The Italian Party by Christina Lynch
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
A delicious and sharply funny page-turner about "innocent" Americans abroad in 1950s Siena, Italy. Newly married, Scottie and Michael are seduced by Tuscany's famous beauty. But the secrets they are keeping from each other force them beneath the splendid surface to a more complex view of ltaly, America and each other.
When Scottie's Italian teacher--a teenager with secrets of his own--disappears, her search for him leads her to discover other, darker truths about herself, her husband and her country. Michael's dedication to saving the world from communism crumbles as he begins to see that he is a pawn in a much different game. Driven apart by lies, Michael and Scottie must find their way through a maze of history, memory, hate and love to a new kind of complicated truth.
Half glamorous fun, half an examination of America's role in the world, and filled with sun-dappled pasta lunches, prosecco, charming spies and horse racing, The Italian Party is a smart pleasure.
When Scottie's Italian teacher--a teenager with secrets of his own--disappears, her search for him leads her to discover other, darker truths about herself, her husband and her country. Michael's dedication to saving the world from communism crumbles as he begins to see that he is a pawn in a much different game. Driven apart by lies, Michael and Scottie must find their way through a maze of history, memory, hate and love to a new kind of complicated truth.
Half glamorous fun, half an examination of America's role in the world, and filled with sun-dappled pasta lunches, prosecco, charming spies and horse racing, The Italian Party is a smart pleasure.
Divas in the Convent by Craig A. Monson
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
When eight-year-old Lucrezia Orsina Vizzana (1590–1662) entered one of the preeminent convents in Bologna in 1598, she had no idea what cloistered life had in store for her. Thanks to clandestine instruction from a local maestro di cappella—and despite the church hierarchy’s vehement opposition to all convent music—Vizzana became the star of the convent, composing works so thoroughly modern and expressive that a recent critic described them as “historical treasures.” But at the very moment when Vizzana’s works appeared in 1623—she would be the only Bolognese nun ever to publish her music—extraordinary troubles beset her and her fellow nuns, as episcopal authorities arrived to investigate anonymous allegations of sisterly improprieties with male members of their order.
Craig A. Monson retells the story of Vizzana and the nuns of Santa Cristina to elucidate the role that music played in the lives of these cloistered women. Gifted singers, instrumentalists, and composers, these nuns used music not only to forge links with the community beyond convent walls, but also to challenge and circumvent ecclesiastical authority. Monson explains how the sisters of Santa Cristina—refusing to accept what the church hierarchy called God’s will and what the nuns perceived as a besmirching of their honor—fought back with words and music, and when these proved futile, with bricks, roof tiles, and stones. These women defied one Bolognese archbishop after another, cardinals in Rome, and even the pope himself, until threats of excommunication and abandonment by their families brought them to their knees twenty-five years later. By then, Santa Cristina’s imaginative but frail composer literally had been driven mad by the conflict.
Monson’s fascinating narrative relies heavily on the words of its various protagonists, on both sides of the cloister wall, who emerge vividly as imaginative, independent-minded, and not always sympathetic figures. In restoring the musically gifted Lucrezia Orsina Vizzana to history, Monson introduces readers to the full range of captivating characters who played their parts in seventeenth-century convent life.
The Company of Demons by Michael Jordan
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
The brutal murder of a friend leaves lawyer John Coleman stunned and sends shockwaves through the city of Cleveland. The technique of the killing recalls memories of the Torso Murderer, who dismembered at least twelve people decades ago and then vanished—eluding even legendary crime fighter Eliot Ness. Jennifer, the victim’s beautiful daughter, hires John to handle her father’s estate, and romantic feelings for her soon complicate his already troubled marriage. When John finds himself entangled with a cold-blooded biker gang, an ex-cop with a fuzzy past, and the drug-addicted son of the dead man, he struggles to make sense of it all.
But there is no escaping a growing sense of dread.
But there is no escaping a growing sense of dread.
The Two Most Important Days by Sanjiv Chopra and Gina Vild
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
What are the two most important days in your life? -The day you are born and the day you find out why, - Mark Twain famously wrote.
The search for happiness is hardwired in our DNA. It transcends age, gender, geography, vocation, and personal circumstances. But how do you achieve it?
Through inspirational storytelling, scientific evidence, practical advice, captivating exercises, and poetry, Dr. Sanjiv Chopra and Gina Vild present a powerful message that shows you how to achieve happiness no matter the challenges and stumbling blocks you face along the way. They also reveal the best way to be happy: Discover and live your life's purpose. It's a sure path to human flourishing. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that living with purpose can even add years to your life.
Do you know your life's purpose? This book offers a path to discovering it by illuminating the value of gratitude, forgiveness, meditation, music, friendship and so much more. It will set you on the right path and spark sustained happiness, joy and bliss.
The search for happiness is hardwired in our DNA. It transcends age, gender, geography, vocation, and personal circumstances. But how do you achieve it?
Through inspirational storytelling, scientific evidence, practical advice, captivating exercises, and poetry, Dr. Sanjiv Chopra and Gina Vild present a powerful message that shows you how to achieve happiness no matter the challenges and stumbling blocks you face along the way. They also reveal the best way to be happy: Discover and live your life's purpose. It's a sure path to human flourishing. In fact, you may be surprised to learn that living with purpose can even add years to your life.
Do you know your life's purpose? This book offers a path to discovering it by illuminating the value of gratitude, forgiveness, meditation, music, friendship and so much more. It will set you on the right path and spark sustained happiness, joy and bliss.
The Theory of Material Mind by Philip Hodgetts
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
The theory is basically an analysis of the physical and metaphysical mechanisms involved in the generation of paranormal or, more scientifically expressed, parapsychological phenomena. It includes a logical and undeniable proof that there is truth in astrology as in all the divinatory arts to a greater or lesser degree. It also contains a proof of the existence of the soul or spirit and explains that the personal unconscious is motivated by a metaphysical intelligence, the generator of enthusiasm which I, along with the ancient Greeks, know as the god within, the mischievous root and origin of all parapsychological phenomena.
The theory also explains that all life, past or present, is joined by or immersed in a subtle fluid which I call psychoplasma. This is the medium of telepathy and much, if not all, other paranormal phenomena. "All life, past or present" implies that there is an afterlife, which I have found to be true. Psychoplasma is a mixture or compound of conscious, metaphysical "spirit" and physical bioplasma that is secreted in the cells of all living matter and is the reason for the theory's title of "material mind." My theory, which incorporates metaphysical entities, comes down strongly in support of intelligent design as a complement to natural selection--the two of them work together, ID providing the motive force for change and NS the template for design. Atheism is rejected as no longer tenable, though the existence of a supreme being is denied, for as well as the metaphysical god within, it would appear that there are indeed mysteries probably responsible for the origin of the universe, which science will never explain.
The theory is extremely subversive and strikes at the roots, though not invalidating, all of established science, including evolutionary theory and physics.
The theory also explains that all life, past or present, is joined by or immersed in a subtle fluid which I call psychoplasma. This is the medium of telepathy and much, if not all, other paranormal phenomena. "All life, past or present" implies that there is an afterlife, which I have found to be true. Psychoplasma is a mixture or compound of conscious, metaphysical "spirit" and physical bioplasma that is secreted in the cells of all living matter and is the reason for the theory's title of "material mind." My theory, which incorporates metaphysical entities, comes down strongly in support of intelligent design as a complement to natural selection--the two of them work together, ID providing the motive force for change and NS the template for design. Atheism is rejected as no longer tenable, though the existence of a supreme being is denied, for as well as the metaphysical god within, it would appear that there are indeed mysteries probably responsible for the origin of the universe, which science will never explain.
The theory is extremely subversive and strikes at the roots, though not invalidating, all of established science, including evolutionary theory and physics.
Inside the Tree by C.J. Milbrandt
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Inside the Tree: A Ewan Johns Adventure – Ewan Johns has to raise money for three train tickets, so he takes a job in Charter. While he’s at work, Tamaqua and Juniata discover that the big, old tree on the village green is being used as a mailbox.
WELCOME TO LIBERTY. Big cities and hill-country outposts thrive on busy byways, but people are scarce in the Wilds, where mythical creatures are alive and well. Folks commonly use lanterns to light their homes, and peace is kept by Rangers on horseback. In the Byways books, readers will encounter dragons, griffins, river monsters, and rogue magicians.
Magic is a rare trait that runs in families. Some magical gifts are quite useful; others are downright quirky. Like the talent inherited by members of the Johns family. They’re Changers who can take the form of an animal. Not that magic will make winning the race any easier for Ewan, Zane, and Ganix.
LEARNING MADE FUN. The Byways books take readers on a cross-country road trip through a fantasy landscape. But the series isn’t just a story. This is one long game, and you can play. Hide and seek! Search and find! Each Byways book is tied to one of the USA’s fifty states. Details are “hidden” within the story. Book 5 covers “The Constitution State,” Connecticut.
The Byways books are geared for young readers who are ready for their first chapter books (K-2). Cover art and illustrations by Hannah Christenson. Look for upcoming titles, cast pictures, teacher resources, waypoint log, and a special hometown challenge at CJMilbrandt.com.
WELCOME TO LIBERTY. Big cities and hill-country outposts thrive on busy byways, but people are scarce in the Wilds, where mythical creatures are alive and well. Folks commonly use lanterns to light their homes, and peace is kept by Rangers on horseback. In the Byways books, readers will encounter dragons, griffins, river monsters, and rogue magicians.
Magic is a rare trait that runs in families. Some magical gifts are quite useful; others are downright quirky. Like the talent inherited by members of the Johns family. They’re Changers who can take the form of an animal. Not that magic will make winning the race any easier for Ewan, Zane, and Ganix.
LEARNING MADE FUN. The Byways books take readers on a cross-country road trip through a fantasy landscape. But the series isn’t just a story. This is one long game, and you can play. Hide and seek! Search and find! Each Byways book is tied to one of the USA’s fifty states. Details are “hidden” within the story. Book 5 covers “The Constitution State,” Connecticut.
The Byways books are geared for young readers who are ready for their first chapter books (K-2). Cover art and illustrations by Hannah Christenson. Look for upcoming titles, cast pictures, teacher resources, waypoint log, and a special hometown challenge at CJMilbrandt.com.
The Mask of Masculinity by Lewis Howes
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
At 30 years old, Lewis Howes was outwardly thriving but unfulfilled inside. He was a successful athlete and businessman, achieving goals beyond his wildest dreams, but he felt empty, angry, frustrated, and always chasing something that was never enough. His whole identity had been built on misguided beliefs about what "masculinity" was.
Howes began a personal journey to find inner peace and to uncover the many masks that men – young and old – wear. In The Mask of Masculinity, Howes exposes the ultimate emptiness of the Material Mask, the man who chases wealth above all things; the cowering vulnerability that hides behind the Joker and Stoic Masks of men who never show real emotion; and the destructiveness of the Invincible and Aggressive Masks worn by men who take insane risks or can never back down from a fight. He teaches men how to break through the walls that hold them back and shows women how they can better understand the men in their lives. It's not easy, but if you want to love, be loved and live a great life, then it's an odyssey of self-discovery that all modern men must make. This book is a must-read for every man – and for every woman who loves a man.
A Season of You by Emma Douglas
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
It's Christmastime in the quaint island town of Cloud Bay, where love is always in season... Will Fraser has believed in love at first sight since the day he first laid eyes on Mina Harper five years ago. There was only one problem: She was happily married. Then, when Mina's husband was killed by a drunk driver, Will figured she'd want nothing to do with a guy who owns a whiskey distillery. So he's kept his feelings locked away, knowing that not even a Christmas miracle would be enough to melt Mina's heart. . .
Mina believes her days of true love are behind her. Since losing her husband she's kept to herself, content to do her own painting and stay out of the limelight that comes with her famous family. But when, after a freak accident, Will comes to her rescue, Mina can't quite get him out of her mind. As curiosity turns into a fling during Cloud Bay's first Christmas Festival, she finds it harder to convince herself that her feelings for Will are just mistletoe-inspired. Could Mina be ready to lay the past to rest and finally admit that what she really wants for Christmas--and forever--is Will?
Scarlet City by Rebekah Haas
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Synopsis
In a time where most adults have been brainwashed or killed, the teens must rise up and take their place. Brooklyn Trupp is an innocent sixteen-year old girl from Missouri who finds herself training to take down rebel forces. It is only when she meets Boston Sharp that she realizes that things aren’t always how they seem. Suddenly, she finds herself wandering through the backwoods of Missouri with Boston, trying to figure out which cause to fight for. After all, lines blur when you don’t know who’s on your side.
In her debut novel, Rebekah Haas shares an exciting story of love, adventure, and faith set in the not so distant future.
Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
In Gods of Howl Mountain, award-winning author Taylor Brown explores a world of folk healers, whiskey-runners, and dark family secrets in the high country of 1950s North Carolina.
Bootlegger Rory Docherty has returned home to the fabled mountain of his childhood - a misty wilderness that holds its secrets close and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories of the Korean War, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a powerful mountain clan in a retro-fitted '40 Ford coupe. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his formidable grandmother, evades federal agents, and stokes the wrath of a rival runner.
In the mill town at the foot of the mountains - a hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing - Rory is bewitched by the mysterious daughter of a snake-handling preacher. His grandmother, Maybelline “Granny May” Docherty, opposes this match for her own reasons, believing that "some things are best left buried." A folk healer whose powers are rumored to rival those of a wood witch, she concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains while harboring an explosive secret about Rory’s mother - the truth behind her long confinement in a mental hospital, during which time she has not spoken one word. When Rory's life is threatened, Granny must decide whether to reveal what she knows...or protect her only grandson from the past.
With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it.
Bootlegger Rory Docherty has returned home to the fabled mountain of his childhood - a misty wilderness that holds its secrets close and keeps the outside world at gunpoint. Slowed by a wooden leg and haunted by memories of the Korean War, Rory runs bootleg whiskey for a powerful mountain clan in a retro-fitted '40 Ford coupe. Between deliveries to roadhouses, brothels, and private clients, he lives with his formidable grandmother, evades federal agents, and stokes the wrath of a rival runner.
In the mill town at the foot of the mountains - a hotbed of violence, moonshine, and the burgeoning sport of stock-car racing - Rory is bewitched by the mysterious daughter of a snake-handling preacher. His grandmother, Maybelline “Granny May” Docherty, opposes this match for her own reasons, believing that "some things are best left buried." A folk healer whose powers are rumored to rival those of a wood witch, she concocts potions and cures for the people of the mountains while harboring an explosive secret about Rory’s mother - the truth behind her long confinement in a mental hospital, during which time she has not spoken one word. When Rory's life is threatened, Granny must decide whether to reveal what she knows...or protect her only grandson from the past.
With gritty and atmospheric prose, Taylor Brown brings to life a perilous mountain and the family who rules it.
Lines by Sarvinder Naberhaus
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
This beautifully illustrated board book shows readers how lines make up a whole: a whole square, house, town, city, and universe!
Line, Lines
Square, Squares
Town
Line, Lines
Circle, Circles
Go round
Think beyond shapes. Beyond colors. Beyond letters and numbers. With poetic text and beautiful illustrations, this board book shows us how individual pieces make up a whole. And not just a whole house or a whole town, or a whole city, but a whole universe. This book celebrates both the simplicity and complexity of the world around us!
Line, Lines
Square, Squares
Town
Line, Lines
Circle, Circles
Go round
Think beyond shapes. Beyond colors. Beyond letters and numbers. With poetic text and beautiful illustrations, this board book shows us how individual pieces make up a whole. And not just a whole house or a whole town, or a whole city, but a whole universe. This book celebrates both the simplicity and complexity of the world around us!
Trenton Makes by Tadzio Koelb
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
A vivid, brutal, razor-sharp debut about a woman who carves out her share of the American Dream by living as a man
1946: At the apogee of the American Century, the confidence inspired by victory in World War II has spawned a culture of suffocating conformity in thrall to the cult of masculine privilege.
In the hardscrabble industrial city of Trenton, New Jersey, a woman made strong by wartime factory work kills her army veteran husband in a domestic brawl, disposes of his body, and assumes his identity. As Abe Kunstler, he secures a job in a wire rope factory, buys a car, and successfully woos Inez, an alcoholic dime dancer. He makes a home with her, but for Abe, this is not enough: to complete his transformation, he needs a son.
1971: A very different war is under way. The certainties of mid-century triumphalism are a distant, bitter memory, and Trenton's heyday as a factory town is long past. As the sign on the famous bridge says, "Trenton Makes, the World Takes."
The family life Abe has so carefully constructed is crumbling under the intolerable pressures of his long ruse. Desperate to hold on to what he has left, Abe searches for solutions in the dying city.
Written in brilliantly stylized prose, this gripping narrative is a provocative and incisive exploration of the nature of identity, and a disturbing portrait of desperation. Tadzio Koelb has crafted a slim gut shot of a novel that heralds the arrival of a writer of startling talent and imagination.
1946: At the apogee of the American Century, the confidence inspired by victory in World War II has spawned a culture of suffocating conformity in thrall to the cult of masculine privilege.
In the hardscrabble industrial city of Trenton, New Jersey, a woman made strong by wartime factory work kills her army veteran husband in a domestic brawl, disposes of his body, and assumes his identity. As Abe Kunstler, he secures a job in a wire rope factory, buys a car, and successfully woos Inez, an alcoholic dime dancer. He makes a home with her, but for Abe, this is not enough: to complete his transformation, he needs a son.
1971: A very different war is under way. The certainties of mid-century triumphalism are a distant, bitter memory, and Trenton's heyday as a factory town is long past. As the sign on the famous bridge says, "Trenton Makes, the World Takes."
The family life Abe has so carefully constructed is crumbling under the intolerable pressures of his long ruse. Desperate to hold on to what he has left, Abe searches for solutions in the dying city.
Written in brilliantly stylized prose, this gripping narrative is a provocative and incisive exploration of the nature of identity, and a disturbing portrait of desperation. Tadzio Koelb has crafted a slim gut shot of a novel that heralds the arrival of a writer of startling talent and imagination.
Green by Sam Graham-Felsen
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
A novel of race and privilege in America that you haven't seen before: a coming-of-age story about a life-changing friendship, propelled by an exuberant, unforgettable voice.
"This isn't some Jedi bull****; the force I'm talking about is real, and its energies are everywhere, working on everyone."
Boston, 1992. David Greenfeld is one of the few white kids at the Martin Luther King Middle School. Everybody clowns him, girls ignore him, and his hippie parents won't even buy him a pair of Nikes, let alone transfer him to a private school. Unless he tests into the city's best public high school--which, if practice tests are any indication, isn't likely--he'll be friendless for the foreseeable future.
Nobody's more surprised than Dave when Marlon Wellings sticks up for him in the school cafeteria. Mar's a loner from the public housing project on the corner of Dave's own gentrifying block, and he confounds Dave's assumptions about black culture: He's nerdy and neurotic, a Celtics obsessive whose favorite player is the gawky, white Larry Bird. Together, the two boys are able to resist the contradictory personas forced on them by the outside world, and before long, Mar's coming over to Dave's house every afternoon to watch vintage basketball tapes and plot their hustle to Harvard. But as Dave welcomes his new best friend into his world, he realizes how little he knows about Mar's. Cracks gradually form in their relationship, and Dave starts to become aware of the breaks he's been given--and that Mar has not.
Infectiously funny about the highs and lows of adolescence, and sharply honest in the face of injustice, Sam Graham-Felsen's debut is a wildly original take on the struggle to rise in America.
"This isn't some Jedi bull****; the force I'm talking about is real, and its energies are everywhere, working on everyone."
Boston, 1992. David Greenfeld is one of the few white kids at the Martin Luther King Middle School. Everybody clowns him, girls ignore him, and his hippie parents won't even buy him a pair of Nikes, let alone transfer him to a private school. Unless he tests into the city's best public high school--which, if practice tests are any indication, isn't likely--he'll be friendless for the foreseeable future.
Nobody's more surprised than Dave when Marlon Wellings sticks up for him in the school cafeteria. Mar's a loner from the public housing project on the corner of Dave's own gentrifying block, and he confounds Dave's assumptions about black culture: He's nerdy and neurotic, a Celtics obsessive whose favorite player is the gawky, white Larry Bird. Together, the two boys are able to resist the contradictory personas forced on them by the outside world, and before long, Mar's coming over to Dave's house every afternoon to watch vintage basketball tapes and plot their hustle to Harvard. But as Dave welcomes his new best friend into his world, he realizes how little he knows about Mar's. Cracks gradually form in their relationship, and Dave starts to become aware of the breaks he's been given--and that Mar has not.
Infectiously funny about the highs and lows of adolescence, and sharply honest in the face of injustice, Sam Graham-Felsen's debut is a wildly original take on the struggle to rise in America.
Skyscraper of a Man by Michael Bowe
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Skyscraper of a Man is a truly American story. Rooted in the homogenous suburbs of the 1970s, the novel explores the American propensity to pursue great ambitions, regardless of upbringing, that can result in lives that are larger than life. The four main characters meet at college and forge such lives, each achieving remarkable success in their chosen pursuits while condoning the choices that enable their success. The main character, Benjamin Franklin Matthews, the son of a printer and avid Revolutionary War buff, believes deeply in America, its founding principles, and “by the people, for the people” government. Inspired by the grand ideals of the Founding Fathers, Ben starts a newspaper and runs for political office, efforts aimed at righting a nation he perceives as falling short of its potential and promise. His three college friends, a writer who is also his business partner, a television news anchorwoman who was his lover, and a former college football star, play contributing roles in his rise to national prominence. In the end, Ben learns that grand ideals are elusive, difficult to maintain, and better left to the perfect among us.
Finally by U.M. Hiram
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Synopsis
After four years of love and trials, Michelle finally received the marriage proposal of her dreams from Michael. It seemed as if all was right in their world until his roaming ways caught up with him, causing Michael to make the worse possible decision of his life. Lives were forever changed and destiny played out in the most unexpected ways.
The Complete Ballet by John Haskell
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
A dark-hued, hybrid novel by a writer who delivers our culture back to us, made entirely new (A. M. Homes)
In The Complete Ballet, John Haskell choreographs an intricate and irresistible pas de deux in which fiction and criticism come together to create a new kind of story. Fueled by the dramatic retelling of five romantic ballets, and interwoven with a contemporary story about a man whose daunting gambling debt pushes him to the edge of his own abyss, it is both a pulpy entertainment and a meditation on the physicality and psychology of dance.
The unnamed narrator finds himself inexorably drawn back to the pre cell phone world of Technicolor Los Angeles, to a time when the tragedies of his life were about to collide. Working as a part-time masseur in Hollywood, he attends an underground poker game with his friend Cosmo, a strip-club entrepreneur. What happens there hurtles the narrator down the road and into the room where the novel s violent and surreal showdown leaves him a different person.
As the narrator revisits his past, he simultaneously inhabits and reconstructs the mythic stories of ballet, assessing along the way the lives and obsessions of Nijinsky and Balanchine, Pavlova and Fonteyn, Joseph Cornell and the story s presiding spirit, the film director John Cassavetes. This compulsively readable fiction is ultimately a profound and haunting consideration of the nature of art and identity.
In The Complete Ballet, John Haskell choreographs an intricate and irresistible pas de deux in which fiction and criticism come together to create a new kind of story. Fueled by the dramatic retelling of five romantic ballets, and interwoven with a contemporary story about a man whose daunting gambling debt pushes him to the edge of his own abyss, it is both a pulpy entertainment and a meditation on the physicality and psychology of dance.
The unnamed narrator finds himself inexorably drawn back to the pre cell phone world of Technicolor Los Angeles, to a time when the tragedies of his life were about to collide. Working as a part-time masseur in Hollywood, he attends an underground poker game with his friend Cosmo, a strip-club entrepreneur. What happens there hurtles the narrator down the road and into the room where the novel s violent and surreal showdown leaves him a different person.
As the narrator revisits his past, he simultaneously inhabits and reconstructs the mythic stories of ballet, assessing along the way the lives and obsessions of Nijinsky and Balanchine, Pavlova and Fonteyn, Joseph Cornell and the story s presiding spirit, the film director John Cassavetes. This compulsively readable fiction is ultimately a profound and haunting consideration of the nature of art and identity.
Not Now, Not Ever by Lily Anderson
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
The sequel to The Only Thing Worse than Me Is You, inspired by The Importance of Being Earnest.
Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn't going to do this summer.
1. She isn't going to stay home in Sacramento, where she'd have to sit through her stepmother's sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
2. She isn't going to mock trial camp at UCLA.
3. And she certainly isn't going to the Air Force summer program on her mother's base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender's Game, Ellie's seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it's much less Luke/Yoda/"feel the force," and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. And that just isn't appealing, no matter how many Xenomorphs from Alien she'd be able to defeat afterwards.
What she is going to do is pack up her attitude, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and go to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. And she's going to start over as Ever Lawrence, on her own terms, without the shadow of all her family’s expectations. Because why do what’s expected of you when you can fight other genius nerds to the death for a shot at the dream you’re sure your family will consider a complete waste of time?
This summer's going to be great.
Elliot Gabaroche is very clear on what she isn't going to do this summer.
1. She isn't going to stay home in Sacramento, where she'd have to sit through her stepmother's sixth community theater production of The Importance of Being Earnest.
2. She isn't going to mock trial camp at UCLA.
3. And she certainly isn't going to the Air Force summer program on her mother's base in Colorado Springs. As cool as it would be to live-action-role-play Ender's Game, Ellie's seen three generations of her family go through USAF boot camp up close, and she knows that it's much less Luke/Yoda/"feel the force," and much more one hundred push-ups on three days of no sleep. And that just isn't appealing, no matter how many Xenomorphs from Alien she'd be able to defeat afterwards.
What she is going to do is pack up her attitude, her favorite Octavia Butler novels, and her Jordans, and go to summer camp. Specifically, a cutthroat academic-decathlon-like competition for a full scholarship to Rayevich College, the only college with a Science Fiction Literature program. And she's going to start over as Ever Lawrence, on her own terms, without the shadow of all her family’s expectations. Because why do what’s expected of you when you can fight other genius nerds to the death for a shot at the dream you’re sure your family will consider a complete waste of time?
This summer's going to be great.
Everyday Life in Bible Times by John A. Beck
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
The authors of the Bible routinely employed mention of manners and customs from the ancient world in their inspired writing, fully intending that the Lord would change readers with these images. But modern readers often miss the full literal and figurative meaning of biblical imagery due to the distance in time and experience between the world of today and the world of the Bible. This fully illustrated guide aims to restore clarity and vitality to these portions of God's Word in order to help readers grasp the full meaning of Scripture. For example, the entry on anointing defines the nature of this act and the connotations associated with it before illustrating how the biblical authors use the act of anointing in their communication with us--communication that reaches its full maturity in Jesus, the Anointed One. Understanding manners and customs like anointing enriches our experience of reading the Bible--and even helps us correctly interpret it.
This colorful guide clearly and succinctly introduces modern readers to daily life in Bible times. The cultural practices of the past are fascinating on their own, but even more so as they help us grasp the full meaning of Scripture.
This colorful guide clearly and succinctly introduces modern readers to daily life in Bible times. The cultural practices of the past are fascinating on their own, but even more so as they help us grasp the full meaning of Scripture.
Code Name Scorpion by Donna Gustainis Fuller
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Synopsis
When Trevor Willis offers Dani Carpenter her dream job as director of a new camp for children, she is thrilled. Dani intends to keep Trevor, a family friend and confirmed bachelor, at arm’s length. But her heart changes toward him as they team up to protect Ady, the young daughter of a kidnapped scientist. After Trevor testifies against the son of Don Francisco Morales, a major supplier of heroin into the United States, Morales (aka the Scorpion) targets Trevor in a personal vendetta to destroy his reputation and then destroy everyone Trevor loves. With Ady tucked away in a secure location, Dani and Trevor embark on a chase that takes them from the forests of the Pacific Northwest to the jungles of Mexico. They must stop the Scorpion before he strikes again.
Scabland by Adam Smith
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
When Melissa Cohen was 18 a cruel attack ruined her dream of becoming a psychiatrist. Ever since, she’s been unable to commit to any relationship or career. She’s been a soldier in the Israeli army, an Israeli federal agent, a Miami police officer and a forensic photographer. Now 38, she’s a successful paparazzi photographer.
For 20 years Melissa assumed her attackers didn’t know her identity. But one does. Dying from the mysterious Burning-Heart Virus that’s ravaging the nation, he confesses to her. He doesn’t tell the other rapists who she is, but he tells them she knows who they are now—except for one, a sadist he only knows as Spider. When Spider starts killing off anyone who can identify him, Melissa is forced into a deadly race to discover his identity before he discovers hers. All the skills Melissa learned at her former jobs fall into place as if she’d been unconsciously training for this hunt all along. But Melissa isn’t out to kill. This would-be psychiatrist has had a long time to think about rape, and she has a cure. And now she has the perfect test subject in her sights.
For 20 years Melissa assumed her attackers didn’t know her identity. But one does. Dying from the mysterious Burning-Heart Virus that’s ravaging the nation, he confesses to her. He doesn’t tell the other rapists who she is, but he tells them she knows who they are now—except for one, a sadist he only knows as Spider. When Spider starts killing off anyone who can identify him, Melissa is forced into a deadly race to discover his identity before he discovers hers. All the skills Melissa learned at her former jobs fall into place as if she’d been unconsciously training for this hunt all along. But Melissa isn’t out to kill. This would-be psychiatrist has had a long time to think about rape, and she has a cure. And now she has the perfect test subject in her sights.
Welding Complete 2nd Edition by Michael A. Reeser
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Welding is a fun and surprisingly affordable activity, with complete welding kits available at home-improvement stores for a few hundred dollars. This book shows you everything you need to know to become a competent and safe welder of a wide variety of metal projects. Featured projects include a coffee table, magazine rack, wine rack, truck rack, firepit, and gate.
The time has never been better to learn to weld. New tools and equipment are lower in price and easier to use. Growing interest in metalworking has made supplies easier to come by, with most home-improvement stores now stocking a variety of metals and fuels. As interest in welding expands, the number of great plans and designs continues to grow. For evidence you need only open this updated edition of Welding Complete. Packed with fresh designs and up-to-date information, this new book is your personal metal shop teacher.
The time has never been better to learn to weld. New tools and equipment are lower in price and easier to use. Growing interest in metalworking has made supplies easier to come by, with most home-improvement stores now stocking a variety of metals and fuels. As interest in welding expands, the number of great plans and designs continues to grow. For evidence you need only open this updated edition of Welding Complete. Packed with fresh designs and up-to-date information, this new book is your personal metal shop teacher.
Praxis Core Study Guide by Cirrus Test Prep
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Cirrus Test Prep’s Praxis Core Study Guide 2018-2019: Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Exam Prep and Practice Test Questions (5712, 5722, 5732) will provide you with a detailed overview of the Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators, so you know exactly what to expect on test day. We’ll take you through all the concepts covered on the test and give you the opportunity to test your knowledge with Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators practice questions. Even if it’s been a while since you last took a major test, don’t worry; we’ll make sure you’re more than ready!
Cirrus Test Prep’s Praxis Core Study Guide 2018-2019: Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Exam Prep and Practice Test Questions (5712, 5722, 5732) includes:
A comprehensive REVIEW of:
READING
Reading Skills
WRITING
Language and Research Skills
Writing the Essay
MATHEMATICS
Numbers and Operations
Algebra
Geometry
Statistics and Probability
…as well as a FULL Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators practice test.
Cirrus Test Prep’s Praxis Core Study Guide 2018-2019: Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators Exam Prep and Practice Test Questions (5712, 5722, 5732) includes:
A comprehensive REVIEW of:
READING
Reading Skills
WRITING
Language and Research Skills
Writing the Essay
MATHEMATICS
Numbers and Operations
Algebra
Geometry
Statistics and Probability
…as well as a FULL Praxis Core Academic Skills for Educators practice test.
SIFT Study Guide by Trivium Test Prep
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Trivium Test Prep’s SIFT Study Guide 2018-2019: SIFT Test Prep and Practice Test Questions for the U.S. Army's Selection Instrument for Flight Training Test offers:
A detailed overview of what you need to know for SIFT, so that you know exactly what to expect on the SIFT exam
Trivium Test Prep’s SIFT study guide also covers all of the subjects over which you will be tested
Includes over 300 SIFT practice questions for you to practice and improve
Test tips and strategies to help you score higher on the SIFT
Trivium Test Prep’s SIFT Study Guide 2018-2019: SIFT Test Prep and Practice Test Questions for the U.S. Army's Selection Instrument for Flight Training Test includes:
Simple Figures
Hidden Figures
Aviation Information
Spatial Appreciation
Reading Comprehension
Math Skills
Mechanical Comprehension
and TWO FULL SIFT practice tests!
About Trivium Test Prep
Trivium Test Prep is an independent test prep study guide company that produces and prints all of our books right here in the USA. Our dedicated professionals know how people think and learn, and have created our SIFT book based on what research has shown to be the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to prepare for the exam. Unlike other study guides that are stamped out in a generic fashion, our SIFT test prep manual is specifically tailored for your exact needs.
A detailed overview of what you need to know for SIFT, so that you know exactly what to expect on the SIFT exam
Trivium Test Prep’s SIFT study guide also covers all of the subjects over which you will be tested
Includes over 300 SIFT practice questions for you to practice and improve
Test tips and strategies to help you score higher on the SIFT
Trivium Test Prep’s SIFT Study Guide 2018-2019: SIFT Test Prep and Practice Test Questions for the U.S. Army's Selection Instrument for Flight Training Test includes:
Simple Figures
Hidden Figures
Aviation Information
Spatial Appreciation
Reading Comprehension
Math Skills
Mechanical Comprehension
and TWO FULL SIFT practice tests!
About Trivium Test Prep
Trivium Test Prep is an independent test prep study guide company that produces and prints all of our books right here in the USA. Our dedicated professionals know how people think and learn, and have created our SIFT book based on what research has shown to be the fastest, easiest, and most effective way to prepare for the exam. Unlike other study guides that are stamped out in a generic fashion, our SIFT test prep manual is specifically tailored for your exact needs.
Luminescence by Brandon Woeffel
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Synopsis
Luminescence contains 218 photographs printed in full-colour from Brandon Woelfel. Photographs have been artfully curated by Brandon and consist of his best-of published work and numerous unpublished photographs.
Not available on Amazon
Oops-A-Daisy by Melody Delgado
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Synopsis
Who wants to be stuck wearing a shaggy dog outfit or a chicken suit on television? Twelve-year-old aspiring singer, actress, Daisy De la Cruz, that’s who. She’ll do and wear just about anything to get ahead in the entertainment industry. But will all her embarrassing moments pay off and land her a spot in her arts magnet school’s coveted master class where she’ll be rubbing shoulders with top professionals in the entertainment industry? Or will she be doomed to play the role of an animal, vegetable or mineral forever?
Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
The world as we know it is ending. Evolution has reversed itself, affecting every living creature on earth. Science cannot stop the world from running backwards, as woman after woman gives birth to infants that appear to be primitive species of humans. Thirty-two-year-old Cedar Hawk Songmaker, adopted daughter of a pair of big-hearted, open-minded Minneapolis liberals, is as disturbed and uncertain as the rest of America around her. But for Cedar, this change is profound and deeply personal. She is four months pregnant.
Though she wants to tell the adoptive parents who raised her from infancy, Cedar first feels compelled to find her birth mother, Mary Potts, an Ojibwe living on the reservation, to understand both her and her baby’s origins. As Cedar goes back to her own biological beginnings, society around her begins to disintegrate, fueled by a swelling panic about the end of humanity.
There are rumors of martial law, of Congress confining pregnant women. Of a registry, and rewards for those who turn these wanted women in. Flickering through the chaos are signs of increasing repression: a shaken Cedar witnesses a family wrenched apart when police violently drag a mother from her husband and child in a parking lot. The streets of her neighborhood have been renamed with Bible verses. A stranger answers the phone when she calls her adoptive parents, who have vanished without a trace. It will take all Cedar has to avoid the prying eyes of potential informants and keep her baby safe.
A chilling dystopian novel both provocative and prescient, Future Home of the Living God is a startlingly original work from one of our most acclaimed writers: a moving meditation on female agency, self-determination, biology, and natural rights that speaks to the troubling changes of our time.
Though she wants to tell the adoptive parents who raised her from infancy, Cedar first feels compelled to find her birth mother, Mary Potts, an Ojibwe living on the reservation, to understand both her and her baby’s origins. As Cedar goes back to her own biological beginnings, society around her begins to disintegrate, fueled by a swelling panic about the end of humanity.
There are rumors of martial law, of Congress confining pregnant women. Of a registry, and rewards for those who turn these wanted women in. Flickering through the chaos are signs of increasing repression: a shaken Cedar witnesses a family wrenched apart when police violently drag a mother from her husband and child in a parking lot. The streets of her neighborhood have been renamed with Bible verses. A stranger answers the phone when she calls her adoptive parents, who have vanished without a trace. It will take all Cedar has to avoid the prying eyes of potential informants and keep her baby safe.
A chilling dystopian novel both provocative and prescient, Future Home of the Living God is a startlingly original work from one of our most acclaimed writers: a moving meditation on female agency, self-determination, biology, and natural rights that speaks to the troubling changes of our time.
The Doctor, the Chef or the Fireman by Debbie K. Lum
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| Photo Credit: Goodreads |
Kendra King ran away from her boyfriend so fast, she almost left her favorite Louis purse behind. Newly-minted doctor Christopher Randall had been the man of her dreams, until she uncovered his dangerous secret.
Moving from Richmond, Virginia to nearby Cory City was easier for the 26-year-old than confronting her ex, and she busied herself with her new career. Soon, handsome fireman Matt Livingston softens her broken heart and life in Cory City looks as rosy as the flowers Matt sends her every week. Even daily breakfast at the local diner seems magical, and she quickly bonds with a misfit group of regulars including young chef Nolan Ford, who warms her soul with his blueberry pancakes and adorable southern smile.
But when one of her new friends becomes suspiciously ill and scandal engulfs the fire department, Kendra sets out with Matt to prove his boss is crooked. She learns nothing in Cory City is as it seems and when her ex arrives in town, Kendra’s not sure who to trust. She begins to uncover the good, the bad and the ugly among the three men closest to her: the doctor, the chef and the fireman. And if she’s not careful, she might unleash the evil in one.
So that's all the books that I got in the mail this past month. Of these books, I think I'm most interested in reading Not Now, Not Ever and Divas in the Convent, although I may also take a gander at Season of you for the 12 Books of Christmas Challenge.
Which of these books are you most interested in reading my review on? - Katie
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| Have you joined the 12 Books of Christmas Challenge yet? Find out more details and sign up here! |
Wow! That is a lot of book mail. Impressive. I hope you enjoy all of these!
ReplyDeleteThanks. There are three that I"m not super excited about, but one of them my husband can use because apparently he wants to get welding equipment when we get back stateside anyway and then I can have him make me things, and he pointed out that the other two could be useful for helping the kids learn (although maybe not right now as they're still a bit young.) Thanks for stopping by. - Katie
DeleteI know you said this is for the whole month but still this is an impressive haul! Also Happy Birthday! Here's wishing you even more goodies in December to enjoy!
ReplyDeleteI win a lot of Goodreads giveaways. Thank you for the birthday wishes...And December's haul should be quite small as I've switched to using my parents mailing address for packages for the time being (we're preparing to move back stateside and don't need any more things sent this way right now...and the kids and myself will be living with my parents for a while until my husband finds a house he's happy with in our new location.) But I'll have a super big haul to post in January (and hopefully the most packages under the tree for our belated Christmas with my family, because I told my parents they should just put all the packages they get in the mail with my name on them under the tree, and then they won't even have to buy me anything. LOL.)
DeleteThanks for stopping by. - Katie