In the half-light, fragments of cello music crash around in her mind, but she casts them out - it's more than a year since she performed in public. There are memories she must banish in order to survive: a charismatic teacher with gold-flecked eyes, a mistake she cannot unmake. At home her mother Ada is waiting: a fragile, bitter woman who distils for herself a glamorous past as she smokes French cigarettes in her unkempt garden. In the village of Bosham the future is invading. A charming young documentary maker has arrived to shoot a film about King Cnut and his cherished but illegitimate daughter, whose body is buried under the flagstones of the local church. As Jonny disturbs the fabric of the village, digging up tales of ancient battles and burials, the threads lead back to home, and Ada and Nora find themselves face to face with the shameful secrets they had so carefully buried. One day, Nora finds a half-dead fledgeling in a ditch. She brings him home and, over the hot summer months, cradles Rook back to life. A mesmerising story of family, legacy and turning back the tides, Rook beautifully evokes the shifting Sussex sands, and the rich seam of history lying just beneath them.

    First US publication for the Scottish Spence.Neil McGraw is a lad in Glasgow, an only child, the son of a dour undertaker permanently embittered by his wife's death during childbirth. Whenever the boy misbehaves, he's locked in the basement among the coffins, so it's not surprising he asks every body: What happens when you die? Against his will, he finds himself learning the trade. This is less gloomy than it sounds. The story moves at a good clip as the resilient Neil experiments with drinking and dating.The crisis comes when his dad finds him and his girl making out in a coffin. Soon, it's Neil's turn to lock his old man, dead drunk, into the basement, before hightailing it to the London of the Swinging '60s. A friendly queer, Abe Morris, offers him a crash pad, no strings attached, where Neil finds drugs, straight sex, and Zen. The party ends when Abe, stoned, is killed in traffic and Spence abandons conventional narrative to send Neil hopscotching around the world before depositing him, 15 years later, beside the funeral pyres of the Ganges. Here, he gets very sick but is rescued by a vision in a sari: Lila, a Londoner, back home for her father's funeral. The two fall in love and marry, lickety-split, before Neil is summoned back to Glasgow. His father has died, leaving him the business, which Neil gives a hippie twist, producing brightly painted coffins in unusual shapes, with Lila a business partner.The mood is light and buoyant, but novelistic concerns (what makes Lila tick? why do the couple decide not to have kids?) are shelved in favor of a scrapbook of original last rites, seasoned with Eastern mysticism. There's an appealing freshness to Spence's writing; too bad he gives up on credible plotting and characterization.

    Does the key to the present lie buried even deeper in the past, in the forgotten history of an innocent midwife accused by a family of shocking betrayal? A gripping, heartwrenching story of love, loyalty and family secrets.When six-year-old Alice Hilton goes missing in the snow on New Year's Eve 1969 from Yew Tree Manor, suspicion immediately falls on local man Bobby James. James had a grievance against Alice's father, wealthy Richard Hilton, and he is arrested, tried and found guilty for Alice's death. Tragically the child is never found.Decades later, Willow James, an architect working on a development at Yew Tree Manor, discovers that the land surrounding the house is holding a secret. And when another little girl goes missing from Yew Tree, Willow realizes the key to her disappearance lies in the history of the house, and the two families attached to it. A terrible wrong needs to be made right...and to uncover it, Willow must unravel events from long ago, when in 1919 a court sentenced a midwife to death, for a shocking crime that happened at Yew Tree Manor...

    She passes her eleven-plus and wins a scholarship to go to a good grammar school, but her father refuses to believe that girls have the right to do anything other than look after their husbands and raise children.Struggling to fit in at her new school and picked on by the other girls, Janet befriends, Ruth, another lonely pupil whose Jewish family have suffered many hardships. Janet and Ruth forge a strong friendship through her school life and beyond. But will their friendship survive when Janet falls for Ruth’s brother, Ben –marriage to a Catholic girl would go against everything his community hold dear. When the whole world seems stacked against her, can Janet hold onto her dreams?

    Unfortunately they have no real resources, no good plans, and no idea what the hell they're doing. What they do have is an army of foul-mouthed monkeys who want them dead, a beautiful woman who wants some answers, a sex-crazed tribal chief, a caffeine-addicted demigod who wants to be worshipped, and a telepathic skull who just wants a little excitement. Through nonstop comedy and good old-fashioned adventure these guys are facing some long odds but do Ron and Willy give up? No they don't. They get down to business. Monkey Business.

    JacksonSet on the stage of America's westward expansion, the story's theme is centered around the unique lives of two young boy's whose lives are picked clean of everything they know and love. The boys are left alone to travel the road from childhood to manhood with nothing but their friendship and their determination to survive.In the end they are two old men with the recklessness of youth still in their nature as they embark on one last mission, one grand adventure wherein, for at least that fleeting moment, they are able to recapture that point in time when we are all at our best.

    It's a bittersweet celebration as Mary Sue is scheduled for a mastectomy in the morning. When Mary Sue's boyfriend finally shows up, she has already gone to bed. Drunk and angry, he trips, breaks his neck, and dies. Horrified, the three other women put him in his car and send it careening into the lake.How these women deal with their awful secret parallels their lives and relationships to this point. Pamela is at the beck and call of her rich and boorish husband. Gretchen gave up a promising career to marry an adulterous man who eventually left her for his secretary. Dixie -- also divorced -- is involved in an extended long-distance affair with a handsome but married vineyard owner; as she plays the role of the dreaded "other woman, " even her closest friends can't know. And Mary Sue, the ebullient cheerleader, had lived an idyllic married life until she found her husband carrying on with a sexy widow. Shattered, she convinced herself to fall in love with a contentious and truculent drunk.In addition to keeping their terrible secret, the women must continually deal with their ever-complicated lives and relationships. And it is these trials, and the struggle to find one's place in a world where everyone is younger and prettier that is at the heart of this moving and ultimately triumphant novel.

    She has never wished to become a lady, but rather enjoys being different... In fact, what keeps her happy is being outdoors and caring for her father, as well as spending most of her time with Patience, her horse. Little did she know her serenity would be disturbed for good when a runaway horse would appear at the bottom of the cliffside along the ocean. Her heart skips a beat though, when she sees its charming owner, Duke Owen Ellis of Blackmoor Manor. In her experience, all dukes are callous and deplorable examples of human beings, but upon first impressions of him, Laura is left feeling rather enchanted and therefore confused. Will Laura overcome her fascination caused by his enigmatic but warm presence, or will she allow her overwhelming feelings to blossom?Lord Owen is the only heir of the Ellis name and Blackmore Manor following his father's death. As for his mother, it was expected that her wish for him to marry Lady Marjorie Fielding, a spoiled London heiress, would be fulfilled. Life has other plans for Owen's heart though, as when Laura is brought on as an equestrian trainer and tamer, he encounters warmth and affection for the first time. However, how could he betray his family's expectation of marrying Lady Marjorie, who despite appearing pretty on the outside, is rather cruel on the inside? A dilemma awaits him, as the journey of becoming the man his father always wanted, would inevitably involve hurting the first woman he ever loved... In the end, which path will he choose?Forced to choose between love and duty, the future is foreshadowed uninviting, unless Laura and Owen can find a way to overpower whoever tries to keep them apart. Will their love and devotion prove that their romance is unassailable? Most importantly, how could they both find the courage to ignore tradition, and not dismiss their hearts' one true calling?

    For Helena Al-Khoury, life as an immigrant has been full of loneliness and despair. On the long road that has taken her from her family home in the Lebanon to the bustling port of Liverpool, the slums of Chicago, and finally to the Canadian wilderness, the struggle to overcome heartbreak, loss and cruel hardship has taken a heavy toll. Now, at last, with the constant support of Joe, her devoted lover, she has developed into a strong, independent woman.When unexpected circumstances take her back across the Atlantic to Liverpool, Helena is offered the chance to take over the family business, and to become a success in her own right. Yet with her love far away on another continent, she feels torn apart. Soon the tragedies of the past and the challenges of the future threaten to overwhelm her…

    Now two of the author's most beloved and critically acclaimed masterworks have been combined in one volume.In Up Island, Molly Bell Redwine -- who has always believed that "family is everything" -- is abruptly set adrift by the abandonment of a faithless husband, the death of her domineering mother, and the scattering of her Atlanta clan. Taking refuge with a friend on Martha's Vineyard, Molly's search for strength and a new identity must sustain her through the harsh island winter until she finds renewal in the healing spring.Low Country is the story of Caroline Venable, wealthy, pampered, and dutiful Southern wife, who must make hard decisions and reimagine the life she's never questioned when the beloved wild island that is her heritage and her refuge is suddenly threatened.

    However, she does get along great with her grandmother. When her grandmother dies, Elsa is devastated. After her death, Granny gave her the task of delivering letters to different people whose past she wants Elsa to understand. Woven in the plot of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry are the fairy tales that Granny told Elsa over the years. It is up to Elsa to connect the dots and understand which fantasy characters from the “Land of Almost Awake” are represented by whom in real life.   A Brief Look Inside: EVERY GOOD BOOK CONTAINS A WORLD FAR DEEPER than the surface of its pages. The characters and their world come alive, and the characters and its world still live on. Conversation Starters is peppered with questions designed to bring us beneath the surface of the page and invite us into the world that lives on. These questions can be used to.. Create Hours of Conversation: • Foster a deeper understanding of the book • Promote an atmosphere of discussion for groups • Assist in the study of the book, either individually or corporately • Explore unseen realms of the book as never seen before Disclaimer: This book you are about to enjoy is an independent resource to supplement the original book, enhancing your experience of My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. If you have not yet purchased a copy of the original book, please do before purchasing this unofficial Conversation Starters. Download your copy today for a Limited Time Discount: $3.99 ($4.99) Read it on your PC, Mac, iOS or Android smartphone, tablet and Kindle devices.

    They had no other choice but to take a plunge into their deepest fear and leave the rest to destiny. Their characters was tested out of their comfort zone and it witnessed abstruse results; a PhD scholar fights to win a pizza making contest and a tennis prodigy running for his life in a war torn, bloodied Island. Extreme circumstances and their consequences made these ordinary individuals extraordinary . Was the test imposed on them by someone? Or did they invite it on themselves. The Blue Moon Day is that Once in a Blue Moon day story which questions an individual's priorities, ridicules the worldly routines and finally redefines happiness.

    Self-haters. Sellouts. Loan Officer Tammy McDonald has just come out of another failed relationship with a wannabe thug. To break this destructive pattern, she leaves her home city of Dallas for San Diego. As she settles in rainbow California, fantasies of meeting an ebony prince fade, so she eyes Dale Bristol as a potential ivory replacement. Terrell Jackson is San Diego's only black optometrist. Women regularly drop in for more than just eye exams, but he stays true to his girl Tasha until a wet dream unleashes a ridiculous outburst. Fed up with her jealous fits, he denounces the common "dedramanators" in his life-black women. Even though Penelope Miller was raised in the South by a racist father once affiliated with the KKK, she can't ignore her attraction to black men. But she never expected to fall in love with one...nor did she expect her "interracial felony" to threaten their lives. SELLOUT follows these three individuals and the consequences of dating outside their race. In the quest to find what they think is missing in their lives, they encounter guilt, fear and mess they never anticipated...including murder.

    . .It is October 1966 and William Lavery is having the night of his life at his first black-tie do. But, as the evening unfolds, news hits of a landslide at a coal mine. It has buried a school: Aberfan. William decides he must act, so he stands and volunteers to attend. It will be his first job as an embalmer, and it will be one he never forgets. His work that night will force him to think about the little boy he was, and the losses he has worked so hard to forget. But compassion can have surprising consequences, because - as William discovers - giving so much to others can sometimes help us heal ourselves.

    Ever since her father left them with a precarious debt, her mother has been pushing her to secure a good marriage. Yet, when her close cousin invites her to the Duke of Tutlidge's marriage market ball, the first look between Mary and the Duke is enough to stimulate the spark of desire. Even though the sinful rumours of the rakish Duke overwhelm her, when she finds herself accidentally isolated with this dangerous, seductive man, a scandal is about to begin... Will Mary accept a forced marriage with a man she cannot trust, in order to save her reputation?Henry Poldern, the wild Duke of Tutlidge, is a vigorous man, who once had his naive young heart shattered to a million pieces by a cruel woman that deceived him. Ever since, he has become a stone-hearted rake determined to repel any eligible Lady of high society. However, even though he promised himself never to get married, an unfortunate event between him and Miss Brooke will force him to do the one thing he kept avoiding all these years. Yet, surprisingly, he will soon find himself longing for her touch, as her vulnerability below her cold facade makes him want her even more... Will Mary be the one to conquer his heart and make him leave his sinful past behind?An incidental encounter of fate intertwined Mary and Henry's lives leading them to unexpected consequences. Suddenly, both are forced into an engagement neither of them wanted and the last thing they expected was to end up in a flaming affair. Being under the same roof makes it impossible for them to tame their feelings... Yet soon, resisting their passion will not be their only struggle, as the sudden arrival of a notorious lady from Henry's past will turn their lives upside down. Will this cunning woman manage to tear their growing love apart, forever? In the end, will Mary and Henry conquer the demons of the past and surrender to their tempting lust?