Sixth grade is the worst... and also the best, as Jordan rides the ups and downs of middle-school life in hilarious fashion. Funny, outrageous things didn’t stop for Jordan Sonnenblick after he left fourth grade. No, in many ways the events detailed to hilarious effect in The Boy Who Failed Show and Tell were but a prelude to sixth grade, a time when Jordan would have to deal with... -- A rival named Jiminy (his real name is Jimmy -- but, hey, he looks like a cricket) -- A stickler English teacher who doesn’t care that all the old, worn copies of Great Expectations smell like puke -- An Evel Knievel obsession -- A first crush on a girl from band -- An assistant principal who brands Jordan a repeat offender... on his first day (If you want to know why, you have to read the book. A tooth is involved.) -- A continued reckoning with both anxiety and asthma -- And more!
Josh Wolf--one of the stars and writers of Chelsea Lately and After Lately--delivers a hilarious collection of essays that reminds us all what it takes to conquer fatherhood without sacrificing manhood. Struggling to make it as a stand-up comic didn't always fit with being a single parent. But Josh figured out his own set of rules--through trial and (frequent) error. Early picking up kids from school? The nearby strip club is a great place to kill time and bond with some like-minded dads. Want a drunken heart-to-heart with your son? First make sure there's no Sharpie around in case you pass out. Wondering where to take that special someone at the end of the night? Remember that no sane woman will have sex with you in a one-bedroom apartment where your kids are sleeping--even if you promise to be really, really quiet. Whether it's revealing the secrets to limitless hookups (hint: it's single moms) and getting rid of your children's friends that you just can't stand (hint: it's not single moms), or blackmailing PTA members and ignoring health codes, Josh is sure to impart some parenting wisdom along the way. Or at least have a good time trying.
The Family Ghost By: Max Brown The troubled Darwin family moves to a small New Hampshire town to start their lives over and leave their past behind. They soon discover their beautiful new home is not as empty as it appears. They find they have a ghostly occupant of a teenage boy named Michael Daniels, whose own past mistakes led to his own troubled end. Through his sage advice, words of wisdom, and understanding on the importance of family, the Darwins slowly begin to recover from their past, improve their present, and become a true family once again as they look forward to their future. In turn, Michael begins to resolve his own issues, leading to the resolution he needs to find the peace he desires.
A moving, lyrical, melancholy, and spiritual novel by the acclaimed author of The Night Child, in which Sister Angeline, unwillingly sent to a radical convent and confronting her tragic past, asks the deep question, follow your heart or follow the rules? After surviving a tragedy that killed her entire family, sixteen-year-old Meg joins a cloistered convent, believing it is her life’s work to pray full time for the suffering of others. Taking the name Sister Angeline, she spends her days and nights in silence, moving from one prayerful hour to the next. She prays for the hardships of others, the sick and poor, the loved ones she lost, and her own atonement. When the Archdiocese of Chicago runs out of money to keep the convent open, she is torn from her carefully constructed life and sent to a progressive convent on a rocky island in the Pacific Northwest. There, at the Light of the Sea, five radical feminist nuns have their own vision of faithful service. They do not follow canonical law, they do not live a cloistered life, and they believe in using their voices for change. As Sister Angeline struggles to adapt to her new home, she must navigate her grief, fears, and confusions, while being drawn into the lives of a child in crisis, an angry teen, an EMT suffering survivor’s guilt, and the parish priest who is losing his congregation to the Sisters’ all-inclusive Sunday masses. Through all of this, something seems to have awakened in her, a healing power she has not experienced in years that could be her saving grace, or her downfall. In Angeline, novelist Anna Quinn explores the complexity of our past selves and the discovery of our present truth; the enduring imprints left by our losses, forgiveness and acceptance, and why we believe what we believe. Affecting and beautifully told, Angeline is both poignant and startling and will touch the hearts of anyone who has ever asked themselves: When your foundations crumble and you’ve lost yourself, how do you find the strength to go on? Do you follow your heart or the rules?
Showing you how to embrace your truth, by cutting through the bullsh*t to get to your best life. In this powerfully insightful, no holds barred look at the internal obstacles holding us back from living our true potential, author Amy Goldberg shows readers how to identify, defeat, and deconstruct the inner barriers preventing us from taking decisive action. BE YOUR TRUTH is an inspirational, funny, well-aimed wake-up call guaranteed to galvanize anyone who thinks they are not good enough.
Set in a rapidly gentrifying New York City determined to move beyond the decimation of a generation a decade earlier, What I Did Wrong is a day in the life of Tom, a forty-two-year-old English professor, haunted by the death of his best friend, Zack, who died theatrically and calamitously of AIDS. Tom himself slouches gingerly and precariously into middle age questioning every certainty he had about himself as a gay man while negotiating the field of his college classes, populated as they are with guys whose cocky bravado can’t quite compensate for their own confused masculinity. Tom tries to balance his awkwardly developing friendships with them. In the process, he begins to find common ground with these proud young men and, surprisingly, a way to claim his own place in the world, and in history. A powerfully moving—and often disarmingly funny—book about loss, character, and sexuality in the wake of AIDS, What I Did Wrong is a survivor’s tale in an age when all certainties have lost their logic and focus. It is a romance that embraces its objects from the traumas of toxic masculinity to the aftermath of catastrophic loss amidst the enduring allure of New York City in all its manic and heartbreaking grandeur.
Wall Street Journal and USA Bestseller How to Connect with What’s Most Important in a Hyperconnected World Social media has the power to do a lot of good, but it can also get in the way of authenticity and create a sense of disillusionment. In Overliked, pastor and author Rob Singleton asks readers to take a closer look at the optics in their lives and in the world around them. This is a book about understanding how to see “likes” and “selfie” culture for what they really are and how to connect with the heart of God to build out a new way of thinking about social image. We have technology and social tools all at our disposal, but when we recognize that so many in our culture now look for acceptance in how they’re perceived, feel pressure to project something about themselves that isn’t true, or take action based on facts that have been spun, that’s a problem that runs deep. Singleton shows readers how to find their way through the complexities by pointing them to God, who created truth, genuine love, and meaningful relationships. Written for those who believe—for this generation and the next—that they need to get a better handle on what’s real in this culture and in the lives of those they care about, this book brings authenticity and hope to the center of it all. Singleton offers powerful insights into how we can better leverage the information in the world around us without losing who we are. When we begin to see the real us behind the avatars, we gain the clarity we need to live better, love bigger, and become who we were always meant to be.
Zack Delacruz is back—and this time he has a crush! Zach really wants to meet Abhi, the new girl at school. But things get off to a rough start when he accidentally knocks her to the ground during a game of dodgeball. And whenever he tries to make amends, she just ignores him. Nothing works—not his friends’ advice or his “lucky” cologne. In fact, he just seems more and more cursed! Then, at the Fall Fiesta-val, Zack finally learns the real reason behind Abhi’s cold shoulder . . . but not before total chaos erupts. With a runaway train, exploding confetti-filled eggs, and Abhi’s terrifying older brother, will Zack ever get a chance to talk to his crush? In the end, Zack learns what it means to believe, to listen, and to be a good friend. This dynamite sequel captures the middle-school experience—and will keep readers laughing from beginning to end.
Phillip comes from a circus family, but all he really wants is to be a regular kid. After persuading his parents to let him move in with his aunt and uncle, he winds up in Hardingtown, where everyone is wild about dodgeball. When he gets slammed in the face with a speeding ball in gym class, he decides to take the dodgeball bully to court. But can a circus boy take on the Unofficial Dodgeball Capital of the World? This uproariously funny middle-grade novel carries an inspiring message about sticking to your beliefs, however unpopular they may be.
I probably watch too much news, read too many newspapers, magazines, and blogs, and have too many conversations with people about politics. Often in my mind, I consider myself better than politicians. I may be better than some but not all of them. What I notice is that I make similar mistakes to those in charge. Because of this, I'm willing to say I'm not perfect. And I have the experiences to prove it. Join me in a journey to tell people why I should not run for public office, nor should I receive any write-in votes in the next election. If you do opt for writing my name in on your ballot and are uncertain how, ask for assistance from the helpful people at your voting location and write in my full name, James E. Collins. You may not change an election, but maybe it will change your outlook, knowing that you can vote for whom you want to, not someone you are being told to vote for. As an afterthought, please don't tell me about ending a sentence with a preposition. I tend to do that.
