Tillamook Main Branch Library
1716 3rd St. Tillamook, OR 97141
503-842-4792
Monday thru Friday: 9 am to 6 pm
Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
"It's a beautiful day in Newport, Rhode Island, when Phoebe Stone arrives at the grand Cornwall Inn wearing a green dress and gold heels, not a bag in sight, alone. She's immediately mistaken by everyone in the lobby for one of the wedding people, but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall who isn't here for the big event. Phoebe is here because she's dreamed of coming for years--she hoped to shuck oysters and take sunset sails with her husband, only now she's here without him, at rock bottom, and determined to have one last decadent splurge on herself. Meanwhile, the bride has accounted for every detail and every possible disaster the weekend might yield except for, well, Phoebe and Phoebe's plan--which makes it that much more surprising when the two women can't stop confiding in each other. In turns absurdly funny and devastatingly tender, Alison Espach's The Wedding People is ultimately an incredibly nuanced and resonant look at the winding paths we can take to places we never imagined--and the chance encounters it sometimes takes to reroute us."-- Provided by publisher.
"When Nina's father dies, she is left something in his will: a gleaming dream vacation home in a balmy tropical paradise. She'll find out the hard way that what you inherit from those you love can end up costing your life in this heart-pounding thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water"-- Provided by publisher.
"In the summer of 1941, on the New England shores where they were raised, Evelyn and Joseph fell in love. Now, more than sixty years later, with a lifetime between them, they have gathered their three grown children to share the staggering news: she has received a heartbreaking diagnosis, and he can't live without her. So in one year's time they will end their love story on their own terms. Over the next year, the couple retraces their past--all the joys and regrets that brought them to this moment. They embark on a journey to live out their greatest dreams and to connect with each of their children. But as their final days draw closer, they must confront the stark reality of what's to come, and make peace with the legacy they will leave behind for their family"-- Provided by publisher.
"Leo Balanoff is a diagnosed pathological liar with unthinkable skeletons in his family's closet. He's also a crusading attorney who seeks justice at all costs. When a ruthless drug dealer is found dead and Leo's fingerprints show up on the murder weapon, no one believes a word he says. But he might be the FBI's only shot at taking down the dealer's brutal syndicate. Risk his life going undercover for the Feds or head straight to prison for murder? Leo accepts the FBI's offer--but it comes with a price, including a collision course with his ex, Andi Piotrowski, a former cop and "the one who got away." Forced to walk a tightrope between an ambitious FBI agent and a cruel, calculating crime boss, Leo's trapped in a corner. But he has more secrets than anyone realizes, and a few more cards left to play ..."-- Provided by publisher.
When she was twelve, Leyna Clarke watched her older sister, Grace, walk away from their Sierra Nevada foothills home with her boyfriend, Adam Duran. Neither was ever seen again. Sixteen years later, a stranger who looks like Grace shows up at the restaurant where Leyna works--and vanishes soon after. When it comes out that Leyna was one of the last people to have talked with the young woman, Leyna’s childhood crush Dominic, who is also Adam’s brother, pleads with her to do the last thing she wants to do: come home. But Leyna isn’t the only one who hasn’t been able to leave that fateful night behind. Her mother, Meredith, still lives in the family’s old home--even if she claims to believe the police’s theory that Grace and Adam were willing runaways. Down the street, Adam and Dominic’s mother Olivia has also stayed, determined to be there when her son finally returns...and to prove that Meredith and Leyna have been hiding something all these years. But the past isn’t the only threat to the two families, or the missing girl. As a wildfire sparks, tempers flare and intentions turn deadly. Because someone in the neighborhood knows what really happened that night--and just how good the forest is at keeping its secrets.
In a bitter divorce settlement from her billionaire husband, Rupert Mannion, Rebecca Welton becomes the new owner of British football club AFC Richmond. She's assisted by her Director of Football Operations, Higgins, who formerly worked for her husband. Her first order of business is to fire the team's current manager and replace him with an idealistic all-American football coach, Theodore 'Ted' Lasso. Ted and his friend, assistant coach Beard, cross the pond to take up the management of the team's 'long, albeit modest' history. Richmond is about to change the way they're doing things, and from now on, that way is the Lasso way. Season three.
"A dark and riveting retelling of the classic Greek tragedy, 'Oedipus Rex'. Unknown to himself, Oedipus kills his father and marries his mother. When the truth is discovered, he puts out his eyes and Oedipus wanders the streets until he is found by his daughter, Antigone, a common blind beggar"--Container
The extraordinary story of the 1971 Womens World Cup, which was held in Mexico City and witnessed by more than 100,000 fans. This landmark tournament was dismissed by FIFA and written out of sports history - until now. COPA 71 weaves together dazzling archival footage and interviews with the former players. Executive Produced by Venus & Serena Williams and Alex Morgan.
Lonely nine-year-old Masao leaves Tokyo in search of his mother, whom he has never met. He's accompanied on his journey across the Japanese countryside by the surly, middle-aged crook Kikujiro, who is none too happy being the chaperone. When Kikujiro gambles away all the travel money, the two must rely on their wits and the kindness of strangers.
"The glorious repertoire for solo piano includes many of classical music's most beloved masterpieces. In this course, you'll study key works of many composers, from Bach and Mozart through music written in the 21st century, and unpack their structure, the musical materials that drive them, and the specific features that affect listeners so strongly, giving you a clear grounding in how to approach and hear this great music."-- Publisher's website.
"In 1863, the Emancipation Proclamation declared that all enslaved people in Confederate States were legally free. But word traveled slowly during the Civil War. It wasn't until June 19, 1865--more than two months after the war ended--that the good news finally reached Galveston, Texas. From that moment forward, June 19 became a day to celebrate freedom--first in Texas and then across the country. How did Juneteenth develop over time, and what is the holiday's enduring legacy? Find out in an easy-to-read graphic novel that reveals why Juneteenth's evolution into a federal holiday is among the greatest moments in history"-- Provided by publisher.
Spider-Man has ventured into space to return Silver Surfer's surfboard to the space-faring hero. But what starts as a simple mission quickly evolves into a new mystery involving a collection of rare talismans that can give the owner great and potentially dangerous cosmic power. Before he can return home, Spider-Man must discover where all the talismans are and just what their purpose is in order to ensure they don't fall into the wrong hands. Good thing Spidey has joined forces with the perfect Super Hero team--the Guardians of the Galaxy--to see this mission through! With the help of Groot, Rocket Raccoon, Star-Lord, Gamora, and Drax, can Spider-Man save the day and secure his way home? Or is he fated to be lost in space forever?
"During an average morning of heroic deeds, Spider-Man is interrupted by the Fantastic Four and Namor with distressing news: The great underwater city of Atlantis has disappeared, and the heroes need Spider-Man's help to find it! While Spider-Man takes on the uncertain mission hoping not to disappoint the heroes... But when other super heroes start going missing around the city, Spidey realizes he might need more than just super-powers to save the day."-- Back cover.
When the Avengers are assembled to contain a super threat in New York City, Spider-Man is given the most important job of all: to make sure all the Avengers' super pets are safe! Spider-Man wants in on the bad guy fighting action, but with great power comes great pet sitting. Featuring fan favorite Avengers like Captain America, Captain Marvel, and Black Panther, this fun and funny original graphic novel sees the mighty web-slinger teaming up with the most unlikely of heroes to save the day!--Amazon
London, 1945: Four adolescent orphans with a dark wartime history are squatting in a vacant Belgravia mansion--the owners having fled London under heavy Luftwaffe bombing. Soon after a demobilized British soldier, ill and reeling from his experiences overseas, takes shelter with the group, Maisie Dobbs visits the mansion on behalf of the owners. Maisie is deeply puzzled by the children's reticence. Their stories are evasive and, more mysteriously, they appear to possess self-defense skills one might expect of trained adults in wartime. Her quest to bring comfort and the promise of a future to the youngsters and to the ailing soldier brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning Maisie's first husband, James Compton, who was killed while piloting an experimental aircraft. As Maisie picks apart the threads of her dead husband's life, she is forced to examine her own painful past and question beliefs she has always accepted as true. The award-winning Maisie Dobbs series has garnered hundreds of thousands of followers around the world, readers who are drawn to a woman who is of her time, yet familiar in ours--and who inspires with her resilience and capacity for endurance at the worst of times. This final assignment of her own choosing not only opens a new future for Maisie Dobbs and her family, but serves as a fascinating portrayal of the challenges facing the people of Britain at the close of the Second World War.
Art restorer and legendary spy Gabriel Allon has slipped quietly into London to attend a reception at the Courtauld Gallery celebrating the return of a stolen self-portrait by Vincent van Gogh. But when an old friend from the Devon and Cornwall Police seeks his help with a baffling murder investigation, he finds himself pursuing a powerful and dangerous new adversary. The victim is Charlotte Blake, a celebrated professor of art history from Oxford who spends her weekends in the same seaside village where Gabriel once lived under an assumed identity. Her murder appears to be the work of a diabolical serial killer who has been terrorizing the Cornish countryside. But there are a number of telltale inconsistencies, including a missing mobile phone. And then there is the mysterious three-letter cypher she left behind on a notepad in her study. Gabriel soon discovers that Professor Blake was searching for a looted Picasso worth more than a $100 million, and he takes up the chase for the painting as only he can, with six Impressionist canvases forged by his own hand and an unlikely team of operatives that includes a world-famous violinist, a beautiful master thief, and a lethal contract killer turned British spy. The result is a stylish and wildly entertaining mystery that moves at lightning speed from the cliffs of Cornwall to the enchanted island of Corsica and, finally, to a breathtaking climax on the very doorstep of 10 Downing Street.
"Luciana es la menor de una numerosa familia colombiano-americana en el sur de Florida, pero en medio de una crisis debe convertirse en la única voz razonable de su entorno familiar y lidiar con su excéntrica abuela, que se niega a seguir la orden de evacuación ante la llegada de un huracán. El huracán no es el único peligro. La glamorosa y despreocupada vida de la abuela se verá cimbrada por un grave diagnóstico médico que prefiere ignorar. Para colmo, decide mudarse con Luciana, que tendrá que hacer de cuidadora, traductora y guardar el cada vez menos disimulable secreto de la enfermedad, mientras lucha con sus propios desafíos adolescentes, con una hermana que vive lejos, una madre insensata y, en general, con una familia disfuncional. Estructurada como una serie de conversaciones telefónicas en las que solo escuchamos una de las voces, Oye está llena de referencias pop y de modismos zennials. Disruptiva, inolvidable, a ratos hilarante y a ratos triste, es el retrato de una generación, pero sobre todo el de una joven que, obligada a madurar, descubre en sí misma una fuerza insospechada."-- Amazon.com.
"Shanghái, 1924. Los primeros movimientos comunistas empiezan a minar el poder del Partido Nacionalista y alientan la expulsión de los extranjeros residentes en las concesiones, los exclusivos barrios internacionales de la ciudad. Nacida en uno de ellos, Darlene Long ansía conocer la China auténtica, pero los muros de su jaula dorada se erigen altos y sabe que siempre será considerada una forastera. En la otra punta de la ciudad, Kai Tao se organiza junto con otros universitarios para promover el ideario comunista y, aunque sus caminos no deberían cruzarse, un encuentro fortuito unirá sus destinos para siempre mientras la ciudad se prepara para unas revueltas que podrían poner fin a todo lo que han conocido hasta ahora, incluida su historia."--Back cover.
Hubo un tiempo en que los elefantes convivían felizmente con los seres humanos. Pero ahora, cincuenta y cinco elefantes mueren cada día en manos de cazadores furtivos.Jama es una chica masái que se siente diferente al resto de niñas de su clase. Harta de no encajar, se refugia en la compañía de la naturaleza. Cuando se hace amiga de Mbegu, una cría de elefante que vive en un abrevadero cercano, hará todo lo posible para protegerla tras una trágica estampida que provoca varias muertes.Una nueva aventura inspirada en hechos reales de James Patterson, el autor más vendido en el mundo. La historia de una amistad que fomenta la protección de nuestro planeta.
Descubre la maravillosa historia de Centella, el primera rena de Papá Noel, en este libro de regalo para disfrutar año tras año. Esta es la historia de cómo una familia corriente de renos se convirtieron en los animales más famosos del mundo. Y nunca habría sido posible sin una joven y valiente rena llamada Centella. Una edición que contiene toda la magia de la Navidad.
Todos esperaban que Violet Sorrengail muriera en su primer año en el Colegio de Guerra de Basgiath, incluso ella misma. Pero la Trilla fue tan solo la primera de una serie de pruebas imposibles destinadas a deshacerse de los pusilánimes, los indignos y los desafortunados. Ahora comienza el verdadero entrenamiento y Violet no sabe cómo logrará superarlo. No solo porque es brutal y agotador ni porque está diseñado para llevar al límite el umbral del dolor de los jinetes, sino porque el nuevo vicecomandante está empeñado en demostrar a Violet lo débil que es a menos que traicione al hombre que ama. Aunque el cuerpo de Violet es más frágil que el de sus compañeros, su fuerza radica en su ingenio y voluntad de hierro. Además, los líderes están olvidando la lección más importante que Basgiath les ha enseñado: los jinetes de dragones crean sus propias reglas. La voluntad de sobrevivir no será suficiente este año, porque Violet conoce el secreto que se oculta entre los muros del colegio y nada, ni siquiera el fuego de dragón, será suficiente para salvarlos.
"María Teresa Landa ocupó en dos ocasiones las portadas de los principales periódicos del país: por ser reina de belleza y por ser una asesina. María Teresa Landa fue la ganadora en 1928 del concurso de belleza Señorita México, que la convirtió en la primera Miss México de la historia. Poco después contrajo nupcias con Moisés Vidal, un general de la Revolución venido a menos, que le ocultó que ya estaba casado con otra mujer, también llamada Teresa, con quien además tenía dos hijas. La mañana del 25 de agosto de 1929, María Teresa comenzó su día como cualquier domingo, serena y desenfadada, hasta que se encontró con este titular en Excélsior: 'Acusan de bigamia al esposo de Miss México'. Su vida dio un vuelco. Presa de la tristeza, la ira y los celos, tomó el revólver de su marido y descargó seis balas sobre él. La reina de belleza era ahora una asesina. La prensa nacional hizo eco de lo ocurrido bajo titulares que se referían a ella como la Viuda Negra."-- Back cover.
"Con esta obra se presenta un mosaico que ayuda a esclarecer la dinámica migratoria partiendo de una visión global, enfatizando la dinámica regional y poniendo el reflector sobre México como país de origen, tránsito, destino y retorno. Los artículos que integran el libro analizan cuestiones específicas que brindan una radiografía de las fallas y oportunidades que tiene nuestro sistema de gestión de los movimientos de población y que impactan en los aspectos más cotidianos y básicos de la vida de las personas migrantes y refugiadas. A partir de estos textos podemos comprender que las políticas migratorias no obedecen a la realidad de un mundo globalizado ni a las necesidades de los mercados laborales o a la economía, ni tampoco a la realidad demográfica del Norte Global. Se contraponen, incluso, al sentido común, y se basan en el miedo, la discriminación y los prejuicios. Así, esta obra es una oportunidad para mirar de manera diferente las migraciones, que deben ser gestionadas de una manera más humana y aprovechadas como motor de desarrollo." ANA MERCEDES SAIZ VALENZUELA (COORDINADORA)"--Back cover.
"En Manual del sueño americano se reúnen los mejores especialistas en bienes raíces, temas legales, impuestos, salud, educación, logística, migración, visados, franquicias, y muchos otros, para ofrecerte la información más completa y al día que te permitirá alcanzar tu sueño de invertir o emigrar legalmente a Estados Unidos. A partir de sus propias vivencias como migrantes y de décadas de experiencia, te brindarán la información y las herramientas necesarias para que el proceso sea eficiente, seguro y sin sobresaltos."--Publisher's description.
"In the ruins of Caswell, Maine, Carter Bennett learned the truth of what had been right in front of him the entire time. And then it--he--was gone. Desperate for answers, Carter takes to the road, leaving family and the safety of his pack behind, all in the name of a man he only knows as a feral wolf. But therein lies the danger: wolves are pack animals, and the longer Carter is on his own, the more his mind slips toward the endless void of Omega insanity. But he pushes on, following the trail left by Gavin. Gavin, the son of Robert Livingstone. The half-brother of Gordo Livingstone. What Carter finds will change the course of the wolves forever. Because Gavin's history with the Bennett pack goes back further than anyone knows, a secret kept hidden by Carter's father, Thomas Bennett. And with this knowledge comes a price: the sins of the fathers now rest upon the shoulders of their sons."-- Provided by publisher.
"1920s, Blue Moon, Montana. The small cattle town is alight with the excitement of cars, telephones, and airplanes. But as new inventions and new roles for women collide with Prohibition and the rising battle between gangsters and the FBI, Blue Moon finds itself--and some of its most infamous residents and powerful families--at a crossroads, and in battles of their own, between hearts and minds... Heir to the Hollister Ranch on his mother's side, Mason Dollarhide is back home after a five-year prison sentence for smuggling bootleg liquor. Cynical and daring, he's already up to his old tricks, having his goods trafficked to him by plane... Until the pilot is injured in a crash and captured by federal agents. Ruby Weaver learned to fly from her smuggler father. To keep him out of prison, she agrees to take over his route and go undercover to help the Feds break up a bootlegging ring. Mason is only one part of that large operation, but he's the rugged, rebellious, and tantalizingly irreverent part that makes an impression. Against her better judgement, Ruby finds herself falling for him, fighting an attraction that could jeopardize them both, while harboring a secret that could destroy any hope of a future together... Mason has never met a woman quite like Ruby. Not only is she brave and beautiful, but she somehow understands his ways--and may even inspire him to change them. The first step will be trusting her enough to open his heart... While the fire between Ruby and Mason smolders, other star-crossed Blue Moon romances blaze, as old family rivalries between the Dollarhides and the Calders continue. But when tables unexpectedly turn, some dreams may go up in smoke..."-- Provided by publisher.
"Daughter of two ruthless high-Gradient telepaths, Auden Scott is not the child her Psy parents wanted or expected, even before her brain injury. The only thing she knows for certain is that she must protect her unborn baby... a baby she has no recollection of conceiving and who draws an unnerving depth of interest from Auden's dead mother's closest associates. Leopard alpha Remi Denier is a man driven by the primal instinct to protect--even to protect the mysterious woman who is his neighbor. With eerie eyes that see too much and a scent that alters in ways disturbing and impossible, Auden Scott is the enemy... but nothing about this strange Psy is as it seems, and Remi's feline heart is as fascinated by her as his human half is. Then Auden asks Remi to help her shatter the wall of secrets that is the Scott bloodline. What they unearth will reveal a nightmare beyond imagination. This time, the battle is to the death..."-- Provided by publisher.
"The author of the "must read" (NPR) Rage Becomes Her presents a powerful manifesto for communal resilience based on in-depth investigations into history, social science, and psychology. We are often urged to rely only on ourselves for strength, mental fortitude, and positivity. But with her distinctive "skill, wit, and sharp insight" (Laura Bates, author of Girl Up), Soraya Chemaly challenges us to adapt our thinking about how we survive in a world of sustained, overlapping crises. It is interdependence and nurturing relationships that truly sustain us, she argues. Based on comprehensive research and eye-opening examples from real-life, The Resilience Myth offers alternative visions of relational hardiness by emphasizing care for others and our environments above all" -- Goodreads.
"When Gretchen Whitmer was growing up, her beloved grandmother Nino taught her that you can always find something good in other people. "Even the meanest person might have pretty eyes," she would say. Nino's words persuaded Whitmer to look for the good in any person or situation--just one of many colorful personal experiences that have shaped her political vision. (And, as Whitmer writes, one that resonated more than another piece of advice her grandmother offered, to "never part your hair in the middle.") In this candid and inspiring book, Whitmer reveals the principles and instincts that have shaped her extraordinary career, from her early days as a lawyer and legislator and her 2018 election as governor of Michigan, to her bold and innovative actions as she led the state through a series of unprecedented crises. Her motto in politics, she writes, is to "get shit done." Whitmer shares the lessons in resilience that steered her through some of the most challenging events in Michigan's history, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, a five-hundred-year flood, the rise of domestic terrorism, and the fierce fight to protect reproductive rights. Along the way, she tells stories about the outsize characters in her family, her lifelong clumsy streak, the wild comments she's heard on the campaign trail, her self-deprecating social media campaigns (including her star turn as a talking potato with lipstick), and the slyly funny tactics she deploys to neutralize her opponents. Written with Whitmer's trademark sense of humor and straight-shooting style, True Gretch is not only a compelling account of her remarkable journey, but also a blueprint for anyone who wants to make a difference in their community, their country, or the world. It is a testament to the power of humor, perseverance, and compassion in the face of darkness"-- Provided by publisher.
"A groundbreaking, important recovery of history; the overlooked story-fully explored, of the critical aspect of America's Revolutionary War that was fought in the South showing that the British surrender at Yorktown was the direct result of the southern campaign and, that the battles that emerged south of the Mason-Dixon line between loyalists to the Crown and patriots who fought for independence were, in fact, America's first civil war. The famous battles that form the backbone of the story put forth of American independence-at Lexington and Concord, Brandywine, Germantown, Saratoga, and Monmouth, while crucial, did not lead to the surrender at Yorktown. It was in the three-plus years between Monmouth and Yorktown that the war was won. Alan Pell Crawford's riveting new book, This Fierce People, tells the story of these missing three years, long ignored by historians, and of the fierce battles fought in the south that made up the central theater of military operations in the latter years of the Revolutionary War, upending the essential American myth that the War of Independence was fought primarily in the north. Weaving throughout the stories of the heroic men and women, largely unsung patriots-African Americans and whites, militiamen and 'irregulars,' Patriots and Tories, Americans, Frenchmen, Brits and Hessians, Crawford reveals the misperceptions and contradictions of our accepted understanding of how our nation came to be, as well as the national narrative that America's victory over the British lay solely with General George Washington and his troops"-- Provided by publisher.
"During the Last Ice Age, Europe was a cold, dry place teeming with mammoths, woolly rhinoceroses, reindeer, bison, cave bears, cave hyenas, and cave lions. It was also the home of people physically indistinguishable from humans today, commonly known as the Cro-Magnons. Our knowledge of them comes from either their skeletons or the tools, art, and debris they left behind. This book tells the story of these dynamic and resilient people in light of recent scientific advances. Trenton Holliday-a paleoanthropologist who has studied the Cro-Magnons for decades-explores questions such as: Where and when did anatomically modern humans first emerge? When did they reach Europe, and via what routes? How extensive or frequent were their interactions with Neandertals? What did Cro-Magnons look like? What did they eat, and how did they acquire their food? What can we learn about their lives from studying their skeletons? How did they deal with the glacial cold? What does their art tell us about them? Holliday offers new insights into these ancient people from anthropological, archaeological, genetic, and geological perspectives. He also considers how the Cro-Magnons responded to Earth's post-glacial warming almost 12,000 years ago, showing that how they dealt with climate change holds valuable lessons for us as we negotiate life on a rapidly warming planet"-- Provided by publisher.
"This book is about Charles Fort, his followers, and the surprising influence they have had on science fiction, the avant-garde, UFOlogy, and more broadly on the role of spirituality and conspiracy in the modern world. Fort was an author and maverick philosopher who wrote four non-fiction books about anomalies-rains of frogs, mysterious disappearances, unexplained lights in the sky-for which he offered hypotheses that even he did not (always) accept as true. His books developed into a monistic philosophy that denounced science as a machine for generating truth. In his view, science was a small part of a larger system in which truth and falsity were constantly transforming one into the other. This was not a rejection of the modern world but, instead, its fulfillment: Fort prophesied the next stage in intellectual evolution after the scientific era. He inspired four overlapping groups: members of the Fortean Society; science fiction fans and writers; avant-garde artists; and flying saucer enthusiasts. First We Must Think to New Worlds takes up each of these groups in turn to ask: How can the human imagination be expanded? What is the fundamental structure of the universe? And, how does power move? As they developed their responses, Fort's followers mixed Forteanism with Fundamentalism, New Agery, and conspiracy, as well as a host of other forms of modern enchantments, such as the ironic imagination, scientific wonder, and Theosophical syncretism. Each chapter is interrupted by and concludes with shorter sections that focus on particular Forteans or Fortean events as a way to deepen themes"-- Provided by publisher.
David Tatel has served nearly 30 years on America's second highest court, the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, where many of our most crucial cases are resolved -- or teed up for the Supreme Court. He has championed equal justice for his entire adult life; decided landmark environmental and voting cases; and embodied the ideal of what a great judge should be. Yet he has been blind for the past 50 of his 80-plus years. Initially, he depended upon aides to read texts to him, and more recently, a suite of hi-tech solutions has allowed him to listen to reams of documents at high speeds. At first, he tried to hide his deteriorating vision, and for years, he denied that it had any impact on his career. Only recently, partly thanks to his first-ever guide dog, Vixen, has he come to fully accept his blindness and the role it's played in his personal and professional lives. His story of fighting for justice over many decades, with and without eyesight, is an inspiration to us all.
"Lucy is the tourist vacationing at a beach house on Prince Edward Island. Felix is the local who shows her a very good time. Lucy and Felix's chemistry is unreal, but the list of reasons why they need to stay away from each other is long, and they vow to never repeat that electric night again. It's easier said than done. Each year, Lucy escapes to PEI with her best friend, Bridget, and promises herself she won't wind up in Felix's bed. Again. At least she's always kept her heart out of it. But Felix's sparkling eyes and flirty quips have been replaced with something new, and Lucy's beginning to wonder just how safe her heart truly is"-- Back cover.
"From the Pulitzer-prize winning, New York Times bestselling author, an alarming account of how autocracies work together to undermine the democratic world, and how we should organize to defeat them We think we know what an autocratic state looks like: There is an all-powerful leader at the top. He controls the police. The police threaten the people with violence. There are evil collaborators, and maybe some brave dissidents. But in the 21st century, that bears little resemblance to reality. Nowadays, autocracies are underpinned not by one dictator, but by sophisticated networks composed of kleptocratic financial structures, surveillance technologies, and professional propagandists, all of which operate across multiple regimes, from China to Russia to Iran. Corrupt companies in one country do business with corrupt companies in another. The police in one country can arm and train the police in another, and propagandists share resources and themes, pounding home the same messages about the weakness of democracy and the evil of America. International condemnation and economic sanctions cannot move the autocrats. Even popular opposition movements, from Venezuela to Hong Kong to Moscow, don't stand a chance. The members of Autocracy, Inc, aren't linked by a unifying ideology, like communism, but rather a common desire for power, wealth, and impunity. In this urgent treatise, which evokes George Kennan's essay calling for "containment" of the Soviet Union, Anne Applebaum calls for the democracies to fundamentally reorient their policies to fight a new kind of threat"-- Provided by publisher.
"After arriving on Block Island to find her birth mother, Blake Bronson becomes convinced she is the heroine of a gothic novel. How else to explain the torrential rain, the salt-worn mansion known as White Hall, and the restless ghost purported to haunt its halls? Before Blake can discern the novel's ending she's found dead, murdered in a claw-foot tub. The proprietress of White Hall stands accused. Summoned by a letter sent from Blake before she died, Thalia Mills returns to the island she swore she had left for good. Blake wasn't the first to die at White Hall under suspicious circumstances. Thalia must uncover the real reason for Blake's demise before the forces conspiring to keep Block Island's secrets dead and buried rise up to consume her too" -- Adapted from back cover
"In this steamy Regency romp, Lady Selina is determined to find the Duke of Stanhope the perfect wife--the only problem is she's starting to think that might be her. Peter Kent--newly inherited Duke of Stanhope and recently of New Orleans, Louisiana--must become respectable. Between his radical politics and the time he interrupted a minor royal wedding with a flock of sheep--not his fault!--he's developed a scandalous reputation at odds with his goal of becoming guardian to his half siblings. For help, he turns to the cleverest and most managing woman of his acquaintance, Lady Selina Ravenscroft. Selina is society's most proper debutante, save one tiny secret: she runs an erotic circulating library for women. When Peter asks for her help, she suggests courtship and marriage to a lady of unimpeachable reputation. (Which is to say, definitely not herself.) But matchmaking doesn't go according to plan. Peter's siblings run rampant on Bond Street. Selina ends up in the Serpentine. And worst of all, the scorching chemistry between Peter and Selina proves impossible to resist. For the disreputable duke and his unpredictable matchmaker, falling in love just might be the ultimate scandal"-- Provided by publisher.
"Lenny Marks is excellent at not having a life. She bikes home from work at exactly 4pm each day, buys the same groceries for the same meals every week, and owns thirty-six copies of The Hobbit (currently arranged by height). The closest thing she has to a friendship is playing Scrabble against an imaginary Monica Gellar while watching Friends reruns. And Lenny Marks is very, very good at not remembering what happened the day her mother and stepfather disappeared when she was still a child. The day a voice in the back of her mind started whispering, You did this. Until a letter from the parole board arrives in the mail--and when her desperate attempts to ignore it fail, Lenny starts to unravel. As long-buried memories come to the surface, Lenny's careful routines fall apart. For the first time, she finds herself forced to connect with the community around her, and unexpected new relationships begin to bloom. Lenny Marks may finally get a life--but what if her past catches up to her first? Equal parts heartbreaking and heartwarming, Kerryn Mayne's stunning debut is an irresistible novel about truth, secrets, vengeance, and family lost and found, with a heroine who's simply unforgettable"-- Provided by publisher.
"A heartrending family saga following three generations of women connected by a fantastic tapestry through which they inherit the experiences of those that lived before them, sweeping readers from Partition-era India to modern day Brooklyn. Ayukta is finally sitting down with her wife Nadya to respond to a question she's long avoided: Should they have a child? The decision is complicated by a secret her family has kept for centuries, one that Ayukta will be the first to share with someone outside their bloodline: the women in her family inherit a mysterious tapestry, through which each generation can experience the memories of those who came before her. Ayukta invites Nadya into this lineage, carrying her through its past. She relives her grandmother Amla's life: Once a happy child in Karachi, Amla migrates to Gujarat during Partition, witnessing violence and loss that forever shape her approach to marriage and motherhood. Amla's daughter, Arni, bears this weight in her own blood in 1974, when gender equity and urban class distinctions divide the community as a bold student movement takes hold. As Ayukta unspools these generations of women-whole decades of love, loss, heartbreak, and revival-she reveals the tapestry's second gift: the ability for each of these women to dramatically reshape their own worlds. Like all power, both fantastic and societal, this inheritance is more treacherous than it seems. What would it mean, to impart an impossible burden? To withhold these incredible gifts? Sweeping, deeply felt and intergenerational, A Thousand Times Before is a debut as poetic as it is propulsive, as healing as it is heartbreaking, as it examines what it means to carry our past with us and to pass it on. Rooted in a tender love story, and spun with a tremendous amount of care, this book is a rare, remarkable feat from an incredible new literary talent"-- Provided by publisher.
"From the New York Times best-selling author of Reconstructing Amelia, a gripping, moving novel about a daughter racing to uncover the truth about her mother in the wake of her disappearance. When Cleo, a student at NYU, arrives late for dinner at her childhood home in Brooklyn, she finds food burning in the oven and no sign of her mother, Kat. Then Cleo discovers her mom's bloody shoe under the sofa. Something terrible has happened. But what? The polar opposite of Cleo, whose "out of control" emotions and "unsafe" behavior have created a seemingly unbridgeable rift between mother and daughter, Kat is the essence of Park Slope perfection: a happily married, successful corporate lawyer. Or so Cleo thinks. Kat has been lying. She's not just a lawyer; she's her firm's fixer. She's damn good at it, too. Growing up in a dangerous group home taught her how to think fast, stay calm under pressure, and recognize a real threat when she sees one. And in the days leading up to her disappearance, Kat has become aware of multiple threats: demands for money from her unfaithful soon-to-be ex-husband; evidence that Cleo has slipped back into a relationship that's far riskier than she understands; and menacing anonymous messages from her past - all of which she's kept hidden from Cleo . . . Like Mother, Like Daughter is a thrilling novel of emotional suspense that questions the damaging fictions we cling to and the hard truths we avoid. Above all, it's a love story between a mother and a daughter, each determined to save the other before it's too late"-- Provided by publisher.
"Passionate about conservation and fleeing an argument with her mother, newly qualified London vet Charlotte Walker has taken up a fellowship on the tiny South Atlantic island of Tuga de Oro to study the endangered Gold Coin tortoises in the jungle interior. She can claim the best of reasons for this year in paradise--what better motivation than to save a species?--but the reality is more complex. For Charlotte has secretly come to believe that she has her own connection to this remote and eccentric community, and she is finally determined to solve the mystery that has dominated her life. But she will have little time for any of her declared or covert investigations. She is inconveniently attracted to the new island doctor. And not only do Tuga's tortoises need attention but so too do the island's dogs, goats, and donkeys, not to mention the islanders themselves, determined to win Charlotte over with cake and homemade jam until she relents and becomes vet to all their animals"-- Provided by publisher.
"Three generations of fiercely strong and stubborn Mexican American women face grief head-on as they attempt to shed generational trauma and discover the true meaning of home in this lyrical novel that features magical realism in the tradition of The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina and The House of the Spirits. For generations, the Olivares women have sought to control their daughters' destinies, starting with their names. In life, Olvido constantly clashed with her carefree daughter. Then teenage Angustias discovered she was pregnant and left her mother's home in search of her own. Ten years later, Felicitas finally meets her estranged grandmother and is terribly disappointed when Olvido is nothing like a grandmother should be. She is strict, cold, and...dead. Now, Olvido is convinced the only way her spirit will cross over is if she resolves her unfinished business-to make sure Angustias is in a better place regarding family, job, husband, and God, but maybe not in that order-and Felicitas is the only person who can see or hear her. Heartbroken about her mother's passing and desperate to put Olvido's tiny Texas home in her rearview mirror as quickly as possible, Angustias doesn't understand why suddenly everyone in town seems to be conspiring to set her up with every eligible bachelor in town, offer her jobs, and invite her and Felicitas to church every Sunday. As Olvido attempts to puppeteer her granddaughter to "fix" Angustias's life from beyond the grave, Angustias tries desperately to find a better place for Felicitas, and Felicitas struggles to keep her ability to see the dead a secret from Angustias, all three Olivares girls are forced to learn how to actually listen to one another, to work to overcome generations' wort"-- Provided by publisher.
"Waco, Texas, 1993. A charismatic figure known as the Lamb gathers his flock and his weapons to await the fulfillment of God's prophesy for the last days. "In olden days, when somebody said you've gone to Texas, that meant you'd lost your marbles," the Lamb told his followers. "But we're heading to Texas because we ain't crazy." From all over the world they come to join the Lamb, lost on earth and desperate to be found in heaven. The novel follows a teenage girl named Jaye and her mother as they leave their California home to move in to the Lamb's compound and be counted at the time of redeeming. Jaye is a smartass kid who doesn't care for rules much less religion, and couldn't understand what her mother saw in the Lamb-whom she calls by his birth name, "Perry"-a landscaper who wanted to be a guitar god and somehow became an actual god instead. But Jaye is looking for something, and when she meets Roy, the sheriff's son, the two teenagers are drawn to each other, even as they careen toward the fulfillment of the Lamb's final, violent visions in this prairie epic of the Montagues and the Capulets"-- Provided by publisher.
A former tennis prodigy turned coach and a force of nature who makes no apologies for her game on and off the court. Married to a champion on a losing streak, Tashi's strategy for her husband's redemption takes a surprising turn when he must face off against the washed-up Patrick, his former best friend, and Tashi's former boyfriend. As their pasts and presents collide, and tensions run high, Tashi must ask herself, what will it cost to win?
The extraordinary story of Amy Winehouse's early rise to fame from her early days in Camden through the making of her groundbreaking album, Back to Black that catapulted Winehouse to global fame. Told through Amy's eyes and inspired by her deeply personal lyrics, the film explores and embraces the many layers of the iconic artist and the tumultuous love story at the center of one of the most legendary albums of all time.
He's a stuntman, and like everyone in the stunt community, he gets blown up, shot, crashed, thrown through windows and dropped from the highest of heights, all for our entertainment. And now, fresh off an almost career-ending accident, this working-class hero has to track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy and try to win back the love of his life while still doing his day job.
"Esther's distant cousin, widower Menno Eicher, needs to be hard-headed and practical. Swamped by family and farm responsibilities, he must find the perfect wife as quickly as possible, so he's shown up in Colorado--with "finding a wife" on his To-Do list! Esther's community has many women who could match his ever-growing requirements. Still, after a chance meeting, Menno keeps coming back to baker Joanna Yoder. Hard-working, honest, and forthright, she's distracting Menno from his search, opening his heart--yet refuses to believe he's falling hopelessly in love with her... Happily busy inventing and selling delicious desserts, Joanna has no time for someone as ridiculously exacting as Menno. After all, what sort of man thinks choosing a wife is like picking a pie at the general store? But she soon sees the surprisingly kind heart, doting father, and understanding man beneath his hard-to-please ways. With faith and genuine love, might the few things they have in common overcome the differences between them--and prove precious enough to risk a future together?"-- Provided by publisher.
"Harlow Hayes came to Sea Blue Beach, Florida, to hide and heal. Instead she finds a former co-star with a ruined career, and his plucky grandmother who runs the local landmark skating rink. The place has a kind of magic, but when it's threatened for demolition, saving the Starlight might be the second chance everyone needs"-- Provided by publisher.
Carrie Courogen has uncovered the Elaine May who does exist. Conducting countless interviews, she has filled in the blanks May has forcibly kept blank for years, creating a fascinating portrait of a creative powerhouse, a lost era of Hollywood, and the way women were mistreated and held back within it.
Sammie, a budding naturalist, knows of a secret and wonderful place: Winghaven, an abandoned lot in the middle of the suburbs where wildlife flourishes. When Bram, a new boy, turns up with his camera, Sammie worries he'll give away her hidden haven, after all, the other boys at school bully her. But Bram is a scientist like Sammie, and together they observe tiny pond creatures, a pileated woodpecker with a red crest like a pirate's bandana, and thriving monarch butterflies whose habitats are becoming scarce. When Sammie and Bram discover bright flagging tape encircling the trees, they learn Winghaven is in danger from a local developer, and it's going to take courage, spirit, and science to save it.
In June 1993, a group of young guerilla filmmakers spent four weeks making Horror Movie, a notorious, disturbing, art-house horror flick. The weird part? Only three of the film's scenes were ever released to the public, but Horror Movie has nevertheless grown a rabid fanbase. Three decades later, Hollywood is pushing for a big budget reboot.
Clete Purcel, private investigator, ex-member of the New Orleans Police Department, and war veteran with a hard shell and just a few soft spots, is Dave Robicheaux's longtime friend and partner in detective work. But he has a troubled past. When Clete leaves his car at the local car wash, only to return to find it ransacked by a group of thugs tied to the drug trade from Mexican cartels to Louisiana, it feels personal, his grandniece died of a fentanyl overdose, and his fists curl when he thinks of the dealers who sold it. Just as Clete starts to trail the culprits, Clara Bow, a woman with a dark past hires Clete as a detective to investigate her scheming, slippery ex-husband, and a string of brutal deaths all link back to a heavily tattooed man who seems to lurk around every corner. Clete is experiencing shockingly lifelike hallucinations and questioning Clara's ulterior motives when he and Dave start to hear rumors of a dangerous substance with potentially catastrophic effects. The thugs who destroyed his car might have been pawns in a scheme far darker than they could've imagined.
Newlywed Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is awakened by an urgent midnight call summoning her to a suspicious fire in the woods. When she arrives at the scene, she discovers a charred body. According to the coroner, the deceased, an Amish man named Milan Swanz, was chained to a stake and burned alive. It is an appalling and eerily symbolic crime against an upstanding husband and father. Kate knows all too well that the Amish prefer to handle their problems without interference from the outside world, and no one will speak about the murdered man. From what she's able to piece together, Swanz led a deeply troubled life and had recently been excommunicated. But if that's the case, why are the Amish so reluctant to talk about him? Are they protecting the memory of one of their own? Or are they afraid of something they dare not share? When her own brother is implicated in the case, Kate finds herself not only at odds with the Amish, the world of which she was once a part, but also the English community and her counterparts in law enforcement. The investigation takes a violent turn when Kate's life is threatened by a mysterious stranger. To uncover the truth about the death of Milan Swanz, Kate must dive deep into the Anabaptist culture, peering into all the dark corners of its history, only to uncover a secret legacy that shatters everything she thought she knew about the Amish themselves, and her own roots.
"Ruti is Markless. In a society where worth is determined by the mark on your palm and the magic it grants you, this also deems her worthless. Except she’s also a hardened survivor, a protector of the Markless…and the most powerful witch in Somanchi. With a single song, she can pray to the many gods for unimaginable powers. Dekala’s Mark is strong, a Mark fit for the future queen of Somanchi, but it’s also unstable. She knows the only solution is to be bonded, but she also knows that this would mean relinquishing control over her throne and kingdom. So when she is witness to Ruti’s power, Dekala offers the witch a deal: She can be prosecuted for her crimes…or she can help Dekala ascend to the throne, unbonded. Dekala is cold and brutal and cares only about getting her way. She is also determined, intelligent, and compassionate. Ruti is torn between wanting her to fail or to emerge victorious. But as the gods are defied, new alliances are forged, and unexpected feelings are unearthed, Ruti realizes the fate of the kingdom––and the survival of the Markless––lies in her unmarked hands."-- Provided by Amazon.com.
In the Belly of the Whale is a gripping epic that takes readers on a profound voyage through time and space aboard an enormous generation ship. The narrative captures the poignant transformation of Earth's finest minds into a stifling regime, their rigid rules sparking an uprising among the hard-pressed crew. This provocative tale delves into the price of freedom, the metamorphosis of societies, and the repeating patterns of tyranny and liberation. Against this, Earth itself is undergoing a significant period of change, offering a layered, thought-provoking backdrop to the story. In the Belly of the Whale is a compelling exploration of humanity's enduring pursuit of freedom, pushing the boundaries of the genre to offer a deeply insightful study of societal evolution and individual resilience. This is more than a space odyssey; it's an invitation to delve into the heart of the human spirit and societal dynamics.
They were just friends. Best friends. Allies. They spent entire summers sitting on Shiloh's porch steps, dreaming about the future. They were both going to get out of north Omaha--Shiloh would go to go to college and become an actress, and Cary would join the Navy. They promised each other that their friendship would never change. Well, Shiloh did go to college, and Cary did join the Navy. And yet, somehow, everything changed. Now Shiloh's thirty-three, and it's been fourteen years since she talked to Cary. She's been married and divorced. She has two kids. And she's back living in the same house she grew up in. Her life is nothing like she planned. When she's invited to an old friend's wedding, all Shiloh can think about is whether Cary will be there--and whether she hopes he will be. Would Cary even want to talk to her? After everything? The answer is yes. And yes. And yes. Slow Dance is the story of two kids who fell in love before they knew enough about love to recognize it. Two friends who lost everything. Two adults who just feel lost. It's the story of Shiloh and Cary, who everyone thought would end up together, trying to find their way back to the start. -- Provided by publisher.
"In this fascinating & profoundly chilling account, Detective Kim Mager, a real-life version of Clarice Starling, reveals how she closed in on--and broke--one of Ohio's most infamous serial killers. On September 13, 2016, in the small town of Ashland, Ohio, emergency dispatchers received a 911 call from a terrified woman who claimed to be kidnapped. The man holding her hostage was Shawn Grate, a serial killer whom the press later dubbed "The Ladykiller." A key to his conviction and death sentence were Grate's extensive recorded confessions--all extracted by one woman: Detective Kim Mager. As an experienced specialist in sex offenses, Detective Mager was one of the officers assigned to Grate's case upon his arrest. Grate immediately latched onto her, repeatedly demanding to speak to her and presumably convinced that he could somehow exercise his power over her in much the same way that he'd overpowered and controlled his female victims. He was wrong. Over a period of eight days, Mager conducted one interview after another, risking her life by sitting alone in the interview room with a malevolent predator. Using brilliant psychological strategy in a lethal game of wits, Mager successfully elicited his damning confessions to five murders, kidnapping, and multiple sexual assaults of women across Ohio. Deeply personal and shocking, A Hunger to Kill takes readers behind the scenes of one of the most appalling criminal cases in American history from the woman who stopped his murderous rampage in collaboration with New York Times bestselling author Lisa Pulitzer"-- Provided by publisher.
Mathematics shapes almost everything we do. But despite its reputation as the study of fundamental truths, the stories we have been told about it are wrong--warped like the sixteenth-century map that enlarged Europe at the expense of Africa, Asia and the Americas. In The Secret Lives of Numbers, renowned math historian Kate Kitagawa and journalist Timothy Revell make the case that the history of math is infinitely deeper, broader, and richer than the narrative we think we know.
"The crumbling Victorian had been abandoned long before Jane ever discovered it as a child. It was painted a sweet violet color, and the gingerbread trim was blue and green, but inside was shambles--broken glass, a dollhouse ravaged by mice, bedsheets twisted as though someone had left in a hurry. Still, the house became a hideaway whenever Jane needed to escape her volatile mother. Twenty years later, now a Harvard archivist, she returns home to Maine following the dissolution of her marriage and is horrified to find the Victorian is barely recognizable. A rich lady from Beacon Hill has gutted it, and in its place stands a glossy white mansion straight out of a shelter magazine. But the home's new owner is unhappy. Her young son claims to have been speaking to the ghost of a child, and she keeps finding marbles on the floor. Troubled that she might have done something to anger the spirit world, a concept Jane dismisses as daffy, the wealthy woman hires her to research the land. The story Jane uncovers--of husbands lost at sea, wives mourning along the cliffs, historical artifacts stolen and sold, lovers secreted away, and, at the center of it all, a tale of colonialism--is as old as Maine itself."-- Provided by publisher.
"Set over several nights, between the hours of 1:00 a.m. and 4:30 a.m., in and around Tokyo, this mind-blowingly constructed book is an elaborate, energetic fresco of human nocturnal existence in all its mystery, an enigmatic literary mix of Agatha Christie, Teju Cole, and Heironymous Bosch.On this journey through the labyrinthine streets and hidden corners of one of the world's most fascinating cities, everybody is searching for something, and maybe searching in the wrong places. Elements of the fantastical and the surreal abound, as they tend to do in the early pre-dawn hours of the morning, yet the settings, the human stories, and each character's search are all as real as can be." -- Amazon.com
As a child in Beijing in the 1970s, Lai lives with her family in a lively, working-class neighborhood near the heart of the city. Thoughtful yet unassuming, she spends her days with her friends beyond the attention of her parents: Her father is a reclusive figure who lingers in the background, while her mother, an aging beauty and fervent patriot, is quick-tempered and preoccupied with neighborhood gossip. Only Lai's grandmother, a formidable and colorful maverick, seems to really see Lai and believe that she can blossom beyond their circumstances. But Lai is quickly awakened to the harsh realities of the Chinese state. A childish prank results in a terrifying altercation with police that haunts her for years; she also learns that her father, like many others, was broken during the Cultural Revolution. As she enters adolescence, Lai meets a mysterious and wise bookseller who introduces her to great works--Hemingway, Camus, and Orwell, among others--that open her heart to the emotional power of literature and her mind to thrillingly different perspectives. Along the way, she experiences the ebbs and flows of friendship, the agony of grief, and the first steps and missteps in love. A gifted student, Lai wins a scholarship to study at the prestigious Peking University where she soon falls in with a theatrical band of individualists and misfits dedicated to becoming their authentic selves, despite the Communist Party's insistence on conformity-and a new world opens before her. When student resistance hardens under the increasingly restrictive policies of the state, the group gets swept up in the fervor, determined to be heard, joining the masses of demonstrators and dreamers who display remarkable courage and loyalty in the face of danger. As 1989 unfolds, the spirit of change is in the air.
When his father is passed over for village head, leaving their family as the lowest Igbo caste, fifteen-year-old Nigerian Dimkpa must make his own fate, learning that no money is easy money, superstition runs deep, knowledge is power and sometimes it's better to live in the present than chase a future out of reach.
"When the Guardian of the West Passage died in her bed, the women of Grey Tower fed her to the crows and went back to their chores. No successor was named as Guardian, no one took up the fallen blade; the West Passage went unguarded. Now, snow blankets Grey in the height of summer. Rats erupt from beneath the earth, fleeing that which comes. Crops fail. Hunger looms. And none stand ready to face the Beast, stirring beneath the poisoned soil. The fate of all who live in the palace hangs on narrow shoulders. The too-young Mother of Grey House sets out to fix the seasons. The unnamed apprentice of the deceased Grey Guardian goes to warn Black Tower. Both their paths cross the West Passage, the ancient byway of the Beast. On their journeys they will meet schoolteachers and beekeepers, miracles and monsters, and very, very big Ladies. None can say if they'll reach their destinations, but one thing is for sure: the world is about to change"-- Provided by publisher.
"A delightful, escapist romp that explores just how far parents will go to give their kids the very best, in this adult mystery debut. Mavis Miller is not a PTA mom. She has enough on her plate with her feisty seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, an exhausting job at a nonprofit, and the complexities of a multigenerational household. So no one is more surprised than Mavis when she caves to Trisha Holbrook, the long-reigning, slightly terrifying PTA president, and finds herself in charge of the school's brand-new DEI committee. As one of the few Black parents at this elite California elementary school, Mavis tries to convince herself this is an opportunity for real change. But things go off the rails at the very first meeting, when the new principal informs everyone that he will not move forward with the plan to make Knoll Elementary the site of the district's gifted school. Mavis is relieved, but Trisha is absolutely furious. Later that night, when Mavis spies Trisha in yellow rubber gloves and booties, lugging cleaning supplies and giant black trash bags to her waiting minivan, it's only natural that her mind jumps to somewhere it surely wouldn't in the light of day. Except...in the light of day, Principal Smith fails to show up for work, and has been MIA since the meeting. Determined to get to the bottom of things, Mavis, along with the school psychologist with the great forearms (look, it's worth noting), launches an investigation that will challenge her views on parenting, friendship, and elementary school politics"-- Provided by publisher.
"From the critically acclaimed, bestselling author of The Cartographers and The Book of M comes an inventive new novel about a woman who wins the chance to rewrite every mistake she's ever made... and how far she'll go to find her elusive "happily ever after." But there's a twist: the reader gets to decide what she does next to change her fate. Meek, play-it-safe Marsh has just turned forty-five, and her life is in shambles. Her career is stagnant, her marriage has imploded, and her teenage daughter grows more distant by the day. Marsh is convinced she's missed her chance at everything--romance, professional fulfillment, and adventure--and is desperate for a do-over. She can't believe her luck when she's selected to be the star of the global sensation All This and More, a show that uses quantum technology to allow contestants the chance to revise their pasts and change their present lives. It's Marsh's only shot to seize her dreams, and she's determined to get it right this time. But even as she rises to become a famous lawyer, gets back together with her high school sweetheart, and travels the world, she begins to worry that All This and More's promises might be too good to be true. Because while the technology is amazing, something seems a bit off... Can Marsh really make her life everything she wants it to be? And is it worth it?"-- Provided by publisher.