Download or read book Little Matches written by Maryanne O'Hara and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-04-20 with total page 344 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Gripping and true in all ways. This fine, affecting memoir will stay with me for a very long time.”—Meg Wolitzer, author of The Female Persuasion “In this vividly written memoir novelist O’Hara shares a painful but ultimately beautiful account of her daughter Caitlin’s life with cystic fibrosis. . . . Her compelling story will resonate with anyone seeking a light in the darkest depths of grief.”—Library Journal In the vein of The Year of Magical Thinking and Beautiful Boy, an emotionally raw and inspiring memoir that illuminates a mother’s grief over the loss of her adult child and considers the hope of soulful connections that transcend the boundary of life and death. When their only child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of two, Maryanne O’Hara and her husband were told that Caitlin could live a long life or be dead in a matter of months. Thirty-one years later, Caitlin lost her battle with this devastating disease following an excruciating two-year wait on the transplant list and a last-minute race to locate a pair of healthy lungs. The sudden spiral of events left Maryanne in an existential crisis, searching to find an answer to the eternal question: Why we are here? During her final years, Caitlin had become a source of wisdom and comfort for her mother—the partner with whom she shared a deep spiritual quest to understand what it meant to have a soul. After Caitlin’s passing, Maryanne began to notice signs—poignant, persistent synchronicities that seemed to lean toward proof of Caitlin’s enduring presence. Weaving together a series of interconnected meditations with illuminating glimpses of life rendered via text messages, e-mails, and journal entries, Little Matches is a profound reflection on life and death, motherhood, the pain of chronic uncertainty, and finding inspiration in the unexpected sparks that light our way through the darkness.

Download or read book Everything Happens for a Reason written by Kate Bowler and published by Random House. This book was released on 2018-02-06 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “A meditation on sense-making when there’s no sense to be made, on letting go when we can’t hold on, and on being unafraid even when we’re terrified.”—Lucy Kalanithi “Belongs on the shelf alongside other terrific books about this difficult subject, like Paul Kalanithi’s When Breath Becomes Air and Atul Gawande’s Being Mortal.”—Bill Gates NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY REAL SIMPLE Kate Bowler is a professor at Duke Divinity School with a modest Christian upbringing, but she specializes in the study of the prosperity gospel, a creed that sees fortune as a blessing from God and misfortune as a mark of God’s disapproval. At thirty-five, everything in her life seems to point toward “blessing.” She is thriving in her job, married to her high school sweetheart, and loves life with her newborn son. Then she is diagnosed with stage IV colon cancer. The prospect of her own mortality forces Kate to realize that she has been tacitly subscribing to the prosperity gospel, living with the conviction that she can control the shape of her life with “a surge of determination.” Even as this type of Christianity celebrates the American can-do spirit, it implies that if you “can’t do” and succumb to illness or misfortune, you are a failure. Kate is very sick, and no amount of positive thinking will shrink her tumors. What does it mean to die, she wonders, in a society that insists everything happens for a reason? Kate is stripped of this certainty only to discover that without it, life is hard but beautiful in a way it never has been before. Frank and funny, dark and wise, Kate Bowler pulls the reader deeply into her life in an account she populates affectionately with a colorful, often hilarious retinue of friends, mega-church preachers, relatives, and doctors. Everything Happens for a Reason tells her story, offering up her irreverent, hard-won observations on dying and the ways it has taught her to live. Praise for Everything Happens for a Reason “I fell hard and fast for Kate Bowler. Her writing is naked, elegant, and gripping—she’s like a Christian Joan Didion. I left Kate’s story feeling more present, more grateful, and a hell of a lot less alone. And what else is art for?”—Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Love Warrior and president of Together Rising

Download or read book The Bright Forever written by Lee Martin and published by Crown. This book was released on 2005-05-03 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A dark, harrowing novel about a nine-year-old girl's disappearance and the lasting impact it has on her close-knit community On an evening like any other, nine-year-old Katie Mackey, daughter of the most affluent family in a small town on the plains of Indiana, sets out on her bicycle to return some library books. This simple act is at the heart of The Bright Forever, a deeply affecting novel about the choices people make that change their lives forever. Fact, speculation, and contradiction play off one another as the details about Katie's disappearance--and about the townspeople--unfold, creating a fast-paced story that is as gripping as it is richly human. A nuanced portrayal of the complicated give and take among people struggling to maintain their humanity in the shadow of a loss, The Bright Forever is a compelling and emotional tale about the human need to know even the hardest truth.

Download or read book Kentucky Passion written by Del Duduit and published by Indiana University Press. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 297 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wildcat Wisdom for the Big Blue Nation! For more than a century, the University of Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball team has built a winning tradition that feeds the Big Blue Nation. The history of the winningest program in college basketball is peppered with unforgettable moments and personalities. In Kentucky Passion, Del Duduit and John Huang help fans reexperience some of the most memorable seasons and shots and meet key players and coaches. Readers will learn how they too can rise to challenges and find success through the inspiring stories from Wildcat history. Weekly stories showcasing legendary coaches including Adolph Rupp, Joe B. Hall, Rick Pitino, Tubby Smith, and John Calipari, standout players including John Wall, Kyle Macy, DeAndre Liggins, Goose Givens, and Aaron Harrison, and indelible highs and lows (yes, the BBN still hates Laettner) illustrate the value of persistence, hard work, resiliency, teamwork, and more. Kentucky Passion is for every citizen of the Big Blue Nation and for every sports fan who relishes well-deserved victories, moans at surprise defeats, or wants to learn more about one of the most storied teams in college sports.

Download or read book People You d Trust Your Life To written by Bronwen Wallace and published by McClelland & Stewart. This book was released on 2011-11-24 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Completed shortly before her early death, Bronwen Wallace did not live to see the publication of this, her only book of fiction. Capturing the moment when her unique talent blossomed in a new direction, this new edition of her life-affirming, universal stories will allow her to be read by a another generation of readers. Wallace’s poetry and short stories have been anthologized, and have appeared in periodicals across the country. She won a National Magazine Award, the Pat Lowther Award, the Du Maurier Award for Poetry, and in 1989 she was named Regional Winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize in the U.K.

Download or read book Synchro Sisters Forever written by Katie Reveno and published by . This book was released on 2017-11-09 with total page 94 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Children's chapter book geared toward girls ages 5-8 introduces the Olympic sport of synchronized swimming and teaches life lessons including the values of friendship and perseverance. Written and published by a teenaged swimmer (and first time author) to help grow the sport she loves. All profits from book sales go directly to USA Synchro.

Download or read book Why I Stand written by Jonathan Isaac and published by DW Books. This book was released on 2022-05-17 with total page 144 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Facing public criticism, peer hostility, and widespread disapproval, would you compromise your principles to blend in with the crowd, or would you stand for what you believe? On July 31, 2020, the Orlando Magic starting forward Jonathan Isaac was the lone NBA player not to kneel for the national anthem amid a league-wide demonstration in support of Black Lives Matter. Standing alone, knowing the scrutiny to come, Jonathan had a peace he at one time never could have imagined possible. In Why I Stand, Jonathan shares the journey of how—through a series of divine connections and a willingness to follow Christ—his fear and insecurity-driven life was transformed into one of confidence and purpose. From his childhood in the Bronx to his high school years in Florida, from rail-skinny freshman at FSU to top draft pick in the NBA, Jonathan uses his life story to illuminate the freedom and peace found in the love of Jesus Christ. More than the story of an NBA player’s transformation from man on the court to man of God, Why I Stand is a testament to His love, power, and grace that extends to us all. This book is a discovery that no matter your level of confidence today, God’s strength will develop in your weakness. That courage is found in trusting that God is greater than your fears. As Jonathan takes you through the experiences that drove his decisions, he offers insight and inspiration to help you to grow to a point where standing alone is better than not standing at all.

Download or read book The Bright Forever written by Lee Martin and published by Crown. This book was released on 2006-04-04 with total page 306 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A dark, harrowing novel about a nine-year-old girl's disappearance and the lasting impact it has on her close-knit community On an evening like any other, nine-year-old Katie Mackey, daughter of the most affluent family in a small town on the plains of Indiana, sets out on her bicycle to return some library books. This simple act is at the heart of The Bright Forever, a deeply affecting novel about the choices people make that change their lives forever. Fact, speculation, and contradiction play off one another as the details about Katie's disappearance--and about the townspeople--unfold, creating a fast-paced story that is as gripping as it is richly human. A nuanced portrayal of the complicated give and take among people struggling to maintain their humanity in the shadow of a loss, The Bright Forever is a compelling and emotional tale about the human need to know even the hardest truth.

Download or read book M Is for Mama written by Abbie Halberstadt and published by Harvest House Publishers. This book was released on 2022-02-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mama of ten Abbie Halberstadt helps women humbly and gracefully rise to the high calling of motherhood without settling for mediocrity or losing their minds in the process. Motherhood is a challenge. Unfortunately, our worldly culture offers moms little in the way of real help. Mamas only connect to celebrate surviving another day and to share in their misery rather than rejoice in what God has done and to build each other up in hard times. There has a be a better way, a biblical way, for mamas to grow and thrive. As a daughter of Christ, you have been called to be more than an average mama. Attaining excellence doesn’t have to be unsettling but it will take committed focus and a desire to parent well according to God’s grace and for His glory. M is for Mama offers advice, encouragement, and scripturally sound strategies seasoned with a little bit of humor to help you embrace the challenge of biblical motherhood and raise your children with love and wisdom. Mama, you are worthy of the awesome responsibility God has given you. Now it’s time to start believing you can live up to it.

Download or read book Long Shot written by Kennedy Ryan and published by Bloom Books. This book was released on 2023-08-08 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From award-winning author Kennedy Ryan comes the soul-gripping, unforgettable first installment of the Hoops trilogy. Iris DuPree meets August West in a sports bar during her last semester of college. It's the conversation of a lifetime and sends sparks flying in every direction. The connection is undeniable...but the timing is all wrong. August is poised for the NBA draft, and Iris belongs to another man--basketball's "golden boy" and August's long-time rival. The two go their separate ways, but they often recall that electric night and what could have been. While August has embarked on his all-star life, studded with wealth and fame, Iris's perfect public relationship has become a nightmare behind closed doors. A tarnished dream of fool's gold. When August re-enters her life, the world seems briefly bright again, but Iris's darkest nights are not over yet. To survive, she must build her own strength and trust that her bond with August can endure after all this time. Even when her fraudulent prince has vowed never to let her go.

Download or read book Say You ll Remember Me written by Katie McGarry and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2018-01-30 with total page 279 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Authentic, edgy, and fraught with realistic, heartfelt conflict and romantic tension . . . a fantastic coming of age story.” —Samantha Young, New York Times–bestselling author When Drix was convicted of a crime—one he didn’t commit—he thought his life was over. But opportunity came with the Second Chance Program, the governor’s newest pet project to get delinquents off the streets, rehabilitated, and back into society. Drix knows this is his chance to get his life back on track, even if it means being paraded in front of reporters for a while. Elle knows she lives a life of privilege. As the governor’s daughter, she can open doors with her name alone. But the expectations and pressure to be someone she isn’t may be too much to handle. She wants to follow her own path, whatever that means. When Drix and Elle meet, their connection is immediate, but so are their problems. Drix is not the type of boy Elle’s parents have in mind for her, and Elle is not the kind of girl who can understand Drix’s messy life. But sometimes love can breach all barriers. Fighting against a society that can’t imagine them together, Drix and Elle must push themselves—Drix to confront the truth of the robbery, and Elle to assert her independence—and each other to finally get what they deserve. “This story broke my heart and then stitched it back together before I finished the last page.” —Kami Garcia, #1 New York Times-bestselling coauthor of Beautiful Creatures “McGarry delivers a romantic tale with substance, and Elle and Drix are characters worth getting to know.” —Publishers Weekly

Download or read book Forever One Summer written by George M. Leon and published by Xlibris Corporation. This book was released on 2007-11-20 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is a love story based on events that occurred in my life more than fifty years ago. Some of the names have been changed, and some events may have been diminished or embellished while recalling things that happened when writing the story. The story is a based on recollections of actual experiences I had. It is a story filled with discovery, joy, and the innocence of teenage years back in the fiftys. It also shows how those years became the building blocks of a lifetime. The motivation for writing this came from an extraordinary thing that happened to me in the Spring of 2006 that stirred my memory and caused me to recall with clarity what I had so long ago buried in my subconscious mind. I met a person who became a good friend, but more importantly she reawakened everything I had discovered in that one magical summer back in 1954. Looking back as an adult fifty years later made me realize that there is symmetry in life, but many people never take the time to see it. This all started for me when we returned from our Winter Condo in Boca Raton, Florida in April of 2006. As per my usual morning routine, I continued to awaken early and go over to Starbucks to sit and have my morning cup of Decaf Americano. Id sit there and read the Daily News, or the New York Times, and chat with some fascinating people I had met whod become friends in the several years since I retired. One particular April morning I came in and they had a new person in charge of the morning shift working there. From the moment I saw her I could not stop looking at her. There was something instantly so familiar about her, but I wasnt able to see exactly what it was initially. When I made the connection with what it was it hit me like a ton of bricks. After we were introduced we began chatting briefly, but the more we made small talk, the less I actually heard what she was saying as memories of my past flooded back. All of a sudden I was fifteen years old again. I knew then I had to sit down and somehow get this written. I also knew I would at some point; have to share this amazing story with her if or when I got to know her better. It was interesting recalling my early childhood, and the events that brought me to that wonderful summer of discovery, and falling in love for what I believed then to be the first and last time in my life. That summer held some of the keys to the person I would become as I grew up, and dealt with life at all ages.

Download or read book Keepsake Letters written by Tuesday's Children and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2011-08-19 with total page 236 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Tuesday's Children is proud to self publish the enclosed letters, a compilation of stories and letters from those who lost a loved one on 9/11, including spouses, fiancs, children, grandchildren, parents, brothers, sisters and cousins. The letters are tributes to those lost but also messages of inspiration and strength and hope. On behalf of Tuesdays Children and Brian Curtis, a New York Times bestselling author, and our partner in the project, we thank everyone, who particpated in the project, for taking the time to share their stories and heartfelt letters.

Download or read book Nowhere But Here Thunder Road Book 1 written by Katie McGarry and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2015-06-01 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The long awaited all new series from the #1 bestselling author of Pushing the Limits Emily likes her life the way it is...

Download or read book Grown and Flown written by Lisa Heffernan and published by Flatiron Books. This book was released on 2019-09-03 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: PARENTING NEVER ENDS. From the founders of the #1 site for parents of teens and young adults comes an essential guide for building strong relationships with your teens and preparing them to successfully launch into adulthood The high school and college years: an extended roller coaster of academics, friends, first loves, first break-ups, driver’s ed, jobs, and everything in between. Kids are constantly changing and how we parent them must change, too. But how do we stay close as a family as our lives move apart? Enter the co-founders of Grown and Flown, Lisa Heffernan and Mary Dell Harrington. In the midst of guiding their own kids through this transition, they launched what has become the largest website and online community for parents of fifteen to twenty-five year olds. Now they’ve compiled new takeaways and fresh insights from all that they’ve learned into this handy, must-have guide. Grown and Flown is a one-stop resource for parenting teenagers, leading up to—and through—high school and those first years of independence. It covers everything from the monumental (how to let your kids go) to the mundane (how to shop for a dorm room). Organized by topic—such as academics, anxiety and mental health, college life—it features a combination of stories, advice from professionals, and practical sidebars. Consider this your parenting lifeline: an easy-to-use manual that offers support and perspective. Grown and Flown is required reading for anyone looking to raise an adult with whom you have an enduring, profound connection.

Download or read book Always Forever Endless Harbor Book Two written by Fiona Grace and published by Fiona Grace. This book was released on 2023-05-02 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a new sweet romance series by #1 Bestseller Fiona Grace, Summer is coming for this small town in Maine, and with it the hopeful opening of Ariel Hawthorne’s B&B. But small-town life in Maine is a shock for Miami-transplant Ariel Hawthorne and her teenage daughter. Renovating a house for the first time is an even bigger shock. But nothing is as unexpected as the new love that walks into her life. Can he the one? “Wow, this book takes off & never stops! I couldn't put it down! Highly recommended for those who love a great mystery with twists, turns, romance, and a long lost family member! I am reading the next book right now!” --Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Wish all books were this good a mystery romance and love. Did not want to stop reading this book—loved it.” --Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ALWAYS, FOREVER is book #2 in a new series by #1 bestselling author Fiona Grace, whose books have received over 10,000 five-star reviews and ratings. A charming sweet romance series will transport you to another world, the ENDLESS HARBOR series will make you laugh, make you cry, will keep you turning pages late into the night—and will make you fall in love with romance all over again. A page-turner packed with jaw-dropping twists, it is impossible to put down! Future books in the series are also available. “The story line wasn't just a who done it, but had a story about her life and romance, including village life. Very entertaining.” --Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “It has endearing and sometimes quirky characters, a plot that keeps you reading and the right amount of romance. I can’t wait to start book two!” --Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “What a great story of murder, romance, new beginnings, love, friend ships and a wonderful cascade of mystery.” --Amazon reviewer (regarding Murder in the Manor) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Download or read book We Are Not Like Them written by Christine Pride and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2021-10-05 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A GOOD MORNING AMERICA BOOK CLUB PICK Named a Best Book Pick of 2021 by Harper’s Bazaar and Real Simple Named a Most Anticipated Book of Fall by People, Essence, New York Post, PopSugar, New York Newsday, Entertainment Weekly, Town & Country, Bustle, Fortune, and Book Riot Told from alternating perspectives, this “propulsive, deeply felt tale of race and friendship” (People) follows two women, one Black and one white, whose friendship is indelibly altered by a tragic event. Jen and Riley have been best friends since kindergarten. As adults, they remain as close as sisters, though their lives have taken different directions. Jen married young, and after years of trying, is finally pregnant. Riley pursued her childhood dream of becoming a television journalist and is poised to become one of the first Black female anchors of the top news channel in their hometown of Philadelphia. But the deep bond they share is severely tested when Jen’s husband, a city police officer, is involved in the shooting of an unarmed Black teenager. Six months pregnant, Jen is in freefall as her future, her husband’s freedom, and her friendship with Riley are thrown into uncertainty. Covering this career-making story, Riley wrestles with the implications of this tragic incident for her Black community, her ambitions, and her relationship with her lifelong friend. Like Tayari Jones’s An American Marriage and Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things, We Are Not Like Them takes “us to uncomfortable places—in the best possible way—while capturing so much of what we are all thinking and feeling about race. A sharp, timely, and soul-satisfying novel” (Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author) that is both a powerful conversation starter and a celebration of the enduring power of friendship.