In her excellent biography of Houston, cultural critic Lordi contrasts the legendary singer and actor with other Black cultural innovators, like Nina Simone, writing that Houston “appears not as a visionary but as a femme object we gaze at or gape at, asking what happened to her, not what she did.” She has a point. …
With Halloween still a week away, Tinker’s Cove, Maine, is already gearing up for its Merrie Olde Christmas extravaganza. Undeterred by a nasty doxxing incident, Chamber of Commerce Chair Corney Clark is teeing up costumes, carolers, and contests, capped by a plum pudding bake-off. But visions of sugarplums don’t have sweet associations for all residents. …
The author, who entranced readers with her candor in Blackout (2015), a memoir of her years of alcoholism, brings the same unsparing honesty to her search for true love. She explains that in her 20s, she chose a big, unconventional life: adventure, a career, and the things unavailable to her mother, whose “small radius” existence …
Charlotte is enjoying a holiday in Devon with Mrs. Watson, Lord Ingram, and a group of family and friends when Mrs. Watson’s estranged sister, Justina Carstairs, the lady of a family of consequence, appears with ambiguous intentions. No sooner has she requested her sister’s presence at her home and suggested that something dangerous is imminent …
Based in part on his own family history, Goldman’s novel follows the Kaners, a Jewish family in St. Paul, Minnesota, former owners of a liquor store shuttered in 1920 with the passage of the 18th Amendment. When they fear the mob will order a hit on the family’s eldest son, Willie, because of his involvement …
Helene Weaver is a familiar figure in fiction (and memoirs): the larger-than-life, charismatic, mercurial, possibly mentally ill mother. Her daughter Gerry’s completely absent father is of zero importance in a novel so female-centered that male characters barely register. Helene takes temp jobs to support the duo’s wanderings up and down the West Coast while casually …
The author, a writer based in San Francisco, didn’t get off to a strong start when it came to familial stability: Her biological father, Juan, left when her 18-year-old mother got pregnant in 1975. Heartbroken, her mother married a harsh man named Kurt, who moved their small family from suburban Oregon to an Army base …
The author, an award-winning speaker, trainer, and consultant, presents a robust, step-by-step guide for exhibitors to showcase their products at trade shows. In addition to setting goals, Davis presents five steps of an expert framework for achieving a successful trade show: Event Selection, Initial Planning, General Preparations, On-Site Efforts, Follow-Up, and Evaluation. The author explains …
Barrett, the president of the leadership-development company Success-Minded Leader, draws on decades of experience as a coach across multiple industries for this work. The author addresses leaders at all levels, arguing that modern organizations can no longer afford to ignore the financial and productivity costs of ineffective leadership. Poor leaders also can’t cultivate the skills …
Elver, guardian of the Jih Forest, continues to journey alongside the monk Artair, who, when he’s sleeping, shares his body with the soul of Lucian, previously a mage of the god the Bloody Claw. They’re accompanied by Sunay, a mage of the god of lies, Tisk, and Fleet, the keltraxia cub Elver rescued. The group …
