The First Time

Haley and Lynn are best friends. When Lynn meets Chad, a player several years older, Haley feels left out. She tries to be happy for her friend, but when her mother's new boyfriend starts making unwanted advances, Haley finds she has no one to tell. Not wanting to upset her mother's happiness and finding that Lynn is drifting away, Haley has to face her tormentor alone and face up to some very hard truths.

An honest and heartfelt debut about a down-on-his-luck gay man working out how he fits into the world, making up for lost time and opening himself up to life's possibilities. Danny Scudd is absolutely fine. He always dreamed of escaping smalltown life and becoming a journalist. And, after five years in London, his career isn’t exactly awful, and his relationship with pretentious Tobbs isn’t exactly unfulfilling. But his world is flipped upside down when a visit to the local clinic reveals that Tobbs might not have been exactly faithful. In fact, Tobbs claims they were never operating under the "heteronormative paradigm" of monogamy to begin with. Oh, and Danny’s flatmates are unceremoniously evicting him because they want to start a family. It’s all going quite well. Newly single and with nowhere to live, Danny is forced to move in with his best friend, Jacob, a flamboyant nonbinary artist whom he’s known since childhood, and their eccentric group of friends living in a "commune." What follows is a colorful voyage of discovery through modern queer life, dating, work and lots of therapy—all places Danny has always been too afraid to fully explore. Upon realizing just how little he knows about himself and his sexuality, he careens from one questionable decision (and man) to another, relying on his inscrutable new therapist and housemates to help him face the demons he’s spent his entire life trying to repress. Is he really fine, after all?

When Mattie Hart is diagnosed with ALS, her world is forever changed. Will she survive? And if so, how? Behind the shiny façade of her idyllic life, Mattie Hart feels as though she is gradually falling apart. After sixteen years of marriage, she has discovered that her husband, Jake, a high-profile defense attorney, is having yet another affair. But it is only when Jake finally confesses his infidelity and goes to live with his girlfriend that a far greater tragedy descends. Mattie is diagnosed with ALS, a neurodegenerative disease that severely affects her life expectancy and everything she holds dear. Racked with guilt over his wife’s diagnosis, Jake returns home to take care of Mattie. In this most daunting and unexpected of circumstances, Joy Fielding deftly reveals the astonishing power of love to defy the greatest odds and to heal the deepest wounds.

Pop star, TV star, movie star, wife & mother, Cher has remained at the top of the entertainment tree for over 30 years and shows no signs of slowing down. Her extraordinary popularity was stunningly confirmed in 1998, when her No.1 hit 'Believe' became the biggest-selling single of the year. In The First Time, she talks about the many other defining moments of her life, from her first memories of her mother to the eulogy to her former husband and singing partner, Sonny Bono, whose death in 1997 affected her deeply. She reflects upon her fluctuating pop career, which began as a backing singer in Phil Spector's recording studio, the stupendous success of Sonny and Cher's 'I Got You Babe',meetings with Andy Warhol, The Rolling Stones and Brian Wilson, and the move to Hollywood which brought her an Oscar for 'Moonstruck'. Told in her own inimitable style with dozens of her own photographs, THE FIRST TIME is the true story of the events that shaped the life of a luminous star.

From former football player and star of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette comes a fascinating and eye-opening behind-the-scenes look at his drama-filled season on the hit reality show. Before Colton Underwood captured the hearts of millions on The Bachelor, he was a goofy, socially awkward, overweight adolescent who succeeded on the football field while struggling with personal insecurities off it. An All American gridiron hero, he was also a complex, sometimes confused, soft-hearted romantic wondering how these contradictions fit together. Old-fashioned and out of step with the swipe right dating culture of today, he was saving the most intimate part of life for the love of his life. If only he could find her… Now, in The First Time, Colton opens up about how he came to find himself and true love at the same time via the Bachelor franchise. Unencumbered by cameras and commercial breaks, he delivers a surprisingly raw, endearing, and seriously juicy account of his journey through The Bachelorette, Bachelor in Paradise, and The Bachelor, along with what has happened with him and Cassie Randolph since his season wrapped. He opens up about being dumped by Becca, his secret dalliance with Tia, what it was like to be the world’s most famous virgin, his behind-the-scenes conflicts with production, and how his on-camera responsibilities as the Bachelor nearly destroyed him after he knew he had already fallen in love with Cassie. A memoir for Bachelor Nation and anyone who believes in the magic of love, The First Time carries a simple but powerful message: It’s okay to laugh and cry and occasionally jump over a fence, if it means coming one step closer to the right person.

What's a rookie manager to do? Faced with new responsibilities, and in need of quick, dependable guidance, novice managers can't afford to learn by trial and error. The First-Time Manager is the answer, dispensing the bottom-line wisdom they need to succeed. A true management classic, the book covers essential topics such as hiring and firing, leadership, motivation, managing time, dealing with superiors, and much more. Written in an inviting and accessible style, the revised sixth edition includes new material on increasing employee engagement, encouraging innovation and initiative, helping team members optimize their talents, improving outcomes, and distinguishing oneself as a leader. Packed with immediately usable insight on everything from building a team environment to conducting performance appraisals, The First-Time Manager remains the ultimate guide for anyone starting his or her career in management.

Eva, an Inuit girl, gathers mussels from underneath the ice for the very first time.

Beautifully observed, tender and genuinely funny' Josie Silver 'Funny, original storytelling, an emotional rollercoaster packed with twists and turns that tugged at all my heartstrings' Holly Miller 'A profoundly affecting, beautifully written story packed with heart and hope' Miranda Dickinson Lost: Six-foot-two Irish man who answers to the name Samuel McLaughlin. Has weak shins and enjoys show tunes. If found, please return to Sophie Williams. Sophie Williams has the perfect career and it's all she needs to shut herself off from the rest of the world, and more importantly, the secrets of her past. Samuel McLaughlin is an open book. He lives for the present and life for him is his big Irish family and his friends. Against all expectation, Samuel breaks down the walls of Sophie's ordered world and they spend the perfect week together, but when Sophie discovers the terrible truth, she is forced to leave. But as Samuel begins searching for Sophie, a life-changing event alters how he sees life forever. And with each passing week, Sophie seems further and further from his reach. From the author of The Songs of Us (shortlisted for the RNA Contemporary Novel Award) comes a love story that will 'break your heart, but put it back together again' (Katie Fforde). Fans of Jojo Moyes and Lucy Dillon will love The First Time I Saw You by Emma Cooper. 'An evocative, warm and character-driven read that is truly memorable' Woman & Home 'A heartwarming, charming novel which had me falling in love and desperate to be part of their happy ending' Olivia Beirne 'A gorgeous heart-breaking rollercoaster of a love story that made me laugh and cry in equal measures' Fiona Harper 'Cooper creates characters that come alive with pathos and heart and humour' Magic Radio