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  F Scott Fitzgerald - A Short...

  F. Scott Fitzgerald

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  Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born on September 24th 1896 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, to an upper-middle-class family. His early years in Buffalo, New York showed him to be a boy of high intelligence and drive with a thirst for literature.  
   
  In 1908, his father was fired from Procter & Gamble, and the family returned to Minnesota. Here Fitzgerald attended St. Paul Academy, in St. Paul, until 1911. At 13 he was published in the school newspaper, it was, of all things, a detective story. In 1911, aged 15, he was sent to the prestigious Newman School, in Hackensack, New Jersey. And, after graduating in 1913, he decided to continue at Princeton University. Here he firmly dedicated himself to writing. Unfortunately his writing pursuits came at the expense of his coursework. In 1917 he dropped out to join the U.S. Army.  
   
  However this service to his country came with the very real fear that he might perish in the trenches of Western Europe with his literary dreams not yet begun. So he spent the weeks before reporting for duty at work on a novel entitled The Romantic Egotist.  Fitzgerald was assigned to Camp Sheridan, in Alabama. It was there that Fitzgerald met the love of his life; Zelda Sayre, the "golden girl," of Montgomery youth society.  
   
  The war ended before Fitzgerald could be deployed, and he moved to New York City hoping to start a career in advertising that would be lucrative enough to convince Zelda to marry him. Unable to convince her that his means were enough to support her she broke off the engagement. Fitzgerald returned to his parents in St. Paul, to revise The Romantic Egoist, now recast as This Side of Paradise. His revised novel was accepted by Scribner's and published in 1920 becoming an instant success.  
   
  It launched Fitzgerald's career as a writer and provided a steady income suitable for Zelda's ambitions. The engagement resumed and they married at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York. Frances Scott "Scottie" Fitzgerald, their only child, was born on October 26, 1921. 
   
  Inspired by the parties he had attended visiting Long Island's north shore Fitzgerald began planning the greatest of his novels, The Great Gatsby, in 1923, wanting to produce "something new—something extraordinary and beautiful and simple and intricately patterned."  Published in April 1925, The Great Gatsby received mixed reviews and sold poorly; only 20,000 in its first year.  Today, it is considered a literary classic and one of a small circle vying for the title "Great American Novel".  
   
  Fitzgerald continued to supplement his income by writing short stories for magazines and to sell his stories and novels to Hollywood. He called this "whoring".  
   
  In February 1932, Zelda was hospitalized with schizophrenia. Fitzgerald rented a house nearby and worked on his latest book, Tender Is the Night, and finally published it in 1934.  
   
  Fitzgerald's heavy and excessive drinking had now developed into alcoholism and with recurring financial difficulties, the emotional toll of Zelda's mental illness, this meant several difficult years.  
   
  In 1937, Fitzgerald moved to Hollywood. His income improved and he began to work in the film industry. He found movies beneath his talents, but was once again in perilous financial straits, and so spent the second half of the 1930s in Hollywood, working on a triangle of short stories, scripts for MGM, and his final novel, The Love of the Last Tycoon.   
   
  In 1939, MGM ended the contract, and Fitzgerald became a writer for hire. Still an alcoholic, he now became estranged from Zelda and developed a relationship with Sheilah Graham, the Hollywood gossip columnist. They quickly became lovers.  
   
  In this last period of his life his alcoholism had left him physically wrecked. After suffering a heart attack, in Schwab's Drug Store, he was ordered to avoi

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  Short Nonfiction Collection Vol 002

  Various

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  A collection of ten short nonfiction works in the public domain.  The essays, speeches and reports included in this collection were independently selected by the readers, and the topics encompass history, politics, religion, science and humor.  Included in this collection are the "Oath of Hippocrates" and "The Funeral Oration of Pericles" along with Patrick Henry's "The Call to Arms," and Jack London's eyewitness account of the aftermath of the San Francisco earthquake in 1906.  On the lighter side, we have Jerome K. Jerome's "Should Women Be Beautiful," a short address by Mark Twain to The Author's Club in NYC, and the anonymous "Miseries," a lighthearted lament on subjects such as the difficulties of eating a peach gracefully in public and finding a suitable length of twine when you need one. In this collection you will also find "A Free Man's Worship" by Bertram Russell, "Obstacle-Cause" from "Sophisms of the Protectionists" by Frédéric Bastiat, and an essay by T. H. Huxley on the science of palaeontology.  (summary by J. M. Smallheer)

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  Snapshots Sent Home - From...

  JT Blatty

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  "Snapshots of truth . . . Blatty drew the portraits of veterans with love and honesty . . . fearless, furious, broken, hopeless, hopeful, undeterred as forces of nature. It's so easy to start romanticizing them, especially the fallen ones, yet Blatty respects them too much to turn these courageous spirits into cardboard heroes. They are humans instead, with all their follies, anger, broken hearts, and broken lives. The power of a great book is that it stays with you long after you finish reading. It's been ten years since Russians occupied my hometown. It's two years since my whole country turned into a war zone . . . in the fog of the war, these snapshots of truth are as rare as beams of light." —Tetyana Strelchenko, director of America House, Kyiv, UkraineLike many post-9/11 combat veterans, JT Blatty struggled to regain her sense of purpose in the first years returning home from Afghanistan and Iraq. In 2018, a chance encounter brought her to Ukraine, drawn in by the familiarity of war and those who serve in wars. Over five years, JT captured the oral history and portraits of a tribe of revolutionaries, the Donbas volunteer soldiers. As she embedded with them on the front line in bunkers and forests, and in Kyiv flats, JT's story began to blend with theirs in a universal bond of combat veterans, compelling her to stay as a new war began. 
   
  This audiobook includes a bonus epilogue by the author.

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  YOU ARE A GIFT - A Travel...

  Meheck Mukherjee

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  About the Book: 
  A Book -A GIFT- that acknowledges the gift you are! Your presence, your simply being alive & all that you do for all around you is cherished. Its’ offbeat photography & caring, touching poetry inspire you to smile, laugh & be joyful. A coffee table book that you can gift to anyone you wish to say THANK YOU FOR BEING IN MY LIFE. Friends, family, siblings, colleagues, bosses & of course your neighbours too would love to receive this beautiful gift. 
  YOU ARE A GIFT! Is Alive, It talks to you! One experiences love & healing as one reads even a few lines. A conversation starter, this book sits in your homes,offices & car decks & displays your taste with subtleness. Virtues of Gratitude, Kindness & Love touch hearts of all who see it, pick it or read it. 
  An old saying goes- YOU ARE WHAT YOU READ! This book - a first of its kind -a trendsetter in self-empowerment. The verses & photography have the power to transform sadness & depression into joy, bringing out suppressed emotions & feeling better right away. 1 in 4 people are going through depression say world statistics. Gift this to people around you to make our world a better place.

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  Deaf Blind Champion: A True...

  Kevin Frost

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  MY STORY OF TRIUMPH - My life has been nothing short of a miracle. A true account of triumph, even in the midst of adversity. In Deaf Blind Champion, I give you a front-row seat into how my life changed when I heard my diagnosis and what I did to get through the depression that engulfed me to become an accomplished sportsman, a dad, life partner, son, a brother, teammate, and activist. 
  FINDING YOUR COMMUNITY - It's been said no person is an island, we live in a social world. I am proof positive that having good people in your life, and doing good for others, will be difference makers in your life. In my book I teach you how to find a supportive community that will help you build on your strengths and during those difficult times, offer a shoulder to lean on as you continue your journey. 
  FOCUSING ON WHAT YOU HAVE - When lightning strikes twice, ruminating over what you’ve lost is easy. We all do it. I, Kevin Frost, did it over and over again. Then it happened, I realized life is about appreciating what we have and using that to move forward. In my book, I recount valuable lessons that helped me focus on what I had even after losing my hearing and then my sight. 
  MY PLEDGE TO CHARITY - The wonderful community at Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind introduced me to two angels, Nemo and Lewis, who have been loyal guides and cherished family members. I appreciate these amazing people at CGBD, and part of the proceeds from this book will be donated to them so they can help others like me. It is one of several charities I support, and buying this book helps provide a better quality of life and independence for disabled persons around the world. 
  I hope you enjoy the journey!

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  Interview with Serial Killer...

  Nannie Doss

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  Nannie Doss, born Nancy Agnes Hazel (November 4, 1905 - June 2, 1965), was an American serial killer who confessed to the murders of 11 people--four husbands, two children, one of her sisters, her mother, two grandsons, and a mother-in-law--between 1927 and 1954. Doss was also referred to as the Giggling Granny, the Lonely Hearts Killer, the Black Widow, and Lady Blue Beard.

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