Thomas Berger's modern hero Carlo Reinhart is thrust into the strangest chapter of his life yetCarlo Reinhart's life has taken many turns. From his idealistic youth in Crazy in Berlin, to his entrance into adulthood in Reinhart in Love, through his uneasy tumble into middle age in Vital Parts, Reinhart has never lost his philosophical and even-minded disposition. Reinhart's Women finds Reinhart divorced and living with his daughter, Winona, a successful model. His newest hobby is cooking, and he has become surprisingly accomplished for an amateur. But when he asks a woman over for a homemade lunch, Reinhart's idyll is shattered. Adventures and misadventures conspire to put his nascent cooking skills to the test—and turn him into a postmodern celebrity. With Reinhart, Berger has created one of the great comic characters of the twentieth century—a man who beautifully represents, and parodies, his moment. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Thomas Berger... Views: 42
In the classical Arab tradition of tale-telling, here is a magical book that celebrates the power of storytelling, delightfully transformed for modern sensibilities by an award-winning author.The time is present-day Damascus, and Salim the coachman, the city's most famous storyteller, is mysteriously struck dumb. To break the spell, seven friends gather for seven nights to present Salim with seven wondrous "gifts"-seven stories of their own design.Upon this enchanting frame of tales told in the fragrant Arabian night, the words of the past grow fainter, as ancient customs are yielding to modern turmoil. While the hairdresser, the teacher, the wife of the locksmith sip their tea and pass the water pipe, they swap stories about the magical and the mundane: about djinnis and princesses, about contemporary politics and the difficulties of bargaining in a New York department store. And as one tale leads to another... and another... all of Damascus appears before your eyes,... Views: 42
In Revolutionary France, a grisly murder threatens to derail an ambitious plan to save the condemned kingClie Laurent stands in the convention hall of the French Republic, watching the deputies vote one by one. Most of them have just one word to say: Death. As the night wears on, the outcome of the vote moves beyond doubt, and Louis XVI is condemned to the guillotine. Clie will have just four days to save the king's life. As the Revolution reaches a fever pitch, Clie falls in with a group of royalists who are willing to do whatever it takes to keep France from killing its king. Their plan is daring, but just might work—until the group's leader is murdered in cold blood. Somewhere among the royalists lies a traitor, and Clie and her friends must find him soon, lest they lose their heads before Louis loses his. Views: 42
On the evening of 17 October 1678 the body of Sir Edmund Berry Godfrey, a Westminster Justice of the Peace, was discovered in a ditch near Primrose Hill. He had been pierced with his own sword and apparently strangled. His death led to a widespread popular hysteria about a 'Popish Plot'. Although a magistrate famous for his fierce rectitude, Godfrey was closely involved with the alternative healer and 'stroker', Valentine Greatrakes and also played a part in many plots and intrigues centred on the uninhibited court of Charles II and Restoration London. His death brought to a head a series of rumours about Catholic plots to kill Charles II and install his brother, James, Duke of York, on the throne. Identified as the victim of a Jesuit hit-man, Godfrey became overnight a Protestant martyr and cult figure. Views: 42
The first in the Maggie Newberry mystery series, Little Death by the Sea, takes Atlanta Copywriter Maggie Newberry to the south of France and Paris in her search for her sister and her niece's killer. Along the way, she meets Laurent--a sexy Frenchman who is not at all what he appears. Is he helping her in her quest? Or is he the reason for it? Views: 42
The stories in this collection draw variously on the themes of love and loss, Taoist metaphors, socio-political concerns, and the writer's place and role in the world. Literary and complex yet accessible and fast-paced, each story differs widely in style, motivation, philosophy, and denouement from all the others. The collection encompasses topographies and places from China to France, and Ireland to India. Views: 42
"A stunning novel and a joy to read" Helen Hollick, Managing Editor - Historical Novel Society (Editor's Choice)"Smith writes fluidly, and the society he depicts is intriguingly complex." - Kirkus ReviewsThe first recorded Europeans to cross the Mississippi River reached the western shore on June 18, 1541. Hernando De Soto and his army of three hundred and fifty conquistadors spent the next year and a half conquering the nations in the fertile flood plains of eastern Arkansas.Three surviving sixteenth-century journals written during the expedition detailed a complex array of twelve different nations. Each had separate beliefs, languages, and interconnected villages with capital towns comparable in size to European cities of the time. Through these densely populated sites, the Spanish carried a host of deadly old-world diseases, a powerful new religion, and war.No other Europeans ventured into this land until French explorers arrived one hundred and thirty years later. They found... Views: 42
One couple, two coasts--it may be unconventional, but Riley and Asher make it work. Riley's fierce New York career and Asher's lucrative Phoenix sports agency are the perfect balance to their sexy, satisfying marriage. Which is what makes Asher's sudden ultimatum to Riley--leave New York or leave him--so shocking. And Riley has an even bigger surprise in store, forcing her to decide where her heart and future really lie....Brokering million-dollar deals is easy for Asher; living apart from his wife isn't. But can Asher walk away from everything he's worked for? Or will ambition and drive--the things they love most about each other--tear Riley and Asher apart?Perhaps changing priorities will make this couple fly even higher.... Views: 42
