He was her mirror image. Now the mirror has cracked. Celeste and her identical twin brother, Noble, are as close as can be - until a tragic accident takes Noble's life. It's a loss that pushes their mother, a woman obsessed with New Age superstitions, over the edge. Desperate to keep her son 'alive', Celeste's mother forces her to cut her hair, wear boys' clothes - and take on Noble's identity. Celeste has virtually disappeared - until a handsome boy moves in next door, and Celeste will risk her mother's wrath to let herself come back to life.
In this book, author and divergent thinker Celeste Orr shares 52 of her popular togetherness tips to help families build big family togetherness on good days and bad days, in big ways and small ways, with everything from playing board games to having one-on-ones, talking about tough issues, reframing frozen pizza nights, and going after big family dreams, long-term travel, and adventure too.As a mom of teenagers who often feels like there aren't enough hours in the day or ideas in her head, and as someone who has shared these tips with families around the world in her email group and online platform, Celeste knows no effort is too small and it's never too late to build togetherness with your family - no matter what.With real-life stories and simple, honest examples, this book gives parents, grandparents, and families of all kinds a go-to list of ideas to break the disconnect that is so often a by-product of the modern-day trappings that keep us from having the kind of family life we truly want. It's great as a one-time read and also designed for those who want to keep it at their fingertips for on-the-fly togetherness suggestions when things get sticky at home.
The #1 New York Times bestseller! “Witty, wise, and tender. It's a marvel.” —Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train and A Slow Fire Burning “To say I love this book is an understatement. It’s a deep psychological mystery about the power of motherhood, the intensity of teenage love, and the danger of perfection. It moved me to tears.” —Reese Witherspoon From the bestselling author of Everything I Never Told You and Our Missing Hearts comes a riveting novel that traces the intertwined fates of the picture-perfect Richardson family and the enigmatic mother and daughter who upend their lives. In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned—from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren—an enigmatic artist and single mother—who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town—and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides. Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia’s past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs. Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood—and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster. Named a Best Book of the Year by: People, The Washington Post, Bustle, Esquire, Southern Living, The Daily Beast, GQ, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Audible, Goodreads, Library Reads, Book of the Month, Paste, Kirkus Reviews, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and many more... Perfect for book clubs! Visit celesteng.com for discussion guides and more.
“A welcome antidote to our toxic hustle culture of burnout.”—Arianna Huffington “This book is so important and could truly save lives.”—Elizabeth Gilbert “A clarion call to work smarter [and] accomplish more by doing less.”—Adam Grant We work feverishly to make ourselves happy. So why are we so miserable? Despite our constant search for new ways to optimize our bodies and minds for peak performance, human beings are working more instead of less, living harder not smarter, and becoming more lonely and anxious. We strive for the absolute best in every aspect of our lives, ignoring what we do well naturally and reaching for a bar that keeps rising higher and higher. Why do we measure our time in terms of efficiency instead of meaning? Why can’t we just take a break? In Do Nothing, award-winning journalist Celeste Headlee illuminates a new path ahead, seeking to institute a global shift in our thinking so we can stop sabotaging our well-being, put work aside, and start living instead of doing. As it turns out, we’re searching for external solutions to an internal problem. We won’t find what we’re searching for in punishing diets, productivity apps, or the latest self-improvement schemes. Yet all is not lost—we just need to learn how to take time for ourselves, without agenda or profit, and redefine what is truly worthwhile. Pulling together threads from history, neuroscience, social science, and even paleontology, Headlee examines long-held assumptions about time use, idleness, hard work, and even our ultimate goals. Her research reveals that the habits we cling to are doing us harm; they developed recently in human history, which means they are habits that can, and must, be broken. It’s time to reverse the trend that’s making us all sadder, sicker, and less productive, and return to a way of life that allows us to thrive.
Young, separated and with three children between them, Chloe Vines and Abigail Webb decide theyd be better off living in the tiny, uncharted town of Witchs grove, Kentucky, than to go on living with their alcohol abusing husbands. Abigails brother (Garret) and his wife (Cora) happily invite them to stay in their home through this upsetting obstacle in their life. But when a crazy-eyed old man with his protective, pet opossum has a fear for the new-comers, they get the boot. Things were starting to look bleak for the best-friends until they found Zavier and Abraxas Celeste, who has a house for rent; two gorgeous home-owners up Falcons Climb with an incredible secret and something magical up their sleeve. This book not only captures the problems in every day domestic situations, it is also a tale of triumph! Two main sides in a world of magic are the Godly Paradragons, and the Devilish Mist Witches. Find out how the war started eons ago, and how Chloe and Abby cope wtih the whole immortal dealings. Without the broomsticks, knights and castles, The Celeste will take you back to olden days of England, the time of queen Mary Tudor, all the way to present day U.S.A. Read about Chloe and Abby's infatuation for the Celeste brothers and a major twist, that even their psychic abilities over-looked.
A New York Times Book Review Notable Book of the Year • A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice • Winner of the Alex Award and the Massachusetts Book Award • Named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, San Francisco Chronicle, Entertainment Weekly, The Huffington Post, BuzzFeed, Grantland Booklist, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Shelf Awareness, Book Riot, School Library Journal, Bustle, and Time Our New York The acclaimed debut novel by the author of Little Fires Everywhere and Our Missing Hearts “A taut tale of ever deepening and quickening suspense.” —O, the Oprah Magazine “Explosive . . . Both a propulsive mystery and a profound examination of a mixed-race family.” —Entertainment Weekly “Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.” So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. A profoundly moving story of family, secrets, and longing, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.
An instant New York Times bestseller • A New York Times Notable Book of 2022 • Named a Best Book of 2022 by People, TIME Magazine, The Washington Post, USA Today, NPR, Los Angeles Times, and Oprah Daily, and more • A Reese's Book Club Pick • New York Times Paperback Row Selection From the #1 bestselling author of Little Fires Everywhere, comes the inspiring new novel about a mother’s unshakeable love. “It’s impossible not to be moved.” —Stephen King, The New York Times Book Review “Riveting, tender, and timely.” —People, Book of the Week “Thought-provoking, heart-wrenching . . . I was so invested in the future of this mother and son, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of this deeply suspenseful story!” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book Club Pick) Twelve-year-old Bird Gardner lives a quiet existence with his loving father, a former linguist who now shelves books in a university library. His mother Margaret, a Chinese American poet, left without a trace when he was nine years old. He doesn’t know what happened to her—only that her books have been banned—and he resents that she cared more about her work than about him. Then one day, Bird receives a mysterious letter containing only a cryptic drawing, and soon he is pulled into a quest to find her. His journey will take him back to the many folktales she poured into his head as a child, through the ranks of an underground network of heroic librarians, and finally to New York City, where he will finally learn the truth about what happened to his mother, and what the future holds for them both. Our Missing Hearts is an old story made new, of the ways supposedly civilized communities can ignore the most searing injustice. It’s about the lessons and legacies we pass on to our children, and the power of art to create change.
A fanciful history lesson for middle graders, featuring a charming mouse named Celeste. Celeste is a mouse who is looking for a home. Is it nestled in the toe of a warm boot? In the shirt pocket of Celeste’s new friend Joseph? Or is home the place deep inside Celeste’s heart, where friendships live? Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of black-and-white drawings, A Nest for Celeste is a short novel that tells the story a mouse living in the 1800s and his friendship with John James Audubon’s young apprentice. While enjoying this sweet amd appealing story, young readers will also learn about nineteenth-century plantation life and the famous naturalist who was known for his paintings of birds and American wildlife.
Set to the familiar tune of “The More We Get Together,” this new addition to Barefoot Books’ bestselling singalong collection features a diverse group of children who work together to make their urban neighborhood cleaner, friendlier, and safer for everyone. Sing along as the community bicycles and recycles together, volunteers at an assisted living home, participates in a letter-writing campaign and finally gathers around a potluck meal. End matter includes an age-appropriate introduction to recycling, activism, community gardens, teamwork and more, as well as actionable ways for children to get involved in their own neighborhoods.
Celebrated author and illustrator Henry Cole uses stunningly detailed black-and-white artwork to illuminate a tale of friendship between an adventurous mouse and a boy who would become one of America’s greatest presidents. In this sequel to A Nest for Celeste, Celeste is hundreds of miles from home following an unexpected journey aboard a Mississippi steamboat. After mishaps and disasters, she finds herself on the frontier in southern Indiana. It's 1822, and Celeste meets a tall, lanky boy wielding an ax: a young Abraham Lincoln. The journey reveals the harsh realities of frontier life for the Lincoln family. But with the help of Celeste’s new woodland animal friends and some creativity, she may just prove that even the littlest creatures can make a big difference. And it’s in losing her way that Celeste finds herself in a place she never expected—home, finally. “A stand-alone sequel to A Nest for Celeste (2010), this chapter book has everything that made its predecessor so enjoyable: an inviting format, good storytelling, and at least one large, beautifully drawn shaded pencil illustration on each double-page spread. An inviting entry into historical fiction.” –Booklist
