Never Say Excuse Me Louder Than You Burp

Bob Deaton takes a whimsical look back at the hazards of growing up clueless in Indiana in the 1950s. It is a gonzo take on a time and place in which vomiting in a grade school cafeteria is a political act, prom dresses are impenetrable fortresses of taffeta and rebar, and a cigar-smoking dentist favors conspiracy theories but not anesthesia. Zealous summer camp chaplains routinely recruit Manchurian Candidates for Jesus, but basketball reigns supreme as the real state religion. Even churches field teams, but at their own peril, for a defeat on the court is not without serious theological consequences: "St. Marys 55 First Methodist 49, Meatless Fridays Commence for Methodists on March 3!"Everyone burned their trash in fifty-five gallon drums out in the alley, and any kid with a quarter could score a pack of unfiltered Luckies from a vending machine. Dogs roamed free to forage and fight and copulate and form packs and establish hierarchies, and aside from TV and retirement plans, they were just like everyone else in Middle America, navigating life without a map."Never Say Excuse Me Louder Than You Burp" lives in that sweet spot where Jean Shepherd, Garrison Keillor and David Sedaris come to play and it wont put our eye out!

With more than 250 recipes from our family to yours, The Sunday Dinner Cookbook revives family dinner with nostalgic menus throughout the year! This gorgeous, gift-quality tome was featured in the 2017 City Book Review Gift Guide! Designed for a new and inventive meal for any week of the year, The Sunday Dinner Cookbook brings back classic and nostalgic meals to the modern family! This charming cookbook organizes the weeks of the year with 52 corresponding meal options, encompassing entree, sides, and dessert for the whole family that can be mixed and matched throughout for an unlimited amount of possibilities. Make family event planning easy and memorable with helpful tips and tricks of decor, as well as advice for lovely dinner manners and conversation.

Against the backdrop of Kentucky in the 1970s—and against all odds—a black woman and a white man find a love that transcends race, class, and condemnation. J. Marie Darden's magnificent love story is set in 1971—a time of war not just in Vietnam or the streets of Washington, but also in Bourbon County, Kentucky. When the Mandarenes, a wealthy white family, move into the deserted mansion across the field behind her house, Sister takes a job with them. She soon finds herself in the middle of a drama that will change the racial balance of her town by falling in love with Evian, the youngest son in the Mandarene family. In haunting prose and beautiful images, Enemy Fields is a moving story full of insight into human hearts caught in the crossfire of one of the most volatile and violent periods of American history.

A quiet book about how an intensely deceptive movement can begin, with its almost innocent origins buried deeply in the hopes and fears of good people. Quickening Dreams is the first book in the Deceiving the Elect series, introducing us to a cast of quirky, lovable characters, both good and bad. This book speaks to that growing feeling of uncertainty, deep in your heart, where you are beginning to question the reality of this world, and the religion your parents taught you. In distant echoes you are beginning to hear the still, small voice, and perhaps you are one of the very few that is having odd dreams, dreams that seem to waken you, and bring you to life.

I remember my first day of school first as a student and then as a teacher. I was even more nervous as a teacher. I knew the material. I understood what I was supposed to teach. But I felt unprepared. When I walked into that classroom, I had no idea how to get my kids to buy what I was selling. After two years of uncertainty and self-doubt, I decided to stop trying to be something I wasn't. I started being me. No more referring to my class as students. They were now “my kids.” A wise, veteran teacher once told me, “Get your kids to love you and they will do whatever you ask.” That's exactly what we did. We started building real connections with the kids and their parents. The kids bought in. A lot of the parents did too. This family environment created daily rewards for all of us. These daily rewards were the reason we all wanted to be there. Open the book. Read the first chapter. Then maybe the chapter on daily rewards. Relate it to your own experiences. See how we created a 'Triangle of Trust.' See how we created a family each year for eighteen years. A classroom filled with kindness, compassion, and a lot of laughter and joy. A classroom where good learning flourishes. It works. It's fun. It's a real family. Your family. I hope you enjoy it. I still miss opening the door each morning and turning on the light.