Medium Raw explores these changes, moving back and forth from the author's bad old days to the present. Tracking his own strange and unexpected voyage from journeyman cook to globe-travelling professional eater and drinker, Bourdain compares and contrasts what he's seen and what he's seeing, pausing along the way for a series of confessions, rants, investigations, and interrogations of some of the most controversial figures in food. And always he returns to the question: 'Why cook?' Or the harder one to answer: 'Why cook well?' Beginning with a secret and highly illegal after-hours gathering of powerful chefs he compares to a Mafia summit, Bourdain, in his distinctive, no-holds-barred style, cuts to the bone on every subject he tackles.

    They wanted to know why McCain appealed so much to so many Americans, and particularly why he appealed to the "Young Voters" of America who generally show nothing but apathy. The "Director's Cut" (three times longer than the RS article) is an incisive, funny, thoughtful piece about life on "Bullshit One" -- the nickname for the press bus that followed McCain's Straight Talk Express. This piece becomes ever more relevant, as we discuss what we know, don't know, and don't want to know about the way our political campaigns work.

    Now The Road to Dune is a companion work comparable to The Silmarillion, shedding light on and following the remarkable development of the bestselling science fiction novel of all time.In this fascinating volume, the world's millions of Dune fans can read--at long last--the unpublished chapters and scenes from Dune and Dune Messiah. The Road to Dune also includes some of the original correspondence between Frank Herbert and famed editor John W. Campbell, Jr., along with other correspondence during Herbert's years-long struggle to get his innovative work published, and the article "They Stopped the Moving Sands," Herbert's original inspiration for Dune.The Road to Dune also features newly discovered papers and manuscripts of Frank Herbert, and Spice Planet, an original novel by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, based on a detailed outline left by Frank Herbert.The Road to Dune is a treasure trove of essays, articles, and fiction that every reader of Dune will want to add to their shelf.

     This true story begins on a sunny July morning in 2003, just outside of Flint Michigan, when an eighty year old grandmother has mysteriously disappeared from the face of the earth. Days later the charred remains of her car were identified, after being completely destroyed by an intentional fire; but she was nowhere to be found. We had to find her. She was my mom...

    A Christmas Tree is about an old man whose memories are stirred as he reminisces about the toys and gifts that have decorated his Christmas tree over the years.

    

    But controversy -- and danger -- seem to have an unerring hold on him. Aaron Matthews, a brilliant psychologist, has turned his talents away from curing patients to far deadlier goals. He's targeted Tate, his ex-wife, Bett, and their estranged daughter Megan for unspeakable revenge. Featuring an urgent race against the clock, gripping details of psychological manipulation, and brilliant twists and turns that are trademark Deaver, Speaking in Tongues will leave you speechless.THE BLUE NOWHERERead by Dennis BoutsikarisWhen a sadistic hacker, code-named Phate, sets his sights on Silicon Valley, his victims never know what hit them. He infiltrates their computers, invades their lives, and lures them to their deaths. Desperate, the head of The California State Police Computer Crimes Division frees Wyatt Gillette, imprisoned for hacking, to aid the investigation. Gillette and Detective Frank Bishop, an old-school homicide cop who's accustomed to forensic sleuthing, at first make an uneasy team, but they must utilize every ounce of their disparate talents to stop the merciless and brilliant killer.GARDEN OF BEASTSRead by Jefferson MaysPaul Schumann, a German American living in New York City in 1936, is a mobster hitman known for his brilliant tactics and for taking only righteous assignments. But when he gets caught he is offered a stark choice: prison or covert government service. Paul must pose as a journalist coveringthe summer Olympics taking place in Berlin and hunt down and kill Reinhardt Ernst -- the ruthless architect of Hitler's clandestine rearmament. If he refuses the job, his fate will be Sing Sing and the electric chair.

    Here are more than 700 of Isaac Asimov's favorite jokes, cleverest limericks and funniest stories.

    Yet the fragile balance between church and state lies shattered. The specter of civil war haunts the ravaged land - and a specter more fearsome still. The demon, though defeated, was not destroyed. Now its vengeful spirit has found sanctuary at the very heart of the Abellican Church. As the elf-trained ranger Elbryan Wynden presses north to reclaim the Timberlands from retreating goblin hordes, and his companion, Pony, mistress of gemstone magic, turns south to the civilized streets of Palmaris, they find themselves caught up in a power struggle to decide the fate of all Corona. Condemned as heretics, the two heroes are hunted by dangerous enemies. The leader of the Church boasts a mastery of gemstone magic that rivals Pony's proven might. And the Abbot's right hand, the Bishop of Palmaris, has claws so sharply honed by hate and magic that no man - or ranger - can withstand their killing stroke. Then an unexpected twist of fate forces Pony to make a harrowing choice, one that may doom the world to demonic domination.

    With a psychopath from his own time rising in the vile ranks of the Cable Street Unmentionables complicating things, Vimes has to ensure that history takes its course so that he will have the right future to go back to, and to keep his younger self alive."One of the funniest English authors alive" (Independent)

    As religious leaders struggle to adapt to the new transparency of the information age, the phenomenon of non-believing clergy portends surprising developments in the future of religious belief.

    Here lie the foundations of his unique genius"--from the foreword by Peter Ackroyd. "I have a new story..."--when Oscar Wilde uttered those words, even his enemies leaned in close to listen, for his legendary wit and wisdom enchanted everyone in person as on the printed page. (Some even thought he was better in conversation than in writing.) For the first time, a century after his death, a collection of Wilde's spoken stories reveals the true scope of his genius. 42 bite-size literary gems shine with humor, intelligence, and surprising twists and turns. Some were set on paper by Wilde himself, others were jotted down by friends, family, and guests at Wilde's table. Painstakingly researched, each with an illuminating introduction, and illustrated with prints and photographs of the period, these tales weave pure magic. They include modern stories and anecdotes, fantasies (often based on Irish folktales), biblical sagas, and prose poems. A treasured invitation to "dinner" with Wilde that no lover of literature would miss!

    Over three thousand pages of Medieval adventure! Welcome to Epic Knights of Legend and Steel. Six books. Six amazing tales of chivalry and passion. This collection contains books related to one another although not necessarily series. Each hero is his own epic knight, born of legend, forged in steel, an alpha male who is a giant among men. Sweeping adventures of Medieval England come together in this fabulous, not-to-be-missed collection all from the works of USA Today bestseller Kathryn Le Veque. This collection contains: The Questing - A knight, a widow, and a promise that could cost them everything. Swords and Shields - Betrayal lurks in a new love. The Whispering Night - An agent for William Marshal falls in love with an enemy. Netherworld - Evil lurks in a dark Welsh castle. The Warrior Poet - Bitter enemies become lovers in this Medieval Romeo and Juliet saga. The Legend - The greatest knight in the realm lays down his sword. Can love give him back what he's lost?

     A Texas Ranger, relegated to deskwork due to past recklessness, petitions to regain custody of his five-year-old daughter, and his case is assigned to a family court judge who is as attractive as she is ambitious. When a masked gunman barges in during the custody hearing with his sights on the judge, the Ranger reacts instinctually and goes after him. But authorities apprehend the wrong man, and the real gunman remains unknown, at large, and a threat. Will this take-charge lawman jeopardize his chances of custody by going after the would-be assassin? And will this unlikely pair be able to deny the forbidden attraction building between them?