What, Santerre said Marie, shuddering. "Oh he is a most horrid monster It was he that led out our dear sainted King to be murdered; it was he that urged on the furious mob to spill so much blood. They say that in all Paris there is not a greater wretch than this Santerre." Views: 332
With All the Trouble in the World, P. J. O'Rourke once again landed on best-seller lists around the country, confirming his reputation as the pre-eminent political humorist of our time. Attacking fashionable worries - all those terrible problems that are constantly on our minds and in the news, but about which most of us have no real clue - P. J. crisscrosses the globe in search of solutions to today's most vexing issues, including overpopulation, famine, plague, and multiculturalism, and in the process produces a hilarious and informative book which ensures that the concept of political correctness will never be the same again. "One of the funniest, most insightful, dead-on-the-money books of the year." - Los Angeles Times; "All the Trouble in the World is O'Rourke's best work since Parliament of Whores." - The Houston Post; "The dispatches are unfailingly funny....Mr. O'Rourke gets to the heart of the matter with a steady stream of wisecracks....Economists, political scientists... Views: 329
This free bonus chapter shares a story not in the main novel, Wide as the Wind. It addresses how Miru, the main character, earned his secret name. Whether you have already read the novel and would like some extra background, or if you want to "test the waters" before you read Wide as the Wind, this standalone chapter will provide extra insight into our young hero, Miru.Tricked into going to Ireland by a wicked leprechaun, Astro and the gang are forced to find the King’s special pet.Only this pet is not the type of animal any dog should be made to save.It’s wicked and cruel and can make you obey its every command just by purring!That’s right - the dogs are sent all over Ireland to save a cat!On the way, they encounter a whole host of magical creatures, stunning scenery and not to mention, a very polite donkey. Views: 326
A brilliant Indian scientist with self esteem problems faces off against a redneck jet pilot in a bass fishing contest that defies probability.When super popular redneck fighter pilot Gator challenges theoretical permutational mathematician and supernerd, Inderjit to a fish off, Inderjit thinks he's got it covered because he was raised on the Ramaputrya river in India and can out fish any man on the planet. Unfortunately for Inderjit, he's in Florida and they don't fish with nets. Feeling pressured to prove himself, Inderjit steals a work-in-progress device to maybe give himself an edge. This proves, of course, why mathematicians make bad gamblers because they think about statistics instead of remembering that the house always wins, even when it loses. Also, there is a largemouth bass. Views: 326
I’ve waited all these years, expecting some one or another would give a full and true account of it all; but little thinking it would ever come to be my task. For it’s not in my way; but seeing how much has been said about other parts and other people’s sufferings; while ours never so much as came in for a line of newspaper, I can’t think it’s fair; and as fairness is what I always did like, I set to, very much against my will; while, on account of my empty sleeve, the paper keeps slipping and sliding about, so that I can only hold it quiet by putting the lead inkstand on one corner, and my tobacco-jar on the other. You see, I’m not much at home at this sort of thing; and though, if you put a pipe and a glass of something before me, I could tell you all about it, taking my time, like, it seems that won’t do. I said, “Why don’t you write it down as I tell it, so as other people could read all about it?” But “No,” he says; “I could do it in my fashion, but I want it to be in your simple unadorned style; so set to and do it.” Views: 325
Leopold Classic Library is delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive collection. As part of our on-going commitment to delivering value to the reader, we have also provided you with a link to a website, where you may download a digital version of this work for free. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. Whilst the books in this collection have not been hand curated, an aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature. As a result of this book being first published many decades ago, it may have occasional imperfections. These imperfections may include poor picture quality, blurred or missing text. While some of these imperfections may have appeared in the original work, others may have resulted from the scanning process that has been applied. However, our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. While some publishers have applied optical character recognition (OCR), this approach has its own drawbacks, which include formatting errors, misspelt words, or the presence of inappropriate characters. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with an experience that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic book, and that the occasional imperfection that it might contain will not detract from the experience. Views: 325
The third adventure in the brand-new 12-book collectible series for young readers from survival expert and Chief Scout BEAR GRYLLS.Omar is fiercely competitive and very impatient about anything that holds him back. . . especially other people. Activity camp is brilliant because he's the best at all the challenges, it's just so annoying that not all his teammates are as quick or brave or strong as he is. It would be much easier just to ditch them and go it alone. But when he's given a mysterious compass it transports him to a thick jungle that is impossible to get through quickly - he has to learn to move with the rhythm of the environment around him with the help of his guide, adventurer Bear Grylls. Can his time in the rainforest change his mind about what makes someone successful? And who will he give the compass to next?Each book in this fun 12-book series from BEAR GRYLLS follows a different child on the outdoor activity camp. Once they are given the... Views: 322
The story of the violent nature of the volcanic eruption in Krakatoa in 1883. One of a series of excellent stories of adventure for the young with which this prolific Scottish author\'s name is popularly associated. Beautifully illustrated.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition. Views: 319
*A standalone romance inspired by the classic film, Roman Holiday.*
I never believed in fairy-tales.
Never held out for Prince Charming.
Growing up poor in small-town California as the oldest of six siblings, I knew I would never ride off into the sunset with anyone. That was even more apparent when a senseless tragedy took the lives of my parents, forcing me to become the sole guardian of our dysfunctional household at the mere age of twenty-three.
Then a fateful encounter literally brought Prince Charming to my doorstep.
At first I thought Viktor was just your average businessman passing through, albeit obscenely handsome, six-foot-five, blue-eyed, and mysteriously rich.
But soon I discovered the truth behind Viktor’s façade.
Beneath his quiet, enigmatic gaze and cocky charm, is a man who is running away from who he really is. A role he’d rather not fulfill.
He is Viktor of House Nordin, His Royal Highness, The Crown Prince of Sweden.
Yet uncovering Viktor’s secret was only the first step.
I didn’t expect to fall in love with him.
I didn’t expect to have my whole life turned upside down.
When you’re from two different worlds, can your hearts meet somewhere in the middle?
Or do happily-ever-afters only exist in fairy-tales?
NOTE:
- The Swedish Prince will be available on iBooks/Nook/Kobo on March 19th and 20th ONLY
- The Swedish Prince will have a live release on Amazon KU on March 22nd Views: 318
“In this story, as the chief character is internally melodramatic, the story itself ceases to be merely melodramatic, and partakes of true drama.” — T. S. Eliot.Like Poe before him and Conan Doyle after, Wilkie Collins shifted easily from rational domains to the “superrational.” Like them, he is famed for original contributions to “ratiocinative” (detective) literature, but often preferred to indulge his occult predilection — a lifelong indulgence. His first published story, “The Last Stage Coachmen” (1843), was a supernatural allegory of trains; perhaps his last lucid effort (before ill health and opium drained his powers) was this short novel, The Haunted Hotel.Collins’ methods and themes, developed and elaborated in his earlier, massive novels, are streamlined and concentrated here into a tight novelette. The same relentless pace and narrative power, the same attention to plot and backdrop detail that distinguish The Moonstone and The Woman in White are evident here, as is the obsession with destiny and the willful struggle against it.Collins’ much-loved Venice provides the scenery and fatal beauty, the grim waterways and palaces the author will haunt with mysterious women, grotesques, and bloody conspiracies. The Countess Narona is one of Collins’ cosmopolitan enchantresses; she acts, but as the tool of her doom. T. S. Eliot wrote, “The principal character, the fatal woman, is herself obsessed by the idea of fatality; her motives are melodramatic; she therefore compels the coincidences to occur, feeling that she is compelled to compel them.” Collins relieves the tension with some wry characterizations and ironies; the theatrics are sustained. Indeed, theatrical motifs figure heavily, Collins himself being much involved with the stage at that period.The Haunted Hotel appears to be loosely based on a case from the annals of French crime; the scene, scenery, players and conflicts, and especially the horror, come straight from Collins’ overstimulated, no doubt overwrought, most certainly haunted imagination. Views: 313
Old Blood is not a stand-alone novella and it is recommended you read books #1-5 in the Experiment in Terror Series before embarking on this tale. From her harrowing introduction in Darkhouse, the spectre known as “Creepy Clown Lady†has been a constant fixture in Perry Palomino’s life. But beyond the horrid makeup and piercing stare lies Pippa, a woman just like everyone else. Well not quite. Views: 312
VOLUME 7Felo De Se? (1937)The Stoneware Monkey (1938)Mr. Polton Explains (1940)The Jacob Street Mystery (1942)Meet Dr. Thorndyke (Essay)The Art of the Detective Story (Essay)5A King's Bench Walk (Essay) ** This essay is not currently available; it will be added to the volume if and when released.Felo De Se? (1937) aka Murder at the InnJohn Gillam was a gambler. John Gillam faced financial ruin and was the victim of a sinister blackmail attempt. John Gillam is now dead. In this exceptional mystery, Dr Thorndyke is brought in to untangle the secrecy surrounding the death of John Gillam, a man not known for insanity and thoughts of suicide. The Stoneware Monkey (1938)A novel of two halves, this story opens with Dr James Oldfield who finds himself caught one night in a police hunt. When he stumbles upon a policeman, struck dead by an unknown assailant, Oldfield determines to piece together what happened, and who Mr Kempster, (a man who turns up at the scene of the crime) may be. What unravels is a story of ingenious theft involving diamonds and the remains of an artist's body found in a kiln. In the second part, Oldfield engages the help of Dr Thorndyke and together they trace the work of the artist and a valuable stoneware monkey that hides an incredible secret. In the back streets of London amongst colonies of silk weavers, cabinet-makers and craftsmen, Freeman deftly entwines a cunning story infused with palpable suspense. From the father of forensic crime fiction, this plot is chock full of vivid detail. Mr. Polton Explains (1940)Told through the eyes of a watchmaker, Dr Thorndyke is once again faced with a mystery involving a mysterious fire in a Soho house filled with supposedly inflammable objects. What transpires is an entertaining and amazing twist thanks to the eagle eyes of the Doctor and his friend the watchmaker, Mr Polton. The Jacob Street Mystery (1942) aka The Unconscious WitnessFreeman's final novel. A painter is wrongly accused of murder - Dr Thorndyke investigates. Freeman breaks new ground here by introducing a sympathetic and non stereotyped African character, a lawyer from Ghana visiting England.Meet Dr. Thorndyke (Essay) The Art of the Detective Story (Essay) Views: 308
Chasing The SunChasing The Sun Views: 306
