Patrick sits by the cool waters of the West Australian beach and is reminded of the long hot summers of his youth - the sun, the sea, the girls. And, of course, of Dylan - his cousin who seemed to be everything Patrick was not. Yet now, years later, Patrick is reminded of those days with a mix of joy and melancholy - his life may never be the same.Humans facing the possibility of living for eternity can't stand by and watch as thousands of their kind fly off into the cosmic void.The self-exiled humans will be used as slaves by a more advanced alien race. Their minds have been rendered compliant by implants from a devious genius but possible medium term redemption exists through device decay or the ingesting of certain chemicals.As the commander of the humans ponders the mental effects of eternal life, the universal mind has ideas of creating a new beginning for the humans... Views: 322
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery. Views: 321
(my conversion)THE INVASION FROM MARScame in the early years of the 21st century. And all over America were people praying for it to succeed... .For two decades, the United States had been slipping into a primitive past, turning its back on technology—and abandoning it's Martian colony . Its “emergency" government was kept" . in power by repression, food was scarce, life grim . . . ami killer packs of wild animals prowled at night, making curfews a vital need.Then the “Martians" came back. An obscure teacher, John Castle, was among the first to see the invaders—and made a desperate try to aid them. He failed then, but there was a strange role waiting for Castle to play..,. Views: 321
Asher Grey is Victorian London's only consulting exorcist. Beneath the surface of the physical world is the realm of the mystical and unnatural-the things that go bump in the night. Sorting these things out is Asher's calling. If only he could manage to get a paying client or two.When Asher is called to perform an exorcism on an asylum patient, he quickly realizes this is not a typical case; the thing possessing the patient threatens the imminent arrival of a dark entity. Suddenly, Asher's childhood friend appears and interjects herself into the case, putting her at risk.All Asher wants is to stop the arrival of the fiend and to keep his friend from harm-but doing both may not be possible. Views: 321
The Journal of Joyce Carol Oates, edited by Greg Johnson, offers a rare glimpse into the private thoughts of this extraordinary writer, focusing on excerpts written during one of the most productive decades of Oates's long career. Far more than just a daily account of a writer's writing life, these intimate, unrevised pages candidly explore her friendship with other writers, including John Updike, Donald Barthelme, Susan Sontag, Gail Godwin, and Philip Roth. It presents a fascinating portrait of the artist as a young woman, fully engaged with her world and her culture, on her way to becoming one of the most respected, honored, discussed, and controversial figures in American letters. Views: 321
Buster “Rant” Casey just may be the most efficient serial killer of our time. A high school rebel, Rant Casey escapes from his small town home for the big city where he becomes the leader of an urban demolition derby called Party Crashing. Rant Casey will die a spectacular highway death, after which his friends gather the testimony needed to build an oral history of his short, violent life. Views: 321
With the sickening realisation that his cover has been blown, Detective Dave Burrows knows his family is in serious danger from the vicious stock thieves and murderers, Bulldust and his brother Scotty.Devastating news brings Dave back to Barrabine, where circumstances force him to question his determination to stay in the police force. How could he live with himself if anything happened to Mel and the kids?Mel, understandably frightened, must decide who she'll listen to. Can she trust Dave to handle this threat hanging over their family, or is her father right to argue that she should leave her marriage immediately?With her acclaimed skill for tension and drama, Fleur McDonald has delivered another richly compelling story in Something to Hide.Praise for Red Dirt Country'McDonald's knowledge and experience of farming ensures the authenticity of setting and characters ... an engaging mystery.' Book'd Out'These books are go-to reads for me.' Debbish Views: 321
Moran of the Lady Letty, originally published in 1898, was Frank Norris\'s first published novel. Although an avid fan of Norris, having read some of his nautical adventure stories in the collection A Deal in Wheat, I did not approach this work with very high expectations. Soon after diving in, however, I was pleasantly surprised by how well-written and entertaining it is. Ross Wilbur is an educated young member of San Francisco\'s upper class. Killing time one afternoon before a society ball, he decides to take a stroll along the waterfront, where he is abducted by a sea captain and forced into service among the crew of a schooner. After an abusive welcome, he is informed by the captain that they will be fishing for sharks along the coast of Mexico for a few weeks, after which time Wilbur will be returned to his home port. After overcoming the initial shock of his capture, Wilbur resigns himself to his fate and actually begins to enjoy life at sea. The shark hunting is interrupted, however, when the crew stumbles upon a drifting, apparently abandoned ship named the "Lady Letty." Upon investigation they discover one survivor aboard, who, much to Wilbur\'s surprise, turns out to be a woman. Far from a damsel in distress, Moran, as the young woman is named, soon proves herself as fiercely independent, coarsely mannered, and physically powerful as any masculine sailor on the high seas. Views: 321
An acclaimed novel by the Edgar Award-winning author of The Concrete Blonde follows crime-beat reporter Jack McEvoy as he tracks down a versifying serial killer who preys on police detectives. Views: 321
For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.
Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.
Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame. Views: 321
Serge A. Storms gives condo living a try in this latest acid-splashed Florida crime caper from the "insanely funny" (New York Times Book Review) Tim Dorsey.Serge A. Storms and his permanently baked sidekick, Coleman, have decided to pump the brakes and live on island time. After years of manic road tripping across their beloved Sunshine State, the irrepressible anti-heroes drop anchor in the Florida Keys. They settle down in Pelican Bay, a thriving condo complex with scenic views and friendly neighbors. But the community is at war with investors who are buying up units and leasing them to young vacationers who party at all hours. With their little slice of heaven on the line, Serge takes it upon himself to convince the tourists to move on and quickly becomes a local favorite. Meanwhile, the island chain's long and rich smuggling heritage is causing mayhem—a gang war erupts when a local drug lord passes the family business to his young,... Views: 321
shopaholic, julia kent, chick lit, contemporary romance, romantic comedy, lauren landish, nadia lee, emily giffin, jane green, sophie kinsella Views: 321
London 1666. Elizabeth 'Bird' Carpenter has a wonderful singing voice, and music is her chief passion. When her father persuades her to marry horse-dealer Christopher Knepp, she suspects she is marrying beneath her station, but nothing prepares her for the reality of life with Knepp. Her father has betrayed her trust, for Knepp cares only for his horses; he is a tyrant and a bully, and will allow Bird no life of her own. When Knepp goes away, she grasps her chance and, encouraged by her maidservant Livvy, makes a secret visit to the theatre. Entranced by the music, the glitter and glamour of the surroundings, and the free and outspoken manner of the women on the stage, she falls in love with the theatre and is determined to forge a path of her own as an actress. But life in the theatre was never going to be straightforward – for a jealous rival wants to spoil her plans, and worse, Knepp forbids it, and Bird must use all her wit and... Views: 321
A timeless classic is reborn! First published in 1948, and long out of print, Tomorrow Will Be Better is a heartwarming story of love and marriage from Betty Smith, the beloved author of A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.Set in the Williamsburg and Bushwick sections of Brooklyn in the 1920s, Tomorrow Will Be Better is the story of Margy Shannon—shy, eager, joyfully optimistic—and her search for something better from life than the hard misery of poverty in which she lives. All Margy's parents have ever known is an unrewarding life of poverty, pain, and hard work—a life that has ultimately worn them down. But Margy, young and just out of school, still holds steadfast to an unshakable hopefulness and believes a better life is possible. Her goals are simple enough—to find a husband she loves, have children, and live in a nice home—one where her children will never know the terror of want, the need to hide from quarreling... Views: 320
