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Good citizens need not fear / by Reva, Maria,1989-author.;
"A bureaucratic glitch omits an entire building, along with its residents, from municipal records. So begins Reva's ingenious novel-in-stories, intertwined narratives that span the chaotic years leading up to and immediately following the fall of the Soviet Union. But even as the benighted denizens of 1933 Ivansk Street weather the official neglect of the authorities, they devise ingenious ways to survive. In "Bone Music," an agoraphobic woman survives by selling contraband LPs, mapping the vinyl grooves of illegal Western records into stolen x-ray film. A delusional secret service agent in "Letter of Apology" becomes convinced he's being covertly recruited to guard Lenin's tomb, if only he can convince a contrarian poet to officially apologize for reciting a forbidden joke. Weaving the narratives together is an unforgettable, chameleon-like girl named Zaya: a disfigured orphan in "Little Rabbit," a beauty-pageant crasher in "Miss USSR," and, when she reaches adulthood, a sadist-for-hire to the Eastern bloc's newly minted oligarchs in "Homecoming." Good Citizens Need Not Fear takes us from moments of intense paranoia to surprising tenderness and back again, exploring what it means to be an individual amidst the roiling forces of history. Inspired by her and her family's own experiences in Ukraine, Reva brings the black absurdism of early Shteyngart and the sly interconnectedness of Anthony Marra's The Tsar of Love and Techno to a fictional world that is as clever as it is heartfelt."--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Political fiction.; Apartment houses;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Love, unscripted : a novel / by Nicholls, Owen,author.;
"Ellie had the quizzical eyebrows of Broadcast News-era Holly Hunter and the neon-red hair of Kate Winslet in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. At least, that's what caught Nick's attention when he met her on the night of 2008's historic election. A cinema devotee and lover of great love stories, Nick always fancied himself the Tom Hanks of his own romantic comedy, and when sparks flew with Ellie that night, he swiftly cast her as the Meg Ryan of his story. For four blissful years, Nick loved Ellie as much as he loved his job as a film projectionist: wholly, earnestly, cinematically. But now Ellie has moved out, convinced "the fire's gone," and Nick is forced to sift through his memories to figure out where it all went wrong. The fallout from Ellie's declaration that she "doesn't love Nick the way she used to" throws him back into recollections of their first night together. Their shared jokes, her wry smile, the "hope" that filled the night air--his memories are as rose-colored as the Hollywood love stories he idealizes. That night was a perfect meet-cute, yes, but was their romance as destined for a "happily ever after" as he'd thought? Is he really the rom-com hero he believes he's been? Or did this Harry let his Sally down? Peppered with references to beloved movies, Love, Unscripted explores how even a hopeless romantic can learn that in real life, love isn't, and shouldn't be, like what we see in the movies"--
Subjects: Humorous fiction.; Domestic fiction.; Motion picture projectionists; Man-woman relationships;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Cry for me, Argentina : my life as a failed child star / by Yajia, Tamara,author.;
"A hilarious, moving memoir by Argentine American comedian Tamara Yajia about growing up between two worlds. From the day she was born, Tamara Yajia entered the world on a wave of absurdity. She was the newest member of a family no one would call normal, from her grandfather the salami-obsessed poppers salesman, to her mother, the OnlyFans model. Not only will her family try anything once, like moving to the United States and opening a food stand named Sexy Chicken; they'll try anything multiple times, like moving back to Argentina, then back to the United States, all while Tamara manages to achieve some success as a preteen child actress after a jaw-dropping performance where she strips down to a garter belt in front of a crowd of rabbis. The road doesn't get easier for a twelve-year-old Argentinian Jew trying to make it big in Orange County. The disappointment of giving up her childhood career as a performer makes for a rather tumultuous coming of age. But through grit, hustle, and a series of creative endeavors like joining a girl band, and performing her own one-woman show, Cumming of Age, Tam has made it through, and she's ready to spill some shit -- figuratively and literally. Featuring an unlikely combination of comedy and tragedy, generational struggle, and filthy sex jokes, Tamara Yajia's debut memoir is the blazing, heartfelt story of a family's courage to chase a better tomorrow, and a young woman trying to survive while holding on to her confidence, ambition, and sense of humor"--Dust jacket flap.
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; Personal narratives.; Yajia, Tamara.; Actors; Women comedians;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Soldiers : great stories of war and peace / by Hastings, Max,compiler,editor,writer of introduction.;
Includes bibliographical references and index.A collection of the most extraordinary stories of war, courage, tragedy, strategy and survival. Soldiers is a collection of the very best stories about soldiers, brought together by historian Max Hastings. In his almost sixty years of military study and his work in the midst of modern conflicts as a foreign correspondent, these are the stories that left a mark. In these pages you will find heroes and cowards; triumphs, tragedies and comedies. It illustrates, mostly through people's own words, what it's been like to fight in wars, to live and die as a warrior, from Greek and Roman times through to today's Iraq and Afghanistan. The characters include the Black Prince and Cromwell, Wellington at Waterloo, Siegfried Sassoon at the Somme, George Orwell in the Spanish Civil War and Evelyn Waugh as a commando. But there are also Americans, Frenchmen, Israelis, Russians, not to mention the women warriors of Dahomey, Queen Boudicca and the women who serve today in the US Marines. There are more than 300 stories in all, and an astounding variety of soldiers' experiences through the ages. Many have been responsible for wonderful achievements but a few, also, for dreadful crimes. Some relate horrors, while others tell terrific jokes. In modern writing, we hear from the titans of historical writing with Ben Macintyre and Anthony Beevor. This is a book that might make you feel as grateful that whatever the troubles of our own times, we are spared the mud and blood and anguish, if also the moments of glory, that the soldiers in these pages bring so vividly to life.
Subjects: Armed Forces; Battles; Civil war; Military history.; Soldiers; War; Women soldiers;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Chasing Phil : the adventures of two undercover agents with the world's most charming con man / by Howard, David,1967-author.;
"A thrilling true crime caper, bursting with colorful characters and awash in '70s glamour, that spotlights the FBI's first white-collar undercover sting. Nineteen seventy-seven, the Thunderbird Motel. J.J. Wedick and Jack Brennan -- two fresh-faced, maverick FBI agents -- were about to embark on one of their agency's first wire-wearing undercover missions. Their target? Charismatic, globetrotting con man Phil Kitzer, whom some called the world's greatest swindler. From the Thunderbird, the three men took off to Cleveland, to Miami, to Hawaii, to Frankfurt, to the Bahamas -- meeting other members of Kitzer's crime syndicate and powerful politicians and businessmen he fooled at each stop. But as the young agents, playing the role of proteges and co-conspirators, became further entangled in Phil's outrageous schemes over their months on the road, they also grew to respect him -- even care for him. Meanwhile, Phil began to think of Jack and J.J. as best friends, sharing hotel rooms and inside jokes with them and even competing with J.J. in picking up women. Phil Kitzer was at the center of dozens of scams in which he swindled millions of dollars, but the FBI was mired in a post-Watergate malaise and slow to pivot toward a new type of financial crime that is now all too familiar. Plunging into the field with no undercover training, the agents battled a creaky bureaucracy on their adventures with Phil, hoping the FBI would recognize the importance of their mission. Even as they grew closer to Phil, they recognized that their endgame -- the swindler's arrest -- was drawing near.
Subjects: Biographies.; Kitzer, Phillip.; United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation.; Swindlers and swindling; Espionage; Criminal investigation;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Fall for him : a novel / by Burke, Andie,author.;
"In Fall for Him by Andie Burke, seven-hundred-fifty square feet isn't enough for the home-renovation-fueled hatred and the building sexual tension. Dylan Gallagher's hot neighbor loathed him from the second he moved in, and causing a flood, falling through the floor, and landing directly onto that same neighbor's bed probably means that's unlikely to change. The poorly timed "It's Raining Men" joke didn't help. Meanwhile, ER nurse Derek Chang's life is a literal when-rains-it-pours nightmare. A man he hates dropped into his life along with an astronomically expensive problem originating from Derek's own apartment's plumbing. Also, the local HOA tyrant has been sniffing around trying to fine him for his extended, illicit banned breed dog-sitting. Since Dylan also wants to keep the catastrophe quiet, he offers to fix the damage himself. Dylan's sure he's not Derek's type, so he focuses all his ADHD hyper fixation energy on getting the repair job done as quickly as possible-avoiding doing anything stupid like acting on his very inconvenient crush. Meanwhile Derek tries to ignore that the tattooed nerd sleeping on the couch is surprisingly witty, smart, and kind, despite the long-term grudge Derek's been holding against him. But will squeezing all their emotional baggage plus a dog into a tiny one-bedroom apartment be a major disaster ... or just prove they're made for each other? Fall for Him combines banter, hijinks, and heart in a story of finding out what it means to fix things after your life crumbles."--
Subjects: Gay fiction.; Queer fiction.; Romance fiction.; Humorous fiction.; Novels.; Carpenters; Dwellings; Homeowners' associations; Nurses;
Available copies: 0 / Total copies: 1
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Where you end and I begin : a memoir / by McLaren, Leah,author.;
"A daughter's riveting, devastating portrait of her relationship with her mother, a brilliant and charismatic woman haunted by childhood sexual trauma. When an eight-year-old Leah McLaren's parents get divorced, her mother, Cessie, flees her conventional life as a suburban housewife in search of a glamorous journalism career. In the chaotic years that follow, with her daughter in tow, Cessie lurches from one apartment, job and toxic romance to the next. Their bond is loving but also marked by casual indifference. Cessie's self-described parenting style of "benign neglect" is a hilarious party joke and Leah's stark reality. Their family motto, "Commitment sucks the life right out of you" is tacked up on every rental fridge. Inside the shelves are empty. During Leah's first year of high school she becomes gripped with anxiety following a troubling early sexual experience at a party. Cessie, in turn, makes a disclosure that will alter everything: from the age of twelve to fifteen, she was in a clandestine relationship with her middle-aged, married riding instructor. The damage inflicted by the "Horseman," Cessie explains, is the reason for all her ill-conceived life choices, including marriage, divorce and even motherhood itself. Both women will spend decades haunted by the specter of the Horseman, until they decide to investigate what became of him--an ill-conceived quest that will test the bonds of love and redefine their relationship forever. Written with searing candour and merciless wit, Where You End and I Begin is an intimate exploration of the ways intergenerational trauma is shared between women, and how acts of harm can be confused with acts of love"--
Subjects: Biographies.; Autobiographies.; McLaren, Leah; McLaren, Leah; Adult children of divorced parents; Children of divorced parents; Children of divorced parents; Children of rape victims; Mothers and daughters; Authors, Canadian (English);
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Counting backwards / by Kirshenbaum, Binnie,author.;
"A middle-aged couple struggles with the husband's descent into early-onset Lewy Body dementia in this profound and deeply moving novel shot through with Kirshenbaum's lacerating humor. It begins with hallucinations. From their living room window, Leo sees a man on stilts, an acting troupe, a pair of swans paddling on the street. Initially, Leo believes the visions are related to visual impairment-they are something he and his wife, Addie, can joke about. Then, he starts to experience occasional, but fleeting, oddities that mimic myriad brain disorders: aphasia, the inability to perform simple tasks, Capgras Syndrome, audial hallucinations he believes to be real. The doctors have no answers. Leo, a scientist, and Addie, a collage artist, had a loving and happy marriage. But as his periods of lucidity become rarer, Addie finds herself less and less able to cope. Eventually, Leo is diagnosed with Lewy Body disease. Life expectancy ranges from 3 to 20 years. A decidedly uncharacteristic act of violence makes it clear that he cannot come home. He moves first to an assisted living facility and then to a small apartment with a caretaker where, over time, he descends into full cognitive decline. Addie's agony, anger, and guilt result in self-imposed isolation, which mirrors Leo's diminished life. And so for years, all she can do is watch him die-too soon, and yet not soon enough. Kirshenbaum captures the couple's final years, months, and days in short scenes that burn with despair, humor, and rage, tracking the brutal destruction of the disease, as well the moments of love and beauty that still exist for them amid the larger tides of loss"--
Subjects: Domestic fiction.; Psychological fiction.; Novels.; Dementia; Despair; Lewy body dementia; Love; Married people; Social isolation;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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My favorite half-night stand / by Lauren, Christina,author.;
"By the New York Times bestselling author who "hilariously depicts modern dating" (Us Weekly), My Favorite Half-Night Stand is a laugh-out-loud romp through online dating and its many, many fails. Millie Morris has always been one of the guys. A UC Santa Barbara professor, she's a female-serial-killer expert who's quick with a deflection joke and terrible at getting personal. And she, just like her four best guy friends and fellow professors, is perma-single. So when a routine university function turns into a black tie gala, Mille and her circle make a pact that they'll join an online dating service to find plus-ones for the event. There's only one hitch: after making the pact, Millie and one of the guys, Reid Campbell, secretly spent the sexiest half-night of their lives together, but mutually decide the friendship would be better off strictly platonic. But online dating isn't for the faint of heart. While the guys are inundated with quality matches and potential dates, Millie's first profile attempt garners nothing but dick pics and creepers. Enter "Catherine"--Millie's fictional profile persona, in whose make-believe shoes she can be more vulnerable than she's ever been in person. Soon "Catherine" and Reid strike up a digital pen-pal-ship ... but Millie can't resist temptation in real life, either. Soon, Millie will have to face her worst fear--intimacy--or risk losing her best friend, forever. Perfect for fans of Roxanne and She's the Man, Christina Lauren's latest romantic comedy is full of mistaken identities, hijinks, and a classic love story with a modern twist. Funny and fresh, you'll want to swipe right on My Favorite Half-Night Stand"--
Subjects: Romance fiction.; Humorous fiction.; Women college teachers; Online dating; Man-woman relationships;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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The bright sword : a novel of King Arthur / by Grossman, Lev,author.; Allsbrook, Wesley,illustrator.;
"Collum, a brilliantly gifted young knight from the provinces, arrives at Camelot two weeks after the Battle of Camlann, hoping to compete for a spot on the Round Table. But he finds the city empty, King Arthur dead, and the Table destroyed. The remaining six knights aren't the mighty heroes, the legends, like Lancelot and Gawain and Tristram and Galahad. These are the survivors, a grab-bag of minor oddball knights from the margins-Sir Palomides, the Saracen Knight; Sir Bedivere, Arthur's one-handed longtime companion; Sir Dagonet, Arthur's fool, knighted as a joke; Sir Dinadan, a cutting wit who's hiding a deep secret. Arthur's death has exposed the splinters of his kingdom, and a void has opened in the heart of Britain. As power-hungry lords from the north descend on Camelot to seize control of the land, Collum is thrust into the front lines. Here lies the battlefield between pagans and Christians, fantasy and empire, power and destiny. Monsters and fairies are reawakening, the moral center is gone, and the fragile alliances that held Britain together are breaking. It is up to the surviving knights, the rebellious sorceress Nimue, and young Collum to avenge Arthur's murder and save Camelot. Can they re-build the Table and bring back the glory that was Camelot? Should they even try? The first major Arthurian epic of the new millennium, full of duels and quests, battles and tournaments, magic swords and Fisher Kings, The Bright Sword is a story about power and hope, and the struggle for the soul of England between the new Christian God and the old gods of fairy. But most of all it's a story about flawed men and women full of strength and pain who are looking for a way to reforge a broken land, in spite of being broken themselves"--
Subjects: Historical fiction.; Novels.; Arthur, King; Knights and knighthood;
Available copies: 1 / Total copies: 1
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Results 151 to 160 of 182 | « previous |