In December 2008, my worst nightmare came true . . . How do you pick yourself up after the one thing you most feared happens to you? Alexandra Penney's revealing, spirited, and ultimately redemptive true story shows us how. Throughout her life, Alexandra Penney's worst fear was of becoming a bag lady. Even as she worked several jobs while raising a son as a single mother, wrote a bestselling advice book, and became editor in chief of Self magazine, she was haunted by the image of herself alone, bankrupt, and living on the street. She even went to therapy in an attempt to alleviate the worry that all she had worked for could crumble. And then, one day, that's exactly what happened. Penney had taken a friend's advice and invested nearly everything she had ever earned--all of her savings--with Bernie Madoff. One day she was successful and wealthy; the next she had almost nothing. Suddenly, at an age when many Americans retire, Penney saw her worst nightmares coming true. Based on her popular blog posts on The Daily Beast, this memoir chronicles Penney's struggle to cope with the devastating financial and emotional fallout of being cheated out of her life savings and illuminates her journey back to sanity, solvency, and security. "I will work harder than I ever have before--which was pretty hard indeed--and see what happens. I have the feeling something good will come of it: tough, challenging work and laserlike focus have always paid off for me. . . . Was it better to have it and then lose it? Yes, yes, yes! Even though I lived with horrible bag lady fears of losing it all, now that those financial fears have materialized, I'm in pretty good shape and looking to what's next. Experiences -- good and bad, exciting and boring, tragic and absurd -- make up a life. Not to have lived to the fullest is the saddest, most irresponsible life I can think of." --- from The Bag Lady Papers

Tired of fending off street thugs and worried about the day they can no longer take care of themselves, three elderly widows, Josie, Mabel and Mil, concoct the perfect plan for ensuring their safety, which will also guarantee them free room and board for life. As grocery bag-covered bodies begin turning up in Southern California, police and the media are stumped. Detectives assigned to the case, Paige Turner and Mark Wisneski, wonder what weird new serial killer is on the loose. The victims are mostly drug addicts and small-time crooks, but why the grocery bags? The bodies pile up until the widows invite Turner and Wisneski to tea, where they tell all. What they reveal shocks the world and could lead to the widows' master plan seriously backfiring. Life on the streets and in prison will never be the same.

Dont judge a book by its cover, or a bag lady by her appearance. I didnt always look like this, she says. Being barmy doesnt mean Im stupid. Lady Bag does have her problems her close relationship with cheap red wine, for example. When she gets hammered she talks to her dog. When shes extra-hammered her dog talks to her. Guess who makes better sense. She and her rescue greyhound, Electra, wander through the streets of London, seeing a Dickensian side of the capital city thats visible only to the homeless. Together they accept the kindness and unkindness of strangers with the same wry patience. Until, on one dreadful day, they meet the Devil outside the National Portrait Gallery About Anna Lee Electric with suspense, fast and funny Publishers Weekly Loud hurrahs story wonderfully alive, truly tense, dialogue sharp and accurate! HRF Keating, The Times About Eva Wylie A staggering achievement A breath-taking tour de force. Sara Paretsky Eva is a wondrous creation - an incorrigible innocent in a story that crackles with energy. Super Cody. Kirkus Reviews About Gimme More Give me more books like Gimme More. Laura Lippman Probably the greatest rocknroll novel ever. Nick Johnstone, uncut About Ballad of a Dead Nobody I was gripped [told] beautifully, touchingly, sometimes brutally Peter Lovesey Adventurous in form, sparklingly written and with every page more gripping than the last, this bluesy novel may well be the already garlanded Codys best yet. Mat Coward, Morning Star About Miss Terry Compelling warm and amusing, written with the characteristic Cody honesty a terrific read. Peter Lovesey

The old jump rope/nonsense rhyme features an ailing young Tiny Tim.

An essential part of the well dressed woman is her handbag. Here over 300 exquisite color photographs of handbags from the world's top fashion designers are brought together to vie for the attention of collectors, designers, and fashion gurus. See details of construction, designer logos, impeccable stitching, luxurious leathers and fabricated materials as components of high quality and high value luxury handbags in today's marketplace. Louis Vuitton, Judith Lieber, Fendi, Gucci, Chanel, Hermes, Roberta Di Camerino, Farragamo, Celine, Bottega Veneta, and more are all represented by many examples. Many designs are classics today, having survived competitive runway battles for a generation. Other designs are original, fresh, and challenging the classics for shelf space in boutiques and closets around the world. Read about some of the designers and savor the special handbags they carefully created. The designs are fun, elegant, and inspiring.