Download or read book Small Town America written by Robert Wuthnow and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2015-05-26 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revealing examination of small-town life More than thirty million Americans live in small, out-of-the-way places. Many of them could have joined the vast majority of Americans who live in cities and suburbs. They could live closer to more lucrative careers and convenient shopping, a wider range of educational opportunities, and more robust health care. But they have opted to live differently. In Small-Town America, we meet factory workers, shop owners, retirees, teachers, clergy, and mayors—residents who show neighborliness in small ways, but who also worry about everything from school closings and their children's futures to the ups and downs of the local economy. Drawing on more than seven hundred in-depth interviews in hundreds of towns across America and three decades of census data, Robert Wuthnow shows the fragility of community in small towns. He covers a host of topics, including the symbols and rituals of small-town life, the roles of formal and informal leaders, the social role of religious congregations, the perception of moral and economic decline, and the myriad ways residents in small towns make sense of their own lives. Wuthnow also tackles difficult issues such as class and race, abortion, homosexuality, and substance abuse. Small-Town America paints a rich panorama of individuals who reside in small communities, finding that, for many people, living in a small town is an important part of self-identity.

Download or read book Small Town Spirit written by Patricia Crumpler and published by World Castle Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2023-08-14 with total page 482 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Recently divorced Jennifer Hughes starts a new life by buying an adorable Victorian house in the small town of Livonia. Along with the house’s furniture, she gets the spirit of the original owner, Miles Hampton, a turn-of-the-century detective. Miles resents new owners disturbing his nether-rest, so he tries to make Jen leave. Quirky and stubborn, Jen stays. She and Miles negotiate a compromise allowing them both to reside in the house they love. Now fully awakened, Miles explores the town he once lived in and can’t help solving a few crimes. Jen reports the criminal activity to Lee Ferguson, the town’s attractive and available detective, who acts on the information. Charmed by Jen, Lee can’t accept that she got her tips from a ghost, but he tolerates the notion she’s psychic. A wonky, triangular relationship develops between Jen, Lee, and Miles. Strange happenings in Livonia develop as well. Evil grows in the town, and it becomes a ticking bomb. Jen and her allies must craft a strategy to counteract the catastrophic upheaval sure to come. Can Jen figure out why Miles hasn’t passed on? Can she make a new life with love and happiness? Can she save Livonia? Maybe….

Download or read book Our Towns written by James Fallows and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2018-05-08 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: NATIONAL BEST SELLER • The basis for the HBO documentary now streaming on HBO Max For five years, James and Deborah Fallows have travelled across America in a single-engine prop airplane. Visiting dozens of towns, the America they saw is acutely conscious of its problems—from economic dislocation to the opioid scourge—but it is also crafting solutions, with a practical-minded determination at dramatic odds with the bitter paralysis of national politics. At times of dysfunction on a national level, reform possibilities have often arisen from the local level. The Fallowses describe America in the middle of one of these creative waves. Their view of the country is as complex and contradictory as America itself, but it also reflects the energy, the generosity and compassion, the dreams, and the determination of many who are in the midst of making things better. Our Towns is the story of their journey—and an account of a country busy remaking itself.

Download or read book Portraits of a Small Town written by C. Sheeler and published by CreateSpace. This book was released on 2015-04-30 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The "Portraits of a Small Town" is a collection of short stories that take place in or around small towns. Some are comical, some are meant to frighten, others are meant for the reader to think. The stories try to capture that small town spirit that is slowly disappearing across America.

Download or read book The Cottage Fairy Companion written by Paola Merrill and published by Mango Media Inc.. This book was released on 2022-11-22 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Awaken to Mindful Living Cottagecore Style “This book presents an easy entry point for readers interested in exploring mindfulness and the cottagecore lifestyle.” –Library Journal review #1 Best Seller in Small Homes & Cottages, Folkcrafts, Architectural Decoration and Ornaments, Fiber Arts & Textiles, Seasonal Crafts, Architecture, Home Design Decorating & Design Discover how to infuse the charm of cottagecore into your everyday life with The Cottage Fairy Companion. This book takes you to a simpler, more mindful existence, offering the beauty of slow living, rustic aesthetics, and a deep connection to nature. Romanticize our life. With The Cottage Fairy Companion as your guide, immerse yourself in the enchantment of everyday magic. Reimagine life through a cottagecore lens, whether you're a city-dweller or countryside resident, helping you build an intimate connection with nature and experience the joys of slow living. Embrace mindful restoration. Follow the inspiring journey of author Paola Merrill and unearth the profound wisdom that nature offers for personal growth and fulfillment. This guide illustrates how the practices of rustic living and mindful awareness can become the cornerstone of your daily life, transforming your world into a serene haven of simple, balanced living. Inside you'll discover: Practical strategies to integrate cottagecore aesthetics into your daily life, regardless of your dwelling An engaging narrative of Paola Merrill's transition from city bustle to countryside tranquility Mindfulness techniques rooted in the wisdom of nature Inspiration to embrace the magic in the everyday If you liked books like Escape Into Cottagecore, Cozy White Cottage, Simply Living Well, or The Little Book of Cottagecore, you’ll love The Cottage Fairy Companion.

Download or read book Carpentaria written by Alexis Wright and published by New Directions Publishing. This book was released on 2024-02-06 with total page 393 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alexis Wright’s award-winning classic Carpentaria: “a swelling, heaving tsunami of a novel—stinging, sinuous, salted with outrageous humor, sweetened by spiraling lyricism” (The Australian) Carpentaria is an epic of the Gulf country of northwestern Queensland, Australia. Its portrait of life in the precariously settled coastal town of Desperance centers on the powerful Phantom family, leader of the Westend Pricklebush people, and its battles with old Joseph Midnight’s renegade Eastend mob, on the one hand, and with the white officials of Uptown and the nearby rapacious, ecologically disastrous Gurfurrit mine on the other. Wright’s masterful novel teems with extraordinary characters—the outcast savior Elias Smith, the religious zealot Mozzie Fishman, the murderous mayor Bruiser, the moth-ridden Captain Nicoli Finn, the activist Will Phantom, and above all, the rulers of the family, the queen of the garbage dump and the fish-embalming king of time: Angel Day and Normal Phantom—who stand like giants in a storm-swept world. Wright’s storytelling is operatic and surreal: a blend of myth and scripture, politics and farce. She has a narrative gift for remaking reality itself, altering along her way, as if casually, the perception of what a novel can do with the inside of the reader's mind. Carpentaria is “an epic, exhilarating, unsettling novel” (Wall Street Journal) that is not to be missed.

Download or read book Small Town Talk written by Barney Hoskyns and published by Da Capo Press. This book was released on 2016-03-08 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Think "Woodstock" and the mind turns to the seminal 1969 festival that crowned a seismic decade of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll. But the town of Woodstock, New York, the original planned venue of the concert, is located over 60 miles from the site to which the fabled half a million flocked. Long before the landmark music festival usurped the name, Woodstock-the tiny Catskills town where Bob Dylan holed up after his infamous 1966 motorcycle accident-was already a key location in the '60s rock landscape. In Small Town Talk, Barney Hoskyns re-creates Woodstock's community of brilliant dysfunctional musicians, scheming dealers, and opportunistic hippie capitalists drawn to the area by Dylan and his sidekicks from the Band. Central to the book's narrative is the broodingly powerful presence of Albert Grossman, manager of Dylan, the Band, Janis Joplin, Paul Butterfield, and Todd Rundgren-and the Big Daddy of a personal fiefdom in Bearsville that encompassed studios, restaurants, and his own record label. Intertwined in the story are the Woodstock experiences and associations of artists as diverse as Van Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Tim Hardin, Karen Dalton, and Bobby Charles (whose immortal song-portrait of Woodstock gives the book its title). Drawing on numerous first-hand interviews with the remaining key players in the scene-and on the period when he lived there himself in the 1990s-Hoskyns has produced an East Coast companion to his bestselling L.A. canyon classic Hotel California. This is a richly absorbing study of a vital music scene in a revolutionary time and place.

Download or read book Small Town Rules written by Barry J. Moltz and published by Que Publishing. This book was released on 2012-03-26 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Technology and economics are transforming business in a completely unexpected way: suddenly, even the largest companies must compete as if they were small, local businesses. Suddenly, your customers can talk to everyone else across the nation, and people listen to them, not your carefully crafted advertising or branding. It's just like doing business in a small town, where "reputation is forever." Suddenly, communities and personal connections are critical to your success - just as they've always been in small towns. The best small-town and rural entrepreneurs have been successfully overcoming these challenges for centuries. Their lessons and techniques are suddenly intensely valuable to even the largest companies, most dominant brands, and most cosmopolitan businesses. Small Town Rules adapts these lessons and techniques for today's new "global small town": one knitted together through the Web, Facebook, and Twitter. Two pioneering entrepreneurs and social media experts show how to: * Survive seasonal cycles and year-to-year fluctuations the way rural farmers and businesses do * Use "small town entrepreneur secrets" for coping with limited access to people and capital * Reduce risk by "piecing together" multiple income sources * Start using customer-driven communication to your advantage * Interact with customers on a more human scale, no matter how big you are * Rediscover your company's local roots, and more

Download or read book Rootbound written by Tarah DeWitt and published by St. Martin's Griffin. This book was released on 2023-05-02 with total page 268 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: You really can't go home again. Tait Logan is proud of the life she’s built for herself. Despite her world-shattering divorce, not having any genuine connections with other humans apart from her sister Ava, and the fact that the remainder of her family is estranged from her life, she’s happy...happy-adjacent, at least. She’s rebuilt herself through her photography; her dream career, the one thing she does still have. When that career contracts her to do an assignment on her estranged family's home, Logan Range—a now famous ranch functioning as the setting for a popular TV show—she’s left with no choice but to agree. It’s only a six-week assignment, after all. She has no plans to set down roots, or get to know the family that, seemingly, has had no interest in a relationship with her since her parents' divorce when she was seven. Henry Marcum is a cowboy who has dedicated his life to the Logan family and to their ranch. He owes them for raising him, rescuing him, and giving him purpose... He also owes them for every hardship he’s inadvertently brought their way. So, when Tait Logan shows up after 20 years of near total silence, he takes it upon himself to protect the people he knows and loves. It’s a rocky start when Tait and Henry first collide; he is naturally wary of her intentions, and she is more than perturbed by their literal collision - which results in her broken camera, during her first night on location, no less. But as the pair get to know each other better, they’re thrown off balance time and time again by their growing feelings, and by the story of the Logan family as it becomes increasingly less clear from their perspectives. Set in the mountains and valleys of Idaho on a rustic ranch, Rootbound is a steamy romance with a warm country feel that touches upon family, heartbreak, and whether the potential for disaster is worth the risk that accompanies love.

Download or read book The Only Game in Town written by John Bibee and published by InterVarsity Press. This book was released on 1988-06-28 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Daniel, a new boy in Centerville, struggles over whether to join the evil but tempting Cobra Club or align himself with the children who ride the Spirit Flyer bicycles.

Download or read book Dewey written by Vicki Myron and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2008-09-24 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Experience the uplifting, "unforgettable" New York Times bestseller about an abandoned kitten named Dewey, whose life in a library won over a farming town and the world -- with over 2 million copies sold! (Booklist) Dewey's story starts in the worst possible way. On the coldest night of the year in Spencer, Iowa, at only a few weeks old--a critical age for kittens--he was stuffed into the return book slot of the Spencer Public Library. He was found the next morning by library director Vicki Myron, a single mother who had survived the loss of her family farm, a breast cancer scare, and an alcoholic husband. Dewey won her heart, and the hearts of the staff, by pulling himself up and hobbling on frostbitten feet to nudge each of them in a gesture of thanks and love. For the next nineteen years, he never stopped charming the people of Spencer with his enthusiasm, warmth, humility (for a cat), and, above all, his sixth sense about who needed him most. As his fame grew from town to town, then state to state and finally, amazingly, worldwide, Dewey became more than just a friend; he became a source of pride for an extraordinary Heartland farming community slowly working its way back from the greatest crisis in its long history.

Download or read book The Small Town Pagan s Survival Guide written by Bronwen Forbes and published by Llewellyn Worldwide. This book was released on 2011-09-08 with total page 148 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Are you living in—or moving to—a small community and wondering how you'll fit in, connect with other Pagans, and live your beliefs in peace? This wonderfully unique book is filled with ways to nourish your Pagan soul in small towns, suburbs, and any place outside the city limits. Along with Bronwen Forbes' own experiences, Pagans from close-knit communities across the country offer hard-won wisdom and advice on all aspects of staying true to yourself and your spirituality. —Starting a coven or study group —Getting along with non-Pagan neighbors —How to find and make ritual tools —Celebrating the Sabbats —Home decoration —Dating non-Pagans —Following Pagan etiquette —When and how to reveal your beliefs —Raising Pagan children After reading the book, join the discussion online at groups.yahoo.com/group/smalltownpagans, where you can make more enriching connections.

Download or read book Faithful Endurance written by Collin Hansen and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2019-04-17 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book will prove to be a spiritual tonic for pastors." —Thomas R. Schreiner This book offers pastors examples of long-term faithfulness in ministry and practical wisdom from veteran pastors for real-life issues. Attending to your personal spiritual life (Tim Keller) Leaving a church (D. A. Carson) Crafting sermons week after week (Bryan Chapell) Facing criticism (Dan Doriani) Pastoring a church you wouldn't attend (Tom Ascol) Caring for your wife in the midst of criticism (Juan R. Sanchez with Jeanine D. Sanchez) Feeling deserted by members leaving (Dave Harvey) Pastoring a small church that seems insignificant (Mark McCullough) Experiencing burnout (John Starke) Shepherding a church that has outgrown your gifts (Scott Patty) Handling financial burdens (Brandon Shields) Doubting your calling (Jeff Robinson Sr.)

Download or read book The Spirit of Cattail County written by Victoria Piontek and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2018-05-29 with total page 186 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A heart-expanding, magical debut from one of the most exciting new voices in the grand tradition of southern literature. “Wrapped in prose as mysterious and lovely as a southern breeze lies a story about loss that haunts, and the ghosts that help us heal. This story is a treasure.”—Natalie Lloyd, New York Times bestselling author of A Snicker of MagicSparrow doesn't have many friends. Some kids believe her house near the swamp is haunted. Others think there's something "unusual" about her.But Sparrow's not lonely -- she has a best friend who's always with her. He sits with Sparrow on her porch swing. He makes her smile by playing pranks in church. Yet Sparrow is the only one who can see him . . . because the Boy is a ghost.So when her mama passes away, Sparrow doesn't give up hope. After all, if the Boy can linger after death, then surely Mama can return as well.But the Boy has a secret of his own, one that Sparrow will need to uncover before the ghost will lead her to Mama. To solve the mystery, Sparrow joins forces with some unlikely allies -- Maeve and Johnny, siblings from a family of town outcasts --and Elena, a visiting child fortune-teller.With its loving depiction of small town life, and characters who feel like old friends, this magical debut will enchant you, dazzle you . . . and make you feel at home.

Download or read book Seeing Christmas written by Karen Stacy and published by . This book was released on 2019-08-14 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Snow in Love written by Aimee Friedman and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2018-10-30 with total page 215 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Perfect for fans of Let It Snow, this irresistible collection of wintry love stories is guaranteed to bring on the warm fuzzies. What's better than one deliciously cozy, swoon-worthy holiday story?Four of them, from some of today's bestselling authors.From KASIE WEST, a snowy road trip takes an unexpected detour when secrets and crushes are revealed.From AIMEE FRIEDMAN, a Hanukkah miracle may just happen when a Jewish girl working as a department store elf finds love.From MELISSA DE LA CRUZ, Christmas Eve gets a plot twist when a high school couple exchange surprising presents.From NIC STONE, a scavenger hunt amid the holiday crowds at an airport turns totally romantic.So grab a mug of hot cocoa, snuggle up, and get ready to fall in love...

Download or read book Big Lies in a Small Town written by Diane Chamberlain and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2020-01-14 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From New York Times bestselling author Diane Chamberlain comes a novel of chilling intrigue, a decades-old disappearance, and one woman’s quest to find the truth... “A novel about arts and secrets...grippingly told...pulls readers toward a shocking conclusion.”—People magazine, Best New Books North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will get her released from prison immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to be free, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets. North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and in great need of work, she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder. What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies? “Chamberlain, a master storyteller, keeps readers hooked, with a story line that leavens history and social commentary with romance and mystery.”—Lexington Dispatch