EDITORIAL REVIEW: "Karen Stabiner's GETTING IN [is] humorous (in a wry kind of way) but pointed and surprisingly engaging novel about parental and teen obsessiveness regarding the college application process in independent schools and the debilitating, distorting impact of it on kids and families. Must read for college-prep kids and their parents." --Patrick Basset, President, National Association of Independent Schools "A savvy insider's take on a high-stakes, cutthroat campaign--except it's not about getting into the White House, but about getting into the perfect college. Stabiner's sharp, witty tale is as essential as a good SAT prep course--but a hell of a lot more fun." --Arianna Huffington "*Getting In* takes an edgy, knowing look inside the lives and minds of love-crazed parents--galvanized equally by desperation and devotion--as they try with all their might to thrust their cherished children into the universities of their dreams." --Carolyn See, *Making a Literary Life* "Karen Stabiner has clearly been through the crazy circus that is college admissions, and lucky for the rest of us she took pitch-perfect notes. You will come away from her book reassured that all the other families of applicants are even loonier than yours--or reassured that you fit right in. What do you *mean*, this is fiction?" --Lisa Belkin, *New York Times* parenting writer (and hardy survivor of her son's college application process) Q: What does a parent need to survive the college application process? A. A sense of humor. B. A therapist on 24-hour call. C. A large bank balance. D. All of the above. *Getting In* is the roller-coaster story of five very different Los Angeles families united by a single obsession: acceptance at a top college, preferably one that makes their friends and neighbors green with envy. At an elite private school and a nearby public school, families devote themselves to getting their seniors into the perfect school--even if the odds are stacked against them, even if they can't afford the $50,000 annual price tag, even if the effort requires a level of deceit, and even if the object of all this attention wants to go somewhere else. *Getting In* is a delightfully smart comedy of class and entitlement, of love and ambition, set in a world where a fat envelope from a top school matters more than anything . . . almost. Views: 22
It's the year 1095, and fifteen-year-old Anna longs for a different life in her small German village. But as the seasons turn, the year proves anything but ordinary. Her beloved youngest cousin disappears, and another cousin, Martin, runs away to join a murderous army of renegade Crusaders. When Anna risks everything to rescue Leah, an orphaned Jewish girl whose only connection to her former life is a silver cup, the two girls forge a friendship that defies the intolerance of their time.Filling her story with fascinating period details, debut novelist Constance Leeds paints a rich, colorful picture of an eleventh-century life marked by courage, will, and most of all—hope. Views: 22
Drift onto the Lehigh, where love channels its way into the hearts of a boatman and a widowed lock tender struggling to find her way off the canal. Views: 22
SUMMARY:
In war-ravaged Valdemar, Queen Selenay is attempting an alliance with an ancient enemy, the neighboring kingdom of Karse. This is no easy task, but it is a venture that must not fail if either realm hopes to survive the coming confrontation with the massive armies of the ancient and enigmatic Eastern Empire. Views: 22
Thea Osborne is thanking her lucky stars. After two disastrous housesitting incidents in which she unwittingly became embroiled in murder and mayhem, she is only too happy to have a bit of time to concentrate on her blossoming releationship with DI Phil Hollis. The couple has retreated to Phil's late aunt's cottage in Cold Aston, and other than the odd interruption from his childhood acquaintance, the eccentric Ariadne, they look forward to some peace and quiet.But the bad luck that plagues the hapless Thea and her beloved spaniel Hepzibah is never far away. With autumn drawing in, preparations for Samhain, the pagan origin of Halloween, are well underway when Ariadne discovers a very tangible reminder of the season of death: a body laid out like a sacrificial victim on Notgrove Barrow.It soon becomes apparent that the cosy village has more than its share of secrets. But just how far will some go to keep them hidden? Views: 22
AN ELUSIVE HUNTRESSShe appeared out of nowhere, clad in form-fitting leathers and looking as magical as the mysterious woods she roamed. With flashing emerald eyes, she taunted the intruder, daring him to come deeper into her enchanted realm.AN ARRANGED MARRIAGERhys DeRemy owed his life to her father, just as he owed unswerving obedience to his king. If he took the heiress of Aubregate to wife, he could clear the debts of the tormented boy he had been as well as the battle-hardened warrior he’d become. But it was Eliane herself who called out to the man in him, whose fierce pride cast a spell on him, whose silken bed promised . . .A BREATH OF HEAVEN Views: 22
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, IT'S TIME TO REALLY MEET THE BEATLES.For John Lennon, a young, idealistic zombie guitarist with dreams of global domination, Liverpool seems the ideal place to form a band that could take over the world. In an inspired act, Lennon kills and reanimates local rocker Paul McCartney, kicking off an unstoppable partnership. With the addition of newly zombified guitarist George Harrison and drummer/Seventh Level Ninja Lord Ringo Starr, the Beatles soon cut a swath of bloody good music and bloody violent mayhem across Europe, America, and the entire planet.In this searing oral history, discover how the Fab Four climbed to the Toppermost of the Poppermost while stealing the hearts, ears, and brains of smitten teenage girls. Learn the tale behind a spiritual journey that resulted in the dismemberment of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Marvel at the seemingly indestructible quartet’s survival of a fierce attack by Eighth Level Ninja Lord Yoko Ono. And find out how the boys escaped eternal death at the hands of England’s greatest zombie hunter, Mick Jagger.Through all this, one mystery remains: Can the Beatles sublimate their hunger for gray matter, remain on top of the charts, and stay together for all eternity? After all, three of the Fab Four are zombies, and zombies live forever. . . . Views: 22
As a new plague related to the rabies virus infects millions, America recalls its military forces from around the world to safeguard hospitals and other vital buildings. Many of the victims become rabid and violent but are easily controlled—that is, until so many are infected that they begin to run amok, spreading slaughter and disease. Lieutenant Todd Bowman got his unit through the horrors of combat in Iraq. Now he must lead his men across New York through a storm of violence to secure a research facility that may hold a cure. To succeed in this mission to help save what’s left of society, the men of Second Platoon will face a terrifying battle of survival against the very people they have sworn to protect—people turned into a fearless, endless horde armed solely with tooth and nail. Views: 22
The highly anticipated second chapter in the Chronicles of Acadia is here. Follow the Walker brothers and their stalwart gnome companion Bipp as they journey to the surface of Acadia in search of the mysterious Isaac, the one person who may hold the key to overthrowing the dark sentient Crystal. Along the way they will forge alliances with brave new allies and cross paths with some of the deadliest forces they have ever faced in the Land of the Giants.~Enter the Fourth Age of Acadia.~Ages long past, forced to abandon the surface, mankind descended into the core of Acadia, fleeing impending xenocide at the hands of the cruel invading ice giants, the Jotnar. There, under the light of the Crystal god, Baetylus, they settled a new homeland among the deep forests and wide caverns of Vanidriell. Views: 22
