Biographies & Memoirs

Explore the stories of remarkable lives in our Biographies & Memoirs section at Thryft. Discover firsthand accounts of influential figures and captivating memoirs that'll inspire and educate. Our collection is carefully curated to ensure you find the perfect narrative to delve into.

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Sarah Helm

Ravensbruck : Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration Camp for Women

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A masterly and moving account of the most horrific hidden atrocity of World War II: Ravensbrück, the only Nazi concentration camp built for women  On a sunny morning in May 1939 a phalanx of 867 women—housewives, doctors, opera singers, politicians, prostitutes—was marched through the woods fifty miles north of Berlin, driven on past a shining lake, then herded in through giant gates. Whipping and kicking them were scores of German women guards.      Their destination was Ravensbrück, a concentration camp designed specifically for women by Heinrich Himmler, prime architect of the Holocaust. By the end of the war 130,000 women from more than twenty different European countries had been imprisoned there; among the prominent names were Geneviève de Gaulle, General de Gaulle’s niece, and Gemma La Guardia Gluck, sister of the wartime mayor of New York.      Only a small number of these women were Jewish; Ravensbrück was largely a place for the Nazis to eliminate other inferior beings—social outcasts, Gypsies, political enemies, foreign resisters, the sick, the disabled, and the “mad.” Over six years the prisoners endured beatings, torture, slave labor, starvation, and random execution. In the final months of the war, Ravensbrück became an extermination camp. Estimates of the final death toll by April 1945 have ranged from 30,000 to 90,000.     For decades the story of Ravensbrück was hidden behind the Iron Curtain, and today it is still little known. Using testimony unearthed since the end of the Cold War and interviews with survivors who have never talked before, Sarah Helm has ventured into the heart of the camp, demonstrating for the reader in riveting detail how easily and quickly the unthinkable horror evolved.      Far more than a catalog of atrocities, however, Ravensbrück is also a compelling account of what one survivor called “the heroism, superhuman tenacity, and exceptional willpower to survive.” For every prisoner whose strength failed, another found the will to resist through acts of self-sacrifice and friendship, as well as sabotage, protest, and escape.      While the core of this book is told from inside the camp, the story also sheds new light on the evolution of the wider genocide, the impotence of the world to respond, and Himmler’s final attempt to seek a separate peace with the Allies using the women of Ravensbrück as a bargaining chip. Chilling, inspiring, and deeply unsettling, Ravensbrück is a groundbreaking work of historical investigation. With rare clarity, it reminds us of the capacity of humankind both for bestial cruelty and for courage against all odds.From the Hardcover edition.

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Barbara Ehrenreich

Living with a Wild God : A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed comes a brave, frank, and exquisitely written memoir that will change the way you see the world. Barbara Ehrenreich is one of the most important thinkers of our time. Educated as a scientist, she is an author, journalist, activist, and advocate for social justice. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, she recounts her quest-beginning in childhood-to find "the Truth" about the universe and everything else: What's really going on? Why are we here? In middle age, she rediscovered the journal she had kept during her tumultuous adolescence, which records an event so strange, so cataclysmic, that she had never, in all the intervening years, written or spoken about it to anyone. It was the kind of event that people call a "mystical experience"-and, to a steadfast atheist and rationalist, nothing less than shattering. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, Ehrenreich reconstructs her childhood mission, bringing an older woman's wry and erudite perspective to a young girl's impassioned obsession with the questions that, at one point or another, torment us all. The result is both deeply personal and cosmically sweeping-a searing memoir and a profound reflection on science, religion, and the human condition. With her signature combination of intellectual rigor and uninhibited imagination, Ehrenreich offers a true literary achievement-a work that has the power not only to entertain but amaze.

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John Gross

The Modern Movement

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For the past ninety years the Times Literary Supplement has scrutinized, dissected, applauded, and occasionally disparaged the work of the twentieth century's leading writers. It has taken a major role in the making—and breaking—of literary reputations.In The Modern Movement , John Gross has assembled an entertaining selection of 155 articles and reviews about and by the great figures of literary modernism. The focus is on twelve key modernist W. B. Yeats, Ezra Pound, D. H. Lawrence, James Joyce, T. S. Eliot, Wyndham Lewis, Virginia Wolf, W. H. Auden, Marcel Proust, Thomas Mann, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Franz Kafka. Another section gathers ten reviews and articles by Eliot and Woolf on then current writers and writing. In addition, there are more general articles on literary trends and issues by such prominent writers and critics as Anthony Burgess, Wallace Stevens, Anthony Powell, and Erich Heller.This fascinating array reveals early opinions on what have come to be the classics of modernist literature. Readers will be treated to astute and often surprising opinions of their favorite writers on the most important literature of this century.

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Alice Schroeder

The Snowball : Warren Buffett and the Business of Life

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Shortlisted for the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Prize 2008 The Snowball is the first and will be the only biography of the world's richest man, Warren Buffett, written with his full cooperation and collaboration. Combining a unique blend of "The Sage of Omaha's" business savvy, life story and philosophy, The Snowball is essential reading for anyone wishing to discover and replicate the secrets of his business and life success. Warren Buffett is arguably the world's greatest investor. Even as a child he was fascinated by the concept of risk and probability, setting up his first business at the age of six. In 1964 he bought struggling Massachusetts textile firm Berkshire Hathaway and grew it to be the 12th largest corporation in the US purely through the exercise of sound investing principles - a feat never equalled in the annals of business. Despite an estimated net worth of around US$62 billion, Buffett leads an intriguingly frugal life taking home a salary of only GBP50,000 a year. His only indulgence is a private jet, an extravagance he wryly acknowledges by calling it "The Indefensible".In 2006, he made the largest charitable donation on record, with most of it going to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The Snowball provides a comprehensive, richly detailed insight one of the world's most extraordinary and much loved public figures. About the ----------------------------------------------- Alice Schroeder began her career as a certified public accountant, working for Ernst & Young before being appointed as a managing director at Morgan Stanley in the equities division. She was the number one-ranked Institutional Investor All-America Research Analyst in 2001 and 2002, and a member of the All-America Research team for seven years. Schroeder first met Warren Buffett in 1998. By 2001, Buffett began to suggest that Alice shift from the business of following stocks in order to write full-time.

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Gregory Zuckerman

The Greatest Trade Ever : How One Man Bet Against the Markets and Made $20 Billion

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The greatest trade ever is the thrilling story of the trader john paulson who predicted the economic crash in 2008- and made the biggest windfall in history, by gregory zuckerman. Autumn 2008. The world's finances collapse but one man makes a killing. John paulson, a softly spoken hedge-fund manager who still took the bus to work, seemed unlikely to stake his career on one big gamble. But he did - and the greatest trade ever is the story of how he realised that the sub-prime housing bubble was going to burst, making $15 billion for his fund and more than $4 billion for himself in a single year. It's a tale of folly and wizardry, individual brilliance versus institutional stupidity. John paulson made the biggest winning bet in history. And this is how he did it. 'the definitive account of a sensational trade' michael lewis, author of the big short'extraordinary, excellent' observer'a must-read for anyone fascinated by financial madness' mail on sunday'a forensic, read-in-one-sitting boo

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Gregory Zuckerman

The Man Who Solved the Market : How Jim Simons Launched the Quant Revolution SHORTLISTED FOR THE FT & MCKINSEY BUSINESS BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD 2019

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This book is a captivating and eye-opening journey into the mind of Jim Simons, the man who transformed the financial world with his unprecedented approach to investing. Through Gregory Zuckerman's meticulous research and interviews, readers get an exclusive look into Simons' data-driven, algorithmic strategies that consistently yielded astonishing returns. But it's more than just a financial tale - it delves into the repercussions of Simons' success on the global stage, shedding light on his influence in scientific research, politics, and beyond. If you're fascinated by the power of mathematics and want to understand how one individual revolutionized an entire industry, this book is an absolute must-read.

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Michael Lewis

The Big Short : Inside the Doomsday Machine

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The real story of the crash began in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real estate derivative markets where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower- and middle-class Americans who can't pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren't talking.Michael Lewis creates a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his #1 bestseller Liar's Poker. Out of a handful of unlikely-really unlikely-heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier bestsellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our time.

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Bob Woodward, Carl Bernstein

All the President's Men

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The full account of the Watergate scandal from the two Washington Post reporters who broke the story. This is “the work that brought down a presidency…perhaps the most influential piece of journalism in history” (Time, All-Time 100 Best Nonfiction Books).This is the book that changed America. Published just two months before President Nixon’s resignation, All the President’s Men revealed the full scope of the Watergate scandal and introduced for the first time the mysterious “Deep Throat.” Beginning with the story of a simple burglary at Democratic headquarters and then continuing through headline after headline, Bernstein and Woodward deliver the stunning revelations and pieces in the Watergate puzzle that brought about Nixon's shocking downfall. Their explosive reports won a Pulitzer Prize for The Washington Post, toppled the president, and have since inspired generations of reporters. All the President’s Men is a riveting detective story, capturing the exhilarating rush of the biggest presidential scandal in U.S. history as it unfolded in real time. It is, as former New York Times managing editor Gene Roberts has called it, “maybe the single greatest reporting effort of all time.”

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George Orwell

Homage to Catalonia

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'Every line of serious work that I have written since 1936 has been written, directly or indirectly, against totalitarianism and for democratic Socialism as I understand it'. Thus wrote Orwell following his experiences as a militiaman in the Spanish Civil War, chronicled in Homage to Catalonia. Here he brings to bear all the force of his humanity, passion and clarity, describing with bitter intensity the bright hopes and cynical betrayals of that chaotic episode: the revolutionary euphoria of Barcelona, the courage of ordinary Spanish men and women he fought alongside, the terror and confusion of the front, his near-fatal bullet wound and the vicious treachery of his supposed allies.Eric Arthur Blair (1903-1950), better known by his pen-name, George Orwell, was born in India, where his father worked for the Civil Service. An author and journalist, Orwell was one of the most prominent and influential figures in twentieth-century literature. His unique political allegory Animal Farm was published in 1945, and it was this novel, together with the dystopia of Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), which brought him world-wide fame. All his novels and non-fiction, including Burmese Days (1934), Down and Out in Paris and London (1933), The Road to Wigan Pier (1937) and Homage to Catalonia (1938) are published in Penguin Modern Classics.

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Reza Aslan

Zealot : The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth

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From the internationally bestselling author of No god but God comes a fascinating, provocative, and meticulously researched biography that challenges long-held assumptions about the man we know as Jesus of Nazareth. Two thousand years ago, an itinerant Jewish preacher and miracle worker walked across the Galilee, gathering followers to establish what he called the “Kingdom of God.” The revolutionary movement he launched was so threatening to the established order that he was captured, tortured, and executed as a state criminal. Within decades after his shameful death, his followers would call him God. Sifting through centuries of mythmaking, Reza Aslan sheds new light on one of history’s most influential and enigmatic characters by examining Jesus through the lens of the tumultuous era in which he lived: first-century Palestine, an age awash in apocalyptic fervor. Scores of Jewish prophets, preachers, and would-be messiahs wandered through the Holy Land, bearing messages from God. This was the age of zealotry—a fervent nationalism that made resistance to the Roman occupation a sacred duty incumbent on all Jews. And few figures better exemplified this principle than the charismatic Galilean who defied both the imperial authorities and their allies in the Jewish religious hierarchy. Balancing the Jesus of the Gospels against the historical sources, Aslan describes a man full of conviction and passion, yet rife with contradiction; a man of peace who exhorted his followers to arm themselves with swords; an exorcist and faith healer who urged his disciples to keep his identity a secret; and ultimately the seditious “King of the Jews” whose promise of liberation from Rome went unfulfilled in his brief lifetime. Aslan explores the reasons why the early Christian church preferred to promulgate an image of Jesus as a peaceful spiritual teacher rather than a politically conscious revolutionary. And he grapples with the riddle of how Jesus understood himself, the mystery that is at the heart of all subsequent claims about his divinity. Zealot yields a fresh perspective on one of the greatest stories ever told even as it affirms the radical and transformative nature of Jesus of Nazareth’s life and mission. The result is a thought-provoking, elegantly written biography with the pulse of a fast-paced novel: a singularly brilliant portrait of a man, a time, and the birth of a religion.

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Chuck Klosterman

Killing Yourself to Live : 85% of a True Story

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The pop culture author of Fargo Rock City and Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs recounts his more than 6,500-mile journey across America, during which he visited the sites of famous rock star deaths and experienced philosophical changes of perspective. 100,000 first printing.

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Joshua Foer

Moonwalking with Einstein : The Art and Science of Remembering Everything

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The blockbuster phenomenon that charts an amazing journey of the mind while revolutionizing our concept of memoryAn instant bestseller that is poised to become a classic, Moonwalking with Einstein recounts Joshua Foer's yearlong quest to improve his memory under the tutelage of top "mental athletes." He draws on cutting-edge research, a surprising cultural history of remembering, and venerable tricks of the mentalist's trade to transform our understanding of human memory. From the United States Memory Championship to deep within the author's own mind, this is an electrifying work of journalism that reminds us that, in every way that matters, we are the sum of our memories.

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Mosab Hassan Yousef

Son of Hamas

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Since he was a small boy, Mosab Hassan Yousef has had an inside view of the deadly terrorist group Hamas. The oldest son of Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a founding member of Hamas and its most popular leader, young Mosab assisted his father for years in his political activities while being groomed to assume his legacy, politics, status… and power. But everything changed when Mosab turned away from terror and violence, and embraced instead the teachings of another famous Middle East leader, Jesus. In Son of Hamas, Mosab Yousef—now called "Joseph"—reveals new information about the world's most dangerous terrorist organization and unveils the truth about his own role, his agonizing separation from family and homeland, the dangerous decision to make his newfound faith public, and his belief that the Christian mandate to "love your enemies" is the only way to peace in the Middle East.

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Alan Greenspan

The Age of Turbulence : Adventures in a New World

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Recommendation: - The Age of Turbulence is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the complexities of the global economy. Alan Greenspan, a prominent figure in the financial world, provides unparalleled insights into the events that shaped our modern economy. Through his own experiences as the chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, Greenspan offers a unique perspective that is both informative and thought-provoking. This book is a treasure trove of wisdom and is sure to leave a lasting impact on its readers.

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Adolf Hitler

Mein Kampf

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This book is not recommended due to its deeply hateful and harmful content. We do not condone the promotion of Nazi ideology or hate speech.

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Luis Carlos Montalván, Bret Witter

Until Tuesday : A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him

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A heartwarming dog story like no other: Tuesday, a lovable golden retriever, changes a former soldier’s life forever. A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalván never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from combat, however, his physical wounds and crippling post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll. He wondered if he would ever recover.Then Luis met Tuesday, a sensitive golden retriever trained to assist the disabled. Tuesday had lived among prisoners and at a home for troubled boys, and he found it difficult to trust in or connect with a human being—until Luis. Until Tuesday is the story of how two wounded warriors, who had given so much and suffered the consequences, found salvation in each other. It is a story about war and peace, injury and recovery, psychological wounds and spiritual restoration. But more than that, it is a story about the love between a man and dog, and how, together, they healed each other’s souls.

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Howard Cutler

The Art Of Happiness - A Handbook For Living

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Recommended for individuals seeking spiritual well-being. A unique feature of the book is the Dalai Lama's explanation of how to apply Buddhist principles in a practical way to overcome everyday struggles and achieve emotional balance.

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Steve Friedman, Scott Jurek

Eat and Run : My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness

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“In pursuing the mental side of endurance, Jurek uncovers the most important secrets any runner can learn.”—Amby Burfoot, author of The Runner’s Guide to the Meaning of LifeFor nearly two decades, Scott Jurek has been a dominant force—and darling—in the grueling and growing sport of ultrarunning. Until recently he held the American 24-hour record and he was one of the elite runners profiled in the runaway bestseller Born to Run .In Eat and Run , Jurek opens up about his life and career as a champion athlete with a plant-based diet and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Full of stories of competition as well as science and practical advice—including his own recipes— Eat and Run will motivate readers and expand their food horizons.“Jurek’s story and ideas should easily manage to speak to and cheer on anyone seeking to live life as fully as possible.”— Denver Post“A shockingly honest, revealing, and inspiring memoir.”— Trail Runner

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Carol Diehl

Banksy: Completed

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This book is a must-read for art enthusiasts and those intrigued by the enigmatic world of Banksy. Through detailed exploration of his paintings, installations, writings, and even his Academy Award-nominated film, Exit through the Gift Shop, author Carol Diehl unravels the deep social and political implications behind Banksy's work. From his notorious Dismaland to his thought-provoking New York "residency," Diehl delves into the never-ending wars, global corporatocracy, and the gap between art as luxury goods and as a means of social expression. Prepare to be captivated by the enigmatic street art and the complexities it unveils.

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Robert Kurson

Rocket Men : the daring odyssey of Apollo 8 and the astronauts who made man's first journey to the moon

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Fifty years ago, Christmas 1968, Man first orbited the Moon. This book tells the inside story of that epic journey.In early 1968, the Apollo programme was on shaky footing. President Kennedy’s end-of-decade deadline to put a man on the Moon was in jeopardy, and the Soviets were threatening to pull ahead in the space race.By August 1968, with its back against the wall, NASA decided to scrap its usual methodical approach and shoot for the heavens. With just four months to prepare, the agency would send the first men in history to the Moon.Focusing on three heroic astronauts and their families, this vivid, gripping narrative shows anew the epic danger and singular bravery it took for Man to leave Earth for the first time — and to arrive at a new world.

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Peter Handke, Ralph Manheim, Jeffrey Eugenides

A Sorrow Beyond Dreams : A Life Story

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A Sorrow Beyond Dreams could be a good read for someone looking for a short but touching story that captures the essence of the human experience. The author's ability to convey the beauty in tragedy is compelling, making this a must-read for those interested in exploring themes of love, trauma, and loss. This book is a poignant reminder of how complex and powerful the bond between a mother and child can be.

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Paul Kenyon

Dictatorland : The Men Who Stole Africa

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The dictator who grew so rich on his country's cocoa crop that he built a 35-storey-high basilica in the jungles of the Ivory Coast. The austere, incorruptible leader who has shut Eritrea off from the world in a permanent state of war and conscripted every adult into the armed forces. In Equatorial Guinea, the paranoid despot who thought Hitler was the saviour of Africa and waged a relentless campaign of terror against his own people. The Libyan army officer who authored a new work of political philosophy, The Green Book, and lived in a tent with a harem of female soldiers, running his country like a mafia family business.And behind these almost incredible stories of fantastic violence and excess lie the dark secrets of Western greed and complicity, the insatiable taste for chocolate, oil, diamonds and gold that has encouraged dictators to rule with an iron hand, siphoning off their share of the action into mansions in Paris and banks in Zurich and keeping their people in dire poverty. (less)

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Angus Easson

Gerard Manley Hopkins

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Gerard Manley Hopkins was among the most innovative writers of the Victorian period. Experimental and idiosyncratic, his work remains important for any student of nineteenth-century literature and culture. This guide to Hopkins’ life and work Part of the Routledge Guides to Literature series, this volume is essential reading for all those beginning detailed study of Hopkins’ work and seeking not only a guide to the poems, but a way through the wealth of contextual and critical material that surrounds them.

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David Crystal

The Penguin Pocket Dictionary of Quotations

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The Penguin Pocket Dictionary of Quotations contains thousands of epigrams and bons mots from public figures famous and infamous. Arranged alphabetically by speaker, and including biographical information, this is an invaluable book for readers, writers, after-dinner speakers and trivia addicts. and French dictionaries to books on spelling and babies' names.

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Ibn Battuta, H. A. R. Gibb

Travels in Asia and Africa : 1325-1354

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"Travels in Asia and Africa: 1325-1354 by Ibn Battuta is a remarkable travelogue that takes you on a vivid journey through the Islamic world of the 14th century. Through his observations, he brings to life the diversity of societies and cultures with incredible detail. The book is a must-read for history buffs and travel enthusiasts alike. The extensive notes and historical background added by H.A.R Gibb further enrich the reading experience."

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James Herriot

Every Living Thing

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"Every Living Thing" is perfect for animal lovers and those who enjoy heartwarming, uplifting stories. The book takes readers on a journey through the life of a country vet, introducing them to a cast of lovable characters, both human and animal. James Herriot's writing style is both engaging and humorous, making it a pleasure to read. The unique and distinctive feature of this book is the way in which Herriot weaves together the stories of the people and animals in his life, leaving readers feeling inspired and connected to the natural world.

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Suketu Mehta

This Land Is Our Land : An Immigrant's Manifesto

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"This Land Is Our Land" might intrigue you if you're interested in understanding immigration beyond the headlines. Suketu Mehta offers an in-depth exploration of the subject, infusing his own family's journey with global perspectives. He unpacks complex issues with personal stories that could shift the way you think about the world's moving populations and their impact. It's a potent read for anyone keen on socio-political narratives or those looking to deepen their empathy towards the immigrant experience.

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Suzanne Morrison

Yoga Bitch : One Woman's Quest to Conquer Skepticism, Cynicism, and Cigarettes on the Path to Enlightenment

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What happens when a coffee-drinking, cigarette-smoking, steak-eating twenty-five-year-old atheist decides it is time to get in touch with her spiritual side? Not what you’d expect . . . When Suzanne Morrison decides to travel to Bali for a two-month yoga retreat, she wants nothing more than to be transformed from a twenty-five-year-old with a crippling fear of death into her enchanting yoga teacher, Indra—a woman who seems to have found it love, self, and God. But things don’t go quite as expected. Once in Bali, she finds that her beloved yoga teacher and all of her yogamates wake up every morning to drink a large, steaming mug . . . of their own urine . Sugar is a mortal sin. Spirits inhabit kitchen appliances. And the more she tries to find her higher self, the more she faces her cynical, egomaniacal, cigarette-, wine-, and chocolate-craving lower self. Yoga Bitch chronicles Suzanne’s hilarious adventures and misadventures as an aspiring yogi who might be just a bit too skeptical to drink the Kool-Aid. But along the way she discovers that no spiritual effort is wasted; even if her yoga retreat doesn’t turn her into the gorgeously calm, wise believer she hopes it will, it does plant seeds that continue to blossom in surprising ways over the next decade of her life.

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Bill Bryson

A Walk in the Woods : Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

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The Appalachian Trail trail stretches from Georgia to Maine and covers some of the most breathtaking terrain in America–majestic mountains, silent forests, sparking lakes. If you’re going to take a hike, it’s probably the place to go. And Bill Bryson is surely the most entertaining guide you’ll find. He introduces us to the history and ecology of the trail and to some of the other hardy (or just foolhardy) folks he meets along the way–and a couple of bears. Already a classic, A Walk in the Woods will make you long for the great outdoors (or at least a comfortable chair to sit and read in).

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Erik Prince

Civilian Warriors : The Inside Story of Blackwater and the Unsung Heroes of the War on Terror

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No company in our time has been as mysterious or as controversial as Blackwater. Founded by former Navy SEAL Erik Prince in 1997, it recruited special forces veterans and others with the skills and courage to take on the riskiest security jobs in the world. As its reputation grew, government demand for its services escalated, and Blackwater's men eventually completed nearly one hundred thousand missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both the Bush and Obama administrations found the company indispensible. It sounds like a classic startup success story, except for one problem: Blackwater has been demonized around the world. From uninformed news coverage to grossly distorted fictional portrayals, Blackwater employees have been smeared as mercenaries, profiteers, jackbooted thugs, and worse. Because of the secrecy requirements of Blackwater's contracts with the Pentagon, the State Department, and the CIA, Prince was unable to speak out when his company's opponents spread false information. But now he's able to tell the full and often shocking story of Blackwater's rise and fall. In Civilian Warriors, Prince pulls no punches and spares no details. He explains his original goal of building an elite center for military and law enforcement training. He recounts how the company shifted gears after 9/11. He honors our troops while challenging the Pentagon's top leadership. And he reveals why highly efficient private military contractors have been essential to running our armed forces, since long before Blackwater came along. Above all, Prince debunks myths about Blackwater that spread while he was forced to remain silent-myths that tarnished the memory of men who gave their lives for their country but never got the recognition they deserved.He reveals new information about some of the biggest controversies of the War on Terror, including:• The true story of the Nisour Square massacre in Baghdad.• The actual details of Blackwater's so-called impunity in Iraq.• The events leading up to the televised deaths of Blackwater contractors in Fallujah.

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Roxane Gay

Bad Feminist

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Alternate cover edition here .From Roxane Gay comes this collection of essays spanning politics, criticism, and feminism from one of the most-watched young cultural observers of her generation.“Pink is my favorite color. I used to say my favorite color was black to be cool, but it is pink—all shades of pink. If I have an accessory, it is probably pink. I read Vogue, and I’m not doing it ironically, though it might seem that way. I once live-tweeted the September issue.”In these funny and insightful essays, Roxane Gay takes us through the journey of her evolution as a woman (Sweet Valley High) of color (The Help) while also taking readers on a ride through culture of the last few years (Girls, Django in Chains) and commenting on the state of feminism today (abortion, Chris Brown). The portrait that emerges is not only one of an incredibly insightful woman continually growing to understand herself and our society, but also one of our culture.Bad Feminist is a sharp, funny, and spot-on look at the ways in which the culture we consume becomes who we are, and an inspiring call-to-arms of all the ways we still need to do better.Introduction : Feminism (n.): plural --[Me] --Feel me. See me. Hear me. Reach me. --Peculiar benefits --Typical first year professor --To scratch, claw, or grope clumsily or frantically --[Gender & sexuality] --How to be friends with another woman --Girls, girls, girls --I once was Miss America --Garish, glorious spectacles --Not here to make friends --How we all lose --Reaching for catharsis: getting fat right (or wrong) and Diana Spechler's Skinny --The smooth surfaces of idyll --The careless language of sexua l violence --What we hunger for --The illusion of safety / the safety of illusion --The spectacle of broken men --Beyond the measure of men --Some jokes are funnier than others --Dear young ladies who love Chris Brown --So much they would let him beat them --Blurred lines, indeed --The trouble with prince charming, or he who trespassed against us --[Race & entertainment] --The solace of preparing fried foods and other quaint remembrances from 1960's Mississippi: thoughts that help --Surviving Django --Beyond the struggle narrative --The morality of Tyler Perry --The last day of a young black man --When less is more --[Politics, gender & race] --The politics of repectability --When Twitter does what journalism cannot --The alienable rights of women --Holding out for a hero --A tale of two profiles --The racism we all carry --Tragedy. Call. Compassion. Response. --[Back to me] --Bad feminist: take one --Bad feminists

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Rorke Denver

Damn Few : Making the Modern Seal Warrior

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From leadership expert, former Navy SEAL, "American Grit" feature player, and author of Worth Dying For: A Navy SEAL's Call to a Nation, Rorke Denver, the bestselling account of how he helped create the U.S. Navy SEALS of today. Rorke Denver trains the men who become Navy SEALs--the most creative problem solvers on the modern battlefield, ideal warriors for the kinds of wars America is fighting now. With his years of action-packed mission experience and a top training role, Lieutenant Commander Denver understands exactly how tomorrow's soldiers are recruited, sculpted, motivated, and deployed.Now, Denver takes you inside his personal story and the fascinating, demanding SEAL training program he now oversees. He recounts his experience evolving from a young SEAL hopeful pushing his way through Hell Week, into a warrior engaging in dangerous stealth missions across the globe, and finally into a lieutenant commander directing the indoctrination, requalification programs, and the "Hero or Zero" missions his SEALs undertake.From his own SEAL training and missions overseas, Denver details how the SEALs' creative operations became front and center in America's War on Terror-and how they are altering warfare everywhere. In fourteen years as a SEAL officer, Rorke Denver tangled with drug lords in Latin America, stood up to violent mobs in Liberia, and battled terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan. Leading 200 commando missions, he earned the Bronze Star with V for valor. He has also served as flag aide to the admiral in charge and spent the past four years as executive officer of the Navy Special Warfare Center's Advanced Training Command in Coronado, California, directing all phases of the basic and advanced training that prepare men for war in SEAL teams. He recently starred in the film Act of Valor. He is married and has two daughters.Ellis Henican is a columnist at Newsday and an on-air commentator at the Fox News Channel. He has written two recent New York Times bestsellers, Home Team with New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and In the Blink of an Eye with NASCAR legend Michael Waltrip.With all the SEALs' recent successes, we have been getting a level of acclaim we're not used to. But something important has been missing in this warm burst of publicity . Correcting that is my mission here.My own SEAL dream was launched by a book. My hope is that this one teaches lessons that go far beyond the battlefield, inspiring a fresh generation of warriors to carry on that dream.-Lieutenant Commander Rorke Denver

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Philip Jeyaretnam

Tigers in Paradise : The Collected Works of Philip Jeyaretnam

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A collection of essays and two novels by critically acclaimed Singaporean writer Philip Jeyaretnam. This anthology includes the two novels Raffles Place Ragtime, Abraham's Promise, his collection of short stories (First Loves, with two new stories), essays and a Foreword by Peter Wicks.

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Barton Swaim

The Speechwriter: A Brief Education in Politics

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The Speechwriter brings you inside the spin room of the modern politician in “a wry and eloquent memoir” ( The Wall Street Journal ) that is “the best book about politics I’ve read in years” ( GQ ) and “will become a classic” ( The Washington Post ).Everyone knows this kind of a charismatic maverick who goes up against the system and its ways, but thinks he doesn’t have to live by the rules. Through his own experience as a speechwriter for a controversial governor, Barton Swaim tells the story of a band of believers who attach themselves to this sort of ambitious narcissist—and what happens when it all comes crashing down.As The Washington Post put it, “ The Speechwriter feels like Veep meets All the King’s Men —an entertaining and engrossing book not just about the absurdities of working in the press shop of a Southern governor but also about the meaning of words in public life.” Swaim paints a portrait of a boss so principled he’d rather sweat than use state money to pay for air conditioning, so oblivious he’d wear the same stained shirt for two weeks, so egotistical he’d belittle his staffers to make himself feel better, and so self-absorbed he never once apologized to his staff for making his administration the laughingstock of the country. On the surface, this is the story of one politician’s rise and fall. But in the end, it’s a story about us—the very real people who want to believe in our leaders and must learn to survive with broken hearts. The Speechwriter is “a wryly funny, beautifully written…dissection of what it is like to perform a thankless job for an unreasonable person in a dysfunctional office…A marvelously entertaining book. It’s clear [Swaim] spent a long time on it, because he’s made it look so effortless” ( The New York Times ).

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Gretchen Rubin

The Happiness Project : Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

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Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. “The days are long, but the years are short,” she realized. “Time is passing, and I’m not focusing enough on the things that really matter.” In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

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Luca Dotti

Audrey at Home : Memories of My Mother's Kitchen

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Enter Audrey Hepburn’s private world in this unique biography compiled by her son that combines recollections, anecdotes, excerpts from her personal correspondence, drawings, and recipes for her favorite dishes written in her own hand, and more than 250 previously unpublished personal family photographs.

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Brent Schlender, Marc Andreessen, Rick Tetzeli

Becoming Steve Jobs - The Evolution Of A Reckless Upstart Into A Visionary Leader

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This book is a great read for anyone interested in learning about the evolution of Steve Jobs as a successful entrepreneur and visionary leader. The book provides a comprehensive insight into how Jobs transformed himself from a reckless upstart to a master of innovation and product development, leaving an everlasting impact on the tech industry. With a new foreword and afterword, the book is a must-read for anyone who seeks to understand what it takes to become a successful leader in any field.

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Daniel Simon, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

A Man Without A Country

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A New York Times BestsellerA Man Without a Country is Kurt Vonnegut’s hilariously funny and razor-sharp look at life ("If I die—God forbid—I would like to go to heaven to ask somebody in charge up there, ‘Hey, what was the good news and what was the bad news?"), art ("To practice any art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow. So do it."), politics ("I asked former Yankees pitcher Jim Bouton what he thought of our great victory over Iraq and he said, ‘Mohammed Ali versus Mr. Rogers.’"), and the condition of the soul of America today ("What has happened to us?").Based on short essays and speeches composed over the last five years and plentifully illustrated with artwork by the author throughout, A Man Without a Country gives us Vonnegut both speaking out with indignation and writing tenderly to his fellow Americans, sometimes joking, at other times hopeless, always searching.

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Shaun Usher

Letters of Note: Love

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In Letters of Love , Shaun Usher gathers together some of the most powerful messages about love ever composed, whether inspired by love's first blush or the recriminations at its ending, the regrets of unrequited feelings and the joys of passions known. Includes letters Simone de Beauvoir, Frida KahloGeorgia O'Keeffe, Zora Neale HurstonEvelyn Waugh, Vita Sackville-WestNelson Mandela, Ansel Adams& many more

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Leland Purvis, Jim Ottaviani

The Imitation Game : Alan Turing Decoded

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Award winning authors Jim Ottaviani and Leland Purvis present a historically accurate graphic novel biography of English mathematician and scientist Alan Turing in The Imitation Game.   English mathematician and scientist Alan Turing (1912–1954) is credited with many of the foundational principles of contemporary computer science. The Imitation Game presents a historically accurate graphic novel biography of Turing’s life, including his groundbreaking work on the fundamentals of cryptography and artificial intelligence. His code breaking efforts led to the cracking of the German Enigma during World War II, work that saved countless lives and accelerated the Allied defeat of the Nazis. While Turing’s achievements remain relevant decades after his death, the story of his life in post-war Europe continues to fascinate audiences today.   Award-winning duo Jim Ottaviani (the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Feynman and Primates) and artist Leland Purvis (an Eisner and Ignatz Award nominee and occasional reviewer for the Comics Journal) present a factually detailed account of Turing’s life and groundbreaking research—as an unconventional genius who was arrested, tried, convicted, and punished for his openly gay lifestyle, and whose innovative work still fuels the computing and communication systems that define our modern world. Computer science buffs, comics fans, and history aficionados will be captivated by this riveting and tragic story of one of the 20th century’s most unsung heroes.

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John C. Kirkland

Love Letters Of Great Men

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When words of love do not come to you on their own, then read these letters. Complete, actual love letters of great men like Lord Byron, John Keats and Voltaire. Leaders like Henry VIII, George Washington, and Napoleon, who wrote to his beloved Josephine, "I awake consumed with thoughts of you..." Artists like van Gogh, Mozart, and Beethoven, who famously penned, "Though still in bed, my thoughts go out to you, my Immortal Beloved..." Dozens of intimate letters, coupled with over a score of period illustrations. Plus fascinating biographies, and insights into the couples' relationships-how they got there, the obstacles they faced, and what happened next. Poet warriors, from the first through the twentieth century, Ovid, Sir Walter Raleigh, Goethe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Leo Tolstoy, Victor Hugo, Shelley, Robert Browning, Edgar Allen Poe, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll, Pierre Curie, George Bernard Shaw, Jack London, Admiral Peary, Woodrow Wilson, and many more.

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Kelly Oxford

Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar

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"Everything is Perfect When You're a Liar" is a must-read for fans of Kelly Oxford's hilarious Twitter feed. Her biting wit and self-deprecating humor are on full display in this honest memoir that finds hilarity in everyday life. Get ready to laugh out loud as Oxford tackles topics such as marriage, motherhood, and the challenges of navigating life in your twenties and thirties. This book is perfect for anyone who loves a good laugh and appreciates a refreshingly honest take on life's ups and downs.

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John Carreyrou

Bad Blood : Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

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Bad Blood is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of ambition, technology, and corporate fraud. Carreyrou's book is a meticulously researched account that lays bare the details of the rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. As entertaining as it is informative, Bad Blood manages to be a thrilling page-turner while also serving as a cautionary tale about the pitfalls of unchecked ambition in the tech industry.

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Karl Pilkington

The Moaning of Life : The Worldly Wisdom of Karl Pilkington

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Karl Pilkington is back on the road, and this time he's on a journey of self-discovery, in The Moaning of Life , the follow-up to  An Idiot Abroad Karl Pilkington is 40 years old. He's not married, he doesn't have kids, and he has a job where he's known as an "idiot." It's time for him to take stock and face up to life's big question—what does it all mean? Karl is no stranger to travel, and now he's off on a series of madcap adventures around the globe to find out how other cultures approach life's big issues. Traveling from far-flung tribes to high-tech cities, Karl experiences everything from a drive-through wedding in Las Vegas to a vocational theme park in Japan. He meets a group of people in Mexico who find happiness through pain, attends a clowning school in Los Angeles, and even encounters a woman in Bali who lets him help deliver her baby. Have his experiences changed him? Find out in this hilarious new book where Karl shares his stories and opinions in his inimitable style.

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Virginia Woolf

A Writer's Diary - Being Extracts From The Diary Of Virginia Woolf

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Recommended for literature enthusiasts. Gain insight into the private world and creative vision of one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century.

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Douglas Edwards

I'm Feeling Lucky : The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59

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“An exciting story [that] shines light on the inner workings of the fledgling Google and on the personalities of its founders.”— The Daily BeastIn its infancy, Google embraced extremes—endless days fueled by unlimited free food, nonstop data-based debates, and blood-letting hockey games. The company’s fresh-from-grad-school leaders sought more than old notions of success; they wanted to make all the information in the world available to everyone—instantly. Google, like the Big Bang, was a singularity—an explosive release of raw intelligence and unequaled creative energy—and while others have described what Google accomplished, no one has explained how it felt to be a part of it. Until now.As employee number 59, Douglas Edwards was a key part of Google’s earliest days. Experience the unnerving mix of camaraderie and competition as Larry Page and Sergey Brin create a famously nonhierarchical structure, fight against conventional wisdom, and race to implement myriad new features while coolly burying broken ideas. I’m Feeling Lucky captures the self-created culture of the world’s most transformative corporation and offers unique access to the emotions experienced by those who virtually overnight built one of the world’s best-known brands.“Edwards does an excellent job of telling his story with a fun, outsider-insider voice. The writing is sharp.”— Boston Globe“An affectionate, compulsively readable recounting of the early years of Google.”— Publishers Weekly

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Michael Psellus, E.R.A. Sewter

Fourteen Byzantine Rulers : The Chronographia of Michael Psellus

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This chronicle of the Byzantine Empire, beginning in 1025, shows a profound understanding of the power politics that characterized the empire and led to its decline.

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Donald Richie, Lafcadio Hearn

Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan : Two Volumes in One

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Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan is a complete, two-volume set of one of the most outstanding books on 19th century Japanese history and culture.Though Lafcadio Hearn went on to write a dozen more books on Japan, this collection of first impressions remains his most popular. Among the reasons is that here, more than anywhere else, the author most vividly captured a place that so affected him that he stayed for the rest of his life. The modern reader can still, through these pages, experience that "first charm of Japan, intangible and volatile as a perfume."Glimpses of Unfamiliar Japan combines two volumes of a work that first appeared in 1894. In the pages of this book are the customs, the superstitions, the charming scenery, the revelations of Japanese character, and all the other elements that Lafcadio Hearn found so bewitching. Here, for example, are essays on such subjects as the Japanese garden, the household shrine, the festivals, and the bewildering Japanese smile--all aspects of Japanese life that have endured in spite of the changes that have taken place during the modernization of Japan. The Japanese character and the Japanese tradition are still fundamentally the same as Hearn found them to be, and for this reason, his writing is still extremely revealing to modern readers.This edition also contains a new foreword by noted writer and examiner of Japanese culture Donnie Richie that puts Lafcadio Hearn and his classic works into perspective for readers just discovering Hearn's writing for the first time.

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Mark Lukach

My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward : A Memoir

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My Lovely Wife in the Psych Ward is a must-read for those seeking to understand the devastating impact of mental illness on relationships. Mark recounts his family's struggles with honestly and raw emotion. He also provides insights into the difficult choices that family members of those suffering from mental illness must make to ensure the safety of their loved one. Ultimately, though, this memoir is a testament to the power of love and the resilience of the human spirit.

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Briohny Doyle

Adult Fantasy : searching for true maturity in an age of mortgages, marriages, and other adult milestones

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‘I pictured myself a wine-dark streak in a TV desert, ears too full of the summer wind to hear that ominous ticking in the the sound of a cultural clock counting me out of youth.’Briohny Doyle turned thirty without a clear idea of what her adult life should look like. The world she lived in — with its global economic uncertainty, political conservatism, and precarious employment conditions — didn’t match the one her parents grew up in. She read article after article about the reluctance of millennials to embrace the traditional markers of a stable job, a house in the suburbs, a nuclear family. But do these emblems of maturity mean the same thing today as they did thirty years ago?In this smart, spirited enquiry, Doyle examines whether millennials are redefining what it means to be an adult now. Blending personal essay and cultural critique, she ventures into the big claims of philosophy and the neon buzz of pop culture to in a rapidly changing world, do the so-called adult milestones distract us from other measures of maturity?

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Dive Into Real-Life Stories

Biographies and memoirs offer unparalleled insights into the lives and minds of individuals who've shaped our world. Be it political icons, celebrities, or unsung heroes, Thryft brings you a rich assortment of stories that reveal extraordinary experiences and life lessons. Embark on a journey through time as you explore the personal tales that have influenced history and culture.