The Captive

A man can be held captive by more than chains, and his captor can be less official, but no less dominating in nature. This, Patrick now knows, and all for the lack of medical support he is at the mercy of his mother and girlfriend.“You know what the old timers say about Comely? They say the Devil is afraid of him.”Aldous Comely; entrepreneur, philanthropist, bon vivant, crime lord. He has his finger on every conceivable pulse, but his grip is starting to slip.Chance encounters and unexpected friendships force him to remember what it's like to be a human being - at the worst possible time: An old enemy is back in town.As Comely prepares for the oncoming storm, he asks himself if a man with no past can hope for a future.Enoch's Folly is a unique period piece. Set in New York City in 1939, it weaves the stories of real figures and fictional characters in a complex narrative exploring identity, loyalty, big ideas, loss, greed, and the ever-mystifying human condition.---Review from Nate Briggs, The Kindle Book Review:Nate Briggs rated it 3 of 5 starsThe book's synopsis suggests a hard-hitting, period crime novel.In fact, this is a wide-ranging narrative of romance, regret, hope, and a distant taste of crime in the New York City of 1939. There’s trouble in Europe, but Aldous Comely is thinking much more about his life outside the law: wondering if there is a graceful exit toward a day-to-day routine that’s more sustainable.In the mean time, people meet—people strive—and life goes on.If this were a movie, the narrative would be described as “character-driven”: since the focus is more on interaction than on events, and emotions more than explosions.
Views: 419

Canyon Standoff

Park rangers facing deadly foes...Two tales of danger in the Grand CanyonIn Canyon Under Siege by Valerie Hansen, hostages' lives hang in the balance as FBI agent Holly Forbes works with her former crush, park ranger Gabe McClelland, to outwit dangerous criminals. And in Jodie Bailey's Missing in the Wilderness, a rescue mission turns into a race for pure survival when a killer begins stalking park ranger Morgan Dunham and her military ex-husband, Eric Larson. Valerie Hansen, USA TODAY Bestselling Author
Views: 419

The Last Stand: Custer, Sitting Bull and the Battle of the Little Big Horn

Watch a video Read discussion questions for "The Last Stand." The bestselling author of "Mayflower" sheds new light on one of the iconic stories of the American West Little Bighorn and Custer are names synonymous in the American imagination with unmatched bravery and spectacular defeat. Mythologized as Custer's Last Stand, the June 1876 battle has been equated with other famous last stands, from the Spartans' defeat at Thermopylae to Davy Crockett at the Alamo. In his tightly structured narrative, Nathaniel Philbrick brilliantly sketches the two larger-than-life antagonists: Sitting Bull, whose charisma and political savvy earned him the position of leader of the Plains Indians, and George Armstrong Custer, one of the Union's greatest cavalry officers and a man with a reputation for fearless and often reckless courage. Philbrick reminds readers that the Battle of the Little Bighorn was also, even in victory, the last stand for the Sioux and Cheyenne Indian nations. Increasingly outraged by the government's Indian policies, the Plains tribes allied themselves and held their ground in southern Montana. Within a few years of Little Bighorn, however, all the major tribal leaders would be confined to Indian reservations. Throughout, Philbrick beautifully evokes the history and geography of the Great Plains with his characteristic grace and sense of drama. "The Last Stand" is a mesmerizing account of the archetypal story of the American West, one that continues to haunt our collective imagination.
Views: 416

The Belton Estate

Clara Amedroz is the only surviving child of the elderly squire of Belton Castle in Somersetshire. Her father's income and savings have been dissipated to pay for the extravagances of her brother, who subsequently committed suicide. Since her father has no living sons, his estate, which is entailed, will pass upon his death to a distant cousin, Will Belton. Despite her poor prospects, she has two eligible suitors. Within four days of making her acquaintance, Will Belton proposes marriage to her. Belton is warm-hearted, kind, and generous, and these qualities make a strong impression on Clara. However, she believes herself in love with Captain Frederic Aylmer, although he has given no clear signs of feeling that way toward her. Aylmer is impeccable in his manners, smooth, urbane, well-read, and a member of Parliament; compared to him, Belton is awkward and unpolished.
Views: 415

Brady Carmichael and the Poodle of Mass Destruction - The Kachina Shaman

When a priceless native artifact is stolen and those guarding it are mysteriously murdered, the United States government turns to the one team who always catches the bad guy - Brady Carmichael and the poodle of mass destruction, Fifi.From the pen of KJ Hannah Greenberg comes this chapbook of new poetry. Fun, insightful, and lyrical, Fluid and Crystallized focuses primarily on challenging and, only secondarily, on pleasing. This chapbook uses words’ color and texture to provoke interpersonal mindfulness. “Risk,” not “peace,” makes these pages heuristically valuable.What’s more, Fluid and Crystallized, tries to cheer on, to shepherd, and to whisper softly not only about success, but also about failure. This collection shares cautions as well as an appreciation of the scenery.About the Author:KJ Hannah Greenberg, who only pretends at being indomitable, tramps across literary genres and giggles in her sleep. She worries less, however, about linguistic beasts that roam at dusk than about bold fiends that smile and gulp up writers during broad daylight.In the beginning there were Watercolors, 1979, a musical, and Conversations on Communication Ethics, 1991, essays. Following a tour of duty in academia and then decades dedicated to parenting, there are: Oblivious to the Obvious: Wishfully Mindful Parenting, French Creek Press, 2010, essays, A Bank Robber’s Bad Luck with His Ex-Girlfriend, Unbound CONTENT, 2011, poetry, and Don’t Pet the Sweaty Things, Bards & Sages Publishing, 2012, short fictions. In the future, there will be, b’eH: Supernal Factors, 2012, poetry, The Nexus of the Sun, Moon and Mother, 2013, essays, and Oh Your Goodness!, 2013, essays.https://kjhannahgreenberg.net/"Such a galloping, rollicking poet she is. She rolls words from denotation to connotationright through to playful upsetting of conventional usage carts."--Deirdre Kessler, poet and award-winning author of the Brupp series.
Views: 414

Occupy Savannah Sequel to Coffee Bluff

In late December 1864, Sherman's troops occupy Savannah which is full of Confederate spies. Luke, Chester and Julia collide once again. Luke is a Union spy with a mission: He must spread the dis-information that Sherman intends to move next on Augusta and Charleston, when actually Sherman's next target is Columbia, the capitol of South Carolina.In late December 1864, Sherman's troops occupy Savannah which is full of Confederate spies. Luke, Chester and Julia collide once again. Luke is a Union spy with a simple mission: Spread the mis-information that Sherman's will next move on Augusta and Charleston. This will have the effect of consolidating Confederate militias in those two cities and leaving the center of South Carolina open for a rapid move to Sherman's actual target; Columbia.Luke discovers Chester and Julia attempting to spy on a Union strategy meeting. He has a decision to make.
Views: 412

Interesting Women

From the acclaimed author of Red Island House, Andrea Lee's brilliant, outrageous collection of short stories confronts identity, desire, colliding cultures, and self-discovery.In vivid prose infused with wicked irony, award-winning author Andrea Lee takes us into the hearts and minds of a number of extraordinary women—intelligent, beautiful, self-possessed—who, with wit and style, grapple with questions of identity in an increasingly connected world where everyone has become, in some way, a foreigner. In "The Birthday Present," a loyal and conventional American wife explores the wilder shores of marital devotion by giving her Italian husband a costly present. "Winter Barley" is the account, alternately lyrical and perverse, of the brief love affair in Scotland between an elderly European prince and a thoroughly modern New England beauty half his age. And in the collection's title story, "Interesting Women," a woman on vacation in Thailand...
Views: 412

They Fight Like Soldiers, They Die Like Children

"The ultimate focus of the rest of my life is to eradicate the use of child soldiers and to eliminate even the thought of the use of children as instruments of war." —Roméo Dallaire In conflicts around the world, there is an increasingly popular weapon system that requires negligible technology, is simple to sustain, has unlimited versatility and incredible capacity for both loyalty and barbarism. In fact, there is no more complete end-to-end weapon system in the inventory of war-machines. What are these cheap, renewable, plentiful, sophisticated and expendable weapons? Children. Roméo Dallaire was first confronted with child soldiers in unnamed villages on the tops of the thousand hills of Rwanda during the genocide of 1994. The dilemma of the adult soldier who faced them is beautifully expressed in his book's title: when children are shooting at you, they are soldiers, but as soon as they are wounded or killed they are children once again. Believing that not one of us should tolerate a child being used in this fashion, Dallaire has made it his mission to end the use of child soldiers. In this book, he provides an intellectually daring and enlightening introduction to the child soldier phenomenon, as well as inspiring and concrete solutions to eradicate it. From the Hardcover edition.
Views: 412