Tabloid Witch


Book Description

Will teaching celebrity kids force her to question becoming a witch? Avalon has taken on the challenge of teaching art to Beverly Hills brats at the exclusive Woodbridge Academy without using her magic. Between dodging tabloid reporters on her way to work, paparazzi on the playground and gossip in the teacher’s lounge, Avalon has gone from zero men and no drama to way too much of both without having to cast a spell. Romance was the last thing on her mind when she took the job at Woodbridge Academy. She just wanted to replenish her bank account without using magic. But keeping her magic in check becomes almost impossible when her coven mates pump her for celebrity gossip that violates her confidentiality agreement. Avalon is torn between the new men in her life, especial the hot wizard she’s dating, keeping her witch cool so she doesn’t risk her job, and winning a coveted junior position in her coven. What’s a witch to do? Find out in Tabloid Witch, book two of the Witching World of Avalon Series by author Karin De Havin. If you enjoy New Adult contemporary paranormal romance stories that are filled with magic and adventure that keeps you turning the pages, then get your copy of Tabloid Witch today! Keywords: new adult contemporary paranormal romance, new adult celebrity witch, witch romance, books set in Beverly Hills, new adult witch romance, new adult contemporary fantasy series, post college fantasy, witch books, wizard books, new adult teacher series, new adult paranormal series, new adult supernatural, first job out of college, celebrity fantasy.




Horror Film Aesthetics


Book Description

This richly informed study analyzes how various cinematic tools and techniques have been used to create horror on screen--the aesthetic elements, sometimes not consciously noticed, that help to unnerve, frighten, shock or entertain an audience. The first two chapters define the genre and describe the use of pragmatic aesthetics (when filmmakers put technical and budgetary compromises to artistic effect). Subsequent chapters cover mise-en-scene, framing, photography, lighting, editing and sound, and a final chapter is devoted to the aesthetic appeals of horror cinema. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.




The New Snobbery


Book Description

"Timely, insightful and impassioned." – Tim Shipman "David Skelton is, once again, excellent ... This brilliant book is essential reading." – Nick Timothy "One of our most prescient and empathetic social and political writers. Highly recommended." – Jason Cowley "Skelton gets it ... A timely must-read which speaks to head and heart." – Penny Mordaunt MP "Vital ... Skelton makes a compelling case." – Jon Cruddas MP *** An insidious snobbery has taken root in parts of progressive Britain. Working-class voters have flexed their political muscles and helped to change the direction of the country, but in doing so they have been met with disdain and even abuse from elites in politics, culture and business. At election time, we hear a lot about 'levelling up the Red Wall'. But what can actually be done to meet the very real concerns of the 'left behind' in the UK's post-industrial towns? In these once vibrant hubs of progress, working-class voters now face the prospect of being minimised, marginalised and abandoned. In this new updated edition of his rousing polemic, David Skelton explores the roots and reality of this new snobbery, calling for an end to the divisive culture war and the creation of a new politics of the common good, empowering workers, remaking the economy and placing communities centre stage. Above all, he argues that we now have a once-in-a-century opportunity to bring about permanent change.




Westminster Diary: Volume 2


Book Description

As New Labour's first period of government picks up steam, we find Bernard Donoughue working as a minister at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Food. In this, the second volume of Donoughue's House of Lords diaries, he chronicles his experiences - often frustrating, often hilarious - serving in the early years of Blair's government, as he attempts to modernise MAFF by expanding its interests more broadly in rural affairs. It outlines Donoughue's role in the EU's agricultural policy, including as the UK minister at the Agriculture Council as well as his unofficial role in the lead-up to the Good Friday agreement. As with all Donoughue's diaries, the book sheds a spotlight on the daily trials and tribulations of life in Westminster, told with trademark waspish wit, insight and humour.




Lingua Franca


Book Description

A marketer learns the limitations of language in this “hilarious” and thought-provoking satire (Flux Magazine). Miles Platting is pulled from the ruins of a shipwreck into a hospital in which no one will speak to him. The founder of Lingua Franca—a naming rights agency committed to renaming every UK town after a corporate sponsor—Miles is desperate to recount the story of his quest for linguistic supremacy to anyone who’ll listen. Confined to his bed in a deathly quiet ward, Miles seeks to find his colleagues and reunite with his true love. But in doing so, he must confront his most deeply held convictions and consider the question of what’s in a name in a world where the spoken word has been replaced with silence.




Luck and the Irish


Book Description

Roy Foster is one of Ireland's leading historians, the author of the much acclaimed two-volume biography of Yeats as well as the definitive history Modern Ireland, which has been hailed as "dazzling" (New York Times Book Review) and "elegant, erudite, wise, witty" (Irish Times). Now, this brilliant writer offers a "short and combative" account of Ireland's astonishing transformation over the last three decades. Has there really been an "economic miracle"? Where does the explosion of cultural energy in music, literature, and theater come from? Has the power of the Catholic Church really crumbled? Focusing largely on contemporary events, living people, current controversies, and popular culture, Luck and the Irish explores these questions and raises other provocative questions of its own. Foster looks at the astonishing volte-face undertaken by Sinn Fein, eventually taking office in a state they had once fought to destroy. He describes how Catholicism, once the bedrock of Irish identity, has been decisively compromised, as evidenced by the exploitation and abuse scandals and the drastic decline in devotions. At the same time, the position of women in Irish society has been transformed, with the growth of feminism, a revolution in sexual attitudes, far more women in the work force, the ascendancy of President Mary Robinson, and the movement of women to front-rank Cabinet posts--all of which have put the position of Irish women ahead of that in many European nations. Many old molds have been broken in Irish society over the last 30 years, and the immediate results have been breath-taking. But are these developments really as permanent or even as beneficial as they appear? Everyone curious about the recent past, the burgeoning present, and the unclear future of Ireland will want to read this superbly written and deeply thoughtful book.




Kate Moss: Addicted to Love


Book Description

Party-girl supreme and queen of street fashion, supermodel and millionairess, Kate Moss is as familiar in headlines as on the catwalk as the twin narratives of lurid tabloid stories and continuing adulation of the fashion industry demonstrates to all the paradox of fame. Whether she’s partying, finding another way to get out of it, or strutting self-assuredly down a catwalk in Paris you can be sure photographers are in a huddle close by, ready splash her or crash her in tomorrows headlines. She is now more familiar to some as the Cocaine Kate of recent tabloid headlines than as the face of Chanel and Burberry. This searching and remarkable book charts both her career and personality as she is propelled out of a misspent youth by the hand of fate to the top of her profession and beyond to become an icon, bigger than the brands she is paid a fortune to represent. However, within the whirlwind of that life the book reveals to us an all-too-human Kate Moss too, as surprised as anyone by the nonsense of celebrity, an apparently addictive personality with a frenetic desire to be loved that accounts for her merry-go-round of celebrity lovers and parallel quest for a dream man to endorse her ethereal fashion self. From the Johnny Depp saga to her strange affair with Pete Doherty, this book recounts it all in a fast-paced, taboo-shattering style that is in a mould reminiscent of previous daring exposes from Fred Vermorel.




Lessons from History


Book Description

History is full to the brim with untold tales of heroics and villainy, gruesome battles, hilarious happenings and downright bizarre coincidences. Meet the war veteran who lost an eye and amputated his own fingers. Discover the original Die Hards, whose bravery would put even Bruce Willis to shame. Just who stole the still-missing Irish crown jewels and how did Adeline, Countess of Cardigan, scandalise society so completely? In Lessons from History, Alex Deane takes us on an uproarious romp through the tales you didn't hear at school. With stories ranging from the little-known characters who played their vital parts in the world's most famous wars to the remarkable adventures of figures across the centuries, to events so extraordinary as to be almost – almost – unbelievable, this book proves that fact is almost always wilder than fiction. Bringing these stories joyfully and often poignantly back to life, Deane finally shines a light on the tales lost to history, and on what we might learn from them today.




We Were Blackwater


Book Description

"A raw, riveting look into the hidden frontlines of the Iraq War and an indispensable first-person account of the secret lives of the mercenaries and contractors who fought and died overseas ... Rice does something few have attempted, taking us on an emotional journey that is at once unsettling and revelatory. Excellent." – Mark Boal, Oscar-winning screenwriter and producer of The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty "A riveting tale of a brotherhood of warriors and their descent into hell. Visceral, brutal, raw and very real, We Were Blackwater is a rollercoaster ride of combat on the frontline of death and bloodshed. Unputdownable. Unforgettable. The untold true story." – Damien Lewis, author of SAS Ghost Patrol and Churchill's Secret Warriors " We Were Blackwater puts your boots right on the ground – in a place you'd never want to be, except in the safety of a book. Barrie Rice is a natural storyteller: clear-eyed, funny, wise, honest and humble. Reading this book feels like making a new friend. Fresh and exhilarating." – Hugo Lindgren, former editor of the New York Times Magazine *** The aftermath of the 2003 Iraq invasion is a story that has yet to be told by those who fought their own war against a brutal insurgency: the private security contractors. Risking life and limb, often side by side with the US military but far more exposed, they were never to receive a hero's homecoming. They remained in the shadows, often with good cause, but that would change for ever on 31 March 2004, when a security convoy was ambushed in Fallujah and the charred bodies of two American operators were strung from a road bridge. Those events would ensure notoriety for the company involved: Blackwater. This is the untold story of the security industry and its private war, recounted by a man who witnessed it first hand: SAS veteran and New Zealand national Barrie Rice. His visceral, no-holds-barred account of his time with Blackwater is brought to life in scenes that lead to a reckoning with both the war and himself. This gripping account delivers a compelling slice of reality – the inside story of the private contractor's war.




Strange People I Have Known


Book Description

"As well as being one of the leading political journalists of his generation, Andy McSmith's varied life has brought him into contact with a huge variety of people, high and low, whom he describes with an acute eye for character. His book Strange People I Have Known is a fast-paced and entertaining read that brings deep insight into British political life." – Bill Browder "A fascinating memoir which gives a revelatory insider's account of the biggest political names from the past few decades, interwoven with evocative reflections on the many colourful characters who have peppered McSmith's own life." – Pippa Crerar "An addictive memoir that fizzes with anecdotes. If you like top-level political gossip and insights written with panache, look no further." – Gary Gibbon *** Westminster and Whitehall are secret worlds, hidden to most. But working as a lobby journalist, former Labour Party staffer Andy McSmith has had exclusive access to our top politicians for decades. Here, he shares his personal encounters with the great and the good of the British political landscape, revealing what they are really like behind the scenes. With witty and perceptive flair, he describes encounters such as flying to Tokyo with Margaret Thatcher, the last Prime Minister who would walk fearlessly into a room full of journalists, unprotected by special advisers; dining with Sir Edward Heath, a man who knew how to hold a grudge, in his home in Salisbury; observing Gordon Brown and Tony Blair as new MPs, sharing a cramped office in Parliament and collaborating like brothers; and working with Boris Johnson back when he had an ambition to be something more than just a journalist. Filled with vivid portraits of those at the heart of British politics over the past forty years, Strange People I Have Known is a memoir of a life well lived and an insider's account of the inner workings of government.