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A Biography of a Chance Miracle
by Tanja MaljartschukA Biography of a Chance Miracle explores the life of Lena, a young girl growing up in the somewhat vapid, bureaucracy-ridden, and nationalistic Western Ukrainian city of San Francisco. Lena is a misfit from early childhood due to her unwillingness to scorn everything Russian, her propensity for befriending forlorn creatures, her aversion to the status quo, and her fear of living a stupid and meaningless life. As her friends enter college, Lena sets forth on a mission to defend the abused and downtrodden of San Francisco--be they canine or human--armed with nothing more than an arsenal of humor, stubbornness, chutzpah and no shortage of imagination. Her successes are minimal at best, but in the process of trying to save San Francisco's collective humanity, she may end up saving her own. At first glance a crazy and combative girl, Lena just may be the salvation that the Ukrainians of San Francisco sorely need. With haiku-like precision, Tanja's deceptively simple writing style blends surrealism and magical realism with satirical wit, occasionally outlandish humor and poignant social commentary. The German literary media has described her depictions of contemporary Ukraine as full of humor and absurdity, but "more exact and harsher" than those of her peers, comparing her to the 19th-century Russian satirist Saltykov-Shchedrin and hailing her as "a name to be remembered." This work, her most provocative to date, was a finalist for the 2012 BBC Book of the Year Award in Ukraine, and has been lauded as "simply ingenious" by fellow Ukrainian authors.
A Biosemiotic Ontology: The Philosophy of Giorgio Prodi (Biosemiotics #18)
by Felice CimattiGiorgio Prodi (1928-1987) was an important Italian scientist who developed an original philosophy based on two basic assumptions: 1. life is mainly a semiotic phenomenon; 2. matter is somewhat a semiotic phenomenon.Prodi applies Peirce's cenopythagorean categories to all phenomena of life and matter: Firstness, Secondness, and Thirdness. They are interconnected meaning that the very ontology of the world, according to Prodi, is somewhat semiotic. In fact, when one describes matter as “made of” Firstness and Secondness, this means that matter ‘intrinsically’ implies semiotics (with Thirdness also being present in the world).At the very heart of Prodi’s theory lies a metaphysical hypothesis which is an ambitious theoretical gesture that places Prodi in an awkward position with respect to the customary philosophical tradition. In fact, his own ontology is neither dualistic nor monistic. Such a conclusion is unusual and weird, but much less unusual in present time than it was when it was first introduced. The actual resurgence of various “realisms” make Prodi’s semiotic realism much more interesting than when he first proposed his philosophical approach. What is uncommon, in Prodi perspective, is that he never separated semiotics from the materiality of the world. Prodi does not agree with the “standard” structuralist view of semiosis as an artificial and unnatural activity. On the contrary, Prodi believed semiosis (that is, the interconnection between Firstness, Secondness and Thirdness) lies at the very bottom of life. On one hand, Prodi maintains a strong realist stance; on the other, a realism that includes semiosis as ‘natural’ phenomena. This last view is very unusual because all forms, more or less, of realism exclude semiosis from nature but they frequently “reduce” semiosis to non-semiotic elements. According to Prodi, semiosis is a completely natural phenomenon.
A Bird In The House
by Margaret LaurenceA Bird in the House is a series of eight interconnected short stories narrated by Vanessa MacLeod as she matures from a child at age ten into a young woman at age twenty. Wise for her years, Vanessa reveals much about the adult world in which she lives. "Vanessa rebels against the dominance of age; she watches [her grandfather] imitate her aunt Edna; and her rage at times is such that she would gladly kick him. It takes great skill to keep this story within the expanding horizon of this young girl and yet make it so revealing of the adult world. "--Atlantic "A Bird in the Houseachieves the breadth of scope which we usually associate with the novel (and thereby is as psychologically valid as a good novel), and at the same time uses the techniques of the short story form to reveal the different aspects of the young Vanessa. " --Kent Thompson,The Fiddlehead "I am haunted by the women in Laurence's novels as if they really were alive--and not as women I've known, but as women I've been. "--Joan Larkin,Ms. Magazine "Not since . . . To Kill a Mockingbirdhas there been a novel like this. It should not be missed by anyone who has a child or was a child. "--PittsburghPost-Gazette One of Canada's most accomplished writers, Margaret Laurence (1926-87) was the recipient of many awards including Canada's prestigious Governor General's Literary Award on two separate occasions, once forThe Diviners.
A Bird Will Soar
by Alison Green MyersA heartfelt and hopeful debut about a bird-loving autistic child whose family's special nest is in danger of falling apart. <p><p> Axel loves everything about birds, especially eagles. No one worries that an eagle will fly too far and not come home—a fact Axel wishes his mother understood. Deep down, Axel knows that his mother is like an osprey—the best of all bird mothers—but it’s hard to remember that when she worries and keeps secrets about important things. His dad is more like a wild turkey, coming and going as he pleases. His dad’s latest disappearance is the biggest mystery of all. Despite all this, Axel loves his life—especially the time he spends with his friends observing the eagles’ nest in the woods near his home. <p><p> But when a tornado damages not only Axel’s home but the eagles’ nest, Axel's life is thrown into chaos. Suddenly his dad is back to help repair the damage, and Axel has to manage his dad’s presence and his beloved birds’ absence. Plus, his mom seems to be keeping even more secrets. But Axel knows another important fact: an eagle’s instincts let it soar. Axel must trust his own instincts to help heal his family and the nest he loves.
A Bird in the Air Means We Can Still Breathe
by Mahogany L. BrowneIn this poignant mixed voice, mixed form collection of interconnected prose, poems and stories, teen characters, their families, and their communities grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst fear and loss, these New York City teens prevail with love, resilience and hope. From the award-winning author of Chlorine Sky and Vinyl Moon."[A] gorgeous, tender testament to the generation of young people who shouldered the pandemic.&”--Brendan Kiely, award-winning and New York Times bestselling authorGrief, pain, hope, and love collide in this short story collection. In New York City, teens, their families, and their communities feel the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic. Amidst the fear and loss, these teens and the adults around them persevere with love and hope while living in difficult circumstances: Malachi writes an Armageddon short story inspired by his pandemic reality.Tariq helps their ailing grandmother survive during quarantine.Zamira struggles with depression and loneliness after losing her parents.Mohamed tries to help keep his community spirit alive.A social worker reflects on the ways the foster system fails their children.From award-winning author Mahogany L. Browne comes a poignant collection of interconnected prose, poems, and lists about the humanity and resilience of New Yorkers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A Bird in the Hand: The First George & Molly Palmer-Jones Novel (George & Molly Palmer-Jones Series)
by Ann CleevesBefore Shetland and Vera, Ann Cleeves wrote the George and Molly Palmer-Jones series following remarkable mysteries in a birdwatching community—now in print for the first time in the US.In England’s birdwatching paradise, a new breed has been sighted—a murderer . . . Young Tom French is found dead, lying in a marsh on the Norfolk coast, with his head bashed in and his binoculars still around his neck. One of the best birders in England, Tom had put the village of Rushy on the birdwatching map. Everyone liked him. Or did they? George Palmer-Jones, an elderly birdwatcher who decides quietly to look into the brutal crime, discovers mixed feelings aplenty. Still, he remains baffled by a deed that could have been motivated by thwarted love, pure envy, or something else altogether. But as he and his fellow ‘twitchers’ flock from Norfolk to Scotland to the Scilly Isles in response to rumors of rare sightings, George—with help from his lovely wife, Molly—gradually discerns the true markings of a killer. All he has to do is prove it . . . before the murderer strikes again.
A Bird on Every Tree
by Carol BruneauCarol Bruneau, author of six acclaimed works of fiction (most recently, These Good Hands), brings her finely honed voice to 12 new stories about shifting concepts of Nova Scotian identity. In "The Race," a war bride?s remarkable life trajectory unfolds as she competes in an international swim marathon in the Northwest Arm. Strain erupts between a Haligonian couple in "Burning Times," while they struggle to keep track of one another, both physically and emotionally, on an Italian vacation. In "Polio Beach," cousins gather oceanside over the will of a recently deceased aunt who once saved one of them from drowning. Writing with empathy, humour, and linguistic precision, Bruneau follows characters who find themselves connected to Nova Scotia by birth, through attempts at escape and new beginnings, or as a temporary resting place, always carrying with them their own idiosyncratic and complex definitions of "home."
A Bird on Water Street
by Elizabeth O. Dulemba"Elizabeth Dulemba seamlessly melds a coming-of-age story to the reality of life in a single-industry town. This is a book that sings." — Betsy Bird, School Library Journal blog A Fuse #8 ProductionLiving in Coppertown is like living on the moon. Everything is bare—there are no trees, no birds, no signs of nature at all. And while Jack loves his town, he hates the dangerous mines that have ruined the land with years of pollution. When the miners go on strike and the mines are forced to close, Jack's life-long wish comes true: the land has the chance to heal.But not everyone in town is happy about the change. Without the mines, Jack's dad is out of work and the family might have to leave Coppertown. Just when new life begins to creep back into town, Jack might lose his friends, his home, and everything he's ever known.Dulemba paints a vivid picture of life in the Appalachia in this beautiful story about a boy looking for new beginnings while struggling to hold on to the things he loves most.
A Bird's Eye
by Cary FaganShortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, and selected as an Amazon.ca Best Book. With all the wonder of a small-scale The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay comes this moving and unforgettable novel about childhood, love, and magic. Growing up in a Jewish neighbourhood in the 1930s, young Benjamin Kleeman falls in love, first with Corrine Foster and then with magic. Hiding his new passions from his parents — the long-suffering Bella, an Italian immigrant, and Jacob, a talented but failed inventor of elaborate mechanical devices — Benjamin begins apprenticeships in magic and life itself, learning along the way that everything is more complicated than it seems. With wit, tenderness, humour, and, startling beauty, Cary Fagan brings a gifted young man’s rise to a peculiar kind of stardom, wonderfully alive.
A Birder's Guide to Murder (A Bird Lover's Mystery #8)
by J.R. RipleyWhen the guest of honor is killed at an annual birding convention, justice will be swift . . . A flying visit to the City of Brotherly Love takes a murderous turn for Amy Simms, owner of Birds & Bees . . . Amy and her bird-loving crew are ducking out of Ruby Lake, North Carolina to attend the annual American Birding Expo in Philadelphia. The event will generate publicity for Birds & Bees, though assistant manager Esther is strangely reluctant to attend. Before she&’s even set up their booth, Amy manages to insult JJ Fuller, famed bird photographer and the expo&’s guest of honor. An inauspicious beginning, made worse when JJ is found dead as a dodo, his head caved in by a pair of binoculars. The police suspect Esther is mixed up in murder, and her mysterious past starts coming to light. Amy isn&’t sure what to believe. JJ boasted that he would be the first to locate a near-extinct woodpecker. Did a rival decide to beat him—literally—to the punch? With a ZombieFest convention taking place in the exhibit hall next door, there&’s all kinds of creepiness to contend with. And somewhere among the birders and the walking dead there&’s a killer hoping to fly the coop before justice is served . . .
A Birthday Lunch (Bruno, Chief of Police Series)
by Martin WalkerWhen not solving mysteries in his beloved little town of St. Denis, Bruno, the chief of police, likes to cook and share his meals with local guests and dear friend. For his friend Florence’s birthday, Bruno is preparing a surprise. But, like much else in St. Denis, it’s a communal effort, and one that Bruno pulls off with a little help from the countryside and the town. He finds an ancient hand axe in the ground during his morning run with his dog Balzac—it will make a spectacular gift—picks up newspapers for wrapping by the medical center, and gathers fresh nettles from by his chicken coop and thyme from his garden for soup and garnish. It’ll be the perfect day for Bruno and his guests to celebrate their collective history. A Vintage Shorts original. An ebook short.
A Birthday Party for Jesus: A Birthday Party For Jesus
by Jones SusanThe meaning of Christmas is often overshadowed by the wave of commercialism that precedes it. It’s all too easy for kids to lose sight of the true meaning of this holiday when their daily cartoons include a flood of toy commercials and their focus is on their own wish list. This book is a heartwarming reminder to children that Christmas isn’t about Santa or asking for presents; it’s about celebrating Jesus’s birthday. This inviting, full-color, illustrated picture book tells a story of forest animals preparing for a big and exciting event. Each page provides another clue to young readers that somewhere in the forest, one special animal knows the true meaning of Christmas and wants to share it with the rest of his forest friends. By the final page of the story, kids will better understand that the greatest joy of the Christmas season is in celebrating the life of Jesus with their family and community. Teaches young children to enjoy Christmas by celebrating Jesus! Warm, endearing animal illustrations will entice pre-readers and early readers and inspire their imagination Reinforces Christian values in a non-judgmental and non-threatening way Helps to balance the bombardment of commercialism during the holiday months The perfect addition to any family’s holiday book collection
A Birthday Present For Spaceboy
by Michèle DufresneSpaceboy doesn't like his new Spaceship but everyone else does.
A Birthday Surprise (Stairway Decodables Step 6)
by Leanna KochRosie is delighted that it’s her birthday, but her joy turns to sorrow when her friends seem to have forgotten about her special day. Are they really ignoring her day, or is a birthday surprise in store for Rosie? Stairway Decodables is a supplemental phonics resource that’s perfect for supporting small group instruction, independent reading practice, or to support reading practice at home. This title provides practice in decoding words with long vowel combinations eigh, ie, and ei.
A Birthday Surprise for Goldie
by Joan Fleiss KaplanA Birthday Surprise for Goldie Storybook Set 6 Book 10
A Birthday for Cow!
by Jan ThomasPig and Mouse are hard at work baking the best birthday cake EVER for Cow. But it would be a lot easier if Duck weren't hanging around, yammering on about turnips or some nonsense. (Sheesh!) With all this silliness going on, how will they manage to throw Cow a spectacular birthday party? Well, as it turns out, crazy Duck just might have had the right idea all along! This second picture book from Jan Thomas features wacky humor that toddlers will adore, rowdy repetitions, irreverent dialogue--and a hilarious twist at the end.
A Birthday for Cow! (The\giggle Gang Ser.)
by Jan ThomasPig and Mouse are hard at work baking the best birthday cake EVER for Cow. But it would be a lot easier if Duck weren't hanging around, yammering on about turnips or some nonsense. (Sheesh!) With all this silliness going on, how will they manage to throw Cow a spectacular birthday party? Well, as it turns out, crazy Duck just might have had the right idea all along! This picture book from Jan Thomas features wacky humor that toddlers will adore, rowdy repetitions, irreverent dialogue—and a hilarious twist at the end.
A Birthday for Frances
by Russell Hoban"Frances' little sister Gloria is the birthday girl, and Frances is the girl who wishes it were her birthday instead. Sulking in the broom closet, she watches her mother and Gloria making party decorations. Sulking on the porch, she sees Mother Badger wrapping Gloria's presents. Finally, Frances rises to the occasion, and in a burst of generosity decides that she will give her sister a present too. Buying the present is easy but actually handing it to Gloria is something else again." Other books about Frances are available from Bookshare.
A Biscuit, a Casket (A Pawsitively Organic Mystery #2)
by Liz MugaveroA Connecticut dairy farmer expires in a corn maze in this &“yummy new series&” (Avery Aames, author of the Cheese Shop Mysteries). The small town of Frog Ledge, Connecticut, has wholeheartedly embraced Kristan &“Stan&” Connor&’s new business—preparing quality organic treats for dogs and cats. On a healthy diet, the animals may live longer . . . but one local farmer won&’t be so lucky. As Halloween approaches, Stan is asked to cater a doggie costume party hosted by the Happy Cow Dairy Farm. Part of a local co-op, Happy Cow specializes in organic dairy products, and farmers Hal and Emmalee Hoffman have started opening up the farm for parties, offering a &“haunted&” corn maze as an added attraction. When Hal&’s lifeless body is found in the maze, the police at first suspect his wife, but Stan soon learns the dairy farmer had plenty of enemies—from bitter family members to shady business associates. If Stan can&’t extract a kernel of truth from the labyrinth of lies, she may be the next one to buy the farm . . . Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!
A Bit Much
by Sarah JacksonFor fans of Sally Rooney and Ottessa Moshfegh, A Bit Much is a darkly funny novel about the complexity of friendships, the agony of insecurity, and the beautiful and embarrassing nature of loving someone.Alice is twenty-four and falling apart. She&’s lost her job, her appetite, her ability to sleep. And now she&’s worried she&’s going to lose Mia, her closest friend, who&’s being treated for a serious illness. On the days Alice can get herself out of bed, she visits Mia at the hospital. While they sink into familiar patterns—Alice makes Mia laugh, Mia tells Alice she needs to get laid—they know their friendship is changing, and they can&’t control what will happen in the days ahead. Still focused on Mia, while trying to convince others she&’s a stable, happy person, Alice meets her neighbour James—someone she used to try to avoid. They&’re interested in each other, but Alice, who is a lethal combination of judgmental and insecure, is hesitant; she has never had luck with dating, and she thinks now is a weird time since Mia needs her. And Alice figures he probably sucks anyway. Mia encourages Alice to be social, while attempting to hide her own loneliness and fear as her body breaks down. But as Alice tries to push herself to do more, including allowing herself to get close to James, she struggles to move forward knowing Mia can&’t. A Bit Much takes an intimate look at female friendships, new relationships, and the disorienting times in which we live. Brilliantly caustic and strangely funny, it introduces Sarah Jackson as a captivating new voice in Canadian literature.
A Bit Much: Poems
by Lyndsay RushINSTANT USA TODAY BESTSELLERThe debut poetry collection from Lyndsay Rush (aka @maryoliversdrunkcousin) is a humorous and joyful celebration of big feelings, tender truths, and hard-won wisdom, for fans of Maggie Smith, Kate Baer, and Kate Kennedy.At long last, a book of poetry for people who didn’t even know they liked poetry. And they’re in good company: author Lyndsay Rush didn’t know she liked it either. That is, until she embarked on an internet experiment under the Instagram username @MaryOliversDrunkCousin that turned into a body of work that struck a chord with women across the country; thanks to her signature wordplay, witticisms, and—against all odds—wisdom.With titles like "Shedonism", "Someone to Eat Chips With", "It’s Called Maximalism, Babe", and "Breaking News: Local Woman Gets Out of Bed", Rush’s debut collection of poetry uses humor to grapple with the female experience—from questioning whether or not to have children, to roasting the patriarchy, to challenging what it means to "age gracefully"—and each piece delivers gut-punching truths alongside gratifying punchlines. Readers walk away from Lyndsay’s work feeling seen, celebrated, and wholly convinced that joy is an urgent, worthwhile pursuit.With over 140 convention-bending poems—most of which are never-before-seen—this book is quite literally A Bit Much.
A Bit O' Love
by John GalsworthyIt is Ascension Day in a village of the West. In the low panelled hall-sittingroom of the BURLACOMBE'S farmhouse on the village green, MICHAEL STRANGWAY, a clerical collar round his throat and a dark Norfolk jacket on his back, is playing the flute before a very large framed photograph of a woman, which is the only picture on the walls. His age is about thirty-five his figure thin and very upright and his clean-shorn face thin, upright, narrow, with long and rather pointed ears; his dark hair is brushed in a coxcomb off his forehead
A Bit of Candy in Hard Times
by Blaine BeveridgeSet in the late 1920s, at the height of prohibition, this is the story of Emmett Dougal, fisherman and rumrunner who, after having his boat shot out from under him by the Coast Guard off the coast of Maine, decides to return to his Puget Sound roots. Emmett’s journey to rediscover a sense of home puts him on a dangerous path when he is forced back into the rum running business. Along the way he finds an unexpected love interest and rekindles his love for the sea. Emmett’s story provides a uniquely Pacific Northwest regional perspective of this infamous chapter in America’s history.
A Bit of Difference
by Sefi AttaA new novel from the winner of the Wole Soyinka Prize for African LiteratureAt thirty-nine, Deola Bello, a Nigerian expatriate in London, is dissatisfied with being single and working overseas. Deola works as a financial reviewer for an international charity, and when her job takes her back to Nigeria in time for her father's five-year memorial service, she finds herself turning her scrutiny inward. In Nigeria, Deola encounters changes in her family and in the urban landscape of her home, and new acquaintances who offer unexpected possibilities. Deola's journey is as much about evading others' expectations to get to the heart of her frustration as it is about exposing the differences between foreign images of Africa and the realities of contemporary Nigerian life. Deola's urgent, incisive voice captivates and guides us through the intricate layers and vivid scenes of a life lived across continents. With Sefi Atta's characteristic boldness and vision, A Bit of Difference limns the complexities of our contemporary world. This is a novel not to be missed.