Anne and Joe have at long last found the sweet spot in their relationship – they have overcome conflict and difficulties and the challenges of growing towards old age together, and now appreciate each other’s company, a great sex life, and are looking forward to what retirement brings. But inexplicably, Joe – a gifted architect – finds himself losing things, making miscalculations and blanking out parts of his day. Views: 380
Translated into English at last, Fiasco joins its companion volumes Fatelessness and Kaddish for an Unborn Child in telling an epic story of the author's return from the Nazi death camps, only to find his country taken over by another totalitarian government. *
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Fiasco as Imre Kertesz himself has said, "is fiction founded on reality"—a Kafka-like account that is surprisingly funny in its unrelentingly pessimistic clarity, of the Communist takeover of his homeland. Forced into the army and assigned to escort military prisoners, the protagonist decides to feign insanity to be released from duty. But meanwhile, life under the new regime is portrayed almost as an uninterrupted continuation of life in the Nazi concentration camps-which, in turn, is depicted as a continuation of the patriarchal dictatorship of joyless childhood. It is, in short, a searing extension of Kertesz' fundamental theme: the totalitarian experience seen as trauma not only for an individual but for the whole civilization—ours—that made Auschwitz possible.
From the Trade Paperback edition. Views: 379
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Focused on the pivotal year of 1863, the second volume of Shelby Foote’s masterful narrative history brings to life some of the most dramatic and important moments in the Civil War, including the Battle of Gettysburg and Grant’s Vicksburg campaign.
“Foote has an acute sense of the relative importance of events and a novelist’s skill in directing the reader’s attention to the men and the episodes that will influence the course of the whole war, without omitting items which are of momentary interest. His organization of facts could hardly be better.” —The Atlantic
“Though the events of this middle year of the Civil War have been recounted hundreds of times, they have rarely been re-created with such vigor and such picturesque detail.” —The New York Times Book Review
“The lucidity of the battle narratives, the vigor of the prose, the strong feeling for the men from generals to privates who did the fighting, are all controlled by constant sense of how it happened and what it was all about. Foote has the novelist’s feeling for character and situation, without losing the historian’s scrupulous regard for recorded fact. The Civil War is likely to stand unequaled.” —Walter Mills Views: 378
Three tales for children and some adults.The Magician - A fable style tale about a young man looking for protection that he could have done without.DreamDancer - a young girl wants to dance and gets her chance with remarkable results.Marshall - A number-loving cat, with the help of a mathematician causes trouble in the neighborhood.Three tales for children and some adults.The Magician, The Lion, And The Mouse - is a fable style tale about a young man looking for a little protection that he could have done without.DreamDancer - a young girl wants to dance and gets her chance with results greater than she expected.Marshall And the Mathematician - Marshall, a number-loving cat, with the innocent help of a mathematician friend, stirs up some trouble in the neighborhood. Views: 378
In her remarkable new book, Alison Weir recounts one of the greatest love stories of medieval England. It is the extraordinary tale of an exceptional woman, Katherine Swynford, who became first the mistress and later the wife of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster.
Katherine Swynford’s charismatic lover was one of the most powerful princes of the 14th century, the effective ruler of England behind the throne of his father Edward III in his declining years, and during the minority of his nephew, Richard II. Katherine herself was enigmatic and intriguing, renowned for her beauty, and regarded by some as dangerous. Her existence was played out against the backdrop of court life at the height of the age of chivalry and she knew most of the great figures of the time — including her brother-in-law, Geoffrey Chaucer. She lived through much of the Hundred Years War, the Black Death, and the Peasants’ Revolt. She knew loss, adversity, and heartbreak, and she survived them all triumphantly. Although Katherine’s story provides unique insights into the life of a medieval woman, she was far from typical in that age. She was an important person in her own right, a woman who had remarkable opportunities, made her own choices, flouted convention, and took control of her own destiny — even of her own public image.
Weir brilliantly retrieves Katherine Swynford from the footnotes of history and gives her life and breath again. Perhaps the most dynastically important woman within the English monarchy, she was the mother of the Beauforts and through them the ancestress of the Yorkist kings, the Tudors, the Stuarts, and every other sovereign since — a legacy that has shaped the history of Britain. Views: 376
‘Fantasy as it ought to be written’ George R.R. Martin The second volume in Robin Hobb’s internationally bestselling Farseer Trilogy. Honesty is the bedrock for any relationship. But how can Fitz – royal bastard, trainee assassin, holder of secrets crucial to the security of the kingdom – bare his soul to his beloved Molly? Danger lies all around him – from the raiders savaging the coastal towns, and from within the court. The king has been struck down by a mystery illness and his eldest son, Verity, is bound up in the defence of the realm. When Verity leaves the court in search of the mythical Elderlings, Fitz finds himself friendless apart from his wolf, Nighteyes, and the king’s strange, motley-clad fool, exposed to Prince Regal’s malign ambitions. He will be asked to sacrifice everything – his heart, his hope, even his life – for the sake of the realm. Views: 376
Quo Vadis: A Narrative of the Time of Nero, commonly known as Quo Vadis, is a historical novel written by Henryk Sienkiewicz. "Quo vadis Domine" is Latin for "Where are you going, Lord?" and alludes to the apocryphal Acts of Peter, in which Peter flees Rome but on his way meets Jesus and asks him why he is going to Rome. Jesus says, "I am going back to be crucified again", which makes Peter go back to Rome and accept martyrdom. The novel Quo Vadis tells of a love that develops between a young Christian woman, Ligia, and Marcus Vinicius, a Roman patrician. It takes place in the city of Rome under the rule of emperor Nero, c. AD 64. Sienkiewicz studied the Roman Empire extensively prior to writing the novel, with the aim of getting historical details correct. Consequently, several historical figures appear in the book. As a whole, the novel carries an outspoken pro-Christian message. Published in installments in three Polish dailies in 1895, it came out in book form in 1896 and has since been translated into more than 50 languages. Quo Vadis contributed to Sienkiewicz\'s Nobel Prize for literature in 1905. This book has a beautiful glossy cover and a blank page for the dedication. Views: 376
The first volume of Arendt’s celebrated three-part study of the philosophical origins of the totalitarian mind. This volume focuses on the rise of antisemitism in Europe in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Views: 374
Eugene Teak enters the city only to be the center of an investigation surrounding the disappearance of a young girl. He sets out to find her and returns to his past.Eugene Teak alias Isaac Asimov enters the city art school. He meets Maria Bronte running from robbers. He rescues her and invites her to his apartment.She is soon found missing and Eugene is ask by her father Kay to find her. His search leads him back to the prison he was once held captive. He findsMaria and is in a fight to save her and the prisoners. Views: 372
“Self-respect: The secure feeling that no one, as yet, is suspicious.”—page 70 Why is it that when reading Mencken one feels that they’d be more comfortable if they were wearing a flak jacket? Once again, in his ‘A Book of Burlesques,’ Mencken, the master of irreverence, gives forth a collection of philosophical sayings running the gamut from downright boring to uproariously hilarious. Now I’m looking forward to reading his ‘In Defense of Women.’ I’m sure that women-hood will never be in more need of defending than after reading what H. L. has to say in their defense. Recommendation: ‘A Book of Burlesques’ offers a glimpse into the warped mind of Mencken. That may not be everyone’s cup of pomegranate wine. Read at your own risk. “Man weeps to think that he will die so soon. Woman, that she was born so long ago.”—page 72 Excerpt from "A Book of Burlesque By William Davenport Adams": Shall I to Honor or to Love give way? Go on, cries Honor; tender Love says, Nay; Honor aloud commands, Pluck both boots on; But softer Love does whisper, Put on none. In the end, he "goes out hopping, with one boot on, and t\'other off." Again, there was a passage in the drama called "The Villain," in which the host supplied his guests with a collation out of his clothes--a capon from his helmet, cream out of his scabbard, and so on. In like manner, Pallas, in Mr. Bayes\'s tragedy, furnishes forth the two usurping kings:-- Lo, from this conquering lance Does flow the purest wine of France: And to appease your hunger, I Have in my helmet brought a pie; Lastly, to bear a part with these, Behold a buckler made of cheese. Of the direct parody in the burlesque a few instances will suffice. Views: 372
From the author of The Romanovs: a vivid account of history's most successful political partnership—as sensual and fiery as it was creative and visionary. Catherine the Great was a woman of notorious passion and imperial ambition. Prince Potemkin—wildly flamboyant and sublimely talented—was the love of her life and her co-ruler.Together they seized Ukraine and Crimea, territories that define the Russian sphere of influence to this day. Their affair was so tumultuous that they negotiated an arrangement to share power, leaving each of them free to take younger lovers. But these “twin souls” never stopped loving each other.Drawing on the pair’s intimate letters and on vast research, Simon Sebag Montefiore's widely acclaimed biography restores these imperial partners to their rightful place as titans of their age. Views: 371
After adopting an orphan human boy, the First Herd is finally ready to make the treacherous journey across the mountains to find the Sweet Grass that promises survival. But when their leader, Estrella, is captured by cruel men, it delivers a blow to the very heart of the herd. If the horses turn back, they'll never make it across the mountains before winter. But if they leave Estrella in captivity, the wild-born filly will surely perish.
This conclusion to Kathryn Lasky's Horses of the Dawn trilogy will make your heart beat to the rhythm of thundering hooves, leaving you breathless as you join the herd's final fight for freedom. Views: 371
The Age of Napoleon surveys the amazing chain of events that wrenched Europe out of the Enlightenment and into the Age of Democracy:
The French Revolution---from the storming of the Bastille to the guillotining of the King
The revolution's leaders Danton, Desmoulins, Robespierre, Saint-Just---all cut down by the reign of terror they inaugurated.
Napoleon's meteoric rise---from the provincial Corsican military student to the Emperor commanding the largest army in history
Napoleon's fall---his army's destruction in the snows of Russia, his exile to Elba, escape and reconquest of the throne, and ultimate defeat at Waterloo by the combined forces of Europe.
* The birth of romanticism and the dawning of a new age of active democracy and a rising middle class, laying the foundation for our own era. Views: 371
A LADY WHO WILL DEFEND HER FAMILY AND HER CASTLE... Lady Marin Barrington, eldest of the Earl of Werrick's five daughters, is a born protector. Not only has she taken on the role of mistress of the castle and caregiver to her sisters upon their mother's death, she also acts in her father's stead while he is serving the king abroad. Dedicated and resolute, failure is never an option for her. So, when a reiver forces his way into the castle, Marin won't surrender easily and takes it upon herself to kill the usurper. Except plans go awry when passions are awoken and matters get complicated. A MAN WHO MUST SUCCEED NO MATTER THE COST... Bran Douglas's sister is going to be hanged, unless he agrees to take Werrick Castle. Ever a pawn in a rich man's game, Bran has no choice but to force his way into Werrick on behalf of the Scottish Middle March Warden. He quickly discovers getting into the castle is the easy part. Dealing with... Views: 369
