Memory's Last Breath


Book Description

A "courageous and singular book" (Andrew Solomon), Memory's Last Breath is an unsparing, beautifully written memoir -- "an intimate, revealing account of living with dementia" (Shelf Awareness). Based on the "field notes" she keeps in her journal, Memory's Last Breath is Gerda Saunders' astonishing window into a life distorted by dementia. She writes about shopping trips cut short by unintentional shoplifting, car journeys derailed when she loses her bearings, and the embarrassment of forgetting what she has just said to a room of colleagues. Coping with the complications of losing short-term memory, Saunders, a former university professor, nonetheless embarks on a personal investigation of the brain and its mysteries, examining science and literature, and immersing herself in vivid memories of her childhood in South Africa. "For anyone facing dementia, [Saunders'] words are truly enlightening . . . Inspiring lessons about living and thriving with dementia." -- Maria Shriver, NBC's Today Show




Breath, Eyes, Memory


Book Description

The 20th anniversary edition of Edwidge Danticat's groundbreaking debut, now an established classic--revised and with a new introduction by the author, and including extensive bonus materials At the age of twelve, Sophie Caco is sent from her impoverished Haitian village to New York to be reunited with a mother she barely remembers. There she discovers secrets that no child should ever know, and a legacy of shame that can be healed only when she returns to Haiti—to the women who first reared her. What ensues is a passionate journey through a landscape charged with the supernatural and scarred by political violence. In her stunning literary debut, Danticat evokes the wonder, terror, and heartache of her native Haiti—and the enduring strength of Haiti’s women—with vibrant imagery and narrative grace that bear witness to her people’s suffering and courage.




Caesar's Last Breath


Book Description

The Guardian's Best Science Book of 2017: the fascinating science and history of the air we breathe. It's invisible. It's ever-present. Without it, you would die in minutes. And it has an epic story to tell. In Caesar's Last Breath, New York Times bestselling author Sam Kean takes us on a journey through the periodic table, around the globe, and across time to tell the story of the air we breathe, which, it turns out, is also the story of earth and our existence on it. With every breath, you literally inhale the history of the world. On the ides of March, 44 BC, Julius Caesar died of stab wounds on the Senate floor, but the story of his last breath is still unfolding; in fact, you're probably inhaling some of it now. Of the sextillions of molecules entering or leaving your lungs at this moment, some might well bear traces of Cleopatra's perfumes, German mustard gas, particles exhaled by dinosaurs or emitted by atomic bombs, even remnants of stardust from the universe's creation. Tracing the origins and ingredients of our atmosphere, Kean reveals how the alchemy of air reshaped our continents, steered human progress, powered revolutions, and continues to influence everything we do. Along the way, we'll swim with radioactive pigs, witness the most important chemical reactions humans have discovered, and join the crowd at the Moulin Rouge for some of the crudest performance art of all time. Lively, witty, and filled with the astounding science of ordinary life, Caesar's Last Breath illuminates the science stories swirling around us every second.




The Last Breath


Book Description

From the internationally bestselling author of The Marriage Lie comes an emotionally searing drama about a woman who risks her life to discover the devastating truth about her family. Humanitarian aid worker Gia Andrews chases disasters around the globe for a living. It's the perfect lifestyle to keep her far away from her own personal ground zero. Sixteen years ago, Gia's father was imprisoned for brutally killing her stepmother. Now he's come home to die of cancer, and she's responsible for his care--and coming to terms with his guilt. Gia reluctantly resumes the role of daughter to the town's most infamous murderer, a part complete with protesters on the lawn and death threats that are turning tragedy into front-page news. Returning to life in small-town Tennessee involves rebuilding relationships that distance and turmoil have strained, though finding an emotional anchor in the attractive hometown bartender is certainly helping Gia cope. As the past unravels before her, Gia will find herself torn between the stories that her family, their friends and neighbors, and even her long-departed stepmother have believed to be real all these years. But in the end, the truth--and all the lies that came before--may have deadlier consequences than she could have ever anticipated....




Last Breath


Book Description

He's your perfect date. You're his next victim. When the tortured body of a young woman is found in a dumpster, her eyes swollen shut and her clothes soaked with blood, Detective Erika Foster is one of the first at the crime scene. The trouble is, this time, it's not her case. While she fights to secure her place on the investigation team, Erika can't help but get involved and quickly finds a link to the unsolved murder of a woman four months earlier. Dumped in a similar location, both women have identical wounds - a fatal incision to their femoral artery. Stalking his victims online, the killer is preying on young pretty women using a fake identity. How will Erika catch a murderer who doesn't seem to exist? Then another girl is abducted while waiting for a date. Erika and her team must get to her before she becomes another dead victim, and, come face to face with a terrifyingly sadistic individual. Gripping, tense and impossible to put down, Last Breath will have you on the edge of your seat, racing to the final dramatic page. Read what everyone is saying about Last Breath: 'Oh my giddy aunt, Robert Bryndza never fails to surprise me, just when I convinced myself the Detective Erika Foster series couldn't possibly get any better, he delivers another belter of a book...each book has been from the last and how each story offers something unique, which is why Robert Bryndza continues to be one of my very favourite authors on the planet.' The Book Review Café 'It's the sort of book that you want to devour in one sitting, it's too good to put down. The characters crackle with energy and the chemistry between them is fantastic to read... A breathtaking addition to the series that I would thoroughly recommend!' The Quiet Knitter 'Robert Bryndza has leapfrogged up to the top place in my list of favourite crime authors after reading his other books... This book was absolutely fantastic!! The story gripped me from page one and didn't let up until the end...If you're looking for a gritty police procedural crime thriller, then I can highly recommend this book. If you're going to buy this one, don't forget to buy the others too!! Five stars (although if I could give it more I would!).' Star Dust Book Reviews 'I will always applaud for more Erika Foster #QueenDetective. I love her so much, she is one of my best fictional characters.' The Book Heathen 'One of my most anticipated reads of 2017...Last Breath is a gripping, nail biting ride of a read. I seriously cannot get enough of the author's books and now that I have finished this one I have the long agonising wait for the next one. Brilliant series, brilliant book by a brilliant author, what else can I say!' By the Letter Book Reviews




When Breath Becomes Air


Book Description

**THE MILLION COPY BESTSELLER** 'Rattling. Heartbreaking. Beautiful,' Atul Gawande, bestselling author of Being Mortal What makes life worth living in the face of death? At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade's training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, the next he was a patient struggling to live. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi's transformation from a medical student asking what makes a virtuous and meaningful life into a neurosurgeon working in the core of human identity - the brain - and finally into a patient and a new father. Paul Kalanithi died while working on this profoundly moving book, yet his words live on as a guide to us all. When Breath Becomes Air is a life-affirming reflection on facing our mortality and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a gifted writer who became both. 'A vital book about dying. Awe-inspiring and exquisite. Obligatory reading for the living' Nigella Lawson




The Memory Tree


Book Description

A beautiful and heartfelt picture book to help children celebrate the memories left behind when a loved one dies. Fox has lived a long and happy life in the forest, but now he is tired. He lies down in his favourite clearing, and falls asleep for ever. Before long, Fox's friends begin to gather in the clearing. One by one, they tell stories of the special moments that they shared with Fox. And so, as they share their memories, a tree begins to grow, becoming bigger and stronger with each memory, sheltering and protecting all the animals in the forest, just as Fox did when he was alive. This gentle story about the loss of a loved one is perfect for sharing and will bring comfort to both children and parents.




Her Last Breath


Book Description

An extraordinarily beautiful Amish woman, a dangerous femme fatale, is the central figure in a story that reveals a dark side of Painters Mill and its seemingly perfect Amish world A rainy night, an Amish father returning home with his three children, a speeding car hurtling toward them out of nowhere. What at first seems like a tragic, but routine car accident suddenly takes on a more sinister cast as evidence emerges that nothing about the crash is accidental. But who would want to kill an Amish deacon and two of his children? He leaves behind a grieving widow and a young boy who clings to life in the intensive care wing of a hospital, unable to communicate. He may be the only one who knows what happened that night. Desperate to find out who killed her best friend's husband and why, Kate begins to suspect she is not looking for a reckless drunk, but instead is on the trail of a cold blooded killer amid the residents of Painter's Mill. It is a search that takes her on a chilling journey into the darkest reaches of the human heart and makes her question everything she has ever believed about the Amish culture into which she was born.




One Last Breath (A Tara Mills Mystery—Book Two)


Book Description

ONE LAST BREATH is book two in the new FBI mystery series by debut author Sarah Sutton. A popular beach town was torn apart when a teenage girl went missing. Now, one year later, after a storm rips through the area, her body is found—strangled and buried deep under the brush of a local beach. But, as the cops uncover her body, another is found—a more recent victim—and they quickly realize it’s the work of a serial killer. FBI Agent Tara Mills, still recovering from her last case, is pulled into her second. With no leads, the FBI needs Tara’s brilliant mind to crack it. But as she delves into the depths of the popular vacation beach town, she soon realizes that no one can be trusted––and that this killer may be far more brilliant than her. Meanwhile, Tara has decided to uncover the truth of her own past. As she battles the darkness surrounding her childhood, more victims go missing, and with her career on the line, she races against time to stop the killer before she loses it all. Book #3 in the series—ONE LAST UNVEIL—is also now available! “First read by this new upcoming author and she has a winner with this series. Suspenseful from beginning to end.” --Goodreads Reviewer (One Last Step) “I was pulled in from the very start…in my mind it played out just like a movie.” --Goodreads Reviewer (One Last Step) “Absolutely loved this first in the series from start to finish. Fast paced and easy to follow with a storyline that was tense and exciting, I found it hard to put down.” --Goodreads Reviewer (One Last Step) “One Last Breath took my breath away.” --Goodreads Reviewer (One Last Breath) “Oh wow! What a book. I loved it and I couldn’t put it down until I finished it. Tara and Warren are so believable.” --Goodreads Reviewer (One Last Breath)




The Memory Police


Book Description

Finalist for the International Booker Prize and the National Book Award A haunting Orwellian novel about the terrors of state surveillance, from the acclaimed author of The Housekeeper and the Professor. On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses. . . . Most of the inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few able to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten. When a young writer discovers that her editor is in danger, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her f loorboards, and together they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past. Powerful and provocative, The Memory Police is a stunning novel about the trauma of loss. ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST * TIME * CHICAGO TRIBUNE * THE GUARDIAN * ESQUIRE * THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS * FINANCIAL TIMES * LIBRARY JOURNAL * THE A.V. CLUB * KIRKUS REVIEWS * LITERARY HUB American Book Award winner