Name Dropping

This tale of murder and mistaken identity in a Manhattan apartment building is “a rollicking and delectable read” by a New York Times–bestselling author (People). A teacher at a fancy Manhattan preschool, Nancy Stern spends her days cleaning spills, moderating bathroom breaks, and preventing that one kid in the back of the room from eating glue. With America’s precious future in her hands, Nancy rises to the occasion—but sometimes she yearns for something a little more glamorous. Meanwhile, another woman by the name of Nancy Stern has moved into her apartment building—and as if the constant mail mix-ups aren’t annoying enough, every mistaken delivery and misdirected message reminds her that the other Nancy Stern is outshining her by far. That pile of exclusive party invitations spilling out of her mailbox? Not for her. The stunning coat that’s arrived straight from the cleaners? Not a chance. And that smooth voice on the other end of the line calling to ask Nancy out on a blind date? Now that is something the penthouse-floor Nancy Stern doesn’t have to find out about . . . But while her night out with the hunk stirs up a romance, The other Nancy gets murdered. And suddenly the real identity of not just the killer, but the intended victim, is a mystery in desperate need of solving . . . “Very funny . . . When teacher Nancy accepts a blind date meant for the other Nancy, things rapidly spiral out of control. Murder and mayhem follow, all in Heller’s trademark witty and entertaining style.” —Library Journal “A charmingly improbable love story.” —USA Today

From Ross Mathews, the nationally bestselling author of Man Up!, judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, and alum of Chelsea Lately, comes “a delightful mix of sweet and sour celebrity experiences” (Shelf Awareness) in this hilarious and irreverent collection of essays. Pretend it’s happy hour and you and I are sitting at the bar. I look amazing and, I agree with you, much thinner in person. You look good, too. Maybe it’s the candlelight, maybe it’s the booze. Either way, let’s just go with it. Keep this all between you and me, and do me a favor? Don’t judge me if I name drop just a little. Television personality Ross Mathews likes telling stories. He was always outrageous and hilariously honest, even when the biggest celebrity he knew was his favorite lunch lady in the school cafeteria. Now that he has Hollywood experience—from interning behind the scenes at The Tonight Show with Jay Leno to judging RuPaul’s Drag Race—he has a lot to talk about. In Name Drop, Ross dishes about being an unlikely insider in the alternate reality that is showbiz, like that time he was invited by Barbara Walters to host The View—only to learn his hero did not suffer fools; his Christmas with the Kardashians, which should be its own holiday special; and his news-making talk with Omarosa on Celebrity Big Brother, which, as it turns out, was just the tip of the iceberg. Holding nothing back, Ross shares the most treasured and surprising moments in his celebrity-filled career, and proves that while exposure may have made him a little bit famous, he is still as much a fanboy as ever. Filled with “charmingly told” (Booklist) tales ranging from the horrifying to the hilarious—and with just the right “Rossipes” and cocktails to go along with them—Name Drop is every pop culture lover’s dream come true.

“[A] charming memoir [that] serves to remind us that idealism and trust once existed in the White House and Washington, a fact that may seem unbelievable” (Newsday). A New York Times Notable Book “Names? You want names? No one knows better ones than John Kenneth Galbraith,” says the San Diego Union-Tribune. Name-Dropping covers the long and remarkable career of this economist and former ambassador, charting sixty-five years of politics, government, and American history as he writes of the many people he has known—among them Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, John F. Kennedy, Adlai Stevenson, and Jawaharlal Nehru—“with a wit, style, and elegance few can match” (Library Journal). This “mischievously and merrily unrepentant” memoir offers a rich and uniquely personal history of the twentieth century—a history the author himself helped to shape (The Boston Globe). “Shrewd, irreverent, penetrating, and hilarious.” —Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. “It is not usual for a man past his 90th birthday to write a book that is as fresh and lively as the work of a 30-year-old. But John Kenneth Galbraith is not a usual man, and he has done it.” —The New York Times

Millions of people of every generation share Jerry Seinfeld's admiration for Alan King, a man who has been making people laugh for more than 50 years. In this hilarious and touching autobiography, King takes readers on a glorious journey through his life, "name-dropping" some of the biggest stars in show business and revealing where he's come from, how he got where he is, and the rewards, both professional and personal, he enjoys today. 16-page photo insert.

In the course of the same old race I find myself writing about knowing some people—how fame seems to set some people apart from us, once known: I was astonished by Ernest Hemingway's small, weak handshake when we were introduced at Scribners by John Hall Wheelock and by the jolt of force with which Elie Wiesel squeezed my hand. How long ago seems knowing, too: when I first meet Isaac Singer he asks me, "Who is Mr. Saul Bellow?" We're on the Upper West Side in his apartment next to the funeral parlor. A yellow parakeet hops around on Singer's bald forehead. Singer's great comic story of faith, "Gimpel the Fool," has only recently been published from Yiddish into English in a translation by Saul Bellow. They're both still a long way from Stockholm. "Do you know him? Can you tell me who this Mr. Bellow is?" he asks. It was not always possible to guess Singer's motives in acting as though he was not impressed with worldly reputations. His features of a medieval Polish saint, even to a faint white-haired tonsure effect around the crown of his skull, were backlit by the glowing monitor from his mischievous incubus.—from the Preface These are Richard Elman's candid snapshots in prose of the various, mostly literary celebrities he encountered during his four decades as a working writer and journalist—among them Isaac Bashevis Singer, Tillie Olsen, Bernard Malamud, Faye Dunaway, Hunter S. Thompson, and other important artists and writers who were Elman's teachers and, occasionally, adversaries. Engagingly written and never superficial, these portraits and anecdotes in many cases strike to the center of each subject's art. To many readers, these persons are just "names"; Elman brings them to life while never simplifying or overdramatizing their work.

Tiivistelmä: Puoli vuosisataa metsäteollisuuden retoriikkaa. Vakuuttamisen strategiat myyntiargumentaatiossa.

As a follow up to the extremely successful Town & Country's Social Graces comes this new collection of essays by some of our most celebrated writers, exploring the need for manners in today's hectic world. Such keen observers as David Brown, Hugh Downs, Frank McCourt, and Peggy Noonan offer their witty and incisive views on how to avoid offending others. Town & Country magazine has been synonymous with good taste and refinement for more than a century. So who better to comment on the need for manners in a time of constant cell phone chatter, non-step competition, hair-trigger-tempers, and fast-paced lifestyles? Both humorous and insightful, this sparkling collection of essays reflects on the pressing need for kindness, consideration, and civilized behavior. And the list of contributors is stellar: David Brown makes a persuasive plea for civility; Jamie Lee Curtis talks about "Having Dinner with the Family"; Sonya Friedman reflects on motherhood; Charles Osgood comments on everyday courtesies; and Ted Sorenson discusses "Patriotic Pride." With topics that range from the art of listening to good elevator etiquette, these eloquent pieces offer advice worth following.

This dictionary of American English is designed to help learners write and speak accurate and up-to-date English. • Ideal for upper-intermediate and advanced learners of English • Based on the Collins 4.5-billion-word database, the Collins Corpus • Up-to-date coverage of today’s English, with all words and phrases explained in full sentences • Authentic examples from the Collins Corpus show how English is really used • Extensive help with grammar, including plural forms and verb infl ections • Fully illustrated Word Web and Picture Dictionary boxes provide additional information on vocabulary and key concepts • Vocabulary-building features encourage students to improve their accuracy and fl uency: †- Word Partnership notes highlight important collocations †- Thesaurus entries offer synonyms and antonyms for common words †- Usage notes explain different meanings and uses of the word • Supplements on Grammar, Writing, Speaking, Words That Frequently Appear on TOEFL® and TOEIC®, Text Messaging and Emoticons