The Elephant Gates is a recollection of the simple pleasures of childhood caught up in an inevitable tide of change. With vivid and touching detail, it recalls Weeratunge’s life, home, and family in her native village of Depanama on the island of Sri Lanka. Weeratunge’s memories reveal a yearning for past times when traditions like celebrating the New Year or a Full Moon Day, still endured. Her poignant reminiscences evoke compassion for a misunderstood vagrant and a captive elephant, and curiosity for the appearance of the Pot-Bellied Merchant and Uncle Robert the Capitalist. She celebrates everyday heroes like the Coconut-Plucker, the Cook of Sweet Meats, and the Buffalo-Herdsman. With delicate diplomacy, cultural change is signaled by events such as the abandoning of the firewood hearth and the arrival of the television. 
 These intricately woven stories are told with an engaging voice and graceful prose. Time, as it often does, has softened the edges and imparted a gentle humor in each vignette, whether in describing a rice harvest or sharing a game of checkers on the veranda. Ultimately, The Elephant Gates reaffirms our innate affinity for home, family, and the need to belong.

The Elephant Gates: Vibrant Reflections of Life, Family, and Tradition in Sri Lanka

Biographies & Memoirs

Weeratunge, Chamalee

Memoirs

River Grove Books

Midlife-the time you spend between the ages of thirty-five and fifty-five-is a critical juncture in anyone's career and life. And yet these tend to be neglected decades. You may feel vulnerable about who you are and what you want to do, boxed in by societal pressures and an overly outward focus. You may know that the time to invoke change is now. But how? Enter Amplify Your Career and Life, an insightful look at successfully traversing these midlife years. Author and executive coach Peter C. Diamond struggled through his own midlife quandary. When faced with a series of life-altering events, he realized the need to reclaim his life and take action in order to move forward in a more holistic and gratifying manner. In this book, Diamond presents the four principles of action developed through his own experience and his time spent coaching hundreds of clients: interrogating your life, formulating your plan to amplify your life, conquering old foes, and adopting the changes you desire. Using personal stories and practical advice, Diamond shows you how to design an action plan to triumphantly navigate the challenges of midlife in order to thrive in the future.

Amplify Your Career and Life

Self-Help

Diamond, Peter C

Motivational

Have you, as head of your team, felt frustrated when team members seem distracted and unable to work because of personal issues? Have you, as a team member, wanted a second opinion for your big idea, but were afraid of being laughed at, or-worse-having your idea stolen? Have you been in a work situation where you felt trust was broken, and you were left with few options for repairing it? These issues stymie productivity and strain relationships in offices around the globe; professional business coach Maxine Attong offers a radical, but proven solution: the office "safe space." Enter this space-where trust is paramount-and find your way forward, free from the worries of being judged, ridiculed, shamed, or stolen from. A safe space offers: an empathetic leader willing to listen as you share what's preventing you from focusing on the day's task; a fellow team member willing to help you hammer out an idea you have for streamlining an office procedure; or a team leader willing to listen to your frustrations over a coworker, yet remaining neutral and sworn to secrecy. Attong developed this "safe space" concept through more than twenty years of work with organizations in the gas and oil, financial, manufacturing, and service industries. When team members feel safe, Attong believes, they will take risks, make decisions, and put forth their best efforts despite what is happening in their personal lives. A team with all members able to perform at their peak will be a winning team-one that achieves excellence and propels its people forward to even greater victories. This book leads the way to those victories. Maxine Attong has been leading small and large teams for the last two decades-both in organizational settings and in her private coaching and facilitation practice. She has helped organizations come to consensus, overcome the perils of ineffective leadership, redesign processes to suit changing environments, and manage the internal chaos inherent in strategy implementation. She has been trained as a Gestalt Organizational Development practitioner, a Certified Evidence Coach, a Certified Professional Facilitator, a Certified Professional Accountant, and is a former Quality Manager. Maxine is a graduate of the University of the West Indies, and divides her time between the Caribbean and the US.

Lead Your Team to Win

Attong, Maxine

Business & Money

Set against the backdrop of the nation's capital, a generations old bootleg distillery finds itself in the midst of a power struggle between the younger generation and old guard, turning time-tested allies into foes. Cloaked in secrecy, the elite circle of political leaders had operated the distillery without incident for decades while producing barrel after barrel of illegal spirits, among other ventures. But things were beginning to change. Caroline left a promising career on Wall Street and moved to rural Virginia to solve the mystery that had haunted her throughout her entire life – her father’s murder. She uncovers ties between her new employer and her father, and before long, she finds herself the target of the distillery’s powerful entrenched political entourage, sending her running for her life. Unwillingly forced into harm’s way, her new friend, Jackson, relies on his cunning instinct to try and solve a crime that reaches into the depths of the US Senate and Supreme Court. As the body count rises, questions begin to swirl around the District and nobody knows who to trust.

Senate Proof

Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

Snyder, Logan

Thrillers & Suspense

In Love at First Site, dating coach Erika Ettin has taken her expertise— previously only available to her clients—and laid it out in an easy-to-use and exciting guide to the world of online dating. Erika shows her readers how to increase their odds for connections by marketing themselves well. Her background in economics helps her use the numbers game in her favor. It’s a simple equation: more profile views equal more dates, more dates equal a better chance at finding your match. With her tips and tricks, Erika can show you exactly how to increase your online dating odds. Erika’s advice includes pointers for choosing your best profile picture, writing a winning profile, crafting emails that catch someone’s attention, and planning the first date. Erika’s knowledge is rooted in her highly successful coaching business as well as her own experience with online dating. Questions from Erika’s clients will save you the time of wondering how to approach strange situations—they’re all in here! And tales of dating adventures from Erika herself will leave you both encouraged and entertained.

Love at First Site: Tips and Tales for Online Dating Success from a Modern-Day Matchmaker

Ettin, Erika

Parenting & Relationships

THE ADVENTURES OF A LOWLY MAIDSERVANT, A DISGUISED FUGITIVE, A SAVIOR TO THE POOR AND ENDANGERED, AND A QUEEN. Such is the paradox of Lady Caterina Tabor, an extraordinary young girl who, en route to England, finds herself captured and at the mercy of a stern and powerful lord. Forced to work as a common kitchen maid in the dank halls of Dermoth Castle, Caty dreams of her past as a free and autonomous maiden with a bright future in the English courts—did fate have other plans? This early trial is but the first in a litany of shocking tribulations; imprisoned, abused, accused of sorcery, and kidnapped, Caty’s life is for so long anything but charmed—but you can’t keep a soaring heart shackled. As we follow this misunderstood maiden’s journey through both the unexpected, electrifying joys of new love and the pain of mind-boggling adversity, we become eyewitnesses to the astonishing way she not only transforms herself but also enchants, inspires, and invigorates those around her. Spanning decades of castle life, treacherous journeys, bloody battles, and heartache, Come Winter is a sweeping yet personal tale of a brave woman who at once embodies and transcends the prescribed, and oftentimes oppressive, roles her society demands. Let Clare Gutierrez (author of Dancing with the Boss) curate your voyage back to the Scottish highlands of ages past—a time and place in which simply staying alive constituted a noble adventure, and becoming a patron of the oppressed and the impoverished could make you a hallowed queen.

Come Winter: A Novel

Literature & Fiction

Gutierrez, Clare

Genre Fiction

DISCOVER A NEW OUTLOOK ON THE PROCESS OF LIFE—AND IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH AS A RESULT In Intended Evolution, authors Dongxun and Bob Zhang introduce a different perspective on the theory of evolution: Life is not only selected by nature but intentionally interacts with it, learning how to better its future. They explain that applying this idea to generally accepted principles of biology can have startling results in your ability to affect your own health—and even your evolution. According to the theory of intended evolution, organisms gather information through sensory experience and use that knowledge to effect change in themselves and their environments. The authors propose that organisms use this saved information to make choices projected to enhance their survival. It is through experience, choices, and action, within a given environment, that life changes itself from moment to moment and determines what changes are needed for future generations. Because of humans’ unique ability to understand how our own evolution functions, we can effect changes within ourselves to influence and enhance our health and fitness, even to lengthen our lifespan.

Intended Evolution: How Selection of Intelligence Guides Life Forward

Science & Math

Zhang, Dongxun

Zhang, Bob

Evolution

AS LIV BERGEN INVESTIGATES THE UNSOLVED MURDER OF HER NIECE, SHE UNCOVERS A DANGEROUSLY-GUARDED SECRET-AND STUMBLES INTO ONE OF THE MOST PROLIFIC KILLERS SHE'S FACED YET. ONCE AN AMATEUR SLEUTH, LIV "BOOTS" BERGEN has now found her footing as an official FBI agent. It should be Liv's dream career-she's working closely with a bureau legend, Agent Streeter Pierce, as well as the exotic Agent Jack Linwood, with whom she shares a growing romance. Liv has proven to be an adept agent, and the whole office has been moved to a brand new, state-of-the-art facility in central Denver. And yet, doubt plagues her. Liv is tormented by the knowledge that her work with the FBI could endanger her extended family-and has almost resolved to leave the bureau as a result. Agent Streeter Pierce, who harbors an affection for Liv that sometimes transcends the professional, comes up with an unorthodox plan to keep her around: she can investigate a cold case that's especially important to her-the kidnapping and murder of her ten-year-old niece, Brianna. Liv jumps at the chance, but her focus on finding Brianna's killer is soon shaken. Piece by piece, the case reveals itself to be just one point in a harrow- ing series of murders. Spanning decades and the country, the web of crime Liv uncovers causes her to question everything-including the honor and integrity of her own colleagues.

Solomon's Whisper

Brannan, Sandra

Mystery

BRENNAN SIMKINS WAS DIAGNOSED with a rare subtype of leukemia on his seventh birthday. The next four years gave witness to one of the most improbable stories in the history of pediatric cancer. Unwilling to accept a hopelessly terminal diagnosis after his first relapse, his parents found the one research institution willing and capable of designing new treatment protocols and therapies to keep him alive until a cure could be identified. For the next four years, Brennan's determination of will inspired his doctors and transformed the hearts of all who witnessed it. This work is a chronicle of near tragedy, spiritual reconciliation, and redemption, presented through the perspective of a devoted father. Possibilities is a brave and true-life story of the fighting spirit of one little boy who overcame daunting medical odds while transforming the lives of others. Turner Simkins began his writing career as a staff writer at the Augusta Herald prior to his freshman year at Washington and Lee University, where he majored in philosophy and minored in English. He claims that "writing is the only inherent trait that has allowed [him] to cul- tivate a respectable business career," referring to his twenty-five-year professional life and current role as director at both Newfire Media,a digital advertising agency, and Blue Beech, a New Urbanist real estate consulting firm. He lives in North Augusta, South Carolina, with his wife Tara and their three sons. He is a co-founder of, and actively engaged with, the pressonfund.org, which seeks less toxic cures for pediatric acute myeloid leukemia and neuroblastoma.

Possibilities

Health, Fitness & Dieting

Simkins, N. Turner

Diseases & Physical Ailments

On the beautiful island of Capri, a royal princess begins a secret love affair, oblivious to the dangers that surround her. Internationally renowned novelist Kitty Pilgrim chronicles a modern thriller based in the historic volcanic region of Southern Italy. Her characters, archaeologist John Sinclair and oceanographer Cordelia Stapleton, team up once again for a tale of glamour and romance that spans every level of society-from the dangerous criminal underworld of Naples to the jet set of Europe.

Summer of Fire

Pilgrim, Kitty

Contemporary

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