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Pearl
by Deirdre Purcell'Warm, poignant . . . in essence a jewel of a story' Sunday IndependentA broken heart. A long-held secret. A dream that never died . . .In 1920s rural Ireland, Pearl Somers lives happily with her family in the gate lodge of Kilnashone Castle, where her father is chauffeur to Lord and Lady Areton. But, one dreadful night, a series of dramatic events unfolds and the lives of all are changed for ever.Over forty years later, Pearl has become a successful writer. Yet there is one story she has never told, until her young cousin Catherine confesses a secret of her own that opens a door to Pearl's past - one she thought had been firmly sealed.When Catherine discovers Pearl's heart-breaking story, she determines to do her best to reconcile past and present. But is it too late for Pearl to find her own happy ending?
The Thin Man: A classic crime masterpiece
by Dashiell HammettONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING meets MONSIEUR SPADEIt's 1932, and Nick and Nora Charles, and their pet schnauzer, Asta, are in New York City for the Christmas holidays. With the privilege of wealth, they can enjoy whatever they want - the best food and drink, open-topped rides through the city; speakeasies where the rich rub shoulders with gangsters...Rich they may be, but they are also great fun to be with, kind to those in need, and more than capable of keeping their cool in a fight. So when a friend asks Nick to help him find a killer they accept - and are soon plunged into the world of the eccentric Wynant family, the head of which is an inventor who disappeared ten years before.Nick and Nora have to pick through implausible alibis, false identities, a highly glamorous but dysfunctional family - and the mystery of The Thin Man - in order to find out the truth.
One Girl Began
by Kate Murray-Browne'A beautiful novel . . . reminds us that our streets are thick with history'ROWAN HISAYO BUCHANAN'Both moving and addictive'JOANNA BRISCOE'Terrific'FRANCES QUINNTHREE WOMEN. ONE BUILDING. 111 YEARS . . .East London, 1909. When her family fall on hard times, Ellen finds work in a box factory and is drawn into a tight-knit circle of friendship, one that will transform her life and test her in unexpected ways.In 1984, the factory is now derelict. Eighteen-year- old Frances moves in with a group of squatters and activists who have taken over the abandoned building. As she tries to build a new life, an unsettling relationship develops, forcing her to question who she is and where her loyalties lie.In 2020, the squat is now a gentrified conversion in a fashionable corner of the city. Amanda feels trapped in her tiny flat, overwhelmed by the demands of new motherhood and unsure of what the future holds - until the possibility of an alternative life presents itself . . .From acclaimed author Kate Murray-Browne, One Girl Began is a vibrant, enthralling and moving novel about three women across three very different moments in time, connected by the same building and the forces that shape our lives.
The Vanishing of Joni Blackwood: A brilliantly chilling and thrilling mystery debut novel
by Lisa Rookes'This is an absolute page-turner, I'm actually on pins waiting for the story to unfold and my anxiety is through the roof. And what a jaw-swinging, heart-palpitating ending this book has, too! This was an easy 5 star for me.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐The debris from the party the night before is scattered underneath the village tree and across the cobbles. Red wine stains the ground like blood. And Joni has vanished.My mother used to say our village was built on the roots of The Gallows Tree, that they're underneath the ground, under all of our houses. It used to scare me as a kid. Thick, snaking roots squirming under me. No matter how far you ran, they could tunnel after you. And when the bones of a small child are unearthed in the church graveyard, I have to wonder how many secrets are running through our village, like the roots of the tree.And I wonder if Joni can really outrun hers.And I wonder if I can really outrun mine.The Vanishing of Joni Blackwood is an utterly compelling mystery with a twist you won't see coming. Perfect for fans of C J Tudor, Caroline Mitchell and Erin Kelly.Read what everyone is saying about Joni Blackwood:'I meannnnn I am currently jaw to the floor. I was not expecting that very end twist!!! This was such a wild ride and I honestly don't feel a review can do the twists and turns justice, you just need to go and read it... Small town... drama... it's got it all.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐'Creepy, dark, and twisted!' Sharon Bolton, author of The Craftsman'A brilliantly chilling mystery novel. Super creepy! Lisa's got a really great voice... Strange in the best way. Loved it.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐'This one is for all the gothic thriller fans... A gripping, pacy read with bold characters, gasp-out-loud twists, and an ending you'll never see coming.' Carly Reagon, author of The Toll House'The plot drew me in instantly and I knew I couldn't put it down until I knew the truth of Joni Blackwood, a very tense and suspenseful read.' Reader Review, ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Dance of Shadows
by Rogba PayneRumi and his family are Odu, stricken with poverty and disparaged by the other tribes. When ruthless agents of the Palmaine - the colonising nation that dominates the continent of Basmine - threaten to destroy the village market, Rumi takes it upon himself to liberate his family. Taking a place in the prestigious Golden Room, where earnings from his music offer a chance at freedom, he shoulders his pride and resentment in a bid to make it to the top. On what should be Rumi's greatest night at the Golden Room, his life is turned upside down. A terrifying individual known as the Priest of Vultures attacks Rumi and his family. Before her death, Rumi's mother, Adunola, solicits the help of a dying god and saves Rumi, setting him on the path to become a Shadowwielder: warriors with the ability to use their shadow as a weapon. But Rumi's need for vengeance may be more important to him than the future of his people...
The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah (Eerdmans Classic Biblical Commentaries (ECBC))
by Leslie C. AllenThe eloquent and uncompromising calls for social righteousness by the Minor Prophets are familiar to many, yet the writings themselves are probably the least-studied and least-known texts of the Old Testament. Those who are familiar with these books are also aware of the historical and literary problems that plague their study. Drawing on theological, historical, and literary insights, Leslie Allen&’s commentary on Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Micah carefully and imaginatively reconstructs the context in which the original Hebrew audience received the prophets&’ messages. In turn, Allen shows what relevance they hold for contemporary Christians. For each of the books, Allen includes a substantial introduction, presenting and assessing a broad range of scholarship, a select bibliography, and an extensive commentary on the author&’s own translation of the text. Allen pays special attention to Micah, in which he treats at greater length many of the forms and motifs that also appear in Joel, Obadiah, and Jonah. The introductory material for Joel includes discussions of canonicity and textual criticism that apply to the entire volume.
The Book of Micah (The\new International Commentary On The Old Testament Ser.)
by James D. NogalskiWhat is the balance between judgment and hope? Micah spoke powerfully to the people of Judah millennia ago. His prophecy has the same power to change the minds and hearts of Christians today. As a volume of the New International Commentary on the Old Testament, James D. Nogalski&’s fresh commentary on Micah is academically serious and pastorally relevant. Based on Nogalski&’s original translation of the Hebrew text, this commentary takes seriously the historical and theological contexts of the book of Micah. The thorough introduction considers the book&’s literary form, its composition, and its function in the canon, especially within the Book of the Twelve. Ample notes point readers to the most relevant, up-to-date critical scholarship. Nogalski explicates Micah&’s major themes, including fidelity to Yahweh, abuses of power, and the intriguing juxtaposition of judgment and hope for God&’s people. Combining scholarly rigor with an evangelical point of view, The Book of Micah serves as the perfect companion for scholars, students, and pastors seeking to understand this essential prophet.
Sustainable Housing in a Circular Economy
by Naomi Keena Avi FriedmanThis book relates circular economy principles to housing design and construction and highlights how those principles can result in both monetary savings, positive environmental impact, and socio-ecological change.Chapters focus on three key circular economy principles and apply them to architectural construction and design, namely rethinking of the end-of-use phase of a building and the potential of design-for-disassembly; the role of digitization and data standardization in fostering evidence-based circular economy design decision-making; and presenting space as a resource to conserve, via exploration of the sharing economy and flexibility principles. Beyond waste management and material cycles, this book provides a holistic understanding of the opportunities across the building life cycle that can allow for sustainable and affordable circular housing. With case studies from 13 different countries, including but not limited to the Hammarby Sjöstad district in Sweden, the Circle House in Denmark, Benny Farm in Canada, VMD Prefabricated House in Mexico, and the Deep Performance Dwelling in China, authors pair theoretical frameworks with real-world examples.This will be a useful resource for upper-level students and academics of architecture, construction, and planning, especially those studying and researching housing design, building technology, green project management, and environmental design.
Refinery Products and Product Improvement Processes (Petroleum Refining Technology Series)
by James G. SpeightThis book focuses on the various refinery products, product improvement processes, and solvent processes that are used in the refining industry and the processes used in product improvement to ensure products meet sales specifications. This accessible book is written for engineers, scientists, students, and academics wanting an update on crude oil processing and insight into the direction of the industry.Key features:• Describes the development of technologies for a variety of feedstocks, including heavy feedstocks utilizing advanced pre-treatment processing and hydrotreating.• Presents the initial refining processes and prepares for the new changes and evolution of the industry, including the role of biomass in the future refinery. • Analyses catalyst deactivation mechanism for developing optimum technologies for processing feedstocks with low reactivity.• Includes an extensive glossary which will be beneficial for non-technical readers.
Oedipal Experiences in Same-Sex Families (ISSN)
by Yifat Eitan-PersicoThis book updates the Oedipus complex for a contemporary audience in the light of social and cultural changes and explores its implications for psychoanalytic treatment and our understanding of queer families.Growing evidence during the past few decades indicates that children who grow up in same-sex families adapt well. These findings, which do not conform to the predictions of Oedipal theory, expose the theory’s biases, and call for reexamination of its premises. This book based on ground-breaking research and pursues a methodical investigation of the characteristics of the same-sex families that defy the expectations of Oedipal theory. Furnished with vivid illustrations, it invites the reader to engage actively in the interpretive effort and presents a diverse and complex story about kinship, opening a window onto a rich world of infantile phantasies and parents’ psychological conflicts, at the fascinating intersection of the personal and the social.Oedipal Experiences in Same-Sex Families will appeal to psychoanalysts, psychotherapists, educators and policymakers, same-sex parents, and parents who were assisted by gamete donation.
No Outsiders: Lesson Plans to Teach Diversity and Equality in Schools (No Outsiders)
by Andrew MoffatWhat does modern Britain look like and how do we prepare our children for life in an ever-changing world? We want children to be able to live and work anywhere and with anyone without fear and without judgement.Schools need a strong, confident framework where young people are taught to explore and value their own identities and the identities of others. No Outsiders is a whole school ethos teaching children that everyone is different, and everyone belongs: there are no outsiders at our school because everyone is welcome. Using this book and a common language threaded throughout the school, we can work to challenge prejudice in wider society. The book includes: 43 lesson plans and assembly ideas. A framework to deliver an inclusive curriculum built around picture books written for children aged 4-11, many of which will already be in school libraries. The stories of Head Teachers, speaking of their journeys, challenges, and successes. Innovative ways to keep parents informed and involved. Steeped in current practice and easy to implement in your school, No Outsiders: We Belong Here expands the No Outsiders collection with a wealth of new lesson plans and will be an essential resource for primary school teachers, school leaders, and teacher-training providers.
The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy)
by Kevin Aho Megan Altman Hans PedersenOf the philosophical movements of the twentieth century existentialism is one of the most powerful and thought-provoking. Its engagement with the themes of authenticity, freedom, bad faith, nihilism, and the death of God captured the imagination of millions. However, in the twenty-first century existentialism is grappling with fresh questions and debates that move far beyond traditional existential preoccupations, ranging from the lived experience of the embodied self, intersectionality, and feminist theory to comparative philosophy, digital existentialism, disability studies, and philosophy of race.The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism explores these topics and more, connecting the ideas and insights of existentialism with some of the most urgent debates and challenges in philosophy today. Eight clear sections explore the following topics: methodology and technology social and political perspectives environment and place affectivity and emotion death and freedom value existentialism and Asian philosophy aging and disability. As well as chapters on key figures such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, and Beauvoir, the Handbook includes chapters on topics as diverse as Chicana feminism, ecophilosophy and the environment, Latina existentialism, Black nihilism, the Kyoto school and southeast Asian existentialism, and the experiences of aging, disability, and death.Essential reading for students and researchers in the areas of existentialism and phenomenology, The Routledge Handbook of Contemporary Existentialism will also be of interest to those studying ethics, philosophy and gender, philosophy of race, the emotions and philosophical issues in health and illness as well as related disciplines such as Literature, Sociology, and Political Theory.
Child Marriage in Türkiye: Analysis of Experienced Women’s Narratives (Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern Society)
by Esra BayhantopçuThis book provides a critical examination of the problem of underage marriage in Türkiye through a sociological perspective considering gender perceptions, cultural norms, and historical and political contexts.The author conducts a comprehensive analysis of the problem by focusing on the lived experiences and narratives of women who married before the age of 18. Face-to-face, in-depth, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 22 women who married at a child age to identify the causes and consequences of the marriage of underage girls and to explore how these women perceive both their own identities and the broader issue of child marriage. Employing critical discourse analysis, the author scrutinizes these interviews through the theoretical lenses of gender, identity, and ideology, all while remaining attuned to feminist perspectives. These combined methodologies allow the author to reveal the hidden dimensions of the problem, examining the feelings, stories, behaviours, and beliefs of real women who have married as children. Finally, constructive solutions are proposed for the elimination of the child marriage problem, not only in Türkiye, but in countries across the world.The book will interest those working and studying in an array of fields, including sociology, gender studies, and Turkish culture and society, as well as anyone with a general interest in the problem of underage marriage.
From Legacy Media to Going Viral: Generational Media Use and Citizen Engagement (Routledge Studies in Media, Communication, and Politics)
by Robert H. Wicks Shauna A. Morimoto Jan LeBlanc WicksFrom Legacy Media to Going Viral: Generational Media Use and Citizen Engagement examines how the prominent media available shapes each rising generation of citizens. The authors discuss how global and national events along with the media each generational group most frequently accessed defined these groups.Drawing on interdisciplinary social science insights into social media and civic and political engagement, the book contextualizes the civic and political rise of the Millennials and Gen Z with comparative insights from Gen X and the Baby Boomers. With a focus on emergent patterns of American citizenship, the authors examine issues such as a decline in social trust, new and sustained patterns of civic and political engagement and the continuing importance of political consumerism. Looking beyond the impact of media on youth and issues of civic and political generational change, this book explores how the media accessible to each American generation contributes to that generation’s collective experience, thus solidifying their civic and political attitudes.The book will be of interest to students and scholars concerned with civic and political engagement, political consumerism and media use, in the areas of media studies, advertising, communication, journalism, political science and sociology.
Cases in Corporate Finance
by Mayank Joshipura Sachin MathurCases in Corporate Finance includes 60 unique case studies that illustrate the application of finance theories, models, and frameworks to real-life business situations. The topics cover a wide range of sectors and different life cycle stages of firms. The book bridges a crucial gap in topical emerging market case coverage by presenting industry-relevant case studies in the Indian context and on themes pertinent to the current business environment.Through the case studies included in the book, the authors offer insights into the essential areas of corporate finance, including risk and return, working capital management, capital budgeting and structure, dividend decisions, business valuation, and long-term financing. Cases included in the book are decision-focused and provide opportunities to carefully analyse risk-return trade-offs and apply tools to evaluate critical financial decisions. The book will be helpful for students, researchers, and instructors of business management, commerce, and economics.
Anthropocene and Cosmopolitan Citizenship: Europe and the New International Order (Federalism Studies)
by Guido MontaniAnthropocene and Cosmopolitan Citizenship criticizes the Westphalia system of international relations and, as an alternative, proposes cosmopolitan citizenship. The book offers a critique of the theory of international relations based on the Westphalian system and the principle of national sovereignty.At the end of the Second World War, the two superpowers agreed on a new international order that, to this day, has prevented a new world war. This era is over. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the economic and political affirmation of new international powers – such as China, India and Brazil – have generated a multipolar world, in which growing tensions between great and small powers are manifested, up to the threat of nuclear war. To this threat, a second one has been added: the possible collapse of the biosphere, an epoch called the Anthropocene, because the pollution of nature is suffocating the life of every living species on the Planet, including Homo sapiens. The United Nations can be viewed as the first step towards a post-Westphalian system, and the European Union represents an alternative model for peaceful relationships among national peoples. The book’s methodology draws on an interdisciplinary relationship between social sciences and nature sciences to provide a European foreign policy strategy that shows how the European Union can play a crucial role in current international politics, helping build a just world in harmony with nature, including by calling for a Global Green Deal and an Earth Constitution. The integration of the national peoples of the European Union shows that supranational citizenship is possible and that national independence is compatible with peaceful international interdependence. The author explores how this can be achieved and how alternatives have failed, with reference to federalism, ecologism, liberalism, democracy, socialism, nationalism, security and patriotism.This book will be of interest to scholars of international relations and European studies and activists, including ecologists, young people, federalists and members of political parties.
Mandatory Competencies: APC Essentials (APC Essentials)
by Jen LemenMandatory Competencies: APC Essentials is the first book in a new series designed to cover what any RICS APC (and AssocRICS) candidate or qualified surveyor needs to know about the mandatory competencies.Written by Jennifer Lemen, author of How to Become a Chartered Surveyor and co-founder of one of the UK’s market leading APC training providers, Property Elite, this guide is packed full of bite sized information covering: Ethics, Rules of Conduct and Professionalism Client Care Communication and Negotiation Health and Safety Accounting Principles and Procedures Business Planning Conflict Avoidance, Management and Dispute Resolution Procedures Data Management Diversity, Inclusion and Teamworking Inclusive Environments Sustainability Senior Professional Assessment Mandatory Competencies Submission and Interview Advice Practical and concise, with bullet point checklists and real-life examples and diagrams, this handy guide tells you everything you need to know about the RICS mandatory competencies when studying for your APC or your university exams. Relevant to candidates on all APC pathways, including Commercial Real Estate, Residential, Valuation, Quantity Surveying and Construction, Planning and Development, Building Surveying, Land and Resources, this book will also be a handy reference for qualified surveyors and property professionals. This book will also help you to better support your candidates if you are an APC or AssocRICS Counsellor or Supervisor.
Raymond Carver: A Writer's Life
by Carol SklenickaThe first biography of america’s best-known short story writer of the late twentieth century.The London Times called Raymond Carver "the American Chekhov." The beloved, mischievous, but more modest short-story writer and poet thought of himself as "a lucky man" whose renunciation of alcohol allowed him to live "ten years longer than I or anyone expected." In that last decade, Carver became the leading figure in a resurgence of the short story. Readers embraced his precise, sad, often funny and poignant tales of ordinary people and their troubles: poverty, drunkenness, embittered marriages, difficulties brought on by neglect rather than intent. Since Carver died in 1988 at age fifty, his legacy has been mythologized by admirers and tainted by controversy over a zealous editor’s shaping of his first two story collections. Carol Sklenicka penetrates the myths and controversies. Her decade-long search of archives across the United States and her extensive interviews with Carver’s relatives, friends, and colleagues have enabled her to write the definitive story of the iconic literary figure. Laced with the voices of people who knew Carver intimately, her biography offers a fresh appreciation of his work and an unbiased, vivid portrait of the writer.
From Hardtack to Homefries: An Uncommon History of American Cooks and Meals
by Barbara HaberBarbara Haber, one of America's most respected authorities on the history of food, has spent years excavating fascinating stories of the ways in which meals cooked and served by women have shaped American history. As any cook knows, every meal, and every diet, has a story -- whether it relates to presidents and first ladies or to the poorest of urban immigrants. From Hardtack to Home Fries brings together the best and most inspiring of those stories, from the 1840s to the present, focusing on a remarkable assembly of little-known or forgotten Americans who determined what our country ate during some of its most trying periods. Haber's secret weapon is the cookbook. She unearths cookbooks and menus from rich and poor, urban and rural, long-past and near-present and uses them to answer some fascinating puzzles: Why was the food in Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's White House so famously bad? Were they trying to keep guests away, or did they themselves simply lack the taste to realize the truth? It turns out that Eleanor's chef wrote a cookbook, which solves the mystery. How did food lure settlers to the hardship of the American West? Englishman Fred Harvey's Harvey Girls tempted them with good food and good women. How did cooking keep alive World War II Army and Navy POWs in the Pacific? A remarkable cookbook reveals how recollections of home cooking and cooking resourcefulness helped mend bodies and spirits.From Hardtack to Home Fries uses a light touch to survey a deeply important subject. Women's work and women's roles in America's past have not always been easy to recover. Barbara Haber shows us that a single, ubiquitous, ordinary-yet-extraordinary lens can illuminate a great deal of this other half of our past. Haber includes sample recipes and rich photographs, bringing the food of bygone eras back to life. From Hardtack to Home Fries is a feast, and a delight.
Moments of Clarity: Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery
by Christopher Kennedy LawfordChristopher Kennedy Lawford’s New York Times bestselling memoir, Symptoms of Withdrawal, offered readers a startling, first-hand look at his own addictions to drugs and alcohol, prompting People magazine to write, “Few have written so well about the joy of drugs, and few are as unsparing about their drug-driven selfishness.” In his bestselling follow-up, Moments of Clarity, Lawford presents “Voices from the Front Lines of Addiction and Recovery.” With contributions from Tom Arnold, Alec Baldwin, Meredith Baxter, Jamie Lee Curtis, Richard Dreyfuss, Anthony Hopkins and many others, Moments of Clarity is an important addition to the literature of recovery.
The Real Girl Next Door: A Memoir
by Denise RichardsIT’S COMPLICATED. We’ve read the scandalous headlines, watched her sexy breakout performances in Starship Troopers and Wild Things, and seen her many public faces on her reality television show—the beautiful vixen, the devoted mother, the hard-working entertainer, and the fun-loving friend. But how well do we really know Denise Richards? Like so many small-town girls, she dreamed of making it big in Hollywood. But following a painful, high-profile divorce from Charlie Sheen, she found herself raising their two young daughters alone as her mother was dying of cancer. Denise writes openly and honestly about these experiences and more: she lets you in on her childhood dreams, her fated move to Hollywood with her close-knit family, her rise to fame, the pressures of living in the spotlight, and the controversy surrounding her relationships. Through it all, she managed to keep her sense of humor and optimism. She offers an up-close and personal look at her most intimate battle scars and the lessons she’s learned as she’s healed and grown. Denise’s story will resonate with anyone who has had to look within herself to find strength and courage when life is throwing curveballs. Inspiring and uplifting, raw and revealing, Denise finally lets her fans in on the resilient woman behind the bombshell persona, the person her friends and family already know: The Real Girl Next Door.
The Way of Baseball: Finding Stillness at 95 MPH
by Shawn Green Gordon McAlpineShawn Green’s career statistics can be found on the backs of baseball cards in shoe boxes across America: 328 home runs, 1,071 RBIs, .282 career batting average, All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger. . . . But numbers tell only part of the story.His path to success was as grounded in philosophical study as in ballpark wisdom. Striving to find stillness within the rip-roaring scene of Major League Baseball—from screaming fans to national scandals— Green learned to approach the sport with a clear mind. In the tradition of Phil Jackson’s Sacred Hoops,Green shares the secrets to remaining focused both on and off the field, shedding light on a signature approach to living by using his remarkable baseball experiences to exemplify how one can find full awareness, presence, and, ultimately, fulfillment in any endeavor. Following his development from inconsistent rookie to established All-Star to aging veteran,The Way of Baseball illustrates the spiritual practices that enabled him to “bring stillness into the flow of life.” Requiring mastery of perspective and continual management of ego, the game of baseball afforded Green the opportunity to explore his potential as more than just a ballplayer. A treasure of practical wisdom and an intimate look at what it really means to “let go,” The Way of Baseball illuminates the creative possibilities within us all.
The Career Within You: How to Find the Perfect Job for Your Personality
by Elizabeth Wagele Ingrid StabbFind the Perfect Career Just for You! The Career Within You Includes: A Quiz to Determine Your Personality's "Career Type" Worksheets That Fit a Selection of Jobs to Your Strengths, Needs, and Objectives Extensive Tables of the Careers That Currently Offer the Most Money, the Most Opportunities, and the Greatest Flexibility Sample Résumés That Will Catch an Employer's Attention Detailed Tips on Preparing for a Successful Interview Success Stories of People Just Like You
Blockbuster: How Hollywood Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Summer
by Tom ShoneIt's a typical summer Friday night and the smell of popcorn is in the air. Throngs of fans jam into air-conditioned multiplexes to escape for two hours in the dark, blissfully lost in Hollywood's latest glittery confection complete with megawatt celebrities, awesome special effects, and enormous marketing budgets. The world is in love with the blockbuster movie, and these cinematic behemoths have risen to dominate the film industry, breaking box office records every weekend. With the passion and wit of a true movie buff and the insight of an internationally renowned critic, Tom Shone is the first to make sense of this phenomenon by taking readers through the decades that have shaped the modern blockbuster and forever transformed the face of Hollywood. The moment the shark fin broke the water in 1975, a new monster was born. Fast, visceral, and devouring all in its path, the blockbuster had arrived. In just a few weeks Jaws earned more than $100 million in ticket sales, an unprecedented feat that heralded a new era in film. Soon, blockbuster auteurs such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and James Cameron would revive the flagging fortunes of the studios and lure audiences back into theaters with the promise of thrills, plenty of action, and an escape from art house pretension. But somewhere along the line, the beast they awakened took on a life of its own, and by the 1990s production budgets had escalated as quickly as profits. Hollywood entered a topsy-turvy world ruled by marketing and merchandising mavens, in which flops like Godzilla made money and hits had to break records just to break even. The blockbuster changed from a major event that took place a few times a year into something that audiences have come to expect weekly, piling into the backs of one another in an annual demolition derby that has left even Hollywood aghast. Tom Shone has interviewed all the key participants -- from cinematic visionaries like Spielberg and Lucas and the executives who greenlight these spectacles down to the effects wizards who detonated the Death Star and blew up the White House -- in order to reveal the ways in which blockbusters have transformed how Hollywood makes movies and how we watch them. As entertaining as the films it chronicles, Blockbuster is a must-read for any fan who delights in the magic of the movies.
The Everything Root Cellaring Book: Learn to Store, Cook, and Preserve Fresh Produce All Year Round! (The Everything Books)
by Catherine AbbottThere's an old-fashioned solution to the problem of fresh produce going bad. Store fruits and veggies in a root cellar or other cold storage location! This book provides you with step-by-step plans on how to build a root cellar--or utilize the one you've got. Professional farmer Catherine Abbott teaches you:How to effectively organize your root cellarWhere to store fruits and vegetables in unconventional placesWhat the best fruits and vegetables are for storingWays to preserve, dry, and freeze a variety of foods to enjoy all winter longRecipes for fresh fruits, berries, veggies, and herbs to cook all year round Featuring illustrations for building root cellars as well as a full nutritional breakdown for all 150 recipes, you will love this comprehensive guide. Before long, you'll know how to provide yourself and your family with great nutritious foods all year long!