Modern Relationships

Our culture today is inundated with narratives about the strength of female friendship, whether through images of girl power, BFFs, or work wives. Yet cultural historian Tiffany Watt Smith has always found her own life much messier. She has had dramatic friend breakups, friendships that felt like too much or not enough, friendships that drifted into silence, and friendships built on convenience rather than a meeting of minds. And there are older cultural scripts to contend with: the competitive rival, the jealous backstabber, the underminer, the fair-weather friend.

Flirting seems easy, but many people sweat bullets when it is time to execute. It is part confidence and part technique. Listen to this book to unravel the easy-to-follow steps to master both.

In this fascinating work, winner of the Wolfson Prize for History Mark Mazower uncovers the history of the Balkans with detail and clarity. He explores the reasons for current conflicts and examines the Balkans as a religious, cultural, and economic melting pot for Europe and Asia. Through Robert O'Keefe's articulate narration, listeners will be absorbed by this rich world.

Manly Man's Guide to Modern Masculinity" is a satirical, humorous, and insightful look into the world of the modern man, exploring the evolving definition of manliness and challenging long-held stereotypes. Author Brock Manford draws upon his experiences as a retired U.S. Army veteran and his unique perspective on life to guide readers on a witty and entertaining journey through the complexities of being a man in today's world. From the history of manliness and the importance of male friendships to the balance between vulnerability and maintaining a tough exterior, this book will have ...

Vic Howard never wanted to go to the party. He's the Invisible Guy at school, a special kind of hell for quiet, nice guys. But because his best friend is as popular as Vic is ignored, he went . . . And wished he hadn't. Because something happened to a girl that night. Something terrible, unimaginable, and Callie Wheeler's life will never be the same. Plus, now Callie has told the police that Vic is responsible.

All of us are faced countless times with the challenge of persuading others, whether we're trying to win a trivial argument with a friend or convince our coworkers about an important decision. Instead of relying on untrained instinct - and often failing as a result - we'd win more arguments if we learned the timeless art of verbal persuasion, or rhetoric.

In December 1930, just before Christmas, the Gibbsville, Pennsylvania, social circuit is electrified with parties and dances. At the center of the social elite stand Julian and Caroline English. But in one rash moment born inside a highball glass, Julian breaks with polite society and begins a rapid descent toward self-destruction.

'WELL WORTH YOUR TIME' 'WARNING - TISSUES WILL BE REQUIRED'. 'SO GOOD YOU'LL READ IT IN ONE GO' 'I ENJOYED THIS IMMENSELY' 'AN INTERESTING STORY OF HOW FAMILIES CAN BE'. Sean Matheson has always been close to his nephew and niece. So when their Mum, his sister Nadine, who's brought them up on her own and is now dying of cancer, asks him to adopt them once she passes, he readily agrees without question. The kids want to be with him and he wants to step up and become their 'dad'. But he's shocked by the reaction of his partner Brett. He knew Brett had never wanted kids but he's never told ...

Strong: A Relationship Field Guide for the Modern Man distills the existing research on mental health and relationship science into the six essential green flags a modern woman is looking for in a man.

Drifting Between Empty Tramlines is a novel about quietly desperate – and not-so-quietly desperate – women. A moral and social satire in the tradition of Jane Austen, it focuses on the lives of a group of twenty-something women in the fictional town of Bridchester near Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire in the 1970s. It was written in 1972 by Susan Noble, who died in 1974 at the age of 31. The atmosphere of the fictional records office in the novel, with its gossip and backbiting, was almost certainly based on that of Susan’s daily working life; the office forms the backdrop to the ...

In 1902, self-taught British philosopher and author James Allen published this inspirational essay based on the Bible verse "As a Man thinketh in his heart, so is he." This slender volume (only 68 pages) has been a popular classic ever since. Allen preached the importance of people taking responsibility for themselves and their actions as well as using determination to improve the mind. The most frequently quoted lines from the book include: "Men do not attract what they want, but what they are" and "A man is literally what he thinks, his character being the complete sum of all his thoughts."

Charlie Avery wanted some purpose in life...but never expected that direction would lead her into the arms of a man with a secret. When Charlie arrives in Ireland, she's hoping to find direction. Instead, she feels more lost than ever. That is, until she meets the mysterious Aiden who offers her the adventure of a lifetime. The only catch? She has to pretend to be his girlfriend at a family wedding. A Royal Wedding. Aiden, the second eldest prince of Lochland, is used to being recognized, so when he meets Charlie and realizes she thinks he’s a normal guy, he takes a chance and invites her...

Inspired by a famed correspondence handbook penned by a persnickety Victorian who had strong opinions on how to lick a stamp, cultural critic Rachel Syme has rewritten the staid letter-writing rules of yore for the letter writers of today. Syme insists you must stuff your envelopes with flat frivolities (and includes guides for how to press flowers and make a matchbook-mark), teaches you how to perfume a parcel, and encourages you to cultivate your own ritual around keeping up with your correspondence.

We know that sleep is vital for rest and rejuvenation, but what if this time could be used for something more? What if our dreams really are telling us something? Psychologist and dream expert Athena Laz has dedicated her career to uncovering the wisdom of our dreams and revolutionizing what it means to be in touch with ourselves and the universe. Packed with exercises and step-by-step instructions, The Alchemy of Your Dreams teaches listeners how to interpret their dreams in order to achieve more in their waking lives.

You don't want to spend months worrying if you are doing things "right", while your child struggles to understand what you're trying to teach. Stephany Hicks knows the ins and outs of toilet training, and tried every approach under the sun when she was raising her own three children. Now, she's compiled all you need to know in order to take your child out of diapers and into the next stage of their development as easily and quickly as possible.

Turn daily chaos into calm mastery—without giving up your busy life. In Keep Calm and Stoic On: 10 Stoic Techniques to Conquer Modern Stress, performance coach Harper Caldwell distills the hard-won wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus into a field-tested game plan you can start using today.

"It takes an entire lifetime to learn how to die", wrote the Roman Stoic philosopher Seneca (c. 4 BC-65 AD). He counseled readers to "study death always", and took his own advice, returning to the subject again and again in all his writings, yet he never treated it in a complete work. How to Die gathers in one volume, for the first time, Seneca's remarkable meditations on death and dying. Edited and translated by James S. Romm, How to Die reveals a provocative thinker who speaks with a startling frankness about the need to accept death or even, under certain conditions, to seek it out.

WHEN I WANT YOUR OPINION, I’LL GIVE IT TO YOU isn’t just a title—it’s a line you’ve probably rehearsed in your head a hundred times and never had the guts to say out loud. Until now. This book is your front-row seat to the drama of modern-day bullying—social, political, professional, and personal. But this isn’t just about high school flashbacks or the mean girl who ran the locker room. Nope. This is about the boss who cancels your promotion but keeps your ideas. The politician who yells “freedom” while silencing dissent. The keyboard warrior with Wi-Fi and a vendetta. The...

In this inspirational audio program, best-selling author and lecturer Marianne Williamson offers her insights on a variety of issues that confront many of us in our daily lives. This collection of live lectures includes: Letting Go/Becoming Your Potential; Spiritual Victory/The Power of Forgiveness; Balancing Masculine and Feminine; and Love Is Real, Nothing Else Is/Praying for Changes.

Everyone has secrets, and everyone is living a double life to some degree. The world is held up by lies; if everyone's secrets were to all be revealed tomorrow morning, civilization might collapse. To ascend the social hierarchies and achieve great power, you need to optimize and strategize rather than slogging and "working hard" every day of your life. This is counterproductive since it does not guarantee any beneficial results in the end. Nobody can succeed by following rules in the first place.