An entirely original portrait of a young writer shutting out the din in order to find her own voice

"Six critically acclaimed, bestselling, and award-winning authors bring the glowing warmth and electricity of Black teen love to this interlinked novel of charming, hilarious, and heartwarming stories that shine a bright light through the dark"--

This collection contains seven of Harper Bliss’s signature novelettes. Set in locations from the US to Thailand, from Berlin to Tuscany, these stories are packed full of romance and lady love. I STILL REMEMBER Successful news anchor Elise returns to her hometown after running away from a love she couldn’t understand nor act upon twenty years ago. When she bumps into her old best friend Amy, the one she had to get away from, all that was left unspoken bubbles to the surface and they revisit the past in more ways than one. A HIGHER EDUCATION At an economics conference Gail Garvey ends up sharing a room with a teacher she had a crush on twenty years ago. They’re both professors now, and Gail’s crush has long faded, but finding herself in the same room as Professor Joanne Ferguson two nights in a row proves to be more challenging than Gail would like to believe. A HARD DAY’S WORK Jo fancies her straight, married boss Amanda. She’s convinced her crush is a hopeless one, until a performance review changes everything. YOUNGER THAN YESTERDAY Rose’s husband died seven years ago, but when she welcomes an unexpected guest in her Tuscan holiday home, she’s forced to remember what instant desire feels like. Desire for a younger woman no less. LEARNING CURVE Ada’s company relocated her to Berlin, provided that she’d take an intensive course in German. It proves to be a steep learning curve, until her teacher Giselle implements some alternative educational methods. THE HONEYMOON A sizzling novelette featuring a couple of newlyweds honeymooning in Phuket. When they encounter a mysterious Asian woman in their beach side resort, they decide to give each other a very special wedding gift. PIANO LESSONS Ruby is finding it hard to get over the break up with her girlfriend, but her piano teacher Jill is not having any of it. After Ruby’s lack of focus makes for another dismal lesson, Jill invites her reluctant student into the home she shares with her partner Charlotte for an afternoon of extreme relaxation, and getting over her ex. At over 75,000 words, this collection is sure to provide some blissful reading.

“Designers, we’re going to Mood!” More than 10 years ago, Tim Gunn and Project Runway introduced millions of viewers to New York’s ultimate fabric mecca, Mood Fabrics. Now, the experts behind this fabric power- house bring their fabric and fashion know-how—plus their behind-the-scenes stories—to the sewing public. The Mood Guide to Fabric and Fashion is the ultimate guide for home-sewers, fashion students, aspiring designers, and Project Runway fans who want to learn everything they need to know to choose and use quality fabric. Drawing upon the expertise of the Mood staff, the book teaches readers the fundamentals—from where fabric is produced to the ins and outs of its construction—and features a fabric-by-fabric guide to cottons and other plant fibers, wools, silks, knits, and other specialty fabrics.

Everything we thought we knew about men's sexual desire is completely wrong. Groundbreaking new research reveals it is far from the high, simple sex drive they're stereotypically known for. Sarah Murray shatters our most damaging, long-held myths about men's sexuality and helps couples connect more intimately and authentically than ever before.

Robert was surprised when he saw the atom blast on film, the mushroom cloud billowing up to the sky, so peaceful and final-looking. So natural-seeming that this was what would end it. ... ...Home was her, Catherine, in her blue cotton dress, dancing to the radio in the living room, the furniture pushed back against the walls to give her space. Him sitting on one of the chairs against the wall, entranced, not just by the glimpses of thigh and garter belt, her skirt in a perpetual flying ruffle, but her energy, her hips and hands and every part of her so alive. It's February 1946, and Robert Booker is just home from the war. Home is a pretty weatherboard house in Sydney, where his wife, Catherine, is waiting. They haven't seen each for three years, yet they are separated by so much more than time. Robert is haunted by the horrors of what he has seen and done, fighting in the humid jungles of New Guinea, and Catherine is carrying the guilt of her affair with a charismatic US Marine – and other secrets too painful to confront. With so much that's changed between them, can Catherine and Robert find their way back to each other again? Through intimately exploring the experience of one couple, and one war, Laura Bloom powerfully humanises the damage wrought by all wars to people everywhere. Crisply written and dramatic, IN THE MOOD is compelling fiction. - The Age Few books about war have been told from this perspective, which makes Bloom's book both a revelation and essential reading. IN THE MOOD is a tour de force of insightful and concentrated emotional writing. - The Spectator

Urging us to cultivate mental attitudes like curiosity and gratitude that will keep us on the higher floors, this practical book explains how to quiet the mind and nurture positive thoughts without succumbing to Pollyannaish denial. --

Spanning almost a century, this book examines the origins and development of the cheongsam in the social context of Singapore since its introduction from Shanghai, China, in the 1920s to the present day. The cheongsam, a one-piece Chinese ladies' dress that was the epitome of Chinese identity and feminine beauty during the middle decades of the 20th century. Initially seen as a symbol of a trendy, new, Republican China, shorn of the shackles of the imperial system, the cheongsam soon adopted intellectual overtones, and was favoured by the sophisticated and society's elite at elaborate social functions. When it was abandoned following the success of the Communist Party in China, the cheongsam survived in Singapore as the garment of choice for independent, educated women.

Set in Hong Kong, Singapore and Cambodia in the 1960s, Wong Kar Wai's In the Mood for Love (2000) is a film that luxuriates in the feeling of being in love – without ever turning into a love story. Its central characters, Mr Chow and Mrs Chan, are tenants in next-door apartments in Hong Kong who discover that their respective spouses are having an affair. Both of them have promiscuous colleagues at work, but they struggle to make sense of their partners' behaviour – and to control their growing feelings for each other. Hailed by the press as 'the consummate unconsummated love story of the new millennium', this film about desire repressed has become a firmly established classic of the twenty-first century. In his sharp and revealing analysis of In the Mood for Love, Tony Rayns draws on his considerable expertise in East Asian cinema and on his proximity to Wong Kar Wai and his colleagues at Jet Tone during the film's long and complicated genesis. He delivers a personal and highly original commentary on the film and its production, complete with privileged insights into Wong's idiosyncratic working methods and influences. The book also places the film in the context of Wong's other work, with sidelights on its place in Hong Kong cinema as a whole. This special edition features original cover artwork by Jimmy Turrell.

Depression is a mood disorder that affects one in ten Americans in any given year. At one time too stigmatized to be mentioned in polite conversation, depression is now discussed frankly in the media, and advertisements for drug therapy appear everywhere. The third edition of this widely acclaimed book reflects changes in how mood disorders are thought about, and how they are treated. Dr. Francis Mark Mondimore, author of the best-selling book Bipolar Disorder: A Guide for Patients and Families, here explains depression—its causes and symptoms, and its treatment. He discusses depression in all age groups and in both sexes, as well as bipolar disorder, seasonal affective disorders, and depression that accompanies illness. This edition encompasses more than a decade of new research, advances in pharmacology, and changes in public perception. The past ten years have seen the release of new forms of the major antidepressants as well as other promising new avenues in pharmaceutical treatments. For example "atypical" or "second generation" antidepressants, such as venlafaxine and duloxetine, provide different ways of manipulating the chemical systems in the brain concerned with mood. And there have been significant advances in the use of MAO inhibitors, now available in patch form. Dr. Mondimore reviews these and other pharmacological therapies as part of a comprehensive approach to treatment that includes psychotherapy, family and community support, and lifestyle changes. Full of information compassionately presented, this guide provides hope and help to patients and their families.