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nerdygaymormon · 5 years ago

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Susie Augustein of Let’s Love Better asked me to share my story. They do a weekly post about an LGBTQ person or a family member or ally. The idea is by sharing our stories that people, especially members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), will get a better sense of who we are, things we deal with, and will develop more understanding and empathy for us.

With that in mind, here’s what I wrote:

I’m David and I am a gay member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was a teenager in the 1980’s and a college student in the 1990’s.

There are no LGBT people at the table where decisions are made for the Church about people like me. Therefore it’s important for LGBT members to share our stories and hope these help soften hearts and increase understanding.

Looking back, the signs of my orientation were there from the time I was a little boy. For example, I stared at the pictures on the packages of underwear at the store, or there would be boys who I really, really wanted to be friends with, things like that. It wasn’t until puberty when I would have erotic dreams that I figured out that I am sexually and romantically turned on by guys. I denied it for a while, thought I must be defective, perhaps it can change. By age 14 or 15 is when, with great reluctance, I accepted that this is a part of me.

At church it was taught that people are like this because they lack faith, so I tried to be the most faithful person, swatting away any questions or doubts, trying to be the best in class and activities. And every little, minor mistake was crushing because it was making me not good enough for God to fix. That was a stressful way to approach life.

I had a great deal of fear to come out. I continued to try to please God. I served a 2-year mission. I went to the Church schools. While in college is when I really came to terms with this is never changing.

I remained closeted for a long time, much longer than I wanted to. The longer I was in the closet, the harder it seemed to come out because it meant admitting that so much of my life, at least as I presented it, was a lie. Staying in the closet kept my world intact. Much of my family’s life revolves around church. Being a member of this church gives me a social network, a map of life goals, and an identity. Coming out meant I could lose all of it and I had no idea what life would be without those things.

Squashing all my romantic and sexual feelings also shuts down most other feelings. I spent my 20’s & 30’s feeling numb, like I was watching life but not a part of it. I finally reached the point where I was thought, “What’s the point of having a life if I wasn’t going to live?” As I was approaching my 40th birthday, I decided it’s time for a change. It was hard to share the secret I had spent my life guarding, and for a while I was very cautious and only came out one person at a time, no big announcement.

There are many things about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that I really like, things that resonate with me. I like that our God isn’t silent, that God answers prayers and wants to reveal new things to us. That as individuals and as a church, we learn & progress, line upon line, always becoming better. I love the idea that the ultimate goal is for all people to be unified and linked to each other, that it matters how we treat each other because we need each other. Mormons are really good at building community and a sense of belonging. One thing that helps is the idea of all truth being circumscribed into one great whole, including scientific knowledge. Plus, this church taught me a language to understand spiritual things. I’ve learned a lot about being a better person, to serve and to be empathetic. It’s just that where church intersects with how I was made by our Creator, there is tension.

When I was 18 and the bishop spoke to me about going on a mission, I went home and prayed and asked if God could love me, love what I am. It’s really sad that a person can grow up in church and not even know that. I felt waves of love, warmth and goose bumps radiate across my body and a voice say “you are not broken.” That experience sustained me for many years.

Being gay complicates church for me. Questions that have simple answers for others are complex for me. There’s no way for me to complete the covenant path, I can’t achieve the goals that our religion says should be the purpose of my life.

In November 2015 I was serving as the Stake Young Men president when the Policy of Exclusion was leaked. I was so upset by it that I nearly walked away. Only an impression that God had a work for me to do if I was willing to stay kept me in the Church. In January 2016 my calling changed, and this is my 5th year being the stake executive secretary, which means I am in all the highest councils of my stake. This calling also means I get to meet all General Authorities who come here, I’ve interacted with 10 Seventies & apostles. I still get invited to participate in stake youth activities and have spoken to my stake’s youth about being LGBT. I had a blog post go viral and that led to hundreds of LGBTQ+ teens & twenty-somethings who contacted me to ask questions or who were hurting, and I’ve stayed up late into the night many a time trying to keep them safe. I’ve been invited to share my story on several pages and a few podcasts.

All of this is well beyond what I could have imagined in 2015 when I decided to stay. But this isn’t my work forever. I will again have to revisit the decision to stay or leave. Being in this church has caused serious mental health issues, including suicidal moments, that I’ve had to get help for. I want to love and be loved. I’m tired of going to church and then something is said which wounds, which even if the speaker wasn’t meaning to be unkind, those little surprises still sting. I want to be happy.

I have to figure out what a successful life looks like for me, what the purpose of my life is, how God wants me to partner with Him in the work He is doing in the world today.

I think back to how I felt when I prayed to know if God loves me and how that felt. I don’t think God views being gay as incompatible with the gospel. I’m certain the author of diversity has accounted for it in His Plan. I just wish this church could see it that way

#Let's Love Better #Susie Augustein #David gets personal

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rivaltimes · 2 years ago

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Prince William, heir to the British crown after the death of his grandmother

File – Prince William of the United Kingdom and his eldest son – Frank Augustein/PA Wire/dpa – File Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is the heir to the British crown after his father, the former Prince of Wales, has been named monarch pending his coronation, due to the death of Queen Elizabeth II. According to this protocol, the ostentation of the position of heir implies the transfer of his…

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sonsandbrothers · 8 years ago

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Richard Collins, III was supposed to graduate from Bowie State University yesterday. He had just been commissioned as an officer in the US Army. Instead of joining the thousands of other happy grads this season, Richard was murdered Saturday morning. It has been confirmed that the man being charged for his murder was connected to a Facebook group posting hate-speech against African Americans and other communities of color. We are heart-broken. We must #StayLoud against hate! #RichardCollins #BlackLivesMatter ( 📸 by: Neal Augustein)

#Richard Collins #blm #blacklivesmatter #classof2017 #collegegraduation #graduation #sonsandbrohters #sonsandbros

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korrektheiten · 4 years ago

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Fußnoten zum Samstag

LePenseur:"von Fragolin Endlich ist wieder die hässliche Nazi-Fratze des Österreichers zu sehen. Da weigert sich ein Taxi-Fahrgast in Wien erst, die Maske aufzusetzen, was bereits ein so schweres Verbrechen gegen die Empfehlungen des Angstschobers ist, dass der Taxifahrer (ob der Werner F. heißt ist nicht belegt) um Hilfe schreit und die Polizei ruft, und dann zeigt dieser renitente Massenmörder auch noch den Hitlergruß. Oder die Armlänge Abstand, wer weiß. Das Blöde ist nur: der Renitente ist ein Bulgare. Darf man den jetzt als „Zigeunernazi“ bezeichnen? Egal. Endlich wieder ein Fall für die Kriminalstatistik „politisch motivierte Straftaten rechts“. Nur das zählt. *** Die linke Reichshälfte tobt gegen LKWs. Böse, klimakillend, umweltzerstörend. Wir wollen keine LKWs. Die sollen nicht mehr gebaut und nicht auf die Straße gestellt werden. Keiner soll mehr LKWs bauen. Aber niemand von denen, die LKWs nicht mehr bauen sollen, darf seinen Job als LKW-Bauer verlieren. Das ist linke Logik. *** Der Flughafen Wien verzeichnete nach dem satten Minus von 82 Prozent zum Vorjahresmonat im Juli auch im Augustein solches um 75 Prozent. Das Geschäft mit den Urlaubsflügen brach faktisch komplett ein. Die Frage bei solchen Zahlen ist, ob sich wirklich noch jemand findet, der den praktisch pleiten Flughafen Berlin-Brandenburg noch einmal mit zig Millionen stopft, damit er eröffnet werden kann um dann schwer defizitär zu arbeiten, weil es keine gewinnbringenden Passagierzahlen gibt. Wer investiert in eine Leiche? *** Apropos Leichen. Die vollkommen zusammengebrochene Kreuzfahrtbranche beginnt jetzt neben dem bisher üblichen Verkauf nicht mehr rentabler älterer und kleinerer Passagierschiffe auch die großen Brocken nicht nur abzustoßen, sondern wegen Unveräußerlichkeit einfach zu verschrotten. Darunter immerhin Schiffe wie die CostaVictoria, die Pullmantur Sovereign, die Pullmantur Monarch, die Carnival Fantasy, die Carnival Inspiration, die zwischen vierhundert und knapp eintausend Besatzungsmitgliedern hatten. Also tausende weitere Menschen, die jetzt arbeitslos werden. Ich habe nie eine Kreuzfahrt gemacht, fand „Traumschiff“ nach einer gesehenen Folge öde und mich eigentlich von solchen Gedanken auch abstoßend, aber darum geht es nicht. Es gab einen Markt, Millionen europäische Pensionisten, von denen zigtausende genug Geld für All-Inklusive-Sauftouren auf schwimmenden Hotels haben, und dieser Markt schuf zigtausende Arbeitsplätze. So funktioniert Kapitalismus: Nachfrage schafft Angebot, Angebot schafft Arbeitsplätze. Nachfrage weg, Angebot weg, Arbeitsplätze weg. Greta glücklich. http://dlvr.it/RgSL6g "

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harryandmeghan0-blog · 7 years ago

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Royal wedding: Meghan Markle's induction into the Royal family is a break from conservative customs

New Post has been published on https://harryandmeghan.xyz/royal-wedding-meghan-markles-induction-into-the-royal-family-is-a-break-from-conservative-customs/

Royal wedding: Meghan Markle's induction into the Royal family is a break from conservative customs

Updated May 19, 2018 19:28:46

It was 101 years ago that King George V (the present Queen’s grandfather) decided to relax the door policy on spouses marrying into the Royal family.

What time does the Royal wedding start?

Previously, English princes and princesses — to keep the bloodline impeccably noble — had tended to marry their royal German cousins, but with that gene pool becoming not only soupier but more politically awkward thanks to World War I, King George initiated a snap rebrand.

He changed the English Royal family’s surname from Saxe-Coburg-Gothe to the more patriotic “Windsor”, and let it be known that from now on, it was fine for heirs to the British throne to marry among the broader aristocracy.

For all the Royals’ feted attachment to tradition, the choice of “Windsor” has no family significance apart from it being the name of the vast medieval castle in which George’s grandmother, Queen Victoria, spent much of her time.

Victoria kept many servants there, including, for a brief time in the 1850s, a woman called Mary Bird. History has forgotten Mary and what she actually did for the Royal household.

But enthusiastic genealogists have claimed that her great-great-great-granddaughter is one Meghan Markle, due to leave the Windsors’ eponymous castle just after midday today (British time) having married into the family.

Such is the changing nature of the royal tradition.

The monarchy is an ancient institution whose admittance of Ms Markle — divorced, Catholic-born, biracial, American, and an actress who has done sex scenes on the television — is a genuine break from conservative customs.

But if history has proven anything about the Royal family, it’s that it will turn on a sixpence when required by urgent popular opinion.

Photo: Prince Harry and his fiancee Meghan Markle represent a new generation of Royals. (Reuters: Andrew Milligan)

A long-line of broken hearts

The century-long road of the Windsors is lined with the broken hearts of family members who — despite the free aristocratic love policy introduced by George V — still found themselves prohibited from marrying their first choices.

Edward VIII — the Queen’s uncle — famously abdicated in 1936 so that he could marry his twice-divorced American lover, Wallis Simpson.

Princess Margaret was never quite the same after the Queen — her sister — withheld Royal permission for her to marry the divorced Group Captain Peter Townsend in the 1950s.

And as Meghan Markle proceeds down the aisle today, one should probably spare a thought for Prince Andrew, who like Prince Harry is a second son but unlike Harry was steered off his own beautiful brunette American actress girlfriend — Koo Stark — in the 1980s because it was judged that her movies were too racy.

Photo: Prince Andrew photographed in 1998 chatting to his former girlfriend, Katherine (Koo) Stark. (Reuters: Stringer)

“Welcome, Meghan, to the Twilight Zone,” wrote Stark in an open letter published recently to Ms Markle in the Daily Mail.

“The xenophobia that existed 35 years ago is fortunately less socially and politically acceptable now, but be aware old habits die hard, and the circles in which you now find yourself by association are propped up by maintaining old habits.”

Marriage of Meghan and Harry is ‘great PR’

Royal historian Anna Whitelock says that for all the family’s ancient traditions, it relies heavily on public approbation, and the marriage of a second son like Prince Harry can send a powerful public message without structurally changing the monarchy itself.

“If you remember, Diana had to be a virgin basically, even in the 1980s, because of course she was going to carry the Royal heir, the future king, so it mattered,” she says.

“For Meghan Markle — and this is why I think Harry and Meghan’s marriage is being applauded and is being supported by the Royal family and the monarchy — is it doesn’t really rock the boat.

“It’s great PR to have this young glamorous mixed-race woman marrying into the Royal family, but it doesn’t change anything fundamentally about what the monarchy’s about, about its future.”

Dr Whitelock emphasises the monarchy and the Royal family are two different things, and while the family might embrace diversity, the monarchy by definition is built on exclusivity and birthright.

The abdication of Edward VIII was triggered by the Crown’s indisposition toward American divorcees, and that attitude has demonstrably changed.

But that abdication continues to exert an immense and powerful influence on the future of the monarchy.

First, it created the extraordinary reign of Queen Elizabeth II, by hustling her sickly father George VI to the throne unexpectedly, then obliging the young Elizabeth to take over upon his early death.

Elizabeth — who has been on the throne now for 66 years — is the longest-reigning monarch in her country’s history.

Second, it’s made the matter of succession in the modern day Royal family a highly inflexible affair.

Dr Whitelock says any talk of the Queen abdicating in favour of her frustrated eldest son Prince Charles — or more controversially, as is sometimes suggested, skipping a generation and elevating Prince William to the throne — is fanciful.

“It’s not going to happen,” she says.

“Abdication is completely anathema to her … her uncle abdicated and the crisis that that threw the monarchy into … the fact that her father had to suddenly step up and be king … abdication’s never going to happen.”

Prince Charles, she says, is likewise unlikely to cede his claim to the throne.

“Charles has spoken really openly and said basically he wants to be king, he wants to have a legacy, he has been waiting all his life,” Dr Whitelock said.

“I mean he literally has itchy feet. He’s been the longest-serving Prince of Wales ever and he’s desperate to be king.”

It’s time to ‘freshen up’ an ageing institution

In ages gone by, kings died young in battle, or from disease, or were overthrown.

But in these days of minimal regal engagement in hand-to-hand combat, buttressed by sound healthcare and nutrition, the line of succession has — how to put this tactfully? — an ageing profile.

The Queen, who is of stout constitution, could rule for another 10 years. Her son could manage another 20 after that, quite conceivably.

So for all the current enthusiasm for the “Fab Four” — the younger generation of Royals comprising Princes William and Harry and their wives Catherine and Meghan — they could be quite advanced in years by the time any of their number make it to the front of the queue.

Photo: The younger generation of royals could be quite advanced in years by the time any of them make it to the front of the queue. (AP: Chris Jackson)

“It’s a nightmare,” Dr Whitelock says.

“It’s like the ultimate waiting room. It’s like — ‘Go on! You’re not supposed to be hanging around this long! We need to freshen it up!'”

An heir who waits around for six decades to take the throne has — of course — plenty of time to lose their appeal.

Prince Charles, through his disastrous first marriage and his controversial second, is a habitual tail-ender in public opinion polls.

Photo: Prince Charles and Camilla on their wedding day in 2005. (Reuters: Toby Melville )

And with two generations waiting in line, there is also ample opportunity for schisms to form between heirs.

Already there are reported tensions between the courtiers of Buckingham Palace, Prince Charles’ base at Clarence House, and Kensington Palace (where princes Harry and William live).

“There are three centres,” says Dr Whitelock, “but really where it’s all at is Kensington Palace, which is the home of and the offices of, William and Harry, Kate and Meghan. That’s really where it’s at.

“And the people they are employing to staff that — they’re young people. Meghan’s got a 20-something history graduate from Nottingham University [running things] and these young people are going to be advising her on which charities to support and her itineraries and what they should be doing and it’s very much a slick PR media machine.”

Asked who would prevail in an all-out PR war, Dr Whitelock says, without hesitation:

“Kensington Palace. I think they are all over this wedding and for the first time it’s coming from there, much more than William and Kate’s wedding, it’s being drip fed through social media, it’s a global wedding.”

Fruitcake out, disco in

Photo: Prince Harry greets crowds in Windsor ahead of the wedding. (AP: Frank Augustein)

The wedding itself is undoubtedly a modern affair.

Gone is the nine-foot wedding fruitcake of Elizabeth II (made from dried fruit donated by Australian Girl Guides) slices of which periodically surface at auction.

In its place is a highly perishable lemon and elderflower affair, the remains of which will be composted rather than hoarded.

The guest list is remarkably free of world leaders and stuffy relatives. There will be a disco later.

And the Royal family is admitting newcomers it would have found unthinkable a generation ago.

When the Queen battled in 1947 for her right to marry Prince Philip (a penniless Greek prince of eccentric family, who was moreover considered untrustworthy on the grounds of his excessive handsomeness), she would never have foreseen that one day she would be welcoming to the extended family an air stewardess (Kate Middleton’s mother) or a yoga teacher (Meghan Markle’s).

However, it’s advisable not to get too carried away; we’re still talking about a woman who — by virtue of a 14th-century statute — owns all sturgeon caught within three miles of the British coastline (dolphins, too).

Whose presence in any one of her castles is denoted by the raising above it of a special gold flag.

Who receives, once a year, a royal quit-rent from the City of London consisting of one sharp knife, one blunt, six horseshoes and 61 nails.

This is an outfit that holds on to tradition wherever it can.

Topics: royal-and-imperial-matters, human-interest, united-kingdom, england

First posted May 19, 2018 08:30:13

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aurriii · 7 years ago

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Holiday Gift Ideas: 19 Best Selling Books That Will Give Someone The Winter Feels

All found for less on BIGWORDS.com, starting at $1.99.

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances – John Green

Three interconnected stories from three bestselling authors: John Green (Paper Towns, The Fault in our Stars), Maureen Johnson (The Name of the Star), and Lauren Myracle (The Internet Girls series.)

Major motion picture in the works!

A Christmas Eve snowstorm transforms one small town into a romantic haven, the kind you see only in movies. Well, kinda. After all, a cold and wet hike from a stranded train through the middle of nowhere would not normally end with a delicious kiss from a charming stranger. And no one would think that a trip to the Waffle House through four feet of snow would lead to love with an old friend. Or that the way back to true love begins with a painfully early morning shift at Starbucks. Thanks to three of today’s bestselling teen authors—John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle—the magic of the holidays shines on these hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and breathtaking kisses.

A New York Times Bestseller!

Bridget Jone’s Diary – Helen Fielding

Bridget Jones’s Diary is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud account of a year in the life of a thirty-something Singleton on a permanent doomed quest for self-improvement. Caught between the joys of Singleton fun, and the fear of dying alone and being found three weeks later half eaten by an Alsatian; tortured by Smug Married friends asking, “How’s your love life?” with lascivious, yet patronizing leers, Bridget resolves to: reduce the circumference of each thigh by 1.5 inches, visit the gym three times a week not just to buy a sandwich, form a functional relationship with a responsible adult and learn to program the VCR. With a blend of flighty charm, existential gloom, and endearing self-deprecation, Bridget Jones’s Diary has touched a raw nerve with millions of readers the world round. Read it and laugh—before you cry, “Bridget Jones is me!” Great product!

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories – Stephanie Perkins

Twelve romantic holiday stories by twelve bestselling young adult authors edited by Stephanie Perkins.

Ex-Mas – Kate Brian

Two Exes. One holiday adventure.

Merry Ex-Mas?

Seventeen-year-old Lila Beckwith’s parents just left for vacation, and Lila’s all set to throw the holiday party of the season. But when her Christmas-obsessed little brother, Cooper, discovers that global warming is melting the North Pole, he and his best friend, Tyler, take off on a runaway mission to save Santa.

Lila has to get Cooper safely home before her parents get back on Christmas Eve. But the only person who can help her is Tyler’s older brother, Beau — a.k.a. Lila’s musician, anti-everything ex-boyfriend.

It’ll take more than a Christmas miracle for Lila and Beau to overcome their differences and find their fugitive brothers. But could a journey destined for disaster help these polar opposites fall in love…all over again?

All I Want Is Everything – Cecily Von Ziegesar (Gossip Girl, #3)

It’s Chrismastime and Blair and Serena are best friends again and up to their old tricks–partying hard and breaking hearts from Park Avenue to the Caribbean. Blair’s mom and Cyrus are having their honeymoon in Salt Key. And when school lets out for the holiday, Blair, Serena, Aaron, and company head down there to blow off steam after their midterm exams. In between Pina Coladas and topless sunbathing, Blair and Serena plot revenge on super-jerk Chuck Bass. Everyone jets back to NYC for Serena’s New Year’s party, during which Nate and Blair may or may not finally go all the way, and Serena may or may not be discovered to be the secret fling of Hollywood’s hottest young leading man. Great product!

Kissing Snowflakes – Abby Sher

Just in time for the holidays comes the perfect winter break read! This fun, sweet, wintertime book is filled with humor and romance.

The picturesque montain ski lodge is the perfect place to spend winter break…if you have a boyfriend! Otherwise, that cozy leather couch in front of the crackling fire looks a lot less inviting. Good thing that there are lots of cute, blond, sweater-wearing ski instructors around to choose from….

This fun, sweet tale of holiday romance on the slopes is the perfect wintertime read!

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak’s unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. The Book Thief

You Better Not Cry: Stories For Christmas – Augustein Burroughs

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER about Christmases past and present from the #1 bestselling author of Running with Scissors, Dry, and A Wolf at the Table At eight years old, Augusten Burroughs profoundly misunderstood the meaning of Christmas. Now proving himself once more “a master of making tragedy funny” (The Miami Herald), he shows how the holidays can bring out the worst in us and sometimes, just sometimes, the very best. From the author described in USA Today as “one of the most compelling and screamingly funny voices of the new century” comes a book about surviving the holiday we love to hate, and hate to love.

Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart–he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she crumbling from loneliness and despair. In a moment of levity during the season’s first snowfall, they build a child out of snow. The next morning the snow child is gone–but they glimpse a young, blonde-haired girl running through the trees.

This little girl, who calls herself Faina, seems to be a child of the woods. She hunts with a red fox at her side, skims lightly across the snow, and somehow survives alone in the Alaskan wilderness. As Jack and Mabel struggle to understand this child who could have stepped from the pages of a fairy tale, they come to love her as their own daughter. But in this beautiful, violent place things are rarely as they appear, and what they eventually learn about Faina will transform all of them. magic snow child haunting fairy tale ending joy

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia #1)

A beautiful paperback edition of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, book two in the classic fantasy series The Chronicles of Narnia. This edition features cover art by three-time Caldecott Medal-winning illustrator David Wiesner and interior black-and-white illustrations by the series’ original illustrator, Pauline Baynes. Four adventurous siblings—Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie—step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land frozen in eternal winter and enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice. Open the door and enter a new world! The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is the second book in C. S. Lewis’s classic fantasy series, which has been captivating readers of all ages with a magical land and unforgettable characters for over sixty years. This is a stand-alone read, but if you would like to discover more about Narnia, pick up The Horse and His Boy, the third book in The Chronicles of Narnia.

Well, apparently I live here now—my mom just bought the place. And named it after me, Ashleigh, which was nice. But did she know how cold it is here?? Um, it’s a tiny island with not much to do, unless you really like sleigh rides. But I gotta say there are quite a few hot guys on this cold island . . .

The Red Garden – Alice Hoffman

In exquisite prose, Hoffman offers a transforming glimpse of small-town America, presenting more than three hundred years of passion, dark secrets, loyalty, and redemption in a web of tales where characters’ lives are intertwined by fate and by their own actions.

The Red Garden introduces us to the luminous and haunting world of Blackwell, Massachusetts, capturing the unexpected turns in its history and in our own lives. From the town’s founder, a brave young woman from England who has no fear of blizzards or bears, to the young man who runs away to New York City with only his dog for company, the characters in The Red Garden are extraordinary and vivid: a young wounded Civil War soldier who is saved by a passionate neighbor, a woman who meets a fiercely human historical character, a poet who falls in love with a blind man, a mysterious traveler who comes to town in the year when summer never arrives.

At the center of everyone’s life is a mysterious garden where only red plants can grow, and where the truth can be found by those who dare to look.

Beautifully crafted and shimmering with magic, The Red Garden is as unforgettable as it is moving.

Decked With Holly – Marni Bates (YA Read)

Holly Dayton is about to go way out of her comfort zone. . .

Spending Christmas vacation on a cruise with her two cousins from hell isn’t Holly’s idea of a good time. And when in a moment of seasick-fueled desperation she lurches into an open suite–she’s greeted with an eyeful of pepper spray. The culprit? A gorgeous guy calling himself Nick. But when Holly goes to make her exit, she gets the shock of her life: a corridor crammed with screaming teenage fans. Because Nick just happens to be Dominic Wyatt, drummer for ReadySet–one of the hottest bands in America.

Suddenly rumors are swirling, and Holly’s face is captured on countless phones and plastered all over the Internet. But the band can’t risk a scandal destroying their family-friendly image, so Dominic convinces Holly to be his fake girlfriend–just for two weeks. How bad could it be to be fauxmantically involved with one of the cutest rockstars on the planet? Holly’s about to find out. . .

“Fans of Meg Cabot will find Marni’s voice equally charming and endearing.”–Julie Kagawa, New York Times bestselling author

Dash and Lilly’s Book of Dares – Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist!

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

16-year-old Lily has left a red notebook full of challenges on her favorite bookstore shelf, waiting for just the right guy to come along and accept its dares. Dash, in a bad mood during the holidays, happens to be the first guy to pick up the notebook and rise to its challenges.

What follows is a whirlwind romance as Dash and Lily trade dares, dreams, and desires in the notebook they pass back and forth at locations all across New York City. But can their in-person selves possibly connect as well as their notebook versions, or will their scavenger hunt end in a comic mismatch of disastrous proportions?

Co-written by Rachel Cohn (GINGERBREAD) and David Levithan, co-author of WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON with John Green (THE FAULT IN OUR STARS), DASH & LILY’S BOOK OF DARES is a love story that will have readers scouring bookstore shelves, looking and longing for a love (and a red notebook) of their own.

Once Upon A River – Bonnie Jo Campbell

“A demonstration of outstanding skills on the river of American literature.” ―Entertainment Weekly “Bonnie Jo Campbell has built her new novel like a modern-day craftsman from the old timbers of our national myths about loners living off the land, rugged tales as perilous as they are alluring. Without sacrificing any of its originality, this story comes bearing the saw marks of classic American literature, the rough-hewn sister of The Leatherstocking Tales, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and Walden.”―Ron Charles, Washington Post

City of Thieves – David Benioff

From the critically acclaimed author of The 25th Hour and When the Nines Roll Over and co-creator of the HBO series Game of Thrones, a captivating novel about war, courage, survival — and a remarkable friendship that ripples across a lifetime.

During the Nazis’ brutal siege of Leningrad, Lev Beniov is arrested for looting and thrown into the same cell as a handsome deserter named Kolya. Instead of being executed, Lev and Kolya are given a shot at saving their own lives by complying with an outrageous directive: secure a dozen eggs for a powerful Soviet colonel to use in his daughter’s wedding cake. In a city cut off from all supplies and suffering unbelievable deprivation, Lev and Kolya embark on a hunt through the dire lawlessness of Leningrad and behind enemy lines to find the impossible.

By turns insightful and funny, thrilling and terrifying, the New York Times bestseller City of Thieves is a gripping, cinematic World War II adventure and an intimate coming-of-age story with an utterly contemporary feel for how boys become men.

Rules of Civility – Amor Towels

From the New York Times-bestselling author of A Gentleman in Moscow, a “sharply stylish” (Boston Globe) novel of a young woman in post-Depression era New York who suddenly finds herself thrust into high society.

On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker, happens to sit down at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a year-long journey into the upper echelons of New York society—where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve.

With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

Landline – Rainbow Rowell

As far as time machines go, a magic telephone is pretty useless. TV writer Georgie McCool can’t actually visit the past — all she can do is call it, and hope it picks up. And hope he picks up. Because once Georgie realizes she has a magic phone that calls into the past, all she wants to do is make things right with her husband, Neal. Maybe she can fix the things in their past that seem unfixable in the present. Maybe this stupid phone is giving her a chance to start over … Does Georgie want to start over? From Rainbow Rowell, the New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, comes this heart-wrenching – and hilarious – take on fate, time, television and true love. Landline asks if two people are ever truly on the same path, or whether love just means finding someone who will keep meeting you halfway, no matter where you end up. St Martin s Griffin

Blankets – Craig Thompson

“Quaint, meditative and sometimes dreamy, blankets will take you straight back to your first kiss.” –The Guardian

Blankets is the story of a young man coming of age and finding the confidence to express his creative voice. Craig Thompson’s poignant graphic memoir plays out against the backdrop of a Midwestern winterscape: finely-hewn linework draws together a portrait of small town life, a rigorously fundamentalist Christian childhood, and a lonely, emotionally mixed-up adolescence. Under an engulfing blanket of snow, Craig and Raina fall in love at winter church camp, revealing to one another their struggles with faith and their dreams of escape. Over time though, their personal demons resurface and their relationship falls apart. It’s a universal story, and Thompson’s vibrant brushstrokes and unique page designs make the familiar heartbreaking all over again. This groundbreaking graphic novel, winner of two Eisner and three Harvey Awards, is an eloquent portrait of adolescent yearning; first love (and first heartache); faith in crisis; and the process of moving beyond all of that. Beautifully rendered in pen and ink, Thompson has created a love story that lasts.

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dunique89 · 8 years ago

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This picture brought tears to my eyes. Today the class of 2017 graduated from Bowie State University but one of their class members did not get the opportunity to walk across the stage and graduate. Richard Collins III was murdered by a white supremacist last week who took his life simply because he possessed a higher dosage of melanin than himself. Here is a replica of what was suppose to be one of the highlights of his life 😓😩 Photo by: Neal Augustein LINK: https://twitter.com/AugensteinWTOP/status/867013670592794624

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shops-sex · 8 years ago

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GREY Hörbuch - Fifty Shades of Grey von Christian selbst erzählt - Hörbuch

GREY Hörbuch – Fifty Shades of Grey von Christian selbst erzählt – Hörbuch

JETZT SCHON VORBESTELLEN – LIEFERBAR AB AUGUSTEine neue Perspektive! Entdecke die Welt von Fifty Shades of Grey auf ganz neue Weise – durch die Augen von Christian Grey. Erzählt in Christians eigenen Worten, erfüllt von seinen Gedanken, Vorstellungen und Träumen, erweitert E. L. James die Liebesgeschichte, die Millionen von Lesern auf der ganzen Welt in ihren Bann gezogen hat, um eine neue,…

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#Amorelie

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poison-siren · 10 years ago

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augustein replied to your post:Ok guys can I have ur opinions to hopefully...

unless it’s bleeding around all the sides and is starting to rip on one corner, it probably wont! just keep it bandaged and use anti bacterial cream or smth along those lines and it should be fine!

ahhh thank you!! I feel kinda reassured now lmao, I just really hope it wont come off :3

#augustein #replies

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secretmessages1983 · 10 years ago

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augustein replied to your post: i want more ppl to add me on steam pla...

i’m brookeaugustine if u want to add me!!

u have been added B-)

#augustein #replies

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hgrimm23 · 10 years ago

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augustein

#augustein #for my gaming family #my edit #brooke augustine #second son

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larahcroft · 10 years ago

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happy birthday you precious babe!!

thank you sweet :3

#ask #augustein #b2k14

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aurriii · 7 years ago

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Holiday Gift Idea: 19 Best Sellers That Will Give Someone The Winter Feels

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances – John Green

Three interconnected stories from three bestselling authors: John Green (Paper Towns, The Fault in our Stars), Maureen Johnson (The Name of the Star), and Lauren Myracle (The Internet Girls series.)

Major motion picture in the works!

A New York Times Bestseller!

Bridget Jone’s Diary – Helen Fielding

My True Love Gave to Me: Twelve Holiday Stories – Stephanie Perkins

Twelve romantic holiday stories by twelve bestselling young adult authors edited by Stephanie Perkins.

Ex-Mas – Kate Brian

Two Exes. One holiday adventure.

Merry Ex-Mas?

All I Want Is Everything – Cecily Von Ziegesar (Gossip Girl, #3)

Kissing Snowflakes – Abby Sher

Just in time for the holidays comes the perfect winter break read! This fun, sweet, wintertime book is filled with humor and romance.

This fun, sweet tale of holiday romance on the slopes is the perfect wintertime read!

The Book Thief – Markus Zusak

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak’s unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time. The Book Thief

You Better Not Cry: Stories For Christmas – Augustein Burroughs

Snow Child – Eowyn Ivey

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe – C. S. Lewis (Chronicles of Narnia #1)

Snowed In – Rachel Hawthorne

The Red Garden – Alice Hoffman

At the center of everyone’s life is a mysterious garden where only red plants can grow, and where the truth can be found by those who dare to look.

Beautifully crafted and shimmering with magic, The Red Garden is as unforgettable as it is moving.

Decked With Holly – Marni Bates (YA Read)

Holly Dayton is about to go way out of her comfort zone. . .

“Fans of Meg Cabot will find Marni’s voice equally charming and endearing.”–Julie Kagawa, New York Times bestselling author

Dash and Lilly’s Book of Dares – Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

A whirlwind romance from the New York Times bestselling authors of Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist!

“I’ve left some clues for you. If you want them, turn the page. If you don’t, put the book back on the shelf, please.”

Once Upon A River – Bonnie Jo Campbell

City of Thieves – David Benioff

Rules of Civility – Amor Towels

With its sparkling depiction of New York’s social strata, its intricate imagery and themes, and its immensely appealing characters, Rules of Civility won the hearts of readers and critics alike.

Landline – Rainbow Rowell

Blankets – Craig Thompson

“Quaint, meditative and sometimes dreamy, blankets will take you straight back to your first kiss.” –The Guardian

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