The Secret Son


Jennifer Burke - 2013
    There he is stunned to discover that his father’s will disinherits his family and leaves everything – including the family home – to a secret son, Andrew Shaw.The news fills the Shaw family with hope. Twenty-year-old Andrew is in desperate need of a kidney transplant, and for him the inheritance may mean the difference between life and death. However, the lives of Andrew, his devoted older sister Tors and young brother Jack are disrupted when their mother insists they move from their home in Kerry to Wicklow to stake their claim under the will. There they live in a tiny bungalow on the sea front, while the Murtaghs take steps to contest the will.Gradually, both Seán Murtagh and Tors Shaw recognise the need to seek some middle ground but that seems impossible, such is the hostility between the families and the burning resentment that exists between the mothers.Andrew Shaw’s focus, however, is not on the question of the inheritance. There is something else he needs from the Murtaghs . . . something only they can give him . . .The Secret Son is a poignant and thought-provoking story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Small Blessings


Martha Woodroof - 2014
    An English professor in a sleepy college town, he spends his days browsing the Shakespeare shelves at the campus bookstore, managing the oddball faculty in his department and caring, alongside his formidable mother-in-law, for his wife Marjory, a fragile shut-in with unrelenting neuroses, a condition exacerbated by her discovery of Tom's brief and misguided affair with a visiting poetess a decade earlier.Then, one evening at the bookstore, Tom and Marjory meet Rose Callahan, the shop's charming new hire, and Marjory invites Rose to their home for dinner, out of the blue, her first social interaction since her breakdown. Tom wonders if it's a sign that change is on the horizon, a feeling confirmed upon his return home, where he opens a letter from his former paramour, informing him he'd fathered a son who is heading Tom's way on a train. His mind races at the possibility of having a family after so many years of loneliness. And it becomes clear change is coming whether Tom's ready or not.A heartwarming story with a charmingly imperfect cast of characters to cheer for, Small Blessings's wonderfully optimistic heart that reminds us that sometimes, when it feels like life has veered irrevocably off track, the track shifts in ways we never can have imagined.

Soldiers, Spies, and Statesmen: Egypt's Road to Revolt


Hazem Kandil - 2012
    Egypt’s 2011 revolt was no exception. The military’s abandonment of Mubarak—a turning point for the revolt—confounded many observers, who assumed that the leader and the generals stood or fell together. The officers, it was thought, ruled from behind the scenes and simply swapped the figures in the spotlight to preserve the status quo.In a challenge to this conventional view, Hazem Kandil presents the revolution as the latest episode in an ongoing power struggle between the three components of Egypt’s authoritarian regime: the military, the security services, and the political apparatus. A detailed study of the interactions within this invidious triangle over six decades of war, conspiracy, and sociopolitical transformation, Soldiers, Spies, and Statesmen is the first systematic analysis of how Egypt metamorphosed from a military into a police state—and what that means for the future of its revolution.

Chance Harbor


Holly Robinson - 2015
    "No one does it better than Holly Robinson.”—Susan Straight, National Book Award Finalist and Author of Between Heaven and Here Catherine and Zoe are sisters, but even their mother, Eve, admits her daughters are nothing alike. Catherine is calm and responsible. Zoe is passionate and rebellious.  Nobody is surprised when Zoe gets pregnant, drops out of college, and spirals into drug addiction. One night Catherine gets a call from Zoe’s terrified daughter, Willow, saying her mother has abandoned her in a bus station and disappeared. Eve blames herself, while Catherine, unable to have children, is delighted to raise Willow as her own.  Now, five years later, Eve is grieving her husband’s death and making reluctant plans to sell the family’s beloved summer home on Prince Edward Island. But a series of unexpected revelations will upend the family and rock three generations of women.CONVERSATION GUIDE INCLUDED

Hello Sir Myself Zoya


Sunil Kumar - 2019
    This relationship leads her to think about the social problems of her community and achieve the goals of her life. With the help of Professor Alok, she achieves her goals and fulfils her ambitions. Her two close friends Khushi and Sana help her during the difficult phases of her life. Ultimately, Zoya emerges as a winner in life. This tragic novel also deals with the current social problems of Muslims.

Making Marriage Work: New Rules for an Old Institution


Lynn Toler - 2012
    She herself has also been wed for 22 years and has seen both the highs and lows of matrimony in her own marriage as well as the marriages of those close to her. While the national divorce rate hovers around the 50% threshold, there is a lot of chatter that marriage as we know it is an outdated institution--that we are too selfish, too unwilling to make sacrifices, and too misguided by elevated expectations of happiness to make marriage work.While these points may hold some validity, a lot of this chatter is nothing new. So what's causing so many divorces and, perhaps even more importantly, what are we to do about it if we want marriage to survive? Drawing from both her professional career and personal life, Toler sees that the biggest impediment to marriage these days is that couples decide to take the plunge based almost entirely on the most irrational criteria: falling in love. Making Marriage Work doesn't suggest that love has nothing to do with marriage at all; rather, Toler says that love by itself is simply not enough to make marriages survive. This book is a logical and simple guide to reintroducing some of the practicality of marriage that has leaked out of it over the years.Marriage, Toler says, is a job, and it needs to be treated like one. However, the makeup and consistency of this job has changed so much over the past few decades that the old rules no longer apply. Making Marriage Work is an updated manual to help get the job of marriage done right in this day and age. It suggests specific procedures that should be put in place to bridge the gap between head over heels and happily ever after. It explains how to phrase things in order to span the great hormonal divide men and women often fall into when trying to talk to one another. It also discusses the very new and real challenges to marriage created in a culture often overwhelmed by the emphasis on (and ability to attain) instant gratification. Replete with simple, no-nonsense rules, Divorce Court anecdotes, and stories about Judge Toler's own union, Making Marriage Work contains invaluable information couples can use today to secure their marital tomorrow.

We'll Meet Again


Elise Darcy - 2020
    A resident with a secret past. A woman starting over, unsure what the future holds.Working as an Occupational Therapist in a busy London hospital, Cassie loves her job but is looking forward to early retirement in five years when she reaches fifty. However, her husband has other ideas…Suddenly single, Cassie needs a fresh start. Responding to an ad for a live-in position, Cassie arrives at Fletchling Hall, a grand stately home, its corridors echoing with stories from the past.Her new position seems too good to be true, living in a cottage in the grounds, the commute into work a glorious stroll through the gardens to the imposing house in the Sussex countryside.In the cellar, a forgotten diary has languished undisturbed for nearly seventy years. When Cassie discovers the diary, she unravels the heartfelt story of two young souls from the war years, and a little boy called Ted, a young evacuee. It reveals the surprising connection Cassie, a Canadian, has to the house and its resident.An unforgettable tale of a secret spanning decades, love found, and the importance of belonging.

Love Letters in the Sand


June Francis - 2015
    But Marty is trapped in an unhappy marriage and nothing can come of it. Meanwhile, Peggy is desperate to marry her long-term boyfriend Pete. But Peggy’s staunchly Catholic parents would never accept a Protestant son-in-law, and she decides the only way to resolve her issues is to escape to a place where nobody can find her.With no job, no family to stay for and no hope of a future with Marty, an unexpected job offer from America offers Irene a lifeline. But it would mean never seeing Marty again. Will Irene and Peggy solve their problems by running away – or should they follow their hearts back home to Liverpool? An inspirational tale of love and friendship, perfect for fans of Kitty Neale and Lyn Andrews.

Feathers Brush My Heart: True Stories of Mothers Touching Their Daughters' Lives After Death


Sinclair Browning - 2002
    After her own mother died Sinclair Browning began receiving white feathers that she instinctively knew were from her mother, a once aspiring actress who did diaphragm exercises by blowing a white feather into the air while repeating, "I love you." When Browning shared her story on an all women's horseback ride, she as amazed that some of her fellow riders had stories of their own.Feathers Brush My Heart is the result of Browning's years collecting stories from throughout the country, from women with varying occupations, religions and ethnic backgrounds. While each story is unique, the common denominator is that they all share an afterlife gift that their mothers' spirits were alive and well.

Single But Dating: A Field Guide to Dating in the Digital Age


Nikki Goldstein - 2017
    Nikki Goldstein's fresh and fun approach to dating and relationships will instill readers with a new level of confidence, positivity and excitement as they traverse the modern dating landscape.The intersection of real world and digital world situations experienced by today's dater can be confusing and overwhelming. In Single But Dating, Australia's most in-demand sexologist and relationship expert, Dr. Nikki Goldstein, dispenses invaluable advice on how to tackle a broad variety of relevant topics like how to let go of outdated beliefs around what it means to be single, how to become technosexually savvy, how to know if you are overtexting, when to enact a man-ban and how to deal with new dating phenomena like ghosting.Statistics show that women are staying single longer than ever before, prioritizing their professional and financial power over their domestic and reproductive power. That's what makes Single But Dating so timely - it is a crucial guide book for any woman navigating the (sometimes frustrating) dating world full of new rules and distractions. With a surprising mix of some time-tested oldies but goodies, thought-provoking exercises and fresh, forward-looking advice, Dr. Nikki equips single-but-dating women with the tools they need to learn to love both themselves and the wild ride of 21st century dating.

Unwanted: The true story of a new life grown from love, loss and the ultimate betrayal


Suz Evasdaughter - 2020
    Confused, little Suz begins to blame herself for her mother's death. Her father eventually brings them back, but instead of finding a safe haven to rebuild their family, Suz finds herself plunged into a life of misery at the mercy of an uncaring and brutal stepmother.Unwanted tells the story of Suz's struggle to escape from her broken home and leave her fractured past behind her. But lurking in the shadows is a dark family secret...

Charmed by Claire: A Seriously Sweet Romance


Cindy Kirk - 2019
    Out of money and credit, she scrambles for a way out of the one-horse town. The only bright spot in her current predicament is a former flame.Tony Karelli knew Claire years earlier. That was before he turned his life around and became a minister. He’s shocked to see her and stunned when Claire gives everyone the impression that she’s his fiancée.Claire is amused by the charade and by Tony’s attempt to keep her at arms’ length. Before he can set the record straight, Tony finds himself seeing a different side of the pampered heiress and falling hard. But can he convince a woman who already has one stiletto out the door that she’s right where she’s meant to be?

Mitches


Niki Jilvontae - 2015
    Gabbi experienced it all at the hands of MITCHES..all in the name of love! Drama, deceit, hate, lies, drugs, and murder were the recurring themes in Gabbi’s life until she found refuge in a hero…a MAN among MITCHES! Come on this emotional, drama filled journey with Gabbi and find out if there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

The Archivist


Martha Cooley - 1998
    S. Eliot's letters lies at the heart of this emotionally charged novel—a story of marriage and madness, of faith and desire, of jazz-age New York and Europe in the shadow of the Holocaust.

Crossing to Safety


Wallace Stegner - 1987
    Tracing the lives, loves, and aspirations of two couples who move between Vermont and Wisconsin, it is a work of quiet majesty, deep compassion, and powerful insight into the alchemy of friendship and marriage.