Kristen is a fierce, loyal, smart, funny, and driven woman who makes life decisions based on logic, not feelings. When she meets Josh, the best man in her best friend’s wedding, she tries to use logic to keep their relationship strictly platonic, even though she’s never felt this way about anyone in her life-- not even her boyfriend (who is overseas in the military). However, wearing her ugliest clothes, no makeup, and forgoing a hairbrush for days doesn’t stop Josh from thinking she’s the most beautiful woman he’s ever met. As a veteran, Josh respects Kristen's boyfriend and doesn’t act on his feelings-- at least not until he breaks up with her through a voicemail telling her he re-enlisted.
Without the boyfriend in between them, they can no longer resist each other. But Kristen has health issues and a secret surgery that will make it impossible for her to have children, the one thing that Josh has made clear is a deal-breaker for him. He wants an entire sports team full of his own kids, and that’s the one thing Kristen can’t give him. No matter how much Kristen loves him, she knows she can’t deny him his dreams and pushes him away. To Josh, however, he doesn’t want a family if he can’t have it with Kristen.
This is a fantastic rom-com that will have you laughing one minute and crying the next as you deal with Kristen’s infertility issues with her.
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Just when she thought things were finally moving in the relationship direction, Millie Quint finds her best friend/almost girlfriend kissing someone else. Faced with spending her senior year in a completely awkward place, Millie decides to apply to boarding school… in Scotland. Where her roommate turns out to be an actual princess.
An enemy-to-lovers, will-they-won’t-they story with the added benefits of rebel royal teenagers and beautiful Scottish scenery. Will Millie and Princess Flora find love at boarding school, or will they kill each other during a school-wide camping challenge? If you’re looking for an easy, fun read and you loved Red, White and Royal Blue, this is the book for you!
A.J. Jacobs found himself feeling petty and angry more often than grateful and content. So being the "human guinea pig" that he is, he decided to embark on a gratitude experiment to try to be more appreciative of the little things in his life. He started with his morning cup of coffee.
He decided to try to thank everyone who made his cup of coffee possible, from the baristas to the water sanitation workers to the coffee cup lid designers to the South American farmers. Altogether, he makes it his mission to thank one thousand people who contributed in some way to his daily cup of coffee.
This is an uplifting book that narrowly skirts coming off as cloying. By honestly contemplating whether the thank-ees appreciate his words or see them as a waste of their time, and by consulting experts about the difference between gratitude and complacency, he manages to keep the book on level ground. It's a quick read with a heartfelt premise, perfect for if you're looking for a sense of connection in this tumultuous time.
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Published in celebration of the fortieth anniversary of the release of Star Wars: A New Hope, this collection of short stories is sure to delight any fan of the Star Wars saga.
Forty stories, each written by a different author, follow the action of that first movie, but from the perspective of observers. Aliens, androids, stormtroopers, and even a few beloved characters share their small role as witnesses to the greater action. Ever wonder what the Han/Greedo showdown looked like to the cantina band? Want to get the backstory on that tentacled creature in the trash compactor? Curious about the paperwork required to keep a planet destroying battle station running? This is the place to find the answers.
Written by a variety of celebrated authors, actors, and artists, these quick, enjoyable reads range from humorous to heroic to heartbreaking; perfect for dipping into and out of while awaiting the next season of The Mandalorian.
Check out our e-book and e-audiobook copies of this book through eReadIllinois (Axis360)!
Cassie Hanwell is one of the best firefighters Austen, Texas, and one of the few female ones. The book begins with her being the youngest and first woman to receive an award for Valor. However, at the ceremony, the man handing her the award is an alderman she hasn’t set eyes on since high school, who happens to be the reason she doesn’t do relationships. When he gropes her onstage, she loses it and beats the crap out of him. And thus, her perfectly curated life begins to unravel.
The next day, her estranged mother calls, asking her to move to Boston because of her health issues, and Cassie's boss gives her an ultimatum: give a public apology to the alderman, or else be terminated. She chooses Boston. Her first day at the Boston firehouse, she’s struck with an unwanted attraction to another rookie, which is against all of the rules. Firefighters don’t have feelings, and they most certainly don’t date other firefighters. A few months later, she starts being stalked by one of the men from her firehouse, escalating the raw emotions she’s not equipped to deal with, until everything she’s worked so hard for blows up in her face.
Will she have the strength to overcome the obstacles? Will she let the cruelty of others dictate how she lives her life? Will she learn that having emotions can make you even stronger? You'll have to read it to find out, but I can tell you it's worth a look.
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In an alternate universe, Superman lands in Communist-controlled Ukraine and become a symbol for the U.S.S.R. rather than the United States. In the coming decades, as Cold War tension mounts, American genius Lex Luthor leads the attempt to stop him and his ever-spreading ideology by any means necessary.
Given the increasing number of retakes on superhero origin stories, especially in recent years, its odd to find one as refreshing as Red Son. Perhaps this has to do with Millar’s refusal to rely on tropes, cliches, and pre-established lore, or perhaps it's because Superman seems to truly believe in his Communist ideology, much as he usually epitomizes the American Way.
One of the more interesting aspects of Red Son is how similarities can be drawn between it and real world tensions. Superman, normally a hero, is in many ways the villain of this story, both as an enemy to Americanism, and in his ethics. Influenced by his near omnipotent power, he goes so far as to lobotomize criminals to create peace. Luthor, the “hero” in that case, isn’t much better, manipulating the American people to raise funding for super weapons, turning DC heroes into his own soldiers, and creating twisted clones and monsters to try and stop Superman. Given this, who then, if either of them, is really fighting for good?
Check out this graphic novel electronically through our Hoopla e-book library!
During their senior year of college, Lucy and Gabe randomly come together on September 11, 2001, before going in separate directions. They reconnect years later and fall into a passionate love affair only to be separated again, but this time because Gabe accepts a job as a photographer with the Associated Press overseas and Lucy refuses to leave her job in New York City. Both wanting to make their mark on the world, neither wants to give up their dream for their relationship. Keeping a light friendship post break-up through the years, they are once again reconnected, though in tragedy, thus leaving Lucy with an important decision to make.
This novel had me fully invested after the first page. It's an original idea, a recount of Lucy's life with Gabe, as told by Lucy herself. A story of first love, The Light we Lost is a melancholy story with realistic undertones that make it completely relatable to the reader. To be read with a box of tissues, you will be instantly immersed in Lucy's life from the very beginning through the end.
Check out our e-book or e-audiobook copies of this book through Library on the Go (Libby/Overdrive) or eReadIllinois (Axis360).
