Marilyn Monroe once said, “I’m selfish, impatient, and a little insecure. I make mistakes. I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best,” and I couldn’t agree more. Life is like a paradox of love and pain that may never leave each other, but in the end, the coexistence is worth the journey. Striving for the best is human nature, but are you really prepared for the roller-coaster rides or do you give up?

Priya lives in the United States and her family is from India. She feels the magic of the place her family comes from through her Babi Ba's colorful descriptions of India--from the warm smell of spices to the swish-swish sound of a rustling sari. Together, Priya and Babi Ba make their heritage live on through the traditions that they infuse into their everyday lives.

Steinbeck's tough yet charming portrait of people on the margins of society, dependant on one another for both physical and emotional survival Published in 1945, Cannery Row focuses on the acceptance of life as it is: both the exuberance of community and the loneliness of the individual. Drawing on his memories of the real inhabitants of Monterey, California, including longtime friend Ed Ricketts, Steinbeck interweaves the stories of Doc, Dora, Mack and his boys, Lee Chong, and the other characters in this world where only the fittest survive, to create a novel that is at once one of his most humorous and poignant works. In her introduction, Susan Shillinglaw shows how the novel expresses, both in style and theme, much that is essentially Steinbeck: “scientific detachment, empathy toward the lonely and depressed…and, at the darkest level…the terror of isolation and nothingness.” For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Full of zany humor, this sequel to "Once Upon a Marigold" continues the story of Christian and Marigold, who are living happily ever after now that Queen Olympia has gone--or has she?

A beautiful scarf connects two women touched by tragedy in this compelling, emotional novel from the author of As Bright as Heaven and The Last Year of the War. September 1911. On Ellis Island in New York Harbor, nurse Clara Wood cannot face returning to Manhattan, where the man she loved fell to his death in the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. Then, while caring for a fevered immigrant whose own loss mirrors hers, she becomes intrigued by a name embroidered onto the scarf he carries...and finds herself caught in a dilemma that compels her to confront the truth about the assumptions she’s made. What she learns could devastate her—or free her. September 2011. On Manhattan’s Upper West Side, widow Taryn Michaels has convinced herself that she is living fully, working in a charming specialty fabric store and raising her daughter alone. Then a long-lost photograph appears in a national magazine, and she is forced to relive the terrible day her husband died in the collapse of the World Trade Towers...the same day a stranger reached out and saved her. But a chance reconnection and a century-old scarf may open Taryn’s eyes to the larger forces at work in her life. “[Meissner] creates two sympathetic, relatable characters that readers will applaud. Touching and inspirational.”—Kirkus Reviews

Now a major motion picture starring Jude Dench, Bill Nighy, Dev Patel, Tom Wilkinson, and Maggie Smith. When Ravi Kapoor, an overworked London doctor, reaches the breaking point with his difficult father-in-law, he asks his wife: “Can’t we just send him away somewhere? Somewhere far, far away.” His prayer is seemingly answered when Ravi’s entrepreneurial cousin sets up a retirement home in India, hoping to re-create in Bangalore an elegant lost corner of England. Several retirees are enticed by the promise of indulgent living at a bargain price, but upon arriving, they are dismayed to find that restoration of the once sophisiticated hotel has stalled, and that such amenities as water and electricity are . . . infrequent. But what their new life lacks in luxury, they come to find, it’s plentiful in adventure, stunning beauty, and unexpected love.

Return to Marigold Island in this heartwarming family saga with a dash of sweet romance! Watching her sister Angela pursue her passion has inspired Brooke to follow her own dreams. For years, she's harbored a secret fantasy of opening up a bakery of her own in Marigold, but maybe it doesn't have to be just a fantasy. Although starting a new business is a daunting prospect and a lot of work, Brooke finally feels ready to take the leap. Guests at the inn have been raving about her pastries, and her family is behind her all the way, so now she just needs to find the startup capital. Since she's been house-sitting for Hunter while he's in Los Angeles shooting a movie, the two of them have grown even closer. But when the handsome actor offers to invest in her business, Brooke is shocked--not just by his offer, but by her reaction to it. She should be over the moon, but she finds herself strangely hesitant to accept. Because the truth is, she wants to be more than just Hunter's business partner... and more than just his friend. As things get more serious between Grant and Lydia, she plans a surprise birthday party for him. And Travis is back on the dating scene, but he hasn't found a love connection yet. Still, he can't seem to stop thinking about his encounter with the pretty realtor who called for help after a break-in at one of her properties. Winter on Marigold Island can be cold and blustery, but with sweet treats, good food, and the love of family, warmth abounds. Come dip your toes in the crystal blue waters of Marigold Island, a fictional island town tucked in next to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. This heartwarming and uplifting women's fiction will take you on a journey of healing, friendship, family, faith, and love.

A thirty-something floral salesman searches for reasons to keep living. "Marigold is a hundred haikus of loneliness, pages torn from Baudelaire's dream journal, the suicide note as high art. Forget your dime-a-dozen writers on the New York Times bestseller list; here is an authentic voice crying out from the American darkness." --Kevin Maloney, author of Cult of Loretta "Beautiful, foul, and brief, this potent roman A clef more than earns its title. Grim, yet ultimately hopeful in its own twisted way. Weaver is one of my favorite writers working today, and his ear and rhythm are in full effect in Marigold." --J David Osborne, author of Black Gum "Marigold is a no-bullshit portrait of 21st century American loneliness. It's a small epic on the mysteries of alienation and self-doubt. Weaver is the poet-laureate of Midwestern absurdity with a heart a mile wide He is a writer with great powers of empathy and devastating sadness. . . a refreshingly honest revelation for these idiotic times we live in." --Michael Bible, author of Sophia "If the ultimate goal of literature is to connect human beings, Marigold lives up to its highest standards." --Benoit LeliEvre, Dead End Follies