Wendy L. Staudacher

Ford Aston is not too picky about what he wants out of Christmas. He's not into this holiday - like at all. He doesn't do presents or family dinners or parties or church. He does pets. And he's got one lined up for Christmas Eve. In fact it's the highlight of his day. And if he can get through drop-in visits, nosy 12-year-olds, an inappropriate conversation with his best friend's girlfriend, dinner with a family that's not his, and a party at his mother's house - well, he might just get home in time to enjoy himself with a stranger and make it all okay.

The moment a mysterious boy moves in next door to Sydney and Allyson Tate, both of their lives begin to change in ways that neither of them can ignore. When Allyson meets Graham Copeland, she instantly feels like he's a kindred spirit - shy and awkward like her, someone who has trouble making friends. It's almost impossible to resist having a crush on him.

There is only one thing wrong with the charming community of Fool’s Gold, California: the men don’t stick around! This problem has to be fixed, fast, and Charity Jones may be just the city planner up to the challenge. Charity immediately falls in love with all the storybook town has to offer – except its sexy, famous, world-class cyclist Josh Golden. With her long list of romantic disasters, she’s not about to take a chance on another bad boy…but it may just be what they both need!

Trying to work things out with Nash, her maybe boyfriend, is hard enough for Kaylee Cavanaugh. She can't just pretend nothing happened. But "complicated" doesn't even begin to describe their relationship when his ex-girlfriend transfers to their school, determined to take Nash back.

Brilliantly exploring today's cutting edge brain research, Mind Wide Open allows readers to understand themselves and the people in their lives as never before. Using a mix of experiential reportage, personal storytelling, and fresh scientific discovery, Steven Johnson describes how the brain works and how its systems connect to the day-to-day realities of individual lives.