Illness Fiction

Leann sells Volvos and recently had her Uncle Ron move in with her. She's having an affair with her boss, Ed, who claims to have an agoraphobic girlfriend, Kelly. Leann decides Ed is a loser and ends the affair. She feels bad about it and decides to tell Kelly everything. But when she gets to Ed's house she finds Kelly behind a barred window claiming she's being held against her will. Kelly ends up coming home with Leann, who doesn't know what to do with the stray girl. Everything Leann thought she knew about Ed, about Kelly, seems to be wrong. Kelly claims Ed is a sadistic murderer who ...

It’s been a year since 15-year-old Mia Hopkins was in the car crash that killed her older sister and left her terribly scarred. The doctors tell her she was lucky to survive. Her therapist says it will take time to heal. The police reports claim there were trace amounts of alcohol in her bloodstream. But no matter how much she tries to reconstruct the events of that fateful night, Mia’s memory is spotty at best. She’s left with accusations, rumors, and guilt so powerful it could consume her.

”When I was little I believed in Jesus and Santa, spontaneous combustion, and the Loch Ness Monster. Now I believe in science, statistics, and antibiotics.” So says 17-year-old Zac Meier during a long, grueling leukemia treatment in Perth, Australia. A loud blast of Lady Gaga alerts him to the presence of Mia, the angry, not-at-all-stoic cancer patient in the room next door. Once released, the two near-strangers can't forget each other, even as they desperately try to resume normal lives.

Sometimes, in order to find your soul, you have to lose your mind. Kyle Getty was a successful, accomplished person. Until the day he lost his mind and brutally assaulted a man who was bullying a disabled person. Now, Kyle has been placed into court ordered therapy at Fallbrooke Mental Institution in Oregon. Waiting to meet him at Fallbrooke are a group of fellow “clients” that he will never forget. There is the young man who will only speak in rhymes and the French girl who cannot sleep. There is the old man who is trying to sketch his memories in the face of his Alzheimer’s, and ...

Eloquent. Philosophical. Introspective. These are not the words usually associated with an autistic child. But in a remarkable display of courage and creativity, a boy named Tito has shattered stereotypes, and in The Mind Tree makes us question all of our previous assumptions about autism. For Tito is severely autistic and nearly nonverbal, and this is his story.

In the years since his daughter Vanessa moved to America to become a professor of philosophy, Alan Querry has never been to visit. He has been too busy at home in northern England, holding together his business as a successful property developer. His younger daughter, Helen - a music executive in London - hasn’t gone, either, and the two sisters, close but competitive, have never quite recovered from their parents’ bitter divorce and the early death of their mother. But then Vanessa’s new boyfriend sends word that she has fallen into a severe depression and that he’s worried for her safety....

The notorious baby boomers - the largest age cohort in history - are approaching the end and starting to plan their final moves in the game of life. Now they are asking: What was that all about? Was it about acquiring things or changing the world? Was it about keeping all your marbles? Or is the only thing that counts after you're gone the reputation you leave behind?

All She wants is a normal life. Diagnosed with a rare and untreatable heart condition, Scarlet has come to terms with the fact that she's going to die. Literally of a broken heart. It could be tomorrow, or it could be next year. But the clock is ticking…All Scarlet asks is for a chance to attend high school - even if just for a week - a chance to be just like everyone else. But Scarlet can feel her heart beating out of control with each slammed locker and vicious taunt. Is this normal? Really? Yet there's more going on than she knows.

Did you know that there are five million people in the US living with Alzheimer's and by 2050, there are projected to be 14 million? Spreading awareness of Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia is desperately needed. There are many more people with these diseases than other diseases that get much more money approved for research from the government or from donations. This book was written to bring better awareness that people with dementia matter. Plus, the self-sacrificing hardworking caregivers who take care of spouses also matter.

The Story of a Victim of Mind Control An utterly dark and disturbing exploration into the deepest recesses of the human psyche. The biblical indictment to Eve that states: ‘Your desire shall be for your husband . . .’ rings all too true for Goldie Benelak, a woman that stalks her estranged husband, only to become embroiled within the machinations of the CIA in its use of her as an unwitting assassin in the killing of her love rival. 'Betrayal' is a tale of social mores and changing identities that delves in part into the realm of non-fiction with regards to US covert operations: the ...

Eighteen-year-old Del is in a healthier place than she was a year and a half ago: She’s sober, getting treatment for her depression and anxiety, and volunteering at a suicide-prevention hotline. Her own suicide attempt is in the past, and living in San Francisco with her beloved aunt has helped her see a future for herself. But when Aunt Fran is diagnosed with terminal cancer, Del’s equilibrium is shattered. She’s dedicated herself to saving every life she can, but she can’t save Fran.

Gulf war syndrome: fact or fiction? Saudi Arabia, 1991. Troops are in a state of high alert. The chemical warfare detectors have sounded, and the soldiers scramble into their protective suits. In terse silence, they remind themselves of the vaccinations that will protect them. Then the all clear sounds, and the troops rejoice that they are unharmed. Or so they think.

Danny Littleton feels like he is turning into a dinosaur every time he goes to the doctor's office. After all, dinosaurs don't have to be afraid of anything, including having diabetes. The doctor understands how Danny feels. He and Danny talk, and later, in school, Danny realizes that if he pretends he is a dinosaur, he can get up in front of the class and explain his diabetes.

Eighteen-year-old Devon longs for two things: The stars, and the boy she fell in love with last summer. When Ashton breaks Devon's heart at the end of the most romantic summer ever, she thinks her heart will never heal again. But over the course of the following year, Devon finds herself slowly putting the broken pieces back together. Now it's senior year and she's determined to enjoy every moment of it, as she prepares for a future studying galaxies. That is, until Ashton shows up on the first day of school. Can she forgive and open her heart to him again?

Virginia Hendricks, a beautiful country girl from Millry, Alabama, was swept off her feet at the age of 19 by a handsome and charming preacher’s kid. As they build a life around the military, Virginia is forced to test her unconditional love for Franklin as his genetic inheritance of bipolar disorder seeks to destroy their family. By God’s grace, they fight to persevere through tragedy, illness, despair, and heartbreak during a long battle with the ups and downs of manic love.

Seventeen-year-old Kyle was blinded when a chemistry experiment exploded. His doctors don't know whether he'll get his vision back, and he's deeply depressed. Carley understands how miserable it is to be in the hospital. At sixteen, she's had plenty of experience. But Carley is keeping a secret from Kyle. She knows boys like girls who are pretty - and she's not. Scarred by a facial deformity, she has always used her sense of humor to cope. But now that she's become so close to Kyle, she's worried that if his bandages are removed and he sees her, it will be the end of their relationship.

A swimmer whose early talent made her a world champion, Susannah was poised for greatness in a sport that demands so much of its young. But an inexplicable slowdown has put her dream in jeopardy, and Susannah is fighting to keep her career afloat when two important people enter her life: a new coach with a revolutionary training strategy and a charming fellow swimmer named Harry Matthews.

A teen grapples with ALS and his decision to die in this devastatingly beautiful debut novel infused with the haunting grace of samurai death poetry and the noble importance of friendship. Abe Sora is going to die, and he’s only 17 years old. Diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease), he’s already lost the use of his legs, which means he can no longer attend school. Seeking a sense of normality, Sora visits teen chat rooms online and finally finds what he’s been longing for: friendship without pity.

Jonah has lost his community, and he’s struggling to get by in the English world. He yearns for his Amish roots, but his past mistakes keep him from returning home. Mary Lou is recovering from a medical scare. Her journey has impressed upon her how precious life is, so she decides to go on rumspringa to see the world. While in the city, Mary Lou meets Jonah. Unable to understand his foul attitude, especially towards her, she makes every effort to share her faith with him. As she helps him heal from his past, an attraction develops. Will Jonah’s heart soften towards Mary Lou? What will ...

After her mother, Brenda, passed away and her father sold the family home, broadcaster and writer Emma Kennedy found herself floundering, unable to make peace with the complex, charismatic woman who had been her mum. And then they found the letters. This heartbreakingly funny book about the impact of discovering lost letters is a celebration of correspondence; those lost acts of penned love, the vivid snapshots in time scattered back through a life.