Laura Lee – författare

Young dancers have fallen in love with this charming, illustrated exploration of the world's great ballets. Featuring twenty-five famous and beloved pieces such as Swan Lake, The Nutcracker, Peter and the Wolf and Fancy Free, these stories bring iconic performances to life and inspire readers to listen and dance along to the music that has made them enduring classics.Woven into these tales is a captivating history of ballet, filled with information and profiles of the world's greatest dancers, choreographers, and composers. Young readers will also enjoy fun facts and dancing how-tos all while listening to excerpts of classical music. Also included is a removable, fold-out poster depicting the five positions of ballet.

‘In all his life [Oscar] has never written me a letter that was unkind or at least unloving and to see anything terrible in his handwriting written directly to me would almost kill me.’ This was written by Lord Alfred Douglas in 1897, before the contents of Oscar Wilde’s long letter written in prison and addressed to Douglas, De Profundis, were revealed; in which Wilde indicted Lord Alfred’s vanity and blamed him for his downfall - ‘appetite without distinction, desire without limit, and formless greed’.Years after Oscar Wilde’s death, two of his closest friends, Lord Alfred Douglas and his literary executor Robert Ross - both former lovers - engaged in a bitter battle over Wilde’s legacy and who was to blame for his downfall and early death. The furious struggle led to stalking, blackmail, witness tampering, prison, and a series of dramatic lawsuits. The feud had long-lasting repercussions, not only for the two men, but also for how we remember Oscar Wilde today.Ross was systematic, had more friends, and as Wilde’s executor had access to all of Wilde’s papers, including personal letters from Douglas to Wilde; as the controller of Wilde’s copyright, he had sole discretion as to which of Wilde’s views of Douglas could be published. Douglas had a tenacious fighting spirit, and the sense of entitlement that came with being a lord. This is the first book to focus on the heated feud and to assess the motivations, misconceptions, and actions of all parties involved.

Whether cliches get under your skin or make you laugh, this dictionary of cliches goes the extra mile to provide an essential resource for students, teachers, writers, and anyone with a keen interest in language. Excellent reference for casual browsing or an in depth read. And that's food for thought. Cheeky and informative, each cliche is presented in such a way that is guaranteed to entertain. Know where your cliche comes from, so you won't be afraid to use it.

Freelance writer and former radio announcer Lee explores the history of Trinity Church in western Massachusetts, saying that "few churches... have had so many distinct and fascinating rebirths." Indeed, Trinity reflects many of America's transformations in microcosm: in the Gilded Age, it was a posh branch church of an Episcopalian parish. After it fell on hard times in the mid-20th century, it was deconsecrated and purchased by a "hippie" couple named Alice and Ray Brock in the early 1960s. They converted it into a home and a haven for countercultural youth. It was there, on Thanksgiving 1965, that musician Arlo Guthrie offered to take out the garbage from the meal and threw it down a local hill. His arrest for littering, and subsequent night in jail, resulted in the famous 18-minute song-cum-manifesto called "Alice's Restaurant" and a 1969 movie by the same name.

Do you know how to tie your shoe? Or do you just think you do but you’ve actually been screwing it up for decades like most people have? This witty, light book takes a fresh spin on all the mistakes we make everyday that end up costing us big in our wallets, our health, our homes, and beyond. Topics covered are Yourself (appearance, skills, all things you), Your Home, Your Cooking, Your Money, Your Relationships & Family, and Your Health. This perfect combination of humor and wisdom entertains readers as they learn how to make their lives better by avoiding and remedying common screw-ups. Things we all mess up: Using chopsticks as spears because you just can''t figure them out (Yourself) Throwing Frisbees behind you, sucking at horseshoes, and other game/sporting fouls (Yourself) Living with streaky paint or air bubbles under the wallpaper you screwed up (Your Home) Killing all the houseplants you’ve ever bought (Your Home) Burning the edges and undercooking the middle (Your Cooking) Breaking the yolk every time you flip an egg (Your Cooking Your taxes. Argh. (Your Money) Overdrawing your account and paying a fee even though you have overdraft protection (Your Money) Cracking someone''s ribs in the Heimlich maneuver (Your Health) Inability to make a Band-Aid stick or get a Band-Aid off without tearing out your hair (Your Health) Forgetting your loved ones birthdays year after year (Your Relationships & Family) Ruining Christmas with the untimely truth about Santa (Your Relationships & Family) Embarrassing yourself on a date because you don''t understand the French menu or the 90-page wine list (Your Relationships & Family)The ways in which we flub and flounder are infinite, and this book taps into that boundless fountain of foul ups in a way that will

Learning from failure is an effective—and entertaining—way to make information stick. This fun and engaging guide showcases tons of common screw-ups and how to avoid them.Do you know how to tie your shoe? Or do you just think you do but you’ve actually been screwing it up for decades like most people have? This witty, light book takes a fresh spin on all the mistakes we make everyday that end up costing us big in our wallets, our health, our homes, and beyond. Topics covered are Yourself (appearance, skills, all things you), Your Home, Your Cooking, Your Money, Your Relationships & Family, and Your Health. This perfect combination of humor and wisdom entertains readers as they learn how to make their lives better by avoiding and remedying common screw-ups. Things we all mess up: *Using chopsticks as spears because you just can’t figure them out (Yourself) *Throwing Frisbees behind you, sucking at horseshoes, and other game/sporting fouls (Yourself) *Getting your sofa stuck on moving day (Your Home) *Gluing your fingers together (Your Home) *Turning your brown sugar into a brick (Your Cooking) *Breaking the yolk every time you flip an egg (Your Cooking) *Your taxes. Argh. (Your Money) *Overdrawing your account and paying a fee even though you have overdraft protection (Your Money) *Cracking someone’s ribs in the Heimlich maneuver (Your Health) *Inability to make a Band-Aid stick or get a Band-Aid off without tearing out your hair (Your Health) *Forgetting your loved ones’ birthdays year after year (Your Relationships & Family) *Embarrassing yourself on a date because you don’t understand the French menu or the 90-page wine list (Your Relationships & Family) The ways in which we flub and flounder are infinite, and this book taps into that boundless fountain of foul ups in a way that will entertain and enlighten readers of all kinds.

From a writer whose work has been called “breathtaking and dazzling” by Roxane Gay, this moving, illuminating, and multifaceted memoir explores, in a series of essays, the emotional scars we carry when dealing with mental and physical illnesses—reminiscent of The Collected Schizophrenias and An Unquiet Mind. In this stunning debut, Laura Lee weaves unforgettable and eye-opening essays on a variety of taboo topics. In “History of Scars” and “Aluminum’s Erosions,” Laura dives head-first into heavier themes revolving around intimacy, sexuality, trauma, mental illness, and the passage of time. In “Poetry of the World,” Laura shifts and addresses the grief she feels by being geographically distant from her mother whom, after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s, is relocated to a nursing home in Korea. Through the vivid imagery of mountain climbing, cooking, studying writing, and growing up Korean American, Lee explores the legacy of trauma on a young queer child of immigrants as she reconciles the disparate pieces of existence that make her whole. By tapping into her own personal, emotional, and psychological struggles in these powerful and relatable essays, Lee encourages all of us to not be afraid to face our own hardships and inner truths.

Situated in picturesque countryside on the North Staffordshire / South Cheshire border, the villages of Betley, Balterley and Wrinehill are steeped in centuries of history. Betley was mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 and was granted a Royal Charter in the 13th century to hold a weekly market. Famous Victorian visitors to Betley included author Elizabeth Gaskell and the young Florence Nightingale, who went boating on Betley Hall Pool. The three villages also had a brush with royalty when a Grand Duke of Russia opened the local flower show and The Queen's grandparents George V and Queen Mary passed through on their tour of North Staffordshire. Published in the milestone year of The Queen's Platinum Jubilee, this collection of pictures from the 19th century onwards captures and collates some well-known landmarks of Betley, Balterley and Wrinehill, both past and present. From garages to pubs, churches to country mansions, 'Snapshots of Village Life' outlines their stories within the villages they helped to shape. Celebrations of local and national events (such as the 50th anniversary of VE Day) also demonstrate a strong sense of community running through that village life. A community depicted, a heritage captured. 'Snapshots of Village Life' creates an engaging pictorial record of Betley, Balterley and Wrinehill and provides a fascinating glimpse of their journey through time.