They have become part of the sport's vernacular, and yet for many fans they remain just names, often confusing ones. To rectify that, Tim Layden has drilled deep into the core of the game to reveal not only how these chalkboard X's and O's really work on the field, but also where they came from and who dreamed them up. These playbook schemes, many of them illuminated by diagrams, bear the insignia of some of the game's great innovators, men like Vince Lombardi, Don Coryell, Tom Osborne, Bill Walsh, Tony Dungy and Buddy Ryan. But football has also been radically altered by the ingenious work of men with more obscure names, like Tiger Ellison, Emory Bellard and Mouse Davis.In Blood, Sweat and Chalk, Layden takes readers into the meeting rooms-and in some cases the living rooms-where the game's most significant ideas were hatched. He goes to the coaches and to the players who inspired them, and lets them tell their stories. In candid conversations with some of football's most intriguing characters, Layden provides a fascinating guide to the game, helping fans to better see the subtleties of America's favorite sport.The game of football is cyclical. Coaches today are getting too much credit for formations and offenses that were dreamed up years ago. Tim Layden does a wonderful job of tracing the origin of those ideas in Blood, Sweat and Chalk.- Urban Meyer, Head Football Coach, University of FloridaTim Layden explores the minds and ambitions of the game's formative thinkers. Serious students of football must have this on their bookshelves!- Steve Sabol, President, NFL FilmsBlood, Sweat and Chalk is a must-read for all football aficionados. I, of course, especially enjoyed reading about the great Don Coryell, a true innovator in the game we all love. His ideas changed football-and this book shows you how.- Dan Fouts, Hall of Fame Quarterback, San Diego ChargersTim has created a playbook that's instructional, a history book that's fascinating and a football bible that's a must-read for anybody who loves the game. All in one. - Dan Patrick, Host, NBC's Football Night in AmericaTim Layden does a great job telling the story of the people and the ideas that had a major impact on the game of football as we know it.- Mack Brown, Head Football Coach, University of TexasThis is one of the most important sports books of our generation-and a lot of fun too. The formations and philosophies that win Super Bowls and national titles are made crystal clear. If you live for fall weekends, this is your book. - Peter King, Author, Monday Morning Quarterback

    a What's Love??? novel Imogen Gorecki needs a date to her sister’s engagement party—especially since her cheating ex-boyfriend is on the guest list. But finding Mr. Perfect in a time crunch is proving impossible. Just when she’s about to give up, she face-plants into the crotch of the sexiest guy she’s ever met. Matt Sesnick is everything Imogen wants in a man, but he’s not looking for a relationship so soon after his recent divorce. Will Gen’s pregnant and hormonal older sister, her bridezilla twin, and all of her past Mr. Wrongs get in the way of their happily-ever-after, or can she convince Matt to take another shot at love?

    The shop here used to sell them. You would dip your brush in water and pale, clear colours would emerge from the page, as this green and blue landscape is emerging from the mist.’‘She saw before her a small but strongly built man, in his thirties perhaps, wearing highland dress, bare legs showing beneath the big blue plaid. He reminded her of the highlanders she had seen on the streets of Edinburgh where sometimes, dressed in their outlandish clothes, they were perceived as crude figures of fun and sometimes, bristling with weaponry and with the drink taken, as dangerous incomers. Manus was no figure of fun although she could see that he might be dangerous, a better friend than an enemy, perhaps.’When Alys revisits the beautiful Hebridean island of Garve after an absence of twenty five years, she is captivated by the embroidered casket on display in her hotel. She discovers that it belongs to Donal, her childhood playmate, and soon they resume their old friendship. Interwoven with the story of their growing love, is the darker tale of Henrietta Dalrymple, kidnapped by the formidable Manus McNeill and held on Garve against her will. With three hundred years separating them, the women are linked by the cabinet and its contents, by the tug of motherhood and by the magic of the island itself. But Garve has its secrets, past and present. Donal must learn to trust Alys enough to confide in her and, like Henrietta before her, Alys must earn the right to belong.

    Drawn in a group with Israel, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Austria and mighty Spain, it was hard to see the principality's part-time players scoring even one goal, never mind adding to its meagre international points total. So what motivates a nation of 30,000 people and eleven villages to keep plugging away despite the inevitability of defeat? Travelling to all of Liechenstein's qualifying matches, Charlie Connelly examines what motivates a team to take the field dressed proudly in the shirts of Liechtenstein despite the knowledge that they are, with notably few exceptions, in for a damn good hiding.Sampling the delights of Liechtenstein's capital, Vaduz, such as the Postage Stamp Museum, the State Art Museum and, er, the Postage Stamp Museum again, Connelly provides an evocative and witty account of the land where every year on National Day the sovereign invites the entire population into his garden for a glass of wine.

    Beginning with his childhood in London, the book details Robert Pattinson's acting debut at age 15 in amateur plays before describing his 2003 big break as Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Catapulted into the spotlight by the 2005 blockbuster, Pattinson was next cast as Edward Cullen in the highly anticipated film, Twilight. With the Twilight Saga quickly becoming an global phenomenon, this comprehensive guide shows why Robert has become the hottest Brit in Hollywood. Also following the life of the boy who would become Pattinson's on-screen rival, the guide chronicle's Taylor Lautner's childhood in Michigan, relocation to Los Angeles, and big break at age 13 in The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl. Within months he landed the role as Eliot in Cheaper by the Dozen 2, but this biography shows how his role as Jacob Black in the Twilight Saga has transformed him into an international teen heartthrob.

    Something had to give. Calling the nanny service, Helping Hands, was the first step, but instead of getting a nanny, they sent her a hot as sin manny with abs she could wash her clothes on.Zach Thomas wasn’t the kind of man who squelched on a bet. That’s why he would swallow his pride, hang up his construction belt, and be a manny for a week. He ran a successful business where his crews knew he was boss. He figured it wouldn’t be hard to get the hot new mom to follow directions too.Ali could tell that Zach didn’t have a clue, but when she realized the attraction she felt wasn’t one sided, she threw caution to the wind. It didn’t matter if he couldn’t vacuum to save his life, he was great at messing up the sheets. She wasn’t looking for anything permanent, so what was the harm in having a little fling with the manny?Warning: This book contains an over the top story of a single mom, a contractor turned manny, and his huge *ahem* aptly named Big John. There are also balls...bowling balls.

    Twenty-five years ago, Gabriel Sanders took Sienna Bennett’s virginity in a night filled with fiery passion. For breaking her vow of celibacy, Sienna was severely punished by the Fae king. If she surrenders to Gabriel’s sensual allure this time, Sienna faces banishment from her people forever. Gabriel burns for Sienna and has never forgotten the taste of her mouth, nor the exquisite pleasure they shared in his bed. Only Sienna can satisfy his intense need to mate. He desperately needs her dark Elven magick to fight a deadly curse that is killing shifters and destroying his territory. Gabriel must convince the pretty Elf to sexually bond with him to defeat the dark enchantment before it destroys the Everglades for good. (Warning: This book contains strong sexual content and is not intended for readers under 18.)

    Katherine Hill left her small New England hometown in pursuit of a dream. Now, twelve years later, she’s a high-powered cosmetics executive in Manhattan and a much glossier version of her former self, unrecognizable to her family and old friends. Not that she would know—she hasn’t been home in over a decade. Laney Marten always swore she’d never get "stuck” in Manchester, Vermont. No, she was destined to live out her glamorous big-city dreams. Instead, she wound up a young wife and mother. That was when her best friend ran out. When Katherine receives word of an inheritance from former neighbor Luella Hancock, she reluctantly returns home to the people and places she left behind. Hoping for a second chance, she’s met by an unforgiving Laney, her former best friend. And there’s someone else who’s moved on without her—someone she once loved. Tethered to their shared inheritance of Luella’s sprawling Victorian mansion, Katherine and Laney are forced to address their long-standing grudges. Through this, they come to understand that while life has taken them in different directions, ultimately the bonds of friendship and sisterhood still bind them together. But are some wounds too old and deep to mend?

    But how do you manage outrageous talent? What do you do to inspire loyalty from your players? How do you turn around a team in crisis? What’s the best way to build long-term success? How can you lead calmly under pressure? The issues are the same whether you’re managing a Premier League football team or a FTSE 100 company. Here, for the first time, some 30 of the biggest names in football management reveal just what it takes. With their every decision, remark, skill, and success or failure under constant scrutiny from the media and the fans, these managers need to be the most adroit of leaders. In The Manager they explain their methods, give examples of lessons they’ve learned along the way, and describe the decisions they make and the leadership they provide. Each chapter tackles a key leadership issue for managers in any walk of life and, in their own words, shows how the experts deal with the challenges they face in an abnormally high-pressure environment. Offering valuable lessons for business leaders and fascinating behind-the-scenes insights for football fans, The Manager is an honest, accessible and unprecedented look at the day-to-day work of these high-profile characters and the world of top-level football management.Contents: A Piece of the Action (Roy Hodgson); The Art of One-on-One (Carlo Ancelotti); Behind the Scenes (Arsène Wenger); Building High-performing Teams (Sam Allardyce); The Field of Play (Roberto Mancini); Handling Outrageous Talent (José Mourinho); Pursuing a Career Under Pressure (Brendan Rodgers); Seeing the Bigger Picture (Harry Redknapp); Creating Sustained Success (Sir Alex Ferguson); Crisis Response and Turnaround (Walter Smith); Triumph and Despair (Mick McCarthy).Also featuring: Gerard Houllier, Tony Pulis, Martin O’Neill, Neil Warnock, Howard Wilkinson, Kevin Keegan, Dario Gradi, Andre Villas-Boas, David Moyes, Alex McLeish, Hope Powell, Martin Jol, Glenn Hoddle, Chris Hughton, David Platt, Paul Ince, and George Graham.

    These two houses warred with each other for an age, causing widespread bloodshed and death. Those without magic — the Nulls — suffered the most. One day, a favored daughter of the Nulls was slain. With her dying breath, she cursed the covens to know no peace until love was possible between the houses. That curse had long since been forgotten — until now. Julian Montgomery is the reluctant Prince of House Montgomery and Rowan Cambridge is in no rush to become the Queen of House Cambridge. Both heirs long for freedom from their birthright obligations. When fate throws these two star-crossed lovers together, it sends them on a collision course with destiny that neither could have predicted. Shakespeare’s classic Romeo & Juliet is reimagined in this compelling drama about two young people drawn by fate into an unwinnable situation. If you think you know how this story ends — think again!Novels in the Defy the Stars trilogy by Susan Harris:A Tale of Two HousesUntil Death Do Us PartIn Defiance of the Stars

    This is a hilariously screwed-up love story.- This book does NOT have a typical happily-ever-after.- The hero and heroine in this book are NOT billionaires who look like supermodels. They are normal people, like you and me.Description: Laney Hill is screwed. On the bed. On the treadmill. On the hood of a BMW. And on her boss’s desk. Then she’s screwed again when she steps into the free clinic and finds out she has gonorrhea. That dirty prick gave her gonorrhea! She’s totally going to break up with him...until he breaks up with her...because he’s married!A night out drinking with friends leads to a fateful--yet awkwardly-sloppy--kiss between her and her best friend George Bratton. George has been single and pining for his ex-girlfriend ever since their breakup two years ago. When his ex invites him to her destination wedding in London, self-destructive George and gonorrhea survivor Laney make a deal to go as each other’s dates. It will make great material for Laney’s “Anti-Romance” blog and maybe it will help George finally get over his ex. Nothing could possibly go wrong, right?

    These extraordinary men turned soccer into an active force in the struggle for freedom.

     Being stuck with her mom and boyfriend number one hundred at an exclusive ski resort doesn’t seem as daunting when Julia runs into the gorgeous and enticing Scar Wagner. And when fate forces the couple much closer than Julia would ever allow a man to be, she can’t help but wonder whether it’s time to give relationships another try. After all, when things go wrong, they turn out right. Note: This is a short prequel to Cheaters Anonymous with a HFN ending. Contains adult content.

    At twenty, she graduated, the women’s professional soccer league folded, and her career was over. In Finding the Game, Oxenham, along with her boyfriend and two friends, chases the part of the game that outlasts a career. They bribe their way into a Bolivian prison, bet shillings on a game with moonshine brewers in Kenya, play with women in hijab on a court in Tehran—and discover what the world looks like when you wander down side streets, holding on to a ball. An entertaining, heartfelt look at the soul of a sport, this book is proof that on the field and in life, some things need no translation.

    I don’t expect to fall for a stranger.We share one blissful night together. No last names, phone numbers, or feelings.Yet, he still tracks me down, and I can’t say no to the heat between us.Our chemistry is intense. Palpable. Life-changing.My traditional family believes moving to LA has corrupted me, but the truth is, they’ve never approved of any of my life choices. It’s never bothered me, either—until I met Sebastian.But it was one thing to be with him in Vegas during a wild weekend and another story entirely to invite him into my life. How can I take him to meet my parents?After all, his profession isn’t something my family would accept.Can our one night turn into forever?*Note: This was previously titled Strip for Me.