Monica McInerney

"For the past thirty-three years, Angela Gillespie has sent to friends and family around the world an end-of-the-year letter titled "Hello from the Gillespies." It's always been cheery and full of good news. This year, Angela surprises herself-she tells the truth.... The Gillespies are far from the perfect family that Angela has made them out to be. Her husband is coping badly with retirement. Her thirty-two-year-old twins are having career meltdowns....

Nestled in a picturesque corner of southern Australia, the Valley View Motel has been run by the Quinlans for years-- and nobody adores the place more than Lola, the family's lovable and mischievous Irish-born matriarch. So when she insists that her relatives spend their Christmas elsewhere, the close-knit bunch can't help but be a bit curious. Plotting in secret and online, Lola thinks it would be fun to invite a select group of strangers to stay...

The international bestseller that brings Maeve Binchy readily to mind (Sydney Morning Herald) Months after a tragic accident, Ella O'Hanlon flees to London in an attempt to escape her grief, leaving behind the two people she blames for her loss: Aidan, the love of her life, and Jess, her spoiled half-sister. Taken in by her beloved uncle Lucas, Ella discovers that his extraordinary house holds many wonderful memories for her and his group of transitory...