A Cloud In The Shape Of A Girl

From National Book Award finalist and the New York Times bestselling author of The Year We Left Home comes a “powerful, beautifully crafted” (People) family saga about three generations of women who struggle to find freedom and happiness in their small Midwestern college town. A Cloud in the Shape of a Girl is a poignant novel about three generations of the Wise family—Evelyn, Laura, and Grace—as they hunt for contentment amid chaos of their own making. We see these women and their trials, small and large: social slights and heartbreaks; marital disappointments and infidelities; familial dysfunction; mortality. Spanning from World War II to the present, Thompson reveals a matrilineal love story that is so perfectly grounded in our time—a story of three women regressing, stalling, and yes, evolving, over decades. One of the burning questions she asks is: by serving her family, is a woman destined to repeat the mistakes of previous generations, or can she transcend the expectations of a place, and a time? Can she truly be free? Evelyn, Laura, and Grace are the glue that binds their family together. Tethered to their small Midwestern town—by choice or chance—Jean Thompson seamlessly weaves together the stories of the Wise women with humanity and elegance, through their heartbreaks, setbacks, triumphs, and tragedies. “Thompson’s new novel draws the reader in with character and plot…but what ultimately holds the reader enthralled is…her ability to capture the nuance of individual moments, thoughts, and reactions. No one writing today is better at this…[an] extraordinary novel” (Washington Independent Review of Books).

A memoir of addiction and grief, forgiveness, and survival from a poet who recovers from alcoholism only after she sees her child die of leukemia.

If only you could meet your younger, greener self, what might you say? Terry Helwig explores this perennial question and how the human heart, tested by time and adversity, broken open by love and beauty, ripens and bears fruit. Her lyrical and compelling reflections awaken us to our place in the vast universe, to the currents of joy and loss, and to the sacred treasure of being alive. Inspired by her beloved Florida barrier island, Helwig discovers a landscape of fierce beauty within as well as without. She uncovers the solace of following the phases of the moon, the curve of a shell, and the solstice path of the sun. Nature reconnects us to our true center—that place where wisdom blooms. In the end, the sea’s tides mirror the ebb and flow of life. The dance of these perpetual tides changes the contour of our lives—continually shifting the shoreline of who we are and, more importantly, who we will become.

Prime Minister Simon Russell's personal alarm clock is ticking away, while outside, beyond No. 10, prison riots, bombs in Ireland, corporate blackmail in China and civil unrest in Russia jostle for attention. From the smallest details of the PM's office to the global significance of an international crisis, Douglas Hurd's fine political novel illustrates the political process with real authenticity. With the narrative momentum of a gripping thriller, The Shape of Ice demonstrates how ominous events can develop from near-invisibility into momentous crises. Set in the near future, the novel eloquently conveys the stress of life at the top of the political ladder – the pressure slowly builds to the point where it distorts judgement and relationships.

This is a short story that invites you to listen to your heart. The story of the cloud who talked with a girl is the first chapter of an unlikely friendship and the wisdom raised and gained by the main characters during their encounter. The story addresses all ages. It is magic for the young and magic for the elders. P.S. And the cloud kept his promise as he returned to the girl but this is another story. Until then dont forget you, reader, to look up into the sky. A bunch of magic clouds are waiting to share their stories with you. Just open your heart and you will hear them surely!

Splash! A spunky little girl plays a spirited game of hide-and-seek with water, in this gorgeously illustrated nonfiction picture book. A Robert F. Sibert Honor Book An ALA Notable Children's Book Hey, water! I know you! You're all around. Join a young girl as she explores her surroundings and sees that water is everywhere. But water doesn't always look the same, it doesn't always feel the same, and it shows up in lots of different shapes. Water can be a lake, it can be steam, it can be a tear, or it can even be a snowman. As the girl discovers water in nature, in weather, in her home, and even inside her own body, water comes to life, and kids will find excitement and joy in water and its many forms. This latest work from award-winning author/illustrator Antoinette Portis is an engaging, aesthetically pleasing nonfiction picture book, complete with accessible backmatter on the water cycle, water conservation, and more. A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year A Bank Street Best Book of the Year Selected for the CBC Champions of Change Showcase

Foulis the Cloud had one wish. His dream was to have a shape, like the other clouds.Maybe his dream come true finally ...