SUMMARY: Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.<

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Here is the story of Jerry Weintraub: the self-made, Brooklyn-born, Bronx-raised impresario, Hollywood producer, legendary deal maker, and friend of politicians and stars. No matter where nature has placed him--the club rooms of Brooklyn, the Mafia dives of New York's Lower East Side, the wilds of Alaska, or the hills of Hollywood--he has found a way to put on a show and sell tickets at the door. "All life was a theater and I wanted to put it up on a stage," he writes. "I wanted to set the world under a marquee that read: 'Jerry Weintraub Presents.'" In WHEN I STOP TALKING, YOU'LL KNOW I'M DEAD, we follow Weintraub from his first great success at age twenty-six with Elvis Presley, whom he took on the road with the help of Colonel Tom Parker; to the immortal days with Sinatra and Rat Pack glory; to his crowning hits as a movie producer, starting with Robert Altman and Nashville, continuing with Oh, God!, The Karate Kid movies, and Diner, among others, and summiting with Steven Soderbergh and Ocean's Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen. Along the way, we'll watch as Jerry moves from the poker tables of Palm Springs (the games went on for days), to the power rooms of Hollywood, to the halls of the White House, to Red Square in Moscow and the Great Palace in Beijing-all the while counseling potentates, poets, and kings, with clients and confidants like George Clooney, Bruce Willis, George H. W. Bush, Armand Hammer, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Bob Dylan, Led Zeppelin, John Denver, Bobby Fischer . . .well, the list goes on forever. And of course, the story is not yet over . . .as the old-timers say, "The best is yet to come." As Weintraub says, "When I stop talking, you'll know I'm dead." With wit, wisdom, and the cool confidence that has colored his remarkable career, Jerry chronicles a quintessentially American journey, one marked by luck, love, and improvisation. The stories he tells and the lessons we learn are essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists . . . everyone.<

From Booklist

Well back in the days of the old republic, smuggler Jet Nebula discovers a treasure whose present and ultimate value he cannot even begin to estimate. He soon learns that it is valuable to enough different, well-armed parties to threaten not only the peace of the galaxy but also his own life expectancy. The Hutts want it to sell to the highest bidder—whether the crumbling republic or the rising empire, they don't care. The Sith, all two of them, have their own plans. So does the Jedi high council, with more scruples but greater numbers behind them. A Mandalorian seems to see in the find a clue to a long-unsolved and quite dire crime, while a spy of indeterminate loyalties plays all sides at once, which hints strongly of knowledge of what the mystery object really is. This novel is tied in to the Star Wars universe at a stage in its history that is still being explored in print fiction, and it is also the prequel to what promises to be the largest, most ambitious electronic role-playing game yet to be spun off of that universe. With so much riding on its shoulders, the book demands an unusual gift for cracking good space opera, and that Williams possesses in full measure. --Roland Green

Product Description

BioWare and LucasArts—creators of the hugely popular Star Wars:® Knights of the Old Republic® video game—have combined their storytelling talents and cutting-edge technology for an innovative new massively multiplayer online role-playing game that allows players to create their own personal Star Wars adventure 3,500 years before the rise of Darth Vader. Now #1 New York Times_ _bestselling author Sean Williams brings the world of the game to life in his latest novel, Star Wars: The Old Republic: Fatal Alliance.

Tassaa Bareesh, a matriarch in the Hutt crime cartel, is holding an auction that’s drawing attention from across the galaxy. Representatives of both the Republic and the Sith Empire are present, along with a Jedi Padawan sent to investigate, a disenfranchised trooper drummed out of the Republic’s elite  Blackstar Squad, and a mysterious Mandalorian with a private agenda. But the Republic’s envoy is not what he seems, the Empire’s delegate is a ruthless Sith apprentice, the Jedi Padawan is determined to do the right thing and terrified that he can’t, the trooper hopes to redeem her reputation, and the Mandalorian is somehow managing to keep one step ahead of everyone.

None of these guests—invited or uninvited—have any intention of participating in the auction. Instead they plan to steal the prize, which is locked inside an impregnable vault: two burned chunks of an exploded star cruiser, one of which may hold the key to the wealth of an entire world.

But the truth about the treasure is dangerous and deadly. And in the end, Sith and Jedi, Republic and Empire, must do something they’ve never done before, something that all the agents of good and evil could never make them do: join together to stop a powerful threat that could destroy the galaxy.

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SUMMARY:
Four generations of Jedi come together in this must-have Star Wars special edition, an all new story featuring Yoda, Obi-Wan, Qui-Gon, and the evil Count Dooku...before he turns bad. 4 Masters. 4 Apprentices. Yoda and Dooku. Dooku and Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan (the focus of the best-selling Jedi Apprentice series). Obi-Wan and Anakin (featured in the best-selling Jedi Quest series). One enemy. A Jedi student with a dark streak at the beginning of the book, he becomes a powerful -- and potentially dangerous -- planetary leader whose help Obi-Wan and Anakin will need in the Clone Wars.

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SUMMARY:
Love, war, and secrets span generations in this powerful Star Wars novel by best-selling author Jude Watson. To be a Jedi is to safeguard peace in the galaxy. To be a Jedi is to defend justice against tyranny. To be a Jedi is to rely on the Force. To be a Jedi is to not love or live as normal people do ... at whatever the price. Jedi know that love is not meant to be for them. But when Obi-Wan Kenobi and his fellow apprentice Siri approach a very human falling, the reverberations are felt for many years ... to when Obi-Wan has an apprentice of his own, Anakin Skywalker, whose secrets will draw Obi-Wan and Siri further into the Clone Wars.

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The Rise and Fall of Darth Vader--now in paperback!

The full story of Anakin Skywalker, from his birth in slavery to his death as the powerful Darth Vader ... told for the first time in its entirety by NYT bestselling Star Wars author Ryder Windham. Spanning all six Star Wars movie and including the pieces of the story that fill in the gaps, this novel will be a must-have for any Star Wars fan.

About the Author

Ryder Windham has written many Star Wars books, including junior novelizations of the Star Wars trilogy. His also the author of several nonficton books. He lives with his family in Providence, Rhode Island.

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From

[Editor's Note: The following is a combined review with STAR WARS JEDI QUEST: The Way of the Apprentice.]--These first two installments in the Jedi Quest series follow young Anakin Skywalker and his master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, as Anakin begins his apprenticeship. The books are repetitive and somewhat long on exposition, but the audio productions help overcome these defects. Jonathan Davis's readings are superb. His clear voice seems made for narration, and he does excellent imitations of the voices various actors have given the characters in the Star Wars films. Add to this John Watson's familiar score and the judicious use of humming light sabers, roaring engines, and other sound effects, and you have a winning selection for young fans. A.F. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

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SUMMARY:
Fourteen-year-old Anakin Skywalker is strong in the ways of the Force. His lightsaber skills are exceptional, and his piloting is legendary. He should be an ideal Jedi apprentice, and yet there is so much he still has to learn. It is up to Obi-Wan Kenobi to teach him these things. But on a mission to a planet threatened by a toxic disaster, Obi-Wan and Anakin are separated. Anakin and three other apprentices must work together in order to survive.

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About the Author

Jude Watson is the author of two 39 Clues books, BEYOND THE GRAVE and IN TOO DEEP, and the bestselling Star Wars: Last of the Jedi and Jedi Quest series. As Judy Blundell, she wrote WHAT I SAW AND HOW I LIED, the 2008 winner of The National Book Award for Young People's Literature. She lives in Katonah, New York with her husband and daughter.

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SUMMARY:
Another thrilling adventure featuring Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan facing off against the tempting dark side. Anakin Skywalker is a model Jedi student . . . but there's a restlessness that lurks underneath. Can his Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi, rein him in?

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SUMMARY:
Obi-Wan Kenobi and his apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, set out to find an unknown adversary with plans to destroy the Republic, hindered by their enemy's wealth, connections, and ability to remain hidden.

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