A distinctive portrait of the crescendo moment in American history from the Pulitzer-winning American historian, Joseph Ellis.The summer months of 1776 witnessed the most consequential events in the story of our country’s founding. While the thirteen colonies came together and agreed to secede from the British Empire, the British were dispatching the largest armada ever to cross the Atlantic to crush the rebellion in the cradle. The Continental Congress and the Continental Army were forced to make decisions on the run, improvising as history congealed around them. In a brilliant and seamless narrative, Ellis meticulously examines the most influential figures in this propitious moment, including George Washington, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, and Britain’s Admiral Lord Richard and General William Howe. He weaves together the political and military experiences as two sides of a single story, and shows how events on one front influenced outcomes on the other.Revolutionary Summer tells an old story in a new way, with a freshness at once colorful and compelling.Amazon.com ReviewIn Revolutionary Summer, the eminent historian Joseph Ellis describes the events surrounding the birth of America during the summer of 1776 (loosely defined as May through October of that year). Ellis's stated aim is to treat the military and political events of the period in tandem, and he skillfully establishes that there were two different sets of goals at stake: George Washington’s Continental Army considered independence an inevitability, while the Continental Congress considered it a last resort. A Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winner, Ellis recently retired as the Ford Foundation Professor of History at Mount Holyoke College. Reading Revolutionary Summer is like receiving a distinguished lecture from a man who has dedicated many fruitful decades to breathing life into our understanding of history—he makes Washington, Adams, Jefferson, and others of the era come alive for the reader. —Chris SchluepReview"As usual, Ellis combines powerful narrative with convincing analysis. His tale of the crucial summer of 1776 shows how political and military events wove together to create a new nation. Read this book and understand how America was born." –Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs “In Revolutionary Summer, Joseph J. Ellis serves up the spirit of 1776 with sparkling prose, lucid analysis, and knowing portraits of Washington, Jefferson, Franklin, and Adams. Best of all, he captures the subtle and often complex interplay between the lofty rhetoric pouring forth from the Continental Congress in Philadelphia and the perilous plight of the Continental Army in New York. This invaluable addition to the rich literature of the Revolutionary War is a volume to savor, ponder, and simply enjoy." –Ron Chernow, author of Washington, A Life “Ellis once again demonstrates that a proper narrative of events, considered to be so well known as to present no puzzles, can exhibit the deep causes of the conflicts that forced men to war. His lucidity and insight make him the master story teller of theRevolutionary moment.” –Edmund S. Morgan, author of Benjamin Franklin “Joseph Ellis has once again liberated the American Revolution from powdered wigs and patriotic cant. Riding briskly through the summer of 1776, he portrays the birth of independence as untidy, improvised, and at times, miraculous. This is a lucid and revelatory read for novices and buffs alike.” –Tony Horwitz “The definitive book on the revolutionary events of the summer of 1776. Ellis’s prose is characteristically seductive, his insights frequent, his sketches of people and events captivating, and his critical facility always alive…Another brilliantly told story, carried along on solid interpretive grounds, by one of our best historians of the early nation.” –Publishers Weekly, starred review “An insightful history.” –Kirkus, starred review “With revolutionary-period expertise and extensive knowledge of the founders, Ellis contends that American independence was born during this ‘long summer’…This thought-provoking, well-documented historical narrative is packed with insightful analysis.” –Library Journal “A worthwhile chapter in the excellent library of Ellis-produced literature on the American Revolution.” –Smithsonian.com “Ellis avoids the dryness of some historical tomes…Revolutionary Summer gives a good overview of all the larger issues that loomed over this turning point in American history.” –Bookish blog Views: 22
The curtain’s rustling on the stage in Bravado’s House of Blues. Behind it, fourteen tales from award-winning author J.A. Pitts wait for their time to shine beneath the lights. Here, you’ll find Roman legions battling druids, G.I.s facing down zombies in Vietnam, buskers in love finding magic in their music, and blacksmiths discovering destiny in re-forged blades of old. And mixed in, you’ll find zeppelins doing survey work on colony worlds, Fortean love, post-apocalyptic fairytales along with the robots, AI and true love that lurk deep in our future. And as a fitting encore, fans of Pitts’ Sarah Beauhall books will be pleased to find three stories connected to his award-winning urban fantasy series—two of them published here for the first time. It’s showtime at Bravado’s House of Blues! Views: 22
The Amish community of Cedar Creek is celebrating a wedding! When Amanda Lambright, widowed with three daughters, marries Wyman Brubaker, a widower with five children, she envisions joining their two households into one big happy family. But it isn't quite that easy.... Amanda Lambright loves Wyman Brubaker, and after four years as a single mother, she is grateful for his support and for this new chance at happiness as his wife. She's confident that their children will get along just fine. But once Amanda's clan moves into Wyman's home, the tight quarters and Wyman's reluctance to make changes to accommodate Amanda cause friction. The older kids are squabbling. The little ones are frequently in tears. Tiny Alice Ann isn't speaking at all. Amanda and Wyman can't find any privacy. And Amanda wonders if she'll ever have a chance to pursue the pottery making that means so much to her. Amanda believes that family lies at the center of any well-lived Amish... Views: 22
Sydney Bennett had spent her life in pursuit of perfection. She planned, weighed her options and made careful choices based on calculated outcomes. Through all of her efforts, she had come pretty close to perfection, if she didn’t say so herself. She had fled the cold winters in New York for sunny California, found a job that she loved and lived in the same town as her sister, and best friend, Kate. The one area of perfection that had always eluded her was her love life. No matter how hard she tried, she always ended up with a broken heart. After a particularly traumatic breakup, Sydney vowed that she was done with love. Just as Sydney threw herself into her new plan to forget about men, a handsome Frenchman tossed all of her intentions out the window as he swept her off of her feet. Louis Durand had lived a life filled with excitement and adventure. He was impetuous, intelligent and incredibly charming. So naturally, he scared Sydney half to death. From the moment they met, Louis and Sydney’s romance progressed at warp speed. Sydney did her best not to run, but her deep rooted relationship anxiety threatened to provide an easy exit. When Louis mentioned marriage before Sydney even knew his favorite color, she was more than tempted to reach for her running shoes. Will she be able to put her fears aside to follow her heart? The one thing that Sydney will learn is that sometimes perfection comes with a twist...** Views: 22
Real cops don't wear lycra. At least that's what Major Crime cop Tony Laver thought, until he became the sixth Victorian policeman to shoot a suspect in four months and was given a punishing reassignment. Now he's looking at the mean streets of Melbourne from a whole different perspective – a bicycle seat – and spotting some bad guys along the way. Already on the nose in the Force, with his relationship on the rocks and now nursing a saddle-sore butt, 'Rocket' Laver might just have to take matters into his own hands.Add a nerdy supermarket assistant manager in a bad reggae beanie, a hippy chick who isn't all she seems, neo-Nazi-esque police rookies and a human koala and you've got what it takes for an action-packed farce on two wheels. Views: 22
Drury is a truly great writer.”EsquireA beguiling novel . . . perceptive and captivating.”The New York TimesStartling and utterly original.”Newsday In this mesmerizing novel, Tom Drury once again journeys to the quiet Midwest to spend an action-packed October weekend in the lives of a precarious family whose members all want something without knowing how to get it: for Charles, an heirloom shotgun; for his wife, Joan, the imaginative life she once knew; for their young son, Micah, a knowledge of the scope and reliability of his world, aided by prowling the empty town at night; and for Joan’s daughter, Lyris, a stable foot from which to begin to grow up.Sometimes together, sometimes crucially apart, father, mother, son, and daughter move through a series of vivid encounters that demonstrate how even the most provisional family can endure in its own particular way. Views: 22
The second prequel will continue the story of the rise of the Antichrist and the journey of the other main characters as, unknown to them, time hurtles toward the Rapture. Readers will want every possible soul saved to avoid the seven-year Tribulation, and they will see why characters such as Rayford, Chloe, and Buck fail to believe. Events in Israel will be heating up, and some main characters like Rayford and Buck will be thrust into the thick of the drama. Views: 22
The dramatic new novel in the Philadelphia police saga by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author.For Philadelphia homicide detective Matt Payne, the news from an old law-enforcement friend sends a shiver down his spine: a connection between the Mexican drug cartels and the Russian mob.Russian girls are being smuggled in to work in the sex trade, and now some of them are dying or just disappearing. The trail leads right to Philadelphia—where Payne learns that’s not all. It isn’t just Russian girls who are vanishing. Teenage girls are being lured from foster homes. Police department sources are turning up dead. The lone living witness has gone into hiding, with everybody—the Russians, the cartels, some of Philadelphia’s most powerful politicians—all looking for her. It’s up to Payne to find her—and hope he gets to her first.ReviewPraise for *The Last Witness*“Explosive.”—Publishers Weekly“Great good fun.”—KirkusPraise for W. E. B. Griffin“Griffin is one of those writers who sets his novel before you in short, fierce, stop-for-nothing scenes. Before you know it, you’ve gobbled it up.” —The Philadelphia InquirerAbout the AuthorW. E. B. GRIFFIN is the author of six bestselling series.WILLIAM E. BUTTERWORTH IV has worked closely with his father for over a decade, and is the coauthor of more than ten books with him, most recently The Spymasters and Empire and Honor. Views: 22
Wigan, 1894. Richard Throstle and his wife Georgina are in town with their ghoulish magic lantern show, Phantasmagoria. When Richard is found murdered in his hotel room, police sergeant Slevin takes charge of the investigation. Meanwhile, at the Royal Court Theatre, the Morgan-Drew Players theatre troupe harbour many dark secrets. An ambitious, rambunctious murder mystery, Act of Murder is a tale of magic, pornography and poisonings - with some gruesome murders thrown in for good measure. Views: 22
Revolving Doors is the story of Gabriella Alexis Sandoval. She is educated, beautiful, and sassy.Gabriella lives a pampered life and fortunately for her, she hasn’t had to endure much turmoil. But there is one defining moment encountered as a young woman that set the stage for how she would proceed with life, and love.IN LIFE, she becomes a woman on a mission. A self-proclaimed “go-getter,” Gabriella goes for the gusto. She graduates at the top of her business class at a top university, becomes a businesswoman with two successful companies before the age of 30, and her power and wealth continue to grow.IN LOVE, she has sworn it off and in its place is a woman with no interest in emotional attachment, and an inability to commit.When her world is aligned exactly as she wants it, Gabriella comes face-to-face with a question she didn’t think she’d ever have to ask herself, “What happens when a love gone wrong, returns for a chance at redemption?” Views: 22
