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Beeline: What Spelling Bees Reveal About Generation Z's New Path to Success
by Shalini ShankarAn anthropologist uses spelling bees as a lens to examine the unique and diverse traits of Generation Z--and why they are destined for success <P><P>At first glance, Generation Z (youth born after 1997) seems to be made up of anxious overachievers, hounded by Tiger Moms and constantly tracked on social media. One would think that competitors in the National Spelling Bee -- the most popular brain sport in America -- would be the worst off. <P><P>Counterintuitively, anthropologist Shalini Shankar argues that, far from being simply overstressed and overscheduled, Gen Z spelling bee competitors are learning crucial twenty-first-century skills from their high-powered lives, displaying a sophisticated understanding of self-promotion, self-direction, and social mobility. <P><P>Drawing on original ethnographic research, including interviews with participants, judges, and parents, Shankar examines the outsize impact of immigrant parents and explains why Gen Z kids are on a path to success.
Been There, Done That
by Laura Morton Al Roker Deborah RobertsLife lessons from New York Times bestselling author and Today show personality Al Roker and his wife, globetrotting ABC news journalist Deborah Roberts. Al Roker and Deborah Roberts have sixteen Emmy Awards between them. They have covered everything from the Olympics and the Gulf War to natural disasters and the AIDS crisis in Africa. Now these two married journalists and parents have collaborated on the most personal and important "story" of their lives. Been There, Done That is a funny, heartfelt, and empowering collection of life lessons, hard-won wisdom, and instructive family anecdotes from Al and Deborah's lives, from their parents and grandparents, and from dear friends, famous and not. Here, Al and Deborah candidly share childhood obstacles like obesity and growing up in the segregated south; the challenges and blessings that come from raising very different kids; hard-won truths about marriage and career; the illuminating "little things" that adults can learn from children; and the genuine wisdom that the elderly can share with a younger generation. These are real-life stories told from every perspective--from parent, spouse, daughter, son, and friend, stories that every reader can relate to, appreciate, and share. From the Hardcover edition.
Been There, Married That: A Novel
by Gigi LevangieIn a world where therapist look like the Real Housewives of Equinox, where friends dispense Xanax like Pez, and where a woman’s status is directly linked to the how few carbs she eats…can one Hollywood wife take back her life?Agnes Murphy Nash is in big trouble. When she returns home one evening only to find the locks changed on the gates of their mansion, the security guard breaks the news: her famous producer husband has filed for divorce. And he’s not going to play fair. Trevor Nash wants custody of their tween daughter, Pep, but only for the sake of appearances. And Agnes can’t let him win. With the help of her ex-con sister, a Hollywood psychic, a ballsy female lawyer, and a host of friends and “frenemies,” Agnes realizes that when he changes the locks, she needs to change the rules. But a crisis can lead to opportunity, and for Agnes, this gigantic betrayal brings her to a crossroads that will have her asking herself what she really wants out of life, who she really wants to be, and which man she really loves. Told with Gigi Levangie’s sparkling dialogue and wit, Been There, Married That is a drop-dead hilarious battle of wills that will make you laugh out loud, cringe, and keep turning the pages to see what crazy disaster will happen to Agnes next…and how she’ll rise from the ashes.
Been There. Done That. Try This!: An Aspie's Guide to Life on Earth
by Temple Grandin Tony Attwood Mary Robison Liane Holliday Willey Jeanette Purkis James Buzon Ruth Elaine Hane Stephen M. Shore Charlene Devnet Qazi Fazli Azeem Alexis Wineman Anita Lesko Debbie Denenburg Garry Burge Lars Perner Mitchell Christian Lisa Morgan Richard Stirling Maguire Steve Selpal Larry Moody Bob Castleman John Makin Henny Kupferstein Patrick V. Suglia Karen Krejcha Craig Evans Paul IsaacsIf you only buy one book to improve your life this year, make it this one. Temple Grandin, Liane Holliday Willey, Anita Lesko, Stephen M. Shore, and many other Aspie mentors, offer their personal guidance on coping with the daily stressors that Aspies have identified as being the most significant, in order of urgency - anxiety, self-esteem, change, meltdowns, depression, friendship, love, and much, much more. Based on years of personal experience, this book is packed with advice from Aspie mentors who have all been there and done that! World expert Dr. Tony Attwood rounds up each chapter with professional analysis and extensive recommendations. He includes essential information on destructive strategies that may look attractive, but that have counter-productive effects. Including full color artwork from Aspie artists showing visually how they interpret each stressor, this is THE inspirational guide to life for young adults, the newly diagnosed, and as a life-long reference for anyone on the spectrum - written by Aspies for Aspies.
Beer Makes Daddy Strong
by Andy RileyThe perfect gift for Father's Day - 60 brilliant ALL NEW cartoons from Andy Riley celebrating the special one. Affectionate, witty and endearing - just like Dad. It's the gift that keeps on giving - just like Dad. <P><P>Every day should be Father's Day.
Beer Makes Daddy Strong
by Andy RileyThis collection of comics from the author of Wine Makes Mommy Clever and Dawn of the Bunny Suicides takes a humorous look at fatherhood in all its glory.Fatherhood is full of ups and downs, quirks and crises. But there is always humor to be found! Featuring 60 all-new cartoons from Andy Riley, Beer Makes Daddy Strong shows the world just how great dads can be: Daddy knows all the best car games (“Who can stay quiet the longest?”), likes to show off his scars (that he may or may not have obtained while running with the bulls in Spain), and is a great cook (when Spaghetti Bolognese is on the menu). Witty and wise, this affectionate tribute is a celebration of fatherhood and all of its joys, confusion, humor, and, of course, beer.Praise for Beer Makes Daddy Strong“This will make you laugh. It is a piece of artwork, really; a collection of cartoons capturing those “dad moments” that can be humiliating, embarrassing or just plain stupid.” —The Daily Telegraph (UK)“Laugh-out-loud tour through life as a first, from the first ultrasound to holiday traffic jams and pipe and slippers time.” —News of the World (UK)“Funny, true, and—speaking as a dad—embarrassingly accurate.” —Chris Addison
Beer Money: A Memoir of Privilege and Loss
by Frances Stroh“Beautiful and unflinching . . . a riveting story about the fall of an American family, an American city, and possibly the American Dream itself.” —Janis Cooke Newman, author of Mary, Mrs. A. LincolnFrances Stroh’s earliest memories are ones of great privilege: shopping trips to London and New York, lunches served by black-tied waiters at the Regency Hotel, and a house filled with precious antiques, which she was forbidden to touch. Established in Detroit in 1850, by 1984 the Stroh Brewing Company had become the largest private beer fortune in America and a brand emblematic of the American dream itself; while Stroh was coming of age, the Stroh family fortune was estimated to be worth $700 million.But behind the beautiful façade lay a crumbling foundation. Detroit’s economy collapsed with the retreat of the automotive industry to the suburbs and abroad and likewise the Stroh family found their wealth and legacy disappearing. As their fortune dissolved in little over a decade, the family was torn apart internally by divorce and one family member’s drug bust; disagreements over the management of the business; and disputes over the remaining money they possessed. Even as they turned against one another, looking for a scapegoat on whom to blame the unraveling of their family, they could not anticipate that even far greater tragedy lay in store.Featuring beautiful evocative photos throughout, Stroh’s memoir is elegantly spare in structure and mercilessly clear-eyed in its self-appraisal—at once a universally relatable family drama and a great American story.“Stroh’s absorbing memoir suggests that most cocoons are permeable and that privilege is relative.” —The New York Times Book Review
Beer Vind 'n Huis
by Linda HendersonKlein Beer voel alleen in die wêreld. Nadat hy eendag wakker geword het en besef het dat daar geen ander bere was om hom te troos of vir hom te sorg nie, het hy besluit om op reis te gaan om iemand te vind wat hom sal lief hê. Soos jy sal vind tydens die lees van hierdie boek, lei sy soektog hom na 'n gelukkige einde.
Beetle Boy
by Margaret WilleyWhen he was seven, Charlie Porter never intended to become the world's youngest published author. He just wanted his father to stop crying. So he told him a story about a talking beetle—a dumb little story his mother made up to make him feel better. (That was before she left and feeling "better" became impossible.) But Charlie's story not only made his father stop crying. It made him start planning. The story became a book, and then it became school events and book festivals, and a beetle costume, and a catchphrase—"I was born to write!" Because of the story, Charlie stayed seven until he was ten. And then it all ended. Or it should have. Now Charlie is eighteen, and the beetles still haunt his dreams. The childhood he never really had is about to end . . . but there's still a chance to have a story of his own. Beetle Boy is a novel of a broken family, the long shadow of neglect, and the light of small kindnesses.
Beezus and Ramona (Ramona Quimby #1)
by Beverly Cleary Tracy Dockray<P>Ramona Quimby is the youngest of all the famous characters in Mrs. Cleary's wonderful Henry Huggins stories. She is also far and away the most deadly. <P>Readers of the earlier books will remember that Ramona has always been a menace to Beezus, her older sister, to Henry, and to his dog Ribsy. It is not that Ramona deliberately sets out to make trouble for other people. She simply has more imagination than is healthy for any one person.In this book Ramona and her imagination really come into their own. <P>Starting with a fairly mild encounter with the librarian, which is harder on Beezus than anyone else, Ramona goes from strength to strength, winding up by inviting her entire kindergarten class to a part at her home without mentioning it to her mother. The riot that ensues is probably the most hilarious episode in this extremely funny book, which proves that Mrs. Cleary's imagination is almost as lively as Ramona's. <P><b>Fountas and Pinnell Level: O <br>Lexile: 691L - 770L <br>Reading Recovery: 34 <br>DRA: 34 <br>PM Readers: 24 Silver <br>Grade: 3 <br>Ages: 8 - 9 <br>Learning A to Z Level: S <br>Accelerated Reader (ATOS): 3.9 - 5.1</b>
Before & After Zachariah: A True Story About a Family and a Different Kind of Courage
by Fern KupferThe heart-wrenching story of one couple's courageous decision to have their severely brain-damaged son cared for in a residential facility.
Before Everything
by Victoria RedelA group of lifetime friends gather together to confront life, love, and now mortality“Everything you want a novel about life, death, and friendship to be—smart, moving, sweeping, poetic, stinging, just beautiful. I loved these women (and their men) and this elegy to their long-reaching bonds.”—Dani Shapiro, author of Hourglass: Time, Memory, Marriage Before Everything is a celebration of friendship and love between a group of women who have known each another since they were girls. They’ve faced everything together, from youthful sprees and scrapes to mid-life turning points. Now, as Anna, the group’s trailblazer and brightest spark, enters hospice, they gather to do what they’ve always done—talk and laugh and help each other make choices and plans, this time in Anna’s rural Massachusetts home. Helen, Anna’s best friend and a celebrated painter, is about to remarry. The others face their own challenges—Caroline with her sister’s mental health crisis; Molly with a teenage daughter’s rebellion; Ming with her law practice—dilemmas with kids and work and love. Before Everything is as funny as it is bittersweet, as the friends revel in the hilarious mistakes they’ve seen each another through, the secrets kept, and adventures shared. But now all sense of time has shifted, and the pattern of their lives together takes on new meaning. The novel offers a brilliant, emotionally charged portrait, deftly conveying the sweep of time over everyday lives, and showing how even in difficult endings, gifts can unfold. Above all it is an ode to friendship, and to how one person shapes the journeys of those around her.
Before Everything
by Victoria Redel'Redel proves that female friendship is the quiet, steady engine that truly runs the world.' Hannah Tinti'At once tough and tender, funny and sad, this beautifully written novel articulates the dynamic realities of those wondrous friendships that last a lifetime.' Siri HustvedtFrom youthful scrapes to mid-life turning points, the Old Friends have faced everything together.So as Anna, their brightest spark, enters hospice, they gather to do what they've always done: they laugh and eat, and help each other make choices and plans, and talk through dilemmas with children and work and love. But now the sense of time has shifted, and the pattern of their lives takes on a new, urgent meaning. As their shared experiences are recounted and re-lived, this funny, bittersweet ode to friendship shows how even in difficult endings, gifts can unfold. 'Gorgeous, a heartbreaker, a non-stop dazzler, a major achievement.' Michael Cunningham'One of the most brilliant, radiant and heartbreaking books I've read in years.' Molly Antopol
Before Head Start
by Hamilton CravensBetween the 1920s and the 1950s, the child welfare movement that had originated as a moral reform effort in the Progressive era evolved into the science of child development. In Before Head Start, Hamilton Cravens chronicles this transformation, both on the national level and from the perspective of the field's best-known research center, the University of Iowa's Child Welfare Research Station. Addressing the changing role played by women and the importance of Rockefeller philanthropy, he shows how a women's reform movement became a male-dominated, conservative profession and demonstrates how lay pressure groups can influence the structures and processes of science. Animated by the reformist goals of the child welfare movement, scientists at the Iowa Station challenged the pervasive idea that an individual's development was determined by such group traits as race, class, and gender. Instead, their research suggested that early social intervention could rescue a child from a grim future. Cravens argues that this individualistic perspective, rejected in the 1940s by a scientific community that mirrored society's deterministic notions, anticipated the national social reforms of the post-1950s era, including Head Start.
Before I Do: A Legal Guide to Marriage, Gay and Otherwise
by Elizabeth F. SchwartzA comprehensive guide to marriage—perks, consequences, and everything in between—aimed at the LGBTQ+ community, from a leading gay rights lawyer. Not long ago, same-sex couples had to jump through endless hoops to make their relationships even close to legal. Happily, those days are over. But here&’s the rub: many gay and lesbian couples, accustomed to living off-grid, are so thrilled to have the benefits of marriage that they jump into it without fully considering the consequences. In Before I Do, leading gay rights attorney Elizabeth F. Schwartz spells out the range of practical considerations any couple should address before tying the knot. She explains the rights married couples have—and those they do not. With cameos from some of the most prominent LGBTQ+ professionals, Schwartz explores all of the implications of marriage from name changes and getting a license to taxes, insurance, Social Security, and much more. Chapters on estate planning, pre- and post-nuptial agreements, and organizing finances make Before I Do a crucial handbook for anyone considering marriage—because, as Schwartz explains, just because you can get married does not mean you should. &“During my thirty years of covering the gay beat for the Miami Herald, never did I imagine the need for a marriage guide for LGBT couples. Yet today nothing is more urgent. Before I Do guides all couples, gay and otherwise, about the responsibilities of marriage. Ignore it at your peril.&” —Steve Rothaus, The Miami Herald
Before I Go
by Brian CharlesIn the spirit of The Notebook, Brian Charles&’ Before I Go is at once a tender love story and a powerful, provocative exploration of life after loss, and the numinous links that tie all our lives together. A year after her husband&’s plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, Abby Gamble knows she needs to start moving beyond her grief. She and Ben shared a deep love, made even stronger by the heartache they went through together. But Ben would want her to keep living. So Abby throws herself once more into her cosmetics company—only to find herself at a crossroads when she meets Joel, a physician whose past is as scarred as hers. Joel has never forgiven himself for a fateful childhood decision. That guilt has spurred him on to save other lives. When he meets Abby he begins to see a way forward, though Abby is holding back, struggling with the idea of finally leaving Ben behind. Yet Ben isn&’t gone. Ever since his plane went down, he&’s been trying to make his way back to Abby. That journey begins on an island thousands of miles away, as Ben discovers his journal among the wreckage debris that has washed up on shore—a series of letters that recounts Abby and Ben&’s love story. Rereading his letters about the life they planned, and the joy and misfortune they encountered along the way, Ben knows what he must do. Somehow, he must set out to see Abby again—even if he doesn&’t know what will be waiting for him in the extraordinary event that he makes it home . . .
Before I Go: A Book Club Recommendation!
by Colleen OakleyA heart-wrenching debut novel in the bestselling tradition of P.S. I Love You about a young woman with breast cancer who undertakes a mission to find a new wife for her husband before she passes away.Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again? On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant "Cancerversary" with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it's an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect--but not because she's afraid for herself. She's terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but otherwise charmingly helpless husband when she's no longer there to take care of him. It's this fear that keeps her up at night, until she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife. With a singular determination, Daisy scouts local parks and coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack's perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy's forced to decide what's more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband's happiness--or her own?
Before I Let Go (Skyland #1)
by Kennedy Ryan&“Real, raw, magnificent—Before I Let Go is the beautiful angst I love to read.&” —Colleen Hoover, #1 New York Times bestselling authorA Good Morning America Book Buzz Pick! Their love was supposed to last forever. But when life delivered blow after devastating blow, Yasmen and Josiah Wade found that love alone couldn&’t solve or save everything. It couldn&’t save their marriage. Yasmen wasn&’t prepared for how her life fell apart, but she&’s is finally starting to find joy again. She and Josiah have found a new rhythm, co-parenting their two kids and running a thriving business together. Yet like magnets, they&’re always drawn back to each other, and now they&’re beginning to wonder if they&’re truly ready to let go of everything they once had. Soon, one stolen kiss leads to another…and then more. It's hot. It's illicit. It's all good—until old wounds reopen. Is it too late for them to find forever? Or could they even be better, the second time around?Award-winning and bestselling "powerhouse" author Kennedy Ryan is at her absolute best in this compelling, scorching novel about hope and healing, and what it truly means to love for a lifetime (USA Today). Book of the Month Club selection NPR Best Books of 2022Entertainment Weekly Best Romances of 2022Washington Post 10 Best Romances of the YearWomen's Health Best Books of the YearPublishers Weekly Best Romance Books of 2022
Before I Let You Go: A Gripping Novel About The Unbreakable Bond Between Sisters
by Kelly RimmerThe 2:00 a.m. call is the first time Lexie Vidler has heard her sister’s voice in years. Annie is a drug addict, a thief, a liar—and in trouble, again. Lexie has always bailed Annie out, given her money, a place to sleep, sent her to every kind of rehab. But this time, she’s not just strung out—she’s pregnant and in premature labor. If she goes to the hospital, she’ll lose custody of her baby—maybe even go to prison. But the alternative is unthinkable.As the weeks unfold, Lexie finds herself caring for her fragile newborn niece while her carefully ordered life is collapsing around her. She’s in danger of losing her job, and her fiancé only has so much patience for Annie’s drama. In court-ordered rehab, Annie attempts to halt her downward spiral by confronting long-buried secrets from the sisters’ childhoods, ghosts that Lexie doesn’t want to face. But will the journey heal Annie, or lead her down a darker path?Both candid and compassionate, Before I Let You Go explores a hotly divisive topic and asks how far the ties of family love can be stretched before they finally break.
Before I Wake: A Novel
by Robert J. WiersemaAfter an unthinkable tragedy happens, an unbelievable miracle begins. . . Three-year-old Sherry is the adored only child of Simon and Karen Barrett. When Sherry is critically injured in a hit-and-run accident, the fault lines in the Barretts's marriage begin to show. As her parents' marriage falls apart, it is discovered that Sherry--in her coma-like state--has miraculous healing powers. Meanwhile, the guilt-stricken driver of the truck attempts suicide--but is unable to die. Henry Denton instead finds himself in a place of darkness, somewhere between this world and the next, invisible to all but a group of mysterious and downtrodden men. Haunted by his shame, Henry struggles to understand this mysterious limbo, and what he must do to free himself. As word of Sherry's powers spread, her parents must decide how best to shelter their daughter and help the many sick and dying who are drawn to her side. At the same time, a larger battle is brewing-one that has been raging for close to two-thousand years, and one that might yet claim the lives of Sherry and her family.Robert J. Wiersema's brilliant debut novel sheds light on the inner lives of characters struggling against tragedy, who find each other and themselves in the darkness. Before I Wake reveals the power of forgiveness, and the true nature, and cost, of miracles."A stunning debut . . .original, thought-provoking, and downright wonderful."-Michael Connelly, New York Times #1 bestselling author of The Closers and Echo Park"I wept over this book as I read it, and I'm still haunted by it . . . disturbingly powerful." -Gail Anderson-Dargatz, author of A Recipe for Bees "A literary supernatural thriller that grips the reader in a chokehold and doesn't let go until the very last line. . . . It never shies away or backs down from its questioning of faith, theology, morality and mystery. . . a unique, spellbinding, and ultimately uplifting gem." -- The Globe and Mail"Through a tale that is both intimate and profound, Robert J. Wiersema reminds us there is magic in truth, and truth in the fantastic. An edge-of-your-seat debut that is never faint of heart." -Ami McKay, author of The Birth House"A wonder to behold. A deft fusion of intimate family story, suspense and religious exploration. One of those books you just don't put down until you've read to the last page. . . Magnificent."--The Edmonton Journal"Deceptively easy to read because it is so well written and so emotionally engaging. It will haunt you long after you've lent it to a friend. And lend it you will, because it is just too good not to share."--National Post"Before I Wake provocatively dances along the lines between faith and science, life and death."--Andrew Pyper, author of Lost Girls"Engrossing and carefully plotted . . . Wiersema's compassion and sympathy for his characters are genuine. . . he tells a cracking good tale."--Quill & Quire
Before I Was Yours: An emotional novel of love and family that will take your breath away
by Virginia MacgregorAn emotional family drama that asks the question: how far would you go for a child who isn't yours? What readers are saying about Before I Was Yours:'A very moving book which deals sympathetically with the subject matter''Another cracking book from an author who is now firmly cemented on my watch list''Towards the final few chapters I was in tears . . . such a wonderful story''One of the best books I have read in a long time'Sam and Rosie Keep have always wanted children of their own but life hasn't worked out that way for them. The only option available to them now is adoption: they'll do anything to have a child to love.Seven-year-old Jonah is far away from home and his mama promised he'd be looked after in England. But the man who's meant to be taking care of him has disappeared and now Jonah's all alone.When Sam and Rosie meet Jonah, they're certain they've found their son, and open their home and their hearts to him. Finally, their family is complete.And then the unthinkable happens and life changes for all three members of the Keep family. Suddenly Sam and Rosie must answer an impossible question: how far are they willing to go for a child who isn't really theirs?More praise for Virginia Macgregor'A future classic' Clare Mackintosh, author of I See You'Insightful and compelling' Woman & Home'Deeply satisfying' Red'A touching look at the meaning of motherhood' Good Housekeeping
Before I Was Yours: An emotional roller coaster about love and family
by Virginia MacgregorHow far would you go for a child who isn't yours? Why do readers LOVE Virginia Macgregor? 'I defy you not to fall in love' Clare Mackintosh 'Will delight you but break your heart several times over' Sun'I couldn't put this insightful, compelling novel down' Woman & Home'Might restore your faith in human nature' BellaPerfect for fans of Dorothy Koomson, Lisa Wingate and Julie Cohen. You Found Me by Virginia Macgregor is OUT NOW******************************************** Sam and Rosie Keep have always wanted children, but adoption has become their only option; they'll do anything to have a child to love. Seven-year-old Jonah is far away from home, and the man who's meant to be taking care of him has disappeared. When Sam and Rosie meet Jonah they know they've found the child they've dreamed of. But when the unthinkable happens and life changes for all three members of the Keep family, suddenly Sam and Rosie must answer an impossible question: how far are they willing to go for a child who isn't really theirs?MORE PRAISE FOR VIRGINIA MACGREGOR...'Deeply satisfying' Sarra Manning, Red 'Sharp, funny and hugely moving . . . a must read' Fabulous'Warm, wise and insightful' Good Housekeeping 'Beautifully written and thought-provoking, this is a brilliant read' Sun'This wonderful story will tear at your heart.' My Weekly 'Brilliant!' Heat 'A poignant and very clever read' Company'A truly heart-warming story of family, love and loyalty' Daily Express'An astonishingly brilliant novel' Australian Women's Weekly'A touching look at the meaning of motherhood' Good Housekeeping 'A challenging and moving story about the power of love' Image'Absolutely delightful . . . Everyone should read this book!' Novelicious'Written with plenty of heart' Sunday Mirror'An emotional and powerful family drama' Heat'So engaging and powerful' Press Association 'Layered and lyrical' Irish Independent
Before It's Too Late: Why Some Kids Get Into Trouble--and What Parents Can Do About It
by Stanton SamenowThis is a body of work which gives concerned parents and professionals instructive insight into the personality of "problem children" and gives practical suggestions for taking corrective and remedial steps before it's too late.From the Hardcover edition.
Before Lunch (Virago Modern Classics #366)
by Angela ThirkellJack Middleton likes to imagine himself a country squire. At weekends he retires to Laverings Estate with his wife, Catherine. He may be pompous, and they may seem ill-matched, but the couple are devoted to each other.When Jack's widowed sister, Lilian, and her two stepchildren arrive to spend the summer in the neighbouring house, he dreads the intrusion to his idyll: Daphne, capable and ambitious, is too lively for his taste, whereas her brother Denis, a composer, he finds a crashing bore. But their wit and good sense charm the residents of Barchester, and they win over Lord Bond with an impromptu Gilbert and Sullivan evening. Even Jack begins to thaw.Before long, Daphne and Lord Bond's son become attracted to each other, but each believes the other is attached to someone else. Can disaster be averted before she marries the wrong man? First published in 1939, Before Lunch is a sparkling comedy from Angela Thirkell's much-loved classic series.
Before Midnight: A Retelling of Cinderella (Once upon a Time)
by Cameron Dokey Mahlon F. CraftEtienne de Brabant is brokenhearted. His wife has died in childbirth, leaving him alone with an infant daughter he cannot bear to name. But before he abandons her for king and court, he brings a second child to be raised alongside her, a boy whose identity he does not reveal. The girl, La Cendrillon, and the boy, Raoul, pass sixteen years in the servants' care until one day a very fine lady arrives with her two daughters. The lady has married La Cendrillon's father, and her arrival changes their lives. When an invitation to a great ball reaches the family, La Cendrillon's new stepmother will make a decision with far-reaching effects. Her choice will lead La Cendrillon and Raoul toward their destiny -- a choice that will challenge their understanding of family, test their loyalty and courage, and, ultimately, teach them who they are.