This Is Not My Beautiful Life is the story of how Victoria lost her parents to prison and nearly lost her mind. No one ever said motherhood would be easy, but as she struggles to change diapers, install car seats, and find the right drop-off line at pre-school--no easy task--when each one is named for a stage in the lifecycle of a freaking butterfly! She's also forced to ask herself whether a jump-suit might actually complement her Mom's platinum-blonde extensions and fend off the cast of shady, stranger-than-fiction characters (like the recovering addict who scored a reality show when he started an escort service for women) who populated her parents' world. This Is Not My Beautiful Life is a hilariously funny and unexpectedly moving memoir of a just-functional family you will never forget.

ONE OF PUBLISHERS WEEKLY'S TEN MOST ANTICIPATED MEMOIRS OF THE SEASON IF YOU THINK IT SUCKS TO LIVE WITH YOUR PARENTS WHEN YOU’RE THIRTY-SIX AND NINE MONTHS PREGNANT, JUST WAIT TILL THE DEA COMES KNOCKING (WITH THE IRS IN TOW): WELCOME TO VICTORIA FEDDEN’S LIFE. When a squad of federal agents burst through her parents’ front door, Victoria Fedden felt ill-prepared to meet them: She was weeks away from her due date and her T-shirt wasn’t long enough to hide her maternity undies. As for the question of how to raise a child when you’ve just discovered that your mother and stepfather have allegedly masterminded a pump-and-dump scheme? She was pretty sure that wasn’t covered in What to Expect When You’re Expecting—and she really hoped that Bradford Cohen, the noted criminal defense attorney who famously waived his exemption on The Apprentice, would prove them innocent. This Is Not My Beautiful Life is the story of how Victoria lost her parents to prison and nearly lost her mind. No one ever said motherhood would be easy, but as she struggles to change diapers, install car seats, and find the right drop-off line at pre-school—no easy task, when each one is named for a stage in the lifecycle of a f*cking butterfly—she’s also forced to ask herself whether a jump-suit might actually complement her mom’s platinum-blonde extensions and fend off the cast of shady, stranger-than-fiction characters (like the recovering addict who scored a reality show when he started an escort service for women) who populated her parents’ world. A real-life Arrested Development that could only unfold in southern Florida, This Is Not My Beautiful Life is a hilariously funny and unexpectedly moving memoir of a just-functional family you’ll never forget.

As a top academician, Mina Dobic led a privileged life, but that changed when she was diagnosed with stage IV ovarian cancer that had metastasized to her liver, bones, and lymph system. Given two months to live by her physicians, Mina rejected conventional treatments and decided to adopt macrobiotics. Six months later, Mina Dobic was cancer free. My Beautiful Life both explains how Mina recovered from cancer and details how cancer can be prevented through diet and a philosophy of living in balance with nature.

The book, A Beautiful Life, is meant for people of all ages and across all stages or roles of one's life, whether one is a man or woman, son or daughter, brother or sister, husband or wife, grandfather or grandmother, maternal grandfather or grandmother, among others. As its name suggests, this book teaches the art of living. True to its title, this book will inspire people to live life to the fullest. This book is important for all people, be it a child learning the nuances of life and living or a person entering their twilight years.

"ThisBeautiful Life is a gripping, potent and blisteringly well-written story offamily, dilemma, and consequence. . . . I read this book with white-knuckledurgency, and I finished it in tears. Helen Schulman is an absolutely brilliantnovelist." —Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love Theevents of a single night shatter one family’s sense of security and identity inthis provocative and deeply affecting domestic drama from Helen Schulman, theacclaimed author of A Day at the Beach and Out of Time. In thetradition of Lionel Shriver, Sue Miller, and Laura Moriarty, Schulman crafts abrilliantly observed portrait of parenting and modern life, cunningly exploringour most deeply-held convictions and revealing the enduring strengths thatemerge in the face of crisis.

Laura Humphrey has had her share of ups and downs. She's loved her job teaching high school music for over twenty-five years in her hometown with a special gift for musical theater. She is devoted to her church, family, and friends. In addition, a romance may be on the horizon with the high school coach, a widower and longtime friend. On the negative side, however, Laura has always doubted her worth to others and has always struggled with sadness over a failed marriage and having no children of her own. As the book opens, Laura has just received a difficult and potentially life-threatening diagnosis. As she is undergoing chemotherapy and struggling with some of the aftermath, several of her former students reach out to make sure Laura knows how much she has meant to them. The novel delves into Laura's interactions with each student, their particular struggles (poverty, abuse, parental abandonment, psychiatric illness, parental disappointment), and how Laura's help changed the course of their lives. Likewise, Laura's closest friends reminisce over their shared friendships, how they met, and the huge blessing knowing Laura has been. Laura's faith is an integral part of the book as is her love of college football, namely the Alabama Crimson Tide. Enjoy learning more about Laura's life and her vital impact on others in this book that spans 1976 to 2012.

The pop singer explores her life and career.

'An emotional rollercoaster of a read... profoundly touching and moving'- Daily Express. Perfect for fans of Jojo Moyes and Jodi Picoult. Abi has been given the second chance she never expected: she's in remission. Now she's trying to get her life - and her family - back on track after facing the worst. But it's hard to trust in happiness again, and reconnecting with her husband John proves more challenging than she thought. Can you really go back to 'normal' after thinking you're going to lose one another? With Abi's son Seb struggling with a secret of his own, the three of them are in danger of falling apart just when they need each other most. But how do you pick up the pieces of a family still suffering emotional shockwaves? And can Abi bring the people she loves most in the world back together again... before it's too late? *** **What readers are saying about This Beautiful Life** 'Stunning, filled with emotion...one of my favourite books of 2017!' - Off the Shelf Books 'A breathtaking read that will break your heart' 'A beautiful, soaring story...highly, HIGHLY recommended!' 'I loved every word... a wonderful, wonderful book' 'Heartbreaking, real and unforgettable - the characters feel like friends or close family' 'Honest and powerful' 'Will stay in my mind for a long time to come. This author has really touched my heart' 'I devoured every page; an utter delight'

The Beautiful Music All Around Us presents the extraordinarily rich backstories of thirteen performances captured on Library of Congress field recordings between 1934 and 1942 in locations reaching from Southern Appalachia to the Mississippi Delta and the Great Plains. Including the children's play song "Shortenin' Bread," the fiddle tune "Bonaparte's Retreat," the blues "Another Man Done Gone," and the spiritual "Ain't No Grave Can Hold My Body Down," these performances were recorded in kitchens and churches, on porches and in prisons, in hotel rooms and school auditoriums. Documented during the golden age of the Library of Congress recordings, they capture not only the words and tunes of traditional songs but also the sounds of life in which the performances were embedded: children laugh, neighbors comment, trucks pass by. Musician and researcher Stephen Wade sought out the performers on these recordings, their families, fellow musicians, and others who remembered them. He reconstructs the sights and sounds of the recording sessions themselves and how the music worked in all their lives. Some of these performers developed musical reputations beyond these field recordings, but for many, these tracks represent their only appearances on record: prisoners at the Arkansas State Penitentiary jumping on "the Library's recording machine" in a rendering of "Rock Island Line"; Ora Dell Graham being called away from the schoolyard to sing the jump-rope rhyme "Pullin' the Skiff"; Luther Strong shaking off a hungover night in jail and borrowing a fiddle to rip into "Glory in the Meetinghouse." Alongside loving and expert profiles of these performers and their locales and communities, Wade also untangles the histories of these iconic songs and tunes, tracing them through slave songs and spirituals, British and homegrown ballads, fiddle contests, gospel quartets, and labor laments. By exploring how these singers and instrumentalists exerted their own creativity on inherited forms, "amplifying tradition's gifts," Wade shows how a single artist can make a difference within a democracy. Reflecting decades of research and detective work, the profiles and abundant photos in The Beautiful Music All Around Us bring to life largely unheralded individuals--domestics, farm laborers, state prisoners, schoolchildren, cowboys, housewives and mothers, loggers and miners--whose music has become part of the wider American musical soundscape. The hardcover edition also includes an accompanying CD that presents these thirteen performances, songs and sounds of America in the 1930s and '40s.

“I’m Married But, He’s Not My Husband” Are you tired of going around the mulberry bush in relationships? Are you a person who has been married several times only for that marriage to end up in divorce? Why do we lower our standards in relationships? Is it to fill the void of loneliness? There is an answer. “I’m Married But, He’s Not My Husband” is a book that exposes the deceits in relationships and causes us to look within ourselves to see why we do what we do. The Author, Mernistyne Cole, shares her personal experiences and teaches how she survived two bad marriages and how she learned life lessons from each of them. This book will cause you to look inside yourself and find the real you. You’ll know whether or not you’re marriage material. Come along and learn how to avoid the “Momma’s Boy”, the man who won’t let his mother go, his baby’s momma go or his home boys go You’ll also learn how to avoid Mr. BB, also known as “Breath and Britches”, the cool walking, tongue talking, well dressed demon. If you’re looking for a sign, read this book. It may help you to determine if you are ready for a mate, and assist you in identifying if your mate is already in your life. For those who are already married, there’s help for you as well. “No longer do you have to be married, single, and divorced at the same time”