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Letting Stories Breathe: A Socio-Narratology
by Arthur W. FrankStories accompany us through life from birth to death. But they do not merely entertain, inform, or distress us—they show us what counts as right or wrong and teach us who we are and who we can imagine being. Stories connect people, but they can also disconnect, creating boundaries between people and justifying violence. In Letting Stories Breathe, Arthur W. Frank grapples with this fundamental aspect of our lives, offering both a theory of how stories shape us and a useful method for analyzing them. Along the way he also tells stories: from folktales to research interviews to remembrances. Frank’s unique approach uses literary concepts to ask social scientific questions: how do stories make life good and when do they endanger it? Going beyond theory, he presents a thorough introduction to dialogical narrative analysis, analyzing modes of interpretation, providing specific questions to start analysis, and describing different forms analysis can take. Building on his renowned work exploring the relationship between narrative and illness, Letting Stories Breathe expands Frank’s horizons further, offering a compelling perspective on how stories affect human lives.
Being Lara: A Novel
by Lola JayeA poignant and provocative story of adoption, self-discovery, and the meaning of family, Being Lara by author Lola Jaye (By the Time You Read This) is an unforgettable tale of three women—British mother, Nigerian birth mother, and 30-year-old daughter—the choices they made, and the fragile bond they try to create across time and continents. Intelligent and touching, BeingLara is exquisite contemporary fiction with heart and soul that will resonate with readers of Cecilia Ahearn, Thrity Umrigar, and Shilpi Gowda.
Bowie: A Novel of the Life of Jim Bowie
by Randy Lee Eickhoff Leonard C. LewisJim Bowie, the descendant of Highland Scots, grew up riding alligators and working the field on the Texas frontier. Taught three languages and a sense of honor, he went on to live a life filled with brawls and battles, loves and loses. This is his story, as told by those who, whether they loved or hated him, were united by their awe of this amazing frontiersman.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Hush Money: A Mystery (The Jack MacTaggart Mysteries #1)
by Chuck GreavesA Finalist for Private Eye Writers of America's Shamus Award for Best First P.I. NovelA Finalist for Left Coast Crime's 2013 Rocky AwardWhen Hush Puppy, Pasadena socialite Sydney Everett's champion show horse, dies under suspicious circumstances, junior lawyer Jack MacTaggart is assigned to handle the insurance claim. But the case soon takes an unexpected turn, thrusting Jack into a spiraling web of blackmail and murder in which he finds himself both the prime suspect and the next likely victim.In this acclaimed debut novel, the first in a series, former Los Angeles trial lawyer Chuck Greaves takes readers into the high-stakes worlds of big-firm litigation and professional equestrian show-jumping, where no one can be trusted, and where nothing is quite what it seems.
Murder on the Bride's Side: A Mystery (Elizabeth Parker Mysteries #2)
by Tracy KielyDrawing from the classic Sense and Sensibility, Tracy Kiely continues the adventures of Elizabeth Parker, the likable Austen-quoting sleuth, in this witty and charming series.Elizabeth Parker suspected that fulfilling her duties as maid-of-honor for her best friend, Bridget, was going to be murder. And no sooner is the last grain of rice thrown than she finds herself staring into the dead eyes of Bridget's Aunt Roni, a woman whose death is almost as universally celebrated as Bridget's nuptials. The horror only increases when Harry, Bridget's cousin, becomes the chief suspect. The idea is ludicrous to the family, because Harry is one of the kindest, most compassionate people imaginable. To complicate matters, Elizabeth's boyfriend, Peter, appears to be falling for an old flame, a gorgeous wedding planner. Determined to clear Harry of the crime, reign in Bridget's impulsive brand of sleuthing, and figure out where Peter's heart lies, Elizabeth sets her mind to work.Tracy Kiely has again brilliantly combined the wit and spunk of Austen's protagonists with a contemporary, traditional mystery. With a vibrant cast of characters, the lush setting of a Virginia estate, and irresistible humor, she delivers on all counts.
A Twisted Ladder (Devils of the Briar #1)
by Rhodi HawkPsychologist Madeleine LeBlanc has spent her whole career trying to determine the cause of her father's schizophrenia. She always felt that she could unravel its origins and cure the man who left her and her brother, Marc, to practically raise themselves on the Louisiana Bayou. But when Marc takes his own life on a fishing boat in the middle of Bayou Black, Madeleine embarks on a journey into her family history---to a time when the antebellum era was crumbling, and the line between servant and master was starting to fade. And the more she pries the more she reveals her family's dark past, rife with conjured demons and river magic gone awry. Madeleine's only hope to save herself is to face the ghosts of the past, the dangers of the present, and the twisted ladder that links them all together.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Seven Days Dead: A Thriller (The Storm Murders Trilogy #2)
by John FarrowDuring an epic storm in the Gulf of Maine a lone woman races--first by car, then by a life-threatening sea crossing--to the island of Grand Manan. Her father is dying—will she make it in time? Others also venture out into the maelstrom that night, including a mysterious band of men and women who gather on Seven Days Work, the sheer cliff that overlooks the wild sea. A housekeeper, a pastor, and a strange recluse are also wandering about out in the tempest. Who else risks being out in the turbulent black night? And how many murder victims will be revealed at the break of dawn? Such questions will engage retired Montreal detective Émile Cinq-Mars. He and his wife seek shelter from the same storm as they make their way to the island for a rare summer vacation from both his police work and her horse stable. With a mounting death toll, a lengthy list of suspects, and a murder in the deep past that somehow affects the present, Cinq-Mars is drawn into uncovering ancient secrets that have led to murder. When the villainy turns against him, another race ensues, this time to solve the crimes before his visit to the island ends in tragedy.John Farrow's Seven Days Dead continues the Émile Cinq-Mars series of crime novels, which Booklist has called “one of the best series in crime fiction,”; Die Zeit in Germany has suggested it might be the best of all time.
Bianca: A Novel of Venice
by Robert ElegantBianca: A Novel of Venice by Robert ElegantAt the height of the Renaissance, one vibrant city triumphs over the rest of Europe in nearly every aspect of human life: painting, music, architecture, banking, publishing, medicine and manufacturing. Her empire reaches the Black Sea and her trade, Asia. This is the illustrious and famed Venice, fierce in war and passionate in love.Dotting this flourishing city-state, the nobility glitters with sumptuous finery, lush parties and savory meals. Never has there been such an aristocracy as this, the wealthiest circle in this wealthiest of cities. And of these, never has there been a more intriguing woman than one Lady Bianca Capello, who rises to power when vaulting ambition in young ladies is anything but a virtue.If her soul belongs to her homeland, Bianca's heart belongs to Francesco de' Medici, scion of the richest ruling family in Europe, at once the most powerful and the most glamorous. To the public, the match seems a perfect one-the union of society's two most influential people can only mean glad tidings for politics. To the two lovers, their devotion extends well beyond the politic and into the sublime.But every rose has its thorn. Evil forces even in her own circles begin to work against Bianca: noblemen plan to humiliate her and a scheming brother-in-law pits his allies against her. Love has been known to conquer all, but Bianca and her beloved never dreamed that would include battles, conquests, espionage, death-wishes and hatred. Love confronts the enemy it never suspected: beauty.
Cracking the Aging Code: The New Science of Growing Old—and What It Means for Staying Young
by Josh Mitteldorf Dorion SaganA revolutionary examination of why we age, what it means for our health, and how we just might be able to fight it.In Cracking the Aging Code, theoretical biologist Josh Mitteldorf and award-winning writer and ecological philosopher Dorion Sagan reveal that evolution and aging are even more complex and breathtaking than we originally thought. Using meticulous multidisciplinary science, as well as reviewing the history of our understanding about evolution, this book makes the case that aging is not something that “just happens,” nor is it the result of wear and tear or a genetic inevitability. Rather, aging has a fascinating evolutionary purpose: to stabilize populations and ecosystems, which are ever-threatened by cyclic swings that can lead to extinction. When a population grows too fast it can put itself at risk of a wholesale wipeout. Aging has evolved to help us adjust our growth in a sustainable fashion as well as prevent an ecological crisis from starvation, predation, pollution, or infection.This dynamic new understanding of aging is provocative, entertaining, and pioneering, and will challenge the way we understand aging, death, and just what makes us human.
The Anti-Education Era: Creating Smarter Students through Digital Learning
by James Paul GeeOne of the first champions of the positive effects of gaming reveals the dark side of today's digital and social media Today's schools are eager to use the latest technology in the classroom, but rather than improving learning, the new e-media can just as easily narrow students' horizons. Education innovator James Paul Gee first documented the educational benefits of gaming a decade ago in his classic What Video Games Have to Teach Us About Learning and Literacy. Now, with digital and social media at the center of modern life, he issues an important warning that groundbreaking new technologies, far from revolutionizing schooling, can stymie the next generation's ability to resolve deep global challenges. The solution-and perhaps our children's future-lies in what Gee calls synchronized intelligence, a way of organizing people and their digital tools to solve problems, produce knowledge, and allow people to count and contribute. Gee explores important strategies and tools for today's parents, educators, and policy makers, including virtual worlds, artificial tutors, and ways to create collective intelligence where everyday people can solve hard problems. By harnessing the power of human creativity with interactional and technological sophistication we can finally overcome the limitations of today's failing educational system and solve problems in our high-risk global world. The Anti-Education Era is a powerful and important call to reshape digital learning, engage children in a meaningful educational experience, and bridge inequality.
The 10 Things You Need to Eat: And More Than 100 Easy and Delicious Ways to Prepare Them
by Anahad O'Connor Dave LiebermanNew York Times health columnist Anahad O’Connor teams up Food Network chef Dave Lieberman for The 10 Things You Need to Eat—a hip, straightforward, and appealing guide for understanding and incorporating the 10 most healthy foods into your diet, with more than 100 easy and delicious ways to prepare them. A fun and unintimidating approach to Super Foods—filled with mouth-watering, user-friendly recipes—The 10 Things You Need to Eat is ideal for foodies and non-foodies alike who want to be healthier, look better, and live longer without having to sacrifice when it comes to taste.
The Flock
by James Robert SmithA remote Florida swamp has been targeted for theme-park development, and the swamp's inhabitants are none too happy. It doesn't help that the residents are a colony of intelligent, prehistoric, dinosaur-like birds. This flock of beasts has escaped the mass extinction that killed off the dinosaurs, relying on stealth, cunning, and killer instinct. The creatures have been living in secret, just outside our developed world. As the developers push to have the recently-discovered animals exterminated, a billionaire rogue environmentalist step in to protect these rare, predatory creatures. A naïve young Fish and Wildlife officer finds himself caught in between these two incredibly powerful forces, and may find out the hard way that man is the most dangerous predator of them all . . .The Flock is a contemporary eco-thriller about what can happen when man violates nature, and when nature fights back.
Distant Heart
by Tracey BatemanToni Rodden has escaped a life of prostitution and vows she'll never let a man control her again. After months on the wagon train, she's finally earned her place, albeit grudgingly from some, and has found a surrogate family in Fannie Caldwell and her two siblings. For the first time she can taste freedom and the possibilities of a new life. But as Fannie prepares to marry wagon master Blake Tanner, Toni realizes how alone she is and questions whether she'll ever find acceptance, or true love.Despite Toni's conviction that no man will be able to see beyond her marred past, Sam Two-Feathers, the half-Indian wagon scout and acting preacher for the train, seems to know of a love that forgives sins and values much more than outward appearances. Will Sam have the confidence to declare his love? Will Toni be able to trust in a love that can forgive even the darkest past?
The Happiest Girl in the World: A Novel
by Alena Dillon“Propulsive, transfixing, and disturbing. I could not set the book down. Harrowing and fearlessly honest, The Happiest Girl in the World is a haunting read because it couldn't have done justice to its subjects – fictional and real – any other way.” —PopsugarOne of Good Morning America's Best Books of April!From the acclaimed author of Mercy House comes a gripping new novel about a young woman’s dreams of Olympic gymnastic gold—and what it takes to reach the topFor Sera Wheeler, the Olympics is the reason for everything. It’s why she trains thirty hours a week, starves herself to under 100 pounds, and pops Advil like Tic Tacs. For her mother, Charlene, hungry for glory she never had, it’s why she rises before dawn to drive Sera to practice in a different state, and why the family scrimps, saves, and fractures. It’s why, when Sera’s best friend reports the gymnastics doctor to the authority who selects the Olympic Team, Sera denies what she knows about his treatments, thus preserving favor. Their friendship shatters. But Sera protected her dream—didn’t she? Sera doubles down, taping broken toes, numbing torn muscles, and pouring her family’s resources into the sport. Soon she isn’t training for the love of gymnastics. She’s training to make her disloyalty worthwhile. No matter the cost.The Happiest Girl in the World explores the dark history behind an athlete who stands on the world stage, biting gold. It's about the silence required of the exceptional, a tarnished friendship, and the sacrifices a parent will make for a child, even as a family is torn apart. It’s about the price of greatness.
Brooklyn Wars: An Erica Donato Mystery (Erica Donato Mysteries #4)
by Triss Stein"Stein's sure hand weaves history and mystery together for a colorful tale of love, loss, greed, and murder." —Publishers WeeklyFrom the earliest days of the Republic until the administration of LBJ, the Brooklyn Navy Yard was, proudly, both an arsenal of democracy, in FDR's words, and the creator of 70,000 local jobs. In time it became best known as the scary place New Yorkers had to locate to rescue their impounded cars. And then it came back to life, but not without a war.A public meeting becomes a battleground over plans to redevelop the once-proud Brooklyn Navy Yard. Local residents clamor for their own agenda in redeveloping 300 acres overlooking a sparkling downtown Manhattan, while business and real estate experts argue and city officials cower. Erica Donato, still writing her PhD dissertation about changes in city neighborhoods, witnesses the shocking murder of a power-broker that night on the Yard's condemned Admirals' Row.Erica uncovers the dead man's complicated history with the Yard, with his road to wealth and a high-flyer lifestyle, and with his wives and mistresses. When her daughter, Chris, visits her father's relatives for a family history project, Erica goes along, and learns that the Donato clan was involved in the Navy Yard's glory days and its slow, politics-ridden death. The story of Aunt Philomena, tall and blond, one of the proud Brooklyn girls who built ships in the Yard during World War II, captivates her. After the U.S. victory these women were told to give their jobs back to the men coming home. Philomena, so strong, so happy, mysteriously faded away and died young.Under pressure to drop her chapter on the Naval Yard and finish her PhD dissertation on a final deadline, as well as from the police to step aside for safety, Erica once again discovers "what's past is prologue" to murder...and to her life.
China's Megatrends: The 8 Pillars of a New Society
by John Naisbitt Doris Naisbitt“[John Naisbitt’s] vision of the world’s economy has the mark of genius.” —Minneapolis Star TribuneInternationally-renowned futurist and bestselling author John Naisbitt is back with China’s Megatrends, the most comprehensive look at the present and future of China and the transformation that is reshaping its economic, political, and social systems. Since publishing the enormously popular Megatrends—a New York Times bestseller for two years that has been published in 57 countries—John Naisbitt has become the most respected and well-known prognosticator of global trends. To write China’s Megatrends, Naisbitt and wife Doris were granted unprecedented access by the Chinese government to all aspects of the country and its social model. Using the same techniques of information gathering and analysis as Megatrends, the Naisbitts present a prescient and unique perspective on the emergent global power and its role in the future of globalization.
The Deadliest Lies: The Israel Lobby and the Myth of Jewish Control
by Abraham H. FoxmanThe representative of the Jewish community and staunch defender of human rights, Foxman delivers a powerful blow to such ideas as "The Israel Lobby." He shows how old stereotypes associated with the most virulent forms of bigotry have been resurfacing and taking subtle new forms. From Carter to Mearsheimer, he addresses the public figures who make these beliefs appear credible. He also reveals a disturbing parallel trend: the decline of global Jewish solidarity, which he argues is critical for dealing with the current threat. Foxman advocates forthright and decisive solutions to an international crisis, ensuring that this will be an important clarion call.
Apocalypse 2012: A Novel (Aztec)
by Gary Jennings Robert Gleason Junius PodrugIn ancient Mexico, the "End-Time Codex"--prophesizing the world's end in 2012--is entombed. A young Aztec-Mayan slave tells us its story. Gifted in math and astronomy, Coyotl rises to king's counselor in Tula, a golden city of milk and honey ruled by the brilliant god-king, Quetzalcoatl, the Feathered Serpent of lore. Gathering artists, scientists and craftsmen, this legendary ruler builds a city that will awe humanity for one thousand years. But he also faces war, catastrophic drought, betrayal and the rise of an evil death-cult religion. Instituting the infamous "Blood Covenant," its priests drag thousands of people a year atop temple-pyramids and rip their hearts beating from their chests. To stop them Quetzalcoatl must defy the flames of bloody civil war.A thousand years later scientists discover the End-Time Codex. While struggling to decipher it, they realize their own age mirrors Tula's. Can they crack the 2012 code and save their world from Tula's deadly fate?At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Villa of Death: A Mystery Featuring Daphne Du Maurier (Daphne du Maurier Mysteries #3)
by Joanna ChallisYoung Daphne du Maurier must defend a friend who has been accused of murder in the next installment in the beguiling mystery series that readers of Rebecca will love.It's the summer of 1927 and aspiring novelist Daphne du Maurier is headed to Cornwall for the wedding of her dear friend Ellen Hamilton to American millionaire Teddy Grimshaw. Having met during the chaos of the Great War, the lovers were cruelly separated for nearly a decade by circumstance and family interference. Now the wedding ceremony—held at Thornleigh Manor, a grand estate that has been in the Hamilton family for five centuries—marks a renewed hope for the future.But joy quickly turns to devastation when Teddy is found murdered right after the wedding. Wealth, jealousy, and buried secrets provide no shortage of suspects—or danger to everyone at Thornleigh, including Daphne herself. When Ellen is suspected of being the murderess, the independent-minded Daphne, along with the dashing Major Browning, is inspired to uncover the truth, and to write her next novel.
Midnight in St. Petersburg: A Novel
by Vanora BennettFaberge jewels, the mysterious Rasputin, and a priceless violin: each plays a part in one young woman's fight for survival, and for love, in revolutionary Russia. St. Petersburg, 1911. Inna Feldman has fled the pogroms of the south to take refuge with distant relatives in Russia's capital. Welcomed by the flamboyant Leman family, she is apprenticed into their violin-making workshop. She feels instantly at home in their bohemian circle, but revolution is in the air, and as society begins to fracture, she is forced to choose between her heart and her head. She loves her brooding cousin, Yasha, but he is wild, destructive, and devoted to revolution. Horace Wallick, an Englishman who makes precious Faberge creations, is older and promises security and respectability. And, like many others, she is drawn to the mysterious, charismatic figure beginning to make a name for himself in the city: Rasputin.As the rebellion descends into anarchy and bloodshed, a commission to repair a priceless Stadivarius violin offers Inna a means of escape. But what man will she choose to take with her? And is it already too late?A magical and passionate story steeped in history and intrigue, Vanora Bennett's Midnight in St. Petersburg is an extraordinary novel of music, politics, and the toll that revolution exacts on the human heart.
Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces
by Dawn Davies“Davies' collection of essays soars.... It's a memoir that locates the profound within the ordinary.” —Entertainment WeeklyIf you’re looking for a typical parenting book, this is not it. This is not a treatise on how to be a mother.This is a book about a young girl who moves to a new town every couple of years; a misfit teenager who finds solace in a local music scene; an adrift twenty-something who drops out of college to pursue her dream of making cheesecake on a stick a successful business franchise (ah, the ideals of youth). Alone in a new city, she summons her inner strength as she holds the hand of a dying stranger. Davies is a woman who finds humor in difficult pregnancies and post-partum depression (after reading “Pie” you might never eat Thanksgiving dessert the same way). She is a divorcee who unexpectedly finds second love. She is a happily married suburban wife who nevertheless makes a mental list of all the men she would have slept with. And she is a parent who finds herself tested in ways she could never imagine. In stories that cut to the quick, Davies explores passion, loss, illness, pain, and joy, told from her singular, gimlet-eyed, hilarious perspective.Mothers of Sparta is not a blow-by-blow of Davies’ life but rather an examination of the exquisite and often painful moments of a life, the moments we look back on and say, That one, that one mattered. Straddling the fence between humor and, well…not humor, Davies has written a book about what it’s like to try to carve a place for oneself in the world, no matter how unyielding the rock can be.
Aug 9—Fog
by Kathryn Scanlan"The searing strokes of this book remind me of the infinitude inside every life." --Leslie JamisonParis Review Staff Pick, one of Chicago Tribune's 25 Hot Books of Summer, and one of The A.V. Club's 15 Most Anticipated Books of 2019A stark, elegiac account of unexpected pleasures and the progress of seasonsFifteen years ago, Kathryn Scanlan found a stranger’s five-year diary at an estate auction in a small town in Illinois. The owner of the diary was eighty-six years old when she began recording the details of her life in the small book, a gift from her daughter and son-in-law. The diary was falling apart—water-stained and illegible in places—but magnetic to Scanlan nonetheless.After reading and rereading the diary, studying and dissecting it, for the next fifteen years she played with the sentences that caught her attention, cutting, editing, arranging, and rearranging them into the composition that became Aug 9—Fog (she chose the title from a note that was tucked into the diary). “Sure grand out,” the diarist writes. “That puzzle a humdinger,” she says, followed by, “A letter from Lloyd saying John died the 16th.” An entire state of mourning reveals itself in “2 canned hams.” The result of Scanlan’s collaging is an utterly compelling, deeply moving meditation on life and death. In Aug 9—Fog, Scanlan’s spare, minimalist approach has a maximal emotional effect, remaining with the reader long after the book ends. It is an unclassifiable work from a visionary young writer and artist—a singular portrait of a life revealed by revision and restraint.
Gravewriter: A Novel (Billy Povich #1)
by Mark Arsenault"Even better than his Shamus-finalist debut, Spiked." ---Publishers Weekly (starred review) on Speak Ill of the LivingHighly praised by both reviewers and mystery writers, Mark Arsenault introduces a stunning new suspense series with his courtroom drama, Gravewriter.Billy Povich used to be a journalist. He lost his wife because of his gambling habit, and then she died in a car crash. Now he finds himself writing obituaries and living with his elderly father and seven-year-old son, Bo.Billy plans to kill the man who was at the wheel the night of his wife's death. But then a summons to jury duty for a murder trial delays Billy's agenda. As the trial heats up, Billy finds that his little boy spots danger faster than he does, and a frantic and deadly chase begins with Billy as the prey.
Extraordinary Adventures: A Novel
by Daniel WallaceEdsel Bronfman works as a junior executive shipping clerk for an importer of Korean flatware. He lives in a seedy neighborhood and spends his free time with his spirited mother. Things happen to other people, and Bronfman knows it. Until, that is, he gets a call from operator 61217 telling him that he’s won a free weekend at a beachfront condo in Destin, Florida. But there’s a catch: the offer is intended for a couple, and Bronfman has only seventy-nine days to find someone to take with him.The phone call jolts Bronfman into motion, initiating a series of truly extraordinary adventures as he sets out to find a companion for his weekend getaway. Open at last to the possibilities of life, Bronfman now believes that anything can happen. And it does.A large-hearted and optimistic novel, Extraordinary Adventures is the latest from the New York Times bestselling Daniel Wallace.
Perfect Little Ladies: A Novel
by Abby DrakeNobody knows that better than Elinor Young, one of the posh housewives of Westchester County. She's worked hard all her life to get where she is. With her perfect husband, gorgeous grown-up children, and a house with more rooms than she can count, Elinor has it all—including her own personal blackmailer. Somehow, someone has figured out that she hasn't been spending her afternoons in Manhattan with ladies who lunch but with a major married politician, and now she's got to shell out a whole lot of money or the truth about her life will be exposed. If her family learns everything it would be embarrassing—besides she never set out to hurt them—but if the town finds out she's really screwed!So she gathers her friends around her, spills the beans to them, and decides to do whatever it takes to prevent scandal. But when Elinor and friends set out to track down the extortionist, none of them expected other secrets to be told.