Unflappable

We all want to be happy. But, sometimes life gets in the way. People lose jobs. Spouses are unfaithful. Kids are hostile. Friends die. Houses burn down. It is a jungle out there. Unflappable is a book that helps readers not only survive but embrace these ups and downs of life and learn to stay centered and peaceful regardless of the circumstances. Drawing on the wisdom of the mystics and her NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) training Michaels offers a six-step process for happiness and serenity regardless of how crazy life gets. The Six Steps include: Discover the lay of the land: Look at the inner contours of your life. Decide where you are and where you want to go.Examine the river running through your inner landscape—in all of its inconsistencies and incongruities.Ride the river’s rapids: go with the flow.Learn to identify personal challenges on your journey.Learn how to reduce heightened emotional distress.Enjoy the ride. Unflappable offers a unique route to a different brand of happiness—one that doesn’t depend on outside circumstances, and incorporates a model for conscious living that leads to serenity.

Cole thought he had his school routine all figured out. He could muck around and draw all day in Mr. Jenkins' easygoing class. But when the teacher gets sick, everything changes. The substitute, Miss Evans, assigns a family tree art project that hits too close to home for Cole. Ever since losing his mum last year, Cole's family life has felt broken. So he hatches a plan to get Miss Evans to cancel class and avoid the painful assignment. But no matter what mischief Cole pulls, the unflappable new teacher remains calm. As Cole keeps trying and failing to rattle Miss Evans, he starts to realize she pushes him because she cares. Through the project, Cole finds a meaningful way to remember his late mother despite his hazy memories. Unflappable is a poignant story about grief having no timeline. With compassion from his teacher, Cole takes the first step in his healing journey by sharing his art. This inspirational tale written in easy to read language and dyslexic friendly font will resonate with readers confronting loss and life changes. Flesch-Kincaid Grade 3.2 Word count: 2,600

Tolerant of all foibles, unschooled in flirtation, Anne Fairchild found herself surrounded by the most unsuitable of suitors while her family clamored for her to marry. Little did they know that Chas Prestwick, the adventurous brother of an earl, made her long to trade in a life of propriety for a love filled with unpredictable delight. Regency Romance by Regina Scott; originally published by Zebra.

War is a fact of human nature. As long as we exist, it exists. That's how the argument goes. But longtime Scientific American writer John Horgan disagrees. Applying the scientific method to war leads Horgan to a radical conclusion: biologically speaking, we are just as likely to be peaceful as violent. War is not preordained, and furthermore, it should be thought of as a solvable, scientific problem—like curing cancer. But war and cancer differ in at least one crucial way: whereas cancer is a stubborn aspect of nature, war is our creation. It’s our choice whether to unmake it or not. In this compact, methodical treatise, Horgan examines dozens of examples and counterexamples—discussing chimpanzees and bonobos, warring and peaceful indigenous people, the World War I and Vietnam, Margaret Mead and General Sherman—as he finds his way to war’s complicated origins. Horgan argues for a far-reaching paradigm shift with profound implications for policy students, ethicists, military men and women, teachers, philosophers, or really, any engaged citizen.

The endearing and unflappable Dr. Annick Boudreau regularly confronts a myriad of mental health issues in her psychology practice at the West Coast Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Clinic in Vancouver, British Columbia. But even Annick is stunned when Sanjay, a young patient who suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, is arrested for the brutal murder of his roommate. While Sanjay is tortured by repeated violent thoughts, everything Annick knows about her patient and his illness has her convinced that he’s innocent. But the police and prosecutor are convinced that they have caught the perpetrator and aren’t interested in looking very hard. Unable to talk to the authorities because of doctor-patient confidentiality, Annick feels compelled to investigate on her own, finding herself drawn into the darker side of her postcard-perfect city in the process. Primary Obsessions is the first book in a series of mysteries starring Dr. Annick Boudreau and involving themes of mental health. Author (and longtime CBT patient) Charles Demers deftly reveals a particular aspect of psychology practice in each book, illuminating shadowy subject matter with masterful sensitivity and sharp wit. Primary Obsessions is an engrossing page-turner and a refreshing reboot of the sleuth genre.

Ailish O’Connor supports herself and her father with her fortunetelling skills. Their gypsy caravan travels from one place to another looking for the crowds in which to earn their living. In Ireland in 1865, the place to be is on the west coast, as people gather to launch the largest ship ever built, the Great Eastern. Its mission is to lay the first undersea telegraph cable right across the Atlantic Ocean, to Newfoundland. Ailish’s father thinks he has their future secured with a solid-gold horse that has come into his possession, but when the figure is stolen, 13-year-old Ailish pursues the thief and winds up trapped on the Great Eastern as it sails! She pretends to be a cabin boy to avoid the harsh treatment of a stowaway. On the journey, she gets help from another young boy, Davy, who seems to live below decks. She also makes friends with an Irish sailor and tries to track down the hiding place of their precious horse. The crew must battle the seas and the mishaps of their cable-laying mission, some of which appear to be sabotage. Through many adventures, Davy is her constant companion. But why won’t he ever come topside? Can Ailish use her wits, her determination and her friendships to survive the trip, let alone save the day? With her trademark storytelling skills, Jacqueline Guest has fashioned a nail-biter of an historical seafaring action adventure.

"Forensic psychiatrist Dr. Lily Dominick interviews a criminal suspect who claims that he is more than two hundred years old, personally inspired Mary Shelley, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Bram Stoker's novels, and is Lily's father. To discover the truth Lily embarks on a journey that will threaten her career, her sanity, and ultimately her life"--

Woefield Farm is a sprawling thirty acres of scrub land, complete with dilapidated buildings and one half-sheared, lonely sheep named Bertie. It’s “run”—in the loosest possible sense of the word—by Prudence Burns, an energetic, well-intentioned twenty-something New Yorker full of back-to-the-land ideals, but without an iota of related skills or experience. Prudence, who inherited the farm from her uncle, soon discovers that the bank is about to foreclose on Woefield Farm, which means that she has to turn things around, fast. But fear not! She’ll be assisted by Earl, a spry seventy-something, banjo-playing foreman with a distrust of newfangled ideas and a substantial family secret; Seth, the alcoholic, celebrity-blogging boy-next-door who hasn’t left the house since a scandal with his high school drama teacher; and Sara Spratt, a highly organized eleven-year-old looking for a home for her prize-winning chickens, including one particularly randy fellow soon to be christened Alec Baldwin. Full of off-beat charm and characters you won’t soon forget, The Woefield Poultry Collective is a heartwarming novel about learning how to take on a challenge, facing your fears and finding friendship in the most unlikely of places.