Hard Laughter: A Novel

Book Description

Anne Lamott's poignant first novel, reissued in an attractive new edition.

Writer (and sometime housecleaner) Jennifer is twenty-three when her beloved father, Wallace, is diagnosed with a brain tumor. This catastrophic discovery sets off Anne Lamott's unexpectedly sweet and funny first novel, which is made dramatic not so much by Wallace's illness as by the emotional wake it sweeps under Jen and her brothers, self-contained Ben and feckless, lovable Randy. With characteristic affection and accuracy, Lamott sketches this offbeat family and their nearest and dearest as they draw ever closer in the intimacy Jen prizes "among the other estimable things: good music, good hard laughter, good sex, good industry, and good books."

Customer Reviews:

She makes me laugh.......2007-05-10

I had missed reading this book by Lamott for some reason and when I saw it on the front cover of her new book ordered it to catch up. I am so glad I did as the insights are so fun and even though the material is heavy and my life is "heavy" right now...I find a smile on my face and some laugh outloud moments....I am so glad I ordered the book and dove right into it's story.

good but light.......2007-01-07

Great light reading for late at night. Some good gems, examples; "I knew by 10 years old that life would be happier if only I were quite stupid and devoutly religious.." or, "Happy work is as gratifying as sex or hard laughter or love or good drugs." Or about boys, "I wonder if they will grow up to be adult males who are led by their penises and wallets, or if, at thirty, they will visit sad friends." And, "Your looks start to go about the time you start growing up, about the time things are starting to gel.."

love the brutal honesty.......2004-06-09

How could anyone not love this book (and the author)?!? Never have I read such a brutally honest account of ones life. Anne Lamott's writing is so refreshly sincere. All believers in Christ should rally around Ms. Lamott and encourage her to continue to bare her naked soul to the rest of the world. I read reviews that said she was irreverent, which if you read with a closed mind you may find this to be so, but I found her to be a REAL person, who realizes she is simply saved by God's grace and by nothing she's done on her on. I would encourage everyone to read this book, with and open mind and heart, and check your judgemental mind at the door. Keep it up Anne!

laughter to match the times.......2003-07-14

With a father recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, a significant other who is hardly significant, and a neurotic dream consultant for a best friend, it seems hard to believe that Jennifer, the main character of Anne Lamott's book, could find anything to laugh about. And yet, as the title suggests, she not only finds some hard laughter in the situation, but also realizes that laughter is, in fact, one of the things that makes life worth the struggle. Whether or not you're of a mind to appreciate Lamott's neurotic humor, that realization--the preciousness and beauty of laughter in the face of the darkest times--alone makes this book worth reading. True to the terrible mundacity of tragic life events, Lamott's book subtly and deftly captures the experience of a family's brush with a potentially devastating situation--the waiting, the disappointment, the embarassment--the laughter in hard times and the good hard laughter in spite of those times that carries you through.

Poignant..........2003-05-15

Reading one of Anne Lamott's novels is like taking a refreshing cool bath on the hottest day of the year; it quenches the soul. Additionally, her wonderfully gritty voice resonates from the pages. The story of a family's struggle to keep the happiness going through the most poignant and disarming moments of their lives is insightful, touching and memorable. Hilarious and poignant as ever, Lamott again illustrates how her characters make everything difficult seem worth undertaking. All in all, a wonderful and illuminating read...

Average customer rating:

Hard Laughter: A Novel
Anne Lamott
Manufacturer: North Point Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PC43JC

Book Description

Christmas Eve, 1194. Sir John de Wolfe gratefully escapes a party being given by his wife to examine the body of a canon who has been found hanged. Suicide is suspected, but it is soon apparent that there is far more to this case than meets the eye. As always, his investigations are hampered by his brother-in-law, the sheriff Sir Richard de Revelle. But John must tread carefully, for it is not merely petty revenge that Richard has in mind this time, he is plotting treason and John is getting far too close to the truth for comfort...

Customer Reviews:

Great!.......2007-03-20

This turns out to be the 3rd in the series. Availability in the U.S. is not always the best (too many people giving high marks to poor vendors selling books no longer available on the shelves), so I was thankful to finally get this one. A fantastic read! Knight deserves his COE just for "Crowner's Quest."

Crowner John is Tested to the Limit.......2005-02-24

Christ Mass, 1194 and Sir John de Wolfe (newly appointed coroner for the county of Devon) is attending a party at his own home, the guests include some of the most notable dignitaries of the city of Exeter, including his brother-in-law Sir Richard, Sheriff of the county.

His wife Matilda, a usually surly and miserable woman is in good spirits, because she sees the party as an opportunity to raise her social standing something she is always striving to attain.

Sir John, much to her disgust is called away to examine the body of a canon who has been found hanged in his own privy. Is it suicide, or is there something more sinister afoot . . .

I always enjoy Bernard Knight's novels. There are many good writers about but very few have Prof. Knight's gift of storytelling and the obvious knowledge he has about the period in which he writes.

Average customer rating:

Crowner's Quest: A Crowner John Mystery
Bernard Knight
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster Mass Market
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000R9A69O

Book Description

All the answers seem to lie in Fuyo-den, so Ayaka travels there in order to find out the truth about her past, and to once again attempt to rescue her beloved Kai. As her comrades fall one by one, Ayaka is left alone to face the dark secret that is the foundation of her world. Things are not always what they seemâ€"will Ayaka see the truth and still be able to save the love of her life? Find out in this final volume! Originally a member of CLAMP, the world's best-selling manga studio, Tamayo Akiyama delivers an unforgettable fantasy adventure!

Customer Reviews:

review from a clamp lover.......2004-12-21

As i've said I love clamp, so why not try a manga from a former clamp member. Let's see:

STORY
As far as the story goes. I can barely understand it because of the ff.

The characters simply jump at you, without any introduction whatsoever. It's like being hurled in a battle without knowing the rules first. I really had to constantly flip back and fourth in between the pages because I keep forgetting who's who.

The pace of the story is simply too fast!! While I was reading it, I keep looking at edges of the book to see if there we're stuck pages because it seems as if the transition of the events were not smooth.

The art, although I would say that she really did a great job but because most of the illustrations, to me seemed a bit cramped it took me a while to realize what was happening.

Overall i would say that I am really disappointed in the book. The concept of the storyline was great but unfortunately, she was not able to express these effectively.

Mouryou Kiden Volume 1-3 (Mouryou Kiden Legend of the Nymph, Volumes 1-3)

Average customer rating:

Mouryou Kiden Volume 1-3 (Mouryou Kiden Legend of the Nymph, Volumes 1-3)
Tamayo Akiyama
Manufacturer: Tokyopop
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fantasy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Teens | Subjects | Books

Average customer rating:
Core Concepts in Health 2004 Update with PowerWeb/OLC Bind-in Passcard, HealthQuest CD-Rom & Learning to Go Health
Paul M. Insel , Walton T. Roth , Paul Insel , and Walton Roth
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Humanities/Social Sciences/Languages
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Medicine | Subjects | Books
General | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Medicine | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Core Concepts In Health Brief 2004 Update w/PowerWeb/OLC Bind-in Card, HealthQuest CD & Learning to Go: Health

ASIN: 0072878592

Book Description

The most reliable and widely used personal health text, Core Concepts in Health utilizes the theme of personal responsibility to teach and motivate students about health and wellness. For the 2004 Update, the overall content, organization, and features of the ninth edition remain in place, but within this framework, key topics and issues have been updated with the most recent information available.

Average customer rating:

Mixed Review

A Relationship Tester

Another gem from the Griffiths'

Onions, Onions, Onions: Delicious Recipes for the World's Favorite Secret Ingredient
Linda Griffith , and Fred Griffith
Manufacturer: Houghton Mifflin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

Garlic, Garlic, Garlic: More than 200 Exceptional Recipes for the World's Most Indispensable Ingredient

The Totally Garlic Cookbook (Totally Cookbooks)

The Garlic Lovers' Cookbook

Garlic Lovers' Greatest Hits: 20 Years of Prize-Winning Recipes from the Gilroy Garlic Festival

One Potato, Two Potato

ASIN: 0618235078

Book Description

Essential to all major cuisines, the humble onion finally gets some respect in this book, playing a rold in more than two hundred recipes featuring not only onions but their close relatives: leeks, scallions, chives, shallots, and garlic.

Customer Reviews:

Mixed Review.......2006-08-06

This is a large book and does have some interesting recipes. However, mostly high calorie options. There isn't much fresh and inviting.

A Relationship Tester.......2002-12-04

I loved this book. Borrowed it from the library, couldn't part with it and rather than continue to rack up the fines, I bought it. This was much to the chargin of my wife who keeps on hiding it; I'm so sick of farting! she complains. None of which stop her from eating any meal that has been drawn from this recipe list.

Few cook books inspire me to start at the begining and work my way through as this one did. Most you just dip in once or twice at a picture that caught your eye and the book in the long run ends up falling open to that one page, for that one recipe.

Others may find the lack of how to or da-duh! photos a problem. I did not. I loved the lithographed - yesteryear - old glory feel, the hard cover and the stiff non glossy pages.

As a foreigner, the best way to overcome the US-centric measurements and ingredient names was to pencil in the translations beside the ingredient list before you started. Cilantro = Coriander, 2oz = 60g, entree = main meal.....

I love the essential American feel to it. Did it complicate things? Yep. Were somethings hard to get? Yep.

But that was half the fun.

Another gem from the Griffiths'.......2002-11-09

See review under Garlic, Garlic, Garlic

Average customer rating:

The book to buy before you buy the tractor!

For expert or beginner, shop shelf or coffee table

The encyclopedia of tractor collecting.

Well researched. Wished I'd had it when I got started!

Antique Tractor Bible: The Complete Guide to Buying, Using and Restoring Old Farm Tractors (Motorbooks Workshop)
Spencer Yost
Manufacturer: Motorbooks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Care & Restoration | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
General | Antiques & Collectibles | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Buying & Leasing | Automotive | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
General | Transportation | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books
Automotive | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books | General | Safety Engineering | Vehicle Design & Construction
General | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Agricultural Engineering | Special Topics | Engineering | Professional & Technical | Subjects | Books
Similar Items:

How to Rebuild and Restore Farm Tractor Engines (Motorbooks Workshop)

How To Restore Classic Farm Tractors: The Ultimate Do-It-Yourself Guide to Rebuilding and Restoring Tractors

The Big Book of Farm Tractors: The Complete History of the Tractor 1855 to Present ... Plus Brochures, Collectibles, and (Town Square Book)

Official Tractor Blue Book 2007 (Official Tractor Blue Book)

Legendary Farm Tractors: A Photographic History

ASIN: 0760303355

Book Description

Included in this volume is helpful advice on choosing a brand and model, and an explanation of how the antique tractor's basic systems work. Related topics include using the tractor once it's restored, troubleshooting and basic maintenance, preparing a show-quality tractor, and setting up a shop with the necessary tools.

Customer Reviews:

The book to buy before you buy the tractor!.......1999-04-17

Whether you're a seasoned mechanic or a neophyte who doesn't know which end of the wrench to hold, Spencer Yost's Antique Tractor Bible is a comprehensive guide to buying, using and restoring antique tractors. There is enough information here, so even if you don't intend to do your own work, you'll know how things are done and why. Additionally, the author shows how to use your antique tractor and equipment. This book is not model-specific, and the author touches on many different tractors. This is a major new resource work that will become indispensable to antique tractor owners. I wish the photographs were in color, which is a minor complaint in light of the wealth of information presented.

For expert or beginner, shop shelf or coffee table.......1999-04-16

This is a good all-round reference for restoring antique tractors. You expect a good discussion of "how-to" information on restoring old tractors. The book has that and many illustrations to help you understand particular repair techniques. Yost has included useful tips on nearly every page. These tips cut to the heart of the topic he's explaining. He also has a useful section on how to choose and operate your old machinery. A section on shows, demonstrations and pulls helps you find a way to show off your new pride and joy. Among the more useful information is a good section on further specialized references for particular tractor brands, and several pages listing parts sources for old machinery. Old-timers in the restoration business will appreciate the references, while beginners will benefit from basic explanations that more technical manuals assume you already know.

The encyclopedia of tractor collecting........1999-04-05

If you were going to buy just one book about tractor collecting this would be the one to buy.

Well researched. Wished I'd had it when I got started!.......1998-10-07

Mr. Yost has done a fine job in researching, exhibiting and explaining the antique tractor hobby. So many details from "why should I be involved in the hobby?" to trailering your newly restored tractor to that favorite show are covered. He answers many of the questions most of us have learned the hard way and does it in such a way as to inspire, rather than to alarm. The book reaches out to one comtemplating the hobby of antique tractor restoration like a friendly, helping hand and performs as a lantern, guiding one through the other wise dark and mysterious avenues sometimes associated with the hobby. Mr. Yosts book is as essential a tool for the beginner, or those of us who have "been there, done that", as that old dog curled next to the shop stove and our grandfather's words of wisdom echoing in our mind as we scrape, clean, bang and paint these loveable machines which are our agricultural heritage. Three cheers for Mr. Yost!

Average customer rating:
The Ultimate Knitted Tee
Laura Militzer Bryant , and Barry Klein
Manufacturer: Martingale and Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
Knitting | Crafts & Hobbies | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books
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The Yarn Stash Workbook: Great Ideas And Dozens of Projects

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Knitovation: Creative Knitwear Made from 3 Simple Shapes

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A Knitter's Template: Easy Steps to Great-Fitting Garments

ASIN: 1564775577

Book Description

Dress it up, dress it down—or how about a night on the town? Do it all with a knitted tee! This wardrobe staple gets a modern makeover in this fashionable collection. Start with a basic tee, then build up to designer edgings and eye-catching pattern stitches.

· Twenty easy to advanced knitted tees spotlight easy-wear styles, from classic to cool

· Five different construction techniques to try: from the bottom up, from the top down, from side to side, from the corner, and in the round

· Each technique is used in four different tee styles: Blue Jeans Basics, Workaday Wear, Café Chic, and Glamour Girl

Customer Reviews:

Material Culture Tour-de-Force.......2002-03-28

Sometimes suffering from a forced theory or analogy, the book is nevertheless strongly recommended. It contains many insights into the American mindset as seen through objects. The black and white illustrations are well-chosen for their ability to inform. The author's grasp of modern scholarship is impressive, and many other authors are cited. Throughout, the author keeps up her commitment to debunking myths by including what she has dubbed the "fawbit", a "fictional account without basis in truth" (x). An example of a fawbit from the room use chapter is the assertion that a small, downstairs room in an 18th century house was the "borning room". Kaye reminds us that scholarship has never turned up a period inventory that included a "borning room"; more likely, it was a sleeping chamber for a servant. Kaye moves easily through styles and time periods, providing remarkable examples and details while keeping the big picture in sight.

A fun way of learning American social history.......1999-01-09

If you're interested in antiques, American furniture, or architecture, I'm sure this book is full of indispensable information. I'm not interested in any of them, and I loved the book.

It's just plain fun! It reads like a collection of short stories. You can't wait to see what happens next in the evolution of the chest of drawers or the porch -- because you don't learn only about the chest or the porch, but about the people who designed and used them. And you learn answers to all those questions you've always wondered about and never known whom to ask.

The pictures not only make it a great gift and perfect coffee table book, but tell you what something looks like exactly when you're trying to imagine it.

Most of all, I learned a lot without it even hurting a little bit!

Customer Reviews:

The truth behind One Life to Live!.......2007-01-12

I have to say that I first saw Ellen Holly playing Judge Frances Collier on Guiding Light. As a caucasian american woman and a lifelong soap fan, I was shocked to learn that she was dismissed from One Life to Life. I wanted her role on Guiding Light to be expanded. Ellen added a touch of class to the show. At least that job provided income to pay some bills, besides Ellen Holly is an intelligent resourceful woman. It took me only a couple of hours to read this magnificient book. I still think Ellen Holly is a very attractive and talented woman. I was glad that finally somebody broke the image of the happy loving family in the soaps. The soaps have never been an easy environment. I have to say that Ellen deserved more than being dismissed and the pitiful salary that she and her co-stars like Al Freeman and Lillian Hayman received is awful. I would say that Agnes Nixon should have done more for Ellen. Despite the bitterness and anger, Ellen maintains her dignity and most of all, she is proud to be who and what she is. She could have easily passed herself off to get work and roles but she chose to lead her career with honoring her family history and ancestry. Still, I would like to see Ellen act whether on stage, television or film. I wish Ellen the best of luck. I don't care what the race of the character is as long as it's played appropriately. Ellen fought for Carla Gray. Sure, people think that soap couples become boring after a while but I don't think so. I think they could be just as interesting. As a soap fan, I love watching familiar characters like Carla and Ed Hall but their departures were just awful. I still wish the best for Ellen and this book is quite an interesting read. Ellen is true to herself and to her readers. I think she has mixed feelings about playing Carla but she is grateful to her fans and people who fondly remember her. No, she never made stardom that she deserved but she is in many ways a star.

What a Phenomenal Woman!.......2005-05-18

I grew up watching Ms. Holly on OLTL in the 70's. I remember the Ebony magazine cover that had her and Al Freeman, Jr. being married on the show. I read this powerful book many years ago and felt her pain from the first page. When she spoke of being passed for White, she stood her ground and her position was clear. She made it firm in every role she played that she was Black and proud. This sista is a Queen on all fronts. When I finished her book (which is a powerful read), I was so disguted with the way OLTL treated her I stopped watching the show in protest. To see some of the actors on that show win award after award with no talent at all turned my stomach. This woman deserves a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Daytime Emmys because she put her dues in. She laid the groundwork for the Debbi Morgans, Bianca Fergusons, Shari Headleys, and Veronica Webbs of Daytime TV. If it wasn't for Ellen Holly puttin' it down the way she did, none of the other African-American daytime actresses I just mentioned would have had a chance at achieving success at a career in the soaps. Thank you Ms. Holly for your sacrifices and your triumphs. You are a quality talent that I have nothin' but respect for. God bless Ellen Holly for being the Queen that she is and thank you for this phenomenal book. It should be required reading! Wherever you are Ellen Holly, I pray that you are well. You are respected and loved by the real fans of OLTL that know what REAL talent is.

Ellen will hold you spellbound.......2005-03-05

I am a voracious reader, but never have I been so captivated by the style and well chosen words of this mesmerizing writer. I felt Ellen's feelings and found myself hanging on her every word, as she guided me through the events of her life. I was especially taken by her strength as she received the many attacks on her African background. She responded with pride and dignity and always seemed to leave the attacker disarmed. I was so taken by her genealogy, I felt compelled to travel the road to the African prince who escaped from the slave ship. I have validated most of the genealogical information on her prince ancestor and have enjoyed the exercise.
This book is a must read for anyone who is interested in history, the theatre, or just want to get to know this beautiful, charming, and well educated lady.

billnell@fibervision.com

Every Black actress/writer in Hollywood MUST read this........2000-02-16

If you are an actress or screenwriter in Hollywood or New York, read this and think about it. This is not just another "who I slept with" tell all. Ellen Holly's life is really a cautionary tale about the perils intelligent, ambitious, talented black women face in the entertainment industry (and in life and love of course). Dorothy Dandridge wasn't the only black actress trying to make it in the 1950's and Diahann Carroll is not the only survivor. Ellen Holly, who has written for the New York Times and still writes screenplays, is truly one of the faceless pioneers that opened the door for the Halle Berrys, the Vanessa L.Williams, the Angela Bassetts and the Tina Andrews in Hollywood today.

I was hooked from word one........1999-10-16

I initially bought Ellen's book because I was an avid OLTL fan. I wanted to read about the years that she spent as "Carly Gray" on my favorite soap opera. Ellen Holly is such an eloquent writer that she had me enthralled with her life from page one. I forgot why I first bought the book and I didn't want it to end.

If Ms. Holly wrote another book, I would buy it the minute it hit the stands; that is how great I think her writing is.

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