Search:

Results 51 to 60 of 70 | « previous |

Wired for music : a search for health and joy through the science of sound / by Barton, Adriana(Journalist),author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In this captivating blend of science and memoir, a health journalist and former cellist explores music as a source of health, resilience, connection, and joy. Music isn't just background noise or a series of torturous exercises we remember from piano lessons. In the right doses, it can double as a mild antidepressant, painkiller, sleeping pill, memory aid-and enhance athletic performance while supporting healthy aging. Though music has been used as a healing strategy since ancient times, neuroscientists have only recently discovered how melody and rhythm stimulate core memory, motor, and emotion centers in the brain. But here's the catch: We can tune into music every day and still miss out on some of its potent effects. Adriana Barton learned the hard way. Starting at age five, she studied the cello for nearly two decades, a pursuit that left her with physical injuries and emotional scars. In Wired for Music, she sets out to discover what music is really for, combing through medical studies, discoveries by pioneering neuroscientists, and research from biology and anthropology. Traveling from state-of-the-art science labs to a remote village in Zimbabwe, her investigation gets to the heart of music's profound effects on the human body and brain. Blending science and story, Wired for Music shows how our species' age-old connection to melody and rhythm is wired inside us."--
Subjects: Barton, Adriana (Journalist); Music; Music;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Cheater [electronic resource] : by Rose, Karen.aut; cloudLibrary;
A shocking murder leaves an affluent retirement community reeling in this riveting, high-stakes second installment of the San Diego Case Files, from New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Karen Rose. Death is not an unfamiliar visitor to Shady Oaks Retirement Village, which provides San Diego with premier elderly support from independent retiree housing to full-time hospice care. But when a resident’s body is found brutally stabbed and his apartment ransacked, it’s clear there’s someone deadly in their community. Detective Katherine “Kit” McKittrick quickly discovers that Shady Oaks is full of skeleton-riddled closets, and most tenants prefer to keep their doors firmly closed to the SDPD. A longtime volunteer at the retirement facility, Dr. Sam Reeves honors his late grandfather’s memory by playing the piano for the residents regularly. So it shouldn’t be such a surprise when Kit crosses paths with him during her investigation, after she’d avoided the criminal psychologist—and the emotions he evokes—for the last six months. Sam’s rapport within the retirement village proves vital to the case, and the pair find themselves working together once again—much to Kit’s dismay. But she is determined to apprehend the shadow of death lurking around Shady Oaks...and equally determined to ignore the feelings she’s developing for a certain psychologist.
Subjects: Electronic books.; Police Procedural; Suspense; Suspense;
© 2024., Penguin Publishing Group,
unAPI

The ghost in the house / by O'Leary, Sara,author.;
"What if you found out that there was a ghost haunting your home? What if you found out that you were the ghost? In the middle of her life, Fay wakes up on the top of her piano with a strong intuition that something is not right. To all appearances everything is perfect: married to a man she loves, living in the house she dreamt of as a child, her life is full of possibility. Except--for reasons not immediately clear to Fay--she is now haunting her own once-happy home. Everything that should be familiar is suddenly altered. But furniture in the wrong places and walls the wrong colour are nothing compared to the fact that there is another woman in the house. A woman who is sharing Fay's husband's bed. There is also a strange, wan girl roaming the house and claiming that she has "brought Fay back." Somehow her husband has moved on and made a new life without her and now he finds himself in the unenviable position of sharing a house with two wives, one of whom harbours thoughts of revenge. As Fay begins to come to terms with the reality of her situation, she must confront all of the choices she has made, as well as those she hasn't--and now never will. This glimmering and darkly comedic novel explores both the domestic and the existential, delving into the dark heart of marriage and the meaning of a life. The Ghost in the House strips away all that seems less than essential, leaving behind a story that is raw and polished and as close to true as fiction can be."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Paranormal fiction.; Ghosts; Apparitions; Haunted houses; Marriage;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

More myself : a journey / by Keys, Alicia,author.;
"An intimate, revealing look at one artist's journey from self-censorship to full expression As one of the most celebrated musicians of our time, Alicia Keys has enraptured the nation with her heartfelt lyrics, extraordinary vocal range, and soul-stirring piano compositions. Yet away from the spotlight, Alicia has grappled with private heartache-over the challenging and complex relationship with her father, the people-pleasing nature that characterized her early career, the loss of privacy surrounding her romantic relationships, and the oppressive expectations of female perfection. Since her rise to fame, Alicia's public persona has belied a deep personal truth: she has spent years not fully recognizing or honoring her own worth. After withholding parts of herself for so long, she is at last exploring the questions that live at the heart of her story: Who am I, really? And once I discover that truth, how can I become brave enough to embrace it? More Myself is part autobiography, part narrative documentary. Alicia's journey is revealed not only through her own candid recounting, but also through vivid recollections from those who have walked alongside her. The result is a 360-degree perspective on Alicia's path-from her girlhood in Hell's Kitchen and Harlem, to the process of self-discovery she's still navigating. In More Myself, Alicia shares her quest for truth-about herself, her past, and her shift from sacrificing her spirit to celebrating her worth. With the raw honesty that epitomizes Alicia's artistry, More Myself is at once a riveting account and a clarion call to readers: to define themselves in a world that rarely encourages a true and unique identity"--
Subjects: Autobiographies.; Biographies.; Keys, Alicia,; Rhythm and blues musicians; Singers; Pianists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The secret history of Audrey James : a novel / by Marshall, Heather(Heather J.),author.;
Northern England, 2010 After a tragic accident upends her life, Kate Mercer leaves London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border, where she hopes to find a fresh start and heal from her loss. When she arrives, she begins to unravel the truth about her past, but discovers the mysterious elderly proprietor is harbouring her own secrets ... Berlin, 1938 Audrey James is weeks away from graduating from a prestigious music school in Berlin, where she's been living with her best friend, Ilse Kaplan. As she prepares to finish her piano studies, Audrey dreads the thought of returning to her father in England and leaving Ilse behind. Families like the Kaplans are being targeted, and the stakes grow higher by the day. Restrictions tighten, the borders close to Jews, and rumours swirl about people being apprehended in the street and shipped off to work camps. When Ilse's parents and brother suddenly disappear, two high-ranking Nazi party members confiscate the Kaplans' upscale home, believing it to be empty. In a desperate attempt to keep Ilse safe, Audrey becomes housekeeper for the officers while Ilse is forced into hiding in the attic--a prisoner in her own home. As war in Europe threatens, it isn't long before a shocking turn of events pushes Audrey to become embroiled in cell of the anti-Hitler movement: clusters of resisters working to bring down the Nazis from within Germany itself. But resistance comes with risk, and before the war is over, Audrey must decide what matters most: saving herself, her friend, or sacrificing everything for the greater good.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Anti-Nazi movement; Female friendship; Jewish families; Jewish women; Music students; Secrecy; World War, 1939-1945;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 3
unAPI

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
unAPI

A song for the road : a novel / by Basi, Kathleen M.,author.;
"A debut novel about an unconventional road trip and what it means to honor the ones we love. It's one year after the death of her husband and twin teenagers, and Miriam Tedesco has lost faith in humanity and herself. When a bouquet of flowers that her husband always sends on their anniversary shows up at her workplace, she completely unravels. With the help of her best friend, she realizes that it's time to pick up the pieces and begin to move on. Step one is not even cleaning out her family's possessions, but just taking inventory starting with her daughter's room. But when she opens her daughter's computer, she stumbles across a program her daughter has created detailing an automated cross-country road trip, for her and her husband to take as soon-to-be empty nesters. Seeing and hearing the video clips of her kids embedded in the program, Miriam is determined to take this trip for her children. Armed with her husband's guitar, her daughter's cello, and her son's unfinished piano sonata, she embarks on a musical pilgrimage to grieve the family she fears she never loved enough. Along the way she meets a young, pregnant hitchhiker named Dicey, whose boisterous and spunky attitude reminds Miriam of her own daughter. Tornadoes, impromptu concerts, and an unlikely friendship ... whether she's prepared for it or not, Miriam's world is coming back to life. But as she struggles to keep her focus on the reason she set out on this journey, she has to confront the possibility that the best way to honor her family may be to accept the truths she never wanted to face. Hopeful, honest, and tender, A Song for the Road is about courage, vulnerability, and forgiveness, even of yourself, when it really matters"--
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Grief; Voyages and travels; Female friendship;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Ghost music : a novel / by Yu, An,1992-author.;
"From the author of the "original and electric" Braised Pork (Time), An Yu's enchanting and contemplative novel of music and mushrooms follows a former concert pianist searching for the truth about a vanished musician. For three years, Song Yan has filled the emptiness of her Beijing apartment with the tentative notes of her young piano students. She gave up on her own career as a concert pianist many years ago, but her husband Bowen, an executive at a car company, has long rebuffed her pleas to have a child. He resists even when his mother arrives from the southwestern Chinese region of Yunnan and begins her own campaign for a grandchild. As tension in the household rises, it becomes harder for Song Yan to keep her usual placid demeanor, especially since she is troubled by dreams of a doorless room she can't escape, populated only by a strange orange mushroom. When a parcel of mushrooms native to her mother-in-law's province is delivered seemingly by mistake, Song Yan sees an opportunity to bond with her, and as the packages continue to arrive every week, the women stir-fry and grill the mushrooms, adding them to soups and noodles. When a letter arrives in the mail from the sender of the mushrooms, Song Yan's world begins to tilt further into the surreal. Summoned to an uncanny, seemingly ageless house hidden in a hutong that sits in the middle of the congested city, she finds Bai Yu, a once world-famous pianist who disappeared ten years ago. A gorgeous and atmospheric novel of art and expression, grief and survival, memory and self-discovery, Ghost Music animates contemporary Beijing through the eyes of a lonely yet hopeful young woman and gives vivid color and texture to the promise of new beginnings"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Missing persons; Musicians; Pianists; Women;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Secrets of giants : a journey to uncover the true meaning of strength / by Ages, Alyssa,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."Everyone wants to know if they could do the impossible. Few of us will ever try. Alyssa Ages was the strongest she'd ever been, able to flip Mack truck tires and walk with 300 pounds on her back. She felt invincible, until the day her body betrayed her, leaving her vulnerable and grasping for control. Rebuilding her strength slowly brought her back to life. She began to wonder: What if strength wasn't about how much we can lift? What if it was about how we manage life's struggles? In Secrets of Giants, Ages, now a mom of two, embarks on an immersive journey to the fringe of the weight-lifting world, the sport of strongman. She hoists kegs and lifts boulders in suburban parking lots, attempts to pull a 50-ton truck using only a rope, and occasionally frightens her neighbors by dragging a sled full of weights down her quiet tree-lined street. She meets a powerlifter-turned-boxer who shares how lifting taught her to become a master of the mundane. A ten-time World's Strongest Man competitor is brought to tears illustrating how the gym helped him survive an abusive childhood. A pro strongwoman muses on managing setbacks before stepping on stage to deadlift the weight of a baby grand piano. Psychologists, researchers, and coaches offer insights into the fascinating ways that the pursuit of strength can permeate every aspect of our lives, from building resilience and confidence, to finding joy in discomfort, to teaching us to handle adversity. Part personal narrative, part research mission, part reckless midlife crisis odyssey, Secrets of Giants uncovers why physical strength matters, and how it teaches us that we're capable of so much more than we know"--
Subjects: Muscle strength.; Weight lifters.; Weight lifting; Weight training;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Behind the pickle jar / by McQuaig, Wendy,author.;
Amy Hewston, Assistant Manager of Ultra Luscious Relaxation Spa, is so stressed she can barely function. Her anxiety on overdrive, she finds herself forced to take some time off work, despite her Type A, goal-oriented personality. Her well-meaning husband Matt decides the best road to recovery would be to rent a farmhouse north of the city, where the whole family can relax and regroup. Their two teens are far from onside when their family van pulls into the old farmhouse on Concession 5. While fixing a broken window in the cellar, Amy and Matt come across a diary behind a long-forgotten jar of pickles. The diary belonged to Isabel Huntly who lived in the farmhouse at the turn of the 20th century. As Amy gradually reads through its pages, the history of the century home and the family who lived there takes hold of her psyche. Fascinated by the simple farm lifestyle and the intricate community, in contrast to her own harried existence, there is something about the diary that speaks to her. Suddenly her life choices, which once seemed so clear, are put to the test. She finds herself torn between the need to return to her stressful, high-paced career and her desire to live a simpler life, following her passion for opening a piano bar in a small town. Fraught with indecision, whichever choice Amy makes at this crossroad will affect herself and her family forever. This historical fiction, partially narrated by the old farmhouse itself, takes the reader on a journey through yesteryear, from horse-drawn buggies and church socials to Instagram and iPhones. Many people today can relate to Amy Hewston's hectic life. Her daily struggles, eventual crisis and life-altering decisions, would lead to great discussions over a glass of wine at any book club.
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Diary fiction.; Novels.; Diaries; Families; Farmhouses; Women;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Results 51 to 60 of 70 | « previous |