Every first Sunday in
June, members of the Moses clan gather for an annual reunion at “the old
home place,” a sprawling hundred-acre farm in Arkansas. And every year,
Samuel Lake, a vibrant and committed young preacher, brings his beloved
wife, Willadee Moses, and their three children back for the
festivities. The children embrace the reunion as a welcome escape from
the prying eyes of their father’s congregation; for Willadee it’s a
precious opportunity to spend time with her mother and father, Calla and
John. But just as the reunion is getting under way, tragedy strikes,
jolting the family to their core: John’s untimely death and, soon after,
the loss of Samuel’s parish, which set the stage for a summer of crisis
and profound change.In the midst of it all, Samuel and
Willadee’s outspoken eleven-year-old daughter, Swan, is a bright light.
Her high spirits and fearlessness have alternately seduced and bedeviled
three generations of the family. But it is Blade Ballenger, a
traumatized eight-year-old neighbor, who soon captures Swan’s undivided
attention. Full of righteous anger, and innocent of the peril facing her
and those she loves, Swan makes it her mission to keep the boy safe
from his terrifying father.With characters who spring to life as
vividly as if they were members of one’s own family, and with the
clear-eyed wisdom that illuminates the most tragic—and
triumphant—aspects of human nature, Jenny Wingfield emerges as one of
the most vital, engaging storytellers writing today. In The Homecoming of Samuel Lake she has created a memorable and lasting work of fiction. Views: 107
THE APARTMENTA classic story from #1 New York Times Bestselling Author Debbie Macomber about mothers, daughters and falling in love...Hilary Sullivan's new apartment is the first place she's ever had on her own. She left San Francisco to live and work in Portland—and to get away from her much-loved but overprotective mother. Hilary's twenty-four, after all! But she soon discovers that the apartment comes with an unexpected roommate—Sean Cochran, a good-looking pilot who's just left the army and shows up at the place he thinks he's rented!First published in 1993 Views: 107
With an essay by Lyn Pykett.'But what added most to the grotesque expression of his face, was a ghastly smile, which, appearing to be the mere result of habit and to have no connexion with any mirthful or complacent feeling, constantly revealed the few discoloured fangs that were yet scattered in his mouth, and gave him the aspect of a panting dog'The tale of Little Nell gripped the nation when it first appeared in 1841. Described as a 'tragedy of sorrows', the story tells of Nell uprooted from a secure and innocent childhood and cast into a world where evil takes many shapes, the most fascinating of which is the stunted, lecherous Quilp. Blending realism with non-realistic genres such as fairy-tale, allegory, and pastoral, the tale of Nell's tragedy contains some of Dickens most memorable comic and grotesque creations, including the dwarf Daniel Quilp, Dick Swiveller and Kit Nubbles.The Penguin English Library - 100 editions of the best fiction in English,... Views: 107
'I am greatly relieved that the universe is finally explainable. I was beginning to think it was me.' Thus begins 'Strung Out', Woody Allen's hilarious application of the laws of the universe to daily life. Mere Anarchy, Woody Allen's first new collection in over 25 years, features eighteen witty, wild and intelligent comic pieces -- eight of which have never been in print before. Surreal, absurd, rich in verbal play, bitingly satirical and just plan daft in the mode we have grown to love from his finest films, this flight-of-fancy collection includes tales of a body double who, mistaken for the film's star, is kidnapped by outlaws; a pretentious novelist forced to work on the novelisation of a Three Stooges film; a nanny secretly writing an expose of her Manhattan employers; crooks selling bespoke prayers on eBay; and how to react when you're asked to finance a Broadway play about the invention and manufacture of the adjustable showerhead. Views: 107
How would you feel if you woke up and found another head growing out of your neck? A living, breathing, TALKING head, with a rude, sharp tongue and an evil sense of humour. It knows all your darkest thoughts and it's not afraid to say what it thinks . . . to ANYBODY. That's what happens to eleven-year-old Richard Westlake, and life becomes very, very complicated. Part thriller, part horror, part comedy – this is one of the most riveting novels about fear and friendship that you will ever read. Andy Mulligan won the 2011 Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, and his international bestseller, Trash, is now a major film – directed by Stephen Daldry and with screenplay by Richard Curtis. Views: 107
The bestselling superhero series returns in this fourth fantastic adventure!Aurora Beam is reeling after the bombshell revelation of the secret supervillain's identity... but is there someone else even more powerful pulling the strings? Light is fading across the globe, with whole countries being plunged into darkness and chaos. Aurora and the Bright Sparks must be brave and believe in themselves to save the day! Laughs on every page and fantastically funny art throughout. Views: 106
The winner of the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, as well as five other awards, The Sympathizer is the breakthrough novel of the year. With the pace and suspense of a thriller and prose that has been compared to Graham Greene and Saul Bellow, The Sympathizer is a sweeping epic of love and betrayal. The narrator, a communist double agent, is a man of two minds," a half-French, half-Vietnamese army captain who arranges to come to America after the Fall of Saigon, and while building a new life with other Vietnamese refugees in Los Angeles is secretly reporting back to his communist superiors in Vietnam. The Sympathizer is a blistering exploration of identity and America, a gripping espionage novel, and a powerful story of love and friendship. Views: 106
Charles Dickens was a superb public performer, a great orator and one of the most famous of the Eminent Victorians. Slight of build, with a frenzied, hyper-energetic personality, Dickens looked much older than his fifty-eight years when he died - an occasion marked by a crowded funeral at Westminster Abbey, despite his waking wishes for a small affair. Experiencing the worst and best of life during the Victorian Age, Dickens was not merely the conduit through whom some of the most beloved characters in literature came into the world. He was one of them.Filled with the twists, pathos and unusual characters that sprang from this novelist's extraordinary imagination, The Mystery of Charles Dickens looks back from the legendary writer's death to recall the key events in his life. In doing so, A. N. Wilson seeks to understand Dickens' creative genius and enduring popularity. Following his life from cradle to grave, it becomes clear that Dickens's fiction drew from his... Views: 106
It's time for our next mission and it's up to you to decide whether you want to join us. You probably already realize that each mission — each battle — could mean infestation, or worse. You probably already realize that we win about as many as we lose. But we are managing to hold the Yeerks back, and one more person could make all the difference.Just so you know, there are going to be a lot of decisions to make. The right answers keep us alive. The wrong ones — well that's pretty obvious. So what do you think?Are you ready to be an Animorph? Views: 106
