\'Twas the night (okay, more like the week) before Christmas, and all through the tiny community of Pine Cove, California, people are busy buying, wrapping, packing, and generally getting into the holiday spirit.But not everybody is feeling the joy. Little Joshua Barker is in desperate need of a holiday miracle. No, he\'s not on his deathbed; no, his dog hasn\'t run away from home. But Josh is sure that he saw Santa take a shovel to the head, and now the seven-year-old has only one prayer: Please, Santa, come back from the dead.But hold on! There\'s an angel waiting in the wings. (Wings, get it?) It\'s none other than the Archangel Raziel come to Earth seeking a small child with a wish that needs granting. Unfortunately, our angel\'s not sporting the brightest halo in the bunch, and before you can say "Kris Kringle," he\'s botched his sacred mission and sent the residents of Pine Cove headlong into Christmas chaos, culminating in the most hilarious and horrifying holiday party the town has ever seen.Move over, Charles Dickens -- it\'s Christopher Moore time. Views: 724
The story of Bertie & his dysfunctional family continues in this sixth instalment alongside the familiar cast of favourites - Big Lou, Domenica, Angus Lordie, Cyril & others - in their daily pursuit of a little happiness. Views: 724
The first of his family to go to college, Anil Patel, the golden son, carries the weight of tradition and his family’s expectations when he leaves his tiny Indian village to begin a medical residency in Dallas, Texas, at one of the busiest and most competitive hospitals in America. When his father dies, Anil becomes the de facto head of the Patel household and inherits the mantle of arbiter for all of the village’s disputes. But he is uneasy with the custom, uncertain that he has the wisdom and courage demonstrated by his father and grandfather. His doubts are compounded by the difficulties he discovers in adjusting to a new culture and a new job, challenges that will shake his confidence in himself and his abilities.
Back home in India, Anil’s closest childhood friend, Leena, struggles to adapt to her demanding new husband and relatives. Arranged by her parents, the marriage shatters Leena’s romantic hopes and eventually forces her to make a desperate choice that will hold drastic repercussions for herself and her family. Though Anil and Leena struggle to come to terms with their identities thousands of miles apart, their lives eventually intersect once more—changing them both and the people they love forever. Views: 724
Shortly before turning the big 5-0, boisterous party planner and Cooking with Gusto personality Augusta "Gus" Simpson finds herself planning a birthday party she'd rather not-her own. She's getting tired of being the hostess, the mother hen, the woman who has to plan her own birthday party. What she needs is time on her own with enough distance to give her loved ones the ingredients to put together successful lives without her.
Assisted by a handsome up-and-coming chef, Oliver, Gus invites a select group to take an on-air cooking class. But instead of just preaching to the foodie masses, she will teach regular people how to make rich, sensuous meals-real people making real food. Gus decides to bring a vibrant cast of friends and family on the program: Sabrina, her fickle daughter; Troy, Sabrina's ex-husband; Anna, Gus's timid neighbor; and Carmen, Gus's pompous and beautiful competitor at the Cooking Channel. And when she begins to have more than collegial feelings for her sous-chef, Gus realizes that she might be able to rejuvenate not just her professional life, but her personal life as well. . . . Views: 724
They say if you remember the '60s, you weren't there. But, fortunately, Tom Wolfe was there, notebook in hand, politely declining LSD while Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters fomented revolution, turning America on to a dangerously playful way of thinking as their Day-Glo conveyance, Further, made the most influential bus ride since Rosa Parks's. By taking On the Road's hero Neal Cassady as his driver on the cross-country revival tour and drawing on his own training as a magician, Kesey made Further into a bully pulpit, and linked the beat epoch with hippiedom. Paul McCartney's Many Years from Now cites Kesey as a key influence on his trippy Magical Mystery Tour film. Kesey temporarily renounced his literary magic for the cause of "tootling the multitudes"--making a spectacle of himself--and Prankster Robert Stone had to flee Kesey's wild party to get his life's work done. But in those years, Kesey's life was his work, and Wolfe infinitely multiplied the multitudes who got tootled by writing this major literary-journalistic monument to a resonant pop-culture moment.
Kesey's theatrical metamorphosis from the distinguished author of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest to the abominable shaman of the "Acid Test" soirees that launched The Grateful Dead required Wolfe's Day-Glo prose account to endure (though Kesey's own musings in Demon Box are no slouch either). Even now, Wolfe's book gives what Wolfe clearly got from Kesey: a contact high. Views: 723
Former operative Major Hector Cross must face off against a pair of lethal enemies and prevent an international catastrophe in this gripping contemporary adventure-thriller—perfect for fans of Clive Cussler, Ted Bell, and Vince Flynn—from the legendary worldwide bestselling author of Desert God and Golden Lion.
One of the most formidable fighters in the world, ex-SAS warrior and former private security consultant Major Hector Cross has survived explosive tangles with depraved enemies—warlords, pirates, and arms dealers—from the Middle East to the heart of Africa. Now, Cross must take the law into his own hands once again to stop a vengeful old enemy who has resurfaced—and hunt down a deadly new nemesis in pursuit of global domination.
Co-written with internationally bestselling author Tom Cain, this exciting tale, filled with knife-edge tension, cunning global intrigue, rip-roaring action, and breathtaking adventure, demonstrates the extraordinary vision and talent of a writer with a gift for consistently delivering nonstop entertainment. Views: 723
Gloria Goldfish wakes up one morning and discovers all the gold has been stolen from her scales. But who's taken it, and why would they do such a thing? Gloria sets out on an underwater journey of self-discovery to get back her gold, making new friends and facing new dangers along the way.This batch of hundred short poems leans heavily towards politics and to a lesser extend to the various recent aspects of popular culture. This is a continuation to my personal challenge to write at least one poem a day until I reach 1000 poems, or maybe a number over 9000.More specifically this collection contains several poems on the topics of feminism, racism, #GamerGate and since each of these topics are highly controversial, it is likely that our views on these subjects will have discrepancies. Well, at least if you are in favour of feminism, do not want to end racism, and are not in favour of #GamerGate. Nevertheless other topics have been touched as well.This time around, I would say that my favourite poem is the one called "Courage and Bigotry." It is slightly longer than the average length of the other poems.The table of contents:Here we go againOn the sixth of marchCompulsory SwedishUnder the storm and rain (For a fantasy novel)Combined European Army?European army and how it could workDandelion Prince (For a fantasy novel)A Top Gear job opening?Terry Pratchett#GamerGate and Women in Video Games?CHAPPiEGarnetPoetry is a sounding boardBreak up poemParenting?Old loveWe will own this sky21.03.2015Gaming and microtransactionsFeminism is our modern swastikaSpace MonkeyPassive Aggressive Spring#Gamergate as FBI priority4/5th DirectionSpace MonkeyOld School WesternStereotypical Fantasy VillainAnother WorldEarly birdThe Dead Fields (For a fantasy novel)For what it's worthPillars of EternityI hate youHeadacheLet me seeCulture of rape?Hugo Awards 8.4.2015 4/8/2015Were I to sell renewable energy135 downloads#SadPuppiesBreakIt keeps going onwardsHillary's tweetGRRM and Sad PuppiesNetflixdevilNASA | SDO: Year 5Tower of Judgement (For a fantasy novel)Baron of Storms (For a fantasy novel)Two days to electionsThe Terror of Honey Badgers at Calgary ExpoElection DayCourage and BigotryFearOn the Death of RacismOde to my new hatBicycleFlash GordonMan of SteelPolitical CorrectnessThe Two Natural DisastersBirthday RosesThoughts on Baltimore RiotsDavid Simon: End the Drug WarHappy thoughtsNews from Nepal in 2015Bernie Sanders for PresidentSpace MonkeyAnd the sky shall fallI like to argue like a Flame WarriorSleepNight at the clubOn PotatoesA gamer is dead, long live the gamer!Space MonkeyAll those racist wordsControversial poems...Fried RiceTaunts onlineMy dear WatsonI received a letterOn police with camerasKing's counsel (For a fantasy novel)Girlfriend's espressoOn women who want to have it allOn a brighter noteA response to Elisa Chavez's “#gamergate”SidetrackedThe bitch waits in the showerA Person of Colour“Redneck Avengers: Tulsa Nights” — A Bad Lip ReadingHundred online strawsHeadaches of mineThe Green ElephantSandwich with hamAnd now she wants salmonSidekick Max: Furiosa's RoadTo Be A Delicate FlowerA Green CarHello my loveSome Two Hundred Poems Views: 723
In this comedy of social contrasts, set in London during the heady 20s, rich, bored Ursula Deane falls for a penniless violinist whose sister becomes the object of the attentions of Ursula's brother, Lord Chitterne. Josephine Tey, who died in 1952, is best known for her crime novels. Views: 723
The Watchers is the first book in The Watchers Series. It focuses on 16-year-old Clare Michaels and her journey to her mom's home town of King's Cross. Long aware of her heritage - that she is the daughter of an angel - 'The Watchers' focuses on her first interaction with the world she has long hidden from. The world of half angels/half humans - the world of Watchers.16-year-old Clare Michaels has always known the truth - that she is the daughter of a fallen angel. That truth has made her life hell. She has spent her entire life running from the children of the fallen. A secret, centuries-old war has divided her kind, and there are only two options if the others find her - join the fight or die. Clare's only ally in her running is her mother, Ellen. They have always hidden in large cities away where they could blend and disappear. So when Ellen decides to move Clare to the tiny town of King's Cross - Ellen's hometown - Clare is skeptical. But King's Cross ends up being more dangerous than even she could imagine.A dark creature is stalking the locals, Clare keeps hearing the thoughts of someone determined to kill her, and a boy in her class named Daniel seems absolutely determined to become her friend. Clare is not certain which of the three is worse.But it is through Daniel's help that Clare is able to understand her angelic heritage, save lives, and come to grips with her destiny as one of the Watchers. Views: 723
"The claws were bad enough in the first place--nasty, crawling little death-robots. But when they began to imitate their creators, it was time for the human race to make peace--if it could!" Philip K. Dick said of his story "Second Variety" "My grand theme--who is human and who only appears as human?--emerges most fully. Unless we can individually and collectively be certain of the answer to this question, we face what is, in my view, the most serious problem possible. Without answering it adequately, we cannot even be certain of our own selves." Reviewing the story, critic Zack Handlen wrote, "'Second Variety' is grim, violent, and suspenseful. . . . While most of the twists are easy to spot once you discover the main plot--basically 'Are you or aren't you a machine'-- they still have an impact, and Dick makes his point quite clearly." Besides the title story, this collection also includes nine more classic Philip K. Dick tales: "Piper in the Woods," "Beyond the Door," "The Crystal Crypt," "The Defenders," "The Gun," "The Skull," "The Eyes Have It," "Mr. Spaceship," and the novella "The Variable Man"--260 pages of mind-bending prose from the master of weird science fiction. Views: 723
NEW YORK TIMES & USATODAY Bestselling Series
There’s optimistic. And there’s Jesse Walker.
If he wasn’t so charming, his sunny disposition and incessant grin would get old. Fast.
Falling in love with the broken girl who had at first seemed immune to anything resembling love was the best thing to happen to Jesse since the Walkers adopted him when he was five.
As Jesse’s life continues at the ranch and Rowen begins making her mark in the Seattle art community, they wonder where the middle ground is. Or if there even is one.
As push comes to shove, they’re forced to make choices neither are eager to make, and Jesse and Rowen have to face what their lives might look like without the other.
Can two people with such tragic pasts and different presents expect a promising future together? Whatever the answer, they’ll need a lot more than love to make it.
Recommended for mature readers due to moderate content and language. Views: 723
Fourth in "an intense fascinating epic"* of high action and fantasy adventure.
Inda, fresh from his triumph on the battlefield against the Venn, takes his place beside King Evred as Harskialdna, the King's Shield. But the Venn are far from defeated and only Inda's fame is strong enough to inspire all the squabbling kingdoms to unite and raise a force mighty enough to protect the strait and repel the enemy. Evred has also ordered Inda to take over the strait once the battle is won, but Inda, a former pirate, knows that this is a very bad idea. Now Inda must choose between obeying his liege-or committing treason. Views: 723
Just as Norman Maclean writes at the end of "A River Runs through It" that he is "haunted by waters," so have readers been haunted by his novella. A retired English professor who began writing fiction at the age of 70, Maclean produced what is now recognized as one of the classic American stories of the twentieth century. Originally published in 1976, A River Runs through It and Other Stories now celebrates its twenty-fifth anniversary, marked by this new edition that includes a foreword by Annie Proulx.
Maclean grew up in the western Rocky Mountains in the first decades of the twentieth century. As a young man he worked many summers in logging camps and for the United States Forest Service. The two novellas and short story in this collection are based on his own experiences—the experiences of a young man who found that life was only a step from art in its structures and beauty. The beauty he found was in reality, and so he leaves a careful record of what it was like to work in the woods when it was still a world of horse and hand and foot, without power saws, "cats," or four-wheel drives. Populated with drunks, loggers, card sharks, and whores, and set in the small towns and surrounding trout streams and mountains of western Montana, the stories concern themselves with the complexities of fly fishing, logging, fighting forest fires, playing cribbage, and being a husband, a son, and a father.
By turns raunchy, poignant, caustic, and elegiac, these are superb tales which express, in Maclean's own words, "a little of the love I have for the earth as it goes by." A first offering from a 70-year-old writer, the basis of a top-grossing movie, and the first original fiction published by the University of Chicago Press, A River Runs through It and Other Stories has sold more than a million copies. As Proulx writes in her foreword to this new edition, "In 1990 Norman Maclean died in body, but for hundreds of thousands of readers he will live as long as fish swim and books are made." Views: 723
In 1930 Henry Miller moved from New York to Paris, leaving behind — at least temporarily — his tempestuous marriage to June Smith and a novel that had sprung from his anguish over her love affair with a mysterious woman named Jean Kronski. Begun in 1927, Crazy Cock is the story of Tony Bring, a struggling writer whose bourgeois inclinations collide with the disordered bohemianism of his much-beloved wife, Hildred, particularly when her lover, Vanya, comes to live with them in their already cramped Greenwich Village apartment. In a world swirling with violence, sex, and passion, the three struggle with their desires, inching ever nearer to insanity, each unable to break away from this dangerous and consuming love triangle. Views: 722
It is the 1870s and twin brothers Sean and Garrick Courtney are born in the wilds of Natal. They could not be more different, and fate, war and the jealous schemes of a woman are to drive them even further apart. On th horizon is the promise of fortune, adventure, destiny and love. Views: 722
