New and Noteworthy
We are excited to present the newest books added to the TBS digital collection this month. Check out the booklist below!
A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order
A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. The story of alphabetical order has been shaped by some of history's most compelling characters, such as industrious and enthusiastic early adopter Samuel Pepys and dedicated alphabet champion Denis Diderot. But though even George Washington was a proponent, many others stuck to older forms of classification--Yale listed its students by their family's social status until 1886. And yet, while the order of the alphabet now rules--libraries, phone books, reference books, even the order of entry for the teams at the Olympic Games--it has remained curiously invisible. With abundant inquisitiveness and wry humor, historian Judith Flanders traces the triumph of alphabetical order and offers a compendium of Western knowledge, from A to Z.
Digital Book Number: DB127041
At the Bottom of the Garden
Clara Woods is a killer--and perfectly fine with it, too. So what if she takes a couple of lives to make her own a little bit better? At the bottom of her garden is a flowerbed, long overgrown, where her late husband rests in peace--or so she always thought. Then the girls arrive. Lily and Violet are her nieces, recently orphaned after their affluent parents died on an ill-fated anniversary trip. In accordance with their parents' will, the sisters are to go to their closest relative--who just so happens to be Clara. Despite having no interest in children, Clara agrees to take them, hoping to get her hands on some of the girls' assets--not just to bolster her dwindling fortune, but also to establish what she hopes will be her legacy: a line of diamond jewelry. There's only one problem. Violet can see the dead man at the bottom of the garden. She can see all of Clara's ghosts...and call them back into existence. Soon Clara is plagued by her victims and at war with the gifted girls in her care. Lily and Violet have become a liability--and know far more than they should...
Digital Book Number: DB127024
Out of Your Mind: The Biggest Mysteries of the Human Brain
Why do you love? Why do you lie? What makes you happy? Every single thought you have comes from one place: your brain. But what makes it tick? How much of it have we decoded, and how much of it remains an impenetrable mystery? Join best-selling author and online cartoonist Jorge Cham and neuroscientist Dwayne Godwin on a deep dive into the fascinating world of the human brain, in which they will explore questions such as: What is consciousness? Where is you in the brain? And do we have free will? All while illuminating everything we know (and DON'T know) about one of the most complex objects in the known universe. Think of it as conversation-ammunition for your next cocktail party, or a quick fascinating read while you're in the bathroom (don't worry, the chapters aren't that long). Centered around questions we all ask ourselves at some point but don't usually have answers to, Out of Your Mind is an illustrated book about the brain that isn't too brainy. Playful, accessible, and deeply insightful, it's the one brain book that's truly accessible and suitable for all brains.
Digital Book Number: DB127023
The Amish Quiltmaker's Uninvited Guest
Swamped by family and farm responsibilities, he must find the perfect wife as quickly as possible, so he's shown up in Colorado--with "finding a wife" on his To-Do list! Esther's community has many women who could match his ever-growing requirements. Yet after a chance meeting, Menno keeps coming back to baker Joanna Yoder. Hard-working, honest, and forthright, she's distracting Menno from his search, opening his heart--but refuses to believe he's falling hopelessly in love with her... Happily busy inventing and selling delicious desserts, Joanna has no time for someone as ridiculously exacting as Menno. After all, what sort of man thinks choosing a wife is like picking a pie at the general store? But once she sees the surprisingly kind heart, doting father, and understanding man beneath his hard-to-please ways, she has second thoughts. With faith and genuine love, might the few things they have in common overcome the differences between them--and prove precious enough to risk a future together?
Digital Book Number: DB127019
Fearless and Free: A Memoir
Josephine Baker took Paris by storm in the 1920s, dazzling audiences with her humour, beauty and effervescence on stage. She became an icon. Hemingway, Jean Cocteau, and Picasso admired her; Shirley Bassey adored her: 'I swear in all my life I have never seen, and probably never shall see again, such a spectacular singer and performer.' It was told she strolled the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah who wore a diamond collar. Later, as one of the most recognisable women in the world, she became a spy for the French resistance, her celebrity working as her cover. She was awarded the Légion d'Honneur for military service. After the war she became increasingly interested in civil rights. In 1963 she spoke at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King. All this from a girl born in Missouri to a poor single black woman and a white father she did not know. Flirtatious, funny, candid and this memoir gives us the wildly famous but elusive Josephine Baker telling her own story. Formed from a series of conversations with the French journalist Marcel Sauvage, over a period of more than twenty years, this book offers an entertaining insight into one of the most interesting and beguiling figures of the twentieth century.
Digital Book Number: DB127017
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew
For Emmanuel Acho and Noa Tishby no question about Jews is off-limits. They go there. They cover Jews and money. Jews and power. Jews and privilege. Jews and white privilege. The Black and Jewish struggle. Emmanuel asks, Did Jews kill Jesus? To which Noa responds, "Why are Jewish people history's favorite scapegoat?" They unpack Judaism itself: Is it a religion, culture, a peoplehood, or a race? And: Are you antisemitic if you're anti-Zionist? The questions--and answers--might make you squirm, but together, they explain the tropes, stereotypes, and catalysts of antisemitism in America today. The topics are complicated and Acho and Tishby bring vastly different perspectives. Tishby is an outspoken Israeli American. Acho is a mild-mannered son of a Nigerian American pastor. But they share a superpower: an uncanny ability to make complicated ideas easy to understand so anyone can follow the straight line from the past to our immediate moment--and then see around corners. Acho and Tishby are united by the core belief that hatred toward one group is never isolated: if you see the smoke of bigotry in one place, expect that we will all be in the fire. Informative and accessible, Uncomfortable Conversations with a Jew has a unique structure: Acho asks questions and Tishby answers them with deeply personal, historical, and political responses. This book will enable anyone to explain--and identify--what Jewish hatred looks like.
Digital Book Number: DB127009
The Story of a Heart
One summer day, nine-year-old Keira Ball was in a terrible car accident and suffered catastrophic brain injuries. As the rest of her body began to shut down, her heart continued to beat. In an act of extraordinary generosity, Keira's parents and siblings immediately agreed that she would have wanted to be an organ donor. Meanwhile nine-year-old Max Johnson had been in a hospital for nearly a year, valiantly fighting the virus that was causing his young heart to fail. When Max's parents received the call they had been hoping for, they knew it came at a terrible cost to another family--in what Clarke calls "the brutal arithmetic of transplant surgery." The act of Keira's heart resuming its rhythm inside Max's body was a medical miracle. But this was only part of the story. While waiting on the transplant list, Max had become the hopeful face of a campaign to change the UK's laws around organ donation. Following his successful surgery, Keira's mother saw the little boy beaming on the front page of the newspaper and knew it was the same boy whose parents had recently sent her an anonymous letter overflowing with gratitude for her daughter's heart. The two mothers began to exchange messages and eventually decided to meet. This is the unforgettable story of how one family's grief transformed into a lifesaving gift. Clarke relates the urgent journey of Keira's heart and explores the history of the remarkable surgery that made it possible, stretching back over a century and involving the knowledge and dedication not just of surgeons but of countless nurses and technicians, immunologists and paramedics. The Story of a Heart is a testament to compassion for the dying, the many ways we honor our loved ones, and the tenacity of love.
Digital Book Number: DB127008
When You Don't Know What to Pray: 100 Essential Prayers for Enduring Life's Storms
God longs to interact with us and help us with our burdens, but many of us struggle to translate our pain, desires, and hopes into words. In this book, internationally respected pastor and bestselling author Dr. Charles Stanley offers 100 heartfelt, powerful prayers that will transform your life and deepen your communion with Christ.
Digital Book Number: DB127007
Solve for Happy: Engineer Your Path to Joy
In 2001 Mo Gawdat realized that despite his incredible success, he was desperately unhappy. A lifelong learner, he attacked the problem as an engineer would: examining all the provable facts and scrupulously applying logic. Eventually, his countless hours of research and science proved successful, and he discovered the equation for permanent happiness. Thirteen years later, Mo's algorithm would be put to the ultimate test. After the sudden death of his son, Ali, Mo and his family turned to his equation--and it saved them from despair. In dealing with the horrible loss, Mo found his mission: he would pull off the type of "moonshot" goal that he and his colleagues were always aiming for--he would share his equation with the world and help as many people as possible become happier. In Solve for Happy Mo questions some of the most fundamental aspects of our existence, shares the underlying reasons for suffering, and plots out a step-by-step process for achieving lifelong happiness and enduring contentment. He shows us how to view life through a clear lens, teaching us how to dispel the illusions that cloud our thinking; overcome the brain's blind spots; and embrace five ultimate truths. No matter what obstacles we face, what burdens we bear, what trials we've experienced, we can all be content with our present situation and optimistic about the future.
Digital Book Number: DB127006
Instant Anger Management: Quick and Simple CBT Strategies to Defuse Anger on the Spot
If you struggle with problem anger, you know how much it can hurt your relationships and get in the way of your happiness. When you're faced with a difficult situation or anger trigger, it's all too easy to get swept up in your emotions. That's why you need quick and immediate tools you can use in the moment--whenever anger takes hold. Based in proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), Instant Anger Management is a take-anywhere guide for managing anger--whenever and wherever you are. Using quick and simple "try this" interventions--such as breathing, acceptance, and self-expression--you'll learn to stay grounded, identify your triggers, and balance your emotions. You'll also find tips and strategies to help you maintain a more positive outlook on life. Instant Anger Management is packed with skills to help you: express yourself in healthy ways; deal with frustration; find validation for your emotions; handle feelings of regret; and stop being defensive.
Digital Book Number: DB127005