From Anna Quindlen, acclaimed author of Blessings, Black and Blue, and One True Thing, a superb novel about two sisters, the true meaning of success, and the qualities in life that matter most.
It’s an otherwise ordinary Monday when Meghan Fitzmaurice’s perfect life hits a wall. A household name as the host of Rise and Shine, the country’s highest-rated morning talk show, Meghan cuts to a commercial break–but not before she mutters two forbidden words into her open mike.
In an instant, it’s the end of an era, not only for Meghan, who is unaccustomed to dealing with adversity, but also for her younger sister, Bridget, a social worker in the Bronx who has always lived in Meghan’s long shadow. The effect of Meghan’s on-air truth telling reverberates through both their lives, affecting Meghan’s son, husband, friends, and fans, as well as Bridget’s perception of her sister, their complex childhood, and herself. What follows is a story about how, in very different ways, the Fitzmaurice women adapt, survive, and manage to bring the whole teeming world of New York to heel by dint of their smart mouths, quick wits, and the powerful connection between them that even the worst tragedy cannot shatter.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 416
When Dr. Craig Bowman is served with a summons for medical malpractice, he's shocked, enraged, and more than a little humiliated. A devoted physician who works continuously in the service of others, he endured grueling years of training and is now a partner in an exclusive concierge medical practice. No longer forced to see more and more patients while spending less and less time with each one just to keep his office door open, he now provides the kind of medical care he is trained to do, lavishing twenty-four-hour availability and personalized attention on his handpicked patients. And at last, he is earning a significant income, no longer burdened by falling reimbursements from insurance companies.But this idyllic practice comes to a grinding halt one sunny afternoon-and gets much, much worse.
Enter Dr. Jack Stapleton, a medical examiner in New York City and Bowman's brother-in-law: Jack's sister Alexis-now Craig's estranged wife-tearfully begs for his help as her husband's trial drags on. Jack agrees to travel to Boston to offer his forensic services and expert witness experience to Craig's beleaguered defense attorney. But when Jack's irreverent suggestion to exhume the corpse to disprove the alleged malpractice is taken seriously, he opens a Pandora's box of trouble. As Craig Bowman's life and career are put on the line, Jack is on the verge of making a most unwelcome discovery of tremendous legal and medical significance-and there are people who will do anything to keep him from learning the truth. Views: 416
"These are the rules I've picked up along the way to help me remain invisible when I'm writing a book, to help me show rather than tell what's taking place in the story."—Elmore Leonard
For aspiring writers and lovers of the written word, this concise guide breaks down the writing process with simplicity and clarity. From adjectives and exclamation points to dialect and hoopetedoodle, Elmore Leonard explains what to avoid, what to aspire to, and what to do when it sounds like "writing" (rewrite).
Beautifully designed, filled with free-flowing, elegant illustrations and specially priced, Elmore Leonard's 10 Rules of Writing is the perfect writer's—and reader's—gift. Views: 415
The year is 53 B.C. Fresh from victory in Gaul, Julius Caesar leads battle-hardened legions across the Rubicon river-threatening Rome herself. Even the master strategist Pompey is caught unprepared bythe strike, and forced to abandon his city. The armies of Rome will face each other at last in civil war, led by the two greatest generals ever to walk the seven hills. Thus begins Conn Iggulden's towering sagaof Julius Caesar as he approaches his final destiny-a destiny that will be decided not by legions but by his friend Brutus and an Egyptian queen named Cleopatra, who will bear his onlyson....
For Caesar, the campaign against Pompey will test his military genius and his appetite for glory to their limits, as the greatest fighting machine the world has ever seen divides against itselfin a bloody conflict that will set brother against brother until victory or death. But for Caesar, another kingdom beckons-a world of ancient mysteries and languid sensuality, where a beautiful, bewitchingwoman waits to snare his heart.
The Gods of War follows Julius Caesar through politics and passion, ruthless ambition and private grief, and into the corruption of power itself.Those he has loved will play a part in his triumphs-as will the jealousy and hatred of his enemies.
From the spectacles of the arena to the whispered lies of conspirators, Conn Iggulden bringsto life a world of monumental drama. And at its heart is one extraordinary friendship-marked by fierce loyalty and bitter betrayal, with dark events shrouded in nobleideals. "From the Hardcover edition." Views: 415
The Wit and Humor of America, Volume VI. (of X.) By Marshall Pinckney Wilder Views: 415
Rome is crumbling. The child-emperor, Heliogabalus, diverts the Roman populace with parties, circuses, and celebrations, while his mother and grandmother jockey for power behind the scenes. The government is riddled with scandal and no business is conducted without bribes which grow ever larger. Religions joust for prominence, with factions of Christians seeking to overthrow the ancient Roman pantheon. Courtesans, once honored for their skills and protected by special guards, have become targets of opprobrium. The vampire Ragoczy Germanius Sanct\' Franciscus, already subject to extra taxes and regulations because he is a foreigner, falls under the maleficent eye of Telemachus Batsho, a minor functionary who dreams of power and wealth. When Franciscus thwarts his attempts to extort ever-increasing sums from a young Roman of good birth, Batsho swears revenge. Franciscus finds his activities closely monitored and is accused of treason and conspiracy. His friends, threatened with similar scrutiny, abandon him to Batsho\'s mercies or urge him to leave the Eternal City.But Franciscus has many ties to Rome. He has taken under his protection a beautiful courtesan who was brutally beaten by the very men who should have been protecting her. She has been the vampire\'s sustenance for many months. Franciscus is also held in the city by the plight of the family Laelius. The Domina\'s health is failing despite the vampire\'s great medical skills; her son has converted to Christianity and rails against his mother\'s beliefs; her daughter Ignatia, who has sacrified her own life to care for her mother, realizes that when her mother dies, her fate will rest in the hands of her increasingly fanatical brother. Determined to claim pleasure for herself, Ignatia invites Franciscus\'s attentions, inflaming him with the power of her untapped sexuality. Unfortunately, they are not unobserved, and their simple yet powerful act of love sparks a conflagration that destroys Ignatia\'s family and nearly brings about the vampire\'s True Death. Views: 414
FANTASIA tells of her astonishing rise from hopeless high school dropout to American Idol superstar in the inspirational New York Times bestseller *Life Is Not a Fairy Tale* In one moment, with one tearful performance of "Summertime," the nineteen-year-old Fantasia captured the hearts -- and the votes -- of millions of American Idol fans. Her powerful voice and independent style made her an overnight national sensation. But life wasn't always sensational for Fantasia. At the age of seventeen, despite the promise of her extraordinary voice, Fantasia was in danger of becoming just another sad statistic: an uneducated, unmarried teenage mother living in the projects. But Fantasia had been raised by two strong, influential women: Both her grandmother and mother are preachers, and she was raised with an unshakable faith. In Life Is Not a Fairy Tale, Fantasia speaks -- with a spirit as strong as her voice -- about what it takes to believe in the power of one's self. She turns all that she's learned into uplifting life lessons, including: • Recognize your gift • You made your bed, now lie in it • Give props where props are due • Like mother, like daughter • It ain't about the blingFantasia keeps it real with her sassy, self-confident style and down-to-earth advice, making readers laugh and cry with her. Life Is Not a Fairy Tale is more than just a celebrity success story. It's a book of revelations that will inspire all readers to reach for their greatest potential.Review"Fantasia Barrino is a S-T-A-R." --Los Angeles Times"With a chart-topping single and her new album, Free Yourself, the American Idol champ showed a nation how to turn obstacles into inspiration." --CosmoGirl"In song after song she reaches back to her church roots, pulling notes from deep within and passionately sending them out to the sky." --New York Daily Newsbcgghghh --hhjkjj About the AuthorFantasia began singing at the age of five. At nineteen, she became an American Idol winner. Her first album, Free Yourself, was released in November 2004 and went platinum in January 2005. She lives in Charlotte, N.C. Views: 414
Julia Child singlehandedly created a new approach to American cuisine with her cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking and her television show The French Chef, but as she reveals in this bestselling memoir, she was not always a master chef. Indeed, when she first arrived in France in 1948 with her husband, Paul, who was to work for the USIS, she spoke no French and knew nothing about the country itself. But as she dove into French culture, buying food at local markets and taking classes at the Cordon Bleu, her life changed forever with her newfound passion for cooking and teaching. Julia’s unforgettable story – struggles with the head of the Cordon Bleu, rejections from publishers to whom she sent her now-famous cookbook, a wonderful, nearly fifty-year long marriage that took them across the globe – unfolds with the spirit so key to her success as a chef and a writer, brilliantly capturing one of the most endearing American personalities of the last fifty years.
From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 414
A ghost story with a twist—a suspenseful and poignantly funny update of the Hamlet story.
Eleven-year-old Philip Noble has a big problem: His dad, who was killed in a car accident, appears as a bloodstained ghost at his own funeral and introduces Philip to the Dead Fathers Club. The club, whose members were all murdered, gathers outside the Castle and Falcon, the local pub that Philip’s family owns and lives above. Philip’s father tells him that Uncle Alan killed him and he must avenge his death. When Philip realizes that Uncle Alan has designs on his mom and the family pub, Philip decides that something must be done. But it’s a much bigger job than he anticipated, especially when he is caught up by the usual distractions of childhood—a pretty girl, wayward friends, school bullies, and his own self-doubt. The Dead Fathers Club is a riveting, imaginative, and quirky update of Shakespeare’s great tragedy that will establish Matt Haig as a young writer of great talent and imagination. Views: 414
A MISSION OF NO MERCY
It takes nothing short of a miracle to catapult Lt. Torolf Magnusson and his team of Navy SEALs back in time to the eleventh-century Norselands. First on the agenda: destroy the evil villain who terrorized his family and a nation.
A SURRENDER SO SWEET
But when the sexy SEALs find they've landed in the middle of a sanctuary--filled with women--well, hoo-yah! Their plans are put on hold, much to the distress of Hilda, the head of the sanctuary. At first resistant to Torolf's pursuits, she soon succumbs to his passionate advances. Suddenly the term "Special Forces" takes on a whole new meaning. But with victory in sight for Torolf, Hilda must face the fact that their love may not survive the test of time... Views: 413
Marguerite de Navarre (French: Marguerite d'Angoulême, Marguerite d'Alençon; 11 April 1492 – 21 December 1549), also known as Marguerite of Angoulême and Margaret of Navarre, was the princess of France, Queen of Navarre, and Duchess of Alençon and Berry. As an author and a patron of humanists and reformers, she was an outstanding figure of the French Renaissance. Marguerite wrote many poems and plays. Her most notable works are a classic collection of short stories, the Heptameron, and a remarkably intense religious poem, Miroir de l'âme pécheresse (Mirror of the Sinful Soul). Views: 413
The Lane Fleming collection of early pistols and revolvers was one of the best in the country. When Fleming was found dead on the floor of his locked gunroom, a revolver in his hand, the coroner\'s verdict was "death by accident." But Gladys Fleming had her doubts. Enough at any rate to engage Colonel Jefferson Davis Rand--better known just as Jeff--private detective and a pistol-collector himself, to catalogue, appraise, and negotiate the sale of her late husband\'s collection. There were a number of people who had wanted the collection. The question was: had anyone wanted it badly enough to kill Fleming? And if so, how had he done it? This is a mystery that will keep your nerves on a hair trigger even if you don\'t know the difference between a cased pair of Paterson .34\'s and a Texas .40 with a ramming-lever. Views: 413
Glorious new rejacket of a Diana Wynne Jones favourite, featuring Chrestomanci --" now a book with extra bits!Spells always have consequences and it's Chrestomanci's job to make sure everything is safely under control. Even so, in the village around Chrestomanci Castle, all sorts of secret magical misuse is going on. And when Cat Chant finds the Pinhoe egg, chaos is just the beginning!A masterpiece of magic, mayhem and mirth! Views: 413
A Deal in Wheat and Other Stories of the New and Old West is a collection of short stories written by the American author Frank Norris. Views: 412
