In Book 6 of The Housewife Assassin series:Housewife Assassin Donna Stone's executive mission is crystal clear: stop the assassination of both US political parties' presidential candidates. When she discovers she has a long-term vendetta with one of the targets, can she put her animosity aside long enough to save the candidate's life? Views: 17
From Publishers WeeklyChua (Day of Empire) imparts the secret behind the stereotypical Asian child's phenomenal success: the Chinese mother. Chua promotes what has traditionally worked very well in raising children: strict, Old World, uncompromising values--and the parents don't have to be Chinese. What they are, however, are different from what she sees as indulgent and permissive Western parents: stressing academic performance above all, never accepting a mediocre grade, insisting on drilling and practice, and instilling respect for authority. Chua and her Jewish husband (both are professors at Yale Law) raised two girls, and her account of their formative years achieving amazing success in school and music performance proves both a model and a cautionary tale. Sophia, the eldest, was dutiful and diligent, leapfrogging over her peers in academics and as a Suzuki piano student; Lulu was also gifted, but defiant, who excelled at the violin but eventually balked at her mother's pushing. Chua's efforts "not to raise a soft, entitled child" will strike American readers as a little scary--removing her children from school for extra practice, public shaming and insults, equating Western parenting with failure--but the results, she claims somewhat glibly in this frank, unapologetic report card, "were hard to quarrel with." (Jan.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. FromChua’s stated intent is to present the differences between Western and Chinese parenting styles by sharing experiences with her own children (now teenagers). As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, she is poised to contrast the two disparate styles, even as she points out that being a “Chinese Mother” can cross ethnic lines: it is more a state of mind than a genetic trait. Yet this is a deeply personal story about her two daughters and how their lives are shaped by such demands as Chua’s relentless insistence on straight A’s and daily hours of mandatory music practice, even while vacationing with grandparents. Readers may be stunned by Chua’s explanations of her hard-line style, and her meant-to-be humorous depictions of screaming matches intended to force greatness from her girls. She insists that Western children are no happier than Chinese ones, and that her daughters are the envy of neighbors and friends, because of their poise and musical, athletic, and academic accomplishments. Ironically, this may be read as a cautionary tale that asks just what price should be paid for achievement. --Colleen Mondor
Views: 17
"Oz lifts the veil on kibbutz existence without palaver. His pinpoint descriptions are pared to perfection . . . His people twitch with life." — ScotsmanIn Between Friends, Amos Oz returns to the kibbutz of the late 1950s, the time and place where his writing began. These eight interconnected stories, set in the fictitious Kibbutz Yekhat, draw masterly profiles of idealistic men and women enduring personal hardships in the shadow of one of the greatest collective dreams of the twentieth century.A devoted father who fails to challenge his daughter's lover, an old friend, a man his own age; an elderly gardener who carries on his shoulders the sorrows of the world; a woman writing poignant letters to her husband's mistress—amid this motley group of people, a man named Martin attempts to teach everyone Esperanto.Each of these stories is a luminous human and literary study; together they offer an eloquent portrait of an idea and of a charged... Views: 17
Fay is the story of a committed teacher and his disturbed student.Set in a segregated facility in an isolated rural community, it is closely based on factual people and events.Taking place in the mid-1970's, and exposing ugly truths, Fay draws the reader into complexities of the recent past which provoke reflection on new millennium educational and social policy. Views: 17
It Takes a Very Special Man to Win That Special Woman!A silver tongue. A killer smile. Spectacular muscles. Handsome Murphy Pendleton had all the right parts to make any number of women swoon. But, injured in an act of heroism, he suddenly craved only one; shy, solemn healer Dr. Shawna Saunders.Shawna knew that fleeting seduction--not lasting love--was Murphy's stock in trade. So putting him back together might just leave her shattered. Still, he'd uncovered a passionate secret core inside her, and it was a risk she would willingly take.... Views: 17
Paul Celan, one of the greatest German-language poets of the twentieth century, created an oeuvre that stands as testimony to the horrors of his times and as an attempt to chart a topography for a new, uncontaminated language and world. Breathturn into Timestead: The Collected Later Poetry gathers the five final volumes of his life's work in a bilingual edition, translated and with commentary by the award-winning poet and translator Pierre Joris. This collection displays a mature writer at the height of his talents, following what Celan himself called the "turn" (Wende) of his work away from the lush, surreal metaphors of his earlier verse. Given "the sinister events in its memory," Celan believed that the language of poetry had to become "more sober, more factual . . . 'grayer.'" Abandoning the more sumptuous music of the first books, he pared down his compositions to increase the accuracy of the language that now "does not transfigure or render... Views: 17
Mariette Bertrand held up Lord Malcolm's carriage on the Devon moors to retrieve the signet ring, a family heirloom, that her cousin lost at cards. When she was injured in the attempt, Lord Malcolm took her to his sister's house. Love blossomed, but could it survive if he arrested her cousin as a French spy?Regency Romance by Carola Dunn; originally published by Zebra. Views: 17
The title he was never supposed to have...Mr. Darcy has only just arrived at Netherfield Park when Jane Bennet comes to dine with his hosts. When their guest and her pretty sister Elizabeth fall ill, his charitable nature is surely the only reason he feels compelled to entertain the invalids. But just as his new friends have recovered their health, Darcy receives the most astonishing news.The events which follow his unexpected inheritance complicate every aspect of Darcy's life. He'll need help to withstand it all and in the wake of his newfound celebrity, Elizabeth Bennet proves to be one of the only friends he's got. Add meddling relatives, blackmail, and the pernicious Mr. Wickham and you've got a clean, clever Pride and Prejudice retelling that'll leave you smiling.Get your copy today because there's no such thing as too much Mr. Darcy. Views: 17
Sam arrives at the cabin hideaway to visit his best friends Cole and Andreas for Christmas and New Year's, well aware of the wild, carnal frivolity to come. He tends to be the withdrawn sort, but when the handsome Jimmy arrives, Sam decides he just might not mind the distraction, thanks to his friends' gentle amusement and love. Views: 17
