Celebrity philanthropy comes in many guises, but no single figure better encapsulates its delusions, pretensions and wrongheadedness than U2's iconic frontman, Bono--a fact neither sunglasses nor leather pants can hide. More than a mere philanthropist--indeed, he lags behind many of his peers when it comes to parting with his own money--Bono is better described as an advocate, one who has become an unwitting symbol of a complacent wealthy Western elite.The Frontman reveals how Bono moved his investments to Amsterdam to evade Irish taxes; his paternalistic and often bullying advocacy of neoliberal solutions in Africa; his multinational business interests; and his hobnobbing with Paul Wolfowitz and shock-doctrine economist Jeffrey Sachs. Carefully dissecting the rhetoric and actions of Bono the political operator, The Frontman shows him to be an ambassador for imperial exploitation, a man who has turned his attention to a world of savage injustice,... Views: 132
First published in 1927, Love Lies Dreaming is one of C.S Forester's earliest novels. Told in the voice of a young writer struggling to pen his next novel and therefore superficially preoccupied with the art of novel writing, at its true core this is a story about the quarrels and joys of early married life. In the end, as the narrator discovers, the best inspiration for good novel writing comes from the very ordinary jealousies and insecurities that make up his daily relationship with his wife, Constance. Written tenderly, but without nostalgia, this novel is a commentary on what it means to be young, married and in love, and is as relevant today as when it was first published. Views: 132
Prowlers is a picaresque journey through an agile mind and a richly populated memory: and through the town of Jessop, whose roots lie back in the early years of the century. Noel's repossession of the past leads to some unexpected discoveries. He sees himself as a prowler at the window; and now and then an occupant reaches out and takes his hand, or tugs him in... Views: 132
A Humorous Regency Romance. Can a lady with a reputation for disaster, stumble into love?An unusual heroine, Fiona Hawthorn grew up running free. Without a mother to restrain her, she spent her days riding her horse neck or nothing across her father’s fields and swimming like a sea nymph. But in a sitting room she’s bound to overturn the teapot or accidentally trip the footman. Her illustrious Aunt Honore decides to takes the hoyden in hand, but amidst the strictures of the Ton, Fiona is a fish out of water. When she was younger, Lord Wesmont was her hero. But he came home from fighting Napoleon a hardened man. Nothing can breathe life back into his cold heart, nothing except, perhaps, the love of an unusual young woman who regularly turns his life upside-down. Views: 132
The third volume in Wilson’s “Lampitt Papers” sequence is just as engaging and entertaining as the first two (Incline Our Hearts and A Bottle in the Smoke). The entire work is proving to be a roman à fleuve of brilliant social and historical sweep--a high comedic romp through our times. This latest installment brings Julian Ramsay, now in his 40s, into the Sixties, when he’s still working as a radio actor and fearing himself a failure. Julian and his cousin Felicity share a house in London, where she works as a civil servant, having abandoned academic philosophy. Through a series of coincidences, they both fall under the spell of one Rice Robey, a latter-day mystic and Blakean visionary who once wrote some novels under the name “ Albion Pugh.” Views: 132
Pinterest. Foodies. Anne Frank’s underwear. New York Times bestselling author Laurie Notaro—rightfully hailed as “the funniest writer in the solar system” (The Miami Herald)—spares nothing and no one, least of all herself, in this uproarious new collection of essays on rudeness. With the sardonic, self-deprecating wit that makes us all feel a little better about ourselves for identifying with her, Laurie explores her recent misadventures and explains why it’s not her who is nuts, it’s them (and okay, sometimes it’s her too). Whether confessing that her obsession with buying fabric has reached junior hoarder status or mistaking a friend’s heinous tattoo as temporary, Laurie puts her unique spin—sometimes bizarre, always entertaining—on the many perils of modern living in a mannerless society. From shuddering at the graphic Harry Potter erotica conjured up at a writer’s group to lamenting the sudden ubiquity of quinoa (“It looks like larvae no matter how you cook it”), The Potty Mouth at the Table is whip-smart, unpredictable, and hilarious. In other words, irresistibly Laurie.Review“[V]ery, very funny…Entertaining beach reading for fans of humorous, breezy essays.” (Kirkus) About the AuthorLaurie Notaro was born in Brooklyn, New York, then spent the remainder of her formative years in Phoenix, where she created something of a checkered past. She is the New York Times bestselling author of The Idiot Girls’ Action Adventure Club, Autobiography of a Fat Bride, I Love Everybody and Other Atrocious Lies, We Thought You Would Be Prettier, Idiot Girls' Christmas, There’s a Slight Chance I Might Be Going to Hell, The Idiot Girls and the Flaming Tantrum of Death, Spooky Little Girl, and It Looked Different on the Model. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona. Views: 132
Scottish detective Annie Macpherson, on an exchange with the Westford
Police in Connecticut didn’t believe that Angela Goodman was in danger
when she presented herself at the station. Now Annie knows different.
Angela has been brutally attacked in her own home and left for dead.
Annie is determined to make amends and catch the culprit, not only
for Angela’s sake, but her own. She’s a third generation cop and has a
tradition of fine police work to uphold.
Within days, a fatal car crash in Massachusetts initially seems to
be an accident but subsequent evidence points to something much more
sinister. The result: yet another victim and yet another detective
trying to fit the pieces of a jigsaw together.
A convoluted trail of clues and misdirection propels this story at a
cracking pace. On the way, there is murder, suicide and revenge. What
makes Primed by the Past a police procedural with a difference is that
it’s written by a psychologist, so we also see into the lives of the
characters, their relationships and personal tragedies. Needless to say,
nobody is quite who they seem and as Annie investigates the layers of
lies and half truths, the body count starts to mount. It then becomes a
race against time to prevent any further deaths, a race that Annie must
win. Views: 132
