When Tessa Harrison meets Michael McMichael (Yes - his parents were THOSE people) her first instinct is to clobber him on sight. He's naked and standing in the middle of her apartment, clobbering seems sensible, and Tessa is nothing if not sensible.But that sensibility begins to wane as the two continue to be thrust together, and before long, there's no denying their increasingly intense connection, even if it is just physical.It has to be.Because it's all he's offering.And it's all her guarded heart knows how to accept.Tessa's convinced she's got everything under control but does she?It doesn't take long before the rules get blurred, feelings are revealed and hearts are on the line.Just as Tessa's about to take that last big leap, everything could end in one final crash. And it's all she needs to remember the lesson she learned years ago...You fall, you go under. You don't get back up.So you simply...don't fall. Views: 497
Welcome to an amazing world where a fox trots and a leopard changes its spots. But even here, politicians remain incorrigibly corrupt. We try to understand why politicians shed crocodile tears when crying wolf, why dogs of war bark up the wrong tree, why bureaucrats cover up when curiosity kills the cat, and how politicians cleverly mix apples and oranges after upsetting the apple cart.Once upon a time, there were some woods lovely, dark and deep. Here, on an auspicious day, you could see a fox trot or a leopard change its spots. You might see pigs fly and eagles getting high. You would also notice that using on-the-spot thought, or off-the-cuff rebuff, the fly in the ointment, fish out of water, bee in the bonnet, bats in the belfry, moth near a flame, the stuck pig… all these endangered, proverbial personalities escape their inevitable fates.But even in such an amazing world, where members of the animal kingdom show off by vocalizing vociferously or dare to dream by visualizing vividly, there is one group of brute beings that remains stubbornly selfish. That’s right. Our politicians continue to go from bad to barbaric, from corrupt to cockroachy.Politically Panchatantraed is a short-story, tall-tale series, stolen and adapted from the ancient collection of animal fables from India, The Panchatantra. Written around the third century BC in Sanskrit, The Panchatantra has enthralled and entertained countless generations of avid and awed readers, with stories of fine and friendly animals getting along famously with fickle and foolish humans. Over the centuries, The Panchatantra has gone global, with over two hundred versions in over 50 languages. With a youthful, impressionable audience that extends from third world hutholds to ultra urban zip codes, one should not be surprised to see copies of The Panchatantra sitting shyly on splintering slabs in shabby shacks, or stylishly setup on shiny sliding shelves in stately skyscrapers.But all versions, all translations of these folk fables remain true to the original, and no re-teller has been irresponsible enough to disgustingly deform or pathetically parody these tales. Till now. After all, in today’s confusingly complex world, tales of animated animals and their audacious adventures, artistic acumen and altruistic aspirations are not enough.We need to know why politicians shed crocodile tears when crying wolf, why dogs of war usually bark up the wrong tree, why those in power try to cover up when curiosity kills the cat or you smell a rat, how politicians cleverly mix apples and oranges after upsetting the apple cart… This is where Politically Panchatantraed comes into play.Today, the woods have turned lousy, dreadful and depraved. Political predators with insatiable hunger for power and unquenchable thirst for wealth, hunt unscrupulously for bliss, benefit and bounties beyond. Cool, shady foliage has given way to crooked, shady corporations. And the lofty, life lesson morals at the end of folk tales have been forced into retirement due to lack of interest. But despite all those political wolves in cheap clothing trying to pull the wool over our eyes, the power of the people, and their no-nonsense common sense, will hopefully guide society toward a storybook ending. With a little help from a Holy Cow, of course. Views: 497
Jonathan Bartell is a young man, just out of university, when he signs up for the position of Quarantine Officer at the Orbital Launch Station. He is part of a crop of students who flocked to study exo-biology when bacteria were discovered on Mars, and who are now all making their living flipping burgers, because the jobs are few and hard to get. He is lucky to get a job in space, no matter how mundane. Or so he thinks... Gaby Larsen is a doctor at the tiny hospital at the space station, and she keeps secrets, not because she wants to keep them, but because she is too scared to share them. Because out in space, your worst enemies are your fellow travellers. Views: 497
Low Campbell, ex-cop, private detective, and mermaid, has been offered a job that she can't turn down, protecting the city's oldest and most powerful vampire, from an even older and more powerful vampire, a man known simply as the Count. As powerful as the Count is, he's never had to face a queen of the sea.Low Campbell, ex-cop, private detective, and mermaid, has been offered a job that she can't turn down. Titus Hawthorn, the city's oldest and most powerful vampire, wants Low to protect him from an even older and more powerful vampire, a man known simply as the Count. The Count gives Low forty-eight hours to find someone that's been around as long as he has, someone that can amuse him, otherwise he will kill Titus and another one of Low's friends, a mermaid named Savanna. Not only does Low have to contend with the Count, who just happens to be the world's oldest vampire, she has to contend with a fireball throwing elf, cops that keep shooting her in the stomach, her human boyfriend's boss, who thinks that he should dump her, and her arch nemesis, a siren that wants to steal her treasure. Views: 497
There is something strangely noble and also delicate about the emaciated young ragamuffin boy that the handsome Hugo, Lord Lynke, finds himself employing as his new page on his undercover mission to Spain on behalf of the King of England. The page he has brought with from England had just been taken ill and so has to return home. The 'boy' is named Venturo. In fact 'he' is Ventura – the lost daughter of a noble and rich Spanish dynasty.Lord Lynke's task is to marry the richest and most beautiful woman in Spain to ensure peace between the two countries which are invariably at war with each other. She is the proud, imperious and dangerous seductress Doña Alcira and this marriage would prove no great challenge for a Nobleman of Lord Lynke's calibre and renown.Except that he faces Don Carlos, a powerful and unscrupulous suitor determined to erase any competition for Doña Alcira's hand. She has a glamorous and dangerous matador as her current lover and employs a besotted and sinister... Views: 497
Pulitzer-prize winner Jhumpa Lahiri's fantastic translation of Strega-prize winner Domenico Starnone's novel about infidelity. Ties is the story of a marriage. Like many marriages, this one has been subject to strain, to attrition, to the burden of routine. Yet it has survived intact. Or so things appear. The rupture in Vanda and Aldo's marriage lies years in the past, but if one looks closely enough, the fissures and fault lines are evident. Their marriage is a cracked vase that may shatter at the slightest touch. Or perhaps it has already shattered, and nobody is willing to acknowledge the fact. Domenico Starnone's thirteenth work of fiction is a powerful short novel about relationships, family, love, and the ineluctable consequences of one's actions. Known as a consummate stylist and beloved as a talented storyteller, Domenico Starnone is the winner of Italy's most prestigious literary award The Strega. Winner of The Bridge Prize for Best Novel 2015 Views: 497
When Owen finds himself stuck in a Pick Your Own Plot story, things get more complicated than ever in this fourth book in the New York Times bestselling series, Story Thieves—which was called a “fast-paced, action-packed tale” by School Library Journal—from the author of the Half Upon a Time trilogy.
Being able to jump into books used to seem like the greatest thing in the world to Owen Connors. But now Owen’s trapped in a time travel book where readers—that would be you—decide how the story goes.
As if that weren’t enough, Owen’s also stuck in a prison for time criminals in a prehistoric era. He’s surrounded by bizarre fellow prisoners, including Kara Dox. How does Kara recognize Owen if they’ve never met before? She seems to think they’re old friends, but that can’t be possible. Still, Kara might just be the only chance Owen has to escape. And he has to find a way out to save his friend Bethany, who’s still in grave danger. Because unless Owen can stop him, Nobody is going to split Bethany into two, separating the fictional and non-fictional worlds forever.
Will Owen be able to convince you, the reader, to help him find his way back to Bethany? Or will you feed him to dinosaurs just to teach him a lesson? It’s all up to you when you Pick the Plot. Views: 496
A ballet dancer finds refuge and romance on a Maryland horse ranch in this romantic suspense novel for fans of Rachel Grant and Cynthia Eden. With her life at risk, Sarah Cooper hangs up her ballet shoes and flees her glamorous career in San Diego. She assumes a new identity and takes refuge at a horse ranch in rural Maryland. Mucking stalls is a far cry from center stage, and the ranch's so-called "horse whisperer" is the complete opposite of the men she's used to. He's stubborn, sullen, and sexy. Unfortunately, he's also suspicious. Of her. Bruce Murphy trusts his horses, and since the new ranch hand showed up, they've been skittish. Sarah's trouble, and Bruce wants her gone before he loses anyone else he cares about. She challenges him until he can't decide if he should kiss or shake her. But the more time they spend together, the more he sees the truth: Sarah isn't trouble, she's in trouble. Bruce protects his heart as tightly as Sarah guards... Views: 496
Once upon a time there were seven good friends. They were the forgotten little brothers and sisters of the Big Chill generation, born in the turbulent year when the flames of Watts lit the City of Angels and napalm kissed the war-torn skies of Vietnam. They called themselves The Underground. For Justin and Mia, Josh and Caroline, Amy, Seth, and Simon, there was nothing but drugs and music, combined with boundless cynicism and a deep yearning for something that really mattered.As graduation rolled around, they knew they would drift apart. By Labor Day weekend, there was just enough time to throw one last private party. But where? Creepy old Custis Manor was temporarily uninhabited. So they motored out to the moldering southern plantation, ready to party the night away.They could not have known that on the other side of the mirrors, something watched: a corrupt, voracious force, neither fully living nor truly dead. It was a soulless spirit of evil that had spent... Views: 496
And so, it followed me, this dream. It launched me on a journey. But I never imagined that the journey would nearly cost me my life. Jenna Clark tries to keep her bleak childhood memories buried in Montana's Bitterroot Valley, but a newfound secret about her father's identity forces her to dig into her past. With the help of Michael Callahan‚—the charming man she meets at her uncle's ranch‚—she delves deeper into a history that would rather stay hidden. When harmless pranks quickly turn into aggressive threats, Jenna must decide whether to run away one more time or face her past with courage and finally let love into her heart. Views: 496
