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Motherhood: The Second Oldest Profession
by Erma Bombeck#1 New York Times bestseller:A hilarious look at one of the toughest jobs on earth, by a writer &“with the comic equivalent of perfect pitch&” (The Boston Globe). Anyone who thinks motherhood is easy has never had children. To care for children, a husband, and oneself is a superhuman task, and any woman who appears to be expert at doing all three simultaneously is not Supermom—she&’s a good actress. For three decades, Erma Bombeck chronicled motherhood&’s daily frustrations and victories. In this classic anthology, she presents all sorts of mothers, and even a stay-at-home dad, on good days and bad. With hilarious anecdotes and deep compassion, she shows that there is no other profession that demands so much, and rewards so highly. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Erma Bombeck including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s estate.
A Barcelona Heiress
by Sergio Vila-SanjuánA historical detective story set against the social and political tumult of 1920s Barcelona and based on the real events of the end of a dazzling era. In the decade before the Spanish Civil War, Barcelona is on the verge of boiling over. Pablo Vilar, a well-connected young lawyer and journalist, meets several mysterious people who seem to hold clues to what is brewing in the city. The diverse cast of characters includes an assaulted cabaret artist, an anarchist leader, the city&’s new autocratic civil governor, and a beautiful, wealthy countess—their destinies all bound by invisible ties. While the city both touches its zenith and peers into the abyss, Vilar guides us through a labyrinth that leads from the caverns of Montjuïc, home to paupers and outlaws, to the high-society parties in the gardens of Horta. Based on documents from the author&’s family archives, and called &“an irresistible read&” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón, author of The Shadow of the Wind, A Barcelona Heiress provides a fresh perspective on a complex and dramatic period.
Justine: Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, And Clea (The Alexandria Quartet #1)
by Lawrence DurrellThis &“very remarkable novel&”—first in the acclaimed Alexandria Quartet—tells a haunting story of love, desire, and deception in the Egyptian city pre-WWII (New York Herald Tribune Book Review). Set in Alexandria, Egypt, in the years between World Wars I and II, Justine is the first installment in the distinguished Alexandria Quartet. Here Lawrence Durrell crafts an exquisite and challenging modern novel that explores tragic love and the fluidity of recollection. Employing a fluctuating narrative and poetic prose, Durrell recounts his unnamed narrator&’s all-encompassing romance with the intoxicating Justine. The result is a matchless work that confronts all we understand and believe about sexual desire, identity, place, and the certainty of time. This ebook contains a new introduction by Jan Morris.
The Scratch & Sniff Guide to Beer: A Beer Lover's Companion
by Justin KennedyForeword by Master Cicerone Rich HigginsDiscover everything there is to know about beer with this sensational companion guide, packed with trivia, entertaining games, and fascinating anecdotes about the origins of well-known and rare beers—and ten unique "scratch and sniff" chapter openers devoted to each style of brew.To truly know a beer, it isn’t enough to taste it. You must breathe in its distinctive aroma—a specially balanced blend of natural ingredients that differentiate one style of beer from another. Divided by common beer types, each chapter of this one-of-a-kind beer guide opens with a scratch and sniff panel that introduces you to a specific blend and offers a tantalizing preview of its flavor. Beer expert Rich Higgins provides key information, background history, and activities—a wealth of insider knowledge that adds body, depth, and flavor to every page. There is even a section for designing your own signature beer labels.Whether you just want to discover more about favorite brews or are interested in becoming a home brew master, The Scratch & Sniff Guide to Beer is a delight for every beer fan.
Double Jeopardy: A Novel of Suspense
by William BernhardtHanded a rotten case, a lawyer will risk his life to uncover the truthA young woman is abducted by six men, beaten, raped, and left for dead. She can only identify one of her assailants: Al Moroconi, a tough guy whose links to the attack are only circumstantial. And when Moroconi&’s first lawyer is brutally murdered, the court appoints Travis Byrne, an ex-cop turned attorney, to defend him. In a lifetime of bad breaks, this will prove the worst piece of luck Byrne has ever had. Someone is trying to frame Moroconi, but why? Byrne is determined to answer this question, but doing so will see him threatened, beaten, and framed for murder. And as he attempts to clear his name, Byrne uncovers a sickening secret for which the original crime was only a cover-up. Only the truth can save him, but in a case like this, the truth could cost him his life.
The Bath Eccentric's Son: The Bath Quadrille, The Bath Charade, And The Bath Eccentric's Son (The Bath Trilogy #3)
by Amanda ScottOn the run from a loathsome proposal, a woman receives a surprising offer that might just lead her to true love . . . Nell Bradbourne&’s life is turned upside down when she loses her estate to her cousin, Jarvis. When he pursues her hand in marriage, too, Nell flees to Bath. It&’s not long before she encounters the dashing and mischievous Brandon Manningford, whose ailing father—a cold and distant man—has just burdened him with a wholly unexpected task. Brandon and Nell both have something to gain by entering into an alliance—but what will happen when their feelings for each other threaten to upset their tenuous partnership? The Bath Eccentric's Son is the 3rd book in the Bath Trilogy, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Killed in the Fog (The Matt Cobb Mysteries #8)
by William L. DeAndreaDuring a trip to England, a fog of mystery threatens Matt Cobb&’s vacation—and his lifeMatt Cobb is ready to quit. His job as a special projects VP at a giant television network involves intense troubleshooting and an egotistical boss, and both have taken their toll. The network president has other ideas, though, and persuades him that all he needs is a long vacation. So Cobb takes off for London, with his dog and his lovely fiancée, Roxanne, by his side. But work won&’t release its grip so easily, and when Cobb visits an old friend at a network affiliate, he can&’t resist a plea to help with their security team. And when he&’s directed to ignore the time-honored rule against the delivery of mysterious envelopes, Cobb becomes not only a witness to a murder, but also the prime suspect.
Child of the Dawn (Ancient Tahiti #3)
by Clare ColemanIn the third volume of the Ancient Tahiti series, Tepua returns to her heart's home only to discover that a stranger has come, overthrowing traditions and deposing the high chief. All who would oppose him have been driven away or killed and war has found a home in Tahiti. Tepua, though, is carrying the seed of a new beginning, a child she has been forbidden to bear—and she will do whatever she must to protect the child and the future of her people.Child of the Dawn is a must-read for fans of Jean M. Auel's The Clan of the Cave Bear, Linda Lay Shuler's She Who Remembers, and other novels set among pre-historic cultures.
An Acceptable Sacrifice (Bibliomysteries #4)
by Jeffery DeaverA pair of federal agents from either side of the US–Mexico border target a cartel kingpin. They call him &“Cuchillo,&” the Knife. Not because he kills with a blade—he has plenty of men to do that kind of work for him—but because his mind is so sharp. As Mexico&’s government wages war on the drug cartels, it takes brains to survive, and Cuchillo has not just survived—he has prospered. But when Cuchillo begins to cut too deeply, the federal police of both the United States and Mexico step in to dull his blade. P. Z. Evans and Alejo Díaz know the Hermosillo cartel is planning an attack on a tourist bus in Sonora, and they know they will have to capture or kill Cuchillo to stop it. The cartel leader has one weakness: rare, old books. To destroy the intellectual&’s evil empire, this unlikely pair of international police will have to appeal to his inner bibliophile.The Bibliomysteries are a series of short tales about deadly books, by top mystery authors.
Earthworks
by Brian W. AldissWar is humanity&’s only hope. &“Aldiss&’ dark vision of collapsing society and withering earth is poignant and brutal . . . [a] richly detailed world&” (Science Fiction Ruminations). In a future where the Earth has been savaged by overpopulation and over‑farming, robots are considered more valuable than humans and sand must be altered to create artificially fertile soil. Ex‑convict Knowle Noland, the hallucinating sea captain of the Trieste Star, finds himself wrapped up in a plot to incite a global war that will wipe out millions. War, it seems, is the only way to drastically reduce the population and create a better world for those who survive.
Never Throw Rice at a Pisces: The Bride's Astrology Guide to Planning Your Wedding, Choosing Your Honeymoon, and Loving Every Second of It, No Matter What Your Sign
by Stacey WolfSimply because no two brides (or astrological signs) are ever the same. . . .Congratulations, bride-to-be! You're newly engaged, you've flashed your ring to all your neighbors, and you've called all your friends and family with the exciting news—so what do you do next? Read your horoscope, of course! You've been following the stars ever since you can remember, and now you can use astrology as a tool to plan the biggest day of your life! Never Throw Rice at a Pisces helps you use the powers of your astrological sign to make your wedding relaxed, romantic, and magically memorable. Astrologer Stacey Wolf gives smart, easy-to-use sign-specific advice on topics such as:• Vows to inspire a Scorpio bride and Cancer groom• How to talk a headstrong Aries groom into just about anything• The perfect cake for a whimsical Gemini bride• A heavenly honeymoon for an Aquarius/Libra couple• What a Sagittarius bride should avoid for a stress-free weddingPeppered with fun sidebars, stories from other astrobrides, and quick tips based on the twelve zodiac signs to solve last-minute dilemmas, Never Throw Rice at a Pisces will help you plan the perfect wedding and honeymoon you were born to have!
Shakespeare's Lyric Stage: Myth, Music, and Poetry in the Last Plays
by Seth LererWhat does it mean to have an emotional response to poetry and music? And, just as important but considered less often, what does it mean not to have such a response? What happens when lyric utterances—which should invite consolation, revelation, and connection—somehow fall short of the listener’s expectations? As Seth Lerer shows in this pioneering book, Shakespeare’s late plays invite us to contemplate that very question, offering up lyric as a displaced and sometimes desperate antidote to situations of duress or powerlessness. Lerer argues that the theme of lyric misalignment running throughout The Tempest, The Winter’s Tale, Henry VIII, and Cymbeline serves a political purpose, a last-ditch effort at transformation for characters and audiences who had lived through witch-hunting, plague, regime change, political conspiracies, and public executions. A deep dive into the relationship between aesthetics and politics, this book also explores what Shakespearean lyric is able to recuperate for these “victims of history” by virtue of its disjointed utterances. To this end, Lerer establishes the concept of mythic lyricism: an estranging use of songs and poetry that functions to recreate the past as present, to empower the mythic dead, and to restore a bit of magic to the commonplaces and commodities of Jacobean England. Reading against the devotion to form and prosody common in Shakespeare scholarship, Lerer’s account of lyric utterance’s vexed role in his late works offers new ways to understand generational distance and cultural change throughout the playwright’s oeuvre.
The Sisters Traherne: Lady Meriel's Duty and Lord Lyford's Secret
by Amanda ScottTwo bold, independent sisters find romance, in two Regency novels by the USA Today–bestselling author of The Reluctant Highlander. When her parents passed away and her older brother went missing in America, Lady Meriel Traherne had to leave her beloved estate in Wales to escort her rebellious younger sister to a school in France. She had no idea of the dangers she would encounter in this foreign land, and she certainly never expected the help of Sir Anthony Davies, the kind of fashionable gentleman she had always despised. Yet, as the fragile peace between France and England threatens to collapse, elegant Sir Anthony will surprise her by saving her life and threatening to steal her heart. Six years later, Meriel&’s sister, Lady Gwyneth, is in her family&’s London townhouse when her friend Miss Pamela Beckley arrives, begging for help. Her cousin and guardian, the Earl of Lyford, refuses to allow Pamela to celebrate her Season in London, and Pamela fears that the apparently impoverished Earl intends to marry her himself to secure her considerable fortune. Gwyneth vows to do all she can to prevent the arrogant Earl from attaining his desires. But when he turns his dazzling charm on her, Gwyneth is thrown by her own startling desires—and the shocking realization that it&’s she, not Pamela, whom the Earl intends to marry.
Dead Meat (The Brady Coyne Mysteries #5)
by William G. TapplyWhen Native Americans claim a friend&’s fishing lodge as protected land, lawyer Brady Coyne heads to Maine—where a complex case quickly turns deadly. He may be a millionaire, but Vern Wheeler never forgot that he is a son of Maine—land of big sky, wide lakes, and the fattest salmon on the East Coast. To escape the boardroom, he buys a rundown fishing lodge in the wilds of his home state, and with his brother turns it into the most fashionable retreat in New England. After years of happy fishing, the Wheelers have no interest in selling Raven Lodge. But a local Native American group won&’t take no for an answer. Claiming that Raven Lodge is located on protected land, the Native Americans threaten to sue for ownership of the property, and Wheeler sends his attorney, fishing enthusiast Brady Coyne, to negotiate. But when Brady arrives at Raven Lake, he finds danger in and out of the water. A fisherman has been scalped, and placid, idyllic Maine is about to erupt into mayhem.
The Labyrinth Gate
by Kate ElliottTransported to a magical world, a young couple must find a labyrinth city&’s hidden treasure to return home in this novel from the author of Crown of Stars. With marriage comes change, and for Sanjay and Chryse, that change is literally world altering. After their wedding reception, they accidentally drop a gift—a pack of special tarot cards—onto an elevator floor. The cards scatter, the lights go out, and all at once, they find themselves transported to Anglia. It&’s a strange parallel world not unlike Victorian England, but matriarchal in nature and shaped by powerful sorcery. While fleeing a riot in the streets, the pair is rescued by aristocrats Julian and Kate, the first of many new friends and adventures. To get home, they must find a treasure in the labyrinth city of Pariam—a quest that becomes ever more daunting as it attracts the attention of the evil Princess Blessa. Wonderfully conceived and full of memorable characters, The Labyrinth Gate is vibrant fantasy on every level.
Angel Island
by Inez Haynes GillmoreRediscover a 20th-century classic of feminist fantasy… After surviving a shipwreck, five men are stranded on a deserted island…until they are discovered by five beautiful, winged women. Instantly, the men become infatuated with the women’s abilities and attempt to lure them in with all of the riches and treasures that washed ashore. Letting their desires guide their decisions, their plan unfolds…and their world changes forever. This 1914 feminist classic has been republished with a brand-new foreword done by New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Moesta. Inez Haynes Gillmore wrote over forty books, many on the topics of women’s issues and rights. Step or fly into the world that Inez Haynes Gillmore has created and rediscover the imaginary world of Angel Island.
Dead Pan (The Jocelyn O'Roarke Mysteries #4)
by Jane DentingerIn the fourth book of the Jocelyn O&’Roarke series, where the eponymous stage actress and sometimes-detective goes, murder follows—even all the way across the country . . . New York City has dried up for Jocelyn &“Josh&” O&’Roarke. Her career on the stage has stalled. Her relationship with NYPD lieutenant Phillip Gerrard is through. She needs a way out, and a supporting role in a Hollywood TV movie seems like just the thing. But once on the West Coast, she discovers that her role is to support washed-up child star Ginger Jellicoe&’s comeback attempt. When Buddy Banks, the production&’s photography director and Ginger&’s surrogate father, is murdered in a darkroom, Josh is pressed once again to put her sleuthing skills to use. With the help of dashing LAPD detective Dwayne Hamill, Josh races to clear Ginger&’s name while keeping the former child star from becoming the killer&’s next victim. Dead Pan is the fourth book in the Jocelyn O&’Roarke mystery series, which begins with Murder on Cue and First Hit of the Season.
Reflections on a Marine Venus: A Companion to the Landscape of Rhodes (Altaïr Viajes Ser.)
by Lawrence DurrellAfter World War II, an Englishman seeks peace on an ancient Greek island in this &“remarkable&” travel memoir (The New York Times). Islomania is a disease not yet classified by Western science, but to those afflicted its symptoms are all too recognizable. Men like Lawrence Durrell are struck by a powerful need to live on the ancient islands of the Mediterranean, where the clear blue Aegean is always within reach. After four tortuous wartime years in Egypt, Durrell finds a post on the island of Rhodes, where the British are attempting to return Greece to the sleepy peace it enjoyed in the &’30s. From his first morning, when a dip in the frigid sea jolts him awake for what feels like the first time in years, Durrell breathes in the fullest joys of island life, meeting villagers, eating exotic food, and throwing back endless bottles of ouzo, as though the war had never happened at all. The charms of his stay there still resonate today, for the pleasures of Greece are older than history itself.
Silent Justice (The Ben Kincaid Novels #9)
by William BernhardtAn attorney crusades against an industrial giant while a serial killer terrorizes Tulsa in this legal thriller that delivers &“fresh, often witty dialogue&” (Publishers Weekly). Leukemia is a terrible disease but also, thankfully, a rare one. So why have eleven children from a suburb outside of Tulsa have perished from this horrible illness in the last few years? The children&’s parents blame Blaylock Industrial, a massive corporation whose factory lies just outside of their bucolic small town, but they have no proof beyond gut instinct—and the terrible certainty that comes with the grief of losing a child. To prove such a spectacular claim could cost millions, and no law firm is willing to take on such an expense. That is, until the parents meet Ben Kincaid. An idealistic young attorney with a shoestring practice on the rough side of Tulsa, Kincaid is nearly broke when he brings the case against Blaylock and its army of lawyers. But though the odds are stacked against him, Kincaid will risk everything to win a settlement and make sure that no more children die.
Stalingrad: Death of an Army (Battle Craft #4)
by Ben SkipperThe very name Stalingrad has become synonymous with military folly and political arrogance. Its capture by the Wehrmacht was a crushing defeat, both militarily and politically, for the Red Army. The 6th Army was a highly experienced key element of Army Group South. In late June 1942 it rolled eastwards as part of the summer offensive to capture the vital oilfields of Baku and secure the city on the Volga that bore the name of the Soviet leader. The 6th Army was the acme of German military might and on paper it should have easily overwhelmed the defenders of Chuikov’s 62nd Army. However its commander, General Friedrich Wilhelm Ernst Paulus, lacked field experience. His army would pay the price. Stalingrad was a new type of battlefield and it would test the mettle of attacker and defender to the very limit, all the while the thermometer plunged. This BattleCraft title also looks at four pieces of military hardware. Innumerable T-34’s, which often rolled off local assembly lines unpainted and straight into battle took on the Stug III assault gun as it supported troops fighting for mere meters of territory. Overhead, in the frigid air, deadly V, Ju87 Stuka and Yak 9s, were locked in battle for air superiority over the shattered remains of a once vibrant city. A selection of historical and contemporary photos and illustrations are included in this book alongside stunning showcase builds, providing the modeler with subjects to whet the creative appetite. It also features details of model kits and extras that can really help the modeler bring military history to life.
Crossing Open Ground
by Barry LopezNational Book Award–winning author Barry Lopez explores the challenges and joys of the human experience through the frame of the natural world in fourteen arresting and extraordinary essaysIn Crossing Open Ground, award-winning literary writer Barry Lopez offers prescient, beautiful, and thought-provoking reflections on how the natural world can define and illuminate our sense of self. Whether he&’s traversing the Arctic tundra or the deserts of the American Southwest, recalling the devastating beaching of forty-one sperm whales along the Oregon coast or reveling in the remarkable migrations of wild geese, Lopez shows readers the world&’s special places, its remarkable people, and stunning natural events. He thoughtfully explores humankind&’s place in this vast natural scheme, and opens our eyes to its breathtaking complexity. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Barry Lopez including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the author&’s personal collection.
Carousel (The St-Cyr and Kohler Mysteries)
by J. Robert JanesA kept woman&’s murder leads detectives St-Cyr and Kohler to the upper crust of occupied ParisIt is December 1942, and the Parisian Gestapo agents pass their days by executing dissidents and plotting the destruction of the Resistance. Homicide detectives Jean-Louis St-Cyr and Hermann Kohler, meanwhile, must make do solving the gritty crimes with which the Nazi elite do not bother. Just hours after they learn that St-Cyr&’s wife and child have died, the partners confront an ugly murder that turns out to be very glamorous indeed. In a pay-by-the-hour hotel, a young woman is found surrounded by counterfeit coins and an ocean of blood. Her ID says she is an art student, but the quality of her clothes tell St-Cyr that she must be the mistress of a very rich man. The girl&’s killer is powerful, and guilty of much worse than murder.&“The unorthodox detective partners in a haunting wartime series by J. Robert Janes make compassion their business. St-Cyr of the Sûreté Nationale and Hermann Kohler of the Gestapo work the mundane murder cases no one else wants to be bothered with. They cry for us all.&” —The New York Times Book Review &“Keeps the suspense burning slowly but with mounting power—their most successful outing yet.&” —Kirkus Reviews &“[Janes] captures the seamy side of Paris, its ambience and its people, most trying to survive but some trying to get rich.&” —The Sunday OklahomanJ. Robert Janes (b. 1935) is a mystery author best known for writing historical thrillers. Born in Toronto, he holds degrees in mining and geology, and worked as an engineer, university professor, and textbook author before he started writing fiction. He began his career as a novelist by writing young adult books, starting with The Odd-Lot Boys and the Tree-Fort War (1976). He wrote his last young adult novel, Murder in the Market, in 1985, by which time he had begun writing for adults, starting with the four-novel Richard Hagen series. In 1992, Janes published Mayhem, the first in the long-running St-Cyr and Kohler series for which he is best known. These police procedurals set in Nazi-occupied France have been praised for the author&’s attention to historical detail, as well as their swift-moving plots. The thirteenth in the series, Bellringer, was published in 2012.
Fade to Black (The Nero Wolfe Mysteries #5)
by Robert GoldsboroughA soda war explodes into murder for Nero Wolfe, &“one of the two or three most beloved detectives in fiction&” (Publishers Weekly). For the men of Madison Avenue, the battle between soft-drink giants Cherr-o-key and AmeriCherry seems heaven sent. For years now, the firm of Mills/Lake/Ryman has fought to help Cherr-o-key become the nation&’s favorite fizzy cherry soda, but each time they come up with a new slogan, mascot, or jingle, AmeriCherry somehow beats them to it. There's a mole inside the agency, and only Nero Wolfe can ferret him out. Although he's as round as a cherry himself, Wolfe has no taste for soft drinks. But the question of industrial espionage is too sweet for him to resist, and so with assistant Archie Goodwin at his side, he sets out to end this vicious corporate feud. Only when the first adman dies does he realize that a marketing war can be just as dangerous as the real thing.
The Lucretian Renaissance: Philology and the Afterlife of Tradition
by Gerard PassannanteWith The Lucretian Renaissance, Gerard Passannante offers a radical rethinking of a familiar narrative: the rise of materialism in early modern Europe. Passannante begins by taking up the ancient philosophical notion that the world is composed of two fundamental opposites: atoms, as the philosopher Epicurus theorized, intrinsically unchangeable and moving about the void; and the void itself, or nothingness. Passannante considers the fact that this strain of ancient Greek philosophy survived and was transmitted to the Renaissance primarily by means of a poem that had seemingly been lost—a poem insisting that the letters of the alphabet are like the atoms that make up the universe. By tracing this elemental analogy through the fortunes of Lucretius’s On the Nature of Things, Passannante argues that, long before it took on its familiar shape during the Scientific Revolution, the philosophy of atoms and the void reemerged in the Renaissance as a story about reading and letters—a story that materialized in texts, in their physical recomposition, and in their scattering. From the works of Virgil and Macrobius to those of Petrarch, Poliziano, Lambin, Montaigne, Bacon, Spenser, Gassendi, Henry More, and Newton, The Lucretian Renaissance recovers a forgotten history of materialism in humanist thought and scholarly practice and asks us to reconsider one of the most enduring questions of the period: what does it mean for a text, a poem, and philosophy to be “reborn”?
Frost (Saga of Frost #1)
by Robin Wayne BaileyA warrior woman embarks on a sword-and-sorcery adventure in the first novel in the Saga of Frost trilogy from the renowned fantasy author. How do you fight a supernatural battle without the most secret and ancient of powers? This is precisely the question that Frost must answer when she is given the awesome task of delivering the Book of the Last Battle to those who have work in good magic. Frost must rely solely on the physical strength of her sword and the magic contained within her beauty to succeed in her quest and regain her powers.