Showing results by narrator "Gabra Zackman" in All Categories

Acclaimed writer Pam Houston says that “Mandelbaum is wise beyond her years and twice as talented”, and The Bright Side Sanctuary for Animals poignantly explores the unique love and tension between mothers and daughters and humans and animals alike. Perceptive and funny, moving and eloquent, and ultimately buoyant, Mandelbaum offers a panoramic view of family and forgiveness and of the meaning of home. Her debut reminds us that love provides refuge and underscores our similarities as human beings, no matter how alone or far apart we may feel.

A queen of punk before her time. A duo on the brink of stardom. A night that will define their story for ever. Opal is a fiercely independent young woman pushing against the grain in her style and attitude, a Black punk artist before her time. Despite her unconventional looks, Opal believes she can be a star. So when the aspiring British singer/songwriter Neville Charles discovers her one night, she takes him up on his offer to make rock music together.

Every twentysomething has one overriding question: How do I deal with all the things? For all those asking, young-adult minister Nora Bradbury-Haehl's essential go-to guide provides the answer. An approachable, easy-to-digest resource, The Twentysomething Handbook offers guidance for the practical aspects of life - work, food, money, a roof overhead - while at the same time addressing the hunger for meaning, connection, and a sense of the sacred.

Some of us start over willingly, and others are forced by circumstance - but everyone who finds herself back at square one could use a dose of courage and comfort. Listeners will discover both in O's Little Guide to Starting Over, a collection of stirring pieces on the topic of beginning again.

Norwich, a charming Vermont town of roughly 3,000 residents, has sent an athlete to almost every Winter Olympics for the past 30 years - and three times that athlete has returned with a medal. How does Norwich do it? To answer this question, New York Times reporter Karen Crouse moved to Vermont, immersing herself in the lives of Norwich Olympians past and present. There she discovered a culture that's the opposite of the hypercompetitive schoolyard of today's tiger moms and eagle dads.

Maddy Donaldo, homeless at twenty, lives with her dog and makeshift family in the hidden spaces of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. She thinks she knows how to survive and whom to trust until she accidentally witnesses the murder of a young man. Her world is upended as she has to face not only the killer but also the police and then the victim’s parents, who desperately want Maddy to tell them about the life their son led after he left home. And in a desire to save her since they could not save their own son, they are determined to have Maddy reunite with her own lost family.

When Grace Angelo and her family of witches reopened their guesthouse, they could not have predicted the consequences. Or that their first guest would turn out to be a powerful warlock. Soon, the warlock’s dark influence starts to spread, and Grace and her sisters will have to combine their forces if they’re to protect their beloved New England town of Hemlock Cove. Join Grace and her friends in this fun, riveting small-town mystery. For fans of paranormal mystery, cozy mystery, and witches.

The secret daughter of the head of an infamous Skilled crime family, Sera Brandt has hidden her past, her potential, and especially her powers. But when a tragedy strikes her other family, Sera needs justice. And the only way to get it is to reveal her heritage - including a rare Skill - and take the reins of the Tower Syndicate from her cunning and malicious aunt.

Transitioning to a zero-waste lifestyle means eliminating unnecessary clutter from your home and reducing your dependence on disposable goods, but it also comes with practical challenges that can seem daunting. In Simply Sustainable, perfection is not required. Whether you are looking for easy changes to get you started, or more advanced, high-impact tips for your low-waste home, these simple, effective steps will forever change your relationship to disposable plastic products.

It's date night! And medium Pyper Rayne is finally getting some alone time with her oh-so-sexy new boyfriend, Julius. But when a representative from the Witches' Council shows up during appetizers, the romance portion of the evening comes to a screeching halt. Julius is needed to deal with paranormal activity - on a cruise ship to the Caribbean. An all-expense paid cruise to the Caribbean sounds like the perfect second date until Pyper witnesses the death of a famous rock star.

Year 2522. Lyra Daniels is dead. Okay, so I only died for 66 seconds. But when I came back to life, I got a brand new name and a snazzy new uniform. Go, me! Seriously, though, it's very important that Lyra Daniels stays dead, at least as far as the murdering looters know. While dying is the scariest thing that's happened to me, it morphed my worming skills. I can manipulate the Q-net like never before. But the looters have blocked us from communicating with the rest of the galaxy, and now they believe we've gone silent, like Planet Xinji (where silent really means dead).

Isabelle Ballantine has been fighting for independence since she was old enough to walk. Now that she’s finally out from under her father’s shadow, she won’t let anyone stand in her way. It’s tough living on her own, working in a bar and keeping her true identity a secret, but things start to look up when a sexy new stranger walks into her life. After working side by side for weeks, Izzy can’t figure out why he won’t make a move.

Gretchen and Steve have been married for a long time. Living in San Francisco, recently separated, with two children and demanding jobs, they’ve started going to a marriage counselor. Unfolding over the course of 10 months and taking place entirely in the marriage counselor’s office, John Jay Osborn’s Listen to the Marriage is the story of a fractured couple in a moment of crisis, and of the person who tries to get them to see each other again.

When Miss Edi passes away, she leaves Jocelyn Minton all her worldly possessions, including an 18th-century house and a letter with clues to a mystery that began in 1941. In the letter, Miss Edi also mentions that she has found the perfect man for Joce - a handsome young lawyer. Joce is shocked to learn that the mystery, the house, and the future love of her life are all in Edilean, a small town in Virginia that Miss Edi never told her about.

The greatest threat to the future comes from the secrets of the past. Abbey and her friends return home after their long journey west to find Holdgate threatened by both an enemy to the south and a hidden Barskall army to the east. Lucky for Holdgate, Abbey and the crew of The Foggy Day are more than ready to defend their home. But there’s an even greater threat to the city… one nobody sees coming. A man with a mysterious connection to Abbey’s past has arrived, and he wants to see the stormships burn. He’s about to learn why it’s never a good idea to mess with Abbey’s friends. Storm Warrior is a fun, swashbuckling romp filled with twists, adventure, and plenty of banter. Set on the foundation laid by the Kurtherian Gambit Series, Storm Warrior tells an entirely new story in the Age of Magic--and of the heroes and villains who battle for control of its destiny.

Several years in the future, an all-female astronaut team circumnavigates the globe once every 90 minutes aboard the International Space Station, prepared to be a powerful presence in space. When a surprise set of "everyday citizens" tags along for the ride, all protocol flies right out the proverbial...airlock.

Amityville baywoman Ellie West fishes by day and bootlegs moonshine by night. It's dangerous work under Prohibition, but Ellie's desperate to see her brother go to college. So desperate that when wealthy strangers ask her to procure libations for an extravagant party, Ellie sells them everything she has, including some booze she acquired under unusual circumstances. What Ellie doesn't know is that this booze is special. Distilled from foul mushrooms by a cult of diabolists, those who drink it see terrible things - like the destruction of Long Island in fire and flood.

The knights of the round table are alive in Vancouver, but when one winds up dead, it’s clear the familiar stories have taken a left turn. Hildie, a Valkyrie and the investigator assigned to the case, wants to find the killer―and maybe figure her life out while she’s at it. On her short list of suspects is Wayne, an autistic college student and the reincarnation of Sir Gawain, who these days is just trying to survive in a world that wasn’t made for him.

In a world increasingly connected to computers and machines but disconnected to self and others, Dr. Michele Stewart finds herself drowning in a life that no longer holds meaning. Searching for a deeper connection after losing her partner, Alice, she enters a contemplative monastery, living a life dedicated to prayer, to faith in things unseen.

Pittsburgh has recently (and more than once) been called the most livable city in America; yet the old image of smoky skies and steel mills spewing forth grit has never quite disappeared. Its history as a dirty industrial center is a part of its residents, a part of their toughness. The people of the steel city fight.