Just what IS it that makes home such a special place to be? Home's an extra special space you hold within your heart to keep you very close to me when we must be apart. A charming celebration of what home means to all of us, featuring a wise cat and an adorable little kitten who discover that there really is no place like home.

A down on her luck pregnant teen finds herself living in a shopping center in this Oprah's Book Club selection that inspired the film starring Ashley Judd and Natalie Portman. Talk about unlucky sevens. An hour ago, seventeen-year-old, seven months pregnant Novalee Nation was heading for California with her boyfriend. Now she finds herself stranded at a Wal-Mart in Sequoyah, Oklahoma, with just $7.77 in change. But Novalee is about to discover hidden treasures in this small Southwest town–a group of down-to-earth, deeply caring people willing to help a homeless, jobless girl. From Bible-thumping blue-haired Sister Thelma Husband to eccentric librarian Forney Hull, they are about to take her–and you, too–on a moving, funny, and unforgettable journey.

JOHN RANDALL TABOR grew up in north Louisiana in the town of Homer. In 1962 he earned a bachelors degree in English education at Louisiana Tech. In 1968 he was awarded a masters degree in journalism from Louisiana State University. For thirty-three years he taught English composition and news writing at LSU in Shreveport, where he also was director of information services and director of alumni affairs. In addition, Tabor was president of the Ark-La-Tex chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists, Sigma Delta Chi. From 20022003 he wrote a weekly column for The (Homer) Guardian-Journal newspaper and throughout his career he has published a number of feature articles, one of which won first place at the Deep South Writers Conference. He currently lives in the village of Bethany, Louisiana, where he is working on a novel, The Glorious Weight of the Noonday Sun.

Every time someone mentions nursing homes or related stories about the aged residing in them, a sense of pity or horrible thoughts are conjured up in our minds that they are depressing and smell of urine, and seem dark and unwelcoming. So many people today do not visit them. Instead of being a joyful experience, it becomes a nightmare-if only in the mind of the visitors because nursing homes are exploited in the media-that all seniors in a Home are abused and neglected, which is not true. There are quality facilities out there, and we should feel good, instead, about the care now available for a relative with Dementia, or those unable to care for themselves. The truth is we are the ones who refuse to feel, or try to understand what residents, aides, and those involved with the care of the elderly experience. A Home Is Not Always Where The Heart Is is not a serious look at the aged, nor a journal filled with information on why a person develops Alzheimer's disease. Rather it is an honest look-through humor and the day-to-day living of the aged in a home.

Their love story begins with a New Year's Eve Kiss. Liz remembers the day Dirk Mullins appeared on her doorstep. Her family’s life has never been the same. His congenial personality and tenacious temperament make it hard to resist doing whatever it is he suggests. Even if he is five years younger than her. Now Dirk is a man and he has his eyes set on one thing. The muse to his shenanigans, Liz Harper. When he forms an alliance with Liz’s brother and ten-year-old son, getting her to buy into his greatest idea ever should be a piece of cake. Then again, even the best-laid plans have their hidden pitfalls.

Join Amish writer Linda Byler on a trip into a world few are allowed to visit—the world of Amish romance. Hannah, feisty and independent as ever, has put everything into building up her family’s homestead in North Dakota. Despite tragedy and almost unimaginable hardship due to the Great Depression, unpredictable weather, and unforgiving landscape, she and her new husband Jerry are leading their Amish friends and family in their homesteading venture. When the winter storms and the untimely death of a child become too much for the rest of the community to bear, they move back east. But Hannah and Jerry stay on, doggedly pursuing Hannah’s dreams of a successful ranch. But even Jerry’s spirits begin to fail and when a flag of grasshoppers destroys every last morsel of vegetation after yet another drought, Hannah finally relents and they too return to the fertile soil of Pennsylvania, where life will be safe and predictable. Or so they think, but when tragedy strikes again, Hannah is suddenly a widow, in a place that no longer feels like home and with family who cannot grasp the depth of the losses she has experienced. Hannah grapples with her faith, struggling to understand who she is and where she belongs. Always before, a flash of anger or defiance had fueled her strong will in the face of adversity and allowed her to push on toward her goals. But what did she have left to fight for now? Slowly, painfully, her heart begins to change. As she begins to reclaim her faith and her strong sense of self, she also starts to notice a handsome, burly man who is unlike anyone she’s known before. Is it possible she could find love again in Lancaster? What will it take for her to feel like she’s home, like she finally belongs somewhere?

Home Is Where the Heart Is: A Family History of the descendants of Daniel and Emma Monk Book Summary “This book is a testament of the struggle, sacrifice and love that this family has shared for over one hundred years. This work is dedicated to the living descendants and the younger generations of Monk relatives. May this work serve as an inspiration for our family to stay together, to keep love as our primary objective, and may we never forget that home is truly where the heart is!” —Nancy Monk Murrill, Oldest living descendant of Daniel and Emma Monk