It’S a Love Game
It’S a Love Game

Author: A.G. Starling

Publisher: iUniverse

Published: 2012-08-17

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 9781475939613

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Lizzie Bennington is on the brink of winning her first title in a mixed doubles match at the Boca Raton tournament when Jack Archer, Lizzies competitor across the net, stops play complaining of leg cramps. As she watches the trainers hands move up Jacks muscular loin, Lizzie tries to keep her composure, but she cannot hide her admiration. When Jack catches an unwitting look of prurient pleasure in Lizzies eye, the real game between the plucky, spirited beauty and the reckless, thrill-seeking playboy begins. But Jacks overtures only anger Lizzie. She cant forget the unsportsmanlike stunt that lost her the Boca match. She knows he is a notorious playboy. Whats more, Christina Richter is his partner off the court as well as on it. Still, Lizzie cannot deny her attraction. When she finally gives in, the relationship is threatened not only by Christina but by the number one mens player, Rodolfo Salazar, a volatile sexy Spaniard, who would like nothing better than to cross the net to get to Lizzie before Jack does. Even so, no one stands in the way of Lizzie and Jacks union more than Lizzie and Jack themselves. Only ti me will tell if two players on opposite sides of the net can find love.

It's All a Game
It's All a Game

Author: Tristan Donovan

Publisher: Macmillan

Published: 2017-05-30

Total Pages: 296

ISBN-13: 1250082730

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“[A] timely book . . . a wonderfully entertaining trip around the board, through 4,000 years of game history.” —The Wall Street Journal Board games have been with us even longer than the written word. But what is it about this pastime that continues to captivate us well into the age of smartphones and instant gratification? In It’s All a Game, Tristan Donovan, British journalist and author of Replay: The History of Video Games, opens the box on the incredible and often surprising history and psychology of board games. He traces the evolution of the game across cultures, time periods, and continents, from the paranoid Chicago toy genius behind classics like Operation and Mouse Trap, to the role of Monopoly in helping prisoners of war escape the Nazis, and even the scientific use of board games today to teach artificial intelligence how to reason and how to win. With these compelling stories and characters, Donovan ultimately reveals why board games—from chess to Monopoly to Risk and more—have captured hearts and minds all over the world for generations. “Splendid . . . A quick and breezy read, it doesn’t just tell the fascinating stories of the (often struggling) individuals who created our favorite games. It also manages to convey the entire sweep of board game history, from the earliest forms of checkers to modern-day surprise hits like Settlers of Catan.” —Mashable “Artfully weaves together culture, business, and ways games impact society.” —Booklist “A fascinating and insightful discussion not only of games past, but the socioeconomic and historical factors that contributed to their popularity.” —Chicago Review of Books

Love Game
Love Game

Author: Elizabeth Wilson

Publisher: University of Chicago Press

Published: 2016-05-06

Total Pages: 359

ISBN-13: 022637131X

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A journey through the history, culture, and mystique of tennis from “an original and provocative mind” (The Wall Street Journal). If you’ve watched Rafael Nadal spin a forehand at 4000 rpm, Maria Sharapova arabesque out of a serve, Serena Williams utterly destroy a short ball, or Roger Federer touch a volley into an impossibly angled winner, you know how exciting tennis can be. This book reveals the long history and unique culture behind the sport. With a penchant for tennis’s inherent drama, historian Elizabeth Wilson finds its core: a psychological face-off between flamboyant personalities navigating the ebbs and flows of fortune in the confines of a 78 x 36–foot box—whether of clay, grass, or DecoTurf. Walking the finely kempt lawns of Victorian England, she shows how tennis’s early role as a social pastime that included both men and women—and thus, lots of sexual tension—set it apart from most other sports and their dominant masculine appeal. Even today, when power and endurance are more important than ever, tennis still demands that the body behave gracefully and with finesse. In this way, Wilson shows, tennis has retained the vibrant spectacle of human drama and beauty that have always made it special, not just to sports fans but to popular culture. Telling the stories of all the greats, from the Renshaw brothers to Novak Djokovic, and of all the advances, from wooden racquets to network television schedules, Wilson offers a tennis book like no other, keeping the court square in our sights as history is illuminated around it. “A sporting history unlike any I’ve read—one that, in its sophistication and thoughtfulness, shows up the hollowness of most other accounts.” —Observer

Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga

Author: Emily Herbert

Publisher: Kings Road Publishing

Published: 2011-05-02

Total Pages: 179

ISBN-13: 1843582082

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Queen of Pop, superstar, maverick, fashionista, Lady Gaga is one of the most recognisable and sensational pop stars for a generation. A true original, Gaga found fame the hard way, playing the grimy bars and burlesque shows of New York City, before finally relocating to Los Angeles to begin work on what would become her debut album The Fame. Constantly en vogue and always in the public eye, this is the biography of the rise and rise of Gaga, from her early life as a teenage protege, to her life as one of the most respected musicians and most recognised entertainers on the planet.

Seven Games: A Human History
Seven Games: A Human History

Author: Oliver Roeder

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2022-01-25

Total Pages: 326

ISBN-13: 1324003782

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A group biography of seven enduring and beloved games, and the story of why—and how—we play them. Checkers, backgammon, chess, and Go. Poker, Scrabble, and bridge. These seven games, ancient and modern, fascinate millions of people worldwide. In Seven Games, Oliver Roeder charts their origins and historical importance, the delightful arcana of their rules, and the ways their design makes them pleasurable. Roeder introduces thrilling competitors, such as evangelical minister Marion Tinsley, who across forty years lost only three games of checkers; Shusai, the Master, the last Go champion of imperial Japan, defending tradition against “modern rationalism”; and an IBM engineer who created a backgammon program so capable at self-learning that NASA used it on the space shuttle. He delves into the history and lore of each game: backgammon boards in ancient Egypt, the Indian origins of chess, how certain shells from a particular beach in Japan make the finest white Go stones. Beyond the cultural and personal stories, Roeder explores why games, seemingly trivial pastimes, speak so deeply to the human soul. He introduces an early philosopher of games, the aptly named Bernard Suits, and visits an Oxford cosmologist who has perfected a computer that can effectively play bridge, a game as complicated as human language itself. Throughout, Roeder tells the compelling story of how humans, pursuing scientific glory and competitive advantage, have invented AI programs better than any human player, and what that means for the games—and for us. Funny, fascinating, and profound, Seven Games is a story of obsession, psychology, history, and how play makes us human.

It's Only a Game
It's Only a Game

Author: Terry Bradshaw

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2001-08-01

Total Pages: 266

ISBN-13: 0743424336

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This is the absolutely guaranteed 100% mostly true story of Terry Bradshaw: the man who gained sports immortality as the first quarterback to win four Super Bowls -- and the man who later became America's most popular sports broadcaster. IT'S ONLY A GAME "I had a real job once," begins a memoir as honest, unexpected, and downright hysterical as Bradshaw himself. From his humble beginnings in Shreveport, Louisiana, to his success as the centerpiece of the highest-rated football studio show in television history, Terry has always understood the importance of hard work. A veritable jack-of-all-trades, he has probably held more jobs than any other football Hall of Famer ever: pipeline worker, youth minister, professional singer, actor, television and radio talk show host, and now one of the nation's most popular speakers. But let's not forget one of the reasons why so many people know and love Terry Bradshaw: he won four Super Bowls! In It's Only A Game, Terry brings the reader right into the huddle and describes the game from the bottom of a two-ton pile to the top of the sports world. You'll sit right on the fifty-yard line and watch as Terry earns the title world's greatest benchwarmer. And you'll also hear about the single greatest play in pro football -- the Immaculate Reception -- as he never saw it. It's Only A Game is much more than a collection of Terry Bradshaw's favorite and funniest stories, it is the personal account of a great man's search for life before and after football...as only Terry could tell it.

It's How You Play the Game
It's How You Play the Game

Author: Brian Kilmeade

Publisher: Harper Collins

Published: 2009-10-13

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 0061745529

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“It’s How You Play the Game tells us what [athletes] were looking for when they started and what they found.” — Teddy Atlas, boxing trainer and commentator “Really gets at the heart of what sports is all about. ...Great read for anyone who ever played a sporyt.” — Tommy Lasorda, former Los Angeles Dodgers manager “I’ve watched many great players, but this is the first book that shows me how they became great people. ” — Joe Buck, Fox Sports “Brian does a masterful job laying out the values that have made America great.” — Gen. Tommy R. Franks, U.S. Army (Retired) “This is essential reading for sports fans and sports parents everywhere.” — Rick Wolff, host, “The Sports Edge” WFAN Radio “It’s How You Play the Game is a great read—insightful and well written.” — Donald J. Trump “...Humanizes our icons in a way that makes their success seem achievable and their life lessons invaluable.” — Jake Steinfeld, Chairman & CEO, Body by Jake Global “Helps to understand the value of sports and how it prepares you to deal with the stresses of everyday life.” — Bob Ferraro, President of the National High School Coaches Association “Like having a library of motivational books by successful people...a book you’ll refer to the rest of your life.” — Lou Holtz, former college football coach “This book taught me more about some of my favorite leaders than any profile of them I had ever read...” — Don Yaeger, Sports Illustrated writer, New York Times bestselling author

Why Me? Why Us?
Why Me? Why Us?

Author: Anthony McMaryion

Publisher: Xlibris Corporation

Published: 2015-02-13

Total Pages: 365

ISBN-13: 1503539490

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For as far back as she could remember, she always knew, felt, believed her fairy tale guy would show up, take her away from the life she was living in; and they would have a fairy tale romance, fairy tale wedding, and live a fairy tale life. He always knew that she would show up, the one personwomanthat would fulfill his every fantasy; and together they would accomplish, achieve, acquire, and accumulate all of the things in life that belonged to them. What do you do when you get into a relationship for all of the right reasons and all of a sudden all of the wrong things start happening? You find yourself hurting, in pain, and filled with brokenness? In this book, I will take you on a behind-the-scene look into relationships, showing you them from another perspective. If you really want to get Gods best and you want more out of your relationship with yourself, God, and out of others, this book will help you get there.

BrandChild
BrandChild

Author: Martin Lindstrom

Publisher: Kogan Page Publishers

Published: 2004-10-03

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0749447117

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Praise and Reviews "This is a must read book... Lindstrom provides fascinating stories taking you into the mental and emotional life of this new generation..." - Philip Kotler, S C Johnson & Sons Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management "BRANDchild will be a valuable addition to our industry's literature." - Lester Wunderman, Chairman Emeritus and founder of Wunderman Cato Johnson "Lindstrom's fascinating tour-de-force may have you staying awake for 60 hours in order to mine the kids-focused marketing wisdom." - Stann Rapp, MRM Partners Worldwide and co-founder of Rapp Collins Tweens (8- to 14-year-olds) are an increasingly powerful and smart consumer group that spent $300 billion across the globe last year and influenced another $350 billion spend through their parents. Based on the world's most extensive study of tween attitudes and behaviours, and now available in paperback, BRANDchild is the first book to look in-depth at the phenomena behind global kids and their relationships with brands. Conducted by Millward Brown, the leading global market research agency, the BRANDchild survey involved several thousand kids from more than 70 cities in 14 countries (throughout Europe, Asia, the United States and South America). Several renowned experts share their unique views on kids' trends and fascinating marketing techniques. Packed with practical advice on how to create kids' brands, including more than 50 previously unpublished case studies, BRANDchild proposes innovative ways of marketing to this young audience.