I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer


Michelle McNamara - 2018
    Then he disappeared, eluding capture by multiple police forces and some of the best detectives in the area.Three decades later, Michelle McNamara, a true crime journalist who created the popular website TrueCrimeDiary.com, was determined to find the violent psychopath she called "the Golden State Killer." Michelle pored over police reports, interviewed victims, and embedded herself in the online communities that were as obsessed with the case as she was.At the time of the crimes, the Golden State Killer was between the ages of eighteen and thirty, Caucasian, and athletic—capable of vaulting tall fences. He always wore a mask. After choosing a victim—he favored suburban couples—he often entered their home when no one was there, studying family pictures, mastering the layout. He attacked while they slept, using a flashlight to awaken and blind them. Though they could not recognize him, his victims recalled his voice: a guttural whisper through clenched teeth, abrupt and threatening.I’ll Be Gone in the Dark—the masterpiece McNamara was writing at the time of her sudden death—offers an atmospheric snapshot of a moment in American history and a chilling account of a criminal mastermind and the wreckage he left behind. It is also a portrait of a woman’s obsession and her unflagging pursuit of the truth. Framed by an introduction by Gillian Flynn and an afterword by her husband, Patton Oswalt, the book was completed by Michelle’s lead researcher and a close colleague. Utterly original and compelling, it is destined to become a true crime classic—and may at last unmask the Golden State Killer.

#VERYFAT #VERYBRAVE: The Fat Girl's Guide to Being #Brave and Not a Dejected, Melancholy, Down-in-the-Dumps Weeping Fat Girl in a Bikini


Nicole Byer - 2020
    I, Nicole Byer, wrote this book to 1. share my impressive bikini collection and my hot body with the world and 2. help other people feel #brave by embracing their body as it is. In this book, I share my journey to becoming #brave, give you my hot tips and tricks—on how to find the perfect bikini, how to find your own #bravery, and how to handle haters—and serve you over 100 bikini looks.

Art Matters


Neil Gaiman - 2018
    (Neil Gaiman)Drawn from Gaiman's trove of published speeches, poems and creative manifestos, 'ART MATTERS' is an embodiment of this remarkable multimedia artist's vision - an exploration of how reading, imagining, and creating can transform the world and our lives. 'ART MATTERS' brings together four of Gaiman's most beloved writings on creativity and artistry:❖1❖"CREDO", his remarkably concise and relevant manifesto on free expression, first delivered in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings❖2❖"MAKE GOOD ART", his famous 2012 commencement address delivered at the Philadelphia University of the Arts❖3❖"MAKING A CHAIR", a poem about the joys of creating something, even when the words won't come❖4❖"ON LIBRARIES", an impassioned argument for libraries that illuminates their importance to our future and celebrates how they foster readers and daydreamers.'ART MATTERS' is a stirring testament to the freedom of ideas that inspire us to make art in the face of adversity and dares us to choose to be bold.RUNNING TIME ⇰ 49mins.©2018 Neil Gaiman (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think


Brian Wansink - 2006
    Food psychologist Brian Wansink revolutionizes our awareness of how much, what, and why we’re eating—often without realizing it. His findings will astound you. • Can the size of your plate really influence your appetite?• Why do you eat more when you dine with friends?• What “hidden persuaders” are used by restaurants and supermarkets to get us to overeat?• How does music or the color of the room influence how much—and how fast—we eat?• How can we “mindlessly” lose—instead of gain—up to twenty pounds in the coming year? Starting today, you can make more mindful, enjoyable, and healthy choices at the dinner table, in the supermarket, at the office—wherever you satisfy your appetite.

The Dance of the Dissident Daughter


Sue Monk Kidd - 1996
    I was surprised and, in fact, a little terrified when I found myself in the middle of a feminist spiritual reawakening.Sue Monk was a "conventionally religious, churchgoing woman, a traditional wife and mother" with a thriving career as a Christian writer until she began to question her role as a woman in her culture, her family, and her church. From a jarring encounter with sexism in a suburban drugstore to monastery retreats and rituals in the caves of Crete, Kidd takes readers through the fear, anger, healing, and transformation of her awakening. Retaining a meaningful connection "with the deep song of Christianity," she opens the door for traditional Christian women to discover a spirituality that speaks directly to them and provides inspiring wisdom for all who struggle to embrace their full humanity.

You Can't Make Me (But I Can Be Persuaded): Strategies for Bringing Out the Best in Your Strong-Willed Child


Cynthia Ulrich Tobias - 1999
    Offering new hope, achievable goals, and a breath of fresh air to families, Tobias explains how the mind of a strong-willed child works--and how to use that information to the child's best advantage.

Navigate Your Stars


Jesmyn Ward - 2020
    Speaking about the challenges she and her family overcame, Ward inspired everyone in the audience with her meditation on tenacity in the face of hardship. Now, in book form, Ward’s moving words will inspire readers as they prepare for the next chapter in their lives, whether, like Ward, they are the first in their families to graduate from college or are preceded by generations, or whether they are embarking on a different kind of journey later in life.Beautifully illustrated in full color by Gina Triplett, this gorgeous and profound book will charm a generation of students—and their parents. Ward’s inimitable voice shines through as she shares her experience as a Southern black woman and addresses the themes of grit, adversity, and the importance of family bonds. Navigate Your Stars is a perfect gift for anyone in need of inspiration from the author of Salvage the Bones, Men We Reaped, and Sing, Unburied, Sing.

This Time Will Be Different: A Short Book on Making Permanent Changes


Martin Meadows - 2017
    Making one attempt after another, you fail and continue to fail, and it seems there’s no way to make the change stick for longer than a couple of weeks. Perhaps… except some people somehow manage to stick to their resolutions in the long term and their lives do get better — permanently. What makes the difference between those superheroes and “mere mortals”? More importantly, can the “mortals” acquire those superpowers, or should they accept that they’ll never be able to permanently change their lives? Written by bestselling author, Martin Meadows, This Time Will Be Different: A Short Book on Making Permanent Changes goes through a 4-step process called STAR that will take you on a journey, from the moment you introduce a new change, all the way to how to live your life after you’ve successfully implemented it. Designed to be a short read packed with practical advice, you can finish the entire book in just one or two sittings and quickly begin to implement it in your own life. Here are just some of the things you’ll learn from the book: - One motivator you might not have thought about that can mean the difference between failure and success. Don’t proceed any further until you learn about it… - What motivational links are and why they’re crucial if you want to introduce permanent changes. This unique concept alone can be enough to successfully implement a change in the long term. - How to gain traction when implementing new changes. Discover CCC, a 2-step process designed to help you undergo an identity shift that leads to a permanent change. - 5 tools to help you persevere when you’re struggling to stick to your new resolution. That’s when most people give up. Avoid their fate by applying the strategies discussed in this chapter. - 3 core principles to live your success. It’s not only about reaching success; it’s also about maintaining it, which is often trickier than achieving it. Learn how to ensure permanent, long-term success. If you’re tired of consistently unsuccessful attempts and itch for a permanent positive change in your life, buy this book now and learn how to finally make this time different!

The Last Message Received


Emily Trunko - 2017
    Adapted from the popular Tumblr The Last Message Received--followed by more than 85,000 people and selected as a finalist for the Shorty Award--the Last Message Received book features sudden endings and the type of loss that will inspire readers to reflect on what's essential in their own lives and the importance of celebrating the people they love every day.Includes exclusive content not available on Tumblr!"The emotional gravitas on display is not to be denied." -- Kirkus "Readers will return to this volume again and again, especially those in need of a bit of reassurance about the world." -- SLJ Praise for the Tumblr The Last Message Received"The Last Message Received Tumblr will break your heart." --Refinery 29 "Get some tissues. Scratch that. Get all the tissues." --Cosmopolitan "It's moving to see that other people have been through similar situations, and let's face it, we've all received messages that we can't stop thinking about." --Teen Vogue

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: The Surprising Science Behind Why Everything You Know About Success Is (Mostly) Wrong


Eric Barker - 2017
    In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, Eric Barker reveals the extraordinary science behind what actually determines success and most importantly, how anyone can achieve it. You’ll learn:• Why valedictorians rarely become millionaires, and how your biggest weakness might actually be your greatest strength • Whether nice guys finish last and why the best lessons about cooperation come from gang members, pirates, and serial killers• Why trying to increase confidence fails and how Buddhist philosophy holds a superior solution• The secret ingredient to “grit” that Navy SEALs and disaster survivors leverage to keep going• How to find work-life balance using the strategy of Genghis Khan, the errors of Albert Einstein, and a little lesson from Spider-ManBy looking at what separates the extremely successful from the rest of us, we learn what we can do to be more like them—and find out in some cases why it’s good that we aren’t. Barking Up the Wrong Tree draws on startling statistics and surprising anecdotes to help you understand what works and what doesn’t so you can stop guessing at success and start living the life you want.

On Immunity: An Inoculation


Eula Biss - 2014
    She finds that you cannot immunize your child, or yourself, from the world.In this bold, fascinating book, Biss investigates the metaphors and myths surrounding our conception of immunity and its implications for the individual and the social body. As she hears more and more fears about vaccines, Biss researches what they mean for her own child, her immediate community, America, and the world, both historically and in the present moment. She extends a conversation with other mothers to meditations on Voltaire's Candide, Bram Stoker's Dracula, Rachel Carson's Silent Spring, Susan Sontag's AIDS and Its Metaphors, and beyond.On Immunity is a moving account of how we are all interconnected-our bodies and our fates.

Craigslist Confessional: A Collection of Secrets from Anonymous Strangers


Helena Dea Bala - 2020
    Dea Bala never expected the outpouring of responses that would follow. She was working as a lobbyist when the idea was born: she'd chat up respondents on the phone or at a coffee shop and let them tell her about their lives. Dea Bala soon had to quit her day job to make time for all of the Craigslist sessions. She took notes during each conversation and journaled about the emotional experience to expertly inhabit the voice of each subject. What emerges is a collection of narratives, all in first person, of anonymous people revealing their deepest, darkest secrets; or at least the most poignant moments of their lives. Infidelity, addiction, loss, corruption, the search for unconditional love—reading these carefully, empathetically crafted monologues reveals how suffering is something we all have in common. Each tragedy or triumph is unique, but the intensity of feeling is not.

Now Is Your Chance: A 30-Day Guide to Living Your Happiest Life Using Positive Psychology


Niyc Pidgeon - 2017
    In this book, Niyc Pidgeon offers the missing piece of the puzzle to help you stop chasing your joy and finally start feeling it!Grounded in Niyc’s training as a Positive Psychologist and her many years of coaching experience, Now Is Your Chance offers a 30-day guide to creating powerful, purposeful and meaningful change. It does not require any external resources – there’s nothing new to buy, sign up for or schedule, and no other person to call on. You already have everything you need to start and succeed.Inspiring, motivating and practical, this programme shows you how to create a life filled with authentic and lasting joy. With this book, you have no excuse to put off your happiness until tomorrow – Now Is Your Chance.

Gross Anatomy: Dispatches from the Front (and Back)


Mara Altman - 2018
    Mara Altman's volatile and apprehensive relationship with her body has led her to wonder about a lot of stuff over the years. Like, who decided that women shouldn't have body hair? And how sweaty is too sweaty? Also, why is breast cleavage sexy but camel toe revolting? Isn't it all just cleavage? These questions and others like them have led to the comforting and sometimes smelly revelations that constitute Gross Anatomy, an essay collection about what it's like to operate the bags of meat we call our bodies.Divided into two sections, "The Top Half" and "The Bottom Half," with cartoons scattered throughout, Altman's book takes the reader on a wild and relatable journey from head to toe—as she attempts to strike up a peace accord with our grody bits.With a combination of personal anecdotes and fascinating research, Gross Anatomy holds up a magnifying glass to our beliefs, practices, biases, and body parts and shows us the naked truth: that there is greatness in our grossness.

Please Stop Laughing at Me... One Woman's Inspirational Story


Jodee Blanco - 2003
    It is an unflinching look at what it means to be an outcast, how even the most loving parents can get it wrong, why schools fail, and how bullying is both misunderstood and mishandled.