The second of a two-book set that contains the early myths and legends which led to the writing of Tolkien's epic tale of war, The Silmarillion.This second part of The Book of Lost Tales includes the tale of Beren and LÚthien, TÚrin and the Dragon, and the only full narratives of the Necklace of the Dwarves and the Fall of Gondolin, itself the finest and most exciting depiction of a battle that Tolkien ever wrote. Each tale is followed by a commentary in the form of a short essay, together with texts of associated poems, and contains extensive information on names and vocabulary in the earliest Elvish languages.HarperCollins are delighted to publish this classic in ebook format for the first time. Views: 57
Amazon.com ReviewA Letter from Author Karen Abbott My grandmother used to tell me stories about growing up during the Great Depression, and she once related a tale about a cousin who saw Gypsy Rose Lee perform in 1935. “She took a full fifteen minutes to peel off a single glove,” the cousin said, “and she was so damned good at it I would’ve gladly given her fifteen more.” This story got me thinking: who was Gypsy Rose Lee? And how did an awkward girl named Louise Hovick become her? I spent three years researching the answer, research that included connecting with Gypsy’s late sister, the actress June Havoc; I was the last person to interview her. When I arrived at June’s Connecticut farm I found her lying in bed, her hair done up in pert white pigtails. She was ninety-four years old, give or take, and the legs that once danced on stages across the country were now motionless, two nearly imperceptible bumps tucked beneath crisp white sheets. Her eyes were a bold shade of blue and painfully sensitive to light. She told me the musical Gypsy distorted her childhood so thoroughly it was as if “I didn’t own me anymore.” She realized her sister was “screwing me out in public,” and that, in the end, there was no stopping either Gypsy or Gypsy; the play was both her sister’s monument and her best chance for monumental revisionism. It took another visit for June to share more personal memories: money was Gypsy’s “god,” and she would do anything to anybody, including June, to make more of it. Gypsy did in fact do things, not only to June but also to herself—“terrible” and “awful” and “shocking” things, things beneath her sister’s formidable intellect and keen wit, things that made June believe, to that day, that love (even love fraught with competition and jealousy) never existed between them at all. I asked and listened, for as much time as June gave me. I asked until her patience wore thin and her eyes watered with the effort to stay open. “I hope I didn’t upset you today,” I whispered. “That’s not my intention.” “I know,” June said. Those startling eyes found their focus, settling on mine. “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more open about some things... I’m still ashamed for her. I wish they hadn’t happened.” “Would Gypsy wish the same?” I asked. “She had no shame.” A pause, and I said, feebly, “You were a good sister to her.” A hand tunneled out from the sheet. She coiled long, blade-thin fingers around my wrist. “I was no sister,” June said. “I was a knot in her life. I was nothing.” She retracted her hand, gave her eyes permission to close. I kissed her cheek and crept out the bedroom door. I was grateful she let me inside—even on the periphery, even briefly¬—and I suspected she was saving her own questions for the day she reunited with the sister she did profess to love, the one she still called Louise. ReviewPraise for American Rose:"Abbott creates a brainy striptease similar to the one her subject may have performed: uncovering doozies in one chapter about Lee's outrageous life, followed in the next by the less salacious (but always captivating) details about how New York City's Minsky brothers, who played a crucial role in Lee's stardom, built their burlesque empire." —Newsday"At its core, American Rose is a haunting portrait of a woman 'giving what she has to, keeping all she can,' offering her audiences a sassy, confident self while making sure they would never know the damaged soul who created her." —The Los Angeles Times"American Rose is the rare biography that captures the imagination and doesn't let go. It would scare the bejeesus out of Gypsy Rose Lee, and it's guaranteed to enthrall readers." —*Book Page"[Abbott's] portrait of the famed stripper is both darker and more inspiring than the famed stripper's version of her life as filtered by Broadway or Hollywood." —Atlanta Journal-Constitution Praise for Karen Abbott’s *Sin in the Second City“A delicious history . . . a lush love letter to the underworld . . . [Abbott] describes the Levee’s characters in such detail that it’s easy to mistake this meticulously researched history for literary fiction.”—The New York Times Book Review“[Abbott’s] research enables the kind of vivid description à la fellow journalist Erik Larson’s The Devil in the White City that makes what could be a dry historic account an intriguing read.”—The Seattle Times“[A] satisfyingly lurid tale . . . Change the hemlines, add 100 years, and the book could be filed under current affairs.”—USA Today“Assiduously researched . ... Views: 57
Mark said he heard the dark song when he creeped houses. The song the predator's heart sings when it hears the heart of the prey. I heard it now. Mark said it had always been in me. Lurking. Waiting for me to hear.Ames is not the person she was a few months ago. Her father lost his job, and her family is crumbling apart. Now, all she has is Marc. Marc, who loves her more than anything. Marc, who owns a gun collection. And he'll stop at nothing--even using his guns--to get what he wants. Ames feels her parents have betrayed her with their lies and self-absorption, but is she prepared to make the ultimate betrayal against them? Views: 57
In Nancy Springer's enthralling fourth volume of the Book of Isle, two young princes set out to destroy their own father and the pervasive evil that poisons the kingdom An epic saga set in an ageless island stronghold of magic and mystery, Nancy Springer's Book of Isle series is considered by many to be among the most accomplished offerings in all of fantasy literature, as lyrical and inventive as the classic works of J. R. R. Tolkien. In this unforgettable novel, a violent rift in a royal house threatens to tear an entire kingdom asunder. The next in line to rule the troubled realm of Melior, Prince Tirell gave his heart to the gentle and beautiful peasant girl Mylitta. But she died at the cruel whim of Tirell's father, the king, who insists on a more politically expedient match for his rebellious son. Since the murder of his love, Tirell's heart has hardened, and now, with the aid of his younger brother, Frain, the healer, he seeks an army that will... Views: 57
"A collection of sharp-edged, humanistic pieces about the American heartland...Passionate pieces that repeatedly assail the inability of many to empathize and to humanize." — KirkusFrom the St. Louis–based journalist often credited with first predicting Donald Trump's presidential victory.In 2015, Sarah Kendzior collected the essays she reported for Al Jazeera and published them as The View from Flyover Country, which became an ebook bestseller and garnered praise from readers around the world. Now, The View from Flyover Country is being released in print with an updated introduction and epilogue that reflect on the ways that the Trump presidency was the certain result of the realities first captured in Kendzior's essays.A clear-eyed account of the realities of life in America's overlooked heartland, The View from Flyover Country is a piercing critique of the labor exploitation, race relations,... Views: 57
On the fast track at a Philadelphia consulting firm, Abigail McKenna has put her personal life on hold, content to focus on her professional success. But when she's suddenly laid off, Abby finds herself with a dwindling savings account and no promising job prospects. So when a letter arrives holding the solution to all her financial problems, Abby is relieved but saddened: Her dear Aunt Leila has passed away, naming Abby the sole beneficiary of her majestic Victorian estate in North Carolina.But Abby is in for a few surprises. When she travels to claim her inheritance, instead of finding the elegant mansion of her childhood memories, she discovers her aunt's home in shambles, and her Aunt's best friend, Belle, who appears to be staying as a permanent guest. Although everything about Primrose may have changed, Abby still has her memories -- especially those lazy summer days and warm summer nights spent with Alex Kane -- a past love she can't forget.... Views: 57
When twenty-something journalist Joe Jonas is sent to cover a press conference in Texas he figures it's just another crackpot JFK assassination conspiracy theory. But as he's half-assing through the legwork he stumbles across something that makes him realize this one's for real. It gets even better when Abby Reno, a saucy reporter from Austin, insists on working on the story with him.Kent Castle never forgot losing his nephew and sister during WWII because of the negligence of an unknown lieutenant named John Kennedy. He swore he'd even the score after Kennedy received a medal instead of a court-martial. Nineteen years later he was ready to make good on his vow.As Jonas and Reno circle closer to the plot they come to realize that the protectors of the secrets are still on the job and they don't take prisoners. The bodies pile up while the reporters look over their shoulders wondering if the story of the century is worth their lives. Views: 57
In a slightly futuristic, polluted world, fourteen-year-old Bryn watches an ancient egg hatch, and her life changes forever. Like her family before her, Bryn can "ken" with birds, so at first she doesn't understand why she relates to what appears to be a lizard. Then she realizes that the critter in her care is really a baby dragon. When the dracling becomes an Internet phenomenon, she must flee to protect him from poachers and others who wish him harm. But will Bryn be able to protect him, or will she lose the dracling just as she comes to love him? A fast-paced, standalone addition to Susan Fletcher's beloved Dragon Chronicles series, Ancient, Strange, and Lovely puts a modern twist on a timeless genre. Views: 57
