first reads

[close] The long awaited sequel to the New York Times bestseller Christmas Jars is here.

This Christmas, Hope Jensen has a goal to place 1,001 jars of spare change with families in need. Her Christmas Jars ministry -- headquartered in the famous Chuck's Chicken 'n' Biscuits diner -- is the same place Hope was discovered as a newborn and the same place she was reunited with her birthmother.

Helping her reach her goal is an assortment of helpful friends and family, including Clark Maxwell. Romance has never been Hope's strong suit, but there is something special about Clark, and perhaps this is the year that Hope's Christmas wish for love will finally come true.

Al Allred, a visitor to Chuck's, also volunteers to help Hope reach her lofty goal. But will his focus simply blind Hope to the truth she needs to see?

And then there is Queen, a very special little girl with one very special request this Christmas.

As the big day draws nearer, Hope learns the most important lesson of the Christmas Jar. A lesson that will change her life forever. [close]

[close] Sonia Amundsen looks like a Nordic goddess on the outside, but her heart, soul, and stomach are all Italian. She is also a successful professional who is about to celebrate her 30th birthday. Although friends have been setting her up on blind dates for two years, she never goes out on a second date with any of them because she is still looking for that perfect guy. The problem is that she has very specific criteria as to who Mr. Right is. Sonia is beginning to think that such a man is not out there until.... Set in the late 1980s, Sonia is surrounded by an extended Italian family, a caring, but over-bearing mother, warring aunts who use family funerals to stage full-blow tragedies, and a close friend, whose main goals in life are to get pregnant and to help Sonia find true love. The Second Date explores friendship and love in the heart of the Italian-American community where food is second importance only to love. [close]

[close] Three- time Pro Bowl tight end Chad Lewis says that every good thing in his life is a direct result of his family and his faith.

Surround Yourself with Greatness takes readers around the world while looking through the eyes, mind, and heart of Chad Lewis— a once freckle- faced, four- eyed, skinny teenager who at an early age wrote in his journal, “My goal and quest is to surround myself with greatness . . . only greatness will penetrate the walls of my heart.”

Within these soul- searching, character- framing chapters, we meet extraordinary people— coaches, teammates, friends, and family—and learn what a profound influence we have on each other’s lives.

From the miraculous, near- death experience of his father to the life- changing events in Taiwan as a missionary to the brutal football training camps and his nine- year career in the NFL, Chad takes us on a path to our own selfdiscovery as he shares his secrets to happiness and what it means to surround yourself with greatness.

“We live in a world of relationships that are dynamic. We need each other. We need to choose, with conscious awareness, to open our eyes, heart, and mind to the great people who elevate life that are all around us.” [close]

[close] Penny Paisley and her family have a special Christmas tradition. All year long they collect their loose change and drop it in a glass jar on the kitchen counter. Then, each December, Penny and her family make their most exciting decision of the year: Who will receive the Paisley Family Christmas Jar? This yea, Penny gets to choose what to do with the jar, and she has something special in mind.

“Instead of just giving our jar to only one person or one family, what if we gave it to the entire neighborhood?” said Penny. “We could use the Christmas Jar money to have the biggest and best party anyone has ever been to. No one will ever forget it!”

To earn money for the Christmas Jar, Penny sets up a hot chocolate stand in front of her house. Mr. Charlie, the kind elderly man across the street, is her best customer. He even helps her make invitations for the party. But when Mr. Charlie becomes ill, Penny sets a new plan in motion and gets the whole neighborhood involved. Yes, this will be a Christmas and a party that no one will ever forget! [close]

[close] Relying most heavily on music and metaphor, syntax and diction, Two Rooms explores the conflicting claims of life and art, world and word, cultural heritage and cultural affinities, through the sacral, erotic, and creative imagination. By the light of these dark lyrics, Constance Merritt searches for a path, a sign, a respite—perhaps love or death or God or insight, perhaps radical transformation or a simple good night’s sleep. In these poems, by turns passionate, sinuous, playful and grave, a deep and abiding trust in “the plain sense of things” and intractable longing for the “lush, desire-transfigured world” meet and wrestle to a dynamic draw.

Constance Merritt is also the author of Blessings and Inclemencies and A Protocol for Touch. She lives in Louisville, Kentucky.

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[close] Take A Christmas Story and mix in The Sandlot and you’ll get Joseph Walker’s new holiday novel — Christmas on Mill Street. It’s 1962, and young Sam Andrews just moved to Utah from Arizona. A tall, overweight, semi-clumsy outsider, he’s still trying to fit in with the neighborhood boys. When discussion about sledding down the infamous Mill Street begins, Sam pipes in and says he’ll do it. The problem is, Sam has seen snow only in pictures and has never actually ridden a sled. And to top it off, Mill Street is practically a vertical drop with two deadly curves. A rider going too fast can get shot right off Mill Street and into the Tuttles’ thorn-filled pyracantha bushes. But there’s no turning back now.

Readers will laugh out loud at the adventures and many poignant lessons leading up to Christmas Day and Sam’s eventual duel with Mill Street. Christmas on Mill Street is a delightful and inspirational family gift for this holiday season. [close]

[close] A hot, sassy, Southern romance about girlfriends, gossip, the game of love- and the game of Bunco.

Meet the Bunco Babes of Whispering Bay. Every Thursday night they roll dice, drink frozen margaritas, and catch up on all the gossip in their small north Florida town. Kitty Burke is the only Bunco Babe who is still single—which is okay—but she’s thirty-five and may need to face that her image of Mr. Right is all wrong.

Take Steve. Very sexy—but on paper, with three failed marriages and a shady career, maybe not great husband material. And yes, his ring tone is “Freebird.” Certainly fellow Babes Shea Masterson and Pilar Diaz-Rothman vote thumbs down. But maybe there’s more to Steve than meets the eye? Is it time for Kitty to take a chance and hope that she can be as lucky in love as she is in Bunco?
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[close] Romance gets a little dicey in the sassy, sizzling second novel by the author of Bunco Babes Tell All.

Georgia Meyer needs some time to think-and what better place to get her head on straight than Whispering Bay, Florida, in the company of her sister Frida and her sister's Bunco-playing friends, aka the Bunco Babes? Georgia's boyfriend-and boss-Spencer Moody made a slight miscalculation in the romance department and gave her a calculator instead of an engagement ring. So she needs some sisterly advice, in between rolling dice and drinking frozen margaritas, as to her next move.

While considering subtracting Spencer from her life, Georgia meets the very handsome Dave Hernandez. Unfortunately when a Bunco night gets a little out of hand, Georgia reveals more of herself to Dave than she intended. Now, as she helps the Babes prepare for a Bunco Black Tie fundraiser, she needs to search her heart-and keep her shirt on-long enough to decide if a love affair with Dave might be a dream come true. [close]

[close] Three years ago, Sophie Mercer discovered that she was a witch. It's gotten her into a few scrapes. Her non-gifted mother has been as supportive as possible, consulting Sophie's estranged father--an elusive European warlock--only when necessary. But when Sophie attracts too much human attention for a prom-night spell gone horribly wrong, it's her dad who decides her punishment: exile to Hex Hall, an isolated reform school for wayward Prodigium, a.k.a. witches, faeries, and shapeshifters.

By the end of her first day among fellow freak-teens, Sophie has quite a scorecard: three powerful enemies who look like supermodels, a futile crush on a gorgeous warlock, a creepy tagalong ghost, and a new roommate who happens to be the most hated person and only vampire on campus. Worse, Sophie soon learns that a mysterious predator has been attacking students, and her only friend is the number-one suspect.

As a series of blood-curdling mysteries starts to converge, Sophie prepares for the biggest threat of all: an ancient secret society determined to destroy all Prodigium, especially her. [close]

[close] California restaurateur and superstar host of three popular shows on the Food Network, Guy Fieri drag-raced to the top of the New York Times bestseller list with his blockbuster Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, the companion volume to his hit series of the same name. In More Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, Fieri brings us…more!—more recipes, photos, memorabilia, and irrepressible enthusiasm for iconic American eateries that cater to popular tastes. This “Drop-top Culinary Cruise Through America’s Finest and Funkiest Joints” is the celebrated chef at his most insightful and entertaining best as he introduces us to even more mouth-watering delights from unexpected places. [close]

[close] At critical times in our nation's history, God provided miracles to save us. And there are miracles yet to come. Why? Because America still represents something important to him.

Seven Miracles That Saved America details seven miraculous events in the United States’ history that ultimately give us the assurance that God still watches over this country today. The miracles, a small representation of times God has showed his hand, span from Christopher Columbus to Gettysburg to Ronald Reagan.

“This country was too important to the future of mankind to let it fail. Despite our weaknesses, which are many, and our failings, which have existed since our inception, God has been willing to intervene so that this nation might survive,” according to this new book from Chris Stewart, a bestselling author of military techno-thrillers and a world-record-setting Air Force pilot, and his brother, Ted Stewart, a federal judge.
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[close] LET THE SHADOWS FALL BEHIND YOU
Paperback edition
Fiction novel
by Kathy-Diane Leveille [close]

[close] Part Tarantino-style operetta, part soap opera, Ottavio Cappellani's hilarious novel takes place in a twenty-first-century Sicily rife with moody aristocrats, vain politicians, inept gangsters, shabby theater actors, and high-tech assassins. Balding, fortyish Alfio Turrisi is a mid-level Mafioso with deep pockets. He's in love with Betty, the spoiled daughter of a rival mobster. Alfio and Betty would seem to be the Romeo and Juliet of this poison-pen valentine to Cappellani's native Sicily. That is, until we meet another pair of star-crossed lovers: the gay theater director Tino Cagnotto and his bored and sexy youngamore, Bobo. Because the way Tino sees it, the real heat in that tragedy is between Romeo and Mercutio, not Romeo and Juliet . . . [close]

[close] "The Gift" is a magical, fable-like Christmas story from Cecelia Ahern, the celebrated New York Times bestselling author of "P.S. I Love You" and "Thanks for the Memories." The story of Lou Suffern, a successful executive frustrated by the fact that he spends more time in the office than with his doting wife and two young children, "The Gift" is “a tantalizing tale wrapped in a tale. . . . [the] perfect treat for the holidays.” (Sara Gruen) [close]

[close] Win an Advance Reader Copy of The Mark, by Jen Nadol!

Cassandra Renfield has always seen the mark - a glow around certain people reminiscent of candlelight. But the one time she mentioned it to someone else, it was dismissed as a trick of the light. Cassie starts to consider its rare appearances insignificant - until she watches a man die. After searching her memories, Cassie realizes she can see a person's imminent death. Not how or where, only when: today.

Armed with a vague understanding of the light, Cassie begins to explore her "gift", seeking those marked for death and probing the line between decision and destiny. Though she's careful to hide her secret - even from her new philosophy-obsessed boyfriend - with each impending death comes the temptation to test fate. But so many questions remain. How does the mark work? Why is she the only one who sees it? And finally, the most important of all:

If you know today is someone's last, should you tell them? [close]

[close] Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project.
In this lively and compelling account of that year, Rubin carves out her place alongside the authors of bestselling memoirs such as Julie and Julia, The Year of Living Biblically, and Eat, Pray, Love. With humor and insight, she chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier.
Written with charm and wit, The Happiness Project is illuminating yet entertaining, thought-provoking yet compulsively readable. Gretchen Rubin's passion for her subject jumps off the page, and reading just a few chapters of this book will inspire you to start your own happiness project.
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[close] 5 Hearts & Reviewer Top Pick ~ Night Owl Romance
5 Books & Book of the Week ~ Long & Short Reviews
5 Kisses ~ Two Lips Reviews
5 Hearts ~ The Romance Studio

****

Workaholic Ross Kennedy never learned to enjoy life until he meets the woman of his dreams. If only Laurie Miller can convince him that's exactly who she is.

A psychologist with empathic abilities, Laurie rescues Ross, who has been stranded in the middle of a Montana blizzard. The two strangers are completely snowed in and out of contact. In just a few days, their attraction to each other is overwhelming, but Laurie is troubled. Her empathic gift seems to have vanished. Fascinated by his pretty rescuer, Ross struggles to open up his heart enough to let this woman in.

When the two return home to Chicago, they try to solve a mystery revolving around a Prohibition Era journal they discovered in Montana. Will they find the missing treasure the journal points to? And as a former boyfriend begins to stalk Laurie, how will Ross be able to protect her?
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"Throw a penny in the fountain of the Twilight town square, and you'll be married to your first love . . . "

For ten years, pretty Flynn MacGregor has been turning down the same solid, upright man's marriage proposal. Her friends at the Sweethearts' Knitting Club tell her they're a match made in heaven, but Flynn knows there's only one dangerous reason why she keeps saying no: high school sweetheart Jesse Calloway. She was just sixteen when Jesse was forced out of town under a cloud of suspicion . . . but he's never left her heart.

Now Jesse is back, and every time she turns the corner he's there—gazing at her with his smoldering eyes and tempting her with his kisses. Jesse has never played by the rules, and he's made it clear that he's not going to now. And Flynn, who's always done just what her family, friends, and fellow knitters have told her to do, must finally break free and claim the love that binds Jesse to her heart.

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[close] Two men. One front-page story. A small town forever changed.

Michael Gavin was a local hero, admired for his prowess in sports, his service in the military, and his work in the community. But there is more to Michael Gavin—including a past that has long been hidden.

Wes Watkins is a local newspaper reporter whose job it is to find a story, even if it means digging through court reports, interviewing the most unlikely people, and following leads that make him unpopular.

When Wes finds himself charged with writing Gavin’s eulogy—though the two had never met—he sets out to find the truth. What happens next is something the little town of Talking Creek never expected. Secrets come to light, confidences are broken, and lives are redefined. But in the end, everyone will know what truly makes a man a legend.
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[close] One day when Abaani, a Maasai boy, takes his family’s cattle out to graze, he is surprised to see a Kikuyu boy, Haki, tending a new fruit and vegetable stall alongside the road. The boys know of the traditional conflicts between the Maasai and the Kikuyu. They take an immediate dislike to each other.

A short while later, as customers surround Haki’s stall, a dangerous situation suddenly arises. Abaani calls to Haki, and together they act quickly. Little do the boys know they have also taken the first step in overcoming their differences and forging a path to friendship.
Framed by the annual great migration of animals to Kenya, First Come the Zebra looks beyond current conflicts toward the hope for peaceful coexistence. This appealing story is an encouraging tribute to the potential of today’s youth to make a difference in the world.

Lynne Barasch was inspired to write First Come the Zebra by the beauty of the land and people of Kenya, which she visited in 2007. [close]

[close] I was so pleased with the response my first giveaway generated that I couldn't wait to fling another copy out among the masses. This one's a finished version rather than an ARC, and comes not only signed but — brace yourselves — with your very own, genuine "Mage of None Magic" bookmark!

Let the frenzy begin! [close]

[close] The Alex Rider Adventures by Anthony Horowitz have already spent over a year on the New York Times best seller list and sold 12 million copies in English alone, with sales of over 5 million in the US. The next installment of this flagship action series for boys Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Adventure (#8) by Anthony Horowitz (Philomel Books, 9780399250569, $17.99, fiction, 388 pages, ages 10 and up) will be published on November 17, 2009 followed by a 10-day national tour by Anthony Horowitz and tween boys just can’t wait. There is an announced first printing of 350,000 copies.
This past July, Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times included the Alex Riders Adventures on his “The Best Kids’ Books Ever” list: “These are modern British spy thrillers in which things keep exploding in a very satisfying way. Alex amounts to a teenage James Bond for the 21st century.” Since day one, tween boys have been gobbling up each thrilling chapter in the life of Alex Rider and as a result, Alex has even made it onto the radar of Stephen King. The Los Angeles Times lauded Anthony Horowitz as having an “Ian Fleming-esque talent for dreaming up timely, imaginative, and far-out plots.”
Alex Rider is a reluctant teenage spy who works for Britain’s MI6 and unlike James Bond, does not have a license to kill. Instead, he uses his wits and cool gadgets to incapacitate the bad
guys. Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Adventure (#8) feels ripped from the headlines, with a charity broker con artist raising millions of dollars in donations, only to invest them in a form of genetically modified wheat that has the power to release an airborne strain of virus so powerful, it
can knock out an entire country in one windy day – a catastrophe so far-reaching that it would raise millions of dollars more in charitable donations, all of which would be embezzled by one man. The antidote? Alex Rider, of course, who survives gunfire, explosions, and hand-to-combat with mercenaries – just another day in the life of an average teen super-spy kid. Check out the official site at www.alexrideradventures.com.

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[close] *Note that this book contains print editions of previously published eBooks.

Turner and Turner: One Good Turn

When his parents get a gander at the sex tape sent by a blackmailer, they offer Kendall Turner a few weeks of "rest" in a cushy clinic. No, he says, and hotfoots it across the lawns of the family estate. KT isn't his own worst enemy anymore; there's a new candidate for the title. Suddenly, Kendall's on the lam, trying to outrun a murder rap. Helping - by locking KT naked in their motel room - is his cousin Turn. KT has some issues: he manages to censor himself only when he lies, he's been in love with cousin Turn since forever, and he really would rather kill himself than get more rest at another clinic.

The Men of Smithfield: Gobsmacked

Physician's assistant Mark Meehan's impulse control takes leave when Mark finds his bank manager, who's also his boyfriend, in bed with another man. Volatile Mark sets out to chase down his money and patch up his pride with the help of local law enforcement in the person of rock-steady state trooper Tony Gervase. But, Mark's impulsive scheme for revenge infuriates Jamie and jeopardizes Mark's budding romance with straight arrow Tony. [close]

[close] This is a wonderful book for 4- to 8-year-old children. It's about a rabbit named Skipper and his adventures on the way to visit his grandmother. Skipper's mother made some cherry pies but before he can taste one, he must bring a pie to Grandmother Rabbit. Along the way, Skipper runs into various forest and farm animals who convince him to trade some of the pie for treats of their own. Children and adults will enjoy watching to see how Skipper's trades turn into a big surprise for his grandmother while Skipper learns a good lesson along the way. The book comes with a free download of the audio version of the book.
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[close] The eye-opening and headline-generating UK bestseller that shows how one single factor—the gap between its richest and poorest members—can determine the health and well-being of a society.

“This is a book with a big idea, big enough to change political thinking…In half a page [The Spirit Level] tells you more about the pain of inequality than any play or novel could.”
—Sunday Times (UK )

It is well established that in rich societies the poor have shorter lives and suffer more from almost every social problem. Now a groundbreaking book, based on thirty years’ research, takes an important step past this idea. The Spirit Level shows that there is one common factor that links the healthiest and happiest societies: the degree of equality among their members. Not wealth; not resources; not culture, climate, diet, or system of government. Furthermore, more-unequal societies are bad for almost everyone within them—the well-off as well as the poor.

The remarkable data assembled in The Spirit Level reveals striking differences, not only among the nations of the first world but even within America’s fifty states. Almost every modern social problem—ill-health, violence, lack of community life, teen pregnancy, mental illness—is more likely to occur in a less-equal society. This is why America, by most measures the richest country on earth, has per capita shorter average lifespan, more cases of mental illness, more obesity, and more of its citizens in prison than any other developed nation.

Wilkinson and Pickett lay bare the contradiction between material success and social failure in today’s world, but they do not simply provide a diagnosis of our woes. They offer readers a way toward a new political outlook, shifting from self-interested consumerism to a friendlier, more sustainable society. The Spirit Level is pioneering in its research, powerful in its revelations, and inspiring in its conclusion: Armed with this new understanding of why communities prosper, we have the tools to revitalize our politics and help all our fellow citizens, from the bottom of the ladder to the top. [close]

[close] This is the true story of a father reunited with his young son. He discovers, over time, that the boy’s mind is fractured into more than 400 multiple personalities that protect his secrets. The family’s lives are threatened when they discover he is also possessed by demons that seek to destroy them. The boy’s mother offered her son up to a satanic cult and to abuses so horrific that they seem more like fiction than reality. How does this happen to a God-fearing family, and how do they deal with what is revealed to them? A young boy’s secrets could destroy this family, or, at the very least, bring it to its knees. When the O’Neal family is threatened by mysterious forces, cultic rituals, and a labyrinth of obstacles, they find out how far they will go and how hard they will fight to save one of their own and themselves in the ultimate, real life battle of good verses evil. [close]

[close] Ethnic bias against Middle Eastern Jews within Israel has far-reaching implications for the whole region.

Middle Eastern Jews from Egypt, Morocco, Iraq, Yemen, and other Arab or Muslim lands—“Mizrahis”—make up nearly half of Israel’s population. Yet European or “Ashkenazi” Jews have historically disparaged them for looking like Arabs, speaking Arabic, and bringing with them what was viewed as a “backward” Middle Eastern culture. Journalist Rachel Shabi, who was born in Israel to Iraqi Jews and grew up in England, returned to investigate the subtle discrimination and tense relations that still exist between Mizrahi and Ashkenazi Jews in Israel. She combines historical research, her own family’s story, and the heartfelt oral history of several other Mizrahis to make We Look Like the Enemy a stunning, unforgettable book.
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[close] In the world of football, Frank Leahy was as important as Beethoven to music, Shakespeare to dramatic poetry, Michelangelo to sculpture. Greatness was not thrust upon Frank. He achieved it through hard work and determination. But, first, he had to have the makings. From those makings, he was capable of going to town. By applying his formula for success, nothing could have kept him from achieving the heights he reached. The life story of Notre Dame football coach, Frank Leahy, is one of fiery inspiration, humor, and unwavering determination. From the family farm, to one of Knute Rockne's fighting Irish, to head football coach at the golden dome, Leahy's philosophy and antics, both on and off the field, illustrate a model for greatness and the fantastic stuff of legends. [close]

[close] A true story of espionage with a plot worthy of John le Carré.

With the declaration of war in 1939, dashing young publisher, Tom Burns, left his business for the Ministry of Information, the propaganda arm of the British secret services, and found himself in Madrid as press attaché at the British embassy. Spurred on by his deep love of Spain, he threw himself into the propaganda war against the Nazis, who broadcast freely to the Spanish press. Spain was officially “nonbelligerent” during the war. But nonbelligerent doesn’t mean unimportant: Spain held Gibraltar, and so controlled the western Mediterranean. Germany desperately wanted Gibraltar and the Mediterranean for itself, and it was the responsibility of Tom Burns and the rest of the British Ministry of Information to do everything in their power to keep that from happening.

Executing that simple objective became complicated as Burns found he was making enemies in England, not least among them Kim Philby and members of MI 6. In Papa Spy, Jimmy Burns tells the extraordinary story of how his father overcame the odds, helped carry out the decoy plot called “The Man Who Never Was,” arranged what turned out to be actor Leslie Howard’s fatal propaganda trip to Portugal and Spain, and remained true to his faith while loyally serving his country. [close]

[close] Family Britain continues David Kynaston’s groundbreaking series, telling as never before the story of Britain from VE Day in 1945 to the election of Margaret Thatcher in 1979.

As in his highly acclaimed Austerity Britain, David Kynaston invokes an astonishing array of vivid, intimate and unselfconscious voices to drive his narrative of 1950s Britain. The keen-eyed Nella Last shops assiduously at Barrow Market as rationing gradually gives way to relative abundance; housewife Judy Haines, relishing the detail of suburban life, brings up her children in Chingford; the self-absorbed civil servant Henry St John perfects the art of grumbling. Well-known figures are encountered on the way, such as Doris Lessing (joining and later leaving the Communist Party), John Arlott (sticking up on Any Questions? for the rights of homosexuals), and comic-strip hero Roy of the Rovers (making his goal-scoring debut for Melchester).

In this colorful, unfolding tapestry, great national events—the Tories’ return to power, the death of George VI , the coronation of Queen Elizabeth, the Suez Crisis—jostle alongside everything that gave Britain in the 1950s its distinctive flavor: Butlin’s holiday camps, Hancock’s Half-Hour, Ekco television sets, Davy Crockett, skiffle, and teddy boys. Deeply researched, David Kynaston’s Family Britain offers an unrivaled take on British society as it started to move away from the painful hardships of the 1940s toward domestic ease and affluence. [close]

[close] From the personal finance correspondent for public radio’s Marketplace Money, a new plan for a new economic reality—the philosophy and practice of living frugally.

As a once-in-a-lifetime downturn deepens, our go-go economy has become an uh-oh economy. But as trusted finance reporter Chris Farrell explains, there’s a silver lining to this cloud: It is accelerating a trend already under way in America toward what he calls the New Frugality—a fresh way of thinking about how, what, and why we consume. In today’s economy, a “sustainable” lifestyle isn’t just one that’s good for the planet—it’s one that is based around core values and one that sustains your bank balance as well.

In this friendly, approachable book, Farrell explains both the theory and the practice of living frugally. Frugality, he reminds us, does not mean old-fashioned penny-pinching. It means spending your money on quality rather than quantity—buying the best you can afford but the least you need. Drawing on his expertise as a financial reporter and his years of conversations with his public radio listeners, he provides down-to-earth, practical advice for every aspect of your financial life, including:

• how to always maintain a “margin of safety” in your spending

• the frugal home: renting vs. owning

• the two best ways to save for college

• wise debt vs. foolish debt

• why giving your money away can be “newly frugal”


The New Frugality amounts to a paradigm shift in the way we spend and save. The good news is, a frugal lifestyle is one of less waste, lower environmental impact, greater peace of mind, and, over the long run, deeper satisfaction. [close]

[close] A riveting, psychologically rich family drama set in the American West, from a writer who has been compared to Cormac McCarthy.

Bandy Dorner, home from Vietnam, awakes with his car mired in a canal, his cabin reduced to ashes, and his pregnant wife preparing to leave town with her lover. Within moments, a cop lies bleeding on the road.

Eighteen years later, Bandy is released from prison. His parents are gone, but on the derelict family ranch, Bandy faces a different reunion. Tracy, his now teenaged son, has come to claim the father he’s never known. Iona, Bandy’s ex-wife, has returned on the heels of her son. All three are damaged, hardened, haunted. But warily, desperately, they move in a slow dance around each other, trying to piece back together a family that never was; trying to discover if they belong together at all.

With unflinching honesty and restrained beauty, Brian Hart explores the possibilities and limitations of his characters as they struggle toward a shared future. Like a traditional Greek tragedy, suffused with the mud, ice, and rock of the raw I daho landscape, Then Came the Evening is tautly plotted and emotionally complex—a stunning debut. [close]

[close] A compelling portrait of the life, work, and meaning of one of the greatest artists of all time.

Toward the end of his long life, Tiziano Vecelli—known to the world ever since as Titian (circa 1488– 1576)—was at work on a number of paintings that he kept in his studio, never quite completing them, as though wanting to endlessly postpone the moment of closure. Produced with his fingers as much as with the brush, Titian’s last paintings are imbued with a unique rawness and immediacy without precedent in the history of Western art. As if to further cloud their meaning, after the outbreak of plague that took his life, Titian’s studio was looted and many canvases were taken; what happened to them is not known.

But what did Titian, who had experienced as much in the way of material success and critical acclaim as any artist before or since, mean by these works? Titian: The Last Days is a quest through the great artist’s life and work toward the physical and spiritual landscape of his last paintings. Vividly re-creating the atmosphere of sixteenth-century Venice and Europe, Mark Hudson chronicles Titian’s relationships with his own mentors (Bellini and Giorgione), rivals, and patrons—among them popes, kings, and emperors— as well as his troubled dealings with his own family. Paralleling this narrative is Hudson’s personal journey through Titian’s life and career, exploring the relentless formal development that led to the breakthroughs of his last days, and the mystery behind his missing paintings.

Moving from Titian’s hometown in the Dolomites to the greatest churches and palaces of the age, to Venice then and now, Titian: The Last Days is an original and compelling study of one of Europe’s greatest artists. [close]

[close] Based upon a true tragedy that occurred in the village of Hornings Mills, Ontario, Canada, Shadow Song is set amid the economic ruin that occurred to so many émigrés and British pensioned officers of the 1830s. It is full of psychological and cultural contrasts of two cultures at odds with one another, and an intimate familiarity with the geography of the novel, from the immigrants'' miserable landing stage at Grosse Isle into the dark reaches of Lake Superior''s North Shore. [close]

[close] "Dear Elizabeth,
It’s early morning and I’m sitting here wondering where you are, hoping you’re all right."

A fight, ended by a slap, sends Elizabeth out the door of her Baton Rouge home on the eve of her fifteenth birthday. Her mother, Laura, is left to fret and worry—and remember. Wracked with guilt as she awaits Liz’s return, Laura begins a letter to her daughter, hoping to convey “everything I’ve always meant to tell you but never have.”

In her painfully candid confession, Laura shares memories of her own troubled adolescence in rural Louisiana, growing up in an intensely conservative household. She recounts her relationship with a boy she loved despite her parents’ disapproval, the fateful events that led to her being sent away to a strict Catholic boarding school, the personal tragedy brought upon her by the Vietnam War, and, finally, the meaning of the enigmatic tattoo below her right hip.

Absorbing and affirming, George Bishop’s magnificent debut brilliantly captures a sense of time and place with a distinct and inviting voice. Letter to My Daughter is a heartwrenching novel of mothers, daughters, and the lessons we all learn when we come of age. [close]

[close] Did you like THE LAKE OF DEAD LANGUAGES? Then you'll love ARCADIA FALLS....

Meg Rosenthal is driving toward the next chapter in her life. Winding along a wooded roadway, her car moves through a dense forest setting not unlike one in the bedtime stories Meg used to read to her daughter, Sally. But the girl riding beside Meg is a teenager now, and has exchanged the land of make-believe for an iPod and some personal space. Too much space, it seems, as the chasm between them has grown since the sudden, unexpected death of Meg’s husband.

Dire financial straits and a desire for a fresh start take Meg and Sally from a comfortable life on Long Island to a tucked-away hamlet in upstate New York: Arcadia Falls, where Meg has accepted a teaching position at a boarding school. The creaky, neglected cottage Meg and Sally are to call home feels like an ill portent of things to come, but Meg is determined to make the best of it—and to make a good impression on the school’s dean, the diminutive, elegant Ivy St. Clare.

St. Claire, however, is distracted by a shocking crisis: During Arcadia’s First Night bonfire, one of Meg’s folklore students, Isabel Cheney, plunges to her death in a campus gorge. Sheriff Callum Reade finds Isabel’s death suspicious, but then, he is a man with secrets and a dark past himself.

Meg is unnerved by Reade’s interest in the girl’s death, and as long-buried secrets emerge, she must face down her own demons and the danger threatening to envelop Sally. As the past clings tight to the present, the shadows, as if in a terrifying fairy tale, grow longer and deadlier.

In Arcadia Falls, award-winning author Carol Goodman deftly weaves a mesmerizing narrative of passion: for revenge, for art, for love.
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“Combining insights from cutting-edge scientific research with lessons learned as a top corporate lawyer and poker player, David Apostolico shows exactly how to hone your competitive instincts into a powerful force to achieve your goals in all areas of life, and to have fun along the way.”
—Aaron Brown, author of A World of Chance


Whether it’s conquering an eating competition, or moving up the corporate ladder, everyone competes. Healthy competition is good. However, our innate competitive drive hasn’t changed in thousands of years even though what it takes to succeed in today’s strategic world has changed dramatically. By harnessing your competitive instincts productively rather than letting them get the best of you, you can maximize your potential and succeed in everything you do. Drawing from his own experiences, David Apostolico, a self-described competition junkie, provides innovative advice designed to maximize your competitive drive in Compete, Play, Win: Finding Your Best Competitive Self.

Starting with the most basic of competitions—the sperm’s race to the egg—Apostolico identifies three competitive natures (the Belligerent, the Emulator, and the Striver) within each of us. He writes how to recognize and use each of these types to win. Looking into the biological and psychological nature of competition, the social and personal ramifications of a win-at-all-costs mentality, and the ethics of winning, Apostolico shows how best to use his advice in all aspects of your personal and professional life. Learn how to:

• Make better business decisions
• Place a winning bet on the racetrack
• Ace your next interview
• Win at your neighborhood poker game
• Successfully audition for a game show
• Compete as part of a team
• Recognize the signs that you have taken a competition too far

Full of practical advice and real-life anecdotes on how to use competition to make the most of your personal and professional lives, Compete, Play, Win is an original book that aims to nurture and channel your competitive drive for maximum effectiveness in the modern world.
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[close] When you analyze any disagreement what you find is that the topic is always the same. The issues that get a couple going are endless: from not picking up socks, to the frequency of sex. However, as the disagreement progresses, the topic invariably shifts to who’s right and who’s wrong. What is interesting about these “Right Fights” is that they are not about needing to be right, but come from the feeling of being wronged. Once wronged, we withdraw emotionally until the other person makes it right. This disconnect comes out as defensiveness, and shifts the conversation from what’s wrong (our pain) to who’s wrong (the person who hurt us). The solution is to address the feeling of hurt while being connected.

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[close] Historical Colour Names, Definitions, & Uses

This book will tell you about color in history – the names of colors, when they were used, how they were used, what they looked like, and where they came from. There are dye recipes, paint ingredients, poetic language and general commentary – all in the words of period writers.

You will learn about mourning colors, the effects of artificial light on color, advice on what colors to wear, the colors found in cosmetics and theatrical make-up, and the names of the colors of horses. You can read about symbolism in colors, heraldic colors, and complaints about the names of colors.

I have perused fashion magazines, books of dye recipes, art books, painter’s manuals, mineralogy guides, tomes on color theory, metaphysical texts, poetry and fiction, but especially period dictionaries and encyclopedias. Any resource that might give a hint on what a color looked like or how it may have been used was fair game, from Chaucer to Chemistry Journals.

Most of the entries were printed in English, American, Canadian and Australian publications from around 1380 to 1920. Because, French was the language of fashion, many of the English terms are French words. I have tried to explain those colors, too.
This dictionary endeavors to define color names in the words of the English speaking people who used those colors. It is especially aimed at women’s fashion, but artists will also find it useful.

If you are curious about color, you will want this book!
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[close] What would you do if a bolt from the blue changed your life forever? In this marvelous debut novel full of heart and soul, a single, carefree woman wakes up from an accident to discover she's suddenly a married mother of four. When Jessica Taylor is out walking her dog and is struck by lightning, she wakes up in the hospital as someone else--a married mother of four with a son who won't speak, and children who are in desperate need of love and attention they haven't been getting from their real parents. As Jessica tries to reconcile her new situation with her previous career-oriented single life and a new budding romance, she embraces a family that's struggling and ultimately helps them heal in a very
uplifting way. [close]

[close] Even Smoke Runs From the Fire...

Firefighting burns in Aidan O’Neill’s blood, but his innate gift for reading flames has made him overconfident and sometimes puts lives in danger. When one call goes horribly wrong and a rookie is hurt, Aidan ends up suspended and finds himself questioning everything.

It couldn’t have happened at a worse time.

An arsonist is targeting Reno, leaving a scorched path of destruction. The department calls Aidan back, but his return is troubled. The gift he relied on for so long has gone silent and it’s as though the fires are coming for him, hunting him down. Teaming with a beguiling fire investigator who may know more than she’s saying, Aidan must discover where his trust rests as the flames burn ever closer.
An Explosive Blend of Action, Romance, and Danger. [close]

[close] Wanted: Home for the last ARC of Leaving Gee's Bend! My debut historical midgrade novel comes out in January, and I am so excited to share Ludelphia's story with the world. The book was inspired by the amazing Quilts of Gee's Bend art exhibit at the Whitney museum and includes the 1932 raid on Gee's Bend and subsequent Red Cross rescue. Check it out! [close]

[close] Music-loving Quinn is looking forward to spending a fun summer before college in Austin, Texas, the live-music capital. She's got an internship at a record label and a place to crash at her cousin's condo. But when she gets to Austin, not all is she expected: her cousin is a complete sorority girl, her internship is only one day a week, and Russ, the world's most annoying cowboy/frat guy will not leave her alone. One thing's for sure: this will be a memorable summer! [close]

[close] Destiny Dove is the only survivor of a tragic car crash that killed her parents and baby brother. A teen uprooted from her home, she is forced to live with her eccentric grandmother whom Destiny has been taught her whole life to fear. She must start her life over living with an old woman who is not only a stranger to her, but just strange. All Destiny wants is to fit in with kids like her and begin to pull her life back together.

But Destiny soon discovers she is not like the other teens at all. She has developed the family gift of being able to see and talk to ghosts and her estranged grandmother will be the one person who can help her understand what the fates have dealt her…a haunted destiny. Being the town freak does not put Destiny high on the potential friends list, but Jake Turner sees something in her that the other teens from Blake High don’t. Destiny is actually able to put her unique talent to use and help Jake communicate with his recently deceased sister forming a bond between them that no one else can share or know about. In an extraordinary twist of events, Jake’s girlfriend Amy receives some furniture with some frightening ghostly spirits attached to it, and Jake turns to Destiny for help.

Now Destiny must struggle with a force she is unprepared to handle. When a party at Amy’s becomes a showdown between good and evil will Destiny have what it takes to save Amy and the others? Will the help of her grandmother, two resident ghosts and a surprise visitor be enough to rid the Morgan family of the evil possessing them and allow Destiny to finally gain the acceptance she so desperately wants? Or will the ancient evil destroy them all?

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[close] Seventeen-year-old Lennie Walker, bookworm and band geek, plays second clarinet and spends her time tucked safely and happily in the shadow of her fiery older sister, Bailey. But when Bailey dies abruptly, Lennie is catapulted to center stage of her own life—and, despite her nonexistent history with boys, suddenly finds herself struggling to balance two. Toby was Bailey’s boyfriend; his grief mirrors Lennie’s own. Joe is the new boy in town, a transplant from Paris whose nearly magical grin is matched only by his musical talent. For Lennie, they’re the sun and the moon; one boy takes her out of her sorrow, the other comforts her in it. But just like their celestial counterparts, they can’t collide without the whole wide world exploding.

This remarkable debut is perfect for fans of Sarah Dessen, Deb Caletti, and Francesca Lia Block. Just as much a celebration of love as it is a portrait of loss, Lennie’s struggle to sort her own melody out of the noise around her is always honest, often hilarious, and ultimately unforgettable. [close]

[close] Looking for a new beginning after a terrible mean girl past, Charlie Healey realizes there’s no escaping high school drama.

Charlie Healey thinks Harmony Falls is the beginning of a whole new life. Middle school was brutal. But high school is Charlie’s big chance to start over and stay out of drama, except that on her first day she runs into Will, her ex–best friend, who had moved away. Now a varsity athlete and hotter than Charlie remembered, Will hangs with the crowd running the school. But Charlie doesn’t understand their power until an innocent delivery guy falls victim to a near-deadly hazing prank.

Torn between doing what’s right and her secret feelings for Will, Charlie must decide whether to turn in her very best friend or live with the guilt of knowing what he did.

Rosalind Wiseman’s first novel for young adults is a fresh, funny, and juicy read about friendship, betrayal, and how far some will go to be accepted. [close]

[close] Kiki and Mish are best friends, but what Kiki doesn’t know is that Michelle Pena was born a gang princess. “Princess P” grew up destined to inherit leadership of the Snakes: a future filled with crime and fear.

Michelle, on the other hand, is a nationally ranked athlete and academic superstar. This is her new life, and she’s finally put her past—and her childhood love for Silver—to rest.

Then Silver helps kidnap both girls, and Michelle has to figure out how to free them both—and reconnect with a future that might now be beyond her reach. [close]

[close] Charlie Baker is a neurotic but charming 50-year-old workaholic CEO of a major Chicago ad agency who seems to have it all: an impressive house in an upscale suburb, an equally impressive salary, the requisite pretty wife and accomplished son. All of this comes crashing down when Charlie is unceremoniously fired. In an instant, his life is transformed from corporate titan to just another out of work American.

For Charlie—an admitted workaholic—a world without a job is a strange world indeed. Rather then tell his family, every morning Charlie leaves home to spend his days at an outplacement firm, where he meets a cast of equally desperate corporate misfits. As Charlie reluctantly embarks on a journey of self-discovery, he finds out what happens when his work life is lost and his real life begins.

Humorous, poignant, and honest, The Pursuit of Other Interests offers a glimpse into the lives, hearts, and minds of the 21st-century American family.
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[close] Best-selling Christian fiction writers have teamed together to contribute articles on the craft of writing. A Novel Idea contains tips on brainstorming ideas and crafting and marketing a novel. It explains what makes a Christian novel “Christian” and offers tips on how to approach tough topics. Contributors include Jerry B. Jenkins, Karen Kingsbury, Francine Rivers, and many other beloved authors. All proceeds will benefit MAI, an organization that teaches writing internationally to help provide literature that is culturally relevant. [close]

[close] After Hazen Wood kidnaps twelve-year-old Gemma Sullivan, the two embark upon a cross-country journey that tests the limits of Gemma's endurance. In scenes of physical and sexual violence, Hazen tries to destroy the young girl's will. When she does manage to escape he drags her back and threatens to have her arrested for the violent acts he performs. It is only Gemma's resilience and fertile imagination that protects her from the worst of the trauma she suffers. And, in the end, it is the healing power of unconditional love that gives Gemma the courage to speak out against her abuser at last and claim the life she deserves.

Praise for Gemma:
"Tilly achieves moments of raw beauty and genuine fierceness." --Booklist
"Successfully captures Gemma's wounded voice. The story is told from the point of view of both Gemma and her captor, and Tilly is equally proficient at conjuring up a revolting and consummate villian as she is his innocent victim." --Kirkus Reviews
"This is a shocking novel--shockingly convincing, shockingly authentic, shockingly well-written. the narrative moves between the viewpoints of a twelve-year-old girl and her middle-aged kidnapper, as Gemma is raped, beaten and humiliated repeatedly. Her story is driven by a tough, vernacular prose that cannot fail to touch the reader. Read this book and Gemma will touch you...You'll never forget her." --John Lawton
"Never had I read a book on this subject that so effectively captures both the psychology of the abusive relationship along with the social systems that work both to help and hinder the victim."--Susan Sarandon [close]

[close] A shocking and intriguing story of lovers destined to be together as he climbs his way to the top of the Rock N Roll Industry; they struggle to stay together and away from eachother.

Warning~Explicit language. [close]

[close] Can a woman ever really know herself if she doesn’t know her mother?

From the author of the smash-hit bestseller Firefly Lane and True Colors comes a powerful, heartbreaking novel that illuminates the intricate mother-daughter bond and explores the enduring links between the present and the past

Meredith and Nina Whitson are as different as sisters can be. One stayed at home to raise her children and manage the family apple orchard; the other followed a dream and traveled the world to become a famous photojournalist. But when their beloved father falls ill, Meredith and Nina find themselves together again, standing alongside their cold, disapproving mother, Anya, who even now, offers no comfort to her daughters. As children, the only connection between them was the Russian fairy tale Anya sometimes told the girls at night. On his deathbed, their father extracts a promise from the women in his life: the fairy tale will be told one last time—and all the way to the end. Thus begins an unexpected journey into the truth of Anya’s life in war-torn Leningrad, more than five decades ago. Alternating between the past and present, Meredith and Nina will finally hear the singular, harrowing story of their mother’s life, and what they learn is a secret so terrible and terrifying that it will shake the very foundation of their family and change who they believe they are. [close]

[close] " 'A Land Beyond Ravens' is one of the most historically realistic Arthurian novels ever written, a thoroughly mature work that belongs beside such classic Arthurian novels as Rosemary Sutcliffe’s 'Sword at Sunset' and Mary Stewart’s 'Merlin Trilogy.' -ReaderViews

No one in fifth century Britain knows more secrets than master spy Marcus ap Iorwerth, and that makes him a dangerous man. It also makes him a hunted one. For nearly three decades he has manipulated stubborn, irascible kings and warlords in a quest to not only unite them against foreign invasion but to stop them from destroying each other as well. And along with his beloved wife Claerwen, he has followed a greater, even more perilous pursuit to forge a clear path for the fulfillment of Merlin the Enchanter s famed prophecy that one day a great king will take command, the king known as Arthur of the Britons.

Now, with Arthur at last on the brink of adulthood and already showing great promise as a leader, Marcus discovers that the emerging Christian church is gaining enough power to dangerously shift control of Britain. At the same time Claerwen, gifted with second sight, is plagued with strange dreams that connect inexplicable doom to both Arthur and a long lost grail sacred to Britain s high kings. As foreboding mounts, Marcus struggles to prevent the church from crushing Arthur s chances of becoming an effective king. But how he goes about it sets up the very doom that Claerwen sees. Will she be able to stop him? Or will her visions send Marcus to his own doom as well? [close] [close]

[close] Magical heroes like Harry Potter, Spiderman, or Catwoman provide plenty of entertainment for kids, but in real life heroes are made of sterner stuff than celluloid fantasies. In this inspiring collection of biographies, 25 ordinary people from all walks of life overcome great obstacles in order to attain their extraordinary dreams. USA Book News Best Books Award Finalist.
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[close] Stand, a memior! One woman's journey to overcome generations of abuse and find happiness. Self love is often the journey we all avoid out of fear. Debbie walks you through hers with an honesty that is shocking but heart felt. She takes her readers with her through her childhood nightmares and her dark marriage and shows the way to freedom from a haunting past through forgiveness not only for her abusers but forgiveness for herself. [close]

[close] Rough but honest acount of the author's difficult youth and path to salvation. A year after getting out of the Navy I sought out the religion of my youth and within a few months had a powerful salvation experience. The writting is unpolished and prose is choppy, but it lends credence to sincerity and genuineness. My personal restoration is a source of hope. [close]

[close] An anthology of some of the best new poets in Chicago. Edited by poets Raymond Bianchi and William Allegrezza. [close]

[close] Win an Advance Reader's Copy of THE NAUGHTY LIST!

As if being a purrfect cheerleader isn’t enough responsibility! Tessa Crimson’s the sweet and spunky leader of the SOS (Society of Smitten Kittens), a cheer squad–turned–spy society dedicated to bringing dastardly boyfriends to justice, one cheater at a time. Boyfriend-busting wouldn’t be so bad . . . except that so far, every suspect on the Naughty List has been proven 100% guilty!

When Tessa’s own boyfriend shows up on the List, she turns her sleuthing skills on him. Is Aiden just as naughty as all the rest, or will Tessa’s sneaky ways end in catastrophe?

The Naughty List. Is your boyfriend on it?

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[close] One seemingly ordinary day, Elise Crawford’s life would change forever. Through almost unbearable tragedy and loss, one thing that kept her going was a promise…

A Promise Kept tells the heart wrenching true story of how the author comes to terms with a horrifying tragedy. Through obstacles and betrayals—stripped of everything she’d worked so hard for, exiled into a cold pre Christmas night with two small children—she ultimately discovers the power of faith.

In this memoir, Elise Crawford reconstructs the painful reality of her own life in the wake of the senseless murder of her beloved—a Seattle Metro Transit driver—tragically shot and killed in the line of duty on the Aurora Bridge the day after Thanksgiving 1998.

With a series of chronological photographs—alive with supernatural testimonies that guide her writing process—Elise shares her story in vivid detail, recalling ten years of their life together prior to the tragedy, and journals her spiraling descent into the abyss of grief. Elise tells how—with courage, fortitude, and faith and holding fast to her beloved’s memory and his promise that she and the children would always be loved and cared for—she eventually finds her way home to be with her loved ones once again.

In A Promise Kept, the author reaches out to other survivors of tragic loss in hopes that, by reliving her experiences, they will relive their own yet come away with the strength and courage needed to face, to accept, and to begin their own grief journey regardless of the nature of their loss. Most importantly, A Promise Kept is about learning to live again with acceptance.

A Promise Kept promises to be the most memorable love story you've ever read.
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[close] It’s good twin versus bad in this Christian drama filled with romantic rivalry and sister strife. Phylicia and Phoebe are both in love with Reverend Gary Morgan, the pastor of Freedom Inspiration, but he only has eyes for his high school sweetheart, Phylicia. That doesn’t stop Phoebe from scheming to get him, however. The girls are saved and saving themselves for marriage, but Phoebe decides to pose as her sister one day and seduces the poor pastor—who’s enraged when he learns he’s been duped. Phylicia and Gary are able to get past it and build a life together, while shamed Phoebe leaves town. But that’s not the last they’ll all hear of the betrayal that altered the course of everyone’s destiny, including that of their children… [close]

[close] Do you want your prayers to be heard and answered by God? Do you want to be sure your prayer time isn't wasted going through a wishful, whimsical exercise with the hope that something might happen? Do you really want to learn what happens when you pray? Do you want to know the process that takes place during prayer? If you often ask yourself these questions about prayer in your life, then Prayers That Open Heaven will unlock the secrets of prayer in your life. Apostle Jamie T. Pleasant debuts with his first book that will teach you how to develop a more powerful and effective prayer life. This book is designed for personal and small group Bible study. Each week, you'll see your prayer time with God and your overall perspective on prayer transform. Chapter exercises and key points will help you make the most of your study time as you delve into the eight truths of prayer that open heaven. Finally, get ready to see heaven open up in your life
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[close] "Brilliant/Highbrow" - New York Magazine

Bench Pick - The New Yorker, The Book Bench

"One of the funniest and wittiest books I've read in years, and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves literature" - Curled Up With a Good Book

When humorist Sarah Schmelling transformed Hamlet into a Facebook news feed on McSweeney's, it launched the next big humor trend: Facebook lit. In this world, the king "pokes" the queen, Hamlet becomes a fan of daggers, and Ophelia renounces her interest in moody princes. Now, what began as an internet phenomenon is a book. OPHELIA JOINED THE GROUP MAIDENS WHO DON'T FLOAT: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook (Plume) is a clever spoof of the most-trafficked social networking website and a playful game of literary who's who. The book brings more than fifty authors and stories from classic literature back to life and online, and it is sure to have book lovers and Facebook addicts alike twittering with joy.

From The Odyssey to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Pride and Prejudice to Lolita, Schmelling brings the conventions of social networking—profile pages, status updates, news feeds, games and quizzes—to some of literature's most well-known works, authors and characters. What would Edgar Allan Poe, Jane Austen or James Joyce post on their "walls"? What would Gulliver, Miss Havisham or Captain Ahab say in a status update?

Following everyone from Frankenstein's Monster to King Lear's Fool, Charles Dickens to Virginia Woolf, OPHELIA JOINED THE GROUP MAIDENS WHO DON'T FLOAT is a loving spoof of our literary favorites, and a hilarious collection for a twenty-first century generation of readers. Long live the Classics: 2.0!

For more information, see www.maidenswhodontfloat.com or the Facebook fan page, www.facebook.com/maidenswhodontfloat


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[close] Ruth is thirty two years old and doesn't know if she wants to be thirty three. We read her daily diary as she struggles to make sense of her past and grapples with the pain of the present. Can Red, the eccentric Russian artist Ruth commissions to paint her portrait, find a way to warm her frozen heart? Find out more here. [close]

[close] A fantasy-adventure-in-rhyme! Our main character, Oberon, is a fifteen-year-old orphan. He wants to avoid being drafted into King Ajax's army. After he escapes from recruiters, he is immersed in a world of war, politics, and magic. Dwarves, elves, werewolves, magic, love and combat, this story-poem has it all. It is done in a new "combination poetry" style that has good old quatrains blended with haiku, cinquains, senryu and more. Here is a small taste of what a treat awaits you if you read the entire book: "...From inside the mountain, a giant bloodhound runs out. He has a sword cut, an arrow wound, and blisters from the fire. He licks the Dwarf King's hand and at Oberon he growls. Dwarf King looks up at Oberon, "He smells the werewolf in you, son. Wanna tell us about it?"
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[close] Bryan Walpert’s collection of short stories, Ephraim’s Eyes, focuses on the way individuals cope with personal tragedy. The characters weave stories around themselves as they circle the central event, trying to face grief, yet at the same time reluctant to face up to their own responsibilities and their own lack of control over the events. Bryan’s stories range through philosophy, superheroes, mycology, astronomy and religion and transport the reader between New Zealand and America. [close]

[close] Hilary Spiers, in The Hour Glass, writes principally about relationships between generations, neighbours, and past lovers. A young girl fears for her parents who are about to split up, a teacher is inspired for his retirement by his pupils, an Hungarian émigré looks back over his life with his British-born daughter. The stories are beautifully written, the scenes and characters succinctly drawn. Hilary is also a playwright and some of her stories have been broadcast previously. [close]

[close] Signed copies.

When Eunhae is 9 years old, she says a tearful farewell to her father, an ex-Korean Navy captain, as he leaves for America. He promises to come back for her and her mother in three years, but fear grips her as time passes and it becomes difficult to remember his face.

Two years later, she and her mother receive visas to immigrate to America. Eunhae’s heart pounds with the great expectation of seeing her father as she lands at San Francisco, but Auntie Soona instead greets her and her mother, and they discover that he is in a coma after an accident on the job. At the hospital, Eunhae and her mother meet Sunwoo, who was her father’s roommate. There is puzzling hostility from Uncle Chul toward Sunwoo, but Eunhae finds him a kindred spirit as she spies him crying over her father.

Waiting for Appa traces the pain and confusion of Eunhae, who continues to clutch to her dead father's memory like the ashes she refuses to toss into the sea during his memorial. When she catches Sunwoo and her mother in an embrace she withdraws from everyone who seeks to love her, and as she grows to womanhood, her confusion over her feelings and the actions of her relatives deepens. On a return trip home to Korea, she discovers that she herself holds a secret, and finding the answer to it will eventually unlock her heart.
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[close] A delightful fantasy-adventure-in-rhyme about a girl named Isabel who loves coffee, punky stuff, her pet iguana, and hates going to ballet class. There are fairies to lend a helping hand and a dark sorcerer Rashkai to battle. Will she complete the Fairy Book in time for... In this book good old quatrains are blended with haiku, cinquains, senryu and a few other styles. You and your child can have lots of fun identifying different styles of poetry through out the story or just relax and let the story take you on an exciting adventure. Here is just a taste of what great lines you can find in a book: "...They both dive for the bag. After an extra large cappuccino, Isabel has an unfair advantage. There are some things in our world that rival fairy dust."
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[close] It started with a lecture. In a small Maine town, college professor and Army National Guard officer Sean May delivered his impassioned remarks to a group that included Martin Lochridge, a patriot and retired billionaire, who was searching in earnest for a way to leave a lasting legacy, to make a measurable and far-reaching impact with his fortune.

Fast-forward ten years. Major May, while serving his third active-duty tour in the Iraq war, is injured in an insurgent rocket attack in Baghdad, and evacuated to Walter Reed Hospital in Washington. Frustrated by his inadequate treatment and angered by the poor conditions he observes, he walks away. Out on the cold, unforgiving streets of the capital city, with little money and still suffering the effects of a head injury that has robbed him of most of his memory, May carries with him a device, which, unbeknownst to him, holds damning evidence of a crime ring involving ruthless government contractors and persons occupying the highest offices in the nation. When Virginia Burress reluctantly offers to help the hungry and homeless vet, she becomes entangled in May's plight, as together they become prey in a desperate hunt by persons who will stop at nothing to protect their power, prestige and wealth.

But Martin Lochridge and his secret guild have other plans for May - plans that could forever change the United States of America, perhaps alter the destiny of the entire world. First, though, he must extricate May and his unwitting companion from their perilous quagmire. [close]

[close] This is a trade paperback copy of VINCE, meaning it is 6" x 9". It will be signed by the author before mailed to the winner.

Loser. Outcast. Freak. At seventeen, the names no longer hurt Vince Sanford. He's different from other students at his school and always has been -- the pep rallies, school dances, name-brand clothes and football games and fifth quarter parties, none of that interested him. Not anymore.

There was a time when he did fit in, when his best friend had been Eric Somers, the most popular boy in school. They lived around the block from each other and were inseparable. It was never a question of was Eric eating over or was Vince staying the night -- they were one soul in two bodies, sharing two homes, two lives.

But something happened between them the summer before high school that tore their friendship apart, leaving Vince with an anger, a hatred, that he can't control. Now Eric wants back in his life again but Vince is afraid to give him a second chance. [close]

[close] Be one of the first to read an advance copy of S.J. Parris' new historical thriller HERESY--in stores in February. Masterfully blending true events with fiction, this blockbuster historical thriller delivers a page-turning murder mystery set on the sixteenth-century Oxford University campus.

Giordano Bruno was a monk, poet, scientist, and magician on the run from the Roman Inquisition on charges of heresy for his belief that the Earth orbits the sun and that the universe is infinite. This alone could have got him burned at the stake, but he was also a student of occult philosophies and magic.

In S. J. Parris's gripping novel, Bruno's pursuit of this rare knowledge brings him to London, where he is unexpectedly recruited by Queen Elizabeth I and is sent undercover to Oxford University on the pretext of a royal visitation. Officially Bruno is to take part in a debate on the Copernican theory of the universe; unofficially, he is to find out whatever he can about a Catholic plot to overthrow the queen.

His mission is dramatically thrown off course by a series of grisly murders and a spirited and beautiful young woman. As Bruno begins to discover a pattern in these killings, he realizes that no one at Oxford is who he seems to be. Bruno must attempt to outwit a killer who appears obsessed with the boundary between truth and heresy.

“HERESY is a must-read for every fan of historical thrillers. S. J. Parris transports the reader back to an extraordinary time in history by mobilizing fascinating details, suspense, and fully-drawn characters. Giordano Bruno turns out to be that rare hero, charismatic and nuanced enough to impel an encore, and to leave us asking for more from the gifted Parris.”
—Matthew Pearl, New York Times bestselling author of The Dante Club and The Poe Shadow
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[close] Beyond the Stars: Kataria
In the not-so-distant future, Samantha Gerris is a physicist working for the Space Island Group (SIG), a cutting edge company that is making the commercial development of Space tourism a reality. Although she is passionate about her work, she never shared her colleagues’ dreams of traveling into Space. But after a series of unexpected events, Samantha decides to move to the luxurious space resort to aid in its completion. It is there she uncovers a secret alliance between SIG and an alien race. When she becomes an unwitting passenger on the aliens’ starship, Samantha embarks on an extraordinary voyage across the galaxy. Along the way, she discovers new lands, faces danger, forms new friendships and above all, falls in love with the man of her dreams. The adventure gives her a new appreciation for her own perseverance as well as the discovery of the universal language of humanity that exist far beyond the confines of Earth.

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[close] If you love dogs, a good laugh and some twists and turns, you're going to love The Adventures of the Poodle Posse. Grab your beach ball and your shovel and come join Woody, Archie, Daisy and Mrs. Flout--as the adventures continue in the garden, at the shore and with a whole new host of furry friends in book 2 of the series: The Princess & the Frenchmen/No Dogs Allowed!(two tales/book) Suggested for readers, grades 2-4, as a read-aloud for younger children and for dog lovers of all ages. [close]

[close] We are our own worst enemy...

From the moment sixteen-year-old Madison Grant is abducted, an unthinkable terrorist plot is set in motion—pitting Special Agent Kelly Jones against her most powerful adversary yet. The kidnapper's ransom demands aren't monetary...they come at a cost that no American can afford to pay.

As Kelly's fiancé, Jake Riley, races to find Madison, Kelly is assigned to another disturbing case: the murder and dismemberment of a senator. At first the two cases don't appear to be related. But as Kelly navigates her way through the darkest communities of America—from skinheads to biker gangs to border militias—she discovers a horrible truth. A shadowy figure who calls himself The Gatekeeper is uniting hate groups, opening the door to the worst homegrown attack in American history.

Go to www.michellegagnon.com for a chance to win a Macbook laptop computer. [close]

[close] When Michael Knapp brings his lover home to meet his parents, he doesn't expect things to go smoothly. His mother's been trying to marry him off for years, and sometimes he isn't even sure his father knows he exists. He has always felt like the shadow son, competing with his terminally stupid older brother and smart-mouthed little sister for his parents' attention. Coming out to them over dinner seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally get noticed. But an unexpected phone call interrupts his announcement - Aunt Evie, the family matriarch, is dead. With Dan in tow, Michael follows his family to Sugar Creek, where he spent his summers growing up, to prepare for the funeral. [close]

[close] The accolades keep pouring in for Charles Todd and his New York Times Notable, Edgar® Award-nominated series featuring British police inspector and shell-shocked World War I veteran Ian Rutledge. In The Red Door, a disturbing puzzle surrounding a lie, a disappearance, and a woman’s death ensnares the haunted investigator. Richly atmospheric and unputdownable, The Red Door proves once more that New York Times bestseller Charles Todd belongs in the august company of Ruth Rendell, Anne Perry, Martha Grimes, Ian Ransom, Peter Robinson, P.D. James, and the other contemporary masters of British mystery. [close]

[close] Walk-in closet full of designer everything? Check. Private Caribbean island? Check. Connection to the aristocracy? Working on it. Cunning, malicious stalker? Double check.

Welcome to the world of the Kents, a charismatic, ambitious, and fabulously wealthy English family with two sisters – Emily is as strong and sparkling as Claudia is delicate and wounded – who must somehow put their differences aside to keep an unknown enemy from bringing them down.


Click on the link below to read the first chapter!
http://us.macmillan.com/richagain

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[close] Meritage Press is delighted to announce the release of FRAGILE REPLACEMENTS, William Allegrezza's long-awaited poetry collection. FRAGILE REPLACEMENTS explores the way we live through language, experiencing births, deaths, and rebirths through it, but the book also examines how our language is filled, controlled, and crafted by our societies. Two long poems surround and provide context for reading shorter lyrics in the middle section. [close]

[close] This stunning literary debut paints a vivid portrait of growing up, discovering love, and awakening to the reality of life in a nation on the verge of revolution in the 1970s. Rooftops of Tehran opens in a middle-class neighborhood in Iran’s sprawling capital city. The rooftop of the narrator’s house – the tallest in their alley − is the perfect spot for sleeping on hot summer nights. It’s also the perfect location for stargazing, sneaking cigarettes, talking about American movies, and confiding, analyzing and agonizing through the typical trials of being a seventeen year-old boy, including being in love. This is the spot from which the narrator quietly watches his secret love, his beautiful next door neighbor Zari, promised since birth to his friend and mentor, nicknamed Doctor, a man adored and respected by the whole neighborhood. It is from this high perch that the narrator witnesses the SAVAK's brutal hunt and arrest of Doctor and realizes the oppressiveness of the regime under which he resides. And the rooftop is where the narrator and Zari ultimately find quiet refuge in each other after the shock of Doctor’s senseless fate ripples through their close-knit community and brings about terrible, unexpected repercussions.

With the candor only an Iranian can offer, Seraji's narrative bares the enduring struggle between beauty and brutality infused into the centuries-old Persian culture while reaffirming the human experiences we all share: contentment, terror, love, helplessness, ferocity, and hope. [close]

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Fire at Midnight recently received a 2009 USA Book News Best Books Winner award in the Fiction and Literature Romance category.

Story description:
It is 1703, and Rachael Penrose is confined to Bedlam Insane Asylum in London after discovering her uncle Victor plans to kill her brother in order to inherit the family fortune. Victor leads a gang of criminals and uses French privateer/smuggler Sébastien Falconer as the scapegoat for his crimes. When Victor spreads the lie that Rachael informed the authorities of Falconer's smuggling activities, Falconer vows revenge on the girl.

A dangerously ill Rachael finally escapes from Bedlam, only to find shelter in Sébastien's carriage, and ends up in his care. It is a twist of fate that will alter both their lives forever.

Believing she is in danger from Sébastien, Rachael meets up with his estranged twin brother, Jacques, a customs officer intent on bringing his brother, the famous privateer, to justice. But the real criminal is still at large, and she and her brother are still in danger. Will she discover the truth and save both their lives . . . and her heart?

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[close] Crocheted Gestures is a collection of short stories that has been described as genuine, insightful, and heartwarming. Crocheted Gestures is a lovely book full of memorable characters. Aldersmith weaves them into each story in such a way that you can't wait to see what the finished creation will be. This is a good gift for you or a friend that might need something uplifting to read. [close]

[close] Discover the unheard story of Christmas and why it matters

Christmas is a time for peace on earth, a time for favorite carols, family dinners, and familiar traditions. It’s about a beautiful story of a lovely babe in the manger. Or is it?

A Not-So-Silent Night uncovers the dark side of Christmas, a side that exposes pain, humiliation, fear, and danger. Though we usually choose to ignore them, these elements—in their cultural and historical context—reveal the true meaning of Christmas where the shadow of the cross is inseparable from the manger. Author Verlyn D. Verbrugge maintains that until we see the dark side of Christmas, until we shed tears with Mary and Joseph, until we experience the fear that war is on the horizon, we will never truly understand the awesomeness of what happened in that little town of Bethlehem.

Timely and provocative, A Not-So-Silent Night steers us past holiday commercialization and drives us to the real reason for the season.
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[close] The Christmas Mink and Other December Tales from the North Woods brings the spirit of the season alive. In this whimsical collection of Christmas stories and poems from the snowy north woods of New England, see the season in a new light and find the holiday spirit in unlikely places – in Siberia, from the tail of the Christmas Comet, or even your own tree.

In the title tale, THE CHRISTMAS MINK, young Will, worried about finding a gift for his generous mother, receives a miraculous gift courtesy of a talking mink. In COAL hapless elves Jeremiah Blizzard and Artie Sleet must travel to Siberia to gather Santa’s supply of coal for his list of VBK’s (very bad kids). Follow noble TOBIAS the donkey on a journey of undeniable importance.

Join curmudgeonly old woodsmen, living ornaments, a congress of talking animals, a horde of helpful mice and one grandiose moose in these rousing December tales certain to please both cynic and celebrant alike.
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[close] Megan Berry—Zombie Settler extraordinaire—just wants Pom Squad to trounce Cheer Team in this freakishly funny follow-up to You Are So Undead to Me. But someone’s turning coma victims into settler-resistant über-zombies—and everyone thinks it’s Megan’s fault! Well, except for super-creepy male cheerleader Aaron. (Ew!)

Meg’s also being stalked by a hot—albeit undead— seer named Cliff. Can Cliff’s premonitions help Megan stop a zombies-on-ice deathscapade and discover who’s really behind the coma-killer crusade before an entire army of undead rise up? And when Megan’s boyfriend Ethan grows jealous of Cliff, will it end their intra-settler romance? [close]

[close] THE GREATEST PASSION
Lady Isobel Hume is an expert swordswoman who knows how to choose her battles. When the king asks her to wed a French nobleman to form a political alliance, she agrees. But that's before the devilishly charming Sir Stephen Carleton captures her heart-and tempts her to betray her betrothed, her king, and her country.

IS WORTH THE GREATEST PERIL
Sir Stephen Carleton enjoys his many female admirers-until he dedicates himself to winning the lovely Isobel. So when a threat against the king leads Isobel into mortal danger, Stephen has a chance to prove that he is more than a knight of pleasure...and that love can conquer all.
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[close] NOTHING IS MORE INTOXICATING-
Reynaud St. Aubyn has spent the last seven years in hellish captivity. Now half mad with fever he bursts into his ancestral home and demands his due. Can this wild-looking man truly be the last earl's heir, thought murdered by Indians years ago?

OR DANGEROUS-
Beatrice Corning, the niece of the present earl, is a proper English miss. But she has a secret: No real man has ever excited her more than the handsome youth in the portrait in her uncle's home. Suddenly, that very man is here, in the flesh-and luring her into his bed.

THAN SURRENDERING TO A DEVIL.
Only Beatrice can see past Reynaud's savagery to the noble man inside. For his part, Reynaud is drawn to this lovely lady, even as he is suspicious of her loyalty to her uncle. But can Beatrice's love tame a man who will stop at nothing to regain his title-even if it means sacrificing her innocence?
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[close] Caterina Shaw's days are numbered. Her only chance for survival is a highly experimental gene treatment-a risk she willingly takes. But now Caterina barely recognizes herself. She has new, terrifying powers, an exotic, arresting body-and she's been accused of a savage murder, sending her on the run.

Mick Carrera is a mercenary and an expert at capturing elusive, clever prey. Yet the woman he's hunting down is far from the vicious killer he's been told to expect: Caterina is wounded, vulnerable, and a startling mystery of medical science. Even more, she's a beautiful woman whose innocent sensuality tempts Mick to show her exactly how thrilling pleasure can be. The heat that builds between them is irresistible, but surrendering to it could kill them both . . . for a dangerous group is plotting its next move using Caterina as its deadly pawn. [close]

[close] Sometimes love finds you when you least expect it.

Lana Biel has always wanted to shake the dust of Vermont off her feet and see the world, one exotic country after another. But when a lighthearted spring fling changes her life forever, she turns to the one man whose strong shoulders can lighten any burden: her best friend, Eli Ward.
Eli has always been there for Lana--after all, that's what best friends do. But Lana isn't the only one hiding something. Eli is keeping secrets of his own that threaten their relationship. Yet as summer turns to fall, new desires awaken between them, even as old fears tear them apart. Then, when another Vermont winter fills the valleys with snow, Eli and Lana are given the chance for an adventure greater than they ever dreamed possible...and a love that will last for all time. [close]

[close] Ages 9 and up. "Dr. Barrow has found a recipe that mixes humor, action, respect and understanding in just the right proportions. Fanciful enough to hold a child's attention, and wise enough to help children grow up without sermonizing and without belittling their actual problems, these are the kinds of books that parents and teachers, as well as kids, have been seeking.
Dr. Barrow has made her reputation as an expert in improving relationships, whether the arena is couples intimacy or the workplace. Now she adds to her audience with a major venture into children's literature. Her Malia and Teacup series recently launched its first title: "Awesome African Adventure." It's a rollicking read for kids 9 years old and up, as well as their parents and grandparents.


In Kenya, Malia finds herself a secondclass citizen. Remote and demanding, her father insists on highly disciplined behavior, and Malia almost always fails to meet his expectations. Her stepmother is self absorbed as well as preoccupied with her pregnancy. Her stepbrother schemes to get Malia in trouble.

Although her father's lifestyle indicates an abundance of wealth, allegedly from his success in the petroleum industry, Malia feels more at home with the loving and playful family of one of her father's African employees.

Soon after arriving in Africa, she becomes responsible for an undersized poodle, a gift rejected by her stepbrother. The delightful Teacup provides Malia with emotional salvation during an arduous transition.

Malia's adventures in Africa include partaking in a tribal ceremony, surviving an elephant stampede, rescuing Teacup from a monkey, witnessing a terrorist bombing in Nairobi and confronting a vicious government inspector who calls her father an assassin.

As Malia's dangerous adventures and family conflicts pile up, she strives to overcome her fears and stand up for herself. More and more, she demonstrates not only determination, but also the ability to solve problems, to be patient when necessary and to realize that while appearances are often deceiving, it is sometimes for a good reason.

Young readers will identify with Malia's outsider sensibility, with her frustrations and — one hopes — with her growing resourcefulness and enhanced decisionmaking skills.

While engaging her audience in high adventures in exotic settings, Dr. Barrow imparts important life lessons and advances knowledge about and tolerance for other cultures."

Philip K. Jason Florida Weekly Magazine [close]

[close] Mainstream humor with a dash of mystery... A throwback to Hollywood's film noir reporters, Jock Stewart is out of touch with the looming world of digital journalism. While he goes out of his way to mock those in authority by pretending to kowtow to them, he admits he does his best work by being an a**hole. A mix of Don Rickles and Don Quixote, Stewart is the man for the job when the skirts are up and the chips are down... Hard-boiled reporter Jock Stewart wakes up on the morning after the Star-Gazer office party with a hangover and an old flame in his bed and he cuddles up with the mayor's wife in the back seat of a 1953 Desoto. Between these defining moments, he investigates the theft of the mayor's race horse Sea of Fire and the murder of his publisher's girl friend, Bambi Hill. Stewart discovers the truth for his news stories via an interview style based on lies, pretense and audacious behavior. [close]

[close] An Unexpected Match
A widow with three boys to raise, Mary Graves has no time for peddlers of phony medicine. She’s a dedicated healer working alongside her doctor father. When a handsome stranger blows into town with his “elixir of health” and asks questions about her newly adopted son, Mary’s determined to uncover the truth behind all his claims.

Once the reckless heir to a Boston fortune, Dr. Luke Jacobs travels the country with his herbal medicine while searching for his long-lost son. After meeting the feisty doctor’s daughter and her youngest boy, Luke has found what he’s been looking for at last. But can he convince her to let him into her home, her family—and her heart?
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[close] With its unprecedented gathering of 25 brief essays by experts in the field, The Rose Metal Press Field Guide to Writing Flash Fiction meets the growing need for a concise yet creative exploration of the re-emerging genre popularly known as flash fiction. The book's introduction provides, for the first time, a comprehensive history of the short short story, from its early roots and hitherto unknown early publications and appearances, to its current state. This guide is a must for anyone in the field of short fiction who teaches, writes, and is interested in its genesis and practice.
Featuring essays by: Steve Almond, Rusty Barnes, Randall Brown, Mark Budman, Stace Budzko, Robert Olen Butler, Ron Carlson, Pamelyn Casto, Kim Chinquee, Stuart Dybek, Pia Z. Ehrhardt, Sherrie Flick, Vanessa Gebbie, Tom Hazuka, Nathan Leslie, Michael Martone, Julio Ortega, Pamela Painter, Jayne Anne Phillips, Jennifer Pieroni, Shouhua Qi, Bruce Holland Rogers, Robert Shapard, Deb Olin Unferth, Lex Williford. Starred review in Publishers Weekly.

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[close] After years of struggling and searching for an understanding of her life, K.M. Johnson found herself stumbling upon a spiritual journey, which reveals the true meaning of having faith in GOD. Knowing The Struggle Is Over takes you through a 3-step process in restoring your faith. This spiritual journey proves that having faith in GOD is the only tool needed to overcome any struggle. This book discusses how different circumstances in life may lead to doubt, unbelief, and fear. [close]

[close] Chester “Chet” Patterson, the protagonist-narrator of Kermit Moyer’s novel, is an Army brat who grows up in the 1950s and comes of age in the 1960s. He has a high-strung knock-out of a mother who may be drinking her way into alcoholism, an Army-officer father he both resents and admires, and a younger sister whose high-school popularity he can only envy. Moving every two or three years, Chester is a perennial “new kid” as well as a bookish and movie-besotted romantic who at the age of 13 falls in love, he thinks, with his own first cousin, Frenchie, a 17-year-old “older woman.” Each chapter is a discrete story that chronicles a pivotal moment in Chester’s life, taking him a little deeper into himself as well as a little farther into the century, in settings that vary from the Far East to the Wild West and during a time that includes the birth of rock & roll, the Civil Rights movement, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. [close]

[close] Pamela has been running, running from a teenage marriage, a dead-end job, and memories of a difficult childhood. In a cottage on her grandmother’s property in San Gabriel, California she settles down and enrolls in the local beauty school. Through a fellow student, she meets an intriguing charismatic man. Caught up in a whirlwind romance she travels to Mexico with him and then discovers he’s a man with a secret. In his world, she finds herself running again, this time running drugs.

Tales of the Titmouse is written to anyone whose life has been touched by the heartache of addiction. For addicts who are lost and hopeless. For their loved ones who feel like God doesn’t hear their prayers. It is a memoir, a look into the dangerous world of drug smuggling through the eyes of a 23 year old woman. The story of a young woman looking for love, looking for purpose, and trying to fill the emptiness she feels inside with all the wrong things. Pamela’s journey through the darkness of the drug world is a testament to the power of a mother’s prayer and the faithfulness of God.

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[close] This enchanting tale plumbs the depths of life’s unexpected changes – love and heartache, unlikely friendships and surprising rivals, and that special bond between mothers and daughters – with equal doses of giggle-inducing wit and gut-wrenching poignancy. Every woman, no matter her age or life experience, can relate to Alice Hirsh’s story. This book is a great reminder that although life it not a fairy tale, in good time we all find a small piece of our own ‘happily ever after.’ [close]

[close] Three Grinzleville Grullings discover secrets of their hidden, isolated heritage. When they befriend a Muen named Toren, a bird-headed creature from Borth, they find an adventure like none they could have ever imagined. An adventure filled with Magic, Swords, Kings and DANGER!

The Grulling's Adventure is our exciting introduction to Peltilista, Jipilostian and Saymonbolit, three young Elf-like Grinzles who discover the world is much bigger than what they've known in Grinzleville. They discover magic, unknown lands, frightening mountains and terrifying forests. There are creatures who want to hurt and creatures who help, and throughout their adventure they are forced to grow and mature. The simple lives these grullings once enjoyed will never be the same.

Grinzleville - It's not just a story - It's an EVENT!

The Giveaway is for signed copies personalized to the winners! Good Luck!! [close]

[close] In this volume, Jerry Fagnani turns to poetry, and with "A Kinder Bright," he has selected poems reflecting the great love that has influenced his life. All of this is most evident in The Elaine Collection. The Lackawanna Collection is a masterful work about the valley and county he embraces. This collection speaks to its rich texture and defines a perspective, often unseen by many, which shows how its seams of beauty infuse our very spirit. Finally, the whole work reveals to us an image of fierce loyalty and passion. Jerry has an unlimited commitment to his family with a love that is admirable.

Jerry Fagnani has lived his entire life in Jessup, Pennsylvania in Lackawanna County. He has been involved in creative writing for over forty five years. This is his first volume of poetry. His wife, Elaine, died in nineteen ninety one. He has a daughter, Kimberly, and her husband, Gary, and two grandchildren, Ryan and Garret. [close]

[close] Small, unfinished, more like a blueprint for a world than the real thing, Razalia props up one end of the Arc of the Fifteen Planets. In some places, its landscape looks like the efforts of a water-colourist suddenly called away from his easel. The Razalians live with the gaps — those spaces of unfathomable white — in many of their ridges, valleys, forests. And then the white begins to move…

This is the first book from Theaker's Paperback Library. [close]

[close] “This book is wonderful. It took me right in, dropped me into a strange new world, and kept me captivated from first to last page. James Thompson has done a masterful job with Snow Angels!”
—Michael Connelly (New York Times-bestselling author of THE SCARECROW)

SNOW ANGELS is a chilling and resonant debut from author James Thompson.

Be among the first to discover the first thriller in a new series featuring Inspector Kari Vaara, the haunted, hardened detective who must delve into Finland's dark, violent underbelly.
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[close] Be one of the first to read the stunning debut novel by Irishman Trevor Byrne, GHOSTS AND LIGHTNING. It has been praised by Roddy Doyle as "often funny, sometimes very frightening, always very human. I loved it."

Set in contemporary Dublin and the surrounding countryside, GHOSTS AND LIGHTNING is a picaresque account of Denny Cullen's life after he is called back home to attend his mother's funeral. Denny—a sweet-natured but disillusioned young man who feels powerless in the face of death, dope and the dole queue—is the steadiest in a cast of unstable characters. Denny and his lads fill their empty days with hooliganism, raucous parties, violence and even an exorcism, but their fearlessness and humor make them as irresistible as an expertly pulled pint of Guinness.

GHOSTS AND LIGHTNING is an outstanding debut novel set in Dublin from a young Irish novelist that echoes the poignant, comical and gritty voices of Roddy Doyle, Patrick McCabe, and Irvine Welsh. [close]

[close] Gert Dooley can shoot the tail feathers off a jay at a hundred yards, but she wants Ethan Chapman to see she’s more than a crack shot with a firearm. When the sheriff of Fergus, Idaho, is murdered and Ethan is named his replacement, Gert decides she has to do whatever she can to help him protect the citizenry. So she starts the Ladies’ Shooting Club. But when one of their numbers is murdered, these ladies are called on for more than target practice and praying. Can Gert and the ladies of Fergus find the murderer before he strikes again?
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[close] For Sabre Orin Brown, life is good; she has it all...or would have, if only she could solve the mysterious disappearance of her brother. The search for her brother and her career as a Juvenile Court attorney collide when she defends a nine-year-old whose father will go to any length to obtain custody.

Sabre suddenly finds herself immersed in a case with too many unanswered questions. Her quest for the truth takes her coast to coast and five years into the past. Confronted with mysterious clues and strange occurrences, Sabre is threatened by someone wanting to make her suffer the unbearable anguish of losing everything--including her life.

As Sabre's passion to find the answers intensifies, she discovers a twisted history of desperation, deceit, and revenge. And she discovers how obscure and treacherous the truth can be. [close]

[close] Taylor Green is a corn-fed young man from the Midwest who stumbles into New York without a clue, a contact, or a proper wardrobe. Through true serendipity (or possibly misfortune), he is hired by the outrageous, Jennifer Weinstein, the sleepless city’s most notorious public relations diva. Quickly morphed into her most trusted assistant and confidante, Taylor is sucked into a whirlwind of restaurant openings, gossip columnists, and fashion shows. Suddenly Taylor is in the core of a world he never knew existed, a world of sex, greed, power, and fame, that's ruled by Jennie Weinstein herself. Under Jennie’s guidance, Taylor quickly discovers that there isn’t a catastrophe, betrayal, or person that can’t be spun to suit the client’s needs. The perks are sweet: rubbing elbows (and other appendages) with big-name celebrities, the sudden opening of velvet ropes, and thousands of dollars worth of free designer duds. But like all swag, it comes at a price, and Taylor struggles to balance his own definition of sanity with that of Jennie’s drug-fuelled, high-intensity world.

The stakes only get higher as Taylor rapidly climbs New York's social ladder and Jennie's assignments become increasingly bizarre. Finally, when his relentless pursuit of “spin” threatens to spin his own life totally out of control, Taylor is forced to decide whether the cutthroat ends of a top public relations business justify the diabolical and often hilarious means to a successful career.

Funny, sexy, and irresistibly dishy, Spin is a shocking look behind the scenes of the glittering celebrity world.

"With its inside views of a corrupt yet glamorous lifestyle and its witty tone, the book is sure to please fans of the sub-genre." --Publishers Weekly
“Spin by Robert Rave is a delightfully snarky and hilariously biting peek into the world of high-stakes public relations. With scathing wit and a gimlet eye towards celebrity culture, Rave serves up a delicious tale of rivalry, revenge, and redemption. I adored Spin and didn't want to see it end. You need two things in your beach bag this summer - sunblock and Spin.” -- Jen Lancaster, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty in Plaid

“Robert Rave takes you on a behind-the-scenes walk on the dark-side of all the grit, vanity and backstabbing of the PR world and in the end you will be left ‘Spinning’.” -- Amanda Goldberg and Ruthanna Khalighi Hopper, New York Times bestselling authors of Celebutantes

"Robert Rave offers an X-ray look into the wicked perversions that make up the celebrity PR world. Dirty, sexy, funny. And compulsively readable." --J.J. Salem, author of Tan Lines

"Rave, a former entertainment publicist, delivers an impressive debut novel about the dirty world of celebrity PR." --Examiner.com [close]

[close] Four young women, who have forged a friendship while surviving cancer, start taking back their lives in the Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches. Romantic Times rated all of the books as "page-turners."

This is the last book in the series:
(Back cover copy)
My almost sister-in-law thought I, Lizabett McDonald, would be the first of the Sisterhood of the Dropped Stitches to marry? True, I've confided to my friends that I've had a crush on Rick Keifer since childhood. But will he ever see me as more than his best friend's kid sister? The Sisterhood wants to give me a beauty makeover to catch his eye. I've been preoccupied with a spiritual makeover, and with starting my own wedding-planning business—no time for romance. Yet with Rick as best man, maybe as I give Marilee her dream wedding, my own dreams will also come true! [close]

[close] "In the tradition of James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small and John Grogan's Marley & Me, Tales from a Dog Catcher is a humorous and heartwarming collection about love, laughter, loss, acceptance, and fate, in the world of an animal control officer."
- Publishers Marketplace

"The Cold War had recently drawn to a close, and Lisa Duffy-Korpics’s career as a dogcatcher would soon be history, too, but for very different reasons—and, indeed, with infinitely more pleasant memories. In Tales from a Dog Catcher, she brings together these experiences in a magical book that is funny, touching, and heartrending by turns."
- Amazon.com

"...Writing in a style reminiscent of James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small, she recalls her experiences in 22 vignettes that dispel and replace stereotypes with an image of a compassionate individual concerned with animals and people alike. Like Herriot, she is a gifted storyteller and an astute observer.... At times amusing and heart-wrenching, this memorable book deserves wide readership. Highly recommended for public libraries. "
- Library Journal (starred review)

"This is a wonderful book. I had a hard time putting it down. I was laughing and tearing up, sometimes at the same time! I didn't want it to end..."-Nina Killham, Bestselling Author of Believe Me, How to Cook a Tart, and Mounting Desire

"Tales from a Dog Catcher is a satisfying and endearing collection of funny, touching, and uplifting real-life stories of people and animals that will leave you feeling more confident in the power of goodness in our lives.
Lisa Duffy-Korpics has hit this one out of the park!"

-Carol Kline, NY Times Best selling co-author of Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover's Soul, Dog and Cat Lover's Soul, Dog Lover's Soul, and more
ne of the best books I have read, extremely well written,, November 4, 2009


"This is an OUTSTANDING book - w/each story, you are there with her. She is factual, in an unassuming way, and with each story, you get lost in it..... I have worked in the animal field, and at an animal shelter, so this subject matter is dear to my heart.....this is a book you can read many times, and it is uplifting from the standpoint of her heart...she is kind, compassionate, gentle, and reminds us there still are people like that in our world !!!"
-Amazon Reviewer,Amazon Verified Purchase [close]

[close] Signed copy of The Nine Lives of Clemenza.

If you were able to choose what form of life you would live, what would you become? The Nine Lives of Clemenza explores the realms of spirituality and reincarnation. It introduces the possibility that as complex souls, we choose our lives, thus giving us the ultimate capability of free will. Clemenza starts out as a new soul in heaven, contemplating what form of life she will take to begin her journey. God grants each new soul nine lives, provided they bring back a moral lesson learned. Clemenza is diverse in her choices, exploring every facet of existence from air to the northern lights to a human being. Roles are reversed and souls intertwine during Clemenza's many lives, as she learns the meaning and importance of pain, grief, loss, love and passion.

Review by Dennis Fleming, author of She Had No Enemies:
"The beauty of the story is that we love Clemenza in all of her incarnations because we know she is trying hard to be good. Even during lives in which she is selfish, inconsiderate, and angry, she learns to make amends for them and we see her true, pure, and loving character.

Clemenza takes the form of unexpected aspects of the physical universe. Could one predict coming back as the wind or a molecule? We think of reincarnation as a soul's habitation of an animal, insect or human body, but a tumor? These clever incarnations allow us to see the world in a way we've never experienced. It gives me something to share with my grandson and fills me with joyful anticipation.

An artist, whether painter, sculptor, poet, or musician, desires to create something from their soul or find some truth in the souls of others. Aristotle once said that the aim of art is not to show the outward appearance of things, but to reveal their inward significance. Once in a while an author comes along and creates something new. Holly Christine has found something inside of her heart--her Clemenza--and has brought it to us in the form of a little ball of energy, a lovable little metamorphosing soul. It's deceptively simple story drew me in and reminded me of the power of art, of the power in seeing the world differently.

Read this book." [close]

[close] Personal turmoil amid horrific conflict—these are the elements of a career-making headline. . . and a journey toward healing

On assignment in Darfur, journalist Julia Keegan is determined to open the eyes of average Americans to the atrocities taking place there—and to distance herself from the dark shadow cast by her father, a man she’s never really known. So when Joel Maartens, her father’s young lawyer, shows up in Sudan, Julia is completely unprepared to respond. She has steeled herself against the horrors of genocide, but she isn’t prepared to face her own past.

As Joel’s and Julia’s lives are redefined by the injustice and violence around them, both are forced to face truths they would rather leave concealed. Fighting for justice is no easy task, but learning to forgive in the face of hatred may be the resolution that Joel and Julia both desperately need.
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[close] Win a copy of THE GATEKEEPER, and enter my MacBook giveaway for free!
More details at: www.MichelleGagnon.com

"High stakes, tension, excitement - I loved THE GATEKEEPER."
-NY Times bestselling author LEE CHILD


We are our own worst enemy...

Drugged then kidnapped, a young girl wakes up to a nightmare...

From the moment sixteen-year-old Madison Grant is abducted, an unthinkable terrorist plot is set in motion—pitting Special Agent Kelly Jones against her most powerful adversary yet. The kidnapper's ransom demands aren't monetary...they come at a cost that no American can afford to pay.

As Kelly's fiancé, Jake Riley, races to find Madison, Kelly is assigned to another disturbing case: the murder and dismemberment of a senator. At first the two cases don't appear to be related. But as Kelly navigates her way through the darkest communities of America—from skinheads to biker gangs to border militias—she discovers a horrible truth. A shadowy figure who calls himself The Gatekeeper is uniting hate groups, opening the door to the worst homegrown attack in American history.
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[close] Clutching an acoustic guitar in one hand and a beat up journal in the other, Jared Matthew Kessler sat in his 177.5 square foot bachelor apartment with no job, an unsupportive family, $20,000 in credit card debt, physically and mentally drained and out of shape. On the verge of giving up and his parents begging him to get a real job, Jared stared blankly at the trail of ants covering his psychology degree wondering, why is this happening to me?

On his knees crying, I don t want to live like this anymore, Jared began a search to find someone that could help. Sending out a mass amount of emails to everyone he knew, only on person responded.

This is their conversation. [close]

[close] READ YOUR OWN HEART – THEN WALK YOUR OWN ROAD

All I wanted was a little reassurance – a glimpse of the future. I shouldn’t have asked.

“I speak from the Realm of the Dead,” Moontouch said. “You will abandon me and your son, again, leaving us to face our enemies alone. I see a White Death, invincible, wasting mighty empires. And innocents, trusting in you, betrayed and abandoned – by you! I see an endless war, your people exhausted, in despair. I see men without minds, killing without remorse, and children without hope, waving the flags of an evil God. I see two madmen, leaders of the forces of light and darkness, locked in a struggle to the death for the future of humanity. You will follow the one, and fight the other, and never know which God you serve. I see you … leaving your mortal flesh, to walk among the dead…”

I learned soon enough that it was all to come true – all of it.

Praise for Soldier of the Legion Series
“SOLDIER OF THE LEGION is a deep, rich story that captures the heart of Sci-fi while bringing the elements of suspense, mystery, horror, and romance together and blending them into a perfect story that everyone will enjoy.” ― Nancy L. Mehl, Author

“A perilous, exciting space saga, Soldier Of The Legion is enthusiastically recommended reading for fans of the science fiction action/adventure genre.” ― Midwest Book Review [close]

[close] Giving away 3 SIGNED copies of MAKEOVERS CAN BE MURDER, the third installment of the Fat City Mysteries. In this episode, TV reporter Kate Gallagher faces the ultimate body-nightmare--she has to wear a bikini on camera for a series about diet scams. Things get even worse when her love life hits the rocks, and then a friend of hers gets murdered in a carjacking. While trying to make over her body, Kate gets involved in a dangerous game of nip and tuck. [close]

[close] One of the most original voices in years!

In this charming novel full of quirk and humor, Darrin Doyle paints a captivating portrait of the all-American family—if the all-American family’s youngest child ate an entire city in Michigan. The hauntingly beautiful Audrey Mapes began her illustrious “career” by downing crayons by the carton, only to graduate to eating an entire city one bite at a time.

Told through the eyes of Audrey’s sister McKenna, we see the real tragedy of the Mapes story is not the destruction of a city, but rather, the quiet disintegration of a family who just didn't quite know how to love. [close]

[close] Hi guys, I'm giving away three SIGNED copies of A KILLER WORKOUT, the second installment of the Fat City Mysteries. In this episode, our spunky, slightly chunky heroine, Kate Gallagher, enrolls in an exercise boot camp in the Great Smokies. She discovers that exercise can really be murder! [close]

[close] SECRETS VOLUME 27 UNTAMED PLEASURES erotic romance anthology

DEVIL IN A KILT - NICOLE NORTH
A trip to the Highland Games turns into a trip to the past when modern day Shauna MacRae touches Gavin MacTavish’s four-hundred-year-old claymore. What she finds is a Devil In a Kilt she’s had erotic fantasies about for months. Can Shauna break the curse imprisoning this shape shifting laird and his clan before an evil witch sends Shauna back to her time and takes Gavin as her sex slave?

THE BET - LEIGH COURT
I can make a woman come using just my words…
That outrageous claim by a very drunk Damian Hunt, Viscount Atherton, somehow escalates into a high stakes wager between two best friends: Damian bets his prized racehorse that he can do it… George Beringer gambles his London townhouse that Damian can’t.
And the surprising woman George chooses for the bet is not only a virgin, she’s also George’s very respectable sister, Claire -- and to complicate matters even more, once Damian lays eyes on her, the stakes escalate in the most unpredictable way…

THE BOY NEXT DOOR - HANNAH MURRAY
Isabella Carelli isn’t just looking for Mr. Right, she’s looking for Mr. Tie Me Up And Do Me Right. In all the wrong places. Fortunately, the right place is right next door. And the boy next door is just about ready to make his move...

HEART STORM - LIANE GENTRY SKYE
Sirenia's final breeding moon is upon her. She is the last fertile mermaid of her brood. Racing against a hurricane, she must search out and mate with the only merman who can save her kind--the prophesied Lost Son of Triton. When Sirenia rescues injured Navy SEAL, Byron Burke from drowning, she seals herself into his life debt. When the time comes to ask Byron for her freedom, her heart threatens to stand in the way of the last, best hope for her kind. [close]

[close] The Stumpwork Robe is the story of:

'A magnificent embroidered robe . . .
Minikin journals hidden in the embroidery.
Eledritch wights and murder.
Tragedy and revenge.
Adelina the Traveller's sanity is held together with fraying stitches as she is held captive and must embroider a robe that may hold the keys to immortality . . . ' [close]

[close] The true story of a young man’s relentless, if at times naive, quest for love in a rapidly changing society, An Apple for the Teacher chronicles a ten-year period in the professional and private life of Al Bentley, a teacher working in post-sixteen education. A late starter to the dating game, Bentley struggles to match his passion for teaching with passion beyond the classroom walls.

Following a seemingly endless string of soul-destroying romantic failures, the protagonist finds solace in the company of his students. On a public stage, with a devoted audience of intelligent, attractive young ladies in their late teens, he feels as though he’s living in a parallel universe. The more his love life languishes, the greater the threat to his conscience and previously impeccable professionalism. There is, however, a high price to pay for any teacher guilty of human fallibility …
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[close] The Last Stitch: a fantasy

'A hob, a Faeran and a mortal stitcher.
Veniche and the Days of the Dark . . .
For Adelina, revenge should be her salvation. But those who know her wonder if it will be her damnation.
Adelina says to her readers: "If you touch the book then you will quite simply die."
Are you game?' [close]

[close] Lulu Pangloss is the last girl on Earth. A plague has swept the globe, turning all other women into terrifying, unkillable monsters--Xombies. Now Lulu's only hope of escape lies with her deadbeat father, a retired Navy captain, and a nuclear submarine filled with paranoid male refugees.

This is the world of XOMBIES: APOCALYPSE BLUES, by Walter Greatshell [close]

[close] From the New York Times-bestselling author Robert Crais, who sets the standard for intense, powerful crime-writing comes a blistering thriller featuring Joe Pike and Elvis Cole.

Frank and Cindy Meyer had the American dream – until the day a professional robbery crew invaded their home and murdered everyone inside. The only thing out of the ordinary about Frank was that – before his family, business, and oh-so-normal life – a younger Frank Meyer worked as a professional mercenary . . . with a man named Joe Pike.

The robbery crew has done other home invasions, and all the targets have been criminals with large stashes of cash or drugs. The police believe the same is true of Frank, but Pike does not, and with the help of Elvis Cole, he sets out to clear his friend . . . and punish the people who murdered him.

They are about to learn the first rule.

Don’t make Pike mad. [close]

[close] Therese Borchard may be one of the frankest, funniest people on the planet. That, combined with her keen writing abilities has made her Beliefnet blog, Beyond Blue, one of the most trafficked blogs on the site.

BEYOND BLUE, the book, is part memoir/part self-help. It describes Borchard's experience of living with manic depression as well as providing cutting-edge research and information on dealing with mood disorders. By exposing her vulnerability, she endears herself immediately to the reader and then reduces even the most depressed to laughter as she provides a companion on the journey to recovery and the knowledge that the reader is not alone.

Comprised of four sections and twenty-one chapters, BEYOND BLUE covers a wide range of topics from codependency to addiction, poor body image to postpartum depression, from alternative medicine to psychopharmacology, managing anxiety to applying lessons from therapy. Because of her laser wit and Erma Bombeck sense of humor, every chapter is entertaining as well as serious. [close]

[close] The Hole in the Sky is a juvenile fantasy novel. Here are some recent review excerpts.

" The presentation of the book from its beautiful cover to the map to the book mark ribbons would be a disappointment if the author, Barbara A. Mahler, had not written a story to warrant such an amazing presentation….The book made me wish I had a young daughter and we could read it together." Julie Marie Totsch, blogcritics.org

I read this book from cover to cover in the span of a few hours. I felt like I was cheating myself of Kaela and her new extraordinary and supernatural friends whenever I put it down to eat. This book doesn’t contain an extraneous word or a boring scene. The story flows from page to page like a beautiful clear stream. In the end, I still craved for more of Kaela Neuleaf and her cousin Shawn. Gema Mora, Radical Parenting [close]

[close] Love, in its many forms and complexities, weaves through this collection by Amy Bloom, the New York Times bestselling author of Away. Bloom's astonishing and astute new work of interconnected stories illuminates the mysteries of passion, family, and friendship.

Propelled by Bloom's dazzling prose, unmistakable voice, and generous wit, Where the God of Love Hangs Out takes us to the margins and the centers of real people's lives, exploring the changes that love and loss create. A young woman is haunted by her roommate's murder; a man and his daughter-in-law confess their sins in the unlikeliest of places. In one quartet of interlocking stories, two middle-aged friends, married to others, find themselves surprisingly drawn to each other, risking all while never underestimating the cost. In another linked set of stories, we follow mother and son for thirty years as their small and uncertain family becomes an irresistible tribe.

Insightful, sensuous, and heartbreaking, these stories of passion and disappointment, life and death, capture deep human truths. As The New Yorker has said, "Amy Bloom gets more meaning into individual sentences than most authors manage in whole books." [close]

[close] "Mystery, Suspense, Film Noir and Detective Movies on DVD" is not only "A Guide to the Best in Cinema Thrills" as the sub-title indicates, but a massive 468 page reference book, containing over 700 reviews. Over 1,200 DVDs were examined. Some classic movie titles of course are available on multiple labels. One of the surprises I enjoyed in compiling this book was that the most expensive DVD disc was not necessarily the best. As the book has a retail price of $24.50, it would be possible to come out ahead just by buying one of my $2 recommendations instead of the more expensive and yet inferior $29.95 pressing. A list of ten recommended DVD suppliers is also a feature well worth the $24.50. Purchasing from a trustworthy discount firm or direct from the manufacturer is yet another way for keen fans to save money. [close]

[close] From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and "on the the most intense suspense writers around" (Chicago Tribune)

California, 1985. Three children, running through the woods after school, stumble upon a partially buried female body, eyes and mouth glued shut. Close behind the children is their teacher, Anne Navarre, shocked by this discovery and heartbroken as she witnesses the end of their innocence. What she doesn’t yet realize is that this will mark the end of innocence for an entire community, as the ties that bind families and friends are tested by secrets uncovered in the wake of a serial killer’s escalating pattern of destruction. [close]

[close] Benjamin and the Silver Goblet is the third in a series of Bible stories which began with Abraham's Search for God and Sarah Laughs.See book trailer at http://www.jacquelinejules.com/Bible%20t...
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[close] Twenty-five years have passes since the band of heroes destroyed Dracula at his castle in Transylvania in this sequel by a descendant of Bram Stoker and a noted Dracula expert.

Dracula the Un-Dead is a fast-paced, historically rich sequel that is as frightening and atmospheric as the original. Based on plot threads and characters from Bram Stoker's notes that he compiled while writing and researching Dracula, as well as extensive research on the historical Prince Dracula and other well-known figures, it is a fascinating tale that will resonate with vampire fiction fans. [close]

[close] Sweet and Dirty
Must be over 18 years of age to enter.

From a bold new voice in erotic fiction comes a thrilling debut that explores the provocative world of BDSM:

"Baring It All"
From her relationships and her home life to her job as a dog trainer, Michelle Gray is too often the obedient one. So when she crosses paths with Ro Kaliph, the owner of an S&M nightclub, she decides to take a few lessons in being more dominant -- but discovers instead that surrendering to Ro's every command brings her the most intense, satisfying pleasure.

"Forbidden Heat"
Workaholic Nora Sabine has finally made time for a vacation with her fiance. And she's pleasantly surprised to learn the B&B where they'll be staying is actually a Bondage & Breakfast. Indulging in every blissful sexual punishment, Nora can't seem to get enough. But when she meets the inn's owner, Sylvester, he takes her over the edge as he introduces her to a fantasy world where ecstasy has no boundaries... [close]

[close] The small village of Watkins Glen, N.Y. is famous for its auto racing, wineries and scenic gorge. Watkins Glen Tour Guide provides the visitor or local with a history and five self-guided tours of the village and surrounding area.

The book starts with an extensive, photo-rich history which begins about 350 million years ago when the rocks in Watkins Glen State Park were being formed. Learn about the fierce and proud Seneca warriors who lived in the area and about the first settlers who came to Watkins Glen. The history section also includes the birth of road racing in Watkins Glen as well as the creation of the first post-prohibition wineries.

Five self-guided tours follow. Each includes detailed maps and highlights of what to see along your route. Hike the Finger Lakes Trail through Watkins Glen State Park. Pass under waterfalls along the gorge trail. Drive the original road race course that brought racing to the village. Look for historical landmarks as you walk along the village streets. Visit the local wineries that are just a short drive from the village.

Grab this book and head to Watkins Glen or enjoy the trip from the comfort of your armchair.
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[close] In the midst of a midlife crisis and with the unlikely companionship of a Brahman priest reincarnated as an arthritic Siamese cat, Karl joins two wandering souls for a journey. Their travels start in St. Louis, Missouri, continue throughout Eastern Europe and eventually end in the year 3432 with the most outrageous art piece the worlds would ever see. The Hog Hotel becomes the crux of their journey. As business venture turns to international hot spot, true loves are revealed and old enemies creatively transfigured---All with the help of a striking Russian Countess and the unforgettable Siamese cat. [close]

[close] Dusty Waters is a ghost story, a family saga, the history of a haunted house, and a biography of a folksinger. Dusty's friend, Katharine, has volunteered to help her write the official biography, but there is one piece of her life that will not be part of the biography, she can see ghosts; Dusty's ancestral home Tanglewood is filled with them. This inherited sight adds a vexing dimension to her psyche that becomes an uneasy burden. [close]

[close] "A Forever Christmas" is an inspirational romance from Steeple Hill Love Inspired.

Sarah Radcliffe’s quiet Christmas back in her hometown will be lost if she agrees to direct the church’s Christmas pageant. But when she meets two little boys determined to gain their father’s attention, Sarah agrees to help. Then she discovers that the dad in question is Gregory Jones, the man she loved and lost.

The single dad is working himself to the bone to give his boys the Christmas of their dreams, when all they want is some family time. Time that includes a new mommy. If Sarah can learn to open her heart, she may receive the most wonderful present of all—a family of her own.
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[close] Would Pride and Prejudice have been different if Colonel Fitzwilliam had accompanied Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy to Netherfield?

What would happen if Mr. Darcy made friends with a mysterious member of the Meryton neighborhood who refuses an introduction but who has a close relationship with the Bennet household?


Elizabeth Bennet, the second of five daughters to Mr. Thomas Bennet has caught the attention of the rich and handsome Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy almost from the moment he laid eyes on her, but when he purposefully misinterprets her families expectation of her marrying well and slights her in a way unknown to those who have always loved Jane Austen’s acclaimed Pride and Prejudice, he must leave forever or make amends. Sulking in the library he determines to leave the place and give her up, but is waylaid by a member of the Meryton neighborhood who claims an intimate acquaintance with the Bennet family and offers up advice on how to win Elizabeth’s heart.

Longbourn’s Unexpected Matchmaker puts a spin on Pride and Prejudice that no one would ever expect as Colonel Fitzwilliam attends Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy to Netherfield, Elizabeth Bennet is witty enough to detect the motives of Mr. Darcy’s long time enemy Lieutenant Wickham and Georgiana Darcy is bold enough to defy her brother and cousin and comes to Meryton in the midst of a storm. Not to mention Caroline Bingley, Lieutenant Wickham and Lady Catherine are all working against our hero and heroine ever finding their own happily ever after. [close]

[close] My book contains 84 humorous essays about love, sex, relationships, lifestyles, and single life on the west coast. If you enjoy David Sedaris, Chelsea Handler, or other comedian's books, I'm confident that you will enjoy mine. I'm happy to distribute signed (not promotional) copies to readers who offer to read the book and submit a review at amazon.com. Thank you! Phil [close]

[close] Hardcover reprint of the second book in the Texas! Series:

All he wanted was enough whiskey to forget...

Ravaged by grief after a car crash took his cherished wife and unborn child, Chase Tyler had abandoned his family business. He'd hit the rodeo circuit and the bars with equal disregard for his life, unwilling to face his pain and move on—until a bad-tempered bull and a lady from the past forced him to....

All she wanted was his love...
Marcie Johns had known Chase all her life, had been driving the car when it crashed and his wife was killed. She still wondered if Chase blamed her for his loss. But she was willing to gamble her pride and happiness to give the man she'd adored since childhood something to live for. When she offered Chase a brazen proposition to save his company, he was shocked by her plan—and he hated himself for being tempted by the fire smoldering in her gorgeous eyes! Could a once-shy bookworm seduce the rugged cowboy of her dreams into letting her love heal his heart? [close]

[close] Once you get into the story, there's no way out.

Everyone's heard the rumors. If you gather the right things and say the right words, you'll be taken to Malice, a world that exists inside a horrifying comic book. It's a world that few kids know about...and even fewer survive.

Seth and Kady think it's all a silly myth. But then their friend disappears, and suddenly the rumors don't seem silly after all.

Malice is real. Malice is deadly. And Seth and Kady are about to be trapped inside it. [close]

[close] In the Nebraskan Territory of 1859, Gavin Miller comes to Buttonwood looking to build more than a business. As soon as he’s able, he writes home to request the hand of the woman he’s always wanted. Unfortunately, while he never forgot Marguerite was the French word for Daisy, he’d failed to recall that Marge was the nickname of the wrong Miss Marguerite Chandler! When his surprise bride comes to Buttonwood, unexpectedly followed by the very cousin he’d meant to marry, will Gavin be able to make amends and solve The Bride Blunder? [close]

[close] Love's journey is sometimes traveled with baggage. Is devotion enough to carry the load when it gets heavy or even deadly? Tracy is an entrepreneur in the computer industry who didn't know her new love interest had a deceptive past which would force her to answer that question. When Edmund, a charismatic and prominent attorney swept her off her feet, Tracy was ecstatic about the relationship and a chance to ride love's train, but she didn't realize that sometimes, all that glitters is not gold. Soon scandal and skeletons come creeping out of Edmund's closet. As he frantically tries to stay one step ahead of the dirty little secrets that haunt his past, Tracey finds herself pondering the reality of whether she really knows the man she loves. She is forced to decide whether Edmund's past will tear them apart or bring them closer together. As the relationship struggles to blossom against the odds, Tracy prays that love will be enough to conquer all, including what's Hiding in the Shadows. In a tantalizing and perplexing mystery, Claudia Brown Mosley lures readers along a path of unraveling the enigma of truth. Hiding in the Shadows is an intriguing and thrilling suspense of obsessive pursuit, destructive lies and the reality that's buried in between.
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[close] What do I want to be when I grow up? This is a fundamental question asked by just about every ambitious, visionary teenager and pre-teenager today. They sometimes lock themselves in that world of day dreams and see it unfolding bigger than most of us would - already in our prime. You dare not place an obstacle in front of them; they will find a way to remove it. I've watched unnoticed as my sons remove the side bar from their crib in order to escape those four barriers. In a nut shell, they saw a way out and went for it. Their future always looked bright because they possessed that unstoppable mindset. Their walls always seemed penetrable. [close]

[close] Spanning the 20th century, the story of Roses takes place in a small East Texas town against the backdrop of the powerful timber and cotton industries, industries controlled by the scions of the town's founding families. Cotton tycoon Mary Toliver and timber magnate Percy Warwick should have married but unwisely did not, and now must deal with the deceit, secrets, and tragedies of their choice and the loss of what might have been--not just for themselves but for their children, and children's children. [close]

[close] Get a signed first edition of Volume 4 of the Kcymaerxthaere Travel Guide series. Kcymaerxthaere is a global work of 3 dimensional fiction. The Geographer-at-Large travels the world installing bronze plaques and historical sites that honor events from the parallel world in our linear world.

Learn some of the stories and find out how to visit the sites with this new book. Only the second of the series to be published in our linear world.

An unusual form of fantasy and sci-fi that you can visit in person. [close]

[close] The Battle of Boodicuttup is suitable for 7-11 year old children.
The discovery of an injured cormorant at Boodicuttup Creek is a special event for Leanna, Shane and Mitch.
They are shocked when old Charlie Buckle and Jem Gasper plan to dam the creek.
The dam will stop the flow of water to the pool where the cormorant and other birds live.
They need help to prevent the dam and organize a petition.
But will the people in the town join them?
Is there magic in Uncle Rolly’s bullroarer?
Will a mysterious Great Goanna be of help or hindrance to their efforts to save the creek?
And how will Shane and Mitch avoid a fight with the Gasper boys?
Boodicuttup has a new cover. The copy I'm giving away is the old one. If you want to see the new cover, check it out on Barnes and Noble.
Laurel Lamperd
http:laurel6346.tripod.com
www.authorsden.com/laurellamperd
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[close] Pùqest Book One: The Hunter was published at the end of September and is Amber Carez’s first novel. It is available through all major bookstores as well as online and in an Amazon Kindle edition.

When the escape of a terrible beast and the sudden appearance of a mysterious foreigner coincide to disrupt the season’s festivities, nothing is as expected in the land of Brákla. A hero’s swordplay punctuates the use of power and magic in this story of infiltration, intrigue and romance that challenges assumptions.

In a world where the gods are seemingly quiet, two ideologies collide within a culture that thrives on intensity, pushing power to the limit, while aggrandizing martial skills. Competitions abound in which the victor’s reward is the setup for a life of privilege fraught with deception.

Into this milieu Màrsem intrudes, his origin shrouded by misdirection. As an outsider he is considered less, yet his skill in combat matches that of generations of bred and trained warriors. His lack of adherence to the cultural restrictions of segregation of the sexes and the four-tiered caste system causes powerful forces to immediately move to destroy him and take what he has claimed – a sensual girl of the highest class whose capabilities were vastly underestimated by all.

Visceral fights, convoluted conspiracies and primal sensuality intertwine to reveal the story of the split of a great nation into two polarized countries and the subsequent history that irrevocably binds them together through the eyes of an adventurer and the object of his desire.
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[close] Upon the death of her demonic husband, Hester Prynne is left a widow, and her daughter Pearl, a wealthy heiress. Hester takes her daughter to live a quiet life in England--only to find herself drawn into the circle of the most powerful Puritan of all time, Oliver Cromwell.

From the moment Hester donned the famous scarlet letter, it instilled in her the power to see the sins and hypocrisy of others, an ability not lost on the Lord Protector of the Commonwealth. To Cromwell, Hester’s sight is either a sign of sorcery or a divine gift that Hester must use to assist the divinely chosen in his scheming to control England. Since sorcery carries a death sentence, Hester is compelled against her will to use her sight to assist Cromwell. She soon finds herself entangled in a web of political intrigue, espionage, and forbidden love.

Hester will carry readers away to seventeenth century England with a deeply human story of family, love, history, desire, weakness, and the human ideal.
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[close] Love is in the air this Christmas with two heartwarming holiday stories

Christmas Bells for Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad --The holiday season brings quite a surprise for Virginia Parker. Her former boss, Colter Wells, is back in Dry Creek—with a newly discovered daughter who needs some female guidance. But can one motherless little girl—and the two adults bonded to her and to each other—make up a perfect family?

The Christmas Secret by Sara Mitchell--
Clara Penrose's bluestocking ways have branded her a spinster among Virginia's elite. Yet a reunion with Dr. Ethan Harcourt rekindles feelings Clara thought long lost. Her second chance finally here, Clara needs only to catch the good doctor under the mistletoe!
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[close] A unique and sweeping debut novel of an American female combat photographer in the Vietnam War, as she captures the wrenching chaos and finds herself torn between the love of two men.

On a stifling day in 1975, the North Vietnamese army is poised to roll into Saigon. As the fall of the city begins, two lovers make their way through the streets to escape to a new life. Helen Adams, an American photojournalist, must take leave of a war she is addicted to and a devastated country she has come to love. Linh, the Vietnamese man who loves her, must grapple with his own conflicted loyalties of heart and homeland. As they race to leave, they play out a drama of devotion and betrayal that spins them back through twelve war-torn years, beginning in the splendor of Angkor Wat, with their mentor, larger-than-life war correspondent Sam Darrow, once Helen's infuriating love and fiercest competitor, and Linh's secret keeper, boss and truest friend.

Tatjana Soli paints a searing portrait of an American woman’s struggle and triumph in Vietnam, a stirring canvas contrasting the wrenching horror of war and the treacherous narcotic of obsession with the redemptive power of love. Readers will be transfixed by this stunning novel of passion, duty and ambition among the ruins of war.
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[close] THE SECRET YEAR

Young adult, contemporary.

After his secret girlfriend's death, seventeen-year-old Colt finds the notebook she left behind, but he is unprepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship. [close]

[close] Reilly Peterson's been many things in her thirty-two years: an athlete, a model, a sportswear executive. Her ex-boyfriend, however, has done a good job of making Reilly something she's never been--scared.

Now Reilly's ready to protect herself with more than her sharp tongue. Fantasy Spy Camp's Seattle-based Urban Ops division will train her to survive using everything from her bare hands to a submachine gun. But when Reilly gets an eyeful of fellow camper Van Keller, all Reilly really wants to do is go deep undercover... [close]

[close] Twelve years ago, renowned physician and author Dr. William Sears was diagnosed with cancer. He, like so many people, wanted-and needed-to take control of his health. Dr. Sears created a comprehensive, science based, head-to-toe program for living a long, fit life-and it worked. Now at the peak of health, Dr. Sears shares his program in PRIME-TIME HEALTH. This engaging and deeply informative book will motivate readers to make crucial behavior and lifestyle changes. Dr. Sears explores how to keep each body system healthy and delay those usual age-related changes. [close]

[close] More brilliant black humor from Elia Anie. In the hugely successful EVIL PENGUINS, she bravely exposed the dark underbelly of the animal kingdom. Now with EVIL CATS she is taking on an enemy far closer to home. A perfect gift of humor for the holiday season.

www.evil-cats.com [close]

[close] Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe has a perfectly ordered life--solitary, perhaps, but full of devotion to his profession and the painting hobby he loves. This order is destroyed when renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient. In response, Marlowe finds himself going beyond his own legal and ethical boundaries to understand the secret that torments this genius, a journey that will lead him into the lives of the women closest to Robert Oliver and toward a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Ranging from American museums to the coast of Normandy, from the late nineteenth century to the late twentieth, from young love to last love, THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, the losses of history, and the power of art to preserve human hope. [close]

[close] Poetry collection in memoir. Homelessness, abuse, love, hate, mother, father, illness. [close]

[close] Between the skyscrapers of New York City and the ancient sands of the Middle Eastern nation of Ahalamin lies an uncharted ocean, not of water, but of culture and prejudice.

When financial executive, Victoria Ballard, finds herself married to a Prince of the Desert, her perfectly designed life unravels. To put the pieces back together and claim the heart of a Prince, she’ll have to find a way to bridge The Ocean Between them.

VICTORIA BALLARD is a New York financial executive who considers men to be an unnecessary annoyance. With her career on track, she focuses on the adoption of four beautiful orphans, a crowning completion to her well-designed life-plan. However, life is a nasty trickster, and it’s about to spring one on her.

PRINCE RASHID DAVAR has just completed a marriage contract with Victoria’s father that is sure to teach him an unexpected lesson—A woman of the West is more easily married than controlled. Victoria may be his wife, but it will take a kidnapping, a battle of wills, and some desert heat of his own before he can claim her love.
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[close] Artist & Author, Kris Courtney is offering this giveaway to compliment the new release. Editors revised 2nd Edition is an exciting addition to the gallery of artistic works by American Artist Kris Courtney.

Please be sure to read, visit and roam the pages to discover more insight to this interesting and beautiful story about life and the strife associated. [close]

[close] What if a modern woman suddenly learns she is heir to the throne of a magical realm hidden in our world and is the most powerful magical being on the planet? Growing up an orphan, Rachel always assumed she’d be going it alone, until the night before her twenty-fifth birthday when she was thrust into the realm of Eden's Court.

Her new job description? Unite seven contentious magical races in order to prevent the destruction of earth. But learning to rule is easier than facing her attraction to Gabriel, half-angel, half-demon. Born of a forbidden love between mortal enemies, Gabriel is convinced he is a political liability to Rachel. Once Rachel stops denying their chemistry, she must convince him to pursue their love. Although Gabriel is willing to help her solve a murder, avert a war, and learn to use her overwhelming magic, accepting their destiny together is another matter.
[close]

[close] He was going to lose the house and everything in it.


The rare pleasure of a bath, the copper pots hanging above the kitchen island, his family-again he would

lose his family. He stood inside the house and took stock. Everything in it had been taken for granted. How had that happened again? He had promised himself not to take anything for granted and now he couldn't recall the moment that promise had given way to the everyday.


Tim Farnsworth is a handsome, healthy man, aging with the grace of a matinee idol. His wife Jane still loves him, and for all its quiet trials, their marriage is still stronger than most. Despite long hours at the office, he remains passionate about his work, and his partnership at a prestigious Manhattan law firm means that the work he does is important. And, even as his daughter Becka retreats behind her guitar, her dreadlocks and her puppy fat, he offers her every one of a father's honest lies about her being the most beautiful girl in the world.

He loves his wife, his family, his work, his home. He loves his kitchen. And then one day he stands up and walks out. And keeps walking.

THE UNNAMED is a dazzling novel about a marriage and a family and the unseen forces of nature and desire that seem to threaten them both. It is the heartbreaking story of a life taken for granted and what happens when that life is abruptly and irrevocably taken away. [close]

[close] On the surface, Lena Spencer appears to have it all. She and her wealthy husband Randall have two wonderful children, and they live a life of luxury. In reality, however, Lena finds that happiness is elusive. Randall is emotionally distant, her son has developed a drug habit, and her daughter is disgusted by her mother's "overbearing behavior." When Randall decides that he's had enough of marriage counseling, he offers his wife an ultimatum: "Be grateful for all I've done for you or leave." Lena, realizing that money can't solve her problems and that her husband is no longer the man she married, decides to choose the latter. [close]

[close] A fresh new look for the best-selling series from America’s number-one inspirational novelist, Karen Kingsbury. Fans will enjoy a personal note from Karen and Gary Smalley as well as discussion questions for book group use. Revisit the Baxter family in all their life-changing events, or share the series with someone who hasn’t discovered it yet.
The Redemption series won Christian Retailing’s 2005 Retailer’s Choice Award for Best Series!
When Kari Baxter Jacobs finds out that her husband is involved in an adulterous relationship and wants a divorce, she decides she will love him and remain faithful to her marriage at all costs. This book shows how God can redeem seemingly hopeless relationships, and it illustrates one of Gary Smalley’s key messages: Love is a decision.

Redemption is the first book in the five-book Redemption series that Gary and Karen will write about the Baxter family—their fears and desires, their strengths and weaknesses, their losses and victories. Each book explores key relationship themes as well as the larger theme of redemption, both in characters’ spiritual lives and in their relationships.

[close]

[close] It’s Chicago in 1893 and Emily Cabot, an aspiring sociologist, finds work at Hull House, the famous settlement established by Jane Addams. There she quickly becomes involved in the political and social problems of the immigrant community. But when a man who works for a sweatshop owner is murdered in the Hull House parlor, Emily must determine whether one of her colleagues is responsible, or whether the real reason for the murder is revenge for a past tragedy in her own family. As a smallpox epidemic spreads through the impoverished West Side of Chicago, the very existence of the settlement is threatened and Emily finds herself in jeopardy from both the deadly disease and a killer. This is the exciting sequel to "Death at the Fair". [close]

[close] 40 Years and 60,000 years, The French Blue tells the true adventures of Jean Baptiste Tavernier, gem dealer and adventurer and Madeleine de Goisse, the illigitmate daughter of a French courtesan and a Persian king.

Between 1630-1668, Tavernier made six voyages to India and Persia. His real exploits are the stuff of a hundred fictional adventure novels.

At the end of his sixth voyage, he sold a fabulous 112 carat blue diamond to Louis XIV of France. The stone was recut once, stolen during the French Revolution and today we call its 45.52 carat remains, The Hope Diamond. [close]

[close] Marianne Wallace is focused on two things this holiday season: planning the greatest family Christmas ever and cheering on her youngest son’s team in their bid for the state championship. Disaster strikes when the team loses their mascot—the Trout. Is it going too far to ask her to don the costume? So what if her husband has also volunteered her to organize the church Christmas tea. When football playoffs start ramping up, the Christmas tea starts falling apart. Then, one by one her children tell her they can’t come home for Christmas. As life starts to unravel, will Marianne remember the true meaning of the holidays? [close]

[close] FoodSmart: Understanding Nutrition in the 21st Century by award-winning author Diana Hunter helps consumers make sense of conflicting nutrition information and make educated dietary choices. An enlightening, easy-to-read guide with added resources, it provides an unconventional look at nutrition as a whole and tells how to easily and effectively take control of our nutritional health. Topics covered include diets, organics, genetically modified (GMO) foods, food irradiation, sweeteners, labeling, food safety, life-cycle nutrition, food marketing to children, and more. Includes a food/drug/alcohol interaction chart and safe food storage durations. [close]

[close] The fate of humanity lies in the webbed hands of sixteen-year-old Du who must leave his isolated mountain home in California to save modern civilization. To stop the great flood, Du must find the family who abandoned him as a baby. Freakish looking, he discovers he has great gifts. But whoever comes near him is in danger as Du finds himself in the middle of warring gods. The stars told the Maya that the Fifth World, our World would end on December 21, 2012. Can Du save us? [close]

[close] Winners will receive a personally autographed copy of the book. If any winner lives within 25 miles of the author, they will be treated to a lunch with the author at a restaurant of author's choosing where they will receive the book in person.

If winners are not local, they will have the alternative choice of having their own Wish Fulfillment short story written for either themselves or someone else of their choice.

Details on my website: www.thevictorbook.com

email: thevictorbook@sbcglobal.net [close]

[close] Everyone dreams of getting the kiss of a lifetime-but what if that kiss carried some unexpected consequences?

A girl who's always been in the shadows finds herself pursued by the unbelievably attractive new boy at school, who may or may not be the death of her. Another girl grows up mute because of a curse placed on her by a vindictive spirit, and later must decide whether to utter her first words to the boy she loves and risk killing everyone who hears her if the curse is real. And a third girl discovers that the real reason for her transient life with her mother has to do with belonging-to another world entirely, full of dreaded creatures who can transform into animals, and whose queen keeps little girls as personal pets until they grow to childbearing age.

From a writer of unparalleled imagination and emotional insight, three stories about the deliciousness of wanting and waiting for that moment when lips touch.
[close]

[close] When the principal announces that every senior must participate in a mandatory year-long Marriage Education program, Fiona Sheehan believes that her life can’t get any worse. That’s until she marries her “husband”: jerky jock Todd, whose cheerleader girlfriend, Amanda, has had it in for Fiona since day one of second grade. Even worse? Amanda is paired with Fiona’s long-term crush, Gabe. At least Fiona is doing better than her best friend, Marcie, who is paired up with the very quiet, very dorky, very big Johnny Mercer.

Pranks, fights, misunderstandings, and reconciliations ensue in an almost Shakespearean comedy of errors about mistaken first impressions, convoluted coupling, and hidden crushes. [close]

[close] “THE POSTMISTRESS made me homesick for a time before I was even born. A beautifully written, thought provoking novel that I’m telling everyone I know to read.”
--Kathryn Stockett, author of THE HELP

Filled with stunning parallels to today's world, The Postmistress is a sweeping novel about the loss of innocence of two extraordinary women-and of two countries torn apart by war.

On the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, does the unthinkable: She doesn't deliver a letter.

In London, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Frankie vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape.

The residents of Franklin think the war can't touch them- but as Frankie's radio broadcasts air, some know that the war is indeed coming. And when Frankie arrives at their doorstep, the two stories collide in a way no one could have foreseen.

The Postmistress is an unforgettable tale of the secrets we must bear, or bury. It is about what happens to love during war­time, when those we cherish leave. And how every story-of love or war-is about looking left when we should have been looking right. [close]

[close] Once Barack Obama joined the presidential race and attended events with wife at his side, the media, bloggers, and people everywhere started buzzing about Michelle's toned arms--and asking how on earth she does it. Even at the Presidential Inauguration, much of the talk was about Michelle's amazing arms. Media outlets from GMA to CNN to MSNBC have covered the story, inspiring women across the country to call their personal trainers and say, "I want Obama arms!"

Certified personal trainer Rylan Duggan, creator of the successful (and pricey, at $70 each!) e-book series Go Sleeveless!, constantly gets calls from clients and reporters asking for the training secrets behind Michelle's arms. Duggan is the expert quoted in much of this coverage, and in FIGHT ARM FLAB, he offers his 21-day program to get those sleek and sexy arms.

In this low-priced paperback, Duggan reveals the program (combining strength training and cardio) including a 7-day jumpstart maintenance plan, and essential diet secrets designed to shed fat and reveal toned muscle, plus 50-60 black and white photos throughout to illustrate. This is a simple program that anyone can do, no matter what their fitness level, at home and with little equipment. With this series of 25 easy exercises, anyone can have Obama arms--in a matter of weeks! [close]

[close] Hailed as a “gorgeous, brutal writer,” by Richard Price, the acclaimed, bestselling author of SERENA captures the eerie beauty, stark violence, and rugged character of Appalachia in stories that span the Civil War to the present day.

Few writers know the heart and soul of a region as does Ron Rash. Like William Faulkner’s Mississippi or Ivan Doig’s Montana, Rash’s Appalachia is a dichotomous land of beauty and brutality settled by characters as remarkable and enduring as the mountains and hollows they call home. In this rich collection, the acclaimed author limns this territory in stories breathtaking in voice and power.

In “Corpse Bird,” a man becomes haunted by a childhood folk tale when a mysterious bird makes its home in his neighbor’s tree and their daughter suddenly takes ill. In “Back of Beyond,” a pawn shop owner who profits from the stolen goods of local meth addicts—including his own nephew—comes to his brother’s aid when he’s threatened by his son. The pregnant wife of a Lincoln sympathizer alone in Confederate territory takes revenge to protect her family from a menacing wayward soldier in “Lincolnites.”

Rash masterfully crafts a patchwork of luminous stories, rich in beauty, suspense, and violence, that draw from the mythical, mysterious, and rawness of the people and the landscape of Appalachia.
[close]

[close] From Denise Austin comes the perfect health book for anyone who wants to live better but just can't seem to find the time. Much more than just another excercise book, Denise's Daily Dozen covers a whole range of health and diet related concepts yet manages it all in a no-stress, time-conscious program of 12's. At it's core, this book contains the minimum daily requirements to keep the reader flexible, strong and trim. Organized simply into seven chapters, which equal the seven days of the week, it covers a full week in daily allotments. Each day will have it's own focus from Monday being "fat burning day" to Sunday's "recharge and rejuvenate."

Denise has created a total body program, including a 7-day balanced meal plan that includes healthy recipes, and a workout that encompasses 12 exercises done in 12 minutes each day. Everyone can take just 12 minutes, at whatever time of the day works for them, and turn it over to these simple and fun exercises. Cardio, toning, yoga and breathing exercises...they're all here but in a way the maximizes effect while minimizing time.

Beyond a dozen exercises for each day of the week this book will include many other of Denises dozens for each day. [close]

[close] Fashion curator Athena Smith will do anything to get her hands on the Clayworth family's couture collection for her exhibit. So she's thrilled when she's called in to authenticate the gowns...until she falls ill while examining them and wakes up face-to-face with notorious Chicago bachelor Drew Clayworth.

Drew doesn't trust Athena one bit. He still believes she betrayed him years ago. So when his family's gowns go missing and Athena offers her help in exchange for the dresses, he reluctantly accepts. But they're both taken off guard by the barely restrained passion that's still between them...and the memories that are both bitter and sweet. As they work together to find the dresses, can they resist the sparks between them? [close]

[close] A fair-haired beauty at 19, Lady Mairi is heiress apparent to her father Lord Dunwythie's rich barony. He has carefully taught her how to manage their estates, but a feud between his clan and the Maxwell clan is brewing as the two families edge toward a clan war - their dispute over money owed. Mairi's father believes he owes nothing, and of course Mairi sides with him.

When the impulsive and blue-eyed Rob Maxwell chances to meet Mairi in a barley field, they feel instant attraction, despite their families' antagonisms. Knowing he must put his clan first, Rob enacts a plan to force Dunwythie to pay his debt: Rob kidnaps Mairi, making the abduction appear the work of a stranger; then he and his sheriff-brother offer to help Dunwythis rescue his daughter IF, and only if, he will pay them the monies due. Yet after Rob captures Mairi's body, she captures his heart. When Dunwythie summons the aid of the most powerful clan in all Scotland (the Douglases), clan-tensions rise to a fever pitch. Love takes its own feverish course, as Mairi and Rob join forces to prevent a clash between hot-headed clans, and to protect their budding love. [close]

[close] The night was always Abby Whitman's enemy. As a young girl she walked in her sleep, and one night, she started a fire that scarred her sister for life and left Abby with unbearable guilt . . . and a loneliness that echoes within her. Now Abby has begun blacking out again-with apparently fatal results. A car accident has killed the son of a prominent family. Even though the evidence seems to exonerate her, Abby is plagued by doubts-and soon by mysterious threats. Psychiatrist Dr. Jason Coble is intrigued by Abby and offers to help her explore the dark recesses of her mind. [close]

[close] This book is the story of how three brilliant scholars and one ambitios freshman crossed paths in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the winter of 1960-61, and how their experiences in a psychedelic-drug research project transformed their lives and American culture, launching the Mind/Body/Spirit movement that inspired now-familiar things such as yoga classes, organic produce, and alternative medicine.

It was meant to be a time of joy, a time of peace, and a time of love, but behind the scenes lurked backstabbing, jealousy, and outright betrayal. In spite of all that, the members of The Harvard Psychedelic Club changed the way Americans view religion and practice medicine and the very way we look at body and soul. [close]

[close] A GOOD TALK is an analysis of and guide to that most exclusively human of all activities-- conversation.

Drawing on over forty years of experience in American letters, Menaker pinpoints the factors that drive and enliven every good conversation: the vagaries (and joys) of subtext; the deeper structure and meaning of conversational flow; the subliminal signals that guide our disclosures and confessions; and the countless other hurdles we must clear along the way. Moving beyond self-help musings and "how to" advice, he has created a stylish, funny, and surprising book: a celebration of "the most excusively human of all activities."

In a time when conversation remains deeply important-- for building relationships, for relaxing, even for figuring out who we are-- and also increasingly imperiled (with Blackberries and texting increasingly in vogue), A GOOD TALK is a refreshing celebration of the subtle adventures of a good conversation. [close]

[close] Dear Good Readers,

This is not your ordinary giveaway. It's a boxed trip to the tropical isle of Puerto Rico just in time for the holidays. So while the weather outside is frightful, cozy up with something delightful. I promise you'll feel just about sun-kissed as you read my novel THE TIME IT SNOWED IN PUERTO RICO.

Each gift bag will include a signed copy of THE TIME IT SNOWED IN PUERTO RICO, an array of signature treats and recipes from the book and other authentic Puerto Rican Navidad items. Keep it all to yourself or give it away as a gift! I guarantee the receiver will be thrilled.

I look forward to sending the winners my gorgeous gift bags. Happy Holidays to all of you!

Yours truly, Sarah [close]

[close] The latest installment in the beloved Pink Carnation series

The heroines of Lauren Willig’s irresistible Pink Carnation series have engaged in espionage all over nineteenth-century Europe. Now, our fair English heroine, Miss Penelope Deveraux, travels to India, where she finds freedom—and risk—more exciting than she ever imagined. [close]

[close] This is a powerful and compelling thriller, the story of a young boy of Polish descent, born in Canada who is unable to escape the burden of history. Teddy Labden finds that try as he might he cannot escape his immigrant past and the mystery of his father's record in Eastern Europe. Whilst England draws him ever closer to her bosom Teddy meets a darker side of life full of connections and coincidences that lead him into the dangers of the Secret Service. When the fog of war interrupts his playboy existence Teddy begins to see that like a cog in a machine he can be used or he can become the engineer of events. Through a variety of affairs he looks for the love and affection that is missing in his life. But can he find it? His Polish upbringing forces him to take unexpected sides with consequences that put his life in danger from the Russian agents embedded in MI6. He becomes involved in the fringes of the political assassination of the Polish Prime Minister, but who gave the orders? Teddy is helped by a variety of friends to survive in a world of intrigue hidden from ordinary men and women. "The Engineer" is the first part of his trilogy which concerns events and personalities that moulded the lives of the ordinary people in Europe who sought no more than a better life through revolution and change in the twentieth century. [close]

[close] The Manly Art of Seduction, How to Meet, Talk to, and Become Intimate with Anyone


“Men are not supposed to be seductive.”

Perry Brass heard this while very young, so of course it gave him an open field in a kind of behavior that can be exciting, fulfilling, and satisfying. If you feel you’re always waiting for someone else to make the first move—if you’re traumatized by your fear of rejection and don’t have a clue how to open a conversation or expand the terms of a relationship, The Manly Art of Seduction is a must-have. Brass explains male territorialism, and how it keeps men locked inside themselves. He tells you exactly how to use an understanding of male territorialism to your own advantage, allowing other men to feel secure in the very insecure moments of meeting and negotiating closeness. He talks about making decisions yourself, and how these decisions can be used to make seduction possible—even easy. He deals with the monster of rejection, and how to use mind pictures and exercises to rejection-proof your psyche. At the end of most chapters are questions you can use to tailor this book to your needs, seeing your own progress as you come to master this art.
Although seduction is a part of our commercial environment, Perry Brass has brought it to a place where we can find spiritual and inner nourishment, and where the chronic aloneness of much of life can be changed into a state of genuine delight and deeper sexual and emotional connections.

[close]

[close] If it is true (and it is) that DREAM RUNNER was the book of my heart, then this sequel, DREAM KEEPER, is the book of my soul.

Readers first met Rissa and Dench Traylor in DREAM RUNNER, and now they're back with DREAM KEEPER, their own story. She's always loved him and he would walk through fire for her, but a nearly perfect marriage of five years is not enough for Rissa.

Dench was her bother's best friend before he became her husband, and she knows that the one thing (beyond her) that he has always craved is the attachment of family. Children, or at least one perfect baby would fulfill all his dreams for them, and that is her wish.

So this Christmas, for the woman who has everything ... will a baby ever make three? [close]

[close] Happy Holidays! Author Holly Hardin will giving away 5 signed copies of her new book Aurora of the Northern Lights.

Gorgeously illustrated in full color by renowned artist Donald Vanderbeek, Aurora of the Northern Lights combines a story of adventure, sprites and magical charms with a subtle message of tolerance. The book follows the journey of Aurora, who is left alone and friendless after losing her parents. But Aurora isn’t the same as everybody else, and as she sets out alone, she finds it hard to find anyone who cares about her story⎯even at Christmastime⎯because of her differences.

As her trek continues, Aurora receives three special gifts to keep her safe, along with important clues about her true home. Before it’s over, she’ll encounter a host of bizarre-looking creatures until she winds up at the location of the world’s most famous bearded man. And Santa’s workshop might just be the place Aurora has been searching for...

Kids are sure to respond to the adorable figure of Aurora, whimsically drawn elves and other creatures, as well as Hardin’s lyrical prose. Parents and educators will appreciate the important message of tolerating all cultures, which is made without hitting kids over the head with it.

The book’s compelling message and gorgeous artwork impressed author Greg Elliot. “Aurora of the Northern Lights could become for a new generation what The Night Before Christmas has been before it: a seasonal classic,” he said.

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[close] Do you remember how you felt when you were learning to drive? You were nervous. You were scared. Your heart was racing and your mouth was dry. You were so frightened by failure that you wanted to call it quits...except that you were more thrilled by the chance to experience something that could lead to freedom. Justin Cane, a Mississippi farmer’s young boy in the summer of 1959, feels the same way as he learns about driving and about life. Justin’s mentor is his father’s trusted black farmhand, Able. Able comes across as an incredibly strong man, both physical and spiritually. As Justin and Able take a road trip together through the low lands of the Mississippi Delta, the boy learns not only to drive on the open road but, more importantly, about the wonder and cruelty of life. [close]

[close] When Paha Sapa, a young Sioux warrior, "counts coup" on General George Armstrong Custer as Custer lies dying on the battlefield at the Little Bighorn, the legendary general's ghost enters him - and his voice will speak to him for the rest of his event-filled life.

Seamlessly weaving together the stories of Paha Sapa, Custer, and the American West, Dan Simmons depicts a tumultuous time in the history of both Native and white Americans. Haunted by Custer's ghost, and also by his ability to see into the memories and futures of legendary men like Sioux war-chief Crazy Horse, Paha Sapa's long life is driven by a dramatic vision he experienced as a boy in his people's sacred Black Hills. In August of 1936, a dynamite worker on the massive Mount Rushmore project, Paha Sapa plans to silence his ghost forever and reclaim his people's legacy-on the very day FDR comes to Mount Rushmore to dedicate the Jefferson face. [close]

[close] From Denise Austin comes the perfect health book for anyone who wants to live better but just can't seem to find the time. Much more than just another excercise book, Denise's Daily Dozen covers a whole range of health and diet related concepts yet manages it all in a no-stress, time-conscious program of 12's. At it's core, this book contains the minimum daily requirements to keep the reader flexible, strong and trim. Organized simply into seven chapters, which equal the seven days of the week, it covers a full week in daily allotments. Each day will have it's own focus from Monday being "fat burning day" to Sunday's "recharge and rejuvenate."

Denise has created a total body program, including a 7-day balanced meal plan that includes healthy recipes, and a workout that encompasses 12 exercises done in 12 minutes each day. Everyone can take just 12 minutes, at whatever time of the day works for them, and turn it over to these simple and fun exercises. Cardio, toning, yoga and breathing exercises...they're all here but in a way the maximizes effect while minimizing time.

Beyond a dozen exercises for each day of the week this book will include many other of Denises dozens for each day. [close]

[close] Every year, millions of people around the globe celebrate Christmas. But what does it all mean? Drawing from both the Old and New Testaments, noted pastor and theologian David Jeremiah provides answers to 25 of the most thought-provoking questions surrounding the most pivotal moment in human history—the birth of Jesus Christ. The 25 chapters can be read according to the Advent calendar. [close]

[close] The riveting story of the two crusading lawyers who led the legal battle to end segregation, one case and one courtroom at a time.

The Supreme Court’s decision in Brown v. Board of Education is widely considered a seminal point in the battle to end segregation, but it was in fact the culmination of a decades-long legal campaign. Root and Branch is the epic story of the two fiercely dedicated lawyers who led the fight from county courthouses to the marble halls of the Supreme Court, and, in the process, laid the legal foundations of the civil rights movement.

Charles Hamilton Houston was the pioneer: After becoming the first African-American on the Harvard Law Review, he transformed the law school at all-black Howard University into a West Point for civil rights advocacy.

One of Houston’s students at Howard was a brash young man named Thurgood Marshall. Soon after Marshall’s graduation, Houston and Marshall opened the NAACP’s legal office. The abstemious, proper Houston and the folksy, easygoing Marshall made an unlikely duo, but together they faced down angry Southern mobs, negotiated with presidents and senators, and convinced even racist judges and juries that the Constitution demanded equal justice under law for all American citizens.

Houston, tragically, would die before his strategy came to fruition in the Brown suit, but Marshall would argue the case victoriously and go on to become the first African-American Supreme Court justice—always crediting his mentor for teaching him everything he knew. Together, the two advocates changed the course of American history. [close]

[close] At the Paradise Trailer Park in Hixson, Tennessee, life for Grace Place is all about sucking on “meat jerkys” and having amorous encounters with Lenny Bean, her handsome lover. However, Grace’s mother has loftier plans for her daughter and insists that Grace save her money and move to New York City so she can find fame and fortune as an actress.

Intent on pacifying her mama, Grace works as a cleaning lady for wealthy Betty Ann Houseman so she can pool her pennies for the trip north. Grace soon discovers that Betty Ann has a passion for men more pronounced than her overbite, and it isn’t long before she’s parting the sheets for Lenny Bean. But just before she leaves Hixson, Grace uncovers an insidious plot the eccentric Bean family has devised to steal Betty Ann’s estate.

Filled with anger but intent on keeping her promise to her mama, Grace and her best friend, Ginny Jo, flee to New York City. Amid the drama of the 1960s, and the absurdity of her life, Grace faces her darkest hours and her greatest opportunity to flourish. In a world of surprises, and unforeseen events, Grace truly discovers paradise.

Dancing Backward in Paradise is a Winner of the 2007 Eric Hoffer Award for publishing excellence and Winner of the 2007 Indie Excellence Award for Notable new fiction. [close]

[close] Denis Johnson meets David Mitchell in this darkly beautiful and daringly creative novel by two-time Booker Prize nominee Jon McGregor.

On a cold, quiet day between Christmas and the New Year, a man’s body is found in an abandoned apartment. His friends look on, but they’re dead, too, their bodies found in remote corners of the city. Victims of heroin overdose, they’re in the shadows, a chorus keeping vigil as the hours pass, paying homage as their friend’s body is taken away, examined, investigated, and cremated.

All of their stories are laid out piece by broken piece through a series of fractured narratives—of lives fallen through the cracks, hopes flaring and dying, love overwhelmed by a stronger need, and the havoc wrought by drugs, distress, and the disregard of the wider world. These invisible people live in a parallel reality, out of reach of basic creature comforts, like food and shelter. In their sudden deaths, it becomes clear, they are treated with more respect than they ever were in their short lives.

Intense, exhilarating, and shot through with hope and fury, Even the Dogs is an intimate exploration of life at the edges of society—littered with love, loss, despair, and a half-glimpse of redemption. [close]

[close] In 2007, Hasbro began to celebrate the 25th Anniversary of My Little Pony with collectible ponies, playsets and more for young MLP fans and collectors alike. From convention exclusives and hard to find special offers to the sets available in retail stores, Summer Hayes’ The My Little Pony 2007-2008 Collector’s Inventory provides everything the collector of any age needs to organize their collection. With hundreds of full color photos of items both in and out of packaging as well as checklists for the collector to keep track of all the tiny accessories, this guide picks up where the Crystal Princess set left off and continues into the 25th Anniversary Celebration. Featuring fan favorites like the Core Seven, So-Soft and Dress-Up ponies, it explores not only the standard sized MLP figures but also the smaller Ponyville figures, large figures such as plush and McDonald’s fast food premiums, making it the ultimate reference guide for even the casual collector. [close]

[close] A heart-wrenching, powerfully written novel that could do for Palestine what The Kite Runner did for Afghanistan.

Forcibly removed from the ancient village of Ein Hod by the newly formed state of Israel in 1948, the Abulhejas are moved into the Jenin refugee camp. There, exiled from his beloved olive groves, the family patriarch languishes of a broken heart, his eldest son fathers a family and falls victim to an Israeli bullet, and his grandchildren struggle against tragedy toward freedom, peace, and home. This is the Palestinian story, told as never before, through four generations of a single family.

The very precariousness of existence in the camps quickens life itself. Amal, the patriarch's bright granddaughter, feels this with certainty when she discovers the joys of young friendship and first love and especially when she loses her adored father, who read to her daily as a young girl in the quiet of the early dawn. Through Amal we get the stories of her twin brothers, one who is kidnapped by an Israeli soldier and raised Jewish; the other who sacrifices everything for the Palestinian cause. Amal’s own dramatic story threads between the major Palestinian-Israeli clashes of three decades; it is one of love and loss, of childhood, marriage, and parenthood, and finally of the need to share her history with her daughter, to preserve the greatest love she has.

Previously published in a hardcover edition with a limited run under the title The Scar of David, this powerful novel is now available in a fully revised, newly titled paperback edition. The deep and moving humanity of Mornings in Jenin forces us to take a fresh look at one of the defining political conflicts of our lifetimes. [close]

[close] “Unforgettable…Nelson, witty yet sympathetic, articulates our pains and troubles better than we do. Could it be that she knows us better than we know ourselves?”—San Francisco Chronicle

In these eleven stories, Nelson renders all the complexity, ambiguity, and beauty of daily life: the comforting rituals and unexpected disruptions, the maintenance of family ties and the poignant struggles of romance. Nothing Right is honest, witty, and revelatory, showcasing a brilliant writer at the top of her form. [close]

[close] “Dolan has written a superb history of the Irish in this country…The book explains why so many Americans who have an option to choose their own ethnic identity decide that they want to be Irish.”—Andrew M. Greeley

Acclaimed scholar Jay Dolan’s panoramic account of the Irish experience in the United States follows immigrants from arrival to empowerment, from the dark days of the Great Famine to John F. Kennedy’s election to the presidency. Drawing on original research and recent scholarship, The Irish Americans is the first general history of Irish-Americans since the 1960s. Rich in detail, balanced in judgment, and the most comprehensive work of its kind yet published, this is a must-read for anyone with an interest in the Irish-American tradition. [close]

[close] "How long are you staying, Boppo?"
"Forever."

When his daughter, Amy—a gifted doctor, mother, and wife—collapsed and died from an asymptomatic heart condition, Roger Rosenblatt and his wife, Ginny, left their home on the South Shore of Long Island to move in with their son-in-law, Harris, and their three young grandchildren: six-year-old Jessica, four-year-old Sammy, and one year-old James, known as Bubbies.

Long past the years of diapers, homework, and recitals, Roger and Ginny—Boppo and Mimi to the kids—quickly reaccustomed themselves to the world of small children: bedtime stories, talking toys, playdates, nonstop questions, and nonsequential thought. Though still reeling from Amy’s death, they carried on, reconstructing a family, sustaining one another, and guiding three lively, alert, and tenderhearted children through the pains and confusions of grief. As he marveled at the strength of his son-in-law, a surgeon, and the tenacity and skill of his wife, a former kindergarten teacher, Roger attended each day to “the one household duty I have mastered”—preparing the morning toast perfectly to each child’s liking.

With the wit, heart, precision, and depth of understanding that has characterized his work, Roger Rosenblatt peels back the layers on this most personal of losses to create both a tribute to his late daughter and a testament to familial love. The day Amy died, Harris told Ginny and Roger, “It’s impossible.” Roger’s story tells how a family makes the possible of the impossible.

Early praise for MAKING TOAST:

“A painfully beautiful memoir telling how grandparents are made over into parents, how people die out of order, how time goes backwards. Written with such restraint as to be both heartbreaking and instructive.”
— E.L. Doctorow

“Written so forthrightly, but so delicately, that you feel you’re a part of this family. Rosenblatt’s writing turns a story that might be too uncomfortable to read, or too sentimental, in the direction of simple facts that required sophisticated, but instinctual, responses. How lucky some of us are to see clearly what needs to be done, even in the saddest, most life-altering circumstances.
— Ann Beattie

Roger Rosenblatt means, I believe, to teach patience, love, a fondness for the quotidian, and a deftness for saving the lost moment—when faced with lacerating loss. These are brilliant lessons, fiercely-learned. But Rosenblatt comes to them and to us—suitably—with immense humility.
— Richard Ford [close]

[close] Tragedy tore the Bennett children apart when their mother walked out on them several years ago, followed by the suicide of a brother. Now, the five grown siblings, each brilliant, troubled and a little wacky, face personal crises that will bring them back together in a new way.

Mark, a student at Stanford University is brilliant at String Theory but a novice at relationships. Having made a fatal faux pas at a university function, he now must have “sessions” with the university’s formidable psychologist, Dr. Himmel, and family issues as well as the hopeless love he carries for a co-worker begin to emerge.

Mary, the eldest sister and surrogate mother, struggles with caring for their father Frank, a once famous furniture-maker, whose dementia is spiraling beyond Mary’s control.

Luke, the fragile youngest brother has been latched onto by a tattooed nymph named Willow.

Ellie, artist and free spirit, whose much younger lover has left her pregnant and alone on a far-flung Greek island, asks Mary to come get her and bring her home to Santa Barbara to have her baby.

Sarah, Ellie’s identical twin, and up and coming New York photographer, has a drama of her own, she has discovered a homeless woman who may or may not be the missing mother, Jean, who walked out on them twenty-some years ago.

Told in emails, missed phone messages, and their unique and sometimes heartbreaking voices, A Theory of All Things weaves a lyrical, mesmerizing story of a family, who has loved and lost, who is broken, but is mending.
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[close] Publishers Weekly - "Odrach's delightfully sardonic novel about Stalinist occupation of Belarus that began in 1939 is rich with history, horror and comedy."

This remarkable novel, hidden from the English-speaking world for almost 50 years, begins with the Red Army invasion of eastern Poland (now Belarus) in 1939. Ivan Kulik has just become headmaster of School Number 7 in Hlaby, a rural village in the Pinsk Marshes. Through his eyes we witness the tragedy of Stalinist domination, where people are randomly deported or tortured in Zovty Prison. Ivan's passion for Marusia, a green-eyed, unpredictable young woman, is a theme throughout the book.

PRAISE FOR WAVE OF TERROR

"Theodore Odrach is that rare thing, a political novelist who is also an artist of the first rank." - Times Literary Supplement.

"Powerful novel details dark realities of living under Stalin." - Winnipeg Free Press.

"Odrach has almost a journalistic eye for the story he wants to tell. I felt he was in the same league as Alexander Solzhenitsyn." - Alberto Manguel, Globe and Mail.

Wave of Terror is news that stays news and should be on the shelves of libraries where patrons care about the world beyond their immediate ambit." - Library Journal.

"Compared to Solzhenitsyn and Orwell for his journalistic storytelling abilities, Odrach has a terse, compact style." - Russian Life.


*This is the second round for Wave of Terror, mainly because a number of Goodreads friends and members mentioned non-English speaking countries were too often excluded from the Giveaways. With them in mind, this time I've listed all countries. Thanks for your interest!

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[close] "Starting a new chapter" is how Kayla's mother, Marilyn, has always referred to their abrupt moves—five in the past two years. But what 15-year-old Kayla hates even more than moving is Marilyn's drinking. It once landed Kayla in foster care, and she'll do anything to keep that from happening again, even if it means making sacrifices in her own life to keep her mother from falling apart.

Now Marilyn has moved them to New Mexico and promised, yet again, to quit booze for good. Kayla knows better than to believe her, but something about this move does feel different. Kayla is putting down roots, earning money as a dog walker, and spending time with Remy, a 24-year-old musician. And after years of taking care of her mother, Kayla is starting to think of herself and who she wants to be. She knows for sure who she doesn't want to be. But is she willing to do whatever it takes to create a different life for herself—even if it means leaving her mother behind?

Sharply honest and beautifully written, this powerful novel is about loving someone else enough to stay with her through anything—and loving yourself enough to let her go. [close]

[close] Up for grabs: One autographed hardcover copy of HATE LIST:

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman’s boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saves the life of a classmate, but is implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things they hated. The list her boyfriend used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.
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[close] Nur scheinbar beginnt für Theo Lindner, Partner einer international agierenden Anwaltskanzlei und Familienvater, ein ganz normaler Arbeitstag in Berlin: In einer unvorhergesehen anberaumten Sitzung erfährt er, dass sein Kollege Joachim Peters Opfer einer Entführung geworden ist – die 25 Millionen DM Lösegeld sollen die Mitglieder der Sozietät aus ihrem Privatvermögen berappen. Innerhalb der Sozietät beginnt ein nervenaufreibendes Tauziehen um den adäquaten Umgang mit der Notlage, denn einerseits kann sich jeder Teilhaber als potenzielles Opfer mit dem Entführten identifizieren, andererseits empfinden alle ihr materielles Wohlergehen auf Jahre hinaus bedroht.
Die Lage spitzt sich zu, als das zweite Lebenszeichen verschlüsselte Hinweise auf Peters’ Aufenthaltsort zu enthalten scheint und er Theo Lindner, mit dem ihn privat nichts außergewöhnlich verbindet, explizit Grüße zukommen lässt …

Ein atemberaubend spannender Krimi im Juristen-Milieu, authentisch und psychologisch brillant.
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[close] In the hustle and bustle of today's busy world, sometimes it's hard enough to hear yourself think, much less take a minute to stop and listen for the voice of God. But learning to recognize God's voice and the many ways in which He speaks is vital for following His plan. This devotional; drawing from How to Hear From God, Knowing God Intimately, and The Power Of Simple Prayer shows the reader through a daily reminder, how God speaks through their own thoughts and feelings, their dreams, and the words of other people.

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[close] IN 1867, Felicity Gabriel moves to IL to start an orphanage in a grand house she has inherited. Little does she know that love will find her there. A little girl is the matchmaker. [close]

[close] Growing up on a poor farm in Missouri and learning how to sing opera from her war-scarred father, young Christina Cross has no idea that the powerful forces of good and evil, of music and war, will one day pull her into the maelstrom of World War II compelling her to make life-or-death decisions about who she is fighting for in her life, and the price that she is willing to pay.

Evensong transports the reader to early 1940s Paris where Christina and her sister, Nicolette go to live with their uncle, Philippe Petain. As the Premier of France, he orders her to sing for and entertain Hitler and other high-ranking Nazi thugs, not realizing that she has been recruited by French underground leader Laurent de Gauvion Saint Cyr, who falls in love with her. Christina refuses to comply with her uncle's order which angers Hitler, leading to the imprisonment of Nicolette. Laurent tries to free Nicolette, but then learns that Christina has been apprehended and given to one of the angry Nazi officials who delights in torturing his victims.

Christina is forced to sing for her captor, and chooses a piece that reflects the phenomenal bravery of the members of the French underground who gave everything in their fight against their German oppressors.

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[close] In The Vance Legacy, Ms Glenn explores the cataclysmic consequences of unrevealed family secrets. The story takes place thirty years before the Civil War and moves from the bigotry of class separation in old Philadelphia society to the violent dogma of a southern tobacco plantation.

The turbulent lives of two women traverse because of the corrupt and prejudice society of the south and the love they share for the same man. Their relationship begins as a bitter rivalry but through the deception, passion, and pain that they both endure, grows a compassion for each other that neither understands.

The Vance Legacy is woven around a powerful southern family whose tyrannical patriarch refuses to right the wrongs committed during his lifetime or even acknowledges their existence. His death leaves his family a legacy of lies and misdeeds that will eventually tear his family asunder.
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[close] Unfortunately, getting older can be a career killer. That's what entertainment journalist Lisa Johnson Mandell discovered when she sent out a resume that made her sound like an aged veteran. Her new career makeover guide-expanded from the Wall Street Journal article about revamping her "older" image to land her dream job-acknowledges that experience matters, but looking and acting up-to-date matter just as much. Mandell provides ten strategies for putting a youthful spin on resumes, Web pages, and personal presentation. [close]

[close] In all of the roles Chad Hennings has been privileged to play in life he has seen that the persistent "go-it-alone" myth in our society traps men from connecting in a meaningful way with other men. In fact, men in our society are emotionally disconnected from each other and from God.

In this book Chad wants to share the lessons he has learned that will make a difference in men's lives and tear down the walls that separate men from each other and their true selves.

This book will offer men a plan for a new approach to life that stresses:






Crafting character and vision for ones self

Healing the troubled past

Developing a work ethic

Commiting to self-care

Finding fulfillment

Living with spirituality

Making a strategic life plan

Serving the family

Male bonding

Developing an understanding of money

Community service

Redefining success
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[close] By analysing Jacob's story this book looks at our current culture, especially urban living and the reasons for the good and bad points of how we live today. It doesnt just state the facts but looks at ways of tackling culture to bring out more or the good, turning round what affects us and finds out how we can affect 'it' in return. [close]

[close] This giveaway is for a loosely edited limited edition of If It Don't Hurt It Ain't Love by Junnita Jackson.

No one knows love lust and lost like the women in this passion filled drama. [close]

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Crazy Circus World is a portal into a different and unique world.
It is a place where imagination is encouraged and vocabularies are expanded.


“Dr. Jayce is a perfect mix of Shel Silverstein & Dr. Seuss! His writing is fun, captivating, and has a positive message that any parent should love.”


“Crazy Circus World is a delightful, quirky tale that reminds us to never settle for life in the shadows but instead embrace a life vibrant with creativity, no matter what others might think.”
-Laura J. Bagby, CBN.com

“Jayce O’Neal is an amazing writer and human being. He is entertaining, amusing, as well as reflective and spiritually profound. I wish everyone could get to know him as their personal friend, and maybe through his writing they can.”
-Tracie Peterson, best-selling author of The Heirs of Montana and Brides of Gallatin County series.

“Dr. Jayce makes reading fun again. Kids and parents will eat Crazy Circus World up.”
-Hannah Goodwyn, CBN.com

Book Details: 40 page picture book. [close]

[close] This collection represents the poet’s desire to carve out the sensual, heartbreaking, mysterious and unjust in the Los Angeleno landscape. Griselda Suárez presents her journey of struggle and empowerment through poetry. Concrete River Boulevard is part of the Tenth Anniversary Chapbook Series.

Poet and publisher Eloise Klein Healy says that Griselda Suárez’ poems offer “the same kind of beauty as objects found on altars.” Dr. Anna M. Sandoval notes Suárez’s “crafted eloquence portrays East Los Angeles as a place of refuge, love, dreams and magic. These poems are a remarkable contribution to a new generation of urban Latina voices.” This small collection redefines nature in the urban landscape and seeks to represent her struggle and empowerment as a Latino writer. As stated by award-winning poet Alurista, Suárez’s poetry “is in a bout of fifteen rounds y gana con un knockout.”
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[close] Winner of the iUniverse Editor's Choice Award!

A Journey Forgotten, by author Emily Noll, follows writer Connor Anderson who is plagued by a bad case of writer’s block. When Connor takes a serious fall during an innocent encounter with a leggy prospect, he finds himself shifting between his hospital bed and a spaceship where everyone calls him Captain. Trying to reconcile the two worlds, his sense of self, and which life is really his, Connor is forced to step into his Captain role as he and his crew discovers an apocalyptic danger that threatens the existence of literally everything.

Which world is his world and which life will win out is anyone’s guess, least of all Conner’s, but one thing is clear, writer’s block is the least of his problems. Told with wit and humor and written in masterful prose, A Journey Forgotten will keep you guessing while it entertains every step of the way. Noll has written a book in the best tradition of space-opera sci-fi. This is a book that will not only interest science fiction fans, but also anyone who loves a great adventure well-told.
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[close] In the late seventies, at the age of eighteen and with a seventh-grade education, Dolly Freed wrote Possum Living about the five years she and her father lived off the land on a half-acre lot outside of Philadelphia. At the time of its publication in 1978, Possum Living became an instant classic, known for its plucky narration and no-nonsense practical advice on how to quit the rat race and live frugally. In her delightful, straightforward, and irreverent style, Freed guides readers on how to buy and maintain a home, dress well, cope with the law, stay healthy, save money, and be lazy, proud, miserly, and honest, all while enjoying leisure and keeping up a middle-class façade.

Thirty years later, Freed's philosophy is world-renowned and Possum Living remains as fascinating, inspirational, and pertinent as it was upon its original publication. This updated edition includes new reflections, insights, and life lessons from an older and wiser Dolly Freed, whose knowledge of how to live like a possum has given her financial security and the confidence to try new ventures.

Following her success as an author, Dolly Freed grew up to be a NASA aerospace engineer. She put herself through college after she aced the SATs with an education she received from the public library. She has also been an environmental educator, business owner, and college professor. She lives in Texas with her husband and two children.
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[close] Over five million listeners tune in to hear Yolanda Adams's Points of Power, a segment in her daily radio show that inspires people by applying biblical truths to present-day realities. In her first book, Yolanda Adams transfers that winning segment into a reader's delight. In this highly accessible manual for daily living, she shares stories from her and others's personal experiences, showing readers how to access God's love and grace in their modern world and troubles. By revealing how Yolanda and other human beings have transcended the world's difficulties, POINTS OF POWER empowers readers to face trouble with confidence in the God who never fails. [close]

[close] Danyana Morneen is the only child of a shoemaker in a small village. Her mother dies when Danyana is still very young, and she is raised by her father. Nickolas, the wealthy son of a local merchant falls in love with the girl and pursues her relentlessly. As Danyana struggles to find herself, she tries in vain to keep the boy’s advances at bay.
The girl’s strong fascination with the haunted forest that surrounds her village causes her father to worry. However Danyana continues to try to unravel the secret of the forest. She uncovers old legends and myths, a long forgotten tale of tragic love, and a mysterious stranger.
As she ventures further into the forest and its secrets, she discovers a hidden estate in the very heart of the woods. Surrounded by magic she cannot comprehend, the girl finds a rose garden where even in the dead of winter, the buds bloom in abundance. Her visits to the garden of roses become more frequent, and she becomes aware of a presence in the dilapidated old mansion.
Nickolas fears he is losing his true love to another, and begins a relentless campaign to claim Danyana’s heart, smearing the fine line of love and obsession. Danyana’s confusion over her feelings for Nickolas is made stronger as she is haunted by the shadowy presence of the gardens mysterious keeper.
Danyana finally comes face to face with the owner of the estate, though he keeps himself in shadows, she finds herself falling in love. Her shadowy companion holds her at arms length, determined not to return her affection. Nickolas tracks her to the estate, and challenges her protector. The entire legend of the garden is revealed, and Danyana chooses the path that will change her future forever.

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[close] Cry of My Heart
Winner of the 2009 San Diego Christian Writers Guild Nancy Bayless Award.

"Lonnie clutched the hem of her wedding dress in one hand and held her sister's small fingers in her other. She tried ot focus on the muddy path in front of her. 'Lord, be my strength.' The day ahead seemed impossible, the months and years even more so.
-------
Overwhelmed, Gideon looked away from his new bride. Whatever dreams Lonnie had had for the future-they were gone now. He had stolen them. By his own greed and deceit he had won his prize and she had lost everything."


A turn-of-the-century tale that delves deep into the heart of the Blue Ridge Mountains...and the courageous spirit and will of the mountainfolk. [close]

[close] The revelatory and haunting journey of a struggling single mother from South Carolina who discovers she's expecting another child. Unafraid to confront issues with no simple answers, Seitz has constructed a story of ultimate redemption in SAVING CICADAS, told through the voice of a young child. A moving narrative about family, loss and longing, and the transforming power of truth, SAVING CICADAS is an eloquent reminder that life is a miracle—and even the smallest soul is a gift.

"will leave you awe-struck" - author Beth Webb Hart

"illuminating" - Fireside Books & Gifts

"marvelously memorable" - Publishers Weekly [close]

[close] Joey Kanga Roo enrolls in music class. He goes to the music store with his mom to buy an instrument. He only has one year to learn how to play it. He gets into the store very surprised. What instrument will he choose? Will he be able to learn how to play it before the school concert?

www.joeykangaroo.net
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[close] When Patricia, “the naïve American” meets Gregori, “the gorgeous Greek”, her Sicilian-born father takes spectacularly extreme measures to try to stop her from marrying him. This is just one of many wrong reasons why Patricia is all the more determined to do so. She even moves with Gregori to Greece, where he insists he must be in order to be happy. Once there, she discovers that though she might not save her marriage, she just might save herself. With vivid descriptions of life in beautiful, modern-day Greece, this memoir is both a tasty treat and an exhilarating sail on the Hellenic seas through xenophobia, dysfunctional family units, religious ravings, obsessive protocols, political disorder, European football, and fabulous food. Marin Independent Journal calls this book "delicious" and bitchbuzz.com says it'd "witty, human, readable." So, as the Italians say, Buon Appetito! (Good Appetite!) As the Greeks say, Kalo Taxidi! (Good Voyage!) [close]

[close] Collide, A love story.
Leah Bowen is her own worst enemy. Just when she believes she's chosen the right path for her life, she finds herself isolated, devastated, and alone in a new city, almost two-thousand miles away from the man she truly loves. But when Leah reaches rock bottom, with only her beloved jewelry company, Firefly, to cling to, she realizes that it's time to listen to her heart. Leah must fight for her life - literally - to escape her icy prison in Chicago and return to the warmth of the Phoenix desert, and to her one true love, Hayden Thompson. [close]

[close] CULT Fiction is an out-spoken introduction to Chancery Stone's notorious DANNY Quadrilogy, a taste of what's to come - if you're big enough to take it.

Poison Pixie Publishing have three of these fantastic little books to give away to lucky readers.


From the Back Cover:


The DANNY Quadrilogy: Scarlet Magazine, Five stars, Book of the Month two years running: April 2005 & January 2008

Book Description:

The DANNY Quadrilogy - Porn? Romance? Roman noir? Or just a sick foray into family dysfunction, degradation and sleaze? Now's your chance to find out. From profiling the average deviant to the list of definitive DANNY movies, you will find All You Ever Wanted To Know About DANNY But Were Afraid To Ask between these small but dirt-packed pages. Reading may never be the same again........


About the Author:

Chancery Stone lives in a monastery in Greece where she tends llamas and communes with the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe.

"Vulgar, graphic, explicit and in your face objectionable!"

UNSUITABLE for THOSE UNDER 18 YEARS
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[close] Linwood Barclay is back with more unexpected twists and superb characters in a spine-tingling, mesmerizing thriller about a husband whose wife disappears, along with everything he thought he knew about their life together.

David Harwood, a reporter in Promise Falls, New York, is stressed out. His paper is outsourcing jobs to India, he can't get a solid lead on the corrupt for-profit prison moving to town, and his wife, Jan, is struggling with a bout of depression. As a much-needed break, David and Jan decide to take their four-year-old son, Ethan, to a local amusement park for a day of ice cream, roller coasters, and carefree fun. Within an hour of arriving at the park, Ethan goes missing and panic quickly replaces revelry. David thinks that his day can't get any worse, but when his child is found and his wife disappears, panic escalates into full-blown terror. Desperately searching for any clue that could lead him to Jan, David unravels a tangle of lies and deception that gets more complicated with every turn. [close]

[close] In her latest enchanting novel, New York Times bestelling author Sarah Addison Allen invites you to a quirky little Southern town with more magic than a full Carolina moon. Here two very different women discover how to find their place in the world…no matter how out of place they feel.

Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. For instance, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? Why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew—a reclusive, real-life gentle giant—she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life.

Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes.

Everyone in Mullaby adores Julia Winterson’s cakes. She offers them to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth and in the hope of bringing back the love she fears she’s lost forever. In Julia, Emily may have found a link to her mother’s past. But why is everyone trying to discourage Emily’s growing relationship with the handsome and mysterious son of Mullaby’s most prominent family? Emily came to Mullaby to get answers, but all she’s found so far are more questions.

Is there really a ghost dancing in her backyard? Can a cake really bring back a lost love?
In this town of lovable misfits, maybe the right answer is the one that just feels…different.
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[close] Cody shyly averted her gaze downward after hearing Lance's seemingly unbelievable compliment to her, but somehow she knew that his azure eyes were burning straight into her with an undeniably newfound fire.

As an impoverished and shy teenager, Cody finds a married doctor quite alluring, including his sexy southern drawl. However, once he leaves for Texas, his wife's life is suddenly ripped from him during a tragic auto accident; and he never fully recovers from her untimely death. The subsequent, everlasting shock waves would ultimately follow him for the remainder of his life, while Cody eagerly joins him for the ride. Thrust from a life of poverty into a life of privilege, Cody ultimately learns that, indeed, money certainly doesn't buy happiness; although true love can eternally persevere...

'Southern Bloodlines' is the first novel in a two-part series that explores the explosive saga of the Dallas family. [close]

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The children of a once brilliant playwright and a struggling actress, the four Haas children grew up in chaos - raised in an environment composed of neglect and glamour in equal measure. When their father dies, they must depend on their intense but fragile bond to remember what it means to be family despite years of anger and hurt. These brothers and sisters are painfully human, sometimes selfish, and almost always making the wrong decisions, but their endearing struggles provide laughter through tears- something anyone who's ever had a sibling can relate to. [close]

[close] When Lily’s guardians decided to send her away to a fancy boarding school in Chicago, she was shocked. So was St. Sophia’s. Lily’s ultra-rich brat pack classmates think Lily should be the punchline to every joke, and on top of that, she’s hearing strange noises and seeing bizarre things in the shadows of the creepy building.

The only thing keeping her sane is her roommate, Scout, but even Scout’s a little weird—she keeps disappearing late at night and won’t tell Lily where she’s been. But when a prank leaves Lily trapped in the catacombs beneath the school, Lily finds Scout running from a real monster.

Scout’s a member of a splinter group of rebel teens with unique magical talents, who’ve sworn to protect the city against demons, vampires, and Reapers, magic users who’ve been corrupted by their power. And when Lily finds herself in the line of firespell, Scout tells her the truth about her secret life, even though Lily has no powers of her own—at least none that she’s discovered yet… [close]

[close] Get your new year off to a great start with The Optimist by Laurence Shorter:

Today we face a greater range of potential disasters than ever before

Laurence Shorter is feeling anxious. Every time he turns on the radio or opens a newspaper he finds another reason to be tearful. It’s time to make a change.

The Optimist charts Laurence’s quest for inner happiness. Can Desmond Tutu bring a smile to Laurence’s face? Will he ride out the tide of pessimism with California’s famous Surfing Rabbi? Or will it fall to the ultimate icon of optimism, Bill Clinton, to show Laurence the brighter side of life?

The Optimist is a hilarious and life-affirming stand against the grind of everyday strife. [close]

[close] Wyatt Hunt-hero of Lescroart's New York Times bestseller The Hunt Club-returns with a new protege in an intricate, tightly plotted thriller set against San Fransisco's thriving charity scene. [close]

[close] The first 29 episodes of Drew Bradley's popular webcomic, Hero ( http://hero.vasegurt.com ) printed on paper in full-color, and professionally bound!

Hero protects Heroine and City, battling Villain/Villian/Sean and aliens!

This is Volume 1, which is composed of Story Arcs 1 - 3. [close]

[close] Teen fencing champ, Elizabeth Latimer, is a girl of her times. Armed with the latest pocket PC, she leaps into an oceanic vortex in pursuit of Daniel, an oh-so-awesome pirate. He knows the whereabouts of her missing marine archaeologist mom, but instead of reuniting them, he bamboozles her into an impossible mission—to help the pirate Calico Jack Rackham rescue his girlfriend Anne Bonny.

In a world where men solve their problems by running a foot of steel into their enemies' guts, Elizabeth has few weapons at her disposal. The Universe has its rules—and Liz is bound by two of them. Number one. Don't reveal modern technology to the pirates. Number two. Don't kill anyone. If she breaks either of these rules, she'll change history and alter the future. [close]

[close] He came to the colonies for one reason: revenge. Drake Amberly, Duke of Hawk Haven, won't leave South Carolina until he's unmasked the colonial spy who killed his brother. Yet the more he sees of spirited Elise Cooper, the more he's moved by the happiness she brings him…never suspecting the dangerous secret she hides.

Her faith drives Elise to spy for the rebels, dreaming only of freedom for her homeland. Then she meets Drake, and learns that love could be hers, as well. When his pursuit of "The Fox" brings him dangerously close to the truth, she'll risk everything to prove that love and forgiveness are all they need.

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[close] The first in a stunning epic trilogy about the rise and fall of one of history's greatest villains.

It’s the dawn of the 5th century AD and the Roman Empire teeters on the edge of the abyss. Rumors abound of a new power rising in the east, a barbarous nation of horse-warriors known as the Huns, striking terror in border tribes with brutal force. And now they have a new leader, one of the most ruthless in history. His name is Attila, or ‘the Scourge of God.’ Only one man stands against him: Aetius, Master-General, known as ‘The Last of the Romans’.

And so begins a legendary saga of warfare, lust and power, which brought the civilized world to its knees. It is a story of two men: one who wanted to destroy the world, and one who fought the ultimate battle to save it.

To read the first 2 chapters now, visit: www.stmartins.com/attila [close]

[close] COVER COPY:

Hunger for nourishment.
Hunger for touch.
Hunger to belong.

Half-human and half-faery, Ani is driven by her hungers. Those same appetites also attract powerful enemies and uncertain allies, including Devlin. He was created as an assassin and is brother to the faeries’ coolly logical High Queen and to her chaotic twin, the embodiment of War. Devlin wants to keep Ani safe from his sisters, knowing that if he fails, he will be the instrument of Ani’s death.

Ani isn’t one to be guarded while others fight battles for her, though. She has the courage to protect herself and the ability to alter Devlin’s plans—and his life. The two are drawn together, each with reason to fear the other and to fear for one another. But as they grow closer, a larger threat imperils the whole of Faerie. Will saving the faery realm mean losing each other?

Alluring romance, heart-stopping danger, and sinister intrigue combine in Melissa Marr’s next volume of Melissa Marr’s New York Times bestselling Wicked Lovely series. [close]

[close] THE TRANSFORMATION

Beth has always been “The Beast”—that’s what everyone at school calls her because of her awkward height, facial scars, and thick glasses. Beth’s only friend is geeky, golden-haired Scott. That is, until she’s selected to be her choir’s soprano soloist, and receives the makeover that will change her life forever.

THE LOVE AFFAIR

When Beth’s choir travels to Switzerland, she meets Derek: pale, brooding, totally dreamy. Derek’s untethered passion—for music, and for Beth—leaves her breathless. Because in Derek’s eyes? She’s not The Beast, she’s The Beauty.

THE IMPOSSIBLE CHOICE

When Beth comes home, Scott, her best friend in the world, makes a confession that leaves her completely torn. Should she stand by sweet, steady Scott or follow the dangerous, intense new feelings she has for Derek?

THE HEARTBREAK

The closer Beth gets to Derek, the further away he seems. Then Beth discovers that Derek’s been hiding a dark secret from her …one that could shatter everything. [close]

[close] "To read THE CREATION OF EVE is to experience that wholly delicious bookish pleasure of total immersion. Sofonisba Anguissola, an Italian painter, is sent to Spain as portraitist to Elisabeth de Valois and there, amid the baroque intricacy of court politics, rivalry, and romantic intrigue, she struggles to carve out her role-and her legacy-as one of the most admired painters of her day. I found this novel about the quest for fulfillment in art and love enormously satisfying and I'm grateful to Cullen for the pleasures of such a splendid read."
-Sara Gruen, author of WATER FOR ELEPHANTS

It's 1559. A young woman painter is given the honor of traveling to Michelangelo's Roman workshop to learn from the Maestro himself. Only men are allowed to draw the naked figure, so she can merely observe from afar the lush works of art that Michelangelo sculpts and paints from life. Sheltered and yet gifted with extraordinary talent, she yearns to capture all that life and beauty in her own art. But after a scandal involving one of Michelangelo's students, she flees Rome and fears she has doomed herself and her family.

The Creation of Eve is a riveting novel based on the true but little-known story of Sofonisba Anguissola, the first renowned female artist of the Renaissance. After Sofi's flight from Rome, her family eagerly accepts an invitation from fearsome King Felipe II of Spain for her to become lady-in-waiting and painting instructor to his young bride. The Spanish court is a nest of intrigue and gossip, where a whiff of impropriety can bring ruin. Hopelessly bound by the rules and restrictions of her position, Sofi yearns only to paint. And yet the young Queen needs Sofi's help in other matters-inexperiences as she is, the Queen not only fails to catch the King's eye, but she fails to give him an heir, both of which are crimes that could result in her banishment. Sofi guides her in how best to win the heart of the King, but the Queen is too young, and too romantic, to be satisfied. Soon, Sofi becomes embroiled in a love triangle involving the Queen, the King, and the King's illegitimate half brother, Don Juan. And if the crime of displeasing the King is banishment, the crime of cuckolding him must surely be death.

Combining art, drama, and history from the Golden Age of Spain, The Creation of Eve is an expansive, original, and addictively entertaining novel that asks the question: Can you ever truly know another person's heart? [close]

[close] TRUE CONFECTIONS by Katharine Weber

Take chocolate candy, add a family business at war with itself, and stir with an outsider’s perspective. This is the recipe for True Confections, the irresistible new novel by Katharine Weber, a writer whose work has won accolades from Iris Murdoch, Madeleine L’Engle, Wally Lamb, and Kate Atkinson, to name a few.

Alice Tatnall Ziplinsky’s marriage into the Ziplinsky family has not been unanimously celebrated. Her greatest ambition is to belong, to feel truly entitled to the heritage she has tried so hard to earn. Which is why Zip’s Candies is much more to her than just a candy factory, where she has worked for most of her life. In True Confections, Alice has her reasons for telling the multigenerational saga of the family-owned-and-operated candy company, now in crisis.

Nobody is more devoted than Alice to delving into the truth of Zip’s history, starting with the rags-to-riches story of how Hungarian immigrant Eli Czaplinsky developed his famous candy lines, and how each of his candies, from Little Sammies to Mumbo Jumbos, was inspired by an element in a stolen library copy of Little Black Sambo, from which he taught himself English. Within Alice’s vivid and persuasive account (is her unreliability a tactic or a condition?) are the stories of a runaway slave from the cacao plantations of Côte d’Ivoire and the Third Reich’s failed plan to establish a colony on Madagascar for European Jews.

Richly informed, deeply moving, and spiked with Weber’s trademark wit, True Confections is, at its heart, a timeless and universal story of love, betrayal, and chocolate. [close]

[close] From Dagger Award–winning and internationally bestselling author Alan Bradley comes this utterly beguiling mystery starring one of fiction’s most remarkable sleuths: Flavia de Luce, a dangerously brilliant eleven-year-old with a passion for chemistry and a genius for solving murders. This time, Flavia finds herself untangling two deaths—separated by time but linked by the unlikeliest of threads.

Flavia thinks that her days of crime-solving in the bucolic English hamlet of Bishop’s Lacy are over—and then Rupert Porson has an unfortunate rendezvous with electricity. The beloved puppeteer has had his own strings sizzled, but who’d do such a thing and why? For Flavia, the questions are intriguing enough to make her put aside her chemistry experiments and schemes of vengeance against her insufferable big sisters. Astride Gladys, her trusty bicycle, Flavia sets out from the de Luces’ crumbling family mansion in search of Bishop’s Lacey’s deadliest secrets.

Does the madwoman who lives in Gibbet Wood know more than she’s letting on? What of the vicar’s odd ministrations to the catatonic woman in the dovecote? Then there’s a German pilot obsessed with the Brontë sisters, a reproachful spinster aunt, and even a box of poisoned chocolates. Most troubling of all is Porson’s assistant, the charming but erratic Nialla. All clues point toward a suspicious death years earlier and a case the local constables can’t solve—without Flavia’s help. But in getting so close to who’s secretly pulling the strings of this dance of death, has our precocious heroine finally gotten in way over her head? [close]

[close] Dashing soldier of fortune Valentine Strange, late of his Majesty's 21st Benhali Lancers needs money. Happily, the wealthy Holy Orders of Harappu are desperate to retrieve the diadem of the Goddess Purya from an ancient temple deep in the White Mountains--a dangerous territory Strange knows well. The pay is too good and the job sounds too easy, but Strange is not in position to refuse. When Master Aleister Grimshaw, a dangerous witch with a traitorous lineage joins the expedition, Strange begins to suspect that more is at stake than the retrieval of a mere symbolic relic. Grimshaw knows an ancient evil surrounds the diadem. The same evil once hunted him--and still haunts his dreams. However, experience has taught him to keep his suspicions to himself or risk being denounced as a madman. Again. Harried by curses, bandits, and unnatural creatures, Strange and Grimshaw plunge onward. But when a demonic power wakes and the civilized world descends into revolution, their tenuous friendship is threatened as each man must face the destruction of the life he has known. [close]

[close] When Hank Paulson, the former CEO of Goldman Sachs, was appointed in 2006 to become the nation's next Secretary of the Treasury, he knew that his move from Wall Street to Washington would be daunting and challenging.

But Paulson had no idea that a year later, he would find himself at the very epicenter of the world's most cataclysmic financial crisis since the Great Depression. Major institutions including Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Lehman Brothers, AIG, Merrill Lynch, and Citigroup, among others-all steeped in rich, longstanding tradition-literally teetered at the edge of collapse. Panic ensnared international markets. Worst of all, the credit crisis spread to all parts of the U.S. economy and grew more ominous with each passing day, destroying jobs across America and undermining the financial security millions of families had spent their lifetimes building.

This was truly a once-in-a-lifetime economic nightmare. Events no one had thought possible were happening in quick succession, and people all over the globe were terrified that the continuing downward spiral would bring unprecedented chaos. All eyes turned to the United States Treasury Secretary to avert the disaster.

This, then, is Hank Paulson's first-person account. From the man who was in the very middle of this perfect economic storm, ON THE BRINK is Paulson's fast-paced retelling of the key decisions that had to be made with lightning speed. Paulson puts the reader in the room for all the intense moments as he addressed urgent market conditions, weighed critical decisions, and debated policy and economic considerations with of all the notable players-including the CEOs of top Wall Street firms as well as Ben Bernanke, Timothy Geithner, Sheila Bair, Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, presidential candidates Barack Obama and John McCain, and then-President George W. Bush.

More than an account about numbers and credit risks gone bad, ON THE BRINK is an extraordinary story about people and politics-all brought together during the world's impending financial Armageddon.
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[close] You don't have to be a student of geography or cartography to have an interest in the world around you, especially with globalization making our planet seem smaller than ever. Now you can IM someone in Alaska, purchase coffee beans from Timor-Leste, and visit Dubai. But what do we really know about these lands?

WHO OWNS THE WORLD presents the results of the first-ever landownership survey of all 197 states and 66 territories of the world, and reveals facts both startling and eye-opening. You'll learn that:
--Only 15% of the world's population lays claim to landownership, and that landownership in too few hands is probably the single greatest cause of poverty.
--Queen Elizabeth II owns 1/6 of the entire land surface on earth (nearly 3 times the size of the U.S.).
--The Lichtenstein royal family is wealthier than the Grimaldis of Monaco.
--80% of the American population is crammed in urban areas.
--The least crowded state is Alaska, with 670 acres per person. The most crowded is New Jersey, with .7 acres per person. --60% of America's population are property owners. That's behind the UK (69% homeownership).
--And much, much more!

With its relevance to contemporary issues and culture, WHO OWNS THE WORLD makes for fascinating reading. Both entertaining and educational, it provides cocktail party conversation for years to come and is guaranteed to change the way you view the U.S. and the world.
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[close] If you think that life—and romance—end at forty…think again!

Meet three women who aren’t about to run and hide, just because the world says they should be on the shelf and out of circulation:

Kat Maguire: her life seems perfect until she loses her high-powered advertising job and catches her live-in lover in a compromising position.

Carla Moss: this sexy TV news anchor is in danger of being replaced by a twenty-something blond bimbo. Wasn’t it just yesterday that she was the up and coming star?

Elise Randolph: a married dermatologist, Elise thinks her plastic surgeon husband is playing doctor with someone else.

Kat firmly believes that aging gracefully isn’t about giving up; it’s about living life with your engine on overdrive. So this unofficial “Cougar Club” quickly learns three things about survival of the fittest in today’s youth-obsessed society: true friendship never dies, the only way to live is real, and you’re never too old to follow your heart.

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[close] In the eerie winter after New York's
most famous day, enigmatic egoist
Dr. Richard Gallin has no end of troubles.
A success on his own terms Park
Avenue plastic surgeon, father, art collector,
libertine Gallin is suddenly
hard-pressed to hold on to his place in a
post-9/11 world he hardly recognizes.

And it s not just Richard Gallin whose
identity is in flux. The turmoil in New
York has tilted the surface of the world s
greatest city, and everybody is scrambling
for opportunity. Take the enterprising
journalist seeking strange justice, the Wall
Street dissembler hoping for new life, a
Nicaraguan rebel conjuring his American
dream, the beautiful wife trapped by her
perfect penthouse sky...

Twists ensue that only the unleashed
desires of these human hearts could
produce as someone close asks Gallin
to do something he could never be prepared
to do. Just as he asks another to do
what was previously unthinkable.

Pretend All Your Life takes place in just
six days, during which the dilemmas these
characters face echo many of the major
questions of our time about responsibility,
beauty, identity, ambition, and love.
An incisive, surprise-filled portrait of a
place and a people on the verge, this is an
unforgettable debut novel that resounds
with life at a defining moment in history. [close]

[close] We've all heard it before: when times are tough, go back to the basics. It seems simple, but the reality is that in good times, many of us let some of the most important principles of selling go by the wayside, which leaves us scrambling when a downturn hits. That's why world-renowned sales expert Tom Hopkins is here to remind us that challenges are a constant aspect of selling and that the key to success is to keep your attitude positive and to never stop striving for excellence. What's more, Hopkins distills the four key practices to help you get your creative juices flowing and discover and exploit business opportunities that you may not even know existed, including:


Success Is In Who You Know: Effectively working with existing clients to generate new leads for business is crucial.

Retaining (and Rewarding) Customers: Excellent service and consistent follow-up ensure happy customers and ongoing success.

Reducing Sales Resistance: In tough times, people put off making buying decisions. Help them overcome their fears in order to thrive.

Converting Clients from the Competition: With fewer new business start-ups for you to pursue, you need strategies for getting clients to consider you over their current providers
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[close] A fairytale for girls and their brothers. A Wise Woman, who lives in harmony with nature, a greedy King, who wants to rule everything and everybody, a magical white cat, love and adventure! Three fantastic strong daughters: an herbalist, a musician and a jeweler. A fairytale for girls who take charge of their own destiny. Will the princes be able to keep up with the girls? Read to find out. [close]

[close] One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two teens—both named Will Grayson—are about to cross paths. As their worlds collide and intertwine, the Will Graysons find their lives going in new and unexpected directions, building toward romantic turns-of-heart and the epic production of history’s most fabulous high school musical.

Hilarious, poignant, and deeply insightful, John Green and David Levithan’s collaborative novel is brimming with a double helping of the heart and humor that have won both them legions of faithful fans. [close]

[close] Vibrant, sexy, and quite possibly crazy, Bernice is determined to reclaim the child she gave up for adoption five years ago. She convinces her boyfriend, Landis, to help carry out her plan, but once the abduction is accomplished, Bernice—whose own mother was given to manic episodes and strange behavior—is plagued with doubts. Will Landis stay with her, given her volatile personality and his own drifter past? Will she and Landis both end up in jail for this crime? And, perhaps most importantly, will she fail at being a mother? Dovetailed with this is the story of the conservative Christian adoptive parents, Tessa and David, and the effect the kidnapping has on their troubled marriage. As Bernice and Landis journey across America, from Colorado Springs to Tucson to Baltimore, Bernice must confront her past and the secrets she has kept.

Geoffrey Becker’s book of stories Black Elvis won the 2008 Flannery O’ConnorPrize for Fiction and will be published by the University of Georgia Press in the fall of 2009. He is the author of two previous books, Dangerous Men, a short story collection that won the Drue Heinz Prize, and Bluestown, a novel. His other awards and honors include an NEA fellowship, selection for The Best American Short Stories anthology, the Nelson Algren Award from the Chicago Tribune, and the Parthenon Prize. He teaches writing at Towson University in Maryland, where he also directs the graduate program in professional writing.
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[close] Josie’s never met her dad, and that’s fine with her. To Josie, Paul Tucci is just a guy who got her mom pregnant and then moved away. It all happened sixteen years ago, when Josie’s mom was still a teenager herself. But now Paul Tucci is back in town, and Josie has to deal with not one but two men in her life—her father and her first boyfriend, who Josie fears will hurt her just like Paul hurt her mother. [close]

[close] A stirring chronicle of the seminal 1979 NASCAR season--the year NASCAR became a major sport--featuring the Allison brothers, the Pettys, and Dale Earnhardt, among others. [close]

[close] She’s on a mission to
save the planet…

Mermaid Angel Tritone has been researching humans from
afar, hoping to find a way to convince them to stop polluting.
When she jumps into a boat to escape a shark attack, it’s
her chance to pursue her mission, but she has to keep her
identity a total secret…

When he finds out what
she really is, they’re both in
mortal danger…

For Logan Hardington, finding a beautiful woman on his
boat is surely not a problem—until he discovers she’s a
mermaid, and suddenly his life is on the line…
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[close] Stefan suddenly pulled her close to him, his muscular arms tightly wrapped around her torso. Then he brushed his lips against hers, as an expression of fiery desire abruptly replaced his joviality.

He parted slightly from her, then brushed the strands of her raven hair from her face. He gazed deeply at her, and Rose felt the perceptible sensation of falling; falling into the abyss of his pale blue eyes, and her inability to escape the sinister, luminous orbs. Try as she may, she could not prevent herself from falling even further in love with him…

The last few years have not been kind to Rose. She has lost her husband, and is currently residing with an abusive boyfriend. What's more, an enigmatic, but very handsome man is stalking her. Ultimately, she finds that he is a supernatural being from heaven; or perhaps he has emerged from the depths of hell... Regardless, from his pointed teeth, to his blood-kissed lips, Stefan is indeed a vampire; a creature Rose once thought merely existed in folklore. He has emerged from the sinister darkness, and come to claim her as his own...

Stefan Hansen has seen the very worst of mankind. Before his transitioning, he had endured the horrors of World War II, and the violent loss of his Jewish love. Thinking that the past was dead, he could not have been more wrong... And an apparition from his past was scheming to prove it; with destructive intentions.

Crimson Rose is the first novel in a new paranormal romance series by R. Malone. OCT 2009: The first chapter of CR was one of the top 100 most popular posted writings of goodreads.com.

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[close] Michael Warner has been drifting in a numb haze since the death of his lover, who was killed by a drunk driver. As the anniversary of the wreck approaches, Michael’s grief grows more suffocating. Yet he must find a way through the maze of pain and secrets to live for their troubled young daughter. Out of the darkness comes a voice, a lifeline he never expected to find—Rebecca O’Neill, a development executive in the studio where he works as an electrician. Rebecca, a former celebrity left scarred from a crazed fan’s attack, has retreated from the limelight, certain no man can ever get past her disfigurement. The instant sparks between her and Michael come as a complete surprise—and so does her almost mystical bond with his daughter. For the first time, all three feel compelled to examine their scars in the light of love. But trust is hard to come by, especially when you’re not sure what to believe when you look in the mirror. The scars? Or the truth? [close]

[close] “True Season of Love” is a mesmerizing, passionate love story set in Paris, France in 1960. African-American Medical Journalist, Olivia Moreno meets wealthy Ptolemy Verenis at a masquerade party in London.
It’s a night of not removing one’s mask. It’s a night of not revealing your identity. It’s a night with a lush tapestry of desire, thrilling passion, and fulfilling love. It’s a night Olivia wishes to forget. She has a great job. Letting her hair down that weekend must remain secret. But Ptolemy is captivated by the woman he’s met; he has no intention of forgetting her.
The story is hauntingly beautiful of love absolute, between a man and a woman.
But for Those Who Love is a lucid yield to love and passion, and of unrequited love, and the lurid fiery depths of revenge.
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[close] In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful.

Kathryn Erskine has written a must-read gem, one of the most moving novels of the year. [close]

[close] Meet Johnny Goodwin. He's grown up in a quiet Brisbane suburb with loving parents, a faithful dog and an unrequited yearning for his teenage sweetheart Angie Everson. Now in his last year at school, he's finally caught her eye by starring in a teacher-baiting panto. Dreams are already taking shape of a career in entertainment, perhaps with Angie by his side. All he's got to do is pass his exams, get to uni and keep away from Gina Wood, that weird girl who once let him touch her…

Dave Franklin's fifth novel begins as a dark tale of teenage sexual obsession.

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