Author: Aaker, Jennifer Lynn, author. Bagdonas, Naomi, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: 152.43
Format: Books
Summary: "Anyone-even you!-can learn how to harness the power of humor in business (and life), based on the popular class at Stanford's Graduate School of Business. Many people understand humor's power intuitively. But when it comes to using it with intention, far fewer know how. As a result, humor is vastly underleveraged in most workplaces today, impacting our performance, relationships, and health, and contributing to a permanent and unsightly frown known as "resting boss face." In fact, research shows that humor is one of the most powerful tools we have for accomplishing serious things. Top executives know this, which is why 98 percent prefer employees with a sense of humor, and 84 percent believe these employees do better work. Studies show that humor makes us appear more competent and confident, strengthens relationships, unlocks creativity, and boosts our resilience during difficult times. That's why Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas teach the popular course Humor: Serious Business at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, where they help some of the world's most hard-driving, blazer-wearing business minds build levity into their organizations and lives. In Humor, Seriously, they draw on findings by behavioral scientists, advice from world-class comedians, and stories from real-life business leaders to reveal how humor works and-more important-how you can make greater and better use of it. Aaker and Bagdonas unpack the theory and application of humor: what makes something funny, how to mine your life for material, and how to craft a joke. They show how to use humor to make a strong first impression, deliver difficult feedback, and foster cultures where levity and creativity can thrive. And they explore the gray areas of humor: how to keep it appropriate-and recover if you cross a line. President Dwight D. Eisenhower once said, "A sense of humor is part of the art of leadership, of getting along with people, of getting things done." If Eisenhower-the second least naturally funny president ever (after Franklin Pierce)-thought humor was necessary to win wars and build highways, then you might consider learning it too. Seriously"--
Author: Lea, Caroline, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: LP F LEA
Format: Large print
Summary: In the wake of the Allies' victory in North Africa, 1,000 Italian soldiers have been sent to a remote island off the Scottish coast to wait out the war. Their arrival has divided the island's community. Nerves frayed from three years of war and the constant threat of invasion, many locals fear the enemy prisoners and do not want them there. Where their neighbors see bloodthirsty enemies, however, orphaned sisters Dorothy and Constance see sick and wounded men unused to the freezing cold of an Orkney winter, and volunteer to nurse them. While doing so Dorothy finds herself immediately drawn to Cesare, a young man broken by the horrors of battle. But as the war drags on, tensions between the islanders and the outsiders deepen, and Dorothy's connection to Cesare threatens the bond she shares with Constance. Since the loss of their parents, the sisters have relied on each other. Now, their loyalty will be tested, each forced to weigh duty against desire...until, one fateful evening, a choice must be made, one that will have devastating consequences.
Author: Aubray, Camille, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: LP F AUBRAY
Format: Large print
Summary: Godmothers to one another's children, four women who married into a prosperous Italian family must come together, despite secrets and betrayals, when their husbands are forced to leave them during World War II, pitting them against notorious gangsters who run the streets of New York City.
Author: Lippman, Laura, 1959- author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F LIPPMAN
Format: Books
Summary: Bedridden after a freak accident, a novelist begins to question his own sanity as he moves through dreamlike memories of his own fictional characters. Injured in a freak accident, novelist Gerry Andersen lies in a hospital bed in his glamorous but sterile apartment, isolated from the busy world he can see through his windows. He is utterly dependent on two women he barely knows: his young assistant and a night nurse whose competency he questions. As he moves in and out of dreamlike memories and seemingly random appearances of a persistent ex-girlfriend at his bedside, Gerry fears he may be losing his grip on reality, much like his mother who recently passed away from dementia. He believes he's being plagued by strange telephone calls, in which a woman claiming to be Aubrey, the titular character of his hit novel Dream Girl, swears she will be coming to see him soon. Is he the victim of a cruel prank, or is he actually losing his mind? -- adapted from jacket
Author: Künsken, Derek, author.
Published: 2021 2020
Call Number: F KUNSKEN
Format: Books
Summary: "Life can exist anywhere. And anywhere there is life, there is home. In the swirling clouds of Venus, the families of La Colonie live on floating plant-like trawlers, salvaging what they can in the fierce acid rain and crackling storms. Outside is dangerous, but humankind's hold on the planet is fragile and they spend most of their days simply surviving. But Venus carries its own secrets, too. In the depths, there is a wind that shouldn't exist. And the House of Styx wants to harness it."--
Author: Colgan, Jenny, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F COLGAN
Format: Books
Summary: Moving to a Cornish seaside village, hoping for peace and solitude, lonely registrar Marisa Rosso, feeling like life is passing her by, unexpectedly finds her joy again with the help of her noisy neighbor, the community spirit and a campaign to save the local bakery. Moving to the tidal island of Mount Polbearne, a Cornish seaside village, hoping for peace and solitude, Marisa Rosso, feeling like life is passing her by. She is struggling to get over the death of her beloved grandfather, back home in Italy. Her job as a registrar keeps her dealing with births, weddings, and deaths, but the solitude she craves proves elusive. Dealing with the community spirit of a tiny village struggling back to life after the quarantine, and the pressing need to help save the local bakery, can Marisa find her joy again at the end of the world? -- adapted from jacket
Author: Hughley, D. L. (Darryl L.), 1963- author. Moe, Doug (Comedian), author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: 305.8
Format: Books
Summary: As COVID-19 gripped America, we learned that African American communities were being disproportionately infected and killed by the pandemic. Minority communities lag behind in access to medical care, healthy food, clean air and water, mental health care, education, and more. D.L. Hughley does a deep dive into the white lies surrounding Black public health, resulting in a lively work of social commentary that's essential for understanding race relations in America today. D. L. Hughley offers a fearless satire that exposes racism's unjust tole on our bodies and minds. --
Author: Johnson, Diane, 1934- author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F JOHNSON
Format: Books
Summary: "A comedic novel about an American woman leaving her 20-year marriage to her French husband, returning to her native San Francisco to pick up the life she left behind, and the entwining lives of her children and grandchildren"-- In Lorna Mott Comes Home, Diane Johnson brings us into the dreamy, anxiety-filled American world of Lorna Mott Dumas, where much has changed and where she struggles to create a new life to support herself. Into the mix--her ex-husband, and the father of her three grown children (all supportive), and grandchildren with their own troubles (money, divorce, real estate, living on the fringe; a thriving software enterprise; a missing child in the far east; grandchildren--new hostages to fortune; and, one, 15 years old, a golden girl yet always different, diagnosed at a young age with diabetes, and now pregnant and determined to have the child). In the midst of a large cast, the precarious balance of comedy and tragedy, happiness and anxiety, contentment and striving, generosity and greed, love and sex, Diane Johnson, our Edith Wharton of expat life, comes home to America to deftly, irresistibly portray, with the lightest of touch, the way we live now.
Author: Feehan, Christine, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F FEEHAN
Format: Books
Summary: "#1 New York Times bestselling author Christine Feehan reaches new heights of passion and suspense in this thrilling novel that takes readers deep into the California backcountry, where a woman is tormented by visions of a killer. It starts in her dreams. Hideous flashes from a nightmare only she can stop. Images of a murderer stalking the ones she cares about most. . . . Stella Harrison thought she had gotten away from the traumas of her past. Running the Sunrise Lake Resort high in the Sierra Nevada mountains has brought her peace, even though she doesn't truly share her quiet life with anyone. Not even Sam, the hired handyman who notices everything and always seems to know exactly what she needs. Stella doesn't know anything about Sam's past, but somehow over the last two years his slow, steady presence has slipped past her defenses. Still, she knows she can't tell him about her recent premonitions. So far there's been no murder. No body. No way to prove what is about to happen without destroying the life she has built for herself. But a killer is out there. And Stella knows that this time she'll do whatever it takes to stop him"--
Author: Vo, Nghi, author. Adaptation of: Fitzgerald, F. Scott (Francis Scott), 1896-1940. Great Gatsby.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F VO
Format: Books
Summary: "Immigrant. Socialite. Magician. Jordan Baker grows up in the most rarefied circles of 1920s American society--she has money, education, a killer golf handicap, and invitations to some of the most exclusive parties of the Jazz Age. She's also queer and Asian, a Vietnamese adoptee treated as an exotic attraction by her peers, while the most important doors remain closed to her. But the world is full of wonders: infernal pacts and dazzling illusions, lost ghosts and elemental mysteries. In all paper is fire, and Jordan can burn the cut paper heart out of a man. She just has to learn how. Nghi Vo's debut novel The Chosen and the Beautiful reinvents this classic of the American canon as a coming-of-age story full of magic, mystery, and glittering excess, and introduces a major new literary voice"--
Author: Mott, Jason, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F MOTT
Format: Books
Summary: "From a New York Times bestselling author, an astounding work of fiction, both incredibly funny and heartfelt, asking readers to embrace the fantastical in order to get to the heart of racism, police violence, and the hidden costs exacted upon not only Black Americans, but America as a whole"-- Soot, a young Black boy, lives in a rural town in the recent past. The Kid, a possibly imaginary child appears to a Black author on a cross-country publicity tour. to promote his bestselling novel. As their stories build and converge, they astonish. As the nation reckons with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news, what it can mean to be Black in America? Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? --adapted from jacket In Jason Mott's Hell of a Book, a Black author sets out on a cross-country publicity tour to promote his bestselling novel. That storyline drives Hell of a Book and is the scaffolding of something much larger and urgent: since Mott's novel also tells the story of Soot, a young Black boy living in a rural town in the recent past, and The Kid, a possibly imaginary child who appears to the author on his tour. As these characters' stories build and build and converge, they astonish. For while this heartbreaking and magical book entertains and is at once about family, love of parents and children, art and money, it's also about the nation's reckoning with a tragic police shooting playing over and over again on the news. And with what it can mean to be Black in America. Who has been killed? Who is The Kid? Will the author finish his book tour, and what kind of world will he leave behind? Unforgettably told, with characters who burn into your mind and an electrifying plot ideal for book club discussion, Hell of a Book is the novel Mott has been writing in his head for the last ten years. And in its final twists, it truly becomes its title.
Author: Roberts, Nora, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: LP F ROBERTS
Format: Large print
Summary: "Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her--before her mother, Lina, stepped in. Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents' house in Maryland, where she spent a long summer drinking lemonade, playing with dogs, making a new best friend--and developing the stirrings of a crush on her friend's ten-year-old brother. Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. There was no point in dwelling on the past. A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos, following in Lina's footsteps but intent on maintaining creative control. And she's just as cool-headed and ambitious as her mother. They aren't close, but they're cordial--as long as neither crosses the other. But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian starts getting as a routine part of her daughter's growing celebrity, Adrian can't help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling. Year after year, they keep arriving--the postmarks changing, but the menacing tone the same. They continue after she returns to Maryland and becomes reacquainted with Raylan, her childhood crush, all grown up and as gorgeously green-eyed as ever. Sometimes it even seems like the terrifying messages are indeed routine, like nothing will come of them. Until the murders start, and the escalation begins ... " -- Amazon.com.
Author: Joshi, Alka, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F JOSHI
Format: Books
Summary: Back in the Pink City where he was once a wily street urchin, Malik, assigned to help Samir Singh's feckless son Ravi build the new public cinema, finds his livelihood, reputation and the people he loves most threatened after Ravi implicates him in a ruthless scandal. 1969. Lakshmi, now married to Dr. Jay Kumar, directs the Healing Garden in Shimla. Malik has finished his private school education, and leaves to apprentice at the Facilities Office of the Jaipur Royal Palace. He finds that not much has changed as he navigates the Pink City of his childhood. Power and money still move seamlessly among the wealthy class, and favors flow from Jaipur's Royal Palace, but only if certain secrets remain buried. When the balcony of the Facilities Office's new cinema collapses on opening night, blame is placed where it is convenient. Searching for the truth, Malik untangles a web of lies. -- adapted from jacket
Author: Gerritsen, Tess, author. Braver, Gary, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F GERRITSE
Format: Books
Summary: "Taryn Moore is young, beautiful, and brilliant, so why would she kill herself? When Detective Frankie Loomis arrives on the scene ... she knows in her gut there's more to the story ... To English professor Jack Dorian, Taryn was the ultimate fantasy: intelligent, adoring, and completely off-limits. But there was also a dark side to Taryn, a dangerous streak that threatened those she turned her affections to, including Jack. And now that she's dead, his problems are just beginning"--
Author: Allen, Marshall (Journalist), author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: 610.289
Format: Books
Summary: "From award-winning ProPublica reporter Marshall Allen, a primer for anyone who wants to fight the predatory health care system--and win. Every year, millions of Americans are overcharged and underserved while the health care industry makes record profits. We know something is wrong, but the layers of bureaucracy designed to discourage complaints make pushing back seem impossible. At least, this is what the health care power players want you to think. Never Pay the First Bill is the guerilla guide to health care the American people and employers need. Drawing on 15 years of investigating the health care industry, reporter Marshall Allen shows how companies and individuals have managed to force medical providers to play fair, and shows how you can, too. He reveals the industry's pressure points and how companies and individuals have fought overbilling, price gouging, insurance denials, and more to get the care they deserve. Laying out a practical plan for protecting yourself against the system's predatory practices, Allen offers the inspiration you need and tried-and-true strategies such as: Analyze and contest your medical bills, so you don't pay more than you should; obtain the billing codes for a procedure in advance; write in an appropriate treatment clause before signing financial documents; get your way by suing in small claims court. Few politicians and CEOs have been willing to stand up to the medical industry. It is up to the American people to equip ourselves to fight back for the sake of our families--and everyone else"--
Author: Moore, Kate (Writer and editor), author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: B PACKARD
Format: Books
Summary: "1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Threatened by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and outspokenness, her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her and makes a plan to put her back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum. The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line--conveniently labeled "crazy" so their voices are ignored. No one is willing to fight for their freedom, and disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose..."--
Author: Brodie, Emma, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F BRODIE
Format: Books
Summary: The year is 1969, and the Bayleen Island Folk Fest is abuzz with one name: Jesse Reid. Jesse Reid's intricate guitar riffs and supple baritone are poised to tip from fame to legend with this one headlining performance. That is, until his motorcycle crashes on the way to the show. Jane Quinn is a Bayleen Island local whose music flows as naturally as her long blond hair. When she and her bandmates are asked to play in Jesse Reid's place at the festival, it almost doesn't seem real. But Jane plants her bare feet on the Main Stage and delivers the performance of a lifetime, stopping Jesse's disappointed fans in their tracks: A star is born. Jesse stays on the island to recover from his near-fatal accident and he strikes up a friendship with Jane, coaching her through the production of her first record. As Jane contends with the music industry's sexism, Jesse becomes her advocate, and what starts as a shared calling soon becomes a passionate love affair. "A scintillating debut from a major new voice in fiction, alive with music, sex, and fame, Songs in Ursa Major is a love story set in 1969 at the crossroads of rock and folk, for fans of Daisy Jones & The Six"--
Author: Neilan, Paul, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: F NEILAN
Format: Books
Summary: "In the near future, after the internet grinds to a halt amid a wave of cyber-attacks, a company named Zodiac steps in to replace it with an evolved, augmented-reality version called The Grid. Harrigan, a hard-drinking private detective living as off-Grid as possible, is about to be evicted from his apartment when a stranger shows up asking for his help in finding Anna, an escort who he claims he's desperately in love with. Turns out that through Harrigan's new client, Anna has come into possession of a program/entity called Mirror, Mirror, which has the capacity to merge The Grid and reality, bending both to the whims of the program's user. Soon Harrigan finds himself up against the last surviving organized crime gangs in Los Angeles, Zodiac's mercenaries, and a mysterious group called The First Church Multiverse, all of whom are hot on the trail of Mirror, Mirror -- if the comet rapidly approaching Earth doesn't kill them all first"--
Author: Flynn, Jack, contributor. McConnell, Freddy, contributor. Blanco, Mykki, contributor. Moore, Mark, contributor. Furnish, David, contributor.
Published: 2021
Call Number: 306.766
Format: Books
Summary: A wonderful collection of essays written by today's queer heroes, featuring contributions from Elton John, Tan France, Gus Kenworthy, Paris Lees, Russell Tovey, Munroe Bergdorf, and many others. In 2016, model and queer activist Jack Guinness decided that the LGBTQ+ community desperately needed to be reminded of its long and glorious history of stardom, and he was spurred to action. The following year, QueerBible.com was born, an online community devoted to celebrating queer heroes, both past and present.
Author: Weiner, Jennifer, author.
Published: 2021
Call Number: LP F WEINER
Format: Large print
Summary: "Daisy Shoemaker can't sleep. With a thriving cooking business, full schedule of volunteer work, and a beautiful home in the Philadelphia suburbs, she should be content. But her teenage daughter can be a handful, her husband can be distant, her work can feel trivial, and she has lots of acquaintances, but no real friends. Still, Daisy knows she's got it good. So why is she up all night? While Daisy tries to identify the root of her dissatisfaction, she's also receiving misdirected emails meant for a woman named Diana Starling, whose email address is just one punctuation mark away from her own. While Daisy's driving carpools, Diana is chairing meetings. While Daisy's making dinner, Diana's making plans to reorganize corporations. Diana's glamorous, sophisticated, single-lady life is miles away from Daisy's simpler existence. When an apology leads to an invitation, the two women meet and become friends. But, as they get closer, we learn that their connection was not completely accidental. Who is this other woman, and what does she want with Daisy?"--
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