What a debut! Early Work is one of the wittiest, wisest (sometimes silliest, in the best sense), and bravest novels about wrestling with the early stages of life and love, of creative and destructive urges, I’ve read in a while. The angst of the young and reasonably comfortable isn’t always pretty, but Andrew Martin possesses the prose magic to make it hilarious, illuminating, moving." —Sam Lipsyte, author of The Ask and The Fun Parts For young writers of a certain temperament—if they haven’t had such notions beaten out of them by MFA programs and the Internet—the delusion persists that great writing must be sought in what W. B. Yeats once called the “foul rag and bone shop of the heart.” That’s where Peter Cunningham has been looking for inspiration for his novel—that is, when he isn’t teaching at the local women’s prison, walking his dog, getting high, and wondering whether it’s time to tie the knot with his college girlfriend, a medical student whose night shifts have become a standing rebuke to his own lack of direction. When Peter meets Leslie, a sexual adventurer taking a break from her fiancé, he gets a glimpse of what he wishes and imagines himself to be: a writer of talent and nerve. Her rag-and-bone shop may be as squalid as his own, but at least she knows her way around the shelves. Over the course of a Virginia summer, their charged, increasingly intimate friendship opens the door to difficult questions about love and literary ambition. With a keen irony reminiscent of Sam Lipsyte or Lorrie Moore, and a romantic streak as wide as Roberto Bolaño’s, Andrew Martin’s Early Work marks the debut of a writer as funny and attentive as any novelist of his generation. “Beautifully executed and very funny, Early Work is a sharp-eyed, sharp-voiced debut that I didn’t want to put down.” —Julia Pierpont, author of Among the Ten Thousand Things and The Little Book of Feminist Saints
Expanding the world of his classic-in-the-making debut novel Early Work, Andrew Martin’s Cool for America is a hilarious collection of overlapping stories that explores the dark zone between artistic ambition and its achievement The collection is bookended by the misadventures of Leslie, a young woman (first introduced in Early Work) who moves from New York to Missoula, Montana to try to draw herself out of a lingering depression, and, over the course of the book, gains painful insight into herself through a series of intense friendships and relationships. Other stories follow young men and women, alone and in couples, pushing hard against, and often crashing into, the limits of their abilities as writers and partners. In one story, two New Jersey siblings with substance-abuse problems relapse together on Christmas Eve; in another, a young couple tries to make sense of an increasingly unhinged veterinarian who seems to be tapping, deliberately or otherwise, into the unspoken troubles between them. In tales about characters as they age from punk shows and benders to book clubs and art museums, the promise of community acts—at least temporarily—as a stay against despair. Running throughout Cool for America is the characters’ yearning for transcendence through art: the hope that, maybe, the perfect, or even just the good-enough sentence, can finally make things right.
An utterly enjoyable voyage under Paris' - THE OLDIE 'Delightful and diverting... Martin is the most unpretentious and companionable of guides; the book is great fun' - LITERARY REVIEW 'An eclectic blend of engineering and travelogue, urban planning and anecdote... a sincere love letter' - THE ECONOMIST Andrew Martin has been described as 'the laureate of railways', having written many books with railway themes. Metropolitain: An Ode to the Paris Metro, is the first English history of the Metro for the general reader. Metropolitain is as stylish as the Metro itself and laced with cultural references. Andrew explains why Last Tango in Paris is a great Metro film, and what the Metro chase scene in the classic thriller, Le Samourai, says about Parisian culture. We also meet Andrew's half-English, half-French friend, Julian, who runs a society dedicated to Metro history. He tells Andrew, 'A Metro station is like the wine cellar of chateau, which is a very nice thing to be reminded of.' The book takes the reader on a constant tour of Paris, both underground and over. But Paris, and the Metro, is changing, undergoing a huge expansion. This, and the imminence of the Paris Olympics, make this a timely title.
Childcare? Exams? Coaching? Make the right decisions with this commonsense guide packed with balanced, positive and practical advice on 20 of the biggest issues facing parents and their children. Are you agonising over whether to put your child in childcare? Do you wonder whether your child will be ready for school? What's the best way to help your child survive the pressures of big exams? Should students have a gap year before making any decisions about their future? Andrew Martin's new book answers all these questions - and more. Based on fifteen years of studies and evidence, Martin weighs up the pros and cons and gives you balanced, positive and practical advice on 20 of the biggest issues facing parents and their children. With commonsense and a sense of humour, HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD FLY THROUGH LIFE will help you make the most important decisions for your children including: * Childcare and pre-school * Preparing your child for school * Selective, single sex and co-ed schooling * Coaching, tutoring and homework * Helping children deal with challenge and pressure * Choosing school subjects * Extra-curricular activities, including part-time work and sport * Preparing your child for big exams and assessments * Choosing a career * Having a gap year. If you want the best for your children from cradle to graduation, arm yourself with everything you need to know to help your children be the best - and happiest - they can be.
The book is a novel set at the Stennis Space Center and loosely based on Test Stand B. The story is intended to call attention to the fantastic work being done by the NASA Team there.
Night trains have long fascinated us with the possibilities of their private sleeping compartments, gilded dining cars, champagne bars and wealthy travellers. Authors from Agatha Christie to Graham Greene have used night trains to tell tales of romance, intrigue and decadence against a rolling background of dramatic landscapes. The reality could often be as thrilling: early British travellers on the Orient Express were advised to carry a revolver (as well as a teapot). In Night Trains, Andrew Martin attempts to relive the golden age of the great European sleeper trains by using their modern-day equivalents. This is no simple matter. The night trains have fallen on hard times, and the services are disappearing one by one. But if the Orient Express experience can only be recreated by taking three separate sleepers, the intriguing characters and exotic atmospheres have survived. Whether the backdrop is 3am at a Turkish customs post, the sun rising over the Riviera, or the constant twilight of a Norwegian summer night, Martin rediscovers the pleasures of a continent connected by rail. By tracing the history of the sleeper trains, he reveals much of the recent history of Europe itself. The original sleepers helped break down national barriers and unify the continent. Martin uncovers modern instances of European unity - and otherwise - as he traverses the continent during 'interesting times', with Brexit looming. Against this tumultuous backdrop, he experiences his own smaller dramas, as he fails to find crucial connecting stations, ponders the mystery of the compartment dog, and becomes embroiled in his very own night train whodunit.
Contentment in life can be an elusive chase. So often we cannot achieve contentment due to unresolved issues from our past and destructive habitual thinking patterns. Are you now prepared to finally change the negative and self-defeating habitual loops of thought that have kept you fixated in your life? Learn how to challenge and alter these self-limiting scripts that have kept you from achieving your goals. With his direct and conversational style, Dr. Crewson Andrew Martin will provide information and personal exercises to help you to finally break free.
The latest in Andrew Martin's much-loved 'Jim Stringer, Steam Detective' series. 'Andrew Martin has recreated an extraordinarily convincing world . . . Terrific.' Daily TelegraphDecember, 1909. A train hits a snowdrift in the frozen Cleveland Hills. In the process of clearing the line a body is discovered, and so begins a dangerous case for struggling railway detective Jim Stringer, a case which will take him from the Highlands to Fleet Street to the mighty blast furnaces of Ironopolis.Jim's faltering career hangs on whether he can solve the murder, but before long Jim finds himself fighting not just for his job, but also for his life . . .'A wonderful evocation of Edwardian Britain . . . Tough, scary and funny, this is a novel for anyone who loves a page-turning detective story.' Independent on Sunday'Stringer is at the heart of a series of historical crime novels that shows no sign of running out of steam.' Sunday Times
Founded by Al O'Connor in 1973, the steelband program at Northern Illinois University was the first of its kind in the United States. Thanks to the talent and dedication of O'Connor, Cliff Alexis, Liam Teague, Yuko Asada, and a plethora of NIU students and staff members, the program has flourished into one of the most important in the world. Having welcomed a variety of distinguished guest artists and traveled to perform in locales around the US and in Taiwan, Trinidad, and South Korea, the NIU Steelband has achieved international acclaim as a successful and unique university world music program. This fascinating history of the NIU Steelband traces the evolution of the program and engages with broader issues relating to the development of steelband and world music ensembles in the American university system. In addition to investigating its past, Steelpan in Education looks to the future of the NIU Steelband, exploring how it attracts and trains new generations of elite musicians who continue to push the boundaries of the steelpan. This study will appeal to musicians, music educators, ethnomusicologists, and fans of the NIU Steelband.
The Budapest Gambit 1 d4 Nf6 2 c4 e5) is an aggressive, dynamic approach for meeting 1 d4 and is a great line for throwing opponents onto their own resources. It is certainly double-edged as Black moves the same piece twice early on and also sacrifices a pawn. This pawn is often quickly regained but one of the great advantages of the Budapest is that if White tries to hang on to the pawn (and many players do) Black can quickly whip up a ferocious attack. A great number of materialistic but unprepared White players have found themselves swiftly demolished by Black’s tremendously active pieces. When White is more circumspect and allows Black to regain the pawn, play proceeds along more sedate strategic lines where Black enjoys free and easy development. Experienced chess author and coach Andrew Martin examines all key variations of the Budapest. There is an emphasis on typical middlegame structures and the important plans and manoeuvres are demonstrated in numerous instructive games. * Includes complete repertoires for Black with both 3...Ng4 and 3...Ne4 * Comprehensive coverage featuring several new ideas * Take your opponents out of their comfort zone!
This brilliantly original study uncovers a side to Napoleon Bonaparte which has hitherto been ignored by biographers - that of the aspiring novelist and man of letters. In this illuminating, witty and elegantly written book, Andy Martin reveals how this neglected aspect of Napoleon's remarkable life actually provides the key to understanding it. The French Revolution, Austerlitz and Waterloo all came second in Napoleon's life to a Discourse on Happiness, a Dialogue on Love and repeated attempts at a novel. Napoleon began as a would-be Rousseau and ended up on Saint Helena dictating his own confessions. The colossal rise and catastrophic fall of his empire are, Martin argues, anticipated in the obsessive and tragicomic pages of his voluminous writings. Napoleon emerges as an idealist, romantic, visionary, critic, a thinker with an epic imagination and an underdeveloped sense of reality, pushing his 'portable library' across Europe, Asia and the Orient, and always wrestling with the intricacies of language and literature. And, although Napoleon was denounced as a failure in an essay competition, Martin shows that he did indeed succeed in imposing himself as the archetype and inspiration of modern European culture. This provocative book will appeal to a wide general readership. It will also be of interest to students of literature, modern languages and European history.
An insidious invasion force of extraterrestrials penetrates our government in Washington DC and elsewhere to the point of saturation. Smart engineers at NASA identify the threat and seek to disarm it by any means available. The adventure unfolds and results in a powerful political statement with ramifications beyond the original intent of the patriotic engineers at the Stennis Space Center.
The author uses the principles of engineering mechanics to deduce why the universe was created, what the mission of Christ was all about, how redemption works and to debunk some parts of Christianity. The work includes a proof that creationism is self contradictory, therefore false.
A positive, practical guide for parents who want to help their children be the best they can be at school - and beyond. Do you worry that your child has no interest in schoolwork? Is your child reluctant to do homework? Do you worry about your sons struggling at school while girls are enthusiastic achievers? Do you want to help your child manage their study load better so they leave time for sporting activities and simple fun? If you answered yes to any of these questions, HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR CHILD FOR SCHOOL AND BEYOND has all the answers and more. A positive, practical guide to helping children be the best they can be, it offers achievable solutions for parents who want their children to do well at school – and enjoy the process. New research shows the difference between children who are enthusiastic achievers and those who struggle isn't simply the makeup of the child. Packed with authoritative information and hands on strategies for parents and teachers, HOW TO MOTIVATE YOUR CHILD is a must-have for parents and professionals who work with families and children. Andrew Martin won the prestigious American Psychological Association's international award for his innovative work on what makes children achieve – and happy – at school. In this book he reveals the secrets that will stop arguments over homework and worries about your child's achievements at school and university forever.
The Caro-Kann Defence arises after the moves 1 e4 c6. With this first move Black (as is also the case with the French Defence – 1 e4 e6) plans 2 ... d5, establishing a well-protected central pawn. The Caro-Kann has a reputation as a rock solid defence that minimises the risk of Black being subjected to undue early pressure. Rather than inviting the opponent to engage in immediate warfare, Black focuses on completing development comfortably and postponng the serious battle until the middlegame. It is notable that the White systems which try to batter the Caro-Kann into early submission are highly double-edged and often rebound badly. First Steps is a new opening series and is ideal for improving players who want simple and straightforward explanations. First Steps emphasizes: * the basic principles * the basic strategies * the key tricks and traps First Steps books are based around carefully selected instructive games which demonstrate exactly what both sides are trying to achieve. There is enough theory to enable the improving player to get to grips with the opening without feeling overwhelmed. If you want to take up a new opening, First Steps is the ideal place to start.
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