Personal Development Fiction

It took less than four hours for Sarah Bailey and her younger brother Curtis to lose everything they knew. She lost her school, her mudpie stations, her church, her father, and her name. Everything they own is packed in garbage bags as they are moved to a new foster home. It’s supposed to be a safe haven for them, but as Sarah—now called Anna—learns, their so-called safety comes at a horrific price, as she is groomed and abused by her new foster mother.

“Leadership” has become a runaway obsession for those who are called to equip the body of Christ for service in the Kingdom of God. The concept of “followership” is all but lost in the wake of this leadership fetish, a near hypnotic obsession. Jesus’ clear call, and the pattern of New Testament leadership, are actually found in a pattern of followership. We’ve been told otherwise but when it comes to a movement in our churches, our families, or the workplace, everything rises or falls on followership. Sweet proposes an intentional shift from leadership cults to followership cultures.

When busy lives, a crisis, and what seems like a wedding that's never going to happen put a strain on two couples, they must rely on friendship to get past it all....

In 2014, Lacy Johnson was giving a reading from The Other Side, her “instant classic” (Kirkus Reviews) memoir of kidnapping and rape, when a woman asked her what she would like to happen to her rapist. This collection, a meditative extension of that answer, draws from philosophy, art, literature, mythology, anthropology, film, and other fields, as well as Johnson’s personal experience, to consider how our ideas about justice might be expanded beyond vengeance and retribution to include acts of compassion, patience, mercy, and grace.

Clyde Edgerton has four kids ranging in age from 6 to 31 years old. After three decades of fatherhood, there are certain things he has learned during his tenure. His way of raising his children involves, of course, lots of humor (don't curse near a mimicking child), but also the sound advice of a lifelong educator (you can't start reading to a baby too early). With Papadaddy's Book for New Fathers, a great storyteller gives wise counsel to new parents - both fathers and mothers, young and old alike.

A carefully produced edition of Emerson's most famous essay. Beware of other publishers' slapdash editions.

Do you carry a story inside you—one that stirs beneath the surface, whispering to be told? Are you a story catcher, inspired to gather and tell the stories of this time? Or perhaps you are a story carrier—one who tends to and keeps old stories alive so they may breathe among us once more. If so, you already know that storytelling is more than just words. It’s a vessel for profound alchemy and transformation. With Sacred Storytelling, you’ll be taken on an immersive journey with master storyteller Leah Lamb into the art of conscious storytelling as a living, ancient practice.

Tommy Belanger had been born into a dysfunctional family - fed by alcohol abuse, abject poverty, and the trials and tribulations associated with living in isolation. His was a life filled with child abuse, incest, bestiality, and zoophilia. Tommy hated how those things affected him and his siblings. And he detested his father.

Inspired by a true story. In 1825, in a remote Irish valley lying between the mountains and Flesk River of Killarney, three women are brought together by strange and troubling events. Nora Leahy, a widow, has lost her daughter and her husband in the same year and is now burdened with the care of her grandson, Michael. The boy cannot walk or speak, and Nora has kept him hidden from neighbours, who might see in his deformity evidence of supernatural interference.

One of my favorite pets growing up was a raccoon named Bandit. He wasn't by any stretch a traditional pet, but he was by far the most entertaining. The lessons that accompany these stories aren't particularly deep. They're a collection of simple truths that I learned from our life with Bandit that have served our family well. When you listen to the stories, you might shake your head and wonder how and why our family had so many crazy adventures. The short answer...my eccentric, animal-loving dad, and my incredibly kind and gracious mom.

Finding Love Everywhere offers that same gift to you. A luminous collection of original poetry set within a framework of deep wisdom from an acclaimed teacher, it invites you on a journey that will move you and transform you as you awaken to the awareness of love's presence all around you. The 66½ poems in these pages "are meditations with lyrics," Robert explains. "They invite you to be wise, to choose love, and to live your most authentic life."

By 1617, Donne had done it all. After being an MP, lawyer, womaniser, soldier, diplomat, father to twelve children by a secret wife, and the greatest poet of his age, he settled into the priesthood. Shortly thereafter, his wife died, prompting him to write a defence of suicide in God's eyes. She was soon followed by his 18 year old daughter died. Then Donne fell gravely ill. Physicians were called, but none could agree on what to do. It seemed certain that he would die.

Popular author Taylor Clark draws on cutting-edge research in this enlightening exploration of stress—and how to tackle it constructively. Using such divergent examples as Russian sub commanders and game show contestants, Clark shows that most people experience stress the same way. Those who understand how to accept it without freezing can accomplish what needs to get done.

All of us are familiar with the fairy tales of youth where the young hero and heroine fall in love, defeat their enemies, marry, and live happily ever after. The fairy tales gathered here are about what happens next, when the Prince goes bald and the Princess has a midlife crisis. They portray middle-aged men and women facing the special issues dealing with crisis, aging and mortality, and the desire for renewal.

«¡En esta familia no hay secretos!», proclama al inicio de este libro Damián, el padre, un hombre de ideas e ideales fijos obsesionado con la rectitud y la pedagogía. Pero esa casa sin secretos está en realidad llena de grietas, y la opresión que se respira entre sus paredes terminará creando vías de escape, códigos clandestinos, ocultaciones, fingimientos y mentiras.

With eloquent prose and a profound understanding of the human psyche, Alchemy of the Soul offers listeners a roadmap to living a more fulfilling and purposeful life. Whether you are a longtime fan of The Alchemist or a newcomer to Coelho's work, this book is an essential companion that will deepen your understanding and appreciation of one of the most cherished books of our time.

Overachieving parents want you to believe the harder you work, the better your kid will turn out. The truth is most kids end up remarkably unremarkable no matter what you do. Amateur parenting expert James Breakwell will teach you to stop worrying and embrace your child's destiny as devastatingly average. To get there, you'll have to overcome your kid, other parents, and yourself, all of whom will push you to do more than is absolutely necessary. Honestly, by reading this far, you're already trying too hard. But don't stop now. You're exactly the kind of person who needs this book.

Taboo presents erotic stories of people who confess forbidden desires, act upon naughty impulses, or have their secret fantasies come true. Taboo is the perfect collection for couples who want to take more risks and add a bit of playfulness or intensity to their sex lives. Contributors include Alison Tyler, Dante Davidson, Erica Dumas, Emilie Paris, Thomas Roche, and N. T. Morley.

Kids, a Primer is a collection of a grandfather's musings on the way his (now grown) children are raising their children and being glad about being a grandparent rather than a new parent with young children (again). While Ungar is convinced that grandparents could do a better job raising children if they had the energy, he is grateful that he, in fact, no longer has the energy.

Dreams deferred are dreams that die - a process that can take the dreamer along with them. Gallagher believes it's never too late to revisit, and relive, one's deepest desires. Writing in her trademark warm and witty style, Gallagher argues that rather than spend endless time trying to find oneself, one should start creating oneself by returning to basic life wishes. It's Never Too Late to Be What You Might Have Been, based on the famous George Eliot quote, combines sage advice, step-by-step guidelines, and inspirational push.