Maria is twenty-nine years old. She is a single mother and lives on a council estate in Manchester. She's also a chronic day-dreamer. One day she'd like to marry a beautiful man with a huge income to look after her and Jack, her nine-year-old son.The only problem is that her current boyfriend, Rhodri, a chickpea-loving vegan eco-warrior, has turned his back on career ladders. Neither does he believe in monogamy. And so Maria finds herself unexpectedly juggling one, two, three lovers . . .When Damien, Jack's abusive father, who threatened more times than Maria cares to remember to kill her makes an unwelcome reappearance, she gets a wake-up call. Will Maria find a wonderful father figure for Jack by the time she turns thirty?A surprisingly humorous memoir with heartbreaking and unexpected moments, Single Mother on the Verge is a seductive and extremely touching read. Views: 31
In Gone to Green, Lois goes from being a corporate journalist at a large paper in the Midwest to the owner of The Green News-Item, a small twice-weekly newspaper in rural North Louisiana. The paper was an unexpected inheritance from a close colleague, and Lois must keep it for at least a year, bringing a host of challenges, lessons, and blessings into her life.
When Lois pulls into Green on New Year’s Day, she expects a charming little town full of smiling people. She quickly realizes her mistake. After settling into a loaned house out on Route 2, she finds herself battling town prejudices and inner doubts and making friends with the most surprising people: troubled teenager Katy, good-looking catfish farmer Chris, wise and feisty Aunt Helen, and a female African-American physician named Kevin.
Whether fighting a greedy, deceitful politician or rescuing a dog she fears, Lois notices the headlines in her life have definitely improved. She learns how to provide small-town news in a big-hearted way and realizes that life is full of newsworthy moments. When she encounters racial prejudice and financial corruption, Lois also discovers more about the goodness of real people and the importance of being part of a community.
While secretly preparing the paper for a sale, Lois begins to realize that God might indeed have a plan for her life and that perhaps the allure of city life and career ambition are not what she wants after all. Views: 31
From a young atheist who hopes to catch the goodness of the Christian boy she dates, to a girl who decides to have her first sexual experience with a much older man whom she finds both erotic and repellent, the protagonists in Krista Bridge’s subtle and resonant stories confront the elusiveness of true connection and the inevitability of restlessness and dissatisfaction. These stories have at their centre the unsettling dynamics of family, the tenderness and cruelty of romance and friendship, and the troubling ties by which we are bound to each other. Like the people who populate them, these stories are by turns moody and introspective, sad and funny, and all are steeped in the longing that defines our search for that archetypal home. Most importantly, they reveal a writer with a beguiling sensibility, uncommon insight and a voice of promise. Views: 31
This is the story of a quest – a journey down the red highway. On returning from a war zone, Nicolas Rothwell begins to explore the deserts and towns, sleepy coastline and hidden worlds of Australia's north. As he travels, his journey gathers momentum and finds a shape. He has unforgettable, even mystical encounters: with a priest, an explorer, a collector and a hunter. It becomes a quest – for knowledge and a sense of home – that builds to a stunning culmination. Nicolas Rothwell is among Australia's most gifted writers, and The Red Highway is a one-of-a-kind book. It explores death, friendship, travel and art, and evokes a unique and mesmerising part of the country. "Rothwell's calm wondering at what he sees and hears on his travels left me with a feeling of enchantment."—Robert Dessaix "A masterful and unforgettable book."—Pico Iyer "Rothwell is a caster of spells."—Australian Book Review Views: 31
It's the spring of 1898, and Dawson, Yukon Territory, is the most exciting town in North America. The great Klondike Gold Rush is in full swing and Fiona MacGillivray has crawled over the Chilkoot Pass determined to make her fortune as the owner of the Savoy dance hall. Provided, that is, that her twelve-year-old son, growing up much too fast for her liking; the former Glasgow street fighter who's now her business partner; a stern, handsome NWMP constable; an aging, love-struck, ex-boxing champion; a wild assortment of headstrong dancers, croupiers, gamblers, madams without hearts of gold, bar hangers-on, cheechakos and sourdoughs; and Fiona's own nimble-fingered past don’t get to her first. And then there’s the dead body on centre stage. Views: 31
Immortals do it forever. Raven Strigoi has the perfect job. The daughter of Tobias, a powerful Lamai vampire, she’s a natural fit as medical examiner for the magical island community of Mirabelle Cove. As the enclave of preternatural beings prepares for dark hibernation, Raven looks forward to spending more time with Bo, her destined mate. Instead of peace, autumn brings with it an undercurrent of evil. Detective and Native American shapeshifter Bo Wasake can vouch for the fact Raven is no slouch in the brains and beauty category. He’s loved her since the day they met. Now their happiness is threatened by a sorcerer known as Courtier de Sang. De Sang’s viral vendetta can’t touch Tobias, but targets what Tobias loves most—his family. Raven fights desperately to keep the epidemic contained, but the recombinant virus has mutated and jumped species—to Bo. And time is running out. Warning: Hot, hot, hot! Contains steamy immortal sex hot enough to boil your lobster. Reader beware—also contains a scene depicting rape. Views: 31
Lorelei is a mermaid princess, or she used to be, until she awakens to find herself captured and bound, her tail replaced by two new, inexperienced legs. Her captor, the capricious Captain Vine, wastes no time in introducing the confused young maiden to the sensations of living in the world above the water — and to her own hidden desires. Views: 31
They’re craving something sweet. She likes it spicy. Devi Malik knows how to heat things up. She does it every night as head chef in her family’s Indian restaurant. Her love life, though, is stuck in the subzero freezer. Now, with a chance to fulfill a secret fantasy with her long-time crush and his brother, it’s time to put her desire on the front two burners. For Marcus Callahan, a love-’em-and-leave-’em attitude isn’t only a necessary evil of their kink. It’s a protective device. Lately, though, his brother Jace has been making noises about craving something more. Jace’s dissatisfaction with their lifestyle grows with every glimpse of sweet little Devi. Yet Marcus is too haunted by the pain of their shared past to give love a chance. Despite their reputation for vanishing with the dawn, they discover one night with Devi isn’t nearly enough. And Devi finds herself falling in love with two very different men. It’ll take more than explosive sex to light up the shadows surrounding the Callahan brothers’ secrets. But Devi’s never been afraid of the dark… Warning: This title contains two sizzling men for the price of one, ménage a trois, oral sex, anal sex, fun toys, great food, and creative uses for syrup and dressing rooms. Views: 31
When two little girls find an abandoned baby, good intentions go awry and three families are ruined. Now, seven years later, another child is missing and rookie homicide detective Nancy Porter must uncover the truth in a world where no one is innocent -- not even the children.Since her debut in 1997, Laura Lippman has won virtually every major prize in the mystery-writing field and earned the highest critical praise for her Tess Monaghan series, which has been called "spectacular" (New York Times), "terrific fun" (Washington Post), "a delight" (Baltimore Sun), and "the best mystery writing around" (Village Voice). Now Lippman steps outside her series to deliver her darkest, most troubling tale -- and vaults into the crime-fiction elite with a haunting story of murder, fate's accidents, and the stories we tell ourselves when we try to make sense of the unthinkable. Views: 31
Finally, after years as a struggling radio host, Cash Peters has been given his own TV adventure show on a big-time travel network. The idea is simple: "Let's dump him in an unfamiliar culture in a faraway land with no money and no place to stay, and see what happens." Unfortunately, there is one major problem: Cash doesn't want to go. Not only is he NOT the adventurous type, he is afraid of nearly everything and horribly allergic to the rest. Bottom line: they've given the show to the wrong guy. Naked in Dangerous Places is the story of one man's efforts to remain sane in an insane world. Told with wit and shameless honesty, it documents a yearlong journey through exotic lands, from Kenya to Cambodia, Morocco to Dubai, as Cash drops in on fascinating cultures, eating, drinking, even sleeping in cow-dung huts with the locals, and eventually proving the truth of the old saying "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger." Though, to be honest, killing you is more likely. From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 31
