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Small pleasures : a novel / by Chambers, Clare,author.;
Includes bibliographical references.1957, south-east suburbs of London. Jean Swinney is a feature writer on a local paper, disappointed in love and on the brink of forty living a limited existence with her truculent mother: a small life from which there is no likelihood of escape. When a young Swiss woman, Gretchen Tilbury, contacts the paper to claim that her daughter is the result of a virgin birth, it is down to Jean to discover whether she is a miracle or a fraud. But the more Jean investigates, the more her life becomes strangely (and not unpleasantly) intertwined with that of the Tilburys: Gretchen is now a friend, and her quirky and charming daughter Margaret a sort of surrogate child. And Jean doesn't mean to fall in love with Gretchen's husband, Howard, but Howard surprises her with his dry wit, his intelligence and his kindness and when she does fall, she falls hard. But he is married, and to her friend who is also the subject of the story she is researching for the newspaper, a story that increasingly seems to be causing dark ripples across all their lives. And yet Jean cannot bring herself to discard the chance of finally having a taste of happiness. But there will be a price to pay, and it will be unbearable.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Interpersonal relations; Miracles; Mothers and daughters; Women journalists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The summer swap / by Morgan, Sarah(Romance fiction writer),author.;
Cecilia Lapthorne always vowed she'd never go back to Dune Cottage. So no one is more surprised than Cecilia to find herself escaping her seventy-fifth birthday party to return to the remote Cape Cod cottage--a place filled with memories. Some are good--especially memories of the early days with her husband, volatile artist Cameron. But then there are the memories she has revealed to no one. After dropping out of medical school, aspiring artist Lily is cleaning houses on the Cape to get by, guilt-ridden for disappointing her parents. Unoccupied for years, Dune Cottage seems the perfect place to hide away and lick her wounds--until Cecilia unexpectedly arrives. Despite an awkward beginning, Lily accepts Cecilia's invitation to stay on as her guest, and a flicker of kinship ignites. Then Todd, Cecilia's grandson--and Lily's unrequited crush--shows up, sending a shock wave through their unlikely friendship. Will Lily find the courage to live the life she wants? Can Cecilia finally let go of the past to find a new future? Because as surely as the tide erases past footprints, this summer is offering both Cecilia and Lily the chance to swap old dreams for new.
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Artists; Cottages; Female friendship; Man-woman relationships; Memory; Older women; Squatters; Women artists;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Now that you mention it / by Higgins, Kristan,author.;
"One step forward. Two steps back. The Tufts scholarship that put Nora Stuart on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist was a step forward. Being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying? Two major steps back. Injured in more ways than one, Nora feels her carefully built life cracking at the edges. There's only one place to land: home. But the tiny Maine community she left fifteen years ago doesn't necessarily want her. At every turn, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments. With a tough islander mother who's always been distant and a wild-child sister in jail, unable to raise her daughter--a withdrawn teen as eager to ditch the island as Nora once was--Nora has her work cut out for her if she's going to take what might be her last chance to mend the family. But as some relationships crumble around her, others unexpectedly strengthen. Balancing loss and opportunity, a dark event from her past with hope for the future, Nora will discover that tackling old pain makes room for promise ... and the chance to begin again."--Publisher's description.
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Families;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The sign of four spirits / by Delany, Vicki,1951-author.;
"Gemma Doyle won't be spooked when a body shows up at the psychic fair in bestselling author Vicki Delany's ninth Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery. When a psychic fair arrives in West London, Gemma Doyle, owner of the Sherlock Holmes Bookshop and Emporium, wants nothing to do with it. But somehow, at the urging of Donald Morris, an enthusiastic Sherlockian, she finds herself talked into attending a séance, along with baker and best friend Jayne Wilson, store assistant, Ashleigh, and former pop star Bunny Leigh. But to her surprise, Gemma finds herself banned from the séance and shown the door. Curious, she listens in from outside the room. The medium informs a disappointed Donald that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle will not be able to make it tonight. Then, Gemma hears a voice cut off, a cry for help, a scream. Gemma bursts into the library to see that someone has collapsed on the table--dead. The windows are all locked, and Gemma was guarding the only door. Someone in this room is a murderer. But who? The game is once again afoot for Gemma Doyle, as she hunts a killer. But, this time, is the killer of flesh and blood or had the medium summoned doom from beyond the veil?"--
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Cozy mysteries.; Novels.; Doyle, Arthur Conan, 1859-1930; Doyle, Gemma (Fictitious character); Wilson, Jayne (Fictitious character); Booksellers and bookselling; Bookstore owners; Murder; Psychics; Seances; Women detectives;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Life. love. beauty / by Allen, Keegan,1989-; Allen, Keegan,1989-Photographs.;
"Keegan Allen is the international breakout star of ABC Family's hit television series, Pretty Little Liars. A gifted photographer and writer--and a dazzling film, television, and stage actor now counting millions of fans across the globe--Keegan Allen brings tremendous talent and energy to his first publishing project. Keegan tells a unique story with his photographs. On one hand, the book is a beautifully candid view into the glamour and timelessness of Hollywood, a mysterious yet wildly alluring place. One the other hand, it is a blissfully unassuming portrait of ordinary life-- the unknown young woman gazing dreamily from the balcony of her hotel room, or the old woman who walks the same street every morning in her pink bathrobe, just to stop and talk to a passerby. Through his own stunning photography and captivating prose and poetry, life.love.beauty chronicles the author's life growing up just off the Sunset Strip, coming into his own as a young aspiring actor, looking for love and understanding, negotiating the seductions and disappointments of Hollywood, landing a plum role in a hit television series, encountering and embracing his fans, traveling the globe to promote his work, and striving to stay connected to his closest friends and loved ones"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Allen, Keegan, 1989-; Portrait photography;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Blue sisters : a novel / by Mellors, Coco,author.;
"Three estranged siblings return to their family home in New York after their beloved sister's death in this unforgettable story of grief, identity, and the complexities of family, from the acclaimed author of Cleopatra and Frankenstein. The three Blue sisters are exceptional -- and exceptionally different. Avery, the eldest and a recovering heroin addict turned strait-laced lawyer, lives with her wife in London; Bonnie, a former boxer, works as a bouncer in Los Angeles following a devastating defeat; and Lucky, the youngest, models in Paris while trying to outrun her hard-partying ways. They also had a fourth sister, Nicky, whose unexpected death left Avery, Bonnie, and Lucky reeling. A year later, as they each navigate grief, addiction, and ambition, they find they must return to New York to stop the sale of the apartment they were raised in. But coming home is never as easy as it seems. As the sisters reckon with the disappointments of their childhood and the loss of the only person who held them together, they realize that the greatest secrets they've been keeping might not have been from each other, but from themselves. Imbued with Coco Mellors's signature combination of humor and heart, Blue Sisters is a story of what it takes to keep living after loss -- and, ultimately, to fall in love with life again"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Estranged families; Grief; Home; Sisters;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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The Half Moon : a novel / by Keane, Mary Beth,author.;
"From the beloved bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, an unforgettable novel about a couple in a small town and the complexities of marriage, family, longing, and desire. Malcolm Gephardt, handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, hasalways dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss finally retires, Malcolm stretches to buy the place. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to transform it into a bigger success, but quickly realizes that making margins won'tbe easy. His smart and confident wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career. After years of trying to have a baby, she is struggling to accept the idea that motherhood may not be in the cards for her. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning toslip away and wonders how to reshape her future. Award-winning author Mary Beth Keane's new novel takes place over the course of a week when Malcolm learns shocking news about Jess, a patron of the bar goes missing, and a blizzard hits the town, trappingeveryone in place. With a deft eye and generous spirit, Keane explores the disappointments and unexpected consolations of midlife, the many forms forgiveness can take, and what it means to be a family"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Bars (Drinking establishments); Blizzards; Infertility; Married people; Missing persons; Small cities;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Nothing to see here [sound recording] / by Wilson, Kevin,1978-author.; Ireland, Marin,narrator.; Harper Audio (Firm),publisher.; Blackstone Audio, Inc.,publisher.;
Read by Marin Ireland.Lillian and Madison were unlikely roommates and yet inseparable friends at their elite boarding school. But then Lillian had to leave the school unexpectedly in the wake of a scandal and they've barely spoken since. Until now, when Lillian gets a letter from Madison pleading for her help. Madison's twin stepkids are moving in with her family and she wants Lillian to be their caretaker. However, there's a catch: the twins spontaneously combust when they get agitated, flames igniting from their skin in a startling but beautiful way. Lillian is convinced Madison is pulling her leg, but it's the truth. Thinking of her dead-end life at home, the life that has consistently disappointed her, Lillian figures she has nothing to lose. Over the course of one humid, demanding summer, Lillian and the twins learn to trust each other-- and stay cool-- while also staying out of the way of Madison's buttoned-up politician husband. Surprised by her own ingenuity yet unused to the intense feelings of protectiveness she feels for them, Lillian ultimately begins to accept that she needs these strange children as much as they need her-- urgently and fiercely. Couldn't this be the start of the amazing life she'd always hoped for?
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Humorous fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Caregivers; Combustion, Spontaneous human; Twins; Families;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Snowflake : a novel / by Nealon, Louise,author.;
Eighteen-year-old Debbie was raised on her family's rural dairy farm, forty minutes and a world away from Dublin. She lives with her mother, Maeve, a skittish woman who takes to her bed for days on end, claims not to know who Debbie's father is, and believes her dreams are prophecies. Rounding out their small family is Maeve's brother Billy, who lives in a caravan behind their house, drinks too much, and likes to impersonate famous dead writers online. Though they may have their quirks, the Whites' fierce love for one another is never in doubt. But Debbie's life is changing. Earning a place at Trinity College Dublin, she commutes to her classes a few days a week. Outside the sheltered bubble of her childhood for the first time, Debbie finds herself both overwhelmed and disappointed by her fellow students and the pace and anonymity of city life. While the familiarity of the farm offers comfort, Debbie still finds herself pulling away from it. Yet just as she begins to ponder the possibilities the future holds, a resurgence of strange dreams raises her fears that she may share Maeve's fate. Then a tragic accident upends the family's equilibrium, and Debbie discovers her next steps may no longer be hers to choose.
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Domestic fiction.; Teenage girls; College students; Dysfunctional families; Life change events; Depression, Mental; Self-realization in women; Dairy farms;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Half Moon [sound recording] : a novel / by Keane, Mary Beth,author.; Lowman, Rebecca,narrator.; Butz, Norbert Leo,narrator.; Simon & Schuster Audio (Firm),publisher.;
Read by Norbert Leo Butz, Rebecca Lowman."From the beloved bestselling author of Ask Again, Yes, an unforgettable novel about a couple in a small town and the complexities of marriage, family, longing, and desire. Malcolm Gephardt, handsome and gregarious longtime bartender at the Half Moon, hasalways dreamed of owning a bar. When his boss finally retires, Malcolm stretches to buy the place. He sees unquantifiable magic and potential in the Half Moon and hopes to transform it into a bigger success, but quickly realizes that making margins won'tbe easy. His smart and confident wife, Jess, has devoted herself to her law career. After years of trying to have a baby, she is struggling to accept the idea that motherhood may not be in the cards for her. Like Malcolm, she feels her youth beginning toslip away and wonders how to reshape her future. Award-winning author Mary Beth Keane's new novel takes place over the course of a week when Malcolm learns shocking news about Jess, a patron of the bar goes missing, and a blizzard hits the town, trappingeveryone in place. With a deft eye and generous spirit, Keane explores the disappointments and unexpected consolations of midlife, the many forms forgiveness can take, and what it means to be a family"--
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Bars (Drinking establishments); Blizzards; Infertility; Married people; Missing persons; Small cities;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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