First novel in a series of six contemporary women's fiction books about second chances and self-discovery!Auld Acquaintance by Ruth Hay is the story of a woman in her 60s who has lost her confidence through life events, including a divorce. Anna has a part-time job in a library, and a group of good friends, but she is sinking into a depression. Unexpectedly, she receives a legal letter informing her that she has inherited a piece of property in Scotland. Her first instinct is to ignore this letter as she has no knowledge of the person named as the owner. Anna's friends persuade her to travel to Scotland and stay until she can decide how to dispose of the farm house near Oban. So begins an adventure which opens up prospects for Anna and introduces her to a new environment and new people who help her.Will Anna adjust to living in a farm house with the minimum of amenities? ... Views: 92
Roger Phillips Graham (1909-1965) was an American science fiction writer who most often wrote under the name Rog Phillips, but also used other names. Although of his other pseudonyms only Craig Browning is notable in the genre. Views: 92
Linda Wallander is bored. Just graduated from the police academy, she is waiting to start work at the Ystad police station and move into her own apartment. Meanwhile, she's living with her father and, like fathers and daughters everywhere, they are driving each other crazy. Nor will they be able to escape each other when she moves out. Her father is Inspector Kurt Wallander, a veteran of the Ystad police force, whom she will have to work alongside. Linda's boredom doesn't last long. Soon she is embroiled in the case of her childhood friend, Anna, who has inexplicably disappeared. As the investigation proceeds, she makes a few rookie mistakes. They are understandable, but they are also life-threatening. And as the case her father is working on dovetails with her own, something far more calculated and dangerous than either could have imagined begins to emerge.Already an international bestseller, Before the Frost inaugurates Henning Mankell's new mystery series about... Views: 92
Lucia is one of the great comic characters in English literature. Outrageously pretentious, hypocritical and snobbish, Queen Lucia, as by right divine rules over the toy kingdom of Riseholme based on the Cotswold village of Broadway. Her long-suffering husband Pepino is her prince-consort, the outrageously camp Georgie is her gentleman-in-waiting, the village green is her parliament, and her subjects, such as Daisy Quantock, are hapless would-be Bolsheviks. In Lucia in London, the prudish, manically ambitious Lucia launches herself into the louche world of London society. Her earnest determination to learn all about modern movements makes her the perfect comic vehicle for Benson s free-wheeling satire of salon society, and of the dominant fads and movements of the 1920s, including vegetarianism, yoga, palmistry, Freudianism, séances, Post-Impressionist art and Christian Science. Meanwhile in Tilling, clearly modelled on Benson s home town of Rye, Miss Mapp consumed by chronic rage and curiosity sits at her window, armed with her light-opera glasses keeping baleful watch on her neighbours. Anger and the gravest suspicions about everybody had kept her young and on the boil : and Benson transmutes her boiling into a series of small humiliations in his witty, malicious comedy. In his insightful Introduction Keith Carabine shows that these books are excruciatingly funny because Benson, like Jane Austen, invites the reader to view the world through the self-deluded fabrications and day-dreams of Lucia and the self-deluded chronic anger and jaundiced suspicions of Elisabeth. Carabine also concentrates on the novels disturbing, bitchy, camp humour whenever that horrid thing which Freud calls sex is raised.The last three wonderful comic novels drolly record the battle between Lucia and Elisabeth Mapp for social and cultural supremacy in the village of Tilling (based on Rye). Their constant skirmishes ensure that every game of bridge, tea or dinner-party, church service, council meeting or art exhibition are thrilling encounters that ensure Tilling is always on a very agreeable rack of suspense . Both Elisabeth and Lucia are gross hypocrites, snobs and bullies, the huge differences in temperament and style ensure the battle is usually unequal. Elisabeth is incurably mean-spirited and Lucia suffers from splendid delusions of grandeur and personal prestige. Driven by demons of revenge, Elisabeth always acts impulsively, and therefore every revelation of her meanness allows Lucia, the consummate actress, to kill her ally with a sickening kindness. In his insightful Introduction Keith Carabine shows that these books are excruciatingly funny because Benson, like Jane Austen, invites the reader to view the world through the self-deluded chronic anger and jaundiced suspicions of Elisabeth and through the self-deluded fabrications and day-dreams of Lucia. Carabine also concentrates on the novels disturbing, bitchy, camp humour whenever that horrid thing which Freud calls sex is raised. Views: 92
A fresh and practical guide to successfully managing children s behaviour from babies to young adults.Cathy Glass has been a foster carer for over 20 years, during this time fostering more than 50 children, as well as bringing up three of own. Many of these children have had severe behavioural difficulties and have come to Cathy as a last resort, when their parents or carers were no longer able to cope.Drawing on a combination of years of training and extensive personal experience, in this comprehensive guide, Cathy passes on her tried and tested methods for guiding, nurturing and disciplining children.Approaching child development chronologically, this book guides you through Cathy's incredibly simple and effective 3Rs technique: Request, Repeat and Reassure.Within this framework, Cathy addresses a host of childcare issues, including, amongst others, why children misbehave and what parents can do to the change this, how diet can affect children's behaviour, what parents can do to avoid sibling rivalry, and how to spot and address the behavioural symptoms of special needs such as dyslexia, autism, ADHD and bipolar.Applicable to all age groups - from newborn babies to young adults - Happy Kids is a clear and concise guide to raising confident, well-behaved and happy children. Views: 92
Lysander Hawkley combined breathtaking good looks with the kindest of hearts. He couldn't pass a stray dog, an ill-treated horse or a neglected wife without rushing to the rescue. And with neglected wives the rescue invariably led to ecstatic bonking, which didn't please their erring husbands one bit. Lysander's mid-life crisis had begun at twenty-two. Reeling from the death of his beautiful mother, he was out of work, drinking too much and desperately in debt. The solution came from Ferdie, his fat, fast-operating friend: if Lysander was so good at making husbands jealous, why shouldn't he get paid for it? Let loose among the neglected wives of the ritzy county of Rutshire, Lysander causes absolute havoc. But it is only when he meets Rannaldini, Rutshire's King Rat of Rutshire and a temperamental, fiendishly promiscuous international conductor, that the trouble really starts. The only unglamorous woman around Rannaldini was Kitty, his plump young wife who ran his life like clockwork. Soon Lysander was convinced that Kitty must be rescued from Rannaldini at all costs, even if it means enlisting the help of the old blue-eyed havoc maker: Rupert Campbell-Black. Views: 91
From the author of Gigi comes this tale of 33-year-old Renée Néré, recently divorced and seeking a new life as a vaudeville performer. Maxime, a wealthy playboy, tempts her from the path of independence with the comforts of love and marriage. From the physical and psychological distance of a provincial tour, Renée reflects upon the conflicting needs of security and freedom. "The Vagabond, one of the first and best feminist novels ever written, is that rare thing: a great book which is also inspiring," declared Erica Jong. This vivid portrait of life in the Parisian music halls of the early twentieth century was drawn from the author's personal experiences. Colette's 1910 novel mirrors her own adventures as an itinerant dancer as well as her struggles to maintain a balance between social respectability and artistic freedom. This edition features an authoritative new translation of her story as well as an informative Introduction by Stanley... Views: 91
From Publishers WeeklyRev. Jebidiah Mercer rides through the haunted backwoods of post–Civil War Texas, battling werewolves and eldritch horrors in the name of his cruel and distant Old Testament God in five creepy, gory, and dark pulpy yarns by Southern horror author Lansdale (Bubba Ho-Tep). In "Dead in the West," Mercer fights zombies, a stereotypical "Indian curse," and his own damaged faith, a good bit of pulpy fun spun around a nougat of bitter religion. In "Deadman's Road," the mercenary preacher hunts down a ghoul on a haunted stretch of road; "The Dark Down There" pits him and a boisterous, sensual ex-cook against an army of kobolds; and in "The Crawling Sky" he tackles an eldritch monster. Mercer's talents can only be stretched so far, and the sour god-cursing, monster-hunting, and casual murder become tiresome. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. Product DescriptionThe Reverend Jedidiah Mercer returns with the re-release of the highly influential pulp novel, Dead in the West, and four stories, one never before collected, one brand new. Contained herein are the Reverend's adventures with zombies, ghouls, werewolves, Lovecraftian monsters and kobolds. Western action blends with grisly horror and ribald humor for a super collection of shoot-outs and fang-outs, claws and crawling horrors, and lessons about an angry, unforgiving god and methods for killing nasties of all kinds. In Dead in the West, the Reverend faces a resurrected American Indian out for vengeance. Not only is the man back from the dead, he's brought back others as servants, and they are angry, hungry little devils when there is an absence of light. Plenty of surprises, laughs, gross-outs and slimy horrors, with a slam bang ending. This novel inspired numerous writer to cross the West with Horror, Action, Humor, and a wobbly moral sensibility. This first adventure of the Reverend sets up all the others, which include: 'Deadman s Road.' The Reverend, on his mission from God, encounters a ghoul who waits on a dark road for travelers so that he can feed his belly and his crippled soul. 'The Gentleman's Hotel.' The Reverend encounters a town, empty except for the lone survivor of a stage coach attack. Together, they face ghosts and werewolf Conquistadores who can not only transform into toothy adversaries, but also into dust and moths and are a real pain in the ass; all of it results in one hell of a cross-draw, dagnabbed, hair belly confrontation. 'The Crawling Sky.' In an isolated cabin the Reverend and an unwilling partner face a Lovecraftian horror with a nasty attitude and mind blowing abilities. And finally, in 'The Dark Down There,' the Reverend and an unlikely partner, a three hundred pound lady named Flower, battle kobolds who cannibalize miners and serve a Queen that at a glance could pass for spoiled tapioca pudding. The Reverend even manages a glancing chance at a kind of backwoods romance. Views: 91
The ultimate DIY project guide for techie dads raising kids in their own geeky image, in the spirit of The Dangerous Book for Boys Today's generation of dads grew up more tech-savvy than ever. Rather than joining the Little League team, many grew up playing computer games, Dungeons and Dragons, and watching Star Wars. Now with kids of their own, these digital-age dads are looking for fresh ways to share their love of science and technology, and help their kids develop a passion for learning and discovery. Enter supergeek, and father of two, Ken Denmead. An engineer and editor of the incredibly popular GeekDad blog on wired.com, Ken has created the ultimate, idea-packed guide guaranteed to help dads and kids alike enjoy the magic of playtime together and tap into the infinite possibility of their imagination. With illustrations throughout, this book offers projects for all ages to suit any timeframe or budget. With Denmead's expert guidance, you and your child can: •Fly a night-time kite ablaze with lights or launch a video camera with balloons •Construct the "Best Slip n' Slide Ever," a guaranteed thrill ride •Build a working lamp with LEGO bricks and CDs •Create a customized comic strip or your own board game •Transform any room into a spaceship •Make geeky crafts like cyborg jack-o'-lanterns or Ethernet cuff links Brimming with endlessly fun and futuristic tidbits on everything from gaming to gadgets, GeekDad helps every tech-savvy father unleash his inner kid-and bond with the next generation of brainiacs. Views: 91
