Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away PDF Author: Christie Watson
Publisher: Other Press, LLC
ISBN: 159051467X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
Winner of the 2011 Costa First Novel Award When their mother catches their father with another woman, twelve year-old Blessing and her fourteen-year-old brother, Ezikiel, are forced to leave their comfortable home in Lagos for a village in the Niger Delta, to live with their mother’s family. Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children’s school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of violent teenage boys calling themselves Freedom Fighters. Her grandfather, a kind if misguided man, is trying on Islam as his new religion of choice, and is even considering the possibility of bringing in a second wife. But Blessing’s grandmother, wise and practical, soon becomes a beloved mentor, teaching Blessing the ways of the midwife in rural Nigeria. Blessing is exposed to the horrors of genital mutilation and the devastation wrought on the environment by British and American oil companies. As Warri comes to feel like home, Blessing becomes increasingly aware of the threats to its safety, both from its unshakable but dangerous traditions and the relentless carelessness of the modern world. Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away is the witty and beautifully written story of one family’s attempt to survive a new life they could never have imagined, struggling to find a deeper sense of identity along the way.

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away

Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away PDF Author: Christie Watson
Publisher: Other Press, LLC
ISBN: 159051467X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 449

Get Book Here

Book Description
Winner of the 2011 Costa First Novel Award When their mother catches their father with another woman, twelve year-old Blessing and her fourteen-year-old brother, Ezikiel, are forced to leave their comfortable home in Lagos for a village in the Niger Delta, to live with their mother’s family. Without running water or electricity, Warri is at first a nightmare for Blessing. Her mother is gone all day and works suspiciously late into the night to pay the children’s school fees. Her brother, once a promising student, seems to be falling increasingly under the influence of the local group of violent teenage boys calling themselves Freedom Fighters. Her grandfather, a kind if misguided man, is trying on Islam as his new religion of choice, and is even considering the possibility of bringing in a second wife. But Blessing’s grandmother, wise and practical, soon becomes a beloved mentor, teaching Blessing the ways of the midwife in rural Nigeria. Blessing is exposed to the horrors of genital mutilation and the devastation wrought on the environment by British and American oil companies. As Warri comes to feel like home, Blessing becomes increasingly aware of the threats to its safety, both from its unshakable but dangerous traditions and the relentless carelessness of the modern world. Tiny Sunbirds, Far Away is the witty and beautifully written story of one family’s attempt to survive a new life they could never have imagined, struggling to find a deeper sense of identity along the way.

Musings on Minutiae

Musings on Minutiae PDF Author: Weston Locher
Publisher: Lulu.com
ISBN: 055722263X
Category : Humor
Languages : en
Pages : 162

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Book Description
Welcome to Weston Locher's Musings on Minutiae where the author offers up hilarious observations and insights on topics of great importance such as: Living in an urban apartment complex ( if I become an admitted pet owner, then I have to pay not only a several hundred dollar deposit to the apartment complex, but I'm pretty sure that they also reserve the right to harvest some of my bodily organs ), living with felines ( as I'm walking anywhere in my apartment. They scamper in front of my legs, causing me to fall and face plant into whatever furniture is closest. They especially like to play this game when I'm carrying piping hot coffee.), his childhood Memories (Our family was nearly torn apart on several occasions by arguments started when the refrigerator door was open for what my father deemed as 'too long.'), and much more. Chock full of humorous essays and personal anecdotes, Musings on Minutiae will keep you laughing for as long as you have a pulse.

Botticelli’s Muse

Botticelli’s Muse PDF Author: Dorah Blume
Publisher: Juiceboxartists Press
ISBN: 099813161X
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 615

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Book Description
Botticelli’s Muse peels back layers of history to tell a fictionalized version of the life of Sandro Botticelli, his conflicts with the Medici family of Florence, and the woman at the heart of his paintings. In 1477, Botticelli is suddenly fired by his prestigious patron and friend Lorenzo de’ Medici. In the villa of his irritating new patron, the artist’s creative well runs dry—until the day he sees Floriana, a Jewish weaver imprisoned in his sister’s convent. But events threaten to keep his unlikely muse out of reach. So begins a tale of one of the art world’s most beloved paintings, La Primavera, as Sandro, a confirmed bachelor, and Floriana, a headstrong artist in her own right, enter into a turbulent relationship.

Musings & More

Musings & More PDF Author: Gunjan Shah
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789353471910
Category : Poetry
Languages : en
Pages : 32

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Book Description
In this book Gunjan takes you on an overwhelming journey of long-lost emotions, perspectives, and ideas to his canny world, where everything is familiar and manifested by many. We are all poems and stories from different perspectives. His engaging and empathetic stories summed up as poems are absurdly relatable.

Probable Impossibilities

Probable Impossibilities PDF Author: Alan Lightman
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0593081323
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 209

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Book Description
The acclaimed author of Einstein’s Dreams tackles "big questions like the origin of the universe and the nature of consciousness ... in an entertaining and easily digestible way” (Wall Street Journal) with a collection of meditative essays on the possibilities—and impossibilities—of nothingness and infinity, and how our place in the cosmos falls somewhere in between. Can space be divided into smaller and smaller units, ad infinitum? Does space extend to larger and larger regions, on and on to infinity? Is consciousness reducible to the material brain and its neurons? What was the origin of life, and can biologists create life from scratch in the lab? Physicist and novelist Alan Lightman, whom The Washington Post has called “the poet laureate of science writers,” explores these questions and more—from the anatomy of a smile to the capriciousness of memory to the specialness of life in the universe to what came before the Big Bang. Probable Impossibilities is a deeply engaged consideration of what we know of the universe, of life and the mind, and of things vastly larger and smaller than ourselves.

The Hunter and the Old Woman

The Hunter and the Old Woman PDF Author: Pamela Korgemagi
Publisher: House of Anansi
ISBN: 1487008260
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 301

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Book Description
The intertwined story of a cougar and a man that portrays the strength, vulnerability, and consciousness of two top predators. Not since Life of Pi have we encountered such transcendence or walked so fully in the footsteps of a big cat. The “Old Woman” lives in the wild, searching for food, raising her cubs, and avoiding the two-legged creatures who come into her territory. But she is more than an animal — she is a mythic creature who haunts the lives and the dreams of men. Joseph Brandt has been captivated by the mountain lion’s legend since childhood, and one day he steps into the forest to seek her out. A classic in the making, The Hunter and the Old Woman is a mesmerizing portrait of two animals united by a shared destiny.

Humanity's Grace

Humanity's Grace PDF Author: Dede Montgomery
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781949290721
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 122

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Book Description
Salty air, low lying clouds, and crooning of seagulls near the towering Astoria Column and the flowing Columbia River set the scene for Humanity's Grace, a collection of linked short stories. Frank, Anne, Monica, and Sarah all reappear from the pages of Montgomery's novel, Beyond the Ripples. New characters: An elderly mother and her son, a police office and spouse, a childhood friend, a counselor, a bystander appear, are all uniquely connected to a murder in downtown Astoria, Oregon. Frank's untimely death creates a spectrum of consequences for his loved ones, acquaintances, and strangers. The ensuing murder accusation throws a trio of characters into darkness, as they reassess earlier beliefs, past decisions and actions. Other characters are impacted in unique and unexpected ways. A police officer is haunted by his past. A young woman awakens from a vivid dream of a friend from before. A mother wonders what she did wrong. A son aches for others to be kind. A daughter questions her father's past, while her mother remembers parts of the man she had forgotten. A stranger ponders the significance of a message she's received. The characters in Humanity's Grace intertwine as they laugh, scream, and cry, do good or create evil. Most of all, they meander through sorrow and sadness, joy and regret, as they remind the reader of the startling and collective beauty of life's connections.

Jenniferology

Jenniferology PDF Author: LL Eadie
Publisher: Dolly Dimple Ink
ISBN: 1734737158
Category : Young Adult Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
Fifteen-year-old Jennifer Brice Hamilton has been subjected to her mother’s new way of life ever since her parents’ divorce two years earlier - a move to a lower tax bracket in Chicago, an undesirable school, and her mother’s newest boyfriend: Phil. Jennifer rebels. Her mother’s answer to the “handful-slash-Jennifer” is to pack her up and send her to her grandma’s, whom Jennifer has not seen in almost three years. Her mother’s lusty plan is for Jennifer to reside there 'til Christmas. Jennifer captures her life in Flamingo Junction, Florida, with her grandmother in an ongoing diary of sorts - a sketchbook that she has titled Jenniferology - The Study of Jennifer. Jennifer’s grandmother, Mama Rudeen, lives in a retirement community called Camelot in North Florida. Mama Rudeen is not what Jennifer expected, nor are her grandmother’s friends - the gals: Miss Maggie Pearl, Miss Addie, and Miss Gaynell...and the guy - Sir Stuckie. Jennifer envisioned octogenarians sitting around waiting to take their last breath. She discovers that retirees have a zest for life. And, more importantly, they define to Jennifer what unconditional love truly means. Maybe it takes a retirement village to raise a child.

Honey Roasted

Honey Roasted PDF Author: Cleo Coyle
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593197569
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 369

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Book Description
Clare Cosi is busy as a bee planning her honeymoon when murder buzzes into the Village Blend in this all-new mystery in the beloved New York Times bestselling Coffeehouse series by Cleo Coyle. While struggling to find a romantic (and affordable) destination for her upcoming honeymoon, coffeehouse manager Clare Cosi whips up a sweet new drink made from honey-processed coffee. Clare plans to serve her outstanding new Honey-Cinnamon Latte at her spring wedding to her longtime honey, NYPD detective Mike Quinn. The culinary world is also abuzz about the amazing honey that Clare was lucky enough to source for her shop's new latte. Produced by Madame's old friend "Queen" Bea Hastings, the rare, prize-winning nectar from Bea's rooftop hives commands a premium price, and top chefs compete for a chance to use it in their signature seasonal dishes. One night, a swarm of escaped bees blanket the Village Blend's chimney, and Clare discovers Bea's unconscious body after she seemingly fell from her high-rise rooftop-hive setup. The police want to rule it as a tragic accident or possible attempted suicide, but Clare does not believe either theory. Like Madame, she knows this Queen would never abandon her hive. To sort out this mystery, Clare investigates a world of cutthroat chefs, culinary start-ups, and competitive urban beekeepers. But can she uncover the truth without getting stung?

"One More Thing, Sir . . ." - The Musings of a Television Writer-Producer (hardback)

Author: Michael Sloan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781629334721
Category : Performing Arts
Languages : en
Pages : 274

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Book Description
Michael Sloan brings his extensive knowledge of the television business to this charming, personable memoir of his years of bringing such iconic TV shows to life as McCloud, Columbo, The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, B.J. and the Bear, The Return of the Man From U.N.C.L.E., Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and more.