Loads Of Love

When Ellen Jamieson breaks up with her long-standing boyfriend, she plans to go travelling. But first she agrees to house-sit for her parents, who are trying to find a buyer for their idyllic cottage in the Cotswold village of Oddlode. The village is full of quaint and eccentric characters, both blue-blooded and below the salt, and Ellen is the subject of much speculation. Under the wing of Ophelia ('Touch Pheely') Gently, an impoverished local sculptor, Ellen goes to an Auction of Promises village fundraiser and wins a mysterious lot of three wishes. These have been donated by Jasper Belling, the incredibly gorgeous prodigal son of the local lord of the manor. Falling in love with a notorious hell-raiser is the last thing Ellen intended, and the convoluted scandals of the villagers put many obstacles in the way of the young lovers. Several ancient skeletons come rattling out of various cupboards before a no-holds barred, loved-up finale.

Alexander Joseph Milone (Sonny) was the oldest of three children born to Ralph and Lillian Milone. Ralph immigrated to America from the village of Terranova da Sibari in Cosenza, Italy at the age of 17 and later married Caroline (Lillian) Rende. They settled in Brooklyn on East 35th Street where they raised their children, Sonny, Gloria and Mario. Sonny graduated from St. John’s Prep and went onto fulfill his dream to attend the University of Notre Dame. In May of 1943, only two years into his college career, Sonny was called upon to serve his Country. Pvt. Alexander J. Milone was assigned to the 115th Infantry, Cannon Company, 29th Division and landed on Omaha Beach at approximately 10 a.m. on June 6, 1944. His unit advanced toward St. Lo, fighting intensely. After capturing the city of St. Lo in mid-July, the 29th Division joined in the Battle for Vire. At the end of August, the 29th took part in the assault on Brest. On the morning of September 18th,1944 enemy officers were led through the 115th lines to arrange for the surrender of Brest. At 0800, all resistance ceased. Just hours later, Pvt. Milone sustained a gunshot wound accidentally incurred while personnel were boarding vehicles preparatory to movement. On September 19th, five days before his 21st birthday, Pvt. Milone’s “heart slowed to a complete stop”; the same day, the 29th took a week’s rest before their long trip to Germany.

It's Love's senior year at Hadley Hall, and she's stuck sharing a dorm with the evil Lindsay Parrish, who's imposing way too many rules during her reign as head monitor. On top of that, her handsome boyfriend, Charlie, has gone back to Harvard, and her ex, Jacob, still insists on giving her the cold shoulder. On the bright side, Love's mom is offering her the chance to work for an indie music label in New York City. Suddenly, Love's future's looking bright again. Until, that is, the newspaper publishes a photo of Charlie on the gala circuit- with another girl. Obviously it's time for some lessons in love...

Based on participant observation and in-depth interviews, this book describes the work women do in their homes, caring for children and partners, and maintaining the house. It shows how their lives are shaped by domestic responsibilities and challenges the ways in which their work is neither recognized nor valued. Arguing that the work they do is socially necessary and central to the economy, it calls for a transformation of current social and economic relations.

Jody Jasmine is from Kalamazoo, Michigan, attending Toronto University, where she is the choreographer for the cheerleaders. Through that role, she meets Shawn William, of Montreal, quarterback for the football team. They become best of friendsand then that relationship deepens. As they begin dating, they soon fall madly in love, and by Christmas of their first year they are living together. They laugh together, they play together, and they tease each other with a passion beyond belief. They both have high standards and do very well academically; in fact, they do well at whatever they pursue. Jodys goal is to go to medical school and become a family physician, while Shawn aspires to earn his PhD in physics. Through the good times and the bad they stand tall and never waver, supporting each other through thick and thin and exploring the beauty of Canada in their vacations. Only time will tell what blessings the future will bestow upon them. In this novel, a pair of college students meet and fall in love, growing together as they prepare for their future lives.

Love is usually accepted with three elements of Mystery, Magic and Marvel. The ‘3Ms’ land most of us in inexplicable troubles and pains of love. The magnificent dualism is – love’s mystery makes it flamboyantly thrilling. Still, the mysticism engenders loads of confusion, making many of us flop in love. Success of love is in non-dualistic positioning, a simple and practical realism, most of us refuse to accept.

It's the winter of 2003. Annie and Tom have itchy feet. Living and dying in the same small area of Newcastle, England, and never seeing any other part of the world doesn't appeal to them one bit. But where, on this great big planet, would they be happy? New Zealand or Australia: too far away. Scotland or Yorkshire: not far enough. Spain or France: Too dumb to learn a language! So when Tom is offered a position as a tattoo artist, working in a brand new studio in Cork city, Ireland, the decision is made and their adventure unfolds. Travelling by ferry in their trusty camper van Tom is first to arrive. While he is getting settled into his new job and looking for somewhere to live, Annie is up the walls dealing with everything back in Newcastle. One sunny morning in July Annie waves goodbye to family, friends and the place she’s called home since the day she was born, and sets off for her new life in Ireland with Tom and their three sons: seventeen-year-old Jack, sixteen-year-old Jamie and Robin who is seven. Each member of the family shares a different level of excitement and enthusiasm as they settle into the mouse and ant infested bungalow they rent from a local farmer for a year. Eventually their goal is in sight when they spot their dream house: an almost derelict farmhouse in the beautiful countryside of West Cork. With no building experience, some very laid back local tradesmen and a budget about half of what they need to complete the work, they begin the renovation. The building schedule goes nowhere according to plan and family life is strained to say the least. Have Annie and Tom made the biggest mistake of their lives, uprooting their whole family only to end up living in a dilapidated caravan in the middle of building site? Or, will their dream of a self-sufficient existence in their beautiful country farmhouse materialise. Read Annie’s journal and experience the laughter, the tears and the many nervous breakdowns that ensue as the family’s re-location story unfolds.

The beloved Lidia Bastianich--best-selling cookbook author, award-winning television personality, and renowned restaurateur--tells her heartwarming, emotional and revelatory personal story for the first time, with hallmark warmth and gusto. Lidia's story begins with her childhood in Pula, a small city in northern Italy turned Yugoslavian under Tito's communist regime. Despite the political climate and her family's poverty, she enjoyed a loving upbringing, spending time in the simple, rugged beauty of her surroundings: fishing, farming, and foraging, and learning about Italian cooking from her beloved grandmother, Nonna Rosa. When the communist regime began investigating her family, they made the difficult decision to flee to Trieste, Italy, where they spent two years in a refugee camp waiting for visas to enter the United States--an experience that has affected Lidia ever since. At the age of 12, Lidia started a new life in New York. As a young teenager, she began working in restaurants--the first step toward the creation of her own American dream. In this book, in vivid detail, she recounts her journey of fulfilling that dream. Supported by her close-knit family, and fueled by her dedication and endless passion for food, her drive ultimately led her to owning multiple restaurants, writing several cookbooks, and acting as host of her own television cooking show for twenty years. This memoir is an absolute must-have for the millions of Lidia fans who are eager to know her whole story at last.