Family Chapter

The Try Not To Laugh Challenge isn’t your run-of-the-mill joke book. This book is meant to be shared and listened to by everyone in your household. Why should anyone miss the fun? Gather your family around the fire, call them into the kitchen, meet on the patio, and let the good times roll.

These bedtime stories incorporate themes from LGBTQ families, relationships, and life situations. They stand as engaging stories in their own right but incorporate diverse themes. As such, these stories are appropriate for all children but may be helpful for those from alternative families who see themselves less represented in mainstream fiction.

Olivia and Edward Lereux live a quiet life with their chocolate border collie Axel in a picturesque cottage flanked by Maine’s blustery cliffs, far from town and people. Outwardly, their lives appear normal, but they’re not ordinary people. The Lereux family is cursed with something that has claimed their ancestors for many years. When Ravine Lereux receives a distressing letter from her Uncle Edward, she must return to a place she swore never to return - a place that’s haunted by something, an abnormal presence she feared as a child.

La vida en la jungla nunca es aburrida. Desde el momento en que nació, la curiosidad de Jasper lo ha consumido. Con su hermano Willie, hicieron nuevos amigos y aprendieron más sobre la selva amazónica. Los jóvenes se han acercado. El trabajo principal de Jasper es asegurarse de que su hermano esté a salvo, pero es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo: la jungla está llena de peligros, y si no tienen cuidado, las cosas pueden salirse de control rápidamente. Siempre hay nuevos desafíos a la vuelta de la esquina.

Genevieve hates cruises, but Peter, her husband, has bought this one for her after the worst year of her life, and she couldn’t tell him she didn’t want to go. Still traumatized after a family tragedy, both of them have gone into hiding behind small talk and silence. A cruise is the last place where Genevieve could imagine making a friend, but when she meets Thomas, a morbidly obese man, she finds him easy to talk to. Thomas himself has a past—one which has poisoned the only relationship he cared about. By the end of the cruise, all of their lives will have changed.

Sixteen-year-old Alison Brennan’s mother, Bernadette, is an agoraphobic hoarder, and her father Harry seems to have no past. Struggling every day, Alison seeks the help of a school counsellor. When an old homeless man is found dead in a Melbourne park, Alison's life changes. Somehow, the man's death is connected to her family and the Polish Home Army. Fighting for her future, can Alison unravel the mystery of her family and the dead man, and find a way to place her trust in others again?

Life hasn’t been easy for Cady Caldwell, struggling first with her drug-addicted parents, then mistreated by the husband she though would be her savior. But there has always been one thing to keep her going: protecting her younger sisters and ensuring their lives are happy. Forced into hiding to escape her abusive marriage, Cady is shunted off to Garrison, Montana, to live with a paternal grandmother she doesn’t know…and doesn’t want to. It seems that those two sisters, and an equally determined grandmother, are hell-bent on looking after her...and getting her to live again.

Young Ephraim Goldman is the author of a perennial best seller. A celebrated academic lion, he hobnobs with the movers and shakers of his era, such as Einstein, Berenson, and Bertrand Russell. Ephraim's son Bernard is a young writer desperate to make his own reputation in the literary world. After a shrewd publisher hires Bernie to write his father’s biography, he stumbles across a startling photograph. As the mystery of his father slowly unfolds, Bernard has to come to terms with both the present and the future.

Born to a rich family, young Albornoz's father hopes he would pursue a military career. But to his disappointment, the boy displays more interest toward matters of the church, and in seeking understanding on what is right and wrong. Meanwhile, fisherman Edmond and his wife eke out a humble existence—until a surprising opportunity presents itself. Soon, their lives intertwine with unexpected consequences.

Famed Hampshire restaurant Marble's Marvels is struggling. Poor food, few customers. And competition with the Italian restaurant across the road is not helping. Kate and Aiden Marble are out of ideas. Aiden is still struggling to cope after a tragic accident split their village in half two years ago. Kate tries to hold everything together, knowing that unless things change soon, they will lose the restaurant. Out of the blue, a chef turns up and offers to cook them the best food they've ever tasted in exchange for a job as sous chef. Is there something magical about the new chef?

After the death of his twin brother, Catholic priest Rupert Brown gains guardianship of his 15-year-old niece, Neti. Burdened with grief and questioning his faith, Rupert tries to recreate a family home for Neti, made more difficult by the sudden return of her mother after a 10-year absence. When neuroscientist Athena Nevis invites him to take part in her research on heightened religious experiences, Rupert begins to question his life-long vocational choice of the priesthood. Soon, Athena and Rupert come face-to-face with their values, and spirituality.

Our Street at War series takes an ordinary street during wartime and peeps inside at the lives of the residents - full nostalgia and compelling storylines, this series is must for fan of Elaine Everest, Nancy Revell and Ellie Dean.

Beneath a façade of palm trees and sunshine, homelessness and addiction are bubbling to the surface. It can be hard to shake the brands others place on you; Derek, currently homeless, knows this better than most. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Melissa has a new boyfriend. Her best friend hates his guts but won't say why. Melissa and Jess find themselves drawn into a battle for reconciliation between their friends. With their help, painful truths from the past stand a chance of release, and a family receives the gift of restoration.

When her grandfather Marley passes away Grace Power discovers she’s been left the beautiful but crumbling estate of Heartcross Castle. As a single mum of three, Grace has no idea what she’s going to do with it - but who can say no to a roof over their kids’ heads and a chance to get away from past hurts? Heartcross Castle is full of secrets - especially a lost security deposit box that holds the truth to everything. But when celebrity chef Andrew Glossop sets his eyes on the castle, Grace tells him there is absolutely no chance he is getting his hands on her home.

I am open; these words are my sutures. Shades is an attempt to reconcile who I am as a man, with a society that seems to be fluctuating and struggling at every turn. I show my encounters with family, religion, queerness, heartbreak, COVID-19, and politics. This is a look at my life in 2021, shown through poetry.

A blackmail letter arrives at an inopportune moment, and the recipient’s name is blurred out. Who is the ruthless missive meant for? In the powerful sequel to Watching Glass Shatter, Olivia is the first to read the nasty threat. When the mysterious letter falls into the wrong hands, her sons try to figure out who’s seeking revenge on them. Across the span of eight hours, members of the Glass family contemplate whether to confess their hidden secrets, or find a way to bury them forever.

A Loafer’s Guide to Living is a story of disrupted lives during a search for the rarest of conditions: equilibrium. Bernard Goldman is the son of a famous father, and can’t get over it. His life is in shambles, as he gets grief from everyone and everything around him.

Fatherhood is about loving, living, and learning alongside your kids. AND playing with them. If you don't like to play, learn! Kids are fun teachers; ask them how to play. It is important that you do not shut them down.

When her daughter, Ellie, brings home a new boyfriend, Clare can’t put her finger on why she feels troubled by it. Is it because he’s attractive and closer to her in age? Or maybe she’s just jealous because all of her own husband’s passion seems to go into maintaining his wine cellar. Ellie’s colleague, Anna, is feeling restless, too. She’s much younger than her husband and is still in her prime, and definitely isn’t ready for crosswords and comfy slippers.

After years of bullying, Joshua Harper’s life has completely turned around, thanks in no small part to his girlfriend, Eve Devereaux. With the holidays approaching, he’s started to realize that as tough as being in a relationship is, finding her the perfect gift may be even tougher. Christmas is the season for giving. But what do you give the girl to whom you owe everything? Listen to find out.