Books

This book is about pleasure. It's also about pain. Most important, it's about how to find the delicate balance between the two, and why now more than ever finding balance is essential. We're living in a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, sexting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting... The increased numbers, variety, and potency is staggering. The smartphone is the modern-day hypodermic needle, delivering digital dopamine 24/7 for a wired generation. As such we've all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption.

In Dopamine Nation, Dr. Anna Lembke, psychiatrist and author, explores the exciting new scientific discoveries that explain why the relentless pursuit of pleasure leads to pain...and what to do about it. Condensing complex neuroscience into easy-to-understand metaphors, Lembke illustrates how finding contentment and connectedness means keeping dopamine in check. The lived experiences of her patients are the gripping fabric of her narrative. Their riveting stories of suffering and redemption give us all hope for managing our consumption and transforming our lives. In essence, Dopamine Nation shows that the secret to finding balance is combining the science of desire with the wisdom of recovery.

Florist Annie Walker is determined to find someone who complements her life. But after overhearing her latest date describe her as 'so unbelievably boring', Annie wonders if the problem might be her. Is it too late to become flirtatious and fun like the leading ladies in her favourite romance movies? Maybe she only needs some practice . . . and Annie has the perfect tutor in mind. Sexy and tattooed Will Griffin is temporarily back in Rome, Kentucky, providing security for pop-star Amelia Rose in the build-up to her wedding to Annie's brother. He also has his own agenda: stay away from Annie Walker and any attachments to this sleepy town, which becomes difficult when she enlists him to help fix her love life. Amid steamy practice dates and strictly 'educational' tutoring lessons, the lines of their friendship blur and Annie reconsiders what her 'dream guy' might look like. Maybe her love life doesn't need to be perfect - it just needs to be real.

I’m a single dad and starting pitcher for Chicago’s MLB team. I’m stretched too thin, but I don’t want help raising my son. Each of his previous nannies only lasted a few weeks before I let them go. Now, my coach is putting his foot down by hiring the one person I can’t fire—his daughter. Miller Montgomery is the last woman I should fall for. Too wild, too young, and too unattached. Chicago is just a quick stop for her. I thought I’d be counting down the days until she left, but summer feels too short when I start thinking about forever. Miller As a high-end pastry chef who recently won the most prestigious award in my industry, I’m desperate to prove I deserve it. But with a new title comes new pressure, and I can’t create a fresh and inspiring dessert to save my life. With only two months to get back on track, I should be focusing in the kitchen, but instead, I let my dad talk me into using my time off to nanny for his star player’s kid. Kai Rhodes forgot how to have fun, and I’m eager to jog his memory. But when he and his son start to feel like home, I have to remind us both that my time in Chicago ends with the summer. Besides, I’ve always been a runner, and the last thing I want is to get caught.

كانت جومانا تُطيل النظر في القمر كل يوم لربماْ، كان زوجها ينظر للقمر في تلك اللحظة فيعانق طرفه في السماء البعيدة طرفها عيناها بندقية اللون وشفتها بارزتان انفها مستقيم وجهها ابيض مرقط بحبات النمش الخفيفة المنتشرة على وجنتيها وأجزاء معينة من رقبتها لها جسد نحيل وتملك شعر رمادي طويل، كما لو أنها فتاة من السماء تلقى على الأرض نظرة من وراء سحب الليل الرمادية

تتحدث الرواية عن شخصيتين رئيسيتين اولهم "ماريا" الشابة التي تعاني من مرض نفسي يسحبها الى رؤية كوابيس غير طبيعية وبمعدل فوق طاقة الانسان الطبيعي ، مما تجعل هذه الكوابيس تقلب حياتها رأسا على عقب ! تحاول ماريا السيطرة على كوابيسها وخصوصا الكوابيس التي تتكرر مرارا وتكرارا ورغم ذهابها الى جميع الاطباء والمعالجين وغيرهم الا انها لا تجد لا حلول ولا علاج في أي مكان ! لذلك تقترح عليها والدتها تجربة العلاج بالفن تقوم ماريا بتطبيق هذا العلاج بحذافيره وتبدا في رسم كوابيسها على لوحات وبالفعل الكوابيس تتوقف عن التكرار لكن لا تتوقف عن الظهور في عقلها ، تستمر ماريا برسم كوابيسها على اللوحات لمدة سنوات وتصبح رسامة مشهورة جدا وتقوم ببيع لوحاتها لعديد من الناس بـ أسعار باهضه ! حتى يأتي اليوم الذي يغير فيها حياة ماريا بشكل جذري ، عندما تخرج الكوابيس من اللوحات الى الارض الواقع وتبدا الكوابيس بأحداث جرائم قتل متسلسلة وكل شيء في اللوح يطبق بشكل متقن على الضحية لتصبح لوحة وكابوس واقعي!!؟ تحاول ماريا ان تسيطر على كوابيسها الطليقة بدون فائدة قبل ان تفقد عقلها وقبل ان تكون متهمة في سلسلة جرائم القتل لأنها الرسامة صاحبة لوحات الكوابيس !!فماذا يحدث لها وكيف ستنجو من الكوابيس في المنام والكوابيس في الواقع وكيف ستنجو من الوحوش التي هربت من لوحاتها !؟ ماريا التي لا تتذكر حتى طفولتها وكيف كانت ومن يكون والدها تصبح عالقة بين الكوابيس وسلسلة الجرائم التي تحدث بدون توقف

 

When 16-year-old Eliza Lin’s personal essay about meeting the love of her life goes viral, she gets everything she’s ever wanted: the approval of her new classmates, a rare internship opportunity at her favourite publisher, and a devoted online following who think her relationship is #couplegoals. The only problem? Eliza made the whole essay up. In fact, Eliza's never even been in a relationship before, let alone in love. All good writing is lying, right? Desperate to cover up the truth, Eliza makes a deal with her classmate Caz: she’ll help him write his college applications if he poses as her boyfriend. But Caz plays the role of boyfriend a bit too well... But Eliza's carefully crafted image begins to unravel as the relationship with Caz becomes more and more real. Can she still follow her dreams if it means breaking her own heart? Perfect for BookTok, and fans of Jenny Han and Crazy Rich Asians. Laugh-out-loud funny, and full of heart from a brand-new star in YA rom-coms.

It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capitol, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuvre his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute. The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined - ; every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favour or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.