Distraction comes in the form a wealthy young American who wants to trace his Shropshire family. One question leads to another and the final revelations shock and almost overwhelm him. Meanwhile, Anna faces tragedy in her own family and struggles to come to terms with the chaos of her emotions, plunging deeper and deeper into flight and denial. In the process she almost loses the people she loves most. This is a tale of the deep story of the heart told with humour and compassion and relentless honesty. This is the last novel in the trilogy of Anna Ames books.

    What was once a bittersweet, fleeting romance between Nigel Pressley and Rona Hume develops into a different kind of attraction years later under the influence of Nigel's gentle widowed mother.

    Or so he thinks. So far he's milked his premonitions only to acquire an upper-middle-class lifestyle -- pretty wife, big house, and a shiny Range Rover -- without having to make any real effort. But recent visions threaten his yuppie contentment. Haunted by omens of impending cancers, stillborn babies, and personal train wrecks, he is compelled to make a series of inaccurate and horrifying prophecies that humiliate him in front of his fellow country club members. The IRS gets Travis's number, too, demanding an audit of his sloppy bookkeeping. Drowning in mounting financial problems and apparent mental illness, Travis tries booze, pills, even golf to stay afloat, but nothing works. His wife and friends are forced to stage an intervention. Travis is in danger of losing his family, his career, and ultimately, his sanity. That is, until he meets a Hindu holy man in rehab who claims to be the final incarnation of Lord Vishnu. Suddenly, the tragically shallow Travis is saddled with the responsibility of bettering mankind and saving the world.

    These modern-day cowpokes--two chivalrous knights of the rope and range with a hankering for bucking broncos and for the female of the two-legged species--find much more than they bargained for in Oklahoma City. Against the colorful, flamboyant backdrop of the hard-ridin', hard-playin' rodeo circuit, they encounter a city woman named Lilac, with whom Cody falls in love; a bull named Kamikaze; and two corrupt Texas billionaires who bet against Lick. In the vein of a latter-day Will Rogers, Baxter Black combines a colorful yarn with occasional bits of his unique cowboy philosophy and poetry."It could make a dead man sit up and laugh"--The Washington Post Book World

    He's similar - in name only - to the actor who used to play Hercules. He's the son of a postman who's been losing it for decades. He's got a girlfriend he's not so sure about, a demeaning job at BagelWorks, and a crappy car. Things are not going well for Steve. He just went home for his sister's wedding (to another postman) and hates his family more than ever. His Dad just gave him a gun, and he doesn't know who to shoot first. His girlfriend just dumped him (now he's sure), he just lost his demeaning job, and his car still stinks. What's a jobless, dreamless, girl-less twentynothing to do? Scam money off his deaf grandmother. Drink before noon with his equally pathetic friends. Keep the gun. And try to keep from Going Postal.

    Two sisters confront love, marriage, and a failing business in this “charming and deceptively breezy second novel” (Publishers Weekly) that “deftly explores big issues like loyalty, trust, sorrow, and disappointment in sure, bright, effervescent prose” (New York Times Book Review).

    He’s running on a platform of honesty and transparency—and against the advice of his friends and advisers he’s decided to start with himself. His autobiography will lay his entire life bare before voters just days before the election. And what a life he’s had. Born in a commune and named Richard Milhous Nixon Youngblood as an angry shot at his absent father, Richard grows up in the spotlight, the son of an enigmatic fugitive and the grandson of a Republican senator. He’s kidnapped and rescued, kicked out of college for a prank involving turkeys, arrested in Hawaii while trying to deliver secrets to the CIA…Dick Nixon Youngblood’s ready to tell all. He’ll even tell his readers about the Amandas—three women who share a name but not much else, and who each have helped shape and define the man he’s become. Are voters really ready for the whole truth? Are you? Pianist in a Bordello is a hilarious political romp through the last four decades of American history, from a narrator who is full of surprises.

    Jarvis may be an all-round irritant, but he's harmless & deep down he's got a heart of gold. As his oldest (& only) friend reflects on his life with Jarvis Ham, he wonders what it would have been like if they had never met.

    A return to the Florida Keys. Her first love and all the problems she left behind twenty-five years ago — await her. Holly Archer's husband ruined her life. While they made their fortune in Miami real estate, he took a mistress and managed to make enough illegal dealings to absolutely destroy them forever. Now, Holly's lost her real estate license, her house, her husband, her friends, and her life.But Islamorada calls. It's a sunny, white-sand strip of life and love and sun in the Florida Keys, where she grew up with her three siblings, Randy, Rina, and Amy — all of whom she's lost touch with over the past twenty-five years.Now, two years after the death of their father, the Archer House, the Inn where the four of them grew up, is dilapidated and has a financial bleed that she can't put her finger on; their mother has fallen into an intense depression and Holly finds a place where someone in the world actually needs her help. It's also a good place to hide in the wake of what her husband did, a place to pretend her life didn't crumble into nothing.But patching up the Archer family won't be easy. Her brother, Randy, is the only sibling who remains in the Keys, and his love for alcohol keeps him isolated and unwilling to help out. Their other sisters hardly answer the phone. Even as Holly digs in her heels, she creates conflict between herself and her own children, the people she loves the most.All the while, her old high school boyfriend is a mainstay on the island. He's a cop and, as news of Holly's husband's illegal dealings surface in Miami, perhaps he's one of the only people she can trust in the world.Secrets unravel in this first installment in the Archer Family Series.Lose yourself in this new women's fiction series that revolves around friendship, love and loss among the Archer Clan. A heartwarming family saga that has the backdrop of the Florida Keys white sand and crystal blue waters.

    Combining Adam's inimitable comedic voice and four-color illustrations by his friend Michael Narren, Rich Man Poor Man is a hilariously accurate look at what the people born with silver spoons in their mouths have in common with the people whose only utensils are plastic sporks stolen from a Shakey's.

    The intended articles become in essence, short stories, which then grow into the main character's memoirs about his turbulent and sometimes humorous childhood. The result is not only an ongoing battle with his boss over the magazine's content and direction, but a painful journey into remembering the people and places of his past. The opening statement of his first story, "When I was six years old I became locked inside the home of Helen Keller," is a clue into this insightful book's revelations about how we are all in some way, deaf, dumb, or blind, if not literally, then at least spiritually or emotionally. The stories serve as chapters themselves in the novel, expertly intertwined with the modern day world of publishing in New York--each chapter commenting on the other and linked in ways that only become obvious as the reader digs deeper into the novel. The Bark of the Dogwood is a dazzling display of virtuosity, combining rollicking humor and insights into human nature with a tale of horror and family secrets surpassing even the most Gothic Southern novel. The end result is a massive undertaking that works on several levels-so many, that it is up to the reader to decide just how deep he wants to delve into the colorful cast of characters whose lives are inextricably intertwined.

    Compassionate, satirical, deeply insightful and humorous, these compelling novels have gained him millions of fans. Setting Free the Bears: Siggy and Hannes were disenchanted students and fellow conspirators. Astride a 700cc royal Enfield motorcycle, they roamed the Austrian countryside. When Gallen, a lovely hitchhiker, joined them, they zeroed in on the Vienna Zoo--and Siggy's dream: setting free the bears! The Water-Method Man: The acclaimed second novel by the author of the #1 international bestseller, A Prayer for Owen Meany. Fred "Bogus" Trumper is a wayward knight-errant in the battle of the sexes, and the pursuit of happiness. Yet, he stubbornly clings to the notion he'll make something of his life. The 158 Pound Marriage: Sometimes they looked at each other, aroused half out of their minds by the thought that each had just been making love with another, and it would be enough to make them want to do it--together--all over again. Well, almost enough.

    Fikry. A comprehensive guide to Zevin's wonderful celebration of the world of literature, this book includes useful literary context; a full plot summary, discussion of themes and symbols; character notes; 15 thought-provoking discussion questions; recommended further reading and a quick quiz. **Amazon Reviews for the Reading Room Book Group Notes:** "Belong to a small book club and we had our liveliest, best discussion ever over this book." (Jeanne McCloskey) "I would definitely recommend it to other book groups." (Book Addict) "Insightful and made the discussion easy to begin." (C. Childress) "I'm in a book club that read this and it was SO helpful!" (AvidReaderAllGenres) The Reading Room Book Group Guides are designed to help you get the absolute best from your book club meetings. An invaluable reference tool, they provide a wealth of useful information on your chosen novel. *THIS BOOK IS A COMPANION GUIDE, DESIGNED TO BE READ IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE ORIGINAL NOVEL. PLEASE BE AWARE, IT DOES NOT CONTAIN THE ORIGINAL TEXT OF THE NOVEL.*