Any Baedeker will tell us where we ought to travel, but only Alain de Botton will tell us how and why. With the same intelligence and insouciant charm he brought to How Proust Can Save Your Life, de Botton considers the pleasures of anticipation; the allure of the exotic, and the value of noticing everything from a seascape in Barbados to the takeoffs at Heathrow. Even as de Botton takes the reader along on his own peregrinations, he also cites such distinguished fellow-travelers as Baudelaire, Wordsworth, Van Gogh, the biologist Alexander von Humboldt, and the 18th-century eccentric Xavier de Maistre, who catalogued the wonders of his bedroom. The Art of Travel is a wise and utterly original book. Don't leave home without it.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 21
TWENTY THRILLING WRITERS. ONE CHILLING MYSTERY.More than twenty New York Times bestselling authors team up to create a first-rate serial novel—a collaboration among some of the most popular mystery and thriller writers in the English-speaking world today, producing a "well-told mystery that stands on its own two (or 40) feet" (Booklist). Readers will enjoy an introduction by Lee Child, an afterword by Linda Fairstein, and chapters by bestselling authors Mary Higgins Clark, John Connolly, Charlaine Harris, CJ Box, Mark Billingham, Lawrence Block, Ken Bruen, Alafair Burke, Stephen L. Carter, Marcia Clark, Max Allan Collins, James Grady, Heather Graham, Bryan Gruley, Val McDermid, SJ Rozan, Jonathan Santlofer, Dana Stabenow, Lisa Unger, and Sarah Weinman. What's more, the editor, Jonathan Santlofer, has arranged to donate any royalties in excess of editor and contributor compensation to Safe Horizon, the leading victim assistance... Views: 21
Set in the Kimberley region of Western Australia this is a collection of powerful love stories from the past. Each story explores different aspects of love – from mothers' love to lustful love, from forbidden or dutiful love to innocence. John Body, storyteller, passes on his dedication to his land, his culture and his young people in this passionate book of award-winning stories. Views: 21
Imagine a language watched over by a group of “Immortals” wearing Napoleonic hats and brandishing swords, one with rules so complex that mastery is a farce, and one whose speakers spend millions of dollars yearly to place it artfully in literature, music, and film. Now consider that this language is second only to English to the number of countries where it is officially spoken and has tripled in use in the last fifty years. Simultaneously frightening users with its delicately nuanced vowels, it is also beloved by millions for its romantic associations. The language is French, and this, is its story.In a captivating narrative that spans the ages, from Charlemagne to Cirque du Soleil, Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow unravel the mysteries of a language that has maintained its global influence despite the rise of English. As in any good story, The Story of French has spectacular failures, unexpected successes and bears traces of some of history’s greatest figures: the tenacity of William the Conqueror, the staunchness of Cardinal Richelieu, and the endurance of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Through this colorful history, Nadeau and Barlow illustrate how French acquired its own peculiar culture, revealing how the culture of the language spread among francophones the world over and yet remains curiously centered in Paris. In fact, French is not only thriving—it still has a surprisingly strong influence on other languages. As lively as it is fascinating, The Story of French challenges long held assumptions about French and shows why it is still the world’s other global language.**From Publishers WeeklyThat major historical moments affect a language's development seems to be self-evident. But in the case of French, as Canadian authors Nadeau and Barlow (Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong) exhaustively illustrate, this notion shouldn't be taken for granted, since an insistence on linguistic purity influences how French is taught, spoken and written. What began as a loose confederation of local dialects became mired in a particularly French obsession with linguistic propriety. Despite the natural development of French over time, "[in] the back of any francophone's mind is the idea that an ideal, pure French exists somewhere." Nadeau and Barlow traveled the world to research what they call "the mental universe of French speakers" from its center in France to such places as Canada, Senegal and Israel. "French carries with it a vision of the State and of political values, a particular set of cultural standards," the authors write. They have managed to corral what could be an ungainly subject—both the history and the present day—in a clearly written, well-organized approach to the lingua franca of millions of people. Francophiles will be well-served by the care and detail with which the authors handle their subject, while English speakers will find an illuminating portrait of Gallic sensibility. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistThere are more French-speaking people in Israel than there are in Louisiana. The number of French speakers in the world has tripled since World War II. Nadeau and Barlow's history of French is chockablock with these sorts of intriguing facts about the language and its evolution (contrary to common belief, English was a major influence on French, not the other way around). The authors also offer fascinating commentary on the politics of language: despite the best efforts of purists, French, like other languages, is constantly changing and not just cosmetically--new and unconventional words are being adopted, as are new spellings and new grammatical constructions. From its mysterious origins as a conglomeration of other languages to the current squabble over the need to preserve its integrity, French has led one heck of an event-filled life. Sure to please fans of such language histories as Nicholas Ostler's Empires of the Word (2005). David PittCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 21
In Echo Falls, secrets buried in the past don't always stay there.An idyllic day of snowshoeing on Grampy's land with Joey Strade turns out to be less than idyllic when thirteen-year-old super sleuth Ingrid Levin-Hill stumbles upon a body lying in the snow. This discovery sends the town of Echo Falls into a tailspin in which secrets long hidden are revealed and Grampy gets sent to jail. While Ingrid works to clear Grampy's name and uncover what really happened to the man in the snow, she discovers even more secrets she wishes she never knew. Just like the character Gretel, whom Ingid is playing in the Prescott Players' production of Hansel and Gretel, Ingrid must go deep into the darkness to find the truth. In the third book in the Edgar Award-nominated and national bestselling Echo Falls series, Peter Abrahams's talent for building suspense shines as Ingrid embarks on her most harrowing adventure yet. Views: 21
A special task force has been assigned to investigate the high profile murder of a woman. Frank Leal, a sergeant on the task force, has to find the killers while dealing with an unknown dirty cop on the take. Views: 21
Another fabulously funny and sexy romp from the author of *The Education of Mrs. Brimley*In the midst of a moonlit safecracking mission, British spy James Locke witnesses a ruby necklace spirited away as if by conjurer’s trick. Following the jewels leads him to Lusinda Havershaw, who’s inherited the talent of turning invisible in the moonlight—at least, the parts of her that are unclothed. Locke trains Lusinda in espionage, even while he finds her close proximity bewitchingly distracting. And as their mission to track Russian spies grows treacherous, they’ll find that the heart behaves even more mysteriously than Lusinda in the moonlight Views: 21
When Jenna refuses to reveal the truth behind her exclusion from school, she is sent away for the summer to stay with her aunt in a sleepy countryside village.It's here that she meets Gabriel, who seems so genuine and different from other people she knows. But boys have been nothing but trouble for Jenna, and Gabe can be moody and withdrawn.Despite her caution, Jenna can't help falling in love with Gabriel, and the longer she spends with him, the more deeply in love she falls. Could he be her soul mate? But then she discovers that Gabriel is living with a deep secret of his own . . . Views: 21
Jack is back! One raining Sunday afternoon Claire's CIA friend, Jack Rallins, arrives at her bookstore obviously the worse for wear. Thrilled to find him alive and in front of her, she is still shocked at his condition. She doesn't waste time questioning him; she is more interested in nursing him back to health. When the doctor suggests Jack might recover faster if he spent some time in a pleasant climate where he can bask in the sunshine, Claire suggests they sub-lease a house in Mexico for a vacation. Jack has recovered enough to be skeptical. He shakes his head: his face contorts as he struggles to hold in his laughter. "What? What is so funny?" Claire couldn't help feeling a little indignant. "Claire, your travel history doesn't lead me to think taking any trip with you would likely be relaxing." "Are you scared to travel with me? Do you think I'm going to get you into trouble?" Not willing to admit his fear, Jack and Claire soon find themselves in the charming colonial town of San Miguel de Allende, 6,000 feet above sea level in the mountains of Guanajuato, Mexico. Sitting in the delightful patio of the house they leased, frosty Marguerites in their hands, the warm sunshine caressing them, they can't remember why Jack had at first been reluctant to come. This is perfect! This is just what the doctor ordered.About the AuthorGayle Wigglesworth spent her adult life as a bank executive, but she always wanted to work in a bookstore or library. So now that she is retired from the business world she spends her time with Claire Gulliver, the heroine of her mystery series, about a librarian-turned-travel-bookstore-owner who, somehow on her travel ventures, becomes embroiled in situations that are not nice. In fact, sometimes these situations are downright terrifying. Gayle loves to travel and find intriguing destinations for the setting for Claire Gulliver's adventures. Gayle was raised in Southern California, but spent most of her adult life in the San Francisco Bay area before moving to Texas a few years ago. She and her husband enjoy the people and culture in Houston where she is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. Views: 21
Denis Cooverman wanted to say something really important in his high school graduation speech. So, in front of his 512 classmates and their 3,000 relatives, he announced: "I love you, Beth Cooper."It would have been such a sweet, romantic moment. Except that Beth, the head cheerleader, has only the vaguest idea who Denis is. And Denis, the captain of the debate team, is so far out of her league he is barely even the same species. And then there's Kevin, Beth's remarkably large boyfriend, who's in town on furlough from the United States Army. Complications ensue. Views: 21
The Rage launch the ultimate assault on the Human Sphere. Their greatest weapons are the most fearsome creatures in the galaxy—the Xenomorphs. Having fled centuries before, the Rage return to take revenge and claim the planet for their own. Now, through a deal struck with the unlikeliest of allies, the human race may rely on the Predators to ensure mankind's ultimate freedom. Yet even the combined might of the two races may not be enough. The fate of the Earth may rest with a single android—Liliya of the Rage. Views: 21
From deep in the heart of his eighteenth century English manor, millionaire Sir Adrian Beauclerk-Fisk writes mystery novels and torments his four spoiled children with threats of disinheritance. And soon Sir Adrian himself is found slumped over his writing desk – an ornate knife thrust into his heart. Trapped amid leering gargoyles and stone walls, every member of the family is a likely suspect. Using a little Cornish brusqueness and brawn, can St. Just find the killer before the next-in-line to the family fortune ends up dead? Views: 21
