This humorous collection of short stories is a fictional account of the people and golfers who live near, and/or play at, Lahinch Golf Club in Ireland. The stories are charming, the writing is clean, and the characters are quirky and fun. You don't have to be a golfer to enjoy these stories.
Focusing on the landscapes and memory of golf and examining the games nature and appeal, this collection of seventy-two haiku poems and essays aims to lead readers to a fuller appreciation of the culture and history of golf and a deeper awareness of a players place in the game. Be the Pine, Be the Ball also reveals the compelling beauty and power of haiku, the most popular poetic form in the world. Through the brevity of its style, precise language, and ability to reveal how ordinary moments and elements of our lives are pathways to a better understanding of ourselves and the world around us, haiku can have both a meditative and consequential effect on the reader. A key to the connection between haiku and golf is that both foster powers of concentration and detailed observation with a related reduction of distractions. Both seek to cultivate a more tranquil and disciplined mind and to translate that condition into how a life is lived and a game is played.
Alice loves to cook. She believes the secret of good food is to cook with passion. Her love affair with cookery has taken her from her parents' seaside hotel, to Paris and then one of Dublin's finest restaurants. Then she marries Liam, and is happy to hang up her chef's hat and cook for her family and friends instead. But now she's cooking for one! Her marriage to Liam over, it's high time she learns to stand on her own two feet and begin again... Alice opens The Martello School of Cookery and a group of total strangers learn from her to create food that is tasty and delicious. And in the comfort of her kitchen they discover, not only how to cook - but recipes for life... By the number one bestselling author of The Mother of the Bride
The Key to Unlocking Your Writing Success This ultimate writer's reference connects you to who's who in the publishing industry. Inside, you'll find the names, addresses, phone numbers, and e-mail and Web addresses for hundreds of top editors and agents, plus essays from industry insiders who reveal the secrets to big-time success. With the most up-to-date information on an industry that's constantly changing, this new edition offers everything you need to get past the slush piles and into the hands of the real players in the publishing field, including how to write attention-grabbing book proposals and thrive off rejection. Now, you hold the keys to getting published.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Globe-trotting golfer Tom Coyne has finally come home. And he’s ready to play all of it. After playing hundreds of courses overseas in the birthplace of golf, Coyne, the bestselling author of A Course Called Ireland and A Course Called Scotland, returns to his own birthplace and delivers a “heartfelt, rollicking ode to golf…[as he] describes playing golf in every state of the union, including Alaska: 295 courses, 5,182 holes, 1.7 million total yards” (The Wall Street Journal). In the span of one unforgettable year, Coyne crisscrosses the country in search of its greatest golf experience, playing every course to ever host a US Open, along with more than two hundred hidden gems and heavyweights, visiting all fifty states to find a better understanding of his home country and countrymen. Coyne’s journey begins where the US Open and US Amateur got their start, historic Newport Country Club in Rhode Island. As he travels from the oldest and most elite of links to the newest and most democratic, Coyne finagles his way onto coveted first tees (Shinnecock, Oakmont, Chicago GC) between rounds at off-the-map revelations, like ranch golf in Eastern Oregon and homemade golf in the Navajo Nation. He marvels at the golf miracle hidden in the sand hills of Nebraska and plays an unforgettable midnight game under bright sunshine on the summer solstice in Fairbanks, Alaska. More than just a tour of the best golf the United States has to offer, Coyne’s quest connects him with hundreds of American golfers, each from a different background but all with one thing in common: pride in welcoming Coyne to their course. Trading stories and swing tips with caddies, pros, and golf buddies for the day, Coyne adopts the wisdom of one of his hosts in Minnesota: the best courses are the ones you play with the best people. But, in the end, only one stop on Coyne’s journey can be ranked the Great American Golf Course. Throughout his travels, he invites golfers to debate and help shape his criteria for judging the quintessential American course. Should it be charmingly traditional or daringly experimental? An architectural showpiece or a natural wonder? Countless conversations and gut instinct lead him to seek out a course that feels bold and idealistic, welcoming yet imperfect, with a little revolutionary spirit and a damn good hot dog at the turn. He discovers his long-awaited answer in the most unlikely of places. Packed with fascinating tales from American golf history, comic road misadventures, illuminating insights into course design, and many a memorable round with local golfers and celebrity guests alike, A Course Called America is “a delightful, entertaining book even nongolfers can enjoy” (Kirkus Reviews).
If you read other guides to bicycling Europe you'll find, between yawns, they are filled with very general practical information and describe routes in a long-winded narrative format, impractical for most cyclists. In addition, most focus on just one region or country. Written by Jerry Soverinsky, the owner of a Chicago-based tour company specializing in European destinations (www.cbttours.com) and former Second City comedy writer, this book differs from its predecessors by featuring (a.) detailed information for planning and riding 7- to 10-day tours in 10 countries, (b.) route descriptions in the form of precise, turn-by-turn "cue sheets" based on notable landmarks, and (c.) details for each tour, including historical overviews of regions, food and lodging accommodations to suit any budget, and up-to-date contact information. Whether you actually make it to Europe to ride or not, this highly-entertaining cycling book is well worth the read.