Annie Duncan will learn about the power of secrets and promises and the depths of a shared history. Annie, Jessie, and Noah were a trio of inseparable friends, their bond serving as a timeless symbol of their past adventures. Unbeknownst to Annie, Jessie and Noah harbored a hidden secret, one that would change their lives forever. Shortly after Annie and Jessie exchanged their vows, Noah embarked on a thrilling journey as a wandering physician, leaving behind their idyllic hometown of Ashbrook. But destiny has a way of bringing people back together, especially in the face of tragedy. When Jessie's life is unexpectedly cut short, Noah resurfaces, driven by the commitment of a promise made long ago. As Annie and Jessie's teenage son, J.R., finds solace and guidance in Noah's presence, Annie grapples with uncertainties. Can the simplicity and warmth of Ashbrook be enough to captivate a man who has experienced the world's grandeur, from sipping champagne at the Eiffel Tower to traversing distant lands? Yet, as J.R. and Noah unite forces, a remarkable journey of rediscovery unfolds for Annie. In this tale of second chances, she learns that love knows no bounds and that the bonds forged in a small town can possess a magic of their own.

Stories in this book should make it easier to virtually travel back in time to a past where we can imagine what emotions were experienced by our ancestors during some of their life events. These stories provide a small window into some of those experiences that formed who they were to a small degree. They acted as we would have acted under similar circumstances but by a different set of values that defined their "time", not ours. Maybe when reading some of these stories, it might remind you of a family member that you know. For example at my age when I look into a mirror I see my father. I'm sure I have inherited many of his characteristics since he was my first and most important teacher/mentor. My ancestors, who are the subjects of these stories, discovered, as we have, that the world of our youth expands quickly as we mature and leave the nest.

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE FOR FICTION NEW YORK TIMES TOP 10 BOOKS OF 2010 Jennifer Egan's spellbinding novel circles the lives of Bennie Salazar, an ageing former punk rocker and record executive, and Sasha, the troubled young woman he employs. We first meet Sasha in her mid-thirties, on her therapist's couch in New York City, confronting her longstanding compulsion to steal. We meet Bennie at the melancholy nadir of his adult life - divorced, struggling to connect with his nine-year-old son, listening to a washed-up band in the basement of a suburban house. Although Bennie and Sasha never discover each other's pasts, the reader does, in intimate detail, along with the secret lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs, over many years, in many places. With music pulsing on every page, this is a startling, exhilarating novel of self-destruction and redemption. Breathtaking work from one of our boldest writers. 'Irresistible. Fiction of the highest quality' Sunday Times 'Egan's precise, calm underwater prose is a persistent pleasure' Daily Telegraph 'Stories that defy narrative convention' Financial Times 'A must-read' Sunday Times

'The only book that will give you a hangover' Chris Evans Breakfast Show --- The hilarious, no holds barred autobiography from sporting legend and broadcaster Alan Brazil. As Alan recounts tales from his extraordinary life, he relives the sporting occasions, radio broadcasts and famously long drinking sessions that have defined his career. He takes readers inside the talkSPORT studio for a behind-the-scenes view of his most memorable interviews, and talks for the first time about the on-pitch rivalries and dressing room debriefs of his footballing career. With his typically outspoken and irreverent delivery, Alan shares everything from his thoughts on how the sports he loves have changed to his top tips for picking winners (and many losers) at Cheltenham. And he revels in wine-soaked jaunts in the South of France and late-night supermarket sweeps with Ray Parlour - if you can keep up. Packed full of never-before-told stories, refreshing appraisals, sporting controversy and a cast of larger-than-life characters, this is a brutally honesty and wickedly funny insight into an extraordinary life.

Grace says goodbye to Grandmother in this touching book about love and loss. Grandmother lives with Grace’s family. She teaches her how to measure water for rice. She tells her stories about growing up in China and together they savor the flavors of her childhood. Grandmother says goodbye when she drops Grace off at school every morning and hello when she picks her up at the end of the day. Suddenly, Grandmother stops walking Grace to and from school, and the door to her room stays closed. Father comes home early to make dinner, but the rice bowls stay full. One day, Grandmother’s room is empty. And soon after, she is buried. After the funeral, Grace’s mom turns on all the outside lights so that Grandmother’s spirit can find its way home for one final goodbye. Carmen Mok’s gentle illustrations show the love between a child and her grandmother in this story that will resonate with anyone who has lost a loved one. Betty Quan’s picture-book debut is haunting yet hopeful. Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts: CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.1.6 Identify who is telling the story at various points in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.1 Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to demonstrate understanding of key details in a text. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.3 Describe how characters in a story respond to major events and challenges. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.2.7 Use information gained from the illustrations and words in a print or digital text to demonstrate understanding of its characters, setting, or plot. CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.3.7 CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.2 Determine a theme of a story, drama, or poem from details in the text, including how characters in a story or drama respond to challenges or how the speaker in a poem reflects upon a topic; summarize the text.

And the sheepherders couldn't believe their ears. God? The One Who made the universe and everything in it? Down here? And the great angel said, "Yes, and unbelievable as it seems, tonight God is a baby. And He's lying in a trough in a place where the animals stay. And He's come here to give everyone in the world a gift. And after tonight the world will never be the same again."