Other books that might interest you

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  Hollywood’s Favorite Screwball...

  Editors Charles River

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  “If I couldn't laugh, I'd rather die.” – Claudette Colbert 
  The 1930s were the height of the classical Hollywood era, known for lavish studio productions by heavyweights like MGM, RKO, Warner Brothers, Paramount, and 20th Century Fox, which were operating at the height of their powers. Every major studio possessed a long roster of contract players, and films were released at such a rapid pace that it made for an especially competitive environment within the industry. Even while America remained in the throes of the Great Depression, the film industry continued to flourish, and movies easily supplanted the theater as the main attraction for American entertainment. Indeed, it would be no exaggeration to claim that the film industry reached its zenith during the decade precisely because it offered an affordable (if very temporary) escape from the anxieties of the economic woes of the era. 
  When the American Film Institute ranked its top 50 screen legends of the 20th century, many of the people named had careers spanning several decades, but one of them managed the feat despite living less than three decades. Ranked as the 22nd greatest actress of the 20th century, Jean Harlow was on the screen for less than 10 years, but in that time the “Blonde Bombshell” became the most popular actress of the 1930s, eclipsing superstars like Joan Crawford and Norma Shearer along the way. In fact, the platinum blonde accomplished that feat as a leading lady for just five years before her premature death of renal failure at the age of 26. 
  Carole Lombard has been memorialized in many fitting ways as an actress, and one of her biggest contributions to Hollywood was the blond archetype that the film industry used successfully for decades in screwball comedies, paving the way for the success of women like Marilyn Monroe. Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of that fact is that it was actually based on Carole’s gushing personality. 

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  On Bette Midler - An Opionated...

  Kevin Winkler

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  For more than fifty years, Bette Midler has been at the center of the entertainment world as a uniquely talented singer, actress, and comedienne. Starting in the unlikely venue of a gay bathhouse in New York City--where she developed her Divine Miss M persona--this book takes a deep dive into her successes, from movies to million-selling records, from sell-out concert tours to her memorable farewell to Johnny Carson as his last guest on The Tonight Show. 
   
  On Bette Midler features performance analysis and deeply researched background information, all of it supporting informed--and divinely opinionated--consideration of Midler the artist. It judges her work by the highest standards: those she established for herself.

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  Washington - A Legacy of Leadership

  Dr. Paul Vickery

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  His name is carved in granite, his likeness cast in bronze, his legend as large as the role he played as America's first president. But before he was a commander-in-chief, George Washington was a general in a revolution that would decide the future of the people and land he called his own. If victorious, he would gain immortality. If defeated, he would find his neck in a hangman's noose. 
  Washington knew the sting of defeat—at Brandywine, at Germantown—yet this unwavering leadership and his vision for a new and independent nation emboldened an army prepared to fight barefoot if necessary to win that independence. Wrote an officer after the Battle of Princeton:  "I saw him brave all the dangers of the field and his important life hanging as it were by a single hair with a thousand deaths flying around him." 
  Among America's pantheon of Founding Fathers, one man to this day stands out.  Author Paul Vickery tracks the unlikely rise of Washington, a man whose stature in command of a young army became prelude to a presidency. As Vickery writes, "He learned to become the father of our country by first being the father of our military." 
  Accompanying images are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

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  Whoa Baby! - A Guide for New...

  Anonymous

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  When global pop star Kelly Rowland became a mom for the first time, giving birth to her son Titan, she felt the most incredible love she had ever experienced. But after spending nine months so focused on the baby growing inside her, she was caught completely off guard by how much she had changed. Like many first-time moms, she was not ready for what had happened to her body and for so many overwhelming new thoughts and emotions. She wondered: Will I Ever Walk Again? Will I Ever Sleep Again? Are My Boobs Always Going to Be Like This? Rowland had questions about everything from postpartum bleeding, skin and hair changes, and dealing with aches and pains to getting back in shape and sex after baby. She also weighed the larger notions about what she wanted out of motherhood and the rest of her life.It was a good thing that Rowland's longtime OB/GYN Dr. Tristan Emily Bickman was right there to answer every single crazy question that popped into her head. Nothing fazed Dr. Bickman and she provided Rowland with the answers she so desperately needed, telling her over and over that, in the months after a woman gives birth, nothing is exactly strange, but nothing is necessarily normal either. It's all just part of the "miracle" of birth.In Whoa, Baby! Rowland and Dr. Bickman team up to share this reassuring information with new moms everywhere. Often hilarious and always down-to-earth, Rowland and Dr. Bickman cover every surprising challenge that new moms face.

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  Found - Triumph Over Fear With...

  Michelle Corrao, Emily Sutherland

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  She never aspired to be the subject of the Top Story on the evening news, but Michelle Corrao’s abduction was the final crime in a string of assaults on women in Central Indiana in 1996. A confident, professional woman, violently assaulted and hidden in the trunk of her own car, Michelle was found by an off-duty police officer and given a second chance at life. More than twenty years after the assault, she shares her story within Found, a gripping autobiography detailing her unexpected journey from the worst moments of her life to moments when she truly believed life couldn’t get any better. Throughout Found, Michelle vulnerably documents her story as a source of hope for other survivors and their families, and as a compelling resource for anyone who longs to live more trauma informed. Her compassion, gratitude, and empathy light the way for all who want to make the world a safer, kinder place.

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  Why Can't I Just Enjoy Things? -...

  Pierre Novellie

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  *Nominated for Best Book at the 2025 Chortle Awards*'Outstanding, I want to press it into the hands of every newly diagnosed person' Fern Brady'Like a Martian's guide to living on Earth. Funny, enlightening and gobsmacking' Frank Skinner 'A hilarious, crystal-clear guide to autism' Phil Wang'An illuminating and joyously entertaining book' Daily ExpressWhy were the other kids at school obsessed with Britney Spears instead of The Goon Show? Why don't people ever say what they mean? And... Why is everyone chewing so loudly?Comedian Pierre Novellie was on stage when a heckler suggested he was autistic. Usually, this disruption would be water off a duck's back but two things made this heckler different: first, he was himself autistic. Second, he turned out to be absolutely right.This random encounter led to a diagnosis of autism at the age of 31 that unravelled his world, explained his struggles and answered questions that had bothered him for his entire life. At once a hilarious and insightful journey through autism and neurodivergence, an entertaining explainer for the uninitiated and observational comedy for the neurodiverse, this is the perfect read for anyone who has ever asked themselves: why can't I just enjoy things?The audiobook includes an exclusive Q&A with comedian and BudPod co-host, Phil Wang.

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