Audiobooks by Katherine Center

'The story’s message, that people should choose joy even (and especially) in difficult and painful times, seems tailor-made for this moment. A timely, uplifting read about finding joy in the midst of tragedy, filled with quirky characters and comforting warmth.'—Kirkus (starred review) This program includes an author's note, read by the author From the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new novel full of heart and hope. Samantha Casey is a school librarian who loves her job, the kids, and her school family with passion and joy for living. But she wasn’t always that way. Duncan Carpenter is the new school principal who lives by rules and regulations, guided by the knowledge that bad things can happen. But he wasn’t always that way. And Sam knows it. Because she knew him before—at another school, in a different life. Back then, she loved him—but she was invisible. To him. To everyone. Even to herself. She escaped to a new school, a new job, a new chance at living. But when Duncan, of all people, gets hired as the new principal there, it feels like the best thing that could possibly happen to the school—and the worst thing that could possibly happen to Sam. Until the opposite turns out to be true. The lovable Duncan she’d known is now a suit-and-tie wearing, rule-enforcing tough guy so hell-bent on protecting the school that he’s willing to destroy it. As the school community spirals into chaos, and danger from all corners looms large, Sam and Duncan must find their way to who they really are, what it means to be brave, and how to take a chance on love—which is the riskiest move of all. With Katherine Center’s sparkling dialogue, unforgettable characters, heart, hope, and humanity, What You Wish For is the author at her most compelling best. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press “This charming, often lighthearted novel touches on serious issues and celebrates the power of joy to trump fear and despair.” -- People Magazine, Book of the Week

Katherine Center (Author), Katherine Center, Therese Plummer, Thérèse Plummer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Things You Save in a Fire: A Novel

"...a sharp and witty exploration of love and forgiveness that is at once insightful, entertaining, and thoroughly addictive." - Kirkus, starred review From the New York Times bestselling author of How to Walk Away comes a stunning new audiobook about courage, hope, and learning to love against all odds. Cassie Hanwell was born for emergencies. As one of the only female firefighters in her Texas firehouse, she's seen her fair share of them, and she's a total pro at other people's tragedies. But when her estranged and ailing mother asks her to give up her whole life and move to Boston, Cassie suddenly has an emergency of her own. The tough, old-school Boston firehouse is as different from Cassie's old job as it could possibly be. Hazing, a lack of funding, and poor facilities mean that the firemen aren't exactly thrilled to have a 'lady' on the crew-even one as competent and smart as Cassie. Except for the infatuation-inspiring rookie, who doesn't seem to mind having Cassie around. But she can't think about that. Because love is girly, and it's not her thing. And don't forget the advice her old captain gave her: Never date firefighters. Cassie can feel her resolve slipping...and it means risking it all-the only job she's ever loved, and the hero she's worked like hell to become. Katherine Center's Things You Save in a Fire is a heartfelt and healing tour-de-force about the strength of vulnerability, the nourishing magic of forgiveness, and the life-changing power of defining courage, at last, for yourself. Praise for Things You Save in a Fire: 'Oh, how I love Katherine Center's writing...and her newest novel is a gem...a story that reminds us that the word emergency has, at its heart, a new beginning. Just read it, and thank me later." - Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author

Katherine Center (Author), Therese Plummer, Thérèse Plummer (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Lost Husband

Perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Emily Giffin, this tender and heartwarming novel explores the trials of losing what matters most—and how there’s always more than we can imagine left to find. Dear Libby, It occurs to me that you and your two children have been living with your mother for—Dear Lord!—two whole years, and I’m writing to see if you'd like to be rescued. The letter comes out of the blue, and just in time for Libby Moran, who—after the sudden death of her husband, Danny—went to stay with her hypercritical mother. Now her crazy Aunt Jean has offered Libby an escape: a job and a place to live on her farm in the Texas Hill Country. Before she can talk herself out of it, Libby is packing the minivan, grabbing the kids, and hitting the road. Life on Aunt Jean's goat farm is both more wonderful and more mysterious than Libby could have imagined. Beyond the animals and the strenuous work, there is quiet—deep, country quiet. But there is also a shaggy, gruff (though purportedly handsome, under all that hair) farm manager with a tragic home life, a formerly famous feed-store clerk who claims she can contact Danny "on the other side," and the eccentric aunt Libby never really knew but who turns out to be exactly what she's been looking for. And despite everything she's lost, Libby soon realizes how much more she's found. Libby hasn't just traded one kind of crazy for another; she may actually have found the place to bring her little family—and herself—back to life.

Katherine Center (Author), Amy Rubinate (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bright Side of Disaster: A Novel

“Offers credible descriptions of first-time motherhood, affecting characters and situations and low-key charm.”–Kirkus Reviews “Stellar . . . Center paints an accurate and humorous view of motherhood.”–Booklist Jenny Harris always expected that she’d fall in love, get married, and have a baby–in that order. Now, very pregnant and not quite married, she actually doesn’t mind that she and her live-in fiancé, Dean, accidentally started their family a little earlier than planned; she’s happy to have so much to look forward to. But Dean–whom Jenny loves enough to overlook his bad facial hair, his smoking habit, and his total commitment to a cheesy cover band–is acting distant, and not in a pre-wedding-jitters kind of way. The night he runs out for cigarettes and just doesn’t come back, he demotes himself from future husband to sperm donor. And the very next day, Jenny goes into labor. In the months that follow, Jenny plunges into a life she never anticipated: single motherhood. At least with the sleep deprivation, sore boobs, and fits of crying (both hers and the baby’s), there’s not much time to dwell on her broken heart. And things start looking up. She learns how to do everything one-handed, makes friends in a mommy group, and even manages to give dating tips to her sweet, clueless father–who’s trying to court her sassy mother again, fifteen years after their divorce. She also gets to know a handsome, helpful neighbor–with a knack for soothing babies–who invites her out dancing. But Dean is never far from Jenny’s thoughts or, it turns out, her doorstep, and in the end Jenny must choose between the old life she thought she wanted and the new life she’s been lucky to find. A spirited debut novel with a terrifically appealing voice, a fantastic sense of humor, and a lot of heart, The Bright Side of Disaster reminds us that sometimes it takes the worst-case scenario to show us the best in everything.

Katherine Center (Author), Thérèse Plummer (Narrator)

Audiobook

The Bodyguard: A Novel

Author's note read by the author. New York Times bestselling author Katherine Center's The Bodyguard is unabashedly romantic, laugh-out-loud funny, and the perfect summer read. “Great rollicking fun! Prepare to laugh and swoon and grin your pants off.”—Helen Hoang, New York Times bestselling author of The Heart Principle She’s got his back. Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with a wine bottle opener. Or a ballpoint pen. Or a dinner napkin. But the truth is, she’s an Executive Protection Agent (aka 'bodyguard'), and she just got hired to protect superstar actor Jack Stapleton from his middle-aged, corgi-breeding stalker. He’s got her heart. Jack Stapleton’s a household name—captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, famous for, among other things, rising out of the waves in all manner of clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity. But a few years back, in the wake of a family tragedy, he dropped from the public eye and went off the grid. They’ve got a secret. When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah—against her will and her better judgment—finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover. Even though her ex, like a jerk, says no one will believe it. What could possibly go wrong??? Hannah hardly believes it, herself. But the more time she spends with Jack, the more real it all starts to seem. And there lies the heartbreak. Because it’s easy for Hannah to protect Jack. But protecting her own, long-neglected heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done. More Praise for The Bodyguard: “My perfect 10 of a book. As funny and sweet as all the very best nineties rom-coms, but with Center’s signature heart-tugging depth. I wish I could erase it from my mind just to read it again for the first time. A shot of pure joy.”—Emily Henry, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Book Lovers 'The Bodyguard is absolutely, unequivocally delightful!'—Jodi Picoult, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press.

Katherine Center (Author), Patti Murin (Narrator)

Audiobook

How to Walk Away: A Novel

From the author of Happiness for Beginners comes an unforgettable audiobook about finding joy even in the darkest of circumstances. Margaret Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she's worked for so hard and so long: a new dream job, a fiancé she adores, and the promise of a picture-perfect life just around the corner. Then, suddenly, on what should have been one of the happiest days of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in a brief, tumultuous moment. In the hospital and forced to face the possibility that nothing will ever be the same again, Maggie must confront the unthinkable. First there is her fiancé, Chip, who wallows in self-pity while simultaneously expecting to be forgiven. Then, there's her sister Kit, who shows up after pulling a three-year vanishing act. Finally, there's Ian, her physical therapist, the one the nurses said was too tough for her. Ian, who won't let her give in to her pity, and who sees her like no one has seen her before. Sometimes the last thing you want is the one thing you need. Sometimes we all need someone to catch us when we fall. And sometimes love can find us in the least likely place we would ever expect. How to Walk Away is Katherine Center at her very best-a masterpiece of an audiobook that is both hopeful and hilarious; truthful and wise; tender and brave.Praise for How to Walk Away:'If you just read one book this year, read How to Walk Away.' -Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop'Warm, witty, and wonderfully observed.' -Emily Giffin, New York Times bestselling author of First Comes Love'I can't think of a blurb good enough for this novel...poignant, funny, heartbreaking.' -Jenny Lawson, bestselling author of Furiously Happy

Katherine Center (Author), Therese Plummer (Narrator)

Audiobook

How to Walk Away

If your life fell apart, could you start again? The New York Times bestseller. 'If you read just one book this year, read How to Walk Away' Nina George, author of The Little Paris Bookshop Maggie Jacobsen is just about to step into the bright future she's worked so hard and so long for: her dream job, a fiancé she adores and the promise of a perfect life just around the corner. But on what should have been the happiest day of her life, everything she worked for is taken away in a single catastrophic moment. In hospital Maggie is forced to confront the unthinkable. First there is her fiancé, Charlie, wallowing in self-pity while demanding forgiveness. Then there's her sister Kit, who shows up after pulling a three-year vanishing act. Finally there's Iain, her physical therapist, the one the nurses said was too tough for her. Iain, who won't let her give in to her despair, who makes her cry, but also manages to make her laugh . . . Maggie's new life is nothing like she expected. But could it be more than she had ever dared hope for? How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is an uplifting story of learning to live - and love - again.

Katherine Center (Author), Therese Plummer (Narrator)

Audiobook

Happiness for Beginners

In this exuberant novel, a thirtysomething-year-old woman embarks on a wilderness survival course and discovers that sometimes you have to leave things behind in order to find yourself. A year after getting divorced, Helen Carpenter, thirty-two, lets her annoying younger brother talk her into signing up for a wilderness survival course. It’s supposed to be a chance for her to pull herself together again, but when she discovers that her brother’s even more annoying best friend is also coming on the trip, she can’t imagine how it will be anything other than a disaster. Thus begins the strangest adventure of Helen’s well-behaved life: three weeks in the remotest wilderness of a mountain range in Wyoming, where she will survive mosquito infestations, a surprise summer blizzard, and a group of sorority girls. Yet despite everything, the vast wilderness has a way of making Helen’s own little life seem bigger, too. And somehow, the people who annoy her the most start teaching her the very things she needs to learn. Like how to stand up for herself. And how being scared can make you brave. And how sometimes you just have to get really, really lost before you can even have a hope of being found. "Happiness for Beginners does what a story should do—introduces characters we want to know and then takes us on their unexpected journey to a new and braver life…Center’s witty, honest, and compassionate storytelling opens us to new ways of feeling and trusting, just as her character is doing the same.”—Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Stories We Tell

Katherine Center (Author), Marguerite Gavin (Narrator)

Audiobook

Get Lucky: A Novel

Filled with wit and heart, Get Lucky by Katherine Center explores the deep bonds of sisterhood. Sarah Harper's whole world revolved around her job at a New York advertising agency before an email snafu got her fired. Now she's seeking refuge at her sister Mackie's home in Houston. But Mackie, who's unable to get pregnant, is also down-and-out these days. So Sarah decides to do something good and becomes a surrogate mother. "[A] touching novel populated with quirky and lovable characters ." -Booklist

Katherine Center (Author), Morgan Hallett (Narrator)

Audiobook

Everyone is Beautiful

Lanie Coatess life is spinning out of control. Shes piled everything she owns into a U-Haul and driven with her husband, Peter, and their three little boys from their cozy Texas home to a multiflight walkup in the Northeast. Shes left behind family, friends, and a comfortable life -all so her husband can realize his dream of becoming a professional musician. But somewhere in the eye of her personal hurricane, it hits Lanie that she once had dreams too. These days, Lanie always seems to rank herself dead last -and when another mom accidentally criticizes her appearance, its the final straw. Fifteen years, three babies, and more pounds than shes willing to count since the day she said I do, Lanie longs desperately to feel like her old self again. Lanie sets change in motion -joining a gym, signing up for photography classes, and finding a new best friend. But she also creates waves that come to threaten her whole life. In the end, Lanie must figure out once and for all how to find herself without losing everything else in the process. From the Compact Disc edition.

Katherine Center (Author), Kirsten Potter (Narrator)

Audiobook