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Hard Times: And Other Stories
by Charles DickensCharles Dickens&’s moral tale of utilitarian values run amok The industrial burg of Coketown is dominated by the philosophy of utilitarianism. The mill is the center of commerce. Students in the school are instructed to recite rote facts and figures while repressing any creative instincts. Thomas Gradgrind, the school superintendent, is a strict devotee of practicality and has raised his children, Tom and Louisa, according to this philosophy. It is only Sissy Jupe, a circus girl taken in by the Gradgrinds, who possesses the vision and wonderment to see past the rigid boundaries of cold, hard facts. A paean to the human spirit, Hard Times is among Dickens&’s most cutting works of social commentary. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
The Last Man: Large Print (Xist Classics Ser.)
by Mary ShelleyMary Shelley&’s astounding look at the end of the world Set at the end of the twenty-first century, The Last Man is a moving and fantastical account of the apocalypse. Faced with a populace clamoring for more democratic rule, the last king of England relinquishes his throne. Suddenly a mysterious plague sweeps the globe, drawing ever nearer to England. As war, disease, and death ravage humanity, ideals of fairness and love are quickly supplanted by the imperative of survival. With semibiographical characters drawn from Shelley&’s own inner circle of friends and colleagues, this book is at once a look at the end of mankind and a critique of Romanticism. The Last Man&’s themes of destruction resonate as much now as they did nearly two hundred years ago. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.
At Seventy: A Journal
by May SartonWinner of the American Book Award: May Sarton&’s honest and engrossing journal of her seventieth year, spent living and working on the Maine coast. May Sarton&’s journals are a captivating look at a rich artistic life. In this, her ode to aging, she savors the daily pleasures of tending to her garden, caring for her dogs, and entertaining guests at her beloved Maine home by the sea. Her reminiscences are raw, and her observations are infused with the poetic candor for which Sarton—over the course of her decades-long career—became known. An enlightening glimpse into a time—the early 1980s—and an age, At Seventy is at once specific and universal, providing a unique window into septuagenarian life that readers of all generations will enjoy. At times mournful and at others hopeful, this is a beautiful memoir of the year in which Sarton, looking back on it all, could proclaim, &“I am more myself than I have ever been.&”
High Sorcery
by Andre NortonEncounter telepaths, wizards, and more in these five fantasy stories from the New York Times–bestselling Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master. Warlocks of other worlds—or scientists of times unknown? Craike, a man hunted in two worlds . . . Miss Rutheven, whose needles pointed to secret kingdoms . . . Dagmar, with the fatal fascination of Helen of Troy . . . Ully, whose music touched the powers before mankind . . . Tamisan, the sorceress who found herself the victim of her toy . . . These and others like them inhabit Andre Norton&’s world of High Sorcery, where the primeval desires and fears of man—his loving and loathing—are merged with his dreams of future knowledge and technological power. Those who have enjoyed the alchemy of Norton&’s other mind-bending tales should enjoy these!
The Greater Trumps: A Novel
by Charles WilliamsIn this classic tale of spirituality, morality, and the occult, a dark plot to murder an unsuspecting Englishman who possesses the world&’s rarest tarot deck unleashes uncontrollable elemental forces The original and most mystical of all playing-card decks, the tarot has seduced seekers of otherworldly knowledge for centuries—and of all its cards, the most potent are the twenty-two symbolic images that comprise the Greater Trumps. By a strange twist of fate, the very first tarot deck, dating back centuries, has come into the possession of Lothair Coningsby, a uniquely unimaginative Englishman. Though he has no intention of relinquishing his treasure, there are others who covet the tarot&’s power. Henry Lee, for one—fiancé of Coningsby&’s beautiful daughter, Nancy—is driven by an obligation even deeper than his devotion to his beloved. Henry is of Gipsy blood, and the Romany believe that they alone are the true guardians of the mystical tarot. Invited to spend the holidays at the out-of-the-way home of Aaron Lee, Henry&’s grandfather, the unsuspecting Coningsbys are blind to the chilling conspiracy taking shape around them. For on this stormy Christmas Day, their hosts are preparing to commit foul murder to gain possession of the coveted occult deck, unleashing devastating primal forces that no human could possibly contain. The brilliant fiction of Charles Williams, who was a member of the Inklings alongside fellow Oxfordians C. S. Lewis, J. R. R. Tolkien, and Owen Barfield, is considered to be among the most provocative, imaginative, and intelligent explorations of spirituality and the supernatural produced during the twentieth century. The proof lies in his magnificent classic The Greater Trumps, a many-layered tale of hubris and faith that is arguably one of the greatest mystical thrillers of all time.
Dancing with a Rogue
by Patricia PotterIn award-winning author Patricia Potter&’s sparkling Regency-era romance, an actress and a privateer fall passionately in love, unaware that they&’re both after revenge against the same group of aristocrats Englishman Gabriel Manning has waited more than two decades to avenge his father&’s death. The years he has spent in America seizing British ships haven&’t diminished his hatred or made him forget his blood vow. And when a capricious fate makes him a peer of the realm, he returns to England armed with an ingenious scheme to befriend and destroy three of the most powerful men in London. Everyone in Paris knows her as the radiant actress Monique Fremont. But beneath the costumes and makeup, Merry Anders lives only for revenge. When an important role takes her to London, she has her chance to take down &“the Group.&” But she finds the seductive Marquess of Manchester a distraction. How could she be so irresistibly attracted to her enemies&’ friend? Playing a dangerous game, Merry must decide whether to risk it all for love.
Wheel of Stars
by Andre NortonFew authors have achieved such renown as World Fantasy Life Achievement honoree and Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master Andre Norton. With the love of readers and the praise of critics, Norton&’s books have sold millions of copies worldwide.She can see, but she cannot forestall . . . Gwennan Daggert, caught in an underworld of eternity, of hellish nightmares and beautiful dreams, of time and no time, must now fulfill the destiny she can no longer deny.Tor Lyle, a mysterious man of an ancient family, is a force of evil in an unbreakable cycle of doom. They descend from the here and now into a struggle between good and evil older than Earth. Against an apocalyptic dream of disaster and a battle to save those who will inherit the Earth, these two forces must solve the mysteries of the stars and of eternal fate. Deep within them, they hold the keys that unlock the future, but they must first break the chain of terror and destruction.
Three Poems
by John AshberyA provocative, challenging masterpiece by John Ashbery that set a new standard for the modern prose poem&“The pathos and liveliness of ordinary human communication is poetry to me,&” John Ashbery has said of this controversial work, a collection of three long prose poems originally published in 1972, adding, &“Three Poems tries to stay close to the way we talk and think without expecting what we say to be recorded or remembered.&” The effect of these prose poems is at once deeply familiar and startlingly new, something like encountering a collage made of lines clipped from every page of a beloved book—or, as Ashbery has also said of this work, like flipping through television channels and hearing an unwritten, unscriptable story told through unexpected combinations of voices, settings, and scenes. In Three Poems, Ashbery reframes prose poetry as an experience that invites the reader in through an infinite multitude of doorways, and reveals a common language made uncommonly real.
The Murder of Dr. Chapman: The Legendary Trials of Lucretia Chapman and Her Lover
by Linda WolfeIn this &“first-rate blending of true-crime, character-study and history&” a 19th-century love con leads to murder and a sensational double trial (Susan Isaacs, New York Times–bestselling author of Compromising Positions). In 1831 Lucretia Winslow Chapman was a wife and mother of five who had founded one of Philadelphia&’s first boarding schools for girls. But her comfortable life and marriage to prominent local scientist William Chapman changed forever the night Lino Espos y Mina appeared at their door, requesting lodging. It wasn&’t long before the Cuban con artist had entrenched himself in the Chapman home and begun an illicit affair with Lucretia. A little over a month later, William Chapman was dead from a lethal dose of poison. Lino and Lucretia were eventually arrested and charged with murder—and the double trial of the century began. Wolfe skillfully weaves court transcripts, love letters, and period recollections into an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller about the crime that rocked pre–Civil War America. With its shocking verdicts that raised troubling questions about sexism and racism, this mesmerizing true-crime tale still resonates nearly two hundred years later.
Memories of the Great & the Good
by Alistair CookeAlistair Cooke knew, met, interviewed, or reported on many of the most influential men and women of the twentieth century and in this collection profiles the twenty-three he considered the most remarkable In his career of more than fifty years broadcasting the BBC radio program Letter from America and as the US correspondent for the Guardian for more than twenty-five years, Alistair Cooke met and mixed with many famous people. In Memories of the Great & the Good he shares his portraits of the men and women that he felt made the world a better, more stimulating place. We read about Franklin D. Roosevelt&’s maintenance of his public image by means of a gentleman&’s agreement with the press and Lyndon Johnson&’s masterful backroom dealings. &“Eisenhower at Gettysburg&” reveals a conversation between Cooke and the president, touching on everything from their mutual love of golf to what it was like to grow up in a small Kansas farming town at the turn of the twentieth century. Literary figures including P. G. Wodehouse, Erma Bombeck, and George Bernard Shaw are succinctly sketched. And, in the final pair of essays, Cooke pays moving tribute to two of the men he admired the most: Winston Churchill and golfing legend Bobby Jones.
Starfinder: Starcatcher, Starfinder, And Star Keeper (The Scottish Star Series #2)
by Patricia PotterThis passionate historical romance featuring the second generation of the Sutherland family sweeps from the Scottish Highlands to colonial Maryland, where a struggling young woman makes a desperate bargain with a freedom fighter Minutes before being hanged for treason against the British crown, Ian Sutherland is suddenly spared . . . only to end up in chains again, this time in the hold of a ship bound for the colonies. In America, he becomes the indentured servant of a prosperous Maryland farm owner. But the noble freedom fighter vows to one day escape his servitude and sail back across the sea to his clan. Then he meets Fancy Marsh. John Marsh rescued Fancy and her half sister Fortune from a terrible fate. Now Fancy shares a good life with her husband, their two children, and an ever-increasing menagerie of pets. But when John dies, Fancy is left at the mercy of his cruel, covetous brother. In desperation, she turns to her rugged, enigmatic bond servant to help her protect her name and legacy. Although Ian agrees to her risky plan, Fancy knows that his heart longs for Scotland. But their dangerous charade soon flames into irresistible passion and the one thing they never expected: a love that can prevail over their most treacherous enemies and the winds of fortune.Starfinder is the 2nd book in the Scottish Star Series, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Wanted: Diablo, Defiant, And Wanted
by Patricia PotterA Western beauty&’s only hope of saving her brother from the gallows is to seduce the heartless Texas ranger who has sworn to bring him to justice Three months ago, Morgan Davis went from hunter to hunted. The Texas ranger has devoted his life to carrying out justice, but when he sees his face on a Wanted poster, he knows the price on his head will have every bounty hunter in the West gunning for him. The only way to survive is to clear his name by bringing in the real killer. And he intends to take Nicholas Braden alive. But Morgan didn&’t reckon on Braden&’s sister. The golden-eyed beauty is a crack shot—and a match for any man. Lori Braden will do anything to save her brother from the hangman&’s noose. Their hard-luck life on the road in a traveling medicine show taught her how few people can be trusted. Who is this man Morgan Davis, who bears a resemblance to her brother? Just another corrupt lawman? An enemy she wouldn&’t hesitate to kill in spite of the passion raging between them? All she knows about this seductive stranger is that he seems determined to keep her out of the crossfire—until secrets from the past threaten each of their futures.
Tourists
by Lisa GoldsteinIn a city whose streets are nameless, a scholar searches for an ancient sword The manuscript is more than one thousand years old. Written in a forgotten tongue of the Near East, it gives directions to a place across the desert where the mythic Jewel King hid his famous sword. When Dr. Mitchell Parmenter discovers the sheaf of faded pages, he knows that if it is authentic, it is one of the greatest anthropological finds of the century. For the sake of his research, he uproots his family and moves them to Amaz—an ancient land whose mysteries are as endless as the desert itself. An earthquake struck Amaz some years back, and the city&’s nameless streets still seem to move in the night. As Parmenter delves into the story of this fabulous relic, his family uncovers other mysteries, exploring Amaz in search of answers to questions no traveler was meant to ask.
My Lord Murderer
by Elizabeth MansfieldIn this enthralling Regency romance by award-winning author Elizabeth Mansfield, a young woman vows not to fall in love with the nobleman who killed her husband A dashing stranger sweeps Lady Gwendolyn Rowle onto the dance floor. She is living every woman&’s fantasy until she discovers who her romantic waltz partner really is: Viscount Andrew Jamison—the man who killed her husband. From the moment he saw her glide into the ballroom, Drew was captivated by the ravishing beauty. Finding out she is the widow of the blackguard he killed in a duel puts something of a damper on the evening, especially with all of London calling him a cold-blooded villain. To quiet the gossip, Drew devises an ingenious scheme. The only person standing in his way is the lovely Gwen, who has no intention of marrying her husband&’s murderer. But then she does something far more dangerous: She falls in love with him.
Inner Landscape: Poems
by May SartonA strong-willed and emotional collection hidden under a well-groomed landscape of words With her debut collection of poems, Encounter in April, May Sarton made an incredible splash in the world of poetry. Her work is impossible to imitate: a mix of stately verse and depth of emotion that lurks beneath every line, creating a tantalizing, magnetically charged distance between reader and poet. With Inner Landscape, Sarton beckons us forth while eluding easy understanding, in a volume that brilliantly walks the line between enticing and satisfying.
Hatfield and McCoy
by Heather GrahamA psychic who connects with crime victims and a jaded FBI agent are unlikely partners as they team up to take down a serial kidnapper . . . After narrowly avoiding a head-on collision the first time they meet, Julie Hatfield and Robert McCoy pray they never have to lay eyes on each other again. Not going to happen. The psychic and the FBI agent have just been named official partners in finding a missing child—the third in a string of abductions that cross state lines. Haunted by a shattering crime in his past, McCoy is skeptical of Hatfield&’s special gifts—until she starts reliving the crime through the eyes of the eight-year-old girl. But it&’s only the beginning. Because someone is targeting Hatfield . . . someone who knows everything about her, and not even McCoy will be able to protect the strangely compelling woman who is making him believe in love again.This ebook features an illustrated biography of Heather Graham, including rare photos from the author&’s personal collection.
The Scotsman Wore Spurs (The American/Scottish Novels #2)
by Patricia PotterAn American beauty on a mission of vengeance and a Scottish nobleman who has turned his back on his past come together in this passionate historical romance by award-winning author Patricia Potter Andrew Cameron, the landless, penniless Earl of Kinloch, came to America to make a new life far from painful memories of his native Scotland. But in a raucous saloon in a no-name Texas town, he overhears a murder plot. Unable to let an innocent man die, he foils the plan. Now he&’s on a cattle drive overseeing a crew of ragtag hired hands, including an intriguing lad who can barely shoot or properly sit on a horse. Then Drew discovers why. Gabrielle Parker lives for one thing only: to bring her father&’s killer to justice. After cutting off her hair and disguising herself as a boy, the actress prepares for the role of a lifetime. When her handsome new boss discovers who she really is, she has no choice but to fall on his mercy. Could the long, lean Scotsman be the hired gun she&’s searching for? Or is he a man she can trust with her heart—and her life?The Scotsman Wore Spurs is the 2nd book in the American/Scottish Novels, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.
Moon Called
by Andre NortonFew authors have achieved such renown as World Fantasy Life Achievement honoree and Science Fiction Writers of America Grand Master Andre Norton. With the love of readers and the praise of critics, Norton&’s books have sold millions of copies worldwide.Thora is the Chosen One. Pressed against her breast is the sacred jewel, possessing all the powers of the Moon. Makil is the Man of Pure Light, from the valley of enchantment and the swaying, sensual dance. In the golden scabbard at his side is the magical Sword of Lur.Together they descend into an underground world of soulless machines and eternal night. High Priestess and Warrior, Jewel and Sword, they must join in blood and battle against the Dark Lord. To fail would mean the Holy Force would fail, and Thora and Makil would forever be entombed in the flesh of evil.
The Stone Witch of Florence: A Novel
by Anna Rasche"A twisty, historical witchy escape." --Entertainment WeeklyA woman's secret. A deadly Plague. Unleash the hidden magic…1348. As the Black Plague ravages Italy, Ginevra di Gasparo is summoned to Florence after nearly a decade of lonely exile. Ginevra has a gift—harnessing the hidden powers of gemstones, she can heal the sick. But when word spread of her unusual abilities, she was condemned as a witch and banished. Now the same men who expelled Ginevra are begging for her return.Ginevra obliges, assuming the city&’s leaders are finally ready to accept her unorthodox cures amid a pandemic. But upon arrival, she is tasked with a much different mission: she must use her collection of jewels to track down a ruthless thief who is ransacking Florence&’s churches for priceless relics—the city&’s only hope for protection. If she succeeds, she&’ll be a recognized physician and never accused of witchcraft again.But as her investigation progresses, Ginevra discovers she&’s merely a pawn in a much larger scheme than the one she&’s been hired to solve. And the dangerous men behind this conspiracy won&’t think twice about killing a stone witch to get what they want…
A Family By Christmas: A Heartfelt Holiday Romance
by Brenda NovakRediscover a heartfelt holiday romance from New York Times bestselling author Brenda Novak. Previously published as We Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.After facing the difficult reality of her marriage, Jaclyn Wentworth leaves her cheating ex-husband and settles in Reno with her three children. Struggling with her new beginning, Jaclyn runs into Cole Perrini, former high school bad boy, now successful in his business and also kind enough to give her a job in his company. Cole is opposite to Jaclyn&’s ex-husband in every way, but working closely together during the charming Christmas season makes Jaclyn realize this might be exactly what her family needs.As the attraction between them grows, Cole and Jaclyn struggle to keep their relationship professional. Will both open their hearts to this second chance and finally choose each other?Previously published.
'Til Morning Light (The Gracelin O'Malley Trilogy #3)
by Ann MooreAn Irish mother faces her destiny in California as the acclaimed trilogy comes to an end—&“a vibrant picture of American history in the mid-19th century&” (Historical Novel Society). With her two children, Gracelin O&’Malley travels to post–Gold Rush San Francisco to meet the sea captain who has proposed marriage to her. But when she arrives, he is nowhere to be found. Destitute in a city filled with gangs, disillusioned soldiers, and professional gamblers, Grace takes a position as a cook for one of the city&’s most prominent doctors—only to become caught up in a tangled web of blackmail and betrayal. Determined to make a secure life for her children and find her brother, Sean, Gracelin sets in motion a series of events that change the future of everyone around her, never dreaming that the man she thought she&’d lost forever is still alive and determined to find his way back to her. Dickensian in scope, with a full cast of riveting characters, Ann Moore&’s &’Til Morning Light is the stunning conclusion to the enthralling story of Gracelin O&’Malley, a heroine for the ages.
The Fifth Kiss
by Elizabeth MansfieldAward-winning author Elizabeth Mansfield presents the captivating tale of a fiercely independent woman who learns a shocking secret that leads to a startling lesson in love Olivia Matthews may be unversed in the ways of love, but her eyes don&’t deceive her. Her sister&’s husband, Miles Strickland, seventh Earl of Langley, is a scoundrel. Olivia just caught him in the arms of another woman. When she dares to confront him, the blackguard has the gall to accuse her of blackmail. Determined to expose his unfaithfulness, Olivia leaves London to visit her sister in the English countryside, where her world is overturned. Suddenly she is trying to rein in her rambunctious niece and nephew, fending off the amorous attentions of two suitors . . . and falling in love with the very nobleman she had vowed to hate forever.
The White Hart (The Book of Isle #1)
by Nancy SpringerAn epic adventure awaits in the first novel of this classic fantasy series perfect for fans of J. R. R. Tolkien from an author who &“writes like a dream&” (St. Louis Post-Dispatch). Welcome to Isle, a land of fantasy that existed long before there were such things. Surrounded by vast oceans and dotted with thick forests, Isle was a land in which all beings lived together. There were gods and ghosts dwelling with the Old Ones, the wise ancient ancestors. During this period, the Book of Suns began its life, though little was known about its contents. The mighty marriage between Sun and Moon begins an adventure never seen before.
Hostages to Fortune: A Novel
by William HumphreyA father bravely confronts an unthinkable tragedyin William Humphrey&’s most heart-wrenching novel. In the aftermath of his son&’s suicide, Ben Curtis returns to the upstate New York fishing lodge that holds some of his happiest memories. It has been two years since his last visit, and Ben—thirty pounds lighter, his dark hair turned white—is barely recognizable to people who have fished alongside him for twenty summers. For the first time in all those years, he has made the trip alone. Over the course of the weekend, as Ben tramps through the forest and relearns the secrets of catching trout, he recalls the joys of the past and reckons with the grim reality of the present. Anthony, a Princeton freshman who inherited his father&’s love of the outdoors, is gone. So too is the man he was named after: Tony Thayer, Ben&’s best friend and former fishing companion. And Ben has no idea where his wife, Cathy, might be. In the wake of Anthony&’s death, their already-strained marriage fell apart. Where does a man turn when everything he put his faith in—friends, family, love—is destroyed? In the exhilaration of fly casting into an icy mountain stream, Ben hopes to find the answer. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as &“a desperate, impressive, astonishing book,&” Hostages to Fortune is a profound and deeply moving meditation on the art of survival. This ebook features an illustrated biography of William Humphrey including rare photos form the author&’s estate.
The House by the Sea: A Journal
by May SartonThe author and poet&’s graceful elegy about life, love, work, and growing older: &“The most moving and the most thoughtful [of her] journal-memoirs&” (The Plain Dealer, Cleveland). When May Sarton uprooted her life after fifteen years in the refurbished New Hampshire house with the garden she tended so lovingly, she relied solely on instinct. And something told her it was time to move on. Accompanied by her wild cat, Bramble, and Tamas, a Shetland shepherd puppy—the first dog she ever owned—Sarton embarked on the next chapter of her life. The house she chose by the sea in the Maine village of York is completely isolated except during the summer months. Surrounded by nothing but endless ocean, woods, and vast skies, Sarton experiences a rare sense of peace. She creates a new garden and fears that in this tranquil state, she may never write again. But in her solitude—with its occasional interruptions for trips away and visits from friends—she realizes that creativity is constantly renewing itself. This journal offers fascinating insight into a remarkable woman and the work and friendships that form the twin pillars of her life. This ebook features an extended biography of May Sarton.