In this Shirley Jackson Award-nominated novella, a young man taps the modern day anxieties about serial killers and so becomes a serial killer in order to avenge his own murder. “[A] tale that takes several unexpected and delicious turns, somehow combining a Poe-like belligerence and a Clive Barker�like vividness” (Daniel Kraus, Booklist).This tale comes from Stories from the Plague Years, the debut short fiction collection of International Horror Guild Award- and Bram Stoker Award-winner Michael Marano.ChiZine Publications (CZP) curates the best of the bizarre, bringing you the most excitingly weird, subtle, dark, and disturbing literary fiction. Look for more titles in the ChiZine short stories collection to build your digital library. Views: 14
RetailNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERA haunting, unforgettable mother-daughter story for a new generation—the debut of a blazing new lyrical voiceDomenica Ruta grew up in a working-class, unforgiving town north of Boston, in a trash-filled house on a dead-end road surrounded by a river and a salt marsh. Her mother, Kathi, a notorious local figure, was a drug addict and sometimes dealer whose life swung between welfare and riches, and whose highbrow taste was at odds with her hardscrabble life. And yet she managed, despite the chaos she created, to instill in her daughter a love of stories. Kathi frequently kept Domenica home from school to watch such classics as the Godfather movies and everything by Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen, telling her, “This is more important. I promise. You’ll thank me later.” And despite the fact that there was not a book to be found in her household, Domenica developed a love of reading, which helped her believe that she could transcend this life of undying grudges, self-inflicted misfortune, and the crooked moral code that Kathi and her cohorts lived by. With or Without You is the story of Domenica Ruta’s unconventional coming of age—a darkly hilarious chronicle of a misfit ’90s youth and the necessary and painful act of breaking away, and of overcoming her own addictions and demons in the process. In a brilliant stylistic feat, Ruta has written a powerful, inspiring, compulsively readable, and finally redemptive story about loving and leaving.Praise for With or Without You* “Stunning . . . comes across as a bleaker, funnier, R-rated version of The Glass Castle.”—Entertainment Weekly“A singular new coming-of-age memoir traces one girl’s twisting path up from the mean streets (and parents) to the reflective life of a writer. . . . The burgeoning canon of literary memoir—spiked with a generous pour of 12-step-program confessional—begets another winner in Domenica Ruta’s searing With or Without You. . . . In spite of the glaring deficits in her life, Ruta was born ‘with a wolfish appetite for the printed word.’ . . . Luckily, her word addiction kept progressing until she had all the tools she needed to create this gloriously gutsy memory-work.”—Elle“The intensity of the clear-eyed manner in which Ruta conveys her abiding frustration with the parents who failed their child so casually and monumentally is exceedingly powerful stuff.”—Booklist“Valiant and heartbreaking.”—BUST* magazine“Powerful . . . wicked funny . . . Ruta writes with unflinching honesty.”—Slate“Too often the memoir category sacrifices good writing to the quick pulse of the storyline, but Domenica Ruta is a real and excellent writer who has language by the throat. She writes with big beauty, deep respect for language, and drives her story with huge humanism, empathy, and humor.”—Gabrielle Hamilton“In the world of memoir, Mary Karr’s and Geoffrey Wolff’s exceptional books burn and brighten, like actual stars among strings of tinsel. With or Without You is like that. I will read whatever Domenica Ruta writes.”—Amy Bloom “ ‘Make it new,’ Ezra Pound directed, and Domenica Ruta has. Difficult childhoods are plentiful, the talent to transform adversity into art in short supply. Unflinching in its regard, forgiving in its humor, With or Without You is that rare thing, a story you think you know transformed into one you have to read to the end.”—Kathryn HarrisonFrom the Hardcover edition.Amazon.com ReviewQ&A with Domenica RutaQ. With or Without You has been compared to The Glass Castle and The Liar's Club. What do you feel sets your story apart from other memoirs?A. I intentionally avoided memoirs as a genre during my drinking years because I didn't want anyone to ruin my pity party or kill my buzz. While writing the first few drafts of my memoir I continued this abstention, but this time to protect myself from being influenced. I didn't know what a memoir was supposed to look like structurally or sound like tonally, and this ignorance felt to me like a precious state, the ideal place to start. After a couple of drafts, when I felt like I knew the basic shape and texture of this thing I was writing and was secure in that at least, I went on a memoir spree with an intentionally innocent curiosity. How does So-and-So do it? It was a great experience. I remember the day I read that Mary Karr's mother had the same gun my mum did, and I was so happy. It felt like an omen, or a blessing from the queen. I think all of the mother-daughter stories, the addiction stories, the traumatic childhood stories, speak for themselves. I consider myself lucky to be another voice in this chorus. What we have in common as memoirists is a subjective observation of a common humanity. It's what everyone has in common, whether they write their life stories or not.Q. Your book is intensely personal. How did you decide to tell such intimate stories to the world?A. I tried not to think about that aspect for the first draft. I wrote as if no one in the world would ever read a word of it, and told myself, if the issue of personal revelation becomes relevant, I will be more grateful to have this problem than I will be worried. But this approach is critical to writing anything. There are too many voices telling you that everything is a bad idea from the start. I'd never get anywhere if I considered these things in the beginning stages of development. It's a good thing writing is 90 percent rewriting, because with every new draft, I was growing as a person and a craftsman. I was getting stronger and more confident in my decisions--what to tell, what not to tell.Q. What do you hope readers will learn or take away with them from your book?A. The point of almost all memoirs, especially the sub-genre of trauma and recovery, is the simple promise that there is hope. I hope my book expands on this--that like hope, there is also beauty, everywhere and always, as long as you are willing to search for it. Ultimately I want readers to feel they've been given a good story, something worth retelling.Review“Stunning . . . comes across as a bleaker, funnier, R-rated version of The Glass Castle.”—Entertainment Weekly“A singular new coming-of-age memoir traces one girl’s twisting path up from the mean streets (and parents) to the reflective life of a writer. . . . The burgeoning canon of literary memoir—spiked with a generous pour of 12-step-program confessional—begets another winner in Domenica Ruta’s searing With or Without You. . . . In spite of the glaring deficits in her life, Ruta was born ‘with a wolfish appetite for the printed word.’ . . . Luckily, her word addiction kept progressing until she had all the tools she needed to create this gloriously gutsy memory-work.”—Elle“The intensity of the clear-eyed manner in which Ruta conveys her abiding frustration with the parents who failed their child so casually and monumentally is exceedingly powerful stuff.”—Booklist“Valiant and heartbreaking.”—BUST magazine“Powerful . . . wicked funny . . . Ruta writes with unflinching honesty.”—Slate“Too often the memoir category sacrifices good writing to the quick pulse of the storyline, but Domenica Ruta is a real and excellent writer who has language by the throat. She writes with big beauty, deep respect for language, and drives her story with huge humanism, empathy, and humor.”—Gabrielle Hamilton“In the world of memoir, Mary Karr’s and Geoffrey Wolff’s exceptional books burn and brighten, like actual stars among strings of tinsel. With or Without You is like that. I will read whatever Domenica Ruta writes.”—Amy Bloom “ ‘Make it new,’ Ezra Pound directed, and Domenica Ruta has. Difficult childhoods are plentiful, the talent to transform adversity into art in short supply. Unflinching in its regard, forgiving in its humor, With or Without You is that rare thing, a story you think you know transformed into one you have to read to the end.”—Kathryn Harrison“Freakishly brilliant, brilliantly freakish, this is one of the best memoirs I have ever read. Domenica Ruta has done something every artist with a failed family must do: She has created herself.”—Gary Shteyngart Views: 14
One moment, Ben Miller was high up in the rafters at his neighbor's barn raising. The next, his foot slipped and he plunged to his death, leaving behind a young wife and six children—the youngest born four months after his death.?Ruth Miller is not alone. Her Amish neighbors help her make the difficult transition from wife to widow. But while the community has been generous, raising six growing children, each grieving their father's death, is overwhelming. Devastated by her loss, Ruth isn't sure how she'll make ends meet or restore order to a house full of rambunctious kids.?With help from her mother and her energetic, but untidy neighbor, Mamie, Ruth finds a way to start over. Preoccupied with the effort to create a new life and manage her shrinking bank account, Ruth barely notices John King, the handsome newcomer to her community. Besides, how could she—if she had a chance—replace Ben? Does one ever replace a husband? ?As Christmas approaches, Ruth knows... Views: 14
Everyone's favourite troublemaker, William Brown, is back in a hilarious collection of classic Just William stories - now with a brand new cover-look illustrated by Steven Lenton.When William's mother offers him a birthday party, he is suspicious - what's the catch? Convinced that he will have to do something boring in exchange, William refuses to be caught out. But offers of food, a pet, even hidden treasure are very hard to refuse . . .This tousle-headed, snub-nosed, hearty, lovable imp of mischief has been harassing his unfortunate family and delighting his admirers since 1922. Views: 14
Selected as one of TheNew York Times Book Review's Best Books of the Year and honored worldwide, Lisa, Bright and Dark was an immediate sensation when it was first published. Detailing how mental illness affects friends and family of the ill, Lisa, Bright and Dark has been in print for more than forty years. Its value has not diminished over time, and readers throughout the world contact the author regularly to discuss their reactions to it. A straight-through read, it is full of romance, excitement, suspense, and finally triumph. Views: 14
What dark secret did the Founding Fathers of America hide, and who will stop at nothing to uncover it? Navy SEALs in-training, Dane Maddock and Bones Bonebrake can’t be in the same room without trying to kill each other, but soon find themselves caught up in a race with a secret society to solve a mystery that dates back to the founding of America. Find out how it all began in the action-packed first Dane and Bones Origins novella… Freedom! "Freedom rocks! David Wood and Sean Sweeney serve up a great story of how it all began. Dane and Bones are in perfect form as they unravel a devilishly clever historical mystery that traces back to the early days of the nation."—Sean Ellis, author of Fortune Favors “A non-stop thrill ride triple threat- smart, funny and mysterious!” Jeremy Robinson, author of Instinct and Threshold** Views: 14
It's official, Awesome Animals are a hit! Kids all over are diving into these frantically funny, easy-to-read chapter books. Comical black and white illustrations capture the zany spirit of each story. In MORE MEERKAT MADNESS, Mimi, Skeema, and Little Dream are unhappy when their uncle invites a fluffy stranger to join the Really Mad Mob. Views: 14
Izzy McHale wants her new Trendy Tails Pet Boutique in Merryville, Minnesota, to be the height of canine couture and feline fashions. But at the store's opening, it turns out it's a human who's dressed to kill... Izzy's own beloved pets are dressed to the nines for the grand opening of Trendy Tails. Feisty feline Jinx is large and in charge, and happy mutt Packer is lapping up the attention. Izzy and her best friend Rena have their hands full meeting Merryville's menagerie and serving tasty pupcakes and kitty canapes from their "barkery." The last thing they need is the town's local activist, Sherry Harper, scaring off customers and getting tongues wagging by picketing the event. The two manage to stop Sherry's protest in its tracks, but the trouble for Trendy Tails is just beginning. Sherry is found murdered in back of the shop, and Rena is immediately named as the lead suspect. Now Izzy and her furry friends have a new pet... Views: 14
"Billy Collins puts the 'fun' back in 'profundity.' "--Alice FultonFrom the two-term Poet Laureate of the United States Billy Collins comes his first compilation of new and selected poems in twelve years. Aimless Love combines more than fifty new poems with selections from four previous books--Nine Horses, The Trouble with Poetry, Ballistics, and Horoscopes for the Dead. Collins's unmistakable voice, which brings together plain speech with imaginative surprise, is clearly heard on every page, reminding us how he has managed to enrich the tapestry of contemporary poetry and greatly expand its audience. His work is featured in top literary magazines such as The New Yorker, Poetry, and The Atlantic, and he sells out reading venues all across the country. Appearing regularly in The Best American Poetry series, his poems appeal to readers and live audiences far and wide and have been translated into more than a dozen... Views: 14
