These stories are windows illuminating the empowering presence of God.

    Perfect.”—Los Angeles Times In A Nice Little Place on the North Side, leading columnist George Will returns to baseball with a deeply personal look at his hapless Chicago Cubs and their often beatified home, Wrigley Field, as it turns one hundred years old. Baseball, Will argues, is full of metaphors for life, religion, and happiness, and Wrigley is considered one of its sacred spaces. But what is its true, hyperbole-free history? Winding beautifully like Wrigley’s iconic ivy, Will’s meditation on “The Friendly Confines” examines both the unforgettable stories that forged the field’s legend and the larger-than-life characters—from Wrigley and Ruth to Veeck, Durocher, and Banks—who brought it glory, heartbreak, and scandal. Drawing upon his trademark knowledge and inimitable sense of humor, Will also explores his childhood connections to the team, the Cubs’ future, and what keeps long-suffering fans rooting for the home team after so many years of futility. In the end, A Nice Little Place on the North Side is more than just the history of a ballpark. It is the story of Chicago, of baseball, and of America itself.

    Available for the first time, Sarah Susanka's best-selling books in one handsome slipcase set.-- Great gift package-- Offers all of Sarah Susanka's trendsetting architectural ideas in one set

    Thirty-one leading architects are represented in this updated Third Edition in examinations of more than 100 structures assessed through a diagrammatic technique that is applicable to any structure. This impressive collection includes sixteen new buildings and eight innovative architects distinguished by the strength, quality, and interest of their designs. Readers will find valuable guidance in analyzing architectural history as an evolutionary process by exploring the commonality of design ideas reflected in a broad range of structures by internationally renowned architects. Both novices and seasoned professionals will find Precedents in Architecture, Third Edition a very useful tool for enriching their design vocabulary and for the ongoing assessment of buildings found in today's evolving landscape.

    Yet the number of women working as architects remains stubbornly low, and the higher one looks in the profession, the scarcer women become. Law and medicine, two equally demanding and traditionally male professions, have been much more successful in retaining and integrating women. So why do women still struggle to keep a toehold in architecture? Where Are the Women Architects? tells the story of women's stagnating numbers in a profession that remains a male citadel, and explores how a new generation of activists is fighting back, grabbing headlines, and building coalitions that promise to bring about change.Despina Stratigakos's provocative examination of the past, current, and potential future roles of women in the profession begins with the backstory, revealing how the field has dodged the question of women's absence since the nineteenth century. It then turns to the status of women in architecture today, and the serious, entrenched hurdles they face. But the story isn't without hope, and the book documents the rise of new advocates who are challenging the profession's boys' club, from its male-dominated elite prizes to the erasure of women architects from Wikipedia. These advocates include Stratigakos herself and here she also tells the story of her involvement in the controversial creation of Architect Barbie.Accessible, frank, and lively, Where Are the Women Architects? will be a revelation for readers far beyond the world of architecture.-- "Books in Brief"

    As energy costs continue to rise, the almost-off-the-grid house proves its worth. Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid profiles more than 30 of the most energy-efficient homes in the United States, and this hardworking guide reveals how homeowners can achieve similar results with floor plans, the latest, most efficient technologies, and multiple images of the exterior and interior of each home. Praise for Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid: Recipient of the 2013 Robert Bruss Gold Book Award from the National Association of Real Estate Editors (NAREE) “You can build a high quality, environmentally friendly and efficient home at a reasonable price with a look and feel of a traditional home. Advancements like those used in our house and the other houses in this book will transform the homebuilding industry.” —Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey and administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency “The time has come to throw out the old stereotypes and to embrace prefab building techniques as the way of the future—and the best approach for today. For anyone wanting to create a house that’s sustainable in every sense of the word, this book is an excellent place to start.” —Sarah Susanka, architect and author of The Not So Big House series “I'm passionate about prefab because I know that it can spark an incredibly positive change in the building industry and dramatically reduce costs and construction duration. Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid is an enlightening guide on using prefab to create your own affordable, energy-efficient home.” —Bruce Ratner, chairman and chief executive of the Forest City Ratner Companies “Sheri Koones highlights the many ways of using prefabrication to create almost-off-the-grid homes that are not only environmentally friendly but often operate at nearly zero annual energy cost. . . . This is an easy-on-the-eyes guide that includes floor plans and multiple images of the exterior and interior of each home. It is not a manual for green construction, but a general overview of aspects of prefab and green construction. And it does that well.” —Natural Life magazine “If you’re ready to do something about your energy dependence, or if you enjoy stories of people who’ve bucked the trends, you owe it to yourself to give Prefabulous + Almost Off the Grid a look. Beautifully illustrated, it ends with a great resources list for the homes showcased.” —Examiner.com “Indispensable guide to creating the ideal, almost-off-the-grid home. . . . This text is both timely and tempting to anyone interested in inhabiting a more comfortable and cost-efficient abode.” —Bask “This attractive coffee-table-style book, the third in Koones’s Prefabulous series, features 32 prefabricated houses that, to a greater or lesser extent, boast environmentally friendly, efficient, and renewable-energy elements.” —Publishers Weekly

    She will be his last and 'forever'.Tessa Maxfield has always been the smart one because she couldn't be the pretty one or the cool one. And she's fine with that. The upside of being smart is not making stupid decisions like she did as a kid, falling in love with her older brother's best friend. She outgrew that and could still outsmart it now.Jake Hastings has always been a playboy because he could be so why not? But his best friend's rash wedding and fairytale marriage has left him wondering if he could have more. The downside to his notorious reputation is that when he unexpectedly finds the girl he can't live without, she won't believe him. He burned that bridge a long time ago and she's not letting him build a new one now.Can two people who want so much of what they're afraid of find their way through first loves and second chances to finally find each other?***This is a spin-off from The Mischievous Mrs. Maxfield.

    The strange saga of American architecture in the twentieth century makes for both high comedy and intellectual excitement as Wolfe debunks the European gods of modern and postmodern architecture and their American counterparts.

    He only does summer flings. Which one will it be?Eve Benton is house sitting her aunt's amazing beach home in Cape May. All she wants to do this summer is check out the best ice cream shops, enjoy the sun, and dig her toes in the sand. But she's far from her friends back home and would love someone to keep her company. But someone in the form of unavailable, yet super cute Tanner Peters isn't what she imagined though.After a major heartbreak, Tanner has vowed to only do the summer fling thing. Absolutely no serious girlfriends. And absolutely no strings attached. But when Eve Benton moves into her aunt's beach house just down the street for the summer, stirring something in Tanner he's never felt before, he wonders if it's time to give his heart another chance.What happens if it's more than a summer fling?This novelette is part of the Never Ever Love series, and is the first short story. All the books in the Never Ever Love series are short, sweet, swoon-worthy and can be read in any order!

    A teaching guide to accompany the study of the novel A separate peace by John Knowles.

    Paul. Now, in Once There Were Castles, he offers a richly illustrated look at another world of ghosts in our midst: the lost mansions and estates of the Twin Cities.Nobody can say for sure how many lost mansions haunt the Twin Cities, but at least five hundred can be accounted for in public records and archives. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, entire neighborhoods of luxurious homes have disappeared, virtually without a trace. Many grand estates that once spread out over hundreds of acres along the shores of Lake Minnetonka are also gone. The greatest of these lost houses often had astonishingly short lives: the lavish Charles Gates mansion in Minneapolis survived only nineteen years, and Norman Kittson’s sprawling castle on the site of the St. Paul Cathedral stood for barely more than two decades. Railroad and freeway building, commercial and institutional expansion, fires, and financial disasters all claimed their share of mansions; others succumbed to their own extravagance, becoming too costly to maintain once their original owners died.The stories of these grand houses are, above all else, the stories of those who built and lived in them—from the fantastic saga of Marion Savage to the continent-spanning conquests of James J. Hill, to the all-but-forgotten tragedy of Olaf Searle, a poor immigrant turned millionaire who found and lost a dream in the middle of Lake Minnetonka. These and many other mansion builders poured all their dreams, desires, and obsessions into extravagant homes designed to display wealth and solidify social status in a culture of ever-fluctuating class distinctions.The first book to take an in-depth look at the history of the Twin Cities’ mansions, Once There Were Castles presents ninety lost mansions and estates, organized by neighborhood and illustrated with photographs and drawings. An absorbing read for Twin Cities residents and a crucial addition to the body of work on the region’s history, Once There Were Castles brings these “ghost mansions” back to life.

    No one got hurt – at least, not that night.And it’ll end with jingle bells – or rather, wedding bells.Will I get my every desire gift wrapped, or will Christmas be cancelled?Bianca Jones isn’t expecting much from the holidays this year; just a quiet celebration with her mom, and a sense of gratitude that she’s gotten them through yet another year.Everything changes when she gets into a fender bender with the richest man in Memphis—the ever-alluring Jackson Wylde—and the gorgeous billionaire suggests a rather untraditional solution to cover the repairs. How would she feel about posing as his fiancée for one night only?Bianca’s no actress, but it turns out that’s not a problem—the chemistry between them doesn’t need to be faked, to the point that she soon loses track of what’s real and what isn’t.The ruse quickly snowballs, and in no time at all, Bianca learns that Jackson wants a fake bride for Christmas; ceremony, ring, vows and all!Well, that’s just fine, she reasons. Just so long as she can keep her feelings out of it. Unfortunately, that’s one Christmas wish that isn’t getting granted!

    Suddenly, in the magical light of the aurora borealis, he has a vision of an impossibly tall building rising gracefully from the frozen lake and disappearing into the clouds above him. This pilvenpiirtaja -- "cloud sketcher" or skyscraper -- sparks a lifelong quest for beauty in Esko. He will pursue and protect these two passions -- his vision and his love -- no matter how great the cost, for the rest of his life. It is a journey that leads him into the Bolshevik revolution and the Jazz Age nightclubs of New York City and to strike a Faustian bargain with a ruthless gangster -- all in the pursuit of artistic perfection and impossible, unattainable love.

    Growing up, you feel it even more.Mia Fizz is a fifteen-year-old social media star with over 100 million views on her YouTube channel (Mia's Life). She's featured in numerous magazines, interviewed stars such as Mark Wahlberg (awkwardly!) and appeared in a sell-out live show alongside her family.This hilarious guide and memoir features Mia's own drawings and handwriting, never-before-seen pictures, and an empowering message that will help anyone who has ever felt shy, unconfident or awkward to grow beyond these feelings and live their best life.Also featuring an exclusive interview with fellow social media star, Mia's sister, Super Sienna (who featured on UK's Little Big Shots presented by Dawn French), plus a fun quiz, hairstyle tutorials and easy vegan recipes, this book will be any young persons go-to to take their life to the next level!Check out Mia's social medias here: YouTube: https: //m.YouTube.com/MiasLife Instagram: https: //www.instagram.com/miaslifeofficial/?h...

    Ten years ago Jackie fled Mountain Ridge, her need to escape the pain and abuse her single motivation. It wasn’t until after she left that she realized she’d left her heart behind. Burying her feelings for the only woman she’d ever loved, and the only loving family she’d ever known, Jackie struggles to forget her past and move on with her life. Now ten years later, she wonders if she’ll ever find someone that can love the person she’s become. A suggestion from her therapist sends Jackie back to her old hometown in search of those she’d left behind so long ago. Can she settle the past and hope to find her future?