Download or read book A Gate at the Stairs written by Lorrie Moore and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2009-09-01 with total page 337 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • From “one of the most acute and lasting writers of her generation” (The New York Times) comes a piercing novel of race, class, love, and war in America. Twenty-year-old Tassie Keltjin, the daughter of a gentleman farmer, has come to a university town as a student. When she takes a job as a part-time nanny for a mysterious and glamorous family, she finds herself drawn deeper into their world and forever changed. “An indelible portrait of a young woman coming of age in the Midwest in the year after 9/11…. Moore has written her most powerful book yet.” —The New York Times

Download or read book Laughter on the Stairs written by Beverley Nichols and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 1998-08 with total page 257 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fictionalized account of the author's experiences in a sleepy British village, where he tends to the pleasures of gardening and garden writing after World War II

Download or read book Merry Hall written by Beverley Nichols and published by Timber Press. This book was released on 1998-03-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First in a trilogy, Merry Hall is the account of the restoration of a house and garden in post-war England. Though Mr. Nichols's horticultural undertaking is serious, his writing is high-spirited, riotously funny, and, at times, deliciously malicious.

Download or read book Below Stairs written by Margaret Powell and published by Pan. This book was released on 2011-03-12 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A compelling and colourful memoir that takes the reader inside the forgotten world of domestic service. Arriving at the great houses of 1920s London, fifteen-year-old Margaret's life in service was about to begin... As a kitchen maid - the lowest of the low - she entered an entirely new world; one of stoves to be blacked, vegetables to be scrubbed, mistresses to be appeased, and even bootlaces to be ironed. Work started at 5.30am and went on until after dark. Yet from the gentleman with a penchant for stroking the housemaids' curlers, to the heartbreaking story of Agnes the pregnant under-parlourmaid, fired for being seduced by her mistress' nephew, Margaret's tales of her time in service are told with wit, warmth, and a sharp eye for the prejudices of her situation.

Download or read book Sunlight on the Lawn written by Beverley Nichols and published by Timber Press (OR). This book was released on 1999-02 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: No more delightful garden-related books have ever been written than Nichols' accounts of the rescue and renovation of Merry Hall, a run-down Georgian mansion and its garden.

Download or read book Dangerous Laughter written by Steven Millhauser and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2008-02-12 with total page 199 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Martin Dressler—hailed by The New Yorker as “a virtuoso of waking dreams”—comes a dazzling collection of darkly comic stories united by their obsession with obsession. "Remarkable ... Not just brilliant but prescient." —The New York Times Book Review In Dangerous Laughter, Steven Millhauser transports us to unknown universes that uncannily resemble our own. The collection is divided into three parts that fit seamlessly together as a whole. It opens with a bang, as “Cat ’n’ Mouse” reimagines the deadly ritual between cartoon rivals in a comedy of dynamite and anvils—a masterly prologue that sets the stage for the alluring, very grown-up twists that follow. Part one, “Vanishing Acts,” features stories of risk and escape: a lonely woman disappears without a trace; a high school boy becomes entangled with his best friend’s troubled sister; and a group of teenagers play a treacherous game that pushes them deep into “the kingdom of forbidden things.” Excess reigns in the vivid, haunting places of Part two’s “Impossible Architectures,” where domes enclose whole cities, and a king’s master miniaturist creates objects so tiny that soon his entire world is invisible. Finally, “Heretical Histories” presents startling alternatives to the remembered past. “A Precursor of the Cinema” proposes a new, enigmatic form of illusion. And in the astonishing “The Wizard of West Orange” a famous inventor sets out to simulate the sense of touch—but success brings disturbing consequences. Sensual, mysterious, Dangerous Laughter is a mesmerizing journey through brilliantly realized labyrinths of mortal pleasures that stretch the boundaries of the ordinary world to their limits—and occasionally beyond.

Download or read book Down the Garden Path written by Beverley Nichols and published by Timber Press (OR). This book was released on 2004-12 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Down the Garden Path has stood the test of time as one of the world's best-loved and most quoted gardening books. Ostensibly an account of the creation of a garden in Huntingdonshire in the 1930s, it is really about the underlying emotions and obsessions for which gardening is just a cover story. The secret of this book's success---and its timelessness---is that it does not seek to impress the reader with a wealth of expert knowledge or advice. Beverley Nichols proudly declares his status as a newcomer to gardening: "The best gardening books should be written by those who still have to search their brains for the honeysuckle's languid Latin name."As unforgettable as the plants in the garden are, the cast of visitors and neighbours who invariably turn up at inopportune moments are truly memorable. For every angelic Miss Hazlitt there is an insufferable Miss Wilkins waiting in the wings. For every thought-provoking Professor, there is an intrusive Mrs. M., whose chief offense may be that she is a "damnably efficient" gardener. From a disaster in building a rock garden---"It reminded me of those puddings made of spongecake and custard which are studded with almonds"---to a triumph in building an "avalanche" of chionodoxas---"Ah, but it was worth waiting for"---to further adventures with greenhouses, woodland gardens, not to mention cats and treacle, Nichols has left us a true gardening classic.

Download or read book This Time Together written by Carol Burnett and published by Crown. This book was released on 2011-03-22 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This touching and hilarious memoir is 100 percent Carol Burnett—funny, irreverent, and irresistible. Carol Burnett is one of the most beloved and revered actresses and performers in America. The Carol Burnett Show was seen each week by millions of adoring fans and won twenty-five Emmys in its remarkable eleven-year run. Now, in This Time Together, Carol really lets her hair down and tells one funny or touching or memorable story after another. In engaging anecdotes, Carol discusses her remarkable friendships with stars such as Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Cary Grant, and Julie Andrews; the background behind famous scenes, like the moment she swept down the stairs in her curtain-rod dress in the legendary “Went with the Wind” skit; and things that would happen only to Carol—the prank with Julie Andrews that went wrong in front of the First Lady; the famous Tarzan Yell that saved her during a mugging; and the time she faked a wooden leg to get served in a famous ice cream emporium. This poignant look back allows us to cry with the actress during her sorrows, rejoice in her successes, and finally, always, to laugh.

Download or read book Crying Laughing written by Lance Rubin and published by Knopf Books for Young Readers. This book was released on 2019-11-19 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A tragicomic story of bad dates, bad news, bad performances, and one girl's determination to find the funny in high school from the author of Denton Little's Deathdate. Winnie Friedman has been waiting for the world to catch on to what she already knows: she's hilarious. It might be a long wait, though. After bombing a stand-up set at her own bat mitzvah, Winnie has kept her jokes to herself. Well, to herself and her dad, a former comedian and her inspiration. Then, on the second day of tenth grade, the funniest guy in school actually laughs at a comment she makes in the lunch line and asks her to join the improv troupe. Maybe he's even . . . flirting? Just when Winnie's ready to say yes to comedy again, her father reveals that he's been diagnosed with ALS. That is . . . not funny. Her dad's still making jokes, though, which feels like a good thing. And Winnie's prepared to be his straight man if that's what he wants. But is it what he needs? Caught up in a spiral of epically bad dates, bad news, and bad performances, Winnie's struggling to see the humor in it all. But finding a way to laugh is exactly what will see her through. **A Junior Library Guild Selection**

Download or read book Whose Turn for the Stairs written by Robert Douglas and published by Headline. This book was released on 2011-12-08 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is an utterly charming story about twelve families and their tightly knit street in 1950s Maryhill. Following the end of the war, the close rebuilds its ties and the strong sense of community and friendly neighbourhood bonds are soon back in place. There is young love for Rhea and Robert; a surprising new start for James; a change of direction for George; and all overseen by the matriarch of the street - Granny Thomson. And of course, all buoyed up by a big helping of Scottish humour and strength of spirit. Yet it is all not perfect in their world: the families have to deal with poverty, religious bigotry, racism, heartbreak, lies, violence and death. But the powerful friendships cannot ultimately be broken. In Robert Douglas's first novel, he recreates a time and place particular to Glasgow but to which everyone will relate.

Download or read book BenBee and the Teacher Griefer written by K.A. Holt and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2020-09-22 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the author of Rhyme Schemer, House Arrest, and Knockout! The Kids Under the Stairs: BenBee and the Teacher Griefer is a funny, clever novel-in-verse series about Ben Bellows—who failed the Language Arts section of the Florida State test—and three classmates who get stuck in a summer school class. But these kids aren't dumb—they're divergent thinkers, as Ms. J tells them: they simply approach things in a different way than traditional school demands. • Each chapter is told through the perspective of one of the four students, who each write in a different style (art, verse, stream of consciousness). • Celebrates different types of intelligence • A heartwarming, laugh-out-loud novel-in-verse Soon, the kids win over Ms. J with their passion for Sandbox, a Minecraft-type game. The kids make a deal with Ms. J: every minute they spend reading aloud equals one minute they get to play Sandbox in class. But when the administration finds about this unorthodox method of teaching, Ben B. and his buds have to band together to save their teacher's job—and their own academic future. The first in a series of complementary storylines, this is an honest, heartfelt book about friendship, videogames, and learning to love yourself. • Features a distinct and engaging cast of characters • Encourages even the most reluctant reader to embrace their own "divergent" self • Perfect for parents of kids age 10 and up who love Minecraft, educators and librarians, middle grade readers, new readers of poetry, and fans of videogames • You'll love this book if you love books like Ghost by Jason Reynolds, Patina by Jason Reynolds, and Short by Holly Goldberg Sloan.

Download or read book Laughter She Wrote written by Janet Sharpe Shoffner and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2016-01-06 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Read for medicinal purposes only. Large doses highly recommended. For best results, this book should not be shared - make them buy their own copy. Laughter soothes the soul and other body parts.

Download or read book Bark written by Lorrie Moore and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2014-02-25 with total page 159 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A collection of stories by one of America’s most beloved and admired short-story writers that explores the passage of time and summons up its inevitable sorrows and hilarious pitfalls to reveal an exquisite, singular wisdom. • “Uncanny.... Moving.... A powerful collection.” —The Washington Post Here are people beset, burdened, buoyed; protected by raising teenage children; dating after divorce; facing the serious illness of a longtime friend; setting forth on a romantic assignation abroad, having it interrupted mid-trip, and coming to understand the larger ramifications and the impossibility of the connection ... stories that show people coping with large dislocation in their lives, with risking a new path to answer the desire to be in relation—to someone….

Download or read book Mind Full written by Dermot Whelan and published by Gill & Macmillan Ltd. This book was released on 2021-04-16 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In 2007, comedian and broadcaster Dermot Whelan arrived at a comedy festival in an ambulance after having a panic attack en route. Realising this was not a sustainable way to travel to future gigs, he decided to become a meditation teacher and learn how to de-stress without annoying the emergency services. Telling Dermot's own story and offering useful everyday tips and techniques, Mind Full is his funny and accessible guide to meditation. If you feel like you've lost touch with the happier version of yourself and would like to: SLEEP BETTER REDUCE STRESS, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION HAVE MORE PATIENCE WITH THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE FEEL LESS 'MEH' ENJOY LIFE MORE ... this book is for you. You'll discover that learning to meditate doesn't require you to blow up your life and move to Nepal, but it does help you make very small changes that make a long-lasting difference. With exclusive access to Dermot's guided meditations, Mind Full will help you restore your sense of fulfilment, happiness and true contentment. 'Fixed whatever block I had harboured towards the concept of meditation ... I had convinced myself that I wasn't one of those people. Now I realise there is no prerequisite character type. It's just for ... people. A lovely, funny, honest book.' Cillian Murphy, From The Foreword

Download or read book Don t Joke on the Stairs written by Cecilie Gamst Berg and published by Blacksmith Books(JP). This book was released on 2012 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Longtime Hong Kong resident Cecilie Gamst Berg describes what life is like in contemporary China.

Download or read book Laughing Matters written by Lee Siegel and published by Motilal Banarsidass Publishe. This book was released on 1989 with total page 528 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Lessons in Laughter written by Bernard Bragg and published by Gallaudet University Press. This book was released on 1989 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "The story of Bernard Bragg and his astonishing lifelong achievements in the performing arts."--