Something to Live For

Something to Live For
Author: Richard Roper
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 354
Release: 2020-07-28
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0525539891

Previously published as How Not to Die Alone Smart, darkly funny, and life-affirming, for fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, Something to Live For is the bighearted debut novel we all need, a story about love, loneliness, and the importance of taking a chance when we feel we have the most to lose. "Off-beat and winning...Gives resiliency and the triumph of the human spirit a good name." --The Wall Street Journal All Andrew wants is to be normal. That's why his coworkers believe he has the perfect wife and two children waiting at home for him after a long day. But the truth is, his life isn't exactly as people think . . . and his little white lie is about to catch up with him. Because in all of Andrew's efforts to fit in, he's forgotten one important thing: how to really live. And maybe, it's finally time for him to start. "Roper illuminates Andrew's interior life to reveal not what an odd duck he is, but what odd ducks we all are." --The New York Times Book Review

Something to Live For

Something to Live For
Author: Richard Roper
Publisher: Hachette UK
Total Pages: 294
Release: 2019-06-27
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1409185621

Curl up with the page-turning story full of heart that has readers raving, about Andrew, who has forgotten how to live, and Peggy, who helps him remember... **** 'A magnificent read. Tender, funny, compelling' Lucy Foley, bestselling author of The Guest List 'I adored this! It warmed my heart, broke it a little, then put it back together' Beth O'Leary, bestselling author of The Flatshare 'Funny, moving and thought-provoking - I loved this' Clare Mackintosh, bestselling author of After the End 'Funny, fresh and achingly tender. Richard's writing hooked me in from the very first page' Cathy Bramley, bestselling author of A Patchwork Family **** MEET ANDREW. Everybody likes Andrew. But they don't really know him. They know what he's told them - that he's happily married with two kids. Living the kind of life that's either so boring it's true, or so perfect it's a lie... ENTER PEGGY. Peggy arrives in Andrew's life in a burst of kindness and possibility. For the first time in ages, Andrew feels alive again. So now that he has everything to lose, can he risk it all and tell Peggy the truth? 'If you loved Eleanor Oliphant, try this brilliant new read' Fabulous ------------------------- See what everyone is saying about this charming, uplifting bestseller - from your favourite authors to other readers! 'A life-affirming novel that simultaneously tweaks your funny-bone and tugs at your heartstrings. Brilliant!' Matt Dunn 'Funny, moving and uplifting...I loved it' Libby Page 'Heart-breaking. Hilarious. Life-affirming' Holly Bourne 'It pulls you in, makes you laugh and breaks your heart' Gill Hornby 'A beautiful, heart-warming laugh out loud story' Dinah Jefferies 'My favourite read this year *****' 'An emotional rollercoaster of a read *****' 'I couldn't put this down *****' 'I haven't laughed so much in a long time *****' 'The end left me smiling *****'

How Not to Die Alone

How Not to Die Alone
Author: Richard Roper
Publisher:
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2019
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0525539883

Smart, darkly funny, and life-affirming, How Not to Die Alone is the bighearted debut novel we all need, for fans of Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine, it's a story about love, loneliness, and the importance of taking a chance when we feel we have the most to lose. "Wryly funny and quirkily charming."--Eleanor Brown, author of The Weird Sisters Sometimes you need to risk everything...to find your something. Andrew's been feeling stuck. For years he's worked a thankless public health job, searching for the next of kin of those who die alone. Luckily, he goes home to a loving family every night. At least, that's what his coworkers believe. Then he meets Peggy. A misunderstanding has left Andrew trapped in his own white lie and his lonely apartment. When new employee Peggy breezes into the office like a breath of fresh air, she makes Andrew feel truly alive for the first time in decades. Could there be more to life than this? But telling Peggy the truth could mean losing everything. For twenty years, Andrew has worked to keep his heart safe, forgetting one important thing: how to live. Maybe it's time for him to start.

Something to Live For

Something to Live For
Author: Walter van de Leur
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2002-01-31
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 0198028857

Duke Ellington was one of jazz's greatest figures, a composer and bandleader of unparalleled importance and influence. But little attention has been given to his chief musical collaborator, Billy Strayhorn, who created hundreds of compositions and arrangements for his musical partner, and without whom the sound of Ellington's orchestra would have been very different. Now, in Walter van de Leur's provocative new book, Something To Live For, Billy Strayhorn steps out from Ellington's shadow and into the spotlight. Van de Leur argues that far from being merely a follower of Ellington or his alter ego, Strayhorn brought a radically new and visionary way of writing to the Ellington orchestra. Making extensive use, for the first time, of over 3,000 autograph scores, Van de Leur separates Strayhorn from Ellington, establishes who wrote what, and clearly distinguishes between their distinctive musical styles. "Both Strayhorn's and Ellington's oeuvres," writes Van de Leur, "though historically intertwined, nevertheless form coherent, separate musical entities, especially in terms of harmonic, melodic, and structural design." Indeed, Something to Live For allows us to see the characteristic features of Strayhorn's compositions and arrangements, his "musical fingerprints," and to analyze and evaluate his music on its own terms. The book also makes clear that Strayhorn's contribution to the band was much larger, and more original, than has been previously acknowledged. Based on a decade of research and offering detailed analyses of over 70 musical examples, Something to Live For casts new light--and will surely arouse intense debate--on two of the most important composers in the history of jazz.

One Small Thing

One Small Thing
Author: Erin Watt
Publisher: Harlequin
Total Pages: 241
Release: 2018-06-26
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1488030499

In this “engaging” teen romance From a #1 New York Times bestseller, “a high school senior falls for the boy who accidentally killed her sister” (Kirkus Reviews). Beth’s life hasn’t been the same since her sister died. Her parents try to lock her down, believing they can keep her safe by monitoring her every move. When Beth sneaks out to a party one night and meets the new guy in town, Chase, she’s thrilled to make a secret friend. It seems like a small thing, just for her. Only Beth doesn’t know how big her secret really is . . . Fresh out of juvie and determined to start his life over, Chase has demons to face and much to atone for, including his part in the night Beth’s sister died. Beth, who has more reason than anyone to despise him, is willing to give him a second chance. A forbidden romance is the last thing either of them planned for senior year, but the more time they spend together, the deeper their feelings get. Now Beth has a choice to make—follow the rules, or risk tearing everything apart . . . again. “Watt skillfully dissects an extremely complicated and highly improbable situation to reveal the layers of emotions experienced by Beth and other characters.” —Publishers Weekly “Erin Watt always delivers a high-octane story with plenty of twists. One Small Thing is a journey of love and forgiveness and exploring the boundaries of life. You grow with these characters as they learn how beautiful and difficult life can be.” —USA Today “Happily Ever After” Blog

Something to Live For

Something to Live For
Author: Richard Leider
Publisher: Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2008-07
Genre: Family & Relationships
ISBN: 1576759032

The second half of life is a journey into unknown territory—a safari like the one that inspired this deeply renewing and inspiring book. Drawing upon ancient wisdom and modern research for guidance, Richard Leider and David Shapiro invite you on a journey back to the primordial rhythms—back to a time and place where we are better able to clarify for ourselves what really matters in our lives. They share stories from their own lives and of others facing midlife and beyond, stories that exemplify the qualities of authenticity and wholeheartedness that are the essential components of vital aging. And they offer up positive practices that can help us save and savor the world: live an authentic life of purpose and meaning while balancing our lives with vitality and joy

Lush Life

Lush Life
Author: David Hajdu
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
Total Pages: 398
Release: 2013-04-26
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1466842784

“Arguably the finest biography yet written about a jazz musician . . . [It] will fascinate readers who have never heard a note of Strayhorn’s music.” —Joel E. Seigel, Washington City Paper A finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award Billy Strayhorn (1915–67) was one of the greatest composers in the history of American music, the creator of a body of work that includes such standards as “Take the ‘A’ Train.” Yet all his life Strayhorn was overshadowed by his friend and collaborator Duke Ellington, with whom he worked for three decades as the Ellington Orchestra’s ace songwriter and arranger. A “definitive” corrective (USA Today) to decades of patchwork scholarship and journalism about this giant of jazz, David Hajdu’s Lush Life is a vibrant and absorbing account of the “lush life” that Strayhorn and other jazz musicians led in Harlem and Paris. While composing some of the most gorgeous American music of the twentieth century, Strayhorn labored under a complex agreement whereby Ellington took the bows for his work. Until his life was tragically cut short by cancer and alcohol abuse, the small, shy composer carried himself with singular style and grace as one of the few jazzmen to be openly homosexual. Lush Life has sparked an enthusiastic revival of interest in Strayhorn’s work and is already acknowledged as a jazz classic. “A book as beautiful and intelligent as its subject. David Hajdu has brought all my dear memories of Billy Strayhorn to life.” —Lena Horne “It is a mark of excellence of this biography that it leaves one wanting nothing so much as to listen to the music.” —Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post Book World

When We Were Young

When We Were Young
Author: Richard Roper
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 353
Release: 2021-07-20
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 052553993X

From the author of Something to Live For, a nostalgic, heart-warming story of two long-lost friends who embark on a 184-mile walk of the Thames Path in order to find their way back to the truth, and to their friendship. How do you move forward…when all you want to do is go back? Joel and Theo haven’t spoken since the summer they turned sixteen, but that’s about to change. From the outside Joel looks like the picture of success: a TV scriptwriter with a smash hit who’s still together and in love with his teenage sweetheart, Amber. But he's falling apart at the seams. He's headed home to reconnect with best friend Theo--to get back to the start of it all. Theo has been living in his parents' shed, nursing a broken heart and a wounded ego, convinced life can't get any worse. Then he gets evicted on his 30th birthday. He thinks he's done with the real world - until it shows up on his doorstep... One of them is keeping a secret, and the other is living a lie. But can the promise they once made to walk all 184 miles of the Thames Path help them find their way back to the truth--and to their friendship?

Love, and Other Things to Live For

Love, and Other Things to Live For
Author: Louise Leverett
Publisher: HarperCollins UK
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2019-04-18
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0008237042

Jessica Wood is an aspiring photographer living in London. She’s had her heart broken, and her friends have pieced it back together again.