Hunter and Taylor's story continues... Taylor Caldwell and Hunter Zaccadelli have weathered the early storms of their relationship and things are going great. They're almost done with college, living in a house with their best friends and engaged to be married after they graduate. But life has other plans for Hunter and Taylor, and just when they've got a handle on things, a surprise rocks both of their worlds. Will their relationship be able to weather the storm, or will they be torn apart by the chaos? Views: 28
From the acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller The Post-Birthday World comes a searing, ruthlessly honest new novel about a marriage both stressed and strengthened by the demands of serious illness.Shep Knacker has long saved for "The Afterlife": an idyllic retreat to the Third World where his nest egg can last forever. Traffic jams on the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway will be replaced with "talking, thinking, seeing, and being"—and enough sleep. When he sells his home repair business for a cool million dollars, his dream finally seems within reach. Yet Glynis, his wife of twenty-six years, has concocted endless excuses why it's never the right time to go. Weary of working as a peon for the jerk who bought his company, Shep announces he's leaving for a Tanzanian island, with or without her.Just returned from a doctor's appointment, Glynis has some news of her own: Shep can't go anywhere because she desperately needs his health insurance. But their policy only partially covers the staggering bills for her treatments, and Shep's nest egg for The Afterlife soon cracks under the strain. Enriched with three medical subplots that also explore the human costs of American health care, So Much for That follows the profound transformation of a marriage, for which grave illness proves an unexpected opportunity for tenderness, renewed intimacy, and dry humor. In defiance of her dark subject matter, Shriver writes a page-turner that presses the question: How much is one life worth?From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Dan John Miller's performance of Shriver's novelistic inquiry into the failures of the American health care system is not to be missed. Miller's vocal choices are perfect for every character, from Shep's elderly, New Hampshire–accented father to severely disabled teenage Flicka, whose fiery intelligence come through despite her slurred speech. When Shep explains his lifelong goal of retiring to a remote, primitive country, Miller's passionate voice, full of determination and longing, makes it clear that this is no whimsical daydream, but a desperate need that is at the very core of Shep's identity. Miller's performance explores every facet of Shriver's multilayered, flawed characters, such as Shep's wife, Glynis, who is an admirably tough, uncompromisingly honest survivor, but also stubborn, rude, and often selfish. A must-listen. A Harper hardcover. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Bookmarks MagazineSome critics were initially turned off at the thought of reading Shriver's latest offering because, really, how interesting can a novel about health care be? Rather than being pedantic or depressing, however, So Much for That is a thoughtful and powerful look at the effect our health policies have on middle-class Americans. It also raises the unsettling question about the worth, both financial and emotional, of a human life. While several critics thought the secondary storyline involving Shep's buddy Jackson was contrived and others felt that Shriver offered too much information on health care, most agreed that Shep and Glynis's story was "visceral and deeply affecting" (New York Times). Views: 28
Letters of E. B. White touches on a wide variety of subjects, including the New Yorker editor who became the author's wife; their dachshund, Fred, with his "look of fake respectability"; and White's contemporaries, from Harold Ross and James Thurber to Groucho Marx and John Updike and, later, Senator Edmund S. Muskie and Garrison Keillor. Updated with newly released letters from 1976 to 1985, additional photographs, and a new foreword by John Updike, this unparalleled collection of letters from one of America's favorite essayists, poets, and storytellers now spans nearly a century, from 1908 to 1985. Views: 28
Imagine having the power to see briefly into the future, or being able to kill someone through a magic candle. Imagine someone playing war like a childhood game and winning, or going to Mars and yet seeing Earth and people from one's memory.These characters are from a few of Ray Bradbury's previously uncollected early tales that are gathered in this compilation. In these stories, we get a clear glimpse of the beginnings of this SF master. Mars, even then, is already hostile and unwelcoming to colonizing Earthmen, and yet, at the same time, it is also portrayed as just another planet, with creatures ready to strike back and defend their home.Bradbury's work, whether science fiction set in space or in Mars, or horror stories and suspense, are always a treat to read. They show psychological depth and sophistication, holding up a mirror to us from which we can see our foibles and strengths, and all the characteristics that make us human. Views: 28
In 1953, the brilliant but terrifying titan of cinema John Huston summons the young writer Ray Bradbury to Ireland. The apprehensive scribe's quest is to capture on paper the fiercest of all literary beasts -- Moby Dick -- in the form of a workable screenplay so the great director can begin filming.But from the moment he sets foot on Irish soil, the author embarks on an unexpected odyssey. Meet congenial IRA terrorists, tippling men of the cloth impish playwrights, and the boyos at Heeber Finn's pub. In a land where myth is reality, poetry is plentiful, and life's misfortunes are always cause for celebration, Green Shadows, White Whale is the grandest tour of Ireland you'll ever experience -- with the irrepressible Ray Bradbury as your enthusiastic guide. Views: 28
Sunday Times bestselling author Adele Parks asks can dreams live up to reality in her addictive novel set in glorious sun-drenched Italy, where a marriage crumbles, cultures clash and love affairs begin...When Elizabeth and her Italian husband Roberto decide to leave London for romantic Italy and his family business, Elizabeth hopes the change in lifestyle might help boost her chances of conceiving their longed for child. But the idyll shatters as her wily mother-in-law seems bent on destroying her marriage, and Roberto's beautiful, significant ex is a constant unwanted presence. Unwanted by Elizabeth, at least. Is Elizabeth's ferocious hunger for a baby enough to hold a marriage together or is it ripping it apart? And what about the gorgeous American stranger who's suddenly walked into her life? *Includes bonus material Views: 28
In this evocative and moving book, composer and broadcaster Andrew Ford shares the vivid musical experiences – good, bad and occasionally hilarious – that have shaped his life.Ford's musical journey has traversed genres and continents, and his loves are broad and deep. The Memory of Music takes us from his childhood obsession with the Beatles to his passion for Beethoven, Brahms, Vaughan Williams, Stockhausen and Birtwistle, and to his work as a composer, choral conductor, concert promoter, critic, university teacher and radio presenter.The Memory of Music is more than a wonderful memoir – it also explores the nature and purpose of music: what it is, why it means so much to us and how it shapes our worlds. The result is a captivating work that will appeal to music lovers everywhere.'Andrew Ford's wide-ranging musical autobiography is a pleasure to read. Accessible, informative and packed with anecdotes, it's an excellent guide to... Views: 28
