first reads

[close] The year is 1934. With the country in the stranglehold of drought and economic depression, Ella Barron runs her Texas boardinghouse with an efficiency that ensures her life will be kept in balance. Between chores of cooking and cleaning for her residents, she cares for her ten-year-old son, Solly, a sweet but challenging child whose misunderstood behavior finds Ella on the receiving end of pity, derision, and suspicion.

When David Rainwater arrives at the house looking for lodging, he comes recommended by a trusted friend as "a man of impeccable character." But Ella senses that admitting Mr. Rainwater will bring about unsettling changes.

However, times are hard, and in order to make ends meet, Ella's house must remain one hundred percent occupied. So Mr. Rainwater moves into her house...and impacts her life in ways Ella could never have foreseen.

The changes are echoed by the turbulence beyond the house walls. Friends and neighbors who've thus far maintained a tenuous grip on their meager livelihoods now face foreclosure and financial ruin. In an effort to save their families from homelessness and hunger, farmers and cattlemen are forced to make choices that come with heartrending consequences.

The climate of desperation creates a fertile atmosphere for racial tensions and social unrest. Conrad Ellis -- privileged and spoiled and Ella's nemesis since childhood -- steps into this arena of teeming hostility to exact his vengeance and demonstrate the extent of his blind hatred and unlimited cruelty. He and his gang of hoodlums come to embody the rule of law, and no one in Gilead, Texas, is safe. Particularly Ella and Solly.

In this hotbed of uncertainty, Ella finds Mr. Rainwater a calming presence. She is moved by the kindness he shows other boarders, Solly...and Ella herself. Slowly, she begins to rely on his soft-spokenness, his restraint, and the steely resolve of his convictions.

And on the hottest, most violent night of the summer, those principles will be put to the ultimate test.

From acclaimed bestselling author Sandra Brown comes a powerfully moving novel celebrating the largess and foresight of a great bygone generation. It tells a story that bears witness to a bittersweet truth: that love is worth whatever price one must pay for it. [close]

[close] With his last breath a dying man whispered four stunning words into Shaley O’Connor’s ear. Should she believe them? After two murders on the Rayne concert tour, Shaley is reeling. But she has no time to rest. If the dying man’s claim is right, the danger is far from over. Book 2 in The Rayne Tour series. [close]

[close] Pampered guinea pigs, Teddy and Pip, have had their perfect lives turned upside down. Nothing is right. It is the worst of times. Amelia has been gone for too many days, there have been no postcards and Wally did not come to take care of them. Mom Jane does it all wrong. She took away their remote, gave them tap water and called them monsters. And worst of all, she put them in a bucket. It is time to take action.
Lucky for them, nine-year-old Molly Jane Fisher comes to the rescue. Not only does she love guinea pigs, she is also a detective and will not close the case until everything is sorted out.
A Tale of Two Guinea Pigs is a story about love, loyalty, a puzzling mystery and smart detective work. But most of all, it is a story of two very special guinea pigs who will make you laugh and capture your heart.
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[close] Coast to Coast AM host George Noory and UFO Hunters star and producer William J. Birnes gave readers the key to unlocking their limitless potential in their book Worker in the Light. Through the concepts and exercises explored in that book, as well as Noory’s nightly excursions on his national radio program, many of his loyal fans began attempting to unlock their five senses. After receiving thousands of responses, Noory was compelled to share their experiences and triumphs.

Here are the amazing firsthand accounts of how ordinary people changed their lives, were able to transcend their doubts and fears, unlock the secrets to their own spiritual growth, and explore the great unknown of the paranormal. The stories within these pages serve as living proof of the limitlessness of human potential and mystery of our universe.
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[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 ... [close]

[close] Inspirational Historical set in ancient Rome.

He won his fame—and his freedom—in the gory pits of Rome's Colosseum. Yet the greatest challenge for once-legendary gladiator Caros Viriathos comes to him through a slave. His slave, the beautiful and mysterious Pelonia Valeria. Her secret brings danger to his household but offers Caros a love like he's never known….

Should anyone learn she is a Christian, Pelonia will be executed. Her faith threatens not only herself, but her master. Can she convince a man who found fame through unforgiving brutality to show mercy? And when she's ultimately given the choice, will Pelonia choose freedom or the love of a gladiator?
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[close] Popular author Jenna Petersen launches the first installment in her passionate new series about the illegitimate sons of a notorious duke brought together by love and deception.
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[close] Desperate people in the far future sacrifice almost everything that is dear to them and time travel over 800 years into the past to seventeenth-century France. They had what they thought was a great plan to manipulate people and events in the past so as to create the super people needed in the future to help defeat the alien attack. But their plan failed. And now someone else has to pick up the pieces.

These “someones” might be the musketeers and lady musketeer, Laurel, who must somehow help the advanced people from the future defeat their mortal enemy.

Musketeer swords against aliens who apparently followed the future people back in time are just part of the story. Memorable characters become your friends and you see that the essence of humanity has not changed in hundreds of years despite technology advances and powers of the mind never even dreamed of in the seventeenth century.

The readers become a part of the adventure. What a great feeling to get away from your boring world and travel to the future and to the past and to worlds far beyond our own, all the time having the grandest adventure of your life. Super heroes and just plain heroes sacrifice all to save their loved ones and their world.
And Jala does discover that life really does give you a second chance, and a third, and even more than you ever deserve.
Out of Phase: A Time traveler’s Chronicle by Kat Jaske is book four of the by Honor Bound series. Read this adventure first and then go back and read the others to see how these heroes got to this situation. Or pick up For Honor first and then read Out of Phase. See www.forhonor.com.

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[close] Sex Appeal is the sequel to my novel Whip Appeal. Find out what happens to everyone's favorite Dominatrix/Mental Patient, Ebony Knight, and her nemesis, scheming Carmelita Sanchez before anyone else! Trust me, its a page turner, so enter my giveaway TODAY!!! And thanks for being one of my readers whether new or old. I love, value, appreciate and treasure you all! [close]

[close] If you're ready to put your past and your pain behind you, this Woman Thou Art Loosed edition of the Bible can help. This combination of T.D. Jakes' annointed words and the power of God's Word will bless your life as you find out what it means to be truly free. [close]

[close] Every woman has that group of friends in her life ~ her "go to girls" The friends that she can turn to who "get it." The ones who are there for you no matter what. The ones who laugh with you and cry with you. The ones that will always be there. These are the women of Napa Valley.

Jamie is the editor-in-chief of Wine Lover's Magazine, a single mother and caretaker to her senile mother-in-law ~ a woman who thinks her daily caregiver is Dean Martin. Jamie is still recovering, financially and emotionally from the death of her husband several years earlier. And when she finds what could be the key to happiness, can she open the door and let it in? Or will her feelings of guilt and betrayal hold her back?

Danielle is a vintner and the divorced mom of two. She's basking in what she knows is going to be a successful launch of her new wines. Wines she created on her own after her divorce. But what she doesn't expect is for her daughter to come home with news that will shock her to her core. Will an old flame help her accept the changes that are coming and find the love she's been missing in her life for so long? Or will a tragedy that no one sees coming change their lives forever?

Kat is a sommelier, co-owner of a magnificent restaurant with her chef husband, and mother of a blended family. But is being deeply in love with your husband enough to get them through the teenage years, step-children and exes? And what happens when old faces return and she's faced with the knowledge that not everything is what you thought it was. What happens when she finds she was mad at the wrong person and finds out the "right one" was in the wrong? Can she forgive and move on? Can love overcome everything and truly bring a family together?

Alyssa is an artist and gallery owner with a secret of her own. One she was hoping would stay buried deep in her closet. But the time has come for her to put someone else first, to face the past and to deal with her demons. What she never expected to find was love and her "home."

No matter what is going on in their own lives, no matter the heartache or joy they're experiencing these four women are always there to love, support and encourage each other.
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[close] This is a Christmas anthology with two rereleased stories ("A Handful of Gold" from Mary Balogh, and "The Season for Suitors" from Nicola Cornick), as well as one new story from debut author Courtney Milan ("This Wicked Gift"). [close]

[close] Illuminating, enlightening, and uplifting, A New Earth is profoundly spiritual manifesto for a better way of life-and for building a better world. [close]

[close] A Teenager's Story of Longing for Acceptance and Friendship
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[close] Thanksgiving: The Pilgrims' First Year in America is not a book about a holiday. It's about people. it covers just about every known detail of what happened to the 102 passengers (and some of the crew) in that crucial year between the landing of the Mayflower and the famous harvest feast of the following autumn.

Please read excerpts www.NLLibrarium.com to see whether this is the kind of book that appeals to you. It isn't your standard history. Though it sticks strictly to the facts, it presents an on-the-ground (and in-the-boat) view of the Pilgrims as they come into an unsettled land.

Thanksgiving (the holiday) will not be the same after you have read Thanksgiving (the book).

Glenn Alan Cheney [close]

[close] When the Lusitania sank, one survivor became a changed man, giving up his life as a petty thief—but keeping the small silver statue he lifted, a family heirloom to future generations. Now, nearly a century later, that priceless heirloom, one of a long-separated set of three, has been stolen. And Malachi, Gideon, and Rebecca Sullivan are determined to recover their great-great-grandfather’s treasure, reunite the Three Fates, and make their fortune.

The quest will take them from their home in Ireland to Helsinki, Prague, and New York where they will meet a brilliant scholar who will aid them in their hunt—and an ambitious woman who will stop at nothing to acquire the Fates... [close]

[close] You're learning to let go, to live your life free of the grip of someone else's problems. And yet you find you've just started on the long journey of recovery. Let Melody Beattie, author of the classic Codependent No More, help you along your way. A guided tour past the pitfalls of recovery, Beyond Codependency is dedicated to those struggling to master the art of self-care. It is a book about what to do once the pain has stopped and you've begun to suspect that you have a life to live. It is about what happens next. [close]

[close] Everybody knows there's no love lost between paranormal investigators Amanda LaGrange and sexy Jacob Caine. They can't even stand being in the same room together….

Well, unless it's an enchanted bedroom. And they're trapped there, at midnight. And the sexual tension suddenly becomes too powerful to resist…

Then that bedroom gets really hot, really fast! But come morning, they still can't keep their hands off each other. Are they cursed forever? If so, neither one's complaining.

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[close] In the hot, muggy dog days of summer, a vigilante is on a murder spree. His victims are the dregs of humanity; drug dealers, addicts, and prostitutes, but the entire city is on edge. Corrupt town leaders fear the rampage will bring unwanted attention from outsiders; threatening lucrative dirty money operations. The killer must be stopped, but detectives have few leads, and there are many with a motive to kill. [close]

[close] To celebrate the upcoming release of SHAWDOWLAND, book 3 in The Immortals series by Alyson Noel (on sale November 17th) we are giving away 50 copies of the critically acclaimed first book, Evermore, the #1 New York Times bestseller for 10 weeks and counting!

A horrible accident claims the lives of Ever's family and leaves her with many mysterious abilities, like hearing people’s thoughts from afar, and knowing someone's entire life story by touch.

To suppress her abilities, Ever avoids all human contact, and doing so gets her branded as a freak by her high school. But everything changes the moment Ever meets Damen Auguste, and swears she's seen him before...

Visit www.immortalsseries.com to learn more about The Immortals series and to access additional content such as videos, games and more!
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[close] A subspecies of humans lives on Lopali, in a stunningly beautiful environment where every flower is told when to grow. In trade for great suffering, they are given spiritual wealth, and in trade for the inability to have children, they have been given wings.
On Lopali, the soul can soar as high as the body, and the very essence of a person can become lost, or gained.

Enter Joseph, a young man who can read the wind of a whole world, who can hear the heartbeat of data that makes a civilization.

War is brewing.

Joseph’s enigmatic teacher Marcus has a small task for him: to accept his power as a creator and to free the fliers of a tyranny that has enslaved them since their species was born. If he can do this, the fliers have agreed to help him stop the war.

But it’s not as easy as it seems.

Follow Joseph as he faces difficulties he never even imagined, as he and his sister Chelo, and all of their extended family, must learn the rules on a complex world full of splendor and danger to simply survive. And they have to do more than that if they want to avoid all-out war…
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[close] In this book remarkable, Delilah vividly shares her personal strength and faith. She takes us inside her life and the lives of her listeners, illuminating along the way her message that life's first priority is love. [close]

[close] "In her book, Dorkismo: The Macho of the Dork, cultural critic Maria Bustillos compares the important people in a variety of fields and has come up with the following conclusion: They were all dorks. By dork, Bustillos means people who have the capacity to be themselves no matter what anyone thinks and do so with pride and self-confidence. If a corporate lawyer adores the cutesy Hello Kitty and is OK with that, he's a dork and maybe even wears Hello Kitty cuff-links. Dorkismo is Stephen Colbert taking out his 12-sided die on The Colbert Report, and David Foster Wallace admitting he bawled like a baby over The Bridges of Madison County. It's also fans writing about their love of Natalie Portman and people on message boards rhapsodizing about Pepperidge Farm Goldfish jingles.

Bustillos marries high-brow and low-brow in this cross-disciplinary text, and her delightfully breezy and intelligent writing will make readers want to shed their armor of irony and embrace their dorkiness."

--hipsterbookclub.com, August 9, 2009 [close]

[close] A Savage Wisdom by Norman German is inspired by the life, crimes and legends of Annie Beatrice McQuiston aka Toni Jo Henry, the only woman executed in Louisiana's electric chair. The author uses the actual names and aliases of the murderess and the fact that the killing took place on Valentine's Day, 1940.

German's novel is a stark, page-turning re-creation, rich with detail and imagery where intimacy and deception flow into a chilling tragedy. The author's historical inquiry empowers the reader to imagine a woman consumed by passion, and a betrayal that conspires against her. With the vibrancy of Louisiana color, A Savage Wisdom weaves the reader into the life of a love-struck southern girl and cold-blooded killer.

Dr. Norman German is Professor of English at Southeastern Louisiana University, Fiction Editor for Louisiana Literature, and Winner of the Deep South Writers' Contest for No Other World. A Savage Wisdom is his third novel.

A specialist in twentieth-century American literature, German has also published award-winning short stories, poems, and literary criticism. His work has appeared in commercial and literary magazines, including Shenandoah, The Virginia Quarterly Review, Sport Fishing, and Salt Water Sportsman. His scholarly articles cover a wide range of major American authors including Ernest Hemingway, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Raymond Carver, Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, James Dickey, and Anthony Hecht.

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[close] It's almost Thanksgiving, and Tuyet is excited about the holiday and the vacation from school. There's just one problem: her Vietnamese American family is having duck for Thanksgiving dinner -- not turkey! Nobody has duck for Thanksgiving -- what will her teacher and the other kids think?

Kids from families with different traditions will enjoy this warm story about "the right way" to celebrate an American holiday.

For more information, please visit
http://www.jacquelinejules.com/duck.htm

See the book trailer at
http://www.jacquelinejules.com/duck2.htm [close]

[close] "Sophisticated and nuanced ... resplendent with the grace and wonder that accompany self-discovery." --Jayne Pupek

What happens when a 31-year-old straight woman falls in love with a lesbian?

It's 1993, and Gwen Sullivan is agitated. She's been married and divorced and is now living with her scientist boyfriend who loses himself in dark moods. Her job at a tutoring center and her work on the Bill Clinton-for-President campaign leave her vaguely dissatisfied. She hopes taking a night class in poetry might help. In the class, the allure of two lesbians takes her by surprise. She can't get them out of her mind. She begins to question who she is and who she wants to be.

On her journey, Gwen begins to see gender, sex and sexuality differently. And as she feels compelled to confess her feelings to family and friends, she is continually surprised by their complex reactions. This leads her to make one of the most important decisions of her life.
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[close] "He leaned over, planting his palms on the counterpane, inches from Jocelyn's trembling limbs. 'The truth is, Mrs. Chadwick Bingham,that from this moment forth you'll never be free again.'"

Ten years later, in 1894, Richmond, VA young widow Jocelyn Tremayne lives a secret life, alone. When she saved her husband's reputation, she lost everything--including her faith in God. But Secret Service operative Micah MacKenzie needs Jocelyn's aid to infiltrate the New York City privileged circles she and her husband once inhabited. Her willingness to endanger herself to help him discover the truth earns Micah's respect; her disillusioned heart piques his interest. Now he will do whatever it takes to win her trust, rekindle her faith in God--and prove his own love. [close]

[close] Win an Advanced Reader Copy of The Line, by Teri Hall!

In the not so distant future…

Rachel lives with her mother on The Property. The good thing about living there is that it’s far from the city where the oppressive government is most active. The bad thing, at least to most people, is that it’s close to the Line—an uncrossable section of the National Border Defense System, an invisible barrier that encloses the entire country.

She can see the Line from the greenhouse windows, but she is forbidden to go near it. Across the Line is Away, and though Rachel has heard many whispers about the dangers there, she’s never really believed the stories. Until the day she hears a recording that could only have come from across the Line.

It’s a voice asking for help.

Who sent the message? What is her mother hiding? And to what lengths will Rachel go in order to do what she thinks is right?

EARLY REVIEW

"The Line took me ‘away’ in one page-turning gulp. Hall’s writing is seamless, smooth and compelling—I can’t wait for the next installment. This is a new author to keep an eye on."

Mary E. Pearson
The Adoration of Jenna Fox


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[close] Frank Beddor's ArchEnemy, the anticipated third novel to his New York Times bestselling series The Looking Glass Wars, is available now. A re-imagining of Alice in Wonderland, Beddor has released ArchEnemy along with the second volume in his spin-off graphic novel series, Hatter M Vol. 2: Mad With Wonder, as well as a companion card game that can be previewed for free at www.cardsoldierwars.com.

The war for Wonderland has become a war for Imagination!
King Arch has declared himself King of Wonderland as Alyss searches wildly for the solution to the metaphysical disaster that has engulfed her Queendom. The power of Imagination has been lost!
Alyss's search for answers takes her to London where Arch's assassins threaten Alice Liddell and her family. But after coming to her adopted family's assistance, Alyss discovers herself trapped in a conundrum of evaporating puddles. The shimmering portals that exist to transport her home through the Pool of Tears are disappearing! What is happening in Wonderland? Deep within the Valley of Mushrooms the Caterpillar Oracles issue this prophecy: "Action shall be taken to ensure the safety of the Heart Crystal. For Everqueen." But who is Everqueen?
As the metamorphosis of Wonderland unfolds, enemies become allies, bitter rivals face-off, and Queen Alyss and Redd Heart must confront their pasts in this thrilling, no-holds-barred conclusion to the New York Times best-selling series.
Minus the power of Imagination it's all about the artillery with King Arch, Redd Heart and Queen Alyss's armies battling for control of Wonderland using AD52's, crystal shooters, spikejack tumblers and orb cannons. Imagine that!

For more information, go to www.lookingglasswars.com.
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[close] It was different this time; we weren’t acting on a dare. I knew our motive; we were practicing the act, hoping to impress the right boy when it came time. But then something happened—in the mix of the moment, in the mix of the alcohol. It wasn’t planned, but somehow our kissing experiment turned into something else. Things went further . . . and once they had, once I returned to earth from the euphoria . . . I wrestled with my feelings at that frank realization, questioning whether our said objective was entirely true.

When fourteen-year old Krista McKinley transfers from Catholic school in Ohio to California’s public Crestmount High, she discovers she has a lot to learn. Luckily, she is befriended by Carrie and Brandon and things start to look up. But when a simple dare tests Krista’s values, it sends her entire world spiraling into a confusing series of events that leaves her questioning her identity as well as the people around her.

With unshakeable frankness, Amber Lehman paints a memorable portrait of what it’s like to be a questioning youth in today’s world.
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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] 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] "Heathers" for grown-ups. [close]

[close] Set in Kuwait during the ominous
years between the two Gulf Wars,
Small Kingdoms traces the intersecting
lives of five people—rich and poor,
native and foreigner, Muslim, Christian,
and non-believer—when they discover
that a teenaged Indian housemaid is
being brutally abused by her employer.

Tensions are high. Just miles away in
Iraq, Saddam Hussein is threatening a
second invasion of this tiny desert
kingdom, which he destroyed six years
before, in 1990. Even without a war on
the horizon, rescuing a maid employed
in a private home is a sticky matter in
this rigid, class-conscious society, where
the rich protect their own; and any intervention
involves great personal risk.

Emmanuella, an impoverished cook
from India, risks losing her job and thus
her ability to support her family back
home. Kit, the young wife of an American
businessman in the Gulf, could face
grave damage to her marriage. Mufeeda,
an upper-class Kuwaiti woman, must
buck the powerful status quo of her
family and her class, as well as her own
history.

And there’s Hanaan, a rebellious
young Arab woman who may have as
much to lose as the desperate maid.
Having fallen in love with Theo, an
American doctor working in the country,
she has already faced violent retribution
from her family. How much more violence
lies ahead she doesn’t know. Stubborn,
charismatic, and dismissive of her
society’s strict codes of behavior for
unmarried women, she will step forward
to help the captive maid.


An Upstairs/Downstairs of the Arab
world, Small Kingdoms tells the intimate
story of ordinary people facing an extraordinary
test in the face of another war.
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[close] The definitive biography of Paulo Coelho, one of the world’s most popular and widely read authors -- and the story of how THE ALCHEMIST came to be.

Fernando Morais, the preeminent biographer in Brazil and a groundbreaking journalist, centers his investigative verve on one of Brazil’s most influential and successful kinsman -- Paulo Coelho, the beloved author and phenomenon who has sold more than 100 million books worldwide and whose work has been translated more than any other contemporary writer. Tracing Coelho’s roots in Brazil to his time as a musician and pop lyricist to his wild days of rock and roll to the publication of the megabestseller The Alchemist and beyond, this biography tells the real tale of one of the most widely read and adored authors of our time.
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[close] Sara Summers Stanton has raised three children and works as a high school teacher at the same school she attended growing up. Her 25 year marriage is showing cracks in the facade and now she's dealing with breast cancer. In a rare moment of taking care of herself instead of everyone else, Sara takes a sabbatical and goes on the trip to Italy she has always dreamed of taking.

This search for a more authentic life leads to Julia, a friend she hasn't seen since they were inseparable as girls, nearly 30 years earlier. They reunite in Florence and their friendship continues where they left off, resulting in an unexpected attraction to one another that threatens to turn Sara's already shaky world upside down. What do you do if you fall in love with your best friend?

Sara's inner conflict and subsequent choices reveal an unpredictable yet dynamic future for all the characters. Seeking Sara Summers is an emotional and lyrical novel, a timeless story about love, commitment and transformation. [close]

[close] جنگیدن با دشمنی که از او نفرت داری آسان است، سخت، جنگ با آنانی است که دوستشان داری. اینجاست که شجاعت معنا می‌یابد.

آدورا گمان می‌کند دیگر همه‌چیز تمام شده، شوهرش بیست سال پیش مرده، پسرش بزرگ شده و از پیشش رفته و حالا فقط دو دلخوشی در زندگی‌اش دارد: کارش در انتشارات و تز دکترایش درباره‌ی اسطوره‌ی کی‌خسرو.
اما هرگز چنین در اشتباه نبوده است.
درست موقعی که فکر می‌کند همه‌چیز را درباره‌ی کی‌خسرو می‌داند، کتابچه‌ی عجیبی به دستش می‌رسد که تمام دانسته‌هایش را درباره‌ی این شاه عارف و اسرارآمیز که در فرهنگ ایرانی به «شاه زنده» مشهور است، به چالش می‌کشد. اما نمی‌تواند در تز دکترایش از این یافته‌های جدید استفاده کند، چرا که نویسنده‌ی کتابچه هیچ اشاره‌ای به هیچ مرجعی در نوشته‌هایش نکرده است. برای همین، آدورا جستجوی بزرگش را برای یافتن نویسنده‌ی گمنام این کتاب آغاز می‌کند تا مستقیماً مستندات ادعاهای نویسنده را از از خود او بپرسد. جستجویی که به سفری طولانی و حیرت‌آور در زمان و مکان ختم می‌شود که تمام باورهای قبلی آدورا را به چالش می‌کشد.

کی‌خسرو سومین رمان آرش حجازی است، دو رمان قبلی او، اندوه ماه و شاهدخت سرزمین ابدیت با ده سال فاصله از هم منتشر شدند و اینک کی‌خسرو که شش سال پس از شاهدخت منتشر می‌شود، در آمیزه‌ای از واقعیت و افسانه، زندگی و مرگ، عشق و نفرت، وجه دیگری از این نویسنده را به نمایش می‌گذارد [close]

[close] The first giveaway for this book was so successful I thought I would do another!

Dd you ever want to run away and join the circus? escape from your life and do something totally different?

that's what the author did, and this book is the result. It's a medical thriller as well as a travelogue to a place most of us will never visit. sometimes funny and sometimes sad, the author describes the day-to-day workings of a hospital that serves some of the poorest people in the world, the poepl thjat work there, and his own spiritual and personal journey.
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[close] Three friends, born on the same day.
Three friends?...or is it four?
It could be more.
Three villages' lives
Intertwined with the others
And visitors from rovers.

One coveted love, the fate of the three
Must save the same trio.
======
Historical fiction set in 19th Century Nigeria slave trade era, now available for pre-publication.

Reviewer's comments are likely to have their comments printed on the back cover of the book's final proof (subject to consent). [close]

[close] Walter Williams is a sixty-five year old retired real estate agent and like many who have given up their life’s work, he finds himself adrift, without direction or goals.
Then, one day, he witnesses the mugging of an elderly woman and this rekindles a fire within him to make a contribution with his life.
In Lady Justice Takes A C.R.A.P., follow Walt’s incredible journey from retired realtor to head of the City Retiree Action Patrol.
As a uniformed officer, he and his partner, Ox, find very unorthodox ways of bringing criminals to justice. But they have plenty of help from others in the senior set.
Meet sixty-five year old Willie, the former con man, who has given up his shady ways to be Walt’s friend and sidekick.
Then there’s Mary, the seventy-five year old apartment manager with a 36
inch baseball bat and an attitude to match.
This merry band of seniors is kept on the straight and narrow with words of wisdom from eighty-five year old Professor Leopold Skinner.
And what hero would be complete without a heroine by his side? Meet Maggie McBride, Walt’s sweetheart and helpmate and discover that intimacy doesn’t disappear with the arrival of Social Security.
In this action-packed hilarious adventure, Walt and his band of scrappy seniors give Lady Justice a helping hand by capturing the ‘Realtor Rapist’ and bringing down the ‘Russian Mob’.
And you don’t want to miss the excitement as Walt and his fellow grey-hairs go undercover at the Senior Center and capture the ‘Senior Center Mugger’ at the Prom.
Every Golden Ager knows, that as we grow older, we face a whole new set of challenges in life. Walt and his friends meet these challenges head-on and you’ll have a hard time not laughing out loud as they thumb their noses at the ravages of Father Time.
I guarantee, after reading Lady Justice Takes A C.R.A.P., you will come away with a new perspective and respect for the triumphs and challenges of the senior set.
In fact, you may even be prompted to ask your grandpa what he’s been up to lately.
[close]

[close] Celebrated for her style and substance, Michelle Obama has transformed the role of first lady and become a 21st century icon, attracting attention from all over the world. The qualities so admired in her - intelligence, strength and charisma - radiate through her personal style, which has united accessibility with high-wattage glamour. The clothes, like the woman, feel both familiar and inspirational. Readily mixing high-end labels with more affordable brands, with a focus on craftsmanship and artistry, Mrs. O has elevated the notion of real value and ushered in a new era of "fashion democracy".

Building on the success of Mrs-O.org - the Web site that chronicles Michelle Obama's style - MRS. O: THE FACE OF FASHION DEMOCRACY takes a closer look at America's modern style icon, featuring more than 120 photographs of the first lady and delving into the back story of her clothes and accessories. It also goes behind the scenes with interviews from her favorite designers, including Isabel Toledo, Jason Wu, Michael Kors, Maria Pinto and Isaac Mizrahi.

Opening with a brief overview of Michelle Obama's early years, the book goes on to provide rarely seen photos from behind-the-scenes on the presidential primary trail through the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the monumental events of election night, the inauguration and early chapters of life in the White House. The final chapter hears the opinions of Mrs. O's adoring fans - giving the last word to the people.

Original photographs of Michelle Obama's most iconic looks, along with commentary from fashion experts, top off this tactile visual feast. Woven together with sketches and illustration inspired by the first lady, the book reveals the story of a new era of American fashion. [close]

[close] RULES FOR MY UNBORN SON is a collection of traditional, humorous, and urbane fatherly advice for boys. From the sartorial ("If you are tempted to wear a cowboy hat, resist") to the practical ("Keep a copy of your letters. It makes it easier for your biographer") to even a couple of sure-fire hangover cures ("There is no better remedy than a dip in the ocean"), the book of rules and accompanying quotations is quite simply an instruction manual for becoming a Good Man - industrious, thoughtful, charming, and of course, well-dressed.

Hip and witty with a decidedly traditionalist flavor, RULES FOR MY UNBORN SON is meant to evoke simpler times when Father knew best and a suitable answer to "Why?" was "Because I said so."
[close]

[close] Haunting, beautiful and wise, The Badenweiler Waltz by G.W. Kroeker is a tender glimpse at the healing powers of love and one woman's courage as she learns to celebrate life after she is diagnosed with a terminal illness. Elizabeth Kurz is a shy, easily daunted forty-something woman who has spent the bulk of her life being intimidated. A teacher by trade, she always dreamed of being a writer, and as her final farewell nears she travels to a quaint spa town in Germany's Black Forest where both Stephen Crane and Anton Chekhov spent their final days. Believing that even though her talents have not enabled her to live as a writer, she could at least die like one. Upon her arrival she feels alien and out of sorts; dejected, she considers returning to the States until she meets a series of characters who open her mind to new ways of seeing her illness, life, and death. [close]

[close] Three friends, born on the same day.
Three friends?...or is it four?
It could be more.
Three villages' lives
Intertwined with the others
And visitors from rovers.

One coveted love, the fate of the three
Must save the same trio.
======
Historical fiction set in 19th Century Nigeria slave trade era, now available for pre-publication.

Reviewer's comments are likely to have their comments printed on the back cover of the book's final proof (subject to consent). [close]

[close] What happens when the popular girl becomes a social misfit?

Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome. And just like the other members of this all girl clique, she was both feared and revered by the students at Halowell High. Now a vicious rumor has Regina frozen out of her former circle. Each day the bullying becomes more vicious and only Regina knows the terrifying truth. Out of desperation she befriends Michael a fellow misfit— that even Regina used to shun. Regina tries to make amends for her past while threats from the now Fearsome Foursome threatens to break them both.

Visit stmartins.com/somegirlsare to read the first chapter

Courtney Summers is also the author of Cracked Up To Be, nominated for the 2010 Best Books for Young Adults award by YALSA

"Cracked Up To Be...is an excellent and intense debut novel...This is a captivating and powerful novel that is difficult to put down."--Teen Book Review


[close]

[close] Jailin Munrow was a new type of race.

The perfect race.

At the age of five, she was genetically altered on the night her mother died and her father disappeared. Raised by the Maimugg tribe of the Grundagon Jungle, Jailin’s animal abilities surfaced, giving her the resources to protect the jungle and its inhabitants from any outside danger.

With the help of her insightful, yet bordering on philosophical, friend Socrates, Jailin stumbled upon her long-lost childhood friend and a white panther, whose past unraveled the company that only warranted destruction.

New friendships ignite and a love that pulls at every angle of Jailin’s being influences her decision to devote her life to revenge the death of her mother and the torture of her father. Can Jailin stop Grundagon’s insatiable bio-engineer from annihilating the human race, or will true love take priority over a transforming world? [close]

[close] Meet Lucy Valentine; sassy, fabulously original…and psychic.

Lucy hails from a long line of matchmakers known as Valentine INC. According to family legend, the Valentines have been blessed by Cupid with the ability to help couples find true love. Trouble is Lucy’s powers were zapped away by an electrical surge and now all she can find are lost objects.

But what good is that in the matchmaking world?

Lucy is about to find out when she tries to solve a murder and winds up falling into a romance of her own.
[close]

[close] It seems too good to be true. When Pete McFadden invents his own system of fortune-telling, he doesn't really expect anyone to take it seriously. He can't imagine that it will become Hollywood's next spiritual fad. And he certainly never dreams that "Horokinetics" could make him famous. But it does. And when his creation becomes the battleground between a manipulative cult leader and an unscrupulous corporation, Pete learns a simple truth. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is. Stunt Road is an intelligent, cynical and above all entertaining foray into the murky world of for-profit spirituality. If you've ever raised an eyebrow at self-improvement schemes, corporate marketing mania or the general gullibility of your fellow men, then this book is a treat. And if you haven't, then it is a must-read. [close]

[close] "If War and Peace had a baby with The Breakfast Club and then left the baby to be raised by wolves, this book would be the result. I loved it." --Jon Stewart

Family Guy meets Election in this hilarious young adult debut!

Twelve-year-old Oliver Watson’s got the IQ of a grilled cheese sandwich. Or so everyone in Omaha thinks. In reality, Olive’s a mad evil genius on his way to world domination, and heÂ’s used his great brain to make himself the third-richest person on earth! Then Oliver’s father—and archnemesis—makes a crack about the upcoming middle school election, and Oliver takes it as a personal challenge. He’ll run, and he’ll win! Turns out, though, that overthrowing foreign dictators is actually way easier than getting kids to like you. . . Can this evil genius win the class presidency and keep his true identity a secret, all in time to impress his dad? [close]

[close] Laura Brandon's promise to her dying father was simple: to visit an elderly woman she had never heard him speak of before. A woman who remembers nothing-except the distant past. Visiting Sarah Tolley seemed a small enough sacrifice to make.

But Laura's promise results in another death--her husband's. And after their five-year old daughter, Emma, witnesses her father's suicide, Emma refuses to talk about it ... or to talk at all. Frantic and guilt-ridden, Laura contacts the only person who may be able to help, a man she's met only once before--a man who doesn't know he's Emma's real father. Together--guided only by a child's silence and and old woman's faded memories--the two unravel a tale of love and despair, bravery and unspeakable evil. A tale that unbelievably links them all. A tale shrouded in silence... [close]

[close] “CARRION COMFORT is one of the three greatest horror novels of the 20th century. Simple as that.” --Stephen King

"Epic in scale and scope but intimately disturbing, CARRION COMFORT spans the ages to rewrite history and tug at the very fabric of reality. A nightmarish chronicle of predator and prey that will shatter your world view forever. A true classic." --Guillermo del Toro

In celebration of its 20th anniversary, the epic, timeless thriller CARRION COMFORT will be introduced to a new generation of readers on November 24.

Visit www.stmartins.com/carrioncomfort to read the prologue today! [close]

[close] CHANGE YOUR MINDSET NOT YOUR MAN, Learn to Love What's Right Instead of Trying to Fix What's Wrong, shows women how to empower themselves and create a full happy life with their normally flawed and imperfect partner. From girlhood women have subscribed to the happily-ever-after myth from Sleeping Beauty to Barbies to romance novelss but men are not socialized to fulfill this fantasy. Complaining and other attempts to fix him including couples counseling can make it worse. This books spells out exactly how to find contentment without changing him but by changing the only one you can change--yourself! [close]

[close] Your Soul’s Plan: Discovering the Real Meaning of the Life You Planned Before You Were Born by Robert Schwartz (www.yoursoulsplan.com) explores the premise that we are all eternal souls who plan our lives, including our greatest challenges, before we’re born for purposes of spiritual growth. The book contains ten true stories of people who planned physical illness, having disabled children, deafness, blindness, drug addiction, alcoholism, losing a loved one, and severe accidents. The information about their pre-birth plans was obtained by four gifted mediums and channels. The book presents the actual conversations people had with their future parents, children, spouses, friends, and other loved ones when they planned their lives together. For readers, suffering that once seemed purposeless becomes imbued with deep meaning. Wisdom may be acquired in a more conscious manner; feelings of anger, guilt, blame, and victimization are healed and replaced by acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, and peace. [close]

[close] For what do I want to be remembered? This is a fundamental question asked by just about every successful individual who has made it through the wall, which seemed to have stood in the way towards their destiny. They will also tell you that the success principles rooted deep inside them were the defining agents which helped created the success all around them. If those roots run deep in you, your chance of succeeding is inevitable. [close]

[close] Books about gang violence are plentiful, from the perspective of the perpetrator or some academic researcher. The victims of this brutal reality, those who just walked down the wrong street or were at the wrong place at the wrong time, are seldom heard. There is a wide gap to be filled; this book is a good start.

It had been almost five years since I had set foot in the city of angels and not even two weeks after my homecoming I got beat up. A painful yet interesting case study unfolded, considering youth violence in the United States and the loopholes of the law that make such violence possible. I got to experience first hand how easy it is for a person to fall between the chairs of a system in a country where the safety net called social security is limited to nonexistent. [close]

[close] In the heart of Medici Florence, part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra stumbles across a deadly secret when she is asked to pose for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli's famous Primavera.

A novel that is Dan Brown meets Sarah Dunant, The Botticelli Secret is a masterful concoction of intelligent and lucid mystery, historical intrigue, and romantic adventure.

Please visit us.macmillan.com/thebotticellisecret to find out more!
[close]

[close] From the bestselling author of SEE JANE DATE and THE SOLOMON SISTERS WISE UP comes a "warm, winning" new novel about half-sisters who meet for the first time. As he lay dying, Rebecca Strand's father confesses his secret: an affair that resulted in a baby he turned his back on twenty-six years ago. . . and a cache of letters written, but never sent, to his other daughter every year on her birthday. Rebecca Strand, a twenty-eight-year-old New York City paralegal, is shocked--and determined to find her half-sister and deliver her father's letters.

Rebecca's lawyer boyfriend is sure the woman will be an opportunist who'll demand half of Rebecca's father's million-dollar estate. But off Rebecca goes to a small coastal Maine town to find Joy Jawhawk, the separated mother of a little boy. She's not exactly warmly welcomed, except by the "Divorced Ladies Club of Wiscasset" and a sexy carpenter. Determined to establish family bonds with Joy, Rebecca stays . . . and changes more than her own life in the process.

Says New York Times bestselling author Carly Phillips: "The Secret of Joy by Melissa Senate opened my heart, made me laugh, cry, and smile all at the same time. A don't-miss read!" [close]

[close] Celtic spirituality has been a great source of inspiration to many across the years. Now, popular author and performer Liz Babbs digs deeper into the riches of this ancient tradition, unearthing 8 Celtic themes of special relevance to contemporary life. Beautiful illustrations, evocative photography, and an accompanying CD make this an excellent gift. [close]

[close] What is it about the number seven that has such a hold on us? Why are there seven deadly sins? Seven days of the week? Seven wonders of the world, seven colors of the spectrum, seven ages of man, and seven sister colleges? Why can we hold seven numbers or words in our working memory--but no more? Author Jackie Leo explores everything about this mystical, magical, useful, and fun number in her new book.

SEVEN REASONS YOU NEED THIS BOOK

1. SEVEN is a tool to improve the quality of your life. It is a way to define time, synthesize ideas, and keep your mind performing at top speed in an era of distractions.

2. SEVEN is culturally significant. It pops up everywhere, structuring our world in ways so fundamental, we notice them only when we pause to look. Across the ages and across cultures, the number has acquired a huge scientific, psychological, and religious significance.

3. SEVEN is intriguing. Why, out of hundreds of recipes in a cookbook, do people return to the same seven, over and over? Why, when asked to choose a number between one and ten, does such a large majority of people choose seven? Why does it take seven rounds of shuffling to obtain a fully mixed deck of cards?

4. SEVEN is influential. You'll learn how the number seven shapes our thinking, our choices, and even our relationships.

5. SEVEN is practical. Throughout this book are Top Seven lists covering the best ways to get someone's attention, to build your personal brand, and to put yourself in the path of prosperity and good luck.

6. SEVEN is fun. You'll encounter surprising facts, intriguing puzzles, and hilarious anecdotes.

7. SEVEN is wise. You'll hear stories about the meaning of seven from Mehmet Oz, Sally Quinn, Liz Smith, Christina Ricci, and many others.
Artfully designed and full of enough insights to keep you engaged in conversation at the water cooler for years, SEVEN will provoke, enlighten, and amuse. [close]

[close] Meet Jake Randall.
Author. Divorcee. New to Los Angeles. Jake was about to begin a new life in the City of Angels. He was anxious to leave his troubles behind. Little did he know, his life was about to take an unexpected turn.

Thirty-one years in the future, a resistance fighter makes his way through an abandoned industrial park in the Los Angeles Sector. His mission: create a portal to the past and locate the One who could deliver their message. Unbeknownst to Jake, a wormhole has been ported to his new home and a mechanized probe emerges from the rift to beckon him. In time, Jake uncovers this passageway and ends up in a vastly darker world than the one he left behind.

Once in the future, his guide introduces Jake to a New World Order. On the surface, everyday life in 2040 appears orderly and harmonious. Just beneath this thin veil of utopia lies an evil empire bent on global domination. With every day that passes, Jake comes to realize his true purpose. In this new world, he becomes part of the underground resistance – one that is fighting for the truth. [close]

[close] From braving the wilds of Los Angeles to the Costa Rican jungle, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have learned a thing or two about reality...television, that is. But while dominating the airwaves and tabloid covers every week may look like all fun and mind games, Speidi is here to tell you: becoming wildly famous requires hard work and a no-fail blueprint for success. Now, for the first time ever, Heidi and Spencer invite you behind the scenes as they reveal the ten-step plan that took them from nobodies to notorious! You will:

* Learn how to say I hate you without opening your mouth--Heidi's exclusive tutorial
* Increase your capacity for evil with Spencer's "Villain-o-meter"
* Discovery why getting and talking about plastic surgery is a must
* Unlock the secrets of celebrity couple math (e.g. Speidi > Heidi + Spencer)
* Mesmerize the media with outrageous behavior
* Bow down to the power of the paparazzi

...and much, much more!

With Heidi and Spencer as your personal coaches, you, too, can transform yourself into a red-carpet-ready superstar! [close]

[close] Hundreds of thousands of humorous Chuck Norris facts have been published, traveled around the globe via the Internet, and gained an international audience of millions. Chuck Norris facts are a quirky, extremely popular Internet phenomenon that has entertained fans from all over the globe. In the last several years, Chuck Norris has been asked repeatedly from the heartland of America to the battlefields of Iraq and Afghanistan, “Which facts are your favorites?” For the first time ever, in The Official Chuck Norris Fact Book, Chuck gives readers not only his favorite “facts,” roundhouse-kicked by the man himself, but also the stories behind the facts and the code by which Chuck lives his life. Fans from every corner of the globe will enjoy both the fanciful and inspirational from one of the world’s great action heroes. This book makes a perfect gift. [close]

[close] Three friends, born on the same day.
Three friends?...or is it four?
It could be more.
Three villages' lives
Intertwined with the others
And visitors from rovers.

One coveted love, the fate of the three
Must save the same trio.
======
Historical fiction set in 19th Century Nigeria slave trade era, now available for pre-publication.

Appropriate reviewers may have the chance to have their review/comment printed on the final publication copy. Not to be missed! [close]

[close] Lily was married for just days before her husband was sent abroad to fight in WWII. Now, he and the other soldiers are returning, and the small town of Toccoa, Georgia plans a big celebration. But a handsome and kind Italian immigrant, responsible for the elaborate fireworks display the town commissioned captures Lily's heart and soul. Torn between duty to society and her husband, and a poor, passionate man who might be her only true love--Lily must choose between a love she never knew and a commitment she'd already made.

Poignant and elegant, FIREWORKS OVER TOCCOA is a mosaic of all the emotions that only love can make possible. [close]

[close] Walking in the Deep End

Drowning in generations of narrow dogma...embracing the surface of self

Eleven year-old Susan Parker must keep vigil during a family tragedy that plunges her tomboy innocence into the murk of family dysfunction—Evangelicals, her only lifeguards. Tender to the bone, Walking in the Deep End is an earnest and engaging memoir, written with honesty, spunk, and humor. Although suicide, bulimia, religious hypocrisy, and romantic heartbreak rip through her life like overpowering currents, Parker finds courage and hope, drawing you into her compelling and, at times, uncanny experience of authentic spirituality.

walking in the deep end
--a memoir that offers much more than a great read

 When Susan Parker felt like a poster child for dealing with America’s social issues: depression, bulimia, family genetics that seemed set for self-destruct, an evangelical religion instead of therapy, and same-sex attraction, she stood on the brink of hopelessness.

 When you try your best to fit the mold your family, church, and community want, expect, and demand, and you just can’t…what will you discover in the core of your being that will save you? What Susan found will help us all.

 When compelling characters in her life try to deal with catastrophe as best they can, and their efforts are disastrously inadequate, triumph might be the last thing anyone could hope for, and for Susan it very nearly was…. Join her as she finally comes to understand the nature of personal miracles.

Kirkus Discoveries:

..."Parker shows a gift for storytelling, and as a result, the book is compelling and enthralling. Parker examines her psyche—and the mistakes and tragedies that mar her life—with endearing bravery. Through her honesty, Parker makes a successful argument for faith and spirituality while somehow avoiding the pitfalls of sappiness and overt sentimentality. This is thanks in part to her sharing her beliefs, rather than preaching them. Genuinely uplifting and inspiring.”




[close]

[close] From Publishers Weekly:

Ru Freeman's debut novel chronicles the trials and travails of two Sri Lankan women and their pursuit of freedom. Orphaned then absorbed as a servant into a well-to-do Sri Lankan family at the age of five, Latha Kumari grows up in tandem with the family's spoiled young daughter, Thara. However, Latha's mysterious origins and ambiguous caste ensure her a future of unpaid servitude in the Vithanages's household. Resentful, she involves herself with the man meant for Thara. This choice ultimately causes her loss and suffering. Alongside Latha's story is that of Biso's, who is fleeing a drunken abusive husband, a murdered lover and townspeople who whisper whore as she walks past. Biso escapes blindly to the salvation and promise of distant relatives in the north, but her journey with her three children across the country is tainted by murder and terrorism. The kindness of strangers runs out, but the end of Biso's tragic journey will end up being the promise of Latha's future. Freeman illustrates contemporary Sri Lankan life through the battles waged between lovers, friends and strangers alike in this study in dignity, strength of character, tolerance and perseverance. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
"Evocative and moving. Ru Freeman is a marvelous storyteller who sees deeply into the complex layers of compassion and love, of sorrow and betrayal. An amazing first novel." -- Ursula Hegi, New York Times bestselling author of The Worst Thing I've Done and Stones from the River

"A thrilling debut: Ru Freeman has given us a wonderfully bold and determined protagonist in a richly drawn, complex, fascinating story. I loved it." -- Lynn Freed, author of The Servant's Quarters

"A heartbreaking and ultimately uplifting novel that celebrates our ability to transcend tragedy." -- Rishi Reddi, author of Karma and Other Stories and winner of the L. L. Winship/PEN Awar [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.

[close]

[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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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

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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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[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] 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] 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] 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] 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 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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]

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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] 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] " '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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] Based on a popular column Gross wrote for More Magazine, What to Wear for the Rest of Your Life examines the critical shifts that women experience during various stages of their life and how those changes are reflected (or should be) in their closets. Gross writes candidly about her own realization that when she donned a bikini at 47, she was no longer the tall, willowy Ford model she was at 21. Gross explains--using her own and dozens of other women's experiences--how to dress your "inner girl," find style mentors, how to wear a shirt when you no longer have a waist, etc. She also offers practical "Closet Practices" so each woman can build her own "Feel Good closet." She shares calming advice about fashion, not just about choosing our clothes, but also about how to evolve gracefully from wife to mother to empty-nester or globe-trotting adventurer--whatever role a woman chooses.

Every woman will relate to Gross' look at the relationship a woman has with her closet, her clothes and the fantasy versus reality of the image she sees in the mirror.
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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] 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] 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] 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] 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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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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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] 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]