"Art, love and longing, the French way . . . an emotionally taut portrayal of late-in-life, post-marriage drift" from the author of The 6:41 to Paris ( The New York Times Book Review).A French teacher on the verge of retirement is invited to a glittering opening that showcases the artwork of his former student, who has since become a celebrated painter. This unexpected encounter leads to the older man posing for his portrait. Possibly in the nude. ...

Inspired by Erik Satie's work of the same name, Sports and Pastimes is the latest novel by acclaimed Montreal playwright and author Jean-Philippe Baril Guérard.Translated by Aimee Wall (whose translation of Vickie Gendreau's Testament for BookThug in 2016 drew critical reviews), this fast-paced story follows the daily life, at once empty and overloaded, of a group of friends who spend all their energy trying to distract themselves with huge hits of endorphins, art ...

In Self-Portrait Abroad, our narrator—a Belgian author much like Toussaint himself—travels the globe, finding the mundane blended everywhere with the exotic: With his usual poker face, he keeps up on Corsican gossip in Tokyo and has a battle of nerves in a butcher shop in Berlin; he wins a boules tournament in Cap Corse, takes in a strip club in Japan's historic Nara, gets pulled through Hanoi on a cycle rickshaw, and has a chance encounter on the road from Tunis to Sfax. Tales of...

"A little thing happened to me. Which could have just as easily happened to you. You're on vacation in a hotel with your son in a small village and you're about to go see some friends, but something holds you back, a mysterious reticence that prevents you from going to find them. Here is the novel of this reticence, small and specific, and of the fears that it instigates, little by little. Because not only are your friends not there when you do decide to go find them, but, several days lat...

Moving through a variety of locales and adventures, The Truth about Marie revisits the unnamed narrator of Toussaint's acclaimed Running Away, reporting on his now disintegrated relationship with the titular Marie—the story switching deftly between first- and third-person as the narrator continues to drift through life, and Marie does her best to get on with hers. Like all of Toussaint's novels, The Truth about Marie's plot matters far less than its pace and tempo, its ch...

Growing up in Belgium, football was Jean-Philippe Touissant's life, a passion not shared by his bookish family. Now an acclaimed novelist, essayist, and filmmaker, he reflects upon his lifelong love for the game with an intellectual's keen mind and a sports fan's heart. What, he ponders, has a lifetime of football fandom taught him about life and the passage of time itself.Football takes readers on an idiosyncratic journey that delves deep into the author's childhood memori...

Through the lens of chess, a celebrated Belgian author unearths fresh insights into his work and relationships in this luminous exploration of childhood, memory, and aging.Shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic forced Europe into lockdown, Jean-Philippe Toussaint left Brussels for the seaside city of Ostend. Spending his days editing his novel The Emotions and coming to terms with new aches and pains, his mind wanders to memories of his youth—summers at the ...

100 simply delicious vegan recipes--good for the planet, and for you--from the chef and blogger behind The Buddhist Chef.A practicing Buddhist for over two decades, Jean-Philippe Cyr, aka The Buddhist Chef, believes that everyone has the power to make their vision of the world a reality--and that the most impactful way to do that is through the food we choose to make, eat, and share. This realization led him to veganism, which transformed his life and health. In th...

Jesus undoubtedly suffered from paranoid schizophrenia with hallucinations, delusions and paranoia.The purpose of this book is to provide a psychiatric portrait of the historical figure known as Jesus of Nazareth, the founder of Christianity. Such a title is indeed shocking, but after a detailed analysis of the words and actions of Jesus mentioned in the Gospels, it clearly appears that he suffered from a serious mental illness: schizophrenia with hallucinations, delusions and para...

Five famous pieces in carefully simplified arrangements – perfect for anyone who wants to sit down and play after a long day, without stress or lengthy preparation. The collection brings together character pieces from three centuries: Rameau's dance-like Les Sauvages, Clementi's boisterous The Black Joke, Beethoven's convivial Drinking Song, Debussy's mischievous Golliwogg's Cake-walk and the fiery Brindisi from Verdi's La Traviata. What connects them all: lively rhythms, straightforward k...

Write applications in C\#/.NET that will stand the test of time, evolving with the information systems they belong to and the services they interoperate with by using standards and solid business-related architecture rulesKey FeaturesLearn the principles of business-aligned software architectureRelate theory to several well-known architecture frameworksApply the knowledge you gain to create a .NET application with a standard-based APIP...

Our story begins in an imaginary world in the kingdom of Reas and Pales. Raphael, our young hero, is called upon to defeat the cruel and evil Nomrad, King of Pales, and prevent him from finding the Magic Fountain. He can count on the help of his friends and Queen Marianne de Réas. Will they succeed in foiling King Nomrad's Machiavellian plans?ABOUT THE AUTHORR.J.P Toreille is originally from the Ile de Ré. Mythology, history, authors and daily life are for him the source fr...