The Jewish American novelist Henry Bech--procrastinating, libidinous, and tart-tongued, his reputation growing while his powers decline--made his first appearance in 1965, in John Updike's "The Bulgarian Poetess." That story won the O. Henry First Prize, and it and the six Bech adventures that followed make up this collection. "Bech is the writer in me," Updike once said, "creaking but lusty, battered but undiscourageable, fed on the blood of ink and the bread of white paper." As he trots the globe, promotes himself, and lurches from one woman's bed to another's, Bech views life with a blend of wonder and cynicism that will make followers of the lit-biz smile with delight and wince in recognition.From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 41
A pro hockey player learns that home is where the heart is in the first novel of a delightful new series from USA TODAY bestselling author Alicia Hunter Pace Evans Pemberton has always had a problem saying no. To her overbearing Mississippi Delta family, to her business mentor's push to expand her thriving pie shop and to her lifelong crush, Jake Champagne. But Jake chose her beauty queen cousin three years ago and ghosted on their close friendship. When he comes to her small town in Alabama with a new pro hockey franchise, Evie fears she'll lose her heart all over again. Of course, she'll forgive him like the good Southern woman she is, but anything more than that is off the table. So why can't she stop baking for him? Jake is looking forward to a new team, a new town and a clean slate in Laurel Springs. After a disastrous year, the hockey hotshot is leaving his past behind—even betting his best friend that he can stay away from women.... Views: 41
Like One of the Family, which provides historical context for Kathryn Stockett's novel, The Help, is comprised of a series of conversations between Mildred, a black domestic, and her friend Marge. They create a vibrant picture of the life of a black working woman in New York in the 1950s.Rippling with satire and humor, Mildred's outspoken accounts capture vividly her white employers' complacency and condescension--and startled reactions to a maid who speaks her mind. As Mildred declares to a patronizing employer that she is not just like one of the family, or explains to Marge how a tricky employer has created a system of "half days off" to cheat her help, we gain a glimpse not only of one woman's day to day struggle, but of her previous ache of racial oppression. A domestic who refuses to exchange dignity for pay, Mildred is an inspiring conversationalist, a dragon slayer in a segregated world. The conversations in the book were first published... Views: 41
Code name: JetTwenty-eight-year-old Jet was once the Mossad's most lethal operative before faking her own death and burying that identity forever.But the past doesn't give up on its secrets easily.When her new life on a tranquil island is shattered by a brutal attack, Jet must return to a clandestine existence of savagery and deception to save herself and those she loves. A gritty, unflinching roller-coaster of high-stakes twists and shocking turns, JET features a new breed of protagonist that breaks the mold.Fans of Lisbeth Salander, SALT, and the Bourne trilogy will find themselves carried along at Lamborghini speed to a conclusion as jarring and surprising as the story's heroine is unconventional. Views: 41
Paris, L.A., and the world of ready to wear fashion provide rich backdrops for Danielle Steel's deeply involving story of a gifted designer whose talent and drive have brought her everything--except the ability to erase her past and trust relationships. FIRST SIGHT New York. London. Milan. Paris. Fashion Week in all four cities. A month of endless interviews, parties, and unflagging work and attention to detail at the semiannual ready to wear fashion shows--the famous prêt-à-porter. At the center of the storm and avalanche of work is American Timmie O'Neill, whose renowned line, Timmie O, is the embodiment of casual chic, in fashion and for the home. She has created a business that inspires, fills, and consumes her life. With an unerring instinct for what the next trend will be, an innate genius for business, tireless labor, and sheer fearlessness, starting from nothing, over two decades Timmie has built an international empire... Views: 41
Birmingham, almost a decade after the end of the Great War, and the women of Lilac Street have had more than their fair share of troubles... Rose Southgate is trapped, bringing up her daughter in a loveless marriage. Shy and isolated, she tries to make the best of her life, until she meets a man who changes everything. Jen Green is desperately struggling to make ends meet, with a sick husband, and five children to support. Aggie, her eldest daughter, is twelve years old and longs for excitement. But she finds that prying into the adult world shows her more than she had bargained for. And Phyllis Taylor is a widow who has managed to put a dark and traumatic past behind her. The return of Phyllis daughter Dolly, harbouring a secret of her own, threatens to overturn the life Phyllis has built and reveal everything she has fought to hide for so long. These women, along with their neighbours, find strength in friendship, as they discover that... Views: 41
