For years Robert Cohen has been praised by reviewers and readers alike for his masterful prose and his exuberant and penetrating comic vision. The New York Times has even called his writing redemptive -- so satisfying as to "remind readers why they continue to cast their lines into the shrinking lake of contemporary fiction...his prose is not merely gorgeous, it's also terrifically funny; his humor is the ghastly variety embedded in everyday life." Now, the critically acclaimed and bestselling author of Inspired Sleep delivers a collection of ten dazzling stories that not only show off Cohen's exhilarating prose and startling ironic humor but also provide a platform for his virtuoso range of tone and style and his ongoing investigation of the hazy, bedraggled American sensibility. In "Oscillations," a man verbally paralyzed by his obsession with language retreats to a special institute, where he will relearn the art of communication. "Points of Interest" is an ingenious and timely exploration of the boundaries between life and art, as told through the revolving -- and dizzyingly revealing -- perspectives of its three self-absorbed protagonists. The title story features a hilariously out-of-touch psychology professor whose introductory lecture becomes an inadvertent confession of his own long, disastrous career of sexual mistakes. And in the more somber, moving "The Boys at Night," a suburban teenager, on the fringes of a family crisis, makes his first tentative forays into maturity, discovering how accidents at once reveal, imperil, and sustain us. In each of these stories, the characters must wrestle with the slippery, invisible curtain between the world and their own fevered misapprehensions of it. What results is the urgently serious comedy we call Romanticism -- the yearning of the mind for contact with the actual, which is always receding from view. That these characters' desires and anxieties are familiar to us is the second thing we realize upon reading these stories. The first is how much we're laughing.

This open access collection deals with musical moments in film as one of the most pivotal and compelling issues of current film music research. Musical moments as defined by Amy Herzog occur when a musical number inverts the normal relationship between the image track and the soundtrack in a film in such a way that what we see is determined by what we hear. As one potential approach, this definition provokes a variety of perspectives to investigate the disruptive potential of these moments and numbers as a creative device in the production of audiovisual narratives. In this sense, the book responds to a need for an anthology that introduces students as well as scholars of cinema, musicology, media studies and cultural studies more broadly, to recent discourses in film music scholarship. The volume includes contributions by early career researchers as well as by established experts in the fields of musicology, film studies, media studies, and cultural studies, promoting cross-disciplinary collaboration in film music research.

Romantic Cocktails is a bewitching collection of over 100 classic and craft cocktail recipes, perfect for winning hearts—and mending broken ones, too! Inside the plush red foil cover of Romantic Cocktails, you will find the secret to mixing up more than 100 cocktails for couples, crushes, and star-crossed lovers. Simple step-by-step instructions and gorgeous full-color photographs make every drink recipe easy and truly swoon-worthy. The drinks are as fun and charming as they are intoxicating, with names including: The Afternoon Delight - a little sweet, a little naughty Boozy Milkshake for Two - two straws please Between the Sheets - a romantic variation on the classic Sidecar cocktail The Vesper Martini - synonymous with sophistication The Goodnight Kiss - the perfect nightcap for a night you don’t want to end Author and bartender Clair McLafferty offers insider tips and tricks for everything from sizing up recipes for a party to fixing a drink that didn’t turn out quite right. Throughout the book, you will find drink-related romantic quotations and toasts from the likes of Shakespeare, Louisa May Alcott, and James Baldwin. Whether you are looking for a romantic gift or a reliably excellent cocktail book for your home bar, Romantic Cocktails will knock your socks off!

Analyzes the feelings and problems involved in different types of human love, including familial affection, friendship, passion, and charity.

The bestselling author of Hold Me Tight presents a revolutionary new understanding of why and how we love, based on cutting-edge research. Every day, we hear of relationships failing and questions of whether humans are meant to be monogamous. LOVE SENSE presents new scientific evidence that tells us that humans are meant to mate for life. Dr. Johnson explains that romantic love is an attachment bond, just like that between mother and child, and shows us how to develop our "love sense"--our ability to develop long-lasting relationships. Love is not the least bit illogical or random, but actually an ordered and wise recipe for survival. LOVE SENSE covers the three stages of a relationship and how to best weather them; the intelligence of emotions and the logic of love; the physical and psychological benefits of secure love; and much more. Based on groundbreaking research, LOVE SENSE will change the way we think about love.

Have you ever dreamed of writing your very own romance novel, but haven ́t the faintest idea of where to start? Are you an already established author, but would like a more insight into this particular genre? If the answer is YES to either of these questions, then this book is for you. YOU, TOO, CAN WRITE A ROMANCE NOVEL will provide you with all the necessary tools to not only write your very own romance novel, but also to ensure that it has the maximum chance of being published and achieving success. This manual will enable you to express yourself through the story you will tell. Its step-by-step guide and instructions will gently take you through the necessary stages, from coming up with ideas and the best way to grab the reader ́s attention from the start, right the way through to producing an exciting climax and ending that will put readers on the edge of their seats, unable to tear themselves away from your story. Once you ́ve completed your novel, it will take you through the best way to attract the attention of publishers. However, it also provides alternatives if you wish to pursue the evermore popular route of desktop publishing (publishing your own book either in ebook form, or on paper). Grab the book, turn the pages and realise your dream.

Suppose you're offered an opportunity to experience something that is unlike anything you have ever encountered, but that's all you know—aside from the fact that the experience is physically safe and morally acceptable. How do you decide whether to take up the offer? Several philosophers have recently argued that we are in similar situations for more of our decisions than we usually recognize. Are they right? What resources can we draw on to create such situations? Are they enough to satisfy our aims of making the best decisions we can, especially in high stakes situations? This volume brings together philosophers and psychologists to investigate the phenomenon of transformative change and a host of fascinating questions it prompts. Taking their departure from seminal work on transformative choice and experience by L. A. Paul and Edna Ullmann-Margalit, the authors pursue fundamental questions concerning the nature of rationality, the limits of the imagination, and the metaphysics of the self. They also strike out into new areas, including value theory, aesthetics, moral and political philosophy. Several chapters present the results of experimental investigation into the psychology of transformation, self-concept, and moral learning.

The Third Edition of The Mating Game: A Primer on Love, Sex, and Marriage is the only introductory text about human mating relationships aimed specifically at a university audience. Encompassing a wide array of disciplines, this comprehensive review of theory and empirical research takes an integrated perspective on the fundamental human experiences of attraction and courtship; mate selection and marriage; and love and sex. Strongly grounded in methodology and research design, the book offers relevant examples and anecdotes along with ample pedagogy that will spark debate and discussion on provocative and complex topics.