For his first book, The Know-It-All, A. J. Jacobs read the entire Encyclopædia Britannica from cover to cover in a quest to learn everything in the world. In The Year of Living Biblically, he followed every single rule of the Bible -- from the Ten Commandments right on down to stoning adulterers. Now comes a collection of his most hilarious and thought-provoking experiments yet. In his role as human guinea pig, Jacobs fearlessly takes on a series of life-altering challenges that provides readers with equal parts insight and humor. (And which drives A.J.'s patient wife, Julie, to the brink of insanity.) Among the many adventures: • He outsources his life. A.J. hires a team of people in Bangalore, India, to take care of everything in his life from answering his e-mails to arguing with his spouse. • He spends a month practicing Radical Honesty -- a movement that encourages us to remove the filters between our brains and mouths. (To give you an idea of what happened, the name of the chapter is "I Think You're Fat.") • He goes to the Academy Awards disguised as a movie star to understand the strange and warping effects of fame. • He commits himself to ultimate rationality, using cutting-edge science to make the best decisions possible. It changes the way he makes choices big and small, from what to buy at the grocery store to how to talk to his kids. And his revelations will change how you make decisions, too. • He attempts to follow George Washington's rules of life, uncovering surprising truths about leadership and politics in the twenty-first century. He also spends a lot of time bowing and doffing his hat. • And then there's the month when he followed his wife's every whim -- foot massages, Kate Hudson movies, and all. Depending on your point of view, it's either the best or worst idea in the history of American marriage. A mix of Bill Bryson, George Plimpton, and Malcolm Gladwell, A.J. explores the big issues of our time -- happiness, dating, morality, marriage -- by immersing himself in eye-opening situations. You'll be entertained by these stories -- some of which are new, some of which had their start in Esquire magazine. But you'll also learn to look at life in new ways. The Guinea Pig Diaries is a book packed with both laughs and enlightenment -- and that's a promise we can make with Radical Honesty.

In 1940, Evert Dax and David Sparsholt, two young men from very different backgrounds, meet at Oxford University. Dax is a second year student reading English, coming from a rackety upper middle class background; Sparsholt is from a humbler Midlands community and is reading engineering, a young man whose good looks and fine figure have proved highly attractive to his peers. This time is a unique one in the history of the university: with military call-up at twenty, soon brought forward to nineteen, almost all students come up to Oxford knowing that they will only have a year or so of study. A sense of futility is mixed with one of recklessness. All life after dusk is lived under black-out, encouraging and covering what would normally be impossible liaisons. What happens to these two men in this year will affect many lives and will set in motion the mystery at the heart of The Sparsholt Affair. Alan Hollinghurst's masterly novel takes us through several generations and across key periods of uncertainty and change in British society. From the darkest days of the Second World War, it moves to the changing world of the a socially and sexually liberated London of the 1960s, before landing in the mid-1970s, with the three-day week, fuel shortages and power cuts. The reverberations continue through the next generation in the 1990s before reaching a conclusion in the present decade, a world of new media and new ideas. Throughout the novel there is also an examination of the visual and aesthetic, looking at what it is to be Modern, through modernist architecture and abstract painting: we witness buildings being destroyed and replaced; we watch works of art go in and out of fashion. Featuring a remarkable cast of characters, The Sparsholt Affair is both thought-provoking and highly entertaining, a novel in which children are connected by the acts of their parents and individuals are both damaged and saved by the changing attitudes to sexuality, privacy and intimacy.

"Martin Amis is a stone-solid genius...a dazzling star of wit and insight." --The Wall Street Journal In this wickedly delightful collection of stories, Martin Amis once again demonstrates why he is a modern master of the form. In "Career Move," screenwriters struggle for their art, while poets are the darlings of Hollywood. In "Straight Fiction," the love that dare not speak its name calls out to the hero when he encounters a forbidden object of desire--the opposite sex. And in "State of England," Mal, a former "minder to the superstars," discovers how to live in a country where "class and race and gender were supposedly gone." In Heavy Water and Other Stories, Amis astonishes us with the vast range of his talent, establishing that he is one of the most versatile and gifted writers of his generation. From the Trade Paperback edition.

In the summer of 1968 Peter Matthiessen met Cesar Chavez for the first time. They were the same age: forty-one. Matthiessen lived in New York City while Chavez lived in Sal Si Puedes, the San Jose barrio where his career as a union organizer took off. This book is Matthiessen's panoramic yet finely detailed account of the three years he spent traveling and working with Chavez. In it, Matthiessen provides a candid look into the many sides of this enigmatic and charismatic leader who lived by the laws of nonviolence. More than thirty years later, Sal Si Puedes is less reportage than living history. A whole era comes alive in its pages: the Chicano, Black Power, and antiwar movements; the browning of the labor movement; Chavez's series of hunger strikes; the nationwide boycott of California grapes. When Chavez died in 1993, thousands gathered at his funeral. It was a clear sign of how beloved he was, how important his life had been. A new postscript by the author brings the reader up to date as to the events that have unfolded since the writing of Sal Si Puedes. Ilan Stavans's insightful foreword considers the significance of Chavez's legacy for our time. As well as serving as an indispensable guide to the 1960s, this book rejuvenates the extraordinary vitality of Chavez's life and spirit, giving his message a renewed and much-needed urgency.

Acclaimed writer and editor Robert Silverberg gathered eleven of the finest writers in Fantasy to contribute to this collection of short novels. Each of the writers was asked to write a new story based on one of his or her most famous series. Stephen King tells a tale of Roland, the Gunslinger, in the world of The Dark Tower, in "The Little Sisters of Eluria." Terry Pratchett relates an amusing incident in Discworld, of a magical contest and the witch Granny Weatherwax, in "The Sea and Little Fishes" Terry Goodkind tells of the origin of the Border between realms in the world of The Sword of Truth, in "Debt of Bones." Orson Scott Card spins a yarn of Alvin and his apprentice from the Tales of Alvin Maker, in "Grinning Man." Robert Silverberg returns to Majipoor and to Lord Valentine's adventure in an ancient tomb, in "the Seventh Shrine." Ursual K. Le Guin adds a sequel to her famous books of Earthsea, portraying a woman who wants to learn magic, in "Dragonfly." Tad Williams tells a dark and enthralling story of a great and haunted castle in the age before Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn, in "The Burning Man." George R.R. Martin sets his piece a generation before his epic, A Song of Ice and Fire, in the adventure of "The Hedge Knight." Ann McCaffrey, the poet of Pern, returns once again to her world of romance and adventure in "Runner of Pern." Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar Saga is the setting of the tale of "The Wood Boy." Robert Jordan, in "New Spring," tells of crucial events in the years leading up to The Wheel of Time, of the meeting of Lan and Moiraine and the beginning of the search for the child who must grow to lead in the Last Battle.

A collection of poetry, inspired by the sights, sounds, flavours, aromas, textures and experiences of life in Thailand.Illustrated with photographs.Brandon Burns is an artistic homebody who just wants to be left alone, but that's the last thing his future has in store for him after he accidentally saves the life of a newborn baby of the People!

Poor Santa, while making toys for his Christmas Eve deliveries, he encounters problems from start to finish. How do he and his elves learn to cope with the problems of ever advancing technology? How can they develop toys that today’s children will enjoy?Children all over the world believe that Santa’s magic makes every Christmas perfect. But believe it or not, Santa has had his share of trouble. Peek inside his diaries and read the amazing adventures that almost stopped Christmas from coming. Book 1 A New Fangled Christmas, Book 2 The North Pole Virus and Book3 Santa’s Stowaway.

This is a story about two sisters who love God, their family, and each other. Their creativity continually amazes Mom. They invent a new game called "Whack the Apple" which will give you belly laughs! Based on a true story involving apples and a twirling baton. Oh, the game takes practice...Paul Charles also writes spy novels as P. C. Dettman.

What do you do when your best friends dare you to kiss the prettiest girl in school?"You will always be fifteen, just like everyone else here.""But, where are the adults, the babies, the cities?""There are none. It’s just the castle, the forest, the cornfield and us."Welcome to Fifteen, a world where each inhabitant is fifteen years old and dangerous. The laws of this strange world demand that boys and girls remain mortal enemies and these laws are upheld with cold-blooded determination.When Akeem and his best friend Quinn find themselves in the world of Fifteen, they become opponents on opposite sides of an endless war. Though separated, they have the same goal, to find each other and find a way home but their friendship is forbidden and they would face a death sentence if their true feelings for one another are ever discovered. Will Akeem risk the wrath of the collective to find Quinn or will he save his own life by hunting her down?

Christian Drama | Short Novel - Will has problems. A few years ago his pregnant mother died. His Dad has reduced himself to a drunk. Dad gets violent when he drinks, which is all the time. Will decides to run away, but ends up destroying another family by taking all of his anger towards his dad out on a stranger. How will this all be reconciled?Eddie Montez has just moved to the desert of southern California from the city. His only friend is a frequently-injured skateboarder named Beady, who forces Eddie into one uncomfortable situation after another. Arson, hitchhiking, and shoplifting all factor into a pivotal night during which Eddie must choose the person he wants to be.Previously published in "Storychord".

Candy Dish is a short collection of five hundred word stories. These stories are just like candy for the brain.Candy Dish is a short collection of five hundred word stories. These stories are just like candy for the brain."There were some interesting ideas and the author clearly respects the power of language and knows how to leverage the same in creating sound plot structures and narratives." - Katie Lawson, 4/27/2015

After experiencing tragedies that lead her to a checkered life, Natasha has decided to go on the path to redemption. There is promise with her membership at Reverend Jamison’s church. When discoveries are accidentally made, does Natasha stay mum about what she’s learned or does she place a taint on religion? (short story)Disclaimer: Deals with adult situations.Short Story (approx. 4,500 words)Natasha was taught three things: to love God, to love herself and to always go to church. When a sea of tragedy strikes in her youth, she strays from the path of God. Realizing the error of her ways, she seeks redemption in her adult years. Reverend Jamison and his church looks to be the answer to her prayers. Yet when things in the dark come to the light, Natasha is faced with a tough decision. Does she stay silent with her discovery or does she dare put a taint on religion?

Here is the second story. It is more raw and deals with a challenging subject, but it is what happened. Many women will have faced this dilemna so check it out and see if you agree with the lesson learnt!Every person has their own story. And as a Teacher I heard many stories that astounded me and I wondered why they happened! Then I suddenly realized that each person is unique and is experiencing life differently to everyone else. But why? Then I made another connection – each person has a different life here on this planet so as to learn a lesson or lessons. And some of these lessons are painful to learn and some are pleasant. Once the lesson is learnt a person does not have to experience it again. The problem goes away and a new challenge comes into your life. Rather like a person changing jobs because they are bored and want a new challenge.So I am writing a series of short stories based on real people who I have met or know about. Many of the stories are based on different Asian female students I have taught. Why females, because there were more of them than males!.Each story is between 1,000 and 2,000 words in length and they cover a period of 22+ years from 17 – 39 years of age.I have not used the person’s real name to protect their privacy and usually I have expressed the story in a dramatic way and introduced other issues to emphasize the main theme of the story. So they are fiction based upon true events. The overall theme is Self Discovery and Spiritual Lessons learnt from the experience.

A short story for the lunch time break about how when too much religion can turn a person the other way. And others that take advantage of the situation for their own benefit.Jules' job as a homicide detective has become the perfect cover as he pursues supernatural beings that are determined to eliminate him. This short thriller will have you wishing for more... once you catch your breath.

Here is a gathering of vignettes and small windows into a series of fictional worlds, some could be in present day others in a distant future. They unconsciously gesture to the fact that the world around us is not always as it appears and we are often left wondering what just happened.Here is a gathering of vignettes and small windows into a series of fictional worlds, some could be in present day others in a distant future. They unconsciously gesture to the fact that the world around us is not always as it appears. Other influences outside our perspective control the situation far more often than we perceive. We encounter enigmas every day to which we are oblivious and as a result must be more malleable of the mind and accepting of the unseen.