After her sojourn in England, vivacious Francie Nelson strikes out on her own—but this time she's not reluctant to do it. Her goal? To become a famous artist. Unfortunately, after she unexpectedly ends up spending a year in Portugal, she is required to serve as companion to her ailing Aunt Lollie. Alas, the art lessons she so longed for must be set aside. Oh, but wait! Maybe there's hope. Not to be thwarted, the headstrong and impetuous Francie manages to go to an art school after all. And while she's developing her skills—and her Portuguese—she soaks up the seductive European culture and, oh yes, indulges in a bit of romance along the way. Views: 147
Winner of the 2019 Fitzcarraldo Editions Novel Prize'I took one look at him, and I saw what he really wanted.'On the Sunday of his eighteenth birthday, in 1975, Colin takes a walk on Box Hill, a biker hang-out in Surrey. Timid, awkward, and very much out of his element, he accidentally trips over Ray, a biker taking a nap under a tree. Ray takes immediate control of the situation, and Colin moves in with him that night.A sizzling, sometimes shocking, and strangely tragic love story between two men, Box Hill is a stunning novel of desire and domination by one of Britain's most accomplished writers. Views: 146
A lyrical and poignant coming-of-age story about one girl's immigration experience, as she moves from Haiti to New York City, by award-winning author Edwidge Danticat.It is election time in Haiti, and bombs are going off in the capital city of Port-au-Prince. During a visit from her home in rural Haiti, Celiane Espérance and her mother are nearly killed. Looking at her country with new eyes, Celiane gains a fresh resolve to be reunited with her father in Brooklyn, New York.The harsh winter and concrete landscape of her new home are a shock to Celiane, who witnesses her parents' struggle to earn a living and her brother's uneasy adjustment to American society, and at the same time encounters her own challenges with learning and school violence.National Book Award finalist Edwidge Danticat weaves a beautiful, honest, and timely story of the American immigrant experience in this luminous novel about resilience, hope, and family. Views: 146
The fifth book in the thrilling Donovan sci-fi series returns to a treacherous alien planet where corporate threats and dangerous creatures imperil the lives of the colonists.The Maritime Unit had landed in paradise. After a terrifying ten-year transit from Solar System aboard the Ashanti, the small band of oceanographers and marine scientists were finally settled. Perched on a reef five hundred kilometers out from shore, they were about to embark on the first exploration of Donovan's seas. For the twenty-two adults and nine children, everything is new, exciting, and filled with wonder as they discover dazzling sea creatures, stunning plant life, and fascinating organisms.But Donovan is never what it seems; the changes in the children were innocuous—oddities of behavior normal to kids who'd found themselves in a new world. Even then it was too late. An alien intelligence, with its own agenda, now possesses the children, and it will use them in a most... Views: 146
A groundbreaking account of how Britain became the base of operations for the exiled leaders of Europe in their desperate struggle to reclaim their continent from Hitler, from the New York Times bestselling author of Citizens of London and Those Angry Days When the Nazi blitzkrieg rolled over continental Europe in the early days of World War II, the city of London became a refuge for the governments and armed forces of six occupied nations who escaped there to continue the fight. So, too, did General Charles de Gaulle, the self-appointed representative of free France. As the only European democracy still holding out against Hitler, Britain became known to occupied countries as "Last Hope Island." Getting there, one young emigré declared, was "like getting to heaven." In this epic, character-driven narrative, acclaimed historian Lynne Olson takes us back to those perilous days when the British and their European guests... Views: 145
Excerpt: ...evening it had disappeared behind a prominent headland far up a valley farther to the south, and probably had there gone into camp for the night. Late this night they get the news that gives rise to vast speculation and some genuine anxiety. Runners come in who say that instead of camping there, the White Chief rode all night; turned northward soon as it was dark; crossed this very valley far above them at dawn, and where he went from there they couldn\'t say. They dare not follow. Was it possible the White Chief was going to beat them at their own tactics? Could it be that he was going to head them off? Attack them in the early morning far to the northwest? Lying on the ground, the officers heard many hoof-beats dying away in the distance, and wondered what it might mean. It meant that some fifty of their foemen had galloped away to look for their families and the rest of the band, and warn them of the new danger. It was more than certain that no help could come to the soldiers in the Pg 225 valley; but they must guard their people against this mysterious move. At daybreak those left behind would resume the effort to dislodge the soldiers, and then there would be a revel. And daybreak comes all too soon. Far to the east the stars are paling, and a grayish veil rises slowly from the horizon. One by one the night-lamps in the heavens lose their sparkle and radiance, as the filament of the dawn shrouds and stifles them. Far down the valley tumbling outlines of ridge and height are carved out in sharper relief against the lightening sky. There is a stir in the leaves o\'erhead and the soft rustle of the morning breeze. Presently the pallid veil at the east takes on a purplish blush, that is changing every instant to a ruddier hue. Faces are beginning to be dimly visible in the groups of defenders, pinched and drawn and cold in the nipping air, and Wayne notes with a half sob how blue poor Dana\'s lips are. The boy\'s thoughts are far away. Is he... Views: 145
The second novel, and first quick read title, from bestselling author Cathy Glass. My Dad's a Policeman is a dramatic and engaging story of a young boy with an alcoholic mother and no knowledge of his father. Lonely, bullied and desperate for a life of happiness and security he tells everyone he meets his dad's a policeman. Fast-paced and compelling, this short story from Cathy Glass follows the experiences of a Ryan, a small and lonely 12-year-old boy who struggles to fit in. In an attempt to make friends, and discourage the school bullies from picking on him, Ryan tells his peers that his dad is a policeman. When the police actually turn up on Ryan's doorstep, to take him away from his alcoholic mother and put him in care, his life crumbles. It's not long before Ryan has run away, taking a long bus ride back across the city, desperate to get back to the inner-city life he knows. Keeping a low profile, and sneaking in to his best friend's house late a night for shelter, he soon... Views: 144
Jason Priestley (no, not that Jason Priestley) is in a rut. He gave up his teaching job to write snarky reviews of cheap restaurants for the free newspaper you take but don't read. He lives above a video-game store, between a Polish newsstand and that place that everyone thinks is a brothel but isn't. His most recent Facebook status is "Jason Priestley is . . . eating soup." Jason's beginning to think he needs a change. So he uncharacteristically moves to help a girl on the street who's struggling with an armload of packages, and she smiles an incredible smile at him before her cab pulls away. What for a fleeting moment felt like a beginning is cruelly cut short—until Jason realizes that he's been left holding a disposable camera. And suddenly, with prodding and an almost certainly disastrous offer of assistance from his socially inept best friend Dev, a coincidence-based, half-joking idea—What if he could track this girl down based on the photos in her camera?—morphs into a full-fledged quest to find the woman of Jason's dreams. From BooklistLondoner Jason Priestley may share a name with the cute, former cast member of Beverly Hills 90210, but the excitement in this thirtysomething’s life starts and ends there. The lackluster lad spends his days writing snarky reviews for a local rag sheet and pining over the girl who left him. (She’s marrying someone else; wouldn’t you just know?) Then a chance encounter with a lovely lass on a busy downtown street turns Jason’s life upside down. Her smile leaves a lasting impression. But there’s more: she dropped a disposable camera, whose undeveloped pictures would undoubtedly provide clues to her whereabouts. Is it ethical to have them processed? Jason pushes the limits of propriety in pursuit of romance, along the way receiving dating tips from his roommate Dev, a quirky video-game-shop owner also obsessed with a woman well beyond his reach. Will Jason find love or have his heart broken yet again? Award-winning British writer Wallace (Friends like These, 2009) serves up a mildly amusing tale of an innocuous stalker who meets a beautiful girl. --Allison Block Review“Delightful . . . witty . . . The combination of Dickensian plot twists and Hornbyesque humor and hope makes for a thoroughly entertaining read.” (Publishers Weekly )“Though lighthearted in tone, [CHARLOTTE STREET] speaks to a nostalgia for a time when photographs were authentic and unsullied by smartphone filters . . . Readers who enjoy the work of Nick Hornby or Stephen Chbosky will enjoy this.” (Library Journal )“An amusing tale of an innocuous stalker.” (Booklist )“Unmissable... will have you laughing out loud and melt your heart, all at once.” (Cosmopolitan (UK) )“One of Britain’s great writing talents.” (GQ (UK) )“[Danny Wallace is] as funny as Bill Bryson used to be.” (The Independent on Sunday, on YES MAN )“Danny Wallace may well have stumbled upon the future shape of spirituality… hilarious.” (Daily Telegraph (London), on JOIN ME! )“Another comedy masterpiece.” (Bookseller (London), on FRIENDS LIKE THESE ) Views: 144
