Trotter Ross

Set in north Texas, and the Southwest in general, this coming-of-age novel pits a protagonist with a traditional, rural background, against the "sophistication" of Dallas in the late 1960s. The title character, Trotter, falls for a woman about to be married, and must deal with that rejection. He takes to the road to discover himself, and to discover the mysteries of sex -- in some very finely crafted literary love scenes. The precision of Hoggard's writing extends beyond the bedroom to the high plains of Texas and the mountains of New Mexico, with exquisite, poetic landscape descriptions. The novel takes on a mythic tone, making it comparable to the very best American coming-of-age novels.

To achieve your goals, words alone aren’t enough. You need punctuation too! Who cares about commas, semicolons, dashes, and hyphens? Well, you should. A misplaced punctuation mark can confuse physicians and surgeons, cause thousands of dollars in legal fees, misinform judges, puzzle bankers, misguide stockbrokers, and even ruin a recipe. Luckily, you don’t need a teacher with a mouthful of jargon to show you how to make yourself clearly understood, whether it’s in a text or a term paper. Better Punctuation in 30 Minutes a Day lets you teach yourself. This small step-by-step handbook is an indispensable guide if you need to: • Compose high school or college papers • Apply to college or for a job • Write a resume • Communicate your thoughts to anyone, from your landlord to your loved one You can work on your own, at your own speed, and within your own time frame—and the rules of punctuation, often confusing and hazy, will finally become clear.

Bursting onto the Chicago fine-dining scene in 1987, Charlie Trotter's restaurant soon became a local icon and eventually a national landmark. From his initial rise to culinary stardom to his untimely death in November 2013, Charlie Trotter was one of Chicago's most distinguished and high-profile chefs. Trotter, more than any of his peers, ushered in a new type of dining experience—the "New American" gourmet cuisine that has proliferated across the country—by never offering the same menu twice, and creating multi-course meals from scratch each day using boutique ingredients, including a rare all-vegetable degustation. Drawn from 26 years of Chicago Tribune articles, profiles, and reviews, Charlie Trotter offers a comprehensive account of the restaurant that put Chicago at the center of the American culinary world and chronicles the events and tributes surrounding Trotter's decision to close his eponymous restaurant in 2012. Employing both the fine-tooth comb of local journalism and the acerbic wit of high-stakes restaurant criticism, Charlie Trotter gives readers an intimate portrayal of the lightning-rod figure who for years was synonymous with Chicago fine dining, revealing the inner workings of both the man and his landmark restaurant.