Wilhelmina Brewster has been a college music professor for 41 years, devoting her life to her career and never marrying. Now, after her forced retirement at age 65, she is mourning her loss and searching for something to fill the empty hours. Widower Mike Dolan is a pilot and World War II veteran who has always lived life to the fullest. When medical tests confirm that his cancer has returned, he makes plans to take a final flight in his airplane rather than become a burden to his family. Wilhelmina accidently learns of Mike's final plans, and when she discovers that he isn't a believer, she knows it's her Christian duty to talk with him about her faith. But although she has been a lifelong Christian, she feels totally inadequate for the task of witnessing to an unbeliever. Mike and Wilhelmina are two very different people—one figuring out how to live, the other how to die. Yet they will find themselves journeying together as they search for answers to life, loss and faith in God. Views: 53
To tie into the December release of Archer Mayor's Joe Gunther hardcover Fruits of the Poisonous Tree, here is a reissue of the debut novel that first introduced Joe Gunther in 1989--out of print since 1991. Gunther investigates the murder of a juror by another juror from a three-year-old case. Views: 53
Tim Russert is dead.But the room was alive.Big Ticket Washington Funerals can make such great networking opportunities. Power mourners keep stampeding down the red carpets of the Kennedy Center, handing out business cards, touching base. And there is no time to waste in a gold rush, even (or especially) at a solemn tribal event like this.Washington—This Town—might be loathed from every corner of the nation, yet these are fun and busy days at this nexus of big politics, big money, big media, and big vanity. There are no Democrats and Republicans anymore in the nation’s capital, just millionaires. That is the grubby secret of the place in the twenty-first century. You will always have lunch in This Town again. No matter how many elections you lose, apologies you make, or scandals you endure.In This Town, Mark Leibovich, chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, presents a blistering, stunning—and often hysterically funny—examination of our ruling class’s incestuous “media industrial complex.” Through his eyes, we discover how the funeral for a beloved newsman becomes the social event of the year. How political reporters are fetishized for their ability to get their names into the predawn e-mail sent out by the city’s most powerful and puzzled-over journalist. How a disgraced Hill aide can overcome ignominy and maybe emerge with a more potent “brand” than many elected members of Congress. And how an administration bent on “changing Washington” can be sucked into the ways of This Town with the same ease with which Tea Party insurgents can, once elected, settle into it like a warm bath.Outrageous, fascinating, and destined to win Leibovich a whole host of, er, new friends, This Town is must reading, whether you’re inside the Beltway—or just trying to get there. Views: 53
RetailAnother volume in the New York Times bestselling series Notorious USA about infamous crimes in every state. Now it’s Texas, where crimes are as outsized as the state. Bestselling authors Gregg Olsen and Kathryn Casey take a new look at some of the Southwest’s most heinous crimes, including drag queen Cliff Youens (who went by the name Brandi West on stage), convicted of stabbing his/her girlfriend 39 times; Hurley Fontenot, a junior high school principal accused of killing his rival, the football coach, over the love of a school secretary; and Tanya Reid, the first Munchhausen Syndrome By Proxy mother most Americans ever heard of. Views: 53
Acclaimed historian Amanda Foreman follows the phenomenal success of her New York Times bestseller Georgiana: Duchess of Devonshire with her long-awaited second work of nonfiction: the fascinating story of the American Civil War and the major role played by Britain and its citizens in that epic struggle.Even before the first rumblings of secession shook the halls of Congress, British involvement in the coming schism was inevitable. Britain was dependent on the South for cotton, and in turn the Confederacy relied almost exclusively on Britain for guns, bullets, and ships. The Union sought to block any diplomacy between the two and consistently teetered on the brink of war with Britain. For four years the complex web of relationships between the countries led to defeats and victories both minute and history-making. In A World on Fire, Amanda Foreman examines the fraught relations from multiple angles while she introduces characters both humble and grand, bringing them to vivid life over the course of her sweeping and brilliant narrative.Between 1861 and 1865, thousands of British citizens volunteered for service on both sides of the Civil War. From the first cannon blasts on Fort Sumter to Lee’s surrender at Appomattox, they served as officers and infantrymen, sailors and nurses, blockade runners and spies. Through personal letters, diaries, and journals, Foreman has woven together their experiences to form a panoramic yet intimate view of the war on the front lines, in the prison camps, and in the great cities of both the Union and the Confederacy. Through the eyes of these brave volunteers we see the details of the struggle for life and the great and powerful forces that threatened to demolish a nation.In the drawing rooms of London and the offices of Washington, on muddy fields and aboard packed ships, Foreman reveals the decisions made, the beliefs held and contested, and the personal triumphs and sacrifices that ultimately led to the reunification of America. A World on Fire is a complex and groundbreaking work that will surely cement Amanda Foreman’s position as one of the most influential historians of our time. Views: 52
A thrilling Victorian tale of dangerous obsession and betrayalSixteen-year-old Marnie lives in the idyllic coastal village of Clevedon. Despite being crippled by a childhood exposure to polio, she seems set to follow in her mother's footsteps, and become a 'dipper', escorting fragile female bathers into the sea. Her life is simple and safe. But then she meets Noah. Charming, handsome, son-of-the-local-Lord, Noah. She quickly develops a passion for him - a passion which consumes her.As Marnie's infatuation turns to fixation she starts to lose her grip on reality, and a harrowing and dangerous obsession develops that seems certain to end in tragedy. Set in the early Victorian era when propriety, modesty and repression were the rule, this is a taut psychological drama in which the breakdown of a young woman's emotional state will have a devastating impact on all those around her.ABOUT THE AUTHORAlison grew up in Liverpool, and now lives in a medieval house in... Views: 52
The Last Light 1-3. Read this to get the first three books in Emil's ongoing saga. Views: 52
Traveling through time... for a Highlander.Wearing the four-hundred-year-old amulet she inherited, Marie MacLean enters a faerie circle near the ruins of Dunyvaig Castle. A veil rises. A warrior from the past makes a wish to win the war against the Chief of MacLean, and as the veil thins, she falls through into his time. Highland warrior Archie MacDonald has been gifted a faerie who insists she's from the future and the progeny of both his and his enemy's clan. The last thing he expects is for her to stir him on a level he's never experienced before. All he needs is her aid in the war, no matter where she believes she's from. Determined to keep history on course, Marie enters the crux of the battle. She must ensure the MacLean chief who has yet to father her paternal line isn't killed, and all without perishing herself. Can Archie see past his need for revenge before he kills his enemy? If he wishes to save the woman who's crossed centuries to be by his side, he must. HIGHLANDER HEAT SERIESHighlander's Captive #0.5 (Short story, 11,000 words)Highlander's Castle #1Highlander's Magic #2Highlander's Charm #3 (Coming October 2014) Views: 52
The first novel in the exciting Zombie Dawn series that follows the outbreak of a deadly Zombie plague and the people that are left, fighting to survive.Follow the story of six individuals around the world in their fight to survive in the first few days of the Zombie Outbreak. Dr Garcia, the high level researcher and troubleshooter who tries to halt the spread of the virus against impossible odds. Dave the office worker and his hapless friends who find their building at the heart of a zombie infestation. Sergeant Black of the US Marines who faces the terrifying prospect of zombie Taliban suicide bombers in the middle of Afghanistan. Gary, a police officer who finds himself caught up in a bloodthirsty undead riot. Bruce, the Australian medieval re-enactor who tests his armour and weapons for the first time against a drooling enemy. Lastly, Zack and his video gaming friends who grab their trusty survival manuals and attempt to use their gaming knowledge to get out of their city. Views: 52