Toby is a big, brown, happy dog. Every week, his owner, Miss Charmaine takes him to visit and comfort children who are in the hospital. Follow Toby the service dog for a day, and see how he makes friends with the children, helps make them happy and forget that they are sick and away from home. * Beautifully illustrated, Toby, the Pet Therapy Dog teaches young readers the wonders of being of service to others. * A happy story that also sends a positive message about community, as well as the importance of kindness to pets.

Toby, the Pet Therapy Dog, and His Hospital Friends

Children's Books

Hammond, Charmaine

Animals

Bettie Youngs Books

Flowers for Grandmother

Kendahl Brooke Youngs

Action & Adventure

In Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker, Marla takes her readers for a hilarious romp through her days as an L.A. matchmaker and her daily struggles to keep her self-esteem from imploding in a town where looks are everything and money talks. From juggling the demands her out-of-touch clients to trying her best to meet the capricious demands of an insensitive boss to the ups and downs of her own marriage to a Latin husband who doesn't think that she is 'domestic' enough, Marla writes with charm and self-effacement about the universal struggles that all women face in their lives. Readers will laugh, cringe, and cry as they journey with her through outrageous stories about the indignities of dating in Los Angeles, dealing with overblown egos, vicariously hobnobbing with celebrities, and navigating the wannabe-land of Beverly Hills. In a city where perfection is almost a prerequisite, even Marla can't help but run for the Botox every once in a while.

Diary of a Beverly Hills Matchmaker

Marla Martenson

Parenting & Relationships

In1915, when a kitchen stove fire singed his sister Mabel's lashes and brows, Tom Lyle Williams watched in fascination as she performed what she called 'a secret of the harem'—mixing petroleum jelly with coal dust and ash from a burnt cork and applying it to her lashes and brows. Mabel's simple beauty trick ignited Tom Lyle's imagination and he started what would become a billion-dollar business, one that remains a viable American icon after nearly a century. He named it Maybelline in her honor. Throughout the twentieth century, the Maybelline company inflated, collapsed, endured, and thrived in tandem with the nation's upheavals—as did the family that nurtured it. Tom Lyle Williams—to avoid unwanted scrutiny of his private life—cloistered himself behind the gates of his Rudolph Valentino Villa and ran his empire from the shadows. Now, after nearly a century of silence, this true story celebrates the life of an American entrepreneur, a man forced to remain behind a mask—using his sister-in-law Evelyn Boecher—to be his front. Stories of the-great-man-and-how-he-did-it serve as a traditional mainstay of biographies, but with the strong women's book-buying market, a resurgence of interest in memoirs that focus on relationships more than a single man and his accomplishments are more likely to be discussed in women's book groups. The Maybelline Story combines the best of both approaches: a man whose vision rocketed him to success along with the woman held in his orbit. In the way that Rhett Butler ignored the criticism of his peers to carve his own destiny, Tom Lyle Williams shares similar grit and daring. But Rhett without Scarlet wouldn't be much of a story. Evelyn Williams provides the energy of an antagonist. Like Scarlet, we sometimes hate her and want to shake her, but sometimes, we must admit that we hold a grudging respect; we get a kick out of her and even occasionally, love her for her guts and tenacity, and certainly because she carved out a life for herself and insisted on having a voice, even if she was a fly in the ointment for others. The Maybelline story provides other kinds of classic literary satisfaction. We are especially fascinated to slip vicariously into the lives of the rich and privileged yet cheer for the underdog who overcomes obstacles to astound doubters with his success. We are enthralled with the historical sweep of events whose repercussions live on to the present, all elements of The Maybelline Story—which reads like a juicy novel, but is in fact a family memoir, distilled from nine hundred pages of family accounts from the 1920's to present. An engrossing and captivating saga that spans four generations and reveals the humanity, the glamour, and the seedy underside of a family intoxicated by the quest for power, wealth, and physical perfection. It is a fascinating and inspiring tale of ambition, luck, greed, secrecy—and surprisingly, above all, love and forgiveness, a tale both epic and intimate, alive with the clash, the hustle, the music, and dance of American enterprise. (Sharrie Williams The Maybelline Story)

The Maybelline Story: And the Spirited Family Dynasty Behind It

Sharrie Williams

Bettie Youngs

Humor & Entertainment

In an epic tale of identity and the indomitable human spirit, OUT OF THE TRANSYLVANIA NIGHT explores tyranny, freedom, love, success, and the price paid for misaligned dreams. An incredibly powerful memoir. 'I'd grown up in the land of TRANSYLVANIA, homeland to Dracula, Vlad the Impaler, and, worse, the Communist dictator, Nicolae Ceausescu—who turned Romania into a land of gray-clad zombies who never dared to show their individuality, and where neighbors became informants, and the Securitate made people disappear. Daylight empowered the regime to encircle us like starved wolves, and so night had always been the time to steal a bit of freedom. As if bred into our Transylvanian blood, we were like vampires who came to life after sundown. I buried the family heirloom jewels, tucked the flag into my sweater and left my outpost to join the action . . . tonight Ceausescu would die!' Known for using stand-ins to pose for him, Aura doubts if it was even Ceausescu himself who was killed that night. Nevertheless, when her countrymen topple one of the most draconian regimes in the Soviet bloc, Aura Imbarus tells herself that life post-revolution will be different. But little in the country changes. With two pieces of luggage and a powerful dream, Aura and her new husband flee to America. Through sacrifice and hard work, the couple acquire a home, cars, and travel—but trying to be Americans is much more complicated than they expect. More difficulties set in: the stock market crash takes their savings, house, and cars; thieves steal three centuries' worth of heirloom jewels; and Aura's beloved mother dies. Aura's marriage crumbles under the stress. Devastated, she asks herself, 'How much of one's life is owed to others?' Tested even further by the vagaries of fate, Aura discovers a startling truth about striking a balance between one's dreams and the sacrifices and compromises that allow for serenity, selfhood, and lasting love. More resolution comes when in 2010, Ceausescu's body is exhumed to answer questions of a cover-up, and Aura can finally lay to rest the haunting mysteries of her past.

Out of the Transylvania Night

Imbarus, Aura

@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }@font-face { font-family: "MS Mincho"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } @font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; @font-face { font-family: "Arial"; }@font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Tired of his disconnected life and uninspiring job, Leon Logothetis leaves it all behind—job, money, home even his cell phone—and hits the road with nothing but the clothes on his back and five dollars in his pocket. His journey from Times Square to the Hollywood sign relying on the kindness of strangers and the serendipity of the open road, inspire a dramatic and life changing transformation. Along the way, Leon offers up the intriguing and charming tales gathered along his one-of-a-kind journey: riding in trains, buses, big rigs and classic cars; sleeping on streets and couches and firehouses; meeting pimps and preachers, astronauts and single moms, celebrities and homeless families, veterans and communists. Each day of his journey, we catch sight of the invisible spiritual underpinning of society in these stories of companionship—and sheer adventure—that prove that the kind, good soul of mankind has not been lost. @font-face { font-family: "Calibri"; }@font-face { font-family: "Cambria"; }@font-face { font-family: "Arial Black"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 10pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } Masterful storytelling! Leon begins his journey as a merry prankster and ends a grinning philosopher. Really funny—and insightful, too.—Karen Salmansohn, Oprah.com Relationship Columnist, and AOL Career Coach

Amazing Adventures of a Nobody

Logothetis, Leon

Religion & Spirituality

When Charmaine and her husband adopted Toby, a five-year-old Chesapeake Bay retriever, they figured he might need some adjusting time, but they certainly didn't count on what he'd do in the meantime. Soon after he entered their lives and home, Toby proved to be a holy terror who routinely opened and emptied the hall closet, turned on water taps, pulled and ate things from the bookshelves, sat for hours on end in the sink, and spent his days rampaging through the house. Oddest of all was his penchant for locking himself in the bathroom, and then pushing the lid of the toilet off the tank, smashing it to pieces. After a particularly disastrous encounter with the knife- block in the kitchen-and when the couple discovered Toby's bloody paw prints on the phone-they decided Toby needed professional help. Little did they know what they would discover about this dog. On Toby's Terms is an endearing story of a beguiling creature who teaches his owners that, despite their trying to teach him how to be the dog they want, he is the one to lay out the terms of being the dog he needs to be. This insight would change their lives forever.

On Toby's Terms

Charmaine Hammond

Travel

A love affair between the author, an Iranian woman, and American man working in Iranâ¿¿is forbidden. At the risk of imprisonment, the lovers finally receive permission from the Iranian government to marry. But the 1979 revolution threw the family's life into mortal danger. Disguised, they barely escape on the last Pan Am flight out of Teheran to America. Everything about her life had changed: now named 'Farrah,' and&nbsp;unfamiliar with mainstream American culture, the immigrant finds herself isolated in an American suburb with an infant. Fary Golshan feels utterly misplacedâ¿¿and wants to return to her homeland, Iran. But Iran wouldn't allow her backâ¿¿not even to visit her family as her father lay dying. Channeling her heartbreak, and with Iran holding US hostages and US President Jimmy Carter bartering for their release, she realizes she must seek changes not only for her own life, but for those the world over. As the Islamic Republic of Iran continues to&nbsp;rip away at the Iranian peoples' rights and freedoms, she takes the oath to become a US citizen and begins her transformation from a muted voice to a thunderous cry as an advocate for human rights. She becomes a political leaderâ¿¿and a respected international voice for the rights of women everywhere. An unforgettable journey of the sacrifices of love in the midst of&nbsp;international politics.

Flight of the White Peacock:: A Search for Self in Iran

Biographies & Memoirs

Douglas, Farrah

Leaders & Notable People

About the BookSouthern Italy in the 1930s was chaotic and violent-the rise of dictator Mussolini, the dawn of Europe's descent into another World War, and continuation of turf battles between Mafia families. This was certainly no place for a young woman to assume power, but seventeen-year-old Carina broke the mold.Forced to become the family matriarch after her father's sudden death, Carina finds herself responsible for the care of her twelve younger siblings. Cornered, she is forced to marry Russo, the Prince of Naples and head of the notorious Camorra organized crime family. To her horror, she soon discovers that Russo has lured her seven younger brothers into the nefarious web of the Camorra. With no recourse but to accept her family's situation, she submits to the circumstances and lends her invaluable skills to her husband, growing and expanding his criminal enterprises.As World War II breaks out, the family walks a dangerous line between politics and crime. A bomb detonated in Russo's house renders him both deaf and dumb. Should the Camorra learn Russo is no longer capable of command, Carina knows that her family will lose everything. To secure her family's position, she does the unthinkable: she dons her husband's clothes and masquerades as him, wading into the treacherous 'men only' world of the Camorra where any misstep could mean a sudden and violent end. Discovery is inevitable-and, Interpol has been watching as well. Nevertheless, Carina uses her skill and savvy, combined with her unflinching devotion to her family, to seize control of the most powerful of Mafia groups and survive to tell her children her stunning story of strength and survival.

Don Carina

Russell, Ron

Harold Robbins's steamy books were once more widely read than the Bible. His novels sold more than 750 million copies and created the sex-power-glamour genre of popular literature that would go on to influence authors from Jackie Collins and Jacqueline Susann to TV shows like Dallas and Dynasty. What readers don t know is that Robbins whom the media had dubbed the prince of sex and scandal actually researched the free-wheeling escapades depicted in his books himself, along with his drop-dead, gorgeous wife, Grace. Now, in this revealing tell-all, for the first time ever, Grace Robbins rips the covers off their REAL lives. With charm, introspection, and humor, Grace lays open her fascinating, provocative roller-coaster ride of a life her own true Cinderella tale.

Cinderella and the Carpetbagger: My Life As the Wife of the "World's Best-selling Author," Harold Robbins

Robbins, Grace

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