Recognized throughout the world for his brilliance as a novelist and playwright, Yukio Mishima is also noted as a master of the short story in his native Japan, where the form is practiced as a major art. Nine of his finest stories were selected by Mishima himself for translation in this book; they represent his extraordinary ability to depict, with deftness and penetration, a wide variety of human beings in moments of significance. Often his characters are sophisticated modern Japanese who turn out to be not so liberated from the past as they had thought.
In the title story, "Death in Midsummer," which is set at a beach resort, a triple tragedy becomes a cloud of doom that requires exorcising. In another, "Patriotism," a young army officer and his wife choose a way of vindicating their belief in ancient values that is as violent as it is traditional; it prefigured his own death by seppuku in November 1970. There is a story in which the sad truth of the relationship between a businessman and his former mistress is revealed through a suggestion of the unknown, and another in which a working-class couple, touching in their simple love for each other, pursue financial security by rather shocking means.
Also included is one of Mishima's "modern Nō plays," remarkable for the impact which its brevity and uncanny intensity achieve. The English versions have been done by four outstanding translators: Donald Keene, Ivan Morris, Geoffrey Sargent, and Edward Seidensticker.
Photograph on back cover by T. Kamiya; cover design by David Ford Views: 584
When ancient magic suddenly returns to his land, a warrior priest must protect his world from monsters that were once only legend in the second book of USA Today bestseller David Dalglish's epic fantasy trilogy.Magical creatures are attacking the capital city, seeking to retake what was once theirs, and no one is safe. Ancient cultists have cursed the highest members of the Church, turning them into twisted abominations. The only hope for a cure lies with Adria Eveson. To learn the cure, she must befriend an imprisoned cultist, and guard her heart against his seductive promises and twisted logic. The fate of all races, human and magical, rest in her hands, and in the choices she makes. Should she choose wrong, only one person stands in her way: her brother, the Soulkeeper Devin Eveson.The KeepersSoulkeeperRavencallerFor more from David Dalglish, check out:ShadowdanceA Dance of... Views: 584
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The title refers to how we spend our retirement years, often called "golden," though in Kingsley Amis' hands anything but.
At Tuppenny-Hapenny Cottage a clutch of oldsters, brought together more by ill fortune than blood or love, struggles with problems that range from penury to prostate. That's the good news. The rest is Amis as usual, providing fun for himself and his readers at the expense of his characters. Views: 584
The Marrow of Tradition (1901) is a historical novel by the African American author Charles Chesnutt, set at the time and portraying a fictional account of the Wilmington Race Riot in North Carolina in 1898. Set in the fictional town of Wellington, The Marrow of Tradition features several interweaving plots that encompass the poles of the racially segregated society of the American South at the turn of the century. Views: 584
A highly engaging short story. A Watchmaker and his wife find themselves in a difficult situation. Mr. Pike is an unsympathetic banker about to call their loan. An unusual accord is struck with deadly consequences and a cunning twist in the tale. A quick but highly engaging read.Sometimes A man resolves himself that he has fallen deeper and deeper into his weakness for pleasuring himself until it destroys him. Views: 584
From the classified files of Echo come the stories of those metahumans who survived the Thulian invasion. Gravity looks at a sadly typical post-Invasion day where Echo Ops must face the cruel reality that Atlanta has become. Originally released through the Secret World Chronicle podcast.Rape Day Wednesday is an action – adventure love story. General Madid is about to receive a visit from his worst nightmare – Jimmy West. Dear Air Rescue I am Jackie Cots, a nurse for an International Medical Rescue in Somalia. I am writing this letter on behalf of Aisha Hulow, a Somalia woman who lives in the Village of Coato. The lady wants me to tell you about the death of Mary Johnson, who was attacked by soldiers in her medical clinic, repeatedly raped, then shot and left for dead. When the soldiers left, Aisha dragged Mary into her hut where she died several hours later in her arms. Her dying words were to tell Jimmy West, that she still loved him and had never forgotten him. Please find attached a one dollar bill. The lady insists on me sending you the only thing of wealth, she owns. She hopes that you can help her hire someone who can save her little village from these soldiers. It appears that every Wednesday morning, a Renegade General Madid allows his soldiers to come into the village and rape all the women and girls as a treat for loyalty.Please pass on this letter to Jimmy West. Yours truly,Jackie Cots for Aisha Hulow Views: 584
Holiday House - A Series of Tales is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by Catherine Sinclair is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of Catherine Sinclair then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection. Views: 584
To survive where I live, you have two options.You can be a Normal—a cheerleader, jock, member of the debate team, or on the yearbook committee. You pretend everything is normal.Or you can be crew.You insult us? We hurt you.You hurt us? We really hurt you.And if you f*ck with us, we will end you.My name is Bren.I'm the only female in the Wolf Crew—the best, fiercest, and most dangerous crew there is—and we have a rule: There's no falling in love.Well… too late.**Full-length novel. First book in a series. Limited time preorder.** Views: 584
Lyman Frank Baum was an American author widely known for his children’s books. Baum was born Chittenango, New-York into a devout Methodiste family He had German, Scots-Irish, and English ancestry, and was the seventh of nine children of Cynthia Ann and Benjamin Ward Baum, only five of whom survived into adulthood. "Lyman" is the name of his father's brother, but he always disliked it and preferred his middle name "Frank". The Sea Fairies is a children's fantasy novel published in 1911 by the Reilly & Britton Company, the publisher of Baum's series of Oz books. Baum dedicated the book to the otherwise-unknown “Judith of Randolph, Massachusetts” most likely one of the child readers who corresponded with the author. Views: 584
'A daring and mesmerizing twist on the art of biography' – Douglas Smith, author of Rasputin: The Biography'Anyone who loves [Dostoevsky's] novels will be fascinated by this book' – Sue Prideaux, author of I Am Dynamite! A Life of Friedrich NietzscheDostoevsky's life was marked by brilliance and brutality. Sentenced to death as a young revolutionary, he survived mock execution and Siberian exile to live through a time of seismic change in Russia, eventually being accepted into the Tsar's inner circle. He had three great love affairs, each overshadowed by debilitating epilepsy and addiction to gambling. Somehow, amidst all this, he found time to write short stories, journalism and novels such as Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov, works now recognised as among the finest ever written. In Dostoevsky in Love Alex Christofi weaves carefully... Views: 584
James and Sammy Tillerman are as different as two brothers can be. But when Jimmy seeks out their missing father, Sammy joins in. As they ask questions, and move closer to their quest, it is Sammy who grows more interested--until the questions lead the brothers to a seedy waterfront bar where violence erupts....
"Keeps your interest...Quite suspenseful."
KIDSDY-NEWSDAY Views: 584
One of Summer's Most Anticipated Reads, according to Goodreads, SheReads, and Bookish"I think Beatriz Williams is writing the best historical fiction out there. It's lush with period detail but feels immediate."—Elin HilderbrandThe beloved author returns with a remarkable novel of both raw suspense and lyric beauty— the story of a lost pilot and a wartime photographer that will leave its mark on your soul. In 1947, photographer and war correspondent Janey Everett arrives at a remote surfing village on the Hawaiian island of Kauai to research a planned biography of forgotten aviation pioneer Sam Mallory, who joined the loyalist forces in the Spanish Civil War and never returned. Obsessed with Sam's fate, Janey has tracked down Irene Lindquist, the owner of a local island-hopping airline, whom she believes might actually be the legendary Irene Foster, Mallory's onetime student and... Views: 584
Ferocious and funny, penetrating and exuberant, Theft is two-time Booker Prize-winner Peter Carey’s master class on the things people will do for art, for love . . . and for money.
“I don’t know if my story is grand enough to be a tragedy, although a lot of shitty stuff did happen. It is certainly a love story but that did not begin until midway through the shitty stuff, by which time I had not only lost my eight-year-old son, but also my house and studio in Sydney where I had once been famous as a painter could expect in his own backyard. . .”
So begins Peter Carey’s highly charged and lewdly funny new novel. Told by the twin voices of the artist, Butcher Bones, and his “damaged two-hundred-and-twenty-pound brother” Hugh, it recounts their adventures and troubles after Butcher’s plummeting prices and spiralling drink problem force them to retreat to New South Wales. Here the formerly famous artist is reduced to being a caretaker for his biggest collector, as well as nurse to his erratic brother.
Then the mysterious Marlene turns up in Manolo Blahniks one stormy night. Claiming that the brothers’ friend and neighbour owns an original Jacques Liebovitz, she soon sets in motion a chain of events that could be the making or ruin of them all.
Displaying Carey’s extraordinary flare for language, Theft is a love poem of a very different kind. Ranging from the rural wilds of Australia to Manhattan via Tokyo – and exploring themes of art, fraud, responsibility and redemption – this great novel will make you laugh out loud.
From the Hardcover edition. Views: 584
