In What's a Hostess to Do?, entertaining expert Susan Spungen explains everything you need to know to host a party effortlessly and with elegance. Susan shows the hostess how to make it look easy--whether the occasion is an informal brunch, a sit-down dinner, a buffet for a crowd, or an impromptu birthday celebration. It's all arranged in 313 easy-to-digest entries that take readers through every aspect of entertaining. The tips are time-saving ("Ten Great Assembled Dessets"), money-saving ("In Praise of Cheap Wine"), energy-saving ("Ten Jobs to Delegate"), and face-saving ("How to Handle Uninvited Guests"), plus there are 121 recipes to make entertaining easier than ever berfore. With helpful illustrations and full-color photographs, What's a Hostess to Do? is a stylish and instructive guide filled with expert advice from a party-throwing pro.

The legendary actor and comedian shows how to set a great table, shares ideas for unforgettable celebrations, and says, "It's about fun, not perfection!" In her own words... "It's Whoopi here and I've written this book that, frankly, is the last book anyone would expect. You would never think of me as someone with the courage to say, 'You have everything you need to be fantastic in your own house, apartment, or trailer to set a great table.' Let's face it, you look at a lot of books on Entertaining and think 'I could never do this in my house, I don't have this stuff and it's not going to look like what I'm seeing.' That's not what's going to happen here! I want to show you there is great heart in setting the table. For two or four or the kids or Halloween or tea just for you. For dinners with friends or the holidays. I'm going to tell you stories about what I do when people come over and give you ideas about what you're seeing because Honey, everything in this book is what you can do in your house. You got a bodega or a 7-Eleven near you? They sell flowers. Take those bad boys and put them on your table. You got some crazy old plate from your grandmother (or a fancy silver one)? You got little kids' toys that have been annoying you forever, put them on the table too. Who's going to tell you it's wrong? Not me! I'm going to tell you it's right and I'm going to take you on a journey. And don't forget the bathroom; decorate it too, people are going to see it. It's all at your house. Come with me. I'll show you! P.S. I know the glass on the cover is broken. Accidents happen!"

This practical and humorous guide helps readers learn appropriate manners so they can enjoy the pleasures of good food, good drink, and good company without worrying about what behavior is proper. Chapters cover how to be a good host, how to be a good guest, and how to behave at business events, cocktail parties, formal dinners, and restaurants. There is also a unique chapter discussing pet peeves and how to handle them with grace, civility, and appropriate manners. What’s the proper way to hold a wine glass? What’s an appropriate gift to bring a host—and what shouldn’t you bring? How should you correctly introduce guests to each other? If you’re the host, how do you determine who should sit next to whom? What should you do if you don’t want to drink alcohol at a cocktail party? What is appropriate cell phone usage at a business dinner? Here are easy-to-implement answers to these and many other important etiquette questions. Lavishly illustrated with memorable full-color photographs that highlight both good and bad table manners, Modern American Manners is full of friendly advice for business professionals, college students entering the workplace, and anyone needing a refresher course or an introduction to proper behavior.

Montpellier in 1566 is one of the greatest seats of learning of the age, a cradle of Renaissance humanism. But even this proud city of philosophers is not safe from the menaces that endanger the peace of France--the city militia are struggling to contend with the lawlessness and religious hatred that threaten to tear the whole country in two. Only fools walk the streets at night unarmed, while a profession of faith in the wrong company can lead to a knife in the back. Now an adult, Pierre de Siorac must leave the family stronghold of Mespech, and travel south on dangerous roads to the great university city, accompanied by his strapping but naive brother Samson and the crafty Miroul. Well-armoured, with swords and pistols at their belts, the trio are confident of repelling any bandits who cross their path, but their new life away from the safety of their home will bring with it many other new dangers and delights. Following on from The Brethren, City of Wisdom and Blood is the second book the sweeping saga, Fortunes of France.

"Ascough constructs an image of Lydia based on what is known about the political, commercial, social and religious norms of the first-century world"--Back cover

Ever wonder about the meaning of life? Why we're here? What the Universe is all about? The force that expressed itself through Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Mohammed, Edgar Cayce and other great avatars who served as channels for what is commonly referred to as God communicates again today as the world begins to enter a period of Spiritual Ascension with a new consciousness and awareness. This force, which refers to itself as Cosmic Awareness, has dictated this book as a set of 144 carefully structured lessons that took over 10 years to create. They are designed to lead you, step by step, from where you are to where you want to be. This amazing information begins with Cosmic Awareness explaining what It is, how the Universe was created, and leads you through birth, childhood, adulthood, magic, sex, death and far beyond into other dimensions - explaining all of the mysterious "Secrets of the Universe" that everyone is looking for the absolute answer of "Who, In Fact, You Really Are."

What Is That Boy Going To Do Next? is a story about a maverick, a nonconforming teenager, with an insatiable curiosity about the world of diverse people, places and ideas. It is also a tale of a teenager's tough-loving mom and the tension it causes, a strict dad incapable of taking care of business because of addiction to alcohol, a generously loving stepmom whose support is transformative, and a brother practicing his version of sibling rivalry. At age 14, the boy flees a monotonous life in St. Louis. And after a long and circuitous journey that includes living in Bainbridge (Maryland), Boston, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego and traveling in the Pacific and the Far East to places such as Honolulu, Guam, Okinawa, Samar Island, Manila, Shanghai, Tsingtao, Tokyo and Yokosuka--at age 19, he finally settles in New York City--where as an adult he becomes an accomplished and multifaceted educator.

In researching this book, the author took on the role of a hostess in one of Tokyo's many "hostess clubs". The resulting text critically examines how such establishments create bonds among white-collar men and forge a masculine identity that suits the needs of their corporations.