CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN BY BARACK OBAMA

Description from the Progressive Book Club: "Barack Obama has proven to be a new kind of leader -- one who can bring people together, be honest about the challenges we face, and move this nation forward. Change We Can Believe In outlines his vision for America. Written by the staff of Obama for America, with a foreword by Barack Obama, this pathbreaking book lays out Obama’s concrete plans for changing Washington and what these changes will mean to the American people. In these pages you will find bold and specific ideas about how Obama would fix our ailing economy and strengthen the middle class, make health care affordable for all, achieve energy independence, and keep America safe in a dangerous world. The second part of Change We Can Believe In collects seven of Obama’s key speeches from the 2008 campaign, including the declaration of his candidacy, his victory speech after the Iowa caucus, his inspiring talk on race in America, and his address to the people of Berlin. These are the touchstone speeches that have captivated the world and galvanized an American political movement, one led and inspired by the United States' first African-American president."

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YOU: THE OWNER'S MANUAL (UPDATED)

Description from Quality Paperback Book Club: "Did you know you can choose your age? In this updated version of the renowned body bible—the biggest yet and filled with cutting-edge research—celebrated doctors Mehmet Oz and Michael Roizen tell you how everything from food to the environment can be maximized to turn back the clock. As you take their fun-filled tour of the human anatomy, you’ll learn myth busters (it’s true: sit-ups will save your back); factoids (two baby aspirin before a long flight reduces risk of blood clots in the leg); and simple ways to prevent the effects of aging, among them controlling stress. With chapters on diet (plus recipes), exercise and eye-opening FAQs, YOU: The Owner’s Manual is the insider’s guide to a healthier -- and younger -- body."

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JUST AFTER SUNSET BY STEPHEN KING

Description from Book-of-the-Month Club: "Stephen King has written more than 50 books, dozens of number one New York Times bestsellers, and many unforgettable movies, but many would argue that it’s with his short stories that his genius really shines. These narrative gems truly showcase the depth and breadth of his imagination, allowing him to tackle subjects ranging from the bone-chilling to the quirky to the sublime. Just After Sunset, King’s first short-story collection in six years, features some of his strongest and most inventive work yet. Who but Stephen King could imagine a Port-a-San as a birth canal, or envision a stationary bicycle that can take its rider on a captivating—then terrifying—journey? And that’s just the beginning. In “The Gingerbread Girl,” a young runner peers into a neighbor’s driveway…and finds herself in the lair of a madman. "The Things They Left Behind,” in contrast, follows a 9/11 survivor who finds an unusual way of easing his feelings of guilt. And then there’s “Ayana,” a haunting tribute to his late mother-in-law that brings to mind King’s classic, The Green Mile. Featuring 13 stories in all, Just After Sunset is Stephen King at his best. It’s a must-have for anyone who loves a well-told tale."

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SCARPETTA BY PATRICIA CORNWELL

Description from Doubleday Book Club: "Patricia Cornwell’s new thriller, Scarpetta, transplants our favorite forensic pathologist far outside her South Carolina comfort zone to the Big Apple, where something's rotten to the core... Called in as a favor to the NYPD, Kay Scarpetta now finds herself in Bellevue Hospital’s psychiatric prison ward looking into the wild eyes of a savagely disfigured prisoner, and she can’t help wondering what she's gotten herself into. The patient, Oscar Bane, rattling his handcuffs and chains in distress, begs Kay to believe that while his injuries were sustained during the course of a young woman’s brutal murder, he didn’t do it. The truth, Bane claims, is that he’s in as much danger as the victim was. It’s tough to put any faith in a maniac’s rantings, but as more women die, it seems as though Bane could be telling the truth. With her husband, forensic psychologist, Benton Wesley, and her niece, Lucy, who has recently formed her own forensic computer investigation firm, Kay continues to seach for answers with the certainty that whoever is committing the crimes has one very sick agenda. And as always, Patricia Cornwell leads us through shocking twists and turns until we find out what it is."

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THE POWER OF NOW BY ECKHART TOLLE

Description from Quality Paperback Book Club: "Eckhart Tolle underwent a profound inner transformation at age 29. It took him another 10 years to understand how he had gone from despair to self-realization, but this former Cambridge University researcher ultimately forged a deeply personal and eminently practical philosophy, which he outlined in his now-classic 1999 book, The Power of Now. An inspirational guide to spiritual enlightenment, this New York Times #1 bestseller contains the simple message that living in the now is the surest path to true happiness. Covering such topics as enlightened relationships, the creative use of the mind and the cycle of life, Tolle maintains that freeing ourselves from the obsessive mind is “the only true liberation” worth achieving."

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CROSS COUNTRY BY JAMES PATTERSON

Description from Doubleday Book Club: "Impotent rage engulfs Alex Cross as he tours the ravaged home of Ellie Cox and sees, with escalating horror, what was done to his college sweetheart and her family. Not only is it the bloodiest murder scene Alex has ever viewed, the carnage leaves no doubt that a terrifying new breed of killer has debuted with a level of depravity that rivals none. Fortunately, the one lead Alex has is a big one: It seems Ellie was working on a book about brutal massacres taking place in Central Africa. She believed they are being carried out by youth gangs for hire, most of them brainwashed and then trained to kill by an infamous mercenary known as the Tiger. Alex and his girlfriend, Detective Brianna Stone, are none too suprised to learn of the presence of the murderous warlord in D.C. when they slip into Washington's Nigerian underworld; clearly, he came for vengeance. Just as Alex closes in, the chameleon-like Tiger disappears—back to his home turf in Africa, leaving Alex no choice but to follow. Alone. If you've ever wondered why TIME has called James Patterson 'the man who can't miss,' just pick up Cross Country. From page one, it's a heart-stopping trip you won't soon forget."

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A GOOD WOMAN BY DANIELLE STEEL

Description from Doubleday Book Club: "In A Good Woman, Danielle Steel takes us from the glittering ballrooms of Manhattan to the fires of World War I in a spellbinding tale of love, loss, history and one woman’s unbreakable spirit. At 19, Annabelle Worthington loses her father and brother to the dark icy seas that swallow the doomed Titanic. Her mother survives, succumbing a few years later to pneumonia, but not before encouraging Annabelle to marry Josiah Millbank, a man 20 years her senior. Josiah is handsome and kind -- and indulgent when Annabelle speaks about her desire to study medicine. The one thing he lacks, to her young girl’s mind, is passion. But, she reasons, maybe she’s naïve in such matters. In truth, there are many things about life Annabelle is innocent of. As her relationship hurtles toward scandal, she flees to war-ravaged France hoping to lose herself in a life of service. And it is there that this remarkable woman -- this good woman -- finds, against all the odds, the courage to pursue her dream. But will she ever experience a relationship the way she always thought it was meant to be? Never doubt Danielle Steel’s devotion to the wonder of the human heart and its capacity for healing, hope…and love."

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THE PAGAN STONE BY NORA ROBERTS

Description from Doubleday Book Club: "Once again Nora Roberts feeds our insatiable appetite for her edgy tales of the supernatural. In the The Pagan Stone she serves up a potent, simmering brew of blood, death, fire and madness that brings her Sign of Seven trilogy to a spine-tingling conclusion you won't see coming. It's been seven fear-filled years since the reviled Demon of Hawkins Hollow last visited, and the town's terrified residents are bracing for its imminent return. For Cal Hawkins and Fox O'Dell, the Seven also signals the arrival of their lifelong friend. Gage Turner shares responsibility with Cal and Fox for having unleashed the horror when, as boys, they gathered round the Pagan Stone and spilled their blood in a bond of brotherhood. But now they are men -- men who have found amazing women to love, lives to live, and this time, wrongs to right. That the Demon has already sexually assaulted Cybil, the beautiful, strong-willed woman to whom Gage is committed, gravely impresses upon the three friends that time is of the essence. What they don't want to acknowledge, though, is that which cannot be denied: To end the Demon's stunningly vicious reign of terror, one of them may have to die..."

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DYING FOR REVENGE BY ERIC JEROME DICKEY

Description from Black Expressions Book Club: "Hitting it out of the park with the incredibly successful doubleheader of Sleeping with Strangers and Waking with Enemies (which both soared to top-ten positions on the New York Times bestseller list), Eric Jerome Dickey returns with the third and final installment of his phenomenal Gideon trilogy. In this fast-paced, rollercoaster thrill ride of a book, Gideon, no stranger to perilous plots and sticky situations, gets caught up in a steamy, seamy underworld of crime that spans the globe, as he faces all kinds of danger along the way. But the handsome hitman is about to meet his most intriguing adversary yet—a female assassin ready to give him a run for his money in more ways than one.... Can Gideon track down this luscious, lethal lady and eliminate this new threat to his livelihood—and his life? Or will the gorgeous, ruthless vixen get to him first? A fitting finale to the sizzling, supense-filled series, Dying for Revenge is jam-packed with tons of sex, murder and mayhem, with pulse-pounding twists and turns that will leave readers breathless. It’s sure to satisfy fans of the series—and might even leave them craving for more of the sexiest hitman ever to grace the page.

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EAT PRAY LOVE BY ELIZABETH GILBERT

Description from Quality Paperback Book Club: "When award-winning author Elizabeth Gilbert traded in her apartment keys, wedding ring, and earthly possessions for a year-long solo trip around the world, she had in mind nothing less than a total rejuvenation of mind, body, and spirit. Eat, Pray, Love is Gilbert’s engrossing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. Moving on to India, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. And in Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. An intoxicating memoir of renewal, Eat, Pray, Love will touch a nerve in anyone who’s ever felt the overwhelming desire to leave it all behind. A New York Times bestseller."

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THE SECRET BY RHONDA BRYNE

Description from the One Spirit Book Club: "Doesn't it seem like successful people have a certain edge that always has things working in their favor? What would you say if you could find out what it was and put it into practice in your own life? Handed down for centuries, this is the key to achieving everything you’ve ever wanted, whether it's unlimited joy, happiness, health, money, or love. Based on the Law of Attraction, the overall premise of The Secret is simple: You can get what you truly feel about. It's not just thinking about something; you need to envision the results exactly as you would like them to be -- and then watch them happen. In this full-color companion to The Secret DVD, Rhonda Byrne discusses its role in the work of some of our most successful teachers including Neale Donald Walsch, Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, Jack Canfield, Dr. John Gray, and Michael Bernard Beckwith."

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THE APPEAL BY JOHN GRISHAM

Description from Literary Guild Book Club: "All rise for John Grisham’s return to the courtroom! Just in time for the election season, 'the most popular writer in the land' (The New York Times) has written a fast-paced nail-biter that portrays backroom politics at its dirtiest. Attorneys Mary Grace and Wes Payton know the $41,000,000 awarded their client, Jeanette Baker, in a wrongful-death suit will do little to ease the agonizing loss of her husband and son. But they believe the nationwide headlines excoriating Krane Chemical Corporation for dumping toxic materials into Bowmore, Mississippi’s, drinking water is the real victory. And neither of them is worried about the company’s appeal, either; hell will freeze over before anyone can shake the rock-solid evidence they amassed against the industrial giant. Then again, there are those who have accused Krane's ruthless head executive of being the devil incarnate."

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SLIGHTLY BAD GIRLS OF THE BIBLE BY LIZ HIGGS

Description from Crossing Christian Book Club: "Sarah mistreated her maidservant. Hagar despised her mistress. Rebekah manipulated her son. Leah claimed her sister’s husband. And Rachel envied her fertile sister. Wait a minute. Aren’t they the Good Girls of the Bible? You bet. They’re also decidedly human. Like the famous men in their lives–Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob–these five women from Genesis often stubbed their toes along the rocky path of righteousness. They were far from evil, but hardly perfect; mostly good, yet slightly bad. In other words, these ancient sisters look a lot like us. More than one million readers around the world have taken a walk on the wild side with best-selling author Liz Curtis Higgs, as she brings to vivid life the ancient stories of two dozen Bad Girls of the Bible, from Eve to Mary Magdalene. Her unique brand of 'girlfriend theology' is upbeat and encouraging, laced with humor and heartfelt self-disclosure, yet built on a foundation of solid research, including 14 translations of the Scriptures and more than 100 resource books and commentaries. In Slightly Bad Girls of the Bible -- designed both for individual reading and for group use -- Liz once again combines contemporary fiction and verse-by-verse commentary in her novel approach to Bible study, offering eye-opening lessons for women who long to know, “Does God love me, flaws and all? Can God use me, ‘as is’?”

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THE JOHN STEINBECK LIBRARY

Description from The Library of America: "One of America’s most celebrated writers and the winner of the Nobel and Pulitzer prizes, Steinbeck created vivid characters and timeless stories that continue to inspire readers of all ages. Here, complete in three volumes are all the major works published by Steinbeck during the first twenty years of his career. Includes The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, Tortilla Flat, Cannery Row, The Pastures of Heaven, To a God Unknown, In Dubious Battle, The Harvest Gypsies, The Long Valley, The Log from the Sea of Cortez, The Moon Is Down and The Pearl."

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YOUR FAVORITE SEUSS BY DR. SEUSS

Description from Children's Book-of-the-Month Club: "No one else in children’s literature has captured the imagination of readers quite like Theodor Geisel (a.k.a. Dr. Seuss). His whimsical tales have inspired and entertained both children and adults for more than 60 years. Now 13 of his most enchanting stories are brought together in one beautiful keepsake edition! Includes nostalgic essays from some of his most famous admirers, who introduce these favorites and explain how his books have influenced their lives. Includes The Cat in the Hat, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Green Eggs and Ham, Horton Hears a Who, and other memorable stories."

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