Author: Kathryn Williams
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
ISBN: 0805096345
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family's Italian-Greek restaurant, Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to persuade her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant. But the prize includes a full scholarship to one of America's finest culinary schools and a summer in Napa, California, not to mention fame. Once on set, Sophie immediately finds herself in the thick of the drama—including a secret burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French chef. Sophie must figure out a way to survive all the heat and still stay true to herself. A terrific YA offering—fresh, fun, and sprinkled with romance.
Pizza, Love, and Other Stuff That Made Me Famous
Author: Kathryn Williams
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
ISBN: 0805096345
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family's Italian-Greek restaurant, Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to persuade her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant. But the prize includes a full scholarship to one of America's finest culinary schools and a summer in Napa, California, not to mention fame. Once on set, Sophie immediately finds herself in the thick of the drama—including a secret burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French chef. Sophie must figure out a way to survive all the heat and still stay true to herself. A terrific YA offering—fresh, fun, and sprinkled with romance.
Publisher: Henry Holt and Company (BYR)
ISBN: 0805096345
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 242
Book Description
Sixteen-year-old Sophie Nicolaides was practically raised in the kitchen of her family's Italian-Greek restaurant, Taverna Ristorante. When her best friend, Alex, tries to persuade her to audition for a new reality show, Teen Test Kitchen, Sophie is reluctant. But the prize includes a full scholarship to one of America's finest culinary schools and a summer in Napa, California, not to mention fame. Once on set, Sophie immediately finds herself in the thick of the drama—including a secret burn book, cutthroat celebrity judges, and a very cute French chef. Sophie must figure out a way to survive all the heat and still stay true to herself. A terrific YA offering—fresh, fun, and sprinkled with romance.
The Storyteller
Author: Kathryn Williams
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063049414
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year pick for 2023! With the mystery of Maureen Johnson and Brittany Cavallaro and the historical intrigue of Romanov, this genre-bending YA will pull readers into one girl’s journey of discovering the impossible tale of a long-lost aunt—and through her, the importance of being true to yourself. It’s not every day you discover you might be related to Anastasia…or that the tragic princess actually survived her assassination attempt and has been living as the woman you know as Aunt Anna. For Jess Morgan, who is growing tired of living her life to please everyone else, discovering her late aunt’s diaries shows her she’s not the only one struggling to hide who she really is. But was her aunt truly a Romanov princess? Or is this some elaborate hoax? With the help of a supremely dorky but undeniably cute local college student named Evan, Jess digs into the century-old mystery. But soon Jess realizes there’s another, bigger truth waiting to be revealed: Jess Morgan. Because if she’s learned anything from Aunt Anna, it’s that only you can write your own story.
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063049414
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 304
Book Description
A Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year pick for 2023! With the mystery of Maureen Johnson and Brittany Cavallaro and the historical intrigue of Romanov, this genre-bending YA will pull readers into one girl’s journey of discovering the impossible tale of a long-lost aunt—and through her, the importance of being true to yourself. It’s not every day you discover you might be related to Anastasia…or that the tragic princess actually survived her assassination attempt and has been living as the woman you know as Aunt Anna. For Jess Morgan, who is growing tired of living her life to please everyone else, discovering her late aunt’s diaries shows her she’s not the only one struggling to hide who she really is. But was her aunt truly a Romanov princess? Or is this some elaborate hoax? With the help of a supremely dorky but undeniably cute local college student named Evan, Jess digs into the century-old mystery. But soon Jess realizes there’s another, bigger truth waiting to be revealed: Jess Morgan. Because if she’s learned anything from Aunt Anna, it’s that only you can write your own story.
I Know This Much Is True
Author: Wally Lamb
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780060391621
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 884
Book Description
With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780060391621
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 884
Book Description
With his stunning debut novel, She's Come Undone, Wally Lamb won the adulation of critics and readers with his mesmerizing tale of one woman's painful yet triumphant journey of self-discovery. Now, this brilliantly talented writer returns with I Know This Much Is True, a heartbreaking and poignant multigenerational saga of the reproductive bonds of destruction and the powerful force of forgiveness. A masterpiece that breathtakingly tells a story of alienation and connection, power and abuse, devastation and renewal--this novel is a contemporary retelling of an ancient Hindu myth. A proud king must confront his demons to achieve salvation. Change yourself, the myth instructs, and you will inhabit a renovated world. When you're the same brother of a schizophrenic identical twin, the tricky thing about saving yourself is the blood it leaves on your bands--the little inconvenience of the look-alike corpse at your feet. And if you're into both survival of the fittest and being your brother's keeper--if you've promised your dying mother--then say so long to sleep and hello to the middle of the night. Grab a book or a beer. Get used to Letterman's gap-toothed smile of the absurd, or the view of the bedroom ceiling, or the influence of random selection. Take it from a godless insomniac. Take it from the uncrazy twin--the guy who beat the biochemical rap. Dominick Birdsey's entire life has been compromised and constricted by anger and fear, by the paranoid schizophrenic twin brother he both deeply loves and resents, and by the past they shared with their adoptive father, Ray, a spit-and-polish ex-Navy man (the five-foot-six-inch sleeping giant who snoozed upstairs weekdays in the spare room and built submarines at night), and their long-suffering mother, Concettina, a timid woman with a harelip that made her shy and self-conscious: She holds a loose fist to her face to cover her defective mouth--her perpetual apology to the world for a birth defect over which she'd had no control. Born in the waning moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950, the twins are physical mirror images who grow into separate yet connected entities: the seemingly strong and protective yet fearful Dominick, his mother's watchful "monkey"; and the seemingly weak and sweet yet noble Thomas, his mother's gentle "bunny." From childhood, Dominick fights for both separation and wholeness--and ultimately self-protection--in a house of fear dominated by Ray, a bully who abuses his power over these stepsons whose biological father is a mystery. I was still afraid of his anger but saw how he punished weakness--pounced on it. Out of self-preservation I hid my fear, Dominick confesses. As for Thomas, he just never knew how to play defense. He just didn't get it. But Dominick's talent for survival comes at an enormous cost, including the breakup of his marriage to the warm, beautiful Dessa, whom he still loves. And it will be put to the ultimate test when Thomas, a Bible-spouting zealot, commits an unthinkable act that threatens the tenuous balance of both his and Dominick's lives. To save himself, Dominick must confront not only the pain of his past but the dark secrets he has locked deep within himself, and the sins of his ancestors--a quest that will lead him beyond the confines of his blue-collar New England town to the volcanic foothills of Sicily 's Mount Etna, where his ambitious and vengefully proud grandfather and a namesake Domenico Tempesta, the sostegno del famiglia, was born. Each of the stories Ma told us about Papa reinforced the message that he was the boss, that he ruled the roost, that what he said went. Searching for answers, Dominick turns to the whispers of the dead, to the pages of his grandfather's handwritten memoir, The History of Domenico Onofrio Tempesta, a Great Man from Humble Beginnings. Rendered with touches of magic realism, Domenico's fablelike tale--in which monkeys enchant and religious statues weep--becomes the old man's confession--an unwitting legacy of contrition that reveals the truth's of Domenico's life, Dominick learns that power, wrongly used, defeats the oppressor as well as the oppressed, and now, picking through the humble shards of his deconstructed life, he will search for the courage and love to forgive, to expiate his and his ancestors' transgressions, and finally to rebuild himself beyond the haunted shadow of his twin. Set against the vivid panoply of twentieth-century America and filled with richly drawn, memorable characters, this deeply moving and thoroughly satisfying novel brings to light humanity's deepest needs and fears, our aloneness, our desire for love and acceptance, our struggle to survive at all costs. Joyous, mystical, and exquisitely written, I Know This Much Is True is an extraordinary reading experience that will leave no reader untouched.
Playing for Pizza
Author: John Grisham
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307576116
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 250
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • After providing what is arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL, third-string quarterback Rick Dockery becomes a national laughingstock. Cut by the Cleveland Browns, and shunned by every other team, Rick insists that his agent find a team that does need him. Against enormous odds, Rick lands a job—as the starting quarterback for the Mighty Panthers ... of Parma, Italy. The Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. And now they’ve got Rick, who knows nothing about Parma (not even where it is) and doesn’t speak a word of Italian. To say that Italy—the land of fine wines, extremely small cars, and football americano—holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement. Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307576116
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 250
Book Description
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • After providing what is arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL, third-string quarterback Rick Dockery becomes a national laughingstock. Cut by the Cleveland Browns, and shunned by every other team, Rick insists that his agent find a team that does need him. Against enormous odds, Rick lands a job—as the starting quarterback for the Mighty Panthers ... of Parma, Italy. The Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. And now they’ve got Rick, who knows nothing about Parma (not even where it is) and doesn’t speak a word of Italian. To say that Italy—the land of fine wines, extremely small cars, and football americano—holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement. Don’t miss John Grisham’s new book, THE EXCHANGE: AFTER THE FIRM!
Love and Other Uturns
Author: Louisa Deasey
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1459603958
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
Some kinds of adventure are always worth the risk...'What could possibly drive a latte-loving city girl to throw out all her new shoes and move into the passenger seat of a beat-up Mazda? When fate decided to connect an inner-city journalist with an unlikely comedian at a wacky astrology night, a few hours was all it took to fall in love. What follows is a love story like no other, set against the backdrop of the uncompromising Australian landscape. From supping with bikies in the desert to filing fashion columns from skimpy-clad pubs in the goldfields, Love and Other U-Turns is an exploration of the balance between passion and security, love and freedom, and what it really takes to live your dreams. If you've ever wondered what it's like for a girl to hit the dirt roads of Australia with a laptop full of hope and a hair straightener in the glove box, this book is for you.
Publisher: ReadHowYouWant.com
ISBN: 1459603958
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
Some kinds of adventure are always worth the risk...'What could possibly drive a latte-loving city girl to throw out all her new shoes and move into the passenger seat of a beat-up Mazda? When fate decided to connect an inner-city journalist with an unlikely comedian at a wacky astrology night, a few hours was all it took to fall in love. What follows is a love story like no other, set against the backdrop of the uncompromising Australian landscape. From supping with bikies in the desert to filing fashion columns from skimpy-clad pubs in the goldfields, Love and Other U-Turns is an exploration of the balance between passion and security, love and freedom, and what it really takes to live your dreams. If you've ever wondered what it's like for a girl to hit the dirt roads of Australia with a laptop full of hope and a hair straightener in the glove box, this book is for you.
Killer Pizza: The Slice
Author: Greg Taylor
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
ISBN: 1429940425
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 349
Book Description
Four months after they discover that their new place of employment, Killer Pizza, was a front for an underground Monster Hunting Organization, Toby and his fellow rookie Monster Combat Officers, Annabel and Strobe, have been invited to New York City to tour KP Headquarters. But the exclusive tour is cut short when a monster emergency sends the trio off on a secret mission delivering Calanthe, a beautiful 14-year-old, defecting monster with serpent-like abilities, into the Monster Protection Program. It seems like an easy assignment until the teens realize Calanthe is the sacrificial offering in a ceremony set to happen in a few days and her people will stop at nothing to get her back! Greg Taylor delivers a tale of horror and humor that even reluctant readers will love.
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
ISBN: 1429940425
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 349
Book Description
Four months after they discover that their new place of employment, Killer Pizza, was a front for an underground Monster Hunting Organization, Toby and his fellow rookie Monster Combat Officers, Annabel and Strobe, have been invited to New York City to tour KP Headquarters. But the exclusive tour is cut short when a monster emergency sends the trio off on a secret mission delivering Calanthe, a beautiful 14-year-old, defecting monster with serpent-like abilities, into the Monster Protection Program. It seems like an easy assignment until the teens realize Calanthe is the sacrificial offering in a ceremony set to happen in a few days and her people will stop at nothing to get her back! Greg Taylor delivers a tale of horror and humor that even reluctant readers will love.
Read On ... Romance
Author: C. L. Quillen
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1610694015
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 150
Book Description
With thousands of romance novels published each year, librarians—especially those unfamiliar with or indifferent to the genre—can benefit from this well-organized, reference that offers scores of appeals-based read-alike lists for some of the most popular, contemporary romance fiction. As romance publishing continues to flourish, readers and readers' advisors are faced with increasingly complex reading choices. This book helps adult and teen readers quickly find the books they love to read, identifies other titles with shared qualities for more reading suggestions, and provides librarians with carefully reviewed read-alike lists that they can use with confidence. Featuring romance novels published from 2000 to the present day, this useful guide offers you hundreds of reading suggestions covering a wide variety of themes from the most popular to the more obscure. Library professionals and romance fans C. L. Quillen and Ilene Lefkowitz use informal and sometimes whimsical terminology to create unique thematic lists that are targeted to the way romance readers think, offering such lively categories as "Rx for Love" and "Romancing the Stove." The authors organize the titles into five sections according to language, setting, character, story, and mood. Subgenres covered include historical, regency, paranormal, and romantic suspense, making it simple for you to find recommended titles appropriate for your readers' needs.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1610694015
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 150
Book Description
With thousands of romance novels published each year, librarians—especially those unfamiliar with or indifferent to the genre—can benefit from this well-organized, reference that offers scores of appeals-based read-alike lists for some of the most popular, contemporary romance fiction. As romance publishing continues to flourish, readers and readers' advisors are faced with increasingly complex reading choices. This book helps adult and teen readers quickly find the books they love to read, identifies other titles with shared qualities for more reading suggestions, and provides librarians with carefully reviewed read-alike lists that they can use with confidence. Featuring romance novels published from 2000 to the present day, this useful guide offers you hundreds of reading suggestions covering a wide variety of themes from the most popular to the more obscure. Library professionals and romance fans C. L. Quillen and Ilene Lefkowitz use informal and sometimes whimsical terminology to create unique thematic lists that are targeted to the way romance readers think, offering such lively categories as "Rx for Love" and "Romancing the Stove." The authors organize the titles into five sections according to language, setting, character, story, and mood. Subgenres covered include historical, regency, paranormal, and romantic suspense, making it simple for you to find recommended titles appropriate for your readers' needs.
Teen Genreflecting
Author: Sarah Flowers
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440872732
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Teen Genreflecting serves as a guide to contemporary teen fiction, encompassing every genre and format, including graphic novels, scrapbook-formatted books, verse novels, historical fiction, speculative fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, and more. Teen literature is one of the most popular and quickly growing segments of the publishing world. Not only are teens continuing to read for pleasure, but many adults have discovered the joys of teen literature. As part of the Genreflecting Advisory Series, Teen Genreflecting provides librarians with a road map to the vibrant and diverse body of literature focusing on recent fiction for teens, organizing and describing some 1,300 titles, most published within the past ten years, along with perennial classics. The authors indicate where each title fits in the genre scheme; its subject matter, format, and general reading level; and any pertinent awards. They also provide advice on readers' advisory services to teens, descriptions of genres and subgenres, and lists of favorites for each genre. As with previous editions, this guide will prove invaluable to librarians building their teen collections and will help them assist teens in finding the books they love, no matter what genre.
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN: 1440872732
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Teen Genreflecting serves as a guide to contemporary teen fiction, encompassing every genre and format, including graphic novels, scrapbook-formatted books, verse novels, historical fiction, speculative fiction, contemporary realistic fiction, and more. Teen literature is one of the most popular and quickly growing segments of the publishing world. Not only are teens continuing to read for pleasure, but many adults have discovered the joys of teen literature. As part of the Genreflecting Advisory Series, Teen Genreflecting provides librarians with a road map to the vibrant and diverse body of literature focusing on recent fiction for teens, organizing and describing some 1,300 titles, most published within the past ten years, along with perennial classics. The authors indicate where each title fits in the genre scheme; its subject matter, format, and general reading level; and any pertinent awards. They also provide advice on readers' advisory services to teens, descriptions of genres and subgenres, and lists of favorites for each genre. As with previous editions, this guide will prove invaluable to librarians building their teen collections and will help them assist teens in finding the books they love, no matter what genre.
These Precious Days
Author: Ann Patchett
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063092808
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 320
Book Description
The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 0063092808
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 320
Book Description
The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.
The Food Of Love
Author: Anthony Capella
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1405512199
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Laura Patterson is an American exchange student in Rome who, fed up with being inexpertly groped by her young Italian beaus, decides there's only one sure-fire way to find a sensual man: date a chef. Then she meets Tomasso, who's handsome, young -- and cooks in the exclusive Templi restaurant. Perfect. Except, unbeknownst to Laura, Tomasso is in fact only a waiter at Templi -- it's his shy friend Bruno who is the chef. But Tomasso is the one who knows how to get the girls, and when Laura comes to dinner he persuades Bruno to help him with the charade. It works: the meal is a sensual feast, Laura is utterly seduced and Tomasso falls in lust. But it is Bruno, the real chef who has secretly prepared every dish Laura has eaten, who falls deeply and unrequitedly in love. A delicious tale of Cyrano de Bergerac-style culinary seduction, but with sensual recipes instead of love poems.
Publisher: Hachette UK
ISBN: 1405512199
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 286
Book Description
Laura Patterson is an American exchange student in Rome who, fed up with being inexpertly groped by her young Italian beaus, decides there's only one sure-fire way to find a sensual man: date a chef. Then she meets Tomasso, who's handsome, young -- and cooks in the exclusive Templi restaurant. Perfect. Except, unbeknownst to Laura, Tomasso is in fact only a waiter at Templi -- it's his shy friend Bruno who is the chef. But Tomasso is the one who knows how to get the girls, and when Laura comes to dinner he persuades Bruno to help him with the charade. It works: the meal is a sensual feast, Laura is utterly seduced and Tomasso falls in lust. But it is Bruno, the real chef who has secretly prepared every dish Laura has eaten, who falls deeply and unrequitedly in love. A delicious tale of Cyrano de Bergerac-style culinary seduction, but with sensual recipes instead of love poems.