Showing results by narrator "Ann Richardson" in All Categories

It’s springtime, and septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins is celebrating new blooms and old books. To her delight, the Georgia Antiquarian Book Society has brought its annual fair to Catalpa Springs in honor of Cleo’s gentleman friend, respected antiquarian bookseller and restorer, Henry Lafayette. But trouble rolls in with the fair when a flirtatious book scout makes the rounds, charming ladies of a certain age out of prized books.

Septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins believes in gracious manners, sweet tea, and justice - library justice. For over 40 years, Cleo has tried every trick in the book to get delinquent patron Dixie Huddleston to return the most overdue volume in Catalpa Springs, Georgia. When Dixie says she’ll finally relinquish the book, Cleo is shocked. She’s even more startled by the reason: superstitious Dixie says she’s seen the signs - she’s about to die and is setting her affairs in order.

Septuagenarian librarian Cleo Watkins won’t be shushed when an upstart young mayor threatens to permanently shelve her tiny town’s storm-damaged library. She takes to her bookmobile, Words on Wheels, to collect allies and rally library support throughout Catalpa Springs, GA. However, Cleo soon rolls into trouble. A major benefactor known for his eccentric DIY projects requests all available books on getting away with murder. He’s no Georgia peach, and Cleo wonders if she should be worried. She knows she should when she finds him murdered - and evidence points to her best friend.

An exposé of the gender gap in entrepreneurship and a road map for a more inclusive and economically successful future for us all Journalist and professor Susanne Althoff investigates the obstacles women and nonbinary entrepreneurs—especially those of color—face when launching, funding, and...

A fascinating journey through history and culture, examining how makeup affects self-empowerment, how people have used it to define (and defy) their roles in society, and why we all need to care There is a history and a cultural significance that comes with wearing cat-eye-inspired liner or a...

Jenny Lucas swore she’d never go home again. But being told you’re dying has a way of changing things. Years after she left, she and her five-year-old daughter, Isabella, must return to her sleepy North Carolina town to face the ghosts she left behind. They welcome her in the form of her oxygen tank - toting grandmother, her stoic and distant father, and David, Isabella’s dad...who doesn’t yet know he has a daughter. As Jenny navigates the rough and unknown waters of her new reality, the unforgettable story that unfolds is a testament to the power of love.

Some folks are born with a silver spoon jutting right out of their mouths. Others are a bit more like Miss Harmony King. That poor thing bounced in and out of so many foster homes growing up, that even my head spun circles trying to keep track of them all. Once Harmony hit 18, though, she disappeared from Charleston altogether. Fast forward nearly a decade, and now she’s back, bent over a pew, and praying like her life depends on it. I’d reckon that just maybe it does.

Carolina Brown couldn’t be more different than her mama if she tried - and truthfully most of us believe she worked hard at precisely that. She worked hard at everything else, too, and set off to college to accomplish big things in the wide world. Unfortunately, God called her right back to Charleston when her mama suffered a near fatal accident that left her requiring round the clock care.

Some say that whenever it snows in Charleston, God is giving a miracle to his most favorite of places. So, I reckon, the blizzard that bleached the entire sky that December must have been a blessing of epic proportions. It was certainly a miracle that I’d forgotten my cell phone after giving my Christmas Eve sermon, and had to race back to the sanctuary in order to retrieve it.

When a body is discovered in the small, sheltered town of Blackwood Cove, the authorities are ready to write it off as a suicide. But for Jasmine Moore, something doesn’t add up. With nobody to help her but her loyal golden retriever Luffy, Jasmine takes up the mantle of detective to solve the case and find the truth. But Luffy is no ordinary dog, and Jasmine shares a highly unusual bond with him - one that could hold the key to solving the entire mystery.

Lexy Davenport lost her husband in the blink of an eye, his last act of love sacrificing himself to save her. For nearly thirty years, she’s carried the weight of that night, haunted by the man who caused the crash and disappeared. But when fate puts her in the path of Dane Montague, the last thing she expects is to feel again. Dane has spent years as a widowed judge, raising two children and ensuring justice for others—even as his own heart remains closed.

This heartwarming small-town holiday love story about hope and healing from USA Today bestselling author Annie Rains is perfect for fans of Susan Mallery and Jenny Hale! Sometimes the best gifts aren’t under the tree. Everyone has a story to tell. And for Mallory Blue, her grandmother Nan’s...

In this book, former South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) forensic photographer Lt. Rita Y. Shuler recounts twenty-eight days of terror and shocking developments in one of the most notorious double murders and manhunts in South Carolina history. Shuler shares her own personal interactions with some of the key players in this famous manhunt and investigation. Also included are Bell's chilling calls from area phone booths to the Smith family, along with his disconcerting interviews and bizarre actions in the courtroom.

Tangible acts of feasting and celebrating have suffused Lanier Ivester's home all her life. But alongside her love of festivity, she's wrestled with profound losses that have reshaped the landscape—both around her and within her. These coexisting forces of great grief and great joy come together in a place called the Ruff House, where Ivester's story not only reminds us of the inescapable presence of sorrow, but shows us how to celebrate and anticipate the return of glad and golden hours in the midst of it.

In this vintage locked-room murder-mystery, Nurse Sarah Keate is assigned to the at-home care of a man who recently had a stroke. While he is unconscious, on a dark and stormy night, a murder takes place in his bedroom. With family members and potential heirs confined to the house for several days, additional murders occur while the nurse and detective Lance O’Leary, work on solving the case.

After walking away from Max Ashford—and the company he now controls—Charlotte Weiss is determined to build something of her own. With her closest friends by her side and the unexpected support of her mother’s new suitor, she leaps into a new future. But their children have other plans. Determined to mend the rift between their parents, Sebastian and Hannah orchestrate an elaborate masquerade ball, setting the stage for a long-overdue reckoning.

Dr. Hannah Scott is good at fixing everyone’s problems but her own! Despite her family’s wishes and expectations, Hannah has had seven attempts at lifelong relationships only to run away again. Fleeing from her engagement to rejoin her family on Marco Island, Hannah nearly buckles under the weight of her own self-doubts. Starting all over again is daunting, but Hannah’s family finally convinces her to take a job as a school counselor at the local high school. Being back in her old stomping grounds brings up old emotions and memories that Hannah had long since buried.

Thirty-three years ago, Charlotte Weiss left England heartbroken and alone, her newborn son ripped from her arms and the love of her life lost to a family’s cruel deception. Now, newly divorced and reeling from scandal, she returns to Notting Hill with her teenage daughter, determined to reclaim the life she once had. But the past isn’t ready to let her go.

In the late 19th century, San Francisco's merchant princes built grand stores for a booming city, each with its own niche. For the eager clientele, a trip downtown meant dressing up—hats, gloves, and stockings required—and going to Blum's for Coffee Crunch cake or Townsend's for creamed spinach.

Jess Scott teeters on the precipice of a life-altering decision! With a flourishing career as a renowned art restorer at the world-renowned Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, she possesses the remarkable ability to breathe new life into fading masterpieces. Yet, her heart's masterpiece remains uncompleted—a life together with her high-school sweetheart, Trent Booth. She has been with Trent since she was 17 and nothing could seem more poetic. However, something threatens to burst the bubble on their fairytale: Trent’s reluctance to put a due date on their wedding.