There was nothing Otis Spofford liked better than stirring up a little excitement, particularly at school. A less resourceful teacher than Mrs. Gitler would have found him pretty hard to take. But even Mrs. Gitler did not entirely relish the bullfight at the fiesta arranged for the P.T.A. meeting. Otis was disappointed at not being the toreador, but as the front half of the bull he managed to steal the whole show, to the annoyance of his classmates and his teacher. It was then that Mrs. Gitler suggested that Otis might someday get his comeuppance.Of all Otis's acquaintances, the neat and well-behaved Ellen Tebbits was the one he most enjoyed teasing. Strangely enough, it was Ellen who at last brought about his comeuppance. But before that happens, his losing spitball battle with Mrs. Gitler, his surprising affection for the experimental baby rat, and his insect collecting on behalf of the football hero provide a feast of fun for any child or grownup.Mrs. Cleary's gifts as a writer are many, and her real understanding warms every page of this wonderful story of a "bad boy." Views: 34
Part Pink Panther, part Unbearable Lightness of Being, part Slap Shot, this uproariously funny, exuberantly praised book tells the story of Attila Ambrus, a professional hockey goalkeeper (possibly the worst in the sports history), gravedigger, roulette addict, whiskey drinker (with a fondness for women in leopard-skin hot pants), and native of Transylvania who became Hungarys celebrated gentlemen thief, the most charming outlaw-hero since the Sundance Kid. Views: 34
In this vivid fifth volume of The Seer series, Sabine Rose is reunited with her ill grandmother Nona and her friends at Sheridan Valley. But the excitement of curing Nona-and discovering love with someone new-doesn't outweigh the burden of her father's dark secret: a daughter no one but Sabine knows about. Riddled with curiosity, Sabine uses astral projection to spy on her half sister Jade. And then one night-while out of body-she witnesses a gruesome murder! The victim appears to be Jade's mother, but the next day reveals she is very much alive. Was it all a terrible nightmare?A puzzling psychic message, feelings for two different guys, building resentment towards her father and Jade-it's almost too much to bear. And when the killer from her nightmare turns out to be real, Sabine finds she must open her heart to the person she trusts the least. Views: 34
She stands for everything he despises. Only, the minute they meet, she becomes everything he desires. Former US Marine turned private investigator, Reilly Murdock is no stranger to high society. Thanks to his malevolent millionaire stepfather, he turned his back on that elite world years ago. But when a friend calls in a favor he’s honor bound to repay Reilly finds himself stuck as glorified babysitter to a spoiled heiress with secrets of her own. Since her father’s sudden death six months ago, Cassandra Van Winter has been trying to conceal her family’s millions of dollars of debt. She can’t afford to let anyone near enough to discover the charade she’s maintaining. At first, the discovery of a multi-million-dollar necklace seemed like the answer to her prayers, but that was before the "accidents" started. Now, she takes one look at the six feet of muscle her mother’s hired to protect her, and curses her body for coming back to life. As the "accidents" increase and danger comes closer, Reilly gets closer too. Before long it’s not just her life in danger, but her heart. Views: 34
Cranky but lovable sleuth Agatha Raisin's detective agency has become so successful that she wants nothing more than to take quality time for rest and relaxation. But as soon as she begins closing the agency on weekends, she remembers that when she has plenty of quality time, she doesn't know what to do with it. So it doesn't take much for the vicar of a nearby village to persuade her to help publicize the church fete--especially when the fair's organizer, George Selby, turns out to be a gorgeous widower. Agatha brings out the crowds for the fete, all right, but there's more going on than innocent village fun. Several of the offerings in the jam-tasting booth turn out to be poisoned, and the festive family event becomes the scene of two murders. Along with her young and (much to her dismay) pretty sidekick, Toni, Agatha must uncover the truth behind the jam tampering, keep the church funds safe from theft, and expose the nasty secrets lurking in the village--all while falling for handsome George, who may have secrets of his own. Views: 34
Lady Verena Westbridge would rather die than marry the depraved suitor her father has accepted. Fleeing, she enters into menial service-the perfect hiding place. Lord Connor Northwicke rescues her - a housemaid from a brute and offers her friendship and more. Her disguise dissolves and he must marry her, but past fears threaten to overcome their love. Sometimes, falling in love isn't enough... Views: 34
Old Europe’s new crisis. Europe, the charming continent of windmills and gondolas. But lately, Europe has become the continent of endless strikes and demonstrations, bombs on the trains and subways, radical Islamic cells in every city, and ghettos so hopeless and violent even the police won’t enter them. In Spain, a terrorist attack prompts instant capitulation to the terrorists’ demands. In France, the suburbs go up in flames every night. In Holland, politicians and artists are murdered for speaking frankly about Islamic immigration. This isn’t the Europe we thought we knew. What’s going on over there? Traveling overland from London to Istanbul, journalist Claire Berlinski shows why the Continent has lately appeared so bewildering—and often so thoroughly obnoxious—to Americans. Speaking to Muslim immigrants, German rock stars, French cops, and Italian women who have better things to do than have children, she finds that Europe is still, despite everything, in the grip of the same old ancient demons. Anyone who knows the history can sense it: There is something ugly—and familiar—in the air. But something new is happening as well. Indeed, Europe now confronts—and seems unable to cope with—an entirely new set of troubles. Tracing the ancient conflicts and newly erupting crises, Menace in Europe reveals: • Why Islamic radicalism and terrorist indoctrination flourish as Europe fails to assimilate millions of Muslim immigrants • How plummeting birthrates hurtle Europe toward economic and cultural catastrophe • Why hatred of America has become ubiquitous—on Europe’s streets, in its books, newspapers, and music, and at the highest levels of government • How long-repressed destructive instincts are suddenly reemerging • How the death of religious faith has created a hopeless, morally unmoored Europe that clings to anti-Americanism, anti-Semitism, and other dangerous ideologies • Why the notion of a united Europe is a fantasy and what that means for the United States In the end, these are not separate issues. Berlinski provocatively demonstrates that Europe’s political and cultural crisis mirrors its profound moral and spiritual crisis. But this is not just Europe’s problem. Menace in Europe makes clear that the spiritual void at the heart of Europe is ultimately our problem too. And America will pay a terrible price if we continue to ignore it. From the Hardcover edition.Review“Chilling, persuasive, and urgent. Most Americans prefer to think of ‘The Old World’ as charming, quaint, and irrelevant, but Berlinski shows why all of us need to worry about the harrowing dangers facing European civilization.” —Michael Medved, nationally syndicated talk show host “Original, fascinating, and important. With deep knowledge and fresh insight, Berlinski shows how some of the problems swirling in Europe (such as nihilism and neo-Nazism) echo patterns from the distant past, while others (welfarism, childlessness, and Islamism) are novel. She warns non-Europeans: the region that nearly devastated the world in the twentieth century threatens again to inflict grievous damage in the twenty-first.” —Daniel Pipes, director of the Middle East Forum “One of the wisest and most compulsively readable public intellectuals writing today, Berlinski presents a work of Orwellian foresight and Churchillian conviction that will tear a welcome hole in our complacency and teach us to rethink our political future.” —Norah Vincent, former Los Angeles Times op-ed columnist “Serious, well researched—and riveting. More than a piercing alarm over Muslim radicalism in Europe, this thoughtful book takes us on a tour of the continent’s spiritual crisis. Berlinski weaves sociological insight and helpful historical analysis into accounts of everything from the sexual underside of immigration to the dynamics of assassination to Europe’s cities without children to its self-extinguishing tolerance.” —Stanley Kurtz, contributing editor at National Review Online From the Hardcover edition.About the AuthorClaire Berlinski, born and raised in the United States, has lived and worked in Britain, France, Switzerland, Thailand, Laos, and Turkey as a journalist, academic, and consultant. She has written for the New York Times, the Washington Post, National Review, the Weekly Standard, and Policy Review, among other publications. Berlinski holds a degree in modern history and a doctorate in international relations from Oxford University and has studied French literature at the Sorbonne. She now divides her time between Paris and Istanbul. From the Hardcover edition. Views: 34
U. S. Deputy Page Murdock is ordered by Federal Judge Harlan A. Blackthorne to Cape Hell, Mexico, to verify a report that former Confederate Captain Oscar Childress is raising an army to take over Mexico City—and then intends to turn north to rekindle the Civil War. Childress, it seems, has the weapons, wealth, and moral compass to do it. Unable to talk himself out of the mission, Murdock heads south on a steam train named El Espanto—The Ghost. With only Hector Cansado, an engineer who can't be trusted and Joseph, a Native American fireman with a few secrets of his own, Murdock hurtles through the murderous desert of a foreign land toward a man bent on wholesale massacre . . . unless Murdock can stop him. Views: 34
Martin Arkenhout found his true calling on a lonely Florida highway — with a sharp rock to the skull of an injured friend. He didn't just take the boy's life; he went on to live it. When that life became too risky, he found another, and another, changing his name, papers and style at will, until he chose the wrong life — a scholarly thief on the run from the determined and troubled John Costa. The two men will meet, and there will be murder. But there is something much worse: the sweet seduction of taking another's life to be your own. Chillingly suspenseful, brilliantly executed and truly disturbing, Taking Lives is an entertainment to make you think and shiver. Views: 34
