Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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The warm fall day starts like any other at the Center-- a women's reproductive health services clinic-- its staff offering care to anyone who passes through its doors. Then, in late morning, a desperate and distraught gunman bursts in and opens fire, taking all inside hostage. After rushing to the scene, Hugh McElroy, a police hostage negotiator, sets up a perimeter and begins making a plan to communicate with the gunman. As his phone vibrates with incoming text messages he glances at it and, to his horror, finds out that his fifteen-year-old daughter, Wren, is inside the clinic. But Wren is not alone. She will share the next and tensest few hours of her young life with a cast of unforgettable characters-- including a nurse who calms her own panic in order to save the life of a wounded woman, a doctor who does his work not in spite of his faith but because of it, and who will find that faith tested as never before, a pro-life protester, disguised as a patient, who now stands in the crosshairs of the same rage she herself has felt, a young woman who has come to terminate her pregnancy, and the disturbed individual himself, vowing to be heard.

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Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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Memphis, Tennessee, 1936. The five Foss children find their lives changed forever when their parents leave them alone on the family shantyboat one stormy night. Rill Foss, just twelve years old, must protect her four younger siblings as they are wrenched from their home on the Mississippi and thrown into the care of the infamous Georgia Tann, director of the Tennessee Children's Home Society. South Carolina, Present Day. Avery Stafford has lived a charmed life. Loving daughter to her father, a U.S. Senator, she has a promising career as an assistant D.A. in Baltimore and is engaged to her best friend. But when Avery comes home to help her father weather a health crisis and a political attack, a chance encounter with a stranger leaves her deeply shaken. Avery's decision to learn more about the woman's life will take her on a journey through her family's long-hidden history.

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Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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The breathtaking latest installment in Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard's mega-bestselling Killing series transports readers to the most important era in our nation's history, the Revolutionary War. Told through the eyes of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and Great Britain's King George III,Killing England chronicles the path to independence in gripping detail, taking the reader from the battlefields of America to the royal courts of Europe. What started as protest and unrest in the colonies soon escalated to a world war with devastating casualties. O'Reilly and Dugard recreate the war's landmark battles, including Bunker Hill, Long Island, Saratoga, and Yorktown, revealing the savagery of hand-to-hand combat and the often brutal conditions under which these brave American soldiers lived and fought. Also here is the reckless treachery of Benedict Arnold and the daring guerilla tactics of the "Swamp Fox" Frances Marion. A must read,Killing England reminds one and all how the course of history can be changed through the courage and determination of those intent on doing the impossible. 

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Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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In the summer of 1862, a group of young artists led by the passionate and talented Edward Radcliffe descends upon Birchwood Manor on the banks of the Upper Thames. Their plan: to spend a secluded summer month in a haze of inspiration and creativity. But by the time their stay is over, one woman has been shot dead while another has disappeared; a priceless heirloom is missing; and Edward Radcliffe's life is in ruins. Over one hundred and fifty years later, Elodie Winslow, a young archivist in London, uncovers a leather satchel containing two seemingly unrelated items: a sepia photograph of an arresting-looking woman in Victorian clothing, and an artist's sketchbook containing the drawing of a twin-gabled house on the bend of a river. Why does Birchwood Manor feel so familiar to Elodie? And who is the beautiful woman in the photograph? Will she ever give up her secrets? Told by multiple voices across time, The Clockmaker's Daughter is a story of murder, mystery, and thievery, of art, love, and loss. And flowing through its pages like a river, is the voice of a woman who stands outside time, whose name has been forgotten by history, but who has watched it all unfold: Birdie Bell, the clockmaker's daughter . 

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Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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In Shaker Heights, a placid, progressive suburb of Cleveland, everything is planned - from the layout of the winding roads, to the colors of the houses, to the successful lives its residents will go on to lead. And no one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren - an enigmatic artist and single mother - who arrives in this idyllic bubble with her teenaged daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants: all four Richardson children are drawn to the mother-daughter pair. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this carefully ordered community. When old family friends of the Richardsons attempt to adopt a Chinese-American baby, a custody battle erupts that dramatically divides the town--and puts Mia and Elena on opposing sides.  Suspicious of Mia and her motives, Elena is determined to uncover the secrets in Mia's past. But her obsession will come at unexpected and devastating costs. Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets, the nature of art and identity, and the ferocious pull of motherhood - and the danger of believing that following the rules can avert disaster.

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Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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Lenora Allbright is thirteen when her father convinces her mother, Cora, to forgo their inauspicious existence in Seattle and move to Kaneq, AK. It's 1974, and the former Vietnam POW sees a better future away from the noise and nightmares that plague him. Having been left a homestead by a buddy who died in the war, Ernt is secure in his beliefs, but never was a family less prepared for the reality of Alaska, the long, cold winters and isolation. Locals want to help out, especially classmate Matthew Walker, who likes everything about Leni. Yet the harsh conditions bring out the worst in Ernt, whose paranoia takes over their lives and exacerbates what Leni sees as the toxic relationship between her parents. The Allbrights are as green as greenhorns can be, and even first love must endure unimaginable hardship and tragedy as the wilderness tries to claim more victims

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Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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What would you do if you realized that your new husband, a man you adore, is keeping secrets from you--secrets with terrifying consequences? Bryn Harper, an accomplished self-help author, already has plenty to deal with. She's still recovering from a devastating car accident that has left her haunted by recurring, smoke-filled nightmares. Worse still, she can't shake the ominous feeling her dreams contain a warning. In the beginning, Bryn's husband Guy couldn't have been more supportive. But after moving into a new house together, disturbing incidents occur and Guy grows evasive, secretive. What the hell is going on, she wonders? Then, a woman hired to cater their dinner party is brutally murdered. As Bryn's world unravels--and yet another woman in town is slain --she must summon her old strength to find answers and protect her own life. Her nightmares may in fact hold the key to unlocking the truth and unmasking the murderer.

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Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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Newlyweds Celestial and Roy are the embodiment of both the American dream and the new South. He is a young executive, and she is an artist on the brink of an exciting career. But as they settle into the routine of their life together, they are ripped apart by circumstances neither could have imagined. Roy is arrested and sentenced to twelve years for a crime Celestial knows he didn't commit. Though fiercely independent, Celestial finds herself bereft and unmoored, taking comfort in Andre, her childhood friend, and best man at their wedding. As Roy's time in prison passes, she is unable to hold on to the love that has been her center. After five years, Roy's conviction is suddenly overturned, and he returns to Atlanta ready to resume their life together.

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Age is Just a Number

December 11, 2018 | sobczakd
The end of old age : living a longer, more purposeful life by Marc E Agronin

As one of America's leading geriatric psychiatrists, Dr. Marc Agronin sees both the sickest and the healthiest of seniors. He observes what works to make their lives better and more purposeful and what doesn't. Many authors can talk about aging from their particular vantage points, but Dr. Agronin is on the front lines as he counsels and treats elderly individuals and their loved ones on a daily basis. The latest scientific research and Dr. Agronin's first-hand experience are brilliantly distilled in The End of Old Age--a call to no longer see aging as an implacable enemy and to start seeing it as a developmental force for enhancing well-being, meaning, and  longevity. Throughout The End of Old Age, the focus is squarely on "So what does this mean for me and my family?" In the final part of the book, Dr. Agronin provides simple but revealing charts that you can fill out to identify, develop, and optimize your unique age-given strengths. It's nothing short of an action plan to help you age better by improving how you value the aging process, guide yourself through stress, and find ways to creatively address change for the best possible experience and outcome.

The fountain : a doctor's prescription to make 60 the new 30 by Rocco Monto

Don't just live longer- live better! Everyone wants to feel fitter, sexier, more energetic, more productive, and younger-but what if the solutions were already here? What if there were already ways to ease the negative effects of aging and prevent diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease from ever starting? What if we could translate all the exotic science and research breakthroughs of today into a practical plan that could help us win the war on aging? Here's the truth- We can. The Fountain is a sensible, comprehensive, and scientifically based anti-aging guide packed with essential information. With actionable advice, biting humor, and savvy insight, Dr. Rocco Monto, a top national health expert and board-certified orthopedic surgeon, explains why we age so poorly now and how the latest breakthroughs in science and medicine can help change this. Focusing on the four pillars of science, diet, exercise, and medicine, Dr. Monto's findings interlace the clinical and the cultural and suggest that simple choices provide profound results. Debunking long-held diet and fitness myths while highlighting safe, effective therapies backed by cutting-edge research, Dr. Monto includes the diet, supplements, exercise, mental training, and new medications to help us all live longer, happier, healthier, and more productive lives. Much more than a compilation of longevity research, The Fountain is an essential toolkit that will redesign lifestyles and forever transform the way we look at aging. As the book blends fascinating stories with new research findings, illustrations, infographics, and exclusive interviews, it also educates you on how aging really works and provides practical ways to hack the system.

Getting real about getting older : conversations about aging better by Linda K Stroh

The first book to open up a real conversation about aging. What has the experience of getting older felt like for you? It seems that life's milestones pass by in a flash: graduating from school, landing your first job, getting married, having kids. Most people look forward to these events and have some expectations about what each life milestone will be like. But what about when you get older? How can you continue to live fully in your sixties, seventies, and beyond? Linda K. Stroh and Karen K. Brees asked nearly one thousand older people about the challenges and joys of growing older and compiled their collective wisdom into this must-have book! Full of advice and stories from a wide variety of older people, Getting Real about Getting Older examines love, loss, and changing identities, and will help you take control of your concerns about aging and experience wisdom and joy as an older adult.

Adult Contemporary Book Discussion

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The White House is the home of the President of the United States, the most guarded, monitored, closely watched person in the world. So how could a U.S. President vanish without a trace? And why would he choose to do so? An unprecedented collaboration between President Bill Clinton and the world's bestselling novelist, James Patterson, The President is Missing is a breathtaking story from the pinnacle of power. Full of what it truly feels like to be the person in the Oval Office -- the mind-boggling pressure, the heartbreaking decisions, the exhilarating opportunities, the soul-wrenching power -- this is the thriller of the decade, confronting the darkest threats that face the world today, with the highest stakes conceivable.

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