Living Alone and Loving It is a delightful celebration of living solo in a world that often exalts marriage and family. Written by Barbara Feldon, the universally loved actress known as the effervescent spy "99" on Get Smart, this book is both a guide and a testament to relishing a life without a partner.

After a relationship impasse, Feldon found herself living alone, embarking on one of the most enriching and joyous periods of her life. In this book, she shares her secrets for embracing solitude and loving it.

Learn how to:

- Stop imagining that marriage is a solution for loneliness

- Nurture a glowing self-image that is not dependent on an admirer

- Value connections that might be overlooked

- Develop your creative side

- End negative thinking

Whether you're blessed with the promise of youth or the wisdom of age, Living Alone & Loving It will instill the know-how to forge a life filled with adventures and happiness.

No one ever said being a princess was easy.

Just when Mia thought she had the whole princess thing under control, things get out of hand, fast.

First, there's an unexpected announcement from her mother. Then Grandmère arranges a national primetime interview for the brand-new crown princess of Genovia. On top of that, intriguing, exasperating letters from a secret admirer begin to arrive.

Before she even has the chance to wonder who those letters are from, Mia is swept up in a whirlwind of royal intrigue the likes of which haven't been seen since volume I of The Princess Diaries.

Y: The Last Man, Vol. 1: Unmanned is the gripping saga of Yorick Brown, the sole human survivor of a planet-wide plague that instantaneously kills every mammal with a Y chromosome. With his pet monkey Ampersand, Yorick embarks on a journey to find his lost love and discover why he has become the last man on Earth. This volume collects issues #1-5 and features the collaborative work of writer Brian K. Vaughan and artists Pia Guerra and Jose Marzan.

The narrative weaves a tale that is at once humorous, socially relevant, and full of surprises. As Yorick confronts a new world order dominated by women, including female Republicans now in charge of the government and Amazonian groups, he faces numerous threats and mysteries. His sister, seemingly brainwashed, is among the many challenges he must overcome in this post-apocalyptic world.

Award-winning and critically acclaimed, Y: The Last Man is a seminal work in the graphic novel genre, delivering a story that is as entertaining as it is thought-provoking.

'If I had my way, every idiot who goes around with Merry Christmas on his lips, would be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. Merry Christmas? Bah humbug!'

Introduction and Afterword by Joe Wheeler to bitter, miserly Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas is just another day. But all that changes when the ghost of his long-dead business partner appears, warning Scrooge to change his ways before it's too late. Part of the Focus on the Family Great Stories collection, this edition features an in-depth introduction and discussion questions by Joe Wheeler to provide greater understanding for today's reader. A Christmas Carol captures the heart of the holidays like no other novel.

In A Short History of Nearly Everything, Bill Bryson takes on the daunting task of understanding the universe and everything within it. From the Big Bang to the rise of civilization, Bryson embarks on a journey to uncover the secrets of our existence. He connects with a plethora of advanced scientists—from archaeologists and anthropologists to mathematicians—and delves into their studies, asking questions and attempting to comprehend the complex information that has puzzled humanity for centuries.

This book is both an adventure and a revelation, filled with profound insights and laced with Bryson's trademark wit. It is a clear, entertaining, and supremely engaging exploration of human knowledge that makes science both accessible and fascinating to a broad audience. A Short History of Nearly Everything is a testament to Bryson's ability to make the seemingly incomprehensible both understandable and enjoyable.

Consider Phlebas is a space opera of stunning power and awesome imagination, from a modern master of science fiction. The war raged across the galaxy. Billions had died, billions more were doomed. Moons, planets, the very stars themselves, faced destruction, cold-blooded, brutal, and worse, random. The Idirans fought for their Faith; the Culture for its moral right to exist. Principles were at stake. There could be no surrender.

Within the cosmic conflict, an individual crusade. Deep within a fabled labyrinth on a barren world, a Planet of the Dead proscribed to mortals, lay a fugitive Mind. Both the Culture and the Idirans sought it. It was the fate of Horza, the Changer, and his motley crew of unpredictable mercenaries, human and machine, to actually find it - and with it their own destruction.

Violetta es una joven de quince años que huye de México a Estados Unidos con dinero que ha robado a sus padres. Azarosamente desembarcada en Nueva York, sobrevive durante cuatro años a todo tren, gastando montones de dinero en caprichos caros y descabellados. Para mantener semejante tren de vida, acelerado todavía más por el polvo blanco que introduce por su nariz en cantidades generosas, se enseña a enganchar hombres en lobbies de hoteles lujosos.

No sabe, ni le interesa, la cantidad de leyes, límites y preceptos a los que pasa por encima. Tampoco sabe que Nefastófeles, el supuesto rico heredero que la deslumbra, será como una daga clavada en su bella espalda hasta que, ya de vuelta en México, se tope con Pig, y llegue entonces la hora del Diablo Guardián. Pero lo que Violetta sí sabe es que es tiempo de arrojar los dados y cerrar los ojos, casi con ganas de que a todo se lo lleve el diablo; y que, generalmente, eso lo haces sólo cuando de plano crees que ya te va a llevar.

This is not the novel by Franz Kafka! For the novel see The Castle.

Richard Lafargue is an eminent plastic surgeon haunted by dirty secrets. He has an operating theatre in the basement of his chateau and keeps his partner Eve imprisoned in her bedroom, a room he has equipped with an intercom and 300-watt speakers through which he bellows orders. Eve is only allowed out to be paraded at cocktail parties and on the last Sunday of each month, when the couple visits a young woman in a mental asylum.

Following these outings, Lafargue humiliates Eve by forcing her to perform lewd sexual acts with strangers while he watches through a one-way mirror. In alternating chapters, Jonquet introduces seemingly unrelated characters - a criminal on the run after murdering a policeman, and an abducted young man who finds himself chained naked in a dark chamber, forced to endure all manner of physical torture at the hands of a mysterious stranger, whom he calls 'Mygale', after a type of tropical spider. All of these characters are caught in a deceitful web, doomed to meet their fate.

Ikääntynyt Aliide Truu asuu yksin taloaan Viron maaseudulla. Maa on itsenäistynyt edellisenä vuonna ja maareformi on alkanut. Vanhan naisen arjen katkaisee pihalle pyörtynyt parikymppinen Zara. Tultuaan tajuihinsa Zara kertoo pakenevansa väkivaltaista miestään. Kohtaaminen nostaa Aliiden mieleen repivät muistot nuoruuden traagisesta rakkaudesta ja valinnoista, jotka sinetöivät hänen lähimpiensä kohtalon. Omiin epätoivoisiin ratkaisuihinsa pakotetun Zaran tilanne puolestaan osoittaa, että vaikka aika on toinen, vaino ei ole loppunut, muuttanut vain muotoaan.

Puhdistuksen syvintä ydintä on petos, johon epätoivoiset tunteet ajavat. Romaani avaa myös Viron vaiettua lähihistoriaa yhden suvun kokemusten kautta. Kirja antaa äänen sodan, kommunismin ja sorron uhreille. 1940-luvulla koettujen nöyryytysten ohella teoksessa nousee esiin nykynaisiin epävakaissa yhteiskunnallisissa olosuhteissa kohdistuva hyväksikäyttö.

The Diamond Age: Or, A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer is a postcyberpunk novel by Neal Stephenson. It is to some extent a science fiction coming-of-age story, focused on a young girl named Nell, and set in a future world in which nanotechnology affects all aspects of life. The novel deals with themes of education, social class, ethnicity, and the nature of artificial intelligence.

Cloral

Fourteen-year-old Bobby Pendragon is not like other boys his age. His uncle Press is a Traveler, and, as Bobby has learned, that means Uncle Press is responsible, through his journeys, for solving interdimensional conflict wherever he encounters it. His mission is nothing less than to save the universe from ultimate evil. And he's taking Bobby along for the ride.

Fresh from his first adventure on Denduron, Bobby finds himself in the territory of Cloral, a vast world that is entirely covered by water. Cloral is nearing a disaster of huge proportions. Reading the journals Bobby sends home, his friends learn that the desperate citizens of the endangered floating cities are on the brink of war. Can Bobby - suburban basketball star and all-around nice guy - help rid the area of marauders, and locate the legendary lost land of Faar, which may hold the key to Cloral's survival?

In the near future, disease will be a condition of the past. Most genetic defects will be removed at birth; the remaining during infancy. Unfortunately, there will be a generation left behind. For members of that missed generation, small advances will be made. Through various programs, they will be taught to get along in the world despite their differences. They will be made active and contributing members of society. But they will never be normal.

Lou Arrendale is a member of that lost generation, born at the wrong time to reap the rewards of medical science. Part of a small group of high-functioning autistic adults, he has a steady job with a pharmaceutical company, a car, friends, and a passion for fencing. Aside from his annual visits to his counselor, he lives a low-key, independent life. He has learned to shake hands and make eye contact. He has taught himself to use "please" and "thank you" and other conventions of conversation because he knows it makes others comfortable. He does his best to be as normal as possible and not to draw attention to himself.

But then his quiet life comes under attack. It starts with an experimental treatment that will reverse the effects of autism in adults. With this treatment, Lou would think and act and be just like everyone else. But if he was suddenly free of autism, would he still be himself? Would he still love the same classical music—with its complications and resolutions? Would he still see the same colors and patterns in the world—shades and hues that others cannot see? Most importantly, would he still love Marjory, a woman who may never be able to reciprocate his feelings? Would it be easier for her to return the love of a "normal"?

There are intense pressures coming from the world around him—including an angry supervisor who wants to cut costs by sacrificing the supports necessary to employ autistic workers. Perhaps even more disturbing are the barrage of questions within himself. For Lou must decide if he should submit to a surgery that might completely change the way he views the world... and the very essence of who he is.

Thoughtful, provocative, poignant, unforgettable, The Speed of Dark is a gripping exploration into the mind of an autistic person as he struggles with profound questions of humanity and matters of the heart.

John le Carré's classic novels deftly navigate readers through the intricate shadow worlds of international espionage with unsurpassed skill and knowledge. A Perfect Spy is one of his richest and most morally resonant novels.

Magnus Pym - son of Rick, father of Tom, and a successful career officer of British Intelligence - has vanished, to the dismay of his friends, enemies, and wife. Who is he? Who was he? Who owns him? Who trained him? Secrets of state are at risk. As the truth about Pym gradually emerges, the reader joins Pym's pursuers to explore the unsettling life and motives of a man who fought the wars he inherited with the only weapons he knew, and so became a perfect spy.

Overflowing with all of the majesty and intrigue of medieval glory days, this magnificent New York Times bestseller is a page-turner of passion and loyalty, justice and honor. Beloved storyteller Julie Garwood steps back to the silver-shrouded Highlands of her classic tale The Secret—and hails the return of two unforgettable warriors: Ramsey Sinclair and Brodick Buchanan.

In the dark days after the death of Richard the Lionhearted, lives and lands would fall into upheaval at the hands of a power-hungry British ruler and his violent minions. One victim of the scourge is innocent Gillian, who is a mere child when the cruel and ambitious Baron Alford slaughters her father and tears her family apart. Alford, determined to recover a jeweled box for the despotic King John, is furious when the precious treasure slips through his fingers—only to be lost for more than a decade.

Now a beautiful young woman, Gillian finds the key to resolving her past in handsome Scottish chieftains Ramsey Sinclair and Brodick Buchanan. With the cunning and courage of the daring Scotsmen, and with the friendship of a new ally, Bridgid KirkConnell, Gillian at last fights the unscrupulous Baron Alford, laying claim to her home, her family, and her father's reputation.

But in the presence of the mighty warriors, Gillian and Bridgid discover that desire can be a weapon of conquest... betrayal can slay trust in a heartbeat... and the greatest risk of all is surrender—to the deep emotions of unexpected love.

In the city of Imardin, where those who wield magic wield power, a young street-girl, adopted by the Magician's Guild, finds herself at the centre of a terrible plot that may destroy the entire world...

Sonea has learned much at the magicians' guild and the other novices now treat her with a grudging respect. But she cannot forget what she witnessed in the High Lord's underground room - or his warning that the realm's ancient enemy is growing in power once more. As Sonea learns more, she begins to doubt her guildmaster's word. Could the truth really be as terrifying as Akkarin claims, or is he trying to trick her into assisting in some unspeakably dark scheme?

The Cyberiad is a brilliantly funny collection of stories set in a future world where machines are the dominant species. Written by the celebrated author of Solaris, Stanisław Lem, this book is a blend of meaning and magic that is both entertaining and captivating.

These are the stories of Trurl and Klapaucius, master inventors and engineers known as "constructors," who have created marvels for various kingdoms. Friends and rivals, they are constantly outdoing and challenging each other to reveal the next great evolution in cybernetics.

From tales of love, where a robotic prince must woo a robotic princess enchanted by pleasures of true flesh, to epics of battle, where the heroic constructors must use their considerable wit to outsmart a monarch obsessed with hunting, these stories are rich with profound questions and unimaginable marvels.

The collection also examines humanity, as Trurl and Klapaucius confront the limits of their skills and the meaning of true perfection. This outrageously funny and incomparably wise collection of short stories takes an insightful look at mechanics, technology, invention, and human ambition.

H. Rider Haggard's King Solomon's Mines has entertained generations of readers since its first publication in 1885. Following a mysterious map of dubious reliability, a small group of men trek into southern Africa in search of a lost friend and a lost treasure, the fabled mines of King Solomon. Led by the English adventurer and fortune hunter Allan Quartermain, they discover a frozen corpse, survive untold dangers in remote mountains and deserts, and encounter the merciless King Twala en route to the legendary hoard of diamonds.

This thrilling saga of elephant hunter Allan Quatermain and his search for fabled treasure is more than just an adventure story. In its vivid portrayal of the alliances and battles of white colonials and African tribesmen, King Solomon's Mines brings us the world of extremes, of the absurdly tall tales and of the illogical loyalty between disparate people that still informs this part of the world.

The final novel of Hermann Hesse, for which he won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946, The Glass Bead Game is a fascinating tale of the complexity of modern life as well as a classic of modern literature. Set in the 23rd century, The Glass Bead Game is the story of Joseph Knecht, who has been raised in Castalia, the remote place his society has provided for the intellectual elite to grow and flourish. Since childhood, Knecht has been consumed with mastering the Glass Bead Game, which requires a synthesis of aesthetics and scientific arts, such as mathematics, music, logic, and philosophy, which he achieves in adulthood, becoming a Magister Ludi (Master of the Game).

Let us go then, you and I, When the evening is spread out against the sky Like a patient etherized upon a table; Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets, The muttering retreats Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels.

A collection of poems composed by Nobel Prize-winning writer T.S. Eliot between 1909 and 1935.

On October 12, 1972, a plane carrying a team of young rugby players crashed into the remote, snow-peaked Andes. Out of the forty-five original passengers and crew, only sixteen made it off the mountain alive.

For ten excruciating weeks, they suffered deprivations beyond imagining, confronting nature head-on at its most furious and inhospitable. And to survive, they were forced to do what would have once been unthinkable...

This is their story—one of the most astonishing true adventures of the twentieth century.

A shocking scientific discovery. A conspiracy of staggering brilliance. A thriller unlike any you've ever read....

When a NASA satellite discovers an astonishingly rare object buried deep in the Arctic ice, the floundering space agency proclaims a much-needed victory—a victory with profound implications for NASA policy and the impending presidential election. To verify the authenticity of the find, the White House calls upon the skills of intelligence analyst Rachel Sexton. Accompanied by a team of experts, including the charismatic scholar Michael Tolland, Rachel travels to the Arctic and uncovers the unthinkable: evidence of scientific trickery—a bold deception that threatens to plunge the world into controversy. But before she can warn the President, Rachel and Michael are ambushed by a deadly team of assassins. Fleeing for their lives across a desolate and lethal landscape, their only hope for survival is to discover who is behind this masterful plot. The truth, they will learn, is the most shocking deception of all.

America’s #1 true-crime writer fulfills a murder victim’s desperate plea with this shattering New York Times bestseller.

“If anything ever happens to me…find Ann Rule and ask her to write my story.”

In perhaps the first true-crime book written at the victim's request, Ann Rule untangles a web of lies and brutality that culminated in the murder of Sheila Blackthorne Bellush—a woman Rule never met, but whose shocking story she now chronicles with compassion, exacting detail, and unvarnished candor.

Although happily ensconced in a loving second marriage, and a new family of quadruplets, Sheila never truly escaped the vicious enslavement of her ex-husband, multi-millionaire Allen Blackthorne, a handsome charmer— and a violent, controlling sociopath who subjected Sheila to unthinkable abuse in their marriage, and terrorized her for a decade after their divorce.

When Sheila was slain in her home, in the presence of her four toddlers, authorities raced to link the crime to Blackthorne, the man who vowed to monitor Sheila's every move in his obsessive quest for power and revenge.

Fables by Jean de La Fontaine is a collection of stories that have charmed generations. This collection includes tales of familiar figures such as a tortoise, a crow, a hare, an ant, a lion, and even a milk pot. These characters are brought to life by the extraordinary talent of La Fontaine, who is regarded as the prince of poets.

La Fontaine transformed the somewhat rigid tradition of the fable into an exceptional art form that delights the ear and the mind. His fables awaken the woods, animate the animals, and reach the hearts of all people. The moral of the story is that it's worth diving back into these fables, which captivate children and enchant adults alike!

These fables continue to be relevant and have enjoyed uninterrupted success due to their impertinent pertinence. Whether recited as in school, repeated privately, or enjoyed aloud as the actor Fabrice Luchini did, one cannot resist the simple pleasure of a fable.

For maverick LAPD homicide detective Harry Bosch, the body in the drainpipe at Mulholland Dam is more than another anonymous statistic. This one is personal...because the murdered man was a fellow Vietnam "tunnel rat" who had fought side by side with him in a hellish underground war. Now Bosch is about to relive the horror of Nam. From a dangerous maze of blind alleys to a daring criminal heist beneath the city, his survival instincts will once again be tested to their limit. Pitted against enemies inside his own department and forced to make the agonizing choice between justice and vengeance, Bosch goes on the hunt for a killer whose true face will shock him.

In the final years of his prominent life, Chekhov had reached the height of his powers as a dramatist, and also produced some of the stories that rank among his masterpieces.

The poignant 'The Lady with the Little Dog' and 'About Love' examine the nature of love outside of marriage - its romantic idealism and the fear of disillusionment.

And in stories such as 'Peasants', 'The House with the Mezzanine' and 'My Life', Chekhov paints a vivid picture of the conditions of the poor and of their powerlessness in the face of exploitation and hardship.

With the works collected here, Chekhov moved away from the realism of his earlier tales - developing a broader range of characters and subject matter, while forging the spare minimalist style that would inspire modern short-story writers such as Hemingway and Faulkner.

The Táin Bó Cúailnge, the centre-piece of the eighth-century Ulster cycle of heroic tales, is Ireland's nearest approach to a great epic. It tells the story of a grand cattle-raid: the invasion of Ulster by the armies of Medb and Ailill, queen and king of Connacht, and their allies. Their goal? To carry off the great Brown Bull of Cúailnge.

The hero of the tale is Cúchulainn, the Hound of Ulster, who single-handedly resists the invaders while Ulster's warriors lie sick. Thomas Kinsella presents a complete and vibrant version of this story. His translation is based on the partial texts in two medieval manuscripts, with elements from other versions, and includes a group of related stories that set the stage for the action of the Táin.

This edition is enriched with brush drawings by Louis le Brocquy, offering a unique combination of medieval epic and modern art.

Sequel to the New York Times bestselling Faith of the Fallen. New York Times bestselling author Terry Goodkind has created his most lavish adventure yet.

Tormented her entire life by inhuman voices, a young woman named Jennsen seeks to end her intolerable agony. She at last discovers a way to silence the voices. For everyone else, the torment is about to begin.

With winter descending and the paralyzing dread of an army of annihilation occupying their homeland, Richard Rahl and his wife Kahlan must venture deep into a strange and desolate land. Their quest turns to terror when they find themselves the helpless prey of a tireless hunter.

Meanwhile, Jennsen finds herself drawn into the center of a struggle for conquest and revenge. Worse yet, she finds her will seized by forces more abhorrent than anything she ever envisioned. Only then does she come to realize that the voices were real.

Staggered by loss and increasingly isolated, Richard and Kahlan must stop the relentless, unearthly threat which has come out of the darkest night of the human soul. To do so, Richard will be called upon to face the demons stalking among the Pillars of Creation.

Discover breathtaking adventure and true nobility of spirit. Find out why millions of readers the world over have elevated Terry Goodkind to the ranks of legend.

The Lusiads is one of the greatest epic poems of the Renaissance, immortalizing Portugal's voyages of discovery with an unrivalled freshness of observation. This new translation marks the quincentenary of Vasco da Gama's voyage via southern Africa to India.

At the center of The Lusiads is Vasco da Gama's pioneering voyage in 1497-98. Camoes, the first major European artist to cross the equator, captures the novelty and fascination of that original encounter with Africa, India, and the Far East.

The poem's twin symbols are the Cross and the Astrolabe, celebrating a turning point in mankind's knowledge of the world. It speaks powerfully of the precariousness of power and the rise and decline of nationhood, threatened from without by enemies and from within by loss of integrity and vision.

This edition is complemented by an illuminating introduction and extensive notes.

Marie Antoinette: The Journey is a brilliantly written work of impeccable scholarship by one of our finest biographers, Antonia Fraser. This book delves into the life of the iconic eighteenth-century French queen, Marie Antoinette, whose excesses have become legendary.

Marie Antoinette was famously blamed for instigating the French Revolution. However, her journey, beginning as a fourteen-year-old sent from Vienna to marry the future Louis XVI, reveals a woman of greater complexity and character than previously understood. We witness her transformation from an ill-educated girl seeking refuge in pleasure to a magnificent, courageous woman who defied her enemies at her trial with consummate intelligence.

Sent by her mother, Austrian Empress Maria Teresa, to Versailles, Marie Antoinette was expected to further Austrian interests. Yet, she was more inclined towards a philanthropic role, patronizing the arts, especially music. Despite accusations of political interference, Marie Antoinette longed for a family and endured public humiliation before giving birth to her first child.

Antonia Fraser weaves a richly detailed account of Marie Antoinette's poignant journey, drawing on family letters and archival materials. This book avoids the hagiography of some admirers and the misogyny of many critics, providing an utterly riveting and intensely moving narrative.

Based on the troubadour culture that rose in Provence during the High Middle Ages, this panoramic, absorbing novel beautifully creates an alternate version of the medieval world.

The matriarchal, cultured land of Arbonne is rent by a feud between its two most powerful dukes, the noble troubadour Bertran de Talair and Urte de Miraval, over long-dead Aelis, lover of one, wife of the other and once heir to the country's throne.

To the north lies the militaristic Gorhaut, whose inhabitants worship the militant god Corannos and are ruled by corrupt, womanizing King Ademar. His chief advisor, the high priest of Corannos, is determined to eradicate the worship of a female deity, whose followers live to the south.

Into this cauldron of brewing disaster comes the mysterious Gorhaut mercenary Blaise, who takes service with Bertran and averts an attempt on his life. The revelation of Blaise's lineage and a claim for sanctuary by his sister-in-law sets the stage for a brutal clash between the two cultures. Intertwined is the tale of a young woman troubadour whose role suggests the sweep of the drama to come.

Nepal Air Disaster — No Survivors. This newspaper headline transforms Tintin’s holiday into an extraordinary adventure. The little reporter learns that his friend, Chang, was in the aircraft that crashed, and that there were no survivors. Nevertheless, the strength of their friendship and some powerful and vivid dreams convince Tintin to set off to rescue Chang, whom he believes is still alive.

Accompanied by his faithful companion, Captain Haddock, Tintin sets out for the site of the crash. The trek through the Himalayas is merciless. Despite several major setbacks and the fact that his companions seem to give up hope, Tintin’s faith is unshakable. Unfortunately, finding Chang is made even more difficult by the presence of the “Abominable Snowman” (the Yeti) — a mysterious, wild beast.

Cimorene is everything a princess is not supposed to be: headstrong, tomboyish, smart - and bored. So bored that she runs away to live with a dragon - and finds the family and excitement she's been looking for.

Cover illustrator: Peter de Sève

Supernova: Akar is a mesmerizing tale penned by the talented Dee Lestari. This novel invites readers on a profound journey to discover the essence of life in the simplest of moments—like a pebble kicked along the road or a leaf fluttering in the wind. Through the eyes of Bodhi, a character who embarks on a spiritual quest, the story unfolds in vivid locales from Vihara Pit Yong Kiong in Pasuruan to the bustling streets of Bangkok.

Bodhi, a child found at the doorstep of a monastery, is nurtured by the wise Guru Liong. His upbringing is rigorous, steeped in discipline and martial arts, preparing him for a life of spiritual purity. As Bodhi ventures beyond the monastery, he encounters a world filled with intriguing personalities, from the charismatic tattoo artist Kell to the enchanting backpacker Star.

The narrative weaves through Bodhi's transformation as he becomes a tattooist, exploring the vibrant backpacker culture in Bangkok and beyond. Each tattoo etched into skin becomes a symbol of freedom and identity. The novel delves into the intricate dance of human connections, the longing for freedom, and the pursuit of life's deeper meanings.

Supernova: Akar is a rich tapestry of adventure and introspection, inviting readers to ponder the mysteries of existence while immersed in a world of cultural diversity and spiritual exploration.

English versions of Sophocles’ three great tragedies based on the myth of Oedipus, translated for a modern audience by two gifted poets. Index.

"Oscar et la dame rose" presents the letters sent to God by a ten-year-old child. These letters were discovered by Mamie Rose, the "dame rose" who visits him at the children's hospital. They describe twelve days in the life of Oscar, twelve days that are quirky and poetic, filled with funny and moving characters. These twelve days might be his last twelve. However, thanks to the strong bond of love formed with Mamie Rose, these twelve days will become legendary.

Welcome to Blackwood Farm: soaring white columns, spacious drawing rooms, bright, sun-drenched gardens, and a dark strip of the dense Sugar Devil Swamp. This is the world of Quinn Blackwood, a brilliant young man haunted since birth by a mysterious doppelgänger, “Goblin,” a spirit from a dream world that Quinn can’t escape and that prevents him from belonging anywhere. When Quinn is made a Vampire, losing all that is rightfully his and gaining an unwanted immortality, his doppelgänger becomes even more vampiric and terrifying than Quinn himself.

As the novel moves backwards and forwards in time, from Quinn’s boyhood on Blackwood Farm to present day New Orleans, from ancient Athens to 19th-century Naples, Quinn seeks out the legendary Vampire Lestat in the hope of freeing himself from the spectre that draws him inexorably back to Sugar Devil Swamp and the explosive secrets it holds. A story of youth and promise, of loss and the search for love, of secrets and destiny, Blackwood Farm is Anne Rice at her mesmerizing best.

They are the Pipers of Cape Breton Island — a family steeped in lies and unspoken truths that reach out from the past, forever mindful of the tragic secret that could shatter the family to its foundations. Chronicling five generations of this eccentric clan, Fall on Your Knees follows four remarkable sisters whose lives are filled with driving ambition, inescapable family bonds, and forbidden love.

Their experiences will take them from their stormswept homeland, across the battlefields of World War I, to the freedom and independence of Jazz-era New York City.

Compellingly written, running the literary gamut from menacingly dark to hilariously funny, this is an epic saga of one family’s trials and triumphs in a world of sin, guilt, and redemption.

London tracks the history of the English capital from the days of the Celts until the present time. Edward Rutherfurd, a master of epic historical fiction, presents a sweeping novel that spans two thousand years. This vibrant city's long and noble history is brought alive through the saga of ever-shifting fortunes, fates, and intrigues of a half-dozen families, from the age of Julius Caesar to the twentieth century.

Generation after generation, these families embody the passion, struggle, wealth, and verve of the greatest city in the Old World. Experience the invasion by Julius Caesar’s legions in 54 B.C., the rise of chivalry and the Crusades, the building of the Globe theatre, and the coming of the Industrial Revolution. Witness first-hand the lust of Henry VIII and overhear Geoffrey Chaucer deciding to write The Canterbury Tales.

Each episode is a punchy tale made up of bite-size chunks ending in tiny cliffhangers, offering a delightful way to get the feel of London and of English history.

Dear reader,

The word carnivorous, which appears in the title of this book, means meat-eating, and once you have read such a bloodthirsty word, there is no reason to read any further. This carnivorous volume contains such a distressing story that consuming any of its contents would be far more stomach-turning than even the most imbalanced meal.

To avoid causing discomfort, it would be best if I didn't mention any of the unnerving ingredients of this story, particularly a confusing map, an ambidextrous person, an unruly crowd, a wooden plank, and Chabo the Wolf Baby.

Sadly for me, my time is filled with researching and recording the displeasing and disenchanting lives of the Baudelaire orphans. But your time might be better filled with something more palatable, such as eating your vegetables, or feeding them to someone else.

With all due respect,

Lemony Snicket

When a savage creature known only as the Adversary conquered the fabled lands of legends and fairy tales, all of the infamous inhabitants of folklore were forced into exile. Disguised among the normal citizens of modern-day New York, these magical characters have created their own peaceful and secret society within an exclusive luxury apartment building called Fabletown.

But when Snow White's party-girl sister, Rose Red, is apparently murdered, it is up to Fabletown's sheriff, a reformed and pardoned Big Bad Wolf (Bigby Wolf), to determine if the killer is Bluebeard, Rose's ex-lover and notorious wife killer, or Jack, her current live-in boyfriend and former beanstalk-climber.

Mrs. Dalloway is often heralded as Virginia Woolf's greatest novel, presenting a vivid portrait of a single day in a woman's life. Clarissa Dalloway is much more than a perfect society hostess—she is a character of depth and complexity, as she prepares her house for a party and is simultaneously flooded with memories of the past.

The narrative explores the inner experiences of Clarissa, as well as other characters, through Woolf's pioneering use of stream of consciousness. This technique illuminates the enormity found within everyday moments and insists that a life filled with errands and social obligations can be as significant a subject as any grand adventure.

With some of the most beautiful, complex, and idiosyncratic sentences ever written in English, Mrs. Dalloway is recognized as a revolutionary work of art that has influenced the novel as a literary form. It is a moving exploration of life's fleeting beauty, the passage of time, and the inner workings of human consciousness.

Imagine a year without Christmas. No crowded shops, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That's just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they'll skip the holiday altogether. Theirs will be the only house on the street without a rooftop Frosty the snowman; they won't be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree. They won't need one, because come December 25 they're setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences - and isn't half as easy as they'd imagined.A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that has become part of our holiday tradition.

Sugar, 19, a prostitute in Victorian London, yearns for a better life. From the brutal brothel-keeper Mrs. Castaway, she ascends in society. The affections of self-involved perfume magnate William Rackham soon smell like love. Her social rise attracts preening socialites, drunken journalists, untrustworthy servants, vile guttersnipes, and whores of all kinds.

Guero Davila is a pilot engaged in drug-smuggling for the local cartels. Teresa Mendoza is his girlfriend, a typical narco's morra—quiet, doting, submissive. But then Guero's caught playing both sides, and in Sinaloa, that means death. Teresa finds herself alone, terrified, friendless, and running to save her life, carrying nothing but a gym bag containing a pistol and a notebook that she has been forbidden to read.

Forced to leave Mexico, she flees to the Spanish city of Melilla, where she meets Santiago Fisterra, a Galician involved in trafficking hashish across the Strait of Gibraltar. When Santiago's partner is captured, it is Teresa who steps in to take his place. Now Teresa has plunged into the dark and ugly world that once claimed Guero's life—and she's about to get in deeper...

This is the story of two men who first become friends in 1970s New York, of the women in their lives, of their sons, born the same year, and of how relations between the two families become strained.

First by tragedy, then by a monstrous duplicity which comes slowly and corrosively to the surface.

Cooper says, "I present the actual act of evil so it's visible and give it a bunch of facets so that you can actually look at it and experience it. You're seduced into dealing with it. ... So with Frisk, whatever pleasure you got out of making a picture in your mind based on ... those people being murdered, you take responsibility for it." In unsparingly confessional mode, Cooper leads the reader into a confrontation with what they get out of fantasized scenes of violence. A brilliant novel -- not a genre horror work but, rather, a critique of the power of genre.

Fifteen-year-old Alexander Cold is about to join his fearless grandmother on the trip of a lifetime. An International Geographic expedition is headed to the dangerous, remote wilds of South America, on a mission to document the legendary Yeti of the Amazon known as the Beast.

But there are many secrets hidden in the unexplored wilderness, as Alex and his new friend Nadia soon discover. Drawing on the strength of their spirit guides, both young people are led on a thrilling and unforgettable journey to the ultimate discovery.