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Living by the Word: Essays
by Alice WalkerEssays from the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of The Color Purple—&“Vintage Alice Walker: passionate, political, personal, and poetic&” (Los Angeles Times). In a follow-up to her collection of essays, In Search of Our Mothers&’ Gardens, Walker takes a look at a vast range of issues both personal and global, from her experience with the filming of The Color Purple, to the history of African-American narrative traditions, to global threats of pollution and nuclear war. Walker travels broadly and maintains an eye for detail, resulting in a captivating journey of conscience by one of the most distinctive political and artistic voices in America. Readers will find inspiration and insights in even the briefest entries of this enthralling anthology. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Alice Walker including rare photos from the author&’s personal collection.
Checkpoint Charlie: Stories
by Brian GarfieldA dozen stories tracking the CIA&’s most adept—and unusual—spyThere are no more spies like Charlie Dark. An old-timer whose experience stretches back to the Second World War, his main distinction is that after decades playing the game he is still alive. He is overweight, clumsy, and afraid of guns—a nonconformist in an agency built on toeing the line. Though his superiors hate him for his eccentricities, they privately admit that he may be the best spy they have. Charlie travels the globe in these twelve stories, working in Berlin, Moscow, Africa, and Asia. He fights a female assassin in Dar es Salaam, and looks for a computer chip lost in the permanent snows of the Aleutian Islands. He adapts continuously, for each adventure is a new puzzle, and a new opportunity to die.
Two Much! (Extra Alfaguara Ser.)
by Donald E. WestlakeA ruse to bed a pair of twins quickly grows complicatedArt doesn&’t mean to tell Liz Kerwin that he has a twin. He&’s on Fire Island, and she&’s so beautiful that he&’s willing to say anything for a chance at getting rid of her clothes. So when Liz mentions an identical twin sister, Art blurts out that he has a twin too. His name is Bart, he says, and describes the most boring man he can dream up. Liz thinks he would be perfect for her sister Betty. When Art meets Betty—who is, of course, just as lovely as her twin—she asks about his brother. Hoping for a chance at the family fortune, Art dons a pair of glasses, slicks back his hair, and soon has &“Bart&” engaged to the sister. As his simple lie spins out of control, Art learns that wooing sisters is never as easy as it seems.
The Lifeboat Baronet: Launching the RNLI
by Janet GleesonIn this historical biography, the life story of the founder of the United Kingdom&’s royal charitable lifeboat service is revealed for the first time. Established in the nineteenth century when death from shipwreck was a tragic reality, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was created with the sole mission of saving lives. But little is known about the RNLI&’s founder, Sir William Hillary. A handsome, charismatic figure known to be something of a philanderer, Hillary was a social climber born to a slave-holder&’s family in Liverpool who mingled with royalty and married an heiress. So how did Hillary become one of England&’s national heroes? Historian and bestselling author of The Arcanum Janet Gleeson reveals for the first time how a charming adventurer was inspired to lead the historic campaign for the creation of the National Institute for the Preservation of Life (today&’s RNLI). Despite having never learned to swim himself, Hillary braved terrifying storms to save hundreds of lives during his quest. Drawing on previously unpublished letters—many of them written by Hillary himself—Gleeson narrates the fascinating story of the RNLI&’s development, along with the Hillary&’s political ties and private tribulations. For history lovers and fans of maritime adventure stories, Lifeboat Baronet is an absorbing account of how a Regency rake improbably became an important Victorian philanthropist and reformer.
The Winston Affair: A Novel
by Howard FastDuring the Second World War, a military lawyer is embroiled in the toughest case of his career when he must defend a fellow murderous officerIn the midst of World War II, Captain Barney Adams&’s superiors call on him with a very unusual request. A troubled US army lieutenant has confessed to murdering a British officer, and Captain Adams has been assigned as his defense attorney. Military court officials want the cleanest possible trial for the lieutenant, and they believe that Captain Adams, a war hero and distinguished lawyer, is the best man for the job. But when Adams begins to investigate the murder, he finds that this seemingly open-and-shut case is actually much more complicated. Before long he is absorbed in a dramatic struggle for a fair trial against the most overwhelming odds. Thrilling and thought-provoking, The Winston Affair is a powerful portrait of a man torn between the wishes of his superiors and the call for justice. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Howard Fast including rare photos from the author&’s estate.
Live Flesh
by Ruth RendellFrom a New York Times–bestselling author: A terrifying psychological thriller that dives deep into the mind of a sexual predator. In a remote corner of London, a woman is walking her dog when a man grabs her from behind. She screams, and her attacker flees, escaping into a nearby house, where he finds another victim. Victor Jenner has a compulsion he does not understand—to grab women, to hurt them—and he also has a gun. When it goes off, grievously wounding a police officer, it marks the beginning of a long stretch in jail for Victor. Released ten years later, Victor meets the young policeman he shot—and falls head over heels for the officer&’s girlfriend. Back on the street, Victor is torn between the desire to live a better life and the knowledge that he will soon give in to his most evil yearnings. The winner of three Edgar Awards, Ruth Rendell was one of the most celebrated thriller authors of the twentieth century. Live Flesh is &“a superb work [and] a compelling psychological portrait&” of a dark mind (Philadelphia Daily News).
The Violent Enemy
by Jack HigginsWhen the Troubles in Ireland were ending, his were just beginning . . . A thriller from the New York Times–bestselling author of The Midnight Bell. Sean Rogan is waiting for freedom. Convicted of staging jailbreaks for his former compatriots, he&’s just biding his time until his pardon comes through as the fighting finally begins to cease. But he doesn&’t get a pardon—he gets a daring breakout when his old IRA commander, Colum O&’More, arranges for his escape. Because Rogan is needed on the outside. The organization is waning, and a large cash boost is needed to get it back in fighting form. The job is simple: Hijack a load of paper money marked for destruction and bring it home. But the IRA he knew is no more, and the boys he&’s working with aren&’t so much patriots as they are treacherous thugs. When the job goes sideways, he learns that loyalty and duty have been replaced by greed and betrayal—and that his friends are no longer very friendly. The author of The Eagle Has Landed and the Sean Dillon novels, Jack Higgins has electrified millions of readers around the world with his gripping thrillers that showcase what action, adventure, and international intrigue are meant to be.
Swan Dive (The John Cuddy Mysteries #4)
by Jeremiah HealyA stint as a bodyguard sucks Cuddy into a vicious divorce caseDivorce will not be easy for Hanna Marsh. Her drug-dealing husband, Roy, is a cruel man, whose greed makes him unwilling to part with anything he owns—including his money, wife, and daughter. Hanna&’s lawyer is terrified of Roy, but has the sense to hire John Francis Cuddy, private detective, to protect Hanna during the negotiations. Cuddy doesn&’t wait to get mean with Roy, and the result of his tough talk is clear as soon as they return to Hanna&’s temporary residence: her daughter&’s kitten slaughtered on the floor. Cuddy makes Roy pay for his vile behavior, humiliating the drug pusher in an attempt to set his wife free. But when Roy takes a headfirst dive out a hotel window, leaving behind a murdered prostitute and a missing shipment of cocaine, suspicion falls on Cuddy. To save his client&’s life, Cuddy must put his own on the line.
Dancing in the Dark: A Cultural History Of The Great Depression (The Toby Peters Mysteries #19)
by Stuart M. KaminskyA PI performs some fancy footwork to protect Fred Astaire as &“Edgar winner Kaminsky effortlessly choreographs Hollywood history . . . and dirty doings&” (Publishers Weekly). Sometimes fools must step in where Fred Astaire fears to tap. Luna Martin, the moll of a well-known Los Angeles gangster nicknamed &“Fingers&” (because he likes to cut them off), has demanded dance lessons from Hollywood&’s finest hoofer—and whatever Luna wants, Luna gets. To sidestep the flirtations of the lead-footed lady, Astaire hires private investigator Toby Peters to pose as a dance instructor and take over the lessons. But when someone cuts in and cuts Luna&’s throat, the grieving gangster makes Peters an offer he can&’t refuse: Find the killer—or go from having two left feet to one foot in the grave. Now, instead of punishing the parquet, the silver screen&’s most famous song-and-dance man is pounding the pavement with his new partner—a rumpled, middle-aged gumshoe who just wants to live to shuffle through another day . . .
A Treasury of Kahlil Gibran
by Kahlil GibranPassionate and spiritual writings uncovering the philosophical foundations of one of the twentieth century&’s greatest thinkersKahlil Gibran&’s works are known throughout the world for their lyrical grandeur, wisdom, and insights drawn from the everyday sufferings of man. This nine-book collection captures one of modern history&’s titanic literary figures at his best. Texts such as &“The Secret of the Heart,&” &“Laughter and Tears,&” and &“Song of the Flower&” reveal the vivid splendor of life through Gibran&’s gifted similes and symbolism. Passionate and unforgettable, these verses of lyric prose impart to the reader a grand symphony of sparking joys epitomizing the qualities that have made Gibran one of the world&’s most eminent philosophical virtuosos.
Typography 33
by Type Directors ClubFor over fifty years, the Type Directors Club has encouraged the worldwide graphic arts community to achieve excellence in typography through its annual international competitions. Typography 33 is the only annual devoted exclusively to typography and presents the finest work in the field for the year 2011. Selected from approximately 2300 international submissions to the annual Type Directors Club competition, the winning designs are models of excellence and innovation in the use of type design, representing a wide range of categories including books, magazines, corporate identities, logos, stationery, annual reports, video and web graphics, and posters.
The World of Jimmy Breslin: World Without End, Amen; The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight; Table Money; And Forsaking All Others
by Jimmy BreslinThe Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist&’s early columns &“peopled by some of the funniest, looniest and saddest characters anywhere outside of a zoo&” (The New York Times). In the 1960s, as the once-proud New York Herald Tribune spiraled into bankruptcy, the brightest light in its pages was an ebullient young columnist named Jimmy Breslin. While ordinary columnists wrote about politics, culture, or the economy, Breslin&’s chief topics were the city and Breslin himself. He was chummy with cops, arsonists, and thieves, and told their stories with grace, wit, and lightning-quick prose. Whether covering the five boroughs, Vietnam, or the death of John F. Kennedy, Breslin managed to find great characters wherever he went. This collection includes some of Breslin&’s most famous early writing. Here are the unforgettable New Yorkers Sam Silverware and Larry Lightfingers, the celebrated interview with President Kennedy&’s gravedigger, and the classic &“People I&’m Not Talking To Next Year.&” But the most important voice here is Breslin&’s—as vibrant as ever. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Jimmy Breslin including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.
Solo (Bride Series)
by Jack HigginsThe New York Times–bestselling author of The Eagle Has Landed delivers a pulse-pounding story of a father out for revenge against a master assassin. John Mikali is known throughout the world as a brilliant concert pianist and playboy. But his true vocation is far more interesting and lucrative: He is a peerless international assassin. His music and fame give him entrée to complete his assignments all over the world without fail. He believes himself truly untouchable—until he makes one fatal mistake. Col. Asa Morgan is a military man to the bone. A veteran of wars both declared and undeclared, he&’s one of the most respected and lethal members of the British SAS, and utterly devoted to his country. But when his daughter is run down and killed by an unknown assassin making his escape, his sworn duty no longer matters. Now, his only mission is to find the killer before the authorities do—and make him suffer as long as possible before death. Morgan and Mikali will stalk each other across continents, from bloody back alleys to gilded halls in a deadly game in which each man is both the hunter and the hunted. And only the winner walks away. Recognized as one of the finest thriller writers of our time, the international bestselling author of the Sean Dillon and Liam Devlin series delivers &“unadulterated macho adventure (and) suspense&” (Houston Post).
Hot: High-octane Stories From The Hottest Thriller Authors (The Fred Carver Mysteries #6)
by John LutzInvestigating cocaine smuggling in the Florida Keys, Fred Carver stumbles on a crime far worse than drug pushing When Henry Tiller barges into Fred Carver&’s office, the old man seems crazy. He tells a paranoid story about one of his neighbors on the sunny Florida Key where he makes his home—a wealthy man whom he suspects of using his yacht to run drugs. A young boy recently washed up on the beach, Tiller says, and he&’s certain it was murder. Carver is uninterested until he learns that the old man&’s grandson died a few years earlier: another casualty of cocaine addiction. It&’s only been three years since Carver&’s own son was murdered, and he&’s too sentimental to turn down the case. When Tiller turns up dead himself, a victim of a suspicious hit-and-run, a little smuggled cocaine becomes the least of Carver&’s troubles. This ebook features an illustrated biography of John Lutz including rare photos and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection. Hot is the 6th book in the Fred Carver Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Two Women
by Brian FreemantleAn accountant&’s attempt to rectify the books of his father-in-law&’s company sends him headlong into war with the New York mafiaJohn Carver is too good an accountant not to see the irregularity in his father-in-law&’s files: three companies, all off shore, with balance sheets that don&’t match the ones in the official records. Three companies that represent substantial investment by organized crime. When John confronts his father-in-law, George W. Northcote, the old man insists he has control of the situation, and that the firm is about to be extricated from its criminal association. A few days later, George is dead. His father-in-law&’s creative accounting draws John into a knock-down, drag-out battle with the heads of the Five Families of the New York mafia. The battle moves quickly off the balance sheets and into the realm of flesh, blood, and death, and soon everyone John loves—including his wife and mistress—find themselves in the mob&’s vengeful crosshairs. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Brian Freemantle including rare photos from the author&’s personal collection.
Edsel: A Novel Of Detroit (The Detroit Novels #4)
by Loren D. EstlemanHired to promote the new American dream car, a former reporter finds himself mired in a deadly conspiracy against a union boss and Ford Motors itselfIt&’s only been two decades since Connie Minor was on top, but it feels like centuries. Once a journalist, Minor spent Prohibition with his finger on gangland&’s pulse, a confidant of every rumrunner, boss, and triggerman in Detroit. But as the gangsters fell, Minor went with them, replaced by a generation of reporters more interested in the Nazi Party than the inner workings of the Purple Gang. Now it&’s the 1950s, and after years writing mindless ad copy, Minor fears that his brain may be permanently atrophied—that is, until an exciting new job drops on his desk. Minor is hired to sell Ford&’s most original creation, the Edsel, meant to take America by storm. But the job quickly reintroduces him to some ugly old Detroit faces. When he uncovers a conspiracy against both a union leader and the new car, his reporter&’s instincts kick in. It&’s been years since Minor gabbed with mobsters, but it&’s never too late for an old newspaperman to get whacked. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Loren D. Estleman including rare photos from the author&’s personal collection.
The Miracle of Dunkirk: The True Story of Operation Dynamo
by Walter LordThe true story of the World War II evacuation portrayed in the Christopher Nolan film Dunkirk, by the #1 New York Times–bestselling author of Day of Infamy. In May 1940, the remnants of the French and British armies, broken by Hitler&’s blitzkrieg, retreated to Dunkirk. Hemmed in by overwhelming Nazi strength, the 338,000 men gathered on the beach were all that stood between Hitler and Western Europe. Crush them, and the path to Paris and London was clear. Unable to retreat any farther, the Allied soldiers set up defense positions and prayed for deliverance. Prime Minister Winston Churchill ordered an evacuation on May 26, expecting to save no more than a handful of his men. But Britain would not let its soldiers down. Hundreds of fishing boats, pleasure yachts, and commercial vessels streamed into the Channel to back up the Royal Navy, and in a week nearly the entire army was ferried safely back to England. Based on interviews with hundreds of survivors and told by &“a master narrator,&” The Miracle of Dunkirk is a striking history of a week when the outcome of World War II hung in the balance (Arthur Schlesinger Jr.).
Every Man Will Do His Duty: An Anthology of Firsthand Accounts from the Age of Nelson 1793–1815
by Dean King John B. HattendorfNapoleonic-era accounts of life aboard Royal Navy warships: &“Readers of Patrick O&’Brian and C. S. Forester will enjoy this collection&” (Library Journal). At the dawn of the nineteenth century, the British Navy was the mightiest instrument of war the world had ever known. The Royal Navy patrolled the seas from India to the Caribbean, connecting an empire with footholds in every corner of the earth. Such a massive Navy required the service of more than 100,000 men—from officers to deckhands to surgeons. These are their stories. The inspiration for the bestselling novels by Patrick O&’Brian and C. S. Forester, these memoirs and diaries, edited by Dean King, provide a true portrait of life aboard British warships during one of the most significant eras of world history. Their tellers are officers and ordinary sailors, and their subjects range from barroom brawls to the legendary heroics of Lord Horatio Nelson himself. Though these &“iron men on wooden ships&” are long gone, their deeds echo through the centuries.
Chaos: Making a New Science
by James GleickThe &“highly entertaining&” New York Times bestseller, which explains chaos theory and the butterfly effect, from the author of The Information (Chicago Tribune). For centuries, scientific thought was focused on bringing order to the natural world. But even as relativity and quantum mechanics undermined that rigid certainty in the first half of the twentieth century, the scientific community clung to the idea that any system, no matter how complex, could be reduced to a simple pattern. In the 1960s, a small group of radical thinkers began to take that notion apart, placing new importance on the tiny experimental irregularities that scientists had long learned to ignore. Miniscule differences in data, they said, would eventually produce massive ones—and complex systems like the weather, economics, and human behavior suddenly became clearer and more beautiful than they had ever been before.In this seminal work of scientific writing, James Gleick lays out a cutting edge field of science with enough grace and precision that any reader will be able to grasp the science behind the beautiful complexity of the world around us. With more than a million copies sold, Chaos is &“a groundbreaking book about what seems to be the future of physics&” by a writer who has been a finalist for both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award, the author of Time Travel: A History and Genius: The Life and Science of Richard Feynman (Publishers Weekly).
The Journey Home (The Hearts of Men)
by Lou AronicaUSA Today–Bestselling Author: A &“simply beautiful&” novel of three lost people looking for the elusive paths that will lead them to where they need to be (Minding Spot).Newly revised and expanded, including four recipes! Joseph, in his late thirties, awakens disoriented and uneasy in a place he doesn&’t recognize. He doesn&’t know where he is and has no way to contact his wife. He sets out to find his way home with no sense of where he&’s going and only the precious, indelible vision of the woman he loves to guide him. Antoinette is an elderly woman in an assisted living facility. In the last few months, the world has seemed increasingly confusing. So she retreats inside her head. There, her body and mind haven&’t betrayed her. There, she&’s a young newlywed with a husband who dotes on her and an entire life of dreams to live. There, she is truly home. Rene, Antoinette&’s son, is going through the toughest year of his life. His marriage ended, he lost his job, and his mother has recently gone from hale to increasingly hazy. With too much time on his hands, he decides to try to recreate his memories of home by attempting to cook his mother&’s greatest dishes and eat them with her. Joseph, Antoinette, and Rene are three people on different searches for home. How they find it, and how they connect with each other at this critical stage in their lives, is the foundation for this profound and deeply moving story from the author of The Forever Year and Flash and Dazzle. &“Hauntingly poignant and beautifully moving.&” —Coffee Time Romance &“Nicholas Sparks fans will love this heartwarming read.&” —Book Loons
An Unofficial Rose: A Novel (The\collected Works Of Iris Murdoch Ser.)
by Iris Murdoch&“A Shakespearean comedy of misaligned lovers&” set in the modern English countryside by a Man Booker Prize winner (Publishers Weekly). Hugh Peronett&’s life is tinged with regret: the regret of never following his passions and losing the one woman he loved. Twenty-five years ago, he ended an affair with Emma Sands, a detective novelist who had stolen his heart, to be with his wife, Fanny. Now, Fanny is gone, and both Hugh and his grown son, Randall, find themselves at a crossroads of passion and righteousness. As Hugh, Emma, Randall, Randall&’s wife, Randall&’s mistress, and several others are caught in a dance of romance and rejection in bucolic rural England, they will discover the true meanings of love, companionship, and desire. From the acclaimed author of The Sea, The Sea, An Unofficial Rose is a novel of wit, sorrow and an unparalleled psychological insight.
The Backup Men (Mysterious Press-highbridge Audio Classics Ser.)
by Ross ThomasMac McCorkle and Mike Padillo team up to help twin bodyguards in a thrilling crime caper from&“America&’s best storyteller&” (The New York Times Book Review). The twins who walk into Mac McCorkle&’s bar look identical, despite their differing genders. Their names are Wanda and Walter Gothar, and from the steel in their eyes it&’s apparent that their business isn&’t the friendly kind. They&’ve come seeking help from Mac and his partner, Padilla, an ex-CIA agent who has skulked in the world&’s darkest corners. Anxious for a big payday, the twins took an assignment out of their depth, working as bodyguards for a Saudi prince who came to Washington to sign an oil deal. The job fell apart, and now the twins are being pursued by the world&’s two finest killers—who take out Walter without breaking a sweat. Now Mac and Padilla are faced with a choice: Save Wanda, or join her in the grave.
The Glass Highway (The Amos Walker Mysteries #4)
by Loren D. EstlemanA PI scours Detroit for a newscaster&’s missing son: &“[Estleman] remains among the top echelon of American private-eye specialists&” (The New York Times). On screen, Sandy Broderick is everything a newscaster is supposed to be. He has a deep voice, a ten-thousand-watt smile, and the God-given ability to banter with weathermen until his ears fall off. But when the cameras turn off, he has a private problem: His twenty-year old son, Bud, has disappeared. Amos Walker is going to find him. The boy and his junkie girlfriend are both gone, and Broderick is terrified—not for his son, but for his career. The station is about to do an exposé on drugs in Detroit, and the newscaster doesn&’t want his boy&’s addict girlfriend to get in the way of his Pulitzer. This new client may be sleazy, but Walker handles scum for a living, and it&’s time to go to work. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Loren D. Estleman including rare photos from the author&’s personal collection.
The Image in Early Cinema: Form and Material (Early Cinema In Review: Proceedings Of Domitor Ser.)
by Scott Curtis Philippe Gauthier Tom Gunning Joshua YumibeIn The Image in Early Cinema, the contributors examine intersections between early cinematic form, technology, theory, practice, and broader modes of visual culture. They argue that early cinema emerged within a visual culture composed of a variety of traditions in art, science, education, and image making. Even as methods of motion picture production and distribution materialized, they drew from and challenged practices and conventions in other mediums. This rich visual culture produced a complicated, overlapping network of image-making traditions, innovations, and borrowing among painting, tableaux vivants, photography, and other pictorial and projection practices. Using a variety of concepts and theories, the contributors explore these crisscrossing traditions and work against an essentialist notion of media to conceptualize the dynamic interrelationship between images and their context.
The Turret Room
by Charlotte ArmstrongIn this &“chilling&” novel by an Edgar Award–winning author, a former mental patient seeks revenge against the powerful family that framed him (The New York Times). After years in a mental hospital, Harold Page has just been released. Now, he&’s looking for closure, hoping to confront those who put him away: his ex-wife&’s family. Instead, he&’s greeted at the Whitman home by a total stranger. But Edie, an empathetic visiting relative, knows all about Harold. He&’s the unfortunate soul the influential Whitman clan had institutionalized after an alleged assault. He&’s the &“madman&” police are hunting in a recent brutal crime. He&’s also an unwitting pawn in a dangerous family plot. Edie is certain of it. And there&’s only one way she can protect him: Hide Harold in the unused turret room of the Whitman mansion, only a heartbeat away from those who want to destroy him. As they collude to turn the tables on the family and unveil every secret and lie behind the Whitmans&’ deception, Edie fears the sanctuary she&’s given Harold could be the ultimate trap for both of them . . . &“Chilling . . . beautifully calculated . . . with a nicely adjusted sense of exactly when and how to turn the screw.&” —The New York Times