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The Taken: A Hazel Micallef Mystery
by Inger Ash Wolfe&“Lovers of twisty but plausible plotting and an out-of-the-ordinary lead will embrace [this] standout&” police procedural featuring a Canadian detective (Publishers Weekly, starred review). Detective Inspector Hazel Micallef is having a bad year. After major back surgery, she has no real option but to move into her ex-husband&’s basement and suffer the humiliation of his new wife bringing her meals down on a tray. As if that weren&’t enough, Hazel&’s octogenarian mother secretly flushes Hazel&’s stash of painkillers down the toilet. It&’s almost a relief when Hazel gets a call about a body fished up by tourists in one of the lakes near Port Dundas. But what raises the hair on the back of Micallef&’s neck is that the local paper has just published the first installment of a serialized story featuring such a scenario. Even before they head out to the lake with divers to recover the body, she and DC James Wingate, leading the police detachment in Micallef &’s absence, know they are being played. But it&’s not clear who is pulling their strings and why, nor is what they find at the lake at all what they expected. It&’s Micallef herself who is snared, caught up in a cryptic game devised by someone who knows how to taunt her into opening a cold case, someone who knows that nothing will stop her investigation. The second novel featuring Hazel Micallef, &“a compelling, unlikely hero,&” is a stunning and suspenseful exploration of the obsessive far reaches of love, confirming Inger Ash Wolfe as one of the best mystery writers today (Entertainment Weekly).
Battle for Skyline Ridge: The CIA Secret War in Laos
by James E. Parker Jr.&“An incredibly powerful account of a little-known chapter in the Vietnam War saga&” written by a CIA veteran who fought in the Secret War (Booklist, starred review). In the 1960s and &’70s, the Laotian Civil War became a covert theater for the conflict in Vietnam, with the US paramilitary backing the Royal Lao government in what came to be known among the CIA as the Secret War. In late 1971, the North Vietnamese Army launched Campaign Z, invading northern Laos on a mission to defeat the Royal Lao Army. General Giap had specifically ordered the NVA troops to kill the CIA army and occupy its field headquarters in the Long Tieng valley. The NVA faced the small rag-tag army of Vang Pao, mostly Thai irregulars recruited to fight for the CIA. But thousands more were quickly recruited, trained, and rushed into position in Laos to defend against the impending NVA invasion. Despite overwhelming odds in the NVA&’s favor, the battle raged for more than one hundred days—the longest battle in the Vietnam War. In the end, it all came down to Skyline Ridge. Whoever won Skyline, won Laos. Historian James E. Parker Jr. served as a CIA paramilitary officer in Laos. In this authoritative and personal account, Parker draws from his own firsthand experience as well as extensive research into CIA files and North Vietnamese after-action reports in order to tell the full story of the battle of Skyline Ridge.
A Handmade Wilderness: Untaming The Land
by Donald SchuelerA memoir of an interracial gay couple bringing eighty acres back to life in 1960s Southern Mississippi: &“This is no ordinary back-to-the-land book&” (Sue Hubbell). In 1968, when Don G. Schueler and Willie Brown bought eighty acres in Mississippi, all they could afford was a piece of &“least worst land&”—a parcel that had been logged, burned, and ravaged, about twenty-five miles from the Gulf Coast. Moonshiners and poachers tried to scare them off, but the two stuck it out, restoring &“The Place,&” bringing back the flora and fauna, until they had created a handmade wilderness containing every ecosystem found in the region. This is the true story of their amazing journey. &“Schueler and his partner purchased a bruised parcel of rural land, their goal to restore it to an ecologically balanced habitat for indigenous plant species and wildlife. Though his thoroughly engaging chronicle posits the dicey situation of a white man and a black man making a home in rural Mississippi in 1968, Schueler&’s account is replete with amusing anecdotes that illuminate a quarter-century of interactions with neighbors vastly different from themselves and the conscientious caretaking efforts they expended. The saga embraces hurricane Camille&’s destruction of a newly completed section of their house, and the fortitude that led them to build again, and the acquiring of a bevy of animals in the bargain.&” —Booklist
Lesser Evils
by Joe Flanagan“Transposes the corrupt world of James Ellroy’s L.A. Confidential to the Cape Cod of 1957 . . . Ratchets up the suspense to an almost unbearable level” (Publishers Weekly, starred review).When the first young boy goes missing in a quiet Cape Cod town, Bill Warren, who took the job of police chief after returning from World War II, is pulled into a morass that promises no happy ending. As his pursuit uncovers the unimaginable, he is led into a world of criminal conspiracy, a secretive pharmaceutical firm, and an odd local clergyman who may be either a miracle worker or a madman. And while caring for his disabled son, he must fight to maintain control of an investigation in which more and more people—from the state police to the district attorney to a tenacious Boston reporter—are taking a serious interest.As facts become murkier and the threat rises, Warren struggles to survive in a world where the police can be just as corrupt as the criminals they chase, and where a murder inquiry will ultimately lead to his front door.“A deftly plotted and perfectly realized crime novel that features one of the most interesting, complex and likable protagonists of recent times.” —Stav Sherez, author of Eleven Days“[A] highly impressive debut.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Money Secrets of the Rich: Learn the 7 Secrets to Financial Freedom
by John R. BurleyOne of the world&’s leading experts in wealth creation shares the 7 secrets that propelled him from debt to financial independence as a multimillionaire. John Burley is one of the world&’s leading experts in wealth creation. He has achieved what most people would consider impossible. Starting out with a little money, a workable plan of action, and a lot of desire, John was in a position to retire at the age of thirty-two. Now, in this step-by-step guide, John will teach you the seven crucial secrets he discovered on his journey to financial freedom. Money Secrets of the Rich is a detailed map that will guide you to your own financial security and riches. These are not &“get-rich-quick tips&” but rather the systems and practices rich people use to protect their money and grow it at high rates of return. Best of all, as John explains, it does not matter where you are today or how much money you earn; it is what you do with your income that will determine your success. &“When I need strategic advice about money, John Burley is one of the people I call. Every time I am with John I learn something profound about money that immediately increases my wealth.&” —Robert Kiyosaki, bestselling author of Rich Dad, Poor Dad
How Green Was My Valley (Penguin Longman Active Reading Ser.)
by Richard LlewellynThe international-bestselling winner of the National Book Award and the basis for the Academy Award–winning film directed by John Ford. Huw Morgan remembers the days when his home valley was prosperous, verdant, and beautiful—before the mines came to town. The youngest son of a respectable mining family in South Wales, he is now the only one left in the valley, and his reminiscences tell the story of a family and a town both defined and ruined by the mines. Huw&’s story is both joyful and heartrending—a portrait of a place and a people existing now only in memory. Full of memorable characters, richly crafted language, and surprising humor, How Green Was My Valley is the first of four books chronicling Huw&’s life, including the sequels Up into the Singing Mountain, Down Where the Moon is Small, and Green, Green My Valley Now. &“The reader emerges from these tense pages strangely aglow with sharing the happiness of the characters . . . The simplicity of the language and its delicately strange flavor give the book added charm.&” —Chicago Tribune
Playing in the Light: A Novel
by Zoë Wicomb&“In her ambitious third novel, Wicomb explores South Africa&’s history through a woman&’s attempt to answer questions surrounding her past&” (The New Yorker). Set in a beautifully rendered 1990s Cape Town, Windham Campbell Prize winner Zoë Wicomb&’s celebrated novel revolves around Marion Campbell, who runs a travel agency but hates traveling, and who, in post-apartheid society, must negotiate the complexities of a knotty relationship with Brenda, her first black employee. As Alison McCulloch noted in the New York Times, &“Wicomb deftly explores the ghastly soup of racism in all its unglory—denial, tradition, habit, stupidity, fear—and manages to do so without moralizing or becoming formulaic.&” Caught in the narrow world of private interests and self-advancement, Marion eschews national politics until the Truth and Reconciliation Commission throws up information that brings into question not only her family&’s past but her identity and her rightful place in contemporary South African society. &“Stylistically nuanced and psychologically astute,&” Playing in the Light is as powerful in its depiction of Marion&’s personal journey as it is in its depiction of South Africa&’s bizarre, brutal history (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). &“Post-apartheid South Africa is indeed a new world . . . With this novel, Wicomb proves a keen guide.&” —The New York Times &“Delectable . . . Wicomb&’s prose is as delightful and satisfying in its culmination as watching the sun set over the Atlantic Ocean.&” —The Christian Science Monitor &“[A] thoughtful, poetic novel.&” —The Times (London)
Westmoreland: The General Who Lost Vietnam
by Lewis Sorley&“A terrific book, lively and brisk . . . a must read for anyone who tries to understand the Vietnam War.&” —Thomas E. Ricks Is it possible that the riddle of America&’s military failure in Vietnam has a one-word, one-man answer? Until we understand Gen. William Westmoreland, we will never know what went wrong in the Vietnam War. An Eagle Scout at fifteen, First Captain of his West Point class, Westmoreland fought in two wars and became Superintendent at West Point. Then he was chosen to lead the war effort in Vietnam for four crucial years. He proved a disaster. Unable to think creatively about unconventional warfare, Westmoreland chose an unavailing strategy, stuck to it in the face of all opposition, and stood accused of fudging the results when it mattered most. In this definitive portrait, prize-winning military historian Lewis Sorley makes a plausible case that the war could have been won were it not for General Westmoreland. An authoritative study offering tragic lessons crucial for the future of American leadership, Westmoreland is essential reading. &“Eye-opening and sometimes maddening, Sorley&’s Westmoreland is not to be missed.&” —John Prados, author of Vietnam: The History of an Unwinnable War, 1945–1975
Dead on Arrival: Close Her Eyes, Last Seen Alive, And Dead On Arrival (The Inspector Thanet Mysteries #6)
by Dorothy SimpsonA British detective must find the killer of a much-despised villager in this mystery from &“a modern-day version of Agatha Christie&” (Booklist). Det. Inspector Luke Thanet is brought in when a dead man is found in bed, apparently killed by a single blow with a blunt object. When the corpse is identified as Steven Long, the question is no longer who wanted to kill him, but who didn&’t? A troublemaker with enemies wherever he went, Long was loathed by everyone in town, from his long-suffering ex-wife to the man whose family he killed in a driving accident. To find the culprit, Thanet will have to get to the bottom of a lifetime of hate. The long-running series featuring Detective Inspector Thanet, which includes The Night She Died and CWA Silver Dagger winner Last Seen Alive, is perfect for fans of P. D. James and classic police procedurals. Dead on Arrival is &“an intriguing tale not to be missed&” (Yorkshire Post). Dead on Arrival is the 6th book in the Inspector Thanet Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
That's the Way the Cookie Crumbles: 62 All-New Commentaries on the Fascinating Chemistry of Everyday Life
by Dr. Joe SchwarczThe bestselling popular science author reveals &“the connections between what we teach in chemistry courses and the world in which . . . [we] live&” (ChemEd X). Interesting anecdotes and engaging tales make science fun, meaningful, and accessible. Separating sense from nonsense and fact from fiction, these essays cover everything from the ups of helium to the downs of drain cleaners, and provide answers to numerous mysteries, such as why bug juice is used to color ice cream and how spies used secret inks. Mercury in teeth, arsenic in water, lead in the environment, and aspartame in food are also discussed. Mythbusters include the fact that Edison did not invent the light bulb and that walking on hot coals does not require paranormal powers. The secret life of bagels is revealed, and airbags, beer, and soap yield their mysteries. These and many more surprising, educational, and entertaining commentaries show the relevance of science to everyday life. &“A delightful and informative read. Dr. Schwarcz tells it like it is, whether the subject is light at heart or as weighty as death.&” —The Cosmic Chemist &“Fascinating [this book] is, thanks to the author&’s lively style and contagious enthusiasm for chemistry, and his ability to make it accessible . . . connects the dots between such unlikely events as the madness of King George III and the royal fondness for sauerkraut; and between gluten, the molecular make-up of trans-fatty acids, and how the cookie crumbles.&” —Montreal Review of Books
Necropolis (La\otra Orilla Ser.)
by Santiago GamboaAn author visiting Jerusalem is pulled into a stranger&’s mysterious death in this gripping, moving novel by one of Colombia&’s major literary voices. Winner of the La Otra Orilla Literary Award Upon recovering from a prolonged illness, an author is invited to a literary gathering in Jerusalem that turns out to be a most unusual affair. In the conference rooms of a luxury hotel, as war rages outside, he listens to a series of extraordinary life stories: the saga of a chess-playing duo, the tale of an Italian porn star with a socialist agenda, the drama of a Colombian industrialist who has been waging a longstanding battle with local paramilitaries, and many more. But it is José Maturana—evangelical pastor, recovering drug addict, ex-con—with his story of redemption at the hands of a charismatic tattooed messiah from Miami, Florida, who fascinates the author more than any other. Maturana&’s language is potent and vital, and his story captivating. Hours after his stirring presentation to a rapt audience, however, Maturana is found dead in his hotel room. At first it seems likely that he has taken his own life. But there are a few loose ends that don&’t support the suicide hypothesis, and the author is moved by Maturana&’s life story to discover the truth about his death, in a literary mystery from &“one of the most interesting Latin American writers . . . his most ambitious novel yet&” (La Nación). &“A modern Decameron.&” —La Liberté
Out of Sight: The Long and Disturbing Story of Corporations Outsourcing Catastrophe
by Erik LoomisA provocative analysis of labor, globalization, and environmental harm by the award-winning historian and author of A History of America in Ten Strikes. In the current state of our globalized economy, corporations have no incentive to protect their workers or the environment. Jobs moves seamlessly across national borders while the laws that protect us from rapacious behavior remain bound by them. As a result, labor exploitation and toxic pollution remain standard practice. In Out of Sight, Erik Loomis—a historian of both the labor and environmental movements—follows a narrative that runs from the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City to the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2013. He demonstrates that our modern systems of industrial production are just as dirty and abusive as they were during the Industrial Revolution and the Gilded Age. The only difference is that the ugly side of manufacturing is now hidden in faraway places where workers are most vulnerable. In this Choice Outstanding Academic Title, Loomis shows that the great environmental victories of twentieth-century America—the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the EPA—were actually union victories. Using this history as a call to action, Out of Sight proposes a path toward regulations that follow corporations wherever they do business, putting the power back in workers&’ hands. &“The story told here is tragic and important.&” —Bill McKibben &“Erik Loomis prescribes how activists can take back our country—for workers and those who care about the health of our planet.&” —Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)
Crossing the Line: A Jane Taylor Novel (The Jane Taylor Novels #2)
by Lauren Baratz-LogstedA fake pregnancy, a real baby, and a madcap adventure: This follow-up to The Thin Pink Line is &“even better than the first book&” (Booklist). London editor Jane Taylor pretended to be pregnant for months. Now she has rescued an actual abandoned baby—which would have come in handy for keeping up her charade, except that the infant is black and Jane is white. Finally giving up her ruse, Jane comes clean to the people in her life—but she wants to keep this precious little one. To do that, she&’ll have to battle Social Services and take on anyone who tries to get in her way, with some help from her ex-boyfriend Tolkien. But as she tries to reassure others—and herself—that she would make a fit mother, it&’s clear that she&’ll always be crazy Jane . . . This is a delightfully comic and touching tale from an author with a &“deft touch and sure eye for character&” (Elizabeth Letts, New York Times–bestselling author of The Perfect Horse).
The Chick Palace
by Leslie Davis GuccioneA novel of female friendship and summer romance from the RITA Award finalist and creator of the Branigan Brothers series. Three dilemmas. Two friends. One abandoned treehouse. Johanna Lawrence and Lilly Covington have a friendship that spans decades. From their days as college roommates to the years after as lakeside neighbors, they&’ve offered each other sympathy, support, and solace for life&’s rough edges. As they find themselves together for another summer and a new set of crossroads in their lives—Johanna having lost her mother, Lilly an empty-nester on her second divorce from the same man—they commandeer their sons&’ long-abandoned treehouse for morning coffee, evening margaritas, and soulful contemplation. All hope of a restful summer is shattered when Johanna&’s first love, the bad boy she dated years ago in a fit of teenage rebellion, reappears in her life. Quicker than he can dub the treehouse &“The Chick Palace,&” he embroils Johanna and Lilly in a triangle and proves himself as adept at stealing hearts and turning summers upside down as he was years ago. With her trademark heart, humor, and sass, Leslie Davis Guccione sets up a lakeside romp fueled by friendship, family, and one old flame ready and willing to once again test the waters.
End of a Berlin Diary
by William L. Shirer&“A vivid and unforgettable word picture of the destruction of Nazi Germany&” (The New York Times). A radio broadcaster and journalist for Edward R. Murrow at CBS, William L. Shirer was new to the world of broadcast journalism when he began keeping a diary while on assignment in Europe during the 1930s. It was in 1940, when he was still virtually unknown, that Shirer wondered whether his eyewitness account of the collapse of the world around Nazi Germany could be of any interest or value as a book. Shirer&’s Berlin Diary, which is considered the first full record of what was happening in Germany during the rise of the Third Reich, appeared in 1941. The book was an instant success—and would not be the last of his expert observations on Europe. Shirer returned to the European front in 1944 to cover the end of the war. As the smoke cleared, Shirer—who watched the birth of a monster that threatened to engulf the world—now stood witness to the death of the Third Reich. End of a Berlin Diary chronicles this year-long study of Germany after Hitler. Through a combination of Shirer&’s lucid, honest reporting, along with passages on the Nuremberg trials, copies of captured Nazi documents, and an eyewitness account of Hitler&’s last days, Shirer provides insight into the unrest, the weariness, and the tentative steps world leaders took towards peace.
The Civil War Papers of George B. McClellan: Selected Correspondence, 1860-1865 (Quality Paperbacks Ser.)
by Stephen W. SearsFrom the author of Gettysburg: A &“valuable&” collection of the letters of this controversial Civil War general (James M. McPherson, The New York Review of Books). No one played as many major roles during the Civil War as Gen. George B. McClellan, nor did any other figure write such candid letters about himself, his motivations, and his intentions. For Civil War buffs, this collection is a gold mine, revealing nuggets of fresh information on military operations and political machinations, from the battle of Antietam through McClellan&’s 1864 race for the presidency—as well as the uninhibited correspondence McClellan wrote to his wife—selected and introduced by the prize-winning author Stephen W. Sears, &“a first-class writer and splendid historian&” (The Wall Street Journal). &“A treasure-trove . . . Nothing of importance concerning [McClellan&’s] military strategies and tactics or the politics, policies, and issues of the war has been omitted. Sears has edited the collection with consummate economy and skill, and his introductory essays to the book&’s eleven sections weave the disparate facts of McClellan&’s wartime experience together.&” —Library Journal &“The letters are most valuable as a revelation of McClellan&’s personality, which lay at the root of his military failure. They make clear that his initial success and fame went to his head.&” —James M. McPherson, The New York Review of Books &“Introduced with insightful essays . . . [McClellan] emerges as the Captain Queeg of the Civil War.&” —Harold Holzer, Chicago Tribune
Getting Whole, Getting Well: Healing Holistically from Chronic Illness
by Iris R. Bell&“A highly practical guide you can count on for results. I regard Dr. Bell as a true pioneer in natural health&” (Andrew Weil, MD, #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Healthy Aging). Until now, trial and error has been the way most of us experiment with alternative healing techniques like vitamins, herbal supplements, and acupuncture. You can find encyclopedic information on different therapies—but the challenge is creating a personalized, holistic plan that works. Getting Whole, Getting Well shows you how to choose and use the treatments that are right for you. No guesswork. No wandering in the wilderness. If you&’ve been disappointed in your results or confused about the multitude of options available, learn how to: Adopt the total healing mindset necessary for optimal resultsChoose the alternative therapies that work best for you and your health issuesAvoid the number-one mistake most people make when using alternative therapies If you&’ve suffered with any chronic condition, including asthma, arthritis, cancer, chronic fatigue, diabetes, fibromyalgia, heart disease, irritable bowel, migraine headache, or multiple sclerosis, this book can help you explore the wide range of treatment options in the world of alternative health.
The Michael Cullen Novels: A Start in Life, Life Goes On, and Moggerhanger (The Michael Cullen Novels #1)
by Alan SillitoeThree uproarious comic novels from the iconic author of such classics as The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning. Alan Sillitoe has been hailed as &“the most quietly eloquent of his cohort of postwar British novelists&” (Jonathan Lethem). Here are three of Sillitoe&’s finest and funniest, chronicling the adventures of the &“happy bastard&” Michael Cullen. A Start in Life: The saga begins as Michael Cullen says goodbye to his home in Nottingham and hits the road for London. There he will make his fortune—or die trying. Life Goes On: The legend of Britain&’s most unlikely hero continues. After a series of outlandish criminal adventures, Cullen is a bastard no more. But he is still a rake with a refreshing lack of scruples. With the open road in front of him, the police behind him, and randy waitresses at every lay-by, Cullen is up to his old tricks once again. Moggerhanger: This madcap tale finds Cullen hired by his ex-boss, racketeer Claude Moggerhanger, to do a little &“job.&” But that&’s just the beginning of a wild adventure featuring crazed poets; endless women; rat catchers; Labrador retrievers; and his old friend, former mercenary soldier Bill Straw. Rolling Stone called Alan Sillitoe &“the master of British verbal architecture.&” These three novels also reveal him as a master of the picaresque, one of the truly unmistakable and original voices in modern fiction.
The Stranger: The Labyrinths of Echo, Part One (The Labyrinths of Echo #1)
by Max FreiThe Russian author&’s international-bestselling series begins with this &“well-written, well-paced grown-up fantasy with a strong dose of reality&” (Kirkus Reviews). Fandomania.com&’s #1 Book of 2009 To put it bluntly, Max Frei is a loser. He spends his day sleeping and at night he smokes, eats, and loafs around because he can&’t catch a wink. But then he gets lucky. Through his dreams, he begins to contact a parallel world where magic is a daily practice—and, strangely, Max seems to fit right in. Once a social outcast, he&’s now known in this new world of Echo as the &“unequalled Sir Max.&” He&’s a member of the Department of Absolute Order, formed by a species of enchanted secret agents; his job is to solve cases involving illegal magic. And he&’s about to embark on a journey down the winding paths of this strange and unhinged universe. &“Fans of Jasper Fforde and Susanna Clark will happily jump into Frei&’s world.&” —USA Today &“If Harry Potter smoked cigarettes and took a certain matter-of-fact pleasure in administering tough justice, he might like Max Frei, the protagonist of this fantasy novel.&” —Kirkus Reviews
Cauchemar
by Alexandra GrigorescuA Sunburst Award nominee: &“Unease haunts this southern gothic . . . An intense debut bolstered by a powerful sense of place&” (The Globe and Mail, Toronto). Gripping, fast-paced, gorgeously written, and with unforgettable characters, Cauchemar tells the story of twenty-year-old Hannah, who finds herself living alone on the edge of a Louisianan swamp after her adopted mother and protector dies. Hannah falls in love with Callum, an easy-going boat captain and part-time musician, but after her mysterious birth mother, outcast as a witch and rumored to commune with the dead, comes back into Hannah&’s life, she must confront what she&’s been hiding from—the deadly spirits that haunt the swamp, the dark secrets of her past, and the nascent gift she possesses. Like the nightmares that plague Hannah, Cauchemar lingers and haunts. &“Grigorescu grabs readers with a sense of foreboding at the start and builds intense tension as she leads them into a haunting place where the lines between dream and reality, living and dead, blur and hypnotize.&” —Publishers Weekly &“Grigorescu applies just the right tonal touch to her macabre subject matter . . . The book is full of riveting prose about complex, fallible characters.&” —Quill & Quire &“What makes Cauchemar so effective—so ominous and creepy—lies in Grigorescu&’s skill in setting a scene. There&’s a convincing aura of melancholy and malevolence haunting Hannah&’s world.&” —Broken Pencil &“A stolen moment of pure fantasy, elevated by the author&’s mesmerizing brand of descriptive, evocative language . . . Cauchemar easily surpasses its rivals of Twilight and True Blood, due to the poetic quality of Grigorescu&’s writing.&” —Scene Magazine
I'm Feeling Lucky: The Confessions of Google Employee Number 59
by Douglas EdwardsA marketing director&’s story of working at a startup called Google in the early days of the tech boom: &“Vivid inside stories . . . Engrossing&” (Ken Auletta). Douglas Edwards wasn&’t an engineer or a twentysomething fresh out of school when he received a job offer from a small but growing search engine company at the tail end of the 1990s. But founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin needed staff to develop the brand identity of their brainchild, and Edwards fit the bill with his journalistic background at the San Jose Mercury News, the newspaper of Silicon Valley. It was a change of pace for Edwards, to say the least, and put him in a unique position to interact with and observe the staff as Google began its rocket ride to the top. In entertaining, self-deprecating style, he tells his story of participating in this moment of business and technology history, giving readers a chance to fully experience the bizarre mix of camaraderie and competition at this phenomenal company. Edwards, Google&’s first director of marketing and brand management, describes the idiosyncratic Page and Brin, the evolution of the famously nonhierarchical structure in which every employee finds a problem to tackle and works independently, the races to develop and implement each new feature, and the many ideas that never came to pass. I&’m Feeling Lucky reveals what it&’s like to be &“indeed lucky, sort of an accidental millionaire, a reluctant bystander in a sea of computer geniuses who changed the world. This is a rare look at what happened inside the building of the most important company of our time&” (Seth Godin, author of Linchpin). &“An affectionate, compulsively readable recounting of the early years (1999–2005) of Google . . . This lively, thoughtful business memoir is more entertaining than it really has any right to be, and should be required reading for startup aficionados.&” —Publishers Weekly, starred review &“Edwards recounts Google&’s stumbles and rise with verve and humor and a generosity of spirit. He kept me turning the pages of this engrossing tale.&” —Ken Auletta, author of Greed and Glory on Wall Street &“Funny, revealing, and instructive, with an insider&’s perspective I hadn&’t seen anywhere before. I thought I had followed the Google story closely, but I realized how much I&’d missed after reading—and enjoying—this book.&” —James Fallows, author of China Airborne
The Hammond Innes Collection Volume Two: The Lonely Skier, Campbell's Kingdom, and The Blue Ice
by Hammond InnesThree thrilling treasure hunts—from the author of The Wreck of the Mary Deare and &“Great Britain&’s leading adventure novelist&” (Financial Times). British novelist Hammond Innes was perhaps best known for his nautical mystery, The Wreck of the Mary Deare, which was made into a film starring Gary Cooper and Charlton Heston. But the prolific writer, World War II veteran, and dedicated yachtsman wrote over thirty novels of adventure and suspense over his long career. The three novels collected here offer death-defying adventure set against harsh and exotic landscapes, from the Italian Alps to the Canadian Rockies and the Norwegian glaciers. As always, &“the art of writing thoroughly well-documented and ably-written thrillers is perfectly understood by Innes, whose work stands in a class by itself&” (V. S. Pritchett). The Lonely Skier: High among the Dolomite Mountains, a film crew led by half–con man half-genius director Derek Engles is ostensibly making a skiing picture. But beneath the mountain ice is a fortune in Nazi gold, which the filmmaker will find—or die trying. Only Neil Blair, an old army buddy hired on as a scriptwriter for the fake film, can stop things from going downhill fast, in Innes&’s literal cliffhanger, made into the 1948 film Snowbound. &“A superbly constructed and atmospheric thriller.&” —The Independent Campbell&’s Kingdom: A London insurance clerk who&’s just received a devastating diagnosis, Bruce Wetheral learns he&’s the sole heir to his grandfather&’s land in the Canadian Rockies. Stuart Campbell froze to death in a shack on the edge of a mountain, where he lived his final years in a feverish hunt for oil. Everyone thought he was crazy, but his grandson believes he may have been on to something. The intrepid young man travels to the far reaches of Alberta to take the oil industry by the throat—and live or die in pursuit of his grandfather&’s impossible dream. &“Guaranteed entertainment.&” —Kirkus Reviews The Blue Ice: It&’s been ten years since metallurgist George Farnell disappeared after setting out to make his fortune in the frozen wilds of Norway. Two lines of poetry and a shard of mineral ore are all that remain of him, and only industrialist and adventurer Bill Gansert has the wit to understand Farnell&’s final discovery—and the daring to seize it for his own. With a small crew, he sets out for the Arctic Circle to a whaling station in the shadows of the mountain known as Blue Ice, where he will make his fortune anew—or be destroyed by his own ambition. &“Action adventure with [a] maximum of suspense and tension, aided by the background atmosphere of a Norwegian glacier . . . Assured and accomplished adventure.&” — Kirkus Reviews
The Lion at the Door
by Newton ThornburgA harrowing thriller from the author of the acclaimed Cutter and Bone, &“one of the truly great American writers of the 20th century&” (The Guardian). After losing his wife, his parents, and his family farm, Tom Kohl is staying with his cousin Ken in Seattle as he tries to put his life back together. But things only go from bad to worse when Ken kills a man in a hit-and-run—a man who turns out to be the brother of Tony Jack Giacalone, Seattle&’s top mobster. Out of loyalty to his cousin, Tom agrees to help cover up the killing. But when he&’s spotted ditching the car by a cocktail waitress—who happens to be the girlfriend of a low-level mobster—the stakes only get higher, and Tom must face what he&’s willing to do for family when his life is on the line. &“[A] taut tale, in language as well as in action, with suspense stretched wiretight.&” —The Christian Science Monitor &“Swift prose and guaranteed action.&” —Los Angeles Times
The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson: The Story of the Barbary Corsair Raid on Iceland in 1627
by Ólafur EgilssonA seventeenth-century minister tells his story of abduction by pirates, and a solo journey from Algiers to Copenhagen, in this remarkable historical text. In summer 1627, Barbary corsairs raided Iceland, killing dozens and abducting almost four hundred people to sell into slavery in Algiers. Among those taken was Lutheran minister Olafur Egilsson. Reverend Olafur—born in the same year as William Shakespeare and Galileo Galilei—wrote The Travels to chronicle his experiences both as a captive and as a traveler across Europe as he journeyed alone from Algiers to Copenhagen in an attempt to raise funds to ransom the Icelandic captives that remained behind. He was a keen observer, and the narrative is filled with a wealth of detail―social, political, economic, religious―about both the Maghreb and Europe. It is also a moving story on the human level: We witness a man enduring great personal tragedy and struggling to reconcile such calamity with his understanding of God. The Travels is the first-ever English translation of the Icelandic text. Until now, the corsair raid on Iceland has remained largely unknown in the English-speaking world. To give a clearer sense of the extraordinary events connected with that raid, this edition of The Travels includes not only Reverend Olafur&’s first-person narrative but also a collection of contemporary letters describing both the events of the raid itself and the conditions under which the enslaved Icelanders lived. Also included are appendices containing background information on the cities of Algiers and Salé in the seventeenth century, on Iceland in the seventeenth century, on the manuscripts accessed for the translation, and on the book&’s early modern European context.
Flaming Tree
by Phyllis A. WhitneyOn the California coast, a physical therapist unlocks a young boy&’s terrible secrets, in this novel from &“the Grand Master of her craft&” (Barbara Michaels). In search of solitude in the wake of her son&’s tragic death, recently divorced physical therapist Kelsey Stewart accepts an invitation to stay at her aunt Elaine&’s seaside inn in Carmel, California. No sooner does Kelsey arrive than she becomes moved by another tragedy: On a bright sunny day, local boy Jody Hammond fell from the Point Lobos cliff into the pounding waves of the Pacific and was left with a devastating brain injury. He now stares into an empty void and hasn&’t spoken a single word since the accident. Compelled to aid in the boy&’s recovery, Kelsey visits the Hammonds&’ Flaming Tree ranch, where Jody&’s tyrannical father, Tyler, has given up hope. Kelsey can offer that, and the effort might revive her own crushed spirit as well. But as she falls in love with the mysterious Tyler, she also begins to unravel the family&’s secrets. When she begins to fear that Jody&’s silence is coming from a very dark place, her mission will become one of life and death—because what&’s buried in the boy&’s memories could be murder. Flaming Tree is a twisting tale of deception, danger, and discovery from an Edgar Award–winning and New York Times–bestselling master of suspense. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Phyllis A. Whitney including rare images from the author&’s estate.