Grandpa Magic


Book Description

From a professional magician and New York Times bestselling author, 116 tricks, stunts, and brainteasers that will engage the grandchildren and provide giggles, jaw-dropping awe , and wonderful memories. Guaranteed to make grandparenting even more fun, Grandpa Magic is sure to entertain—and crack up— the grandkids. From the old pull-a-quarter-from-behind-a-kid’'s-ear trick and “removing your thumb” to card tricks, stunts for the dinner table, and verbal puzzles that surprise and delight, there’s something for everyone. Step-by-step illustrations make them easy to learn.




The Last Lecture


Book Description

The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.




Parentless Parents


Book Description

Parentless Parents is the first book to show how the absence of grandparents impacts everything about the way mothers and fathers raise their children--from everyday parenting decisions to the relationships they have with their spouses and in-laws. For the first time in U.S. history, as the average age of women giving birth has increased significantly, millions of children are at risk of having fewer years with their grandparents than ever before. How has this substantial shift affected parents and kids? Journalist, award-winning television producer, and parentless parent Allison Gilbert has polled and studied more than 1,300 parentless parents from across the United States and a dozen other countries to find out. Through her pioneering research, Gilbert not only shares her own story and the significant and poignant effect that this trend has had on her and hundreds of other families, but also the myriad ways these mothers and fathers have learned to keep the memory of their parents alive for their children, and to find the support and understanding they need.




English in Context SMA


Book Description




I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die


Book Description

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.




My Journal for Jeremy


Book Description

I am Val Bowera daughter, wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and friend. I gave birth to three beautiful children and later adopted two more; I also have four stepchildren. I have spent the majority of my adult life working with people who need some kind of help. Usually a little bit of stress is a good motivator for me. But when you hear the word cancer and the doctor is talking about your child, your mind does not know what to do. When the next doctor tells you he has two weeksor maybe a monthto live, you pray. Someone once told me that I didnt have enough faith. I was taught to pray, Gods will be done. I said that prayer for months and then added, God give me strength to face the future. I kept a journal of the days and weeks of struggles and hardships, based on this moms feelings. I have no intention of causing pain or anger to anyone; it is all based on my opinion. My wish is that after reading this, parents will hold their babies more often. Sisters and brothers will say I love you and mean it. I wish for families to realize that tomorrow may not come. Every day should have a memory to hang on to.




Ask a Manager


Book Description

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together




Burny's Journeys


Book Description

It's one man's story from childhood to his mid-fifties and counting. He never went looking for adventures or answers to life but because of timing, coincidences, synchronicities, (call it what you will) that started early and have never ended, he has been blessed with a lifetime of stories and then some. He spent his first twenty years in small town Iowa before the U.S. Army decided that they had a need for him. It was February of 1968 and it proved to be a bad time to be entering the military. After a year in Vietnam he came home intact but a changed young man. He packed up a van and headed west with everything he owned. (Except for the baseball cards that his parents had already thrown away. Damn!) After joining Vietnam Veterans Against the War (John Kerry was their president) he went to D.C. and threw his medals away on the Capitol steps with a thousand or so other vets who realized that as a country, we could make mistakes and this time we had. He was thrown in jail in Denver with 78 other vets for simply trying to march, as an organization, in the Veteran's Day Parade. It was a tough time for people to stand up to their government but he felt it was important and so did many people. Those actions changed the direction of our country. "Maybe something like this" the author suggests, "is needed again today". After some bad relationships, he hit the road for 2 1/2 years without an address to call his own. He spent two fairy tale winters in Mexico and Guatemala where he explored caves, found untouched ceynotes, met many characters as well as great friends, and all the while, he compiled stories. It was then that he began journaling and has never stopped nearly 30 years later and neither have the stories. He had the most vivid dream of his life, which magically, eventually led him to his lovely bride. They have now shared the past quarter of a century together including kids, and grandkids. It's all there along with the lessons and confessions.




Home is Not Here


Book Description

Wang Gungwu is one of Asia’s most important public intellectuals. He is best-known for his explorations of Chinese history in the long view, and for his writings on the Chinese diaspora. With Home is Not Here, the historian of grand themes turns to a single life history: his own. In this volume, Wang talks about his multicultural upbringing and life under British rule. He was born in Surabaya, Java, but his parents’ orientation was always to China. Wang grew up in the plural, multi-ethnic town of Ipoh, Malaya (now Malaysia). He learned English in colonial schools and was taught the Confucian classics at home. After the end of WWII and Japanese occupation, he left for the National Central University in Nanjing to study alongside some of the finest of his generation of Chinese undergraduates. The victory of Mao Zedong’s Communist Party interrupted his education, and he ends this volume with his return to Malaya. Wise and moving, this is a fascinating reflection on family, identity, and belonging, and on the ability of the individual to find a place amid the historical currents that have shaped Asia and the world.




Youth's Companion


Book Description