"Art, love and longing, the French way . . . an emotionally taut portrayal of late-in-life, post-marriage drift" from the author of The 6:41 to Paris ( The New York Times Book Review).A French teacher on the verge of retirement is invited to a glittering opening that showcases the artwork of his former student, who has since become a celebrated painter. This unexpected encounter leads to the older man posing for his portrait. Possibly in the nude. ...

Joyeux Noël: "[An]endearing collection of Christmas stories from ten of France's most esteemed writers―past and present―skillfully translated." ― Foreword ReviewsThis collection brings together the best French Christmas stories of all time, featuring classics by Guy de Maupassant and Alphonse Daudet, plus stories by the esteemed twentieth century authors Irène Némirovsky and Nobel Prize winner Anatole France and contemporary writers Dominique Fabre and Jea...

After decades, former lovers come face to face in a novel filled with a "suspenseful dread that makes you want to turn every page at locomotive pace" ( St. Louis Post-Dispatch).Cécile, a stylish forty-seven-year-old, has spent the weekend visiting her parents in a provincial town southeast of Paris. By early Monday morning, she's exhausted. These trips back home are always stressful, and she settles into a train compartment with an empty seat beside her. B...

Through the lens of chess, a celebrated Belgian author unearths fresh insights into his work and relationships in this luminous exploration of childhood, memory, and aging.Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Europe into lockdown, Jean-Philippe Toussaint left Brussels for the seaside city of Ostend. Spending his days editing his novel The Emotions and coming to terms with new aches and pains, his mind wanders to memories of his youth—summers at the ...

'The book is like the spoon: once invented, it cannot be bettered' - Umberto Eco.These days it is impossible to get away from discussions of whether the book will survive the digital revolution. Blogs, tweets and newspaper articles on the subject appear daily, many of them repetitive, most of them admitting ignorance of the future. Amidst the twittering, the thoughts of Jean-Claude Carrière and Umberto Eco come as a breath of fresh air.This thought-provoking book takes the ...

The ultimate sartorial and etiquette guide, from the ultimate life and style guru. By turns witty, sardonic, and always insightful, Glenn O’Brien’s advice column has been a must-read for several generations of men (and their spouses and girlfriends). Having cut his teeth as a contributor at Andy Warhol’s Interview in its heyday, O’Brien sharpened them as the creative director of advertising at the hip department store Barneys New York for ten years before starting his advice column at Deta...

What would the world be like if everyone could fly?Would this ability be used for the greater good?Charm is a young girl who loves all things fancy and sparkling. She loves to learn. She enjoys going on thrilling adventures.One Day, Charm gains a new set of wings and discovers the only special way she will get them to work. Will Charm use her talents to show kindness?Join Charm on her discovery to learn a new lesson.Reader R...

When life applies pressure, you are not meant to break; you are meant to rise. This book is a guide to transforming every season of testing into a season of becoming.Life will test you through infertility, grief, career, love, the pursuit of happiness, and the search for identity and purpose, among countless other trials.Rise Above It, Rise In It is a masterclass in resilient living and purposeful becoming, blending hard-earned wisdom with practical mindset shifts. It shows...

Five famous pieces in carefully simplified arrangements – perfect for anyone who wants to sit down and play after a long day, without stress or lengthy preparation. The collection brings together character pieces from three centuries: Rameau's dance-like Les Sauvages, Clementi's boisterous The Black Joke, Beethoven's convivial Drinking Song, Debussy's mischievous Golliwogg's Cake-walk and the fiery Brindisi from Verdi's La Traviata. What connects them all: lively rhythms, straightforward k...

Write applications in C\#/.NET that will stand the test of time, evolving with the information systems they belong to and the services they interoperate with by using standards and solid business-related architecture rulesKey FeaturesLearn the principles of business-aligned software architectureRelate theory to several well-known architecture frameworksApply the knowledge you gain to create a .NET application with a standard-based APIP...

Jesus undoubtedly suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.The purpose of this book is to provide a psychiatric portrait of the historical figure known as Jesus of Nazareth, the founder of Christianity. Such a title is indeed shocking, but after a detailed analysis of the words and actions of Jesus mentioned in the Gospels, it clearly appears that he suffered from a serious mental illness: schizophrenia with hallucinations, delusions and para...

Our story begins in an imaginary world in the kingdom of Reas and Pales. Raphael, our young hero, is called upon to defeat the cruel and evil Nomrad, King of Pales, and prevent him from finding the Magic Fountain. He can count on the help of his friends and Queen Marianne de Réas. Will they succeed in foiling King Nomrad's Machiavellian plans?ABOUT THE AUTHORR.J.P Toreille is originally from the Ile de Ré. Mythology, history, authors and daily life are for him the source fr...