This exuberantly spooky novel, in which horror, repressed eroticism, and sulfurous social comedy intertwine like the vines in an overgrown English garden, is now a major motion picture, starring Alan Bates, Sting, and Theresa Russell. From Publishers Weekly Witty, weird and highly enjoyable, this gothic British tale is aptly titled. The set-up is macabre: a distinguished paleontologist is brain-damaged and slowly turning into a vegetable. He cannot speak, but narrates an interior monologue of all he sees and hears: a lot of sexual shenanigans and a particularly grisly murder, all centered around “Fledge,” the butler, who has ambitions. The stylistic joke is that all these horrors take place in a quaint, genteel English country setting, where the village is “Pock-on-the-Fling,” the pub, “The Hodge and Purlet” and the barrister, “Sir Fleckley Tome.” However deadly the deed, the language is always decorous and impeccably mannered. The result is strangely hilarious—as if a Stephen King story were being told in the manner of a latter-day Anthony Trollope. From Scientific American Magnificently grim … [McGrath] serves up this cold slice of modern Gothic with the deranged relish of a Poe but also the acrid irony of a Waugh. Views: 29
With a childhood full of broken promises and uncertainty, forgiveness doesn’t comes easy for Emery Phillips. Now, with her family home on the brink of foreclosure, it’s up to her to track down the elusive Theodore Chambers, Jr. and convince him to sign the clause that will extend the loan. Armed with nothing but a name and a possible location, Emery heads to Canada and Stone Cliff Resort, where she meets Ryan, a man who seems as lost as the one she seeks. An accidental encounter of who’s that sleeping in my bed turns into a night of the hottest sex Emery has ever known. As they search for the answer to her family’s future, a summer of stolen kisses and steamy passion slowly turns into much more and the fragile bond of trust begin to grow. After a year of grieving, all Ryan Miller wants is to get his late mother’s estate squared away and prepare for medical school, but even the best laid plans have a way of veering off track. First, there’s the cryptic words of his mom, I should have told you…things you need to know. Then there's the key he found amongst her things. And finally, there’s Emery, who stumbles into his room, rocks his world and, over the summer, proceeds to steal his heart. When the key unlocks the mystery of Ryan’s past, will it mean a happy future for him and Emery? Or will they end up losing it all? Views: 29
One last chance... for Max, Fang, and Dylan... before it all ends. Are you ready for the final chapter? Are you ready for the ultimate flight? Because THIS IS IT. One last incredible, explosive adventure with an astonishing ending that no one could have seen coming. Views: 29
A modern translation of the great Taoist classic by a leading American author. Le Guin's version avoids scholarly interpretations and esoteric Taoist insights and focuses on the "Tao Te Ching's" immediate relevance--its universality, depth, and refreshing humor--showing why it has been so loved over the centuries.Amazon.com ReviewLike Stephen Mitchell, acclaimed author and poet Ursula K. Le Guin has attempted a nonliteral, poetic rendition of the Tao Te Ching. She brings to it a punctuated grace that can only have been hammered out during long trials of wordsmithing. The wisdom that she finds in the Tao Te Ching is primal, and her spare, undulating phrases speak volumes. By making the text her own, Le Guin avoids such questions as "Is it accurate?" By making it her own, she has made it for us--a new, uncarved block from which we are free to sculpt our own meaning. Review"Reading [Le Guin's] translations is like taking a shared walk down a familiar trail where we discover rocks and water that we somehow missed before. . . . undeniably refreshing, capturing a language that is casual and clear, reflective and pointed, full of the wise humor of the Way."—Parabola "A student of the Tao for several decades, Le Guin has created an English text that will speak to modern readers in a fresh and lively way, while conveying the humor, insight and beauty of the original."—Shambhala Sun "Ursula K. Le Guin's translation of the Tao Te Ching is a personal and poetic meditation. Through her own careful study of these ancient teachings, she brings the Way into contemporary life. Each day, I open this book at random and receive a contemplative gift. These words are akin to water in the desert."—Terry Tempest Williams, author of Refuge "Among the many translations of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching , Ursula K. Le Guin's new version is a special treasure—a delight. There is something startlingly fresh and creatively alive here, brought forth by Ms. Le Guin's intuitive and personal ingenuity. Her rendering has moved me to return to the original Chinese text with rejuvenated fervor, rejoicing in the ineffable sageness that lies in and between Lao Tzu's lines."—Chuangliang Al Huang, founder of the Living Tao Foundation, coauthor (with Alan Watts) of Tao: The Watercourse Way Views: 29
Run by Mandasue Heller is a gritty story of Manchester's criminal underworld.After being cheated on by her ex, Leanne Riley is trying her hardest to get her life back on track, which isn't easy without a job and living in a bedsit surrounded by a junkie and a mad woman.On a night out with her best friend she meets Jake, a face from her past who has changed beyond all recognition. Jake is charming, handsome and loaded, a far cry from the gawky teenager he used to be. Weary of men, Leanne isn't easy to please, but Jake tries his best to break through the wall she's built around herself.But good looks and money can hide a multitude of sins. Is that good-looking face just a mask? And what's more, what will it take to make it slip, and who will die in the process . . . ? Views: 29
For 2014, Oxfam and Profile have turned to crime in order to raise a further £200,000 for Oxfam's work.OxCrimes is introduced by Ian Rankin and has been curated by Peter Florence, director of Hay Festival, where it will be launched in May. The stellar cast of contributors will include Mark Billingham, Alexander McCall Smith, Anthony Horowitz, Sophie Hannah, Peter James, Adrian McKinty, Denise Mina, SJ Parris and a host of other compelling suspects.Profile have raised more than a quarter of a million pounds for Oxfam by publishing OxTales (2009)and OxTravels (9781846684968) (2011). Views: 28
Shayne O'Malley:Undercover operative. Handsome as sin, he plays the part of a jet-setting playboy, perfectly willing to use seduction to finish his assignment. No woman had ever been his match until…Suspected thief Bliss Fortune turned his world upside down. Shayne's superiors were convinced Bliss was part of an international jewel-smuggling ring, but cynical, world-weary Shayne is suddenly having other ideas. He's beginning to wonder if the trusting, beautiful, passionate woman might be innocent. But that meant someone was setting her up….NEW ORLEANS KNIGHTS: Three brothers, three unforgettable heroes Views: 28
A Lancaster bomber required a crew of seven men. Van, the pilot is American, Jock, Flight Engineer a Scot. Piers, the hopeless navigator is a foppish aristocrat - 'Frightfully sorry, Skipper, not absolutely sure where we are'. The bomb aimer is an Aussie. Wireless operator a London cockney who was 'older than God', a mid-upper gunner with terrible eyesight, and the most heartrending of all, the rear gunner, dragged backwards in a fishbowl through the sky, a seventeen-year-old who had lied about his age to get into the air force. They are all appalling at the beginning of the book. The pilot nearly crashes them on the first landing, they don't get on all that well with each other. They all loathe Piers, the toff, and they don't cohere as a team at all. Then, slowly, as they begin their first real gut-dropping bombing raids over Germany they begin to develop as a real crew, depending on each other, becoming more proficient. Charlie's young widowed mum comes to live in a... Views: 28
Uncle Daniel Ponder, whose fortune is exceeded only by his desire to give it away, is a source of vexation for his niece, Edna Earle. Uncle Daniel's trial for the alleged murder of his seventeen-year-old bride is a comic masterpiece. Awarded the William Dean Howells Medal of the american Academy of Arts and Letters. Drawings by Joe Krush. Views: 28
