Richard Bausch is a master of the intimate moment, of the ways we seek to make lasting connections to one another and to the world. Few writers evoke the complexities of love as subtly, and few capture the poignancy of the sudden insight or the rhythms of ordinary conversation with such delicacy and humor. To read these twelve stories--of love and loss, of families and strangers, of small moments and enormous epiphanies--is to be reminded again of the power of short fiction to thrill and move us, to make us laugh, or cry. In these profound glimpses into the private fears, joys, and sorrows of people we know, we find revealed a whole range of human experience, told with extraordinary force, clarity, and compassion. Views: 70
In a time of accusations, treachery and lies, some secrets were heartbreaking…. Others were deadly. Once, Nick Kotlar tried to save his father. From the angry questions. From the accusations. From a piece of evidence that only Nick knew about and that he destroyed—for his father. But in the Red Scare of 1950 Walter Kotlar could not be saved. Branded a spy, he fled the country, leaving behind a wife, a young son—and a key witness lying dead below her D.C. hotel room. Now, twenty years later, Nick will get a second chance. Because a beautiful journalist has brought a message from his long-lost father, and Nick will follow her into Soviet-occupied Prague for a painful reunion. Confronting a father he barely remembers and a secret that could change everything, Nick knows he must return to the place where it all began: to unravel a lie, to penetrate a deadly conspiracy, and to expose the one person who knew the truth—and watched a family be destroyed. Views: 70
From the Newbery Medal–winning author of Dead End in Norvelt, nine semi-autobiographical stories that will make you laugh so hard it hurts In Jack on the Tracks, fifth-grader Jack Henry is hoping for fresh adventure when he moves to a new home in Miami with his family, but he can’t escape his old worrying ways. He worries about being fascinated with all things gross and disgusting. He worries about his crazy French-obsessed schoolteacher. And most of all he worries about worrying so much. In this cycle of interrelated stories, there may be light at the end of the tunnel, if only Jack can get on the right track to survive his outrageous year. Views: 70
Amber Brown loves the holidays. The shopping, the wrapping, the unwrapping. She isn't having any troubles with gifts, but life is another story. She's so happy when her dad has moved back to New Jersey, but her mom isn't. It means the beginning of shared custody, and that means more fighting. Amber feels as if half of her belongs to her mom and half belongs to her dad, and that doesn't feel good at all.Then her mom says she can't get her ears pierced, but her dad doesn't know that. Amber makes a decision. Something has to belong to her, so why shouldn't it be her ears?Full of the fun, humor, and punny dialogue Paul Danziger's famous for, this is a winning entry in the ever popular series. Views: 70
Erotica/Historical Fiction. 78513 words long. First published in mojocastle.com, 2008 Views: 70
SUMMARY:
THE DEVIL'S KISS The evil that triumphed during that long-ago summer in Whitfield is festering now in the unsuspecting town of Logandale. Only Sam and Nydia Balon, lone survivors of the ancient horror, know the signs -- the putrid stench rising from the bowels of the earth, the unspeakable, inexplicable atrocities, the hideous, horrifying Beasts -- that mark the foul presence of the Prince of Darkness. Only they have the weapons that can pierce... THE DEVIL'S HEART Once the carnage begins, there's no time for anything but terror. Hollow-eyed, hungry corpses rise from the unearthly tombs to gorge themselves on living flesh and spawn a new generation of restless Undead. The very demons of Hell cavort with Satan's unholy disciples in blood-soaked rituals and fevered orgies. The Balons have faced the red, glowing eyes of the Master before, and they know what must be done. But there can be no salvation for those marked by... THE DEVIL'S TOUCH Views: 70
After she packed up her British worldview (that everything is pretty much rubbish) and moved to America, Ruth Whippman was increasingly perplexed and baffled by the daily focus, if not obsession, on her own and other peoples' happiness: it came up among the mothers at the playground swings, with the butcher at the supermarket, with her babysitter who sang the praises of nudist happiness retreats, and even with her gynecologist. She encountered an American public that—stoked by the multi-billion dollar happiness-industrial complex to constantly ask itself, "Am I happy? Happy enough? As happy as everyone else? Could I be doing more about it?"—was making itself crazy in its pursuit of contentment.Now, in America the Anxious, Whippman embarks on an uproarious pilgrimage to explore the American happiness machine, tackling both the ridiculous and the sublime. Her search to discover what, if anything, actually does make us happy unveils a startlingly... Views: 70
