Fashion buyer Shea Walker had a fast track lifestyle until a car accident sidelines herto a painful recovery. Seeking quiet for the holidays, Shea returns to thesnowy mountains where she grew up to make peace with her past and spend timewith her estranged family. She never expected J.C. Royce--now a hockeystar--would return to their hometown, too. Determined to avoid that particularsexy mistake, she's caught off guard when her first night in town brings themface to face. Seeing Shea practically fall at his feet is gratifying, until J.C. realizes his proudformer friend, who he once thought would become a whole lot more, is trulyhurt--and in more ways than she lets on. Lucky for Shea, he's got a big housejust sitting empty and a tree ready to decorate, as she is in no shape to stayby herself. With his bad boy arrogance down to an art form after eight years inthe NHL, J.C. is more than a match for feisty Shea. Especially when it comes toher outrageous claim that there was never any chemistry between them... But when it comes to convincing her to stick around town until the New Year, hejust might need a Christmas miracle.** Views: 70
The third in a fantastic series of animal stories for younger readers by Waterstones Children's Book Prize-shortlisted author Helen Peters, with beautiful black-and-white illustrations by Ellie Snowdon. A sick puppy abandoned on Jasmine's farm urgently needs her help to survive. And though he adores her, Jasmine doesn't know if Sky will ever trust people again. But it's not until she gets into terrible danger that she finds out... Brilliant storytelling that will make you laugh and cry, this is Dick King-Smith for a new generation. Look out for Jasmine's other adventures! A Piglet Called Truffle A Duckling Called Button Views: 70
The story of low-wage workers rising up around the world to demand respect and a living wage.Tracing a new labor movement sparked and sustained by low-wage workers from across the globe, "We Are All Fast-Food Workers Now" is an urgent, illuminating look at globalization as seen through the eyes of workers-activists: small farmers, fast-food servers, retail workers, hotel housekeepers, home-healthcare aides, airport workers, and adjunct professors who are fighting for respect, safety, and a living wage. With original photographs by Liz Cooke and drawing on interviews with activists in many US cities and countries around the world, including Bangladesh, Cambodia, Mexico, South Africa, and the Philippines, it features stories of resistance and rebellion, as well as reflections on hope and change as it rises from the bottom up. Views: 70
Chronically questioning, funny, and bold, a young American writer explores the majority-Muslim lands that scare him most.Armed only with college Arabic and restless curiosity, Adam Valen Levinson set out to "learn about the world 9/11 made us fear." From a base in globalized and sterilized Abu Dhabi, he sets out to lunch in Taliban territory in Afghanistan, travels under the watchful eye of Aleppo's secret police, risks shipwreck en route to Somalia, investigates Yazidi beliefs in a sacred cave, cliff-dives in Oman, celebrates New Year's Eve in Tahrir Square, and, at every turn, discovers a place that matches not at all with its reputation.While politicians and media eagerly stoke the flames of Islamophobia, Valen Levinson crosses borders with abundant humor and humanity. Seeking common ground everywhere, he finds that people who pray differently often laugh the same. And as a young man bar mitzvahed at twenty-one (instead of the usual thirteen), he slowly... Views: 70
Marigold Smith, born into the small mining town of Hednesford, is devoted to her family, especially the small and delicate Ivy, for whose accident she blames herself. She is determined to try and make life easier for Ivy and her middle sister, Poppy, as well as her hard-working parents.When she is given the chance of going into service in Oxford she meets the wealthy and charming Richard Endersby, whose father owns a factory in the Potteries. Despite the differences of class, education, and background they fall in love. Then comes the Great War, and Richard, a qualified pilot, joins the army.He is reported missing, Marigold's family is struck by tragedy, and she has to make an agonising decision in order to be able to help them. Through her they can escape from poverty and she can build a business to support them all. Views: 70
Jack Greenwing is good at scouting. He's renowned for being able to hold on in battle long past bravery. He was once given a trophy for his courage by the hand of the Emperor himself.At Loe, where the Stone Speakers can call down avalanches and landslides, he was sent out on a scouting mission as a siege closed in on his company. He returns to see it being lifted because of treachery, and is there to witness the five remaining members of the command staff be led off in chains into the mountains, far from the border of the Empire. He once held a border until the rest of his army joined him: nothing will stop him from attempting a rescue, though snow is falling in the mountains and he must fight those who can walk through stone. "Stone Speaks to Stone" is a standalone short story related to the Greenwing & Dart series. If you've read those, it is the true tale of what happened to Jemis' father at Loe; if you haven't, Greenwing & Dart tells the story of what happens to Jack's son Jemis ten years or so after this story takes place. Views: 70
Autumn brings cooler temperatures to the Smoky Mountains. The weather may be cooling down in tiny Park County, Tennessee, but crime is heating up. Weevil Beasley, the county's loan shark, dies and the body count begins. Sheriff Tony Abernathy is soon up to the top of his bald head in murder and mayhem.Tony's wife, Theo, is in the thick of it. Not even the members of her quilting group are immune when she leads them on a thread-filled retreat up at The Lodge. Arriving early for one of the upcoming weddings, a member of their group is murdered. While dealing with cranky quilters, distraught hotel keepers and unfinished projects, Theo has to keep track of gossip for her husband and barely has time to hand out the pattern for her new mystery quilt. Views: 69
In the tradition of Blackout and Permanent Midnight, a darkly funny and revealing debut memoir of one woman's twenty-year battle with sex, drugs, and alcohol addiction, and what happens when she finally emerges on the other side. Growing up in Beverly Hills, Amy Dresner had it all: a top-notch private school education, the most expensive summer camps, and even a weekly clothing allowance. But at 24, she started dabbling in meth in San Francisco and unleashed a fiendish addiction monster. Soon, if you could snort it, smoke it, or have sex with, she did. Smart and charming, with Daddy's money to fall back on, she sort of managed to keep it all together. But on Christmas Eve 2011 all of that changed when, high on Oxycontin, she stupidly "brandished" a bread knife on her husband and was promptly arrested for "felony domestic violence with a deadly weapon." Within months, she found herself in the psych ward—and then penniless, divorced, and... Views: 69
A fire-eater, a voluptuous masseuse, and a naked game of tag in a forest at twilight — it could only be Best Lesbian Erotica 2007, the latest, boldest edition of the hottest lesbian erotica series in America. In Andrea Miller’s “Heavenly Bodies,” an adventurous woman sleeps her way through the zodiac, her twelve lovers including romantic Cancer, exhibitionist Leo, and an unforgettably raw, dominant Scorpio. Peggy Munson twists and teases the canon in “Subtexts,” a hardcore butch-femme re-imagining of Little Red Riding Hood, Moby-Dick, and other tales that already sound dirty. Edited by award-winning author, adult film director, and sex educator Tristan Taormino, and selected and introduced by Emma Donoghue, these fearless stories will stir your senses and test your erotic boundaries. Views: 69
James Alliston's life has changed completely since his wife Karen left him, with a divorce behind him and a three-year-old girl to grow up, under the advice of his best friend and literary agent, Andy Jackson, decides to move in Los Angeles, the city where he grew up, to reappropriate his life and to try to rediscover his literary creativity, lost for years now. His arrival in the city will be for him a beginning and a chance to redeem himself from his past that still torments him. Stacy, a sweet and gentle woman with a sunny smile, with whom she had a serious history before getting to know Karen, his current ex-wife, will help him step by step to rebuild his self-esteem lost in these years, following his marriage bankruptcy. James, will be forced to keep a secret to the woman that concerns Allison, a young and fresh sixteen year old, arrogant and self-confident at the same time, which could compromise the trust and feelings that were born recently between James and his old flame,... Views: 69
In 1990, Buzz Bissinger's Friday Night Lights became an acclaimed bestseller and national sensation, igniting immediate debate about the role of high school football in small-town Texas. Now, the Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist does for big cities what he did for small towns in this epic story of one remarkable politician's efforts to save a dying American City.Mayor Edward Rendell will do almost anything for Philadelphia. He will clean the bathrooms in City Hall, endure a joint appearance with Mickey Mouse, and personally lobby President Clinton to keep jobs in the city. He is that rare politician who is larger than life in his ambitions, compassion, and flaws--a man wise enough to see the comic absurdity of his job, yet crazy enough to think he can actually revive his declining city.To succeed, Rendell must negotiate a tough new contract with city workers who are threatening to strike and wreak havoc on the city. He must allay African-American... Views: 69
