About this book:In 1993, as a 23-year-old correspondent covering the wars in the Balkans, I was initially comforted by the roar of NATO planes flying overhead. President Clinton and other western leaders had sent the planes to monitor the Bosnian war, which had killed almost 200,000 civilians. But it soon became clear that NATO was unwilling to target those engaged in brutal "ethnic cleansing." American statesmen described Bosnia as "a problem from hell," and for three and a half years refused to invest the diplomatic and military capital needed to stop the murder of innocents. In Rwanda, around the same time, some 800,000 Tutsi and opposition Hutu were exterminated in the swiftest killing spree of the twentieth century. Again, the United States failed to intervene. This time U.S. policy-makers avoided labeling events "genocide" and spearheaded the withdrawal of UN peacekeepers stationed in Rwanda who might have stopped the massacres underway. Whatever America's commitment to... Views: 55
Romance/Fantasy. 40516 words long. First published in 2009, 2009 Views: 55
When you lose for a living, it's pretty hard to fail.Once, like all of us, Buddy dreamt of success. He and his wife, Alix, had just bought a new place, not too far from the beach. Their daughter, Brook, was out of the hospital. And the fans were cheering him on as the Invincible Man, one of the rising stars of the Southeastern Wrestling Confederacy.Then everything fell apart. An argument over Monday Night Football somehow crossed the line, Alix kicked him out, and Buddy moved in to the Motel 6. After that, winning just didn't seem right, so he traded in his golden cape for a latex mask and became one of the anonymous losers that fans love to hate. Every few weeks, he'd get a new mask, rechristen himself, and step into the ring to get beat all over again -- as the Grave Digger or the Widow Maker, the Deadbeat Dad or the Unknown Kentucky Terror. In the four years since the divorce, his record is 0-186, but that's okay by Buddy.Free of mad notions like happiness... Views: 55
'A warming testament to the elasticity and enduring love of true family bonds. I adored this book' Penny Parkes'Fresh, funny and utterly fabulous, it's the perfect holiday read' Heat 'Feel-good' Bella 'A clever concept ... with surprises and some shocks in store for both the reader and the characters ... An endearing, funny and poignant read' ExpressThe first rule of Sunday Lunch Club is ... don't make any afternoon plans. Every few Sundays, Anna and her extended family and friends get together for lunch. They talk, they laugh, they bicker, they eat too much. Sometimes the important stuff is left unsaid, other times it's said in the wrong way. Sitting between her ex-husband and her new lover, Anna is coming to terms with an unexpected pregnancy at the age of forty. Also at the table are her ageing grandmother, her promiscuous sister, her flamboyantly gay brother and a... Views: 55
From ancient empires to modern economics, veteran journalist Andrew Lawler delivers a sweeping history of the animal that has been most crucial to the spread of civilization across the globe—the chicken.Queen Victoria was obsessed with it. Socrates’ last words were about it. Charles Darwin and Louis Pasteur made their scientific breakthroughs using it. Catholic popes, African shamans, Chinese philosophers, and Muslim mystics praised it. Throughout the history of civilization, humans have embraced it in every form imaginable—as a messenger of the gods, powerful sex symbol, gambling aid, emblem of resurrection, all-purpose medicine, handy research tool, inspiration for bravery, epitome of evil, and, of course, as the star of the world’s most famous joke. In Why Did the Chicken Cross the World?, science writer Andrew Lawler takes us on an adventure from prehistory to the modern era with a fascinating account of the partnership between human... Views: 55
Someone's rigging the boats at Bayport's offshore race--and putting every racer's life at risk. Fortunately for the racers, Frank and Joe are on hand to investigate the foul play... Views: 55
Set largely among the Jewish community of inter-war New York City, this is a beautifully-told collection of scenes from Morgenstern’s life. The tricky ground of writing the advice column for a provincial Yiddish daily; successes during, and hard times after, the Depression; a position at the top of his craft as a labour specialist in the New York City Yiddish press – these and many more form a portrait of “a fundamentally decent man in morally perplexing situations”. “I’ve been working on a series of stories about the character I call “my father” – loosely based on my own father – for about 30 years…I wondered if I could use the character in other situations. [One] story had begun with a spark of truth – a story my father had told many times about a foolish man he’d once known – and the spirit of my father.“All the stories in the series walk that precarious tightrope between memoir and fiction…“I worked hard, with the stories’ structure and a sort of old-fashioned expository... Views: 55
He would endure a thousand deaths for her, but would she let him? Torn between two men that love her, Emma Townsend is forced to make choices no seventeen-year-old should ever be forced to make. With her friends at her side, Emma embarks on an adventure full of danger, deceit and betrayal as she tries to redeem Kai, the man who made the ultimate sacrifice for her. Views: 55
Dynasties: The Danforths. A family of prominence...tested by scandal, sustained by passion!THEIR AFFAIR WAS FORBIDDENAdam Danforth could have had his pick of Savannah beauties, but the only woman who tempted him was Selene Van Gelder—the daughter of his father's most venomous rival.THEIR PASSION UNQUENCHABLEAdam should have been suspicious of Selene's interest. He should have questioned her motives. But his desire for her was wild and uncaged. He wanted to go public with their relationship, but she begged him to wait. Their secret trysts and stolen pleasure had to be enough—until the media unexpectedly exposed their affair. Now Adam was faced with a harsh reality: had Selene leaked their secret to sabotage his father's campaign—and could he ever trust his heart again? Views: 55
Spring 1855, the height of the Crimean War, and the siege of the Russian city of Sebastopol continues. In a desperate attempt to cut the Russians' supply line at the Sea of Azoff, the Allies commit 15,000 troops, five batteries of artillery, and virtually every ship of their Black Sea fleets. Commander Phillip Hazard and HMS Huntress undertake the crucial mission of marking a new channel for the Allies' attack under the formidable shore batteries guarding the Straight of Yenikale. Views: 55
The Apostles run Chicago's streets. Their leader, "Solemn Shawn" Terson, is the most revered--and feared--man in town. Because of his past exploits, the Apostles have a loyalty among its members that has reached mythic proportions.When Insane Wayne, a former member of the rival gang, the Governors, comes groveling for admission to the coveted Apostles, he's quickly turned down. His reaction is violent: He shoots a Governor and plants evidence that lays the murder rap on the Apostles, setting off a bloody series of retaliations.Solemn Shawn is ready to give up the gang world. His pregnant girlfriend wants another way of life and the cops are hot on his tail; he knows the time has come to step aside. But he must fight one more street war before handing over the reins of his empire. The head of the Governors has a score to settle with Shawn that dates back to their prison days--and Shawn and the Apostles must fight or flee as the streets around them erupt in... Views: 55
