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The sweet spot : the pleasures of suffering and the search for meaning / by Bloom, Paul,1963-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.From the author of Against Empathy comes a different kind of happiness book, one that shows us how suffering is an essential source of both pleasure and meaning in our lives. Why do we so often seek out physical pain and emotional turmoil? We go to movies that make us cry, or scream, or gag. We poke at sores, eat spicy foods, immerse ourselves in hot baths, run marathons. Some of us even seek out pain and humiliation in sexual role-play. Where do these seemingly perverse appetites come from? Drawing on groundbreaking findings from psychology and brain science,The Sweet Spotshows how the right kind of suffering sets the stage for enhanced pleasure. Pain can distract us from our anxieties and help us transcend the self. Choosing to suffer can serve social goals; it can display how tough we are or, conversely, can function as a cry for help. Feelings of fear and sadness are part of the pleasure of immersing ourselves in play and fantasy and can provide certain moral satisfactions. And effort, struggle, and difficulty can, in the right contexts, lead to the joys of mastery and flow. But suffering plays a deeper role as well. We are not natural hedonists-a good life involves more than pleasure. People seek lives of meaning and significance; we aspire to rich relationships and satisfying pursuits, and this requires some amount of struggle, anxiety, and loss. Brilliantly argued, witty, and humane, Paul Bloom shows how a life without chosen suffering would be empty--and, worse than that, boring.
Subjects: Self-help publications.; Conduct of life.; Happiness.; Pain; Pleasure.; Suffering;

Mean moms : a novel / by Rosenblum, Emma,author.;
"A deliciously satisfying and suspenseful story about what happens when a clique of wealthy Manhattan private school moms start getting a taste of exactly what they deserve, instead of just what they can pay for. Meet Frost, Morgan, and Nell -- a wealthy, gorgeous group of New York City moms, the queen bees of downtown Manhattan. Their children attend Atherton Seminary, the top private school in the city, and their social lives revolve around elaborate themed parties. On the first day of school, the arrival of a new mom and mysterious beauty from Miami named Sofia shakes up their world. When Sofia quickly integrates herself into their clique, inexplicably bad things start to happen to the women. Frost is the victim of a hit-and-run electric scooter incident. Nell's dream of launching a fashion line is thwarted when the clothing samples cause people to break out in a rash. Morgan's new sound bath spa is robbed at gunpoint by a moped-driving thief. Morgan declares it all a "negative event cluster," but the other women aren't so sure. Is someone at school out to get them? Another mom with a vendetta? Let's not forget to mention the handsome headmaster, Dr. Broker, who every mom has a crush on (and one of them might be sleeping with). Spanning the course of one eventful Fall in New York, ending with a Surrealist New Year's Eve Ball -- and a possible death, Mean Moms is part satire of upper crust mom-ing and part mystery, interrogating the line between friendship and jealousy, and getting at the question of: What would happen if the woman standing next to you at school pick up was actually a sociopath?"--
Subjects: Thrillers (Fiction); Satirical literature.; Novels.; Female friendship ; Mothers ; Danger; Rich people;

Neglected no more : the urgent need to improve the lives of Canada's elders in the wake of a pandemic / by Picard, André,1960-author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."It took the coronavirus pandemic to open our eyes to the deplorable state of so many of the nation's long-term care homes: the inhumane conditions, overworked and underpaid staff, and lack of oversight. In this timely new book, esteemed health reporter André Picard reveals the full extent of the crisis in eldercare, and offers an urgently needed prescription to fix a broken system. When COVID-19 spread through seniors' residences across Canada, the impact was horrific. Along with widespread illness and a devastating death toll, the situation exposed a decades-old crisis: the shocking systemic neglect towards our elders. Called in to provide emergency care in some of the hardest-hit facilities in Ontario and Quebec, the military issued damning reports of what they encountered. And yet, the failings that were exposed--unappetizing meals, infrequent baths, overmedication, physical abuse and inadequate personal care--have persisted for years in these institutions. In Time to care, André Picard takes a hard look at how we came to embrace mass institutionalization, and lays out what can and must be done to improve the state of care for our elders, a highly vulnerable population with complex needs and little ability to advocate for themselves. Picard shows that the entire eldercare system--fragmented, underfunded and unsupported--is long overdue for a fundamental rethink. We need to find ways to ensure seniors can age gracefully in the community for longer, with supportive home care and respite for family caregivers, and ensure that long-term care homes are not warehouses of isolation and neglect. Our elders deserve nothing less"-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Long-term care facilities; Older people; Older people;

A funny kind of paradise / by Owens, Jo,1961-author.;
When her husband left her with a baby, a toddler and a fledgling business, Francesca managed--she wasn't always gentle or patient, but the business thrived and Chris and Angelina had food to eat. At nearly 70, she feels she's earned a peaceful retirement. But when a massive stroke leaves her voiceless, partially paralyzed and wholly reliant on the staff of an extended care facility, it seems her freedom is lost. However, Francesca is still clear-headed and sharp, and she knows one thing: she wants to live. She savours her view of a majestic chestnut tree through the hospital window, and speaks in her mind to her beloved friend Anna, dead for two years. The daily tasks and dramas of the rotating crew of care aides tether her to the world: Young Lily, eager to fall in love and regularly falling apart when things don't work out; Michiko, with her spiky hair and tattoos and wicked sense of humour; Molly, endlessly kind and skilled in her work; Blaire, cold and enigmatic. Amidst the indignities of bed baths and a feeding tube, Francesca is surprised to experience flashes of hilarity and joy, even the blossoming of a new friendship with a fellow patient. But as she reflects to Anna on her dutiful son and her troubled and absent daughter, regrets and painful realizations rise to the surface. For the first time, there is nowhere for Francesca to hide from her own choices, and she must reckon with her past before it's too late. A Funny Kind of Paradise is a warm and insightful novel about one woman's opportunity for reinvention--for unconditional love, acceptance and closure--in the unlikeliest of places.
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Mother and child; Cerebrovascular disease; Long-term care facilities; Older people;

Fangirl Down A Novel [electronic resource] : by Bailey, Tessa.aut; Dalton, Callie.nrt; cloudLibrary;
#1 New York Times bestselling author Tessa Bailey launches a super sexy sports romance series with a rom-com about a bad boy professional athlete who falls for his biggest fan... Wells Whitaker was once golf’s hottest rising star, but lately, all he has to show for his “promising” career is a killer hangover, a collection of broken clubs, and one remaining supporter. No matter how bad he plays, the beautiful, sunny redhead is always on the sidelines. He curses, she cheers. He scowls, she smiles. But when Wells quits in a blaze of glory and his fangirl finally goes home, he knows he made the greatest mistake of his life. Josephine Doyle believed in the gorgeous, grumpy golfer, even when he didn’t believe in himself. Yet after he throws in the towel, she begins to wonder if her faith was misplaced. Then a determined Wells shows up at her door with a wild proposal: be his new caddy, help him turn his game around, and split the prize money. And considering Josephine’s professional and personal life is in shambles, she could really use the cash… As they travel together, spending days on the green and nights in neighboring hotel rooms, sparks fly. Before long, they’re inseparable, Wells starts winning again, and Josephine is surprised to find a sweet, thoughtful guy underneath his gruff, growly exterior. This hot man wants to brush her hair, feed her snacks, and take bubble baths together? Is this real life? But Wells is technically her boss and an athlete falling for his fangirl would be ridiculous… right?
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Contemporary; Romantic Comedy; Sports;
© 2024., HarperCollins,

Held A Novel [electronic resource] : by Michaels, Anne.aut; cloudLibrary;
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE 2024 GILLER PRIZE • Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize • A Heather's Pick • One of the Globe and Mail’s Best Books of 2023 • Named a Best Book of 2024 by Kirkus Reviews A breathtaking and mysterious new novel from the beloved Anne Michaels, internationally bestselling author of Fugitive Pieces and The Winter Vault. 1917. On a battlefield near the River Aisne, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory—a chance encounter in a pub by a railway, a hot bath with his lover on a winter night, his childhood on a faraway coast—as the snow falls. 1920. John has returned from war to North Yorkshire, near another river—alive, but not whole. Reunited with Helena, an artist, he reopens his photography business and endeavours to keep on living. But the past erupts insistently into the present, as ghosts begin to surface in his pictures: ghosts whose messages he cannot understand. So begins a narrative that spans four generations, moments of connection and consequence igniting and re-igniting as the century unfolds. In luminous moments of desire, comprehension, longing, and transcendence, the sparks fly upward, working their transformations decades later. This resonance through time—not only of actions but also of feelings and perceptions—desire in its many forms—are at the heart of this novel’s profound investigation. Held is a deeply affecting and intensely beautiful novel, full of unforgettable characters and imagery, wisdom and compassion. It explores the deepest mysteries, and the ways in which desire in its many forms—and perhaps the deepest desire, to find meaning—manifests itself. Held moves through history to light upon Darwin, Sir Ernest Rutherford, North Sea ganseys, early photography, Ella Mary Leather, modern field hospitals…while lovers find each other and snow drifts down across the centuries. From the WW1 battlefield where the novel begins, and its opening lines, Held is alive with seeking: "We know life is finite. Why should we believe death lasts forever?”
Subjects: Electronic books.; Literary; Family Life;
© 2023., McClelland & Stewart,

Held A Novel [electronic resource] : by Michaels, Anne.aut; Michaels, Anne.nrt; cloudLibrary;
INSTANT NATIONAL BESTSELLER • WINNER OF THE 2024 GILLER PRIZE • Shortlisted for the 2024 Booker Prize • A Heather's Pick • One of the Globe and Mail’s Best Books of 2023 • Named a Best Book of 2024 by Kirkus Reviews A breathtaking and mysterious new novel from the beloved Anne Michaels, internationally bestselling author of Fugitive Pieces and The Winter Vault. 1917. On a battlefield near the River Aisne, John lies in the aftermath of a blast, unable to move or feel his legs. Struggling to focus his thoughts, he is lost to memory—a chance encounter in a pub by a railway, a hot bath with his lover on a winter night, his childhood on a faraway coast—as the snow falls. 1920. John has returned from war to North Yorkshire, near another river—alive, but not whole. Reunited with Helena, an artist, he reopens his photography business and endeavours to keep on living. But the past erupts insistently into the present, as ghosts begin to surface in his pictures: ghosts whose messages he cannot understand. So begins a narrative that spans four generations, moments of connection and consequence igniting and re-igniting as the century unfolds. In luminous moments of desire, comprehension, longing, and transcendence, the sparks fly upward, working their transformations decades later. This resonance through time—not only of actions but also of feelings and perceptions—desire in its many forms—are at the heart of this novel’s profound investigation. Held is a deeply affecting and intensely beautiful novel, full of unforgettable characters and imagery, wisdom and compassion. It explores the deepest mysteries, and the ways in which desire in its many forms—and perhaps the deepest desire, to find meaning—manifests itself. Held moves through history to light upon Darwin, Sir Ernest Rutherford, North Sea ganseys, early photography, Ella Mary Leather, modern field hospitals…while lovers find each other and snow drifts down across the centuries. From the WW1 battlefield where the novel begins, and its opening lines, Held is alive with seeking: "We know life is finite. Why should we believe death lasts forever?”
Subjects: Audiobooks.; Literary; Family Life;
© 2023., Penguin Random House,

La fiesta del baño / by Pérez-Sauquillo, Vanesa,1978-; Sánchez, Sara(Illustrator);
La sirena Marena los ha invitado a todos a su fiesta del baño. ¡Especialmente los pequeños lectores están invitados! Uno a uno, divertidos personajes irán entrando y saliendo de la bañera. Se bañó el elefante, se bañó el león, ¿Se bañó el corazón? Con su esponja y con su pato, ¡le gusta el baño hasta al gato!
Subjects: Picture books.; Mermaids; Baths; Spanish language materials.;

El pirata apestoso / by Soto, Susana.;
A pirate story with rhyming text to make bath time the most fun part of the day for kids aged 4 and up! Captain Martín is the most famous and the most feared pirate on the seven seas. Aboard his ship, The Smelly, he wins battles left and right. He has a brilliant secret trick: he smells awful! But his sailors, fed up with the stench, threaten to start a mutiny. Will they be able to finally get Captain Martín to take a bath? This fun pirate tale with rhyming text and full-color illustrations, is perfect for children ages 4 and up. It helps families turn bath time into a calm and relaxing nightly routine.
Subjects: Stories in rhyme.; Picture books.; Spanish language materials.; Pirates; Baths;

Le Monstre du Bain / by Boyd, Colin,1978-; Ross, Tony.;
LSC
Subjects: Bains; Monstres; Préférences alimentaires; Vase (Dépôt); Baths; Monsters; Food preferences; Mud;