Akron Public Library

"You won't believe why this old lady swallowed a turkey, a ball, a hat, a balloon, a boat, some wheels, and a horn of plenty!"--Publisher.

Colorado, January 1977. Eighty-year-old Edith Goodnough lies in a hospital bed, IV taped to the back of her hand, police officer at her door. She is charged with murder. The clues: a sack of chicken feed slit with a knife, a milky-eyed dog tied outdoors one cold afternoon. The motives: the brutal business of farming and a family code of ethics as unforgiving as the winter prairie itself.

When Maud, an aging grandmother who is slowly losing her memory, is convinced that her best friend Elizabeth is missing and in terrible danger, she becomes obsessed with saving her beloved friend despite the fact that no one believes her.

Determined to leave a mark on the world even though they are in the hospital and their days are dwindling, unlikely friends, seventeen-year-old Lenni and eighty-three-year-old Margot, devise a plan to create one hundred paintings showcasing the stories of the century they have lived.

Teresa "Toots" Amelia Loudenberry has crammed a great deal of living--not to mention eight much-loved husbands--into her varied and rewarding life. Newly single, Toots is ready to taste life again, and fate has just handed her the perfect opportunity. The owner of the gossip rag where Toots's daughter works is about to lose the paper to his gambling debts. Eager to find a way to keep her daughter employed among the movers and shakers of Hollywood,...

In a twist on the classic tale of "There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly," a ravenous old lady swallows a bell, some bows, gifts, a sack, a sleigh, and finally some reindeer.

Despite her impoverished background, Rebecca is an imaginative and charming child, often composing little poems and songs to express her feelings or to amuse her younger brothers and sisters. Rebecca's joy for life inspires her aunts, but she faces many trials in her young life, gaining wisdom and understanding. -- back cover.

Miss Julia's own home is not immune to shock waves--the arrival of Latisha, housekeeper Lillian's five-year-old pistol of a great-granddaughter, sets off sparks in Miss Julia's household. But what could shake them all up even more is if anyone finds out the most troubling gossip of all--more tall tales about Miss Julia's late husband. Can Miss Julia turn the town's attention away from herself before she becomes the center of scandal? Can her cool-as-a-cucumber...

When Hatteras Island old-timer Iola Anne Poole passes away at ninety-one, the struggling young mother in her rental cottage finds herself charged with cleaning out Iola's rambling Victorian house. Running from a messy, dangerous past, Tandi Jo Reese never expects to find more than a temporary hiding place within Iola's walls. But all that changes when she discovers eighty-one carefully decorated prayer boxes. Hidden in the boxes is the story of a...

"We are in the midst of a longevity revolution. And that's particularly true for women: Women can expect to live five years longer than men. A 50-year-old woman can expect to live another 35 years, on average. Women comprise 80% of centenarians, now the fastest growing segment of the world's population. But despite these incredible statistics showing how women are living longer, women are not living well. Women typically spend the last 14 years of...