A memoir-in-essays from disability advocate and creator of the Instagram account @sitting_pretty Rebekah Taussig, processing a lifetime of memories to paint a beautiful, nuanced portrait of a body that looks and moves differently than most. Growing up as a paralyzed girl during the 90s and early 2000s, Rebekah Taussig only saw disability depicted as something monstrous (The Hunchback of Notre Dame), inspirational (Helen Keller), or angelic (Forrest Gump). None of this felt right; and as she got older, she longed for more stories that allowed disability to be complex and ordinary, uncomfortable and fine, painful and fulfilling. Writing about the rhythms and textures of what it means to live in a body that doesn’t fit, Rebekah reflects on everything from the complications of kindness and charity, living both independently and dependently, experiencing intimacy, and how the pervasiveness of ableism in our everyday media directly translates to everyday life. Disability affects all of us, directly or indirectly, at one point or another. By exploring this truth in poignant and lyrical essays, Taussig illustrates the need for more stories and more voices to understand the diversity of humanity. Sitting Pretty challenges us as a society to be patient and vigilant, practical and imaginative, kind and relentless, as we set to work to write an entirely different story.
WARNING: FL is scheming and evil. Like almost every dramatic romance novel, Lily Qin’s story began with an evil stepmother, a scheming stepsister, and a dumb ex-fiance. At twenty, she fell prey to their grand scheme and became the laughingstock of the country. In despair, she left. Seven years later, Lily Qin rose from the ashes. She was labeled as an empress, an iron lady, a genius, and a prodigy. She was Miss Tycoon. Now, at twenty-seven, Lily Qin was an established businesswoman who was single-handedly controlling her multinational company abroad. She was beautiful, smart, and successful. Women envied her while men couldn’t help but worship her ethereal beauty. With her devastating past, everyone had assumed that Lily would exact revenge on the people who had wronged her. Who would have guessed that behind that beaming smile of hers was a numb heart that aimed only to make more profit? "You got it wrong." Lily elegantly propped her chin on the back of her hand. "I am seeing you today because we have something in common. We're both villains in somebody else's eyes. And I think it's time for us villains to get our own happy ending. Don't you think so?" --- Zhuo Jingren’s love for Lily Qin was something that only he knew. Ever since they were children, he had his eyes on her. Yet, every time he had tried to confess, he would end up fainting from nervousness. So when Lily Qin promised to marry him if he became richer than her, Zhou Jingren did not hesitate to leave the orphanage and work his way up just to become her man. Who would have thought that years later, when he was successful and feared by many, he would come back to an engaged Lily Qin? Then she mistook him for an escort after eating his tofu? Preposterous! The worst thing was, she seemed to have forgotten everything about him. Hadn’t she promised to marry him the moment he became more prominent than her family? Now, after taking advantage of him, she dared to run away? This woman was a liar! He gritted his teeth as he watched her approach him. He was about to say something mean when she suddenly spoke. “Are you my new bodyguard?” She did not even wait for him to answer before tossing her car keys at him. “Drive. Let’s go wreak some havoc.” Thus, the mafia’s big boss became Lily Qin’s bodyguard. --- "So? What do you want as a compensation?" Zhuo Jingren asked her once again before laying down next to her. His elbow was resting on the ground and his palm was supporting his head as he looked at her intently. The first thing that Lily noticed about Zhuo Jingren when he laid next to her was his exposed tanned chest. This made him look more casual… and hot. She didn't even realize she was staring at the latter. "Why are you staring at me like that?" He smirked at her. "Do you want me to compensate you with my body?" Lily immediately rolled her eyes at the latter. "Who wants your body? Hmp! I want money!" "Your mind is always thinking of money but your body actually betrays you. Am I right to say that I have a shameless wife?" "Hah! I am a strong and independent woman of the 21st century. I know what I want. But if you insist on giving your body, I will take it too!" Lily shamelessly said, taking off her stilettos. However, just when Lily was about to lie down beside Zhuo Jingren, he suddenly pulled her on top of him. With her body on top of his, their faces were really close and they could even feel each other's breath. "What a shameless woman," he noted, the smile on his face only deepened.
From the author of the Madison Kate series comes the dark and delicious interconnected Hades series, another biting "why choose" romance in Shadow Grove. "I wouldn't fall. Because the second I did, someone would be there to slit my throat and toss me to the sharks. After all, it's what I would do." Five years ago, I masterminded the infamous massacre of the Tri-state Timberwolves. The streets outside the Wolves HQ ran red with the blood of the old guard, and not one of the members loyal to my father was spared mercy. Not a single one. I let the media twist and distort the story. My new recruits eagerly proved themselves by spreading false news, then covering our tracks. To the general public, the Tri-State Timberwolves were extinct. But that couldn't have been further from the truth. We changed, we grew, we evolved, and we came out stronger than ever. Now, I live, eat, sleep and breathe Timberwolves. I'll do anything to keep my empire safe and thriving. To keep the people depending on me safe. So, what do I do when it's my own weakness that places us all in danger? When I let sex cloud my judgment, and my people pay the price? Simple. Kill the distractions. I'm called Hades for a reason, after all.
The seemingly blind love of a wife for her husband as he conquers Wall Street, and her extraordinary, perhaps foolish, loyalty during his precipitous fall, is expertly explored in this “ripped-from-the-headlines story about love, ambition, and forgiveness” (PopSugar)—perfect for fans of the TV show Billions. Phoebe recognizes fire in Jake Pierce’s belly from the moment they meet as teenagers. After they marry and he creates a financial dynasty, she trusts him without hesitation—unaware his hunger for success hides a dark talent for deception. But when Phoebe learns her husband’s triumph and vast reach rests on an elaborate Ponzi scheme, her world unravels. While Jake is trapped in the web of his deceit, Phoebe is caught facing an unbearable choice. Her children refuse to see her if she remains at their father’s side, but abandoning him feels cruel and impossible. From penthouse to prison, with tragic consequences rippling well beyond Wall Street, Randy Susan Meyers’s latest novel exposes a woman struggling to survive and then redefine her life as her world crumbles. “An engrossing emotional journey” (Kirkus Reviews) and USA TODAY bestselling author Diane Chamberlain raves, “With all the suspense of a thriller, The Widow of Wall Street quickly pulled me into the story and didn’t let me go until the last page.”
When CEO David Strong is strong-armed into demonstrating Kama Sutra yoga poses for a couples class—which is as awkward as it sounds—he’s put in one compromising position after another. On top of that, the co-instructor gets him all worked up, and she’s totally off-limits. At least she should be. Sophie DelFino has fantasized about David for over a decade. If only he weren’t so uptight and didn’t have so many rules. Of course, all those rules sure make it fun to push his buttons. And if she can get him bent out of shape enough; maybe he’ll give in to the temptation of whatever’s sparking between them. Each book in the Invested in Love series is STANDALONE: *Compromising Positions *The Billionaire's Runaway Fiancee *The Billionaire's Private Scandal *The Billionaire's Holiday Engagement *The Billionaire's Reluctant Fiancee
A razor - sharp evisceration of celebrity culture and literary fame, How I Became a Famous Novelist is a satirical novel masquerading as a tell - all memoir. Sick of life as he knows it, Pete Tarslaw sets out to write a bestselling novel, armed with a formula for success cobbled together from previous bestsellers: he abandons truth, relies heavily on lyrical prose, creates a club with a mysterious mission, includes a murder and invokes ''confusing sadness'' at the end. Once the sales rankings for his novel The Tornado Ashes Club start their meteoric rise - thanks to a Christian evangelist, a recovering teen starlet and Law and Order: Criminal Intent - Tarslaw's inevitable decline looms, and his fall from grace will be nothing short of spectacular. How I Became a Famous Novelist is the hilarious tale of how Pete Tarslaw's ''pile of garbage'' became the most talked about, read, admired and reviled novel in America. It will change everything you think you know - about literature, appearance, truth, beauty, and those people out there who still care about books.
Award-winning Bloomberg television host Betty Liu compiles the wisdom of the world's best CEOs into a fun, insightful, and practical guide for success. Betty Liu is famous the world over for asking the tough questions of today’s most successful people—and for her uncanny ability to get straight answers where others have failed. As an award-winning financial journalist and Bloomberg Television anchor, Betty has sat down with billionaires, CEOs, politicians, and celebrities to get their views from the top. Now, in Work Smarts, Betty helps you get to the top by distilling the wisdom of some of the most prominent CEOs in the country. Warren Buffett, Jamie Dimon, Elon Musk, Sam Zell, John Chambers, Anne Mulcahy, and many more spill the beans on what it really takes to be successful, giving practical, “from the street” advice on how to get ahead in your career. Packed with candid, often humorous, revelations from leaders in the world of finance, technology, retail, telecom, entertainment, and more, Work Smarts delivers priceless guidance on: How to really network The importance of being likable What your boss is thinking when you ask for a raise Winning every negotiation Bouncing back from a firing or layoff Thinking like a true entrepreneur The secret skill every successful person needs Overcoming fear Being a standout job candidate Knowing what’s holding you back Knowing what can propel you forward Why sometimes being good at your job just isn’t enough Combining the trademark, hands-on approach of one of today’s most respected financial journalists with the wisdom of the world’s most successful business leaders, Work Smarts is a gold mine of real-world insight and advice on how to get ahead in business and forge a career that maximizes all your best talents and skills.