And certainly what Melville did for whaling Austen does for marriage--tracing the intricacies (not to mention the economics) of 19th-century British mating rituals with a sure hand and an unblinking eye. As usual, Austen trains her sights on a country village and a few families--in this case, the Bennets, the Philips, and the Lucases. Into their midst comes Mr. Bingley, a single man of good fortune, and his friend, Mr. Darcy, who is even richer. Mrs. Bennet, who married above her station, sees their arrival as an opportunity to marry off at least one of her five daughters. Bingley is complaisant and easily charmed by the eldest Bennet girl, Jane; Darcy, however, is harder to please. Put off by Mrs. Bennet's vulgarity and the untoward behavior of the three younger daughters, he is unable to see the true worth of the older girls, Jane and Elizabeth. His excessive pride offends Lizzy, who is more than willing to believe the worst that other people have to say of him; when George Wickham, a soldier stationed in the village, does indeed have a discreditable tale to tell, his words fall on fertile ground. Having set up the central misunderstanding of the novel, Austen then brings in her cast of fascinating secondary characters: Mr. Collins, the sycophantic clergyman who aspires to Lizzy's hand but settles for her best friend, Charlotte, instead; Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Mr. Darcy's insufferably snobbish aunt; and the Gardiners, Jane and Elizabeth's low-born but noble-hearted aunt and uncle. Some of Austen's best comedy comes from mixing and matching these representatives of different classes and economic strata, demonstrating the hypocrisy at the heart of so many social interactions. And though the novel is rife with romantic misunderstandings, rejected proposals, disastrous elopements, and a requisite happy ending for those who deserve one, Austen never gets so carried away with the romance that she loses sight of the hard economic realities of 19th-century matrimonial maneuvering. Good marriages for penniless girls such as the Bennets are hard to come by, and even Lizzy, who comes to sincerely value Mr. Darcy, remarks when asked when she first began to love him: "It has been coming on so gradually, that I hardly know when it began. But I believe I must date it from my first seeing his beautiful grounds at Pemberley." She may be joking, but there's more than a little truth to her sentiment, as well. Jane Austen considered Elizabeth Bennet "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print". Readers of Pride and Prejudice would be hard-pressed to disagree. --Alix Wilber

    Williams ** An armed assault force raids the marble halls of the British Museum. The target – the most heinous relic of all time – the last surviving coin of the blood money paid to Judas Iscariot for his betrayal of Christ.For over a thousand years the cursed pieces of silver cut a swath of famine, pestilence and ruinous destruction wherever they were carried. To save humanity from the malevolent power of the coins, the Knights Templar were given a Papal Blessing and sent on a pilgrimage to the holy lands to find and hide the thirty pieces of silver.A sinister organization has unlocked a chilling secret—the ability to control the power of the coin and use it as a terrifying weapon, posing the greatest threat to mankind in history.Sanford Carter, antiquities thief and ladies’ man, has been ensnared by the secret service and forced to execute a daring burglary on their behalf. His mission is simple – steal the coin first.Sarah Hudson, the studious and law-abiding archaeologist who doesn’t believe in curses, only science, is in the wrong place at the wrong time and refuses to hand over the coin or allow Carter to get away with his bold crime.With ruthless dark forces closing in, the brazen thief and the scholarly archaeologist must unlock the hidden history of the coin if they are to safeguard humanity from its evil curse.From the cobbled streets of London to the spectacular volcanic landscapes of Iceland, The Judas Conspiracy sets a cracking pace from the start and never lets up. For fans of James Rollins, Matthew Reilly, Michael C. Grumley, A.G. Riddle, Rob Jones, Matt Rogers, James D. Prescott, Brad Thor, Douglas E. Richards, Clive Cussler and David Baldacci

    You live in a shitty flat in Detroit with a cupboard of stale coffee, a few bottles of light beer in the fridge, and a shoe box of pot that has probably been cut with cat shit. And until this week you have been slouching your way through life and pissing on anything meaningful. But that's all about to change. You are now given a final chance to make something out of this life, if only you can survive this one week.

    If you have not yet bought the original copy, make sure to purchase it before buying this unofficial summary from aBookaDay. SPECIAL OFFER $2.99 (Regularly priced: $3.99) Mark Watney is a dead man walking. As a member of the Ares 3 Mars mission, he landed with five crewmates for an assignment meant to be a month long. Then the storm came, and the crew was forced to evacuate. Watney, presumed dead by the rest of his team, was left behind. Watney made it through the storm, but with communications wiped out, he has no way of telling Earth that he’s alive. Even if he did, outfitting a mission to collect him would take years. He’s run the numbers, and the odds are literally impossible. On Earth, and on the ship Hermes, friends and strangers alike grieve for a fallen hero, while alone on an alien planet where even the smallest mistake means certain death, the man they mourn struggles to survive. Read more.... Download your copy today! for a limited time discount of only $2.99! Available on PC, Mac, smart phone, tablet or Kindle device. © 2015 All Rights Reserved

    With over 600 5* and 4* reviews – you can now buy the first three books in the series for the price of two! Somewhere to Hide (Book 1, The Estate)Cath Mason has learned to be tough. The things she’s seen growing up on the Mitchell Estate, she’s had to be. Yet, even broken and beaten by life at times, she’s still the first person a woman in need of help seeks out. At Cath’s house, there is safety in numbers as well as a place to hide. No matter what trouble comes to her door, she won’t turn anyone away – because she knows what it’s like to live with secrets. But now a problem from her past has come back to haunt her, and she’s the one faced with a dilemma. What should she do first – help or be helped – despite being unsure she’ll ever be ready to confront her own demons? With danger around every corner, can Cath protect herself as well as the women whose safety is her paramount concern? Or has the potential for revenge already gone a step too far? Behind a Closed Door (Book 2, The Estate)Working on the notorious Mitchell Estate, housing officer, Josie Mellor, faces challenges every day, but not nearly as many as those of her tenants. Kelly Winterton is scared and alone after her partner has been jailed. Charlotte Hatfield has fled from her violent partner four times already. He’ll probably kill her if he finds her this time. Disowned by her family, someone is taking advantage of Amy Cartwright’s vulnerability. Who can she turn to for support? But Josie has her own problems to deal with too. As her home life deteriorates and she struggles to escape her controlling husband, she realises only a thin line separates her from the people she’s trying to help. When deadly violence erupts, will both she and her tenants become victims that no one will see? Fighting for Survival (Book 3, The Estate)When Caren Williams finds herself back on the estate she fought so hard to get away from, little does she realise she'll be living opposite her arch-enemy, Gina Bradley. Gina Bradley thinks she and her family rule Stanley Avenue so when Caren starts to become popular, she decides to hit her where it will hurt the most – she wants her husband. Lonely and depressed, Ruth Millington finds it a constant struggle to get through the dark times. Spiralling out of control, maybe she should let Gina's husband help her out when he comes calling. Brawling in the street, fighting on the square and conforming to peer pressure – it all comes down to holding your nerve. But this time not everyone will survive the notorious Stanley Avenue...

    She claimed the police had inserted a stick inside her… Swaranpreet realised that she had been cruelly violated; He spoke a single sentence but repeated it twice in chaste Punjabi: ‘Please give me a turban? I want nothing else…’ These are voices begging for deliverance in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination in October-November 1984 in which 2,733 Sikhs were killed, burnt and exterminated by lumpens in the country. Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay walks us through one of the most shameful episodes of sectarian violence in post Independent India and highlights the apathy of subsequent governments towards Sikhs who paid a price for what was clearly a state-sponsored riot. Poignant, raw and most importantly, macabre, the personal histories in the book reveal how even after three decades, a community continues to battle for its identity in its own country.

    From flights over Antarctica to carrying a spare fifth engine beneath the wing, award-winning aviation writer and airline pilot, Owen Zupp, has detailed the varied journeys of the magnificent Boeing 747. Click below to buy this book and share the journey.

    However, shit happened and I was somehow summoned. However, in some strange twist of fate, I was no longer needed and disposed of, but that’s okay because I didn’t want to be a summoned hero to begin with. My new beginning may have been abruptly cut short, but even so, that is fine. There is a path I’m much more interested in. Mwuhahaha! Cough cough cough. Though, my sinister laugh may still need some practice.

    But Yvonne Bonner's adventurous, dramatic, and romantic spirit will be taken advantage of by her half-brother, Rex. And soon she will be overflowing with something much stronger and greater.After their father's death, Rex asks Yvonne to leave Paris and live at his ranch in Colorado to go undercover as a spy on his mysterious rival, Logan.With her initial attraction to Logan, a man who is only known by his first name, she finds that her affection goes much deeper than that. Unaware of the danger she is in due to Logan's dark secret, Yvonne finds herself torn between her love for Logan and obligation towards her brother.But when all secrets come to light, will her new-found faith be able to lead her to the right path or will she once again be lost?If you like fast-paced, clean romance, "A Hidden Light Within" is a stand-alone Christian Historical Romance Novel you won't be able to put down.Start reading now to discover Yvonne's inspirational romantic story!

    

    What if your baby AND you could thrive together? We cure diseases. We create artificial ears using 3-D printers. We solved how to pee in space. We can figure this out--and now Dr. Darria has done just that. An Ivy league-trained physician and mom of two, Dr. Darria combed the latest in medicine, psychology, and holistic health for answers when her own health crises struck. She now brings those solutions to moms everywhere. For moms who just DontHaveTheTime (or energy), Mom Hacks gives you the specific smallest changes that yield the biggest impact for you and your child. Every hack is a mini super-charged solution with an immediate impact. So you feel good, lose the baby weight, and are more present, while raising thriving children--in an entirely do-able, time-saving, with-you-in-the-trenches way. Her humor and personal stories bring warmth and encouragement when mothers need it most. You can be the mother and woman you want to be, and with Mom Hacks, you don't have to listen to anyone who tells you otherwise. It's time for a new mom world order.

    Close to one in four American women experience the silent grief of pregnancy loss. Loved Baby offers much-needed support to women in the middle of psychological and physiological grief as a result of losing an unborn child.   In Loved Baby, author Sarah Philpott gently walks alongside women as they experience the misguided shame, isolation, and crushing despair that accompany the turmoil of loss. With brave vulnerability Sarah shares her own and others’ stories of loss, offering Christ-filled hope and support to women navigating grief.   This fresh and compassionate devotional offers: ·       Real talk about loss ·       Christ-filled comfort ·       Tips to manage social media, reconnect with your partner, and nourish your soul ·       Knowledge that your child is in heaven ·       Strategies to walk through grief ·       Ways to memorialize your loss   Whether your loss is recent or not, Loved Baby can be your companion as you move from the darkness of grief toward the light of hope.

    Melissa Stanton’s The Stay-at-Home Survival Guide is an all-encompassing, truth-telling how-to book that addresses the many practical and psychological issues facing stay-at-home moms today.How do you create time for yourself? Is there really time to do it all (feed the kids, keep them busy, clean the house, balance the checkbook, and take a shower)? How do you deal with the absence of the “professional you"?An invaluable resource for mothers, The Stay-at-Home Survival Guide includes interviews with stay-at-home moms, discussions with experts (family therapists, educators, medical specialists, career counselors), checklists to help you make the most of your time and keep you balanced, and Melissa Stanton’s own experiences leaving a career as an editor for People magazine to become a stay-at-home mom herself.

    Each December, families can celebrate the coming of Jesus by opening the book to see a stunning 13-inch, three-dimensional Jesse Tree pop up from the page. At its foot are 25 doors, one for each day of Advent, which hide meaningful, beautifully detailed ornaments--including the Christmas star--that are ready to be hung on the tree. Also inside is a simple devotional book with a reading for each ornament. Create precious holiday memories with The Jesse Tree Pop-Up Book and recapture the sacredness of the Advent season as you celebrate the epic pageantry of the coming of the Messiah.

    There is a better way.Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting brings the joy back into family life and helps parents to raise confident, responsible adults. Based on her forty-plus years of experience, behavioral specialist Noël Janis-Norton outlines a clear, step-by-step plan that will help any parent raise a child who is cooperative and considerate, confident and self-reliant. Transform your family life with these five strategies: Descriptive Praise, Preparing for Success, Reflective Listening, Never Ask Twice and Rewards and Consequences. You’ll begin to see results almost immediately: • Kids start cooperating the first time you ask • Mornings, bedtimes, mealtimes and homework all become easier • Even very resistant kids start saying” yes” instead of “no” Full of examples and real stories from parents, this book gives you the complete tool-kit to achieve Calmer, Easier, Happier Parenting.