My Fatal First Date: A True Life Story of Survival, Tragedy , Inspiration, Triumph, and Faith

Author: Christopher J. Smith

Category: Biography & Memoir

Regular price: $0.99

Deal price: Free

Deal starts: April 28, 2025

Deal ends: April 30, 2025

Description:

"Imagine waking up in a hospital, paralyzed and unable to speak, only to learn you've been shot in the head in a horrifying act of domestic violence.
This is the story of Chris Smith, a 50-something-year-old contractor from rural Illinois, who was shot in the head while on a first date with a woman he met online. He was the lucky one because his date was murdered, both shot by her ex-boyfriend who was stalking her.
Chris’ story is a remarkable tale of resilience and, believe it or not, humor. With a bullet still lodged in his brain, Chris, affectionately nicknames himself 'Bullet Boy,' as he battles through a continuing recovery, reclaiming his voice and mobility with the unwavering support of his family.
Fatal First Date takes you on a raw, inspiring journey as Smith navigates the physical and emotional challenges of rehabilitation, shares his strategies for overcoming anger, and reveals how his love for gardening and his faithful dog, Tiki, became crucial to his healing.
A testament to the human capacity to persevere against seemingly insurmountable odds, this is a story that will leave you amazed and motivated to never give up.
As Chris would be the first one to tell you—he’s no angel but it’s his down-to-earth humor that makes him unique. He’s been a sinner many times over, but the Lord looked down and saved him and he knows how lucky he is.
A great read.”
— Paul La Rosa, author and television producer for the CBS News true crime broadcast “48 Hours”
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Never Let Them See You Cry

Author: Edna Buchanan

Category: Biography & Memoir

Regular price: $9.99

Deal price: $0.99

Deal starts: April 25, 2025

Deal ends: April 25, 2025

Description:

True stories of crime in Miami by the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Corpse Had a Familiar Face.   Set against the neon backdrop of the South Florida city where Miami Herald reporter Edna Buchanan covered the police beat for nearly two decades, this memoir collects true tales of both heroes and villains—from the heartbreaking to the heartwarming to the outright hilarious.   “A flurry of cases—of criminal Christmases, historic crimes, homicidal love, cop heroes, rescuers, odd occurrences (such as that of the barbiturate-soaked gunman who took 26 direct hits from cops’ guns and kept shooting until a 27th round took him down) . . . a generous bonanza for crime buffs, presented by one of the sharpest writers in the field.” —Kirkus Reviews

Queer Saint

Author: Jeremy Dronfield

Category: Biography & Memoir

Regular price: $3.99

Deal price: $0.99

Deal starts: April 12, 2025

Deal ends: April 12, 2025

Description:

From the mystery of his obscure family origins to the enigma surrounding his premature death, Queer Saint follows Peter Watson through an odyssey of the twentieth century, from high society to the sweaty underworld.When Peter Watson was murdered in his bath by a jealous boyfriend in 1956, the art world lost one of its wealthiest, most influential patrons. This compellingly attractive man, adored by Cecil Beaton – a man who was called a legend by contemporaries, who was the subject of two scandalous novels, and who helped launch the careers of Francis Bacon, John Craxton and Lucian Freud – fell victim to a fortune-hungry lover. Elegant and hungrily sexual, Peter Watson had a taste for edgy, disreputable boyfriends. He was the unrequited love of Cecil Beaton's life, his 'queer saint', but Peter preferred the risk of edgier, less sophisticated lovers, including the beautiful, volatile, drug-addicted prostitute Denham Fouts.Peter's thirst for adventure took him through the cabaret culture of 1930s Berlin, the demi-monde and aristocratic salons of pre-war Paris, English high society, and the glitz of Hollywood's golden age. More than just a gay playboy, Peter Watson was a renowned connoisseur, and fuelled the engine of mid-twentieth-century art with his enormous wealth. Anyone interested in contemporary art or cultural history is bound to enjoy this book.Jeremy Dronfield was born in Wales. After completing a doctorate in archaeology at Cambridge, he began writing fiction. His first novel, The Locust Farm, was shortlisted for the John Creasey Memorial award for debut crime fiction. He also has a parallel career as a ghostwriter and non-fiction author.Adrian Clark is a Cambridge-educated lawyer, writer and commentator on art and art history, who has written several books and reviews.

Poor

Author: Katriona O’Sullivan

Category: Biography & Memoir

Regular price: $13.99

Deal price: $0.99

Deal starts: April 10, 2025

Deal ends: April 10, 2025

Description:

The No. 1 BestsellerBiography of the Year, Irish Book Awards 2023The Last Word Listeners' Choice Award, Irish Book Awards 2023'One of the best [books] I have read about the complexities of poverty . . . one of the most remarkable people you will ever meet' GuardianLike young girls everywhere Katriona O’Sullivan grew up bright, enthusiastic, curious. But she was also surrounded by abject poverty and chaos, and after she became pregnant and homeless at 15, what followed was five years of barely surviving. Yet today Katriona is an award-winning academic whose work explores barriers to education for girls like her.What set Katriona on this unexpected path were the mentors and supporters who truly saw her. The teachers who showed her how to wash in the school toilets or turned up at her door to convince her to sit at least one GCSE. The community worker who encouraged her to apply for training schemes. The friend who introduced Katriona to Trinity College’s access program while she was a cleaner. Simple acts that would help her turn her life around.Told with warmth, clarity and compassion – compassion for her parents, for her younger self, for others – Poor is both an astonishing personal testimony and an impassioned plea for the future of our children.‘Powerful – Katriona is a legend’ Barry Keoghan‘Raw, passionate and resolutely honest – I’ll never forget it’ Annie Mac'Full of insight . . . so important' Fi Glover, Times Radio 'I read poor in one sitting I found it so compelling . . . moving, uplifting, brave, heroic' Nuala McGovern, Woman's Hour, BBC Radio Four'Moving, funny, brave and original - just like the author . . . absolutely incredible' Roísín Ingle, Irish Times Women's Podcast‘One of the books of the year’ Patrick Kielty, Late Late Show, RTÉ One'One of the most important books I have ever read … a beautiful telling of determination despite the odds' Lynn Ruane, Irish Times'Fearless, funny and searingly honest' Adil Ray OBE'Raw and remarkable' Irish Independent 'A book of empowerment and hope' Patricia Scanlan‘Remarkable . . . a vivid retelling of Katriona flourishing, despite her beginnings’ BBC News West MidlandsNumber 1 bestseller, Irish Times, March 2024

Lions of Medina

Author: Doyle Glass

Category: Biography & Memoir

Regular price: $9.99

Deal price: Free

Deal starts: February 19, 2025

Deal ends: February 19, 2025

Description:

“What Stephen Ambrose did for Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry in Band of Brothers, Glass does for Charlie Company, 1st Marines in this excellent, powerful book."—John C. McManus, author of Alamo in the Ardennes and The Deadly Brotherhood

Thursday, October 12, 1967, marked a fateful day for Marine Lance Corporal Kevin Cahill and Charlie Company, First Battalion, First Marines, First Marine Division. Deep in the dense Hai Lang National Forest of South Vietnam, Cahill led his unit of 166 Marines on a mission to locate and eliminate North Vietnamese Army forces.

Despite Cahill's reservations about the ominous trail they followed, orders were orders. Little did they know, they were walking into a deadly trap. As Cahill stepped toward a small knoll, he walked straight into enemy fire, triggering a devastating ambush.

What was meant to be a search and destroy mission turned into a desperate fight for survival. Surrounded and outnumbered by over two thousand NVA soldiers, Charlie Company found themselves on the brink of annihilation in the unforgiving jungle terrain.

"Captures the chaos and ferocity of infantry combat, and shows that little has changed from the pass at Thermopylae, to the jungles of Vietnam and the streets of Iraq."—Nathaniel Fick, New York Times bestselling author of One Bullet Away

Onions in the Stew

Author: Betty MacDonald

Category: Biography & Memoir

Regular price: $9.99

Deal price: $0.99

Deal starts: February 19, 2025

Deal ends: February 19, 2025

Description:

The beloved memoirist recounts the unexpected charms and trials of family life on an island in the Puget Sound in this delightfully witty memoir.

Betty MacDonald first regaled readers with tales of her floundering chicken farm in her 1945 memoir,

The Egg and I

. As she continued to share her “painfully, barkingly funny” stories of divorce, motherhood, tuberculosis, and other light subjects, MacDonald established herself as one of the great chroniclers of 20th century life in the Pacific Northwest (

The Guardian

, UK).In

Onions in the Stew

, MacDonald’s fourth and final memoir, she recounts the twelve years she and her family spent on the rough-and-tumble shores of Vashon Island in the Puget Sound, just a ferry ride away from Seattle. Writing in her signature style—“the tongue is still sharp for a ludicrous situation, a personality quirk and a self-turned jibe”—she tells of making a home despite terrible winters, perilous commutes to the mainland, less-than-loveable neighbors, and two daughters undergoing—yet somehow ultimately surviving—adolescence (

Kirkus

, starred review).