Philip Skyler learned early in his life that his face would get him into trouble and there was nothing he could do about it. Born with an extreme facial deformity, he became the object of attention. Though medical scientists named his condition Van der Woude syndrome, his classmates, especially the bullies, just called him "Monkeyface." "Monkeyface Chronicles "is his sweet story of revenge. Philip's aphorism-toting grandfather used to say, "Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect," and Philip Skyler is about to embark on a life journey of payback that has everything to do with cause and effect. Philip's journey ultimately takes him through the most unusual family circumstances, where no one was really who they seemed to be, whether it was his reclusive scientist father, or his Citizen Kane-like grandfather. While riding his father's motorcycle to Toronto to escape the dregs of Faireville, Philip has a life-changing experience that transforms him from the dupe he was as a kid into a conquering hero in his twenties. His unforgettable ride brings him to triumph over adversity and redeems him from the world of losers into which he was cast. Views: 43
SUMMARY:
Things were going so well for P.I. John Taylor, that it was only a matter of time before everything hit the fan. Walker, the powerful, ever-present, neverto-be-trusted agent who runs the Nightside on behalf of The Authorities, is dying. And he wants John to be his successor-a job that comes with more baggage, and more enemies, than anyone can possibly imagine. Views: 43
Few authors inspire the kind of passion that Arturo Pérez-Reverte does. Reviewers, readers, and booksellers alike have embraced his fiction as the perfect blend of suspense and literary ambition. A global bestseller, he is one of the most admired and widely read authors in the world. And his stunning new novel is his best yet. A remarkable tale, The Queen of the South spans continents, from the dusty streets of Mexico to the sparkling waters off the coast of Morocco, to Spain and the Strait of Gibraltar. A sweeping story set to the irresistible beat of the drug smugglers' ballads, it encompasses sensuality and cruelty, love and betrayal, as its heroine's story unfolds. Teresa Mendoza's boyfriend is a drug smuggler who the narcos of Sinaloa, Mexico, call "the king of the short runway," because he can get a plane full of coke off the ground in three hundred yards. But in a ruthless business, life can be short, and Teresa even has a special cell... Views: 43
John Updike once said of his friend and fellow writer Andre Dubus: “[He] is a shrewd student of people who come to accept pain as a fair price for pleasure, and to view right and wrong as a matter of degree.” Dubus’s characters are depicted in all their imperfection, but with the author’s requisite tenderness and compassion. After all, they are human just as we are human, and their fates not so unlike our own. The short stories and novellas compiled here represent the best work of one of our most accomplished and acutely sensitive authors, and make up an anthology unmatched in its collective portrayal of the human condition.REVIEWI return to Andre Dubus whenever I get hungry for a really good short story. However, after recently experiencing a Matt Fowler's revenge in the movie, "In the Bedroom," I revisited this 1996 collection of short stories. That movie is based on one of the twenty-three, stunning stories collected here, "Killings." Novelist Barbara Kingsolver has said that "a good short story cannot simply be Lit Lite." Rather, "it is the successful execution of large truths delivered in tight spaces." Confronting issues including a bereaved father's revenge ("Killings"), abortion ("Miranda over the Valley"), difficult relationships ("Adultery," "The Winter Father," "Voices from the Moon," "The Pretty Girl," "The Pitcher," "Leslie in California"), religion ("If They Knew Yvonne"), obesity ("The Fat Girl"), fatherhood ("A Father's Story"), rape ("The Curse"), sexuality and death, Dubus triumphs in delivering profound truths in these "tight spaces." You won't find happily-ever-after endings here. Rather, these are emotionally compelling stories that feel too real to be fiction. And they will leave you coming back for more. Views: 43
In November 1918, as World War I was coming to a close, a group of Australian men signed up for more fighting. This time, the enemy was Russian Bolsheviks. Challinger tells the story of how this group of 150 Aussies was seconded to help to protect the British from a rearguard attack and became embroiled in what was to become the Russian revolutio Views: 43
When Mecca's parents are killed in front of her by a family friend, she learns that true friends are few and far between. She is taken in by her aunt, and soon finds out who is really riding for her and who is just around because they fear the wrath of Aunt Ruby. Making a deal with the devil doesn't seem all that bad when you're sitting on top of the world, with endless amounts of money and designer everything, but it's not long before her beloved Aunt Ruby is snatched away from her. Mecca is forced to fend for herself. She learns to play with the hand she was dealt, but who will be left standing in the end? In Mecca's world, everyone is suspect, and no one can be trusted, not even family. When the truth is revealed to her, it is up to Mecca to decide if she'll do the right thing and lead a life of righteousness, or continue to walk down the same dark path as her aunt. Views: 43
A new novel from the award-winning, internationally acclaimed Israeli writer ('One of the greatest writers of the age' -The Guardian), a haunting, heartbreaking story of love and loss. The ghetto in which the Jews have been confined is being liquidated by the Nazis, and eleven-year-old Hugo is brought by his mother to the local brothel, where one of the prostitutes has agreed to hide him. Mariana is a bitterly unhappy woman who hates what she has done to her life, and night after night Hugo sits in her closet and listens uncomprehendingly as she battles with the Nazi soldiers who come and go. When she's not mired in self-loathing, Mariana is fiercely protective of the bewildered, painfully polite young boy. And Hugo becomes protective of Mariana, too, trying to make her laugh when she is depressed, soothing her physical and mental agony with cold compresses. As the memories of his family and friends grow dim, Hugo falls in love with Mariana. And as her life spirals downward, Mariana reaches out for consolation to the adoring boy who is on the cusp of manhood. The arrival of the Russian army sends the prostitutes fleeing. But Mariana is too well known, and she is arrested as a Nazi collaborator for having slept with the Germans. As the novel moves toward its heartrending conclusion, Aharon Appelfeld once again crafts out of the depths of unfathomable tragedy a renewal of life and a deeper understanding of what it means to be human. Views: 43
In the sequel to The Ice Princess, a series of sadistic murders spanning two generations remains unsolved—and time is running out for the next victimIn the fishing community of Fjallbacka, life is remote, peaceful, and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance twenty years ago of two young campers, but their bodies were never found. But now, a young boy out playing has confirmed the grim truth. Their remains are discovered alongside those of a fresh victim, sending the tiny town into shock. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom, expecting a baby with his girlfriend Erica, can only imagine what it is like to lose a child. When a second young girl goes missing, Hedstrom's attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, religious fanatics and criminals. The suspect list is long but time is short—which of this family's dark secrets will provide the vital clue? Views: 43
The unimaginable becomes reality. This is the dark domain that Harry Davies enters by chance after helping a stranger in trouble. He is drawn ever deeper into an organization where corruption and treachery prevail. An experience that is set against the backdrop of life in Britain and Ireland during the Second World War. Views: 43
EDITORIAL REVIEW: Kira's quiet life in the islands is interrupted when she's called back to Virginia to attend her cousin Nikki's funeral. Reluctantly, Kira plans a short, incognito trip to do just that. However, her plans are derailed when news of her arrival spreads. Now there's a bounty on her head, and several snakes are ready to cash in. Behind enemy lines in her own hometown, Kira is faced with yet another battle to stay alive as she finds out once again, that she's living on borrowed time. Will she be able to cheat death again, or will death snatch her from behind in part five of the *Wifey series?* Views: 43
Captain Na'varr and his executive officer, Brom, know they have a good thing when they capture stowaway hacker, Raesa, with her hot temper and dangerous curves. They want her, body and soul just as she wants them. But such trust endangers them in ways none of them can anticipate. Dare they risk it all? Views: 43
When an on-court fight broke out between the Houston Rockets and the LA Lakers just before Christmas 1977, Rudy Tomjanovitch raced to break it up. He was met by Kermit Washington's fist. This is the story of how one punch changed two lives, the NBA and how we think about basketball, forever. Views: 43
Matthew Barber thinks that being the new kid in school will be the scariest thing about fourth grade. But is he ever wrong! When the class bully challenges him to spend the night in Healy Elementary, Matthew learns that the rumor of a ghost teacher wandering the halls is more than just a story. And because he has already lost his classmates' trust by lying about his old school, no one believes the terrifying truth: There is a ghost, and she knows Matthew's name . . . and she won't let him rest until she gets what she wants! The Ghost in Room 11 has won the Florida, Iowa, and Oklahoma Children's Book Awards. Views: 43
