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After the Fall
by Lisa BinghamThe author of Into the Storm presents an epic tale of courage, danger, and love, set in the Pacific at the dawn of World War II. In late 1941, the Philippines is a haven for those intent on shedding their pasts and reinventing themselves. Lt. Riley Gilhouley—the Great Gilhouley—keeps the troops well stocked in contraband as he seeks the attention of Maj. Rosemary Dodd, a by-the-book officer who leads her nurses with expert care. Ex-priest John Macklin searches for absolution, but finds himself tangling with Glory Bee O&’Halloran, a stripper hired to take off just enough clothing to throw the troops into a frenzy. But when, mere hours after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese attack the Philippines, the island haven explodes into the chaos of battle—and amid stolen moments and secret missions, all their lives will be forever changed. . . . Set in a besieged country waiting in vain for help to arrive, this stunning novel from a &“master storyteller&” offers a blend of riveting history and heartfelt emotion (Affaire de Coeur).
The Albert Einstein Collection Volume Two: Essays in Science, Letters to Solovine, and Letters on Wave Mechanics
by Albert EinsteinFrom revealing, personal letters to brilliant essays on the nature of science, these three volumes demonstrate the breadth of Einstein&’s thought. The man who became famous for conceiving of the equation E=mc2 kept his mind sharp through stimulating correspondence and applied his intellectual acuity to a number of important scientific issues. The second volume of the Albert Einstein Collection offers a fascinating window into how he developed his ideas. Essays in Science: In these sixteen essays, written at the height of his intellectual powers, Einstein sets out his views on scientific knowledge, its relationship to human experience, and the underlying principles of any scientific pursuit. He discusses his own work in theoretical physics and its basis in field theory, as well as the many achievements of other scientific thinkers—including Johannes Kepler, Isaac Newton, James Clerk Maxwell, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, and others. Letters to Solovine: This collection of personal letters from Einstein to his longtime friend and translator Maurice Solovine offers a rare glimpse into the evolution of his thought, as well as a revealing portrait of the man himself. Spanning Einstein&’s career and ranging from philosophical discussion to personal gossip, these letters are presented in English translation alongside the German text, with facsimiles of the original letters also included. Letters on Wave Mechanics: In this stirring collection of correspondence, four of the twentieth century&’s greatest minds—H. A. Lorentz, Max Planck, Erwin Schrödinger, and Albert Einstein—discuss, debate, and refine Schrödinger&’s then-nascent theory of wave mechanics. As the physicist Karl Przibram states in his foreword to this edition, &“little needs to be added to the letters; they speak for themselves. Apart from their essential content, they reveal something of the personalities of the four men of genius.&”
Linotte: The Early Diary of Anaïs Nin, 1914–1920 (The Early Diaries of Anaïs Nin #1)
by Anaïs NinThis &“amazingly precocious&” diary of girlhood in the early twentieth century is filled with a &“special charm&” (The Christian Science Monitor). Born in Paris, Anaïs Nin started her celebrated diary at age eleven, when she was immigrating to New York with her mother and two young brothers. The diary became her confidant, her beloved friend, in which she recorded her most intimate thoughts and kept watch on the state of her character. Offering an amusing view of Nin&’s early life, from age eleven to seventeen, it is also a self-portrait of an innocent girl who is transformed, through her own insights, into an enlightened young woman. &“An enchanting portrait of a girl&’s constant search for herself . . . will delight her admirers as well as new readers.&” —Library Journal &“One of the most extraordinary documents in the annals of literature.&” —Providence Sunday Journal &“[The Early Diary is] not merely an overture to the great performance. It deserves our attention on its own as a revelation of the rites of passage of a young girl in the early part of the [twentieth] century and as an expression of the collision of cultures between Europe and America.&” —Los Angeles Times Preface by Joaquin Nin-Culmell
You Can't Always Get What You Want: My Life with the Rolling Stones, the Grateful Dead and Other Wonderful Reprobates
by Sam CutlerA &“straight-dope, tell-all account&” of touring with two of the world&’s greatest bands of the 60s and 70s—A &“fast-moving narrative of rock-n-roll excess&” (Publishers Weekly). In this all-access memoir of the psychedelic era, Sam Cutler recounts his life as tour manager for the Rolling Stones and the Grateful Dead—whom he calls the yin and yang of bands. After working with the Rolling Stones at their historic Hyde Park concert in 1969, Sam managed their American tour later that year, when he famously dubbed them &“The Greatest Rock Band in the World.&” And he was caught in the middle as their triumph took a tragic turn during a free concert at the Altamont Speedway in California, where a man in the crowd was killed by the Hell&’s Angels. After that, Sam took up with the fun-loving Grateful Dead, managing their tours and finances, and taking part in their endless hijinks on the road. With intimate portraits of other stars of the time—including Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Band, the Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, and Eric Clapton—this memoir is a treasure trove of insights and anecdotes that bring some of rock&’s greatest legends to life.
Everyday Miracles: Holy Moments in a Mother's Day
by Dale Hanson BourkeA mom&’s inspiring guide to finding God&’s grace and beauty in the midst of dishes, diapers, and doing for others. These touching reflections of a young mother&’s hopes, dreams, and struggles offer personal insight into the special bond between mother and child. Often surprised by the miraculous in an ordinary day, Dale Hanson Bourke shares observations that will touch the hearts of countless mothers who need a lift during the demanding and important chores they juggle. Everyday Miracles lets us rediscover the joys God has given us—that we sometimes lose sight of when we feel a little too busy—and puts us back in touch with the amazing love that lies at the heart of motherhood.
Three Shot Burst: Severn House Publishers (The Foggy Moskowitz Mysteries #2)
by Phillip DePoyAn &“emotion-filled story of family dynamics and self-discovery . . . brimming with interesting characters&” from the bestselling author of The Liverpool Trilogy (Booklist). Foggy Moscowitz is called to Mary&’s Shallow Grave, everyone&’s favorite bar. A man has been killed—shot three times—by a young girl. With no parents, no fixed abode, and no services to help her, Foggy is forced to shelter her in his beachside apartment. The victim was the son of the richest Seminole in Florida, Ironstone Waters, who sends several of his men, including Mister Redhawk, to collect the girl and find out what happened. With Ironstone&’s men, a Colombian drug cartel, and the police all in pursuit, Foggy has nowhere to turn but to John Horse. With some help from the Seminole mystic, Foggy realizes some disturbing truths. The latest hard-boiled mystery in the Foggy Moscowitz series is &“packed with humor, philosophical musings, [and] fascinating characters&” (Kirkus Reviews).
Protest Nation: Words That Inspired a Century of American Radicalism
by Timothy Patrick McCarthy and John McMillianHistoric writings by socialists, LGBT activists, environmentalists, and more: &“An extraordinary collection of the voices of American dissidents.&” —Howard Zinn Protest Nation is a guide to the speeches, letters, broadsides, essays, and manifestos that form the backbone of the American radical tradition in the twentieth century. With examples from socialists, feminists, union organizers, civil-rights workers, gay and lesbian activists, and environmentalists that have served as beacons for millions, the volume also includes brief introductory essays by the editors that provide a rich biographical and historical context for each selection. Included are: *a fiery speech by socialist Eugene V. Debs *an astonishing treatise on animal liberation by Peter Singer *an excerpt from Silent Spring by Rachel Carson *Harvey Milk&’s &“The Hope Speech&” *the original Black Panther Party Platform *Peter Singer&’s astonishing treatise on animal liberation *plus writings from Upton Sinclair, Charlotte Perkins Gilman, Betty Friedan, Malcolm X, César Chávez, and more
Expedition to Earth (Arthur C. Clarke Collection)
by Arthur C. ClarkeShort stories from the science fiction master—including the tale that inspired 2001: A Space Odyssey. These stories present a brilliant showcase of Arthur C. Clarke&’s many-layered approach to the moral dilemmas of scientific advancement—from the thrilling and brutal &“Breaking Strain&” to the more poetic and thoughtful &“Second Dawn.&” Also included is &“The Sentinel&”—the basis for the classic Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey. This outstanding collection reminds us that the author of Childhood&’s End was not only a giant in the world of science fiction, a recipient of multiple Nebula and Hugo Awards, and an incomparable storyteller, but also a &“skilled literary artist&” (Hartford Courant). &“I do not know of any short story that has moved me more than Arthur C. Clarke&’s &‘If I Forget Thee, Oh Earth.&’&” —The Christian Science Monitor
Adrian Mole: True Confessions Of Adrian Albert Mole, Adrian Mole: The Wilderness Years, And Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years (The Adrian Mole Series #5)
by Sue TownsendThe &“wickedly satirical, mad, ferociously farcical [and] subversive&” angsty Brit of secret diary fame careens into his thirties (Daily Mail). I expect that by tomorrow I will have embellished the story and given myself a heroic status I do not deserve . . . Right now the truth is harrowing enough for aging, impotent intellectual Adrian Mole: He&’s soon to be divorced; he hasn&’t a clue what to do with his semi-stardom as a celebrity chef; his parents have become swingers (with whom is too shocking to go into now); his epic novel is still unpublished; his ex-flame Pandora is running for political office; and his younger sister has rebelled in the most distressingly common ways. But there&’s one upside: Adrian&’s son has inherited his mother&’s unblemished skin. Is it any wonder that at 34¾ Adrian is still punishingly self-aware and willfully deluded about what he&’s endured and what he&’s yet to achieve? Struggling somewhere between breakthrough and breakdown, he&’s telling his diary everything. The result? Adrian&’s fifth Book of Revelation—and it&’s &“quite possibly, a classic&” (Daily Mirror).
Incendiary Circumstances: A Chronicle of the Turmoil of our Times
by Amitav GhoshA journalist who &“illuminates the human drama behind the headlines&” writes about today&’s dramatic events, from terrorist attacks to tsunamis (Publishers Weekly). &“An uncannily honest writer,&” Amitav Ghosh has published firsthand accounts of pivotal world events in publications including the New York Times, Granta, and the New Yorker (The New York Times Book Review). This volume brings together the finest of these pieces, chronicling the turmoil of our times. Incendiary Circumstances begins with Ghosh&’s arrival in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands just days after the devastation of the 2005 tsunami. We then travel back to September 11, 2001, as Ghosh retrieves his young daughter from school, sick with the knowledge that she must witness the kind of firestorm that has been in the background of his life since childhood. In his travels, Ghosh has stood on an icy mountaintop on the contested border between India and Pakistan; interviewed Pol Pot&’s sister-in-law in Cambodia; shared the elation of Egyptians when Naguib Mahfouz won the Nobel Prize; and stood with his threatened Sikh neighbors through the riots following Indira Gandhi&’s assassination. In these pieces, he offers an up-close look at an era defined by the ravages of politics and nature. &“Ghosh is the perfect chronicler of an increasingly globalized world . . . Reading [him] is a mind-expanding experience. Once you&’ve finished this book, you&’re very likely to press it into your friends&’ hands and beg them to read it as well.&” —Sunday Oregonian
Forgotten Ally: China's World War II, 1937–1945
by Rana MitterA history of the Chinese experience in WWII, named a Book of the Year by both the Economist and the Financial Times: &“Superb&” (The New York Times Book Review). In 1937, two years before Hitler invaded Poland, Chinese troops clashed with Japanese occupiers in the first battle of World War II. Joining with the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain, China became the fourth great ally in a devastating struggle for its very survival. In this book, prize-winning historian Rana Mitter unfurls China&’s drama of invasion, resistance, slaughter, and political intrigue as never before. Based on groundbreaking research, this gripping narrative focuses on a handful of unforgettable characters, including Chiang Kai-shek, Mao Zedong, and Chiang&’s American chief of staff, &“Vinegar Joe&” Stilwell—and also recounts the sacrifice and resilience of everyday Chinese people through the horrors of bombings, famines, and the infamous Rape of Nanking. More than any other twentieth-century event, World War II was crucial in shaping China&’s worldview, making Forgotten Ally both a definitive work of history and an indispensable guide to today&’s China and its relationship with the West.
A Bipolar Life: 50 Years of Battling Manic-Depressive Illness Did Not Stop Me From Building a 60 Million Dollar Business
by Steve MillardThe former Brookstone marketing guru gives &“proof of the fact that even in the face of this illness, a person can lead a rewarding and fulfilling life&” (Howard Lester, former Williams-Sonoma CEO). For more than forty-five years, Steve Millard has struggled with bipolar disorder. At his lowest, he was on the absolute brink of suicide, looking down into the abyss. Through his own methods of dealing with this disease, arrived at by trial and error, and the generous help of friends, and the teachings of a wonderful support group called Recovery Inc., he not only survived, he prospered, founding one of the most successful and profitable businesses in the direct marketing industry. A Bipolar Life is the story of his struggle. &“I have witnessed many of [Steve&’s] struggles with bipolar disorder and can only imagine how difficult they are for him. I have also witnessed his high, his incredible zest for life and the ability to live life to its fullest. But equally important, I have witnessed his marketing skills and how he helped pioneer the catalog and direct marketing industry. Those skills were a major part of the dynamic growth of the Brookstone Company.&” —Doug Anderson, former President, Brookstone &“Steve Millard was a good friend of L.L. Bean and a catalog marketing consultant instrumental to our success. He was upbeat and outgoing in his public life but quietly and courageously dealt with his emotional illness.&” —Leon Gorman, former CEO L.L. Bean
To Dakar and Back: 21 Days Across North Africa by Motorcycle
by Lawrence HackingIn this adventure motorsports memoir, the first Canadian motorcycle racer to complete the infamous Paris-Dakar Rally recounts his incredible journey. The Paris-Dakar Rally is is without question the most arduous and notorious off-road motorsports event on the planet. Since its inception in 1979, it has attracted more than three thousand adventurers from all walks of life. The men and women who have taken up the &“Dakar challenge&” have at least one thing in common: a desire to measure themselves against the desolate sands of the Sahara. In 2001, Canadian adventure racer Lawrence Hacking entered what would be the last rally on the iconic route from Paris to Dakar. In To Dakar and Back, Hacking, in collaboration with motorsport journalist Wil De Clercq, recounts the three weeks of blood, sweat, and tears that took him on that ten thousand kilometer journey in the heat of competition from the glitzy streets of the French capital through the hinterland of North Western Africa and the triumph of self-realization.
The Man with Two Arms: A Novel
by Billy Lombardo&“Undoubtedly modern America&’s finest literary tribute to the baseball since Bernard Malamud&’s novel The Natural&” (Chicago Tribune). Henry Granville, a baseball fanatic and high school teacher, spends hours in the basement with his young son Danny, introducing him to balls of all shapes and sizes. He even turns the basement into an indoor stadium. Danny quickly distinguishes himself from his peers, most conspicuously by his ability to throw perfectly with either arm—a feat virtually unheard of in baseball. But he also possesses a visionary gift that not even he understands. Danny becomes a superior athlete, skyrocketing through the minor leagues and into the majors where he experiences immediate success, breaking records held for decades. When a journalist, a former student of Henry&’s and hungry for a national breakout story, exaggerates the teacher&’s obsession and exposes him to the world as a monster, all hell breaks loose and the pressures of media and celebrity threaten to disrupt the world that Henry and Danny have created. A baseball novel—and much more—The Man with Two Arms is a story of the ways in which we protect, betray, forgive, love, and shape each other as we attempt to find our way through life. &“Magical realism meets baseball in [this] debut novel . . . [A] Roy Hobbs-like narrative.&” —Chicago Magazine &“Sings with joy and tragedy . . . An amazing debut, as a lyrical paean to the national pastime and as a touching exploration of the life of a boy becoming a man both blessed and burdened with a unique and extraordinary talent.&” —Flagpole
The Monster at Our Door: The Global Threat of Avian Flu
by Mike DavisThe MacArthur Fellow and author of Dead Cities presents a terrifying forecast of a new global threat—and &“its argument is irrefutable&” (The Independent). Hailed by The Nation as a &“master of disaster prose,&” author and activist Mike Davis addresses the imminent catastrophe of Avian influenza. In 1918, a pandemic strain of influenza killed at least forty million people in three months. Now, leading researchers believe, another global outbreak is all but inevitable. A virus of astonishing lethality, known as H5N1, has become entrenched in the poultry and wild bird populations of East Asia. It kills two out of every three people it infects. The World Health Organization warns that it is on the verge of mutating into a super-contagious pandemic form that could visit several billion homes within two years. In this urgent and alarming book, Mike Davis reconstructs the scientific and political history of a viral apocalypse in the making, exposing the central roles of agribusiness and the fast-food industries, abetted by corrupt governments, in creating the ecological conditions for the emergence of this new plague.
Whirlwind: A Contemporary Thriller Set In Rhode Island
by Hilary NormanA vengeful psychopath terrorizes a New England town in this &“outstanding psychological thriller&” from the New York Times–bestselling author (Booklist, starred review). Liza Plain, a Boston-based journalist hoping for her big break, is dreading spending Christmas in Shiloh, Rhode Island, with her difficult grandfather—until news of the disappearance of a retired local priest triggers her realization that this could be linked to a series of unsolved, church-related, missing persons cases. Michael Rider used to be a decent man with a good life, but a past traumatic event with far-reaching consequences has left him dangerously close to the breaking point. Now he is receiving strange emails from an organization calling itself Whirlwind, offering him the chance to avenge himself on those who&’ve done him wrong. Liza and Michael will both be in their hometown of Shiloh on Christmas Eve . . . the night a raging blizzard seals off the town from the outside world . . . the night an outrage is perpetrated. And Liza will find herself at the heart of a major news story, caught in an abyss of nightmarish discovery and life-threatening danger. &“Bizarre twists and unexpected turns.&” —Booklist (starred review) &“Excellent. A gripping, frighteningly real and very disturbing novel.&” —David Suchet, author of Poirot and Me
Foretold by Thunder: A Thriller
by E.M. DaveyThe author of The Napoleon Complex delivers &“everything I like: action, history, secrets, and conspiracies&” (Steve Berry, New York Times–bestselling author). When journalist Jake Wolsey stumbles upon a declassified file showing Winston S. Churchill&’s interest in the ancient, esoteric Etruscan civilization, his curiosity is piqued—but a series of deadly coincidences seems to surround the file and everyone who knows of its existence. Wolsey soon attracts the unlikely attention of alluring archaeologist Florence Chung—and that of MI6. As the journalist and archaeologist are pursued across Europe and Africa in search of a sacred Etruscan text, danger closes in and more questions than answers arise. Are there powers in the sky modern science has yet to understand? Could the ancients predict the future? And what really explains the rise of Rome, that of Nazi Germany, the ebb and flow of history itself? In a thrilling race against time and enemies known and unknown, Wolsey fears the very survival of the West may depend on his ability to stay one step ahead of his adversaries. An assured rollercoaster full of unexpected twists and turns, E.M. Davey offers up a gripping read for fans of Dan Brown in this bombastic debut. &“We have ourselves a cracking good read . . . This is a thriller injected with inside news as well as well-placed heart-attack-inducing paranoia, appealing to all who like their adrenaline rushes fast [and] engrossing.&” —The Bookbag
I Will Have Vengeance: The Winter of Commissario Ricciardi (The Commissario Ricciardi Mysteries #1)
by Maurizio de GiovanniIntroducing Italy’s Commissario Ricciardi. “De Giovanni’s distinct brand of noir . . . will appeal to Agatha Christie and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán fans” (Publishers Weekly).Commissario Ricciardi has visions. He sees the final seconds in the lives of victims of violent deaths. It is both a gift and a curse. It has helped him become one of the most successful homicide detectives on the Naples police front. But the horror of his visions has hollowed him out emotionally. He drinks too much and sleeps too little. Other than his loyal partner, Brigadier Maione, he has no friends.Naples, March 1931. A bitter wind stalks the city streets, and murder lies at its cold heart. When the world’s greatest tenor, Maestro Arnaldo Vezzi, is found brutally murdered in his dressing room at Naples’ San Carlo Theatre, the enigmatic and aloof Commissario Ricciardi is called in to investigate.Arrogant and bad-tempered, Vezzi was adored by millions and hated by hundreds, but with the livelihoods of everyone at the San Carlo opera at stake, who there would have committed such an act? Ricciardi is determined to find out.Fans of Donna Leon and Manuel Vázquez Montalbán will thrill to this fresh voice in crime fiction. I Will Have Vengeance is the first book in a quartet of masterful crime novels set in fascist Italy.“A welcome addition to the pantheon of Italian crime fiction . . . Ricciardi is a suitably principled, charismatic yet enigmatic detective.” —Euro Crime “The combination of an unusual detective, historical setting and Italian opera was impossible to resist.” —Crimetime.co.uk
The Animal Wife: A Novel
by Elizabeth Marshall ThomasSet in prehistoric Siberia, a &“psychologically acute and soaringly imaginative&” novel by a New York Times–bestselling author (Publishers Weekly). In this novel by the author of Reindeer Moon, set in the Paleolithic age, Kori lives among his hunter-gatherer people, guilty with the knowledge that his unborn child is being carried by his shaman father&’s new wife. Then, Kori impulsively seizes another woman, from a different tribe, after seeing her swimming in a pond—putting his group in danger. He calls the woman Muskrat, and her customs, beliefs, and language are utterly alien to him. And their relationship may bring either joy or bloodshed . . . From an author and anthropologist known for both her fiction and her nonfiction—including the bestsellers The Hidden Life of Dogs and The Tribe of Tiger—this is a compelling tale &“likely to appeal to Clan of the Cave Bear fans&” (Library Journal).
Death Has a Small Voice (The Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries #18)
by Richard Lockridge Frances LockridgeBefore he dies, a murdered burglar puts Mrs. North in mortal danger The thief struts toward Broadway, confident his luck has finally begun to turn. Just a few hours earlier, he had been as scared as a trapped rat, cowering in a bathroom, hoping the homeowners would go to bed without finding him. He got lucky, and he got away with his mark: a flimsy little piece of plastic that&’s worth more money than he&’s ever had at one time. But before he reaches his destination, he&’ll be left for dead on the sidewalk. As his last act, he drops his loot in the mail. The package is marked for Pamela North, the slightly daffy amateur sleuth who always nabs the killer, even if she never quite gets to the point. One man has already died for this mysterious item, and as soon as it lands in her mailbox, she&’ll be in danger of joining him. Death Has a Small Voice is the 18th book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
The Old Die Young (The Nathan Shapiro Mysteries #10)
by Richard LockridgeIt&’s curtains for a vain actor in this Nathan Shapiro whodunit—the final book written by the coauthor of the &“excellent&” Mr. and Mrs. North series (The New Yorker). Nathan Shapiro might be the gloomiest member of Manhattan&’s finest, but that doesn&’t stop the dour detective from getting the job done when the going gets tough . . . Called upon to investigate the suspicious death of actor Clive Branson, Det. Lt. Nathan Shapiro and his right-hand man, Det. Anthony &“Tony&” Cook, are confronted with something strange: a dead man in makeup. It seems the thespian was keen on hiding his real age, and made himself up to appear much younger. Now, that&’s the mortician&’s job. The cast and crew of Branson&’s current Broadway production, Summer Solstice, are all shocked by the actor&’s sudden death. Or so they seem. But when it&’s revealed that barbiturates were used to take Branson out, Shapiro and Cook start auditioning suspects—because one of them is putting on a most-convincing performance to hide the fact that beneath a mask of innocence lurks a cold-hearted killer. The Old Die Young is the 10th book in the Nathan Shapiro Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
The Prophet: Large Print (Clydesdale Classics Ser.)
by Kahlil GibranRich in timeless wisdom and beautiful poetic language, this spiritual classic is &“exquisite . . . simply a masterpiece&” (The Independent, London). As the wise man Almustafa prepares to leave the island where he has lived in exile from his home for twelve years, the community gathers around him, beseeching him to share his wisdom before he departs. Within this framework, the beloved prophet offers meditations on love, marriage, children, giving, eating and drinking, work, joy and sorrow, houses, clothes, buying and selling, crime and punishment, laws, freedom, reason and passion, pain, self-knowledge, teaching, friendship, talking, time, good and evil, prayer, pleasure, beauty, religion, and death. Written by a Lebanese-American poet, The Prophet was an immediate success upon its publication in 1923. Translated into more than one hundred languages and selling millions of copies, the book&’s popularity has never waned. In the 1960s, it was freshly discovered and venerated by the counterculture, and in 2014, it was adapted into an animated film. The universal truths embedded in these twenty-six prose poems continue to resonate for spiritual seekers. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
When Mountains Walked: A Novel
by Kate WheelerTwo generations of women struggle with love—and journey to remote corners of the world—in this &“remarkably passionate and engaging&” novel (San Francisco Chronicle). From a PEN/Faulkner Award finalist, When Mountains Walked tells of two parallel love affairs, years apart. In the 1940s, Althea Baines follows her seismologist husband to the heart of the Indian subcontinent to trace the origins of earthquakes. Here, awakening to a form of spirituality she had never imagined, she eventually finds solace with a Hindu priest. Years later, her granddaughter Maggie follows her own idealistic husband to a canyon in central Peru to set up a health clinic. Alive to the culture and the place, Maggie falls recklessly in love with a revolutionary leader and follows him on an apocalyptic trip into the rain forest. As the lives of the two women echo and illuminate each other, and each is swept up in her own time by powerful forces, &“this superb novel sets the mountains in motion—shaking up relations between sexes, generations, and rich nations and poor&” (Newsday). &“A gifted storyteller . . . When Mountains Walked subtly questions how much is too much to sacrifice in a relationship.&” —The Wall Street Journal &“This is a book you mention to your friends.&” —Francine Prose, author of Lovers at the Chameleon Club
The Story of the Jewish People: Letters to Auntie Fori
by Martin GilbertA history of Judaism written in letters from historian Martin Gilbert to his acquaintance in India, who wants to learn more about her ancestry. At her ninetieth birthday celebration in New Delhi, &“Auntie Fori&” revealed to her longtime acquaintance, Sir Martin Gilbert, that she was not of Indian birth but actually Hungarian—and Jewish. She did not know what this Jewish identity involved, historically or spiritually, and asked him to enlighten her. In response, Gilbert embarked on the series of letters that have been gathered to form this book, shaping each one as a concise, individually formed story. He presents Jewish history as the narrative expression—the timeline—of the Jewish faith, and the faith as it is informed by the history. In Sir Martin&’s hands, these stories are rich in incident and achievement, starting with Adam and Eve through the Biblical and post-Biblical periods, to the long history of the Jews in the Diaspora, and ending with an unexpected visit to an outpost of Jewry in Anchorage, Alaska. Ranging through almost every country in the world—including China and India—he maintains a chronological structure, weaving in the history of other peoples and faiths, to give Auntie Fori, and us, a sense of the larger stage on which Jewish history has played out. &“Compact, breezy, and thoroughly enjoyable . . . For those, like Auntie Fori, hoping to understand the Jewish past and present, this book is a treasure.&” —Booklist
Needle in a Timestack: And Other Stories
by Robert SilverbergA collection of twenty classic stories from the Science Fiction Grand Master who &“seems capable of amazements beyond those of mere mortals&” (The Washington Post Book World). Needle in a Timestack is Robert Silverberg at his very best—intelligent, inventive, and visionary. This collection showcases his talent for thought-provoking science fiction, ranging in themes from time travel to space travel, the media to mortality. In the titular story—now a feature film by Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley—a jealous ex-husband warps time in a vindictive attempt to destroy his former wife&’s new marriage. Thirty-one identical sons have a shocking surprise for their mother in &“There Was an Old Woman.&” The prophetic &“The Pain Peddlers&” depicts reality TV in a way that allows viewers to revel in a voyeuristic, adrenaline-fueled rush. Also included are Silverberg&’s Hugo Award–winning &“Enter a Soldier. Later: Enter Another,&” and the Locus Award winner &“The Secret Sharer,&” a Joseph Conrad–inspired tale of a ship captain drawn into a strange alliance with a stowaway. The New York Times Book Review hailed Silverberg as &“the John Updike of science fiction.&” The stories in Needle in a Timestack unite us in our humanity, in the face of science, technology, and our own changing culture.