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The sweet spot : the pleasures of suffering and the search for meaning / by Bloom, Paul,1963-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.From the author of Against Empathy comes a different kind of happiness book, one that shows us how suffering is an essential source of both pleasure and meaning in our lives. Why do we so often seek out physical pain and emotional turmoil? We go to movies that make us cry, or scream, or gag. We poke at sores, eat spicy foods, immerse ourselves in hot baths, run marathons. Some of us even seek out pain and humiliation in sexual role-play. Where do these seemingly perverse appetites come from? Drawing on groundbreaking findings from psychology and brain science,The Sweet Spotshows how the right kind of suffering sets the stage for enhanced pleasure. Pain can distract us from our anxieties and help us transcend the self. Choosing to suffer can serve social goals; it can display how tough we are or, conversely, can function as a cry for help. Feelings of fear and sadness are part of the pleasure of immersing ourselves in play and fantasy and can provide certain moral satisfactions. And effort, struggle, and difficulty can, in the right contexts, lead to the joys of mastery and flow. But suffering plays a deeper role as well. We are not natural hedonists-a good life involves more than pleasure. People seek lives of meaning and significance; we aspire to rich relationships and satisfying pursuits, and this requires some amount of struggle, anxiety, and loss. Brilliantly argued, witty, and humane, Paul Bloom shows how a life without chosen suffering would be empty--and, worse than that, boring.
Subjects: Self-help publications.; Conduct of life.; Happiness.; Pain; Pleasure.; Suffering;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The Rosie result / by Simsion, Graeme C.,author.;
Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back in Australia after a decade in New York, and they're about to face their most important challenge. Their son, Hudson, is struggling at school: he's socially awkward and not fitting in. Don's spent a lifetime trying to fit in, so who better to teach Hudson the skills he needs? The Hudson Project will require the help of friends old and new, force Don to decide how much to guide Hudson and how much to let him be himself, and raise some significant questions about his own identity. Meanwhile, there are multiple distractions to deal with: the Genetics Lecture Outrage, Rosie's troubles at work, estrangement from his best friend Gene ... and opening a cocktail bar.
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Identity (Psychology); Parents of autistic children; Married people; Families; Schoolboys; Parenting;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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Possessed / by Bydlowska, Jowita,author.;
Josephine is obsessed. Or possessed -- by unrequited love for a younger man who doesn't promise anything, but who gives her a taste of intimacy that puts her on the brink of losing her mind. Oscillating between her elusive lover and her older former partner, stuck in the hell that is working in a cubicle, and obliged to tend to her destructive, senile mother, Josephine is trapped. After a work assignment promises to deliver distraction, Josephine makes a decision to visit a former quarantine island in the Adriatic Sea, where she meets an enigmatic, beautiful man with a haunting story. Intimate and erotic, Possessed is a dark and funny story exploring sexual obsession, mental illness, and the supernatural.
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Interpersonal relations; Man-woman relationships; Mothers and daughters; Sex addiction; Triangles (Interpersonal relations); Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Ramona Blue / by Murphy, Julie.;
Ramona was only five years old when Hurricane Katrina changed her life forever. Since then, it's been Ramona and her family against the world. One of only two out lesbians in her small town and standing over six feet tall with unmistakable blue hair, Ramona knows she's destined for something bigger than the trailer she calls home in Eulogy, Mississippi. But juggling multiple jobs, her flakey mom, and her well-meaning but ineffectual dad forces her to be the adult of the family. Now with her sister Hattie pregnant, her responsibilities weigh more heavily than ever. The return of her childhood friend, Freddie, brings a welcome distraction. Ramona's friendship with the former competitive swimmer picks up exactly where they left off, and soon he's talked her into joining him for laps at the pool. Ramona is hesitant at first, but soon she finds herself called to the water in a way that makes all the other noise fade. As Ramona falls more in love with swimming, her feelings for Freddie begin to shift as well, and she must decide if knowing who she is is more important than figuring out who she might become.LSC
Subjects: Lesbians; Friendship; Identity (Psychology); Families;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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How to stay human in a fucked-up world : mindfulness practices for real life / by Desmond, Tim,author.;
"A modern approach to mindfulness from an esteemed Buddhist scholar and Psychology professor. Everywhere we go, we hear about the benefits of mindfulness--to bring us joy, peace, and productivity, and even to make us look younger and live longer. Meanwhile, in the real world, things aren't so rosy: suicide rates are skyrocketing; prescription drug use is on the rise; exposure to negative news is causing PTSD-like symptoms; and we continue to report feeling disconnected, distracted, and depressed. How can we be more mindfulwhen the world is this fucked up? Tim Desmond--esteemed Buddhist scholar and lecturer on Psychology at Yale Medical School--is the fresh, engaging answer to this important question. Using techniques cultivated from the monastery of Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh and at Google headquarters in Silicon Valley, Tim has been inventing new ways to bridge the gap between the ancient tradition of mindfulness and modern life. In How to Stay Human in a Fucked Up World, he presents readers with exactly that--the first mindfulness practice designed for surviving the sometimes-miserable world we live in, with advice, strategies, and guidance you can start using to feel more connected, joyful, and presenttoday. Direct, witty, and surprising, with chapters titled "Why Bad Things Happen," "You're Not Crazy," and "Becoming Fearless," How to Stay Human in a Fucked Up World gets right to the heart of our collective pain with a simple practice rooted in science, self-compassion, and psychotherapy. If you've tried mindfulness before and failed, Tim gets it. Likely you were told to sit on a pillow in a dark room, meditate, or count your breaths. But mindfulness isn't about separating ourselves from the problems in the world. Instead, it is about re-learning how to get out there, connect with the suffering of every living being and in so doing, embrace our own personal suffering, let go, and move on"--
Subjects: Happiness.; Meditation; Self-actualization (Psychology);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Promise me / by Mansell, Jill,author.;
One minute Lou is happily employed, with a perfect flat. The next, her home and job have gone. Suddenly she has to start over. The last thing Lou wants is to move to a tiny Cotswolds village. She certainly doesn't intend to work for curmudgeonly eighty-year-old Edgar Allsopp. But Edgar is about to make her the kind of promise nobody could ignore. In return, she secretly vows to help him fall in love with life again.Foxwell is also home to Remy, whose charm and charisma are proving hard to ignore. But Lou hasn't recovered from the last time she fell for a charmer. She needs a distraction - and luckily one's about to turn up. Secrets never stay hidden for long in Foxwell, nor are promises always kept. And no one could guess what lies ahead.
Subjects: Chick lit.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Life change events; Man-woman relationships; Moving, Household; Village communities;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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What we carry : a novel / by Fogarty, Kalyn,author.;
"Cassidy Morgan's life has always followed a carefully laid track: top education, fulfilling career, and marriage to the love of her life, Owen. The next logical step was starting a family. But when a late-term miscarriage threatens to derail everything she's worked so hard for, she finds herself questioning her identity, particularly what it means to be a mother. Unable to move past her guilt and shame, she realizes there's more to fix than a broken heart. Grief illuminates the weaknesses in her marriage and forces her to deal with her tumultuous relationship with her own mother. Cassidy hopes her work as a veterinarian specializing in equine reproduction will distract her from the pain but instead finds that one of the cases she's working on shines a spotlight on the memory of her unborn son. For once in her life, Cassidy is left untethered and wondering why she wanted to become a mother in the first place. Then the unexpected happens when Cassidy becomes pregnant again. But the joy over her baby is tempered by her fear of another loss as well as her increasingly troubled marriage. Now, she must decide whether to let her pain hold her back or trust that there's still something to live for"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Loss (Psychology); Man-woman relationships; Motherhood; Miscarriage; Pregnancy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Little sister : a novel / by Lodge, Gytha,author.;
"Detective Jonah Sheens is enjoying a moment of peace in a pub garden on his day off when a teenage girl wanders out of the woods. She's striking, with flame-red hair and a pale complexion. She's also covered in blood. When Jonah races to help, the girl insists she's fine. Then she smiles. It's her sister he needs to worry about. Keely and her sister, Nina, disappeared from a children's home a week ago. Now, Keely is here-but Nina's still missing. Jonah is sure Keely knows where her sister is-but before she tells him anything, she insists he's going to have to listen to her story from the beginning. Is she killer, witness, or victim? And if Jonah follows the trail of clues in her story, will they lead him to the missing girl-or distract him until it's too late?"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Missing persons; Murder; Police; Secrecy; Teenage girls;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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While we were burning / by Koffi, Sara,author.;
"After her best friend's mysterious death, Elizabeth Smith's picture-perfect life in the Memphis suburbs has spiraled out of control-so much so that she hires a personal assistant to keep her on track. Composed and elegant, Brianna is exactly who she needs and slides so neatly into Elizabeth's life, almost like she belonged there from the start. Soon, the assistant Elizabeth hired to distract her from her obsession with her friend's death is the same person working with her to uncover the truth behind it. Because Brianna has questions too. She wants to know why the police killed her young Black son. Why someone in Elizabeth's neighborhood called the cops on him that day. Who took that first step that stole her child away from her. And the only way she's ever going to be able to find out is to entwine herself deep into Elizabeth's life, where the answers to her questions lie. As the two women hurtle towards an electrifying final showdown, and the lines between employer and friend blur, it becomes clear that neither of them is what they first appear"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Novels.; African American mothers; Best friends; Sons; Suburban life;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Every single secret / by Dodd, Christina,author.;
In an isolated lighthouse on the California coast, Rowan Winterbourne lives a solitary life with only her secrets for company. For she has a mission that drives her--to avenge herself against Gregory Torval, the powerful drug and arms dealer who murdered her mother and vowed to eliminate everyone in her family. Then Joe Grantham arrives at her door and, for the first time, Rowan lets her guard down--a dangerous mistake when he blackmails her to go with him to Torval's private island. There Torval's decadent birthday celebration rages, and while Joe pursues his own agenda, she'll provide the perfect distraction. On Raptor Island, Torval's will is law and Joe, the closest she has to an ally, is an enigma she can't trust. One false move, one careless word, and Rowan will die. As dark truths are uncovered, one by one, Rowan recognizes her last chance for the revenge has come. But is it worth everything she must sacrifice to get out alive?
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Arms dealers; Islands; Lighthouses; Man-woman relationships; Murder; Revenge; Secrecy;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Results 11 to 20 of 34 | « previous |