It seems unthinkable that Charles Strickland, the dull, bourgeois city gent, would have the tortured soul of a genius. Yet Strickland is driven to abandon his home，wife，and children to devote himself slavishly to painting. In a tiny studio in Paris he fills canvas after canvas，refusing to sell or even exhibit his work. Beset by poverty，sickness，and his own intransigent nature，he drifts to Tahiti，where，even after being blinded by leprosy，he produces some of his most extraordinary works of art. First published in 1919 and inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin，The Moon and Sixpence is a study of a man possessed by the need to create - regardless of the cost to himself or others.
In San Francisco, a vampire named Louis tells his 200-year-long life story to an interviewer (Daniel Molloy, although only referred to as "the boy" in the novel).
In 1791, Louis was a young plantation owner living south of New Orleans, Louisiana. Distraught and suicidal over the death of his brother (his wife and daughter in the movie), which he blames himself for, Louis is approached by a vampire named Lestat, who desires his plantation. Lestat turns Louis into a vampire (although initially Louis merely begs to be killed) and the two become immortal companions. Lestat spends some time feeding off the local plantation slaves, while Louis feeds from animals; Louis finds it impossible to disconnect himself from his mortal morals and engage in murder.
Nick Hornby - About a Boy (Audiobook+Text) Will Lightman is a Peter Pan for the 1990s. At 36, the terminally hip North Londoner is unmarried, hyper-concerned with his coolness quotient, and blithely living off his father's novelty-song royalties. Will sees himself as entirely lacking in hidden depths--and he's proud of it! The only trouble is, his friends are succumbing to responsibilities and children, and he's increasingly left out in the cold. How can someone brilliantly equipped for meaningless relationships ensure that he'll continue to meet beautiful Julie Christie-like women and ensure that they'll throw him over before things get too profound? A brief encounter with a single mother sets Will off on his new career, that of "serial nice guy." As far as he's concerned--and remember, concern isn't his strong suit--he's the perfect catch for the young mother on the go. After an interlude of sexual bliss, she'll realize that her child isn't ready for a man in their life and Will can ride off into the Highgate sunset, where more damsels apparently await. The only catch is that the best way to meet these women is at single-parent get-togethers. In one of Nick Hornby's many hilarious (and embarrassing) scenes, Will falls into some serious misrepresentation at SPAT ("Single Parents--Alone Together"), passing himself off as a bereft single dad: "There was, he thought, an emotional truth here somewhere, and he could see now that his role-playing had a previously unsuspected artistic element to it. He was acting, yes, but in the noblest, most profound sense of the word."
How To Get Rich
With a central role in NBC’s The Apprentice, Trump’s star is soaring.
In his fifth book (after The Art of the Deal, he offers a cursory
glance behind the scenes of the hit reality show, but the bulk of the
text consists of business advice ("Be Tenacious"; "Play Golf"; "Be
Optimistic, but Always Be Prepared for the Worst") with illustrative
details culled from his real estate and media dealings. (The glimpses
he presents of his transformation of 40 Wall Street hint at a story
that might deserve a more serious book all its own.) There are some
surprises; at times, the quintessential New Yorker sounds almost like a
California New Ager as he recommends up to three hours of quiet
reflection a day along with the writings of Carl Jung. But he’s soon
back in recognizable form, advising readers to "screw enemies back" and
explaining why various people (including former governor Mario Cuomo
and talk-show host Joy Behar) are dead to him. Trump appears
comfortable with himself, and he even makes light of potentially touchy
subjects, such as his hair: "My hair is one hundred percent mine. No
animals have been harmed in the creation of my hairstyle." There are
occasional missteps, like an imitation of the New York Post’s iconic
gossip column "Page Six," which reads more like an annual Trump
Christmas letter. But Trump’s books have done an effective job of
capturing his grand personality in print, and this volume is no
exception. B&w photos throughout.
