His generosity had a priceLayne had never asked her estranged husband, Kyle Emerson, for any favors since the breakup of their marriage. So when he offered to pay their son's medical expenses, she wondered what she had to give in return.She soon learned. Kyle wanted her back temporarily, "for appearance's sake," and permanent custody of Robbie.If she refused, he'd take Robbie anyway. If she accepted, it meant facing all the old heartbreak again.... Views: 63
For Celebrity magazine reporter Lee Radcliffe, tracking down the world-famous, notoriously private, horror-story writer Hunter Brown had become a personal quest.Her carefully planned ambush finally paid off at a small writer's conference in Flagstaff. Arizona. But when the master of the supernatural turned out to be a dark-eyed master of seduction. Lee knew that it would take more than just good interviewing skills to bet her an exclusive. Digging into private lives was her business, but now Hunter Brown had turned the tables. With one smoldering kiss he had exacted his price. Views: 63
1. What is wrong with Will's mother? Are her concerns real, imagined, or both? Why and how does Will protect her? 2. What does it mean when Lyra assumes Will's daemon is 'inside'? Do the people in Will's world, our world, have daemons at all? 3. Why does Will's being a murderer enable Lyra to trust him? What characters do Serafina Pekkala and Lee Scoresby decide to trust, and is their trust warranted? In what other ways does trust play an important role in this novel? 4. How has Will learned to make himself unnoticed by others? Relate this to the witches' ability to make themselves invisible. 5. How do the Shadows that communicate with Lyra through the computer relate to dark matter and/or Dust? If Lyra can understand the Shadows as she understands the alethiometer, then is the computer also acting as a truth-giving device? What is the real origin of the Shadows' messages? 6. On page 188, Giacomo Paradisi tells Will the rules for bearing the subtle knife. Why do you think Will must 'never open without closing'? What did Paradisi mean by 'a base purpose'? Compare these formal guidelines to the instinctive rules Lyra obeys when using the alethiometer. 7. Why is it significant that the possessors of the alethiometer and the subtle knife are children? What is the difference between innocence and experience? What has happened to Mrs. Coulter's solders who have undergone intercision? 8. Lord Asriel is mentioned several times throughout the story, yet we never directly see him. He is planning a war that he cannot win without an object that he does not know exists. What does Lord Asriel symbolize in The Subtle Knife ? 9. What did the 'Cave' mean when it told Dr. Malone that she must be 'the serpent'? Where do you think she is at the end of the story? Where is Lyra? 10. In what way can a knife that divides pathways between worlds and can sever bone, rock, and steel be called 'subtle'? 11. DISCUSSION TOPICS IF YOU HAVE READ THE GOLDEN COMPASS AND THE SUBTLE KNIFE In Book One, Lyra is clearly a leader. In Book Two, she seems to have become a follower, a servant to Will's cause. Who is more powerful, Will or Lyra? Whose cause is more important? Is it the same cause? 12. Is the 'psychic death' caused by severing the same as that caused by the Specters? Compare Tony Makarios and the servants at Bolvangar (Book One) to Tullio's actions after Will takes the subtle knife and the final thoughts of Lena Feldt (Book Two). Relate these to the 'natural' deaths suffered by Lee Scoresby and John Parry. 13. Armored bears, witches, severed children and adults, cliff-ghasts, Spectres, and angels are beings with spiritual qualities different from humans. Why does the authorintroduce so many creatures with alternative soul-states? 14. By the end of The Subtle Knife, we have learned that both Will's father, John Parry/Stanislaus Grumman, and Lyra's father, Lord Asriel, are powerful men who have traveled between worlds. Yet one is called a shaman while the other is preparing to be a general. What is the relationship between these two men? Compare it to the relationship between Will and Lyra. 15. The Golden Compass takes place in a 'closed' world where Lyra finds guidance through her newly-found alethiometer. In The Subtle Knife , boundaries between worlds have been broken, Lyra loses her alethiometer, and Will becomes the reluctant bearer of the knife. Explore the many parallels and opposites established between The Golden Compass and The Subtle Knife . How is the dualistic imagery of Lyra's and Will's worlds counterpointed by Cittaágazze? 16. Citing a passage from John Miltons Paradise Lost , Philip Pullman has named his trilogy 'His Dark Materials.' How might this citation, and the novels' emerging themes, relate to the following quote: 'The prince of darkness is a gentleman.' - William Shakespeare (King Lear) Views: 63
Shinkichi Takahashi is one of the truly great figures in world poetry. In the classic Zen tradition of economy, disciplined attention, and subtlety, Takahashi lucidly captures that which is contemporary in its problems and experiences, yet classic in its quest for unity with the Absolute. Lucien Stryk, Takahashi's fellow poet and close friend, here presents Takahashi's complete body of Zen poems in an English translation that conveys the grace and power of Takahashi's superb art. "A first-rate poet . . . [Takahashi] springs out of some crack between ordinary worlds: that is, there is some genuine madness of the sort striven for in Zen." -- Robert Bly; "We visit places in Takahashi that we once may have visited in a dream, or in a moment too startling to record the perception. . . . You need know nothing of Zen to become immersed in his work. You will inevitably know something of Zen when you emerge." -- Jim Harrison, American Poetry Review Views: 63
THE SECOND TIME AROUNDFalling in love for the first time is something a woman never forgets, and as much as Beth Prescott wanted to, she couldn't help remembering being head over heels in love with Jake Forrest. But that had been 10 years ago.Now Jake was representing the company that was merging with her own, and Beth knew she was in for trouble. How dared he stir up the painful memories she had put out of her heart long ago?For Jake was determined to win her back, whether she liked it or not. She was his first love, and she was going to be his last. Views: 62
Thirteenth-century Wales is a divided country, ever at the mercy of England’s ruthless, power-hungry King John. Llewelyn, Prince of North Wales, secures an uneasy truce by marrying the English king’s beloved illegitimate daughter, Joanna, who slowly grows to love her charismatic and courageous husband. But as John’s attentions turn again and again to subduing Wales---and Llewelyn---Joanna must decide where her love and loyalties truly lie.The turbulent clashes of two disparate worlds and the destinies of the individuals caught between them spring to life in this magnificent novel of power and passion, loyalty and lies. The book that began the trilogy that includes Falls the Shadow and The Reckoning, Here Be Dragons brings thirteenth-century England, France, and Wales to tangled, tempestuous life. Review“A masterful picture of Wales in the thirteenth century . . . vividly pictured as grandly beautiful, its people volatile, stubborn, and mystic.” ---The San Diego Union “There is everything in Here Be Dragons but dragons: princesses held captive in stone towers, bloody wars, princes scheming to dethrone their own brothers, castles under siege, maidens in distress, power struggles for half of civilization, rampant infidelity, lusting, mead guzzling, wine drinking, love affairs that topple kingdoms---how did England survive the thirteenth century? . . . History and fiction bound up together in historical novels have always had their own uneasy alliance. . . . Penman deftly makes the mesh work.” ---The Washington Post Book World“Remarkable. . . . Her writing is faultless, deftly interweaving the threads of the various story lines into a glowing, living tapestry. . . . This is storytelling at its finest.” ---United Press International“With a fidelity to historical detail, a deep understanding of the period, a lucid, felicitous prose style, a sensitivity to nuances of character, and a sure sense of drama, the new novel by the author of The Sunne in Splendour is an engrossing tale.” ---Publishers WeeklyFrom the PublisherAs a publisher I have been lucky to be able to visit bookstores all over the country, independent and chain alike. What interests me first about these stores is what titles are being displayed in the 'Staff Recommends' section of the store. It is here that you can find treasured, beloved books quite dear to someone who works in the stores, someone waiting quite eagerly for the chance to hand sell their recommended titles.It is in these Staff Recommend sections that I kept on seeing our Penman's titles, HERE BE DRAGONS, FALLS THE SHADOW, THE RECKONING and also SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR and WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPT.It's funny, you can sell something for years before you notice that the author has been quietly making a powerful impact on people everywhere.I started with HERE BE DRAGONS and I have never looked back. Her trilogy of the decline of the Welsh kings ( DRAGON, FALLS THE SHADOW and THE RECKONING)is a holiday gift I give year after year, and I'm happy to say they have always been embraced and loved. From my 15 year old niece to my 70 year old mother and many ages in between, all readers are enchanted and transported to a land and an age gone forever. But Penman makes them live forever in our minds and hearts with fantastic, unforgettable characters and wonderful history. HERE BE DRAGONS is such a great title--medieval mapmakes would write those words across any part of the map that was unknown.. a wonderful metaphor for how little the Welsh and English knew of each other.SUNNE IN SPLENDOUR--Warning: This is not Shakespeare's Richard III. In this novel, Richard is a victim of circumstance and man vilified by the Tudors, but here presented as a decent and normal man, a man of conscience.AND he is not a murderer. Yes, those princes did die, but not by Richard's hand.WHEN CHRIST AND HIS SAINTS SLEPTAnother wonderful title, for it refers to the 15 years of England's darkest time-the civil war between the cousins Queen Maud and King Steven. England was deserted, for Christ and his saints were sleeping. I had never even heard of these royals. Queen Maud was the legitimate heir to the throne, but a woman, and there fore not fit to rule. She is also the mother of Henry, who later married Eleanor of Aquitaine . Pretty heady stuff, more incredible men and women, another book to get totally lost in. Although it has been years since all these books were first published, I can name 5 stores I have been in in the past 3 months that have one of these titles in the Staff Recommends section.-Alice Kesterson, Ballantine Regional Sales Manger Views: 62
Re-read this classic romance by New York Times bestselling author Penny Jordan, previously published as What You Made Me in 1985 A week ago Philippa's life had been relatively uncomplicated. But that was before she returned to the village she left eleven years ago; young, frightened and pregnant. Having raised her son alone, Philippa thinks nothing could ever frighten her again...until she meets Scott Garston—her first love, hard-hearted tycoon...and father of her child! Scott has never forgiven Philippa for abandoning their relationship—his reputation for ruthlessness is entirely her responsibility! So when he realizes the chemistry between them still burns, it's his perfect chance for vengeance. And when he discovers the shocking secret she's been keeping from him Scott is determined to claim his revenge and his son! Views: 62
Deirdre Gower refused to ruin her fiancé, Lord Belami, by marrying him--if her aunt proved to have murdered her brother. But the Duchess had brought the ancient Lord Dudley a bowl of stew, and he had succumbed to arsenic poisoning. The Duchess, Sir Nevil Ryder and who else wished to silence the old man before he could change his will? Regency Romance/Mysteery by Joan Smith; originally published by Fawcett Views: 61
Winner of the National Book Award for First Work of Fiction"A very good novel indeed, with echoes of Gabriel García Márquez, Katherine Anne Porter, and even Graham Greene."—The New York Times Richard and Sara Everton, just over and just under forty, have come to the small Mexican village of Ibarra to reopen a copper mine abandoned by Richard's grandfather fifty years before. They have mortgaged, sold, borrowed, left friends and country, to settle in this remote spot; their plan is to live out their lives here, connected to the place and to each other. The two Americans, the only foreigners in Ibarra, live among people who both respect and misunderstand them. And gradually the villagers—at first enigmas to the Evertons—come to teach them much about life and the relentless tide of fate. Views: 61
Nero Wolfe Series 47
Contains 3 Short Stories: Bitter End, Frame-Up for Murder, and Assault on a Brownstone. With an introduction by John J. McAleer. The last published Nero Wolfe book. Views: 60
When Robin Gaunt, inventor of a terrifyingly powerful weapon of chemical warfare, goes missing, the police suspect that he has ‘sold out’ to the other side. But Bulldog Drummond is convinced of his innocence, and can think of only one man brutal enough to use the weapon to hold the world to ransom. Drummond receives an invitation to a sumptuous dinner-dance aboard an airship that is to mark the beginning of his final battle for triumph.Review"Drummond... has the appearance of an English gentleman: a man who fights hard, plays hard and lives clean... His best friend would not call him good-looking but he possess that cheerful type of ugliness which inspires immediate confidence ... Only his eyes redeem his face. Deep-set and steady, with eyelashes that many women envy, they show him to be a sportsman and an adventurer. Drummond goes outside the law when he feels the ends justify the means." (Wiki)About the Author'Sapper' is the pen name of Herman Cyril McNeile, born in 1888 at the Naval Prison in Bodmin, Cornwall, where his father was Governor. He served in the Royal Engineers (popularly known as 'sappers') from 1907-19, being awarded the Military Cross during World War 1. He started writing in France, adopting thepen name because serving officers were not allowed to write under their own names. When his first stories, about life in the trenches, were published in 1915 they were an enormous success. But it was his first thriller, Bulldog Drummond (1920) that launched him as one of the most popular novelists of his generation. It had several amazingly successful sequels, including The Black Gang, The Third Round and The Final Count. Another great success was Jim Maitland (1923), featuring a footloose English sahib in foreign lands. Sapper published nearly thirty books in total, and a vast public mourned his death when he died in 1937, at the early age of forty-eight. Views: 59
The trap was baited and waiting. Waiting for forty years and MI5's Aubrey to step right into it… And then one of British Intelligence's most formidable figures would be heading for disgrace and British Intelligence would be heading for disaster. But Aubrey still had one or two tricks up his sleeve. And one or two friends determined that things would not go according to plan. Friends, like, Hyde his Australian right-hand man, who were prepared to risk everything on the bloody killing fields of Afghanistan and on the unsafe streets of Prague to seek the secret of Teardrop — the secret buried in the black heart of Moscow Centre. Views: 58
An innocent dressed in skimpy black satin, Lotus Sinclair Weston took the job as a roving photographer in a Las Vegas casino with one purpose: to learn who had run up huge gambling debts in her uncle's name. If she failed, her whole family would be destroyed. But she hadn't counted on Dash Colby. They called the casino owner a tiger shark in a Savile Row suit, yet from the moment they met, he surprised her with his tender concern. Even as he held her in his arms and called her "China doll," she reminded herself that gamblers played rough. Tough and tiny, Lotus had finally gotten what she needed. She'd stolen her uncle's file from Dash's private office. It was time to run. But with danger closing in on her, what made her want to stay? And where did the real danger lie -- in Dash or in her own deeply caring heart? Views: 58
