Stealing the Bride
Yvette Hines - 2012
They always reminded her that love was still possible. Even though any type of love or relationship in her current life was non-existent. However, she had to believe it was something that would be hers one day. Otherwise she was destined to die a lonely career woman. Well, not so lonely since her two best friends Summer and Kathryn both had personal lives that resembled her own--bleak. After attending a friend’s wedding, it becomes more apparent to Leya that she can’t keep waiting for her knight to come into her life and whisk her off to some beautiful place to start her happily-ever-after. Leya doesn’t know the last time she took a vacation, but she knows it is time to start living. Two months later, her friends think she is insane when Leya boards a plane with nothing but a bathing suit in her purse and her credit card, headed to Bali. Kolby Bragdon loves the month of May, every year he spends it surfing and teaching lessons to tourist in Bali and providing aid to the locals. It’s how he relaxes from his high pressured job. No one there thinks of him as a business tycoon, especially the high-strung maple-skinned goddess who wants an adventure on the white beach sands. After days and nights of hiking, diving and lovemaking and his island beauty heads back to the states, he can’t get her out of his mind. However, he never would have thought it would be so easy to find her until he finds her at his office weeks later, as the financial advisor he’s hired for his employees. Kolby knows it is time for him to take matters into his own hands if he wants Leya in his life forever. With the aid of her two friends he may get his bride yet.
The Dinosaur that Pooped a Princess!
Tom Fletcher - 2018
. .Danny and Dinosaur are convinced that a damsel in distress needs their help - they just need to find her. But there are twists in store . . . Can Dinosaur make it through Fairy Tale Land without eating everything in sight? And do all princesses really need to be rescued?From bestselling authors Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, with glorious artwork from Garry Parsons, this hilarious, rip-roaring fairytale romp is packed with prehistoric cheekiness, punchy girl power and lots and lots of poop!
Michael Douglas: A Biography
Marc Eliot - 2012
Overcoming the curse of failure that haunts the sons and daughters of Hollywood celebrities, Michael became a sensation when he successfully brought One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, starring his friend Jack Nicholson, to the screen after numerous setbacks, including his father’s own failed attempts to make it happen. This 1975 box-office phenomenon won Michael his first Oscar (the film won five total, including Best Picture), an award Kirk hadn’t won at the time, and solidified the turbulent, competitive father-son relationship that would shape Michael’s career and personal life. In the decades that followed, Michael established a reputation for taking chances on new talent and projects by producing and starring in the hugely successful Romancing the Stone and Jewel of the Nile movies, while cultivating a multifaceted acting persona—edgy, rebellious, and a little dark—in such films as Wall Street, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, and Disclosure. Yet as his career thrived, Michael’s personal life floundered, with an unhappy and tumultuous first marriage, rumors of infidelity (especially with leading ladies such as Kathleen Turner), and a headline-grabbing stint in rehab. Rocked by a series of tragedies, including Kirk’s strokes, his son Cameron’s incarceration, and his own fight against throat cancer, Michael has emerged triumphant, healthy, and happy in his marriage to Catherine Zeta-Jones, a Welsh actress twenty-five years his junior, and their new young family.In Michael Douglas, Marc Eliot brings into sharp focus this incredible career, complicated personal life, and legendary Hollywood family. Eliot’s fascinating portrait of the lows and remarkable highs in Michael’s life—including the thorny yet influential relationship with his father—breaks boundaries in understanding the life and work of a true American film star.
A Portrait of Jesus
Joseph F. Girzone - 1998
In A Portrait of Jesus, bestselling writer Joseph Girzone recaptures the truth of Jesus that is presented in the Gospels and gives a compelling vision of the person Jesus' contemporaries must have known. In his most powerful work yet, Girzone seeks to personify Christ in the minds of readers by asking some simple questions: "What did people see in Jesus as he walked down the street? How did he approach others and what would these people take away from meeting him? What do his actions tell us about how we can live our lives today?" It is Girzone's empowering and loving understanding of the heart of Christianity that will make A Portrait of Jesus a groundbreaking classic in the tradition of his bestselling books, Joshua and Never Alone.From the Hardcover edition.
Judi Dench: With a Crack in Her Voice
John Miller - 1955
In this authorized, affectionate biography, the first time she has cooperated in the telling of her story, Dench talks of those who have most influenced her work and her way of life and reflects upon her most illustrious career, including her recent ascent to superstar status in America.
Cagney
John McCabe - 1997
After the tremendous impact of Public Enemy - in which he notoriously pushed half a grapefruit into Mae Clarke's face - he was typecast as a gangster because of the terrifying violence that seemed to be pent up within him. Years of pitched battle with Warner Brothers finally liberated him from those roles, and he went on to star in such triumphs as the musicals Yankee Doodle Dandy (winning the 1942 Oscar for best actor) and Love Me or Leave Me. Even so, one of his greatest later roles involved a return to crime - as the psychopathic killer in the terrifying White Heat. He retired from films in 1961 after making Billy Wilder's One, Two, Three, only to return twenty years later for Ragtime. But however much Cagney personified violence and explosive energy on the screen, in life he was a quiet, introspective, and deeply private man, a poet, painter, and environmentalist, whose marriage to his early vaudeville partner was famously loyal and happy. His story is one of the few Hollywood biographies that reflect a fulfilled life as well as a spectacular career.
A Rose for Mrs. Miniver: The Life of Greer Garson
Michael Troyan - 1998
The true origins of her birth, her fairy-tale discovery in Hollywood, and her career struggles at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer are revealed for the first time. Garson combined an everywoman quality with grace, charm, and refinement. She won the Academy Award in 1941 for her role in Mrs. Miniver, and for the next decade she reigned as the queen of MGM. Co-star Christopher Plummer remem
Edith Head: The Life and Times of Hollywood's Celebrated Costume Designer
David Chierichetti - 2003
Her career spanned nearly half a century and included such classic films as Rear Window and Sunset Boulevard. Her private life and professional achievements have been the subject of speculation since she rose to the top in the late 1940s. Ruthlessly competitive and intensely secretive, Head had few close friends and many detractors. Her longtime friend, protégé, and confidant David Chierichetti offers a privileged glimpse into the personality behind the famously impenetrable "schoolmarm" façade and a comprehensive account of her creative process.With more than 150 images –– including family snapshots, sketches, and studio portraits of the stars and roles she helped to create, Edith Head is a fresh and vital portrait of the designer, as well as of the era she epitomizes.
The Sudoku Murder
Shelley Freydont - 2007
Katie, a self-professed geek who works for a hush-hush government think tank, returns to her hometown of Granville, NH, at the behest of her former mentor, P.T. Avondale. Katie is shocked to find Avondale frail and preoccupied, his beloved puzzle museum in serious disrepair and dire financial straits. Before Katie can make sense of the situation, she discovers Avondale murdered in his office—slumped over an unfinished Sudoku puzzle that may provide a clue to the killer’s identity. She tops the brash new police chief’s suspect list and decides to solve the case on her own, not only to clear her name but to save the Avondale museum from the wrecking ball.
Secrets of a Teenage Heiress
Katy Birchall - 2018
But Flick isn't that interested. She is interested in the newest guest – superstar celebrity Skylar Chase, and Sky's mega-famous group of friends, including dreamy YouTube star, Ethan Duke. But just as Flick gets the chance to join their glittering squad, she gets grounded following an unfortunate incident involving a prince, a wardrobe and a selfie stick (it could have happened to anyone!). With only her Instagram star pet dachshund, Fritz, for company, will Flick find a way to escape The Royale and join the fame game?
All His Jazz: The Life And Death Of Bob Fosse
Martin Gottfried - 1990
Born in Chicago, young Fosse began his career tap-dancing as part of the Riff Brothers in sleazy strip joints, where he encountered the erotic style that later became his signature. Best known for his Broadway hits (The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees, Sweet Charity, and Chicago), he was also a successful movie director. Three of his five films were nominated for Academy Awards: Cabaret, Lenny, and the autobiographical All That Jazz. A compulsive womanizer, he had many affairs, even during his three marriages, the last of which was to actress Gwen Verdon, with whom he shared his most fruitful Broadway collaborations. As his fame grew, so too did his insecurities and addictions. He survived two heart attacks and several epileptic seizures, only to die on a street corner in Washington, D.C., in Verdon’s arms. After his death Fosse became a Broadway legend. Based on interviews with friends, family, and colleagues, this eloquent biography provides a vivid connection between Bob Fosse’s life and his work for stage and screen.
Doris Day: The Untold Story of the Girl Next Door
David Kaufman - 2008
While Day symbolized virtuous America to the rest of the world--especially in her heyday, the 1950s and early 1960s--both she and that era are still perceived as being far more innocent and carefree than they really were. Indeed, what makes Day's story so richly fascinating is the fact that she was in many ways the opposite of her image as "the girl next door." She was also a real-life Cinderella who regretted having gone to the ball and who found a series of princes who proved far less than charming. Thanks to Kaufman's dogged diligence in tracking down countless colleagues and intimates, he gives readers scintillating tales of fame, beauty, money, tragedy, sexual ambiguity, and sexual conquests. He also has collected fascinating anecdotes about a vast array of major subsidiary players in Day's life, including Ronald Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Alfred Hitchcock, Jimmy Stewart, Cary Grant, Charles Manson, Mickey Mantle, Candice Bergen, and Rock Hudson. Kaufman reveals Day's demons while emphasizing the extraordinary credit she deserves as an artist. In the tradition of great biographies, Kaufman's detailed work not only reveals the surprising story of one of America's most beloved icons, but also compels us to rush back and see her best films--including "The Man Who Knew Too Much," "Pillow Talk," and "Love Me or Leave Me"--and to listen to her unforgettable songs--"Sentimental Journey," "Secret Love," and "Que Sera, Sera." Though she made more than 550 recordings and starred in 39 movies--not to mention her own TV show for five years--the epic story of Doris Day's life has never been told, until now.
I Know Where I'm Going: A Personal Biography of Katharine Hepburn
Charlotte Chandler - 2010
Introduced by George Cukor, who directed Hepburn in such classic films as Little Women, The Philadelphia Story, and Adam's Rib, Chandler socialized with Hepburn at the Cukor estate, where the star was then living in a cottage on the grounds. Hepburn agreed to allow Chandler to tape their conversations, during which she spoke candidly about her personal and professional lives. She described finding the body of her adored older brother, an apparent suicide at fifteen, and assuming his birthday as her own. She told Chandler intimate details of her marriage and divorce from Ludlow Ogden Smith, "Luddy," who remained a friend, and of her affair with pilot Howard Hughes. She said that she enjoyed diving nude off the wings of his seaplane when they went swimming together. Her warmest recollections were of her twenty-seven-year affair with Spencer Tracy. Chandler also interviewed others who knew and worked with Hepburn during her long career, from Cukor to Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Cary Grant, Christopher Reeve, and many others. All of them described an actress who was supremely talented, professional, and confident, who always knew where she was going. By the time she retired, Hepburn had won a record four Best Actress Academy Awards and had been nominated twelve times. Her acting career spanned six decades, and she was universally acknowledged as one of the finest -- if not the finest -- actors in film history. Her range was enormous: She acted in serious drama and in screwball comedies with equal skill. As she revealed to Chandler in their conversations, her family was a great influence on Hepburn. Her mother was a suffragette and her beloved father a doctor. She would eventually retire to the home where she grew up (although it had been rebuilt after it was destroyed in a storm), symbolically affirming the family values that shaped her personality. She was careful to distinguish her personal and professional lives, telling Chandler that she thought of herself as "Kathy," a childhood name (she had called herself "Jimmy" for a while in childhood), but regarded the public Katharine Hepburn as "the creature." I Know Where I'm Going is a fascinating, delightful, and personal book that brings readers as close as possible to the real Katharine Hepburn.
Cake Pop Crush
Suzanne Nelson - 2013
They have to find ways to bring in new customers, especial after Perk Up, a big chain coffee and pastry shop, opens across the street. To make a bad matter worse, Dane, the cute new boy at school is the son of Perk Up’s CEO. She should hate him...but he’s really sort of sweet. How’s a girl supposed to deal? Ali begins to create incredible cake pops using her deceased mom’s cookbook.
Jackie After O: One Remarkable Year When Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Defied Expectations and Rediscovered Her Dreams
Tina Cassidy - 2012
1975 was a year of monumental changes for Jackie: it was the year she lost her second husband, shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis, saved one of New York City’s cultural landmarks at Grand Central Station, and found her true calling—not as a powerful man’s wife or the mother of future leaders, but as a woman of the workforce with a keen mind and a dedication to excellence. Readers of Christopher Andersen’s Jackie After Jack and Pamela Clarke Keogh’s Jackie Style will find no better look at the intimate world of America’s Queen of Camelot than Tina Cassidy’s Jackie After O.