"Michael Kardos's soulful stories take place in that hard-luck corner of New Jersey where rock and roll dreams crash into blue-collar reality. One Last Good Time is a remarkable debut collection, full of stories that are funny and melancholy at the same time." - Tom Perrotta, author of Little Children and The Abstinence Teacher. "One Last Good Time is one of the sharpest, funniest, and most compassionate debuts you will ever have the good fortune to read. Without a doubt, Michael Kardos is a truly gifted writer and a vibrant new voice in American letters." - Donald Ray Pollock, author of Knockemstiff
"One Last Good Look follows the youthful and observant Gabriel English (whom we meet again in This All Happened) as he grows up in Newfoundland, leaves home and establishes himself in the world. These are stories of first rites: hunting accidents, sibling rivalry, infatuation, death in the family, romantic breakups, sustaining friendships, and the yearning for love, laughs, and understanding. The storyline is one of the oldest in literatureÑthat of a young man making sense of the world and choosing his place in it. Michael Winter tells his story in an intimate, compassionate way: his love for vivid detail, dialogue and humour come pouring through every line."
Discover the essential thinking tools you’ve been missing with The Great Mental Models series by Shane Parrish, New York Times bestselling author and the mind behind the acclaimed Farnam Street blog and “The Knowledge Project” podcast. This first book in the series is your guide to learning the crucial thinking tools nobody ever taught you. Time and time again, great thinkers such as Charlie Munger and Warren Buffett have credited their success to mental models–representations of how something works that can scale onto other fields. Mastering a small number of mental models enables you to rapidly grasp new information, identify patterns others miss, and avoid the common mistakes that hold people back. The Great Mental Models: Volume 1, General Thinking Concepts shows you how making a few tiny changes in the way you think can deliver big results. Drawing on examples from history, business, art, and science, this book details nine of the most versatile, all-purpose mental models you can use right away to improve your decision making and productivity. This book will teach you how to: Avoid blind spots when looking at problems. Find non-obvious solutions. Anticipate and achieve desired outcomes. Play to your strengths, avoid your weaknesses, … and more. The Great Mental Models series demystifies once elusive concepts and illuminates rich knowledge that traditional education overlooks. This series is the most comprehensive and accessible guide on using mental models to better understand our world, solve problems, and gain an advantage.
The author, a computer science professor diagnosed with terminal cancer, explores his life, the lessons that he has learned, how he has worked to achieve his childhood dreams, and the effect of his diagnosis on him and his family.
A ruined life. A broken heart.?He thought it was the end, and his gun sat ready to make sure.But an oddball offer from his only friend comes at the literal last second. Curiosity gets the best of him, and he finds himself sucked into iNcarn8, a game claiming to be a whole new life. Now as Montana, the larger-than-life tank warrior, he has one more last time to get his life right.One More Last time is the first book in The Good Guys, a LitRPG GameLit series. If you like fast-paced adventure, RPG mechanics, and sweet level progression with a deep magic and game system, this book is for you. It has notes of The Land and classic Dungeons & Dragons campaigns, and stars a lovable idiot of a main character who can't seem to shake his dark past and find the quiet life he so wants.
One Last Swim By: RL Monsheimer John’s life is one marked by obstacles. Even his parents, before he was born, were faced with the obstacle of overcoming their different religious backgrounds—Roman Catholic and Conservative Judaism—to get married and start a life. In school, John longs to pursue his passion for swimming, but his parents think his dream is silly and wish he would focus more on getting better grades and less time on some Olympic medal pipe dream. When a significant injury threatens his swimming career, John must decide to give up his goals or keep moving forward, defying everyone’s expectations of what he can accomplish.
I'm getting really good at cutting my losses. First, the husband. Divorcing him was the best decision I ever made. But between single-parenting and job-hunting, I can't catch my breath. When a celebrity blogging position falls into my lap, I'm determined to succeed. That is, until I get my first assignment and actually see Noah Frazier for the first time . . . practically naked and dripping wet. My heart races and I forget how to form complete sentences. His chiseled abs, irresistible smirk, and crystal blue eyes are too perfect to be real. So, what do I do? Get drunk and humiliate myself, of course. I'm ready to forget the awkward night, yet Noah has no intention of allowing me to move on. Instead, he arranges for me to write a feature on him, ensuring a lot more time together. One embarrassing moment after another, one kiss after another, and before I can stop myself, I realize-I'm falling in love with him. But when the unthinkable happens, can I even blame him for cutting his losses? What I wouldn't give for just one last time . . .
An ironically upbeat book that asks some of today’s most inimitable musicians which song they would choose to be the last one they ever hear Variety Best Music Book of 2020 TIME Best Book of Fall 2020 Selection If you could choose the last song you’d hear before you died, what would it be and why? Your favorite song of all time? Perhaps the one you danced to at your wedding? The song from that time you got super stoned and just let the chords speak to you? It’s a hard question that Mike Ayers has thought about for years. In One Last Song, Ayers invites 30 musicians to consider what song they would each want to accompany them to those pearly white gates. Weaving together their explanations with evocative illustrations and poignant interludes—what your song to die to says about you, what songs famous people have died to, and more. The book offers insight into the minds of famous artists and provides an entry point for considering how integral music is to our own personal narratives. Artists Featured: Jim James of My Morning Jacket, André 3000, Killer Mike, Jeff Tweedy of Wilco, Phoebe Bridgers, Richard Reed Parry of Arcade Fire, Sam Beam of Iron & Wine, Colin Meloy of the Decemberists, Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips, Lauren Mayberry of CHVRCHES, A.C. Newman of The New Pornographers, Courtney Barrett, Bobb Bruno of Best Coast, Angel Olsen, Regina Spektor, Kevin Morby, Will Oldham, Julia Holter, Margo Price, Sonny Rollins, Ryley Walker, Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs, Yannis Phillippakis of Foals, Bettye Lavette, M.C. Taylor of Hiss Golden Messenger, Wanda Jackson, Roseanne Cash, Lucinda Williams, and Beth Orton.
Thoroughly revised and updated for 2005! Includes a new chapter on the best special edition DVDs and a new chapter on finding hidden easter egg features.
He's been my weakness since I was sixteen years old.Two years ago, I moved back to my hometown. I started a business, bought a house, took up yoga, and went on hiatus from dating. Life is good.If I never had to see Seth, it would be perfect.After all, my history with my ex-boyfriend is anything but simple. It's taken us years, but we've finally learned to live in the same town without killing each other.Is there an elaborate set of rules governing our every casual interaction?Yes.Do I still think dirty, off-limits thoughts every single time I see him buying apples at the grocery store?Of course. I'm only human, and Seth and I are practically experts at the two F's: fighting, and... sleeping together.Still, we're managing just fine. But then?He shows up at my sister's wedding. The man looks like pure sex in a suit, handsome as the devil himself and twice as charming.Worse, he claims he's my date.We flirt. We dance. We break every one of our carefully-crafted rules.We should stop, but I'm having the time of my life.I know I should end it. After all the heartbreak, hurt, and anger we can't be more than enemies.But Seth asks me for one more night. Just one night, and then we're back to being virtual strangers.I know I should turn him down.I know this ends with my heart shattered into a million pieces.I know lunacy is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.But I've always been bad at resisting a weakness.
