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Daemon Voices: On Stories and Storytelling
By Philip Pullman. 2017
From the internationally best-selling author of the His Dark Materials trilogy, a spellbinding journey into the secrets of his art--the…
narratives that have shaped his vision, his experience of writing, and the keys to mastering the art of storytelling.One of the most highly acclaimed and best-selling authors of our time now gives us a book that charts the history of his own enchantment with story--from his own books to those of Blake, Milton, Dickens, and the Brothers Grimm, among others--and delves into the role of story in education, religion, and science. At once personal and wide-ranging, Daemon Voices is both a revelation of the writing mind and the methods of a great contemporary master, and a fascinating exploration of storytelling itself.The Way Through the Woods: On Mushrooms and Mourning
By Litt Woon Long. 2019
A grieving widow discovers a most unexpected form of healing—hunting for mushrooms. Long Litt Woon met Eiolf a month after…
arriving in Norway from Malaysia as an exchange student. They fell in love, married, and settled into domestic bliss. Then Eiolf’s unexpected death at fifty-four left Woon struggling to imagine a life without the man who had been her partner and anchor for thirty-two years. Adrift in grief, she signed up for a beginner’s course on mushrooming—a course the two of them had planned to take together—and found, to her surprise, that the pursuit of mushrooms rekindled her zest for life. The Way Through the Woods tells the story of parallel journeys: an inner one, through the landscape of mourning, and an outer one, into the fascinating realm of mushrooms—resilient, adaptable, and essential to nature’s cycle of death and rebirth. From idyllic Norwegian forests and urban flower beds to the sandy beaches of Corsica and New York’s Central Park, Woon uncovers an abundance of surprises often hidden in plain sight: salmon-pink Bloody Milk Caps, which ooze red liquid when cut; delectable morels, prized for their earthy yet delicate flavor; and bioluminescent mushrooms that light up the forest at night. Along the way, she discovers the warm fellowship of other mushroom obsessives, and finds that giving her full attention to the natural world transforms her, opening a way for her to survive Eiolf’s death, to see herself anew, and to reengage with life.Advance praise for The Way Through The Woods“In her search for new meaning in life after the death of her husband, Long Litt Woon undertook the study of mushrooms. What she found in the woods, and expresses with such tender joy in this heartfelt memoir, was nothing less than salvation.”—Eugenia Bone, author of Mycophilia and MicrobiaTrooper: The Bobcat Who Came in from the Wild
By Forrest Bryant Johnson. 2018
Whenever middle-aged desert tour guide Forrest Bryant Johnson went out on his daily walks into the Mojave, all was usually…
peaceful and serene. But one beautiful summer day in 1987, Forrest heard a cry of distress. Following the cries, he came upon a small bobcat kitten, injured, orphaned, and desperately in need of help. So Forrest took his new feline friend home for a night. But when the little “trooper” clearly needed some more time to recoup, that night turned into two nights, a week, and eventually nineteen years. And so Trooper became a part of the Johnson family. And in those nineteen years, Trooper lived his nine lives to the fullest. He explored desert flora and fauna around him, befriending kit foxes, jackrabbits, desert tortoises, and other creatures and getting into mischief along the way. Trooper became a “big brother” to stray tabby Little Brother, teaching, guiding, and protecting Brother on the pair’s adventures and misadventures. He became a beloved patient at his local vet, and cherished housemate of Forrest’s wife, Chi. And Trooper even managed to melt the icy heart of a tough guy neighbor. But most of all, throughout his nineteen years, Trooper became Forrest’s best friend, as the two shared each other’s worries and frustrations, musings and rants, joys and laughter. Harrowing and heartfelt, Trooper: The Bobcat Who Came in from the Wild is for any reader who ever had their heart stolen by their pet.And Then We Grew Up: On Creativity, Potential, and the Imperfect Art of Adulthood
By Rachel Friedman. 2019
One of Publishers Weekly&’s Best Books of 2019 A journey through the many ways to live an artistic life—from the flashy and…
famous to the quiet and steady—full of unexpected insights about creativity and contentment, from the author of The Good Girl&’s Guide to Getting Lost.Rachel Friedman was a serious violist as a kid. She quit music in college but never stopped fantasizing about what her life might be like if she had never put down her bow. Years later, a freelance writer in New York, she again finds herself struggling with her fantasy of an artist&’s life versus its much more complicated reality. In search of answers, she decides to track down her childhood friends from Interlochen, a prestigious arts camp she attended, full of aspiring actors, artists, dancers, and musicians, to find out how their early creative ambitions have translated into adult careers, relationships, and identities. Rachel&’s conversations with these men and women spark nuanced revelations about creativity and being an artist: that it doesn&’t have to be all or nothing, that success isn&’t always linear, that sometimes it&’s okay to quit. And Then We Grew Up is for anyone who has given up a childhood dream and wondered &“what-if?&”, for those who have aspired to do what they love and had doubts along the way, and for all whose careers fall somewhere between emerging and established. Warm, whip-smart, and insightful, it offers inspiration for finding creative fulfillment wherever we end up in life.South American Journals: January–July 1960
By Allen Ginsberg. 2019
The great Beat poet&’s observations, reflections, poetry, and mind-expanding explorations while traveling through South America When Allen Ginsberg went…
to South America in 1960, ostensibly to attend a literary conference, he had a different kind of trip in mind. This would be another experience in the Beat poet&’s journey deep into the realm of consciousness, the inward travel explored to exhilarating effect in his writing—whether in the poetry that had already earned him international acclaim or in the idiosyncratic journals that raised self-documentation to a new form of art. In his South American Journals, covering a tumultuous six months, Ginsberg describes his travels through Chile and Peru, his visit to Machu Picchu, and his search for a source for ayahuasca, or yagé, a mind-expanding drug recommended by his friend William S. Burroughs, another writer well traveled in altered states of consciousness.Far from quotidian diary entries, Ginsberg&’s observations in these pages, interspersed with poetry, dream notations, and musings about spirituality, amount to a critical chapter in the poet&’s informal autobiography. Writing more during these six months than in any of his other journals, Ginsberg summons great ferment. In his distinctive accounts of all that he encounters, elevating travel writing to lyrical expression; in an abundance of poems published here for the first time, in both first drafts and polished forms; in his reports of fascinating conversations; and, in particular, in detailed passages that delve into inner recesses of his consciousness, Ginsberg recreates a journey like no other, one that reflects the workings of one of the best minds of his generation in the world of his own making and in its mysterious, immutable counterpart in the South American landscape.The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter--One Month at a Time
By Jennifer Ashton. 2019
ABC’s chief medical correspondent helps you ring in the New Year right with a resolution that’s actually doable: a year-long…
plan to improve your emotional and physical health—from giving up alcohol to doing a digital detox, but each for only one month.Dr. Jennifer Ashton is at the top of her field as an ob-gyn and news correspondent. But even at the top there’s still room to improve, and with The Self-Care Solution, she upends her life one month at a time, using her own experiences to help you improve your health and enhance your life.Dr. Ashton becomes both researcher and subject as she focuses on twelve separate challenges. Beginning with a new area of focus each month, she guides you through the struggles she faces, the benefits she experiences, and the science behind why each month’s challenge—giving up alcohol, doing more push-ups, adopting an earlier bedtime, limiting technology—can lead to better health. Month by month, Dr. Ashton tackles a different area of wellness with the hope that the lessons she learns and the improved health she experiences will motivate her (and you) to make each change permanent. Throughout, she offers easy-to-comprehend health information about the particular challenge to help you understand its benefits and to stick with it. Whether it’s adding cardio or learning how to meditate, Dr. Ashton makes these daily lifestyle choices and changes feel possible—and shows how beneficial a mindful lifestyle can be.Inspiring, practical, and informative, illustrated with helpful photos and charts, The Self-Care Solution teaches you how to recalibrate your life to enjoy a better, healthier year, one month at a time. Featuring guidance from top experts, entertaining case studies, easy-to-follow advice and tips, and Dr. Ashton’s observations and insights, this book can help you achieve a better life balance and a more active and healthy lifestyle.Back on Track: How one man and his dogs are changing the lives of rural kids
By James Knight, Bernie Shakeshaft. 2019
As a kid, Bernie Shakeshaft's mischievous and reckless behaviour led him to became known as the wild one of his…
devout Catholic family. It isn't surprising that his path led him to the Northern Territory, a place where people often go to either lose themselves or find themselves. Bernie, a searcher for his purpose in life, found himself.He had many jobs, firstly as a ringer on a cattle station owned by the Packer family, and later as a dingo trapper for the Parks and Wildlife Service. Throughout it all, he drank, he swore, he fought, and took chances with his own well-being. But, crucially, he also developed deep connections with the Indigenous people, and it was these connections that helped lay the foundations for what was to come. He worked for youth welfare organisations, and all the while he built up his knowledge about helping wayward youths, particularly those from Indigenous communities.Years later, Bernie was living in Armidale. He'd been visiting too many kids in prison and going to too many funerals. The usual methods weren't working so that reckless, mischievous kid inside him decided he could do better. He started a youth program called BackTrack, with three aims: To keep them alive, out of jail and chasing their hopes and dreams. For most, this was their last chance. Combining life skills, education, job preparedness with rural work, Bernie threw in one other factor: dogs! And it works. With the help of these working dogs, the lost boys (and girls) find their way back on track. These days, Backtrack youth tour the country competing in dog-jumping trials. Bernie and the BackTrack team are now supporting other communities in Lake Cargelligo, Broken Hill, Dubbo and Grafton and have forged a new beginning for over 1000 young people. This one man is making a huge difference.In Back on Track, bestselling author James Knight tells Bernie's story and the stories of those whose lives he has saved. It is a powerful reminder that we should never give up on our kids.'This fella Bernie, he's a good fella, a bit of a genius really. What a great story.' - Russell CroweRabbit: The Autobiography of Ms. Pat
By Jeannine Amber, Patricia Williams. 2017
They called her Rabbit. Patricia Williams (aka Ms. Pat) was born and raised in Atlanta at the height of…
the crack epidemic. One of five children, Pat watched as her mother struggled to get by on charity, cons, and petty crimes. At age seven, Pat was taught to roll drunks for money. At twelve, she was targeted for sex by a man eight years her senior. By thirteen, she was pregnant. By fifteen, Pat was a mother of two. Alone at sixteen, Pat was determined to make a better life for her children. But with no job skills and an eighth-grade education, her options were limited. She learned quickly that hustling and humor were the only tools she had to survive. Rabbit is an unflinching memoir of cinematic scope and unexpected humor. With wisdom and humor, Pat gives us a rare glimpse of what it’s really like to be a black mom in America.How Does It Feel?: A Life of Musical Misadventures
By Mark Kermode. 2018
Following a formative encounter with the British pop movie Slade in Flame in 1975, Mark Kermode decided that musical superstardom…
was totally attainable. And so, armed with a homemade electric guitar and very little talent, he embarked on an alternative career - a chaotic journey which would take him from the halls and youth clubs of North London to the stages of Glastonbury, the London Palladium and The Royal Albert Hall.HOW DOES IT FEEL? follows a lifetime of musical misadventures which have seen Mark striking rockstar poses in the Sixth Form Common Room, striding around a string of TV shows dressed from head to foot in black leather, getting heckled off stage by a bunch of angry septuagenarians on a boat on the Mersey, showing Timmy Mallet how to build a tea-chest bass - and winning the International Street Entertainers of the Year award as part of a new wave of skiffle. Really. Hilarious, self-deprecating and blissfully nostalgic, this is a riotous account of a bedroom dreamer's attempts to conquer the world armed with nothing more than a chancer's enthusiasm and a simple philosophy: how hard can it be?The Milk Lady of Bangalore: An Unexpected Adventure
By Shoba Narayan. 2017
The elevator door opens. A cow stands inside, angled diagonally to fit. It doesn’t look uncomfortable, merely impatient. “It is…
for the housewarming ceremony on the third floor,” explains the woman who stands behind the cow, holding it loosely with a rope. She has the sheepish look of a person caught in a strange situation who is trying to act as normal as possible. She introduces herself as Sarala and smiles reassuringly. The door closes. I shake my head and suppress a grin. It is good to be back. When Shoba Narayan—who has just returned to India with her husband and two daughters after years in the United States—asks whether said cow might bless her apartment next, it is the beginning of a beautiful friendship between our author and Sarala, who also sells fresh milk right across the street from that thoroughly modern apartment building. The two women connect over not only cows but also family, food, and life. When Shoba agrees to buy Sarala a new cow, they set off looking for just the right heifer, and what was at first a simple economic transaction becomes something much deeper, though never without a hint of slapstick.The Milk Lady of Bangalore immerses us in the culture, customs, myths, religion, sights, and sounds of a city in which the twenty-first century and the ancient past coexist like nowhere else in the world. It’s a true story of bridging divides, of understanding other ways of looking at the world, and of human connections and animal connections, and it’s an irresistible adventure of two strong women and the animals they love.Out of the Woods: A Memoir
By Luke Turner. 2019
After the disintegration of the most significant relationship of his life, the demons Luke Turner has been battling since childhood…
are quick to return - depression and guilt surrounding his identity as a bisexual man, experiences of sexual abuse, and the religious upbringing that was the cause of so much confusion. It is among the trees of London's Epping Forest where he seeks refuge. But once a place of comfort, it now seems full of unexpected, elusive threats that trigger twisted reactions.No stranger to compulsion, Luke finds himself drawn again and again to the woods, eager to uncover the strange secrets that may be buried there as he investigates an old family rumour of illicit behaviour. Away from a society that still struggles to cope with the complexities of masculinity and sexuality, Luke begins to accept the duality that has provoked so much unrest in his life - and reconcile the expectations of others with his own way of being.Out of the Woods is a dazzling, devastating and highly original memoir about the irresistible yet double-edged potency of the forest, and the possibility of learning to find peace in the grey areas of life.How to Think Like a Fish: And Other Lessons from a Lifetime in Angling
By Jeremy Wade. 2017
The star of the Animal Planet's River Monsters and author of the bestselling companion book shares a meditation on fishing--and…
life.In his previous book, Jeremy Wade memorably recounted his adventures in pursuit of fish of staggering proportions and terrifying demeanor: goliath tigerfish from the Congo, arapaima from the Amazon, "giant devil catfish" from the Himalayan foothills, and more. Now, the greatest angling explorer of his generation returns to delight readers with a book of a different sort, the book he was always destined to write -- the distillation of a life spent fishing.As Jeremy's catches attract increasing attention, many people ask him how they can improve their own fishing results. This book is his reply: part science, part art, and part elusive something else -- which is within every angler's ability to develop. Along the way you will learn when to let instinct override logic, which details are vital and which may be irrelevant, and how a "non result" can be a result. Thoughtful and funny, brimming with wisdom and, above all, adventure, these are pitch-perfect reflections that anyone who has ever fished will identify with, for ultimately they touch on the simple, fundamental principles that apply to all angling -- and to life.Las palabras rotas: El desconsuelo de la democracia
By Luis García Montero. 2019
El nuevo libro de uno de los escritores contemporáneos más reconocidos y queridos por la crítica y los lectores. Verdad,…
progreso, tiempo, identidad, política, realidad, conciencia, bondad... Son palabras que, en su esencia, nos pertenecen a todos y nos unen por encima de cualquier diferencia. Pero estamos asistiendo a una transformación dirigida de sus significados para conseguir que definan realidades mucho más parciales e interesadas, mucho menos universales. Luis García Montero las recupera aquí, las alisa, les devuelve su sentido original y las rehabilita en su valor integral. La del compromiso cívico es la estirpe a la que, como el Juan de Mairena de Antonio Machado, pertenece este libro en el que brillan las marcas del genio literario del autor: la reflexión, el vitalismo y una prosa que desprende elegancia, calidez, poesía y sensibilidad. «Resulta necesario actuar. El ser humano es racional y tiene costumbres porque es un ser de palabras. A través del lenguaje ha creado su conciencia, su relación con el mundo, su capacidad de imaginar. El lenguaje pasa de las palabras a los hechos. Para empezar a actuar, en nuestra cocina o en la calle, debemos recuperar las palabras rotas por los poderes salvajes. Necesitamos sacar las palabras y su tiempo del cubo de la basura del descrédito para que nuestros actos respondan a ellas y de ellas. Necesitamos unas pocas palabras verdaderas.»Luis García Montero Han dicho sobre el autor y su obra:«Tono sostenido, poderosa nostalgia, emoción delicada que no alza la voz, poesía escueta, ceñida...»Octavio Paz «Parece capaz de contarnos, y de qué manera, lo que habíamos olvidado que sabíamos de nosotros mismos. Luis sirve para hacer afición, para volver a la plaza porque torea José Tomás, para acercarse a las librerías porque ha salido un nuevo libro suyo.»Joaquín Sabina «Es uno de los pocos destinados a la letra grande de la historia de la literatura.»José-Carlos Mainer «Desde que publicó su primer libro, García Montero ha defendido unos objetivos de invariable lucidez y ha logrado que su poesía remita con rigor minucioso a sus ideas estéticas... Y eso lo ha aproximado a lo que suele identificarse con un joven maestro.»José Manuel Caballero Bonald Sobre Alguien dice tu nombre:«Una espléndida novela concebida y escrita con una sencillez machadiana.»Ángel Basanta, El Cultural «[...] Todo contado con gran habilidad, yendo de un plano a otro con tanta pericia que, de pronto, el lector que creía estar en una novela se encuentra, para su sorpresa, que está en otra muy diferente, y lo que en una, en la primera, parecía una cosa, resulta ser otra, otra cosa más, y todo casa, tesela a tesela. El mosaico adquiere así otra apariencia, otro sentido.»Javier Goñi, Babelia «El retrato de esa España concreta y contradictoria en la que sonaba Paul Anka en las radios mientras seguía prestigiándose la mansedumbre al fuego de la cocina familiar. García Montero reconstruye el paisaje íntimo de un país que comenzaba a ser próspero, pero seguía moralmente devastado.»Pablo Martínez Zarracina, El Correo EspañolCuando la sociedad es el tirano
By Javier Marías. 2019
Cuando la sociedad es el tirano reúne los noventa y seis artículos publicados por Javier Marías en el suplemento dominical…
El País Semanal entre el 5 de febrero de 2017 y el 27 de enero de 2019. En tiempos en los que asistimos al triunfo de las radicalidades, las medias verdades y los bulos, los artículos de Javier Marías constituyen una especie de crónica política, cultural y social de la actualidad que se ha vuelto imprescindible para infinidad de lectores. Evitando los convencionalismos, el discurso de lo políticamente correcto y los lugares comunes, el autor nos ofrece aquí una muestra de lo que supone pensar libremente, con argumentos construidos de manera sólida y un estilo elegante en el que brilla también su excelente sentido del humor.El coste de vivir
By Deborah Levy. 2018
¿Qué quiere decir ser libre como mujer o como artista? ¿Y cuál es el precio de esta libertad? Cosas que…
no quiero saber y El coste de vivir forman la «autobiografía en construcción» de Deborah Levy, un relato de la feminidad como libertad y no como castigo. Deborah Levy empieza a escribir este libro cuando, con cincuenta años, se ve forzada a reinventarse: su matrimonio ha terminado, sus ingresos escasean, su madre se está muriendo y sus hijas empiezan a abandonar el nido. En un momento en que la vida tendría que volverse plácida e imperturbable, Levy decide abrazar el caos y la inestabilidad a cambio de recuperar, oculto bajo capas y capas de resignación, un nombre propio. A través de un diálogo con intelectuales como Marguerite Duras o Simone de Beauvoir, y mediante recuerdos que evoca con elocuencia, sensibilidad y un delicioso sentido del humor, Levy se pregunta cuál esese papel ficticio escrito por hombres e interpretado por mujeres al que llamamos «feminidad». Cualquiera que haya luchado por ser libre y por construir una vida propia sabe que es precisamente eso: una lucha constante en la que se paga un coste por vivir. La crítica ha dicho...«Sabia, sutil e irónica. Cada frase de Levy es una obra de arte de claridad y elegancia. Una escritora brillante.»The Daily Telegraph «Una observadora astuta de lo mundano y lo inexplicable. Levy esboza detalles memorables en pocos trazos.»The New York Times Book Review «Un manifiesto para un estilo de vida arriesgado y radical, como seguir nadando cuando ya no haces pie.»The New Statesman «Levy, a sus cincuenta y largos, no escribe sobre su vida para su generación, sino para las que vienen.»Harper's Magazine «El coste de vivir es el precio que debe pagar una mujer para desmontar un hogar en el que ya no se siente como en casa. Para Levy, este acto radical da inicio a la búsqueda de una nueva vida que resulta inseparable de la búsqueda de una nueva narrativa.»The Times «Un manifiesto elocuente para lo que Levy llama "una nueva manera de vivir en el mundo post-familiar".»The Guardian «Esta mirada oportuna al modo en que las mujeres son vistas (y a menudo ignoradas) resonará entre muchos lectores.»Publishers Weekly «Bello, melancólico. El poder de las palabras para conceder vida tras la muerte y la importancia de escoger lo que sigue vivo entre lo que ha muerto están en el corazón de la exquisita prosa de Levy.»The Spectator «Extraordinario y bello. Extendiéndose amplia y profundamente sobre el matrimonio, la maternidad, el amor, la muerte y la amistad, esta obra está repleta de una inteligencia feroz, una humanidad generosa y unas ideas afiladas.»The FinancialTimesCosas que no quiero saber
By Deborah Levy. 2013
Primera parte de la «autobiografía en construcción» de Deborah Levy, un relato de la feminidad como libertad y no como…
castigo. Deborah Levy arranca estas memorias recordando la etapa de su vida en que rompía a llorar cuando subía unas escaleras mecánicas. Ese movimiento inocuo la llevaba a rincones de su memoria a los que no quería volver. Son esos recuerdos los que forman Cosas que no quiero saber, el inicio de su «autobiografía en construcción». Esta primera parte de lo que será un tríptico sobre la condición de ser mujer nace como respuesta al ensayo «Por qué escribo», de George Orwell. Sin embargo, Levy no viene a dar respuestas. Viene a abrir interrogantes que deja flotando en una atmósfera formada por toda la fuerza poética de su escritura. Su magia no es otra que la de las conexiones impredecibles de la memoria: el primer mordisco a un albaricoque la traslada a la salida de sus hijos de la escuela, observando a las otras madres, «jóvenes convertidas en sombras de lo que habían sido»; el llanto de una mujer le devuelve la nieve cayendo sobre su padre en el Johannesburgo del apartheid, poco antes de ser encarcelado; el olor del curry la lleva a su adolescencia en Londres, escribiendo en servilletas de bares y soñando con una habitación propia. Leer a Levy es querer entrar en sus recuerdos y dejarse llevar por la calma y el aplomo de quien ha aprendido todo lo que sabe (y todo lo que no querría saber) a fuerza de buscar su propia voz. Reseñas:«Imprescindible. Leerla es como encontrar un oasis.»The Guardian «El punto fuerte de Levy es su originalidad de pensamiento y expresión.»Jeanette Winterson «Una narración vivaz y brillante sobre cómo los detalles más inocentes de la vida personal de una escritora pueden alcanzar el poder en la ficción.»The New York Times Book Review «Un relato vívido y sorprendente de la vida de la escritora, que feminiza y personaliza las contundentes a afirmaciones de Orwell.»The Spectator «Levy es una escritora hábil y crea un despliegue de emociones intensas en una prosa precisa y controlada.»The Independent «Una versión actualizada de Una habitación propia [...]. Sospecho que será citado durante muchos años.»The Irish ExaminerThat Other World: Nabokov and the Puzzle of Exile
By Azar Nafisi. 2019
The foundational text for the acclaimed New York Times and international best seller Reading Lolita in Tehran The ruler of…
a totalitarian state seeks validation from a former schoolmate, now the nation’s foremost thinker, in order to access a cultural cache alien to his regime. A literary critic provides commentary on an unfinished poem that both foretells the poet’s death and announces the critic’s secret identity as the king of a lost country. The greatest of Vladimir Nabokov’s enchanters—Humbert—is lost within the antithesis of a fairy story, in which Lolita does not hold the key to his past but rather imprisons him within the knowledge of his distance from that past. In this precursor to her international best seller Reading Lolita in Tehran, Azar Nafisi deftly explores the worlds apparently lost to Nabokov’s characters, their portals of access to those worlds, and how other worlds hold a mirror to Nabokov’s experiences of physical, linguistic, and recollective exile. Written before Nafisi left the Islamic Republic of Iran, and now published in English for the first time and with a new introduction by the author, this book evokes the reader’s quintessential journey of discovery and reveals what caused Nabokov to distinctively shape and reshape that journey for the author.Portraits and Observations: The Essays Of Truman Capote
By Truman Capote. 2007
Perhaps no twentieth century writer was so observant and elegant a chronicler of his times as Truman Capote. Whether he…
was profiling the rich and famous or creating indelible word-pictures of events and places near and far, Capote's eye for detail and dazzling style made his reportage and commentary undeniable triumphs of the form. Portraits and Observations is the first volume devoted solely to all the essays ever published by this most beloved of writers. From his travel sketches of Brooklyn, New Orleans, and Hollywood, written when he was twenty-two, to meditations about fame, fortune, and the writer's art at the peak of his career, to the brief works penned during the isolated denouement of his life, these essays provide an essential window into mid-twentieth-century America as offered by one of its canniest observers. Included are such celebrated masterpieces of narrative nonfiction as "The Muses Are Heard" and the short nonfiction novel "Handcarved Coffins," as well as many long-out-of-print essays, including portraits of Isak Dinesen, Mae West, Marcel Duchamp, Humphrey Bogart, and Marilyn Monroe. Among the highlights are "Ghosts in Sunlight: The Filming of In Cold Blood, "Preface to Music for Chameleons, in which Capote candidly recounts the highs and lows of his long career, and a playful self-portrait in the form of an imaginary self-interview. The book concludes with the author's last written words, composed the day before his death in 1984, the recently discovered"Remembering Willa Cather," Capote's touching recollection of his encounter with the author when he was a young man at the dawn of his career. Portraits and Observations puts on display the full spectrum of Truman Capote's brilliance. Certainly, Capote was, as Somerset Maugham famously called him, "a stylist of the first quality." But as the pieces gathered here remind us, he was also an artist of remarkable substance.Tiny Hot Dogs: A Memoir in Small Bites
By Mary Giuliani. 2019
From awkward schoolgirl to Caterer to the Stars, Mary Giuliani weaves together a collection of hilarious memories, from professional growing…
pains to her long journey to motherhood, never losing her sense of humor and her love for everyone's favorite party food, pigs in a blanket.Mary's utterly unremarkable childhood was everything she didn't want: hailing from a deeply loving yet overprotective Italian family in an all-Jewish enclave on Long Island. All she wanted was to fit in (be Jewish) and become famous (specifically a cast member on Saturday Night Live). With an easy, natural storytelling sensibility, Mary shares her journey from a cosseted childhood home to the stage and finally to the party, accidentally landing what she now refers to as "the breakthrough role of a lifetime" catering to a glittery list of stars she once hoped to be part of herself.Fresh, personal, and full of Mary's humorous, self-deprecating, and can-do attitude against all odds, you'll want to see where each shiny silver tray of hors d'oeuvres takes her next. You never know when the humble hot dog will be a crucial ingredient in the recipe for success, in building a business or simply making life more delicious.Thirty-Life Crisis: Navigating My Thirties, One Drunk Baby Shower at a Time
By Lisa Schwartz. 2019
A hilarious essay collection perfect for anyone dealing with the challenges, indignities, and celebrations that come with being a thirty-something…
by actor and YouTube star Lisa Schwartz (Lisbug).THIRTYLIFE CRISIS Lisa Schwartz's stories and musings are all about watching her friends adult like pros, while she tries to understand why she doesn't want or can't seem to find all the things they have for herself. Like a big sister who's already seen it all, Lisa will take readers through her own life experiences to say that one thing we all need to hear: you are so not alone. Unabashed and unfiltered, Schwartz's voice and candor will appeal to anyone in their thirties who just can't deal with the never-ending Facebook feed of friends' engagement photos and baby pictures, the trials of figuring out where their passion meets their career, and everything in between.So, if you've ever had to figure out...Parenting Your Parents (Yikes)Gender Reveal Parties (It's an actual thing.)Discovering That Your Boyfriend Likes Boys (Surprise!)Online Shopping Away Your Anxiety (Don't)or Gender Reveal Parties (Seriously. It's an actual thing.)This book is your new best friend.