Author: Chandler, Adam, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: 650.1 Format: Books Summary: "An enlightening and entertaining interrogation of the myth of American self-reliance and the idea of hard work as destiny "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration." This phrase, arguably Thomas Edison's most famous quote, has been drilled into the minds of generations of Americans. A fairly straightforward iteration of the idea that innovation, discovery, and ingenuity are the result of drive and grit above all, it has also come to represent much darker myths: that hard work always leads to success and that achievement is the product of individuals and not communities. In this model, those who come out on top are there because they earned it, and everyone else needs to buckle down, glove up, and, maybe one day, they'll get there too. As the wealth gap widens, communities crumble, and Americans work more for less, Adam Chandler raises the question: What happens when perspiration isn't enough? To answer it, he crisscrosses the country interviewing mayors, teachers, generals, pastors, construction workers, and entrepreneurs, to reveal just how untenable relying on "perspiration" as a strategy has truly become. He also delves into America's past to reveal how our government, education system, and culture at large have woven the idea of meritocracy deep into the fabric of American society and how some of history's most famous so-called bootstrappers really built their wealth. From George Washington to Seattle, Washington, Jay Gatsby to Bill Gates, 99% Perspiration unpacks the misguided obsession with hard work that has come to define both the American dream and nightmare, offering insight into how we got here and hope for where we may go"--
Author: Moore, Tyler, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: 648.5 Format: Books Summary: "A father of three with a stressful job, Tyler Moore felt his life resembled an overstuffed closet: disorganized and overly busy behind the tidy, closed doors. When it all became too much--for their 750-square-foot apartment and his nerves--he set out to unpack the physical and emotional mess around him. Chronicling his progress as "Tidy Dad" on Instagram, he learned that tidying is about so much more than the aesthetics and decluttering of a physical space. When he stepped back, analyzed, and named what was just enough, he was able to devise systems and hacks that brought order to his whole life. Drawing on his experience with the everyday highs and lows of parenting, home management, and work/life balance, and filled with his signature warmth and wit, Tidy Up Your Life includes: Tidy Dad's process for tackling Big Picture overwhelm--how to identify what really matters both emotionally and physically to you and the people who share your space. How to arrive at your own definition of "enough" as well as thought experiments for appreciating what you already have. The goal is not "always tidy" but "easily tidied" and other principles for lifting some of the mental and physical burdens we feel when managing our homes. Tips for making a "one-area-a-weekday" cleaning schedule and other simple routines that compliment household rhythms and eliminate intensive weekend cleaning. Helpful illustrations of Tidy Dad's innovative organizing concepts"--
Author: Paul-Choudhury, Sumit, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: 149.5 Format: Books Summary: A reassuring look at the philosophy, psychology, and practice of optimism, and why being optimistic is a moral obligation--even in the face of seemingly insurmountable challenges. Scrolling through our daily newsfeeds we see violence and cruelty, turmoil and injustice, fake news and clickbait, and worsening environmental and social crises--just a few of the dark currents feeding a tidal wave of pessimism. In the face of so many challenges, how can we stay optimistic? And, more important, why should we? In The Bright Side, Sumit Paul-Choudhury answers these pressing questions, arguing that optimism is not only essential for overcoming the challenges we face, but also fundamental to human wellbeing. Drawing on a wide array of evidence--from biology to history, and from economics to meteorology--he delves into the underappreciated roots of optimism, examines its impact on mental health and professional success, and discusses why it has a power that wishful thinking lacks. Additionally, The Bright Side shows how we can apply the principles of optimism to cope with environmental crises, artificial intelligence, and social change. From the polar reaches to the world's mightiest cities, through inspirational figures including explorers, activists, and scientists, the book illustrates optimism in action. A beacon amid dark times, The Bright Side provides a lens through which we can see the challenges we face more clearly--and it also offers tools for solving them, to create a better future for ourselves and generations to come.
Author: Krentz, Jayne Ann, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: LP F KRENTZ Format: Large print Summary: Amelia Rivers, a member of the Lost Night Files podcast team, hires private investigator Gideon Sweetwater to catch the stalker who has been watching her. Amelia suspects the stalker may be connected to the shadowy organisation responsible for the night that she and her two friends lost to amnesia - a night that upended their lives and left them with paranormal talents. Gideon suspects that Amelia is either paranoid or an outright con artist, but he can't resist the chemistry between them. For her part, Amelia has second thoughts about the wisdom of employing the mysterious Mr Sweetwater. She knows she doesn't have time to find another investigator, and Gideon is forced to reckon with the truth when he disrupts what was intended to be Amelia's kidnapping. Now the pair is on the run, with no choice but to return to the haunting ruins of the old hotel where Amelia's lost night occurred. They are desperate to stop a killer and the people who are conducting illegal experiments with a dangerous drug that is designed to enhance psychic abilities. If they are to survive, they will have to trust each other and the passion that bonds them.
Author: Dawson, Kate Winkler, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: 364.152 Format: Books Summary: "On a cold winter day in 1832, Sarah Cornell was found hanging in a barn, four months pregnant, after a disgraceful liaison with a charismatic Methodist minister, Reverend Ephraim Avery. Some (Avery's lawyers) claimed her death was suicide...but others weren't so sure. Determined to uncover the real story, intrepid Victorian writer Catharine Williams threw herself into the investigation and wrote what many claim is the first American true-crime narrative, Fall River. The case and Williams' book became a sensation-one that divided the country and inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter. But the reverend was not convicted, and questions linger to this day about what really led to Sarah Cornell's death. Until now. In The Sinners All Bow, acclaimed true-crime historian Kate Winkler Dawson travels back in time to 19th century small town America, emboldened to finish the work Williams started nearly two centuries before. Using modern investigative advancements-such as "forensic knot analysis" to determine cause of death, the prosecutor's notes from 1833, and criminal profiling which was invented 55 years later with Jack the Ripper-Dawson fills in the gaps of Williams' research to find the truth. Along the way she also examines how society decides who is the "right kind" of crime victim and how America's long history of religious evangelism may have clouded the facts both in the 1830s and today. Ultimately, The Sinners All Bow brings justice to an unsettling mystery that speaks to our past as well as our present, anchored by three women who subverted the script they were given"--
Author: Adams, Sarah, 1991- author. Published: 2025 Call Number: F ADAMS Format: Books Summary: Romance writer Emily Walker finds herself in a love-hate relationship with her neighbor and former nemesis, Jack Bennett, when he threatens to expose her secret identity. "Emily Walker hates having her carefully crafted world disrupted by anyone, most of all her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett. He's the opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer, which is why Emily was perfectly happy when Jack left Rome, Kentucky, mid-school year with his fiancée. The last thing Emily saw coming was Jack's return at the start of the summer after calling off the wedding and ending his relationship, but he's here to stay--as her colleague and her neighbor." --Amazon.com
Author: Suivski, Nicholas, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: J 650.14 SUIVSKI Format: Books Summary: "From writing a cover letter to preparing for interviews, getting a first job can be a challenge. Learn practical steps and strategies for landing that first job and building a lifelong career"--
Author: Hollis, Rachel (Event planner), author. Published: 2025 Call Number: 158.1 Format: Books Summary: "Life isn't always easy. We get tripped up, knocked down, and start to question ourselves. But as #1 New York Times bestselling author Rachel Hollis learned, sometimes it's not answers you need--what helps most are questions. And the best questions can change everything."--Provided by publisher. "Good questions make us think, teach us about ourselves, and if we're honest in our replies, they can reveal the answers we've been searching for. In What If YOU Are the Answer?, Rachel Hollis shares the transformative questions that have helped her heal, grow, and thrive, even when life throws its hardest punches... Throughout this dynamic book, as hilarious as it is wise, Rachel?s questions--and above all, her raw and all-too-real stories--will give you the clarity, courage, and inspiration to embrace your full potential and become the person you were meant to be." --Amazon.com
Author: Burke, Alafair, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: LP F BURKE Format: Large print Summary: "A vacation in the Hamptons goes terribly wrong for three friends with a complicated history. It was meant to be a harmless prank. Growing up, May Hanover was a good girl, always. Well-behaved, top of her class, a compulsive rule-follower. Raised by a first-generation Chinese single mother with high expectations, May didn't have room to slip up, let alone fail. Her friends didn't call her the Little Sheriff for nothing. But even good girls have secrets. And regrets. When it comes to her friendship with Lauren and Kelsey, she's had her fair share of both. Their bond - forged when May was just twelve years old - has withstood a tragic accident, individual scandals, heartbreak and loss. Now the three friends have reunited for the first time in years for a few days of sun and fun in the Hamptons. But a chance encounter with a pair of strangers leads to a drunken prank that goes horribly awry. When she finds herself at the center of an urgent police investigation, May begins to wonder whether Lauren and Kelsey are keeping secrets from her, testing the limits of her loyalty to lifelong friends. What had they gone and done? A propulsive thriller that explores of-the-moment social issues, The Note is a page-turner of the highest order from one of our greatest contemporary suspense writers"--
Author: Beck, Martha Nibley, 1962- author. Published: 2025 Call Number: 152.46 Format: Books Summary: "From bestselling author Martha Beck, a new path to overcoming anxiety by awakening the creativity within We live in an epidemic of anxiety. Most of us assume that the key to overcoming it is to think our way out. And for a while it works. But there is always something that sends us back into the anxious spiral we've been trying to climb out of. In Beyond Anxiety, Dr. Martha Beck explains why anxiety is skyrocketing around you, and likely within you. She also tells you how to not only reduce your anxiety but use it to propel you into a life filled with peace, meaning, and joy. Using a combination of the latest neuroscience as well as her background in sociology and coaching, Beck explains how our brains tend to get stuck in an "anxiety spiral," a feedback system that can increase anxiety indefinitely. To climb out, we must engage different parts of our nervous system-the parts involved in creativity. Beck provides instructions for engaging the "creativity spiral," in a process that not only shuts down anxiety but leads to innovative problem solving, a sense of meaning and purpose, and joyful, intimate connection with others-and with the world. The opposite of anxiety, it turns out, is a wonderful new way of life-one that can calm and inspire us as individuals and help us become a source of healing for everything around us"--
Author: Chapman, Clay McLeod, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: F CHAPMAN Format: Books Summary: "When Noah's aging parents stop returning his calls, he travels to their Virginia home and finds it in shambles. They have been violently possessed via the media they watch--and much of the country is succumbing, too. With his nephew--also unaffected--Noah tries to return home to safety"-- "Noah has been losing his polite Southern parents to far-right cable news for years, so when his mother leaves him a voicemail warning him that the "Great Reawakening" is here, he assumes it's related to one of her many conspiracy theories. But when his phone calls go unanswered, Noah makes the drive from Brooklyn to Richmond, Virginia. There, he discovers his childhood home in shambles and his parents locked in a terrifying trancelike state in front of the TV. Panicked, Noah attempts to snap them out of it..." --Amazon.com
Author: Fagan, Kate (Sports writer), author. Published: 2025 Call Number: F FAGAN Format: Books Summary: "Cate Kay knows how to craft a story. As the creator of a bestselling book trilogy that struck box office gold as a film series, she's one of the most successful authors of her generation. The thing is, Cate Kay doesn't really exist. She's never attended author events or granted any interviews. Her real identity had been a closely guarded secret, until now. As a young adult, she and her best friend Amanda dreamed of escaping their difficult homes and moving to California to become movie stars. But the day before their grand adventure, a tragedy shattered their dreams and Cate has been on the run ever since, taking on different names and charting a new future. But after a shocking revelation, Cate understands that returning home is the only way she'll be a whole person again"--Amazon.com.
Author: Brennan, Allison, author. Published: 2025 2023 Call Number: LP F BRENNAN Format: Large print Summary: "After five years in hiding from their murderous father, the day Kristen and Ryan McIntyre have been dreading has arrived: Boyd McIntyre, head of a Los Angeles crime family, has at last tracked his kids to a small Montana town and is minutes away from kidnapping them. They barely escape in a small plane, but gunfire hits the fuel line. The pilot, a man who has been raising them as his own, manages to crash land in the middle of the Montana wilderness. The siblings hike deep into the woods, searching desperately for safety unaware of the severity of an approaching storm. Boyd's sister Ruby left Los Angeles for the Army years ago, cutting off contact in order to help keep her niece and nephew safe and free from the horrors of the McIntyre clan. So when she gets an emergency call that the plane has gone down with the kids inside, she drops everything to try save them. As the storm builds, Ruby isn't the only person looking for them. Boyd has hired an expert tracker to find and bring them home. And rancher Nick Lorenzo, who knows these mountains better than anyone and doesn't understand why the kids are running, is on their trail too."--
Author: Shelton, Paige, author. Published: 2025 2024 Call Number: LP F SHELTON Format: Large print Summary: "Beth Rivers needs to disappear. Her one-time kidnapper, Travis, is on his way to her town in Alaska, and she's losing time to get out quickly. The perfect spot for Beth and her boyfriend, Tex, to hide presents itself in a camp in the woods, away from Benedict. But when their trip takes them by Blue Mine, a small community that has seen tragedy over the last couple months, plans get diverted. Beth and Tex bring the widow of a recently murdered man back to Benedict for Police Chief Gril to investigate, only to find that nothing is quite what it seems. When the woman vanishes, Beth must be on high alert for further danger. Who knows what other unwelcome disappearances or appearances might be lurking in the unforgiving Alaska storms."--
Author: Flower, Amanda, author. Published: 2025 2024 Call Number: LP F FLOWER Format: Large print Summary: "Amish Candy shop owner and star of TV's Bailey's Amish Sweets, Bailey King has a lot to be excited about. She's happily engaged to Aiden Brody, newly appointed county sheriff, and her candy factory is finally having its grand opening in Harvest, Ohio just before Christmas! Bailey is ready to let the sweet celebrations begin . . . With the help of local community organizer Margot Rawlings, Harvest will have a Candy Land themed Christmas on the village square featuring Bailey's recently perfected recipe for gingerbread men. When the big day comes, everything is going well until bitter news arrives. One of Bailey's Amish friends has been killed in an apparent accident just outside the candy factory. Aiden is promptly on the case with more than a little input from Bailey . . . Together, they soon learn that the victim was working for some powerful men in the county, and in doing so was spying on his own Amish community. Still, Bailey is determined to find the perpetrator. If she can't cut out the killer from the rest of the suspects, her gingerbread men won't be the only ones in danger of disappearing . . ."--
Author: Anderson, Jenny, 1972- author. Winthrop, Rebecca, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: 373.18 Format: Books Summary: "A groundbreaking exploration of the four modes of learning, revealing the root causes of student stress and apathy-with effective parenting strategies for kickstarting teens' inner drive. Some students advertise their disengagement openly, responding to their parents' questions with conversational dead ends like "My day was fine" and complaints like "What is the point of history? I will never use this in the real world!" For the past five years, award-winning journalist Jenny Anderson and Brookings Institution's global education expert Rebecca Winthrop have been investigating why so many children lose their love of learning in adolescence. Now, weaving extensive original research with stories of kids who dramatically transformed their relationship with learning, they offer a powerful toolkit that shows you exactly what to do (and stop doing) to support academic and emotional flourishing. They identify four modes of learning that students use to navigate through the shifting academic demands and social dynamics of middle and high school, shaping internal narratives about their skills, potential, and identity: Resisters struggle silently with profound feelings of inadequacy or invisibility, which they communicate by refusing to do homework, playing sick, skipping class, or acting out. Passengers coast along, consistently doing the bare minimum and complaining that school is pointless, often because their classes don't align with their skills, interests, or learning needs. Achievers show up, do the work, and get high grades, but their achievement obsession can their erode self-worth, causing too many late nights and triggering mental health challenges. Explorers investigate the questions they care about and persist to achieve their goals, driven by internal curiosity rather than external expectations. Understanding your child's learning modes is vital for nurturing their ability to become Explorers. Anderson and Winthrop outline simple yet counterintuitive parenting strategies for connecting with a withdrawn child, tailoring your listening and communication styles to their needs, igniting their curiosity, and building self-awareness and emotional regulation"--
Author: O'Donnell, Paraic, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: F ODONNELL Format: Books Summary: "Something is troubling Inspector Henry Cutter. Sergeant Gideon Bliss is accustomed to his ill-tempered outbursts, but lately the inspector has grown silent and withdrawn. Then, the murders begin. The first to die is the elderly Sir Aneurin Considine, a decorated but obscure civil servant who long ago retired to tend his orchids. If the motive for his killing is a mystery, the manner of his death is more bewildering still. The victims that follow suffer similar fates, their deaths gruesome but immaculately orchestrated. The murderer comes and goes like a ghost, leaving only carefully considered traces. As the hunt for this implacable adversary mounts, the inspector's gloom deepens, and to Sergeant Bliss, his methods seem as mystifying as the crimes themselves. Why is he digging through dusty archives while the murderer stalks further victims? And as hints of past wrongdoing emerge-and with them the faint promise of a motive-why does Cutter seem haunted by some long-ago failing of his own? To find the answers, the meek and hapless sergeant must step out of the inspector's shadow. Aided by Octavia Hillingdon, a steely and resourceful journalist, Bliss will uncover truths that test his deepest beliefs. Hypnotic and twisty, Paraic O'Donnell's The Naming of the Birds will ensnare you until the final pages and leave you questioning what matters most-solving a case or serving justice"--
Author: Knight, Emma (Emma L.), author. Published: 2025 Call Number: F KNIGHT Format: Books Summary: "A witty, warm and brilliantly told debut that is at once a love story, a story of female friendship and motherhood, and an irresistible mystery surrounding an extraordinary British family. Arriving at the University of Edinburgh for her first term, Pen knows her divorced parents back in Canada are hiding something from her. She believes she'll find the answer here in Scotland, where an old friend of her father's--now a famous writer known as Lord Lennox--lives. When she is invited to spend the weekend at Lord Lennox's centuries-old estate with his enveloping, intriguing family, Pen begins to unravel her parents' secret and to fall in love for the first time... Her best friend, Alice, an aspiring actor, is starring in a university production and making the most of the feminine power she wields--until a tryst with her tutor threatens to spin out of control. As Pen experiences the sharp shock of adulthood, she uncovers the truth about her own family and comes to rely on herself for the first time in her life. A rich and rewarding novel of campus life, of sexual awakening, and ultimately, of the many ways women can become mothers in this world, The Life Cycle of the Common Octopus asks to what extent we need to look back in order to move forward"--
Author: Muñoz, Gloria, 1987- author. Published: 2025 2024 Call Number: Y MUNOZ Format: Books Summary: "In a near-future Florida ravaged by climate catastrophe, seventeen-year-old Julieta Villarreal is recruited by a space exploration program for immigrant teens after her twin sister is killed in a car crash"-- "Seventeen-year-old self-proclaimed Goth and aspiring writer Julieta Villareal is drowning. She's grieving her twin sister who dies in a hit-and-run, her Florida home is crumbling under the weight of climate disaster, and she isn't sure how much loner she can stand to stay in a place that doesn't seem to have room for her. Then, Juli is recruited by Cometa, a private space program enlisting high-aptitude New American teens for a high-stake mission to establish humanity's first extraterrestrial settlement. Cometa pitched this opportunity for Juli to give back to her adopted country; Juli sees it as her only chance to do something big with her life. . ."--
Author: Cavalancia, Kaitlyn, author. Published: 2025 Call Number: Y CAVALANC Format: Books Summary: Named in the will of a wealthy man as potential beneficiaries, a group of teenagers must solve a murder to win the magical inheritance. "The only thing sixteen-year-old Mullory Prudence has left of her mom i a warning: "Run if the strange finds you." But mysterious warnings don't pay the bills or help take care of her sick Gran. And they certainly don't make her miserable-after-school-job any more bearable. When unexpected letters start appearing in peculiar places--sealed in bags of dog food and hidden in the refrigerator-- Mullory knows she should avoid them to heed her mother's warning, but her curiosity thinks otherwise. She uncovers an invitation from Stoutmire Estate to compete in a game of Mystery Royale for the chance at a sizeable inheritance. . ."--
