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Second act [text (large print)] : a novel / by Steel, Danielle,author.;
"As the head of a prestigious movie studio for nearly two decades, Andy Westfield has had every conceivable professional luxury: a stunning office on the forty-fourth floor, a loyal assistant who can all but read his mind, access to a private jet and company cars. The son of Hollywood royalty, Andy always put his career before his marriage, and now, besides his daughter and young grandchildren, it's the only thing he truly loves. But then Andy's world is upended. The studio is sold, and the buyer's son demands the top seat. Out of a job and humiliated, Andy spirals. When his head clears, he decides to get as far away from Los Angeles as possible until the dust settles and he can find a new way forward. Andy signs a six-month rental agreement for a luxurious home in a tiny, forgotten coastal town two hours from London. When he arrives, he hires a local woman to help get his affairs in order. A former journalist, Violet Smith is at a crossroads as well, and this temporary job is exactly what she needs to tide her over. But when Violet leaves the manuscript of her unfinished novel behind after work one day, Andy lets his curiosity get the best of him and is captivated by a story that begs to be adapted for the big screen. Could this be the miracle they've both been looking for?"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Large print books.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Americans; Life change events; Man-woman relationships; Motion picture industry; Women authors;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Meet the Benedettos : a novel / by Cotugno, Katie,author.;
"Every family is complicated, and the Benedettos are no exception. A few years after a reality show skyrocketed them to pop culture notoriety, the five twenty-something sisters are living in their parent's crumbling McMansion, semi-famous and almost broke. The family's teetering towards rock bottom when Charlie Bingley, star of Captain Fantastic, moves into the neighborhood with his insufferable friend Will Darcy in tow. Charlie immediately falls for warm and lovely June, the oldest Benedetto sister. Though Cinta Benedetto, clueless matriarch, loves this potential match, there are plenty of people in Charlie's life who want him to steer clear of reality show has-beens. Lilly Benedetto, the second oldest sister, knows that her family is viewed as a spectacle, but she doesn't care, usually, because she has deeper sorrows to face. Will Darcy, Charlie's best friend from Julliard, left New York in a hurry, running from his own demons. Lilly finds Will to be stuck-up, arrogant, and judgmental. Will thinks Lilly is loud, brash, and defensive. And yet, they can't seem to stay away from each other ... This is a story about a family that's "famous for being famous," the ways that preconceived notions can make fools of us all, and unexpected romances that bloom despite the odds. Katie Cotugno has brought a big, boisterous cast of characters to life in this deliciously sprawling Los Angeles story that is The Kardashians meets Pride and Prejudice."--
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Man-woman relationships; Sisters;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Junk raft : an ocean voyage and a rising tide of activism to fight plastic pollution / by Eriksen, Marcus,1967-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An exciting account of an activist scientist's unorthodox fight in the growing movement against plastic marine pollution and of his expedition across the Pacific on a home-made "junk raft" Over the past several years, the news media has brought the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch"--the famous swirling gyre of plastic litter in the ocean--into the public consciousness. When Marcus Eriksen cofounded the 5 Gyres Institute with his wife, Anna, and set out to study marine pollution, they found that the reality is even more dire: instead of a stable mass of litter, they discovered that a "plastic smog" of microparticles permeates the world's oceans, defying simplistic clean-up efforts. What's more, these microplastics and their toxic chemistry have seeped into the food chain, threatening marine life and humans alike. Far from being a gloomy treatise on an environmental catastrophe, though, Junk Raft tells the exciting story of Eriksen's fight to raise awareness and solve the problem of plastic pollution, contributing to a fast-growing movement to stem the tide of trash. Eriksen writes of his voyage from Los Angeles to Hawaii aboard his homemade "junk raft," and along the way he recounts the successful efforts to fight corporate influence and demand that plastics producers take responsibility for a problem they've created. Eriksen provides concrete, actionable solutions and an empowering message: it's up to bold, brash, unapologetically activist "citizen scientists" to challenge the status quo for the sake of the planet"--
Subjects: Eriksen, Marcus, 1967-; Plastic marine debris; Microplastics; Marine pollution;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Brother & sister / by Keaton, Diane,author.;
When they were children in the suburbs of Los Angeles in the 1950s, Diane Keaton and her younger brother, Randy, were best friends and companions: they shared stories at night in their bunk beds; they swam, laughed, dressed up for Halloween. Their mother captured their American-dream childhoods in her diaries, and on camera. But as they grew up, Randy became troubled, then reclusive. By the time he reached adulthood, he was divorced, an alcoholic, a man who couldn't hold on to full-time work-- his life a world away from his sister's, and from the rest of their family. Now Diane is delving into the nuances of their shared, and separate, pasts to confront the difficult question of why and how Randy ended up living his life on "the other side of normal." In beautiful and fearless prose that's intertwined with photographs, journal entries, letters, and poetry-- many of them Randy's own writing and art-- this insightful memoir contemplates the inner workings of a family, the ties that hold it together, and the special bond between siblings even when they are pulled far apart. Here is a story about love and responsibility: about how, when we choose to reach out to the people we feel closest to-- in moments of difficulty and loss-- surprising things can happen. A story with universal echoes, Brother & Sister speaks across generations to families whose lives have been touched by the fragility and "otherness" of loved ones-- and to brothers and sisters everywhere.
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Keaton, Diane; Keaton, Diane.; Motion picture actors and actresses; Brothers and sisters;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Nightshade [electronic resource] : by Connelly, Michael.aut; Damron, Will.nrt; CloudLibrary;
Introducing Detective Stilwell: a cop relentlessly following his mission in the seemingly idyllic setting of Catalina Island.   Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Detective Stilwell has been “exiled” to a low-key post policing rustic Catalina Island, after department politics drove him off a homicide desk on the mainland. But while following up the usual drunk-and-disorderlies and petty thefts that come with his new territory, Detective Stilwell gets a report of a body found weighed down at the bottom of the harbor—a Jane Doe identifiable at first only by a streak of purple dye in her hair. At the same time, a report of poaching on a protected reserve turns into a case fraught with violence and danger as Stilwell digs into the shady past of an island bigwig.   Crossing all lines of protocol and jurisdiction, Stilwell doggedly works both cases. Though hampered by an old beef with an ex-colleague determined to thwart him at every turn, he is convinced he is the only one who can bring justice to the woman known as “Nightshade.” Soon, his investigation uncovers closely guarded secrets and a dark heart to the serene island that was meant to be his escape from the evils of the big city.   Propulsive and atmospheric, Nightshade launches a brand new character into the Connelly universe, and proves without question that Michael Connelly is “the undisputed master of the modern crime novel” (Real Book Spy).
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Police Procedural; Literary; Crime;
© 2025., Hachette Audio,
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Christmas in Blue Dog Valley : a novel / by Noblin, Annie England,author.;
When Goldie McKenzie, DVM, vet to the L.A. pet stars, arrives from Los Angeles to Blue Dog Valley she realizes three things. Never agree to upend your life when you're hungover. Pot-belly pigs are not true farm animals. She's going to need a warmer coat. At first Goldie is nothing more than a fish out of water, with few clients and few friends. But after a less than pleasant encounter with a man whose dog is suffering from a possibly fatal case of bloat, she's finally earning the trust and goodwill from her fellow Blue Dog Valley citizens. Her clientele grows to include the many farm animals in the town, including a horse named Large Marge, a cape-wearing therapy alpaca, and a yardful of sweater-wearing goats. Add in Kevin, the "worst sheepdog in Blue Dog Valley," and a Sphinx cat named Airport, and Goldie is having the best time a vet can have ... aside from the annoying attractive town grump, Cohen, who seems intent on making sure she always feels like an outsider. With her newfound goodwill, Goldie comes up with an idea to reinvigorate the once flourishing Blue Dog Valley: a Christmas carnival. A petting zoo, pictures with Santa, a baking contest, what more could they want? After only some brief resistance from Cohen and his father, they begin the great plan to reinvigorate Blue Dog Valley. Will Christmas be enough to salvage this dying town--and be enough to bring Goldie closer to a certain grumpy man?
Subjects: Christmas fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Recipes.; Novels.; Animals; Man-woman relationships; Small cities; Women veterinarians;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Wild houses / by Barrett, Colin,1982-author.;
"The riotous, raucous, and deeply resonant debut novel from "one of the best story writers in the English language today" (Financial Times), Wild Houses follows two outsiders caught in the crosshairs of a small-town revenge kidnapping gone awry. With his acclaimed and award-winning collections Young Skins and Homesickness Colin Barrett cemented his reputation as one of contemporary Irish literature's most daring stylists. Praised by Oprah Daily as "a doyen of the sentence," and by the Los Angeles Times as a writer of "unique genius," Barrett now expands his canvas with a debut novel that contains as much grit, plot, and linguistic energy as any of his celebrated short stories. As Ballina prepares for its biggest weekend of the year, introspective loner Dev answers his door on Friday night to find Doll English-younger brother of small-time local dealer Cillian English-bruised and in the clutches of Gabe and Sketch Ferdia, County Mayo's fraternal enforcers and Dev's cousins. Dev's quiet homelife is upturned as he is quickly and unwillingly drawn headlong into the Ferdias' frenetic revenge plot against Cillian. Meanwhile, Doll's girlfriend, seventeen-year-old Nicky, reeling from a fractious Friday and plagued by ghosts and tragedy of her own, sets out on a feverish mission to save Doll, even as she questions her future in Ballina. Set against Barrett's trademark depictions of small-town Irish life, Wild Houses is a thrillingly told story of two outsiders striving to find themselves as their worlds collapse in chaos and violence"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Black humor.; Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Kidnapping; Revenge; Siblings; Small cities; Tragedy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Bury Your Gays [electronic resource] : by Tingle, Chuck.aut; Santana, André.nrt; Anders, Charlie Jane.nrt; Leede, CJ.nrt; Bird, Georgia.nrt; Kerin, Liz.nrt; Wilson, Mara.nrt; Oshiro, Mark.nrt; Gailey, Sarah.nrt; Jones, Stephen Graham.nrt; Kingfisher, T..nrt; Klune, TJ.nrt; cloudLibrary;
This program features multicast narration. "André Santana brings a personable feel to this satirical sci-fi romp.... This audiobook is a fast-paced cocktail of social commentary, humor, and horror." —AudioFile on Straight Bury Your Gays is a heart-pounding new novel from USA Today bestselling author Chuck Tingle about what it takes to succeed in a world that wants you dead. "Brilliantly bloody, wildly fun, and extremely scary, Bury Your Gays brings a sledgehammer down on tired tropes and makes a masterpiece of their guts." —Rachel Harrison, national bestselling author of Black Sheep Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell. But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, "for the algorithm," in the upcoming season finale. Misha refuses, but he soon realizes that he’s just put a target on his back. And what’s worse, monsters from his horror movie days are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles. Haunted by his past, Misha must risk his entire future—before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good. Also by Chuck Tingle Camp Damascus A Macmillan Audio production from Tor Books.
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Science Fiction; Horror;
© 2024., Macmillan Audio,
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American mermaid : a novel / by Langbein, Julia(Art historian),author.;
"A brilliantly funny and razor-tongued debut which follows a writer lured to Los Angeles to adapt her feminist mermaid novel into a big-budget action film, who believes her heroine has come to life to take revenge for Hollywood's violations. Penelope Schleeman, a consistently broke Connecticut high school teacher, is as surprised as anyone when her sensitive debut novel, "American Mermaid"--the story of a wheelchair-bound scientist named Sylvia who discovers that her withered legs are the vestiges of a powerful tail--becomes a bestseller. Penelope soon finds herself lured to LA by promises of easy money to co-write the "American Mermaid" screenplay for a major studio with a pair of male hacks. As the studio pressures Penelope to change "American Mermaid" from the story of a fierce, androgynous eco-warrior to a teen sex object in a clam bra, strange things start to happen. Threats appear in the screenplay draft; siren calls lure people into danger. When Penelope's screenwriting partners try to kill Sylvia off entirely in a bitterly false but cinematic end, matters off the page escalate. Is Penelope losing her mind, or is Sylvia among us? American Mermaid follows a young woman braving a world of casual smiles and ruthless calculation, where she discovers a beating heart in her own fiction--a creature she'll do anything to protect. By turns both a comic and fabulously insightful tale of two female characters in search of truth, love, and self-acceptance as they move between worlds without giving up their voices"--
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Novels.; High school teachers; Motion picture industry; Screenwriters; Women novelists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Mirrored heavens / by Roanhorse, Rebecca,author.;
"The interwoven destinies of the people of Meridian will finally be determined in this stunning conclusion to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse's Between Earth and Sky trilogy. Even the sea cannot stay calm before the storm. -Teek saying Serapio, avatar of the Crow God Reborn and the newly crowned Carrion King, rules Tova. But his enemies gather both on distant shores and within his own city as the matrons of the clans scheme to destroy him. And deep in the alleys of the Maw, a new prophecy is whispered, this one from the Coyote God. It promises Serapio certain doom if its terrible dictates are not fulfilled. Meanwhile, Xiala is thrust back amongst her people as war comes first to the island of Teek. With their way of life and their magic under threat, she is their last best hope. But the sea won't talk to her the way it used to, and doubts riddle her mind. She will have to sacrifice the things that matter most to unleash her powers and become the queen they were promised. And in the far northern wastelands, Naranpa, avatar of the Sun God, seeks a way to save Tova from the visions of fire that engulf her dreams. But another presence has begun stalking her nightmares, and the Jaguar God is on the hunt. Nominated for the Nebula, Lambda, Locus, and Hugo Awards, winner of the Alex Award from the American Library Association and the Ignyte Award from Fiyah magazine, the Between Earth and Sky trilogy is amongst our most lauded modern fantasy series from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, and USA TODAY bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse"--
Subjects: Fantasy fiction.; Novels.; Gods; Magic; Prophecy; Women ship captains; Indigenous philosophy;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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