“Fiction lovers who come to this book with an open mind will find themselves challenged and entertained by a brilliant writer with a very fertile imagination.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)"When he turns to prose, this Pulitzer Prize-winning poet exhibits a surprisingly uncomplicated style."—DetailsJames Tate seems both awed and bemused by small-town life in these forty-four stories full of legends, flights of fancy, tragedies, and small ruptures in ordinary existence. His narrators speak in an idiom that is odd and completely American.James Tate is the author of fourteen books of poetry and the recipient of numerous awards: fellowships from the NEA and Guggenheim foundations, the National Book Award, and the Pulitzer Prize.From Publishers WeeklyTate brings a poet's touch to the short stories in this astounding and bizarre collection, reflecting the writer's flair for black humor and absurdity as he explores the nooks and crannies of ordinary life. Tate is a blunt, sharp narrator who takes his stories in unexpected directions, and his talent for brevity surfaces in the many short-short entries that pack a powerful conceptual wallop in just a few pages. The longer stories aren't always as effective, but they still showcase the gifts of a remarkably versatile author who handles subjects ranging from politics and business to romance, marriage and infidelity. The political angle surfaces in "Traces of Plague Found Near Reagan Ranch," a cheeky tale about a prominent politician's son who finds himself longing for a simple life until his father is shot. Tate also plays the relationship card with aplomb in several stories, including "The Torque-Master of Advanced Video," a yarn about a video store manager whose romance begins to go sour when his tyrannical boss turns up the heat on him at work. Occasionally the stories are so strange that they simply defy categorization "Beep," for instance, deals with a character who barks out strange noises in inappropriate situations, while the title story is a brief poetic musing about a middle-class man's growing sense of alienation: "I am an experiment, a mechanical bee placed near the hive." Tate's style is definitely an acquired taste, but fiction lovers who come to this book with an open mind will find themselves challenged and entertained by a brilliant writer with a very fertile imagination. (Dec. 1)Forecast: Tate has won both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for his poetry, which will help draw attention to this excellent small press offering. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.From The New YorkerLike forty-four test tubes, these stories contain a series of meticulously prepared chemistry experiments. In most, two disparate characters result in a highly unstable compound, producing a fizz, a moral insight, and a sense of personality as destiny. A wife realizes that her husband is crazy. A husband realizes that his wife is crazy. A closet boxing fanatic decides to run off to Egypt with a sexy young boxing fanatic. Whatever the dysfunction, Tate, the long-acclaimed poet, uses a disarmingly pedestrian voice to lure the reader to a place of bizarre poignancy. He makes eccentricity look good, as a poet should. Copyright © 2005 The New Yorker Views: 40
Keller’s a hit man. For years now he’s had places to go and people to kill. But enough is enough. He’s got money in the bank and just one last job standing between him and retirement. So he carries it out with his usual professionalism, and he heads home, and guess what? One more job. Paid in advance, so what’s he going to do? Give the money back? In Des Moines, Keller stalks his designated target and waits for the client to give him the go-ahead. And one fine morning he’s picking out stamps for his collection (Sweden 1–5, the official reprints) at a shop in Urbandale when somebody guns down the charismatic governor of Ohio. Back at his motel, Keller’s watching TV when they show the killer’s face. And there’s something all too familiar about that face… Keller calls his associate Dot in White Plains, but there is no answer. He’s stranded halfway across the country, every cop in America’s just seen his picture, his ID and credit cards are no longer good, and he just spent almost all of his cash on the stamps. Now what? Views: 40
Marie and Cheryl are two attractive young single women interested in hot guys and fun sex. But when Cheryl starts talking about kinky sexual escapades with rich men in a secret basement Marie's concerned. Sneaking into the underground lair one night, Marie watches from a hidden closet as Cheryl is bound and forced to service three men who think nothing of smacking her ass in the process. As if this horrifying scene were not enough, when it's over, Marie is suddenly pulled from hiding and confronted for her deception. She's given a chance to go, or stay and behave herself. Worried about Cheryl's safety, she elects to stay while Cheryl cleans up. Even though part of her is appalled by what she's witnessed, Marie's sexual desires have been awakened by the rough sex. After a little coercion by Cheryl and her male companions, the titillated Marie agrees to a scene of her own. First she watches as Cheryl gets her first taste of anal sex, then she strips on command, and is held down... Views: 40
In the grand tradition of Patrick O'Brian, this new installment in Julian Stockwin's epic Napoleonic-era naval adventure series re-creates one of history's most notorious naval insurrections.With all the wind-whipped passion and salty authenticity that only a veteran naval lieutenant commander could bring to the fiction table, bestselling author Julian Stockwin continues the acclaimed saga of seaman Thomas Paine Kydd as he takes on the most perilous venture of his career.The year is 1797. Kydd has been at sea four long, hard years, ever since he was pressed into service. Despite that inauspicious start to his naval career, he has learned to love his life aboard ship. It's in his blood. It's in his soul.Having now risen to the rate of master's mate, Kydd volunteers to join the crew of the frigate Bacchante in a mission to rescue a British diplomat mired in the hostilities of Napoleon's siege of Venice. The city is surrounded. It will soon fall to Napoleon, and the... Views: 40
DREAMS OFTEN DIE IN THE PROJECTS In the first book of a drama-drenched new series, four unforgettable women will do anything to escape the hood. From their front stoops at Bentley Manor, longtime residents Miz Osceola and Miz Cleo have seen just about everything and know all too well that there's no happily-ever-after in the projects. There's only the desperate need to get out by any means possible. Aisha has what every other ghetto girl envies: a loving man who supplies her with all the fashion, money, and accessories that scream "hood success." Now that her husband's in jail, Aisha may have to put something more precious than her designer gear up for sale in order to maintain her image. The cost may be too high even for her expensive tastes. Devani knows she's found her way out of the hood when she sleeps with Tyrik, a star pro athlete. When Tyrik's calls get further and further apart, Devani's mother suggests the perfect scheme: become his baby... Views: 40
Wardragon is the culmination of The Jelindel Chronicles in a soaring saga. Finally Jelindel, with her allies, Zimak and Daretor, has tracked the alien mailshirt across two radically different worlds. But the journey is perilous when each step is lined with flying beasts, metal wasps, mercenaries and assassins . . . and the mailshirt linked up with the evil Preceptor to create a deadly enemy. All Jelindel has is a little magic, Zimak's wit and Daretor's sword to scrape through and that is not enough. Collins captures a terrifying, tense world with a touch of humour and holds it to the last shattering battle. Views: 40
Belmond?s much-beloved debut novel, A Rather Lovely Inheritance was "a rare gem" (Romance Reviews Today) and ?An entertaining yarn with family drama and intrigue aplenty.?(Booklist). Now, in the eagerly anticipated sequel, A Rather Curious Engagement, our American freelancer- turned-heiress Penny Nichols is back for more fun? and another engaging international romp with her English hero, Jeremy.
Penny has the great London flat, the classic car, the villa in France, the fabulous bank account, and a great guy to share them with. So everything's perfect, right? Right? Er, well...
Pursued by gigolos, gold-diggers, an ex-wife, and highly aggressive salesmen chasing after their millions, Penny and Jeremy decide to take the summer off and sock away most of their inheritance for one year. But they allow themselves one big "splurge" from their wish list-- and that's where all the trouble begins. At an auction on the French Riviera, Penny and Jeremy win much more than they bargain for, uncovering a centuries-old rivalry involving the theft of a priceless treasure linked to Beethoven?s Germany, the mysterious island of Corsica, a luxurious 1920s yacht, and a medieval castle on Lake Como, Italy.
A Rather Curious Engagement is a stay-up-all-night read, with an irresistible, unbeatable heroine seeking answers to intriguing questions about history, art, fortune and love. It?s the perfect companion to the first novel.
** Views: 40
In 2012 the Rolling Stones celebrate their 50th anniversary. Their story - the band's meteoric rise to fame, the Marianne Faithfull, Brian Jones and Altamont scandals, the groundbreaking hits - is the stuff of twentieth century legend, and core to popular culture. But it is Norman's skills as a researcher and biographer which bring a whole new dimension to such a story. Written with the personal knowledge, trust and co-operation of the participants, this fully updated version is indisputably the best book on The Stones ever written. Norman spares no detail, covering the Jerry Hall/Mick Jagger split and the Stones' lives as tax exiles, the recording of Exile on Main St. as well as the iconic stage performances, Mick's control of the band's affairs and his contractual disputes with managers and promoters. This a story of fame, money, drugs, booze, sex, hedonism and the greatest rock band of all time. Philip Norman was born in London and brought up on the Isle of Wight. He joined the Sunday Times at the age of twenty-two, soon gaining a reputation as Atticus columnist and for his profiles of figures as diverse as Elizabeth Taylor, P. G. Wodehouse and Colonel Gaddafi. In 1981 he published SHOUT!, a ground-breaking biography of the Beatles, a bestseller in both Britain and the US. He has also written the definitive lives of Sir Elton John and Buddy Holly and his journalism has been published in three collections. He is married with a daughter and lives in London. Views: 40
