To Air is Human: One Man's Quest to Become the World's Greatest Air Guitarist


Björn Türoque - 2006
     The true story of how mildly successful guitarist and New York Times writer Dan Crane relinquished his instrument and became Björn Türoque (pronounced "b-yorn too-RAWK"), the second greatest air guitarist in the nation. This exploration of the international air guitar sub-culture addresses the issue of dedicating oneself to an invisible art in order to achieve the ultimate goal of "airness"-that is, when air guitar transcends the "real" art that it imitates and becomes an art form in and of itself.

Wild by Cheryl Strayed - A 30-minute Chapter-by-Chapter Summary


Instaread Summaries - 2014
    We read every chapter and summarize it in one or two paragraphs so you can get the information contained in the book at a much faster rate. This is an InstaRead Summary of Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed. Below is a preview of the earlier sections of the summary: Prologue The year is 1995. Cheryl, the narrator and author of the story, explains that she was 26 years old when at the lowest point of her life she began her solo trek on the Pacific Crest Trail. She describes the trail as being 2,663 miles long and two feet wide, stretching from Mexico to Canada and including nine mountain ranges. She has embarked on her journey just 38 days before in an effort to find herself. As she stops to rest at the peak of a mountain, one of her hiking boots tumbles away down the mountain and into some trees far below. Realizing the other is of no use to her anymore, she tosses it out into the trees as well. She reflects on her situation and decides that though she is alone, battered and bruised, shoeless, and at least days from the next supply stop, she must walk on. Part One: The Ten Thousand Things Chapter One: The Ten Thousand Things Cheryl reflects on when her journey actually began and decides that it truly began a over four years ago, on the day that she had learned her forty-five year-old mother was going to die of advanced stage lung cancer. She recalls being at the Mayo clinic with her mother and stepfather on the day of the diagnosis and cursing the smaller town doctors that had given the same diagnosis in the weeks leading up to the visit to Mayo.  She had wanted them to be wrong. Angry at her absent older sister and younger brother, and refusing to believe that her extremely health-conscious, non-smoking mother could possibly have cancer, she argues with the doctor, then crumbles at the news that her mother has a year, at most, to live. She describes the deep love and devotion of her mother to her and her two siblings. Pregnant at nineteen, her mother had married her father only to find out within three short days that he was brutal and abusive. Her mother left him several times, but not permanently until she was twenty-eight years old. A single mother of three, her mother worked all the time, but never seemed to get ahead. She sugar-coated poverty for her children, making games out of their plight and dating an interesting slew of men. Her mother finally met Eddie, a man eight years her junior, and he married her and took on the roles of husband and father with ease. After a disabling accident and settlement, the couple bought forty acres of land an hour and half from Duluth, Minnesota...

Prisoner of War: Judy


Isabel George - 2012
    Judy saved Frank’s life many times over and raised the morale of all the men in the camp.Extracted from the bestselling title The Dog That Saved My Life, this short story tells the tale of a dog like no other, a dog who was awarded an animals’ Victoria Cross for her bravery and devotion.

Of Mice and Me


Mishka Shubaly - 2014
    He had a beautiful new girlfriend and sudden prosperity as an author. But when he adopts an orphaned infant mouse, his world is turned on its head. The mouse comes to symbolize everything left unresolved in his life — his relationship with his divorced parents, his fear of family and commitment, and his inability to feel true happiness and love. By turns hilarious and moving, Mishka Shubaly’s latest Kindle Single captures the journey we all take in life — from being loved, to giving love. Cover by Adil Dara.

This Water Goes North


Dennis Weidemann - 2008
    With leaky tents, little experience, and no TV cameras or big-time sponsors, the lads set out in 1979 to paddle 1,400 miles north to Hudson Bay. Why? Why not! Driven by a youthful sense of adventure, they took the chance of a lifetime just to see what lay around the next turn. Sit in their canoe as they glide through smooth waters and survive rushing rivers. Experience with them the desolation of true wilderness and go on humorous escapades with local characters. With graceful storytelling, Dennis Weidemann weaves this richly diverse tale of near disasters, splendid sunsets, bootleggers, Mounties, polar bears, and the indomitable spirit of youth. Share the dream that still lives, and that will surely inspire others.

Faith and Fear in Flushing: An Intense Personal History of the New York Mets


Greg Prince - 2009
    Prince, coauthor of the highly regarded blog of the same name, examines how the life of the franchise mirrors the life of its fans, particularly his own. Unabashedly and unapologetically, Prince stands up for all Mets fans and, by proxy, sports fans everywhere in exploring how we root, why we take it so seriously, and what it all means. What was it like to enter a baseball world about to be ruled by the Mets in 1969? To understand intrinsically that You Gotta Believe? To overcome the trade of an idol and the dissolution of a roster? To hope hard for a comeback and then receive it in thrilling fashion in 1986? To experience the constant ups and downs the Mets would dispense for the next two decades? To put ups with the Yankees right next door? To make the psychic journey from Shea Stadium to Citi Field? To sort the myths from the realities? Greg Prince, as he has done for thousands of loyal Faith and Fear in Flushing readers daily since 2005, puts it all in perspective as only he can.

Shang-a-lang: Life as an International Pop Idol


Les McKeown - 2003
    It is a remarkable story of extremes, and a no-holds barred account of Rollermania.From the Trade Paperback edition.

Sacred Fire My Journey Into Ashtanga Yoga


Kino MacGregor - 2012
    The narrative explores the dynamic of the sacred teacher-student relationship in the spiritual tradition of India. By presenting the intensity of transformation achieved through yoga and spiritual practice through the eyes of an American woman many readers will easily identify with the narrator's personal dilemmas, issues, and accomplishments. Sacred Fire is a courageous, vulnerable, unflinchingly soul-searching account of the journey from a girl to a woman, a student to a teacher, and a seeker to devotee of love in all its forms. Anyone who has ever felt self-doubt, wished for grace, or dreamed of peace will find a compassionate friend and guide within.

The Greek for Love: Live, Love and Loss in Corfu


James Chatto - 2005
    Part memoir, part love story, part wildly scenic travel piece, 'The Greek for Love' is James Chatto's account of life on Corfu, recalling the idyllic lifestyle and hospitable reception of the islanders.

Blue Suburbia: Almost a Memoir


Laurie Lico Albanese - 2004
    Her mother may stand silently at the sink year after year, or lie in the basement weeping, but Albanese is determined to flee the deadening certainty of her parents' lives. Her story does not disappoint us.By turns haunting, hilarious, tragic, and romantic, Blue Suburbia is the chronicle of a determined young woman who overcomes family limitations, socio-economic obstacles, and personal fears to build a happy -- and blessedly ordinary -- life. Written entirely in free verse, Blue Suburbia's cadence is a steady, rhythmic heartbeat, pulsing with pain, rebellion, love, and triumph. This is the story many of us might tell, if we had the courage.

Night Goblins: A Memoir


J.T. Gregory - 2020
    

Notes from a Doctor's Pocket: Heartwarming Stories of Hope and Healing


Robert D. Lesslie - 2013
    Robert Lesslie, whose routine faced him with times of grief or pain, relief or delight, life or death. Such everyday happenings and encounters gave rise to these vignettes—in which readers will meet up with the characters, coincidences, and complications common to the emergency room:characters like Freddy, who literally shoots himself in the footcoincidences like finally having the chance to hear what patients say to each other when doctors and nurses aren’t in the roomcomplications such as dealing with parents who buy lottery tickets and alcohol instead of medicine for their little boyThese heart-tugging, heart-lifting slices of life will prompt readers to search for opportunities to give the comfort of a touch, the grace of a kind word, or a prayer that brings hope and healing.

Bottled: A Mom's Guide to Early Recovery


Dana Bowman - 2015
    Author of the popular momsieblog.com, she leads and presents workshops on both writing and addiction, with a special emphasis on being a woman in recovery while parenting young children.

To Love A Dope Boy 2: An Urban Romance


Antoinette Sherell - 2018
     Ivy, Gin, and Legacy are gunned down in a car while trying to help Dortch with his plan to prevent Kolyon’s wedding, and no one knows if they made it through unscathed. Dortch and Kolyon are burdened with the task of figuring out who would want to attack Ivy and Gin—refusing to believe it’s someone close to them. Is it a person they aren’t aware of behind it, someone they consider family or both? With danger lurking around every corner and unwarranted love blossoming, things could either begin to go in their favor... or simply get worse.

A Bad Boy Captured My Heart


Tay Mo'Nae - 2018
    What’s the point in giving you’re heart to someone, only to have it broken and your trust betrayed? She was perfectly content with the absence of love until Cameron aka Murda enters her life unexpectedly, awakening a need for a connection that she hadn’t realized that she was missing. Cameron just got released from jail after doing a 5 year bid and is back in the streets force. Cam is rude, and trigger happy and won’t hesitate to kill whenever necessary. With a street war going on with an unknown enemy Cameron and his cousin, Justin have too many thing to worry about and love isn’t on his list but meeting Raegan changes that. Cam tries to break the ice around Raegan’s heart but will her closed off behavior make him give up before he starts? Justin and Morgan are together and happy or so it seems. Still dealing with the insecurities from Justin cheating on her Morgan causes unnecessary issues in her relationship. When she takes it too far and a secret is revealed Justin calls it quits and leaves the relationship. Seeing the mistakes she made Morgan struggles trying to get Justin back but will he be willingly to forgive her and come home? Love, wars, and an unexpected reveal from an ex will turn these couples life’s upside down and they’ll have to deal with consequences before it breaks them.