The Heath
The Heath

Author: Hunter Davies

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2021-11-11

Total Pages: 270

ISBN-13: 1838934812

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An engaging portrait of Hampstead Heath – a place rich not just in natural wonders but in history and monuments, emotions and memories, people and places. 'I enjoyed every inch of the way, from Parliament Hill to the Pergola... A late-life little masterpiece' Ferdinand Mount 'A love letter, both to the Heath and to his late wife' Islington Tribune 'An affectionate book which blends personal anecdote, history and interviews' Ham & High The eight hundred acres of Hampstead Heath lie just four miles from central London; and yet unlike the manicured inner-city parks, it feels like the countryside: it has hills and lakes, wild spots and tame spots. Hunter Davies has lived within a stone's throw of Hampstead Heath for more than sixty years and has walked on it nearly every day of his London life. For him, it is not just a place of recreation and relaxation but also a treasure-house of memories and emotions. In The Heath, he visits all parts of this, the largest area of common land in Britain's capital city: from Kenwood House to the Vale of Health, from Parliament Hill to Boudicca's Mound, and from the Ladies Bathing Pond to the fabulous pergola. As he walks, Davies talks to the diverse array of individuals who frequent the Heath: regulars; visitors; dog walkers; stall holders at the weekly farmer's market; famous faces having their morning stroll; twenty-first-century hippies spreading peace, love and happiness.

The Fatal Breath
The Fatal Breath

Author: David Vincent

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2023-09-11

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1509551689

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The Fatal Breath is the first full-scale history of the Covid-19 pandemic in Britain. Deploying a rich archive of personal testimonies together with a wide range of research reports and official data, it presents a moving and challenging account of the crisis that enveloped Britain (and the world) in the spring of 2020. With sensitivity, care, and an historian’s critical eye, David Vincent places the pandemic in context. While much contemporary commentary has assumed people were forced to develop entirely new ways of living and working during lockdown, Vincent reveals how the population was able to draw upon a wealth of resources and coping strategies already seen over the centuries, often reacting far more quickly and effectively than slow-moving authorities. He tells the stories of doctors’ and nurses’ time on the frontlines, reveals the true extent of supply shortages, conspiracy theories, and vaccine resistance, and explores individuals’ newfound appreciation of nature and community in lockdown. The Fatal Breath will appeal to anyone seeking to reflect on the past few years and how the pandemic has changed Britain – for better and for worse.

Gone Viral
Gone Viral

Author: Justin Hart

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2022-10-18

Total Pages: 158

ISBN-13: 1684513707

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Data and marketing consultant and statistical sage to presidential candidates, governors, businesses, and the real powers-that-be, epidemiologists, Justin Hart catalogs in a terrifying-but-sprightly manner the folly and psychosis produced by the pandemic and diagnoses the societal destruction that the massive overresponse to the COVID virus has wreaked, as well as what can be done to stop the madness and bring the world back to a modicum of rationality. WORST. DISEASE. EVER. Someone broke America. In this nightmare, neighbors have turned into agoraphobes, teachers fear their students, children are muzzled, citizens are censored, dystopian fictions have become reality, and unelected officials are creating a biometric police state. Oh wait. It’s not a nightmare. It’s our daily lives! In truth, much of this insanity didn’t start with the coronavirus pandemic (it was already latent in big government and big corporations) and it won’t end there. COVID-19’s greatest threat turned out to be . . . mental. All we had to fear was fear itself—and boy did some of us fear! The very idea of the virus weakened the immune system of America and revealed a decaying underbelly of confusion, panic, unease, and cowardice few of the strong ones suspected existed. What a horrible wake-up call! In a spate of anxious dread and gleeful power-grabbing, our health overlords threw away the pandemic response handbook and tried—beyond all reason—to protect, well, everyone. From massive over-testing to universal retail plexiglass to stay-at-home orders to stay-away-from-school orders to masking mandates to vaccine mandates to some of the worst restrictions on civil liberties in American history, this is an epic story that poses big questions about America’s future as a free society. And the odd thing is, as Justin Hart shows, the actual disease was, as pandemics go, not that threatening; most people were at minimal risk. What is really scary is the total overreaction of half the country, many governments, that lost all sense of perspective. Hart offers a hopeful prescription on how we might face the madness down and claw our way back to sanity!

Lockdown Looms
Lockdown Looms

Author: Banji Alexander

Publisher:

Published: 2021-11-18

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13: 9781839757167

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With his eighth birthday just around the corner, the very thought of having to celebrate his special day during lockdown sends poor Reggie into a meltdown. An unexpected radio announcement might just change everything.

These Precious Days
These Precious Days

Author: Ann Patchett

Publisher: HarperCollins

Published: 2021-11-23

Total Pages: 320

ISBN-13: 0063092808

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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.

Perimenopausal Women With Power Tools
Perimenopausal Women With Power Tools

Author: Karen Buley

Publisher: The Wild Rose Press Inc

Published: 2020-05-20

Total Pages: 363

ISBN-13: 1509230386

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Beth Jorgennson crawls from the wreckage of widowhood into a woodworking class for women. Her four younger classmates spill their secrets during friendly get-togethers, but she keeps hers safe within her guarded heart. Over time, Beth learns to rely on new friends instead of clinging to memories of her late husband. But when a secret from her past reappears, Beth isn't certain if she can handle her world being upended again.

The Particulars of Peter
The Particulars of Peter

Author: Kelly Conaboy

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Published: 2020-12-08

Total Pages: 200

ISBN-13: 1538717859

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"This might be one of the month’s, if not the year’s, sweetest books — zaniest, too.” ―The Washington Post "A hilarious addition to the dogoir canon.” ―People "Perhaps the greatest love story ever told.” ―Refinery29 "The feel-good book the world needs." —PopSugar From one of the Internet's most original voices, a hilarious journey through the odd corners of obsessive dog ownership and the author's own infatuation with her perfect dog Peter. The author met Peter in the spring of 2017. He -- calm, puppy-eyed, with the heart of a poet and the soul of, also, a poet -- came to her first as a foster. He was unable to stay with his previously assigned foster for reasons that are none of your business, but which we will tell you were related to frequent urination. The rescue needed someone free of the sort of responsibilities that would force her to regularly leave the house for either work or socializing, and a writer was the natural choice. Thus began a love story for the ages. The Particulars of Peter is a funny exploration of the joy found in loving a dog so much it makes you feel like you're going to combust, and the author's potentially codependent relationship with her own sweet dog, Peter. Readers will follow Peter and his owner to Woofstock, "the largest outdoor festival for dogs in North America," and accompany them to lessons in Canine Freestyle, a sport where dogs perform a routine set to music, creating the illusion that they're dancing with their owners. From learning about Peter's DNA, to seeing if dogs can sense the presence of ghosts, The Particulars of Peter will give readers a smart, entertaining respite from the harsh world of humans into the funny little world of dogs. Readers will accompany this lovable duo through exciting trips, lessons, quiet moments of connection, and probably a failure or two. By fusing memoir and infotainment, The Particulars of Peter promises to refresh the perennially popular dog lit category in a scrumptiously bighearted barnstormer of a book.

What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?
What Does Your Fortune Cookie Say?

Author: Adam Albrecht

Publisher: Ripples Media LLC

Published: 2021-12-15

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13:

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Through simple action steps, Adam Albrecht offers a broad range of useful ways to become a better professional and human through bite-sized stories of his own learnings.

Reimagining the Creative Industries
Reimagining the Creative Industries

Author: Miranda Campbell

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2021-10-31

Total Pages: 172

ISBN-13: 1000469697

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This book documents the rise in youth creativity, entrepreneurship, and collective strategies to address systemic barriers and discrimination in the creative industries and create an expanded, more diverse, inclusive, equitable, and caring field. Although the difficulties of entering and making a living in the creative industries—a field which can often perpetuate dominant patterns of social exclusion and economic inequality—are well documented, there is still an absence of guidance on how young creatives can navigate this environment. Foregrounding an intersectional approach, Reimagining the Creative Industries responds to this gap by documenting the work of contemporary youth collectives and organizations that are responding to these systemic barriers and related challenges by creating more caring and community-oriented alternatives. Mobilizing a care ethics framework, Miranda Campbell underscores forms of care that highlight relationality, recognize structural barriers, and propose new visions for the creative industries. This book posits a future where creativity, collaboration, and community are possible through increased avenues for co-creation, teaching and learning, and community engagement. Anyone interested in thinking critically about the creative industries, youth culture, community work, and creative employment will be drawn to Campbell's incisive work.