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The accidental favorite : a novel / by Littlewood, Fran,author.;
"From the New York Times bestselling author of Amazing Grace Adams comes a wryly resonant and deeply moving family dramedy investigating the question so many of us have asked ourselves: do my parents have a favorite? Vivienne and Patrick Fisher have done an excellent job raising their three daughters, Alex, Nancy, and Eva. They're well-adjusted women with impressive careers, caring partners, exciting hobbies, and sweet children. So it's with great anticipation that three generations of Fishers gather at a beautiful glass house in the English countryside for a weeklong celebration of Vivienne's seventieth birthday. But when Patrick's reaction to a freak accident on the first day of the trip inadvertently reveals that he has a favorite daughter, no one is prepared for the shockwaves it sends through the family. Decades-old unresolved sibling rivalries are suddenly unmasked. And be it newly uncovered smoking habits, ancient crushes, or private doubts about life decisions both big and small, no one's secrets are safe. Still-tender wounds are reopened amid an audience of friends, husbands, grandchildren, and even coworkers, and as the family's past is re-written, they find themselves suddenly unmoored. In a lively, poignant examination of memory, sisterhood, and family ties, Fran Littlewood reminds us just why it is that people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Families; Fathers and daughters; Memory; Secrecy; Sibling rivalry; Sisters;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Field notes from an unintentional birder : a memoir / by Zarankin, Julia,1974-author.;
Includes bibliographical references."When Julia Zarankin saw her first red-winged blackbird at the age of thirty-five, she didn't expect that it would change her life. Recently divorced and auditioning hobbies during a stressful career transition, she stumbled on birdwatching, initially out of curiosity for the strange breed of humans who wear multi-pocketed vests, carry spotting scopes and discuss the finer points of optics with disturbing fervour. What she never could have predicted was that she would become one of them. Not only would she come to identify proudly as a birder, but birding would ultimately lead her to find love, uncover a new language and lay down her roots. Field Notes from an Unintentional Birder tells the story of finding meaning in midlife through birds. The book follows the peregrinations of a narrator who learns more from birds than she ever anticipated, as she begins to realize that she herself is a migratory species: born in the former Soviet Union, growing up in Vancouver and Toronto, studying and working in the United States and living in Paris. Coming from a Russian immigrant family of concert pianists who believed that the outdoors were for "other people," Julia Zarankin recounts the challenges and joys of unexpectedly discovering one's wild side and finding one's tribe in the unlikeliest of places. Zarankin's thoughtful and witty anecdotes illuminate the joyful experience of a new discovery and the surprising pleasure to be found while standing still on the edge of a lake at six a.m. In addition to confirmed nature enthusiasts, this book will appeal to readers of literary memoir, offering keen insight on what it takes to find one's place in the world."--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Zarankin, Julia, 1974-; Bird watchers; Bird watching;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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One Kick [sound recording] / by Cain, Chelsea.; Lind, Heather.;
Read by Heather Lind."Kick Lannigan, 21, is a survivor. Abducted at age six in broad daylight, the police, the public, perhaps even her family assumed the worst had occurred. And then Kathleen Lannigan was found, alive, six years later. And a new form of hell began. In the early months following her freedom, as Kick struggled with PTSD, her parents put her through a litany of therapies -- meditation, Jungian, scream therapy. Nothing helped until the detective who rescued her suggested Kick learn to fight. Before she was thirteen, Kick learned marksmanship, martial arts, boxing, archery, and knife throwing. She excelled at every one, vowing she would never be victimized again. She learned the advantage of stillness when eluding an attacker; and to know every escape route. She learned to notice every detail. She learned four ways to kill someone with a jacket, and that every American car made after 2002 has a release lever in the trunk should you happen to find yourself trapped inside. Kick can keep the anxiety at bay most of the time. Her abductor, Mel, is dying of kidney disease in prison. She has enough money from the government to never want again. She has her brother James, and her dog, Monster, and her "hobbies" to keep her busy. But when a second Amber Alert in a month signals the disappearance of a child in the Portland area, Kick goes into a tailspin. That's when an enigmatic man Bishop approaches her with a proposition. Bishop made a fortune as a weapons dealer and now wants to make good by using his resources to rescue abducted children. And he is convinced Kick's experiences and expertise can be mined to help rescue the abductees. Little does Kick know the case will lead directly into her terrifying past"--Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Suspense fiction.; Mystery fiction.; Audiobooks.; Kidnapping victims; Kidnapping; Marksmanship; Post-traumatic stress disorder;
© p2014., Simon & Schuster Audio,
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Meditations for mortals : four weeks to embrace your limitations and make time for what counts / by Burkeman, Oliver,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From Oliver Burkeman, author of the New York Times bestseller Four Thousand Weeks, a four-week journey to embracing your limitations, thriving in an age of bewilderment, and finally making time for what counts. Four Thousand Weeks, Oliver Burkeman's breakout New York Times bestseller, touched the lives of hundreds of thousands of readers. Inspired and moved by Burkeman's investigation of how to live unblinkingly in the face our limited time on earth, they changed their lives: made big decisions to rethink careers, relationships, priorities, and misguided assumptions about productivity. They made to-don't lists; embraced hobbies they aren't any good at and that will never earn a profit; and made peace with letting certain aspirations go. Many readers found new forms of happiness and meaning at home and at work. In Meditations for Mortals, Burkeman brings the themes and questions at the heart of Four Thousand Weeks -- time, mortality, imperfection, productivity, and how to live fully and deeply even when things are most challenging -- into the heart of our daily lives. How do we embrace the reality of our finiteness? How do we make decisions and act with conviction when there is always too much to do and failure is inevitable? How do we find a deeper sense of purpose when we realize that life is not a problem to be solved? How does care for others make us more free? Comprised of four weeks of extended reflections on inspiring quotations -- drawn from philosophy, religion, literature, psychology, and self-help -- Burkeman's latest is the perfect companion during a time of turbulence and pervasive anxiety: a source of solace and enlightenment, inspiration and insight, and humour and provocation. The result is a winking challenge to the usual self-help platitudes -- a surprising and entertaining crash course in living meaningfully."--
Subjects: Self-help publications.; Happiness.; Self-actualization (Psychology);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Raising boys to be good men : a parent's guide to bringing up happy sons in a world filled with toxic masculinity / by Gouveia, Aaron,author.;
"From the dad who created the viral tweet supporting his son wearing nail polish, this essential parenting guide shares 38 parenting tips for battling gender norms, bringing down "man up" culture, and helping sons realize their potential. Our boys are in a crisis. Toxic masculinity and tough guy-ism are on display daily from our leaders, and we see anger, dysfunction, violence, and depression in young men who are suffocated by harmful social codes. Our young sons are told to stop throwing like a girl. They hear phrases like "man up" when they cry. They are told "boys will be boys" when they behave badly. The "Girl Power" movement has encouraged women to be whoever and do whatever they want, but that sentiment is not often extended to boys. Just watch the bullying when boys try ballet, paint their fingernails, or play with a doll. But we can treat this problem-and the power lies in the hands of parents. It's not only possible to raise boys who aren't emotionally stifled and shoved into stereotypical gender boxes; it's vital if we want a generation of men who can express their emotions, respect women, and help nurse society back to a halfway healthy place. We can reframe manhood. From Aaron Gouveia, who gained viral fame after tweeting his support for his son's painted fingernails (and who knows toxic masculinity very well), learn practical and actionable tips such as: Don't accept different standards for moms and dads Teach boys that "girl" is not an insult and retire phrases like "boys will be boys" Show boys that expressing their emotions and being physical is a good thing Let boys pursue nontraditional interests and hobbies Talk to boys about consent and privilege Model healthy and respectful relationships for boys to emulate Penned with equal parts humor, biting snark, and lived advice, Raising Boys to Be Good Men is the essential parenting guide for raising sons to realize their potential outside the box. "--
Subjects: Masculinity.; Boys; Parenting.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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