Tim Scott's Outrageous Fortune marked the debut of one of the most wildly inventive writers to hit the sci-fi scene in years. Now he returns with a hilarious yet poignant novel of love, loss, and itinerant appliances."New Seattle Health and Safety. Do not die for no reason." This is the motto of a city so obsessed with the danger of sharp corners that it has almost forgotten how to live. But Huckleberry Lindbergh is about to find his trip to the city most decidedly unsafe. For a chance encounter leads him into the heart of a dark conspiracy. And in order to stop it, this former cop is about to do something so unsafe--so monumentally stupid--that its reverberations will be felt all the way to the Pentagon.Soon he is on the run from more authorities than he has had hot meals, his staunchest allies a bunch of feral fridges that give new meaning to the words "chill out." But sometimes a dose of chaos is just what the doctor ordered, and Huck's... Views: 21
I believe the world needs more humor, optimism and relaxation through creative thinking. This book is my small contribution – you have to read it to see. Views: 21
Reveling in outrageous shenanigans and hilariously off-kilter characters, Shoveling Smoke does for East Texas what Carl Hiaasen's novels do for South Florida. Burned-out corporate lawyer Clay Parker chucks it all and moves from Houston to a tiny firm in a dusty small town, searching for his lost integrity and a simpler life. Instead, he lands in the middle of a bungled fraud case defending the disreputable and downright nasty Bevo Rasmussen, accused of torching the stables housing his overinsured thoroughbreds. Immediately confronted with corrupt officials, crazed survivalists, an incompetent hit man, an emu, and a naked county clerk, along with an assortment of vengeful wives and great barbecue, Clay discovers that nothing is what it seems to be. By the end, our hero gets way more than he bargained for, justice (Texas-style) gets served, and the reader gets a laugh-out-loud first novel. Views: 21
Detective Kubu faces his most disturbing investigation yet when he finds himself caught up in a case of betrayal and mistaken identity on the outskirts of northern Botswana.Goodluck Tinubu, an ex-Zimbabwean who has taught in Botswana for many years, is viciously murdered at the Jackalberry bush camp, situated on an isolated peninsula in northern Botswana. Peter Sithole, a guest at the camp, is found bludgeoned to death a few hours later. Detective ‘Kubu’ Bengu is sent from Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, to assist the local CID in this puzzling investigation. Meanwhile, another guest at the camp – Ishmael Zondo – leaves the camp suddenly the next morning and disappears without a trace. The Zimbabwe police are unable to trace him. And, as fingerprints are matched, records reveal that Tinubu was killed in the Rhodesian civil war thirty years earlier… Views: 20
When Daisy Miller accepts an exciting new job in London with the mysterious Mrs Peabody, her old friend George Dale is more than a little jealous. But all is not quite as it seems and Daisy soon realises that there′s more to this job than meets the eye. Before long the two friends find themselves in Paris and on the tail of daring jewel thief, The Shadow. Full of the glamour and daring of the 1930s, the Golden era of detective fiction, The Case of the Diamond Shadow will enchant young and older readers alike. Views: 20
Love will give them strength—or prove to be their fatal flaw. Guardians of the Light, Book 1 Dara Khan Androcles is really in over her head this time. From childhood she’s been forced to hide her half-dragon mage fighting skills behind a public persona as a healer. Now, with a traitor and his demon threatening the throne of Safehold, Dara has no choice but to turn reluctant warrior—and seek help. She strikes a bargain with runaway Elven prince Loren ta Cedric and his sentient, pain-in-the-butt war mare, Hani’ena. Loren’s not only too handsome for Dara’s own good, the powerful empath can see right through to the pain that drives her. Loren can’t help but feel Dara’s every hurt, physical and emotional. Though his need for her drives him half mad, he must stay his course to see justice done for his people. Even if it means swearing a Life Debt to the distracting mortal. That vow, made in the heat of their parallel quests, carries more power than either of them guessed. The power to bond the unlikely pair as Life Mates. The power to lay bare the fears and desires that could bind them to a single purpose—or tear them apart. All the while a demon awaits, ready to destroy all that they hold dear. Warning: Contains patricide; noble self-sacrifice; one bad-ass, demon-possessed despot; a bad-tempered dragon; and a water mage who likes to “rain” on her husband’s parade—literally. Downside: A quest for a magic book (written in blood) that nobody wants, and a talking war mare with the warm, fuzzy voice of Judy Densch. Upside: Serious ass-kicking. Be prepared to learn to curse, cry and laugh—in Elvish Views: 20
The Prayer ShawlSean Holland is a magazine reporter always looking for the next story. Hope Weaver is a pediatric nurse who shares Christ through making prayer shawls. The shawls are just the touchy-feely story Sean needs, even though he'll have to endure Hope's strong Christian beliefs to get it. An unexpected connection brings them together as a couple. But, can they find love if they don't share their faith?InheritanceAlex Lyndon's life has been a series of fits and starts with no finishes. She finds herself jobless and divorced. Now her only family, Granny Olivia, is critically ill.Chase Carson had to step into running the family business when his father died. The time is past due for him to visit Miss Olivia.Alex and Chase must go on a treasure hunt. Will each find purpose and love for their lives in the process? Views: 20
SUMMARY:
In the darkness of 13th Century Europe, the most precious treasures of the Christian world lie in a small church in the great ruined city of Constantinople: the crown of thorns, the spear that pierced Jesus' side, the shroud bearing the imprint of Christ.On the other side of the globe, Petroc of Auneford sails into the sprawling Pool of London for the first time. He has left his old monastic world behind for that of the enigmatic Captain de Montalhac - purveyor of fine relics and other exotic trinkets to anyone with sufficient money and desire.For Petroc, the trip is soon blighted by tragedy, but grief is no guard against greed or rumour. The great powers of Christendom are gathering - all covet the power of the most precious relics - and Petroc finds himself right in the eye of the storm. Views: 20
Portia Crossmichael is content with her life. She owns her
own school close to London,
and finds pleasure and satisfaction in educating the young ladies whom she is
employed to teach. The companionship of her artist step-brother and her
friends--some of whom she employs as teachers--enlivens her quiet days.
Nothing, it seems, will disrupt the quiet tenor of her life.
She has reckoned without the advent of Ingram Perrington,
Lord Stadbroke, and his three daughters. He, freed in the past five years by
the deaths of a domineering mother and an unreasonable wife, has been enjoying
the delights of the metropolis. The viscount has a low opinion of women, and
does not know how to deal with his girls as they mature. Portia finds herself
becoming deeply attached to his daughters--and to him--knowing familiarity can
only lead to heart-break.
Her equanimity is further strained by the advent of her
step-father Harold Dent. He demands money and threatens to destroy the
school--their livelihood--with scurrilous lies if they do not pay him for his
silence.
Torn between
truth and blackmail, growing affection for Stadbroke's daughters and an
escalating interest in the viscount himself, Portia faces the loss of all her
dreams. What lessons must she learn? And will they be happy ones?
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Autumn is a time of transformation. Crisp, clear days mark summer's close and usher in a new season with its rich scents and vivid palette, leaves flaming red and gold by day, bonfires and fireworks lighting up the lengthening nights. There is abundance, as humans and animals make stores for the winter; and there is decay, which gives rise to the next cycle of life.In prose and poetry from across the British Isles, Autumn captures both the exhilaration and the melancholy of this turning point in the year. Featuring original writing by Horatio Clare, John Lewis-Stempel and Amy Liptrot, classic extracts from the work of Ted Hughes, Helen Macdonald and Nan Shepherd, and a wealth of fresh new voices, Autumn is an evocative celebration of the year's decline – and new beginnings. Views: 20
Japan, March 1700. Near a Shinto shrine in the hills, a windstorm knocks down a tree to uncover a human skeleton, long buried and forgotten. Meanwhile, in the nearby city of Edo, troops ambush and attack Lady Reiko, the wife of Sano Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to power and influence in the shogun's court. The troops who attacked Reiko appear to belong to Sano's fiercest enemy, Lord Matsudaira, who denies all responsibility. But if the rivals are not to blame for each other's misfortune, who is?Just as Sano's strife with Matsudaira begins to escalate to the brink of war, the shogun orders Sano to investigate the origins of the mysterious skeleton, buried with swords that identify it as belonging to the shogun's cousin, who disappeared forty years earlier on the night that a cursed kimono touched off a fire that nearly destroyed the city.Suddenly, Sano and Reiko are forced to confront dangerous, long-buried secrets that expose Sano's own mother... Views: 20
