It is the first day of summer but Trevor Davis can find no solace in that. His wife has divorced him, taking custody of their two teenage daughters, and his San Francisco real estate company is bankrupt, a victim of the 2008 subprime mortgage fiasco. Trevor would normally seek refuge on a tennis court but events have conspired to deny him even this simple pleasure. And before the day is out he will need to undertake a spontaneous and uncertain overseas trip, a journey he hopes will be the first step towards some measure of redemption. 
Set during the opening days of Wimbledon, when an otherwise ordinary men's singles match seems incapable of ending, Chance to Break bridges the aftermath of this century's Great Recession with the mid-1970s economic malaise that permeated Trevor's high school years in Oxford and the dark days of occupied France that defined his parents' youth. It is the story of a man's courage in the face of past failure and present adversity, of trying not to succumb to defeat, even when victory seems lost.

Chance to Break

Literature & Fiction

Owen Prell

United States

North Loop Books

Fame, fortune, and beautiful models - Howard Chandler Christy had them all. Christy was the most famous American painter of the Jazz Age, a time when an elite brotherhood of New York artists dominated the publishing world. Christy had eclipsed all of them with his "Christy Girl," an idealized woman who redefined beauty, influenced fashion, and inspired generations of women. Illustrated in popular magazines, best-selling novels, and top-ranked newspapers, the "Christy Girl" transformed the artist into a household name. In Romantic Illusions, the second book in Head's An Affair with Beauty trilogy, Christy once again comes to life through the eyes of Nancy Palmer Christy, his wife and former model, as she recounts her first Christmas with Howard and his family at his Ohio mansion, the Barracks, in 1912. Howard tells of his early years studying art in near-poverty in New York City and his sudden ascent to stardom as the top pupil of William Merritt Chase, the premier portrait painter in America. During "The Great Flood of 1913" -- the worst tragedy the Midwest had ever encountered -- Howard describes his daring experiences with Teddy Roosevelt during the Spanish-American War in Cuba and his brush with near-certain death, no less than three times. The effects of the war profoundly transform Howard, inspiring him to create his vision of beauty, the "Christy Girl," which catapults him to stardom. When romance blossoms between artist and model, Howard is slow to seek a divorce from his estranged wife, Maebelle, jeopardizing Nancy's desires and compelling her to uncover his scandalous past. As World War I break out, Howard returns to New York City, forcing Nancy to risk everything as she reveals her true feelings for him.

An Affair with Beauty - The Mystique of Howard Chandler Christy: Romantic Illusions

Arts & Photography

James Philip Head

History & Criticism

Stalked by lions, charged by rhinos, and chased by pirates, Phil McDonald has lived a life of adventure working overseas. Typhoid, malaria, riots, coups, and rebel soldiers were part of normal life. For his children, any day could be a grand field trip. While unreal might read like a thriller, this memoir is more than an adventure story. 
The author recounts ninety events, highlights sixty lessons, from over thirty years of experience. The dirty little secret of humanitarian work in the developing world was a sobering discovery--centuries of handouts created enormous dependency that restricted personal growth and destroyed dignity. McDonald began as an overseas professor and now mentors social entrepreneurs. 
If you are drawn to adventure, to travel, and what it's like to raise a family in an amazing environment, enjoy this read. Discover how to navigate danger, manage fear, and cope with loss. Embrace the hope, laugh at the ups and downs, and revel in the extravagant diversity and courage of inspiring partners who will change you forever.

unreal: Adventures of a Family's Global Life

Business & Money

Phil McDonald

Economics

We're off to the circus; there's so much to see! With your head in the clouds and a new way to dream. This is a different kind of story where you play a part. You color the characters; you animate your art! Jack &amp; Abby will share their imaginations with you. They celebrate your personality and creativity too!

Head in the Clouds: Jack & Abby Dream of the Circus

Children's Books

Sarah, Jackson

Arts, Music & Photography

In 30 Days to the Co-Taught Classroom, authors Paula Kluth and Julie Causton will teach you all you need to know about collaboration in 30 days. 
Yes, you read that right! In just 30 days, they will introduce you to the information, competencies and habits you will need to become a great co-teaching partner. The authors will help you get to know your co-teacher, understand each of your roles, improve your planning and co-planning skills, expand the structures you use to teach and support students and even celebrate your accomplishments. 
Included in this remarkable book are: Tips, Ideas &amp; Suggestions Chapter Reviews &amp; ''To Do'' Items Worksheets to Help You Plan Templates to Copy &amp; Use Teaching Practices You Will Love Print and Online Resource 
Take just 30 days, and change your life --and the lives of all of your students!

30 Days to the Co-taught Classroom: How to Create an Amazing, Nearly Miraculous & Frankly Earth-shattering Partnership in One Month or Less

Education & Teaching

Paula Kluth

Dr. Julie Causton

Schools & Teaching

June 2, 2002, is an ordinary day for a handful of strangers driving through the desert when a tortoise crosses the road, resulting in a horrific automobile collision that will connect the lives of these strangers forever. 
Flash forward a few years, and Blake Morgan, a reporter who covered the collision, is assigned to provide an update on the survivors for a human interest story in his newspaper. He discovers that things have gotten worse for the survivors: one has terminal cancer, another ALS, and a young woman who had been rendered quadriplegic has fallen into a deep depression. All of them have lost their will to live and seek a permanent end to their suffering. Staggering medical costs, anxious heirs, government, and religion all tug at their choices. And should it even be their exclusive choice to make? 
A Tortoise in the Road is a bold and thought-provoking work that artfully explores the emotional, legal, and moral controversy that surrounds assisted suicide today.

A Tortoise in the Road

Driggs, Warren

Covering everything from how to determine printing costs and calculate royalties to the most up-to-date marketing strategies, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing has become the go-to book for authors considering self-publishing. Now in its sixth edition, The Fine Print delves into more topics than ever before, including a comparison of the quality of finished books produced by popular DIY service providers and newly expanded sections on printing and distribution options, ebook publishing, and online and traditional marketing ideas. And, like the previous editions, The Fine Print walks readers through the printing markups and royalty payouts of the top publishing service providers. Whether you're thinking about hiring a self-publishing company or handling the process on your own, The Fine Print of Self-Publishing will get you one step closer to achieving your publication goals. ''[A] Must-read for any author considering self-publishing.'' --Mick Rooney, The Independent Publishing Magazine

The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, Sixth Edition: A Primer on Contracts, Printing Costs, Royalties, Distribution, Ebooks, and Marketing

Reference

Mark LeVine

Consumer Guides

Fame, fortune, and beautiful models--Howard Chandler Christy had them all. 
Christy was the most famous American painter of the Jazz Age, a time when an elite brotherhood of New York artists dominated the publishing world. Christy had eclipsed all of them with his ''Christy Girl,'' an idealized woman who redefined beauty, influenced fashion, and inspired generations of women. 
The Magic of Youth is the first book in An Affair with Beauty -- The Mystique of Howard Chandler Christy, a biographical trilogy of the artist's epic life as told primarily through the eyes of his second wife, Nancy, a former Cosmopolitan model once considered to be one of the most beautiful women in America. As she reflects on her life, Nancy tells of first meeting Christy in 1912 and becoming his top model. She is captivated by his irresistible charm and the glamour of his enchanting world, but discovers that things are not always what they seem and even the great Christy has scandalous secrets.

An Affair with Beauty--The Mystique of Howard Chandler Christy: The Magic of Youth

Literary

What can a middle-aged woman learn from a tryst with the college kid next door? What's passion like with a mesmerizing fifty-something surfer who sleeps in the back of his van? How does a regular gal wind up sipping tea with the ringleader of a sex club? 
Miss Matched at Midlife: Dating Episodes of a Middle-Aged Woman provides the perspective that only a book by a woman who has been on over 150 first dates can. 
At age forty-eight, Rebecca Brockway's seventeen-year marriage ended in divorce. Instead of giving up on love, she set out looking for Mr. Right. Over the course of nine years, Rebecca went on more than 150 first dates--and she also gave several romances a whirl. 
Featuring a foreword by therapist, author, and relationship expert Dr. Keith Witt, Miss Matched at Midlife is full of droll insights and scenarios that are too wild to be anything but true. In these page-turning essays, Rebecca invites us to share her journey, one filled with both triumphal successes and humbling missteps.

Miss Matched at Midlife: Dating Episodes of a Middle-Aged Woman

Rebecca Brockway

Parenting & Relationships

On a fateful evening in 1978, Chivvis Moore, living as a carpenter in California, stops by the house of an architect friend. ''What if I wrote to Hassan Fathy?'' Chivvis suggests, eager to meet the Egyptian author of the influential Architecture for the Poor. Less than three months later, Chivvis arrives in Cairo knowing virtually nothing about the culture and religion of the predominantly Muslim Middle East. 
What begins as a trip to meet Hassan Fathy becomes a 16-year odyssey that stretches from a year working in the shop of a master carpenter in Egypt to fraught years teaching English in Palestine. 
Offering a portrait of a land and a people not found in newspaper headlines or on television screens, First Tie Your Camel, Then Trust in God humanizes the misunderstandings, misconceptions, and tragedies that arise when we fail to appreciate the humanity at the core of us all.

First Tie Your Camel Then Trust in God: An American Feminist in the Arab World

Biographies & Memoirs

Chivvis Moore

Arts & Literature

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