For more than sixty years, the imagination of Ray Bradbury has opened doors into remarkable places, ushering us across unexplored territories of the heart and mind while leading us inexorably toward a profound understanding of ourselves and the universe we inhabit. In this landmark volume, America's preeminent storyteller offers us one hundred treasures from alifetime of words and ideas -- tales that amaze, enthrall, and horrify; breathtaking journeys backward and forward in time; classic stories with the undiminished power to tantalize, mystify, elate, and move the reader to tears. Each small gem in the master's collection remains as dazzling as when it first appeared in print.There is magic in these pages: the wonders of interstellar flight, a conspiracy of insects, the early bloom of love in the warmth of August. Both the world of Ray Bradbury and its people are vivid and alive, as colorfully unique as a poker chip hand-painted by a brilliant artist or as warmly... Views: 57
A dazzling first novel about four generations of fear and longing in the deep South Who're your people, girl?" It's the song of the South, the big question, persistent and unforgiving. Helene Strickland, daughter of Lafayette County, Arkansas, and lately of the Northeast, doesn't have an answer. Instead, she has memories riddled with half-truths, stories heard in fits and starts, a family history from a family that doesn't know its own past. In the steamy August of 1976, Helene returns home for her aunt's funeral determined to learn the truth, but her probing yields more questions than answers: Why did her grandmother, Liberty, a cotton picker turned saloon owner, have no name until she was fourteen? Why does Queen Ester, Helene's mother, dress like a child, talk to no one, and refuse to see her own daughter? And who was Chess, a man with a terror of water, a man like a honey trap who drew the women and then destroyed them? In a mesmerizing narrative, April... Views: 57
You never know what secrets you'll find buried inside an old computerOn a whim, twenty-something cyber-security expert Alex Fife engages in a bit of voyeuristic digital snooping while cleaning up an old PC for a charity. To his surprise, Alex learns that the computer's deceased owner, a shady antiquities smuggler, had been trying to unload a priceless object known as the Florentine on the black market. But with the dealer's death, the Florentine is unaccounted for and potentially ripe for the taking. Hooked by the prospect of solving a mystery, Alex embarks upon a quest through subterranean grottos, freezing morgues, and hidden cellars in search of the Florentine. But what starts out as a seemingly innocuous pursuit quickly turns into a nightmare, as Alex discovers that the Florentine may not be a lost treasure after all, but something far more insidious. A weapon that, in the wrong hands, could bring the developed world to its knees—one that Alex's... Views: 57
Three short zany stories, all featuring weird and wonderful animals with illustrations by Tony Ross. The Gargling Gorilla, The Runaway Reptiles and The Dog Magician – three hilarious stories in one volume from an award-winning author with a wicked sense of humour.The Gargling Gorilla is a perfext text for confident young readers, with its accumulative storyline, use of repetition and alliteration and humour. Tim is animal-sitting for a neighbour who tells him which animal has which food and where it is kept. So, for example, 'The cat likes cat snacks and the cat-snack pack is in the tall cupboard. The tall cupboard is beside the fridge, and the fridge is over there on the other side of the sink. However, when the vulture sees the cat being fed, he will get a little peckish. SO the vulture chunks are inside the fridge...' etc. After a long list of instructions Tim finally hears 'and the gorilla is in the cupboard under the sink.' Tim is hugely inventive and... Views: 57
More information to be announced soon on this forthcoming title from Penguin USAReviewUnquestionably one of the wittiest and funniest plays Albee has ever written . . . truly fascinating . . . enthralling. -- Clive Barnes, New York Post**About the AuthorEdward Albee, the American dramatist, was born in 1928. He has written and directed some of the best plays in contemporary American theatre and three of his plays: A Delicate Balance, Seascape and Three Tall Women have received Pulitzer Prizes. His most famous play, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Play. His other plays include The Zoo Story, The Death of Bessie Smith, The Sandbox, The American Dream, Tiny Alice, All Over, Listening, The Lady from Dubuque, The Man Who Had Three Arms, Finding the Sun, Fragments, Marriage Play and The Lorca Play. Views: 57
With his Royal Navy commission in hand, Richard Delancey is posted to Gibraltar to command the sloop Merlin for convoy protection in the Mediterranean. Overcoming problems with his crew, Delancey quickly proves his mettle during the siege of Valletta and during the battle at Cadiz. Views: 57
He was hired to protect her.Watching gorgeous Gwen Hawthorne wasn’t a hard job—but it certainly was tempting. Chance Valentine had tried to keep his distance from the sexy socialite for years, but when her father hired him to keep watch on her—as a twenty-four, seven bodyguard—Chance knew his control was about to be pushed to the limit.He’d never wanted another woman the way he desired her. Hot. Intense. Consuming. Being so close to Gwen, Chance knew that he wouldn’t be able to resist her. So he gave into his need, her need, and he took them both to the edge of a dark and consuming desire.But Chance soon realizes that he isn’t the only one watching Gwen. Someone else is out there, a stalker who won’t rest until Gwen is destroyed. Every day, every moment…Gwen is in danger. And Chance knows that if he can’t unmask the stalker, then he may just lose the only woman he has ever loved. Views: 57
"Assuring you of our best attention at all times" has been the watchword at Murrays department store of distinction for more than a hundred years.Despite a changing retail world it still strives to fulfil this commitment.The store itself remains a beautiful, inconvenient and theatrical place. Murrays is largely defined by its staff and customers: their dramas, comedies and tragedies large and small mark each working day.This book begins and ends at the annual garden party for the staff. Miss Margaret Murray, its owner and managing director is keen to thank the staff for their hard work as the store moves inexorably into the 1980s. Not all is as it seems, however, and Miss Murray has a surprise for her dedicated team.We meet some new faces, catch up with some more familiar ones and one awkward customer gets his come-uppance in some style. Views: 57
