In the mid-1980s the Happy Mondays emerged as the prime mischief makers on the Madchester scene. Chief protagonist was Shaun Ryder, a man whose lyrical street swagger in songs like Kinky Afro, 24 Hour Party People and Performance, would come to define a generation. Here collected and edited for the first time, in trade and special editions, are his unforgettable lyrics.
A new collection from one of the UK's most celebrated biographers, novelists, critics - and, as these stories show, a quite brilliant artist. Wrote For Luck ranges from North Norfolk to Chicago, from sordid old antique dealers to glamorous young writers, from glorious local gossips to frustrated academics. The stories abound with gleeful absurdity, waspish humour, and exquisitely awkward, delightfully English conversations. But they are also rich in melancholy and the heady sadness of people struggling to find a place in the world. Some are fascinatingly strange; others are uncomfortably familiar. Some are simply hilarious - and all are touchingly human
Change Your Luck and Live a Charmed Life! What if you could create your own luck? What if living a charmed life—being lucky in love, lucky in money, lucky in your chosen work—was within your control? The good news is that it’s all entirely possible...when you know how! In Conscious Luck, New York Times bestselling authors Gay Hendricks and Carol Kline share eight Secrets that will allow you to intentionally change your fortune. Instead of hoping and wishing that luck will come your way, let Conscious Luck show you how to seize control of your destiny and create the dazzling life of your dreams. This powerful step-by-step program, which includes practical techniques, inspiring true stories, and the authors’ personal journeys, will lead you to greater freedom and abundance. The Secrets—four core shifts and four daily practices—teach you how to: · plant the seeds of luck in your own psyche · remove unlucky programming (including lifting “curses”) · move at your Essence Pace · practice Radical Gratitude, and much more. Based on decades of the authors’ trailblazing work, this unique and highly effective toolkit offers a surefire way to transform your life.
"A new star is rising in the fantasy firmament...teems with magic and spine-chilling amounts of skullduggery."–Dave Duncan, author of The Great Game When young Alec of Kerry is taken prisoner for a crime he didn’t commit, he is certain that his life is at an end. But one thing he never expected was his cellmate. Spy, rogue, thief, and noble, Seregil of Rhiminee is many things–none of them predictable. And when he offers to take on Alec as his apprentice, things may never be the same for either of them. Soon Alec is traveling roads he never knew existed, toward a war he never suspected was brewing. Before long he and Seregil are embroiled in a sinister plot that runs deeper than either can imagine, and that may cost them far more than their lives if they fail. But fortune is as unpredictable as Alec’s new mentor, and this time there just might be…Luck in the Shadows.
If you have ever felt unlucky, The Formula for Luck will teach you skills that are foundational to building a Luck Mindset and that will significantly improve the quality and quantity of your successful outcomes. This book offers readers a clear understanding of the everyday, practical steps they can take toward boosting their luck and changing their lives for the better. Author Stuart Lacey brings a scholar's curiosity and an innovator's creativity to bear on this thorough exploration of the habits, behaviors, and actions we can cultivate and practice in order to increase luck in our lives. The Formula for Luck includes concrete exercises that can be completed as readers progress through the chapters and offers access to a workbook and an entire curriculum for helping teams and communities take charge of their journeys toward amplifying luck.
A New York Times bestseller • A New York Times Notable Book “The tale of how Konnikova followed a story about poker players and wound up becoming a story herself will have you riveted, first as you learn about her big winnings, and then as she conveys the lessons she learned both about human nature and herself.” —The Washington Post It's true that Maria Konnikova had never actually played poker before and didn't even know the rules when she approached Erik Seidel, Poker Hall of Fame inductee and winner of tens of millions of dollars in earnings, and convinced him to be her mentor. But she knew her man: a famously thoughtful and broad-minded player, he was intrigued by her pitch that she wasn't interested in making money so much as learning about life. She had faced a stretch of personal bad luck, and her reflections on the role of chance had led her to a giant of game theory, who pointed her to poker as the ultimate master class in learning to distinguish between what can be controlled and what can't. And she certainly brought something to the table, including a Ph.D. in psychology and an acclaimed and growing body of work on human behavior and how to hack it. So Seidel was in, and soon she was down the rabbit hole with him, into the wild, fiercely competitive, overwhelmingly masculine world of high-stakes Texas Hold'em, their initial end point the following year's World Series of Poker. But then something extraordinary happened. Under Seidel's guidance, Konnikova did have many epiphanies about life that derived from her new pursuit, including how to better read, not just her opponents but far more importantly herself; how to identify what tilted her into an emotional state that got in the way of good decisions; and how to get to a place where she could accept luck for what it was, and what it wasn't. But she also began to win. And win. In a little over a year, she began making earnest money from tournaments, ultimately totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars. She won a major title, got a sponsor, and got used to being on television, and to headlines like "How one writer's book deal turned her into a professional poker player." She even learned to like Las Vegas. But in the end, Maria Konnikova is a writer and student of human behavior, and ultimately the point was to render her incredible journey into a container for its invaluable lessons. The biggest bluff of all, she learned, is that skill is enough. Bad cards will come our way, but keeping our focus on how we play them and not on the outcome will keep us moving through many a dark patch, until the luck once again breaks our way.
A witty round-up of writers' habits that includes all the big names, such as Dickens, Flaubert, Tolstoy, Hemingway At public events readers always ask writers how they write. The process fascinates them. Now they have a very witty book that ranges around the world and throughout history to answer their questions. All the great writers are here — Dickens, dashing off his work; Henry James dictating it; Flaubert shouting each word aloud in the garden; Hemingway at work in cafés with his pencil. But pencil or pen, trusty typewriter or computer, they all have their advocates. Not to mention the writers who can only keep the words flowing by writing naked, or while walking or listening to music — and generally obeying the most bizarre superstitions. On Shakespeare’s works: “Fantastic. And it was all done with a feather!” — Sam Goldwyn “I write nude, seated on a thick towel, and perhaps with a second towel around me.” — Paul West “I’ve never heard of anyone getting plumber’s block, or traffic cop’s block.” — Allan Gurganus “I’m a drinker with a writing problem.” — Brendan Behan
John Doc Henry had been on the shortest, crappiest end of the stick since the first day of his life; no parents, bad foster parents, and abysmal luck at every turn. The day his life changed started out exactly like he had come to expect. His car died on a rarely traveled road and he broke his toe shortly after dodging the one other car on the road. When it stopped and backed up to him, the license plate read "LADYLUK," adding insult to injury. Now, he has a new name, a new life, and a purpose. The odds are still stacked against him, but the newly-named Doc Holyday has Luck herself on his side. With newfound confidence, he's ready to face the strange new world he has been sent to; a world similar to the "Wild West," but with magic and supernatural creatures. (This book contains adult situations, including but not limited to: sex, gambling, abuse, drug use, harem, and murder. It also contains graphic sex scenes, which portray elements of BDSM. You've been warned.)
The acclaimed director of such films as Brideshead Revisited shares the story of his youth and career, providing coverage of such topics as his childhood as the son of star Geraldine Fitzgerald, his relationships with Hollywood elite and the allegations that Orson Welles was his real father.
Letters and other writings from or to a branch of the Ronalds family over a 26-year period from 1853 until 1879 have been bought together. Between 1853 and 1856 five members of the Ronalds familty immigrated to New Zealand. Their letters cover their trials and tribulations in clearing dense bush, establishing a dairy farm, ill health and scarcity of capital. Just when they are starting to get on their feet they are involved in the Land wars both supplying milk to soldiers each day and as soldiers. After the war the family experiences considerable hardship and disperse. The book includes an epilogue covering the lives of the Ronalds and their family and friends.
