Other books that might interest you

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  The Wedding Knell - From their...

  Nathaniel Hawthorne

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  Nathaniel Hawthorne was born on 4th July 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, a town synonymous with the earlier Salem Witch Trials. It was instrumental in Hawthorne’s later use of American Gothic and dark romanticism in his writing. 
  He was a mere four years old when his father died and his mother took him and his two sisters to live with her family and then on to their own home in Raymond, Maine. The young Hawthorne had a passion for fiction and poetry and voraciously read the works of Ann Radcliffe, Henry Fielding and Lord Byron.  
  He was sent to college at his maternal uncle’s insistence. During these years he met and befriended Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and future U S president Franklin Pierce. These friendships were lifelong and to have a crucial impact on his writings and career.  
  At college Hawthorne had made attempts at writing short stories and essays but without opportunities to publish. It was only in 1828 that he finally published his novel ‘Franshawe’ to little success and so he began work as editor for the American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge.  
  Hawthorne’s short stories were first published in magazines but in 1837 were collected and published as ‘Twice-Told Tales’. A steady literary career still did not come his way and so he worked in a good position at Salem’s port and married the love of his life Sophia Peabody. They moved to live in ‘The Old Manse’ at Concord, Massachusetts.   
  Finally. in 1850 came spectacular literary and commercial success with ‘The Scarlet Letter’ followed by ‘The House of the Seven Gables’ the following year.  
  In 1852, Hawthorne published a biography of presidential candidate Franklin Pierce. After Pierce’s victory he was appointed consul in Liverpool, a position that offered prestige, money and fame. At the end of this appointment he returned several times to Europe before settling in Massachusetts and resuming writing and publication. 
  During the early 1860’s his health declined and on 19th May 1864 during a trip to Plymouth, New Hampshire. He was 59 and was buried in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery in Concord, Massachusetts.

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  Time in the Barrel - A Marine’s...

  James P. Coan

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  Con Thien was a United States Marine Corps firebase that was the scene of fierce combat for months on end during 1967. Staving off attacks and ambushes while suffering from ineffectual leadership from Washington as well as media onslaughts, courageous American Marines protected this crucial piece of land at all costs. They would hold Con Thien, but many paid the ultimate price. By the end of the war, more than 1,400 Marines had died and more than 9,000 sustained injuries. 
   
   
    
  For eight months, James P. Coan's five-tank platoon was assigned to Con Thien while attached to various Marine infantry battalions. The author kept a diary recording the thoughts, fears, and frustrations. Time in the Barrel offers an authentic firsthand account of the daily nightmare that was Con Thien. With authentic depictions of combat, it allows listeners to fully grasp the enormity of the fierce struggle for Con Thien. 
   
   
    
  More than a retelling of military movements, Coan's engrossing narratives focus on the sheer sacrifice and misery of one Marine's experience in Vietnam. Through his eyes, we experience the abysmal conditions the Marines endured, from monsoon rainstorms to the constant threat of impending attack. Climatic moments in history are captured through the rare, personal perspective of one particularly astute and observant participant.

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  Beauty Queen - Inside the Reign...

  Deborrah Himsel

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  Andrea Jung, the glamorous former head of Avon, was arguably the world's most charismatic and effective CEO, credited with the astonishing turnaround of the venerable brand. Jung seemed incapable of making a wrong move, until, amid declining sales, an investigation by the SEC, and a brand in crisis, she stepped down in late 2012. In Beauty Queen, former Avon VP Deborrah Himsel uses Jung's story as a case study for two timeless leadership questions: What makes great leaders great? And what makes them fail? She explores both Jung's early years of success as well as the combination of missteps that led to her downfall, including her failure to nurture Avon's direct selling channel, the erosion of trust that occurred as a result of frequent decision reversals, and her ignorance of operational details, including how her people secured a license to conduct door-to-door sales in China, which led to a federal investigation. Through interviews with other CEOs, Avon executives past and present, and leadership experts, she explores the unique challenges Jung faced as a female Fortune 500 CEO; the thin line between pride and hubris; and the danger of the so-called "halo effect" in our high-stakes times.

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  Dr Beare's Daughter - Growing Up...

  Janice Jones

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  ". . . brutally honest . . . a compelling work. GET IT" -Kirkus Reviews 
   "Moving story of an adopted daughter's search for her own voice." -Booklife 
  "Well-written and poignant . . . engaging. Feelings and experiences to which many adoptees can relate." 
  -Betsie Norris, Founder and Executive Director, Adoption Network Cleveland 
  In 1947, in Celina, Ohio, Dr. Ralph Beare and his wife, Lou, childless and in their early forties, adopted a four-and-a-half-month-old orphan. “Janice” knew she was adopted, because her mommy read her a book about how the Beare's chose her out of a Home. "We chose you, but we love you as if you were our own." However, her mother never seemed to forget she was adopted, especially on Mother’s Day, when she couldn’t look at Janice without crying. 
  Janice learned that most grown-ups in town knew her as "Dr. Beare's Daughter." Her daddy took her everywhere and people stopped to stoop down and tell her how he had saved their lives.  
  With her red hair and freckles, Janice didn't look like her dark-haired parents. Her struggle to become that elusive golden child that she imagined they really wanted came with the erasure of her own identity. Still, there was a small voice, deep inside her, that popped up at the most inconvenient times, saying, "I'm here." Try as she might to silence it, her true self often slipped out to take charge, and then there was trouble. 

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  The Truth About Lies - Why Jesus...

  J. Mack Stiles

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  Society tells us all sorts of lies: "I've got my truth, you've got yours"; "Death is the end"; "I can't ever change"; "Jesus isn't relevant." 
   
   
   
  By approaching these common-held beliefs, author and evangelist J. Mack Stiles comes alongside listeners to explain the flaw in society's thinking and shows how Jesus responds to these untruths. Each lie is held alongside an encounter that Jesus had in the Gospels and takes the listener directly to Jesus's words and actions. 
   
   
   
  Aimed at the questioning inquirer, this book will help listeners understand the relevance of Jesus in today's culture.

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  The Omnibus - From their pens to...

  Arthur Quiller-Couch

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  The bookshelves of British literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From these Isles their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is Arthur Quiller-Couch.

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