringo, who drove longhorn, crossed paths with Billy the Kid and Bat Masterson, and in his early thirties joined the Pinkerton Detective Agency to infiltrate outlaw gangs such as Butch Cassidy's Wild Bunch. His 1885 autobiography, A Texas Cowboy, was the first of its kind and a bestseller. Recommended by Robin
Consumed with grief, driven by vengeance, a man undertakes an unrelenting odyssey across the lawless post-Civil War frontier seeking redemption in this fearless novel from the award-winning and New York Times bestselling author of News of the World. Brilliant!
A servant girl escapes from a colonial settlement in the wilderness. She carries nothing with her but her wits and a few possessions. What she finds is beyond the limits of her imagination and will bend her belief in everything that her own civilization has taught her. Both a thrilling adventure story and a penetrating fable. Recommended by Robin
Henri and Louise, two strangers, traveling alone, on the train from Belgrade to Istanbul. Except this isn't the first time they have met. It's the 1960s and Louise is running from her past in England, from the owners of the money she has stolen--and from Henri, the person who has been sent to collect it. Recommended by Robin
Born in 1799, Cashel seeks his fortune across multiple continents, from County Cork to London, from Waterloo to Zanzibar, embedded with the East Indian Army in Sri Lanka, sunning himself alongside the Romantic poets in Pisa. He travels the world as a soldier, a farmer, a felon, a writer, even a father, including a once-in-a-lifetime love that will haunt the rest of his days. Sweeping adventure.
Like every other girl in her class, 12-year-old Justine is drawn to her glamorous, charismatic new teacher and longs to be her pet. However, when a thief begins to target the school, Justine's sense that something isn't quite right grows ever stronger. A suspenseful psychological thriller. Recommended by Robin
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Unlike most thieves, Stéphane Breitwieser never stole for money, hoarding all his treasures in a single room where he could admire them, stealing in broad daylight with his only tool - - his pocket knife. -Robin
In this moving story, the New York Times bestselling author of The Greatest Generation chronicles the values and lessons he absorbed from his parents and other people who worked hard to build lives on the prairie during the first half of the twentieth century. -Robin
The daughter of poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes has lived a vagabond life since childhood and finally settles in Wales, gardening obsessively. Enter George, a fledgling magpie, fallen from his nest during a storm, and who takes over her household in a big way. Humorous, heartwarming, so charming, enlivened by Hughes' drawings.
In 15th century China, Tan is sent to live with her grandparents. Here she learns medicine from her grandmother at a time when there were only male doctors who could not treat women. Fascinating look at the hierarchy of women from wives to concubines, widows, daughters, and servants. Based on the writings of an historical Ming Dynasty female physician.
Urrea discovered his mother was a member of the Red Cross Clubmobile organization, a group of women who traveled throughout Europe during WWII to give coffee and donuts to soldier, risking their lives to act like a sister, girl next door, mom or sweetheart to raise morale. This novel is a moving tribute to these women.
Three generations of a South Indian family spanning 70 years, opens in 1900 with a 12-yr-old married to a 40-yr-old widower with a toddler. (He waits for her to grow up until she is ready for a husband.) Meanwhile, in Scotland, an orphan boy grows up to become a doctor, and escapes his tragic past to become a privileged white man in British India. Don't let the 700+ pages discourage you from this unforgettable masterpiece.
From the author of Killers of the Flower Moon, a page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery, culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. The powerful narrative reveals the deeper meaning of the events of The Wager, showing that it was not only the captain and crew who ended up on trial, but the very idea of empire. Brilliant!
Paperback releases on October 17, 2023...Robert Glory is of Native American ancestry and pastor of the Baptist church in small town Esau, Michigan for 10 years, but never feels like he belongs. When a lovely mother of two approaches him, questioning her purpose and her faith, he is drawn to her and questions his own. Their growing attraction to causes each to face their past and present wounds. Unforgettable, with gorgeous writing.
A historical fantasy set in 1880s London, where children are hunted by a man made of smoke to tap into their special talents/powers, while at the same time, others are trying to rescue them and bring them to a haven in Ednburgh. Monsters can hide in plain sight!
In the voice of a 12-year-old girl, Wolfe shares her experiences growing up in the Robert Taylor Homes in 1999 Chicago as the high-rises around her are being razed.
Full of anecdotes from working in a sanitarium (meeting James Taylor!), leading an ad agency (“I don't want to grow up, I'm a Toys r Us kid!”), and of his journey to becoming the world's best selling living author.
When her wealthy family is caught up in her father's financial scandal, Gloria is forced to strike out on her own, when she meets and builds a friendship with Estee Lauder. While Gloria is fictional, the rise of the cosmetic mogul is not, and a great read. Rosen is a favorite author!
Ever wondered what it's like to work in a rare bookstore in London? Intriguing reading with humor!
