Friendship Development

Jesus’ pattern for church living was one of family - of brothers and sisters living in intimate, life-giving community with each other. With story, sensitivity, and hope, Beyond Awkward Side Hugs invites us to leave behind eroticized, fear-based patterns and move toward gendered, generous relationships between men and women of character as we love one another as Jesus did.

In 2018 poet and author Michael Pedersen lost a cherished friend, Scott Hutchison, soon after their collective voyage into the landscape of the Scottish Highlands. Just weeks later, Michael began to write to him. As he confronts the bewildering process of grief, what starts as a love letter to one magical, coruscating human soon becomes a paean to all the gorgeous male friendships that have transformed his life.

An Asian American basketball star walks into a gym. No one recognizes him, but everyone stares anyway. It is the start of a joke but what is the punchline? When Won Lee, the first Asian American in the NBA, stuns the world in a seven-game winning streak, the global media audience dubs it “The Wonder”—much to Won’s chagrin. Meanwhile, Won struggles to get attention from his coach, his peers, his fans, and most importantly, his hero, Powerball!, who also happens to be Won’s teammate and the captain.

In Home Is Where My People Are, Sophie Hudson takes listeners on a delightfully quirky journey through the South, introducing them to an unforgettable cast of characters, places, and experiences. Along the way she reflects on how God has used each of the stops along the road to impart timeless spiritual wisdom and truth.

Should we even expect to be fulfilled and happy at work? Yes, we should, says Annie McKee, coauthor of the best-selling Primal Leadership. In her new transformative book, she makes the most compelling case yet that happiness - and the full engagement that comes with it - is more important than ever in today's workplace, and she sheds new light on the powerful relationship of happiness to individual, team, and organizational success.

In stories of love and loss, of trauma and hope, told from care homes, living rooms, classrooms and kitchens, All the Lonely People is an intimate portrait of loneliness. Over countless cups of tea, psychologist Dr Sam Carr has collected hours of conversations with people young and old, including single parents, carers, teenagers and the bereaved, and found that while each of their stories is utterly unique, they are all born out of the same desire for human connection.

When Amy Daughters reconnected with her old pal Dana on Facebook, she had no idea how it would change her life. Though the two women hadn’t had any contact in 30 years, it didn’t take them long to catch up—and when Amy learned that Dana’s son Parker was doing a second stint at St. Jude battling cancer, she was suddenly inspired to begin writing the pair weekly letters. When Parker died, Amy—not knowing what else to do—continued to write Dana. Eventually, Dana wrote back, and the two became pen pals, sharing things through the mail that they had never shared before.

Rachel feels like she doesn't fit in - until she finds heavy metal and meets Fern, a kindred spirit. The two form their own band, but the metal scene turns out to be no different from the misogynist world they want to change. Violent encounters escalate, and the friends decide there's only one way forward....

It’s been six years since Pen Calloway watched her best friends walk out of her life. And through the birth of her daughter, the death of her father, and the vicissitudes of single motherhood, she has never stopped missing them. Pen, Cat, and Will met on their first day of college and formed what seemed like a magical and lifelong bond, only to see their friendship break apart amid the realities of adulthood. When, after years of silence, Cat - the bewitching, charismatic center of their group - e-mails Pen and Will with an urgent request to meet at their college reunion, they can’t refuse.

Healthy relationships have been known to increase our happiness, improve health, and reduce stress. That's why many people aim to maintain good and healthy relationships not just with their romantic partners but with family, friends, and even professional colleagues. In this audiobook, you will learn everything you need to know to make sure that your relationship will turn out for the best and become better and more wonderful for the next months and years. You will also discover tips and ways to maintain all kinds of relationships.

At some point in the course of Paul and Mark’s friendship, Mark acquired—legally and with required permits—five firearms. Those weapons lived with them in their college apartment. It was a non-issue for the two best friends. They were inseparable. They were twenty-two-year-old boys at the height of their college experience, unaware that everything was about to change forever. The bullet ripped through two walls before it struck Paul’s skull.

Whether at work, home or in our relationships, we all know how it feels to want people to like us. The problem comes when we give up our own needs along the way. In this life-changing book, psychotherapist Emma Reed Turrell explains the different ‘types’ of people-pleaser and provides practical, reassuring advice on how to better understand - and stop - people-pleasing behaviour when it starts to affect your own needs. Please Yourself will help you care for others in the right way - and ultimately, help you take better care of yourself.

Are you stuck in a cycle you want to break because you feel ready to free yourself on a higher level? You are someone who deserves to be able to live your life in a way that allows you to be who you are deep down within. But how can you ever hope to do that? The truth is there’s a resource that’s ready and waiting to change the way you live: Psychic Empath (2 in 1) is for people who want to banish negative energy, connect with empathy, and unlock their inner psychic skills.

In this wise and insightful audiobook, psychologist Michael Thompson, PhD, and children's book author Catherine O'Neill Grace illuminate the crucial and often hidden role that friendship plays in the lives of children from birth through adolescence. Best Friends, Worst Enemies brings to life the drama of childhood relationships, guiding parents to a deeper understanding of the motives and meanings of social behavior.

Zara has always felt a little ordinary next to her spirited best friend Ivy. Even her dreams seem mundane: a boyfriend, marriage, children. Besides, who would pick her when they could choose Ivy? So when Zara meets Henry and there's an instant spark, she can't believe her luck. A wealthy CEO who wants to settle down? He's perfect...until Ivy insists he's too good to be true.

Although Paul Auster and J. M. Coetzee had been reading each other’s books for years, the two writers did not meet until February 2008. Not long after, Auster received a letter from Coetzee, suggesting they begin exchanging letters on a regular basis and, “God willing, strike sparks off each other.” Here and Now is the result of that proposal: the epistolary dialogue between two great writers who became great friends. Over three years their letters touched on nearly every subject, from sports to fatherhood, film festivals to incest, philosophy to politics....

In Girl Talk, New York Times science reporter Jacqueline Mroz takes on the science of female friendship - a phenomenon that's as culturally powerful as it is individually mysterious. She examines friendship from a range of angles, from the historical to the experiential, with a scientific analysis that reveals new truths about what leads us to connect and build alliances, and then "break up" when a friendship no longer serves us.

Every parent hopes their child will develop healthy and happy friendships. However, most parents don't know what to do that will encourage their child to be a friend and attract friends. The author offers clear-cut friendship-making guidelines for parents and their children. Some of the book's recommendations include: don't over-schedule a child's time; guide children to participate in "friend-attracting" activities; seek out friends in the neighborhood.

You meet - and there's a spark. You want to know everything about each other. You spill your secrets, you spend all weekend together, you go on holiday. You fight and it's gut-wrenching. You see each other through the worst times and the best. You know each other better than parents, siblings, lovers. You stay in touch when miles apart. You will always be there. This is the most important relationship of your life. This is your 'Big Friendship'.

Two audiobooks in one bundle! Would like to learn how to flirt with, date, and seduce women? Would you like to improve your social skills, confidence, assertiveness, and self-esteem? Master becoming a more confident and successful man with simple, effective, and fast steps. This best-selling guide has helped countless men around the world.