Two beautiful, memorable novels in one volume, both focussing on women who retreat into their imaginations until the boundaries between what is real and what is not become blurred. In 'Reading Turgenev', which was shortlisted for the 1991 Booker Prize, an Irish country girl is trapped in a loveless marriage with an older man. But she finds unusual solace - in secret meetings with a man who shares her passion for Russian novels. The second story, 'My House in Umbria' tells how romantic novelist Emily Delahunty helps the survivors of a bomb attack on a train and invents colourful pasts for her convalescent patients. Views: 88
A boy and his grandpa hope to strike oil in drought-ridden Oklahoma It's hot in Oklahoma. There's no wind, the wells are dry, and the ground is dead. Orvie's family is doing everything they can to keep their farm going. If they miss a payment on the mortgage, the bank will take their home away, and they'll have nowhere else to go. Farming is tough, honest work, and it's no way to get rich. For years, Orvie's grandfather has sworn that there's oil under their land, and as soon as it starts bubbling up, they'll have more money than they know what to do with. But when the oil boom sweeps across Oklahoma, Orvie will find there are some problems that money can't solve. This rich portrait of life during the Oklahoma oil boom provides a lovingly detailed look at a forgotten time in history. Views: 86
SUMMARY:
When sporadic Clan incursions into Inner Sphere territory supply mercenaries with more work than they can handle, Khan Phelan Ward and Prince Victor Davion--cousins, rulers, and enemies--must decide what to do. Original. Views: 83
John McGahern is considered by many to be the most important Irish prose writer of the last fifty years. McGahern's short stories equal his finest novels, reflecting both the richness of the ordinary, and the extraordinary, in the lives of a variety of individuals: the jilted lover waiting with would-be writers in a Dublin pub on a summer evening; the bitter climax between a father and son as a marriage begins; the fortunes and misfortunes of the Kirkwood family; and many more. For this revised edition, completed shortly before his death, John McGahern edited and deleted a number of stories from the Collected Stories that first appeared in 1992. This is the authorised edition of a modern classic. 'He writes with authority and gravity, and with an instinct for the most appropriate detail . . . His terse narrative seems free and full. He has the gift of being able to move fluently and unselfconsciously between a simple and a heightened style.' Times Literary Supplement 'One of the... Views: 82
Home for the summer in Dunleith, Alabama, Rhoda Manning's life appears at ease. But the headstrong, passionate 19-year-old refuses to settle for a comfortable, conventional existence. Yearning for a life of profundity, adventure, and beauty, Rhoda breaks from the seemingly secure world of her family to recklessly follow her dreams—but not without tragic and disturbing consequences. A failed marriage, shady abortion, an impulsive decision to sneak into a midnight meeting of the Klan, dates with her shrink, a deluge of booze, and a bout of repentance all seem to vie as the means to Rhoda's own liberation. Gilchrist unflinchingly takes us through the turbulence of Rhoda's formative years, on an outrageous coming-of-age journey of a young white woman in the 1960's South—digging through the bone to reveal the chill of human experience.PRAISE:"One of the lies we enjoy telling ourselves is that when we were young, we were crazy and wild. But hey, sensitive, too, and... Views: 81
From New York Times bestselling author Roxanne St. Claire comes Reason to Believe—the perfect mix of romance and suspense.Arianna Killian is an engaging TV psychic and hostess of the popular show Closure where she is able to give guests one last conversation with a lost loved one. When she starts to have vivid visions of a brutal murder, Arianna believes she's vulnerable to a killer who fears her clairvoyance, so she seeks protection from the elite security firm The Bullet Catchers. Chase Ryker is well equipped to guard Arianna, as long as this pragmatic man of science isn't expected to believe his client is anything more than a sophisticated guesser with a clever party skill. Regardless of who's right about what's real, Chase and Arianna battle a surprising magnetism that proves that opposites indeed attract. While they do, they must also adjust everything they believe about themselves and each other in order to stop a killer who will do... Views: 81
All men lusted for the firebrand they called Flaming Tina, famed for the molten fire in her hair--and for the hot temper running fierce through the noble Scots blood of Lady Valentina Kennedy. Forced into marriage with the fearsome warrior of an enemy clan, Tina vowed to use her wild beauty to gain mastery over Lord Ramsey Douglas.From the Paperback edition. Views: 74
Jeannie Justice is a scared teenage girl, whose older sister Ava is missing. When she discovers their house in shambles, Jeannie runs into three strange men inside her house. Will she ever find her older sister Ava alive? Who are these three peculiar men? Does Jeannie find more than what she bargains for?This is an ambitious series of twelve novels told from three different perspectives. Each novel is told by three different women starting with Jeannie Justice, then Rosalie Ocean, and finally Ember Tucker. This series is mainly made up of vampires, fairies, and angels. There is a common thread between these three women. What could this thread be? Join "Team Enforcers" and show your support for your favorite group. Will these women ever find true love, happiness, and friendship? That remains to be seen. This is more like "Knights of the Round" meets the supernatural world.WARNING: THIS SERIES CONTAINS SEX, VIOLENCE, ADULT LANGUAGE, AND ADULT CONTENT MEANT FOR THE MATURE AUDIENCE 18+. Views: 73
Wanted: Governess. Properly qualified in English, to instruct male pupil in rural location.Sydney, 1902. Desperate for a job, Kate Courtney travels to the faraway New England Ranges to interview for a governess position. She is greeted by wealthy landowner, ruggedly handsome Tom Fortescue, and is shocked to find that her new charge isn't a small boy—but the grown man.It was Tom's mother's dying wish that he find a refined, elegant, English bride to marry. But a country man with country manners can never win a lady fair. Tom needs Kate to smooth away his rough edges, make him desirable to the English rose he wants to marry.But the more time Kate and Tom spend together, the closer they become, and Tom has to decide between the dreams of his childhood, and the reality that is right in front of him. Views: 73
An extraordinary debut and exciting new voice in multicultural fiction. Views: 73
When Lisa Gee's six-year-old daughter, Dora, goes to an open audition for the West End production of The Sound of Music, it's just a fun way to occupy some time in the Easter holidays. But when Dora unexpectedly lands the role, Lisa soon learns that Dora's brush with fame has less to do with paparazzi and lucrative paydays and more to do with endless rehearsals and outsize egos.Part fairy tale, part cautionary tale, this is the hilarious, engaging account of one child's step into the limelight. From the initial try-out with over a thousand Von Trapp hopefuls to performing on the London stage with Connie Fisher and an encounter with Julie Andrews, mother and daughter navigate the minefield of rehearsals, auditions and fame. This is a heart-warming glimpse into the sometimes not-so-glamorous world of show business and the delicate balance between being proud and being pushy. Stage Mum is a story for every parent who dreams big and every child who dreams bigger. Views: 73
