"See How We Almost Fly, selected winner of the 2008 Pearl Poetry Prize by Gerald Locklin, is Alison Luterman's second book of poetry. Here she presents a dazzling array of characters and subjects that reflect her rich and various life as daughter, friend, lover, teacher, and world traveler. Although Luterman clearly and unflinchingly addresses the pain and suffering of death, illness, failure, and betrayal, her intense engagement with the people and things of this earth is ultimately life-affirming. In poems at once personal and emblematic, she never gives in to despair or cynicism, but instead offers up her experience as a metaphor for what it means to be human."--Amazon Product Description.
From the author of Blind, a heart-wrenching coming-of-age story set during World War II in Shanghai, one of the only places Jews without visas could find refuge. Warsaw, Poland. The year is 1940 and Lillia is fifteen when her mother, Alenka, disappears and her father flees with Lillia and her younger sister, Naomi, to Shanghai, one of the few places that will accept Jews without visas. There they struggle to make a life; they have no money, there is little work, no decent place to live, a culture that doesn't understand them. And always the worry about Alenka. How will she find them? Is she still alive? Meanwhile Lillia is growing up, trying to care for Naomi, whose development is frighteningly slow, in part from malnourishment. Lillia finds an outlet for her artistic talent by making puppets, remembering the happy days in Warsaw when her family was circus performers. She attends school sporadically, makes friends with Wei, a Chinese boy, and finds work as a performer at a "gentlemen's club" without her father's knowledge. But meanwhile the conflict grows more intense as the Americans declare war and the Japanese force the Americans in Shanghai into camps. More bombing, more death. Can they survive, caught in the crossfire?
It's an old cliché that books 'transport you'; but as any avid reader will tell you, there's far more to them than that. Alongside comfort and retreat, books offer insight into ourselves and others; they tell us how the world is, was or might be; they are windows into other worlds, whose meanings resonate through the ages. It's this multiplicity that is at the heart of bibliotherapy, the ancient practice of reading for therapeutic effect. Reading the Seasons charts the evolution of a friendship through candid letters between bibliotherapists Germaine Leece and Sonya Tsakalakis. Ignited by a shared love of reading, of finding a book for every occasion, every emotion - both for themselves and for their clients - their conversations soon confront life's ups and downs. The authors they reach for range from Stephen King to Javier Marias, Helen Garner to Maggie O'Farrell, as they reflect upon loss, change, parenting, careers, simple pleasures, travel, successes, fears and uncertainty. Reading the Seasons not only offers an entryway to new titles but affirms the power of books to console, heal and hold us together as friends and as individuals.
" In the enchanting "Fairy Book" by Sophie May, enter a world of magic, wonder, and whimsy as you embark on a journey through a collection of captivating fairy tales. This delightful book transports readers to lands of fantasy and imagination, where fairies, mythical creatures, and magical adventures await. Within the pages of the "Fairy Book," Sophie May weaves together a tapestry of enchanting stories that spark the imagination and warm the heart. From tales of brave heroes and heroines to stories of friendship, love, and overcoming obstacles, each narrative carries a touch of magic that captivates readers of all ages. Sophie May's storytelling skillfully brings to life colorful characters, mystical settings, and timeless themes. Through the "Fairy Book," readers are transported to magical realms, where dreams come true and extraordinary things happen. These stories inspire imagination, foster a love for storytelling, and teach valuable lessons about kindness, courage, and the power of belief. Join Sophie May in the "Fairy Book" as you immerse yourself in a world of enchantment, where fairy tales come alive, and the extraordinary becomes possible."
*"Truly enchanting."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review) A loose retelling of Cinderella, about a high-school graduate who--after getting grounded for the whole summer--joins a local Quidditch league and finds her footing, perfect for fans of Dumplin', Fangirl, and everyone who's read and adored Harry Potter. 17-year-old vegan feminist Ellen Lopez-Rourke has one muggy Houston summer left before college. She plans to spend every last moment with her two best friends before they go off to the opposite ends of Texas for school. But when Ellen is grounded for the entire summer by her (sometimes) evil stepmother, all her plans are thrown out the window. Determined to do something with her time, Ellen (with the help of BFF Melissa) convinces her parents to let her join the local muggle Quidditch team. An all-gender, full-contact game, Quidditch isn't quite what Ellen expects. There's no flying, no magic, just a bunch of scrappy players holding PVC pipe between their legs and throwing dodgeballs. Suddenly Ellen is thrown into the very different world of sports: her life is all practices, training, and running with a group of Harry Potter fans. Even as Melissa pulls away to pursue new relationships and their other BFF Xiumiao seems more interested in moving on from high school (and from Ellen), Ellen is steadily finding a place among her teammates. Maybe Quidditch is where she belongs. But with her home life and friend troubles quickly spinning out of control--Ellen must fight for the future that she wants, now she's playing for keeps. Filled with heart and humor, Anna Meriano's YA debut is perfect for fans of Dumplin' and Hot Dog Girl. Praise for This is How We Fly: *"Readers will find much to appreciate about Ellen's fresh, relatable journey to define herself on her own terms." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "A timely coming-of-age story with a unique Quidditch twist."--School Library Journal "Anna Meriano's This is How We Fly is a delightful treat of a book that will make you want to grab your broom and go! A story of a young woman at a crossroads summer, this tale tackles the growing pains of late adolescence - family struggles, changing friendships, new crushes - with so much grace and heart. See you on the pitch!" - Jennifer Mathieu, author of The Liars of Mariposa Island and Moxie "This is How We Fly breathes new life into a sport and retelling we think we know and lets them bake beneath the Texas sun. Anna Meriano has written one of the most authentic teen voice I've read in years."--Nina Moreno, author of Don't Date Rosa Santos "This is How We Fly is, at its heart, about fierce friendships, flirty beaters, and firsts. Anna Meriano takes the magical fairytale of Cinderella and gives it a bookish twist. Ellen is an existential crisis on a broom and I love her." - Ashley Poston, National Bestselling Author of Geekerella "Meriano adeptly weaves questions of identity, friendship and family into this delightful summer tale about the thrilling world of club Quidditch. At times both hilarious and heartbreaking, this incredible story is sure to leave you flying high."--Jennifer Dugan, author of Hot Dog Girl and Verona Comics
It is 1980 and American literati are trying to decide how to rank Faulkner, Hemingway, and Lanning. The first two are dead and Lanning is coming on strong, but Arthur Lanning is bad mannered in his arrogance and his insulation from his reading public. He claims to have been born in Richmond, but the newspapers research the claim and find nothing. Suddenly he commits suicide above his isolated Sanctuary home in Idaho, and young Professor Zack Thohus is chosen to write his official biography. Thohus is a conscious Lanningphile; he frankly ranks Lanning ahead of Hemmingway. He is wondering, 6 months after the death, how he will be received at Sanctuary. He finds that it is solidly anti-Arthur. Beloved Ruth reveals her fifteen year marriage has never been consummated and, an early orphan, children had been her fondest hope. Siley Alcott, the general factotum, agrees with friend Ruth in every way. None of Arthurs early promises to her have been fulfilled. Zack, feeling himself a psychologic twin of Arthurs and something of a look-alike, is, of course, the central character. He knows something of the history of his own illegitimacy, and he has some of the same feelings Ruth has: a rich hunger for love, a thwarted parental need. He is falling in love with Ruth. Ruths gynecologist thinks she may have two or three opportunities to become pregnant, and Ruths body temperature chart indicates she is starting ovulation. This is the second them of the novel: love is all there is of good sex, but sex is not all of love. Good sex is shared sex. (Divided sex: one for you, one for me, is not shared sex. Shared sex is this and we for us.) Rape is another planet: hate. Well, if you are with me, the book ought to make it plain. Zack finds out that Arthur was a bloody bastard who didnt write all of the good books. And Ruth gets pregnant three times and the first one has hair in silver curls like Zack, and all of them are theirs. In my books, the good guys with every time. Its the way my world is run. Amen.
In Casting Forward, naturalist, educator, and writer Steve Ramirez takes the reader on a yearlong journey fly fishing all of the major rivers of the Texas Hill Country. This is a story of the resilience of nature and the best of human nature. It is the story of a living, breathing place where the footprints of dinosaurs, conquistadors, and Comanches have mingled just beneath the clear spring-fed waters. This book is an impassioned plea for the survival of this landscape and its biodiversity, and for a new ethic in how we treat fish, nature, and each other.
A struggle with body dysmorphia forces one girl to decide if letting go of her insecurity also means turning her back on her dreams. Sam has always known she’d be a professional dancer—but that was before her body betrayed her, developing unmanageable curves in all the wrong places. Lately, the girl staring back at Sam in the mirror is unrecognizable. Dieting doesn’t work, ignoring the whispers is pointless, and her overbearing mother just makes it worse. Following a series of crippling anxiety attacks, Sam is sent to a treatment camp for teens struggling with mental and emotional obstacles. Forced to open up to complete strangers, Sam must get through the program if she wants to attend a crucial ballet intensive later in the summer. It seems hopeless until she starts confiding in a camp counselor who sparks a confidence she was sure she’d never feel again. But when she’s faced with disappointing setbacks, will Sam succumb to the insecurity that imprisons her? This compelling story from Kathryn Holmes examines one girl’s efforts to overcome her worst enemy: herself.
By the spring of 2069, the last of the twenty-four Central Care Complexes had been completed. Scattered throughout that part of North America formerly known as the United States, each Complex occupied a large, highly-fortified section of what once had been a major metropolis; and all, contrary to their euphemistic names, had been established to serve but one purposethat of protecting those despots whose former political, bureaucratic and religious hide-outs could no longer be secured from the mad masses they had created. Each Complex was populated by a Director, several Deputy Directors and Charges, and as many captive Members as were able to survive the twenty hour work shifts, starvation rations and increasingly insane dictates of their overlords. Any infraction of any of the innumerable rules could meet, at the Directors discretion, with a sentence of injection or expulsion. Conditioned to fear the latter above all else, Members, given the choice, nearly always opted for a quick, relatively painless death within familiar confines, as opposed to the dreaded Outside. The compulsory indoctrination sessions which occupied most of the waking hours of the young were devoted, primarily, to demonizing human sexuality. Within the Complex, Members were forbidden to have sex with other humans, but were required to have sex, at specific intervals, with a machine--:the Master-Bator. And not too secondarily, the sessions were given to exaggerating conditions on the Outside that needed no exaggeration. Assured daily that there was no hope of survival outside the walls of the Complex, warned of the myriad tortures that would precede being eaten alive, with but a rare maverick exception, the Members docilely complied with all the Directives they could remember and settled into the weary, hungry, hobbled existence of being privileged to be enslaved. THE COMPLEX CHRONICLES, set in a not too distant future, is a Libertarians satirical dystopian extrapolation on present day society. Richard Condon said: The job of satire is to frighten and enlighten. The writer hopes she has done her job well and makes no apologies for the brutal nature of the book, except to say that she has never learned how to make future shining cities on a hill out of present dung-heaps.
