The Milkweed Ladies the memoirs of poet Louise McNeill, is written our deep affection for and intimate knowledge of the lives of rural people and the rhythms of the natural world. It is a personal account of the farm in southern West Virginia where her family has lived for nine generations.Born in 1911, McNeill tells the story of her own growing years on the farm through the circadian rhythms of rural life. She presents the farm itself, "its level fields, its fence row, and hilly pastures . . . some two hundred acres of trees and bluegrass, running water, and the winding, dusty paths that cattle and humans have kept open through the years." She writes movingly of the harsh routines of the lives of her family, from spring ploughing to winter sugaring, and of the hold the farm itself has on them and the earth itself on all of us.By the 1930s, the farm and the surrounding community had been drastically changed by the destruction left by the lumber companies... Views: 16
So far, Marc E. Jarvis has lost a white football boot, a school tie and a best friend.But there's more in store for him when he completes Work Experience at a local car yard — where his world is truly rocked, shocked and shaken.Then Marc meets Electra.And nothing will ever be the same again . . .A story of true friends, crazed coaches, shooting stars, and loves lost and found.Visit betweenthelines.com.au - the destination for Young Adult books. Views: 16
Ian Buchanan has always felt the unknown - the deep, impenetrable darkness that lives within him. Yet he is determined to lead a "normal" life, ignoring the unsettling dreams in which he succumbs to his wildest desires.. Until psychic Molly Stratton tracks him down, claiming to share his sensual nightmares. The petite Molly even has the bite marks to prove it. And she's also received a message from Ian's deceased mother: an enemy is near. And it's time for the creature inside Ian to finally awaken. A creature with an insatiable hunger that must be controlled before it overtakes them both.. Views: 16
A charmingly gothic, fiendishly funny Faustian tale about a brilliant scientist who makes a deal with the Devil, twice.
Johannes Cabal sold his soul years ago in order to learn the laws of necromancy. Now he wants it back. Amused and slightly bored, Satan proposes a little wager: Johannes has to persuade one hundred people to sign over their souls or he will be damned forever. This time for real. Accepting the bargain, Jonathan is given one calendar year and a traveling carnival to complete his task. With little time to waste, Johannes raises a motley crew from the dead and enlists his brother, Horst, a charismatic vampire to help him run his nefarious road show, resulting in mayhem at every turn. Views: 16
A smart and funny tale of perseverance, teamwork, and the true meaning of success.Strange things are happening at Ho-Ho-Kus Junior High. The cafeteria is covered in a sea of burger wrappers. Bullies aren't bullying anymore. And there's an eerie growling coming from the walls. If anyone can get to the bottom of these mysteries, it's Denton, Wendell, Eddie, Elijah, and Bijay. They may be misfits, but they're also the smartest kids in the eighth grade. There's just one problem. Vice Principal Snodgrass has framed them for a crime they didn't commit and imprisoned them in a secret room in the bowels of the school. His terms: Ace the dreaded Idaho Tests and all will be forgiven. Their plan: figure out who--or what--is to blame for the changes at school. It will take the nerdiest of skills. It will be scarier than talking to girls. It will be a true test, one that can be passed only by a select few. And those five boys are known as DWEEB.From the... Views: 16
Doctor's Orders is an erotic story involving forced sex, hardcore explicit sexual content and other material only suitable for adults. Views: 16
When Alan Davies was growing up he seemed to drive his family mad. 'What are we going to do with you?' they would ask -- as if he might know the answer.Perhaps it was because he came of age in the 1980s. That decade of big hair, greed, camp music, mass unemployment, social unrest and truly shameful trousers was confusing for teenagers. There was a lot to believe in -- so much to stand for, or stand against -- and Alan decided to join anything with the word 'anti' in it. He was looking for heroes to guide him (relatively) unscathed into adulthood.From his chronic kleptomania to the moving search for his mother's grave years after she died; from his obsession with joining (going so far as to become a member of Chickens Lib) to his first forays into making people laugh (not always intentionally); Teenage Revolution is a touching and funny return to the formative years that make us all. Views: 16
During a visit with Nehemiah Jacobs at Orchard Hill retirement home, Kate is surprised when the serene atmosphere turns into a full-fledged drama. Resident Shirley Kraemer, beloved mother-in-law to Copper Mill's mayor, has a sever allergic reaction to a medication. As Kate observes the commotion around the home and prays for the fragile woman, she notices several folks behaving mysteriously behind the scenes. Soon, Kate begins to suspect that Mrs. Kraemer's improper care was not an accident at all. As Kate digs into her latest mystery, she and Paul help mediate between two local blood-drive volunteers-Renee Lambert and Joe Tucker-whose philosophies on advertising for such an event contrast to the point of chaos. With the blood drive threatening to collapse and Mrs. Kraemer's health hanging by a thread, can Kate help the mayor's family pinpoint the culprit before it's too late? Views: 16
Our neighboring planets may have the answer to this question. Scientists have already identified ice caps on Mars and what appear to be enormous oceans underneath the ice of Jupiter's moons. The atmosphere on Venus appeared harsh and insupportable of life, composed of a toxic atmosphere and oceans of acid -- until scientists concluded that Earth's atmosphere was eerily similar billions of years ago.
An extraterrestrial colony, in some form, may already exist, just awaiting discovery.
But the greatest impediment to such an important scientific discovery may not be technological, but political. No scientific endeavor can be launched without a budget, and matters of money are within the arena of politicians. Dr. Ben Bova explores some of the key players and the arguments waged in a debate of both scientific and cultural priorities, showing the emotions, the controversy, and the egos involved in arguably the most important scientific pursuit ever begun.
**From Publishers Weekly
In 1910 the earth whirled through the tail of Halley's comet. Eight years later, in the final months of WWI, the "Spanish flu" pandemic struck, killing tens of millions worldwide. Could biological organisms in the comet's tail have made their way to Earth, causing this great outbreak of disease, like some early Andromeda strain? After all, many scientists hold to the panspermia thesis, that comets seeded the infant Earth with water-and life. But how could any organism survive the cold, radiation-drenched vacuum of space? Bova, a popular science fiction author and National Space Society president emeritus, demonstrates in this lively survey how resilient life really is. One little organism called D. radiodurans, a regular Conan the bacterium, can survive radiation that would fry any other known life form. Interstellar bodies often contain water in the form of amorphous ice, whose fluid structure is closer to that of glass than regular ice and can allow life to exist, or even come into being, inside it. Bova gives a comprehensive overview of the changing fortunes of astrobiology, so often the victim of political and economic expediencies, and lays out our species' best options for surviving our own actions as well as objects that may come zooming at us from out of the cosmos. The author sometimes lets his enthusiasm carry him into flights of hyperbole and even misstatements. Most scientists don't believe that life on earth needs to worry about the moon losing momentum and one day breaking apart above our heads. And early forms of life did colonize Antarctica, contrary to Bova's claim; the continent wasn't in a deep freeze millions of years ago. This book will excite science buffs while being accessible to general readers hoping to one day meet our extraterrestrial relations. 16 pages of b&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Bova proffers a good general history of astrobiology, or the history and structure of life in the cosmos--one of the newest fields of scientific research. He covers astronomy briefly and gives more detail about the political and technological history of NASA, showing the effects of politics and accidents on the field. He also notes what we have discovered about the history of life on this planet, what we are looking for beyond Earth and the solar system, and how we are presently going about it. With so much to cover, this is hardly an in-depth account, but it is a very good introduction for the general reader and even the specialist who wants a look at the larger picture. Bova seasons his account with entertaining and illustrative historical anecdotes, so that, as a bonus, we get an idea of what NASA has been doing since the end of the Apollo program and something about what it hopes to do in the future that many readers will live to see. Frieda Murray
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved Views: 16
In the second installment of the popular series, Heck, Dale E. Basye takes Milton and Marlo Fauster on a journey that is as clever, as laugh-out-loud funny, and as satisfying as the first.Welcome to Rapacia, where the greedy kids go . . .When Milton escapes from Heck in a soul balloon made of old clothes, Marlo is the only Fauster child left to take the blame. Bea "Elsa" Bubb, the Principal of Darkness, sends her straight to Rapacia, the circle where greedy kids are tormented by glimpses of a just-out-of-reach, glittering shopper's paradise called Mallvana. Marlo soon falls under the sway of Rapacia's assistant principal, a grinning metal rabbit known as the Grabbit that seems to have plans of its own. Meanwhile, back on the Surface, Milton has his own problems. He is determined to get in touch with Marlo and help her find a way out of Heck. But it's hard to concentrate when his body and soul don't seem to hold together the way they used... Views: 16
Three men, a tomboy…and one erotic game that could change everything. Simon, Eric, Rafael, Lee…and Charli. It’s never mattered that Charli is the only girl in the crowd. She’s always been a tomboy, anyway. Just one of the guys. Between work and Couch Potato Thursdays, life is pretty full. Sure, no man alive can get through the friend gauntlet, but thanks to her boys and her toys, she’s got plenty of fantasy material. It’s a win-win situation. Until Lee has a destination wedding in Cozumel—and Charli’s “best man” duties take a kinky turn. Through what looks to be foul play by Lee’s new brides, Charli finds herself on a decidedly decadent shore excursion, playing “The Race Erotic”. With each sexy challenge, it becomes clearer that down deep, she desires not one, not two, but all three of her remaining single buddies. They’re the only family she’s ever known. She can’t imagine living without them. Will she have to choose? Or will the final score be three to one? Warning: Naughty costumes, kinky toys, a boy, a girl…two more boys, all doing unspeakably dirty things to each other. Views: 16
