Against The Odds

When Kiki's father goes missing during his volunteer work as a doctor in a war zone, she does what she thinks she must to improve the odds of his coming home.

In the second title in the slam-dunk new series from bestselling author Amy Ignatow, the Odds are back and trying to figure out just who inflicted these lame abilities on them in the first place. Nick can still teleport four inches to the left, and Farshad’s thumbs are still super strong. Cookie can still read minds, if they’re thinking of directions, and Martina can still change the color of her eyes. But now, Martina can see the invisible, and when Nick is super stressed, he can move a lot farther than four inches. As their powers evolve in possibly dangerous ways, the Odds are even more determined to solve the mystery of their origin, but it means interacting at school—a serious social risk to popular girl Cookie. Soon, it becomes clear that Auxano, the chemical company that employs half the town, is involved. With the help of some renegade Amish teenagers and Ed, the invisible bus driver, this unlikely group of companions will uncover a nefarious experiment in which they’ve become unwitting test subjects. They’ll also begin to become something even more incredible—friends.

I'd prepared myself for a life without love. Lost my parents and anyone else I got close to. Nothing good ever stays for long. I'm a statistic after all. Former foster kid. Former drug addict, alcoholic. Always thought I was destined to be alone. Always felt like I wasn't worth a damn. Then Carla Evans walked into my life. One look at her in that uptight, buttoned-up outfit and I knew I had to have her. For a night, I'd indulge myself in the fantasy of a girl like her actually wanting a guy like me. Then she moved here with no job and that ridiculous bucket list. I knew she needed my help. I just didn't expect to need hers. I spent a long time letting myself believe I didn't deserve happiness. It took me a while (and a whole lot of therapy) to realize I'd had it all wrong. Now I know. And now I have to tell her. *Fighting the Odds deals with sensitive topics like drug addiction, death, foster care, homelessness, and miscarriage. But it is also an inspirational story of love, friendship, hope, and finding your inner warrior.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The wise, moving novel from Danielle Steel, whose many bestselling tales have made her one of America’s favorite authors Taking chances is part of life, but when you bet your future against the odds, it’s a high-risk game. Kate Madison’s stylish resale shop has been a big SoHo success, supporting her and her four kids since her husband’s untimely death. Now her children are grown and ready to forge lives of their own. And they all choose to play against the odds, to their mother’s dismay. Isabelle, a dedicated attorney, is in line to make partner at her Wall Street firm when she falls for a client she represents in a criminal case. She tells herself she can make a life with him—but can she? Julie, a young designer, meets a man who seems too good to be true and falls under his spell. She marries him quickly, gives up her job, and moves to Los Angeles to be at his side—but is all what it seems? Justin is a struggling writer who pushes for children with his partner before they’re financially or emotionally ready. Will the strain on the relationship take too high a toll? And Willie, the youngest, a tech expert, makes a choice that shocks them all, with a woman twelve years older. Kate—loving, supportive, and outspoken—can’t keep her children from playing against the odds. Can the odds be beaten? Not often—as her children have to learn for themselves. For Kate, the hardest lesson will be that she can’t protect the children she loves from the choices they make—but can only love them as they make them.

One of America’s wealthiest entrepreneurs, John H. Johnson rose from the welfare rolls of the Depression to become the most successful Black businessman in American history; the founder of Ebony, Jet, and EM magazines; and a member of the Forbes 400. Like the man himself, this autobiography is brash, inspirational, and truly unforgettable.

Undaunted by hardship, a determined widow, Uridiya, arranges a wife of her choice for her western- educated only son. Little does she know that her son, Jamike, had fallen in love and married a foreigner against her wishes and the expectations of his village. In a show of love, loyalty and commitment he rejects the arranged wife to the disappointment of his mother and the community. Can his defiance succeed against all odds? Set in an Igbo village in Eastern Nigeria from the late 1950's to early 1970's and in the United States in the early 1970's, the author sympathetically handles the powerlessness of the widow in rural African societies and addresses with candor and sensitivity the problems of race, human sexuality, cultural disengagement and the role of love in blurring the "color line." Born in Imo State Nigeria, Ben Igwe was educated in Nigerian and American Universities. He holds a Ph.D. in Library and Information Science from the University of Maryland at College Park. He has taught in Universities in Nigeria and the United States. He is currently Chief of the division of Philosophy, Psychology and Religion in the District of Columbia Public Library in Washington, D.C. He lives with his family in Adelphi, Maryland.

It had been years since I had seen any of the children with whom I had grown up. When I left the children's home, I promised myself that I would have nothing to do with them, I was sure that my only chance of living a good life would be to put the past behind me, even though that meant saying goodbye to some of the people I loved the most - as well as the ones I hated...it turned out that six of us had died, several by slow suicide in the form of heroin abuse, and at least two by faster means. When two police officers arrived out of the blue at Paul Connolly's door, he learned the shocking news that, out of the eight children with whom he shared a dormitory in care, only two were still alive. The revelation unearthed painful memories of a childhood that, until this point, Paul had tried desperately to put behind him. Abandoned at two weeks old, Paul came of age in the infamous St Leonards's Children's Home in East London. The children there were routinely abused, often over the course of many years. All were underfed and unloved and told that they would amount to nothing. Angry and frustrated, Paul channelled his rage into boxing - but when an accident shattered his ambition to turn professional, he found his true calling and became a successful trainer, even working as a consultant on the pilot of a top model's fitness video. Paul has finally found peace and fulfilment beyond anyhing he could have imagined all those years ago. He has found happiness with his wife and children and now helps to heal broken bodies, build confidence and transform lives - but he will never forget his past and the unnecessary victims of broken society...