a little life novel Audiobooks

Summer fiction at its page-turning best for fans of Elin Hilderbrand, Holly Chamberlin, and Nancy Thayer! Colleen French, acclaimed author of The Summer I Found Myself , brings readers to Albany Beach, Delaware, where one woman must decide whether to seek out the daughter she gave up for adoption. Each year, the start of summer brings bustle and much-needed tourist dollars to the little town of Albany Beach, Delaware. For Natalie Sullivan, this season is proving more stressful than others. It’s make-or-break time for the Irish pub her husband, Conor, recently bought with his brothers. Their two children are thriving, but she’s experiencing pangs of loss at the end of her childbearing years. When sixteen-year-old McKenzie starts gushing about Bella, the new coworker at her summer job, Natalie suddenly finds her past and present in conflict. Bella, two years older than McKenzie, looks so similar that a customer remarks that they could be sisters. And when Natalie learns that Bella was adopted, she is propelled back into a heartbreaking decision. As a college student, Natalie became pregnant and put her baby up for adoption. Now, the more McKenzie talks about Bella, the more Natalie wonders: could Bella be her daughter? Conor insists it’s a mistake to pursue the matter. Natalie’s child belongs to another family now; that was the agreement in the closed adoption. Still, Natalie can’t resist spending time with Bella. As their bond deepens, McKenzie accuses her mother of caring more for a stranger than for her, and Natalie begins imagining what it would be like to have Bella as a second daughter. What will the impact be if Bella really is her biological child? And if she isn’t, can Natalie embrace the joy and potential in her own family, without always wondering about what could have been?

Raising Your Kids to Succeed: What Every Parent Should Know describes what parents can do to be effective and help their children succeed, both in school and in life. Part I opens with some big, foundational questions, including the need for parents to realize their own importance. It goes on to discuss how to create a family mission statement, the importance of creating family traditions and rituals, and the pivotal need to model good behavior. Part II starts by exploring ways to let your kids know the importance you attach to education. It stresses the importance of really listening to your kids, reading to them, getting outside with them to enjoy nature, and teaching them life skills. Part III explores ways for you to be present at your child’s school and to be an advocate for your child. It also focuses on the issue of bullying and how to counter a toxic, sexualized and violent culture. Raise Your Kids to Succeed will help your children succeed and reach all of the dreams that you have for them—and, more important, the ones they have for themselves.

The night I meet Stella, everything changes. Somehow in the course of an evening, this sexy city girl not only gets my mountain man c*ck, but she captures my heart. I have to have her. But the next day, it all comes to a crashing halt. Literally. My life isn’t just mine anymore—now I have my brother’s babies to think about. Our lives were already going in different directions … I have to show her this mountain is the place she belongs. Darling Reader, This story has true love written all over it. It’s dirty, sexy, and WILD(ER) than the last. The cast from TIMBER and BUCKED are back in this novella that was written with you in mind. Treat yourself, sweetie! xo, frankie

Winner of the 2015 COVR Award for Best Self-Help Book! Blamestorming outlines the reasons why our daily conversations go wrong, explains how to respond when they do and provides tips on how to stop them going wrong in the first place. Based on his experience as a highly respected communications coach for international companies and business professionals, Rob Kendall provides a practical guide to achieving more rewarding and effective interactions with everyone in your life - from your boss to your partner. Rob's techniques have been proven to be effective for thousands of people from all walks of life and are presented in an illustrated step-by-step format that makes them easy to put into practice from Day One. Underpinning the book's approach to consistently having better interactions is an explanation of the warning signals that indicate when a conversation is going off track.

Personality is the Key to Professional Success Personal relationships are key to success: In a time when workplaces are becoming more digital and more automated every day, our mindsets and our personal relationships will determine whether we succeed in tomorrow’s markets. We all have one shot to make a lasting impact. Innovators with the changemaker mindset know how to see that opportunity when it comes and make it matter. The human success factor: In the coming years, the human success factor will determine who is among the winners and who is among the losers. All business adventures start with a focus on the self. When you know who you are and develop a deep sense of confidence in yourself, you’ll have the flexibility to roll with the punches. Change comes from within: Whether your goal is to lead a self-determined life, position your company for the future, or be a successful part of a team, external change starts with internal transformation. With The Changemaker Mindset , you’ll master the three Ps of personal development: Purpose. Reconsider what motivates you and find your non-negotiable core principles. People. Build a strong inner circle of peers, because nobody wins alone. Persistence. Develop the confidence to take action, navigate setbacks, and implement change. Readers who liked The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey, Leading Change by John Kotter, and The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton Christensen will love this new approach to effective business management from personal development.

You Can Get Unstuck When author and podcaster Polly Campbell got tired of her hoodie smelling like pizza and her days being clouded by midlife over-exhaustion, emotional burnout, and boredom, she decided to get off the couch and reclaim her core energy. But could this burned-out, chronically ill, middle-aged mother of a teen rediscover her vitality? Yes. And so can you. Small Steps, Big Energy. Self-help books for women often encourage you to throw out the life you’re living and create a fresh start. You, Recharged isn’t about that. You don’t have to quit your mundane job, cut out cocktails, or sign-off of social media to recharge. Instead, Polly Campbell’s inspirational book is about adding things in―good habits, practices, fun, people, activities, self-care strategies―that ignite your essential energy, the sustainable source that fires you up from within and keeps you going during the good and bad. Meaning Ignites Power. When we align with the things that matter to us and allow the “why” to guide us, we are energized. Sure, there are challenges, setbacks, and plenty of things that piss us off, but they don’t have to deplete us. They don’t have to leave us mentally exhausted or take our power. Instead, our energy can be refocused and redirected into things that we value. You, Recharged will help you discover the small but meaningful ways you can feel happier, healthier, and more alive. In this personal development book, find: Easy-to-apply, practical strategies to ease stress, boost energy, and improve health and well-being Short chapters, delivered in a relatable, conversational tone, with plenty of humor Hope and inspiration, so you know that you can also create a meaningful, satisfying life no matter how stuck, lost, bored, and physically exhausted you feel If you were inspired by motivational books and self-help books like Own Your Everyday , How to Stop Feeling Like Sh*t , or The Self-Love Experiment , then you’ll love You, Recharged .

In order to survive her childhood, Vanya Erickson was forced to become fluent in two languages: her Christian Scientist mother’s honeyed versions of the truth; and her rancher father’s hard-as-the-scrape-of-his-bootheels words, which stung like the back of his hand. Long version: From the outside, Vanya’s childhood of riding horses with her father in the solitude of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and attending flamboyant operas with her mother in the city looked idyllic. But life for Vanya was more about learning to gauge and survive her parents’ unpredictable actions - from being left to lie in her own blood-soaked diaper while her Christian Scientist mother prayed, refusing to get medical help, to watching her father writhe on his bed in the detox ward, his hands and feet tethered with leather straps. Vanya the only way she knew how: by immersing herself in the beauty and solitude of the wilderness around her.

Play It Forward details the remarkable journey of Joan Barnes, founder and former CEO of Gymboree, and how she learned to align her inner life with outward success. Forty years ago, Joan Barnes founded a play center in a church basement with $3,000. Determined to enable women to achieve personal and entrepreneurial success, Barnes led Gymboree to become an innovative leader in a new industry: activity-based early childhood development. The company eventually became a global billion-dollar brand. But this dramatic entrepreneurial memoir is also a cautionary tale and redemption story. When GymboreeÕs IPO became a phenomenal success story, Barnes was nowhere near Wall Street. She had left the company because of an eating disorder that threatened to destroy her and everything she built. Barnes overcame the disorder, charting a path that replaced demons with an enduring sense of worth and hope. She eventually resumed her business career on healthier terms with a line of yoga studios in an inspiring example of how women can triumph through reinvention. Published to coincide with GymboreeÕs 40th anniversary, Play It Forward offers readers a deeply honest perspective of the challenges of business building and seeking a work-life balance in tune with personal values.

At age 50, Maria Leonard Olsen drank her way out of her 25-year marriage. She had, against advice, put all her eggs in the motherhood basket, willfully derailing her successful law career. As teenagers, her precious children did not need her in the hands-on way they previously had. Her husband and she had grown apart because, among other things, they failed to nurture that important relationship. She was depressed and stuck. When she turned 50, she had the distinct feeling that she was on the downward slope of her life. Actuarially speaking, she was. So when she turned 50, her gift to herself was to go on a crusade to make the most of whatever time she had left. She set out to do 50 new things that were significant, at least to her. The list spanned physical challenges, adventure travel, and lifestyle changes. Each taught her something about herself and about how she wanted to lead the next years of her life to come. This work follows the work she did to accomplish those 50 new things and shows readers how to make their own action lists - whether it be joining a knitting club or hiking the Himalayas, every item has significance for each individual and speaks to her needs and desires. The list is the match to spark the fire that will light the years after 50. Readers will hear about Maria's adventures and the rewards of each. Accomplishing new things, learning new skills, deepening personal and spiritual relationships, and seeking out challenges will add the spice to a life that may feel repetitive, insignificant, inauthentic, or just plain boring.

An impressive debut mystery novel from Edgar award nominated author Brian Silverman Len Buonfiglio is a former New York bar owner and family man who has disappeared to a small island in the Caribbean. When a genial tour guide, Rawle "Big Tree" Johns is a suspect in an American woman's fall from a cliff, Johns' mother enlists Buonfiglio's help to free her son and prove his innocence. Conflicted by the need to spend time with his 16-year old daughter who he hasn't seen in years, Mr. Len as he's known on the island, reluctantly agrees to help. During his investigation he discovers there are other, much more powerful forces involved in the woman's death that threaten both his life and his family. Advance praise for Freedom Drop: "What a thrill to find Mystery Tribune, one of the best magazines in the business, launching a novel-publishing arm, and launching it with Brian Silverman's FREEDOM DROP. Silverman had me at the Caribbean setting, and held me with his fully human characters -- of both good and bad natures -- and their situation. Both the book and the publisher are welcome additions to the crime-writing world!" - SJ Rozan, Edgar-winning author of THE ART OF VIOLENCE" A mystery steeped in authentic Caribbean atmosphere. Silverman knows his territory, as does his hero, an ex-Marine-turned-sleuth who discovers that, even in paradise, things aren't always what they seem." - Wallace Stroby, author of HEAVEN'S A LIE and SOME DIE NAMELESS. "A buddy book, a whodunit, and a family drama, Freedom Drop is mystery magic." - Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times Bestselling Author of WHAT YOU BREAK "Brian Silverman's Freedom Drop is an exciting and welcome new addition to the crime writing pantheon " - S.A. Cosby, Author of BLACKTOP WASTELAND "An impressive debut...Silverman capably captures the feel of his setting en route to a satisfying conclusion. A sequel is warranted." - Publisher's Weekly