A Zany Slice Of Italy

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A Zany Slice of Italy

Author : Ivanka Di Felice
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780993693403
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (934 download)

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Book Synopsis A Zany Slice of Italy by : Ivanka Di Felice

Download or read book A Zany Slice of Italy written by Ivanka Di Felice and published by . This book was released on 2014-04 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This light, lively book takes place in Italy, with hilarious anecdotes about the author and her husband's trip to visit his family in Abruzzo and finally their escape to Tuscany. Her own expectations were shattered when she embarked on la dolce vita. She envisioned drinking unforgettable Brunello by candlelight and discussing art and history with elegant dinner guests. Instead, dinner discussions revolved around how to avoid a "bad wind," whether the Mafia runs IKEA, and bizarre theories on why the Chinese in Italy never have funerals. Now she drinks Zio's own "unforgettable," almost undrinkable, wine, as he pays long-winded tributes to the vile liquid as if it were an elixir of the gods. Celebrate with our author-for mere mortals, or their livers, could not have lived to tell the tale. Although the author was initially drawn to Italy for its art, architecture, and Vogue, often described in other books, it is evident that still lifes and stilettos do not hold this author's attention as much as living people do. The author's open, sympathetic viewpoint captures the characters' quirky charm and the local color. Although you certainly wouldn't call this a philosophical book, how the author observes and deals with individuals and situations in her life shows that she follows her own philosophy, one that is worth looking into. If we could regard the most sinister carabinieri and the most self-important consulate employee with sympathetic amusement and not anger, that would be an accomplishment worth imitating. The author can laugh at her own expense, a rare quality. Her attitude and wit can turn even adversity into an almost tolerable and redeeming experience. Although the author is not so naive as to think that all Italians' lives flow as smoothly as their olive oil, she has not met anyone in Italy who is bitterly disappointed with life. So pour yourself a glass of bad Italian wine, add a dose of accordion music, and spend some time in Ivanka Di Felice's Italy."

A Zany Slice of Tuscany

Author : Ivanka Di Felice
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780993693441
Total Pages : 254 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (934 download)

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Book Synopsis A Zany Slice of Tuscany by : Ivanka Di Felice

Download or read book A Zany Slice of Tuscany written by Ivanka Di Felice and published by . This book was released on 2016-04-06 with total page 254 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Taking up where A Zany Slice of Italy leaves off, New York Times best-selling author wannabe Ivanka Di Felice offers us more hilarious adventures in her beloved Tuscany. The tenacity with which Mrs. Di Felice still chases her dream is remarkable. She yearns for the glamorous life of Italy in pictures; meanwhile, she's the poster child for "forty is the new sixty." She dreams of fine restaurants and scintillating conversations, yet finds herself among a cast of Seinfeld-like characters. And while the rest of Italy lives it, the Slow Movement eludes her-ironically, when spending time with relatives in their eighties. The author's mother once said, "Perhaps you are not living your dream but rather the one that mischievous bella Italia had up her sleeve for you-a dream that demands a full range of emotions daily." Knowing how happy Ivanka and her husband are, despite life not always delivering what they wanted, her mother wisely added, "This shows that our dreams are not always the best for us." A Zany Slice of Tuscany not only gives us an insider's look at the many beautiful moments of living abroad, but also transports us into a rarely seen Italia. Funny stories are recounted with wit and affection and don't leave you feeling negative, but instead as if you've finally lived . . . in Italy.

Paying It Forward in Tuscany

Author : Ivanka Di Felice
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781797418315
Total Pages : 155 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (183 download)

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Book Synopsis Paying It Forward in Tuscany by : Ivanka Di Felice

Download or read book Paying It Forward in Tuscany written by Ivanka Di Felice and published by . This book was released on 2019-02-22 with total page 155 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: To all outward appearances, Ivanka's life as a middle-aged ex-pat in Tuscany seems delightful. (Middle-aged is a rather comforting, if delusive term, since few live to 102.) She lives with her charming husband in a gorgeous villa in the rolling hills outside of Florence. The views are stunning, the neighbors are delightfully quirky, and perfect pizza is a short drive away. Yet despite the beauty surrounding her, and notwithstanding the passing of time, Ivanka still struggles with grief over her father's death. A decade of living in Italy has taught her that above everything else, it's family that matters. Italy's life lessons make her yearn to turn the clock back and be there for the last few years of her father's life. She knows that's not possible, so she does the next best thing. She decides to "pay it forward" and learns that although we cannot change the past, we can change the future.Enter Giuseppe, a crotchety widower who has given up on life. Giuseppe has a heart full of regrets and a mouth full of suggestions for making the world a better place, according to the way he sees things. Joining them is Marvelous, an African migrant whom David and Ivanka have adopted in their hearts and who is struggling to cling to his hope for a better life ahead.What do an aging ex-pat, an elderly Italian, and a youthful African migrant have in common? Both more and less than you'd think. In a world so bitterly divided, this unlikely entourage and their adventures together prove that friendship can surpass race, color, and age, when the people involved want it to--and sometimes even when they don't.

Zany Renovations in Tuscany

Author : Ivanka Di Felice
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781976732829
Total Pages : 189 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (328 download)

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Book Synopsis Zany Renovations in Tuscany by : Ivanka Di Felice

Download or read book Zany Renovations in Tuscany written by Ivanka Di Felice and published by . This book was released on 2018-06-08 with total page 189 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When Ivanka and David Di Felice discover the downside of their "too good to be true" Chianti region house, they resume searching for their dream home in Tuscany. Join them on a harrowing journey as professional house hunters, while you peek into Tuscan villas, apartments, and haylofts. At long last, they find an idyllic spot, surrounded by rolling hills graced with vineyards and olive groves, distant stone villas, and clusters of cypress trees. But the home has been vacant for years. Follow their adventures as they embark on renovations, endeavouring to bring the abandoned house and garden back to life. If you've ever imagined packing it in and moving to Italy, the book also provides practical advice on how to do so. As always, a cast of quirky characters enters their lives, and the author's candid, sympathetic viewpoint captures their charm and the local color. Can Ivanka and David finally relax and sit back with a bottle of Chianti wine to watch the sun set over the Tuscan hills? Escape to Italy in this witty, heartfelt travel memoir, Zany Renovations, to find out. This book can be read as a stand-alone or feel free to tag along for more laugh out loud adventures in Italy by reading Ivanka's A Zany Slice of Italy and A Zany Slice of Tuscany.

Stealing Lincoln's Body

Author : Thomas J. CRAUGHWELL
Publisher : Harvard University Press
ISBN 13 : 0674029976
Total Pages : 286 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (74 download)

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Book Synopsis Stealing Lincoln's Body by : Thomas J. CRAUGHWELL

Download or read book Stealing Lincoln's Body written by Thomas J. CRAUGHWELL and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2009-06-30 with total page 286 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: On the night of the 1876 presidential election, a gang of counterfeiters attempted to steal the entombed embalmed body of Abraham Lincoln and hold it for ransom. Craughwell returns to this bizarre, and largely forgotten, event with the first book to place the grave robbery in historical context. This rousing story of hapless con men, intrepid federal agents, and ordinary Springfield citizens offers an unusual glimpse into late-nineteenth-century America.

The Tender Bar

Author : J. R. Moehringer
Publisher : Hachette Books
ISBN 13 : 1401383416
Total Pages : 531 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis The Tender Bar by : J. R. Moehringer

Download or read book The Tender Bar written by J. R. Moehringer and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2005-09-01 with total page 531 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Now a major Amazon film directed by George Clooney and starring Ben Affleck, Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe, and Christopher Lloyd, a raucous, poignant, luminously written memoir about a boy striving to become a man, and his romance with a bar, in the tradition of This Boy’s Life and The Liar’s Club—with a new Afterword. J.R. Moehringer grew up captivated by a voice. It was the voice of his father, a New York City disc jockey who vanished before J.R. spoke his first word. Sitting on the stoop, pressing an ear to the radio, J.R. would strain to hear in that plummy baritone the secrets of masculinity and identity. Though J.R.'s mother was his world, his rock, he craved something more, something faintly and hauntingly audible only in The Voice. At eight years old, suddenly unable to find The Voice on the radio, J.R. turned in desperation to the bar on the corner, where he found a rousing chorus of new voices. The alphas along the bar—including J.R.'s Uncle Charlie, a Humphrey Bogart look-alike; Colt, a Yogi Bear sound-alike; and Joey D, a softhearted brawler—took J.R. to the beach, to ballgames, and ultimately into their circle. They taught J.R., tended him, and provided a kind of fathering-by-committee. Torn between the stirring example of his mother and the lurid romance of the bar, J.R. tried to forge a self somewhere in the center. But when it was time for J.R. to leave home, the bar became an increasingly seductive sanctuary, a place to return and regroup during his picaresque journeys. Time and again the bar offered shelter from failure, rejection, heartbreak—and eventually from reality. In the grand tradition of landmark memoirs, The Tender Bar is suspenseful, wrenching, and achingly funny. A classic American story of self-invention and escape, of the fierce love between a single mother and an only son, it's also a moving portrait of one boy's struggle to become a man, and an unforgettable depiction of how men remain, at heart, lost boys. Named a best book of the year by The New York Times, Esquire, The Los Angeles Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, NPR's "Fresh Air," and New York Magazine A New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, Booksense, and Library Journal Bestseller Booksense Pick Borders New Voices Finalist Winner of the Books for a Better Life First Book Award

The Supervillain and Me

Author : Danielle Banas
Publisher : Swoon Reads
ISBN 13 : 1250154359
Total Pages : 321 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (51 download)

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Book Synopsis The Supervillain and Me by : Danielle Banas

Download or read book The Supervillain and Me written by Danielle Banas and published by Swoon Reads. This book was released on 2018-07-10 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A girl with no special powers teams up with a so-called supervillain to investigate an insidious plot in their city in this action-packed YA debut.

Resolution

Author : Andrew Joyce
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780692670903
Total Pages : 370 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (79 download)

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Book Synopsis Resolution by : Andrew Joyce

Download or read book Resolution written by Andrew Joyce and published by . This book was released on 2016-04-07 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is 1896 in the Yukon Territory, Canada. The largest gold strike in the annals of human history has just been made; however, word of the discovery will not reach the outside world for another year.By happenstance, a fifty-nine-year-old Huck Finn and his lady friend, Molly Lee, are on hand, but they are not interested in gold. They have come to that neck of the woods seeking adventure.Someone should have warned them, "Be careful what you wish for."When disaster strikes, they volunteer to save the day by making an arduous six hundred mile journey by dog sled in the depths of a Yukon winter. They race against time, nature, and man. With the temperature hovering around seventy degrees below zero, they must fight every day if they are to live to see the next.On the frozen trail, they are put upon by murderers, hungry wolves, and hostile Indians, but those adversaries have nothing over the weather. At seventy below, your spit freezes a foot from your face. Your cheeks burn-your skin turns purple and black as it dies from the cold. You are in constant danger of losing fingers and toes to frostbite.It is into this world that Huck and Molly race.They cannot stop. They cannot turn back. They can only go on. Lives hang in the balance-including theirs.

All Or Nothing

Author : Jonathan Steinberg
Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134436564
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (344 download)

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Book Synopsis All Or Nothing by : Jonathan Steinberg

Download or read book All Or Nothing written by Jonathan Steinberg and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2003-09-02 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: German and Italian fascist armies in the Second World War treated the Jews quite differently. Jews who fell into the hands of the German army ended up in concentration camps; none of those taken by the Italians suffered the same fate. Yet the protectors of the Jews were no philo-Semites, nor were they (often) great respecters of human life. Some of those same officers had sanctioned savage atrocities against Ethiopians and Arabs in the years before the war. Jonathan Steinberg uses this remarkable and poignant story to unravel the motives and forces underpinning both Fascism and Nazism. As a renowned historian of both Germany and Italy, he is uniquely placed to answer the underlying question; why?

Sutton

Author : J. R. Moehringer
Publisher : Hachette Books
ISBN 13 : 140130477X
Total Pages : 304 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (13 download)

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Book Synopsis Sutton by : J. R. Moehringer

Download or read book Sutton written by J. R. Moehringer and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2012-09-25 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "What Hilary Mantel did for Thomas Cromwell and Paula McLain for Hadley Hemingway . . . Moehringer does for bank robber Willie Sutton" in this fascinating biographical novel of America's most successful bank robber (Newsday). Willie Sutton was born in the Irish slums of Brooklyn in 1901, and he came of age at a time when banks were out of control. Sutton saw only one way out and only one way to win the girl of his dreams. So began the career of America's most successful bank robber. During three decades Sutton became so good at breaking into banks, the FBI put him on its first-ever Most Wanted List. But the public rooted for the criminal who never fired a shot, and when Sutton was finally caught for good, crowds at the jail chanted his name. In J.R. Moehringer's retelling, it was more than need or rage that drove Sutton. It was his first love. And when he finally walked free -- a surprise pardon on Christmas Eve, 1969 -- he immediately set out to find her. "Electrifying." --Booklist (starred) "Thoroughly absorbing . . . Filled with vibrant and colorful re-creations of not one but several times in the American past." --Kevin Baker, author of Strivers Row "[J.R. Moehringer] has found an historical subject equal to his vivid imagination, gimlet journalistic eye, and pitch-perfect ear for dialogue. By turns suspenseful, funny, romantic, and sad--in short, a book you won't be able to put down." --John Burnham Schwartz, author of Reservation Road and The Commoner

The Film Book

Author : Ronald Bergan
Publisher : DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley)
ISBN 13 : 9780241484838
Total Pages : 0 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (848 download)

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Book Synopsis The Film Book by : Ronald Bergan

Download or read book The Film Book written by Ronald Bergan and published by DK Publishing (Dorling Kindersley). This book was released on 2021 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Story of cinema -- How movies are made -- Movie genres -- World cinema -- A-Z directors -- Must-see movies.

Butterflies in November

Author : Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir
Publisher : Grove/Atlantic, Inc.
ISBN 13 : 0802192300
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (21 download)

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Book Synopsis Butterflies in November by : Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

Download or read book Butterflies in November written by Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir and published by Grove/Atlantic, Inc.. This book was released on 2014-12-09 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A novel of love, friendship, and self-reinvention: “I can’t remember the last time I was so enchanted . . . zany, surprising, full of twists and turns” (Ann Hood, author of The Knitting Circle and Something Blue). A translator of Icelandic, the unnamed young woman who narrates Butterflies in November is perhaps more at home in the world of language than the actual world. After a day of being dumped—twice—and accidentally killing a goose, she yearns to escape from the chaos of her life. Instead, her best friend’s four-year-old deaf-mute son is unexpectedly left in her care. But when the boy chooses the winning numbers for a lottery ticket, the two set off from Reykjavik along Iceland’s Ring Road on a journey of discovery. Along the way, they encounter black sand beaches, cucumber farms, lava fields, flocks of sheep, an Estonian choir, a falconer, a hitchhiker, and both of her exes desperate for another chance. What begins as a spontaneous adventure will unexpectedly and profoundly change the way she views her past and charts her future. Longlisted for the Independent Foreign Fiction Prize.

Palm Beach, Finland

Author : Antti Tuomainen
Publisher : Orenda Books
ISBN 13 : 1495629848
Total Pages : 349 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (956 download)

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Book Synopsis Palm Beach, Finland by : Antti Tuomainen

Download or read book Palm Beach, Finland written by Antti Tuomainen and published by Orenda Books. This book was released on 2018-08-30 with total page 349 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: DIV***Shortlisted for the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award*** ***Book of the Year in The Times*** Things don't go entirely to plan when undercover ace detective Jan Nyman is sent to the 'hottest beach in Finland' to investigate a suspicious death. Fargo meets Baywatch in a mesmerising, poignant dark-comedy thriller by the King of Helsinki Noir 'A roller-coaster read and extraordinarily poignant' Guardian 'Tuomainen is the funniest writer in Europe' Marcel Berlins, The Times 'Right up there with the best' TLS –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Sex, lies and ill-fitting swimwear ... Sun Protection Factor 100 Jan Nyman, the ace detective of the covert operations unit of the National Central Police, is sent to a sleepy seaside town to investigate a mysterious death. Nyman arrives in the town dominated by a bizarre holiday village – the 'hottest beach in Finland'. The suspect: Olivia Koski, who has only recently returned to her old hometown. The mission: find out what happened, by any means necessary. With a nod to Fargo, and dark noir, Palm Beach Finland is both a page-turning thriller and a black comedy about lust for money, fleeing dreams and people struggling at turning points in their lives – chasing their fantasies regardless of reason. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– 'Inspired meld of crime and dark comedy ... Colourful characters and awkward situations, as when Nyman becomes a person of interest to the locals, enhance the zany plot. Tim Dorsey fans will have fun' Publishers Weekly 'A sort of Fargo in Finland, if you can imagine such a thing' Crime Reads 'Finnish criminal chucklemeister Tuomainen is channelling Carl Hiaasen in this hilarious novel set in a bizarre Florida-style beach resort on Finland's chilly shore. There are comically inept dim-crims, inventive psychos, a hot babe and even a blow-up pink flamingo — which is a lot for ace detective Jan Nyman to deal with when he arrives, undercover, to investigate a mysterious death' Sunday Times 'Tuomainen's crime comedy is frequently compared to Fargo-era Coen Brothers, but Florida's Carl Hiaasen is likely a strong influence too ... A full-blooded, off-kilter caper-gone-wrong that also serves as an acerbic commentary on the crime genre' Irish Times 'A tightly paced Scandinavian thriller with a wicked sense of humour' Foreword Reviews 'Like Fargo before it, unfortunate events take place and people get in over their heads ... The off kilter, black comedy tone is perfect for such a far-fetched story, guaranteeing plenty of spontaneous bouts of laughter' CultureFly 'You'll laugh, you'll cry with laughter, what is there not to like? Welcome to a classic new holiday resort!' Crime Time'A quirky, smirky, entertaining slice of fabulous ... A wonderful wave of dark humour rolls through this novel gathering raised eyebrows and snorts'’ LoveReading ‘Antti Tuomainen always steps into the new with each novel and Palm Beach Finland, in this assured translation by David Hackston, takes a Finnish slice from the comic, crazy, greedy, crime world of the likes of Get Shorty or Fargo. Where will Tuomainen’s imagination take us next? I don’t know but before that – read this one. Absolutely recommended’ EuroCrime ‘Tuomainen is one of those authors whose books are an automatic must-read, so pick up or download a copy as soon as you can’ Crime Fiction Lover/div

Blink

Author : Malcolm Gladwell
Publisher : Back Bay Books
ISBN 13 : 0316005045
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis Blink by : Malcolm Gladwell

Download or read book Blink written by Malcolm Gladwell and published by Back Bay Books. This book was released on 2007-04-03 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the #1 bestselling author of The Bomber Mafia, the landmark book that has revolutionized the way we understand leadership and decision making. In his breakthrough bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. Now, in Blink, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. Blink is a book about how we think without thinking, about choices that seem to be made in an instant--in the blink of an eye--that actually aren't as simple as they seem. Why are some people brilliant decision makers, while others are consistently inept? Why do some people follow their instincts and win, while others end up stumbling into error? How do our brains really work--in the office, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and in the bedroom? And why are the best decisions often those that are impossible to explain to others? In Blink we meet the psychologist who has learned to predict whether a marriage will last, based on a few minutes of observing a couple; the tennis coach who knows when a player will double-fault before the racket even makes contact with the ball; the antiquities experts who recognize a fake at a glance. Here, too, are great failures of "blink": the election of Warren Harding; "New Coke"; and the shooting of Amadou Diallo by police. Blink reveals that great decision makers aren't those who process the most information or spend the most time deliberating, but those who have perfected the art of "thin-slicing"--filtering the very few factors that matter from an overwhelming number of variables.

The Language Instinct

Author : Steven Pinker
Publisher : Harper Collins
ISBN 13 : 0062032526
Total Pages : 578 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (62 download)

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Book Synopsis The Language Instinct by : Steven Pinker

Download or read book The Language Instinct written by Steven Pinker and published by Harper Collins. This book was released on 2010-12-14 with total page 578 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A brilliant, witty, and altogether satisfying book." — New York Times Book Review The classic work on the development of human language by the world’s leading expert on language and the mind In The Language Instinct, the world's expert on language and mind lucidly explains everything you always wanted to know about language: how it works, how children learn it, how it changes, how the brain computes it, and how it evolved. With deft use of examples of humor and wordplay, Steven Pinker weaves our vast knowledge of language into a compelling story: language is a human instinct, wired into our brains by evolution. The Language Instinct received the William James Book Prize from the American Psychological Association and the Public Interest Award from the Linguistics Society of America. This edition includes an update on advances in the science of language since The Language Instinct was first published.

Zany's New York City Apartment Guide, 2001

Author : On Your Own Publications
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9781929377121
Total Pages : 342 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (771 download)

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Book Synopsis Zany's New York City Apartment Guide, 2001 by : On Your Own Publications

Download or read book Zany's New York City Apartment Guide, 2001 written by On Your Own Publications and published by . This book was released on 2000-12 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

My Zany Life

Author : Ivanka Di Felice
Publisher :
ISBN 13 : 9780993693465
Total Pages : 348 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (934 download)

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Book Synopsis My Zany Life by : Ivanka Di Felice

Download or read book My Zany Life written by Ivanka Di Felice and published by . This book was released on 2016-07-09 with total page 348 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ever wonder what it would be like to live in a rooming house? Has the piping-hot real estate market got you calculating tenants into your mortgage repayment plan? Then read on, as our heroine describes her memories of growing up in her family's rooming house in a swanky West Toronto neighborhood, surrounded by a cast of eccentric characters. Many people think it's tragic to grow up in a poor neighborhood, but the author assures us it is equally tragic growing up in a rich neighborhood, when you are poor. Together, a mother and a daughter gather their memories of a life full of happiness, sadness, and many hilarious moments, proving that hindsight not only is 20/20, but can also turn calamity into comedy. The book takes us back in history to a small village in Croatia where her mother is introduced to a 1964 Ford Galaxy XL that has followers, stalkers, and even worshippers. Then she meets the man behind the wheel, and what ensues proves that reality actually is stranger than fiction. The author wrote this warm and witty memoir with affection for her colorful childhood, similar to the mood of The Glass Castle. This book will make you laugh, will make you cry, and will teach you that despite the sadness we all must face, the overall result can be a happy life. May it help you live life to the fullest with friends and family while you can, knowing that "time really is of the essence."