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| Moral Defense by Marcia Clark; narrated by Angela DaweAdult Fiction. In this 2nd fast-paced tale to star Los Angeles attorney Samantha Brinkman, she's been hired as the juvenile advocate for 15-year-old Cassie Sonnenberg. With her mother in a coma and her father and brother dead, Cassie's the only one who knows what happened. But Cassie's story keeps changing, and soon her case is not the only morally and legally ambiguous problem Samantha is juggling. This riveting thriller provides plenty of gray areas to create confusion. In her narration, Angela Dawe "naturally and effortlessly" (Publishers Weekly) delivers author Marcia Clark's witty, colloquial dialogue. |
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Hag-Seed
by Margaret Atwood
Adult Fiction. 'It's got a thunderstorm in it. And revenge. Definitely revenge.' Felix is at the top of his game as Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg Theatre Festival. His productions have amazed and confounded. Now he's staging a Tempest like no other: not only will it boost his reputation, it will heal emotional wounds. Or that was the plan. Instead, after an act of unforeseen treachery, Felix is living in exile in a backwoods hovel, haunted by memories of his beloved lost daughter, Miranda. And brewing revenge. After twelve years, revenge finally arrives in the shape of a theatre course at a nearby prison. Here, Felix and his motley crew of inmate actors will put on his Tempest, and snare the traitors who destroyed him. But will it remake Felix as his enemies fall?
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| The Moth Catcher by Ann Cleeves; narrated by Janine BirkettAdult Fiction. Intrepid DI Vera Stanhope and good-hearted DS Joe Ashworth go to the tiny Northumberland community of Valley Farm to investigate a death...and then discover another corpse at the nearby country home where the dead man had been house sitting. The only connection between the deceased is a mutual affection for moths. As they investigate, the cops discover that many of the residents of Valley Farm have secrets, especially the three middle-aged couples who make up "the retired hedonists' club." This is the 7th book in the Vera Stanhope series (which inspired Vera, the popular TV show starring Brenda Blethyn). |
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The Stranger in the Woods : The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit
by Michael Finkel
Non-Fiction. In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight left his home in Massachusetts, drove to Maine, and disappeared into the woods. He would not have a conversation with another human being until nearly three decades later when he was arrested for stealing food. Living in a tent even in winter, he had survived by his wits and courage, developing ingenious ways to store food and water, to avoid freezing to death. He broke into nearby cottages for food, clothes, reading material, and other provisions, taking only what he needed, but terrifying a community never able to solve the mysterious burglaries. Based on extensive interviews with Knight himself, this is a vividly detailed account of the why and how of his secluded life--as well as the challenges he has faced returning to the world. A riveting story of survival that asks fundamental questions about solitude, community, and what makes a good life, and a deeply moving portrait of a man who was determined to live his own way, and succeeded.
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| The Whole Town's Talking: A Novel by Fannie Flagg; narrated by Kimberly FarrAdult Fiction. Author Fannie Flagg traces the saga of Elmwood Springs, Missouri from its founding in 1889 by Swedish immigrant Lordor Nordstrom to its end in 2022. Filled with generations of interesting characters, the novel seems to portray ordinary doings in a farming community -- until it's revealed that the residents buried in the town's cemetery wake up and resume their interactions with each other, making death a continuation of life. In addition to cameo appearances by Bonnie and Clyde and by Harry Truman, the plot includes a murder mystery. Kimberly Farr narrates the story with distinct character voicing while highlighting Flagg's humor and sympathetically relating sad events. |
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Solve for Happy : Engineering Your Path to Joy
by Mo Gawdat
Non Fiction. Mo Gawdat is the Vice President of Business Innovation at Google’s [X]. Applying his superior skills of logic and problem solving to the issue of happiness, he proposes an equation based on an understanding of how the brain takes in and processes joy and sadness. Then he solves for happy. In 2001, Mo Gawdat, a remarkable thinker and leading technology executive, realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would, examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo’s algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation—and it saved him from despair. In dealing with the horrible loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of “moonshot” goal that he and his colleagues at Google’s “dream factory,” [X], were always aiming for—he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier.
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A Game for All the Family : A Novel
by Sophie Hannah
Adult Fiction. You thought you knew who you were. A stranger knows better. You've left the city and the career that nearly destroyed you--for a fresh start on the coast. But trouble begins when your daughter withdraws, after her new best friend, George, is unfairly expelled from school. You beg the principal to reconsider, only to be told that George hasn't been expelled. Because there is, and was, no George. Who is lying? Who is real? Who is in danger? Who is in control? As you search for answers, the anonymous calls begin a stranger, who insists that you and she share a traumatic past and a guilty secret. And then the caller threatens your life. This is Justine's story. This is Justine's family. This is Justine's game. But it could be yours.
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| Journey's End by Rachel Hawkins; narrated by Saskia MaarleveldJuvenile Fiction. Near the tiny Scottish village of Journey's End lurks the Boundary, a mysterious (and possibly paranormal) fog bank. Twelve-year-old Nolie's father is a scientist who's studying the strange phenomenon, and when Nolie visits him in Journey's End, she makes two new friends: Bel, a local girl who's grown up with legends about the Boundary, and Albert, a boy who emerges from the fog after being lost for 100 years. As the Boundary begins to drift ashore, threatening the village, the friends begin to wonder: could Albert's past hold the answers that might save Journey's End? Saskia Maarleveld's narration clearly distinguishes the characters' personalities and "effortlessly blends" (AudioFile) their American and Scottish accents. |
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Ballplayer
by Chipper Jones
Non Fiction. Before Chipper Jones became an eight-time All-Star who amassed Hall of Fame–worthy statistics during a nineteen-year career with the Atlanta Braves, he was just a country kid from small town Pierson, Florida. A kid who grew up playing baseball in the backyard with his dad dreaming that one day he’d be a major league ballplayer. Chipper Jones tells the story of his rise to the MLB ranks and what it took to stay with one organization his entire career in an era of booming free agency. Ballplayer takes readers into the clubhouse of the Braves’ extraordinary dynasty, from the climax of the World Series championship in 1995 to the last-gasp division win by the 2005 “Baby Braves."
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Hallelujah Anyway : Rediscovering Mercy
by Anne Lamott
Non Fiction. Mercy is radical kindness," Anne Lamott writes in her enthralling and heartening book, Hallelujah Anyway. It's the permission you give others - and yourself - to forgive a debt, to absolve the unabsolvable, to let go of the judgment and pain that make life so difficult. Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by "facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves." It's up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere - "within us and outside us, all around us" - and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other.
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Unplug : A Simple Guide to Meditation for Busy Skeptics and Modern Soul Seekers
by Suze Yalof Schwartz
Non Fiction. Whether you're a Fortune 500 CEO or someone bogged down with a never-ending to-do list, the proven secret to being more effective and living a happier, healthier life is to hurry up and slow down, to unplug. Studies show that you can get more done - and do it better- by doing less, just by consciously unplugging for a few minutes each day and meditating. This revolutionary book by the founder and CEO of the groundbreaking LA-based meditation studio Unplug Meditation brilliantly simplifies this powerful practice and shows the overwhelmed and overworked how easy it is to unplug in order to relieve stress, regain focus, and recharge. This modernized approach to meditation will appeal to anyone, even if - especially if - you believe you have no time, you can't sit still, or that "it's just not you." Schwartz debunks the common misperceptions about meditation, including the notion that you need to sit still for long periods of time, or that you need to "turn off your brain."
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| The Secret Horses of Briar Hill by Megan Shepherd; narrated by Fiona HardinghamJuvenile Fiction. There are horses inside the mirrors at Briar Hill hospital. Only Emmaline, a very sick young patient, can see them, and peeking into their world offers her a welcome break from her loneliness and frustration. When an injured winged horse escapes from the mirror world into the hospital garden, Emmaline devotes herself to protecting the unusual visitor, even as her own health fails. Set in World War II England, The Secret Horses of Briar Hill is a quietly touching story that "blurs the line between real and imaginary" (Booklist), inviting you to dive deep into Emmaline's world. |
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| The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of... by Dava Sobel; narrated by Cassandra CampbellAdult Nonfiction. Beginning in the 1880s, the Harvard College Observatory hired women as "computers," paying them a fraction of what their male counterparts earned to analyze astronomical data and perform complex calculations. The result of their efforts? The Henry Draper Star Catalog, a compendium of spectroscopic classifications for some 225,300 stars. With its focus on the unsung heroines of science, this engaging collective biography by the author of Longitude may appeal to fans of Margot Lee Shetterly's Hidden Figures and Nathalia Holt's Rise of the Rocket Girls. |
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| The Secret Keepers by Trenton Lee Stewart; narrated by Cameron BowenJuvenile Fiction. During his exploration of the walls, rooftops, and out-of-the-way spots in his hometown of New Umbra, Reuben Pedley finds a hidden pocket watch that gives him the power to turn invisible...but also makes him a target. Chased by agents of The Smoke (the mysterious figure that controls New Umbra) Reuben has to outwit and outrun his enemies as he tries to uncover the secrets of the watch's origins and the reach of its incredible powers. If you like author Trenton Lee Stewart's brain-twisting Mysterious Benedict Society series, be sure to check out The Secret Keepers, whose quirky characters are distinctly voiced by Cameron Bowen. |
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