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The Know: her child is missing but someone knows the truth
by Martina ColeJoanie Brewer's children meant the world to her. She'd do anything to protect them, even resorting to prostitution and petty crime in order to feed and clothe them. So when her beautiful teenage daughter is raped and murdered, only one thing will stop Joanie's pain - seeing her daughter's killer brought to justice. Joanie knows who he is and she'll do whatever it takes to nail him . . .(P)2012 Headline Digital
The Knowledge Gap: The hidden cause of America's broken education system--and how to fix it
by Natalie WexlerThe untold story of the root cause of America's education crisis--and the seemingly endless cycle of multigenerational poverty.It was only after years within the education reform movement that Natalie Wexler stumbled across a hidden explanation for our country's frustrating lack of progress when it comes to providing every child with a quality education. The problem wasn't one of the usual scapegoats: lazy teachers, shoddy facilities, lack of accountability. It was something no one was talking about: the elementary school curriculum's intense focus on decontextualized reading comprehension "skills" at the expense of actual knowledge. In the tradition of Dale Russakoff's The Prize and Dana Goldstein's The Teacher Wars, Wexler brings together history, research, and compelling characters to pull back the curtain on this fundamental flaw in our education system--one that fellow reformers, journalists, and policymakers have long overlooked, and of which the general public, including many parents, remains unaware. But The Knowledge Gap isn't just a story of what schools have gotten so wrong--it also follows innovative educators who are in the process of shedding their deeply ingrained habits, and describes the rewards that have come along: students who are not only excited to learn but are also acquiring the knowledge and vocabulary that will enable them to succeed. If we truly want to fix our education system and unlock the potential of our neediest children, we have no choice but to pay attention.
The Knowledge: Your guide to female health – from menstruation to the menopause
by Dr Nighat ArifTHE ESSENTIAL WOMEN'S HEALTH BIBLECelebrated GP Dr Nighat Arif brings women's health to the forefront in this extensive guidebook designed to help everyone better understand each of the three key stages of a woman's life: the puberty years, the fertility years and the peri/menopausal years. Every step of the way, Dr Nighat will help you get to know the female body by explaining what is normal, what to expect, how to care for yourself and when to seek help. This book tackles many important topics: from the help available for people with conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome to the symptoms of heart disease to look out for in women.The Knowledge is for everyone - and this book encompasses all experiences, including the perspectives of women of colour, people of all abilities and cultures, and the transgender community to ensure that all groups affected by female health concerns are a part of vital conversations. This is a life-saving book for all genders, ages and communities. From the young preteen hoping to understand their first period, to the couple experiencing fertility issues, to the single father raising teenage daughters, to the person unknowingly experiencing early signs of gynaecological cancer: this book is an indispensable asset for us all.
The Knowledge: Your guide to female health – from menstruation to the menopause
by Dr Nighat ArifTHE ESSENTIAL WOMEN'S HEALTH BIBLECelebrated GP Dr Nighat Arif brings women's health to the forefront in this extensive guidebook designed to help everyone better understand each of the three key stages of a woman's life: the puberty years, the fertility years and the peri/menopausal years. Every step of the way, Dr Nighat will help you get to know the female body by explaining what is normal, what to expect, how to care for yourself and when to seek help. This book tackles many important topics: from the help available for people with conditions like endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome to the symptoms of heart disease to look out for in women.The Knowledge is for everyone - and this book encompasses all experiences, including the perspectives of women of colour, people of all abilities and cultures, and the transgender community to ensure that all groups affected by female health concerns are a part of vital conversations. This is a life-saving book for all genders, ages and communities. From the young preteen hoping to understand their first period, to the couple experiencing fertility issues, to the single father raising teenage daughters, to the person unknowingly experiencing early signs of gynaecological cancer: this book is an indispensable asset for us all.
The Konkans: A Novel
by Tony D'Souza&“The saga of an Indian family steeped in tradition trying to find its niche in the suburbs of Chicago . . . Engrossing&” (Booklist). &“Funny and romantic and heartbreaking&” (St. Petersburg Times), this novel is narrated by Francisco D&’Sai, a firstborn son of a firstborn son—all the way back to the beginning of a long line of proud Konkans, the so-called &“Jews of India,&” who abandoned their Hindu traditions, knelt before Vasco da Gama&’s sword and Saint Francis Xavier&’s cross, and became Catholics. In Chicago in the early 1970s, Francisco&’s Konkan father, Lawrence, wants desperately to assimilate into American culture—pursuing a corporate job and launching an uphill battle to join the local country club. But Francisco&’s American mother, Denise, a Peace Corps veteran who finds the suburbs utterly boring, wants to preserve the family&’s heritage, feeding Francisco&’s imagination with proud visions of India and Konkan history—with enthusiastic help from her recently arrived brother-in-law. Sometimes it seems like she&’s more excited about her husband&’s background and culture than about her marriage. From the author of Whiteman, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and winner of the Sue Kaufman Prize, this is a witty, wrenching portrait of generational, cultural, marital, and historical conflict, seen through one family&’s experience. &“[A] savvy storyteller with a clear, soulful voice.&” —Entertainment Weekly &“D&’Souza&’s compelling tale of one extended family&’s trials and triumphs in a foreign land is an astute glimpse of the challenges, dangers, and rewards of assimilation.&” —The Boston Globe
The Kristin Hannah Collection Volume 1: Firefly Lane, True Colors, Fly Away
by Kristin HannahAvailable for the first time in this stunning electronic edition, THE KRISTIN HANNAH COLLECTION: VOLUME 1 is sure to delight the beloved, blockbuster bestselling author's legions of fans. Includes: FIREFLY LANE: To the people around them they were known as KateandTully or the Firefly Lane Girls. A single, inseparable unit. Best friends forever. On the surface they were as opposite as two people could be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret home life that is destroying her. Yet they are best friends who swear they'll be there for each other, and for thirty years that promise holds strong—until events and choices in their lives make that promise impossible. More than a coming-of-age novel, this is the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you—and knows what has the power to hurt you and heal you. TRUE COLORS: The Grey sisters had only each other when their mother died years ago. Their stern, unyielding father gave them almost no attention. Winona, the oldest, needs her father's approval most of all. An overweight dreamer, she never felt at home on the sprawling horse ranch that had been in her family for three generations. Aurora, the middle, is the peacemaker. Vivi Ann, the youngest, is the undisputed star of the family. Everything comes easily to Vivi Ann, her father's love most of all. But when Vivi Ann makes a fateful decision to follow her heart, rather than take the route of a dutiful daughter, events are set in motion that will test the love and loyalties of the Grey sisters. They will be pitted against each other in ways none could have imagined. Secrets will be revealed, and a terrible, shocking crime will shatter both the family and their beloved town. With breathtaking pace and penetrating insight, Kristin Hannah's has written a novel that's about sisters, vengeance, jealousy, betrayal—and ultimately, what it truly means to be a family. FLY AWAY: Kristin Hannah returns to the world of the unforgettable characters from FIREFLY LANE and asks the question: How do you hold yourself together when your world has fallen apart? This is the story of three women who have lost their way and need each other—plus a miracle—to transform their lives. An emotionally complex, heart-wrenching novel about love, family, motherhood, loss, and redemption, it reminds us that where there is life, there is hope, and where there is love, there is forgiveness. Told with her trademark visceral storytelling and illuminating prose, Kristin Hannah reveals why she is one of the most beloved writers of our day.
The Kristin Hannah Collection Volume 2: Winter Garden, Night Road, Home Front
by Kristin HannahAvailable for the first time in this stunning electronic edition, THE KRISTIN HANNAH COLLECTION: VOLUME 2 is sure to delight the beloved, blockbuster bestselling author's legions of fans. Includes: WINTER GARDEN: Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya's life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother's life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are. NIGHT ROAD: For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia's best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Then one hot summer's night one decision will change the course of all their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget… or the courage to forgive. HOME FRONT: Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life—children, careers, bills, chores—even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm's way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own—for everything that matters to his family. At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, this is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and, ultimately, hope that no reader will soon forget.
The Kyriakis Baby (Greek Tycoons)
by Sara WoodShe will do anything to get her baby backEmma and Greek tycoon Leon Kyriakis had once shared an intense and passionate love, but their relationship had ended abruptly. Heartbroken, Emma had married Leon's younger brother on the rebound. But she'd paid dearly: she'd been framed for fraud…Unable to prove her innocence, widow Emma had seen her baby daughter taken away—by Leon.Emma vowed to do anything to claim her daughter back—even if that meant she would have to share a bed with Leon once more…
The LCP Solution
by B. Jacqueline Stordy Malcolm J. NichollThis important new book documents a major breakthrough in the treatment of the three most widespread learning disabilities--ADHD, dyslexia, and dyspraxia ("clumsy child syndrome"). Although these conditions have reached epidemic proportions, treatment has been limited to ineffective behavioral therapies or the controversial prescription drug Ritalin. Now Dr. B. Jacqueline Stordy, a leading researcher in the field, reveals a stunning new treatment based on a simple nutritional supplement: LCP (long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids). The LCP Solution is the first book to describe this new natural treatment and to explain how children (and adults) can incorporate it into their daily lives.As a member of a family with a long history of dyslexia, Dr. Stordy discovered in a pioneering experiment that dyslexic and dyspraxic children who began taking a dietary supplement consisting of LCP experienced dramatic transformations in the quality of their lives. At the same time, parallel studies conducted at Purdue University came up with similar results with children who had ADHD. The effect of this dietary supplement was nothing short of revolutionary: after only a few weeks, dyslexic and ADHD children became calmer, more focused, easier to teach, while dyspraxics improved significantly in dexterity and balance, showing markedly less anxiety.In The LCP Solution, Dr. Stordy documents how this life-changing treatment came about and explains step-by-step how sufferers of each of the three major conditions can use it to change their lives at home, at school, and at work. Illuminating, vividly presented, and authoritative in its findings, this book will revolutionize our approach to learning disabilities. LCPs are natural, simple to use, and amazing in their benefits. If you or someone you love suffers from a learning disability, this book is essential reading.
The LD Child and the ADHD Child: Ways Parents and Professionals Can Help
by Suzanne H. StevensPractical information about what you can do when your child is diagnosed as LD or ADHD.
The LEGO Build-It Book: More Amazing Vehicles
by Mattia Zamboni Nathanael KuipersWith just one collection of LEGO bricks, you can build any of these 10 models—from the simple Hot Rod to the mighty Excavator. Tips and tricks will inspire you to create your own amazing models. Whether you’re new to the LEGO Build-It Book series or ready for a new challenge, you’re in for hours of fun! <br>–Hot Rod <br>–Forklift <br>–Wrecker <br>–Roadster <br>–Gran Turismo <br>–Dune Buggy <br>–Chopper <br>–Big Rig <br>–F1 Racer–Excavator
The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book, Volume 2: 16 Designs to Spread Holiday Cheer!
by Chris McveighBuilding instructions for 16 clever Christmas ornaments that can be built from standard LEGO parts that fans are likely to have in their collection. These small and uncomplicated ornaments are quick to build and a joy to display.You can build 16 classic Christmas designs including a gingerbread house, Santa, reindeer, a snowman, a wreath, a poinsettia, and traditional shapes like baubles and modern geometric swirls. With easy-to-follow instructions and stunning full color photography, The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book, Volume 2 will help you spread some holiday cheer with LEGO in no time!
The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book: 15 Designs to Spread Holiday Cheer
by Chris McveighThis Christmas, LEGO is moving from under the tree to on the tree! With The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book as your guide, you’ll make classic globe and barrel ornaments, all out of LEGO, as well as original gingerbread houses, a charming wreath, arcade cabinets, and many more.Packed with step-by-step instructions for 15 charming builds, The LEGO Christmas Ornaments Book is the perfect family activity this holiday season.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots
by Laurens ValkLEGO MINDSTORMS has changed the way we think about robotics by making it possible for anyone to build real, working robots. The latest MINDSTORMS set, EV3, is more powerful than ever, and The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book is the complete, beginner-friendly guide you need to get started.Begin with the basics as you build and program a simple robot to experiment with motors, sensors, and EV3 programming. Then you’ll move on to a series of increasingly sophisticated robots that will show you how to work with advanced programming techniques like data wires, variables, and custom-made programming blocks. You’ll also learn essential building techniques like how to use beams, gears, and connector blocks effectively in your own designs.Master the possibilities of the EV3 set as you build and program:–The EXPLOR3R, a wheeled vehicle that uses sensors to navigate around a room and follow lines–The FORMULA EV3 RACE CAR, a streamlined remote-controlled race car–ANTY, a six-legged walking creature that adapts its behavior to its surroundings–SK3TCHBOT, a robot that lets you play games on the EV3 screen–The SNATCH3R, a robotic arm that can autonomously find, grab, lift, and move the infrared beacon–LAVA R3X, a humanoid robot that walks and talksMore than 150 building and programming challenges throughout encourage you to think creatively and apply what you’ve learned to invent your own robots. With The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Discovery Book as your guide, you’ll be building your own out-of-this-world creations in no time!Requirements: One LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set (LEGO SET #31313)
The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Idea Book: 181 Simple Machines and Clever Contraptions
by Yoshihito IsogawaThe LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 Idea Book explores dozens of creative ways to build amazing mechanisms with the LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set. Each model includes a list of the required parts, minimal text, and colorful photographs from multiple angles so you can re-create it without the need for step-by-step instructions.You’ll learn to build cars with real suspension, steerable crawlers, ball-shooters, grasping robotic arms, and other creative marvels. Each model demonstrates simple mechanical principles that you can use as building blocks for your own creations.Best of all, every part you need to build these machines comes in one LEGO set (#31313)!
The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Laboratory: Build, Program, and Experiment with Five Wicked Cool Robots
by Daniele Benedettelli<P>The LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 set offers so many new and exciting features that it can be hard to know where to begin. Without the help of an expert, it could take months of experimentation to learn how to use the advanced mechanisms and numerous programming features. <P>In The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Laboratory, author Daniele Benedettelli, robotics expert and member of the elite LEGO MINDSTORMS Expert Panel, shows you how to use gears, beams, motors, sensors, and programming blocks to create sophisticated robots that can avoid obstacles, walk on two legs, and even demonstrate autonomous behavior. You’ll also dig into related math, engineering, and robotics concepts that will help you create your own amazing robots. Programming experiments throughout will challenge you, while a series of comics and countless illustrations inform the discussion and keep things fun. <P>As you make your way through the book, you’ll build and program five wicked cool robots: <br>–ROV3R, a vehicle you can modify to do things like follow a line, avoid obstacles, and even clean a room <br>–WATCHGOOZ3, a bipedal robot that can be programmed to patrol a room using only the Brick Program App (no computer required!) <br>–SUP3R CAR, a rear-wheel-drive armored car with an ergonomic two-lever remote control <br>–SENTIN3L, a walking tripod that can record and execute color-coded sequences of commands <br>–T-R3X, a fearsome bipedal robot that will find and chase down prey <P>With The LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Laboratory as your guide, you’ll become an EV3 master in no time. <br>Requirements: One LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 set (LEGO SET #31313)
The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Activity Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming LEGO Robots
by Daniele BenedettelliAn introduction to the LEGO Mindstorms Robot Inventor Kit through seven engaging projects.With its amazing assortment of bricks, motors, and smart sensors, the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Inventor set opens the door to a physical-meets-digital world. The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Activity Book expands that world into an entire universe of incredibly fun, uniquely interactive robotic creations! Using the Robot Inventor set and a device that can run the companion app, you&’ll learn how to build bots beyond your imagination—from a magical monster that gobbles up paper and answers written questions, to a remote-controlled transformer car that you can drive, steer, and shape-shift into a walking humanoid robot at the press of a button.Author and MINDSTORMS master Daniele Benedettelli, a robotics expert, takes a project-based approach as he leads you through an increasingly sophisticated collection of his most captivating robot models, chapter by chapter. Each project features illustrated step-by-step building instructions, as well as detailed explanations on programming your robots through the MINDSTORMS App—no coding experience required.As you build and program an adorable pet turtle, an electric guitar that lets you shred out solos, a fully functional, whiz-bang pinball machine and more, you&’ll discover dozens of cool building and programming techniques to apply to your own LEGO creations, from working with gears and motors, to smoothing out sensor measurement errors, storing data in variables and lists, and beyond. By the end of this book, you&’ll have all the tools, talent and inspiration you need to invent your own LEGO MINDSTORMS robots.
The LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Idea Book
by Yoshihito IsogawaA follow-up to the best-selling LEGO® Technic Idea Book series by master builder and LEGO luminary Yoshihito Isogawa, readers learn to create their own robots from the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Set.If you&’ve had your fun building programmable, intelligent creations with the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Inventor set, it&’s time to take your bot-building to the next level! With over 125 new models, the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor Idea Book will unleash your imagination and open up limitless possibilities for unique robotic designs.You&’ll learn how to build basic mechanisms with motors and sensors, robots that can walk or drive themselves, and practical tools for lifting, opening doors, drawing, and even launching projectiles. Then, bring them all to life with the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor App, which lets you program your bots to perform tasks and missions.Each model is paired with an illustrated list of parts and multi-angled color photographs, so you can easily reproduce the projects without the need for step-by-step instructions. Best of all, you&’ll also be inspired to combine various mechanisms into your own interactive inventions, toys, cars, games, and more!To build the book&’s models, all you need is the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robot Inventor set (#51515) and a smart device that can run the MINDSTORMS App.
The LEGO Neighborhood Book 2: Build Your Own City!
by Brian Lyles Jason LylesStep-by-step instructions show how to build detailed LEGO models of neighborhoods - complete with homes, stores, restaurants, barbershops, and more.Enter the fantastical world of model building. The LEGO Neighborhood Book 2 is a full-color guide to creating intricate, bustling LEGO neighborhoods, and cities. In this second volume, a follow up to the runaway best-selling first volume, you'll learn even more ways to create classic architectural styles using only LEGO bricks. In addition to creating entire buildings, LEGO model-building experts Brian and Jason Lyles also show you how to create interesting architectural features like cornices, false fronts, porches, and detailed interiors and furniture. With instructions for three buildings and many smaller builds, The LEGO Neighborhood Book 2 is sure to provide hours of building fun and inspiration for readers of all ages.
The LEGO Neighborhood Book: Build Your Own LEGO Town!
by Brian Lyles Jason LylesIn The LEGO Neighborhood Book, you’ll create buildings with real-world details like cornices and facades, and try your hand at interior design by filling your buildings with furniture and light fixtures. Then add the finishing touches to your models with plants, traffic lights, scaffolding, and park benches. Snap together a few houses, shops, and apartment buildings to create your own neighborhood!Inside you’ll find:–Complete, step-by-step instructions for four multistory buildings–Dozens of inspiring ideas to use in your own models–Mini builds for a recliner, old-time lamp post, traffic light, and more–A gallery of the authors’ designsFor ages 10+
The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Volume 1: Machines and Mechanisms
by Yoshihito IsogawaThis first volume of The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Machines and Mechanisms, showcases small projects to build with LEGO Technic gears, motors, gadgets, and other moving elements. You’ll find hundreds of clever, buildable mechanisms, each one demonstrating a key building technique or mechanical principle.You’ll learn to build sliding doors, grasping claws, rack-and-pinion mechanisms, and ball-shooting devices of every sort!Each model includes a list of required parts and colorful photographs that guide you through the build without the need for step-by-step instructions. As you build, you’ll explore the principles of simple machines, gear systems, power translation, and more.
The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Volume 2: Cars and Contraptions
by Yoshihito IsogawaThis second volume of The LEGO Power Functions Idea Book, Cars and Contraptions, showcases small projects to build with LEGO Technic gears, motors, gadgets, and other moving elements. You’ll find hundreds of clever, buildable mechanisms, each one demonstrating a key building technique or mechanical principle.You’ll learn to build four-wheel drive cars, adorable walking ‘bots, steerable tanks, robotic inchworms, and cars that can follow the edge of a table!Each model includes a list of required parts and colorful photographs that guide you through the build without the need for step-by-step instructions. As you build, you’ll explore the principles of gear systems, power translation, differentials, suspensions, and more.
The Lacrosse Mix-Up (Zach and Zoe Mysteries, The)
by Mike LupicaThe sixth installment of New York Times bestselling author Mike Lupica's Zach and Zoe Mysteries--a sports-themed chapter book mystery series perfect for fans of Cam Jansen!There's nothing eight-year-old twins Zach and Zoe Walker love more than playing sports and solving mysteries. And when those two worlds collide . . . well, it doesn't get any better than that. In this sixth installment Zach and Zoe join the Middletown Elementary lacrosse club. But a day after their first game, a mystery presents itself: the netting on one of the school's lacrosse sticks is torn through. Ms. Moriarty says the equipment is just old and worn, but the twins think it might be something else. They decide to investigate, and when the clues start coming together, they realize solving the mystery is only the first piece of an even bigger surprise.Once again, bestselling author Mike Lupica charms his youngest readers yet with a sports-loving detective duo who can swing for the fences and catch the culprit in one fell swoop. With a recipe equal parts sports and mystery, the Zach and Zoe Mysteries break fresh ground for an author who has been called the greatest sportswriter for kids.
The Ladies Farm: Novel
by Viqui LitmanSteel Magnolias meets The First Wives Club in a touching and hilarious novel of friendship, love, sex, dreams, and good hair.After you've raised the kids, been widowed or divorced once or twice, or even if -- especially if -- you've been married for a few decades, you need a rest. The Ladies Farm offers relaxation, exercise, crafts classes, and a fully equipped beauty salon. This idyllic retreat set in the hills of Sydonia, Texas, is owned and operated by four friends: Pauline, the resident earth mother; Rita, the oft-married hairdresser; Della, a plain-spoken divorcee; and the younger businesswoman, Kat.When Barbara, widow of Richard -- a man who had a great love of womankind -- moves in, all hell breaks loose at the Ladies Farm. Turns out that all Richard's ex-lovers live in Texas; in fact, more than one of them resides right at the Ladies Farm.Take five women of a certain age, one piece of prime real estate, and one dead man who had a lot of love to give, and you have a rollicking, rambunctious novel about women who are old enough to know what they want out of life and young enough to get it.From the Hardcover edition.
The Ladies of Garrison Gardens: A Novel (Three Miss Margarets #2)
by Louise ShafferCharles Valley's legendary dowagers, the three Miss Margarets, have lost one of their own: Peggy Garrison, who married into a huge fortune but was constantly overshadowed by the legacy her husband's first wife, the great Myrtis Garrison. When Peggy's will is read, the news of who will take over the Garrison fortune shakes the town to its core. To everyone's shock, Peggy has left all of the Garrison holdings--the world-famous botanical gardens, the massive resort, and the lovely Garrison "Cottage," where FDR once visited--to the town's down-and-out wild child, Laurel Selene McCready. Laurel was like a daughter to Miss Peggy, but the last thing she wants to do is step into Miss Peggy's shoes as the wealthiest, most powerful person in town, especially since the Garrison fortune never bought Peggy any happiness. On top of that, when Laurel reluctantly explores her hew home, the storied Garrison Cottage, she discovers that mysteries abound when it comes to the great Miss Myrtis. What clues are hidden in an old suitcase containing a child's dress and sheet music dating back to the Southern Vaudeville circuit? Who is the elderly woman outside Atlanta who has been keeping track of the Garrison estate's every development via the Charles Valley Gazette? And how will Laurel avoid the fate of her two predecessors whose secrets have far greater implications than Laurel could ever have imagined? Culminating in an unforgettable sleight of hand, proving that behind every great fortune there is a great crime, The Ladies of Garrison Gardens is as page-turning and irresistible as its predecessor.