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Lessons / by McEwan, Ian,author.;
"Both epic and intimate, the story of one man's life across generations and historical upheavals: a deeply affecting novel about love, loss, ambition, and resolution--from #1 bestselling author Ian McEwan. When the world is still counting the cost of the Second World War and the Iron Curtain has closed, eleven-year-old Roland Baines's life is turned upside down. 2,000 miles from his mother's protective love, stranded at an unusual boarding school, his vulnerability attracts piano teacher Miss Miriam Cornell, leaving scars as well as a memory of love that will never fade. Now, when his wife vanishes, leaving him alone with his tiny son, Roland is forced to confront the reality of his restless existence. As the radiation from Chernobyl spreads across Europe, he begins a search for answers that looks deep into his family history and will last for the rest of his life. From the Suez Crisis to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the fall of the Berlin Wall to the current pandemic and climate change, Roland sometimes rides with the tide of history, but more often struggles against it. Haunted by lost opportunities, he seeks solace through every possible means--music, literature, friends, sex, politics and, finally, love cut tragically short, then love ultimately redeemed. His journey raises important questions for us all. Can we take full charge of the course of our lives without damage to others? How do global events beyond our control shape our lives and our memories? And what can we really learn from the traumas of the past? Epic, mesmerising and deeply humane, Lessons is a chronicle for our times--a powerful meditation on history and humanity through the prism of one man's lifetime."--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Historical fiction.; Novels.; Family secrets; Life change events; Love; Man-woman relationships; Single fathers;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 2
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Twist A Novel [electronic resource] : by McCann, Colum.aut; McCann, Colum.nrt; CloudLibrary;
A propulsive novel of rupture and repair in the digital age, delving into a hidden world deep under the ocean—from the New York Times bestselling author of Apeirogon and Let the Great World Spin. “Everything gets fixed, and we all stay broken.”  Anthony Fennell, an Irish journalist and playwright, is assigned to cover the story of the underwater cables that carry the world’s information. The sum of human existence—words, images, transactions, memes, voices, viruses—travels through the tiny fiber optic tubes. But sometimes the tubes break at an unfathomable depth.  Fennell’s literary adventure brings him to the west coast of Africa where he uncovers a story about the raw human labor behind the dazzling veneer of the technological world. He meets a fellow Irishman, John Conway, the chief of mission on a cable repair ship. The mysterious Conway is a skilled engineer and a freediver capable of reaching extraordinary depths. He is also in love with a South African actress, Zanele, who must leave to go on her own journey to London. When the boat is sent up the coast to repair a series of major underwater breaks, both men learn that the very cables they seek to fix carry the news that may cause their lives to unravel. At sea, they are forced to confront the most elemental questions of life, love, absence, belonging and the perils of our severed connections. Can we, in our fractured world, reweave ourselves out of the thin, broken threads of our pasts? Can the ruptured things awaken us from our despair? Resoundingly simple and turbulent at the same time, Twist is a meditation on the nature of narrative and truth from one of the great storytellers of our times.
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Literary;
© 2025., HarperCollins,
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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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Long shot : the inside story of the snipers who broke ISIS / by Azad,1983-author.;
"A gripping narrative by an Iran-born Kurdish journalist who joined the ranks of the Kurdish army as a sniper in the fight against ISIS. In 2002, at the age of nineteen, Azad, a young Iranian-Kurdish man, was conscripted into Iran's army and forced to fight against his own people. Refusing to go to war against his fellow Kurds, Azad deserted and smuggled himself to the United Kingdom, where he was granted asylum, became a citizen, and learned English. But more than a decade later, having returned to the Middle East as a social worker in the wake of the Syrian civil war, Azad found that he would have to pick up a weapon once again. In September 2014, after twenty-four days of intensive training as a sniper, Azad became one of seventeen volunteer marksmen deployed by the Kurdish army when ISIS besieged the city of Kobani in Rojava, the newly autonomous region of the Kurds. In Long Shot, Azad tells the inside story of how the Kurdish forces fought nine months of bloody street battles against the Islamic State. Vastly outnumbered, the Kurds would have to kill the jihadis one by one, and Azad takes readers on a harrowing journey behind rebel frontlines to reveal the sniper unit's essential role in fighting, and eventually defeating, ISIS. Weaving the brutal events of war with personal and political reflection, Azad meditates on the incalculable price of victory--the permanent effects of war on the body and mind; the devastating death of two of his closest comrades; the loss of hundreds of volunteers who died in battle. But as Azad explains, these were sacrifices that saved not only a city but a people and their land. Rojava was freed, and ISIS, which once threatened the world, never fully recovered"--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Azad, 1983-; People's Protection Units (Organization); IS (Organization); Snipers; Kurds;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Be a triangle : how I went from being lost to getting my life into shape / by Singh, Lilly,1988-author.; Patel, Simmi,illustrator.;
"An honest, funny, and inspiring primer on learning to "come home" to your truest and happiest self from the New York Times bestselling author of How to Be a Bawse. With the signature blend of vulnerability, wisdom, and humor that has endeared her to millions of fans, Lilly Singh offers a fresh take on how to feel fulfilled and find happiness in the face of life's challenges. Everyone knows that sometimes, life just sucks--Lilly's new book is here to provide a safe space where readers can learn how to create a sense of peace within themselves independent of external markers of success. Chatty and profound, spunky and real as hell, Singh is the perfect confidant, pep-talk-giver, and deep diver into how meditation, self-acceptance, our relationships and true gratitude can improve our lives. Without sugarcoating what it's like to face adversity--including Lilly's intensely personal struggles with identity, success, and self-doubt--this book teaches readers to "unsubscribe" from cookie-cutter ideals and to let go of societal expectations for what success looks like. Lilly instructs her readers to "be a triangle:" you must build a solid foundation for your life, one that can be built upon, but never fundamentally changed or destroyed. As Lilly puts it, we must always find a way to come home to ourselves -- "we must create a place, a set of beliefs, a simple set of priorities to come back to should life lead us astray, which it will." Like a wise, empathetic friend who always keeps you honest, Lilly pushes you to adjust your mindset and change the conversations you have with yourself. The result is a deeply humane, entertaining, and uplifting guide to befriending yourself and becoming a true "miracle for the world.""--
Subjects: Self-help publications.; Singh, Lilly, 1988-; Contentment.; Self-realization.; Self-acceptance.; Self-actualization (Psychology); Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The 10-day belly slimdown : lose your belly, heal your gut, enjoy a lighter, younger you / by Petrucci, Kellyann,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."The New York Times bestselling author of Dr. Kellyann's Bone Broth Diet reveals her powerful belly-slimming plan that will help you lose up to 10 pounds in 10 days! Are you sick and tired of your belly fat? Frustrated with diets that don't take it off? Angry that you don't look the way you want to look, and can't wear the clothes you want to wear? Naturopathic physician and weight loss specialist Dr. Kellyann Petrucci has spent over 20 years showing people how to do the impossible: take off stubborn belly fat. After guiding thousands of amazing transformations over her career, Dr. Petrucci has targeted the most powerful ways to flatten your belly--deprivation not included! In The 10-Day Belly Slimdown, you will learn the #1 biggest secret to rapid belly-blasting: "mini-fasting." This simple but revolutionary shift in the timing of your meals means you'll eat within a seven-hour window each day. While you're mini-fasting, you'll never feel hungry--luscious, satisfying bone broth will quench cravings and melt off pounds, collagen-packed shakes will kick your metabolism into overdrive, and "slim-gestion" foods, herbs, and spices will fight bloat, lower inflammation, and cleanse your gut. In combination, these strategies deliver incredible results quickly and safely. Simultaneously, you'll slim and sculpt your abs with exercises that will make that "pooch" disappear, and you'll discover how meditation and journaling can lower your cortisol levels to ensure that stress doesn't keep you from losing weight. The 10-Day Belly Slimdown includes daily meal plans, batch cooking tips to make meal prep a snap, 80 delicious new recipes, and a sensible maintenance plan. As you heal your belly from the inside out, you'll feel younger, happier, and lighter than you thought possible"--
Subjects: Cookbooks.; Reducing diets; Diet therapy.; Weight loss.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Spellbound : my life as a dyslexic wordsmith / by Hanley, Phil,author.;
"The A-list comedian tells the story of his unlikely path to success while struggling with severe dyslexia. When Phil Hanley entered first grade, he realized something that would forever set him apart from his peers: he couldn't read. His teachers were ill-equipped to assist him and wrote him off as a hopeless case. Phil slipped through the school's cracks, year by year falling farther and farther behind his friends, only passing to each next grade because of his mother's interventions. Finally, he was diagnosed with dyslexia, a learning disability that would shape the rest of his life. In Spellbound, Phil Hanley shares his experience living with debilitating dyslexia. Unable to pursue college or a traditional job, Phil was thrust into a life to be defined by unconventional twists. He moved to Europe and became a successful runway model, a job that suitably kept him away from pens and paper. In search of fulfillment that couldn't be found posing for a Docker's ad, Phil retreated home to Vancouver where, desperate to manage the mental health issues connected to living with dyslexia, he turned to an all-consuming obsession with Transcendental Meditation. Finally, he found himself on a stage with a microphone, a spotlight, and five minutes of jokes. Stand-up became the first pursuit that the more Phil put into it, the more he got out, and something that he compellingly argues, saved his life. Spellbound is a story of humor and also of struggle and heartbreak, of constantly living in a world that sees things differently than you, and of triumph over adversity. Phil shows us that dyslexia can be a huge challenge, but having it does not spell certain condemnation (nor can he). Just the opposite: dyslexia has been more than a blessing in his life-it's been his north star"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Hanley, Phil.; Comedians; Comedians; Dyslexics; Male models;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Laid and confused : why we tolerate bad sex and how to stop / by Yagoda, Maria,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."A refreshingly honest, deeply researched, and frequently hilarious deep-dive into the cultural crisis of bad sex, as one brave sex columnist recruits the counsel of coaches, psychologists, pro-dommes, and peers in the pursuit of pleasure. Far more alarming than the millennial "sex recession"-the phenomenon of young people having less sex than previous generations--is that we're in the middle of a bad sex epidemic that all generations are suffering from. Despite major advances in sex education, positivity, and technology, we haven't moved the needle on better. We're still quietly enduring unsatisfying sex, whether that's resigning ourselves to the same three positions we secretly hate, or lying when our Bumble date asks if we're "close" after fifteen seconds of oral. We've been trained to optimize everything, except our own pleasure. For journalist Maria Yagoda, bad sex was her villain origin story. After going viral for a column calling out bad sex on her college campus, she launched a career as a sex columnist, earning a global following for her wit, vulnerability, and expertise in her popular VICE series, Sex Machina. But even as a professional sex writer, most of the sex she was having landed somewhere between passable and "huh." In search of understanding, she consulted sex therapists, psychologists, dominatrixes and sex toy creators, as well as young people of all genders and sexualities, putting her own sex life on the line--from hiring a sex coach to a "masturbation meditation" Zoom seminar--in order to pave a new path forward. In the vein of Come as You Are for the Trick Mirror audience, Laid and Confused presents a fresh, funny, and compassionate analysis of our current sexual moment, and offers research-based tools that will empower readers to craft the deeply pleasurable sex lives they deserve"--
Subjects: Sex (Psychology); Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Shadow of the Solstice A Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito Novel [electronic resource] : by Hillerman, Anne.aut; CloudLibrary;
“Anne Hillerman deserves recognition as one of the finest mystery authors currently working in the genre.”—New York Journal of Books In this gripping chapter in New York Times bestselling author Anne Hillerman’s Leaphorn, Chee & Manuelito series, the detectives must sort out a save-the-planet meditation group connected to a mysterious death and a nefarious scheme targeting vulnerable indigenous people living with addiction. The Navajo Nation police are on high alert when a U.S. Cabinet Secretary schedules an unprecedented trip to the little Navajo town of Shiprock, New Mexico. The visit coincides with a plan to resume uranium mining along the Navajo Nation border. Tensions around the official’s arrival escalate when the body of a stranger is found in an area restricted for the disposal of radioactive uranium waste. Is it coincidence that a cult with a propensity for violence arrives at a private camp group outside Shiprock the same week to celebrate the summer solstice? When the outsiders’ erratic behavior makes their Navajo hosts uneasy, Officer Bernadette Manuelito is assigned to monitor the situation. She finds a young boy at grave risk, abused women, and other shocking discoveries that plunge her and Lt. Jim Chee into a volatile and deadly situation. Meanwhile, Darleen Manuelito, Bernie’s high spirited younger sister, learns one of her home health clients is gone–and the woman’s daughter doesn’t seem to care. Darleen’s curiosity and sense of duty combine to lead her to discover that the client’s grandson is also missing and that the two have become ensnared in a wickedly complex scheme exploiting indigenous people. Darleen’s information meshes with a case Chee has begun to solve that deals with the evil underside of human nature.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Police Procedural; Cultural Heritage; Native American & Aboriginal;
© 2025., HarperCollins,
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The book of eels : our enduring fascination with the most mysterious creature in the natural world / by Svensson, Patrik,1972-author.; Broomé, Agnes,translator.; translation of:Svensson, Patrik,1972-Ålevangeliet.English.;
Includes bibliographical references."Part H Is for Hawk, part The Soul of an Octopus, The Book of Eels is both a meditation on the world's most elusive fish--the eel--and a reflection on the human condition. Remarkably little is known about the European eel, Anguilla anguilla. So little, in fact, that scientists and philosophers have, for centuries, been obsessed with what has become known as the "eel question": Where do eels come from? What are they? Are they fish or some other kind of creature altogether? Even today, in an age of advanced science, no one has ever seen eels mating or giving birth, and we still don't understand what drives them, after living for decades in freshwater, to swim great distances back to the ocean at the end of their lives. They remain a mystery. Drawing on a breadth of research about eels in literature, history, and modern marine biology, as well as his own experience fishing for eels with his father, Patrik Svensson crafts a mesmerizing portrait of an unusual, utterly misunderstood, and completely captivating animal. In The Book of Eels, we meet renowned historical thinkers, from Aristotle to Sigmund Freud to Rachel Carson, for whom the eel was a singular obsession. And we meet the scientists who spearheaded the search for the eel's point of origin, including Danish marine biologist Johannes Schmidt, who led research efforts in the early twentieth century, catching thousands upon thousands of eels, in the hopes of proving their birthing grounds in the Sargasso Sea. Blending memoir and nature writing at its best, Svensson's journey to understand the eel becomes an exploration of the human condition that delves into overarching issues about our roots and destiny, both as humans and as animals, and, ultimately, how to handle the biggest question of all: death. The result is a gripping and slippery narrative that will surprise and enchant."--
Subjects: Eels.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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