A forty-year storied career—beginning in the dish room at the Plaza Inn in Disneyland, Kevin Rafferty has conceived, designed, written, and overseen the creation of some of the Disney parks most memorable attractions including Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach water parks, Cars Land, Toy Story Mania, Test Track, Tower of Terror, MuppetVision, and many others.including the first-ever Mickey and Minnie Mouse attraction set to debut at Walt Disney World in 2019. For a young man who began studying for the priesthood at a seminary, the journey to halls of Imagineering has truly been a magical one. A master storyteller, Kevin chronicles his unimaginable career with great humor, honesty, and heart.
Spanning forty years, the second book in John Nichols's New Mexico trilogy, The Magic Journey, tells the tale of how relentless progress transformed a rural backwater into a boomtown. Boom times came to the forgotten little southwestern town of Chamisaville just as the rest of America was in the Great Depression. They came when a rattletrap bus loaded with stolen dynamite blew sky-high, leaving behind a giant gushing hot spring. Within minutes, the town's wheeler-dealers had organized, and within a year, Chamisaville was flooded with tourists and pilgrims, and the wheeler-dealers were rich. At first, it was a magic time for Chamisaville—almost as if every day were a holiday. But the euphoria gradually dissipated, and the land-hungry developers, speculators, and interlopers moved in. Finally, the day came when Chamisaville's people found themselves all but displaced, their children no longer heirs to their land or their tradition. With mounting intensity, The Magic Journey reaches a climax that is tragically foreordained. A sensitive, vital, and honest chronicle of life in America's Southwest, it is also an incisive commentary on what America has become on its road to progress. The Magic Journey is part of John Nichols's New Mexico trilogy, which includes The Milagro Beanfield War and The Nirvana Blues.
From the author of The Gift of an Ordinary Day comes an intimate memoir of loss, self-discovery, and growth that will resonate deeply with any woman who has ever mourned the passage of time, questioned her own purpose, or wondered, "Do I have what it takes to create something new in my life?" "No longer indispensable, no longer assured of our old carefully crafted identities, no longer beautiful in the way we were at twenty or thirty or forty, we are hungry and searching nonetheless." With the candor and warmth that have endeared her to readers, Kenison reflects on the inevitable changes wrought by time: the death of a dear friend, children leaving home, recognition of her own physical vulnerability, and surprising shifts in her marriage. She finds solace in the notion that midlife is also a time of unprecedented opportunity for growth as old roles and responsibilities fall away, and unanticipated possibilities appear on the horizon. More a spiritual journey than a physical one, Kenison's beautifully crafted exploration begins and ends with a home, a life, a marriage. But this metamorphosis proves as demanding as any trek or pilgrimage to distant lands-it will guide and inspire every woman who finds herself asking: "What now?"
Mel wants to get her mummy a special gift for her birthday. While she is thinking of this under her favorite tree, a magical world opens up for her and she finds a host of friends that have conspired to help her find an ideal gift for Mummy. Tree, Earth, Wind, Sun, Eagle and Mel form a bond that the child hopes will last forever.
The book brings together five generations through the grandmother’s memories. As the recorder of time, her role is to keep the family’s history and traditions alive. Curiosity, magic, and childhood’s mythology are the thread of adventures. They range from the grandmother’s early age, to those of her son, and granddaughters all taking place on two continents at different stages of the former and present century.
Join Lizzie Mary Cullen (the illustrator behind The Magical City and The Magical Christmas) on an expedition around the world, with her brand new colouring book. For the past few months, Lizzie has been travelling the world, exploring some of our planet's most beautiful landscapes and fascinating cities. Inspired by the places she discovered, she has created this stunning new colouring adventure. The Magical Journey is Lizzie's most interactive and absorbing book yet - with different treasure hunts for each continent around the world. This is an epic trip that will transport you from the depths of the Brazilian rainforest to the dizzying heights of the New Zealand mountains. Join Lizzie and faithful friend Paddy the Pug as they trek, fly, sail and swim through the wonders of the world, discovering hidden objects along the way. For fans of Johanna Basford's The Secret Garden and Millie Marotta's Animal Kingdom, this is a stunning new colouring book.
“Jon Dorenbos is a magical person. Life Is Magic shows how we can all choose happiness in the face of overwhelming odds.” —Ellen DeGeneres An extraordinary and empowering story of resilience, forgiveness, and living a life of purpose in the face of unfathomable obstacles. You may know him as an NFL All-Pro or as a world-class magician who made the finals of America’s Got Talent, but Jon Dorenbos says that what he does is not who he is. He is someone who coached himself, at the most tender of ages, to turn tragedy to triumph. One morning in August 1992, when Jon was twelve years old and living a seemingly idyllic childhood in suburban Seattle, he woke up for baseball camp. His dad waved goodbye. Later that day, Jon heard the news: his father had murdered his mother in the family’s three-car garage. In an instant, his life had shattered. He’d essentially been orphaned. Thrust into foster care while his father stood trial for murder, Jon struggled. Left to himself, he discovered an unlikely escape performing magic tricks. If you found a way to alter your reality, after your dad—your hero—killed your mom, wouldn’t you cling to it too? Then came football, which provided a release for all of his pent-up anger. Together, magic and football saved him, leading to fourteen NFL seasons on the gridiron and raucous sleight of hand performances to packed houses across the globe. In 2017, he was diagnosed with a life-threatening heart condition leaving him with a choice. To either break down or—as he’d by now long taught himself—bounce back. “Life Is Magic shows how we can all choose happiness in the face of overwhelming odds” (Ellen DeGeneres) and provides a roadmap for overcoming even the darkest of times. Jon’s story is poignant and powerful, told by a charismatic and optimistic man who has overcome life-or-death challenges with grace, persistence, a childlike sense of wonder…and jaw-dropping card tricks.
“High stakes, big heart, and lots of Black Girl Magic…unputdownable.” —Aiden Thomas, New York Times bestselling author of Cemetery Boys A rich, dark urban fantasy debut following a teen witch who is given a horrifying task: sacrificing her first love to save her family’s magic. The problem is, she’s never been in love—she’ll have to find the perfect guy before she can kill him. After years of waiting for her Calling—a trial every witch must pass to come into their powers—the one thing Voya Thomas didn’t expect was to fail. When Voya’s ancestor gives her an unprecedented second chance to complete her Calling, she agrees—and then is horrified when her task is to kill her first love. And this time, failure means every Thomas witch will be stripped of their magic. Voya is determined to save her family’s magic no matter the cost. The problem is, Voya has never been in love, so for her to succeed, she’ll first have to find the perfect guy—and fast. Fortunately, a genetic matchmaking program has just hit the market. Her plan is to join the program, fall in love, and complete her task before the deadline. What she doesn’t count on is being paired with the infuriating Luc—how can she fall in love with a guy who seemingly wants nothing to do with her? With mounting pressure from her family, Voya is caught between her morality and her duty to her bloodline. If she wants to save their heritage and Luc, she’ll have to find something her ancestor wants more than blood. And in witchcraft, blood is everything.
What does it mean to be competitive, and to put all of yourself into a competitive activity? I have played Magic: The Gathering for twenty years. I have traveled around the world to play all over North America, Europe, and China. I have had lots of fun, and made incredible friends, along the way. But I have also experienced feelings of anguish, frustrations, and self-doubt. Many years later, I have come to be at peace with myself. I have developed a framework for controlling my emotions in the heat of competition. I wrote my story so that it can be shared with you. Playing Magic is not a requirement for enjoying this book. Struggle is universal, and can apply to any activity you are passionate about. I welcome you to take the journey with me, and learn more about yourself in the process. Praise for Magic: The Addiction "Reading this book took me back through my own journey as a Magic player. The experiences detailed here spoke to me and I finished the book in a single reading. I would recommend this book to Magic players and non-Magic players alike, as the author paints a compelling picture regardless of your familiarity with the source material. It's a tale of just how fully this game can grab you, and what that can lead to - from the positives of building relationships and finding a challenging mental pursuit to the dark side of obsession." -Luis Scott-Vargas, Professional Magic Player, Hall of Famer and 7-time Pro Tour Top 8 Finalist "More than any author before him, James perfectly captures the very essence of what it means to suffer from the competitive drive. His brutally honest and highly entertaining reflections on two decades of worldwide gaming have been an eye-opening journey of discovery for me." -Julian Knab, Magic Player and 2013 Bazaar of Moxen Paris Winner "James tells a clear and captivating story that resonated a lot with me given my upbringing as an Asian-American Magic player." -Jarvis Yu, Magic Player, 2015 Grand Prix Seattle Winner and 9-time Pro Tour Qualifier "James's take on what drives Magic players to compete is vital and fresh in a media climate that either takes it for granted or portrays it as completely insane." -Chris Morris-Lent, Author, A Brief History of Magic Cards
