| Search | About | Preferences | Interact | Help | |
| 150 million books. 1 search engine. | ||
› Find signed collectible books: 'About a Boy'
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 realise 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."
What interferes with Will's career arc, of course, is reality--in the shape of a 12-year-old boy who is in many ways his polar opposite. For Marcus, cool isn't even a possibility, let alone an issue. For starters, he's a victim at his new school. Things at home are pretty awful, too, since his musical-therapist mother seems increasingly in need of therapy herself. All Marcus can do is cobble together information with a mixture of incomprehension, innocence, self-blame and unfettered clear sight. As fans of Fever Pitch and High Fidelity already know, Hornby's insight into laddishness magically combines the serious and the hilarious. About a Boy continues his singular examination of masculine wish-fulfilment and fear. This time, though, the author lets women and children onto the playing field, forcing his feckless hero to leap over an entirely new--and entirely welcome--set of emotional hurdles. [via]
More editions of About a Boy:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No To Take Control of Your Life'
In order to call themselves good Christians, many people have drawn overly flexible boundaries (unwilling to say no, always accommodating others' needs) or overly rigid boundaries (to the point of being righteous and judgmental). Psychologists and inspirational speakers Cloud and Townsend show readers how to set reasonable boundaries in order to follow the true path of Christianity. This book has become immensely popular, most likely because it makes personal boundaries easier to define and is filled with spiritual purpose. Some cautions: the format can be overly self-helpish for such a complex discussion and the authors at one point imply that judicious spankings may be an acceptable form of setting boundaries with children. However, many Christians will probably find themselves grateful for this biblical context of boundaries. --Gail Hudson [via]
More editions of Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No To Take Control of Your Life:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Boundaries: When to say Yes, When to Say No, To Take Control of Your Life'
In order to call themselves good Christians, many people have drawn overly flexible boundaries (unwilling to say no, always accommodating others' needs) or overly rigid boundaries (to the point of being righteous and judgmental). Psychologists and inspirational speakers Cloud and Townsend show readers how to set reasonable boundaries in order to follow the true path of Christianity. This book has become immensely popular, most likely because it makes personal boundaries easier to define and is filled with spiritual purpose. Some cautions: the format can be overly self-helpish for such a complex discussion and the authors at one point imply that judicious spankings may be an acceptable form of setting boundaries with children. However, many Christians will probably find themselves grateful for this biblical context of boundaries. --Gail Hudson [via]
More editions of Boundaries: When to say Yes, When to Say No, To Take Control of Your Life:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Boy Meets Girl'
Joshua Harris follows up his bestselling I Kissed Dating Goodbye with Boy Meets Girl, the story of how he met and married his wife, Shannon. Where Harris's first book encouraged readers to throw off modern ideas of romantic fixation, Boy Meets Girl goes to the next level and urges single Christian men and women to pursue courtship, and ultimately marriage, thoughtfully and prayerfully. Knowing that many readers will balk at the idea of premeditated courtship, Harris insists that dating should not be emotional recreation but rather a careful decision rooted in obedience to God. While the anecdotes used to reveal true-to-life scenarios about dating pitfalls are somewhat elementary (and geared to those in their 20s), Harris succeeds in hammering home the point that obedience to God's word, selfless love, community, purity, and satisfaction in God are the most important aspect of any relationship. The last section of the book is particularly practical, discussing forgiveness of past sexual sin, questions to ask before tying the knot, and how an understanding of our sinful nature can lead to conflict resolution. For Harris's mere twentysomething years of life experience, his maturity and devotion to God are sincere evidence that he has indeed practiced what he has preached, resulting in a passionate relationship with the love of his life. --Jill Heatherly [via]
More editions of Boy Meets Girl:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship'
Joshua Harris follows up his bestselling I Kissed Dating Goodbye with Boy Meets Girl, the story of how he met and married his wife, Shannon. Where Harris's first book encouraged readers to throw off modern ideas of romantic fixation, Boy Meets Girl goes to the next level and urges single Christian men and women to pursue courtship, and ultimately marriage, thoughtfully and prayerfully. Knowing that many readers will balk at the idea of premeditated courtship, Harris insists that dating should not be emotional recreation but rather a careful decision rooted in obedience to God. While the anecdotes used to reveal true-to-life scenarios about dating pitfalls are somewhat elementary (and geared to those in their 20s), Harris succeeds in hammering home the point that obedience to God's word, selfless love, community, purity, and satisfaction in God are the most important aspect of any relationship. The last section of the book is particularly practical, discussing forgiveness of past sexual sin, questions to ask before tying the knot, and how an understanding of our sinful nature can lead to conflict resolution. For Harris's mere twentysomething years of life experience, his maturity and devotion to God are sincere evidence that he has indeed practiced what he has preached, resulting in a passionate relationship with the love of his life. --Jill Heatherly [via]
More editions of Boy Meets Girl: Say Hello to Courtship:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Bridget Jones's Diary'
Now a major motion picture starring Renee Zellwegger and Hugh Grant!
"130 lbs. (how is it possible to put on 4 pounds overnight? Could flesh have somehow solidified becoming denser and heavier (repulsive, horrifying notion)); alcohol units 2 (excellent) cigarettes 21 (poor but will give up totally tomorrow); number of correct lottery numbers 2 (better, but nevertheless useless)?"
This laugh-out-loud chronicle charts a year in the life of Bridget Jones, a single girl on a permanent, doomed quest for self-improvement--in which she resolves to: visit the gym three times a week not merely to buy a sandwich, form a functional relationship with a responsible adult, and not fall for any of the following: misogynists, megalomaniacs, adulterers, workaholics, chauvinists or perverts. And learn to program the VCR. Caught between her Singleton friends, who are all convinced they will end up dying alone and found three weeks later half-eaten by an Alsatian, and the Smug Marrieds, whose dinner parties offer ever-new opportunities for humiliation, Bridget struggles to keep her life on an even keel (or at least afloat). Through it all, she will have her readers helpless with laughter and shouting, "BRIDGET JONES IS ME!"
[via]More editions of Bridget Jones's Diary:
› Find signed collectible books: 'El Diario De Bridget Jones / Bridget Jones's Diary'
Helen Fielding ha creado un personaje cómico, hilarante que hable sin tapujos sobre sus contemporaneos, Bridget Jones. El Diario de Bridget Jones es una sabia combinación de Anita Loos and Jane Austen y ha conseguido un éxito espectacular en todos los paises. [via]
More editions of El Diario De Bridget Jones / Bridget Jones's Diary:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Ethical Slut: A Guide to Infinite Sexual Possibilities'
At last..a comprehensive, no-holds-barred guide for anyone who dreams of having all the sex and love and friendship they want. Here are all the skills you need for successful...and ethical...sluthood, from scheduling dates to handling jealousy, finding partners to resolving conflict, raising children to caring for your health. If you've ever envisioned a universe beyond traditional lifetime monogamy, this is the book for you! [via]
More editions of The Ethical Slut: A Guide to Infinite Sexual Possibilities:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships'
How many ways are there to say -I-m sorry?- Well, it<br> depends on your language of apology.<br> Just as you have a different love language, you also hear and<br> express the words and gestures of apology in a different language.<br> Best-selling author Gary Chapman has teamed with counselor<br> Jennifer Thomas to explore the different languages of apology and<br> reach a whole new audience with this easy to follow and quickly<br> applicable communication tool.<br> [via]
More editions of Five Languages of Apology: How to Experience Healing in All Your Relationships:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Five Love Languages & Five Love Journal: Gift, Shrink Wrapped'
Unhappiness in marriage often has a simple root cause: we speak different love languages, believes Dr. Gary Chapman. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. In a friendly, often humorous style, he unpacks each one. Some husbands or wives may crave focused attention; another needs regular praise. Gifts are highly important to one spouse, while another sees fixing a leaky faucet, ironing a shirt, or cooking a meal as filling their "love tank." Some partners might find physical touch makes them feel valued: holding hands, giving back rubs, and sexual contact. Chapman illustrates each love language with real-life examples from his counseling practice.
How do you discover your spouses and your own love language? Chapmans short questionnaires are one of several ways to find out. Throughout the book, he also includes application questions that can be answered more extensively in the beautifully detailed companion leather journal (an exclusive Amazon.com bonus). Each section of the journal corresponds with a chapter from the book, offering opportunities for deeper reflection on your marriage.
Although some readers may find choosing to love a spouse that they no longer even like hoping the feelings of affection will follow later a difficult concept to swallow, Chapman promises that the results will be worth the effort. "Love is a choice," says Chapman. "And either partner can start the process today." --Cindy Crosby [via]
More editions of The Five Love Languages & Five Love Journal: Gift, Shrink Wrapped:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Five Love Languages: How To Express Heartfelt Commitment To Your Mate'
People express and receive love in different ways. Dr. Gary Chapman identifies these as the five languages of love: Quality of Time, Words of Affirmation, Gifts, Acts of Service, Physical Touch. If you express love in a way your spouse doesn't understand, he or she won't realize you have expressed your love at all. The problem is that you are speaking two different languages. Perhaps your husband needs to hear encouraging words, but you fell cooking a nice dinner will cheer him up. When he still fells down, you are puzzled. Or, maybe your wife craves time with you - time away from the kids and television. The flowers you gave her just don't communicate that you care. In this new edition of The Five Love Languages, you will find a couple's guide to help you work as a team. Before you know it, you will learn to speak and understand the unique languages of love and effectively express your love as well as feel truly loved in ret [via]
More editions of The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate:
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Five Love Languages: Men's Edition How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate'
Focus, men! Gary Chapman addresses men specifically in this new edition of the multi-million seller, The Five Love Languages. You can understand your wife! Dr. Gary Chapman tackles the tough relationship issues men face-how to express your feelings to your wife, how to interpret her responses, how to make sex more meaningful and pleasurable for you and your wife-in this special edition designed specifically for men. At the end of each chapter are ten ideas for expressing that particular love language to the woman in your life. Do you think her love language is gifts? Take the quiz and find out, then use the practical tips and tell her how much you love her. [via]
More editions of The Five Love Languages: Men's Edition How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate:
› Find signed collectible books: 'He's Just Not That into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys'
Based on an episode of "Sex and the City," offers a lighthearted, no-nonsense look at dead-end relationships, with advice for letting go and moving on. [via]
More editions of He's Just Not That into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys:
› Find signed collectible books: 'He's Just Not That into You: Your Daily Wake-up Call'
For ages women have come together over coffee, cocktails, or late-night phone chats to analyze the puzzling behavior of men.
He's afraid to get hurt again.
Maybe he doesn't want to ruin the friendship.
Maybe he's intimidated by me.
He just got out of a relationship.
Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo are here to say that -- despite good intentions -- you're wasting your time. Men are not complicated, although they'd like you to think they are. And there are no mixed messages.
The truth may be He's just not that into you.
Unfortunately, guys are too terrified to ever directly tell a woman "You're not the one." But their actions absolutely show how they feel.
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU -- based on a popular episode of Sex and the City -- educates otherwise smart women on how to tell when a guy just doesn't like them enough, so they can stop wasting time making excuses for a dead-end relationship.
Reexamining familiar scenarios and classic mind-sets that keep us in unsatisfying relationships, Behrendt and Tuccillo's wise and wry understanding of the sexes spares women hours of waiting by the phone, obsessing over the details with sympathetic girlfriends, and hoping his mixed messages really mean "I'm in love with you and want to be with you."
HE'S JUST NOT THAT INTO YOU is provocative, hilarious, and, above all, intoxicatingly liberating. It deserves a place on every woman's night table. It knows you're a beautiful, smart, funny woman who deserves better. The next time you feel the need to start "figuring him out," consider the glorious thought that maybe He's just not that into you. And then set yourself loose to go find the one who is. [via]
More editions of He's Just Not That into You: Your Daily Wake-up Call:
› Find signed collectible books: 'He's Just Not That into You: Your Daily Wake-up Call'
Now in bite-size mantras, the abridged empathetic wit and wisdom of the number one New York Times bestseller He's Just Not That Into You will recharge and inspire your dating outlook one wake-up call at a time.
For ages women have come together over coffee, cocktails, or late-night phone chats to analyze the puzzling behavior of men. Greg Behrendt and Liz Tuccillo are here to say that -- despite good intentions -- you're wasting your time. Men are not complicated, although they'd like you to think they are. And there are no mixed messages.
The truth may be, He's just not that into you.
He's Just Not That Into You -- based on a popular episode of Sex and the City -- educates otherwise smart women on how to tell when a guy just doesn't like them enough, so they can stop wasting time making excuses for a dead-end relationship. This book knows you're a beautiful, smart, funny woman who deserves better [via]
More editions of He's Just Not That into You: Your Daily Wake-up Call:
› Find signed collectible books: 'High Fidelity'
It has been said often enough that baby boomers are a television generation, but the very funny novel High Fidelity reminds that in a way they are the record-album generation as well. This funny novel is obsessed with music; Hornby's narrator is an early-thirtysomething English guy who runs a London record store. He sells albums recorded the old-fashioned way--on vinyl--and is having a tough time making other transitions as well, specifically adulthood. The book is in one sense a love story, both sweet and interesting; most entertaining, though, are the hilarious arguments over arcane matters of pop music. [via]
More editions of High Fidelity:
› Find signed collectible books: 'How to Win Friends & Influence People'
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, "let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers," and "talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person." Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks. --Joan Price [via]
More editions of How to Win Friends & Influence People:
› Find signed collectible books: 'How to Win Friends & Influence People'
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, "let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers," and "talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person." Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks. --Joan Price [via]
More editions of How to Win Friends & Influence People:
› Find signed collectible books: 'How to Win Friends and Influence People'
This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. How to Win Friends and Influence People is just as useful today as it was when it was first published, because Dale Carnegie had an understanding of human nature that will never be outdated. Financial success, Carnegie believed, is due 15 percent to professional knowledge and 85 percent to "the ability to express ideas, to assume leadership, and to arouse enthusiasm among people." He teaches these skills through underlying principles of dealing with people so that they feel important and appreciated. He also emphasizes fundamental techniques for handling people without making them feel manipulated. Carnegie says you can make someone want to do what you want them to by seeing the situation from the other person's point of view and "arousing in the other person an eager want." You learn how to make people like you, win people over to your way of thinking, and change people without causing offense or arousing resentment. For instance, "let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers," and "talk about your own mistakes before criticizing the other person." Carnegie illustrates his points with anecdotes of historical figures, leaders of the business world, and everyday folks. --Joan Price [via]
More editions of How to Win Friends and Influence People:
› Find signed collectible books: 'I Kissed Dating Goodbye'
The I Kissed Dating Goodbye Study Guide, based on Joshua Harris's phenomenal bestseller, with over 300,000 copies sold, provides youth with a new resource for living a lifestyle of sincere love, true purity, and purposeful singleness. Honest and practical, this powerful study guide helps teens and young adults remap their romantic lives in the light of God's Word. It also includes healthy challenges to today's cultural assumptions about relationships and provides solid, biblical alternatives to society's norms. [via]
More editions of I Kissed Dating Goodbye:
Relationship counselor John Gray focuses on the differences between men and women--men are from Mars, and women are from Venus, after all--and offers a simple solution: couples must acknowledge and accept these differences before they can develop happier relationships. In this unabridged version, Gray gives a spirited delivery of his message, especially when role-playing typical male/female interactions. Although it takes some time to adjust to his slightly nasal tone, the information is sound and gives both men and women helpful hints on improving themselves and their union. (Running time: 9.5 hours, 6 cassettes) --Sharon Griggins [via]
More editions of Men Are from Mars:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus'
Relationship counselor John Gray focuses on the differences between men and women--men are from Mars, and women are from Venus, after all--and offers a simple solution: couples must acknowledge and accept these differences before they can develop happier relationships. In this unabridged version, Gray gives a spirited delivery of his message, especially when role-playing typical male/female interactions. Although it takes some time to adjust to his slightly nasal tone, the information is sound and gives both men and women helpful hints on improving themselves and their union. (Running time: 9.5 hours, 6 cassettes) --Sharon Griggins [via]
More editions of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships'
Popular marriage counselor and seminar leader John Gray provides a unique, practical and proven way for men and women to communicate and relate better by acknowledging the differences between them. Once upon a time Martians and Venusians met, fell in love, and had happy relationships together because they respected and accepted their differences. Then they came to earth and amnesia set in: they forgot they were from different planets. Using this metaphor to illustrate the commonly occurring conflicts between men and women, Gray explains how these differences can come between the sexes and prohibit mutually fulfilling loving relationships. Based on years of successful counseling of couples, he gives advice on how to counteract these differences in communication styles, emotional needs and modes of behavior to promote a greater understanding between individual partners. Gray shows how men and women react differently in conversation and how their relationships are affected by male intimacy cycles ("get close", "back off"), and female self-esteem fluctuations ("I'm okay", "I'm not okay"). He encourages readers to accept the other gender's particular way of expressing love, and helps men and women learn how to fulfill each other's emotional needs. With practical suggestions on how to reduce conflict, crucial information on how to interpret a partner's behavior and methods for preventing emotional "trash from the past" from invading new relationships, Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus is a valuable tool for couples who want to develop deeper and more satisfying relationships with their partners. [via]
More editions of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus: A Practical Guide for Improving Communication and Getting What You Want in Your Relationships:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Men, Women, and Relationships: Making Peace with the Opposite Sex'
John Gray, New York Times bestselling author of Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, reveals that the key to creating and maintaining successful relationships between men and women lies in accepting our differences. By trying to make our partners over in our own likeness, Gray reminds us we destroy what we first found so appealing.
Writing with the compassionate understanding that is his trademark, Gray draws on his wealth of experience from twenty years of work in couples therapy, his two mega-selling books, as well as his hugely popular national workshops and seminars. In Men, Women, and Relationships, he ably demonstrates that only through respecting, appreciating, and responding to our natural differences can we achieve real happiness and fulfillment in our relationships.
Discover the simple, practical techniques that can enable all of us to experience the healthy, supportive love we deserve. [via]
More editions of Men, Women, and Relationships: Making Peace with the Opposite Sex:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Orgullo Y Prejuicio / Pride and Prejudice'
More editions of Orgullo Y Prejuicio / Pride and Prejudice:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Passion and Purity'
Elisabeth Elliot's story centers around one pivotal question: "Does God want everything?" Her emphatic answer--"Yes"--is what makes Passion and Purity the foremost Christian book on dating ever written. Based on stories, journal entries, and letters chronicling her own five-year courtship with Jim Elliot, she gives frank advice, scriptural directives, and compassionate examples of what it means to follow Christ in the midst of heartache and impatience. The perfect antidote for those who flounder in the thinking that "the Bible doesn't say anything about dating," Elliot's short chapters are filled with nuggets of wisdom that spell out exactly the opposite. "Until the will and the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let alone accept His lordship. The Cross, as it enters the love live, will reveal the heart's truth." Whether in a dating relationship, married, or pursuing a call to single life, readers will find Elliot's message challenging them to a true faith in a Christ who lovingly calls us to surrender all. --Courtenay Kehn [via]
More editions of Passion and Purity:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control'
Elisabeth Elliot's story centers around one pivotal question: "Does God want everything?" Her emphatic answer--"Yes"--is what makes Passion and Purity the foremost Christian book on dating ever written. Based on stories, journal entries, and letters chronicling her own five-year courtship with Jim Elliot, she gives frank advice, scriptural directives, and compassionate examples of what it means to follow Christ in the midst of heartache and impatience. The perfect antidote for those who flounder in the thinking that "the Bible doesn't say anything about dating," Elliot's short chapters are filled with nuggets of wisdom that spell out exactly the opposite. "Until the will and the affections are brought under the authority of Christ, we have not begun to understand, let alone accept His lordship. The Cross, as it enters the love live, will reveal the heart's truth." Whether in a dating relationship, married, or pursuing a call to single life, readers will find Elliot's message challenging them to a true faith in a Christ who lovingly calls us to surrender all. --Courtenay Kehn [via]
More editions of Passion and Purity: Learning to Bring Your Love Life Under Christ's Control:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Pride And Prejudice'
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick, "Call me Ishmael," the first sentence of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground.
Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber [via]
More editions of Pride and Prejudice:

› Find signed collectible books: 'Pride and Prejudice'
More editions of Pride and Prejudice:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Pride and Prejudice'
"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife."
Next to the exhortation at the beginning of Moby-Dick, "Call me Ishmael," the first sentence of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice must be among the most quoted in literature. And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground.
Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber [via]
More editions of Pride and Prejudice:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Shopgirl'
Steve Martin's first foray into fiction is as assured as it is surprising. Set in Los Angeles, its fascination with the surreal body fascism of the upper classes feels like the comedian's familiar territory, but the shopgirl of the book's title may surprise his fans. Mirabelle works in the glove department of Neiman's, "selling things that nobody buys any more." Spending her days waiting for customers to appear, Mirabelle "looks like a puppy standing on its hind legs, and the two brown dots of her eyes, set in the china plate of her face, make her seem very cute and noticeable." Lonely and vulnerable, she passes her evenings taking prescription drugs and drawing "dead things," while pursuing an on-off relationship with the hopeless Jeremy, who possesses "a slouch so extreme that he appears to have left his skeleton at home." Then Mr. Ray Porter steps into Mirabelle's life. He is much older, rich, successful, divorced, and selfish, desiring her "without obligation." Complicating the picture is Mirabelle's voracious rival, her fellow Neiman's employee Lisa, who uses sex "for attracting and discarding men."
The mutual incomprehension, psychological damage, and sheer vacuity practiced by all four of Martin's characters sees Shopgirl veer rather uncomfortably between a comedy of manners and a much darker work. There are some startling passages of description and interior monologue, but the characters are often rather hazy types. Martin tries too hard in his attempt to write a psychologically intense novel about West Coast anomie, but Shopgirl is still an enjoyable, if rather light, read. --Jerry Brotton [via]
› Find signed collectible books: 'The Time Traveler's Wife'
Passionately in love, Clare and Henry vow to hold onto each other and their marriage as they struggle with the effects of Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a condition that casts Henry involuntarily into the world of time travel. [via]
More editions of The Time Traveler's Wife:
› Find signed collectible books: 'You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation'
"A chatty, earnest and endearing book that promises here-and-now rewards for taking the trouble to listen more carefully to what others are saying--and to be more sensitive to what others are hearing."LOS ANGELES TIMESDiscover how men and women can interpret the same conversation differently, even when there is no apparent misunderstanding. Discover why sinscere attempts to communicate are so often confounded, and how we can prevent or relieve some of the frustration. This fascinating, helpful, and controversial book--on the NEW YORK TIMES Bestseller list for two years!--explores, in depth the differing style men and women articulate, and how to work through it and get to the heart of the matter. [via]
More editions of You Just Don't Understand: Women and Men in Conversation:
› Find signed collectible books: 'LA Autobiografia De Mi Madre'
Helen Fielding ha creado un personaje cómico, hilarante que hable sin tapujos sobre sus contemporaneos, Bridget Jones. El Diario de Bridget Jones es una sabia combinación de Anita Loos and Jane Austen y ha conseguido un éxito espectacular en todos los paises. [via]
More editions of LA Autobiografia De Mi Madre:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Los Cinco Lenguajes Del Amor :Como Expresar Devocion Sincera a Su Conyuge / / The Five Love Languages: Como Expresar Devocion Sincera a Su Conyuge'
Aprenda a hablarle al corazon de su conyuge en el lenguaje que realmente el o ella puedan interpretar. [via]
More editions of Los Cinco Lenguajes Del Amor :Como Expresar Devocion Sincera a Su Conyuge / / The Five Love Languages: Como Expresar Devocion Sincera a Su Conyuge:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Los cinco lenguajes del amor/Five Love Languages: Como expresar devocion sincera a su conyuge'
Aprenda a hablarle al corazon de su conyuge en el lenguaje que realmente el o ella puedan interpretar. [via]
More editions of Los cinco lenguajes del amor/Five Love Languages: Como expresar devocion sincera a su conyuge:
› Find signed collectible books: 'El Diario de Bridget Jones'
Helen Fielding ha creado un personaje cómico, hilarante que hable sin tapujos sobre sus contemporaneos, Bridget Jones. El Diario de Bridget Jones es una sabia combinación de Anita Loos and Jane Austen y ha conseguido un éxito espectacular en todos los paises. [via]
More editions of El Diario de Bridget Jones:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Erase Una Vez UN Padre'
Will, 36, is the eternal bachelor, unmarried, and does not feel any necessity to procreate. His goal is to have meaningless relationships with beautiful women that will leave him before things get too intense. As part of his plan to attract single women, he decides to pass himself off as a single dad. To do this, he befriends a young boy named Marcus. But little does he know that Marcus will change his outlook on life forever.
Description in Spanish: Will Freeman, soltero de treinta y seis años, tiene dinero suficiente para vivir sin trabajar y disfruta de mucho tiempo libre. No siente ninguna necesidad de procrear, pero ha descubierto que los hijos democratizan a las mujeres hermosas y esto ha despertado su interés por las madres solteras o separadas. De modo que se apunta a un grupo de autoayuda al que sólo asisten padres -pocos- o madres separadas. Para ello, naturalmente, debe fingir que tiene un hijo. Pero poco importa, a Will se le da bien contar mentiras. Marcus no tiene padre ni amigos, sus estudios no van bien y tampoco recibe demasiada ayuda de su madre. Cuando conoce a Will, cree haber hallado en él al sustituto del padre ausente. Sin embargo, ¿ cómo puede Will, un completo inmaduro, cumplir las funciones de progenitor? La relación entre ambos personajes nunca será la de un padre con su hijo, pero sí contribuirá a que maduren y se desenvuelvan mejor. [via]
More editions of Erase Una Vez UN Padre:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Mujer Del Viajero en el Tiempo'
Clare y Henry son en apariencia una pareja normal que lleva una vida corriente en Chicago. Él es bibliotecario y ella artista, pero la terrible verdad es que Henry sufre una extraña enfermedad que lo hace viajar en el tiempo, al pasado o al futuro sin previo aviso, normalmente fruto de una situación de estrés previa. Lo transporta desnudo, con desagradables malestares y vulnerable.
Cuando Henry tiene 31 años y Clare 23 se encuentran por primera vez. Y allí nace en tiempo presente su historia de amor, su vida en común de la que ocasionalmente Henry se ausenta propulsado a otras épocas de su vida y revisitando otros momentos felices o tristes, a veces encontrándose a sí mismo cuando era niño, con el temor de Clare de que no regrese de uno de esos viajes.
La historia se va desplegando contada a dos voces, bajo los puntos de vista de Clare y Henry, y enfoca las consecuencias de esta particularidad en su matrimonio y el amor apasionado que se tienen. Clare y Henry intentar llevar vidas normales, buscar una cura médica para la disfunción de Henry, ponerse objetivos a futuro, disfrutar de sus amigos y familia; aunque a veces se presenta la tentación de utilizar su capacidad de conocer el futuro para manejar el presente o evitar algún peligro... Pero todo ello está amenazado por algo que no pueden controlar ni prevenir: Henry puede viajar un día al futuro y descubrir que él ya no forma parte de ese tiempo, descubrir su propia muerte o la de sus seres queridos, ver a una Clare sola y envejecida, conocer a una hija que todavía no ha tenido y que heredará su extraña disfunción. [via]
More editions of Mujer Del Viajero en el Tiempo:
› Find signed collectible books: 'A Propos D'UN Gamin'
Pour Marcus, douze ans, une mère divorcée, dépressive et baba cool, la vie n'est pas toujours facile. Surtout quand de surcroît cette mère végétarienne n'écoute que des tubes des années soixante-dix, vous attife de vêtements ringards et que les durs de l'école ne jurent que par le hip-hop. Quant à Will, la trentaine, branché, riche, oisif et fier collectionneur d'amours épisodiques, il a du mal à trouver sa place dans la société. Malgré leur méfiance réciproque, l'homme et l'enfant que tout oppose vont finir par se trouver et s'épauler pour affronter l'adolescence et des liens sociaux distendus. Cette rencontre paradoxale entre un mâle solitaire prototype de l'homme moderne ! et un gosse tendre et marginal est magistralement orchestrée par Nick Hornby. Une histoire de parents célibataires, d'enfants solitaires, de fringues, de foot et de musique. Après les succès de Haute fidélité et Carton jaune, l'auteur signe là son livre le plus accompli. Le ton est sarcastique et drôle, les situations d'un réalisme désarmant et les émotions sincères. C'est enfin un regard d'une grande lucidité sur les désordres amoureux de cette fin de siècle. --Stellio Paris [via]
More editions of A Propos D'UN Gamin:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Le Journal De Bridget Jones'
Il est vrai que les femmes modernes et célibataires ont également leurs soucis ! Helen Fielding a choisi de nous les narrer à travers le journal de Bridget Jones, 29 ans, célibataire sans enfant et de terribles angoisses. Exemples : son poids à surveiller chaque jour, le nombre de cigarettes fumées, les calories ingurgitées, les pensées négatives et par-dessus le marché une mère extravagante et adultère. Bref, dans un élan de machisme incontrôlable, on pourrait suggérer que ce livre est surtout destiné aux lectrices de Elle et à la rigueur - ce qui est nouveau - à ceux de Men's Health.
Seulement voilà, derrière l'humour pointe l'ironie ou les remarques acerbes sur la gent masculine. Car Miss Bridget, si tourmentée qu'elle soit par son aspect physique et ses carences affectives, est également une féministe, mais de son temps. Elle assume seule sa vie professionnelle et sociale et refuse catégoriquement que les hommes viennent dans son giron pour se faire consoler, la dominer ou l'embobiner.
Ce petit livre, rafraîchissant comme un bouquet de roses pleines d'épines, est pour les hommes un complément indispensable à la lecture de Haute fidélité de Nick Hornby, traitant des affres du célibat masculin. Pour les femmes, il viendra conforter quelques certitudes ou leur donnera des pistes à suivre. --Stellio Paris [via]
More editions of Le Journal De Bridget Jones:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Schokolade Zum Fruhstuck'
Bridget Jones ist knapp über 30, arbeitet als Lektorin in einem Verlag, hat einen aktiven großen Freundeskreis -- eine selbstbewusste junge Frau also. Aber ihr Lebenslauf weist ein großes Manko auf: Sie ist Single. Ein unhaltbarer Zustand, wie auch ihre Eltern, deren Freunde sowie ihre verheirateten Freundinnen finden. Die sie prompt immer wieder einladen, um ihr alleinstehende Männer vorzustellen. Dieses Weihnachten war Mark Darcy der auserwählte Kandidat ihrer Eltern -- ein unmöglicher Mensch, grauenhaft gekleidet, mit dem man keine zwei vernünftigen Worte wechseln kann. Außerdem flirtet sie wie wild mit Daniel, ihrem Chef. Und ihre Freundinnen sind stolz auf sie -- hat sie es doch geschafft, sich wieder anzuziehen und zu gehen, nachdem Daniel ihr erklärt hatte, nur weil er scharf auf sie sei, wolle er noch lange keine Beziehung mit ihr. Nebenbei kämpft sie noch mit ihren Gewichtsproblemen, einem langweiligen Job, dem Single-Dasein als solchem und mit der Tatsache, dass ihre Mutter nun nach all den Jahren plötzlich anfängt auf Männerpirsch zu gehen und ein rasantes Eigenleben entwickelt.
Ein Unterhaltungsroman im besten Sinne des Wortes. Singles um die 30, die schon mindestens eine Diät hinter sich haben, werden sicher vieles wieder erkennen. Die Krisensitzungen mit den besten Freundinnen zum Beispiel, die wohlmeinenden Ratschläge derer, die schon unter der Haube sind (und deren Männer fremdgehen). Und bekannt ist vielleicht auch das Kalorienzählen, die Ausreden vor sich selbst, warum es denn nun ausgerechnet Schokolade anstelle vollwertiger Ernährung sein musste -- und das schlechte Gewissen am Tag danach. Ich konnte auf alle Fälle herzlich lachen. --Daniela Ecker [via]
More editions of Schokolade Zum Fruhstuck:
› Find signed collectible books: 'Das Tagebuch Der Bridget Jones'
Bridget Jones ist knapp über 30, arbeitet als Lektorin in einem Verlag, hat einen aktiven großen Freundeskreis -- eine selbstbewusste junge Frau also. Aber ihr Lebenslauf weist ein großes Manko auf: Sie ist Single. Ein unhaltbarer Zustand, wie auch ihre Eltern, deren Freunde sowie ihre verheirateten Freundinnen finden. Die sie prompt immer wieder einladen, um ihr alleinstehende Männer vorzustellen. Dieses Weihnachten war Mark Darcy der auserwählte Kandidat ihrer Eltern -- ein unmöglicher Mensch, grauenhaft gekleidet, mit dem man keine zwei vernünftigen Worte wechseln kann. Außerdem flirtet sie wie wild mit Daniel, ihrem Chef. Und ihre Freundinnen sind stolz auf sie -- hat sie es doch geschafft, sich wieder anzuziehen und zu gehen, nachdem Daniel ihr erklärt hatte, nur weil er scharf auf sie sei, wolle er noch lange keine Beziehung mit ihr. Nebenbei kämpft sie noch mit ihren Gewichtsproblemen, einem langweiligen Job, dem Single-Dasein als solchem und mit der Tatsache, dass ihre Mutter nun nach all den Jahren plötzlich anfängt auf Männerpirsch zu gehen und ein rasantes Eigenleben entwickelt.
Ein Unterhaltungsroman im besten Sinne des Wortes. Singles um die 30, die schon mindestens eine Diät hinter sich haben, werden sicher vieles wieder erkennen. Die Krisensitzungen mit den besten Freundinnen zum Beispiel, die wohlmeinenden Ratschläge derer, die schon unter der Haube sind (und deren Männer fremdgehen). Und bekannt ist vielleicht auch das Kalorienzählen, die Ausreden vor sich selbst, warum es denn nun ausgerechnet Schokolade anstelle vollwertiger Ernährung sein musste -- und das schlechte Gewissen am Tag danach. Ich konnte auf alle Fälle herzlich lachen. --Daniela Ecker [via]
More editions of Das Tagebuch Der Bridget Jones:
Results page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101-118 NEXT
