It S All In How You Tell It

This fresh approach to preaching shows how to combine God's Word with the power of drama to develop a unique, relevant, and effective preaching style.

After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, a professor shares the lessons he's learned—about living in the present, building a legacy, and taking full advantage of the time you have—in this life-changing classic. "We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand." —Randy Pausch A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull over the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy? When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"—wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have . . . and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

If he had been with me everything would have been different... I wasn't with Finn on that August night. But I should've been. It was raining, of course. And he and Sylvie were arguing as he drove down the slick road. No one ever says what they were arguing about. Other people think it's not important. They do not know there is another story. The story that lurks between the facts. What they do not know—the cause of the argument—is crucial. So let me tell you...

If you are a mentor, wish to be mentored, or are seeking to be the very best version of yourself, then this book is for you. It cuts across the generations in the form of a handy, easy to read guide to surviving and sometimes winning at life. Using the game of snakes and ladders as a constant theme and analogy, each chapter covers many of the challenges and dilemmas that we all face on a daily basis. Andrew encourages you to take everything on with full consciousness and gives practical advice, tips, examples and experiences from his life and career as well as sharing others’ stories too. This also includes the opportunity to learn from some of the mistakes he’s made over the years, which he bravely and honestly shares throughout. At the end of every chapter, you will find a bullet point summary of ladders to climb, helping you secure quick wins, as well as the snakes - i.e. pitfalls - to avoid. This means you can take away what you feel is most relevant to you in a quick “grab” style format. This book is one that will get you questioning why things happen and how you can influence the game of life much more that you realise. Ultimately, you’ll learn how to get the best possible outcome for you as you roll the dice and make your next move.

One night, when Ethan reaches under his bed for a toy truck, he finds this note instead: "Monsters! Meet here for final test." Ethan is sure his parents are trying to trick him into staying under the covers, until he sees five colorful sets of eyes blinking at him from beneath the bed. Soon, a colorful parade of quirky, squeaky little monsters compete to become Ethan's monster. But only the little green monster, Gabe, has the perfect blend of stomach-rumbling and snorting needed to get Ethan into bed and keep him there so he falls asleep—which as everyone knows, is the real reason for monsters under beds. With its perfect balance of giggles and shivers, this silly-spooky prequel to the award-winning I Need My Monster and Hey, That's MY Monster! will keep young readers entertained.

Vicky Tiel started as an "it" girl of the 1960s and has had a four decade career designing clothes that make real women look fabulous. Her sexy, fresh hot pants and miniskirts were used by Woody Allen in his first movie, What's New, Pussycat?, her classic design inspired the red dress that transformed Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, and her creations are worn today by stars such as Halle Berry and Kim Kardashian. Tiel's own life has been dance-the-night-away fun, from her earliest days flunking out of Parsons to design on her own, to starting a chic boutique with best friend Mia Fonssagrives in Paris, from marrying MGM's top make-up man to becoming Elizabeth Taylor's dear friend and part of her longtime entourage. Tiel forged her own path, and picked up some distinctive and hard-earned lessons from the rich, famous and celebrated along the way. In IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DRESS, you'll get a glimpse of what it's like to be Hollywood royalty (think yachts, tiny dogs, giant pearls and peanut butter sandwiches washed down with Chateau Margaux), discover the seduction secrets of the greats (from Kim Novak to Goldie Hawn to Warren Beatty), take in a little husband-hunting advice, and even learn legendary model Dorian Leigh's recipe for gigot d'agneau sept heures. Vicky Tiel will teach you to dress like a sex symbol, cook like the owner of a French country inn, and seize what you want from the world like an American ingénue.

Do you believe in love at first sight? Paul Auster doesn't. Paul doesn't believe in much at all. He's thirty, slightly overweight, and his best features are his acerbic wit and the color commentary he provides as life passes him by. His closest friends are a two-legged dog named Wheels and a quasibipolar drag queen named Helena Handbasket. He works a dead-end job in a soul-sucking cubicle, and if his grandmother's homophobic parrot insults him one more time, Paul is going to wring its stupid neck. Enter Vince Taylor. Vince is everything Paul isn't: sexy, confident, and dumber than the proverbial box of rocks. And for some reason, Vince pursues Paul relentlessly. Vince must be messing with him, because there is no way Vince could want someone like Paul. But when Paul hits Vince with his car--in a completely unintentional if-he-died-it'd-only-be-manslaughter kind of way--he's forced to see Vince in a whole new light. The only thing stopping Paul from believing in Vince is himself--and that is one obstacle Paul can't quite seem to overcome. But when tragedy strikes Vince's family, Paul must put aside any notions he has about himself and stand next to the man who thinks he's perfect the way he is.

"Tell the story to its end," says Eren with a grin. His yellow eyes are glowing like embers in the night. "When I reach the end," I say, "what happens? You'll have the whole story." "Hmm," he says, looking at me and licking his lips with a dry, grey tongue. "What happens then? Why don't we find out?" People are keeping secrets from Oli. His mum has brought him to stay with his aunt and uncle in the countryside, but nobody will tell him why his dad isn't there, too. Why hasn't he come with them? Has something happened? Why won't anyone talk about it? Oli has a hundred questions, and only an old, empty house in the middle of an ancient forest for answers. But then he finds a secret of his own: there is a creature that lives in the attic... Eren is not human. Eren is hungry for stories. Eren has been waiting for him. With Eren to listen, Oli starts to make sense of what's happening. But Eren is powerful, and though he's willing to help Oli, he's not willing to do it for free; he wants something in return. Oli must make a choice: he can learn the truth -- but to do so he must abandon himself to Eren's world, forever. From striking new voice Simon P. Clark comes Tell the Story to Its End; richly atmospheric, moving, unsettling, and told in gorgeous prose, it is a modern classic in the making. ----- “Sure-footed, distinctive, strange, poetic. Simon P. Clark is a truly interesting new voice.”—David Almond, award-winning author of Skellig “Unflinchingly dark and unforgettably creepy, Tell the Story to Its End will have you in its grip.”—Anne Ursu, award-winning author of The Real Boy and The Shadow Thieves “Offering a spiral of stories within stories, this atmospheric first novel features a boy searching for truth, who gets sidetracked by a remarkable discovery. Echoing the surreal quality and settings of David Almond’s books, this novel adeptly mixes fantasy with reality and leaves some pressing questions unanswered.” —Publishers Weekly “Debut British-American author Clark creates a tale with mythic largesse...The book explores the relationship between truth and fiction, the essence of story, and the urgency of putting dreams and experiences into words ‘to fire imaginations and break worlds.’ Savvy readers and would-be writers will love this exploration of story as an art form, a panacea, and an endless part of life.” —Kirkus Reviews “The magical realism and storytelling details will draw fantasy readers, who will find meaty substance and enough Britishisms to lend flavor. While the conclusion is entirely logical, it’s unexpected and will spark discussion, challenging readers to reflect on the nature of both stories and reality.” —Booklist “Eren has echoes of A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness or Skellig by David Almond. It’s dark, poetic and feels as ancient as stories themselves.”—Readings.com “This is skillful storytelling; the kind that feels destined to become a classic.”—Katelliswrites.com “Incredibly dark and delicious.”—Diva Book Nerd “One of those books that you really have to read...The story was so beautifully written that it throws you into the borders of reality and fantasy.”—Sporadic Reads