my first time stories Audiobooks

In a fusion of fact and fiction, nineteenth-century women institutionalized as hysterics reveal what history ignored “ City of Incurable Women is a brilliant exploration of the type of female bodily and psychic pain once commonly diagnosed as hysteria—and the curiously hysterical response to it commonly exhibited by medical men. It is a novel of powerful originality, riveting historical interest, and haunting lyrical beauty.” — Sigrid Nunez , author of The Friend and What Are You Going Through “Where are the hysterics, those magnificent women of former times?” wrote Jacques Lacan. Long history’s ghosts, marginalized and dispossessed due to their gender and class, they are reimagined by Maud Casey as complex, flesh-and-blood people with stories to tell. These linked, evocative prose portraits, accompanied by period photographs and medical documents both authentic and invented, poignantly restore the humanity to the nineteenth-century female psychiatric patients confined in Paris’s Salpêtrière hospital and reduced to specimens for study by the celebrated neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and his male colleagues. Maud Casey is the author of five books of fiction, including The Man Who Walked Away , and a work of nonfiction, The Art of Mystery: The Search for Questions . A Guggenheim Fellow and recipient of the St. Francis College Literary Prize, she teaches at the University of Maryland.

Losing her innocence in a twist of fate, Maeve Hawkins is forced to marry a comatose man in the name of treating her sick mother while pregnant. She never imagined that her husband would wake up on the very night of their wedding. Everyone anticipates the day she gets chased out of the family, utterly shamed. However, Raymond Dale, who has always been cold and cruel, loves and defends her. As her husband, he pampers her and treats her like a queen. Those who want to incite trouble between them try to upset him. They say, “Mr. Dale, congratulations. You’re now the father to a bastard child.” Nevertheless, when he looks at the miniature him in Maeve’s arms, he only raises an eyebrow. “I’m sorry. Maeve is my wife, and the child is mine as well.”

Adina Daugherty became pregnant after being framed and gave birth to quadruplets. Her younger sister stole two of those children to tie herself to the Winters family, while Adina faced death to escape with the other two children. Five years later, Adina returned triumphantly. Since her sister loved pretending to be pure despite her rotten heart, she would torment her. As for her other two children? She would snatch them back! Duke Winters pinned her against the bed and said, “Why don’t you steal me as well?”Adina sneered. “Dream on!”But right after saying it, she puked. “So… how many children this time?” Duke asked.

She’s a runner, but the campus star quaterback runs faster than she does! Rocky has had a chaotic life from which she concluded three fundamental things: life is a succession of problems to be solved, men are assholes to be avoided and promises are only binding on fools who want to believe in them. So, unlike the other girls on campus, boys are not a priority for her. Worse, she sees them as an obstacle to her success! But during a student party, she meets Jude. Freshly transferred from Harvard to play on Brown’s soccer team, Jude is the new star on campus. Handsome and inaccessible, he is the type not to get attached: the perfect candidate for a one-night stand. But the chemistry is too strong. And though Rocky is determined to run away from him, he is determined to conquer her heart.

There’s one thing in life I’ve always, always wanted. And I’m tired of waiting for my prince charming to sweep me off my feet to help make that happen. On my 26th birthday I make a life altering decision. But before the deed is done, Army officer Nash Nichols walks into the children’s section of the library where I work, changing my trajectory forever. Falling in love sounds sweet and all, but my eyes have always been on another prize: being a mother. Maybe I will get my own version of a happily ever after … or maybe my heart will be broken in ways I didn’t see coming. His Curvy Librarian is a new filthy-sweet series brought to you by Frankie Love and Kaylin Evans. It’s full of heat, heart, and literary innuendo. What’s sexier than a man who loves to read? How about a naked man who loves to read?

The shamed Betas daughter left as an orphan in a pack that didn't want her. Forced to live as a servant ranked the lowest of Omegas is mated to the Alpha Heir but doesn't know until she comes of age.Alpha Axel realizes she is his mate, wants her, loves her, but is forced to reject her by his Father. His regret for hurting her, for her running away, forces him to abandon his pack to find her once again when his father tries to make him take a Luna. To Axel, there is no Luna without her. Will he find her?Will she forgive him?Can her first mate be her second chance?

Dylan Moore did not marry Nora Smith out of love. Their vows were exchanged under his sheer desperation and imminent need for survival after being kicked out of his own family after investing in a venture deemed futile by the rest of his family. Despite being viewed as less than a man by his wife, Dylan found himself falling in love with her during the two years of their union. Now that things are finally looking up for him again financially, he has one and only one goal: He would obliterate the people who once considered him the lowest of the low, people who'd offered him nothing but derision and ridicule while he waded through the most difficult time of his life. Dylan will make his name known again, and this time, he will not fail.

Bestselling author and renowned Zen teacher Steve Hagen penetrates the most essential and enduring questions at the heart of the Buddha's teachings: How can we see the world in each moment, rather than merely as what we think, hope, or fear it is? How can we base our actions on reality, rather than on the longing and loathing of our hearts and minds? How can we live lives that are wise, compassionate, and in tune with reality? And how can we separate the wisdom of Buddhism from the cultural trappings and misconceptions that have come to be associated with it? Drawing on down-to-earth examples from everyday life and stories from Buddhist teachers past and present, Hagen tackles these fundamental inquiries with his trademark lucid, straightforward prose. The newcomer to Buddhism will be inspired by this accessible and provocative introduction, and those more familiar with Buddhism will welcome this much needed hands-on guide to understanding what it truly means to be awake. By being challenged to question what we take for granted, we come to see the world as it truly is. Buddhism Is Not What You Think offers a profound and clear path to a life of joy and freedom.

He’s a fool for letting her go… Wyoming rancher Quinn McKay is biding his time until his wife comes to her senses and calls a halt to this trial separation—he’d never believed their marital rough patch could become permanent. Libby McKay knew when she married the gruff cowboy that he wasn’t one to blather on about his feelings. But three months have passed, and her stubborn-as-a-mule husband is still living by himself. Seems he’d rather hold onto his pride than hold onto her. When Quinn realizes Libby is determined to move on if he doesn’t change, he asks her for one weekend to rekindle their love life and to hash out their differences. Reigniting their passion is easy. The hard part comes when they open up to each other and sort through past mistakes, figuring out if what remains between them is strong enough to survive a new beginning.

Good friends and healthy friendships are crucial to women's well-being at every stage of life. But what happens when a friendship turns toxic? When a friend becomes hurtful or mistreats another? When a friend abandons another in a time of need? Here, Suzanne Degges-White and Judy Pochel Van Tieghem explore such toxic friendships and how women navigate the ups and downs, as well as how broken friendships can be mended and bad friendships ended. Explaining and illustrating the "rules of friendship" at various stages of life, the authors reveal what it takes to be a good friend, how to identify bad friends, and how to move forward when friendships turn sour. Vignettes of toxic friendship behaviors are shared, as well as tips on how best to respond to these rule-breaking friends in order to rebuild damaged relationships and repair a friendship's foundation (when appropriate) and how to decide when it's time to let go of a relationship that is bringing you down versus keeping you afloat. Information for parents is also provided, to aid them as they help their daughters navigate their friendships. We all need friends, but knowing when and how to let go can help us all be better friends--to ourselves, and also to others.