It is Hollywood 1938. A great star is planning a stunning comeback, while another is bent on self-destruction. And, as dark clouds hang ominously over Europe, hordes of Monarch butterflies swarm beautifully but menacingly over Hollywood. Against a colourful backdrop of butterflies and beaches, Timothy Findley skillfully phases reality into nightmare, exploring mothers' relationships to sons, women's relationships to men, beauty's relationship to evil. Blending biting humour with brilliant perceptions of the levels of despair, The Butterfly Plague presents the movie world in all its splendour and decay. Views: 938
Incorporates all Graves' final revisions, as well as his replies to two of the reviewers, and a long essay in which he describes the months of inspiration in which The White Goddess was written. Views: 937
Funny, sad, full of wonderful characters and the word-perfect dialogue of which he is the master, McMurtry brings the Thalia saga to an end with Duane confronting depression in the midst of plenty. Surrounded by his children, who all seem to be going through life crises involving sex, drugs, and violence; his wife, Karla, who is wrestling with her own demons; and friends like Sonny, who seem to be dying, Duane can't seem to make sense of his life anymore. He gradually makes his way through a protracted end-of-life crisis of which he is finally cured by reading Proust's Remembrance of Things Past, a combination of penance and prescription from Dr. Carmichael that somehow works.
Duane's Depressed is the work of a powerful, mature artist, with a deep understanding of the human condition, a profound ability to write about small-town life, and perhaps the surest touch of any American novelist for the tangled feelings that bind and separate men and women. Views: 937
In Alan Lightman's new book, a verse narrative, we meet a man who has lost his faith in all things following a mysterious personal tragedy. After decades of living "hung like a dried fly," emptied and haunted by his past, the narrator awakens one morning revitalized and begins a Dante-like journey to find something to believe in, first turning to the world of science and then to the world of philosophy, religion, and human life. As his personal story is slowly revealed, little by little, we confront the great questions of the cosmos and of the human heart, some questions with answers and others without. Views: 937
From the award-winning author of The Shell Collector and About Grace comes an evocative memoir of the timeless beauty of Rome and the day-to-day wonderment of living, writing, and raising twin boys in a foreign city. Views: 937
You can’t help what family you’re born into or what lies they keep from you. You can’t help it if they mold and shape you just the way they wanted. Are monsters born or made?Antonio and Megan have a timeless issue. They were told to stay away from each other. They try, they really do. But they are drawn to each other.Gripping my chest is the only way to hold myself together or what’s left of me will fall out. The past week has enlightened me on one thing-I don’t care. Megan, Mobster’s GirlI didn’t even hesitate. I took two strides and blasted him in the face with my fist. He was ready for it this time-unlike in church. He tried to hit me back but I ducked and smashed him again. Antonio, Mobster’s GirlYou can’t help what family you’re born into or what lies they keep from you. You can’t help it if they mold and shape you just the way they wanted. Are monsters born or made?Antonio and Megan have a timeless issue. They were told to stay away from each other. They try, they really do. But they are drawn to each other.Antonio is eighteen and the up and coming mob boss of Palmetto, New Jersey. Megan is a girl uprooted from the grassy plains of Ireland at the age of five. Now she’s seventeen and faced with horrors she never thought existed.Warning! Underage drinking, strong language, and violence.Visit www.amyrachiele.com/free-ebook/ to sign up for my monthly newsletter and get Mobster's Angel (Mobster's Series Book 4) for FREE! #mobsterfiction Views: 937
"The Playground" was part of the first hardcover edition of Ray Bradbury's legendary work Fahrenheit 451, published in 1953.
In the story, Charles Underhill is a widower who will do anything to protect his young son Jim from the horrors of the playground a playground which he and the boy pass by daily and the tumult of which, the activity, brings back to Charles the anguish of his own childhood. The playground, like childhood itself, is a nightmare of torment and vulnerability; Charles fears his sensitive son will be destroyed there just as he almost was so many years ago.
Underhill's sister Carol, who has moved in to help raise the young boy after his mother passed away, feels differently. The playground, she believes, is preparation for life, Jim will survive the experience, she feels, and he will be the better for it and more equipped to deal with the rigor and obligation of adult existence.
Underhill is caught between his own fear and his sister's invocation of reason and feels paralyzed. A mysterious boy calls out to him from the playground, and seems to know all too well why Underhill is there and what the source of his agony really is. A mysterious Manager also lurks to whom the strange boy directs Underhill. An agreement can be made perhaps this is what the boy tells Underhill. Perhaps Jim can be spared the playground, but of course, a substitute must be found. Views: 936
On the dunes west of Bruges, two-year-old Ydette is found wrapped in a blanket and taken back to live in a small grocer's shop. Opposite the shop live the wealthy van Roeslaere family and their son, Adriaan, a spoilt boy, plagued by ugliness. With overtones of Beauty and the Beast, their romance matures as they grow up together and learn what should truly be valued in life. Views: 936
Kylar Stern odrzucił życie zabójcy. Po krwawym przewrocie, zorganizowanym przez Króla-Boga, mistrz i najbliższy przyjaciel Kylara zginęli. Przyjacielem był Logan Gyre – następca cenaryjskiego tronu. Jednakże niewielu arystokratów przeżyło, żeby opłakiwać jego śmierć. Kylar zaczyna więc od nowa: w nowym mieście, z nowymi towarzyszami, w nowym zawodzie.
Kiedy jednak dowiaduje się, że Logan może żyć – uwięziony, w ukryciu – staje przed najcięższym wyborem: może na zawsze porzucić drogę cienia i odnaleźć spokój w nowej rodzinie. Może też wykorzystać swój niszczycielski talent i lata ćwiczeń, żeby ratować przyjaciela i kraj… jednak wtedy straci to, co dla niego najcenniejsze. Views: 935
Plagued by nightmarish memories of the trenches where he saw his brother die, Nick's grandfather Gordie lays dying as Nick struggles to keep the peace in his increasingly fractious home. As Nick's suburban family loses control over their world, Nick begins to learn his grandfather's buried secrets and comes to understand the power of old wounds to leak into the present. As a study of the power of memory and loss, Another World conveys with extraordinary intensity the ways in which the violent past returns to haunt and distort the present. Views: 935
The beloved bestseller from Newbery Medalist and National Book Award winner Louis Sachar (Holes), with a brand-new cover!
“Give me a dollar or I’ll spit on you.”
That’s Bradley Chalkers for you. He’s the oldest kid in the fifth grade. He tells enormous lies. He picks fights with girls, and the teachers say he has serious behavior problems. No one likes him—except Carla, the new school counselor. She thinks Bradley is sensitive and generous, and she even enjoys his far-fetched stories. Carla knows that Bradley could change, if only he weren’t afraid to try.
But when you feel like the most hated kid in the whole school, believing in yourself can be the hardest thing in the world. . . . Views: 935
More than a quarter of a century after "The Sword of Shannara" carved out its place in the pantheon of great epic fantasy, the magic of Terry Brooks's "New York Times"bestselling saga burns as brightly as ever. Three complete series have chronicled the ever-unfolding history of Shannara. But more stories are still to be told-and new adventures have yet to be undertaken. BookOne of High Druid of Shannara invites both the faithful longtime reader and the curious newcomer to take the first step on the next extraordinary quest.
Twenty years have passed since Grianne Ohmsforddenounced her former life as the dreaded Ilse Witch-saved by the love of her brother, the magic of the Sword of Shannara, and the destruction of her evil mentor, the Morgawr. Now, fulfilling the destiny predictedfor her, she has established the Third Druid Council, and dedicated herself to its goals of peace, harmony among the races, and defense of the Four Lands. But the political intrigue, secret treachery, and sinister deedsthat have haunted Druid history for generations continue to thrive. And despite her devotion to the greater good as Ard Rhys-the High Druid of Paranor, Grianne still has bitter enemies.
Amongthe highest ranks of the Council she leads lurk those who cannot forget her reign of terror as the Ilse Witch, who covet her seat of power, and who will stop at nothing to see her deposed . . . or destroyed. EvenGrianne's few allies-chief among them her trusted servant Tagwen--know of the plots against her. But they could never anticipate the sudden, ominous disappearance of the Ard Rhys, in the deadof night and without a trace. Now, barely a step ahead of the dark forces bent on stopping him, Tagwen joins Grianne's brave young nephew, Pen Ohmsford, and the wise, powerful elf Ahren Elessedil on a desperateand dangerous mission of search and rescue-to deliver the High Druid of Shannara from an unspeakable fate.
Expect no end of wonders, no shortage of adventure, exhilaration, suspense, andenchantment, as Terry Brooks demonstrates, once again, that there is no end to his magic of invention and mastery of storytelling. Views: 935
Who is waiting in the cave?
Case #4: Elysium
The Jenolan Caves Ghost Tour sounded like the perfect weekend for a ghost hunter. But I didn't realize I was letting myself in for a whole lot more than just a haunted hotel and endless family squabbles. Something was our trail. Something vicious, mysterious, and very, very smelly... Views: 935
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. The evil Shadowen have seized control of the Four Lands, and Walker Bok, one of the scions of Shannara, must retrieve the Elfstone from the Stone King. Views: 935
