As a native of Scotland, bestselling author Iain Banks has decided to undertake a tour of the distilleries of his homeland in a bid to uncover the unique spirit of the single malt. Visiting some of the world's most famous distilleries and also some of its smallest and most obscure ones, Banks embarks on a journey of discovery which educates him about the places, people and products surrounding the centuries-old tradition of whisky production. Using various modes of transport - ferries to the islands, cars across the highlands, even bicycles between bus stops - Banks' tour of Scotland combines history, literature and landscape in an entertaining and informative account of an exploration in which the arrival is by no means the most important part of the journey. Views: 568
This landmark collection gathers more than thirty of Jack Ketchum's most thrilling stories. "Gone" and "The Box" were honored with the prestigious Bram Stoker Award. Whether you are already familiar with Ketchum's unique brand of suspense or are experiencing it for the first time, here is a book no aficionado of fear can do without.
Contents:
1 · Introduction · in
5 · The Rifle · ss Cemetery Dance Win ’95
18 · The Box · ss Cemetery Dance Spr ’94
31 · Mail Order · ss Voices from the Night, ed. John Maclay, Maclay & Associates, 1994
45 · Luck · ss Skull Full of Spurs: A Roundup of Weird Westerns, ed. Jason Bovberg & Kirk Whitham, Dark Highway Press, 2000
56 · The Haunt · ss Cemetery Dance #34, 2001
70 · Megan’s Law · ss Subterranean Gallery, ed. Richard T. Chizmar & William K. Schafer, Subterranean Press, 1999
81 · If Memory Serves · ss Darkside, ed. John Pelan, Darkside Press, 1996
93 · Father and Son · ss, 2000
99 · The Business · ss Murder for Mother, ed. Martin H. Greenberg, Signet, 1994
109 · Mother and Daughter · ss The Spook (online) Aug, 2001
120 · When the Penny Drops · ss The Exit at Toledo Blade Boulevard, Obsidian Books, 1998
133 · Rabid Squirrels in Love · ss Cemetery Dance Spr ’97
143 · Sundays · ss, 2000
153 · Twins · ss *
168 · Amid the Walking Wounded · ss The UFO Files, ed. Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg, DAW, 1998
183 · The Great San Diego Sleasy Bimbo Massacre · ss The Exit at Toledo Blade Boulevard, Obsidian Books, 1998
202 · The Holding Cell · ss Bizarre Bazaar #2 ’93
216 · The Work · ss, 1997
226 · The Best · ss, 2000
231 · Redemption · ss Night Screams, ed. Ed Gorman & Martin H. Greenberg, Roc, 1996
245 · The Exit at Toledo Blade Boulevard · ss The Exit at Toledo Blade Boulevard, Obsidian Books, 1998
259 · Chain Letter · ss The Exit at Toledo Blade Boulevard, Obsidian Books, 1998
267 · Forever · ss Imagination Fully Dilated 2, ed. Elizabeth Engstrom, IFD Publishing, 2000
281 · Gone · ss October Dreams, ed. Richard Chizmar & Robert Morrish, CD Publications, 2000
288 · Closing Time · na *
331 · The Rose · ss Deadly After Dark, ed. Jeff Gelb & Michael Garrett, Pocket, 1994
348 · The Turning · ss Vampire Detectives, ed. Martin H. Greenberg, DAW, 1995
354 · To Suit the Crime · ss Bizarre Sex & Other Crimes of Passion #1, ed. Stan Tal, Tal Publications ’92
363 · Lines: or Like Franco, Elvis Is Still Dead · ss *
372 · The Visitor · ss The Exit at Toledo Blade Boulevard, Obsidian Books, 1998
380 · Snakes · ss Fear Itself, ed. Jeff Gelb, Warner, 1995
400 · Firedance · ss Imagination Fully Dilated, ed. Alan M. Clark & Elizabeth Engstrom, CD Publications, 1998
413 · Afterword · aw Views: 567
'What is next to ecstasy?' 'Pain.' 'And what is next to pain?' 'Nothingness.' 'What is next to nothingness?' 'Hell! The place which has nothing ahead... everything is left behind... There’ll come a time when all this will make sense to you... and you’ll never ask anyone what is next to ecstasy.'
Pir-e-Kamil has a message for everyone: there comes a moment in life when one has to decide between light and darkness. Even in light one needs to tread carefully because once in the darkness it makes no difference whether one can or cannot see. But sometimes there is a second chance, one may repent and trace back his steps to light. At this point the only solace is the voice that guides and leads to light, the voice of The Perfect Mentor. Views: 565
I’m a firefighter, God, so I know I’ve been in some tough places before. But this . . . this not knowing the people I love . . . this is the hardest thing I can imagine. The last thing Jake Bryan knew was the roar of the World Trade Center collapsing on top of him and his fellow firefighters. The man in the hospital bed remembers nothing. Not rushing with his teammates up the stairway of the south tower to help trapped victims. Not being blasted from the building. And not the woman sitting by his bedside who says she is his wife. Jamie Bryan will do anything to help her beloved husband regain his memory, and with it their storybook family life with their small daughter, Sierra. But that means helping Jake rediscover the one thing Jamie has never shared with him: his deep faith in God. Jake’s fondest prayer for his wife is about to have an impact beyond anything he could possibly have conceived. One Tuesday Morning is a love story like none you have ever read: tender, poignant, commemorating the tragedy and heroism of September 11 and portraying the far-reaching power of God’s faithfulness and a good man’s love. Views: 564
Simla 1922. While the rest of India bakes in the hot season, up in the pine-scented coolness of the Himalayan hills the English have recreated a vision of home. Here are half-timbered houses, amateur theatricals, gymkhanas and a glittering vice-regal court for the socialites. The summer capital of the British Raj is fizzing with the energy of the jazz age. It is toward this country that detective Joe Sandilands is heading as the guest of the governor of Bengal.
But when Joe's travelling companion, a Russian opera singer, is shot dead at his side on the road to Simla, he finds himself plunged into a murder investigation. As Joe begins to unravel the mystery which has its roots in the aftermath of the First World War, he discovers that behind the sparkling facade of Simla lies a trail of murder, vice and blackmail.
### From Publishers Weekly
Fully developed characters and a convincing portrayal of time and place lift Cleverly's second historical (after 2002's The Last Kashmiri Rose) featuring Commander Joe Sandilands, a Scotland Yard detective stationed in post-WWI India. Sandilands has a personal stake in catching a cunning murderer, as the victim was struck down just inches away from him as they paused to admire the view from a spot known as Devil's Elbow in Simla, the summer capital of the Raj. Despite his fleeting acquaintance with the murdered man, a noted Russian singer, the sleuth feels compelled to put all his energies into avenging him, a challenge that's compounded when he learns of a nearly identical killing at the same spot a year earlier. The circumstances of that crime lead him to a young, attractive British expat, who's managed to successfully run a major trading house despite numerous personal tragedies. Working with the local superintendent, Sandilands maneuvers through the interlocking threads of Simla's colonial power base, which include a well-protected brothel, a spiritualist and Indian nationalists. The murderer's identity comes as a nice and logical surprise. While the ending suggests that Sandilands may next apply his considerable gifts outside India, the author's talent seems capable of transcending any shift in scene. Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
### From Booklist
Scotland Yard Commander Joseph Sandilands, a World War I hero, has accepted an invitation to spend his vacation at the guesthouse of the Lieutenant Governor of Bengal in Simla, the summer capital of the British Raj. A noted Russian opera singer who will be performing there shares a ride with him from the train station in the governor's car. As they climb the steep mountain road, a sniper kills the singer and Sandilands' vacation turns into an investigation. Working with the police, he discovers that there was an identical shooting a year earlier that remains unsolved. As he learns more about Simla, a transplanted slice of England in the Himalayan hills, he finds a web of blackmail, vice, and other nasty secrets behind the proper British facade. Ms. Cleverly (*The Last Kashmiri Rose* [BKL Ag 02]) deftly transports readers to an exotic locale filled with intrigue, suspense, and characters skilled in the art of deception. This is perfect armchair travel for historical mystery fans. *Barbara Bibel* *Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved* Views: 563
This concise volume collects the core writings that have made Ralph Waldo Emerson into a key source of insight for spiritual seekers of every faith—with an introduction by the bestselling philosopher Jacob Needleman.Here is the essential collection of Emerson's spiritual thought for those readers who understand the transformative quality of ideas. It is concise and suited to years of rereading and contemplation, offering the essays that trace the arc of the inner message brought by America's "Yankee Mystic."The Spiritual Emerson features many of Emerson's landmark works. Yet also included are overlooked classics, such as the essays "Fate" and "Success," which served as major sources of inspiration to some of the leading American metaphysical thinkers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The introduction by religious scholar and philosopher Jacob Needleman frames—historically and philosophically—the development of... Views: 563
There are many sex manuals on the shelves of bookstores. They offer advice on being sexier, on giving him what he really wants, on making her wild with desire. Most of them are about as substantive as a filmy piece of lingerie. What is missing is a down-to-earth, realistic, honest book. Betty Dodson, Ph.D., is an international authority on sexual self-help and the author of the multimillion-copy bestseller Sex for One: The Joy of Self-Loving. She has devoted three decades of her life to sexual liberation for both women and men.In Orgasms for Two: The Joy of Partnersex, Dr. Dodson debunks the myths that keep us from having satisfying--and mutually satisfying--sex lives. She shows us how to be happier and healthier through the benefits of pleasure, and she shows us how to get to know ourselves and our partners better, whether it's the inner and outer workings of the anatomy or the best sex toys to bring to bed. She writes often from her own... Views: 561
Sweet Strangers
Renee Jardin never meant to become the world's most sought-after thief. But the minute she walks out of her biotech firm accidentally carrying "The Cure" -- the most important scientific discovery of the century -- she's on the run from ruthless bioengineers, cops, and the U.S. government. Desperate to lose her trackers, Renee lays a full-body kiss on the first gorgeous guy she sees...a kiss that she gets back with a toe-curling vengeance. N.S.A. agent James Axelrod never thought apprehending his suspect would be so easy, and so sinfully arousing...or that he would consider taking her into custody in the privacy of his own bedroom...
Lovely Lies
Peter Random lost everything when he was outwitted by that goody-goody Renee Jardin. Late in his rent, his job gone, Peter vows he'll never let anyone get close enough to burn him again. So why can't he seem to tell Lori Jamieson and her troubles to hit the road? It isn't just her hot bod and full lips -- although those have a magic he can't deny. Something about the damsel in distress makes Peter want to wrap her in his strong arms and prove that a bad boy can be very, very good, especially when it's between the sheets...
Delightful Deception
At the biotech firm, they call her Thea "I.Q." Foster -- "I.Q." for either Intelligence Quotient or Ice Queen, depending. Slipping the Cure into Renee's tote bag was satisfying revenge, but now that the fun's over, Thea sets her sights on a new challenge: sarcastic, secretive Jimmy Scrye. Cracking open his hard shell would be a real game, but Jimmy's more than Thea's match. He's got a few ideas for turning the tables on the brainy scientist...sensual, erotic fantasy ideas that just might change those letters in her name to "Incredible," "Insatiable," and "Quivering with delight"... Views: 560
Four lesbian women, four relationships, and four stories; who will fall in loveÂand stay in loveÂdespite the extraordinary events that threaten to destroy them? Meet Emma, a teacher who valiantly tries to ignore the crush she has on her new, seemingly-straight principal. And meet Val, a strong-willed woman, relationship-shy artist who falls in love with a police detective. Then thereÂ's Tia, who struggles with her feelings for a single mother and her child, and who tries desperately to simply be Â`friends.Â' And finally meet Anna, who meets the woman of her dreamsÂand may lose her in a horrifying hostage situation. Four brave women look for loveÂfind loveÂand must decide just how much they are willing to sacrifice for love. Views: 559
Captain Laurent Zai of Imperial Frigate Lynx must rescue the Child Empress, sister of immortal Emperor worshiped by 80 human worlds for 1600 years. The forever young co-ruler has been taken hostage by Rix, machine-augmented humans who worship AI compound minds - cool relentless fanatics bent on domination. Separated by light years, bound by an unlikely love, Zai and pacifist senator Nara Oxham face the Rix and hold the fate of the empire. Views: 558
Rachel Fortier, a thirty-something home design consultant, has had it with her fiancé. It's bad enough that he gave her a Thighmaster for Valentine's Day and a Butt Buster for her birthday, and that their seven-year engagement has no end in sight. But she just learned that he's had a vasectomy! Rachel packs up and heads south to meet her great-aunt Gizelle for the first time and take a few days to regroup. She imagines a Grandma Walton living in a picturesque house surrounded by wondrous nature. What she finds is a cabin on stilts deep in the bayous, with alligators and snakes the size of telephone poles. As for Aunt Gizelle, she's a former taxidermist who can outcreep Hannibal Lechter any day of the week.
And if that isn't enough to make a girl turn around and head right back to her ex, Gizelle is feuding with a Cajun bad boy -Remy LeDeux, a helicopter pilot and Air Force vet whose face is scarred from battle. Rene wants to buy a piece of property from Gizelle, but the feisty senior makes it clear she wants nothing to do with any LeDeux. But the moment Remy sees Rachel getting out of a red truck, it's love at first sight for the long-time bachelor, despite all the turmoil she brings into his life, with her ideas of Feng Shui-ing his houseboat and her ex chasing after her, not to mention her great-aunt threatening to shoot his heinie. But getting Rachel to say "I do" is worth it. After all, he's never met a woman before who looks at him like he's a Whitmans Sampler box and she's a chocoholic. Views: 557
The Rayner-Slade Amalgamation by J. S. Fletcher Views: 554
In the year 1605 a young woman, hiding from her past, takes up the veil becoming Soeur Auguste. Five years later the past has found her and to protect herself and her beloved child she'll have to perform one last act of dazzling daring more audacious than any she has previously attempted.
With her internationally bestselling novels Chocolat, Blackberry Wine, Five Quarters of the Orange, and Coastliners, Joanne Harris has woven intoxicating spells that celebrate the sensuous while exposing the passion, secrets and folly beneath the surface of rustic village life. In Holy Fools, her most ambitious and accomplished novel to date, she transports us back to a time of intrigue and turmoil, of deception and masquerade.
In the year 1605, a young widow, pregnant and alone, seeks sanctuary at the small Abbey of Sainte Marie-de-la-mer on the island of Noirs Moustiers off the Brittany coast. After the birth of her daughter, she takes up the veil, and a new name, Soeur Auguste. But the peace she has found in remote isolation is shattered five years later by the events that follow the death of her kind benefactress, the Reverend Mother.
When a new abbess -- the daughter of a corrupt noble family elevated by the murder of King Henri IV -- arrives at Sainte Marie-de-la-mer, she does not arrive alone. With her is her personal confessor and spiritual guide, Père Colombin, a man Soeur Auguste knows all too well. For the newcomer is Guy LeMerle, a charlatan and seducer now masquerading as a priest, and the one man she fears more than any other.
Soeur Auguste has a secret. Once she was l'Ailée, "The Winged One," star performer of a troupe led by LeMerle, before betrayal forced her to change her identity. But now the past has found her. Before long, thanks to LeMerle, suspicion and debauchery are breeding like a plague within the convent's walls -- fueled by dark rumors of witchcraft, part of the false priest's brilliantly orchestrated scheme of revenge. To protect herself and her beloved child, l'Ailée will have to perform one last act of dazzling daring more audacious than any she has previously attempted. Views: 554
Thirteen-year-old Lily is furious.She and her mother are forced to move again after her mother's break up with the latest loser boyfriend. Now they're broke and they'll have to spend the winter in Uncle Wes's creepy house in Cape May, New Jersey.And the place is crawling with ghosts.From the spiteful teenager who mistakes Lily for her high school nemesis to the restless spirit of her eccentric Uncle Max, Lily is haunted by a host of unhappy phantoms. But why are they here? And what do they want?With the help of an intriguing new guy, local boy Vaz, Lily tries to find out. But just as they are on the verge of piecing together the mystery, a casual family dinner turns into a beachfront showdown with guests both invited and unexpected, both corporal and supernatural. And the outcome is anything but certain.*An Edgar Award Nominee for Best Juvenile Mystery*A Parent's Choice Silver Honor for Fiction*The Center for Children's Books Best Books of 2003 List*One of the Chicago Public... Views: 552
