Other books that might interest you

• 

  The Mysterious Romance of Murder...

  David Lehman

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Why do we keep returning to Agatha Christie's ingenious puzzles and Raymond Chandler's hard-boiled murder mysteries? What do spy thrillers teach us, and what accounts for the renewed popularity of morally ambiguous noirs? In The Mysterious Romance of Murder, the poet and critic David Lehman explores a wide variety of outstanding books and movies—some famous (The Maltese Falcon, Double Indemnity), some known mainly to aficionados—with style, wit, and passion. 
   
   
   
  Lehman revisits the smoke-filled jazz clubs from the classic noir films of the 1940s, the iconic set pieces that defined Hitchcock's America, the interwar intrigue of Eric Ambler's best fictions, and the intensity of attraction between Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, Robert Mitchum and Jane Greer, Cary Grant and Ingrid Bergman. He also considers the evocative elements of noir—cigarettes, cocktails, wisecracks, and jazz standards—and offers five original noir poems (including a pantoum inspired by the 1944 film Laura) and ironic astrological profiles of Barbara Stanwyck, Marlene Dietrich, and Graham Greene. Written by a connoisseur with an uncanny feel for the language and mood of mystery, espionage, and noir, The Mysterious Romance of Murder will delight fans of the genre and newcomers alike.

  Show book

• 

  On the Political Status of Women

  Annie Besant

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Annie Besant made a name for herself as a women’s rights activist, socialist, and orator. Her first public speech, “On the Political Status of Women,” launched her into the field of advocacy around which she built a career. She stated that forcing an educated, free-thinking woman to stay home was akin to imprisoning her. Such women “are being driven into bitterness and into angry opposition, because their ambition is thwarted at every step, and their eager longings for a fuller life are forced back and crushed,” she said, “[but] A tree will grow, however you maytry to stunt it.”   

  Show book

• 

  Kyshtym Disaster The: The...

  Charles River Editors

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  For decades, it was believed that the first major accident at a nuclear power plant took place at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979, which took nearly 15 years and $1 billion to fully clean up after that disaster. However, Three Mile Island paled in comparison to Chernobyl, which to this day remains the most notorious nuclear accident in history. Located in the Ukraine, the Chernobyl power plant was undergoing experiments in the early morning hours of April 26, 1986 when it suffered a series of explosions in one of its nuclear reactors, killing over 30 people at the plant and spread radioactive fallout across a wide swath of the Soviet Union. Although the Soviets would try to cover up just how disastrous the accident at Chernobyl was, it was impossible to hide the full extent of the damage given that radioactive material was affecting Western Europe as well. All told, the accident caused an estimated $18 billion in damages, forced the evacuation of everybody nearby, and continues to produce adverse health effects that are still being felt in the region.  
  	The disasters emphatically demonstrated the dangers of nuclear power plants, and it brought about new regulations across the world in an effort to make the use of nuclear energy safer. Meanwhile, scientists and scholars are still studying the effects of the radiation on people exposed to the disasters and continue to come up with estimates of just how deadly they were. 
  	As it turned out, however, Chernobyl was not the first major nuclear disaster that the Soviets tried to hide. In 1957, a nuclear disaster occurred in an area near the Ural Mountains, far to the east of Moscow and to the north of the border with Kazakhstan, and to this day, it is a disaster few have heard of, even though it was the world’s worst nuclear disaster until Chernobyl. For those aware of it, it is now known as the Kyshtym disaster. 

  Show book

• 

  Stories of Elders - What the...

  Veronica Kirin

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  America’s Greatest Generation (born before 1945) witnessed incredible changes in technology and social progress. From simple improvements in entertainment to life-changing medical advances, technology changed the way they live, work, and identify. Sadly, with each passing year, fewer members of the Greatest Generation remain alive to share their wisdom as the last Americans to grow up before the digital revolution. 
   
  In 2015, Millennial author and cultural anthropologist Veronica Kirin drove 12,000 miles across more than 40 states to interview the last living members of the Greatest Generation. Stories of Elders is the result of her years of work to capture and share their perspective for generations to come. 
   
  Stories of Elders preserves the wisdom, thoughts, humor, knowledge, and advice of the people who make up one of America’s finest generations, including the Silent Generation. Their stories include the devastation that came from major events in U.S. history like World War I, the Dust Bowl, the Great Depression, and World War II. 
   
  The Greatest Generation (many of whom are now centenarians) saw the routine use of airplanes, cars, microwave ovens, telephones, radios, electricity, and the Internet come to fruition in their lifetimes. Their childhoods were simple, relying on outdoors games and their imagination for fun. How they went to school, pursued their careers, and raised their kids was radically different than the way we live today. 
   
  By chronicling more than 8,000 years of life lived during the most transitional time in American history, Stories of Elders offers old-fashioned wisdom and insight for America’s future generations.

  Show book

• 

  Leonardo da Vinci - An...

  Stephen J. Campbell

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) never signed a painting, and none of his supposed self-portraits can be securely ascribed to his hand. He revealed next to nothing about his life in his extensive writings, yet countless pages have been written about him that assign him an identity: genius, entrepreneur, celebrity artist, outsider. Addressing the ethical stakes involved in studying past lives, Stephen J. Campbell shows how this invented Leonardo has invited speculation from figures ranging from art dealers and curators to scholars, scientists, and biographers, many of whom have filled in the gaps of what can be known of Leonardo's life with claims to decode secrets, reveal mysteries of a vanished past, or discover lost masterpieces of spectacular value. 
   
   
   
  In this original and provocative book, Campbell examines the strangeness of Leonardo's words and works, and the distinctive premodern world of artisans and thinkers from which he emerged. By investigating the politics and cultural tensions of the era as well as the most recent scholarship on Leonardo's contemporaries, workshop, and writings, Campbell places Leonardo back into the milieu that shaped him and was shaped by him. He shows that it is in the gaps and contradictions of what we know of Leonardo's life that a less familiar and far more historically significant figure appears.

  Show book

• 

  How To Make People Like You:...

  Sebastian Clark

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

  Become the social butterfly you’ve always wanted to be!  
  People are complex creatures and it can be difficult to understand them. 
  We all want to be liked by others, but sometimes it's hard to know how to go about it. 
  It can be tough to make friends and develop meaningful relationships. You may feel like you're always putting yourself out there, but not getting the results you want. 
  This bundle will teach you everything you need to know about social interaction, from making small talk to developing influence and charisma. 
  You'll learn how to identify the important elements of successful conversations, master your body language, and use effective communication strategies. 
  Connect with anyone on a deeper level and create lasting relationships that matter! 
  Be confident enough to talk to anyone — from your boss at work to the new person you just met. 
  You’ll learn the secrets of small talk and master the art of conversation, like:The importance of eye contact, body language, and the power of verbalizing your thoughtsHow to start conversations in any situationTips for developing influential relationshipsStrategies for building genuine connections with peopleTechniques for nurturing relationships over timeKnowing when to rely on your intuitionHow to listen, process, and digest words and emotions before speakingThe power of silence 
  Listening to these audiobooks is the first step on your journey to becoming a social butterfly! 
  Soon enough, you will have friends everywhere and meaningful relationships with almost everyone you know.Scroll up, get the audiobook, and start listening!

  Show book