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Mind over Miles: Mind over Miles - The untold story behind the record-breaking run
by Russ Cook10,000 miles. 16 countries. 352 days.Hardest Geezer, Russ Cook, is the first person to run the entire length of Africa. From his starting point in Cape Agulhas, South Africa, through sandstorms in the Sahara Desert, rainforests, mountain ranges and long empty roads stretched out for miles in front of him, Russ ran the equivalent of 386 marathons finally crossing the finish line in Tunisia 50 weeks later.Attempted kidnaps, being held at gunpoint in an armed robbery and the whole challenge left hanging in the balance when he was denied the right to cross Algeria, Russ never once contemplated giving up. When he crossed the finish line in Ras Angela, he did so with the eyes of the world on him.Africa may have been his most physical challenge yet but it certainly wasn’t his first: he’s broken the record for the fastest car-pulling marathon and been buried alive for a week with nothing but water and a camera to record the experience.In Hardest Geezer: Running Africa, Russ Cook shares how he turned his life around to face these challenges and shares his motivations and tales of incredible determination, sheer grit and endurance.‘You get one chance at life. Go and have a stab at it.’
Eyes of a Wolf: A Zev Evans Novella (The Zev Evans Novellas #2)
by James LePoreIn 2007, three years after leaving the military, Zev Evans is a drunk – and a neurotic one at that. Living with his Sicilian mother and running figure eights through Long Island&’s dense suburbs, he believes that the weird thoughts that plague him – he calls them tics – might have entered his head while he was undergoing brain surgery three years earlier.In THE EYES OF A WOLF, Zev narrates, in his own bizarre yet oddly incisive style, his first case as a fixer – the person you call when you have nowhere else to turn. Carol Harris, the Army surgeon who mended Zev&’s shrapnel-filled skull in 2004, has abruptly taken sick leave from her neurosurgeon&’s duties at a Los Angeles hospital. She manages to make a desperate call to Zev, who flies west into a world he never knew existed, peopled with kidnappers, murderers, corrupt cops, and even more corrupt politicians.With the help of his new friend Eva Lopez and his old NYPD buddy, the genius hacker Johnny Scoglio, Zev sets out to save and avenge Carol . . . and to find his true calling in the process.
Insistence of Vision: Stories
by David BrinWhat may we become? How will we endure? The future is a daunting realm, filled with real and imagined perils. So enter it prepared! Here are vivid tales about possible tomorrows, from the keen eye and colorful pen of David Brin, a modern master of speculative fiction. Visit a chillingly plausible tomorrow, when prisoners may be sent to asteroidal gulags. Or might prisons vanish and felons roam, seeing only what society allows? Suppose, amid lavish success, we gain the superpower to fly! Will we even appreciate it… or will we find new reasons to complain? In "Mars Opposition," you'll experience an alien invasion like no other, confronting humanity with a stark and terrible choice… followed by several more tales of conquest from beyond, each of them wildly different. On the other hand, might fantastically potent new beings emerge out of ourselves, as revealed in "Chrysalis&”? Featuring guest appearances by Gregory Benford, Jules Verne, and Galileo, this adventure takes you beyond the very singularity in &“Stones of Significance,&” pondering what could happen after humans are like gods. And &“Reality Check&” asks one of you readers – just one of you – to wake up! Tomorrow awaits. We can face it and prevail. So long as our stance is brave INSISTENCE OF VISION.
The Kingmaker's Daughter (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels #Bk. 4)
by Philippa GregoryIn this New York Times bestseller that inspired the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen, Philippa Gregory tells the tale of Anne Neville, a beautiful young woman who must navigate the treachery of the English court as her father, known as the Kingmaker, uses her and her sister as pawns in his political game.The Kingmaker’s Daughter—Philippa Gregory’s first sister story since The Other Boleyn Girl—is the gripping tale of the daughters of the man known as the Kingmaker, Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick: the most powerful magnate in fifteenth-century England. Without a son and heir, he uses his daughters, Anne and Isabel, as pawns in his political games, and they grow up to be influential players in their own right. At the court of Edward IV and his beautiful queen, Elizabeth Woodville, Anne grows from a delightful child to become ever more fearful and desperate when her father makes war on his former friends. Married at age fourteen, she is soon left widowed and fatherless, her mother in sanctuary and her sister married to the enemy. Anne manages her own escape by marrying Richard, Duke of Gloucester, but her choice will set her on a collision course with the overwhelming power of the royal family.
Over My Live Body: A Novel (Delilah Price Mysteries #1)
by Susan IsraelDelilah is accustomed to people seeing her naked. As a nude model – a gig that keeps food on the table while her career as a sculptor takes off – it comes with the territory.But Delilah has never before felt this vulnerable.Because Delilah has an admirer. Someone who is paying a great deal of attention to her. And he just might love her to death.The debut of a shockingly fresh voice in suspense fiction, OVER MY LIVE BODY will work its way inside of you.
Dad
by Steven ManchesterThree generations of dads, playing traditional roles in each other's lives, arrive simultaneously at significant crossroads. The decisions they make and the actions they take will directly – and eternally – affect each other.After a life of hard work and raising children, Robert is enjoying his well-deserved retirement when he discovers that he has an illness he might not be able to beat. At 19, Jonah is sprinting across the threshold of adulthood when he learns, stunningly, that he's going to become a father. And Oliver – Robert's son and Jonah's dad – has entered middle age and is paying its demanding price. While reconciling the time and effort it has taken him to reach an unfulfilling career and an even less satisfying marriage, he realizes that it's imperative that he keep it all together for the two men who mean everything to him.When different perspectives lead to misunderstandings that remain unspoken – sometimes for years – it takes great strength and even more love to travel beyond the resentment.Dad: A Novel chronicles the sacred legacy of fatherhood.
Down Solo: A Thriller (PI Charlie Miner Thrillers #1)
by Earl JavorskyThings haven't been going well for Charlie Miner. His work as a private investigator involves him with an endless roster of shady characters. His ex-wife is borderline crazy. And he hasn't been getting to spend anywhere near enough time with his teenage daughter Mindy, the one person in his life who truly matters to him.When he wakes up on a slab in the morgue with a hole in his head, though, things get even worse.Just before the shooting, Charlie was investigating a case involving fraud, gold, religious zealots, and a gorgeous woman who seemed to be at the center of everything. Even with a fatal bullet wound, Charlie can connect the dots from the case to his attack. And when his daughter is abducted by someone involved, the stakes get exponentially higher. Charlie needs to find Mindy before the criminals do the same thing to her that they did to him.After that, maybe he'll try to figure out how he's walking around dead.Irreverent, circuitous, and surprisingly touching, Down Solo introduces a crisp new voice to suspense fiction.
I Am My Beloveds
by Jonathan PapernickBen Seidel wasn't sure how serious they were when he and his wife Shira discussed having an open marriage. But when Shira announces that she is going on a date with Liz, any ambiguity evaporates. Suddenly, every day is new terrain for Ben, navigating between keeping things together with Shira and exploring new partners. And when one of those new partners begins to matter to him more than he ever anticipated, he discovers that the complexities of this new life are only just beginning.Bracingly honest, refreshingly sexy, and deeply empathetic, I AM MY BELOVEDS is the work of a superior storyteller, making real a lifestyle that might be as close as your own bedroom door.
Three Sisters, Three Queens (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels)
by Philippa GregoryFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory, the little-known story of three Tudor women who are united in sisterhood and yet compelled to be rivals when they fulfill their destinies as queens.As sisters they share an everlasting bond; as queens they can break each other’s hearts… When Katherine of Aragon is brought to the Tudor court as a young bride, the oldest princess, Margaret, takes her measure. With one look, each knows the other for a rival, an ally, a pawn, destined—with Margaret’s younger sister Mary—to a unique sisterhood. The three sisters will become the queens of England, Scotland, and France. United by family loyalties and affections, the three queens find themselves set against each other. Katherine commands an army against Margaret and kills her husband James IV of Scotland. But Margaret’s boy becomes heir to the Tudor throne when Katherine loses her son. Mary steals the widowed Margaret’s proposed husband, but when Mary is widowed it is her secret marriage for love that is the envy of the others. As they experience betrayals, dangers, loss, and passion, the three sisters find that the only constant in their perilous lives is their special bond, more powerful than any man, even a king.
Connection Game
by S.S. TurnerWINNER OF THE CHRYSALIS BREW PROJECT 2023 NEW BOOK AWARDBenny Basilworth makes connections. A rare intellect, he sees things that others don't see and draws conclusions that others completely fail to grasp. He has the kind of mind that can make a person a national sensation on the television gameshow "The Connection Game"– and the kind of mind that can be the target of predators.Despite his brilliance, Benny and his family find themselves destitute, living in a basement apartment with one tiny window that affords them only the view of the feet of passersby on the street above. It is from this vantagepoint that Benny once again starts making connections. Mad, inconceivable connections. Connections that can change lives . . . and turn the entire world upside down.Humorous, surprising, wise, and remarkably perceptive, The Connection Game is a novel unlike any other and one that you are unlikely to forget.
Everything You Need Is Within You
by Surinder KumarWhen Surinder Kumar was growing up in post-partition India, his father, Kanshi Ram Arora, was known as "Master Ji," or "respected teacher." In the years that followed Britain's departure and the challenges that faced a newly reconstructed nation, Kanshi Ram helped his village grow out of poverty and deprivation. He did this by imbuing his family and his community with a set of principles that set many of them on a path to success beyond their wildest dreams. Today, Surinder Kumar is an enormously successful businessperson, having served prominent roles with Wrigley, PepsiCo, and Unilever. He ties his accomplishments directly to the principles he learned from his father as a child – principles he believes apply to everyone. Now, Surinder brings the lessons of Master Ji to you in this powerful and inspiring book. Through sixteen brief chapters brimming with universal advice, he offers you the teachings that took him from the depths of poverty to a life of great professional and personal accomplishment. Filled with exercises and practical applications, Everything You Need Is Within You is a treasure of a book that will resonate within you and the generations to come.
Old Music for New People
by David BiddleIt's the summer of 2013 and 15-year-old Ivy Scattergood has traveled with her family to their vacation home in Maine. The Scattergoods are a blended, mixed-race family with old Philadelphia area Quaker roots. Ivy loves the Red Sox, one single music group at a time (this year it's Johnnyswim), helping make dinner every night, and this guy in Maine named Bailey Cooper. Ivy also has no interest in makeup, heels, dresses, and most of the basic assumptions people make about what it means to be a teenage girl — but don't call her a Tomboy, at least to her face. Then her cousin Robert from San Diego (also 15) comes to visit -- as a beautiful, glamorous young woman who has re-named herself Rita Gomez.Thus begins a summer where Ivy's worldview will expand, where she will discover new layers to herself and those around her, and where stepping forward into the unknown will emerge as a bold adventure.Lyrically written and brimming with spirit, OLD MUSIC FOR NEW PEOPLE is a luminous work of fiction.
I Love You Today: A Novel
by Marcia GlosterMaddie Samuels is woman of – and ahead of – her time. She knows she doesn't belong in the kitchen, and she refuses to become trapped in a secretarial pool. In mid-sixties New York City, she's not only determined to succeed in a man's world, but to prove her work is as good – or better – than any man's.With &“free love&” redefining relationships with head-spinning rapidity, Maddie learns how to push the acceptedboundaries of established old-boy networks while refusing to accept the all-too-pervasive harassment by men in power.And yet as a woman in love, she discovers that beliefs and actions are often very different things – especially when it comes to a man like the seductive and charismatic Rob MacLeod.Set in the era of Mad Men,I Love You Today is passionate, sexy, liberating and deeply moving. With a story as relevant today as it was then, this is a novel that readers will take to their hearts and their souls.
Angels & Demons (Robert Langdon Ser. #Bk. 1)
by Dan BrownThe explosive Robert Langdon thriller from Dan Brown, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol, Inferno, and The Secret of Secrets. An ancient secret brotherhood. A devastating new weapon of destruction. An unthinkable target. When world-renowned Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon is summoned to his first assignment to a Swiss research facility to analyze a mysterious symbol—seared into the chest of a murdered physicist—he discovers evidence of the unimaginable: the resurgence of an ancient secret brotherhood known as the Illuminati...the most powerful underground organization ever to walk the earth. The Illuminati has now surfaced to carry out the final phase of its legendary vendetta against its most hated enemy—the Catholic Church. Langdon’s worst fears are confirmed on the eve of the Vatican’s holy conclave, when a messenger of the Illuminati announces they have hidden an unstoppable time bomb at the very heart of Vatican City. With the countdown under way, Langdon jets to Rome to join forces with Vittoria Vetra, a beautiful and mysterious Italian scientist, to assist the Vatican in a desperate bid for survival. Embarking on a frantic hunt through sealed crypts, dangerous catacombs, deserted cathedrals, and the most secretive vault on earth, Langdon and Vetra follow a 400-year-old trail of ancient symbols that snakes across Rome toward the long-forgotten Illuminati lair...a clandestine location that contains the only hope for Vatican salvation. Critics have praised the exhilarating blend of relentless adventure, scholarly intrigue, and cutting wit found in Brown’s remarkable thrillers featuring Robert Langdon. An explosive international suspense, Angels & Demons marks this hero’s first adventure as it careens from enlightening epiphanies to dark truths as the battle between science and religion turns to war.
The Constant Princess: The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, And The Other Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels)
by Philippa GregoryFrom #1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory comes the remarkable story of Katherine of Aragon, Princess of Spain, daughter of two great monarchs, and eventual Queen of England when she marries the infamous King Henry VIII.Daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, Katherine has been fated her whole life to marry Prince Arthur of England. When they meet and are married, the match becomes as passionate as it is politically expedient. The young lovers revel in each other’s company and plan the England they will make together. But tragically, aged only fifteen, Arthur falls ill and extracts from his sixteen-year-old bride a deathbed promise to marry his brother, Henry; become Queen; and fulfill their dreams and her destiny. Widowed and alone in the avaricious world of the Tudor court, Katherine has to sidestep her father-in-law’s desire for her and convince him, and an incredulous Europe, that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated, that there is no obstacle to marriage with Henry. For seven years, she endures the treachery of spies, the humiliation of poverty, and intense loneliness and despair while she waits for the inevitable moment when she will step into the role she has prepared for all her life. Then, like her warrior mother, Katherine must take to the battlefield and save England when its old enemies the Scots come over the border and there is no one to stand against them but the new Queen.
Secrets of a River Swimmer
by S.S. TurnerAs Freddy gazes at the majestic river gushing past him in the depths of a Scottish winter, he's ready to jump in and end his life. But what happens next is not what Freddy expects. From the moment he enters the river, Freddy starts a journey which is more beautiful, funny, and mysterious than he could have imagined. And through this journey Freddy's story becomes interweaved with a cast of unforgettable characters who are equally lost and in search of answers. Eventually they all unite in their quest for an answer to the biggest question of them all: will the river take them where they want to go?In the tradition of inspirational works of fiction like The Alchemist and Life of Pi, Secrets of a River Swimmer is at once a profound exploration into living with meaning and an affecting story of people on the cusp of change.
I Buried Paul
by Bruce Ferber2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Awards Silver Winner.Jimmy Kozlowski has a regular gig playing Paul McCartney in the Beatles tribute band, Help!. The band is part of a cottage industry built around mimicry, where each group strives to be the ultimate Fake Fab Four. And none strives harder than Help!, thanks to Gene Klein, its John Lennon and leader. Gene's just gotten his Medicare card and spends much of his time caring for his ailing mother. But he hasn't lost a step on guitar or vocals, and is determined to take Help! to the top, his goal being to perform in Liverpool one day. Though the notion of the UK clamoring for a group of Long Islanders with fake British accents seems far-fetched, Gene has a plan.Unlike his boss, Jimmy has limited bandwidth for high-quality Beatle wigs or bespoke Nehru jackets. He works a straight job, entertains at a nursing home, and yearns to connect with the daughter he's never met. He also wants a shot at recording and performing his own original compositions. No matter the odds, Jimmy is determined to realize his creative dreams, even if it means "burying Paul" in the process.I Buried Paul is a love letter to the power of music, a humorous yet moving exploration of the sacrifices its disciples are willing to make in service to its magic.
Dozen Truths: 12 Works of Fiction
by Earl Javorsky Steven Manchester Mary Marcus Marcia Gloster Lynn Voedisch Roger Bagg Christopher Slater Eric Andersson Carmen Siegers Craig Ham KJ Steele Robert HerzogThe greatest truths are often revealed in fiction, as exemplified by this stunning anthology of stories that reveal the human condition in bracingly truthful ways. The eternal complexities of sibling relationships are revealed in four-time #1 bestselling author Steven Manchester's &“Lost.&” The hope and betrayal that so often underlies love declare themselves in Marcia Gloster's &“Losing Will.&” The reality behind a con man's illusions emerge in Craig Ham's contest-winning &“Tonic and Spirits.&” These are three of the dozen truths that will rise from these pages.Side by side with the work of national bestselling novelists like Mary Marcus and Earl Javorsky, A DOZEN TRUTHS features the three winners of the 2016 AuthorsFirst Short Story Contest, providing a bold mix of experienced storytelling and fresh new voices. As entertaining as it is engaging, A DOZEN TRUTHS promises twelve dramatic revelations – and as many powerful reading experiences.CONTRIBUTORS INCLUDE:Eric Andersson Steven Manchester Carmen Siegers Marcia Gloster Craig Ham Lynn Voedisch Mary Marcus Christopher Slater KJ Steele Earl Javorsky Roger Bagg Robert Herzog
Crossing the Street: A Novel
by Molly D. CampbellThis wasn't the way Beck Throckmorton had planned it. She wasn't expecting to find herself in her thirties writing erotica and making flat whites for a living while she stewed over that fact that her ex had wound up with her sister. She never saw herself living in a small suburban Ohio town with an octogenarian neighbor best friend. And she definitely wouldn't have imagined the eight-year-old great-granddaughter of that friend turning her world upside down. As summer comes around, Beck's life is unsettled in every way. And that's before the crazy stuff starts: the sister taunting her with her pregnancy, the infuriatingly perfect boyfriend, the multiple trips to the emergency room. The needy, wise-beyond-her-years little girl finding places in her heart that Beck didn't even know existed. Beck has found herself at an emotional intersection she never anticipated. And now it's time to cross the street.CROSSING THE STREET is a funny, touching novel that brims life's complexities. Filled with characters both distinctive and welcomingly familiar, it is a story that will entertain and enlighten.PRAISE FOR MOLLY D. CAMPBELL'S FIRST NOVEL, KEEP THE ENDS LOOSE:&“A humorous coming-of-age-story where secrets of the past collide with the present and family bonds are stretched to the limits of forgiveness. Quirky, hopeful, and wonderfully original.&”—Beth Hoffman, New York Times bestselling author of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt&“Miranda Heath, the earnest fifteen-year-old narrator of Keep the Ends Loose, has voice for days and a genius for description. Her casually brilliant observations about her family – which is both completely screwy and entirely real – will keep you in the edge of your seat. Miranda's creator, Molly Campbell has a true humorist's touch, light and occasionally scathing, but filled with compassion all the while.&” —Robin Black, author of Life Drawing, A Novel&“Keep the Ends Loose is a charming story of love, trust and beautiful locations. In her fast paced, witty style, Campbell paints a picture of an ideal family that is thrown into a world of chaos and must learn to trust one another again. I highly recommend it!&” —Anita Hughes, author of Lake Como&“Molly Campbell 's writing is clear as a bell. Her novel should earn her many new listeners, many new readers.&” —Liz Rosenberg, bestselling author of The Moonlight Palace&“Molly D. Campbell has conjured quite the character in 15-year-old Mandy Heath, giving her an appealing sense of humor, a disarming sense of perspective and rampant curiosity. Make time for this insightful, compelling debut. You'll be glad you did.&”—Craig Lancaster, best-selling author of 600 Hours Of Edward and The Fallow Season of Hugo Hunter
The Other Boleyn Girl: The Constant Princess, The Other Boleyn Girl, The Boleyn Inheritance, The Queen's Fool, The Virgin's Lover, And The Other Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels #Bk. 2)
by Philippa GregoryThe #1 New York Times bestseller from &“the queen of royal fiction&” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory is a rich, compelling novel of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue surrounding the Tudor court of Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn, and the infamous Boleyn family.When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of the handsome and charming Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family’s ambitious plots as the king’s interest begins to wane, and soon she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. With her own destiny suddenly unknown, Mary realizes that she must defy her family and take fate into her own hands. With more than one million copies in print and adapted for the big screen, The Other Boleyn Girl is a riveting historical drama. It brings to light a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe, and survived a treacherous political landscape by following her heart.
Down to No Good: A Thriller (Charlie Miner #2)
by Earl JavorskyPrivate investigator Charlie Miner, freshly revived from his own murder, gets a call from Homicide Detective Dave Putnam. Self-styled &“psychic to the stars&” Tamara Gale has given crucial information about three murders, and the brass thinks it makes the Department look bad. Dave wants Charlie to help figure out the angle, since he has first-hand experience with the inexplicable. Trouble is, Charlie, just weeks after his full-death experience, once again has severe cognitive problems and may get them both killed.At once a riveting mystery and a completely unique character study, Down to No Good will both captivate you and work its way into your heart.PRAISE FOR EARL JAVORSKY'S FIRST CHARLIE MINER NOVEL, DOWN SOLO:&“Earl Javorsky's bold and unusual Down Solo blends the mysterious and the supernatural boldly and successfully. The novel is strong and haunting, a wonderful debut.&” – T. Jefferson Parker, New York Times bestselling author of Full Measure and The Famous and the Dead&“Awesome&”– James Frey, New York Times bestselling author &“Offbeat and dark and wonderful. This book caught me in the first few pages and never let me go. Javorsky is a prodigious writer: dark, intelligent, often hilariously funny, and he holds the accelerator to the floor throughout the whole amazing story.&”– Timothy Hallinan, bestselling author of the Poke Rafferty series and the Junior Bender series&“Don't miss Earl Javorsky's Down Solo. It's kick-ass, man. Excellent writing. This guy is the real deal.&”– Dan Fante, author of the memoir Fante and the novel Point Doom&“Javorsky's dark and gritty prose is leavened with just enough humor to make Down Solo a compelling story that will take readers to the outer limits of noir.&”– San Diego City Beat
The White Queen: A Novel (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels #Bk. 1)
by Philippa GregoryThe inspiration for the critically acclaimed Starz miniseries The White Queen, #1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory brings to life the extraordinary story of Elizabeth Woodville, a woman who rises from obscurity to become Queen of England, and changes the course of history forever.Elizabeth Woodville is a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition. Her mother is Jacquetta, also known as the mystical lady of the rivers, and she is even more determined to bring power and wealth to the family line. While riding in the woods one day, Elizabeth captures the attentions of the newly crowned King Edward IV and, despite her common upbringing, marries him in secret. When she is raised up to be his queen, the English court is outraged, but Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for her family’s dominance. Yet despite her best efforts, and even with the help of her mother’s powers, her two sons become pawns in a famous unsolved mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the lost princes in the Tower of London. In this dazzling account of the deadly Wars of the Roses, brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize: the throne of England.
Down The Well (Adventures in Thimbleton #1)
by Veronica KingDiscover a new world in this portal fantasy where magic is real, animals can talk, and humans are extinct in "one enchanting package." - Kirkus recommended reviewA Distinguished Favorite in the 2025 Independent Press Award's Young Adult Fiction category Lore Deoradán wants to be happy when she grows up. But navigating her parents' mercurial moods, moving to a new town just two weeks before her high school graduation, and dealing with her beloved grandma's declining health all make that dream seemingly impossible. Will her new job be the first step toward happiness, or will it be yet another disappointment?? When she falls down a well into a magical world with talking animals that haven't seen a human for years, she must clear her name of the mayor's murder. Although, how anyone believes she killed a Herculean-sized alligator is beyond her. Now, her survival is tied to a mouse with a chip on her shoulder. There's also a cat who owns a pub where the animal patrons might be cannibals, a giant snake librarian who probably wants to eat her, and sentient lampposts who are never there when you need them. Can Lore prove her innocence, help a newfound friend save the town from a dark and dangerous schemer, and find her way home?
The Queen's Fool: A Novel (The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels)
by Philippa Gregory#1 New York Times bestselling author and “queen of royal fiction” (USA TODAY) Philippa Gregory weaves a spellbinding tale of a young woman with the ability to see the future in an era when destiny was anything but clear.Winter, 1553. Pursued by the Inquisition, Hannah Green, a fourteen-year-old Jewish girl, is forced to flee with her father from their home in Spain. But Hannah is no ordinary refugee; she has the gift of “Sight,” the ability to foresee the future, priceless in the troubled times of the Tudor court. Hannah is adopted by the glamorous Robert Dudley, the charismatic son of King Edward’s protector, who brings her to court as a “holy fool” for Queen Mary and, ultimately, Queen Elizabeth. Hired as a fool but working as a spy; promised in wedlock but in love with her master; endangered by the laws against heresy, treason, and witchcraft, Hannah must choose between the safe life of a commoner and the dangerous intrigues of the royal family that are inextricably bound up with her own yearnings and desires. Teeming with vibrant period detail and peopled by characters seamlessly woven into the sweeping tapestry of history, The Queen’s Fool is a rich and emotionally resonant gem from a masterful storyteller.
Mendel
by Damone BesterImagine the mid 1980's, last day of school, summer break. A teen rushes to meet his mother, who is being released from the hospital after cancer surgery. When the teen arrives, he finds out his mother is dead, but his ex-gangbanging dad, who's been in jail the last eight years is at the hospital ready to take the teen home.Mendel is a coming-of-age story about a high school senior who must learn how to forgive as he navigates life without his mother. Things come to a head when the teen accidentally finds his mom's diary. In the journal, he discovers his mother's dreams of becoming a collegiate track star were derailed due to getting pregnant with him. To honor his mother, he joins Mendel's track team, but before he could cash in on any scholarship offers, his father's thuggish past catches up with them when a gun-toting nemesis comes seeking revenge. The teen must decide between saving his own life or sacrificing it all to save his estranged father.