Hempel, fiercely admired by writers and reviewers, has a sterling reputation that is based on four very short collections of stories, roughly fifteen thousand stunning sentences, written over a period of nearly three decades. These are stories about people who make choices that seem inevitable, whose longings and misgivings evoke eternal human experience. With compassion, wit, and the acutest eye, Hempel observes the marriages, minor disasters, and moments of revelation in an uneasy America. When "Reasons to Live, " Hempel's first collection, was published in 1985, readers encountered a pitch-perfect voice in fiction and an unsettling assessment of the culture. That collection includes "San Francisco," which Alan Cheuse in "The Chicago Tribune" called "arguably the finest short story composed by any living writer." In "At the Gates of the Animal Kingdom, " her second collection, frequently compared to the work of Raymond Carver, Hempel refined and developed her unique grace and style and her unerring instinct for the moment that defines a character. Also included here, in their entirety, are the collections "Tumble Home" and "The Dog of the Marriage." As Rick Moody says of the title novella in Tumble Home, "the leap in mastery, in seriousness, and sheer literary purpose was inspiring to behold.... And yet," he continues, ""The Dog of the Marriage, " the fourth collection, is even better than the other three...a triumph, in fact." "The Collected Stories of Amy Hempel" is the perfect opportunity for readers of contemporary American fiction to catch up to one of its masters. Moody's passionate and illuminating introduction celebrates both the appeal and the importance of Hempel's work.

    With eight short stories and novellas--including three original to this collection--Galactic North imparts the centuries-spanning events that have produced the dark and turbulent world of Revelation Space.

    She tells him seven stories of human/android interaction in order to reveal the secret behind humanity's fall. The story takes place centuries in the future, where the diminished populations of humans live uncultured lives in their own colonies. They resent the androids, who have built themselves a stable and cultural society. In this brutal time, our main character travels from colony to colony as a “storyteller,” one that speaks of the stories of the past. One day, he is abducted by Ibis, an android in the form of a young girl, and told of the stories created by humans in the ancient past.The stories that Ibis speaks of are the 7 novels about the events surrounding the announcements of the development of artificial intelligence (AI) in the 20th to 21st centuries. At a glance, these stories do not appear to have any sort of connection, but what is the true meaning behind them? What are Ibis' real intentions?

    "The Red Bow,"about a town consumed by pet-killing hysteria, won a 2004 National Magazine Award and "Bohemians," the story of two supposed Eastern European widows trying to fit in in suburban USA, is included in The Best American Short Stories 2005. His new book includes both unpublished work, and stories that first appeared in The New Yorker, Harper's, and Esquire. The stories in this volume work together as a whole whose impact far exceeds the simple sum of its parts. Fans of Saunders know and love him for his sharp and hilarious satirical eye. But In Persuasion Nation also includes more personal and poignant pieces that reveal a new kind of emotional conviction in Saunders's writing.Saunders's work in the last six years has come to be recognized as one of the strongest-and most consoling-cries in the wilderness of the millennium's political and cultural malaise. In Persuasion Nation's sophistication and populism should establish Saunders once and for all as this generation's literary voice of wisdom and humor in a time when we need it most.

    He’s regained consciousness, found he has all of his faculties back and a whole lot more. Originally published in Isaac Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine in 1991.Approx. 2 Hours

    The cycle of narratives that includes the title work of this collection, for instance, introduces readers to a freakish community of artists who encounter demonic perils that ultimately engulf their lives. These are selected examples of the forbidding array of persons and places that compose the mesmerizing fiction of Thomas Ligotti.

    The stories brought together here span a quarter century, drawn from some of her earliest books, The Beggar Maid and The Moons of Jupiter, through her recent best-selling collection, Runaway. Here are such favorites as “Royal Beatings” in which a young girl, her father, and stepmother release the tension of their circumstances in a ritual of punishment and reconciliation; “Friend of My Youth” in which a woman comes to understand that her difficult mother is not so very different from herself; and “The Albanian Virgin," a romantic tale of capture and escape in Central Europe that may or may not be true, told by an elderly married woman to her younger friend who is on a desperate adventure of her own..Munro’s incomparable empathy for her characters, the depth of her understanding of human nature, and the grace and surprise of her narrative add up to a richly layered and capacious fiction. Like the World War I soldier in the title story, whose letters from the front to a small-town librarian he doesn’t know change her life forever, Munro’s unassuming characters insinuate themselves in our hearts and take permanent hold.Carried Away, Alice Munro's Best and My Best Stories contain the same 17 works: Royal beatings -- The beggar maid -- The turkey season -- The moons of Jupiter -- The progress of love -- Miles City, Montana -- Friend of my youth -- Meneseteung -- Differently -- Carried away -- The Albanian virgin -- A wilderness station -- Vandals -- Hateship, friendship, courtship, loveship, marriage -- Save the reaper -- Runaway -- The bear came over the mountain.

    A man like Sherlock Holmes has many enemies. Violent murderers, deviant villains, ghosts of old loves, blackmailers and poisonous scribes, to to name but a few. But none are so deadly, so powerful, as Professor Moriarty. Moriarty - the only man who can compete with Holmes' genius. The only man who can, perhaps, ultimately defeat the great detective ...

    The clever princess will only marry the man who can ask her a question she cannot answer; the orphan boy outwits his greedy uncles with a bag of ash; and an old couple in distress is saved by a magic drum. Sudha Murty's grandparents told her some of these stories when she was a child; others she heard from her friends from around the world. These delightful and timeless folktales have been her favourites for years, and she has recounted them many times over to the young people in her life. With this collection, they will be enjoyed by many more readers, of all ages. Age group of target audience is 8+.

    The new edition is introduced by Adam Thirwell.With eighteen novels over four decades – from ‘The Drowned World’ in 1962 to his final novel ‘Kingdom Come’ in 2006 – J.G. Ballard is known as one of Britain’s most celebrated and original novelists.However, during his long career he was also a prolific writer of short stories; in fact, many people consider that he is at his best in the short-story format. These highly influential stories have appeared in magazines such as New Worlds, Amazing Stories and Interzone, and in several separate collections, including ‘The Terminal Beach’, ‘The Venus Hunters’, ‘Vermilion Sands’, ‘Low-Flying Aircraft’ and ‘Myths of the Near Future’.Set out in the original order of publication and frequently the point of conception for ideas he further developed in his novels, these stories provide an unprecedented opportunity to see the imagination of one of Britain’s greatest writers at work. This edition is part of a new commemorative series of Ballard’s works, featuring introductions from a number of his admirers (including Robert Macfarlane, Iain Sinclair, James Lever and Ali Smith) and brand-new cover designs from the artist Stanley Donwood.

    Dave fails to realize quite what's involved, and the result is a Homeresque struggle to beat all the odds and somehow get an unappetizing, frozen, and slightly scarred bird home and roasted in time for Christmas dinner—before Morley cooks Dave's goose.

    All demonstrate what the Chicago Tribune has praised: "the fierce originality of Oates's voice and vision, but also how she has imbued the American short story with an edgy vitality and raw social surfaces."

    Series editors Scott Conners and Ronald S. Hilger excavated the still-existing manuscripts, letters and various published versions of the stories, creating a definitive "preferred text" for Smith's entire body of work. This first volume of the series, brings together 25 of his fantasy stories, written between 1925 and 1930, including such classics as "The Abominations of Yondo," "The Monster of the Prophecy," "The Last Incantation" and the title story.

    Short story collection by the critically acclaimed author of Revelation Space and Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days.

    As longtime fans have come to expect, the stories are written with a grace and style similar to fantasy's most original voices, such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Fritz Leiber, and Kurt Vonnegut. Traditional themes are typically infused with modern sensibilities—reincarnated lovers and waning kings rub shoulders with heroic waifs; Schmendrick the Magician returns to adventure, as does the ghost of an off-Broadway actor and a dream-stealing shapeshifter; and Gordon, the delightfully charming "self-made cat," appears for the first time in print, taking his place alongside Stuart Little as a new favorite of the young at heart. This wide-ranging compilation contains sly humor and a resounding depth that will charm fans of literary fantasy.Contents"A Dance with Emilia""El Regalo""Four Fables: The Fable of the Moth, The Fable of the Octopus, The Fable of the Ostrich, The Fable of the Tyrannosaurus Rex""Gordon, the Self-Made Cat""Mr. Sigerson""Quarry""Salt Wine""Two Hearts"

    California Cooper writes about the search for fulfillment that propels peopleâ��s dreams and desires. In â��As Time Goes Byâ�� a young woman named Futila Ways grows up focusing her dream of a better future on material wealth, only to discover that having everything she ever wanted cannot compensate for the emptiness in her heart. â��The Eye of the Beholderâ�� recounts the story of an unattractive young girl, Lily Bea, whose search for love leads her to embrace her own brand of freedom. And in â��Catch a Falling Heartâ�� a woman mildly crippled in a fall endures loneliness and solitude until she finds a man and provides a resting place for his love. Each story beautifully conveys the profound human need to seek some sort of satisfaction, just as a wild star seeks a midnight sun.J. California Cooperâ��s insights into the hearts and souls of ordinary people and her irresistible storytelling voice have endeared her to fans and critics.

    These are just some of the poignant and eye-opening stories about people from all over the country that Sudha Murty recounts in this book. From incredible examples of generosity to the meanest acts one can expect from men and women, she records everything with wry humour and a directness that touches the heart.First published in 2002, Wise and Otherwise has sold over 30,000 copies in English and has been translated into all the major Indian languages. This revised new edition is sure to charm many more readers and encourage them to explore their inner selves and the world around us with new eyes.

    Their accounts of the struggles and hardships which they have at times overcome, and at other times been overwhelmed by, are put together in this book.There are stories about people’s generosity—and selfishness—in times of natural disasters like the tsunami; women struggling to speak out in a world that refuses to listen to them; and tales of young professionals trying to find their feet as they climb up the corporate ladder.Told simply and directly from the heart, The Old Man and His God is a collection of snapshots of the varied facets of human nature and a mirror to the souls of the people of India.

    Chicken Soup for the

    But there's something even more interesting than the remarkable movies: the woman working behind the counter.

    Analyzing various aspects of writing - character, plot, sources and inspiration, retelling and biography - this collection is suitable for those who loves great stories and wants to know more about the art of telling tales.

    Knight, artillerist, swordsman. Mercenary for hire. Ill-starred lover.Mister Fitz. Puppet, sorcerer, loremaster. Practitioner of arcane arts now mostly and thankfully forgotten. Former nursemaid to Hereward.Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz. Agents of the Council of the Treaty for the Safety of the World, charged with the location and removal of listed extra-dimensional entities, more commonly known as gods or godlets.Travellers. Adventurers. Godslayers . . .For the first time, the two award-winning novellas and a short story featuring Sir Hereward and Mister Fitz’s exploits are gathered together in a single volume. From the New York Times-bestselling writer Garth Nix, author of The Abhorsen Trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, Abhorsen), Shade’s Children, The Seventh Tower series, The Keys to the Kingdom series and Troubletwisters (with Sean Williams).Reader Advisory: Though some of Garth Nix’s books and stories are for children, this one is not. It is for adult readers.

    But in Snyder’s wondrous imagination there’s a thin membrane between the whimsical and the disturbing: the unlikely affair between a famous actress—in hiding after surgery—and a sporting goods salesman takes an ominous turn just as she begins to heal; an engaged couple’s relationship is fractured when one of them becomes obsessed with an inmate at the women’s prison next door. Dark, funny, powerful, this debut collection underscores the remarkable gifts of a fiercely original young writer.From the Hardcover edition.

    Between 1927 and 1930, the three made up the core of an avant-garde literary group called OBERIU (from an acronym standing for The Union of Real Art). It was a movement so artfully anarchic, and so quickly suppressed, that readers only began to discover its strange and singular brilliance three decades after it was extinguished—and then only in samizdat and émigré publications. Some called it the last of the Russian avant-garde, and others called it the first (and last) instance of Absurdism in Russia. Though difficulty to pigeon-hole, OBERIU and the pleasures of its poetry and prose are, with this volume, at long last fully open to English-speaking readers. Skillfully translated to preserve the weird charm of the originals, these poems and prose pieces display all the hilarity and tragedy, the illogical action and puppetlike violence and eroticism, and the hallucinatory intensity that brought down the wrath of the Soviet censors. Today they offer an uncanny reflection of the distorted reality they reject.

    Caitlín R. Kiernan first introduced Dancy in the pages of her award-winning second novel, Threshold (2001), then went on to write several more short stories and a novella about this unlikely heroine, each a piece, of which, has become an epic dark fantasy narrative. Alabaster finally collects all these tales into one volume, illustrated by Ted Naifeh (Gloomcookie, Courtney Crumrin)

    These stories, distinguished by their maturity, are narrated by men and women with compelling life tales. Filled with Bass's hallmark lean and beautiful prose, they are further proof of his mastery of the short fiction form.

    A beautifully rendered time capsule, it captures a period of decay,turmoil and change through innocent unblinking eyes.

    By turns delightful, disturbing, and diverting, Fragile Things is a gift of literary enchantment from one of the most unique writers of our time.Contents:• A Study in Emerald • (2003) • novelette• The Fairy Reel • (2004) • poem (variant of The Faery Reel)• October in the Chair • (2002) • shortstory• The Hidden Chamber • (2005) • poem• Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire • (2004) • shortstory (variant of Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Nameless House of the Night of Dread Desire)• The Flints of Memory Lane • (1997) • essay• Closing Time • (2003) • shortstory• Going Wodwo • (2002) • poem• Bitter Grounds • (2003) • novelette• Other People • (2001) • shortstory• Keepsakes and Treasures: A Love Story • (1999) • shortstory• Good Boys Deserve Favours • (1995) • shortstory• The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch • (1998) • shortstory• Strange Little Girls • (2001) • shortstory• Harlequin Valentine • (1999) • shortstory• Locks • (1999) • poem• The Problem of Susan • (2004) • shortstory• Instructions • (2000) • poem• How Do You Think It Feels? • (1998) • shortstory• My Life • (2002) • poem• Fifteen Painted Cards from a Vampire Tarot • (1998) • shortstory• Feeders and Eaters • (2002) • shortstory• Diseasemaker's Croup • (2003) • shortstory• In the End • (1996) • shortstory• Goliath • (1998) • shortstory• Pages from a Journal Found in a Shoebox Left in a Greyhound Bus Somewhere Between Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Louisville, Kentucky • (2002) • shortstory• How to Talk to Girls at Parties • (2006) • shortstory• The Day the Saucers Came • (2006) • poem• Sunbird • (2005) • novelette• Inventing Aladdin • (2003) • poem• The Monarch of the Glen • [American Gods] • (2003) • novelette

    With Christmas Wishes magic is possible...especially love. Make a Wish!12 Authors, 12 StoriesChristmas past to Christmas presentGuaranteed to Delight!

    He portrays a character looking for love that reaches beyond death--with occasional morbid consequences.

    Justine Larbalestier has collected 11 key stories--many of them not easily found, and all of them powerful and provocative--and sets them alongside 11 new essays, written by top scholars and critics, that explore the stories' contexts, meanings, and theoretical implications. The resulting dialogue is one of enormous significance to critical scholarship in science fiction, and to understanding the role of feminism in its development. Organized chronologically, this anthology creates a new canon of feminist science fiction and examines the theory that addresses it. Daughters of Earth is an ideal overview for students and general readers.Content: 1. The Fate of Poseidonia - Clare Winger Harris, 19272. The Conquest of Gola - Leslie F. Stone, 19313. Created He Them - Alice Eleanor Jones, 19554. No Light in the Window - Kate Wilhelm, 19635. The Heat Death of the Universe - Pamela Zoline, 19676. And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill Side - James Tiptree Jr., 19717. Wives - Lisa Tuttle, 19768. Rachel in Love - Par Murphy, 19879. The Evening and the Morning and the Night - Octavia E. Butler, 198710. Balinese Dancer - Gwyneth Jones, 199711. What I Didn't See - Karen Joy Fowler, 2002

    His Tales and Legends from India, Angry River, Strange Men, Strange Places, The Blue Umbrella, A Long Walk for Bina and Hanuman to the Rescue are also available in Rupa paperback. The Ruskin Bond's Children's Omnibus has been a firm favourite with young readers for several years. Ghost Stories from the Raj, The Rupa Book of Great Animal Stories, The Rupa Book of True Tales of Mystery and Adventure, The Rupa Book of Himalayan Tales and The Rupa Book of Great Suspense Stories are some of his recent books for Rupa.

    New highlights include “Blaze of Glory,” an enchanting tale of an RV road trip and a senior couple’s “last time”; “The Trapper,” the story of a hard split between an old trapper and a younger female environmentalist; and “The Last Farmer,” the capstone story of this elegant collection that examines the discovery by a high-tech farmer of the history of the old houses on his land. Fourteen stories in all portray the bountiful and whimsical and cruel human spirit and the swirling transformation of America’s heartland.

    Five short novels gathered into one volume: Nod, The Deep North, Famous Questions, Saving History and Indivisible. "I have not the least doubt that her work is parallel to Paul Auster's, say, or any writer thus whose books are not simply products for the market - albeit the work can reach a very large number of potential readers indeed. In Fanny's case these will range from contemporary fellow writers questioning ways and means in their art and all who find their enterprise of interest, to those who feel themselves confronted with deeply ingrained questions of religion, person, society, gender, politics, which almost anyone alive at this moment is trying to answer. Her most recently published novel, "Indivisible," is a masterpiece of these determinants, of lives specific, of times and places particular. At the same time it is also a masterwork of the art - no one more actively employs the strategies and possibilities of language than does she"--Robert Creeley.

    Thirty stories are included, accompanied by detailed annotations. "Backgrounds and Contexts" offers a glimpse of Kafka s creative process through extracts from his letters, diaries, and conversations. "Criticism" collects ten essays on the major stories by Stanley Corngold, Danielle Allen, Walter Hinderer, Walter Sokel, Nicola Gess, Vivian Liska, Benno Wagner, John A. Hargraves, and Gerhard Kurz. A Chronology and Selected Bibliography are also included."

    Jim Tomlinson’s characters each face the desire to reclaim dreams left behind, along with something of the dreamer that was also lost. Starkly rendered, these spiraling characters inhabit a specific place and class---small-town Kentucky, working-class America---but the stories, told in all their humor and tragedy, are universal.In each story the characters face conflict, sometimes within themselves, sometimes with each other. Each carries a past and with it an urge to return and repair. In “First Husband, First Wife,” ex-spouses are repeatedly drawn together by a shared history they cannot seem to escape, and they are finally forced to choose between leaving the past or leaving each other. LeAnn and Cass are grown sisters who conspire to help their prideful mother in “Things Kept.” “Prologue” is a voyeuristic journey through the surprisingly different lives of two star-crossed friends, each with its successes and pitfalls, told through their letters over thirty-five years. In “Stainless,” Annie and Warren divide their possessions on the final night of their marriage. Their realtor has advised them to “declutter” the house they are leaving, but they discover that most of the clutter cannot be so easily removed. The choices are never simple, and for every thing kept, something must be abandoned. Tomlinson’s characters struggle but eventually find their way, often unknowingly, to points of departure, to places where things just might change.

    Included here are the works of masters of the form and of bright new talents, including: Neal Asher, Paolo Bacigalupi, Stephen Baxter, Elizabeth Bear, Chris Beckett, David Gerrold, Dominic Green, Daryl Gregory, Joe Haldeman, Gwyneth Jones, james patrick Kelly, Jay Lake and Ruth Nestvold, Ken MacLeod, Ian McDonald, Vonda N. McIntyre, David Moles, Steven Popkes, Hannu Rajaniemi, Alastair Rynolds, Robert Reed, Christ Roberson, Mary Rosenblum, William Sanders, Bruce Sterling, Michael Swanwick, Harry Turtledove, Peter Watts and Derryl Murphy, Liz Williams, and Gene Wolfe.Supplementing the stories are the editor's insightful summation of the year's events and list of honorable mentions, making this book both a valuable resource and the single best place in the universe to find stories that stir the imagination, and the heart.Contents xi • Acknowledgments (The Year's Best Science Fiction Twenty-Third Annual Collection) • essay by Gardner Dozoisxiii • Summation: 2005 • essay by Gardner Dozois1 • The Little Goddess • [India 2047] • (2005) • novella by Ian McDonald32 • The Calorie Man • [The Windup Universe] • (2005) • novelette by Paolo Bacigalupi55 • Beyond the Aquila Rift • (2005) • novelette by Alastair Reynolds81 • Second Person, Present Tense • (2005) • novelette by Daryl Gregory98 • The Canadian Who Came Almost All the Way Back From the Stars • (2005) • shortstory by Ruth Nestvold and Jay Lake (aka The Canadian Who Came Almost All the Way Home From the Stars)115 • Triceratops Summer • (2005) • shortstory by Michael Swanwick125 • Camouflage • [The Great Ship Universe] • (2005) • novella by Robert Reed171 • A Case of Consilience • (2005) • shortstory by Ken MacLeod181 • The Blemmye's Strategem • (2005) • novelette by Bruce Sterling205 • Amba • (2005) • novelette by William Sanders229 • Search Engine • (2005) • novelette by Mary Rosenblum244 • Piccadilly Circus • (2005) • shortstory by Chris Beckett258 • In the Quake Zone • (2005) • novella by David Gerrold331 • La Malcontenta • (2005) • shortstory by Liz Williams338 • The Children of Time • (2005) • shortstory by Stephen Baxter350 • Little Faces • (2005) • novelette by Vonda N. McIntyre376 • Comber • (2005) • shortstory by Gene Wolfe384 • Audubon in Atlantis • [Lost Continent of Atlantis] • (2005) • novella by Harry Turtledove422 • Deus Ex Homine • (2005) • shortstory by Hannu Rajaniemi433 • The Great Caruso • (2005) • shortstory by Steven Popkes447 • Softly Spoke the Gabbleduck • [Polity Universe] • (2005) • novelette by Neal Asher465 • Zima Blue • (2005) • shortstory by Alastair Reynolds481 • Planet of the Amazon Women • (2005) • novelette by David Moles503 • The Clockwork Atom Bomb • (2005) • shortstory by Dominic Green518 • Gold Mountain • [Celestial Empire] • (2005) • shortstory by Chris Roberson532 • The Fulcrum • (2005) • novelette by Gwyneth Jones554 • Mayfly • (2005) • shortstory by Peter Watts and Derryl Murphy565 • Two Dreams on Trains • (2005) • shortstory by Elizabeth Bear571 • Angel of Light • (2005) • shortstory by Joe Haldeman578 • Burn • (2005) • novella by James Patrick Kelly651 • Honorable Mentions: 2005 • essay by Gardner Dozois

    Woman in the Woods is the winner of the 2005 Spokane Prize for Short Fiction.

    Comprised of spine-chilling tales published by Stoker’s widow after his death, as well as The Lair of the White Worm, an intensely intriguing novel of myths, legends, and unspeakable evils, this collection demonstrates the full range of Stoker’s horror writing.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

    In "Near-Extinct Birds of the Central Cordillera," an ornithologist being held hostage in the Colombian rain forest finds that he respects his captors for their commitment to a cause, until he realizes that the Revolution looks a lot like big business. In "The Good Ones Are Already Taken," the wife of a Special Forces officer battles a Haitian voodoo goddess with whom her husband is carrying on a not-entirely-spiritual relationship. And in "The Lion's Mouth," a disillusioned aid worker makes a Faustian bargain to become a diamond smuggler for the greater good. With masterful pacing and a robust sense of the absurd, each story in Brief Encounters with Che Guevara is a self-contained adventure, steeped in the heady mix of tragedy and danger, excitement and hope, that characterizes countries in transition.

    Fiction. The Encyclopedia Project is a groundbreaking literary and visual experience in five volumes. Like the traditional encyclopedia, The Encyclopedia Project spans A-Z, but the contents combine the creative possibilities of a literary journal with the stunning four-color imagery of an artist's portfolio. The Encyclopedists' editorial process does not determine future content in advance, but is instead a chance operation between editors and contributors. However, they will ensure that 50% of each volume's contributors are people of color, representative of a full spectrum of creative work, regardless of age, scene, geographic location, level of education, or number of tattoos. This volume features over 150 entries by 114 talented folk, including a rebus on Kathy Acker by Anna Joy Springer, Aspects of the Novel by Rebecca Brown, Babble by Robert Gluck, Eileen Myles' Butch, Epic by Samuel R. Delany, Diary by The Quails' Julianna Bright, K'vetsch founder Sara Seinberg's Ephemera, Essentialism by kari edwards, and much more! Other contributors to Volume I include Brian Evenson, Thalia Field, Susan Bernstein, Joanna Howard and Michael Gizzi.

    How wrong he was. In SOLD TO THE MAN WITH THE TIN LEG Philip describes his extraordinary experiences as a country auctioneer, aided and abetted by some of the most colourful characters Worcestershire has to offer. From dodgy cars to fakes in the saleroom; angry livestock, mangled silverware and tortuous not to mention muddy experiences in local markets and farm sales, Philip has been there, done that and got the hoofprints on his suit to prove it. And of course, there's the return of Big Nige, 'One Bid' Church and Philip's tin-legged boss...

    "Devdas: " The young boy Devdas has an ardent follower, a little girl Parvati, who is his neighbor's daughter. They grow up together in a class conscious, tradition bound, rural community. Their friendship turns into love as they mature. Will they be able to have their wish fulfilled and unite with each other for the rest of their lives? Which way their fate will take them?"Good Riddance (Niskriti): " Girish is a successful man and both he and his wife are magnanimous. They allow Girish's incompetent and poor cousin and his family to live with them as a joint family. An atmosphere of great love and understanding prevails over the joint family. But, what happens when Girish's younger brother Harish, who is also a successful man and has a wife with western education, joins the family? What events take place and what are the roles played by different family members?"Pundit (Pundit-moshai): " Brindabon was married at a young age, but was soon made by his father to desert his child bride, because of a rumor of scandal about her mother. He grows up to become a self educated and benevolent well to do man, and she grows up to be a beautiful and educated woman in a poor family. After his second wife dies leaving behind a young son, he offers to take her back. But, how she responds? Brindabon gives free education to children of the poor in the village, by teaching them himself, and is called by them as Pundit. But, does that earn him respect from the diehard snobs in the village ortheir compassion in his moment of crisis?"Chandranath: " A rich man marries a poor young woman, not knowing that her mother had a scandal of living together with a man after she became a widow. The girl, because of her humble background and the scandalous secret about her mother, considers herself much inferior to her husband and treats him with servility. How are the husband's feelings towards her? How the marriage blossoms? A kindly old man comes in their life, and what role he plays?"Debt and Payment (Dena-Paona): " Jibananda, a corrupt scion of a landlord family, marries the child daughter of a widow for dowry money and then disappears. He later inherits a large estate when his uncle dies and becomes an oppressive feudal landlord. The girl by turn of events becomes the custodian of a temple in a village, where the landlord owns some property. She is upright, educated, and a leader of the downtrodden. The landlord visits the village, but does not recognize her. The virtuous woman and the depraved man cross their path, and what does it bring to them?

    "All of Krzhizhanovsky's stories depict something aberrant, which is strongly rooted in something true."--"Bookforum""It is now clear that Krzhizhanovsky is one of the greatest Russian writers of the last century."--"Financial Times""A natural storyteller, striking intellect, and deeply creative soul are found all in one--a rare combination."--"Complete Review"

    The best bones weren’t on trails—deer and moose don’t die conveniently—and soon I was wandering so far into the woods that I needed a map and compass to find my way home. When winter came and snow blew into the mountains, burying the bones, I continued to spend my days and often my nights in the woods. I vaguely understood that I was doing this because I could no longer think; I found relief in walking up hills. When the night temperatures dropped below zero, I felt visited by necessity, a baseline purpose, and I walked for miles, my only objective to remain upright, keep moving, preserve warmth. When I was lost, I told myself stories . . .”So Charles D’Ambrosio recounted his life in Philipsburg, Montana, the genesis of the brilliant stories collected here, six of which originally appeared in The New Yorker. Each of these eight burnished, terrifying, masterfully crafted stories is set against a landscape that is both deeply American and unmistakably universal. A son confronts his father’s madness and his own hunger for connection on a misguided hike in the Pacific Northwest. A screenwriter fights for his sanity in the bleak corridors of a Manhattan psych ward while lusting after a ballerina who sets herself ablaze. A Thanksgiving hunting trip in Northern Michigan becomes the scene of a haunting reckoning with marital infidelity and desperation. And in the magnificent title story, carpenters building sets for a porn movie drift dreamily beneath a surface of sexual tension toward a racial violence they will never fully comprehend. Taking place in remote cabins, asylums, Indian reservations, the backloads of Iowa and the streets of Seattle, this collection of stories, as muscular and challenging as the best novels, is about people who have been orphaned, who have lost connection, and who have exhausted the ability to generate meaning in their lives. Yet in the midst of lacerating difficulty, the sensibility at work in these fictions boldly insists on the enduring power of love. D’Ambrosio conjures a world that is fearfully inhospitable, darkly humorous, and touched by glory; here are characters, tested by every kind of failure, who struggle to remain human, whose lives have been sharpened rather than numbed by adversity, whose apprehension of truth and beauty has been deepened rather than defeated by their troubles. Many writers speak of the abyss. Charles D’Ambrosio writes as if he is inside of it, gazing upward, and the gaze itself is redemptive, a great yearning ache, poignant and wondrous, equal parts grit and grace.The high divide --Drummond & son --Screenwriter --Up north --The scheme of things --The dead fish museum --Blessing --The bone game

    Eggers’ irreverent approach included a pioneering design that incorporated chapbooks, drawings, and all manner of cultural confetti previously unseen in the lit-mag format. McSweeney’s became an instant hit, showcasing the work of major new voices as well as literary luminaries such as William T. Vollman and Joyce Carol Oates. Long out of print and available only in the pricey collectors’ market, the first three issues appear in this omnibus, reproduced precisely as they first appeared. Longtime fans can revisit some of the best of the early McSweeney’s, while those new to the journal will see what all the fuss was about. A bracing range of topics include John Hodgman writing on the topic of cavemen, Jon Langford on Lester Bangs, Gary Greenberg on the Unabomber, and much more.

    A collection of short stories, written in both English and Filipino, for Filipino teenagers that discusses their issues and concerns in well-told narratives.

    These two collections, in one volume for the first time, feature eighteen tales of unusual breadth and emotional depth. This omnibus is a perfect introduction to Bruce Coville's magic for the uninitiated. Includes an introduction by Jane Yolen.

    Sam Hawthorne, a New England country doctor in the first half of the twentieth century, was constantly faced by murders in locked rooms, impossible disappearances, and other so-called miracle crimes. More Things Impossible contains fifteen of Dr. Sam s extraordinary cases solved between 1927 and 1931, including impossible murder in a house that whispers; poisoning by a gargoyle on the courthouse roof; the case of the Devil in the windmill; the houseboat that resembles the Mary Celeste; the affair of the vanishing Gypsies; stabbing in the locked cockpit of a plane in midair; a ghostly pirate in a lighthouse; ad eight other ingenious riddles. Edward D. Hoch is a legend of ingenuity in the world of mystery writing. Author of more than 800 short stories, winner of the Edgar Award, former President of the Mystery Writers of America, and contributor to every issue of Ellery Queen s Mystery Magazine since 1973, Hoch is one of the great mystery writers of our time. As John Dickson Carr remarked, Satan himself would be proud of his ingenuity. And Crippen & Landru is proud to be Edward D. Hoch s publisher.

    In Cowboy Kate, a lyrical tale of the triumph of youth played out by cowgirls of the old west, Haskins reinvented the genre of the nude with stunningly well-executed photographs, a cinematic approach, and a subtly engaging narrative. Often copied but rarely equaled, Haskins has an exceptional ability to photograph women with a sensitivity that has won him accolades from men and women alike. The "Director's Cut" is revised to include new and previously unpublished photographs.

    Our publisher readily agreed, and so you’ll see that this year’s edition is far more eclectic in form than previous editions. Along the way to making the book, we also came across a variety of things that didn’t fit neatly anywhere, but which we felt should be included, so we conceived the front section, which is a loose Best American roundup of notable words and sentences from 2005. It is, like this book in general, obviously and completely incomplete, but might be interesting nevertheless.

    Here Colm Tóibín, the author of the Man Booker Prize shortlisted novel The Master, a portrait of Henry James, brings together for the first time all the stories that James set in New York City. Written over the course of James's career and ranging from the deliciously tart comedy of the early "An International Episode" to the surreal and haunted corridors of "The Jolly Corner," and including "Washington Square", the poignant novella considered by many (though not, as it happens, by the author himself) to be one of James's finest achievements, the nine fictions gathered here reflect James's varied talents and interests as well as the deep and abiding preoccupations of his imagination. And throughout the book, as Tóibín's fascinating introduction demonstrates, we see James struggling to make sense of a city in whose rapidly changing outlines he discerned both much that he remembered and held dear as well as everything about America and its future that he dreaded most.Stories included:The Story of a MasterpieceA Most Extraordinary CaseCrawford's ConsistencyAn International EpisodeThe Impressions of a CousinThe Jolly CornerWashington SquareCrapy CorneliaA Round of Visits

    This seamstress—the eldest and meanest of the three Gold sisters—possesses a tarnished past and faces a bleak and lonely future. Guilty about her destructive desires and longing for innocence, her inner turmoil and explosive imagination belie a disarming honesty. A sequel to The Complete Tales of Ketzia Gold, the novel follows Merry from her suburban childhood through design school and a whirlwind of lovers, and into a desolate adulthood. Beginning with a toy seal and ending with mushrooms, this fairy tale set in modern times creeps through cruelty and violence to its inevitable end. Reminiscent of a miniature, fragile ice sculpture, The Complete Tales of Merry Gold glistens with hard-hearted bliss. Kate Bernheimer has once again delved into the internal anguish of the Gold family to extract a magical, carefully stitched tale of strange and happy fear.

    These luminous stories portray the contemporary lives of the children of Holocaust victims and perpetrators as they struggle with the legacy of their parents -- their questions of identity, family, and faith. "Awake in the Dark" is peopled by characters embarking on journeys of self-discovery; they unearth the past and the secrets that shaped them. In "The House on Kronenstrasse," a woman returns to Germany to find her childhood home; in "The Porcelain Monkey," the shocking origins of an Orthodox Jewish woman's faith are revealed; in "The Lamp," the harrowing experiences of a young woman leave her with the perfect daughter and a strange light; and in "Dark Urgings of the Blood," a patient is convinced that she shares a disturbing history with her psychiatrist.Rendered in clear, unaffected prose, Shira Nayman's powerful and heartbreaking collection explores the burden of history. "Awake in the Dark" is an illuminating and startling book about the disguises we don, the secrets we keep, and the consequences of our silences.

    In “Puberty,” Brandon takes the matter of his reticent hormones into his own hands. In “English Cousin,” Terry’s enigmatic relative arrives, looking to learn about love, stateside. And in “The Future, the Future, the Future,” Dan’s carefully planned life falters when he sees his wife kissing her boss. Trouble explodes with wicked humor, exuberant braininess, and unforgettable style.Puberty --Trouble and the shadowy deathblow --Black earth, early winter morning --Crow moon --The train --English cousin --The whales --The future, the future, the future --The Cold War --So long, anyway

    We've got a live one on the Southern literature scene She can ruffle the feathers of the most stoic, mess with the beliefs of the strictest fundamentalists, and reel you into the story like a mean catfish meant for the fryer. She has woven together the music, the language, the religions, and the traditions of the South. The result is SOUTHERN FRIED WOMEN, a collection of nine short stories of Southern women, and a few men, struggling for answers to unanswered questions, hoping for forgiveness, searching for righteousness, and questioning the existence of God in their lives. No Time For Laura, Vernell Paskins-Mobile Home Queen, Punkin Head, Cry, The Homestead, Old Time Religion, Pigment Of My Imagination, Beach Babies, Coal Dust On My Feet In the spirit of the rural South, Pamela King Cable may well be next on the Southern literature scene of unforgettables. These are the stories in this collection that examine - sometimes seriously and at other times with humor - themes of forgiveness, death, love, discovery, racial conflict, faith, tragedy, innocence, destiny, guilt, and overcoming insurmountable obstacles. Set in various locations and time periods in the South, Southern Fried Women is a compelling collection of stories from Pamela King Cable, a powerful new voice in fiction. Cassandra King, author of Making Waves, The Sunday Wife, The Same Sweet Girls, says . "If you don't find yourself devouring this delicious book of stories, by Pamela King Cable, then you are not a Southern Fried Woman (or Man). After laughing and cryingyour way through this collection, you will eagerly await new offerings from this talented writer "

    This book is lyrical, witty, ironical, and touched by nostalgia for childhood. It's a pure delight.

    Whether it's Alston Goldstein ferrying drugs around Florida on his yellow moped, a young man fighting his entire neighborhood to find a suitable husband for his pregnant sister, or a man preparing to arm wrestle Jesus, these 13 stories hinge on the interplay between middle-class normality and capricious heroes, transporting readers to a tenderly evoked world where the real and the absurd at last make peace. This fictional masterpiece is for readers who love Americana, root for the underdog, and delight in the approach of the next great voice in southern eccentricity.

    Edited by Abigail Beckel and Kathleen Rooney. Introduction by Ron Carlson.BREVITY & ECHO is an essential anthology of previously published short shorts by Emerson College alumni. BREVITY & ECHO broadens the scope of this rich and expanding genre with a wide range of flash fiction styles, and celebrates of the continuing legacy of Emerson's writing program. The anthology contains work by Don Lee, Denise Duhamel, Lee Harrington, and many more, as well as an introduction by Ron Carlson and an afterword by Pamela Painter. These tiny fictions--the longest weighing in at 1400 words and the shortest at just 55--appeared originally in the pages of such books and journals as McSweeney's, StoryQuarterly, Quick Fiction, What If?, Night Train, failbetter, and Best American Non-Required Reading.

    It's not a secret that he shares with many people. Especially these last six years, ever since the comforting lie of tunnels and white lights crumbled away to leave him with the memory of what he really found on the other side of death…not Hell, but something worse: a Heaven unlike anything he'd ever been taught to expect. Now, as Heaven seeks to reclaim him, Andrei awakens to the hidden truths of this world and the next, caught between two unequal sides waging a clandestine war for the soul of the world, in which everything he's ever taken for granted about good and evil has just been turned upside down. When death is no escape, what do you do? Andrei has a fierce need to know, as the clock runs out on the most excruciating moral choice of his life.

    This controversial tale has given enormous comfort to many young people struggling with their own sexual identity.©1991 Bruce Coville; (P)2006 Full Cast Audio

    At turns scary, sweet, totally bizarre, hilarious, and always heartfelt, these 50 stories read a lot like haiku poems, except, well-- longer. Nate also did a bunch of drawings for the book, and they rule. This book also contains a full-length, 21 song CD, "Ghost Alarm", by Nate Denver's Neck (which is, strangely enough, the same guy as the author. go figure.) Introduction by Adam Jones of Tool.

    One Great CD.Here are two magnificent stories in which John Cheever celebrates—with unequaled grace and tenderness—the deepest feelings we have.As Cheever wrote, "These stories seem at times to be stories of a long-lost world when the city of New York was still filled with a river light, when you heard the Benny Goodman quartets from a radio in the corner stationery store, and when almost everybody wore a hat."

    

    With her newest collection, Nelson once again proves herself worthy of her stellar reputation, delivering seven taut, striking stories and a brilliant novella, all exploring the tensions of troubled family relations.Nelson is an extraordinary chronicler of the fraught relationships between parents and children and husbands and wives. With her particular understanding of the threats and vulnerabilities of wild adolescence, as well as the complicated, persistent love that often lies dormant beneath the drama of rebellion, she illuminates the hidden corners of her characters' lives.The shy, shoplifting sixteen-year-old protagonist in the title novella is trying to understand how to become an adult while going through a year of family disaster. We watch as she dabbles in the same adult behaviors that so repulse her about her parents (binge drinking, sex) while maintaining so much of her adolescent insecurity and confusion. "Dick" is a moving story about a mother who, having lost her daughter to the vicissitudes of adolescence, has a compulsion to protect her innocent, preadolescent son from the aggressive and encroaching post-9/11 adult world. The homeless teen at the heart of "Eminent Domain" is a pampered Houston rich girl who has, for her own reasons, taken to the streets.Radiating an emotional intensity that unifies the entire collection, each of Nelson's stories both captivates and unnerves. As her characters run the gauntlet of often bewildering family tensions and trauma, she alternates hope and despair, resentment and love, in perfectly recognizable proportions.Weaving wonderful observation with quick wit and striking insight, "Some Fun" is a timely and provocative inventory of the state of family in America -- and proof of why Nelson is one of the most important writers at work today.

    Few authors have matched the versatility and stylishness of Walter Jon Williams. His genre-defining novels have received wide critical acclaim and captured the rapt attention of fans worldwide. He has been nominated for every major SF award. The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories contains nine bleeding-edge tales showcasing Williams’ flexibility, power-chord storytelling, and engagingly human and post-human characters. From Walter Jon Williams, author of more than twenty novels, including This Is Not a Game, Implied Spaces, and the definitive cyberpunk novel Hardwired, comes The Green Leopard Plague and Other Stories, a stunning collection of short fiction including the Nebula Award-winning stories “Daddy’s World” and “The Green Leopard Plague,” and featuring an introduction by Charles Stross, plus in-depth story notes.

    Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions that are true to the original work.

    A shy African American woman confronts evil directly in a terrifying act of love. A teenage orphan replaces a wayward son in a privileged but unhappy family. A young carpenter decides that if his baby is going to be born right, he will have to commit a crime and build the world anew.Fayton, North Carolina, is a rural town in which everyone knows everyone else's business. Crone explores this fictional landscape and its inhabitants from many angles. The stories follow the lives of men and women who grew up together in Fayton. Full of memorable characters from several generations, this story cycle evolves into a chronicle of a region and its characters. Through it, Crone meditates on the mix of history and spirit that shapes souls and creates community.From the perspectives of its various protagonists--white and black, male and female, young and old--we watch as Fayton comes to deal with the charged issues of race, feminism, southern traditions, and the unforeseen changes wrought by economics and technology. What Gets Into Us is a powerful story cycle that resonates as deeply as a classic novel.Moira Crone is the author of the novel Period of Confinement and two collections of short stories. Four of her stories have appeared in New Stories from the South: The Year's Best. This collection includes her novella, "The Ice Garden," which won the 2004 William Faulkner/Wisdom Prize.

    It is the finest collection yet from a contemporary master of the form.Beginning with the sudden terror of a family caught up in shocking sectarian violence, and ending with the whiteout of an Iowa blizzard and the fear of losing your way very far from home, this collection is about bonds made and broken, secret and known. In the extraordinary story "Up the Coast," a landscape painter discovers a place that makes her, finally, feel whole, only to have that communion shattered by an arbitrary act of aggression that will resonate throughout her life.Written with effortless skill and empathy, these stories are hauntingly real. MacLaverty's perfect attention to every detail, every nuance of idiom and character, remakes the world for us here on the page.

    Fiction. A first-of-its-kind collection of hybrid prose-poetry and flash-fiction featuring 61 of today's foremost innovative writers, including Kim Addonizio, Stuart Dybek, Lydia Davis, Sean Thomas Dougherty, Brian Evenson, Raymond Federman, Geoffrey Gatza, Laird Hunt, Harold Jaffe, Kent Johnson, Gary Lutz, Cris Mazza, Joyelle McSweeney, Christina Milletti, Ander Monson, Daniel Nester, Ethan Paquin, Aimee Parkison, Elizabeth Robinson, Martha Ronk, Nina Shope, Eleni Sikelianos, Jessica Treat, Diane Williams, and many more. "Perhaps the writers in this anthology will be thought of as PP/FF writers. Perhaps poets, fiction writers, or followers of Orpheus. I would argue that strict adherence to given conventions of form and genre are delibilitating to a writer's creativity and do a disservice to readers. Genre is easier to teach, to quantify and review, but what does it have to do with creating new art?"—Peter Conners, from the introduction.

    The innocence and clarity of her narrative voice reveals new and unexpected layers. Vlassopoulos brings readers into her characters' worlds; making their desires intelligible, showing how they frame their live's events in terms of abstract superstitions, allowing us to feel what they feel. Bat or Swallows is a debut collection of excellent short fiction, with a style and tone reminiscent of Julie Orringer's How to Breathe Underwater.

    This heart-wrenching collection of novellas brings that statement to life in three unique ways, penned by three of the generation's most prolific authors.In Eileen M. Johnson's "How the Other Half Lives," Jamellah and Fernecia have been friends since forever. Having escaped the poverty of their youth together, they both had made their mark in society. However, men problems threaten to make them literally fall apart. Fernecia is married to a man who was raised to think he is better than everyone -- even his own wife. Jamellah has always used men to get ahead but eventually everything catches up to her. The two friends must ultimately count on each other in a world of havoc and distrust.In V. Anthony Rivers's "Love Is 2 Blame," Malcolm is devastated after a two-year relationship with Shaylisa ends. He finds it difficult to function because he cannot comprehend why she would want to end such a perfect situation. He was everything she had asked for; he treated her with respect and showered her with love. Yet love was not enough. Trying to move on to someone new will not be as easy as it used to be, but will the lovely Zahara show Malcolm what true love is all about?In Zane's "Staring Evil in the Face," Robier has everything a man could ever wish for: a stable and rewarding career, two beautiful children, an elegant home, and the woman of his dreams. Having loved Tiphanie since college, he is determined to keep his marital vows until . . . Tiphanie is involved in a horrible car accident that changes the entire course of their lives.From nervous breakdowns to drug addiction, "Love Is Never Painless" explores the deeper side of love; the side rarely explored in romance novels. Zane, Johnson, and Rivers have penned a powerful collection of novellas that will not only have readers talking but also examining their own relationships with a new perspective.

    More than three hours of recordings in each collection capture the intimacy of live performance, with stories that are alternately exciting, poignant, and funny, making this the perfect accompaniment to any number of daily activities--driving, cooking, exercising, relaxing, or intently listening. Timeless Classics includes, among others, James Thurber's "The Night the Ghost Got In," read by Isaiah Sheffer; Edith Wharton's "Roman Fever," read by Maria Tucci; Jack London's "Make Westing," read by Steven Gilborn; D. H. Lawrence's "The Rocking Horse Winner," read by John Shea; Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery," read by Marian Seldes; Richard Connell's "The Most Dangerous Game," read by Charles Keating; and Raymond Carver's "Cathedral," read by James Naughton.

    Seyersted's presentation of Chopin's writings and biographical and bibliographical information led to the rediscovery and celebration of this turn-of-the-century author. Newsweek hailed the two-volume opus--"In story after story and in all her novels, Kate Chopin's oracular feminism and prophetic psychology almost outweigh her estimable literary talents. Her revival is both interesting and timely." Now for the first time, Seyersted's Complete Works is available in a single-volume paperback. It is the first and only paperback edition of Chopin's total oeuvre. Containing twenty poems, ninety-six stories, two novels, and thirteen essays--in short, everything Chopin wrote except several additional poems and three unfinished children's stories--as well as Seyersted's original revelatory introduction and Edmund Wilson's foreword, this anthology is both a historical and a literary achievement. It is ideal for anyone who wishes to explore the pleasures of reading this highly acclaimed author.

    Bakken's territory in this debut collection of short stories is the degraded suburbs of Long Island, where the small acts of neglect and violence often lead to more insidious, though necessary, lies, lies necessary to sustain intimacy and love. "Fully imagined, deeply felt, remarkably alert, and powerfully realized, the stories in NECESSARY LIES are all about finding the truth," writes Frederick Busch. "Ms. Bakken's storytelling turns the clumsiness of human need into remarkable grace."

    A new collection of fictional haunted tales set in the Mid-Atlantic region.

    Now that Whitney is finally ready to end the marriage, after realizing her husband can never forgive or forget, she is stunned to find Javar at her hospital bedside after a reckless driver forced her off the road. But can they forge a new beginning out of the nightmare of the past--especially when the threat to Whitney's life and their marriage still exists?"Sweet Honesty "When it comes to relationships, Samona Gray has had a streak of bad luck--her latest boyfriend is an armed robber. But when she unwittingly becomes implicated in his crimes, Samona finds putting her life back together seems all but impossible. That is until she meets an attractive writer who has moved into the apartment above hers. Derrick Lawson is the most irresistible man Samona has ever met, but she knows that trouble lies beneath those good looks. Her instincts prove right when she discovers he's really an undercover cop. Unbeknownst to her, he is beginning to fall for Samona. But can she trust him with her heart?"Flirting with Danger"Monique Savard's exquisite beauty has made her one of New York's hottest supermodels. What brought her to the city, however, was her quest to solve the mystery of her mother's murder sixteen years ago. Khamil Jordan, a high-profile attorney, is captivated by the beautiful Monique. Intrigued by her indifference to his charms, Khamil discovers the pain beneath her coolness. He vows to help her as she uncovers dangerous secrets, knowing that the only way to capture her heart is by putting her tragic past behind them.

    These recordings, originally produced for CBC Radio's Booktime series, have a special significance since they appears to be the only English-language recording of Kafka material. Broadcast-quality production values, brief introductions and theme music enhance the presentation. The first three stories, presented as a miniseries featuring Kafka's work, share a musical theme. Scarfe reads all but the second story, which is brought to life by the capable Wetherall. Each is a tiny window into the soul of a character, permitting listeners to experience an event. The jaunty theme music of the miniseries might seem a bit frivolous to Kafka purists, but effectively establishes the mundaneness of these individuals' existence. For uniqueness alone, this item deserves a place in library and school collections, and for making the work of a master more approachable it is most welcome. (Mar.)Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

    From the back cover: "DEAR NEIGHBOR: Have you been piling all your bills in a drawer and leaving them to collect dust? Does a middle-aged man more like a shadow figure keep asking you to examine his problem: having too many rock-solid erections? Does common sense tell you that persistent flashbacks to an underground ranch where cowboys and clanking robots look to you for guidance and decision-making may not be entirely healthy? You may be having a BREAKDOWN!!"

    But there are a couple of obstacles in his way. First, there are the kids next door who insist on racing their dirt bikes through his yard. And then there's his eccentric neighbor Zach, who comes looking for Larry's help, to verify that Zach isn't losing his mind.Because there is something in his house that couldn't possibly be real...Something terrifying...

    In addition to these crime stories, Masterpieces of Mystery and the Unknown collects all twenty-eight of Christie's supernatural suspense tales, displaying her full range as an author.Contents:Dressmaker's doll / Last Séance / Witness for the prosecution / Red signal / Fourth man / S.O.S. / Where there's a will / Mystery of the blue jar / Sing a song os sixpence / Mystery of the Spanish shawl / Philomel Cottage / Accident / Listerdale mystery / Girl in the train / Manhood of Edward Robinson / Jane in search of a job / Fruitful Sunday / Golden ball / Rajah's emerald / Swan song / Hound of death / Gipsy / Lamp / Srange case of Sir Arthur Carmichael / Call of wings / Magnolia blossom / Next to a dog / Three blind mice.

    Yet no sooner have they met than her drunken father dies unexpectedly, leaving her impoverished. Too ashamed to admit to Scott her desperate state, she instead creates a fanciful world full of parties and holidays, friends and suitors, to convince him she is still the popular girl he first met. However, as her charade grows ever more fragile, she endangers their friendship and her very hope of salvation. Fitzgerald's beautifully drawn exploration of the interdependency of love and money captures in perfect detail the concerns that pervade so many of his stories.

    In the first, he outwits a prideful snake to win possession of all the stories in the jungle. The second recounts his getting caught in his own web of lies at his mother-in-law’s funeral.

    In this volume we found two books of stories about the Cuba that Arenas knew; the people of Revolution: a farmer called "The Old Rose", a man who sees stars, a writer exiled in Miami, the daughters of Bernarda Alba discovering pleasure, and the touching final monologue of a writer with hate and nostalgia.

    A car accident brings a terrifying revelation. A stalker turns out to be far more than she appears… Unflinching, precise and seamed with a dry wit, Tracey Sinclair’s debut collection of stories is a darkly beautiful look at the pivotal moments in women’s lives.

    Paintings and sculpture by Lisa Snellings-Clark. From the back cover: "Gene Wolfe presents two tales inspired by the engaging sculptures and paintings of Lisa Snellings-Clark. A collaboration characterized by the detail and mystery inherent in each of the artists' work, *Strange Birds* is a delight of imaginary beings and too-real people."Includes the two stories, "On A Vacant Face A Bruise" and "Sob In The Silence."

    Includes illustrations and maps.

    Perched on high, the prince can see all the misery of the poor, and begs the swallow to help.

    Here is Martin LeFavor, convinced his father has been nabbed by a solicitous band of aliens in desperate need of skin; Charlotte McCorkle, a vexed visionary who believes she has helped her husband escape the flesh; Zero Loomis, plagued by sacrificial angels, the memory of his father, and a shadowy sexual identity; his sister Rachel, an amateur masseuse determined to settle accounts with the past, in particular with her lovingly violent father; Ruby Tuesday, Rachel’s daughter, a budding oracle, the embodiment of possibility and prey to history; and, holding this tilted cosmos together, fifteen-year-old Ivy Engel, who carefully measures the borders of Self, advocates for neighborhood bats, and frets about the health of her friend Duncan, his harrowed body mapped and perhaps ravaged by subcutaneous scars. What happens when the spirit exceeds the limits of the skin? More troubling yet, what happens if it doesn’t? These are the questions the inhabitants of What Cheer, Kansas, must finally face as their paths cross and recross in an ever more intriguing—and perhaps liberating—puzzle.

    Indeed, it can be argued that the "new space opera" is one of the defining streams of modern SF.Now, World Fantasy Award-winning anthologists David G. Hartwell and Kathryn Cramer have compiled a definitive overview of this subgenre, both as it was in the days of the pulp magazines, and as it has become in 2005. Included are major works from genre progenitors like Jack Williamson and Leigh Brackett, stylish midcentury voices like Cordwainer Smith and Samuel R. Delany, popular favorites like David Drake, Lois McMaster Bujold, and Ursula K. Le Guin, and modern-day pioneers such as Iain M. Banks, Steven Baxter, Scott Westerfeld, and Charles Stross.

    A woman who cannot leave her house loses almost everything, her only companion a garrulous radio talk show host; a house fire sets in motion the end of a marriage as a couple re-examine the meaning of truth and commitment; a teenage girl cannot extract herself from a doomed relationship with a heroin addict. Innocence, and the loss of it, are handled with humour and compassion, and heartbreaking honesty. Young reveals an uncanny ability to see the mysterious in the commonplace.

    From the funny and faintly ridiculous to the terribly tragic, every tale brings a young boy’s small world, and its big implications, to life.

    Like the flaming projectiles his protagonists often launch into the sky, these stories crackle with energy and violence and a furious beauty. Benjamin Percy is a force. -- Anthony Doerr

    Some move toward the future heartened by what they learn from those around them--a tattoo artist, an invented medicine man, zoo animals, strangers, fellow outsiders. Deftly rendered, these stories abound with oddness and grace.In “Tattooizm,” included in The Best American Short Stories 2006, a young woman struggles with a promise that her boyfriend is determined to make her keep. In the Nelson Algren Award–winning “Space,” a reluctantly undertaken errand forces a young man to finally confront the death of his mother. And in “The Medicine Man,” hailed by the Times (U.K.) as “perfectly pitched and perfectly written,” a man recounts his manic attachment to his sister.Moffett’s closely observed stories are candid and complex, funny and moving. The world of Permanent Visitors is an idiosyncratic and generous one, its inhabitants searching for constancy in a place crowded with contradiction.

    Unabridged and fully illustrated, it’s the perfect collection to establish a life-long love of literature. Edgar Allan Poe’s brooding tales of murder, madness, and revenge still grab today’s readers. Here are five of his finest, presented and fully annotated by Andrew Delbanco, a much-honored professor of humanities at Columbia University whom Time magazine called “America's Best Social Critic.” And throughout, chilling and evocative illustrations by renowned artist Gerard Dubois enhance the stories—among them a devilish, skull-like face to accompany “Masque of the Red Death” and an appropriately foreboding view of the House of Usher. The collection includes “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Oval Portrait”—and as always features an author biography, introductions to every story, and definitions of unfamiliar vocabulary.

    This book is out of print.

    But maybe this time they will. In this lighthearted collection of short stories, reflections on God, and thoughts about faith, author Bryan Currie helps readers see how God peeks around the corners of our lives and speaks to us through our experiences. Listen to these stories. Share your own. And let Dead Bunnies remind you that every life is a story God tells.

    

    In the Colorless Round is a mixture of images and language that blend together to expound on reflections, time and people that tell about a specific space in time. Rikki Ducornet's sketches within these pages have their own individual space that makes each character come to life.--Angela Stubbs, Bookslut

    Others challenged racism in ways more solitary but no less life changing. These twenty-three stories give a voice to the nameless, ordinary citizens without whom the movement would have failed. From bloody melees at public lunch counters to anxious musings at the family dinner table, the diverse experiences depicted in this anthology make the civil rights movement as real and immediate as the best histories and memoirs.Each story focuses on a particular, sometimes private, moment in the historic struggle for social justice in America. Events have a permanent effect on characters, like the white girl in "Spring Is Now" who must sort through her feelings about the only black boy in her school, or the black preacher in "The Convert" who tells a friend, "This thing of being a man . . . The Supreme Court can't make you a man. The NAACP can't do it. God Almighty can do a lot, but even He can't do it. Ain't nobody can do it but you." If a character survives--and some do not--the event can become a turning point, a vision for a better world.The sections into which the stories are grouped parallel the news headlines of the day: School Desegregation (1954 on), Sit-ins (1960 on), Marches and Demonstrations (1963 on), and Acts of Violence. In the last section, Retrospective, characters look back on their personal involvement with the movement. Twenty writers--eleven black and nine white--are represented in the collection. Ten stories were written during the 1960s. That the others were written long after the movement's heyday suggests the potency of that time as a continuing source of creative inspiration.