Download or read book These Precious Days written by Ann Patchett and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-11-23 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

Download or read book Friendship in the Age of Loneliness written by Adam Smiley Poswolsky and published by Running Press Adult. This book was released on 2021-05-04 with total page 238 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: *NEXT BIG IDEA CLUB SUMMER 2021 NOMINEE* After nearly a year of social distancing and lockdown measures, it’s more clear than ever that our friendships and bonds are vital to our health and happiness. This refreshing, positive guide helps you take care of your people and form deep connections in the digital age. We are lonelier than ever. The average American hasn't made a new friend in the last five years. Research has shown that people with close friends are happier, healthier, and live longer than people who lack strong social bonds. But why—when we are seemingly more connected than ever before—can it feel so difficult to keep those bonds alive and well? Why do we spend only four percent of our time with friends? In this warm, inspiring guide, Adam "Smiley" Poswolsky proposes a new solution for the mounting pressures of modern life: focus on your friendships. Smiley offers practical habits and playful reminders on how to create meaningful connections, make new friends, and deepen relationships. He'll help you develop a healthier relationship with technology, but he'll also encourage you to prioritize real-world experiences, send snail mail, and engage in self-reflective exercises. Written in short, digestible, action-oriented sections, this book reminds us that nurturing old and new friendships is a ritual, a necessity, and one of the most worthwhile things we can do in life.

Download or read book Marcel s Letters written by Carolyn Porter and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2017-06-06 with total page 407 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Finalist for the 2018 Minnesota Book Award A graphic designer’s search for inspiration leads to a cache of letters and the mystery of one man’s fate during World War II. Seeking inspiration for a new font design in an antique store in small-town Stillwater, Minnesota, graphic designer Carolyn Porter stumbled across a bundle of letters and was immediately drawn to their beautifully expressive pen-and-ink handwriting. She could not read the letters—they were in French—but she noticed all of them had been signed by a man named Marcel and mailed from Berlin to his family in France during the middle of World War II. As Carolyn grappled with designing the font, she decided to have one of Marcel’s letters translated. Reading it opened a portal to a different time, and what began as mere curiosity quickly became an obsession with finding out why the letter writer, Marcel Heuzé, had been in Berlin, how his letters came to be on sale in a store halfway around the world, and, most importantly, whether he ever returned to his beloved wife and daughters after the war. Marcel’s Letters is the incredible story of Carolyn’s increasingly desperate search to uncover the mystery of one man’s fate during WWII, seeking answers across Germany, France, and the United States. Simultaneously, she continues to work on what would become the acclaimed P22 Marcel font, immortalizing the man and his letters that waited almost seventy years to be reunited with his family.

Download or read book The Dutch House written by Ann Patchett and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2019-09-24 with total page 292 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pulitzer Prize Finalist | New York Times Bestseller | A Read with Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick | A New York Times Book Review Notable Book | TIME Magazine's 100 Must-Read Books of the Year Named one of the Best Books of the Year by NPR, The Washington Post; O: The Oprah Magazine, Real Simple, Good Housekeeping, Vogue, Refinery29, and Buzzfeed From Ann Patchett, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Commonwealth, comes a powerful, richly moving story that explores the indelible bond between two siblings, the house of their childhood, and a past that will not let them go. The Dutch House is the story of a paradise lost, a tour de force that digs deeply into questions of inheritance, love and forgiveness, of how we want to see ourselves and of who we really are. At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to begin an enormous real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled from the house where they grew up by their stepmother. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is one another. It is this unshakeable bond between them that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures. Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn story of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested.

Download or read book Mike Mignola The Quarantine Sketchbook written by Mike Mignola and published by Dark Horse Comics. This book was released on 2021-03-16 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the coronavirus quarantine, legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola posted original pencil sketches online and auctioned off the art to raise money for José Andres' World Central Kitchen. The sketches went viral and were the talk of the comics internet. Now those sketches are published in print for the first time, with all profits going to the World Central Kitchen. This new, oversized hardcover collection is a must have for Mignola readers and art fans alike. The book features an introduction by Christine Mignola, alongside sketches of Hellboy, beloved and unexpected pop culture characters, macabre chess pieces, gothic vegetable creatures, strange vampires, and more.

Download or read book Sexually Transmitted Diseases written by National Center for Prevention Services (U.S.). Division of STD/HIV Prevention and published by . This book was released on 2002 with total page 92 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Spike written by Jeremy Farrar and published by Profile Books. This book was released on 2021-07-22 with total page 269 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE FOR POLITICAL WRITING 2022 THE TIMES SCIENCE BOOK OF THE YEAR A GUARDIAN BEST POLITICS BOOK OF THE YEAR A TOP 5 SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER *Revised and updated edition with new chapter reflecting on the impact of Covid-19 two years on, and what come next* Did the UK government really 'follow the science' throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, as it claims? As head of the Wellcome Trust, Jeremy Farrar was one of the first people in the world to hear about a mysterious new disease in China - and to learn it could readily spread between people. A member of the SAGE emergency committee, Farrar was a key figure in both the UK and the World Health Organization at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic amid great uncertainty, fast-moving situations and missed opportunities. Spike is his widely acclaimed inside story. His account casts light on the UK government's claims to be 'following the science' and is informed not just by Farrar's views but by interviews with other top scientists and political figures.

Download or read book The Darkest Minds written by Alexandra Bracken and published by Disney Electronic Content. This book was released on 2012-12-18 with total page 535 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Book one in the hit series that's soon to be a major motion picture starring Amandla Stenberg and Mandy Moore--now with a stunning new look and an exclusive bonus short story featuring Liam and his brother, Cole. When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government "rehabilitation camp." She might have survived the mysterious disease that killed most of America's children, but she and the others emerged with something far worse: frightening abilities they cannot control. Now sixteen, Ruby is one of the dangerous ones. But when the truth about Ruby's abilities--the truth she's hidden from everyone, even the camp authorities--comes out, Ruby barely escapes Thurmond with her life. On the run, she joins a group of kids who escaped their own camp: Zu, a young girl haunted by her past; Chubs, a standoffish brainiac; and Liam, their fearless leader, who is falling hard for Ruby. But no matter how much she aches for him, Ruby can't risk getting close. Not after what happened to her parents. While they journey to find the one safe haven left for kids like them--East River--they must evade their determined pursuers, including an organization that will stop at nothing to use Ruby in their fight against the government. But as they get closer to grasping the things they've dreamed of, Ruby will be faced with a terrible choice, one that may mean giving up her only chance at a life worth living.

Download or read book Passions written by Carolyne Roehm and published by . This book was released on 2021-09-15 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 3 book set

Download or read book The Best American Travel Writing 2021 written by Jason Wilson and published by Mariner Books. This book was released on 2021-10-12 with total page 305 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A collection of the year's best travel writing selected by Padma Lakshmi

Download or read book United States Code written by United States and published by . This book was released on 2013 with total page 1146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The United States Code is the official codification of the general and permanent laws of the United States of America. The Code was first published in 1926, and a new edition of the code has been published every six years since 1934. The 2012 edition of the Code incorporates laws enacted through the One Hundred Twelfth Congress, Second Session, the last of which was signed by the President on January 15, 2013. It does not include laws of the One Hundred Thirteenth Congress, First Session, enacted between January 2, 2013, the date it convened, and January 15, 2013. By statutory authority this edition may be cited "U.S.C. 2012 ed." As adopted in 1926, the Code established prima facie the general and permanent laws of the United States. The underlying statutes reprinted in the Code remained in effect and controlled over the Code in case of any discrepancy. In 1947, Congress began enacting individual titles of the Code into positive law. When a title is enacted into positive law, the underlying statutes are repealed and the title then becomes legal evidence of the law. Currently, 26 of the 51 titles in the Code have been so enacted. These are identified in the table of titles near the beginning of each volume. The Law Revision Counsel of the House of Representatives continues to prepare legislation pursuant to 2 U.S.C. 285b to enact the remainder of the Code, on a title-by-title basis, into positive law. The 2012 edition of the Code was prepared and published under the supervision of Ralph V. Seep, Law Revision Counsel. Grateful acknowledgment is made of the contributions by all who helped in this work, particularly the staffs of the Office of the Law Revision Counsel and the Government Printing Office"--Preface.

Download or read book The Second Life of Mirielle West written by Amanda Skenandore and published by Kensington Books. This book was released on 2021-07-27 with total page 474 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The glamorous world of a silent film star’s wife abruptly crumbles when she’s forcibly quarantined at the Carville Lepers Home in this page-turning story of courage, resilience, and reinvention set in 1920s Louisiana and Los Angeles. Based on little-known history, this timely book will strike a chord with readers of Fiona Davis, Tracey Lange, and Marie Benedict. Based on the true story of America’s only leper colony, The Second Life of Mirielle West brings vividly to life the Louisiana institution known as Carville, where thousands of people were stripped of their civil rights, branded as lepers, and forcibly quarantined throughout the entire 20th century. For Mirielle West, a 1920’s socialite married to a silent film star, the isolation and powerlessness of the Louisiana Leper Home is an unimaginable fall from her intoxicatingly chic life of bootlegged champagne and the star-studded parties of Hollywood’s Golden Age. When a doctor notices a pale patch of skin on her hand, she’s immediately branded a leper and carted hundreds of miles from home to Carville, taking a new name to spare her family and famous husband the shame that accompanies the disease. At first she hopes her exile will be brief, but those sent to Carville are more prisoners than patients and their disease has no cure. Instead she must find community and purpose within its walls, struggling to redefine her self-worth while fighting an unchosen fate. As a registered nurse, Amanda Skenandore’s medical background adds layers of detail and authenticity to the experiences of patients and medical professionals at Carville – the isolation, stigma, experimental treatments, and disparate community. A tale of repulsion, resilience, and the Roaring ‘20s, The Second Life of Mirielle West is also the story of a health crisis in America’s past, made all the more poignant by the author’s experiences during another, all-too-recent crisis. PRAISE FOR AMANDA SKENANDORE’S BETWEEN EARTH AND SKY “Intensely emotional…Skenandore’s deeply introspective and moving novel will appeal to readers of American history.” —Publishers Weekly

Download or read book Happy Birthday Wanda June written by Kurt Vonnegut and published by Dial Press Trade Paperback. This book was released on 2020-05-05 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Richly and often pertinently funny [with] a sure instinct for the carefully considered irrelevance . . . a great deal of incidental hilarity [and] inspired idiocy.”—The New York Times Happy Birthday Wanda June was Kurt Vonnegut’s first play, which premiered in New York in 1970 and was then adapted into a film in 1971. It is a darkly humorous and searing examination of the excesses of capitalism, patriotism, toxic masculinity, and American culture in the post-Vietnam War era. Featuring behind-the-scenes photographs from the original stage production, this play captures Vonnegut’s brilliantly distinct perspective unlike we have ever seen it before. “A great artist.”—The Cincinnati Enquirer

Download or read book Heaven is a Photograph written by Christine Sloan Stoddard and published by . This book was released on 2020-08-11 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This girl is hungry for the weight of a camera in her hands, but that desire feels wicked. Is it because her father is a war photographer and photography has always been his domain? Or is it because she's yet to become a woman who chases what she wants? And who's to say photography can't be her domain, too? At least she knows this: Salvation lies in pixels. Heaven is a photograph. This collection of narrative poems and photographs tells the story of an art student and her journey of doubt, longing, and questioning. Join her as she finds her power behind the lens. "With Heaven is a Photograph, Christine Sloan Stoddard presents you with a poetic meditation on the fear and desire of making images (and claiming one's power). Intellectually and spiritually rich, her words and images imprint on your mind and heart with beauty, honesty and recognition." -Art Jones, artist and filmmaker "Heaven is a Photograph is a living hagiography of a girl who cannot decide whether or not pursuing photography is a sin. Conflicted by gender expectations and the uncertainty of a career in the arts, the one thing that the protagonist knows is that photography is a deeply spiritual practice, enveloping her life. It is truly an autobiography of many women in the arts." -Gretchen Gales, executive editor of Quail Bell Magazine, as seen in Ms. Magazine, The Mighty, and Roar Feminist Magazine "Heaven is a Photograph is a unique exploration of poetry and photography you'll only experience through Christine Sloan Stoddard's magic. The power of her words will shake the core of your being. She doesn't just take pictures-she gives them." -Ghia Vitale, senior editor of Quail Bell Magazine, as seen in Everyday Feminism, xoJane, and BUST "Heaven is a Photograph puts the reader behind, in front of, and inside the camera through Christine Sloan Stoddard's evocative poetry and photography. Through the lens of her viewpoint character, the collection demonstrates the personal and universal appeal of photography in a vivid and impactful manner. Stoddard describes the art of photography as it relates to memory, creation, and legacy in a way that makes the act of clicking the shutter button both an artistic and a spiritual act." -Alex Carrigan, senior critic at Quail Bell Magazine "The narrator of Christine Stoddard's Heaven is a Photograph is hungry. For art. For success. For salvation. For the weight of a camera in her hands. She laments that photography is slow to love her back, which is perhaps what makes this collection so intoxicating. The unchecked, sometimes fearful and unabashedly female desire of a woman who cannot contain her passion-who would let it consume her-explodes in words and images." -Mari Pack, author of Description of a New World (dancing girl press)

Download or read book How to Love Your Laundry written by Patric Richardson and published by Hachette UK. This book was released on 2021-04-01 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'A joy to read.' You Magazine 'Move over, Marie Kondo, it's all about washing not tidying in 2021 and it's down to one man - Patric Richardson.' The Times 'This slim volume, its breezy pages of tips and anecdotes, stories and, in the back, recipes, is a lovely salve. One would be very fortunate, I think, to be Richardson's friend or neighbour, to share his optimism and joy in life's seemingly small things.' Washington Post 'Look after your laundry, and your soul will look after itself.' W. Somerset Maugham Doing laundry is rarely anyone's favourite task. But to Patric Richardson, laundry isn't just fun - it's a way of life. Sorting your laundry? It's not all about whites and darks. Pondering the wash cycles? Every load, even delicates, should be washed using express or quick-wash on warm. Facing expensive dry cleaning bills? You'll learn how to wash everything - yes everything - at home. And those basically clean but pongy clothes? Richardson has a secret for freshening those too (hint: it involves your drinks cabinet). Changing your relationship with laundry can also change your life. Richardson's handy advice shows us how to save time and money (and the planet!) with our laundry - and he intersperses it all with a healthy dose of humour, real-life laundry stories, and lessons from his career in fashion. How to Love Your Laundry will make you wonder why you ever stressed about ironing, dry cleaning, or (god forbid) a red wine spill on your new shirt. No matter the issue, Richardson is here to help you make laundry miracles happen - wrinkles and stains be damned.

Download or read book Living Proof written by Allison K. Henrich and published by . This book was released on 2019 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Wow! This is a powerful book that addresses a long-standing elephant in the mathematics room. Many people learning math ask ``Why is math so hard for me while everyone else understands it?'' and ``Am I good enough to succeed in math?'' In answering these questions the book shares personal stories from many now-accomplished mathematicians affirming that ``You are not alone; math is hard for everyone'' and ``Yes; you are good enough.'' Along the way the book addresses other issues such as biases and prejudices that mathematicians encounter, and it provides inspiration and emotional support for mathematicians ranging from the experienced professor to the struggling mathematics student. --Michael Dorff, MAA President This book is a remarkable collection of personal reflections on what it means to be, and to become, a mathematician. Each story reveals a unique and refreshing understanding of the barriers erected by our cultural focus on ``math is hard.'' Indeed, mathematics is hard, and so are many other things--as Stephen Kennedy points out in his cogent introduction. This collection of essays offers inspiration to students of mathematics and to mathematicians at every career stage. --Jill Pipher, AMS President This book is published in cooperation with the Mathematical Association of America.

Download or read book Brown Girl Brown Girl written by Leslé Honoré and published by . This book was released on 2024-12-03 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Illustrations and rhyming text encourage brown girls to take courage from their predecessors and follow their dreams.