Ellie has a boyfriend! And he's really, truly interested in her - not in her best friends, Magda and Nadine! She and oh-so-gorgeous Russell have so much in common - Ellie knows they're made for each other. If only Dad thought so too . . . While Ellie tries her best to cope with Dad's totally unreasonable curfew, Magda's dealing with her crush on a teacher - and Nadine's falling for slimy Liam again. What they need is a girls' night out - but they might get a little more than they bargained for . . .
A rousing, funny, straight-talking, inspirational and generally awesome book from social entrepreneur Lucy Bloom, part memoir, part life-lessons, which urges us all to find our courage, take joy in life and celebrate our extraordinary ordinariness... Stirring, straight-talking, incredibly inspiring, funny and full-on - Lucy Bloom is one of a kind, and so is her memoir. Lucy's openhearted interest in the world has taken her from jillarooing on a cattle farm to maternity hospitals in Ethiopia, from marshalling a cross-country carnival in northern Uganda to CEO briefings in the back of a tuk-tuk in Cambodia. Hers has been a life of fighting for the underdog only to find out that, sometimes, the underdog is actually her. Taking all dramatic life-turns, side-steps and face-plants in her stride, Lucy has rebuilt her life every time, with love and adventure at its heart, plus a side order of mischief. Rollicking, rude, brimful with joy, and written with a take-no-prisoners, bare-all honesty, this book is a call to arms - a book to make you laugh out loud, nod your head in recognition, re-charge your life and let loose. 'My deepest wish is that reading this book makes you want to do cool stuff, make plans, launch that business, pack your bags, shave your head, ride that horse, date that hottie, apply for that job, chuck that party - and, most of all, get your girls out, whatever that means for you.' 'This memoir is so full of life and its ups and downs, you will start reading it again as soon as you finish. We are all richer for knowing Lucy.' Wendy Whiteley OAM 'Lucy tells powerful stories of human tenacity and love; she inspires all with her insight into the human spirit.' Bernard Salt AM
Ellie thinks she looks awful. Horrible. FAT. Her best friends are both drop-dead gorgeous and Ellie’s sick of being the ugly duckling. So she goes on a diet. And she even starts to exercise, much to her friends’ and her gym teacher’s amazement. Ellie’s hungry all the time, she works out every spare second, and she’s turned into a grouchy meanie. But if her friends don’t want to deal with the new and improved Ellie, that’s their problem. It’s better to be thin than happy. Isn’t it?
A collection of stories by the winner of the 1999 John Simmons Short Fiction Award delves deeply into love as it is experience by the under-thirty generation--among Deadheads, gay teenage girls, depressed Peace Corps volunteers, and anorexic dancers. Original.
Ellie finally meets a boy. The right boy. And she wants to spend all her time with him. Her curfew is way too early, but if her stepmother doesn’t tell, her father will never know she’s been out late. It’s not like anything bad is going to happen, and her father doesn’t need to know what she does every minute of every day. As long as she brings her friends along, everything should be all right. Too bad the best laid plans often go wrong!
From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Sweet Thing and Nowhere But Here comes a love story about a Craigslist “missed connection” post that gives two people a second chance at love fifteen years after they were separated in New York City. To the Green-eyed Lovebird: We met fifteen years ago, almost to the day, when I moved my stuff into the NYU dorm room next to yours at Senior House. You called us fast friends. I like to think it was more. We lived on nothing but the excitement of finding ourselves through music (you were obsessed with Jeff Buckley), photography (I couldn’t stop taking pictures of you), hanging out in Washington Square Park, and all the weird things we did to make money. I learned more about myself that year than any other. Yet, somehow, it all fell apart. We lost touch the summer after graduation when I went to South America to work for National Geographic. When I came back, you were gone. A part of me still wonders if I pushed you too hard after the wedding… I didn’t see you again until a month ago. It was a Wednesday. You were rocking back on your heels, balancing on that thick yellow line that runs along the subway platform, waiting for the F train. I didn’t know it was you until it was too late, and then you were gone. Again. You said my name; I saw it on your lips. I tried to will the train to stop, just so I could say hello. After seeing you, all of the youthful feelings and memories came flooding back to me, and now I’ve spent the better part of a month wondering what your life is like. I might be totally out of my mind, but would you like to get a drink with me and catch up on the last decade and a half? M
A sensory portrait of an autistic mind From childhood, Laura James knew she was different. She struggled to cope in a world that often made no sense to her, as though her brain had its own operating system. It wasn't until she reached her forties that she found out why: Suddenly and surprisingly, she was diagnosed with autism. With a touching and searing honesty, Laura challenges everything we think we know about what it means to be autistic. Married with four children and a successful journalist, Laura examines the ways in which autism has shaped her career, her approach to motherhood, and her closest relationships. Laura's upbeat, witty writing offers new insight into the day-to-day struggles of living with autism, as her extreme attention to sensory detail -- a common aspect of her autism -- is fascinating to observe through her eyes. As Laura grapples with defining her own identity, she also looks at the unique benefits neurodiversity can bring. Lyrical and lush, Odd Girl Out shows how being different doesn't mean being less, and proves that it is never too late for any of us to find our rightful place in the world.
Stella is determined not to enjoy her time at summer camp while her mum and new stepfather are on holiday, but finds herself having rather more of a good time than she expected.
