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The Christmas town / by VanLiere, Donna,1966-author.;
"Lauren Gabriel spent many years of her childhood in foster homes, wishing her mother would come back for her and be the family she needs. Now twenty-years-old, she still longs for a place that she can truly call home. Her work as a cashier is unfulfilling, and at Christmas it's unbearable with the songs and carols and chatter of Christmas that she hears throughout the day. When Lauren ends her shift one night, she finds herself driving aimlessly in order to avoid returning to her lonely apartment. And when she witnesses a car accident she is suddenly pulled into the small town of Grandon, first as a witness but then as a volunteer for the annual fundraiser for Glory's Place, a center for single mothers and families who need assistance. Could this town and its people be the home she has always longed for? The New York Times bestselling author of the timeless The Christmas Shoes and The Christmas Hope is back with this moving and uplifting story about finding love, hope, and family in unexpected places."--
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Self-realization in women; Christmas;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The school for German brides : a novel of World War II / by Runyan, Aimie K.,author.;
"Germany, 1939. As the war begins, Hanna Rombauer, a young German woman, is sent to live with her aunt and uncle after her mother's death. Thrown into a life of luxury she never expected, Hanna soon finds herself unwillingly matched with an SS officer twenty years her senior. The independence that her mother lovingly fostered in her is considered highly inappropriate as the future wife of an up-and-coming officer and she is sent to a "bride school." There, in a posh villa on the outskirts of town, Hanna is taught how to be a "proper" German wife. The lessons of hatred, prejudice, and misogyny disturb her and she finds herself desperate to escape. For Mathilde Altman, a German Jewish woman, the war has brought more devastation than she ever thought possible. Torn from her work, her family, and her new husband, she fights to keep her unborn baby safe. But when the unthinkable happens, Tilde realizes she must hide. The risk of discovery grows greater with each passing day, but she has no other options. When Hanna discovers Tilde hiding near the school, she knows she must help her however she can. For Tilde, fear wars with desperation when Hanna proposes a risky plan. Will they both be able to escape with their lives and if they do, what kind of future can they possibly hope for?"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Jewish women; Women; World War, 1939-1945;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The doll / by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir,author.; Cribb, Victoria,translator.; translation of:Yrsa Sigurðardóttir.Brúđan.English.;
"It was meant to be a quiet family fishing trip, a chance for mother and daughter to talk. But it changes the course of their lives forever. They catch nothing except a broken doll that gets tangled in the net. After years in the ocean, the doll is a terrifying sight and the mother's first instinct is to throw it back, but she relents when her daughter pleads to keep it. This simple act of kindness proves fatal. That evening, the mother posts a picture of the doll on social media. By the morning, she is dead and the doll has disappeared. Several years later and Detective Huldar is in his least favourite place - on a boat in rough waters, searching for possible human remains. However, identifying the skeleton they find on the seabed proves harder than initially thought, and Huldar must draw on psychologist Freyja's experience to help him. As the mystery of the unidentified body deepens, Huldar is also drawn into an investigation of a homeless drug addict's murder, and Freyja investigates a suspected case of child abuse at a foster care home."--Publisher.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Abused children; Dolls; Mothers and daughters; Mothers; Murder; Police; Women psychologists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Return to the river : reflections on life choices during a pandemic / by Pelzer, David J.,author.;
From #1 international bestselling author, speaker, and humanitarian Dave Pelzer comes the next chapter in his life--how, after spending decades saving others in the military, as a fire captain, and an internationally acclaimed advocate, he needs to confront a way to save himself. On the surface, Dave Pelzer's life seems like an action movie--he's walked the red carpet with celebrities and stood shoulder to shoulder with soldiers in Iraq; he's flown top-secret missions for the U.S. Air Force, obtaining the rank of chief, and battled wildfires in California as a volunteer fire captain. And now--on the eve of the 50-year anniversary of this rescue from horrific childhood of abuse and into the safety of the foster care system--he reflects on the battles he's fighting in his own heart. From a lifetime spent serving and saving others, can he learn how to serve and save himself? Banished to his basement at age five, Dave Pelzer had cried a river of tears before most children learned to tie their shoes. His now classic books, A Child Called "It" and The Lost Boy, chronicled how he was brutally beaten and starved by his emotionally unstable, alcoholic mother: a mother who nearly killed him multiple times. But despite the odds stacked against him, he rose to become a #1 New York Times bestselling author, inspirational speaker, and internationally recognized humanitarian. After fighting for years to vanquish his pain and to channel it into service for others, Pelzer sifts through the psychological rubble of a life that has seemingly crumbled around him. What he shares is deeply transformative and unflinchingly honest. In his struggle to simply survive, he never learned how to just be. Reeling from the loss of a love--and a broken spirit--Pelzer must reconcile his life choices and free himself of blame and shame to find peace and renewed purpose. Amidst the towering redwood trees and the serenity of his childhood utopia of the Russian River, Pelzer reflects on having the courage to move forward in your life, the peace to accept yourself, the vulnerability to strip yourself of facades, and to find the tenacity to carry on when life doesn't turn out the way you planned. For anyone who has been hurt, victimized, or feels alone, there is hope and there is always a way to rewrite your own story. Pelzer's soulful and inspiring story will remind you to keep your faith, live with gratitude, and find the well of resilience deep within you.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Pelzer, David J.; Adult child abuse victims; Choice (Psychology); COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-; Resilience (Personality trait); Self-acceptance.; Self-esteem.; Self-realization.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Hello, Molly! : a memoir / by Shannon, Molly,1964-author.; Wilsey, Sean,author.;
"At age four, Molly Shannon's world was shattered when she lost her mother, baby sister, and cousin in a car accident with her father at the wheel. Held together by her tender and complicated relationship with her grieving father, Molly and her sister Mary were raised in a permissive household where Molly's gift for improvising and role-playing blossomed alongside the fearlessness that would lead her to become a celebrated actress. From there, Molly ventured into the wider world of New York and Los Angeles show business, where she created her own opportunities and developed her daring and empathetic comedy. Filled with behind-the-scenes stories involving everyone from Whitney Houston to Adam Sandler to Monica Lewinsky, many told for the first time here, Hello, Molly! spans Molly's time on Saturday Night Live, where she starred alongside Will Ferrell, Cheri Oteri, Tracy Morgan, and Jimmy Fallon, among many others. At the same time, it explores with humor and candor her struggle to come to terms with the legacy of her father, a man who was left with the impossible task of raising his kids alone after the loss of her mother, and yet still managed to foster Molly's gifts and drive ... Hello, Molly!, written with Sean Wilsey, sheds new and revelatory light on the life and work of one of our most talented and free-spirited performers"--Dust jacket flap.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Shannon, Molly, 1964-; Actresses; Comedians; Television actors and actresses; Women comedians; Women television personalities;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The hunt / by Kellerman, Faye,author.;
Detective Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus return to Los Angeles when a kidnapping hits close to home--in this breathtaking new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman. Peter and his partner, Detective Tyler McAdams, are thrown into an unsolved case and propelled into action when a body is found in the very woods where a man previously went missing in upstate New York. But that's not the only crisis that Peter has to deal with. Teresa McLaughlin, the biological mother of Peter and his wife Rina's foster son, Gabe, has fled to Los Angeles with her two children in tow, hoping to avoid a court injunction amid a messy divorce. But LA is no escape from her problems--she is found by ruthless men and beaten mercilessly. When she wakes, barely conscious, Teresa discovers that both of her children are gone and frantically calls Gabe for help. With his mother on the verge of death, Gabe contacts Peter and Rina, as well as his biological father, the notorious Christopher Donatti, a former hit man from a known criminal family who's now a millionaire in Nevada. By bringing Donatti into the fray, Gabe, Peter, and Rina know they have made a deal with the devil--but they may not be able to recover the kids without him. As these unlikely allies rally to find the kidnappers before things end tragically, they race headlong toward an explosive confrontation from which no one will emerge unscathed ...
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Novels.; Decker, Peter (Fictitious character); Lazarus, Rina (Fictitious character); Kidnapping; Missing persons; Police;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 3
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The hunt [text (large print)] / by Kellerman, Faye,author.;
Detective Peter Decker and Rina Lazarus return to Los Angeles when a kidnapping hits close to home--in this breathtaking new thriller from New York Times bestselling author Faye Kellerman. Peter and his partner, Detective Tyler McAdams, are thrown into an unsolved case and propelled into action when a body is found in the very woods where a man previously went missing in upstate New York. But that's not the only crisis that Peter has to deal with. Teresa McLaughlin, the biological mother of Peter and his wife Rina's foster son, Gabe, has fled to Los Angeles with her two children in tow, hoping to avoid a court injunction amid a messy divorce. But LA is no escape from her problems--she is found by ruthless men and beaten mercilessly. When she wakes, barely conscious, Teresa discovers that both of her children are gone and frantically calls Gabe for help. With his mother on the verge of death, Gabe contacts Peter and Rina, as well as his biological father, the notorious Christopher Donatti, a former hit man from a known criminal family who's now a millionaire in Nevada. By bringing Donatti into the fray, Gabe, Peter, and Rina know they have made a deal with the devil--but they may not be able to recover the kids without him. As these unlikely allies rally to find the kidnappers before things end tragically, they race headlong toward an explosive confrontation from which no one will emerge unscathed ...
Subjects: Detective and mystery fiction.; Large type books.; Novels.; Decker, Peter (Fictitious character); Lazarus, Rina (Fictitious character); Kidnapping; Missing persons; Police;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The dead ex : a novel / by Corry, Jane,author.;
"One man's disappearance throws four women's lives into chaos--and not all will survive. Vicki works as an aromatherapist, healing her clients out of her home studio with her special blends of essential oils. She's just finishing a session when the police arrive on her doorstep--her ex-husband David has gone missing. Vicki insists she last saw him years ago when they divorced, but the police clearly don't believe her. And her memory's hardly reliable--what if she did have something to do with it? Meanwhile, Scarlet and her mother Zelda are down on their luck, and at eight years old, Scarlet's not old enough to know that the "game" her mother forces her to play is really just a twisted name for dealing drugs. Soon, Zelda is caught, and Scarlet is forced into years of foster care--an experience that will shape the rest of her life. David's new wife, Tanya, is the one who reported him missing, but what really happened on the night of David's disappearance? And how can Vicki prove her innocence, when she's not even sure of it herself? The answer lies in the connection among these four women--and the one person they can't escape"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Psychological fiction.; Missing persons; Abandoned wives; Divorced people; Man-woman relationships;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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The Great Bear / by Robertson, David,1977-;
"In this second book in the Narnia-inspired Indigenous middle-grade fantasy series, Eli and Morgan travel back to Misewa, only to realize they've travelled back farther than expected. At school, Eli is being bullied, and while he tries to hide what's happening to him from Morgan, she knows something is wrong. Morgan herself is also in turmoil when she is given the phone number of her birth mother, and she struggles to know what to do with it. They turn to the place where they know they can learn the most, and make the journey back to the village to visit their anthropomorphic teachers. But things are different than they remember. It's summer, which is to be expected after what they accomplished on their last visit, but it's more than that. Then, they see Fisher as a boy, and realize that they've visited the past. What's more, the village is once again in peril."--From publisher.LSC
Subjects: Fantasy fiction.; Indians of North America; Indian foster children; Indian children; Imaginary places; Bullying; Doorways; Indigenous peoples; Indigenous foster children; Indigenous children;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Bug / by Bonnell, Yolanda,1982-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."bug is a solo performance and artistic ceremony that highlights the ongoing effects of colonialism and intergenerational trauma experienced by Indigenous women. It is also a testimony to the women's resilience and strength. The Girl traces her life from surviving the foster care system to her struggles with addictions. She fights, hoping to break the cycle in order to give her daughter a different life than the one she had. The Mother sits in Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, recounting memories of the daughter that was taken from her, and the struggles of living on the streets in Northern Ontario. They are both followed by Manidoons, a physical manifestation of the trauma and addictions that crawl across generations. bug reveals the hard truths that many Indigenous women face as they carve out a space to survive in contemporary Canada, while holding on to so much hope."--
Subjects: Drama.; Indigenous women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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