Books

A burnt-out pop star stranded in small-town Kentucky can't help falling for her unlikely knight in shining armor--the notoriously grumpy owner of the local pie shop--in this charming slice of romance from the author of the TikTok sensation The Cheat Sheet. Amelia Rose, known as Rae Rose to her fans, is burnt out from years of maintaining her "princess of pop" image. Inspired by her favorite Audrey Hepburn film Roman Holiday, and desperate for a getaway from the music business, she drives off in the middle of the night for a respite in Rome...Rome, Kentucky, that is. When Noah Walker finds Amelia on his front lawn in her broken-down car, he makes it clear he doesn't have the time or patience for celebrity problems. He's too busy running the pie shop his grandmother left him and reminding his nosy but lovable neighbors to mind their own damn business. But his heart softens when it becomes clear that years in the public eye have left Amelia lonely and isolated. Soon she'll have to return to her glamorous life on tour, but until then Noah will show Amelia all the charming small-town experiences she's been missing and she'll show him how to open his heart to more. Amelia can't resist falling for Rome and her grumpy tour guide, but she keeps reminding herself that even Audrey had to go back to her real life in the end...

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.

For a thousand years, the Etherworld has known peace.
Until now.

Many centuries ago, desperate to save her dying sister, Dianna made a deal with Kaden, a monster far worse than any nightmare. Locked in servitude to him, she is forced to hunt down an ancient relic held by her most dangerous enemies: an army led by Samkiel, the World Ender.

After the Gods War, Samkiel hid from everything, denying his crown and deserting his people. Now, an attack on those he loves sends him back to the realm he never wished to return to, and into the sights of an enemy he had hoped to forget.

With every world at stake, Dianna and Samkiel are forced to set aside their animosity and work together, before all is lost . . .

The ultimate guide to digital marketing and advertising - from one of the most influential digital marketers in the world, Alex Schultz, CMO of Meta.

Growth is good. But how do you achieve growth for your business in the digital age?

Now, more than ever, there are countless ways to achieve growth by marketing your business, large or small, using the many different channels, platforms and mechanisms available on the internet. How do you decide which is the best for your product or service?

The answers are right here, thanks to Alex Schultz, the chief marketing officer of META. Alex's unparalleled expertise and experience is crystallized in this essential bible for digital marketing. He guides readers through the key principles for maximising the impact of your marketing budget - whether you are working for a global corporation or running your own start-up.

From understanding channels, to testing creative, to measuring incremental gains - Click Here is the book you need to read if you want to grow your business.

'Alex is one of a small handful of people that I can say without his work, our community would not have connected more than 2 billion people around the world.'

hen Dorothy triumphed over the Wicked Witch of the West in L. Frank Baum's classic tale, we heard only her side of the story. But what about her arch-nemesis, the mysterious witch? Where did she come from? How did she become so wicked? And what is the true nature of evil?

Gregory Maguire creates a fantasy world so rich and vivid that we will never look at Oz the same way again. Wicked is about a land where animals talk and strive to be treated like first-class citizens, Munchkinlanders seek the comfort of middle-class stability and the Tin Man becomes a victim of domestic violence. And then there is the little green-skinned girl named Elphaba, who will grow up to be the infamous Wicked Witch of the West, a smart, prickly and misunderstood creature who challenges all our preconceived notions about the nature of good and evil.

n Why Do I Keep Doing This? licensed family and marriage therapist, Kati Morton, explores this common struggle with control. Kati shows how our upbringing and anxiety are often connected to our struggle to take up space. We can feel like we are too much by just existing in the same place as someone else, or that we are less deserving of their time and care. This struggle with asserting ourselves or taking what we require can harm our development. We sometimes think the only way to feel okay and get what we need is to please everyone else first. Why Do I Keep Doing This? is a vital tool in helping us understand why control can be so attractive, but if left unmonitored can become detrimental to our lives. Kati will shed light on shared struggles as readers follow her through some key points of growth in her own life while incorporating what she has learned as a therapist and content creator who knows how to create lasting healthy change. This book gives readers the ability to not only ask themselves why do I keep doing this? but also have the insight to find a real answer.

A homecoming to Rome, Kentucky, sparks a new romance—and lots of drama—between two old family friends, from the New York Times bestselling author of When in Rome, Practice Makes Perfect, and Beg, Borrow, or Steal Madison Walker left Rome, Kentucky, determined to prove she could make it in the culinary world. But after years of chasing success in New York, all she has to show for it is a shattered confidence and a desperate need for a fresh start. Coming home isn’t part of the plan—until an unexpected job offer lands in her lap, giving her a chance to rebuild everything she’s lost: the head chef position at a new farm-to-table restaurant in her hometown. The only catch? It comes from James Huxley, owner of Huxley Farm, her brother’s best friend . . . and the last person she wants to work for. James has always played it safe, keeping his head down and doing what’s expected of him in the family business and never contemplating anything different—until now when Madison’s happiness is on the line. He’s loved her quietly for years, knowing she’s never seen him as more than an annoyance. Now that she’s back, he’s determined to change that–even if it means he can only ever be her friend. The one problem? His charming, wildly successful younger brother, Tommy, seems determined to win her over first. Then Tommy is called away on business and Madison and James are tasked with launching the dreamy farm-to-table restaurant on their own. But as the town starts meddling in their relationship, Tommy’s pursuit of Madison grows more relentless, and Madison’s fears threaten to hold her back, keeping things strictly professional becomes impossible. And when an unexpected disaster on opening night collides with a long-simmering sibling feud, both Madison and James will have to face their biggest insecurities—and decide if love is worth the risk or if some dreams are safer left untouched.

aybe it's time for a plot twist . . . Emily Walker hates anyone disrupting her carefully curated life, especially her legendary nemesis, Jack Bennett - the exact opposite of the wonderful heroes she dreams up in her double life as a romance writer. But now Jack's back in town after a failed engagement and he's here to stay . . . as both her colleague and her neighbour. Jack is glad to be back, eager to renovate his house and work on the next mystery novel under his bestselling pen name. Until, that is, he realises he's now neighbours with the one woman who has always pushed his buttons. With their red-hot animosity at an all-time high, Emily makes a mistake that could reveal her secret literary identity. Frustratingly, she needs Jack's help to make it right. Will their unlikely alliance put an end to their rivalry? Or could it lead to a steamy plot twist they never saw coming?

How can I live a good life? Who do I want to become? And how do I get there? These are some of life’s biggest questions. But they can be hard to think through. Fortunately, a group of philosophers from ancient Greece and Rome have already done a lot of the heavy lifting. Drawing on the philosophies, life lessons and experiences of key thinkers, Live Like a Philosopher will help you navigate these existential waters with invaluable insights for modern life. From finding balance with Aristotle and embracing uncertainty with Carneades, to avoiding pain with Epicurus and learning how to question everything with Socrates, this is a powerful toolkit to help you navigate the highs and lows of modern life. Organized around three main themes of pleasure, character, and doubt, there’s something to learn from each master in this philosophical quest. Live Like a Philosopher is the helping hand we all need to make life better.