These are the recollections of "Ragtime Bob" Darch (1920-2002) told in his own words and transcribed by his longtime friend Steve Spracklen. Bob begins by recalling his life from childhood in Detroit through his college years and then service in World War II as an army paratrooper and in the Korean conflict as an Alaskan post engineer. Then he recounts his nearly six decades as an itinerant ragtime piano player sharing stories as only Bob could tell them of the many celebrities with whom he worked and the countless tales of his experiences "on the Ragtime Trail." Bob entertained his audiences with music and stories of ragtime, past and present. He was not encumbered by facts...he had a story to tell. Bob died in 2002 at the age of 82 and he is buried in Sedalia, Missouri where he often said his style of classic ragtime music began. March 31, 2020 marked the centennial of his birth and like he said of ragtime, Bob's legacy isn't dead, it isn't even sick.
The Years of Lyndon Johnson is the political biography of our time. No president—no era of American politics—has been so intensively and sharply examined at a time when so many prime witnesses to hitherto untold or misinterpreted facets of a life, a career, and a period of history could still be persuaded to speak. The Path to Power, Book One, reveals in extraordinary detail the genesis of the almost superhuman drive, energy, and urge to power that set LBJ apart. Chronicling the startling early emergence of Johnson’s political genius, it follows him from his Texas boyhood through the years of the Depression in the Texas hill Country to the triumph of his congressional debut in New Deal Washington, to his heartbreaking defeat in his first race for the Senate, and his attainment, nonetheless, of the national power for which he hungered. We see in him, from earliest childhood, a fierce, unquenchable necessity to be first, to win, to dominate—coupled with a limitless capacity for hard, unceasing labor in the service of his own ambition. Caro shows us the big, gangling, awkward young Lyndon—raised in one of the country’s most desperately poor and isolated areas, his education mediocre at best, his pride stung by his father’s slide into failure and financial ruin—lunging for success, moving inexorably toward that ultimate “impossible” goal that he sets for himself years before any friend or enemy suspects what it may be. We watch him, while still at college, instinctively (and ruthlessly) creating the beginnings of the political machine that was to serve him for three decades. We see him employing his extraordinary ability to mesmerize and manipulate powerful older men, to mesmerize (and sometimes almost enslave) useful subordinates. We see him carrying out, before his thirtieth year, his first great political inspiration: tapping-and becoming the political conduit for-the money and influence of the new oil men and contractors who were to grow with him to immense power. We follow, close up, the radical fluctuations of his relationships with the formidable “Mr. Sam” Raybum (who loved him like a son and whom he betrayed) and with FDR himself. And we follow the dramas of his emotional life-the intensities and complications of his relationships with his family, his contemporaries, his girls; his wooing and winning of the shy Lady Bird; his secret love affair, over many years, with the mistress of one of his most ardent and generous supporters . . . Johnson driving his people to the point of exhausted tears, equally merciless with himself . . . Johnson bullying, cajoling, lying, yet inspiring an amazing loyalty . . . Johnson maneuvering to dethrone the unassailable old Jack Garner (then Vice President of the United States) as the New Deal’s “connection” in Texas, and seize the power himself . . . Johnson raging . . . Johnson hugging . . . Johnson bringing light and, indeed, life to the worn Hill Country farmers and their old-at-thirty wives via the district’s first electric lines. We see him at once unscrupulous, admirable, treacherous, devoted. And we see the country that bred him: the harshness and “nauseating loneliness” of the rural life; the tragic panorama of the Depression; the sudden glow of hope at the dawn of the Age of Roosevelt. And always, in the foreground, on the move, LBJ. Here is Lyndon Johnson—his Texas, his Washington, his America—in a book that brings us as close as we have ever been to a true perception of political genius and the American political process.
A catch phrase is a well-known, frequently-used phrase or saying that has `caught on' or become popular over along period of time. It is often witty or philosophical and this Dictionary gathers together over 7,000 such phrases.
** Pre-order A WEDDING AT HEATHERLY HALL, the new cosy village romance from Julie Houston, now! ** Fans of Katie Fforde, Phillipa Ashley and The Vicar of Dibley will love this heartwarming and witty new novel from Julie Houston. Three devoted sisters... One complicated family. After the untimely death of their biological father, triplets Eva, Rosa and Hannah find themselves the unlikely owners of Heatherly Hall, the vast manor house overlooking their home village of Westenbury. But the beautiful house comes with almost as much baggage as it does land, not least high running costs and expectations. It's up to the sisters to find a way to keep Heatherly Hall going and, most importantly, in the family. But with drama in their private lives and secrets about to emerge, can the sisters stick together to focus on the task at hand? Praise for Julie Houston's books: 'A warm, funny story of sisters and the secrets they keep' Sheila O'Flanagan 'Warm, funny and well written, with a page-turning plot, this book has everything! I loved it!' Katie Fforde 'Julie Houston at her best – heartfelt and hilarious' Sandy Barker 'Laugh-out-loud hilarious and heartwarming!' Mandy Baggot 'This book is an absolute gigglefest with characters you'll fall in love with!' Katie Ginger
Get ready for lost wills, broody dukes, and scorching hot kissing all over London in Rules for Engaging the Earl by Janna MacGregor. Constance Lysander needs a husband. Or, so society says. She’s about to give birth to her late husband’s child—a man who left her with zero money, and two other wives she didn’t know about. Thankfully, she has her Aunt by her side, and the two other wives have become close friends. But still—with a baby on the way, her shipping business to run, and an enemy skulking about, she has no time to find the perfect match. Enter Jonathan, Earl of Sykeston. Returned war hero and Constance’s childhood best friend, his reentry into society has been harsh. Maligned for an injury he received in the line of duty, Jonathan prefers to stay out of sight. It’s the only way to keep his heart from completely crumbling. But when a missive from Constance requests his presence—to their marriage ceremony—Jonathan is on board. His feelings for Constance run deep, and he’ll do anything to make her happy, though it means risking his already bruised heart. With Constance, Jonathan, and the new baby all together, it’s clear the wounds—both on the surface and in their relationship—run deep. But when the nights come, their wounds begin to heal, and both come to realize that their marriage of convenience is so much more than just a bargain. Praise for Janna MacGregor: "Janna MacGregor dazzles." —Eloisa James "Janna MacGregor's stories positively sparkle." —Christi Caldwell
The fantastic follow-up to Time After Time and Stand By Me Families are so complicated! Molly's dad seems so lonely. He lives on his own, he won't get a pet, he doesn't get on with his brother ... Best friends Molly and Beth suspect his problems lie in his past, but what can two thirteen-year-olds do about that? Well, when they have a time-travelling door, maybe they CAN do something. The girls go back to 1975 hoping to right some wrongs – if they can navigate 1970s cars, food and boybands – and if the colourful fashions don't blind them first! A heart-warming story of sticking with your friends and hanging on to your dreams!
My name is Rick Harper, and the cake is for me. Everyone is here because it’s a big deal, because it’s not every day you get to celebrate your sixty-fifth birthday. Sixty-five is the magic number – I can start collecting Social Security, and I get to go on Medicare. I quit my job at Wiley & Associates. My golden years are on the horizon, and there isn’t a cloud in the sky. There’s plenty of sunshine, and lots of vitamin D. I smile. At my age, I’ll take all the free vitamins I can get.
"If you lack the courage to leap into the unknown, you'll never experience the joy of soaring free." The North Tower has fallen and the rebellion against the despotic Lords of Mydren is growing. Conlan wears the Royal Crown and, having proclaimed his ancestral entitlement to the throne as rightful King of Mydren, leads his army to destroy the East Tower. Yet the magical power of the Five is not the unstoppable strength it once seemed. One of their number is dying, their energy has become unbalanced and the elements themselves are stirring, pushing the Avatars into a dangerous gambit. Amelia is happy being a wife and mother, but her life is being torn apart by the man she loves, forcing her into a desperate mission to save him. She must travel the length of Mydren to find those who can aid him and convince them to help. Through internal struggles and external battles, Amelia will be ruthlessly tested. Will these trials forge her resolve into a weapon befitting an Avatar, or will she be crushed in body and soul? Can she find the belief and courage necessary to combat her own fears and protect those she loves? Her family needs her, and love is sacrifice, but is Amelia ready to surrender her entire being to the service of her King?
