A NOVEL OF MORAL CHAOS AT THE END OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURYCalled Baby Cat-Face because of her "feline green eyes and tiny snub nose," Esquerita Reyna lives in the dark world of modern New Orleans. Surrounded by bizarre characters, whose lives are a chain reaction of horrific yet absurdly comic events, Baby struggles Candide-like to make her way in an inexplicably brutal world.Disillusioned with the violence around her, she joins a religious cult called the Temple of the Few Washed Pure by Her Blood. After a kinky indiscretion with the obese Waldo Orchid, she becomes pregnant with a child who would be dubbed a Second Coming -- of sorts. Even Wild at Heart's perpetually drifting lovebirds, Sailor and Lula, have a wacky cameo. "That none of this seems more than slightly odd in context," noted one critic, "is testimony to the seductive power of Gifford's virtuoso wordplay.""[Gifford's] singular genius is a kind of everyday surreality ... Baby Cat-Face inhabits a New Orleans so feverishly peculiar that Anne Rice would feel at ease there." - Washington Post"Mr. Gifford's characters face the ridiculousness of life with existential gusto -- and in this, at least, there is perfect sense." - The New York Times Book Review From Publishers WeeklyAfter watching her dancing partner get his neck fatally slashed by a jealous rival, young New Orleans creole Esquerita Reyna, aka "Baby Cat-Face," heads out of the big city for an aunt's place in Corinth, N.C. Meanwhile, Sailor and Lula (the protagonists of Wild at Heart and five other Gifford novels) are on the way to to Corinth, planning on some fun and games, but instead they wind up rescuing Baby from trouble. Wackiness abounds: back in New Orleans, Baby joins Mother Bizco's Temple of the Few Washed Pure by Her Blood, a religious sect headed by a former prostitute, who, when Baby gets pregnant, jumps to the conclusion that Baby's is an immaculate conception. Indeed, Baby gives birth to an avenging youngster named Angel de la Cruz, who quotes scripture at age one, can float in the air, winds up sharing a jail cell with Sailor and fathers a child of his own. Gifford's universe is unpredictable. His characters turn on a dime, one minute asking why evil exists in the world and the next minute committing heinous acts. And Baby, the usual victim, recovers with the ease of a cartoon figure straightening itself after being flattened by a two-ton anvil. It's often great fun. But as Gifford takes his brand of trash-Americana through three generations of Christian fundamentalism and conspiracy theory, he remains disinterested in anything resembling sustained drama or characterization, content to rely on momentum, funky phrasings and the idiosyncrasies of his hyperthyroid world.From Library JournalIf you're looking for a fin-de-siecle car chase through the backwaters of fundamentalist Christianity, and rape and violence served up with a New Orleans accent, then you've come to the right place. Messiahs and malcontents share the stage as Esquerita Reyna, better known as Baby Cat-Face, leaves town after witnessing a murder and meets soul singer Sugargirl Crooks, whose influence guides her to Mother Bizco's Temple of the Few Washed Pure by Her Blood. There she becomes unknowingly wrapped up in an elaborate plan to give birth to a female messiah who will lead a feminist revolution in the 21st century (one smells a sequel). In between these episodes, other vectors appear, whose meaning is only barely apparent at the tale's end. Sailor and Lula, whom Gifford readers will recognize from Wild at Heart and Sailor's Holiday, make a brief, and ultimately meaningless, appearance. Fans of Gifford's slapdash style, replete with quick cuts and untied loose ends, may appreciate this latest effort. Others might pass. Recommended where Gifford is popular. Views: 300
A member of one of the most distinguished and honored families in Iraq, Mayada grew up surrounded by wealth and royalty. But when Saddam Hussein's regime took power, she was thrown into cell 52 in the infamous Baladiyat prison with seventeen other nameless, faceless women from all walks of life. To ease their suffering, these "shadow women" passed each day by sharing their life stories. Now, through Jean Sasson, Mayada is finally able to tell her story--and theirs--to the world. Views: 299
With unreliable memories and scraps of photographs as his only clues, Conor Lyons follows in the tracks of his father, a rootless photographer, as he moved from war-torn Spain, to the barren plains of Mexico, where he met and married Conor's mother, to the American West, and finally back to Ireland, where the marriage and the story reach their heartrending climax. As the narratives of Conor's quest and his parents' lives twine and untwine, Colum McCann creates in Songdogs a mesmerizing evocation of the gulf between memory and imagination, love and loss, past and present. Views: 298
The Aldens help set up the new Dino World exhibit at the natural history museum! But then dinosaur bones are stolen. Who’s trying to sabotage the exhibit? Views: 297
The war between the houses of Lancaster and York for the throne of England was characterised by treachery, deceit and - at St Albans, Blore Hill and Towton, - some of the bloodiest and most dramatic battles on England's soil. Between 1455 and 1487 the royal coffers were bankrupted and the conflict resulted in the downfall of the houses of Lancaster and York and the emergence of the illustrious Tudor dynasty.
Alison Weir's lucid and gripping account focuses on the human side of history, on the people and personalities involved in the conflict. At the centre of the book stands Henry VI, the pious king whose mental instability led to political chaos, Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York and Henry's rival, and most important of all, Margaret of Anjou, Henry's wife who took up her arms in her husband's cause and battled for many years in a violent man's world. Views: 294
Together again. It's been a year since Katie O'Roark, Chelsea James, and Lacey Duval shared a special summer at Jenny House. The girls have each spent the year struggling to fit into the world of the healthy. Now they're back, this time as "big sisters" to a new group of girls who also face life-threatening illnesses.
But even as the friends strive to help their "little sisters" face the future together, they must separately confront their own expectations. Katie must decide between an old flame and an exciting scholarship far from home. Chelsea must overcome her fear of romance. And Lacey must convince the boy that she loves that the feelings for him can be trusted.
When tragedy strikes Jenny House, each of the girls knows that things can never be the same again. Will Lacey, Chelsea, and Katie find a way to carry on the legacy of the Jenny House? Can their special friendship endure when they go their separate ways?
From the Paperback edition. Views: 291
Gil "The Arm" Hamilton was one of the top operatives of ARM, the elite UN plice force. His intuition was unfailingly accurate, his detective skills second to none, and his psychic powers — esper sense and telekinesis — were awesome. Now you can read all the classic stories of the legendary ARM operative, collected in one volume for the first time — plus, an all-new, never-before-published Gil Hamilton adventure!From the Paperback edition. Views: 280
In the heat of the city, a man is out of time: speeding in a beat-up Ford Tempo, blasting easy-listening music. Reporter Steve Everett drinks too much, makes love to his boss's wife, and has just stumbled upon a shocking truth: a convicted killer is about to be executed for a crime he didn't commit.
In the cold confines of Death Row, Frank Beachum is also out of time. Ready to say good-bye to the wife and child he loves and hello to the God he still believes in, Beachum knows he did not kill a convenience store clerk six years ago. But in a few hours--if Steve Everett can't find the evidence to stop it--a needle is going to pierce Frank Beachum's skin.
The killing machine is primed. The executioner is waiting. And so is the priest. Now the clock is ticking down and the race is on--between the reporter and his demons, between the system and its lethal flaws, between the last innocent man and society's ultimate crime . . . .
From the Paperback edition. Views: 279
Sorak had known that discovering his past would come at a price, but he had not guessed the pice would be so dear. He learned of his parents, of his slaughtered tribe, of the destiny he bears, but this knowledge came at the cost of the voices that had guided him across the burning sands. For the first time in his memory, he feels alone. And still more will be lost... bearing Galdra, the fabled blade of elven kings, and accompanied by his love Ryana, Sorak sets out on a quest assigned him by the Sage. He seeks the Veiled Alliance in Altaruk, hoping to marshal its forces against a growing circle of defilers. But the legend of the Nomad has preceded him, and the defilers plan an end to the legend, and the Nomad. Views: 277
Zhirrzh alien Searcher Thrr-gilag is disgraced, his engagement imperilled. He is a target of hidden and powerful forces seeking to remake Zhirrzh society in their own merciless image. His only hope is to prove authorities wrong: Humans did not start the war. Views: 276
Claire has everything she ever wanted: a husband she adores, a great apartment, a good job. Then, on the day she gives birth to their first baby, James informs her that he's leaving her. Claire is left with a newborn daughter, a broken heart, and a postpartum body that she can hardly bear to look at.
She decides to go home to Dublin. And there, sheltered by the love of a quirky family, she gets better. So much so, in fact, that when James slithers back into her life, he's in for a bit of a surprise. Views: 276
When a local business, Davis Diapers, offers to sponsor the Krushers, Kristy accepts. She figures the new uniforms will give her team a big boost. But instead of being psyched, the Krushers fall apart: Mr. Davis bosses them around, and their new uniforms say DIAPERS--in huge, red letters. And that's not Kristy's only problem. With Dawn in California for good, the BSC is way overbooked.
But the new girl on Kristy's block likes baseball and kids. Maybe she can help. . . Views: 272
Kick! Splat! Yuck!
Who let the air out of the soccer ball? WHo added salt to the water on the sidelines? Who put the red glop in the goalie's soccer shoes?
It's gooey. It's gross. It's not fair. Soccer is supposed to be a kick. But somebody's being a drag. Nancy Drew wants to know who's playing the silly games with her third grade soccer team! Views: 266
