The celebrated Cuban American poet and novelist offers "a fine portrait of a hedonist and a cad" set in "the Cuban, expatriate community in Florida" (The New York Times). Pablo Medina's The Cigar Roller recounts the life of Cuban master cigar roller Amadeo Terra. A proud and capricious man, tobacco has been the center of his life, the source of his passion. Though he committed many sins in his time, he was always forgiven due to his considerable talents with the leaves. An imperious patriarch of enormous appetites, Amadeo now lies in a Florida hospital after suffering a stroke. And only now does he finally look back at his previously unexamined life. One day, his nurse feeds him mango from a baby-food jar—a change from the tasteless mush he frequently rejects—and the taste brings memories of his life in Havana flooding back to him. He recalls his turbulent, passionate relationship with his wife Julia, his numerous... Views: 622
When you're pregnant you think: 'I'm having a baby', not a person who will eventually catch trains by themselves, share a fridge with ten strangers, go to a festival in Croatia without succumbing to a drug overdose, and one day, bring you a gin and tonic when your mother is dying. We imagine the teenage years as a sort of domestic meteor strike, when our dear, sweet child, hitherto so trusting and mild, is suddenly replaced by a sarcastic know-all who isn't interested in the wisdom we have to pass on. But with great honesty and refreshingly bracing wit, Stephanie Calman shows that adolescence in fact begins much earlier, around the age of seven. And having nurtured them through every stage of development, from walking to school by themselves to their first all-night party, you find yourself alone – bereaved even – as they skip off to university without a second glance. Candid, touching and very, very funny, Confessions of a Bad Mother: The... Views: 621
With a steady boyfriend, the position of Student Council President, and a chance to go to an Ivy League college, high school life is just fine for Holland Jaeger.
At least, it seems to be.
But when Cece Goddard comes to school, everything changes. Cece and Holland have undeniable feelings for each other, but how will others react to their developing relationship? Views: 619
The Paris Tasting of 1976 will forever be remembered as the landmark event that transformed the wine industry. At this legendary contest -- a blind tasting -- a panel of top French wine experts shocked the industry by choosing unknown California wines over France's best. George M. Taber, the only reporter present, recounts this seminal contest and its far-reaching effects, focusing on three gifted unknowns behind the winning wines: a college lecturer, a real estate lawyer, and a Yugoslavian immigrant. With unique access to the main players and a contagious passion for his subject, Taber renders this historic event and its tremendous aftershocks -- repositioning the industry and sparking a golden age for viticulture across the globe. With an eclectic cast of characters and magnificent settings, Judgment of Paris is an illuminating tale and a story of the entrepreneurial spirit of the new world conquering the old. Views: 618
Rachel Morgan, sexy witch, independent bounty hunter, prowls the downtown Cincinnati for criminal creatures of the night. She can handle leather-clad vamps and a cunning demon or two. But a serial killer who feeds on the experts in the most dangerous kind of black magic is an ancient, implacable evil that threatens her very soul. Views: 618
This second prequel continues the story of the rise of the Antichrist and the journey of the other main characters as, unknown to them, time hurtles toward the Rapture.
Readers will want every possible soul saved to avoid the seven-year Tribulation, and they will see why characters such as Rayford, Chloe, and Buck fail to believe.
Events in Israel will be heating up, and some main characters like Rayford and Buck will be thrust into the thick of the drama. Views: 617
eigh Tyler was once a kindergarten teacher with starry-eyed dreams-dreams that turned into nightmares when the biggest mistake she ever made came back to tear her world apart. Now, Leigh lives only for the hunt. Werewolves are her prey, and love is no longer an option. Leigh has been called to Wisconsin for something big. As long as it means killing fanged and furry demons, she's up for it. But the worst is yet to come, because something stronger and smarter than the average beast is on the prowl. . . and it's doing Leigh's work for her. Intoxicating and intriguing, Damien Fitzgerald is making Leigh question her vow never to let another man into her bed, or her heart. Every moment with him brings forth familiar-and dangerous-urges. Urges that may prove too strong to resist. Leigh's job is a dance with death, and she has no intention of letting Damian become involved and get hurt. Especially now that she knows her enemy is watching from the forest. Waiting for her first wrong step. . . Views: 616
Nat Jennings nearly died the night her family was murdered--and spent the next three years wishing she had. Now, she is returning to the sleepy town of Bellerose, Louisiana, where she will team up with a sexy ex-con and hunt for the merciless killer who nearly destroyed them both--and is now preparing to finish them off once and for all. Views: 616
Powerful. Sensual. Seductive. He is all that is shamelessly erotic in a man. In her sexiest Highlander novel yet, New York Times bestselling author Karen Moning stirs up a sizzling brew of ancient mystery and modern passion as she brings together a devilishly handsome Celtic warrior trapped in time . . . and the woman who’s about to pay the ultimate price for freeing him. Age-old secrets haunt them. Deadly danger and irresistible desire shadow their every move. It’s a relationship for the ages. And all that separates them is a mere thirteen hundred years. . . .
Jessi St. James has got to get a life. Too many hours studying ancient artifacts has given the hardworking archaeology student a bad case of sex on the brain. So she figures she must be dreaming when she spies a gorgeous half-naked man staring out at her from inside the silvery glass of an ancient mirror. But when a split-second decision saves her from a terrifying attempt on her life, Jessi suddenly finds herself confronting six and a half feet of smoldering, insatiable alpha male.
Heir to the arcane magic of his Druid ancestors, eleven centuries ago Cian MacKeltar was trapped inside the Dark Glass, one of four coveted Unseelie Hallows, objects of unspeakable power. When the Dark Glass is stolen, an ancient enemy will stop at nothing to reclaim it, destroying everything in his path–including the one woman who may just hold the key to breaking the ninth-century Highlander’s dark spell. For Jessi, the muscle-bound sex god in the mirror is not only tantalizingly real, he’s offering his protection–from exactly what, Jessi doesn’t know. And all he wants in exchange is the exquisite pleasure of sharing her bed.
Yet even as Cian’s insatiable hunger begins to work its dark magic on Jessi, his ancient enemy is about to obtain the final and most dangerous of the Unseelie Hallows–and the ninth-century Highlander must stop him from getting it. Nothing less than the very fabric of the universe and two passionately entwined lives are at stake–as Cian and Jessi fight to claim the kind of love that comes along but once in an ice age. . . .
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 616
“One of the most remarkable books I’ve ever read. It’s truly moving, eye-opening, incredibly vivid.”—Jon Stewart, *The Daily Show*
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
NPR • *The Wall Street Journal • Bloomberg Business • Bookish*
FINALIST FOR THE BOOKS FOR A BETTER LIFE FIRST BOOK AWARD • NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
You’ve never read a book like The Reason I Jump. Written by Naoki Higashida, a very smart, very self-aware, and very charming thirteen-year-old boy with autism, it is a one-of-a-kind memoir that demonstrates how an autistic mind thinks, feels, perceives, and responds in ways few of us can imagine. Parents and family members who never thought they could get inside the head of their autistic loved one at last have a way to break through to the curious, subtle, and complex life within.
Using an alphabet grid to painstakingly construct words, sentences, and thoughts that he is unable to speak out loud, Naoki answers even the most delicate questions that people want to know. Questions such as: “Why do people with autism talk so loudly and weirdly?” “Why do you line up your toy cars and blocks?” “Why don’t you make eye contact when you’re talking?” and “What’s the reason you jump?” (Naoki’s answer: “When I’m jumping, it’s as if my feelings are going upward to the sky.”) With disarming honesty and a generous heart, Naoki shares his unique point of view on not only autism but life itself. His insights—into the mystery of words, the wonders of laughter, and the elusiveness of memory—are so startling, so strange, and so powerful that you will never look at the world the same way again.
In his introduction, bestselling novelist David Mitchell writes that Naoki’s words allowed him to feel, for the first time, as if his own autistic child was explaining what was happening in his mind. “It is no exaggeration to say that The Reason I Jump allowed me to round a corner in our relationship.” This translation was a labor of love by David and his wife, KA Yoshida, so they’d be able to share that feeling with friends, the wider autism community, and beyond. Naoki’s book, in its beauty, truthfulness, and simplicity, is a gift to be shared.
Praise for *The Reason I Jump*
“This is an intimate book, one that brings readers right into an autistic mind.”—Chicago Tribune (Editor’s Choice)
“Amazing times a million.”—Whoopi Goldberg, *People*
“The Reason I Jump is a Rosetta stone. . . . This book takes about ninety minutes to read, and it will stretch your vision of what it is to be human.”—Andrew Solomon, The Times (U.K.)
“Extraordinary, moving, and jeweled with epiphanies.” —The Boston Globe
“Small but profound . . . [Higashida’s] startling, moving insights offer a rare look inside the autistic mind.”—*Parade*
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 615
Time seems to slow as the clock ticks down. . . .
Pan-Con Airlines captain Rayford Steele prepares for a flight to London with beautiful flight attendant Hattie Durham. Because of his wifes newfound faith, Rayford looks forward to timeand the possibilitieswith Hattie.
Journalist Cameron Buck Williams is in Israel when the Russians attack and experiences for himself the miraculous deliverance of the Holy Land. Buck cannot deny Chicago bureau chief Lucinda Washingtons insistence that the event was prophesied in Scripture, though he dares not consider the personal ramifications.
Meanwhile, Nicolae Carpathia eliminates any obstacles in his path to power. As the newly appointed president of Romania, Nicolae is invited to speak before the U.N.
Without warning, millions disappear and are welcomed into the unspeakable presence of God.
On earth some realize what has happened . . . what theyve lost . . . what theyve missed.
And the darkest days lie ahead for those left behind. Views: 613
This volume is a facsimile reprint of the Household Edition of 1878 and features the author\'s own illustrations Views: 612
Having survived the bloody Battle of New Orleans and the loss of their ironclad Yazoo River, captain Samuel Bowater, engineer Hieronymus Taylor, and the survivors of their crew are given new orders -- take command of an ironclad warship being built in Memphis, Tennessee.Bowater and his men take passage upriver from "Mississippi" Mike Sullivan, one of the wild, undisciplined captains of the River Defense Squadron, only to find, on their arrival, that their ship is not even half built and the enemy is closing fast. Against their better judgment, Bowater and crew join forces with the mercurial Sullivan on board his ad hoc river gunship the General Page. Outnumbered and outgunned, the Confederates once again fling themselves bravely at the overwhelming power of the Yankee invaders. The deadly back-and-forth fight along the Mississippi ends at last in the massive naval battle of Memphis, and the near-suicidal attempt by the Confederates to hold back the Northern flood. Views: 610
In LAPD homicide detective Charlotte Justice, acclaimed crime writer Paula L. Woods has created a heroine for our times. Caught between her proud African American family and colleagues who still can’t deal with diversity, Detective Justice returns to an investigation she once had to leave behind–and enters an explosive realm of haunting lies and dangerous truths. Thirteen years ago, Charlotte Justice’s husband and child were murdered in the family’s own driveway. Now, following a particularly violent incident involving a fellow officer, Charlotte is on the edge, bedeviled by bloody memories and living on single malt scotch and antacids. But a cold case is bringing her back to work . . . and a department shrink is willing to help her through it–as long as she is willing to help herself. So Charlotte resumes the hunt for the shooter who gunned down a prominent Republican businessman, his young wife, and two Muslim business associates outside an elegant Los Angeles restaurant. The case has turned hot because Charlotte’s initial suspect has suddenly surfaced as the cause of a freak auto accident. The trouble is, the suspect is in a coma and the businessman he presumably shot is still hovering between life and death. Once Charlotte and her colleagues start digging, the investigation careens in unpredictable directions, from the meddling of a smooth-talking FBI agent to the bizarre drama unfolding around the victim’s family and business. While Charlotte is accustomed to white cops, black cops, and perps of every shade and persuasion, this case is stranger than even she could have guessed. Worst of all, it’s also about her, her contentious family, and the Justices’ terrible secret. In this pivotal installment in her acclaimed series, Paula L. Woods returns at full throttle, weaving a brilliant tale filled with nail-biting suspense, twisted relationships, and a strong woman driven by a passion for justice and a hunger for the truth. From the Hardcover edition.From Publishers WeeklyIn Woods's searing fourth Charlotte Justice novel (after 2003's Dirty Laundry), the troubled, hot-tempered LAPD detective looks into an attack on politically connected Chuck Zuccari, the elderly head of a successful toy company; his pregnant young wife, Alma; and their business associates, intellectual African-American Muslims Malik and Habiba Shareef. It's a complicated case: Zuccari's dysfunctional family and business are rife with infighting; his company is being defrauded; the FBI is investigating the too squeaky-clean Shareefs. Meanwhile, Charlotte wrestles with professional demands, racial and gender prejudice, and her interfering lover, Dr. Aubrey Scott, and family. Set in 1993, this multilayered novel may at first confuse new readers with its many plot threads and characters from previous books in the series, but all will appreciate its stunning conclusion as well as its rich portrait of LAPD politics and of the African-American community. (Jan.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistAptly named LAPD homicide detective Charlotte Justice, haunted by the long-ago murder of her husband and daughter, is obsessed with helping other victims find the closure she craves. Prickly and outspoken, she loathes smaller injustices, too, ever-alert to the casual racist and sexist slurs that permeate her profession (though she calls an elderly driver a "Q-Tip"). In her fourth novel (following Dirty Laundry, 2003), a missing suspect from an old case turns up injured in a car accident, reigniting an investigation into a drive-by shooting that left a toy company tycoon in a coma. As Justice unravels the tycoon's family's secrets, new clues bring to light secrets in her own family--and the lies that have been told to keep them. Though the byzantine plot will please readers who enjoy unraveling snarls, procedural fans who like a fast pace will do better elsewhere, as nearly all of Strange Bedfellows unfolds in flashback, interior monologue, or talky conversation. Further dampening the excitement, several discoveries happen offstage. Still, Woods'unique mix of moral outrage, social commentary, and therapy definitely has an audience. Keir GraffCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 610
