Small Life

Where does one go, you might ask, when the world falls apart? When the immutable facts of your life—the mundane, the trivial, the take-for-granted minutiae that once filled every second of every day—suddenly disappear? Where does one go in such dire and unexpected circumstances? I went home, of course.

Each month best friends Claudia, Sal, Ella and Laura meet for drinks, celebrating 45 years of friendship. Sal had spent a lifetime building her career, but she hadn't banked on the one thing over which she had no control. Claudia loved her urban existence. But, as many women will know, other people's needs always seem to come first. Ella is ready to try something different. But she hadn't bargained on quite such a radical change. And Laura succumbed to the oldest cliché in the book.

This is the story of George and Alice, two lonely hearts unknowingly orbiting each other's lives. But will their paths converge—and what will happen if they do?

Theron Ware is a promising young Methodist pastor recently assigned to a congregation in the Adirondack Mountains, which Frederic modeled after Utica, New York. His education and experiences have been limited to church society and his strict enforcement of its norms. Theron begins to question the Methodist religion, his role as a minister, and the existence of God. His “illumination” consists of his awakening to new intellectual and artistic experiences embodied by several of his new acquaintances.

It was a lifetime ago that recently widowed Maggie Flynn was in Wyndham Beach. Now, on the occasion of her fortieth high school reunion, she returns to her hometown on the Massachusetts coast, picking up right where she left off with dear friends Lydia and Emma. But seeing Brett Crawford again stirs other emotions. He shared Maggie’s dreams - and eventually, a shattering secret that drove them apart. Buying her old family home and resettling in Wyndham Beach means a chance to start over for Maggie and her two daughters, but it also means facing her rekindled feelings....

The German occupation is over. The Channel Islands, the only captured territory within the British Isles, are finally liberated. But the people of Jersey are left as scarred as the landscape. No longer a “summerland” holiday paradise, the island now boils with tension as locals seek revenge on anyone suspected of collaborating with the enemy during the war. Nineteen-year-old Jean Parris, still adjusting to this fractious peace, is shocked to learn that Hazel, a teacher who lives over her dad’s shop, may be responsible for her father’s wartime arrest.

Forty-two-year-old Mia Thorne is settling into her new life in the small riverside town of Newberry, Pennsylvania. Part of her misses the bright lights of the big city, but Mia is determined to make the best of the cottage she inherited and its surrounding gardens, as well as her blossoming love life. Residents like Scarlet and Patrick have welcomed her with open arms and encourage Mia to embrace her special abilities with the same enthusiasm. When a body is discovered in the canal outside Scarlet’s house and the police suspect foul play, Mia rushes to her friend’s aid.

Penny and Hattie are sisters in a small town, bound tight to the point of knots. They share a secret they cannot escape, even while it pulls them apart. One night, a match is lit, and Penny's terrible husband is killed - a marriage going up in flames and offering the potential of a new life. The sisters retreat into their family home, a house of secrets and memories, and try to live in the shadow of what they put in motion. But Penny's husband is not the only thing they are hiding - both from the outside world and from each other.

What if I can tell you that you can design and accelerate the level of success that you always wanted in your life and career? How many times have you wonder if you are wasting your time following someone else plans and dreams instead of following your own? Here is a little tip you need to know today: To be consistent, you need to focus 100 percent on the assignments you have in front of you. As an individual, you are the one responsible to build yourself up. Obviously, that’s easier said than done.

In the bestselling tradition of Fannie Flagg and Jenny Colgan comes Felicity Hayes-McCoy’s U.S. debut about a local librarian who must find a way to rebuild her community and her own life in this touching, enchanting novel set on Ireland’s stunning West Coast.

When Jillian James lands in the small town Texas community of Laurel Springs, she's definitely not planning to stay. Connor Larady is a single dad, and the only one caring for his grandmother, Eugenia, who has Alzheimer's. And now he has to close Eugenia's quilt shop. When Connor meets down-on-her-luck Jillian, he's out of options. Can he trust the newcomer to do right by his grandmother's legacy? Jillian is done with relationships. But as she grows closer to Connor and Eugenia, she must consider giving up her nomadic life for a future with those who need her.

Written by Funk Roberts with Mike and Rick Tielemans, known as The Tribe Guys, this book draws on decades of combined experience and deep research into what makes communities so powerful. Mike and Rick dedicated years to studying the positive aspects of cult psychology and human behavior, uncovering timeless principles that drive loyalty, connection, and influence. By applying these 27 secrets, the team built Funk Roberts' Over 40 Alpha Membership into a $3.5 million success, and Funk has helped build other multi-six-figure Tribe-based businesses.

Summer is approaching in the market town of Little Woodford, which can only mean one thing: the town fete! But the winds of change are blowing through the sleepy town high street and trouble is on the horizon... Two hot properties have come up for sale: The Talbot, Little Woodford's much-loved local pub and The Reeve House, a beautiful country manor cut off from the rest of the town and closed to the community. A 'for sale' sign means new members of the community, and gossip begins to fly about an offer on the Reeve House.

"She" is an entrepreneur who pursued her goals, designed her life, and loved every inch of it. She wasn’t worried about what “they” were doing or how they defined success. She didn’t listen to what they had to say, because she wasn’t doing it for “them”. She set her own standards and priorities. She pursued her goals and lived life to its fullest potential. She kept her head in the clouds and her feet on the ground. She stayed focused on the joie de vivre, celebrating the joy of life with each and every tiny victory.

Are you feeling lonely, isolated, or withdrawn at work? Putting in too much effort, and all you have is a bunch of data? Do you feel disengaged, distant, or drained? Would you like to meet more nice people? Want to have enjoyable, comfortable conversations with less "heavy lifting" and awkwardness? Stop being a "collector" and become a connector!

When her grandfather Marley passes away Grace Power discovers she’s been left the beautiful but crumbling estate of Heartcross Castle. As a single mum of three, Grace has no idea what she’s going to do with it - but who can say no to a roof over their kids’ heads and a chance to get away from past hurts? Heartcross Castle is full of secrets - especially a lost security deposit box that holds the truth to everything. But when celebrity chef Andrew Glossop sets his eyes on the castle, Grace tells him there is absolutely no chance he is getting his hands on her home.

In the tradition of his beloved first novel, The Notebook, number-one New York Times best-selling author Nicholas Sparks brings listeners the remarkable story of two couples whose lives intersect in profound and surprising ways.

The Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms. Her husband's own past affairs have made her tired of being the long-suffering spouse. Is it, perhaps, time for a change? Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of alliances are shattered. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down.

From Liverpool’s best-loved author comes a superb novel of loss and grief, love and hope, set on Merseyside in 1920.

It is 1918, six months after the end of World War I, and Rosalind awaits the return of her father from the war. While it is common practice for British children in India to be packed off to boarding school at the age of 6, Rosalind is unusual because she lives and is schooled in India because her mother insists.