Cecelia Ahern's THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HERE

In THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HERE, author Cecelia Ahern has another delightful hit on her hands with the story of missing persons investigator Sandy Shortt, who has dedicated her life to finding lost people since her neighbor went missing when they were kids. Now 34, Sandy has built a life that revolves around people who are lost instead of the people who are still here. She finds herself pushing away friends, family and potential dates and instead obsessing over the fate of people she never knew.

Then one day, while out for a jog, Sandy stumbles upon a far off land filled with many of the people she has dedicated her life to finding. Caught in a sort of parallel universe, they've been unable to find their way home and thus have formed a sort-of community in this magical world. It's the answer to nearly everything Sandy has been searching for . . . but she finds herself suddenly missing the world she left behind. As she struggles to find meaning in her life and escape from this in-between world of contentedly missing persons, she begins to learns some lessons about the real world, and she wonders if she'll ever make it home.

Ahern has delivered another magical fairy tale for adults in her latest, which debuted in hardcover on Dec. 19. The talented Irish author (who is the daughter of Irish prime minister Bernie Ahern) also wrote P.S. I Love You, the poignant novel on which the movie of the same title (starring Hilary Swank and Gerard Butler) is based. Her If You Could See Me Now is being turned into a movie starring Hugh Jackman, and she is the creator and producer of this year's biggest comedy series debut, Samantha Who on ABC. All this, and Ahern is just 26 years old!

If you discover just one new author to love in 2008, I hope it is Ahern, whose novels sparkle with wit and charm. Long a fan favorite in Ireland, she is just beginning to make a splash Stateside. Check her out at www.cecelia-ahern.com!



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