The foibles of the people in Jill McCorkle's world are so familiar that we want nothing so much as to watch them walk into—and then get out of—life's inevitable traps. Here, in her first collection in eight years, McCorkle collects eleven brand-new stories bristling with her characteristic combination of wit and weight.In honeymoon shoes, mud-covered hunting boots, or glass slippers, all of the women in these stories march to a place of new awareness, in one way or another, transforming their lives. They make mistakes, but they don't waste time hiding behind them. They move on. They are strong. And they're funny, even when they are sad.These stories are the work of a great storyteller who knows exactly how—and why—to pair pain with laughter. Views: 48
"Laura Jean Baker has written a beautiful and brave memoir of motherhood and its discontents, which are indistinguishable from its joys. This is a warmly intimate yet intellectually provocative personal document of originality and considerable charm." —Joyce Carol Oates With the birth of her first child, soon-to-be professor Laura Jean Baker finds herself electrified by oxytocin, the "love hormone"—the first effective antidote to her lifelong depression. Over the next eight years, her "oxy" cravings, and her family, only grow—to the dismay of her husband, Ryan, a freelance public defender. As her reckless baby–making threatens her family's middle–class existence, Baker identifies more and more with Ryan's legal clients, often drug–addled fellow citizens of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Is she any less desperate for her next fix? Baker is in an impossible bind: The same drive that sustains her endangers her family;... Views: 48
Last century Charles Darwin set out on a voyage in the Beagle that would change forever the way human history was viewed. It was on this voyage that Darwin collected the information that gave birth to his controversial Theory of Evolution. MR DARWIN'S SHOOTER is the story of Syms Covington, Darwin's manservant on the Beagle and afterwards. This is a novel of scientific discovery, of religious faith, of masters and servants, and of the endless wonder of the natural world. But its greatest triumph is Covington himself, the boy who looked up at the beckoning figure of a yellow-haired Christian in the stained glass window in his boyhood church of Bedford, and sought to follow. He leaves Bedford as a lad of 13 and goes to sea with the evangelical sailor John Phipps and becomes one of Phipps' 'lads'. But Phipps' catechising can't repress Covington's passage into manhood, nor prevent him chasing the exotic native maidens of Tierra del Fuego. When next he returns to sea it is... Views: 48
When only a teenager, Honora Keely meets the love of her young life on the beach of her beloved Galway Bay, Ireland. Her Michael, also a teenager, marries her and only a few years later, while they have are in the midst of raising children, Ireland's "Great Hunger" occurs -- the devastating potato famine of the 1840s that killed millions. This is the story of a family's struggle to survive almost insurmountable odds. Honora is a fighter who, with the help of her sister, manages to save enough money for their two families to emigrate to America. In America, Honora forges a whole new life with its own joys and hardships, not the least of which is the Civil War. This gripping family saga beautifully renders an Ireland which was lost to those Irish forced to emigrate to foreign shores. Views: 48
Three seemingly unrelated murders crop up during the investigation of a decade-old chemical dump that plagues a rural community west of Nashville. PI Sid Chance, former National Parks ranger and small town police chief, takes the case and finds himself caught up in a whirlwind of lies, deceptions, and threats.Who is tailing and warning him to back off? Is the man responsible for the pollution dead or alive? When ex-cop friend Jaz LeMieux offers her help, she is awakened by an explosion behind her mansion. Is it related to the abduction of her employees’ grandson or Sid’s case? As the tension mounts, Sid finds himself confronting the unsavory people responsible for his past troubles. Views: 48
Massie Block: The Briarwood boys have invaded OCD and are taking over everything. Worse, the soccer boys have become so popular that the Pretty Committee's alpha status is in serious jeopardy. So Massie lays out a New Year-New Pretty Committee rule: Anyone caught crushing on a boy will be thrown out of the NPC-forever. But will she be able to follow her own decree when she sees that Derrington has ditched his shorts-obsession in favor of ah-dorable jeans? Alicia Rivera: Is the opposite of onboard with the boyfast. Her crush, the Ralph Lauren-luh-ving Josh Hotz, is more irresistible than creme brulee fro-yo. But is he worth losing her spot in the NPC? And taking on the wrath of Massie? Dylan Marvil: Is so ready for the boyfast. She's straightened her unruly red hair and permanently pressed boys out of her life. If only she could do the same with curly fries and caramel popcorn. Kristen Gregory: Has traded her sporty-chic Pumas for Billabong board shorts and a shark tooth necklace. She claims she's sworn off boy-crushes, so what's with her Blue Crush makeover? Claire Lyons: Spent all summer thinking about Cam's one blue eye and one green eye. But now he's moved on to a new girl faster than you can say cuh-yutest couple. At least Claire finally has a secure spot in the NPC-unless jealousy-flirting breaks the boyfast. . . . Views: 48
Running from Disaster is Book One in Aubrey Parr's Sunrise Runners duology....There's a predator on the loose. He's abducting runners, becoming more sinister with each new victim. Gabriella Winters' running group was not going to let fear stop them. They needed to run at sunrise, every morning. Running was vital to their lives....Just when Gabriella needs a distraction from the horrors surrounding her, Dylan Hart arrives. He's a walking disaster for relationships; his track record with women has proven it. Still, Gabriella can't stay away. Everything about him pulls her in. Dylan wants nothing more than to have Gabriella in his life, but he wasn't sure how to be the man she deserved....How can they navigate their relationship when Dylan doesn't play by the rules? Can they survive what the world throws at them? Views: 48
Set in Hong Kong at the time of the Cultural Revolution riots in 1967, Blue Lantern is a story of sex and police corruption. Mike Brodie a young police inspector from Glasgow is caught between two women. Helen is a talented and virtuous doctor, whom he can't match. Vanessa is a sordid temptress whom he finds it hard to resist. He needs more money than he earns to maintain his lifestyle, and finds himself drawn into a world of corruption and bribery. Views: 48
From School Library JournalGr 7-10–Alex Sawyer, 14, is in prison for a murder he didn't commit. He tried to escape the horrors of the underground prison known as Furnace in Lockdown (Farrar, 2009), and now he must battle the nightmare that is solitary confinement. The cells open from the top through a sort of manhole cover, and they are more like coffins standing on end than cells. Alex must fight the monsters and mutants that are his captors and tormentors, including the dreaded wheezers that have gas masks sewn to what should be their faces and the vicious rat and doglike creatures that spoiled their escape attempt. Alex's friend Donavan was thought to be dead, but as it turns out is part of the horrors going on in the infirmary. There are several disturbing episodes when Alex is alone with his thoughts in his cell, and his fatalism or depression leads him to contemplate suicide. The rest of this story is fast paced and packed with nail-biting scenarios, and the gross-out factor is high in many sections. Alex is coaxed into a leadership role by some of the creatures and his friend Zee, who occupies an adjoining cell, and through their attempt at another escape, discovers what is really happening to inmates in the infirmary. This is a dark story with a dark ending, but the gritty action and compelling characters will have reluctant readers enthralled.–Jake Pettit, Thompson Valley High School, Loveland, CO. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. FromIn a sequel to Lockdown (2009) that is just as breathlessly paced and soaked with blood, mucus, and less savory substances, teen jailbird Alex’s escape from the futuristic underground prison and experimental lab called Furnace leads first to recapture and then to a second flight that involves frantic chases through dark caverns and tunnels, face-to-face encounters with flesh chewing human-rat hybrids, and visits to a gruesome “Infirmary,” in which prisoners are modified into hideous monsters. Readers who relish lurid imagery and melodramatic prose will continue to be riveted and left eager for the next disgust-o-rama episode. Grades 6-9. --John Peters
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Living single in her trailer was great for a time. But now Bobbie Faye’s officially engaged to, and has purchased a home with, the hottest FBI agent on the beat: Trevor Cormier. Even though she still has no idea what he really does on the job, Bobbie Faye has never been happier…until Trevor gets called away on an urgent assignment and leaves her in the care of body-guard slash babysitter Riley.
As it turns out, Bobbie Faye could use a little extra security. The man she helped put in behind bars, the murderous Sean MacGreggor, has escaped from prison…and is dead-set on revenge. With still no word from Trevor—who was only supposed to be gone for three days—Bobbie Faye finds herself reluctantly turning to her detective ex-boyfriend Cam for help. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to protect Bobbie Faye…so long as Trevor stays out of the picture. For good. Views: 48
Sarafina Connell is having the worst week of her life. It takes an even darker turn when an infamous playboy kidnaps her and reveals a world she never knew existed….
It’s a world where magick is real, and where Sarafina is given a chance to join a secret cabal that is bent on gaining absolute power. They could use a woman like her — a witch with an untapped gift for creating fire. But she isn’t about to get in league with the devil.
Rescued from her captors, Sarafina is introduced to a coven that is duty-bound to fight the forces of darkness. She’s pleased that her savior is the imposingly seductive Theo — until the trust between them goes up in flames. However, as the war between good and evil is waged, Sarafina and Theo realize they have no choice but to unite in the battle for supremacy — that’s getting hotter by the minute. Views: 48
