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Ghost Summer, Stories

Whether weaving family life and history into dark fiction or writing speculative Afrofuturism, American Book Award winner and Essence bestselling author Tananarive Due's work is both riveting and enlightening. In her debut collection of short fiction, Due takes us to Gracetown, a small Florida town that has both literal and figurative ghost; into future scenarios that seem all too real; and provides empathetic portraits of those whose lives are touched by Otherness. Featuring an award-winning novella and fifteen stories-one of which has never been published before-GHOST SUMMER: STORIES, is sure to both haunt and delight.
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Tara

SynopsisIn the East End, twelve-year-old Tara witnesses her villain of a father almost kill her mother. She forges a determination then and there to change her life. This is the story of three beautiful and talented women. Mabel, whose great love for a gambling man has brought her close to insanity; gentle Amy, who marries a man brutalised by war and failure; and Tara, who is hungry for success and life on her own terms. To have both, she must battle against the legacy these two women have left her, the deep prejudices and dangers of Whitechapel in the 1960s - with its gang leaders, rogues, market traders and dolly birds - and the passionate love she has had since girlhood for the charming wideboy and villain, Harry Collins.
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A Theatre of Love

Having retreated to his country estate to escape the amorous attentions of his mistress Lady Fiona Faversham, who is determined to marry him, the dashing Duke of Moorminster out riding when he is captivated by the sound of a church organ being played beautifully. Entering the small church, he is equally captivated by a young woman of almost angelic loveliness who is leading her choir of children with her own wonderful voice.She is perfect for a special role in the play he has written – and which is to be the debut performance at his newly built private theatre with the Prince and Princess of Wales in attendance. And so young Vicar's daughter Lavela Ashley finds herself and her choir of children rehearsing for the great event at Moor Park and becomes embroiled in the devious scheming of Lady Fiona and the Duke's wicked cousin Joscelyn – both of whom are plotting to force the Duke into a marriage by the foulest of means. For his part, as the romantic drama unfolds in his own...
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Elegy for Kosovo

A timely and profound reflection in fiction on war, memory, and the destiny of two peoples by "one of the most compelling novelists writing in any language" (Bruce Bawer, The Wall Street Journal). June 28, 1389: Six hundred years before Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic called for the repression of the Albanian majority in Kosovo, there took place, on the Field of the Blackbirds, a battle shrouded in legend. A coalition of Serbs, Albanian Catholics, Bosnians, and Romanians confronted and were defeated by the invading Ottoman army of the Sultan Murad. This battle established the Muslim foothold in Europe and became the centerpiece of Serbian nationalist ideology, justifying the campaign of ethnic cleansing of Albanian Kosovars that the world witnessed with horror at the end of the past century. In this eloquent and timely reflection on war, memory, and the destiny of two peoples, Ismail Kadare explores in fiction the legend and the consequences of that defeat. Elegy for Kosovois...
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A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury

It is 1399. Henry Bolingbroke, unjustly banished and deprived of his inheritance by Richard II, returns to claim his rights and deposes the king to become Henry IV of England. He is aided by the powerful lords of Northumberland, especially by his friend, Harry Percy. But the triumph of his accession quickly turns sour in the face of ever-growing crises in his new kingdom, and Wales is the most pressing and troublesome of these. The specter of Richard holds sway beyond the grave, and the shadow of regicide, the memory of past crimes, and growing doubts and divisions cause a dangerous rift. The king also has powerful enemies who are all too willing to take advantage of this.
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The Edge of the Water

A mysterious girl who won't speak; a coal black seal named Nera that returns to the same place very year; a bitter feud of unknown origin—strange things are happening on Whidbey Island, and Becca King, is drawn into the maelstrom of events. But Becca, first met in The Edge of Nowhere, has her own secrets to hide. Still on the run from her criminal stepfather, Becca is living in a secret location. Even Derric, the Ugandan orphan with whom Becca shares a close, romantic relationship, can't be allowed to know her whereabouts. As secrets of past and present are revealed, Becca becomes aware of her growing paranormal powers, and events build to a shocking climax anticipated by no one. Acclaimed author Elizabeth George brings her extraordinary talents to this intriguing story that blends mystery and myth.
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The Fourteenth Goldfish

Believe in the possible . . . with this brilliantly quirky, thought-provoking novel from New York Times bestseller, three-time Newbery Honor winner Jennifer L. Holm Galileo. Newton. Salk. Oppenheimer. Science can change the world . . . but can it go too far? Eleven-year-old Ellie has never liked change. She misses fifth grade. She misses her old best friend. She even misses her dearly departed goldfish. Then one day a strange boy shows up. He's bossy. He's cranky. And weirdly enough . . . he looks a lot like Ellie's grandfather, a scientist who's always been slightly obsessed with immortality. Could this pimply boy really be Grandpa Melvin? Has he finally found the secret to eternal youth? With a lighthearted touch and plenty of humor, Jennifer Holm celebrates the wonder of science and explores fascinating questions about life and death, family and friendship, immortality . . . and possibility.
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The Peacemaker

In one of London's outer suburbs lived a shabby insignificant schoolteacher with a repulsive, drunken wife. Experimenting with his secret invention was his only escape - until a headmaster's pacifist daughter brought sex and idealism into his life. Then came the 'Peacemaker' - that curious lunatic who wrote to The Times threatening to spread confusion until there was total disarmament? Could the sexual awakening of this shy, retiring man have inspired him to create the chaos that now reigned throughout London?
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Land of a Hundred Wonders

From the national bestselling author of Whistling in the Dark comes another funny, poignant, unforgettable story.The summer Gibby McGraw catches her big break, the cicadas are humming, and it's so warm even the frogs are sweating. Brain damaged after a tragic car accident that took both her parents, Gibby is now NQR (Not Quite Right), a real challenge for a fledgling newspaper reporter. Especially when she stumbles upon the dead body of the next governor of Kentucky, Buster Malloy.Armed with her trusty blue spiral note-book, Gibby figures that solving the murder might be her best chance to prove to everyone that she can become Quite Right again. But she gets more than she bargained for when she uncovers a world of corruption, racism, and family secrets in small town Cray Ridge. Lucky for her, she's also about to discover that some things are far more important than all the brains in the world, and that miracles occur in the most unexpected moments.
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The Gathering

Leda Stowe loves living on her tiny island off the California coast, taking care of rescued exotic animals. But her peaceful existence is interrupted one night when a gorgeous man with a sword appears out of nowhere in her lion's enclosure.Instead of fearing for his life, the man has a conversation with the lion and casually walks out to face Leda—all six foot and change of him, wearing nothing but jeans riding low on his hips. He exudes more life magic than Leda has ever seen, easily erasing the wards she's put on her island home and imposing his own.He is Hunter, one of the Immortal brothers, jerked away from his snug bed by the Calling spell, thrown here when the spell was broken. He knows there's something wrong with the world, but he'd rather hole up on this quiet island with the beautiful Leda, and let the world deal with it.All too soon Leda and Hunter, and the lion Mukasa, must journey to the mainland to join Hunter's brothers for the final...
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