The Splendid Things We Planned

The Splendid Things We Planned
Author: Blake Bailey
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2021-09-14
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1510771212

A National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist 'Autobiography' The renowned biographer’s unforgettable portrait of a family in ruins—his own. Meet the Baileys: Burck, a prosperous lawyer once voted the American Legion’s “Citizen of the Year” in his tiny hometown of Vinita, Oklahoma; his wife Marlies, who longs to recapture her festive life in Greenwich Village as a pretty young German immigrant, fresh off the boat; their addled son Scott, who repeatedly crashes the family Porsche; and Blake, the younger son, trying to find a way through the storm. “You’re gonna be just like me,” a drunken Scott taunts him. "You’re gonna be worse." Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Blake Bailey has been hailed as "addictively readable" by the New York Times and praised for his ability to capture lives "compellingly and in harrowing detail" by Time. The Splendid Things We Planned is his darkly funny account of growing up in the shadow of an erratic and increasingly dangerous brother, an exhilarating and sometimes harrowing story that culminates in one unforgettable Christmas.

Farther and Wilder

Farther and Wilder
Author: Blake Bailey
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 530
Release: 2013-12-03
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0307475522

Charles Jackson’s novel The Lost Weekend—the story of five disastrous days in the life of an alcoholic—was published in 1944 to triumphant success. Although he tried to escape its legacy, Jackson is often remembered only as the author of this thinly veiled autobiography. In Farther & Wilder, the award-winning biographer of Richard Yates and John Cheever goes deeper, exploring Jackson’s life—from growing up in the scandal-plagued village of Newark, New York, to a career in Hollywood and friendships with everyone from Judy Garland and Billy Wilder to Thomas Mann and Mary McCarthy. This is the fascinating biography of a writer whose life and work encapsulated what it meant to be an addict and a closeted homosexual in mid-century America, and who was far ahead of his time in bringing these forbidden subjects into the popular discourse.

A Tragic Honesty

A Tragic Honesty
Author: Blake Bailey
Publisher: Macmillan
Total Pages: 708
Release: 2003
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 9780312423759

Celebrated in his prime, forgotten in his final years, only to be championed anew by our greatest contemporary authors, Richard Yates has always exposed readers to the unsettling hypocrisies of our modern age. In Blake Bailey's masterful and entertaining biography, Yates himself serves as the fascinating lens into mid-century America, a world of would-be artists, depressed housewives, addled businessmen, high living, wistful striving, and self-deception. The story of Richard Yates here stands as a singular reminder of what the writer must sacrifice for his craft, the devil's bargain of artistry for happiness, praise for sanity.

The Splendid Sampler 2

The Splendid Sampler 2
Author: Pat Sloan
Publisher: Martingale
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2018-10-01
Genre: Crafts & Hobbies
ISBN: 1604689714

More than 28,000 quilters have sewn along with the Splendid Sampler community online. Now Pat Sloan and Jane Davidson return with 100 all-new block patterns to inspire quilters all over the world, all over again! Choose blocks designed by Pat and Jane plus superstar quilters Lissa Alexander, Carrie Nelson, Jenny Doan, Susan Ache, Betsy Chutchian, and many more. Blocks made with patchwork, applique, embroidery, and paper piecing provide plenty of opportunities to try new techniques. You'll discover fun ideas for arranging your blocks in a gallery of sampler quilts. Share your progress online and experience the joys of quilting with this "Splendid" community of quilters!

The 60s

The 60s
Author: Blake Bailey
Publisher: First Glance Books
Total Pages: 128
Release: 1992
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780792457640

A nostalgic look at the 1960s, especially as it related to the United States, and discusses some characteristics of and results from the psychedelic decade.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler
Author: E.L. Konigsburg
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 176
Release: 2010-12-21
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 1442431261

Now available in a deluxe keepsake edition! A Time Best YA Book of All Time (2021) Run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art with E. L. Konigsburg’s beloved classic and Newbery Medal­–winning novel From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. When Claudia decided to run away, she planned very carefully. She would be gone just long enough to teach her parents a lesson in Claudia appreciation. And she would go in comfort-she would live at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She saved her money, and she invited her brother Jamie to go, mostly because be was a miser and would have money. Claudia was a good organizer and Jamie bad some ideas, too; so the two took up residence at the museum right on schedule. But once the fun of settling in was over, Claudia had two unexpected problems: She felt just the same, and she wanted to feel different; and she found a statue at the Museum so beautiful she could not go home until she bad discovered its maker, a question that baffled the experts, too. The former owner of the statue was Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. Without her—well, without her, Claudia might never have found a way to go home.

The Casual Vacancy

The Casual Vacancy
Author: J. K. Rowling
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 550
Release: 2012-09-27
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0316228559

A big novel about a small town... When Barry Fairbrother dies in his early forties, the town of Pagford is left in shock. Pagford is, seemingly, an English idyll, with a cobbled market square and an ancient abbey, but what lies behind the pretty façade is a town at war. Rich at war with poor, teenagers at war with their parents, wives at war with their husbands, teachers at war with their pupils...Pagford is not what it first seems. And the empty seat left by Barry on the parish council soon becomes the catalyst for the biggest war the town has yet seen. Who will triumph in an election fraught with passion, duplicity, and unexpected revelations? A big novel about a small town, The Casual Vacancy is J.K. Rowling's first novel for adults. It is the work of a storyteller like no other.

Written in the Stars

Written in the Stars
Author: Aisha Saeed
Publisher: Nancy Paulsen Books
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2015
Genre: Comics & Graphic Novels
ISBN: 0399171703

"Naila's vacation to visit relatives in Pakistan turns into a nightmare when she discovers her parents want to force her to marry a man she's never met"--

A Perfect Mess

A Perfect Mess
Author: Eric Abrahamson
Publisher: Little, Brown
Total Pages: 336
Release: 2007-01-03
Genre: Psychology
ISBN: 0759516499

Ever since Einstein's study of Brownian Motion, scientists have understood that a little disorder can actually make systems more effective. But most people still shun disorder-or suffer guilt over the mess they can't avoid. No longer! With a spectacular array of true stories and case studies of the hidden benefits of mess, A Perfect Mess overturns the accepted wisdom that tight schedules, organization, neatness, and consistency are the keys to success. Drawing on examples from business, parenting, cooking, the war on terrorism, retail, and even the meteoric career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, coauthors Abrahmson and Freedman demonstrate that moderately messy systems use resources more efficiently, yield better solutions, and are harder to break than neat ones.Applying this idea on scales both large (government, society) and small (desktops, garages), A Perfect Mess uncovers all the ways messiness can trump neatness, and will help you assess the right amount of disorder for any system. Whether it's your company's management plan or your hallway closet that bedevils you, this book will show you why to say yes to mess.