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After the Music Stopped: The Financial Crisis, the Response, and the Work Ahead
by Alan S. BlinderNew York Times BestsellerOne of our wisest and most clear-eyed economic thinkers offers a masterful narrative of the crisis and its lessons.Many fine books on the financial crisis were first drafts of history—books written to fill the need for immediate understanding. Alan S. Blinder, esteemed Princeton professor, Wall Street Journal columnist, and former vice chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, held off, taking the time to understand the crisis and to think his way through to a truly comprehensive and coherent narrative of how the worst economic crisis in postwar American history happened, what the government did to fight it, and what we can do from here—mired as we still are in its wreckage.With bracing clarity, Blinder shows us how the U.S. financial system, which had grown far too complex for its own good—and too unregulated for the public good—experienced a perfect storm beginning in 2007. Things started unraveling when the much-chronicled housing bubble burst, but the ensuing implosion of what Blinder calls the “bond bubble” was larger and more devastating. Some people think of the financial industry as a sideshow with little relevance to the real economy—where the jobs, factories, and shops are. But finance is more like the circulatory system of the economic body: if the blood stops flowing, the body goes into cardiac arrest. When America’s financial structure crumbled, the damage proved to be not only deep, but wide. It took the crisis for the world to discover, to its horror, just how truly interconnected—and fragile—the global financial system is. Some observers argue that large global forces were the major culprits of the crisis. Blinder disagrees, arguing that the problem started in the U.S. and was pushed abroad, as complex, opaque, and overrated investment products were exported to a hungry world, which was nearly poisoned by them.The second part of the story explains how American and international government intervention kept us from a total meltdown. Many of the U.S. government’s actions, particularly the Fed’s, were previously unimaginable. And to an amazing—and certainly misunderstood—extent, they worked. The worst did not happen. Blinder offers clear-eyed answers to the questions still before us, even if some of the choices ahead are as divisive as they are unavoidable. After the Music Stopped is an essential history that we cannot afford to forget, because one thing history teaches is that it will happen again.
After the Rain
by Karen WhiteFreelance photographer Suzanne Paris has been on her own since she was fourteen--and she has no intention of settling down, especially not in a tiny town like Walton, Georgia. She's here to hide out for a little while, not to form connections. <P><P>Her survival depends on her ability to slip in and out of people's lives, on never staying in one place for too long. But no one in Walton plans on making things easy for Suzanne. For one thing, it's a town where everyone knows everyone else--and they all seem intent on making Suzanne feel right at home. For another, Suzanne can't help but feel drawn to this tight-knit community--or to the town's mayor, Joe Warner, and his six kids. But Suzanne can't afford to stick around, even if she's finally found a place where she belongs. Because someone is looking for her--someone who won't stop until her life is destroyed... CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED
After the Rain
by Norma Fox MazerAt fifteen, Rachel is a worrier. She worries about whether her family understands her, whether her friends like her, and whether she'll get her first kiss before she turns sixteen. And she worries about whether she can handle having a real boyfriend if he does come along.<P><P> But it takes a dying old man -- her grandfather -- who has never been easy for anyone to handle, to show Rachel she has very special abilities. With love and compassion, she reaches the heart of an old tyrant who has always been unreachable. And in so doing, she comes to a better understanding of her family, her friends, and herself.<P> Newbery Medal Honor book
After the Woods
by Kim Savage"Statistically speaking, girls like me don't come back when guys like Donald Jessup take us." Julia knows she beat the odds. She escaped the kidnapper who hunted her in the woods for two terrifying nights that she can't fully remember. Now it's one year later, and a dead girl turns up in those same woods. The terrible memories resurface, leaving Julia in a stupor at awkward moments-in front of gorgeous Kellan MacDougall, for example.At least Julia's not alone. Her best friend, Liv, was in the woods, too. When Julia got caught, Liv ran away. Is Liv's guilt over leaving Julia the reason she's starving herself? Is hooking up with Shane Cuthbert, an addict with an explosive temper, Liv's way of punishing herself for not having Julia's back? As the devastating truth about Liv becomes clear, Julia realizes the one person she thinks she knows best-Liv-is the person she knows least of all. And that after the woods was just the beginning.
After the Wreck, I Picked Myself Up, Spread My Wings, and Flew Away
by Joyce Carol OatesIn the raw was how the world felt now. My feelings were raw, my thoughts were raw and hurtful like knife blades.... In the blue had been my place to hide, now In the raw there was nowhere to hide.<P><P> Jenna Abbott separates her life into two categories: before the wreck and after the wreck. Before the wreck, she was leading a normal life with her mom in suburban New York. After the wreck, Jenna is alone, trying desperately to forget what happened that day on the bridge. She's determined not to let anyone get close to her -- she never wants to feel so broken and fragile again.<P> Then Jenna meets Crow. He is a powerfully seductive enigma, and Jenna is instantly drawn to him. Crow is able to break down the wall that Jenna has built around her emotions, and she surprises herself by telling him things she hasn't told anyone else. Can Jenna bring herself to face the memories she's tried so hard to erase?
Aftercare Instructions: A Novel
by Bonnie PipkinEveryone is talking about Aftercare Instructions, Bonnie Pipkin’s electric debut novel:“Important, fierce. Pipkin stole my heart with this book.” —A.S. King, author of Still Life with Tornado“Mighty, innovative, and nearly impossible to put down.” —David Arnold, author of Kids of Appetite“Incredibly honest and empathetic.” —ALA Booklist“Big-hearted, sensitive, and engrossing.” —Publishers Weekly“Troubled.” That’s seventeen-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, she must also confront her most painful memories. Through the lens of an ongoing four act play within the novel, the fantasy of their undying love unravels line by line, scene by scene. Digging deeper into her past while exploring the underground theater world of New York City, she rediscovers a long forgotten dream. But it’s when Gen lets go of her history, the one she thinks she knows, that she’s finally able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life, and take center stage.Aftercare Instructions, a debut full of heart and hope, follows Gen on a big-hearted journey from dorm rooms to diners to underground theaters—and ultimately, right into readers' hearts.
Afterglow (Wildefire)
by Karsten KnightThe action thrills and the passion burns in this red-hot conclusion to the Wildefire trilogy which “offers potent magic and plenty of action” (Booklist).Teenage volcano goddess Ashline Wilde discovers that her former love, Colt Halliday, has an evil plan to kill the Cloak, the benevolent beings that oversee the gods. And that’s not all—he also wants to merge Ash and her two sisters back into a single, too-powerful goddess, Pele. Ash must stop her trickster-god ex-boyfriend once and for all…and to do it, she’s going to have to feed a few flames.
Afterlife: An Evernight Novel
by Claudia GrayDestiny awaits Bianca and Lucas . . . Bianca and Lucas have always believed they could endure anything to be together. When a twist of fate not only transforms Bianca into a wraith but also turns Lucas into a vampire-the very creature he spent his life hunting-they are left reeling. Haunted by his powerful need to kill, Lucas can turn to only one place for help . . . Evernight Academy. Bianca is determined to remain with him. But with the vampire leader of Evernight waging a war against wraiths, her former home has become the most dangerous place she could be, despite the new powers her ghostly transformation has given her. A battle between wraiths and vampires looms, and Bianca and Lucas face a terrifying new reality. They've overcome every obstacle life has thrown at them, but is their love strong enough to survive the challenges after life?
Aftershock
by Kelly EastonIn shock and unable to speak after being in a car accident in Oregon which has killed his parents, seventeen-year-old Adam journeys across the country to his home in Rhode Island.
Aftershock (Day of Disaster)
by Vanessa ActonRay, Sasha, Liam, and Harper have been friends since they were young. They've gotten through the worst together, but it seems like a recent argument might be just enough to break the ties of their friendship for good. That is, until the earthquake hits. Together they must navigate through the rubble to get to safety. But suddenly Harper is missing. With aftershocks happening every few minutes, it's going to take all three of them to save their lost friend. Personal drama doesn't seem so serious when every moment is a struggle to stay alive.
Aftershock (Orca Anchor)
by Gabrielle PrendergastA massive earthquake forces Amy and her estranged half-sister to work together to survive. Amy is happy it’s the last day of school…until a huge earthquake hits. She’s surprised that it’s Mara, her half-sister, who finally comes for her, since they hardly know each other. There’s no word from any of their parents, and their homes have been destroyed. So Amy and Mara set out on a perilous journey from their suburb into the city to search for their parents. As they walk day and night, the scope of the horrific destruction becomes clear. Have their parents survived the disaster?
Afterward
by Jennifer MathieuA tragic kidnapping leads to an unlikely friendship in this novel about finding light in the midst of darkness from the author of The Truth About Alice.<P><P> When eleven-year-old Dylan Anderson is kidnapped, his subsequent rescue leads to the discovery of fifteen-year-old Ethan Jorgensen, who had gone on a bike ride four years earlier and had never been seen again. Dylan's older sister, Caroline, can't help but wonder what happened to her brother, who has nonverbal autism and is not adjusting well to life back home. There's only one person who knows the truth: Ethan. But Ethan isn't sure how he can help Caroline when he is fighting traumatic memories of his own captivity. Both Caroline and Ethan need a friend, however, and their best option just might be each other.
Afterward: A Novel
by Jennifer MathieuA tragic kidnapping leads to an unlikely friendship in this novel about finding light in the midst of darkness from the author of The Truth About Alice.When Caroline's little brother is kidnapped, his subsequent rescue leads to the discovery of Ethan, a teenager who has been living with the kidnapper since he was a young child himself. In the aftermath, Caroline can't help but wonder what Ethan knows about everything that happened to her brother, who is not readjusting well to life at home. And although Ethan is desperate for a friend, he can't see Caroline without experiencing a resurgence of traumatic memories. But after the media circus surrounding the kidnappings departs from their small Texas town, both Caroline and Ethan find that they need a friend--and their best option just might be each other.
Against All Enemies (A Campus Novel #1)
by Tom Clancy Peter TelepThe master of international intrigue and explosive action introduces a new hero for a new era of warfare . . . against a new kind of threat. Get ready to meet ex-Navy SEAL Max Moore. For years, ex-Navy SEAL Max Moore has worked across the Middle East and behind the scenes for the Special Activities Division of the CIA, making connections, extracting valuable intelligence, and facing off against America's enemies at every turn. When Moore arrives at a rendezvous to take charge of a high-ranking Taliban captive, the meeting takes a horrific turn that neither Moore nor any of his bosses saw coming. Barely surviving, he tries to bring to safety a Pakistani colonel with information about the debacle, only to have that mission fall prey to forces more powerful and cunning than any he has faced before. Undaunted, and with failure not an option, Moore continues his quest for the truth, leaving many dead in his wake--killed by those for whom secrecy is the ultimate weapon. In a story that races from the remote, war-scarred landscapes of the Middle East to the blood-soaked chaos of the U. S. -Mexico border, Tom Clancy once again delivers a heart-stopping thriller that is frighteningly close to reality.
Against All Odds (Hardy Boys Casefiles #96)
by Franklin W. DixonThe world's most popular boy detectives make a special trip to the Bayport Fairgrounds to check out the steeplechase races. But soon after the event, the champion horse, Against All Odds, disappears. Now Frank and Joe are in hot pursuit of a ruthless criminal--one willing to kill to cover his tracks!
Against All Odds: Never Give up (Good Sports Ser.)
by Glenn StoutTim Tebow and the Denver Broncos, Roy Reigels in the 1929 Rose Bowl, Frank Reich and the Buffalo Bills during the 1993 NFL playoffs, Tracy McGrady and the Houston Rockets in 2004, the entire St. Louis Cardinals team in the 2011 World Series . . . What do these players have in common? Every one of them was on the brink of a humiliating defeat. But at the moment when they could have called it quits, they didn’t. These five real-life stories, illustrated with black-and-white photographs, will inspire readers young and old.
Against the Day
by Thomas PynchonA New York Times Notable Book of the Year, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year Spanning the era between the Chicago World's Fair of 1893 and the years just after World War I, and constantly moving between locations across the globe (and to a few places not strictly speaking on the map at all), Against the Day unfolds with a phantasmagoria of characters that includes anarchists, balloonists, gamblers, drug enthusiasts, mathematicians, mad scientists, shamans, spies, and hired guns. As an era of uncertainty comes crashing down around their ears and an unpredictable future commences, these folks are mostly just trying to pursue their lives. Sometimes they manage to catch up; sometimes it's their lives that pursue them.
Against the Odds (Sweet Valley High #51)
by Francine Pascal Kate WilliamTo pay off a big gambling debt, Ronnie asks Elizabeth's boy friend Jeffrey, Sweet Valley High's star soccer player, to fix the state championship game.
Age of Anxiety: How to Cope
by Amrita Tripathi Kamna Chhibber&‘What does it mean when someone says they have Anxiety?&’&‘I&’m stressed and nervous all the time, do I have Anxiety?&’&‘Will I ever get better?&’These are some of the questions we want to answer in this book. Is this the Age of Anxiety? Well, how could it not be – when so many millions of us feel that persistent combination of heart palpitations, impending doom, dread, even lack of control, as one of our contributors describes it. The question is, what can we do about it?Through this book we will learn how to distinguish between anxiety as 'an attack of the nerves' or something that will come and go, and Anxiety as a disorder, which will need treatment, including possibly therapy or medication. The conversations are even more pertinent given the global Covid-19 pandemic, prolonged periods of social isolation and an increased focus on mental health and wellness. We learn from coping with Anxiety Disorders, sharing their journey to healing, explaining exactly what would have helped them along the way, as they seek to bust common myths and misconceptions.
Age of Conan: Blood of Wolves
by Loren ColemanIn the bleak northlands, Grimnir, the living god of the plundering Vanir, is leading his hordes across Cimmeria. Tales of Grimnir's fury spread as refugees scatter throughout the land to escape his wrath. In the village of Gaud, the young warrior Kern, the "Wolf-Eye," has been exiled, an outcast from clan and kin. It is he who is fated to confront the dreaded Grimnir. But as loyal friends and desperate fighters rally to his side, even Kern does not know whether he leads his people to deliverance, or certain death.
Age of Conan: Cimmerian Rage
by Loren ColemanKern "Wolf-Eye" and his Men of the Wolves continue their war against the Vanir raiders. But innocents are paying the price for the Wolves' actions as the Vanir pillage and burn one village after another. Only by uniting the Cimmerian clans under one banner--and one army--will Kern be able to rid the land of the Vanir once and for all.
Age of Conan: Dawn of the Ice Bear
by Jeff MariotteThe young Pictish warrior Kral, aided by his loyal cadre of friends, sails to the sinister and dangerous realm of Stygia, on the trail of the stolen holy relic that could save his people--the Teeth of the Ice Bear. Yet even after enduring perils beyond their darkest dreams, they find that part of their prize is missing--stolen by the duplicitous warrior-thief, Conor. Journeying into the heart of the Cimmerian wilderness in the dead of winter, Kral and his companions search for their traitorous former comrade even as the enraged Picts wage a desperate, doomed war against the great King Conan himself. Beset by enemies on all fronts, Kral must fight for possession of the Teeth of the Ice Bear if he is to save his people from utter annihilation, and claim a destiny he never could have dreamed of...
Age of Conan: Ghost of the Wall
by Jeff MariotteAided by a king's daughter and a circle of allies, a young warrior embarks on a quest against those who destroyed his people, and the tyrant who took the precious Teeth of the Ice Bear. And to do so, he must become his enemy's worst nightmare. He must become a ghost.
Age of Conan: Songs of Victory
by Loren ColemanThe army of Kern "Wolf-Eye" has been scattered, and as the dead are buried, the tribes gather to choose new leaders. To prove his worth, Kern must seek out the House of Crom, where rests a weapon of legend that can kill any man, beast, or god. For in his heart he knows that not all glory lies on the battlefield, and that there is no sacrifice too great to sing one last song of victory.
Age of Conan: The Eye of Charon
by Richard A. KnaakNermesa Klandes abandoned a life of opulence to join the Aquilonian army, and serve the great King Conan. Earning rank and respect through his courage and loyalty, he was made an officer in the elite warrior band known as the Black Dragons. But when his first assignment ends in bloodshed, it marks the beginning of the young knight's most perilous test. Caravans from Aquilonia's neighbors are being set upon and slaughtered by an unknown enemy. Assigned to ride with a caravan, Nermesa is pulled into a diabolical plot of dark magic and demonic powers that threatens to shake Aquilonia to its very foundations--and bring King Conan to his knees...