Eighteen-year-old River Lang struggles after the death of his best friend and reluctantly joins a research study for struggling teens where he confronts his complex relationship with Dylan's ex, develops feelings for a charismatic jock, and uncovers unsettling truths about the study.

A powerful exploration of the human capacity for renewal, as seen through Shakespeare and Freud In this fresh investigation, Stephen Greenblatt and Adam Phillips explore how the second chance has been an essential feature of the literary imagination and a promise so central to our existence that we try to reproduce it again and again. Innumerable stories, from the Homeric epics to the New Testament, and from Oedipus Rex to Hamlet, explore the realization or failure of second chances—outcomes that depend on accident, acts of will, or fate. Such stories let us repeatedly rehearse the experience of loss and recovery: to know the joy that comes with a renewal of love and pleasure and to face the pain that comes with realizing that some damage can never be undone. Through a series of illuminating readings, the authors show how Shakespeare was the supreme virtuoso of the second chance and Freud was its supreme interpreter. Both Shakespeare and Freud believed that we can narrate our life stories as tales of transformation, of momentous shifts, constrained by time and place but often still possible. Ranging from The Comedy of Errors to The Winter’s Tale, and from D. W. Winnicott to Marcel Proust, the authors challenge readers to imagine how, as Phillips writes, “it is the mending that matters.&rdquo

"Striking a perfect balance between drama and romance, this is sure to please."—Publishers Weekly The Second First Chance is a big, wonderful, messy love story about family, heartbreak, strength and courage. It shows us that sometimes what we want is what we least expect, and that everything we need is often right in front of us. Strength comes in many different forms. Riya Desai and Dhillon Vora grew up together. Sharing secrets, hiding in their tree house, they were playmates, best friends and later—as teenagers—almost something more. Until the devastating house fire that ripped them apart, claiming the life of Dhillon’s father and Riya’s big brother, Samir. Riya and Dhillon have barely spoken since that terrible night, but they both made big decisions based on that fire. Riya has chosen to fight fire with everything she’s got, but it’s not easy. As the only female firefighter and one of the only people of color at her fire hall, she has to prove herself over and over. Plus, she’s hidden her career from her family. Dhillon wanted to heal things, so he became a veterinarian. When a chance encounter with a rescue dog throws Riya and Dhillon together again, he’s furious at her career choice. After what happened to them, how can she run into fires on purpose? For Riya, Dhillon’s anger is unacceptable: How can he not see that she’s protecting others from the very losses they both experienced?

A collection of memorial essays and poignantly signifi cant photos are all that remain of a love story that was never completely fulfi lled. The words written in these pages are reminiscent of a diarys brief snapshot of a life that cannot be adequately chronicled. The emotions that are intertwined in each vignette hold rare meaning, hard to encapsulate in fi nite words. Abbreviated Love Story is written for anyone that ever wanted to be loved, ever waited for love to fi nd them, and God forbidever let lifes circumstances and distractions cause them to miss love. For anyone who wonders if it is worth holding on to a promise of love during the diffi cult seasons, this book is for you too. The reality of true love is like a precious jewel; it should not be cast aside or overlooked when it is meant to be treasured.

If you've ever been lucky enough to experience the Public School System in suburban America, then you will empathize with Marty Mason and delight at his teenage experiences in the sleepy town of Kappaqua Falls. While most people never have the opportunity to use what they learned in High School, Marty leverages the teachings from his classes in real-time to outwit and defeat several abusive bullies. His victory celebration is short lived as he is brought before the ruthless Principal of the school and subjected to a ground breaking behavior modification treatment. Military high technology has invaded the high school, and Marty is the unsuspecting and unlucky first test subject of a strange new supercomputer-driven brain stimulation system. FIRST CHANCE provides exciting, page-turning entertainment from the beginning to the end. His FIRST CHANCE Could Be His LAST From the sleepy city of Merida, Mexico to the Castle of Kukulcan at the Mayan ruins of Chichen-Itza on the Yucatan Peninsula, to the quaint town of Kappaqua Falls, New York, FIRST CHANCE provides an entertaining and suspenseful ride. Author Mark Owen paints a visually compelling tale of an American teenager caught in the gears of th American Public School system, struggling against his oppressors: Man and Machine.

From the internationally bestselling author of The Windfall. . . . What could go wrong at a lavish Indian wedding with your best friend and your entire family? “A witty and romantic novel perfect for all readers.”—Terry McMillan NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY MARIE CLAIRE AND NEW YORK POST When Tina Das finds herself at a crossroads both professionally and personally, she wonders if a weeklong trip to Delhi for her cousin’s lavish wedding might be just the right kind of escape. Maybe a little time away from New York will help get her mind straight about her stalled career, her recent breakup, and her nagging suspicion that she’ll never feel as at home in America as she does in India. Tina hopes this destination wedding, taking place at Delhi’s poshest country club, Colebrookes, will be the perfect way to reflect and unwind. But with the entire Das family in attendance, a relaxing vacation is decidedly not in the cards. Her amicably divorced parents are each using the occasion to explore new love interests—for her mother, a white American boyfriend, for her father, an Indian widow arranged by an online matchmaker—and Tina’s squarely in the middle. A former fling is unexpectedly on the guest list, a work opportunity is blurring the lines of propriety on several fronts, and her best friend Marianne’s terrible penchant for international playboys is poised to cause all sorts of chaos back home. The accommodations are swanky, the alcohol is top-shelf, but this family wedding may be more drama than Tina can bear and could finally force her to make the choices she’s spent much of her life avoiding. Infused with warmth and charm, Destination Wedding grapples with the nuances of family, careers, belonging, and how we find the people who make a place feel like home.

“I will punish you as your deeds deserve…” Emory Chance knows the cross-stitched warning points directly to her motherly neglect. Burying her grief, she’s determined to find her daughter Daisy’s murderer. But when the investigation hits a dead end, her anger escalates. Not even the kindness of her persistent suitor Hixon can soften her heart towards the community of friends that can help her begin to heal. And as the questions surrounding Daisy continue to mount, Emory can’t shake the fear that her own choices contributed to Daisy’s disappearance. Will she ever experience the peace her heart longs for? A gripping suspense novel, A Slow Burn is about courageous love, the burden of regret, and the bonds that never break. It is about the beauty and pain of telling the truth and letting God take over. Most of all, it is about the strength of forgiveness and what remains when shame no longer has power. Mary DeMuth’s distinctive new voice in Christian fiction will keep readers enthralled as they ask soul-searching questions in this second book of the Defiance, Texas Trilogy.

“Bonnie K. Winn has a great talent, producing deeply moving stories that thrill story lovers.” —Rendezvous When her uncle falls ill, Irish immigrant Brianna McBride is desperate to find work so that she can provide for her family—so desperate that she accepts a job from a man determined to distance himself from all things Irish, including his past. Michael Donovan’s publishing firm is in trouble. But when the lovely Brianna applies for the job of sketching Valentine cards, he realizes that her talent may be the second chance his business needs, and her charm the only chance his heart will ever want. The prejudice of society demands that Michael and Brianna confront who they are, but their growing love will force them to confront who they are to each other. And how will they break through the toughest barriers of all—the ones they have built around their hearts?

Locations of service: Camp Claiborne, Louisiana; North Africa; France; Philippines.