Not Planning On You


Book Description

Suzy Denton thought she had it all: a great job as an event planner for Danvers International and a committed relationship to her high school sweetheart.... But now her life has gone to hell in a handbasket. Not only did she discover her fiancé cheating, but a recent corporate merger is making her job very difficult—mostly due to Grayson Merimon, wealthy CEO. Gray is a man who goes after what he wants. And, after their first meeting, he wants Suzy. Even though he looks like every fantasy she’s ever had, Suzy is wary of the powerful businessman. She likes her newfound independence, even if her best friend thinks it’s an excuse not to risk her heart again. Besides, she doesn’t think Gray could ever be interested in a relationship with someone like her. When he calls her bluff, Suzy agrees to one night together. But when circumstances continue to throw them together—and with Gray determined to show her that two opposites can be a perfect fit—Suzy realizes that she might just have found the one man who can give her what she’s always needed….




If He Had Been with Me


Book Description

If he had been with me everything would have been different... I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial. So let me tell you...




Witchlanders


Book Description

Some prophecies thwart danger. Others create it. “Fans of contemplative, psychologically rich (but no less action-packed) fantasies à la Ursula Le Guin will welcome this warm, inventive debut” (BCCB, starred review). High in their mountain covens, red witches pray to the Goddess, protecting the Witchlands by throwing the bones and foretelling the future. But it’s all fake. At least, that’s what Ryder thinks. He doubts the witches really deserve their tithes—one quarter of all the crops his village can produce. And even if they can predict the future, what danger is there to foretell, now that his people’s old enemy, the Baen, has been defeated? But when a terrifying new magic threatens both his village and the coven, Ryder must confront the beautiful and silent witch who holds all the secrets. Everything he’s ever believed about witches, the Baen, magic, and about himself will change when he discovers that the prophecies he’s always scorned…are about him. Laced with rich, imagined histories; miles of catacombs; and prophecies true and false, Witchlanders takes place in an evocative, tantalizingly vibrant world and raises equally evocative questions: Who gets to defines history? When does a legend become a crutch? And why does the enemy in war look a lot like the hero? Lena Coakley’s first novel is a lush, chilling story that is sure to send shivers through your finger bones.




The Winterhouse Mysteries


Book Description

Danger, intrigue, and the power of family combine in The Winterhouse Mysteries, the fast-paced conclusion to Ben Guterson and Chloe Bristol's illustrated, enchanting Winterhouse middle grade trilogy. It’s springtime at Winterhouse and Elizabeth is settling into the joyful chaos of her new home. But it isn’t long before she and Freddy are drawn into an ominous new mystery. Guests at the hotel start behaving oddly, and Elizabeth’s powers manifest in thrilling—sometimes frightening—new ways. As unnatural tremors shake the foundations of Winterhouse, Elizabeth hears cries for help from Gracella Winters, a villain she’d thought dead and gone for good. Elizabeth’s discovery of a rare book containing secrets of an ancient ritual leads to a tragic realization: someone at the hotel is trying to help Gracella rise again. Can Elizabeth and Freddy banish these threats and protect the future of Winterhouse once and for all? Christy Ottaviano Books




Evil Plans


Book Description

The acclaimed author of Ignore Everybody is back with more irreverent wisdom, wit, and original cartoons. "It has never been easier to make a great living doing what you love. But to make it happen, first you need an EVIL PLAN. Everybody needs to get away from lousy bosses, from boring, dead-end jobs that they hate, and ACTUALLY start doing something they love, something that matters. Life is short." -Hugh MacLeod Freud once said that in order to be truly happy people need two things: the capacity to work and the capacity to love. Evil Plans is about being able to do both at the same time. The sometimes unfortunate side effect is that others will hate you for it. MacLeod's insights are brash, wise, and often funny.




Scenario Planning


Book Description

Is your business ready for the future? Scenario planning is a fascinating, yet still underutilized, business tool that can be of immense value to a company's strategic planning process. It allows companies to visualize the impact that a portfolio of possible futures could have on their competitiveness. It helps decision-makers see opportunities and threats that could emerge beyond their normal planning horizon. Scenario Planning serves as a guide to taking a long-term look at your business, your industry, and the world, posing thoughtful questions about the possible consequences of some current (and possible future) trends. This book will help you: Outline (and help you prepare for) any trends that could play out in the future that could change the political, social, and economic landscapes and significantly impact your business Explore the impact of technological advances and the emergence of new competitors to your business Examine challenges that are only dimly recognizable as potential problems today This visual book will help you answer this question: Is my organization ready for every possibility?




Designing Your Life


Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • At last, a book that shows you how to build—design—a life you can thrive in, at any age or stage • “Life has questions. They have answers.” —The New York Times Designers create worlds and solve problems using design thinking. Look around your office or home—at the tablet or smartphone you may be holding or the chair you are sitting in. Everything in our lives was designed by someone. And every design starts with a problem that a designer or team of designers seeks to solve. In this book, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise.




Utopian Designing - Developing a Community Strategic Plan for You and Future Generations


Book Description

Utopian Designing is a complete guide to planning and implementing a development or redevelopment project, and includes templates, forms, and resources to help planners and others effectively and efficiently move through the process for the best "utopian" result. Sustainability consists of three different key concepts to be addressed: social equity, economics, and ecological/environmental health. It encompasses a wide variety of disciplines and ideas to reshape our actions and our way of thinking. It's important to understand these concepts, so decisions can be made outside the vacuum of city planners. Utopian Designing focuses on the strategic process, from design through implementation for development and redevelopment of an area. It also looks at sustainable principles to help a community thrive into the future; spur the public input process and information gathering options; obtain data evaluation to select the best project options; secure partnerships, resources, and funding options; and determine implementation strategies to bring a project to fruition. Strategies beyond implementation will ensure your development stays sustainable and meets your needs well into the future. Appendices provide resources and helpful templates to help move through your project's planning and implementation phases.




The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur


Book Description

Can you succeed in business when your strength is more about sensitivity than swagger? If you're moved by meaning, more than manipulation? In other words: Can you succeed while still being you? Christine Kane is living proof that the answer is yes. Far too many of us have swallowed the notion that business owners have to be a certain way to be successful—strategy-obsessed, data-driven, and relentlessly aggressive. Bookstore shelves are lined with guides for entrepreneurs that urge them to "Crush it! "10X It!" or "Unf**k it!" Those who aren't crushers or unf**kers of anything are left wondering if something's wrong with them. Like,maybe they're just not cut out for business. A former songwriter and performer, and then founder of Uplevel YOU—a multi-million-dollar business coaching company—Christine Kane shows a new class of entrepreneurs another way. It's time to connect, not crush. In The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur, Kane shares the insights that have helped thousands find success without losing themselves. In these pages, readers will find a practical plan to: • Toss out ineffective, old-school goal-setting models. • Reframe your intuition and sensitivity as valuable assets, not as flaws to hide. • Examine old patterns for clues as to what's been holding you back. • Clean up the spaces and distractions draining your energy and power. • Learn to confidently trust in your own wisdom. • Break free from fear-based decision-making that plagues most businesses. Throughout the book, you'll hear stories from other soul-sourced entrepreneurs, who employ their own reliable, unique set of best practices based as much in intuition and self-awareness as on specific skills and strategies. Forget business as usual. Your business is personal, and in this new era, authenticity, creativity, and sensitivity are what set businesses apart. The Soul-Sourced Entrepreneur is your unconventional plan to build the business of your dreams, and being wildly successful by being you.




Writing a Novel


Book Description