The Tisperer

The Tisperer
Author: Vincey Watt
Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
Total Pages: 318
Release: 2023-11-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1685624782

The Tisperer is a gripping Irish novel that follows the journey of a lone nationalist sniper who takes on the British Army during the turbulent times of the ‘dirty war’ in the Six Counties of Ireland. The story is set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, which led to a violent conflagration that intensified after the shooting of thirteen unarmed protestors by members of the notorious Paratroop Regiment of the British Army in Derry. At the heart of the book is the unwavering spirit of the Irish nationalist, who refuses to be subjugated by the British and instead fights back with everything they have. The central character of the book, Scran Donaghey, is working on the family farm when a foot patrol of British paratroopers shoots and kills his only brother, Scruff. This tragic event shatters Scran’s world, leaving him with post-traumatic stress disorder but determined to seek retribution. Scran faces two formidable foes - the British Army and the harsh Irish winter - as he wages his war for justice. The novel explores the dark corners of the Irish psyche, revealing the deep-seated need to fight back against historical oppressors like the British. The Tisperer is a complex and emotionally charged story that blends elements of mysticism, humor, sadness, hope, hopelessness, and anger.

Serious Pig

Serious Pig
Author: John Thorne
Publisher: North Point Press
Total Pages: 779
Release: 2000-11-16
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 1466805986

In this collection of essays, John Thorne sets out to explore the origins of his identity as a cook, going "here" (the Maine coast, where he'd summered as a child and returned as an adult for a decade's sojourn), "there" (southern Louisiana, where he was captivated by Creole and Cajun cooking), and "everywhere" (where he provides a sympathetic reading of such national culinary icons as the hamburger, white bread, and American cheese, and sits down to a big bowl of Texas red). These intelligent, searching essays are a passionate meditation on food, character, and place.

Big Pig, Little Pig

Big Pig, Little Pig
Author: Jacqueline Yallop
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 276
Release: 2017-07-06
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0241977142

As heard on BBC Radio 4's Book of the Week 'A delightful and entertaining memoir' Woman and Home When Jacqueline moves to south-west France with her husband, she embraces rural village life and buys two pigs to rear for slaughter. But as she gets to know the animals better, her English sentimentality threatens to get in the way and she begins to wonder if she can actually bring herself to kill them. This is a memoir about that fateful decision, but it's also about the ethics of meat eating in the modern age, and whether we should know, respect and even love the animals we eat. At its heart, this book is a love story, exploring the increasing attachment of the author for her particular pigs, and celebrating the enduring closeness of humans and pigs over the centuries.

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone
Author: Sasa Stanisic
Publisher: Open Road + Grove/Atlantic
Total Pages: 368
Release: 2009-05-26
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1555848796

“A brilliant debut novel” about a young Bosnian War refugee who finds the secret to survival in language and stories (Los Angeles Times). For Aleksandar Krsmanović, Grandpa Slavko’s stories endow life in Višegrad with a kaleidoscopic brilliance. Neighbors, friends, and family past and present take on a mythic quality; the River Drina courses through town like the pulse of life itself. So when his grandfather dies suddenly, Aleksandar promises to carry on the tradition. But then soldiers invade Višegrad—a town previously unconscious of racial and religious divides—and it’s no longer important that Aleksandar is the best magician in the nonaligned states; suddenly it is important to have the right last name and to convince the soldiers that Asija, the Muslim girl who turns up in his apartment building, is his sister. Alive with the magic of childhood, the surreality of war and exile, and the power of language, every page of this glittering novel thrums with the joy of storytelling. “Wildly inventive.” —San Francisco Chronicle “Poignant and hauntingly beautiful.” —The Village Voice “A funny, heartbreaking, beautifully written novel.” —The Seattle Times

The "Domostroi"

The
Author: Carolyn Pouncy
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Total Pages: 282
Release: 1994
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 9780801496899

Winner of the 1994 Heldt Prize from the Association of Women in Slavic Studies A detailed and colorful instruction manual on household management in sixteenth-century Russia, the Domostroi gives a fascinating glimpse of the world of the nobility. This "how-to" guide is one of the few sources on the social history and secular life of Russia in the time of Ivan the Terrible. Carolyn Johnston Pouncy here offers, with an informative introduction, the first complete English translation.

Lucky Cow

Lucky Cow
Author: Mark Pett
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2010-04-01
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 0740798650

"Sacred cows make the best hamburger." --Mark Twain Virtually every American, regardless of social status, eats fast food. Cartoonist Mark Pett's Lucky Cow strip embodies the spirit of America's love-hate affair with fast-food joints and the traits they have in common: * High turnover: Two Lucky Cow employees argue over who has seniority; the one who was hired at 9:30 that morning eventually wins. * Uniformity: A Lucky Cow employee boasts that a customer can visit any of the restaurant's franchises and they are all the same--right down to the lackluster customer service. * Cleanliness (or lack of it): People's shoes adhere to the sticky floors, and an employee's skin absorbs so much of the restaurant's grease that water rolls right off it. * Food quality: The response to a customer's query about the Lucky Cluck Chicken Nuggets being organic is met with, "Well, they're made from organs." To help ensure that Lucky Cow would feel authentic, cartoonist Mark Pett worked at McDonald's for a month, experiencing fast-food "culture" for himself and interviewing his coworkers about their lives in the business. So it really is "funny because it's true."

Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends

Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends
Author: William Guarnere
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2008-10-07
Genre: History
ISBN: 0425224368

Tom Hanks introduces the “remarkable” (Publishers Weekly) true story of two inseparable friends and soldiers portrayed in the HBO® miniseries Band of Brothers. Look for the Band of Brothers miniseries, now available to stream on Netflix! William “Wild Bill” Guarnere and Edward “Babe” Heffron were among the first paratroopers of the U.S. Army—members of an elite unit of the 101st Airborne Division called Easy Company. The crack unit was called upon for every high-risk operation of the war, including D-Day, Operation Market Garden in Holland, the Battle of the Bulge, and the capture of Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest in Berchtesgaden. In his own words, Guarnere gives a gripping account of D-Day from the paratrooper’s perspective. Both men vividly re-create dropping into Holland to capture the roads and bridges between Eindhoven and Arnhem, known as Hell’s Highway. Through much of 1944 both friends fought side by side—until Guarnere lost his right leg in the Battle of the Bulge and was sent home. Heffron went on to liberate slave labor and concentration camps and capture Hitler’s Eagle’s Nest hideout. United by their experience, the two reconnected at the war’s end and were inseparable up until their deaths. Brothers in Battle, Best of Friends is a tribute to the lasting bond forged between comrades in arms under fire and to all the brave men who fought fearlessly for freedom. Includes photographs

On the Edge of the Wild

On the Edge of the Wild
Author: Stephen Bodio
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing, Inc.
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2015-01-27
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1632200767

“This book is a collage in essays about the kind of life I found worth living so far,” writes author Stephen J. Bodio. On the Edge of the Wild is a stunning collection that shares Bodio’s love for the country, wilderness, literature, and much more. With compelling stories about moving to Montana, treasured shotguns, and his absolute love of cooking, readers will be hooked by the beautiful way in which Bodio shares his feelings about life and the outdoors. The thought-provoking essays in On the Edge of the Wild will appeal to those who enjoy living off the land as well as those who appreciate the detail and way that Bodio paints a picture of his travels. The incredible array of stories shows the deep appreciation and respect that he has for nature, including the wonderful animals that grace his presence. From dogs to falcons, the love shared by this naturalist will be something that readers treasure and hope to one day be able to share through experiences similar to the ones Bodio has lived.

Kewa Tales

Kewa Tales
Author: John LeRoy
Publisher: UBC Press
Total Pages: 279
Release: 2011-11-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 9780774802185

A Papua New Guinea Highland people, the Kewa have within their vital oral tradition a rich body of folk tales, eighty of which are brought together in this volume. Like many folk tales, the stories are made up of elements which recur in different variations and combinations. LeRoy has classified and numbered the various episodes and prepared a synoptic guide to aid in the reading of the tales. Using the guide, the reader can follow a particular episode from one tale to another.