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The Crescent Moon Tearoom A Novel [electronic resource] : by Sivinski, Stacy.aut; cloudLibrary;
An “impossibly endearing” (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) debut novel about three clairvoyant sisters who face an unexpected twist of Fate at the bottom of their own delicate porcelain cups. Ever since the untimely death of their parents, Anne, Beatrix, and Violet Quigley have made a business of threading together the stories that rest in the swirls of ginger, cloves, and cardamon that lie at the bottom of their customers’ cups. Their days at the teashop are filled with talk of butterflies and good fortune intertwined with the sound of cinnamon shortbread being snapped by laced fingers. That is, until the Council of Witches comes calling with news that the city Diviner has lost her powers, and the sisters suddenly find themselves being pulled in different directions. As Anne’s magic begins to develop beyond that of her sisters’, Beatrix’s writing attracts the attention of a publisher, and Violet is enchanted by the song of the circus—and perhaps a mischievous trapeze artist threatening to sweep her off her feet—it seems a family curse that threatens to separate the sisters is taking effect. With dwindling time to rewrite their future and help three other witches challenge their own destinies, the Quigleys set out to bargain with Fate. But in focusing so closely on saving each other, will they lose sight of themselves?
Subjects: Electronic books.; Historical;
© 2024., Atria Books,
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Outrage machine : how tech amplifies discontent, disrupts democracy--and what we can do about it / by Rose-Stockwell, Tobias,author.;
Includes bibliographical references."Over the last two decades, there has been an inescapable rise of anger and aggression across our planet. Hate speech has become increasingly prevalent online, Western governments are turning towards authoritarianism and populism, and extremist groups are rising across both the left and the right ends of the political spectrum. Every day, it seems, we're hearing more angry voices and fearful opinions, we're seeing more threats and frightening news, and we're reacting faster and less rationally. The cause is hidden in plain sight: for the first time, almost all of the information we consume as a species is being controlled and curated by algorithms designed to capture our emotional attention. This, media researcher and strategic advisor Tobias Rose-Stockwell argues, is the outrage machine. It is the wide-cast net of social media that is propelled by tech, has been exploited by all of us, and which has been allowed to steadily replace our newspapers, emergency communication systems, town halls, churches, and more. In the vein of The Righteous Mind and Factfulness, Outrage Machine is a big-think book that explores the unintended consequences of this alarming shift in today's smartphone era--and shows us how to navigate the world we now live in. First, he explains how and why we've become addicted to not just technology, but outrage itself. Since social media algorithms now favor the most inflammatory content because it gets the highest engagement, the levels of righteousness, certainty, and extreme judgment in our daily interactions have increased as well. Next, he shows us why we're more prone to panic, and how the immediate dispersion of our panic can be more dangerous than the threat itself-and can bypass necessary confirmation of the accuracy and potential harm of this information. Rose-Stockwell also explores how the original intent of many of our social tools has been compromised, from improving click-through rates for charitable causes to catalyzing our current culture of click-baiting and sensationalism on an unparalleled scale. Fortunately, Outrage Machine is not just a warning--it's also a critical guide that clearly explains the underlying machinery that has come to control us, and a compass to help guide people toward reflection rather than reaction. The culmination of 15 years of research and inquiry, this book gives readers a language with which to comprehend what is happening to society, and offers new mental models for how to manage our time, our technology, and our attention. It also offers big-picture recommendations for how to redesign these platforms, as well as methods for fixing this broken system before it "fixes" us"--
Subjects: Democracy.; Information society.; Social media; Social media.; Hate;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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New kid / by Craft, Jerry,author,illustrator.; Callahan, Jim,colorist.;
This book is part of our Book Sanctuary collection. A Book Sanctuary is a physical or digital space that actively protects the freedom to read. It provides shelter and access to endangered books. Launched by Chicago Public Library in 2022, The Book Sanctuary initiative brings attention to challenged titles, and commits to making these books accessible. Innisfil ideaLAB & Library's Book Sanctuary Collection represents books that have been challenged, censored or removed from a public library or school in North America. More than 50 adult, teen, and children's books are in our collection and are available for browsing and borrowing in our branches and online. Explore the collection to learn more about why these books were challenged.Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade. As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds--and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Subjects: Graphic novels.; Comic books, strips, etc.; Comics (Graphic works).; Graphic books.; Banned book sanctuary.; Schools; Private schools; Parent and child; Race; Cartoonists; African American artists;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 5
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A kid's guide to plants of the Great Lakes Region : including Southern Ontario with cool facts, activities and recipes / by Joly, Philippa.; Hagel, Danielle.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.A middle-grade-friendly introduction to flora of the Great Lakes Region, with outdoor activities, games and quizzes that make learning about nature fun! Great for families and educators. Get dirty digging up roots. Crouch down to look closely at a carnivorous sundew dissolving a dragonfly. Make an elderberry concoction. Test your plant ID skills with a winter twig quiz. Make a soothing plantain salve to treat an itch. Learn which berries you can eat and which to avoid. Time spent outdoors encourages children's self-confidence and independence, increases attention span and physical well-being, and fosters care for the environment. With the increasing intrusion of technology into daily life, and the challenges of climate chaos, it has never been more essential for parents and educators to encourage kids to engage with the natural environment. Plants are everywhere, even in urban areas where parks, empty lots and backyards offer the opportunity to learn from and connect to nature. Drawing on their years of experience as outdoor educators, co-authors Philippa Joly and Danielle Gehl Hagel feature fifty richly illustrated plant profiles, including information on identification and ecology, cultural uses, and fun activities--all in a way that is accessible and interesting to readers of all ages.
Subjects: Activity books.; Field guides.; Plants; Plants; Botany;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Prodigal son / by Hurwitz, Gregg Andrew,author.;
"Forced into retirement, Evan Smoak gets an urgent request for help from someone he didn't even suspect existed ... As a boy, Evan Smoak was pulled out of a foster home and trained in an off-the-books operation known as the Orphan Program. He was a government assassin, perhaps the best, known to a few insiders as Orphan X. He eventually broke with the Program and adopted a new name--The Nowhere Man--and a new mission, helping the most desperate in their times of trouble. But the highest power in the country has made him a tempting offer--in exchange for an unofficial pardon, he must stop his clandestine activities as The Nowhere Man. Now Evan has to do the one thing he's least equipped to do--live a normal life. But then he gets a call for help from the one person he never expected. A woman claiming to have given him up for adoption, a woman he never knew--his mother. Her unlikely request: help Andrew Duran--a man whose life has gone off the rails, who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, bringing him to the deadly attention of very powerful figures. Now a brutal brother & sister assassination team are after him and with no one to turn to, and no safe place to hide, Evan is Duran's only option. But when the hidden cabal catches on to what Evan is doing, everything he's fought for is on the line--including his own life"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Smoak, Evan (Fictitious character); Assassins; Orphans; Vigilantes;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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Twenty years later / by Donlea, Charlie,author.;
Avery Mason, host of American Events, knows the subjects that grab a TV audience's attention. Her latest story--a murder mystery laced with kinky sex, tragedy, and betrayal--is guaranteed to be ratings gold. New DNA technology has allowed the New York medical examiner's office to make its first successful identification of a 9/11 victim in years. The twist: the victim, Victoria Ford, had been accused of the gruesome murder of her married lover. In a chilling last phone call to her sister, Victoria begged her to prove her innocence. Emma Kind has waited twenty years to put her sister to rest, but closure won't be complete until she can clear Victoria's name. Alone she's had no luck, but she's convinced that Avery's connections and fame will help. Avery, hoping to negotiate a more lucrative network contract, goes into investigative overdrive. Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria's DNA. But the twisted puzzle of Victoria's private life is just the beginning. And what Avery doesn't realize is that there are other players in the game who are interested in Avery's own secret past--one she has kept hidden from both the network executives and her television audience. A secret she thought was dead and buried ...
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Murder; Secrecy; September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001; Sisters; Television personalities;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Razzmatazz : a novel / by Moore, Christopher,1957-author.;
San Francisco, 1947. Bartender Sammy "Two Toes" Tiffin and the rest of the Cookie's Coffee Irregulars--a ragtag bunch of working mugs last seen in Noir--are on the hustle: they're trying to open a driving school; shanghai an abusive Swedish stevedore; get Mable, the local madam, and her girls to a Christmas party at the State Hospital without alerting the overzealous head of the S.F.P.D. vice squad; all while Sammy's girlfriend, Stilton (a.k.a. the Cheese), and her "Wendy the Welder" gal pals are using their wartime shipbuilding skills on a secret project that might be attracting the attention of some government Men in Black. And, oh yeah, someone is murdering the city's drag kings and club owner Jimmy Vasco is sure she's next on the list and wants Sammy to find the killer. Meanwhile, Eddie "Moo Shoes" Shu has been summoned by his Uncle Ho to help save his opium den from Squid Kid Tang, a vicious gangster who is determined to retrieve a priceless relic: an ancient statue of the powerful Rain Dragon that Ho stole from one of the fighting tongs forty years earlier. And if Eddie blows it, he just might call down the wrath of that powerful magical creature on all of Fog City. Strap yourselves in for a bit of the old razzmatazz, ladies and gentlemen. It's Christopher Moore time.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Humorous fiction.; Noir fiction.; Novels.; Bartenders; Chinese; Murder;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The false white gospel : rejecting Christian nationalism, reclaiming true faith, and refounding democracy / by Wallis, Jim,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A major new work by the New York Times bestselling author, arguing that the answer to bad religion is true faith that will help re-found democracy It is time says Jim Wallis, to call out genuine faith-specifically the "Christian" in White Christian Nationalism-inviting all who can be persuaded to reject and help dismantle a false gospel that propagates white supremacy and autocracy. We need-to raise up the faith of all of us, and help those who are oblivious, stuck, and captive to the ideology and idolatry of White Christian Nationalism that is leading us to such great danger. Wallis turns our attention to six iconic texts at the heart of what genuine biblical faith means and what Jesus, in the gospels, has called us to do. It is time to ask anew: do we believe these teachings or not? This book isn't only for Christians but for all faith traditions, and even those with no faith at all. When we see a civic promotion of fear, hate, and violence for the trajectory of our politics, we need a civic faith of love, healing, and hope to defeat it. And that must involve all of us-religious or not. Learning to practice a politics of neighbor love will be central to the future of democracy in America. And more than ever, the words of Jesus ring, "You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.""--
Subjects: Christian conservatism; Christianity and politics; Democracy; White nationalism;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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In the lives of puppets / by Klune, TJ,author.;
"New York Times bestselling author TJ Klune invites you deep into the heart of a peculiar forest and on the extraordinary journey of a family assembled from spare parts. In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots--fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They're a family, hidden and safe. The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled 'HAP,' he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio--a past spent hunting humans. When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio's former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic's assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming. Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached? Inspired by Carlo Collodi's The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door"--
Subjects: Fantasy fiction.; Novels.; Androids; Gay men; Robots;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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All the colors of night / by Krentz, Jayne Ann,author.;
"Two gifted people fall deep into the dark world of ancient secrets in this second installment of the new chilling Fogg Lake series by New York Times bestselling author Jayne Ann Krentz. North Chastain has always had the mysterious ability to channel energy through crystals. He and his father both have the ability, which is what the doctors believe is the cause of his father's sudden coma. But North knows that isn't the case. He's convinced it was brought on by an artifact his father had been looking for--and found. With his unique talent of channeling energy through crystals, North has the best chance at recovering the artifact, but he also needs someone who knows the shadowy world of crazy collectors, deceptive dealers, and dangerous raiders. Sierra Raines is looking for a fresh start after a failed gig at a major auction house. With her reputation ruined, she turns to the murky backwaters of the paranormal artifacts trade. She takes commissions to find, acquire, and transport objects that are hot commodities in the antiquities world, staying in the shadows to avoid attracting the attention of the Foundation. When North Chastain approaches her, Sierra takes him on as a client, though not without reservations. They wind up in Fogg Lake, and soon discover that they will have to trust each other in order to not only save North's father but also to survive"--
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Psychics; Psychic ability; Private investigators; Antiquities; Small cities;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 3
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