This collection of short stories explores the sometimes poignant, sometimes startlingly dramatic moments in the different lives of each of their central characters. They are set against the finely drawn backdrops either of rural England, urban Italy or a remote Greek Island.

"Love on the Back Burner spins the story of sassy Alexandria D'Agostino. She is youngest in a tight-knit Italian-American family with a successful marketing career and a passion for cooking, yet her romantic life is less than 4-star. For years, she has tried cooking her way into men's hearts by flaunting her old world culinary skills, but now, she's changing the menu. She dishes up childhood favorites to a succession of first dates (recipes included). The book features an engaging cast of characters including a rock-star-turned- priest brother, a no-nonsense Italian immigrant grandmother, and a crew of friends who are always up for a good meal. With a dollop of persistence and a dash of laughter, will Alexandria discover the recipe for happiness and perhaps love?"--Amazon.com.

From the New York Times bestselling authors of Sprint comes “a unique and engaging read about a proven habit framework [that] readers can apply to each day” (Insider, Best Books to Form New Habits). “If you want to achieve more (without going nuts), read this book.”—Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit Nobody ever looked at an empty calendar and said, "The best way to spend this time is by cramming it full of meetings!" or got to work in the morning and thought, Today I'll spend hours on Facebook! Yet that's exactly what we do. Why? In a world where information refreshes endlessly and the workday feels like a race to react to other people's priorities faster, frazzled and distracted has become our default position. But what if the exhaustion of constant busyness wasn't mandatory? What if you could step off the hamster wheel and start taking control of your time and attention? That's what this book is about. As creators of Google Ventures' renowned "design sprint," Jake and John have helped hundreds of teams solve important problems by changing how they work. Building on the success of these sprints and their experience designing ubiquitous tech products from Gmail to YouTube, they spent years experimenting with their own habits and routines, looking for ways to help people optimize their energy, focus, and time. Now they've packaged the most effective tactics into a four-step daily framework that anyone can use to systematically design their days. Make Time is not a one-size-fits-all formula. Instead, it offers a customizable menu of bite-size tips and strategies that can be tailored to individual habits and lifestyles. Make Time isn't about productivity, or checking off more to-dos. Nor does it propose unrealistic solutions like throwing out your smartphone or swearing off social media. Making time isn't about radically overhauling your lifestyle; it's about making small shifts in your environment to liberate yourself from constant busyness and distraction. A must-read for anyone who has ever thought, If only there were more hours in the day..., Make Time will help you stop passively reacting to the demands of the modern world and start intentionally making time for the things that matter.

It’s Chinese New Year, Peichi’s favorite holiday! And this year, she’s psyched about sharing it with her best friends. But when Peichi blows off her schoolwork because of the celebrations, she is grounded by Dish. And when the other girls come down with the flu, they have to put their business on the back burner—and risk losing customers. How can the Chef Girls keep Dish running smoothly when so much is going wrong?

From Edith Exton, the author of Continent in Limbo and An Invented Life, comes this collection of vignettes about life at all ages. Exton's stories describe a variety of human experiences, from her early childhood in pre-World-War-II Europe to later life in a multi-generational American family. Each story evokes the distinctive flavor of a time and place and addresses a broad palette of the human condition: uncertainty, love, trust, betrayal, belonging, friendship, and family bonds. Each story presents a different aspect of a colorful journey.

In this work of historical fiction, Nelson tells the story of a man with a passion for knowledge and of a bookstore whose influence has become legendary.

Two old women were boarders in the home of R. Anthony Joseph when he was a child in New Orleans, Lousiana. He later learned that they were witches. Some of the things he saw as a child he thought were normal. The occult, psychic development, aura reading, tarot cards, magick and life on the fringes of reality give us a glimpse into this San Jose businessman's world.

In 1612, Shakespeare gave evidence in a court case at Westminster-and it is the only occasion on which his actual spoken words were recorded. In The Lodger Shakespeare, Charles Nicholl applies a powerful biographical magnifying glass to this fascinating but little-known episode in the Bard's life. Drawing on evidence from a wide variety of sources, Nicholl creates a compellingly detailed account of the circumstances in which Shakespeare lived and worked amid the bustle of early seventeenth-century London. This elegant, often unexpected exploration presents a new and original look at Shakespeare as he was writing such masterpieces as Othello, Measure for Measure, and King Lear.

The year is 2030, the Uninted States has gone through a radical change. Only government agencies have access to the internet and cell phones. The morallity of the country is non-existent. However, it is also a time of great discoveries in the field of medicine. Yet those are overshadowed by greed. In all major cities there is a section called "Sex Town". A place where anyone can get anything of a sexual nature and it's legal. Streets have been renamed and moved to make room for these places. The story follows the investigation of a reporter named Noah Wolfe. He is investigating the deaths and mutilations of young teenage prostitutes. You will follow him through his investigation, knowing only what he sees, hears, and thinks.

Since writing her debut novel after receiving the novel's plot in a dream, Stephenie Meyer has achieved a level of stardom unknown to most authors of young adult fiction. This book explores the author's childhood, before taking readers through the whirlwind tale of Twilight's publication and the development of the blockbuster movie franchise. Chapters also discuss the controversy surrounding Twilight's religious undertones and Meyer's newest work.