Laura Sims – författare

A LibraryReads PickFrom the author of Looker comes this "compulsive and unforgettable novel" (Mona Awad) of razor-sharp suspense about two local librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined.No one knows Margo’s real name. Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality, and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges.That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo’s subtly sinister edge, and watches her carefully. When a patron’s death in the library bathroom gives her a hint of Margo’s mysterious past, Patricia can’t resist digging deeper—even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming.Taut and compelling, How Can I Help You explores the dark side of human nature and the dangerous pull of artistic obsession as these "transfixing dual female narrators" (Kimberly McCreight) hurtle toward a stunning climax.

A razor-sharp psychological suspense about two librarians whose lives become dangerously intertwined, How Can I Help You explores the dark side of human nature and the dangerous pull of artistic obsession.No one knows Margo's real name.Her colleagues and patrons at a small-town public library only know her middle-aged normalcy, congeniality and charm. They have no reason to suspect that she is, in fact, a former nurse with a trail of countless premature deaths in her wake. She has turned a new page, so to speak, and the library is her sanctuary, a place to quell old urges.That is, at least, until Patricia, a recent graduate and failed novelist, joins the library staff. Patricia quickly notices Margo's subtly sinister edge and watches her carefully. When a patron's death in the library bathroom offers a hint of Margo's mysterious past, Patricia can't resist digging deeper - even as this new fixation becomes all-consuming.

The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, a private passion to fill her suburban days. But when she shares them with Paul Sorenson, her new photography instructor, she's unprepared to hear his astonished praise. 'Stunning,' he calls her photos. 'Extraordinary.' She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Except Judith has no interest in sharing her work; in fact, the mere idea of it frightens her.Still, emboldened by Paul's encouragement, Judith ventures out beyond her quiet neighbourhood to the city in search of increasingly striking images. When she starts to notice the dark shape of a man in the corner of her self-portraits, Judith is certain he's an attacker from her past. She doesn't know why he has returned, but she's sure of his presence: the hoarse sound of his breathing, his hard grip on her elbow. Perhaps it would appease the man if she were to put her camera down and give up her private passion. But she can't; she refuses. Until one night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith's story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own.Chilling and heart-poundingly propulsive, The Man is a phenomenal and timely novel exploring the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind.

From the highly acclaimed author of How Can I Help You comes a masterful domestic suspense novel that follows a 1960s housewife turned amateur photographer who begins to fear for her life when she notices the dark silhouette of a man in the background of her self-portraits.The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, a private passion to fill her suburban days. But when she shares them with Paul Sorenson, her new photography instructor, she's unprepared to hear his astonished praise. 'Stunning,' he calls her photos. 'Extraordinary.' She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Except Judith has no interest in sharing her work; in fact, the mere idea of it frightens her.Still, emboldened by Paul's encouragement, Judith ventures out beyond her quiet neighbourhood to the city in search of increasingly striking images. When she starts to notice the dark shape of a man in the corner of her self-portraits, Judith is certain he's an attacker from her past. She doesn't know why he has returned, but she's sure of his presence: the hoarse sound of his breathing, his hard grip on her elbow. Perhaps it would appease the man if she were to put her camera down and give up her private passion. But she can't; she refuses. Until one night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith's story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own.Chilling and heart-poundingly propulsive, The Man explores the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind.'I loved this book as I love all of Sims's novels. So eerie and sharp, so classic feeling yet contemporary. I think of Highsmith and Hitchcock when it comes to her gift for suspense and dark Americana... A brilliant portrait of a deeply haunted, gifted woman - and a haunting shadow of a man' - Mona Awad, author of We Love You, Bunny'Haunting, atmospheric and relentlessly unnerving, The Man kept me up late reading - and had me looking over my shoulder at dark corners. Beneath the muscular prose and quiet sense of dread is a thoughtful exploration of power imbalances, our relationship with art and the roles we allow women to play' - Andrea Bartz, author of We Were Never Here'A chilling page-turner that explores art, ambition, gender dynamics and true fear. Creepy, disturbing and dripping with dread, I had to force myself to put it down' - Robyn Harding, author of Strangers in the Villa'Fiercely intelligent... It's the sort of novel I immediately want to talk about with others - the perfect book club read. I wish I could read it again for the first time!' - Ana Reyes, author of The House in the Pines'This book kept me awake at night, heart in throat, then stayed with me long afterward. I could not stop turning the pages. Sims has done it again' - Vanessa Chan, author of The Storm We Made'A gorgeous, haunting exploration of creativity, confinement and desire. Sims captures the inner life of an artist with uncanny precision and lyricism... I could not put it down' - Danielle Trussoni, author of The Puzzle Box'I was gripped by this twisty, creepy tale... Art and trauma, obsession and ambition all collide with terrifying consequences' - Susan Barker, author of Old Soul'An absolute page-turner. I tore through this novel in two feverish sittings... Expertly paced, utterly gripping and deeply layered, The Man is the kind of novel that stays with you long after you finish it' - Kirsten King, author of A Good PersonThis novel contains depictions of stalking and sexual violence.

Winner of the 2005 Alberta Prize. Laura Sims's exquisite debut is the work of an organic synthesizer, one practiced in the restrained art of listening. Her poems exhibit an attenuation that is akin to devotion by means of maxim and miniaturization, she sorts and stacks the products of humanness. Memes and phonemes of a haiku-like fineness are thereby invited to break the surface of the page. Those pre-hung doors of the native state the return to a native, pre-eminent state wholly immanent, wise and wooly.

'Dazzlingly creepy storytelling, reminiscent of NOTES ON A SCANDAL' Grazia 'A short, bracing shock of a novel, easily gulped down in one sitting' Metro'Written with a precise, sinister elegance, this is a gripping portrait of one woman's descent into madness' HeatThe Professor lives in Brooklyn; her partner Nathan left her when she couldn't have a baby. All she has now is her dead-end teaching job, her ramshackle apartment, and Nathan's old moggy, Cat. Who she doesn't even like.The Actress lives a few doors down. She's famous and beautiful, with auburn hair, perfect skin, a lovely smile. She's got children - a baby, even. And a husband who seems to adore her. She leaves her windows open, even at night.There's no harm, the Professor thinks, in looking in through the illuminated glass at that shiny, happy family, fantasizing about them, drawing ever closer to the actress herself. Or is there?'Unsettling and compelling' Tammy Cohen'Laura Sims has pulled off the high-wire act of making bitterness delicious' Vogue

*Featured on Best of Lists in Vogue, People, Entertainment Weekly, Real Simple, Southern Living, and more* In this “wicked slow burn” (Entertainment Weekly) of psychological suspense from the author of How Can I Help You, a woman becomes fixated on her neighbor—the actress.Though the two women live just a few doors apart, a chasm lies between them. The actress, a celebrity with a charmed career, shares a gleaming brownstone with her handsome husband and three adorable children, while the recently separated narrator, unhappily childless and stuck in a dead-end job, lives in a run-down, three-story walk-up with her ex-husband’s cat. As her fascination with her famous neighbor grows, the narrator’s hold on reality begins to slip. Before long, she’s collecting cast-off items from the actress’s stoop and fantasizing about sleeping with the actress’s husband. After a disastrous interaction with the actress at the annual block party, what began as an innocent preoccupation turns into a stunning—and irrevocable—unraveling. A riveting portrait of obsession, Looker is “a sugarcoated poison pill of psychological terror” (The Wall Street Journal) and an immersive and darkly entertaining read—“by the end you’ll be gasping” (People).

This book will inspire, challenge and engage you—and transform your teaching and learning.Each chapter in this book is written by a different educator or team about their experiences with project-based learning, both in and out of the classroom. They reflect not only on the how of project-based learning, but more importantly, on the what and the why. They offer insight into how connecting with learners, honouring their experiences, and promoting deep and rich questioning can be the path to powerful projects and learning. Their writing and thinking is saturated with empathy, expertise, a desire to improve their practice, and an acknowledgment of the need to collaborate.

PRAISED BY ANA REYES, ANDREA BARTZ, VANESSA CHAN, DANIELLE TRUSSONI, AND MORE!"Fiercely intelligent and deeply chilling. . . . The perfect book club read." —Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines From the highly acclaimed author of How Can I Help You, a New York Times Best Thriller of the Year: a singular take on the psychological suspense novel that follows a 1960s housewife turned amateur photographer who begins to fear for her life when she notices the dark silhouette of a man in the background of her self-portraits.The photos Judith Stanley takes are just for her, a private passion to fill her suburban days. But when she shares them with Paul Sorenson, her new photography instructor, she's unprepared to hear his astonished praise. "Stunning," he calls her photos. "Extraordinary." She has an uncanny eye, he says, and should consider publication. He could help. Except Judith has no interest in sharing her work; in fact, the mere idea of it frightens her.Still, emboldened by Paul’s encouragement, Judith ventures out beyond her quiet neighborhood to the city in search of increasingly striking images. When she starts to notice the dark shape of a man in the corner of her self-portraits, Judith is certain he's an attacker from her past. She doesn't know why he has returned, but she's sure of his presence: the hoarse sound of his breathing, his hard grip on her elbow. Perhaps it would appease the man if she were to put her camera down and give up her private passion. But she can't; she refuses. Until one night when the man finally emerges from the shadows, and Judith’s story suddenly and irrevocably becomes his own.Chilling and heart-poundingly propulsive, The Man is a phenomenal and timely novel exploring the inescapable fear of living as a woman, the tantalizing seduction of artistic freedom, and the very real dangers that lurk both inside and outside the confines of the mind. The Man marks Laura Sims as an extraordinary talent at the top of her game; and this, her third novel, is her greatest achievement yet.