Music

[close] "A Wrinkle in Time meets Captains Courageous."

As the only child of wealthy Dallas executives, it appears that a life of trustafarian ease is the birthright of 15-year-old indoors-loving Miles McTavish. Those expectations are upended, however, the day he is summoned to the hospital bed of his friend, Professor Davies. The Professor tells Miles he has been chosen is to travel back in time to 1928, and across the sea to England (on a vintage English three-speed bicycle). Once there, he is to find “a girl with a gift, a girl born out of her time” and a “secret that was not meant to be” and then return home with them both. Miles must first find the courage to pass through the strange portal in the Vermont woods that will launch him on this mission, and then to face down a series of do-or-die crises (including a crisis of confidence). He must also navigate the low-tech, class-bound world of England in 1928 while keeping his true identity a secret. Miles' quest for the girl and the secret carries him from a great estate in England's beautiful countryside to London's jazz-age cabarets, and from terrified boy to heroic young man. [close]

[close] Millennials Speak. Essays on the 21st Century is a crowdsourced and crowdfunded production. It is snapshot of the ideas and opinions global Millennial Generation. Twenty writers from five continents, a diverse mix of young academics, policy professionals, and future thought and creative leaders, cover topics from the legacy of the Arab Spring, the global food system, the U.S. student loan crisis, youth unemployment, to popular culture.

Global youth unemployment stands at 12.7% and is expected to rise. Presently, more than half of the 7 billion people alive are under the age of 30; almost half of the world's population is under the age of 25. In the Arab world, an average 27.5 percent of the total youth population is unemployed. Youth unemployment in both the Eurozone and in the United States, the world's largest regional and national economy, respectively, is more than twice that of the rest of the population. What do people from these regions have to say about these trends?

Much work and research regarding the millennial generation is very American-centric. But for a globally-connected and aware generation, limiting the scope of study to a single country misses the mark for such a diverse global demographic. The writers hope to fill some of that geography gap with this book. [close]

[close] In small Texas towns, strangers come and go... Left in a Stetson hat, on the steps of the local bed and breakfast, Avery Callimer came into the world on a wing and a prayer. Raised by loving adoptive parents, she’s never lacked for love ... only the knowledge of her past. By day she works at the inn, but by night ... Avery comes alive as lead singer in a band. Life was good ... stable, until new guests blew into town. Some strangers come with secrets and lies. Lucas Bennett is one such stranger. Drifting from one mess to another has left him jaded. Doesn’t matter the dramas are never his doing. Giving it one last shot to make a fresh start lands him Harmony’s Echo, Texas and smack dab in front of the tantalizing Avery. Despite his best efforts to ignore the burn Avery’s ignited within, he’s intent to keep his distance. Secrets have followed him. Secrets he doesn’t want Avery to know. Each time they’re near the other, things heat up like a brushfire on a dry Texas prairie. But maybe, after the dust settles and the smoke clears, love can bloom with a fresh start. [close]