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Available Formats: Paperback, BRIDGES eBook and BRIDGES Audiobook |
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The Unhoneymooners
by Christina Lauren
A romantic comedy about Olive Torres, who sees herself as perpetually unlucky. When her sister’s wedding ends in a food poisoning fiasco, Olive and her sworn enemy—Ethan, the groom’s brother—are the only ones left unscathed. They reluctantly agree to take the couple’s free honeymoon trip to Maui, pretending to be newlyweds.
Forced to spend time together, Olive and Ethan go from constant bickering to surprising chemistry. But as real feelings start to surface, a series of misunderstandings and difficult truths back home threaten their chance at something more.
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Available Formats: Hardcover, CD, BRIDGES eBook and BRIDGES Audiobook |
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Beautiful Ugly
by Alice Feeney
Grady Green is a bestselling author whose life is upended when his wife, Abby, mysteriously vanishes during a phone call—he hears a struggle, and then nothing. A year later, unable to move on and struggling to write, Grady isolates himself on the hauntingly remote Isle of Amberly in Scotland. He hopes the solitude will bring clarity and help him grieve, but instead, it brings something far stranger: a woman on the island who looks exactly like Abby. As Grady becomes entangled with the island’s odd residents and begins questioning his own memory, the story shifts between past and present—unraveling secrets about his marriage, his wife, and himself. With each revelation, the line between reality and delusion becomes more fragile
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Available Formats: Paperback |
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A Field Guide to Your Own Back Yard
by John Hanson Mitchell
John Hanson Mitchell, a renowned naturalist, encourages you to tune into the wildlife around you—whether your yard is a small patch of grass or a sprawling mix of forest and field. In this engaging book, you'll discover the diverse plants, insects, and animals that inhabit your space. From the behavior at your birdfeeder to the hidden ecology of a woodpile, Mitchell shows how the creatures around you, even a skunk, play important roles in your local ecosystem. With wit and insight, this book helps you reconnect with the vibrant life right outside your door.
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Available Formats: Hardcover, CD, BRIDGES eBook and BRIDGES Audiobook |
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The Story She Left Behind
by Patti Callahan Henry
In 1952, Clara is an illustrator raising her daughter, Wynnie. When a stranger named Charlie Jameson contacts her from London claiming to have discovered a handwritten dictionary of her mother’s lost langauge. Clara is skeptical. Compelled by the tragedy of her mother’s vanishing, she crosses the Atlantic with Wynnie only to arrive during one of London’s most deadly natural disasters—the Great Smog. With asthmatic Wynnie in peril, they escape the city with Charlie and find refuge in the Jameson’s family retreat nestled in the Lake District. It is there that Clara must find the courage to uncover the truth about her mother and the story she left behind.
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Available Formats: Hardcover, BRIDGES eBook and BRIDGES Audiobook |
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Sunrise on the Reaping
by Suzanne Collins
Set decades before Katniss Everdeen's story, the novel explores Haymitch's experience as a tribute from District 12. It's the 50th annual Hunger Games, known as the Second Quarter Quell, where twice the usual number of tributes are forced to compete making a deadlier, more twisted version of the Games. Haymitch Abernathy, 16, initially avoiding selection, is forced into the arena due to a tragic event during the reaping ceremony and quickly realizes he's been set up to fail. As he is thrust into the Capitol's violent spectacle, he must rely on his instincts, intelligence, and unlikely alliances to survive.
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Available Formats: Hardcover |
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Let's Make Things Better: A Holocaust Survivor's Message of Hope and Celebration of Life
by Gidon Lev
Gidon Lev, a Holocaust survivor who was imprisoned at Theresienstadt at age six, lost at least twenty-six family members during the Holocaust. After decades of silence, he shared his story with German high school students, sparking widespread attention. Known for his bluntness, charm, and wisdom, Gidon’s message is that life isn’t what you want, but what you make of it. His mantra, "Let's Make Things Better," highlights the importance of improving the world incrementally and leaving a positive impact, even in the face of immense adversity.
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Available Formats: Hardcover, BRIDGES eBook and BRIDGES Audiobook |
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Lines of Courage
by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Five young people from different nations face the horrors of World War I. Felix, from Austria-Hungary, longs to resist Jewish deportations; Kara, from Britain, dreams of becoming a nurse; Juliette, from France, hopes to keep her family together during the war’s longest battle; Elsa, from Germany, wishes for a friend in the chaos; and Dimitri, from Russia, just wants to survive. Their paths cross in unexpected ways, teaching them that friendship and courage can shine even in the darkest times. This powerful story explores the resilience of the human spirit during one of history's most brutal conflicts.
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Available Formats: Hardcover, BRIDGES eBook and BRIDGES Audiobook |
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The Many Lives of Mama Love
by Lara Love Hardin
Lara Love Hardin takes readers on a gripping journey from her days as a suburban soccer mom to a harrowing descent into opioid addiction, followed by her time as a feared jailhouse shot-caller. In this raw, unflinching, and often darkly humorous memoir, she recounts her extraordinary transformation into a highly successful ghostwriter, proving that even the most unlikely of comebacks are possible.
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Available Formats: Hardcover and BRIDGES Audiobook |
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The Business Trip
by Jessie Garcia
Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. They don't know each other, but both are on the same plane—Stephanie on a business trip, and Jasmine fleeing an abusive relationship. A few days later, they send their friends identical, increasingly strange and erratic texts about the same man. Then, they vanish. The texts stop, panic sets in, and both women are declared missing. Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to them—or what did they do to him? The Business Trip twists and turns with layers of deception, revealing a mastermind manipulator. But who is really in control?
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The Wedding People
by Alison Espach
| Phoebe Stone, a recently divorced adjunct professor who plans to end her life at a Rhode Island inn. However, she's mistaken for a guest at a lavish wedding taking place there. This mix-up leads to an unlikely friendship with the bride, Lila, who, upon learning of Phoebe's intentions, becomes determined to prevent her from suicide, fearing it would ruin her perfect day. As their bond grows, Phoebe begins to confront her grief and find new reasons to live. |
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Independence Public Library
805 1st St East
Independence, Iowa 50644
319-334-2470
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