Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I : the mother and daughter who forever changed British history / Borman, Tracy
Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth I
"Anne Boleyn may be best known for losing her head, but as Tudor expert Tracy Borman reveals in a book that recasts British history, her greatest legacy lies in the path-breaking reign of her daughter, Elizabeth. Much of the fascination with Britain's legendary Tudors centers around the dramas surrounding Henry VIII and his six wives and Elizabeth I's rumored liaisons. Yet the most fascinating relationship in that historic era may well be that between the mother and daughter who, individually and collectively, changed the course of British history. The future Queen Elizabeth was not yet three when her mother, Anne Boleyn, was beheaded on May 19, 1536, on Henry's order, incensed that she had not given him a son and tired of her contentious nature. Elizabeth had been raised away from court, rarely even seeing Anne; and after her death, Henry tried in every way to erase Anne's presence and memory. At that moment in history, few could have predicted that mother and daughter would each leave enduring, and interlocked, legacies. Yet as Tracy Borman reveals in this first-ever joint portrait, both women broke the mold for British queens and for women in general at the time. Anne was instrumental in reforming and reshaping forever Britain's religious traditions, and her years of wielding power over a male-dominated court provided an inspiring role model for Elizabeth's glittering and unprecedented 45-year reign. Indeed, Borman shows how much Elizabeth -- most visibly by refusing to ever marry, but in many other more subtle ways that defined her court -- was influenced by her mother's legacy. In its originality, Anne Boleyn & Elizabeth I sheds new light on two of history's most famous women -- the private desires, hopes, and fears that lay behind their dazzling public personas, and the surprising influence each had on the other during and after their lifetimes. In the process, Tracy Borman reframes our understanding of the entire Tudor era"--

A billion butterflies : a life in climate and chaos theory / Shukla, J.

"The amazing true story of the man behind modern weather prediction. Consider a world without weather prediction. How would we know when to evacuate communities ahead of fires or floods, or figure out what to wear tomorrow? Until 40 years ago, we couldn't forecast weather conditions beyond ten days. Renowned climate scientist Dr. Jagadish Shukla is largely to thank for modern weather forecasting. Born in rural India with no electricity, plumbing, or formal schools, he attended classes that were held in a cow shed. Shukla grew up amid turmoil: overwhelming monsoons, devastating droughts, and unpredictable crop yields. His drive brought him to the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, despite little experience. He then followed an unlikely path to MIT and Princeton, and the highest echelons of climate science. His work, which has enabled us to predict weather farther into the future than previously thought possible, allows us to feed more people, save lives, and hold on to hope in a warming world. Paired with his philanthropic endeavors and extreme dedication to the field, Dr. Shukla has been lauded internationally for his achievements, including a shared Nobel Peace Prize with Al Gore for his governmental research on climate change. A Billion Butterflies is a wondrous insider's account of climate science and an unbelievable memoir of his life. Understanding dynamical seasonal prediction will change the way you experience a thunderstorm or interpret a forecast; understanding its origins and the remarkable story of the man who discovered it will change the way you see our world"--

A change of habit : leaving behind my husband, career, and everything I owned to become a nun / Clare, Monica

"The Work shall be the Author's memoir, tracing her journey from a glamorous career in Hollywood to a convent in New Jersey, told with dry wit and her knack for one-liners, bringing alive her soulful story of finding solace in a sisterhood of women, where she slowly shed a lifelong habit of people pleasing, and where she also transformed the convent culture to allow for expressiveness, warmth, and more straightforward communication"--

Gandolfini : Jim, Tony, and the life of a legend / Bailey, Jason

"A deeply reported, perceptive, and celebratory biography of beloved actor James Gandolfini from a prominent critic and film historian Based on extensive research and original reporting, including interviews with friends and collaborators, Gandolfini is a detailed and nuanced appraisal of an enduring artist. More than a decade after his sudden passing, James Gandolfini still exerts a powerful pull on television and film enthusiasts around the world. His charismatic portrayal of complex, flawed, but always human men illuminated the contradictions in all of us, as well as our potential for grace, and the power of love and family. In Gandolfini, critic and historian Jason Bailey traces the twinned stories of the man and the unforgettable roles he played. Gandolfini's roots were working class, raised in northern New Jersey as the son of Italian immigrants, and acting was something he loved for a long time before he could see it as a career. It wasn't until he was well into his bohemian twenties that he dedicated himself to a life on the stage and screen. Bailey traces his rise, from bit parts to character roles he enlivened with menace and vulnerability, to Tony Soprano, the breakout role that would make him a legend, and onto a post-Sopranos career in which he continued to challenge himself and his audience"--

This way up : old friends, new love, and a map for the road ahead / Bradbury, Cathrin.

"A funny, closely observed, and briskly honest guide the pleasures and perils of living life fully as a woman on the road to the far side of mid-life. At the age of sixty-eight, with children well-launched and husband long-exed and recently retired from a demanding career, Cathrin Bradbury realized she needed a map -- several in fact, some physical, some of the mind and heart -- to guide her through the coming milestones and all of the inevitable "comes with age" stuff. This book is her report from the road; a vibrant, polished, often hilarious, sometimes heart-wrenching exploration of the questions and (some) answers that arise when you hit the three-quarter mark of a busy life. How do you stop shaming yourself about an aging body? (Hint: listen to the kids!) What are you willing to give up to pursue the creative passion you long ago put aside -- and what might you gain in return? How do you become someone who allows the day to unfold after decades of list-making and agenda-managing? And what might happen if one day, after nearly fifty years, you suddenly get a text from your first true love? Drawing on her own life and conversations with siblings, younger family members, friends, as well as authorities in social science, philosophy, and literature, Cathrin Bradbury carries us with her as she explores this territory that we all hope to reach, taking on new ideas and adventures with insight, soaring optimism, and a bracing dose of humour"--

Bookends : a memoir of love, loss, and literature / Owens, Zibby

Zibby Owens has become a well-known personality in the publishing world. Her infectious energy, tasteful authenticity, and smart, steadfast support of authors started in childhood, a precedent set by the profound effect books and libraries had on her own family. But after losing her closest friend on 9/11 and later becoming utterly stressed out and overwhelmed by motherhood, Zibby was forgetting what made her her. She turned to books and writing for help. Just when things seemed particularly bleak, Zibby unexpectedly fell in love with a tennis pro turned movie producer who showed her the path to happiness: away from type-A perfectionism and toward letting things unfold organically. What unfolded was a meaningful career, a great love, and finally, her voice, now heard by millions of listeners.

Searching for Serafim : the life and legacy of Serafim "Joe" Fortes / Smith Díaz, Ruby
Life and legacy of Serafim "Joe" Fortes
"Searching for Serafim is a layered exploration of the life of Vancouver's first lifeguard, Serafim "Joe" Fortes. A Trinidad native who arrived on the shores of Canada in 1885, Fortes was heralded as a hero in Vancouver for saving dozens of people from drowning, and his funeral drew the largest crowd ever recorded in the city's history. Since his passing, Fortes has been commemorated with a Canada Post–issued stamp and local buildings named in his honour. Yet, little has been discussed about how he navigated an openly white supremacist society as an Afro Latino man. In Searching for Serafim, author Ruby Smith Díaz seeks to unravel the complicated legacy of a local legend to learn more about who Fortes was as a person. She draws from city archives and historical documents to form an insightful critique of the role that colonial settlerism and anti-Black racism played in Fortes's publicized story and reconstructs his life from over a century ago through a contemporary Black perspective, weaving poetry and personal reflections alongside archival research"--

One in six million : the baby by the roadside and the man who retraced a Holocaust survivor's lost identity / Fish, Amy

"Maria was eight months old in 1942 when a childless couple found her, wrapped in a blanket, at the side of a road near Krosno, Poland. A note pinned to the blanket stated only her first name and her date of birth. The couple picked up Maria and raised her, but she grew up longing for identity and connection. Who was she, and what had happened to her family? Years later, Maria's story came to the attention of Stanley Diamond. Diamond was the founder of Jewish Records Indexing-Poland, one of the largest databases of Jewish vital records and a crucial tool in researching the stories of the victims and survivors of the Holocaust. In this engrossing story, Amy Fish shows how Diamond and an intrepid band of international volunteers compared photographs with genealogical records and smuggled DNA tests to provide Maria with family ties that she thought were lost to her forever. A tale of unexpected coincidences, astonishing revelations, and more than a little luck, One in Six Million is an amazing story of lost -- and found -- identity"--

Do not cry when I die : a Holocaust memoir / Thompson, Kate
Don't cry when I die
"One of the oldest living Holocaust survivors recounts her family's imprisonment at Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen -- and the extraordinary bond with her mother that ultimately saved her life -- in this moving memoir of love, loss, courage, and hope"--

The last manager : how Earl Weaver tricked, tormented, and reinvented baseball / Miller, John W.

"The first major biography of legendary Baltimore Orioles manager Earl Weaver, The Last Manager is a wild, thrilling, and hilarious ride with baseball's most underappreciated genius, and one of its greatest characters"--