Besides, Debu has only recently escaped a bunch of local ruffians who wanted him to ‘go back home to Bangladesh’.But Debu is unable to resist being friends with Clint. For, in return for doing his maths homework, Clint introduces him to a completely new life: the heady charms of Kalsang, the Chinese restaurant forbidden by Debu’s mother; the revolutionary sounds of Pink Floyd; and most importantly, the coolest, prettiest girl in town—Audrey Pariat. Audrey loves maths and detective stories, just like Debu, and does not make him feel awkward or exotic. Together, the three of them look set to embark on many adventures. But when tensions between the Khasi and Bengali communities boil over, Shillong becomes a battlefield—old neighbours become outsiders and the limits of friendship are challenged.With crackling energy, Nilanjan P. Choudhury immerses us in the tumultuous lives of Debu, his friends and his family, and their attempts to find love and belonging. Written with uncommon warmth, humour and a delightful evocation of place, Shillong Times is an exhilarating coming-of-age story—showing us how friendship can eclipse the hardened enmities of adulthood.

    

    That hasn't made him a friend of law enforcement. His record of successful heists has put him at the top of relic recovery agent Susara Eaves' target deck. But when Lane seeks to steal the key to unlocking an ancient civilization's legendary vitality and beauty for his cancer-stricken daughter, Susara finds herself compelled into a strange partnership with him. Together, they undertake a journey through heavily guarded museum vaults and ruins of ancient Minoan palaces to unearth a paragon civilization's most precious secret. Only, they aren't the only ones hunting the answer to this archaeological enigma. Their adventure into the dark recesses of ancient worlds grows perilous as Lane's lifelong rival, the bloodthirsty assassin son of a Corsican mafia consigliere, strives to beat them to the prize.

    

     January 1964. Political intrigue and infighting roils Washington in the wake of the assassination attempt in Dallas, and a wounded President John F. Kennedy returns to the White House to face a growing crisis in Vietnam that threatens America’s Cold War strategy. The president doesn’t trust the information he is getting from Saigon, where the military is engaged in a shadow operation to make things seem better than they really are. So he turns to the one man he does trust: Lt. Colonel Patrick O’Shea. A decorated combat veteran of Korea, O’Shea has been plucked from obscurity to be Kennedy’s military advisor, and is tasked by the president to figure out what is really going on in Vietnam. The knives come out as O’Shea grapples with myriad threats to himself and the president he serves. The Pentagon, the CIA, the Corsican Mafia and the Chicago Mob are all conspiring against him. The debut novel by Ken Davenport, The Two Gates is an exciting new addition to the military, presidential and alternative history tradition of W.E.B. Griffin, David Baldacci, Harry Turtledove and Philip Roth.

    The bookshop is about to close, abandoned buildings line the canal and Potherthwaite’s residents seem stuck in a disheartened rut. Something has to be done, but what? And who will do it?When an unexpected tragedy shatters Sally’s life, she bravely takes on the task herself. Supported by a group of locals, including thrice-married Marigold Boyce-Willoughby, who is forever looking for love, and married couple Jill and Arnold Buss, who might both be falling for their new neighbours, Sally embarks on her ambition to bring the town back to life. But can one woman rally a whole community to save itself?David Nobbs’ much-anticipated new novel is a hilarious, heartwarming tale about what keeps our community spirits alive.

    But it seems the world around her won't cooperate -- she keeps getting involved with the wrong friends, the wrong older man, even the wrong Mr. Right. Her relationship with her family is downright dysfunctional -- while her mother is a holdover from the 1950s, her father embraces the go-go 1970s with abandon. So Taylor, left to her own devices, determines her life's road map -- a plan that will get her out of her house and out of Houston. A plan that will get her somewhere. "The Way to Somewhere" traces Taylor's odyssey as she moves from teenager to woman, with equal parts awkwardness, conflict, and resolve. All the while, Taylor struggles to shape reality into her dreams of the forever after. When a complex romantic entanglement leads to a fascination with furniture restoration, Taylor seems to have found the precise balance of science and logic that she desperately seeks. Yet somehow, her experiences continue to be more surprising and disastrous than smoothly aligned, until eventually all of these wrong turns set her life further on its own true course.Resonant and moving, funny and wise, "The Way to Somewhere" charts Taylor's growth as she flings herself headlong into sex, love, relationships, and renewal. In the end, Taylor's happiness hinges on learning not only to accept but to embrace those elements of her life that she had once tossed aside in search of better things.With the quick wit of Tom Perrotta's "Bad Haircut" and the emotional timbre of Wally Lamb's "She's Come Undone," Angie Day's "The Way to Somewhere" is an exceptional exploration ofthat fragile bridge between adolescence and adulthood, and what shores us up -- or breaks us apart.

    Scarborough the novel employs a multitude of voices to tell the story of a tight-knit neighborhood under fire: among them, Victor, a black artist harassed by the police; Winsum, a West Indian restaurant owner struggling to keep it together; and Hina, a Muslim school worker who witnesses first-hand the impact of poverty on education.And then there are the three kids who work to rise above a system that consistently fails them: Bing, a gay Filipino boy who lives under the shadow of his father's mental illness; Sylvie, Bing's best friend, a Native girl whose family struggles to find a permanent home to live in; and Laura, whose history of neglect by her mother is destined to repeat itself with her father.Scarborough offers a raw yet empathetic glimpse into a troubled community that locates its dignity in unexpected places: a neighborhood that refuses to be undone.Catherine Hernandez is a queer theatre practitioner and writer who has lived in Scarborough off and on for most of her life. Her plays Singkil and Kilt Pins were published by Playwrights Canada Press, and her children's book M is for Mustache: A Pride ABC Book was published by Flamingo Rampant. She is the Artistic Director of Sulong Theatre for women of color.

    She knew how. Mildred could breathe the word no to a second cup of ice cream. Could resist drinking too much champagne. But when it came right down to a friend needing a favor, she might say no first, but if someone really needed her—really needed her! —she always said yes. That’s how Mildred ended up with strangers camped out in her spare bedroom, helping her friend Fran to start a new business at the antique emporium, and walking around the empty church with a dust rag in her hand even though she hated to dust. She couldn’t say no to dust for long either. The only real no Mildred had said in recent history was to a man who loved her. Hugh wasn’t the first man to pursue her. But he was the most recent. And she had been flattered but not interested—not in the way he wanted her to be interested. Hugh didn’t give up right away. He lodged himself near her at church. Found her in the church kitchen after a fellowship supper to aid in the clean-up. And finally, her would-be lover had just asked her outright. That was the moment when Mildred had to say no. Until then Millie had been artfully dodging him. Only her best friend Fran understood. Fran said when Mildred finally felt the regretful effects of that no, “We’re all of us such fools.” But they aren’t fools. Mildred Budge and her friends are just people trying to live inside the faith released from heaven through the One who didn’t say no. This is the first novel in the series about Mildred Budge and her friends—just ordinary people trying to live out an extraordinary hope available to anyone who realizes what kind of help he or she really needs. That hope has a name, and Mildred Budge knows it. Need hope? Need a friend. Mildred Budge is a very good friend. If you like spending time with people who are just ordinary but extraordinarily hopeful, then you’ll love this story. Get a copy of this first novel in the series and find out for yourself what church ladies really think. About the author: Daphne Simpkins is an Alabama writer who writes about a variety of subjects and often on the secret lives of church ladies. Befriend her on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin.com.

    If you are looking for a deeper reading experience, then this analysis is the perfect companion. In Sycamore Row, we return to the character of Jake Brigance and the town of Clanton, Mississippi. With the Carl Lee Hailey case well behind him, Jake is frustrated and bored with the status of his professional life. But as he immerses himself in defending a will during an intense jury trial against powerful opponents, he gets out of the professional doldrums. The experience seems to breathe new life into his personal affairs, as well. John Grisham crafts a tale of revenge and forgiveness with a gentler voice than in A Time to Kill. Fans will appreciate Grisham's range, as the reader enjoys the building tension as Jake does battle without the threat of death hanging over his head. With this analysis, you will gain a better understanding of the characters and plot while receiving rich insight into the novel's themes and symbolism. Examine Grisham's writing style to see how he expertly builds tension in ways not seen in his previous works. This analysis covers an in-depth view of the setting, including the location, time period, and social issues. A convenient character reference list helps you keep track of the entire cast in Sycamore Row. The chapter-by-chapter analysis covers the plot while adding insightful details. Spoiler alerts tell you when to stop in case you are reading this analysis along with the book. Learn what drives each key character while you explore the major themes and symbols throughout the novel. Challenge your mind with the discussion questions and responses at the end of the analysis. Get the most out of your reading with the help of an expert's perspective while you enjoy Sycamore Row by John Grisham.

    Her mother comes to visit and through conversations with her and a recollection of her past she starts to reflect on her childhood and its affects on her present life. In “My Name is Lucy Barton” the reader gets a glimpse into the past and gains insight into the complicated relationship between a mother and her daughter. After not talking to her mother for years, she is finally reunited when her mother visits her in the hospital. The exploration through their relationship lends unexpected vision into all other relationships in Lucy’s life; her relationship with her husband, daughters, neighbors and family friends. Through this telling narrative one can gather the notion of a past’s affects on their present and their telling of “their” story. “My Name is Lucy Barton” is the thought-provoking tale of a woman discovering herself, her mother, her husband, her children, and the world around her. Inside this SUMMARY READS Summary & Highlights of My Name Is Lucy Barton: Summary of Each Chapter Highlights BONUS: Free Report about The Tidiest and Messiest Places on Earth - http://sixfigureteen.com/messy.

    Nikolai ran aground off the Olympic Peninsula; this novel is based on this astounding historical event and the lives of the people affected. In 1808, eighteen-year-old Anna Petrovna Bulygina is aboard the Russian ship St. Nikolai when it runs aground off on the west coast of Washington State on the Olympic Peninsula. The crew, tasked with trading for sea otter pelts and exploring the coast, are forced to shore into Indigenous territory, where they are captured, enslaved, and then traded among three different Indigenous communities. Terrified at first, Anna soon discovers that nothing—including slavery—is what she expected. She begins to question Russian imperialist aspirations, the conduct of the crew, and her own beliefs and values as she experiences a way of life she never could have imagined.Based on historical record, Anna, Like Thunder blends fact and fiction to explore the early days of contact between Indigenous people and Europeans off the west coast of North America and offers a fresh interpretation of history.

    But in an unexpected turn of events, he finds himself assigned to the Oncology unit of the University Pediatric Hospital, in unfamiliar territory and answering to a demanding attending physician. Unbeknownst to him, he will face a most unexpected test, as the children of the oncology unit show him he might not be quite prepared for the upcoming weeks, and maybe not quite prepare to become a doctor.

    Grisham's twenty-second legal thriller takes readers from the sky-scrapers of high-powered New York law firms to the dusty offices of a free legal clinic in small-town Virginia. Gray Mountain is both an exciting story of murder and intrigue and a thoughtful examination of the effects of the coal industry on life in Appalachia. Grisham's tight plotting, wry humor and three-dimensional characters bring the legal profession to life. Gray Mountain begins in the tempestuous, nerve-wracking and paranoid atmosphere of Manhattan set in the confusing months after the economic blow-out in 2008. We see the offices with their ignored vistas, the busy, dirty sidewalks, the cramped apartments shared by young professionals. After a brief sojourn in her hometown of Washington, D.C., protagonist Samantha, along with the story, heads for rural Virginia. Most of the novel takes place in the small town of Brady, Virginia, which is poor and somewhat down-at-heel. You also get the following in this Summary & Analysis of Gray Mountain: • Detailed Book Review from Experts • Story Setting Analysis of Gray Mountain • Gray Mountain Plot Analysis that will make you see the book from another angle. • Pick up bits you might have missed as we decipher the novel. • Details of Characters & Key Character Analysis • Summary of the text, with some analytical comments interspersed • Discussion & Analysis of Themes, Symbols… • And Much More! This Analysis of Gray Mountain fills the gap, making you understand more while enhancing your reading experience.

    Patrick is a struggling restaurateur who wishes he could spend more time with his wife. As they drift apart, Jane decides she wants more from her relationship than friendship, and so at age thirty-six she sets off on a journey to find what it takes to complete her life. She travels to India where she falls rapturously in lust with her tour guide, Rajiv. Meanwhile Patrick falls for baby-faced American food critic Stella, who could lose him more than his peace of mind; she could lose him his restaurant. Both affairs are disastrous and as their lives spiral toward disaster, Patrick and Jane reassess the decisions they’ve made. Has Jane thrown away true love with both hands?Prue Leith, one of England’s top chefs, displays her expertise in her insider’s details of the restaurant business and the breathtaking food of India. In Leaving Patrick, Leith has created a well-written and moving story with wry humor and intelligence about the real choices adults have to make once they start taking stock of their lives.