Desiree S Search For The Perfect Christmas

Desiree is like every little girl! She loves to run and jump and play with her friends. And today she was wondering about Christmas. What is the true meaning of Christmas? She seeks the truth from the lady at the Christmas store, the man at the department store, her grandparents, her parents, and her best friend. Is the truth of Christmas found in the tree and decorations, in Santa Claus and his elves, maybe the big dinner with all her family and the presents?

Desiree is excited about her family's annual Christmas party. There is only one problem, a snow storm. Can Desiree make it through the snow, and get everything she needs for her party? Join Desiree on her adventure as Desiree and Mom drive through the snow and slide on the ice.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ONE OF BARACK OBAMA'S FAVORITE BOOKS OF THE YEAR NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2020 BY THE NEW YORK TIMES * THE WASHINGTON POST * NPR * PEOPLE * TIME MAGAZINE* VANITY FAIR * GLAMOUR 2021 WOMEN'S PRIZE FINALIST “Bennett’s tone and style recalls James Baldwin and Jacqueline Woodson, but it’s especially reminiscent of Toni Morrison’s 1970 debut novel, The Bluest Eye.” —Kiley Reid, Wall Street Journal “A story of absolute, universal timelessness …For any era, it's an accomplished, affecting novel. For this moment, it's piercing, subtly wending its way toward questions about who we are and who we want to be….” – Entertainment Weekly From The New York Times-bestselling author of The Mothers, a stunning new novel about twin sisters, inseparable as children, who ultimately choose to live in two very different worlds, one black and one white. The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it's not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults, it's everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities. Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation, when their own daughters' storylines intersect? Weaving together multiple strands and generations of this family, from the Deep South to California, from the 1950s to the 1990s, Brit Bennett produces a story that is at once a riveting, emotional family story and a brilliant exploration of the American history of passing. Looking well beyond issues of race, The Vanishing Half considers the lasting influence of the past as it shapes a person's decisions, desires, and expectations, and explores some of the multiple reasons and realms in which people sometimes feel pulled to live as something other than their origins. As with her New York Times-bestselling debut The Mothers, Brit Bennett offers an engrossing page-turner about family and relationships that is immersive and provocative, compassionate and wise.

*WINNER OF A 2023 IACP COOKBOOK AWARD* *SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2023 TASTE CANADA AWARDS* A gut-friendly, plant-based approach to digestive health with delicious recipes you can feel good about eating. Understanding how our gut impacts our overall well-being has grown to the point that better digestive health is essential for everyone—not just for those with digestive conditions. A well-functioning gut means a healthy body and a healthy life. Registered dietitian Desiree Nielsen explains the gut health and mind-body connection and guides you toward a deeper understanding of what it means to be healthy, with strategies to heal your gut when it’s imbalanced. In Good for Your Gut, you’ll discover how to fuel gut health with anti-inflammatory plant-based foods and lifestyle strategies—from movement to managing stress—for a truly holistic approach to health and wellness. Featuring over 90 beautifully illustrated plant-based recipes created to protect, heal, or soothe your gut, with meal plans for each core area of digestive health. All the recipes are packed with flavour and delicious to eat, even if you don’t have tummy troubles, and are ideal for a healthy plant-forward lifestyle. Inside you’ll find delicious, gut-friendly recipes including: • Pumpkin Oat Pancakes • Chickpea Umami Burgers • Lentil Walnut Loaf • Sticky Sesame Tofu with Bok Choy • Spiced Tahini Roasted Squash • Amazing Seeded Grain-Free Bread • Matcha Chocolate Cups • Lemon Olive Oil Cake Along with expert advice and the latest research, Good for Your Gut is packed with information on the best foods to improve your digestion and the most effective ways to support your gut health.

From the manger of Jesus Christ to the 21st century, this encyclopedia explores more than 2,000 years of Christmas past and present through 966 entries packed with a wide variety of historical and pop-culture subjects. Entries detail customs and traditions from around the world as well as classic Christmas movies, TV series/specials and animated cartoons. Arranged alphabetically by entry name, the book includes the historical background of popular sacred and secular songs as well as accounts of beloved literary works with Christmas themes from such noted authors as Charles Dickens, Louisa May Alcott, Hans Christian Andersen, Pearl Buck, Henry Van Dyke and others. All things Christmas are available here in one comprehensive volume.

A National Book Award Nominee and a Kirkus Reviews Best Nonfiction Book of the Year. Over the centuries, Florida has been many things: an unconquered realm protected by geography, a wilderness that ruined Spanish conquistadors, “God’s waiting room,” and a place to start over. Depopulated after the extermination of its original native population, today it’s home to nineteen million. The site of vicious racial violence, including massacres, slavery, and the roll-back of Reconstruction, Florida is now one of our most diverse states, a dynamic multicultural place with an essential role in twenty-first-century America. In Finding Florida, T. D. Allman reclaims the remarkable history of Florida from the state’s mythologizers, apologists, and boosters. Allman traces the discovery, exploration, and settlement of Florida, its transformation from a swamp to “paradise.” Palm Beach, Key West, Miami, Tampa, and Orlando boomed, fortunes were won and lost, land was stolen and flipped, and millions arrived. The product of a decade of research and writing, Finding Florida is the first modern comprehensive history of this fascinating place. “A take-no-prisoners account . . . Extremely timely and relevant.” —The New York Times Book Review “The Seminole Wars, the Civil War, various massacres, Reconstruction, a second Reconstruction, Disney World, the Marielitos, voter suppression—it’s all here, and even Carl Hiaasen couldn’t make it up.” —Booklist, starred review

Just Before Sunrise, as the fog lifts from the pool, the light reveals the tapered backs of male swimmers in Speedos concluding their morning workout. Nicky O’Hare, a promising freshman recruited to the Tampa Bay University swim team, shows promise both in and out of the pool. The lean Irish kid with the ‘boy-next-door’ good looks from Brandy, South Dakota, is likely the most talented swimmer on the team. Ready to experience all that college life offers, Nicky has even put finding a boyfriend on his wish list. Coach Phillip Silva, a former Olympic swimmer with a once-impressive swimming career, has recruited Nicky to rebuild the University’s failing swim program. Focused on the upcoming season, Phillip’s real challenge will be keeping his secrets and demons submerged below the surface. All seems well until one night when Nicky and Phillip end up at the same Fourth of July celebration. With fireworks in the sky, the hot and humid night reveals the attraction between the two. But can these boundaries be crossed? Suddenly forced to reevaluate his life, Phillip is faced with the moral dilemma of discovering true love with the University’s rising star. Before Sunrise presents a story of friendships, love, complicated relationships, and deception woven into a hard-earned happily-ever-after. Bryan T. Clark, author of Ancient House of Cards, has again masterfully crafted a romance where the fine line between right and wrong must be resolved for love to survive.