In the same vein as the acclaimed Para Handy stories and TV series, this novel is based on one of Ealing Studios' most popular comedies, made in 1954. This is the first time The Maggie has been in print for many years. Mactaggart is the rascally skipper of the puffer The Maggie, a flimsy rust-bucket which hauls freight up and down the west coast of Scotland. When wealthy American businessman Calvin B. Marshall, General Overseas Manager of World-International Airways, wants to transport a precious cargo to his newly bought mansion on Kiltarra in the Western Isles, Mactaggart manages to trick Marshall's agent into hiring The Maggie for GBP300, a sum that might be useful for some much-needed repairs. Marshall learns that his valuable cargo is at risk in a vessel that's less than seaworthy, he does all in his power to have the valuable cargo transferred to a more reliable vessel. What Marshall is not prepared for is the wily Mactaggart's sly delaying tactics and crafty... Views: 19
Philip R. Craig and William G. Tapply -- veteran mystery novelists and longtime fishing buddies -- are back with a second joint novel starring their respective series heroes, J. W. Jackson and Brady Coyne. And something big -- something very big -- is about to happen on beautiful Martha's Vineyard. International superstar entertainers, top politicians, a former president, and the social elite will come together at the Celebration for Humanity, a musical extravaganza to be telecast live around the world. Headlining the show is legendary singer Evangeline, who's flying in from her Scotland castle, accompanied by her young daughter, Janie. Vineyard fisherman and sometime private investigator J. W. Jackson isn't much interested in pop music, but he agrees to take a job as the gorgeous Evangeline's driver and guide. The money is good and the company is intriguing. J.W.'s Boston lawyer pal, Brady Coyne, also has business on the Vineyard. His old friend Mike Doyle is dying,... Views: 19
Hailed in a starred Publishers Weekly review as a work of "impressive even-handedness and analytic acuity . . . that gracefully handles a broad range of subject matter," From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend is the first comprehensive look at American history through the prism of working people. From indentured servants and slaves in the seventeenth-century Chesapeake to high-tech workers in contemporary Silicon Valley, the book "[puts] a human face on the people, places, events, and social conditions that have shaped the evolution of organized labor" (Library Journal).From the Folks Who Brought You the Weekend also "thoroughly includes the contributions of women, Native Americans, African Americans, immigrants, and minorities, and considers events often ignored in other histories," writes Booklist, which adds that "thirty pages of stirring drawings by 'comic journalist' Joe Sacco add an unusual dimension to the book." Views: 19
Violina is determined to prove she's responsible enough to care for a dog in this hilarious and utterly lovable debut novel.Being responsible is NOT easy. Fourth grader Vilonia hasn't lost her rain coat in the three weeks she's had it and she's brushed her teeth every night and she's volunteered to be the Friday Library Helper. But all that hard work is worth it if it means she can get a dog. Besides, this dog isn't just because Vilonia has wanted one for pretty much ever. It's also to help Mama, who's been lost in one, big sadness fog for forty-three days—ever since Nana died. But Vilonia read that pets can help with sadness. Now all she has to do is keep the library goldfish alive over spring break, stop bringing stray animals home, and help Mama not get fired from her job. And she's got to do all of it before the Catfish Festival. Easy as pie, right? Tremendous voice, humor, and heart make this debut novel utterly lovable. Views: 19
A killer lurks in the shadows of Hyde Park, New York…waiting. A district attorneys' journey into the past makes her a target and anyone she's ever loved. Views: 19
Before Woody Allen set his sights on becoming the next Ingmar Bergman, he made a fleeting (but largely successful) attempt at becoming the next S.J Perelman. Side Effects, his third and final collection of humor pieces, shows his efforts. These essays appeared in The New Yorker during the late 1970s, as he showed more and more discontent with his funnyman status. Fear not, humor fans-Allen's still funny. He is less manic, however, than in his positively goofy Getting Even/Without Feathers days, and this makes Side Effects a more nuanced read. Woody picks and chooses when to flash the laughs, as in an article discussing UFOs: [I]n 1822 Goethe himself notes a strange celestial phenomenon. "En route home from the Leipzig Anxiety Festival," he wrote, "I was crossing a meadow, when I chanced to look up and saw several fiery red balls suddenly appear in the southern sky. They descended at a great rate of speed and began chasing me. I screamed that I was a genius and consequently could not run very fast, but my words were wasted. I became enraged and shouted imprecations at them, whereupon they flew away frightened. I related this story to Beethoven, not realizing he had already gone deaf, and he smiled and nodded and said, "Right." Though not as explosively, mind-alteringly funny as his earlier books, Side Effects is still loaded with chuckles; the much-anthologized "Kugelmass Episode" is worth the price of the book. For fans of his films-or for anyone who wants a final glimpse of Woody in his first, best role as court jester, Side Effects is a must-have. -Michael GerberA humor classic by one of the funniest writers today, SIDE EFFECTS is a treat for all those who know his work and those just discovering how gifted he is. Included here are such classics as REMEMBERING NEEDLEMAN, THE KUGELMASS EPISODE, a new sory called CONFESSIONS OF A BUGLAR, and more. Views: 19
March 1147. Assassination, espionage, betrayal. King Owain has ridden east to confront King Madog of Powys with the attempt on the life of his son. Rhys, now abbot of St. Kentigern's monastery, hopes for peace and calls both Madog and Owain to the negotiating table. Peace, however, is the last thing on Madog's mind. Recalcitrant, righteous, and angry, he sees King Owain's recent weakness as his opportunity and knows that Owain's own barons are circling like wolves, waiting for the chance to overthrow him.With the throne of Gwynedd in the balance, Abbot Rhys is desperate to broker a deal. And when the body of a royal spy is found within hours of King Owain's arrival at St. Asaph's, it is up to Gareth and Gwen to find the killer before the wrong man is hanged—and a country lost.The Unexpected Ally is the eighth Gareth & Gwen Medieval Mystery. Views: 19
EDITORIAL REVIEW: A three-day bed-in is the perfect way for aspiring DJ Erica Gibson to get on air. This promotional stunt could even lead to her having her own show on the radio. Too bad she's cohosting with the station Lothario rather than hottie Adam "the Hawk" Hawkins. Her wish is granted when Adam shows up on location. Dream job *and* dream guy...does life get any better? After everyone leaves and the lights go out, Erica seduces him. While their steamy after-dark activities go against the station's rules, they agree that what happens in the bed stays in the bed. Back at work those forbidden adventures still tempt them. Then again, there's nothing like the thrill of the forbidden.... Views: 19
To save precious centuries-old Islamic texts from Al Qaeda, a band of librarians in Timbuktu pulls off a brazen heist worthy of Ocean's Eleven.In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic manuscripts that had fallen into obscurity. The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu tells the incredible story of how Haidara, a mild-mannered archivist and historian from the legendary city of Timbuktu, later became one of the world's greatest and most brazen smugglers. In 2012, thousands of Al Qaeda militants from northwest Africa seized control of most of Mali, including Timbuktu. They imposed Sharia law, chopped off the hands of accused thieves, stoned to death unmarried couples, and threatened to destroy the great manuscripts. As the militants tightened their control over Timbuktu, Haidara organized a... Views: 19
