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Bunny / by Awad, Mona,author.;
"Samantha Heather Mackey couldn't be more of an outsider in her small, highly selective MFA program at New England's Warren University. A scholarship student who prefers the company of her dark imagination to that of most people, she is utterly repelled by the rest of her fiction writing cohort--a clique of unbearably twee rich girls who call each other "Bunny," and are often found entangled in a group hug so tight they become one. But everything changes when Samantha receives an invitation to the Bunnies' fabled "Smut Salon," and finds herself inexplicably drawn to their front door--ditching her only friend, Ava, a caustic art school dropout, in the process. As Samantha plunges deeper and deeper into the sinister yet saccharine world of the Bunny cult and starts to take part in their ritualistic off-campus "Workshop" where they magically conjure their monstrous creations, the edges of reality begin to blur, and her friendships with Ava and the Bunnies are brought into deadly collision. A spellbinding, down-the-rabbit-hole tale of loneliness and belonging, creativity and agency, and friendship and desire."--
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Graduate students;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 2
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Magnificent rebels : the first romantics and the invention of the self / by Wulf, Andrea,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."From the best-selling author of The Invention of Nature comes an exhilarating story about a remarkable group of young rebels-poets, novelists, philosophers-who, through their epic quarrels, passionate love stories, heartbreaking grief, and radical ideas launched Romanticism onto the world stage, inspiring some of the greatest thinkers of the time. When did we begin to be as self-centered as we are today? At what point did we expect to have the right to determine our own lives? When did we first ask the question, How can I be free? It all began in a quiet university town in Germany in the 1790s, when a group of playwrights, poets, and writers put the self at center stage in their thinking, their writing, and their lives. This brilliant circle included the famous poets Goethe, Schiller, and Novalis; the visionary philosophers Fichte, Schelling, and Hegel; the contentious Schlegel brothers; and, in a wonderful cameo, Alexander von Humboldt. And at the heart of this group was the formidable Caroline Schlegel, who sparked their dazzling conversations about the self, nature, identity, and freedom. The French revolutionaries may have changed the political landscape of Europe, but the young Romantics incited a revolution of the mind that transformed our world forever. We are still empowered by their daring leap into the self, and by their radical notions of the creative potential of the individual, the highest aspirations of art and science, the unity of nature, and the true meaning of freedom. We also still walk the same tightrope between meaningful self-fulfillment and destructive narcissism, between the rights of the individual and our responsibilities toward our community and future generations. At the heart of this inspiring book is the extremely modern tension between the dangers of selfishness and the thrilling possibilities of free will"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Authors, German; Romanticism; Self in literature.; Self-realization.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Wild minds : the artists and rivalries that inspired the golden age of animation / by Mitenbuler, Reid,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."In 1911, the famed cartoonist Winsor McCay debuted an animated version of his popular newspaper strip, Little Nemo in Slumberland. Loosely inspired by Sigmund Freud's research on dreams, the film was one of the very first of its kind. McCay is largely forgotten today, but his work helped unleash the creative energy of animators like Otto Messmer, Max Fleischer, Walt Disney, and Chuck Jones. Their origin stories, rivalries, and sheer genius, as Reid Mitenbuler skillfully relates, were as colorful and subversive as their creations-from Felix the Cat to Bugs Bunny to feature films such as Fantasia-which became an integral part of American culture over the next five decades. Before television, animated cartoons were often "little hand grenades of social and political satire" aimed squarely at adults. Early Betty Boop cartoons included nudity. Popeye stories slyly criticized the injustices of unchecked capitalism. Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner were used to explore hidden depths of the American psyche. "During its first half-century," Mitenbuler writes, "animation was an important part of the culture wars about free speech, censorship, the appropriate boundaries of humor, and the influence of art and media on society." During WWII it also played a significant role in propaganda. The golden age of animation ended with the advent of television when cartoons were sanitized to appeal to a growing demographic of children and help advertisers sell sugary breakfast cereals. Alongside these stories, Mitenbuler incorporates the surprising contributions of Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss), voice artist Mel Blanc, composer Leopold Stokowski, and many others whose talents influenced the world of animation. Illustrated throughout in both black-and-white and color, with rare drawings and photographs, Wild Minds is an ode to our lively past and to the creative energy that would inspire The Simpsons, South Park, and BoJack Horseman today"--
Subjects: Animated films; Animated television programs; Animated films; Animated television programs;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The elements of Marie Curie : how the glow of radium lit a path for women in science / by Sobel, Dava,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."'Even now, nearly a century after her death, Marie Curie remains the only female scientist most people can name,' writes Dava Sobel at the opening of her shining portrait of the sole Nobel laureate decorated in two separate fields of science -- Physics in 1903 with her husband Pierre and Chemistry by herself in 1911. And yet, Sobel makes clear, as brilliant and creative as she was in the laboratory, Marie Curie was equally passionate outside it. Grieving Pierre's untimely death in 1906, she took his place as professor of physics at the Sorbonne; devotedly raised two brilliant daughters; drove a van she outfitted with x-ray equipment to the front lines of World War I; befriended Albert Einstein and other luminaries of twentieth-century physics; won support from two U.S. presidents; and inspired generations of young women the world over to pursue science as a way of life ... [Dava Sobel] approaches Marie Curie from a unique angle, narrating her remarkable life of discovery and fame alongside the women who became her legacy -- from France's Marguerite Perey, who discovered the element francium, and Norway's Ellen Gleditsch, to Mme. Curie's elder daughter, Irène, winner of the 1935 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. For decades the only woman in the room at international scientific gatherings that probed new theories about the interior of the atom, Marie Curie traveled far and wide, despite constant illness, to share the secrets of radioactivity, a term she coined. Her two triumphant tours of the United States won her admirers for her modesty even as she was mobbed at every stop; her daughters, in Ève's later recollection, 'discovered all at once what the retiring woman with whom they had always lived meant to the world.'"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Curie, Marie, 1867-1934.; Curie, Marie, 1867-1934; Chemical elements; Chemists; Mentoring in science; Physicists; Women chemists; Women physicists;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The world according to Joan Didion / by McDonnell, Evelyn,author.;
Includes bibliographical references and index."An intimate exploration of the life, craft, and legacy of one of the most revered and influential writers, an artist who continues to inspire fans and creatives to cultivate practices of deep attention, rigorous interrogation and beautiful style. Joan Didion was a writer's writer; not only a groundbreaking journalist, essayist, novelist and screenwriter, but a keen observer who honed her sights on life's telling details. Her insights continue to influence creatives and admirers, encouraging them to become close observers of the world, unsentimental critics, and meticulous stylists. An antidote to a global view that narrows our vision to the smallest screens, The World According To Joan Didion is a meditation on the people, places, and objects that propelled Didion's prose and an invitation to journalists, storytellers, and life adventurers to "throw themselves into the convulsions of the world," as she once said. Evelyn McDonnell, the acclaimed journalist, essayist, critic, feminist, native Californian, and university professor who regularly teaches Didion's work, is attuned to interpret Didion's vision for readers today. Inspired by Didion's own words--from her works both published and unpublished--and informed by the people who knew Didion and those whose lives she shaped, The World According to Joan Didion is an illustrated journey through her life, tracing the path she carved from Sacramento, Portuguese Bend, Los Angeles, and Malibu to Manhattan, Miami, and Hawaii. McDonnell reveals the world as it was seen through Didion's eyes and explores her work in chapters keyed to the singular physical motifs of her writing: Snake. Typewriter. Hotel. Notebook. Girl. Etc. One of the first books to be published after the revered writer's death in 2021, The World According to Joan Didion is a literary companion for those embarking on new journeys and a guide to innovative ways of being. It will radically transform the way you explore the world, and will help you answer the question as you sit in a café, or on a plane or train, pondering the future: What would Joan Didion have seen?"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Personal narratives.; Didion, Joan; Didion, Joan.; Authors, American; Women authors, American;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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I might be in trouble / by Aleman, Daniel,author.;
"A suspenseful dark comedy about a struggling writer who wakes up to find his date from the night before dead-and must now decide how far he's willing to go to spin the event into his next big book. A few years ago, David Alvarez had it all: a six-figure book deal, a loving boyfriend, and an exciting writing career. His debut novel was a resounding success, which made the publication of his second book-a total flop-all the more devastating. Now, David is single, lonely, and desperately trying to come up with the next great idea for his third manuscript, one that will redeem him in the eyes of readers, reviewers, the entire publishing world ... and maybe even his ex-boyfriend. The issue is, good ideas are hard to come by, and the mounting pressure of a near-empty bank account isn't helping. But when David connects with a sexy stranger on a dating app, he figures a wild night out in New York City may be just what he needs to get his creative juices flowing. Lucky for him, his date turns out to be handsome, confident, and charming-everything David's been looking for, really-not to mention the perfect distraction from yet another evening staring at a blank screen. After one of the best nights of his life, David wakes up hungover but giddy-only to find prince charming dead next to him in bed. Horrified, completely confused, and suddenly faced with the implausible-but-somehow-plausible idea that he may have actually killed his date, David calls the only person he can trust in a moment of crisis: his quirky literary agent, Stacey. Together, David and Stacey must untangle the events of the previous night, cover their tracks, and spin the entire misadventure into David's career-defining novel-if only they can figure out what to do with the body first"--
Subjects: Gay fiction.; Queer fiction.; Black humor.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Authors; Dating (Social customs); Dead bodies (Law); Gay authors; Gay men; Literary agents;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Kill the mall / by Malla, Pasha,1978-author.;
"What has the mall ever done to you? Welcomed you with open arms, ie. doors. Showered you with pleasure. At worst confetti. Perhaps it offered you shelter, or a place to love, or a place to dream--all at affordable rates." After writing a letter in praise of "the mall," our eccentric narrator is offered a "residency" at a shabby local shopping centre. His mission: to occupy an abandoned storefront for twelve weeks, during which he must split his time between "making work" and "engaging with the public," all the while chronicling his efforts in weekly progress reports. He quickly becomes part of mall society--bonding with the mall's kindly caretaker, the band of greasy teens working in the derelict food court and the occasional elderly or otherwise transient mall patrons, most of whom treat its hallowed halls as little more than a thoroughfare. But soon a series of disturbing anomalies during the mall's after hours, including the disappearance of our narrator's closest new mall-friend--a bright-eyed, ponytailed, blue-jeans salesclerk named Dennis--sets our hero on a quixotic quest to untangle the mystery, only to discover an invisible evil lurking deep within the bowels of the mall. Before long things get hairy, and our narrator's optimism over his mall residency descends into a phantasmagoria of horror and (possibly) murder. With the aid of the caretaker and a wise pony (named, of course, Gary) who roams the halls, it dawns on our narrator that the mall may not in fact be a utopian hub of consumer bliss, but something more sinister. And who is pulling the strings in the mall's unmapped subterranean world? Pasha Malla's creative genius shines in this madcap satiric horror-fantasy--a deceptively cutting critique of capitalism as embodied in one of our saddest capitalist inventions: the fading local mall."-- Provided by publisher.
Subjects: Psychological fiction.; Satirical literature.; Shopping malls;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Sing your name out loud : 15 rules for living your dream / by Derulo, Jason,1989-author.;
"In his page-turning and inspiring first book, legendary songwriter and recording artist Jason Derulo shares his 15 rules for finding success in any pursuit, and invites everyone--especially artists and creators--to start on their path to greatness. In 2009, an 18-year-old son of Haitian immigrants burst onto Billboard music charts with the instant #1 song, "Whatcha Say," which sampled a surprising hook and opened with what would prove to be one of the catchiest lines in pop music history--the artist's own name, sung out loud. Defying every possible odd, Jason Derulo cemented himself again and again, hit after hit, as one of the hardest working singers, dancers, and performers in the world and a risk-taking force of nature. This is the remarkable story of Derulo's come up, told through the valuable principles that guided and propelled him toward artistic excellence. Waking at 4am to catch buses across Miami so he could attend performing arts schools on scholarship, entering himself into local singing competitions at the mall on the weekends, and penning hundreds of songs before he ever saw the inside of a recording studio, Derulo's commitment to his dream--and dedication to seeing it come true--is the stuff of legend. But it was during his reinvention in 2020, after becoming one of the most followed creators on TikTok, that he realized his personal rules for self-mastery and success are applicable anywhere, for anyone, under any circumstance. "Now," he writes, "It's your turn." Sing Your Name Out Loud: 15 Rules for Living Your Dream takes readers into the mind of one of the most consistent, dominating, and versatile artists alive. Derulo reflects, in his own words, on the defining moments of his career thus far, most notably the wins and losses that strengthened his signature style of creative pursuit and offers his fifteen rules for turning goals into reality - where numbers mean everything, obstacles are opportunities, closed doors are meant to be opened, failure is inevitable, and good lighting is non-negotiable."--
Subjects: Biographies.; Self-help publications.; Personal narratives.; Derulo, Jason, 1989-; African American musicians; Celebrities; Rhythm and blues musicians; Self-control.; Success.;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Sicker in the head : more conversations about life and comedy / by Apatow, Judd,1967-author.;
"No one knows comedy like Judd Apatow. From interviewing the biggest comics of the day for his high school radio show to performing stand-up in L.A. dive bars with his roommate Adam Sandler, to writing and directing Knocked Up and producing Freaks and Geeks, Apatow has always lived, breathed, and dreamed comedy. In this all-new collection of interviews, the sequel to the New York Times bestselling Sick in the Head, Apatow sits down with comedy icons John Mulaney, Hannah Gadsby, David Letterman, Whoopi Goldberg, Bowen Yang, Hasan Minhaj, Margaret Cho, and many others to discuss what got them into comedy, and what--despite personal and national traumas--keeps them going. Together, they talk about staying up too late to watch late-night comedy, what kind of nerds they were in high school, and the right amount of delusional self-confidence one needs to try and "make it" in the industry. Along the way, they reminisce about their fellow comedians and showrunners who helped them through failure and rejection, and look ahead to the future of comedy and Hollywood in a hyper-connected, overstimulated world. With his trademark insight, curiosity, and legendary sense of humor, Apatow explores the nature of creativity, professional ambition, and vulnerability in an ever-evolving cultural landscape, and how our favorite comics are able to keep us laughing along the way"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Interviews.; Anecdotes.; Comedians; Motion picture actors and actresses; Stand-up comedy; Television actors and actresses;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Keya Das's second act : a novel / by Deb, Sopan,author.;
"From a New York Times reporter and memoirist Sopan Deb comes a heartwarming and charmingly funny debut novel about a box in the attic that leads one Bengali-American family down a path toward rediscovering family love, even when splintered. Shantanu Das is living in the shadows of his past. In his 60s, he finds himself iced out of his traditional Bengali community after an uncouth divorce from his wife, Chaitali; he hasn't spoken to his eldest daughter Mitali in months; and most painfully, he lives each day with the regret that the Dases couldn't accept their youngest daughter Keya after coming out as gay. As the anniversary of Keya's death approaches, Shantanu wakes up one morning utterly alone in his suburban New Jersey home and realizes it's finally time to sell the place. That's when he discovers a tucked away box in his attic that could change everything. When Mitali Das gets a call from her estranged father asking her to come back to New Jersey and help him pack up the house, she does so out of pity. But then father and daughter find the manuscript of an unfinished play Keya and her girlfriend had been writing. It's a wild idea, but Shantanu has nothing left to lose: what if they were to stage the play? It could be an homage to Keya's memory, and a way to make amends. But first he'll need to convince Keya's girlfriend, Pamela, to give her blessing. Soon Shantanu has assembled a host of unlikely helpers-Kalpana, his traditional Bengali mother; Catherine, his dry witted girlfriend; his ex-wife Chaitali and her new husband, Jahar; and Neesh, Mitali's boyfriend who, with surprising revelations from his past, binds them all together. Set in the vibrant world of the Bengali New Jersey suburbs, Keya Das's Second Act is a warmly drawn homage to family, creativity, and second chances. In his debut novel, Sopan Deb has written a poignant and at turns surprisingly hilarious testament to the unexpected ways we build family and find love, old and new"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Novels.; Bengali Americans; Estranged families;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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