On a steamy trip to Bangkok, anything can happen, and a man can be whoever he wants to be In order to get away from a stream of meaningless flings, Gerry heads to the Far East, down to the sweltering shores of Bangkok, to get some time for himself. He’s searching for a love that is truly real—one that will last. When he receives a cordial invitation written on heavily crested stationery, he is thrust into a passionate journey from which there will be no recovery. The sender of the invitation is international playboy and gossip-paper fixture Ernst von Hallers. Born to a family of incredibly rich industrialists, Ernst cuts a truly dashing figure. Traveling the world on his boat, with a collection of attractive young men at his call, Ernst represents everything Gerry is not, while acting the part of someone Gerry wishes he could be. When Ernst brings Gerry into his life, both men must look within themselves and each other to truly see what pleasure and love are.

For his 2007 critically acclaimed 33 1/3 series title, Let's Talk About Love, Carl Wilson went on a quest to find his inner Céline Dion fan and explore how we define ourselves by what we call good and bad, what we love and what we hate. At once among the most widely beloved and most reviled and lampooned pop stars of the past few decades, Céline Dion's critics call her mawkish and overblown while millions of fans around the world adore her “huge pipes” and even bigger feelings. How can anyone say which side is right? This new, expanded edition goes even further, calling on thirteen prominent writers and musicians to respond to themes ranging from sentiment and kitsch to cultural capital and musical snobbery. The original text is followed by lively arguments and stories from Nick Hornby, Krist Novoselic, Ann Powers, Mary Gaitskill, James Franco, Sheila Heti and others. In a new afterword, Carl Wilson examines recent cultural changes in love and hate, including the impact of technology and social media on how taste works (or doesn't) in the 21st century.

John Darnielle describesMaster of Reality in the voice of a fifteen-year-old boy being held in an adolescent psychiatric center in southern California in 1985. The narrator explains Black Sabbath like an emissary from an alien race describing his culture to his captors: passionately, patiently, and lovingly.

"Non-fans regard Dion as ersatz and plastic, yet to those who love her, no one could be more real, with her impoverished childhood, her (creepy) manager-husband's struggle with cancer, her knack for howling out raw emotion. There's nothing cool about Dion, and nothing clever. That's part of her appeal as an object of love or hatred - with most critics and committed music fans taking pleasure (or at least geeky solace) in their lofty contempt. This book documents Carl Wilson's brave and unprecedented year-long quest to find his inner Dion fan, and explores how we define ourselves in the light of what we call good and bad, what we love and what we hate."--Bloomsbury Publishing.

Striking a perfect balance between heartfelt emotions and spot-on humor, this debut features a pop-culture enthusiast protagonist with an unforgettable voice sure to resonate with readers. Alice had her whole summer planned. Nonstop all-you-can-eat buffets while marathoning her favorite TV shows (best friends totally included) with the smallest dash of adulting—working at the library to pay her share of the rent. The only thing missing from her perfect plan? Her girlfriend (who ended things when Alice confessed she's asexual). Alice is done with dating—no thank you, do not pass go, stick a fork in her, done. But then Alice meets Takumi and she can’t stop thinking about him or the rom com-grade romance feels she did not ask for (uncertainty, butterflies, and swoons, oh my!). When her blissful summer takes an unexpected turn and Takumi becomes her knight with a shiny library-employee badge (close enough), Alice has to decide if she’s willing to risk their friendship for a love that might not be reciprocated—or understood. Claire Kann’s debut novel Let’s Talk About Love, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads, gracefully explores the struggle with emerging adulthood and the complicated line between friendship and what it might mean to be something more. Praise for Let’s Talk About Love from the Swoon Reads community: “A sweet and beautiful journey about self-discovery and identity!” —Macy Filia, reader on SwoonReads.com “There aren't many novels that have asexual characters and it's something people need more of.” —Alice, reader on SwoonReads.com “I want this on my shelf where I can admire it every day.” —Kiara, reader on SwoonReads.com

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From Sandy “Pepa” Denton—rap legend and outspoken star of VH1’s smash-hit reality show—comes the juicy tell-all in which she talks about sex, music, life, love, fame, and so much more. The spiciest ingredient in the legendary rap group Salt-N-Pepa, fans know Sandy Denton as Pep, or Pepa, the fun-loving half of Salt-N-Pepa. But behind the laughs and the smiles is a whole lot of pain, and for the first time in Let’s talk About Pep, she candidly talks about her troubled childhood, surviving abuse, her first encounters with Cheryl “Salt” James, instant success, her failed marriages and escape from domestic abuse, and her triumphant comeback on reality shows like The Surreal Life and The Salt-N-Pepa Show. Filled with surprising insights, outrageous anecdotes, and celebrity cameos—including Queen Latifah, Martin Lawrence, Janice Dickinson, Missy Elliott, L.L. Cool J, Ron Jeremy, Lisa “Left Eye” Lopez, and many others—Let’s Talk About Pep offers a fascinating glimpse behind the fame, family, failures, and success...and into the faithful heart of a woman who will always treasure the good friends she found along the way. Every bit as captivating and provocative as her Grammy Award-winning music, this story reveals the real Pepa—upfront, uncensored, unstoppable—a true pioneer, survivor, and inspiration to women everywhere.