Download or read book Broke Heart Blues A Novel written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Akashic Books. This book was released on 2024-10-01 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The much-anticipated reissue of a novel that is one of Joyce Carol Oates’s personal favorites among her oeuvre; featuring a new afterword by Oates IN THE HEART OF A LANGUID JULY, ELEVEN-YEAR-OLD JOHN REDDY HEART drives a traffic-stopping, salmon-colored Cadillac into the quiet upstate town of Willowsville, New York. His mother, Dahlia Heart, a blackjack dealer, has brought her family east from Las Vegas to claim the rambling mansion left to her by a wealthy suitor. But it is John Reddy—already growing into a heartbreaking hybrid of James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Elvis Presley—who will claim the town itself. It is John Reddy who will arouse the desire of Willowsville’s teenage girls and the worship of its boys, the fear and envy of its men, and the yearning of its women. And it is John Reddy who will capture the town’s soul forever on the night a prominent citizen is shot dead in Dahlia Heart’s bedroom—and a statewide manhunt sweeps Willowsville’s rebel outlaw into the realm of living myth. Over the course of thirty years, Broke Heart Blues charts the rise and fall—and the ultimate call to reckoning— of John Reddy Heart, through the myriad voices of those who find him their whipping boy, savior, dream lover, and confessor. At once a scathing indictment of the cultlike nature of fame and celebrity in America and a deeply moving mediation on human need and longing, the novel explores loneliness, and the profound price we pay for our desires and dreams.
Download or read book Reincarnation Blues written by Michael Poore and published by Del Rey. This book was released on 2017-08-22 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A wildly imaginative novel about a man who is reincarnated over ten thousand lifetimes to be with his one true love: Death herself. “Tales of gods and men akin to Neil Gaiman’s Sandman as penned by a kindred spirit of Douglas Adams.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review) First we live. Then we die. And then . . . we get another try? Ten thousand tries, to be exact. Ten thousand lives to “get it right.” Answer all the Big Questions. Achieve Wisdom. And Become One with Everything. Milo has had 9,995 chances so far and has just five more lives to earn a place in the cosmic soul. If he doesn’t make the cut, oblivion awaits. But all Milo really wants is to fall forever into the arms of Death. Or Suzie, as he calls her. More than just Milo’s lover throughout his countless layovers in the Afterlife, Suzie is literally his reason for living—as he dives into one new existence after another, praying for the day he’ll never have to leave her side again. But Reincarnation Blues is more than a great love story: Every journey from cradle to grave offers Milo more pieces of the great cosmic puzzle—if only he can piece them together in time to finally understand what it means to be part of something bigger than infinity. As darkly enchanting as the works of Neil Gaiman and as wisely hilarious as Kurt Vonnegut’s, Michael Poore’s Reincarnation Blues is the story of everything that makes life profound, beautiful, absurd, and heartbreaking. Because it’s more than Milo and Suzie’s story. It’s your story, too. Praise for Reincarnation Blues “The most fun you’ll have reading about a man who has been killed by both catapult and car accident.”—NPR “This book made me laugh out loud. And then a page later, it made me sob. Reminiscent of Tom Robbins and Christopher Moore, Poore finds humor in the dark absurdities of life.”—Chicago Review of Books “Charming . . . surprisingly light and uplifting . . . It reads like a writer having fun.”—New York Journal of Books
Download or read book Tiffany Blues written by M. J. Rose and published by Atria Books. This book was released on 2019-06-18 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The New York Times bestselling author of The Library of Light and Shadow crafts “an enchanting glimpse of Jazz Age New York” (Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train) about a young painter whose traumatic past threatens to derail her career at a prestigious summer artists’ colony run by Louis Comfort Tiffany of Tiffany & Co. fame. New York, 1924: Twenty‑four‑year‑old Jenny Bell is one of a dozen burgeoning artists invited to Louis Comfort Tiffany’s prestigious artists’ colony. Gifted and determined, Jenny vows to avoid all distractions and take full advantage of the many wonders to be found at Laurelton Hall. But Jenny’s past has followed her there. Images of her beloved mother, her hard-hearted stepfather, murder, and the dank hallways of Canada’s notorious Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women overwhelm Jenny’s thoughts, even as she is inextricably drawn to Oliver, Tiffany’s charismatic grandson. As the summer shimmers on, and the competition between the artists grows fierce as they vie for a spot at Tiffany’s New York gallery, a series of suspicious and disturbing occurrences suggest someone else knows about Jenny’s childhood trauma. Supported by her closest friend Minx Deering, a seemingly carefree socialite yet dedicated sculptor, and Oliver, Jenny pushes her demons aside. Between stolen kisses and jewels, the champagne flows and the jazz plays on until one moonless night when Jenny’s past and present are thrown together in a desperate moment, that will threaten her promising future, her love, her friendships, and her very life. “This fast-paced mystery, star-crossed romance, and love letter to Louis Comfort Tiffany will captivate Rose’s many fans and readers of 20th-century historical fiction” (Library Journal, starred review).
Download or read book Diary of an Oxygen Thief written by Anonymous and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-05-23 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hurt people hurt people. Say there was a novel in which Holden Caulfield was an alcoholic and Lolita was a photographer’s assistant and, somehow, they met in Bright Lights, Big City. He’s blinded by love. She by ambition. Diary of an Oxygen Thief is an honest, hilarious, and heartrending novel, but above all, a very realistic account of what we do to each other and what we allow to have done to us.
Download or read book The Supremes Sing the Happy Heartache Blues written by Edward Kelsey Moore and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2017-06-15 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A novel of friendship, family and forgiveness, from the author of the bestselling The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat, perfect for fans of The Little Coffee Shop of Kabul. When a late life love affair blooms between Mr. Forrest Payne and Miss Beatrice Jordan, their wedding summons a legend to town. Mr. El Walker, the great guitar bluesman, returns to Plainview, Indiana, to perform in a place he'd sworn--and for good reason--he'd never set foot in again. But El is not the only Plainview native with a hurdle to overcome. Among those in this tightly knit community are the lifelong friends, known locally as "The Supremes", each facing a challenge of their own -- Clarice, facing down her chance at and fear of a great career; Barbara Jean, grappling with the loss of a mother whose life humiliated both of them, and Odette, reaching toward her husband through an anger of his that she does not understand. Now, serenaded by El Walker's bittersweet and unforgettable blues song, this group need not learn how to survive but how, fully, to live. 'A joy to read! Besides being laugh out loud hilarious, Edward Kelsey Moore has a profound understanding of human nature' Fannie Flagg, author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Download or read book Broke Heart Blues written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Virago Press. This book was released on 1999 with total page 502 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Brando. Dean. John Reddy Heart is right up there among them - at least in the eyes of the residents of Willowsville, New York. The handsome young heart-throb begins his bad-boy career at sixteen, the night that a man is murdered in his mother's house. Was John Reddy protecting her from rape or covering up her crime, or is he actually innocent? It may not matter - the minute the manhunt starts, the second the sensational trial begins, John Reddy Heart is front-page news, celebrated in song, and well on his way to becoming a small town's obsession. The always inventive Oates has struck upon a truly innovative way to tell this uniquely American story.
Download or read book Stone Butch Blues written by Leslie Feinberg and published by ReadHowYouWant.com. This book was released on 2010 with total page 582 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Published in 1993, this brave, original novel is considered to be the finest account ever written of the complexities of a transgendered existence. Woman or man? Thats the question that rages like a storm around Jess Goldberg, clouding her life and her identity. Growing up differently gendered in a blue--collar town in the 1950s, coming out as a butch in the bars and factories of the prefeminist 60s, deciding to pass as a man in order to survive when she is left without work or a community in the early 70s. This powerful, provocative and deeply moving novel sees Jess coming full circle, she learns to accept the complexities of being a transgendered person in a world demanding simple explanations: a he-she emerging whole, weathering the turbulence.
Download or read book Succubus Blues written by Richelle Mead and published by Zebra Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 537 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Being a succubus sounds pretty glamorous. Shape-shifting, killer wardrobe, what's not to like? But Georgina Kincaid's life gets complicated when an unknown entity "helpfully" begins killing her immortal adversaries.
Download or read book Wild Blues written by Beth Kephart and published by Atheneum/Caitlyn Dlouhy Books. This book was released on 2019-06-18 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Readers will be entranced by this exceptional offering.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) “By turns a mystery, a thriller, and an adventure, this richly woven story will provide much for readers to tease apart long after it’s finished.” —Booklist (starred review) “Thought-provoking and intense.” —Kirkus Reviews “A survival story in its truest sense.” —BCCB The threat of two escaped convicts and a missing friend lead Lizzie on a harrowing journey through the wilds of the Adirondacks in this captivating mystery from National Book Award finalist Beth Kephart. Thirteen-year-old Lizzie’s favorite place in the world is her uncle’s cabin. Uncle Davy’s renovated schoolhouse cabin, filled with antiques and on the edge of the Adirondacks, disconnected from the rest of the world, is like something out of a fairy tale. And an escape from reality is exactly what Lizzie needs. Life hasn’t been easy for Lizzie lately. Her father abandoned their family, leaving Lizzie with her oftentimes irresponsible mother. Now, her mom has cancer and being unable to care for Lizzie during her chemotherapy, asks Lizzie where she’d like to spend the summer. The answer is simple: Uncle Davy’s cabin. Lizzie loves her uncle’s home for many reasons, but the main one is Matias, Uncle Davy’s neighbor and Lizzie’s best friend. Matias has proportionate dwarfism, but that doesn’t stop him and Lizzie from wandering in the woods. Every day they go to their special spot where Matias paints with watercolors and Lizzie writes. Until one day when Matias never arrives. When news breaks about two escaped convicts from the nearby prison, Lizzie fears the worst. And when Uncle Davy goes missing, too, Lizzie knows she’s the only one who knows this area of woods well enough to save them. Armed with her trusted Keppy survival book, Lizzie sets out into the wilds of the Adirondacks, proving just how far she’ll go to save the people she loves.
Download or read book B Boy Blues written by James Earl Hardy and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2022-12-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 1994. Years before "homo thug" and "down low" became infamous catchphrases, Omar Little put the "G" in Gangsta on HBO's The Wire, and Lil Nas X became a global pop star ... there was B-BOY BLUES. Revisit or experience for the first time the story that ushered in the Africentric gay fiction genre, and put Black-on-Black male love on both the map and the bestseller lists! SYNOPSIS: Mitchell Crawford always wished, hoped, and dreamed for a RUFFNECK - a hip-hop-lovin', street-struttin', cool posin', crazy crotch-grabbin' brotha. And he finally finds one in Raheim Rivers, who is a vision of lust: six feet tall and 215 pounds of mocha-chocolate muscle. Mitchell knows Raheim will take him for a walk on the wild side. But he doesn't count on getting behind Raheim's mask - and finding someone he can love. Praise for B-Boy Blues: "Hardy has successfully crafted the first gay hip hop love story. It sexily sizzles off the page." - E. Lynn Harris "Not since Terry McMillan's Disappearing Acts has it felt so good to be loved so bad. Grade: A-." - Entertainment Weekly "Hardy proves that Black love is just as dizzying and gratifying when boy meets boy." - Vibe "A masterpiece of both Black and gay literature." - Booklist Cover image: Alyxandria Fabrega @artbyalyx Cover models: Timothy Richardson & Thomas Mackie aka Mitchell & Raheim from @bboybluesthefilm (currently streaming on @betplus) Cover design: Tony Dobson @hallsongraphics
Download or read book Fort Benning Blues written by Mark Busby and published by TCU Press. This book was released on 2001 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jeff Adams, drafted in 1969, faces a war he doesn't understand. The product of a patriotic Texas family, he knows he could never face his grandfather, the first Jefferson Bowie Adams, if he dodges the draft, so, to buy some time, he volunteers for Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia.
Download or read book We Were the Mulvaneys written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by HarperCollins UK. This book was released on 2012-12-20 with total page 391 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The unforgettable story of the rise, fall and ultimate redemption of an American family.
Download or read book Middle Age A Romance written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2009-03-17 with total page 793 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In Salthill-on-Hudson, a half-hour train ride from Manhattan, everyone is rich, beautiful, and -- though they look much younger -- middle-aged. But when Adam Berendt, a charismatic, mysterious sculptor, dies suddenly in a brash act of heroism, shock waves rock the town. But who was Adam Berendt? Was he in fact a hero, or someone more flawed and human?
Download or read book Love the One You re With written by James Earl Hardy and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2003-06-03 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Do men and monogamy mix? It's not a question Mitchell "Little Bit" Crawford gave much thought to until his beaufriend of almost two years, Raheim "Pooquie" Rivers, an All-American jeans model, heads to Hollywood to make his first feature film. As Mitchell soon discovers, the temptation to cheat is very real . . . and it seems to be everywhere. An ex even pops up hoping to pick up where they left -- and got -- off. While intrigued, Mitchell chalks all the attention up to "the married man" syndrome: one is much more desirable when he's attached to someone else. But as he continues to run into bisexual musician Montgomery "Montee" Simms, the look-but-don't-touch rule is put to the test. As he and Montee get closer, Mitchell's idealistic beliefs about commitment are challenged. Will he love the one he's with because he can't be with the one he loves?
Download or read book Broke Heart Blues Hb Book Club written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Orbit Books. This book was released on 1999-08-27 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book Foxfire written by Joyce Carol Oates and published by Penguin. This book was released on 1994-08-01 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: New York Times bestselling author Joyce Carol Oates’s strongest and most unsparing novel yet—an always engrossing, often shocking evocation of female rage, gallantry, and grit. The time is the 1950s. The place is a blue-collar town in upstate New York, where five high school girls join a gang dedicated to pride, power, and vengeance on a world that seems made to denigrate and destroy them. Here is the secret history of a sisterhood of blood, a haven from a world of male oppressors, marked by a liberating fury that burns too hot to last. Above all, it is the story of Legs Sadovsky, with her lean, on-the-edge, icy beauty, whose nerve, muscle, hate, and hurt make her the spark of Foxfire: its guiding spirit, its burning core. At once brutal and lyrical, this is a careening joyride of a novel—charged with outlaw energy and lit by intense emotion. Amid scenes of violence and vengeance lies this novel’s greatest power: the exquisite, astonishing rendering of the bonds that link the Foxfire girls together. Foxfire reaffirms Joyce Carol Oates’s place at the very summit of American writing.
Download or read book If Only for One Nite written by James Earl Hardy and published by . This book was released on 1997 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At his ten-year high school class reunion, Mitchell Crawford confronts his first love, his gymnastics coach Warren Reid.
