- Table View
- List View
Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell
by Crickett RumleyExpelled from thirteen boarding schools in the past five years, seventeen-year-old Jane Fontaine Ventouras is returning to her Southern roots, and the small town of Bienville, Alabama, where ladies always wear pearls, nothing says hospitality like sweet teaand pimento cheese sandwiches, and competing in the annual Magnolia Maid Pageant is every girl's dream. But Jane is what you might call an anti-belle--more fishnets and tattoos than sugar and spice. The last thing on her mind is joining the Magnolia Maid brigade and parading around town ina dress so big she can't even fi t through doors. So when she finds herself up to her ears in ruffl es and etiquette lessons, she's got one mission: Escape.What's a hipster to do? Will Jane survive Bienville boot camp intact or will they--gasp!--make a Southern belle out of her yet?
The Sweetest Thing
by Christina MandelskiIn the world of Sheridan Wells, life is perfect when she's decorating a cake. Unfortunately, everything else is a complete mess: her mom ran off years ago, her dad is more interested in his restaurant, and the idea of a boyfriend is laughable. But Sheridan is convinced finding her mom will solve all her problems--only her dad's about to get a cooking show in New York, which means her dream of a perfect family will be dashed. Using just the right amount of romance, family drama, and cute boys, The Sweetest Thing will entice fans with its perfect mixture of girl-friendly ingredients.
Undercurrent: a Siren novel
by Tricia RayburnThe sirens are back, but Vanessa may be the biggest threat of all. . . . Nothing has been normal since Vanessa Sands learned that her sister was murdered by sirens-femme fatales of the watery depths-and that everything she believed about her family was a lie. Her boyfriend Simon’s been the only person Vanessa feels she can really trust. But now there are some secrets she can’t tell even him. And when Vanessa finds herself in the sights of Parker, Hawthorne Prep’s resident charmer, she needs someone to confide in more than ever. Doubting her relationship with Simon, unsure of Parker’s intentions-and of her own-and terrified by what she’s learned about herself, Vanessa has never felt so alone. But personal problems must be put aside, because the Winter Harbor sirens are back for revenge. Now, Vanessa must face her past and accept that she is just like her enemies-every bit as alluring, every bit as dangerous. The eagerly anticipated second novel of the Siren trilogy,Undercurrentis a seductive paranormal romance that will leave you breathless.
family
by Micol Ostowi have always been broken. i could have. died. and maybe it would have been better if i had. It is a day like any other when seventeen-year-old Melinda Jensen hits the road for San Francisco, leaving behind her fractured home life and a constant assault on her self-esteem. Henry is the handsome, charismatic man who comes upon her, collapsed on a park bench, and offers love, a bright new consciousness, and-best of all-a family. One that will embrace her and give her love. Because family is what Mel has never really had. And this new family, Henry#x19;s family, shares everything. They share the chores, their bodies, and their beliefs. And if Mel truly wants to belong, she will share in everything they do. No matter what the family does, or how far they go. Told in episodic verse, family is a fictionalized exploration of cult dynamics, loosely based on the Manson Family murders of 1969. It is an unflinching look at people who are born broken, and the lengths they#x19;ll go to to make themselves #x1C;whole#x1D; again.
The Madonna of Las Vegas
by Gregory Blake SmithIt’s the hair-raising countdown to a new millennium, and Cosmo Dust watches in dismay as the wreckage of his life comes into garish focus in the glow of post-Sinatra Las Vegas. Surrounded by the simulacra of Western civilization, Cosmo finds himself strong-armed by the Golden Calf Casino into recreating the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel: a task that makes a mockery of both Michelangelo’s genius and Cosmo’s skill. Just when Cosmo has decided to quit this job to search for something real, Reality trumps him by making him the chief suspect in the murder of a cocktail waitress. Joining forces with the daughter of the Pope of Las Vegas, the local mob boss, he tries to piece together who’s killing whom and why. Navigating a world that subverts rational motivation, Cosmo and the Pope’s daughter encounter film-noir homicide detectives, Gnostic monks, a Vatican Inquisitor, and a baby who may or may not be the messiah. A masterfully written novel that is part romantic comedy, part dysfunctional detective story,The Madonna of Las Vegasexuberantly explores the quest for a genuine life in a world built on false appearances.
Babbitt
by Sinclair LewisIn the fall of 1920, Sinclair Lewis began a novel set in a fast-growing city with the heart and mind of a small town. For the center of his cutting satire of American business he created the bustling, shallow, and myopic George F. Babbitt, the epitome of middle-class mediocrity. The novel cemented Lewis's prominence as a social commentator. Babbitt basks in his pedestrian success and the popularity it has brought him. He demands high moral standards from those around him while flirting with women, and he yearns to have rich friends while shunning those less fortunate than he. But Babbitt's secure complacency is shattered when his best friend is sent to prison, and he struggles to find meaning in his hollow life. He revolts, but finds that his former routine is not so easily thrown over.
Four Great American Classics
by Nathaniel Hawthorne Mark Twain Stephen Crane Herman MelvilleThese four landmark novels of nineteenth-century American literature have gained a permanent place in our culture as great classics. They are not only part of our national heritage, but masterpieces of world literature whose deep and lasting influence is felt to this day. The Scarlet Letter vividly records America’s moral and historical roots in Puritan New England and masterfully re-creates a society’s preoccupation with sin, guilt, and pride. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn carries readers along on Huck’s unforgettable journey down the Mississippi in America’s foremost comic epic—the first great novel in a truly American voice. The Red Badge of Courage re-creates the brutal reality of war and its psychological impact on a young Civil War soldier in one of the most moving and widely read American novels. Billy Budd, Sailor, joins the world’s great tragic literature as a doomed seaman becomes the innocent victim of a clash between social authority and individual freedom. From the Paperback edition.
Four Steps to the Altar
by Jean StoneThey say true love is priceless, but is it worth fifty million dollars? With Second Chances, their wedding planning business, starting to take off, four best friends must decide whether they’ll take some second chances of their own. Free-spirited Lily finds herself forced to choose between her sure-thing inheritance and a chance at true love; the no-longer-predictable Elaine surprises everyone–including herself–when romance comes calling from her past; Sarah, the uncompromisingly unconventional artist, finds herself contemplating the most unexpected choice of all; and the always-clear-eyed Jo suddenly finds herself second-guessing her own second chance at happily-ever-after. The choice for each of them is “I do” or “I don’t,” and the decision will change their lives. Breakups, makeups, and romance at every turn–life always offers up its best surprises to those who leave themselves open to the possibility of second chances. From the Paperback edition.
Lara Croft: The Man of Bronze
by James Alan GardnerNEW ADVENTURES BASED ON THE WORLD'S BESTSELLING VIDEO GAMEAfter completing a near-fatal mission in the mysterious cloud forests of Peru, Lara Croft flies to Warsaw to tackle her next assignment-and finds herself in the middle of an epic battle for the ultimate power.Reuben Baptiste needs Lara Croft's help transporting precious cargo. But before Reuben can reveal any details, he is murdered-and Lara signs on with Reuben's employer, the mysterious Order of the Bronze, to avenge his death. The Order shares with Lara its greatest treasure: a bronze android, thousands of years old, with uncanny abilities. But the android is crippled, missing a leg, and whoever finds that leg will gain astonishing powers. Hot on the trail is Lara's nemesis, Lancaster Urdmann, now working for an unknown employer with strange abilities. As Lara jets from Siberia to Australia to Rio de Janiero, she is drawn into an age-old conflict of secret societies, intrigue, and death. . . .From the Paperback edition.
Mosses from an Old Manse
by Nathaniel HawthorneThis is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.
Romola
by George EliotOne of George Eliot's seven classic novels. She is best known for Middlemarch, Silas Marner, and The Mill on the Floss. According to Wikipedia: "Mary Ann (Marian) Evans (22 November 1819 â " 22 December 1880), better known by her pen name George Eliot, was an English novelist. She was one of the leading writers of the Victorian era. Her novels, largely set in provincial England, are well known for their realism and psychological perspicacity. She used a male pen name, she said, to ensure that her works were taken seriously. Female authors published freely under their own names, but Eliot wanted to ensure that she was not seen as merely a writer of romances. An additional factor may have been a desire to shield her private life from public scrutiny and to prevent scandals attending her relationship with the married George Henry Lewes. "
Supernatural: The Unholy Cause
by Joe SchreiberA Supernatural novel that reveals a previously unseen adventure for the Winchester brothers, from the hit CW series!Way back in April 1862, Confederate Captain Jubal Beauchamp leads a charge across a Georgia battleground... Fast forward to 2009 and a civil war re-enactment becomes all too real. When Sam and Dean head down south to investigate they find that history has got somewhat out of hand...
The Algerine Captive
by Royall TylerAfter the Revolutionary War, American sailors lost the protection of Britain's Royal Navy and were easy prey for the pirates of the North African coast, who captured ships and cargo, enslaved crew, and demanded ransom from the U. S. Motivated by these events, Royall Tyler, the first American-born playwright, poet, and novelist, wrote "The Algerine Captive. " Originally published anonymously in 1797, it tells the tale of fictitious Boston native Dr. Updike Underhill, his capture by Barbary pirates, and their efforts to convert him to their Muslim faith. Written in an entertaining and satiric style that predated Mark Twain, Tyler's novel reveals his patriotic pride and anti-slavery beliefs. His comments on the religious and cultural divide between Western and Islamic beliefs of the day still resonate today.
The Complete Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm
by Jack ZipesEnchanting, brimming with the wonder and magic of once upon a time, the fairly tales of the Brothers Grimm are the special stories of childhood that stay with us throughout our lives. But most Americans know them only secondhand, in adaptations that greatly reduce the tales' power to touch our emotions and intrigue our imaginations. Now, in the most comprehensive translation to date, here are the classic fairy tales as the Brothers Grimm intended them to be-rich, stark, spiced with humor and violence, resonant with the rhythms of folklore and song. Volume I contains 100 unabridged tales, including those best-known around the world:Cinderella, Snow White, Rapunzel, Hansel And Gretel, andLittle Red Cap [also known asLittle Red Riding Hood ]. These wonderful tales of life, passion, and make-believe appeal not only to children-who unabashedly love them-but to readers of any age.
The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain
by Mark Twain Charles NeiderThis comprehensive volume of all of Twain's shorter works is representative of his vast humor and wit. "The Complete Short Stories of Mark Twain" includes the following tales: The Notorious Jumping Frog of Calaveras County, The Story of the Bad Little Boy, Cannibalism in the Cars, A Day at Niagara, Legend of the Capitoline Venus, Journalism in Tennessee, A Curious Dream, The Facts in the Great Beef Contract, How I Edited an Agricultural Paper, A Medieval Romance, My Watch, Political Economy, Science vs. Luck, The Story of the Good Little Boy, Buck Fanshaw's Funeral, The Story of the Old Ram, Tom Quartz, A Trial, The Trials of Simon Erickson, A True Story, Experience of the McWilliamses with Membranous Croup, Some Learned Fables for Good Old Boys and Girls, The Canvasser's Tale, The Loves of Alonzo Fitz Clarence and Rosannah Ethelton, Edward Mills and George Benton: A Tale, The Man Who Put Up at Gadsby's, Mrs. McWilliams and the Lightning, What Stumped the Bluejays, A Curious Experience, The Invalid's Story, The McWilliamses and the Burglar Alarm, The Stolen White Elephant, A Burning Brand, A Dying Man's Confession, The Professor's Yarn, A Ghost Story, Luck, Playing Courier, The Californian's Tale, The Diary of Adam and Eve, The Esquimau Maiden's Romance, Is He Living or Is He Dead?, The 1,000,000 Bank-Note, Cecil Rhodes and the Shark, The Joke That Made Ed's Fortune, A Story Without an End, The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg, The Death Disk, Two Little Tales, The Belated Russian Passport, A Double-Barreled Detective Story, The Five Boons of Life, Was It Heaven? Or Hell?, A Dog's Tale, The $30,000 Bequest, A Horse's Tale, Hunting the Deceitful Turkey, Extract from Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven, A Fable, and The Mysterious Stranger. Nearly 500 pages of classic tales by one of America's most loved authors.
The Kill
by Emile ZolaHere is a true publishing event–the first modern translation of a lost masterpiece by one of fiction’s giants. Censored upon publication in 1871, out of print since the 1950s, and untranslated for a century, Zola’sThe Kill(La Curée) emerges as an unheralded classic of naturalism. Second in the author’s twenty-volumeRougon-Macquartsaga, it is a riveting story of family transgression, heedless desire, and societal greed. The incestuous affair of Renée Saccard and her stepson, Maxime, is set against the frenzied speculation of Renée’s financier husband, Aristide, in a Paris becoming a modern metropolis and “the capital of the nineteenth century. ” In the end, setting and story merge in actions that leave a woman’s spirit and a city’s soul ravaged beyond repair. As vividly rendered by Arthur Goldhammer, one of the world’s premier translators from the French,The Killcontains all the qualities of the school of fiction marked, as Henry James wrote, by “infernal intelligence. ” In this new incarnation,The KilljoinsNanaandGerminalon the shelf of Zola classics, works by an immortal author who–explicit, pitiless, wise, and unrelenting–always goes in for the kill.
The Rose and the Warrior
by Karyn MonkIn the breathtaking tradition ofOnce a WarriorandThe Witch and the Warriorcomes Karyn Monk's passionate new tale of a distant time, a proud people--and a forbidden love. She was an infamous thief. . . When the ruthless MacTiers destroyed Melantha's clan, she vowed to do whatever was necessary to keep her people alive. It was a daring risk to disguise herself as "the Falcon," a mysterious horseman who stole food and gold from the enemy, always slipping away unscathed. But when Melantha captured the MacTier warrior who was sent to kill her, the danger she faced was the desire aroused by this enigmatic stranger. . . . . . . until one man stole her heart. Roarke had known only battle for far too long. With his family gone, he had proved his loyalty to his laird in countless conflicts, fighting with the fearless arrogance of a man who had nothing to lose--and untold rewards to gain. But murdering the enchanting spitfire who had waged her own maddening war against his clan was unthinkable. Torn between fealty to his lord and the dictates of his conscience, Roarke would look for an answer in the emerald eyes of a woman who dared to show him the meaning of honor, the bonds of family--and the power of love.
The Squatter and the Don
by Maria Amparo Ruiz de Burton“The Squatter and the Don,like its author, has come out a survivor,” notes Ana Castillo in her Introduction. “The fact that it has resurfaced after more than a century from its original publication is a testimony to its worthiness. ” Inviting comparison toUncle Tom’s Cabin, María Amparo Ruiz de Burton’s illuminating political novel is also an engaging historical romance. Set in San Diego shortly after the United States’ annexation of California and written from the point of view of a nativeCalifornio, the story centers on two families: the Alamars of the landed Mexican gentry, and the Darrells, transplanted New Englanders–and their tumultuous struggles over property, social status, and personal integrity. This Modern Library Paperback Classic is set from the first edition of 1885. Ana Castillois a poet, essayist, and novelist whose works includethe recent poetry collectionI Ask the Impossibleand the novelPeel My Love Like an Onion. She lives in Chicago and teaches at DePaul University. From the Trade Paperback edition.
The Tell-Tale Heart
by Edgar Allan PoeEdgar Allan Poe remains the unsurpassed master of works of mystery and madness in this outstanding collection of Poe's prose and poetry are sixteen of his finest tales, including "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "William Wilson," "The Black Cat," "The Cask of Amontillado," and "Eleonora". Here too is a major selection of what Poe characterized as the passion of his life, his poems - "The Raven," "Annabel Lee," Ulalume," "Lenore," "The Bells," and more, plus his glorious prose poem "Silence - A Fable" and only full-length novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym.
The Trail to Crazy Man
by Louis L'AmourA word from Louis L'Amour:"Almost forty years ago, when my fiction was being published exclusively in 'pulp' western magazines, I wrote several novel-length stories, which my editors called 'magazine novels'. In creating them, I became so involved with my characters that their lives were still as much a part of me as I was of them long after the issues in which they appeared became collector's items. Pleased as I was about how I brought the characters and their adventures to life in the pages of the magazines, I still wanted the reader to know more about my people and why they did what they did. So, over the years, I revised and expanded these magazine works into fuller-length novels that I published in paperback under other titles."These particular early magazine versions of my books have long been a source of great speculation and curiosity among many of my readers, so much so of late, that I'm now pleased to collect three of them into book form for the first time."I hope you enjoy them."From the Paperback edition.
A Breath of Fresh Air
by Amulya MalladiOn the night of December 3, 1984, Anjali waits for her army officer husband to pick her up at the train station in Bhopal, India. In an instant, her world changes forever. Her anger at his being late turns to horror when a catastrophic gas leak poisons the city air. Anjali miraculously survives. Her marriage does not. A smart, successful schoolteacher, Anjali is now remarried to Sandeep, a loving and stable professor. Their lives would be nearly perfect, if not for their young son’s declining health. But when Anjali’s first husband suddenly reappears in her life, she is thrown back to the troubling days of their marriage with a force that impacts everyone around her. Her first husband’s return brings back all the uncertainty Anjali thought time and conviction had healed–about her decision to divorce, and about her place in a society that views her as scandalous for having walked away from her arranged marriage. As events unfold, feelings she had guarded like gold begin to leak away from her, spreading out into the world and challenging her once firm beliefs. Rich in insight into Indian culture and psychology,A Breath of Fresh Airresonates with meaning and the abiding power of love. In a landscape as intriguing as it is unfamiliar, Anjali’s struggles to reconcile the roles of wife and ex-wife, working woman and mother, illuminate both the fascinating duality of the modern Indian woman and the difficult choices all women must make.
An Imperfect Lens
by Anne RoipheAcclaimed author Anne Roiphe evokes the sights and sounds of 1880s Alexandria, Egypt, a bustling center of trade and travel. From teeming docks to overflowing market stalls, from grand homes to grimy narrow alleyways, cholera microbes rise and bob in streams of water and tiny droplets, clinging to moisture as man clings to air. With a keen mind and dedication to his work, young Louis Thuillier has impressed his mentor—famed scientist Louis Pasteur—enough to be sent to Alexandria as one-third of the French mission searching for the source of the cholera that is terrorizing the city. Along with the other members of the French mission—scientists Emile Roux and Edmond Nocard and their enterprising servant Marcus—Louis longs to find the cure, bringing glory to himself and to France. Este Malina is the lovely daughter of a respected Jewish doctor, whose family has lived in Alexandria for hundreds of years. A life of comfort has made Este a romantic, and she hopes to marry a man with the heart of a poet. Neither expects to find a soul mate in the other, but when Este begins to assist at the French mission’s lab, a deep bond forms. Este, though, is engaged to another, and Louis is not Jewish—her family would never allow them to marry. In spite of their many differences, the lovers’ desire grows and their fantasies threaten to distract them from their work. In Alexandria, the disease rages on, as mysterious as it was a thousand years before. Political intrigue threatens to separate Este and Louis permanently. Their love, as fragile as the glass slides they use in the lab, is in danger before it has had a chance to thrive. With An Imperfect Lens, rich with the sights and scents of a different era, Anne Roiphe once again demonstrates the storytelling power for which she has long been hailed. From the Hardcover edition.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Vintage International)
by Haruki MurakamiFrom the surreal to the mundane, twenty-four stories that &“show Murukami at his dynamic, organic best&” (Los Angeles Times Book Review). "A warning to new readers of Haruki Murakami: You will become addicted.... His newest collection is as enigmatic and sublime as ever." —San Francisco ChronicleHere are animated crows, a criminal monkey, and an ice man, as well as the dreams that shape us and the things we might wish for. From the surreal to the mundane, these stories exhibit Murakami&’s ability to transform the full range of human experience in ways that are instructive, surprising, and entertaining.
Bran Mak Morn
by Robert E. HowardFrom Robert E. Howard’s fertile imagination sprang some of fiction’s greatest heroes, including Conan the Cimmerian, King Kull, and Solomon Kane. But of all Howard’s characters, none embodied his creator’s brooding temperament more than Bran Mak Morn, the last king of a doomed race. In ages past, the Picts ruled all of Europe. But the descendants of those proud conquerors have sunk into barbarism . . . all save one, Bran Mak Morn, whose bloodline remains unbroken. Threatened by the Celts and the Romans, the Pictish tribes rally under his banner to fight for their very survival, while Bran fights to restore the glory of his race. Lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Gary Gianni, this collection gathers together all of Howard’s published stories and poems featuring Bran Mak Morn–including the eerie masterpiece “Worms of the Earth” and “Kings of the Night,” in which sorcery summons Kull the conqueror from out of the depths of time to stand with Bran against the Roman invaders. Also included are previously unpublished stories and fragments, reproductions of manuscripts bearing Howard’s handwritten revisions, and much, much more. Special Bonus: a newly discovered adventure by Howard, presented here for the very first time. From the Trade Paperback edition.
Christmas in My Soul
by Joe WheelerFrom the man who compiled the cherished Christmas In My Heart series comes Christmas In My Soul -- the perfect gift book for the holiday season.