The Gentle Giant and the Beauty Queen


Book Description

The following story that I’m going to share is true. It illuminates the impossible that can become possible when there is: • A loving and accepting family • Mother’s and Grandmother’s prayers • Strong presence of the Judeo Christian work ethic • Attitudes of Victory vs. Victimhood This is a story of love and the tragedy of others that made for this Developmentally Disabled couple’s independence. You’ll observe contrasting family attitudes and the unbelievable circumstances in others’ lives that are beyond comprehension. We’ll walk through some lives to celebrate their victories through love and determination. You’ll cheer the contentment, happiness, and love of this special couple. But you’ll also be challenged as we see our own evaluations and prejudging of things and people that are different. This book makes all of us look at ourselves and question our own tolerance levels in many areas of life. By the end of this story, most of you living in or visiting Steubenville, Ohio will think a little differently and smile as you see David (7’ tall) and Ruthy (5’ tall) sauntering down the sidewalk, holding hands as always. You’ll be inspired by secrets of triumph over odds and you’ll feel the small victories and blessings that we should celebrate every day. My hope is that your experience in reading this book will be as enjoyable as the laughs and tears I’ve experienced as I interviewed and met the remarkable characters that you’re about to meet in this true saga. We may even have to ask, “Do we love enough? Do we have what it takes to make lemonade out of our lemons?”




Beauty Queens


Book Description

From bestselling, Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray, the story of a plane of beauty pageant contestants that crashes on a desert island.Teen beauty queens. A "Lost"-like island. Mysteries and dangers. No access to emall. And the spirit of fierce, feral competition that lives underground in girls, a savage brutality that can only be revealed by a journey into the heart of non-exfoliated darkness. Oh, the horror, the horror! Only funnier. With evening gowns. And a body count.




Look Ma, No Hands


Book Description

On Saturday, June 27th, 2020, after 105 days of Covid-isolation alone in my tiny, single-souled apartment in Toronto, I took off on my old Raleigh bicycle, packing nothing but some bike tools, camping gear, and a change of clothes. In search of some personal sanity amidst a global pandemic, I headed for Vancouver, by myself, nearly five thousand kilometers away. The day after I left, however, my mother died. My relationship with my mother had been complicated. Her sudden death was completely unexpected and left me with many unsaid words, unanswered questions, and unfinished business. Mom, how do I write our final chapter and find peace for us without your help or input? I hadn't a clue. However, with her ashes in tow (mom riding VIP up front on the handlebars), somehow I was - we were - going to have to figure it out. And this is how my solo journey from Toronto to Vancouver became a bicycle ride for two. But could I, at the age of forty-five, after not having been on a bike for four years, just get up and ride thousands of kilometres across the country and then up the skyscraping mountain range of the Canadian Rockies? Especially after only three training rides to prepare? There was only one way to find out. Ready, Mom? Let’s go...







American Poland-China Record


Book Description







Swede


Book Description

Swede is a memoir to a great father who happened to be a humble, legendary New Jersey athlete. It is also a visit back to a storied time and place, Newarks historic Weequahic section. Swede covers the life of Seymour Swede Masin: his growing up in Newark, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants; his marrying out of the faith, temporarily breaking his parents hearts; his fascinating competitors and contemporaries; numerous anecdotes that best define him; the saga of Newarks Weequahic High School, past and present; and Swedes final years battling Alzheimers Disease. Of special note is the attention he received after serving as an inspiration for Philip Roths main character, Seymour Swede Levov, in the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, American Pastoral. There was something very special about him, especially some of his fascinating contradictions: strong yet gentle; frugal yet generous; individualistic yet a great team player; a worry wart yet with a great sense of humor. For Robert Masin, this was the father he was so fortunate to have known, admired, and loved. This memoir will allow people a glimpse of the Seymour "Swede" Masin he idolized.




Only God Can Turn This Mess into His Messages


Book Description

While traveling on the road of an ordinary day, Nora was suddenly swept into what seemed to be the classroom of hell. Within the shadows of soul-numbing loss, counterbalancing hope shined when the divine omniscience of God’s powerful assurance and grace unfolded and guided her towards redemption. Devastated by a brutal murder-suicide and string of betrayals, Nora’s pastor encouraged her to fight forward in faith. As she did, she discovered the truth about love and forgiveness while guiding her grieving son Toby towards restored hope by supporting him in building a hospital in a poverty stricken village overseas. While offering Toby new meaning, Nora discovered profound new meaning for herself. Lucia St Monica’s first novel “Only God Can Turn This Mess Into His Messages” leads us to recognize the early signs of domestic violence and it’s irrefutable connection to fatherlessness as she simultaneously inspires us to reconsider how we respond to our time on earth. Her life experiences and research is currently leading her to outreach several statewide family support-based programs in search for answers to the missing links in our system as she strives to bring dignity to fatherless children and long overdue support to their caretakers. Lucia is passionate about exemplified inspiration, cultural diversity and raising awareness of family issues.




Chester White Swine Record


Book Description




Queen Emma & Earl Godwin


Book Description

Queen Emma, daughter of a duke of Normandy, wife of two kings of England and mother of two more, is one of the most remarkable women in medieval history. Her quick wit, courage, and cunning, inherited from her Viking forbears, allowed her to overcome many cruel twists of fate and ultimately succeed in a world dominated by men. Godwin, nine years Emmas junior, shared her tenacious ambition and rose from the ranks of minor nobility to become earl of Wessex. Godwins intelligence and political astuteness sees him survive civil wars, hostile rulers, and foreign invasions. For nearly thirty years, he was the most powerful man in England, after the king. As a young boy, Godwin witnessed the marriage of Emma, then a sixteen-year-old virgin, to King Ethelred, a widower with a dozen children and a kingdom under constant attack from Viking invaders, and fell in love. A love that, because of Emmas position, he had to for many years keep secret, a love that endured until they die. Godwin and Emma is historical fiction. It tells the story of Emma, queen of England, and Godwin, earl of Wessex, and of their love affair set against the turbulent backdrop of eleventh century Europe.