RetailA screamingly funny and poignant story about embracing life beyond middle age Marie Sharp is heading toward sixty and is just fine with it. She’s already had plenty of excitement in her life: sex and drugs in the freewheeling sixties, career and children, marriage and divorce. Now she’s ready to settle into a quiet, blissfully boring routine. No Italian classes or gym memberships or bicycle trips across Europe, thank you very much! Marie just wants to put her feet up and “start doing old things.” She’s even sworn off men! But as it turns out, life still has some surprises in store, the biggest of which is a new grandson on the way. What’s more, Archie, her old childhood crush, suddenly reenters her life, and her closest friend falls seriously ill. Armed with a biting sense of humor, Marie wrestles with a life that refuses to follow her plans—and may still offer more possibilities than she realizes. ** Views: 17
Charming, handsome Edward Somers has been recovering from his wartime injuries in a small hotel in the South of France where he is an extremely popular guest.One day, he happens upon a nearby villa, within which lives a mysterious and beautiful countess, Katerina, who does not appear to be allowed any visitors. Edward manages to break through to her and soon the pair develop a wonderful friendship. As each day passes the pair grow closer and closer but Edward soon finds there is more to Katerina than meets the eye. Why is she confined to the villa, guarded by a man with a rifle? Who is observing her with a telescope? Why is she so reluctant to be photographed?Soon a sinister chain of events begins to unfold, and several attempts on Katerina's life are made. Must Katerina always be on the run? Constantly forced into hiding, will she ever find the love she craves so dearly? Views: 17
Dramatic novel, set in Redfern. On the surface there's not much to distinguish Tim's life from any other on the fringe–where dope, booze and women are his pleasure as well as his pain. He has his family in the busy, and the lives of his city friends are transacted in the face of poverty and police harassment. It is only in Tim's relationship with the Old Man that we glimpse another and little known world where the rules are different. Tim seeks the company of the Old Man, his teacher of the tribal ways and traditional assassin, who eventually asks Tim to kill also. The author is a winner of the David Unaipon Award. Views: 16
In 1997, at the distinguished Siddons School on Manhattan's Upper East Side, the school year opens with distressing news: Astra Dell is suffering from a rare disease. Astra's friends try to reconcile the sick girl's suffering with their own fierce longings and impetuous attachments. Car writes unsparing letters, which the dirty Marlene, in her devotion, then steals. Other classmates carry on: The silly team of Suki and Alex pursue Will Bliss while the subversive Lisa Van de Ven makes dates with Miss Wilkes. The world of private schools and privilege in New York City is funny, poignant, cruel, and at its heart is a sick girl, Astra Dell, "that pale girl from the senior class, the dancer with all the hair, the red hair, knotted or braided or let to fall to her waist, a fever and she consumed." National Book Award Finalist Christine Schutt has created a wickedly original tale of innocence, daring and illness. From Publishers WeeklyThe brutal, materialistic and dysfunctional underbelly of prep schools and the females who live in it create the foundation for Schutt's beautifully written but light-on-substance novel (following 2004's National Book Award finalist Florida). In the midst of 1997 Manhattan, all-girl prep school Siddons churns out ladies with a wide spectrum of academic skills, mental problems and severe insecurities, all of whom have been touched in some way by the novel's saintly lynchpin, Astra Dell, who leaves her studies behind to fight her rare cancer. Schutt introduces a large cast of characters who are dealing with Astra's absence and their own personal problems: Astra's best friend, anorexic Car; dirty girl Marlene; the inseparable and insensitive Alex and Suki; lesbian outcast Lisa; and their beloved instructors, the awkward Anna Mazur and Tim Weeks, the handsome colleague Anna's in love with. Unfortunately, Schutt shoehorns too many characters into a relatively thin book, and though there isn't a boring sentence in here, Schutt doesn't do enough with the familiar prep school setting to make the story resonate. (Apr.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From School Library JournalAdult/High School—Set in a girls' school on Manhattan's Upper East Side, this book is a wonderfully written, touching story. Popular Astra Dell spends much of her senior year in the hospital with a rare form of tissue cancer. A young teacher visits Astra and considers her own brother who died young, while doubting her role as teacher and her potential relationship with a colleague who loves being unattached almost as much as he enjoys the students' crushes on him. Astra's friend Car is too busy with a multitude of issues to visit, but sends angst-filled letters that are sometimes stolen by Marlene, the unpopular girl who visits every day and considers Astra her new best friend. Astra's widowed father finds it hard to speak with his own daughter. Like E. R. Frank's Life Is Funny (Puffin, 2002), All Souls is written from the perspectives of several characters. Schutt, who herself teaches at a New York girls' school, mines those hallways for an extraordinarily captivating take on the teachers', parents', and teens' troubled worlds. At times she evokes Virginia Woolf's style in the immediacy of her characters' thoughts. All Souls may at first remind teens of formulaic novels such as Cecily von Ziegesar's "Gossip Girl" series (Little, Brown), but they will quickly discover a style and depth to the writing that is refreshing for this genre.—Jennifer Waters, Red Deer Public Library, Alberta, Canada Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Views: 16
Meeting girls and going to school and hanging out with friends shouldn't be that tough. But it is if you're fifteen and you're biracial and your name is Moonbeam and you live on a commune with your mother and a bunch of granola-munching, tie-dyed, tofu-eating, sandal-wearing hippies! All Moonbeam wants is to be normal. But as Moonbeam is about to discover, life for a normal teenager is anything but.At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied. Views: 16
A man charged with the brutal act of terrorism...A lawyer sworn to defend him...A courtroom spinning wildly out of control...In the trial of the decade, attorney Tom Carpenter was just a spectator. Until, to his own astonishment, Tom finds himself thrust into a case primed to explode...The whole world thinks Tom's new client is guilty of the worst act of terrorism since 9/11--except for one shadowy figure, who feeds Tom astounding inside information. But just as the trial is about to break wide open, Tom receives a chilling threat. Suddenly Tom cannot trust anyone, and his family must run for their lives. The only way to survive--and the only hope for justice--is for Tom to crack a terrifying conspiracy so vast and so powerful that anyone who believes it has already been marked to die....From the Paperback edition. Views: 16
From BooklistWhen Bean's teacher introduces The Amazing Book of World Records, everyone in the second grade vows to set new records. Bean tries stuffing her mouth full of straws, speed washing dishes, and screaming (with predictably disastrous results); finally, Ivy involves her friend in digging for dinosaur bones so they can become the world's youngest paleontologists. Barrows' dynamic duo is as appealing here as in the first two books, and emergent readers will identify with their outrageous antics. Also intriguing are Bean's sister, Nancy (who never misses an opportunity to put down her sibling), and her ever-supportive dad, whose banana bread fixes almost any problem. Weisman, Kay ReviewBest friends Ivy and Bean return for a very welcome third outing. When Bean's desperate boredom forces her to the pages of The Amazing Book of World Records, she determines to break one herself, no matter what. But after her attempt to stuff 257 straws in her mouth falls short by some 217 straws, and her loudest scream fails to shatter her sister's glass octopus, she combines her newfound interest in one-of-a-kind stunts with Ivy's fascination with paleontology to purse dreams of fame in her backyard. Barrows balances the two girls' personalities perfectly, Ivy's quiet studiousness the steady counterpoint to Bean's restless ebullience. The odd happy piece of information "It took [Mary Anning] a whole year to get the whole [ichthyosaur] out. . . . Chip, chip, chip, a tiny bit at a time" is conveyed effortlessly without impinging on the terrifically childlike voice "Lookit! I got one." Blackall's black-and-white spot illustrations share equal billing with the text, punctuating the written narrative with wry, spiky visuals that capture the kids' personalities beautifully. The resolution deflates Ivy and Bean's ambitions but leaves both dignity and enthusiasm intact other record attempts can wait till tomorrow. Just right. -Kirkus Reviews When Bean's teacher introduces The Amazing Book of World Records, everyone in the second grade vows to set new records. Bean tries stuffing her mouth full of straws, speed washing dishes, and screaming (with predictably disastrous results); finally, Ivy involves her friend in digging for dinosaur bones so they can become the world's youngest paleontologists. Barrows' dynamic duo is as appealing here as in the first two books, and emergent readers willidentify with their outrageous antics. Also intriguing are Bean's sister, Nancy (who never misses an opportunity to put down her sibling), and her ever-supportive dad, whose banana bread fixes almost any problem. -Booklist Rambunctious second-grader Bean and her more conservative friend, Ivy, are back for another easy-chapter-book adventure. This time, a book of world records gets the class thinking of feats they can accomplish. Bean unsuccessfully (and hilariously) tries to break some records, then decides to be the youngest person to discover dinosaur bones and starts digging in the backyard. Ivy has read a book about Mary Anning, who found a dinosaur skeleton at the age of 12. Anning is held up as a model of patience and perseverance, two qualities from which Bean would benefit. Her father is home during the day, and readers see their wonderful, positive relationship. He supports their efforts and agrees that the bones they ve discovered are mysterious. It's not a terribly original story idea, but Barrows has a fine touch. Blackall's humorous drawings add to the fun. This is a great chapter book for students who have recently crossed the independent reader bridge. -School Library Journal Views: 16
