They say life flashes before you in that moment before death. I could see it all reflected in the blade. I was standing under the cherry blossoms at my school entrance ceremony, eating cake at my sister's wedding, standing outside praying the monster wouldn't come tonight. I might not be dead yet but I can see what's coming, this is the story of how I was murdered by a fox monster! Views: 65
When three teenage friends oppose the annexation of their favourite beach by a prominent businessman, their efforts to keep it public are rebuffed or ignored. Their actions quickly move beyond conventional protest, despite the warnings of an adult friend—the gentle, enigmatic Dexter Lully. As the friends, frustrated and desperate, are driven towards the dark, morally ambiguous world of direct action, one embraces it, one is thrust into it, and one teeters on the brink, appalled at the widening rift he sees separating his friends from him, and from society, forever. Views: 65
An inventive, ranging debut story collection from a writer hailed by Claire Vaye Watkins as "Wallace Stegner on peyote, Nathanael West in a sweat lodge, Larry McMurtry on a vision quest." Reinventing a great American tradition through an absurdist, discerning eye, Joseph Scapellato uses these twenty-five stories to conjure worlds, themes, and characters who are at once unquestionably familiar and undeniably strange. Big Lonesome navigates through the American West—from the Old West to the modern-day West to the Midwest, from cowboys to mythical creatures to everything in between—exploring place, myth, masculinity, and what it means to be whole or to be broken. Though he works in the tradition of George Saunders and Patrick deWitt—writing subversive, surreal, and affecting stories that unveil the surprising inner lives of ordinary people and the mythic dimensions of our everyday lives—"Scapellato's Big Lonesome is unlike... Views: 65
Just moments from the hangman's noose, Jonah Quinn escapes from infamous Newgate Prison. Taking prison volunteer Florence Hathaway hostage is a masterstroke, but Jonah intends to end their acquaintance once he's free. God, however, has other plans.The caring spinster's mission is to turn Jonah's life around. The burly fugitive scoffs at the notion he can be groomed into respectability, much less win a royal pardon. He knows that donning a waistcoat and cravats does not change a man. But a woman's stubborn faith? That can accomplish miracles. Florence sees right into the depths of his roguish heart, and Jonah finds himself wanting to become that man she sees.... Views: 65
By the late 1970s, boxing had lapsed into a moribund state and interest in it was on the wane. In 1980, however, the sport was resuscitated by a riveting series of bouts involving an improbably dissimilar quartet: Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns and Roberto Duran. The 'Four Kings of the Ring' would fight one another nine times throughout the decade and win sixteen world titles between them. Like Ali and Frazier, Dempsey and Tunney, Robinson and LaMotta, these four boxers brought out the best in each other, producing unprecedented multi-million-dollar gates along the way. Each of the nine bouts between the four men was memorable in its own way and at least two of them – Leonard–Hearns I in 1981 and Hagler–Hearns in 1985 – are commonly included on any list of the greatest fights of all time. The controversial outcome of another – the 1987 Leonard-Hagler fight – remains the subject of heated debates amongst fans to this day. Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran didn’t set out to save boxing from itself in the post-Ali era, but somehow they managed to do so. In Four Kings, award-winning journalist George Kimball documents the remarkable effect they had on the sport and argues that we will never see their likes again.From BooklistStarred Review Consider the state of boxing today. Not easy, is it? It’s hard to name a prominent fighter. The audience that once gravitated to the sweet science has been diffused among an alphabet soup of competing organizations presenting overhyped, pay-per-view events. It wasn’t always so. Roberto Duran, Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvin Hagler, and Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns were all household names in the 1980s, held multiple titles in or around the middleweight division, and fought among themselves nine times. Kimball, a columnist for the Boston Herald for 25 years, covered all nine of those epic confrontations among 400 other title bouts. He relies on his notes and recollections of the fights as well as fresh interviews with the fighters, their handlers, their managers, and others of note. His accounts of the fights are riveting blow-by-blows, the “big event” context is palpably rendered, and each of the fighters re-emerges from the mists of memory as colorful and compelling as ever. Boxing fans with a little gray in their hair—paraphrasing Pete Hamill’s foreword—will savor Kimball’s work. Younger fans? If they find their way to the book, maybe they’ll understand the difference between greatness and hype. --Wes Lukowsky ReviewChosen for Booklist Online's 10 Top Sports Books of 2009"Kimball's accounts of the fights are riveting blow-by-blows, the "big event" context is palpably rendered, and each of the fighters re-emerges from the mists of memory as colorful and compelling as ever. Boxing fans . . . will savor Kimball's work." —Booklist"Boxing's last Golden Age gets the book it deserves. Kimball's breezy, detail-packed book . . . provides vivid, knowledgeable accounts of the action. He also draws clear colorful portraits of [the] four fighters." —Sports Illustrated"Four Kings is a thriller and George Kimball a prince among sportswriters . . . an epic poem of a book, a book that lifts the heart." —Frank McCourt, author, Angela's Ashes,'Tis, and Teacher Man"A a terrific book. Kimball was there and never missed a moment of it. His account of the fighters, the fights and the colorful supporting players is rich with insights and details." —Vincent Patrick, author, The Pope of Greenwich Village and Family Business"Very accurate and well-researched . . . a phenomenon . . . well-written. I couldn't put it down. I loaned it to a friend and he won't give it back" —Emanuel Steward, World Champion Boxing trainer"George Kimball is one of America's best-loved sportswriters and Four Kings shows why. With skill, grace and humor, he brings to life a remarkable era and four uniquely gifted athletes." —Jeremy Schaap, ESPN reporter and author, Cinderella Man: James J. Braddock, Max Baer and the Greatest Upset in Boxing History"Kimball writes with insight and humor. The bigger the fight, the better he tells it." —Thomas Hauser, author, Muhammad Ali: His Life and Times Views: 64
They found Henry Gibson shot dead in his abandoned car on a dirt road. DEAD END. Then George Horner…and Noah Hamberger. Wait a minute…who’s depleting the population of Northeastern Ohio? Are these random murders or a sicko with an agenda? DEAD END.That was the problem facing homicide detective Al Maharos. He ran out of ideas. DEAD END. Maharos had never worked with a woman partner until Karen Vandergrift—attractive, brilliant. Together, they uncovered other bodies and a pattern unique in the annals of crime. The problem: who was linked to the murders? DEAD END. They knew their path would converge with that of the killer. They knew when…but where? DEAD END. Views: 64
EDITORIAL REVIEW:
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Snowflake is a Percheron horse who was abandoned by his owners. He is taken to Fox Creek Farm, where Emily, Anna, and Mandy volunteer to care for him. Views: 64
Trying to help a wronged inventor, a friend of Casey's ends up murdered The last thing Flash Casey needs is an apprentice. Turned down by the army because of a bum knee, he agrees to teach a twice-weekly photography class for the American Women's Voluntary Services. One of his students, whose father just happens to have a lot of money invested in Casey's paper, asks to tag along on an assignment. Flash can't say no. An engineer named John Perry has come to beg for help from one of Casey's friends at the paper, crusading news columnist Rosalind Taylor. A few years back, Perry invented an industrial lubricant that should have made him a fortune, but his partner stole his idea and kept the profits for himself. Taylor has agreed to mediate for them, and asks Casey along to document the meeting. When Flash arrives, the apartment is ransacked and Taylor is dead. Casey will find her killers, as long as his little apprentice doesn't get in the way. Views: 64
Book Last Read: 2013-06-15 16:01:52Percentage Read: 67%
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If Life Begins at Forty, then Charlotte Turner's not off to the best of starts. On top of a recent divorce, and trouble with her twelve-year-old son, the husband of her closest friend has just started to show a bit too much interest in her as a newly-single woman.But only when Charlotte has faced up to some uncomfortable truths about her past can she finally shed the unhappy skin she's been so comfortable in, and open up her life – and her heart – to all the promise and possibility that her future holds.Is life, for Charlotte, about to begin at last...? Views: 64
