'Every man had not only a weak spot but also a criminal one'At his wife's insistence, upstanding citizen and artillery officer Anselm Eibenschütz leaves his beloved Austro-Hungarian army and takes up a civilian post, as Inspector of Weights and Measures in a remote backwater near the Russian border. At first he does everything by the book, but gradually he finds himself adrift in a world of petty corruption, bribery and drunkenness - and undone by his passion for the beautiful gypsy Euphemia. A haunting evocation of Eastern Europe's borderlands in the early twentieth century, Weights and Measures is also the story of the disintegration of a good man.Translated by David Le Vay Views: 131
Supremely personal, yet always probing and analytical, this brilliant collection of essays is part memoir, part literary criticism. "A fluid and powerful writer, one of the best in a generation of Indian authors" (New York Times Book Review), Shashi Tharoor, the acclaimed author of six books is once again at his provocative best. In the title piece, we learn what Iraqis go through in their beleaguered land merely to get hold of a book, and how selling books from their own libraries on the street helps some put bread on the table. Tharoor reminisces about growing up with books in India and discusses the importance of the Mahabharata in Indian life and history. There is also a poignant homage to Chilean poet Pablo Neruda, whose home was raided by the oppressive military regime while he lay on his deathbed, and who famously said: "There is only one thing of danger for you here-my poetry!" Pondering world affairs, Tharoor declares that "the defining features of today's world are... Views: 130
Oz's first book—beautifully repackaged— is a disturbing and moving collection of short stories about kibbutz life. Each of the eight stories in this volume grips the reader from the first line. Each conveys the tension and intensity of feeling during the founding period of Israel, a brand-new state with an age-old history. Some are love stories, more are hate stories, and frequently the two urges intertwine. Views: 129
This heartfelt and revealing account of Paul Theroux's thirty-year friendship with the legendary V. S. Naipaul is an intimate record of a literary mentorship that traces the growth of both writers' careers and explores the unique effect each had on the other. Built around exotic landscapes, anecdotes that are revealing, humorous, and melancholy, and three decades of mutual history, this is a personal account of how one develops as a writer and how a friendship waxes and wanes between two men who have set themselves on the perilous journey of a writing life. Views: 129
The fascinating, shocking, and ultimately quite hopeful story of one teen's downward spiral into mental illness by the bestselling author of Tweak. Miles is the ultimate unreliable narrator—a teen recovering from a schizophrenic breakdown who believes he is getting better . . . when in reality he is growing worse. Driven to the point of obsession to find his missing younger brother, Teddy, and wrapped up in a romance that may or may not be the real thing, Miles is forever chasing shadows. As Miles feels his world closing around him, he struggles to keep it open, but what you think you know about his world is actually a blur of gray, and the sharp focus of reality proves startling. Written by the New York Times bestselling author of Tweak, Schizo is the fascinating, and ultimately quite hopeful, story of one teen's downward spiral into mental illness as he chases the clues to a missing brother. Perfect... Views: 128
Ishmael Jones is faced with a dead body and a missing mummy in this highly entertaining, genre-blending mystery. Death shall come on swift wings to whoever desecrates this tomb ... Ishmael Jones and his partner Penny have been summoned to remote Cardavan House, home of the world's largest private collection of Ancient Egyptian artefacts, for the unveiling of George Cardavan's latest acquisition: a bone fide Egyptian mummy. When a bloodstained body is discovered beside the empty sarcophagus, Ishmael is dismissive of the theory that the mummy's curse is to blame. Instead he sets out to uncover the human killer responsible. But how can Ishmael explain the strange, shuffling footsteps that creep along the corridors? Who is playing games with them ... and why? Views: 128
It's time to HUNT A KILLER in this YA mystery series based on the bestselling subscription game!Aspiring PI Jolene Kelley is skipping class at her fancy new private school, North Shore Prep, when she witnesses her beloved guidance counselor fall in front of an oncoming L train. The police call Mr. Medina's death a tragic accident, but Jo knows what she saw: This was murder.With help from her friends Sabrina and Frankie — and the inside scoop from her public-defender parents and her mentor at the state attorney's office — Jo opens up her own investigation into Mr. Medina's death.Jo's investigation uncovers a scandal brewing at North Shore Prep. Mr. Medina had found out about it, and now he's dead.Jo has a slew of suspects, including administrators, students, parents, and even local politicians. Can she figure out which one is the killer before she becomes their next victim?This original Hunt A Killer novel features all new... Views: 128
Two weeks, four friends and one big bucket list of secrets to unravel... Brand NEW from the bestselling author of What If? and What Now? - Pre-Order Now! Val Murray and her best friend, Josie had been planning a 'Thelma and Louise' bucket list style holiday. Now Josie is gone, and Val needs to make the trip before it's too late. But Val doesn't want to do it alone, so she enlists the help of her nieces, Carly and Carole, and their best pal, Jess, who jump at the chance to join Val on a trip of a lifetime. What Val doesn't realise is that Carly, Carole and Jess are all at turning points in their own lives, nursing crushing secrets, lies and betrayals. Somewhere between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and New York they all hit a crossroads and have to decide if they want to return to the lives they left behind or let Josie's last wishes take them on a brand new adventure. Praise for Shari... Views: 128
Anthony Summers peels back layers of fact and hearsay to reveal the truth about one of the most powerful Americans of the twentieth century No one exemplified paranoia and secrecy at the heart of American power better than J. Edgar Hoover, the original director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. For this consummate biography, renowned investigative journalist Anthony Summers interviewed more than eight hundred witnesses and pored through thousands of documents to get at the truth about the man who headed the FBI for fifty years, persecuted political enemies, blackmailed politicians, and lived his own surprising secret life. Ultimately, Summers paints a portrait of a fatally flawed individual who should never have held such power, and for so long. Views: 128
