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From Booklist

Downscale private dick Harry Rigby starts tossing out wisecracks like lit packets of firecrackers on page one of this Irish crime story, and he doesn't let up until the last sordid plot strand is singed into submission. In both the dialogue and first-person narration, Rigby resembles the gin-soaked love child of Rosalind Russell and William Powell--except he smokes pot instead of swilling martinis. Rigby's incessant linguistic pyrotechnics might seem like obnoxious overkill to some. But readers who roll with the patter--"I wanted to ask how come blondes never got around to dyeing their eyebrows but her eyes were closed and the gash in her throat ran six inches east to west"--will find it driving the story forward at a thrilling pace. That's a good thing, as the plot's a convoluted mess of bitter backstabbing among stock ne'er-do-wells sniffing after an illicit drug concession. But Rigby is a winning protagonist, and the underlying struggle with his memorably sociopathic brother, Gonzo, helps make this a wild ride worth taking. Frank Sennett
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

'I have seen the future of Irish crime fiction and it's called Declan Burke. Here is talent writ large - mesmerizing, literate, smart and gripping. If there is such an animal as the literary crime novel, then this is it. But as a compelling crime novel, it is so far ahead of anything being produced, that at last my hopes for crime fiction are renewed. I can't wait to read his next novel.' Ken Bruen, author of London Boulevard and The Killing of the Tinkers

SUMMARY: Hagakure ("In the Shadow of Leaves"') is a manual for the samurai classes consisting of a series of short anecdotes and reflections that give both insight and instruction-in the philosophy and code of behavior that foster the true spirit of Bushido-the Way of the Warrior. It is not a book of philosophy as most would understand the word: it is a collection of thoughts and sayings recorded over a period of seven years, and as such covers a wide variety of subjects, often in no particular sequence. The work represents an attitude far removed from our modern pragmatism and materialism, and posesses an intuitive rather than rational appeal in its assertion that Bushido is a Way of Dying, and that only a samurai retainer prepared and willing to die at any moment can be totally true to his lord. While Hagakure was for many years a secret text known only to the warrior vassals of the Hizen fief to which the author belonged, it later came to be recognized as a classic exposition of samurai thought and came to influence many subsequent generations, including Yukio Mishima. This translation offers 300 selections that constitute the core texts of the 1,300 present in the original.

Review

Starred Review, Kirkus Reviews, October 1, 2011:
"Pierce has long been lauded for her kickass heroines, and in Beka she has created her most compelling, complicated character...[T]his novel provides both crackerjack storytelling and an endearingly complex protagonist."

From the Hardcover edition.

Product Description

The Legend of Beka Cooper gives Tamora Pierce's fans exactly what they want—a smart and savvy heroine making a name for herself on the mean streets of Tortall's Lower City—while offering plenty of appeal for new readers as well.

From the Hardcover edition.

SUMMARY: My Head Was Forced Under And I Swallowed A Mouthful Of Freezing River. I Kicked Back To The Surface, Forcing Myself To Breathe In Through My Nose, Only To Choke As I Inhaled Yet More Water. I Let Go Of Her. We Each Had To Fight Our Own Battle Now. She Looked At Me, Her Eyes The Size Of Saucers As She Realised What I Had Done. That Wasn T My Problem; It Would Only Become One If I Couldn T Get Her Body Out Of The Water And They Found Out Who She Was.Nick Stone, Ex-Sas, Now A K Working For British Intelligence On Deniable Operations, Is Tough, Resourceful, Ruthless, Highly Trained - A Master Of His Trade.Sarah Is Beautiful, Steel Willed, Intelligent, Cunning - The Only Woman That Stone Has Ever Let Under His Guard. And Now He S Been Sent To Hunt Her Down ... As The Pair Are Pursued Through The Backwoods Of The American South, Stone S Mission Becomes A Journey To The Heart Of A Dark And Deadly Conspiracy To Which Only Sarah Holds The Key. And As The Tension Builds To Breaking Point, The Two Are Led To A Confrontation That Echoes Our Worst Nightmares.

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Depuis qu'elle a découvert par inadvertance un vaste système de corruption dans le BTP en région bordelaise, la jeune et intrépide banquière Valérie Lataste connaît un enfer. Le "beau Moran", promoteur véreux et cynique au centre du système, a des protecteurs dans les plus hautes sphères de la police, et jusque dans les allées du pouvoir à Paris. Ce ne sont bien sûr pas ces gens-là qui traquent Valérie pour essayer de lui soutirer le CD compromettant qu'elle a réalisé avec des données bancaires accablantes. Des sous-traitants s'en chargent: hommes de main, policiers corrompus, et même magistrats à la solde de leurs maîtres chanteurs ! Détective amateur devenue suspecte, Valérie est interpellée, mise en examen et écrouée à la suite d'une machination, alors que les sous-traitants, redoutablement efficaces, se chargent des témoins gênants. Valérie échappera-t-elle à leurs griffes ? Bensoussan, le flic réglo qui découvre l'ampleur du complot et la duplicité de certains de ses hommes, aura-t-il le courage d'intervenir, au risque d'y laisser des plumes ? Et Hugo soutiendra-t-il jusqu'au bout sa belle Valérie, lui qui est si attaché à sa réputation de magistrat au-dessus de tout soupçon ?

Amazon.com Review

Anyone who loves the humorous but hair-raising horror in R.L. Stine's Goosebumps series will devour British author Darren Shan's first novel with equal zeal. Some books are born with a surrounding buzz; this one even has Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling's stamp of approval: "Fast-paced and compelling, full of satisfying macabre touches," she writes. Warner Brothers will be making it into a movie, and the rest of the series is already in the works. Given all that, you'd expect a tour de force! Really, though, Cirque Du Freak is a thrill ride that will keep even the most reluctant readers turning pages, but will never take its place in the literary canon.

Darren Shan, author and narrator, sets the book up as a true story, warning readers: "Real life's nasty. It's cruel.... Evil often wins." Indeed, evil begins to win when Darren and his buddies find a flier for "Cirque Du Freak," a traveling freak show promising performances by the snake-boy, the wolf-man, and Larten Crepsley and his giant spider, Madame Octa. Darren and his friend Steve wouldn't miss it for the world.

So, Saturday night they sneak out to the old theater, tall and dark, with broken windows. "Every act you see tonight is real," croaks Mr. Tall. "Each performer is unique. And none are harmless." That's for sure. (A werewolf bites off the hand of someone in the audience, for instance.) Things grow very serious for the two boys when Steve not only recognizes Mr. Crepsley as a famous vampire, but professes his true desire to join him! To make matters worse, the spider-obsessed Darren goes back to the old theater to steal Madame Octa so he can teach her tricks in his room. (He does, with mixed results.) The plot further coagulates as Darren is faced with some terrible decisions about what to do to save his bloodthirsty friend Steve.

Readers may be too enthralled to notice some clumsy editing (the aforementioned bitten-off hand is later referred to as an arm, Darren stops dead in his tracks when he's already stopped, etc.). They may also not notice that the boys constantly use adult-sounding expressions like "his breath stank to the high heavens," though the book is clearly set in the 21st century. If this book gets under your kids' skin (and it probably will), they're in luck--we haven't heard the last of the Saga of Darren Shan. (Ages 10 and older, not for the faint of heart) --Karin Snelson

From Publishers Weekly

A boy sneaks out to an illicit freak show, and his life becomes entangled with a vampire spider-wrangler. "The author mines the exploitative history of early 20th-century sideshows to create an artfully macabre 'Cirque du Freak,' " wrote PW. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Elbryan kiképzése véget ért. Kószaként hagyja el az elfek völgyét, hogy visszatérjen az emberek rég nem látott világába. A szíve visszahúzza gyermekkora vidékére, ahol új barátokra és új ellenségekre lel. Pony vándorlásai során találkozik egy megszállott szerzetessel, aki a sötétség eljövetelét hirdeti. Együtt folytatják útjukat észak felé, nem sejtvén, hogy a titokzatos Igazság Testvér a nyomukban jár. A démon-daktilusz hatalma egyre nő: az Aida völgyében vérszomjas szörnysereg gyülekezik, hogy a démon egyetlen szavára meginduljon a végső, mindent elsöprő támadás.

SUMMARY: De tweeling Sietse en Hielke krijgt een afgedankte boot die ze Kameleon noemen. Daarmee beleven ze vele avonturen. Vanaf ca. 9 jaar.

Оживял сякаш от съня й, той е изхвърлен на брега в една бурна нощ. Мъжът твърди, че името му е Рейф и че е изпратен да я спаси. Съвсем сама във фамилното имение на безлюдния остров Дженевив се пита дали Рейф не е причина за надвисналата смътна заплаха?

Книга Олександра Боргардта "Дві культури" є спробою (можливо, й першою) зіставити та порівняти дві культури: "вєлікую русскую" та "провінційну і занедбану" українську. Хоч остаточне порівняння і не завжди виходить на користь "вєлікой", так би мовити, за визначенням. О. Боргардт не притягав до розгляду матеріалу ні марксизму, ні навіть фрейдизму та структуралізму, обмежуючись незаперечними фактами, як і тим, що можна з них отримати шляхом логічного аналізу. В гострій публіцистичній манері, притаманній саме О. Боргардту, все зветься власними іменами, без звичних для кінця ХХ ст. евфемізмів, коли звичайний геноцид перехрещується на якусь "етнічну чистку". Сподіваємось, що ця книга не залишить байдужим жодного читача в Україні, і не тільки.

Réveillés en pleine nuit par un bruit de corne de brume, pour le moins inattendu à 1150 mètres d'altitude au cœur de l'Ardèche, Gilles Novak et ses compagnons du Commando Alpha assistaient, bouche bée, à un spectacle effarant. A travers une épaisse purée de pois agitée par un vent furieux, un long transatlantique voguait sur une mer invisible en faisant mugir sa sirène. Cette apparition, point d'orgue d'une singulière série de phénomènes stupéfiants, allait entraîner les Chevaliers de Lumière vers le fabuleux royaume du « Vieux Pays », aux confins de l'histoire de l'humanité.

From Booklist

This heady mix of ghost story and mystery, drenched in the languid, humid atmosphere of a small Louisiana town, should appeal to the core audience of the Twilight series: adolescent girls who like a little sexiness in their ghostly pursuers. Ennui can get people into all sorts of trouble, and the kind of blank summer days staring down 14-year-old Iris and her friends lead them to casting spells in the town cemetery. A masculine whisper in Iris’ ear shoots them into true ghost-hunting, with a Ouija board indicating that the whisperer belongs to the town’s only mystery, a 17-year-old boy who disappeared almost 20 years ago. Mitchell skillfully segues from gothic romance to prosaic mystery as the friends examine microfiche records and question the boy’s relatives and friends. As the ghost becomes increasingly insistent that his mystery be solved, Iris discovers unnerving connections to her own family. Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending. Grades 8-12. --Connie Fletcher

Review

Saundra Mitchell respects her youthful readers, and comprehends the complexities of their time of life. This spectral story is insightful and eloquent; the ache of youth is remarkably rendered. --Hellnotes

Good ghost stories are, like ghosts, a little thin on the ground in these times, and readers will be pleased to find this atmospheric reaffirmation of a good haunting. --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Shadowed Summer is beautiful and haunting- filled with love and lies, secrets and betrayal, that play out flawlessly in a novel you will never forget. It is the best Southern Gothic I've read in years." --Kami Garcia, New York Times Bestselling Author of Beautiful Creatures

"This heady mix of ghost story and mystery...should appeal to the core audience of the Twilight series: adolescent girls who like a little sexiness in their ghostly pursuers. . . Highly atmospheric, with pulse-pounding suspense and an elegiac ending." ---Booklist

SUMMARY: 'The whites want war and we will give it to them.' Sitting Bull * This is the archetypal story of the American West. Whether it is cast as a tale of unmatched bravery in the face of impossible odds or of insane arrogance receiving its rightful comeuppance, Custer's Last Stand continues to captivate the imagination. * Nathaniel Philbrick brilliantly reconstructs the build-up to the Battle of the Little Big Horn through to the final eruption of violence. Two legendary figures dominate the events: George Armstrong Custer and Sitting Bull. No longer the fresh-faced 'Boy-General' of the Civil War, Custer was now mired in financial, professional and political problems. A clear and just cause had been replaced by ambiguity and frustration u by ill-fated efforts at peace treaties, treachery and compromises on both sides. * Forced to take to the plains to feed themselves, and increasingly outraged by the government's policies towards them, the Sioux and Cheyenne became infused with a new sense of collective identity and purpose. Between six and eight thousand people came together in the largest ever gathering of Native Americans. If the government should be foolish enough to pursue them, they would stand and fight. Sitting Bull was in his mid-forties, His charisma and political savvy had enabled him to emerge as their leader. A vision he received during a Sun Dance u of soldiers falling from the sky u was widely understood to presage a great victory. * Nathaniel Philbrick brings vividly to life all those involved u from the Oglala Sioux warrior Crazy Horse and Major Marcus Reno who led the first attack, to Libby Custer waiting with the other army wives at Fort Lincoln. He evokes too the history, geography and haunting beauty of the Great Plains and provides the finest account to date of what happened there u and why u at the end of June 1876.

Wie wir die Grenzen unseres Denkens überwinden und das erreichen, was bislang unmöglich schien Wir stoßen im Leben immer wieder auf Hindernisse und Probleme, auf die wir häufig wie gelähmt reagieren. Dr. Mario Alonso Puig zeigt, dass es unser eigener Verstand ist, der uns in unseren Möglichkeiten beschränkt. Doch sobald wir die Grenzen unseres Denkens überwinden, können wir das erreichen, was bislang unmöglich schien. Sei es im privaten Umfeld, in der Beziehung zum Partner oder bei beruflichen Veränderungen– wer sein wahres Ich entdeckt, gewinnt ein neues, glücklicheres Leben.

EDITORIAL REVIEW: Readers haven't seen anything yet-new in the "fabulously imagined series" (*Publishers Weekly*) from the #1 *New York Times* bestselling author. Anita Blake is about to face the challenge of her life. Into her world-a world already overflowing with power-have come creatures so feared that powerful, centuries-old vampires refuse to mention their names. It is forbidden to speak of The Harlequin unless you've been contacted. And to be contacted by The Harlequin is to be under sentence of death. Long-time rivals for Anita's affections, Jean-Claude, Master Vampire of the City, and Richard, alpha-werewolf, will need to become allies. Shapeshifters Nathaniel and Micah will have to step up their support. And then there's Edward. In this situation, Anita knows that she needs to call the one man who has always been there for her...