War changes us all, and sometimes we no longer recognise ourselves...'Housekeeper or housewife?' the soldier asks Silvana as she and eight-year-old Aurek board the ship that will take them from Poland to England at the end of the war, to Janusz, her husband. But she isn't sure any longer that she is a wife of any kind or whether she has a house. After living wild in the forests for years, carrying a terrible secret, all Silvana knows is that she and Aurek are survivors. In Ipswich, Janusz is getting ready for the arrival of the wife and son he hasn't seen in six years. After fleeing Poland and the war that left him a deserter, he has found his family a house. He works hard planting a proper English garden to welcome them and to distract him from his own secret.But the six years apart have changed them all, and they must learn that love can't work unless there are no secrets. To make Aurek a real home, Silvana and Janusz... Views: 25
Celebrated as a novelist of breathtaking historical range and depth, Adam Thorpe is also an accomplished and celebrated writer of short fiction, and the stories collected here show his deftness with character, his enormous versatility of voice.In the title story, an expectant first-time novelist meets the publisher who has asked him to lunch, only to find himself drawn, unwittingly and inexorably, into a terrible personal tragedy. In 'The Concert Interval' Rob, an orchestral tympanist, sees his life crumble over the half-time coffee and sandwiches. In 'Heavy Shopping' a business executive is called in the middle of an important conference in Scotland with the news that his wife has given birth prematurely; his inability to cope with the resulting divided loyalties, and the way he deals with his own passive indecisiveness, reveals the terrifying emotional vacuum in his life.Exquisitely written, these stories breathe life into their characters,... Views: 25
After being blacklisted for having communist sympathies as a student twenty years before, Pulitzer Prize–winning historian Tom Wrought escapes America’s Cold War climate to teach at Oxford. There, he falls in love with Liz Spencer, a beautiful married woman. When Liz’s husband is pushed in front of a train in the London Underground, Tom is immediately arrested for the murder. Scotland Yard is convinced it has its man, as he had means, motive, and opportunity.
Certain of his innocence, Liz hires a young solicitor, Alice Silverstone, to defend Tom. But they discover that Tom’s former secret work as an American spy made him a number of powerful enemies. Russian intelligence, British counterespionage, and even the FBI all may have reason to frame him. If Liz and Alice can find out who is behind the murder, they stand a chance of freeing Tom, but doing so puts all their lives at risk.
**Review
“If you're a fan of historical fiction, particularly focused on political and conspiratorial fiction, Autumn in Oxford is one for you.” —*Just Commonly*
“Autumn in Oxford is a finely crafted murder, espionage, love story which is about reading every word and storing the details so you will be able to fit the twists and changes into perspective and solve the ‘who done it.’” —*Patricia’s Wisdom*
“A riveting mystery/thriller. It will certainly appeal to anyone fascinated by the Cold War era and its spies, those who appreciate eminently plausible conspiracy theories, and those who enjoy a twisting, turning plot that keeps the reader guessing both where the plot is going and how much of the background is based on truth.” —*BookNAround*
“Alex Rosenberg delivers a hard to put down ‘who done it,’ in his new novel, Autumn in Oxford.” —*Thoughts on This ‘n That*
“Author Alex Rosenberg peppers his tale with several actual historical figures, which adds complexity to his narrative...An interesting read, especially for those who enjoy historical fiction set in the recent past.” —*5 Minutes for Books*
“In Autumn in Oxford, author Alex Rosenberg crafts a deliberately plotted thriller that is riveting from start to finish.” —*A Book a Week*
“If you're into spy stories, stories of intrigue, mysteries, and books set in the 1950s, this is a book for you.” —*Helen’s Book Blog*
“Cold War history buffs will find this novel a dream come true.” —*Building Bookshelves*
About the Author
Alex Rosenberg is the author of the novel The Girl from Krakow. He has lived in Britain and has taught at Oxford, where he made the acquaintance of some of the historical figures that play roles in Autumn in Oxford. Rosenberg is the R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University in North Carolina. Views: 25
Two of Conrad's BEST-KNOWN works—in a single volume In this pair of literary voyages into the inner self, Joseph Conrad has written two of the most chilling, disturbing, and noteworthy pieces of fiction of the twentieth century. @JungleFever Heading down to Africa on a boat. Too hot! I get the creeping sense this job isn't going to be as cushy as they made it sound. The natives seem unhappy. Some are even violent! Why don't they appreciate how much we've done for them? Ungrateful welfare leeches, I say! From Twitterature: The World's Greatest Books in Twenty Tweets or Less Views: 25
Disaster Number One: Men Hard knocks and hunger taught Faith Duffy not to believe in love. Still, when she married her very wealthy—and very old—husband, she became the perfect wife. And then he went to that big bank in the sky, leaving Faith with lonely nights, a pile of money, and a total mess of a pro hockey team. Heck, Faith doesn't even watch hockey! Disaster Number Two: Passion But most of America and half of Canada is watching Ty Savage. His lethal sex appeal and deadly right hook make him the favorite of fans. For most of Ty's life, he's dreamed of winning the Stanley Cup. The last thing he needs is a bimbo messing up his plans. Disaster Number Three: Love Faith loathes Ty on sight, but she can't stop thinking about him all day . . . and night. Then a moment of temptation ends with Faith in Ty's bed, and she begins to see there's more to him than sex appeal. Ty discovers there's far more to Faith than beauty and billions. But a relationship with Faith is impossible, and falling in love—that would be a disaster. From Publishers WeeklyStarred Review. Bestseller Gibson's thoughtful stand-alone romance immerses the reader in the world of professional hockey and the hearts of two compelling characters. Ty Savage, newly signed player with the Seattle Chinooks, is devastated by the death of the team's elderly owner, Virgil Duffy. Duffy's young widow, Faith, an ex-stripper trophy wife who knows nothing about hockey, will now be the team's owner, much to everyone's dismay. Though Ty and Faith's initial mutual dislike quickly evolves into an all-consuming passion, they soon discover that their attraction goes much further than sexual heat. Magnificently breaking with stereotype, Ty is a tenderhearted man who wants a lifelong relationship, while Faith is emotionally strong, intelligent and caring. With humor and eloquent prose, Gibson (Not Another Bad Date) brings substance and depth to this loving, modern romance. (May) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From BooklistGorgeous Faith Duffy has been a lot of things in her 30 years. She started as an exotic dancer at 18, then became a Playboy model, a devoted wife to her 81-year-old husband Virgil, and now, a widow and business owner. Virgil Duffy owned the Seattle Chinooks hockey team and left it to Faith in his will, even though she knows nothing about the sport. Determined to prove she’s more than just one of Hef’s bunnies, she dives in, learning all she can about hockey and her new team. The only obstacle is the team captain, Ty Savage. Brooding and intimidating, Ty has led his team to the NHL playoffs, and he’s not about to let some gold digger of a widow ruin his chances. The press build up the initial rivalry between Faith and Ty, but the pair may not be as acrimonious as everyone thinks. A steamy story with plenty of fast-paced action on and off the ice. --Hilary Hatton Views: 25
Once a gifted ballet dancer, Julia Costell buckled under the demands of a professional dance career, and has landed with a thud in an unglamorous job as a guidance counselor at a performing arts high school. Living back home with her parents and feeling lost, she is afraid she'll never soar again...until the day young Dell Jordan is sent to her office, carrying an essay. In Dell's writing, Julia sees luminous sparks of hope. But as she fights to forge a brighter future for one disadvantaged student, she is drawn into startling undercurrents of conflict and denial within the academy. Only when she is tested in ways she never could have imagined does she begin to discover where real meaning and fulfillment lie—and realize that even though her life has seemed off course, she's been on the right path all along. Views: 25
Like most women, whether they've chosen the Fortune 500 career path or have had five kids by 35, Anna David wondered if she'd made the right choices. Then she came upon the book Sex and the Single Girl by Helen Gurley Brown, Cosmopolitan's fearless leader from the mid-sixties to the late nineties. Immediately connecting with Gurley Brown's unique message of self-empowerment combined with femininity, Anna vowed to use Sex as a lesson plan, venturing out of her comfort zone in the hope of overcoming the fears and insecurities that had haunted her for years. Embarking on a journey both intensely personal and undeniably universal, she becomes adventurous and spontaneous--reviving her wardrobe and apartment, taking French lessons, dashing off to Seville, and whiling nights away with men she never would have considered before. In the process, she ends up meeting the person really worth changing for: herself. Views: 25
