Popular books

Michael Ondaatje

The English Patient

<h3>Amazon.com Review</h3><p>Haunting and harrowing, as beautiful as it is disturbing, <em>The English Patient</em> tells the story of the entanglement of four damaged lives in an Italian monastery as World War II ends. The exhausted nurse, Hana; the maimed thief, Caravaggio; the wary sapper, Kip: each is haunted by the riddle of the English patient, the nameless, burn victim who lies in an upstairs room and whose memories of passion, betrayal, and rescue illuminate this book like flashes of heat lightning. In lyrical prose informed by a poetic consciousness, Michael Ondaatje weaves these characters together, pulls them tight, then unravels the threads with unsettling acumen. </p><p>A book that binds readers of great literature, <em>The English Patient</em> garnered the Booker Prize for author Ondaatje. The poet and novelist has also written <em>In the Skin of a Lion</em>, <em>Coming Through Slaughter</em> and <em>The Collected Works of Billy the Kid</em>; two collections of poems, <em>The Cinnamon Peeler</em> and <em>There's a Trick with a Knife I'm Learning to Do</em>; and a memoir, <em>Running in the Family</em>. </p><h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Canadian author Ondaatje offers a poetic novel set in a desolate Italian villa in the final days of WWII--a one-week PW bestseller--and an evocative account of a visit with his family in Sri Lanka. <br />Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><

Flannery Oconnor

Everything that rises must converge

SUMMARY: Flannery O'Connor was working onEverything That Rises Must Convergeat the time of her death. This collection is an exquisite legacy from a genius of the American short story, in which she scrutinizes territory familiar to her readers: race, faith, and morality. The stories encompass the comic and the tragic, the beautiful and the grotesque; each carries her highly individual stamp and could have been written by no one else.<

Anne Osterlund

Exile

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Robert Olmstead

Far Bright Star

<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. In his seventh novel, Olmstead (<em>Coal Black Horse</em>) delivers another richly characterized, tightly woven story of nature, inevitability and the human condition. In 1916, the aging Napoleon Childs assembles a cavalry to search for the elusive bandit Pancho Villa in Mexico. The ragtag group includes Napoleon's brother, Xenophon, and America's eager export of losers, deadbeats, cutthroats, dilettantes, and murderers. Riding on horseback for months at a time, Napoleon finds himself and his men always just a few hours behind Villa, whose posse navigates the unforgiving terrain with ease. When a band of marauders descend upon the group, many of Napoleon's men are brutally slaughtered and Napoleon himself is left beaten and emotionally broken. After the attack, Napoleon proclaims to his brother that the person he was died out there. But this revelation doesn't last long, and soon Napoleon sets out on yet another date with destiny on the open plains with his followers. Reminiscent of Kent Haruf, Olmstead's brilliantly expressive, condensed tale of resilience and dusty determination flows with the kind of literary cadence few writers have mastered. <em>(May)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From Bookmarks Magazine</h3><p>Described by the <em>Dallas Morning News</em> as a "thinking-reader's western," Olmstead's latest novel, which features some characters from <em>Coal Black Horse</em>, is not for the faint of heart. Still, critics were riveted by this gruesome, bloodcurdling, and thoroughly masculine book, where women are virtually nonexistent and war is a constant, prevailing theme. Critics hailed <em>Far Bright Star</em> as a tightly woven tale with terse, dispassionate prose, characteristics that may also be used to describe the laconic Napoleon. Reviewers also compared Olmstead favorably to acclaimed novelist Cormac McCarthy (<em>The Road</em>). Only the <em>Oregonian</em> felt that the novel was "over-written" and "congested" in parts. But overall, <em>Far Bright Star</em> is a masterful, mesmerizing portrait of one man facing oblivion. </p><

Lorie Oclare

Feel the Heat

<p>Brave, brawny, and ready for action, these firefighters know how to set their women ablaze...<P><B>"Fight Fire with Fire" by Lorie O'Clare</B><P>Mary Hamilton has had a crush on Nate Armstrong since they were kids. But she's told herself to get over it-as a firefighter Nate is in mortal danger every day. But when their friend and Nate's fellow firefighter dies young in a suspicious house fire, Mary decides life is too short to let cold fear beat out hot desire.<p><B> "Heat Wave" by P.J. Mellor</B><P>Summer Wadsworth is dangerously close to overheating. Her house has burned down, and Thorne Paxton, the firefighter who rescues her from the flames, is blazing hot. She's ready to call him in for a little off-duty fun. But "duty" has a nasty way of following him home. And with a man like Thorne, the pleasure can't hide how easy it is to get burned...<P><B> "Smoldering Lust" by Lydia Parks</B><P>Local girl Hannah Hayward has made a name for herself in the mayor's office. But when her...<

Matthew Olshan

Finn

<h3>From School Library Journal</h3><p>Grade 9 Up-Chloe Wilder lives with her grandparents in a quiet middle-class neighborhood. Some say she is angry, others think of her as quiet, but in reality, she is finally learning to replace some of the demons in her nightmares with a sense of normalcy. She has loving guardians; an eccentric but true friend, Marian; safety; and the friendship of her grandparents' maid, Silvia, an illegal immigrant from Mexico. She almost believes everything is going to be OK when her mother's husband kidnaps her and turns her world into a living nightmare. When her abusive mother forces her to help rob her grandparents, Chloe stages her own death with an explosive fire. Then she and a very pregnant Silvia embark on an adventure similar to that of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. As they attempt to get to California, they drive in circles, run across tricksters, and end up in the dangerous projects. Stereotypes of ethnic, religious, and racial groups abound; some fit in the context of Chloe's observations of her surroundings, while others are left for readers to ponder their purpose. The book is written in short chapters that will appeal to reluctant readers. Chloe is a spirited, resourceful, observant, and humorous heroine who will keep readers interested until the end, when things are wrapped up neatly, but believably.<br /><em>Lynn Bryant, formerly at Navarre High School, FL </em><br />Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc. </p><h3>From Booklist</h3><p>Gr. 8-12. Teenage Chloe has gotten a new start. With the help of her grandparents, she has left her violent childhood behind. But when her stepfather and abusive mother reappear, she must start again, this time by going on the run. Accompanied by her grandparents' pregnant Hispanic maid, Silvia, who is also seeking a new life, Chloe embarks on an adventure through slums and suburbs, revealing that people, places, and experiences aren't always what they seem. Set in a thoroughly modern context, this inventive, affectionate homage to Mark Twain's classic about Huck Finn clearly illustrates that prejudice still affects human understanding, behavior, and language. Like Huck's journey, Chloe's is both a multilayered story of personal growth and an entertaining, provocative satire that explores society, culture, and humankind's occasionally ironic notions of freedom and progress. And like Huck, Chloe is awakened to injustice and hypocrisy before she finds hope in human connections and good hearts. Olshan's creative prose shines in Chloe's sharp, intimate, funny narrative, which is filled with vivid observations, philosophical musings, and insights into the world and people around her. Teens who have read Twain's book will appreciate Olshan's direct references and parallels; those who haven't will like the action and the heroine's resourcefulness. The book's satire and cynicism may create controversy and strike some readers as harsh, but the novel effectively raises awareness of contemporary social concerns and, like the classic, is certain to invite both thought and discussion. <em>Shelle Rosenfeld</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p><

Victor Oreilly

Fitzduane 01 - Games of The Hangman

Victor Oreilly

Fitzduane 02 - Rules of The Hunt

Victor Oreilly

Fitzduane 03 - Devil's Footprint, The

Daniel Omahoney

Force Majeure

Somewhere in the Andes, in a nebulous border zone never claimed by any nation, is the last of the free cities. Candida is a blank on the map. Here there are dragons. Kay travels across the Atlantic to Candida on business. She soon finds herself lost in an unfamiliar city without a job or a home. She's taken in by the oldest house in the city and put to work by its inscrutable chatelaine. She may have lost control of her life but she knows that Prospero is coming to open the hidden city to the outside world. While she waits, she makes new contacts, allies, even friends: the exgunrunner, blinded by the light; the soldier-poet, loyal to dreams of the dead; the courier who wants to become a bird; and Xan – fascinating Xan – who may be all of Kay's dreams come true. They all have stories of the city, its history and its powers. Some of them might even be true. Here there are dragons...<

Charlie Owen

Foxtrot Oscar

Janette Oke

A Gown of Spanish Lace

<p>Ariana loves her life as a schoolteacher in a little frontier town. But one evening after classes are done and she prepares to hurry home, her life changes in an instant when a band of rough outlaws abduct her and take her far away from all she has ever known.<p>Trapped in a small shack, Ariana prays and waits, her emotions swinging between terror and boredom as days stretch into weeks. Still, the outlaws refuse to tell her why they've taken her or what they plan to do.<p>Then the boss's son appears in the doorway of her cabin. He seems different from the others, but can she trust him? Will she ever again see her mother and father, the couple who lovingly adopted her and raised her as their own? Will she ever wear the beautiful wedding dress so carefully saved for her&#8212;her one remaining link to her birth parents?<

Bernard Omahoney

Hateland

Robin D Owens

Heart Search

'[A] wonderfully imaginative series.' Romance JunkiesOn the faraway planet Celta, there are some things you can seek forever-but what you find may surprise you in your Heart Search . . .Laev T'Hawthorn-one of the highest nobles of the land-must rebuild his life after a devastating mistake. He married a young woman he believed was his HeartMate, only to learn she was a greedy social climber. She callously used him, stealing his Family heirlooms. He is determined to reclaim all he has lost-beginning with his self-respect.Abandoned at fifteen, Camellia Darjeeling values her independence above all. She's fought to establish her own businesses-elegant tearooms-only to have her father and uncle reenter her life to emotionally scourge her and extort money. For Camellia, trusting men, even her HeartMate, is too risky.When Laev and Camellia meet, they refuse to acknowledge that they are true HeartMates. After her shady relations are implicated in the theft of Laev's property, Camellia's and Laev's lives become ever more entangled, bringing each to the brink of despair and passion . . . and a destiny they can no longer avoid.Praise for the Celta novels of Robin D. Owens'An intriguing world.' The Romance Reader'Sensual, riveting, and filled with the wonderful cast of characters.' Romance Reviews Today<

Charlie Owen

Horse's Arse

Mary Pope Osborne

Hour of the Olympics

<p>Jack and Annie are ready for their next fantasy adventure in the bestselling middle-grade series--the Magic Tree House!<br><br> No girls allowed at the Olympic Games!<br><br>That's the rule when the Magic Tree House whisks Jack and Annie back to ancient Greece. But when Annie tells jack to go to the games without her, he knows she's up to something. Will Annie find a way to see the games? Or will she get herself--and Jack--into <i>Olympic</i>-size trouble? Find out in <i>Hour of the Olympics</i>.<br><br> Visit the Magic Tree House website!<br> MagicTreeHouse.com<br><br><i>From the Trade Paperback edition.</i></p><

Brian Ogrady

Hybrid

John J Ordover

Identity Crisis

Erica Orloff

Illuminated

<p>Some loves are not made to last . . . Like Romeo and Juliet, Heloise and Abelard were doomed from the start, and their romance was destined to pass into history. Yet when sixteen-year-old Callie Martin discovers a diary hidden within an antique book, their story—and hers—takes on another life. For the diary leads Callie to the brilliant and handsome August, who is just as mysterious as the secret the diary hides. Their attraction is undeniable. As the two hunt down the truth behind the diary—and that of Heloise and Abelard’s ancient romance—their romance becomes all-consuming. But Callie knows it can’t last . . . love never does. Will their love that burns as bright as a shooting star flame out, or will these star-crossed lovers be able to defy history?</p><

James A Owen

Imaginarium Geographica #01 - Here, There Be Dragons

<h3>From School Library Journal</h3><p>Grade 8 Up–Three Oxford men, brought in for questioning in a London professor's death in 1917, become companions on a voyage through the Archipelago of Dreams where they vanquish a usurper and restore the rightful king, proving themselves worthy to be Caretakers of the Imagination of the World. The three men are Jack (C. S. Lewis), John (J. R. R. Tolkien), and Charles (Williams–a lesser known writer of fantasy thrillers who belonged to the same Oxford literary discussion group, the Inklings). Their identities aren't revealed until the end, along with the premise that their journey became the wellspring for their subsequent fiction. This twist accounts for the extensive use of material from their various imaginations. Readers who have not begun with the publisher's blurb might find the bulk of the story tediously derivative, but those with extensive reading background in both fantasies and mythology may be keen to identify the allusions. The pen-and-ink illustrations, also allusive, include the playing-card royalty of Lewis Carroll and knights that might have been drawn by Howard Pyle. The story itself is unconvincing. The three strangers are quickly identified as friends, although they have shared nothing more than an after-interrogation drink and apparent abduction. Although John is Caretaker Principia and the apparent focus, only Jack's character is developed enough to change, and youth seems to be the only reason for his flirtation with the forces of evil. It is a series of lucky encounters that sets them on their quest and solves the problems that arise. Only for fans of fan fiction.<em>–Kathleen Isaacs, Towson University, MD</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From Booklist</h3><p>The unusual murder of an Oxford professor brings together three strangers in World War I London: John, a soldier and the professor's correspondence student; Jack, a young Oxford student; and Charles, an editor at the Oxford University Press. One rainy night they meet a curious man called Bert who tells them that they are the caretakers of the <em>Imaginarium Geographica</em>, an atlas of imaginary lands. Forced to flee in Bert's ship, the group sails to the Archipelago of Dreams, where a battle over Arthur Pendragon's throne threatens to place the evil Winter King in charge. Owen brings together elements from well-known works of fantasy and legend: the lands and characters lean heavily toward Greek and Arthurian myth, while clues from the caretakers' works point to the legendary writers they will become. Although the episodic plot is overlong, and the period narration's formality occasionally slows things down, there's still plenty of action, and Owen's amazingly detailed pen-and-ink illustrations, dark and atmospheric, lend a real storybook flavor. This is the first volume in the Chronicles of Imaginarium Geographica series. <em>Krista Hutley</em><br /><em>Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved</em></p><

James A Owen

Imaginarium Geographica #02 - The Search for the Red Dragon

<h3>From Booklist</h3><p>Owen’s second entry in the Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series surpasses his first, delivering a more cohesive story while sustaining the intricate connections among history, mythology, and literature. Nine years after their first adventure, the three Caretakers of the Imaginaruim Geographica return to the Archipelago of Dreams to solve a mystery: all of the children have vanished overnight, along with all of the Dragonships. To succeed, the Caretakers must piece together clues drawn from disparate sources, including Greek mythology, Peter Pan lore, the Pied Piper legend, and the historical Children’s Crusade. While the plot sometimes drags under the weight of its exposition, strong mystery elements, lots of action, and an irresistible sense of fun make this compulsively readable. The hitch lies in the question of audience: the allusions and references will mean the most to high school students, but the author’s writing style seems geared toward somewhat younger readers. Nevertheless, those who appreciate literary scavenger hunts, or those who can read past the allusions to the adventure underneath, will enjoy this standalone sequel. Grades 8-11. --Krista Hutley </p><h3>Product Description</h3><p><strong>"'The Crusade has begun'...</strong></p><p><em>"There's an old myth in the Archipelago," he went on softly, shaking his head. "A legend, really...I recall it mentioned a Crusade, but those events happened seven centuries ago. We always thought it was only a story."</em></p><p>It has been nine years since John, Jack, and Charles had their great adventure in the Archipelago of Dreams and became the Caretakers of the <em>Imaginarium Geographica.</em> Now they have been brought together again to solve a mystery: Someone is kidnapping the children of the Archipelago. And their only clue is a mysterious message delivered by a strange girl with artificial wings: "The Crusade has begun." Worse, they discover that all of the legendary Dragonships have disappeared as well. </p><p>The only chance they have to save the world from a centuries-old plot is to seek out the last of the Dragonships -- the <em>Red Dragon</em> -- in a spectacular journey that takes them from Sir James Barrie's Kensington Gardens to the Underneath of the Greek Titans of myth. With friends both familiar and new, they will travel through an extraordinary landscape where history, myth, and fable blend together to tell the oldest story in the world. And along the way, the Caretakers of the <em>Geographica</em> will discover that great deeds alone do not make heroes, and that growing <em>up</em> may be unavoidable...but growing <em>old</em> doesn't have to be. </p><

James A Owen

Imaginarium Geographica #03 - The Indigo King

"Answer the question unanswered for more than two millennia, and perhaps you may yet restore the world."On a September evening in 1931, John and Jack, two of the Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica, discover a cryptic warning on a medieval manuscript -- which is not only addressed to them but seems to have been written by their friend, Hugo Dyson! But before they can discover the origin of the strange book, Hugo walks through a door in time -- and vanishes into the past.And in that moment, the world begins to change.The Frontier, which separates our world from the Archipelago of Dreams, has fallen. Dark and terrible beasts roam throughout England. No one can be summoned from the Archipelago. And both worlds have fallen into darkness under the reign of a cruel and terrible king.The only hope to restore the proper order of things lies on a forgotten island at the edge of the Archipelago, where a time travel device left by Jules Verne must be used to race through history itself -- from the Bronze Age to ancient Alexandria and the founding of the Silver Throne -- in one night. And in that single night, John and Jack will find that the only way to save their friend and stop the chaos destroying the world is to solve a 2,000-year-old mystery: Who is the Cartographer?<

James A Owen

Imaginarium Geographica #04 - The Shadow Dragons

The Caretakers of the Imaginarium Geographica are at war. The Imperial Cartological Society, led by Richard Burton, have collected all of the doors from the Keep of Time, and are building a new tower in our world at the request of an old enemy: The Winter King’s Shadow. He has a terrible weapon – The Spear of Destiny – that can be used to command the shadows of anyone it touches…including the protectors of the Archipelago, the dragons. With a ship called The Iron Dragon, the Shadow King regains passage to the Archipelago where he uses the power of the Spear and the portals of Time to enlist an unstoppable army of Dragon Shadows. And after the Archipelago falls, he intends to betray the Allies in our world – but not to align himself with the opposition. The Shadow King intends to use the turmoil of WWII to take over BOTH worlds. All the legendary Caretakers, past and present, come together on a great island in the northermost part of the Archipelago to decide the ultimate fate of the Imaginarium Geographica, as a terrible battle ravages the lands around them. And their only hope lies with a small group of companions who are on the quest for the broken sword Caliburn: the Grail Child Rose Dyson; her mechanical companion, the owl Archie; a mouse with an attitude; a dead Professor of Ancient Literature; and the mythical knight, Don Quixote. They must sail beyond the ends of the Archipelago in search of the sword, and the only being alive who can repair it: a scholar, who, once upon a time, was called Madoc.<

James A Owen

Imaginarium Geographica #05 - The Dragon's Apprentice

<h3>Product Description</h3><p>Seven years after the events of The Shadow Dragons, John, Jack, and Charles are finally able to return to their beloved Archipelago of Dreams. But even as old friends celebrate their return, new concerns threaten the reunion: the threat of Ecthroi, primordial Shadow. And perhaps even worse, the apparent splintering of Time itself. </p><p>Now the Caretakers must fight against their most fearsome enemy ever and attempt to restore Time, journeying through a forgotten Door from the destroyed Keep of Time in order to seek out the Dragon’s Apprentice. Failure will mean the end of both of the worlds. But success will carry its own price—a price that may be too high even for the Caretakers to bear. </p><h3>About the Author</h3><p><strong>James A. Owen</strong> is the author and illustrator of The Chronicles of the Imaginarium Geographica series; the creator of the critically acclaimed Starchild graphic novel series; and the author of the Mythworld series of novels.  He works at the Coppervale Studio in Silvertown, Arizona, where he lives with his family. Visit him at http://www.heretherebedragons.net. </p><

Arika Okrent

In the Land of Invented Languages: Adventures in Linguistic Creativity, Madness, and Genius

<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. Efforts to make language simpler, clearer, less divisive and more truthful have backfired spectacularly, to judge by this delightful tour of linguistic hubris. Linguist Okrent explores some of the themes and shortcomings of 900 years worth of artificial languages. She surveys philosophical languages that order all knowledge into self-evident systems that turn out to be bizarrely idiosyncratic; symbol languages of supposedly crystalline pictographs that are actually bafflingly opaque; basic languages that throw out all the fancy words and complicated idioms; rigorously logical languages so rule-bound that it's impossible to utter a correct sentence; international languages, like Esperanto, that unite different cultures into a single idealistic counterculture; and whimsical constructed languages that assert the unique culture and worldview of women, Klingons or chipmunks. Okrent gamely translates to and from these languages, with unspeakably hilarious results, and riffs on the colorful eccentricities of their megalomaniacal creators. Fortunately, her own prose is a model of clarity and grace; through it, she conveys fascinating insights into why natural language, with its corruptions, ambiguities and arbitrary conventions, trips so fluently off our tongues.<em> (May 19)</em> <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>Review</h3><p>“Hats off to Okrent, who expertly exposes the history, culture, and preoccupations of this insular tribe who live among us. She rescues language inventors, or conlangers, from the oddball bin—utopianists all, they're the first biotechnologists, trying to leapfrog evolution and improve human life. They'll thank her but everyone else will, too, for finally making sense of the conlangers' discontents.” —Michael Erard, author of<em> Um…: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean</em><br /></p><p>“A lively, informative, insightful examination of artificial languages—who invents them, why, and why most of them fail. I loved this book.”—Will Shortz, Crossword Editor,<em> New York Times</em><br /></p><p>“Linguist Okrent explores some of the themes and shortcomings of 900 years worth of artificial languages. …Okrent gamely translates these languages with unspeakably hilarious results, and riffs on the colorful eccentricities of their megalomaniacal creators. Fortunately, her own prose is a model of clarity and grace; through it, she conveys fascinating insights into why natural language, with its corruptions, ambiguities and arbitrary conventions, trips so fluently off our tongues.” — <em>Publishers Weekly</em>, starred review<br /></p><p>"Arika Okrent is a linguist whose fascination with the "faded plastic flowers" in the "lush orchid garden of languages" is recounted to delightful, often comic effect in "In the Land of Invented Languages."...Okrent's style is eminently suited to her approach, which is at once serious and playful, exemplified by her marvelous, snappy opening sentence: "Klingon speakers ... inhabit the lowest possible rung on the geek ladder."— <em>Pittsburgh Post-Gazette<br /></em><br />"The author...examines a variety of would-be languages and related philosophical tenets (there are no pure ideas, all signs depend on conventions) in a rigorously linguistical way. And yet her book is a pleasure to read. It shows how language systems connect, or don’t connect, with people."—<em>New York Times</em><br /></p><p>"Anyone who has felt the lure of words, odd grammatical systems or the potential connections between human thought and speech, is likely to enjoy this book just as much as I did."— <em>Locus</em><br /></p><p>"'<strong>In the Land of Invented Languages </strong>is a delight to read. It's humorous, intelligent, entertaining and highly informative. And it's a great source of knowledge about human languages and why they exasperate some people - because they are not perfect. But neither are we."—<em>San Francisco Chronicle</em><br /></p><p>"Okrent is a professional linguist and relates the place of these artificial languages in the confusion of human languages. She is also a great storyteller, and eccentric characters and dashed dreams are the stuff of this delightful book. "—<em>Denver Post<br /></em><br /></p><p><em>From the Hardcover edition.</em></p><

Julie Orringer

The Invisible Bridge

Caissie St Onge

Jane Jones: Worst. Vampire. Ever.

<h3>Product Description</h3><p>For Jane Jones, being a vampire is nothing like you read about in books. In fact, it kind of sucks. She's not beautiful, she's not rich, and she doesn't "sparkle." She's just an average, slightly nerdy girl from an ordinary suburban family (who happens to be vampires.) Jane's from the wrong side of the tracks (not to mention stuck in the world's longest awkward phase), so she doesn't fit in with the cool vampire kids at school or with the humans kids. To top it all off, she's battling an overprotective mom, a clique of high school mean girls (the kind who really do have fangs), and the most embarrassing allergy in the history of the undead, she's blood intolerant. So no one's more surprised than Jane when for the first time in her life, things start to heat up (as much as they can for a walking corpse, anyway) with not one, but two boys. Eli's a geeky, but cute real-live boy in her history class, and Timothy is a beautiful, brooding bloodsucker, who might just hold the key to a possible "cure" for vampirism. Facing an eternity of high school pressure, fumbling first dates, or a mere lifetime together with Timothy, what's a 90-something year-old teen vampire to do?<br /></p><p>Fans of the <em>Vladmir Tod Chronicles, You are So Undead to Me,</em> and Jessica's <em>Guide to Dating on the Dark Side</em> will feast on this deliciously readable, smart, and fantastically funny debut.<br /></p><p><em>From the Trade Paperback edition.</em></p><h3>About the Author</h3><p>CAISSIE ST. ONGE is an Emmy-nominated comedy writer who's worked for <em>The Late Show with David Letterman, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, </em>and <em>VH1's Best Week Ever,</em> as well as a bunch of shows you probably haven't heard of (but that's okay). Caissie's written lots of other stuff, too, including commercials for soap, ice cream, and cell phones that starred some bigshot Hollywood celebrities, plus an infomercial for collectible coins that starred a prominent Pennsylvania numismatist. (But enough bragging.) Caissie lives in Connecticut with her husband and two sons, in a town that's a lot like the one described in these pages, but she's not a vampire . . . yet. This is Caissie's first novel. </p><

Yei Theodora Ozaki

Japanese Fairy Tales

This collection of Japanese fairy tales is the outcome of a suggestion made to me indirectly through a friend by Mr. Andrew Lang. They have been translated from the modern version written by Sadanami Sanjin. These stories are not literal translations, and though the Japanese story and all quaint Japanese expressions have been faithfully preserved, they have been told more with the view to interest young readers of the West than the technical student of folk-lore.<

George Orwell

Keep the Apidistra Flying

Jussi Adler Olsen

The Keeper of Lost Causes

<p>Jussi Adler-Olsen is Denmark's premier crime writer. His books routinely top the bestseller lists in northern Europe, and he's won just about every Nordic crime-writing award, including the prestigious Glass Key Award-also won by Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson, and Jo Nesbo. Now, Dutton is thrilled to introduce him to America.<p><I>The Keeper of Lost Causes</I>, the first installment of Adler- Olsen's Department Q series, features the deeply flawed chief detective Carl MØrck, who used to be a good homicide detective-one of Copenhagen's best. Then a bullet almost took his life. Two of his colleagues weren't so lucky, and Carl, who didn't draw his weapon, blames himself.<p>So a promotion is the last thing Carl expects.<p>But it all becomes clear when he sees his new office in the basement. Carl's been selected to run Department Q, a new special investigations division that turns out to be a department of one. With a stack of Copenhagen's coldest cases to keep him company, Carl's...<

Daniel Okrent

Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition

<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>Starred Review. Daniel Okrent has proven to be one of our most interesting and eclectic writers of nonfiction over the past 25 years, producing books about the history of Rockefeller Center and New England, baseball, and his experience as the first public editor for the <em>New York Times</em>. Now he has taken on a more formidable subject: the origins, implementation, and failure of that great American delusion known as Prohibition. The result may not be as scintillating as the perfect gin gimlet, but it comes mighty close, an assiduously researched, well-written, and continually eye-opening work on what has actually been a neglected subject.There has been, of course, quite a lot of writing that has touched on the 14 years, 1919–1933, when the United States tried to legislate drinking out of existence, but the great bulk of it has been as background to one mobster tale or another. Okrent covers the gangland explosion that Prohibition triggered—and rightly deromanticizes it—but he has a wider agenda that addresses the entire effect enforced temperance had on our social, political, and legal conventions. Above all, Okrent explores the politics of Prohibition; how the 18th Amendment, banning the manufacture, sale, or transportation of intoxicating beverages, was pushed through after one of the most sustained and brilliant pressure-group campaigns in our history; how the fight over booze served as a surrogate for many of the deeper social and ethnic antagonisms dividing the country, and how it all collapsed, almost overnight, essentially nullified by the people.Okrent occasionally stumbles in this story, bogging down here and there in some of the backroom intricacies of the politics, and misconstruing an address by Warren Harding on race as one of the boldest speeches ever delivered by an American president (it was more nearly the opposite). But overall he provides a fascinating look at a fantastically complex battle that was fought out over decades—no easy feat. Among other delights, Okrent passes along any number of amusing tidbits about how Americans coped without alcohol, such as sending away for the Vino Sano Grape Brick, a block of dehydrated grape juice, complete with stems, skins, and pulp and instructions warning buyers not to add yeast or sugar, or leave it in a dark place, or let it sit too long, lest it become wine. He unearths many sadly forgotten characters from the war over drink—and readers will be surprised to learn how that fight cut across today's ideological lines. Progressives and suffragists made common cause with the Ku Klux Klan—which in turn supported a woman's right to vote—to pass Prohibition. Champions of the people, such as the liberal Democrat Al Smith, fought side-by-side with conservative plutocrats like Pierre du Pont for its repeal.In the end, as Okrent makes clear, Prohibition did make a dent in American drinking—at the cost of hundreds of deaths and thousands of injuries from bad bootleg alcohol; the making of organized crime in this country; and a corrosive soaking in hypocrisy. A valuable lesson, for anyone willing to hear it._Kevin Baker is the coauthor, most recently, of_ Luna Park_, a graphic novel published last month by DC Comics._ <br />Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. </p><h3>From</h3><p>Okrent, who has rescued an important, relevant, and colorful chapter of American history, explores Americans' relationship with the bottle dating back to the colonial era and analyzes the long-term effects of Prohibition on everything--from the rise of the Mafia and the Ku Klux Klan to language, art, and literature. Fast-paced and fascinating, his narrative assembles a wide collection of comical stories and outrageous personalities, such as the hatchet-wielding Carrie Nation. He explodes clichés and bypasses widely known tales of bootlegging and bathtub gin in favor of more unfamiliar accounts. Critics praised Okrent's elegant writing and careful research--even in all its details--and agreed with the <em>New York Times Book Review</em> that this remarkably fresh take on a forgotten era is "a narrative delight." </p><

Rohan Ogrady

Let's Kill Uncle

M J Oshea

A Little Bite of Magic

<div><h3>Product Description</h3><p>In a family full of powerful witches, Frankie Vallerand is the black sheep. He doesn't care about honing his magic. All he wants is to open up a restaurant and spend his days serving up delicious food. But when he sees a customer crying and wishes for her to be happy, inadvertently transforming his old wooden soup spoon into a wand, he realizes that maybe a little bit of magic is just what his customers need. <br></p><p>Addison Albright is The Phantom Foodie, an anonymous food critic notorious for his scathing reviews. For most people, being paid to eat would be a fantasy job. Not for Addison. He doesn't care for overpriced designer food. He's a tea and toast kind of guy. Until both the food and the owner of L'Osteria Di Pomodoro sweep him off his feet and throw his neat, orderly life completely off-kilter. <br></p><p>Frankie isn't sure how to tell Addison he's a witch, or that he charmed Addison's food the night they first met, without sounding totally crazy. But little does he know that Addison has secrets too. Not only did he snark Frankie's restaurant in his last review column, he's also engaged to be married...to a woman. </p></div><

Mel Odom

Lost Empires #01 - The Lost Library of Cormanthyr

Alex Oconnell

Lost in Shadows

Doris Oconnor

Lure of the Blood

Helen Oyeyemi

Mr. Fox

<div><p>From a prizewinning young writer, a brilliant and inventive story of love, lies, and inspiration.</p><p>Fairy-tale romances end with a wedding, and the fairy tales don't get complicated. In this book, the celebrated writer Mr. Fox can't stop himself from killing off the heroines of his novels, and neither can his wife, Daphne. It's not until Mary, his muse, comes to life and transforms him from author into subject that his story begins to unfold differently.</p><p>Mary challenges Mr. Fox to join her in stories of their own devising; and in different times and places, the two of them seek each other, find each other, thwart each other, and try to stay together, even when the roles they inhabit seem to forbid it. Their adventures twist the fairy tale into nine variations, exploding and teasing conventions of genre and romance, and each iteration explores the fears that come with accepting a lifelong bond. Meanwhile, Daphne becomes convinced that her husband is having an affair, and finds...</p></div><

Kevin Obrien

The Next to Die

<h3>From Publishers Weekly</h3><p>O'Brien (Only Son) mixes show-business intrigue with taut psychological suspense in a clever Hollywood-based thriller that would translate well into film. Attorney Sean Olson, who is struggling to support her two children and terminally ill husband, hardly knows what she's getting into when she agrees to defend celebrity nice guy Avery Cooper. Cooper is accused of murdering an obsessed fan, but a series of incidents, recounted by the author in graphic but credible detail, leads Olson to believe that Cooper and Dayle Sutton, his female costar in a controversial new movie about gay rights, are being set up and targeted by Soldiers for an American Moral Order. The extremist right-wing group which prides itself on stalking celebrities, revealing their secrets and then killing them throws the light of public scrutiny on Cooper and Sutton when it publicizes a private sex tape of Cooper and his wife and exposes a lesbian dalliance that Sutton had years ago. The narrative hits fever pitch in the final scenes as Olson, Cooper and Sutton confront the white supremacists that have sullied their reputations and threatened their loved ones. Gay rights, gun control and other hot-button issues augment the narrative tension, and O'Brien's snappy dialogue effectively maintains the breakneck pacing of this haunting read. (May)Forecast: Although this is only O'Brien's second novel, his readership is likely to increase via word of mouth and strong critical review. Booksellers may also see a rise in sales if this thriller is placed among the recent paperback releases of Lisa Gardner and Michael Kimball.</p><p>Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.</p><h3>Review</h3><p>Very well written... great dialogue... masterful way of layering stories, O'Brien's work deserves praise. He has found a new fan." -- <em>Dan Anderson, Editor, amazon.com</em></p><

George Orwell

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Written in 1948, 1984 was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, Orwell’s narrative is timelier than ever. 1984 presents a startling and haunting vision of the world, so powerful that it is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the power of this novel, its hold on the imaginations of multiple generations of readers, or the resiliency of its admonitions—a legacy that seems only to grow with the passage of time.<

Tim Obrien

Northern Lights

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