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Why We Lie: The Evolutionary Roots of Deception and the Unconscious Mind
by David Livingstone SmithDeceit, lying, and falsehoods lie at the very heart of our cultural heritage. Even the founding myth of the Judeo-Christian tradition, the story of Adam and Eve, revolves around a lie. We have been talking, writing and singing about deception ever since Eve told God, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate." Our seemingly insatiable appetite for stories of deception spans the extremes of culture from King Lear to Little Red Riding Hood, retaining a grip on our imaginations despite endless repetition. These tales of deception are so enthralling because they speak to something fundamental in the human condition. The ever-present possibility of deceit is a crucial dimension of all human relationships, even the most central: our relationships with our very own selves.Now, for the first time, philosopher and evolutionary psychologist David Livingstone Smith elucidates the essential role that deception and self-deception have played in human--and animal--evolution and shows that the very structure of our minds has been shaped from our earliest beginnings by the need to deceive. Smith shows us that by examining the stories we tell, the falsehoods we weave, and the unconscious signals we send out, we can learn much about ourselves and how our minds work.Readers of Richard Dawkins and Steven Pinker will find much to intrigue them in this fascinating book, which declares that our extraordinary ability to deceive others--and even our own selves--"lies" at the heart of our humanity.
The Best Husband in Texas (Man of the Month #1201)
by Lass SmallMEN of the YEARMAN of the MONTH"I won't rest 'til I make that elusive filly my bride."-Austin Farrell, prime Texas husband materialRanchin' man Austin Farrell had loved Iris Smith since childhood. Though he'd never said the words, he always believed he was the only man for her. Then she married...and was widowed. Not once, but three times! Now the gentle beauty was back in Texas, and Austin was determined to lavish her with tender, lovin' care. And prove to her that this cowboy would never leave his destined bride's side....Some men are made for lovin'-and you'll love our MAN OF THE MONTH!
Having It All!
by Emma RichmondRowan wanted it all: a man, a marriage and her own company!But her transatlantic romance with Bostonian businessman Arden Harveson had been doomed from the start. Compromise hadn't been in either of their vocabularies and they had parted bitterly. Now Rowan was back in the States, and, while a year's distance hadn't cooled their ardor, it hadn't cooled their heads, either. To Rowan it seemed that wanting Arden was light-years away from having him!"Richmond has a magic way...."-Affaire de Coeur
The Protocol
by April ChristoffersonJennifer has to prove that Dr. Fielding funded his biotech firm by dealing in illegally obtained human organs - including her husband's -- for transplant into the bodies of people who could pay almost any price to extend their lives. But that's not the worst of Sherwood Fielding's trangressions against nature, as Jennifer soon finds out.Working on the cutting edge of a lucrative field like genetics is risky - and Jennifer finds herself in a maelstrom of murder, industrial espionage, deceit and personal betrayal. Embroiled in a plot of unimaginable medical perversion, Jennifer must fight for the truth about the science being done at the firm. Especially as it leads her to the truth of how and why her husband died.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Two Brothers and a Bride
by Elizabeth HarbisonALMOST ENGAGED, ALMOST IN LOVE?For years, waitress Joleen Wheeler had longed for Prince Charming to come in, order the blue-plate special and sweep her off her feet. So when a rich politician proposed, it seems as though her Cinderella dreams had come true. But Joleen wasn't in love....THE BLACK-SHEEP BROTHERThen she met her almost-fiancé's brother, Jake Landon, who was everything his brother wasn't-rough around the edges, arrogant, the black sheep of the family. And he was everything Joleen's head told her she shouldn't want, but her heart was shouting "yes!" Good grief. Why'd she have to be attracted to the wrong brother? What was an almost-bride-to-be to do?
The Wastrel
by Margaret MooreA Most Unsuitable Lord!Clara Wells's eccentric family drew enough sidelong glances her way that she could do without the attentions of London's most notorious rake. But the sinfully charming Lord Mulholland was renowned for getting whatever, or whomever, he desired....Paris Mulholland had long guarded his heart with a string of elegant, casual conquests, yet Clara's defiant pride enticed him in a way no coy flirtation ever had, and the prim and proper miss was proving a most engaging opponent in the war between the sexes....
My Lover's Secret
by Jean BarrettHIS-AND-HERS SECRETSGillian Randolph and Cleveland McBride had one steamy and reckless summer together-and then suddenly Gillian left without explanation, leaving Cleve with only memories. Now she was back, pleading for help-and looking more tempting than ever.The police couldn't help her-only Cleve's arms could keep Gillian safe from a murderer's vengeance. But her lover had changed. He was harder, more cynical, sexier. The secrets she'd kept from him weighed on her soul, but how could she tell him the truth after all this time? And what secrets lay behind his own shadowed eyes?And would the truth come too late to save them both from a killer?
A Marriage Worth Keeping
by Kate DentonFor better, for worse...So much for their wedding vows! Leslie Campbell had had enough of her husband, Hugh, putting his career before their marriage, and had left. Now she was back in Texas, with no money and nowhere to live. There was only one person she could turn to-Hugh!But Hugh wanted to give their marriage a second chance...so he offered a solution to Leslie's problems-she could move back in with him! Suddenly Leslie found herself fighting her attraction for Hugh-but with emotions running high, temptation resulted in a night of passion...and passion made a baby! Could it be that this was a marriage worth keeping after all?
The Legions of Fire (The Books of the Elements)
by David DrakeIn this epic historical fantasy saga debut by the author of the Lord of the Isles, four young people must face dangerous magic to save the world.“Drake . . . vividly recreates the attitudes of patrician Romans in this fantasy tale. . . . Fans of fantasy and historical fiction will enjoy.” —Publishers WeeklyIn this novel of magical menace to the survival of all humanity, David Drake introduces a new fantasy world, Carce, based on Europe during the later Roman Empire.Far in the north, a group of magicians perform a strange dance on a volcanic island. They intend to open a gateway for supernatural creatures that will allow them to devastate the planet and destroy all life. Not knowing the cause, two young men, Corylus and Varus, and two women, Hedia and Alphena, each separately pursue the answer to mysterious and threatening happenings that prefigure disaster in the great city of Carce, the center of civilization. Through magical voyages in other realities where fantastic creatures, and even gods, help or hinder them, each of them must succeed or not just the city but the world will end in fire.The Legions of Fire is the first of a fantasy quartet set in the world of the city of Carce.“Recommended for all action fantasy fans, not least because three of the four protagonists are on the verge of adulthood, which promises a bildungsroman atmosphere throughout the succeeding volumes.” —Booklist
The Swordless Samurai: Leadership Wisdom of Japan's 16th-Century Legend—Toyotomi Hideyoshi
by Kitami MasaoIt was the Age of Wars, a time of endless chaos and bloodshed, when the only law was the law of the sword, and a peasant boy named Hideyoshi dreamed of becoming a samurai. He lacked size and strength and well as social status. To realize his ambition, he had to rely on wits alone. A keen student of human nature, he learned to outthink and outmaneuver every foe. Not only did he become a samurai, be he also commanded vast armies, and finally, became ruler of an entire nation. Hideyoshi far surpassed his childhood ambition---this son of a penniless farmer became one of the greatest military and civic leaders the world has ever known. What enabled an unschooled peasant to usurp, outnegotiate, and conquer ruthless samurai generals? How did he recruit and retain thousands of devoted followers? The timeless leadership secrets that Hideyoshi used to reach the pinnacle of power are now available in English for the first time. Destined to take its place beside such classics as The Book of Five Rings and The Art of War, The Swordless Samurai is required reading for all who seek effective strategies for succeeding in business, conflict, and life.
The Playboy and the Nanny
by Anne McAllisterTempted by a tycoon...Mari was thrilled when a wealthy businessman offered her a job as live-in nanny to his son. But on arrival at his luxury home Mari realized her employer had two sons-and her charge, Nikos Costanides, wasn't the little boy who had greeted her. It was his half brother, a thirty-two-year-old playboy!And it was no mistake. Nikos's father had hired nanny extraordinaire Mari to reform his rebellious son. Mari wasn't sure she could persuade this sinfully gorgeous man to take orders from her. Especially as he didn't want to be reformed-he was more interested in seducing Mari into his wicked ways!
Moving Pictures: A Discworld Novel (Discworld #10)
by Terry Pratchett“Cracking dialogue, compelling illogic and unchained whimsy.”—Sunday TimesMovie mania sweeps across the Discworld creating disaster in its wake in this delightful take on Tinseltown and the lure of glamour, fame, close-ups, and big dreams from acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett.A new phenomenon is taking over the Discworld: moving pictures. The alchemists of Ankh-Morpork have discovered how to get gold from silver—the silver screen, that is. Soon, the growing “clicks” industry moves to the sandy land of Holy Wood, attracted by the light of the sun and some strange un-nameable calling.Victor Tugelbend, a wizarding student dropout who can’t sing and can’t dance wants to be a star, just like small-town girl Theda “Ginger” Withel. But the click of moving pictures isn’t just stirring up dreams inside Discworld. Holy Wood’s magic is drifting out into the boundaries of the universes, where raw realities, the could-have-beens, the might-bes, and the never-weres are beginning to ferment with some wild ideas into a really stinky brew. Because belief is powerful in the Discworld, and sometimes downright dangerous, and the magic of movies might just unravel reality itself.It's up to Victor and Gaspode the Wonder Dog to rein in the chaos and return order to a star-struck Discworld. Are they ready to play the biggest roles of their lives?
Past Due: The End of Easy Money and the Renewal of the American Economy
by Peter S. GoodmanHow Main Street was hit by—and might recover from—the financial crisis, by The New York Times's national economics correspondentWhen the financial crisis struck in 2008, Main Street felt the blow just as hard as Wall Street. The New York Times national economics correspondent Peter S. Goodman takes us behind the headlines and exposes how the flow of capital from Asia and Silicon Valley to the suburbs of the housing bubble perverted America's economy. He follows a real estate entrepreneur who sees endless opportunity in the underdeveloped lots of Florida—until the mortgages for them collapse. And he watches as an Oakland, California-based deliveryman, unable to land a job in the biotech industry, slides into unemployment and a homeless shelter. As Goodman shows, for two decades Americans binged on imports and easy credit, a spending spree abetted by ever-increasing home values—and then the bill came due.Yet even in a new environment of thrift and pullback, Goodman argues that economic adaptation is possible, through new industries and new safety nets. His tour of new businesses in Michigan, Iowa, South Carolina, and elsewhere and his clear-eyed analysis point the way to the economic promises and risks America now faces.
South of the Clouds: Exploring the Hidden Realms of China
by Seth FaisonSouth of the Clouds offers a fascinating, intimate portrait of China by telling the story of an American man who ventures into its hidden realms---romance, politics, the criminal underworld, and Tibet. As he matures from a wide-eyed student into a journalist and a seasoned observer, he develops a passion for uncovering secrets, about China and about himself.The author navigates his way past forbidding walls to peek inside the dark corners of Chinese society, relying on a remarkable collection of friends and acquaintances who help guide the way: an embittered policeman in Xian, a gay professor in Shanghai, and a Buddhist monk in Tibet, who presides at an ancient burial ritual where the corpse is carved up and fed to wild vultures.The Tiananmen Square massacre, people smuggling, and the Falun Gong movement are among the political and social upheavals that the author explains as he witnesses China's uncertain road toward capitalism and its place in the modern world.Along his travels, the author wrestles with his own cultural identity, his sexuality, and his spiritual bearings. He finds an erotic outlet in the Chinese "Sauna Massage" and a stirring emotional connection with Jin Xing, a brilliant choreographer and China's first openly transsexual citizen. Ultimately, he discovers the answer to lifelong questions on a mountaintop in Tibet. Seth Faison, with a subtle understanding of Chinese culture, brings past and present events to life in a thought-provoking account of this mysterious nation and its people.
Family Man
by Rosemary CarterFather and son...Watching Sterling Tenassik play with her three-year-old son, Toby, Danielle was struck by how different things could have been. It seemed that underneath Sterling's ruthless bachelor exterior there was definite potential!And yet four years ago Sterling had made it clear that all he was looking for was a no-strings affair. Danielle had no real reason for thinking that the situation had changed. He might be able to act the part, but Sterling Tenassik was not a family man. Which made his interest in Danielle all the more surprising.... Unless, of course, he'd guessed the truth about Toby?
The Nitrogen Murder (The Periodic Table Series)
by Camille MinichinoIn the latest installment of Camille Minichino's fun, fast-paced Periodic Table mystery series, retired physicist Gloria Lamerino and her fiancé, homicide detective Matt Gennaro, attend the wedding of Gloria's best friend in California. Unfortunately, the groom has disappeared along with some top-secret research on nitrogen.As Gloria and Matt try to figure out a connection between the missing groom and the absent classified nitrogen research, the body count rises.
When Reagan Sent in the Marines: The Invasion of Lebanon
by Patrick J. Sloyan"In this formidable narrative, the prize-winning and super honest reporter, Patrick Sloyan, adds the depth of a scholar's context to produce a gripping reminder of why we should never forget history. He makes readers feel like they were eye witnesses." —Ralph NaderFrom a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who reported on the events as they happened, an action-packed account of Reagan's failures in the 1983 Marines barracks bombing in Beirut. On October 23, 1983, a truck bomb destroyed the U.S. Marines barracks in Beirut. 241 Americans were killed in the worst terrorist attack our nation would suffer until 9/11. We’re still feeling the repercussions today.When Reagan Sent In the Marines tells why the Marines were there, how their mission became confused and compromised, and how President Ronald Reagan used another misguided military venture to distract America from the attack and his many mistakes leading up to it.Pulitzer Prize-winning author Patrick J. Sloyan uses his own contemporaneous reporting, his close relationships with the Marines in Beirut, recently declassified documents, and interviews with key players, including Reagan’s top advisers, to shine a new light on the Israeli invasion of Lebanon and Reagan’s doomed ceasefire in Beirut. Sloyan draws on interviews with key players to explore the actions of Kissinger and Haig, while revealing the courage of Marine Colonel Timothy Geraghty, who foresaw the disaster in Beirut, but whom Reagan would later blame for it.More than thirty-five years later, America continues to wrestle with Lebanon, the Marines with the legacy of the Beirut bombing, and all of us with the threat of Mideast terror that the attack furthered. When Reagan Sent In The Marines is about a historical moment, but one that remains all too present today.
Making Money: A Discworld Novel (Moist von Lipwig #2)
by Terry Pratchett“Outlandish fun. . . . Making Money balances satire, knockabout farce and close observation of human—and non-human—foibles with impressive dexterity and deceptive ease. The result is another ingenious entertainment from the preeminent comic fantasist of our time.”—Washington PostThe hero of Going Postal has an even more dangerous job than the mail: overseeing the tanking Royal Bank and the printing of Ankh-Morpork’s first paper currency in this brilliant installment in New York Times bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett’s beloved Discworld series.The Royal Bank of Ankh-Morpork is facing a crisis, and who better to manage it than the man who turned around Ankh-Morpork’s inefficient Post Office, former arch-swindler-turned-Postmaster General Moist von Lipwig. Lord Vetinari once again makes Moist an offer he can’t refuse: resuscitate the venerable Royal Mint.The bank has many problems: the chief cashier is almost certainly a vampire, the elderly chairman and her two loaded crossbows needs a daily walkie, there’s something strange happening in the cellar, and running the Royal Mint is costing a mint.As Moist begins to make some ambitious changes, he accrues some dangerous enemies. Everyone knows money is power—and certain stakeholders will do anything to keep a firm grip on both . . .The Discworld novels can be read in any order, but Making Money is the second book in the Moist von Lipwig series. The full series, in order, includes:Going PostalMaking MoneyRaising Steam
Uptown Girl: A Memoir
by Christie BrinkleyIn 1974, a twenty-year-old Christie Brinkley was “discovered” outside a Paris phone booth, which set off a meteoric modeling career that would land her on the covers of hundreds of magazines and cement her legacy as an All-American icon. Although she’s lived more than fifty years in the public eye, the full story of her roller-coaster life has never been told.Now, for the first time, Christie shares what life has been like, both in front of and behind the cameras, considering the girl she was alongside the woman she has become. Her stories are as heartening as they are eye-opening, as she recounts her most formative chapters, including the betrayal by her biological father as a child, her lifelong passion for art, her whirlwind career, her four tumultuous marriages—including her heartbreaking divorce from Billy Joel—and the harrowing experiences that almost cut her life short.Through it all, Christie’s unwavering belief in the magic and mystery of life has been her guiding light, even during her darkest times. It is with this grace and gratitude that she tenderly chronicles the unexpected, unexplainable ways her life has unfolded, embracing every adventure and twist of fate along the way: traveling the world as a supermodel at the height of the model wars, living life on the road with her rock-star husband and their baby, starring in blockbuster movies and hit sitcoms, riding horses with cowboys, training with world-champion boxers, and even stepping into the spotlight on Broadway.A bighearted, beautifully crafted memoir of resilience and self-discovery, featuring more than 100 photographs and never-before-seen pieces of Christie’s original artwork, Uptown Girl is the brave account of a life lived at full throttle and on full display.
Snake Oil: A Novel
by Kelsey Rae Dimberg“A brisk and fun thriller… This is a novel with a lively, churning plot, about which nothing more can be said without revealing its deftly constructed twists. Blending soap-operatic thrills and boardroom intrigue, Snake Oil is consistently satisfying, a reminder that it might be intoxicating to watch bubbles grow, but it’s always more memorable when they burst.” — San Francisco ChronicleA razor-sharp literary thriller about three women vying for power at a wellness startup, where the cost of ambition might be deadlyOne woman’s elixir is another woman’s poisonRhoda West is Silicon Valley’s favorite female CEO: the luminously charismatic founder of the fast-growing startup Radical, a wellness company whose core mission is the betterment of women’s lives. Rhoda’s Instagram page offers intimate glimpses of her personal life alongside promotions for the cult-status products developed in the Well, Radical’s secretive lab.Dani Lang is a “quester,” as Rhoda calls her most avid followers. Dani found Radical at a low point in her life, and took an entry level job just to get in the door. When she volunteers to test a controversial new supplement, Dani wins an opportunity to rise in the company, even to work with Rhoda herself.Cecelia Cole is a “quasher.” She grinds away at the Customer Worship queue, resenting the entitled customers, the woo-woo Radical jargon, and Rhoda’s smiling hypocrisy. Cecelia, who suffers from a miserable chronic illness, knows that the remedies Rhoda sells can’t cure real sickness.Just as Rhoda announces another fundraising round that could turn Radical into a billion-dollar unicorn, an anonymous Twitter account begins spilling snarky gossip from inside the startup. Is Rhoda really the nurturing leader she presents to the world, or a fraud? Or is this just another case of a woman in business being punished for her strength and audacity?Tensions rise and loyalties clash, then tragedy strikes during a company party. In the aftermath of what looks more and more like a crime, even the most faithful questers begin to wonder to what lengths Rhoda will go to protect her company.Part page-turning suspense, part darkly comic skewering of startup culture, Snake Oil is a gripping exploration of ambition and authenticity, shining a revealing light on the wellness world.
The Wife Stalker: A Novel
by Liv ConstantineSoon to be an original movie on Lifetime, premiering March 29!The bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish—a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick—returns with a psychological thriller, filled with chilling serpentine twists, about a woman fighting to hold onto the only family she’s ever loved—and how far she’ll go to preserve it.Named one of the most anticipated thrillers of the year by Goodreads, Bustle, SheReads, and Library Journal; A LibraryReads pick of the month Breezing into the upscale seaside paradise of Westport, Connecticut, gorgeous thirtysomething Piper Reynard sets down roots, opening a rehab and wellness space and joining a local yacht club. When she meets Leo Drakos, a handsome, successful lawyer, the wedding ring on his finger is the only thing she doesn’t like about him. Yet as Piper well knows, no marriage is permanent.Meanwhile, Joanna has been waiting patiently for Leo, the charismatic man she fell in love with all those years ago, to re-emerge from the severe depression that has engulfed him. Though she’s thankful when Leo returns to his charming, energetic self, paying attention again to Evie and Stelli, the children they both love beyond measure, Joanna is shocked to discover that it’s not her loving support that’s sparked his renewed happiness—it’s something else.Piper. Leo has fallen head over heels for the flaky, New Age-y newcomer, and unrepentant and resolute, he’s more than willing to leave Joanna behind, along with everything they’ve built. Of course, he assures her, she can still see the children.Joanna is devastated—and determined to find something, anything, to use against this woman who has stolen her life and her true love. As she digs deeper into Piper’s past, Joanna begins to unearth disturbing secrets . . . but when she confides to her therapist that she fears for the lives of her ex-husband and children, her concerns are dismissed as paranoia. Can she find the proof she needs in time to save them?
Invisible Labor: The Untold Story of the Cesarean Section
by Rachel SomersteinAn incisive yet personal look at the science and history of the most common surgery performed in America—the cesarean section—and an exposé on the disturbing state of maternal medical careWhen Rachel Somerstein had an unplanned C-section with her first child, the experience was anything but “routine.” A series of errors by her clinicians led to a real-life nightmare: surgery without anesthesia. The ensuing mental and physical complications left her traumatized and searching for answers about how things could have gone so wrong.In the United States, one in three babies is born via C-section, a rate that has grown exponentially over the past fifty years. And while in most cases the procedure is safe, it is not without significant, sometimes life-changing consequences, many of which affect people of color disproportionately. With C-sections all but invisible in popular culture and pregnancy guides, new mothers are often left to navigate these obstacles on their own.Somerstein weaves personal narrative and investigative journalism with medical, social, and cultural history to reveal the operation’s surprising evolution, from its early practice on enslaved women to its excessive promotion by modern medical practitioners. She uncovers the current-day failures of the medical system, showing how pregnant women's agency is regularly disregarded by providers who, motivated by fear of litigation or a hospital’s commitment to efficiency, make far-reaching and deeply personal decisions on behalf of their patients. She also examines what prevailing maternal and medical attitudes toward C-sections tell us about American culture.Invisible Labor lifts the veil on C-sections so that people can make choices about pregnancy and surgical birth with greater knowledge of the risks, benefits, and alternatives, with information on topics including:VBAC (vaginal birth after cesarean) and repeat c-sectionPain and pain management during childbirthHow C-sections can affect family planningThe valuable role of midwives and doulas in the birth experienceThe myths behind “natural” childbirth How limitations put on reproductive rights impact pregnant peopleWith deep feeling and authority, Somerstein offers support to others who have had difficult or traumatic birth experiences, as well as hope for new forms of reproductive justice.
To Kill a Mockingbird
by Harper LeeLook for The Land of Sweet Forever, a posthumous collection of newly discovered short stories and previously published essays and magazine pieces by Harper Lee, coming October 21, 2025.Voted America's Best-Loved Novel in PBS's The Great American ReadHarper Lee's Pulitzer Prize-winning masterwork of honor and injustice in the deep South—and the heroism of one man in the face of blind and violent hatredOne of the most cherished stories of all time, To Kill a Mockingbird has been translated into more than forty languages, sold more than forty million copies worldwide, served as the basis for an enormously popular motion picture, and was voted one of the best novels of the twentieth century by librarians across the country. A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.
Earthly Materials: Journeys Through Our Bodies' Emissions, Excretions, and Disintegrations
by Cutter WoodAn “UNEXPECTEDLY PROFOUND,” “DEEPLY STRANGE,” and “UTTERLY UNIQUE tour of the human body” (Publishers Weekly)"A must read for anyone who’s ever been amazed or aghast at what just came out." — Rachel Yoder, author of NightbitchTo live, our bodies must continuously shed materials. Stop urinating, stop defecating, stop expelling breath, and death is near. While we often think of these materials as embarrassing waste products, they serve far more complex functions. The color of our mucus, the volume of our flatus, the rhythm of our breath: taken together, these materials tell a story of the human that produced them. Moreover, the exchange, elimination, and frequent disguise of our effluence has been elemental to the development of human civilization, and our lives today are still governed by a host of laws and superstitions and social mores about the materials our bodies leave behind.In each of twelve discrete chapters, Earthly Materials tells a story about one of the materials the human body sheds—from breath and urine to vomit and tears. Sometimes the questions examined are historical: What have we physically done with all the urine produced in our cities? Sometimes they approach the matter through a philosophical lens: Is it ever logical to cry? Sometimes they explore recent scientific discoveries: How is mucus forcing us to reconsider our understanding of natural selection? But they always offer a window into how we negotiate our place in the world and how we get along with one another. Cutter Wood's delightfully weird, richly informative, and unexpectedly poetic tour of our bodily excretions uncovers extraordinary truths about ourselves--and the human story.
The Uptown Local: Joy, Death, and Joan Didion: A Memoir
by Cory LeadbeaterA brilliant debut memoir about a young writer—struggling with depression, family issues, and addiction—and his life-changing decade working for Joan DidionAs an aspiring novelist in his early twenties, Cory Leadbeater was presented with an opportunity to work for a well-known writer whose identity was kept confidential. Since the tumultuous days of childhood, Cory had sought refuge from the rougher parts of life in the pages of books. Suddenly, he found himself the personal assistant to a titan of literature: Joan Didion.In the nine years that followed, Cory shared Joan’s rarefied world, transformed not only by her blazing intellect but by her generous friendship and mentorship. Together they recited poetry in the mornings, dined with Supreme Court justices, attended art openings, smoked a single cigarette before bed.But secretly, Cory was spiraling. He reeled from the death of a close friend. He spent his weekends at a federal prison, visiting his father as he served time for fraud. He struggled day after day to write the novel that would validate him as a real writer. And meanwhile, the forces of addiction and depression loomed large.In hypnotic prose that pulses with life and longing, The Uptown Local explores the fault lines of class, family, loss, and creativity. It is a love letter to a cultural icon—and a moving testament to the relationships that sustain us in the eternal pursuit of a life worth living.