FREE & BARGAIN EBOOKS – {04-28-2021}

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World's Most Precious Manuscriptsby Joshua Hammer

To save ancient Arabic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean’s Eleven in this “fast-paced narrative that is…part intellectual history, part geopolitical tract, and part out-and-out thriller” (The Washington Post) from the author of The Falcon Thief.

In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that were crumbling in the trunks of desert shepherds. His goal: to preserve this crucial part of the world’s patrimony in a gorgeous library. But then Al Qaeda showed up at the door.

“Part history, part scholarly adventure story, and part journalist survey….Joshua Hammer writes with verve and expertise” (The New York Times Book Review) about how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist from the legendary city of Timbuktu, became one of the world’s greatest smugglers by saving the texts from sure destruction. With bravery and patience, Haidara organized a dangerous operation to sneak all 350,000 volumes out of the city to the safety of southern Mali. His heroic heist “has all the elements of a classic adventure novel” (The Seattle Times), and is a reminder that ordinary citizens often do the most to protect the beauty of their culture. His the story is one of a man who, through extreme circumstances, discovered his higher calling and was changed forever by it.

A Caregiver's Journey: Self-Care For Caregivers of Loved Ones with Dementia and Alzheimer'sby Eric James Miller

This book is for those who find themselves in a primary or secondary caregiving role for an aging parent or other loved one suffering from Alzheimer’s Disease or other type of dementia. Part memoir, part self-help guide, I hope it will serve as the roadmap I wish I had and help other caregivers know what to expect and how to plan for the challenges they are likely to face.

Managing the comfort, health, safety and finances of a loved one in their declining years is not easy. Especially if that loved one increasingly becomes depressed, agitated, delusional, or worse. The physical, mental and even spiritual demands can come on gradually, or quickly. They can re-open old conflicts within a family and usually do eventually take over the primary caregiver's life.

In addition to presenting five rules for being a caregiver that I learned over the course of dealing with my mother's 15-year plus struggle, in clear, plain, non-medical jargon I discuss the differences between the practical and the clinical definitions of Alzheimer's and dementia for both the patient and the caregiver. I talk about the stages of being a caregiver in addition to the stages of the disease, the importance of coping with and managing the associated stress that comes with being a caregiver, the pros and cons of different types of care facilities and treatment options to consider, what to look for, what to watch out for and how to make the most out of the time you have left with your loved one.

I hope that by being honest about my journey and sharing tips for admitting to and coping with the stress of being a caregiver, other caregivers will understand the importance of caring for themselves on their own caregiving journeys. Because no matter how great a job you're doing as a caregiver, a dead caregiver is the worst caregiver of all.

Include ME!: How to Build and Lead Authentic Inclusion in a Segregated Worldby Melinda Jennis

As the author of Include ME!, Melinda inspires people to be mindful of inclusion in their daily lives. From topics like supremacy, empathy, and grassroots organizing, she shines a light on the barriers that are put in place to exclude. She shows how these barriers can be removed by getting to the emotional core of inclusion, how it hurts when we don’t have it, and how rewarding it is when we do. She provides answers to the question, where does exclusion derive, and how can we overcome it?

Melinda creatively uses personal and historical storytelling to share ways people can proactively bolster inclusion at every step from the individual to the business world. True to its title, Include ME! is not exclusive to individuals with disabilities. The tools and stories are intended to inspire people of all ages, races, gender identities, sexualities, and abilities. Through Include ME!, Melinda paints a vivid picture for her readers of what it would look and feel like if we ALL would unite to ensure equity and inclusion for everyone!

Songbirdby Karen Heenan

She has the voice of an angel…

But one false note could send her back to her old life of poverty.
After her father sells her to Henry VIII, ten-year-old Bess builds a new life as a royal minstrel, and earns the nickname "the king’s songbird." 

She comes of age in the decadent Tudor court, where the stakes are always high, and where politics, heartbreak, and disease threaten everyone from the king to the lowliest musician.

Her world has only one constant: Tom, her first and dearest friend. But when Bess intrigues with Anne Boleyn and strains against the restrictions of life at court, will she discover that the biggest risk of all is listening to her own stubborn heart?

So You’re Divorced, So What?by Shaunna Lee

So You’re Divorced, So What? is a pragmatic and uplifting guide to recovering from a divorce and claiming the life you’ve always wanted. Shaunna Lee has successfully recovered from divorce three times, and candidly shares her experience in navigating these wrenching events. All three times she’s found strengths she didn’t know she had, and has emerged as a clear-eyed and compassionate coach for women navigating their own life journey.

This is not a “How to Get Divorced” book, but rather an inspirational take on how to truly thrive in your newly single life, regardless of how long it’s been since the ink dried on your divorce decree.

This book is for you if you are…

• Ready to shift your feelings of loss and chaotic emotions into a sense of peace and well-being.
• Ready to transform your relationship with your ex into one that is easy and smooth.
• Ready to become the most supportive mother possible for your children.
• Ready to let go of your anger and shame once and for all.
• Ready to take action and create a life of your dreams.

So You’re Divorced, So What? Is the self-help book for people who dislike self-help books, and those who love them. If you want to improve your life, but aren’t sure how to get started, this is your guide to finding your way through despair to a life you’ll love.

By the end of So You’re Divorced, So What?, you will discover who you are, who you are meant to be and how to bridge the two. If you are ready to embrace your future and create your best life, this book is for you.

Young and Dumb : Year of Yearsby Thomas Louis Carroll

YOUNG AND DUMB

YEAR OF YEARS

The 1970’s hit Tommy like a tidal wave. So Tommy did what he had to do – he learned to swim.

It’s 1973, and the post-Woodstock generation, and the new world of rock ‘n roll, marijuana, birth control, ripped jeans, fake ID’s, and anti-authority hit like a tidal wave on the scene. That’s the uproarious comic world young Tommy Stafford was thrown into, and he had to sink or swim. So he swims, and it takes him on the hilarious ride of a lifetime, as he navigates the shoals at boarding school in a riotous story of finding acceptance in his new world.

Tommy didn’t ask for this world, but if it was to come, he would be ready for it and make the most of it. The hysterical hijinks of Tommy and his band of friends runs afoul of the school and forces Tommy to fight for his new life, a life he didn’t even know he wanted a few months ago – against the forces of tradition his new life has left behind.

Follow Tommy Stafford in this hysterically funny account of his year of years and remember your year of years in a way that brings it all back and makes you smile as you reminisce. There are boarding school stories, such as A Separate Piece, and then there are boarding school stories, and this is one of the best. It’s the wild 1970s, and the characters in this novel participate in the kind of hijinks that will make you fondly remember your years of years.

It’s a coming of age novel, to be sure, but it’s also a comedy novel that will make you think of friendship, high school, and your coming of age. As a hysterically funny humor novel, you will witness the kind of hijinks that reminds you of Animal House while also being the kind of comedy book that brings back those wild times in vivid detail. So if you like hijinks, good comedy novels, coming of age fiction, and the wild 1970s, you will enjoy the exploits of Tommy Stafford and his band of merry pranksters.

No Decision – A Gut-gripping Political Thrillerby Ridge King

In “No Decision,” Jack has to help his dad win the Presidency after a tie in the Electoral College, plunging him into a vortex of romance, sexual manipulation, intrigue and danger. Can he make a difference — before it’s too late?

And will the problems with his hot-headed but sexy Cuban girlfriend Babylon Fuentes, create more problems than they solve?

A deadlocked election. A brutal fight for the Presidency. Will deadly intrigue and sexual manipulation control the deciding vote?

The pages turn themselves in this thrilling story of ruthless political blackmail and intimidation.

After serving his country well, retired Navy SEAL Jack does his best to keep a low profile. But when an election standoff plunges the nation into turmoil, he leaves his Miami detective agency to help elect his ambitious father who is an underdog in a vicious campaign for President. While Jack steps into the dangerous fight, unscrupulous powermongers go beyond the law to sway the results at any cost.

With the contents of a top-secret file threatening to implode multiple careers, Jack flies into action to prevent international chaos. But when the critical votes come down to a handful of key, vulnerable people, Jack may be the only person who can save his country from anarchy, even as he is sucked into a vortex of romance and intrigue.

And will the problems with his hot-headed but sexy Cuban girlfriend Babylon Fuentes, create more problems than they solve?

As the foundation of democracy is threatened, can Jack stymie traitors or does he join them to ensure his father claims the cherished prize of the Presidency?