Abby Lovitt doesn't realize how unprepared she is when she takes her beloved horse, True Blue, to a clinic led by the most famous equestrian anyone knows. The biggest surprise, though, is that Sophia, the girl who never makes a mistake, suddenly makes so many that she stops riding. Who will ride her horse? Abby's dad seems to think it will be Abby. Pie in the Sky is the most expensive horse Abby has ever ridden. But he is proud and irritable, and he takes Abby's attention away from the continuing mystery that is True Blue.
And then there's high school—Abby finds new friends, but also new challenges, and a larger world that sometimes seems strange and intimidating. She begins to wonder if there is another way to look at horses, people, and life itself.
Accompanied by the beautiful imagery of 1960s Northern California, Abby's charming mix of innocence and wisdom guide us through Pulitzer Prize winner Jane Smiley's latest middle-grade horse novel. Views: 980
A new collection of stories, including some that have never before been seen, from the New York Times best-selling author of the Silo trilogy
Hugh Howey is known for crafting riveting and immersive page-turners of boundless imagination, spawning millions of fans worldwide, first with his best-selling novel Wool, and then with other enthralling works such as Sand and Beacon 23.
Now comes Machine Learning, an impressive collection of Howey’s science fiction and fantasy short fiction, including three stories set in the world of Wool, two never-before-published tales written exclusively for this volume, and fifteen additional stories collected here for the first time. These stories explore everything from artificial intelligence to parallel universes to video games, and each story is accompanied by an author’s note exploring the background and genesis of each story.
Howey’s incisive mind makes Machine Learning: New and Collected Stories a compulsively readable and thought-provoking selection of short works—from a modern master at the top of his game. Views: 980
The Indie Eclective: What is it, who are they, and why can they spell neither “eclectic” nor “collective” correctly? The Indie Eclective is an ensemble of authors operating under the assumption that Readers like Good Books. The Halloween Collection showcases spooky reads from nine very different authors.The Halloween Collection from The Indie EclectiveRhyn Trilogy: Origins, by Lizzy Ford: Gabriel's fate as an assassin seems set until he meets a courageous half-demon child named Rhyn, whose plight rekindles the humanity he thought he'd lost. Ralphie the Special Werewolf by P.J. Jones: Ralphie doesn’t want to get snipped, but his pack is tired of watching him defile the sofa cushions. Now, he’s got to find a mate by Halloween night—or else.Sunwalker's Kiss by Shéa MacLeod: While searching for a magical bloodline, Sunwalker Jackson Keel discovers magic of a different kind.The Village of Those Who Touch The Dead by M. Edward McNally: "All obligations will be paid. There are no exceptions."’Haunting in OR 13, by Alan Nayes: Halloween never frightened Sara McCaffe, until she stepped into Operating Room 13!To Taste of Shimmering Revenge by Jack Wallen: A vampire is awakened after four hundred years only to find his kind embarrassed and shamed by the rash of shimmery, hunky vampires on the big screen. His revenge will be sweet and tasty.Magickal Vendetta by Heather Adkins - Revenge is a dish best served up in a pink saucepan for accident-prone blood witch, Gretchen. By harnessing the power of Halloween, she hopes to break the bond with the soulmate who did her wrong. From the Keegan’s Chronicles series: Haunted House by Julia Crane - Keegan, Lauren, and Anna find much more than they bargained for during an innocent trip to a commercial haunted house. Someone long dead awaits them on the second floor...From the Gifted Teens series: Mind-Blower by Talia Jager - Kassia and Daxton’s romantic picnic is interrupted by the arrival of creatures bent on her destruction. Will her powers fail her when she needs them most?About The Halloween Collection:The Indie Eclective: What is it, who are they, and why can they spell neither “eclectic” nor “collective” correctly? The Indie Eclective is an ensemble of authors operating under the assumption that Readers like Good Books. The Halloween Collection showcases spooky reads from nine very different authors. Whether you enjoy light or dark paranormal, YA or adult-themed genres, there’s bound to be a story to suit your tastes. Thanks for reading! Views: 979
The stories collected in Mermaids on the Golf Course are among Highsmith's most mature, psychologically penetrating works. As in the title story, in which a man's brush with death endows his everyday desires with tragic consequences, the warm familiarities of middle-class life become the eerie setting for Highsmith's chilling portrayals of violence, secrecy, and madness. Views: 978
Perdita’s still dealing with the consequences of her actions when her enemies change their targets with no warning, but it’s the unexpected betrayal of those closest to her that hurts the most. When her world shifts beneath her, Perdy has to figure out how to stay standing without losing any more of herself to the werewolves.
Nathan’s watching everyone pull away from him, but he can’t control his destiny. He’s trying to protect his loved ones, but something always seems to get in the way. A public attack has everyone talking about wolves, and all eyes are on his family. His grandfather has lost his mind, and Nathan’s caught in the crossfire, but all of his choices will cost him a sacrifice. One way or another.
Nobody’s watching Amelia… Big mistake. Views: 977
Slowly, Slowly in the Wind brilliantly assembles many of Patricia Highsmith's most nuanced and psychologically suspenseful works. Rarely has an author articulated so well the hypocrisies of the Catholic Church while conveying the delusions of a writer's life and undermining the fantasy of suburban bliss. Each of these twelve pieces, like all great short fiction, is a crystal-clear snapshot of lives both static and full of chaos. In "The Pond" Highsmith explores the unforeseen calamities that can unalterably shatter a single woman's life, while "The Network" finds sinister loneliness and joy in the mundane yet engrossing friendships of a small community of urban dwellers. In this enduring and disturbing collection, Highsmith evokes the gravity and horror of her characters' surroundings with evenhanded prose and a detailed imagination. Views: 976
"In the Penal Colony" is a short story by Franz Kafka written in German in October 1914, and first published in October 1919.
The story is set in an unnamed penal colony. It describes the last use of an elaborate torture and execution device that carves the sentence of the condemned prisoner on his skin in a script before letting him die, all in the course of twelve hours. As the plot unfolds, the reader learns more and more about the machine, including its origin, and original justification. Views: 975
An average New Yorker stumbles upon a world he never knew existed.Zac Quinn's life has been touched by the darkside in more ways than one. His search for the truth about his brother's disappearance leads him to cross paths with a mysterious woman with a curse of her own. She is the sole remnant of a nearly defunct organization who hunted creatures of the night. Views: 973
A young were-lioness bids her time in steel and concrete Singapore.Humanity finally achieved the impossible. Utopia was no longer a dream, but reality. Many nations accepted the authority of the Shepherds, a special class of people who lived by an ideal that others could not. Crime was a thing of the past, and humanity’s dark side was pushed back into the shadows. The streets were not exactly paved with gold, but at least they were safe. But humanity paid a price in exchange for utopia. Psycho Island is the story of the price we paid. Views: 973
The story of Nathanael Vickery who believes himself to be one of God's chosen and then loses his way. Views: 971
Roland Marks is a Nobel Prize winning novelist with a penchant for younger women and four marriages behind him. Lou-Lou Marks, his grown daughter, is a successful academic in her own right. But her real career lies in attending to her father. An egomaniacal and emotionally manipulative man, he demands of her absolute filial loyalty and an uncompromising acquiescence to his every need—her only reward is his approval, which she feels she never fully receives, but desperately desires. When Roland falls in love with a woman fifty years his junior, Lou-Lou senses the precarious decline of her power. Intent on preventing Roland from marrying for a fifth time and signing away his estate—and her inheritance—the relationship takes a darkly comical turn. Astute, insightful, and mordantly hilarious, Patricide is Joyce Carol Oates at her best. Views: 969
~Best read after the original Ava Delaney series~
The backdrop may be grim, but Dublin city has become the centre of change. And as the humans and supernaturals figure out how to live in each other’s worlds, the person who forced that change has quietly stepped aside for a peaceful life.
Ava Delaney is still trying to adjust to her own altered existence when a tainted nephal turns up on her doorstep, apparently on the run from the monster who changed Ava’s life before she was even born. But she’s not supposed to interfere, even for the lost souls she’s vowed to help.
But as the first vampire leaves death in his wake, and Ava becomes an easy target to blame, she realises she has to take care of business once again. There are more secrets hidden in the shadows, more voices just waiting to be heard, and obedience has never been Ava’s thing.
Only one thing is for certain: for people like Ava Delaney, there’s no such thing as a peaceful life. Views: 969
David Sedaris's beloved holiday collection is new again with six more pieces, including a never before published story. Along with such favorites as the diaries of a Macy's elf and the annals of two very competitive families, are Sedaris's tales of tardy trick-or-treaters ("Us and Them"); the difficulties of explaining the Easter Bunny to the French ("Jesus Shaves"); what to do when you've been locked out in a snowstorm ("Let It Snow"); the puzzling Christmas traditions of other nations ("Six to Eight Black Men"); what Halloween at the medical examiner's looks like ("The Monster Mash"); and a barnyard secret Santa scheme gone awry ("Cow and Turkey").
No matter what your favorite holiday, you won't want to miss celebrating it with the author who has been called "one of the funniest writers alive" (Economist). Views: 969
Included in this volume are the three "Fifth Queen" novels of Ford Maddox Ford: "The Fifth Queen" (1906), "Privy Seal" (1907) and "The Fifth Queen Crowned" (1908). Views: 968
