You Couldn't Ignore Me If You Tried: The Brat Pack, John Hughes, and Their Impact on a Generation by Susannah Gora

 

 

You can quote lines from Sixteen Candles (“Last night at the dancemy little brother paid a buck to see your underwear”), your iPod playlist includes more than one song by the Psychedelic Furs and Simple Minds, you watch The Breakfast Club every time it comes on cable, and you still wish that Andie had ended up with Duckie in Pretty in Pink. You’re a bonafide Brat Pack devotee—and you’re not alone.

The films of the Brat Pack—from Sixteen Candles to Say Anything—are some of the most watched, bestselling DVDs of all time. The landscape that the Brat Packmemorialized—where outcasts and prom queens fall in love, preppies and burn-outs become buds, and frosted lip gloss, skinny ties, and exuberant optimism made us feel invincible—is rich with cultural themes and significance, and has influenced an entire generation who still believe that life always turns out the way it is supposed to.

You Couldn’t Ignore Me If You Tried takes us back to that era, interviewing key players, such as Molly Ringwald, Anthony Michael Hall, Ally Sheedy, Judd Nelson, Andrew McCarthy, and John Cusack, and mines all the material from the movies to the music to the way the films were made to show how they helped shape our visions for romance, friendship, society, and success.

Out of the Maze: An A-Mazing Way to Get Unstuck by Spencer Johnson, Ken Blanchard (Foreword by), John David Mann (Contribution by)

 

 

Wall Street Journal Bestseller

The long-awaited sequel to Who Moved My Cheese?, the beloved 28-million-copy bestseller that became a worldwide sensation.

In his trademark style that has won tens of millions of fans, Dr. Spencer Johnson once again shares a simple story that offers profound truths about how to transform your life.

When we first met them in Who Moved My Cheese?, two mouse-sized characters named Hem and Haw were faced with unexpected change, when the Cheese they loved suddenly disappeared. Haw learned how to deal with that change successfully by setting off in search of New Cheese. But Hem remained stuck where he was.

Now Out of the Maze reveals what Hem did next--and how his discoveries can help you unlock the riddle of whatever mazes you may face yourself.

When you follow Hem and his new friend, Hope, on their new journey, you'll discover how to get more out of life by thinking outside the box. Or, in this case, outside the Maze.

Written for all ages and backgrounds, this story takes less than an hour to read, yet its insights can last for a lifetime.

The Anthropocene Reviewed (Signed Edition): Essays on a Human-Centered Planet by John Green

 

 

A deeply moving and insightful collection of personal essays from #1 bestselling author John Green.

This is a signed edition.

The Anthropocene is the current geologic age, in which humans have profoundly reshaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his groundbreaking podcast, bestselling author John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet on a five-star scale—from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and Penguins of Madagascar.

Funny, complex, and rich with detail, the reviews chart the contradictions of contemporary humanity. As a species, we are both far too powerful and not nearly powerful enough, a paradox that came into sharp focus as we faced a global pandemic that both separated us and bound us together.

John Green’s gift for storytelling shines throughout this masterful collection. The Anthropocene Reviewed is a open-hearted exploration of the paths we forge and an unironic celebration of falling in love with the world.

Ocean Prey (Lucas Davenport Series #31) by John Sandford

 

 

Fan-favorite heroes Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers join forces on a deadly maritime case in the remarkable new novel from #1 New York Times-bestselling author John Sandford.

An off-duty Coast Guardsman is fishing with his family when he calls in some suspicious behavior from a nearby boat. It's a snazzy craft, slick and outfitted with extra horsepower, and is zipping along until it slows to pick up a surfaced diver . . . a diver who was apparently alone, without his own boat, in the middle of the ocean. None of it makes sense unless there's something hinky going on, and his hunch is proved right when all three Guardsmen who come out to investigate are shot and killed.

They're federal officers killed on the job, which means the case is the FBI's turf. When the FBI's investigation stalls out, they call in Lucas Davenport. And when his case turns lethal, Davenport will need to bring in every asset he can claim, including a detective with a fundamentally criminal mind: Virgil Flowers.

Sooley: A Novel by John Grisham

 

 

New York Times bestselling author John Grisham takes you to a different kind of court in his first basketball novel. Samuel “Sooley” Sooleymon is a raw, young talent with big hoop dreams … and even bigger challenges off the court.

In the summer of his seventeenth year, Sam­uel Sooleymon gets the chance of a lifetime: a trip to the United States with his South Sudanese teammates to play in a showcase basket­ball tournament. He has never been away from home, nor has he ever been on an airplane. The opportunity to be scouted by dozens of college coaches is a dream come true.

Samuel is an amazing athlete, with speed, quick­ness, and an astonishing vertical leap. The rest of his game, though, needs work, and the American coaches are less than impressed.

During the tournament, Samuel receives dev­astating news from home: A civil war is raging across South Sudan, and rebel troops have ran­sacked his village. His father is dead, his sister is missing, and his mother and two younger brothers are in a refugee camp.

Samuel desperately wants to go home, but it’s just not possible. Partly out of sympathy, the coach of North Carolina Central offers him a scholar­ship. Samuel moves to Durham, enrolls in classes, joins the team, and prepares to sit out his freshman season. There is plenty of more mature talent and he isn’t immediately needed.

But Samuel has something no other player has: a fierce determination to succeed so he can bring his family to America. He works tirelessly on his game, shooting baskets every morning at dawn by himself in the gym, and soon he’s dominating everyone in practice. With the Central team los­ing and suffering injury after injury, Sooley, as he is nicknamed, is called off the bench. And the legend begins.

But how far can Sooley take his team? And will success allow him to save his family?

Gripping and moving, Sooley showcases John Grisham’s unparalleled storytelling powers in a whole new light. This is Grisham at the top of his game.

The Last Days of John Lennon by James Patterson

 

 

 

On the House: A Washington Memoir by John Boehner

 

 

* INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * #1 WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER *

“A rollicking, foil-mouthed” [memoir]....Boehner has delivered a classic Washington “tell-all,” albeit one with his typical jocular style.” --The Washington Post

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner shares colorful tales from the halls of power, the smoke-filled rooms around the halls of power, and his fabled tour bus.

John Boehner is the last of a breed. At a time when the arbiters of American culture were obsessing over organic kale, cold-pressed juice, and SoulCycle, the man who stood second in line to the presidency was unapologetically smoking Camels, quaffing a glass of red, and hitting the golf course whenever he could.

There could hardly have been a more diametrically opposed figure to represent the opposition party in President Barack Obama's Washington. But when Boehner announced his resignation, President Obama called to tell the outgoing Speaker that he'd miss him. "Mr. President," Boehner replied, "yes you will." He thought of himself as a "regular guy with a big job," and he enjoyed it.

In addition to his own stories of life in the swamp city and of his comeback after getting knocked off the leadership ladder, Boehner offers his impressions of leaders he's met and what made them successes or failures, from Ford and Reagan to Obama, Trump, and Biden. He shares his views on how the Republican Party has become unrecognizable today; the advice--some harsh, some fatherly--he dished out to members of his own party, the opposition, the media, and others; and his often acid-tongued comments about his former colleagues. And of course he talks about golfing with five presidents.

Through Speaker Boehner's honest and self-aware reflections, you'll be reminded of a time when the adults were firmly in charge.

Dr. Disaster's Guide to Surviving Everything: Essential Advice for Any Situation Life Throws Your Way by John Torres MD

 

 

 

A practical, all-encompassing guide to disaster preparedness, from avalanches and blackouts to pandemics and wildfires.

An emergency room physician and U.S. Air Force veteran, Dr. Torres, aka “Dr. Disaster,” has spent his career on the front lines, saving lives in all sorts of disasters. He’s seen it all, from late nights treating patients in the ER to early mornings covering the country’s latest crisis on NBC/MSNBC as senior medical correspondent. His entire job is to think about the best practices in an emergency—and now he’s sharing this hard-won knowledge with you.

In Dr. Disaster’s Guide to Surviving Everything, Dr. Torres shares the essential advice you need to survive any worst-case scenario, from natural disasters like lightning strikes, hurricanes, and wildlife encounters, to human-made ones like terrorist attacks and active-shooter situations. As fun to read as it is informative, this book is full of hacks that could save your life, such as:

• How to prep your home for any emergency
• Why you should never use a landline during a thunderstorm
• The safest place to sit on an airplane
• How to start a fire with common household items
• The first thing you should do every time you enter a shopping mall

With this book in your pocket, you will be ready for whatever the future holds.

 

Pathfinder Absalom, City of Lost Omens (P2) by Alexandria Bustion, John Compton, and others

 

 

For nearly 5000 years, the great city of Absalom has stood at the center of the Inner Sea’s culture, commerce, and prophecy. Now, with the death of the city’s founder-god Aroden, the disappearance of the city’s lord mayor, and newly launched attacks from some of its greatest foes, Absalom stands at the gateway to a new and uncertain destiny! This lore-packed 296-page hardcover guide to the locations, denizens, and adventures of Pathfinder’s most famous city is the largest Pathfinder city sourcebook to date, presenting a fascinating locale suitable for years of adventure! A huge 8-panel poster map of the city sets the scene in unprecedented detail, allowing your heroes to walk upon streets paved with centuries of history, following the steps of generations of questing heroes to chart a new path for the City at the Center of the World!

On the House: A Washington Memoir by John Boehner

 

 

“A rollicking, foil-mouthed” [memoir]....Boehner has delivered a classic Washington “tell-all,” albeit one with his typical jocular style.” --The Washington Post

Former Speaker of the House John Boehner shares colorful tales from the halls of power, the smoke-filled rooms around the halls of power, and his fabled tour bus.

John Boehner is the last of a breed. At a time when the arbiters of American culture were obsessing over organic kale, cold-pressed juice, and SoulCycle, the man who stood second in line to the presidency was unapologetically smoking Camels, quaffing a glass of red, and hitting the golf course whenever he could.

There could hardly have been a more diametrically opposed figure to represent the opposition party in President Barack Obama's Washington. But when Boehner announced his resignation, President Obama called to tell the outgoing Speaker that he'd miss him. "Mr. President," Boehner replied, "yes you will." He thought of himself as a "regular guy with a big job," and he enjoyed it.

In addition to his own stories of life in the swamp city and of his comeback after getting knocked off the leadership ladder, Boehner offers his impressions of leaders he's met and what made them successes or failures, from Ford and Reagan to Obama, Trump, and Biden. He shares his views on how the Republican Party has become unrecognizable today; the advice--some harsh, some fatherly--he dished out to members of his own party, the opposition, the media, and others; and his often acid-tongued comments about his former colleagues. And of course he talks about golfing with five presidents.

Through Speaker Boehner's honest and self-aware reflections, you'll be reminded of a time when the adults were firmly in charge.

Thunder on the Plains: A Pecos Quinn Western Adventure by John Rose Putnam

 

 

In the 3rd Pecos Quinn Western, I tip my hat to Zane Grey, with deep respect. He showed us that even amid the savagery of the buffalo hunts on the Great Plains, romance could be found. And when Pecos and Andy set out to rescue Doctor Burns, who'd been treating the Comanche, they find a mother and daughter desperately in need of help, thus adding spice to a dangerous task.

Delitto d'inverno di John Banville (Guanda)

 

 

1957, contea di Wexford, Irlanda. In una fredda notte d'inverno, nella biblioteca di Ballyglass House, elegante residenza degli Osborne - famiglia protestante molto in vista - viene scoperto il cadavere di un prete cattolico ucciso da una pugnalata alla gola. Chi può aver colpito padre Thomas Lawless, un uomo benvoluto da tutti? Dalla capitale arriva per indagare l'ispettore Strafford, anch'egli di famiglia protestante, un'eccezione in polizia. A Dublino il sovrintendente Hackett è molto preoccupato; l'arcivescovo McQuaid esercita infatti pressioni non troppo velate per insabbiare il caso: i preti irlandesi non muoiono di morte violenta. Mentre la neve continua a cadere implacabile, Strafford si trova da solo a indagare in un ambiente ostile, dove tutti sembrano avere qualcosa da nascondere e forse, più degli altri, proprio la vittima...

Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever by John McWhorter

 

 

One of the preeminent linguists of our time examines the realms of language that are considered shocking and taboo in order to understand what imbues curse words with such power--and why we love them so much.

Profanity has always been a deliciously vibrant part of our lexicon, an integral part of being human. In fact, our ability to curse comes from a different part of the brain than other parts of speech--the urgency with which we say "f&*k!" is instead related to the instinct that tells us to flee from danger.

Language evolves with time, and so does what we consider profane or unspeakable. Nine Nasty Words is a rollicking examination of profanity, explored from every angle: historical, sociological, political, linguistic. In a particularly coarse moment, when the public discourse is shaped in part by once-shocking words, nothing could be timelier.

Crimes of the Levee (Levee District) by John Sturgeon

 

 

"This series is perfect for fans of historical crime!" –Anne Bonny Book Reviews

It is 1905, and Chicago is an open town. The most accessible part of town is the Levee District. It is an area of the city that's hard to tell the crooks from the cops. There are brothels, madams, opium dens, gambling joints and plenty of alcohol, but it all comes at a price in the Levee, and the two Ward Aldermen get their share of every vice's dollar. With the hanging of serial killer, Simon Kluge, police Detective Patrick Moses is suddenly without a case. Before Moses can relax, he is approached by an aging retail mogul who asks him to investigate the mysterious shooting of his son.

As Moses gets deeper into both cases, he realizes that in the Levee there are a lot of people who don't want the two cases solved, including the police and the Ward Aldermen.