The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid PDF Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767926315
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

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Book Description
From one of the world's most beloved writers and New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body, a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s. Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)—in his head—as "The Thunderbolt Kid." Using this persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson re-creates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality—a life at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. It was, he reminds us, a happy time, when automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you. He brings us into the life of his loving but eccentric family, including affectionate portraits of his father, a gifted sportswriter for the local paper and dedicated practitioner of isometric exercises, and of his mother, whose job as the home furnishing editor for the same paper left her little time for practicing the domestic arts at home. The many readers of Bill Bryson’s earlier classic, A Walk in the Woods, will greet the reappearance in these pages of the immortal Stephen Katz, seen hijacking literally boxcar loads of beer. He is joined in the Bryson gallery of immortal characters by the demonically clever Willoughby brothers, who apply their scientific skills and can-do attitude to gleefully destructive ends. Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, and full of his inimitable, pitch-perfect observations, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is as wondrous a book as Bill Bryson has ever written. It will enchant anyone who has ever been young.

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid PDF Author: Bill Bryson
Publisher: Crown
ISBN: 0767926315
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 290

Get Book Here

Book Description
From one of the world's most beloved writers and New York Times bestselling author of A Walk in the Woods and The Body, a vivid, nostalgic, and utterly hilarious memoir of growing up in the 1950s. Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers. As one of the best and funniest writers alive, he is perfectly positioned to mine his memories of a totally all-American childhood for 24-carat memoir gold. Like millions of his generational peers, Bill Bryson grew up with a rich fantasy life as a superhero. In his case, he ran around his house and neighborhood with an old football jersey with a thunderbolt on it and a towel about his neck that served as his cape, leaping tall buildings in a single bound and vanquishing awful evildoers (and morons)—in his head—as "The Thunderbolt Kid." Using this persona as a springboard, Bill Bryson re-creates the life of his family and his native city in the 1950s in all its transcendent normality—a life at once completely familiar to us all and as far away and unreachable as another galaxy. It was, he reminds us, a happy time, when automobiles and televisions and appliances (not to mention nuclear weapons) grew larger and more numerous with each passing year, and DDT, cigarettes, and the fallout from atmospheric testing were considered harmless or even good for you. He brings us into the life of his loving but eccentric family, including affectionate portraits of his father, a gifted sportswriter for the local paper and dedicated practitioner of isometric exercises, and of his mother, whose job as the home furnishing editor for the same paper left her little time for practicing the domestic arts at home. The many readers of Bill Bryson’s earlier classic, A Walk in the Woods, will greet the reappearance in these pages of the immortal Stephen Katz, seen hijacking literally boxcar loads of beer. He is joined in the Bryson gallery of immortal characters by the demonically clever Willoughby brothers, who apply their scientific skills and can-do attitude to gleefully destructive ends. Warm and laugh-out-loud funny, and full of his inimitable, pitch-perfect observations, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid is as wondrous a book as Bill Bryson has ever written. It will enchant anyone who has ever been young.

Breath

Breath PDF Author: James Nestor
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0735213631
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306

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Book Description
A New York Times Bestseller A Washington Post Notable Nonfiction Book of 2020 Named a Best Book of 2020 by NPR “A fascinating scientific, cultural, spiritual and evolutionary history of the way humans breathe—and how we’ve all been doing it wrong for a long, long time.” —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Big Magic and Eat Pray Love No matter what you eat, how much you exercise, how skinny or young or wise you are, none of it matters if you’re not breathing properly. There is nothing more essential to our health and well-being than breathing: take air in, let it out, repeat twenty-five thousand times a day. Yet, as a species, humans have lost the ability to breathe correctly, with grave consequences. Journalist James Nestor travels the world to figure out what went wrong and how to fix it. The answers aren’t found in pulmonology labs, as we might expect, but in the muddy digs of ancient burial sites, secret Soviet facilities, New Jersey choir schools, and the smoggy streets of São Paulo. Nestor tracks down men and women exploring the hidden science behind ancient breathing practices like Pranayama, Sudarshan Kriya, and Tummo and teams up with pulmonary tinkerers to scientifically test long-held beliefs about how we breathe. Modern research is showing us that making even slight adjustments to the way we inhale and exhale can jump-start athletic performance; rejuvenate internal organs; halt snoring, asthma, and autoimmune disease; and even straighten scoliotic spines. None of this should be possible, and yet it is. Drawing on thousands of years of medical texts and recent cutting-edge studies in pulmonology, psychology, biochemistry, and human physiology, Breath turns the conventional wisdom of what we thought we knew about our most basic biological function on its head. You will never breathe the same again.

How My Mother Became My Guardian Angel

How My Mother Became My Guardian Angel PDF Author: Brenda Jenkins
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
ISBN: 1456833723
Category : Biography & Autobiography
Languages : en
Pages : 279

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Book Description
How my mother became my guardian angel is a bookbased on my life after losing my beautiful mother. I was 18 years old with an 8 month old baby not knowing where I was going to go. My life then became a huge struggle; I became homeless, physically and mentally abused. I started screaming and crying for my mother which took me into a dark grieving depression. The only person that took me out of that stage is the person I walk with everyday. His name is Jesus Christ a friend of mine who came and saved me in my darkest days. How my mother became my guardian angel is only the beginning of my brightest and beautiful days. My mother was such a strong beautiful black WOMAN whom GOD made with his delicate hands. After we all had lost our mother my family came to an ugly end. During my struggles and all my pain; I reached up and grabbed a hold of GOD's hand, but one thing our heavenly father did for me is brought my mother in my dreams over and over again. The sun was so pretty and bright the way she came into my life, but when I opened my eyes and saw the daylight it was time to put up my biggest fights. She helped me get through so many struggles and away from people that weren't right in my life. At first when I started dreaming of her I woke up saying, "Something isn't right." Until the day came when I noticed my dreams were only here to strengthen me throughout my life. My mother always told us that she wasn't going to be here forever, but before she leaves this place she wished we would all get it together. I was so young growing up listening to her repeat those words over and over, but one thing I did not know is how her death was the beginning of my deepest darkest struggles. So as you read my story, do yourself a favor and go put on your favorite robe, because once your done reading my story your worries should become very old. I'm dedicating this book to my mother because she could've gone upstairs to heaven and said my job on earth isfinally done. However, as a result of my struggles and screaming her name in pain, she came back in my life to help guide me until my strength I finally regained. I remember one dream I had with her, she was walking on grass sounding like glass "click, click, click", she was waving her hand and smiling at me telling me to tell everyone. I couldn't figure out that dream to save my life! However, after writing this book, now I can say; consider it a job well done!

The Other End of the Leash

The Other End of the Leash PDF Author: Patricia McConnell, Ph.D.
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN: 0307489183
Category : Pets
Languages : en
Pages : 289

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Book Description
Learn to communicate with your dog—using their language “Good reading for dog lovers and an immensely useful manual for dog owners.”—The Washington Post An Applied Animal Behaviorist and dog trainer with more than twenty years’ experience, Dr. Patricia McConnell reveals a revolutionary new perspective on our relationship with dogs—sharing insights on how “man’s best friend” might interpret our behavior, as well as essential advice on how to interact with our four-legged friends in ways that bring out the best in them. After all, humans and dogs are two entirely different species, each shaped by its individual evolutionary heritage. Quite simply, humans are primates and dogs are canids (as are wolves, coyotes, and foxes). Since we each speak a different native tongue, a lot gets lost in the translation. This marvelous guide demonstrates how even the slightest changes in our voices and in the ways we stand can help dogs understand what we want. Inside you will discover: • How you can get your dog to come when called by acting less like a primate and more like a dog • Why the advice to “get dominance” over your dog can cause problems • Why “rough and tumble primate play” can lead to trouble—and how to play with your dog in ways that are fun and keep him out of mischief • How dogs and humans share personality types—and why most dogs want to live with benevolent leaders rather than “alpha wanna-bes!” Fascinating, insightful, and compelling, The Other End of the Leash is a book that strives to help you connect with your dog in a completely new way—so as to enrich that most rewarding of relationships.

My Guardian Angel Wants A Vacation

My Guardian Angel Wants A Vacation PDF Author: Christine Kyle
Publisher: Page Publishing Inc
ISBN: 1662483279
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 110

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Book Description
You don't get to pick the family you're born into. Without my guardian angel, I don't think I would have made it. This true story of alcoholism, survival, and love come together in this girl's harrowing childhood, and how things don't turn out the way you thought. Put yourself in her footsteps for the untold accounts of a life some people couldn't even imagine and lived to tell the story.

 PDF Author: Catherine Delaney
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 0595339581
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 367

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Book Description
Kathleen was the average girl of fourteen years, brown hair, and eyes of green. She lives in the most average life. Kathleen thought her town average in the most average boring way, this in the up most sincere way. Soon the halls of her average plain suburbia school would get a rude a wakening to a weird adventure. When a boy is sent on a mission to tell a tale centuries old. Unbelievable as it is her ears don't close him out. Five wizards lived long ago together they ruled, each with separate tasks. On ruled the earth the soil and her blessings, the plants from the smallest tree to the tallest trees. One ruled the humans with their ways of being. One ruled the waters all of the rivers and mighty oceans. One ruled the animals that flew or crawled. And finally one ruled the skies. Three had been murdered but one of their own. Now two remained. One hide away to keep his ways alive waiting for someone to help. Little did Kathleen know things wouldn't be average around here anymore.

Cyberbrain: Guardian Angel

Cyberbrain: Guardian Angel PDF Author: Benoit Blanchard
Publisher: FriesenPress
ISBN: 1525543504
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 325

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Book Description
In the mid-21st century, newborns in the United States are legally required to befitted with a “cyber,” an electronic device that has successfully slashed crime rates by changing the thought patterns of the people who have them. In Canada, however, cybers are still illegal. Max Wilson, the first man to successfully have his cyber surgically removed, has settled in Canada, seeking a new life and joining the fight to have the law changed in the United States. With Dr. Warren Alston, who removed his cyber and is now teaching other surgeons how to do so as well, he becomes part of an operation to smuggle devices into the US that disable cybers without surgery. Meanwhile, Patrick Kobayashi, the inventor of the cyber, is taking an active part in Canada’s election campaign in support of Richard Lane, a maverick politician intent on introducing the cyber into the Canadian landscape, against his own party’s wishes. When a mysterious man calling himself “Guardian Angel” begins threatening Dr. Alston and others trying to stop the spread of the cyber, things take an ominous turn. As efforts redouble in Canada and the United States to stop the insidious threat of the cyber, which the shocking case of one little girl shows may have horrible side effects, the mysterious Guardian Angel resorts to murder and attempted murder. The freedom of individuals to think their own thoughts hangs in the balance as events race to a frightening conclusion.

Rocky: The True Story of a Dog Who Adopted Humans Nobody Else Wanted

Rocky: The True Story of a Dog Who Adopted Humans Nobody Else Wanted PDF Author: Snjezana Marinkovic
Publisher: MariS Publishing
ISBN: 1733397450
Category : Art
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
Do you know what grief therapists recommend when you lose love of your life--talk to your family and friends. But what do you tell them when your only family and friend is your dog, the one you just lost? Will they understand? Will anyone understand? Pet loss can expose you to tiring explanations. You must explain to your boss that you need some time off because you lost your (special) family member. You must explain to your friends that there is only one friend who never left your side, your best friend. You must explain to your social media followers that a sad face emoji does not lessen the pain. Pet loss can also be the greatest spiritual experience that you’ll ever go through. But to experience something great, you first must heal, and healing is possible only when you allow yourself to be shaken to the core. Do you believe in the Rainbow Bridge story—the magical place where pets wait for their humans until they all meet again? If so, that’s heartwarming, but this is not such a story. This is a story about angels called pets who never leave their humans behind. The angel in this story is called Rocky. Maybe you will find something in this book that will remind you of your story and your angel…

The Lady of the Painting

The Lady of the Painting PDF Author: Teresa Resende Leiserowitz
Publisher: Archway Publishing
ISBN: 1480899135
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 149

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Book Description
Haley is a photographer with big dreams who has recently moved to Hawaii with her husband, Jack. Unfortunately while he works all day as a hotel manager, Haley is bored and lonely. One day while searching for beautiful scenery to shoot, she encounters a handsome painter, Peter, who offers to show her the sites. As Haley’s friendship with Peter blossoms over the coming weeks, she allows him to photograph and paint her. Although their physical chemistry is evident, Haley only flirts. When Haley is injured in a car crash with Peter and their relationship is exposed to an infuriated Jack, she moves back to Los Angeles where she soon discovers that Peter has manipulated a painting to make it appear as if she posed nude for him. To make matters worse, Haley learns that Peter has sold the painting for a large sum. Desperate to reconcile with Jack, Haley begins plotting revenge. Will she be successful at unfurling her clever plan or will she lose everything that matters to her? In this suspenseful romance, a photographer whose marriage is on the rocks after a seductive stranger paints her picture must create a vengeful plan to save everything she loves.

Waldie's Select Circulating Library

Waldie's Select Circulating Library PDF Author:
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Literature
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description