A M Homes Popular Books
A M Homes Biography & Facts
Amy M. Homes (pen name A. M. Homes; born December 18, 1961) is an American writer best known for her controversial novels and unusual short stories, which feature extreme situations and characters. Notably, her novel The End of Alice (1996) is about a convicted child molester and murderer. Homes, who was adopted at birth, met her biological parents for the first time when she was 31, and published a memoir, The Mistress's Daughter (2007) about her exploration of her expanded "family". Her novel May We Be Forgiven was published by Viking Books in 2012; its first chapter was published in the 100th issue of Granta (in 2008; edited by William Boyd), and was selected by Salman Rushdie for The Best American Short Stories 2008. The novel won the Women's Prize for Fiction in 2013. Her newest novel, The Unfolding, was published by Viking on September 6, 2022. Early life Amy Michael Homes was born in 1961 in Washington, D.C. and given up for adoption. She was raised in Chevy Chase, Maryland and after graduating from Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School she attended American University.Homes received her Bachelor of Arts in 1985 from Sarah Lawrence College, where she studied with the author Grace Paley. She earned her Master of Fine Arts from the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop. Career Homes has written both short stories and novels; the former published in leading magazines such as Granta, The New Yorker, McSweeney's, and BOMB Magazine. Novels She wrote her first novel, Jack, when she was 19; it was published in 1989 when she was 28, after she had published some short stories. An exploration of family life and sexuality, it features a boy with divorced parents who learns that his father is gay. The book was critically praised and is still featured in school and college reading lists. Homes wrote a screenplay to adapt it as a film by the same name, produced in 2004 for the cable network Showtime. Her second novel was In a Country of Mothers (1993). It centered around a therapist and a girl patient who was adopted; the therapist begins to think the girl might be her own daughter, whom she had given up at birth. (Homes was writing this novel and it was in production before her own birth mother tracked her down in 1992.) Homes' 1996 novel, The End of Alice, is narrated mostly by a convicted child molester and murderer imprisoned in the West Block of Sing Sing. The Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham described this work as dark and treacherous as ice on a highway. It establishes A. M. Homes as one of the bravest, most terrifying writers working today. She never plays it safe, and it begins to look as if she can do almost anything. It aroused considerable controversy and received mixed reviews because of its subject matter and objectionable protagonists; in the UK, bookseller W.H. Smith refused to carry it.Homes published the first chapter of her 1999 novel Music for Torching as a short story in The New Yorker. The novel features characters who appeared in the short stories of her first collection, The Safety of Objects. It features a suburban couple who deliberately burn their house down. Jill Adams in The Barcelona Review described it as having Homes' "trademark style of wry humor applied to the uncanny dissection of suburbia’s facade." Britain's The Observer found it "immensely disturbing". People magazine called the novel "haunting,",Gary Krist in The New York Times described it as a nasty and willfully grotesque novel. The fact is, I was at times appalled by the book, annoyed by it, angered by it. Its ending struck me as cynical and manipulative. But even so, I found myself rapt from beginning to end, fascinated by Homes's single-minded talent for provocation."He concluded with a caveat: "In her last two novels, the desire to outrage is so conspicuous that it risks obscuring her powerful gifts as a novelist."Her novel, This Book Will Save Your Life (2006), was set in Los Angeles; it satirized upper-class residents and the city's culture. It featured "a rich, isolated man who suffers a physical crisis and goes on a wild compassion spree." The Guardian said that "it was kitschy and bordered on the inane, but there was something appealing about its mixture of the apocalyptic and the perkily upbeat, caught nicely by John Waters when he said: 'If Oprah went insane, this might be her favourite book.'"With May We Be Forgiven (2012), Homes returned to a setting in Westchester County, New York, the region described in several of her novels. Packed with violent, emotional incident in the first chapter, it won the Women's Prize for Fiction (formerly the Orange Prize), awarded in the United Kingdom.The Guardian review described it as "a novel about forgiveness, family, intimacy, consumerism and the myth of success." The reviewer said, "AM Homes can't really be compared to any other writer; no one else is quite as dark and funny and elegant all at the same time." Short stories In 1990, Homes's first short-story collection, The Safety of Objects, was published. Writing in The Los Angeles Times, Amy Hempel wrote: "Homes is confident and consistent in her odd departures from life as we know it, sustaining credibility by getting the details right." The book was adapted as an independent feature film of the same name, released in 2001 and starring Glenn Close, among others. Homes co-wrote the screenplay together with the director, Rose Troche. Writing in The Guardian in 2003, the writer Ali Smith described Homes' second short story collection, Things You Should Know, as "funny and glinting and masterful, light as air, strange as a dream, monstrous as truth: the real and classic thing."Her third collection of stories, Days of Awe, was published in 2018. Journalism Homes' articles and essays are published in magazines such as The New Yorker, Artforum, Vanity Fair, and McSweeney's, among others. She has also been a contributing editor to BOMB Magazine since 1995, where she has published articles and interviews with various artists and writers, including Eric Fischl, Tobias Wolff, and Adam Bartos. Memoir In 2004, The New Yorker published "The Mistress's Daughter", her essay about meeting her biological parents for the first time at age 31; unmarried when she was born, they had immediately put her up for adoption. She expanded the essay about exploration of her "family" members and published her memoir in 2007. Television Homes wrote for season two of the television drama series, The L Word, and produced season three. She developed an HBO series, The Hamptons about the resort towns along the ocean on eastern Long Island, which she described as "a cross between Desperate Housewives and Grapes of Wrath."Since 2010, Homes has been developing television pilots for CBS with Timberman/Beverly Productions. In 2013 she was developing Koethi Zan's best-selling novel, The Never List, as a dramatic series for CBS television. Homes was a writer and co-executive producer on the 2017 USA Se.... Discover the A M Homes popular books. Find the top 100 most popular A M Homes books.
Best Seller A M Homes Books of 2024
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The Chocolate Touch
Patrick Skene CatlingIn this zany twist on the legend of King Midas and his golden touch, a boy acquires a magical gift that turns everything his lips touch into chocolate! Kids will eat this up for su...
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Frog and Toad Are Friends
Arnold LobelCelebrate the power of friendship in these five adventurous stories starring Frog and Toada Caldecott Honor Book! From writing letters to going swimming, telling stories to fi...
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Neverwhere
Neil Gaiman“Neil Gaiman is undoubtedly one of the modern masters of fantasy writing....For those who have not read Neverwhere, the new edition is the one to read, and is a fitting introd...
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The Poisonwood Bible
Barbara KingsolverNew York Times Bestseller Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize An Oprah's Book Club Selection“Powerful . . . [Kingsolver] has with infinitely steady hands worked the prickly threads o...
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The Wide Window
Lemony SnicketDear Reader, If you have not read anything about the Baudelaire orphans, then before you read even one more sentence, you should know this: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny are kindhearted...
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Sarah, Plain and Tall
Patricia MacLachlanThis beloved Newbery Medal–winning book is the first of five books in Patricia MacLachlan's chapter book series about the Witting family.Set in the late nineteenth century and told...
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A Grief Observed
C. S. LewisThe Spiritual Journey of GriefA Grief Observed is C.S. Lewis’s honest reflection on the fundamental issues of life, death, and faith in the midst of loss. Written after his wi...
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The Mouse and the Motorcycle
Beverly ClearyIn this imaginative adventure from Newbery Medal–winning author Beverly Cleary, a young mouse named Ralph is thrown into a world of excitement when a boy and his shiny toy motorcyc...
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The Horse and His Boy
C. S. LewisIllustrations in this ebook appear in vibrant full color on a full color ebook device, and in rich black and white on all other devices.Narnia . . . where horses talk . . . where t...
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The Reptile Room
Lemony SnicketViolet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire are intelligent children. They are charming, and resourceful, and have pleasant facial features. Unfortunately, they are exceptionally unlucky. ...
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Wicked
Gregory MaguireWhen Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her archnemesis, the mysterious Witch?...
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The Alchemist
Paulo CoelhoA special 25th anniversary edition of the extraordinary international bestseller, including a new Foreword by Paulo Coelho.Combining magic, mysticism, wisdom and wonder into an ins...
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The Austere Academy
Lemony SnicketAs the three Baudelaire orphans warily approach their new home Prufrock Preparatory School : they can′t help but notice the enormous stone arch bearing the school′s motto Memento M...
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Bridge to Terabithia
Katherine PatersonThe 40th anniversary edition of the classic Newbery Medalwinning title by beloved author Katherine Paterson, with brandnew bonus materials including an author's note by Katherine h...
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With No One As Witness
Elizabeth George“Delicately textured. . . achingly compassionate. . . gripping. . . . It’s one of George’s best, and that’s saying something.” Seattle TimesThe #1 New York Times bestsell...
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To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper LeeVoted America's BestLoved Novel in PBS's The Great American ReadHarper Lee's Pulitzer Prizewinning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep Southand the heroism of one man in ...
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The Light Fantastic
Terry Pratchett“Humorously entertaining. . . subtly thoughtprovoking. . . . Pratchett’s Discworld books are filled with humor and with magic, but they're rooted inof all thingsreal life and cold,...
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The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
C. S. LewisIllustrations in this ebook appear in vibrant full color on a full color ebook device, and in rich black and white on all other devices.Narnia . . . where a dragon awakens . . . wh...
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The Carnivorous Carnival
Lemony SnicketEverybody loves a carnival! Who can fail to delight in the colourful people, the unworldly spectacle, the fabulous freaks? A carnival is a place for good family fun as long as one...
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The Thorn Birds
Colleen McCullough“Beautiful….Compelling entertainment.” New York TimesOne of the most beloved novels of all time, The Thorn Birds, Colleen McCullough’s sweeping family saga of dreams, titanic strug...
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The Bad Beginning
Lemony SnicketSOON TO BE A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIESAre you made fainthearted by death? Does fire unnerve you? Is a villain something that might crop up in future nightmares of yours? Are you thri...
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Mort
Terry PratchettNew York Times bestselling author Terry Pratchett makes Death a central character in Mort, his fourth sojourn to Discworld, the fantasy cosmos where even the angel of darkness need...
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The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
David WroblewskiAn Oprah's Book Club Pick#1 New York Times Bestseller“A mystery, a thriller, a ghost story, and a literary tour de force . . . an authentic epic, long and lush, full of back story ...
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Chrysanthemum
Kevin HenkesChrysanthemum is a funny and honest school story about teasing, selfesteem, and acceptance to share all year round. Written and illustrated by Kevin Henkes, the nationall...
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The Miserable Mill
Lemony SnicketI hope, for your sake, that you have not chosen to read this book because you are in the mood for a pleasant experience. If this is the case, I advise you to put this book down ins...
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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
C. S. LewisGive the magic of Narnia this holiday season and experience all the adventure of C. S. Lewis’s epic fantasy series in this latest official edition from HarperCollins.The ...
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Prince Caspian
C. S. LewisIllustrations in this ebook appear in vibrant full color on a full color ebook device, and in rich black and white on all other devices.Narnia . . . where animals talk . . . where ...
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The Silver Chair
C. S. LewisIllustrations in this ebook appear in vibrant full color on a full color ebook device, and in rich black and white on all other devices.Narnia . . . where giants wreak havoc . . . ...
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Divergent
Veronica RothThis first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent series of books is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James,...
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Goodnight Moon
Margaret Wise BrownIn this classic of children's literature, beloved by generations of readers and listeners, the quiet poetry of the words and the gentle, lulling illustrations combine to make a per...
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The End
Lemony SnicketLike an offkey violin concert, the Roman Empire, or food poisoning, all things must come to an end. Thankfully, this includes A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket. The ...
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The Turn of the Key
Ruth WareINSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER “A superb suspense writer…Brava, Ruth Ware. I daresay even Henry James would be impressed.” Maureen Corrigan, author of So We Read On “This approp...
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The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
Barbara RobinsonThis year’s pageant is definitely like no other, but maybe that’s exactly what makes it so special.Laughs abound in this bestselling Christmas classic by Barbara Robinson! The Best...
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Sabriel
Garth NixGame of Thrones fans will love the New York Times bestselling Abhorsen series. Sabriel, the first installment in the trilogy, launched critically acclaimed auth...
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Tao Te Ching
Stephen Mitchell & Lao TzuThe bestselling, widely acclaimed translation from Stephen Mitchell"Mitchell's rendition of the Tao Te Ching comes as close to being definitive for our time as any I can imagine. I...
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The Color of Magic
Terry Pratchett“In the history of comic fantasy, Mr. Pratchett has no equals for invention or for range. . . . Those who don’t [know him] can do no better than to buy installment No. 1, The ...
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The Rule of Nine
Steve Martini“Steve Martini is an expert at good oldfashioned, gimmickfree storytelling.”Steve Berry, author of The Paris Vendetta“Take it from a prosecutorSteve Martini has created one of the ...
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The Screwtape Letters
C. S. LewisA Masterpiece of Satire on Hell’s Latest Novelties and Heaven’s Unanswerable AnswerC.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters has entertained and enlightened readers the world over with it...
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Mere Christianity
C. S. LewisThe Beloved Classic on What All Christians BelieveOne of the most popular introductions to Christian faith ever written, Mere Christianity brings together Lewis’s legendary broadca...
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Weight of Glory
C. S. LewisThe classic Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis, the most important Christian writer of the 20th century, contains nine sermons delivered by Lewis during World War Two. The nine addresse...
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A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving“A remarkable novel. . . . A Prayer for Owen Meany is a rare creation. ... An amazingly brave piece of work ... so extraordinary, so original, and so enriching. . . . Readers will ...
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The Illustrated Man
Ray BradburyYou could hear the voices murmuring, small and muted, from the crowds that inhabited his body.A peerless American storyteller, Ray Bradbury brings wonders alive. The Illustrated Ma...
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Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
Robert M. PirsigTHE CLASSIC BOOK THAT HAS INSPIRED MILLIONSA penetrating examination of how we live and how to live betterFew books transform a generation and then establish themselves as touchsto...