Kirjahaku

The ash tree has long been an integral part of the British landscape, its familiar branches protruding from limestone scars and chalky cliff faces.

Lark Summerville's life has few surprises-and that's just how she likes it. All she wants is to live out her angst-riddled life in her blue-collar Baltimore neighborhood, punctuated by weekly trips to her local parish, where Lark is organist, and telephone conversations with desperate souls who dial her hotline at 1-777-IPRAY4U. Then one night, Lark's home is destroyed by a fire, forcing her out of her comfortable nest and back to the childhood home she has avoided for years. At Stoneleigh House, Lark is surrounded by three very different women: her grown daughter, Flannery; her barely tolerable socialite mother, Leslie; and Prisma Percy, housekeeper and family confidante, all of whom believe Lark was widowed years before. In this circle of women, Lark's carefully constructed existence begins to unravel, even as the promise of a new one unfolds. But when her contrite ex-husband shows up, longing to assume his role as Flannery's father, twenty years after his desertion, Lark finds that she must face her own lies-and her past-before a new life can unfold.

Hey, Friend- Do you know what it's like give to 100 percent and still feel like it's not-and you're not-enough for anybody? To be caught between caring for an aging parent and raising young children? I lived in that place for four years. Ivy Schneider lives in this place, too, and she isn't at all happy about it. Her husband Rusty spends ten months a year on the road singing in a gospel quartet, and her mom gets sicker every day, requiring increasingly more care and time. Ivy's dad took off years ago but still comes around-for free meals. Her brother and sister are more than happy to let responsibility rest on Ivy's shoulders. Maybe she could handle it all if only her darling three-year old terror, Trixie, would just "go" on the potty. Who will take care of Ivy while she takes care of the world? No one, it seems. Then Ivy runs an ad in the paper to find folks like herself: women of the "sandwich generation," squeezed between the demands of raising young children and caring for an aging parent.Soon she and the other women of Club Sandwich are building uncommonly deep friendships, witnessing the reality that in fact no woman can be everything to everybody, and discovering firsthand that they can do more than they imagined possible with the help of each another and with a strong dose of faith. If your life is about caring for others, I dedicate this book to you. Welcome to the club. You are most definitely not alone. Grace, Lisa

Sometimes you have to go a little bit crazy to discover the life you were meant to live.Heather Curridge is coming unhinged. And people are starting to notice. What's wrong with a woman who has everything--a mansion on a lake, a loving son, a heart-surgeon husband--yet still feels miserable inside?When Heather spends the summer with two ancient Quaker sisters and a crusty nun running a downtown homeless shelter, she finds herself at a crossroads. Life turns upside down for Heather in a Quaker Summer.“One of the most powerful voices in Christian fiction,Samson delivers …a staggering examination of the Christian conscience.” –Publishers Weekly

Biting and gentle, hard-edged and hopeful . . . a beautiful fable of love and power, hiding and seeking, woundedness and redemption.When a "lizard woman," a self-mutilating preacher, a tattoed monk, and a sleazy lobbyist find themselves in the same North Carolina town one winter, their lives are edging precariously close to disaster . . . and improbably close to grace.

Mary-Margaret has always planned to join the church as a religious sister, but falls in love with her childhood friend, Jude Keller, a ne'er-do-well with a soul needing saving.Born in 1930 on a beautiful island off Chesapeake Bay, Mary-Margaret Fischer knows exactly what she wants to be: a religious sister. Despite the violent circumstances of her conception and birth, she simply wants to be in love with Jesus and serve Him the rest of her life.When Mary-Margaret met Jude Keller, the lighthouse keeper's son, she was studying at a convent school on a small island off Chesapeake Bay. Destined for a life where she could never marry, she nevertheless felt a pull toward Jude—gorgeous, rebellious, promiscuous Jude. But Jude, driven by demons no one really understood, disappeared into Baltimore's seamy red-light district to a life working the streets. Mary-Margaret moved on with her life, preparing to serve God with her sisters as a teacher and artist.Then Jude comes home—but now he's bitter, dissolute, and diseased. And Mary-Margaret receives a divine call that shakes her to the core, a call to give up her dreams and marry the troubled man who befriended her so long ago. For Jesus' sake, can she forsake the only life she ever wanted for a love that could literally cost her life?A beautiful novel of God’s grace in impossible circumstancesBook length: approximately 90,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubsAlso by Lisa Samson: Quaker Summer, Embrace Me, Bella, and The Sky Beneath My Feet

Being married to a saint isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Pastor’s wife Beth fears her marriage is over when her husband retreats to the backyard shed to await a sign from God as she is left to manage life with their two sons.Beth’s husband won’t be joining the family on vacation at the beach this year. He’s not even joining them in the house. Instead, Rick has holed up alone in the backyard shed. Nobody knows exactly what he’s up to. Maybe he’s immersing himself in prayer. Maybe he’s lost his mind. Maybe he’s even the modern-day prophet or the saint the neighborhood artist imagines him to be. But while “St. Rick” waits for an epiphany, Beth will have to figure out what to do with herself and their teenage sons, possibly for the rest of her life.What happens next is both uproarious and bittersweet: a peace march turns violent, her son is caught with drugs, and she embarks on an ambitious road trip that turns into something nearly surreal. Will Beth rediscover the idealistic woman she used to be, once upon a time? Can her marriage survive Rick’s backyard vigil? Will anything ever be the same? And should it be?Truthful, comic, heartbreaking, and magical in the very best sense of the word, The Sky Beneath My Feet gently tears the veil off our egos and expectations to reveal the throbbing, redemptive, and achingly beautiful life beyond and within us.Thought-provoking contemporary standalone novelBook length: approximately 90,000 wordsIncludes discussion questions for book clubs

"If you want God to laugh, tell him your plans."For Jose the cook and Nina the beautiful waitress life has not turned out the way either had planned. Living with the weight of guilt and lost dreams, each struggles to survive and to make sense of what life now holds. But the events of one ordinary day in New York City turn into an unforgettable experience that changes both of their lives forever.Based on the #1 top-rated movie of 2007 and one of the most honored films of the year--winning the highly coveted People's Choice Award at the Toronto Film Festival, Best Picture and Best Actor at the 2008 MovieGuide Awards--Bella is a story about redemption, family and finding love unexpectedly.

Trabaje para el bien en el mundo mediante su amor por los demásBella cuenta la historia de una mesera soltera en la ciudad de Nueva York, que queda embarazada y sufre conflictos por su situación apremiante. Su aflicción es exacerbada cuando pierde su trabajo, y termina encontrándose con un misterioso chef latino, cuyo corazón cariñoso y bondadoso le ayuda a ver las cosas claramente.

Taliesin returns from the Navy with no dominant hand and shattered dreams of becoming a surgeon. His father John knows differently, imparting the healing grace and patient wisdom Tally needs to recognize his life is far from over, and that adjusted dreams can become the foundation on which a satisfying life of love, meaning, and quiet joy is built. We Had Stars In Our Eyes is a picture of hope, healing, and what it means when we live in the love residing inside of us in such a way it enlivens all around us, especially those we love most deeply and dearly.

Sam and Pink Puppy are awaiting Dad's return from the hospital, following his stroke. Everyone is excited but also a bit nervous. Sam does not understand why everything feels different now. Join Sam, Pink Puppy, Mom, and Dad as they learn about stroke, aphasia, and new ways to communicate.This book supports children and caregivers in understanding and exploring some of the difficult life changes that can arise after stroke and aphasia. You will find discussion questions and conversation starters to help you engage in these challenging topics.