A Bench in the Sun
A Bench in the Sun

Author: Ron Clark

Publisher: Samuel French, Inc.

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 76

ISBN-13: 9780573628184

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Harold and Burt, longtime friends, live in a retirement home and spend their days on a bench in the garden bickering. A once famous actress has just moved in, giving them something new to argue over. When they learn that the home is about to be sold and they will have to find a new residence, the three join forces to prevent this upsetting development.

Brave Enough
Brave Enough

Author: Cheryl Strayed

Publisher: Knopf

Published: 2015-10-27

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 1101946911

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

NATIONAL BEST SELLER • A collection of quotes from the internationally acclaimed author of Wild—drawn from the wide range of her writings—that capture her wisdom, courage, and outspoken humor, presented in a gift-sized package that's as irresistible to give as it is to receive. "Cheryl Strayed is a tough-love truth-teller.... Brave Enough amount[s] to a galvanizing call to be bigger, bolder, more generous.” —The Washington Post Around the world, thousands of people have found inspiration in the words of Cheryl Strayed, who in her three prior books and in her "Dear Sugar" columns has shared the twists and trials of her remarkable life. Her honesty, spirit, and ample supply of tough love have enabled many of us, even in the darkest hours, to somehow put one foot in front of the other—and be brave enough. This book gathers, each on a single page, more than 100 of Strayed's indelible quotes and thoughts—"mini instruction manuals for the soul" that urge us toward the incredible capacity for love, compassion, forgiveness, and endurance that is within us all. · Be brave enough to break your own heart. · You can't ride to the fair unless you get on the pony. · Keep walking. · Acceptance is a small, quiet room. · Romantic love is not a competitive sport. · Forward is the direction of real life. · Ask yourself: What is the best I can do? And then do that.

The Moaner's Bench
The Moaner's Bench

Author: Mars Hill

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Published: 1999-11-03

Total Pages: 384

ISBN-13: 9780060930585

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Sun Hughes, the youngest child of a middle-class family, must learn to deal with life's harsh realities when the Depression reverses his family's fortunes. Sent to live with his Uncle Pet, a proud and zealous Baptist determined to bring religion to his nephew, Sun grows up--and grows wise--as the world his Mama and Papa kept at a distance slowly comes into focus in stark black and white. The powerful metaphor of the moaner's bench--where sinners kneel in church while waiting for the Spirit to strike them into repentance--infuses this often heartbreaking, often hilarious novel of innocence lost. Lyrically written, with a sly sense of humor, The Moaner's Bench is ultimately a story of healing-healing within oneself, healing between oneself and another, and healing within a nation.

Buddwing
Buddwing

Author: Evan Hunter

Publisher: Open Road Media

Published: 2017-06-13

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1504043960

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

An amnesiac hunts for his lost life in every corner of New York City in this “brilliant” novel from the bestselling author of The Blackboard Jungle (Chicago Tribune). Sunrise in Central Park. A man wakes up on a park bench with no idea who he is or how he got there. The only clues to his identity are the gold ring engraved “From G.V.” he wears on his right hand and the black address book with a single phone number he finds in his jacket pocket. Lacking a name, the man takes one from a passing beer truck and a plane flying overheard—Buddwing, he decides to call himself. For the next twenty-four hours, Buddwing searches Manhattan hoping to rediscover his missing life. But no matter where he looks or whom he talks to, the past remains a confusing, disconnected jumble. One key name, however, echoes through the dim corridors of his mind: Grace. Unfortunately, there is no grace to be found in the sprawling city. From the pretty young college student who brings him to her Greenwich Village apartment to the drunken sailor on shore leave who shows him a wild time in Chinatown to the wealthy, disillusioned blonde who claims him as a treasure-hunt prize, no one Buddwing encounters has the answers he seeks. Weary and desperate, he fears the life he’s forgotten is too terrible to recall. But even the most painful memory has to be better than the emptiness of not knowing. Or does it? A vivid, kaleidoscopic portrait of 1950s New York City and a “fascinating exercise in the workings of the psyche,” Buddwing was the basis for the Academy Award–nominated film Mister Buddwing starring James Garner, Suzanne Pleshette, Jean Simmons, and Angela Lansbury (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Evan Hunter’s personal favorite of his many novels, this masterpiece of psychological fiction moves with dreamlike intensity toward a shattering and unforgettable conclusion.

The Bench
The Bench

Author: Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex

Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers

Published: 2021-06-08

Total Pages: 40

ISBN-13: 0593434536

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex’s first children’s book, The Bench, beautifully captures the special relationship between father and son, as seen through a mother’s eyes. The book’s storytelling and illustration give us snapshots of shared moments that evoke a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion. This is your bench Where you’ll witness great joy. From here you will rest See the growth of our boy. In The Bench, Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, touchingly captures the evolving and expanding relationship between father and son and reminds us of the many ways that love can take shape and be expressed in a modern family. Evoking a deep sense of warmth, connection, and compassion, The Bench gives readers a window into shared and enduring moments between a diverse group of fathers and sons—moments of peace and reflection, trust and belief, discovery and learning, and lasting comfort. Working in watercolor for the first time, Caldecott-winning, bestselling illustrator Christian Robinson expands on his signature style to bring joy and softness to the pages, reflecting the beauty of a father’s love through a mother’s eyes. With a universal message, this thoughtful and heartwarming read-aloud is destined to be treasured by families for generations to come.

Lost in the Sun
Lost in the Sun

Author: Lisa Graff

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2016-04-26

Total Pages: 322

ISBN-13: 0147508584

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

From the author of A Tangle of Knots and Absolutely Almost, a touching story about a boy who won't let one tragic accident define him. Everyone says that middle school is awful, but Trent knows nothing could be worse than the year he had in fifth grade, when a freak accident on Cedar Lake left one kid dead, and Trent with a brain full of terrible thoughts he can't get rid of. Trent’s pretty positive the entire disaster was his fault, so for him middle school feels like a fresh start, a chance to prove to everyone that he's not the horrible screw-up they seem to think he is. If only Trent could make that fresh start happen. It isn’t until Trent gets caught up in the whirlwind that is Fallon Little—the girl with the mysterious scar across her face—that things begin to change. Because fresh starts aren’t always easy. Even in baseball, when a fly ball gets lost in the sun, you have to remember to shift your position to find it. Praise for Lost in the Sun: A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year! * "Graff writes with stunning insight [and] consistently demonstrates why character-driven novels can live from generation to generation."--Kirkus Reviews *STARRED* * "Graff creates layered, vulnerable characters that are worth getting to know."--Booklist *STARRED* * "[A]n ambitious and gracefully executed story."--Publishers Weekly *STARRED* * "Weighty matters deftly handled with humor and grace will give this book wide appeal."--School Library Journal *STARRED* * "Characterization is thoughtful."--BCCB *STARRED* “In Lost in the Sun, Trent decides that he will speak the truth: that pain and anger and loss are not the final words, that goodness can find us after all—even when we hide from it. This is a novel that speaks powerfully, honestly, almost shockingly about our human pain and our human redemption. This book will change you.”—Gary Schmidt, two-time Newbery Honor-winning author of The Wednesday Wars and Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy “Lisa Graff crafts a compelling story about a boy touched with tragedy and the world of people he cares about. And like all the best stories, it ends at a new beginning.”—Richard Peck, Newbery Award-winning author of A Year Down Yonder and A Long Way From Chicago Lisa Graff's Awards and Reviews: Lisa Graff's books have been named to 30 state award lists, and A Tangle of Knots was long-listed for the National Book Award.

The Bench
The Bench

Author: Joel Elston

Publisher: Balboa Press

Published: 2015-10-21

Total Pages: 182

ISBN-13: 1504342402

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Bench chronicles the life of a compulsive gambler that takes his addiction to depths most cannot imagine, only to discover that the horrors of addiction would be necessary for the amazing transformation that happened in his recovery. Author Joel Elston recounts his journey through addiction, depression, and eventual recovery and how an old bench on a beach plays a pivotal role over a twenty year span. This brutally honest account of his life is a roller coaster of emotion with an unforeseen twist that even the Author didnt see coming, will leave you speechless.