Showing results by narrator "Taylor Meskimen" in All Categories

In the world of speculative fiction… Your favorite authors… Have selected best new voices of the year.

Endometriosis is a physically and mentally debilitating disease that has tortured women for centuries. Symptoms of heavy periods and excruciating pain most often begin in middle school or high school, yet doctors take an average of 12 years to diagnose it in a patient. As a result, these undiagnosed and misdiagnosed women suffer into at least their mid-20s or early 30s, repeatedly told that the pain is in their minds, that it’s simply part of becoming a woman, or that it’s caused by some other disease or condition. That nonsense must stop, and it must stop now!

Natalie has a secret. She's a gamer. By day, Natalie is an average eighth grade student. At night, she's Gnat112! Living a double life is hard…and keeping a secret from your friends is even harder. In this middle grade book, the first of an all-new series, Gamer Girls, Natalie and her three BFFs learn to navigate the gamer world together, one girl at a time.

Legs Get Led Astray is a provocative collection of essays that vividly rockets the listener through one young woman's life. Chloe Caldwell beautifully and bluntly escorts you through her childhood dreams, her first loves, her most unguarded sexual exploits, bookstore crushes, babysitting jobs, heartbroken wanderlust, and the suicide of a lost lover. Caldwell's writing remarkably explores the genre of personal non-fiction and has been featured in numerous publications.

Beauty’s life is the stuff of fairy tales. The youngest in her family, Beauty isn’t trying to catch Stephan’s eye. He is the lord baron’s heir, well above her family’s modest station, but when he kisses her hand at a party, Beauty is swept away by his charm, his wit, and his passionate declarations of love. Hearts can be untamable creatures, especially when touched by the fires of first love, and Beauty doesn’t see the truth of Stephan’s intentions until it is too late. Until he stops asking for Beauty’s love—and simply takes it from her one night despite her refusal.

On the eve of the Occupy Wall Street protests, C is flat broke. Once a renowned textile artist, she’s now the sole proprietor of an arts supply store in Lower Manhattan. Divorced, alone, at loose ends, C is stuck with a struggling business, a stack of bills, a new erotic interest in her oldest girlfriend, and a persistent hallucination in the form of a rogue garden gnome with a pointed interest in systems collapse. Replaying recent history through a distorting glass, The Visitors charts the last days of a broken status quo as the path is cleared for something new.

Bailey and Vanessa shared everything: laughter, secrets, and packets of Pop Rocks to ward off bad days. But that all changed the night Vanessa left Bailey’s, headed for home, and ended up swerving off a cliff nowhere near her house. Now Bailey, who thought she knew Vanessa better than anyone in the world, is left with a million unanswered questions, and the only person with answers is gone.

We wait in lines around the block for scoops of cookie dough. We photograph every meal. We visit selfie performance spaces and leave lucrative jobs to become farmers and craft brewers. Why? What are we really hungry for? In Hungry, Eve Turow-Paul provides a guided tour through the stranger corners of today's global food and lifestyle culture. How are 21st-century innovations and pressures are redefining people's needs and desires? How does "foodie" culture, along with other lifestyle trends, provide an answer to our rising rates of stress, loneliness, anxiety, and depression?

She may be down . . . but her fangs are out. After defeating Lucifer and saving the world, Schuyler Van Allen woke up in an entirely different reality and learned she had to do it all over again. Find the villain, take him down, save the world. But after losing her only allies, Jack Force—who ran off to protect her—and Kingsley Martin—who was captured and killed by the enemy, Schuyler has to face facts. She's going to have to do this alone . . . or is she?

When everyone else goes to bed, the ones who stay up feel like they’re the only people in the world. As the hours tick by deeper into the night, the familiar drops away and the unfamiliar beckons. Adults are asleep, and a hush falls over the hum of daily life. Anything is possible.

Meet Moon! She's more than just a rock - she’s Earth’s rock, her best friend she can always count on. Moon never turns her back on her friend (Literally: She's always facing Earth with the same side!). These two will stick together forever. With characteristic humor and charm, Stacy McAnulty channels the voice of Moon in this next celestial "autobiography" in the Our Universe series.

Giving all the “Little Women” the stories they deserve at last, this imaginative historical novel and companion to the much-loved classic draws Meg, Beth, and Amy March from behind the shadow of Jo—Louisa May Alcott’s alter-ego and the “author” of Little Women—as vibrant and unforgettable characters grappling with societal strictures, queer love, motherhood, chronic illness, artistic ambition, and more.

When rogue drones threaten citizens and the ship’s crew falls ill, the Recorder answers their call for help, once again drawing scrutiny from the Consortium. With no other option and under an Elder’s overbearing watch, she returns to Pallas Station where she nearly lost her life in the hope of finding something—anything—to save her friends and countless others. Her friends are determined to keep her safe, but for the Recorder, saving others comes first, no matter the cost.

When Madeline checks on her seven-month-old daughter, she discovers the reason for the baby’s silence. Abigail is dead. Madeline is soon living every mother’s worst nightmare amid a cacophony of sirens and police interrogations. Accusations and old resentments can’t stay contained under the pressure of guilt, tears, and the horror of picking out a baby's coffin. A line is drawn through Madeline and Brian’s marriage, and a battle begins. But defining heroes and villains is as difficult as untangling truth from the web that Madeline and Brian have created to protect themselves.

Locklyn Adair has never fit in. The legs she inherited as a result of her great-great-grandmother’s curse make it impossible for her to belong under the sea. When her niece is also born without a tail, Locklyn is determined to save her from similar rejection by sending her to the only place in the Undersea Realm where legs are acceptable—the Lost Island of Atlantis.

The Eternity Gate is found, and kings and monsters battle over its legends of treasure. But rumors whisper that someone stole the gate's ancient key. Seyo, handmaiden to the princess, keeps three secrets. First, she's gifted in fire, not light, and may as well be cursed. Second, she translates a prophecy warning that the gate does not offer treasure but judgment. Third, Jorai, the scorned prince and Seyo's confidant, entrusts her with the key and disappears.

Making a Difference is filled with stories of kids who are making the world a better place by following their hearts and chasing their dreams. Whether planting a billion trees, bringing joy to others through music, fundraising for sick children or starting an inclusive dance team, these determined youth are using their talents to do amazing things!

Inspiring Others is filled with stories of young people who saw a need for change and were inspired to BE the change. After finding something they are passionate about, they took action. From protecting endangered animals to collecting gifts for kids in hospitals, these kids will inspire you to make a difference too!

In Compassionate Kids, you'll meet selfless and generous kids who put others first. They show kindness by collecting pajamas for kids in need, fighting for education equality, and much more! Enthusiastic and ambitious, these kids show that compassionate actions have the power to change the world.

From Katie Vaz, author of Don’t Worry, Eat Cake, the beloved Make Yourself Cozy, and The Escape Manual for Introverts, comes My Life in Plants. Her newest book tells the story of her life through the thirty-nine plants that have played both leading and supporting roles, from her childhood to her wedding day. Plants include a homegrown wildflower bouquet wrapped in duct tape that she carried on stage at age three, to a fragrant basil plant that brought her and her kitchen back to life after grief.