Looking For A Soft Place To Land

Looking for a Soft Place to Land is a poetry book that weaves together freedom, love, despair, and politics.

In this compelling and heartfelt mystery story, Janae Marks—author of the acclaimed bestselling From the Desk of Zoe Washington—follows a young girl reshaping her meaning of home. Perfect for fans of Erin Entrada Kelly and Rebecca Stead. Two starred reviews! A Project Lit Club Book Club Selection, S&L Lead Title, and Kids' Indie Next List Pick! “Joyful. A book that kids will love.” —Rebecca Stead, Newbery Medal-winning author of When You Reach Me Joy Taylor has always believed home is the house she lived in her entire life. But then her dad lost his job, and suddenly, home becomes a tiny apartment with thin walls, shared bedrooms, and a place for tense arguments between Mom and Dad. Hardest of all, Joy doesn’t have her music to escape through anymore. Without enough funds, her dreams of becoming a great pianist—and one day, a film score composer—have been put on hold. A friendly new neighbor her age lets Joy in on the complex’s best-kept secret: the Hideout, a cozy refuge that only the kids know about. And it’s in this little hideaway that Joy starts exchanging secret messages with another kid in the building who also seems to be struggling, until—abruptly, they stop writing back. What if they’re in trouble? Joy is determined to find out who this mystery writer is, fast, but between trying to raise funds for her music lessons, keeping on a brave face for her little sister, and worrying about her parents’ marriage, Joy isn’t sure how to keep her own head above water. "Squeezes your heart in such a special way." —Lisa Moore Ramée, author of A Good Kind of Trouble and Something to Say “Readers will find hope in Joy’s courage, ingenuity, and fierce dedication to her friends.” —Kate Messner, author of Breakout and Chirp “A timely story about connection, loss and the spaces we need to understand one and brave the other.” —Paula Chase, author of Dough Boys and So Done

From the award-winning author of Bound South comes a powerful, moving novel of family loss and sisterly redemption. For more than ten years, Naomi and Phil Harrison enjoyed a marriage of heady romance, tempered only by the needs of their children. But on a vacation alone, the couple perishes in a flight over the Grand Canyon. After the funeral, their daughters, Ruthie and Julia, are shocked by the provisions in their will…not the least of which is that they are to be separated. Spanning nearly two decades, the sisters’ journeys take them from their familiar home in Atlanta to sophisticated bohemian San Francisco, a mountain town in Virginia, the campus of Berkeley, and lofts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As they heal from loss, search for love, and begin careers, their sisterhood, once an oasis, becomes complicated by resentment, anger, and jealousy. It seems as though the echoes of their parents’ deaths will never stop reverberating—until another shocking accident changes everything once again.

A Soft Place to Land Life-changing moments of wisdom and grace 'This inspiring book will transform your life! I love this book. It is a book of the heart.' Denise Linn We all want to find a safe, nurturing place where we can thrive. With her hallmark gentleness and wisdom, Maggie Hamilton shares insights that will help you arrive at your own special place in life.Discover how to reawaken the parts of you that have been sleeping, reclaim your passion for living, and nourish yourself in body and spirit. Find new ways to dissolve moments of sadness or despair, and simple touches that will warm your days. Rediscover your faith in yourself and your ability to make good decisions. Savour the gifts of the seasons, and the endless opportunities to celebrate the joy of being alive.Drawing in a rich mix of everyday experiences, wisdom stories and travels to faraway places, A Soft Place to Land offers page after page of beautiful ways to open your heart and make your soul dance.

Just Give Me a Soft Place to LandWhen three women, Beth, Caroline and Sarah agree to meet on Wednesday night to share their passion for knitting, they had no idea their group would grow to number eleven over the years. Nor did they realize as the women knit, they had common concerns despite their varied journeys. Each begins to share her struggles, failures and triumphs creating the core of a deep seeded bond amongst them. Beth will share a teenage pregnancy resulting in guilt and shame which have haunted her for years before culminating in the discovery of the child; now a grown man. The women support her as she meets the father of her child forty years later.Caroline discovers, within months after her marriage, her husband has a problem, diagnosed as alcoholism but which she believes is rooted in psychological trauma. After fearing for her life, the women support Caroline as she lets go of a toxic marriage and experiences the pain of co-dependency. Sarah is devastated when her soul mate dies suddenly and later, after marrying a man who promises to take care of her, smothers her instead with his need to be needed. The women encourage Sarah to find her voice and convince her husband he needs to let her succeed or fail so she can build a sense of self-worth. Cindy's husband is diagnosed with cancer while Kelly's mother sends a letter telling her to 'have a good life'. The book is filled with heartache but humor as the women laugh over commonalities in their marriages. The story is character-driven with strong voices eliciting palpable emotion, drawing the reader into empathizing with the character. Each woman's story creates an arc leaving the reader anxious to return and learn what happens next. The concept of the knitting group provides an ideal backdrop for the setting. Each woman opens topics relative to all women and which become perfect fodder for book club discussion. The women will laugh and cry together, each woman acknowledges their group has become a soft place to land.

Another wonderfully warm and addictive tale from Michael Coatesworth. We accompany him on a journey which takes us from him growing up in the 1950s through very testing times to almost present day. A thought provoking tale of one man's sometimes difficult and traumatic journey through life and those people who touched his life along the way. Discipline at home was strict and harsh and when his father decides that it's time that he stood on his own two feet he turns him out on to the streets at the tender age of 14. It is heart-warming that after so much heartache and upset the author finds a woman to marry and share his life with. Without her unwavering support, from the good times to the sometimes very bad, a new family unit is formed to provide the love, support and companionship which was sometimes lacking in his earlier years.

For every parent/spouse/sibling/loved one of a war fighter, this book will ease your burden. For every soldier/airman/sailor/war fighter, this book is a tribute to you

A Soft Place to Land tells the story of foster care from the inside out. You will be immersed in the true, heart-wrenching stories of 16 foster children and one foster family as together they navigate the complexities of an imperfect system.

Backpacking is a romantic way to explore your life and R.L Smith has written "Miss Cairn, I Love You" is for all people who find backpacking and romance can go together. While blending stories from his many years as an adult Boy Scout leader to his humorous way of leading the reader to follow "Miss Cairn" this beautiful pile of rocks. You will find stories about life's challenges and his wiliness to keep on hiking and backpacking. Miss Cairn will lead you through the Grand Canyon in a way that will entice you to go-seek-and see all the beauty she has to offer. Whether you just love life or you are a novice backpacker, you will find Miss Cairn a new and enjoyable way to explore, backpacking and doing what you love to do by following and placing cairns in your life. Read "Miss Cairn, I Love You," a help and a hope to enjoy life! R.L Smith

Parents spend a good chunk of time making sure their kids are okay—they’re getting good grades, doing their chores, and doing just enough cleaning that their rooms won’t be condemned if the Board of Health happens to drop by. 21 Ways to Connect with Your Kids offers a straightforward, workable plan to create new avenues of connection between parents and their kids. This handy guide coaches moms and dads to do one simple thing each day for three weeks to connect with their kids. Daily connection ideas include: planning a family fun night telling your child what you like about them developing a character growth chart writing a love note to your child working together on a family project Written in Kathi’s warm and compassionate but thought-provoking tone, this book will motivate parents to incorporate great relationship habits into their daily lives and give them confidence that they can connect with their kids even in the midst of busy schedules.