A Fantasy Saga Fueled by Adventure and FaithThe last thing Kien Lantec expects on his first day of military leave is to receive marching orders from his Creator, the Infinite. Orders that don't involve destroyer-racing or courting the love of his life, Ela. Adding to Kien's frustration, his Infinite-ordained duties have little to do with his skills as a military judge-in-training. His mission? To warn the people of ToronSea against turning their backs to the Infinite to worship a new goddess.But why Kien? Isn't this the role of a true prophet, such as Ela of Parne?Seeking answers, Kien visits Ela and finds her stricken by a devastating vision of her own. Her birthplace, Parne, has been corrupted by her enemies and will soon suffer judgment. Pulled in separate ways, each must seek to follow the Infinite's leading and hope He will reunite them again soon. Views: 49
In Hollywood, 1927, three naïve hopefuls band together to tread water against a tidal wave of threadbare casting couches, nervous bootleggers, human billboards, round-the-world zeppelins, sinking gambling boats, waiters in blackface, William Randolph Hearst, the Long Beach earthquake, starlets, harlots, Harlows and Garbos. But how will they get their feet inside Hollywood’s golden door? Views: 49
With another devastatingly hilarious, ridiculous, unnervingly accurate take on modern womanhood, Bridget Jones is back. (v.g.) Monday 27 January "7:15 a.m. Hurrah! The wilderness years are over. For four weeks and five days now have been in functional relationship with adult male, thereby proving am not love pariah as recently feared." Wednesday 5 March "7:08 p.m. Am assured, receptive, responsive woman of substance. My sense of self comes not from other people but . . .from . . .myself? That can't be right."Lurching from the cappuccino bars of Notting Hill to the blissed-out shores of Thailand, everyone's favorite Singleton Bridget Jones begins her search for The Truth in spite of pathetically unevolved men, insane dating theories, and Smug Married advice. She experiences a zeitgeist-esque Spiritual Epiphany somewhere between the pages of How to Find the Love You Want Without Seeking It (can self-help books really help self?), protective custody, and a lightly chilled Chardonnay.Amazon.com ReviewFans of Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones's Diary will recall that at the end of that sly and funny version of Pride and Prejudice, singleton heroine Bridget landed her Mr. Darcy at last--Mark Darcy, that is. Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason picks up four weeks later, and already the honeymoon is over. In addition to discovering that the man of her dreams votes conservative, left-leaning Bridget is also feeling just a mite uncomfortable with the realities of sharing bed and board with another person: V. complicated actually having man in house as cannot freely spend requisite amount of time in bathroom or turn into gas chamber as conscious of other person late for work, desperate for pee etc.; also disturbed by Mark folding up underpants at night, rendering it strangely embarrassing now simply to keep all own clothes in pile on floor. But all of these problems pale to insignificance with the arrival on the scene of Rebecca, a beautiful, man-hunting arch-nemesis with "thighs like a baby giraffe" and absolutely no girlfriend code of ethics when it comes to poaching another woman's man. Before long, Rebecca's manipulations, Bridget's own insecurities, and a string of misunderstandings (starting with a naked Filipino boy in Mark Darcy's bed and ending with a suggestive valentine from Bridget's dry cleaner) result in "128 lbs. (good), alcohol units 0 (excellent), cigarettes 5 (a pleasant, healthy number), no. times driven past Mark Darcy's house 2 (v.g.), no. of times looked up Mark Darcy's name in phone book to prove still exists 18 (v.g.), 1471 calls 12 (better), no. of phone calls from Mark 0 (tragic). Fortunately, Bridget has plenty of other problems to distract her. Her mother has returned from a trip to Kenya with a young Masai in tow--to her father's consternation; her best friends Jude, Shazzer, and Tom are all trapped in dating hell themselves; her apartment is in shambles thanks to a dotty carpenter; an unreliable ex-boyfriend has just reentered her life; and now someone is sending Bridget death threats--could it be Mark Darcy? If Bridget Jones's Diary was a modern riff on Pride and Prejudice, its sequel borrows several themes and devices (not to mention a section heading) from another Austen novel, Persuasion. And as in Austen's fiction, here the journey is the destination. A happy ending for Bridget and her pals is a foregone conclusion; how they get there, however, will have you on the edge of your chair--if you haven't already fallen off of it laughing. --Alix WilberFrom Library JournalIn this continuation of her diary, Bridget again recounts the ups and downs of the single life. During this period she has a somewhat steady boyfriend; however, the joys of having a man in her life are tempered by his seeming indifference to her at times. To her consternation she discovers that he is spending time with another woman. Besides the trials and tribulations of this relationship, Bridget must contend with confrontations with an obstinate boss, dealings with a weird contractor, working on her apartment, and the unpleasant experiences during the worst vacation of her life. Through it all Bridget is supported by her married and unmarried friends. Her comments, often overstated, are both harsh and humorous. Reader Tracie Bennett does an outstanding job with the characterizations of the variety of personalities, from Bridget's rather reserved boyfriend to her outspoken female acquaintances. This is a lively and entertaining work suitable for popular fiction collections.ACatherine Swenson, Norwich Univ. Lib., Northfield, VT Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 49
When Vincente Delgatto—an aging Mafia Godfather—decides to spend some time in Key West with his half-Jewish bastard son Joe Goldman (who is decidedly not in the family business, he thinks the worst that can happen is he’ll get a little too much sun. After all, the only thing he wants is peace and quiet, and some time to recover from the recent loss of his sainted wife. Views: 49
Widely acclaimed throughout Latin America after its 1992 release in Argentina, The Absent City takes the form of a futuristic detective novel. In the end, however, it is a meditation on the nature of totalitarian regimes, on the transition to democracy after the end of such regimes, and on the power of language to create and define reality. Ricardo Piglia combines his trademark avant-garde aesthetics with astute cultural and political insights into Argentina’s history and contemporary condition in this conceptually daring and entertaining work. The novel follows Junior, a reporter for a daily Buenos Aires newspaper, as he attempts to locate a secret machine that contains the mind and the memory of a woman named Elena. While Elena produces stories that reflect on actual events in Argentina, the police are seeking her destruction because of the revelations of atrocities that she — the machine — is disseminating through texts and taped recordings. The book thus portrays the race to recover the history and memory of a city and a country where history has largely been obliterated by political repression. Its narratives — all part of a detective story, all part of something more — multiply as they intersect with each other, like the streets and avenues of Buenos Aires itself. The second of Piglia’s novels to be translated by Duke University Press — the first was Artifical Respiration —this book continues the author’s quest to portray the abuses and atrocities that characterize dictatorships as well as the difficulties associated with making the transition to democracy. Translated and with an introduction by Sergio Waisman, it includes a new afterword by the author. Views: 49
From the author of We Are Called to Rise comes a novel about the interconnected lives of four women in Las Vegas, each of whom experiences a life-changing moment at a classic casino nightclub.Spanning the six decades when Las Vegas grew from a dusty gambling town into the melting pot metropolis it is today, 'Round Midnight is the story of four women—one who falls in love, one who gets lucky, one whose heart is broken, and one who chooses happiness—whose lives change at the Royal Lounge. June Stein and her husband open the El Capitan casino in the 1950s, and rocket to success after hiring a charismatic black singer to anchor their nightclub, the Royal Lounge. Their fast-paced lifestyle runs aground as racial tensions mount. Honorata leaves the Philippines as a mail order bride to a Chicago businessman, then hits a jackpot at the Royal Lounge when he takes her on a weekend trip to Las Vegas. Engracia, an illegal Mexican immigrant... Views: 49
Back in Calingarry Crossing to sell the family pub, Maggie Lindeman has no idea a perfect storm is heading her way until her past and present collide with the unexpected.Maggie once had a crush on Dan Ireland, now a work-weary police crash investigator, still hell-bent on punishing himself for his misspent youth. Dan has ample reason for not going home to Calingarry Crossing for the school reunion, but one very good reason why he should.Maggie is dealing with a restless seventeen-year-old son, a father with dementia, a fame-obsessed musician husband, a dwindling bank account and a country pub that just won't sell.The last thing she needs is a surprise houseguest for the summer. Fiona Bailey-Blair, daughter of an old friend and spoilt with everything but the truth, whips up a maelstrom of gossip when she blows into town.This storm season, when a school reunion brings home more than memories, Maggie Lindeman will discover there's no keeping a lid on some secrets. Views: 49
Bishop Gregory Beaufort has disappeared without a trace and for three years, every effort to find him seems to only result in one dead end after another. Some members of Gregory's family are starting to think that he is dead until one of his daughters briefly glimpses him in the back seat of a late-model Cadillac. It kicks off a twenty-one-day cat and mouse race against time between the police and Gregory's captors.Meanwhile, a dashing beau from the church Gregory once led, approaches Gregory's wife, Dana, and eventually reveals his love for her. When even the police appear to believe Gregory might never be found, her hope wanes and Dana is vulnerable and unsuspecting of the beau's true intentions, which are furtively linked to the infamous House of gods.Dana and the rest of the Beauforts remain a constant target for a secret society that will stop at nothing to ensure every member of that family is six feet beneath the soil. Views: 49
Lies, Lechery and an anonymous AngelIn the tenth installment of this dramatic Elizabethan series, Westfield’s Men are flying high after a celebrated performance of The Insatiate Duke at the Queen’s Head. However, victory is bittersweet as the company is soon faced with dissolution and the loss of their theatre; were it not for one of the company’s rising stars. After acquiring a new benefactor, the company plan to build their own theatre.However, before they have the chance to find out who this guardian angel is, one of the group is found brutally murdered. Cue Nicholas Bracewell to uncover not one, but two hidden identities, of both the murderer and the anonymous benefactor, before the company gets disbanded.From Publishers WeeklyMarston's civilized series set in the theater world of Elizabethan England receives its 10th, expert installment. Gentle and intelligent, Nicholas Bracewell is the book holder of Westfield's Men, a troupe that's under attack from every direction. Their oaf of a landlord is out for blood because someone has taken advantage of his young daughter. Then the Privy Council decrees that only two companies will be allowed to perform in London, which means one will have to be disbanded. Since Westfield's Men lack a proper theater, they are at a disadvantage and decide to raise money to construct one of their own. It's up to suave, well-turned out Sylvester Pryde to find the money. Shortly after he succeeds, he is found murdered. Bracewell must calm his balky troupe, keep defections to the other companies to a minimum, find the killer and soothe the new patron. Marston's calm, well-wrought tale stands in contrast to the treachery-filled, bloody tales his characters are reenacting. He keeps introspection to a minimum, letting his imagination run when envisioning the period, which he does in high style, from intrigue at Court to events on stage, to the taprooms of London. As one of his characters says, "True art consists in concealing the huge efforts which lie behind it"Aand how well that seems to apply to Marston. (July) Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalIn the tenth Nicholas Bracewell mystery (e.g., The Laughing Hangman, LJ 7/96), murder intervenes just as Bracewell's Elizabethan acting troupe is about to find a new home. Slow but with good detail. Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 49
SUMMARY:When a lighthouse keeper reports seeing a ball of light plunging into the sea off Tayborough Sands, UNIT sends Mike Yates to investigate. He is surprised to bump into an old friend, the Doctor, who has brought his friends Tegan and Turlough there for a holiday -- a holiday which is short-lived after the crew of the boat Papillon are discovered slaughtered. Views: 49
There’s no police training stronger than a cop’s instinct. Faith Mitchell’s mother isn’t answering her phone. Her front door is open. There’s a bloodstain above the knob. Her infant daughter is hidden in a shed behind the house. All that the Georgia Bureau of Investigations taught Faith Mitchell goes out the window when she charges into her mother’s house, gun drawn. She sees a man dead in the laundry room. She sees a hostage situation in the bedroom. What she doesn’t see is her mother. . . . “You know what we’re here for. Hand it over, and we’ll let her go.” When the hostage situation turns deadly, Faith is left with too many questions, not enough answers. To find her mother, she’ll need the help of her partner, Will Trent, and they’ll both need the help of trauma doctor Sara Linton. But Faith isn’t just a cop anymore—she’s a witness. She’s also a suspect. The thin blue line hides police corruption, bribery, even murder. Faith will have to go up against the people she respects the most in order to find her mother and bring the truth to light—or bury it forever. Karin Slaughter’s most exhilarating novel yet is a thrilling journey through the heart and soul, where the personal and the criminal collide, and conflicted loyalties threaten to destroy reputations and ruin lives. It is the work of a master of the thriller at the top of her game, and a whirlwind of unrelenting suspense. Views: 49
All Detective Judd Hanna was looking for was a few days of peace and solitude, away from the dark shadows of big-city crime. But in a little town in the Wyoming high country, he found something more, much more--a woman who made him dream, for the first time in years, of a life filled with love and laughter.... But even here, peace was hard to find. For Charlotte "Charlie" Franklin--a strong but gentle woman who was raising an adorable little girl alone--was in mortal danger. And before Judd could hope for a future with her, he had to make sure she lived to see tomorrow.... Views: 49
