Terran forces are pushed to the wall by the ever-encroaching Kilrathi hordes. The end seems very near — it is time for desperation measures. Against overwhelming odds, the humans try to launch a last desperate offensive against the Kilrathi homeworld. Once again, humanity's last best hope is embodied in her flyers. Views: 33
Amazon.com ReviewLisamarie Hill, the protagonist of Eden Robinson's coming-of-age novel Monkey Beach, is a terror. She'll run out of an evacuating car to get a better view of a tidal wave. She'll drag you unconscious to a deserted island with nothing but cigarettes, marshmallows, and the need to get you talking. Whatever her age, she'll ask awkward questions.Set in the coastal Haisla village of Kitamaat near British Columbia's dauntingly gorgeous Queen Charlotte Islands, Monkey Beach is the story of Lisa and her Haisla community, including uncles involved in First Nations warrior movements, industrious grandmothers with one foot in the grave and the other in various spirit worlds, and the long-armed specter of residential schools. The path to adulthood (and you risk a bloody nose if you call Lisa an adult) for Lisa and her friends is beset by the dangers of substance abuse and family violence but sprinkled with hopes as varied as Olympic gold or, sadly, a "really great truck."Monkey Beach succeeds as a novel of voice. Narrator and hero Lisa is whip-smart and ever cracking-wise: "The sky, one sheet of pissing greyness, stretches low across the horizon." Plot, however, doesn't come off so naturally. The Big Horrible Event at the story's end seems produced by page count alone, not by character. Voice and character do carry the novel, but the plot feels microwaved where it should be slow-roasted. --Darryl WhetterFrom Publishers WeeklyJimmy Hill's fishing boat is lost at sea, and while his older sister, Lisa, waits for word, her thoughts drift to their childhood in Kitamaat, a small Haisla Canadian Indian community off the coast of British Columbia. Skipping back and forth between the 20-year-old Lisa's anxious vigil and the story of her upbringing, this lyrical first novel by half-Haisla short story writer Robinson (Traplines) sings with honesty. As a child, Lisa is a feisty kid, a fighter. Her heroes are her Uncle Mick, a Native rights activist who teaches her to sing "Fuck the Oppressors," and her grandmother Ma-ma-oo, who instructs her in Haisla ways. Popular culture and tradition go hand in hand in Kitamaat, where a burnt offering to the dead is likely to be a box of Twinkies, and Lisa's sensible, hard-working parents try to give their children the best of both worlds. Jimmy, a straight arrow, shows early promise as a swimmer and trains for the Olympics. Lisa, meanwhile, is thrown off course by the tragic death of Uncle Mick and joins a gang of tough boys in junior high. A few years later, she runs away to Vancouver and a life of drugs and alcohol. Startled at last out of her downward spiral by the spirits that have visited her since she was a little girl, she comes home just in time to watch as her brother's life falls apart and he inexplicably takes a job as a deckhand. Eventually, she sets out alone to meet her parents near the spot where Jimmy's boat was last seen. Lisa is an unsentimental, ferocious, funny and utterly believable protagonist; Robinson's narrative is engrossing but fiercely uncompromising, avoiding easy resolution. Fans of writers like Lois Anne Yamanaka and Sherman Alexie, who blurbs the book, will appreciate this gritty, touching story. Author tour. (Dec. 6) Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 33
James Underwood returned to England after the murder of his twin brother, the Earl of Ridgeway, and vowed to find the killer. Mary Northrup, now the widow of a baron, was James’s former love, but she now appears to scorn and mistrust him—another legacy left by his brother. But James cannot pretend that his own feelings have changed. Regency Romance by Allison Lane; originally published by Signet Views: 33
Book III of the Dr. Phibes Series; Dr. Phibes In The Beginning. ATTENTION DR. PHIBES PHANS AND UNITE...HE’S BACK! – Dr. Phibes is back and this is the story you’ve all been waiting for and why you continue to show such strong loyalty. In 'Dr. Phibes In The Beginning' you will discover 'The Origins of Dr. Phibes' and exactly how he became who he is. You will also learn more of the enigmatic Vulnavia and those wonderful and wondrous ‘Clockwork Wizards’, as well as what the good doctor is doing right now, and a crucial clue as to where he will strike next. ‘Dr. Phibes – In The Beginning' is simultaneously and stunningly both a classic love story that has been tempered by horrific tragedy as well as a classic horror story borne from that ultimate of all human emotions – Love. Views: 33
Brigit Palmer is thrilled to be on the Greek Island of Santorini. She's here for her wedding to Hollywood heart-throb Blake Crawford, one of America's most eligible bachelors. Brigit's parents have rented a villa, and soon guests will arrive from all over the world for the intimate ceremony.Brigit is a New York socialite, and she's just given up her position at a Manhattan law firm to run her father's philanthropic foundation. Things are finally falling into place. Love, career, family. Everything is going so well...until she steps into the garden and sees her ex-husband Nathaniel hiding in the rose bushes. Nathaniel, a failed novelist, announces that Blake sold the rights to the wedding to HELLO! Magazine for two million dollars (donated to charity), and he is the reporter assigned to write the story. Everyone expects Brigit to have her happily ever after, her mother who taught her how to lead the perfect lifestyle, her younger sister Daisy who impatiently wishes... Views: 33
Erotica/Romance. 22875 words long. First published in 2006 Views: 33
Sam Packer of the British Secret Service knows a mission to Iraq is dangerous. But none more dangerous than this one. A whispered secret in a Baghdad hotel lobby leads to his kidnapping, torture and expected execution. His paymasters have given him up for dead. Only the intervention of his ex-lover, Chrissie, and a hostage swap get him released. But days later Chrissie is murdered. Perhaps she knew too much, knew of the secret that Sam had uncovered - that a biological terror weapon codenamed Fire Hawk had been smuggled from Iraq for use against an unknown target in the West. Personal motives of revenge clash with priorities of State Security as Sam follows the weapon's and his dead lover's murky past through the Middle East, Cyprus and the Ukraine. At each step the mystery of the ultimate target deepens and the fanatics who control it become ever more elusive. Views: 33
A tribute to Florida, fishing, and familyAll Skeet Waters wants is to catch a big, beautiful tarpon on his fly rod - and to keep everything else in his life in Florida the way it's always been. But on his spring break from school, Skeet overhears his mother telling his father to move out permanently. Then, while riding in his boat to escape his parents' troubles, he discovers a manatee that's been shot in the head. Skeet puts aside his search for the manatee and its killer when Dirty Dan the Tarpon Man offers to take him out to catch his first tarpon on a fly. Because of Dan, Skeet begins tounravel the mysteries surrounding the manatee's apparent murder and his parents' dissolving marriage.Skeet discovers that life is a lot like tarpon fishing, in which you can't look just at the surface of the water - you have to look through it, at what lies beneath.The Missing Manatee is a nominee for the 2006 Edgar Award for Best Juvenile Mystery Views: 33
A short story by Michael Graeme - a twenty minute read: He scooped some water up and drank. It astonished him. It tasted like he imagined the most perfect water should taste, but it was a sensation spoiled by the queer fact that he wasn't thirsty even though he had walked for hours under a hot sun.
"Perhaps we don't need food,... or water," he said. "Only when it pleases us."
He looked around then at the land and he felt a chill. What manner of place was this? And what manner of being had he become? Views: 33
For any woman who has ever bought a self-help book and wondered why she bothered. (P.S. Now that I know he's just not that into me, where do I go from there? Yeah, thanks for that advice.)Jennifer Love Hewitt is a self-proclaimed "love-aholic" and hopeless romantic (her middle name is Love, after all!). She has been lucky and unlucky in love, and lived to tell—and she's done it all in the spotlight. Much has been written about her love life—some true, most made up to sell magazines. Now Hewitt shares the real story of what she's learned navigating the dangerous dating waters.In The Day I Shot Cupid, Hewitt offers her hard-won wisdom and tells us how to embrace love with both feet on the ground. First, we have to shoot Cupid. We have to believe that happily-ever-after is hard work—it's not all flowers and symphonies and floating hearts.Wise and wry and refreshingly honest, Hewitt talks about how to pick the right guy and how to know... Views: 33
Sasha Townsend always plays it safe—in life and in love—until an unexpected inheritance brings her to the lushly tropical Florida Keys.There, beneath the hot sun of Magic Key, she begins to relax and renew...until she's summoned to the neighboring estate by it's enigmatic owner, Cay Ellis. The handsome millionaire's highhanded ways and infuriating demands awaken Sasha to emotions and a world available only in her imagination.From the moment Cay first lays eyes on Sasha he knows she's trouble. Not only does she refuse his claim on her property, but she insists in poking her nose in where it doesn't belong. For all is not what it seems on Magic Key, and though Cay would do anything to keep Sasha in his protective embrace, he knows that by falling in love with this beautiful woman he's taking the greatest chance of his life.About the AuthorEboni Snoe has five novels to her credit, and she is considered a pioneer of ethnic romances. She is the mother of a blended family of four children and currently lives in Guangzhou, China, with her husband. Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.Chapter OneSix weeks later ...The two weeks prior to her move had been a mess. In the end Sasha managed to rent her furnished town house and give notice at Ernie Pyle Elementary that she would not be back to teach in the fall. Everything she needed to start her new life was packed in a small U-Haul trailer when she crossed the seven-mile bridge that spanned the Keys.But once she'd arrived, settling in on Magic Key was easy. It was a quiet place that felt far removed from the larger neighboring island, Big Pine. If it hadn't been for the occasional passing of vehicles on a distant road, Sasha could have envisioned she was alone there.A wall of forests that surrounded her property on three sides heightened her feeling of isolation. It was a welcomed feeling for the time being, for the five-room house and the land had been maintained with tender loving care. She could feel that care emanating from the pastel-shaded furniture, the unique decorations, and the pruned key lime orchard.Florida agreed with Sasha. In one week her skin had evened to a smooth, maple syrup brown, and her natural shoulder-length hair seemed to thrive in the tropical environment. There was plenty of physical work to do, and Sasha believed she could not help but firm up and become stronger.An exuberant sun had shown its face every day, but that didn't stop Sasha from spending her time clearing the land around the spring. Her vision of a bottled water business consumed her, it was her future and her inspiration. As she worked in the heat, it was hard for Sasha to imagine how her ancestors were able to stay in the fields from sunup to sundown. Hers was a labor of love, but without technology and the occasional breaks under a tree with some ice-cold lemonade, Sasha didn't believe she could have done it.Now, at the day's end, she stood at her front door and looked up at the setting sun. Her body ached and her hands were sore, and all she could think about was a nice, cool shower. She was halfway to the bathroom when the knock came."Yes?" She peered out the door to see an elderly man standing on her stoop."Are you the person who lives here now?" He tried to look around Sasha into the house."Yes, I am.""This was stuck in your mailbox." He handed her a piece of paper."Thank you." Sasha glanced at the flyer advertising a local attorney, then up at the man who remained where he stood. "Can I help you?" She noticed the envelope in his pocket."I was told to give you this.""What is it?" Sasha took it and turned it over."I don't know, ma'am. I was just told to give it to the person living in the Bethel House."Sasha opened the envelope and looked over the letter that was addressed "To Whom It May Concern--: "You are being asked to cease all land-altering activity at 340 Bimini Lane. This letter officially summons you to Guana Manor." She stopped. That name was familiar. Then Sasha recalled that Guana Manor III was the name of the sloop she saw during her first visit to Magic Key. "Look, I don't know what this is, but I think you've got the wrong house. This is three-forty Route Nine.""That's what it used to be until Hazel allowed Precious to turn the Bethel House into her special place. No, ma'am, I don't have the wrong address.""Precious?" Sasha looked puzzled and shook her head. "Who is Precious?"They stared at one another."So, I'm sorry." Sasha refolded the letter and placed it back into the envelope before handing it to the man. "There's been some kind of mistake. This might have been Precious's ... place, but it isn't anymore.He accepted the envelope but continued to stand on the stoop."I've got to go now," Sasha said as she closed the door. "Have a good day." How strange, she thought as she walked toward the bathroom, where she began to remove her clothes.Sasha treasured the early-morning hours. It was a peaceful, quiet time when she sipped coffee and listened to the sounds of dawn. And at Bethel House she finally felt as if she'd come home. She didn't know how to explain it, but there was something comforting about the house that made her feel as if she was not alone. Maybe because she was surrounded by the possessions of her Aunt Hazel Bethel. Sasha had not expected to feel so comforted. After living with her mother for so many years she had feared living alone would be lonely. But nothing was further from the truth. The house itself seemed to waken with the prisms of sunlight that reached through the windows every dawn.In spite of her contentment, Sasha was keenly aware of how uncertain her future was. She knew the inheritance would carry her only so far, and she wondered where she would be in five years. Would her bottled water business be thriving? Would she still be alone, if not lonely? She hoped not as she closed her eyes, but the thoughtful moment was disturbed by another knock on her front door. Sasha was astonished to discover that the man from the day before had returned."Good morning," he said with a slight smile.Sasha was so outdone she didn't know if she should speak or shut the door in his face. Views: 33
Some secrets are just too good to keep to yourself Views: 33
