Showing results by narrator "Abby Craden" in All Categories

Adults have forgotten the feel of a teenager's love. For you a teenager will walk through glass doors, stay awake three days in a row, be an angel standing under your window in the rain. So what that we don't know how to order from the butcher or apply foundation or insert a diaphragm? Show us. So advises Paige Bergman, a high school student who falls in love with housewife Fiona Gallagher in Jane Summer's lyrical debut novel, The Silk Road.

Acclaimed author Lauren Slater ruminates on what it means to be family. Lauren Slater's rocky childhood left her cold to the idea of ever creating a family of her own, but a husband, two dogs, two children, and three houses later, she came around to the challenges, trials, and unexpected rewards of playing house. In these autobiographical pieces, Slater presents snapshots of domestic life, populating them with the gritty details and jarring realities of sharing home, life, and body in the curious institution called "family."

Nineteen-year-old Whit Conrad leaves her conservative Pennsylvania home for sunny California, looking for independence, a fresh start, and a place to stash her grief. She promptly finds a job at a tattoo parlor, a craptastic first apartment, and one friend - Ryan - who is a little less friend, a little more benefits. Deo Beckett is a soulful surfer with a passion for tattoos and beautiful women. On the eve of his twenty-second birthday, he finds himself living with his grandfather, recently unemployed, and seriously adrift.

Dylan Carroll, an ambitious college student filmmaker still reeling from the death of her brother, may have just stumbled upon the opportunity of a lifetime. Musician Kai White is in the middle of a public relations nightmare, and he may be keeping a secret that could turn things around. His manager/publicist wants to create a Web series aimed at cleaning up his image. There's also a promising offer at stake if Dylan can abide by the rule of staying strictly professional, and if she can figure out what Kai is hiding. But Kai and Dylan already have an undeniable connection, and when they are together, they discover that rules are pretty easy to break.

One day a young girl, Trot, encounters a strange young boy with a big umbrella. She learns his name is Button Bright and he uses this umbrella to go on long journeys. Trot's friend, Cap'n Bill, joins the two children and they venture to a fantastical island, which they call Sky Island, as it is halfway in the sky.

Cohen Rodriguez, Deo's hilarious, über responsible best friend in Lengths, got dumped by his longtime girl because he's "not impulsive enough," and he's burned up. But maybe, just maybe, she's more right than he wants to admit. So he starts to date. A lot. But no one really feels like the one. And the more girls he dates, the more Cohen's convinced she isn't really out there. Luckily he has Maren - the girl with the sexy voice who always cracks the best jokes. They've been talking daily for a year…on the phone. What started as all work soon blooms into friendship.

There's no place like home, they say. "Hello, I'm Nina Parker…and I'm an alcoholic." For Nina, it's not the weighty admission but the first steps toward recovery that prove most difficult. She must face her ex-husband, Hunt, with little hope of making amends, and try to rebuild a relationship...

Sixteen-year-old Sydney Biggs is a “good kid”— smart, pretty, self-aware. No one doubts that she’ll go far in life. But lately her mother worries that Sydney is wandering down the wrong path and getting all caught up in petty teenage rebellion and shenanigans. When Sydney and her best...

Max Dutton, a starting NFL linebacker for the Los Angeles Condors, is certain he's going to die young, since his father and grandfather both passed away at an early age. Believing his life will be cut short, Max lives every moment to its fullest. For this reason, Max also shies away from forming close relationships. What would be the point of falling in love and starting a family, only to leave them as his father left him and his sisters? Nutrition expert Kari Murphy used to think Max Dutton was to die for. She's older and wiser now.

Melanie Hoffert longs for her rural North Dakota home with its grain trucks and empty main streets. But like many, she followed the out-migration pattern to a more urban life. When she returns home during harvest to confront the silences that have kept her at arm’s length from her childhood community, she finds it’s not easy. When asked if she's found a “fella,” rather than explain that she dates women, she stops breathing and changes the subject.

Multiple grand slam tennis champion and entrepreneur, Venus Williams and 46 of her colleagues, friends, and mentors deliver a volume of invaluable wisdom, motivation, and inspiration. Come to Win demonstrates how the principles of competitive athletics translate into business success. With...

Three years after the Summer of Chaos, Sara Dunstan, adoptive mother of Steel Brightblade, hears rumors that the Knights of Takhisis are regathering in the evil city of Neraka. Although still branded a renegade by the Dark Knights, she travels to Neraka with the blue dragon, Cobalt, to learn the truth. There she discovers the knights are not only rebuilding under the leadership of General Mirielle Abrena, but they have imminent plans to return to war. Frustrated and seeking answers, Sara jounreys to the Tomb of the Last Heroes in Solace.

Entertainment reporter Jamie Archer knew it would be hard when her husband, Stark Security Chief Ryan Hunter, was called away for a long-term project in London. The distance is difficult to endure, but Jamie trusts the deep and passionate love that has always burned between them. At least until a mysterious woman from Ryan’s past shows up at his doorstep, her very presence threatening to destroy everything that Jamie holds dear.

Bribery and Corruption Casebook: The View From Under the Table is a one-of-a-kind collection of actual cases written by the fraud examiners who investigated them. These stories were hand-selected from hundreds of submissions and together form a comprehensive, enlightening, and entertaining picture of the many types of bribery and corruption cases in varied industries throughout the world. Each case outlines how the bribe or corruption was engineered, how it was investigated, and how perpetrators were brought to justice.

An essential guide for parents navigating the new frontier of hyper-connected kids. Today's teenagers spend about nine hours per day online. Parents of this ultra-connected generation struggle with decisions completely new to parenting: Should an eight-year-old be allowed to go on social media?...

In Real Women, Real Leadership, 24 women leaders describe their personal journeys to the top, providing deep insight and a fascinating perspective on "making it" as a woman in the male-dominated business environment. They discuss their experiences and offer guidance on topics such as balancing family and career, building alliances, mentoring and being mentored, and overcoming obstacles in the business world, which is still dominated by men in the senior levels of management.

A beautifully written tribute to the people who teach us to cook and guide our hands in the kitchen, by a founding editor of Saveur. The cooking lessons that stick with us are rarely the ones we read in books or learn through blog posts or YouTube videos (depending on your generation); they’re...

Contrary to what was once believed, ADHD that starts earlier in childhood usually persists into the teen years. Yet even experienced parents are often caught unawares by the fresh challenges that adolescence brings. This book is one of the few to address ADHD in the context of teen friendships, dating, curfews, sports, and extracurricular activities. It also offers practical advice from a leading psychologist on determining readiness to drive and instilling good homework and study habits.

When you find your fated mate, don't let go. The problem with Jenna Malone is that she's werewolf Trevor McCall's best SWAT buddy's sister. Trevor suspects she's The One, but how the heck can he make a move? When Jenna invites Trevor to visit her in Los Angeles, he has his chance. But what's hiding in LA is much more dangerous and complicated than any of the SWAT team could have guessed, and Jenna's right in the middle of it....