With all the wonder of a small-scale The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay comes this moving and unforgettable novel about childhood, love, and magic.Growing up in a Jewish neighbourhood in the 1930s, young Benjamin Kleeman falls in love, first with Corrine Foster and then with magic. Hiding his new passions from his parents — the long-suffering Bella, an Italian immigrant, and Jacob, a talented but failed inventor of elaborate mechanical devices — Benjamin begins apprenticeships in magic and life itself, learning along the way that everything is more complicated than it seems.With wit, tenderness, humour, and, startling beauty, Cary Fagan brings a gifted young man’s rise to a peculiar kind of stardom, wonderfully alive. Views: 16
Acclaimed author Alice Adams introduces five women who are very different from one another -- from their looks to their personalities to the life choices they make -- in this hauntingly sensitive novel. Sage, the beautiful struggling artist, is caught in a hurtful marriage to a younger man; Lisa, overweight and happily married mother of three, fantasizes about living a different, more daring, life; Jill and Fiona are both blond, thin, and career-driven. Finally, there is Portia who, at twenty-five, suffers from chronic indecision and finds herself feeling very alone in the world. These women, who might ordinarily have little in common, are inextricably intertwined, for they are all Caroline's daughters. Now that her daughters are grown, Caroline feels an aching distance between herself and her children. Helpless to intervene in their lives, unable to spare them pain, she still finds that the love that ties a family together is more powerful than the mistakes they all make. Through the heartaches and the celebration, Caroline learns to step back and watches as her daughters grow into the kind of women she could never have expected.From Publishers WeeklyAs Adams's ( Superior Women ) subtle, involving novel begins, Caroline Carter returns home to San Francisco and to her five daughters by three marriages, most of whom were radicals in the '60s and now live vastly different lives. The eldest daughter, Sage, is an unsuccessful ceramic sculptor whose husband is unfaithful; Liza, the wife of a psychiatrist and the mother of three, wants to be a writer; rich Fiona runs a trendy restaurant; Jill is also raking in money as a lawyer-stockbroker (she turns tricks for kicks and big money); "shy, strange" Portia is sexually confused. Caroline is unobtrusively present across the spectrum of her daughters' varied lifestyles, and there is another shadowy link: Roland Gallo, Sage's former lover, who is now bedding Fiona and has a thing for Caroline. Meanwhile, Sage's husband dallies with Jill. Though Adams develops the story in her usual desultory style, there is enough action for all of Caroline's daughters and Caroline herself to undergo huge swings of the pendulum in their careers and private lives. As much a picture of America in the '90s (the specter of AIDS, the growing number of homeless people) as it is of one family's vicissitudes, the novel ends with Caroline's observations about her "beautiful, selfish, spoiled and greedy girls," products of a society visibly coming apart. Literary Guild alternate. Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Library JournalAlthough unique in character, all four of Caroline's San Franciscan daughters are inclined to be both self-indulgent and overwhelmed by yuppie angst. Sage, 41, is a ceramist who initially has more luck in attracting unfaithful men than in becoming a successful artist. At 35, Liza is the most dependable and dreams of being a writer instead of fulfilling the desires of her children and sexually demanding husband. Fiona, 33, is a wealthy, hedonistic restaurateur who falls victim to one of Sage's ex-lovers. A well-heeled 31-year-old lawyer, Jill satisfies her fantasies by indulging in a scandalous pastime. Portia, 25, the most boring and undeveloped character, drifts from housesitting to gardening and writing poems. In her 11th work, Adams explores familial relationships at their best and worst but falls short of the mark in holding the reader's interest. Literary Guild alternate; previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 11/15/90.- Mary El len Elsbernd, Northern Kentucky Univ. Lib., Highland HeightsCopyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. Views: 16
Re-read this classic romance by USA Today bestselling author Carole Mortimer When Eve Eden discovers that successful art entrepreneur, Adam Gardener, is searching for the legendary English artist, The Unicorn, she nervously shies away. The Unicorn's true identity hits a little too close to home... But Eve is rattled—and intrigued—by Adam's mesmerizing presence, and his determination to entice her into his arms. As an engaged woman, she shouldn't be flirting with anyone, let alone the most delicious man she's ever laid eyes on... Can Eve resist the temptation of the forbidden? Originally published in 1989 Views: 16
Rake, drunkard, aesthete, gossip, raconteur extraordinaire: the narrator of Bohumil Hrabal’s rambling, rambunctious masterpiece Dancing Lessons for the Advanced in Age is all these and more. Speaking to a group of sunbathing women who remind him of lovers past, this elderly roué tells the story of his life—or at least unburdens himself of a lifetime’s worth of stories. Thus we learn of amatory conquests (and humiliations), of scandals both private and public, of military adventures and domestic feuds, of what things were like “in the days of the monarchy” and how they’ve changed since. As the book tumbles restlessly forward, and the comic tone takes on darker shadings, we realize we are listening to a man talking as much out of desperation as from exuberance.Hrabal, one of the great Czech writers of the twentieth century, as well as an inveterate haunter of Prague’s pubs and football stadiums, developed a unique method which he termed “palavering,” whereby characters gab and soliloquize with abandon. Part drunken boast, part soul-rending confession, part metaphysical poem on the nature of love and time, this astonishing novel (which unfolds in a single monumental sentence) shows why he has earned the admiration of such writers as Milan Kundera, John Banville, and Louise Erdrich.From Publishers WeeklyThe unnamed narrator of this comic rant proclaims that any book worth its salt is "meant to make you jump out of bed in your underwear and run and beat the author's brains out." Czech novelist Hrabal (Closely Watched Trains) very nearly fills that peculiar bill in this humorous and breathless affair, which is told in one never-ending sentence?a technique that just may make readers pay him the ultimate compliment by looking around for handy blunt objects. The narrator, a scurrilous old man who claims to have been a shoemaker and a brewer, approaches six sunbathing women and embarks on a rambling monologue about his past loves, the past in general and his "magic hands for what we called contessa shoes." He enjoys telling scandalous tales about his betters, including the one about the old emperor looking up women's skirts. Hrabal, who has been cited as a major literary influence by Milan Kundera and Ivan Klima, among others, is generally considered the most revered living Czech author. It's easy to see why. As this novel (originally published in Czechoslovakia in 1964) plays around with Czech history, juxtaposing the public life of the country with the private life of the narrator, Hrabal displays abounding energy and a rambunctious wit. Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. From BooklistHrabal, one of the foremost contemporary Czech writers, has devised a provocative little novel for special readers. In a breathless monologue--in fact, in one unbroken sentence--an old shoemaker spouts off to a captive audience of young women about his life and ideas. From political history ("his son, the crown prince, was forced to marry Princess Stephanie of Belgium, but he was wild for Vetsera's body, she had these gigantic breasts and eyes" ) to morality ("Christ wanted us to love our neighbors, he wanted discipline, not love on the sofa the way some mealy-brained idiots would have it" ), the old man perambulates over a wide range of territory, spreading recollections and opinions far and wide. For readers who appreciate language for its own sake, this short book is fertile ground; for those who need a firm plot as anchorage, they had best turn elsewhere. For active foreign-literature collections. Brad Hooper Views: 16
New York Times bestselling author Taylor Anderson continues the thrilling Destroyermen series of alternate history and military strategy, as the conflict is about to become terrifyingly personal....Captain Matt Reddy and the crew of the USS Walker have been fighting for their lives ever since their ship was swept from the Pacific to another world and they became embroiled in a deadly conflict between their Lemurian allies and the ravening Grik. But things are about to get worse. With Reddy's family and allies held prisoner by the mad General Kurokawa, the mysterious League and evil Dominion plotting schemes of their own, and the Grik trying to build their swarm and concentrate power, Reddy faces danger on all sides.Although desperate to confront Kurokawa, Captain Reddy fears he's subordinating the war effort for personal reasons. But Kurokawa is too dangerous to be left alone. With the mighty League battleship Savoie at his command, he plots... Views: 16
Good Girl Kenzie Sutton just had her boring life turned completely upside down. When her best friend, Taylor, becomes a woman on the run, Kenzie steps in and helps her go into hiding. She has no clue what she's gotten herself into, but she's about to find out. When Taylor's "foolproof" plan backfires, Kenzie find herself running—straight into the path of the Garrison brothers. She's no match for the bounty hunters, and she's left with two choices. Give up her friend's location or stay with them until they find her. Her fierce loyalty to her best friend lands her under the watchful eye and protection of the tall, charming, and irresistibly sexy Bogs Garrison. Not a bad place to be under different circumstances. Being this close to him will definitely be a test on her self-control.Technical genius and resident funny guy, Bogs has a life that most men wish they had. An undeniable flirt and charmer, he's never lacked for a woman's company. While he's watched his brothers find love,... Views: 16
The Holy Grail — is it the key to a miracle… or a terrifying truth? The Great Wall of China, the immense carvings on Easter Island, Egypt's pyramids, UFOs. What is the chilling connection? The answer, unearthed by an elite band of soldiers and scientists based at Area 51, is rewriting human history — to include the aliens who shaped it! Now, in this heart-pounding novel, Area 51 personnel embark on a top secret search for the Holy Grail, a glittering artifact with the power to save the world… or lead to its destruction. Special Forces officer Mike Turcotte has paid his dues in battle and in blood. Now assigned to Area 51, he fights the toughest enemy of his career: the alien race who arrived on earth millennia ago and have returned to claim the planet. Mike has dodged bullets and faced weapons of mass destruction to give humanity another day of reprieve. But when his lover, scientist Lisa Duncan, falls into evil hands, Mike must decide which prize means the most to him — the woman he loves or the legendary Grail. It's a decision that could damn him… or damn us all. Views: 16
A brand-new book by the Number One Bestselling author Katie Fforde containing NEVER-BEFORE-PUBLISHED Christmas short stories. Perfect for anyone who loves romance, humour and happy-ever-after endings. Includes an exclusive sneak preview of A COUNTRY ESCAPE, coming Feb 2018!It's Christmas morning. The tree is decorated, the presents are wrapped and the turkey's in the oven.Outside the first flakes of snow are beginning to fall.AND HERE IT IS!A personal present from Katie Fforde: six NEW perfectly themed seasonal short stories, guaranteed to make this your happiest Christmas ever!CANDLELIGHT AT CHRISTMAS and A CHRISTMAS IN DISGUISE have been previously published as ebooks only. Views: 16
When Annie Dawson finds a necklace, earrings and a matching hair comb in the attic of Grey Gables, her Victorian-style home in Stony Point, Maine, she doesn’t realize the chain of events waiting to be unleashed. Why are so many people—from the ocean scientists studying Stony Point’s fishing industry to a rich, young philanthropist to Annie’s best friend’s ex-husband—so fascinated by the jewelry? Annie and her friends in the Hook and Needle Club are preparing for the social event of the year, a masquerade ball hosted by the Stony Point Historical Society. Annie and her friends Alice MacFarlane and Peggy Carson search in the expansive attic of Grey Gables to find gowns and accessories for the ball, and there they discover an antique set of faux-emerald jewelry. The set is the perfect complement to Annie’s own gown, but little does she know where the discovery will lead her and her friends. It all seems innocent at first. Then, someone snatches the decorative comb from Annie’s hair during a brief blackout at the ball. Is someone masquerading as a thief—or worse? The mystery deepens when Annie returns home after the ball and discovers Grey Gables has been ransacked. Annie, Alice and Ian Butler, the mayor of Stony Point and Annie’s date for the ball, set a trap sure to lure the thief out of the shadows. But who will they catch? Join Annie, Ian and the crafty members of the Hook and Needle Club as they search for the answers to this latest mystery straight from Annie’s Attic! Views: 16
