The Odds Against Me


Book Description

Memoirs of sleight-of-hand practitioner and authority on gambling and odds.




Odds Against Me


Book Description

EXCERPTS FROM THE BOOK:ODDS AGAINST ME By MINA SCHELLER-WILDFEUER PART 1: TRANQUILITY CHILDHOOD Bruckenthal evokes my fondest memories. With nostalgia I recall walks through immense wheat fields – a huge yellow ocean with slight ripples of waves gently swaying in the summer breeze, a glorious intense orgy of colorful wildflowers interspersed throughout it: the vivid blues of cornflowers, brilliant reds of poppies, immaculate whites of daisies. I was surrounded by nature’s best. The sweet fragrance, the breathtaking beauty of it filled me with overwhelming joy. Carried upon the currant of happiness I dang out loud. On lazy summer days, when the atmosphere became heavy with the heat, I lay down on the cool, dark, rich earth, looking up into the translucent blue sky through hot simmering air. Made drowsy by the monotonous buzz of bees, I let myself overflow with a child’s dream. It was the loveliest corner in the world. PART 2: WAR REFUGEES Hour after hour, I, a twelve year old, shuffled behind the wagon, battling harsh howling winds, gust of snow and sleep. Sometimes when slowing down, I could feel the steamy warm breath and hear the occasional snorting of following horses near my ears. What if I should fall down? Would I be trampled to death, rolled over by the churning wheels? The trek came to a hold. I was fatigued beyond endurance, almost hallucinating. An overturned wagon on the side of the road, the casualty of mortar fire, beckoned me. Next to its dead horse, still in harness, was leaning against an embankment with its head grotesquely twisted and its legs stiffly sticking upward. Large lumps, faintly bearing human shape, were half buried in a snow tomb. I climbed onto the deserted wagon and curled up between baggage. It snowed heavier. Big beautiful snowflakes floated silently down. Soon, everything would be covered softly, just one white, serene wonderland. I would be asleep, finally blissfully asleep, maybe forever. My eyes closed. I felt myself drifting off peacefully. PART 3: POSTWAR BAD OLDESLOE, GERMANY Hunger was our steady companion. The prayerful sentence “Give us this day our daily bread”, so carelessly uttered by many took on an urgent meaning. To subsidize the meager rations, being near the starvation point, Mother and I went foraging for food. Droves of hungry people from the big City Hamburg, joined us in that venture. They came by trains that were filled beyond capacity. Humans were hanging on the outside like overripe grapes. The trains hardly came to a stop, when everyone jumped down and descended on the already harvested fields, in hope of finding leftovers. We all walked and picked through the scratchy stubble of reaped wheat fields. It was a painful experience. Legs and hands were cut and bleeding. The reward came when found grains were carefully separated from salvaged husks, and Father pounded the kernels into coarse flour. The bread Mother made from it was delicious but hardly enough for five. Putting it into a locked box, she doled it out a few slices at a time. PART 4: AMERICA! AMERICA! THE “GENERAL LANGFITT” I sank down in wet planks in a vacant corner, licking the salty air. Some of my fellow travelers, reeking if garlic, were strolling on deck. Garlic was supposed to be a remedy not only against vampires but also for seasickness. Others, their faces showing greenish hues, joined me. We didn’t exchange pleasantries, simply nodded sympathetically whenever one of us left to lean over the railing. I couldn’t bring myself to return to the mess hall. The thought of food repulsed me. Nevertheless, I was hungry. One night, unable to sleep, listening to the snoring around me, the growling stomach and the constant rattle of the nearby engine, I spotted a couple of oranges alongside the bunk. Impossible! My eyes must have deceived me. But no, soon more followed – big juicy oranges. Neither did I care




Don't Bet against Me!


Book Description

2008 Retailer's Choice Award winner! The wife of Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, Deanna was inadvertently thrust into the spotlight when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004. Now cancer-free, Deanna is one of breast cancer's leading activists, speaking and raising financial support for women who are “medically underserved” (uninsured or under-insured). Deanna's story shares the role her faith has played in her life—from her years as a single mom and her high profile marriage to Brett, to her battle with breast cancer and the work she is currently doing through the HOPE Foundation. Includes 24 pages of color photos, a foreword by Brett Favre, and an afterword by Brittany and Breleigh Favre.




Against The Odds


Book Description

As Fleet is threatened by mutiny, class conflict, and power struggles, Esmay Suiza-Serrano finds herself unceremoniously dismissed from Fleet and hurtled into the midst of warfare that threatens all galactic civilization.




Odds Against Tomorrow


Book Description

While working for a financial consulting firm that offers insurance against catastrophic events, a young mathematician becomes increasingly obsessed with doomsday scenarios until one of his worst-case scenarios unfolds in Manhattan.




Melt For Me


Book Description

From NYT Bestselling Author Elisabeth Naughton, the third book in the emotional Against All Odds series... Yuletide Spirits pub owner Ella McKinley doesn’t do holidays. In fact, she’d be perfectly happy if the calendar jumped from November to January, bypassing December all together. Known as Holly, North Carolina’s infamous Scrooge, Ella’s singular focus is to capitalize on the silly tourists who flock to the winter-wonderland-themed town so she can forget everything she lost on a cold, snowy night long ago. Then, rock’s latest “it” guy, Tate Kendrick, rolls into town. Tate’s determined to break through Ella’s frigid barriers. Though Ella tries to resist his wicked charm, the heat they once shared as teens flares hotter than ever. Slowly, Ella’s frozen heart begins to thaw. But when trouble linked to the rock star strikes at her pub, Ella suddenly starts to wonder who Tate really is. Is he the holiday miracle she’s been too afraid to hope for? Or is bad boy Tate Kendrick nothing more than her nightmare before Christmas? Books in the Against All Odds Series: WAIT FOR YOU - Book 1 WAIT FOR ME - Book 2 HOLD ON TO ME - Book 3 MELT FOR ME - Book 4




All Bets On Me


Book Description

"ALL BETS ON ME" is a self-help book and an account of a young man who grew up in the city of New Orleans with a vision and a drive to achieve the "American Dream." The book depicts the early struggles of a kid who embodied the entrepreneurial hustle of his celebrity role models that eventually manifested into doing business with the same celebrity figures he idolized growing up. This narrative highlights the true value in building solid relationships through business and real life encounters. In pursuit of success, life will present pivotal moments that require strategic and intentional relationship building; "ALL BETS ON ME" prepares the reader to aggressively maximize those moments and translate an ordinary relationship into a lucrative one. More importantly, this publication delivers a vital message to the reader: In the game of life, every day is a gamble and even when the odds are stacked against you, roll the dice, and always make the best bet ever - bet it all on you.




Against Tall Odds


Book Description

Anyone who watched part three in the Star Wars movie trilogy, Return of the Jedi, saw Matt Roloff. His handicap helped land him a part as one of the diminutive, furry Ewoks. In Matt's biography Against Tall Odds, readers view a world of fast-walking giants, where common obstacles for most are mountains for little people, and stares from strangers are the norm. Through perseverance and faith, Matt shows that success comes not by trying to be what you're not, but by being what God has made you.




Wait For Me


Book Description

New York Times Bestseller, USA Today Bestseller, Wall Street Journal Bestseller, Digital Book World Bestseller & IndieReader Bestseller! A woman without a past… After a tragic accident left her with no memory, Kate Alexander struggled to fit in with a husband and world that didn’t feel right. She’s had no reason to question what friends and family have told her, not until her husband is suddenly killed and she finds a photo of a young girl in his office. A girl who can’t be anyone but a daughter Kate didn’t know she had. A man desperate for a reason to live… Ryan Harrison lost his wife in a plane crash five years ago. To cope with the pain of her loss, he dedicated himself to his job and to raising their daughter. Now a successful pharmaceutical executive, Ryan has everything a man could want—money, fame and power—but he’d give it all up in a heartbeat for just one more day with the woman he still loves. Two lives about to converge. As Kate begins to dig into a past she doesn’t remember, evidence leads her to San Francisco and puts her on the path toward Ryan, a man who sees in her the woman he loved and lost. Kate feels a draw to Ryan, one she can’t explain, but is that feeling enough to convince her this is where she’s supposed to be? As Ryan and Kate search for answers, they uncover lies long buried, a passion hotter than either expected and a danger that threatens…even now…when the second chance they’ve both been searching for is finally within reach. **2013 Bookie Award Winner - Best ebook Novel of the Year! **2012 Readers' Crown Awards Nominee - Best Romantic Suspense! Books in the Against All Odds Series: WAIT FOR YOU - Book 1 WAIT FOR ME - Book 2 HOLD ON TO ME - Book 3 MELT FOR ME - Book 4




The Odds Against Us


Book Description

In a time of heart-stopping terror and magnificent human triumph, the citizens of Britain rose up, refusing to buckle under the brutal bombing assault of a relentless enemy. Here is the story of a handful of ill-equipped British flyers who confronted the mightiest air force on Earth!