San Francisco, 1976. A naïve young secretary, fresh out of Cleveland, tumbles headlong into a brave new world of laundromat Lotharios, pot-growing landladies, cut throat debutantes, and Jockey Shorts dance contests. The saga that ensues is manic, romantic, tawdry, touching, and outrageous - unmistakably the handiwork of Armistead Maupin. Views: 538
In a new short story available exclusively as an ebook, Jack Reacher's spending the holidays in California. The last thing he expects is a blizzard—or a visit from the world's deadliest assassin. Don't miss a thrilling preview of Lee Child's highly anticipated new Jack Reacher novel, Past Tense! On Christmas Eve, Jack Reacher stumbles into a no-name bar in the California desert, desperate to take refuge from an unexpected snowstorm. Reacher came to Barstow for a little R&R. Instead, he's sequestered in a dark little roadhouse with a bartender, a bewildered elderly couple—and two members of Britain's Royal Military Police. They tell Reacher they were escorting a VIP to a top-secret meeting at a U.S. military base when they became separated from their charge. That's when the threat came in from a notorious assassin: the Christmas Scorpion. Now they need a miracle to save the day. Or maybe all they need is Jack Reacher. Views: 538
A short fable about two brothers, a road, a load, and of course, a tree toad.Bribery, corruption and Norwegian penises: a satirical tale of two cultures.Thanks to her grandmother’s way of dealing with her constipation, the Shanghai policeman’s daughter grows up believing that the sun shines out of her backside. Her temper and screaming fits are so notorious that nobody dares to marry her – even though her father is offering a large sum of money. An inspector in the Shanghai police, he has accumulated a small fortune in bribe money, but what he really desires is a grandchild. When he suggests that Norway might be a suitable place to search for a spouse, his daughter readily agrees: having been reliably informed that Norwegian men have very large penises.But Norway turns out to be a bit of a culture shock for the Shanghai policeman’s daughter. Not only does Oslo resemble a small provincial town when compared to Shanghai, but every one is very honest and nobody will take a bribe. Moreover, whilst she is impressed by the size of Norwegian men’s penises, they are apparently unaware as to what they are supposed to do with them. Views: 538
Written nearly two decades ago, this is the first novel of the award-winning Nothomb to be translated into English (beautifully so, by Alison Anderson). The shocking, morbid tale follows Prétextat Tach, a brilliant Nobel Prize–winning author who's also an obese, embittered, reclusive, racist, and sexist old man dying of a rare form of cancer. When the world learns Tach has only months left to live, journalists scramble for an interview. Five are selected, and the first four leave their interviews humiliated by the offensive author. But then the fifth journalist arrives. Unlike the others, Nina has not only read Tach's work but also investigated his life, discovering appalling secrets the author had thought were buried forever. As Nina slowly peels Tach's life apart in front of him, his hatred for her turns to respect. Nina's arrival obliterates the book's languid pacing, bringing much more than a strong-willed persona to the proceedings. Her startling revelations lead to a dramatic and unexpected ending that illuminates why the world, if not always its English-speaking inhabitants, loves Nothomb. Views: 538
Seven gross poems include what a small boy thinks about while sitting on the toilet, a peeing competition, a fishing trip with granddad that ends with a hook stuck in the wrong place, everything you wanted to know about the snot market, fashion followers, celebrity ambitions and an unusual fashion statement.Seven different stories are told in verse. The first tells of a small boy sitting on the toilet pondering where poo goes and why various animals poo differently. The second describes the trouble a boy can get into in a peeing competition to see who can aim the highest. The next poem describes the misfortunes of a boy who needs to do a number two when out fishing on a small boat with his granddad. Something awful happens to the boy when a hook goes flying through the air. Yet another poem explains how a boy’s pastime of nose picking makes him money. His enterprise first involves his classmates then spreads to servicing areas outside of school. The fifth poem covers the truth of following fashion and style trends. Fashion changes from having studs in your ear to finding your phone is the wrong color shade. The sixth poem defines the problems of seeking to be a celebrity. It shows the lengths people go to become a celebrity in how they decorate or add to their body,. The last poem involves a mother’s love of fashion being transferred to her child. Wait to you hear the ending. Views: 538
One of Tom Clancy's most storied characters, Dominic Caruso, is the only one who can stop America's secrets from falling into enemy hands in this blockbuster new novel written by Clancy's longtime coauthor.
Over the course of three decades, Tom Clancy created a world alive with prescient action and remarkable individuals. In "Tom Clancy ""Support and Defend," Dominic Caruso is presented with the deadliest challenge of his career.
Dominic Caruso. Nephew of President Jack Ryan. FBI agent and operator for The Campus, a top secret intelligence agency that works off the books for the U.S. government. Already scarred by the death of his brother, Caruso is devastated when he can't save a friend and his family from a terrorist attack.
Ethan Ross was a mid-level staffer for the National Security Council. Now he's a wanted fugitive on the run with a microdrive that contains enough information to wreck American intelligence efforts around the world. The CIA is desperate to get the drive back, but so are the Russians and various terrorist groups all of whom are closer to catching the fugitive. Only Caruso stands in their way, but can he succeed without the aid of his Campus colleagues? Views: 538
Noble is a knight with a heart that's true and, well, noble. With his not-so-trusty sword, Smite, he fights his way through a vicious, unfriendly landscape, sure (or at least, he thinks he's sure) that one day he'll defeat the bad guys (whoever they are) and win the heart (at least he guesses that's the idea) of a beautiful princess. Then one day Rufus comes along and turns his world upside down. Rufus has his own ideas about how to get ahead: don't fight, negotiate! Don't play by the rules! Suddenly, life is more interesting--and less painful--than ever before. But the new rules are harder to live by than the old ones, and suddenly, it appears possible that Rufus might have an ulterior motive--at the very least! With a slippery, ever twisting plot that is set inside a very confused computer, Catherine Jinks's latest novel will pull in fans of adventure, computer games, and just plain fun.
Releases simultaneously in electronic book format (ISBN 978-1-60684-284-3) Views: 538
An exhilarating spy thriller written by an intelligence veteran about two women CIA agents whose paths become intertwined around a threat to the Russia Division--one that's coming from inside the agency.
Lyndsey Duncan worries her career with the CIA might be over. After lines are crossed with another intelligence agent during an assignment, she is sent home to Washington on administrative leave. So when a former colleague--now Chief of the Russia Division--recruits her for an internal investigation, she jumps at the chance to prove herself. Lyndsey was once a top handler in the Moscow Field Station, where she was known as the "human lie detector" and praised for recruiting some of the most senior Russian officials. But now, three Russian assets have been exposed--including one of her own--and the CIA is convinced there's a mole in the department. With years of work in question and lives on the line, Lyndsey is thrown back into life at the agency, this time tracing the steps of those closest to her.
Meanwhile, fellow agent Theresa Warner can't avoid the spotlight. She is the infamous "Red Widow," the wife of a former director killed in the field under mysterious circumstances. With her husband's legacy shadowing her every move, Theresa is a fixture of the Russia Division, and as she and Lyndsey strike up an unusual friendship, her knowledge proves invaluable. But as Lyndsey uncovers a surprising connection to Theresa that could answer all of her questions, she unearths a terrifying web of secrets within the department, if only she is willing to unravel it.... Views: 538
Elizabeth and Jackson Shore married young, raised two daughters, and weathered the storms of youth as they built a future together. But after the children leave home, they quietly drift apart. When Jack accepts a wonderful new job offer, Elizabeth puts her needs aside to follow him across the country. Until the sudden death of her father changes everything. Grieving and alone, she retreats to an isolated beach house where she packs away the last remnants of her parents’ lives. There, the pieces of a past she never knew unfold to reveal a tender story of lasting devotion, the kind of steadfast commitment that Elizabeth admits is missing from her own marriage. Faced with her own disillusionment, she makes a terrifying decision, risking everything she has for a second chance at happiness. Enriched by soul-stirring emotion and an appreciation for the simple joy of everyday miracles, Distant Shores is an exquisite reminder of the most precious gifts in life: friends and family, children and lovers, the strength to change, and the courage to forgive-–all flawlessly captured by the graceful hands of Kristin Hannah. Views: 538
In these Texas-set stories of romance and adventure, the Civil War is over, Christmas is coming—and it's time for three rugged fighters to become lovers . . . FATHER GOOSENew York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author Jodi Thomas Dispirited by war, when Trapper Hawkins accepts a job hauling five little rich girls to Dallas, all he cares about is the money. He doesn't expect they'll awaken his spirit—or that their intriguing nursemaid, Emery Adams, will awaken his heart. And when danger strikes as Christmas Eve nears, he definitely doesn't expect Emery and the girls to risk their lives—for him . . . THE MISTLETOE PROMISE * Sharla Lovelace A catastrophic storm, an ailing herd, and a failing cattle ranch have left Texas rancher Josie Bancroft in danger of losing everything her father worked for. Still, she'd rather die than merge with her neighbor rancher... Views: 538
In the #1 New York Times bestselling novel Wonder, readers were introduced to memorable English teacher Mr. Browne and his love of precepts. Simply put, precepts are principles to live by, and Mr. Browne has compiled 365 of them—one for each day of the year—drawn from popular songs to children’s books to inscriptions on Egyptian tombstones to fortune cookies. His selections celebrate kindness, hopefulness, the goodness of human beings, the strength of people’s hearts, and the power of people’s wills. Interspersed with the precepts are letters and emails from characters who appeared in Wonder. Readers hear from Summer, Jack, Charlotte, Julian, and Amos.There’s something for everyone here, with words of wisdom from such noteworthy people as Anne Frank, Martin Luther King Jr., Confucius, Goethe, Sappho—and over 100 readers of Wonder who sent R. J. Palacio their own precepts. Views: 537
Although best known for Little Lord Fauntleroy and The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett was considered one of the leading writers in America on the strength of her adult novels, which made her name in the 1870s and 1880s. Ripe for rediscovery, Bello is proud to bring a select group of these classic novels back into print.That Lass O' Lowrie's was Frances Hodgson Burnett's first novel. A tale of Lancashire, her chosen heroine is pit-girl. Burnett uses the novel to explore questions of social inequality and injustice, with much of the material drawn from real life. Serialised in Scribner's Monthly before publication as a book, and first published in April 1877, That Lass O' Lowrie's won unanimous praise from the critics. Views: 537
The young haremaid Dotti and the badger-warrior Lord Brocktree—unlikely comrades—set out for Salamandastron together, only to discover the legendary mountain has been captured by the wildcat Ungatt Trunn and his Blue Hordes. To face them, the two must rally an army—hares and otters, shrews and moles, mice and squirrels—and execute a plan that makes up in cleverness what it lacks in force. Views: 537
Part spy novel, part romance, part Henry James, Your Face Tomorrow is a wholly remarkable display of the immense gifts of Javier Marias. With Fever and Spear, Volume One of his unfolding novel Your Face Tomorrow, he returns us to the rarified world of Oxford (the delightful setting of All Souls and Dark Back of Time), while introducing us to territory entirely new--espionage. Our hero, Jaime Deza, separated from his wife in Madrid, is a bit adrift in London until his old friend Sir Peter Wheeler retired Oxford don and semi-retired master spy recruits him for a new career in British Intelligence. Deza possesses a rare gift for seeing behind the masks people wear. He is soon observing interviews conducted by Her Majesty's secret service: variously shady international businessmen one day, would-be coup leaders the next. Seductively, this metaphysical thriller explores past, present, and future in the ever-more-perilous 21st century. This compelling and enigmatic tour de force from one of Europe's greatest writers continues with Volume Two, Dance and Dream." Views: 537
