Illness Fiction

Beautiful and magnetic, Catherine, a.k.a. “Maman,” smokes too much, drives too fast, laughs too hard, and loves too extravagantly, and her daughter Violaine wouldn’t have it any other way. But when Maman is hospitalized after a third divorce and a breakdown, everything changes. As the story of Catherine’s own traumatic childhood and adolescence unfolds, the pieces come together to form an indelible portrait of a mother as irresistible as she is impossible, as triumphant as she is transgressive.

See, as fast as the human race is evolving, we still haven’t discovered a more efficient way to help our brains relax and achieve a calmer mental state than good ole storytelling. A well-told story takes your mind off plans, worries, and recapitulations, providing a safety net beneath your brain, like the pillow under your skull.

When Neil, Leah's warm and loving step-father, reveals that his cancer is no longer in remission, Leah finds comfort in a visit to Amish country to see her true love, Ethan. When Ethan chooses to leave his life on the farm, he moves in with Leah and her family. But once Ethan arrives, they realize that his Amish values are quite different from those of Leah's complex "English" world. Will their love help, or hurt, Leah as she faces the complex hurdles that await her?

At their newly founded school, Samuel Hood and his daughter, Caroline, promise a groundbreaking education for young women. But Caroline has grave misgivings. After all, her own unconventional education has left her unmarriageable and isolated, unsuited to the narrow roles afforded women in 19th-century New England. When a mysterious flock of red birds descends on the town, Caroline alone seems to find them unsettling. But it's not long before the assembled students begin to manifest bizarre symptoms: Rashes, seizures, headaches, verbal tics, night wanderings. One by one, they sicken.

Escape reality and enter a blissful journey through mystical realms where magic and fantasy gently intertwine. Discover a world where imagination knows no bounds, and float effortlessly through lands of wonder, serenity, and peaceful dreams. Bid farewell to stress, anxiety, and sleepless nights as you immerse yourself in this tranquil collection of 60 bedtime tales. Each story is carefully crafted to lull you into a state of serene sleep, blissful relief, and tranquility, making it the perfect companion for a restful night.

Saving Meghan is a riveting new thriller full of secrets and lies from author D.J. Palmer. The Gerard family has lived a charmed life. Carl is a highly successful residential developer with millions in the bank who married his high school sweetheart, Becky, and they have a beautiful daughter, Meghan. But when Meghan is suddenly struck with a mysterious illness that starts out as chronic headaches and joint pain but progresses rapidly to affect her cognitive ability, the family begins to fracture as they search desperately for a diagnosis and a cure for Meghan’s suffering.

Jacob's hearing voices. Voices from the future. Voices claiming that he has the power to save the majority of Europe from a deadly virus. Are they part of his imagination or something far more fantastic?

When Walela is diagnosed at twenty-three with advanced stage blood cancer, they're suddenly thrust into the unsympathetic world of tubes and pills, doctors who don’t use their correct pronouns, and hordes of "well-meaning" but patronizing people offering unsolicited advice as they navigate rocky personal relationships and share their story online.

World-renowned pianist Gloria Banderas is at the height of her career when a curious ailment forces her to cancel a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall. The same day, she befriends one of the many free-spirited artists inhabiting the warren of apartments above the theater. With her career and marriage at a standstill, Gloria moves into an empty studio and convalesces among the poets, photographers, and dancers who eke out a living with total dedication to their art. As a return to her old routine beckons, Gloria must decide which parts of her life are worth fighting for.

When Maisie gets into a terrible accident, her face is partially destroyed. She's lucky enough to get a face transplant - but how do you live your life when you can't even recognize yourself anymore? She was a runner, a girlfriend, a good student...a normal girl. Now all that has changed. As Maisie discovers how much her looks did - and didn't - shape her relationship to the world, she has to redefine her own identity and figure out what "lucky" really means.

Normal. Who is to say what this word means? For Magda Newman, it was a goal. She wanted her son Nathaniel to be able to play on the playground, swim at the beach, enjoy the moments his friends took for granted. But Nathaniel’s severe Treacher Collins syndrome - a craniofacial condition - meant that other concerns came first. Could he eat without the aid of a gastrointestinal tube? Could he hear? Would he ever be able to breathe effortlessly? But Nathaniel looks at “normal” from a completely different perspective.

Do you struggle to fall asleep? Are you looking for a new way to relax before bedtime? How can you stop overthinking, calm your mind and sink into peaceful, restful, and regenerating sleep? A natural remedy to treat insomnia is to listen stories that allow you to channel your inner creativity and free your mind in ways that you can’t do during the day. Don't hesitate one more day. Don't let your insomnia keep you up at night. You have finally found out a valid solution to overcome anxiety and stress that drain of your energies!

What if the one person you could talk to was also the one person that you were battling against? In this unforgettable and uplifting story, 14-year-old Max is consumed by Ana - also known as anorexia, his eating disorder. And as Max writes to Ana every day, Ana feeds on his fears, encouraging him to lose more and more weight. But when Max’s brother gifts him a geocache for Christmas, Max soon discovers a new world and way of conversation.

Ollie and Moritz are two teenagers who will never meet. Each of them lives with a life-affecting illness. Contact with electricity sends Ollie into debilitating seizures while Moritz has a heart defect and is kept alive by an electronic pacemaker. If they did meet, Ollie would seize, but turning off the pacemaker would kill Moritz. Through an exchange of letters, the two boys develop a strong bond of friendship that becomes a lifeline during dark times.

Sammie McCoy is a girl with a plan: graduate at the top of her class and get out of her small town as soon as possible. Nothing will stand in her way - not even the rare genetic disorder the doctors say will slowly steal her memories and then her health. So the memory book is born: a journal written to Sammie's future self, so she can remember everything, from where she stashed her study guides to just how great it feels to have a best friend again.

Do you have trouble unwinding after a stressful day? Do you lie down at night and spend hours trying to get to sleep? But, it feels like you just can't stop thinking about what you forgot to do today, what you could've done better, what you need to get done tomorrow, or what happens if something unexpected happens. Your brain keeps on going even though you desperately want to rest. Even worse, it feels like you are focused on negative things. And all you want is rest. You want to shut your brain down!

A History of the Present Illness takes listeners into overlooked lives in the neighborhoods, hospitals, and nursing homes of San Francisco, offering a deeply humane and incisive portrait of health and illness in American today....In the tradition of Oliver Sacks and Abraham Verghese, Aronson's writing is based on personal experience and addresses topics of current social relevance. Masterfully told, A History of the Present Illness explores the role of stories in medicine and creates a world pulsating with life, speaking truths about what makes us human.

All you need in order to get a great night’s sleep tonight is a story. See, as fast as the human race is evolving, we still haven’t discovered a more efficient way to help our brains relax and achieve a calmer mental state than good ole storytelling. If you are having trouble falling asleep, this audiobook is for you. It combines two magnificent bedtime stories with relaxing sounds of nature that will knock you out faster than any medication your doc has the authority to prescribe. Just a few minutes and you’ll be on your way to the best night’s sleep you’ve had in months.

Paige Rawl has been HIV positive since birth, but growing up, she never felt like her illness defined her. On an unremarkable day in middle school, she disclosed to a friend her HIV-positive status - and within hours the bullying began. From that moment forward, every day was like walking through a minefield. Paige was never sure when or from where the next text, taunt, or hateful message would come. Then one night, desperate for escape, 15-year-old Paige found herself in her bathroom staring at a bottle of sleeping pills. That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was only the beginning.

When Olivia awakes in a hospital bed following a near-fatal car accident, she can't remember how she got there. She figures it's because she was in a coma for a week, but as time goes on, she realizes she's lost more than just the last week of her life - she's lost all memory of events that happened years ago. Gone is any recollection of starting or graduating high school, the prom, or her steady boyfriend, Matt. Trying to figure out who she is feels impossible when everyone keeps telling her who she was.