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Cricket in the Road by Michael Anthony
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Balling the Jack
Frank Baldwin - 1997
Tom Reasons thought that a money bet was enough for him. Then he put his career, his love, even his life on the line. Tom is just a year out of school, a paralegal in a Wall Street firm, and he's already asking himself, "Is this all there is?" He's not finding any thrills on the job, and off it he sees his friends sliding into marriages and careers. He also finds himself spending way too much time thinking about his ex-girlfriend, Lisa. Tom's pleasures are few and simple - chasing good times in bars with his old gang from school, leading his dart team. But his real escape is gambling. Every Friday night he bets his paycheck on a single game. If he wins, he lives the high life - checking out bands, standing his friends drinks, going after girls. If he loses, it's ramen noodles and TV until his next check. Win or lose, though, it's all worth it to Tom, because the thrill of risking it all is what reminds him he's alive. Tom's life works surprisingly well - until he crosses Joe Duggan. Duggan is the tough Irish captain of the meanest dart team in the league, an outfit from Hell's Kitchen known as the Hellions. After Tom's team has the nerve to beat the Hellions for the league championship, Duggan wants a rematch - this time for a little money. When a little money becomes a lot, Tom's scramble through the underworld of New York to raise the money brings him, his friends, and Lisa into dangerous territory. When it all comes down to one throw of a dart, with everything on the line, Tom discovers what he's really wanted, really needed, all along.
Off the Reservation
Glen Merzer - 2014
Congressman Evan Gorgoni of Bloomington, IN, has served eight terms in a dysfunctional Congress and reached his limits of frustration. A medical event brings on the epiphany that there is no point in continuing to serve. But his frank expression, on Meet the Press, of his rationale for ending his political career is met with the unbidden call that he seek the White House—an unlikely destination for a vegan Congressman with a disdain for political posturing. Featuring 20 vegan recipes and a solution to America’s Electoral College problem,
Off the Reservation
is an original take on the art of the possible. "Glen Merzer's
Off the Reservation
is as politically savvy and poetically literate a book as I have read in a long while. It is a completely gorgeous and rewarding experience."--Jason Alexander, Actor “The book is called
Off the Reservation
, but it’s 100% On The Money about how far removed political discourse has strayed from reality. With unparalleled wit and insight, Glen Merzer dispatches one Evan Gorgoni to go forth and speak the truth to a weary nation, and the result is one of the best reads I’ve had in years. I loved it!” —Ed Begley, Jr., Actor/Environmental Activist “I literally couldn’t put down this superbly-written book once I began to read. Why? Because
Off the Reservation
is wildly entertaining and deeply inspiring. And because I laughed out loud so many times I lost count. What a fabulous, powerful, meaningful book!” —John Robbins, author, Diet For A New America, and Co-founder, foodrevolution.org “
Off the Reservation
is the best book I’ve ever read!” —Howard F. Lyman, author, Mad Cowboy “Glen Merzer’s Off the
Off the Reservation
is a masterpiece of wit and relevance. Twenty-first century America is portrayed here in the language of politics—an unlikely feat but a convincing one, thanks to Merzer’s keen eye for both straight facts and tortuous contradictions. Intelligent, relevant, up-to-date, and unwavering, Merzer’s fictional analysis gets to the heart and soul of American society today. I confidently predict that anyone who has the good fortune to read this book will treasure the experience.” —Philip Appleman, poet and novelist
Witch World Saga 1-3: The Original Three Books
Andre Norton - 2017
Witch World The first book in the classic Witch World saga by beloved fantasy and science fiction author Andre Norton. Simon Tregarth, a man on the run, escapes from our world into another, where magic still has power. He finds new purpose in the service of Estcarp, whose witches use their ancient knowledge of magic to protect their home. But a new threat is rising: the mysterious Kolder, who possess powers and technology unlike anything known in the Witch World. It will take Simon and the forces of Estcarp all their might, their courage, and their magic to drive back the insurmountable enemy. Web of the Witch World Fantasy and science fiction Grand Master Andre Norton’s Witch World saga continues in Web of the Witch World. After repulsing the Kolder, the land of Estcarp is safe, until a sudden disappearance sends Simon Tregarth and his allies on a quest to stop an enigmatic new danger. Though the Kolder were defeated before, they rise again with a vengeance, and their plot is even more sinister than before. From Karsten in the south to the swamps of Tor to the Kolder’s impenetrable stronghold and beyond, Simon must fight to stop the invaders of his adopted home once and for all. Year of the Unicorn Year Of the Unicorn returns to Andre Norton’s Witch World with a tale of adventure and magic. The orphan Gillan grew up in an abbey in High Hallack, always knowing she was different and never feeling at home. When the lords of High Hallack pledge twelve brides to the Were Riders in exchange for their protection, Gillan is faced with an opportunity few would consider: to take the place of one of the twelve chosen women and go off to parts unknown to marry one of these strange wild men. But Gillan leaps at the chance to leave the only home she has ever known in the hopes of finding something she was meant to do. And her rare gift to see through illusions that fool others will prove vital in a journey where nothing is as it seems.
The Girl with the Hazel Eyes
Callie Browning - 2019
‘The Girl with the Hazel Eyes’ is well-written and compelling. I give this novel 5/5 stars.” - Bekah’s Bookshelves.A beautifully written coming-of-age tale that examines the bonds of womanhood, feminism and pre-independence life on a small island. Almost fifty years after Susan Taylor was exiled from Barbados for her famous whistle-blowing novel, ‘The Unspeakable Truth’, she contacts a young writer to pen her biography. Susan is crotchety and unpleasant but Lia Davis is broke so she has no choice but to stay and write Susan's biography. As Lia starts to unravel the reclusive author's life, she realizes that some things just don't add up. Susan has been hiding a massive secret for decades and Lia is determined to find out what it is. The Girl with the Hazel Eyes is an endearing novel that tugs at your heart with its examination of love, lies, and loyalty.
Bodily Harm
Margaret Atwood - 1981
A powerfully and brilliantly crafted novel, Bodily Harm is the story of Rennie Wilford, a young journalist whose life has begun to shatter around the edges. Rennie flies to the Caribbean to recuperate, and on the tiny island of St. Antoine she is confronted by a world where her rules for survival no longer apply. By turns comic, satiric, relentless, and terrifying, Margaret Atwood's Bodily Harm is ultimately an exploration of the lust for power, both sexual and political, and the need for compassion that goes beyond what we ordinarily mean by love.
The Courilof Affair
Irène Némirovsky - 1933
The assassination, he is told, must take place in public and be carried out in the most grandiose manner possible in order to strike the imagination of the people.Posing as his newly appointed personal physician, Léon M takes up residence with Courilof in his summer house in the Iles and awaits instructions. But over the course of his stay he is made privy to the inner world of the man he must kill - his failing health, his troubled domestic situation and, most importantly, the tyrannical grip that the Czar himself holds over all his Ministers, forcing them to obey him or suffer the most deadly punishments.Set during a period of radical upheaval in European history, The Courliof Affair is an unsparing observation of human motives and the abuses of power, an elegy to a lost world and an unflinchingly topical cautionary tale.
My House Is Falling Down
Mary Loudon - 2019
Bewildered by the demands of motherhood and dissatisfied by her work, she has also grown understandably resentful of her husband: Mark has serious difficulties of his own and whilst harsh self-reliance has kept him sane, it has alienated his wife.When Lucy falls in love with Angus, a pianist in his sixties, her shock is extreme. Adamant that she will not deceive her husband, she instead asks his advice. Mark’s reaction, however, is startlingly unorthodox, leaving Lucy to steer an impossible course between duty and desire, adventure and security. As her marriage falters and Angus presses for commitment, she is forced to choose between family and self, with lifelong consequences for everyone. Infused with her trademark precision, clarity and dark humour, Mary Loudon’s searing, highly-charged novel My House is Falling Down is a fearless exploration of what infidelity means when no one is lying, and how brutal honesty may yet prove the biggest taboo in our relationships.
Ramshackle
Elizabeth Reeder - 2012
Her only worries are schoolwork, keeping up with her best friend and whether she should sleep with her boyfriend. Then her adoptive father disappears one winter's day. As she tries to find out why he left her, her past unravels in front of her.
The Paper Wife
Linda Spalding - 1981
As evocative of an era as it is psychologically penetrating, "The Paper Wife" is the story of a friendship, a triangle, and a trial by fire as three young friends struggle to find their moral footing during the turbulent years of the Vietnam War.
The Picture of Dorian Gray / Riders of the Purple Sage: CD-Rom Pack
F.H. Cornish
The Paint Horse (White Cloud Station)
Trudy Nicholson - 2015
But Paintbox was taken from her by his spiteful former owners and there was nothing Lucy could do. Despite having Hope, Lucy never got over losing Paintbox. The worst part was, she had no idea what became of him until, one day, a mysterious letter arrives…. www.whitecloudstation.com A White Cloud Station short story.
The Road Show
Gary Jennings - 1999
In The Road Show we meet Zachary Edge, a Confederate soldier, on his way home at the war's close. He stumbles upon a traveling troupe, a chance encounter that is the start of an unforgettable odyssey. Edge hits the road with bawdy showgirls, roguish tricksters, and a host of colorful characters. He soon finds himself in the arms of Autumn Auburn, the lithesome artiste known for her breathtaking sensuality.
The Rack
A.E. Ellis - 1958
The Rack to my mind is one of this company." - Graham Greene "A terrific book . . . a penetrating examination of the nature of suffering . . . to read it is in itself an experience." - Time and Tide "Quite possibly a masterpiece." - Irish Times "Book of the year if there ever was one." - V. S. Pritchett, New Statesman "A work of sombre power, of soaring comedy." - Cyril Connolly, Sunday Times "[V]ery remarkable . . . Ellis's humour is grim, but behind the book one has the impression of an unusual and powerful mind." - The Observer "Then consider yourself an experiment of the gods in what a man can endure . . ." This is the sardonic advice of a doctor to his patient, a young Englishman suffering from tuberculosis in the days before effective antibiotic treatment, and it sets the theme for this brilliant novel. The hero, Paul Davenant, has arrived at a sanatorium in the Swiss Alps with high hopes of a full cure and a normal life. But as the weeks and months pass interminably by, Davenant undergoes endless tests and medical procedures, each more horrific and dehumanizing than the last, all the while facing the possibility that his case may be hopeless. Despite the pain, indignity, and tediousness, Davenant never loses sight of the outrageous, farcical side to his situation, the absurdity of it all. When he falls in love with a fellow patient, he becomes determined to recover his health, but will he succeed, or will all the tortures he has endured have been for nothing? When The Rack was first published in 1958, the critical acclaim was universal: reviewers compared it with the works of Proust, Mann, and Camus and declared it a masterwork destined to take its place among the great novels of the 20th century. This edition, the first in 25 years, features a new introduction by Andrew Sinclair.