When he was six years old, our narrator’s mother was taken to the hospital. Dad says she’s “done something stupid.” She finds it hard to be happy. So he starts to make a list of everything that’s brilliant about the world. Everything that’s worth living for: Ice cream, Kung Fu movies, Burning things, Laughing so hard you shoot milk out your nose, Construction cranes, Me. Soon, the list takes on a life of its own. Based on true and untrue stories, Every Brilliant Thing is a life-affirming story of how to achieve hope through focusing on the smallest miracles of life.

Georgiana Darcy is an accomplished pianist but wary of romance. Kitty Bennet is a bright-eyed optimist and a perfect best friend. These two younger sisters are ready for their own adventures in life and love, starting with the arrival of an admirer and secret correspondent. Meddlesome families and outmoded expectations won’t stop these determined friends from forging their own way in a holiday tale filled with music, ambition, sisterhood, and forgiveness.