Social Life

Wallace Wallace hates the book Old Shep, My Pal. His reasons? It's boring, and he's tired of dog stories because the dog always dies. In his book report, he writes that his favorite part is on the last page where it says, "The End".

In his third book, Tantric philosopher and Oxford scholar Dr. Christopher Wallis calls out the seemingly helpful spiritual platitudes dominating our current culture and demonstrates how these "near-truths" can stand in the way of a more radically free and meaningful life—and ultimately, a deeper spiritual awakening. Rooted in the Asian wisdom traditions, Wallis’s book uncovers why these oft-heard clichés are “near enemies of the truth" that can distract us from real spirituality, and can even cause unnecessary suffering.

Evan Stark, founder of one of America's first battered women's shelters, shows how "domestic violence" is neither primarily domestic nor necessarily violent, but a pattern of controlling behaviors more akin to terrorism and hostage-taking. Drawing on court records, interviews, and FBI statistics, Stark details coercive strategies that men use to deny women their very personhood, from "beeper games" to food logs to micromanaging dress, speech, sexual activity, and work.

In this third volume of the popular Immortals Quartet, Daine enters a glittering world laced with danger and treachery, a world that grows more intense when the gods themselves push her to use her wild magic for their own ends.

When people look at Melissa, they think they see a boy named George. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl. Melissa thinks she’ll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. Melissa really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. But the teacher says she can't even try out for the part... because she's a boy. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, Melissa comes up with a plan. Not just so she can be Charlotte—but so everyone can know who she is, once and for all.

Barbara Demick's Nothing to Envy follows the lives of six North Koreans over fifteen years - a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung and the unchallenged rise to power of his son, Kim Jong-il, and the devastation of a far-ranging famine that killed one-fifth of the population. Taking us into a landscape never before seen, Demick brings to life what it means to be an average Korean citizen, living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today.

Can the Wildcats' quarterback lead his team to victory against their football rivals? The Huskies are the biggest and best team in the conference. The Wildcats lose to them every year. But with their new quarterback, Carlos, the coach thinks they have a chance this year.

Julia just changed schools. Luckily, her best friend, Ava, goes to her new school. Ava’s been on the cheerleading squad for two years, and she promised to help Julia make the team. But if Julia is a better cheerleader than Ava, will they still be able to be best friends?

Lindsey is sad when her friend Julia moves away. She is convinced she will never find another friend to play with her in the garden. But when Julia’s tulip bulb finally blooms in Lindsey’s garden, a new friendship will also bloom.

Alex and her family just moved, which means she has to start a new school and adjust to a new soccer team. She soon learns that she must play a new position on the team, which makes her frustrated. Alex must learn how to adjust to her new life and have fun again.

Every summer, Eva and Becca play softball. But this year, something strange is going on. One day at practice, the bag of equipment is missing. The next day, it's been returned. When the bag goes missing again, Eva and Becca decide to try to catch the crook. But the person they find is not at all what they expect!

Ramona loves sand volleyball but has a hard time being a team player. When she learns that the court will be destroyed by a plastic company, she must learn the importance of being part of a team.

Jeff has an anger problem. He doesn't know how to control his temper. One day, when his anger has almost gotten out of hand, he meets Logan, one of the captains of his school's wrestling team. Logan thinks Jeff would be a great wrestler. But can Jeff control his anger long enough to win a match?

This audiobook translates anxiety from the jargon of psychology into concrete experiences that children can relate to. Children and their parents will understand the biological and emotional components of anxiety responsible for the upsetting symptoms they experience. Please Explain Anxiety to Me (2nd Edition) gives accurate physiological information in child friendly language. A colorful dinosaur story explains the link between brain and body functioning, followed by practical therapeutic techniques that children can use to help themselves. Children will:

Declan Walsh is one of the New York Times's most distinguished international correspondents. His electrifying portrait of Pakistan over a tumultuous decade captures the sweep of this strange, wondrous, and benighted country through the dramatic lives of nine fascinating individuals. On assignment as the country careened between crises, Walsh traveled from the raucous port of Karachi to the salons of Lahore, and from Baluchistan to the mountains of Waziristan. He met a diverse cast of extraordinary Pakistanis....

From Boston Globe-Horn Book Award winner Katherine Rundell comes an exciting new novel about a group of kids who must survive in the Amazon after their plane crashes. Fred, Con, Lila, and Max are on their way back to England from Manaus when the plane they're on crashes and the pilot dies upon landing. For days they survive alone, until Fred finds a map that leads them to a ruined city, and to a secret.

Enfin, c'est l'été !Le beau temps est arrivé ! Rien de mieux pour me changer les idées ! Ça y est, je suis prête ! L'été peut commencer. Pas question de me la couler douce, cependant ! Avec un stage au journal de la ville, un amoureux fabuleux, des amis un peu fous et une maman prête à tout pour se faire pardonner, on peut dire que mon horaire est bien chargé. Sans oublier cette mystérieuse lettre qui occupe mes pensées.

Adam Plantinga, author of the acclaimed 400 Things Cops Know and a 17-year veteran sergeant with the San Francisco Police Department, gives an inside view of the police officer's job, from handling evidence and conducting interrogations to coping with danger, violence, and death. Not hesitating to confront controversial issues, Plantinga presents the police officer's views on police shootings, racial profiling, and relationships between police and the community.

The American supermarket is an everyday miracle. But what does it take to run one? What are the inner workings of product delivery and distribution? Who sets the price? And who suffers for the convenience and efficiency we’ve come to expect? In this rollicking exposé, author Benjamin Lorr pulls back the curtain on this highly secretive industry.

Based on a far-reaching study of thousands of individuals, Finding Flow contends that we often walk through our days unaware of and out of touch with our emotional lives. Our inattention makes us constantly bounce between two extremes: During much of the day, we live filled with the anxiety and pressures of our work and obligations, and during our leisure moments, we tend to live in passive boredom.