Australian Denny Banister had it all; a successful career, a passion for the guitar, and Sonya - the love of his life. Tragically, Denny is struck down with inoperable cancer. Andy DeVries has almost nothing; alienated from his family, moving through a dangerous Chicago underworld dealing in drugs, battling addiction while keeping a wavering hold on the only thing that matters to him: a place at a prestigious conservatory for classical guitar in Chicago. As Andy recovers from a near fatal overdose, he is plagued by dreams - memories of a love he has never felt, and a life he's never lived. Driven by the need for redemption and by the love for a woman he's never met, he begins a quest to find her, knowing her only by the memories of a stranger and the dreams of a place called Hambledown... Views: 506
At first, Willy was stoic when the doctor told him that he had pancreatic cancer and only six months left to live. But Willy rebelled against his own mind and philosophy, and he made a decision; With the time left to him he would do what he had spent a lifetime denying – he would have some fun! With that thought in his mind Willy's Bucket List was created.William J. Demeter received the news of his death with the same stoicism that he demonstrated in all areas of his life. When the doctor told him that he had pancreatic cancer he accepted it with stoic resolve, and when the doctor told him he had only six months left to live he accepted that news the same way. It was only after rereading Voltaire's Candide that doubts started to creep in. The question hadn't crossed his mind in many years, in fact it had laid long buried in his subconscious for most of his adult life, but the genie had been re-released and could not be put back into the bottle with any success - “if God is both All-powerful and Good, why is there evil in the world? As Voltaire had railed against Pope's “Clear truth that what is, is right” and Leibnitz’s belief that “this was the best of all possible worlds” Willy now rebelled against his own mind and philosophy, and he made a decision.With the time left to him he would do what he had spent a lifetime denying – he would have some fun! With that thought in his mind Willy's Bucket List was created. “If I am going to die soon then what is the point of denying myself anything that would make that time more pleasant?” Views: 502
Torn between loyalty to her sister and the man she loves, Damiah hopelessly pours out her heart to a golden canary - without realising that her little bird's song is full of the hope she lacks.Inspired by the twelfth century lais of Marie de France, this modern folktale tells of Damiah, a young woman torn between loyalty to her sister and the man she loves. One day she hopelessly pours out her heart to a golden canary - without realising that her little bird's song is full of the hope she lacks. Views: 500
At the height of his theatrical career, the actor Leo Proudhammer is nearly felled by a heart attack. As he hovers between life and death, Baldwin shows the choices that have made him enviably famous and terrifyingly vulnerable.
For between Leo's childhood on the streets of Harlem and his arrival into the intoxicating world of the theater lies a wilderness of desire and loss, shame and rage. An adored older brother vanishes into prison. There are love affairs with a white woman and a younger black man, each of whom will make irresistible claims on Leo's loyalty. And everywhere there is the anguish of being black in a society that at times seems poised on the brink of total racial war. Overpowering in its vitality, extravagant in the intensity of its feeling, Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone is a major work of American literature. Views: 493
The Road to Wigan Pier is a book in two parts: the first half is Orwell's description of working-class life in industrial communities of the north of England, the second examines his own political views.Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is introduced by Amelia Gentleman.The Road to Wigan Pier is an insightful and powerful account of lives lived in poverty and deprivation in a time of low wages and meagre government support. Orwell describes dismal housing (including the lodging house where he stays), harsh working conditions and the devastating effects of unemployment. And he also vividly describes the courage and dignity of the people he meets. In the second half of the book, Orwell examines his own political and social affiliations with an impressive ability to... Views: 492
Once there was a legend.Long ago, in a time the world of men no longer remembers, an evil was born in the lands of Sul. Shadows came into the world; ice and snow covered the earth in eternal, damnable winter. A prophecy was laid down: a messiah would be born to the Witch Queen of Sul, a child who could destroy the Dark Lord who arose in the West. A price would be paid, a life for a life.I was there. I remember when darkness came into the world, when it unleashed a plague of damnation upon the races to which the world was given. I remember when the unholy heir of darkness was born, and when her father fell.A second war begins. The cold grip of death stretches over the world in ice and winter, for the heart of evil and the heart of the world are bound to one another. The heir of darkness rises as her father, and blood flows in rivers upon the frozen earth. A prophesied messiah rises to stand against the gathering dark. The tears of the fairies fall for the world that is frozen. Views: 491
The Cross of Redemption is a revelation by an American literary master: a gathering of essays, articles, polemics, reviews, and interviews that have never before appeared in book form.
James Baldwin was one of the most brilliant and provocative literary figures of the past century, renowned for his fierce engagement with issues haunting our common history. In The Cross of Redemption we have Baldwin discoursing on, among other subjects, the possibility of an African-American president and what it might mean; the hypocrisy of American religious fundamentalism; the black church in America; the trials and tribulations of black nationalism; anti-Semitism; the blues and boxing; Russian literary masters; and the role of the writer in our society.
Prophetic and bracing, The Cross of Redemption is a welcome and important addition to the works of a cosmopolitan and canonical American writer who still has much to teach us about race, democracy, and personal and national identity. As Michael Ondaatje has remarked, “If van Gogh was our nineteenth-century artist-saint, Baldwin [was] our twentieth-century one.” Views: 489
Mayasa knows she is as skilled as any male hunter in her tribe, and she aims to prove it by hunting the high-dwelling antelope of Mount Meru. Of course, to do that, she must enter the jealously guarded territory of Wawindaji Pepo, guardian of the mountain. Mngwa is the third story in the Bestiary Tales.Bored in the Breakroom is a compilation of flash fiction and slightly longer stories that I have written, most of which had already been published on my blogs as well as blogs run by others.Originally this collection had no theme and was instead just a glom of everything I thought worthwhile. During the editing process, Matt DeBenedictis mentioned the strong presence of academic and office life in many of the stories. We decided to do much pruning here and add some detail there to make the content less burdensome. The result is a more cohesive narrative about the lives of academics and young, urban professionals.All stories written by Jay DiNitto.Edited by Matt DeBenedictis. Views: 489
This is a study of the paradigm shift of books into a digital world. It looks at the strengths and weaknesses of both digital and printed literature as well as the publishing systems around them.This is a dissertation. A 2nd version of this text will be released, without a maximum word count that will be able to into deeper research and analysis.AUTHORS NOTE: About six months ago I finished my first novel (Chronicles of the Vampire Hunters: The Coalition). The finished product was well over six hundred pages long, was unedited, and had NUMEROUS grammatical and punctuation errors. Also due to its length several elements of the story had to be left out. So instead of moving on to my next project, I decided to improve upon The Coalition. So I broke the novel up into three parts, had it edited, and added previously left out scenes(including a new prologue) making it a more complete story. If you've read The Coalition before I hope that you will be happy with the new material and if not I'm confident you will enjoy this first novel following Jake and his family's adventures. So here it is, the first part of The Coalition Trilogy: Creation. They are known by many names, from Gods and Immortals to Demons and Vampires. They are whispers in the shadows, myths, and legends. They have existed alongside mankind for thousands of years, always in hiding, always feeding. They are are the top of the food chain and humanity is their only prey. Alone and outnumbered a small group of men and women stand their ground, fighting to drive back the darkness anyway they can. They are our first, last, and only line of defense against monsters that know no fear. They are the Vampire Hunters. Jake Bishop is a normal, easy going kid that spends his summer days playing with his action figures and watching cartoons. The biggest, Earth shattering problem is his life are his parent's nonstop arguments over money. That all changes one hot summer night, when a demon from his father's past comes crashing back into his life. Jake is plunged into a surreal, terrifying world beyond his worst nightmares. Jake is nearly killed, his mother kidnapped, sending his father into a mad quest for revenge. Jake learns two truths, vampires exist and the Bishops have been hunting them for hundreds of years. And they are VERY good at what they do. Views: 487
"My true name is so well known in the records or registers at Newgate, and in the Old Bailey, and there are some things of such consequence still depending there, relating to my particular conduct, that it is not be expected I should set my name or the account of my family to this work; perhaps, after my death, it may be better known; at present it would not be proper, nor not though a general pardon should be issued, even without exceptions and reserve of persons or crimes. It is enough to tell you, that as some of my worst comrades, who are out of the way of doing me harm (having gone out of the world by the steps and the string, as I often expected to go), knew me by the name of Moll Flanders, so you may give me leave to speak of myself under that name till I dare own who I have been, as well as who I am." This book has a beautiful glossy cover and a blank page for the dedication. Views: 487
A sharp-witted knockdown of America's love affair with positive thinking and an urgent call for a new commitment to realism
Americans are a "positive" people—cheerful, optimistic, and upbeat: this is our reputation as well as our self-image. But more than a temperament, being positive, we are told, is the key to success and prosperity.
In this utterly original take on the American frame of mind, Barbara Ehrenreich traces the strange career of our sunny outlook from its origins as a marginal nineteenth-century healing technique to its enshrinement as a dominant, almost mandatory, cultural attitude. Evangelical mega-churches preach the good news that you only have to want something to get it, because God wants to "prosper" you. The medical profession prescribes positive thinking for its presumed health benefits. Academia has made room for new departments of "positive psychology" and the "science of happiness." Nowhere, though, has bright-siding taken firmer root than within the business community, where, as Ehrenreich shows, the refusal even to consider negative outcomes—like mortgage defaults—contributed directly to the current economic crisis.
With the mythbusting powers for which she is acclaimed, Ehrenreich exposes the downside of America's penchant for positive thinking: On a personal level, it leads to self-blame and a morbid preoccupation with stamping out "negative" thoughts. On a national level, it's brought us an era of irrational optimism resulting in disaster. This is Ehrenreich at her provocative best—poking holes in conventional wisdom and faux science, and ending with a call for existential clarity and courage. Views: 486
When Kaveran meets Kayna and they fall in love, their romance seems to eerily echo that of their namesakes in a local legend. But little do they realise that their love is fated by a sinister secret.An old Cornish folktale tells of the knight Kaveran and his passionate love for the beautiful Kayna. When a modern young couple, who share these legendary names, meet and fall for each other, their romance seems to replay the old story... but hidden in the past is a sinister secret, which their overpowering desire threatens to expose, with deadly supernatural consequences. Views: 484
A magisterial account of the pains, the struggles, the humiliations, and the glories of the world's largest and least likely democracy, Ramachandra Guha's India After Gandhi is a breathtaking chronicle of the brutal conflicts that have rocked a giant nation and the extraordinary factors that have held it together. An intricately researched and elegantly written epic history peopled with larger-than-life characters, it is the work of a major scholar at the peak of his abilities... Views: 483
