Set both in Oman and on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar, The Zanzibar Wife is the story of three different women, each at a turning point in her life . . . Oman. The ancient land of frankincense, wind-swept deserts, craggy mountaintops and turquoise seas. A place where tales of evil spirits and eerie phenomena abound. Into this magical nation come three remarkable women, each facing a crossroad in her life.Rachel, a troubled American war photographer, who is struggling to shed the trauma of her career for a simpler, gentler life. Now she has once again picked up her camera and is headed to Oman to cover a quite different story - for a glossy travel magazine. Sophie Khan, a bubbly British woman struggling to keep up with the glitz of Dubai and ready to give up on love. She has rashly volunteered as Rachel's 'fixer', a job she's never heard of in a country she knows nothing about.And Miza, a young woman living far from her... Views: 142
"Kingsolver is a writer who can help us understand and navigate the chaos of these times." —Minneapolis Star TribuneFrom the New York Times bestselling author of Unsheltered and Flight Behavior, a brilliant novel which enthralls, compels, and captures the heart as it evokes a young hero's unforgettable journey to maturity."Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose."Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It's the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father's good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils of foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he... Views: 142
Twenty dazzling stories by the writer behind On the Waterfront and A Face in the CrowdDespite growing up among Hollywood's most powerful producers and movie stars in the 1920s and '30s, Budd Schulberg was always a populist at heart. In this collection of his best short fiction, Schulberg takes readers from the halls of privilege in Los Angeles to smoky dives and dockyard slums in New York. His eye for detail and nose for trouble render characters as vividly as a Weegee photograph. These stories also represent the great clash of people and ideas in mid-century America. The collection includes "The Arkansas Traveler," the story Schulberg adapted into the influential, prescient film A Face in the Crowd starring Andy Griffith.This ebook features an illustrated biography of Budd Schulberg including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author's estate. Views: 142
Fish has a knack for inventing. His annoying neighbor, Olympia, has a knack for messing things up. But when his latest invention leads Fish to Liberty, a beautiful stray dog who needs a home, he and Olympia work together to rescue her. At the Higgins boatyard, where the boats that just might save the Allied forces during World War II are built, the wartime workforce is integrated and includes women and the disabled. However, a friendship that crosses racial lines is not the norm in 1940s New Orleans. Fish, who suffered from polio and whose dad is away fighting in Europe, looks up to Mr. Higgins, and he's thrilled when one of his inventions helps Mr. Higgins's engineers unlock the mechanics of the landing crafts. Mr. Higgins inspires him to be bold and brave. As Fish enlists the help of unexpected friends and allies to save Liberty, he finds his perceptions of the world — of race and war, family and friendship — transformed. Views: 142
The Double Down series continues with two men, and some interesting issues they contend with—two stories, two authors, one book. There was a time when Pete felt like he had the world in the palm of his hands, but lately everything is falling apart. His wife is growing cold, his business is in trouble, and even his friends show him nothing but contempt. Then a neighbor introduces him to paleo—the old way of eating, exercising, and even communing with the ancient sprits of the Neanderthals. All it takes is a little work, a little discipline, and a little blood sacrifice, and mysterious powers are within his grasp, but there's a price Pete never expected. It's a dark tale of terror, revenge, and suburban fads.Eric can sell insurance, but he can't sell anyone on what he knows for a fact: this world is about to go down in flames. Eric is forced to prep in secret. His wife won't listen, neither will his clients. Views: 142
In a sorority, reputation is everything, and Cassidy Cross has a lot to prove. . .Even though Cassidy Cross is captain of the dance squad and gets good grades, it's her boy-crazy rep that makes her stand out on campus?and not in a good way. Hoping for a fresh start, she decides to pledge Beta Gamma Pi. But the sisters are determined to make Cassidy earn her letters. It's rough going—until her pledge sister, Isha, convinces her she's just got to find her faith. For the first time, Cassidy starts looking within her heart—and discovers some long-hidden secrets from her past that will teach her the true meaning of forgiveness, friendship, and what it really means to have it going on. . . Views: 142
From the Booker-shortlisted author of To Rise Again at a Decent Hour comes a novel about fathers, sons, thwarted dreams and confronting the reality of who we really are
Charlie Barnes is a mid-century man devoted to his newspaper and his landline. But Charlie is about to get dragged into our troubled age by his storyteller son, who has a different idea of him than he has of himself. Then there are his other children, his ex-wives, present wife, business clients, friends and acquaintances, all of whom have their competing opinions of Charlie.
He certainly seems simple enough: he's a striver, a romantic, and a thoroughgoing capitalist. But suddenly blindsided by the Great Recession and a dose of bad news, he might have to rethink his life from top to bottom, and on short notice. What makes a man real? What makes him good? And how does the story we tell about ourselves line up with the lives that we actually live?___________________________________
'Funny, moving, and formally a work of genius, A Calling for Charlie Barnes is quite literally the book Joshua Ferris was born to write' Garth Risk Hallberg, author of City on Fire
'Dazzling. Mind-blowing. About as much fun as you can have without risking arrest' Richard Russo, author of Empire Falls
'Wonderful: fast and deep, urgent and brilliant . . . A hilarious, intimate, and scathing takedown of so many American vanities' Dana Spiotta, author of Stone Arabia Views: 142
Gabriel Fairchild's valor during battle earns him the reputation of hero, but costs him both his sight and his hope for the future. Abandoned by the fiancée he adored, the man who once walked like a prince among London's elite secludes himself in his family's mansion, cursing his way through dark days and darker nights.Prim nurse Samantha Wickersham arrives at Fairchild Park to find her new charge behaving more like a beast than a man. Determined to do her duty, she engages the arrogant earl in a battle of both wit and wills. Although he claims she doesn't possess an ounce of womanly softness, she can feel his heart racing at her slightest touch. As Samantha begins to let the light back into Gabriel's life and his heart, they both discover that some secrets -- and some pleasures -- are best explored in the dark ... Views: 142
Everything is dangerous in Afghanistan, nothing more so than the mission of a Tactical Support Team or T.S.T. All veterans, these men and women spend seasons in hell, to not only try and fix what's broken in each of them, but also to make enough bank to change their fortunes.But seven months later, safely back on American soil, they feel like there's something left undone. They're meeting people who already know them, remembering things that haven't happened, hearing words that don't exist. And they're all having the same dream... a dream of a sky that won't stop burning. Views: 142
There is no detective like Ian Rankin's Detective Inspector John Rebus, a man The New Yorker calls "the ideal sleuth." Brilliant, irascible and frequently frustrating to both his friends and his long-suffering bosses, John Rebus has made the dark places of Edinburgh his home for over two decades. THE BEAT GOES ON collects all of Ian Rankin's Rebus short stories for the first time, including two never-before published tales written specifically for this collection. From his beginnings as a young Detective Constable in "Dead and Buried," right up to his dramatic, but not quite final, retirement in "The Very Last Drop," Rebus shines in these stories, confirming his status as one of crime fiction's most compelling, brilliant, and unforgettable characters. In these gripping, fast-paced tales, the legendary Scottish detective investigates the sinister cases that are his specialty, including a gruesome student death, the brutal murder of a woman at the crux of... Views: 141
What does it take to have the perfect family Christmas? Juliet Joyce is a Christmas addict. She loves everything about it - the presents, the tree, the turkey, the tinsel. She can’t wait for Christmas to come. Which is just as well as this Christmas is shaping up to be a busy one. Her son Tom is unemployed and keeps bringing home unsuitable partners. Pregnant daughter Chloe and her little boy have moved back in. Juliet’s father is getting over a heartbreak of his own and her mother, eccentric at best, is behaving more erratically every day. Then Juliet finds texts from another woman on her husband’s phone and wonders has the chaos all got too much for Rick? With 25th December fast approaching, Juliet hopes that she can hold everything together because the only thing she wants is her family all around her and her home to be filled… WITH LOVE AT CHRISTMAS Views: 141
RetailAn award-winning writer re-imagines the life of Jesus, from the points of view of four people closest to him before his death. This is the story of Yehoshuah, who wandered Roman-occupied Judea giving sermons and healing the sick. Now, a year after his death, four people tell their stories. His mother grieves, his friend Iehuda loses his faith, the High Priest of the Temple tries to keep the peace, and a rebel named Bar-Avo strives to bring that peace tumbling down. It was a time of political power-play and brutal tyranny. Men and women took to the streets to protest. Dictators put them down with iron force. In the midst of it all, one inconsequential preacher died. And either something miraculous happened, or someone lied.Viscerally powerful in its depictions of the period - massacres and riots, animal sacrifice and human betrayal - The Liars' Gospel makes the oldest story entirely new.ReviewPRAISE FOR NAOMI ALDERMAN'S THE LIARS' GOSPEL"A visceral retelling of the events surrounding the life of Jesus. Her would-be messiah is a puzzling drifter marginal to his own story; the ferocity of Barabbas and Judas seizes the narrative and occupies its center ground." (Hilary Mantel, author of *Bringing Up the Bodies*)"By turns poetic and visceral, The Liars' Gospel liberates towering figures from the stasis of iconography, giving them psychological depth.""A novel of such intensity, meaning and depth that it must be destined to become a classic." (Bidisha, Presenter of BBC Radio Four's *Saturday Review*)"Head spinning perspectives on the life and times of Jesus, from a novelist who wields her pen like a sword." (More)"Vibrant descriptions....haunting prose.... Alderman transforms an ancient story into her own engaging meditation on power, oppression, and belief." (Publishers Weekly)"Superb....The best-known story of all takes on messy, intricate, surging new life when freed from its biblical shackles in Naomi Alderman's reimagining." (Victoria Moore, *Daily Mail*)"A provocative and fascinating retelling of one of the foundational narratives of Western culture." (Julie Subrin, *Tablet Magazine*)"Courageous....Alderman's revision of the Christ figure is a visceral, intelligent one, and it works superbly." (Arifa Akbar, *The Independent*)"Alderman re-creates with startling immediacy the culture of first-century Judea, with its political intrigue and riots, and with its characters wondering at what the life of Yehoshuah has meant to them." (Kirkus)"Provocative and mesmerizing....Alderman here succeeds magnificently....The Liars' Gospel roots its characters firmly and vividly in their historical and political context." (Rebecca Abrams, *New Statesman*) About the AuthorNaomi Alderman is the author of Disobedience, which won the Orange Prize for New Writers and has been published in 10 languages. She contributes regularly to the Guardian and lives in London. Views: 141
Twitch the lovably chaotic squirrel and Sweetie the Library Rat accidentally make their stage debuts in this hilarious chapter book, a new followup to 8 Class Pets.When Twitch discovers the kids at school are putting on a Cinderella play, he can’t believe his luck. He loves good stories! But how to watch the play undetected? He convinces friend Sweetie the library rat to join his adventure to the auditorium, but of course it doesn’t go as planned! Twitch and Sweetie will go behind the curtain and even above stage before the day is over in this fourth book in the celebrated series.With energetic illustrations accompanying the short, hilarious chapters, told from Twitch and Sweetie’s alternating points of view, Squirrel on Stage is a perfect pick for young readers just starting to seek out longer texts—or a great read-aloud. For aspiring thespians, Squirrel on Stage also includes tips kids can use to put on their own play. Views: 141
Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known as Mark Twain, is perhaps America\'s favorite author. A quick-witted humorist who wrote travelogues, letters, speeches, and most famously the novels The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876) and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), Twain was so successful that he became America\'s biggest celebrity by the end of the 19th century. Despite writing biting satires, he managed to befriend everyone from presidents to European royalty. Views: 141
