With this new collection, George Saunders takes us even further into the shocking, uproarious and oddly familiar landscape of his imagination.
The stories in Pastoralia are set in a slightly skewed version of America, where elements of contemporary life have been merged, twisted, and amplified, casting their absurdity-and our humanity-in a startling new light. Whether he writes a gothic morality tale in which a male exotic dancer is haunted by his maiden aunt from beyond the grave, or about a self-help guru who tells his followers his mission is to discover who's been "crapping in your oatmeal," Saunders's stories are both indelibly strange and vividly real. Views: 751
Since his debut in 1955, Tom Ripley has evolved into the ultimate bad boy sociopath, influencing countless novelists and filmmakers. In this first novel, we are introduced to suave, handsome Tom Ripley: a young striver, newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan in the 1950s. A product of a broken home, branded a "sissy" by his dismissive Aunt Dottie, Ripley becomes enamored of the moneyed world of his new friend, Dickie Greenleaf. This fondness turns obsessive when Ripley is sent to Italy to bring back his libertine pal but grows enraged by Dickie's ambivalent feelings for Marge, a charming American dilettante. A dark reworking of Henry James's The Ambassadors, The Talented Mr. Ripley—is up to his tricks in a 90s film and also Rene Clement's 60s film, "Purple Noon." Views: 751
Christmas SHORT STORYAlfred Thompson can't wait to get his V.R. SuperCube game system this year for Christmas, but there's a problem. He overhears the school bully talking with his mom in the game shop and comes to a realization. He may have just found a way to never be bullied again, but it is going to cost him.Robena takes her friend on a journey that helps her see the light of hope in her sad life through a series of guided meditations in nature. Affirmations of life. Views: 750
Vinny is the new patient at Belford Hospice, and he may be the last. He didn't come to die. He did not come because he had nowhere else to go. He came, not only to instill life, but to prevent death. Forever.My name is Custard Marks. I am an 11-year-old boy. I am the creator of CustardQuest.The game is pretty simple. I travel around the country investigating paranormal events and unexplained phenomena. Just read my investigative notes and figure out the clues hidden within the text of the notes. These clues will lead you to unique stones hidden somewhere in the United States. If you find a stone, report it on the website and include the code engraved on the front of the stone, and you will be paid via Paypal whatever the pre-announced reward amount is for that particular CustardQuest. The reward money will be relatively small at first and will increase as the number of participants increases. The smaller reward amounts will also allow me to conduct frequent CustardQuests. New CustardQuests will be released periodically, usually every few months.The notes are about 8-10 pages long and are written in plain English -- no ciphers or codes, but maybe a word game or two. Sounds easy enough, right? Good luck. Views: 750
An intimate and lively collection of interviews with a giant of twentieth century literature—the only collection of interviews with García Márquez available
Hailed by the New York Times as a "conjurer of literary magic," Nobel Prize-winning author Gabriel García Márquez is known to millions of readers worldwide as the author of One Hundred Years of Solitude. Beloved by readers of nearly all ages, he is surely the most popular literary novelist in translation—and he remains so today, a decade after the publication of his final novel.
In addition to the first-ever English translation of García Márquez’s last interview, this unprecedented volume includes his first interview, conducted while he was in the throes of writing One Hundred Years of Solitude, which reveals the young writer years before the extraordinary onslaught of success that would make him a household name around the world. Also featured is a series of unusually wide-ranging conversations with García Márquez's friend Plinio Apuleyo Mendoza—surely the only interview with García Márquez that includes the writer's insights into both the meaning of true love and the validity of superstitions. Gabriel García Márquez: The Last Interview also contains two interviews with Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times reporter David Streitfeld.
A wide-ranging and revealing book, Gabriel García Márquez: The Last Interview is an essential book for lifelong fans of García Márquez—and readers who are just getting encountering the master's work for the first time. Views: 749
Short horror story (suitable for adults only) about a man's search for the secret of eternal youth and the moral journey he goes through. If you appreciated this work please, if you are able, make a small donation to a charity of your choice.Short horror story (suitable for adults only) about a man's search for the secret of eternal youth and the moral journey he goes through. If you appreciated this work please, if you are able, make a small donation to a charity of your choice.The short story, Elixir of Life, was inspired by a discussion on beauty and the lengths people will go to stay young. The outline was completed on 1st Feb 2011 and it was published on 28th Apr 2011.If you enjoyed this story please look out for Wilde’s other free short stories, such as Drawing God?, War Merchant and Vengeance. Wilde also has two novels available for purchase, Dreams in Kratocracy (2012 Edition) and Legacy. Views: 749
When a series of murders appears to relate to bad-boy Nick Price's former life in Bangkok, Detective Chief Inspector Jack Magee is faced with the unenviable task of extracting information from an antagonistic, former adversary. As Magee's investigation gathers momentum, he is drawn deep into a dark world of intrigue, betrayal and conspiracy.Imagine you and your mates did something bad in your youth. Like committing a crime so appalling that you can't speak of it for fear of losing everything you hold dear; your wife, children, reputation. So you bottle it up, hope to god no one talks. But then imagine, twenty years on, those youthful misdemeanours have earned you a place on a brutal killer's deathlist. Would you confess to the police, point the finger of suspicion, rat on your mates? Or would you keep schtum?It's an uncompromising dilemma, as Nick Price and DCI Jack Magee are about to discover. Views: 749
Lagos, Nigeria. Summer of 1968. The war in Biafra is in full swing. Ethan Whittmore is a Captain of the Royal Marines, training government troops in support of the Nigerians.When he learns of his brother's disappearance, a doctor with the Red Cross, he takes it upon himself to find his brother, dead or alive.Lagos, Nigeria. Summer of 1968. The war in Biafra is in full swing. Ethan Whittmore is a Captain of the Royal Marines, training government troops in support of the Nigerians.When he learns of his brother's disappearance, a doctor with the Red Cross, he takes it upon himself to find his brother, dead or alive.His efforts will lead him through the Nigerian jungles and rainforests amidst a bloody civil war. What lays at the end of the road though will be more than just an unexpected surprise and lots of broken promises.. Views: 748
Full grown with a long, smoke-coloured beard, requiring the services of a cane and fonder of cigars than warm milk, Benjamin Button is a very curious baby indeed. And, as Benjamin becomes increasingly youthful with the passing years, his family wonders why he persists in the embarrassing folly of living in reverse. In this imaginative fable of ageing and the other stories collected here including The Cut-Glass Bowl in which an ill-meant gift haunts a family s misfortunes, The Four Fists where a man’s life shaped by a series of punches to his face, and the revelry, mobs and anguish of May Day F. Scott Fitzgerald displays his unmatched gift as a writer of short stories. Views: 747
In the previous story, Carla suspected her husband Steve was having an affair with Jim's girlfriend Jessica. She enlisted the help of Jim Money to discover the truth.Sometimes, the truth can set you free. And sometimes..The truth can have you RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE!In the previous story, Carla suspected her husband Steve was having an affair with Jim's girlfriend Jessica. She enlisted the help of Jim Money to discover the truth.Sometimes, the truth can set you free. And sometimes..The truth can have you RUNNING FOR YOUR LIFE!In Bon Appétit, Jim and Carla learned the true nature of Steve and Jessica's relationship. NOW THEY'RE RUNNING FOR THEIR LIVESThe truth turned out to be far more sick and more sinister than either Jim or Carla could have ever imagined. And now, with the truth in hand, the pair must run if they want to live to see another day.THIS IS THE SECOND INSTALLMENT OF THE JIM MONEY STORIES.Here are the other stories in chronological order:Bon Appétit EscapeOn the RunJamesBUSTED: a Prequel to the Jim Money StoriesABOUT THE AUTHOR:Former professional poker player Glenn Gamble is an author from Chicago, IL who doesn't have one of those inspiring stories where he goes to the state penitentiary to discover his gift for writing amazing stories. Instead, he worked on his craft during long romantic dates at Starbucks and Panera Bread with his laptop and a story. His inspiration came from friends who encouraged him to pursue his dreams to become a writer. Without a prison sentence, Gamble has managed to pen A Thousand Chances, Bon Appetit, Escape, On the Run, James, and Busted; and is currently writing future installments of both the Jim Money and Darius Blaylock Poker Series.In his spare time, Gamble likes to watch Chicago Bulls games, drop twitter bombs from the sky, slam facebook with status updates, and bet on low-stakes rat and roach races taking place in various public housing project apartments across the United States. Views: 747
From Donald Ray Pollock, author of the highly acclaimed The Devil All the Time and Knockemstiff, comes a dark, gritty, electrifying (and, disturbingly, weirdly funny) new novel that will solidify his place among the best contemporary American authors.
It is 1917, in that sliver of border land that divides Georgia from Alabama. Dispossessed farmer Pearl Jewett ekes out a hardscrabble existence with his three young sons: Cane (the eldest; handsome; intelligent); Cob (short; heavy set; a bit slow); and Chimney (the youngest; thin; ill-tempered). Several hundred miles away in southern Ohio, a farmer by the name of Ellsworth Fiddler lives with his son, Eddie, and his wife, Eula. After Ellsworth is swindled out of his family’s entire fortune, his life is put on a surprising, unforgettable, and violent trajectory that will directly lead him to cross paths with the Jewetts. No good can come of it. Or can it?
In the gothic tradition of Flannery O’Connor and Cormac McCarthy with a healthy dose of cinematic violence reminiscent of Sam Peckinpah, Quentin Tarantino and the Coen Brothers, the Jewetts and the Fiddlers will find their lives colliding in increasingly dark and horrific ways, placing Donald Ray Pollock firmly in the company of the genre’s literary masters. Views: 746
A crew in space explores a distant planet, detected only through its toxic gas levels. The previous society killed themselves through war. Upon entering the planet's gravity they are rammed by debris and forced to land on the poisonous surface. They believe it was intentional, and set out to learn who brought them down. Finding only a single area free of poison, and at its center the last droid.In Speak 2 U Soon, Julie Price’s big brother drowns under mysterious circumstances: Uncle Eric takes Davey out in a boat knowing full well Davey is not only terrified of water, but he also can’t swim. It is her brother’s death that is Julie’s psychological undoing. Two other teens, Raven and Jorge, each suffering from their own losses, meet Julie in group therapy. Fast friends, they uncover discrepancies in Eric’s story. After enlisting Davey’s friend, Vince, who was on the boat the night Davey died, the four make a final climatic discovery. Views: 745
Joanna Gawn and Ron Dickerson, authors of The Lazuli Portals series, have brought together some of their shorter works in this small ebook.With stories (and a few poems) ranging from 100 - 1500 words, this collection is ideal for reading when you don’t have much time to spare.Includes: Yin and Yang; The Crystal Cave; The Day Edward Met Helene; The Haunting of Melton Grange; A Cordello Memory.Joanna Gawn and Ron Dickerson, authors of The Lazuli Portals series, have brought together some of their shorter works in this small ebook. If you’ve not read their other books, or their blog or newsletter, then this little anthology offers you the chance to get acquainted!With stories (and a few poems) ranging from 100 to 1500 words, this collection is ideal for reading during a coffee break, or when you don’t have much time to spare.Shorter stories include:Yin and YangThe Crystal CaveThe Day Edward Met HeleneSun, Sea and SphinxA Cordello MemoryThe Angel ThinksThis book also contains four longer stories of around 1000-1500 words:The Restoration of Conover House Delights of the DartSunriseThe Haunting of Melton Grange Views: 745
SHORT STORYHenry Jr. and his family are excited about their newborn kittens, but when Henry goes into the barn to see them - he finds that there's an extra. It looks and weighs the same as another. Henry's mom is spooked. Where did this extra cat come from, and why does it act so strange?What was supposed to have been a pleasant afternoon exploring the woods behind their great Aunt Clara’s mountain cabin home, turned into a frightening and dangerous adventure for Nick James and his younger sister, Mandy.A sudden, and violent thunderstorm, accompanied by cold and gusting wind, sends them scrambling for cover as they try to figure out how to get back to the safety of Aunt Clara’s home. Losing sight of the narrow trail they were following, Nick and his sister find temporary shelter under a tree until they hear the sound of barking dogs in the distance.Soaking wet and muddy, they push through the wind and rain convinced that a rescue party is looking for them. Continuing with determination, they eagerly approach another small cabin only to discover they are heading into a dangerous situation instead.Nick and Mandy realize they must do their best to avoid being hunted down by two very suspicious men and their two vicious dogs, quickly heading back into the woods to avoid being discovered. They struggle to stay calm as night comes and darkness takes over the woods. Mandy worries about wild animals and other strange sounds, relying on her older brother’s quick thinking to keep them both safe.As their unexpected adventure through the night unfolds, they discover there is more to these two unsavory men and their dogs than they could have ever imagined especially when they find themselves cornered and staring into the evil eyes of the two growling dogs. Views: 745
(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed)
From Nobel laureate Naguib Mahfouz: the three magnificent novels-published in an omnibus edition for the first time--that form anancient-Egyptian counterpart to his famous "Cairo Trilogy."
Mahfouz reaches back thousands of years to bring us tales from his homeland's majestic early history-tales of theEgyptian nobility and of war, star-crossed love, and the divine rule of the pharoahs. In "Khufu's Wisdom," the legendary Fourth Dynasty monarch faces the prospect of the end of his rule and thepossibility that his daughter has fallen in love with the man prophesied to be his successor. "Rhadopis of Nubia" is the unforgettable story of the charismatic young Pharoah Merenra II and the ravishingcourtesan Rhadopis, whose love affair makes them the envy of all Egyptian society. And "Thebes at War" tells the epic story of Egypt's victory over the Asiatic foreigners who dominated the country for twocenturies.
"Three Novels of Ancient Egypt" gives us a dazzling tapestry of ancient Egypt and reminds us of the remarkable artistry of NaguibMahfouz. "From the Hardcover edition." Views: 744
