Compellingly original in its conceit, Brennert's sweeping debut novel tracks the grim struggle of a Hawaiian woman who contracts leprosy as a child in Honolulu during the 1890s and is deported to the island of Moloka'i, where she grows to adulthood at the quarantined settlement of Kalaupapa. Rachel Kalama is the plucky, seven-year-old heroine whose family is devastated when first her uncle Pono and then she develop leprous sores and are quarantined with the disease. While Rachel's symptoms remain mild during her youth, she watches others her age dying from the disease in near total isolation from family and friends. Rachel finds happiness when she meets Kenji Utagawa, a fellow leprosy victim whose illness brings shame on his Japanese family. After a tender courtship, Rachel and Kenji marry and have a daughter, but the birth of their healthy baby brings as much grief as joy, when they must give her up for adoption to prevent infection. The couple cope with the loss of their daughter and settle into a productive working life until Kenji tries to stop a quarantined U.S. soldier from beating up his girlfriend and is tragically killed in the subsequent fight. The poignant concluding chapters portray Rachel's final years after sulfa drugs are discovered as a cure, leaving her free to abandon Moloka'i and seek out her family and daughter. Brennert's compassion makes Rachel a memorable character, and his smooth storytelling vividly brings early 20th-century Hawaii to life. Leprosy may seem a macabre subject, but Brennert transforms the material into a touching, lovely account of a woman's journey as she rises above the limitations of a devastating illness. Views: 34
Revolutionary retail guru Paco Underhill is back with a completely revised edition of his classic, witty bestselling book on our ever-evolving consumer culture—full of fresh observations and important lessons from the cutting edge of retail such as Internet behemoths Amazon and iTunes as well as the globalization of retail in the world's emerging markets. Views: 34
SHE WAS PLAIN. A CHURCH SECRETARY. A VIRGIN, FOR PETE'S SAKE!How could CJ Maxey possibly let herself get talked into running for Dairy Princess? Worse, once she was cajoled into doing just that, how would she survive Clint Garrett, the lip-smackingly gorgeous, love-'em-and-leave-'em reporter assigned to stick to her like a burr?SHE WAS IMPOSSIBLE! EXASPERATING! AND SHE HAD KILLER LEGS....With her feisty tongue and blazing blue eyes, CJ intrigued Clint. Both wanton and winsome, she was trouble packaged as a princess. But how could Clint be sure? And why did her innocent smile make him want to rescue her? One thing was certain: this confounding beauty queen was driving him crazy--with desire! Views: 34
While her friends are making mad cash and getting massages at their dot-com jobs, Amy Gray quits her low-status publishing position to realize her girlhood dream of being a private investigator. Joining a small Manhattan agency, she finds herself plunged into an intriguing world of "con men, lunatics, narcissists, polygamists, sociopaths, felons, petty thieves, and pathological liars"--a description almost as apt for the men in her social life as for her on-the-job subjects. Working with a gang of misfit colleagues (a former zookeeper, a one-time child star, an avant-garde philosopher, and other eccentrics), Amy discovers even more about herself as she detects uncanny parallels between her investigations and her tumultuous love life.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 34
EYE IN THE SKY Cyclops One: America’s most advanced airborne laser system. Capable of taking out a dozen missiles and warplanes from three hundred miles away, it will change the face of combat forever — perhaps rendering war itself obsolete. Until the plane carrying it vanishes in a storm over the Canadian Rockies. With the specter of sabotage — or something worse — looming over the entire operation, America’s top investigators are called onto the case. The best is Special Agent Andy Fisher, whose irreverent manner and unorthodox techniques have gained him the reputation as both a genius and a wild card within the FBI. As Fisher’s investigation deepens, more questions emerge about the laser, the hyper-secretive private agency that developed it, and the true motives of those involved in the Cyclops One project — a conspiracy that may end with the beginning of World War III…. Views: 34
SUMMARY:In the second breathtaking volume of Robin Hobb's Liveship Traders trilogy, a new tide of glory and terror sweeps forward the story of the Vestrit clan, their liveship Vivacia, and all who strive to possess her.As the ancient tradition of Bingtown's Old Traders slowly erodes under the cold new order of a corrupt ruler, the Vestrits anxiously await the return of their liveship--a rare magic ship carved from sentient wizardwood, which bonds the ships mystically with those who sail them. And Althea Vestrit waits even more avidly, living only to reclaim the ship as her lost inheritance and captain her on the high seas. But the Vivacia has been seized by the ruthless pirate captain Kennit, who holds Althea's nephew and his father hostage. Althea and her onetime sea mate Brashen resolve to liberate the liveship--but their plan may prove more dangerous than leaving the Vivacia in Kennit's ambitious grasp....From the Paperback edition. Views: 34
The friendship between an Aboriginal boy and a white girl raises issues of race in a touching story of two families who seem to have nothing in common ... until danger strikes, forcing them to face their prejudices. Illustrated by Ellen Jose. Views: 34
Move to the country for $1 a week. Dulili is suffering a people drought. Over the years more people have moved away than have arrived to stay in this old New South Wales farming town, and now only a handful of young families and elderly residents are left. The locals put a plan into action to entice newcomers: offering the town's empty houses to newcomers from anywhere in Australia. Who could resist renting a beautiful homestead for a dollar a week?Newly divorced Bea Elliot needs Honey Hill House for more than just a quaint project – restoring a ramshackle old farm house to a successful B&B will prove to her family – and herself – that she is strong enough to make a go of things on her own. She doesn't need anyone to help her, even if the guy next door is remarkably obliging, delightfully generous, and terribly charming. A city girl won't last six months in the country, but Callum 'Mitch' Mitchell has good manners and loves his... Views: 34
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Join monsters Mike and Sulley on a wild adventure that takes them from the Scare Floor at Monsters, Inc. all the way to the dangerous human world. Joined by the human child, Boo, the best friends must return the little girl before an evil plot prevents her from ever going home. Views: 34
When Ruby's cousin Flying Duck emigrates from China to live with her, Ruby decides the best thing about Flying Duck is that she is a great new friend. BUT the worst thing about Flying Duck is that now, no one speaks English at home. Plus, there's strange food on the table every night and only chopsticks to eat it with. And Flying Duck is deaf, and Ruby doesn't know any Chinese Sign Language. As if that weren't enough, this summer proves to be even more perilous as Ruby faces the dangers of swimming lessons, the joys of summer school, the difficulty of staying with a twelve-step program, the miracle needed to keep a beautiful stray dog that wanders into her life, and much more. Is it all too much for anyone -- even the Empress of Everything -- to handle? Views: 34
