These Precious Days
These Precious Days

Author: Ann Patchett

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2021-11-23

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0063092808

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The beloved New York Times bestselling author reflects on home, family, friendships and writing in this deeply personal collection of essays. "The elegance of Patchett’s prose is seductive and inviting: with Patchett as a guide, readers will really get to grips with the power of struggles, failures, and triumphs alike." —Publisher's Weekly “Any story that starts will also end.” As a writer, Ann Patchett knows what the outcome of her fiction will be. Life, however, often takes turns we do not see coming. Patchett ponders this truth in these wise essays that afford a fresh and intimate look into her mind and heart. At the center of These Precious Days is the title essay, a surprising and moving meditation on an unexpected friendship that explores “what it means to be seen, to find someone with whom you can be your best and most complete self.” When Patchett chose an early galley of actor and producer Tom Hanks’ short story collection to read one night before bed, she had no idea that this single choice would be life changing. It would introduce her to a remarkable woman—Tom’s brilliant assistant Sooki—with whom she would form a profound bond that held monumental consequences for them both. A literary alchemist, Patchett plumbs the depths of her experiences to create gold: engaging and moving pieces that are both self-portrait and landscape, each vibrant with emotion and rich in insight. Turning her writer’s eye on her own experiences, she transforms the private into the universal, providing us all a way to look at our own worlds anew, and reminds how fleeting and enigmatic life can be. From the enchantments of Kate DiCamillo’s children’s books (author of The Beatryce Prophecy) to youthful memories of Paris; the cherished life gifts given by her three fathers to the unexpected influence of Charles Schultz’s Snoopy; the expansive vision of Eudora Welty to the importance of knitting, Patchett connects life and art as she illuminates what matters most. Infused with the author’s grace, wit, and warmth, the pieces in These Precious Days resonate deep in the soul, leaving an indelible mark—and demonstrate why Ann Patchett is one of the most celebrated writers of our time.

Arky
Arky

Author: Frank Garland

Publisher: McFarland

Published: 2020-08-10

Total Pages: 265

ISBN-13: 1476669805

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Bursting onto the scene as a 20-year-old rookie, Arky Vaughan quickly established himself as the next great Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop. In 1935 his .385 batting average eclipsed even that of the immortal Honus Wagner, who was a steadying influence for Vaughan during his 10 seasons with the Pirates. Vaughan never hit under .300 with Pittsburgh and his versatility later made him an asset to the Brooklyn Dodgers. One of the quietest men in baseball, the nine-time All-Star eschewed the limelight but received plenty of attention for his on-field performance, for his one-man mutiny against Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher, and for walking away from the game to take care of his family and his beloved ranch during World War II. Drawing on dozens of articles, personal writings, recorded interviews and his daughter's unpublished biography, this book covers the life and career of an often overlooked Hall of Famer who died in a tragic boating accident at age 40.

The Leader in Me
The Leader in Me

Author: Stephen R. Covey

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2012-12-11

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 147110446X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Children in today's world are inundated with information about who to be, what to do and how to live. But what if there was a way to teach children how to manage priorities, focus on goals and be a positive influence on the world around them? The Leader in Meis that programme. It's based on a hugely successful initiative carried out at the A.B. Combs Elementary School in North Carolina. To hear the parents of A. B Combs talk about the school is to be amazed. In 1999, the school debuted a programme that taught The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Peopleto a pilot group of students. The parents reported an incredible change in their children, who blossomed under the programme. By the end of the following year the average end-of-grade scores had leapt from 84 to 94. This book will launch the message onto a much larger platform. Stephen R. Covey takes the 7 Habits, that have already changed the lives of millions of people, and shows how children can use them as they develop. Those habits -- be proactive, begin with the end in mind, put first things first, think win-win, seek to understand and then to be understood, synergize, and sharpen the saw -- are critical skills to learn at a young age and bring incredible results, proving that it's never too early to teach someone how to live well.

For the Good of the Game
For the Good of the Game

Author: Bud Selig

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2019-07-09

Total Pages: 374

ISBN-13: 006290597X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A New York Times bestseller Foreword by Doris Kearns Goodwin The longtime Commissioner of Major League Baseball provides an unprecedented look inside professional baseball today, focusing on how he helped bring the game into the modern age and revealing his interactions with players, managers, fellow owners, and fans nationwide. More than a century old, the game of baseball is resistant to change—owners, managers, players, and fans all hate it. Yet, now more than ever, baseball needs to evolve—to compete with other professional sports, stay relevant, and remain America’s Pastime it must adapt. Perhaps no one knows this better than Bud Selig who, as the head of MLB for more than twenty years, ushered in some of the most important, and controversial, changes in the game’s history—modernizing a sport that had remained unchanged since the 1960s. In this enlightening and surprising book, Selig goes inside the most difficult decisions and moments of his career, looking at how he worked to balance baseball’s storied history with the pressures of the twenty-first century to ensure its future. Part baseball story, part business saga, and part memoir, For the Good of the Game chronicles Selig’s career, takes fans inside locker rooms and board rooms, and offers an intimate, fascinating account of the frequently messy process involved in transforming an American institution. Featuring an all-star lineup of the biggest names from the last forty years of baseball, Selig recalls the vital games, private moments, and tense conversations he’s shared with Hall of Fame players and managers and the contentious calls he’s made. He also speaks candidly about hot-button issues the steroid scandal that threatened to destroy the game, telling his side of the story in full and for the first time. As he looks back and forward, Selig outlines the stakes for baseball’s continued transformation—and why the changes he helped usher in must only be the beginning. Illustrated with sixteen pages of photographs.

Simply Stations: Listening and Speaking, Grades K-4
Simply Stations: Listening and Speaking, Grades K-4

Author: Debbie Diller

Publisher: Corwin Press

Published: 2020-01-22

Total Pages: 169

ISBN-13: 1071802011

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Teach students how to practice listening comprehension skills independently – so learning sticks Simply Stations: Listening and Speaking shows how to ensure that elementary students are purposefully and effectively practicing listening comprehension, accountable talk, phonological awareness, oral language, and vocabulary skills every day. Your students will soon be purposefully engaged and making critical steps to owning their learning. Debbie Diller has been refining literacy stations (sometimes called centers) for more than 40 years, working with thousands of teachers and students. In this book, she guides you step-by-step through planning for instruction that incorporates literacy standards, setting up and launching listening and speaking stations, varying and refreshing content throughout the year, to reflection and ongoing modification. What stands out in this book is the full integration of instruction; Debbie shows how whole-group lessons transfer to stations work so students are practicing key skills independently – and gives you everything needed for success: Recommendations by grade level at every step, including grade-appropriate materials and audio resources for each station; Whole-group lesson plans, differentiated by grade level and based on key literacy standards, to introduce and support partner work; On-the-spot formative assessment ideas and troubleshooting tips; Ideas to improve English Language Learner’s language acquisition, including online Spanish-language materials; 30 time-saving downloadable resources for teachers and students to ensure success; and Dozens of full-color, real-classroom photos so you see the possibilities first-hand. Simply Stations: Listening and Speaking gives you invaluable tips, solutions, and insight that can transform the way your students learn and practice listening and speaking skills. It’s time to boost the impact of your literacy stations!

The Unstuck Church
The Unstuck Church

Author: Tony Morgan

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2017-05-16

Total Pages: 225

ISBN-13: 0718094476

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Acclaimed church leader, blogger, founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan unpacks the lifecycle of a typical church, identifies characteristics of each phase, and provides practical next steps a church can take to move towards sustained health. Think about your church for a moment. Is it growing? Is it diminishing? Is it somewhere in between? Acclaimed church leader, blogger, and founder and chief strategic officer of The Unstuck Group, Tony Morgan has identified the seven stages of a church's lifecycle that range from the hopeful and optimistic days of launch, to the stagnating last stages of life support. Regardless of the stage in which you find your church, it carries with it the world's greatest mission—to "go and make disciples of all the nations . . ." With eternity at stake the Church should be doing most everything within its power to see lives changed forever. The Church should strive for the pinnacle of the lifecycle, where they are continually making new disciples and experiencing what Morgan refers to as "sustained health." In The Unstuck Church, Morgan unpacks each phase of the church lifecycle, and offers specific and strategic next steps the church leader can take to find it's way to sustained health . . . and finally become unstuck. The Unstuck Church is a call for honest an assessment of where your church sits on the lifecycle, and a challenge to move beyond it.

Will to Win
Will to Win

Author: Jim Stovall

Publisher: Sound Wisdom

Published: 2020-02-18

Total Pages: 141

ISBN-13: 1640951733

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

“People’s minds are changed through observation and not through argument.” –Will Rogers Will Rogers came from humble beginnings but changed the world. Through his radio broadcasts, newspaper columns, and films, he became one of the most popular and beloved figures of the day. In Will to Win, the latest offering in the Homecoming Historical Series, Jim Stovall weaves the story of Sky Forest, a senior at Will Rogers High School in Oklahoma. With the words and perceived presence of Will Rogers and the Cherokee wisdom of her grandmother, Sky is emboldened to face adversity and demonstrate the will to succeed. Her grandmother tells her, “Sky, I believe our ancestors have gone before us to show us the path and help us along the way. Will Rogers was the most famous Cherokee of his time and arguably the most famous Cherokee of any time. I think his words and his example had a lot to say then just like they do now.” Join Sky on her journey as she faces the disappointment of a canceled softball season, the challenge of becoming a pitcher on the all-male baseball team, and the uproar it raised by going against the norm. Through her determination, poise, and athletic ability, Sky changes the minds of the many who oppose her. Enjoy the baseball-centered storyline, Will Rogers’ favorite sport, as you are inspired by the wit, wisdom, and timeless impact of Will Rogers.

Out There
Out There

Author: Kate Folk

Publisher: Random House

Published: 2022-03-29

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0593231465

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A thrilling new voice in fiction injects the absurd into the everyday to present a startling vision of modern life, “[as] if Kafka and Camus and Bradbury were penning episodes of Black Mirror” (Chang-Rae Lee, author of My Year Abroad). “Stories so sharp and ingenious you may cut yourself on them while reading.”—Kelly Link, author of Get In Trouble With a focus on the weird and eerie forces that lurk beneath the surface of ordinary experience, Kate Folk’s debut collection is perfectly pitched to the madness of our current moment. A medical ward for a mysterious bone-melting disorder is the setting of a perilous love triangle. A curtain of void obliterates the globe at a steady pace, forcing Earth’s remaining inhabitants to decide with whom they want to spend eternity. A man fleeing personal scandal enters a codependent relationship with a house that requires a particularly demanding level of care. And in the title story, originally published in The New Yorker, a woman in San Francisco uses dating apps to find a partner despite the threat posed by “blots,” preternaturally handsome artificial men dispatched by Russian hackers to steal data. Meanwhile, in a poignant companion piece, a woman and a blot forge a genuine, albeit doomed, connection. Prescient and wildly imaginative, Out There depicts an uncanny landscape that holds a mirror to our subconscious fears and desires. Each story beats with its own fierce heart, and together they herald an exciting new arrival in the tradition of speculative literary fiction.

How to Snag Major League Baseballs
How to Snag Major League Baseballs

Author: Zack Hample

Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books

Published: 1999

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780689823312

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The author, who has acquired more than 1000 baseballs at major league baseball games, offers advice on the many ways to get balls at games.