One of the sinuous and subtly crafted stories in Tobias Wolff's new collection--his first in eleven years--begins with a man biting a dog. The fact that Wolff is reversing familiar expectations is only half the point. The other half is that Wolff makes the reversal seem inevitable: the dog has attacked his protagonist's young daughter. And everywhere in The Night in Question, we are reminded that truth is deceptive, volatile, and often the last thing we want to know.A young reporter writes an obituary only to be fired when its subject walks into his office, very much alive. A soldier in Vietnam goads his lieutenant into sending him on increasingly dangerous missions. An impecunious mother and son go window-shopping for a domesticity that is forever beyond their grasp. Seamless, ironic, dizzying in their emotional aptness, these fifteen stories deliver small, exquisite shocks that leave us feeling invigorated and intensely alive.From the Trade Paperback... Views: 53
This series is based on the best-selling adult Left Behind series. Readers will see the Rapture and Tribulation through the eyes of four kids who have been left behind. Views: 53
The revered New York Times bestselling author traces the development of technology from the Industrial Age to the Digital Age to explore the single component crucial to advancement—precision—in a superb history that is both an homage and a warning for our future.The rise of manufacturing could not have happened without an attention to precision. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution in eighteenth-century England, standards of measurement were established, giving way to the development of machine tools—machines that make machines. Eventually, the application of precision tools and methods resulted in the creation and mass production of items from guns and glass to mirrors, lenses, and cameras—and eventually gave way to further breakthroughs, including gene splicing, microchips, and the Hadron Collider.Simon Winchester takes us back to origins of the Industrial Age, to England where he introduces the scientific minds that helped usher in modern production: John Wilkinson, Henry Maudslay, Joseph Bramah, Jesse Ramsden, and Joseph Whitworth. It was Thomas Jefferson who later exported their discoveries to the fledgling United States, setting the nation on its course to become a manufacturing titan. Winchester moves forward through time, to today’s cutting-edge developments occurring around the world, from America to Western Europe to Asia.As he introduces the minds and methods that have changed the modern world, Winchester explores fundamental questions. Why is precision important? What are the different tools we use to measure it? Who has invented and perfected it? Has the pursuit of the ultra-precise in so many facets of human life blinded us to other things of equal value, such as an appreciation for the age-old traditions of craftsmanship, art, and high culture? Are we missing something that reflects the world as it is, rather than the world as we think we would wish it to be? And can the precise and the natural co-exist in society?
** Views: 53
Get to know the colorful cast of characters at the Granite State Trailerpark, where Flora in number 11 keeps more than a hundred guinea pigs andscreams at people to stay away from her babies, Claudel in number 5 thinks he is lucky until his wife burns down their trailer and runs off with Howie Leeke, and Noni in number 7 has telephone conversations with Jesus and tells the police about them. In this series of related short stories, Russell Banks offers gripping, realistic portrayals of individual Americans and paints a portrait of New England life that is at once dark, witty, and revealing.Review"Mesmerizing .... There are times when Banks's prose fairly dazzles." -- -- Publishers WeeklyAbout the AuthorRussell Banks was raised in New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts.The eldest of four children, he grew up in a working-class environment, which has played a major role in his writing.Mr. Banks (who was the first in his family to go to college) attended Colgate University for less than a semester, and later graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Before he could support himself as a writer, he tried his hand at plumbing, and as a shoe salesman and window trimmer.More recently, he has taught at a number of colleges and universities, including Columbia University, Sarah Lawrence, University of New Hampshire, New England College, New York University and Princeton University.A prolific writer of fiction, his titles include Searching for Survivors, Family Life, Hamilton Stark, The New World, The Book of Jamaica, Trailerpark, The Relation of My Imprisonment, Continental Drift, Success Stories, Affliction, The Sweet Hereafter, Rule of the Bone, and Cloudsplitter.He has also contributed poems, stories and essays to The Boston Globe Magazine, Vanity Fair, The New York Times Book Review, Esquire, Harper's, and many other publications.His works have been widely translated and published in Europe and Asia.Two of his novels have been adapted for feature-length films, The Sweet Hereafter (directed by Atom Goyan, winner of the Grand Prix and International Critics Prize at the 1997 Cannes Film Festival) and Affliction (directed by Paul Schrader, starring Nick Nolte, Willem Dafoe, Sissy Spacek, and James Coburn). He is the screenwriter of a film adaptation of Continental Drift. Mr. Banks has won numerous awards and prizes for his work, among them a Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowships, Ingram Merrill Award, The St. Lawrence Award for Short Fiction, O. Henry and Best American Short Story Award, The John Dos Passos Award, and the Literature Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters.He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.Continental Drift and Cloudsplitter were finalists for the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 and 1998 respectively.Affliction was short listed for both the PEN/Faulkner Fiction Prize and the Irish International Prize.He has lived in a variety of places, from New England to Jamaica, which have contributed to the richness of his writing. He is currently living in upstate New York.The Angel On The Roof is his first collection of short stories in fifteen years.Russell Banks is married to the poet Chase Twichell, and is the father of four grown daughters. Views: 53
In the ancient Greek legend, Hades, lord of the underworld, had carried off the beautiful Persephone to live in his dark kingdom for four months of every year. And now Julie Veltrovers found herself a present-day Persephone, meeting a fate that had been awaiting her for ten years -- ever since Doneus Lucien had been wronged by Julie's family and had vowed that one day, when Julie was old enough, he would bear her off to Greece as his wife, to live there for seven months of the year. That day had come, and rather than ruin her family's happiness, Julie was forced to submit to his plans. But she had never foreseen that she would fall in love with this strange husband of hers -- a man that had only used her as an instrument of revenge . . . Views: 53
Ted Finley thought being a teenage superhero would make life easier……until friends and foes began taking sides in an escalating war.Between fighting crime, ignoring the growing Go Home Alien movement and fielding recruitment offers from the federal government, Ted's world is growing more complicated by the day. His one saving grace is his budding romance with Erica LaPlante, a light soul from another world in the form of his dream girl. Erica is falling for Ted too, but she's also keeping secrets from him to preserve her mission. As Ted, Erica and the rest of the team cope with the fallout from their battle against the dark souls, a new evil ascends on the town with the ability to control what they think, see and feel. Erica's secrets may hold the key to winning the battle but revealing them could sacrifice the war. Mind Over Easy is the second novel in a YA sci-fi/fantasy series that features breathtaking action, frightening horror, laugh-out-loud humor and a hint of romance. Author Bryan Cohen continues to adapt his love for Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all things Joss Whedon in the second book of the Ted Saves the World Series.Q & A with the AuthorQ - How would you describe the Ted Saves the World series?A - That's a stumper! I've always loved reading books and watching TV shows that mix genres together. It's like a buffet. How can you choose just one? Ted Saves the World is a combination of several different genres. It has the elements of a YA sci-fi fantasy series, but you might also call it a collection of paranormal books for teens and young adults. I've always loved horror books for teens and coming of age series best sellers as well, so you'll find a few dashes of each in the series too. Q - Why did you want to write superhero novels?A - I love challenges. Every year, I try to take on something new. I'd written some nonfiction, but I wanted to try writing young adult books for boys and girls alike. That's why it was important for me to write super-powered male and female characters. Also, given the recent boom of Marvel superheroes on the big screen, I wanted to take my own crack at the genre. Q - What does it mean to you when readers buy your books?A - It's an honor. Who knows if I'll ever be one of the young adult best sellers at the top of the list, but it's so amazing to see people reading my books. Like most writers, I used to think I wasn't good enough, so I didn't try. With the encouragement of my friends, family members, and readers, I was able to give this series a go. I'm eternally grateful for each reader who puts my books on their virtual shelf. Ted Saves the World YA Sci-Fi Fantasy Series eBook Categories:-Superhero Novels YA Sci-Fi Fantasy Series Paranormal Books for Teens and Young Adults Young Adult Best Sellers Horror Books for Teens Coming of Age Series Best Sellers Young Adult Books for BoysAbout the AuthorBryan Cohen is the author of Ted Saves the World, the first book in a new YA sci-fi/fantasy series, and a collection of creative writing prompts books. Bryan is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In 2013, Bryan appeared on an episode of the nationally televised "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire." He did just fine. Bryan lives with his wife and their Netflix account in Chicago. Views: 53
When Rigg and his friends crossed the Wall between the only world they knew and a world they could not imagine, he hoped he was leading them to safety. But the dangers in this new wallfold are more difficult to see. Rigg, Umbo, and Param know that they cannot trust the expendable, Vadesh—a machine shaped like a human, created to deceive—but they are no longer certain that they can even trust one another. But they will have little choice. Because although Rigg can decipher the paths of the past, he can’t yet see the horror that lies ahead: A destructive force with deadly intentions is hurtling toward Garden. If Rigg, Umbo, and Param can’t work together to alter the past, there will be no future. Views: 53
