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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>They love nothing better than sipping free-trade gourmet coffee, leafing through the Sunday <em>New York Times</em>, and listening to David Sedaris on NPR (ideally all at the same time). Apple products, indie music, food co-ops, and vintage T-shirts make them weak in the knees.   </p><p>They believe they’re unique, yet somehow they’re all exactly the same, talking about how they “get” Sarah Silverman’s “subversive” comedy and Wes Anderson’s “droll” films. They’re also down with diversity and up on all the best microbrews, breakfast spots, foreign cinema, and authentic sushi. They’re organic, ironic, and do not own TVs.   </p><p>You know who they are: They’re white people. And they’re here, and you’re gonna have to deal. Fortunately, here’s a book that investigates, explains, and offers advice for finding social success with the Caucasian persuasion. So kick back on your IKEA couch and lose yourself in the ultimate guide to the unbearable whiteness of being.  </p><p><strong><em>Praise for STUFF WHITE PEOPLE LIKE:</em></strong>  </p><p><strong>“The best of a hilarious Web site: an uncannily accurate catalog of dead-on predilections. The Criterion Collection of classic films? Haircuts with bangs? Expensive fruit juice? ‘Blonde on Blonde’ on the iPod? The author knows who reads <em>The New Yorker</em> and who wears plaid.”</strong><br />–Janet Maslin’s summer picks, CBS.com  </p><p>“<strong>The author of "Stuff White People Like" skewers the sacred cows of lefty Caucasian culture, from the Prius to David Sedaris. . . . It gently mocks the habits and pretensions of urbane, educated, left-leaning whites, skewering their passion for Barack Obama and public transportation (as long as it's not a bus), their <em>idle threats</em> to move to Canada, and joy in playing <em>children's games as adults.</em> Kickball, anyone?”</strong><br />–Salon.com  </p><p><strong>“A handy reference guide with which you can check just how white you are. Hint: If you like only documentaries and think your child is gifted, you glow in the dark, buddy.”</strong><br /><em>–NY Daily News</em><em></em><br /><em></em></p><h3>About the Author</h3><p>Christian Lander is the creator of the website Stuff White People Like. He is a Ph.D. dropout who was the 2006 public speaking instructor of the year at Indiana University. He has lived in Toronto, Montreal, Copenhagen, Tucson, Indiana, and now Los Angeles, where he lives with his wife, Jess, a photographer who contributed many of the photos in the book. </p>


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<h3>From School Library Journal</h3><p>Gr 6 Up–This dystopian tale features a resourceful, spirited, and immensely likable heroine. Molly McClure, 16, has lived her entire life on a small island in Canada. Since the Great Collapse of 2031, her family has managed to create an oasis of security, growing their own food, using solar energy for power, and relying on bicycles and horses for transportation. When they receive word that Molly's grandmother is seriously ill, Molly's mother is deeply worried, further complicating her pregnancy-related health issues. Communications are sketchy at best, and Molly leaves the island to travel to Oregon and hopefully return with her grandparents (her grandfather, a retired physician, has long been estranged from his daughter). She bravely sets off, taking along her beloved fiddle for comfort and company. Already a risky venture, her quest is further imperiled by a run-in with the local crime organization and an outbreak of polio resulting in a border closure. Anthony sketches a world in which food and energy resources are in short supply and people struggle for day-to-day survival, creating a believable backdrop for her complex and charismatic characters. Though it doesn't break new ground, this book is a suspenseful and highly entertaining read that–despite the grim premise–is a surprisingly upbeat and hopeful look at the future._Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK_<br />© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. </p><h3>From</h3><p>In 2041, when the world's depleted oil supplies have forced governmental failures and the emergence of a black-market economy, 16-year-old Molly McClure travels to Oregon to convince her aging grandparents to join the rest of the family in British Columbia. That plan takes a backseat to the drama unfolding next door—where two children are being cared for by their drunken, gambling uncle—and Molly may have two more passengers for the return trip, if she can convince anyone to go. After taking a few chapters to focus the characterization and plot direction, Anthony delivers a plucky heroine with a musical gift, a taste of romance, and a family-values-based narrative about dealing with unexpected circumstances. The tone is hopeful, and there is an innocence to the storytelling that makes the main character seem much younger than her years, in spite of her ability to face down the rough guys. Don't give this to hard-core sf fans, but it might fly with readers of Will Weaver's Memory Boy (2001). Grades 6-9. --Cindy Welch </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>The discovery of a fragment of a prehistoric cave painting stirs up old passions in modern Europe in this busy, fact-driven fourth novel by commentator and journalist Walker (America Reborn). When Maj. Philip Manners approaches auction house expert Lydia Dean about an object inherited from his father, he expects merely to turn a quick profit. But Lydia is alarmed: the fragment appears to be from an uncharted French cave and was probably obtained illegally. It is stolen from the auction house, prompting an intense reaction from French President Fran‡ois Malrand. Having set up the theft as an elaborate McGuffin, Walker then shifts to the "V‚zere Valley, approximately 15,000 B.C.," and the story of how young cave-dwellers Little Moon and Keeper of the Deer fall tragically in love and defy authorities by painting with unprecedented realism. The story leaps ahead to 1944 France, to describe how Malrand, aided by Manners's father, Jack, and an uncouth American named McPhee trained the French Resistance to fight the Germans and in the process stumbled upon the cave. The shifts from story to story make for a neat gimmick but an awkward package: despite the link of the fragment, the three stories often get in each other's way. Though much of the detail is fascinating, Walker devotes more energy to describing WWII technology and warfare than to developing the characters. In the end, it's the cave painting that is most vivid here. Agent, Ron Goldfarb of Goldfarb &amp; Grayhill. (Mar. 12)Forecast: With several books (both fiction and non) and frequent appearances on CNN and NPR under his belt, Walker's name alone ensures respectable sales. The cover a cave drawing emblazoned with a red swastika will catch browsers' eyes. </p><p>Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p><h3>From School Library Journal</h3><p>Adult/High School-Three intertwined stories, stretching from prehistory to the present, center on a rock painting of a menacing bull and draw readers into a mystery buried near the 17,000-year-old caves of Lascaux in southwestern France. Manners, who inherited the fragment from his father, a British army officer helping the French resistance, brings it to Lydia Dean, an expert in prehistoric art in a London auction house. She has it photographed, and circulates the pictures to select colleagues; but before its provenance can be established, the object is stolen. Trying to find out who took it, from what cave it originated, and how Manners's father got it, Dean and Manners journey to the remote caves of the P rigord, and their mutual attraction blossoms. The stories of the creation of the painting; of unlikely allies trying to slow a German panzer division in its effort to reach Normandy; and of present-day interests seeking to acquire and display the stone, deemed a national treasure by the president of France, all make for compelling reading. It's unfortunate that there's no map of the region; nevertheless, following these stories challenges, captivates, and educates teens about the art world, the French resistance effort, and prehistoric cave painting.<br /><em>Molly Connally, Kings Park Library, Fairfax County, VA </em><br />Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>It took thirty minutes for the city to die. But their hunger would last forever. The military has sealed the city. No one is getting in. No one is getting out. But a team of cyber-criminals have a job to do. A job that will see them receiving a huge payout if they succeed. Or a bullet if they don't. Once inside the city Kevin O'Connell and his team find that staying alive proves to be just as difficult as staying dead ...</p>


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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Wow. This stunning book succeeds on so many different levels--as an engrossing story, a character study, a history lesson, a modern day political allegory--I don't even know where to begin the praise. <em>The Last Town on Earth</em> centers on the inhabitants of a small logging town in Washington and what happens when they take drastic measures (quarantine) to try and protect themselves from the virulent and deadly flu epidemic of 1918. When a deserting WWI soldier demands sanctuary, events are set in motion that change the town forever.</p><p>Although this is Mullen's first published work, there are none of the usual verbal pyrotechnics or high-wire "look how well I can write" balancing acts one sees with beginning authors. How refreshing to read a younger author who has already progressed beyond his ego and knows that it's all about story, story, story. Mullen tells his tale cleanly, simply and plainly--making the ironies and allegories all the more potent. I knew almost nothing of the flu epidemic of 1918 and even less about the political climate in the US during WW1. These are not subjects I would go out of my way to read about, but Mullen has made them compelling and interesting. In fact, the author's voice has the same level of confidence and maturity that one only finds in writers with decades more experience (I kept thinking of Wallace Stegner and Alice Munro while I was reading)--authors who earn your trust and confidence so early and easily that you completely relax into the writing and the voice. It's already on my Ten Best List; I can't imagine I'll read ten better books this year. It's easily the most impressive and heartfelt book I've read in a long while. <em>--Terry Goodman</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>It is the autumn of 1918 and a world war and an influenza epidemic rage outside the isolated utopian logging community of Commonwealth, Wash. In an eerily familiar climate of fear, rumor and patriotic hysteria, the town enacts a strict quarantine, posting guards at the only road into town. A weary soldier approaches the gate on foot and refuses to stop. Shots ring out, setting into motion a sequence of events that will bring the town face-to-face with some of the 20th-century's worst horrors. Mullen's ambitious debut is set against a plausibly sketched background, including events such the Everett Massacre (between vigilantes and the IWW), the political repression that accompanied the U.S. entry into WWI and the rise of the Wobblies. But what Mullen supplies in terms of historical context, he lacks in storytelling; though the novel is set in 1918, it was written in a post 9/11 world where fear of bird flu regularly makes headlines, and the allegory is heavy-handed (the protagonist townie, after all, is named Philip Worthy). The grim fascination of the narrative, however, will keep readers turning the pages. <em>(Sept.)</em> <br>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>This astute if not entirely cohesive debut account from investigative journalist and former banker Cohan chronicles the long metamorphosis of Lazard Frères. Converted from a private partnership to a diversified, publicly traded company in 2005, it was the last great American investment bank to do so. That story intertwines with the career of Felix Rohatyn, Lazard's most famous and influential banker. Readers expecting a comprehensive financial history in the style of Ron Chernow (_The House of Morgan_) will find the firm's history from its founding as a New Orleans dry goods retailer in 1848 to the early 1960s covered in only two of the 21 chapters. Cohan discusses the following quarter century in more detail, but concentrates almost exclusively on Rohatyn and draws on the general business press. The chapters on the last 20 years contain fascinating and novel information, and rely extensively on the author's personal recollections (he worked at Lazard for six years) and interviews with associates, many of whom remain undisclosed. The result is three incompletely integrated works: a competent history of Lazard, a well-written biography of Rohatyn and an exciting insider's account of Wall Street infighting. <em>(Apr.)</em> <br>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>“Cohan’s portrayal of the firm's dominant partners—whose gargantuan appetites and mercurial habits provide the unifying force behind the book’s operatic melodramas— makes this an epic . . . In fact,_ The Last Tycoons_ bears a striking resemblance to F. Scott Fitzgerald’s_ The Last Tycoon_.”<br>_—New York Times Book Review<br>_  </p><p>“Breezy and highly readable . . . For those of us who enjoy high-level gossip (most people) and an inside look at the machinations, triumphs, failures, and foibles of some of Wall Street’s and America’s most exalted personages, Cohan’s book is entertaining and seductively engrossing.”<br>—_Chicago Tribune_  </p><p>“Cohan's thoroughness—he interviewed over 100 current and former bankers and assorted bigwigs—unearths a trove of colourful titbits, many quite racy . . . Illuminating are Mr. Cohan’s descriptions of the scheming, politicking, and general dysfunction that was Lazard.”<br><em>—Economist</em>   </p><p>“Cohan not only knows where the bodies are buried but got a guided tour of the graveyard.”<br>_—Financial Times<br>_<br>“[_The Last Tycoons_] has sent a jolt through Lazard and the rest of Wall Street.”<br><em>—Wall Street Journal</em>  </p><p><em>From the Trade Paperback edition.</em></p>

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In Counter-Clock World, one of the most theologically probing of all of Dick’s books, the world has entered the Hobart Phase–a vast sidereal process in which time moves in reverse. As a result, libraries are busy eradicating books, copulation signifies the end of pregnancy, people greet with, “Good-bye,” and part with, “Hello,” and underneath the world’s tombstones, the dead are coming back to life. One imminent old-born is Anarch Peak, a vibrant religious leader whose followers continued to flourish long after his death. His return from the dead has such awesome implications that those who apprehend him will very likely be those who control the fate of the world. Winner of both the Hugo and John W. Campbell awards for best novel, widely regarded as the premiere science fiction writer of his day, and the object of cult-like adoration from his legions of fans, Philip K. Dick has come to be seen in a literary light that defies classification in much the same way as Borges and Calvino. With breathtaking insight, he utilizes vividly unfamiliar worlds to evoke the hauntingly and hilariously familiar in our society and ourselves.


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In a derelict cottage in L.A, a young woman is found savagely murdered. Naked, strung from two wooden posts, the skin has been ripped from her face - while she was still alive. On the nape of her neck is carved a strange double-cross: the signature of a psychopath known as the Crucifix Killer. But that's not possible. Because, two years ago, the Crucifix Killer was caught and executed. Could this be the work of a copycat? Or is Homicide Detective Robert Hunter forced to face the unthinkable? Is the real Crucifix Killer still out there, taunting Hunter with his inability to catch him? Robert Hunter and his rookie partner are about to enter a nightmare beyond imagining ...


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Fascinated by vampires? </p><p>Then feast on nineteen tantalizing, bite-sized tales exploring the intersections between the living, dead, and undead. </p><p>The vampires in these stories range from romantic to chilling to gleeful—and touch on nearly every emotion in between. The one thing they have in common is their desire for blood. . . . </p><p>Stories from<br />Genevieve Valentine<br />Steve Berman <br />Christopher Barzak<br />Neil Gaiman <br />Delia Sherman<br />Garth Nix <br />Suzy McKee Charnas<br />Kaaron Warren <br />Cecil Castellucci <br />Jeffrey Ford <br />Nathan Ballingrud <br />Kathe Koja <br />Catherynne M. Valente <br />Melissa Marr <br />Ellen Kushner <br />Cassandra Clare <br />Holly Black <br />Lucius Shepard <br />Emma Bull<br />Tanith Lee </p><h3>About the Author</h3><p>Experts in the genres of mythic and speculative fiction, Ellen Datlow and Terri Windling have edited numerous anthologies for readers of all ages. Together and individually they have won abundant honors, including multiple World Fantasy, Hugo, and Bram Stoker Awards. </p><p>Ellen Datlow has also received the British Fantasy Society's Karl Edward Wagner Award for "outstanding contribution to the genre." She lives in New York City. </p><p>Terri Windling is the recipient of the Science Fiction Writers Association's Solstice Award for outstanding contributions to the speculative fiction field. She lives in Devon, England. </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Mario Vargas Llosa, a former candidate for the presidency of Peru, is better placed than most novelists to write about the machinations of Latin American politics. In <em>The Feast of the Goat</em> he offers a vivid re-creation of the Dominican Republic during the final days of General Rafael Trujillo's insidious and evil regime. Told from several viewpoints, the book has three distinctive, alternating strands. There is Urania Cabral, the daughter of Trujillo's disgraced secretary of state, who has returned to Santo Domingo after more than 30 years. Now a successful New York lawyer, Urania has never forgiven her aging and paralyzed father, Agustín, for literally sacrificing her to the carnal despot in the hope of regaining his political post. Flipping back to May of 1961, there is a group of assassins, all equally scarred by Trujillo, waiting to gun the Generalissimo down. Finally there is an astonishing portrait of Trujillo--the Goat--and his grotesque coterie. Llosa depicts Trujillo as a villain of Shakespearean proportions. He is a preening, macho dandy who equates his own virility with the nation's health. An admirer of Hitler "not for his ideas but for the way he wore a uniform" (fittingly he equips his secret police force with a fleet of black Volkswagen Beetles), Trujillo even has his own Himler in Colonel Abbes Garcia, a vicious torturer with a predilection for the occult.</p><p>As the novel edges toward Trujillo's inevitable murder, Urania's story gets a bit lost in the action; the remaining narratives however, are rarely short of mesmerizing. Trujillo's death unleashes a new order, but not the one expected by the conspirators. Enslaved by the soul of the dead chief, neither they nor the Trujillo family--who embark on a hideous spree of bloody reprisals--are able to fill the void. Llosa has them all skillfully outmaneuvered by the puppet-president Joaquín Belaguer, a former poet who is the very antithesis of the machismo Goat. Savage, touching, and bleakly funny, this compelling book gives an all too human face to one of Latin America's most destructive tyrants. <em>--Travis Elborough, Amazon.co.uk</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>"This wasn't an enemy he could defeat like the hundreds, the thousands he had confronted and conquered over the years, buying them, intimidating them, killing them." So thinks Rafael Trujillo, "the Goat," dictator of the Dominican Republic, on the morning of May 30, 1961 a day that will end in his assassination. The "enemy" is old age at 70, Trujillo, who has always prided himself on his grooming and discipline, is shaken by bouts of incontinence and impotence. Vargas Llosa divides his narrative between three different story lines. The first concerns Urania Cabral, the daughter of one of Trujillo's closest associates, Agustín Cabral. She is 14 at the time of the Trujillo assassination and, as we gradually discover, was betrayed by her father to Trujillo. Since then, she has lived in the U.S. At 49, she impulsively returns on a visit and slowly reveals the root of her alienation. Urania's character is a little too pat, however. Vargas Llosa's triumph is Trujillo's story. We follow the sly, vile despot, with his petty rages, his lust, his dealings with his avaricious family, through his last day, with mingled feelings of repulsion and awe. Like Stalin, Trujillo ruled by turning his rage without warning against his subordinates. Finally, Vargas Llosa crosscuts Urania's story and Trujillo's with that of Trujillo's assassins; first, as they wait to ambush him, and then as they are tracked down, captured and tortured to death, with almost medieval ferocity, by Trujillo's son, Ramfis. Gathering power as it rolls along, this massive, swift-moving fictional take on a grim period in Dominican history shows that Vargas Llosa is still one of the world's premier political novelists. (Nov.)Forecast: Vargas Llosa is on solid ground with The Day of the Goat, mining a rich vein. The former Peruvian presidential candidate's author tour should attract crowds, and a striking jacket will seduce browsers. </p><p>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. Prolific writer Lackey (The Phoenix Endangered) tackles the complex legend of King Arthur's queens in this compelling and heart-wrenching retelling. When warrior-woman Braith announces that the Young Princess Gwen is marked by Epona, the goddess of horses, Gwen's father allows her to train on the warrior path. Although Gwen is deep into training, in the background of her life lay the tales of two other women with the same name-Gwenhwyfar the Golden-both of whom were married to King Arthur. The story of Arthur's kingdom unfolds as Gwen's path as a warrior involves Lancelin, Arthur's closest Companion, and Medraut, the illegitimate and magic-born child of Arthur and his half-sister, Anna Morgause. Lackey places the story in the early dark ages, rather than in the romanticized Camelot of the later Romances. She creates a vibrant world where the old religion and culture of the Celts vies with the invading traditions of the White Christ's followers and Roman influence. Gwen is an independent and formidable woman, determined to follow her dreams, but also dedicated to her duty and to the good of Arthur's kingdom. Though the ending of Arthur's story comes as no surprise, the way that Lackey reweaves old tales to create something new and powerful, with a compelling and sympathetic heroine, is this retelling's strength. </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p><strong>The bestselling author of the <em>Valdemar</em> novels pens a classic tale about King Arthur's legendary queen.</strong>  </p><p>Gwenhwyfar moves in a world where gods walk among their pagan worshipers, where nebulous visions warn of future perils, and where there are two paths for a woman: the path of the Blessing or the rarer path of the Warrior. Gwenhwyfar chooses the latter, giving up the power that she is born into. Yet the daughter of a King is never truly free to follow her own calling. Acting as the "son" her father never had, when called upon to serve another purpose by the Ladies of the Well, she bows to circumstances to become Arthur's queen-only to find herself facing temptation and treachery, intrigue and betrayal, but also love and redemption..   </p>


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<p><b>The<i> New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>The Jefferson Key </i>brings you a short story that takes readers on a perilous hunt for . . . <i>The Devil's Gold</i></b><br><br>Once he was called the Sphinx, a man so inscrutable that neither his adversaries nor fellow intelligence operatives could predict his next move. Now a contract agent with a secret mission, Jonathan Wyatt has gone rogue. For eight years he's been plotting. Waiting. Scheming to kill Federal agents Christopher Combs and Cotton Malone, whom he blames for the loss of his career. But as Wyatt prepares for a final confrontation in a remote South American village, he makes a discovery that stretches back to the horrors of World War II, to the astounding secret of a child's birth, to Martin Bormann and Eva Braun--and to a fortune in lost gold.</p>


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<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>What if you found yourself divorced and penniless? With no skills and a teenage daughter to support? What if the only way to survive was to do things you never thought possible, to go places you never knew existed These are questions Cal has never really thought about before. Married to a successful business man, shes always been a bit of a dreamer. Until now. Her sister Zoe is her polar opposite. A detective inspector working out of Bath Central, she loves her job, and oozes self-confidence. No one would guess that she hides a crippling secret that dates back twenty years, and which if exposed may destroy her.Then Cals daughter gets into difficulties, and Cal finds she needs cash lots of it fast. With no one to help her, she is forced into a criminal world of extreme pornography and illegal drugs; a world in which teenage girls can go missing.Two sisters intent on survival. Until one does something so terrifying that theres no way back</p>


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<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>AUGUST 1613Bruised and battered, Jack Fletcher wakes up in a roadside inn wrapped only in a dirty kimono. He has lost everything, including his memory of what happened.Determined to discover the truth, Jack goes on a quest to retrieve his belongings his precious swords, his friend Akiko's black pearl and, most important of all, his father's prize possession.Relying on his samurai and ninja training, Jack realizes The Ring of Water is the key to his survival.But with only a washed up ronin a masterless samurai for help, what will Jack manage to find? What will he lose? And what will he have to sacrifice?</p>


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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><em>Amos Daragon #1: The Mask Wearer</em> is the first book in a fast-paced adventure series for middle grade readers. Amos is a hero straight out of the Brothers Grimm--loyal, trustworthy, and very clever--outsmarting villains with their own nefarious schemes. In this classic story of good versus evil, Amos has been chosen as a Mask Wearer, tasked with combating forces of evil using the power embedded in four lost masks. Encountering gorgons, mermaids, nagas, and the Egyptian god Seth, Amos proves he is a fierce opponent and a steadfast friend. A satisfying conclusion sets the tone for the next book, and the mythology glossary at the end is an added bonus._--Seira Wilson_   </p><p><strong>A Letter from Author Bryan Perro</strong>   </p><p>As a young boy, I had a passion for comic books, especially the French <em>Pif Gadget</em> and <em>Rahan</em>. At fourteen, I discovered my first book, <em>The Devil’s Triangle</em> by American writer Richard Winer. The book was about the Bermuda Triangle; I loved how it dealt with the supernatural and how unexplained forces exert power over the boats, aircrafts, and people who dare to venture in this eerie part of the Atlantic Ocean. This real-life mystery and Winer’s way with words fueled my imagination.</p><p>During my college years, I developed a deep interest in anthropology and the myths that exist throughout the world. I have around 350 books in my home--all myths and legends from places near and far. The fantastical creatures that populate these amazing stories, along with the hero in each of them, inspired me to create <em>Amos Daragon</em>, the series.</p><p>When I was looking for a magical item that Amos Daragon would need to find on his quest, I was surprised to learn that the first such item in the history of mankind is not the magic wand, but the mask.</p><p>When the aborigines, the first men, danced around their campfires, they personified animals. How did they do this? They wore masks! If, for example, they put on the mask of the eagle, their vision grew more piercing. This enhanced power allowed them to be a better hunter. So I wanted Amos to be in pursuit of mankind’s first magical item, the mask. Four of them, in fact! And since I wanted to write an extended series, I decided that stones would empower the masks. Not only did this allow Amos to harness his abilities as Mask Wearer slowly, it gave me the opportunity to explore all sorts of adventures for my young hero. It’s been an incredible journey for him and for me--one that I hope boys and girls will join as they begin <em>Amos Daragon #1: The Mask Wearer</em>.</p><h3>From</h3><p>Fast paced, with a litany of new friends and foes introduced in every chapter, this first installment in the Amos Daragon series is a smart choice for die-hard fantasy lovers. Young Amos, a child of peasants in a mythical realm ruled by an evil king, is chosen to fight a �mysterious and wicked force� by collecting four masks that represent earth, wind, fire, and water and along the way eliminating the malevolent forces corrupting the woods of Tarkasis. In his quest, Amos encounters mermaids and mermen, druids and fairies, and he befriends the �humanimal� Beorf. The plot is complex, and the fantasy can be heavy-handed at times, but a �mythological lexicon� appears as an addendum and provides some cultural context regarding many of the creatures who appear in the story. This is ultimately a tale about finding one�s own independence, and the climax will leave readers eager for the next installment in the series. Fans of Cornelia Funke�s Inkheart trilogy will approve. Grades 4-7. --Erin Anderson </p>

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<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p>The trichinosis worm is one of nature’s most revolting parasites. Certain types of this tiny worm alter a host’s DNA by injecting a virus which mutates the reproductive system. This forces the host to bear the worm’s young. Typically these worms are never longer than a few millimeters. But guess what? Now there’s a subspecies that’s thirty feet long... </p><p>When Nora and her team arrive at the island, she expects a routine zoological excursion...but it doesn’t take her long to realize they’re not alone. Are her lurid sexual dreams making her paranoid...or is she being watched? The dead bodies they find are bad enough, but then her own team members begin to disappear, and when they return, they’ve...changed. Indeed, there are other people on the island...along with something else far worse. </p><h3>From the Publisher</h3><p>Horror master Edward Lee takes the good old Nature Runs Amok theme and turns it on its ear with a shocking new vision of horror, outrageous but all-too-real characters, and a roundhouse of plot twists, cliffhangers, and big surprises. This is Lee’s 17th mass-market novel, and like all of his stories, he takes every element to the max, to deliver a demented joyride of edgy eroticism, creepy suspense, and scream-in-your-face thrills and chills. </p>

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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Lust, gluttony, pride, sloth, greed, blasphemy, and anger--the seven deadly sins have all been linked to food. Matching the food to the sin, Stewart Lee Allen's <em>In the Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Foods</em> offers a high-spirited look at the way foods over time have been forbidden, even criminalized, for their "evil" effects. Food has often been, shockingly, morally weighted, from the tomato, originally called the love apple and thought to excite lust; to the potato, whose popularity in Ireland led British Protestants to associate it with sloth; to foods like corn or bread whose use was once believed to delineate "lowness," thus inflaming class pride. Allen's approach to this incredible history also includes tales of personal journeys to, for example, a Mount Athos monastery, where a monk reveals the sign of Satan in an apple, and to San Francisco to investigate dog eating. If his history is sometimes too glancing and facetious, even beyond the sensible need to entertain, it is always fascinating.</p><p>The book also features "forbidden" menus--such as the one devoted to gluttony that includes an entire steer stuffed with a whole lamb, stuffed with a pig, stuffed with a chicken, and served with sausages--and quite doable and delicious recipes, such as a dynamite hot and sweet banana ketchup and Lo Han Jai, a mushroom-replete vegetarian feast. But the real focus is on the human response to a primal pleasure--eating--and the way people have sought to control it, in every society and every culture, through prohibition. It's quite a tale. <em>--Arthur Boehm</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>"When I pluck a few leaves [from my little basil bush] for my tagliatelle, I make sure to scream obscenities at its fuzzy little head just like the Italians used to." Unaware of basil's complicated past, some cooks might use the herb with carefree abandon, but Allen, author of The Devil's Cup: A History of the World According to Coffee, knows better. When it arrived in Europe from India around the fourth century B.C., basil came wrapped in a tale of fatal passion, which eventually morphed into the belief that a person who smelled the herb would go mad and curse up a storm. Allen's conceit is to take dozens of such tales and categorize them as one of the seven deadly sins: the section on "Lust," for instance, looks at the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden; the section on "Sloth" covers the potato and its supposed tendency to turn the Irish into lazy fornicators; the section on "Blasphemy" recounts how 16th-century Catholic priests roamed the streets of Madrid sniffing for Jewish cookery. While the historical and cultural links between food, sex and religion make for fascinating reading, Allen's structure is forced at times: it is difficult to understand why Allen places France's obsession with bread and class in the section on "Sloth." The book's tone flip and entertaining seems geared to the casual foodie, but its breeziness is often frustrating: Allen devotes only three pages, for example, to the potent trio of food, lust and homosexuality. Cooks may find Allen's unusual assortment of recipes from around the world as well as his recommendation on where to find the world's best potatoes (and it's not Idaho) to be the best part of the book. </p><p>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>"Cooking is not about just joining the dots, following one recipe slavishly and then moving on to the next," says British food writer Nigella Lawson. "It's about developing an understanding of food, a sense of assurance in the kitchen, about the simple desire to make yourself something to eat." Lawson is not a chef, but "an eater." She writes as if she's conversing with you while beating eggs or mincing garlic in your kitchen. She explains how to make the basics, such as roast chicken, soup stock, various sauces, cake, and ice cream. She teaches you to cook more esoteric dishes, such as grouse, white truffles (mushrooms, not chocolate), and "ham in Coca-Cola." She gives advice for entertaining over the holidays, quick cooking ("the real way to make life easier for yourself: cooking in advance"), cooking for yourself ("you don't have to belong to the drearily narcissistic learn-to-love-yourself school of thought to grasp that it might be a good thing to consider yourself worth cooking for"), and weekend lunches for six to eight people. Don't expect any concessions to health recommendations in the recipes here--Lawson makes liberal and unapologetic use of egg yolks, cream, and butter. There are plenty of recipes, but the best parts of <em>How to Eat</em> are the well-crafted tidbits of wisdom, such as the following:</p><ul> <li><p>"Cook in advance and, if the worse comes to the worst, you can ditch it. No one but you will know that it tasted disgusting, or failed to set, or curdled or whatever."  </p> </li> <li><p>On the proper English trifle: "When I say proper I mean proper: lots of sponge, lots of jam, lots of custard and lots of cream. This is not a timid construction ... you don't want to end up with a trifle so upmarket it's inappropriately, posturingly elegant. A degree of vulgarity is requisite."  </p> </li> <li><p>"Too many people cook only when they're giving a dinner party. And it's very hard to go from zero to a hundred miles an hour. How can you learn to feel at ease around food, relaxed about cooking, if every time you go into the kitchen it's to cook at competition level?"  </p> </li></ul><p><em>--Joan Price</em></p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>"A chatty, sometimes cheeky,celebration of home-cooked meals."<br />—_USA Today_</p><p>Through her wildly popular television shows, her five bestselling cookbooks, her line of kitchenware, and her frequent media appearances, Nigella Lawson has emerged as one of the food world's most seductive personalities. How to Eat is the book that started it all—Nigella's signature, all-purpose cookbook, brimming with easygoing mealtime strategies and 350 mouthwatering recipes, from a truly sublime Tarragon French Roast Chicken to a totally decadent Chocolate Raspberry Pudding Cake. Here is Nigella's total (and totally irresistible) approach to food—the book that lays bare her secrets for finding pleasure in the simple things that we cook and eat every day.</p><p>"[Nigella] brings you into her life and tells you how she thinks about food, how meals come together in her head . . . and how she cooks for family and friends . . . A breakthrough . . . with hundreds of appealing and accessible recipes."<br />—Amanda Hesser, <em>The New York Times</em></p><p>"Nigella Lawson serves up irony and sensuality with her comforting recipes . . . the Queen of Come-On Cooking."<br />—_Los Angeles Times_</p><p>"Nigella Lawson is, whisks down, Britain's funniest and sexiest food writer, a raconteur who is delicious whether detailing every step on the way towards a heavenly roast chicken and root vegetable couscous or explaining why 'cooking is not just about joining the dots.'"<br />—Richard Story, <em>Vogue</em> magazine </p>


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<h3>Review</h3><p>“Charming...a good buy.” (Library Journal )  </p><p>“Finally, a guidebook I can refer to for answers on how and why Chinese Americans celebrate and observe special occasions.” (Judy Yung, Professor of American Studies, University of California, Santa Cruz, and author of Unbound Feet: A Social History of Chinese Women in San Francisco )  </p><p>“Good Luck Life is a great resource to Chinese traditions and celebrations, offering explanations of the customs and their symbolism.” (Ming Tsai, Food Network chef and author of Simply Ming )  </p><p>“Good Luck Life is a cultural treasure chest - it’s a wonderful legacy to pass on to future generations.” (Martin Yan ) </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p><em>Good Luck Life</em> is the first book to explain the meanings of Chinese rituals and to offer advice on when and how to plan for Chinese holidays and special occasions such as Chinese weddings, the Red Egg and Ginger party to welcome a new baby, significant birthdays, and the inevitable funeral. Packed with practical information, <em>Good Luck Life</em> contains an abundance of facts, legends, foods, old-village recipes, and quick planning guides for Chinese New Year, Clear Brightness, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, and many other festivals.</p><p>Written with warmth and wit, <em>Good Luck Life</em> is beautifully designed as an easily accessible cultural guide that includes an explanation of the Lunar Calendar, tips on Chinese table etiquette for dining with confidence, and dos and don'ts from wise Auntie Lao, who recounts ancient Chinese beliefs and superstitions. This is your map for celebrating a good luck life.</p>


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Grow and enjoy the ultimate green food - herbs that are fresh, local, seasonal, and delicious.


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Those who find most wine writing hopelessly recondite will eagerly quaff novelist Jay McInerney's <em>A Hedonist in the Cellar</em>, a collection of his essays originally published in <em>House &amp; Garden</em>. Whether talking about a California chardonnay ("like a Ginsu blade concealed in a peach"); the wines of the Cote Rotie ("like Fitzgerald, [its] reputation was almost moribund at mid-century"); or the super Valpolicellas of Italian vintner Giuseppe Quintarelli ("his [wines] should be opened only in the presence of gods and stinky cheeses"), McInerney brings a novelist's gift and idiosyncratic wit to his personal investigations, which touch on the Rieslings from the Finger Lakes, the "forgotten whites" of Bordeaux, new developments in the wines of Chile and Argentina, spirits like Armagnac and artisinal champagnes, and much more. McInerney is a stimulating appreciator, so readers poring through his essays happily absorb viniculture and modus operandi, among other technical matters. In essays like "Translating German Labels" and "How to Impress Your Sommelier," they’re also prepped in buying and ordering. A wide-ranging tour of the wine world in sum, <em>Hedonist</em> is for all wine lovers, who will find in it much of what's been missing from so much other wine and food writing: the wit to do it well. <em>--Arthur Boehm</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Those who've ever thought wine writing was a bit sniffy will find McInerney's cheeky and informative squibs on wine a generous, almost ham-handed pleasure. In this collection of short essays, reproduced from his monthly column in <em>House &amp; Garden</em>, the increasingly avid reader is enveloped in the various wines he tastes. It's sexy. But it's not just wine that's sexy here, it's also the people who have "caught the wine bug" and dedicate themselves to making their own labels. McInerney (_Bright Lights, Big City_; <em>The Good Life</em>) ferrets out the small winemakers, investigates their ethos and tastes their efforts with the same glee and tireless interest he dedicates to the big bottlers. This sense of discovery permeates each essay as he links the wine to its history, where the grapes come from and the culture that goes into its making. Readers will learn more than even the most dedicated oenephile can use, but everyone can be inspired to find the next bottle of something special for any occasion. <em>(Oct.)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In this intriguing memoir, groundbreaking rapper and actor Ice-T chronicles his rise from nomadic criminal to hip-hop star. After losing both parents by the age of 12, Tracy Marrow was shipped to relatives in Los Angeles where he navigated the growing gang culture of the city and became a father at 18. A four-year tour in the army was followed by a lucrative interlude robbing jewelry and clothing stores. As his fellow thieves began to file off to prison, Ice-T turned to the nascent rap scene and scored immediate success. Continuing to reinvent himself, Ice-T went on to front a rock band and also was one of the first rap figures to work in film and television. There™s little focus on the music itself, but rather on his careers and his observations on the various subcultures he passes through. What lifts the book above the general run of entertainer memoirs is the quality of these observations—Ice-T is a canny businessman, and he charts clearly the decisions that brought him up each step of a very treacherous ladder. (Mar.) <br />(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> Famous first as a rapper, and then as an actor in numerous movies and as a regular on Law &amp; Order: SVU, Ice-T was born Tracy Marrow in New Jersey, then moved to Los Angeles when both of his parents died prematurely of heart attacks. Raised by inattentive relatives, he became embroiled in gang life. After four years in the army, he found himself on the street and back in the criminal world. He had been writing his own rhymes since high school, then released several groundbreaking West Coast rap recordings and became lead vocalist for the influential thrash-metal band Body Count, which, in 1992, released its notorious single, Cop Killer. The subsequent controversy led to Ice-T�s first experience with censorship and even a dressing-down from the Bush-Quayle administration. In this no-holds-barred memoir, Ice-T writes with refreshing, if profane, down-to-earth candor, recalling his first memories of racism, his increasingly dangerous street life, and his experiences on tour, including a funny and wild anecdote about a show in Milan. A fascinating and inspiring story about an African American orphan who beat the odds to become successful, this memoir will appeal to fans of hip-hop and popular culture. --June Sawyers </p>


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<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>“I found a pattern in my behavior that had been repeating itself for years, decades even. Bad choices were my specialty, and if something honest and decent came along, I would shun it or run the other way.”With striking intimacy and candor, Eric Clapton tells the story of his eventful and inspiring life in this poignant and honest autobiography. More than a rock star, he is an icon, a living embodiment of the history of rock music. Well known for his reserve in a profession marked by self-promotion, flamboyance, and spin, he now chronicles, for the first time, his remarkable personal and professional journeys. Born illegitimate in 1945 and raised by his grandparents, Eric never knew his father and, until the age of nine, believed his actual mother to be his sister. In his early teens his solace was the guitar, and his incredible talent would make him a cult hero in the clubs of Britain and inspire devoted fans to scrawl “Clapton is God” on the walls of London’s Underground. With the formation of Cream, the world's first supergroup, he became a worldwide superstar, but conflicting personalities tore the band apart within two years. His stints in Blind Faith, in Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, and in Derek and the Dominos were also short-lived but yielded some of the most enduring songs in history, including the classic “Layla.” During the late sixties he played as a guest with Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan, as well as the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and longtime friend George Harrison. It was while working with the latter that he fell for George’s wife, Pattie Boyd, a seemingly unrequited love that led him to the depths of despair, self-imposed seclusion, and drug addiction. By the early seventies he had overcome his addiction and released the bestselling album 461 Ocean Boulevard, with its massive hit “I Shot the Sheriff.” He followed that with the platinum album Slowhand, which included “Wonderful Tonight,” the touching love song to Pattie, whom he finally married at the end of 1979. A short time later, however, Eric had replaced heroin with alcohol as his preferred vice, following a pattern of behavior that not only was detrimental to his music but contributed to the eventual breakup of his marriage. In the eighties he would battle and begin his recovery from alcoholism and become a father. But just as his life was coming together, he was struck by a terrible blow: His beloved four-year-old son, Conor, died in a freak accident. At an earlier time Eric might have coped with this tragedy by fleeing into a world of addiction. But now a much stronger man, he took refuge in music, responding with the achingly beautiful “Tears in Heaven.”Clapton is the powerfully written story of a survivor, a man who has achieved the pinnacle of success despite extraordinary demons. It is one of the most compelling memoirs of our time.</p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Thoughtful and moving, Gordon's latest captures the ardor and vulnerability of young love and the cautious circumspection of middle age. Miranda and Adam began a love affair in high school that endured through college only to end in a painful betrayal. When a mutual friend brings them together in present-day Rome, they haven't seen each other in more than three decades. Adam's ambitions to be a concert pianist never came to pass, and Miranda, once convinced that political activism could change the world, is now an epidemiologist. Both have married and raised children, but Rome still holds passionate memories for them. Though wary, they meet for daily walks, and Gordon's vividly detailed descriptions make Rome a palpable presence. Miranda and Adam tentatively reveal to each other the events of their lives, touching on aspirations, disillusionments, ideals, and desires, and these conversations set the pace of Gordon's novel. Only when Miranda is about to leave Rome are they able to fully express their emotions and achieve catharsis. Gordon's (Pearl) restraint is admirable, gradually exposing the differences in character that spelled the inevitable demise of this relationship. An accumulation of detail breathes life into her characters, and the writer's affection for this beloved, eternal city is endearing. (Apr.) <br />(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> Miranda and Adam were each other�s first love, but they�ve had no contact for 30 years. Their heady reunion takes place in Rome, a city of myths and ghosts Adam knows well, allowing him to show Miranda, there for an environmental health conference, the sights and allowing Gordon to make the most of gorgeous settings redolent with ancient secrets and sorrows. The ensuing intense conversations between Miranda and Adam are so psychologically intricate and complexly metaphysical and aesthetic that they seem impossibly theatrical. And yet, as the novel deepens in extended flashbacks, their intoxicating exchanges become exquisitely involving. We learn that their blissful love bloomed when they were 16 in the mid-1960s and slowly withered during their twenties as Adam devoted himself to becoming a great pianist and Miranda searched for a way to help make the world a better place. The more they talk on their Roman rambles, the more the reader burns to know what finally drove them apart. In her first novel since Pearl (2005), virtuoso and versatile Gordon offers brilliantly fresh takes on family conflicts, women�s lives, war, and global suffering while ingeniously meshing classic love stories with modern mores, and ecstasy with wisdom, to create an enthralling drama of innocent passion, crushing tragedy, and the careful construction of stable, nurturing lives. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Gordon is a major writer, and her alluring novel will be supported by a big media push and national tour. --Donna Seaman </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Set in and around Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and New York City in the years after the Revolutionary War, this clever thriller from Liss (_The Ethical Assassin_) follows the adventures of Ethan Saunders, once a valiant spy for General Washington, who's fallen on hard times by war's end. Suspected of treason, Ethan has lost the love of his life, Cynthia, who's married the fiendish Jacob Pearson, an entrepreneur who managed to prosper during the British occupation of Philadelphia. At Cynthia's urging, Ethan agrees to go looking for the missing Jacob, prompted in large part by a desire to redeem his reputation. Meanwhile, the so-called whiskey rebels on the western frontier are trying to bring down the hated Alexander Hamilton and his Bank of the United States. The courageous Ethan is a likable rogue, and even though Ethan spends too much time delving into the complications of 18th-century finance, he can be counted on when the chips are down and the odds against him soar. <em>(Oct.)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>David Liss has found his niche as a historical novelist, and <em>The Whiskey Rebels</em> is an entertaining, if slightly uneven, slice of Americana. Liss's strength here lies in the details, particularly in the historical figures who play minor roles—George Washington, Aaron Burr, Phillip Freneau, and Hugh Henry Brackenridge among them. Those characters add color to the plot and evoke the late 18th-century history that many of us (for shame) have forgotten. Despite some sharp dialogue, though, the story slows in places, and several critics mention a tendency for the complex plot to hinge on predictable or contrived elements. Still, Liss is a master of the genre, and <em>The Whiskey Rebels</em> is good fun.<br />Copyright 2008 Bookmarks Publishing LLC </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>"I sentence you, Mr. Weaver, to be hanged for the most horrible crime of murder." Hearing that judicial decree, Benjamin Weaver--former pugilist, current "thief-taker," and future master of disguise--begins one of the sorriest days of his life. And things will only get worse, as David Liss reveals in <em>A Spectacle of Corruption</em>, his exuberant novel of 18th-century political chicanery. Tossed into London’s notorious Newgate Prison, Weaver employs his considerable energy and guile (plus tools slipped to him by a mysterious admirer at his trial) to escape--naked--into the city's filthy streets. But then, he risks recapture by trying to figure out who framed him for slaying labor agitator Walter Yate, and why.</p><p>How all of this trouble derived from Weaver's pursuit of the culprit behind a priest’s recent spate of hate mail propels the balance of this yarn--the sequel to Liss's Edgar Award-winning debut novel, __. It also pushes the Jewish "ruffian-for-hire" into the jeopardous midst of a British power struggle that pits supporters of King George I against the Jacobites, who favor the return of his dethroned Catholic rival, James II. Assisted by his puckish surgeon friend Elias Gordon, Weaver assumes the role of a prosperous plantation owner from Jamaica and penetrates the upper echelons of 1722 London society, hoping to gather information he can use against Dennis Dogmill, a "vicious and unpredictable" tobacco man who may actually have ordained Yate's killing. As Weaver ranges through London's fetid pubs and fancy theaters, and attracts the amorous attention of Dogmill's surprisingly shrewd sister, he also finds himself in the uncomfortable position of backing Griffin Melbury, a Tory candidate for the House of Commons--and the man who stole away his beloved Miriam Lienzo.</p><p>Liss has a keen eye for entertaining details of Georgian life, from that period’s exotic diction ("The men in your gang are nothing but cutpurses and mollies and buggerantos") to its most reprehensible pastimes, including "goose pulling"--about which the less said, the better. And though some readers may bog down in the explained distinctions between Whigs and Tories, the author finds considerable humor in that political rivalry and the parties' get-out-the-vote efforts. Once you accept the rather dubious notion that fugitive Weaver could hide in plain sight, <em>A Spectacle of Corruption</em> can be appreciated as the lusty thriller Liss clearly intended it to be. <em>--J. Kingston Pierce</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>This sequel to Liss's Edgar Awardwinning A Conspiracy of Paper (2000) brings back ex-pugilist Benjamin Weaver and his 18th-century London environs in all their squalid glory. Benjamin has become a "thieftaker," a sort of bounty hunter/private eye, and is investigating the simple case of a threatening letter when he is caught up in a riot, accused of murder and sentenced to hang. After a gutsy escape, he sets about unraveling the mystery of who framed him and why. Donning the disguise of a wealthy coffee planter from Jamaica, Benjamin infiltrates the upper classes, where he encounters a plot centering on a hotly contested House of Commons election. There is much explanation (perhaps too much) of the history and philosophies of the Whig, Tory and Jacobite parties, but this is nicely balanced with Benjamin's forays into London's underbelly, where he has his way with the ladies and dodges dangerous louts looking to kill him. The real fun is the re-creation of the streets of London ("He fell into the alley's filth-the kennel of emptied chamber pots, bits of dead dogs gnawed on by hungry rats, apple cores and oyster shells") and the colorful denizens thereof. Many hours are spent in innumerable coffeehouses, with Benjamin and company imbibing coffee, chocolate, ale, wine and that great destroyer of the poor, rotgut gin, and employing such useful swear words as "shitten stick," "arse pot" and "bum firking." Mystery and mainstream readers with a taste for gritty historical fiction will relish Liss's glorious dialogue, lively rogues, fascinating setting and indomitable hero. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p>


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The Edgar Awardwinning novelA Conspiracy of Paperwas one of the most acclaimed debuts of 2000. In his richly suspenseful second novel, author David Liss once again travels back in time to a crucial moment in cultural and financial history. His destination: Amsterdam, 1659a mysterious world of trade populated by schemers and rogues, where deception rules the day. On the world's first commodities exchange, fortunes are won and lost in an instant. Miguel Lienzo, a sharp-witted trader in the city's close-knit community of Portuguese Jews, knows this only too well. Once among the city's most envied merchants, Miguel has lost everything in a sudden shift in the sugar markets. Now, impoverished and humiliated, living on the charity of his petty younger brother, Miguel must find a way to restore his wealth and reputation. Miguel enters into a partnership with a seduc-tive Dutchwoman who offers him one last chance at successa daring plot to corner the market of an astonishing new commodity called "coffee." To succeed, Miguel must risk everything he values and test the limits of his commercial guile, facing not only the chaos of the markets and the greed of his competitors, but also a powerful enemy who will stop at nothing to see him ruined. Miguel will learn that among Amsterdam's ruthless businessmen, betrayal lurks everywhere, and even friends hide secret agendas. With humor, imagination, and mystery, David Liss depicts a world of subterfuge, danger, and repressed longing, where religious and cultural traditions clash with the demands of a new and exciting way of doing business. Readers of historical suspense and lovers of coffee (even decaf) will be up all night with this beguiling novel.


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In Edgar-winner Liss's enjoyable third thriller to feature the estimable Benjamin Weaver, an 18th-century London thieftaker (after <em>A Spectacle of Corruption</em> and <em>A Conspiracy of Paper</em>), Weaver finds himself working reluctantly for a mysterious gentleman, Jerome Cobb. On Cobb's orders, Weaver takes employment as a security man at the British East India Company's headquarters, where he tries to obtain information about the death of one Absalom Pepper, of whom virtually nothing is known. To keep Weaver in line, Cobb has blackmailed Weaver's friend Moses Franco, close confederate Elias Gordon and his beloved uncle Miguel. As usual, several beautiful women play roles in the complicated plot, which involves industrial spying and the international textile trade. Weaver's two previous adventures could sometimes bog down in arcane financial and political detail, but Liss keeps the suspense at full boil and the action rolling swiftly ahead. <em>(July)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>“A treat for lovers of historical fiction. . . .accomplished, atmospheric, and thoughtful.”—_Washington Post_  </p><p>“As distinguished by the compelling voice of its narrator as it is by its vibrant detail.”—_Denver Post<br />_<br />“Witty and stimulating”—_Kirkus _  </p><p>“More than just a finely written mystery. Liss injects thoughtful discussion of issues that should resonate in the best university business courses. Corporate ethics at the British East India Company appear to resemble those of Wall Street companies this decade.”—_San Antonio Express-News<br />_</p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><strong>Amazon Best of the Month, August 2009</strong>: Mixing the magic of beloved children's fantasy classics (from <em>Magicians</em> reimagines modern-day fantasy for grownups. Quentin Coldwater lives in a state of perpetual melancholy, privately obsessed with his childhood books about the enchanted land of Fillory. When he’s admitted to the surreptitious Brakebills Academy for an education in magic, Quentin finds mastering spells is tedious (and love is even more fraught). He also discovers his power has thrilling potential--though it's unclear what he should do with it once he's moved with his new magician cohorts to New York City. Then they discover the magical land of Fillory is real and launch an expedition to use their powers to set things right in the kingdom--which, naturally, turns out to be a much murkier proposition than expected. <em>The Magicians</em> breathes life into a cast of characters you want to know--if the people you want to know are charismatic, brilliant, complex, flawed magicians--and does what Quentin claims books never really manage to do: "get you out, really out, of where you were and into somewhere better. " Or if not better, at least a heck of a lot more interesting. <em>--Mari Malcolm</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Grossman's novel is a postadolescent <em>Harry Potter</em>, following apprentices in the art of magic through their time as students at an upstate New York college to their postcollegiate Manhattan misdeeds, with jaded ennui tempering the magical aura. Mark Bramhall, a smooth baritone with a supple speaking voice, reads carefully, with a slight air of heaviness and sorrow. He pauses frequently and freights the silences with a tenderness well befitting a coming-of-age novel. <em>A Viking hardcover (Reviews, June 1). (July)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p>


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<div><p class="description"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 15px; font-weight: bold; ">Amazon.com Review</span></p><p>In Roddy Doyle's Booker Prize-winning novel <em>Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha</em>, an Irish lad named Paddy rampages through the streets of Barrytown with a pack of like-minded hooligans, playing cowboys and Indians, etching their names in wet concrete, and setting fires. Roddy Doyle has captured the sensations and speech patterns of preadolescents with consummate skill, and managed to do so without resorting to sentimentality. Paddy Clarke and his friends are not bad boys; they're just a little bit restless. They're always taking sides, bullying each other, and secretly wishing they didn't have to. All they want is for something--_anything_--to happen. </p><p>Throughout the novel, Paddy teeters on the nervous verge of adolescence. In one scene, Paddy tries to make his little brother's hot water bottle explode, but gives up after stomping on it just one time: "I jumped on Sinbad's bottle. Nothing happened. I didn't do it again. Sometimes when nothing happened it was really getting ready to happen." Paddy Clarke senses that his world is about to change forever--and not necessarily for the better. When he realizes that his parents' marriage is falling apart, Paddy stays up all night listening, half-believing that his vigil will ward off further fighting. It doesn't work, but it is sweet and sad that he believes it might. Paddy's logic may be fuzzy, but his heart is in the right place. <em>--Jill Marquis</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Doyle's Booker Prize-winning novel, told from the perspective of Irish, working-class 10-year-old Paddy Clarke, was a seven-week PW bestseller. <br>Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>With this story of a heroic 19th-century Irish-American Marine, the long career of recently deceased bestselling author Uris (Mila 18; Exodus) concludes. Zachary O'Hara, son of a legendary Civil War hero, is the protagonist of Uris's epic adventure, which ranges from Washington, D.C., to Newport, R.I., and from the Civil War to the end of the 19th century. O'Hara grows up on Marine lore and joins the corps as soon as he can, earning a reputation in his own right with hard work and natural ability. When Major Boone affords him the opportunity of a lifetime a chance to save the corps and gain a prominent role in its future he jumps on it. Zach's career takes off and so does his love life, as he falls for the beautiful and headstrong Amanda Kerr. From the outset, though, the relationship is opposed by Zach's Marine superiors and Amanda's stubborn industrialist father, who has other plans for her future. But Amanda suddenly and inexplicably metamorphoses into a cunning businesswoman and pragmatically decides to abandon Zach (whom she continues to pine after). From here, the plot turns aren't plausible. Uris usually connects the many layers of his stories seamlessly; as this novel draws to a conclusion, however, the hasty revelation of family secrets leads to a forced, emotionally unsatisfying ending. Anyone seeking a compelling read should look to Uris's previous works, as this one is certainly the exception to the rule in a prodigious career marked by phenomenal storytelling. <br>Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From</h3><p>This new work by the author of, most famously among his previous novels, the popular and filmed <em>Exodus</em> (1958), which focused on the founding years of Israel, turns out to be Uris' posthumous novel, for he died in late June of this year. Characteristically for him, it is a visit to historical times; and characteristically <em>of</em> him, historical facts are not seamlessly, fluidly integrated into the story, but, rather, give the narrative a patchwork feel. But there is certainly a compelling quality to the story itself. In general terms, the novel concerns a vital period in the history of the U.S. Marine Corps. Specifically, its characters are the men whom Sergeant Paddy O'Hara saved from the jaws of death during various battles of the Civil War. Sergeant O'Hara was the second marine to be awarded the newly created Congressional Medal of Honor, and every year the men he saved hold a reunion. The year now is 1888, and the group meets with an important item on their agenda: the very future of the corps appears to be in jeopardy. They turn to Paddy O'Hara's son for the corps' salvation, and the plot takes off from there. Despite a leaden prose style, Uris achieves an effective level of urgency in his storytelling to maintain the interest of readers who will seek out the latest (and, presumably, last) work of a popular writer. <em>Brad Hooper</em><br><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. Anthologist extraordinaire Adams (Federations) once again strikes gold with 33 original and reprinted tales of wizardry in a wide variety of settings, from the medieval (Mike Resnick's "Winter Solstice") to the modern (Jeremiah Tolbert's "One-Click Banishment"). George R.R. Martin effortlessly creates a convincing mythic world in "In the Lost Lands," wherein a knight tries to discourage his lady's interest in shape-shifting. Resnick's contribution movingly depicts Merlin suffering dementia-like effects from living backwards in time. A peasant endures numerous trials at the hands of a wizard king in Susanna Clarke's humorous "John Uskglass and the Cambrian Charcoal Burner," while Wendy N. Wagner's "The Secret of Calling Rabbits" is a melancholy and deeply affecting account of the last days of the last dwarf. Adams just keeps getting better and this anthology is no exception. (Mar.) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Power. We all want it, they've got it - witches, warlocks, sorcerers, necromancers, those who peer beneath the veil of mundane reality and put their hands on the levers that move the universe. They see the future in a sheet of glass, summon fantastic beasts, and transform lead into gold... or you into a frog. From Gandalf to Harry Potter to the Last Airbender, wizardry has never been more exciting and popular. Enter a world where anything is possible, where imagination becomes reality. Experience the thrill of power, the way of the wizard. Now acclaimed editor John Joseph Adams (The Living Dead) brings you thirty-two of the most spellbinding tales ever written, by some of today's most magical talents, including Neil Gaiman, Simon R. Green, and George R. R. Martin. </p>

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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><em>The Elegant Universe</em> and <em>The Fabric of the Cosmos</em> here treats all viable alternate realities to a laudably fair shake. For a book exploring the most far-reaching implications of bleeding-edge mathematics, <em>The Hidden Reality</em> is surprisingly light on math, written as it is "for a broad audience … its only prerequisite the will to persevere." Such perseverance pays off with a motley cast of potential universes featuring doppelgängers, strings, branes, quantum probabilities, holographs, and simulated worlds. The result is that rare accomplishment in science writing for a popular audience: a volume that explains the science and its consequences while stimulating the imagination of even the uninitiated. </p><p><strong>Oliver Sacks on <em>The Hidden Reality</em></strong></p><hr><p>Brian Greene is not only a profound cosmological thinker--a pioneer of string theory--but a writer of exceptional clarity and charm. His books--_The Hidden Reality_ takes us deeper still, and it has a special personal quality and warmth that is evident from the opening of the book, when Greene recollects how, as a boy, he was fascinated by the multiple reflections in parallel mirrors. He has never lost this childlike wonder at the world of physics, but he brings it now to examining theories of multiple universes, of the continual birth of universes, starting long before our own. . . and destined to continue, perhaps, to the end of time.</p><p>In the 1930s, as a boy myself, I read </p><hr><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. "There was a time when ÿuniverse' meant ÿall there is,' " writes Greene, but soon we may have to redefine that word, along with our own meager understanding of the cosmos. A theoretical physicist and celebrated author, Greene offers intrepid readers another in-depth yet marvelously accessible look inside the perplexing world of modern theoretical physics and cosmology. Greene's book The Elegant Universe explained late 20th-century efforts to find a unified theory of everything, culminating with string theory. But string theory opened up a new can of worms, hinting at the possible existence of multiple universes and other strange entities. The possibility of other universes existing alongside our own like holes in "a gigantic block of Swiss cheese" seems more likely every day. Beginning with relativity theory, the Big Bang, and our expanding universe, Greene introduces first the mind-blowing multiplicity of forms those parallel universes might take, from patchwork quilts or stretchy "branes" to landscapes and holograms riddled with black holes. With his inspired analogies starring everyone from South Park's Eric Cartman to Ms. Pac-Man and a can of Pringles, Greene presents a lucid, intriguing, and triumphantly understandable state-of-the-art look at the universe. Illus. (Feb.) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p>

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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>An inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, <em>Reading Lolita in Tehran</em> is a moving testament to the power of art and its ability to change and improve people's lives. In 1995, after resigning from her job as a professor at a university in Tehran due to repressive policies, Azar Nafisi invited seven of her best female students to attend a weekly study of great Western literature in her home. Since the books they read were officially banned by the government, the women were forced to meet in secret, often sharing photocopied pages of the illegal novels. For two years they met to talk, share, and "shed their mandatory veils and robes and burst into color." Though most of the women were shy and intimidated at first, they soon became emboldened by the forum and used the meetings as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule. They discussed their harassment at the hands of "morality guards," the daily indignities of living under the Ayatollah Khomeini's regime, the effects of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, love, marriage, and life in general, giving readers a rare inside look at revolutionary Iran. The books were always the primary focus, however, and they became "essential to our lives: they were not a luxury but a necessity," she writes. </p><p>Threaded into the memoir are trenchant discussions of the work of Vladimir Nabokov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and other authors who provided the women with examples of those who successfully asserted their autonomy despite great odds. The great works encouraged them to strike out against authoritarianism and repression in their own ways, both large and small: "There, in that living room, we rediscovered that we were also living, breathing human beings; and no matter how repressive the state became, no matter how intimidated and frightened we were, like Lolita we tried to escape and to create our own little pockets of freedom," she writes. In short, the art helped them to survive. <em>--Shawn Carkonen</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>This book transcends categorization as memoir, literary criticism or social history, though it is superb as all three. Literature professor Nafisi returned to her native Iran after a long education abroad, remained there for some 18 years, and left in 1997 for the United States, where she now teaches at Johns Hopkins. Woven through her story are the books she has taught along the way, among them works by Nabokov, Fitzgerald, James and Austen. She casts each author in a new light, showing, for instance, how to interpret The Great Gatsby against the turbulence of the Iranian revolution and how her students see Daisy Miller as Iraqi bombs fall on Tehran Daisy is evil and deserves to die, one student blurts out. Lolita becomes a brilliant metaphor for life in the Islamic republic. The desperate truth of Lolita's story is... the confiscation of one individual's life by another, Nafisi writes. The parallel to women's lives is clear: we had become the figment of someone else's dreams. A stern ayatollah, a self-proclaimed philosopher-king, had come to rule our land.... And he now wanted to re-create us. Nafisi's Iran, with its omnipresent slogans, morality squads and one central character struggling to stay sane, recalls literary totalitarian worlds from George Orwell's 1984 to Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale. Nafisi has produced an original work on the relationship between life and literature.<br>Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. With wonderful attention to detail and real affection for her subjects, Brandon tells the story of Helena Rubinstein (1870–1965), a Polish Jew from a poor family with a small salon in Australia, who became the first woman tycoon and self-made millionaire. Her timing was excellent: she struck at the moment when decent women, for the first time, were allowing themselves makeup and were willing to shop for it publicly. At the same time, a young French chemist named Eugène Schueller (1881–1957) was making his name in hair dyes (and later collaborating with the Nazis); it was his company, L'Oreal, that swallowed Rubinstein's business. The descriptions of Schueller's political scandals are fascinating, but the story shines when Brandon returns to Rubinstein, a stubborn, spirited woman who responded to a luxury Park Avenue apartment's "No Jews" policy by buying the entire building, and who calmly thwarted robbers in her home at the age of 91. A clearheaded discussion of current beauty standards, vanity, and the gender politics of the modern cosmetic industry rounds out this lively history of the founding of the beauty business as we know it. (Feb.) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Exposés of the beauty industry and its relatives, such as cosmetic surgery, are common these days, whether the chosen medium is film or print. In this particular instance, the link between L’Oréal (the acquirers of Helena Rubenstein’s brand) and Fascist collaborators, to mention just one scandal, is old news. Yet for undisclosed reasons, prolific London-based author Brandon (Being Divine, a biography of Sarah Bernhardt, 1991) deliberately selects the known, Helena Rubenstein, and unknown, Eugene Schueller, as appropriate counter-characters to profile. In a way, the two could not be more opposite. Flamboyant Polish Jew Rubenstein promoted everlasting female beauty through the mysterious workings of her creams and cosmetics, whereas chemist Schueller proudly publicized his invention of the first safe artificial hair dye. Brandon details their divergent philosophies (Eugene, for instance, was convinced that every woman belonged at home), their politics, their friendships, family, and passions—and the inextricable business and personal links to Nazi Germany and corporate lack of restitution for WWII wrongs. The story meanders, jumping back and forth chronologically, leaving some difficulty in following. --Barbara Jacobs </p>

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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Talk about story arc: poor girl from rural China auditions for a job as royal concubine, winds up as emperor's wife number four, gives birth to the "last Emperor," rules China as regent for 46 years. The fascinating, implausible life of Tsu Hsi, or "Orchid," was reviled by the revolutionary Chinese, but here it receives a sympathetic treatment from Min (Red Azalea; Becoming Madame Mao), who once again brilliantly lifts the public mask of a celebrated woman to reveal a contradictory character. Sexually assertive, intellectually ambitious, socially striving, Min's Orchid is also "isolated, tense, and in some vague but very real way, dissatisfied." Even after giving birth to the emperor's only son, Orchid feels trapped by the stultifying imperial rituals and persecuted by the other residents of the Forbidden City: six other royal wives, 3,000 invisible concubines and 2,000 scheming eunuchs. In addition to these powerful distractions, she has to discipline her overindulged son, outmaneuver the ruthless politician Su Shun (who wants her buried alive when the emperor dies) and advise the ailing emperor how to fend off both the Boxers and the Western "barbarians." Min, herself a survivor of China's Cultural Revolution, has done a prodigious amount of on-site research to capture the glorious, hopeless last days of the Ching dynasty. At times her writing is textbook-flat, and she sometimes loses track of her teeming cast of characters (for example, Orchid's dangerous mother-in-law and mentally ill sister). But readers will be enthralled by the gorgeously woven cultural tapestry and the psychologically astute portrait of the empress-a talented girl from the provinces who married (way) up. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Min, author of the acclaimed <em>Becoming Madame Mao</em>, which fictionalized the life of a woman demonized in history books, again melds exhaustive historical and political research with expertly articulated characters in <em>Empress Orchid. </em>Critics praised the novel's linguistic dexterity (once in the U.S., Min had to learn English in six months or face deportation) and revelatory insights into the lives of women possessing few rights. Too many characters and events muddle the plot, and the style wavers from glittering to dull. Yet ultimately, the novel provides a valuable glimpse into the daily habits of fascinating historical characters and charts the last, decadent days of an empire. </p><p><em>Copyright © 2004 Phillips &amp; Nelson Media, Inc.</em></p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Power is a here-today, gone-tomorrow concept in Chinese history, especially for women. In her previous novel, <em>Empress Orchid</em>, Anchee Min covered the first part of the life of Tzu Hsi, or Empress Orchid. Now, in <em>The Last Empress</em>, the empress is a widow, mother of the only male heir of the now-deceased emperor, and in a formidable position. Still, she must contend with palace intrigue on all fronts; even her eunuchs are bribed. She must put up with the smiling faces of men and women who mean her great harm, and, worst of all, her son takes up with prostitutes and dies of veneral disease. She adopts her nephew to be emperor, treats him like a son, and despairs of his weakness. Constant deceit is not the only difficulty which must be faced: incursions of foreigners and domestic rebellion are also part of this violent period at the end of the 19th century. There is the love-hate relationship with the Japanese, the Boxer Rebellion, and widespread mistrust of Western foreigners. Yet Empress Orchid believes that they must appease these factions in order to preserve the dynasty and the throne. All these problems converge to bring the Ch'ing Dynasty to its eventual demise. </p><p>A disclaimer: do not read <em>The Last Empress</em> as straight historical fact. Anchee Min makes no bones about the fact that her writing is meant to "rehabilitate" crucial female figures in Chinese history. Whichever account of Tzu Hsi is correct, the historical tradition that she was an overbearing harridan, selfish, greedy, and bloodthirsty or Min's portrayal of her as a loving mother, trying to protect her country and longing to step down but prevented from doing so by her wishy-washy son, <em>The Last Empress</em> is an endlessly interesting look at palace life, that hermetically sealed world that once existed in China. <em>--Valerie Ryan</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Min's <em>Empress Orchid</em> tracked the concubine Orchid's path to becoming Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi; this revisionist look at her long years behind her son Tung Chih's throne (1863–1908) won't disappoint Orchid's fans. Recounted through Tzu Hsi's first-person, the early chapters encompass her trials as a young "widow," as co-regent with the late emperor's wife and as a mother. An engaging domestic drama gives way to pedestrian political history; Tzu Hsi lectures like a popular historian on palace intrigue, military coups, the Boxer Rebellion and conflicts with Russia, France and Japan. Though tears flow, there is little passion (save Tzu Hsi's erotic but chaste longing for Yung Lu, commander of the emperor's troops). Min's empress adopts a notably modern psychologizing tone ("How much was Guang-hsu affected when he was wrenched from the family nest?"), earthy language ("You are the most wretched fucking demon I know!") and notes of historical prescience (including what "future critics" will say). Min attacks the popular conception of Tzu Hsi as a corrupt, ruthless, power-hungry assassin, but the results read less like a novel than a didactic memoir. <em>(Mar.)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p><em>Starred Review.</em> Kay (_The Last Light of the Sun_) departs from his usual historical fantasies to connect the ancient, violent history of France to the present day in this entrancing contemporary fantasy. Fifteen-year-old Canadian Ned Marriner accompanies his famous photographer father, Edward, on a shoot at Aix-en-Provence's Saint-Saveur Cathedral while his physician mother, Meghan, braves the civil war zone in Sudan with Doctors Without Borders. As Ned explores the old cathedral, he meets Kate Wenger, a geeky but attractive American girl who's a walking encyclopedia of history. In the ancient baptistry, the pair are surprised by a mysterious, scarred man wielding a knife who warns that they've "blundered into a corner of a very old story. It is no place for children." But Ned and Kate can't avoid becoming dangerously entangled in a 2,500-year-old love triangle among mythic figures. Kay also weaves in a secondary mystery about Ned's family and his mother's motivation behind her risky, noble work. The author's historical detail, evocative writing and fascinating characters—both ancient and modern—will enthrall mainstream as well as fantasy readers._ (Feb.)_ <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>In Kay's eagerly awaited new book set mostly in twenty-first-century Aix-en-Provence, 15-year-old Ned Marriner is spending a spring vacation with his celebrated photographer father during a shoot of the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur. His mother, a physician with Doctors without Borders, is in the Sudan, so Ned and Dad are extremely worried. Exploring Saint-Sauveur, Ned meets American exchange-student Kate Wenger, who knows a lot about the history of Aix. The two surprise a knife-carrying, scar-faced stranger in the cathedral, who tells them, "I think you ought to go. . . . You have blundered into the corner of a very old story." Ned and Kate, then the rest of his family, including the aunt and uncle from England and his mother, are drawn into an ancient conflict with the shades of Celtic spirits. Kay characterizes Ned superbly as he matures amid fantastic circumstances until he is able to make the final sacrifice; reader disbelief is unimperiled, and psychobabble unindulged. Outstanding characters, folklore, and action add up to another Kay must-read. <em>Frieda Murray</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>From</h3><p>Chris Jaynes, professor of African American studies, has been denied tenure for his refusal to sit on the Diversity Committee at his university and for his intense interest in Edgar Allan Poe. Enraged, he nearly implodes before discovering a lost manuscript proving that Poe�s only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, is a factual account. Jaynes devises a mission to find the lost, black-inhabited island near Antarctica described in Poe�s narrative, setting off with an all-black crew that includes his seafaring cousin; his obese friend Garth; his ex-fianc�e, Angela, and her husband, Nathaniel; and two flamboyant mechanics. They discover that something else described in Poe�s narrative is also real: giant, yeti-like, albino humanoids living in large colonies below the ice in Antarctica. This extension of Poe�s adventure is a romp that surprises on every page. Funny, insightful, racially important, Pym is a death-defying adventure and a probing examination of notions of race, even at the farthest ends of the earth. --Julie Hunt </p><h3>Review</h3><p>"<strong><em></em></strong>BLISTERINGLY FUNNY<em></em>...a full-fledged and fiendishly inventive inversion of Poe's [_Pym_], a series of bizarre encounters I can't bring myself to spoil, each one more deliciously pointed than the last." – Laura Miller, <em>Salon</em>  </p><p>"<strong><em></em></strong>SCREAMINGLY FUNNY<em></em>...there's no shortage of thought and scholarship and experience underpinning _Pym,_ but Johnson doesn't let any of it bog him down. On the contrary, reading Pym is like opening <strong><em></em></strong>A BIG CAN OF WHOOP-ASS <em></em>and then marveling -- gleefully -- at all the mayhem that ensues." – Maggie Galehouse, <em>Houston Chronicle </em><br /><hr /><strong><em></em></strong>"RELENTLESSLY ENTERTAINING<em></em>...It’s no easy task to balance social satire against life-threatening adventure, the allegory against the gory, but Johnson’s hand is steady and his ability to play against Poe’s text masterly.  The book is polyphonous and incisive, an uproarious and hard-driving journey." – <em>New York Times Book Review </em>  </p><p><strong><em></em></strong>"RIOTOUS<em></em>...Jaynes never learns much about the white pathology and mindset, but Mr. Johnson knows plenty about the character types he skewers." – <em>Wall Street Journal</em>  </p><p>“<strong>LOONY</strong>, disrespectful, and sharp, Johnson's ___Pym_ is a welcome riff on the surrealistic shudder-fest that is Poe's original…I'll stop there, but Johnson's inventiveness never does.“ – NPR’s “Fresh Air”  </p><p>"Mat Johnson's new novel is nothing short of fantastic, in every sense.  I fell in love with the voice, the tone and the world of <em>Pym.</em>  This is an adventure novel, a work of historical and social commentary, a rumination on identity.  The only problem I could find with this novel is that I didn't write it.  It's a beautiful piece of work."<br />--Percival Everett, author of <em>I Am Not Sidney Poitier</em>  </p><p>"Mat Johnson has come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and he's all out of bubble. gum. <em>Pym</em> is an adventure, a satire, and a bracing political debate all rolled into one brilliant novel. Edgar Allen Poe has inspired many authors but Mat Johnson has the inspired audacity to both honor <em>and</em> discredit the man, often in the same sentence. I imagine Poe choking on half the things Johnson writes in this novel, and tipping his tiny hat in admiration to the rest."<br />--Victor LaValle, author of <em>Big Machine</em>  </p><p>“PYM reframes far more than Poe – it reframes <em>everything </em>American, from the whiteness of Ahab’s whale to Detroit bus drivers; from DNA testing to tenure review; from the Gatsbyesque dream of romantic love to the dream of Utopia; from our fear of life to our love of death.   No one today writes inside the brilliant black mind better.”<br />--Alice Randall, author of <em>The Wind Done Gone</em> and _Rebel Yell<br />_<br />“Social criticism rubs shoulders with cutting satire in this high-concept adventure… [PYM] is caustically hilarious as it offers a memorable take on America's ‘racial pathology’ and ‘the whole ugly story of our world.’”<br /> --_Publishers Weekly_, starred review  </p><p>You can trust the veracity of this account: Mat Johnson’s Pym is a spectacularly sly and nimble-footed send-up of this world, the next world, and all points in between. A satire with heart, as courageous as it is cunning.” --Colson Whitehead, author of <em>Sag Harbor</em>   </p><p>“An acutely humorous, very original story that will delight lovers of literature and fantasy alike.”<br /> --_Kirkus_, starred review  </p><p><strong>“This extension of Poe’s adventure is a romp that surprises on every page. Funny, insightful...Pym is a death-defying adventure.” – <em>Booklist </em></strong><br /><hr /><strong>“Mat Johnson writes with all the probing intelligence of James Baldwin, the scalding satire of Dany Laferriere and the technique of a master craftsman, all of which make him one of the most exciting, important and gifted writers of his generation. <em>Pym</em> is a moving and accomplished novel.” -- Chris Abani, author of <em>GraceLand</em> and the <em>Virgin of Flames</em>.</strong></p>


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A winter's tale with a sting. There's a newcomer to the small Northumberland village of Haydon . a charming novelist and film buff, researching a crime thriller about a serial killer on a rampage in a remote Northumberland community. The only trouble is, it's a work in progress and it's going to be non-fiction. 392 innocent men, women and children stand in his way to achieving a sadistic dream. As the worst winter in more than a century approaches, can two investigating police officers trapped with the terrorised residents stop this monster?


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. Blatty fans looking for straight-up horror in the vein of <em>The Exorcist</em> will be disappointed, but those with broader tastes will find this a beautifully written, haunting tale of vengeance, spiritual searching, loss, and love. In 1973 Albania, Colonel Vlora (aka the Interrogator), the head of a team of torturers, questions the Prisoner, who the reader later learns is Paul Dimiter, an American clandestine agent referred to in some quarters of the world as 'legendary,' while in others as 'the agent from hell.'Â  (Rumor has it Dimiter poisoned Ho Chi Minh while the Vietnamese leader was visiting Albania shortly before his death in 1969.) Dimiter escapes to Jerusalem, where he encounters a number of engaging characters, including a doctor of neurology, a sharp-tongued nurse, and a grief-stricken Israeli policeman. The complicated plot confounds until the isolated pieces of the psychological puzzle that's Dimiter match up and fall into place, revealing surprising truths. <em>(Mar.)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>“Gripping and intelligent_, Dimiter_ is part detective story and part religious thriller in the grand tradition of_ The Name of the Rose_.” —Allan Folsom, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author  </p><p>"Almost 40 years after <em>The Exorcis</em>t, William Peter Blatty's  new novel 'Dimiter' is another headspinner." —The New York Post   </p><p>"_Dimiter_ is an intelligent, tightly wound, suspenseful novel with a surprising and explosive climax. One can only hope Blatty will publish another sometime soon." —USA TODAY   </p><p>"Riveting."—The Los Angeles Times  </p><p>"Gripping and enthralling."—The West Australian  </p><p>"An amazing tale that should be read twice — once for the captivating and faith-affirming story, and a second time to savor the author's elegant writing and masterful craft."—Book Reporter.com  </p><p>"An astonishing piece of literature. You will want to reread it as soon as you put it down."—Horror Drive-in  </p><p>"A must-read. Had me frantically turning pages to find out what happens next."—The Buffalo News  </p><p>"Sure to keep readers' attention until the final pages."—Suite101  </p><p>"A thrilling psychological suspense thriller."—Genre Go Round   </p><p>"A wonderfully written, mind-twirling mystery chock-full of suspense and wonder."—Stem Shots   </p><p>"A depth of mysery, imagination, and eloquence that will captivate mystery-lovers and suspense enthusiasts until its final pages."—BookSwim   </p><p>"Magnificent literary visuals...An all-round fascinating piece of work."—Thriller Book Club  </p><p>"_Exorcist_ author thrills again!"—The Herald Net  </p><p>"_The Exorcist_ author Blatty is back -- and he's in fine form!"— Delawareonline  </p><p>“Blatty’s writing contains much grace and beauty."—The Dallas Morning News  </p><p>“The author of  <em>The Exorcist</em> has outdone himself.”—Dreadlord_Logix  </p><p>“The novel was worth the wait.”—The Pittsburgh Tribune  </p><p>“William Peter Blatty balances philosophy, thrills”—The Palm Springs<br />Desert Sun  </p><p>“Enfolds a message of faith in a fast-paced thriller.”—The Brothers Judd<br />Blog  </p><p>“A Christian thriller with ‘Lost-‘like intrigue.”—Lost Wire  </p><p>“Blatty has outdone himself. Atmospheric, suspenseful and hugely satisfying, <em>Dimiter</em> is a triumph!”_—_The Speculative Scotsman   </p><p>“Gripping. You will be hooked. I was completely unable to put it down.”—Full Circle  </p><p>“A page turner.”—News-Press.com  </p><p>“A complex, suspenseful, and fast paced thriller, which does not shy away<br />from the problem of evil contrasted with the mystery of faith." —The<br />Catholic Media Review  </p><p>"A wonderfully written, mind-twirling spiritual thriller that is<br />chock full of suspense and wonder, <em>Dimiter </em>pulses with an aura of mystique that almost begs you to revisit the whole novel as soon as you've finished."—The Horror Fiction Review  </p><p>"The author of the mega-famous THE EXORCIST has written another grand and breathtaking tale, a stunning and powerful puzzlebox of psychological horror by a true master of modern fiction.”—Dark Delights  </p><p>"A grace-haunted novel._”—_Raymond Arroyo's "The World Over"  </p><p>“_Dimiter _is exciting and terrific. Like all of Blatty’s stuff, it’s a theological thriller that you can take on as many different levels as you want. It’s strange and enigmatic and very ambitious. It would make a great film.”—BookTrust  </p><p>"_Dimiter_ is a milestone not only because it comes from an award-winning author, but because he's not written a full-length novel since his 1983 best-seller LEGION - until now... Gripping … A ‘must' for any Blatty fan and many newcomers."—California Bookwatch  </p><p>"Blatty proves not only that he still can write compelling prose nearly<br />40 years after his acclaimed <em>Excorcist </em>but also that he makes a fine<br />narrator." © AudioFile  </p><p>"(Blatty) writes with an unrelenting pace that totally grips you. (The novel) ends in a fantastic climax that's really unexpected."—London Daily Telegraph  </p><p>"At one and the same time, <em>Dimiter </em>is a page-turning detective yarn, an affectionate portrait of the Holy Land, its people and Christ’s lingering presence there, and a story about the search for faith —all told with author William Peter Blatty’s mordant wit, acute powers of observation and truly beautiful writing."—Family and Faith  </p><p>“Dimiter slowly pushes the thriller throttle back and requires you to feel<br />and think. Read it!”—Boston Book Bums  </p><p>“Absolutely enthralling.  The best literary puzzle I've ever read, it's a<br />book that cannot be visited only once to be truly appreciated."—Shocklines  </p><p>"The author of the mega-famous modern horror novel, THE EXORCIST, has written another grand and breathtaking tale of terror."—countgore.com  </p><p>“A stunning saga ... Blatty alternately hides and hints at the nature of the forces at play, building to a spectacular climax which will compel most readers to return to page one upon completing this masterful suspense novel."—Books.Com </p>


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Jesus asked the man his name, and he answered, “Legion, for we are many.”--Mark 5:9A young boy is found horribly murdered in a mock crucifixion. Is the murderer the elderly woman who witnessed the crime? A neurologist who can no longer bear the pain life inflicts on its victims? A psychiatrist with a macabre sense of humor and a guilty secret? A mysterious mental patient, locked in silent isolation?Lieutenant Kinderman follows a bewildering trail that links all these people, confronting a new enigma at every turn even as more murders surface. Why does each victim suffer the same dreadful mutilations? Why are two of the victims priests? Is there a connection between these crimes and another series of murders that took place twelve years ago—and supposedly ended with the death of the killer?Legion is a novel of breathtaking energy and suspense. But more than this, it is an extraordinary journey into the uncharted depths of the human mind and the most agonizing questions of the human condition.The answers are revealed in a climax so stunning that it could only have been written by the author of The Exorcist—William Peter Blatty.


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Published in 1967 and then extensively revised in 1978, <em>The Ninth Configuration</em> is a fascinating look at madness, philosophy, and the nature of religious belief. Both <em>The Ninth Configuration</em> and <em>Twinkle, Twinkle 'Killer' Kane</em> have been out of print for decades, but this new edition combines both novels with a long essay by Mark Kermode.</p><h3>About the Author</h3><p>William Peter Blatty is most wel-known for his novel The Exorcist, and his Academy-award winning screenplay for the movie. He also wrote a sequel to The Exorcist, Legion, and directed Exorcist III as well as the film version of The Ninth Configuration. Mark Kermode is a well-known film scholar and expert on William Peter Blatty's fiction and films.</p>


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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. Set in the mid '60s, Roy's outstanding debut melds strong characters and an engrossing plot with an evocative sense of place. When Negro boys start phoning Elaine, Arthur Scott's teenage daughter, Arthur decides it's time to leave Detroit and return to the small Kansas town that he left 20 years earlier after his sister Eve's mysterious death. His wife, Celia, resents the move that will put her close to in-laws she barely knows and that will change her family dynamic. That Arthur's younger daughter, Eve-ee, resembles her late aunt unsettles Arthur's older sister, Ruth, and Ruth's husband, Ray, who have never seen Eve-ee before. When a neighbor's child disappears, suspicion uncomfortably settles on Ray, who was suspected in Eve's death. Roy couples a vivid view of the isolation and harshness of farm life with a perceptive look at the emotions that can rage beneath the surface. This Midwestern noir with gothic undertones is sure to make several 2011 must-read lists. (Apr.) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>''_Bent Road_ is a remarkably assured debut novel. Rich and evocative, Lori Roy's voice is a welcome addition to American fiction.'' --Dennis Lehane, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of <em>Mystic River</em> and <em>Shutter Island</em>  </p><p>''In her promising debut novel <em>Bent Road</em>, Lori Roy proves that dark secrets hide even in the most wide-open places. Set in the beautifully rendered Kansas plains, <em>Bent Road</em> is a family story with a suspenseful gothic core, one which shows that the past always has a price, whether you're running from it or back toward it. Crisp, evocative prose, full-blooded characters, and a haunting setting make this debut stand out.'' --Michael Koryta, author of <em>Tonight I Said Goodbye</em>  </p><p>''Dropping us in a world of seeming simplicity, in a time of seeming calm, Lori Roy transforms 1960s small-town Kansas into a haunting memoryscape. Bringing to mind the family horrors of Jane Smiley's <em>A Thousand Acres</em> and the dark emotional terrain of Tana French's <em>In the Woods</em>, <em>Bent Road</em> manages to be both psychologically acute and breathtakingly suspenseful, burrowing into your brain with a feverish power all its own.'' --Megan Abbott, Edgar Award-winning novelist </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In this wonderfully imaginative historical fantasy from Kay (A Song for Arbonne), seemingly random deeds connect Erling (Viking) raiders and Anglcyn (English) and Cyngael (Welsh) princes: If only Bern Thorkellson hadn't stolen that horse in a desperate act of vengeance against his sorry fate; if only Dai ab Owyn hadn't stepped outside the safety of Brynfell right at the moment when the Erlings attacked; if only Ivarr Ragnarson hadn't been born ill-formed and downright cruel; if only Aeldred hadn't been king of the Anglcyn; if only Thorkell Einarson had murdered only one man and not the second; if only Alun ab Owyn hadn't stepped into that pool on a moonless night and seen the Queen of the Elves in procession. At first glance, each individual's act appears to be a normal human response. It's only later, as the characters' paths cross, that the pieces come together to weave a dazzling tapestry of conjoined fates. Solid research, filtered through vibrant prose, serves to convey a sense of how people really lived and died in Viking and Anglo-Saxon times and how they might have interacted with the realm of magic on a daily basis. Readers of lighter fantasy should be forewarned—the novel contains a lot of gruesome killing and the fairy world plays a relatively minor role, as do women. <br>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Kay's third excellent fantasy set in the world of <em>The Lions of Al-Rassan</em> (1995) and <em>The Sarantine Mosaic</em> (1999) begins about three centuries after the events of the latter. The place is an alternate Britain, the specific time the era in which a king modeled on Alfred of Wessex (849-99), called the Great, began to make headway against raiders from the north. The times and the battles are presented from several points of view, including those of Bern Thorkellson, a young northern outlaw; Aeldred of the Anglcyn (Alfred); his children; and Cenion, a learned cleric of Llywerth (Wales). Not all the battles involve weapons. The princes of Llywerth struggle with the half-world not accepted by the new faith of Jad, and Aeldred fights to get his lords to learn to use more than their weapons. The Erlings (northmen) struggle for a living, as their lives and land are hard, but realize that raiding is harder than it used to be. A distinguished story that, for those so inclined, poses intriguing historical riddles. <em>Frieda Murray</em><br><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>

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<p>Having finally achieved his journey to fabled Sarantium, Crispin the mosaicist wants nothing more than to confront the challenges of his art high on the scaffolding of destiny-but in Sarantium no man may easily withdraw from the turmoil of court and city, or forget that the presence of the half-world is always close by.</p>


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<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>"Downscale private dick Harry Rigby starts tossing out wisecracks like lit packets of firecrackers on page one of this Irish crime story, and he doesn't let up until the last sordid plot strand is singed into submission. In both the dialogue and firs</p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>They had a hot, fleeting affair Farrah Langley has never forgotten. Attorney-to-the-rich-and-famous Xavier Kane was tender, sexy, attentive—and <em>ravished</em> her body. Everything she ever wanted in a lover. Getting together with him again in New York is a fantasy come true. She certainly doesn't expect the footloose bachelor to change his ways. And the burned-by-love mediator isn't looking for forever.</p><p>But Xavier is.</p><p>There's something about Farrah…something that touches him deep in his soul…something that keeps him coming back. So when fate brings them together again, Xavier's ready to pick up where they left off. But this time around, he wants more. Can he convince the lean, leggy beauty that he's finished playing the field? That he wants only one woman in his bed, in his arms—in his heart? </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p>So, what are your plans for the holidays, X?"</p><p>Xavier leaned back in the leather chair and propped his legs up on his desk while glancing out the window at New York City's skyline. The Empire State Building was in his direct line of vision and looked massive against the dark blue sky overhead.</p><p>He had arrived in New York a few days ago to wrap up a business deal between the Northeast Division of Cody Enterprises and Oxley Financial Services. Cameron Cody's takeover of the investment firm was a done deal, and as the executive attorney for all Cameron's affairs, Xavier needed to be in place to make sure everything was handled as it should be. Not only was he considered Cameron's right-hand man, they were very close friends. That friendship had begun back at Harvard when the two had been struggling students, determined to become successful in life.</p><p>And now, just like then, they looked out for each other, so he wasn't surprised by Cameron's question. Cameron knew that Xavier's parents had left for their annual six-month missionary crusade—this year to Haiti—and wouldn't be returning back to the States until sometime in the spring. "I'm not sure yet, Cam. I have a number of invitations out there."</p><p>Cameron's deep chuckle sounded over the speaker-phone. "Hey, don't brag about it. Not everyone is blessed to have five sets of godparents."</p><p>A frown settled on Xavier's face that was best not seen by anyone. "That could be a blessing or a curse," he said, shaking his head pensively. "Currently it might be the latter. Now that Uriel has married, some of the godparents are eyeing the remaining five of us. I'm not sure I want to be included in any of their get-togethers for the holidays. Thanksgiving was hard enough."</p><p>"I bet."</p><p>Everyone had been invited to Uriel and Ellie's place on Cavanaugh Lake. Former neighbors on the lake, the two had remodeled both their homes once married, combining them into one with an enclosed walkway. That meant plenty of space for sleepovers.</p><p>And it was nice having all six godfathers present as they retold the story of how they'd met at Morehouse and become close friends, and how on graduation day they'd promised to stay in touch by becoming godfathers to each of their children, and that the firstborn sons' names would carry the letters of the alphabet from U to Z. And that was how Uriel Lassiter, Virgil Bougard, Winston Coltrane, Xavier Kane, York Ellis and Zion Blackstone had come into existence.</p><p>"Well, you know you can add me and Vanessa to your list," Cam was saying. "You're always welcome to our place. We're doing Christmas in Jamaica this year."</p><p>Xavier couldn't help but smile. His friend sounded happy and contented. What man wouldn't be once he'd finally gotten the woman of his dreams? The former Vanessa Steele had been determined not to become involved with Cameron after his attempt to take over her family's business. Cameron, on the other hand, had been just as determined to win her over. Not surprisingly, Cam had succeeded and was a happily married man with a baby on the way.</p><p>"Thanks, Cam, but I think I'm going to use the two weeks I'll have off during the holidays to chill and relax. I'm even thinking about going someplace quiet. I might decide to visit Zion in Rome," he said.</p><p>Moments later after hanging up the phone with Cameron, Xavier stood to stretch, ignoring the pile of work sitting on his desk. Not only was he executive attorney to Cameron Cody, he also managed the legal affairs for several well-known Hollywood celebrities, which was the reason he had an office in Los Angeles as well.</p><p>Of all his clients, Cam kept him the busiest, which accounted for Xavier's additional offices in London, Jamaica and Paris. And since Cameron's newest brother-in-law, Quade Westmoreland, had a first cousin who was married to a sheikh, Cameron and Sheikh Jamal Yasir were anticipating a business venture that could now take Xavier to parts of the Middle East.</p><p>"Mr. Kane, those reports you ordered are ready."</p><p>He glanced over at the intercom on his desk before leaning over to press a button. "Thanks, Vicki. Please bring them in."</p><p>"With pleasure, sir."</p><p>Xavier shook his head. Vicki Connell, the woman who'd replaced Christine James, his New York administrative assistant, while she was out on an extended maternity leave, was determined to get inside his pants one way or the other. He knew the signs and had read those hidden seductive looks in her pretty dark eyes plenty of times whenever he came to town. All of that would be fine and dandy if he was interested, but he wasn't. And he downright hated admitting that he hadn't been gung ho about any woman getting into his pants since splitting with Farrah almost a half a year ago.</p><p>He didn't know what the hell was wrong with him since, typically, he wasn't the brooding type. He'd certainly never given a woman any lasting thoughts once things between them had ended. So why was he doing so now?</p><p>He walked over to the window and glanced out again. If the forecaster's predictions held true, a snowstorm would be hitting the city by Sunday, and Xavier wished he could return to Charlotte before that happened. He could kiss that wish goodbye since he was due to remain in New York for another week or so.</p><p>He heard the door opening behind him and then an ultra sexy feminine voice said, "Here are the reports, Mr. Kane. Will there be anything else?"</p><p>He slowly turned around at the same time Vicki was smoothing her short skirt down her thighs, at least as much of them that could be covered. He was convinced if she were to bend over he would find out what color her panties were.</p><p>He had to admit her outfit looked fine on her, but did nothing for him, other than reminding him how inappropriate it was for the workplace. But then the same thing held true for the outfit she'd worn yesterday. One of his godbrothers, York, who lived in New York, had dropped by the office to take him to lunch and had mentioned a number of times during their meal how good he thought Vicki had looked. Apparently he was impressed with her attire.</p><p>"Yes, there will be something else," Xavier replied to Vicki. As he spoke he watched lust flare in her eyes.</p><p>"Yes?" she asked, with anticipation flowing in her voice.</p><p>"Please have a seat."</p><p>She lifted a brow. "A seat?"</p><p>"Yes."</p><p>"In the chair?"</p><p>He inwardly smiled. Evidently she'd been hoping he meant spread-eagle on the desk. "Yes, Vicki, please sit in the chair."</p><p>When she did so, the hem of her skirt barely covered her thighs. "Yes, Mr. Kane?"</p><p>"How old are you, Vicki?"</p><p>After probably trying to figure out why he was asking, she said, "I'm twenty."</p><p>He nodded as he leaned against his desk. "And I understand you're attending classes at the university at night and working for a temp agency part-time."</p><p>She shifted in her seat to deliberately show more of a bare thigh. "Yes, that's right. I'm hoping to get hired here full-time during the summer so I can qualify for an internship next fall."</p><p>He wasn't surprised to hear that. Cody Enterprises had several internship programs available. Going to college had been a financial hardship for Cameron, so he was a firm believer in assisting college students whatever way he could. The internship program he had in place was just one way of doing so.</p><p>"I see no reason why that can't happen for you, other than for one."</p><p>She looked surprised. "And what reason is that?"</p><p>"You need to improve your attire in the workplace."</p><p>She actually looked offended. "I was told there wasn't a dress code here."</p><p>"There isn't one per se. However, a person trying to move up in a company needs to care about the image she projects."</p><p>She lifted her chin. "And just what kind of image am I projecting?"</p><p>"An image of someone who enjoys getting a lot of attention. You've become a distraction. Deliberately so. Every man in this building finds some excuse to come to this floor every day and your work is suffering because you're spending more time entertaining than taking care of business matters. I've yet to get that report that was due yesterday."</p><p>"It's not my fault those guys drop by and take up my time."</p><p>Xavier's gaze roamed up and down her outfit. "Isn't it?"</p><p>He didn't say anything, wanting to give her time to consider everything he'd said. "That will be all for now, Vicki," he finally said. "I hope we don't have to discuss this issue again and I hope to have that report on my desk before I leave today."</p><p>He took his seat behind his desk and watched her quickly leave the room. Moments later, while sitting staring into space, the truth hit him right between the eyes as to why he wasn't attracted to other women. He hadn't gotten Farrah out of his system.</p><p>Considering everything they'd shared for close to a year, that was understandable. Usually his affairs with women rarely lasted a couple of months. That was when the women began to get possessive, and Xavier had no interest in being tied down to one woman.</p><p>With Farrah things had been quite different. She'd never stamped a claim to any kind of ownership on him. He'd liked that. He'd liked her. And dammit, he missed her. He still wasn't sure why she had ended things between them, but he did have a hunch.</p><p>They had started getting too comfortable with each other, had fallen into one of those relationship routines where they just couldn't get enough of each other. That sort of addiction between two people was kind of scary since there was no telling where it could lead. Straight to their hearts was out of the question since falling in love was in neither of their plans. Still, the thought of doing something as drastic as ending things between them hadn't crossed his mind.</p><p>He'd been perfectly satisfied with how things had been going. She didn't ask for anything but gave everything. Hell, no woman could compare to her in the bedroom. And she had never questioned his activities whe... </p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>For weeks, Derringer Westmoreland was haunted by memories of a woman whose face he could not recall. But he wanted—he <em>needed</em>—to share that intense passion again. <em>Now.</em> When he finally traced his mystery woman, he was met with a surprise. His fantastic one-night stand was Lucia Conyers, his sister-in-law's best friend. And Lucia wasn't about to become one of Derringer's women. For the first time in his charmed life, the ranch owner had some wooing to do. And if he wanted to win Lucia's heart, he'd better be ready to risk his own.… </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p>Lucia Conyers's heart was beating like crazy as she made a sharp turn around the curve while the wheels of her SUV barely gripped the road. She knew she should slow down, but couldn't. The moment she'd heard that Derringer Westmoreland had been taken to the emergency room due to an injury he sustained after being thrown from a horse, a part of her had nearly died inside.</p><p>It didn't matter that most of the time Derringer acted as though he didn't know she existed or that he had a reputation in Denver as a ladies' man—although she doubted the women he messed around with could really be classified as ladies. Derringer was one of Denver's heartthrobs, a hottie if ever there was one.</p><p>But what did matter, although she wished otherwise, was that she loved him and would probably always love him. She'd tried falling out of love with him several times and just couldn't do it.</p><p>Not even four years of attending a college in Florida had changed her feelings for him. The moment she had returned to Denver and he had walked into her father's paint store to make a purchase, she'd almost passed out from a mixture of lust and love.</p><p>Surprisingly, he had remembered her. He'd welcomed her back to town and asked her about school. But he hadn't asked her out, or offered to share a drink somewhere for old time's sake. Instead, he had gathered up the merchandise he'd come to the store to buy and left.</p><p>Her obsession with him had started back in high school when she and his sister Megan had worked on a science project together. Lucia would never forget the day that Megan's brother had come to pick them up from the library. She'd almost passed out when she first laid eyes on the handsome Derringer Westmoreland.</p><p>She thought she'd died and gone to heaven, and when they were introduced, he smiled at her, showing a pair of dimples that should be outlawed on anyone, especially a man. Her heart had melted then and there and hadn't solidified since. That introduction had taken place a few months after her sixteenth birthday. Now she was twenty-nine and she still got goose bumps whenever she thought about that first meeting.</p><p>Ever since her best friend, Chloe, had married Derringer's brother Ramsey, she saw more of Derringer, but nothing had changed. Whenever he saw her he was always nice to her. But she knew he really didn't see her as a woman he would be interested in.</p><p>So why wasn't she getting on with her life? Why was she risking it now by taking the roads to his place like a madwoman, needing to see for herself that he was still in one piece? When she'd gotten the news, she'd rushed to the hospital only to receive word from Chloe that he'd been released and was now recuperating at home.</p><p>He would probably wonder why she, of all people, was showing up at his place to check on him. She wouldn't be surprised if some woman was already there waiting on him hand and foot. But at the moment it didn't matter. Nothing mattered but to make sure for herself that Derringer was okay. Even the threat of possible thunderstorms this evening hadn't kept her away. She hated thunderstorms, and yet she had left her home to check on a man who barely knew she was alive.</p><p>It was a really stupid move, but she continued to speed down the road, deciding she would consider the foolishness of her actions later.</p><p>The loud sound of thunder blasting across the sky practically shook the house and awakened Derringer. He immediately felt a sharp pain slice through his body, the first since he'd taken his pain medication, which meant it was time to take more.</p><p>Wrenching at the pain, he slowly pulled himself up in bed, reached across the nightstand and grabbed the pills his sister Megan had laid out for him. She'd said not to take more before six, but a quick glance at his clock said that it was only four and he needed the relief now. He was aching all over and his head felt as if it had split in two. He felt sixty-three instead of a mere thirty-three.</p><p>He had been on Sugar Foot's back less than three minutes when the mean-spirited animal had sent him flying. More than his ego had gotten bruised, and each and every time he breathed against what felt like broken ribs he was reminded of it.</p><p>Derringer eased back down onto the bed and laid flat on his back. He stared at the ceiling, waiting for the pain pills to kick in.</p><p>Derringer's Dungeon.</p><p>Lucia slowed her truck when she came to the huge wooden marker in the road. Any other time she would have found it amusing that each of the Westmorelands had marked their property with such fanciful names. Already she had passed Jason's Place, Zane's Hideout, Canyon's Bluff, Stern's Stronghold, Riley's Station and Ramsey's Web. She'd heard when each Westmoreland reached the age of twenty-five they inherited a one-hundred-acre tract of land in this part of the state. That was why all the Westmorelands lived in proximity to each other.</p><p>She nervously gnawed on her bottom lip, finally thinking she might have made a mistake in coming here when she pulled into the yard and saw the huge two-story structure. This was her first time at Derringer's Dungeon and from what she'd heard, most women only came by way of an invite.</p><p><em>So what was she doing here?</em></p><p>She brought her car to a stop and cut off the engine and just sat there a moment as reality set in. She had acted on impulse and of course on love, but the truth of the matter was that she had no business being here. Derringer was probably in bed resting. He might even be on medication. Would he be able to come to the door? If he did, he would probably look at her as if she had two heads for wanting to check on him. In his book they were acquaintances, not even friends.</p><p>She was about to back out and leave, when she noticed the rain had started to come down harder and a huge box that had been left on the steps of the porch was getting wet. The least she could do was to move it to an area on the porch where the rain couldn't touch it.</p><p>Grabbing her umbrella out the backseat, she hurriedly got out of the truck and ran toward the porch to move the box closer to the door. She jumped at the sound of thunder and drew in a sharp breath when a bolt of lightning barely missed the top of her head.</p><p>Remembering what Chloe had once told her about how the Westmoreland men were notorious for not locking their doors, she tried the doorknob and saw what her best friend had said was true. The door was not locked.</p><p>Slowly opening the door, she stuck her head in and called out in a whisper in case he was downstairs sleeping on the sofa instead of upstairs. "Derringer?"</p><p>When he didn't answer, she decided she might as well bring the box inside. The moment she entered the house, she glanced around, admiring his sister Gemma's decorating skills. Derringer's home was beautiful, and the floor-to-ceiling windows took full advantage of the mountain view. She was about to ease back out the door and lock it behind her when she heard a crash followed by a bump and then a loud curse.</p><p>Acting on instinct, she took the stairs two at a time and stumbled into several guest bedrooms before entering what had to be the master bedroom. It was decorated in a more masculine theme than all the others. She glanced around and then she saw him lying on the floor as if he'd fallen out of bed.</p><p>"Derringer!"</p><p>She raced over to him and knelt down beside him, trying to ignore the fact that the only clothing he had on was a pair of black briefs. "Derringer? Are you all right?" she asked, a degree of panic clearly in her voice. "Derringer?"</p><p>He slowly opened his eyes and she couldn't stop the fluttering of her heart when she gazed down into the gorgeous dark depths. The first thing she noticed was they were glassy, as if he'd taken one drink too many…or probably one pill too many. She then took a deep breath when a slow smile touched the corners of his lips and those knock-a-girl-off-her-feet dimples appeared in his cheeks.</p><p>"Well, now, aren't you a pretty thing," he said in slurred speech. "What's your name?"</p><p>"Puddin' Tame," she replied smartly. His actions confirmed he'd evidently taken one pill too many since he was acting as if he'd never seen her in his life.</p><p>"That's a real nice name, sweetheart."</p><p>She rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, cowboy. Would you like to explain why you're down here and not up there?" She motioned toward his bed.</p><p>"That's easy enough to answer. I went to the bathroom and when I got back, someone moved the bed and I missed it."</p><p>She tried keeping the smile from her face. "You sure did miss it. Come on and hold on to me while I help you back into it."</p><p>"Someone might move it again."</p><p>"I doubt it," she said, grinning, while thinking even when he was under the influence of medication, the deep, husky sound of his voice could do things to her. Make the nipples of her breasts strain against her damp shirt. "Come on, you have to be hurting something awful."</p><p>He chuckled. "No, in fact I feel good. Good enough to try riding Sugar Foot again."</p><p>She shook her head. "Not tonight you won't. Come on, Derringer, let me help you up and get you back in bed."</p><p>"I like it down here."</p><p>"Sorry, pal, but you can't stay down here. You either let me help you up or I'll call one of your brothers to help you."</p><p>Now it was he who shook his head. "I don't want to see any of them again for a while. All they know how to say is, I told you so."</p><p>"Well maybe next time you'll listen to them. Come on."</p><p>It took several attempts before she was able to help Derringer to his feet. It wasn't easy to steer him to the bed, and she suddenly lost her balance and found herself tumbling backward onto his bed with him falling on top of her.</p><p>"I need you to shift your body a little to get off me, Derringer," she said when she was able to catch her breath.</p><p>He flashed those sexy dimples again and spoke in a voice throaty with arousal. "Um, why? I like being on top of you, Puddin'. You feel good."</p><p>She blinked and then realized the extent of her situation. She... </p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>When Shelly Brockman walked into his office, Sheriff Dare Westmoreland could almost taste the sweet, steamy passion they'd once shared. Then Shelly informed him he was the father of her son, the unruly preteen he'd arrested that day, and his fantasies turned to fury! </p><p>Shelly had returned to her hometown in Georgia to save her son from the mean streets of Los Angeles. Getting to know his father would be good for her son. But would being so close to Dare--the only man to make her pulse race--reopen a wounded heart that had never healed? Or, would this be her final chance to win Dare's love? </p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Women called him the perfect storm because he could sweet-talk any woman into his bed, and regularly did so. Firefighter Storm Westmoreland used lovemaking the way other men used a long, hot shower—to blow off steam. Until a torrid weekend with a too-hot-to-handle virgin left a certain legendary player craving something other than mere physical gratification….</p><p>Caught in the eye of the storm, Jayla Cole was no match for the sexy fire chief or the emotional inferno he ignited inside her. But would she be satisfied with the mind-blowing, sex only relationship she shared with Storm, or was starting a family on her own still what she desired more than anything?</p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>"I'M HAVING YOUR BABY."</p><p>Savannah Claiborne's simple statement set off an avalanche in Montana ranger Durango Westmoreland's carefully ordered life. Suddenly, an unforgettable night of passion with the hazel-eyed beauty had turned into a lifetime of obligation for the confirmed bachelor.</p><p>But Westmoreland men always honored their responsibilities, and leaving Savannah to raise his baby on her own was not an option. So he proposed and she accepted...with one condition: Theirs would be an in-name-only marriage.</p><p>Durango agreed. For now.</p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Casino owner Ian Westmoreland thought he had seen the last of Brooke Chamberlain, until she checked into his resort claiming to need a little R &amp; R. Brooke had betrayed him years before, and Ian was willing to bet there was more to her visit than she would admit. No woman had even come close to igniting the heat and passion inside him as Brooke once had. And if Ian was going to discover what Brooke was hiding, what better way than through seduction? </p><p>But in this game of bedroom cat and mouse, the stakes were very high. Would Ian's ultimate gamble pay off?</p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>"Stone Westmoreland had an eye for the ladies. And charm that never failed. He was an experienced player who played for keeps. So who would have guessed that prim and proper Madison Winters could rattle his nerves without even trying? She had him feeling all protective, and all sexed up, too. Before he knew it, Stone had volunteered to help Madison find her mother, who'd gone missing in the mountains. </p><p>Stone was willing to play the knight in shining armor, but only if it meant the hard days of trekking through the wilderness would result in the ultimate payoff--passion-filled nights under the Montana starlit sky with the delectable Miss Winters..." </p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Montana horse breeder McKinnon Quinn savored his "no women on my ranch" rule. So when Casey Westmoreland asked for a job training horses, he turned her down flat. For despite her innocent looks, she tempted him beyond reason. </p><p>Casey had vowed to get McKinnon to hire her and make him her first--her only--lover. Yet after every steamy encounter, the infuriating man dodged her.</p><p>It was as if he had a secret he was desperate to keep… making Casey just as desperate to uncover it. </p>


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<div><div><h3>Product Description</h3><p><em>A Little Dare</em></p><p>When Shelly Brockman walks into his office, Sheriff Dare Westmoreland can almost taste the sweet, steamy passion they'd once shared. Then she informs him that he is the father of her son, the unruly preteen Dare arrested earlier that day, and his fantasies turn to fury. Shelly has returned to her Georgia hometown to get her son away from the mean streets of Los Angeles, and she hopes that getting to know his father will do her child a world of good. But will being so close to Dare—the only man to ever make Shelly's heartbeat race—reopen old wounds, or will this be her last chance to secure his love forever?</p><p><em>Thorn's Challenge</em></p><p>One sizzling kiss from Thorn Westmoreland isn't enough to convince Tara Matthews to risk her heart again…or is it? The beautiful doctor and the hard-driving motorcycle tycoon mix like oil and water. Why, then, can't Tara erase the memory of the sexy racer from her head, or thoughts of his passionate caresses from her body? Thorn has wanted Tara since the day they met. His plan is to seduce the prickly doctor and indulge in a casual affair. But before he can savor the success of their passion, she turns the tables on him. Now instead of working her out of his system, Thorn is hell-bent on winning Tara's love…. </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p>Sheriff Dare Westmoreland leaned forward in the chair behind his desk. From the defiant look on the face of the boy standing in front of him he could tell it would be one of those days. "Look, kid, I'm only going to ask you one more time. What is your name?"</p><p>The boy crossed his arms over his chest and had the nerve to glare at him and say, "And I've told you that I don't like cops and have no intention of giving you my name or anything else. And if you don't like it, arrest me."</p><p>Dare stood to his full height of six-feet-four, feeling every bit of his thirty-six years as he came from behind his desk to stare at the boy. He estimated the kid, who he'd caught throwing rocks at passing cars on the highway, to be around twelve or thirteen. It had been a long time since any kid living in his jurisdiction had outright sassed him. None of them would have dared, so it stood to reason that the kid was probably new in town.</p><p>"You will get your wish. Since you won't cooperate and tell me who you are, I'm officially holding you in police custody until someone comes to claim you. And while you're waiting you may as well make yourself useful. You'll start by mopping out the bathroom on the first floor, so follow me."</p><p>Dare shook his head, thinking he didn't envy this kid's parents one bit.</p><p>Shelly had barely brought her car to a complete stop in front of the sheriff's office before she was out of it. It had taken her a good two hours in Atlanta's heavy traffic to make it home after receiving word that AJ had not shown up at school, only to discover he wasn't at home. When it had started getting late she had gotten worried and called the police. After giving the dispatcher a description of AJ, the woman assured her that he was safe in their custody and that the reason she had not been contacted was because AJ had refused to give anyone his name. Without asking for any further details Shelly had jumped into her car and headed for the police station.</p><p>She let out a deep sigh. If AJ hadn't given anyone his name that meant the sheriff was not aware she was AJ's mother and for the moment that was a comforting thought. As she pushed open the door, she knew all her excuses for not yet meeting with Dare and telling him the truth had run out, and fate had decided to force her hand.</p><p>She was about to come face-to-face with Sheriff Dare Westmoreland.</p><hr><p>"Sheriff, the parent of John Doe has arrived."</p><p>Dare looked up from the papers he was reading and met his secretary's gaze. "Only one parent showed up, Holly?"</p><p>"Yes, just the mother. She's not wearing a wedding ring so I can only assume there isn't a father. At least not one that's around."</p><p>Dare nodded. "What's the kid doing now?" he asked, pushing the papers he'd been reading aside.</p><p>"He's out back watching Deputy McKade clean up his police motorcycle"</p><p>Dare nodded. "Send the woman in, Holly. I need to have a long talk with her. Her son needs a lot more discipline than he's evidently getting at home."</p><p>Dare moved away from his desk to stand at the window where he could observe the boy as he watched McKade polish his motorcycle. He inhaled deeply. There was something about the boy that he found oddly familiar. Maybe he reminded him of himself and his four brothers when they'd been younger. Although they had been quite a handful for their parents, headstrong and in some ways stubborn, they had known just how far to take it and just how much they could get away with. And they'd been smart enough to know when to keep their mouths closed. This kid had a lot to learn.</p><p>"Sheriff Westmoreland, this is Ms. Rochelle Brockman."</p><p>Dare swung his head around and his gaze collided with the woman he'd once loved to distraction. Suddenly his breath caught, his mouth went dry and every muscle in his body froze as memories rushed through his spiraling mind.</p><p>He could vividly recall the first time they'd met, their first kiss and the first time they had made love. The last time stood out in his mind now. He dragged his gaze from her face to do a total sweep of her body before returning to her face again. A shiver of desire tore through him, and he was glad that his position, standing behind his desk, blocked a view of his body from the waist down. Otherwise both women would have seen the arousal pressing against the zipper of his pants.</p><p>His gaze moved to her dark brown hair, and he noted that it was shorter and cut in one of those trendy styles that accented the creamy chocolate coloring of her face as well as the warm brandy shade of her eyes.</p><p>The casual outfit she wore, a printed skirt and a matching blouse, made her look stylish, comfortable and ultrafemi-nine. Then there were the legs he still considered the most gorgeous pair he'd ever seen. Legs he knew could wrap around his waist while their bodies meshed in pleasure.</p><p>A deep sigh escaped his closed lips as he concluded that at thirty-three she was even more beautiful than he remembered and still epitomized everything feminine. They'd first met when she was sixteen and a sophomore in high school. He'd been nineteen, a few weeks shy of twenty and a sophomore in college, and had come home for a visit to find her working on a school project with his brother Stone. He had walked into the house at the exact moment she'd been leaning over Stone, explaining some scientific formula and wearing the sexiest pair of shorts he had ever seen on a female. He had thought she had a pair of legs that were simply a complete turn-on. When she had glanced up, noticed him staring and smiled, he'd been a goner. Never before had he been so aware of a woman. An immediate attraction had flared between them, holding him hostage to desires he'd never felt before.</p><p>After making sure Stone didn't have designs on her himself, he had made his move. And it was a move he'd never regretted making. They began seriously dating a few months later and had continued to do so for six long years, until he had made the mistake of ending things between them. Now it seemed the day of reckoning had arrived.</p><p>"Shelly."</p><p>"Dare."</p><p>It was as if the years had not passed between them, Dare suddenly thought. That same electrical charge the two of them always generated ignited full force, sending a high voltage searing through the room.</p><p>He cleared his throat. "Holly, you can leave me and Ms. Brockman alone now," he thought it best to say.</p><p>His secretary looked at Shelly then back at him. "Sure, Sheriff," she murmured, and walked out of the office, pulling the door shut behind her.</p><p>Once the door closed, Dare turned his full attention back to Shelly. His gaze went immediately to her lips; lips he used to enjoy tasting time and time again; lips that were hot, sweet and ultraresponsive. One night he had thrust her into an orgasm just from gnawing on her lips and caressing them with the tip of his tongue.</p><p>He swallowed to get his bearings when he felt his body begin responding to just being in the same room with her. He then admitted what he'd known for years. Shelly Brockman would always be the beginning and the end of his most blatant desires and a part of him could not believe she was back in College Park after being gone for so long.</p><p>Shelly felt the intensity of Dare's gaze and struggled to keep her emotions in check, but he was so disturbingly gorgeous that she found it hard to do so. Wearing his blue uniform, he still had that look that left a woman's mind whirling and her body overheated.</p><p>He had changed a lot from the young man she had fallen in love with years ago. He was taller, bigger and more muscular. The few lines he had developed in the corners of his eyes, and the firmness of his jaw made his face more angular, his coffee-colored features stark and disturbingly handsome and still a pleasure to look at.</p><p>She noted there were certain things about him that had remained the same. The shape of his mouth was still a total turn-on, and he still had those sexy dimples he used to flash at her so often. Then there were those dark eyes—deep, penetrating—that at one time had had the ability to read her mind by just looking at her. How else had he known when she'd wanted him to make love to her without her having to utter a single word?</p><p>Suddenly Shelly felt nervous, panicky when she remembered the reason she had moved back to town. But there was no way she could tell Dare that he was AJ's father—at least not today. She needed time to pull herself together. Seeing him again had derailed her senses, making it impossible for her to think straight. The only thing she wanted was to get AJ and leave.</p><p>"I came for my son, Dare," she finally found her voice to say, and even to her own ears it sounded wispy.</p><p>Dare let out a deep breath. It seemed she wanted to get right down to business and not dwell on the past. He had no intention of letting her do that, mainly because of what they had once meant to each other. "It's been a long time, Shelly. How have you been?" he asked raspily, failing to keep his own voice casual. He found the scent of her perfume just as sexy and enticing as the rest of her.</p><p>"I've been fine, Dare. How about you?"</p><p>"Same here."</p><p>She nodded. "Now may I see my son?"</p><p>Her insistence on keeping things nonpersonal was beginning to annoy the hell out of him. His eyes narrowed and his gaze zeroed in on her mouth; bad timing on his part. She nervously swiped her bottom lip with her tongue, causing his body to react immediately. He remembered that tongue and some of the things he had taught her to do with it. He dragged air into his lungs when he felt his muscles tense. "Aren't you going to ask why he's here?" he asked, his voice sounding tight, just as tight as his entire body felt.</p><p>She shrugged. "I assumed that since the school called and said he didn't show up today, one of your officers had picked him up for playing hooky."</p><p>"No, that's not it," he said, thinking that was a reasonable assumption to make. "I'm the one who picked him up, but he was doing something a bit more serious... </p>

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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Atlanta's Westmoreland men were notoriously easy on the eyes, but champion motorcycle racer Thorn Westmoreland exuded a heat that could melt metal. Rugged and moody, he was a loner betrayed by love, a man committed to staying in control—until he met Dr. Tara Matthews.</p><p>It wasn't every day that the sexiest man on earth appeared at her door, looking like God's gift in a black leather jacket. And Tara's chances of playing it cool with a man as hot as Thorn were about as good as a snowball's in hell. But when Tara reversed roles in their game of seduction, what were the odds of Thorn—the ultimate bad boy—coming out on top?</p>

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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>In name only?<br />The moment ex-Texas Ranger Clint Westmoreland learned he was still married, he set the limits for his wife's stay at his luxurious horse ranch. But when she arrived, Clint's boundaries began to blur. He and Alyssa Barkley had thirty days to untangle the legal knot that had bound them together during an undercover assignment years before. But this sexy, curvaceous Alyssa was different from the mousy, awestruck rookie agent he remembered. And now her every move had him wondering what it would be like if he really were her man.... </p>


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<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Quade Westmoreland's one-night love affair with Cheyenne had branded him body and soul, but he'd never even learned her last name. Almost a year later, driven by memories and one incriminating photo, the sexy operative had finally tracked her down—and discovered three little babies bearing his features. Learning he was a father made Quade even more determined: he would claim Cheyenne Steele in every way. Shockingly, the irresistible beauty seemed intent on resisting him. But the Westmoreland destiny was at stake, and Quade would fight for what was his.… </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p>"Sir, the plane is about ready to take off. Please shut down your laptop and fasten your seat belt."</p><p>Quade Westmoreland followed the flight attendant's instructions while thinking just how many times he'd heard such a request while flying aboard a commercial aircraft. Over the past eight years he had grown accustomed to the luxury of Air Force One where using a laptop during takeoff was not only welcomed but necessary.</p><p>He glanced around. At least he was in first class, which wasn't a bad deal, and no one was sitting in the seat beside him, which made things even better. He didn't like the feel of being crowded or cramped. He liked having his space. That was the reason he'd enjoyed his job with the PSF, Presidential Security Forces, dual branches of the Secret Service and CIA.</p><p>But if the truth be known—and there were only a few key individuals who actually knew the truth— his particular position entailed a lot more than protecting the president. After the terrorist attacks of 9/11, the PSF was created and he'd become a part of the elite team. His job was to keep tabs on the president's travels abroad and make sure everything associated with the trips, especially the security, was dealt with prior to the president's visit. It was his responsibility to protect the commander and chief from behind the scenes at all cost.</p><p>That was the reason he had been in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt, the night he had met Cheyenne Steele.</p><p><em>Cheyenne Steele.</em></p><p>Just thinking about her brought an automatic tightening in his chest, as well as a stirring in another part of his body. The woman had gotten that sort of response from him from the first time he had encountered her that night walking on the beach. He had actually felt her presence before seeing her. And when he had gazed into her face, a deep physical attraction had unleashed fierce desire in him, a degree to which he had never felt toward any other woman in all his thirty-six years. It had been hot. Unex-plainable. And luckily for him, the attraction had been mutual.</p><p>It didn't take long to discover that she was just as physically attracted to him as he was to her, and after a few brief moments of small talk, she accepted his offer to share a drink… in his hotel room.</p><p>Although he had known she would be safe with him, he had initially questioned her decision until they'd gotten up to his room. Before going inside with him she had made a smart move by using her cell phone to contact the female friend she was traveling with to let her know where she would be; specifically which room and at which hotel on the beach.</p><p>Cheyenne was the only part of her name she had exchanged with him that night and, considering how they'd met and the activities that had followed afterward, he hadn't been sure if Cheyenne had even been her real name. She had been pretty secretive, but then so had he. And like her, he had only shared his first name.</p><p>He had constantly thought about her since that night and then a few days ago, while visiting his relatives in Montana, he had seen her face on the cover of a magazine. And it was pretty damn obvious that she was pregnant.</p><p>In fact, she looked ready to deliver at any moment. Since the magazine had been October's issue and it was now the first of December, a million questions had been going through his mind. The first of which was whether or not he was the man responsible for her condition.</p><p>They had used protection that night, but he would be the first to admit his passion for her, his desire to mate with her, had been uncontrollable. And somewhere in the back of his mind he seemed to recall at least one of the times in which there had not been a barrier. Whether it was true or just a figment of his imagination, he wasn't certain. Even if he had used a condom each time they had made love, condoms weren't without flaws, and when you made love as many times as they had, anything was possible. Even an unplanned pregnancy.</p><p>She was the only one who could put his mind to rest by telling him whether or not the child—which should have been born by now—was his. If it wasn't, she must have slept with someone else around the same time she had slept with him. That was something he didn't want to think about. And if the child was his, he would do the right thing—the only thing a Westmoreland could do if they were foolish enough to get caught in such a situation. He would ask her to marry him to give their child his name. After a reasonable amount of time they could file for a divorce and part ways.</p><p>He could tolerate a short-term wife if he had to. He had recently retired and was about to embark on another career. He had joined a partnership with a few of his cousins to open a chain of security offices around the country.</p><p>He refused to be reminded that a marriage of convenience was how things had started out between his brother Durango and his wife, Savannah, and that they were now a happily married couple. Quade was glad things worked out the way they had for them; however, the situation with him and Cheyenne was different.</p><p>Durango had fallen hard for Savannah from the first time he had seen her at their cousin Chase's wedding. But it had been lust and only lust that had driven his desire for Cheyenne that night. If it had been more than that, he would have taken the time to get to know her. He'd only had one goal in mind after meeting Cheyenne and that was finding a way to get her into his bed.</p><p>One of the downsides of his former job was the long periods he'd had to put his social life on hold. It had been during one of those times, when his testosterone had been totally out of whack, that he met Cheyenne. He'd gone a long time without a woman and Cheyenne had been a prime target for a one-night stand.</p><p>But he hadn't meant to get her pregnant if that's what he'd actually done. So here he was on his way to Charlotte, North Carolina, to find out if he was the father of her baby. He had contacted the ad agency and discovered not only that Cheyenne was her real name, but that she was also a model, which was the reason she had been on the cover of that magazine. He shouldn't have been surprised to learn of her profession since she had to have been the most beautiful woman he'd ever met. On the cover of that magazine with her pregnancy proudly displayed for the camera, she had still looked radiant and breathtakingly beautiful.</p><p>Quade felt the plane tilt upward as it took off. He leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes, deciding now was a perfect time to relive those long and passionate hours he had spent in bed with Cheyenne nearly ten months ago.</p><hr><p><em>Quade felt hot, edgy and he couldn't sleep.</em></p><p><em>Muttering a curse, he eased out of bed and looked around the hotel room.</em></p><p><em>The president was to arrive in two days and Quade and his men had checked out everything, especially the route the motorcade would be taking. There had been rumblings of a planned protest, but a spokesman for the Egyptian government had contacted him earlier to say the matter had been taken care of.</em></p><p><em>He wondered if the bar downstairs was still open. He could definitely use a drink to take the edge off. For some reason this place and sleeping alone in this bed was reminding him just how long it had been since he'd had any sort of intimate physical contact with a woman. Too long.</em></p><p><em>Instead of getting a drink, Quade decided to take a walk on the beach. He eased into a pair of jeans and pulled a T-shirt over his head. After sliding his feet into a pair of sandals he checked the clock on the nightstand. It was almost one in the morning.</em></p><p><em>As he left his room, closing the door shut behind him, he thought about the phone conversation he'd had with his mother earlier. She had surprised the hell out of him by saying his cousin Clint had gotten married.</em></p><p><em>He had just seen his cousin a few months before at his brother Spencer's wedding. They had talked. Clint had been excited. He had just retired as a Texas Ranger to become a partner with Durango and a childhood friend, McKinnon Quinn, in their horse-breeding business. Not once had Clint mentioned anything about a woman. And now he was married? There had to be more to it than the romantic tale his mother had weaved.</em></p><p><em>Within no time at all Quade had caught the designated elevator, the one that would take him six levels down to a patio that led to the beach. Most of the hotel was empty. The majority of the rooms were already reserved for the president's visit. The first lady would be present on this trip, along with a number of other dignitaries. The visit would last three days and Quade would be working nonstop behind the scenes the entire time.</em></p><p><em>He inhaled deeply as the scent of the ocean filled his nostrils, and after taking a few steps his sandals hit the soft sand, making him feel as if he was walking on marshmallows. Sharm al-Sheikh was a beautiful place, a developed tourist resort on the Sinai Peninsula that catered to the rich and famous. Even in the moonlit night, he could make out the large five-star hotels that dotted the shoreline.</em></p><p><em>A number of his men had made plans to hang around after the president's visit to relax</em></p><p><em>and unwind. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be one of them. He had promised his mother that he would be returning to the States in time to make an appearance at the christening of his cousin Thorn's son.</em></p><p><em>Quade had to admit that he always looked forward to returning home to Atlanta whenever he could. TheWestmorelands were a large group and getting even larger with all the recent marriages and births. And then there was the possibility that they might find even more West-morelands if the genealogy search his father was conducting proved out. It seemed that their great-grandfather had a twin everyone assumed had died while in his early twenties. It appeared the black sheep Raphel Westmoreland, who had run off with a still-married preacher's wife at the age of 22, was still alive. Both Quade's father and his father's twin brother, James, were eager to find any descendants of their long, lost wife-stealing, great-grand uncle Raphel.</em>&lt;... </p>

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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Kimani Cannon knows she's in trouble the second she lays eyes on 6'4" of luscious male. The best kind of trouble, too…mm-mmm! Duan Jeffries turns out to be the perfect man—charming, considerate…and the best lover she's ever had. Too bad Mr. Delicious is just a one-night stand….</p><p>Until Kim needs a date to her mother's (fifth) wedding! Duan's willing to act the part of her fiancé… as long as it means full benefits. More amazing sex? No problem!</p><p>Then Kim finds out that Duan's got his own private agenda. Suddenly, she doesn't know what to believe. Her head and heart are telling her to be careful. But the sensual thrumming in her blood is turning out to be much more persuasive…. </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p><em>My brother has hit gold.</em></p><p>That thought ran through Duan Jeffries's mind while he stood on the sidelines and watched Terrence "Holy Terror" Jeffries escort his bride, Sherri Griffin Jeffries, around the huge ballroom as they thanked the numerous guests for attending their wedding.</p><p>From the moment Duan had met Sherri, he'd known she was the one woman who could make his younger brother happy. Just being in their presence was to feel the love radiating between them. And even though he was a downright cynical bastard when it came to the notion of true love, the two of them had made him somewhat of a believer.</p><p>The same held true for his sister, Olivia, and the man she'd married last year, Senator Reggie Westmoreland. That was definitely another love match. So okay, two cases weren't bad. He shifted his glance across the room to his father and the woman by his side and chuckled inwardly. All right, he would make that three cases. His father had finally married his devoted administrative assistant a few months back. Duan didn't know any man who deserved the love of a good woman more than Orin Jeffries, especially after all the hell the mother of his three offspring put him through.</p><p>Not wanting to think about the woman who'd given birth to him, the same one who'd deserted her husband and three children when Duan was twelve, Terrence ten and Libby three, he glanced at his watch, feeling tired and edgy. He had arrived in Chicago yesterday and come straight from the airport to the church, just in time to make the rehearsal dinner.</p><p>A private investigator, for the past three months he'd been working practically around the clock trying to gather enough evidence to hand over to an attorney friend who was convinced a man he was representing had been wrongfully accused of murder. It had been a hard case to crack and even harder to deliver the news that it was the man's wife who'd set him up. With the evidence needed to clear the man of all charges, Duan had taken off from Atlanta on a direct flight to Chicago.</p><p>He glanced at his watch. He had another hour or so before the wedded couple headed for O'Hare and a two-week honeymoon in Paris. After they departed he would go up to his hotel room, get out of his tux and change into something more comfortable and…</p><p><em>Do what?</em></p><p>He didn't have any immediate plans. Word had gotten around that some of Reggie's brothers and cousins were hosting a card game later tonight in one of their rooms. He wasn't surprised. He had known most of the Westmorelands from his high-school years in Atlanta and had rekindled friendships with them since Reggie had married Libby. The one thing he knew about them was that they liked to gamble, and their game of choice was poker.</p><p>Duan decided to pass after remembering what happened the last time he'd played with them. When the game ended he'd been three hundred dollars poorer.</p><p><em>If not poker, then what else was there to do?</em></p><p>He shifted his gaze to the woman standing across the room talking to the bride's parents. Immediately, he felt a primitive thrumming heat run through him. Kimani Cannon. He would definitely love to <em>do </em>her.</p><p>She was the best friend of the bride and he had been attracted to her from the first moment they'd been introduced a few months ago at Terrence and Sherri's engagement party in the Keys. He had immediately picked up on the strong sexual chemistry flowing between them, and the look Kimani had given him promised that they would hook up later to wear out somebody's sheets. But before they could make that happen, he'd received an important tip on a case he was working and had to leave.</p><p>She was definitely nice to look at with her dark, sultry eyes, a cute pixie nose and full and shapely lips. He particularly liked the mass of dark brown spiral curls that crowned her creamy cocoa-colored face.</p><p>She was downright sexy from the top of her head past those shapely curves and gorgeous legs to the soles of her feet. And speaking of feet, he had a weakness when it came to women in high heels, especially if they had the legs for them, which she did. And the strapless satin baby-blue maid-of-honor dress that hit below the knees looked damn good on her, but he'd much prefer seeing her naked. He wanted to find out if his dreams came close to the real thing.</p><p>He took a sip of his drink and continued to watch her. Lust after her was more like it. And it wasn't helping matters when all kind of wicked fantasies danced around in his head. He could envision doing something hot, naughty and X-rated with her—like locking himself between her legs and staying there until there wasn't anything left to give or take.</p><p>His fingers tightened on the stem of the wineglass, not sure what part of her he enjoyed staring at the most, and quickly decided he liked everything about her. Even from across the room she stirred his blood, fired his senses and made him think about hot sex under silken sheets.</p><p>He dragged in a deep breath and reached up to loosen his tie, which suddenly felt tight. Hell, even his briefs were restricting. And the rumble deep in his gut, trickling down toward his groin, could only mean one thing. After a six-month abstinence, he needed to get laid. And he wondered if the woman across the room would in any way be accommodating.</p><p>No sooner had that thought worked its way into his mind then she glanced over in his direction. Their gazes locked and the chemistry flowing between them thickened, stirred and escalated. Heat shimmered in the air and then she broke eye contact with him. Placing her wineglass on the tray of a passing waiter, she headed out of the ballroom. He watched, mesmerized by the sway of her hips and those gorgeous legs in high heels.</p><p>Suddenly, he felt his feet moving to follow her.</p><p>Kim released a deep breath as she walked down the hall that led to the room the bridesmaids had used earlier to dress in. She heard footsteps behind her and didn't have to turn around to know the identity of the person following her.</p><p><em>Duan Jeffries.</em></p><p>There was something about him that made her immediately think of sex, sex and plenty more sex. In that brief moment they'd made eye contact in the ballroom, she had detected the raw hunger within him, a need that was both possessive and magnetic, and it had drawn her to him, filled her with a desire to take him on right now.</p><p>Due to budget cuts at the hospital where she worked as an E.R. nurse, she hadn't had much of a social life lately. Seeing Duan made her realize just how much she longed for some skin-to-skin contact. Licking him from head to toe would be a good start, but she figured they wouldn't have enough time for that. A quickie would have to do.</p><p>She'd known the instant she met him four months ago that they would eventually get together. The vibes had been strong and she was disappointed when he'd left the Keys unexpectedly. The only reason she hadn't initiated jumping his bones after the rehearsal dinner last night was because she and Sherri had planned to hang out with her cousins one last time in Sherri's hotel room.</p><p>A shiver of anticipation flowed through her body when she came to a stop in front of the room. Without looking over her shoulder, she turned the knob, pushed opened the door and stepped inside.</p><p>It was only when she heard the sound of the door closing and the lock clicking in place behind her that she turned to stare up into what had to be the most gorgeous dark eyes any man could possess. And then there were the perfect angles, seamless planes and sensuous lines that made up an impressive and sinfully handsome face.</p><p>He took a step closer and she sucked in a quick breath when she felt his erection poke into her belly. She wasn't sure who made the first move after that. It wasn't really important. All that mattered was the mouth that swooped down, taking hers with a hunger that she reciprocated.</p><p>When she met his tongue with her own, he deepened the kiss and then it was on. Something frantic broke within her, within them, and a need as raw as it could get took over.</p><p>She felt his hand lifting her dress. The sound of silk rustling against silk inflamed her mind, and when those same hands made contact with the apex of her thighs, not even her panties were a barrier against the busy fingers that sought and found an easy opening.</p><p>And then those fingers were moving through the curls, beyond the folds, stirring her wetness and massaging her clit. She moaned at the invasion as well as the pleasure, and instinctively reached for his fly and eased down the zipper. Quickly inserting her hand beneath the elastic waistband of his briefs, she gripped the engorged hardness of his sex. He pulled his mouth from hers and released a guttural groan, and the primitive sound was something she understood and identified with.</p><p>"Condom." He said that one word in a ragged breath and she relinquished her hold on him so he could fish into the pockets of his pants for his wallet. He pulled out a square packet.</p><p>She shifted her gaze from the condom to his erection, jutting proudly from a dark thatch of curls. The head of his shaft was big and smooth, and the veins running along the sides were thick.</p><p>Heat burning in every part of her body, she watched as he sheathed himself with such ease and accuracy that she figured he'd done this numerous times. When that task was completed, he glanced up and the eyes that stared at her nearly scorched her skin and made her regret they only had time for a quickie. Leisurely savoring every inch of him was something she would just love doing. But for now she would take what she could get. Leaning up on tiptoe, she pressed her moist lips against his.</p><p>His mouth immediately captured hers, kissing her hungrily, and she felt him tug her dress up. She had a feeling this mating would be a quickie like nothing she'd ever experienced.</p><p>He lifted her, cupping her hips in his hands, and she instinctively wrapped her legs around him. Like radar his engorged sex found its mark and he pushed forward, sliding between her wet folds. The size of him stretched her, filled her to capacity. And it seemed his erection got larger as he... </p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>She had longed for a taste of the wild and reckless. And Olivia Jeffries got her chance when she met a handsome stranger at a masquerade ball. The attraction was instant, the electricity…volatile. But days later she discovered her new lover was none other than Reginald Westmoreland, her father's most-hated rival. She vowed to resist him further, but Reggie was relentless in his pursuit. He would stop at nothing—not even blackmail—to get Olivia back in his bed. Talk about sleeping with the enemy! </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p>There has to be another way for a woman to have fun, Olivia Jeffries thought as she glanced around at everyone attending the Firemen's Masquerade Ball, an annual charity event held in downtown Atlanta. Already she was gearing up for a boring evening.</p><p>It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't arrived from Paris just yesterday, after being summoned home by her father. That meant she had to drop everything, including plans to drive through the countryside of the Seine Valley to complete the painting she had started months ago.</p><p>Returning to Atlanta had required her to take a leave of absence from her job as an art curator at the Louvre. But when Orin Jeffries called, she hadn't hesitated to drop everything. After all, he was only the greatest dad in the entire world.</p><p>He had wanted her home after making the decision to run for public office, saying it was important that she was there not only for his first fund-raiser but also for the duration of his campaign. There would be a number of functions he would need to attend, and he preferred not to go with any particular woman on a regular basis. He didn't want any of his female friends to get the wrong idea.</p><p>Olivia could only shake her head and smile. Her divorced father had taken himself off the marriage block years ago. In fact, she doubted he'd ever allowed himself to be there in the first place. He dated on occasion, but he'd never gotten serious about any woman, which was a pity. At fifty-six, Orin Jeffries was without a doubt a very good-looking man. His ex-wife, who was Olivia's mom in genes only, had left a bad taste in Orin's mouth. A taste that the past twenty-four years hadn't erased.</p><p>Her two older brothers, Duan, who was thirty-six, and Terrence, who was thirty-four, had taken after her father in their good looks. And as in the case of their father, the thought of marriage was the last thing on their minds. In a way, she followed in her dad's footsteps as well. Finding a husband was the last thing on hers.</p><p>So there you had it. They were the swinging single Jeffries, although for the moment, nothing was swinging for her, Olivia thought. There were a few people at this ball who seemed to be having fun, but most, like her, were looking at their watches and wondering when proper etiquette dictated it would be okay to leave.</p><p>Whoever had come up with the idea of everyone wearing masks had really been off their rocker. It made her feel like she was part of the Lone Ranger's posse. And because all the money raised tonight was for the new wing at the children's hospital, in addition to the mask, everyone was required to wear a name badge on which was printed the name of a nursery rhyme character, a color of a crayon or a well-known cartoon or comic-book character. How creative.</p><p>At least the food was good. The first words out of her father's mouth when he'd seen her at the airport the day before had been, "You look too thin." She figured the least she could do was mosey on over to the buffet table and get herself something to eat. Hopefully, in a little while she could split.</p><p>Reginald Westmoreland watched the woman as she crossed the room, making her way over to the buffet table. He had been watching her for over twenty minutes now, racking his brain as to who she was. Mask or no mask, he recognized most of the women at the ball tonight. He knew almost every one of them because for years he had been immersed in the science of "lip-tology." In other words, the first thing he noticed about a woman was her lips.</p><p>He could recognize a woman by her lips alone, without even looking at any other facial feature. Most people wouldn't agree, but no two pairs of lips were the same. His brothers and cousins had denounced his claim and had quickly put him to the test. He had just as quickly proven them wrong. Whether you considered it a blessing or a curse, the bottom line was that he had the gift.</p><p>And there were other things besides her lips that caught his attention, like her height. She had to be almost six feet tall. And then he was struck by the way she fit into her elegantly designed black and silver beaded dress, the way the material clung to her shapely curves. He had noticed several men approach her, but she had yet to dance with any of them. In fact, it seemed that she was brushing them off. Reginald smelled a challenge.</p><p>"So, how is the campaign going, Reggie?"</p><p>Reginald, known to all his family as Reggie, turned to look at his older brother, divorce attorney extraordinaire, Jared Westmoreland. Just last week Jared had made the national news owing to a high-profile settlement he'd won in favor of a well-known Hollywood actor.</p><p>"It officially kicks off Monday. But now that Jeffries has decided to throw his hat into the ring, things should be rather interesting," he said, referring to the older man who would be his opponent. "With Brent, I have a good campaign manager, but I still feel it might be a tight race. Jeffries is well-known and well-liked."</p><p>"Well, if you need any help, let me know, although I'm not sure how much time I can spare now that Dana's expecting and all."</p><p>Reggie rolled his eyes. Just last month Jared had found out he was going to be a father. "Dana is going to be carrying the baby, Jared, not you."</p><p>"I know, but I'm the one who's been getting sick in the morning, and now I'm getting cravings. I never liked pickles until now."</p><p>Reggie couldn't help but smile over his wineglass. "Sounds like a personal problem to me." At the moment, his attention strayed from whatever Jared was saying. Instead, his gaze focused on the other side of the room. He noticed the woman whom he'd been watching sit down at a table. He had yet to see a man by her side, which meant she had come to the party alone.</p><p>"Umm, I wonder who she is?" he asked.</p><p>Jared followed Reggie's gaze and chuckled. "What's wrong? Don't you recognize the lips?"</p><p>Reggie shifted his gaze from the woman to his brother and frowned. "No, she's someone new. I definitely haven't met her before. Her lips don't give her away."</p><p>"Then I guess the only thing left for you to do is go over there and introduce yourself."</p><p>Reggie grinned. "I know they don't call you the sharpest attorney in Atlanta for nothing."</p><p>"Don't you know sitting alone at a party isn't good for you?"</p><p>Olivia swung her head around at the sound of the deep, throaty masculine voice to find a tall, handsome man standing beside her. Like everyone else, he was wearing a mask, but even with it covering half of his face, she knew he had to be extremely good-looking. In the dim lighting, her artist eye was able to capture all his striking features that were exposed.</p><p>First of all, there was his skin, flawlessly smooth and a shade of color that reminded her of rich, dark maple syrup. Then there was the angular plane of a jaw that supported a pair of sexy lips. The same ones that bestowed a slow smile on her. Apparently, he realized she was checking him out.</p><p>"In that case, I guess you need to join me," she replied, trying to remember the last time she'd been so outrageously forward with a guy and quickly deciding never. But the way the evening was going, she would have to stir up her own excitement. And now was as good a time as any to start. Maybe it was the fact that the party was so unrelentingly boring that made her long for a taste of the wild and reckless. The other men who had approached her hadn't even piqued her curiosity. She had no desire to get to know them better. But this man was different.</p><p>"I don't mind if I do," he said, easily sliding into the chair beside her while his eyes remained locked with hers. Her nose immediately picked up the scent of his cologne. Expensive. She quickly checked out his left hand. Ringless. Her gaze automatically went back to his face. Beautiful. Now he was smiling in earnest and showing beautiful white teeth.</p><p>"You're amused," she said, taking a sip of her punch but wishing she had something a little stronger.</p><p>Whoever he was, he was certainly someone worth getting to know, even if she was returning to Paris in a few months. That made it all the more plausible. It had taken her two years to get on full-time at the Louvre, and the hard work was just beginning. Once she returned, she would be working long hours, with little time to get her painting done. That was why she had brought her paints to Atlanta with her. She was determined to capture something worthwhile on canvas while she was here. The man sitting beside her would be the perfect subject.</p><p>"Flattered more than amused," he said, his voice reaching out and actually touching her, although she barely registered his words in her mind, because she was too busy watching the way his mouth moved. Sensuously slow.</p><p>She couldn't help wondering who he was. She had been gone from Atlanta a long time. After high school she had attended Pratt Institute in New York before doing her graduate work at the Art Institute of Boston. From there she had made the move to Paris, after landing a job as a tour professional, a glorified name for a tour guide.</p><p>He had to be around her brother Terrence's age, or maybe a year or so younger. She wondered if he would give her his real name, or if he would stick to the rules and play this silly little game the coordinators of the ball had come up with. His name badge said Jack Sprat. No wonder he was in such fine shape, she thought. Even in the tuxedo he was wearing, she saw broad, muscular shoulders and a nice solid chest. All muscles. Definitely no fat.</p><p>"So, Jack," she said, smiling at him the same way he was smiling at her. "What is such a nice guy like you doing at a boring party like this?"</p><p>He chuckled, and the sound sent goose bumps over her body. "Waiting to meet you so we can start having some fun." He glanced at her name badge. "Wonder Woman."</p><p>The smile that touched the corners of her mouth widened. She liked him already. "Well, trust me when I say, it's a <em>wonder </em>that I'm here at all. I really want to be someplace else, but I promised the person who paid for this ticket that I'd come in his place. And since it's all for charity, and for such a good cause, I decided to at least make an appearance."</p><p>"... </p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>He knew better than to lust after the hired help. But Ramsey Westmoreland's new cook was just so delectable...it was enough to make the Denver rancher rethink his rules. When temptation got the best of him, he discovered Chloe Burton was just as hot in the bedroom as she was in the kitchen.  </p><p>Though their affair was growing steamier by the minute, Ramsey couldn't help but question Chloe's true motives. And when he discovered her ultimate betrayal, he was set to satisfy himself with cold showers. Until he realized his fatal mistake: never underestimate the power of the human heart, <em>especially</em> a Westmoreland's.  </p>


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<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p>One week of mind-blowing sex on a beautiful Caribbean island. Of all the business proposals financial tycoon Dominic Saxon has heard, Taylor Steele's is definitely the most tempting. All Taylor wants in return is for Dominic to father her baby. No strings, no commitments…just a mutually satisfying arrangement. Make that very satisfying. For a man with no intention of marrying again, it sounds ideal.</p><p>Taylor wants a baby, not a relationship. And sexy, intelligent Dominic seems like a man with perfect genes. Turns out, Dominic has perfect everything. Their "procreation vacation" is a whirlwind of sensual ecstasy. But when it's over, will either of them be able to say goodbye? </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p><em>Ababy.</em></p><p>Taylor Steele's heart began beating rapidly the way it always did whenever she thought about her most ardent desire. A mixture of relief and anticipation soared through her upon realizing that she was about to embark upon a phase in her life that she had been looking forward to for a long time.</p><p>Motherhood.</p><p>She leaned back in the chair behind her desk and stared out the window while tapping her fingertips against her bottom lip. For the first time she wasn't appreciating the view of the Lincoln Memorial. Her thoughts were on something else entirely. She was inwardly counting her blessings.</p><p>During this past year she had achieved a number of her goals. First by venturing out and starting up her own wealth and asset management firm, which she named Assets of Steele, and then moving from New York to the nation's capital and purchasing a beautiful condo with a view of the Potomac River from her bedroom window. That wasn't at all bad for a twenty-five-year-old woman who'd made the decision after college not to return to her hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina, and work for her family's multimillion-dollar manufacturing company. Instead she had set her sights on New York after accepting a position with one of the major banks as a wealth and asset manager.</p><p>Now she could turn her attention to the final stage of her plan that she needed in place before making her most sought-after dream a reality. And that was the man she had chosen to father her child without the benefit of marriage. She was even open to joint custody of the child, if he wanted to go that route.</p><p>A permanent hookup with someone was not what she wanted, not even a teeny-tiny bit. Nor was she looking for a long-term lover, either. A short-term one could handle the task intended quite nicely. The last thing she wanted was a long-term romantic commitment of any kind.</p><p>But she was selective.</p><p>She had decided very early in her plans that not just any man would do. It had to be someone with all the qualities she wanted to pass on to her off-spring. He had to be handsome, intelligent, caring, healthy and wealthy. Definitely wealthy; after all, wealth was her business. And with those "must-have" qualifications embedded deep in her mind, she could think of only one man who met her criteria.</p><p>Dominic Saxon.</p><p>She tried ignoring the warmth of sensations that seeped through her veins. Dominic was one of her clients and she had never met a man who radiated so much sensuality. Part African-American and part French, at thirty-four he was the epitome of every woman's fantasy and a major player in numerous women's nightly dreams. The sexiness was there in his looks, his body, when he walked, talked or just plain stared at you. He was definitely the most gorgeous man she'd ever encountered. Besides that, she knew from the many charities he was associated with that he was highly intelligent and caring. And although she wasn't privy to his health records, she had no reason to think he wasn't in the best of health and could not father a child. The man was as virile as any man could get.</p><p>From the very beginning she had been attracted to him and for the past two years it had taken everything she had to keep their relationship strictly business, although he'd never given her the impression he expected anything else. Whenever they met he was always professional and courteous. She knew that he merely saw her as one of his employees and nothing more. He was paying a hefty fee for the services she rendered and her job was to take all the wealth he'd accumulated in his thirty-four years and make him richer, which wasn't hard since he was an ace at making the most of every financial opportunity.</p><p>It was common knowledge that he was the son of a wealthy Frenchman and his beautiful African-American wife, and from the time Dominic was born he'd had the best of everything—schools, social contacts and money, and he'd used all three to his benefit. He rotated residences between the United States and France, although she heard he also owned a beautiful apartment in London, as well as a private island off the French coast of Normandy.</p><p>Taylor picked up the brochure that had been sent to her compliments of her youngest sister, Cheyenne. It was meant to be a joke after a conversation the two of them had shared a week ago when she'd told Cheyenne that she wanted a baby, but not a husband.</p><p>Cheyenne had sent her the pamphlet that she'd come across in her travels as a professional model that advertised procreation vacations. A week on a Caribbean island, plenty of dirty talk with trained professionals, exotic food and aphrodisiac-laden drinks…and if needed, a week's supply of Viagra.</p><p>It was advertised as a dream come true and the Bahamas resort encouraged potential guests to use their facilities for a week of near-constant, mind-blowing sex just for the purpose of making a baby. The packet Cheyenne had sent included several pictures bordering the brochure that could be considered X-rated. But they did a good job of getting their point across.</p><p>Compared to the frosty March weather they were experiencing, the island seemed like a really nice place to be right now. She could spend her time resting, relaxing and, of course, making a baby. Now if she could only convince the man she'd chosen to father her child to go along with her plan…</p><p>"Ms. Steele, Mr. Saxon has arrived."</p><p>Taylor's secretary's voice coming across the intercom interrupted her thoughts, and immediately she took a deep breath when more heady sensations coursed through her. It was time to put her plan into action. "Please escort him in, Mrs. Roberts."</p><p>Dominic Saxon checked his watch. He had just about an hour to meet with Taylor Steele and then he had an unexpected meeting back at the hotel. He had received a call from his parents saying they were flying into D.C. from California and wanted to meet with him. His father's voice had sounded urgent but he had refused to say what the meeting was about.</p><p>Whenever Dominic made a pit stop in the nation's capital it was usually to check on the Saxon Hotel, just one of many his family owned in several major cities around the country. Usually Taylor would fly into New York for their meetings, so it came as a surprise when he'd gotten a call asking that he drop by her office on this trip.</p><p>She had been assigned as his financial advisor when she had worked for a bank in Manhattan. From the very beginning, the degree of her intelligence when it came to wealth management, as well as her comprehensive view of his personal portfolio, investment goals and financial objectives had amazed him. He was already a successful businessman but together they created a long-term strategy that was increasing his fortune exponentially.</p><p>Besides being very knowledgeable on financial affairs, he'd found Taylor to be an extremely beautiful woman. Even now he could recall the desire that had consumed him the first time he'd seen her and because of it, he had concluded the less he saw of his wealth and asset manager the better off he was. He had decided that first day that she was definitely a woman worth taking to his bed—he was one who didn't believe in mixing business with pleasure, no matter how enticing the thought or deep the craving. Yet the thought had remained lodged in his mind. He would be the first to admit it had been hard as hell to control the urge to take things further. He was used to beautiful women but there was something about Taylor Steele that caused him to think of hot sex every time he was in the same room with her.</p><p>Regardless of the iron-clad control he was known for—physically and emotionally—he was definitely a hot-blooded man, which was something he seemed to remember each and every time he breathed Taylor's scent.</p><p>"Ms. Steele is ready to see you, Mr. Saxon. I'll escort you in."</p><p>He stood and smiled at her secretary, a nice older lady, who seemed more suited to baking cookies for her grandkids than trying to tackle the huge computer sitting in front of her. "Thank you, and I don't need an escort."</p><p>"Yes, sir."</p><p>He fought for control of both his body and mind as he headed toward the door that had Taylor Steele's name plate on it.</p><p>Taylor inhaled a deep breath as she stared across the room at the man who walked into her office. He was wearing a black business suit with a white shirt that spelled out his wealth, and at thirty-four his mixed heritage made his looks striking. A sensuous shiver glided down her spine. He was simply gorgeous. His height, tall and imposing at six foot three, was hard to miss. She had seen photographs of him and his mother, a renowned fashion designer, earlier that year in People magazine. Megan Saxon was known for her beauty as well as for her skill and talent with fabrics.</p><p>From his mother, Dominic had inherited the shape of his lips, which could only be defined as full and sultry even on a male. He had his father's startling green eyes, which were a breathtaking contrast to his maple-brown coloring. Then there was the thick, black, curly hair that flowed past his shoulders when he wasn't wearing it back in a rakish-looking pony-tail…as he was now. And last but not at all least were the chiseled jaw, cleft chin and high cheekbones.</p><p>As she stared at him, her courage began wavering. Anyone would say she had a lot of nerve to proposition Dominic Saxon to father her child and then expect him to back off. But then anyone who thought she had a lot of nerve would know that in essence she really did. She was known to be gutsy enough to try anything once—as long as it was legal. And there was nothing illegal about making an offer. The only thing he could say was yes or no, and inwardly she crossed her fingers that she would get a yes.</p><p>What did she have to lose?A very profitable client was the first response that popped into her mind. Would he still want her to handle his financial affairs after she made such an outlandish request?</p><p>"Taylor?"</p><p>She let out a relaxed breath with the sound of her name from his lips. She loved his accent, a blend of English and French. More than once during the course of their busines... </p>

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<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p><strong>A fabulous summer two-in-one--twice the scandal all in one unforgettable volume!</strong>  </p><p><em>Husband Material</em> by Brenda Jackson<br><em>Beware the jilted husband:</em> Matthew Birmingham never played fair...especially when it came to his ex-wife. When she moved across the country, he moved back to their estate--back to their bedroom--determined to win back her love...by any means necessary.  </p><p><em>The Sheikh's Bargained Bride</em> by Olivia Gates<br><em>Meet the shocked groom:</em> Sheikh Adham saw marriage as a business venture, his wife a mere convenience...until they portrayed the loving couple in public. Would finally seeing his bride in a new light shatter all his rules?  </p>

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<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Mr. November: Dillon Westmoreland, real-estate tycoon</p><p>Objective: Pamela Novak, business owner</p><p>Strategic Plan: Seduce and rescue</p><p>There was a secret to Dillon Westmoreland's heritage—and Pamela Novak had the key. Though the raven-haired beauty was ensnared by her shifty fiancé, Dillon—eldest of the Denver Westmoreland clan—couldn't resist a mind-blowing night in her arms. And after that incredible passion… Well, once a Westmoreland claimed the woman he wanted, he wouldn't let anything tear them apart! </p>

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<div><h3>From</h3><p>Sassy humor and gentle nostalgia is the surprisingly effective combination employed by Blatty, master of the horror genre and the author of The Exorcist, in this fond look back at 1940s- era New York. As 80-year-old Joey El Bueno begins his memoirs while a patient at Bellevue Hospital, he introduces his adolescent alter ego, a wisecracking Peruvian-Irish kid with an affinity for driving the staff at St. Stephen’s Grammar School batty. But the nuns aren’t the only ones going a little crazy; you see, lately Joey has struck up a friendship with a girl no one else seems to have seen or heard of, and Joey himself seems to know about things before they have happened. As readers attempt to puzzle out whether Joey has a fractured psyche or has broken through the time-space continuum, they will be treated to an entertaining romp through the Lower East Side conducted by an inimitable tour guide. --Margaret Flanagan </p><h3>Review</h3><p>“A superbly executed blend of  tenderness and satire that comes to a powerful and emotional crescendo, Crazy is a marvelous work of fiction that cements Blatty’s place of honor among great American authors.” -- Fears Magazine</p><p><strong>From the Washington Post</strong>_  </p><p>Reviewed by novelist Elizabeth Hand_  </p><p>It's hard to believe, but local horror meister William Peter Blatty once had a booming career as a funny guy. In addition to his comic novels, he worked with Blake Edwards on several films, including "A Shot in the Dark," the second Inspector Clouseau movie; he loved P.G. Wodehouse; and he was even compared to S.J. Perelman. All this came before those looming steps in Georgetown forever linked Blatty with his best-known work, "The Exorcist" (1971).   </p><p>Which makes his new novel, "Crazy," a return to form. It's a sweet-natured, often hilarious tale cast as the memoirs of an 82-year-old former screenwriter named Joey El Bueno. Joey's writing from a 10th-floor room at Bellevue Hospital, where the usually suspicious Nurse Bloor doesn't raise an eyebrow at his laptop because "she has read Archy and Mehitabel and knows that sometimes even a rat can type."   </p><p>Joey is the son of an Irish beauty who died giving birth to him and an impoverished Peruvian immigrant who made his living pushing a hot dog cart. Joey's memoir takes us back to the year he was a seventh-grader at St. Stephen's, on Manhattan's Lower East Side, in 1941. That's where he first meets Jane Bent, a street-smart, foul-mouthed transfer student from Our Lady of Sorrows. At first, Joey finds her "nuttier than a truckload of filberts," but that changes when Jane flashes a $5 bill and suggests an afternoon at the movies.   </p><p>Many hours and three screenings of "Gunga Din" later, the two seem to have become an inseparable pair. Then they part, and Joey never sees her again. Not that Jane, anyway.   </p><p>I won't say more lest I spoil the pleasures of this lovely, time-shifting novel, which evokes a lost New York complete with a school excursion to Coney Island and side trips to "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir." It's like a classic Jean Shepherd anecdote with supernatural overtones. Blatty also cites Ray Bradbury and Robert Nathan as influences, and "Crazy" more than once invokes Kurt Vonnegut. Joey's memoir favors run-on sentences with a comedic payoff: "There was a breeze and these jillions of gulls all circling and squawking forlornly but with great agitation and high excitement as if they were in factions that were blaming one another for the loss of some unspoiled world, some paradise where every automobile was a convertible and where hats and awnings did not exist."   </p><p>Blatty has always been upfront about his Catholic faith. The opening of "The Exorcist" evokes "Lucifer upward-groping back to his God," and Crazy's poignant final pages make clear that, rather than an exercise in nostalgia, this novel is a reminder of Saint Paul's command, "While we have time, let us do good." Or, as Joey puts it, "What would Kurt Vonnegut do?"   </p><p>_Hand's most recent novel is "Illyria."  </p><p>_</p><p>"_Crazy _is terrific! A wonderful novel: funny, touching and SO full of love!"--Julie Andrews  </p><p>“Crazy left me with a smile on my face and a tear in my eye.”-- _Dread Central  </p><p><em>“With its wildly creative and humorous scenarios, </em>Crazy <em>is wise and witty, funny and sad. It’s a story of good and evil, of second chances, of coming to peace at the end of the road and welcoming the unknown.” --</em>bookreporter.com  </p><p>“_There’s a certain vaudevillian flair to all of Blatty’s  work, but it’s the sort of vaudeville that powers the absurdist despair of Samuel Beckett’s <em>Waiting For Godot</em>; one-liners and gags are just another way to deal with the inevitability of death. The difference is, there’s a core of faith and optimism at the heart of Blatty’s writing. Horror exists, as do evil and the monsters who perpetrate it, but there’s also God in his heaven, purpose, and at least the possibility of justice._” –-A.V. CLUB _</p>

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<div><p class="description"><span class="caption"><em>The Real Charlotte </em>is the masterpiece of  </span>Somerville and Ross (the pen names of Edith Somerville and her second cousin, Violet Martin) in which our 
antiheroine reveals her terrible nature when her marriage plans for her 
orphaned and beautiful cousin, Francie, go badly wrong. Insanity, sexual
 jealousy and a decaying Anglo-Irish country estate: the novel has them 
all. Truly creepy classic.</p><p class="description">For some critics, <i>The Real Charlotte </i>is the best Irish novel of the nineteenth
century.  The novel had a less auspicious critical
beginning becaue some English popular magazines were disturbed by the
novel’s use of the grotesque. They disliked the powerful and
conniving heroine of the text, Charlotte Mullen. They could not
understand why her pretty, younger cousin, Francie Fitzpatrick, did
not marry the hero in the end of it all but, instead, was killed
off with startling and horrifying abruptness. The novel subverts
romantic conventions and details the bleak conditions of the Irish
landscape with grim humour.</p></div>


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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Roughly one-fourth of these essays deals with the response of the media, various governments and Rushdie himself to what he calls the "unfunny Valentine" he received on February 14, 1989, from the Ayatollah Khomeini: the fatwa calling for his death. Everyone, it seems, had a script for Rushdie to follow, though none of these fantasies resembled the rather simple one the author fancied (and which seems to have been realized), which is that his problems gradually disappear and he be allowed to resume a more or less normal writerly life. To paraphrase an idea that appears in several of these essays, the problem is that frontiers cross us rather than the other way around: we are going about our business when our country is divided (as happened to Rushdie's native India in 1947) or we encounter a shocking work of art or our enemies declare they will kill us. Many respond to unnerving changes by embracing religion, but, says Rushdie, "ancient wisdoms are modern nonsenses"; in place of sectarian fervor, he recommends intellectual freedom, a simple concept yet a rigorous practice, as this book proves. These essays range over literature, politics and religion, as well as Rushdie's two private passions, rock music and soccer. They are united by a play of sparkling intelligence seasoned with sly wit, qualities that would serve the world at any time in its long, flawed history. After all, says Rushdie, the story he loved first and still loves best, perhaps the story of all humanity, is The Wizard of Oz, a fable that tells us the grown-up world doesn't really work, that adults can be good people and still be bad wizards.<br>Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>Thanks to some Iranian ayatollahs, Rushdie is probably the most famous writer still alive. Although he remains under partial protection, he has continued to write since 1989, producing several novels and many articles. This first collection of short nonfiction includes material about his life under the fatwa ("Messages from the Plague Years") but ranges from discussions of The Wizard of Oz and rock music to his February 2002 lectures on human values at Yale. The title is well chosen; Rushdie tends to be confrontational, and the white-hot publicity has not mellowed him-a 1999 piece debates whether Charlton Heston or Austrian writer Peter Handke, a supporter of Slobodan Milosevic, should be dubbed "Moron of the Year." Although some of the pieces themselves are a bit dated, Rushdie has added updates in footnotes, and in any case he always makes his point. For large collections or journalism special collections.<br><em>Shelley Cox, Special Collections, Southern Illinois Univ. Lib., Carbondale</em><br>Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>

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<h3>Review</h3><p><strong>Praise for <em>The Warsaw Anagrams</em>:</strong>   </p><p>³Beautifully written, moving and disturbing, this packs a powerful, emotional punch.² --_The Guardian_   </p><p><strong>Praise for Richard Zimlar¹s <em>The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon</em></strong>   </p><p>³Zimler¹s portrait of the city... enriches his many-layered narrative, in which a suitably complex cast of characters plays a dangerous game with fate.²--_The New York Times Book Review_   </p><p>³A literary and historical treat.²--_Library Journal_   </p><p>³A riveting literary murder mystery.²--_Independent on Sunday_   </p><p>³Zimler [is] a present-day scholar and writer of remarkable erudition and compelling imagination, an American Umberto Eco.² --_Spectator_</p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>It's Autumn 1940. The Nazis seal 400,000 Jews inside a small area of the Polish capital, creating an urban island cut off from the outside world. Erik Cohen, an elderly psychiatrist, is forced to move into a tiny apartment with his niece and his beloved nine-year-old nephew, Adam. One bitterly cold winter's day, Adam goes missing. The next morning, his body is discovered in the barbed wire surrounding the ghetto. The boy's leg has been cut off, and a tiny piece of string has been left in his mouth. Soon, another body turns up - this time a girl's, and one of her hands has been taken. Evidence begins to point to a Jewish traitor luring children to their death...In this profoundly moving and darkly atmospheric historical thriller, the reader is taken into the most forbidden corners of Nazi-occupied Warsaw - as well as into the most heroic places of the heart. Praise for Richard Zimler: 'A riveting literary murder mystery, [The Last Kabbalist of Lisbon] is also a harrowing picture of the persecution of 16th-century Jews and, in passing, an atmospheric introduction to the hermetic Jewish tradition of the Kabbalah' - "Independent on Sunday". 'Zimler [is] a present-day scholar and writer of remarkable erudition and compelling imagination, an American Umberto Eco' - "Spectator". 'Zimler has this spark of genius, which critics can't explain but readers recognise, and which every novelist desires but few achieve' - "Independent". 'Zimler is an honest, powerful writer' - "Guardian". </p>


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SUMMARY:
A remarkable Canadian crime debut and the newest addition to our acclaimed World of Crime series. MacNeice, a senior police detective in the southern Ontario industrial city of Dundurn, is returning from a pilgrimage to his wife's grave when he's called to a crime scene of singular and disturbing beauty. A young woman in evening dress lies gracefully posed on the floor of a pristine summer cottage so that the finger of one hand regularly interrupts the needle arm of a phonograph playing the Schubert Piano Trio. The only visible mark on her is the bruise under her chin, which MacNeice recognizes: it is the mark that distinguishes dedicated violinists, the same mark that once graced his wife. The murder is both ingenious and horrific, and soon entangles MacNeice and his team in Eastern Europe's ancient grievances, which reach out to breach all the walls that have been thrown up to keep the past at bay. MacNeice must use his splendid but unorthodox powers of observation to stem the tide of events threatening to erase any trace of memory or history, leaving the target of the crime naked in the face of loss. From the Hardcover edition.


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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Many writers have engaged in the project of rescuing female figures from history, but few have tackled such an unsympathetic character as Anchee Min does in her historical novel <em>Becoming Madame Mao</em>. Known as the White Boned Demon during her reign of terror in China, Madame Mao was blamed for countless bloody and vengeful executions; she sought out those who had wronged her in the past and wiped them off the face of the earth. Eventually she was reviled in China and executed, even as her husband was revered as a hero.</p><p>Before her stint as Mao's first lady, Jiang Ching, as she was then known, was an actress, a singer, and a star in Communist films. Anchee Min grew up in Red China and watched Jiang Ching from afar; she was fascinated by her for many years, by tales of her independence and strength, and by images of her beauty. In a way, the great villain and demon was a role model for Anchee Min, and her teenage devotion is the engine of her remarkable novel. Moving back and forth between stories of the actress and the evil dictator, Min complicates the Madame Mao of history.</p><p>As a girl, Madame Mao narrowly escaped having her feet bound. The book opens with graphic descriptions of this process and of the ensuing infection that freed her. But if her feet were not bound, her spirit was. Reared by a mother who was the last concubine of a rich man, and a father who liked to hit his girls with shovels, Madame Mao as a young girl felt herself doomed: "I see my father hit Mother with a shovel. It happened suddenly. Without warning. I can hardly believe my eyes. He is mad. He calls Mother a slut. Mother's body curls up. My chest swells. He hits her back, front, shouting that he will break her bones." The father then goes on to treat his daughter the same way. Decades later, when Madame Mao manifests deep brutality, Min seems to be saying that what goes around comes around. Flawed by a clumsy structure that vacillates between third and first person arbitrarily, <em>Becoming Madame Mao</em> is nevertheless an immensely interesting work--defiant, morally ambiguous, and difficult to put down. <em>--Emily White</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Historical fiction acquires new luster and credibility in Min's brilliant evocation of the woman who married Mao and fought to succeed him. As she proved in her memoir, Red Azalea, Min is a forceful writer, but her first novel, Katherine, did not prepare us for the highly dramatic, psychologically penetrating and provocative narrative she presents here. A girl called Yunhe is born to a rural concubine in 1919; she renames herself Lan Ping when, in 1934, she runs away to Shanghai with ambitions to be an actress, and later joins the Red Army; and finally, she is dubbed Jiang Ching by the man she marries, Mao Zedong. Madame Mao has become a myth, but Min has the background and the insight to imagine her afresh, and to create a complex psychological portrait of a driven, passionate woman and a period of history in which she would suffer, rise and prosper, and then fall victim to her own insatiable thirst for power. Min draws Madame Mao with bold, arresting strokes, gives her a fierce, imperious voice and a personality devoid of humility or self-knowledge. Lan Ping sets out to seduce the charismatic Mao, and wins him--for a time--until her jealousy, the machinations of his trusted aides, and Mao's own loss of interest cast her into limbo. By then a veteran of the inner circle betrayals that Mao encouraged, Jiang Ching's attempts to wrest personal power, but that becomes her undoing. As with a fine ink brush, Min details her heroine's series of love affairs and marriages, divorces and acrimonious partings, roles in Chinese opera and movies, endurance in the shadow of Mao's disfavor, desperate ploys to regain his attention, and brief time in the limelight during the Cultural Revolution. As a chronicle of ambition, betrayal, murder, revenge, barbaric cruelty, paranoia and internecine rivalry, the narrative speeds through its turbulent time frame: 1919-1991. But it is foremost a character study of a determined, vindictive, rage-filled, cruel and emotionally needy woman who flourished because she reinvented herself as an actress in different, self-defined roles-- and because China was ready for her. Min uses several effective prose devices to spin her narrative at top speed. Short first- and third-person vignettes juxtapose Madame Mao's early experience with the comments of an omniciscient narrator who relates pivotal circumstances to events that will grow from their consequences. Such foreshadowing not only raises tension, it also helps readers construct a mental chart of historical figures and events. Striking metaphors and vivid Chinese proverbs enhance Min's tensile prose, but it is her trenchant comments about the ways in which powerful individuals can paint bold colors on the panorama of history that distinguishes her spellbinding novel. Agent, Sandra Dijkstra. 10-city author tour. (June) <br>Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>A happy ending is relative to what precedes it in this case, it stands in contrast to a horrific, true-to-life story about two girls growing up in Shanghai during the Cultural Revolution. In the late '60s and early '70s, Chairman Mao ruled omnipotently, and his followers took up arms in his name. Being a Maoist involved self-sacrifice, and that war between personal wants and the movement's needs indirectly pits Min's protagonists against one another. Sweet, na‹ve Maple is saved from her usual beating by class bully Hot Pepper when new kid Wild Ginger stands up for both of them. This is no ordinary blacktop brawl: Hot Pepper and her gang members wield umbrellas like spears, stabbing their victims until they give up or collapse. Since Hot Pepper constantly invokes Maoist principles as rationale for her actions, the teachers dare not interfere for fear of being branded anti-Maoist and taken prisoner by the Red Guard or worse. Opposites in most ways, Maple and Wild Ginger become best friends over their shared ostracism. Their friendship is tested when a boy called Evergreen falls for Wild Ginger, whose extreme devotion to Mao conflicts with her natural impulses. Maple herself can't decide who she loves best Wild Ginger or Evergreen and her dilemma leads her to put herself in mortal danger. Min (Becoming Madame Mao; Red Azalea) has created a memorable, unsettling love story using the horrors of Maoism which she experienced firsthand as a backdrop. 8-city author tour. (Apr. 8)Forecast: Wild Ginger is a more grueling read than the bestselling Becoming Madame Mao, and doesn't pack quite the same historical punch (it's hard to beat Madame Mao as a protagonist), but those who enjoyed Min's first novel will be satisfied by this one, which should mean strong sales.<br>Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>In lean, expressive prose, Min recounts the lives of several young people caught up in the Cultural Revolution, which swept China in the mid-Sixties near the end of Mao's reign. The author, who was born in Shanghai and joined the Red Guards the vanguard of the revolution writes from firsthand experience. As in her excellent novel, Becoming Madame Mao, Min deftly encapsulates world-historical events in the lives of ordinary people without being didactic or resorting to stock figures. Her fully realized characters snag our interest and evoke our sympathy as they engage in acts of bravery or daring that make life barely endurable. She also has a talent for mixing irony with humor, as when Wild Ginger, the outcast protagonist of this moving tale, gains recognition for an act of heroism, after which her deceased parents (her father was foreign-born) are dubbed "international Communists" rather than "French spies." Highly recommended for all literate readers, especially those with a taste for foreign cultures. Edward Cone, New York<br>Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. With a surprising degree of humor, Hage's second novel (after IMPAC Dublin-winner <em>DeNiro's Game</em>) explores the peculiar politics of Montreal's immigrant communities through the bleak obsessions of a misanthropic thief. After trying and failing to kill himself, an unnamed narrator who believes himself to be part cockroach is compelled to attend counseling sessions with an earnest and alluring therapist. As he unspools his personal history—from his apprenticeship with the thief Abou-Roro to the tragic miscalculation that led him to flee his home country—the narrator, reluctant to tell his story (we never learn where the narrator is from, and inconsistencies in his tale cast doubt upon his honesty), scuttles through the stories of others, recounting secrets both confidentially shared and invasively discovered. Unable to support himself on burglary alone, the narrator takes a job as a busboy, but runs into complications after discovering his lover's connection to the restaurant's most prominent customer. The novel's gritty back-alley world gives rise to a host of glorious rogues, each swindling the others at every opportunity, and yet each is capable of great empathy under just the right circumstances. <em>(Oct.)</em> <br>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>There is something exhilarating about [_Cockroach_'s] relentlessness. . . . The narrator is ambiguous, untrustworthy, sly, and filled with a despair both nasty and noisy; but he is also deeply wounded, oddly lovable, his voice both moving and manipulative. (Colm Tóibín - <em>New York Review of Books</em> ) </p>

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<div><meta charset="utf-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; "><h3 class="productDescriptionSource" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 1.23em; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0.75em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.375em; margin-left: -15px; clear: left; ">Product Description</h3><div class="productDescriptionWrapper" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">Blood Crimes is a genre-bending collision of dark urban fantasy and crime that rides shot-gun with Jim and Carol as they carve a homicidal path cross-country. Jim is infected with the vampire virus. Carol isn't. Yet. But they're united in their hunt for society’s most dangerous predators for Jim's dinner -- so he can feed without harming the innocent. What they don't know is that they're not alone. There are others on their trail, and the climax of Blood Crimes is a shocking jolt of pure mayhem and rock 'n roll violence.<br><br>‘I've just read the manuscript of Dave Zeltserman's new novel, Blood Crimes. This is one of the few fresh takes on vampirism I've read in years. It's as if Charles Bukowski sat down and said, OK, Bram Stoker, how about this?’ -- Ed Gorman, author of Cage of Night and The Poker Club.<br><br>'Blood Crimes is fast. It's visceral. It's definitely not your fourteen-year-old sister's dreamy vampire fantasy. This book grabs you by the guttiwuts, wrenches hard, and doesn't let go... But don't get me wrong, this isn't your run-of-the-mill shock literature. Zeltserman weaves a disturbing noir with a passionate craftsman's hand over his characters.' Mindy MacKay<br><br>Praise for OUTSOURCED<br><br>"A dark, lightening-paced read" Financial Times<br><br>"A small gem of crime fiction" Booklist<br><br>"Outsourced is a dryly witty take on the heist caper genre... fast-paced action romp" London Times<br><br>"Bodies mount up as the double dealing and revenge gather apace. The blurb on the book describes it as a "fast-paced, edge-of-your seat crime novel," and it really does live up to the hype. Add this to your holiday reading list for a piece of escapism." Morning Star<br><br>"A finely paced, witty and stylish take on the heist caper novel. More than most authors churning out mysteries, Zeltserman is fully steeped in the conventions of crime fiction. He remains absolutely his own hard man." The Australian<br><br>"Dave Zeltserman's OUTSOURCED is a speedy, gritty, hardboiled bank robbery tale that bops and weaves along as a group of out-of-work computer programmers decide to get their hands dirty and find they like it a lot. As with Zeltserman's previous novels SMALL CRIMES, PARIAH, and KILLER, his greatest storytelling skill is in the small true, emotional details that every reader will understand. He will definitely keep you flipping pages as fast you can, and once you finish one book you'll be racing on to the next." Tom Piccirilli, author of Shadow Season and The Cold Spot<br><br>Praise for THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD<br><br>"delicious horror-ish novel" Newsday<br><br>"Superb mix of humor and horror" Publishers Weekly, starred review<br><br>"superbly crafted horror story" Booklist<br><br>"Harrowing. Zeltserman colors it black with the best of them." Kirkus Reviews<br><br>"a very darkly funny dark fantasy" Locus Magazine<br><br>"THE CARETAKER OF LORNE FIELD succeeds as a horror novel, a psychological thriller and a haunting parable, even in some ways that Zeltserman may not have intended. There are dark levels to this work, some of which are immediately evident and others of which reveal themselves only upon later reflection. I don’t know if the book will come to be regarded as a classic, either now or at some point in the future, but it deserves to be." BookReporter<br><br>‘Blood Crimes: Book One’ is approximately 68,000 words long and has an additional 20,000 words of bonus material .<br><br>Dave Zeltserman won the 2010 Shamus Award for 'Julius Katz' and is the acclaimed author of the ‘man out of prison’ crime trilogy: Small Crimes, Pariah and Killer, where Small Crimes (2008) and Pariah (2009) were both picked by the Washington Post as best books of the year. His recent The Caretaker of Lorne Field received a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, calling it a 'superb mix of humor and horror', has been shortlisted by ALA for best horror novel of 2010, Outsourced (2011) has already been called 'a small gem of crime fiction' by Booklist and has been optioned by Impact Pictures and Constantin Film.</div></span></div>


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<div><div class="ff"><div class="spacer"> </div></div><div class="ff"><div class="blurb"><div>Bossy,
 impulsive, and unlucky in love, the all-too-human Agatha Raisin has 
proved to be a surprisingly effective---and endearing---amateur sleuth. 
But can Agatha make it as a private investigator? After getting mugged 
on vacation, in what she will always think of as the Paris Incident, she
 decides to find out.<br><br>Agatha soon learns that running her own 
detective agency in the Cotswolds is not quite like starring in a 
Raymond Chandler movie. Instead of dames in distress with big shoulder 
pads, her clients are ladies with missing cats and a man whose son has 
run off with his car. Agatha even worries that she might be outclassed 
by her sixty-seven-year-old secretary, Emma Comfrey.<br>But then wealthy
 divorc&amp;eacute;e Catherine Laggat-Brown walks in with their first 
"real" case. Mrs. Laggat-Brown's daughter has received a death threat, 
and when Agatha thwarts an attack on the girl at a dinner dance, she 
recognizes an opportunity to show what Raisin Investigations can do. 
Even better, the case gives her a chance to reunite with her long-absent
 friend, Sir Charles Fraith. As they scour the Cotswolds in search of 
leads, Charles' insights prove invaluable and his charms irresistible, 
leading poor Emma to fall madly in love with him.<br><br>As ever, Agatha
 bumbles her way through the case, trying her friends' patience and 
flirting shamelessly with the chief suspect. Will she put her tiny 
agency on the map, or has even the outrageous Agatha finally bitten off 
more than she can chew?</div></div></div></div>


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<h3>Review</h3><p><strong>PRAISE FOR ROBERT V. S. REDICK</strong>  </p><p>“Robert Redick is an extraordinary talent.”_—New York Times_ bestselling author Karen Miller  </p><p><strong> The Red Wolf Conspiracy</strong>  </p><p>“This is one terrific read. . . . I can’t remember when I’ve been more enthralled.”—Terry Brooks  </p><p>“Masterful storytelling . . . a delight.”—_Los Angeles Times_  </p><p>“With comparisons to George R. R. Martin and Philip Pullman, this is highly recommended for all fantasy collections.”—_Library Journal _(starred review)  </p><p><strong>The Ruling Sea</strong>  </p><p>“Exciting . . . enough plot twists and double-crosses to satisfy the most demanding lovers of suspense . . . Redick’s brilliant depiction of the microcosmic world aboard the <em>Chathrand</em> will captivate readers.”—_Publishers Weekly_  </p><p>“This high-seas adventure has all the ingredients for a good read: a large and diverse cast of characters, magic, deceit, betrayal and unexpected twists.”—_RT Book Reviews_  </p><p>“Easily one of the best fantasy novels of the year.”—Fantasy Book Critic  </p><p><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em></p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>In the gripping sequel to Robert V. S. Redick’s acclaimed epic fantasy novels <em>The Red Wolf Conspiracy</em> and <em>The Ruling Sea,</em> the crew of the vast, ancient ship <em>Chathrand</em> have reached the shores of the legendary southern empire of Bali Adro. Many have died in the crossing, and the alliance of rebels, led by the tarboy Pazel Pathkendle and the warrior Thasha Isiq, has faced death, betrayal, and darkest magic. But nothing has prepared them for the radically altered face of humanity in the South.  </p><p>They have little time to recover from the shock, however. For with landfall, the battle between the rebels and centuries-old sorcerer Arunis enters its final phase. At stake is control of the Nilstone, a cursed relic that promises unlimited power to whoever unlocks the secrets of its use—but death to those who fail. And no one is closer to mastering the Stone than Arunis.  </p><p>Desperate to stop him, Pazel and Thasha must join forces with their enemies, including the depraved Captain Rose and the imperial assassin Sandor Ott. But when a suspicious young crewmember turns his attentions to Thasha, it is the young lovers themselves who are divided—most conveniently for Arunis. As the mage’s triumph draws near, the allies face a terrible choice: to break their oaths and run for safety, or to hunt the world’s most dangerous sorcerer through the strange and deadly dream kingdom known as the River of Shadows, and to face him a last time among the traps and horrors of his lair.  </p><p>Brimming with high adventure, dark enchantment, and unforgettable characters, <em>The River of Shadows </em>deftly secures Redick’s place in the ranks of epic fantasy’s most original and enthralling storytellers.  </p><p><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em></p>


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Winner of the Canadian Authors Association Award for Best Novel Noel Burun has synesthesia and hypermnesia: he sees words in vibrant explosions of colors and shapes, which collide and commingle to form a memory so bitingly perfect that he can remember everything, from the 1001 stories ofThe Arabian Nightsto the color of his bib as a toddler. But for all his mnemonic abilities, he is confronted every day with a reality that is as sad as it is ironic: his beloved mother, Stella, is stricken with Alzheimer's disease, her memory slowly slipping into the quicksands of oblivion.The Memory Artistsfollows Noel, helped by a motley cast of friends, on his quest to find a cure for his mother's affliction. The results are at the same time darkly funny, quirkily inventive, and very moving. Alternating between third-person narratives and the diaries of Noel and Stella, Jeffrey Moore weaves a story filled with fantastic characters and a touch of suspense that gets at the very heart of what it means to remember and forget, and that is a testament to the uplifting power of family and friendship. Jeffrey Moorewas educated at the University of Toronto and the Sorbonne. He works as a translator and also lectures at the University of Montreal. His first novel,Prisoner in a Red-Rose Chain,won the Commonwealth Prize for Best First Book in 2000. Jeff divides his time between Montreal and Val-Morin, Quebec. Winner of the Canadian Authors Association Award for Best Novel ADaily TelegraphBook of the Year Noel Burun has synesthesia and hypermnesia: he sees words in vibrant explosions of colors and shapes, which collide and commingle to form a memory so bitingly perfect that he can remember everything, from the 1001 stories ofThe Arabian Nightsto the color of his bib as a toddler. But for all his mnemonic abilities, he is confronted every day with a reality that is as sad as it is ironic: his beloved mother, Stella, is stricken with Alzheimer's disease, her memory slowly slipping into the quicksands of oblivion.The Memory Artistsfollows Noel, helped by a motley cast of friends, on his quest to find a cure for his mother's affliction. The results are at the same time darkly funny, quirkily inventive, and very moving. Alternating between third-person narratives and the diaries of Noel and Stella, Jeffrey Moore weaves a story filled with fantastic characters and a touch of suspense that gets at the very heart of what it means to remember and forget, and that is a testament to the uplifting power of family and friendship. "Combines smartness with wisdom . . . Almost absurdly inventive."David Mitchell, author ofCloud Atlas "Rich and humane, a repository of culture worth remembering, and a moving elaboration on the simple truth that we should do good for others."Colin McAdam, author ofSome Great Thing "A model of inventiveness . . . very moving. Jeffrey Moore shows great skill in his depictions of people's feelings. The decadent affectations of Norval, the immaturity of JJ and the feminine insecurities of Samira are all drawn with elegance."LondonTimes Literary Supplement "Canadian novelist Jeffrey Moore's finely honed wit had me barking with laughter . . . engaging characters, and a fine balance of warmth, insight, and eviscerating humour."The Independent "An exceptionally fine example of crossword-puzzle postmodernism: a game to savour, a half-equation to be completed with utter delight. Yet the story is unforgettably human . . . exhilaratingly riskyleaves the reader spellbound."Scotlandon Sunday


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Fans of the witty Dalziel/Pascoe police procedurals (_Good Morning, Midnight_, etc.) by Diamond Dagger–winner Hill may be nonplussed by this stand-alone, a mix of historical mystery, gothic romance, ghost story and tutorial on religion and Norse mythology. Samantha "Sam" Flood, an Australian mathematics whiz, visits the isolated British village of Illthwaite before attending graduate school at Cambridge, hoping to discover the origins of her grandmother who emigrated from the place as a child. Miguel "Mig" Madero, a former novice priest now a history scholar, seeks the link between an ancestor who disappeared during the Spanish Armada defeat and a Catholic Illthwaite family. The villagers, quirky and devious, seem to know more than they'll reveal. Sam and Mig, initially antagonistic, join forces when their quests intersect. Spanning four centuries and related by several narrators, who slowly clarify the mystery, the book is too long and repetitive and seasoned with wild coincidences. Still, the engrossing historical background, especially Elizabeth I's campaign to eliminate English Catholicism, more than compensates. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> Twentysomething Aussie math whiz Samantha Flood has fiery red hair and a fierce determination to learn the truth about her paternal grandmother, an orphan shipped from her native England to Australia under suspicious circumstances. Sober Spaniard Miguel Madero, who experiences ghostly visions and painful sensations in his feet and hands, has abandoned pursuit of the priesthood to engage in research about English Catholics during the Reformation. The paths of Samantha and Miguel (known to all as "Mig") cross in the tiny English village of Illthwaite, home to the Stranger House, an inn that has hosted weary travelers for more than 500 years. Samantha and Mig, an unlikely duo, are drawn to one another as each discovers secrets simmering beneath the surface of Illthwaite's deceptively serene facade. Creator of the critically acclaimed suspense series starring Yorkshire policemen Andy Dalziel and Peter Pascoe, Hill has rendered a stellar stand-alone packed with compelling characters, provocative plot twists, and a potent sense of place. "There's two histories of Illthwaite," says Noddy Melton, a quirky retired copper who regales Samantha with revealing yarns. "The official one, the kind that gets printed in books . . and the true history that only gets written in people's minds." <em>Allison Block</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p><em>When the Past Is Always Present: Emotional Traumatization, Causes, and Cures</em>  introduces several new ideas about trauma and trauma treatment. The first of these is that another way to treat disorders arising from the mind/brain may be to use the senses. This idea, which is at the core of psychosensory therapy, forms what the author considers the "third pillar" of trauma treatment (the first and second pillars being psychotherapy and psychopharmacology). Psychosensory therapy postulates that sensory input—for example, touch—creates extrasensory activity that alters brain function and the way we respond to stimuli. </p><p>The second idea presented in this book is that traumatization is encoded in the amygdala only under special circumstances. Thus, by understanding what makes an individual resistant to traumatization we can offer a way of preventing it. </p><p>The third idea is that traumatization occurs because we cannot find a haven during the event. This is the cornerstone of havening, the particular form of psychosensory therapy described in the book. Using evolutionary biological principles and recently published neuroscientific studies, this book outlines in detail how havening touch de-links the emotional experience from a trauma, essentially making it just an ordinary memory. Once done, the event no longer causes distress. </p><h3>About the Author</h3><p>Since 1983, Ronald A. Ruden has run an internal medicine practice in Manhattan and dedicated part of the proceeds to follow research interests. His first efforts were described in his book, <em>The Craving Brain,</em> a neurobiological discussion of addictive behaviors. In 2003 he began a new research project involving the understanding of traumatization that has led to three publications in <em>Traumatology, </em>edited by Charles Figley, and to this book. He continues his research on traumatization.</p>


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<h3>From</h3><p>Nolan augments his reputation as a Vietnam combat chronicler with the story of the two weeks of intense fighting near Dong Ha in 1968. Involving a marine battalion, an army infantry battalion, and their supporting units, the fighting was the most basic and bloody sort of ground combat. For their deeds in it, two men won Medals of Honor, but scores of others won no more than body bags. Nolan has thoroughly researched the battle, largely through primary source documents and interviews with participants, and has produced a book that, though it requires some background knowledge of the Vietnam war in order to be fully appreciated, for serious readers will stand very high among accounts of the infantryman's war. <em>Roland Green</em></p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>On April 29, 1968, the North Vietnamese Army is spotted less than four miles from the U.S. Marines’ Dong Ha Combat Base. Intense fighting develops in nearby Dai Do as the 2d Battalion, 4th Marines, known as “the Magnificent Bastards,” struggles to eject NVA forces from this strategic position.  </p><p>Yet the BLT 2/4<strong> </strong>Marines defy the brutal onslaught. Pressing forward, America’s finest warriors rout the NVA from their fortress-hamlets–often in deadly hand-to-hand combat.<strong> </strong>At the end of two weeks of desperate, grinding battles, the Marines and the infantry battalion supporting them are torn to shreds. But against all odds, they beat back their savage adversary. <em>The Magnificent Bastards </em>captures that gripping conflict in all its horror, hell, and heroism.  </p><p>“Superb . . . among the best writing on the Vietnam War . . . Nolan has skillfully woven operational records and oral history into a fascinating narrative that puts the reader in the thick of the action.”<br />–Jon T. Hoffman, author of <em>Chesty</em>  </p><p>“Real and gripping . . . combat with all the warts on.”<br />–Lieutenant General Victor H. Krulak, USMC (Ret.) </p>


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<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>Incorporating the most recent scholarship, this eighth revised edition of "Rise to Globalism" now in paperback offers a concise and informative overview of the evolution of American foreign policy from 1938 to the present. Ambrose also wrote bestsellers "Undaunted Courage" and "D-Day".</p>


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<div><h3>From</h3><p>Rebecca Cole thought she was on track. As the creator and producer of the children's television show <em>Esme's Enlightenments,</em> she was following her dream and plotting new adventures for her beloved character, a 12-year-old girl with spunk and sass. Enter Indiana Mutual, the bank that buys out the television company. Worse yet is Delores, a pint-size boss from hell who micromanages and wrests creative control over <em>Esme</em> from Rebecca, then fires her. Her roommate and best friend, Lauryn, has taken off for Martha's Vineyard, so Rebecca has no choice but to give up their expensive apartment and move back in with her ex-boyfriend, with whom she still occasionally sleeps. She tries to move on, but the most promising candidate turns out to be a cad. To make matters even worse, Rebecca and her three best friends are drifting apart. Papa's entertaining second novel is ideal reading for women in their twenties and thirties who are still struggling to find their niches in life. <em>Kristine Huntley</em><br><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p><h3>Product Description</h3><p><strong>How long does it take to go from It Girl to on the dole?</strong></p><p>TV producer Rebecca Cole has seen better days. Like the day her cartoon creation, Esme, made her a hit and scored her a promotion. <em>That</em> was a good day. But now that her roommate has decided to heed her therapist and appreciate the simpler things in life -- outside of New York City -- and a corporate takeover at her network has left Rebecca jobless, this food snob has to find a way to afford her rent and her penchant for fine dining. Oh, and she really should start saying no to the break-up sex with her ex. </p><p>Surely Rebecca will be able to draw herself out of this mess, and maybe even find a way to eat well in the process? </p>

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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><strong>Product Description</strong>  </p><p><strong>For the first time, a minute-by-minute account of the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan </strong></p><p>On March 30, 1981, President Reagan walked out of a hotel in Washington, D.C., and was shot by a would-be assassin. For years, few people knew the truth about how close the president came to dying, and no one has ever written a detailed narrative of that harrowing day. Now, drawing on exclusive new interviews, Del Quentin Wilber tells the electrifying story of a moment when the nation faced a terrifying crisis. With cinematic clarity, we see the Secret Service agent whose fast reflexes saved the president's life; the brilliant surgeons who operated on Reagan as he was losing half his blood; and the small group of White House officials frantically trying to determine whether the country was under attack. Most especially, we encounter the man code-named Rawhide, a leader of uncommon grace who inspired affection and awe in everyone who worked with him.</p><p>Ronald Reagan was the only serving U.S. president to survive being shot in an assassination attempt. In <em>Rawhide Down</em>, the story of that perilous day—a day of chaos, crisis, prayer, heroism, and hope—is brought to life as never before. </p><hr><p><strong>Amazon Exclusive: Bill O'Reilly Reviews <em>Rawhide Down</em></strong>   </p><p><strong>For more than 13 years, </strong></p><p><em>Rawhide Down</em> is enthralling because of the tremendous detail that Del Quentin Wilber provides to the reader. We learn about President Ronald Reagan's daily habits, his grooming, his demeanor on the job, as well as how he reacted after being shot. We also see how the would-be assassin, John Hinckley, conducted himself in the days leading up to the shooting.</p><p>This is fascinating stuff and, as a history buff, I couldn't get enough of it. Most Americans have nearly forgotten that Mr. Reagan was on the verge of death after being shot by the unstable Hinckley, and the drama of how the president's life was saved is intense.</p><p>This book is a page-turner from beginning to end and I believe you will learn a lot about an event that came razor-close to changing America forever and certainly altered the presidency of Mr. Reagan. Rich in detail with reporting I have never heard before, <em>Rawhide Down</em> rewards the reader on just about every page. Trust me on this.</p><hr><h3>Review</h3><p>"The chapters that detail the assassination attempt and its immediate aftermath read like a thriller. In clear prose, we learn that Reagan was far closer to death than was previously thought."—David Baldacci, <em>The Washington Post</em></p><p>"A page-turner from beginning to end… You will learn a lot about an event that came razor-close to changing America forever."—Bill O’Reilly, author of the forthcoming <em>Killing Lincoln: The Assassination that Changed America Forever</em></p><p>"Newly revealing… A fast-paced book that captures many points of view."—Janet Maslin, <em>The New York Times</em></p><p>"A harrowing story, more so than it seemed at the time, and Wilber, a reporter for the <em>Washington Post</em>, has tracked down virtually everyone who had anything to do with protecting the President or with saving his life at the hospital."—_The New Yorker_</p><p>"In this eye-opening book of solid journalism, we learn just how close Ronald Reagan, code-named 'Rawhide' by the Secret Service, came to being the president with the second shortest time in office."—Bob Hoover, <em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette</em></p><p>"A tense, riveting account of that day."—<strong> </strong><em>Dallas Morning News</em></p><p>"Detailed and dramatic… Mr. Wilber, a <em>Washington Post</em> crime reporter who writes clear, crisp prose, fleshes out his gripping narrative with a number of well-told side stories."—_The Washington Times_</p><p>"A riveting minute-by-minute account of the shooting and reveals that Reagan came closer to death than the public knew."—_New York Post_</p><p>"This intensely researched account yields an almost moment-by-moment account of the crisis."—_New York Daily News_</p><p>"A fast-paced read that draws well-crafted characters and gives a vivid sense of the history that brought the story’s heroes and Hinckley together that day."—_The Washingtonian_</p><p>"Gripping … A fascinating glimpse of a pivotal moment in history."—_Publishers Weekly_ (Starred Review)</p><p>"This mesmerizing rendition of the event can be read in one sitting, as Wilber’s accuracy and craft provoke rapt interest."—_Booklist_</p><p>"Del Quentin Wilber has written a compelling and multi-layered examination of the near-assassination of President Ronald Reagan on March 30, 1981. As a biographer of Reagan who was at the Washington Hilton Hotel that fateful day, I was fascinated by Wilber’s meticulous reconstruction. He properly credits the valor and judgment of the Secret Service agents who saved Reagan’s life but also analyzes the security deficiencies that made the assassination attempt possible. Wilber reminds us of how close we were to losing Reagan little more than two months into his presidency. His detailed and readable accounts of the surgeries performed on Reagan and Press Secretary James Brady are of particular historical value."—Lou Cannon, author of <em>President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime</em></p><p>"_Rawhide Down_ is full of spectacular, original reporting."—Bob Woodward</p><p>"The 96 months of Ronald Reagan’s presidency changed the nation and the world. Del Quentin Wilber’s gripping account of the ‘near assassination’ of the 40th president shows how close the country—and the world—came to missing more than 93 of those months."—George F. Will</p><p>"_Rawhide Down_ is a stunning work. Del Quentin Wilber, with the world-class reporting skills he honed on the police beat and a fine sense of narrative, has taken a story we thought we knew and rendered it wholly fresh, vibrant, and revealing."—David Maraniss, author of <em>When Pride Still Mattered</em></p>

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<div><h3>Review</h3><p>Just what the wider educational community needs a book written with passion and understanding by a Montessori parent to other parents. Trevor Eissler is a rare parent who can put into writing his enthusiasm and first-hand experience as a Montessori advocate to other parents. ---Barbara Gordon, President, Montessori Institute of Texas; Founder, Barbara Gordon Montessori School  </p><p>I am excited that our faculty will be reading Montessori Madness! this summer for our summer reading selection. It is a very practical perspective from a parent that gives great insight and answers to the questions that our parent body seems to be seeking. This book gives us very tangible topics to discuss with parents in the upcoming years. ---Michele Shane, Head of School, The Children's House  </p><p>What's great about this book is that it is written by a Montessori parent for other parents who may or may not have already discovered Montessori education for their children. It's easy reading and passionately makes the case for choosing Montessori. ---Nirvair Khalsa, Head of School, Khalsa Montessori School </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>We know we need to improve our traditional school system, both public and private. But how? More homework? Better-qualified teachers? Longer school days or school years? More testing? More funding? No, no, no, no, and no. <em>Montessori Madness!</em> explains why the incremental steps politicians and administrators continue to propose are incremental steps in the wrong direction. The entire system must be turned on its head. This book asks parents to take a look one thirty-minute observation at a Montessori school. Your picture of what education should look like will never be the same. </p><p>_Montessori Madness![HTML_REMOVED] follows one family with young children on their journey of determination, discovery, and delight. Learn the who, what, when, where, why, and how of Montessori education. _</p><p>This book makes an aggressive, humorous, and passionate case for a brilliant method of education that has received too little attention, very likely because it is based on a revolutionary, dangerous, and shocking concept: children love to learn! </p>

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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><em>Please Look After Mom</em>, where the book’s title character visits her adult son in Seoul.  He lives in a duty office in the building where he works, because he can't afford an apartment. At night, they sleep on the floor and she offers to lie next to the wall to shield him from a draft.  “I can fall asleep better if I’m next to the wall,” she says.  And with this gesture, we catch a glimpse of the depth of love she has for her first-born and the duty-bound sacrifices she’s made on behalf her family. <em>Please Look After Mom</em> is the story of a mother, and her family’s search for her after she goes missing in a crowded train station, told through four richly imagined voices:  her daughter’s, her oldest son’s, her husband’s, and finally her own.  Each chapter adds a layer to the story’s depth and complexity, until we are left with an indelible portrait of a woman whose entire identity, despite her secret desires, is tied up in her children and the heartbreaking loss that is felt when family bonds loosen over time. Kyung-sook Shin’s elegantly spare prose is a joy to read, but it is the quiet interstitial space between her words, where our own remembrances and regrets are allowed to seep in, that convicts each one of us to our core._--Shane Hansanuwat_ <em></em>  </p><p>Guest Reviewer: Jamie Ford<em></em>   </p><p>_<strong>Jamie Ford</strong> is the <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of _</p><p>Some books change us. They change the way we look at ourselves, the way we interact with those closest to our hearts--the way we’ve loved those people, or the way we’ve missed them or honored them or taken them hopelessly for granted. This is one of those books. This is a book that alters the way we <em>remember</em>.</p><p>I’m an author, so this is where my own writerly fail-safes kick-in, warning of hype and hyperbole..._but even in reflection_...I’m not speaking falsely.</p><p><em>Please Look After Mom</em> isn’t merely a story of familial loss and longing, of the many veils of shame and surrender beneath one roof. This tale is a door, and once you cross its threshold, you’ll never be able to go back to that comfortable place you came from. Your perceptions will be transformed. Permanently.</p><p>When Park So-nyo, an elderly mother from a rural town visiting her children on her birthday, vanishes over the event horizon of a crowded Seoul train station, four narratives unfold--four dimensions of loss, anger, blame, and sacrifice--four angles of persistence. (Perhaps it’s no mere coincidence that the number four in Korean is a homonym for “death.”)</p><p>But as the four pillars of one family are shaken by this mysterious disappearance, we are also enriched as we learn about the wealth of emotional currency that has been exchanged over one lifetime--tender payments, and the debts owed, from children to parent, from husband to wife, from an aged mother to...herself.</p><p>This book is four stories, four echoes, four promises, and four lamentations--that make a whole.</p><p>This is your gentle warning, dear reader.</p><p>And an invitation, to the kind of book I wish I could read again for the first time.</p><p><strong>A Conversation with Author Kyung-Sook Shin</strong>   </p><p><strong><em>Please Look After Mom</em> is written in four distinct voices: a daughter, a son, a father, and finally “Mom” herself. Why did you decide to structure the novel in this way? Which voice came to you first? </strong><br>Human beings are multi-dimensional. But what we know about our mothers doesn’t always tell the whole story of who they are. I wanted to show a ‘Mom’ who was a complex and profound human being. As it was impossible to do this in a single person’s voice, I needed multiple narrators. In the novel, the voices of the daughter, son and father are narrated in the second person, “you” and the third person, “her”. It’s only the mother who uses the first person. I had in mind the fact that, when a woman becomes a mother, she no longer gets to speak or sometimes even think in terms of that “I”. Of the four different voices in the book, the mother’s is perhaps the most vivid and powerful. When I was writing it, it felt as though my mother’s hand had held—even gripped—my authorial hand, so that she could tell her own story. <strong>This is an extremely personal novel, and readers will undoubtedly think about their relationship with their own mothers while reading. Did you draw on your relationship with your own family while writing the book? </strong><br>My own family relationships do in fact make up the background, but the episodes in the novel were invented, or altered from reality. My own mother for example, thankfully, has never gone missing. But, speaking at a symbolic level, many mothers of our generation, I believe, have gone missing or remain neglected. </p><p><strong>Has your mother read this novel? If so, what did she think/say to you about it?</strong><br>That she was proud of me for having written it. </p><p><strong>In <em>Please Look After Mom</em>, you beautifully describe many elements of Korean culture—the Full Moon Harvest, the food, clothing, etc.—that most Americans may not be familiar with. Are there any traditions that you are particularly excited to share with readers here?</strong> <br>The novel’s various aspects of Korean culture came up naturally as I was describing the everyday life of the ‘Mom’ character. The Chuseok holiday, or the Full Moon Harvest, in Korea is similar to Thanksgiving in America. On that day, family members all over the country return to their hometowns. In order to show gratitude to our ancestors, offerings are prepared from the season’s harvest. We also pay our respects at their gravesites. On a clear night, you can see the full moon on Chuseok. There’s a popular saying that translates roughly to, “May your life be as plentiful and full of joy as a Chuseok night.” It expresses the sentiment that the person’s life will be as bright as the full moon during the harvest festival. Last year, I got to spend my first American Thanksgiving in New York. I was invited to have dinner by a friend who’d been living in New York for a long time. Turkey was served, of course, and I had a wonderful time sharing the meal with my host’s family. Just as Americans celebrate the day over turkey, Koreans spend Chuseok sharing songpyeon, or half-moon shaped rice cakes, with their families. I was delighted by the similarities between the two holidays. Dining with someone, especially these days, isn’t simply a matter of sating one’s hunger—preparing a meal with someone and dining under the same roof is of course a way of connecting. You can drink tea with just anyone, but to dine with someone shows how close you are to that person. In my book, ‘Mom’ is always preparing warm meals, often to send them to family members living out in the city. I wanted food to play an important role in my book—a symbol of warmth that can’t be expressed with words. I wish I could prepare for my American readers the many Korean dishes that appear in <em>Please Look After Mom</em>, so that we could share them together! </p><p>But, moving beyond food, Korea has a number of beautifully elegant Buddhist temples, such as Hwaeomsa, Pusoksa and Haeinsa, and <em>seowon</em> (a kind of Confucian academy) such as Dosanseowon and Byungsanseowon. These are sacred and quiet spaces, containing the spirit and culture of the country. You should definitely pay them a visit if you are ever in Korea. If you have an interest in music, try listening to <em>pansori</em>, Korean traditional music, which contains a different resonance than Western harmonics, and expresses a distinctly Korean sorrow and humor. </p><p><strong>Your novel is being published in many countries and people around the world are identifying with the characters you have depicted. What are some of the universal truths of the relationship between mothers and children that you explore in the novel?</strong> <br>The line by Mom when she finds her mother’s soul (“Did Mom know? That I, too, needed her my entire life?”) expresses, I believe, a universal truth. When I’d written that sentence, I felt that the work was complete. We all need mothers, regardless of who we are. Even those who are currently mothers! </p><p><strong>One theme that runs throughout the novel is that of personal dreams versus sacrifice for family. Do you feel that this struggle is different for older and younger generations?</strong> <br>There’s that old saying that God couldn’t do everything himself, so he created mothers. No matter how much society advances, there’s bound to be some gap between a woman’s desire for self-actualization and her need to give of herself for her family. Of course, the situation has improved a great deal, but the dilemma persists. It still holds that one person’s development comes from someone else’s care and sacrifice: nothing and no one can replace a mother. I think humankind has been able to sustain itself because, at its center, there’s this entity called, “Mom.” </p><p><strong>You are now an extremely well-known and widely respected author in Korea. Has this fame dramatically changed your life, and your experience of being a writer? What kind of responses did the novel receive in Korea?</strong><br>I published my first work of fiction in a Korean literary journal at twenty-two. From age sixteen to thirty, I was always working. I went to high school at night and worked during the day for a company that made stereo systems. When I was in college, I would tutor children, write and do research for the school newspaper, and read to those who’d suddenly gone blind. Even after my first book was published, I worked all sorts of jobs, any really, that would allow me to write: an editor at a publishing house, a writer for a classical radio station or for magazines, etc. My experience at these jobs provided vivid material for when it came time to write. But it was when I was about to turn thirty, when I published my second book, that people began to really pay attention. It was totally unexpected. The book was a collection of nine stories, and within six-months after it was published, 300,000 copies had been sold. It was the first time that a short-story collection had done so well in Korea. Everyone was surprised. For the next twenty years, my readers have stayed with me for every book I published. Thanks to their support, I have been able to live a life of great freedom, and to devote all of my time to writing. This was a dramatic shift for me. Writing and my personal life became like two sides of the same coin. Whatever I was experiencing at a personal level in Korean society, I tried novelizing to the most truthful and powerful extent possible, and my readers seemed to actively engage with my work and sympathize with it. Even today, I write a little every day without being tied down to anything else. I only feel free when I’m writing, and the best way I know how to give back for this invaluable freedom is to write in a way that engages people—and will make readers curious about what the next work will be like! </p><p><strong>Although this is your first book to be published in English, you’ve written numerous other works of fiction. When did you first begin to write and what topics were you drawn to?</strong><br>I’m the product of my mother’s influence. My mother would look so happy when she saw me reading a book. I started out reading to bring more happiness to my mother, who always looked so tired. Even before I was ten, it was my dream to become a writer. I began writing fiction on my own when I was in high school. Of course, it was an exercise more than anything. I wrote in any form I wanted—stories, essays, poems—pieces where often, the beginning didn’t even fit with the end. I was a young girl who’d moved to Seoul from the countryside. I lied about my age to get a job at a company. Back then, South Korea was an industrial society and not yet a democracy, and there were disputes between the workers and the company, demonstrations almost every day. Hearing cries of protest from outside, I would lay out my notebook on the conveyor belt and write. Writing was what got me through those years; five years later, I formally made my debut as a writer. </p><p>I wrote, wanting to produce a work that expressed human beauty and its almost magical strength even when confronted with the most tragic situations. I wanted, too, to write about respect and compassion for life. Now that I am older I have these same hopes. But I also hope that after they read my works, readers will be seized by the longing to remember and see again someone they’d forgotten, or some aspect of life they may have overlooked. Whenever I see people drowning in suffering and sadness, I feel a strong compulsion to return to my writing. I would like for my work to in a way play a maternal role, of standing by those who feel sorrow, whether it is of social or personal origin. </p><p><strong>Tell us more about your writing habits. When and where do you like to write?</strong><br>I like best to write from 3 in the morning till 9 in the morning. I like the feeling of writing in darkness and working myself, little by little, towards light. One of my habits as I write is that I often wash my hands in cold water. </p><p><strong>Is there a message that you hope readers take away from <em>Please Look After Mom</em>? </strong><br>I’ll point you to the novel’s epigraph, by Franz Liszt: “Love, so long as you can love.” And I’d hope you’d remember, and realize again the plain truth that your mother was not born that way, that she too had to become a mother. Taking the time to think about your mother might also mean taking the time to think about yourself. If anyone wants to call his or her mother after reading this book, it would please me very much. </p><p><strong>Lastly, you are living here in the U.S. this year, studying at Columbia. What have you enjoyed most about living in New York?</strong><br>I’m very much enjoying the tremendous variety of culture New York has to offer: MoMA, The Guggenheim, The Met, The Frick, The Morgan Library, The Whitney. I’m also visiting small galleries in Chelsea. I’ve been going to the opera, theater, musicals, the ballet and the cinema. I’m also trying all sorts of cuisines. Restaurants from all of the world seem to be gathered in New York. The beauty, spectacle and drama that echoes at the Metropolitan Opera, especially, is something you can’t get in Korea, so I have acquired season tickets. But, “culture” is everywhere here; the streets of Manhattan themselves feel like theater. When I’m strolling around, I always have the pleasure of finding something new that I didn’t notice the day before. </p><h3>From</h3><p>This novel from widely acclaimed Korean author Shin focuses on motherhood and family guilt. Park So-nyo, mother of four now-adult children, has gone missing in a Seoul train station on the way to visit them. The novel is told in four parts, from the perspectives of, first, her daughter, and then, her firstborn son, her husband, and finally, So-nyo herself. Composed almost entirely in second-person narration, the writing is sharp, biting, and intensely moving. So-nyo’s children continually battle with their own guilt for not taking better care of her while reminiscing about the times when they were young, growing up in incredible poverty in the countryside. The children come to terms with their mother’s absence in their own ways, and their father repents for a lifetime of neglect. When So-nyo’s voice enters the narrative, the portrait of a troubled but loving family is complete. Secrets are revealed, and the heart of a mother is beautifully exposed. This Korean million-plus-copy best-seller is an impressive exploration of family love, poverty, and triumphing over hardship. --Julie Hunt </p>

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<p class="description">SUMMARY:<br>A bold new novel of the Breeds from #1 "New York Times"-bestselling author Leigh. The Breed have guaranteed Micah no harm will come to her, but they haven't allowed for her sensual fascination with Navarro, or his unstoppable need to claim her as his mate, in both body and soul. Original.</p>


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<div><h3>Review</h3><p>“All That Is Bitter and Sweet,” is, at its heart, the story of Ashley Judd’s awakening. In sharing the secrets of a childhood fraught with neglect, abuse and debilitating depression, she confronts the stigma of mental illness and celebrates the serenity that comes with the hard work of recovery. The reward is a new role on a new stage -- global advocate for HIV/AIDS sufferers. The humanitarian pursuit of social justice and gender equality is gritty work, but the people she meets in the slums, brothels, sex-slave markets, clinics and orphanages reinforce her faithful contention that every life has value. Judd’s search for justice and peace -- for herself, and for the millions without a voice – is testament to the adage that when we help one person, we help the whole world."  --<strong>Greg Mortenson</strong>, author of NYT bestselling _Three Cups of Tea  </p><p>_"Ashley Judd has written a deeply moving story -- amazingly, searingly, frank. It is her life story, warts and all. As I read her account of her childhood, I ask 'How could one so traumatized, so abused in childhood, become the woman we know, so caring, so altruistic, so compassionate, so concerned for others, and so joyful?'" --<strong>Archbishop Desmond Tutu</strong><br>_ <br>_"Ashley Judd is has lived an extraordinary life. She has learned from it and turned it into a blessing and a call to action for others. Her journey is both moving and inspiring, unique and universal. Reading about it makes your own life make more sense." --<strong>Marianne Williamson</strong>  </p><p>"This lovely woman, this movie star, this determined dreamer will be familiar to you, assuming you have struggled to resolve your childhood, carve out a career and make greater use of yourself.  Ashley Judd's story reminds us to work harder and on more important tasks, and promises that if we do, contentedness awaits." --<strong>Kelly Corrigan</strong>, author of NYT bestselling <em>The Middle Place</em> and _Lift  </p><p>_“Judd’s hauntingly beautiful memoir reflects upon her life as actress, wife, daughter, sister, woman of faith, and ultimately, as friend of the world’s forgotten. The book is engaging as a narrative (I could not put it down), but this is not your typical ‘celebrity memoir.’ <em>All That is Bitter and Sweet</em> is written with uncommon depth and uncommon love. It has the power to transport you not only into the mind and spirit of a true activist, but into the elusive meaning of our shared humanity, and even into unexpected places in your own soul. Prepare to have your eyes opened and your heart jolted.  --<em></em>Sue Monk Kidd<br><em></em> <br>"Ashley Judd has given us magnetic and searingly honest portrayals of diverse women on screen. Now with the same honesty and magnetism, she brings us her true self on the page. From her childhood to her revolutionary empathy with women and girls living very different lives, her path will inspire readers on journeys of their own."  --<em></em>Gloria Steinem<br><em></em> <br><em>“All That Is Bitter and Sweet</em> is all that is enlightening and inspiring.  Ashley Judd has composed a memoir that teaches while it entrances and finds hope and faith in the most unlikely places.  The book is full of real-life stories that reflect both the compassion of its author and the need for healing in the world.”  <em></em>--Madeleine K. Albright<br><em></em> <br>“Over the last decade I have watched my gifted, brilliant friend grow as an artist, but more importantly, as a wise, deeply empathetic woman.  I have read the diaries that are the heart of this memoir since she began traveling the world, fearing for her safety and sanity, baffled why she chooses these grueling missions. <em>All That Is Bitter and Sweet</em> will be a revelation to readers, exposing Ashley Judd for what I have known for years she is:  An amazing woman doing extraordinary work." --<em></em>Morgan Freeman<br><em></em> <br>"There are certain books that stay with you far after the last page - Ashley Judd's <em>All That Is Bitter and Sweet</em> is that very type of book. With her sincere honesty, her commitment to servant leadership and her intense passion for everything that she is involved with, Ashley Judd presents a multi-layered portrait of how one person - committed, caring and conscientious - can truly make a difference. She may be our program's No. 1 fan, but after reading this, you can count me as one of her top fans." --<strong>John Calipari</strong>, University of Kentucky Head Coach </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Ashley Judd is an award-winning film and stage actor known for her roles in both box-office hits and art-house gems, and the daughter and sister of country-music royalty. In 2002, drawing on a deep well of empathy, she found her true calling: as a humanitarian and advocate for those suffering in neglected parts of the world.  </p><p>Asked why she was opting out of a successful career, walking away while she was one of the highest-paid women in Hollywood, Ashley herself could not provide an answer. She simply knew that after her first trip to the notorious brothels, slums, and hospices of southeast Asia, her own life depended on advocating on behalf of the vulnerable. Promising each new sister, “I will never forget you,” Ashley began writing extraordinary diaries—on which this memoir is based—expanding her capacity to relate to, and to share with a global audience, stories of survival and resilience.  </p><p>Along the way, Ashley realized that the coping strategies she had developed to deal with her own emotional pain, stemming from childhood abandonment, were no longer working. Seeking in-patient treatment in 2006 for the grief that had nearly killed her, Ashley found not only her own recovery and an enriched faith but an expanded kit of spiritual tools that energized and advanced her feminist social justice work.  </p><p>Now, in this deeply moving and unforgettable memoir, Ashley Judd describes her odyssey, as a left-behind lost child attains international prominence as a fiercely dedicated advocate. Her story ranges from anger to forgiveness, isolation to interdependence, depression to activism. In telling it, she resoundingly answers the ineffable question about the relationship between healing oneself and service to others. </p>

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<div><p class="description">EDITORIAL REVIEW:</p>
<p class="description">The most personalA young mother and her infant child are ruthlessly gunned down while returning to their car in the garage of a shopping mall. There are no witnesses, and Detective Lindsay Boxer is left with only one shred of evidence: a cryptic message scrawled across the windshield in bloodred lipstick. **The most dangerous******The same night, the wife of A-list actor Marcus Dowling is woken by a cat burglar who is about to steal millions of dollars' worth of precious jewels. In just seconds there is a nearly empty safe, a lifeless body, and another mystery that throws San Francisco into hysteria. **The most exciting Women's Murder Club novel ever******Lindsay spends every waking hour working with her partner, Rich--and her desire for him threatens to tear apart both her engagement and the Women's Murder Club. Before Lindsay and her friends can piece together either case, one of the killers forces Lindsay to put her own life on the line--but is it enough to save the city? With unparalleled danger and explosive action, *The 9th Judgment *is James Patterson at his compelling, unstoppable best!</p></div>


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<div><p>Indulge Yourself with the best classic literature on Your PDA. Navigate easily to any novel from Table of Contents or search for the words or phrases. </p> <p><b>Features</b></p> <ul><li>Navigate from Table of Contents or search for words or phrases  </li><li>Make bookmarks, notes, highlights  </li><li>Searchable and interlinked.  </li><li>Access the e-book anytime, anywhere - at home, on the train, in the subway.  </li><li>Automatic synchronization between the handheld and the desktop PC. You could read half of the book on the handheld, then finish reading on the desktop. </li></ul><p><b>Table of Contents</b></p> <p>The Future of the American Negro<br>Heroes in Black Skins<br>The Negro Problem (also W.E. Burghardt DuBois, Charles W. Chesnutt, Wilford H. Smith, H.T. Kealing, Paul Laurence Dunbar, T. Thomas Fortune)<br>Up from Slavery: an Autobiography</p> <p>Addresses in Memory of Carl Schurz<br>Atlanta Compromise address by African-American leader Booker T. Washington on September 18, 1895. Given to a predominantly White audience at the Cotton States and International Exposition in Atlanta, Georgia, the speech has been recognized as one of the most important and influential speeches in American history.</p> <p><strong>Appendix:</strong><br>Booker T. Washington Biography<br>About and Navigation</p></div>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Part travelogue, part history, part love letter on a thousand-page scale, Rebecca West's <em>Black Lamb and Grey Falcon</em> is a genre-bending masterwork written in elegant prose. But what makes it so unlikely to be confused with any other book of history, politics, or culture--with, in fact, any other book--is its unashamed depth of feeling: think <strong> crossed with </strong>. West visited Yugoslavia for the first time in 1936. What she saw there affected her so much that she had to return--partly, she writes, because it most resembled "the country I have always seen between sleeping and waking," and partly because "it was like picking up a strand of wool that would lead me out of a labyrinth in which, to my surprise, I had found myself immured." <em>Black Lamb</em> is the chronicle of her travels, but above all it is West following that strand of wool: through countless historical digressions; through winding narratives of battles, slavery, and assassinations; through Shakespeare and Augustine and into the very heart of human frailty. </p><p>West wrote on the brink of World War II, when she was "already convinced of the inevitability of the second Anglo-German war." The resulting book is colored by that impending conflict, and by West's search for universals amid the complex particulars of Balkan history. In the end, she saw the region's doom--and our own--in a double infatuation with sacrifice, the "black lamb and grey falcon" of her title. It's the story of Abraham and Isaac without the last-minute reprieve: those who hate are all too ready to martyr the innocent in order to procure their own advantage, and the innocent themselves are all too eager to be martyred. To West, in 1941, "the whole world is a vast Kossovo, an abominable blood-logged plain." Unfortunately, little has happened since then to prove her wrong. <em>--Mary Park</em></p><h3>Review</h3><p>A masterpiece . . . as astonishing in its range, in the subtlety and power of its judgment, as it is brilliant in expression. (_The Times_, London)  </p><p>Surely one of the great books of our century. (Diana Trilling)  </p><p>Rebecca West’s magnum opus . . . one of the great books of our time. (Clifton Fadiman, <em>The New Yorker</em>) </p>


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This new collection brings together some of Joyce Carol Oates's most brilliant and provocative pieces, covering a diverse range of subjects and ideas. The rough country is both the treacherous geographical/psychological terrains of the writers she analyses--Flannery O'Connor, Shirley Jackson, Cormac McCarthy, Annie Proulx, and Margaret Atwood among others--and also the emotional terrain of Oates's own life following the unexpected death of her husband.


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<h3>Review</h3><p>"Heartbreaking, raw, moving and uplifting at the same time." <strong>-_The Hollywood Reporter_</strong>  </p><p>"A tender memoir that combines the deep sadness of loss with the joys of parenthood even under incredibly trying circumstances." -_<strong>Kirkus Reviews</strong>_  </p><p>"In Matthew Logelin's honest and poignant story, we learn a great many lessons about the fragility of life, and about the strength we all can summon to move forward. With two kisses and an open heart, he shows how love can sustain us." -<strong>Jeffrey Zaslow, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling coauthor of THE LAST LECTURE</strong>__  </p><p>"TWO KISSES FOR MADDY is less a conscious piece of writing than a spontaneous eruption from the heart. It will make you cry but not only out of sadness. Some of your tears will be for the beauty of love and its miraculous power to heal even the deepest wounds." <strong>-John Grogan, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of MARLEY &amp; ME</strong>  </p><p>"No one wants to read a depressing book. But how can you possibly call <em>depressing </em>what is so filled with love and life and the unstoppable message of how lucky we are to have what we have. Read this book and put your life back in perspective." <strong>-Brad Meltzer, <em>New York Times</em> bestselling author of HEROES FOR MY SON</strong>  </p><p>"Almost unparalleled as a raw and unapologetic portrait of grief, TWO KISSES FOR MADDY is a stunning testimony of the kind of love-- fated, magnificent-- that inspires novels. So vivid, so powerful and pitch-perfect, is his evocation of his beloved Liz that I could hear her laughter and see her face for days after putting the book down." <strong>-Claire Fontaine, national bestselling author of COME BACK</strong>  </p><p>"A touching, heartbreaking, and ultimately triumphant story. It offers hope, humor, and a path toward new life, and a priceless lesson about the value of communication in times of trouble." <strong>-Jim Beaver, author of LIFE'S THAT WAY and SAG award nominee for <em>Deadwood</em> </strong>  </p><p>"You won't feel the slightest bit of pity for this unintended single father. You'll be cheering Matt Logelin on page after page, laughing and crying with him-- and falling in love with Madeline." <strong>-</strong><strong>Christine Coppa, author of RATTLED! </strong></p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. After years of long-distance dating, the pair finally settled together in Los Angeles, and they had it all: a perfect marriage, a gorgeous new home, and a baby girl on the way. Liz's pregnancy was rocky, but they welcomed Madeline, beautiful and healthy, into the world on March 24, 2008.   </p><p>Just twenty-seven hours later, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited. Though confronted with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt did not surrender to devastation; he chose to keep moving forward-- to make a life for Maddy.   </p><p>In this memoir, Matt shares bittersweet and often humorous anecdotes of his courtship and marriage to Liz; of relying on his newborn daughter for the support that she unknowingly provided; and of the extraordinary online community of strangers who have become his friends. In honoring Liz's legacy, heartache has become solace.  </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><strong>Book Description</strong><br />The circumstances of Molly Marx’s death may be suspicious, but she hasn’t lost her joie de vivre. Newly arrived in the hereafter, aka the Duration, Molly, thirty-five years old, is delighted to discover that she can still keep tabs on those she left behind: Annabel, her beloved four-year-old daughter; Lucy, her combustible twin sister; Kitty, her piece-of-work mother-in-law; Brie, her beautiful and steadfast best friend; and, of course, her husband, Barry, a plastic surgeon with more than a professional interest in many of his female patients. As a bonus, Molly quickly realizes that the afterlife comes with a finely tuned bullshit detector.  </p><p>As Molly looks on, her loved ones try to discern whether her death was an accident, suicide, or murder. She was last seen alive leaving for a bike ride through New York City’s Riverside Park; her body was found lying on the bank of the Hudson River. Did a stranger lure Molly to danger? Did she plan to meet someone she thought she could trust? Could she have ended her own life for mysterious reasons, or did she simply lose control of her bike? As the police question her circle of intimates, Molly relives the years and days that led up to her sudden end: her marriage, troubled yet tender; her charmed work life as a magazine decorating editor; and the irresistible colleague to whom she was drawn.</p><p>More than anything, Molly finds herself watching over Annabel--and realizing how motherhood helped to bring out her very best self. As the investigation into her death proceeds, Molly will relive her most precious moments--and take responsibility for the choices in her life.</p><p>Exploring the bonds of fidelity, family, and friendship, and narrated by a memorable and endearing character, <em>The Late, Lamented Molly Marx</em> is a hilarious, deeply moving, and thought-provoking novel that is part mystery, part love story, and all heart. </p><hr /><p><strong>Amazon Exclusive: Sally Koslow on the Secret to Unlocking Creativity</strong>  </p><p><strong>Run, Writer, Run</strong>  </p><p>Four years ago, I decided to write a novel. I confess to equal parts insanity and hubris, since at this time I’d never completed anything longer than a magazine article--and we’re talking a sprightly 3500 words, not a treatise in <em>The New Yorker</em>.</p><p>After I began my project, a curious thing started happening. About fifteen minutes into my regular morning runs, ideas for the book began sprouting like weeds. This source of creativity became so dependable that I hit the track with paper and pen and became Gretel in Nikes, gathering metaphors, characters’ names, dialogue snippets and whole branches of plot, which I’d hurry back home and--dripping with sweat--build into my work-in-progress. </p><p>Within eighteen months, I finished and sold my novel, <em>The Late, Lamented Molly Marx</em>, will be published and a third is well underway. I doubt I could have written so much so fast without these runs, when my brain served up ideas, almost by osmosis, and all I had to do was take dictation.</p><p>Proud of my running discovery, I mentioned it to a shrink-friend. (If you live in Manhattan, like I do, you’re required to have at least one friend who’s your own private Gabriel Byrne/Paul Weston.) What he told me was that creative types will often report doing their best work early in the morning, when they’re closest to their unconscious source of creativity. Beethoven, for example, though no jock, had the ritual of a morning stroll during which he’d scribble musical notes into a sketchbook. Having transported himself during the walk and limbered up his mind, he’d return home and get down to business.</p><p>Doing the right kind of exercise as soon as you wake up, my psychiatrist-friend explained, replicates and extends our dream state, freeing us to snag ideas, feelings and sensations generated by our unconscious. What he means by the “right” kind is repetitive--a.k.a. boring--activities where the outside world fades away, not golf or tennis or even a dance class, where you need to strategize or follow instructions. This was excellent news for a klutz like me, with so little eye-hand coordination she’s lucky she can type. It’s also important to minimize distractions, to leave the iPod at home and exercise solo.</p><p>We can all tick off the standard benefits of exercise: protecting us from heart disease, high blood pressure, insomnia, obesity, osteoporosis and stroke, along with the upbeat effect it has on both our mood and our butt. But who guessed it’s also a shortcut to creativity? Hans and Franz had it right, exercise pumps us up, making our minds more nimble, allowing our subconscious to cross-fertilize. One good idea drives another in a daisy chain, which is much of originality, connecting the dots between concepts no one else has put together.</p><p>You can’t wait for the creativity gods to send you an IM. I say, writers, lace up your sneakers. Maybe you’re just one long run away from finishing a novel that’s going to hit the top of the chart._--Sally Koslow_</p><p>(Photo © James Maher) </p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Molly Divine Marx is dead. No one is quite sure how—murder, suicide, tragic accident?—and even Molly's own recollection doesn't explain much. Narrating this charming novel from an afterlife limbo known as the Duration, Molly follows the investigation of her death while keeping tabs on the living she left behind. Nearly everyone is a suspect: Barry, Molly's philandering plastic surgeon husband; Kitty, her controlling mother-in-law; Luke, Molly's lover; and the cabal of wifely hopefuls who line up for a shot at Barry before Molly's casket is safely in the ground. Longtime magazine editor Koslow (_Little Pink Slips_) knows her way around expertly tuned phrasing, and Molly is a delightful gem of a heroine. Equal parts self-deprecating, wry and sassy, Molly is honest about her faults and easily forgiving of the others' as she reviews her life with a hearty dose of honesty and humor. Though the anticipated delicious revelation doesn't quite live up to expectations, the narrative's heavy dose of hilarity and heartbreak will win readers over. <em>(May)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><strong>Product Description</strong> <br />"See that moon up there? <br />You can reach that high. <br />Never be afraid because you can be anything you want to be."   </p><p>Susan Lucci was only five years old when her father shared these encouraging words with her. They inspired the highly imaginative child who loved make-believe to craft one of the most enduring characters in television history, an achievement that would earn her a record twenty-one Emmy nominations—the most for an actor in the award's history—and the crown as "Leading Lady of Daytime."</p><p>When Lucci and <em>All My Children</em> were introduced to the world in 1971, American television changed forever. Susan's character, the beautiful, spirited, and mercurial Erica Kane, was an original—the first vixen viewers loved to hate. But while millions have enjoyed getting to know Erica's many sides—and have been awed at how this character has continually remade herself—the woman who plays her has remained a mystery.</p><p>In her long-awaited memoir, this very private actress, wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, sister, friend, and entrepreneur pulls back the curtain to reveal her story.</p><p>Susan, like Erica Kane, has undergone a metamorphosis many times. <em>All My Life</em> shares the stories of those transformations: starring in roles on television and stage, where she took Broadway not just by storm but "by tsunami" as one critic raved about her performance in <em>Annie Get Your Gun</em>; mounting successful cabaret acts (solo and with Regis Philbin); bringing art and joy back to New York in the wake of 9/11; conquering the tango with Tony Dovolani on ABC's hit show <em>Dancing with the Stars</em>; and building a successful career as an entrepreneur with a signature line of products.</p><p>Susan goes beyond her success to talk about the darker moments, too, including the childhood guilt she harbored over the death of her dear grandmother, the car accident that nearly took away her career and her eyesight, her newborn son's life-threatening illness, coping with her husband's cancer, and the pain of miscarriage—one of the many parallels between her Erica Kane.</p><p>As charming, down-to-earth, and compelling as the woman whose story it tells, <em>All My Life</em> shines a spotlight on one of our most popular stars and reminds us of the power of dreams and how we can find the courage and tenacity to make them come true.</p><p><strong>A Look Inside <em>All My Life</em></strong> <br />Click on the images below to open larger versions.</p><p><em>All My Children</em> in Los Angeles.</p><hr /><h3>Product Description</h3><p>When Susan Lucci and <em>All My Children</em> were introduced to the world in 1971, American television changed forever. Susan's character, the beautiful, spirited, and mercurial Erica Kane, was an original. But while millions have enjoyed getting to know Erica's many sides, the woman who plays her has remained a mystery. </p><p>In her long-awaited memoir, this very private entertainment icon pulls back the curtain to reveal her own story. Warm, candid, and inviting, <em>All My Life</em> chronicles Susan's journey from her childhood to playing Erica Kane, and from finding true love to living that "Cinderella moment" when she finally won her Emmy. As charming, down-to-earth, and compelling as the woman whose story it tells, <em>All My Life</em> reminds us of the power of dreams and how we can all find the courage and tenacity to make them come true. </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><em>The Jade Peony</em>, Wayson Choy's first novel and a RUSA Notable Book, is a genre-bending, memoirlike collection of stories about a family in Vancouver's Chinatown before and during World War II. Three siblings tell the stories of their very different childhoods in a world defined by change, each in their own way wresting autonomy from the strictures of history, family, and poverty. Sister Jook-Liang aspires to be Shirley Temple; adopted Second Brother Jung-Sum, who struggles with his sexuality, finds his way through boxing. Third Brother Sekky, who never feels comfortable with the multitude of Chinese dialects swirling around him, becomes obsessed with war games, and learns a devastating lesson about what war really means when his 17-year-old babysitter dates a Japanese man, with terrible consequences.</p><p>One of Choy's most compelling subjects is the fluidity of the extended family. The shadowy woman everyone calls Stepmother is a house servant and concubine who moves into the role of mother, giving birth to two of the siblings but never quite achieving full status. Many chapters focus on the powerful effects friends and neighbors have on the family and the importance of their names and titles. Choy's evocations of life in Depression-era and wartime Vancouver are especially memorable: the bewildered air of Little Tokyo during the first Christmas after Pearl Harbor, a burned-down church that Sekky and his grandmother pick through for bits of the stained-glass windows--a metaphor for the family's task of sorting out what to keep and what to abandon as it moves into the future. Like the jade peony of the title, Choy's storytelling is at once delicate, powerful, and lovely. </p><h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>Told through the eyes of three Chinese Canadian siblings, Choy's first novel gives readers a historical glimpse at life in Vancouver's Chinatown during the 1930s and 1940s. Jook-Liang, the only sister in a family of three boys; Jung-Sum, the second adopted son; and Sek-Lung (Sekky), the sickly youngest son are searching for their identities, each presenting a moving account of love and loss that combine to tell the story of their family. Although Choy's work is fictional, it realistically echoes the difficult life struggles of early Chinese Cantonese immigrants as captured in such biographical works as Denise Chong's The Concubine's Children (LJ 11/15/94) and Ben Fong-Torres's The Rice Room (LJ 4/1/94). This book was a number-one best seller in Canada and co-winner of the Trillum Prize for the best book of 1995. Highly recommended for medium and large fiction collections.?Shirley N. Quan, Orange Cty. P.L.., Garden Grove, Cal.<br />Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Readers who endure the extensive Lake Wobegon–style exposition that launches DeAngelis's second novel (where every witch is above average) will be rewarded with a moving and witty love story. Evelyn is a randy old witch who uses her powers to appear young and pick up men at bars. When she meets Justin, the new proprietor of a local antique shop, she believes that he may be the reincarnation of her long-lost love, Jonah. Eve's narration alternates between the present-day romance and WWII spy stories as members of her coven come out with a shocking accusation against her sister, Helena. DeAngelis (Mary Modern) gives Eve an engaging narrative voice, though the frequent use of British terms like "loo," "gent," and "mobile" is jarring given Eve's supposed American origins. These minor flaws detract only slightly from the core stories of love and deceit, enhanced by DeAngelis's charming prose. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Evelyn Harbinger is a witch, but not one of those sinister ones with gnarled fingers and warts on her nose. She uses her extraordinary powers for good, healing the injured and helping people fall in love. At age 149, she has enjoyed a life span nearly twice that of mere mortals. Though her typical appearance is grandmotherly and sweet, if Evelyn is attracted to a man, she can transform herself, albeit temporarily, into a voluptuous, thirtysomething siren. That’s just what she does when she meets Justin, who works at an antique shop near her sister’s bed-and-breakfast in upstate New York. Bright, handsome Justin bears an eerie resemblance to Jonah, Evelyn’s partner in espionage (and romance) when the two served the Allies during WWII. Evelyn begins to wonder whether Justin may be an incarnation of her late beau, who was killed during a raid. Critics have compared novelist DeAngelis (whose works include the acclaimed Mary Modern, 2007) to a modern-day Mary Shelley, but this latest entry, while an amusing romp, is only mildly bewitching. --Allison Block </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In his ambitious debut, Gallaway jumps backward and forward in time between two cities, spiraling in on four characters connected by music: Lucien, an opera singer coming-of-age in mid-19th-century Paris; Anna, an opera singer reaching the height of her career in 1960s New York; Maria, an extraordinarily promising young singer but a difficult student; and Martin, an aging lawyer whose love of music might save his life. The ties between them are at first so tenuous that readers may wonder when, how, or if their narratives will converge. But Wagner's Tristan and Isolde touches each in some way, as does, eventually, eternal life, a device that allows Gallaway to chronicle 1860s Paris and 1960s New York through the eyes of one character. Gallaway, a former musician, gives music a literary presence, intertwining opera and punk by illuminating their shared passion and chaos. But ambition sometimes gives way to pretension (particularly with chapter titles such as "Fashion Is a Canon for this Dialect Also") and purple prose, but the story remains grounded by characters grappling with love, in some cases for eternity. (Jan.) <br />(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>"Author Matthew Gallaway has taken a great risk with his first novel by creating an intricate, multilayered tale that slides from past to present, from Europe to New York, from opera to pop. But despite the complexity, <em>The Metropolis Case</em> engages the reader emotionally on every page."--_The Washington Post<br />_<br />“It’s to the credit of Matthew Gallaway’s enchanting, often funny first novel that it doesn’t require a corresponding degree of obsession from readers, but may leave them similarly transported: the book is so well written — there’s hardly a lazy sentence here — and filled with such memorable lead and supporting players that it quickly absorbs you into its worlds.”—_The New York Times  </p><p><em>"An absorbing and intricately plotted first novel. Gallaway excels at the long form, producing a dense, well-structured puzzle. Like the opera that ultimately binds his characters together, CASE lingers beyond the final note."--</em>Out Magazine_ (Critic's Pick)  </p><p>"Matthew Gallaway's epic debut novel, intimately intertwined with Wagner's "Tristan and isolde," is itself an operatic masterpiece. Gallaway's wonderful prose leaves you hungry for more."--_AM New York_  </p><p>"Gallaway is a perceptive and graceful author in his own right whose moving story will appeal to Wagnerian experts and neophytes alike."--_Los Angeles Times<br />_<br />“Gallaway’s novel, is not just an intricate, complex, and multilayered novel, but also a rewarding read, that leaves the audience looking forward to Gallaway’s next work.”<strong>—</strong><em>The Manhattan Times</em><br /><strong><em> </em></strong><br />“Mr. Gallaway writes epically, with multiple points of view, multiple stories. Historical and profound, he handles everything beautifully. He is a rich storyteller, and an evocative writer; the complexity of his characters, the rich scenes and the lyrical prose all make it hard to believe that this is his first novel.”_<strong>—</strong>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  </p><p> “_A cerebral novel_.”<strong>—</strong>Historical Novels Review  </p><p>“_Matthew Gallaway’s <em>The Metropolis Case</em> is an ambitious, heady, intelligent and engaging first novel about the healing powers of art…it solidifies into a page turner, and better still, delivers on a wide range of concerns that go far beyond the musical interests that center the book’s narrative.”_<strong>—</strong>Lambda Literary Review<br />_<br />“As ambitious a debut as they come, this sweeping first novel travels across not <br />only continents but centuries as well.”—_Entertainment Weekly_<br /><strong><em> </em></strong><br />“Even for a reader unacquainted with opera, <em>The Metropolis Case</em> enthralls. <br />Theatrical history, training at Julliard, opening night at the Metropolitan—this is an engaging and unusual subject matter. _The Metropolis Case <em>is an intriguing debut from a fresh, unique voice.”—</em>Bookpage<br />_<br />"Gallaway, a former musician, gives music a literary presence, intertwining opera and punk by illuminating their shared passion and chaos."--_Publishers Weekly_  </p><p>"A pleasingly intricate puzzle."--_Kirkus Reviews_  </p><p>"Matthew Gallaway's fascinating and erudite debut novel is a portrait of the passion of several singers across the ages for a single opera, and turns into its own kind of novelistic chorus. Like _Tristan und Isolde,_ the opera at its center, it is complete with wrong love, sacrifice and even a potion. An original new talent has arrived."-- <br />Alexander Chee, author of <em>Edinburgh</em> and <em>The Queen of the Night</em>  </p><p>"I know next to nothing about opera and I <em>loved</em> this book. Let me go further: I actually (don't tell anyone) find opera a bit dull, but now consider me a big buff -- if no other reason than it gave us this powerful, beautiful, wondrous novel."--Darin Strauss, author of <em>Chang and Eng</em> and _Half a Life<br />_<br />"Matthew Gallaway possesses a massive vision and a wizard-like ability to weave story lines. <em>The Metropolis Case</em> is an ambitious and beautiful book sure to find a devoted following."--Shane Jones, author of _Light Boxes<br />_<br />"_The Metropolis Case_ is a terrifically engaging and elegantly panoramic novel that is sure to appeal to fans of majestic fiction such as Kostova's <em>The Historian</em>."--Katharine Weber, author of <em>True Confections</em> and <em>Triangle</em></p>


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<div><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> Tongue firmly planted in cheek, Grant sends a lad with a serious case of mediumness up against not only the minions of an ageless and evil Pale Queen but also a truly impressive list of phobias in this opener to the Magnificent 12 series. Prompted by the urgent warnings of an ancient, spectral mage (In just a few months the Dread Foe will be loosed in all her fury, all her rage, all her sphincter-clenching, heart-clutching, throat-gobbling, spit-drying, blood-freezing, bowel-loosening terror!), a murder attempt, and the arrival of plane tickets with a million-dollar debit card, Mack sets out for Australia. This is just the first leg of a mission to gather the other 11 supposed Magnifica necessary to defeat the evil that is about to escape 3,000 years of imprisonment. Hooking up with the first of his allies entails not only long, screaming drops into the ocean (Mack is powerfully thalassophobic) and down a shaft into a cave beneath Uluru (he is also awfully claustrophobic) but also battles with a variety of the queen’s magical warriors and an encounter with her daughter, Ereskigal—an insanely beautiful young sorceress with the eating habits of a female praying mantis. Grant fills out the historical backstory for this promising scenario in alternating flashback chapters, provides a sturdy supporting cast for his reluctant young hero, and keeps up the rapid pace from first page to last. A terrific start, with an elaborate website festooned with games and contests to ease the wait for sequels. Grades 5-8. --John Peters </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Twelve-year-old Mack MacAvoy suffers from a serious case of mediumness. Medium looks. Medium grades. Medium parents who barely notice him. With a list of phobias that could make anyone crazy, Mack never would have guessed that he is destined for a more-than-medium life. </p><p>And then, one day, something incredibly strange happens to Mack. A three-thousand-year-old man named Grimluk appears in the boys’ bathroom to deliver some startling news: Mack is one of the Magnificent Twelve, called the Magnifica in ancient times, whatever that means. An evil force is on its way, and it’s up to Mack to track down eleven other twelve-year-olds in order to stop it. He must travel across the world to battle the wicked Pale Queen’s dangerous daughter, Ereskigal—also known as Risky. But Risky sounds a little scary, and Mack doesn’t want to be a hero. Will he answer the call? </p><p>A laugh-out-loud story filled with excitement and magic, <em>The Magnificent Twelve: The Call</em> is the first book in bestselling author Michael Grant’s hilarious new fantasy adventure series. </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>"In letter carrier nightmares, it's always getting dark out," observes Wyckoff, a 15-year veteran of the postal service, in his sweet, uncomplicated memoir about life as a mailman. He has spent his whole career in one Minneapolis neighborhood, and the book covers everything he goes through there, from encounters with hostile pets to neighborhood gatherings where no one recognizes the civvies-clad postman. The people along Wyckoff's route, and his take on them, make engaging case studies: the struggling Native American family that still puts out a bag for the annual Letter Carrier's Food Drive, the five-year-old boy who can't find his way home, the 99-year-old woman whom Wyckoff kisses on her birthday. Wyckoff may not be typical of all mailmen (he carries dog biscuits and dresses up like Santa Claus at Christmas) but his experiences illuminate the challenges faced by postal workers-and neighbors-across the nation. Wyckoff's writing is accessible, if a bit bland; this is clearly a first effort, and the dialogue doesn't always ring true. Though there's no real plotline, or any major characters aside from Wyckoff himself, this loving portrait of an average American community should give readers a new way of looking at the civil servants in their lives. <br>Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>One sunny day on his postal route, Vincent Wyckoff crosses the path of an elderly gentleman whistling for his lost parakeet. The old man is upset, and Wyckoff moves down the block slowly, looking high and low, hoping to spot the little bird. He reaches the man’s house and offers sympathy to his wife, who smiles sadly and says, “We haven’t had that bird for twenty-five years.” </p><p>Letter carriers like Wyckoff walk through the same neighborhood each day, observing the lives and routines of its residents. They learn its stories, make connections between people, and, in many ways, become the common thread that connects neighbors to one another. Along Wyckoff’s mail route, Native American children teach him about totems. He finds assistance for a reclusive chain-smoking book collector who can’t maintain his property. He delivers a much-delayed registered letter mailed from Saigon in 1976. Over the years, Wyckoff sees the neighborhood of blue-collar retirees change as a diverse group of younger people move in and raise their families. </p><p>Celebrating the triumphs in everyday life and demonstrating the danger of trusting first impressions, <em>Beware of Cat</em> reveals the inner workings of an ordinary place of extraordinary interest. </p><p><strong>Vincent Wyckoff</strong> was a laborer, a construction worker, and a sheetmetal worker before he became a letter carrier in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1990. This is his first book.</p>

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<div><h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><em>Fatal Flaw</em> is a rare delight: a legal thriller with freshness and vitality, qualities too often lacking in this sometimes-tired genre. This third entry in the </p><p>Fortunately, William Lashner is as fine a wordsmith as he is a plotter. The settings are crisply evoked, from Philadelphia and Las Vegas to the dirt-poor Appalachians. All the characters are vivid, and a few--including the murder victim--are well-nigh unforgettable. But it's the narrative voice of Victor Carl that really carries the book. Cynical, funny, streetwise, and ethically flexible, he's an exceptionally engaging guy. And, like some of the wisecracking private eyes he resembles, he can deliver both breezy sarcasm and real emotional power. My suggestion: Reach past those other legal thrillers and put <em>Fatal Flaw</em> at the top of your reading list. <em>--Nicholas H. Allison</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>At the start of this highly readable if predictable third thriller by Lashner (Hostile Witness; Veritas), Philadelphia lawyer Carl answers the late-night distress call of his friend Guy Forrest and finds him naked and sobbing on the front steps of a suburban house. Inside is the corpse of Guy's lover, Hailey Prouix, the woman for whom he left his devoted wife and kids. Even though at first he's unconvinced of Guy's innocence, Carl eventually agrees to represent Guy when he's charged with murder. Carl also holds an important secret that he keeps from Guy; from his own legal partner, Beth; from everyone, in fact, but the reader: Carl was Hailey Prouix's lover, too. In the novel's early chapters, Lashner effectively describes the mind games that Carl plays with himself, rationalizing decisions that are in his own best interest, if not those of his client. Once he believes Guy's earnest claims, Carl begins to probe Prouix's past, more to answer his own nagging questions about her than to find her killer or even to save Guy. The trail takes him to Las Vegas and to Prouix's childhood home in West Virginia. The past sins and crimes that Carl uncovers are of the predictably unspeakable variety. Indeed, the plot has a by-the-numbers feel: in one set piece, Carl is pursued and run off the road by a mystery car with tinted windows. What raises Lashner's thriller above the ordinary is its rich and resonant first-person narrative. Since his debut in 1995's Hostile Witness, the character of Carl has aged like fine wine. His wit is sharper and deeper now, but he also displays a bittersweet nostalgia and a more seasoned (if jaded) worldview. He's a provocative and entertaining guide, far more entertaining than the journey on which he leads us.<br>Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>

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<div><h3>From</h3><p>Sixth-graders Mac and Vince have been running an advice and assistance service for fellow grade-school students since they were in kindergarten. Mac is a problem solver, Vince is a whiz at keeping track of the money and favors they earn, and both boys are avid Chicago Cubs fans. Their �office� is located in an underused school bathroom, hence this first novel�s title. The business takes a beating�and then so does the boys� friendship�when an older kid applies muscle to the threats he has made to grade-schoolers who owe gambling debts. Rylander has created a cast of memorable and varied characters, replete with emotional as well as social lives. Mac narrates the convoluted tale with the arch flatness of a 1940s satire of the noir detective genre, so swallowing even the more preposterous coincidences is easy for the sake of the story�s fun. An excellent boy book that would do well in a father-son book discussion. Grades 4-7. --Francisca Goldsmith </p><h3>Review</h3><p>"Here is an original - a story that really gets how guys are pals.... Do yourself a favor.  Read it.  Now." _ - <strong>Jon Scieszka</strong> (__NYT Best-Selling author_)  </p><p><em>"The Fourth Stall makes good use of non sequitur humor and a healthy dose of schoolyard violence to draw in even the most apprehensive young reader... a robust story rich in action, adventure, humor, and friendship.</em>"__<br>--VOYA  </p><p>"Rylander has created a cast of memorable and varied characters, replete with emotional as well as social lives... An excellent boy book that would do well in a father-son book discussion._"_    </p><p>--Booklist  </p><p>"Boys and girls alike will be biting their nails, laughing out loud and begging for the next installment. Fans of Jeff Kinney, Gordon Kormon and Jon Scieszka will find a new hero in Rylander." --Sioux Falls Argus Leader  </p><p>"Sometimes middle-school readers just wanna have fun. And Rylander, thankfully, steers well clear of made-for-TV life lessons."__ --The Cleveland Plain Dealer </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>A promising premise flatlines in Hattermer-Higgins's overwrought debut. Margaret Taub, a young American woman awakens in a forest outside Berlin in September of 2002 with a several-month-long blank spot in her memory. Two years later, after a letter, addressed to a "Margaret Täubner," arrives at her apartment, confirming an upcoming appointment with a doctor Margaret has never heard of, she meets the doctor, a gynecologist, who treats Margaret with uncomfortable familiarity and insists on serving as her "memory surgeon." The next morning, Berlin has "transformed into flesh," and, as Margaret negotiates the menacingly alive city, she is plagued by a mysterious feeling of guilt, all the while becoming increasingly obsessed with Magda Goebbels, the wife of Hitler's propaganda minister, and the possibly parallel story of Regina Strauss, a Jewish woman who committed suicide along with her husband and children. It doesn't take long for this novel to come undone, its magical realism and overly precious tone mixing uneasily with its ponderous claims about ethics and memory. Also problematic are the final revelations about Margaret's past, which are intended to be shocking and enlightening, but are instead burdened with insistence on meaning. (Jan.) (c) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> The Holocaust is a dark star, forever pulling new writers into its orbit. First-time novelist Hattemer-Higgins dramatizes with phantasmagoric magnitude the crisis of conscience following the genocide, drawing on her experience working in Berlin as a walking-tour guide, a role she assigns to her protagonist. An American with a German father, Margaret Taub has survived a mysterious trauma that has erased her memory of recent months and left her afflicted with nightmarish visions. As she ushers tourists to Nazi sites, the city turns to flesh before her eyes, and Nazi Madga Goebbels, who murdered her children as military defeat loomed, stalks her in the form of a bird of prey. Margaret is also visited by the ghost of a Jewish woman who committed suicide after killing her children to save them from Nazi torture. Determined to regain her past, Margaret contends with a blind, knife-throwing “memory surgeon” and a spying neighbor. She knows she’s guilty, but of what? With unbridled imagination and exquisite command, Hattemer-Higgins explodes the concept of remembrance and confronts the “spiritual aftershock” of the Holocaust in a gloriously hellish and fiercely surreal dreamscape with echoes of fairy tales, Heinrich von Kleist, and Hermann Hesse, to create a bewitching and unnerving novel stunning in its artistry, audacity, and insight. --Donna Seaman </p>

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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Told in free verse reminiscent of one of Kingston's idols, Walt Whitman, this uncommon memoir of the artist at 65 is informed by the wide margins on the pages of the Chinese editions of her works (margins her father used to write in). Kingston revisits characters, like Wittman Ah Sing, the monkey from her first novel, and themes from her books: her pacifist, feminist activism; the challenge of stereotypes; East and West. Though this homage to aging, with wisdom gained through a freewheeling reflection on family, the past, fate (karma, we're reminded, means "work," not "doom"), and self-reliance (which is a translation of Kingston's Chinese name, Ting Ting), often rambles, it also has the cohesion and intricate logic of a musical composition. The artist is a mental traveler, presenting her life as a dreamlike journey that culminates in a listing of "my dead," some 50 names, which both pulls Kingston toward oblivion ("Each one who dies, I want to go with you") and inspires seven reasons to live. The desire to create recedes ("I regret always writing, writing") as the memoirist sees herself becoming "reader of the world," a "surprise world" that frees her from the need to create it with words. (Jan.) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> The title is from Thoreau, and it is the perfect credo for Kingston, a gentle advocate for justice and peace, an innovative creator of unconventional, mythic, and captivating tales. The very structure of her affecting memoir involves broad margins as Kingston channels musings and memories into one long, streaming poem. Some may quail at the prospect of a narrative-in-verse, but Kingston’s language is so natural, lucid, and subtly rhythmic, reading it is as effortless as breathing. Revered for the candor of her groundbreaking creative nonfiction, beginning with The Woman Warrior (1976), and her playful and profound fiction, Kingston gracefully entwines both genres as she reflects on turning 65, shares piquant stories of family, and catches up with her characters, especially Wittman Ah Sung, who first appeared in Tripmaster Monkey (1989). Kingston’s descriptions of the timeless beauty and evolving struggle of village life in China are mystical and incisive, while wry humor shapes her account of being arrested during a 2003 peace demonstration at the White House. Looking back to her California childhood as the daughter of immigrants, Kingston remembers wanting to ask others, “How do you feel being you?” That is the writer’s great question, and the wellspring of Kingston’s artistry and deep compassion. --Donna Seaman </p>

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<div><h3>Review</h3><p>Addictive as a jar of salted nuts --Pulp Fiction Reviews  </p><p>A lightning-fast-can't-put-it-down read --Library Journal  </p><p>There's sex, violence, humor, and plenty of little twists before you get to the end... --Bill Crider's Pop Culture Magazine </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>FIRST…THERE WAS <em>THE LAST QUARRY</em>.  </p><p>THEN…THERE WAS <em>THE FIRST QUARRY.</em><em></em> <br><em></em><br>NOW…LOOK WHO’S CAUGHT IN THE MIDDLE.  </p><p>The enigmatic hitman Quarry -- star of seven celebrated novels and an award-winning feature film (_The Last Lullaby_) -- is back in this violent, steamy tale of warring crime families. When two Godfathers set out to bump each other off, guess who winds up with both contracts…. </p>

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<h3>Product Description</h3><p><strong>Years in the making-the definitive biography of the legendary black activist. </strong>   </p><p>Of the great figure in twentieth-century American history perhaps none is more complex and controversial than Malcolm X. Constantly rewriting his own story, he became a criminal, a minister, a leader, and an icon, all before being felled by assassins' bullets at age thirty-nine. Through his tireless work and countless speeches he empowered hundreds of thousands of black Americans to create better lives and stronger communities while establishing the template for the self-actualized, independent African American man. In death he became a broad symbol of both resistance and reconciliation for millions around the world.   </p><p>Manning Marable's new biography of Malcolm is a stunning achievement. Filled with new information and shocking revelations that go beyond the <em>Autobiography, Malcolm X</em> unfolds a sweeping story of race and class in America, from the rise of Marcus Garvey and the Ku Klux Klan to the struggles of the civil rights movement in the fifties and sixties. Reaching into Malcolm's troubled youth, it traces a path from his parents' activism through his own engagement with the Nation of Islam, charting his astronomical rise in the world of Black Nationalism and culminating in the never-before-told true story of his assassination. <em>Malcolm X</em> will stand as the definitive work on one of the most singular forces for social change, capturing with revelatory clarity a man who constantly strove, in the great American tradition, to remake himself anew. </p><h3>About the Author</h3><p><strong>Manning Marable</strong> is M. Moran Weston and Black Alumni Council Professor of African American Studies and professor of history and public affairs at Columbia University. He was founding director of African American Studies at Columbia from 1993 to 2003. Since 2002, he has directed Columbia's Center for Contemporary Black History. The author of fifteen books, Marable is also the editor of the quarterly journal <em>Souls</em>. </p>


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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>The contradictions of the Internet search behemoth are teased apart in this engaging, slightly starry-eyed business history. Wired magazine writer Levy (Hackers) insightfully recaps Google's groundbreaking search engine and fabulously profitable online ad–brokering business, and elucidates the cutting-edge research and hard-nosed cost-efficiencies underlying them. He also regales readers with the "Googley" corporate culture of hip techno-capitalism: the elitist focus on braininess, the campus game rooms, the countercultural rectitude of billionaire founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin (which can read more like puerile arrogance as they roller-blade into meetings with business-suited squares). Levy's narrative updates a familiar portrait of the company, with breathless accounts of recent innovations. He offers a smart analysis of the tensions between Google's "âÇÿDon't Be Evil'" slogan and its censorship of its Chinese Web site and the privacy implications of its drive to sponge up all information—but he accepts Google's blinkered conception of e-ethics and its demands for huge tax breaks with too much complacency. (Apr.) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>"Dense, driven examination of the pioneering search engine that changed the face of the Internet. </p><p>Thoroughly versed in technology reporting, Wired senior writer Levy deliberates at great length about online behemoth Google and creatively documents the company’s genesis from a 'feisty start-up to a market-dominating giant.' The author capably describes Google’s founders, Stanford grads Larry Page and Sergey Brin, as sharp, user-focused and steadfastly intent on 'organizing all the world’s information.' Levy traces how Google’s intricately developed, intrepid beginnings and gradual ascent over a competitive marketplace birthed an advertising-fueled 'money machine' (especially following its IPO in 2004), and he follows the expansion and operation of the company’s liberal work campus ('Googleplex') and its distinctively selective hiring process (Page still signs off on every new hire). The author was afforded an opportunity to observe the company’s operations, development, culture and advertising model from within the infrastructure for two years with full managerial cooperation. From there, he performed hundreds of interviews with past and current employees and discovered the type of 'creative disorganization' that can either make or break a business. Though clearly in awe of Google’s crowning significance, Levy evenhandedly notes the company’s more glaring deficiencies, like the 2004 cyber-attack that forced the removal of the search engine from mainland China, a decision vehemently unsupported by co-founder Brin. Though the author offers plenty of well-known information, it’s his catbird-seat vantage point that really gets to the good stuff.</p><p>Outstanding reportage delivered in the upbeat, informative fashion for which Levy is well known."</p><p>—_Kirkus Reviews_ (starred review) </p>

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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Nobody plays the what-if game of alternative history better than Turtledove, especially when he has a large-scale subject and when he's working close enough to the present for readers to appreciate his detailed analyses of how familiar events might have turned out differently. His massive trilogy, The Great War, described how WWI might have been fought on an Earth where the Confederacy was still an independent nation. This follow-up novel begins by showing postwar life. Teddy Roosevelt is president; however, the Socialist Party gives the establishment serious competition, as veterans question the society they fought to save, and Upton Sinclair challenges TR in the election of 1920. Meanwhile, in the humiliated and bankrupt Confederate states, an angry racist with a gift of demagoguery whips up violent mobs and aims them at his enemies. Readers will recognize some of the names, but watching historical processes in action is the novel's real attraction. Knowing what happened in our timeline, readers will want to imagine the results of different choices. Sometimes, luck and willingness to compromise can resolve conflicts. On the other hand, the Southern Hitler may have his way. It depends on how well people make sense of the situations facing them. Turtledove's introduction carries over a cast of 16 varied characters from The Great War. Not all survive, but readers will be curious to see how the rest go on to cope with new challenges. This book begins a panoramic story, a new trilogy at least, that promises to be immensely fascinating. 5-city author tour; on-sale date July 31. </p><p>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p><h3>From</h3><p>Turtledove's Great War series morphs into the American Empire series. The U.S and imperial Germany have imposed a "blood and iron" peace on Britain, France, Russia, and the Confederacy. On the western front, the Confederacy struggles to overcome defeat, dissension, and Weimar-level inflation, and the U.S. labors to stay on top of things and prepare for the next round of combat. Indomitable, muddleheaded General Custer has his sails trimmed by the election of Socialist Upton Sinclair as president in 1920, which also makes Turtledove's creation, Flora Hamburger, the wife of the vice-president. In the Confederacy, former artillery sergeant Jake Featherstone founds the Freedom Party. His road to power turns rocky after the crackbrained assassination of President Wade Hampton V, but Ann Colleton escapes the subsequent Freedom Party debacle only slightly damaged and loses her stormy lover when the widow of one of his victims shoots him. Cincinnatus Driver leaves Ohio for the better racial climate of Iowa, and Scipio, married and now named Xerxes, learns that no matter which whites win in the Confederacy, the black man almost always loses. Turtledove's skill at dramatizing historical forces proves magisterial once more. <em>Roland Green</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>The latest volume in Turtledove's colossal and brilliant saga of an alternate (and disunited) United States may be the strongest and most compelling since the opener, How Few Remain (1997). Juxtaposing historical dilemmas and universal human ones, the novel explores weird twists of history at both levels. Jake Featherston leads an independent Confederacy toward war, with his propaganda chief a scrawny undersized Jew. Anne Colleton attends the Richmond Olympics of 1936, still dynamic but worried about losing her sex appeal. George Enos has lost his mother, accidentally shot by her drunken lover Ernie, and is now following in his late father's footsteps as a commercial fisherman out of Boston. Cincinnatus Driver and Scipio are on a collision course with the Holocaust that the Confederacy is preparing for African-Americans in Alabama, but Cincinnatus has also borne the burden of making peace with the parents of his Chinese daughter-in-law. Jonathan Moss is climbing back into the cockpit of an alternate P-40, ready to wield it like a sword of vengeance against Canadian terrorists who killed his wife and daughter. And one does wonder what will come of a WWII with France and Britain under quasi-Fascist regimes. Readers will not have long to wait, as the WWII trilogy is only a couple of years from seeing the light of print-which many fans will find far too long.<br />Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> The conclusion to American Empire, part of Turtledove's magisterial saga of an alternate America that also includes the trilogy The Great War, is the most powerful volume in it since the post-Civil War novel that launched it all, <em>How Few Remain</em> (1997). It demonstrates Turtledove's continuing mastery of historical fiction on the macrocosmic and the microcosmic levels. On the grand scale, there is Confederate president Jake Featherstone (the Confederacy won the Civil War, you see) shouting, "I'm here to tell you the truth," while he does nothing of the sort; the Olympics of 1936 unfolding in Richmond, Virginia; a France ruled by the Action Francaise and upholding a king, Charles XI; and the death of Kaiser Wilhelm II precipitating the next world war. On the smaller scale, three old friends from previous saga volumes are lost: Sylvia Enos to her drunken lover Ernie, the widowed Lucien Gautier to a heart attack while with a new lady-love, and Clara Jacobs to old-fashioned blood-poisoning. Cincinnatus Driver is torn between obligations to his old Red comrades, his family in Iowa, and his parents in a Kentucky that, having voted itself into the Confederacy, is preparing a Holocaust of its black population. Farther south, Scipio has no hope of refuge if Anne Colleton comes after him, while up north Jonathan Moss leaves Canada to return to a fighter cockpit after his wife and daughter are killed by a letter bomb. Busy, to be sure, but almost impossible to praise too highly. <em>Roland Green</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> Followers of Turtledove’s Atlantis trilogy (Opening Atlantis, 2007; The United States of Atlantis, 2008; and this book) won’t be surprised that it concludes with an Atlantean Civil War. Nor will those familiar with Turtledove’s oeuvre be surprised that his expertise on the American Civil War makes the third book the trilogy’s best. To get a this-world fix on its animating conceit, imagine that Nat Turner was George Washington’s mulatto grandson, who, threatened with death, determined to be free and raised a formidable slave army. Such is what Frederic Ratcliff does in Atlantis, where the Slave Power isn’t as formidable as the American South was and racism isn’t as strong. Ratcliff and his Native American general, Lorenzo, face a respectable professional army led by hard-bitten Balthasar Sinapis, a European exile with a mysterious past. At the nominal head of that army on alternating days are pro-slavery consul Jeremiah Stafford and his anti-slavery partner, Leland Newton. Political bickering, effective guerrilla tactics, and unfamiliar terrain lead to a situation in which the army must negotiate peace or be slaughtered. Then the light dawns on both parties that fighting to decisive victory or defeat will ruin Atlantis for everyone. The Treaty of Slug Hollow is hammered out and presented to the Senate. More obstacles remain, and the Senate offers a mixture of horror-struck opposition, hair-tearing doubt, and sighs of relief. In the end, readers may, overwhelmingly, join in joyously launching their hats skyward. --Roland Green </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Frederick Radcliff is a descendent of the family that founded Atlantis's first settlement. But he is also a slave. And when fate presents him with the opportunity to throw off his shackles once and for all, he becomes the leader of a revolutionary army of slaves determined to free all of his brethren across Atlantis. </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Harry Turtledove pays tribute to pulp science fiction, combining a favorite plot--invasion by technologically superior aliens--with an alternate history of WWII and its aftermath. His </p><p><em>Colonization: Second Contact</em> continues the saga, but you need not read the previous series to enjoy it. When the colonists arrive in 1962, they're unprepared for a half-conquered world. After several of their ships are destroyed by a nuclear missile of mysterious origin, they accuse the conquest forces of incompetence. Muslims in the conquered Middle East are staging an Intifada, the Chinese Communists continue guerrilla warfare against the invaders, and everyone's smuggling ginger, which is powerfully addictive among the Race and has unanticipated effects on the female colonists.</p><p>Turtledove's cast of characters includes sharply drawn alien soldiers and civilians as well as a mix of convincing historical and fictional humans from all over the world. He covers all the sixties issues: generational conflict, the drug culture, racial inequality, the threat of atomic apocalypse, and the frustration of soldiers in an unwinnable war. If you enjoy alternate history and old B movies, this book's for you. <em>--Nona Vero</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In high fashion, the master of alternative SF launches a sequel series to his acclaimed Worldwar tetralogy (Striking the Balance, etc.). It is 1963, and Earth is divided among five independent powers (the U.S., the Soviet Union, the Third Reich, Britain, Japan) and the invading alien Lizards. Human adaptations of Lizard technology (including space flight) and the Lizard leaders' painful experience of fighting humans have led to an armed truce among all the parties. Now, however, the Lizard colony fleet, with 40 million sleep-frozen colonists, arrives to settle what they expect to be a completely subdued world. That the Tosevites (humans) are still holding out is only the first of several surprises to greet them. The nastiest is probably that ginger, merely addictive to Lizard males, brings Lizard females violently into heat?arousing an irresistible mating urge in the males. The Third Reich, meanwhile, under the leadership of Himmler, continues its odious ways; Jews maintain an uneasy peace with the Lizards, who saved them from the Holocaust; the Soviet Union (under Molotov) survives; and the U.S. is building a huge space station. Characters who have become old friends to readers of the earlier tetralogy abound, and new ones both human and Lizard appear by the double handful. Turtledove handles sexual themes with good taste and appropriate humor. With his fertile imagination running on overdrive, he develops an exciting, often surprising, story that will not only delight his fans but will probably send newcomers back to the Worldwar saga to fill in the backstory. <br />Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><em>Colonization: Down to Earth</em> marks part two of part two of Harry Turtledove's epic alternate history in which WWII gets interrupted--and violently abridged--by a hostile alien invasion. With some of the same characters introduced in the four-volume __, the story arc continues through the 1960s, as the Lizards (along with their second fleet, composed not of soldiers but of colonists) continue to grapple with their not-quite-subdued conquest, Tosev 3 (a.k.a. earth). And Turtledove's alt-'60s are not--to say the least--about peace, love, and understanding. </p><p>Now the reptilian ETs must face off against three world superpowers in an uneasy truce: the United States; Molotov's SSSR; and the psychotic, nuke-wielding Nazis under Himmler. Elsewhere, the U.K. flirts with fascism, Red China (commanded by none other than Chairman Mao) wages a bloody resistance against its scaly oppressors, and the Arab world does likewise under the guidance of Ayatollah Khomeini. As ever with Turtledove, plot takes precedence over characterizations, but his suspenseful twists and turns don't disappoint. And while <em>Down to Earth</em> proves a bit less martial than its predecessors, the action still satisfies--if nothing else, the bang-up finale is worth the wait. <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p><h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>The alien invasion that transformed the nature of the Second World War into a fight between humans and "Lizards" resulted in a state of uneasy d?tente. Twenty years later, Lizards lay claim to parts of the earth despite a growing state of resistance to their presence. Continuing the story begun in Colonization: Second Contact (LJ 1/99), Turtledove expands on his imaginary history of the 20th century. He demonstrates his talent for crafting drama on a global scale by concentrating on the individual stories that make up the big picture. A good choice for sf collections. <br />Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>In the aftermath of World War II and the invasion by the alien Lizards, decades of struggle have led to an uneasy attempt by the aliens to maintain a colony on Earth. Collaboration, rebellion, and attempts at understanding each other bring humans and Lizards to the brink of new hostilities, threatening the destruction of the world but holding out hope for its renewal. This conclusion to Turtledove's multivolume alternate history features the author's close attention to detail and his ability to paint broad, panoramic pictures without sacrificing the personal stories of his characters. A good addition to most sf collections, particularly in libraries that own previous series titles. <br />Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Colonel Sam Yeager has a terrible secret that he can share with only one person--and no humans. The former shiplord Straha, a lizard now exiled to L.A,, is willing to keep the army officer's secret as a protective measure for Yeager and his family. But when Yeager goes missing, and Straha decides to take his secret to the colonization fleetlord, the outcome shocks everyone, from the crew of the American spaceship <em>Lewis and Clark</em> to the ginger dealers in Marseille. Turtledove concludes his highly entertaining Worldwar alternate-history saga with a series of deadly nuclear confrontations and happier, more intimate encounters between lizards and humans. Characters once mired in the struggles between the doomed Reich and the Race are now free to travel, and Cockney Jew David Goldfarb finds himself in Edmonton, inventing a caller ID system, while Rance Auerbach moves from South Africa to the south of France. Mao and Molotov remain in power, but new humans and lizards are climbing the ranks to challenge the old guard. Turtledove explores ethics, vengeance, and the duties of familial love versus those of friendship with his trademark wry humor--for instance, the Warren Commission turns out to be a loose gathering of lizards intent on understanding the death of President Earl Warren. If only there were another five books in the series to look forward to! <em>Roberta Johnson</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>In 1862, the Confederacy won the War of the Rebellion (not by interference of time travelers, as in Turtledove's Guns of the South, LJ 9/1/92, but by their own skillful military and diplomatic efforts). The defeated North has stewed for nearly 20 years. In this alternate history, the South exercises an opportunity to purchase Sonora and Chihuahua from the bankrupt Mexican Empire, having already wrested Cuba from Spain. James G. Blaine, now president of the United States, arrogantly seizes upon this pretext and invades with the aim of reunification. Lincoln has become an outcast of the Republican Party and preaches socialism while Custer is a frustrated and embittered colonel on the frontier, Samuel Clemens a fiery newspaper editor in San Francisco, and Rosecrans the inadequate head of the Union Army. Turtledove is an accomplished professional at this sort of thing and has given us an entertainment that makes us think somewhat about why we are the way we are. Highly recommended for history, historiography, military, and popular fiction collections.?Edwin B. Burgess, U.S. Army Combined Arms Research Lib., Fort Leavenworth, Kan.<br />Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Turtledove calls his numerous novels "alternative history." He changed the result of the Civil War by giving General Lee AK-47s in <em>Guns of the South</em> (1992); in <em>Worldwar</em> (1996), World War II came to a screeching halt as the belligerents united against alien space lizards. This current novel extends the Civil War theme. The year is 1881. Lincoln, since losing the Civil War and then the presidency, is an itinerant socialist speech-maker. In the Confederate States of America, President James Longstreet buys northern Mexico, and the U.S. president declares war, the course of which operates through several historical figures. In San Francisco, antiwar newspaper publisher Samuel Clemens talks himself out of seditious trouble with William Sherman, while the British fleet reduces the city to rubble. The British/Canadian invasion of Montana is stopped by Teddy Roosevelt, yelling "bully" constantly, and by George Custer, whose brother Tom dies, reappears, and then is later referred to as dead. The War in Mexico goes worse for the bluecoats, as would be expected, since they face the dashing, slashing J.E.B. Stuart and his "camelry" --whether their mounts are dromedaries or Bactrians is unclear. At Louisville, Stonewall Jackson reprises his successes by repelling the Union attack and capturing Frederick Douglass, war correspondent. Turtledove is successful in the plausible, albeit theatrical, characterizations of these figures, and his imaginative curiosity will appeal to the what-if segment of the vast Civil War readership, although they might trip over Tom Custer's dead-or-alive act. <em>Gilbert Taylor</em></p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Harry Turtledove's second multivolume saga of 20th-century "alternative history," __, takes place in a world in which the Confederate States win the Civil War and in 1914, allied with England and France, go to war against the United States once more. All the horrors of World War I, such as trench warfare and mustard gas, are present, only this time they're situated in a North American theater of operations where the U.S. fights enemies on both its northern and southern borders while Confederate blacks, studying up on left-wing radicals Karl Marx and Abe Lincoln, prepare for the revolution. As in Turtledove's earlier Worldwar series, the majority of attention is paid to an assortment of people at the battlefields and home fronts, their stories unfolding in gradual increments that, at least so far, only intermittently connect with each other. And there's not as much in the way of "real" historical figures popping up in this first volume of The Great War series, save for cameo appearances by U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt, Confederate president Woodrow Wilson, an aging General Custer, and a handful of others. It remains to be seen whether future entries in the series will feature such obvious candidates for inclusion as the young Ernest Hemingway, and <em>how</em> they'll appear in this strange new world. <em>--Ron Hogan</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>This masterpiece of alternate history takes place in the same world as Turtledove's How Few Remain and begins a projected tetralogy of a First World War fought with Germany and the U.S. allied against Britain, France and the Confederacy. The reader is drawn in at once as a German cruiser approaches Boston and Jeb Stuart III trains his artillery on the Capitol Dome, and Turtledove sustains high interest throughout the lengthy narrative. As in How Few Remain, the author gives full recognition to social and economic factors (e.g., how conscription impacts politics; how labor shortages affect the position of barely emancipated blacks in the Confederacy). He also plausibly depicts the opening stages of race war. In addition, he unleashes the horrors of trench warfare on American soil and shows how an American army of occupation might look from the point of view of the occupied Canadians. With shocking vividness, Turtledove demonstrates the extreme fragility of our modern world, and how much of it has depended on a United States of America. This is state-of-the-art alternate history, nothing less. Author tour. <br />Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Harry Turtledove marches on through history with <em>The Great War: Walk in Hell</em>. In his alternate timeline, the Confederate States of America won the Civil War, aided by Britain and France. In the 1880s (<strong>), Americans fought again after the CSA acquired parts of Mexico--and the CSA won again. When WWI begins with Archduke Ferdinand's assassination in 1914 (</strong>), the 34-state USA under Teddy Roosevelt allies with Imperial Germany and Austria against Britain, France, Russia, Japan, Canada, and Woodrow Wilson's CSA. Trenches divide Canada, fierce fighting rages from Tennessee and Kentucky into Pennsylvania, a Mormon uprising against the USA consumes Utah, and a black socialist rebellion distracts the CSA, where slavery has ended but blacks still await full citizenship.</p><p><em>Walk in Hell</em> takes us from fall, 1915, through 1916. Soldiers, sailors, and airmen continue the fight, but much happens behind the lines too. Turtledove's characters include Jewish immigrants who are socialist and antiwar, a widow running a coffee house in CSA-occupied Washington, D.C., who passes information to the USA, and two Canadian farmers living under U.S. occupation in Quebec and Manitoba. He vividly conveys the human side of war. When Joe Hammerschmitt gets a shoulder wound in the Virginia trenches: </p><blockquote><p>... pain warred with exultation on his long, thin face. Exultation won. 'Got me a hometowner, looks like,' he said happily. Half the men up there with him made sympathetic noises; the other half looked frankly jealous. Hammerschmitt was going to be out of the firing line for weeks, maybe months, to come, and they still risked not just death but horrible mutilation every day.</p></blockquote><p>Some find Turtledove's cast too large, the story's action too slow. Others complain that <em>Walk in Hell</em> is too similar to his Worldwar series. Alternate history buffs, however, will marvel at his mastery of detail, enjoy following his logic as he pursues military and social developments onward in time, and find it hard to wait for the next in the series. <em>--Nona Vero</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>The Hugo Award-winning master of alternate world histories presents the second volume in the WWI series he began last year with The Great War: American Front. In Turtledove's version of the War to End All Wars, conflict rages on the American continent between the USA (with 34 states) and the Confederate States of America, which won secession during the Civil War. Allied with Germany and France, the USA in 1915 hopes to take advantage of a weakened CSA, which is plagued by a socialist revolution engineered by its former slaves. Setting his tale on a suitably large canvas, Turtledove introduces a variety of characters who exemplify the diverse political and economic circumstances of the period: Anne Colleton, a former Confederate landowner, must learn to cooperate with her activist fieldhands; Flora Hamburger, a New York intellectual, fights against class injustice and runs for a seat as a socialist congresswoman; Confederate sub commander Roger Kimball plans a risky attack on New York Harbor. Turtledove judiciously blends famous historical characters into the plot, so readers learn of General Custer's frustration at being unable to conquer Tennessee and see Woodrow Wilson as a Confederate president. Although there are numerous battle scenes, the gore is restrained. Instead, the author emphasizes character, and his thorough knowledge of the period's history will, as usual, captivate his readers, Foreign rights sold in the U.K. (Aug.) <br />Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>The historian and the creative writer unite in Turtledove to craft another impressive novel, this one the third in his series about an alternate WWI (American Front, Walk in Hell), which has seen a weakened Confederate States of America not only combating the U.S.A. but facing a communist revolt from within staged by its black slaves. In this imaginative sequel, Turtledove displays his usual mastery at maintaining suspense across a broad canvas, with characters that fans will be glad to encounter again: feisty Southern aristocrat Anne Colleton leads a group of militiamen to try to wrest control of her shattered plantation, Marshlands, from the Reds; short-order cook Nellie Semphroch and her amorous daughter escape trial as collaborators thanks to a visit from Teddy Roosevelt; General Custer and his unprecedented command of the army's "barrels"AtanksAdivision leads to the U.S. scoring some lightning-fast victories. Peace is won, but at a high cost: working mother Sylvia Enos must face the future without a job and as a widow, while Confederate sub commander Roger Kimball may face a war crimes tribunal. Echoing the Treaty of Versailles, the victors make the grave mistake of punishing their enemies so that they dream of revenge. Although a complete and skillfully executed tale in itself, this epic story leaves enough plot threads dangling to demand a fourth novel to tie them up. (Aug.) <br />Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>As World War I rages across a divided American continent, the beleaguered United States seeks the opportune moment to gain revenge against its Confederate enemies regardless of the cost. Building on the momentum of the previous two series novels, The Great War: American Front and The Great War: Walk in Hell, Turtledove follows his large cast of historical and fictional characters through the turning point of the war to end all wars. Alternate history's grand master displays his acute knowledge of American history as well as his keen imagination as he paints a vivid portrait of a past that could have been. A good choice for most libraries. <br />Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Alternate-history maestro Turtledove's conclusion to his Worldwar and Colonization sagas, about how lizard-like aliens known as the Race invaded Earth during WWII and were fought to a stalemate by the major Allied and Axis combatants, lacks the vividly described battle scenes of its predecessors, but more than compensates by closely examining the Race's culture and society. While the Race have colonized much of Earth, they're amazed by the human ability to adapt to change. (The aliens' probe some 600 years earlier led them to expect they'd be facing armored knights.) When an American starship makes the trip to Home, the Race's planet of origin, the lizards fear the loss of their technological dominance and decide to annihilate Earth, their colony included... The question of how much common ground exists between the lizards and humans wouldn't have been out of place in old issues of <em>Astounding</em>. The author dramatizes the old "nature versus nurture" argument through the moving stories of a human woman raised from birth by the lizards and of two aliens raised as humans. Fans will be pleased that room remains for a sequel. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Turtledove brings the saga of the Lizards (the Race) and the Tosevites (Big Uglies, or humans) to a resounding and massive conclusion. The human race has developed a starship, and early in the book, it appears in the skies of Home. That sets the Race by the ears (well, it would if they had any), and their respect for and fear of the Tosevites' rate of change and technological ingenuity has them waiting for the other shoe to drop, though they don't wear shoes. [...] Turtledove keeps the story from becoming too convoluted by focusing on Sam Yeager, successful diplomat in spite of himself, and his family, and on Kassquit, the human baby raised as a Lizard, and thereby produces not only a more coherent narrative but also tours de force of characterization. Which is not to say that the book is free of japes, wordplay, and such odd devices as an aging Matt Damon in a pornographic historical epic, all of which reassure the reader that this is indeed a case of Turtledove in full cry. The whole saga, begun in the Worldwar series and continued in the Colonization trilogy, may not quite equal Turtledove's alternate America books, but it certainly ranks as something few other writers would have attempted and even fewer would have brought off so well. <em>Roland Green</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p><em></em>The dazzling story of a boy who rises from poverty and hardship to become the greatest leader his world has ever known<br /><em></em><br />KRISPOS RISING<br />Born a ragged peasant, Krispos lives on the family farm until crushing taxes drove him from the land he calls home. With only a single gold piece to his name–a gift from a nomad chieftain who claimed it carried magic–Krispos heads for the imperial capital, Videssos, and into a world of peril and possibility.   </p><p>KRISPOS OF VIDESSOS<br />Krispos’ reign as emperor of Videssos shows every sign of being brief and very bloody–for trouble is brewing. Civil war has erupted, and as rebel troops take the field against the untried emperor, outland raiders are sweeping down from the northlands in a tide of carnage. How long can Krispos hope to keep head and crown together?  </p><p>KRISPOS THE EMPEROR<br />A strange heresy has taken root in the land and soon dissent flares into open revolt as Krispos faces his greatest challenge: To save his empire from tearing itself apart, he wages an evermore desperate war against an implacable foe, setting brother against brother and father against son. </p><h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p>Chapter 1  </p><p>The thunder of hoofbeats. shouts in a harsh tongue. Krispos opened one eye. It was still dark. It felt like the middle of the night. He shook his head. He did not like noise that woke him up when he should have been asleep. He closed the eye and snuggled down between his mother and father on the straw palliasse he and they and his little sister used for a bed.  </p><p>His parents woke, too, just when he was trying to go back to sleep. Krispos felt their bodies stiffen on either side of him. His sister Evdokia slept on. Some people have all the luck, he thought, though he’d never thought of Evdokia as particularly lucky before. Not only was she three—half his age—she was a girl.  </p><p>The shouts turned to screams. One of the screams had words: “The Kubratoi! The Kubratoi are in the village!”  </p><p>His mother gasped. “Phos save us!” she said, her voice almost as shrill as the cries of terror in the darkness outside.  </p><p>“The good god saves through what people do,” his father said. The farmer sprang to his feet. That woke Evdokia, where nothing else had. She started to cry. “Keep her quiet, Tatze!” Krispos’ father growled. His mother cuddled Evdokia, softly crooned to her.  </p><p>Krispos wondered whether he’d get cuddled if he started crying. He thought he’d be more likely to get his father’s hand on his backside or across his face. Like every farm boy from anywhere near the town of Imbros, he knew who the Kubratoi were: wild men from north of the mountains. “Will we fight them, Father?” he asked. Just the other day, with a stick for a sword, he’d slain a dozen make-believe robbers.  </p><p>But his father shook his head. “Real fighting is for soldiers. The Kubratoi, curse ’em, are soldiers. We aren’t. They’d kill us, and we couldn’t do much in the way of fighting back. This isn’t play, boy.”  </p><p>“What will we do, Phostis?” his mother asked above Evdokia’s sniffles. She sounded almost ready to cry herself. That frightened Krispos more than all the racket outside. What could be worse than something bad enough to frighten his mother?  </p><p>The answer came in a moment: something bad enough to frighten his father. “We run,” Phostis said grimly, “unless you’d sooner be dragged north by the two-legged wolves out there. That’s why I built close to the forest; that’s why I built the door facing away from most of the houses: to give us a chance to run, if the Kubratoi ever came down again.”  </p><p>His mother bent, rose again. “I have the baby.”  </p><p>In her arms, Evdokia said indignantly, “Not a baby!” Then she started to cry again.  </p><p>No one paid any attention to her. Krispos’ father took him by the shoulder, so hard that his flimsy nightshirt might as well not have stood between man’s flesh and boy’s. “Can you run to the trees, son, fast as you can, and hide yourself till the bad men go away?”  </p><p>“Yes, Father.” Put that way, it sounded like a game. Krispos had played more games in the forest than he could count.  </p><p>“Then run!” His father threw open the door. Out he darted. His mother followed, still holding Evdokia. Last came his father. Krispos knew his father could run faster than he could, but his father didn’t try, not tonight. He stayed between his family and the village.  </p><p>Bare feet skimming across the ground, Krispos looked back over his shoulder. He’d never seen so many horses or so many torches in his life before. All the horses had strangers on them—the fearsome Kubratoi, he supposed. He could see a lot of villagers, too. The horsemen rounded up more of them every second.  </p><p>“Don’t look, boy! Run!” his father said. Krispos ran. The blessed trees drew nearer and nearer. But a new shout was up, too, and horses drummed their way. The sound of pursuit grew with horrid quickness. Breath sobbing in his throat, Krispos thought how unfair it was that horses could run so fast.  </p><p>“You stop, or we shoot you!” a voice called from behind. Krispos could hardly understand it; he had never heard Videssian spoken with any accent but the country twang of his own village.  </p><p>“Keep running!” his father said. But riders flashed by Krispos on either side, so close he could feel the wind from their horses, so close he could smell the beasts. They wheeled, blocking him and his family from the safety of the woods.  </p><p>Still with the feeling it was all a game, Krispos wheeled to dash off in some new direction. Then he saw the other horsemen, the pair who had gone after his father. One carried a torch, to give them both light to see by. It also let Krispos clearly see them, see their fur caps, the matted beards that seemed to complement those caps, their boiled-leather armor, the curved swords on their hips, the way they sat their mounts as if part of them. Frozen in time, the moment stayed with Krispos as long as he lived.  </p><p>The second rider, the one without a torch, held a bow. It had an arrow in it, an arrow drawn and pointed at Krispos’ father. That was when it stopped being play for the boy. He knew about bows, and how people were supposed to be careful with them. If these wild men didn’t know that, time someone taught them.  </p><p>He marched straight up to the Kubratoi. “You turn the aim of that arrow aside this instant,” he told them. “You might hurt someone with it.”  </p><p>Both Kubratoi stared at him. The one with the bow threw back his head and howled laughter. The wild man did sound like a wolf, Krispos thought, shivering. He wished his voice had been big and deep like his father’s, not a boy’s squeak. The rider wouldn’t have laughed then.  </p><p>The rider probably would have shot him, but he did not think of that until years later. As it was, the Kubrati, still laughing, set down his bow, made an extravagant salute from the saddle. “Anything you say, little khagan, anything you say.” He chuckled, wiping his face with the back of his hand. Then he raised his eyes to meet those of Krispos’ father, who had hurried up to do what he could for the boy. “Not need to shoot now, eh, farmer-man?”  </p><p>“No,” Krispos’ father agreed bitterly. “You’ve caught us, all right.”  </p><p>Along with his parents and Evdokia, Krispos walked slowly back to the village. A couple of horsemen stayed with them; the other two rode ahead so they could get back to doing whatever Kubratoi did. That, Krispos already suspected, was nothing good.  </p><p>He remembered the strange word the rider with the bow had used. “Father, what does ‘khagan’ mean?”  </p><p>“It’s what the Kubratoi call their chieftain. If he’d been a Videssian, he would have called you ‘Avtokrator’ instead.”  </p><p>“Emperor? That’s silly.” Even with his world coming apart, Krispos found he could still laugh.  </p><p>“So it is, boy,” his father said grimly. He paused, then went on in a different tone, as if beginning to enjoy the joke himself: “Although there’s said to be Vaspurakaner blood on my side of the family, and the Vaspurs all style themselves ‘prince.’ Bet you didn’t know your father was a prince, eh, son?”  </p><p>“Stop it, Phostis!” Krispos’ mother said. “The priest says that nonsense about princes is heresy and nothing else but. Don’t pass it on to the boy.”  </p><p>“Heresy is what the priest is supposed to know about,” his father agreed, “but I won’t argue about the nonsense part. Who ever heard of a prince going hungry?”  </p><p>His mother sniffed, but made no further answer. They were inside the village by then, back where other people could hear them—not good, not if they wanted to talk of heresy. “What will they do with us?” was a safer question to ask, though not one, necessarily, with a surer answer. The villagers stood around under the bows of the Kubratoi, waiting.  </p><p>Then more riders came up, these leading not people but the village’s herds and flocks. “Are the animals coming with us, Father?” Krispos asked. He had not expected the Kubratoi to be so considerate.  </p><p>“With us, aye, but not for us,” was all his father said.  </p><p>The Kubratoi started shouting, both those who spoke Videssian and those who did not. The villagers looked at one another, trying to figure out what the wild men meant. Then they saw the direction in which the cattle and sheep were going. They followed the beasts northward.  </p><p>For krispos, the trek to kubrat was the best adventure he’d ever had. Tramping along all day was no harder than the chores he would have been doing had the raiders not descended on his village, and he always had something new to see. He’d never imagined, before, how big the world was.  </p><p>That the march was forced hardly entered his mind. He ate better on it than he had at home; the Kubrati he’d defied that first night decided to make a pet of him and brought him chunks of roast lamb and beef. Soon other riders took up the game, so the “little khagan” sometimes found himself with more than he could eat.  </p><p>At his father’s urging, he never let on. Whenever the Kubratoi did not insist on having him eat in front of them, he passed their tidbits on to the rest of the family. The way he made the food disappear earned him a reputation as a bottomless pit, which only brought more his way.  </p><p>By the end of the third day on the road north, the raiders who had descended on his village met with other bands bringing captives and booty back to Kubrat. That took Krispos by surprise. He had never given any thought to the world beyond the fields he knew. Now he saw he and his family were caught up in... </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Because of rising taxes on his village and the untimely deaths of his parents and sister, young Krispos is forced to leave the family farm and seek his fortune elsewhere. He heads to the imperial city of Videssos, taking with him the magic goldpiece bestowed upon him as a child by the emperor. Krispos first gains employment as a groom for the lecherous Iakovitzes, but the stage is set for what will follow when a noblewoman, Tanilis, has a vision of Krispos as "Majesty." Through Iakovitzes's political connections, Krispos eventually earns the trust of the lighthearted emperor Anthimos, and becomes his chamberlain, but he also earns the distrust of the emperor's uncle, Petronas, who casts a sorcerer's spell on the increasingly influential young man. This is only a temporary setback, however, as Anthimos quashes Petronas's imperial aspirations and sends him packing to a monastery. In this prequel to his Videssos Cycle series , Turtledove provides a thoroughly engrossing adventure about a young farmer, thrown to the wolves in the imperial city, who not only survives but rises above it all. <br />Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Videssos was beset by enemies abroad and had fallen into decadence at home. But on his first night in the imperial capital, The Empires health mattered less to Krispos than finding a dry place to sleep.  </p><p>Driven by crushing taxes from the farm where his family had lived -- and died -- Krispos had come to the. city seeking what fortune a good mind and a strong back could earn. He had a single goldpiece to his name -- the gift, years past, of a nomad chieftain to a ragged peasant boy. Now, though the night was raw and the inn was warm, he was loath to spend that coin, for the barbarian had claimed it carried magic.  </p><p>Keep his lucky goldpiece or trade it for a warm, dry bed? Krispos tucked the coin away and stepped back into the wet streets -- all unaware that so simple a choice would lead to a world of peril and possibility... </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In this well-thought-out alternate history, the first in a new trilogy, Turtledove (_American Empire_) combines elements of the Civil War and WWII with disturbing results. Confederate President Jake Featherstone has launched an undeclared war of revenge on the U.S.A., with Rebel "barrels" (tanks) cutting the nation in half. U.S. President Al Smith doesn't sue for peace as expected, causing unreconstructed Canadians to sabotage the now-vital Northern rail system holding the nation together. Mormon separatists have once more revolted against the federal government, and Louis Armstrong, who has defected to the North, brings with him chilling evidence of the Confederate "population reductions" (genocide) of African-Americans. Turtledove's depiction of how easily the C.S.A. could carry out genocide—and do so with less cost to the conscience than the Germans experienced in the real Holocaust—coupled with the "so what?" reaction of Northerners when this is publicized makes a disturbing commentary on the state of race relations in both parts of our country. While some of the character descriptions are repetitious, the author handles his huge cast with admirable skill. The insights into racial politics elevate this novel to a status above mere entertainment, although it provides that aplenty. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>The latest volume of Turtledove's epic variation on American history, which opens the trilogy Settling Accounts, takes us to the opening battles of World War II. The Confederacy is better prepared for war than the U.S., and the conflict's initial stages develop in favor of the Confederacy; in tandem, Tom Colleton loses his sister but meets a formidable armored commander named Patton. The Quebecois occupy the rest of Canada; in reaction, Mary Pomeroy grimly determines to keep the resistance going, even though the risks of doing so steadily increase. Although Clarence Potter loves Jake Featherston no more than he ever did, he remains just as loyal a head of Confederate intelligence. Meanwhile, this alternate history's variation on the Holocaust marches forward, with Jefferson Pinkard simultaneously inventing new ways of executing African Americans and courting the widow of one of his guards. Scipio is trying to stay alive despite resistance fighters setting off car bombs too close for comfort, and Cincinnatus Driver is, willy-nilly, joining a resistance movement that promises to give this Holocaust a number of twists away from its model. Turtledove produces yet another absorbing installment of his character-centered alternate-history saga. <em>Roland Green</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>In Turtledove's engrossing second book in the alternate history master's Settling Accounts trilogy (after 2004's <em>Return Engagement</em>), Confederate forces, in an undeclared war of revenge that coincides with WWII, have split the United States from the Ohio River to Lake Erie, but this only stiffens Yankee resolve. Insurrection breaks out in occupied Canada and in Mormon Utah, resulting in harsh reprisals by U.S. troops against civilians, while Confederate President Jake Featherstone pushes for more "population reductions" of freed slaves. As in the previous volume, Turtledove comes up with convincing analogues to events during WWII, such as the Confederate army's Stalingrad-like defeat around Pittsburgh. On the other hand, his portrait of the führer-like Featherstone is less persuasive. The Southern leader shows more courage and flexibility than his model, making intimations of future behavior a procrustean attempt to force him back into a Hitlerian mold. There's enough back story for the benefit of new readers, while established fans, despite the repetition, will find this latest installment thoroughly satisfying. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> The second volume of Turtledove's third alternate World War II trilogy, Settling Accounts, is in many ways the strongest one in any of them. The Confederacy has given its best shot at cutting the U.S. in two between the Ohio River and the Great Lakes, but U.S. production and tenacity are beginning not only to hold the line but also to regain lost ground. Meanwhile, at sea the primary opponents are the U.S and Britain, and "deep in the heart of Texas," nobody is singing as Jake Featherston's final solution to the Negro problem picks up speed. There is plenty of action, and, of course, characterization remains one of Turtledove's long suits. But the real strength of the book, and of the whole alternate-history saga of which it is neither least nor last, lies in the juxtaposition of events not usually associated with people who could be readers' parents or grandparents. Firing squad executions in Canada? Suicide bombers in Utah and the Deep South? A U.S. destroyer escort sinking a British Q-ship? The pacing practically compels one to keep reading, but after a certain point, Turtledove's not-just-refutation but massacre of "American exceptionalism" may bring some readers to the point of putting the book away and seeking a soothing, cozy novel by Stephen King. <em>Roland Green</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>The compelling third volume (after <em>Drive to the East</em>) in Turtledove's third alternate history of WWII series opens with the Confederacy reeling after the loss of their forces in the cauldron around Pittsburgh. The United States is trying to suppress the Mormon rebellion in Utah, while Canadian patriots fight the occupying Yanks to a stalemate. Negro guerrillas who escaped being swept up into death camps authorized by C.S.A. President Jake Featherstone disrupt the rural economy. Meanwhile, both sides work feverishly to win the race to build an atomic bomb. One may question the appropriateness of using the Holocaust as a springboard for an entertainment, but Turtledove convincingly depicts how an American holocaust could well have happened. Some Confederates begin to feel pangs of conscience, just as the U.S. troops who execute hostages among the Mormon, Canadian and Confederate civilians feel nothing but repulsion. While somewhat repetitious and a bit preachy in spots, Turtledove's latest proves that third time is the charm. <em>(July)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>The latest volume of Settling Accounts, Turtledove's magisterial saga of an alternate America--and world----ratchets up the levels of violence and tension. Through Franklin Roosevelt, Flora Blackford is keeping apprised of everybody's nuclear weapons programs as well as Confederate efforts to develop a ballistic missile. In the West, people of all races, colors, and genders die in gruesome numbers as the U.S. Army advances on the Confederate extermination camp, Camp Determination. Jonathan Moss roams Georgia with a band of African American guerrillas, trying to get back into the war. And George Enos now serves aboard Sam Carsten's <em>Josephus Daniels</em> and confronts a British Swordfish torpedo bomber that seems one entire war out-of-date. Responding with this-world prejudices, purists will complain that the alternative-world British would have built something better, or that the Confederates never could have built a V-2. Readers of broader vision will realize that Turtledove is hanging the notion of American exceptionalism out to dry and underlining how much luck the U.S. has needed to accomplish even as much as it has in preserving democracy, making peace among races, and not having its soldiers slaughtered by the millions and its cities wrecked by the score. A profoundly thoughtful masterpiece of alternate history. <em>Roland Green</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Alternate history master Turtledove brings his 10-book saga of a Confederate Civil War victory to a satisfying if predictable conclusion. Outfought by the United States and their German allies (as anticipated in 2006's <em>Settling Accounts: The Grapple</em>), the Confederates finally surrender, ending WWII. Now the Southern states must be brought back into the Union after four wars and 80 years of independence. The victorious Northern forces wage a brutal occupation, ruthlessly retaliating against the local population for ambushes and car bombs. While the Union joyously punishes the persecutors of those Negro residents of the Confederacy who survived the Freedom Party's genocide campaign, it fails to remedy its treatment of its own black citizens. With Canada and the secessionist Mormon territories remaining under martial law, some readers may wish that Turtledove follows this time line into uncharted territory in yet another sequel. <em>(July)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Here ends (probably) alternate history's closest rival—10 volumes and a prequel—to Robert Jordan's plethoric fantasy, the 11-volume Wheel of Time. The Confederacy crumbles in ruins, as Jake Featherstone meets the end he richly deserves. Generals Dowling and Morrell end with the high rank and position their efforts deserve, while Michael Pound recovers from burns received in a well-drawn tank battle, and Chester Martin ends his second war successfully, having kept his platoon commander from killing the whole platoon. On the other hand, the saga's four-contestant nuclear race leaves four nuclear powers still standing at war's end, and both soldiers and civilians contemplating the spectacle with crossed fingers. Moreover, race relations in the defunct Confederacy are horrible, entailing the murder of at least six million "colored," a genocide that dwarfs this-world Bosnia and Rwanda combined. Meanwhile, Clarence Potter, Cincinnatus Driver, and Flora Blackford will be working to heal the malignant scars in Turtledove's parallel continuum, so who can say how the U.S. might emerge? Perhaps into a three-cornered cold war (U.S., Germany, Japan)—if and when Turtledove obliges reader curiosity A conclusion worthy of a nonpareil saga. Green, Roland </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><em>What if</em>? Harry Turtledove, renowned alt-historian and the editor of this anthology, calls that question "those two mournful little words." But little though they might be, they inspired some of the previous century's most brilliant speculative fiction, including the 14 short stories collected here.</p><p>And with contributors like Poul Anderson, Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Larry Niven, Kim Stanley Robinson, Bruce Sterling, and Turtledove himself, there's truly not a clunker in the bunch. All of these stories revolve around Turtledove's central beard-tugging question, but they vary wildly in style, mood, and approach. Many toy with how the future might be altered had some particular event turned out differently (what if the Confederates had won at Gettysburg, or the <em>Enola Gay</em> had crashed before making its fateful flight?), while others follow dimension-hoppers traveling through tangled branches of our timeline (as in Sterling's "Mozart in Mirrorshades," Anderson's "Eutopia," and Jack L. Chalker's surreal ferry ride through "Dance Band on the <em>Titanic</em>").</p><p>All but four of these stories were written in the last two decades of the century--before then, Turtledove suggests in part, we weren't scientifically certain about whether Martians and "oceans on Venus full of reptilian monsters" might exist, so we were satisfied by more conventional, planet-faring SF. But the ideas that the contributors wrestle with here, and that irresistible human urge to speculate about the implications of our actions (and whether our decisions matter at all), prove timeless. <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>A ghostly ferry makes passages between coexisting "different Earths"; a 20th-century man describes his impact on the Civil War, brought about by time-machine tricks; and Mozart, Thomas Jefferson and Marie Antoinette end up as employees at an oil refinery in The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century, edited by Harry Turtledove with Martin H. Greenberg. Contributors include Poul Anderson, Kim Stanley Robinson, Ward Moore and Susan Shwartz.</p><p>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>It's not merely a task that's thankless--it's impossible. How can you hope to pick out the best of anything, let alone from such a contentious category as SF (and military SF, at that)? But this 13-story collection really <em>does</em> pull together at least <em>some</em> of the best short stories penned for the genre in the last century. Thanks to editors Harry Turtledove and Martin H. Greenberg, you'll find some of science fiction's biggest names--and most influential shorts--in this expertly chosen anthology.</p><p>Chronologically, the entries range from '50s pieces like Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" and Arthur C. Clarke's "Superiority" to more modern ruminations on war like "The Scapegoat" by C.J. Cherryh and "To the Storming Gulf" by Gregory Benford. But rather than quality (all these stories are of inarguable pedigree) or even breadth, what might recommend these most to readers new to them are the ideas and other works they later inspired: Anne McCaffrey's "Dragonrider" and Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" both gave rise to phenomenally successful series, Joe W. Haldeman's "Hero" preceded __, and Philip K. Dick's "Second Variety" became the SF thriller <em>Screamers</em>. The collection also gives you a glimpse of what dark thoughts were rattling around the heads of prolific writers like David Drake and George R.R. Martin in the '70s. <em>--Paul Hughes</em></p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>The Best Military Science Fiction of the 20th Century, edited by Harry Turtledove with Martin H. Greenberg, musters 13 tales by such top brass of this popular subgenre as Orson Scott Card, David Drake, George R.R. Martin, Arthur C. Clarke and editor Turtledove, who provides an introduction. SF military addicts won't need a direct order to seize a copy of this one. </p><p>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p>


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What if V-E Day didn’t end World War II in Europe? What if, instead, the Allies had to face a potent, even fanatical, postwar Nazi resistance? Such a movement, based in the fabled Alpine Redoubt, was in fact a real threat, ultimately neutralized by Germany’s flagging resources and squabbling officials. But had SS Obergruppenführer Reinhard Heydrich, the notorious Man with the Iron Heart, not been assassinated in 1942, fate might have taken a different turn. We might likely have seen a German guerrilla war launched against the conquerors, presaging by more than half a century the protracted conflict with an unrelenting enemy that now engulfs the United States and its allies in Iraq. How might today’s clash of troops versus terrorists have played out in 1945?In this imagined world, Nazi forces resort to unconventional warfare, using the quick and dirty tactics of terrorism–booby traps, time bombs, mortar and rocket strikes in the night, assassinations, even kamikaze-style suicide attacks–to overturn what seemed to be a decisive Allied victory. In November 1945, a truck bomb blows up the Nuremberg Palace of Justice, where high-ranking Nazi officials are about to stand trial for war crimes. None of the accused are there when the bomb goes off, but their judges, all of them present and accounted for, are annihilated. Worse acts of terrorism follow all over Europe.Suddenly the Allies–especially the United States–must battle an invisible enemy and sacrifice countless lives in a long, seemingly pointless, unwinnable conflict. On the home front, patriotism corrodes, political fortunes are made and lost in the face of an antiwar backlash, and a once-proud country wonders how the righteous fight for freedom overseas has collapsed into a hopeless quagmire. At once a novel of thrilling military suspense, intriguing alternate history, and profound insight into contemporary affairs, The Man with the Iron Heart is a tour de force by a storyteller of exceptional imaginative power.


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A stroke of the pen and history is changed. In 1938, British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain, determined to avoid war at any cost, signed the Munich Accord, ceding part of Czechoslovakia to Hitler. But the following spring, Hitler snatched the rest of that country and pushed beyond its borders. World War II had begun, and England, after a fatal act of appeasement, was fighting a war for which it was not prepared. Now, in this thrilling, provocative, and fascinating alternate history by Harry Turtledove, another scenario is played out: What if Chamberlain had not signed the accord? What if Hitler had acted rashly, before his army was ready---would such impatience have helped him or doomed him faster? Here is an action-packed, blow-by-blow chronicle of the war that might have been and the repercussions that might have echoed through history had Hitler reached too far, too soon, and too fast. Turtledove uses dozens of points of view to tell this story: from American marines serving in Japanese-occupied China to members of a Jewish German family with a proud history of war service to their nation, from ragtag volunteers fighting in the Abraham Lincoln Battalion in Spain to an American woman desperately trying to escape Nazi-occupied territory and witnessing the war from within the belly of the beast. A novel that reveals the human face of war while simultaneously riding the twists and turns that make up the great acts of history, Hitler's War is the beginning of an exciting new alternate history saga. Here is a tale of powerful leaders and ordinary people, of spies, soldiers, and traitors, of the shifting alliances that draw some together while tearing others apart. At once authoritative, brilliantly imaginative, and hugely entertaining, Hitler's War captures the beginning of a very different World War II with a very different fate for our world today. From the Hardcover edition.


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Having laid out the course of "the war that came early" in 2009's Hitler's War, Turtledove focuses on turning his characters from stock military figures into specialists. In this version of WWII, the Nazis fail to take Paris. The German war machine, apparently fed by infinite soldiers, turns not only to the western and eastern fronts but also north to Denmark. The novel most fully shines when the characters are allowed to strive for their full potential: Czech sniper Vaclav Jezek adopts an antitank rifle as his favorite weapon; German pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel ingeniously modifies his aircraft; Soviet soldier Chaim Weinberg becomes a Party propagandist; and the Goldman family tries to achieve a semblance of normal life in Nazi-ruled Münster. The war is always present, though, and there's plenty to satisfy fans of military strategy, tactics, and armaments. <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p><em>Starred Review</em> Continuing on from Hitler’s War (2009), it is now 1939, and both Germany and Russia are faced with wars on two fronts. Sergeant Fujita fights to cut off Vladivostok, while Russian pilot Sergei Yaroslavsky fights the Germans and their Polish (!) allies outside Warsaw. British Sergeant Alistair Walsh acquires a pet cat and an unreasonable familiarity with Norwegian weather as the German invasion of Scandinavia leaves the peripatetic Peggy Druce marooned in Sweden. Meanwhile, one of the few real-historical characters, Stuka pilot Hans-Ulrich Rudel, earns the Knight’s Cross for discovering how to turn the lumbering dive bomber into a lethal tank-buster. In Spain, Chaim Weinberg learns that the dialectic he knows so well can be as effective a weapon as a rifle, and in Shanghai, marine corporal Pete McGill learns that it may be a long, hard road to marrying his beloved, White Russian refugee Vera. And so it whirls on, the suspense building inexorably, thanks to two of Turtledove’s gifts, in particular. One is for portraying so much of the action from the viewpoint of the grunts, or even civilians, who know little of what the Great Ones are up to until the consequences are all over them. The other proceeds from the first and is for envisioning WWII unraveling like an endless ball of yarn in the paws of an intelligent kitten. Keep reading or miss something exceedingly fine. --Roland Green </p>


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<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Communist China, Japan, Nazi Germany, the United States: they began World War II as mortal enemies. But suddenly their only hope for survival--never mind victory--was to unite to stop a mighty foe--one whose frightening technology appeared invincible.   </p><p>Far worse beings than the Nazis were loose. From Warsaw to Moscow to China's enemy-occupied Forbidden City, the nations of the world had been forced into an uneasy alliance since humanity began its struggle against overwhelming odds. In Britain and Germany, where the banshee wail of hostile jets screamed across the land, caches of once-forbidden weapons were unearthed, and unthinkable tactics were employed against the enemy. Brilliantly innovative military strategists confronted challenges unprecedented in the history of warfare.   </p><p>Even as lack of fuel forced people back to horse and carriage, physicists worked feverishly to create the first atomic bombs--with horrifying results. City after city joined the radioactive pyre as the planet erupted in fiery ruins. Yet the crisis continued--on land, sea, and in the air--as humanity writhed in global combat. The tactics of daredevil guerrillas everywhere became increasingly ingenious against a superior foe whose desperate retaliation would grow ever more fearsome.   </p><p>No one had ever put the United States, or the world, in such deadly danger. But if the carnage and annihilation ever stopped, would there be any pieces to pick up? </p><h3>From the Publisher</h3><p>What got me about the Worldwar series wasn't the aliens. It wasn't the warfare (though Harry's really good at it--I especially love the tanks). It wasn't even the fact that he'd turned history on its ear in a big way. No, it was the people.   </p><p>If they were historical figures, like Josef Stalin, or Adolf Hitler, or Omar Bradley, he really brought them back to life. But even they took a back seat to Harry's original characters--the soldiers, the civilians, the resistance members, the spies. Whether they were American or Russian or British or Chinese, he made me care about them, about their lives and their loves. And he made me care a lot about their deaths--the kind of deaths that happen in war.  </p><p>He made the most out of cultural juxtaposition, when a Polish Jew had to fight alongside a Nazi, or a British officer found himself in a tumultuous affair with a female Russian pilot (and sharpshooter--whoosh). These were the real people, They took a science fiction alternate history and elevated it to a new level. The result is a terrific adventure.<br />                                --Steve Saffel, Senior Editor </p>


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Turtledove's grand tetralogy of an alternate WWII interrupted by an alien invasion draws to a satisfactory conclusion in this follow-up to Upsetting the Balance, and with a few surprises to boot. The Chinese woman Liu Han, for example, is seen climbing the hierarchy of the Chinese Communist Party as it comes under the control of Mao Zedong. Moishe Russie helps negotiate the final armed truce between the alien Lizards and the humans, with the Lizards withdrawing from most human territory in return for being allowed to settle many deserts in anticipation of the arrival of their colonists. (Neither side can survive an indefinitely prolonged nuclear exchange, and the Lizard edge in technology has been rapidly vanishing.) Readers will be happy to see Ludmila Gorbunova and Heinrich Jaeger reunited, and to note their roles in the final disposition of the heroic lunatic Otto Skorzeny. Turtledove's historical scholarship, narrative technique, dry wit and deft characterization distinguish this novel just as they did its predecessors, making it a rousing wrap-up to a monument of alternate history from a master of the genre. <br />Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>In this fourth book and conclusion to the alternate World War II history series (the prior installment was Worldwar: Upsetting the Balance, LJ 12/95), Turtledove mixes historical and fictional characters in a war of combined Axis and Allied forces against invading reptilian aliens. Recommended for collections with the earlier books.<br />Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>


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<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>This intelligent speculative novel depicts an alternate history in which, at the height of World War II, Earth is attacked by alien beings with weapons far more destructive than any possessed by the Allied or Axis forces. Turtledove ( The Guns of the South ) gives a surprisingly convincing flavor to the time-worn story of warring nations uniting to repel extraterrestrials; his human characters, both actual and invented, ring true as they struggle to trust each other after years of enmity, and although the alien threat has a B-movie feel, he makes an effort to portray the invaders sympathetically as well. The first in a projected series, the book ends where it began: in and around a battle. The smooth writing is marred only by slightly overdone dialogue for real-life figures like General Patton. The historical details, especially those concerning the weapons and methods available in the 1940s to defend Earth, are accurate and well rendered. <br>Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From Library Journal</h3><p>The year is 1942. In Russia, Hitler's panzers are fighting a losing battle; in China, Japanese invaders ravage the countryside; in England, the RAF watches the skies for enemy bombers; in Chicago, scientists frantically try to unlock the secrets of the atom--and in the skies overhead, an alien army launches its forces to conquer the Earth. Turtledove ( The Guns of the South , LJ 9/1/92) excels in alternate history, and this panoramic exploration of a world at war with itself and with invaders from beyond the galaxy showcases his fertile imagination. A feast for history buffs as well as sf fans, this title belongs in most libraries.<br>Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p>

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<div><meta charset="utf-8"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: verdana, arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; "><h3 class="productDescriptionSource" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 1.23em; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0.75em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.375em; margin-left: -15px; clear: left; ">From Publishers Weekly</h3><div class="productDescriptionWrapper" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">This intelligent speculative novel depicts an alternate history in which, at the height of World War II, Earth is attacked by alien beings with weapons far more destructive than any possessed by the Allied or Axis forces. Turtledove ( The Guns of the South ) gives a surprisingly convincing flavor to the time-worn story of warring nations uniting to repel extraterrestrials; his human characters, both actual and invented, ring true as they struggle to trust each other after years of enmity, and although the alien threat has a B-movie feel, he makes an effort to portray the invaders sympathetically as well. The first in a projected series, the book ends where it began: in and around a battle. The smooth writing is marred only by slightly overdone dialogue for real-life figures like General Patton. The historical details, especially those concerning the weapons and methods available in the 1940s to defend Earth, are accurate and well rendered. <br>Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.<div class="emptyClear" style="clear: left; height: 0px; font-size: 0px; "></div></div><h3 class="productDescriptionSource" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-size: 1.23em; font-weight: normal; margin-top: 0.75em; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0.375em; margin-left: -15px; clear: left; ">From Library Journal</h3><div class="productDescriptionWrapper" style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 0px; ">The year is 1942. In Russia, Hitler's panzers are fighting a losing battle; in China, Japanese invaders ravage the countryside; in England, the RAF watches the skies for enemy bombers; in Chicago, scientists frantically try to unlock the secrets of the atom--and in the skies overhead, an alien army launches its forces to conquer the Earth. Turtledove ( The Guns of the South , LJ 9/1/92) excels in alternate history, and this panoramic exploration of a world at war with itself and with invaders from beyond the galaxy showcases his fertile imagination. A feast for history buffs as well as sf fans, this title belongs in most libraries.<br>Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.</div></span></div>


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<p>When a whale beaches itself on the shore of the remote coastal town of Paradise Deep, the last thing any of the townspeople expect to find inside it is a man, silent and reeking of fish, but remarkably alive. The discovery of this mysterious person, soon christened Judah, sets the town scrambling for answers as its most prominent citizens weigh in on whether he is man or beast, blessing or curse, miracle or demon.</p><p>Though Judah is a shocking addition, the town of Paradise Deep is already full of unusual characters. King-me Sellers, self-appointed patriarch, has it in for an inscrutable woman known only as Devine's Widow, with whom he has a decades-old feud. Her granddaughter, Mary Tryphena, is just a child when Judah washes ashore, but finds herself tied to him all her life in ways she never expects. Galore is the story of the saga that develops between these families, full of bitterness and love, spanning two centuries.</p><p>With Paradise Deep, award-winning novelist...


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<h3>Review</h3><p>“Leckie puts you in the foxhole.”—_The New York Times Book Review<br />_<br />“Fast-paced and informative . . . Characters are very much alive on the printed page.”—_Navy Times _  </p><p>“[A] stirring story of America’s survival in its grimmest hour . . . as readable and gripping as a novel.”—_Patriot Ledger_</p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>From Robert Leckie, the World War II veteran and <em>_</em>New York Times_ bestselling author of <em>_</em>Helmet for My Pillow_, whose experiences were featured in the HBO miniseries <em>_</em>The Pacific_, comes this vivid narrative of the astonishing six-month campaign for Guadalcanal.  </p><p>From the Japanese soldiers’ carefully calculated—and ultimately foiled—attempt to build a series of impregnable island forts on the ground to the tireless efforts of the Americans who struggled against a tenacious adversary and the temperature and terrain of the island itself, Robert Leckie captures the loneliness, the agony, and the heat of twenty-four-hour-a-day fighting on Guadalcanal. Combatants from both sides are brought to life: General Archer Vandegrift, who first assembled an amphibious strike force; Isoroku Yamamoto, the naval general whose innovative strategy was tested; the island-born Allied scout Jacob Vouza, who survived hideous torture to uncover the enemy’s plans; and Saburo Sakai, the ace flier who shot down American planes with astonishing ease.  </p><p>Propelling the Allies to eventual victory, Guadalcanal was truly the turning point of the war. <em>Challenge for the Pacific </em>is an unparalleled, authoritative account of this great fight that forever changed our world. </p>


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<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain, centenarian, the last President of the United States, King of Manhattan, and one-half (along with his sister, Eliza) of the most powerful intelligence since Einstein, is penning his autobiography. He occupies the first floor of a ruined Empire State Building and lives like a royal scavenger with his illiterate granddaughter and her beau. Buffeted by fluctuating gravity, the U.S. has been scourged by not one, but two lethal diseases: the Green Death and the Albanian Flu. Consequently, the country has fallen into civil war. (Super-intelligent, miniaturized Chinese watch the West self-destruct from the sidelines.) Swain stayed at the White House until there were no citizens left to govern, then moved to deserted New York City, where he writes a thoughtful missive before death. </p><p>In <em>Slapstick</em>, Vonnegut muses on war, man's hubris, and the awful, crippling loneliness humans are freighted with--but, miraculously, the book still manages to delight and amuse. Absurd, knowing, never depressing, <em>Slapstick</em> kindles hope--for the possibility of wisdom, perhaps; for human resiliency, surely. </p><p>It's best to end with a quote from the prologue wherein the author discourses on The Meaning of It All, or at least This Book: "Love is where you find it. I think it is foolish to go off looking for it, and I think it can often be poisonous. <br />I wish that people who are conventionally supposed to love each other would say to each other, when they fight, 'Please--a little less love, and a little more common decency.'" <br />Amen. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>“Some of the best and most moving Vonnegut.”—_San Francisco Chronicle<br />_<br />“Both funny and sad . . . just about perfect.”—_Los Angeles Times_  </p><p>“Imaginative and hilarious . . . a brilliant vision of our wrecked, wacked-out future.”—_Hartford Courant_</p>


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<h3>Review</h3><p>“[Vonnegut] at his wildest best.”—_The New York Times Book Review_   </p><p>“A brilliantly funny satire on almost everything.”—Conrad Aiken  </p><p>“[Vonnegut was] our finest black humorist. . . . We laugh in self-defense.”—_The Atlantic Monthly_</p><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Eliot Rosewater—drunk, volunteer fireman, and President of the fabulously rich Rosewater Foundation—is about to attempt a noble experiment with human nature . . . with a little help from writer Kilgore Trout. <em>God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater</em> is Kurt Vonnegut’s funniest satire, an etched-in-acid portrayal of the greed, hypocrisy, and follies of the flesh we are all heir to.</p>


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A true story of love, murder, and the end of the world’s “great hush” InThunderstruck, Erik Larson tells the interwoven stories of two men—Hawley Crippen, a very unlikely murderer, and Guglielmo Marconi, the obsessive creator of a seemingly supernatural means of communication—whose lives intersect during one of the greatest criminal chases of all time. Set in Edwardian London and on the stormy coasts of Cornwall, Cape Cod, and Nova Scotia,Thunderstruckevokes the dynamism of those years when great shipping companies competed to build the biggest, fastest ocean liners, scientific advances dazzled the public with visions of a world transformed, and the rich outdid one another with ostentatious displays of wealth. Against this background, Marconi races against incredible odds and relentless skepticism to perfect his invention: the wireless, a prime catalyst for the emergence of the world we know today. Meanwhile, Crippen, “the kindest of men,” nearly commits the perfect crime. With his superb narrative skills, Erik Larson guides these parallel narratives toward a relentlessly suspenseful meeting on the waters of the North Atlantic. Along the way, he tells of a sad and tragic love affair that was described on the front pages of newspapers around the world, a chief inspector who found himself strangely sympathetic to the killer and his lover, and a driven and compelling inventor who transformed the way we communicate.Thunderstruckpresents a vibrant portrait of an era of séances, science, and fog, inhabited by inventors, magicians, and Scotland Yard detectives, all presided over by the amiable and fun-loving Edward VII as the world slid inevitably toward the first great war of the twentieth century. Gripping from the first page, and rich with fascinating detail about the time, the people, and the new inventions that connect and divide us,Thunderstruckis splendid narrative history from a master of the form. From the Hardcover edition.


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<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p><em>Starred Review.</em> Barker, a British biographer (_The Brontës_) and accomplished medievalist, brings an excellent synergy of academic and literary skills to this study of the 1415 British campaign in France and the battle that was its climax, around which she elaborately reconstructs the conflict's antecedents. Henry V spent years preparing the ground: asserting initially shaky authority in England, exploiting domestic strife in France and isolating the disorganized kingdom from its traditional allies. During the campaign itself, a train of artillery manned by foreign gunners supplemented the men-at-arms and the longbowmen, who were the British army's real backbone. But the French were not the vainglorious incompetents of English legend and Shakespearean drama. Many in northern France made a brave effort, often putting aside personal and political differences to stand together at Agincourt, where they came closer to success than is generally realized. Barker shows that the battle hung by a thread: French numbers against English desperation, with courage a common virtue. She also illustrates how Agincourt was decisive—not only for its consequences in France. An English defeat would have meant chaos, perhaps civil war. Destiny on both sides of the Channel turned on the outcome of St. Crispin's Day. <em>(June 14)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>The Battle of Agincourt of 1415 has endured in popular awareness on the strength of Shakespeare's <em>Henry the Fifth.</em> The historical Henry V bears scant resemblance to Falstaff's royal drinking buddy: in Barker's lushly detailed account, Henry V was a pious warrior, an able administrator, and an aggressive diplomat. Barker dwells extensively on Henry's rapid intensification, after ascending to the throne in 1413, of the Hundred Years' War, the English attempt to control the crown and territory of France. As a result, her emphasis on the organization of the campaign that culminated at Agincourt delivers a superb description of how a medieval military force was raised. Founded on feudal precepts of lord-and-vassal obligation, Henry's army and that of France were personalistic, a trait Barker turns to positive advantage in portraying the combatants. From longbow men to men-at-arms, Barker successfully individuates the Agincourt battle so that readers perceive actual people, not just a melee of thousands, engaging in the battle. With fluency and empathy, Barker delivers a superior performance that should capture avid history readers. <em>Gilbert Taylor</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p>


