They say true love is priceless, but is it worth fifty million dollars? With Second Chances, their wedding planning business, starting to take off, four best friends must decide whether they'll take some second chances of their own. Free-spirited Lily finds herself forced to choose between her sure-thing inheritance and a chance at true love; the no-longer-predictable Elaine surprises everyone--including herself--when romance comes calling from her past; Sarah, the uncompromisingly unconventional artist, finds herself contemplating the most unexpected choice of all; and the always-clear-eyed Jo suddenly finds herself second-guessing her own second chance at happily-ever-after. The choice for each of them is "I do" or "I don't," and the decision will change their lives.Breakups, makeups, and romance at every turn--life always offers up its best surprises to those who leave themselves open to the possibility of second chances.From the Paperback edition. Views: 28
It starts in the housing projects and school playgrounds of Liverpool, where four boys would discover themselves--and a new form of music called rock 'n roll. It takes us from the famous first meeting between John and Paul, to the clubs of Liverpool and Germany when George and Ringo join the band, down Penny Lane and Strawberry Fields, to America and the height of the Beatles' success--when they were still teenagers.In Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!, Spitz recreates the thrills, tears and magic of his New York Times bestselling adult biography, but in a style and format that's accesible for young readers. This book includes photos, sidebars and graphic elements. It's a book about teens who changed the world. Views: 25
Jean Stone, the bestselling author of Off Season, weaves the extraordinary story of three cousins bound forever by the family fortune they share--and the family secrets they don't dare reveal....Mary Beth, Nikki, and Gabrielle have little in common except the vast Atkinson fortune they inherited. Growing up amidst the splendor of Manhattan town houses and summers on Martha's Vineyard, they've all learned the hard way that money can buy everything--except happiness. Marked by a summer tragedy they've all tried to forget, each woman has struggled to find her own way to cope with the secrets of her past.Now Mary Beth is a pillar of the New York social scene, buying designer clothing and priceless jewels that even she cannot afford. Nikki searches for peace on the Vineyard, pouring her inheritance into endless charity work. And Gabrielle hoards her money in a Swiss bank account, safe from the husband who knows nothing of her wealth. But when their trusted... Views: 23
In Jean Stone's moving novel of what might have been, four very different women with one very powerful thing in common are reunited--with one another, and with the children they gave up for adoption. Jess has led a charmed life, but now that her beautiful teenage daughter is pregnant, all she can think of is the baby she gave away. Susan lost one child years ago, and now, as a divorced college professor, she's terrified of losing another. P.J. overcame an unwanted pregnancy to become a high-powered art director, but her whirlwind life is halted by an unsettling discovery. Ginny makes an unlikely Hollywood wife, but men, money, and four marriages can't erase the horrors of her past--or satisfy her need for love. Twenty-five years ago, they met in a home for unwed mothers. At the time, all they had to hold on to was one another. Now Jess, Susan, P.J., and Ginny must find the courage to face the past: The date is set for a... Views: 22
Billy Bremner is a football legend. During his years playing for Leeds Utd and Scotland, his passion for the game and his commitment to the cause made him into one of the all-time greats. When Billy Bremner died in 1997 at the age of just 54, Paul Harrison was working with him on a new book telling the story of his life. Now, that unique material from extensive interviews has been brought together in Keep Fighting: The Billy Bremner Story. It covers Bremner's life from his early years in Scotland, his move to Leeds Utd and the glory days of the Don Revie era, his distinguished international career and his later move into football management. In his own words, find out what Billy Bremner thought of life at Leeds Utd, about his exploits for Scotland, his footballing friends and those he clashed with. There are stories of winning the League Championship and the FA Cup with Leeds, playing for Scotland in the World Cup, his controversial ban from international football and the libel... Views: 20
"10 New Books We're Dying to Read in September" —The Zoe ReportIn this deeply personal collection of essays, creator of the The Conversation Amanda de Cadenet shares the hard-won advice and practical insights she's gained through her experiences as businesswoman, friend, wife, and mother.Amanda is on a mission to facilitate conversations that allow all women to be seen, heard, and understood. Through her multimedia platform The Conversation, she interviews some of today's most bad ass women—from Hillary Clinton to Lady Gaga—in no-holds-barred conversations that get to the heart of what means to be female. Now, in It's Messy, Amanda offers readers an extension of that conversation, inviting them into her life and sharing her own story.From childhood fame to a high-profile marriage (and divorce) to teen motherhood to the sexism that threatened to end her career before it started, Amanda shares the good, the... Views: 18
Santa Claus, my dear old friend, you are a thief, a traitor, a slanderer, a murder, a liar, but worst of all you are a mockery of everything for which I stood.You have sung your last ho, ho, ho, for I am coming to take your head. I am coming to take back what is mine, to take back Yuletide... The author and artist of The Child Thief returns with a modern fabulist tale of Krampus, the Lord of Yule and mortal enemy of Santa Claus.One Christmas Eve in a small hollow in Boone County, West Virginia, struggling songwriter Jesse Walker witnesses a strange spectacle: seven devilish figures chasing a man in a red suit toward a sleigh and eight reindeer. When the reindeer leap skyward taking the sleigh, devil men, and Santa into the clouds, screams follow. Moments later, a large sack plummets earthward, a magical sack that will thrust the down-on-his luck singer into the clutches of the terrifying Yule Lord, Krampus. But the lines between good and evil become blurred as Jesse's new master reveals many dark secrets about the cherry-cheeked Santa Claus, and how half a millennium ago, the jolly old saint imprisoned Krampus and usurped his magic. Now Santa's time is running short, for the Yule Lord is determined to have his retribution and reclaim Yuletide. If Jesse can survive this ancient feud, he might have the chance to redeem himself to his family, to save his own broken dreams...and help bring the magic of Yule to the impoverished folk of Boone County.From BooklistAt first glance, this novel’s premise is a bit of a stretch. Krampus, child of Loki and spirit of Yule, is imprisoned by Santa Claus. There’s no love lost between the two. Krampus hates Santa for the betrayal that led to his imprisonment, while Santa Claus believes that Krampus is a relic, far past his time. Enter the hapless Jesse, who witnesses a fight between Krampus’ followers (the belsnickels) and Santa as he’s cursing himself for failing to get his daughter what she wanted for Christmas. His wife has already left him, and he’s sinking into despair. Then he finds Santa’s sack in his bedroom, where it fell through the roof of his trailer. Yes, he gets his daughter what she wanted. Then his wife accuses him of stealing it, the belsnickels track him down, and we get to the meat of the plot: Krampus’ revenge on Santa, which will reveal Santa’s true history and maybe give Jesse hope. This is a surprisingly good story, told with entertaining style and some unexpectedly sympathetic characters, and the illustrations are a treat. --Regina Schroeder Review“The creator of The Child Thief, is back — and this time he’s taking on the Christmas Devil. Are you ready for a studly, Nordic Santa Claus, and his scary/sexy wife?” (Charlie Jane Anders, io9.com )“This illustrated horror novel by acclaimed gothic fantasy artist, illustrator, and novelist Brom (The Child Thief) is perfect for anyone who disdains a cozy, sentimental holiday story.” (Library Journal )“Terrific. A wild ride--the idea sounded like a stretch and I’m not sure how many guys could have really pulled it off, but Brom sure has. I loved it. It hooked me and I couldn’t put it down. Plus, the illustrations are amazing.” (Mike Mignola, creator of Hellboy )“Brom is that rare breed: a person who is skilled in more than one area of artistic expression. Here’s hoping that he will continue to share his dark and often beautiful dreams with us for many years to come.” (Christopher Paolini ) Views: 16
Amazon.com ReviewAnyone who has ever gamely tried and failed to absorb, enjoy, and--especially--understand the complex works of Schoenberg, Mahler, Strauss, or even Philip Glass will allow themselves a wry smile reading New Yorker music critic Alex Ross's outstanding The Rest Is Noise. Not only does Ross manage to give historical, biographical, and social context to 20th-century pieces both major and minor, he brings the scores alive in language that's accessible and dramatic.Take Ross's description of Schoenberg's Second Quartet, "in which he hesitates at a crossroads, contemplating various paths forming in front of him. The first movement, written the previous year, still uses a fairly conventional late-Romantic language. The second movement, by contrast, is a hallucinatory Scherzo, unlike any other music at the time. It contains fragments of the folk song 'Ach, du lieber Augustin'--the same tune that held Freudian significance for Mahler. For Schoenberg, the song seems to represent a bygone world disintegrating; the crucial line is 'Alles ist hin' (all is lost). The movement ends in a fearsome sequence of four-note figures, which are made up of fourths separated by a tritone. In them may be discerned traces of the bifurcated scale that begins Salome. But there is no longer a sense of tonalities colliding. Instead, the very concept of a chord is dissolving into a matrix of intervals."Armed with such a detailed aural roadmap, even a troglodyte--or a heavy metal fan--can explore these pivotal works anew. But it's not all crashing cymbals, honking tubas, and somber Germans stroking their chins. Ross also presents the human dramas (affairs, wars, etc.) behind these sweeping compositions while managing, against the odds, to discuss C-major triads, pentatonic scales, and B-flat dominant sevenths without making our eyes glaze over. And he draws a direct link between the Beatles and Sibelius. It's no surprise that the New York Times named The Rest Is Noise one of the 10 Best Books of 2007. Music nerds have found their most articulate valedictorian. --Kim HughesFrom Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Ross, the classical music critic for the New Yorker, leads a whirlwind tour from the Viennese premiere of Richard Strauss's Salome in 1906 to minimalist Steve Reich's downtown Manhattan apartment. The wide-ranging historical material is organized in thematic essays grounded in personalities and places, in a disarmingly comprehensive style reminiscent of historian Otto Friedrich. Thus, composers who led dramatic lives—such as Shostakovich's struggles under the Soviet regime—make for gripping reading, but Ross treats each composer with equal gravitas. The real strength of this study, however, lies in his detailed musical analysis, teasing out—in precise but readily accessible language—the notes that link Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story to Arnold Schoenberg's avant-garde compositions or hint at a connection between Sibelius and John Coltrane. Among the many notable passages, a close reading of Benjamin Britten's opera Peter Grimes stands out for its masterful blend of artistic and biographical insight. Readers new to classical music will quickly seek out the recordings Ross recommends, especially the works by less prominent composers, and even avid fans will find themselves hearing familiar favorites with new ears. (Oct.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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McCusker had it made when he took early retirement from the Ulster police force with a handsome pay-out. That is, until his wife ran off with their nest egg, forcing him back to work as a rent-a-cop. McCusker is not always inclined to pick up his phone at midnight, especially on evenings spent with his new lover; but when the caller is the police superintendent, and the missing person is not only Belfast’s foremost public intellectual, but the top-cop’s brother-in-law, well…it’s a good thing McCusker leaves the ringer on. This, his second outing, takes him from the historic Botanic Gardens, through the ancient Friar’s Bush Graveyard to the halls of learning at Queens University, where he and DI Lily O’Carroll encounter enough scandal and deceit to rival even the most venal of governments. Between a tax-evading pot dealer, a pack of dysfunctional academics, a disinherited older brother, charismatic escorts, and a shadowy American, McCusker and O’Carroll have much to parse as they uncover each subject’s truths and motivations. Of course, nobody has a good alibi - and to top it off, McCusker’s estranged wife shows up out of the blue. As McCusker and O’Carroll stumble through a hall of mirrors to build a case, they uncover a criminal empire, and the body count rises. Views: 13
With the candid quirkiness of Awkward Family Photos and the confessional intimacy of PostSecret, Ransom Riggs's Talking Pictures is a haunting collection of antique found photographs—with evocative inscriptions that bring these lost personal moments to life—from the author of the New York Times bestselling illustrated novel Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. Each image in Talking Pictures reveals a singular, frozen moment in a person's life, be it joyful, quiet, or steeped in sorrow. Yet the book's unique depth comes from the writing accompanying each photo: as with the caption revealing how one seemingly random snapshot of a dancing couple captured the first dance of their 40-year marriage, each successive inscription shines like a flashbulb illuminating a photograph's particular context and lighting up our connection to the past. Views: 10
She made a life with one man--but always loved another at...The Summer House. Jean Stone captured readers' imaginations with the "graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters" (Publishers Weekly) of novels like Tides of the Heart and Places by the Sea. Now, in her latest novel, she reveals the public scandals of a family destined for political greatness--and the private secrets of a woman who traded her childhood dreams for a role she was born to play.... As a young girl, Liz Adams always knew that her father, Boston power broker Will Adams, had big plans--dreams and schemes that would bring Liz's older brother all the way to the White House. But when fate deals the family a tragic blow, Will is forced to change his picture-perfect plans--and place the family's political future squarely on Liz's shoulders. Two decades later, Liz has married the man her father molded into the perfect presidential candidate. But weeks before the election, tragedy strikes again--and this time Liz can't hide the pain of a life lived by someone else's rules. Seeking refuge at her family's home on Martha's Vineyard, Liz finds only painful memories of the past--and the long-lost love she let slip away. Now, as her family's darkest hour looms, the woman torn between two men will finally discover what her heart has known all along.... From the Paperback edition.From the Inside FlapShe made a life with one man--but always loved another at...The Summer House. Jean Stone captured readers' imaginations with the "graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters" (Publishers Weekly) of novels like Tides of the Heart and Places by the Sea. Now, in her latest novel, she reveals the public scandals of a family destined for political greatness--and the private secrets of a woman who traded her childhood dreams for a role she was born to play.... As a young girl, Liz Adams always knew that her father, Boston power broker Will Adams, had big plans--dreams and schemes that would bring Liz's older brother all the way to the White House. But when fate deals the family a tragic blow, Will is forced to change his picture-perfect plans--and place the family's political future squarely on Liz's shoulders. Two decades later, Liz has married the man her father molded into the perfect presidential candidate. But weeks before the election, tragedy strikes again--and this time Liz can't hide the pain of a life lived by someone else's rules. Seeking refuge at her family's home on Martha's Vineyard, Liz finds only painful memories of the past--and the long-lost love she let slip away. Now, as her family's darkest hour looms, the woman torn between two men will finally discover what her heart has known all along.... Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.It had taken twenty-four years to get to New Jersey, twenty-eight if you started counting from when Daniel was killed. Which would only have been right, for that was when it had all begun...all of the planning and scheming and orchestrating that had landed Liz Adams-Barton here today, standing at a podium, acknowledging enthusiastic applause. "Thank you," she said into the microphone at the Sheraton or Hyatt or Marriott, wherever she was. It was not her job to remember. Logistics was what her brother Roger was for: Liz merely had to show up and give a short, impassioned speech that would deliver the votes to her husband. Her husband, Michael Barton, who--not Daniel--was running for president of the United States. This afternoon, her passion had been directed toward the Northeast Coalition for Handicapped Americans. For an hour now in the red-white-and-blue-decorated banquet room, the audience of eight hundred had been enrapt by her words and now cheered enthusiastically from their wheelchairs and walkers and crutches. They seemed especially delighted that Liz had brought Danny along, Danny, her twenty-two-year-old son--one of them--who sat next to the podium in his own chair with wheels. She glanced down at him. He responded with a hearty wink. Liz smiled back at the crowd. They were not exactly exploiting Danny. He wanted to be there to help put his father--and all of them--into the White House and into the history books. All of them included Liz and Michael and the three children: seventeen-year-old Greg, the politician-in-waiting; twenty-year-old Margaret--Mags--the spirited free-thinker; and of course Danny. All of them also included Will Adams, Liz's father, who stood on the other side of the podium. At seventy-eight, he was nonetheless nodding at the crowd, his faded blue eyes twinkling, the tired lines at the corners of his pale mouth turned up with the pride of accomplishment and the anticipation of a journey nearly won. He was entitled to be proud. Through every stage of the planning and the scheming and the orchestrating, Will Adams had propelled them here to New Jersey where the party's convention would convene tomorrow, where Michael Barton was expected to win the nomination for the highest office in the land. And where Liz would take her own final lap toward becoming the nation's next First Lady. The applause continued; the smile muscles ached in Liz's cheeks. She reached down and took Danny's hand. As she gently squeezed his strong fingers, she wondered what her brother Daniel would have had to say if he only could have seen them now. "You were brilliant, Mom," Danny said as Liz slid into the backseat of the handicapped-equipped van next to her son. Further back was Clay, Danny's ever-present don't-worry-be-happy Jamaican nurse; up front were Keith and Joe, the Secret Service bodyguards assigned to Liz and Danny, their faithful companions, like it or not. Liz sighed. "I wasn't brilliant," she said to her son, "but thanks for the kudos." During one of Michael's three terms as governor of Massachusetts, she had learned that politics was more about presence than it was about perfection. She pushed a shock of highlighted-blond hair from her forehead. In spite of the fact that the media proclaimed her "stunningly youthful," right now, Liz felt every day, month, and year of her forty-four years, presence or not. It had been a long campaign, and the real pressure wouldn't begin until the convention opened tomorrow. "You're much better at this than you think," Danny continued. "You'd be perfectly capable of running for president yourself, you know." She laughed. "And do what? Run against your father?" She did not mention that she could never run, not because the country wasn't "ready" for a female president, but because she had not been groomed to be anything but the physical, emotional, and spiritual support--the wife--of Michael Barton. He was the man with the schooling, the experience, and the backing of her father and his essential connections. Surprisingly, Will Adams had not foreseen that a female president would be possible, not in his lifetime or in Liz's either. It had been one of his few mistakes. "Besides," she added, "why would anyone want to be president? With all those speeches and the long hours and lousy pay? And the way they scrutinize your personal life!" She let out a strained laugh and Danny joined in. Neither of them had the strength to rehash last winter's "scrutiny," an absurd tabloid scandal that had suggested Michael was gay because there was no evidence that he had ever had an affair or even considered it. The journalistic sensation had finally died down, deemed "unfounded" by the mainstream media and "simply stupid" by Roger, Liz's brother and Michael's campaign manager. And Roger might have been the one to know. He had "come out" to the family two years ago when Michael was still governor and had asked Roger to be his presidential campaign manager. Roger had said he didn't want anything to hurt Michael's chances at the White House. His wife--who claimed she'd "suspected all along"--agreed to stand by Roger for the sake of the election. And so, Roger's secret was harbored within the walls of the Adams/Barton family, where it was protected, and where it belonged. Their royal blue Yankee blood may have been curdling inside, but, by God, the world would not know it. When the tabloid story on Michael broke, Will Adams himself went forth with a press release blasting the media for using the gay issue as the "last frontier" to discredit a candidate. The accusation was untrue, but even if it wasn't, he said, the issue of sexual preference should not be fodder for the media. His announcement was powerful, but still, the family had held their breaths for Roger's sake. And for all their sakes, because heaven only knew what the media might dream up next. Thankfully, the attack had been dropped. Liz suspected untraceable money had changed hands or that Father had called in favors, but, as usual, she had not asked. She shook her head now and patted Danny's arm. "How about you, honey? How are you feeling?" As with her father, the stress was beginning to become apparent on her son. He ran his hand over what would have been dark hair if he had not had it shaved to a trendy quarter inch. Liz liked the look. It enhanced her son's great bone structure and gorgeous brown eyes. "I'll be glad when we get to the hotel," he said. "I need a nap." "Me, too." Liz gazed out the window at the Atlantic City boardwalk, at the beaches that crawled past in summer-heat slowness. For a moment, she envied the carefree, sun-hat-clad, ice-chest-toting people who strolled toward the gray sand. She wondered how many of them worried about elections or secrets or handicapped sons. "I wish your grandfather had come back with us. He looked as if he should rest, too." She had tried to talk Will out of going across town to meet Michael at a union rally, then from there to the convention center to schmooze for last-minute delegate votes. Not surprisingly, she had failed. "Gramps loves the action, Mom. Hey--this is his dream, isn't it?" Views: 8
Some promises can never be forgotten.... The author of the bestselling Birthday Girls and Places by the Sea, Jean Stone is a gifted storyteller in the tradition of Barbara Delinsky. In this deeply enthralling novel of friendship and family, a woman must face the secrets of the past before she can confront the future.... I am your baby--the one you gave up. Isn't it time we met? The unsigned letter, postmarked Martha's Vineyard, arrives like a thunderbolt out of the blue, instantly sweeping Jessica Bates back thirty years. It was 1968 when young Jess went to Larchwood Hall, a home for unwed mothers, and gave up her beautiful baby girl for adoption. Jess's past still haunts her--especially since she learned that her daughter died in a tragic childhood accident. But now the letter has raised the fragile hope that there was a terrible mix-up, that Jess's daughter is still alive somewhere. Hoping for answers, Jess makes a determined pilgrimage out to the Vineyard, out to those who know the truth about what really happened to her daughter. There, surrounded by sand and sea and memories of lost love, she must make a choice that will change the course of her life forever.... From the Paperback edition.From Publishers WeeklyStone (Birthday Girls) shines up a familiar plot with mature characters, riveting narrative and some surprising twists. As a teen, Jessica Bates had been forced by her unforgiving father to put up her baby daughter for adoption. Now, 30 remorseful years later, Jess receives a message: "I am your baby?the one you gave up. Isn't it time we met?" Assisted by her old pal Ginny, with whom she shares a horrifying past, Jess begins a search for her daughter that takes her to a quaint hotel on Martha's Vineyard. The events that follow (family truths revealed, love ignited and re-ignited, personal healing) are the stuff of much women's fiction, but Stone's graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters make this one a standout. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. ReviewJessica Bates Randall is a divorced seamstress trying to deal with her divorce, her husband's remarriage, her oldest son's distance, her relationship with her daughter and raising her eighteen year old son on her own. More then enough for most people. On top of all of this, she receives a letter from the child that she had given up for adoption when she was a teenager. Jess thought that her baby had died twenty-five years earlier when she had been hit by a car while riding a bike. Jessica's father had forced her to live at a home for unwed mothers before she was to give up her baby, so very few people knew what had happened to her in the past. Jess wants to find out who is sending her these cruel letters. She enlists the help of Ginny, one of the girls who was at the home at the same time as Jess. Ginny is also going through a crisis; her fourth husband has just passed away and she is not dealing with it well. She is reunited with the daughter that she gave away, who is a famous t.v star. Jess also contacts Philip Archambault, an attorney and the son of one of the other unwed mothers. Phillip met his birth mother P.J, who is now dead of breast cancer, with the help of Jess and therefore feels a lot of loyalty to her. This group begins the search and unearths a shady plot of babies switched at birth. Jess must make the journey to discover whom her child is, what happened and who is to blame. Tides of the Heart is an excellent novel. It is a sequel to Sins of Innocence, although this is a book that is easily read on it's own. Jean Stone has such a way with her characters. They are so multi-dimensional and real, that you feel as though you are listening into real lives that are going on around you. The adoption plot was well done. It had none of the melodrama often associated with this topic; rather it was understated and realistic. If you like Jean Stone you'll love this book. If you haven't read Jean Stone, here's a great place to start! Tides of the heart engrosses the reader from page one! An emotional who-done-it! Jean Stone creates characters you wish were your friends. Michelle Sawyer -- Copyright © 030199 Literary Times, Inc. All rights reserved -- From Literary Times Stone's graceful prose, vivid imagery and compassionately drawn characters make this one a standout -- Publishers Weekly, December 14, 1998 Views: 8
