A recurrent, unidentifiable noise in her apartment. A memo to her boss that's replaced by obscene insults. Amanda—a successful architect in a happy marriage—finds her life going off kilter by degrees. She starts smoking again, and one night for no reason, without even the knowledge that she's doing it, she burns her husband with a cigarette. At night she dreams of a beautiful woman with pointed teeth on the shore of a blood-red sea.The new voice in Amanda's head, the one that tells her to steal things and talk to strange men in bars, is strange and frightening, and Amanda struggles to wrest back control of her life. A book on demon possession suggests that the figure on the shore could be the demon Naamah, known to scholars of the Kabbalah as the second wife of Adam, who stole into his dreams and tricked him into fathering her child. Whatever the case, as the violence of her erratic behavior increases, Amanda knows that she must act to put her life right, or see it destroyed.From BooklistStrange noises that come and go; objects that inexplicably appear, then vanish. Such bump-in-the-night shenanigans are horror-story standard fare, but in Gran's gifted hands, these stereotypes fade away like ghosts. In this sparsely constructed and compellingly succinct gem of a novel, Gran's heroine leads a normal life until things suddenly and mystifyingly go wrong. Amanda does hear noises and experience bizarre situations, yet as a vague but tantalizing feeling of unease settles in, Amanda's fear feeds her needs and desires. Gran's premise, that we accept the impossible, for to do otherwise is to foolishly court disaster, informs the subtle tension beneath this deliciously wicked tale. A short book, it is nonetheless long on style, thanks to Gran's talent for quickly and convincingly portraying Amanda's reluctant terror, abject denial, and, finally, resigned acceptance of the malevolent force commandeering her life. Seductively menacing, alluringly sinister, Gran's ominous study of psychological and spiritual suspense heralds a refreshingly sophisticated and literate approach to an often-predictable genre. Carol HaggasCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedReview“What begins as a sly fable about frustrated desire evolves into a genuinely scary novel about possession and insanity. Hypnotic, disturbing, and written with such unerring confidence you believe every word, Come Closer is one of the most precise and graceful pieces of fiction I've read in a long time.”—Bret Easton Ellis“Ideal for an evening’s reading, with a kick that will stay with the reader for days afterward.”—Dallas Morning News“Sara Gran has written an intelligent horror story, a literary creepshow that works its magic subtly and well. It’s a marvel of restraint and taste, and still it worms its way under your skin and stays there.”—Darin Strauss“Sara Gran’s Come Closer ought to carry a warning to readers. It’s impossible to begin this intense, clever, beautifully written novel without turning every page. A wonderful accomplishment.”—Margot Livesey “I read Come Closer on the train, in a snowstorm, on a cold December night. It was the right atmosphere for this perfectly noirish tale of madness and love. Author Sara Gran writes with scalpel-like clarity, expertly blending tones to create a new kind of psychological thriller. I loved this book. Days after finishing it, it has not left my mind.”—George Pelecanos“‘What we think is impossible happens all the time.’ So claims the beguiling narrator of Come Closer, and after reading this spare and menacing tale, the reader has to agree. Sara Gran has created a sly, satisfying (fast!) novel of one young woman possessed not only by a demon but also by her own secret desires.”—Stewart O’Nan“Come Closer is sharp and strange and, best of all, at the moment of truth it doesn’t flinch from its own mad logic.”—Sam Lipsyte“The Yellow Wallpaper meets Rosemary’s Baby in a slim, wonderfully eerie novel.”—Kirkus Reviews"Polished and unsettling." —The Cleveland Plain Dealer “It gave us the creeps.”—Arizona Republic Views: 11
Fantasy/Science Fiction. 57966 words long. Views: 11
In 1869 Japan, a young woman escapes the confines of her arranged marriage by painting memories of her lover on mulberry paper. She secretly wraps the painting around a ceramic pot that's bound for Europe. In France, a disenchanted young man works as a clerk at an import shop. When he opens the box from Japan, he discovers the brilliant watercolor of two lovers locked in an embrace under a plum tree. He steals the painting and hides it in his room. With each viewing, he sees something different, and gradually the painting transforms him.Set outside the new capital of Tokyo during the Meiji Restoration and in Paris during the Franco-Prussian War, The Painting is a richly imagined story of four characters whose lives are delicately and powerfully entwined: Ayoshi, the painter, pines for her lover as she dutifully attends to her husband; Ayoshi's husband, Hayashi, a government official who's been disfigured in a deadly fire, has his own well of secret yearnings; Jorgen,... Views: 11
Everything is connected. Jeremy Clegane and Aida Houser are hired by one Mr. Raymond to help Mitch Crowne escape from Russian authorities after his capture in Manhunt. Not soon after, lots of people that once crossed paths with Mitch Crowne, find their life's in the balance. And only one thing seems for sure, not everyone is getting out of this one alive. Views: 11
Elaine travels to Brazil to learn why Ruy has returned to her life after all these years–and why he still seems to hold such power over her heart. 1st of the Welles' sisters trilogy. Originally published by Harlequin Superromance Views: 11
From Dance Moms star and So You Think You Can Dance: The Next Generation judge Maddie Ziegler comes the first novel in a brand-new middle grade trilogy about friendship, dance, and going after your dreams.Twelve-year-old Harper has been dancing practically since she learned to walk. She loves her dance studio and team, and just won her first ever top junior solo in a regional competition. But right before the school year starts, Harper's parents drop a bombshell—the family has to relocate from their cozy town in Connecticut to sunny Florida for their jobs. That means saying goodbye to her friends, dance team, trips to see shows in NYC—and did she mentioned dance team? While her parents reassure her that they will find her a new studio as soon as they move, Harper is not happy. When she arrives, she realizes that the competition in Florida will be fierce and it doesn't matter how talented she is—she is the new girl and will have to prove... Views: 11
I'm suppposed to be a genius.I'm supposed to be able to see things other people can't.It's kind of ironic.Because I can't see the truth.Even when it's right in front of me. Views: 11
One quiet evening in Oxford, a house near Sarah Tucker's explodes. The reported cause is a gas leak, but when a little girl disappears in the aftermath, Sarah—a young married woman, bored with her life—becomes obsessed with finding her.About the AuthorMick Herron was born in Newcastle upon Tyne and was educated there and at Balliol College, Oxford, where he took a degree in English literature. Since graduating he made Oxford his home and lives there still, although he now commutes into London. Down Cemetery Road is his first novel, and he has since authored The Last Voice You Hear and Why We Die.From AudioFileWhen Sarah Tucker witnesses the fire bombing of a neighbor's house, she becomes obsessed with finding the lone survivor, a young girl. Mick Herron skillfully weaves a complex story with interesting snippets of current events, such as the war in Iraq. Narrator Anna Bentinck ably presents the bizarre characters, narrative, and dialogue. She incorporates an appropriate blend of humor and irony as drunks, druggies, police, and ex-military personnel converge to reveal a frightening glimpse of the sometimes gap between appearance and reality. This is the perfect choice for those who like to analyze many layers and false starts as a story unfolds. S.G.B. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine Views: 11
The cataclysm that began with coordinated reactionary coups in South Africa and Germany caught America completely unprepared. Overnight, new enemies have emerged and joined forces to attack U.S. and European shipping lanes, setting off a global conflagration raging in deadly earnest. And this time the devastating weapons of choice used by the Berlin-Boer Axis will be tactical nuclear weapons. The enemy boat Voortrekker prowls beneath the ocean’s surface, carrying more onboard firepower than that of many of the world’s nations. A deep-diving state-of-the-art German ceramic-hulled submarine, Voortrekker has the ability to evade all Allied sensors and can fire torpedoes from any angle, further masking its location. There is only one weapon in America’s arsenal that can match the silent killer: the crippled sub USS Challenger , presently in dry dock in Connecticut. It will take three weeks to get the U.S. ceramic-hulled sub back into fighting shape and by then it will be too late. The Axis Powers have already proven they can get past America’s frontline seapower defenses. And the Voortrekker is moving into position for the ultimate strike. Brash, brilliant, and battle-tested, Captain Jeffrey Fuller is the driven naval officer who must oversee the miracle that will put Challenger back into action in an improbable forty-eight hours. Then Fuller himself will have to do the impossible, piloting his damaged sub toward a life-and-death confrontation with the Axis leviathan. Fuller has already faced the Voortrekker ’s ruthless, ingenious commander head-to-head — and unlike so many others, he survived. But this time the fight will take place in waters far too deep for a normal sub to withstand — in the terrifying blackness at the ultimate submarine’s crush depth. And this time the prize will be America. Views: 11
Twelve-year-old Winnie Willis has a way with horses. Along with her dad and sister, Winnie is learning how to live without her mom, who was also a natural horse gentler. As Winnie teaches her horses about uncondi-tional love and trust, God shows Winnie that he can be trusted as well. Readers will be hooked on the series' vivid characters, whose quirky personalities fill Winnie's life with friendship and adventure.#7: Friendly Foal—A newborn filly has lost her mother, and it's up to Winnie to help this foal adjust to her new world. Along the way, God teaches Winnie that he never gives up on us and we shouldn't give up on our friends. Views: 11
Lush with sensory detail and emotional complexity, Dream House is about family, home, and an architect's journey to understand the crippling hold one house has on her.In the months following her parents' fatal car accident in Maine, architect Gina Gilbert is coming apart: anxious with her two young children, alienated by her clients' grand house dreams, and no longer certain she feels at home in San Francisco. While she and her sister Cassie are cleaning out their childhood home on the coast of Maine, they stir up painful memories and resentments over family possessions. A legendary collection of historically significant letters is missing from the artifacts they unearth, supporting a decades-old suspicion that their aunt or estranged cousin has stolen them. Threatened by the loss of the old house and its extraordinary seaside landscape, Gina finds her heart swinging wildly between Maine and California, creating conflict with her husband, Paul. To learn what the Maine... Views: 11
