Book picks similar to
Late Harvest: Rural American Writing by David R. PichaskeWallace Stegner
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rural-america
Angelina Jolie: The Biography
Rhona Mercer - 2007
Unlike many Hollywood stars who do their best to avoid the press, her openness about her complicated and often outlandish life has endeared her to fans worldwide. Her most famous screen roles are covered in this biography, from Gia to Lara Croft, which established her as one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood. Also explored is her reputation for living on the edge, and Angelina's refreshing honesty around tempestuous romantic relationships, bisexuality, wild partying, and breakdowns and thoughts of suicide. Finally, her recent roles as philanthropist, mother, and half of a Hollywood golden couple with Brad Pitt, are also discussed in this inspiring must-read book for fans of this continually fascinating global superstar.
Small Comforts: More Comments And Comic Pieces
Tom Bodett - 1987
His commentaries on “All Things Considered” and his radio spots for Motel 6 have delighted millions, but he’s never been funnier than in this, his second collection of casual essays. Here are further musings ont he everyday joys and embarrassments of being a husband, father, citizen, and breadwinner by the author of As Far As You Can Go Without a Passport. Fans will be comforted by the familiarity of this return visit to Bodett country. Those new to his work will discover one of the freshest, friendliest voices among writers of humor today.
You Are Not a Stranger Here
Adam Haslett - 2002
The impact is at once harrowing and thrilling.An elderly inventor, burning with manic creativity, tries to reconcile with his estranged gay son. A bereaved boy draws a thuggish classmate into a relationship of escalating guilt and violence. A genteel middle-aged woman, a long-time resident of a psychiatric hospital, becomes the confidante of a lovelorn teenaged volunteer. Told with Chekhovian restraint and compassion, and conveying both the sorrow of life and the courage with which people rise to meet it, You Are Not a Stranger Here is a triumph of storytelling.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love
Raymond Carver - 1981
Alternate-cover edition can be found here In his second collection, Carver establishes his reputation as one of the most celebrated and beloved short-story writers in American literature—a haunting meditation on love, loss, and companionship, and finding one’s way through the dark.
L'Enfant Noir: De Camara Laye
Irène Assiba d'Almeida - 2004
The list of works for the 2008 exam include: Le Cid, L'Ecole des femmes, Candide, Pierre et Jean, Moderato Cantabile, Une Tempête and La Poésie (updated for 2008 exam.)
Danger, Man Working: Writing from the Heart, the Gut, and the Poison Ivy Patch
Michael Perry - 2017
Mine is predicated on formative years spent cleaning my father’s calf pens: Just keep shoveling until you’ve got a pile so big, someone has to notice. The fact that I cast my life’s work as slung manure simply proves that I recognize an apt metaphor when I accidentally stick it with a pitchfork. . . . Poetry was my first love, my gateway drug—still the poets are my favorites—but I quickly realized I lacked the chops or insights to survive on verse alone. But I wanted to write. Every day. And so I read everything I could about freelancing, and started shoveling." The pieces gathered within this book draw on fifteen years of what Michael Perry calls "shovel time"—a writer going to work as the work is offered. The range of subjects is wide, from musky fishing, puking, and mountain-climbing Iraq War veterans to the frozen head of Ted Williams. Some assignments lead to self-examination of an alarming magnitude (as Perry notes, "It quickly becomes obvious that I am a self-absorbed hypochondriac forever resolving to do better nutritionally and fitness-wise but my follow-through is laughable.") But his favorites are those that allow him to turn the lens outward: "My greatest privilege," he says, "lies not in telling my own story; it lies in being trusted to tell the story of another."
What It's Really Like
Jane Morris - 2020
In this book, you’ll find a bit of everything including the usual helicopter parents and awful administration, horrendous student behavior with no consequences, and crazy-ass parents and their insane requests. But you’ll also find weirdly entertaining stories about a little kid with a foot fetish, a group of teachers chasing a naked kid around the school parking lot, and two pregnant sisters fighting over the same baby daddy on the first day of school. There’s plenty of gross stuff, like all the strange places kids put their poop and dirty maxi pads, a Barbie in a butthole, and kids who masturbate in class and hump desks. Unlike her other books, Morris included a sprinkling of tales that will break your heart and a few that will give you the warm and fuzzies we all need to keep going. This book is hilarious, shocking, heartwarming, sad, gross, and sometimes inspiring because that is what teaching is really like.
True Ghost Stories: Real Demonic Possessions and Exorcisms
Zachery Knowles - 2017
You will experience the terror, the helplessness, the loss of control, and the torment felt by those who have fallen prey to the dark powers in this world—the demon possessed. The symptoms of demonic possessions manifest themselves in many ways—convulsions, bite marks appearing from nothing, and levitation are all common. The victims frequently inherit clairvoyant abilities, too, seeing directly into another person's soul to uncover their deepest, darkest secrets. Perhaps most incredibly of all, though, the possessed may begin speaking in a language they've never previously been exposed to. These are symptoms it's almost impossible to explain or dismiss. This chilling collection of stories date from modern times all the way back to the 1600s, spanning multiple countries including the United States, Great Britain, the Philippines, France, and South Africa. From the poor to the middle-class, the prostitute to the housewife, and the schoolboy to the local butcher, you will learn demons do not discriminate between class, gender, or age—it can happen to anyone. Most of the time, the demon possesses one individual, but not always. In this book, you will find the case of two brothers possessed simultaneously and interacting with each other in the throes of their possession as well as an instance in which an entire school of children seem to suffer at the hands of a demonic entity. Some of these horror stories arose from poor judgment, such as a pact with the devil or seeking the help of an ill-reputed healer. Others succumbed to a curse, while some are unfortunate enough to simply find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. Some of the victims of these stories were delivered, but found their lives cut dramatically short, no doubt due to the physical torments their human bodies endured during the possession and exorcism. Others faced prison, or found themselves locked up in asylums because of actions committed while they were under an evil influence. Yet, there are still those whom were unable to be delivered, one in particular even leading to a gruesome, haunting murder. It seems there are no happy endings when demons become involved. So let me ask you: do you believe in demons? True Demonic Possessions and Exorcisms is guaranteed to befuddle the skeptics and confirm to believers that demons are not to be messed with. Whichever side of the fence you sit, one thing is for sure: this collection of true stories of demonic possession is guaranteed to be a hair-raising experience. Ready to scare yourself senseless? Scroll to the top of the page and hit buy!
The A Game: Nine Steps to Better Grades
Kenneth J. Sufka - 2011
It is one of those rare books -- concise and compelling, yet based on science. Certain to become a staple in first-year college curricula, The A Game will forever change students' lives.
Gumbo A Celebration of African American Writers
Edwidge Danticat - 2002
Not since Terry McMillan's Breaking Ice have so many African-American writers been brought together in one volume. A stellar collection of works from more than fifty hot names in fiction, Gumbo represents remarkable synergy. Edited by bestselling luminaries Marita Golden and E. Lynn Harris, this collection spans new and previously published tales of love and luck, inspiration and violation, hip new worlds and hallowed heritage from voices such as: Edwidge Danticat , Eric Jerome Dickey, Kenji Jasper, John Edgar Wideman, Terry McMillan, David Anthony Durham, Bertice Berry, and many, many more. Also featuring original stories by Golden and Harris themselves, Gumbo heralds the debut of the Hurston / Wright Legacy Awards for Published Black Writers (scheduled for October 2002), and all advances and royalties from the book will support the Hurston/ Wright Foundation. Combining authors with a variety of flavorful writing, Gumbo will have readers clamoring for second helpings.
Confessions of an Impatient Bride: Godly Lessons You Can Learn While Waiting for Mr. Right
Rissa Singson-Kawpeng - 2009
1 selling inspirational magazine, this paperback chronicles her struggles and victories as a single woman in pursuit of her calling in the Lord and, later, how God fulfilled His many promises regarding marriage and having a family.Through her stories and godly insights, learn how you can:- Nurture your soul with God's Word and discover His grace at work in your circumstances- Eliminate your worries and enjoy life where you are—right here, right now- Enjoy your single life to the hilt while waiting for Mr. Right to take you to the altar- Overcome your trials and sorrows with the strength of God- Stay happy even when life isn't going according to your plan- Discover God's presence in the mundane and the ordinary- And many more life-changing lessons!
Sacred Tales: Short Stories from Ancient India
Morris Fenris - 2013
These stories have been around since the dawn of human civilization. They were tales that were passed from generation to generation in an oral tradition that spanned hundreds of years. They have since been written down, translated and have traveled the world, encompassing many languages and cultures over the millennia.These 60 stories can be read and enjoyed by all ages, all religions and all cultures.
Heat and Other Stories
Joyce Carol Oates - 1991
In the O. Henry award-winning title story, "Heat," young twin sisters are murdered, and both they and their killer remembered by a woman who was their contemprary and, in a way, a victim as well...In "Leiila Lee," a young woman who married an older man tried to develop a relationship with her husband's angry teenage son...In "House Hunting," a husband perplexed by his disintegrating marriage goes househunting without his wife, and embarks on a quest - not only for a house, but for his future. From small towns to big cities, from the working-class to the upper-class, there is scarcely an aspect of the American experience that Joyce Carol Oates has not magically made her own. Her stories shock, provoke, and astound us with their commentary on the human condition.
The Best American Science Writing 2009
Natalie Angier - 2009
Provocative and engaging, the Best American Science Writing 2009 as edited by Angier covers the full spectrum of scientific inquiry—from biochemistry, physics, and astronomy to genetics, evolutionary theory, and cognition.Introduction / by Natalie Angier --The itch / Atul Gawande --Twitchy / Sallie Tisdale --The first ache / Annie Murphy Paul --A journey inside the brain / Oliver Sacks --The truth about autism / David Wolman --Blocking the transmission of violence / Alex Kotlowitz --Reading the wounds / Jina Moore --A cloud of smoke / Jennifer Kahn --War! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing / John Horgan --Face-offs of the female kind / Marina Cords --Tough lessons from golden rice / Martin Enserink --Back to the future / J. Madeleine Nash --A tall, cool drink of ... sewage? / Elizabeth Royte --Contagious cancer / David Quammen --Looking up / Jennifer Margulis --Birdbrain / Margaret Talbot --Want to remember everything you'll ever learn? Surrender to this algorithm / Gary Wolf --Hello, HAL / John Seabrook --The anonymity experiment / Catherine Price --The sky is falling / Gregg Easterbrook --Big brain theory: have cosmologists lost theirs? / Dennis Overbye --The final frontier / Karen Olsson --Perhaps death is proud; more reason to savor life / Theresa Brown --Evolutionists flock to Darwin-shaped wall stain / The Onion
Single, Carefree, Mellow
Katherine Heiny - 2015
Sadie’s lover calls her as he drives to meet his wife at marriage counseling. Gwen pines for her roommate, a man who will hold her hand but then tells her that her palm is sweaty. And Sasha agrees to have a drink with her married lover’s wife and then immediately regrets it. These are the women of Single, Carefree, Mellow, and in these eleven sublime stories they are grappling with unwelcome houseguests, disastrous birthday parties, needy but loyal friends, and all manner of love, secrets, and betrayal. In “Cranberry Relish” Josie’s ex—a man she met on Facebook—has a new girlfriend he found on Twitter. In “Blue Heron Bridge” Nina is more worried that the Presbyterian minister living in her garage will hear her kids swearing than about his finding out that she’s sleeping with her running partner. And in “The Rhett Butlers” a teenager loses her virginity to her history teacher and then outgrows him. In snappy, glittering prose that is both utterly hilarious and achingly poignant, Katherine Heiny chronicles the ways in which we are unfaithful to each other, both willfully and unwittingly. Maya, who appears in the title story and again in various states of love, forms the spine of this linked collection, and shows us through her moments of pleasure, loss, deceit, and kindness just how fickle the human heart can be.