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The Only Rule Is It Has to Work: Our Wild Experiment Building a New Kind of Baseball Team
by Ben Lindbergh Sam MillerThe New York Times bestseller about what would happen if two statistics-minded outsiders were allowed to run a professional baseball team.It’s the ultimate in fantasy baseball: You get to pick the roster, set the lineup, and decide on strategies -- with real players, in a real ballpark, in a real playoff race. That’s what baseball analysts Ben Lindbergh and Sam Miller got to do when an independent minor-league team in California, the Sonoma Stompers, offered them the chance to run its baseball operations according to the most advanced statistics. Their story in The Only Rule is it Has to Work is unlike any other baseball tale you've ever read.We tag along as Lindbergh and Miller apply their number-crunching insights to all aspects of assembling and running a team, following one cardinal rule for judging each innovation they try: it has to work. We meet colorful figures like general manager Theo Fightmaster and boundary-breakers like the first openly gay player in professional baseball. Even José Canseco makes a cameo appearance.Will their knowledge of numbers help Lindbergh and Miller bring the Stompers a championship, or will they fall on their faces? Will the team have a competitive advantage or is the sport’s folk wisdom true after all? Will the players attract the attention of big-league scouts, or are they on a fast track to oblivion?It’s a wild ride, by turns provocative and absurd, as Lindbergh and Miller tell a story that will speak to numbers geeks and traditionalists alike. And they prove that you don’t need a bat or a glove to make a genuine contribution to the game.
Ketchup Is a Vegetable: And Other Lies Moms Tell Themselves
by Robin O'BryantIf you don't have anything nice to say about motherhood, then… read this book. Robin O'Bryant offers a no holds barred look at the day to day life of being a mother to three, running a household and the everyday monotony of parenting. It's not always pretty but it's real. Whether she's stuffing cabbage in her bra… dealing with defiant yet determined daughters… yelling at the F.B.I... or explaining the birds and the bees to her preschooler… you're sure to find dozens of humorous and relatable situations. From the creator of Robin's Chicks, one of the South's most popular blogs on motherhood, misunderstandings and musings, comes a collection of essays that will not only make you laugh and cry, but realize that you're not alone in your journey.Sit back and relax, pour yourself some "mommy juice," throw a fresh diaper on your baby and deadbolt the bedroom door to keep your kids out… because once you start reading you'll be too busy wiping away tears of laughter to wipe anybody's butt.
Strom Thurmond's America: A History
by Joseph Crespino"Do not forget that ‘skill and integrity' are the keys to success." This was the last piece of advice on a list Will Thurmond gave his son Strom in 1923. The younger Thurmond would keep the words in mind throughout his long and colorful career as one of the South's last race-baiting demagogues and as a national power broker who, along with Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan, was a major figure in modern conservative politics.But as the historian Joseph Crespino demonstrates in Strom Thurmond's America, the late South Carolina senator followed only part of his father's counsel. Political skill was the key to Thurmond's many successes; a consummate opportunist, he had less use for integrity. He was a thoroughgoing racist—he is best remembered today for his twenty-four-hour filibuster in opposition to the Civil Rights Act of 1957—but he fathered an illegitimate black daughter whose existence he did not publicly acknowledge during his lifetime. A onetime Democrat and labor supporter, he switched parties in 1964 and helped to dismantle New Deal protections for working Americans.If Thurmond was a great hypocrite, though, he was also an innovator who saw the future of conservative politics before just about anyone else. As early as the 1950s, he began to forge alliances with Christian Right activists, and he eagerly took up the causes of big business, military spending, and anticommunism. Crespino's adroit, lucid portrait reveals that Thurmond was, in fact, both a segregationist and a Sunbelt conservative. The implications of this insight are vast. Thurmond was not a curiosity from a bygone era, but rather one of the first conservative Republicans we would recognize as such today. Strom Thurmond'sAmerica is about how he made his brand of politics central to American life.
Gold Digger: The Outrageous Life and Times of Peggy Hopkins Joyce
by Constance RosenblumA sparkling biography of the original blonde whom gentlemen preferred, a woman who made a career of marrying millionaires and became the first tabloid celebrity.One of America's most talked about personalities during the Jazz Age, Peggy Hopkins Joyce was the quintessential gold digger, the real-life Lorelei Lee. Married six times, to several millionaires and even a count, Joyce had no discernible talent except self-promotion. A barber's daughter from Norfolk, Virginia, who rose to become a Ziegfeld Girl and, briefly, a movie star, Joyce was the precursor of the modern celebrity-a person famous for being famous. Her scandalous exploits-spending a million dollars in a week, conducting torrid love affairs with the likes of Charlie Chaplin and Walter Chrysler-were irresistible to the new breed of tabloid journalists in search of sensation and to audiences hungry for the possibilities her life seemed to promise.Joyce's march across Broadway, Hollywood, and the nation's front pages was only slowed by the true nemesis of the glamour girl: old age. She died in 1957, alone and forgotten-until now. In prose as vibrant as its subject, Constance Rosenblum's Gold Digger brings to life the woman who singularly epitomized this confident and hedonistic era.
Stories from a Moron: Real Stories Rejected by Real Magazines
by Ed BrothA nutty and hilarious book of magazine submissions and letters to and from the editors by the comedian, former Seinfeld writer, and Bee Movie cowriter.Foreword by Jerry SeinfeldEd writes short stories. He’s prolific. And desperate to get published. But he sends his stories to the wrong magazines. As for the magazines? Well, they don’t mind telling him so:“As a word of advice, it always helps for writers to be familiar with the publications they submit material to.” —Fencers Quarterly Magazine“Dear Ed: Thank you for your recent submission to Steamboat Magazine; it was wonderful to hear how much our magazine has touched you . . .”“Dear Mr. Broth: Thank you for the opportunity to review your article, ‘My Car Ride with Daddy,’ for possible publication in Mushing . . .”With this book, Ed Broth finally sees his work published. His “Stories of Hope & Inspiration” and his “Stories of Meaning & Sacrament” plus his passionate pitches to place his writing in our nation’s premier publications—from Pest Control Magazine to Arthritis Today—are all to be found in the book you hold in your hands.Some might have advised Ed not to send his story “I Love Dogs” to I Love Cats Magazine or to stop submitting revised stories to editors who have already turned them down. But, well, that’s just not the way Ed’s mind works. Studded like a rich cranberry strudel with nuggets of genius—from cartoons and advertisements to Ed’s newspaper articles from across the country—Stories from a Moron is an addictive journey into the mind of a great talent.
Unknown Shore: The Lost History of England's Arctic Colony
by Robert RubyThe true story of how the first English colony in the New World was lost to history, then found again three hundred years later.England's first attempt at colonizing the New World was not at Roanoke or Jamestown, but on a mostly frozen small island in the Canadian Arctic. Queen Elizabeth I called that place Meta Incognita -- the Unknown Shore. Backed by Elizabeth I and her key advisors, including the legendary spymaster Sir Francis Walsingham and the shadowy Dr. John Dee, the erstwhile pirate Sir Martin Frobisher set out three times across the North Atlantic, in the process leading what is still the largest Arctic expedition in history. In this forbidding place, Frobisher believed he had discovered vast quantities of gold, the fabled Northwest Passage to the riches of Cathay, and a suitable place for a year-round colony. But Frobisher's dream turned into a nightmare, and his colony was lost to history for nearly three centuries.In this brilliantly conceived dual narrative, Robert Ruby interweaves Frobisher's saga with that of the nineteenth-century American Charles Francis Hall, whose explorations of this same landscape enabled him to hear the oral history of the Inuit, passed down through generations. It was these stories that unlocked the mystery of Frobisher's lost colony.Unknown Shore is the story of two men's travels, and of what these men shared three centuries apart. Ultimately, it is a tale of men driven by greed and ambition, of the hard labor of exploration, of the Inuit and their land, and of great gambles gone wrong.
Liberty from All Masters: The New American Autocracy vs. the Will of the People
by Barry C. LynnBarry C. Lynn, one of America's preeminent thinkers, provides the clearest statement yet on the nature and magnitude of the political and economic dangers posed by America’s new monopolies in Liberty from All Masters."Very few thinkers in recent years have done more to shift the debate in Washington than Barry Lynn."—Franklin Foer Americans are obsessed with liberty, mad about liberty. On any day, we can tune into arguments about how much liberty we need to buy a gun or get an abortion, to marry who we want or adopt the gender we feel. We argue endlessly about liberty from regulation and observation by the state, and proudly rebel against the tyranny of course syllabi and Pandora playlists. Redesign the penny today and the motto would read “You ain’t the boss of me.”Yet Americans are only now awakening to what is perhaps the gravest domestic threat to our liberties in a century—in the form of an extreme and fast-growing concentration of economic power. Monopolists today control almost every corner of the American economy. The result is not only lower wages and higher prices, hence a concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few. The result is also a stripping away of our liberty to work how and where we want, to launch and grow the businesses we want, to create the communities and families and lives we want. The rise of online monopolists such as Google and Amazon—designed to gather our most intimate secrets and use them to manipulate our personal and group actions—is making the problem only far worse fast. Not only have these giant corporations captured the ability to manage how we share news and ideas with one another, they increasingly enjoy the power to shape how we move and play and speak and think.
Ghost Plane: The True Story of the CIA Rendition and Torture Program
by Stephen GreyFor the first time, Stephen Grey tells the inside story of international prisons sanctioned by the U.S. Government and used by the CIA to hold and torture people suspected of terrorism. Using contacts deep inside the U.S. Government, Grey reveals how deeply the Bush administration is involved in the program and questions the truth of statements made by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. He also shines a spotlight on the heads of European nations who turned a blind eye to the program when it showed up in their back yards. Grey takes an unflinching look at a horrendous practice that scorns Geneva Convention rules and is powered by corruption at the highest levels of governments worldwide. Through his unprecedented access to CIA flight records and dozens of sources at the senior levels of the current administration, Grey has produced a story of flight plans, extreme torture, and the clash of religions and governmental posturing that goes on today. Ghost Plane tells the stories of individuals abducted at airports around the world and transported for interrogation and torture on a fleet of leased planes manned by CIA operatives. Grey paints a disburing ethical picture of the war on terror and lays the responsibility for abduction and torutre at the doorstep of Washington, D.C.
The Last Green Tree
by Jim GrimsleyJim Grimsley's previous science fiction novel, The Ordinary, was named one of the Top Ten science fiction books of the year by Booklist and won the Lambda Literary Award. His novels and short stories have been favorably compared to those of Ursula K. Le Guin, Jack Vance, and Samuel R. Delany. Now Grimsley returns to the richly complex milieu of The Ordinary with a gripping tale of magic, science, and an epic clash between godlike forces.Three hundred years have passed since the Conquest, and the Great Mage rules over all of humanity, even as cybernetic links connect the varied worlds of the empire. Vast Gates allow travel from one planet to another, across unimaginable distances. Choirs of chanting priests maintain order, their songs subtly shaping reality, while the armies of the empire have known nothing but total victory for centuries.But on the planet Aramen, where sentient trees keep human symbionts as slaves, a power has arisen that may rival that of the Great Mage himself. Hordes of unnatural creatures rampage across the planet, leaving death and destruction in their wake. An inhuman intelligence, cruel and implacable, meets the priests' sung magic with a strange new music of its own. The Anilyn Gate is shut down, cutting off Aramen from the rest of humanity. The long era of peace is over.Now a handful of traumatized survivors must venture deep into a hostile wilderness on a desperate mission to uncover the source of the enemy's powers. And the future of the universe may depend on the untested abilities of one damaged child. . . .The Last Green Tree is a worthy successor to The Ordinary and a compelling saga in its own right.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Driving the King: A Novel
by Ravi HowardMontgomery, Alabama, December 1945. War hero Nat Weary has returned to his hometown, eager to rebuild his life. His childhood friend, the famous Nat King Cole, is also home for a rare performance. During the concert, Weary plans to propose to his sweetheart, and Cole will serenade them with a song.But Weary’s dreams for the future are destroyed when a white man, armed with a pipe, rushes the stage. Leaping from the audience, the former soldier stops the assailant—an act of bravery that leads to ten years of hard labor in prison.Free at last a decade later, Weary heads to Los Angeles to work for his old friend. It is the promise of a new life removed from the violence and degradation of Jim Crow Alabama. But he discovers that even in the City of Angels, wealth, popularity, and talent cannot protect a black man from discrimination and hate.Drawn back to Montgomery to lay some unfinished business to rest, Cole and Weary discover a city in the midst of change. A woman named Rosa Parks has inspired blacks to boycott the city’s buses—a daring fight for dignity and rights that will eventually grip the entire nation.“A moving tale about bigotry and the power of friendship.” —People“Heartbreaking. . . . A bold reimagining of [the] civil rights era.” —Los Angeles Times
That Festive Feeling: the cosiest, most joyful novel you'll read this Christmas
by Heidi SwainHolly has the place to herself this Christmas. It&’s not her place, though – she is house-sitting for friends who live on Nightingale Square – just there to keep the place warm and cosy and only for long enough for her to sort her life out. Newly single and finding herself unsure about next steps for her career, she plans to hunker down and make some life decisions. To clear her mind, she sets off on early morning walks around a nearby lake and bumps into May, an older lady who is also new to the area, and her dapper Dachshund Monty. Quickly, a firm friendship blossoms. Then when Holly meets Bear, a rather large and rather attractive man, at the local pub, and his rescue dog Queenie, her stay at Nightingale Square suddenly feels even more appealing. As the community comes together for the season&’s festivities, Holly must start thinking about where her life will take her next. Some big decisions need to be made, but distractions close to home make thinking about the future more tricky than ever… Will she get that festive feeling this Christmas…?Your favourite authors love Heidi too! 'Grab a hot chocolate and lose yourself in this heart-warming story of romance, community and secrets. The perfect story to read by the fire!' PHILLIPA ASHLEY &‘Brimming with warmth and Christmas cheer&’ SARAH MORGAN
The St. Ambrose School for Girls
by Jessica Ward J.R. WardThe newest student at the elite St. Ambrose School for Girls must navigate a sinister social clique and the treachery of her own mind in this &“complex psychological thriller&” (CrimeReads) that is perfect for fans of Megan Miranda and Layne Fargo.When Sarah Taylor arrives at the exclusive St. Ambrose School, she&’s carrying more baggage than just her suitcase. She knows she&’s not like the other girls—if her shabby, all-black, non-designer clothes don&’t give that away, the bottle of lithium hidden in her desk drawer sure does. St. Ambrose&’s queen bee, Greta Stanhope, picks Sarah as a target from day one, and she is relentless in making sure Sarah knows what the pecking order is. Thankfully, Sarah makes an ally out of her roommate Ellen &“Strots&” Strotsberry, a cigarette-smoking, devil-may-care athlete who takes no bullcrap. Also down the hall is Nick Hollis, the devastatingly handsome RA, and the object of more than one St. Ambrose student&’s fantasies. Between Strots and Nick, Sarah hopes she can make it through the semester, dealing with not only her schoolwork and a recent bipolar diagnosis, but Greta&’s increasingly malicious pranks. Sarah is determined not to give Greta the satisfaction of breaking her. But when scandal unfolds, and someone ends up dead, her world threatens to unravel in ways she could never have imagined in this delicious, &“riveting, twisty read&” (Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author) that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.
Saying It Loud: 1966—The Year Black Power Challenged the Civil Rights Movement
by Mark WhitakerMark Whitaker &“writes with the eye of a journalist and ear of a poet&” (The Boston Globe) to tell the story of the momentous year that redefined the civil rights movement as a new sense of Black identity, expressed in the slogan &“Black Power,&” challenged the nonviolent philosophy of Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis.In &“crisp prose&” (The New York Times) and novelistic detail Saying It Loud tells the story of how the Black Power phenomenon began to challenge the traditional civil rights movement in the turbulent year of 1966. Saying It Loud takes you inside the dramatic events in this seminal year, from Stokely Carmichael&’s middle-of-the-night ouster of moderate icon John Lewis as a chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) to Carmichael&’s impassioned cry of &“Black Power!&” during a protest march in rural Mississippi. From Julian Bond&’s humiliating and racist ouster from the Georgia state legislature because of his antiwar statements to Ronald Reagan&’s election as California governor riding a &“white backlash&” vote against Black Power and urban unrest. From the founding of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense by Huey Newton and Bobby Seale in Oakland, California, to the origins of Kwanzaa, the Black Arts Movement, and the first Black studies programs. From Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.&’s ill-fated campaign to take the civil rights movement north to Chicago to the wrenching ousting of the white members of SNCC. Deeply researched and widely reported, Saying It Loud offers brilliant portraits of the major characters in the yearlong drama and provides new details and insights from key players and journalists who covered the story. It also makes a compelling case for why the lessons from 1966 still resonate in the era of Black Lives Matter and the fierce contemporary battles over voting rights, identity politics, and the teaching of Black History.
Attention All Passengers: The Airlines' Dangerous Descent—and How to Reclaim Our Skies
by William J. McGeeA Fast Food Nation for the airline industry, Attention All Passengers is a shocking and important exposé revealing the real state of the “friendly skies” in which we fly. Award-winning Consumer Reports travel journalist William McGee, a former editor of the Consumer Reports Travel Letter, spent nearly seven years in airline flight operations management, and what he learned was less than uplifting. From TSA power grabs and an endemic lack of oversight to legislative battles and lobbying boondoggles to antiquated flight patterns and outsourced maintenance workers, the airlines and the Government are in cahoots, conspiring to turn a profit any way they can, no matter who has to pay the price. A provocative and hard-hitting call to action, Attention All Passengers will explode all our previous misconceptions about the airline industry.
The Fountains of Youth (Emortality #3)
by Brian StablefordThis is a science fiction novel of enormous scope and ambition, filled with wonders that expands Brian Stableford's on-going future history series. Hundreds of years in the future, further ahead than the settings of Inherit the Earth and Architects of Emortality, Mortimer Gray is born into a world where he can potentially live forever. But after a traumatic natural disaster that kills millions, Gray devotes the next five hundred years of his life to the study of death and its effects on human civilization, viewed from a post-death perspective. Through it all we see the broad, large-scale accumulation of change and the growth of humanity on Earth and out to the stars as Gray experiences his boundless lifetime.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Language of the Land: Living Among the Hadzabe in Africa
by James StephensonA rare adventure with the last Stone Age hunting and gathering tribe in Africa.In 1997 James Stephenson arranged to have almost a full year free, a year he wanted to spend among the Hadzabe in Tanzania. He had visited these people several times previously and with every trip his fascination with them deepened, for the Hadzabe are the last hunters and gatherers still living a traditional life in East Africa.At the age of 27, Stephenson intended to spend the year living among the Hadzabe, and, more importantly, living their life, hunting what they hunted, eating what they ate, participating in their dances and ceremonies, consulting with their medicine men and learning their myths and dreams.Armed only with his camera, his art supplies and the open-hearted courage of youth, he set out to visit with a people who have changed little since the Stone Age. He wanted to glimpse the world as they perceived it and learn the wisdom they had wrestled from the land. The Language of the Land, the account of his adventure and what he learned, is travel writing at its best.
It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It: Ready-to-Use Advice for Presentations, Speeches, and Other Speaking Occasions, Large and Small
by Joan DetzThe renowned speaking coach offers step-by-step advice on how to prepare and deliver speeches that communicate your ideas and win over audiences.Why do some speakers succeed while so many others lose their listeners? After working with top clients for decades, executive speaking coach Joan Detz has the answers. In this engaging and comprehensive book, she presents strategies and tips for speeches, sales presentations, brief remarks, job interviews, Q&A sessions, panels—and virtually any situation that requires something to say.Filled with checklists, tip sheets, self-evaluations, and practical advice on every page, this thorough and invaluable guide takes the mystery out of our most dreaded experience. This book will help you say it better-whether you’re talking to one or one thousand. Topics include:• Organizing your message• Finding terrific research• Mastering humor• Conquering nervousness• Handling technical glitches• Working with other speakers• Measuring your effectiveness• Making the most of your voice• Using body language• Building audience rapport• Tapping the power of persuasion• And more
Suitable Accommodations: An Autobiographical Story of Family Life: The Letters of J. F. Powers, 1942–1963
by J. F. PowersA wry, moving collection of letters from the late J. F. Powers, "a comic writer of genius" (Mary Gordon)Best known for his 1963 National Book Award–winning novel, Morte D'Urban, and as a master of the short story, J. F. Powers drew praise from Evelyn Waugh, Flannery O'Connor, Saul Bellow, and Philip Roth, among others. Though Powers's fiction dwelt chiefly on the lives of Catholic priests, he long planned to write a novel of family life, a feat he never accomplished. He did, however, write thousands of letters, which, selected here by his daughter, Katherine A. Powers, become an intimate version of that novel, dynamic with plot and character. They show a dedicated artist, passionate lover, reluctant family man, pained aesthete, sports fan, and appreciative friend. At times wrenching and sad, at others ironic and exuberantly funny, Suitable Accommodations is the story of a man at odds with the world and, despite his faith, with his church. Beginning in prison, where Powers spent more than a year as a conscientious objector, the letters move on to his courtship, marriage, comically unsuccessful attempt to live in the woods, life in the Midwest and in Ireland, an unorthodox view of the Catholic Church, and an increasingly bizarre search for "suitable accommodations," which included three full-scale emigrations to Ireland. Here, too, are encounters with such diverse people as Thomas Merton, Eugene McCarthy, Robert Lowell, Theodore Roethke, Sean O'Faolain, Frank O'Connor, Dorothy Day, and Alfred Kinsey. An NPR Best Book of 2013
Cookies For Kids' Cancer: All The Good Cookies
by Gretchen Holt-WittA new collection of delicious cookie recipes—all for a good causeIn 2007, Gretchen Holt-Witt set the lofty goal of baking and selling 96,000 cookies during the holidays, all in the name of funding research for pediatric cancer, the #1 killer of kids in the United States and the disease her young son was battling. Armed with the determination of a mom on a mission plus the knowledge that funds for research mean more treatment options, better survival rates, and hope for the future, Holt-Witt succeeded in selling all 96,000 cookies and raising over $400,000 for new pediatric cancer treatments. Soon after, Gretchen and her husband Larry founded Cookies for Kids' Cancer (cookiesforkidscancer.org), a national nonprofit that inspires people to host bake sales of all sizes, from desktops and porches to entire corporations and communities, with some raising more than $100,000 in a day. Gretchen's first book, Cookies for Kids' Cancer Best Bake Sale Cookbook, raised thousands more for pediatric cancer research. All the Good Cookies gathers a mouthwatering collection of recipes that promise to satisfy any cookie craving, with the author's profits again going to the charity. Features a wealth of cookie recipes, from Raspberry Thumbprints to Boston Cream Whoopie PiesAll of the author's royalties will benefit the charity Cookies for Kids' CancerA follow-up to the successful Cookies for Kids' Cancer Best Bake Sale CookbookFor anyone who loves baking cookies and making a real difference in the world, Cookies for Kids' Cancer: All the Good Cookies is a perfect way to do both at the same time.
The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble
by Ingrid NewkirkWith more than two million members and supporters, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) is the world's largest animal-rights organization, and its founder and president, Ingrid Newkirk, is one of the most well-known and most effective activists in America. She has spearheaded worldwide efforts to improve the treatment of animals in manufacturing, entertainment, and elsewhere. Every day, in laboratories, food factories, and other industries, animals by the millions are subjected to inhumane cruelty. In this accessible guide, Newkirk teaches readers hundreds of simple ways to stop thoughtless animal cruelty and make positive choices. For each topic, Newkirk provides hard facts, personal insight, inspiration, ideas, and resources, including: • How to eat healthfully and compassionately • How to adopt animals rather than support puppy mills • How to make their vote count and change public opinion • How to switch to cruelty-free cosmetics and clothing • How to choose amusements that protect rather than exploit animals. With public concern for the well-being of animals greater than ever—particularly among young people—this timely, practical book offers exciting and easy ways to make a difference.
The Viper (Black Dagger Brotherhood: Prison Camp #3)
by J.R. WardA heart-wrenching tale of love and betrayal in the Black Dagger Brotherhood world from #1 New York Times bestselling author J. R. Ward.Framed for the grisly murder of his shellan, Kane is condemned to the notorious prison camp—unaware of the dark truth behind his arranged mating. Centuries later, when he is horribly burned while attempting to save others, he prays he&’ll finally be reunited in the Fade with his mate…not knowing what revelations await him. Nadya is a self-taught nurse who does what she can to ease the suffering of the prisoners. When Kane comes under her care, she cannot help but empathize with his condition for very personal reasons—and as the guards take him away one last time, she fears he is facing a terrible death. After a daring rescue, Kane is offered a treatment that will change his very nature. Choosing life, for the time being, he goes back for the female who took such good care of him—but his duty to Nadya sets him on a collision course with his own past. When long-buried secrets are exposed, his self-destruction is inevitable…unless true love can save his soul.
Skandar and the Unicorn Thief: The international, award-winning hit, and the biggest fantasy adventure series since Harry Potter (Skandar #1)
by A.F. SteadmanHEROES AND UNICORNS AS YOU&’VE NEVER SEEN THEM BEFORE. The first book in the award-winning, international hit fantasy adventure series for children age 9+, and fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Eragon and Fireborn. Give the gift of adventure this Christmas!WATERSTONES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022WINNER OF THE INDIE BOOK AWARDS 2023!&‘The most popular children&’s fantasy hero since Harry Potter&’ – The Daily Telegraph Thirteen-year-old Skandar Smith has only ever wanted to be a unicorn rider. To be one of the lucky few selected to hatch a unicorn. To bond with it for life; to train together and race for glory; to be a hero. But just as Skandar&’s dream is about to come true, things start to take a more dangerous turn than he could ever have imagined. A dark and twisted enemy has stolen the Island&’s most powerful unicorn – and as the threat grows ever closer, Skandar discovers a secret that could blow apart his world forever . . . Get ready for unlikely HEROES, elemental MAGIC, sky battles, ancient secrets, nail-biting races and FEROCIOUS UNICORNS, in this EPIC ADVENTURE series that will have your heart soaring.THE EPIC ADVENTURE CONTINUES . . .PRE-ORDER SKANDAR AND THE CHAOS TRIALS, THE UNMISSABLE BRAND NEW BOOK IN THE SERIES, NOW!Praise for Skandar and the Unicorn Thief: 'Steadman has a vast imagination, her world-building is a joy, the battle scenes are thrilling and her characters charm.' – The Times Children's Book of the Week&‘Pacy, enthralling and epic, a gripping read.&’ – Louie Stowell, author of Loki and Otherland &‘A dazzling feat of imagination. I loved every breathless moment of it!&’ – Cat Doyle, author of The Storm Keeper&’s Island and co-author of Twin Crowns&‘The best book I&’ve ever read.&’ – Patrick, age 10 &‘My book of the year. Not since Harry Potter have I felt this excited about a series. Readers are sure to be clamouring for the next book. You&’ll never look at unicorns the same way again, nor will you want to!&’ – Dominique Valente, author of the Starfell series &‘Never have unicorns been so ferocious, fearsome and thrilling! A fantastically gripping read!&’ – Laura Ellen Anderson, author of Amelia Fang and Rainbow Grey &‘A magnificent book. I raced through it – at turns enthralled, delighted, amazed. It&’s everything I could have wanted and more. No doubt this book is going to fly.&’ – Hannah Gold, author of The Last Bear &‘Skandar and the Unicorn Thief brims with wild adventure, fierce sky battles, elemental magic, ferocious unicorns and a terrifying enemy. Steadman's cinematic writing draws you in from the very first page, creating a hugely compelling, unforgettable read. Endlessly thrilling, unputdownable and utterly unmissable.&’ – Aisling Fowler, author of Fireborn &‘A. F. Steadman has created a stunning new world that feels both familiar and fresh, with a cast of characters that will stay with you long after you&’ve finished reading.&’ –Tọlá Okogwu, author of Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun'Perfect for those who have consumed the Harry Potter books and Philip Pullman&’s His Dark Materials trilogy and are looking for their next fictional feast.' – The Sunday Times
Arca (Five Queendoms, The #2)
by G.R. MacallisterReturn to the Five Queendoms in the sequel to Scorpica, a sweeping epic fantasy that Rebecca Roanhorse called &“ambitious and engaging,&” in which a centuries-long peace is shattered in a matriarchal society when a decade passes without a single girl being born.The Drought of Girls has ended, but the rift it broke open between the Queendoms is not so easily healed. Political tensions roil the senate of Paxim, where Queen Heliane vows to make her son Paulus the nation&’s first ruling King or die trying. Scorpican troops amass on the border of Arca, ready to attack. And within Arca itself, its young, unready queen finds her court a nest of vipers and her dreams besieged by a mysterious figure with unknown intentions. As iron and magic clash on the battlefield and powerful women scheme behind the scenes, danger and violence abound. Can anyone stop the chaos from ripping the Queendoms apart?
Star Trek: Picard: Second Self (Star Trek: Picard)
by Una McCormackThe thrilling adventure based on the acclaimed TV series Star Trek: Picard!Following the explosive events seen in season one of Star Trek: Picard, Raffi Musiker finds herself torn between returning to her old life as a Starfleet Intelligence officer or something a little more tame—teaching at the Academy, perhaps. The decision is made for her though when a message from an old contact—a Romulan spy—is received, asking for immediate aid. With the help of Elnor and assistance from Jean-Luc Picard, Raffi decides to take on this critical mission—and quickly learns that past sins never stay buried. Finding the truth will be complicated, and deadly… ™, ®, & © 2023 CBS Studios, Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
A Race to the Bottom of Crazy: Dispatches from Arizona
by Richard GrantThe bestselling author of Dispatches from Pluto and The Deepest South of All turns his sharp wit and observational powers on the epicenter of America&’s most divisive issues: Arizona.When Richard Grant and his wife moved with their four-year-old daughter back to Tucson, Arizona, where the couple first met, he expected to easily rekindle his love of the region. Instead, he found a housing market gone haywire, rampant election conspiracies, and right-wing political violence alarmingly close to his home and family. Undocumented immigration was surging, and the state was also on the front lines of climate change, breaking heat and drought records, and running out of long-term water supplies. Under these circumstances, Grant wondered how he might raise a happy, well-adjusted child who believes in the future. Yet these concerns weren&’t keeping people away: Arizona was simultaneously experiencing some of the nation&’s highest population growth. In A Race to the Bottom of Crazy, Grant mixes memoir, research, and reporting in a quest to understand what makes Arizona such a confounding and irresistible place. He visits the world&’s largest machine-gun shoot; takes a sunset boat cruise with a US Congressman and a group of far-right patriots; rides through the desert with a Border Patrol agent; and goes camping with his family in breathtaking mountain ranges that rise out of the desert like islands in the sky. Interspersed with these adventures are recollections of his previous stint in the state, including his friendship with cult writer Charles Bowden and years living off the grid with smugglers, dope farmers, and outlaws on the Mexican border. Ultimately, Grant arrives at the conclusion that Arizona has always been a scattershot improvisation, with bizarre and extreme behavior in its DNA. This book is an entertaining, illuminating, and essential guide to understanding modern America at its most overheated.