Fiction. "In lucid, utterly captivating prose, Miranda Mellis delivers a highly disciplined, deeply melancholy portrait of the living and the dead. I read it transfixed. It is a radiant piece of work." Carole Maso "THE SPOKES is as elegant as it is daring, as arresting as it is mysterious. It seems to me a truly timeless story, which is to say not only that it removes itself from time though it does but that its pleasures, enigmas, and meanings ought to be as accessible fifty or a hundred years from now as they are today." Kevin Brockmeier"
After Laura Everett's car died on the highway one rainy night, she made the utterly practical decision to start riding her bicycle to work through the streets of Boston. Seven years later, she's never looked back. Holy Spokes tells the story of Everett's unlikely conversion to urban cycling. As she pedaled her way into a new way of life, Everett discovered that her year-round bicycle commuting wasn't just benefiting her body, her wallet, and her environment. It was enriching her soul. Ride along with Everett through Holy Spokes as she explores the history of cycling, makes friends with a diverse and joyful community of fellow cyclists, gets up close and personal with the city she loves--and begins to develop a deep, robust, and distinctly urban spirituality.
James and Annetta White opened the Broken Spoke in 1964, then a mile south of the Austin city limits, under a massive live oak, and beside what would eventually become South Lamar Boulevard. White built the place himself, beginning construction on the day he received his honorable discharge from the US Army. And for more than fifty years, the Broken Spoke has served up, in the words of White’s well-worn opening speech, “. . . cold beer, good whiskey, the best chicken fried steak in town . . . and good country music.” White paid thirty-two dollars to his first opening act, D. G. Burrow and the Western Melodies, back in 1964. Since then, the stage at the Spoke has hosted the likes of Bob Wills, Dolly Parton, Ernest Tubb, Ray Price, Marcia Ball, Pauline Reese, Roy Acuff, Kris Kristofferson, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, Asleep at the Wheel, and the late, great Kitty Wells. But it hasn’t always been easy; through the years, the Whites and the Spoke have withstood their share of hardship—a breast cancer diagnosis, heart trouble, the building’s leaky roof, and a tour bus driven through its back wall. Today the original rustic, barn-style building, surrounded by sleek, high-rise apartment buildings, still sits on South Lamar, a tribute and remembrance to an Austin that has almost vanished. Housing fifty years of country music memorabilia and about a thousand lifetimes of memories at the Broken Spoke, the Whites still honor a promise made to Ernest Tubb years ago: they’re “keepin’ it country.”
Broken Spokes is more than a well-written, interesting read. It is an inspirational collection of the memories of a courageous child who, in spite of physical and emotional suffering, grew into a compassionate, loving and valiant woman. Crippled at age six, the author begins an odyssey which will consume her entire life. Through her sufferings, she finds a way to heal others, and in doing so, saves herself.
Join the millions of cyclists who swear by the name Zinn. Now in its sixth edition, Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance is the world’s best-selling guide to bicycle repair and maintenance. Lennard Zinn is the world’s leading expert on bike maintenance and repair. From basic repairs like how to fix a flat tire to advanced overhauls of drivetrains and brakes, his illustrated, step-by-step guide explains the tools you’ll need and how to know you’ve done the job right. This book's interior is easy to read, even in a dimly lit garage or workshop. Hundreds of hand-drawn illustrations and exploded parts diagrams show just the right level of detail to lead you through every bicycle repair task. In over 450 pages, Zinn’s guide includes simple instructions for hundreds of bike maintenance and repair jobs, including: Basics: How to fix a flat tire, lube a bicycle chain, adjust the brakes Emergency repairs: How to fix a broken chain, tighten loose spokes, repair a bent derailleur Easy shifting: How to adjust shifters, derailleurs, and cables for clean and smooth shifting Wheels: How to true a wheel, install a new tire, change a cassette, replace broken spokes, build your own wheels Overhauls: How to service and replace pedals, chains and chainrings, saddles, handlebars, stems, headsets, forks, bottom brackets New tech: How to maintain 11-speed systems, electronic and wireless shifters, disc brakes Cyclocross: How to set up a ’cross bike for racing, select the right components, and make quick repairs Troubleshooting: How to figure out what’s wrong with any bike and fix it This sixth edition of Zinn & the Art of Road Bike Maintenance also includes more than 50 new, full-color illustrations as well as completely new information on routing internal wires, cables, hoses, and housing; how to pack bikes for shipping and air travel; repair on the road tips for tubeless tires; how to chain wax, and so much more. This guide makes bicycle repair and maintenance easy, quick, affordable, and fun. With Zinn at your side, you’ll know how to keep your bicycling running smoothly for years.
