Mouthing Off


Book Description

Whether it's David Bowie, Gwen Stefani, Michael Stipe, or Joan Jett, rock stars are never at a loss for words. Often obnoxious, sometimes introspective, and remarkably honest, these musings are collected here for fans who want an insight into what makes their favourite artists tick, how they view their roles as 'stars' in a celebrity-obsessed society, and what does (or doesn't) differentiate musicians from everyone else. Organised by subject matter, it presents a broad cross-section of artists offering diverse commentary on each subject. Drawing from his extensive career as a rock journalist, the author has culled these gems from countless interviews, selecting quotations about subjects such as religion, rock critics, drug use, and the battle of the sexes. Appealing to fans, musicians, and industry mavens alike, it offers familiar foibles and a glimpse into a world often perceived as glamorous and charmed.




Off Track


Book Description

You would think a Native American, who could track a piss ant through a meadow covered in heavy grass, wouldn’t get lost. But he was lost. Orion Brown, son of a full-blood Lakota Sioux was lost, but not in any geographical location. Orion was lost within himself. The deaths of five of Gunnery Sergeant Orion Brown’s men in combat in Afghanistan, and their battle buddies crying on his shoulder, had put him into unknown territory. Oh, he’d remained strong for the Marines who survived. He bucked them up to resume combat without their battle buddies guarding their sixes, but it had cost him. His stronger than strong routine had earned him an honorable discharge from the Marine Corps, panic attacks, and the inability to touch or be touched by other human beings without having a nuclear nervous meltdown. His assigned VA shrink was a joke. Well, the man himself wasn’t a joke. He was sincere, he gave the impression he cared, and he listened when he grudgingly shared some of his feelings, but if he mentioned “survivor’s guilt” just one more time, Orion would show him just how much damage a Marine could do to office furniture. The doc just didn’t get it. He was damned if he tried to open up and interact with the people around him, and he was equally screwed if he let anyone throw an arm over his shoulder or kiss his cheek or slap him on the back. The first induced no feeling at all, as in semi-frozen stiff on a morgue slab, and the second induced panic attacks of epic proportions. He was rapidly being torn apart by the dichotomy of reactions. A slip of a finger on his PC keyboard, offered salvation. The BDSM site wanted to know if he was a Dominant or a submissive. He almost didn’t fill out the personal questionnaire, but overhearing the prevailing opinion of him from two of his students in the Marine Special Operations Tracking/Counter-tracking Course he taught, convinced him he needed to go beyond conventional medical practice. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have an extremely sexy Mistress paddling his backside if he was brought back to the land of the normal. But the Great Spirit was not inclined to grant him normal. Irony of ironies, there was no female Dominant at the local dungeon strong enough to keep him from topping her. Instead, he was assigned to Dai Waleska. A six foot, two-inch Japanese-American Kung Fu Master. Now the overriding question was, was it worth submitting to another man’s physical, and possibly sexual, domination for a chance at getting back on a normal track. Which was more important? Dominance and submission to conquer his frozen core and panic attacks, or maintaining a macho Marine image that would more than likely end with him gargling with a Glock somewhere down a very short road?




How It Works Out


Book Description

“What an audacious, breathtaking, and inspiring debut. The power of this formally innovative and deeply funny book is that everything exists to serve the compassionate heart at its core. Myriam Lacroix’s work is a cause for celebration.” —GEORGE SAUNDERS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Lincoln in the Bardo and Liberation Day Surreal, darkly comic and achingly tender, Myriam Lacroix's exuberant debut sees a queer love story play out in many alternate realities. What if you had the chance to rewrite the course of your relationship, again and again, in the hopes that it would work out? When Myriam and Allison fall in love at a show in a run-down punk house, their relationship begins to unfold through a series of hypotheticals. What if they became mothers by finding a baby in an alley? What if the only cure for Myriam’s depression was Allison’s flesh? What if they were B-list celebrities, famous for writing a book about building healthy lesbian relationships? How much darker—or sexier—would their dynamic be if one were a power-hungry CEO, and the other her lowly employee? From the fantasies of early romance to the slow encroaching of violence that unravels the fantasy, each reality builds to complete a brilliant, painfully funny portrait of love’s many promises and perils. Equal parts sexy and profane, unsentimental, and gut-wrenching, How It Works Out is a genre-bending, arresting, uncanny exploration of queerness, love, and our drive for connection, in any and all possible worlds.




The Action Bible


Book Description

The Action Bible presents more than 230 fast-paced narratives in chronological order, making it easy to follow the Bible’s historical flow and building up to the thrilling climax of God’s redemptive story. Plus, these spectacular updates take the action to a whole new level: 25 new stories showcase a more extensive exploration of God’s work in our lives. 23 expanded stories highlight additional experiences of the people who tell God’s story. 128 new pages of illustrations deliver a richer artistic experience with more close-up faces, historical details, and dramatic colors. Every page sparks excitement to explore God’s Word and know Him personally. Readers will witness God’s active presence in the world through stories from the life of Jesus and great heroes of the faith. Let this blend of powerful imagery and clear storytelling capture your imagination and instill the truth that invites you to discover your own adventure of life with God. Sergio Cariello’s illustrations for The Action Bible leap off the page with the same thrilling energy that earned him international recognition for his work with Marvel Comics and DC Comics.




More Than a Champion


Book Description

"A dazzling portrait. . . . Written with energy, daring, and artful intelligence." --San Francisco Chronicle




Chaos Kin


Book Description

In the town of Rancho Robles, can one werewolf protect the Children of the Wolf and the Bat? Chaos Wolf Jordan Abbey has made friends among the Black Oak Pack even though she refuses to join it. The same can’t be said of the vampires, but her life has taken a turn for the better. That is until Enya Blevins, sister to the werewolf who turned Jordan, arrives in Rancho Robles. She wants to know who killed her baby brother and is less than impressed by the Chaos Wolf. Enya wants revenge, starting with Jordan and ending with the vampires infesting the area. Jordan is prepared to flee, but a technicality makes her an Alpha Werewolf. Now she must stand her ground to protect her nascent Pack and those she loves. The past has come back to bite her. Does she have the fangs to bite back?




The Perfect Golden Circle


Book Description

Summer 1989, deep in the English countryside — during a time of mass unemployment, class war, and rebellion . . . . Over the course of a burning hot summer, two very different men — Calvert, an ex-soldier traumatized by his experience in the Falklands War, and his affable freind Redbone — set out nightly in a decrepit camper van to undertake an extraordinary project. Under cover of darkness, they traverse the fields of rural England in secret, forming crop circles in elaborate and mysterious patterns, painstakingly avoiding damaging the wheat to yield designs so intricate that their overnight appearances inspire awe amongst a mystified public. And as the summer wears on, and their designs grow ever more ambitious, the two men find that their work has become a cult international sensation—and that an unlikely and beautiful friendship has taken root as the wheat ripens from green to gold. But as harvest-time beckons—and as media and the authorities begin to take too much interest in their work—Calvert and Redbone have to race against time to finish the most stunning and original crop circle ever conceived: the Honeycomb Double Helix. Moving and exhilarating, tender and slyly witty, The Perfect Golden Circle is a captivating novel about the futility of war, the descruction of the English countryside, class inequality — ower of beauty to heal trauma and fight power.




Our School


Book Description

Honest, engaging, and inspiring, Our School tells the story of Downtown College Prep, a public charter high school in San Jose that recruits underachieving students and promises to prepare them for four-year colleges and universities. The average student enters ninth grade with fifth-grade reading and math skills. Many have slid through school without doing homework. Some barely speak English. Tracking the innovative and pioneering program, award-winning journalist Joanne Jacobs follows the young principal who tries to shake the hand of every student each day, the dedicated teachers who inspire teens to break free from their histories of failure, and the immigrant parents who fight to protect their children from gangs. Capturing our hearts are the students who overcome tremendous odds: Roberto, who struggles to learn English; Larissa, a young mother; Pedro, who signals every mood change with a different hair cut; Selena, who's determined to use college as her escape from drudgery; the girls of the very short, never-say-die basketball team; and the Tech Challenge competitors. Some will give up on their dreams. Those who stick with the school will go on to college. This gritty yet hopeful book provides a new understanding of what makes a school work and how desire, pride, and community--ganas, orgullo, and communidad--can put students on track for success in life.




Italian For Dummies, Enhanced Edition


Book Description

The fun and easy way to take your Italian language skills to the next level The tips, techniques, and information presented here give students, travelers, and businesspeople a primer on how to speak Italian. Complete with updates, a bonus CD, and the traditional For Dummies user-friendly format, this new edition of Italian For Dummies gives you reliable lessons, practice, and language learning techniques for speaking Italian with ease and confidence. Featuring a revamped, user-friendly organization that builds on your knowledge and ability, Italian For Dummies offers expanded coverage of the necessary grammar, major verb tenses, and conjugations that beginners need to know. Plus, you'll get a fully updated and expanded audio CD that includes real-life conversations; a refreshed and expanded mini-dictionary; more useful exercises and practice opportunities; and more. Builds on your skills and ability as you learn Covers the grammar, verb tenses, and conjugations you need to know Includes a mini-dictionary Audio CD includes real-life conversations If you're looking to reach a comfort level in conversational Italian, Italian For Dummies gets you comfortably speaking this Romantic language like a native.




Media Talk


Book Description

Media Talk provides an accessible introduction to the analysis of the spoken word by examining linguistic and discursive aspects of broadcast media. Beginning with the observation that talk is central to all genres of radio and television, Ian Hutchby examines the forms of speech used by broadcasters as their primary means of communicating with audiences. He looks at a range of media forms and genres, including televised audience debates, confrontational TV talk shows such as Oprah Winfrey and Ricki Lake, open-line talk radio shows, advice-giving broadcasts, news interviews and political panel discussions. Hutchby argues that the study of talk provides insights into the very nature of mass communication, and invites the reader into further consideration of a range of important issues, such as the relationship between broadcasters and audiences, and the public role of media output. The book not only describes the role of media talk but also provides detailed examples of analytical tools. It is key reading for students on courses in language and the media, media discourse, communication and cultural studies.