See this at: amazon.com| Added on 02/01/09

Amazon.com: The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People: Susan Orlean: Books

Amazon.com: The Bullfighter Checks Her Makeup: My Encounters with Extraordinary People: Susan Orlean: Books See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 12/09/08

Amazon.com: Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family?: Ethan Watters: Books

Amazon.com: Urban Tribes: Are Friends the New Family?: Ethan Watters: Books See less

Highlights: (129) $11.20

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/26/07

From Publishers Weekly British author Sansom (The Impartial Recorder) launches a humorous new series set in Tumdrum, Northern Ireland, the small village that transplanted Londoner Israel Armstrong reluctantly makes his home. The nebbishy Jewish... See more

From Publishers Weekly British author Sansom (The Impartial Recorder) launches a humorous new series set in Tumdrum, Northern Ireland, the small village that transplanted Londoner Israel Armstrong reluctantly makes his home. The nebbishy Jewish vegetarian shows up at the Tumdrum and District Public Library eager to assume his post as the new librarian, only to find the place boarded up and that it's his job to steward the beat-up mobile library instead. When he finally gets inside the library building, he discovers its 15,000 books are missing. Less astute than the detective characters in the novels he has devoured, Israel blunders through an investigation, making startling discoveries while suffering some hard knocks along the way. Israel's fish-out-of-water dilemmas and encounters with kooky locals will resonate with Alexander McCall Smith fans. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist *Starred Review* In a... See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

“I cannot remember when I read a book with such delight.” —Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Bookstore November, a dark, rainy Tuesday, late afternoon. This is my ideal time to be in a bookstore. The shortened light of the afternoon and the idleness and... See more

“I cannot remember when I read a book with such delight.” —Paul Yamazaki, City Lights Bookstore November, a dark, rainy Tuesday, late afternoon. This is my ideal time to be in a bookstore. The shortened light of the afternoon and the idleness and hush of the hour gather everything close, the shelves and the books and the few other customers who graze head-bent in the narrow aisles. I’ve come to find a book.In The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop, Buzbee, a former bookseller and sales representative, celebrates the unique experience of the bookstore—the smell and touch of books, getting lost in the deep canyons of shelves, and the silent community of readers. He shares his passion for books, which began with ordering through The Weekly Reader in grade school. Interwoven throughout is afascinating historical account of the bookseller’s trade—from the great Alexandria library with an estimated one million papyrus scrolls to Sylvia Beach’s famous Paris bookstore, Shakespeare and Company, which led... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/26/07

Sansom, who lives in Northern Ireland, is a writer and reviewer for the Guardian and the London Review of Books. He is the author of The Impartial Recorder (published in England as the Ring Road), and The Case of the Missing Books, the first in the... See more

Sansom, who lives in Northern Ireland, is a writer and reviewer for the Guardian and the London Review of Books. He is the author of The Impartial Recorder (published in England as the Ring Road), and The Case of the Missing Books, the first in the Mobile Library mysteries. Poor Israel Armstrong arrives early at the Dixon and Pickering store on Easter Saturday and is let in by security guard to set up his exhibit on the history of the store. In inimitable Armstrong style, he of course sets up the display and then backs into a glass display case that crashes into another... you get the picture. The caretaker shows up pale and shocked, and stammers out that they've been robbed-and Mr. Dixon is missing. Once the police arrive they decide that since Israel is there, and his fingerprints are all over everything, he must be guilty. He is interrogated and arrested. He is a wreck of nerves when he is finally bailed out; and he realizes he must find out what happened. The police certainly... See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 12/13/07

* Paperback: 176 pages * Publisher: Riverhead Trade (September 4, 2007) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 1594482640 * ISBN-13: 978-1594482649 * Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches * Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)... See more

* Paperback: 176 pages * Publisher: Riverhead Trade (September 4, 2007) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 1594482640 * ISBN-13: 978-1594482649 * Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches * Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: (1 customer review) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #32,405 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) See less

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See this at: greerchicago.com| Added on 12/11/07

Its title, textured red cover and gold embossing suggest a certain formality, but this little book is occasionally a riotous read. Contains one hundred and ten rules written down by a fourteen-year-old George Washington as a way of reinforcing his... See more

Its title, textured red cover and gold embossing suggest a certain formality, but this little book is occasionally a riotous read. Contains one hundred and ten rules written down by a fourteen-year-old George Washington as a way of reinforcing his lessons in comportment. It must have worked as the Father of Our Country was noted for his excellent manners. 7 x 41/4 x 1/3". 30 pages. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 12/11/07

* Paperback: 128 pages * Publisher: Phaidon Press (June 1, 2003) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0714843377 * ISBN-13: 978-0714843377 * Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.6 x 0.6 inches * Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average... See more

* Paperback: 128 pages * Publisher: Phaidon Press (June 1, 2003) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0714843377 * ISBN-13: 978-0714843377 * Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.6 x 0.6 inches * Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: (40 customer reviews) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #10,973 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) See less

Highlights: 120 used & new from $1.99

See this at: store.makezine.com| Added on 11/28/07

A reprint of a 1890's publication for young ladies instructing them in such hobbies as fancy needlework, handmade dolls, china painting, painting in oils, heraldic painting, preservation of wild flowers, and many others. Emphasizing what girls can... See more

A reprint of a 1890's publication for young ladies instructing them in such hobbies as fancy needlework, handmade dolls, china painting, painting in oils, heraldic painting, preservation of wild flowers, and many others. Emphasizing what girls can do, presents a portrait of girlhood that is vigorous, active, and full of possibilities. Written by the Beard sisters, two of the founders of Girl Scouting in the United States. See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/20/07

From Publishers Weekly Jack-of-all-trades Borchert shares wholesome, guardedly witty dispatches from the suburban L.A. library system in this charming tell-all. For 12 years the family-man author has held the post of assistant librarian, keeping a... See more

From Publishers Weekly Jack-of-all-trades Borchert shares wholesome, guardedly witty dispatches from the suburban L.A. library system in this charming tell-all. For 12 years the family-man author has held the post of assistant librarian, keeping a wary eye on unruly kids, mollifying mystified parents and repairing sadly manhandled materials. Borchert relays a conversation with an aged librarian who reveals how it was in the good old days (staff lunches used to be served with wine), then contrasts that account with modern-day multicultural crayons and the preponderance of latchkey kids abandoned in the library for long, numbing afternoons. A few of the regular patrons are inspiring Renaissance types, but most are unsettling and unsavory, such as intensely reclusive crossword-puzzler Henry hounding the reference desk; loser Max looking futilely on the Internet for a South American wife; or the drug dealers working the restroom. From patrons who rack up hundreds of dollars in fines to... See less

Highlights: $14.93

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/18/07

* Paperback: 512 pages * Publisher: Modern Library; New edition (October 8, 2002) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0679642579 * ISBN-13: 978-0679642572 * Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches * Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and... See more

* Paperback: 512 pages * Publisher: Modern Library; New edition (October 8, 2002) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0679642579 * ISBN-13: 978-0679642572 * Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.2 x 1.1 inches * Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: (17 customer reviews) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #412,027 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) See less

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See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/18/07

* Paperback: 544 pages * Publisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (December 31, 2002) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0141439564 * ISBN-13: 978-0141439563 * Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 1 inches * Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates... See more

* Paperback: 544 pages * Publisher: Penguin Classics; Revised edition (December 31, 2002) * Language: English * ISBN-10: 0141439564 * ISBN-13: 978-0141439563 * Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 1 inches * Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies) * Average Customer Review: (105 customer reviews) * Amazon.com Sales Rank: #11,597 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in these categories: (What's this?) See less

Highlights: 111 used & new from $2.01

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/09/07

From Library Journal Upon its publication last year in Germany Susskind's first novel Perfume immediately became an international best seller. Set in 18th-century France, Perfume relates the fascinating and horrifying tale of Jean-Baptiste... See more

From Library Journal Upon its publication last year in Germany Susskind's first novel Perfume immediately became an international best seller. Set in 18th-century France, Perfume relates the fascinating and horrifying tale of Jean-Baptiste Grenouille, a person as gifted as he was abominable. Born without a smell of his own but endowed with an extraordinary sense of smell, Grenouille becomes obsessed with procuring the perfect scent that will make him fully human. With brilliant narrative skill Susskind exposes the dark underside of the society through which Grenouille moves and explores the disquieting inner universe of this singularly possessed man. The translation is superb. Essential for literature collections. Ulrike S. Rettig, German Dept., Wellesley Coll., Wellesley, Mass. Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition. From AudioFile In leisurely, aristocratic measures soaked with irony, PERFUME unfolds the gruesome, picaresque... See less

Highlights: $11.16

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

No adults, no permit, no river map. Just some "borrowed" gear from Discovery Unlimited, the outdoor education program Jessie and her new companions have just ditched. Jessie and the others are having the time of their lives floating beneath sheer red... See more

No adults, no permit, no river map. Just some "borrowed" gear from Discovery Unlimited, the outdoor education program Jessie and her new companions have just ditched. Jessie and the others are having the time of their lives floating beneath sheer red walls, exploring unknown caves and dangerous waterfalls, and plunging through the Grand Canyon's roaring rapids. No one, including Troy, who emerges as the group's magnetic and ultimately frightening leader, can forsee the challenges and conflicts.What will be the consequences of their reckless adventure? See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

ALONEThirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet... See more

ALONEThirteen-year-old Brian Robeson is on his way to visit his father when the single-engine plane in which he is flying crashes. Suddenly, Brian finds himself alone in the Canadian wilderness with nothing but a tattered Windbreaker and the hatchet his mother gave him as a present -- and the dreadful secret that has been tearing him apart since his parent's divorce. But now Brian has no time for anger, self pity, or despair -- it will take all his know-how and determination, and more courage than he knew he possessed, to survive.For twenty years Gary Paulsen's award-winning contemporary classic has been the survival story with which all others are compared. This new edition, with a reading group guide, will introduce a new generation of readers to this page-turning, heart-stopping adventure. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

"We want you to do it again."These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian was stranded alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days with nothing but a small hatchet. Yet he survived. Now the government wants him... See more

"We want you to do it again."These words, spoken to Brian Robeson, will change his life. Two years earlier, Brian was stranded alone in the wilderness for fifty-four days with nothing but a small hatchet. Yet he survived. Now the government wants him to do it again--to go back into the wilderness so that astronauts and the military can learn the survival techniques that kept Brian alive.This time he won't be alone: Derek Holtzer, a government psychologist, will accompany him to observe and take notes. But during a freak storm, Derek is hit by lightning and falls into a coma. Their radio transmitter is dead. Brian is afraid that derek will die of dehydration unless he can get him to a doctor. His only hope is to build a raft and try to transport Derek a hundred miles down the river to a trading post--if the map he has is accurate. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/19/07

PsychoBible offers an enlightening and entertaining examination of the Bible'ss impact on behavior through time and space -- from its formation to the present day. It'ss an indispensable work for all those interested in understanding the foundations... See more

PsychoBible offers an enlightening and entertaining examination of the Bible'ss impact on behavior through time and space -- from its formation to the present day. It'ss an indispensable work for all those interested in understanding the foundations of the West'ss beliefs and behaviors and is a thought-provoking read for those not afraid to inform -- or perhaps even challenge -- their faith. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 11/19/07

What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it?Renowned social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers, and in The Lucifer... See more

What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it?Renowned social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers, and in The Lucifer Effect he explains how–and the myriad reasons why–we are all susceptible to the lure of “the dark side.” Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can work in concert to make monsters out of decent men and women. Zimbardo is perhaps best known as the creator of the Stanford Prison Experiment. Here, for the first time and in detail, he tells the full story of this landmark study, in which a group of college-student volunteers was randomly divided into “guards” and “inmates” and then placed in a mock prison environment. Within a week the study was abandoned, as ordinary college students were transformed into either brutal, sadistic guards or... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

Burnt Offerings is the seventh in Laurell K. Hamilton's genre-straddling Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Anita carries a gun and an attitude: "Questions are great, but only if you know the answers. If you ask questions and the answers surprise... See more

Burnt Offerings is the seventh in Laurell K. Hamilton's genre-straddling Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter series. Anita carries a gun and an attitude: "Questions are great, but only if you know the answers. If you ask questions and the answers surprise you, you look silly. Hard to be threatening when you look ill-informed." As Burnt Offerings unfolds, Anita agrees to help track down a possible psychic firestarter. She's also policing the local werewolf pack, though she's split up with their alpha, Richard. Then Jean-Claude, the vampire Master of the City and her lover, needs her help to confront a visiting delegation of the vampires' ruling council. They wonder how he got the power to destroy a council member and believe him dangerous to the hierarchy. This fast-paced, urban fantasy includes gore, hardboiled mystery and a romantic triangle. The vampires and werewolves are as three-dimensional as the human characters, allowing us to join Anita in wondering who the real monsters are and to... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

Improve your presentationsand increase your impactwith 50 powerful, practical, and easy-to-apply techniques for Microsoft PowerPoint. With Beyond Bullet Points, youll take your presentation skills to the next levellearning innovative ways to design... See more

Improve your presentationsand increase your impactwith 50 powerful, practical, and easy-to-apply techniques for Microsoft PowerPoint. With Beyond Bullet Points, youll take your presentation skills to the next levellearning innovative ways to design and deliver your message. Organized into five sectionsDistill Your Ideas, Structure Your Story, Visualize Your Message, Create a Conversation, and Maintain Engagementthe book uses clear, concise language and just the right visuals to help you understand concepts and start getting better results. Not just a how-to for PowerPoint, this book will help take your presentation skills to the next level! Features 50 innovative, easy-to-apply techniques to help you clarify, visualize, and present your ideas using PowerPoint. Author is a leading presentation-skills consultant. Targeted for intermediate to advanced level users of PowerPoint who are looking to stand out from the crowd and make sure people remember what they say. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

An inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, Reading Lolita in Tehran is a moving testament to the power of art and its ability to change and improve people's lives. In 1995, after resigning from her job as a professor at a university in... See more

An inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, Reading Lolita in Tehran is a moving testament to the power of art and its ability to change and improve people's lives. In 1995, after resigning from her job as a professor at a university in Tehran due to repressive policies, Azar Nafisi invited seven of her best female students to attend a weekly study of great Western literature in her home. Since the books they read were officially banned by the government, the women were forced to meet in secret, often sharing photocopied pages of the illegal novels. For two years they met to talk, share, and "shed their mandatory veils and robes and burst into color." Though most of the women were shy and intimidated at first, they soon became emboldened by the forum and used the meetings as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule. They discussed their harassment at the hands of "morality guards," the daily indignities of... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

When Anita Blake's boss at Animators, Inc., informs her that she's expected to raise 300-year-old zombies from a field of jumbled bones just to settle a land dispute, she's understandably annoyed. But as soon as she arrives in Branson, Missouri, to... See more

When Anita Blake's boss at Animators, Inc., informs her that she's expected to raise 300-year-old zombies from a field of jumbled bones just to settle a land dispute, she's understandably annoyed. But as soon as she arrives in Branson, Missouri, to do the deed, the job gets more interesting. A psychotic sword-wielding vampire starts committing multiple murders in the area, and Anita must call on Jean-Claude, her powerful fanged suitor, for help. As always, Anita prevails over the undead, keeping Jean-Claude at arm's length, clearing the cemetery land of an ancient enchantment, and nailing the vampiric killer in one fell swoop. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

Anita Blake, vampire hunter, is now herself a hunted woman. Who put the $500,000 price on her head--a man or a monster? It's not just her own skin she needs to save; the rivalry between her werewolf boyfriend, Richard, and Marcus, the other alpha... See more

Anita Blake, vampire hunter, is now herself a hunted woman. Who put the $500,000 price on her head--a man or a monster? It's not just her own skin she needs to save; the rivalry between her werewolf boyfriend, Richard, and Marcus, the other alpha werewolf in his pack, has come to full boil. And there's always Jean-Claude, the vampire who's been waiting for just the right moment to slip inside Anita's head and heart. Don't assume anything, though--Hamilton's probably got a few more surprises in store. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

Shakespearean comedy and American high school are a match made in heaven--or Hollywood, at any rate. Somehow the exaggerated emotions and budding hormones of adolescence are perfectly suited to Shakespeare's twisty plots, and She's the Man is a... See more

Shakespearean comedy and American high school are a match made in heaven--or Hollywood, at any rate. Somehow the exaggerated emotions and budding hormones of adolescence are perfectly suited to Shakespeare's twisty plots, and She's the Man is a perfect example. Viola (Amanda Bynes, What a Girl Wants) is furious when she learns that her high school, Cornwall, has cut the girl's soccer team--so furious that she takes advantage of her twin brother Sebastian (James Kirk, Final Destination 2) skipping town for a few weeks to take his place at his school, Illyria, so she can join the soccer team there. But her disguise as her brother leads to complications when she falls in love with her soccer-playing roommate and the girl he's in love with falls in love with "Sebastian"... Bynes may not be entirely persuasive as a high school boy, but she's got the charm and sprightliness to make the audience follow her anyway. The clever script walks a fine balance, treating the situation realistically... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

Tradition, Honor, Excellence...and secrets so dark they're almost invisibleFifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy -- the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she... See more

Tradition, Honor, Excellence...and secrets so dark they're almost invisibleFifteen-year-old Reed Brennan wins a scholarship to Easton Academy -- the golden ticket away from her pill-popping mother and run-of-the-mill suburban life. But when she arrives on the beautiful, tradition-steeped campus of Easton, everyone is just a bit more sophisticated, a bit more gorgeous, and a lot wealthier than she ever thought possible. Reed realizes that even though she has been accepted to Easton, Easton has not accepted her. She feels like she's on the outside, looking in.Until she meets the Billings Girls.They are the most beautiful, intelligent, and intensely confident girls on campus. And they know it. They hold all the power in a world where power is fleeting but means everything. Reed vows to do whatever it takes to be accepted into their inner circle.Reed uses every part of herself -- the good, the bad, the beautiful -- to get closer to the Billings Girls. She quickly discovers that inside... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

A captivating, scandalous look into the privileged and turbulent world of five fabulous guys living in Manhattan's trendiest neighborhoods. Jonathan is the leader of the pack-but what will happen if the pack falls apart? Arno's way with the girls... See more

A captivating, scandalous look into the privileged and turbulent world of five fabulous guys living in Manhattan's trendiest neighborhoods. Jonathan is the leader of the pack-but what will happen if the pack falls apart? Arno's way with the girls makes you wonder, can boys be sluts? David is known as the nice guy, but will he stay that way? Mickey is always in trouble, and Patch is just MIA. They've got rich parents, go to top schools, and have hip friends. With so many parties to go to, colleges to impress, girls to win over, and so much money to spend, who can keep track of it all? And can true friendship really shine through in the end? J. Minter's keen eye for urban teens, their dialogue, and the details of New York City's high life make this a guilty pleasure for readers of the Gossip Girl series and other glitterati novels. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

The zombie-raising business gets slow in December, so Anita Blake is starting to see some oddball cases. She's got a neatly typed list of eight missing lycanthropes given to her by Marcus, the leader of the local werewolf pack, who wants her to find... See more

The zombie-raising business gets slow in December, so Anita Blake is starting to see some oddball cases. She's got a neatly typed list of eight missing lycanthropes given to her by Marcus, the leader of the local werewolf pack, who wants her to find them. The trouble is, Anita's occasionally furry boyfriend Richard is locked in a power struggle with Marcus. Jean-Claude, master vampire of the city and Anita's other love interest, is getting jealous as well. To top it off, Anita has to solve some horrific murders and keep her bounty-hunting friend Edward from killing Richard and Jean-Claude. Hamilton alternates between funny and fearsome in this larky series about a monster hunter with a few dark secrets. See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

Um… is about how you really speak, and why it’s normal for your casual, everyday speech to be filled with verbal blunders — about one in every ten words. Why do they happen? Why can’t we control them? What can you tell about the people who make... See more

Um… is about how you really speak, and why it’s normal for your casual, everyday speech to be filled with verbal blunders — about one in every ten words. Why do they happen? Why can’t we control them? What can you tell about the people who make them?In this charming, engaging account of language in the wild, linguist and writer Michael Erard also explains why our attention to some verbal blunders rises and falls. Why was the spoonerism named after Reverend Spooner, not some other absent-minded person? Where did the Freudian slip come from? Why do we prize "umlessness" in speaking? And how do we explain the American presidents who are famous for their verbal blundering?You’ll have new ways to listen to yourself and others once you’ve met the people who work with verbal blunders every day — journalists, transcribers, interpreters, police officers, linguists, psychologists, among others — and when you’ve learned what verbal blunders tell about who we are and what we want. A rich... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

A vivid, funny, and viscerally powerful memoir about childhood, assimilation, food, and growing up in the 1980s As a Vietnamese girl coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bich Nguyen is filled with a rapacious hunger for American identity. In the... See more

A vivid, funny, and viscerally powerful memoir about childhood, assimilation, food, and growing up in the 1980s As a Vietnamese girl coming of age in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Bich Nguyen is filled with a rapacious hunger for American identity. In the pre-PC era Midwest, where the devoutly Christian blond-haired, blue-eyed Jennifers and Tiffanys reign supreme, Nguyen's barely conscious desire to belong transmutes into a passion for American food. More exotic seeming than her Buddhist grandmother's traditional specialties—spring rolls, delicate pancakes stuffed with meats, fried shrimp cakes—the campy, preservative-filled “delicacies” of mainstream America capture her imagination. And in this remarkable book, the glossy branded allure of such American foods as Pringles, Kit Kats, and Toll House cookies become an ingenious metaphor for her struggle to fit in, to become a “real” American. Beginning with Nguyen's family's harrowing migration from Saigon in 1975, Stealing Buddha's Dinner is... See less

See this at: amazon.com| Added on 10/30/07

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel. Gemma, 16, has had an... See more

A Victorian boarding school story, a Gothic mansion mystery, a gossipy romp about a clique of girlfriends, and a dark other-worldly fantasy--jumble them all together and you have this complicated and unusual first novel. Gemma, 16, has had an unconventional upbringing in India, until the day she foresees her mother's death in a black, swirling vision that turns out to be true. Sent back to England, she is enrolled at Spence, a girls' academy with a mysterious burned-out East Wing. There Gemma is snubbed by powerful Felicity, beautiful Pippa, and even her own dumpy roommate Ann, until she blackmails herself and Ann into the treacherous clique. Gemma is distressed to find that she has been followed from India by Kartik, a beautiful young man who warns her to fight off the visions. Nevertheless, they continue, and one night she is led by a child-spirit to find a diary that reveals the secrets of a mystical Order. The clique soon finds a way to accompany Gemma to the other-world realms... See less