Rose wants a baby, but she’s too old. Adam’s musical career is on the line. Newly widowed Evie wonders if it’s time to move on. Twelve-year-old Lizzie has to deal with her father’s heart attack. Mariella can’t stop worrying. Archie is hoping to make a success of his third marriage. And Sammy has to cope with a bad case of indigestion. Each of the principal characters in this collection has a problem or predicament to which there isn’t always an easy solution. If there is a solution... Disquieting, humorous and thought-provoking, these character-driven stories show the often extraordinary and unexpected ways in which their protagonists deal with the fragile moments in their lives. Readers who enjoy sympathetic and insightful short stories about human nature, as well as entertaining slices of daily life, will enjoy this book.

C.1 ST. AID. AMAZON. 03-11-2009. $27.95.

Whether it’s fearful side hugs on one side or sexual abuse on the other, both the culture and the church aren’t doing very well with touch. Singles are staying single longer, dating is wrought with angst over purity, and marriages struggle to not interpret all forms of touch as sexual. Even the Bible seems to have endless rules about not touching things. There is simply no place where touch doesn’t seem threatened or threatening. But a curious thing happens when Jesus comes into His ministry: He touches. Jesus touches the sick and the outcast, the bleeding and the unclean. What could it mean for families, singles, marriages, churches, communities, and the world to have healthy, pure, faithful, ministering touch? Somewhere in the mess of our assumptions and fears about touch, there is something beautiful and good and God-given. As Jesus can show us, there is ministry in touching.

New York Times bestselling author of SHACKING UP and I FLIPPING LOVE YOU Helena Hunting mixes humor and heart in this scandal-filled romantic comedy. HE WANTS TO LOSE CONTROL. Between his parents’ messed up marriage and his narcissistic younger brother, Lincoln Moorehead has spent the majority of his life avoiding his family. After the death of his father, Lincoln finds himself in the middle of the drama. To top it all off, he’s been named CEO of Moorehead Media, much to his brother’s chagrin. But Lincoln’s bad attitude softens when he meets the no-nonsense, gorgeous woman who has been given the task of transforming him from the gruff, wilderness guy to a suave businessman SHE’S TRYING TO HOLD IT TOGETHER. Wren Sterling has been working double time to keep the indiscretions at Moorehead Media at bay, so when she’s presented with a new contract, with new responsibilities and additional incentives, she agrees. Working with the reclusive oldest son of a ridiculously entitled family is worth the hassle if it means she’s that much closer to pursuing her own dreams. What Wren doesn’t expect is to find herself attracted to him, or for it to be mutual. And she certainly doesn’t expect to fall for Lincoln. But when a shocking new Moorehead scandal comes to light, she’s forced to choose between her own family and the broody, cynical CEO.

Some farms grow vegetables or grains, and some raise cows, sheep, chickens, or pigs. But have you ever heard of a butterfly farm? How do you raise a butterfly? On a farm in Costa Rica, workers care for these delicate, winged creatures as they change from eggs to caterpillars to pupae. Like any other crop, the butterflies will eventually leave the farm. But where will they go? And just how do you ship a butterfly? Very carefully! To discover how it works, follow these butterflies on a remarkable journey!

What if all you want is the one thing you can’t have? First grade teacher Emily Towson always does the right thing. The sensible thing. In her dreams, though, she gets to enjoy doing deliciously bad, bad things with the town’s baddest boy: Tanner O’Connor. But when he sells her grandmother a Harley, fantasy meets a hard dose of reality. Tanner can’t believe sweet Emily is standing in his shop—yelling, waving her hands, and looking so damn sexy that he’s having trouble focusing. He’s always had a thing for her. Even during the worst two years of his life, the thought of Emily was the only thing that kept him going. And it’s exactly one hot second before they’re both naked and naughty on Tanner’s tool bench... Except that expired condoms aren’t exactly effective. Now the town’s resident Bad Boy has managed to knock-up the town’s “good girl,” and she stands to lose a whole lot more than just her reputation. But if Tanner steps up, it might just be the biggest gamble this town has seen...