Lola Bensky

Lola Bensky
Author: Lily Brett
Publisher: Penguin Group Australia
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2012-09-25
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 174253600X

Lola Bensky is a nineteen-year-old rock journalist who irons her hair straight and asks a lot of questions. A high-school dropout, she's not sure how she got the job – but she's been sent by her Australian newspaper right to the heart of the London music scene at the most exciting time in music history: 1967. Lola spends her days planning diets and interviewing rock stars. In London, Mick Jagger makes her a cup of tea, Jimi Hendrix (possibly) propositions her and Cher borrows her false eyelashes. At the Monterey International Pop Festival, Lola props up Brian Jones and talks to Janis Joplin about sex. In Los Angeles, she discusses being overweight with Mama Cass and tries to pluck up the courage to ask Cher to return those false eyelashes. Lola has an irrepressible curiosity, but she begins to wonder whether the questions she asks these extraordinary young musicians are really a substitute for questions about her parents' calamitous past that can't be asked or answered. As Lola moves on through marriage, motherhood, psychoanalysis and a close relationship with an unexpected pair of detectives, she discovers the question of what it means to be human is the hardest one for anyone – including herself – to answer. Drawing on her own experiences as a young journalist, the bestselling author of Too Many Men has created an unforgettable character in the unconventional and courageous Lola. Genuinely funny and deeply moving, Lola Bensky shows why Lily Brett is one of our most distinctive and internationally acclaimed authors. 'Brett delivers an entertaining story that is also full of heart.' Australian Bookseller and Publisher 'A touching look at a woman's quest for self-understanding.' Who Weekly 'Funny, warm and insightful.' Herald Sun 'For Brett, resolution has come through creative remembering and retelling, and by constructing a fine comic novel from an unspeakable tragedy.' Australian Book Review 'A witty novel you'll struggle to put down.' Grazia 'A book that will entertain legions of readers.' Courier Mail 'An entertaining story that is also full of heart.' Bookseller+Publisher 'Lily Brett's heroines exude curiosity and Lola Bensky is no exception.' Sun-Herald 'Brett's sixth book hooks you in, not just because of her characteristic wit, but because she was a rock journalist herself back in the day.' Melbourne Times Weekly 'Lola Bensky will thrill [Brett's] fans: finally a book based on her extraordinary experiences as a reporter for Australia's first music magazine, Go-Set, during the most exciting era in pop music history.' Australian Jewish News

The Sense of an Ending

The Sense of an Ending
Author: Julian Barnes
Publisher: Vintage
Total Pages: 158
Release: 2011-10-05
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307957330

BOOKER PRIZE WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A novel that follows a middle-aged man as he contends with a past he never much thought about—until his closest childhood friends return with a vengeance: one of them from the grave, another maddeningly present. A novel so compelling that it begs to be read in a single setting, The Sense of an Ending has the psychological and emotional depth and sophistication of Henry James at his best, and is a stunning achievement in Julian Barnes's oeuvre. Tony Webster thought he left his past behind as he built a life for himself, and his career has provided him with a secure retirement and an amicable relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, who now has a family of her own. But when he is presented with a mysterious legacy, he is forced to revise his estimation of his own nature and place in the world.

The Monuments Men

The Monuments Men
Author: Robert M. Edsel
Publisher: Center Street
Total Pages: 391
Release: 2009-09-03
Genre: History
ISBN: 1599952653

The book that serves as the basis for the acclaimed George Clooney major motion picture, The Monuments Men. At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuhrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised. In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture. Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.

The Descendants

The Descendants
Author: Kaui Hart Hemmings
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Total Pages: 321
Release: 2011-10-04
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0812982959

Now a major motion picture starring George Clooney and directed by Alexander Payne Fortunes have changed for the King family, descendants of Hawaiian royalty and one of the state’s largest landowners. Matthew King’s daughters—Scottie, a feisty ten-year-old, and Alex, a seventeen-year-old recovering drug addict—are out of control, and their charismatic, thrill-seeking mother, Joanie, lies in a coma after a boat-racing accident. She will soon be taken off life support. As Matt gathers his wife’s friends and family to say their final goodbyes, a difficult situation is made worse by the sudden discovery that there’s one person who hasn’t been told: the man with whom Joanie had been having an affair. Forced to examine what they owe not only to the living but to the dead, Matt, Scottie, and Alex take to the road to find Joanie’s lover, on a memorable journey that leads to unforeseen humor, growth, and profound revelations.

John Wayne Treasures

John Wayne Treasures
Author: David Welky
Publisher: Crestline Books
Total Pages: 199
Release: 2018-10-02
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0785836519

John Wayne Treasures chronicles the life of this legendary actor, from his earliest movies and years out in the wilderness to his final films and eventual passing. Four pieces of memorabilia included in the book's pocket add vivid detail to this story of John Wayne's life. "Damn, I'm the stuff men are made of!" —John Wayne While people around the globe adore and cherish John Wayne, he remains the quintessential American icon. He embodied the definition of the American cowboy, soldier, and rugged individualist. Duke's extraordinary rise to fame—from hauling furniture around studio lots to becoming one of the most famous actors in the world—is chronicled in this handsome volume, complete with on-set and behind-the-scenes photographs, vintage movie posters, and cigarette cards from his most well-known movies. Clips of interviews, quotes from movies, and the testimony of the people he surrounded himself with tell the story of America's favorite western star. John Wayne Treasures contains a pocket in the back with four pieces of memorabilia spanning John Wayne's life and career. Included are a small movie poster for Stagecoach, excerpts from Duke's Glendale High School senior yearbook circa 1925, and proof sheets from Big Jake and The Shootist. Since John Wayne's death in 1979, he has been the subject of the public's fascination and has become a folk legend, of sorts. John Wayne's character, with biting wit and grit, has grown far bigger than the man himself. While alive, he embodied the persona he created with pride, patriotism, determination, and integrity. Written by true and loyal fans, every aspect of the Duke's life is covered in this book.

You Gotta Have Balls

You Gotta Have Balls
Author: Lily Brett
Publisher: Picador Australia
Total Pages: 308
Release: 2007-11-10
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1742623786

"Men have more straightforward relationships. They don't hang up phones in a huff with each other. They don't feud and not speak for months over insignificant issues. Men don't weep at something another man says. Or hate them for years because of it... " Ruth Rothwax runs a successful letter-writing business and has just branched out into a new greeting card line. She likes women, but she doesn't like the way they can be so competitive with each other. She's thinking of starting a group for smart women to encourage and care about each other, so they'll collectively gain more power for themselves and others. And Ruth's always believed she practises what she preaches. But Ruth's about to meet the woman who will turn her assumptions of sisterly solidarity on their head-a buxom sixty-something with one eye for business and another for Ruth's father... You Gotta Have Balls is Lily Brett's funniest novel to date, and demonstrates in laugh-out-loud prose a writer whose brilliance for tragedy is rivalled only by her genius for comedy.

Tales of the Greek Heroes (Film Tie-in)

Tales of the Greek Heroes (Film Tie-in)
Author: Roger Lancelyn Green
Publisher: Penguin UK
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2010-02-04
Genre: Juvenile Fiction
ISBN: 0141962097

Explore the real Greek myths behind Percy Jackson's story - he's not the first Perseus to have run into trouble with the gods . . . These are the mysterious and exciting legends of the gods and heroes in Ancient Greece, from the adventures of Perseus, the labours of Heracles, the voyage of Jason and the Argonauts, to Odysseus and the Trojan wars. Introduced with wit and humour by Rick Riordan, creator of the highly successful Percy Jackson series.

Silver

Silver
Author: Andrew Motion
Publisher: Crown
Total Pages: 587
Release: 2012-08-07
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307884899

This ebook includes a copy of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island! A rip-roaring sequel to Treasure Island—Robert Louis Stevenson’s beloved classic—about two young friends and their high-seas adventure with dangerous pirates and long-lost treasure. It's almost forty years after the events of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island: Jim Hawkins now runs an inn called the Hispaniola on the English coast with his son, Jim, and Long John Silver has returned to England to live in obscurity with his daughter, Natty. Their lives are quiet and unremarkable; their adventures have seemingly ended. But for Jim and Natty, the adventure is just beginning. One night, Natty approaches young Jim with a proposition: return to Treasure Island and find the remaining treasure that their fathers left behind so many years before. As Jim and Natty set sail in their fathers' footsteps, they quickly learn that this journey will not be easy. Immediately, they come up against murderous pirates, long-held grudges, and greed and deception lurking in every corner. And when they arrive on Treasure Island, they find terrible scenes awaiting them—difficulties which require all their wit as well as their courage. Nor does the adventure end there, since they have to sail homeward again... Andrew Motion’s sequel—rollicking, heartfelt, and utterly brilliant—would make Robert Louis Stevenson proud.

The President's Book of Secrets

The President's Book of Secrets
Author: David Priess
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Total Pages: 401
Release: 2016-03-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1610395964

Every president has had a unique and complicated relationship with the intelligence community. While some have been coolly distant, even adversarial, others have found their intelligence agencies to be among the most valuable instruments of policy and power. Since John F. Kennedy's presidency, this relationship has been distilled into a personalized daily report: a short summary of what the intelligence apparatus considers the most crucial information for the president to know that day about global threats and opportunities. This top-secret document is known as the President's Daily Brief, or, within national security circles, simply "the Book." Presidents have spent anywhere from a few moments (Richard Nixon) to a healthy part of their day (George W. Bush) consumed by its contents; some (Bill Clinton and George H. W. Bush) consider it far and away the most important document they saw on a regular basis while commander in chief. The details of most PDBs are highly classified, and will remain so for many years. But the process by which the intelligence community develops and presents the Book is a fascinating look into the operation of power at the highest levels. David Priess, a former intelligence officer and daily briefer, has interviewed every living president and vice president as well as more than one hundred others intimately involved with the production and delivery of the president's book of secrets. He offers an unprecedented window into the decision making of every president from Kennedy to Obama, with many character-rich stories revealed here for the first time.