Publisher: epf
Vanity Fair is an English novel by William Makepeace Thackeray, which follows the lives of Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley amid their friends and families during and after the Napoleonic Wars. The story is framed as a puppet play, and the narrator, despite being an authorial voice, is somewhat unreliable.
A current pro player takes fans on a pseudonymous trip through one of the most infamous years of football—the very long, sometimes funny, often controversial 2013-2014 season—sharing raucous, behind-the-scenes, on-the-field, and in-the-locker-room truth about life in the National Football League. “Well, to hell with being safe. I’m going to be honest.” Johnny Anonymous' life goal was to be nothing greater or less than the Best NFL Back-Up of All Time™. For two years, he was content earning hundreds of thousands of dollars to stand on the sidelines doing absolutely nothing. But early in his third year, a starting lineman is injured, and he suddenly finds himself on the field. For most players, this moment is a dream come true. But not so for our author, one of the incredibly rare birds in football who reach the highest echelons, but who actually hate America’s favorite game. That’s right. Johnny Anonymous hates football. He hates what it does to his body, his brain, his life. Luckily, he can see the humor in his own situation, but also in the machinations of the NFL. Part truth-telling narrative, part whip-smart commentary that only a true insider could bring, part hilarious, NFL Confidential gives football fans a look at a world most would give anything to see, and gives non-fans a wild ride through the strange, and sometimes disturbing customs and realities of football today. Here is a truly unaffiliated look at the nation’s biggest, most lucrative pastime over the course of one of its most transformative seasons. From hard-to-stomach diets, showdowns in the weight room, shenanigans in the locker room, the looming dread of being cut from the team, the racial issues that still exist in modern-day football, the rock-star lifestyle that players find themselves able to afford and sometimes enjoy a little too much, the notion of being lauded in a league plagued by controversy and the sharp contrast between the love/hate of the game and the reality of the job, Johnny reveals a never-before-seen side of the NFL.Show book
The shocking exposé of a carny's murder arranged by his wife—and the daughter who threatened the author to keep the truth from getting out. In his account of the sensational life and murder of Grady Stiles Jr., also known as the legendary carnival "freak" Lobster Boy, author Fred Rosen explains how Stiles's death was engineered by his wife, Mary Teresa, the carny known as the Electrified Girl. Rosen describes how Mary Teresa arranged for her husband's murder after years of physical and emotional abuse. The narrative is full of appearances from the couple's colorful acquaintances, including the World's Only Living Half Girl, Midget Man, and the Human Blockhead. During Mary Teresa's dramatic trial, Rosen becomes a character in his own book. When both he and the prosecution are threatened by Mary Teresa's daughter, who Rosen believes was a coconspirator although she was never indicted, the writer risks his life in pursuit of the truth and the evidence that leads to Mary Teresa's conviction.Show book
Once again internationally acclaimed, best-selling biographers Geoffrey Giuliano and Avalon Giuliano tear back the decades-old veil of myth and unquestioning hero worship surrounding the Beatles’ turbulent lives and present the frank, often heart-wrenching tale of four young men from Liverpool thrust upon the world stage and into the stratosphere of untouchable super-stardom. Utilizing a wealth of unpublished personal correspondence, never-before-heard taped conversations, obscure studio and home recordings, lost songs and the forgotten diaries the group left behind at the Maharishi’s ashram in 1968, Revolution is the last word on the Beatles' astounding life and times. For the first time, family members, friends, and colleagues speak out exclusively on the often oppressive constraints of global Beatlemania and the life-changing effect it had on the Boys. Geoffrey Giuliano is a prominent Beatles biographer and historian who has dedicated his life to unraveling the intricate tapestry of the legendary band's history. With an impressive body of work spanning numerous books, documentaries, and interviews, Giuliano has delved deep into the lives and dynamics of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr. His meticulous research and extensive interactions with those close to the Beatles have allowed him to offer unique insights into the band's formation, rise to stardom, and eventual dissolution. Despite controversy and criticism surrounding some of his claims, Giuliano's contributions to Beatles scholarship have undeniably enriched the understanding of their enduring impact on music and culture.Show book
The inspiration for this novel came to Lesley-Anne when she realised at her Father's funeral that although she'd known him her whole life, she'd never taken the time to ask him more about his life before she was born. She resolved not to let the same thing happen to her children, and that she would therefore tell the story of how she was born in Brazil and grew up in Nigeria, Switzerland, boarding school, Kenya, nursing, up to her marriage in 1979 and the birth of her two children. The thread that weaves through and holds together the story is Lesley's volatile relationship with her mother, which stands in contrast to her close relationship with her grandmother with which many people can identify. This memoir serves as an example for others to follow to leave as part of their legacy and share their lives with their children and descendents before they've passed away and taken their memories with them.Show book
How do we add to archives of ecological memory? How can we notice and document what’s missing in the landscapes closest to us? In her debut essay collection, Laura Marris reframes environmental loss by setting aside the catastrophic framework of the Anthropocene in favor of that of the Eremocene, the age of loneliness, which is marked by the dramatic thinning of wildlife populations and by isolation between and among species. And yet these essays are filled with wonder and vitality, immersing readers in the strange landscapes of the Eremocene, and in the search for home among the human and more-than-human. Vivid, keenly observed, and driven by a lively intelligence and lyrical voice, The Age of Loneliness is an examination of the dangers of loneliness, the surprising histories of ecological loss, and the ways that community science—which relies on the embodied evidence of “ground truth”—can help us recognize, and maybe even recover, what we’ve learned to live without. “The Age of Loneliness is a stunning book that will become a close friend, and like all good friends, it will change the shape of our world. Laura Marris has managed that trickiest of feats: she brings the past into the present and reminds us that we’re not yet alone. With prose that calls to mind the best in the tradition of nature writing, but with a voice which is also clearly, distinctly its own, Marris is the writer for our time.”—Daegan MillerShow book
"A cracking tale" – Duncan Campbell, investigative journalist and author of Underworld "A revelation" – Professor Sue Black, author of All That Remains and Written in Bone "Required reading for professional and amateur criminologists" – Gerald Seymour, bestselling author of Harry's Game "Highly recommended" – Howard Sounes, author of Fred & Rose "A gripping read" – Patricia Wiltshire, author of Traces: The memoir of a forensic scientist and criminal investigator "This book is a must-read" – David Wilson, Professor Emeritus of Criminology *** What is it about crime that we find so fascinating, even if at the same time the details are repugnant? Why exactly do we immerse ourselves in true crime podcasts and TV shows? Has this appetite for gore shifted over the years? And what role does the crime reporter play in all of this? In this compelling book, Martin Brunt draws on the most shocking and harrowing stories he's covered over the past thirty years to document the life of a crime reporter and assess the public obsession with crime that his reporting caters for. He also considers the wider relationship between the press and the police, the impact of social media and the question of why some crimes are ignored while others grip the nation. Featuring many undisclosed details on some of the biggest cases Brunt has covered, from the 'Diamond Wheezers' to Fred and Rose West, this blend of storytelling and analysis is not only a riveting overview of the nature of crime reporting but a reflection on the purpose of the profession in the first place.Show book
