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The Titanic Disaster: Omens, Mysteries & Misfortunes of the Doomed Liner
by James W. BancroftIt was on Wednesday, 10 April 1912, that the imposing bulk of the RMS Titanic slipped her berth, and, to great fanfare, headed out into the Solent at the start of her maiden voyage. By all accounts, the liner was at the time the largest man-made object ever to move on water. The space her decks created allowed her designers to introduce previously unseen levels of luxury. In first class, for example, there were many new features such as squash courts, a Turkish bath, a gymnasium, a barber shop and even the first swimming pool built on board a ship. There was also the bold claim by its builders that Titanic was ‘practically unsinkable’. Sadly, just four days later, this assertion was found wanting. At 23.40 hours on the evening of 14 April, Titanic struck an iceberg. In less than three hours she had slipped beneath the waves. While the liner’s loss has been the subject of numerous films, documentaries and publications in the years that followed, in this book the author James W. Bancroft asks if the RMS Titanic had been doomed to a watery grave even before it sailed? Certainly, many people experienced feelings of foreboding about the ship, and there were many strange omens and unexplained events surrounding its construction and maiden voyage. A novel written many years before Titanic was built mirrored almost exactly the details of the disaster, and the well-known spiritualist, W.T. Stead, wrote a story of a similar nature. As a passenger on the ship, he seemed to have accepted his fate and did not try to save himself. Even animals seem to have sensed danger, such as the dog which tried to stop its owner from traveling to board the vessel, and Titanic’s cat had kittens and was seen taking them all off the liner before it sailed. The voyage was fatefully delayed for three weeks, and at least fifty travelers had forebodings about the ‘Ghost Ship’, some of whom missed the sailing or refused to board. Following years of research, James has uncovered some 100 fascinating stories concerning omens and premonitions of people who sailed – or in fact decided not to – on the ill-fated liner. This is the first time that all of these incidents have been brought together. Together they provide an unusual insight into the Titanic disaster.
Grant at 200: Reconsidering the Life and Legacy of Ulysses S. Grant
by Chris Mackowski Frank J. ScaturroProceeds from this volume will go to support the Ulysses S. Grant Association and the Grant Monument Association. Ulysses S. Grant stood at the center of the American Civil War maelstrom. The Ohio native answered his nation’s call to service and finished the war as a lieutenant general in command of the U.S. Army. Four years later, he ascended to the presidency to better secure the peace he had helped win on the battlefield. Despite his major achievements in war and peace, political and sectional enemies battered his reputation. For nearly a century, his military and political career remained deeply misunderstood. Since the Civil War centennial, however, Grant’s reputation has blossomed into a full renaissance. His military record garners new respect and, more recently, an appreciation for his political career—particularly his strong advocacy for equal rights—is quickly catching up. Throughout these decades, his personal memoirs marking him as a significant American “Man of Letters” have never gone out of print. Grant at 200: Reconsidering the Life and Legacy of Ulysses S. Grant celebrates the bicentennial of the birth of a man whose towering impact on American history has often been overshadowed and, in many cases, ignored. This collection of essays by some of today’s leading Grant scholars offers fresh perspectives on Grant’s military career and presidency, as well as underexplored personal topics such as his faith and family life.
Conservative Victory: Defeating Obama's Radical Agenda
by Sean HannityBarack Obama and his radical team of self-professed socialists, fringe activists, and others are trying to remake the American way of life. They have used their new Democratic majority to launch an alarming assault on our capitalist system—while abandoning the war on terror, undermining our national security, and weakening our position in the eyes of our enemies. The "candidate of change" is threatening to change our country irreparably, and for the worse—if we don't act to stop him now.Sean Hannity has been sounding the alarms about Obama and his agenda from the start. Now—in his first new book in six years—he issues a stirring call to action. Hannity surveys all the major Obama players—from the president's affiliation with radical theology to his advisers' history of Marxist activism, repression of the media, support for leftist dictators, and worse. He exposes their resulting campaign to dismantle the American free-market system and forfeit our national sovereignty. But he draws on the examples of Ronald Reagan and the GOP's Contract with America to show how conservatives can unite behind this country's most cherished principles and act now to get America back on the right track—while we still can.
Michael Polanyi and His Generation: Origins of the Social Construction of Science
by Mary Jo NyeIn Michael Polanyi and His Generation, Mary Jo Nye investigates the role that Michael Polanyi and several of his contemporaries played in the emergence of the social turn in the philosophy of science. This turn involved seeing science as a socially based enterprise that does not rely on empiricism and reason alone but on social communities, behavioral norms, and personal commitments. Nye argues that the roots of the social turn are to be found in the scientific culture and political events of Europe in the 1930s, when scientific intellectuals struggled to defend the universal status of scientific knowledge and to justify public support for science in an era of economic catastrophe, Stalinism and Fascism, and increased demands for applications of science to industry and social welfare. At the center of this struggle was Polanyi, who Nye contends was one of the first advocates of this new conception of science. Nye reconstructs Polanyi’s scientific and political milieus in Budapest, Berlin, and Manchester from the 1910s to the 1950s and explains how he and other natural scientists and social scientists of his generation—including J. D. Bernal, Ludwik Fleck, Karl Mannheim, and Robert K. Merton—and the next, such as Thomas Kuhn, forged a politically charged philosophy of science, one that newly emphasized the social construction of science.
Ultimate Memory Magic: The Transformative Program for Sharper Memory, Mental Clarity, and Greater Focus . . . at Any Age!
by Jim Karol Michael RossImprove your memory, sharpen your mind, and change your life—at any age! As we age, our memories become unreliable; we misplace things and forget details. In Ultimate Memory Magic, memory expert Jim Karol shows that these side effects of aging are not inevitable. His memory-boosting system, called “Cogmental Intelligence,” goes beyond preserving mental acuity and actually enhances memory and mental function through lifestyle changes and mental exercises. Concentration, alertness, and focus can all be strengthened—by anyone, at any age. Karol’s cutting-edge program will show readers how to: - Sharpen their thinking and regain their mental edge - Live healthier, mentally and physically - Clear away negativity and stress - Become more creative and innovative A former steel worker who suffered from ill health, Karol used this method to transform his own life. Now he is physically healthy and renowned for his unparalleled memory. His incredible feats of memory and mentalism have been featured on The Tonight Show, The Ellen Show, Today, and more. Karol has used his Cogmental Intelligence method with clients from professional athletes to business leaders and speaks at venues around the world, from MIT to the Pentagon. With a foreword from bestselling author and physician Daniel G. Amen, Ultimate Memory Magic will allow readers of any age to hone their minds, strengthen their memories, and transform their lives.
The Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup
by Franklin FoerThe Thinking Fan's Guide to the World Cup features original pieces by thirty-two leading writers and journalists about the thirty-two nations that have qualified for the world's greatest sporting event. In addition to all the essential information any fan needs—the complete 2006 match schedule, results from past tournaments, facts and figures about the nations, players, teams, and referees—here are essays that shine a whole new light on soccer and the world.Former Foreign Minister of Mexico Jorge G. Castañeda invites George W. Bush to watch a game.Novelist Robert Coover remembers soccer in Spain after the death of General Francisco Franco.Dave Eggers on America, and the gym teachers who kept it free from communism.Time magazine's Tokyo bureau chief Jim Frederick shows how soccer is displacing baseball in Japan.Novelist Aleksandar Hemon proves, once and for all, that sex and soccer do not mix.Novelist John Lanchester describes the indescribable: the beauty of Brazilian soccer.The New Yorker's Cressida Leyshon on Trinidad and Tobago, 750-1 underdogs.Fever Pitch author Nick Hornby on the conflicting call of club and country.Plus an afterword by Franklin Foer on the form of government most likely to win the World Cup.
Best of the Rust Belt
by Anne Trubek Anna ClarkThe best personal essays from a contested region, from Belt Publishing&’s ten years as a press. Many have an opinion on what the Rust Belt is. It&’s the "blue wall," "Trump country," the "flyover states," or the &“real America.&” Or maybe, as our own president has said, it's a place that no longer exists called by a name that has long outlived its usefulness. But undeniably, there&’s something that connects the region. Maybe the question isn&’t what defines that connection, but who. Over the past ten years, Belt Publishing has been putting out books that prioritize the voices of the many people who live here. We&’ve collected our favorite writing from our dozens of anthologies, from Pittsburgh to Gary, Chicago to St. Louis, Milwaukee to Cleveland, and more, documenting growing up in segregated St. Louis and elucidating the coded Islamophobia of southern Michigan. Featuring LaToya Ruby Frazier, Connie Schultz, Brian Broome, Megan Stielstra, Vivian Gibson, Aaron Foley, Kathleen Rooney, Sarah Kendzior, Phil Christman, and more.
Maggots, Murder, and Men: Memories and Reflections of a Forensic Entomologist
by Zakaria ErzinçliogluThe science of forensic entomology-the application of insect biology to the investigation of crime-is extremely specialized, combining as it does an expert knowledge of entomology with keen powers of observation and deduction. Dr. Erzinclioglu has been a practitioner for over twenty-five years and has been involved in a great number of investigations, including some recent high-profile cases, where his evidence has been critical to the outcome.A great admirerer of Sherlock Holmes, Dr. Erzinclioglu compares his own techniques with those of his fictional hero, and takes the reader behind the often gruesome but deeply fascinating scenes of a murder investigation. This absorbing book ranges over cases from history, prehistory and mythology to the present day and is as gripping and readable as a good thriller.
Leaving Unknown: A Novel
by Kerry Reichs“Mixing humor with tender moments, Reichs creates an enjoyable journey with wonderful writing and likable characters.”—Library JournalFrom the author of The Best Day of Someone Else’s Life comes Leaving Unknown—a funny and touching story of a young woman who, while traveling across country, finds herself stuck in the true middle of nowhere, a.k.a. Unknown, Arizona. Great writing comes naturally to Kerry Reichs (she’s the daughter of New York Times bestselling author Kathy Reichs, whose Temperance Brennan forensic mysteries inspired the TV series Bones). With Leaving Unknown, Kerry has penned a bittersweet modern-day Odyssey that readers of Kristin Gore, Jennifer Crusie, Meg Cabot, and Jennifer Weiner will absolutely adore.
Or the Bull Kills You: A Mystery (Chief Inspector Max Cámara #1)
by Jason WebsterAn accomplished debut mystery set in the high-stakes and decidedly murky world of bullfighting in Valencia, Spain"Either you kill the bull, or the bull kills you." Chief Inspector Max Cámara thinks in proverbs,and he hates one thing above all: bullfighting. One hot afternoon in Valencia, however, he has to stand in for his boss, judging a festival corrida starring Spain's most famous young matador. That night, he is back in the bullring, and what he finds on the blood-stained sand shocks the city of Valencia to its core. Cámara is roped into investigating a grisly murder while dealing with violent shadows from his own past, as well as confronting the suspiciousness of the bullfighting community and the stonewalling of local politicians in full electoral campaign. To top it all, Fallas, the loudest fiesta in the country, has just got underway. For Cámara, it seems his problems have only just begun...
Frozen: A Crime Novel (Megan Rhys Crime Novels #1)
by Lindsay Jayne AshfordForensic psychologist Megan Rhys has been asked to advise the police on the murders of two young prostitutes. Seemingly, the women are victims of two killers working together. But there is something wrong with the information the police are giving her. Someone is trying to manipulate her. Or are her own prejudices coloring her judgment?As the killings add up, Megan is being pushed harder and harder toward one solution--and someone is getting into her house. Is the killer closer than she realizes? Is a member of her own family betraying her?
It Came from Del Rio: A Bunnyhead Chronicle (The Bunnyhead Chronicles)
by Stephen Graham Jones&“Jones crosses into the noir badlands of No Country for Old Men—bloody and throwing sparks but cool as a killer angel—and by sundown he owns the joint.&” —Will Christopher Baer, author of Kiss Me, Judas Smuggler Dodd Raines just got the job of a lifetime. He&’ll finally earn enough money to secure a decent future for his young daughter and start over on the right side of the law. There&’s just one catch: his cargo is made up of moon rocks—with mass-casualty levels of radiation. Getting across the border from Mexico into the United States isn&’t easy, even though Raines has done it hundreds of times. If the blazing sun and hungry coyotes don&’t take him down, the border cop obsessed with catching him will. And then there are the moon rocks. No one delivering them is meant to survive—especially after already being killed. But that&’s the twist. One that transforms Raines into an undead rabbit-eared monster starving for vengeance, on a path straight into his orphaned daughter&’s life . . . &“A pitch-perfect noir tale of love and revenge.&” —The Denver Post &“No other writer could have done this. Period. Stephen Graham Jones has built a story out of radioactive scrap metal that anyone else would have rendered as kitsch. But with Jones, the diary of a rabbit-headed zombie chupacabra shepherd is absolutely convincing and utterly moving.&” —Craig Clevenger, author of Mother Howl and The Contortionist&’s Handbook
Be Not Afraid of My Body: A Lyrical Memoir
by Darius StewartA poet&’s &“dazzlingly propulsive&” memoir of growing up Black and gay in Knoxville, Tennessee (Kaveh Akbar, New York Times–bestselling author of Martyr!). Darius Stewart spent his childhood in the Lonsdale projects of Knoxville, where he grew up navigating school, friendship, and his own family life in a context that often felt perilous. As we learn about his life in Tennessee—and eventually in Texas and Iowa, where he studies to become a poet—he details the obstacles to his most crucial desires: hiding his earliest attraction to boys in his neighborhood, predatory stalkers, doomed affairs, his struggles with alcohol addiction, and his eventual diagnosis with HIV. Through a mix of straightforward memoir, brilliantly surreal reveries, and moments of startling imagery and insight, Stewart&’s explorations of love, illness, chemical dependency, desire, family, joy, shame, loneliness, and beauty coalesce into a wrenching, musical whole. Be Not Afraid of My Body stands as a compelling testament to growing up Black and gay in America, and to the drive in all of us to collect the fragments of our own experience and transform them into a story that does justice to all the multitudes we contain. &“A memorable portrait of Black gay life, from poverty and adversity to accomplishment and poetry.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“A mammoth creation . . . Just unbelievably rich art right here.&” —Kiese Laymon, New York Times–bestselling author of Heavy
Why Is Daddy in a Dress?: Asking Awkward Questions with Baby Animals
by Amanda McCall Ben SchwartzWhy face the embarrassment of dealing with life's most awkward questions when adorable baby animals can do it for you? Amanda McCall and Ben Schwartz, the creators of the wickedly lovable Grandma's Dead, return with Why is Daddy in a Dress?, another invaluable aid to avoiding sticky situations. A book of postcards featuring cuddly kittens, playful puppies, fuzzy ducklings, and hoppity baby bunnies broaching sensitive subjects like "Are you a hooker?" or "Can we stop cuddling?," Why is Daddy in a Dress? is the perfect cure for foot-in-mouth disease.
The Bond: Our Kinship with Animals, Our Call to Defend Them
by Wayne Pacelle“If the animals knew about this book they would, without doubt, confer on Wayne Pacelle, their highest honor.”—Jane Goodall“The Bond is the best overall book on animals I have ever read. Brilliant and moving.”—John Mackey, CEO and Co-founder of Whole Foods Market“The Bond is at once heart-breaking and heart-warming. No animal escapes Wayne Pacelle’s attention; nor should his book escape any human animal’s attention.”—Alexandra Horowitz, New York Times Bestselling Author of Inside of a Dog The president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, the world’s largest animal protection organization, Wayne Pacelle brings us The Bond, a heartfelt, eye-opening exploration of the special bond between animals and humans. With the poignant insight of Animals Make Us Human and the shocking reality of Fast Food Nation—filled with history, valuable insights, and fascinating stories of the author’s experience in the field—The Bond is an important investigation into all the ways we can repair our broken bond with the animal kingdom and a thrilling chronicle of one man’s extraordinary contribution to that effort.
The Unseen: A Novel
by Katherine Webb“Occult happenings, romantic passion, and murder disrupt the peace of a Berkshire village in 1911 in this hauntingly good novel.”—Marie Claire (UK)Katherine Webb’s debut novel, The Legacy, was an international bestseller—and her remarkable second effort, The Unseen, is as gripping, thrilling, and unforgettable as her first. In this compelling story of love, deception, obsession, and illusion, the arrival of two dangerous strangers in a small village in England in the early 1900s disrupts the quiet lives of a vicar with a fascination with spiritualism and his naïve young wife, and ultimately leads to murder. The Unseen is literary suspense at its most entertaining and enthralling, truly superior fiction not unlike the captivating tales of Kate Morton and Diane Setterfield.
Language and the Rise of the Algorithm
by Jeffrey M. BinderA wide-ranging history of the algorithm. Bringing together the histories of mathematics, computer science, and linguistic thought, Language and the Rise of the Algorithm reveals how recent developments in artificial intelligence are reopening an issue that troubled mathematicians well before the computer age: How do you draw the line between computational rules and the complexities of making systems comprehensible to people? By attending to this question, we come to see that the modern idea of the algorithm is implicated in a long history of attempts to maintain a disciplinary boundary separating technical knowledge from the languages people speak day to day. Here Jeffrey M. Binder offers a compelling tour of four visions of universal computation that addressed this issue in very different ways: G. W. Leibniz’s calculus ratiocinator; a universal algebra scheme Nicolas de Condorcet designed during the French Revolution; George Boole’s nineteenth-century logic system; and the early programming language ALGOL, short for algorithmic language. These episodes show that symbolic computation has repeatedly become entangled in debates about the nature of communication. Machine learning, in its increasing dependence on words, erodes the line between technical and everyday language, revealing the urgent stakes underlying this boundary. The idea of the algorithm is a levee holding back the social complexity of language, and it is about to break. This book is about the flood that inspired its construction.
Little Wonders: A Novel
by Kate RorickIf you like SMALL ADMISSIONS by Amy Poepell or CLASS MOM by Laurie Gelman you will love this novel about super mommies, private schools, and getting your worst moment plastered across the internet.Her mommy meltdown is seen around the world! When Quinn Barrett’s son refuses to wear his hand-crafted costume to the Little Wonders Preschool Happy Halloween Parade and Dance Party she loses it -- complete with stomping, screaming, and costume-destruction galore. Not her best day. And caught on viral video. Yep, “Halloween Mom” is now internet famous. The posting culprit: tattooed, blue-haired, west-coast transplant Daisy McGulch, out of place in the posh New England town and unable to blend with the other perfect mommies of Little Wonders Preschool. While she couldn’t care less about organic snacks (paleo-preferred) or the winter quarters of the Little Wonders chickens, she’s not about to admit she’s the one who accidently brought Quinn’s worst moment to the entire world—she’d be kicked out of town!But when Quinn and Daisy find themselves unlikely cohorts in the fight for Little Wonders Parents Association supremacy, they also discover they have more in common than they expected…but the internet is forever. Can Quinn live down her new reputation? And how far will Daisy go to keep the truth from coming to light? Hilarious, clever, and unforgettable, Little Wonders offers a glimpse into the high-pressure world of modern momming, with natural toys, scrutinized playdates, PTA politics, and social media gone amok.
Chicago House Music: Culture and Community
by Marguerite L. HarroldAn inside look at the music born, bred, and perfected in Chicago. Chicago house music originated in the city&’s Black, gay underground in the late seventies and became one of the most popular musical genres in the world by the end of the century. In Chicago House Music: Culture and Community, Marguerite Harrold tells the story of the genre&’s rise and the prolific creators who have sustained it for decades. You&’ll learn about house music&’s early innovators, like Ron Hardy and Frankie Knuckles, who transformed the social and political turmoil around them into a revolution in dance music. You&’ll also hear remembrances from contemporary figures in the house community, like DJ Lady D, Avery R. Young, Czboogie and Edgar &“Artek&” Sinio, who have forged new paths as the genre has evolved. It&’s a story about much more than music—it&’s about a community struggling for acceptance, love, liberation, and freedom, and about the creative pioneers whose resilience helped turn house music into a worldwide phenomenon. Full of interviews and first-hand accounts from the people who stood behind the turntables, carried crates of records, or danced until dawn, Chicago House Music is the history of an art form that continues to be a force for social interaction, spiritual liberation, and community today.
Crooked Numbers: A Raymond Donne Mystery (The Raymond Donne Mysteries #2)
by Tim O'MaraWhen one of Raymond Donne's former students is found stabbed to death under the Williamsburg Bridge, Ray draws on his past as a cop to find the truth in Tim O'Mara's second New York City mystery.Raymond Donne's former student Douglas Lee had everything going for him thanks to a scholarship to an exclusive private school in Manhattan, but all of that falls apart when his body is found below the Williamsburg Bridge with a dozen knife wounds in it. That kind of violence would normally get some serious attention from the police and media except when it's accompanied by signs that it could be gang related. When that's the case, the story dies and the police are happy to settle for the straightforward explanation. Dougie's mom isn't having any of that and asks Ray, who had been a cop before an accident cut his career short, to look into it, unofficially. He does what he can, asking questions, doling out information to the press, and filling in some holes in the investigation, but he doesn't get far before one of Dougie's private school friends is killed and another is put in the hospital.What kind of trouble could a couple of sheltered kids get into that would end like that? And what does is have to do with Dougie's death? None of it adds up, but there's no way Ray can just wait around for something to happen. Following on the heels of his acclaimed debut, Tim O'Mara's Crooked Numbers is another outstanding mystery that brings the streets of Brooklyn and Manhattan to life and further solidifies O'Mara's place among the most talented new crime fiction writers working today.
Integrating the Inner City: The Promise and Perils of Mixed-Income Public Housing Transformation
by Robert J. Chaskin Mark L. JosephFor many years Chicago’s looming large-scale housing projects defined the city, and their demolition and redevelopment—via the Chicago Housing Authority’s Plan for Transformation—has been perhaps the most startling change in the city’s urban landscape in the last twenty years. The Plan, which reflects a broader policy effort to remake public housing in cities across the country, seeks to deconcentrate poverty by transforming high-poverty public housing complexes into mixed-income developments and thereby integrating once-isolated public housing residents into the social and economic fabric of the city. But is the Plan an ambitious example of urban regeneration or a not-so-veiled effort at gentrification? In the most thorough examination of mixed-income public housing redevelopment to date, Robert J. Chaskin and Mark L. Joseph draw on five years of field research, in-depth interviews, and volumes of data to demonstrate that while considerable progress has been made in transforming the complexes physically, the integrationist goals of the policy have not been met. They provide a highly textured investigation into what it takes to design, finance, build, and populate a mixed-income development, and they illuminate the many challenges and limitations of the policy as a solution to urban poverty. Timely and relevant, Chaskin and Joseph’s findings raise concerns about the increased privatization of housing for the poor while providing a wide range of recommendations for a better way forward.
Precious Thing: A Novel
by Colette McBethI know her inside out. I know what she's thinking, I know what she wants. So I can't give up on her, she knows I never will.Some friendships fizzle out. Rachel and Clara promised theirs would last forever.They met in high school when Rachel was the shy, awkward new girl and Clara was the friend everyone wanted. Instantly, they fell under one another's spell and nothing would be the same again. Now in their late twenties Rachel has the television career, the apartment and the boyfriend, while Clara's life is spiraling further out of control. Yet despite everything, they remain inextricably bound. Then Rachel's news editor assigns her to cover a police press conference, and she is shocked when she arrives to learn that the subject is Clara, reported missing. Is it abduction, suicide or something else altogether?Imagine discovering something about your oldest friend that forces you to question everything you've shared together. The truth is always there. But only if you choose to see it. In Colette McBeth's Precious Thing.
A Humble Companion
by Laurie Graham&“A portrait of the riotous, tragicomic, dysfunctional, bonkers Royal family of poor George III. . . . Fascinating, very, very funny, ultimately humane.&” —Marian Keyes, international bestselling author When Nellie Welche is appointed companion to Princess Sophia, her family is delighted. It&’s more than her father, steward to the Prince of Wales, ever imagined for his daughter. But once Nellie begins spending her days in close quarters with the royal family, she discovers the world within the palace is not at all what she expected. Rather than attending royal balls and society events, Princess Sofy and her sisters live in isolation. There&’s also affable King George III, whose struggles with madness only deepen the privacy in which the royals must live. Over the course of a lifetime, Sofy and Nellie become inseparable. But as Sofy&’s dearest friend, Nellie is also the keeper of her secrets—until the scandal that threatens their relationship . . . and the reputation of the House of Hanover. &“Funny, fascinating and profoundly moving.&” —Freya North, international bestselling author of The Turning Point &“A delightfully smart and sophisticated historical novelist.&” —The Sunday Times &“Every page is a joy to read.&” —Daily Mail
Diary of an Ugly Duckling
by Karyn LanghorneWhat makes an otherwise sane woman appear on a reality TV show?Especially one as drastic as Ugly Duckling? For Audra Marks, the last straw comes when she loses her shot with handsome Art Bradshaw to the prettier and lighter-skinned Esmeralda Prince. Audra's always lived in a classic movies fantasy world of diva dames and handsome heroes, where the costumes are gorgeous, the good guys always win, and love always triumphs. But now, her heart broken, she's decided to do anything to get back her man and show her hypercritical mother she can "pretty up" with the best of them in the bargain.After all, if the folks at Ugly Duckling can transform a homely, buck-toothed white girl into a ravishing beauty, just think what they'll be able to do with Audra! But until she truly believes she's beautiful inside, it won't matter how hot and pretty they make the outside package. And Audra's obsession with perfection may be leading her farther and farther away from what's really important -- and blinding her to the love that's been waiting there all along . . .
The Clutter Connection: How Your Personality Type Determines Why You Organize the Way You Do
by Cassandra AarssenYou&’re not messy—you just organize differently. Learn to make your natural habits work for you with this bestseller by the host of HGTV&’s Hot Mess House! Organizing isn&’t one size fits all. By discovering your unique Organizing Personality Type, you can find the most effective strategies for a more productive and clutter-free life. The Clutter Connection examines and explains how different brain types directly relate to organization and clutter. Cassandra Aarssen smashes the stereotype that some people are &“naturally messy&” and offers insight and real-life solutions based on your unique personal organizing style. The Clutter Connection will help you get organized, be more productive and finally understand the why behind your clutter. Find out what type of Clutterbug you are and learn: · The four different organizing styles and how they relate to each other · How motivation and happiness can be directly affected by our space · The &“3P&’s&”─Productivity, procrastination, and perfectionism, and how they&’re connected to your unique organizing style · How you can finally become clutter-free simply by knowing yourself better