![]() ![]() I’m delighted to be joined in this episode by an expert on Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, Professor Emma Smith. Both of these two productions affirmed that the Duchess remains a powerful female paradigm in our patriarchal world. There have been two recent revivals in London, one a dark and daringly modern production at the Almeida theatre this past year directed by Rebecca Fracknell, with Lydia Wilson in the title role, and a more traditional rendition in 2014 with Gemma Arterton as the Duchess, when the play was the first to open the Sam Wanamaker theatre, the Globe’s evocative indoor space. It is a play notorious for its bloody plot, but it has also endured because of the poetry of its language and the indomitable character of its protagonist. Although set in Italy, it depicts a world of courtly ambition, love and intrigue fuelled by the existential battle between the Devil and God, that audiences in England at the time of James 1 would certainly have recognised. ![]() John Webster’s 400-year old revenge tragedy, The Duchess of Malfi, has always had a reputation as a potboiler of a play. ![]()
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![]() ![]() Elimination means certain death. As the witch’s literal deadline approaches, Adelaide has one last gamble to save the day, and to escape to a new life with Cyrus, the handsome and mysterious fellow thief who stole her heart. But everything falls apart when the prince finally reveals himself… The prize is the hand of the elusive Crown Prince. To complete her mission, she’s forced to assume the role of a noblewoman and enter a royal competition. If Adelaide fails, her newfound family would be sacrificed to a beast. But her world is upended when a witch steals her away to a faraway kingdom, to perform an impossible heist. Goodreads Synopsis: After years on the run, Adelaide thinks her lonely and dangerous life as a thief is finally over. ![]() Thief of Cahraman (Fairytales of Folkshore: Book One) ![]() ![]() The book opens with Brandt McKay watching his nearly naked sister-in-law Jessie McKay from afar as an intoxicated guy invites people into his camping trailer to join them for some raunchy group sex. ![]() The prologue is downright repugnant, the middle is just sorta so-so but then the last few chapters are great. ![]() I hardly know how to rate and review this. ©2010 Lorelei James (P)2014 Insatiable Press Read more And Jessie is shaken by feelings she’s sworn never to have again for any man.especially not a McKay. Brandt is determined to make the temporary situation permanent, proving to Jessie he’s a one-woman man. The sexual heat that’s always simmered between them ignites. ![]() Jessie agrees on one condition - she wants Brandt’s boots exclusively under her bed for the duration. Unexpectedly faced with proof of Luke’s infidelity, Brandt is forced to ask for Jessie’s help in taking care of Luke’s young son. But if Brandt thinks she’ll ever take orders from another McKay male, he’s got manure for brains.īrandt McKay has avoided his sweet, sexy sister-in-law ever since the night he confessed his feelings for her weren’t the brotherly type. After two years of widowhood, she’s ready to kick up her boot-heels - until Luke’s younger brother shows up to spoil her fun. Jessie McKay has accepted her marriage to Luke McKay wasn’t perfect. ![]() ![]() ![]() Having it rerelease with a stunning new cover is kind of like revisiting a beloved friend for a glass of wine, a lot of laughs, some incredible memories, and a lot of sentimentality. I originally read this book quite a few years ago and immediately fell for the small town of Coda, the characters, and the author. ![]() Second edition published at Dreamspinner Press, May 2019. Facing small-town gossip, Matt’s affair with a local woman, his disapproving family, and harassment from Matt’s coworkers, Jared fears they’ll never find a way to be together… assuming he can even convince Matt to try.įirst edition published at Dreamspinner Press, January, 2010. A summer camping and mountain biking together cements their friendship, but in a town as close-knit as Coda, it doesn’t take long for rumors to start. Matt claims he isn’t into guys, but he doesn’t care that Jared is. Then police officer Matt Richards moves to town. The only other gay man in town is twice his age and used to be his teacher, so staying single seemed like Jared’s only option. He’s never hidden his homosexuality, but he’s never exactly flaunted it either. Jared Thomas has lived in the mountain town of Coda, Colorado, his whole life. Can a man who loves his small hometown trust it to love him back? ![]() ![]() I understand that Bryan took some liberties with the original tale, which was more of a condemnation of vanity - the other birds being more concerned with how they look, than how they behave - than an affirmation of self esteem. Unfortunately, the narrative of Beautiful Blackbird wasn't as appealing as the illustrations. ![]() ![]() The inclusion of images of the artist's scissors - which once belonged to his mother - on the decorated endpapers, is a particularly nice touch. Created using a cut-paper collage technique, it is colorful and immediate, with a sense of motion that suits the rhythmic narrative. The artwork is just gorgeous, and fully deserved the Coretta Scott King Illustrator's Award that it received. His many folktale adaptations, in particular, have been tempting me of late, so I am especially disappointed that Beautiful Blackbird - supposedly a retelling of a traditional tale from the Ila-speaking people of Zambia - didn't impress me more.įirst though, the good news: this is a beautiful book, visually speaking. ![]() With over thirty children's books to his name, many of them award-winning explorations of the African-American experience, Ashley Bryan is an author whose work I have long wanted to read. ![]() ![]() ![]() She reveals herself as a solitary, dramatic child in an unusual family: ``My childhood years were a balance of light and dark.the coal industry was dominant and everything we wore was eventually covered in soot.'' She takes us through her development as a dancer and choreographer, and is open and focused about the motivation and meaning of her work: ``There are always ancestral footsteps behind me, pushing me.gestures are flowing through me.'' On the strong female roles she has created: ``All the things I do are in every woman. Graham was born in 1894 (``Grover Cleveland was in his second presidential term.Victoria was still Queen''), in Allegheny, Pennsylvania. This, her own account of her life and work, is her vivid last word. She died early this year, still choreographing, still bitterly protesting old age, still fretting over her company's financial and artistic future. I was chosen to be a dancer, and with that, you live all your life.'' This is Martha Graham, all right: intense, imperious, passionate, and at times surprisingly funny. ``People have asked me why I chose to be a dancer. ![]() ![]() ![]() To read Sadie and Hannah's stories look for the novellas Stuck with You and Below Zero.Īli Hazelwood's latest novel, Love on the Brain is out now. And the more Mara finds out about Liam, the harder it is to loathe him.and the easier it is to love him. A scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis it leads to combustion. ![]() The problem is, living with someone means getting to know them. under one roof From the New York Times best-selling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new steamy, STEMinist novella. I love cats, Nutella, and side ponytails. Liam was already entrenched in his aunt's house like some glowering grumpy giant when Mara moved in, with his big muscles and kissable mouth just sitting there on the couch tempting respectable scientists to the dark side.but Helena was her mentor and Mara's not about to move out and give up her inheritance without a fight. Im Ali, and I write contemporary romcom novels about women in STEM and academia. Okay, sure, technically she's the interloper. And other rules Liam, her detestable big-oil lawyer of a roommate, knows nothing about. Though their fields of study might take them to different corners of the world, they can all agree on this universal truth: when it comes to love and science, opposites attract and rivals make you burn.Īs an environmental engineer, Mara knows all about the delicate nature of ecosystems. Mara, Sadie, and Hannah are friends first, scientists always. From the New York Times and Sunday Times bestselling author of The Love Hypothesis comes a new steamy, STEMinist novella.Ī scientist should never cohabitate with her annoyingly hot nemesis - it leads to combustion. ![]() ![]() An Etch A Sketch Operation game board Legos paper doll books Colorforms box and stickies Richard Scarry books and a heap of molded plastic horses: No surface was uncovered. Cone opened the door and I followed her past Snoopy into a space that looked like it had been attacked by a cannon that shot out toys. Everything was slightly angled, as if placed there by a drunk on his knees. The bottom half of the single closed door was plastered with IMPEACHMENT: Now More Than Ever bumper stickers and a masking-taped poster of Snoopy dancing, nose in the air. On the second floor all but one of the dark wood doors were open. But I never expected to find a home like this in our neighborhood, Roland Park, which my mother claimed was the finest neighborhood in Baltimore. Did people really live like this? I suppose I knew that they did somewhere in the world. Cone used her bare foot (toenails painted a glittering red) to kick aside a stack of sweaters on the steps, I felt a jolt of wonder. I had just turned fourteen, it was 1975, and my ideas about homes, furniture, and cleanliness ran straight into me like an umbilical cord from my mother. ![]() ![]() I wanted to stop at every turn and examine the things that were stacked and heaped in places they didn’t belong: books teetering on a burner on the stove, a coffee cup on a shoebox in the entrance hall, a copper Buddha on the radiator, a pink blow-up pool raft in the center of the living room. ![]() ![]() ![]() One of the most tragic outcomes of mental health issues is suicide, and rates increased approximately 36% between 2000–2021. “If you are wondering whether to seek mental health counseling, don’t second guess yourself, it’s probably a good time,” said Rheeda Walker, University of Houston professor of psychology and director of the Culture, Risk and Resilience Lab. F rom pandemic burnout to isolation and loneliness, to the economic downturn, the focus on mental health has never been greater.īut when do you know you need a therapist? During Mental Health Awareness Month, it's a good time to ask and answer serious questions. Unfortunately, the need for mental health awareness has only risen. In 1949 Congress declared May as National Mental Health Awareness Month due to the increased number of veterans suffering from mental illnesses after returning from World War II. Rheeda Walker, professor of psychology and director of the Culture, Risk and Resilience Lab at UH, advises that if you are wondering whether to seek therapy, don’t second guess yourself, it’s probably a good time. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Awards: 2009 Rhode Island Children's Book Award, 2007 New York Public Library 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing, North Carolina Children’s Book Award 2011, 2011 Nutmeg Award (Connecticut) Don’t miss the website or the sequel The Lemonade Crime (2011). Brimming with savvy marketing tips for making money at any business, definitions of business terms, charts, diagrams, and even math problems, this fresh, funny, emotionally charged novel subtly explores how arguments can escalate beyond anyone’s intent. So when the siblings’ lemonade stand war begins, there really is no telling who will win-or even if their fight will ever end. His younger sister, Jessie, on the other hand, is math-smart, but not especially good with people. He’s good at talking with people, even grownups. ![]() Fourth-grader Evan Treski is people-smart. The Lemonade War (The Lemonade War, 1), The Lemonade Crime (The Lemonade War, 2), The Bell Bandit (The Lemonade War, 3), The Candy Smash (The Lemonad. The world is a thirsty place, he thought as he nearly emptied his fourth pitcher of the day. ![]() |