Popular books

David Chandler

Ancient Blades #01 - Den of Thieves

David Chandler

Ancient Blades #02 - A Thief in the Night

<p><i>Den of Thieves</i> introduced a phenomenal new fantasist to the world: David Chandler. With <i>A Thief in the Night</i>, he continues the saga of young cutpurse Malden, whose one tragic mistake has marked him for either doom or glory if his luck holds out. Fantasy lovers who regularly devour the works of Brent Weeks, Scott Lynch, and Joe Ambercrombie&#8212;and fans of the action-packed epic fantasy of George R. R. Martin (<i>Game of Thrones</i>) and R. A. Salvatore&#8212;will be entranced by this gritty and exciting tale of intrigue and betrayal, of knights, thieves, witches, and monsters, as Malden pursues a fabulous treasure, and very possibly his own damnation, in the lair of a terrible demon.<

Nick Cave

And the Ass Saw the Angel

Jack L Chalker

And the Devil Will Drag You Under

Unknown<

Kathy Carmichael

Angel Be Good

Miracles still happen in modern day New York when Scrooge (Nathaniel Danvers) meets Heaven Can Wait (Daphne), who has been sent to give him one last chance at redemption. Angel Be Good captures the essence of the classic Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and offers a touch of humor and romance. A perfect holiday feel-good read.<

Laura Jane Cassidy

Angel Kiss

<p>Jacki King is fifteen and adjusting to her new life in a small village. She's missing Dublin but she's making new friends: artistic Colin, feisty Emily -- and Nick, gorgeous yet unavailable. </p><p></p><p>But no sooner is Jacki settled than the torturous headaches and nightmares begin -- followed by strange visions, voices and signs...</p><p></p><p>Jacki refuses to believe that something paranormal is happening. But then she discovers the unsolved murder that occurred in the village years before . . .</p><

Robyn Carr

Angel's Peak

<h3>Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.</h3><p>Once the sun went down in Virgin River there wasn't a whole lot of entertainment for Sean Riordan, unless he wanted to sit by the fire at his brother Luke's house. But sitting all quiet and cozy while Luke and his new wife, Shelby, snuggled and said sweet little things to each other was a special kind of torment he could do without. Sometimes they just faked being tired so they could slip off to bed at eight o'clock at night. More often than not Sean just made it easy on them—he'd head over to a larger town on the coast where he could enjoy the sights and do a little window-shopping, maybe meet a woman of his own.</p><p>Sean was a U-2 pilot stationed at Beale Air Force Base in Northern California, a few hours south of Virgin River. He had accumulated a ton of vacation and could only carry over ninety days to the next fiscal year, so he had a couple of months to kill. His brother had just gotten married and Sean had been his best man. After the wedding, Sean decided to stay on in Virgin River and use up some of his leave. Given the fact that Luke and Shelby had been together about a year, Sean didn't feel as if he was interfering with the honeymoon by hanging around. All that lovey-dovey stuff was not so much about them sealing the deal, as it was about them still being hot to trot, as if they'd just met.</p><p>And there was a lot of talk about baby making, something that surprised Sean about Luke. However, Luke's willingness to step up and try to nail that egg, night after night after night, that did <em>not </em>surprise Sean in the slightest.</p><p>During the daytime, Sean always had lots to do. There was plenty of upkeep on the cabins Luke and Sean had bought together as an investment and which Luke now managed and rented full-time. There was hunting and fishing—it was still deer season—and the salmon and trout were fat; the river ran practically outside the front door. Luke and his helper, Art, were catching so many fish that Luke had to buy a shed, run some wiring to it from the house and invest in a big freezer.</p><p>There was no denying the appeal of the Virgin River area for a guy with time on his hands. Sean was an out-doorsman at heart and the October colors in the mountains were awesome. It wouldn't be all that long before the first snowfall, and soon after that he would have to get back to Beale. So, in the meantime, all he wanted to do was find a nice bar with a fireplace to relax next to—one without his brother and sister-in-law cuddling up in front of it.</p><p>"Ready for another drink, pal?" the bartender asked him.</p><p>"I'm good, thanks. I didn't come in here to check out the architecture, but the detailed carving in this place is impressive," Sean replied.</p><p>The bartender laughed. "Two things are obvious about you. You're not from around here and you're military."</p><p>"Okay, I admit the haircut is a giveaway. But the rest—?"</p><p>"This is lumber country and this bar is wall-to-wall oak. When it was built, the wood was probably cheaper than the nails. The craftsmanship? Common around here. So, what brings you to town?"</p><p>Sean took a sip of his beer. "Burning off some leave. Visiting my brother. I have a little over six weeks of leave left. I used to hit the bars with my brother, but his running days are over."</p><p>"War injury?" the bartender asked.</p><p>"Battle of the sexes. He just got married."</p><p>The bartender whistled. "My condolences."</p><p>Tonight Sean had landed in a large upscale bar and restaurant in Arcata. He occupied a spot at the end of the bar where he could get a one-hundred-and-eighty-degree view of the place. So far it appeared as if all the women were with husbands or dates, but that didn't diminish his pleasure—Sean wasn't always looking for a pickup. Sometimes it was nice to simply appreciate the view. Since he was going to be spending some time in this part of the world, he wasn't opposed to the idea of getting to know a girl, take her out, maybe even get a little up close and personal.</p><p>All such thoughts were suddenly stopped and were replaced by, <em>Ah! Looks like I just hit the jackpot.</em></p><p>There was a ripple of female laughter as the door swung open and a group of women, who were obviously having a good time, entered. Even across the large restaurant, he could appreciate their assets. The first one was short, dark, a little on the round side and deliciously so. She appeared lush and soft and brought a smile to Sean's lips. The second one was tall, thin, athletic looking, with straight, silky, unfussy blond hair. Obviously a gymnast or runner—a fine-looking woman. Next came a medium-sized redhead with a curvaceous figure, twinkling eyes and a bright smile. A feminine smorgasbord, he thought appreciatively. Sean did not discriminate—he was attracted to all kinds of women, not just one type. Next was—</p><p>Franci?</p><p>Nah, couldn't be, he told himself. He was just hallucinating again. He thought he'd seen her many times before but it was never her. Besides, Franci wore her hair long and straight and this woman's mahogany hair was in one of those hyper-short cuts that, on anyone else, might look butch, but on her? Oh, man, it just couldn't get any sexier. It made her dark eyes look huge. The woman shed her coat and she was thinner than Franci, but not by that much. But her eyebrows were exactly the same as Franci's—a nice, thin, provocative arch over those big, heavily lashed eyes. It got him missing Franci all over again.</p><p>She slid out of her coat and revealed a filmy dress. Maybe not filmy, but certainly silky. It was dark purple and fell loosely from her shoulders and was belted at the waist, then flowed again to her knees. The dress accentuated her perfect breasts, narrow waist, slim hips and long legs. Franci had rarely worn dresses but Sean hadn't minded—her long legs and tight butt in a pair of fitted slacks used to blow his mind. But this dress was good. <em>Very good.</em></p><p>The four women took a table near the front of the restaurant by the window. They were carrying boxes, shopping bags and party bags—a birthday dinner out? The one who looked like his old girlfriend crossed her legs and revealed a slit in the skirt of that dress that exposed a scrumptious thigh. Whoa. His eyes were glued to that shapely leg. His groin tightened.</p><p>Then she laughed. God, it <em>was </em>Franci. If that wasn't Franci, it was her twin. The way she tilted her head back and let go was a laugh with passion. Franci had always laughed from deep inside her. That was how she cried, too.</p><p>Sean was suddenly infused with mixed emotions— remembering the wonderful laughs they'd shared in bed after their typically great sex counterbalanced with how he remembered making her cry, and he was sorry he had ever made Franci cry.</p><p>Well, hell, he might have made her cry, but hadn't she infuriated him until he wanted to punch a hole in the wall? She could be maddening. Why was that again? He'd think of it, given a minute. That had been almost four years ago. What was she doing here in Arcata? After the breakup—which had been ugly— he'd looked for her. But he had let too much time slip by before doing so and she wasn't where he expected her to be. They'd met in Iraq when he was deployed in the F-16 and she was an air force flight nurse who regularly appeared to take the injured out of the theater. Later, when he'd been transferred to Luke Air Force Base in Phoenix as an instructor in the same jet, she was there, assigned as a nurse in the base hospital. They had dated exclusively for two years when a big shift occurred in their individual lives—her service commitment was up and she was planning to separate from the air force and return to civilian life. He was going to cross-train in the U-2 high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft—the spy plane. He didn't see how either of those events should effect any change. He told her he'd be relocating to Beale AFB in Northern California. He thought she could probably find work there if she was interested.</p><p>That had been the beginning of the end. After dating for two years, she, at twenty-six, was ready for a commitment. She wanted marriage and a family, and he didn't. Well, there was nothing new there—she'd been honest about that since the beginning of their relationship. Franci had always hoped to marry and have children. And that wasn't something he needed more time to consider—he really didn't see himself settling into that sweet little domestic trap. Ever. She'd been good about not pushing that too hard, but she'd never backed down, either. For Sean's part, he was monogamous. He told her he loved her because he did. If he occasionally glanced at and appreciated a pretty girl, it went no further. Even though they each maintained their own home, they spent every night together unless one of them was away from the base. But when it came to marriage and children, she was in, and he, at twenty-eight, was out.</p><p>She had said something like, "It's time to take this relationship to the next level or end it completely."</p><p>You don't want to be drawing a line in the sand in front of a young fighter pilot. Jet jockeys didn't take orders from girlfriends. Of course, it was no surprise that they fought and he made her cry with senseless, stupid comments like, "Not in this lifetime, babe. If I were interested in getting married, we'd <em>be </em>married," and, "Look, I'm just flat-ass not doing the rug-rats thing, all right? Even with you." Oh, yeah, he was brilliant.</p><p>She had said things, also in anger, probably things she didn't mean. Well, that wasn't exactly correct, as he recalled now, looking across a crowded room at her as she laughed and talked with her girlfriends. "Sean, if you let me go now I'll be so gone—you'll never see me again. I need a committed partner or I'm taking the walk."</p><p>And Sean, being the cocky genius he was, said, "Oh, yeah? Don't let the door hit you in the ass." He winced at the memory.</p><p>They had gone their separate ways, bitterly. He went to Beale because it looked as if getting a promotion... </p><

Michael Connelly

Angle of Investigation

<p class="description">LAPD Detective Harry Bosch tackles three tough cases in an exclusive eBook containing three brand new short stories</p><

Lynn Coady

The Antagonist

<p>Against his will and his nature, the hulking Gordon Rankin ("Rank") is cast as an enforcer, a goon &#8212; by his classmates, his hockey coaches, and especially his own "tiny,angry" father, Gordon Senior. Rank gamely lives up to his role &#8212; until tragedy strikes, using Rank as its blunt instrument. Escaping the only way he can, Rank disappears. But almost twenty years later he discovers that an old, trusted friend &#8212; the only person to whom he has ever confessed his sins &#8212; has published a novel mirroring Rank's life. The betrayal cuts to the deepest heart of him, and Rank will finally have to confront the tragic true story from which he's spent his whole life running away. With the deep compassion, deft touch, and irreverent humour that have made her one of Canada's best-loved novelists, Lynn Coady delves deeply into the ways we sanction and stoke male violence, giving us a large-hearted, often hilarious portrait of a man tearing himself apart in order to put...<

Marika Cobbold

Aphrodite's Workshop for Reluctant Lovers

Clive Cussler

Arctic Drift

James Cobb

The Arctic Event

SUMMARY: On a desolate island deep within the Canadian Arctic, a scientific expedition photograph the wreckage of a bomber on a mountain glacier. To the world at large, the half-century old aeroplane is merely a relic of the early Cold War. Only a handful of insiders know that it still represents a major threat to civilization, as the aircraft is a Soviet Air Force biological warfare platform, still armed with two tons of active weaponized anthrax.Lieutenant Colonel Jon Smith of Covert-One - the personal action arm of the President of the United States - is assigned to lead CIA agent Randi Russell and the lovely, but lethal, weapons expert, Professor Valentina Metrace to secure the site.But on the island Smith and his team find themselves confronted with a traitor from within their ranks. Cut off from all outside aid, the operatives must struggle against both betrayal and the brutal polar environment. Gradually they become aware that something else exists within the hulk of the ancient bomber: a secret potentially more devastating than even the plane's warload, and one that could bring about both a cataclysmic revision of global history and serve as the trigger for a Third World War.<

Wilkie Collins

Armadale

Cuando el anciano Allan Armadale escribe su terrible confesión en el lecho de muerte, no puede ni imaginarse las repercusiones que tendrá esa carta cuando su hijo recién nacido la lea años después. Por segunda vez, dos hombres con el mismo nombre y el mismo apellido se verán implicados en la persecución de una herencia que parece maldita. Mientras tanto, se suceden las sigilosas intrigas de Lydia Gwilt, un personaje misterioso y perverso que horrorizó a los lectores victorianos y que todavía hoy sobrecoge. Una mujer que llegó a ser definida por la crítica como «una de las villanas más curtidas». Con estos hilos y la complicidad del lector, el maestro Wilkie Collins teje una trama envolvente y seductora que brega entre identidades confusas, maldiciones heredadas, rivalidades amorosas, espionaje y asesinatos.<

Samantha Cayto

Arousing Memories

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Begins

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 01 - Artemis Fowl

Twelve-year-old Artemis is a millionaire, a genius-and above all, a criminal mastermind. But Artemis doesn't know what he's taken on when he kidnaps a fairy, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon Unit. These aren't the fairies of the bedtime stories-they're dangerous!<

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 02 - The Eternity Code

Ever the resourceful young criminal mastermind, Artemis has found a way to construct a supercomputer from stolen fairy technology. Called the 'C Cube,' it will render all existing human technology obsolete. Artemis then arranges a meeting with a Chicago businessman, Jon Spiro, to offer to suppress the Cube for one year in return for gold, his favorite substance. But the meeting is a trap, and Spiro steals the Cube and mortally injures Butler. Artemis knows his only hope to save Butler lies in fairy magic, so once again he is forced to contact his old rival, Captain Holly Short of the LEPrepcon fairy police. Miraculously, Butler is healed, but there is a catch: he has aged fifteen years. Thus, Butler's infamously ditzy sister, Juliet, is called in as Artemis's bodyguard. Together, they travel to Chicago to steal back the Cube and ensure that Jon Spiro is put out of business-permanently.<

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 03 - The Arctic Incident

Artemis is at boarding school in Ireland when he suddenly receives an urgent video-email from Russia. In it is a plea from a man who has been kidnapped by the Russian Mafiya: his father. As Artemis rushes to the rescue, he is stopped by captain Holly Short of the LEPrecon fairy police. But this time, instead of battling the fairies, he is going to have to join forces with them if he wants to save one of the few people in the world he loves.<

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 04 - The Opal Deception

Criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is back…and so is his cunning enemy from Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident, Opal Koboi. At the start of the fourth adventure, Artemis has returned to his unlawful ways. He's in Berlin, preparing to steal a famous impressionist painting from a German bank. He has no idea that his old rival, Opal, has escaped from prison by cloning herself. She's left her double behind in jail and, now free, is exacting her revenge on all those who put her there, including Artemis.<

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 05 - Lost Colony

The fifth installment of the number one New York Times best selling series -- now in paperback.<

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 06 - The Time Paradox

Artemis's mother has contracted a deadly disease--and the only cure lies in the brain fluid of African lemurs. Unfortunately, Artemis himself was responsible for making the lemurs extinct five years ago. Now he must enlist the aid of his fairy friends to travel back in time and save the lemur. Not only that, but he must face his deadliest foe yet: his younger self.<

Eoin Colfer

Artemis Fowl 07 - The Atlantis Complex

Artemis Fowl, the world's greatest - and youngest - criminal mastermind, returns for another high stakes, multi-continent adventure in this seventh book in the internationally best-selling series.<

Jeffrey Cohen

As Dog Is My Witness

In this third Aaron Tucker mystery, Aaron finds himself once again dragged kicking and screaming into investigating a murder, this time of a man shot while walking his dog. The young man accused of the crime has Asperger's Syndrome--just like Aaron's son. Along the way, Aaron is assaulted by mobsters, moles, and, worse, in-laws, making for an especially interesting holiday season.<

Pete Clark

Ashen

<p class="description">A man faced with the theft of his mortality has a choice. Accept the gift thrust upon him, or reject it, whatever the cost.</p><

Dana Cameron

Ashes and Bones

Kate Christensen

The Astral

J D Chatternib

Astrogator

First contact on Earth may not be with humans, even if we’re the ones with the spaceships.<

Patricia Cornwell

At Risk

A ‘one-off’ from the best-selling creator of the Dr Kay Scarpetta series, based on the serialisation in the New York Times. Moving between the chill of Cambridge, Massachusetts and the sultry humidity of Knoxville, Tennessee, Winston Garano, a police investigator, is instructed to look into a twenty-year-old murder case. Although Win reckons there are many more pressing current cases which should have higher priority, he gets on with the task, unaware of the can of worms he will prise open. With her hallmark qualities of deft characterisation, perfect research and tense story-telling, Patricia Cornwell has created a novel which entertains, intrigues and satisfies.<

Melissa De La Cruz

The Au Pairs: Sun-kissed

Kissed (The Au Pairs #3) EDITORIAL REVIEW: **Be careful or you'll get burned.** The three hottest au pairs in history are back, and this time they're ready to rule the Hamptons. Mara has all the VIPs in the hottest clubs hanging on her every word. Eliza's family is back from financial ruin; and she's got the platinum charge cards to prove it. Jacqui is newly single and ready for some steamy summer hook-ups. The girls seem to have it all this summer...but looks, as we all know, can be deceiving. Mara's living every girl's dream: playing house with her boyfriend, Ryan Perry, on his parents' luxury yacht while writing a column about night-life in the Hamptons. With a press pass to every hot event, Mara's ready to hit the red carpet and scoop even the most seasoned journalists. If only she could get a pass from Ryan, who just wants her to stay home and cuddle. Last summer's "No boys!" mantra is a distant memory for Jacqui. While the new au pair, Shannon, handles the Perry kids, Jacqui searches for some serious fun. And she doesn't have to look far: Three dot.com boy millionaires have moved in next door and are more than happy to compete for her affections. Thus Jacqui's new mantra is, "Why have just one when you can have them all?" Eliza and Jeremy are in total relationship bliss. She's decided to take the next step with Jeremy and nothing's going to stop her this time. Unfortunately, what she thought would be a cakewalk internship for a famous fashion designer turns out to be more hours of hard labor than she, or her relationship, are ready for. Too bad Jeremy won't stop questioning her work ethic long enough for Eliza to get back in the mood. *The Au Pairs: Sun-kissed.* Because it's soooo much more than just a job.<

Elias Canetti

Auto-da-fé

<h3>Review</h3><p>"In <em>Auto-da-Fé</em> no one is spared. Professor and furniture salesman, doctor, housekeeper, and thief all get it in the neck. The remoreseless quality of the comedy builds one of the most terrifying literary worlds of the century."--Salman Rushdie<br />-- <em>Review</em> </p><p>Novel by Elias Canetti, published in 1935 in German as Die Blendung ("The Deception"). The translation into English that was published as Auto-da-Fe (also published as The Tower of Babel) was done in cooperation with Canetti. Originally planned as the first in a series of eight novels examining mad visionaries, the book deals with the dangers inherent in believing that rigid, dissociated intellectualism and detached, dogmatic scholarship can prevail over evil, chaos, and destruction. Set in Vienna and Paris, the novel tells the story of Peter Kien, an internationally respected scholar of Chinese studies who maintains a personal library of 25,000 volumes. After dreaming that the books are burned, Kien marries his housekeeper Therese, believing that she will preserve his beloved library should disaster befall him. Therese throws him out of his book-filled apartment, however, and Kien, now homeless, enters the grotesque underworld of the city. Delusional, he fluctuates between horrifying hallucinations and an unspeakable reality. Kien's disintegration finally leads him to set fire to his precious books and to await his own death in the ensuing inferno. -- __</p><h3>Product Description</h3><p><em>Auto-da-Fé</em>, Elias Canetti's only work of fiction, is a staggering achievement that puts him squarely in the ranks of major European writers such as Robert Musil and Hermann Broch. It is the story of Peter Kien, a scholarly recluse who lives among and for his great library. The destruction of Kien through the instrument of the illiterate, brutish housekeeper he marries constitutes the plot of the book. The best writers of our time have been concerned with the horror of the modern world--one thinks of Kafka, to whom Canetti has often been compared. But <em>Auto-de-Fé</em> stands as a completely original, unforgettable treatment of the modern predicament. </p><

Dan Chaon

Await Your Reply: A Novel

<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p><strong>Book Description</strong> <br />The lives of three strangers interconnect in unforeseen ways--and with unexpected consequences--in acclaimed author Dan Chaon’s gripping, brilliantly written new novel. </p><p>Longing to get on with his life, Miles Cheshire nevertheless can’t stop searching for his troubled twin brother, Hayden, who has been missing for ten years. Hayden has covered his tracks skillfully, moving stealthily from place to place, managing along the way to hold down various jobs and seem, to the people he meets, entirely normal. But some version of the truth is always concealed.</p><p>A few days after graduating from high school, Lucy Lattimore sneaks away from the small town of Pompey, Ohio, with her charismatic former history teacher. They arrive in Nebraska, in the middle of nowhere, at a long-deserted motel next to a dried-up reservoir, to figure out the next move on their path to a new life. But soon Lucy begins to feel quietly uneasy.</p><p>My whole life is a lie, thinks Ryan Schuyler, who has recently learned some shocking news. In response, he walks off the Northwestern University campus, hops on a bus, and breaks loose from his existence, which suddenly seems abstract and tenuous. Presumed dead, Ryan decides to remake himself--through unconventional and precarious means.</p><p><em>Await Your Reply</em> is a literary masterwork with the momentum of a thriller, an unforgettable novel in which pasts are invented and reinvented and the future is both seductively uncharted and perilously unmoored.</p><p>&lt;hr <strong>Amazon Exclusive: Dan Chaon on *Await Your Reply</strong>*</p><p>People sometimes ask me, "What was your inspiration for this book?" Which is a harder question to answer than you would think.</p><p>I always wish that a novel would just pop into my head, fully formed, laid out like a blueprint of a house, and all I had to do was follow the instruction manual. But it never seems to work out this way. Instead, it feels as if you got dropped off in some wilderness area with the vague knowledge of what a house looks like, and so you began to gather materials... rocks and acorns and pieces of wood and so forth. Will it all hold together? Keep your fingers crossed.</p><p>In the case of <em>Await Your Reply</em>, the building materials came from random and unpredictable places. I gathered inspiration from songs; from weird, sketchy images that I’d write down in a notebook. ("Possible plot: severed hand in ice cooler?"); from spam e-mails (one of which gave the book its title); from odd news items I came across (the drying-up of a lake in Nebraska where I spent many childhood vacations.)</p><p>And of course I got inspiration from books. Maybe more than from anything else, this book can trace its roots back to my childhood, to the stories and novels that I loved when I was a child. I grew up in a very tiny town in Western Nebraska, one of those villages of the great plains that grew up alongside the Union Pacific railroad line, with a tower of a grain elevator at the center and a little smatter of houses around it. Population, approximately 50. I was the only kid my age in town, and so I spent a lot of time by myself, "sitting around with my nose in a book," as my grandmother said.</p><p>My grandmother imagined that a healthy childhood involved a lot of running around coltishly and hearty eating and cheerful chore-doing. Maybe hunting rabbits in my spare time or building a treehouse.</p><p>Instead, I skulked about. I found a shady corner out by the lilac bushes, or in one of the abandoned sheds on our neighbor’s property, or in the high weeds and hills that lay out beyond town, and I stuck my nose in one unsavory book after another.</p><p>My grandmother wasn’t completely opposed to reading, but when she looked at the titles and covers of the books I liked, she frowned. Here was <em>We Have Always Lived in the Castle</em> by Shirley Jackson, about a lonely girl whose entire family was murdered; here was <em>The Other</em> by Thomas Tryon, about a boy and his evil twin. Here were stories by H.P. Lovecraft and Daphne Du Maurier, and anthologies that were ostensibly edited by Alfred Hitchcock: <em>Alfred Hitchcock’s Haunted Houseful</em>. <em>Alfred Hitchcock’s Ghostly Gallery</em>. <em>Alfred Hitchcock’s Stories to Read with the Lights On</em>. I can’t say why, exactly, I was drawn to such creepy, sinister stories, but I do remember how much I loved the sense of dread and anticipation they evoked, the way I myself longed for the urgency of hidden secrets, how much I liked the idea that the ordinary world was not really ordinary once you peeked below the surface.</p><p>As I got older, I read such books less and less. In college, I developed a taste for the short fiction of Raymond Carver and Tobias Wolff and Alice Munro, and I gravitated toward the novels of Nabokov and Henry James and Julio Cortazar.</p><p>Still, I found myself turning back to those childhood favorites in recent years--not least because I had kids of my own, boys who were going through the same intense love of the creepy and sinister and fantastic. But I also felt as if I was reconnecting with old friends. If you’re an avid reader, and a book gets under your skin, it can affect you as intensely as a real human relationship, it lingers with you for your whole life, and there is always this desire to re-experience that amazing sense of connection you get from those authors you loved in the past.</p><p>Thinking back, I can see how <em>Await Your Reply</em> really started back in childhood--with that longing for mystery and suspense and secrets and surprises. In many ways, this novel is a love letter to those books that I couldn’t get enough of as a kid, and maybe a love letter to the kid that I once was. Here’s the book that I was vaguely dreaming about, though it’s also maybe a warning. Be careful what you wish for.<em>--Don Chaon</em></p><p>(Photo © Philip Chaon)</p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. Three disparate characters and their oddly interlocking lives propel this intricate novel about lost souls and hidden identities from National Book Award–finalist Chaon (<em>You Remind Me of Me</em>). Eighteen-year-old Lucy Lattimore, her parents dead, flees her stifling hometown with charismatic high school teacher George Orson, soon to find herself enmeshed in a dangerous embezzling scheme. Meanwhile, Miles Chesire is searching for his unstable twin brother, Hayden, a man with many personas who's been missing for 10 years and is possibly responsible for the house fire that killed their mother. Ryan Schuyler is running identity-theft scams for his birth father, Jay Kozelek, after dropping out of college to reconnect with him, dazed and confused after learning he was raised thinking his father was his uncle. Chaon deftly intertwines a trio of story lines, showcasing his characters' individuality by threading subtle connections between and among them with effortless finesse, all the while invoking the complexities of what's real and what's fake with mesmerizing brilliance. This novel's structure echoes that of his well-received debut—also a book of threes—even as it bests that book's elegant prose, haunting plot and knockout literary excellence. <em>(Sept.)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><

Kate Chopin

The Awakening and Selected Short Stories

9781434000439<

William Campbell

Awakening: Dead Forever Book 1

<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p>Imagine a world where death is merely an inconvenience. A new body awaits and we resume living, fully aware of the past. Every love, talent and distaste, retained from one life to the next. But this immortal paradise has a price -- eternal life as slaves, oppressed by masters who forbid individuality, creative expression, and free thinking. </p><p>A band of rebels refuses to conform, but for a population that reincarnates, the government is powerless to eliminate insurgents. Putting them to death is useless. The rebels will return, again and again. The final solution -- perpetual amnesia. Kill their memory of past lives, and banish the rebels to a lonely corner of the galaxy. </p><p>Robbed of his identity and purpose, a reluctant hero is dumped into a transient existence, and he regards himself as insignificant. But he is of great interest to agents in black who come to collect him. His decision to flee begins a journey of rediscovery, but some of it he would rather leave buried. When an oddball crew of fellow rebels comes to his rescue, the boundaries of reality are tested, and who to trust is anyone's guess. </p><p>Eager to arouse his memory, a flirtatious member of the rebel team shows him the life he once enjoyed, and more, as he returns to a strange world where bodies are manufactured and childhood is obsolete. If only he could be a child again. First he'll have to remember how to reincarnate. </p><p>Awakening begins the Dead Forever trilogy, followed by Apotheosis and Resonance. </p><p>94k words, 266 pages. </p><h3>From the Publisher</h3><p>"Awakening is a professionally written and solidly edited book that I feel is well worth the price and time you'll spend on it. Cool science concepts made believable and an interesting story line by an author who's unafraid to have some fun while he's writing."<br><em>-- Clayton Bye, The Deepening World of Fiction</em></p><p>"In the action adventure, the pace is non-stop race from being back in the hands of authority and always questioning the position and actions of the rebel group. The characters are a little odd, but extremely realistic and likable. The personal voice is the strength of the novel in that you feel as if you really live in the main hero's body with him."<br><em>-- Teri Davis, Reviews by Teri blogspot</em></p><p>"Each character has a unique personality and Campbell does a great job of bringing them to life."<br><em>-- Charline Ratcliff, Rebecca's Reads</em></p><p>"Dead Forever Awakening is a fascinating science fiction adventure, highly recommended."<br><em>-- Midwest Book Review</em></p></div><

Bernard Cornwell

Azincourt

En la larga historia de la rivalidad anglo-francesa pocas batallas tan célebres hay como la de Azincourt (o Agincourt). Momento estelar de la historia de Inglaterra, inmortalizado por Shakespeare en su Enrique V, la fama de esta batalla persiste casi seiscientos años después. Ese 25 de octubre de 1415, los hombres de Enrique V, muy inferiores en número y en equipamiento, libraron una encarnizada lucha, en un terreno cenagoso, que —gracias a la pericia de sus arqueros y a la genial estrategia del rey inglés— se saldó con una inesperada victoria inglesa, y una matanza en la que sucumbiría lo más granado de la nobleza francesa.En un relato épico, lleno de ruido y furia, Cornwell sigue los destinos del ejército inglés en pos de una corona que Enrique estima suya, desde el desastre del asedio de Harfleur hasta el campo de batalla de Azincourt. Mediante la historia del joven arquero Nicholas Hook, teje un apasionante relato de muerte y supervivencia, en el que el talento de Cornwell brilla a gran altura.<

50 Cent

Baby Brother

Maureen Carter

Baby Love

Claudia Christian

Babylon 5: Baptism of Fire

Promoted to Captain, Susan Ivanova is assigned command of the Titans, the first of Earth Alliance's revolutionary new Warlock-class destroyers. When Babylon 5 is attacked by an aggressive unknown alien race, the Titans is dispatched to hunt them down. Having taken part in the rebellion to liberate Earth from the clutches of the despotic President Clark, Ivanova finds herself commanding a crew wary of her true allegiances on a warship that is not all that it seems. Battling a constant stream of memories incurred from Marcus' death and the realization that she has broken away from Babylon 5 forever, Ivanova faces the demons which haunt her and rises to the occasion to fight the first of many battles, professional and personal.<

Douglas Clegg

Bad Karma

<p class="description">Seeking a respite from his stressful job at the Darden State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, psychiatrist Trey Campbell and his family embark on a much-needed vacation, not knowing that his most dangerous patient, Agnes Hatcher, a brutal psychopath, is in hot pursuit. A first novel.</p><

Amy Chua

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

<div><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Chua (Day of Empire) imparts the secret behind the stereotypical Asian child's phenomenal success: the Chinese mother. Chua promotes what has traditionally worked very well in raising children: strict, Old World, uncompromising values--and the parents don't have to be Chinese. What they are, however, are different from what she sees as indulgent and permissive Western parents: stressing academic performance above all, never accepting a mediocre grade, insisting on drilling and practice, and instilling respect for authority. Chua and her Jewish husband (both are professors at Yale Law) raised two girls, and her account of their formative years achieving amazing success in school and music performance proves both a model and a cautionary tale. Sophia, the eldest, was dutiful and diligent, leapfrogging over her peers in academics and as a Suzuki piano student; Lulu was also gifted, but defiant, who excelled at the violin but eventually balked at her mother's pushing. Chua's efforts "not to raise a soft, entitled child" will strike American readers as a little scary--removing her children from school for extra practice, public shaming and insults, equating Western parenting with failure--but the results, she claims somewhat glibly in this frank, unapologetic report card, "were hard to quarrel with." (Jan.) <br>(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Chua’s stated intent is to present the differences between Western and Chinese parenting styles by sharing experiences with her own children (now teenagers). As the daughter of Chinese immigrants, she is poised to contrast the two disparate styles, even as she points out that being a “Chinese Mother” can cross ethnic lines: it is more a state of mind than a genetic trait. Yet this is a deeply personal story about her two daughters and how their lives are shaped by such demands as Chua’s relentless insistence on straight A’s and daily hours of mandatory music practice, even while vacationing with grandparents. Readers may be stunned by Chua’s explanations of her hard-line style, and her meant-to-be humorous depictions of screaming matches intended to force greatness from her girls. She insists that Western children are no happier than Chinese ones, and that her daughters are the envy of neighbors and friends, because of their poise and musical, athletic, and academic accomplishments. Ironically, this may be read as a cautionary tale that asks just what price should be paid for achievement. --Colleen Mondor </p> </div><

John W Campbell

Battle of the infinite Trilogy

"Visions of time and space that have haunted me ever since I first read it!" Isaac Asimov raved about this "joyful" 1930s space opera trilogy. "By the end, Arcot, Morey, Fuller and Wade venture into space and (with the help of both human and non-human) have driven end to end of the Universe, have encountered creatures of superior technology from whom they learned and surpassed, and have ended with powers like gods. The working of a brilliant imagination, together with a sheer drive and enthusiasm that carries the reader along. An example of the old "super-science epic." The best of their kind and an enriching experience." While The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction says, "the heroes face a succession of battles of ever increasing size fought with a succession of wonderful weapons. Campbell was Doc Smith's chief rival in writing galactic epics of superscience." From the Hugo winning editor/author.<

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