Life as a Night Porter


Book Description

Chris Shaw spent ten years working in London hotels, all the while using his camera to both document the hotels' unexpected human spectacles and keep himself awake through the long hours of his shift. Whether capturing prostitutes waiting between "Johns," weary hotel staff, the inebriated and profligate guests, or the details of the hotels' faded grandeur, Shaw's images transcend the physical boundaries of a place, and instead capture a state of mind in which few people would choose to stay more than a night. The thing I like most about the pictures is the large element of what I call the "chance meeting," the times I was so tired I lost the artifice and techniques of photography. I just took photographs to keep me awake. It became artless. The people I photographed, these episodes in the social fantastic would heighten and illuminate my whole night, often making a difficult job and my twelve-hour shift bearable.




The Night Porter


Book Description

THE STORY The Night Porter is set in a hotel, in November, in the fictional town of Wheatley Fields, (based on Southwell, near Nottinghamshire, deep in Sherwood Forest). It takes place over two weeks, underneath steel grey clouds and icy rain. Four writers, all nominated for an upcoming awards ceremony, come to stay. One mega successful romance author, a top US thriller writer who sells in seven figures, a beautiful young YA tyro on the brink of world wide stardom... ...and a degenerate, nasty, bitter, jealous, trollish, drunken (but brilliant), self-published contemporary fiction author. The eponymous, pseudonymous and anonymous Night Porter is instructed by a secretive and powerful awards committee to look after their EVERY need, to ensure they make it through the two weeks to attend the ceremony. At the same time as keeping an eye on their wishes, antics, fights, relationships and never-ending ego explosions. And trying desperately to avoid getting involved himself. It's a comedy drama about writers (and Night Porters!) with twists and turns, nooks and crannies, shadows and mirrors, alongside some of my bizarre preoccupations and obsessions. It casts a sometimes shadowy light on modern publishing, the writing business - and the people in it. Writers who like to read about writers and writing will enjoy the book.




Vassa in the Night


Book Description

“A dark, thoroughly modern fairy tale crackling with wit and magical mayhem.” —Leigh Bardugo, New York Times bestselling author of Shadow and Bone “An enchantingly twisted modern fairy tale, perfect for those who prefer Grimm to Disney. Inventive, darkly magical, and beautifully written, it will stay with me for a long time.” — Kendare Blake, New York Times bestselling author of Three Dark Crowns Vassa in the Night is a powerful and haunting modern retelling of the Russian folktale “Vassilissa the Beautiful” for teen fans of urban fantasy, fairy tales, magic, and horror who enjoy books by Leigh Bardugo, Kendare Blake, Catherynne Valente, and V. E. Schwab. In the enchanted kingdom of Brooklyn, the fashionable people put on cute shoes, go to parties in warehouses, drink on rooftops at sunset, and tell themselves they’ve arrived. A whole lot of Brooklyn is like that now—but not Vassa’s working-class neighborhood. In Vassa’s neighborhood, where she lives with her stepmother and bickering stepsisters, one might stumble onto magic, but stumbling out again could become an issue. Babs Yagg, the owner of the local convenience store, has a policy of beheading shoplifters—and sometimes innocent shoppers as well. So when Vassa’s stepsister sends her out for light bulbs in the middle of night, she knows it could easily become a suicide mission. But Vassa has a bit of luck hidden in her pocket, a gift from her dead mother. Erg is a tough-talking wooden doll with sticky fingers, a bottomless stomach, and a ferocious cunning. With Erg’s help, Vassa just might be able to break the witch’s curse and free her Brooklyn neighborhood. But Babs won’t be playing fair.... At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.




Chris Shaw - Before and After Night Porter


Book Description

Before and After Night Porter focuses on the world of British photographer Chris Shaw and its compelling relationship to the Vivo and Provoke aesthetics, following the great interest in post-war Japanese photography in Europe and the United States in recent years. Working predominantly with black and white photography, the world reflected in Shaw's work is one of blurring, close-ups, unexpected angles, high contrast and overwhelming sensory experience.




Nature's Storyteller


Book Description

Gene Stratton-Porter shared the outdoors with others through writing and photography and working to conserve nature for the generations to come. Though never a favorite with literary critics, she was beloved by ordinary Americas, as much for her storytelling skills and advocacy for wildlife as for her independent spirit.




The Letters of Cole Porter


Book Description

The first comprehensive collection of the letters of one of the most successful American songwriters of the twentieth century From Anything Goes to Kiss Me, Kate, Cole Porter left a lasting legacy of iconic songs including "You're the Top," "Love For Sale," and "Night and Day." Yet, alongside his professional success, Porter led an eclectic personal life which featured exuberant parties, scandalous affairs, and chronic health problems. This extensive collection of letters (most of which are published here for the first time) dates from the first decade of the twentieth century to the early 1960s and features correspondence with stars such as Irving Berlin, Ethel Merman, and Orson Welles, as well as his friends and lovers. Cliff Eisen and Dominic McHugh complement these letters with lively commentaries that draw together the loose threads of Porter’s life and highlight the distinctions between Porter’s public and private existence. This book reveals surprising insights into his attitudes toward Hollywood and Broadway, and toward money, love, and dazzling success.




The Night the War Was Lost


Book Description

"Long before the Confederacy was crushed militarily, it was defeated economically," writes Charles L. Dufour. He contends that with the fall of the critical city of New Orleans in spring 1862 the South lost the Civil War, although fighting would continueøfor three more years. On the Mississippi River, below New Orleans, in the predawn of April 24, 1862, David Farragut with fourteen gunboats ran past two forts to capture the South's principal seaport. Vividly descriptive, The Night the War Was Lost is also very human in its portrayal of terrified citizens and leaders occasionally rising to heroism. In a swift-moving narrative, Dufour explains the reasons for the seizure of New Orleans and describes its results.




Alcohol Explained


Book Description

Alcohol Explained is the definitive, ground-breaking guide to alcohol and alcohol addiction. It explains how alcohol affects human beings on a chemical, physiological and psychological level, from our first drinks right up to chronic alcoholism. Despite being entirely scientific and factual in nature the book is presented in an accessible and easily understandable format.For those with an alcohol problem it will explain why they have a problem and what they can do about it. For those who are unsure whether they have a problem or not it provides them with firm guidance. For those who have someone close to them who has an alcohol problem it will help them to understand what that person is going through, how they ended up where they are, and what they can do to help them. However this is not just a book for people with links to problem drinking, it is compulsive reading for anyone who has ever, or will ever, drink an alcoholic drink. How many people have inadvertently drunk too much on occasion? Virtually every drinker on the planet has done that! But how many people have actually stopped to think why? There is in fact a logical, scientific explanation for this phenomenon, it is fully and simply explained in this book.Even for those who have never imbibed alcohol this book provides a fascinating insight into addiction generally and, more specifically, into a substance that has pervaded our society to such a great extent that it is now an integral part of our culture.




Cole Porter


Book Description

In his life and in his music, Cole Porter was the top—the pinnacle of wit and sophistication. From the 1910s through the ‘50s, from Yale pep rallies through the Broadway triumphs of Anything Goes and Kiss Me, Kate, he delighted audiences with a glittering torrent of song: “I Get a Kick Out of You.” “Night and Day,” “Love for Sale,” and “Just One of Those Things.” The bright surface of these gems—their catchy melodies and ingenious lyrics—made them instant pop hits. Their more subtle qualities and their musical and emotional depth have made them lasting standards, among the greatest glories of the American songbook. In Cole Porter, William McBrien has thoroughly captured the creator of these songs, whose life was one not only of wealth and privilege but also of tragedy, secrecy, and courage. A prodigal young man, Porter found his aesthetic and emotional anchor in a long, loving, if sexless marriage, while continuing to maintain many discreet affairs with men. In 1937, at the height of his success, he suffered a near-fatal riding accident; his last eighteen years were marked by pain, drugs, and repeated operations on his legs, years of physical agony but unstinting artistic achievement. Here is the book that Porter’s fans have long hoped for—a life that informs the great music and lyrics though illuminating glimpses of the hidden, complicated, private man.




Drives Like a Dream


Book Description

“A hilarious family tale” about a modern-day mother’s lifestyle crisis—and her outlandish attempts to get her family back (Woman’s Day). Lydia Modine is sixty-one and about to come undone. Her three grown-up children have flown the coop. She hasn’t seen them together in more than a year, and now her ex-husband is about to marry a woman half his age. And the insults keep coming: Lydia is stuck on a book she’s writing about Detroit’s car industry, which uncannily parallels her own life—out with the old model, in with the new. She’s poured her soul into her family, only to be abandoned in the City of Dream Machines. But then a twist of fate introduces her to Norm, an eco-car fanatic out to remake her and the world. A “smart and funny” novel that’s sure to appeal to anyone who has longed for an alternate life, Drives Like a Dream confirms that sometimes when you set out for a spin, the twists and turns can be perfectly rewarding—and right (Chicago Tribune). “A beautiful novel.” —The Washington Post