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The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells: THE FEEL-GOOD MUST-READ FOR 2018
by Virginia MacgregorShe walked out, but can she walk back in? Why do readers LOVE Virginia Macgregor? 'I defy you not to fall in love' Clare Mackintosh 'Will delight you' Sun'Might restore your faith in human nature' BellaThis heartwarming bestseller is the perfect read for anyone who enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Things, Joanna Cannon, Jojo Moyes and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. You Found Me by Virginia Macgregor is OUT NOW**********************One ordinary morning, Norah Wells walked out of her house and never looked back. Six years later, she returns to the home she left only to find another woman in her place: Fay. Now that Norah has returned, everyone has questions. Where has she been? Why did she leave? And the most pressing question of all: what happens to The Mother Who Stayed when The Mother Who Left comes back?MORE PRAISE FOR VIRGINIA MACGREGOR...'I couldn't put this insightful, compelling novel down' Woman & Home'Deeply satisfying' Sarra Manning, Red 'Sharp, funny and hugely moving . . . a must read' Fabulous'Warm, wise and insightful' Good Housekeeping 'Beautifully written and thought-provoking, this is a brilliant read' Sun'This wonderful story will tear at your heart.' My Weekly 'Brilliant!' Heat 'A poignant and very clever read' Company'A truly heart-warming story of family, love and loyalty' Daily Express'An astonishingly brilliant novel' Australian Women's Weekly'A touching look at the meaning of motherhood' Good Housekeeping 'A challenging and moving story about the power of love' Image'Absolutely delightful . . . Everyone should read this book!' Novelicious'Written with plenty of heart' Sunday Mirror'An emotional and powerful family drama' Heat'So engaging and powerful' Press Association 'Layered and lyrical' Irish Independent
The Astonishing Return of Norah Wells: THE FEEL-GOOD MUST-READ FOR 2018
by Virginia MacgregorShe walked out, but can she walk back in? Why do readers LOVE Virginia Macgregor? 'I defy you not to fall in love' Clare Mackintosh 'Will delight you' Sun'Might restore your faith in human nature' BellaThis heartwarming bestseller is the perfect read for anyone who enjoyed The Keeper of Lost Things, Joanna Cannon, Jojo Moyes and Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. You Found Me by Virginia Macgregor is OUT NOW**********************One ordinary morning, Norah Wells walked out of her house and never looked back. Six years later, she returns to the home she left only to find another woman in her place: Fay. Now that Norah has returned, everyone has questions. Where has she been? Why did she leave? And the most pressing question of all: what happens to The Mother Who Stayed when The Mother Who Left comes back?MORE PRAISE FOR VIRGINIA MACGREGOR...'I couldn't put this insightful, compelling novel down' Woman & Home'Deeply satisfying' Sarra Manning, Red 'Sharp, funny and hugely moving . . . a must read' Fabulous'Warm, wise and insightful' Good Housekeeping 'Beautifully written and thought-provoking, this is a brilliant read' Sun'This wonderful story will tear at your heart.' My Weekly 'Brilliant!' Heat 'A poignant and very clever read' Company'A truly heart-warming story of family, love and loyalty' Daily Express'An astonishingly brilliant novel' Australian Women's Weekly'A touching look at the meaning of motherhood' Good Housekeeping 'A challenging and moving story about the power of love' Image'Absolutely delightful . . . Everyone should read this book!' Novelicious'Written with plenty of heart' Sunday Mirror'An emotional and powerful family drama' Heat'So engaging and powerful' Press Association 'Layered and lyrical' Irish Independent
The Astonishing Secret of Awesome Man
by Michael Chabon Jake ParkerAwesome Man can shoot positronic rays out of his eyeballs, fly as straight as an arrow, and hug mutant Jell-O! Even villains like Professor Von Evil and the Flaming Eyeball are no match for this caped crusader. But Awesome Man also has a secret. . . . Can you guess what it is? The first picture book from Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon perfectly captures the fantasy life of young superhero fans.
Astonishing Splashes of Colour
by Clare MorrallKitty Wellington the narrator of Clare Morrall's absorbing sure-footed first novel has been brought up in a large family by her painter father. Surrounded by older brothers she has no real recollection of either her mother who was killed in a car crash or her sister who ran away from home. The great strength of the novel is Kitty herself. Morrall has provided her with a compelling narrative voice - wry confiding perceptive. Echoes from JM Barrie's disturbing masterpiece are quietly sounded with particular emphasis on missing mothers and "lost boys".
Astonishing Splashes of Colour
by Clare MorrallKitty Wellington the narrator of Clare Morrall's absorbing sure-footed first novel has been brought up in a large family by her painter father. Surrounded by older brothers she has no real recollection of either her mother who was killed in a car crash or her sister who ran away from home. The great strength of the novel is Kitty herself. Morrall has provided her with a compelling narrative voice - wry confiding perceptive. Echoes from JM Barrie's disturbing masterpiece are quietly sounded with particular emphasis on missing mothers and "lost boys".
Astonishing Splashes of Colour
by Clare MorrallTaking its title from a description of Peter Pan's Neverland, Astonishing Splashes of Colour follows the life of Kitty, a woman who, in a sense, has never grown up. As her moods swing dramatically from high to low, they are illuminated by an unusual ability to interpret people and emotions through colour.Kitty struggles to come to terms with her life, including the loss of her mother, a miscarriage, and an unconventional marriage to her husband, who lives in the apartment next door. And when her father and brothers reveal a family secret long hidden, it overwhelms Kitty's tenuous hold on reality and propels her on an impetuous journey to the brink of madness.This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.
Astonishing the Gods: A Novel
by Ben OkriOne of the BBC&’s &“100 Novels That Shaped Our World,&” a much-needed fable that could change how we see ourselves and our reality, from the renowned Booker Prize–winning author.A young man finds himself among invisible beings who have built a world based on one principle: that we must repeat every experience until we live it fully for the first time. &“Only then can we find what we didn&’t seek and go where we don&’t intend to go.&” Ben Okri navigates the world at once as a writer, an artist, a musician, and a philosopher—in the process, he challenges our craving for the visual and the concrete. We read him not only with our eyes but also with our senses, our intuition. As his story unfolds we begin to inhabit the ineffable land that he creates, our imagination led to a place where what we once thought were fundamental truths are turned magically on their heads. In the difficult times we live in, in an age decimated by injustice and inequality, Okri brings unexpected insights as meaningful as they are transformative. &“Maybe what seeks us is better than what we seek.&”
The Astonishing Thing
by Sandi WardIn her inventive, sometimes bittersweet, ultimately uplifting debut, Sandi Ward draws readers into one extraordinary cat’s quest to make sense of her world, illuminating the limits and mysterious depths of love . . . Pet owners know that a cat’s loyalty is not easily earned. Boo, a resourceful young feline with a keen eye and inquiring mind, has nonetheless grown intensely devoted to her human companion, Carrie. Several days ago, Carrie—or Mother, as Boo calls her—suddenly went away, leaving her family, including Boo, in disarray. Carrie’s husband, Tommy, is distant and distracted even as he does his best to care for Boo’s human siblings, especially baby Finn. Boo worries about who will fill her food dish, and provide a warm lap to nestle into. More pressing still, she’s trying to uncover the complicated truth about why Carrie left. Though frequently mystified by human behavior, Boo is sure that Carrie once cared passionately for Tommy and adores her children, even the non-feline ones. But she also sees it may not be enough to make things right. Perhaps only a cat—a wise, observant, very determined cat—can do that . . . Wonderfully tender and insightful, The Astonishing Thing explores the intricacies of marriage and family through an unforgettable perspective at the center of it all. “A beautiful and touching look into the intricacies of marriage and family life, all seen through the loving and unique perspective of the family pet.” --Modern Cat
Astonishing X-Men: Gifted
by Peter DavidBased on the classic comic book series by Joss Whedon and John Cassady, a prose adaption of the X-Men as they reunite as super heroes against alien forces. The X-Men are back. Except now, instead of outcasts shunned by the world for their mutant powers, Emma Frost is rebranding the team as super heroes poised to protect society by wielding their astonishing gifts. Just as Frost, Cyclops, Shadowcat, Beast, and Wolverine burst onto the scene, breaking news spreads around the world that a renowned geneticist has discovered a serum designed to &“cure&” mutants and allow them to live &“normal&” lives. For a band of outsiders, the lure of belonging is strong. But the price could mean the destruction of the X-Men once and for all. Just as an alien evil is unleashed—and just when humankind needs them more than ever . . . This riveting novelization by New York Times–bestselling author Peter David adapts the acclaimed series created by Joss Whedon and John Cassaday.
The Astonishment of Words: An Experiment in the Comparison of Languages
by Victor ProetzOne, two! one, two! And through and throughThe vorpal blade went snicker-snack!He left it dead, and with its headHe went galumphing back. Un deux, un deux, par le milieu,Le glaive vorpal fait pat-à-pan!La bête défaite, avec sa tête,Il rentre gallomphant. Eins, Zwei! Eins, Zwei! Und durch und durchSeins vorpals Schwert zerschniferschnück. Da blieb es todt! Er, Kopf in Hand,Geläumfig zog zurück!The late Victor Proetz was by vocation a visual artist who created many distinguished architectural and decorative designs. His favorite avocation, however, was to explore the possibilities (and impossibilities) of words, especially words in translation, and to share his discoveries. As Alastair Reid says in his foreword, "He turned words over in his head, he listened to them, he unraveled them, he looked them up, he played with them, he passed them on like presents, all with an unjadeable astonishment. " What, Proetz wondered, do some of the familiar and not-so-familiar works of English and American literature sound like in French? In German? "How," he asked, "do you say 'Yankee Doodle' in French-if you can?" And "How do they say 'Hounyhnhnm' and 'Cheshire Cat' and things like that in German?" And, in either language, "How, in God's name, can you possibly say 'There she blows!'?" This book, unfortunately left incomplete on his death in 1966, contains many of his answers. They are given not only in the assembled texts and translations but also in his wry, curious, sometimes hilarious commentaries. None of it is scholarly in any formal, academic sense-"and yet," Reid reminds us, "his is precisely the kind of enthusiastic curiosity that gives scholarship its pointers. "
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
by Anderson Cooper Katherine HoweA NPR Best Book of the YearThe number one New York Times bestselling authors of Vanderbilt return with another riveting history of a legendary American family, the Astors, and how they built and lavished their fortune.The story of the Astors is a quintessentially American story—of ambition, invention, destruction, and reinvention.From 1783, when German immigrant John Jacob Astor first arrived in the United States, until 2009, when Brooke Astor’s son, Anthony Marshall, was convicted of defrauding his elderly mother, the Astor name occupied a unique place in American society.The family fortune, first made by a beaver trapping business that grew into an empire, was then amplified by holdings in Manhattan real estate. Over the ensuing generations, Astors ruled Gilded Age New York society and inserted themselves into political and cultural life, but also suffered the most famous loss on the Titanic, one of many shocking and unexpected twists in the family’s story.In this unconventional, page-turning historical biography, featuring black-and-white and color photographs, #1 New York Times bestselling authors Anderson Cooper and Katherine Howe chronicle the lives of the Astors and explore what the Astor name has come to mean in America—offering a window onto the making of America itself.
The Astor Orphan
by Alexandra AldrichAn Astor descendant considers how the once fabled family slid -downward.
Astor Place Vintage: A Novel
by Stephanie LehmannWhen a New York City vintage clothing shop owner’s recent purchases contain a hidden journal from 1907, her entire life will be turned upside down in this “insightful, charming, and wholly entertaining novel” (Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner).Amanda Rosenbloom, proprietor of Astor Place Vintage, thinks she’son just another call to appraise and possibly purchase clothing from a wealthy, elderly woman. But after discovering a journal sewn into a fur muff, Amanda gets much more than she anticipated. The pages of the journal reveal the life of Olive Westcott, a young woman who had moved to Manhattan in 1907. Olive was set on pursuing a career as a department store buyer in an era when Victorian ideas, limiting a woman’s sphere to marriage and motherhood, were only beginning to give way to modern ways of thinking. As Amanda reads the journal, her life begins to unravel until she can no longer ignore this voice from the past. Despite being separated by one hundred years, Amanda finds she’s connected to Olive in ways neither could ever have imagined.
Astorag (Sunset)
by Homen Borgohain Ashok BhagawatiHomen Borgohain is a novelist and poet of Assam in the Assamese language. His prose fiction--short stories and novels--has over the years attracted a wider and steadier homage of informed enjoyment and close, critical analysis.
Astoria: Anecdotes of an Enterprise Beyond the Rocky Mountains
by Washington IrvingIn 1811 a group of American traders built a fort at the mouth of the Columbia River, named Fort Astoria in honor of its financier, John Jacob Astor. Envisioned as the spur of a fur-trading empire, by 1813 the project was a business failure and the fort was surrendered to the British. But in its short life Astoria rendered incalculable benefits to public understanding of the Great Northwest. The exploration of trade routes, the description of various Indian tribes and their customs, and an American claim on the Northwest coast were among many of its legacies. Astor never relinquished his pride in the enterprise and insisted that the West would one day be a dominating factor in national politics. To drive his point home he asked Washington Irving, the country's most renowned and respected author, to transform the papers of Fort Astoria into a unified and readable history. Irving accepted the offer and published Astoria in 1836. From its first appearance--when it was hailed by no less a reviewer than Edgar Allan Poe--to the present day, Astoria has been read as a vivid and fascinating history, comparable indeed to the finest of romances, but rooted in the rough and hardy life of trapping, hunting, and exploration.
Astoria (Postcard History)
by Andrea Larson PerezFortunate to be located in the northwest corner of Oregon, where the mighty Columbia River flows to the Pacific Ocean, Astoria has always inspired residents and visitors. The town's spectacular natural beauty and accessible everyday life invites documentation. Those lucky enough to experience Astoria sense they are witnessing something special. More than a century ago, it was a place of big fish, big trees, big dreams, and big personalities. Luckily, many professional photographers and everyday shutterbugs made it their business to capture life on the Lower Columbia from the earliest days of photography. Today, there are fewer giant Chinooks and the remaining old growth is protected, but the town, dreams, personalities, and photographs remain.
Astoria
by Peter StarkIn 1810, John Jacob Astor sent out two advance parties to settle the wild, unclaimed western coast of North America. More than half of his men died violent deaths. The others survived starvation, madness, and greed to shape the destiny of a continent.At a time when the edge of American settlement barely reached beyond the Appalachian Mountains, two visionaries, President Thomas Jefferson and millionaire John Jacob Astor, foresaw that one day the Pacific would dominate world trade as much as the Atlantic did in their day. Just two years after the Lewis and Clark expedition concluded in 1806, Jefferson and Astor turned their sights westward once again. Thus began one of history's dramatic but largely forgotten turning points in the conquest of the North American continent.Astoria is the harrowing tale of the quest to settle a Jamestown-like colony on the Pacific coast. Astor set out to establish a global trade network based at the mouth of the Columbia River in what is now Oregon, while Jefferson envisioned a separate democracy on the western coast that would spread eastward to meet the young United States.Astor backed this ambitious enterprise with the vast for-tune he'd made in the fur trade and in New York real estate since arriving in the United States as a near-penniless immigrant soon after the Revolutionary War. He dispatched two groups of men west: one by sea around the southern tip of South America and one by land over the Rockies. The Overland Party, led by the gentlemanly American businessman Wilson Price Hunt, combined French-Canadian voyageurs, Scottish fur traders, American woodsmen, and an extraordinary Native American woman with two toddlers. The Seagoing Party, sailing aboard the ship Tonquin, likewise was a volatile microcosm of contemporary North America. Under the bitter eye of Captain Jonathan Thorn, a young U.S. naval hero whose unyielding, belligerent nature was better suited to battle than to negotiating cultural differences, the Tonquin made tumultuous progress toward its violent end.Unfolding from 1810 to 1813, Astoria is a tale of high adventure and incredible hardship, drawing extensively on firsthand accounts of those who made the journey. Though the colony itself would be short-lived, its founders opened provincial American eyes to the remarkable potential of the western coast, discovered the route that became the Oregon Trail, and permanently altered the nation's landscape and global standing.
The Astors
by Harvey O'ConnorThe Astors is a comprehensive biography of one of the most prominent and influential families in American history. The Astors were a wealthy and powerful family who made their fortune in the fur trade and real estate, and went on to become one of the most influential families in New York City and beyond. This book traces the history of the Astor family from its humble beginnings in Germany to its rise to prominence in America and explores the lives of some of its most famous members, including John Jacob Astor, William Waldorf Astor, and Brooke Astor. It delves into their personal lives, business ventures, and philanthropic endeavors, and sheds light on the family's role in shaping the cultural and economic landscape of America. Harvey O’Connor’s meticulously researched and engagingly written book, which includes numerous family photos and a thorough genealogy, offers a fascinating glimpse into the lives of one of America's most iconic families. It is a must-read for anyone interested in American history, business, and culture.Also available in audiobook format.
Astounding!
by Kim FieldingCarter Evans is founder and editor-in-chief of Astounding!--a formerly popular spec fiction magazine currently in its death throes. Not only can he do nothing to save it, but stuck in a rathole apartment with few interpersonal connections, he can't seem to do much to rescue his future either. And certainly all the booze isn't helping. He snaps when he receives yet another terrible story submission from the mysterious writer J. Harper--and in a drunken haze, Carter sends Harper a rejection letter he soon regrets. J. Harper turns out to be John Harper, a sweet man who resembles a '50s movie star and claims to be an extraterrestrial. Despite John's delusions, Carter's apology quickly turns into something more as the two lonely men find a powerful connection. Inexplicably drawn to John, Carter invites him along on a road trip. But as they travel, Carter is in for some big surprises, some major heartbreak... and just maybe the promise of a good future after all.2015 Rainbow Awards Best Gay Romance Runner-Up
Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction
by Alec Nevala-Lee“A big biography of John Campbell, the genius magazine editor who created a mass market for science fiction, couldn’t be timelier. Alec Nevala-Lee’s granular portrait of Campbell and the quirky superstars whose careers he launched in the 1940s and 1950s is a gift to science fiction fans everywhere.” — Sylvia Nasar, New York Times bestselling author of A Beautiful Mind“[Astounding] is a major work of popular culture scholarship that science fiction fans will devour.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)Astounding is the landmark account of the extraordinary partnership between four controversial writers—John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, and L. Ron Hubbard—who set off a revolution in science fiction and forever changed our world. This remarkable cultural narrative centers on the figure of John W. Campbell, Jr., whom Asimov called “the most powerful force in science fiction ever.” Campbell, who has never been the subject of a biography until now, was both a visionary author—he wrote the story that was later filmed as The Thing—and the editor of the groundbreaking magazine best known as Astounding Science Fiction, in which he discovered countless legendary writers and published classic works ranging from the I, Robot series to Dune. Over a period of more than thirty years, from the rise of the pulps to the debut of Star Trek, he dominated the genre, and his three closest collaborators reached unimaginable heights. Asimov became the most prolific author in American history; Heinlein emerged as the leading science fiction writer of his generation with the novels Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land; and Hubbard achieved lasting fame—and infamy—as the founder of the Church of Scientology. Drawing on unexplored archives, thousands of unpublished letters, and dozens of interviews, Alec Nevala-Lee offers a riveting portrait of this circle of authors, their work, and their tumultuous private lives. With unprecedented scope, drama, and detail, Astounding describes how fan culture was born in the depths of the Great Depression; follows these four friends and rivals through World War II and the dawn of the atomic era; and honors such exceptional women as Doña Campbell and Leslyn Heinlein, whose pivotal roles in the history of the genre have gone largely unacknowledged. For the first time, it reveals the startling extent of Campbell’s influence on the ideas that evolved into Scientology, which prompted Asimov to observe: “I knew Campbell and I knew Hubbard, and no movement can have two Messiahs.” It looks unsparingly at the tragic final act that estranged the others from Campbell, bringing the golden age of science fiction to a close, and it illuminates how their complicated legacy continues to shape the imaginations of millions and our vision of the future itself.
The Astounding Broccoli Boy
by Frank Cottrell BoyceFrom Frank Cottrell Boyce--the beloved, award-winning, New York Times-bestselling author of Millions and Cosmic--comes another hilarious, heartbreaking, and completely original middle grade novel.Rory Rooney likes to be prepared for anything. That sort of planning pays off when you're the smallest kid in your class. Rory is even prepared (mostly) for Tommy-Lee, his nemesis, who starts most days by throwing Rory out of the back of the school bus. Don't be scared, his favorite book says, be prepared. And Rory aims to be. What's more heroic than that?But Rory isn't prepared when he suddenly and inexplicably turns green and finds himself stuck in an experimental hospital ward. The doctors are just as baffled as Rory is, and that's when he begins to wonder: What if this isn't caused by his genes, or a virus, or something he ate? What if it's something even more extraordinary? After all, more than a few superheroes' careers began when they turned green. Could this be a sign that he's meant for something greater? Rory is going to find out--and that's going to start with escaping from the hospital.
Astounding Days
by Sir Arthur C. ClarkeArthur C. Clarke acquired his first science fiction magazine - a copy of Astounding Stories - in 1930, when he was 13. Immediately he became an avid reader and collector: and, soon enough, a would-be-writer. The rest is history. Now, in Astounding Days, he looks back over those impressed by him, discussing their scientific howlers, and their remarkable proportion of predictive bulls-eyes - and writing of his early life and career. Written with relaxed good humour, Astounding Days is full of fascinating comment and anecdote.
The Astounding Misadventures of Rory Collins
by Brian Kiley"For more than twenty years, Brian Kiley has delighted me with his inventive and prolific wit, so it is no surprise that he has written such a terrific novel. "The Astounding Misadventures of Rory Collins" is boldly comedic, poignant, dark, unpredictable, and just plain fun. Congratulations, Brian, I am bitterly jealous." -Conan O'Brien "Brian Kiley's unique genius as a standup comedian rests on his ability to project innocence and sweet-natured guilelessness even as his imagination leads you to some dark and strange places. The same and then some can be said for the title character of Kiley's terrific first novel, The Astounding Misadventures of Rory Collins. Haunted by the specter of the world's worst mom, Rory enters manhood as the sort of timid, passive shlump whom predators can spot a mile off. Yet as you follow him from one picaresque episode to another--ill-advised sex, barroom brawls, and abusive bosses--you can't help but pull for the guy. At heart he's just a kind, decent person trying to make sense of a bizarro world. Not surprisingly, the book has its share of great lines and laugh-out-loud moments. But there's more going on. From the deceptively powerful opening scene to the devastating final line, Astounding Misadventures marks the emergence of a new literary voice. The gentle intelligence of Kiley's prose reminds me of the great comedian-turned-author, Steve Martin, with the possible difference that while Martin's characters seek peace and quiet above the fray, Kiley's plunge headfirst into the tragicomic messiness of life." -Charles Slack, author of "Hetty", "The Noble Obsession" and "Blue Fairways" "If you like dark, dry humor--and I do--you will love this story of a young man from such a dysfunctional family that his only dream is to be normal. Instead, what he learns is that no one is really "normal," and that the most important goal is to love and be loved. Raised by a psychotic mother and a passive father, Rory is also painfully passive, until a moment of rebellion in a supermarket changes the course of his life and sets him on the path to fulfillment and happiness. Laughs abound, and the ending is surprisingly touching." -Judith Arnold "Read this. I loved it. The author's writing is so precise. I fell in love with Rory from the beginning and my heart broke a little in each of his misadventures. But don't worry, the book is hilarious. Each chapter is like a little joke -- and it all leads to a satisfying and heartwarming conclusion." -Karen Bergreen, author of "Pretty Polly"
The Astounding Science Fiction Anthology
by John W. Campbell Jr.Real Golden Age science-fiction is what you will read here. These stories were written in the forties and fifties for Astounding, now Analog Science Fiction, garnered from many authors considered to be master wordsmiths by an editor who is considered one of the most exacting editors in the field.