Showing results by narrator "S. S." in All Categories

Admiral James Henry has traded a war of weapons for one cloaked in diplomacy as leader of the fledgling Independent Systems Fleet. Fighting alongside the Terran Coalition to rid the Sagittarius Arm of tyranny was the easy part. Now forced into the political arena, he’s never missed the freewheeling spacer’s life more.

Living a mid-old oak trees and undulating green hills in the center of the sleepy hamlet of ever-mere, was a tiny child called Lila. She had always dreamed, her brain bursting with tales of far-off locations and fascinating beings. She would look out of her bedroom window at the silver moon every night before sleeping, yearning for an adventure. One evening, when the moon shined more brilliantly than it had ever done, something rather remarkable occurred. Her window started to softly knock.

Oliver and Claire went to work every morning, crossing the same old bridge. It was a little, dilapidated building that spanned a silent river, but it contained the secret of their love. Years before, when Claire had dropped her book and Oliver had scooped it up with a lovely grin, they had first met on that bridge. The bridge became their meeting spot after that day. Regardless of the weather, they would take a little break to speak, give each other a kind look, and make a commitment to repeating the same process the following day.

Written before all of Antarctica was fully mapped and explored, At the Mountains of Madness tells of a terrifying journey into the unknown. Epic in scope, cinematic in its sweep, and breathtaking in its revelations about humanity, this—described by some as the first true science-fiction novel—may be Lovecraft’s greatest literary achievement!

Former English professor Cat Latimer is back in Colorado, hosting writers' retreats in the big blue Victorian she's inherited, much to her surprise, from none other than her carousing ex-husband. Now it's an authors' getaway, but Cat won't let anyone get away with murder. The bed-and-breakfast is open for business, and best-selling author Tom Cook is among its first guests. Cat doesn't know why he came all the way from New York, but she's glad to have him among the quirkier - and far less famous - attendees.

The ancient world has cast a long shadow, influencing our customs and religious beliefs, our laws, and the form of our governments. It has taught us when and how we make war or pursue peace. It has shaped the buildings we live and work in and the art we hang on our walls. It has given us the calendar that organizes our year and has left its mark on the games we play.

Lee Barrett has agreed to attend a storage auction with Aunt Ibby - even though she suspects the forgotten rooms will yield more junk than treasure. Her skepticism vanishes once the two win a bid on an overlooked locker and uncover a trove of beautiful curiosities, including a stunning wooden carousel horse with gentle eyes and fading paint. But just before Lee leaves the fairground relic at a local repair shop, the sight of a silver samovar awakens her psychic abilities and conjures visions of murder.

Christmas lights on palm trees and Santa hats on plastic pink flamingoes are far from the snowy landscape Maureen and her beloved golden retriever, Finn, are used to. But Maureen is determined to make this a holiday to remember—which means finding a way to promote Haven House on a shoestring. Fortunately, Haven's vintage movie theater, the Paramount, has come up with a great "Twelve Days of Christmas" idea. They'll feature an impressive list of the best classic Christmas movies ever made—shown by one-time movie actor-turned-projectionist Decklin Monroe.

On the brink of the sea stood an antique lighthouse in a little town where cobblestone paths curled between clusters of houses and roofs slanted like soft waves. For as long as anybody could remember, its golden light has been there, leading wayward sailors gently to land. Few people, however, realized that the lighthouse was kept alive by a man called Elias, the Lantern Keeper; it was not only composed of bricks and glass. Elias had spent as long as the village chiefs could remember living in the lighthouse. He seldom visited town; he only dropped down for groceries or fresh bread.

Could Shaylynn Ford be the perfect woman for Neil Taylor? Neil certainly thinks so. The problem is, he’s pretty sure he’s not her perfect man - that was her husband, Emmett, a wealthy politician who was assassinated eight years ago. Neil, the director of a Christian school, is gifted with a singing voice that can heal the sick and bring souls to Christ, but his own soul is burdened by his insecurities and past indiscretions. He feels like he’s in competition with the memory of Emmett - and Neil’s desperation to win Shaylynn’s heart may lead him to do something he may regret.

A difficult marriage has left the Helmuths' widowed great-granddaughter, Beth, finished with wedlock. She's content to live with her great-grandparents and make a life for herself and her toddler son. But once she turns down handsome Tyler Yoder's proposal, it seems only fair to encourage him to find a suitable wife. Trouble is his gentleness and generous ways are showing her how joyous a real meeting of hearts can be....

Josephine's life story was as turbulent as the age, an era of revolution and social upheaval, of the guillotine and of frenzied hedonism. With telling psychological depth and compelling literary grace, Carolly Erickson brings the complex, charming, ever resilient Josephine to life in this memorable portrait, one that carries the reader from the sensual richness of her childhood in the tropics to her final lonely days at Malmaison.

When her week begins, Rarity expects the biggest mystery she'll need to solve is how a rare first edition of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland ended up in her bookstore bathroom. But after book club member Shirley tells her that her husband George, who has dementia, is the prime suspect in a nursing home murder, Rarity feels as if she's stepped through the looking glass.

Nestled between undulating golden wheat fields and dark woodlands, the peaceful town of Elder-moor was Living a modest lifestyle, the people woke with the dawn and slept as the stars replaced each other in the heavens. One lad, Orion, a gentle dreamer, had always felt different from the rest, however. He would lie on the grassy hills, staring at the heavens, waiting for the moon to rise as the village youngsters played in the fields. Orion has long thought the moon was lonely. Watching over everyone but without someone to chat to, it lingered above the planet.

Two things got Rarity Jones through her breast cancer treatments: friends and books. Now cancer-free, Rarity is devoting her life to helping others find their way through the maze to healing. She's opened a bookstore focusing on the power of healing—Eastern medicine, Western medicine, the healing power of food, the power of meditation, and the importance of developing a support community. To that end, she's also started the Tuesday Night Survivors book club. But their therapeutic unity is disrupted when one of their members suddenly goes missing.

Health and wellness campaigns preach avoidance of unhealthy foods, sedentary lifestyles, tobacco, drugs, and alcohol, but rarely preach avoidance of unhealthy, difficult, or toxic people. Yet the health benefits of removing toxic people from your life may have far greater benefits to both physical and psychological health. We need to learn to be better gatekeepers for our minds, bodies, and souls. Narcissism, entitlement, and incivility have become the new world order, and we are all in trouble. They are not only normalized but also increasingly incentivized.

Join Matt on his adventure of fighting Encroachers and battling Defiled. Every precious Level and Party member will aid his survival in perilous Nyarlea. With emotional twists, steamy nights, and chaotic surprises, Everyone's a Catgirl! will subvert your expectations one genre at a time.

Any effective company depends on its business leadership to define its vision, culture, and general course. Fundamentally, corporate leadership is the capacity to mentor and motivate teams and people toward reaching organizational objectives. It entails strategic decision-making, encouraging creativity, and inspiring staff members to perform at their best rather than just resource management or daily operation supervision.

It lives in stolen looks across a busy room, in the warmth of a hand gripped closely at tough times, and in the silent comfort of shared presence. Love’s allure resides in its power to convert the ordinary into something wonderful, making the banal appear spectacular when shared with the right person. There is a beauty in the way love transforms persons. It soothes the hardest of hearts, giving light to the darkest regions of the psyche. Love teaches patience, kindness, and sacrifice, transforming individuals into the finest versions of themselves.

When it was first published, Intuitive Eating was revolutionary in its anti-dieting approach. The authors, both prominent health professionals in the field of nutrition and eating disorders, urge listeners to embrace the goal of developing body positivity and reconnecting with one’s internal wisdom about eating—to unlearn everything they were taught about calorie-counting and other aspects of diet culture and to learn about the harm of weight stigma. Today, their message is more relevant and pressing than ever.