The Philosophical Breakfast Club recounts the life and work of four men who met as students at Cambridge University: Charles Babbage, John Herschel, William Whewell, and Richard Jones. Recognizing that they shared a love of science (as well as good food and drink) they began to meet on Sunday mornings to talk about the state of science in Britain and the world at large. Inspired by the great 17th century scientific reformer and political figure Francis Bacon--another former student of Cambridge--the Philosophical Breakfast Club plotted to bring about a new scientific revolution. And to a remarkable extent, they succeeded, even in ways they never intended. Historian of science and philosopher Laura J. Snyder exposes the political passions, religious impulses, friendships, rivalries, and love of knowledge--and power--that drove these extraordinary men. Whewell (who not only invented the word "scientist," but also founded the fields of... Views: 57
In River City, Missouri, the "wedding of the year" is causing florist Bretta Solomon one headache after another. Bretta and a few other River City business owners have been hired by a newcomer to this small Midwestern town to throw an unforgettable party for Evelyn Montgomery's daughter, and Evelyn wants every lavish detail to be perfectly done. Bretta; Oliver, the landscaper; Sonya, the wedding coordinator; Claire, the beautician; Dana, the caterer; and Kasey, the photographer; are all being driven nuts by Evelyn's last-minute, over-the-top demands. Furthermore, during the week leading up to the wedding, Bretta's estranged father shows up for a "surprise" visit and moves himself into her house. And as if these two events alone weren't enough, the enigmatic Bailey Monroe, a DEA agent Bretta met during a previous adventure, also has arrived in town claiming a desire to get to know her better. It's shaping up to be quite a week. But just when she thinks... Views: 57
A bold new novel about the intersection of art, love, fame, and money from the acclaimed author of Dogeaters. Jessica Hagedorn's edgy and entertaining new novel centers on the lives of two women who are neighbors in Manhattan's West Village. Mimi Smith is a filmmaker of low-budget slasher movies in search of new material. Her neighbor Eleanor Delacroix is a legendary writer of erotic fiction, now nearing eighty and addicted to cocaine and gin. Their personal and artistic lives begin to collide in unexpected ways as Eleanor grieves over the recent death of her live-in lover, the renowned painter Yvonne Wilder, and as Mimi deals with the challenges presented by her newly sober brother Carmelo; her drug-dealing boyfriend, who has mysteriously disappeared; and her wayward fourteen-year-old daughter, Violet. Looming over all these characters is the ghost of Agnes-an "illegal" and cousin of Mimi's who might have been murdered by her New Jersey employers.... Views: 57
When Pico Iyer decided to go to Kyoto and live in a monastery, he did so to learn about Zen Buddhism from the inside, to get to know Kyoto, one of the loveliest old cities in the world, and to find out something about Japanese culture today -- not the world of businessmen and production lines, but the traditional world of changing seasons and the silence of temples, of the images woven through literature, of the lunar Japan that still lives on behind the rising sun of geopolitical power.All this he did. And then he met Sachiko.Vivacious, attractive, thoroughly educated, speaking English enthusiastically if eccentrically, the wife of a Japanese "salaryman" who seldom left the office before 10 P.M., Sachiko was as conversant with tea ceremony and classical Japanese literature as with rock music, Goethe, and Vivaldi. With the lightness of touch that made Video Night in Kathmandu so captivating, Pico Iyer fashions from their relationship a marvelously ironic yet... Views: 57
After having an affair with a married preacher and then having a child by an unemployed ex-boyfriend, Margie Milner is tired of playing with God's good graces and wants to live right. So when she meets the charismatic and very gorgeous, Pastor Lamont Stevens, Margie isn't sure if he is her God ordained destiny or if the devil is trying to tempt her to return to her old ways, but she is determined to find out.Pastor Lamont Stevens of Overcomers Ministries has a church full of wounded quitters and sanctified sinners. It seems his congregation has forgotten that they were called to live holy. At this point, he needs to change the name of his church or find away to help his members live up to the expectations that God has for their lives.When Lamont meets Margie, his mentor, Pastor JT Thomas warns him to stay away from her, but Lamont recognizes God's intervention when his sees it. Lamont believes that Margie is in his life to help him fulfill his destiny... As his destiny is... Views: 57
It takes more than a rock star to rock your world. Sometimes you need a friend. Bandicoot Cove, Book 3 McKenzie Wood is Australia’s star gossip mag journalist, and she’s just spied the story of a lifetime: rumor-shrouded rock star, Nick Blackthorne—who thinks he’s incognito at Bandicoot Cove resort. The word is Nick’s a sex addict about to come out of the closet, and who better to lure Nick out than her BFF, Aiden Rogers—a pulse-poundingly gorgeous firefighter who is always there when she needs him, no matter the challenge. Aiden admits it’s pretty damned pathetic that he can rush into burning buildings, but not have the guts to tell McKenzie he’s in love with her. No way can he tell his best friend he’d like to do some seriously sinful things to her, especially since she’s never shown one iota of sexual interest. Nick looks forward to some “unfamous” downtime in his home country. He’s surprised to find his creative muse stirred—more like brought to rigid attention—by a couple so sexy that all he can think about is the three of them. Together. Three bodies move together as one, and the music becomes a smoldering beat that rivals the island’s heat. When the truth inevitably comes out, the heat might be enough to save three souls…or end up just another sinner’s lament. Warning: One plus one plus one equals OMG sex, are-you-freaking-kidding-me orgasms and some serious mind-blowing climaxes. Views: 57
First published in 1955, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Bruce Catton's classic account of the Civil War simultaneously captures the dramatic scope and intimate experience of that epic struggle in one brilliant volume. Covering events from the prelude of the conflict to the death of Lincoln, Catton blends a gripping narrative with deep, yet unassuming, scholarship to bring the war alive on the page in an almost novelistic way. It is this gift for narrative that led contemporary critics to compare this book to War and Peace, and call it a "modern Iliad." Now over fifty years old, This Hallowed Ground remains one of the best-loved and admired general Civil War books: a perfect introduction to readers beginning their exploration of the conflict, as well as a thrilling analysis and reimagining of its events for experienced students of the war.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 57
Three men are found with their throats cut, and all are connected in some way to an ancient City of London livery company, the Silkworkers. Lord Powerscourt has no shortage of suspects or suspicions. The first victim had shadowy links with the Secret Service. The second had wiped fifteen years out of his own past. The third, a man who collected women at church during Christmas Carol services, had been threatened by angry husbands and disinherited sons.All the victims had been opposed to the reorganization of the Silkworkers' finances and, interestingly, Sir Peregrine Fishborne, the head of the Silkworkers, was present just before each victim's death. Lord knows that the key to solving the mystery lies in the strange markings found on the bodies, which no coroners can identify.From the Hardcover edition. Views: 57
