When a baby is found on the doorstep of The Hearbreak Café in the pretty Irish tourist town of Lakeview, everyone asks - what sort of parent would abandon their child? Hollywood actress Ruth Seymour is home in Lakeview for the summer. But has an ill-advised fling with a handsome co-star resulted in a seriously unplanned consequence? Jess feels increasingly left out as the only non-mum amongst her friends. Terrified she might lose them altogether, she embarks on becoming a mother too. But is she really ready? Nina has come to live with her estranged father, Patrick, after a bad break-up. But will she ever dare tell him about the secret she is concealing? One thing's for sure: someone knows more than they're telling.And the truth won't stay hidden forever... Views: 27
Hello Devilfish! is a first-person (or first-fish) account of a giant blue Japanese movie monster stingray's attack on contemporary Tokyo and his tragic morph into human form. Using elements of Japanese shock-pop and the infamous Hello Kitty meme, the story is told in comic narrative from the stingray's point of view as he gleefully creams Tokyo into rubble. The stingray is soon pursued by Squidra, a love-struck giant squid. She demands love; he refuses. In an epic waterfront battle, she traps him in a human-growth hormone bath that changes him into a puny human — a reverse metamorphosis — monster to man. Refusing to accept his humanity, the stingray acts like his former giant self while trying to find food, shelter, romance — and avoid the destructive rampage of his stalker squid love interest. Hello Devilfish! is told in a readable, comic narrative occasionally spiced with Manglish words. Funny and very readable, underneath the outlandish plot... Views: 27
An unforgettable first crime novel, as terrifying and inescapable as dinner with Hannibal Lecter...Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef of Port Dundas, Ontario is making her way toward retirement with something less than grace. Hobbled by a bad back and a dependence on painkillers, and blindsided by her recent divorce, sixty-one-year-old Hazel has only the constructive criticism of her old goat of a mother to buoy her.But when a Port Dundas woman is found murdered in her home - with no sign of resistance and her mouth sculpted into a strangely meaningful shape - Hazel's bickering department springs to life. And as more bodies are found, Hazel must confront a clamoring press and the town's rumour mill whilst she edges ever closer to this terrifying, gruesomely inventive serial killer. Views: 27
Product DescriptionThe debut of a brand-new mystery series from the New York Times bestselling author of the Ranger's Apprentice novels. Ex-Denver police detective Jesse Parker has returned home to Steamboat Springs, Colorado, to spend the winter working ski patrol and forgetting about his past. But a killer has other ideas. It begins when a skier is found brutally murdered. Local Sheriff Lee Torrens asks her old friend to help out with the investigation, and Jesse finds himself reluctantly dragged back into a world of violence and death. As Jesse and Lee work together, the memories of what they felt for each other long ago resurface- even as a madman strikes again and again, leaving no clue or trace as to identity or motive. Because for the killer, there are more important things to do than lead the authorities on... Like deciding who will die next. Views: 27
From Publishers WeeklyAdd this heady mix of history and enchantment to the season's list of astonishingly accomplished first novels: in Rutkoski's multilayered version of late�16th-century Bohemia, magicians coexist with peasants and courtiers, a tribe of gypsies use specially endowed �ghost� fingers, and the fate of Europe hangs on the schemes of an evil prince. As the novel opens, a metalworker with extraordinary gifts has returned from Prince Rodolfo's palace in Prague, having finished his commission to build a magical clock�but the prince has gouged out his eyes, so that he can never duplicate the clock or, worse, better it. Even more disturbingly, the prince wears the eyes himself. Vowing to recover her father's eyes, 12-year-old Petra sneaks off to Prague, with little more than the company of Astrophil, an erudite tin spider who can communicate with her. Proving herself a worthy relative of, say, Philip Pullman's quick-thinking, fearless heroines, Petra navigates her way past sorceress countesses, English spy magicians, dangerous gypsies and through bewitched palace halls until Rodolfo, wearing the ill-gotten eyes, catches sight of her. Infusions of folklore (and Rutkoski's embellishments of them) don't slow the fast plot but more deeply entrance readers. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From School Library JournalGrade 5–8—Set in an altered European Renaissance, this book succeeds in creating an interesting new fantasy world. Twelve-year-old Petra Kronos is shocked when her father is returned to their village without his eyes. The young Prince of Bohemia had commissioned Mikhail Kronos, who has a magical gift with metal and machines, to create a magnificent clock. Before its completion, however, the prince had the artisan's eyes removed, hoping to use their magical qualities, along with the clock, to gain control of the Hapsburg Empire and possibly the world. Petra, along with her well-read tin spider, Astrophil, sneaks off to Prague in order to get the eyes back. With help from a Roma boy, Neel, and his sister, Petra gets a job at the castle and is one step closer to retrieving her father's eyes and preventing the prince from misusing the clock's power. Her adventures also lead her to discover more of her own abilities, magical and otherwise. The novel is well paced and contains a number of intriguing characters. This is a solid fantasy that finishes its story but leaves the door open for further episodes. An author's note explains the historical basis for certain aspects of the book, including the Roma, the prince's cabinet of wonders, and John Dee, advisor to Queen Elizabeth. For those who like their fantasy with a splash of history, or their history with a twist of magic, this book is ideal.—_Amanda Raklovits, Champaign Public Library, IL_ Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. Views: 27
Dissolute nobles, master spies, and the unlikeliest of heroes, Alec and Seregil have survived exile, treachery, and black magic. But the road that lies ahead is the most hazardous they've ever traveled. For with enemies on all sides, they must walk a narrow path between good and evil where one misstep might be their last. Having escaped death and slavery in Plenimar, Alec and Seregil want nothing more than to go back to their nightrunning life in Rhíminee. Instead they find themselves saddled with Sebrahn, a strange, alchemically created creature - the prophesied 'child of no woman.' Its moon-white skin and frightening powers make Sebrahn a danger to all whom Alec and Seregil come into contact with, leaving them no choice but to learn more about Sebrahn's true nature. With the help of trusted friends and Seregil's clan, the duo set out to discover the truth about this living homunculus - a journey that can lead only to danger or death. For Seregil's old nemesis Ulan í Sathil of Virèsse and Alec's own long-lost kin are after them, intent on possessing both Alec and Sebrahn. On the run and hunted, Alec and his comrades must fight against time to accomplish their most personal mission ever. Views: 27
Pandora and her BFFs are off to the Atlas Mountains in search of the next of the seven evils she released into the world. But before she finds a hint of Laziness, Pandy is separated from her friends and left totally alone in the middle of nowhere! With the fate of the world (still) in her hands, Pandy must rely on her own strengths (and a little help from Olympus to capture Laziness. Humor, light fantasy, and Pandora's newfound confidence feature in this third adventure from Carolyn Hennesy. Ancient Greece's coolest tween can't afford to be lazy. Carolyn Hennesy has over twenty-five years' experience in the entertainment industry, having appeared in more than two hundred films, TV shows, commercials, and live stage productions. She may currently be seeing playing Mob lawyer Diane Miller on General Hospital and in a recurring role on ABC's new comedy, Cougar Town, starring Courtney Cox. A Los Angeles native, Carolyn also teaches improvisational comedy and has studied the flying... Views: 27
Science Fiction/Humor. 2826 words long. First published in DDP, 2005 Views: 27
