Showing results by narrator "Marie Hoffman" in All Categories

Many Americans believe that their own government is guilty of shocking crimes. Although paranoia has been a feature of the American scene since the birth of the Republic, in Real Enemies, Kathryn Olmsted tells us that it was only in the 20th century that strange and unlikely conspiracy theories became central to American politics, In particular, she posits World War I as a critical turning point and shows that as the federal bureaucracy expanded, Americans grew more fearful of the government itself.

Hollywood is full of secrets, which means LA detective Kacey Chance is never short on work. Kacey's new assignment involves a top film executive known for his mind-bending plot twists. Kacey's job is to find out what other secret twists the executive is hiding. This job takes Kacey far away from the comfort of the office, and gives her a chance to use her clever detective tricks to gain access to off-limits locations. There are no limits to what she'll do to solve this case. But when she finds herself trapped in a very tight space, Kacey has to ask herself: Have I gone too far?

Fortune tellers and mediums have descended on the Oyster Cove Guesthouse, determined to solve the mystery of local seafarer Jedediah Biddeford’s murder 300 years ago...especially if it leads them to the treasure he buried on the guesthouse grounds. New owner Josie Waters has suddenly got bigger problems than burning the breakfasts: she’s up to her elbows in tarot cards and tea leaves. When one of the mediums is found dead with an ominous note nearby, everything points to Jedediah’s ghost being the culprit.

In her introduction to this year’s The Best American Essays, guest editor Vivian Gornick states that her selections “contribute materially to the long and honorable history of the personal essay by way of the value they place on lived experience.” Provocative, daring, and honest at a time...

Though suffering often leaves us feeling isolated, God invites us into the community of the Trinity and offers us many companions in scripture. We experience loneliness alongside the exiled Israelites. We journey with David as he pleads to God for rescue. With Asaph we confess our unbelief. With Job we learn to lament. With Mary and Martha we learn to wait. In God's community, there is sweet fellowship, even in the hardest of circumstances. Journey in this book with Wendy Alsup through her story of suffering, and more importantly, with the God who walks with us in the wilderness. 

Building from his acclaimed anthology Tales of Two Americas, beloved writer and editor John Freeman draws together a group of our greatest writers from around the world to help us see how the environmental crisis is hitting some of the most vulnerable communities where they live. In the past...

Rudyard Kipling’s best-loved book is now the basis for the Netflix film Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle starring Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Benedict Cumberbatch, Freida Pinto, and Rohan Chand The story of Mowgli, the abandoned "man-cub" who is brought up by wolves in the jungles of Central...

A collection of essays, oral histories, and artworks about periods across all stages of life, gathered by the editor of the New York Times bestselling anthology My Little Red Book. After hearing a harrowing coming-of-age story from her great aunt, Rachel Kauder Nalebuff started gathering stories...

Newly revised and updated, the definitive guide to planning a Jewish wedding, written by bestselling novelist Anita Diamant—author of The Red Tent and The Boston Girl—and one of the most respected writers of guides to contemporary Jewish life. This complete, easy-to-use guide explains...

Are you facing the challenges of caring for a loved one with dementia? Watching someone you cherish gradually succumb to dementia can evoke a tumultuous mix of emotions—grief, anger, fear. You want to provide the best care, but where do you start? Amidst the physical, financial, emotional, and legal complexities, you might question your ability to be a full-time caregiver.

Three Muses is a love story that enthralls: a tale of Holocaust survival venturing through memory, trauma, and identity, while raising the curtain on the unforgiving discipline of ballet. In post-WWII New York, John Curtin suffers lasting damage from having been forced to sing for the concentration camp kommandant who murdered his family. John trains to be a psychiatrist, struggling to wrest his life from his terror of music and his past.

Martha Piper and Indira Samarasekera had vastly different career paths on their way to becoming the first (and so far only) female presidents of two of Canada's largest and most respected research universities and directors of some of the nation's largest market cap companies, but what they had in common was their gender, their willingness to take risks when leadership opportunities presented themselves, and a work ethic second to none. It was not always easy, pretty, or fair, but it was always the result of choosing to answer the call to lead. 

LA detective Kacey Chance partners up with sophisticated matriarch Tippy Booker to search the city for a missing kitty. Kitty...as in tiger. An honest-to-goodness, full-grown tiger. This case takes Kacey into the world of magic and stage magicians. Will she be able to separate truth from illusion? It isn't easy to see through the spells cast by a talented illusionist.

Then: Twenty years ago, Alys’ husband, Sam, was in a terrible car accident that left him fighting for his life. His recovery was slow and painful, and just at the point when Alys began to hope, he sent her away, refusing to see her ever again for reasons she could never understand. Now: Married again and living in a new town with a new family, Alys feels like she’s sleepwalking through life. She’s just lost her job, her grown-up daughter is flying the nest, and her new husband doesn’t see - or even seem to care about - the downward spiral she is in.

Kacey Chance said goodbye to her actress dreams to become a private investigator, but now her work is sending her straight into the heart of Hollywood. Her new assignment takes her undercover, working as a personal assistant to a handsome actor. Someone is trying to destroy his career, and it's up to Kacey to find out who, and why. Being on set is every bit as fun as Kacey imagined. The case seems easy enough, until she hits a moral dilemma. Exactly how far should an investigator go to discover the truth?

Kacey Chance is a former actress turned detective. Luckily for her, acting skills come in handy during investigations. Kacey's latest assignment is to investigate a suspicious workplace accident. The victim, who worked at local hangout Rockburger, is seeking a large cash settlement. A stakeout at the victim's residence reveals nosy neighbors and colorful roommates who drop hints that nothing about this accident is quite as it appears.

Kacey Chance is an aspiring actress with a cute face and a plucky attitude. She's trying to break into Hollywood, but it isn't easy. She was the prettiest girl in her hometown, but in LA she's a dime a dozen. When a friend offers Kacey a job working at a detective agency, the young actress jumps at the opportunity. The detective agency is unlike any she's ever seen in the movies. It's run by three handsome, single brothers and their sassy grandmother. Her first day at the agency is anything but boring.

The massive orphan train exodus whisked three-year-old Teresa from the safety of her New York orphanage, where the worst thing the Foundling nuns did was wash her curly black hair, to a desolate house and cold-hearted "parents" in Kansas. There, she entered a small and strange Volga German world whose inhabitants spoke a language she had never heard. In this odd world, she encountered whippings and sexual abuse. Mail-Order Kid looks at the orphan train movement through the eyes of one small child who yearns to know her "real" mother.

Kilee Brookbank was a typical sixteen-year-old, but her last ordinary day erupted in an explosion that consumed her house, burning forty-five percent of her body and sending her to the brink of death. After thirty-eight days of surgeries, skin grafts, physical therapy, and excruciating pain, Kilee had to discover how to live again. Now a thriving college student, Kilee has become an author, advocate, and philanthropist focused on helping other young burn survivors and their families.

Get hold of your spoon and start enjoying When Ice Cream Is Not Enough, a book brimming with mouth-watering vignettes that tell two sides of a story. Ellen Gendelman and Renee Jaspan take you on a journey towards a rich appreciation for what makes people tick. Experience the lingering taste as each of these memorable characters find a special place in your hearts.