Mitch Albom creates a magical world through his love of music in this remarkable new novel about the power of talent to change our lives
This is the epic story of Frankie Presto—the greatest guitar player who ever lived—and the six lives he changed with his six magical blue strings
Frankie, born in a burning church, abandoned as an infant, and raised by a music teacher in a small Spanish town, until war rips his life apart. At nine years old, he is sent to America in the bottom of a boat. His only possession is an old guitar and six precious strings. His amazing journey weaves him through the musical landscape of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s, with his stunning playing and singing talent affecting numerous stars (Duke Ellington, Hank Williams, Elvis Presley) until, as if predestined, he becomes a pop star himself.
He makes records. He is adored. But Frankie Presto’s gift is also his burden, as he realizes the power of the strings his teacher gave him, and how, through his music, he can actually affect people’s lives. At the height of his popularity, tortured by his biggest mistake, he vanishes. His legend grows. Only decades later, having finally healed his heart, does Frankie reappearjust before his spectacular death—to change one last life. With the Spirit of Music as our guide, we glimpse into the lives that were changed by one man whose strings could touch the music—and the magic—in each of us. Views: 693
Desperate to avoid a tragic loss, Paula hides away in Scotland. However, the locals are keen to know more about their unhappy visitor. Views: 688
Who was Triton? Triton was a triton, an artificial, surreal mass of intelligences, a satellite of time, a protector, a place keeper in our main body of time. No blood and guts today, and not just because he doesn't have any, he's just in town for some and R and R. Or should that be just in time?Thrilling Adventure is an anthology where new characters debut, team ups between existing EBH heroes, and tales that cannot be told in the EBH solo series. This first episode features the team up of Scarlet Tie the openly gay African American hero of Cleveland and Jewish hero the Key-Master. The central theme is extinction and what future efforts might be used to restore extinct species to the planet. Views: 680
Brian Beauchamp is sent across the solar system to the ninth planet, Pluto, to help improve the terra forming efforts there. Unfortunately, his ex-lover, Zack Kirkland, is stationed there, too. Zack left Brian without a word three years earlier. Both men are going to be stuck on Pluto for a long time. Will they be able to work through their unresolved past? Or will things between them make their life in deep space unbearable? Views: 675
An estranged father and son, who have kept in touch for years through an exchange of letters, unexpectedly meet in Hong Kong. A near fatal meeting .... but suddenly they are thrown together in a desperate attempt to get back to England. Their background, their reunion and their escape make fascinating reading.An estranged father and son, who have kept in touch for years through an exchange of letters, unexpectedly meet in Hong Kong. It is a near fatal meeting, when his son nearly kills him. Neither knows that they are both in the intelligence business, but suddenly they are thrown together in a desperate attempt to get back to England. Their background, their reunion and their escape make fascinating reading. Views: 664
Hollywood’s handsomest men surround celebrity agent Ava Gardner but none are as intriguing as larger-than-life Grady O’Flynn. The Navy SEAL is on an unsanctioned mission when they end up starring in their own romantic comedy. Will they continue to sizzle when Grady has to report back to duty?Gene Grossman, author of the popular15-book set of Peter Sharp Legal Mysteries, and the 5-book Suzi B. Mysteries would like to allow prospective readers to see his 20 mystery titles in one convenient location, where they can view all of the books’ covers, see brief summaries, and read the first chapters of each – all at absolutely no cost.Also included are the author’s personal comments about the books, including real people the characters were named for and/or based on, similar true situations that were influential in creation of plot segments, and other matters considered during the writing processes.Both mystery fans and prospective writers will enjoy this free eBook, to familiarize themselves not only with the small group of continuing characters and various solutions in the Peter Sharp and Suzi B. Legal Mysteries, but also in the thoughts and considerations of the author.Another feature is a complete descriptive listing of non-fiction titles by Mr. Grossman, including his popular award-winning “Celestial Navigation for the Complete Idiot” plus topics covering the practice of law, writing a mystery novel, deposition preparation, and others. Views: 664
Bestselling author Mitch Albom returns to nonfiction for the first time in more than a decade in this poignant memoir that celebrates Chika, a young Haitian orphan whose short life would forever change his heart.Chika Jeune was born three days before the devastating earthquake that decimated Haiti in 2010. She spent her infancy in a landscape of extreme poverty, and when her mother died giving birth to a baby brother, Chika was brought to The Have Faith Haiti Orphanage that Albom operates in Port Au Prince.With no children of their own, the forty-plus children who live, play, and go to school at the orphanage have become family to Mitch and his wife, Janine. Chika's arrival makes a quick impression. Brave and self-assured, even as a three-year-old, she delights the other kids and teachers. But at age five, Chika is suddenly diagnosed with something a doctor there says, "No one in Haiti can help you with."Mitch and Janine bring Chika to... Views: 659
There is only one writer on the planet who possesses enough basketball knowledge and passion to write the definitive book on the NBA.* Bill Simmons, the from-the-womb hoops addict known to millions as ESPN.com’s Sports Guy, is that writer. And The Book of Basketball is that book.
Nowhere in the roundball universe will you find another single volume that covers as much in such depth as this wildly opinionated and thoroughly entertaining look at the past, present, and future of pro basketball.
From the age-old question of who actually won the rivalry between Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain to the one about which team was truly the best of all time, Simmons opens–and then closes, once and for all–every major pro basketball debate. Then he takes it further by completely reevaluating not only how NBA Hall of Fame inductees should be chosen but how the institution must be reshaped from the ground up, the result being the Pyramid: Simmons’s one-of-a-kind, five-level shrine to the ninety-six greatest players in the history of pro basketball. And ultimately he takes fans to the heart of it all, as he uses a conversation with one NBA great to uncover that coveted thing: The Secret of Basketball.
Comprehensive, authoritative, controversial, hilarious, and impossible to put down (even for Celtic-haters), The Book of Basketball offers every hardwood fan a courtside seat beside the game’s finest, funniest, and fiercest chronicler.
More to the point, he’s the only one crazy enough to try to pull it off.
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She thinks he's an unfeeling rodeo star. He thinks she's a hothouse flower. They're both wrong. Rodeo champ Carter Bass vows to steer clear of women, especially Barbie cowgirls with their bright lipstick and artificial smiles. The Mustang River Ranch's wilderness chase offers the perfect opportunity to escape his fans and match wits with quarry that is tough, smart and athletic. Allie McIvor found a place to call home when she fled the city for a job at the luxury ranch. She barely knows the front of a horse from the back, but she can dress enough like a cowgirl to keep the guests happy. And she's not about to let the disdain of one swaggering cowboy dim her day, no matter that he's too sexy for his own boots. But when she finds herself competing in the rugged outdoors contest, she's forced to dig up reserves of strength and determination she never realized she had. While that might be enough to win the heart of... Views: 641
