Take one sleepy Suffolk villageAdd a young widowThrow in a local vamp and a harassed mumStir it up with a sexy, secretive doctorAnd watch feuds grow, tempers fray and love blossom... Amy Nicholson never expected to leave London for the Suffolk countryside. But she also never expected to be a 33-year-old widow, left alone with a young son. Fleeing her memories, she swaps her heels for wellies and embarks on a new rural life. The big-hearted community of Nevermorewell welcome them with open arms. There's old Harry, offering pearls of advice (fuelled by whisky from his hip flask), Saffron, juggling motherhood with business (whilst searching for her lost libido), and Caroline, the scheming local vamp, who tramples over lives as easily as the allotments backing onto Amy's cottage. But just when Amy thinks she's finally leaving the past behind, Ben Martin crashes into her life. Sexy and enigmatic, Ben is haunted by his own secrets. Will love blossom on the allotments? Or will it be once bitten, twice shy? Views: 8
Outrageous, outspoken, and uninhibited, Tallulah Bankhead was an actress known as much for her vices -- cocaine, alcohol, hysterical tirades, and scandalous affairs with both men and women -- as she was for her winning performances on stage. In 1917, a fifteen-year-old Bankhead boldly left her established Alabama political family and fled to New York City to sate her relentless need for attention and become a star. Five years later, she crossed the Atlantic, immediately taking her place as a fixture in British society and the most popular actress in London's West End. By the time she returned to America in the 1930s, she was infamous for throwing marathon parties, bedding her favorite costars, and neglecting to keep her escapades a secret from the press. At times, her notoriety distracted her audience from her formidable talent and achievements on stage and dampened the critical re-sponse to her work. As Bankhead herself put it, "they like me to 'Tallulah,' you know -- dance and sing and romp and fluff my hair and play reckless parts." Still, her reputation as a wild, witty, over-the-top leading lady persisted until the end of her life at the age of sixty-six.From her friendships with such entertainment luminaries as Tennessee Williams, Estelle Winwood, Billie Holiday, Noël Coward, and Marlene Dietrich, to the intimate details of her family relationships and her string of doomed romances, Joel Lobenthal has captured the private essence of the most public star during theater's golden age. Larger-than-life as she was, friends saw through Bankhead's veneer of humor and high times to the heart of a woman who often felt second-best in her father's eyes, who longed for the children she was unableto bear, and who forced herself into the spotlight to hide her deep-seated insecurities.Drawn from scores of exclusive interviews, as well as previously untapped information from Scotland Yard and the FBI, this is the essential biography of Tallulah Bankhead. Having spent twenty-five years researching Bankhead's life, Joel Lobenthal tells her unadulterated story, as told to him by her closest friends, enemies, lovers, and employees. Several have broken decadelong silences; many have given Lobenthal their final interviews. The result is the story of a woman more complex, more shocking, and yet more nuanced than her notorious legend suggests.From Publishers WeeklyCritic Lobenthal (the New York Times, Playbill, etc.) began researching Tallulah Bankhead (1902–1968) as an undergraduate. Twenty-five years later, his exhaustively researched biography is the definitive, gloves-off evocation of the life of the brazen stage and screen actress so roundly ahead of her time. Bankhead was born in Huntsville, Ala. Her mother died three weeks after her birth from peritonitis; her father's family—Dixiecrat politicians and lawyers—provided an endlessly flamboyant if penurious background for her early life. Barely 16, Bankhead fled from Alabama's claustrophobic, restrictive society to New York. Before age 20, she was a resounding success on the London stage and already notorious for what would become her life-long profligate sex- and alcohol-related escapades. The 1930s brought her back to New York, the stage and a burgeoning interest in leftist politics, which landed her on J. Edgar Hoover's list of persons to watch. Unlike previous Bankhead biographers, Lobenthal doesn't pass judgment on the volatile actress or act as apologist; rather, he contextualizes her often outrageous behavior (like arriving onstage drunk) and explains her choices as an actress. And in contrast to Bankhead's autobiography, there is no dissembling; facts are stated, ramifications elucidated. Lobenthal's clean, reportorial prose flows more smoothly once Bankhead leaves the South and her multifaceted persona begins to glitter in earnest; the book's sole flaw is an obsessive attention to detail. Photos. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From Booklist"Becoming notorious" was her intent, according to Lobenthal, who spent 25 years researching Tallulah Bankhead's life and her construction of a swaggering, assured persona that hid her underlying anxieties. Certainly she succeeded, for Bankhead remains known as much for her scandals, vices, and indiscretions as for her acting. Lobenthal engagingly uses 150 interviews with Tallulah's friends, lovers, enemies, and employers as well as FBI files to create a page-turning biography. Perhaps the most illuminating portion traces her early development on the New York stage, where she learned her craft working rather than studying at acting school. Having left her well-born Alabama family for Broadway, the insecure teen managed at 19 to land her first starring role in Everyday, a short-lived play that brought her favorable critical response. Other teenage landmarks included cocaine, which would bolster her throughout her life, and Napier Alington, the man she later referred to as the love of her life despite her many lovers of both sexes, all carefully documented. Outspoken and tempestuous, La Bankhead lives-- large. Whitney ScottCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 8
Blade Runner meets Bogart in this blend of science fiction and film noir grit that introduces Mick Trubble: the hard-drinking, chain-smoking, wry-witted private eye of the future. Views: 8
"Nixon raises all the timely questions about the present state of the world, and then answers them both systematically and thoroughly." —The New York TimesIn this acclaimed national bestseller, Richard Nixon offers a comprehensive strategy for the West—a vital plan of action that will help ensure peace, prosperity, and freedom in the next century. From glasnost and summitry to arms control and "Star Wars," from Nicaragua and China to Europe and Japan, he gives seasoned, no-nonsense advice on all tough foreign policy issues.The former President draws on a lifetime of experience in international affairs to examine the crucial challenges facing the United States and the West and how best to go forward in the 21st century. Views: 8
Ali applies his caustic pen to descriptions of [Pakistan’s] leaders. . . . Ali offers strongly argued opinions on the past, and his preferred future, of Pakistani politics.” —Booklist “Ali carefully examines Pakistan’s long, troubled relationship with America . . . intense, closely observed commentary on perilous developments in an unstable nation.” —Kirkus Reviews “This is a provocative history . . . the narrative is analytical with an undertone of love for a people. . . . The Duel is an important book. . . . It is written in an engaging and accessible style. As the U.S. widens its war against those who would defy its designs into Pakistan, it becomes essential reading for anyone who refuses to accept the Orientalist narrative spewed by the policy makers in Washington, D.C.” —Ron Jacobs, CounterPunch “Hard-hitting . . . a must-read.” —Atlantic Free Press “The Duel is a strongly written, well-argued, and readily accessible work.” —The Palestine Chronicle “The Duel offers a detailed and impassioned history.” —Mohammed Hanif, The Guardian (UK) “This sprightly romp should be read by anyone who wants real insights into Pakistan. It is as good a primer on Pakistani politics as you will find.” —The Spectator (London) Views: 8
For an alien and a human girl, all's fair in love and courtship…Attorney Toni Sutterman is on the fast-track, her success all but an open-and-shut case when she realizes she lacks what's really important: true love. With marriage-minded men in short supply on planet Earth, she joins the Intergalactic Dating Agency hoping to find a good match with an extraterrestrial. When her alien mate finally arrives, he proves beyond all doubt to be the man of her dreams: tall, sexy, romantic, and totally devoted to her. So what if there's a bit of gray area about how he actually got here?Aton of planet Dakon doesn't mean to pull a fast one. He has every intent to play by the rules until false accusations get him escorted from the spaceship just before it blasts off. Neither spurious allegations nor the vastness of space will keep him from his mate, so he makes his own way to Earth to claim the female he was promised. As soon as he sees Toni, he recognizes her as his... Views: 8
'The right people turn up in your life at the right time if you let them.'Sienna Wilson is living her dream in the city - a rewarding obstetrics job in a leading hospital, an apartment with a view, and handsome Sergeant McCabe on call whenever she needs him. The last thing she wants is a posting to a remote outback town to investigate a medical mystery.But on arrival in Spinifex, Sienna is brought to life in new and exciting ways. In a community riddled with secrets, she meets troubled young barmaid Maddy, and tough publican Alma, both with their troubles to hide.As they draw strength from each other, new friendships, new loves and new babies are born, proving that when strong women join forces, they can overcome even the greatest odds.Praise for Fiona McArthur:'I never miss one of Fiona McArthur's books.' Sam Still Reading'An uplifting story of friendship and romance.' Book'd Out'Whenever I feel like journeying to the ochre and... Views: 8
'If you loved Apple Tree Yard, you'll love In the Blood. Totally gripping and compelling – perfectly crafted' Sarah Flint, author of Mummy's Favourite. In southeast London, a young mother has been accused of an unthinkable crime: poisoning her own child – and then leaving him to die. The mother, Ellie, is secretive and challenging – she's had a troubled upbringing – but does that mean she's capable of murder? Balancing the case with raising her disabled five-year-old son, criminal defence lawyer Sarah Kellerman sets out in desperate pursuit of the truth. But when her own child becomes unwell, Sarah realises she's been drawn into a dangerous game. Unsettling and compulsive, In the Blood is a chilling study of class, motherhood and power from a new star in crime fiction. Views: 8
This is the story of the first computer enhanced human. David Klein was attached to a computer at birth and has amassed all the knowledge of humanity, with the ability to use it. Unfortunately, knowledge and intelligence is different from wisdom. This book tells David's story from college to manhood. Views: 8
