Special Collections

Have Fun, Fight Back, And Keep The Party Going

A true entrepreneur always looks to the future, no matter what is bearing down--9/11, Hurricane Katrina, the Great Recession, or the BP oil spill.

With wit, hard work, guts, and a few cold beers, Jeff O'Hara and his businesses battled, bounced back, and survived these disasters, and we are the beneficiaries of the lessons learned along the way. But O'Hara's lessons are no dry list of rules on entrepreneurism: This first-time author is a gifted storyteller with an edgy, one-of-a-kind sense of humor who informs and entertains with tales of the tragic, the triumphant, and the places and people only New Orleans can produce.

Accounts of O'Hara's life as he earned his place in the hospitality industry deliver colorful, honest insights into just what it takes to become a successful entrepreneur. It's clear he loves what he does and that his successes are a result of his love for his trade, his independent spirit, and, of course, a commitment to overcoming anything that gets in his way. O'Hara's wisdom will inspire entrepreneurs and anyone who appreciates a great story--from New Orleans natives to the rest of us who are fascinated by the life of this great city.

Date Added: 11/09/2020

One Lucky Fan

Twenty-five years ago, Rich O’Malley combined his two great loves – sports and travel – into one “superhobby,” launching a lifelong dream of seeing a home game for every franchise in American professional sports. Ever watch a big game on TV and say, “I would give anything to be there right now”? For Rich O’Malley that desire turned into a quest that plopped him down in hundreds of bleachers and box seats. Once Rich had swept through all 30 Major League Baseball stadiums, he focused on a bigger prize: seeing a home game for all 123 teams in the four major U.S. pro sports leagues – MLB, NBA, NHL and NFL. This is the story of Rich’s pursuit of that goal. It begins with his childhood roots as a fan and takes you back to relive some of the most historic – and just plain unbelievable – moments he’s experienced firsthand. It culminates in a 25,000-mile, two-month whirlwind tour Rich undertook to fulfill his dream. Throughout, he contemplates the qualities that unite fans – even rivals. Rich weaves this concept into the story, encouraging readers to reminisce about favorite memories and hoping to inspire their own adventure.

Date Added: 08/12/2020

Dark Aemilia

"For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright; Who art as black as hell, as dark as night." —William Shakespeare, Sonnet 147 In the boldest imagining of the era since Shakespeare in Love and Elizabeth, a finalist for the Italian Premio del Castello del Terriccio, this spellbinding novel of witchcraft, poetry, and passion, brings to life Aemilia Lanyer, the "Dark Lady" of Shakespeare's Sonnets—the playwright's muse and his one true love. The daughter of a Venetian musician but orphaned as a young girl, Aemilia Bassano grows up in the court of Elizabeth I, becoming the Queen's favorite. She absorbs a love of poetry and learning, maturing into a striking young woman with a sharp mind and a quick tongue. Now brilliant, beautiful, and highly educated, she becomes mistress of Lord Hunsdon, the Lord Chamberlain and Queen's cousin. But her position is precarious; when she falls in love with court playwright William Shakespeare, her fortunes change irrevocably. A must-read for fans of Tracy Chevalier (Girl With a Pearl Earring) and Sarah Dunant (The Birth of Venus), Sally O'Reilly's richly atmospheric novel compellingly re-imagines the struggles for power, recognition, and survival in the brutal world of Elizabethan London. She conjures the art of England's first professional female poet, giving us a character for the ages—a woman who is ambitious and intelligent, true to herself, and true to her heart.

Date Added: 04/14/2020

State of Resistance

A leading sociologist's brilliant and revelatory argument that the future of politics, work, immigration, and more may be found in California Once upon a time, any mention of California triggered unpleasant reminders of Ronald Reagan and right-wing tax revolts, ballot propositions targeting undocumented immigrants, and racist policing that sparked two of the nation's most devastating riots. In fact, California confronted many of the challenges the rest of the country faces now--decades before the rest of us. Today, California is leading the way on addressing climate change, low-wage work, immigrant integration, overincarceration, and more. As white residents became a minority and job loss drove economic uncertainty, California had its own Trump moment twenty-five years ago, but has become increasingly blue over each of the last seven presidential elections. How did the Golden State manage to emerge from its unsavory past to become a bellwether for the rest of the country? Thirty years after Mike Davis's hellish depiction of California in City of Quartz, the award-winning sociologist Manuel Pastor guides us through a new and improved California, complete with lessons that the nation should heed. Inspiring and expertly researched, State of Resistance makes the case for honestly engaging racial anxiety in order to address our true economic and generational challenges, a renewed commitment to public investments, the cultivation of social movements and community organizing, and more.

Date Added: 08/12/2020

The Presence Of Evil

Intelligence and counter-terrorism expert J.T. Patten uncovers the ultra top-secret war against terror in his explosive black-ops series...

No Mission Is Impossible

Drake Woolf is the perfect throwaway agent-a deadly, invisible force able to handle the blackest of black-ops missions. No one's better when it comes to search and destroy. But his lethal drive feeds a relentless hunger. It's all his handlers at Task Force Orange can do to point him at the right targets. This time he's up against a massive, global conspiracy. In his deadly crosshairs are a Venezuelan assassin, hordes of elite Iranian terrormasters, and a beautiful and wily FBI counterterrorist agent. Drake's aim is flawless but his judgments are all over the place. If he doesn't get it right this time, it will be Hell on Earth.

Date Added: 11/09/2020

In The Name Of Honor

Anthony McCarran, one of the army's most distinguished generals, was devastated by the loss of his longtime friend Jack Gallagher, who was killed in Vietnam. For years, the McCarran and Gallagher families have remained close, watching a new generation of soldiers face combat. Today, the general's son Lt. Brian McCarran is back from Iraq. Traumatized by the experience, there's only one person Brian wishes to confide in: Kate Gallagher. As the daughter of a fallen soldier, Kate understands the pain of war. But as the wife of Brian's commanding officer, the volatile and shell-shocked Capt. Joe D'Abruzzo, there's only so much Kate can do to offer comfort--and only so many secrets Brian can share... Tragedy strikes when Brian shoots and kills D'Abruzzo on their army post in Virginia after a bitter confrontation. Now, in a high-profile court-martial, Brian must face old demons and new enemies as he fights to prove his innocence with the help of Paul Terry, one of the army's most accomplished lawyers; Terry's co-counsel, who happens to be Brian's sister, Meghan; and Kate's unwavering support. But before the case is over, Brian will learn that families, like war, can break the sturdiest of souls--and hardest of hearts.

Date Added: 05/28/2020

The Spirit Of Eastern Christendom, 600-1700

The line that separated Eastern Christendom from Western on the medieval map is similar to the "iron curtain" of recent times. Linguistic barriers, political divisions, and liturgical differences combined to isolate the two cultures from each other. Except for such episodes as the schism between East and West or the Crusades, the development of non-Western Christendom has been largely ignored by church historians. In The Spirit of Eastern Christendom, Jaroslav Pelikan explains the divisions between Eastern and Western Christendom, and identifies and describes the development of the distinctive forms taken by Christian doctrine in its Greek, Syriac, and early Slavic expression. "It is a pleasure to salute this masterpiece of exposition. . . . The book flows like a great river, slipping easily past landscapes of the utmost diversity—the great Christological controversies of the seventh century, the debate on icons in the eighth and ninth, attitudes to Jews, to Muslims, to the dualistic heresies of the high Middle Ages, to the post-Reformation churches of Western Europe. . . . His book succeeds in being a study of the Eastern Christian religion as a whole."—Peter Brown and Sabine MacCormack, New York Review of Books "The second volume of Professor Pelikan's monumental work on The Christian Tradition is the most comprehensive historical treatment of Eastern Christian thought from 600 to 1700, written in recent years. . . . Pelikan's reinterpretation is a major scholarly and ecumenical event."—John Meyendorff "Displays the same mastery of ancient and modern theological literature, the same penetrating analytical clarity and balanced presentation of conflicting contentions, that made its predecessor such an intellectual treat."—Virgina Quarterly Review

Date Added: 03/22/2021

The Drifter

The first explosive thriller featuring Peter Ash, a veteran who finds that the demons of war aren't easily left behind... Peter Ash came home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with only one souvenir: what he calls his "white static," the buzzing claustrophobia due to post-traumatic stress that has driven him to spend a year roaming in nature, sleeping under the stars. But when a friend from the Marines commits suicide, Ash returns to civilization to help the man's widow with some home repairs. Under her dilapidated porch, he finds more than he bargained for: the largest, ugliest, meanest dog he's ever encountered...and a Samsonite suitcase stuffed with cash and explosives. As Ash begins to investigate this unexpected discovery, he finds himself at the center of a plot that is far larger than he could have imagined...and it may lead straight back to the world he thought he'd left for good.

Date Added: 08/12/2020

The Accessible Home

Millions of baby boomers are approaching the golden years. While it's a marker worth celebrating, it can also be a reminder of uncertain times ahead. How will I manage? Can I stay in my home? The Accessible Home goes beyond ramps and grab-bars to help aging boomers, or those faced with disabilities, accomplish home accessibility on a deeper level. With a focus on closing the gap between home and homeowner, architect Deborah Pierce leads readers through the steps of universal design--from hiring the right architect to creating a pleasing space with the final details. Plus, an insider's look at 25 case studies shows that the best design is built in, not tacked on, and that "accessible" can be both beautiful and functional. The Accessible Home empowers people of all ages and challenges them to create homes that restore independence and the grace of daily living.

Date Added: 05/28/2020

Deadly Spin

That's how Wendell Potter introduced himself to a Senate committee in June 2009. He proceed to explain how insurance companies make promises they have no intention of keeping, how they flout regulations designed to protect consumers, and how they make it nearly impossible to understand information that the public needs. Potter quit his high-paid job as head of public relations at a major insurance corporation because he could no longer abide the routine practices of the insurance industry, policies that amounted to a death sentence for thousands of Americans every year.

In Deadly Spin, Potter takes readers behind the scenes of the insurance industry to show how a huge chunk of our absurd healthcare expenditures actually bankrolls a propaganda campaign and lobbying effort focused on protecting one thing: profits. With the unique vantage of both a whistleblower and a high-powered former insider, Potter moves beyond the healthcare crisis to show how public relations works, and how it has come to play a massive, often insidious role in our political process-and our lives.

This important and timely book tells Potter's remarkable personal story, but its larger goal is to explain how people like Potter, before his change of heart, can get the public to think and act in ways that benefit big corporations-and the Wall Street money managers who own them.

Date Added: 03/22/2021

By Gaslight

"A dark tale of love, betrayal and murder that reaches from the slums of Victorian London to the diamond mines in South Africa, to the American Civil War and back. Superb storytelling." --Kurt Palka, author of The Piano Maker A magnificent literary historical-suspense novel in the tradition of Eleanor Catton's The Luminaries, Patrick DeWitt's The Sisters Brothers, and Michael Faber's The Crimson Petal and the White, By Gaslight is destined to be one of the most acclaimed and talked-about books of the year. London, 1885. In a city of fog and darkness, the notorious thief Edward Shade exists only as a ghost, a fabled con, a thief of other men's futures -- a man of smoke. William Pinkerton is already famous, the son of a brutal detective, when he descends into the underworld of Victorian London in pursuit of a new lead. His father died without ever tracing Shade; William, still reeling from his loss, is determined to drag the thief out of the shadows. Adam Foole is a gentleman without a past, haunted by a love affair ten years gone. When he receives a letter from his lost beloved, he returns to London in search of her; what he learns of her fate, and its connection to the man known as Shade, will force him to confront a grief he thought long-buried. What follows is a fog-enshrouded hunt through sewers, opium dens, drawing rooms, and seance halls. Above all, it is the story of the most unlikely of bonds: between William Pinkerton, the greatest detective of his age, and Adam Foole, the one man who may hold the key to finding Edward Shade. Epic in scope, brilliantly conceived, and stunningly written, Steven Price's By Gaslight is a riveting, atmospheric portrait of two men on the brink. Moving from the diamond mines of South Africa to the battlefields of the Civil War, the novel is a journey into a cityscape of grief, trust, and its breaking, where what we share can bind us even against our darker selves.

Date Added: 05/28/2020

Inside My Outside

Upon meeting Sara Pyszka, most people think they know what it's like to be her, regardless of what they actually know about her. They see her wheelchair. They see the computer attached to her chair. They may or may not see the bands that hold her arms down, or the buttons on either side of her head rest. They see, and probably speak with, whichever personal assistant is accompanying her that day. They see her, yes, but this doesn't mean they know anything about her. Few people can accurately imagine what it's like to be completely nonverbal, to be unable to walk or use their hands. They don't actually know what it's like to rely on strangers to get them out of bed and ready for the day, to feed them, to bathe them. Inside My Outside: An Independent Mind in a Dependent Body provides an in-depth look into the life of a young woman with cerebral palsy who cannot walk or talk but who uses an electronic device for communication. This memoir covers three full days, from morning to night, in Sara Pyszka's life, providing glimpses of past relationships, friendships, schooling, and outrageous stories about the challenges of hiring, firing, and working with personal care assistants. Sara even takes it a step further by providing the occasional comparison between her life and what she imagines life would be like if she did not have a disability.

Date Added: 03/22/2021

One Nation, Uninsured

Every industrial nation in the world guarantees its citizens access to essential health care services--every country, that is, except the United States. In fact, one in eight Americans--a shocking 43 million people--do not have any health care insurance at all. One Nation, Uninsured offers a vividly written history of America's failed efforts to address the health care needs of its citizens. Covering the entire twentieth century, Jill Quadagno shows how each attempt to enact national health insurance was met with fierce attacks by powerful stakeholders, who mobilized their considerable resources to keep the financing of health care out of the government's hands. Quadagno describes how at first physicians led the anti-reform coalition, fearful that government entry would mean government control of the lucrative private health care market. Doctors lobbied legislators, influenced elections by giving large campaign contributions to sympathetic candidates, and organized "grassroots" protests, conspiring with other like-minded groups to defeat reform efforts. As the success of Medicare and Medicaid in the mid-century led physicians and the AMA to start scaling back their attacks, the insurance industry began assuming a leading role against reform that continues to this day. One Nation, Uninsured offers a sweeping history of the battles over health care. It is an invaluable read for anyone who has a stake in the future of America's health care system.

Date Added: 07/15/2020

Top Secret Alien Abduction Files

For decades, people have reported close encounters with extraterrestrial entities. Witnesses describe being kidnapped by large-headed, black-eyed creatures from other worlds. Those same creatures have become popularly known as “the Grays.” There is, however, another aspect to the alien abduction controversy.

Abductees very often report being followed and spied upon by military and government personnel. It is typical for abductees to see black helicopters hovering directly over their homes in an intimidating manner. Phone calls are monitored. Emails are hacked into. Strange men dressed in black suits are seen photographing the homes of the abductees. All of this brings us to the matter of what have become known in the domain of alien abduction research as “Military Abductions,” or “MILABS.”

According to numerous abductees, after being kidnapped by aliens they are kidnapped again . . . by the government. These follow-up events are the work of a powerful group hidden deep within the military and the intelligence community. It is the secret agenda of this highly classified organization to figure out what the so-called Grays are really up to. And, the best way for the government to get the answers is to interrogate those who have come face-to-face with the UFO phenomenon: the abductees. Why is the government secretly compiling files on alien abductees? Is the alien abduction issue so sinister that it has become a matter of national security proportions?

Date Added: 04/27/2020

When The Drummers Were Women

For millennia, the sacred drummers of pre-Christian Mediterranean and western Asia were women. In this inspiring book, Layne Redmond, herself a renowned drummer, tells their history.

Artistic representations reveal that female frame drummers carried the spiritual traditions of many of the earliest recorded civilizations. During those ancient times, the drummer-priestesses held the keys to experience of the divine through rhythm. They were at the center of the goddess worship of matriarchal societies until the ascendance of patriarchal cultures and the loss of drumming as a spiritual technology. With wisdom and passion, Redmond chronicles our species' deep connection to the drum, our rich heritage of inseparable spirituality and music, and the modern-day women reclaiming it.

This book encourages readers--both women and men--to reestablish rhythmic links with themselves, nature, and other people through the power of drumming. Redmond illustrates her message with an extensive collection of images gathered during ten years of research and travel. Woven throughout the book are strands of ancient ritual and mythology, personal stories, and scientific evidence of the benefits of drumming. It is at once a history, a memoir, and a resounding call for spiritual and social renewal.

Date Added: 06/02/2020

Five Windows

At a busy intersection on a crammed city hillside, an overworked book editor looks up long enough to watch a trio of houses go up in flames. Once the smoke clears, he becomes increasingly concerned by what he sees out his windows and starts asking questions he never bothered with before: Is the encampment in the park responsible for the fires--or are his new upscale neighbors somehow to blame? Has the man upstairs even bothered to notice, or is his time better spent battling with his boyfriend? What's his own ex-wife doing, resurfacing now just when things are getting tense? Is everyone safer with more fire trucks around? And, just a block down the hill, is the new mixed-use project the perfect urban remedy, or will it do even more damage? By the time the home across the street catches fire, he has to face a few questions about himself, too, including his own role in the neighborhood's upheaval. Inspired by Hitchcock'sRear Window and set in San Francisco, Jon Roemer's debut novel explores a fabled American city divided by rapid and aggressive change.

Date Added: 04/14/2020

Trails of Death: The True Story of National Forest Serial Killer Gary Hilton

Overview: Trails of Death is the explosive chronicle of America's only known national parks serial killer, Gary Michael Hilton. Hilton struck in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina before he was finally caught. The author explores the crimes in detail with full cooperation from the victims families and brings readers into what makes a late life serial killer through interviews with those who know him. Readers will also hear from the lead investigator who finally tracked Hilton.

Date Added: 04/14/2020

Musings To Meaning

Musings to Meaning is applicable spirituality. It has insightful musings and stories to deepen the relationship with our Divine Self, while charming our human self to prefer inner peace.

Date Added: 04/03/2020

Justice

The fast-paced, action-packed sequel to LAWLESS. No more teachers. No more crooks! M Freeman thought she had finally found a place where she belonged: the Lawless School, where the children of master criminals trained to become master criminals themselves. She took her studies seriously, never suspecting she was a pawn in a dangerous game. Now she knows the truth: The forces of Lawless are after a weapon that threatens all life on earth. M and her crew are determined to stop them - but they can’t do it alone. And that means joining the Fulbright Academy. In their ancient cops-and-robbers conflict with the Lawless School, the Fulbrights are supposed to be the good guys. But the winding subterranean hallways of the academy hide many secrets. And all the clues lead to one inescapable conclusion: It’s time for M to take the law into her own hands.

Date Added: 07/15/2020

I Talk Like a River

I wake up each morning with the sounds of words all around me. And I can't say them all . . . When a boy who stutters feels isolated, alone, and incapable of communicating in the way he'd like, it takes a kindly father and a walk by the river to help him find his voice. Compassionate parents everywhere will instantly recognize a father's ability to reconnect a child with the world around him. Poet Jordan Scott writes movingly in this powerful and ultimately uplifting book, based on his own experience, and masterfully illustrated by Greenaway Medalist Sydney Smith. A book for any child who feels lost, lonely, or unable to fit in.

Date Added: 03/22/2021

Mad Love

When you're the daughter of the bestselling Queen of Romance, life should be pretty good. But 16-year-old Alice Amorous has been living a lie ever since her mother was secretly hospitalized for mental illness. After putting on a brave front for months, time is running out. The next book is overdue, and the Queen can't write it. Alice needs a story for her mother-and she needs one fast.

That's when she meets Errol, a strange boy who claims to be Cupid, who insists that Alice write about the greatest love story in history: his tragic relationship with Psyche. As Alice begins to hear Errol's voice in her head and see things she can't explain, she must face the truth-that she's either inherited her mother's madness, or Errol is for real.

Date Added: 04/03/2020

The Influential Mind

A cutting-edge, research-based inquiry into how we influence those around us, and how understanding the brain can help us change minds for the better.

In The Influential Mind, neuroscientist Tali Sharot takes us on a thrilling exploration of the nature of influence. We all have a duty to affect others—from the classroom to the boardroom to social media. But how skilled are we at this role, and can we become better? It turns out that many of our instincts—from relying on facts and figures to shape opinions, to insisting others are wrong or attempting to exert control—are ineffective, because they are incompatible with how people’s minds operate. Sharot shows us how to avoid these pitfalls, and how an attempt to change beliefs and actions is successful when it is well-matched with the core elements that govern the human brain.

Sharot reveals the critical role of emotion in influence, the weakness of data and the power of curiosity. Relying on the latest research in neuroscience, behavioral economics, and psychology, the book provides fascinating insight into the complex power of influence, good and bad.

Date Added: 12/09/2020

Wedding Bells, Magic Spells

Name: Raine Benares

Race: Elf

Job: Seeker, bride, peace talks referee

Problem: Back-stabbing diplomats, bride-hating mother-in-law

I've successfully destroyed the Saghred (AKA, a legendary soul-sucking rock). I've sent an evil goblin demigod to the Lower Hells. I'm coming to terms with my burgeoning new powers. I'm marrying super sexy paladin Mychael Eiliesor. You'd think I could handle a wedding and meeting my soon-to-be mother-in-law without another calamity brewing.

You'd be wrong!

The new, thankfully non-psychotic, Goblin King is willing to come to the table to discuss a peace treaty. The Isle of Mid is the site of these delicate negotiations, meaning all hands on deck for Mychael and his Conclave Guardians. When the head of elven intelligence (and my wedding guest) Duke Markus Sevelien is nearly assassinated upon his arrival, I suspect my mother-in-law will be the least of my concerns. Sabotaging the peace talks is the first salvo in a treacherous and deadly new apocalyptic plot.

Mychael and I might not make it to the altar after all!

Date Added: 04/08/2020

The Freedom Maze

Thirteen-year-old Sophie isn’t happy about spending the summer of 1960 at her grandmother’s old house in the bayou. Bored and lonely, she can’t resist exploring the house’s maze, or making an impulsive wish for a fantasy-book adventure with herself as the heroine. What she gets instead is a real adventure: a trip back in time to 1860 and the race-haunted world of her family’s Louisiana sugar plantation. Here, President Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation is still two years in the future and passage of the Thirteenth Amendment is almost four years away. And here, Sophie is mistaken, by her own ancestors, for a slave.

Date Added: 04/27/2020

The Darkest Assassin

Fox is a demon-possessed immortal with many talents.

--Ability to open portals—check

--Power to kill the most dangerous Sent Ones—check

--Scare away any man who might want to date her—mate

Now, the keeper of Distrust has been marked for death, a winged assassin with rainbow-colored eyes tracking her every move, determined to avenge the males she accidentally decimated. If only she could control the desire to rip off his clothes…

Bjorn is a fierce warrior with many complications.

--Tragic, torture-filled past—check

--A wife he was forced to wed, who is draining his life force—check

--Ever-intensifying desire for the enigmatic Fox—mate

Never has he hesitated to exterminate an evil being. Until now. The sharp-tongued female with a shockingly vulnerable heart tempts him in ways no one else ever has, threatening his iron control.

But, as Fate itself seems to conspire against the unlikely pair, both old and new enemies emerge. And Fox and Bjorn must fight to survive.

And learn to love…

Date Added: 03/22/2021