He’s had a bad year. Sarah, his wife of nearly twenty five years, has walked out on him to move in with Colin. Perhaps they simply grew apart, perhaps the magic was no longer there, or perhaps, as his friend Jerry suggests, Rick has become boring. This nagging thought, together with too much beer on New Year’s Eve and shock at the sudden death of his college friend Alex, leads Rick to a New Year’s resolution… To make the most of the time he has left, and show himself and his old friend Jerry that he is not boring, he will undertake a peculiar challenge: for a whole year he will accept every invitation that comes his way. Any invitation. No excuses. No regrets.

    She has an internship with her famous film director uncle, a hit BookTube channel with her actress cousin Sadie and is fully determined to get her world on track as a true adult person, complete with happiness and sparkly love in spades. But nothing is going to plan. She applied to all the wrong colleges, is the only one of her friends still single and is majorly crushing on 23-year-old cinema genius wunderkind Leo Landis, even though he may or may not be breaking up with his girlfriend and may or may not even notice her. But Saoirse's not giving up.She steels herself with hyper-romantic hope and sets out to be her best positive self, which works fabulously until it doesn't and things get complicated. Luckily, life turns in Saoirse's favor as her Hollywood family spins out of control and a sweet and equally quirky street artist, Hector Rojas, spots her magical sparkle and inspires her to see things from a kaleidoscope of angles, even her own beautiful self.Uniquely charming in a Bridget Jones's Diary way with a Cyrano de Bergerac twist, Saoirse Berger takes us on an 18-year-old's hilariously painful journey through love, self-doubt, rejection and the search for belonging as a new adult, ultimately discovering she's already right where she's supposed to be.

    One follows Joanna Aronson as she cares for her father, Clyde, during his latest struggle with cancer while butting heads with her stepmother, Brenda, a cold woman whom Joanna suspects of neglecting him and even trying to kill him. Interspersed are Joanna’s memories of growing up in suburban Baltimore with her sister and parents in the ’60s, a life that seems idyllic yet seethes with subterranean discontents. Clyde, an English teacher, dominates the family with his charisma but undermines it with his affairs, including a liaison with one of Joanna’s teenage acquaintances. Joanna’s mother, Evie, feels trapped in housewifery and longs for the fulfillment she felt as a Communist Party activist. Joanna, though drawn like Clyde to the life of the mind, feels slighted because of his wish that she had been a boy. A colleague of her father’s seduces her at age 14. Threading through the story is Clyde’s memoir of growing up with his brother, Harry, in New York’s National Hebrew Orphan Home after his father abandoned the family and his mother placed the two boys there in 1924. It’s a Dickensian story of cold, hunger, loneliness, frequent beatings, and sexual abuse, but it’s lit with friendships and intellectual ambitions. Cherubin’s bittersweet tale is an epic and indelible character study of Clyde from frightened cub to kvetching lion in winter, with overtones of King Lear and an occasional queasily incestuous vibe. She writes in evocative prose that mixes astringent reality with glowing reverie. (“I sized up the three agents,” recalls Evie of a visit from the FBI during the Joseph McCarthy era. “Cold, smug, and bored. They could not begin to understand how alive I was during the war, how urgent and meaningful my life was thanks to the CP. How engaged I was with the world… I still miss those days.”) As Joanna grapples with her clan’s vexed legacy, the author shows how both betrayal and forgiveness can propagate across generations.An alternately dark and luminous, wounded and affectionate portrait of a family in crisis.

    In this collection of his stories (each of which has a story behind it), you'll read about two retired spiritual leaders who experience a miracle in their nursing home, a gay relationship that must end between an American man and a Thai student, the astonishing adventures of an early mid-life failure, the thrilling chase one gay man undertakes for another intriguing, confusing, mysterious man, and a mind-blowing time-travel misadventure involving a man and a dog, as well as a few other surprises. This genre bending collection will captivate you. You might even enjoy the stories. Adam Carpenter Welles works in media in a major city in the Southeastern United States.

    Admission. Aren't there two sides to the word? And two opposing sides...It's what we let in, but it's also what we let out." For years, 38-year-old Portia Nathan has avoided the past, hiding behind her busy (and sometimes punishing) career as a Princeton University admissions officer and her dependable domestic life. Her reluctance to confront the truth is suddenly overwhelmed by the resurfacing of a life-altering decision, and Portia is faced with an extraordinary test. Just as thousands of the nation's brightest students await her decision regarding their academic admission, so too must Portia decide whether to make her own ultimate admission. Admission is at once a fascinating look at the complex college admissions process and an emotional examination of what happens when the secrets of the past return and shake a woman's life to its core.

    This study guide includes the following sections: Plot Summary, Chapter Summaries & Analysis, Characters, Objects/Places, Themes, Style, Quotes, and Topics for Discussion.

    He’s struggling to find her while also fighting charges that are trying to put him back in jail. Olivia is struggling to trust Kadar when all she wants to do is love him. She's given him her heart and a daughter, but still she feels it might never be enough. She finds comfort in Angel, Kadar’s new business partner, but dealing with him only leads to a whole new set of problems. Drew and Kadar find themselves disconnected and confused as to where they should be. Love has never been in question when it came to the people they loved, but it seems like it’s getting harder and harder to make it work. Highs and lows Drew, Aamil, Kadar and Olivia have experienced it all. Take one final ride with the crew and see if they can make it through the greatest storm yet? From paternity tests to separation this book will take you through many emotions. See who can weather the storm and who can’t in part two of Side Effects of Loving You.

    Dani Carter was seven years old -- her sister, Rose, seventeen -- when their beautiful, impetuous mother, Maria, walked out of their lives, abandoning her husband and family for a love affair that would end tragically mere months later. Over the decades that followed, Dani was able to overcome the persistent pain and feelings of betrayal, eventually wedding a successful man and giving birth to a wonderful son. But love has long been missing from her marriage, propelling her into the arms of another and inspiring troubling thoughts of escape. If it were not for the distress caused by the recent death of her father, she might well have already been gone. The sins of the mother, Dani fears, have been visited upon the daughter. Dani's sister, Rose, never spoke or speaks of their lost parent. And their iron-willed, driven father -- who channeled his shame and anger into phenomenal business success -- always made it brutally clear that he considered his ex-wife to be evil incarnate. But Dani remembers a sweet, funny, vivacious young woman who did everything with exuberant love and tenderness. And now that she finds herself in a similar heartbreaking situation, Dani can't help but wonder who Maria really was. It's a puzzle that may soon be completed, after a lifetime of searching for missing pieces. Maria, calling herself Mariah, is about to reenter her daughters' worlds -- at a time of emotional confusion and physicalchaos -- bearing secrets and bitter truths ... and, perhaps, long-awaited answers to what could possibly drive a mother to sacrifice what was dearest to her heart.

    Will he get a second chance with his first love? Sadie Collins has spent more hours than she'd like to admit rehearsing what she'd say when she came face to face with her ex again. It is not, "I’m stuck.” After the rescue, her day goes from bad to worse when her boss discovers a glaring error in a project that she was in charge of. Worse, the mistake is mortifying. Tripp Hawkins returns to Hawk Ridge Hollow after several years to find much is the same in his hometown: the quaint village, good friends, and the world-class ski resort owned by his family. Almost everything is the same except the girl he’d once called his sweetheart. Sadie plans to spend Valentine’s Day alone. She has enough responsibility as it is. A romcom plus some chocolate sounds like the perfect date. Tripp wants nothing more than a second chance with the girl who stole his heart and he’ll do anything to win her back. But it might be too late. Has she moved on? Or did she never let go? This is book 1 in Rich & Rugged, Hawkins Brothers Romance series. Each book stands alone but reading them in order provides a deeper, richer experience. It is a sweet, “clean and wholesome” romance without swearing or mature content and contains a HEA.

    As the elder son of a respected Illinois family at the turn of the century, Christian dutifully sets aside his own creative talents and dreams to take his place in the family business. His younger, prodigal brother Harry, however, always gets what he wants and doesn’t mind letting others—especially his awkward brother—pay the cost. But when Harry thinks he’s found his soul mate in the wealthy socialite Anna Clark, Christian fears his future sister-in-law really has gotten away with murder. In order to protect his brother from his beguiling prize, Christian must challenge his family’s wishes, stand up to Harry and uncover Anna’s dark secrets before someone else is destroyed. All this while another more lethal danger threatens them all. November 1918 would be the deadliest month in US History as the Spanish Influenza epidemic swept through America, killing more civilians at home than in all the battles of the Great War in Europe. Amidst this sudden struggle to survive, all three young people will be forced to reveal their true colors.The Reverend's Other Son is a fiction novel set at the end of the First World War and features romantic and inspirational plotlines interwoven with captivating and accurate historical detail. Approximately 75,000 words, intended for young adult and adult readers. DLR Designs created the original cover art.

    Newly addicted to watching Sister North, a nun with a popular television show, Sam embarks on a trip to Lake Eagleton, Wisconsin, to see the nun personally, seeking forgiveness and spiritual guidance. In Lake Eagleton, he finds out much more about Sister North, himself, and falling in love than he ever expected. "Sister North" is a novel of forgiveness and hope that takes a poignant and humorous look at what passes for love and faith in the twenty-first century.

    Now it's time to meet the other side of the family... This bundle contains: HER WICKED HEART (Book 3)Lou just needs someone to take her away. It doesn't matter if she knows his name. Or if he knows hers.Actually, it's better if he doesn't know hers.At least that's what she tells herself when she's sticking her tongue down the throat of the sexy handyman she just met at her new job.Her father's dead. Her family's fortune is gone. And, oh yeah--she's assumed a false identity so she could get a position at Huntington Manor, the luxury tourist attraction that was once her family's estate. Nobody here knows that she's Louisa Cunningham, former heiress and current complicated head case. To them, she's just Addison Thomas, assistant to the hotel's General Manager.Well, except to handyman Ward Brannon--to him, she's the strange but intoxicating new girl who tried to have sex with him without even knowing his name.TAKE YOU AWAY (Book 3.5)Two couples. Two struggles. Two wicked stories.PART ONE:Ward Brannon would do anything to protect Louisa Cunningham. No one's ever gotten under his skin the way she has--or inspired such a hunger. But now that he knows the truth about her identity, it's becoming increasingly clear that the two of them are worlds apart. Is their explosive passion enough to hold them together?PART TWO:Lily Frazer's been through her share of ups and downs with the brooding Calder Cunningham--but she doesn't know where to begin when it comes to his guilt over his sister. She hasn't quite mastered the ability to ease his worries with her body, to make his pain disappear with her lips or hands or softly whispered words, but she's determined to try. Even if it takes all night. LOST AND FOUND (Book 4) Love on the run...Louisa Cunningham and Ward Brannon are on a mission: to escape the mess (and the families) they left behind. But life on the road is more difficult than either of them expected. Out here, there might not be any rules, but there are also no longer any secrets... and nowhere to hide from each other.The Cunningham Family Reading Order:His Wicked Games (Book 1)Truth or Dare (Book 2)Sweet Victory (Book 2.5)Her Wicked Heart (Book 3)Take You Away (Book 3.5)Lost and Found (Book 4)Completely (short story)Their Wicked Wedding (Book 5) A Cunningham Christmas (Book 5.5)

    To ride alongside your favorite horror authors as they take you on a trip you will never forget. There is no turning back.From new legends to old familiar haunts, the stories held within this tome will make you question whether anywhere is safe. Over 30 authors have crafted the most authentic and horrifying representation of each state. Not a single dark road will be left untraveled. You will never want to leave home again.

    But when she returns, it's only the beginning of her family's journey.

    Six-year-old Birdie Adams wants to run away and join the circus but guesses she’ll have to go to the first grade and hang around with her new baby brother instead. Maybe her big sister needs a little help, too. The circus will have to wait.Twelve-year-old Melanie Adams wants her friend to stop bugging her to get her first kiss. Melanie’s already had her first kiss, but won’t spoil the special secret by talking about it. Norah Adams is a good mother and wife who wants to keep her family safe and happy, but tucking the order form for dogtags in her daughters’ lunch boxes is a big change from the everyday bologna sandwiches.Lola Carter wants the life her sister, Norah, has. Instead she has a factory job, an alcohol and prescription drug addiction, and an abusive boyfriend. Even if President Kennedy prevents World War III, these women’s lives will be changed forever.