色欲王朝

Recommended Reads

September 2024

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Atlas of the Heart听by Bren茅 Brown

Bren茅 Brown does it again! If you are a fan of this four-time, #1-best-selling听author, you will not be disappointed听this time. The Atlas of the Heart is about discovering the depths of your emotions. She does not just talk about the three major emotions most of us use when asked how we feel (sad, mad, and happy). Instead, she looks at 87 different听emotions. Yes, you read that right鈥�87! She reaches this total by breaking the three big emotions down and dissecting听them in depth so you can better understand what you are really feeling at the time. For example, when you say you feel 鈥渉appy,鈥� maybe you really mean you feel 鈥渏oyful鈥� or 鈥渃ontent.鈥澨鼴y the end of this book, you will find yourself thinking harder to accurately define how you are feeling and express it to others, and it will make you ask questions like, "How do I really feel?" and "Why do I feel that way?" Also, the words she uses in this book will have you saying, 鈥淚 need to write that down and remember that.鈥� So, I challenge you: If you can't come up with 87 different emotions off the top of your head, you should check this book out!听 It won't disappoint.

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Last Seen by Lucy Clarke

This cleverly crafted psychological thriller takes place in a picturesque seaside town in southern England. Sarah and Isla are longtime best friends who live in a beach community every summer, and their sons, Jacob and Marley, are also best friends. But one day Jacob and Marley go out to play in the sea, and only Jacob returns. Marley remains missing and is presumed to be drowned. The tragedy shatters Marley鈥檚 mother, Isla, and she distances herself from Sarah and from the community she once loved, eventually moving to another country to escape her past. But Sarah and Jacob continue to return to the beach every summer, until tragedy strikes their family as well. On the seven-year anniversary of Marley鈥檚 disappearance, Jacob vanishes, too. With the police showing little interest in her 17-year-old son鈥檚 disappearance, Sarah decides to take matters into her own hands and finally learn the truth about what happened the day that Marley didn鈥檛 return from the ocean鈥攁nd how whatever happened that day is also connected to the loss of her own son. As the story unfolds, we learn more about Sarah and Isla, their failings and regrets, and the secrets they try so hard to keep from each other. The novel will keep you reading as more and more secrets are uncovered, and the mystery of the boys鈥� disappearance is finally revealed.

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Finding Jake听by Bryan Reardon听听

Finding Jake is an emotional rollercoaster of a book.听 This book stands out because it is听narrated by the voice of a father. In one day, everything can change, and you will feel like you are walking alongside the father the whole way. After hearing about a shooting at his son鈥檚 school, Simon races to the school, but he can't find his son Jake. As the search continues, Simon reminisces about raising his son. A stay-at-home dad, he was there for all the moments of Jake鈥檚 life. As the reader, one minute you are there with Simon in the aftermath of the shooting, and the next you are there beside him, watching as Jake grows up. When a question comes up as to whether Jake might have been involved in the shooting, Simon has to wrestle with whether his son could be capable of doing it.听 If Jake did do it, did he miss the warning signs? While he battles with trying to find Jake and get the answers, you will be guessing till the end鈥�Where is Jake? By the end of the book, you will also have insight into how the media can make a situation like this even worse. Even though this is a fiction book, it feels like a real story out of the headlines of a school shooting. This is a book you won't be able to forget once you read it.

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The Little Book of Mindfulness: 10 Minutes a Day to Less Stress, More Peace by Dr. Patrizia Collard

If you鈥檙e feeling overwhelmed now and then as the school year takes off, we recommend sampling this little classic to see if it helps you feel calmer and more confident. Dr. Patrizia Collard is a psychotherapist who specializes in stress management. In the introduction to this book, she writes, 鈥淏y reconnecting with [the] simple moments in life, by truly living moment by moment, it is possible to rediscover a sense of peace and enjoyment. We may, at least sometimes, feel once again truly enchanted with life.鈥� Numerous studies support the benefits of mindfulness practice: less anxiety and depression, higher immune function, improved cognition and memory, better emotional regulation, decreased procrastination, greater compassion for self and others, and more. This tiny book doesn鈥檛 delve into the theories behind why mindfulness works, or the evidence supporting it, but simply delivers what it promises: 5- to 10-minute-per-day exercises and meditations to reduce stress and rediscover a sense of peace. Dozens of short exercises are presented with instructions, including a written gratitude practice, various body scans, a tea ritual, mindful walking, a pebble meditation, 鈥渃at-stretching鈥� exercises, a 鈥渓ooking-around-you鈥� meditation, and mindful eating practices. Pocket-sized, this volume can easily be carried in a purse or slipped in a desk drawer to use on coffee breaks. If you enjoy this book, the 色欲王朝 Library offers many more items on a variety of topics related to self-help and self-improvement, from time management and leadership skills, to living with grief, coping with common problems like anxiety and depression, and improving relationships at home and at work.