The Year of Less In her late twenties, Cait Flanders found herself stuck in the consumerism cycle that grips so many of us: earn more, buy more, want more, rinse, repeat. Even after she worked her way out of nearly $30,000 of consumer debt, her old habits took hold again. When she realized that nothing she was doing or buying was making her happy—only keeping her from meeting her goals—she decided to set herself a challenge: she would not shop for an entire year.The Year of Less documents Cait’s life for twelve months during which she bought only consumables: groceries, toiletries, gas for her car. Along the way, she challenged herself to consume less of many other things besides shopping. She decluttered her apartment and got rid of 70 percent of her belongings; learned how to fix things rather than throw them away; researched the zero waste movement; and completed a television ban. At every stage, she learned that the less she consumed, the more fulfilled she felt.The challenge became a lifeline when, in the course of the year, Cait found herself in situations that turned her life upside down. In the face of hardship, she realized why she had always turned to shopping, alcohol, and food—and what it had cost her. Unable to reach for any of her usual vices, she changed habits she’d spent years perfecting and discovered what truly mattered to her.Blending Cait’s compelling story with inspiring insight and practical guidance, The Year of Less will leave you questioning what you’re holding on to in your own life—and, quite possibly, lead you to find your own path of less.

A rich selection from diaries, letters, advice books, magazines, and paintings creates a rooms-by-room portrait of Victorian life--from childbirth in the master bedroom to separate gender domains in the drawing room and parlor.

"Superb... Flanders's convincing and smart synthesis of the evolution of an official police force, fictional detectives, and real-life cause célèbres will appeal to devotees of true crime and detective fiction alike." -Publishers Weekly, starred review In this fascinating exploration of murder in nineteenth century England, Judith Flanders examines some of the most gripping cases that captivated the Victorians and gave rise to the first detective fiction Murder in the nineteenth century was rare. But murder as sensation and entertainment became ubiquitous, with cold-blooded killings transformed into novels, broadsides, ballads, opera, and melodrama-even into puppet shows and performing dog-acts. Detective fiction and the new police force developed in parallel, each imitating the other-the founders of Scotland Yard gave rise to Dickens's Inspector Bucket, the first fictional police detective, who in turn influenced Sherlock Holmes and, ultimately, even P.D. James and Patricia Cornwell. In this meticulously researched and engrossing book, Judith Flanders retells the gruesome stories of many different types of murder in Great Britain, both famous and obscure: from Greenacre, who transported his dismembered fiancée around town by omnibus, to Burke and Hare's bodysnatching business in Edinburgh; from the crimes (and myths) of Sweeney Todd and Jack the Ripper, to the tragedy of the murdered Marr family in London's East End. Through these stories of murder-from the brutal to the pathetic-Flanders builds a rich and multi-faceted portrait of Victorian society in Great Britain. With an irresistible cast of swindlers, forgers, and poisoners, the mad, the bad and the utterly dangerous, The Invention of Murder is both a mesmerizing tale of crime and punishment, and history at its most readable.

Most people think they have Flanders - the Dutch-speaking northern half of Belgium - figured out: beer, chocolate and the EU are the standard tag lines. However, dig beneath the surface and you will discover a region of quirk and style. Author Emma Thomson introduces travellers not only to the World Heritage Sites of Brussels' Grand Place or Bruges' romantic canals but also to snug spots, like the bewitched village of Laarne and Geraardsbergen, the real home of Manneken-Pis. Flanders provides something for everyone: the city-break or business tourist seeking restaurants and shopping; the wildlife and outdoor enthusiast after bird-watching and rural walks; the traveller wishing to seek out towns, villages and countryside off the beaten track; and the visitor in search of luxury and pampering. Dress up and join the merry madness of Aalst Carnival, spend the night in a traditional begijnhof, or simply people-watch over a bowl of mosselen-friet in Bruges' medieval town square. Entertaining and instructing in equal measure, Bradt's Flanders is the first guidebook to cover the entire region in depth. Join Emma Thomson on a journey along romantic canals, through bewitched villages and to bohemian cafés in this beguiling corner of Europe. Proost!

Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg are among the most prosperous countries in Europe. This guide contains information for those intending to live and work in Benelux, with details on finding work and facts on the historical and cultural background and daily life in each country.

Thought-provoking insights on the nexus of migration and integration beyond the national context Across the world, and due to ongoing globalisation, migration is increasingly becoming a part of daily life. But more than ever, migration can no longer be viewed as a simple linear trajectory from A to B. The emergence of transnational communities and intense interactions between regions of origin and of destination have led to new forms of social–cultural praxis and (sub)cultures which exert an important influence on the integration of immigrants. The case of Flanders, the northern part of Belgium and a reference point for the impact of these processes across Europe, is presented as a case study in this book. Migration and Integration in Flanders is structured in three thematic parts, opening with chapters on the imaginaries and perceptions of people in changing migration contexts. The book then proceeds with chapters which present theoretical and empiric data on changing integration dynamics in multicultural societies. The final chapter concludes with a discussion of social networks’ mediating role. The growing complexity of migration leads the contributing authors to look beyond borders, both of national frontiers – as migration by definition implies cross-border research – and of disciplines and research methods. In doing so, the present volume offers thought-provoking essays on topical issues that stir public and political debates across Europe, and contributes to fundamental discussions on changing societies. Contributors: Didier Boost (University of Antwerp), Noel Clycq (University of Antwerp), David De Coninck (KU Leuven), Godfried Engbersen (Erasmus University Rotterdam), Steven Groenez (KU Leuven), Kenneth Hemmerechts (Vrije Universiteit Brussel), Dries Lens (University of Antwerp), François Levrau (University of Antwerp), Ive Marx (University of Antwerp), Joris Michielsen (University of Antwerp), Ward Nouwen (University of Antwerp), Edith Piqueray (University of Antwerp), Christiane Timmerman (University of Antwerp), Falke Tibax (University of Antwerp), Rut Van Caudenberg (University of Antwerp/Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona), Anneloes Vandenbroucke (KU Leuven), Sanne Van de Pol (University of Antwerp), Dirk Vanheule (University of Antwerp), Gert Verschraegen (University of Antwerp), Sunčica Vujić (University of Antwerp) GPRC label:

This analysis of the recent trends of migration movements and policies covers all OECD countries and certain non-member countries. It provides a comprehensive description of these flows, the different channels of immigration and the nationalities of the migrants concerned.