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I'm Just a Person: My year of death, cancer and epiphany
by Tig NotaroIn the span of four months in 2012, Tig Notaro was hospitalized for a debilitating intestinal disease called C. diff, her mother unexpectedly died, she went through a breakup, and then she was diagnosed with bilateral breast cancer. Hit with this devastating barrage, Tig took her grief onstage. Days after receiving her cancer diagnosis, she broke new comedic ground, opening an unvarnished set with the words: 'Good evening. Hello. I have cancer. How are you? Hi, how are you? Is everybody having a good time? I have cancer.' The set instantly went viral, and was ultimately released as Tig's sophomore album, Live, which sold one hundred thousand units in just six weeks and was later nominated for a Grammy.Now, the wildly popular star takes stock of that no good, very bad year - a difficult yet astonishing period in which tragedy turned into absurdity and despair transformed into joy. An inspired combination of the deadpan silliness of her comedy and the open-hearted vulnerability that has emerged in the wake of that dire time, I'm Just a Person is a moving and often hilarious look at this very brave, very funny woman's journey into the darkness and her thrilling return from it.
I'm Just Happy to Be Here: A Memoir of Renegade Mothering
by Janelle Hanchett"A refreshingly raw, contrasting perspective on the foolproof idea of motherhood." -- POPSUGAR "By turns painful and funny... A searingly candid memoir." -- Kirkus "Far from your cookie-cutter story of addiction . . . [I'm Just Happy to Be Here] describes Hanchett's journey to recovery and sobriety in imperfect and unconventional ways." -- Bustle In this unflinching and wickedly funny memoir, Janelle Hanchett tells the story of finding her way home. And then, actually staying there. Drawing us into the wild, heartbreaking mind of the addict, Hanchett carries us from motherhood at 21 with a man she'd known three months to cubicles and whiskey-laden domesticity, from judging meth addicts in rehab to therapists who "seem to pull diagnoses out of large, expensive hats." With warmth, wit, and searing B.S. detectors turned mostly toward herself, Hanchett invites us to laugh when we probably shouldn't and to rejoice at the unconventional redemption she finds in desperation and in a misfit mentor who forces her to see the truth of herself. A story of ego and forced humility, of fierce honesty and jagged love, of the kind of failure that forces us to re-create our lives, Hanchett writes with rare candor, scorching the "sanctity of motherhood," and leaving beauty in the ashes.
I'm Keith Hernandez: A Memoir
by Keith HernandezLegendary first baseman Keith Hernandez tells all in this gripping literary memoir and New York Times bestseller. Keith Hernandez revolutionized the role of first baseman. During his illustrious career with the World Series-winning St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, he was a perennial fan favorite, earning eleven consecutive Gold Gloves, a National League co-MVP Award, and a batting title. But it was his unique blend of intelligence, humor, and talent -- not to mention his unflappable leadership, playful antics, and competitive temperament -- that transcended the sport and propelled him to a level of renown that few other athletes have achieved, including his memorable appearances on the television show Seinfeld. Now, with a striking mix of candor and self-reflection, Hernandez takes us along on his journey to baseball immortality. There are the hellacious bus rides and south-of-the-border escapades of his minor league years. His major league benchings, unending plate adjustments, and role in one of the most exciting batting races in history against Pete Rose. Indeed, from the Little League fields of Northern California to the dusty proving grounds of triple-A ball to the grand stages of Busch Stadium and beyond, I'm Keith Hernandez reveals as much about America's favorite pastime as it does about the man himself. What emerges is an honest and compelling assessment of the game's past, present, and future: a memoir that showcases one of baseball's most unique and experienced minds at his very best.
I'm No Saint: A Nasty Little Memoir of Love and Leaving
by Elizabeth HaytFrom Sex and the City (Warner, 1997) to The Sexual Life of Catherine M. (Grove, 2002), literary tales of modern women's sexual escapades have never been more popular. Titillating details about the sexual lives of some of the nation's most eligible bachelors and the author's connections in the world of print journalism guarantee vast coverage in major newspapers and women's magazines. The vicarious pleasure at witnessing such bad behavior has never been so much fun. The author is a freelance journalist whose pieces regularly appear in the New York Times, Vogue, and Harper's Bazaar.
I’m Not a Film Star: David Bowie as Actor
by Ian Dixon and Brendan BlackThe first collection dedicated to David Bowie's acting career shows that his film characterisations and performance styles shift and reform as decoratively as his musical personas. Though he was described as the most influential pop artis of the 20th century, whose work became synonymous with mask, mystery, sexual excess and ch-ch-ch-changing genres, Bowie also applied his genius to the craft of acting.Bowie's considerable filmography is systematically examined in 12 scholarly essays that include tributes to Bowie's performance craft in other media forms. Classic films such as The Prestige and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, cult hits Labyrinth and The Man Who Fell To Earth, as well as lesser-known roles in The Image, Christiane F. and Broadway hit The Elephant Man are viewed, not simply through the lens of Bowie's mega-stardom, but as the work of a serious actor with inimitable talent. This compelling analysis celebrates the risk-taking intelligence and bravura of David Bowie: actor, mime, mimic and icon.
I’m Not a Film Star: David Bowie as Actor
The first collection dedicated to David Bowie's acting career shows that his film characterisations and performance styles shift and reform as decoratively as his musical personas. Though he was described as the most influential pop artis of the 20th century, whose work became synonymous with mask, mystery, sexual excess and ch-ch-ch-changing genres, Bowie also applied his genius to the craft of acting.Bowie's considerable filmography is systematically examined in 12 scholarly essays that include tributes to Bowie's performance craft in other media forms. Classic films such as The Prestige and Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, cult hits Labyrinth and The Man Who Fell To Earth, as well as lesser-known roles in The Image, Christiane F. and Broadway hit The Elephant Man are viewed, not simply through the lens of Bowie's mega-stardom, but as the work of a serious actor with inimitable talent. This compelling analysis celebrates the risk-taking intelligence and bravura of David Bowie: actor, mime, mimic and icon.
I’m Not as Well as I Thought I Was: The Sunday Times Bestseller
by Ruby WaxChecking into a psychiatric institution wasn't exactly on Ruby Wax's agenda for 2022 - writing about it wasn't either, but here we are. These days, trying to stay sane in a completely chaotic world makes life incredibly difficult, especially if you're struggling with your mental health. While searching for inner peace and equanimity amidst global chaos, Ruby realises that, ultimately, the most challenging gauntlet we all must face is ourselves.I'm Not as Well as I Thought I Was is Ruby's most honest and raw book to date - an insight into the depths of her psyche, and a stark exploration of what trauma can do to someone. Reflecting on years of personal and professional experience, she opens up to readers about her struggles with mental health and different treatments over the years, hoping to provide reassurance and guidance to anyone confronting their own anticipated, or unanticipated, struggles with mental health.
I’m Not One To Gossip, But…: Wicked Whispers, William Hickey and Forty Years of Blarney
by John McEnteeFrom an embarrassing encounter with Jim Callaghan (and his impressive member) in the gentlemen’s toilet of the Savoy Hotel to the time he was almost throttled by Angela’s Ashes author Frank McCourt, John McEntee’s career has been nothing if not colourful.After reporting on the IRA terror campaign while a correspondent for the Irish Press, John soon found his home on London’s gossip circuit. With one ear always on the alert for scandalous remarks and titillating tit-bits of conversation, John was launched into a world of endless cocktail parties, book launches and openings, first as the author of the Mail’s spiky Wicked Whispers gossip column and then as what turned out to be the last ever William Hickey columnist on the Daily Express.Glamour and celebrity encounters aside, whoever said the job of a gossip columnist was easy has obviously never had to pick up the bill at El Vino after a drunken Kingsley Amis has spent the afternoon working his way through the whisky menu.Gloriously entertaining and wonderfully indiscreet, John McEntee’s enchanting autobiography is a veritable goldmine of anecdotal gems from one of the true denizens of Fleet Street.
I'm Not Really a Waitress: How One Woman Took Over the Beauty Industry One Color at a Time
by Suzi Weiss-FischmannInspiring women to pursue their own colorful dreams, I'm Not Really a Waitress tells the story of how Suzi Weiss-Fischmann transformed a small dental supply company into a #1 beauty brand around the world Today, OPI is known as a global beauty brand, famous for its trend-setting colors, unforgettable shade names, and celebrity collaborations with the biggest stars from film, television, music, and sports. But behind all the glamour is the little-known tale of OPI's unlikely origins-an intimate and inspiring story of a timid schoolgirl who arrives in this country with little money and no English and becomes the business leader and industry game-changer known worldwide as "Suzi, the First Lady of Nails." In I'm Not Really a Waitress--titled after OPI's top-selling nail color--Suzi reveals the events that led her family to flee Communist Hungary and eventually come to New York City in pursuit of the American dream. She shares how those early experiences gave rise to OPI's revolutionary vision of freedom and empowerment, and how Suzi transformed an industry by celebrating the power of color-and of women themselves.
I'm Not Really Here: A Life Of Two Halves
by Paul LakePaul Lake was Manchester born, a City fan from birth. His footballing talent was spotted at a young age and, in 1983, he signed coveted schoolboy forms for City. Only a short time later he was handed the team captaincy.An international career soon beckoned and, after turning out for the England under-21 and B teams, he received a call-up to the England training camp for Italia '90. Earmarked as an England captain in the making, Paul became a target for top clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal, Spurs and Liverpool, but he always stayed loyal to his beloved club, deeming Maine Road the spiritual home at which his destiny lay.But then, in September 1990, disaster struck. Paul ruptured his cruciate ligament; sustaining the worst possible injury that a footballer can suffer. And so began his nightmare.Neglected, ignored and misunderstood by his club after a succession of failed operations, Paul's career began to fall apart. Watching from the sidelines as similarly injured players regained their fitness, he spiralled into a prolonged bout of severe depression. With an enforced retirement from the game he adored, the death of his father and the collapse of his marriage, Paul was left a broken man.Set against a turning point in English football, I'm Not Really Here is the powerful story of love and loss and the cruel, irreparable damage of injury; of determination, spirit and resilience and of unfulfilled potential and broken dreams.
I'm Not with the Band: A Writer's Life Lost in Music
by Sylvia PattersonSHORTLISTED FOR THE COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD 2016 'Celebratory and elegiac' Guardian 'A roller-coaster memoir' Sunday Times 'Funny, anecdote-packed, nostalgic but also very touching' The Pool'Patterson fillets out the pretentious bones of pop, leaving its glistening meat' Observer This is a three-decade survivor's tale . . . a scenic search for elusive human happiness through music, magazines, silly jokes, stupid shoes, useless blokes, hopeless homes, booze, drugs, love, loss, A&E, death, disillusion and hope. In 1986, Sylvia Patterson boarded a train to London armed with a tea-chest full of vinyl records, a peroxide quiff and a dream: to write about music, for ever. She got her wish. Escaping a troubled home, Sylvia embarks on a lifelong quest to discover The Meaning of It All. The problem is she's mostly hanging out with flaky pop stars, rock 'n' roll heroes and unreliable hip-hop legends. As she encounters music's biggest names, she is confronted by glamour and tragedy; wisdom and lunacy; drink, drugs and disaster. And Bros. Here is Madonna in her Earth Mother phase, flinging her hands up in horror at one of Sylv's Very Stupid Questions. Prince compliments her shoes while Eminem threatens to kill her. She shares fruit with Johnny Cash, make-up with Amy Winehouse and several pints with the Manics' lost soul-man Richey Edwards. She finds the Beckhams fragrant in LA, a Gallagher madferrit in her living room and Shaun Ryder and Bez as you'd expect, in Jamaica. From the 80s to the present day, I'm Not with the Band is a funny, barmy, utterly gripping chronicle of the last thirty years in music and beyond. It is also the story of one woman's wayward search for love, peace and a wonderful life. And whether, or not, she found them.
I'm Only Being Honest
by Jeremy KyleTeenage pregnancy, alcoholism, juvenile delinquency, absentee parents, soaring rates of drug addiction… Britain is failing.Over the last twenty years, traditional family values have declined to the point where young adults without guidance marry too early, have children soon after and end up being swamped by the responsibilities of parenthood. The cycle repeats and the problems worsen, impacting on every level of society. Here, in his first book, Jeremy Kyle argues the need for the firm hand and unconditional love that seems so absent from certain young parents. He questions the morals of those who see having children as something of a career; not least the systems that make it so easy to sacrifice personal ambition in favour of a state-sponsored ride. And he maps out an agenda for change, insisting on the importance of personal responsibility and strong government in ironing out our nation’s many creases.With all his trademark candour, Kyle writes about the upheavals in his own life – his struggles with gambling, his brother’s drug addiction – alongside the outrageous stories of the people from his often shocking show, to show what can be achieved with a little grit. The result is a hard-hitting look at modern British life that will outrage some, anger others, enliven many, but will no doubt set the debates raging.
I'm Only In It for the Parking: Life and laughter from the priority seats
by Lost Voice Ridley'Comedy genius... The funniest book I've read in years.' - DAVID WALLIAMSWhat’s the worst thing about being disabled? Is it the shameless staring? Is it that people assume you’re a bit thick because you can’t speak? Or is it that your friends always take you to theme parks just so they can jump the queues? In fact, it’s the stupid questions that really rile Lee Ridley, aka Lost Voice Guy. And over the years he’s been inundated with them, from people who have failed to engage their brains before opening their mouths. Which is where I’m Only In It for the Parking comes in - think of it as a disabled FAQ, with funny (sometimes painfully funny) stories from Lee’s not-so-ordinary life. If you think you know what it’s like to be disabled, prepare to have your perceptions skewed by the much-loved Britain’s Got Talent winner, the brilliant stand-up who struggles to stand up, the Geordie without the accent. And before you ask … no, he really can’t speak at all. But he definitely has something to say.'A truly eye-opening book from a fantastic comedian.' ADAM KAY
I'm Still Here: The New York Times Bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick
by Austin Channing BrownA REESE'S BOOK CLUB X HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK PICKTHE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER 'This book is my story about growing up in a Black girl's body.' From a leading voice on racial justice, an eye-opening account of growing up Black, Christian and female that exposes how white America's love affair with 'diversity' so often falls short of its ideals. Austin Channing Brown's first encounter with a racialized America came at age seven, when she discovered her parents named her Austin to deceive future employers into thinking she was a white man. Growing up in majority-white schools and churches, Austin writes, 'I had to learn what it means to love Blackness,' a journey that led to a lifetime spent navigating America's racial divide as a writer, speaker and expert helping organisations practice genuine inclusion. In a time when nearly every institution (schools, churches, universities, businesses) claims to value diversity in its mission statement, Austin writes in breathtaking detail about her journey to self-worth and the pitfalls that kill our attempts at racial justice. Her stories bear witness to the complexity of America's social fabric and invite the reader to confront apathy, recognise God's ongoing work in the world and discover how Blackness-if we let it-can save us all.'Austin Channing Brown introduces herself as a master memoirist. This book will break open hearts and minds. It's an example of how one woman can change the world by telling the truth about her life with unflinching, relentless courage' GLENNON DOYLE'Most people say, "that books has legs"; I measure the impact of a book by how often I throw it across the room. [Austin's book] has serious wings. It broke me open' BRENE BROWN
I'm Surprised I'm Still Alive
by Jimmy J AlanFollow Jimmy on his journey from his birth, through to the birth of his first child at the age of 21. His early life was filled with every kind of deprivation, he was constantly living on the edge of starvation, the threat of death was never far away either from his home life or from his multiple abusers, the authorities knew what was going on but they didn't help, the most they did was observe, the schools also knew the treatment he was getting at home, every day of his young life was lived in fear, his mind, his body, and his very soul were shattered, 3 times he was placed into a children's home, a place that should have offered a bit of safety, but this place was no better, it was just another place of fear and terror and abuse, only this time at the hands of strangers. for little jimmy no matter where he turned, he found no peace or comfort, his abuse and torment went on until he was in his early teens. Jimmy's early life left him confused with what he was meant to be, was he straight or gay, he hid all the traumas from everyone, at times he would drink away the pain, but it never left him. help arrived in the shape of Judy, she loved his pain away, it was a love he had never felt before, a pure unconditional love for both of them, but this was ripped away from them through lies and deceit, it led to them being jobless, penniless, homeless, a mental hospital, and the ultimate ending of their love, none of it their fault, all done out of pure spite. Jimmy was left alone no Judy, no family, no home, no job, no money, no hope and no help, he tried to get his life back together as best he could, but he would endure more obstacles, a house fire that nearly killed him, a 21st birthday spent alone in the cold and rain, a spell in prison. His life only made sense when his first child was born, its when he began to feel normal, but for over 40 years Judy remained in his head and heart, how could he just forget her, he couldn't.
I'm Talking: My Life, My Words, My Music
by Kate Ceberano Tom GillingFor the first time, Kate Ceberano, one of Australia's best-loved entertainers, shares her story.In her own unmistakeable voice, Kate Ceberano takes us on a very personal journey from her suburban childhood, her immersion in the Melbourne club scene of the eighties and her rise to stardom at the age of fourteen when she fronted the wildly popular funk band I'm Talking, to the life of a female performer and recording artist in London, Los Angeles and New York.With parallel careers as a pop and jazz singer and songwriter, Kate has received the highest awards in the Australian music industry including the ARIA for Best Female Artist. She has delighted audiences in Harry M. Miller's hugely successful Jesus Christ Superstar, won a legion of fans when she won Dancing with the Stars, and made a triumphant debut for Opera Australia in South Pacific. Now she reveals, for the first time, just what that was like.People have been talking about Kate Ceberano since she was a teenager: Hugh Jackman described her as having 'truly one of the great voices this country has produced'; for Rolling Stone she is 'pure, soulful and powerful'. Now Kate is talking for herself.Accompanied by never before seen photos.
I'm the Man: The Story of That Guy from Anthrax
by Scott IanI'm the Man is the fast-paced, humorous, and revealing memoir from the man who co-founded Anthrax, the band that proved to the masses that brutality and fun didn't have to be mutually exclusive. Through various lineup shifts, label snafus, rock 'n' roll mayhem, and unforeseen circumstances galore, Scott Ian has approached life and music with a smile, viewing the band with deadly seriousness while recognizing the ridiculousness of the entertainment industry. Always performing with abundant energy that revealed his passion for his craft, Ian has never let the gravity of being a rock star go to his shaven, goateed head. Ian tells his life story with a clear-eyed honesty that spares no one, least of all himself, starting with his upbringing as a nerdy Jewish boy in Queens and evolving through his first musical epiphany when he saw KISS live on television and realized what he wanted to do with his life. He chronicles his adolescence growing up in a dysfunctional home where the records blasting on his stereo failed to drown out the sound of his parents shouting at one another. He sets down the details of his fateful escape into the turbulent world of heavy metal. And of course he lays bare the complete history of Anthrax -- from the band's formation to their present-day reinvigoration -- as they wrote and recorded thrash classics like Spreading the Disease, Among the Living, and the top-twenty-charting State of Euphoria. Along the way, Ian recounts harrowing, hysterical tales from his long tour of duty in the world of hard rock. He witnesses the rise of Metallica, for which he had a front row seat. He parties with the late Dimebag Darrell while touring with Pantera and gets wild with Black Label Society frontman and longtime Ozzy Osbourne guitarist Zakk Wylde. He escapes detection while interviewing Ozzy for "The Rock Show" while dressed as Gene Simmons and avoids arrest after getting detained on suspicion of drugs while riding the tube in England with the late Metallica bassist Cliff Burton. In addition, I'm the Man addresses the trials and tribulations of Ian's life and loves. He admits his foibles and reveals the mistakes made along the way to becoming a fully-functioning adult. He celebrates finally finding peace and a true sense of family with his wife, singer/songwriter Pearl Aday, and examines how his world changed after the birth of their first son.I'm the Man is a blistering hard rock memoir, one that is astonishing in its candor and deftly told by the man who's kept the institution of Anthrax alive for more than thirty years.
I'm Writing You From Tehran: A Granddaughter’s Search for Her Family’s Past and Their Country’s Future
by Delphine Minoui'Full of violence and passion' Elle Suffering the recent loss of her beloved grandfather and newly committed to a career in journalism, Delphine Minoui decided to visit Iran for the first time since the revolution – since she was four years old. It was 1998. She would stay for ten years.In the course of that decade, great change comes to both writer and country, often at the same time. Minoui settles into daily life – getting to know her devout grandmother for the first time, making friends with local women who help her escape secret dance parties when the morality police arrive, figuring out how to be a journalist in a country that is suspicious of the press and Westerners. Once she finally starts to learn Persian, she begins to see Iran through her grandfather’s eyes. And so it is all the more crushing when the political situation falters. She is caught up in protests and interrogated by secret police; some friends disappear and others may be tracking her movements. She finds love, loses her press credentials, marries, and is separated from her husband by erupting global conflict. Through it all, her love for this place and its people deepens and she discovers in her family’s past a mission that will shape her entire future.Framed as a letter to her grandfather and filled with disarming characters in momentous times, I’m Writing You from Tehran is an unforgettable, moving view into an often obscured part of our world.
I'm Your Man: The Life of Leonard Cohen
by Sylvie SimmonsWITH A NEW AFTERWORD BY THE AUTHORThe definitive biography of the late Leonard Cohen - singer-songwriter, musician, poet, and novelist.The genius behind such classic songs as Suzanne, So Long, Marianne, Bird on the Wire and Hallelujah, Leonard Cohen has been one of the most important and influential songwriters of our time, a man of spirituality, emotion, and intelligence whose work has explored the definitive issues of human life - sex, religion, power, meaning, love.I'm Your Man explores the facets of Cohen's life. Renowned music journalist Sylvie Simmons draws on Cohen's private archives and a wealth of interviews with many of his closest associates, colleagues, and other artists whose work he has inspired.Containing exclusive material and interviews, this is the biography to buy on Leonard Cohen.
Imad’s Syrian Kitchen
by Imad AlarnabA bustling, vibrant tour of flavour-packed Syrian dishes 90 sensational recipes celebrating the flavours of Syria, that can easily be made in the comfort of your own home
Images and Shadows: Part of a Life (Nonpariel Ser. #Vol. 82)
by Iris OrigoThe lucidly written memoir of Iris Origo, the writer of the bestselling War in Val d'OrciaIt has only been through my affections that I have been able to perceive, however imperfectly, some faint "intimations of immortality"Images and Shadows is the story of those affections: for a loving, shy father, who died when his daughter was very young; for a vital, headstrong mother; for friends and family, alive and dead. And for the places Origo lived: Ireland, America, England; the childhood home in the hills above Florence; and her own beloved La Foce - the desolate, deforested estate which she and her Italian husband bought, and into which they poured the energy and patience of their best years.Iris Origo (1902-1988) is best known as a biographer and war diarist. But in Images and Shadows she writes with characteristic grace, wit and humility, almost reluctantly, about herself. Reissued with newly discovered photographs, it is both a moving insight into a lost age, and an illumination of the life and loves of an endlessly curious and thoughtful woman.Iris Origo (1902-1988) was a British-born biographer and writer. She lived in Italy and devoted much of her life to the improvement of the Tuscan estate at La Foce, which she purchased with her husband in the 1920s. During the Second World War, she sheltered refugee children and assisted many escaped Allied prisoners of war and partisans in defiance of Italy's fascist regime and Nazi occupation forces. Pushkin Press also publishes her bestselling war diary, War in Val d'Orcia, as well as two of her biographies, A Study in Solitude: The Life of Leopardi - Poet, Romantic and Radical and The Last Attachment: The Story of Byron and Teresa Guiccioli.
The Imaginary Girlfriend: A Memoir
by John IrvingFrom a novelist known for the complexity of his novels - they are also long - comes an autobiography of compelling simplicity; it is also short. Dedicated to the memory of two wrestling coaches and two writer friends, The Imaginary Girlfriend is a lucid portrait of the writers and wrestlers who played a mentor role in John Irving's development as a novelist, a wrestler and a wrestling coach. Moreover, this candid memoir portrays a father's dedication to his children: Irving coached his sons Colin and Brendan to New England championship titles - a championship that, as a competitor, he himself was denied.John Irving began writing and wrestling when he was fourteen. He competed as a wrestler for twenty years, he was certified as a referee for twenty-four and he coached the sport until he was forty-seven. His thirty-three years in wrestling are three times those he spent as a student and a teacher of Creative Writing; yet his concise autobiography details the interrelationship of the disciplines of writing and wrestling - from the days when Irving was a beginner at both pursuits until his fourth wrestling-related surgery at the age of fifty-three.The Imaginary Girlfriend is both a work of the utmost literary accomplishment and a paradigm for living.
Imagine a City: A Pilot Sees the World
by Mark Vanhoenacker'A journey around both the author's mind and the planet's great cities that leaves us energised, open to new experiences and ready to return more hopefully to our lives' ALAIN DE BOTTON'Enriching... Luminous... A touching survey of human dreams and endeavours' PATRICK GALE___________________A love letter to the cities of the world, from the bestselling pilot-author of Skyfaring.Growing up in his small hometown, Mark Vanhoenacker spun the illuminated globe in his bedroom and dreamt of elsewhere - of distant, real cities, and a perfect metropolis that existed only in his imagination. These places were sources of endless fascination and escape: streets unspooled, towers shone, and anonymous crowds bustled in cities where Mark could be anyone - perhaps even himself.Now, as a commercial airline pilot, Mark has spent nearly two decades crossing the skies of our planet, touching down in the cities he imagined as a child. He experiences these metropolises in short layover visits that repeat month after month and year after year, giving him a unique perspective on the places that form our urban world.Interweaving travelogue with memoir, Mark celebrates the cities he has come to know and love through the lens of the hometown his heart has never left. Exploring the emblematic facets of each city's identity - the sweeping roads of Los Angeles, the old gates of Jeddah, the intricate, dream-inspired plan of Brasília - he shows us with warmth and fresh eyes the extraordinary places that billions of us call home.'I absolutely love the way Mark Vanhoenacker writes about the world; he gives you a whole new way of seeing' JENNY COLGAN'Will transport you around the globe and back again without leaving your seat' MARK OVENDEN, author of Airline Maps and London Underground by Design
Imagine This: Growing Up With My Brother John Lennon
by Julia Baird'Honest and poignant' THE SUNThe honest and revealing story of John Lennon's childhood by his sister Julia. Through her own personal journey, Julia reveals the battle between two strong, self-willed women - John's mother and his Aunt Mimi - to have custody of John in his early years. It was Aunt Mimi who finally won and removed John from his mother at the age of five. But as John grew up, he would frequently return home - spending time with his mother and half-sisters, Julia, Jackie and Ingrid, learning his love of music from his mother, and hanging out, playing guitar with his childhood friend Paul McCartney.Julia is candid about the sadness as well as the joy of their broken family life. She details the devestating loss of their mother Julia in a road accident - and describes the painful legacy for the entire family, especially John as he moves into a life of stratospheric fame with the Beatles.