"Spurred by the doctor's predictions of an early death, Wayne Stier stayed out in front of time until he left it all together. Stier grew up in Belle Plaine, Minnesota, in the 1950s and 60s. Diagnosed with testicular cancer in his early 20s, and given a less than 50% chance of 5-year survival, Wayne and his wife Mars decided to make the most of the time he had. From Zen cherry blossoms to Japanese theatre. From Hawaiian breathing lessons to Thai healers....

The first biography of a mercurial character from the Elizabethan underworld - a seducer, spy and assassin Claiming to be heir to the emperors of Byzantium, an exotic but elusive figure named Theodore Paleologus surfaced in mysterious circumstances in the Elizabethan underworld. This first biography of an extraordinary character presents new documentary evidence which supports his imperial pretensions-long dismissed by historians-but also exposes...

If you don't know what Bipolar Disorder means to the sufferer or those around him/her, this is for you. Here's how it has affected my life and that of those around me. With therapy, age and medication we can survive--even thrive! The author has written over 20 novels, but this time has given us insight into her childhood when depression began, on into her teen years when the mood swings began to openly manifest themselves, and into old age where she...

In 1955, esteemed New Zealand mountaineer Norman Hardie led one of the two summit pairs that made the first ascent of Kangchenjunga, the third-highest mountain in the world. He played an important part in three expeditions with sir Edmund Hillary and was a director of his Himalayan Trust. He went to Antarctica three times, including as leader of Scott Base, and was also involved in many mountain rescues. An eventful life is recounted here with clarity,...

"Behind our political leaders-yes, even the "moral" ones-is an army of young, horny, professional staffers scrapping it out. Lisa Baron should know-she used to be one of them. With the unerring candor of George Stephanopoulos and the uncensored wit of Chelsea Handler, Baron gives good anecdote on a world where Godaphiles and Press Tarts work together to keep their politicos from imploding...and reveals how a not-so-nice Jewish girl became spokeswoman...

The door was of very solid construction but easily opened with the key. It led into a large area with much the same feeling as the floor above - old and empty but not ruined. Then suddenly, as if he were a caretaker or butler, Lurch, the character in the TV series in which he plays Frankenstein's monster, stepped out from the shadows. I observed him without feeling any anxiety, and noticed he had a large kitchen knife in his belt. I asked him why...

"The multimedia artist, poet and novelist Brion Gysin may be the most influential cultural figure of the twentieth century that most people have never heard of.Gysin (1916-1986) was an English-born, Canadian-raised, naturalized American of Swiss descent, who lived most of his life in Morocco and France. He went everywhere when the going was good. He dabbled with surrealism in Paris in the 1930s, lived in the "interzone" of Tangier in the 1950s and...

Alexandra Andreevna Voronine Yourieff, wife of Vidkun Quisling, reveals firsthand in this detailed memoir the tragedy, betrayals, misunderstandings, and happiness of her fascinating life. Not just a tale of saints and sinners, but of three people--Alexandra, Quisling, and his second wife, Maria--whose fates were intertwined under the extreme conditions created by revolution, war, and famine in Russia. She discloses every particular of her long and...

The Port Hope Simpson Diaries 1969 - 70 Vol. 1 Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada: Summit SpecialSeries Title: The Port Hope Simpson DiariesVol 1byLlewelyn PritchardSmashwords EditionCopyright 2010 Llewelyn PritchardLearn what it's like to be dropped off in what feels like the middle of nowhere, when you are straight out of Grammar School in the UK. The original diaries of Ernie Pritchard - written as a way of helping him adapt to his new surroundings...

If this were a book quiz and you were to ask me what film is most like Jani Confidential I would answer unhesitatingly, Blue Jasmine, Woody Allen's Oscar-nominated film.Those who remember the Just Jani column in the Sunday Times will be intrigued and delighted. Those who missed out on those heady times will be captivated by this universal story of betrayal, back-stabbing and life in the very fast lane. It is acerbic, witty, wry, bittersweet and exquisitely...