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Northern Farm: A Glorious Year on a Small Maine Farm
by Henry BestonIn the tradition of his well-loved The Outermost House, Henry Beston's Northern Farm captures "the elusive magic of a year on a Kennebee farm...in truly beautiful prose" (Kirkus Reviews). Among the blue-white shadows and graceful curves of freshly fallen snow, the first rains of spring, and the quiet green of an early summer morning, Beston brings the reader into an inescapable alliance with the natural world. He translates the philosophy of the Maine farmer into terms as applicable in Manhattan as on the Kennebee. One of the great classics of American nature writing, Northern Farm is inspiring reading and ranks as one of Beston's most memorable and lyrical works.HENRY BESTON (1888-1968) was the author of many books, including The Outermost House, White Pine and Blue Water, and The St. Lawrence.
God Revised: How Religion Must Evolve in a Scientific Age
by Galen GuengerichOver the past few decades, the ever-expanding scientific knowledge of the universe and the human condition, combined with the evolution from religion-based to personal morality, has led to a mass crisis of faith. Leaders of most Protestant and Catholic religious traditions, which include nearly 80 percent of Americans, have watched their memberships stagnate or dwindle. Over the years, philosophers and scientists have argued that science has in fact "killed" God, and that if we believe the facts science has presented, we must also accept that God is fiction. Others, holding fast to their long-standing doctrines, attempt to justify their beliefs by using God to explain gaps in scientific knowledge. Having left an upbringing in a family of Mennonite preachers to discover his own experience of God, Galen Guengerich understands the modern American struggle to combine modern world views with outdated religious dogma. Drawing upon his own experiences, he proposes that just as humanity has had to evolve its conception of the universe to coincide with new scientific discoveries, we are long overdue in evolving our concept of God. Gone are the days of the magical, supernatural deity in the sky who visits wrath upon those who have not followed his word. Especially in a scientific age, we need an experience of a God we can believe in—an experience that grounds our morality, unites us in community, and engages us with a world that still holds more mystery than answers.
Just Enough Liebling
by A. J. LieblingThe restaurants of the Latin Quarter and the city rooms of midtown Manhattan; the beachhead of Normandy and the boxing gyms of Times Square; the trackside haunts of bookmakers and the shadowy redoubts of Southern politicians--these are the places that A.J. Liebling shows to us in his unforgettable New Yorker articles, brought together here so that a new generation of readers might discover Liebling as if for the first time. Born a hundred years ago, Abbott Joseph "Joe" Liebling was the first of the great New Yorker writers, a colorful and tireless figure who helped set the magazine's urbane style. Today, he is best known as a celebrant of the "sweet science" of boxing or as a "feeder" who ravishes the reader with his descriptions of food and wine. But as David Remnick, a Liebling devotee, suggests in his fond and insightful introduction, Liebling was a writer bounded only by his intelligence, taste, and ardor for life. Like his nemesis William Randolph Hearst, he changed the rules of modern journalism, banishing the distinctions between reporting and storytelling, between news and art. Whatever his role, Liebling is a most companionable figure, and to read the pieces in this grand and generous book is to be swept along on a thrilling adventure in a world of confidence men, rogues, press barons and political cronies, with an inimitable writer as one's guide.
Christmas in the Lone Star State: A Texas Novel of the West
by Jason ManningJason Manning’s authentic take on the American West has earned him legions of fans. Now he’s back with a brand-new Western set in the rough-and-tumble Texas frontier. ’Tis the season. . .A LAWMAN PAST HIS PRIME Texas Ranger Bill Sayles rode scout for Sam Houston when he was no more than fifteen. These days the lawman’s on the wrong side of three score years, and the glory days of the Rangers are on the wane. But Sayles still hits what he aims at and is not a man to cross. Ten days before Christmas in the harsh winter of 1876, Sayles arrives at the state prison in Huntsville to escort prisoner Jake Eddings on a furlough to his hometown, where his ten-year-old son is being laid to rest.A PRISONER PAST ALL HOPEIn a desperate scheme to save his farm, Eddings took part in a stagecoach holdup in which the driver was killed. After serving two years of a fifteen-year sentence, he is already a broken man. Despite the agony of regret, he longs to see his wife and bury his beloved boy. But when Sayles gets wind that the murderous Litchfield brothers are headed in the direction of Eddings’ farm, the Ranger and his prisoner join forces to keep Eddings’ wife from harm—and maybe grab a last shot at redemption.
David Lean: A Biography
by Kevin BrownlowThe life and its biographer provide a landmark work on the cinema. Emerging from a childhood of nearly Dickensian darkness, David Lean found his great success as a director of the appropriately titled Great Expectations.There followed his legendary black-and-white films of the 1940s and his four-film movie collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean's 1955 film Summertime took him from England to the world of international moviemaking and the stunning series of spectacular color epics that would gain for his work twenty-seven Academy Awards and fifty-six Academy Award nominations. All are classics, including The Bridge on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago, and A Passage to India.Kevin Brownlow, a film editor in his own right and author of the seminal silent film trilogy initiated with The Parade's Gone By. . ., brings to Lean's biography an exhaustive knowledge of the art and the industry.One learns about the making of movies as realized by a master, but also of the highly personal costs of genius. The troubled Quaker family from which Lean came influenced his relationship with his son, his brother, and his six wives. Yet he showed in his work a deep understanding of humanity.The vastness of this scholarly and entertaining enterprise is augmented by sixteen pages of scenes from Lean's color films, thirty-two pages from his black-and-white movies, and throughout the text a vast number of photographs from his life and location work.
The Cure
by Jack D. HunterSuppose a cure for cancer was finally discovered, a cure that could save the lives of millions—and render much of today's medical and pharmaceutical industry obsolete? How far would the world's movers and shakers go to control this miraculous panacea—or destroy it?Controversial oncologist Dr. Anson Lunt dies in a suspicious plane crash, just as one of his researchers develops what appears to be a "magic bullet" against all forms of cancer. Before his mangled body is even cold, powerful forces are conspiring to seize control of the top-secret cure, either to reap the potential riches at stake—or else to suppress the discovery entirely. Industrial espionage, blackmail, and murder are only a few of the ruthless strategies employed in the no-holds-barred battle for the Cure.A gripping tale of cutting-edge medicine and international intrigue, The Cure exposes the dark underside of the modern medical establishment.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Land of Decoration: A Novel
by Grace McCleenA mesmerizing debut about a young girl whose steadfast belief and imagination bring everything she once held dear into treacherous balanceIn Grace McCleen's harrowing, powerful debut, she introduces an unforgettable heroine in ten-year-old Judith McPherson, a young believer who sees the world with the clear Eyes of Faith. Persecuted at school for her beliefs and struggling with her distant, devout father at home, young Judith finds solace and connection in a model in miniature of the Promised Land that she has constructed in her room from collected discarded scraps--the Land of Decoration. Where others might see rubbish, Judith sees possibility and divinity in even the strangest traces left behind. As ominous forces disrupt the peace in her and Father's modest lives--a strike threatens her father's factory job, and the taunting at school slips into dangerous territory--Judith makes a miracle in the Land of Decoration that solidifies her blossoming convictions. She is God's chosen instrument. But the heady consequences of her newfound power are difficult to control and may threaten the very foundations of her world. With its intensely taut storytelling and crystalline prose, The Land of Decoration is a gripping, psychologically complex story of good and evil, belonging and isolation, which casts new and startling light on how far we'll go to protect the things we love most.
The Orange Tree
by Carlos FuentesIn the five novellas that comprise The Orange Tree, Carlos Fuentes continues the passionate and imaginative reconstruction of past and present history that has distinguished Terra Nostra and The Campaign. From the story of Columbus's arrival in the Caribbean, to the fate of Hernan Cortes's two sons, to the destruction of the Spanish city of Numantia by the Romans and the annihilation of Hollywood by Acapulco, Fuentues couples the epic grandeur of the spiritual and the historical with the many pleasures of the flesh. "In The OrangeTree," he remarks, "I gather together not only all my most immediate sensual pleasures--I see, touch, peel, bite, swallow--but also the most primordial sensations: my mother, wet nurses, breasts, the sphere, the world, the egg." The result is a sensitive exploration of cultural conflict that is also a feast for the senses.
The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents
by Linda KillianAs our country's politicians engage in bitter partisan battles, focused on protecting their own jobs but not on doing the nation's business, and political pundits shout louder and shriller to improve their ratings, it's no wonder that Americans have little faith in their government. But is America as divided as the politicians and talking heads would have us believe? Do half of Americans stand on the right and the other half on the left with a no-man's-land between them?Hardly. Forty percent of all American voters are Independents who occupy the ample political and ideological space in the center. These Americans are anything but divided, and they're being ignored. These Independents make up the largest voting bloc in the nation and have determined the outcome of every election since World War II. Every year their numbers grow, as does the unconscionable disconnect between them and the officials who are supposed to represent them.The Swing Vote: The Untapped Power of Independents tells the story of how our polarized political system is not only misrepresenting America but failing it. Linda Killian looks beyond the polls and the headlines and talks with the frustrated citizens who are raising the alarm about the acute bi-polarity, special interest-influence, and gridlock in Congress, asking why Obama's postpartisan presidency is anything but, and demanding realism, honest negotiation, and a sense of responsibility from their elected officials.Killian paints a vivid portrait of the swing voters around the country and presents a new model that reveals who they are and what they want from their government and elected officials. She also offers a way forward, including solutions for fixing our broken political system. This is not only a timely shot across the bows of both parties but an impassioned call to Independents to bring America back into balance.
The Power: A Novel
by Frank M. RobinsonThe Power is a science fiction classic from the 1950s. After the book's initial publication, it was produced as a TV special starring Theodore Bikel and later as a George Pal film starring George Hamilton and Suzanne Pleshette. It is the tale of a mutant superman in hiding and the terrifying search to find him.At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Improper Cross-Stitch: 35+ Properly Naughty Patterns
by Haley Pierson-CoxA fun, witty, nerdy, and irreverent craft book for the modern cross-stitcher.Sometimes it's good to be a little...improper. Profane, funny, and smart, Haley Pierson-Cox's IMPROPER CROSS-STITCH invites the modern crafter to bring personality and humor to their cross stitch projects. From a fully designed "Damn it feels good to be a crafter" to the beautiful Art Deco inspired "fuck," Haley's patterns are fresh, lively and just what the crafter ordered.In this book, she'll introduce readers to the joys of stitching the naughty, the profane, the irreverent, and the just plain awesome. First, she starts with a basic lesson in cross-stitch technique, no previous experience required. Then, once readers know your way around an embroidery hoop and a skein of floss, the books moves on to the designs—35 in total, ranging from hip, to nerdy, to ironically domestic—where Haley encourages crafters to embrace their inner snark with gleeful abandon. Her easy to follow instructions and colorful designs can make a cross stitcher out of anyone. In all her years of crafting, Haley's learned many things, but this simple fact remains one of the most important: There is absolutely nothing in this world quite so satisfying as enshrining something deeply inappropriate within the delicate stitches of a cross-stitch sampler. It's truly one of life's great delights!
Valley Fever: A Novel
by Katherine TaylorA razor-sharp, cross-generational tragicomedy set in California's wine-soaked Central Valley.Ingrid Palamede never returns to places she's lived in the past. For her, "whole neighborhoods, whole cities, can be ruined by the reasons you left." But when a breakup leaves her heartbroken and homeless, she's forced to return to her childhood home of Fresno, California. Back in the real wine country, where grapes are grown for mass producers like Gallo and Kendall-Jackson, Ingrid must confront her aging parents and their financial woes, soured friendships, and blissfully bad decisions. But along the way, she rediscovers her love for the land, her talent for harvesting grapes, and a deep fondness and forgiveness for the very first place she ever left. With all the sharp-tongued wit of her first novel, Rules for Saying Goodbye, Katherine Taylor examines high-class, small-town life among the grapes—on the vine or soaked in vodka—in Valley Fever, a blisteringly funny, ferociously intelligent, and deeply moving novel of self-discovery.
The Other 8 Hours: Maximize Your Free Time to Create New Wealth and Purpose
by Robert PagliariniYou sleep (hopefully) for 8 hours. You work (at least) 8 hours. What are you doing in those remaining 8 hours of your day, and more importantly, what are the other 8 hours doing for you? To the bleary-eyed worker who doesn't have time to stop and catch his breath, the idea of having 8 hours may sound absurd. If that's you, this is your wake-up call. THE OTHER 8 HOURS provides a blueprint that will help you carve out more time in your day and find the inspiration to spend that free time in a more productive way. Whether you want to pay off debt, make more money, start a business, develop a hobby, write a blog, or write the next great American novel, Robert Pagliarini will get you closer to living a richer, more fulfilled life. In THE OTHER 8 HOURS, you'll learn how to:- GET MORE TIME: Chances are you are overworked, overscheduled, and overstressed. There's too much to do and not enough time. You can create hours of additional free time you never knew you had.- GET MORE MONEY: Traditional financial advice has likely left you frustrated and stuck. Pagliarini introduces new, highly-effective yet unconventional strategies. - GET A LIFE: In order to "get rich" you have to "get a life." The other 8 hours ultimately determine your happiness and net worth.With anecdotes and inspiration from many who have taken control of their other 8 hours, plus hands-on tools for getting started, minimizing risk, and maximizing success, you'll discover new ways to radically improve your life both personally and financially. Isn't it time to recapture your time and your life?
Under Siege!: Three Children at the Civil War Battle for Vicksburg
by Andrea WarrenMeet Lucy McRae and two other young people, Willie Lord and Frederick Grant, all survivors of the Civil War's Battle for Vicksburg. In 1863, Union troops intend to silence the cannons guarding the Mississippi River at Vicksburg – even if they have to take the city by siege. To hasten surrender, they are shelling Vicksburg night and day. Terrified townspeople, including Lucy and Willie, take shelter in caves – enduring heat, snakes, and near suffocation. On the Union side, twelve-year-old Frederick Grant has come to visit his father, General Ulysses S. Grant, only to find himself in the midst of battle, experiencing firsthand the horrors of war. "Living in a cave under the ground for six weeks . . . I do not think a child could have passed through what I did and have forgotten it." – Lucy McRae, age 10, 1863Period photographs, engravings, and maps extend this dramatic story as award-winning author Andrea Warren re-creates one of the most important Civil War battles through the eyes of ordinary townspeople, officers and enlisted men from both sides, and, above all, three brave children who were there.
Raising a Star: The Parent's Guide to Helping Kids Break into Theater, Film, Television, or Music
by Jacqueline Shannon Nancy CarsonSo your child wants to be a star? But what does it really take? Money? Looks? Tons of time? Not necessarily.Nancy Carson, a children's agent who has worked in the industry for more than twenty-five years and has guided the careers of such celebrities as Britney Spears, Mischa Barton, and even a young Cynthia Nixon, dishes the facts on what it takes to break your child into the entertainment industry. The first parents' guide to getting kids into the business written by one of the industry's top children's agents, Raising a Star is a complete step-by-step guide that will help parents navigate the murky waters of show business. From how to find the right representative to what producers and directors are really looking for in children today, Nancy Carson offers practical advice and anecdotes culled from her years of experience. Raising a Star is the most candid and informative guide for parents who want to help make their child a star.
The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World
by Larry ZuckermanThe Potato tells the story of how a humble vegetable, once regarded as trash food, had as revolutionary an impact on Western history as the railroad or the automobile. Using Ireland, England, France, and the United States as examples, Larry Zuckerman shows how daily life from the 1770s until World War I would have been unrecognizable-perhaps impossible-without the potato, which functioned as fast food, famine insurance, fuel and labor saver, budget stretcher, and bank loan, as well as delicacy. Drawing on personal diaries, contemporaneous newspaper accounts, and other primary sources, this is popular social history at its liveliest and most illuminating.
Deep Sleep
by Charles WilsonThe South Louisiana Sleep Disorders Institute promises to let you live out your dreams in your sleep—to experience them so strongly that afterwards you won't be able to tell the difference between them and real memories. The Institute Director claims to use these lucid dreams only as therapy for her clients. But when one of the clinic's clients and two of its neighbors are murdered, Detective Mark French finds that the institute also has more sinister purposes.
Thanksgiving: The True Story
by Penny ColmanEvery year on the fourth Thursday of November, Americans celebrate with a Thanksgiving meal. But what is the origin of this tradition? Did it really begin when the Pilgrims and Native Americans got together in 1621 in Plymouth,Massachusetts? In her signature narrative nonfiction style, Penny Colman paints a fascinating picture of this cherished American holiday. She examines numerous Thanksgiving claims which were antecedents to the national holiday we celebrate today, raises the turkey question—does everyone eat turkey on Thanksgiving?—and shows Sarah Josepha Hale's instrumental role in establishing the holiday. Get ready to delve into the rich past of Thanksgiving in an enlightening history that uncovers the true story.Thanksgiving is a 2009 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.
Blood and Sand: A Novel
by C. V. WykFORGED IN BATTLE...FROM THE DUST OF THE ARENA...A LEGEND WILL RISEThe action-packed tale of a 17-year-old warrior princess and a handsome gladiator who dared take on the Roman Republic—and gave rise to the legend of Spartacus...For teens who love strong female protagonists in their fantasy and historical fiction, Blood and Sand is a stirring, yet poignant tale of two slaves who dared take on an empire by talented debut author C. V. Wyk.Roma Victrix. The Republic of Rome is on a relentless march to create an empire—an empire built on the backs of the conquered, brought back to Rome as slaves. Attia was once destined to rule as the queen and swordmaiden of Thrace, the greatest warrior kingdom the world had seen since Sparta. Now she is a slave, given to Xanthus, the Champion of Rome, as a sign of his master’s favor. Enslaved as a child, Xanthus is the preeminent gladiator of his generation.Against all odds, Attia and Xanthus form a tentative bond. A bond that will spark a rebellion. A rebellion that threatens to bring the Roman Republic to its end—and gives rise to the legend of Spartacus...At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
The Gallery of Lost Species: A Novel
by Nina BerkhoutEdith grows up in her big sister Vivienne's shadow. While the beautiful Viv is forced by the girls' overbearing mother to compete in child beauty pageants, plain-looking Edith follows in her father's footsteps: collecting oddities, studying coins, and reading from old books. When Viv rebels against her mother's expectations, Edith finds herself torn between a desire to help her sister and pursuing her own love for a boy who might love her sister more than he loves her. When Edith accepts a job at the National Gallery of Canada, she meets an elderly cryptozoologist named Theo who is searching for a bird many believe to be extinct. Navigating her way through Vivienne's dark landscape while trying to win Liam's heart, Edith develops an unlikely friendship with Theo when she realizes they might have more in common than she imagined; they are both trying to retrieve something that may be impossible to bring back to life. Nina Berkhout's The Gallery of Lost Species is about finding solace in unexpected places - in works of art, in people, and in animals that the world has forgotten.
Dear Departed (Bill Slider Mysteries)
by Cynthia Harrod-EaglesIn Detective Inspector Bill Slider's next adventure, Dear Departed, the prolific and masterful Cynthia Harrod-Eagles draws from her great store of wit and warmth. It's Slider's day off and he had hoped to have some quiet time with Joanna, his pregnant fiancée. But a woman's body is found in the park and he finds himself back to work sooner than he expected. At first glance, it looks as though the woman is the latest victim of the "Park Killer." But it doesn't take Slider and his partner Atherton long to establish that someone else was trying to pass the killing off as the handiwork of the notorious serial killer. This murder doesn't fit the pattern; this one was personal. The woman's modest income and outlandish lifestyle don't match up. Turning to the two most popular motives--money and passion--Slider and his team turn up some puzzling anomalies in her life, not the least of which is the number of men she took as lovers and the tangled relationships of her family.The good-hearted and delightfully flawed Slider charms readers into accompanying him down any path, no matter how dangerous.
A Poisoned Mind (Trish Maguire Mysteries)
by Natasha Cooper"I don't know how you've survived at the Bar this long," Anthony said to Trish. "Caring for your clients to the point of derangement is bad enough; but to start fretting over the opposition. . . . "In spite of the barristers' rule that any suitably quali?ed member of the Bar who is free to take an offered case must do so, QC Trish Maguire can't quite understand how her head of chambers, Anthony Shelley, can accept a case defending the corrupt Clean World Waste Management company. So when the brilliant and cynical Anthony is nearly killed in an accident, Trish is faced with a painful dilemma: Does she take over the company's defense, or threaten her hard-won career by refusing to appear in court against Angie Fortwell, the impoverished widow of a hard-working farmer? As Trish delves deeper into the case, she grows more and more troubled by a nagging thought: Was the explosion that killed Angie's husband really an accident, or the result of sabotage? With all this going on at work, the last thing Trish needs is the possibility of explosions at home. Yet she can't simply walk away from Jay, the clever but damaged fourteen-year-old boy who has attached himself to her family---especially when his mother is found beaten and close to death. A brilliant novel of crime and its consequences, A Poisoned Mind demonstrates the full range of Natasha Cooper's emotional intelligence and storytelling powers.
Straphanger: Surviving the End of the Automobile Age
by Taras GrescoeTaras Grescoe rides the rails all over the world and makes an elegant and impassioned case for the imminent end of car culture and the coming transportation revolution"I am proud to call myself a straphanger," writes Taras Grescoe. The perception of public transportation in America is often unflattering—a squalid last resort for those with one too many drunk-driving charges, too poor to afford insurance, or too decrepit to get behind the wheel of a car. Indeed, a century of auto-centric culture and city planning has left most of the country with public transportation that is underfunded, ill maintained, and ill conceived. But as the demand for petroleum is fast outpacing the world's supply, a revolution in transportation is under way. Grescoe explores the ascendance of the straphangers—the growing number of people who rely on public transportation to go about the business of their daily lives. On a journey that takes him around the world—from New York to Moscow, Paris, Copenhagen, Tokyo, Bogotá, Phoenix, Portland, Vancouver, and Philadelphia—Grescoe profiles public transportation here and abroad, highlighting the people and ideas that may help undo the damage that car-centric planning has done to our cities and create convenient, affordable, and sustainable urban transportation—and better city living—for all.
Hunger's Mate (The Shadow Shifters)
by A.C. ArthurHalf man, half animal, a Shadow Shifter must walk the line between predator and prey, hunger and obsession—to capture the woman he loves…A natural born hunter proud of his birthright, Ezra Preston agrees to hide his identity and pretend to be human—to learn what his enemies know of his kind. But even undercover, it's not in his nature to play games with a woman. Especially when he discovers the beautiful creature has been keeping secrets of her own…This is no ordinary woman he's stalking but an alluring and mysterious cat thief—with dangerous secrets of her own…Jewel Jenner has plotted and schemed for months, hiding her knowledge of a top-secret operation to save her ailing father. Captivated by her passion, skill, and courage, Ezra wants to help Jewel on her mission. But when he discovers how far she's gone—sleeping with the enemy to steal a fortune in diamonds—he must decide if he can trust this enthralling woman with his secret…or trust his fiercest instincts when he's near her, in Hunger's Mate by A.C. Arthur"The shifter universe just got sexier…sizzling!"—RT Book Reviews
Temptation Rising (The Shadow Shifters)
by A.C. ArthurHe's one of the most powerfully sexy men she has ever met. He's a jaguar out to claim and protect his mate. Washington D.C. police officer Kalina Harper still dreams about that night, two years ago, when a huge jaguar saved her from a crazed attacker. Although she kept the truth to herself, Kalina can never forget the ferocious strength of the beast's fangs and claws--or the raw animal hunger in its eyes. Until she meets Roman Reynolds... Muscular, magnetic, and all man, Roman is a high-powered attorney with a predatory smile and seductive charm. He is also a criminal suspect with suspicious connections to the Amazon jungle. But when Kalina discovers that Roman is linked to a secret race of shapeshifting jaguars--who hunt down maneaters--she is forced to put her trust in a man who unleashes her wildest fantasies and fears. A fierce creature of the night whose nature is to protect his female at any cost...