I Just Couldn't Wait to Meet You


Book Description

Much-loved actor and radio host Kate Ritchie's first book is a beautiful tribute to the joy and anticipation of expecting a child. When you were still a treasured bump, tucked safe away inside, I thought about you night and day and in my sleep - it's true. My heart was full of hope and love. I just couldn't wait to meet you. A heartwarming story to share with the children in your family.




I Couldn't Wait to Tell You


Book Description

Bits and pieces placed together in just the right way create a collage or an assemblage. I Couldn't Wait To Tell You, a "word-assemblage," weaves together seemingly fragmented snippets from the lives of two sisters as they experience the joys and frustrations of growing up and of parting too soon. True stories of the intense bond between sisters artfully constructed to convey their lives in mid-20th century America, I Couldn't Wait to Tell You is both a celebration of life and a coming to grips with death. By revealing the difficult journey towards acceptance of her sister's death, Ethyl Katz provides an intimate affirmation of the power of love and family through acute observation of the real moments which create a lifetime. Both funny and touching, I Couldn't Wait to Tell You is a "secret garden" for anyone interested in life and living.




Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance


Book Description

Highly acclaimed UCLA Women's gymnastics coach of 7 NCAA championships Valorie Kondos Field shares insights on how to use uniqueness and authenticity to achieve success. Former professional ballerina Valorie Kondos Field--or Miss Val, as she's affectionately known--has never tumbled, flipped, or even played any type of organized sports, and yet she has been able to craft a legendary coaching career through curiosity, creativity, attention to detail, and unwavering care for the overall well-being of her athletes. For Miss Val, it's not about winning and losing, it's about choreographing your life and owning the choices you make. Miss Val has shaped her UCLA Gymnastics program as a life skills class and now she's sharing those lessons with you, whether you're an athlete, business leader, or simply someone who wants to own their destiny. Miss Val's philosophies are timeless. Her coaching style is unorthodox. Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance is a thought-provoking, fun journey through the anecdotes of the 35-year career of a dancer/choreographer turned athletic coach. The book includes unforgettable stories of the Olympians and athletes with whom she's worked-including the inspirational journey of Katelyn Ohashi, whose joyful transformation under the tutelage of Miss Val was evident to the world when her perfect 10 floor routine went viral -- reaching over 100 million viewers. Other triumphs include Olympian Jamie Dantzscher, who found her confidence at UCLA and learned the tools to combat her previous abuse; and sensation Christine Peng Peng Lee, who helped the Bruins clinch the 2018 NCAA championship with back-to-back 10's. Miss Val also shares her favorite memories of her mentor, legendary basketball coach John Wooden, as well as her thoughts on Larry Nassar and the gymnastics sexual abuse scandal. Miss Val reveals how her coaching journey had a rocky start before she found her own best approach. In time she realized that her dance background wasn't a detriment, it was a gift. When she embraced this, Miss Val led the Bruins to victory. Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance is packed with great advice for anyone on a quest for success, delivered in Miss Val's reassuring and inspirational tone. She took the same approach to her breast cancer diagnosis, explaining how she made that struggle into one of the best years of her life. For Miss Val, it's all about attitude. Life Is Short, Don't Wait to Dance is a powerful book that shows you how to make the leap of faith in choosing your own path to greatness.




I Can't Wait!


Book Description

Don’t wait to read this picture book about three friends who are each waiting for something worthwhile—and practicing patience while they’re at it! William was waiting on his front porch. Annie was waiting in her backyard. And, in his house on the corner, Thomas was waiting, too. But what are they each waiting for? When will it arrive? These three stories of three eagerly waiting friends come together in the end, where everything—especially friends and family—is worth the wait.




I Don't Wait Anymore


Book Description

In I Don’t Wait Anymore, Grace Thornton challenges readers to find their calling and purpose from God and go after it with completely committed hearts. Have you been waiting for life to turn out the way you expected? You’re not alone. There are lots of us out there who feel that way. Grace Thornton is one. She had dreams, plans, and ideas for what life should look like. For one, she thought she’d be married. She thought she’d have kids. She thought God would bring her the life she’d been waiting for because she knew He was good and she tried to be obedient. But that’s not what happened. Not at all. So she found herself wrestling with God. Who is He if He doesn’t bring along the life, husband, and 2.5 kids she thought He was supposed to? And where should she go from there? When she got brutally honest with herself and asked the hard question, “Why do I think the world has more to offer than God does?” the answer was stunning. Her honesty led to the path God had for her. One that would write a story for her life that was even better than the one she had dreamed for herself. This positive and encouraging book offers inspiration to anyone who wants to live a fulfilling life right now. Grace decided to let go of her expectations of the way life “should be” and grasp God’s hand for the adventure He had for her. You can too.




Why We Can't Wait


Book Description

Dr. King’s best-selling account of the civil rights movement in Birmingham during the spring and summer of 1963 On April 16, 1963, as the violent events of the Birmingham campaign unfolded in the city’s streets, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., composed a letter from his prison cell in response to local religious leaders’ criticism of the campaign. The resulting piece of extraordinary protest writing, “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” was widely circulated and published in numerous periodicals. After the conclusion of the campaign and the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in 1963, King further developed the ideas introduced in the letter in Why We Can’t Wait, which tells the story of African American activism in the spring and summer of 1963. During this time, Birmingham, Alabama, was perhaps the most racially segregated city in the United States, but the campaign launched by King, Fred Shuttlesworth, and others demonstrated to the world the power of nonviolent direct action. Often applauded as King’s most incisive and eloquent book, Why We Can’t Wait recounts the Birmingham campaign in vivid detail, while underscoring why 1963 was such a crucial year for the civil rights movement. Disappointed by the slow pace of school desegregation and civil rights legislation, King observed that by 1963—during which the country celebrated the one-hundredth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation—Asia and Africa were “moving with jetlike speed toward gaining political independence but we still creep at a horse-and-buggy pace.” King examines the history of the civil rights struggle, noting tasks that future generations must accomplish to bring about full equality, and asserts that African Americans have already waited over three centuries for civil rights and that it is time to be proactive: “For years now, I have heard the word ‘Wait!’ It rings in the ear of every Negro with piercing familiarity. This ‘Wait’ has almost always meant ‘Never.’ We must come to see, with one of our distinguished jurists, that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’”




Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community


Book Description

A New York Times Bestseller For Lady Gaga, kindness is the driving force behind everything she says and does. The quiet power of kindness can change the way we view one another, our communities, and even ourselves. She embodies this mission, and through her work, brings more kindness into our world every single day. Lady Gaga has always believed in the importance of being yourself, being kind to yourself, and being kind to others, no matter who they are or where they come from. With that sentiment in mind, she and her mother, Cynthia Germanotta, founded Born This Way Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making the world a kinder and braver place. Through the years, they've collected stories of kindness, bravery and resilience from young people all over the world, proving that kindness truly is the universal language. And now, we invite you to read these stories and follow along as each and every young author finds their voice just as Lady Gaga has found hers. Within these pages, you’ll meet young changemakers who found their inner strength, who prevailed in the face of bullies, who started their own social movements, who decided to break through the mental health stigma and share how they felt, who created safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth, and who have embraced kindness with every fiber of their being by helping others without the expectation of anything in return. In one story, you’ll read about a young person with an autoimmune disease, who after being bullied at school, learned how to practice self-love and started an organization with the mission of educating others about the importance of self-love, too; and in another story, you’ll meet a young person who decided to start a movement to help eliminate the stigma surrounding mental health and encouraged others to talk about their feelings openly and honestly, a reminder that kindness and mental wellness go hand in hand. Not only were we moved by these individual acts of kindness, but we were also touched by the many stories of organizations, neighborhoods, and entire communities that fully dedicated themselves to helping those in need and found new, innovative ways to make our world a kinder and braver place. Individually and collectively, these stories prove that kindness not only saves lives but builds community. Kindness is inclusion, it is pride, it is empathy, it is compassion, it is self-respect and it is the guiding light to love. Kindness is always transformational, and its never-ending ripples result in even more kind acts that can change our lives, our communities, and our world.




Finding You


Book Description

Both of them want a relationship—but is beginning it a big mistake? On the outside, twenty-seven-year-old Darcy Larsen is a pretty, put-together professional—but inside she’s falling apart. Eighteen months ago, she lost her fiancé in an accident she still blames herself for. After a successful transplant, her kidney disease seems to be in check, but she worries that her future children—if she has any—will also suffer from the same condition. And she’s overcome with indecision about finding her birth mother, discovering potentially devastating information, and hurting her adoptive parents. Mechanic Carter Donovan seems to have everything going for him at first glance. Stunning good looks. A wicked sense of humor. And a heart of gold. But Carter’s seemingly perfect exterior hides a host of secrets. After a rough breakup and mounting medical bills from a medical emergency that left him drowning in debt, he doesn’t feel like the catch everyone says he is. Plus, he’s about to turn thirty—with no romantic prospects on the horizon. When Darcy’s Lexus breaks down in her doctor’s parking lot, Carter appears on the scene to try to jump-start her car—and her heart. But despite their immediate connection right from the start, the two have perhaps too many obstacles to overcome. Carter questions if getting involved with Darcy will be his next big mistake. And Darcy wonders if she can ever move past her grief and guilt to embrace the gift of Happily Ever After that’s dangling in front of her. Sweet contemporary romance Stand-alone novel Book length: approximately 90,000 words Includes discussion questions for book clubs




From the First Moment


Book Description

Amy Jordan Sullivan returns to Chicago from her home in the Hollywood Hills for a starring role in a run of the musical Grease. She moved seven years ago to establish her now successful acting career leaving her first love behind. CPD Homicide Detective Michael Sullivan Lynch heads the next generation of Sullivans in law enforcement. Mike is a rising star on the force and he’s happy with his career and his life in Chicago until Amy returns home reawakening feelings that he thought he’s buried. Can first love last forever for Mike and Amy? Only if Mike can stop the Hollywood City Studios killer.




Let Me Tell You A Story


Book Description

For 30 years Rob Parsons has travelled widely across the UK and around the world, sharing his own stories of the ups and downs of life, and listening to the stories other people have to tell of their own lives. Tell Me A Story brings together the best of these stories - from heartwarming tales of family life to challenging accounts of coming through heartache and loss, from business success and money worries to sage advice on how to set priorities and find direction for our loves Through them all Rob weaves his spell as a storyteller, so pull up a chair and settle in to enjoy!