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Names of New York: Discovering the City's Past, Present, and Future Through Its Place-Names
by Joshua Jelly-Schapiro"A casually wondrous experience; it made me feel like the city was unfolding beneath my feet.&” —Jia Tolentino, author of Trick MirrorIn place-names lie stories. That&’s the truth that animates this fascinating journey through the names of New York City&’s streets and parks, boroughs and bridges, playgrounds and neighborhoods.Exploring the power of naming to shape experience and our sense of place, Joshua Jelly-Schapiro traces the ways in which native Lenape, Dutch settlers, British invaders, and successive waves of immigrants have left their marks on the city&’s map. He excavates the roots of many names, from Brooklyn to Harlem, that have gained iconic meaning worldwide. He interviews the last living speakers of Lenape, visits the harbor&’s forgotten islands, lingers on street corners named for ballplayers and saints, and meets linguists who study the estimated eight hundred languages now spoken in New York.As recent arrivals continue to find new ways to make New York&’s neighborhoods their own, the names that stick to the city&’s streets function not only as portals to explore the past but also as a means to reimagine what is possible now.
Demolishing the Myth: The Tank Battle at Prokhorovka, Kursk, July 1943: An Operational Narrative
by Valeriy Zamulin&“Comprehensive scholarship and convincing reasoning, enhanced by an excellent translation, place this work on a level with the best of David Glantz&” (Dennis Showalter, award-winning author of Patton and Rommel). This groundbreaking book examines the battle of Kursk between the Red Army and Wehrmacht, with a particular emphasis on its beginning on July 12, as the author works to clarify the relative size of the contending forces, the actual area of this battle, and the costs suffered by both sides. Valeriy Zamulin&’s study of the crucible of combat during the titanic clash at Kursk—the fighting at Prokhorovka—is now available in English. A former staff member of the Prokhorovka Battlefield State Museum, Zamulin has dedicated years of his life to the study of the battle of Kursk, and especially the fighting on its southern flank involving the famous attack of the II SS Panzer Corps into the teeth of deeply echeloned Red Army defenses. A product of five years of intense research into the once-secret Central Archives of the Russian Ministry of Defense, this book lays out in enormous detail the plans and tactics of both sides, culminating in the famous and controversial clash at Prokhorovka on July 12, 1943. Zamulin skillfully weaves reminiscences of Red Army and Wehrmacht soldiers and officers into the narrative of the fighting, using in part files belonging to the Prokhorovka Battlefield State Museum. Zamulin has the advantage of living in Prokhorovka, so he has walked the ground of the battlefield many times and has an intimate knowledge of the terrain. Examining the battle primarily from the Soviet side, Zamulin reveals the real costs and real achievements of the Red Army at Kursk, and especially Prokhorovka. He examines mistaken deployments and faulty decisions that hampered the Voronezh Front&’s efforts to contain the Fourth Panzer Army&’s assault, and the valiant, self-sacrificial fighting of the Red Army&’s soldiers and junior officers as they sought to slow the German advance and crush the II SS Panzer Corps with a heavy counterattack at Prokhorovka. Illustrated with numerous maps and photographs (including present-day views of the battlefield), and supplemented with extensive tables of data, Zamulin&’s book is an outstanding contribution to the growing literature on the battle of Kursk, and further demolishes many of the myths and legends that grew up around it.
The Guy Not Taken: Stories
by Jennifer Weiner“Eleven marvelous short stories” by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of The Summer Place and Mrs. Everything (Entertainment Weekly).In these tender and often hilarious stories by Jennifer Weiner, we meet Marlie Davidow, home alone with her new baby late one Friday night when she wanders onto her ex’s online wedding registry and wonders where she’d be if she’d wound up with the guy not taken. We stumble on Bruce Guberman, liquored-up and ready for anything on the night of his best friend’s bachelor party, until stealing his girlfriend’s tiny rat terrier becomes more complicated than he’d planned. We find Jessica Norton listing her beloved New York City apartment in the hope of winning her broker’s heart. And we follow an unlikely friendship between two very different new mothers, and the choices that bring them together—and pull them apart.From a teenager coming to terms with her father’s disappearance to a widow accepting two young women into her home, these stories demonstrate Weiner’s amazing ability to find hope and humor, longing and love in the hidden corners of our common experiences.“Utterly readable.” —Pittsburgh Post-Gazette“Another delightful example of Jennifer Weiner’s tender way with words and emotions.” —Harper’s Bazaar“Very, very funny.” —Philadelphia Inquirer“Puts Weiner on the map as one of her generation’s best literary voices.” —The Boston Herald
Powers of Two: How Relationships Drive Creativity
by Joshua Wolf ShenkThe power of collaboration, from Lennon and McCartney to Wozniak and Jobs: &“An inspiring book that also happens to be a great read&” (Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive). Throughout history, partners have buoyed each other to better work—though often one member is little known to the general public. (See Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger, or Vincent and Theo van Gogh.) Powers of Two draws on neuroscience, social psychology, and cultural history to present the social foundations of creativity, with the pair as its primary embodiment. Revealing the six essential stages through which creative intimacy unfolds, this book shows how pairs begin to talk, think, and even look like each other; how the most successful ones thrive on conflict; and why some cease to work together while others carry on. At once intuitive and deeply surprising, Powers of Two will reshape the way you view individuals, relationships, and society itself. &“A rare glimpse into the private realms of duos . . . A natural storyteller.&” —The New York Times &“A book about magic, about the Beatles, about the chemistry between people, about neuroscience, and about the buddy system; it examines love and hate, harmony and dissonance, and everything in between . . . Wise, funny, surprising, and completely engrossing.&” —Susan Orlean &“We sometimes think of creativity as coming from brilliant loners. In fact, it more often happens when bright people pair up and complement each other. Shenk&’s fascinating book shows how to spark the power of this phenomenon.&” —Walter Isaacson &“Surprising, compelling . . . Shenk banishes the idea of solitary genius by demonstrating that our richest art and science come from collaboration: we need one another not only for love, but also for thinking and imagining and growing and being.&” —Andrew Solomon
Becoming Jinn: A Short Story (Becoming Jinn Ser. #1)
by Lori GoldsteinAzra has just turned sixteen, and overnight her body lengthens, her olive skin deepens, and her eyes glisten gold thanks to the brand-new silver bangle that locks around her wrist. As she always knew it would, her Jinn ancestry brings not just magical powers but the reality of a life of servitude, as her wish granting is controlled by a remote ruling class of Jinn known as the Afrit. To the humans she lives among, she's just the girl working at the snack bar at the beach, navigating the fryer and her first crush. But behind closed doors, she's learning how to harness her powers and fulfill the obligations of her destiny. Mentored by her mother and her Zar "sisters," Azra discovers she may not be quite like the rest of her circle of female Jinn . . . and that her powers could endanger them all.
Panorama City: A Novel
by Antoine Wilson“As enjoyable a comic novel as I have read all year, a coming of age story that vividly captures the modern world through innocent eyes.” —Largehearted BoyOppen Porter thinks he’s dying. (He’s not.)From his hospital bed, with tape recorder in hand, he unspools his tale for the benefit of his unborn son, the tale of his forty-day journey from innocence to experience, from self-described “slow absorber” to man of the world.What follows is a trip through modern-day southern California that establishes Panorama City as “an astonishing narrative that offers the pleasures of irony without the sting . . . The great triumph of the book is that Oppen matures without spoiling. He comes to affirm the integrity of his innocence, which is its own wisdom” (Los Angeles Review of Books).“Makes you see the world afresh . . . delightful.” —The New York Times Book Review“Often very funny. It is filled with joy and wonder, and a sort of goodness you had stopped believing might even be possible.” —Peter Carey, Booker Prize–winning author“Though it takes place in down-at-heel Panorama City with its crappy burger franchises and abandoned shopping carts, The World According to Oppen is full of wonders and mysteries.” —Stewart O’Nan, national bestselling author“Charming, absurd, very funny, and best of all, human through and through.” —Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize–winning author“Antoine Wilson draws us into the weird, wonderful world of Oppen Porter, whose advice and lessons are jarringly original, funny, and moving.” —Steve Hely, winner of the Thurber Award
The Rancher's Unexpected Baby: The Promised Amish Bride The Rancher's Unexpected Baby Their Family Blessing (Colorado Grooms #2)
by Jill LynnA cowboy goes from bachelor to daddy overnight in the second Colorado Grooms book from the award-winning author of The Rancher’s Surprise Daughter.After his marriage ended, Gage Frasier vowed he’d never remarry or have children—but now he’s guardian of an orphaned baby boy. Thankfully, his friend’s sweet sister, Emma Wilder, offers to nanny while Gage seeks a more suitable family for the child. But soon, Gage finds himself bonding with his new son . . . and with Emma. Parenthood surprised Gage, but will love sneak up on him too?From Love Inspired: Uplifting stories of faith, forgiveness, and hope.Experience more sweet romances in the Colorado Grooms series:The Rancher’s Surprise DaughterThe Rancher’s Unexpected BabyThe Bull Rider’s SecretHer Hidden HopeRaising HonorChoosing His Family
Against the Edge (The Raines of Wind Canyon #8)
by Kat MartinA child he’s never met. A danger he’s never known. A heart-stopping romantic thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of Against the Odds.That he’s a father is news former navy SEAL Ben Slocum was not expecting. But once the initial shock wears off for the confirmed bachelor, he takes in the rest of what social worker Claire Chastain tells him: that his son is missing, abducted by a man who wants revenge against Claire and Sam’s dead mother. The danger hits home, and the risks are endless—the son he’s desperate to save, the woman he’s desperate to love. Ben’s got one chance to take back what’s his, and in one gunshot he could lose it all.Praise for Kat Martin“Kat Martin is a fast gun when it comes to storytelling, and I love her books.” —Linda Lael Miller, #1 New York Times–bestselling author“It doesn’t matter what Martin’s characters are up against—she dishes up romantic suspense, sizzling sex . . . and fans are going to be the winners.” —RT Book Reviews
On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal
by Naomi KleinA #1 New York Times–bestselling author makes the case for a Green New Deal in this “keenly argued, well-researched, and impassioned” manifesto (Washington Post).An instant bestseller, On Fire shows Klein at her most prophetic and philosophical, investigating the climate crisis not only as a profound political challenge but also as a spiritual and imaginative one. Delving into topics ranging from the clash between ecological time and our culture of “perpetual now,” to the soaring history of humans changing and evolving rapidly in the face of grave threats, to rising white supremacy and fortressed borders as a form of “climate barbarism,” this is a rousing call to action for a planet on the brink.An expansive, far-ranging exploration that sees the battle for a greener world as indistinguishable from the fight for our lives, On Fire captures the burning urgency of the climate crisis, as well as the fiery energy of a rising political movement demanding a catalytic Green New Deal.“Naomi Klein’s work has always moved and guided me. She is the great chronicler of our age of climate emergency, an inspirer of generations.” —Greta Thunberg, climate activist“If I were a rich man, I’d buy 245 million copies of Naomi Klein’s ‘On Fire’ and hand-deliver them to every eligible voter in America . . . Klein is a skilled writer.” —Jeff Goodell, New York Times“Naomi Klein is the intellectual godmother of the Green New Deal—which just happens to be the most important idea in the world right now” —Bill McKibben, founder 350.org
Talking with Serial Killers: Sleeping with Psychopaths (Talking with Serial Killers)
by Christopher Berry-DeeExclusive, first-hand accounts of the men and women who have slept with infamous killers in a book praised as “terrifying . . . true crime at its best” (Daily Express).Bestselling true crime writer and criminologist Christopher Berry-Dee turns his attention to a new kind of victim: the wives and partners of serial murderers who remained unaware of exactly who they had fallen for until after their other half’s arrest or, in some cases, conviction. Only upon Peter’s arrest did Sonia Sutcliffe first discover that her husband was leading a secret existence as the Yorkshire Ripper. The wife of the Hillside Strangler only learned of her husband’s crimes when state police smashed down her door in search of him. When finding out the truth, these innocents have to face the grim reality of betrayal and deceit and often experience guilt for not having recognized the killer in their home. Christopher Berry-Dee speaks directly with killers and their oblivious loved ones to get inside the minds of the men and women who fall for murderers.
Churchill's Navigator
by Air Commodore John Mitchell Sean FeastAn RAF pilot who flew around the world with Winston Churchill during World War II tells his story. An RAF Volunteer Reserve officer, John Mitchell was mobilized on the outbreak of war—and just missed going to join a Battle Squadron in France where he would have undoubtedly been killed. Instead, he was posted to No. 58 Squadron flying Whitleys, surviving a tour of operations in 1940–41 that included ditching in the North Sea. Awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, he was sent to the US, becoming involved in the development of the first navigation training simulators with the famous Link Trainer factory. There, he was awarded the US Legion of Merit, signed by Harry S. Truman. Then, returning to the UK in 1942, he was personally selected to join the crew of Winston Churchill&’s private aircraft, one of the early prototype Avro Yorks called Ascalon. For two years he navigated Churchill to conferences around the world—from North Africa to Italy, the Middle East to Moscow, including the famous Teheran and Yalta conferences. He also flew &“General Lyon&” (aka His Majesty George VI) on several occasions. After the war, he enjoyed an eventful career as an air attaché, including an intelligence posting to Moscow, and was senior navigation officer for the long range exercises over the Pole in the converted Lincoln, Aries III. His is an exceptional story, told with wit and verve to military aviation historian Sean Feast, who adds authoritative and informed insights.
The Perfect Weapon: War, Sabotage, and Fear in the Cyber Age
by David E. SangerNOW AN HBO® DOCUMENTARY FROM AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR JOHN MAGGIO • &“An important—and deeply sobering—new book about cyberwarfare&” (Nicholas Kristof, New York Times), now updated with a new chapter.The Perfect Weapon is the startling inside story of how the rise of cyberweapons transformed geopolitics like nothing since the invention of the atomic bomb. Cheap to acquire, easy to deny, and usable for a variety of malicious purposes, cyber is now the weapon of choice for democracies, dictators, and terrorists. Two presidents—Bush and Obama—drew first blood with Operation Olympic Games, which used malicious code to blow up Iran&’s nuclear centrifuges, and yet America proved remarkably unprepared when its own weapons were stolen from its arsenal and, during President Trump&’s first year, turned back on the United States and its allies. And if Obama would begin his presidency by helping to launch the new era of cyberwar, he would end it struggling unsuccessfully to defend the 2016 U.S. election from interference by Russia, with Vladimir Putin drawing on the same playbook he used to destabilize Ukraine. Moving from the White House Situation Room to the dens of Chinese government hackers to the boardrooms of Silicon Valley, New York Times national security correspondent David Sanger reveals a world coming face-to-face with the perils of technological revolution, where everyone is a target.&“Timely and bracing . . . With the deep knowledge and bright clarity that have long characterized his work, Sanger recounts the cunning and dangerous development of cyberspace into the global battlefield of the twenty-first century.&”—Washington Post
The Inheritance: The World Obama Confronts and the Challenges to American Power
by David E. SangerReaders of The New York Times know David Sanger as one of the most trusted correspondents in Washington, one to whom presidents, secretaries of state, and foreign leaders talk with unusual candor. Now, with a historian’s sweep and an insider’s eye for telling detail, Sanger delivers an urgent intelligence briefing on the world America faces. In a riveting narrative, The Inheritance describes the huge costs of distraction and lost opportunities at home and abroad as Iraq soaked up manpower, money, and intelligence capabilities. The 2008 market collapse further undermined American leadership, leaving the new president with a set of challenges unparalleled since Franklin D. Roosevelt entered the Oval Office.Sanger takes readers into the White House Situation Room to reveal how Washington penetrated Tehran’s nuclear secrets, leading President Bush, in his last year, to secretly step up covert actions in a desperate effort to delay an Iranian bomb. Meanwhile, his intelligence chiefs made repeated secret missions to Pakistan as they tried to stem a growing insurgency and cope with an ally who was also aiding the enemy–while receiving billions in American military aid. Now the new president faces critical choices: Is it better to learn to live with a nuclear Iran or risk overt or covert confrontation? Is it worth sending U.S. forces deep into Pakistani territory at the risk of undermining an unstable Pakistani government sitting on a nuclear arsenal? It is a race against time and against a new effort by Islamic extremists–never before disclosed–to quietly infiltrate Pakistan’s nuclear weapons program. “Bush wrote a lot of checks,” one senior intelligence official told Sanger, “that the next president is going to have to cash.”The Inheritance takes readers to Afghanistan, where Bush never delivered on his promises for a Marshall Plan to rebuild the country, paving the way for the Taliban’s return. It examines the chilling calculus of North Korea’s Kim Jong-Il, who built actual weapons of mass destruction in the same months that the Bush administration pursued phantoms in Iraq, then sold his nuclear technology in the Middle East in an operation the American intelligence apparatus missed. And it explores how China became one of the real winners of the Iraq war, using the past eight years to expand its influence in Asia, and lock up oil supplies in Africa while Washington was bogged down in the Middle East. Yet Sanger, a former foreign correspondent in Asia, sees enormous potential for the next administration to forge a partnership with Beijing on energy and the environment. At once a secret history of our foreign policy misadventures and a lucid explanation of the opportunities they create, The Inheritance is vital reading for anyone trying to understand the extraordinary challenges that lie ahead.
The Enigma of Garlic: 44 Scotland Street Series (16) (44 Scotland Street Series #16)
by Alexander McCall SmithThe latest installment in the charming and congenial 44 Scotland Street series finds all our favorite residents of Scotland's most celebrated address up to their usual hilarious hijinks.It's the most anticipated event of the decade—Big Lou and Fat Bob's wedding—and everyone is invited! But the relative peace and tranquillity of 44 Scotland Street is about to be disrupted. Domineering Irene is set to return for a two-month stay, consigning young Bertie to a summer camp. Not content with that, she somehow manages to come between the enigmatic nun, Sister Maria-Fiore dei Fiori di Montagna, and her friend, the hagiographer, Antonia Collie.And can a person really change, even after being struck by lightning? Bruce Anderson&’s metamorphosis and new-found outlook on life is put to the test as he prepares to leave his creature comforts for the monastic simplicity of Pluscarden Abbey. His house sitter, meanwhile, gets a little too comfortable in his new life and discovers that his talented employer's shoes are all too easy to slip into. With great taste comes great responsibility.Alexander McCall Smith's delightfully witty, wise and sometimes surreal comedy spirals out in surprising ways in this new installment, but its heart remains where it has always been, at the center of life in Edinburgh's New Town.
Crazy Rich Asians (Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy #1)
by Kevin Kwan#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The international sensation and blockbuster Hollywood rom com. • "A Pride and Prejudice-like send-up about an heir bringing his Chinese-American girlfriend home to meet his ancestor-obsessed family.&” —People &“Deliciously decadent.... This 48-karat beach read is crazy fun.&” —Entertainment WeeklyWhen New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home and quality time with the man she hopes to marry. But Nick has failed to give his girlfriend a few key details. One, that his childhood home looks like a palace; two, that he grew up riding in more private planes than cars; and three, that he just happens to be the country&’s most eligible bachelor. On Nick&’s arm, Rachel may as well have a target on her back the second she steps off the plane, and soon, her relaxed vacation turns into an obstacle course of old money, new money, nosy relatives, and scheming social climbers.
Deathstalker War (Deathstalker #3)
by Simon R. GreenOwen Deathstalker doesn’t trust anyone, even his companions…especially his companions. But for the diplomatic mission to Mistworld, he’ll have to try. Representing the Golgotha underground, Owen hopes to bring the planet into the rebellion--their powerful psychic “espers” would be an invaluable asset. But that’s not Owen’s only reason for visiting Mistworld.In fact, everyone aboard the Sunstrider II has a secret agenda. While Owen looks for an information-gathering network that his father set up, all-too-perfect Jack Random seeks out former allies, volatile esper Jenny Psycho searches for information about her power, and ex-pirate Hazel d’Ark pursues an old vice. Of course, success won’t be easy and there’s little time to spare.The Empire’s recent esper attack already left Mistworld physically and politically exposed. Playing host to the leaders of the rebellion only makes the planet a juicier target and this time, the Empress will deploy her most ruthless weapon to crush Owen Deathstalker and the uprising, once and for all.Deathstalker: War is the third book in New York Times bestselling author Simon R. Green’s beloved space opera series.
Silent Village: Life and Death in Occupied France
by Robert Pike'Based on eye-witness accounts, Robert Pike’s moving book vividly depicts the lives of the villagers who were caught up in the tragedy of Oradour-sur-Glane and brings their experiences to our attention for the first time.' - Hanna Diamond, author of Fleeing HitlerOn 10 June 1944, four days after Allied forces landed in Normandy, the picturesque village of Oradour-sur-Glane in the rural heart of France was destroyed by an armoured SS Panzer division. Six hundred and forty-three men, women and children were murdered in the nation’s worst wartime atrocity. Today, Oradour is remembered as a ‘martyred village’ and its ruins preserved, but the stories of its inhabitants lie buried under the rubble of the intervening decades. Silent Village gathers the powerful testimonies of survivors in the first account of Oradour as it was both before the tragedy and in its aftermath. Why this peaceful community was chosen for extermination has remained a mystery. Putting aside contemporary hearsay, Nazi rhetoric and revisionist theories, Robert Pike returns to the archival evidence to narrate the tragedy as it truly happened – and give voice to the anguish of those left behind.
The Story of the Big Four Railway Companies
by Colin G. MaggsGWR, LMS, LNER and SR: these initials arouse memories of the Cornish Riviera Express, the streamlined Coronation Scot, the streamlined Coronation with its beaver tail, and the Southern Electrics, yet three of these companies only enjoyed a life of 25 years. Colin G. Maggs, who was born in this era and is one of the country’s leading railway historians, is perfectly placed to tell the story of how these Big Four companies came into being and their enormous success following the rundown of the railways during the First World War, which system of neglect led to 26 companies becoming 4. The remarkable, if surprisingly brief, era of the Big Four saw great changes and achievements, including streamlining; speed records; electrification; diesel power; railway-owned buses and aircraft; and a real sense of cooperation between companies at last.
My Vegetable Love: A Journal of a Growing Season (Bur Oak Original Ser.)
by Carl H. Klaus&“Home gardeners, cooks and nature lovers will savor this delightful account&” of a journey from first spring planting to final fall harvest (Publishers Weekly). My Vegetable Love is a daily record of a growing season in Iowa—but it&’s about much more than planting peppers, tending tomatoes, or harvesting eggplants. It&’s about all the things that influence this gardener: the weather, the neighborhood, his wife&’s possibly recurring cancer, the changing nature of the academic community. It&’s about the last months of his twenty-year-old cat, about his dog, and about all the other humans and animals in his gardening world. And about his family: the aunts and uncles who cared for and fed a six-year-old orphan, and helped him understand that good food was a way of knowing that someone cared. In all the gardens he has tended, the dills he has pickled, and the dinners he has cooked, Carl H. Klaus has tried to carry on that tradition and pass it on to his own children—and in this &“delectable&” book, he shares it with us as well (Publishers Weekly). &“Part Gilbert White, part Henry David Thoreau, this chronicle of an Iowa gardener&’s year has drawn from the heartland a calm, compassionate harvest.&” —Roger B. Swain, host of PBS&’s Victory Garden &“Wholeheartedly celebrates friendship, love, pets, the elements of family, academia, cooking, eating—and of course, gardening . . . Bon appétit—and good reading.&” —Smithsonian
Deep South: Four Seasons On Back Roads
by Paul TherouxThe acclaimed author of The Great Railway Bazaar takes a revealing journey through the Southern US in a &“vivid contemporary portrait of rural life&” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Paul Theroux has spent decades roaming the globe and writing of his experiences with remote people and far-flung places. Now, for the first time, he turns his attention to a corner of America—the Deep South. On a winding road trip through Mississippi, South Carolina, and elsewhere below the Mason-Dixon, Theroux discovers architectural and artistic wonders, incomparable music, mouth-watering cuisine—and also some of the worst schools, medical care, housing, and unemployment rates in the nation. Most fascinating of all are Theroux&’s many encounters with the people who make the South what it is—from preachers and mayors to quarry workers and gun show enthusiasts. With his astute ear and penetrating mind, Theroux once again demonstrates his &“remarkable gift for getting strangers to reveal themselves&” in this eye-opening excursion into his own country (The New York Times Book Review). &“Paul Theroux&’s latest travel memoir had me at hello…Theroux pulls no punches in his quest to understand this overlooked margin of American life.&” — Boston Globe
Skinny Island: More Tales of Manhattan
by Louis AuchinclossTwelve stories contemplating destiny and detailing the life of Manhattan’s upper class over the course of one hundred years, from the author of Honorable Men.It’s only twelve miles long and two miles wide, but it has more money for its area, more history packed into its relatively brief settlement, and more emotional and intellectual energy coursing through its streets than any other place on earth. Manhattan is the setting for all of Louis Auchincloss’s fiction, and it is the stage on which those New Yorkers whose roots go down to its bedrock play out the drama of their lives.From the turn of the century to our present urban follies, these stories follow the fortunes of the socially secure and powerful as they try to cope with the changes shaped by the momentous events and growing anxieties of recent decades. Taken together, the tales weave a larger pattern of human strengths and foibles that bemuses the mind and touches the heart.The elegant prose, crystalline dialogue, immense insight into the mores, preoccupations, and afflictions of the rich, and the connoisseur’s sense of both art and life that are characteristic of Auchincloss—all are here, but with a depth of passion and irony exceeding anything he has accomplished in the past.Praise for Skinny Island“Many of Auchincloss’ wealthy and Waspy protagonists, caught in such fine conflict, find it difficult to defend their dwindling kind or, conversely, to rebel against their confining values . . . . With this, his 40th book, Auchincloss has yet to exhaust his art, or his loyal readers.” —Kirkuks Reviews
Big Money Thinks Small: Biases, Blind Spots, and Smarter Investing
by Joel TillinghastMarket mistakes to avoid: &“Written for investors at all levels…[a] practical, no-nonsense guide.&”—Publishers Weekly One of Money Week&’s Five Best Books of the Year Investors are tempted daily by misleading or incomplete information. They may make a lucky bet, realize a sizable profit, and find themselves full of confidence. Their next high-stakes gamble might backfire, not only hitting them in the balance sheet but also taking a mental and emotional toll. Even veteran investors can be caught off guard: a news item may suddenly cause havoc for an industry they&’ve invested in; crowd mentality among fellow investors may skew the market; a CEO may turn out to be unprepared to effectively guide a company. How can one stay focused in such a volatile world? If you can&’t trust your past successes to plan and predict, how can you avoid risky situations in the future? Patience and methodical planning will pay far greater dividends than flashy investments. In Big Money Thinks Small, veteran fund manager Joel Tillinghast shows investors how to avoid making these mistakes. He offers a set of simple but crucial steps to successful investing, including: · Know yourself, how you arrive at decisions, and how you might be susceptible to self-deception · Make decisions based on your own expertise, and do not invest in what you don&’t understand · Select only trustworthy and capable colleagues and collaborators · Learn how to identify and avoid investments with inherent flaws · Always search for bargains, and never forget that the first responsibility of an investor is to identify mispriced stocks
Baudolino: A Novel (Booket/columna Ser. #Vol. 28)
by Umberto EcoA self-confessed liar spins a fascinating tale of his life in this &“comic and brilliantly baffling&” historical novel by the author of The Name of the Rose (The Guardian, UK). Constantinople, 1204. The Byzantine capital is under siege by the knights of the Fourth Crusade. Amid the carnage and confusion, one Baudolino saves a historian and high court official from certain death at the hands of the crusading warriors—and proceeds to regale him with the fantastical story of his life. Born a simple peasant in northern Italy, Baudolino has two major gifts: a talent for learning languages and a skill in telling lies. As a boy he meets a foreign commander who adopts Baudolino and sends him to the university in Paris, where he makes a number of adventurous friends. Spurred on by myths and their own reveries, they decide to go in search of the legendary priest-king Prester John who is said to rule over a vast kingdom in the East. The kingdom they seek is a phantasmagorical land of strange creatures with eyes on their shoulders and mouths on their stomachs; of eunuchs, unicorns, and lovely maidens. With dazzling digressions, outrageous tricks, extraordinary feeling, and vicarious reflections on our postmodern age, Baudolino is Eco the storyteller at his brilliant best.
Reunited . . . and Pregnant: A scandalous story of passion and romance (The Ballantyne Billionaires #2)
by Joss WoodA pregnant PR exec and her millionaire ex discover they have unfinished business in this second chance romance.PR whiz Cady Collins’s personal and professional lives both desperately need a reboot. So, when millionaire Beckett Ballantyne decides to rebrand his company, Cady is determined to land the job. The only complication is her romantic history with her devilishly handsome boss, whose smoldering blue-eyed gaze still makes her swoon. And the only complication with that is the fact she’s already pregnant!Beck doesn’t mind that he’s not the baby’s father—he only knows he burns for the mom-to-be. But when a media misunderstanding leads to a fake engagement, will Beck end the Valentine’s Day charade or play for keeps?
The Boneless Mercies
by April Genevieve Tucholke*A Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year**A Barnes & Noble Best YA Book of the Year* Frey, Ovie, Juniper, and Runa are the Boneless Mercies—girls hired to kill quickly, quietly, and mercifully. But Frey is weary of the death trade and, having been raised on the heroic sagas of her people, dreams of a bigger life. When she hears of an unstoppable monster ravaging a nearby town, Frey decides this is the Mercies' one chance out. The fame and fortune of bringing down such a beast would ensure a new future for all the Mercies. In fact, her actions may change the story arc of women everywhere.Full of fierce girls, bloodlust, tenuous alliances, and unapologetic quests for glory, this elegantly spun tale challenges the power of storytelling—and who gets to be the storyteller. Perfect for fans of Maggie Stiefvater, V.E. Schwab, and Heidi Heilig.