Up There Around the Bend


Book Description

Once you reach the middle-aged years in life, you better be tough enough to handle all the aches and pains that come with it. Join Vicki Baylis as she discovers a whole new meaning of complaining. She has learned that the house is not the only thing settling. According to Vicki, the empty nest is still enjoyable, but she now realizes it would have been better if she had had more kids. Finding ways to bribe her children into going back home to fix her laptop and the newfangled television is getting harder each time she breaks them. The dirty dishes that used to come out of thin air have been replaced by red solo cups and paper plates. She makes no apologies for this either. And thanks to the trendy, new meal-delivery services, she has finally learned to cook for just two people again. If you were to ask Vicki to explain this stage of life, she would tell you life is good, Tylenol is a necessity, and Netflix is your best friend. Up There around the Bend is a continuing glance into the life of an ordinary Southern family--a family with just enough chaos to cause laughter and just enough hardship to make you count your blessings. They still have potholes along the way, but at least they have learned to jump over the big ones. In addition to the laughs you may find in this witty memoir, you may enjoy her other books: Just a Little Southern, Just a Little More Southern, Pea Patches and Butterbean Fields, Daddy's Money, Garden Club Secrets, and Down This Road a Piece.




Round the Bend


Book Description

Round the Bend follows the life of Tom Cutter, an Englishman who becomes a pilot and settles in the Middle East after World War II. Tom starts an air freight business and becomes fascinated by the spiritual beliefs of the local Muslim population, which leads him to start his own religion called "The Way." Through his travels and teachings, Tom attracts a group of devoted followers and becomes a spiritual leader. However, his unconventional beliefs and practices lead to conflict with some of the more traditional religious and political authorities in the region. Despite the challenges he faces, Tom remains committed to his beliefs and the pursuit of a more peaceful and harmonious world. The novel explores themes of religion, spirituality, cultural differences, and the clash between tradition and modernity.





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The Marietta Danver Trilogy


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The New York Times–bestselling historical trilogy of an eighteenth-century Englishwoman’s romances and adventures. A great love story and a journey through the late eighteenth-century from England to colonial America to the Caribbean to imperial Russia, this trilogy by the author of Angel in Scarlet and other beloved historical romances follows Marietta Danver, a poor Englishwoman who escapes Newgate Prison to find a rich and passionate life. Love’s Tender Fury: Born out of wedlock to a London barmaid, Marietta Danver yearns to overcome her humble origins, but instead is sold into indentured servitude in North America. In the Carolinas and Louisiana, she will find herself arousing unruly passions in the hearts of three men. Love Me, Marietta: Marietta is engaged to a British aristocrat, but meets a rakish, indigo-eyed man in New Orleans she cannot help but feel drawn to. She will find herself reunited with him when she’s taken prisoner by pirates on the high seas. When Love Commands: Marietta awakens after a traumatic accident and finds herself in the care of a mesmerizingly handsome Russian count and his niece. But when she accompanies them to their lavish estate in St. Petersburg, she is caught up in the intrigues of the imperial court and must fight for her freedom—and her life. Now available in one collection, this is a delicious read from one of the classic names in historical romance.




Magic Science Religion


Book Description

Magic Science Religion explores surprising intersections among the three meaning-making and world-making practices named in the title. Through colorful examples, the book reveals circuitous ways that social, cultural and natural systems connect, enabling real kinds of magic to operate. Among the many case studies are accounts of how an eighteenth-century actor gave his audience goosebumps; how painters, poets, and pool sharks use nonlinearity in working their magics; how the first vertebrates gained consciousness; how plants fine-tuned human color vision; and the necessarily magical element of activism that builds on the conviction that "another future is possible" while working to push self-fulfilling prophecy into political action.







The Pond Mountain Chronicle


Book Description

Located in the area where North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee meet, Pond Mountain rises to over 4,000 feet. In its valley it holds the Pond Mountain community, a small area in Ashe County, North Carolina. Most of the families that live in the valley have been there for generations, farming the land. Here 31 Pond Mountain residents reflect on their childhoods, families, neighbors, customs and traditions, and the changes that have come to their mountain communities. What emerges is a unique look at a way of life that is rapidly being lost to history.




Louisiana Cowboys


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Photographs and text explore the history of cowboys in Louisiana, discussing cattle ranching, trail drives, the Acadians, and the landscape; and including interviews and anecdotes.







South Dakota Educator


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