Good-Enough Mother

Good-Enough Mother
Author: René Syler
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2007-03-27
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 141695127X

In an ideal world, mothers would have time to hand-sew their kids' costumes for the school play, prepare all-organic meals, and volunteer in the classroom at the drop of a hat. In reality, most moms have to settle for plopping their little ones in front of SpongeBob so that they can prepare yet another chicken nugget-based dinner, guiltily convinced they're falling down on the job. In Good-Enough Mother, René Syler pulls back the curtain to reveal the truth about modern mothering and reassure time-stressed moms that even if their children are strangers to made-from-scratch cookies, they can emerge as happy, well-adjusted, fully functioning members of society. Mother to two great kids of her own, Syler explains how she learned to chuck perfection for practicality -- in short, how she became a Good-Enough Mother. She shows other women seeking to balance family, work, and some semblance of a personal life how to happily join the ranks of Good-Enough Mothers, who occasionally serve breakfast for dinner yet give their children plenty of what really matters -- love, time, and support. Each essay provides welcome empathy and sage advice on navigating life's different obstacles, whether it's dealing with annoying Supermoms, bluffing through a third grader's math homework, or coping with the words that strike terror into every parent's heart ("Your son's teacher on line one"). Offering real wisdom tempered with humor and warmth, Good-Enough Mother will have every modern mom laughing in relief and recognition.

Finding Our Way

Finding Our Way
Author: Rene Saldana, Jr.
Publisher: Laurel Leaf
Total Pages: 130
Release: 2007-12-18
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 030743334X

THESE STORIES TAKE the reader to meet mochos; cholos; Mr. and Mrs. Special; Manny with his mysterious phone calls; Melly, who dreams of being the first girl to take the Dive; Andy and Ruthie, who find that being “boyfriend-girlfriend” takes on new meaning the night of the prom; and Chuy, who seems determined to get kicked out of school. Each distinct voice shares secret thoughts that draw the reader into daily dramas of love, danger, loyalty, and pride. In the final story, a shocking tragedy reverberates through the barrio. “With this collection, Saldaña makes a significant contribution to the field of Latino short stories for young readers.”—VOYA, Starred “These powerfully written, provocative selections have universal appeal and subtle, thoughtful themes.”—School Library Journal “While much is revealed, just as much is implied, making the stories layered and rich while still rendering them accessible.”—The Bulletin

Speak Your Name

Speak Your Name
Author: Laney Rene
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021-01-26
Genre: Bible
ISBN: 9781951701000

Only one name has the power to heal sick and broken people, make blind eyes see clearly, and even to restore the dead to life again. Speaking that one name can eliminate fear, calm moments of intense anxiousness, and transform deeply rooted depression into a forever reality of blessing, favor, and peace. Jesus is that name--and it holds all power in both heaven and on earth. Filled with stunning imagery, all 40 devotionals include scripture, encouragement, and a declaration prayer. Speak Your Name is both a beautiful and powerful reminder of the reality of Jesus and the authority of His name. From the foreword by Sadie Robertson Huff: "Laney will always lead you to the love of Jesus . . . I will tell you, her way of loving is to tell you the truth, challenge you, and push you to your fullness in Him. Get comfy, open your heart, laugh at yourself, and be willing to be challenged and encouraged by Laney's lead and Jesus' love."

Our Subway Baby

Our Subway Baby
Author: Peter Mercurio
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 40
Release: 2020-09-15
Genre: Juvenile Nonfiction
ISBN: 0525554750

This gentle and incredibly poignant picture book tells the true story of how one baby found his home. "Some babies are born into their families. Some are adopted. This is the story of how one baby found his family in the New York City subway." So begins the true story of Kevin and how he found his Daddy Danny and Papa Pete. Written in a direct address to his son, Pete's moving and emotional text tells how his partner, Danny, found a baby tucked away in the corner of a subway station on his way home from work one day. Pete and Danny ended up adopting the baby together. Although neither of them had prepared for the prospect of parenthood, they are reminded, "Where there is love, anything is possible."

Forever

Forever
Author: Tara Fox Hall
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2016-10-03
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1680463578

Navigating the many pitfalls of being bound to the demon Shaker, human Sarelle uses him to force a peace with the vengeful vampire lords. Yet she cannot escape her Oathed vampire Danial's command to engage in a menange-a-trois with her shifter ex-husband, Theo. Sorceress Rene magically intervenes, going in Sar's stead only to be bespelled herself into having Theo's son, Harrison. Secrets long hidden are revealed, as Sar, Lash, and their son are hunted throughout the northeast by the vengeful Valarian and his forces, climaxing in a final bloody reckoning. In the end, Sarelle must face her ultimate tests: to reconcile with loved ones who have betrayed her...or to finally sever the bonds between them, forever.

The Beautiful

The Beautiful
Author: Renée Ahdieh
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2019-10-08
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1524738182

Instant New York Times and Indie Bestseller! New York Times bestselling author Renée Ahdieh returns with a sumptuous, sultry and romantic new series set in 19th century New Orleans where vampires hide in plain sight. In 1872, New Orleans is a city ruled by the dead. But to seventeen-year-old Celine Rousseau, New Orleans is a safe haven after she's forced to flee her life as a dressmaker in Paris. Taken in by the sisters of the Ursuline convent in the middle of the carnival season, Celine is quickly enraptured by the vibrant city, from its music to its fancy soirées and even its danger. She becomes embroiled in the city's glitzy underworld, known as La Cour des Lions, after catching the eye of the group's enigmatic leader, Sébastien Saint Germain. When the body of one of the girls from the convent is found in Sébastien's own lair--the second dead girl to turn up in recent weeks--Celine battles her attraction to Sébastien and suspicions about his guilt along with the shame of her own horrible secret. After a third murder, New Orleans becomes gripped by the terror of a serial killer on the loose--one who has now set Celine in his sights. As the murderer stalks her, Celine finally takes matters into her own hands, only to find herself caught in the midst of an age-old feud between the darkest creatures of the night, where the price of forbidden love is her life. At once a sultry romance and a decadent, thrilling mystery, master storyteller Renée Ahdieh embarks on her most potent fantasy series yet.

Descartes' Baby

Descartes' Baby
Author: Paul Bloom
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 288
Release: 2011-06-08
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 1446473627

Why is a forgery worth so much less than an original work of art?What's so funny about someone slipping on a banana peel? Why, as Freud once asked, is a man willing to kiss a woman passionately, but not use her toothbrush? And how many times should you baptize a two-headed twin? Descartes' Baby answers such questions, questions we may have never thought to ask about such uniquely human traits as art, humour, faith, disgust, and morality. In this thought-provoking and fascinating account of human nature, psychologist Paul Bloom contends that we all see the world in terms of bodies and souls. Even babies have a rich understanding of both the physical and social worlds. They expect objects to obey principles of physics, and they're startled when things disappear or defy gravity. They can read the emotions of adults and respond with their own feelings of anger, sympathy and joy. This perspective remains with us throughout our lives. Using his own researches and new ideas from philosophy, evolutionary biology, aesthetics, theology, and neuroscience, Bloom shows how this way to making sense of reality can explain what makes us human. The myriad ways that our childhood views of the world undergo development throughout our lives and profoundly influences our thoughts, feelings, and actions is the subject of this richly rewarding book.

Room Without a View

Room Without a View
Author: Ricky Douglas
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
Total Pages: 303
Release: 2019-10-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1645849058

Learning that he is sterile and has been for some time was devastating enough to Ty Jaymes. The crushing blow, however, was in the knowledge that if the doctors were correct, not only had his wife lied and been unfaithful but also that the son he'd raised from birth was not the fruit of his loins. This, added to the betrayal of his mother, who at best tolerated him as a child and, at worse, disdained the thought that he was his father's son, was more than he could stand. When a night of drinking ends in the vicious sexual assault of a woman in the bar's parking lot, Ty finds himself facing charges that make his family troubles seem trivial by comparison. Prison was not an easy adjustment for Ty. Trouble above that of the average inmate dogged him at every turn. A confrontation with another offender leaves him permanently blind, further destroying what had once been an all but perfect life. To survive in mind, body, and soul, Ty will have to change the way he thinks, the way he feels, the way he acts. And with the love of a good woman, he does just that. Released from prison and the owner of the most unique restaurant in Houston, again, he finds himself at the pinnacle of life, his world all but perfect. When the horrors of the past begin to haunt his future, his world is crushed anew. No way could this be happening to him again. No way. But it is.

The Child Finder

The Child Finder
Author: Rene Denfeld
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 215
Release: 2017-09-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0062659073

“It’s ‘Deliverance’ encased in ice… Denfeld’s novel is indeed loaded with suspense, its resonance comes from its surprising tilt towards storytelling restraint, a rarity in this typical crackling genre. Elegiac, informative and disquieting. . . . The novel gallops to a suitably heart-racing finish.” — New York Times Book Review A haunting, richly atmospheric, and deeply suspenseful novel from the acclaimed author of The Enchanted about an investigator who must use her unique insights to find a missing little girl. Three years ago, Madison Culver disappeared when her family was choosing a Christmas tree in Oregon’s Skookum National Forest. She would be eight-years-old now—if she has survived. Desperate to find their beloved daughter, certain someone took her, the Culvers turn to Naomi, a private investigator with an uncanny talent for locating the lost and missing. Known to the police and a select group of parents as "the Child Finder," Naomi is their last hope. Naomi’s methodical search takes her deep into the icy, mysterious forest in the Pacific Northwest, and into her own fragmented past. She understands children like Madison because once upon a time, she was a lost girl, too. As Naomi relentlessly pursues and slowly uncovers the truth behind Madison’s disappearance, shards of a dark dream pierce the defenses that have protected her, reminding her of a terrible loss she feels but cannot remember. If she finds Madison, will Naomi ultimately unlock the secrets of her own life? Told in the alternating voices of Naomi and a deeply imaginative child, The Child Finder is a breathtaking, exquisitely rendered literary page-turner about redemption, the line between reality and memories and dreams, and the human capacity to survive.

Hell parental home

Hell parental home
Author: Jacqueline Padberg
Publisher: tredition
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2024-03-23
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 3384182065

In the first part of René's biography, Emilie from 'Crime scene: Parental Home' recounts the terrible experiences of her second half-brother René. Unlike Lars, Emilie's first half-brother, he did not take his own life. Like his older brother Lars, René experiences abuse and torture at the hands of his stepfather in the GDR in the 1970s. For his sadistic stepfather Bert, violence is always a solution. For him, child abuse is part of everyday life. René is scalded with hot water by Bert. He also threatens his grandparents with a knife because he doesn't want to leave and go home. René also often has to watch his older brother Lars being sexually abused in the cellar. At the time, however, he is too young to realize that this is sexual abuse. The biography is based on true events that make you sad, angry and saddened. They reveal the incomprehensible suffering of little René in his parents' home, in the children's home and with his foster family.