Search:

Stuff : compulsive hoarding and the meaning of things / by Frost, Randy O.; Steketee, Gail.;
Includes bibliographical references (p. [281]-290).LSC
Subjects: Obsessive-compulsive disorder.; Compulsive hoarding.;
© 2010., Houghton Mifflin Harcourt,
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

Careful what you wish for : a novel of suspense / by Ephron, Hallie,author.;
Emily Harlow is a professional organizer who helps people declutter their lives; she's married to man who can't drive past a yard sale without stopping. He's filled their basement, attic, and garage with his finds. Like other professionals who make a living decluttering peoples' lives, Emily has devised a set of ironclad rules. When working with couples, she makes clear that the client is only allowed to declutter his or her own stuff. That stipulation has kept Emily's own marriage together these past few years. She'd love nothing better than to toss out all her husband's crap. He says he's a collector. Emily knows better--he's a hoarder. The larger his "collection" becomes, the deeper the distance grows between Emily and the man she married. Luckily, Emily's got two new clients to distract herself: an elderly widow whose husband left behind a storage unit she didn't know existed, and a young wife whose husband won't allow her stuff into their house. Emily's initial meeting with the young wife takes a detour when, after too much wine, the women end up fantasizing about how much more pleasant life would be without their collecting spouses. But the next day Emily finds herself in a mess that might be too big for her to clean up. Careful what you wish for, the old adage says ... now Emily might lose her freedom, her marriage ... and possibly her life.
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Storage in the home; Compulsive hoarding; Hoarders; Spouses;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The book of form and emptiness / by Ozeki, Ruth,1956-author.;
"A brilliantly inventive new novel about loss, growing up, and our relationship with things, by the Booker Prize-finalist author of A Tale for the Time Being. After the tragic death of his beloved musician father, fourteen-year-old Benny Oh begins to hear voices. The voices belong to the things in his house--a sneaker, a broken Christmas ornament, a piece of wilted lettuce. Although Benny doesn't understand what these things are saying, he can sense their emotional tone; some are pleasant, a gentle hum or coo, but others are snide, angry and full of pain. When his mother, Annabelle, develops a hoarding problem, the voices grow more clamorous. At first, Benny tries to ignore them, but soon the voices follow him outside the house, onto the street and at school, driving him at last to seek refuge in the silence of a large public library, where objects are well-behaved and know to speak in whispers. There, Benny discovers a strange new world, where "things happen." He falls in love with a mesmerizing street artist with a smug pet ferret, who uses the library as her performance space. He meets a homeless philosopher-poet, who encourages him to ask important questions and find his own voice amongst the many. And he meets his very own Book-a talking thing-who narrates Benny's life and teaches him to listen to the things that truly matter. With its blend of sympathetic characters, riveting plot, and vibrant engagement with everything from jazz, to climate change, to our attachment to material possessions, The Book of Form and Emptiness is classic Ruth Ozeki-bold, wise, poignant, playful, humane and heartbreaking"--
Subjects: Bildungsromans.; Magic realist fiction.; Books; Compulsive hoarding; Fathers; Public libraries; Teenage boys;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The loyal one / by Gray, Shelley Shepard,author.;
"When Katie Steury hires Harley Lambright to remodel her rundown house into a bed-and-breakfast, she does so with trepidation. Though they are longtime friends, they've recently had a rocky relationship, thanks to her being partly responsible for his latest breakup. But while they may not always get along, she needs someone to trust with her secrets, and Harley is nothing if not trustworthy. Katie has always reminded Harley of a bright hummingbird-- she moves a mile a minute, and she possesses a very sharp beak. He's hesitant to accept the job because of his history with Katie. But when he realizes that Katie's been hiding her mother's hoarding, he agrees to help her because it's clear she needs someone on her side. Both soon discover that clearing the debris in an old house can lead to some clean-up in their lives, too. As the house gets a second chance, so does their relationship. Now all they have to do is open their hearts-- and hope and pray that their new bond will also stand the test of time."-- Page [4] of cover.
Subjects: Religious fiction.; Amish; Bed and breakfast accommodations; Compulsive hoarding; Dwellings; Man-woman relationships;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI

The ghost collector / by Mills, Allison.;
Ghosts are everywhere in Shelly's life. Recently passed people, pets, and a boy who lives in the local graveyard are all part of the spirit world that she and her grandmother inhabit. Shelly and her grandmother assist lost souls transitioning to the next world. But when Shelly's mom dies, her relationship to ghosts and death changes. She begins hiding ghosts in her room instead of helping spirits move on. But Shelly can't ignore the one that's missing. Why isn't her mom's ghost coming home?LSC
Subjects: Occult fiction.; Ghost stories.; Cree women; Cree mythology; Funeral rites and ceremonies; Grandparent and child; Grandmothers; Mothers; Grief in adolescence; Compulsive hoarding;
Available copies: 2 / Total copies: 3
unAPI

The book of phobias & manias : a history of obsession / by Summerscale, Kate,1965-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From the winner of the Edgar Award and the Samuel Johnson Prize, a cultural history of "everyday madness." The Book of Phobias and Manias is a thrilling compendium of 99 obsessions that have shaped us all, the rare and the familiar, from ablutophobia (a horror of washing) to syllogomania (a compulsion to hoard) to zoophobia (a fear of animals). Phobias and manias are deeply personal experiences, and among the most common anxiety disorders of our time, but they are also clues to our shared past. The award-winning author Kate Summerscale uses rich and riveting case studies to trace the origins of our obsessions, unearthing a history of human strangeness, from the middle ages to the present day, and a wealth of explanations for some of our most powerful aversions and desires"--
Subjects: Mania.; Phobias.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
unAPI