Twelve Times Zero

Howard Browne was a science fiction editor and mystery writer. He also wrote for several television series and films.
Views: 348

The Golden Lion of Granpere

Following the death of her mother, Marie Bromar goes to live with the Voss family at the Lion d\'Or hotel in the Vosges mountains in northeastern France. Over a period of several years she and George Voss fall in love, but George\'s father Michel forbids them to marry.
Views: 348

Bitter Pill

"A fast-paced and gripping thriller—expect several twists along the way." —Cosmopolitan Amid rumors of bartenders paid to spike drinks and then deliver drugged college women to paying, eager patrons, University of Cape Town (UCT) authorities move quickly to limit the damage—but the police don't want to believe there is a problem. A world away in Seattle, Carlos De Palma, the shadowy operator behind Dark Video, is plotting his survival strategy in the ever-changing Internet landscape. With his wealthy clientele clamoring for heightened thrills, Carlos begins tapping into a new service that blurs the boundaries between the real and virtual worlds. Meanwhile, UCT student Robbie is sent into a sinister underground world where no price is too high to pay to deliver every fantasy—no matter how twisted. Bitter Pill, part of Church's dark web trilogy, is a gripping thriller that sweeps through the intoxicating haunts of Cape Town's...
Views: 346

A Brother's Duty

Lucinda Wilkinson had hit rock bottom. Alone and pregnant by a soldier who didn’t remember her, she needs help. John MacLeish hit rock bottom when his brother was killed in Afghanistan. Before Rob dies he makes John promise to keep the promise he made to the father of Lucy’s baby. But how can John take on his brother’s duty to Lucy when he pre-judges her by her tattoos and piercings?John has to reevaluate his life when his hopes for working with his older brother in a construction business is dashed when Rob is killed in action. Lucy has to reevaluate her life when her career is stolen from her and she finds herself unexpectedly pregnant by Rob's friend Nick, who is also killed in action.Before dying, Nick makes Rob promise to find and help Lucy. Rob extracts a promise from John to try to help Lucy if he doesn't make it back and John feels that it is his duty, a brother's duty, to honour his late brother's promise to his late friend.When John finally tracks her down, she isn't what he expected. Underneath her piercings and tattoos is a vulnerable woman who is dealing with some real hurt. Unfortunately for him, John is what she expects, at least at first. Stern, rigid, judgemental and far too conventional, she dismisses him as being like all the other 'good Christians' she'd ever encountered.Prodded by the Holy Spirit through a sermon on Corinthians and feeling duty bound to honour his brother's last request, John's heart is softened toward Lucy until he can see past the odd jewellery in her face.Lucy, also prompted by the Holy Spirit although not recognizing the source, finally accepts that her choice is between bitter loneliness and taking a risk that the friendships she is being offered are genuine.
Views: 344

Par For The Course

A humorous look at the British class system. Meet Buntie and Rupert, stalwarts of the etiquette police, chinless wonders who bellow and bluff their way through life. This story was inspired by the poster that used to hang in the boarding house windows in London at the turn of last century stating, “No Blacks, No Dogs, No Irish.”Once upon a time I was fishing away when a man appeared across the creek from me. He sat down on a large rock holding an acoustic guitar. Yes sir! Yes sir! He was wearing all black with a fedora, silver chains around his wrists, his mouth was stretched in a large wide smile that went from ear to ear. A white tie hung down to his waist with gold buttons in the middle. Not a single word was spoken between us and we did not even acknowledged that the other person was there. Something was odd about this man. Yes sir! Yes sir! Butterflies seem to be flying around his head as if they were being pulled in by his gravity. He was an eerie man. I do not even think my twisted mind could make him up. His presence wasn't erotic, but it was a sick pleasure.
Views: 344

The Age of Islands

'Alastair Bonnett combines a deep knowledge of history and contemporary geopolitics with a seasoned travel writer's eye for the telling detail, as he gives us a tour of our terrifying but often beautiful new world.' Joshua Keating, author of Invisible Countries: Journeys to the Edge of NationhoodNew islands are being built at an unprecedented rate whether for tourism or territorial ambition, while many islands are disappearing or fragmenting because of rising sea levels. It is a strange planetary spectacle, creating an ever-changing map which even Google Earth struggles to keep pace with. In The Age of Islands, explorer and geographer Alastair Bonnett takes the reader on a compelling and thought-provoking tour of the world's newest, most fragile and beautiful islands and reveals what, he argues, is one of the great dramas of our time.From a 'crannog', an ancient artificial island in a Scottish loch, to the militarized artificial islands China is...
Views: 343

Black Rednecks & White Liberals

This explosive new book challenges many of the long-prevailing assumptions about blacks, about Jews, about Germans, about slavery, and about education. Plainly written, powerfully reasoned, and backed with a startling array of documented facts, Black Rednecks and White Liberals takes on not only the trendy intellectuals of our times but also such historic interpreters of American life as Alexis de Tocqueville and Frederick Law Olmsted. In a series of long essays, this book presents an in-depth look at key beliefs behind many mistaken and dangerous actions, policies, and trends. It presents eye-opening insights into the historical development of the ghetto culture that is today wrongly seen as a unique black identity--a culture cheered on toward self-destruction by white liberals who consider themselves "friends" of blacks. An essay titled "The Real History of Slavery" presents a jolting re-examination of that tragic institution and the narrow and distorted way it is too often seen today. The reasons for the venomous hatred of Jews, and of other groups like them in countries around the world, are explored in an essay that asks, "Are Jews Generic?" Misconceptions of German history in general, and of the Nazi era in particular, are also re-examined. So too are the inspiring achievements and painful tragedies of black education in the United States. "Black Rednecks and White Liberals" is the capstone of decades of outstanding research and writing on racial and cultural issues by Thomas Sowell.From Publishers WeeklyOne of America's foremost black conservative intellectuals returns with this provocative collection of contrarian essays. Hoover Institution Fellow Sowell, author of Ethnic America, argues that "internal" cultural habits of industriousness, thriftiness, family solidarity and reverence for education often play a greater role in the success of ethnic minorities than do civil-rights laws or majority prejudices. The title essay posits a "black redneck" culture inherited from the white redneck culture of the South and characterized by violent machismo, shiftlessness and disdain for schooling. White liberals, gangsta-rap aficionados and others who lionize its ghetto remnants as an authentic black identity, Sowell contends, have their history wrong and help perpetuate cultural pathologies that hold blacks back. Sowell also examines the cultural achievements of such "middleman minorities" as Jews and expatriate Chinese whose frequent persecution, he feels, represents an animus against capitalism. And he defends Western culture itself against charges that it was uniquely culpable for slavery; in fact, he contends, it was uniquely responsible for eradicating slavery. Many of Sowell's arguments-that the 20th-century resegregation of Northern cities was a response to the uncouthness of black rednecks migrating from the South, or that segregated black schools often succeeded by suppressing redneckism with civilized New England puritanism-will arouse controversy, but these vigorously argued essays present a stimulating challenge to the conventional wisdom. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. ReviewThomas Sowell is persuasive and provocative and always scintillating. I’ve read all his books and never been even faintly disappointed. -- Fred Barnes, executive editor, The Weekly Standard, and Fox News commentatorTom Sowell is a national treasure, America’s most perceptive, productive, and thoughtful commentator on racial and ethnic issues. -- Stephan Thernstrom and Abigail Thernstrom, authors of America in Black and White
Views: 342

The Allnighter (a short story)

What's better than staying up all night? Be careful what you wish for.From the anthology collection CONFESSIONS OF A VELOUR-SHIRTED MAN.A modern fairytale about a talking, giant-killing cat with ambitions. The farmyard animals are eager to imitate his example by learning to speak and throwing off the yolk of servitude. All except for silent Mr Simpkins, the grey cat who is as plump as an overstuffed cushion but not so dumb as he looks...
Views: 342

The Boys in the Boat

For readers of Laura Hillenbrand's Seabiscuit and Unbroken, the dramatic story of the American rowing team that stunned the world at Hitler's 1936 Berlin OlympicsDaniel James Brown's robust book tells the story of the University of Washington's 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans. The sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the boys defeated elite rivals first from eastern and British universities and finally the German crew rowing for Adolf Hitler in the Olympic games in Berlin, 1936. The emotional heart of the story lies with one rower, Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not for glory, but to regain his shattered self-regard and to find a place he can call home. The crew is assembled by an enigmatic coach and mentored by a visionary, eccentric British boat builder, but it is their trust in...
Views: 341

Remember the Alamo!

Remember the Alamo! is presented here in a high quality paperback edition. This popular classic work by T. R. Fehrenbach is in the English language, and may not include graphics or images from the original edition. If you enjoy the works of T. R. Fehrenbach then we highly recommend this publication for your book collection.
Views: 341

The Razor's Edge

Stiletto, the Mistress of Blades, faces her greatest challenge when a demented serial killer targets her.In a city full of superheroes, one female hero armed with only her blades and her wits faces her greatest challenge when a demented serial killer targets her. Stiletto, the Mistress of Blades, must grapple with a villain the likes of which she has never seen.
Views: 340

The Good Women of China: Hidden Voices

When Deng Xiaoping’s efforts to “open up” China took root in the late 1980s, Xinran recognized an invaluable opportunity. As an employee for the state radio system, she had long wanted to help improve the lives of Chinese women. But when she was given clearance to host a radio call-in show, she barely anticipated the enthusiasm it would quickly generate. Operating within the constraints imposed by government censors, “Words on the Night Breeze” sparked a tremendous outpouring, and the hours of tape on her answering machines were soon filled every night. Whether angry or muted, posing questions or simply relating experiences, these anonymous women bore witness to decades of civil strife, and of halting attempts at self-understanding in a painfully restrictive society. In this collection, by turns heartrending and inspiring, Xinran brings us the stories that affected her most, and offers a graphically detailed, altogether unprecedented work of oral history.
Views: 340

The Inventor's Secret

There is an alternate cover edition for this edition here. Sixteen-year-old Charlotte and her fellow refugees have scraped out an existence on the edge of Britain’s industrial empire. Though they live by the skin of their teeth they have their health (at least when they can find enough food and avoid the Imperial Labor Gatherers) and each other. When a new exile with no memory of his escape from the coastal cities or even his own name seeks shelter in their camp he brings new dangers with him and secrets about the terrible future that awaits all those who have struggled has to live free of the bonds of the empire’s Machineworks. The Inventor’s Secret is the first book of a YA steampunk series set in an alternate nineteenth-century North America where the Revolutionary War never took place and the British Empire has expanded into a global juggernaut propelled by marvelous and horrible machinery.
Views: 340