The first book by the author of the New York Times bestseller The Paris Wife is a powerful and haunting memoir of the years she and her two sisters spent as foster children. In the early 70s, after being abandoned by both parents, the girls were made wards of the Fresno County, California court and spent the next 14 years-in a series of adoptive homes. The dislocations, confusions, and odd pleasures of an unrooted life form the basis of one of the most compelling memoirs in recent years--a book the tradition of Jo Ann Beard's Boys of My Youth and Mary Karr'sThe Liar's Club.McLain's beautiful writing and limber voice capture the intense loneliness, sadness, and determination of a young girl both on her own and responsible, with her siblings, for staying together as a family. Views: 22
The story grew out of a map that led to imaginary treasure, devised during a holiday in Scotland by Stevenson and his nephew. The tale is told by an adventurous boy, Jim Hawkins, who gets hold of treasure map and sets off with an adult crew in search of the buried treasure. Among the crew, however, is the treacherous Long John Silver who is determined to keep the treasure for himself. Stevenson's first full-length work of fiction brought him immediate fame and continues to captivate readers of all ages. Views: 22
The story of a relationship across two decades, of Jolene's search for Martin Sloane when one day he disappears from their home without warning or explanation, is told in a novel that brilliantly and movingly explores the vagaries of love and friendship, the burdens of personal history, and the enigmatic power of art. Views: 22
It started a long time ago (in a galaxy far, far away), back in 1969, when British author Brian W. Aldiss published a short story in Harper's Bazaar , entitled “Supertoys Last All Summer Long.” It challenged the whole public thought on machines and the idea of robots. And it also managed to pique the interest of director Stanley Kubrick. Kubrick acquired the rights to the story from Aldiss in November of 1982, and had hopes to make it into a feature film. Aldriss, however, was skeptical, noting, “while Arthur [C. Clark]'s story looks outwards to the solar system, my story looks inwards,” referring to another of Kubrick's films, which was based upon Clark's short story, “The Sentinel.” (Aldiss has written a very nice Foreword, entitled “Attempting to Please,” preceding his latest book, Supertoys Last All Summer Long: And Other Short Stories of Future Time. The Foreword encompasses the “joking” relationship he and Kubrick had. The book also contains the two sequels to the original story, as well as several other stories — All fairly interesting, especially for science fiction readers. Another disagreement that arose was that Kubrick had continually fashioned the story after “Pinnochio,” which Aldiss strictly objected to — “I could not or would not see the parallels between David, my five-year-old android, and the wooden creature who becomes human. It emerged that Stanley wished David to become more human, and wished, also, to have the Blue Fairly materialise. Never consciously rewrite old fairy stories, I say,” Aldiss comments in his Foreword. Aldiss was quickly wheeled out of the picture at about 1990. Kubrick took on “Supertoys Last All Summer Long,” rechristened it A.I. , and continued to work on his little “Pinnochio”-esque fairy tale, bringing in others, such as Sara Maitland and Ian Watson. ( Visual-Memory.co.uk has compiled a nice little history of the Stanley Kubrick side of A.I. , so I don't feel the need to write it, when they've already done a wonderful job. Click the link to read more.) Aldiss went onto other things. Then, in 1999, Stanley Kubrick passed away. During the past 9 years or so, Kubrick had kept his friend Steven Spielberg very involved in the film, the two of them faxing over 900 pages of notes back and forth. When Kubrick passed away, his brother-in-law Jan Harlan Kubrick decided to pass the film along to Spielberg, whom Kubrick frequently had said would be the perfect director for the film. And so it was. Steven Spielberg started up on the film, scrapping the numerous other scripts and treatments which Stanley Kubrick had gathered, and completely rewriting the script solely by himself, his first screenwriting job since Close Encounters of the Third Kind . It was also during this time that it occurred to Brian Aldiss to re-read his short story — It occurred to him that the story of a young boy rejected by his mother could be continued. And so he wrote the two follow-ups, “Supertoys When Winter Comes” and “Supertoys in Other Seasons.” After completion, he passed both short stories onto Spielberg, who liked the ideas presented in them and purchased the rights to the two stories — Now, by an amicable arrangement with Warner Brothers, Spielberg had acquired all three Supertoy stories. Views: 22
Genre: Erotic Contemporary Two years after Robin’s fiancé dies in a car crash, she has sorted her priorities and decided to follow through with one of their plans. A baby. Of course, it would be best if that baby shared some of Zach’s genes. Enter David, Zach’s older brother. He’s her best friend, her confidant, the one person who won’t dismiss her plans as insane…she hopes. And maybe sex with him will get David out of her fantasies, fantasies where he takes Zach’s place. Or maybe they won’t. If Robin hadn’t been Zach’s when David met her, he would have stopped at nothing to make her his own. If she doesn’t hate him for giving her what she’s asking for, they might both get the Christmas gift they want most. David is nothing like Zach. He’s more physical, more adventurous in the bedroom, and not patient enough to take the long, slow approach to what he wants. Which is precisely what Robin loves about him. Publisher's Note: This book contains explicit sexual content, graphic language, and situations that some readers may find objectionable: Anal play/intercourse. Views: 22
From the forthcoming "Kings of Nowhere" collection - After a "girls night out" gone wrong, Evie stumbles upon the strangest of things - a man made of bronze rusting in a clearing in the woods. What wakes in that clearing, and in herself, are more than she may be able to believe, much less handle. A short story, approx. 14,500 words. Views: 22
The second half of Andrew Motion's new collection returns to the sequence begun in Laurels and Donkeys, completing a body of work recognised by the Wilfred Owen Poetry Award in 2014. These meditations on combat and the people caught up in it look back to conflicts of the past: to the 'war to end all wars'; to Rupert Brooke on his final journey; to Wilfred Owen at Craiglockhart War Hospital; to Archduke Franz Ferdinand on the day of his fatal shooting. But Motion also depicts the ravages of modern warfare through reported speech, redacted documents, and vivid evocations of place, his plain understatement bringing the magnitude of war home to our own shores. These poems are moving and measured, delicate and clear-eyed, and bear witness to the futility of war and the suffering of those left behind. Elsewhere we find biographies in miniature, dreams and visions, family histories, which in their range of forms and voices consider questions of... Views: 22
Mystique is free of the life her mother had planned for her and now she has to decide what she wants to do. When the local crime boss decides to kidnap her and use her as leverage to force Angelica to work for him. Mystique has no choice but to summon Shektee from the depths of hell to help stop him. Once Angelica is safe it’s time to teach everyone that attacking the Grayson’s is a fatal mistake. Views: 22
In this sequel to The Lost Gate, bestselling author Orson Scott Card continues his fantastic tale of the Mages of Westil who live in exile on Earth in The Gate Thief, a novel of the Mither Mages.Here on Earth, Danny North is still in high school, yet he holds in his heart and mind all the stolen outselves of thirteen centuries of gatemages. The Families still want to kill him if they can't control him...and they can't control him. He is far too powerful.And on Westil, Wad is now nearly powerless—he lost everything to Danny in their struggle. Even if he can survive the revenge of his enemies, he still must somehow make peace with the Gatemage Daniel North.For when Danny took that power from Loki, he also took the responsibility for the Great Gates. And when he comes face-to-face with the mages who call themselves Bel and Ishtoreth, he will come to understand just why Loki closed the gates all... Views: 22
