Black Light


Kimberly King Parsons - 2019
    In this debut collection of enormously perceptive and brutally unsentimental short stories, Parsons illuminates the ache of first love, the banality of self-loathing, the scourge of addiction, the myth of marriage, and the magic and inevitable disillusionment of childhood.Taking us from hot Texas highways to cold family kitchens, from the freedom of pay-by-the-hour motels to the claustrophobia of private school dorms, these stories erupt off the page with a primal howl—sharp-voiced, bitter, and wise. Black Light contains the type of storytelling that resonates somewhere deep, in the well of memory that repudiates nostalgia.

Fiber


Rick Bass - 1998
    It is a story about last chances, about crafting solutions from the wreckage of a devastated place, and about the high cost, emotionally and physically, of hope in the presence of despair. Writing from the Yaak Valley of northwestern Montana, the wildest valley in the Lower 48, Rick Bass portrays the plight of the artist deeply embedded in a place he loves. The author asks how a writer survives amidst the destruction of the natural world around him, if, like Bass, the writer must struggle passionately to protect a place like the Yaak from devastation. As a work of fiction, "Fiber" elegantly follows the life of the narrator as he evolves from the geologist who takes, to the artist who gives, to the activist who fights, and finally to the troubling and magical 'log fairy.'

12 Shots


Vito ZuppardoMike Clayton - 2020
    You’ll encounter bodyguards, police officers, private detectives, bounty hunters, coroners, firefighters, vigilantes, hackers and a variety of oddballs. They share a knack for getting into trouble – but have the skills and determination to get themselves out.Each pulse-pounding story features the author’s main characters. When you find one you love, there’s a series behind it, waiting for you. Get 12 shots while you can and discover your new favourite crime thriller series.

A Slice Of Life: Every Person Has A Story


Smita Das Jain - 2021
    An enthralling read!’- Shraddha Sahi, Author of Anamika Khanna Falls in Love & The Case of the Counterfeit CurrencyEvery human wears a mask. Behind the cheerful facade lies faith, hope, trust, love, despair, confidence, insecurity, et al. Everyone has a story. A DINK couple finding Work From Home a challenge... The Couple who wasn’t one... A rigid person who deviates from a lifelong habit... Two people who remain in touch for 35 years, without talking... A daughter who has sacrificed her dreams for her mother… A fictional potpourri of extraordinary narratives of ordinary people who have more to their everyday lives beneath the surface, these stories reflect myriad hues of human behaviour.From the author of the suspense thriller ‘The Lost Identity’ comes an anthology that touches the human heart. ‘The story is so well crafted that it keeps the reader intrigued from start to end, eager to know what happens next!’ - Review for Smita’s First Book ‘The Lost Identity’

2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake


Jake Adelstein - 2011
    In addition to essays, artwork and photographs submitted by people around the world, including people who endured the disaster and journalists who covered it, 2:46: Aftershocks: Stories from the Japan Earthquake contains a piece by Yoko Ono, and work created specifically for the book by authors William Gibson, Barry Eisler and Jake Adelstein. “The primary goal,” says the book's editor, a British resident of Japan, “is to record the moment, and in doing so raise money for the Japanese Red Cross Society to help the thousands of homeless, hungry and cold survivors of the earthquake and tsunami. The biggest frustration for many of us was being unable to help these victims. I don’t have any medical skills, and I’m not a helicopter pilot, but I can edit. A few tweets pulled together nearly everything – all the participants, all the expertise – and in just over a week we had created a book including stories from an 80-year-old grandfather in Sendai, a couple in Canada waiting to hear if their relatives were okay, and a Japanese family who left their home, telling their young son they might never be able to return." If you'd like to make a donation to aid the victims of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, please visit the Japanese Red Cross Society website, where you can donate via Paypal or bank transfer (watch out for the fees, though!) or the American Red Cross Society, which accepts donations directed to its Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami fund (but only accepts donations made with U.S.-issued credit cards). And of course, if you like the book, please tell your friends, and tell them to give generously as well! Thank you! Japan really does appreciate your help!

Penny Candy


Jean Kerr - 1966
    15 new, extremely funny, pieces by the author of "Please Don't Eat the Daisies." These stories run the gamut from home entertaining to Twiggy with a laugh every step of the way.

Knitting Yarns: Writers on Knitting


Ann Hood - 2013
    They share their knitting triumphs and disasters as well as their life triumphs and disasters…These essays will break your heart. They will have you laughing out loud." —Ann Hood, from the introductionWhy does knitting occupy a place in the hearts of so many writers? What’s so magical and transformative about yarn and needles? How does knitting help us get through life-changing events and inspire joy? In Knitting Yarns, twenty-seven writers tell stories about how knitting healed, challenged, or helped them to grow. Barbara Kingsolver describes sheering a sheep for yarn. Elizabeth Berg writes about her frustration at failing to knit. Ann Patchett traces her life through her knitting, writing about the scarf that knits together the women she’s loved and lost. Knitting a Christmas gift for his blind aunt helped Andre Dubus III knit an understanding with his girlfriend. Kaylie Jones finds the woman who used knitting to help raise her in France and heals old wounds. Sue Grafton writes about her passion for knitting. Also included are five original knitting patterns created by Helen Bingham.Poignant, funny, and moving, Knitting Yarns is sure to delight knitting enthusiasts and lovers of literature alike.

The O. Henry Prize Stories 2006


Laura Furman - 2006
    The stories range in style from the gritty noir of David Means' "Sault Ste. Marie" to the mesmerizing mythmaking of Louise Erdrich's "The Plague of Doves," while the settings include a village perched on top of an enormous whale (David Lawrence Morse's "Conceived") as well as a swank suite at the Plaza Hotel (Xu Xi's "Famine"). The three most powerful stories seem to have in common the ability to immerse readers in a character's sudden, searing moment of self-knowledge and the way that insight impacts the course of a life. In Edward P. Jones' elegiac, masterful "Old Boys, Old Girls," a hard-bitten con comes to see that redemption is within his reach. Deborah Eisenberg delicately deconstructs a young girl's attraction to an abusive man in the haunting "Windows." And, finally, the storied Alice Munro, in "Passion," conveys the complex inner world of a teenager who discovers she values risk over security.

The Holmes Brothers


Farrah Rochon - 2011
    Special bundle edition contains Deliver Me (Book #1), Release Me (Book #2) and Rescue Me (Book #3). These titles were originally published in paperback by Dorchester Publishing. DELIVER ME (Approximately 91,000 words, originally published March 2007)After being dumped by her boyfriend and passed over for yet another promotion, Monica Gardner moves to New Orleans, determined to make a name for herself as the new attending ER physician at Methodist Memorial Hospital. As for men--she's through with them. But when given the chance to chair the hospital's annual charity banquet, Monica must elicit the help of gorgeous Ob-gyn Elijah Holmes.Eli will do anything to thwart his matchmaking Mama's plan to reunite him with his high school girlfriend. So, when the sexy new ER doc asks for his help in planning this year's charity banquet, Eli devises the perfect scheme: He'll help put on the best banquet the hospital has ever seen, if Monica poses as his new girlfriend. But when Eli finds himself falling in love, he realizes convincing Monica of his true feelings may be his greatest delivery yet.RELEASE ME (Approximately 101,000 words, originally published June 2008) Tobias "Toby" Holmes was destined for NBA stardom. But when an SUV crashed into his car during his rookie year, his dreams of playing pro-basketball, along with his spine, were shattered. After floundering from one job to another, Toby has finally found his niche in the music business. And when the singing sensation he discovered is pegged to star in a new reality TV show, Toby finally sees light at the end of what has been a very dark tunnel.Sienna Culpepper has loved her childhood best friend forever, though he has never seen anything other than the girl with skinny legs, cornrows, and mad skills on the basketball court. When Toby returns to their hometown of New Orleans to start his career as a record producer/manager, Sienna is resigned to loving him from afar. However, when Sienna and Toby find themselves working together, feelings arise that has them both rethinking their friendship. RESCUE ME (Approximately 98,000 words, originally published February 2009)In a few months, Alexander Holmes saw both of his younger brothers find love, but the hardworking owner of Holmes Construction has no desire to follow in their footsteps. Alex had his chance at wedded bliss, and all he ended up with was a whole lot of heartache...and a precious baby girl. Unfortunately, his sweet little pumpkin has turned into a little monster at school. Suddenly, Alex finds himself in a brand new role: parent volunteer.Renee Moore moved to New Orleans to help her aunt rebuild after her home was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. When she accepts a job as the new Special Projects Coordinator at St. Katherine's School, Renee looks forward to molding all those young minds. What she doesn't expect is to fall for the sexy single father of one of her students. When Alex Holmes offers to help in rebuilding her aunt's home, Renee knows she's found a man worth his weight in gold. All she has to do is convince him to open his heart to love again.

Everything in the World


Lynda Barry - 1986
    The outrageous humor of cult favorite and syndicated cartoonist Lynda Barry--one of the world's "shrewdest chroniclers of sex, love and romance" (Mother Jones).

Origins of Honor: An Action-Thriller Collection


Jay J. FalconerRyan Schow - 2020
    Jay J. Falconer, ML Banner, Lars Emmerich, A. R. Shaw, C. T. Knight, Eric Gardner, G. Michael Hopf, Jason Kasper, Jason Ross, Jeff Kirkham, Kyla Stone, M. L. Buchman, Ryan Schow, T S Paul & W. J. Lundy have come together in this one-of-a-kind collection to support the Oscar Mike Foundation.Hundreds of pages of action-packed fiction, all in one low-priced collection, featuring some of the most beloved characters ever created: Jack Bunker, Frank Cartwright, Miranda Chase, Gabe Conrad, Tommy Donovan, Sam Jameson, Graham Morgan, David Rivers, Treton Rusk, Ian Throne, Rowan Wolf, and more.For a warrior, it’s about honor, courage, and the will to never quit. Those are the hallmarks that lead to victory, despite impossible odds or the adversary faced.Each story in this set explores what makes a hero, elevating the common into the unstoppable. How does it arise? What does it reveal? Who will suffer the wrath?Whether it’s unleashing hellfire on an enemy or facing down a threat with only bare hands, these explosive stories are sure to keep you glued to your seat. So buckle up and strap yourself in for the ride of your life. Get your copy of ORIGINS OF HONOR now, while you still can! This is a limited-time release with all proceeds going to the Oscar Mike Foundation for disabled veterans.

The Best American Nonrequired Reading 2009


Dave EggersMatthew Power - 2009
    Compiled by Dave Eggers and students from his San Francisco writing center, it is "both uproarious and illuminating" (Publishers Weekly).

Bit Rot


Douglas Coupland - 2015
    Reading Bit Rot feels a lot like bingeing on Netflix... you can't stop with just one. "Bit rot" is a term used in digital archiving to describe the way digital files can spontaneously and quickly decompose. As Coupland writes, "Bit rot also describes the way my brain has been feeling since 2000, as I shed older and weaker neurons and connections and enhance new and unexpected ones."Bit Rot explores the ways humanity tries to make sense of our shifting consciousness. Coupland, just like the Internet, mixes forms to achieve his ends. Short fiction is interspersed with essays on all aspects of modern life. The result is addictively satisfying for Coupland's legion of fans hungry for his observations about our world. For almost three decades, his unique pattern recognition has powered his fiction, and his phrase-making. Every page of Bit Rot is full of wit, surprise and delight.

100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write: On Umbrellas and Sword Fights, Parades and Dogs, Fire Alarms, Children, and Theater


Sarah Ruhl - 2012
    She has written a stunningly original book of essays whose concerns range from the most minimal and personal subjects to the most encompassing matters of art and culture. The titles themselves speak to the volume's uniqueness: "On lice," "On sleeping in the theater," "On motherhood and stools (the furniture kind)," "Greek masks and Bell's palsy."100 Essays I Don't Have Time to Write is a book in which chimpanzees, Chekhov, and child care are equally at home. A vibrant, provocative examination of the possibilities of the theater, it is also a map to a very particular artistic sensibility, and an unexpected guide for anyone who has chosen an artist's life.

Garfield: Unreality TV


Scott Nickel - 2017
    Join Garfield, Odie, and Jon in a series of all-new adventures from legendary Garfield and Friends show writer Mark Evanier, ongoing Garfield contributors Scott Nickel and Antonio Alfaro, and New York Times best-selling cartoonist Judd Winick (Hilo).