You know, the typical easy life of a woman.There is one thing Serena thought she knew. Her mother hated her. But now Serena must come face to face with the truth she learns after her mother’s death. Maybe her mother didn’t hate her, but loved her so much that she changed everything for her.

    

    Under a boundless starry sky, the unforgettable Sylvia Carr reconnects with the ancient past and discovers what it really means to be young in the world today.Sylvia, brave hearted and rebellious, moves into wild Northumberland from the city of Newcastle. She feels alien in this huge, silent, seemingly empty landscape, but then she meets Gabriel, a strange yet familiar boy. As they roam the forests and fells together, she sees nature with new eyes. She becomes aware that the past is all around her, and is deep inside herself. From the wing of a dead buzzard, they create a hollow bone - the kind of flute that was created and used in rituals in the distant past. This is a book of hope and joy - a book that celebrates humanity and explores the deep connections between ourselves and nature. It is timely and original. It speaks to young people about what it really is to be a human being alive today.

    Now if only she could keep Casey from sneaking into her heart. Excerpt His bright blue eyes pierced through me. I wasn't sure how long he had been looking at me. I ignored him at first, but found it impossible to concentrate on anything else. Eventually I met his gaze evenly, and watched as his lips turned up into a smirk. It took effort not to roll my eyes when he raised his eyebrows slowly. His eyes were burning through me; their intensity made me uncomfortable, but I wasn't going to let him know that. "Mr. Fitzgerald!" my new English teacher, Mr. Oldman, barked. "Could you please at least pretend to pay attention?" Mr. Oldman sounded so exasperated. There were still three months left before graduation, but most of the seniors were already acting as if they didn't need to be in school any longer. "Sure, Mr. Oldman," he said, never taking his eyes from me. I didn't back down even after realizing people were staring at us. "Casey, what do you find so fascinating about Ms. Fuller?" Mr. Oldman turned to him again a few minutes later after realizing he still wasn't paying attention. If it was the teacher's goal to embarrass him, it didn't work. His smirk just widened. "She's new," he said simply, his blue eyes sparkling. Casey's caramel brown hair was messy, his style trendy. He reminded me of every popular guy in high school, except for the confidence he exuded. It was as if he knew he was the shit and was daring anyone to say otherwise. "Casey, will you leave the poor girl alone?" Mr. Oldman sighed. "I've got your letter of recommendation done. Should I send it myself or does it need to go with yours?" Casey didn't respond. His eyes were still piercing through mine, a small smirk playing on his lips. "Casey!" Mr. Oldman yelled, causing both of us to look at him. He handed him a sealed envelope. "Get out of my classroom," he pointed at the door, defeated. "Don't you have friends to bother?" I let out a snicker, though I felt bad for Mr. Oldman. It was obvious he was at his wit's end. Casey seemed to be doing everything he could to push him over the edge. "I'm trying to make the new girl feel welcome," Casey explained, his eyes on me again. I picked up my book, finding my place with ease. "Thanks," I said shortly, "I feel welcome now." And I refused to pay him any more attention. He wouldn't stay with Mr. Oldman in the room, looking dangerously close to pelting him with dry erase markers. With the obvious dilemma before him, he backed down. He stared at me for a second longer, daring me to look at him and when I didn't, he left. I smiled to myself, turning the page leisurely. Mr. Oldman let out a chuckle, "Looks like he's finally met his match."

    Includes:SUMMER RENTALEllis, Julia, and Dorie. Friends since Catholic grade school, they now find themselves, in their mid-thirties, at the crossroads of life and love. A month in North Carolina's Outer Banks is just what each of them needs. Ty Bazemore is their landlord. After an inauspicious first meeting with Ellis, the two find themselves disturbingly attracted to one another, even as Ty is about to lose everything he's ever cared about. Maryn Shackleford is a stranger on the run who needs just a few things: no questions, a good hiding place, and a new identity. Ellis, Julia, and Dorie can provide what Maryn wants; can they also provide what she needs?SPRING FEVERAnnajane Hudgens truly believes she is over her ex-husband, Mason Bayless. They've been divorced for four years, she's engaged to a new, terrific guy, and she's ready to leave the small town where she and Mason had so much history. She is so over Mason that she has absolutely no problem attending his wedding to the beautiful, intelligent, delightful Celia. But when fate intervenes and the wedding is called to a halt as the bride is literally walking down the aisle, Annajane begins to realize that maybe she's been given a second chance. Maybe everything happens for a reason. And maybe, just maybe, she wants Mason back. But there are secrets afoot in this small Southern town and Annajane discovers that change can bring out the worst in people and uncover family scandals. And even though there are people determined to keep Annajane from getting what she wants, happiness could be hers for the taking, and the life she once had with Mason in this sleepy little lake town could be in her future. That is, if she can find out what she's really made of and what really matters most to her.LADIES' NIGHTGrace Stanton's life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. When their "divorce coach" starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?

    Her parents have died, her food is dwindling and the rent is due. When a stranger arrives bearing a note from an uncle, inviting Katka to join him and his wife in America, she leaves all that she has held dear to rebuild her life across the ocean. On the voyage to New York, she becomes friends with the stranger and begins to fall in love. But at Ellis Island, they are separated when he is detained by authorities as a suspected anarchist. Alone, Katka continues her journey to her uncle’s house on the rough and tumble Iron Range in northern Minnesota. Soon she is immersed in a lively community of iron miners and begins publishing an underground newspaper about their struggles and the heroism of the women on the Iron Range, as they are swept into a tumultuous strike that will change their lives forever. “Under Ground” is a work of fiction inspired by true events.

    A comprehensive guide to Amor Towles' acclaimed new novel 'A Gentleman in Moscow', this discussion aid includes a wealth of information and resources: useful literary and historical context; an author biography; a plot synopsis; analyses of themes & imagery; character analysis; twenty thought-provoking discussion questions; recommended further reading and even a quick quiz. For those in book clubs, this useful companion guide takes the hard work out of preparing for meetings and guarantees productive discussion. For solo readers, it encourages a deeper examination of a multi-layered text.

    Each one has a HEA and no cliffhanger.

    The guide should be used with the novel, not instead of it, so please pick up a copy before buying this book if you haven’t already done so. BookNotes is meant to enhance the experience of fans, and for use by book clubs. Inside you will discover: A book summary and analysis with commentary Character list A look at symbols, themes and motifs Commentary on the book as well as details on plot, settings and final thoughts BookNotes introduces a companion to A Spool of Blue Thread, by Anne Tyler for fans and book clubs to enhance your reading experience.

    

    With nowhere left to turn, they are now homeless. In order to survive they must dig through dumpsters, beg, and steal. While living on the streets, Nichole struggles to understand why people treat them differently.

     But when she takes a temp assignment at a multi-billion dollar drug company, she can’t help but become intrigued with the arrogant and ultra-demanding CEO, Cullen Sharpe. Cullen Sharpe is used to getting what he wants, and his dark and damaged desires are locked on Ivy. Her innocent routine is enough to drive him over the edge, and after Ivy makes a mistake at work, he senses an opening to teach the shy temp the pleasures and seductions of being bad... …as well as the punishment that goes along with it. Soon the two of them are locked in a game of mystery, seduction, and raging desire that knows no bounds. But as Ivy is pushed beyond her limits, she begins to crave more from the dark billionaire. However, Cullen guards his secrets and his heart for reasons that run deep. And if those reasons were to ever be revealed, it just might destroy them both… This box set contains the full Billionaire’s Rules series: Discipline (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part One) Consequence (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Two) Truth (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Three) Lies (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Four) Threat (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Five) Expose (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Six) Commit (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Seven) Defy (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Eight) Trouble (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Nine) Risk (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Ten) Fall (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Eleven) Cherish (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Twelve) Hunt (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Thirteen) Catch (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Fourteen) Trap (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Fifteen) Free (The Billionaire’s Rules, Part Sixteen)

    The Stories, set in Calcutta, bring to the fore the darkness lurking in the human psyche and bare the baser instincts. The stories, compactly written and marked by insightly dialogues that raise contemporary issues like man-woman relationships and its strains, moral and ethics, environmental degradation, class inequality, rapid and mass-scale unmindful urbanisation, are devoid of sentimentalisation. The result is they remained focused and move around the central character who is named Rahul in all the stories. We encounter the events that shape, mar, guide Rahul's life and also the lives of those around him, making us question the very essence of existence. Rahul symbolises modern man; he is not just one character, but all of us rolled into one. The story cycle stands out for two reasons - its brilliant narrative and the dispassionate style with which betrayal in personal relationships and resultant loneliness has been handled. The poems weave a maze of dreams, images, reflections and stories. They are written in a reflective and many a time in a narrative tenor within a poetic idiom. The poems are inseparable in a hidden way and are magically sequenced like various kinds of flowers in a garland or chapters of differing shades in a novel. Calcutta features in some of the poems like the looming backdrop of Gotham City in a Batman movie.

    Over 1,000 pages of romance, drama, and suspense... Titles Included: BRADY Brady Hollister, the world’s biggest, hottest TV star has it all – wealth, killer good looks, a job he loves and his pick of women who throw themselves at him every which way. But he can’t seem to get the time of day from the new, wannabe director, coffee girl, Kat Sorenson. She’s been burned before and refuses to fall for Brady’s signature charm and smoldering good looks. Yet as mysterious events unfold on the old Victorian set, she’s pushed into being his personal assistant, and can’t help but fall for the real Brady Hollister, the one behind the womanizing, narcissistic playboy. JACKSON Jackson Fowler never expected to be rich, but when wise investments and clever inventions paid off, he was more than happy to embrace his new life in California. Tragedy strikes when is father dies unexpectedly, and Jackson finds himself back in Whitefish, Montana once more. There, he is forced to face the one person he hoped he would never see again--Melissa Weathers, the girl he left at the altar. ETHAN Cameron Sage knows something is wrong when her brother falls off the radar. Knowing she needs to find him she confronts his boss, only the man she meets isn’t. He’s the brother who never wanted the job in the first place. And there’s something about him that draws her in like a moth to flame. She can’t turn her back on him and gives him her greatest gift. FELIX Felix Eaton doesn’t technically need Stella for anything, other than being his wing-“woman”. They’ve been best friends since college and Stella has a stellar knack of making sure Felix gets the women he wants and disposes of the ones he doesn’t. Stella knows that the most eligible bachelor in town, who also happens to be her best friend; would never return her affections. She’s spent too many years trying. Is it time to give up and leave? MARK Mark Vidal spent years working too much, spending too much, and dating women when it suited him. When he first caught sight of Carrie, he realized he hasn’t seen something so sensationally enraged in his life. Women rarely expressed their tempers around him – they didn’t stay around long enough to get that privilege anyway. As the girl with massive blue eyes ranted at the cruelty and obnoxiousness of Mark’s driver’s mistake, Mark is secretly smitten with the novelty of her. She's real, and genuine – unlike any woman he’s ever known.

    They've carved out a small niche in an otherwise desolate and harsh world, and for the moment, all seems well. But trouble is on the horizon, and to stop it, they'll need something they haven't had in a long time.A man.