Kathy Colton can't stand her brother, Brett. Her family talks as if he were perfect! All Kathy knows for sure is that Brett is dead. He died of leukemia when he was sixteen and she was only two.
But when Kathy turns sixteen, she discovers her brother's hidden journal — a journal written especially for her — and learns about the brother she never knew.
At the same time, Kathy is mortified by an assignment to tutor the popular high school quarterback Jason West, a football jock who, even worse, is a Mormon.
Author Kay Lynn Mangum brilliantly weaves the dual stories of a dying brother and a coming-of-age sister who learn the importance of loving our family and our friends and nurturing our faith.
Young Daine's knack with horses gets her a job helping the royal horsemistress drive a herd of ponies to Tortall. Soon it becomes clear that Daine's talent, as much as she struggles to hide it, is downright magical. Horses and other animals not only obey, but listen to her words. Daine, though, will have to learn to trust humans before she can come to terms with her powers, her past, and herself.
In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke, an illegal third child, has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm in this start to the Shadow Children series from Margaret Peterson Haddix. Luke has never been to school. He's never had a birthday party, or gone to a friend's house for an overnight. In fact, Luke has never had a friend.
Luke is one of the shadow children, a third child forbidden by the Population Police. He's lived his entire life in hiding, and now, with a new housing development replacing the woods next to his family's farm, he is no longer even allowed to go outside. Then, one day Luke sees a girl's face in the window of a house where he knows two other children already live. Finally, he's met a shadow child like himself. Jen is willing to risk everything to come out of the shadows—does Luke dare to become involved in her dangerous plan? Can he afford not to?
The world-famous masterpiece by Nobel laureate Thomas Mann -- here in a new translation by Michael Henry Heim. Published on the eve of World War I, a decade after Buddenbrooks had established Thomas Mann as a literary celebrity, Death in Venice tells the story of Gustav von Aschenbach, a successful but aging writer who follows his wanderlust to Venice in search of spiritual fulfillment that instead leads to his erotic doom.
In the decaying city, besieged by an unnamed epidemic, he becomes obsessed with an exquisite Polish boy, Tadzio. "It is a story of the voluptuousness of doom," Mann wrote. "But the problem I had especially in mind was that of the artist's dignity."
Menolly, a young fisher's daughter, had dreamed all her life of learning the Harper's craft. Her musical talent is not valued in her fishing hold, especially by her parents the holders, as women in general tend to be less valued and have fewer choices than men in Pernese society. When her father denies her what she regards to be her destiny, she flees Half Circle Hold just as Pern is struck by the deadly danger of Threadfall, a deathly rain that falls from the sky.
Menolly takes shelter in a cave by the sea and there, she makes a miraculous discovery that will change her life.
In Enchantment, Orson Scott Card works his magic as never before, transforming the timeless story of Sleeping Beauty into an original fantasy brimming with romance and adventure. The moment Ivan stumbled upon a clearing in the dense Carpathian forest, his life was forever changed. Atop a pedestal encircled by fallen leaves, the beautiful princess Katerina lay still as death. But beneath the foliage, a malevolent presence stirred and sent the ten-year-old Ivan scrambling for the safety of Cousin Marek's farm.
Now, years later, Ivan is an American graduate student, engaged to be married. Yet he cannot forget that long-ago day in the forest—or convince himself it was merely a frightened boy’s fantasy. Compelled to return to his native land, Ivan finds the clearing just as he left it. This time he does not run. This time he awakens the beauty with a kiss... and steps into a world that vanished a thousand years ago.
A rich tapestry of clashing worlds and cultures, Enchantment is a powerfully original novel of a love and destiny that transcend centuries... and the dark force that stalks them across the ages.
Testament of Youth is a poignant memoir by Vera Brittain that offers an intimate glimpse into the experiences of a young woman during the tumultuous years of World War I. Vera Brittain, abandoning her studies at Oxford in 1915, enlisted as a nurse in the armed services. She served in London, Malta, and on the Western Front.
By the end of the war, she had lost virtually everyone she loved. This book is both a record of what she lived through and an elegy for a vanished generation. Brittain's eloquent prose and candid observations make this memoir a moving exploration of love, loss, and the enduring pursuit of peace.
Testament of Youth stands as a testament to the resilience of the human spirit amidst the horrors of war. It speaks to any generation that has been irrevocably changed by conflict, offering a deeply emotional insight into the personal and societal impacts of war.
The Darkness That Comes Before is the enthralling first book in R. Scott Bakker's Prince of Nothing series. It masterfully crafts a world from scratch, complete with its own language, classes of people, cities, religions, mysteries, taboos, and rituals.
This world is scarred by an apocalyptic past, evoking a time both two thousand years past and two thousand years into the future. As untold thousands gather for a crusade, four individuals—a mysterious traveler, Anasûrimbor Kellhus, part warrior, part philosopher, part sorcerer, and a charismatic presence—ensnare two men and two women in their journey.
The Darkness That Comes Before is a gripping history of this great holy war, where like all histories, the survivors will write its conclusion.
The Guermantes Way is the third volume in Marcel Proust's monumental series, In Search of Lost Time. After the relative intimacy of the first two volumes, this installment opens up a vast, dazzling landscape of fashionable Parisian life in the late nineteenth century.
The narrator enters the brilliant, shallow world of the literary and aristocratic salons. Both a salute to, and a devastating satire of a time, place, and culture, this novel defines the great tradition of novels that follow the initiation of a young man into the ways of the world.
This elegantly packaged new translation introduces a new generation of readers to the literary richness of Marcel Proust.
Melissa Bank's runaway bestseller, The Girls' Guide to Hunting and Fishing, charmed readers and critics alike with its wickedly insightful, tender look at a young woman's forays into love, work, and friendship. Now, with The Wonder Spot, Bank is back with her signature combination of devilishly self-deprecating humor, seriousness, and wisdom.
Nothing comes easily to Sophie Applebaum, the black sheep of her family, trying to blend in with the herd. Uneasily situated between two brothers, Sophie first appears as the fulcrum and observer of her clan in "Boss of the World." Then, at college, in "The Toy Bar," she faces a gauntlet of challenges as Best Friend to the dramatic and beautiful Venice Lambourne, curator of "perfect things." In her early twenties, Sophie is dazzled by the possibilities of New York City during the Selectric typewriter era—only to land solidly back in Surrey, PA after her father's death.
The Wonder Spot follows Sophie's quest for her own identity—who she is, what she loves, whom she loves, and occasionally whom she feels others should love—over the course of 25 years. In an often-disappointing world, Sophie listens closely to her own heart. And when she experiences her 'Aha!' moments—her own personal wonder spots—it's the real thing.
Kimihiro Watanuki is the indentured servant of Yūko, the beautiful but completely unpredictable Space-Time Witch. He must work at her bizarre wish-granting shop until he can pay off his own wish: to be free of the spirits that haunt him. Yūko's latest customer is a rain spirit who wants Kimihiro dispatched on a rescue mission. Little does Kimihiro know that this mission will take him to death's door!
Kimihiro has another problem. A cute spirit has given him a Valentine's Day present, which means he's obligated by Japanese custom to return the favor. What do you get a girl who may not even exist in this world?
Includes chapters 29-34.
In this masterful book, David McCullough tells the intensely human story of those who marched with General George Washington in the year of the Declaration of Independence - when the whole American cause was riding on their success, without which all hope for independence would have been dashed and the noble ideals of the Declaration would have amounted to little more than words on paper.
Based on extensive research in both American and British archives, 1776 is a powerful drama written with extraordinary narrative vitality. It is the story of Americans in the ranks, men of every shape, size, and color, farmers, schoolteachers, shoemakers, no-accounts, and mere boys turned soldiers. And it is the story of the King's men, the British commander, William Howe, and his highly disciplined redcoats who looked on their rebel foes with contempt and fought with a valor too little known.
At the center of the drama, with Washington, are two young American patriots, who, at first, knew no more of war than what they had read in books - Nathaniel Green, a Quaker who was made a general at thirty-three, and Henry Knox, a twenty-five-year-old bookseller who had the preposterous idea of hauling the guns of Fort Ticonderoga overland to Boston in the dead of Winter.
But it is the American commander-in-chief who stands foremost - Washington, who had never before led an army in battle. Written as a companion work to his celebrated biography of John Adams, David McCullough's 1776 is another landmark in the literature of American history.
ShadowClan has a dark new leader, but will he be satisfied with his power now -- or does his desire for revenge burn even more strongly? Fireheart fears that there is a connection between the rise of Tigerstar and the terrible dreams that haunt his nights, murmuring of danger and death.
Meanwhile, a mysterious and vicious threat unlike any other has invaded the forest, placing every cat's life in peril. Fireheart's beloved leader has turned her back on their warrior ancestors, and Fireheart can't help but wonder if she's right. Has StarClan abandoned them forever?
Matt Cruse is a cabin boy on the Aurora, a huge airship that sails hundreds of feet above the ocean, ferrying wealthy passengers from city to city. It is the life Matt's always wanted; convinced he's lighter than air, he imagines himself as buoyant as the hydrium gas that powers his ship.
One night he meets a dying balloonist who speaks of beautiful creatures drifting through the skies. It is only after Matt meets the balloonist's granddaughter that he realizes that the man's ravings may, in fact, have been true, and that the creatures are completely real and utterly mysterious.
In a swashbuckling adventure reminiscent of Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, Kenneth Oppel, author of the best-selling Silverwing trilogy, creates an imagined world in which the air is populated by transcontinental voyagers, pirates, and beings never before dreamed of by the humans who sail the skies.
The Magician's Nephew is the fantastical tale of Digory and Polly, who meet one cold, wet summer in London. Their ordinary lives are transformed into an extraordinary adventure when Digory's Uncle Andrew, who fancies himself a magician, sends them on a journey to another world. They arrive in Narnia, fresh from the Lion Aslan's song, and face the evil sorceress Jadis. Through their trials in Narnia, they experience the wonder and danger of a new world before finally returning home.
This enchanting story serves as the prequel to C.S. Lewis's iconic The Chronicles of Narnia series and explores themes of creation, temptation, and the consequences of one's choices. It introduces readers to a magical universe that has captivated generations with its depth, imagination, and adventure.
Georgia Nicolson is back with more mad, marvy confessions in this hilarious installment of her adventures. Join her as she embarks on a trip to Hamburger-a-gogo land (also known as America) in pursuit of Masimo, the Italian-American dreamboat. Will she succeed in becoming the composed sex kitten she aspires to be?
Georgia's escapades include learning the art of riding a bucking bronco and navigating the complexities of teenage life, complete with weird parents, mad cats, and the attentions of too many boys. Will she reel in the Italian dreamboat, or is she destined to live forever all aloney on her owney?
Get ready for a laugh-out-loud journey filled with teen drama, romantic escapades, and plenty of British humor.
Bobby Pendragon has visited the alternate dimension of Denduron and waded through the endangered underwater territory of Cloral. Now Bobby once again finds himself thrust beyond the boundaries of time and space into a place that seems somewhat familiar: First Earth.
Bobby and the Traveler from Cloral—Spader—have flumed to New York City, 1937, where they must uncover the evil Saint Dane’s newest plot. But is Bobby ready for the difficult choices ahead?
In a distant galaxy, the atrocity of slavery was alive and well, and young Thorby was just another orphaned boy sold at auction. But his new owner, Baslim, is not the disabled beggar he appears to be: adopting Thorby as his son, he fights relentlessly as an abolitionist spy. When the authorities close in on Baslim, Thorby must ride with the Free Traders — a league of merchant princes — throughout the many worlds of a hostile galaxy, finding the courage to live by his wits and fight his way from society's lowest rung.
But Thorby's destiny will be forever changed when he discovers the truth about his own identity...
In the tradition of Jack London, Seth Kantner presents an Alaska far removed from majestic clichés of exotic travelogues and picture postcards. Kantner’s vivid and poetic prose lets readers experience Cutuk Hawcly’s life on the Alaskan plains through the character’s own words — feeling the pliers pinch of cold and hunkering in an igloo in blinding blizzards.
Always in Cutuk’s mind are his father Abe, the legendary hunter Enuk Wolfglove, and the wolves — all living out lives on the unforgiving tundra. Jeered and pummeled by native children because he is white, Cutuk becomes a marginal participant in village life, caught between cultures. After an accident for which he is responsible, he faces a decision that could radically change his life.
Like his young hero, Seth Kantner grew up in a sod igloo in Alaska, and his experiences of wearing mukluks before they were fashionable, eating boiled caribou pelvis, and communing with the native tribes add depth and power to this narrative.
This remarkable new translation of the Nobel Prize-winner’s great masterpiece is a major literary event. Thomas Mann regarded his monumental retelling of the biblical story of Joseph as his magnum opus. He conceived of the four parts: The Stories of Jacob, Young Joseph, Joseph in Egypt, and Joseph the Provider as a unified narrative, a “mythological novel” of Joseph’s fall into slavery and his rise to be lord over Egypt.
Deploying lavish, persuasive detail, Mann conjures for us the world of patriarchs and pharaohs, the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, and Palestine, and the universal force of human love in all its beauty, desperation, absurdity, and pain. The result is a brilliant amalgam of humor, emotion, psychological insight, and epic grandeur.
Now the award-winning translator John E. Woods gives us a definitive new English version of Joseph and His Brothers that is worthy of Mann’s achievement, revealing the novel’s exuberant polyphony of ancient and modern voices, a rich music that is by turns elegant, coarse, and sublime.
Someone at Stallery Mansion is changing the world. At first, only small details, but the changes get bigger and bigger. It's up to Conrad, a twelve-year-old with terrible karma who's just joined the mansion's staff, to find out who is behind it.
But he's not the only one snooping around. His fellow servant-in-training, Christopher Chant, is charming, confident, and from another world, with a mission of his own -- rescuing his friend, lost in an alternate Stallery Mansion. Can they save the day before Conrad's awful fate catches up with them?
Welcome to New York City's Upper East Side, where my friends and I get everything - and everyone - we want. Snagging the latest Marc Jacobs bag or your best friend's boyfriend isn't always pretty, but it's always hot.
Enter the world of Gossip Girl - a world where everyone is gorgeous, everything is fabulous, and jealousy and betrayal are everywhere you look. It's springtime and our lives are really heating up. Everybody's into college, and it's obviously time to party - as if we hadn't been doing that already!
Now that B's finally lost her virginity to N, she can't wait to do it again (and again). But will B and N's love affair continue? And will B finally get into Yale? Or will N and S hook up and leave B alone in the city? Only time will tell, but one thing's for sure: love is in the air, and it smells a lot like Gucci Envy.
You know you love me,
gossip girl
This is the story of Paul, a sophomore at a high school like no other: The cheerleaders ride Harleys, the homecoming queen used to be a guy named Daryl (she now prefers Infinite Darlene and is also the star quarterback), and the gay-straight alliance was formed to help the straight kids learn how to dance.
When Paul meets Noah, he thinks he’s found the one his heart is made for. Until he blows it. The school bookie says the odds are 12-to-1 against him getting Noah back, but Paul’s not giving up without playing his love really loud. His best friend Joni might be drifting away, his other best friend Tony might be dealing with ultra-religious parents, and his ex-boyfriend Kyle might not be going away anytime soon, but sometimes everything needs to fall apart before it can really fit together right.
This is a happy-meaningful romantic comedy about finding love, losing love, and doing what it takes to get love back in a crazy-wonderful world.
Jeffrey Lionel Maniac Magee might have lived a normal life if a freak accident hadn't made him an orphan. After living with his unhappy and uptight aunt and uncle for eight years, he decides to run--and not just run away, but run. This is where the myth of Maniac Magee begins, as he changes the lives of a racially divided small town with his amazing and legendary feats.
At the age of eight, Brian Lackey is found bleeding under the crawl space of his house, having endured something so traumatic that he cannot remember an entire five-hour period of time. During the following years, he slowly recalls details from that night, but these fragments are not enough to explain what happened to him, and he begins to believe that he may have been the victim of an alien encounter.
Neil McCormick is fully aware of the events from that summer of 1981. Wise beyond his years and curious about his developing sexuality, Neil found what he perceived to be love and guidance from his baseball coach. Now, ten years later, he is a teenage hustler, a terrorist of sorts, unaware of the dangerous path his life is taking. His recklessness is governed by idealized memories of his coach, memories that unexpectedly change when Brian comes to Neil for help and, ultimately, the truth.
Nicholai Hel is the world’s most wanted man. Born in Shanghai during the chaos of World War I, he is the son of an aristocratic Russian mother and a mysterious German father and is the protégé of a Japanese Go master.
Hel survived the destruction of Hiroshima to emerge as the world’s most artful lover and its most accomplished—and well-paid—assassin. Hel is a genius, a mystic, and a master of language and culture, and his secret is his determination to attain a rare kind of personal excellence, a state of effortless perfection known only as shibumi.
Now living in an isolated mountain fortress with his exquisite mistress, Hel is unwillingly drawn back into the life he’d tried to leave behind when a beautiful young stranger arrives at his door, seeking help and refuge. It soon becomes clear that Hel is being tracked by his most sinister enemy—a supermonolith of international espionage known only as the Mother Company.
The battle lines are drawn: ruthless power and corruption on one side, and on the other . . . shibumi.
Varjak Paw is a Mesopotamian Blue cat who has never been Outside before. He and his family have always lived in the isolated house at the top of the hill. But Varjak is forced out into the city when the sinister Gentleman and his two menacing cats take over his home.
With help from his mystical ancestor, Jalal, Varjak manages to overcome challenges such as self-survival and a threat from the gangland cats. He ultimately discovers the terrifying secrets behind the Vanishings. But can he save his own family from their fate?
With wonderful integrated illustrations from acclaimed comic book artist Dave McKean, this book will appeal to all ages.
In 1517, Martin Luther nails his ninety-five theses demanding reform of the Catholic Church to the door of Wittenburg Cathedral, setting off a period of upheaval, war, civil war, and violence we now know as the Reformation.
In this age devastated by wars of religion, a young theology student adopts the cause of the heretics and the disinherited. Across the chessboard of Europe, from the German plains to the flourishing Dutch cities and down to Venice, the gateway to the East, our hero, a 'Survivor', a radical Protestant Anabaptist who goes under many names, and his enemy, a loyal papal spy and heretic hunter known mysteriously as "Q" play a game in which no moves are forbidden and the true size of the stakes remain hidden until the end.
What begins as a personal struggle to reveal each other's identity becomes a mission that can only end in death.
It seems like kids are always hearing stories about America in the "good old days." But, in fact, the 1950s and 1960s were not as carefree as they sometimes seem. Through fascinating stories, advertisements, facts, and photographs, Norman H. Finkelstein invites people of all generations to decide for themselves.
Explore the real history behind the myths and discover surprising truths about a pivotal era in American history.
With a steady boyfriend, the position of Student Council President, and a chance to go to an Ivy League college, high school life is just fine for Holland Jaeger.
At least, it seems to be.
But when Cece Goddard comes to school, everything changes. Cece and Holland have undeniable feelings for each other, but how will others react to their developing relationship?
This moving love story between two girls is for fans of Nancy Garden's classic young adult coming out novel, Annie on My Mind. With her characteristic humor and breezy style, Peters has captured the compelling emotions of young love.
Sookie Stackhouse is a cocktail waitress in Bon Temps, Louisiana. She has only a few close friends, because not everyone appreciates Sookie’s gift: she can read minds. That’s not exactly every man’s idea of date bait – unless they’re undead; vampires and the like can be tough to read. And that’s just the kind of guy Sookie’s been looking for.
Maybe that’s why, when she comes across a naked vampire, she doesn’t just drive on by. He hasn’t got a clue who he is, but Sookie has: Eric looks just as scary and sexy – and dead – as ever. But now he has amnesia, he’s sweet, vulnerable, and in need of Sookie’s help – because whoever took his memory now wants his life.
Princess Lissla Lissar reaches womanhood, and it becomes evident to the entire kingdom that she mirrors the beauty of her late mother, the queen. This resemblance, however, forces her to flee from her father's lust and madness.
In the pain and horror of her flight, she forgets who she is and what she flees from, remembering only the love and loyalty of her dog, Ash, who accompanies her.
A chance encounter on the road leads to a job in another king's kennels, where the prince finds himself falling in love with the new kennel maid. One day, he tells her of a princess named Lissla Lissar, who had a dog named Ash.
Thus begins Lissar’s profound journey away from treachery and pain, towards trust, love, and healing.
Donna Leon's riveting novel, Doctored Evidence, takes us through the winding streets of contemporary Venice as Commissario Guido Brunetti delves into a case his superiors would rather leave closed.
When a miserly spinster is found brutally murdered in her Venice apartment, the police immediately suspect her Romanian housekeeper. They believe their job is done after the immigrant dies while fleeing arrest. However, weeks later, a neighbor comes forward to defend the innocence of the accused. The only investigator who believes the alibi is Brunetti, who must work behind the backs of his superiors to vindicate the Romanian and uncover the true killer.
As always, the indispensable hacking skills of the ever-loyal Signorina Elettra complement Brunetti's meticulous detective work. She uncovers mysterious deposits in the old woman's bank account, but who made them? As Brunetti investigates, his wife reads him teachings on the Seven Deadly Sins. In a modern world filled with intrigue and nebulous morality, how do they relate to the murder at hand?
Doctored Evidence is charged with suspense and evokes a contemporary Venice with Donna Leon's masterful flair.
This masterpiece of science (and mathematical) fiction is a delightfully unique and highly entertaining satire that has charmed readers for more than 100 years. The work of English clergyman, educator and Shakespearean scholar Edwin A. Abbott (1838-1926), it describes the journeys of A. Square, a mathematician and resident of the two-dimensional Flatland, where women-thin, straight lines-are the lowliest of shapes, and where men may have any number of sides, depending on their social status.
Through strange occurrences that bring him into contact with a host of geometric forms, Square has adventures in Spaceland (three dimensions), Lineland (one dimension) and Pointland (no dimensions) and ultimately entertains thoughts of visiting a land of four dimensions—a revolutionary idea for which he is returned to his two-dimensional world. Charmingly illustrated by the author, Flatland is not only fascinating reading, it is still a first-rate fictional introduction to the concept of the multiple dimensions of space.
Breaking the laws of nature is a serious crime! In an alchemical ritual gone wrong, Edward Elric lost his arm and his leg, and his brother Alphonse became nothing but a soul in a suit of armor. Equipped with mechanical “auto-mail” limbs, Edward becomes a state alchemist, seeking the one thing that can restore his and his brother’s bodies...the legendary Philosopher’s Stone.
Alchemy: the mystical power to alter the natural world; something between magic, art and science. When two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric, dabbled in this power to grant their dearest wish, one of them lost an arm and a leg...and the other became nothing but a soul locked into a body of living steel. Now Edward is an agent of the government, a slave of the military-alchemical complex, using his unique powers to obey orders...even to kill. Except his powers aren't unique. The world has been ravaged by the abuse of alchemy. And in pursuit of the ultimate alchemical treasure, the Philosopher's Stone, their enemies are even more ruthless than they are...
To Green Angel Tower is the third book in Tad Williams' epic fantasy series, Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn. As the evil minions of the undead Sithi Storm King prepare for the kingdom-shattering culmination of their dark sorceries, King Elias is drawn ever deeper into their nightmarish, spell-spun world.
Meanwhile, the loyal allies of Prince Josua desperately struggle to rally their forces at the Stone of Farewell. With time running out, the remaining members of the now devastated League of the Scroll have gathered there to unravel mysteries from the forgotten past in an attempt to find something to strike down their unslayable foe.
Whether or not they are successful, the call of battle will lead the valiant followers of Josua Lackhand on a memorable trek to the haunted halls of Asu'a itself - the Sithi's greatest stronghold.
A swashbuckling adventure story that unveils for the first time how Diego de la Vega became the masked man we all know so well. Born in southern California late in the eighteenth century, Diego de la Vega is a child of two worlds. His father is an aristocratic Spanish military man turned landowner; his mother, a Shoshone warrior.
At the age of sixteen, Diego is sent to Spain, a country chafing under the corruption of Napoleonic rule. He soon joins La Justicia, a secret underground resistance movement devoted to helping the powerless and the poor. Between the New World and the Old, the persona of Zorro is formed, a great hero is born, and the legend begins.
After many adventures — duels at dawn, fierce battles with pirates at sea, and impossible rescues — Diego de la Vega, a.k.a. Zorro, returns to America to reclaim the hacienda on which he was raised and to seek justice for all who cannot fight for it themselves.
For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.
Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.
Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.
Art critic Jeremy Grove is found dead, his face frozen in a mask of terror. His body temperature is grotesquely high; he is discovered in a room barricaded from the inside; the smell of brimstone is everywhere... and the unmistakable imprint of a claw is burned into the wall. As more bodies are discovered - their only connection the bizarre but identical manner of death - the world begins to wonder if the Devil has, in fact, come to collect his due.
Teaming with Police Officer Vincent D'Agosta, Agent Pendergast is determined to solve this case that appears to defy everything except supernatural logic.
Rose has always been different. Since the day she was born, it was clear she had a special fate. Her superstitious mother keeps the unusual circumstances of Rose's birth a secret, hoping to prevent her adventurous daughter from leaving home... but she can't suppress Rose's true nature forever.
So when an enormous white bear shows up one cold autumn evening and asks teenage Rose to come away with it--in exchange for health and prosperity for her ailing family--she readily agrees. Rose travels on the bear's broad back to a distant and empty castle, where she is nightly joined by a mysterious stranger. In discovering his identity, she loses her heart-- and finds her purpose--and realizes her journey has only just begun.
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood is an 1883 novel by the American illustrator and writer Howard Pyle. This book presents a series of episodes in the story of the English outlaw, Robin Hood, and his band of Merry Men. The novel compiles traditional material into a coherent narrative using a colorful, invented "old English" idiom that preserves the flavor of the ballads and adapts it for children.
Pyle's work is notable for taking the subject of Robin Hood in a new direction. It influenced later writers, artists, and filmmakers through the next century. The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood was the first novel Pyle attempted, adapting Middle Age ballads into a cohesive story, and altering them for the tastes of his child audience.
The novel portrays Robin Hood as a heroic outlaw who robs the rich to feed the poor. This portrayal contrasts with earlier ballads, where Robin Hood's crimes are motivated by personal gain rather than a desire to help others. Pyle's book helped solidify the image of a heroic Robin Hood, which had begun in earlier works such as Walter Scott's Ivanhoe.
Pyle's novel was first published by Scribner's in 1883, meeting with immediate success. It ushered in a new era of Robin Hood stories and helped increase the popularity of the Robin Hood legend in the United States. The novel also had a significant impact on children's literature, moving the Robin Hood legend into the realm of respected children's books.
In a magical realm, three teenage girls—Jade, Opal, and Amber—are chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy. On the day of their fourteenth birthdays, they set out on a quest that will require them to leave their homes and families and face fierce enemies in a land called Fairytale, where magic reigns and evil is unknown.
Although they meet as strangers, they must learn to trust one another with their lives as they embark on this epic journey, armed only with magical stones.
At the same time, in a parallel world, a young girl named Joa fights for her life in a hospital in Paris. While she is dreaming, she is transported to the magical realm where the three young heroines fight a spectacular battle. Their success or failure will determine the fate of Fairytale and Joa's survival.
Neal Asher, whom Tor introduced to the American audience with Gridlinked, takes us deeper into his unique universe with an even more remarkable second novel, The Skinner.
On the planet Spatterjay arrive three travelers: Janer, acting as the eyes of the hornet Hive mind, on a mission not yet revealed to him; Erlin, searching for Ambel — the ancient sea captain who can teach her how to live; and Sable Keech, on a vendetta he cannot abandon, though he himself has been dead for 700 years.
This remote world is mostly ocean, and it is a rare visitor who ventures beyond the safety of the island Dome. Outside it, only the native Hoopers dare risk the voracious appetites of the planet's wildlife. But somewhere out there is Spatterjay Hoop — and Keech will not rest until he brings this legendary renegade to justice for hideous crimes committed centuries ago during the Prador Wars.
While Keech is discovering that Hoop is now a monster — his body and head living apart from each other — Janer is bewildered by a place where the native inhabitants just will not die and angry when he finally learns the Hive mind's intentions for him. Meanwhile, Erlin thinks she has plenty of time to find the answers she seeks, but could not be more wrong.
For one of the most brutal of the alien Prador is about to pay the planet a surreptitious visit, intent on exterminating all remaining witnesses to his wartime atrocities. As the visitors' paths converge, major hell is about to erupt in a chaotic waterscape where minor hell is already a remorseless fact of everyday life and death.
What makes the difference between failure and success? The Traveler’s Gift offers a modern day parable of one man’s choices—and the attitudes that make the difference between failure and success.
Forty-six-year-old David Ponder feels like a total failure. Once a high-flying executive in a Fortune 500 company, he now works a part-time, minimum wage job and struggles to support his family. Then, an even greater crisis hits: his daughter becomes ill, and he can’t afford to get her the medical help she needs. When his car skids on an icy road, he wonders if he even cares to survive the crash.
But an extraordinary experience awaits David Ponder. He finds himself traveling back in time, meeting leaders and heroes at crucial moments in their lives—from Abraham Lincoln to Anne Frank. By the time his journey is over, he has received seven secrets for success—and a second chance.
This journey will challenge you, inspire you, and give you seven decisions that you can employ to determine your own personal success.
Simply written, but powerful and unforgettable, The Man Who Planted Trees is a parable for modern times. In the foothills of the French Alps the narrator meets a shepherd who has quietly taken on the task of planting one hundred acorns a day in an effort to reforest his desolate region. Not even two world wars can keep the shepherd from continuing his solitary work. Gradually, this gentle, persistent man's work comes to fruition: the region is transformed; life and hope return; the world is renewed.
Before the man became the legend. Before the boy became the man. Meet Bond. James Bond.
James Bond will one day become the world’s most famous spy, but at the moment his challenge is to fit in at his new school - making friends, learning the rules, and facing up to bullies. Unknown to James, though, there is an even tougher challenge awaiting him - something mysterious and deadly lurking in the water. Something called SilverFin.
This thrilling prequel to the James Bond dynasty shows young James at boarding school at Eton in the 1930s, where he spent his formative years. Acclaimed British writer Charlie Higson, with the Ian Fleming Estate, writes an edge-of-your-seat thriller that brilliantly plants the seeds to show how young James learns the skills that will eventually make him history's most formidable and suave super spy.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, commonly known as Alice in Wonderland, is an 1865 English children's novel by Lewis Carroll. A young girl named Alice falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creatures. It is seen as an example of the literary nonsense genre.
One of the best-known works of Victorian literature, its narrative, structure, characters, and imagery have had a huge influence on popular culture and literature, especially in the fantasy genre. Alice lives an ordinary life, until the day she follows the White Rabbit down, down, down a rabbit hole. She suddenly finds herself in an enchanted world, surrounded by zany creatures like the Mad Hatter, the Duchess, and the Cheshire Cat. Alice is delighted to find that nothing in Wonderland is the least bit ordinary.