Download or read book The Best Party of Our Lives written by Sarah Galvin and published by Sasquatch Books. This book was released on 2015-12-15 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This moving collection of true stories about gay weddings shows how LGBT couples have overcome cultural and personal obstacles to their unions, made wedding traditions their own, and what everyone can learn from them. Told in a series of essays that mimics the course of a traditional wedding, from engagement to walking down the aisle to the honeymoon and beyond, The Best Party of Our Lives invites readers to reflect on what makes their own relationships unique, and the significance of public celebrations of love. With chapters each focusing on a different couple's love story, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned, the book offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of the changing face of marriage. The perspective these trailblazing couples gain by examining and remaking marriage for themselves will inform anyone who is planning a wedding and inspire anyone who has ever been in love. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Download or read book The Best Party of Our Lives written by Sarah Galvin and published by Sasquatch Books. This book was released on 2015-01-01 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This moving collection of true stories about gay weddings shows how LGBT couples have overcome cultural and personal obstacles to their unions, made wedding traditions their own, and what everyone can learn from them. Told in a series of essays that mimics the course of a traditional wedding, from engagement to walking down the aisle to the honeymoon and beyond, The Best Party of Our Lives invites readers to reflect on what makes their own relationships unique, and the significance of public celebrations of love. With chapters each focusing on a different couple's love story, the challenges they faced, and the lessons they learned, the book offers a kaleidoscopic portrait of the changing face of marriage. The perspective these trailblazing couples gain by examining and remaking marriage for themselves will inform anyone who is planning a wedding and inspire anyone who has ever been in love.

Download or read book The Best Years of Our Lives written by Richard Clapton and published by Allen & Unwin. This book was released on 2014-07-23 with total page 362 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A rocking, uproarious memoir that tells the story of OzRock as well as one amazing life in music. Fasten your seatbelts for one wild ride! Welcome to the party that never ends. When he was 16 he inveigled his way into a Sydney hotel to hang out with the Rolling Stones. From that day on, Richard Clapton knew he was going to be a rock star. It's now almost 50 years since that fateful day -years filled with a lifetime of incredible experiences, outrageous good times and a catalogue of iconic and timeless songs. Through the glory years of rock'n' roll, in cities as varied as London, Berlin, Sydney, Los Angeles and Paris, Richard forged his own career and built up a significant body of work while living, loving and partying with the biggest names in the Australian and international music world. By his own frank admission, these were years fuelled by prodigious quantities of alcohol and drugs, set against a backdrop of constant recording and touring, of endless partying and wild times. It was to be a rollercoaster ride of euphoric highs and deep, shattering lows. For 40 years, Richard Clapton has been, above all else, a songwriter-a wry observer of human behaviour and an astute commentator on the Australian condition. His best songs- 'Deep Water', 'The Best Years of Our Lives', 'Goodbye Tiger', 'Glory Road', 'Lucky Country', 'Girls on the Avenue', 'Trust Somebody' and 'Capricorn Dancer'-capture the essence of this country and the meaning of our lives like few others. In this extraordinary memoir, Richard employs his songwriter's keen powers of observation, portraiture and storytelling to tell the best story of all: the remarkable one of his own life. Outrageous, funny, insightful and poignant, this is the rock memoir to beat them all. In celebration of 40 years of fabulous music and iconic songs, welcome to The Best Years of Our Lives.

Download or read book The Story of Our Lives written by Helen Warner and published by Harlequin. This book was released on 2018-02-13 with total page 266 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: They think nothing can tear their bond apart, until a long-buried secret threatens to destroy everything. Every year they have met up for a vacation, but their time away is much more than just a bit of fun. Over time, it has become a lifesaver, as each of them struggles with life’s triumphs and tragedies. Sophie, Emily, Amy and Melissa have been best friends since they were girls. They have seen each other through everything—from Sophie’s private fear that she doesn’t actually want to be a mother despite having two kids, to Amy’s perfect-on-the-outside marriage that starts to reveal troubling warning signs, to Melissa’s spiraling alcoholism, to questions that are suddenly bubbling up around the paternity of Emily’s son. But could a lie that spans just as long as their friendship be the thing that tears them apart?

Download or read book The Best Years of Our Lives written by Vishal Dhawan and published by Notion Press. This book was released on 2016-11-05 with total page 366 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Mesmerize your senses through a journey into the Nostalgic ‘90s, a life-changing voyage through the realms of Friendship, Love, Adventure, Humour, Separation, Pain and Redemption. Monfort Memorial High, that's where our story begins. For Vihan and his friends, life is innocent, it's funny, and it’s mysterious. They seek adventure. Puberty has just marked its arrival. As seasons change, they encounter the blatant realities of life. We are introduced to new characters. Characters that are lovable, characters that are downright disdainful and characters that have observed melancholia to its depth. These characters draw new perspective to the story. Waves of existence gush forward and give rise to a plethora of emotions; preconceived notions are shattered, evil shows its ugly face, there is a call for rebellion and amidst all the disruption, there is the calming influence of eternal love and undying friendship. Adolescence is our first love affair with life… It is wild and untameable like a fresh stream. Take a plunge and relive those cherished years.

Download or read book Party Ideas Give Someone THE BEST DAY of Their Life Reward Yourself By Rewarding Others written by Trina McDougall and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on 2012-09-01 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Includes 20 theme days of, how to make an amazing day for someone special, with easy step by step instructions of pure fun on a shoe string budget that can last all day long. An ideas extravaganza feast! With individual tastes catered for and some real life examples that have been tried and tested. The heart of this book unfolds the reward that comes when one takes action to bless others. What a THRILL! When a dear one has said, "Trina, you gave me THE BEST DAY of my life!" This thrill in not only sharing that experience with them but in creating such a day is absolutely incredible. This thrill is too precious to not encourage others to do the same and provide principles, avenues, tools and practical help. The ideas can be adapted to suit unique situations and promote the experience of rewards that come when reaching out and do something for someone else. Encouraging fulfilment to the precious thing that we call ...LIFE!

Download or read book The Opposite of Loneliness written by Marina Keegan and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The instant New York Times bestseller and publishing phenomenon: Marina Keegan’s posthumous collection of award-winning essays and stories “sparkles with talent, humanity, and youth” (O, The Oprah Magazine). Marina Keegan’s star was on the rise when she graduated magna cum laude from Yale in May 2012. She had a play that was to be produced at the New York Fringe Festival and a job waiting for her at The New Yorker. Tragically, five days after graduation, Marina died in a car crash. Marina left behind a rich, deeply expansive trove of writing that, like her title essay, captures the hope, uncertainty, and possibility of her generation. Her short story “Cold Pastoral” was published on NewYorker.com. Her essay “Even Artichokes Have Doubts” was excerpted in the Financial Times, and her book was the focus of a Nicholas Kristof column in The New York Times. Millions of her contemporaries have responded to her work on social media. As Marina wrote: “We can still do anything. We can change our minds. We can start over…We’re so young. We can’t, we MUST not lose this sense of possibility because in the end, it’s all we have.” The Opposite of Loneliness is an unforgettable collection of Marina’s essays and stories that articulates the universal struggle all of us face as we figure out what we aspire to be and how we can harness our talents to impact the world. “How do you mourn the loss of a fiery talent that was barely a tendril before it was snuffed out? Answer: Read this book. A clear-eyed observer of human nature, Keegan could take a clever idea...and make it something beautiful” (People).

Download or read book Top Five Regrets of the Dying written by Bronnie Ware and published by Hay House, Inc. This book was released on 2019-08-13 with total page 322 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Revised edition of the best-selling memoir that has been read by over a million people worldwide with translations in 29 languages. After too many years of unfulfilling work, Bronnie Ware began searching for a job with heart. Despite having no formal qualifications or previous experience in the field, she found herself working in palliative care. During the time she spent tending to those who were dying, Bronnie's life was transformed. Later, she wrote an Internet blog post, outlining the most common regrets that the people she had cared for had expressed. The post gained so much momentum that it was viewed by more than three million readers worldwide in its first year. At the request of many, Bronnie subsequently wrote a book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, to share her story. Bronnie has had a colourful and diverse life. By applying the lessons of those nearing their death to her own life, she developed an understanding that it is possible for everyone, if we make the right choices, to die with peace of mind. In this revised edition of the best-selling memoir that has been read by over a million people worldwide, with translations in 29 languages, Bronnie expresses how significant these regrets are and how we can positively address these issues while we still have the time. The Top Five Regrets of the Dying gives hope for a better world. It is a courageous, life-changing book that will leave you feeling more compassionate and inspired to live the life you are truly here to live.

Download or read book Time of Our Lives written by Emily Wibberley and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2021-02-02 with total page 386 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Emily and Austin have a reputation for delivering heartwarming, provoking, and real contemporary YA novels."--BuzzFeed Fitz Holton waits in fear for the day his single mother's early-onset Alzheimer's starts stealing her memory. He's vowed to stay close to home to care for her in the years to come--never mind the ridiculous college tour she's forcing him on to visit schools where he knows he'll never go. Juniper Ramirez is counting down the days until she can leave home, a home crowded with five younger siblings and zero privacy. Against the wishes of her tight-knit family, Juniper plans her own college tour of the East Coast with one goal: get out. When Fitz and Juniper cross paths on their first college tour in Boston, they're at odds from the moment they meet-- while Juniper's dying to start a new life apart from her family, Fitz faces the sacrifices he must make for his. Their relationship sparks a deep connection--in each other's eyes, they glimpse alternate possibilities regarding the first big decision of their adult lives.

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 How We Fight for Our Lives written by Saeed Jones and published by Simon & Schuster. This book was released on 2020-07-07 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From award-winning poet Saeed Jones, How We Fight for Our Lives—winner of the Kirkus Prize and the Stonewall Book Award—is a “moving, bracingly honest memoir” (The New York Times Book Review) written at the crossroads of sex, race, and power. One of the best books of the year as selected by The New York Times; The Washington Post; NPR; Time; The New Yorker; O, The Oprah Magazine; Harper’s Bazaar; Elle; BuzzFeed; Goodreads; and many more. “People don’t just happen,” writes Saeed Jones. “We sacrifice former versions of ourselves. We sacrifice the people who dared to raise us. The ‘I’ it seems doesn’t exist until we are able to say, ‘I am no longer yours.’” Haunted and haunting, How We Fight for Our Lives is a stunning coming-of-age memoir about a young, black, gay man from the South as he fights to carve out a place for himself, within his family, within his country, within his own hopes, desires, and fears. Through a series of vignettes that chart a course across the American landscape, Jones draws readers into his boyhood and adolescence—into tumultuous relationships with his family, into passing flings with lovers, friends, and strangers. Each piece builds into a larger examination of race and queerness, power and vulnerability, love and grief: a portrait of what we all do for one another—and to one another—as we fight to become ourselves. An award-winning poet, Jones has developed a style that’s as beautiful as it is powerful—a voice that’s by turns a river, a blues, and a nightscape set ablaze. How We Fight for Our Lives is a one-of-a-kind memoir and a book that cements Saeed Jones as an essential writer for our time.

Download or read book Life of the Party written by Daniel Stombaugh and published by Lakeview Publications. This book was released on 2021-11-03 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Pain never just creeps into a person’s life. Pain never just stops by for a front porch conversation, never knocks on your door or calls to see if it’s a good time. Pain always throws a party, and this party is guaranteed to shock you. Pain jumps out from behind the couch and shouts, “SURPRISE!!!!” Pain is the ultimate loose cannon—loud, flamboyant, and obnoxious. This is why we are so surprised when we walk through the doorway of the day-to-day to find this party planner in our home, with a crowd of unique and powerful guests. What you are about to read is a concept that God has allowed pain to teach me. Pain is a part of life—and, regardless of the reasons it shows up, I believe we can use it to discover purpose. There are several guests who will always show up at a pain party, and our ability to move through it comes down to our responses to the guests we choose to interact with. This is the story of Joanna, a conversation that took place between us, and ultimately the healing that was discovered through perspective. My prayer is that you will also experience this healing perspective and forever see pain through the lens that heals.

Download or read book A Part of Our Lives written by Lynn Ashcroft and published by Beaten Track Publishing. This book was released on 2022-12-01 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A young man of twenty-six takes his own life one Friday morning when he should have been going to work. No signs of anything wrong viewed by me (his mother). He got up, had a wash and cleaned his teeth and shouted his goodbyes, just like any other day. Suicide is a word that grips you when you see it, more so if you have been affected by it, and the aftermath is horrendous. This is my story of the effects it had and continues to have on myself and my other son. Life is not and cannot be the same again for either of us. The ups and the downs are something we have had to learn to live with, along with the questions that never cease and can never be answered, though I will probably keep looking for some sort of answer until the end of my days. I found that there was not much help out there for us as a family to deal with the aftermath. Although this story is about Steven and written from my insight and views, I hope it will be of some help to anyone starting out on this terrible journey life has thrown at us, even if it’s only to assure you. You are not losing your mind. The things you’re feeling are quite normal for the tragic situation you’ve been left to face. My heart and my love go out to every one of you because this is one group of people that we don’t want to be part of, but unfortunately we have had no choice in the matter. Life does go on, and while we know it will never be the same again, you will learn how to live with this pain and loss.

Download or read book Life Is a Party written by David Burtka and published by Grand Central Publishing. This book was released on 2019-04-16 with total page 601 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 106 killer recipes, 16 creative party themes, and 250 gorgeous photos--plus playlists and easy planning tips--make LIFE IS A PARTY the indispensable cookbook and guide for home cooks. Chef, actor, and entertaining authority David Burtka knows that every day can be a party. Over a lifetime of throwing epic gatherings, the Cordon Bleu-trained Burtka has perfected the formula for creating easy and perfect get-togethers at home. Now, in the pages of his debut cookbook, he's sharing all of his secrets and an intimate look into the lives of one of Hollywood's favorite families. Everything you need to throw a memorable party, or to make a delicious weeknight meal, can be found right here. Whether your event and budget are modest or you're going all-out, and whether the guest list is an intimate crew or it's a blowout bash, David's sixteen party themes-from cozy game nights at home to elegant New Year's fêtes-are built around doable, show-stopping menus that take the guesswork out of high-impact hosting. Complete with endless and fun ways to mix-and-match dishes, create stunning decor, prep ahead, and get guests involved, David helps you put all the elements in place to make every party a success without ever losing your cool. At the heart of the book are David's amazing recipes, including delicious twists on comfort classics like Corn Cakes with Bacon Jam, Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas, and Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwich Cake. And you don't need to wait for a party to try recipes like Ham, Egg, and Cheese Calzones; Mint Pesto Pasta; and Thyme and Gruyère Popovers. Never one to miss the opportunity to toast friends and family, David also shows you how to make delicious cocktails for a crowd: think Mojito Slushies, Charred Peach and Plum Sangria, and Cucumber-Lime Spritzers. So raise a glass and get cooking! Because there's no better time than now to make your life a party.

Download or read book A Political Philosophy in Public Life written by José Luis Martí and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2012-07-22 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of a Princeton professor's role as the unofficial philosophical adviser to the Spanish government This book examines an unlikely development in modern political philosophy: the adoption by a major national government of the ideas of a living political theorist. When José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero became Spain's opposition leader in 2000, he pledged that if his socialist party won power he would govern Spain in accordance with the principles laid out in Philip Pettit's 1997 book Republicanism, which presented, as an alternative to liberalism and communitarianism, a theory of freedom and government based on the idea of nondomination. When Zapatero was elected President in 2004, he invited Pettit to Spain to give a major speech about his ideas. Zapatero also invited Pettit to monitor Spanish politics and deliver a kind of report card before the next election. Pettit did so, returning to Spain in 2007 to make a presentation in which he gave Zapatero's government a qualified thumbs-up for promoting republican ideals. In this book, Pettit and José Luis Martí provide the historical background to these unusual events, explain the principles of civic republicanism in accessible terms, present Pettit's report and his response to some of its critics, and include an extensive interview with Zapatero himself. In addition, the authors discuss what is required of a political philosophy if it is to play the sort of public role that civic republicanism has been playing in Spain. An important account of a rare and remarkable encounter between contemporary political philosophy and real-world politics, this is also a significant work of political philosophy in its own right.

Download or read book Part of Our Lives written by Wayne A. Wiegand and published by Oxford University Press, USA. This book was released on 2015 with total page 345 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Challenges conventional thinking and top-down definitions, instead drawing on the library user's perspective to argue that the public library's most important function is providing commonplace reading materials and public space. Challenges a professional ethos about public libraries and their responsibilities to fight censorship and defend intellectual freedom. Demonstrates that the American public library has been (with some notable exceptions) a place that welcomed newcomers, accepted diversity, and constructed community since the end of the 19th century. Shows how stories that cultural authorities have traditionally disparaged- i.e. books that are not "serious"- have often been transformative for public library users.

Download or read book Emily Mason Teaches You to Think written by Jolie Wheaton and published by WestBow Press. This book was released on 2015-01-06 with total page 137 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hi, my name is Emily, and I am eight years old. I have a favorite pair of tennis shoes, a dog named Roxy, a parakeet, and a stick of gum that I am saving for a special occasion. I love dancing, crazy hats, and talking to God! Talking to God helps me choose my thoughts. My mom says, Choose your thoughts. Choose your life. She says its super important to think Gods kind of thoughts! There are all kinds of ways to talk to God. Lots of times when I want to talk with God, I go to my tree house. Its my quiet place, and its just for me. I have all kinds of things in my tree house. I have crayons and paper, clay, and silly glasses. I have dress ups, boxes, and a flashlight. I make things there. Sometimes I dance and sing. I love to practice twirling! Even if you dont have a tree house, you can choose your own place to talk with God. He is always with you. I hope you will use this book to choose your thoughts! Come and visit me in my tree house. Id love to see you!