The Fairy Books, or "Coloured" Fairy Books is a collection of fairy tales divided into twelve books, each associated with a different colour. Collected together by Andrew Land they are sourced from a number of different countries and were translated by Lang's wife and other translators who also retold many of the tales. The collection has been incalculably important and, although he did not source the stories himself direct from the oral tradition he can make claim to the first English translation of many.First published in 1900, The Grey Fairy Bookis the 6th volume in this series. Views: 52
Since Andrew Hudgins was a child, he was a compulsive joke teller, so when he sat down to write about jokes, he found that he was writing about himself—what jokes taught him and mistaught him, how they often delighted him but occasionally made him nervous with their delight in chaos and sometimes anger. Because Hudgins’s father, a West Point graduate, served in the US Air Force, his family moved frequently; he learned to relate to other kids by telling jokes and watching how his classmates responded. And jokes opened him up to the serious, taboo subjects that his family didn’t talk about openly—religion, race, sex, and death. Hudgins tells and analyzes the jokes that explore the contradictions in the Baptist religion he was brought up in, the jokes that told him what his parents would not tell him about sex, and the racist jokes that his uncle loved, his father hated, and his mother, caught in the middle, was ambivalent about. This book is both a memoir and a meditation on jokes and how they educated, delighted, and occasionally horrified him as he grew.Review“I’ve been a fan (‘fan’ is so glib—more like, passionate admirer) of Andrew Hudgins’s poetry for twenty years. I've been a witness—and occasional victim—of his perverse and compulsive joking for nearly as long. Now he’s brought the two talents together into one book. I read it squirming, but I read it all, and without looking up. This is a writer who has something to say about humor, its mystery and chaos, and what it means to our lives. That he is often very funny is pure lagniappe. Now I will leave before he makes a dirty joke involving the word ‘lagniappe.’” (John Jeremiah Sullivan, author of Pulphead)"Imagine a cold wet finger shoved in to your ear. Imagine chewing through a crumpled ball of tin foil. Imagine chugging a Coke with a wasp buzzing in it. This does not even begin to describe the wonderfully vile discomfort you might feel when caught in the grip of Andrew Hudgins's mind, a funhouse full of trap doors and perilous slides and mirrors that carry cruel reflections. He is one of the funniest, filthiest, smartest people I have ever met -- and this book is a treasure, a golden whoopie cushion, pearled set of chattery teeth."(Benjamin Percy, author of Red Moon, The Wilding, and Refresh, Refresh )“To read The Joker is to be in the company of a wonderful raconteur and story teller, while also being enthralled by the freshest honesty, by vast knowledge, and by the deepest insight not only into our own social constructs and habits of thought and feeling, but also the life and intelligence of one of our finest poets. I tell jokes; I have been called a joker. But I just tell them. Andrew Hudgins understands the heart of where they come from, and he is eloquent and beautifully uncompromising about it, as he gives us the journey of his own life. The Joker is an absolutely brilliant book, as necessary as it is pleasurable.”(Richard Bausch)“An acclaimed poet proves his versatility in his gut-busting memoir on jokes…His often-bawdy material probes depths far beneath the jokes themselves, providing opportunities to examine his life through a humorous lens…Humorous, cerebral and daringly written.”(Kirkus starred review)“The analysis of bad jokes…is a perilous pastime, and Hudgins’ overall success at it is remarkable…. Hudgins, an acclaimed poet, has an acute ear and is sensitive to the ‘porcelain delicacy’ of words, as well as to their bite….. Pick up this unique book.”(Booklist)“This book is a shot across the bow of contemporary thought. If we’re lucky, it will stir up an American dialogue about all kinds of fascinating, lurid, confounding, important subjects that reside in the great undertow of jokes.”(Garden & Gun)“Wonderful! At least two great pleasures: one is a lot of jokes, some of them very good, all of them interesting as a record of our last half century. The second pleasure is that THE JOKER is a riveting memoir, filled with acute observations, painful confessions, and—at least!—a happy ending that is earned by wit and heart.”(John Casey, author of Compass Rose and National Book Award winner Spartina)"Hudgins doesn't hold back in [this] rip-roaring memoir that examines how the ancient—and sometimes offensive—art of joke telling affects life, society, religion, and everything in between."(Entertainment Weekly)“Raw and risky.”(Ben Greenman The New York Times Book Review)“The writer’s uncanny recall for the adolescent jokes . . . helping the young wordsmith determine just how he felt about each of those taboo topics — makes it stand apart . . . . Thoughtful and . . . amusing.”(The Boston Globe)“A hoot and a half—when it’s not achingly painful….Like the best humorists, Hudgins wins you over by wearing out your frown.”(Elle) About the AuthorAndrew Hudgins has published eight books of poetry and two collections of essays. He currently teaches at Ohio State University and lives in Columbus, Ohio. Views: 52
This light romance takes place in the present day in a mid-size college town. The story revolves around personality conflicts and confusion between close friends as they go through a period of personal and relationship evolution.Crystal Taylor has always described herself as big, bright and boring. Her two best friends since high school are the dazzling siblings, Shonté and Key Emerson. They've always relied on her practical guidance to keep them on track. But things are suddenly changing. Shonté is in hot pursuit of a married man; Crystal and Key stumble into an impetuous one-night stand; and Crystal decides on a makeover that is making men take notice! Crystal is determined that none of this will change her relationships with her friends.Key finds that one night wasn't nearly enough with Crystal, but she is adamant that they can't be friends and lovers at the same time. Views: 52
Read stories inspired by the four Underground lines that run East and West through city - part of a series of twelve books tied to the twelve lines of the London Underground, as Tfl celebrates 150 years of the Tube with Penguin. The District Line: John Lanchester, author of Whoops! and Capital takes us on a whirlwind tour of the Tube to show its secrets, just how much we take for granted about it, and what we're really talking about, since we so often do talk about it. In short, he shows what a marvel it is.The Central Line: Geographer Danny Dorling tells the stories of the people who live along 32 stops of the Central Line to illustrate the extent and impact of inequality in Britain today.The Piccadilly Line: Peter York, co-author of the 80s bestseller, The Sloane Ranger Handbook charts the progress of the dream of grandeur and aspiration in London and chronicles London's elites. The... Views: 52
Two destinies intersect in Broken April. The first is that of Gjor, a young mountaineer who (much against his will) has just killed a man in order to avenge the death of his older brother, and who expects to be killed himself in keeping with the provisions of the Code that regulates life in the highlands. The second is that of a young couple on their honeymoon who have come to study the age-old customs of the place, including the blood feud.While the story is set in the early twentieth century, life on the high plateaus of Albania takes life back to the Dark Ages. The bloody shirt of the latest victim is hung up by the bereaved for all to see—until the avenger in turn kills his man with a rifle shot. For the young bride, the shock of this unending cycle of obligatory murder is devastating. The horror becomes personified when she catches a glimpse of Gjor as he wanders about the countryside, waiting for the truce of thirty days to end, and life with it. That momentary vision of the hapless murderer provokes in her a violent act of revulsion and contrition. Her life will be marked by it always.** Views: 52
This moving and eloquent historical drama depicts the conflict between a willful and arrogant poet of a king, Richard II, and his politically pragmatic cousin, Bolingbroke. Rich with memorable scenes and speeches, this lyrical history moves from a splendid medieval tournament to the poignant surrender of a crown; from the queen's heart-shattering farewell to her king to Richard's murder--a deed "chronicled in hell" that lives forever as one of the great moments in theater.From the Paperback edition. Views: 52
One man must save the human race from total destruction when a small British village is invaded by a terrifying host of archetypal creatures released from the spiritual world In the small English town of Smetham on the outskirts of London, a wall separating two worlds has broken down. The meddling and meditations of a local mage, Mr. Berringer, has caused a rift in the barrier between the corporeal and the spiritual, and now all hell has broken loose. Strange creatures are descending on Smethem—terrifying supernatural archetypes wreaking wholesale havoc, destruction, and death. Some residents, like the evil, power-hungry Mr. Foster, welcome the horrific onslaught. Others, like the cool and intellectual Damaris, refuse to accept what her eyes and heart tell her until it is far too late. Only a student named Anthony, emboldened by his unwavering love for Damaris, has the courage to face the horror head on. But if he alone cannot somehow restore balance to the... Views: 52
