The Wisdom of Sally Red Shoes


Ruth Hogan - 2018
    Once a spirited, independent woman with a rebellious streak, her life has been forever changed by a tragic event twelve years ago. Unable to let go of her grief, she finds solace in the silent company of the souls of her local Victorian cemetery and at the town's lido, where she seeks refuge underwater - safe from the noise and the pain. But a chance encounter with two extraordinary women - the fabulous and wise Kitty Muriel, a convent girl-turned-magician's wife-turned-seventy-something-roller-disco-fanatic, and the mysterious Sally Red Shoes, a bag lady with a prodigious voice - opens up a new world of possibilities, and the chance to start living again.Until the fateful day when the past comes roaring back...

Thank You for Smoking


Christopher Buckley - 1994
    In the neo-puritanical nineties, it's a challenge to defend the rights of smokers and a privilege to promote their liberty. Sure, it hurts a little when you're compared to Nazi war criminals, but Nick says he's just doing what it takes to pay the mortgage and put his son through Washington's elite private school St. Euthanasius. He can handle the pressure from the antismoking zealots, but he is less certain about his new boss, BR, who questions whether Nick is worth $150,000 a year to fight a losing war. Under pressure to produce results, Nick goes on a PR offensive. But his heightened notoriety makes him a target for someone who wants to prove just how hazardous smoking can be. If Nick isn't careful, he's going to be stubbed out.

Return of the Jedi - Beware the Power of the Dark Side!


Tom Angleberger - 2015
    Acclaimed, New York Times bestselling author Tom Angleberger delivers a captivating retelling of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi like you've never experienced before, infusing the iconic, classic tale of good versus evil with a unique perspective and narrative style that will speak directly to today's young readers while enhancing the Star Wars experience for core fans of the saga.

The Iron Men


Leonard B. Scott - 1993
    Decades later, their fates are entangled with that of Jake Tallon, an American soldier stationed in Berlin who falls in love with Mader's daughter. Tallon, too, is a decorated war hero, though from Vietnam, not WWII. Together, the three iron men join together in Berlin just before the fall of the Wall to confront the legacy of the past . . . and defeat it.

The Answer to Everything


Elyse Friedman - 2014
    Turned out on the street by his fully employed, entirely fed up girlfriend, he goes on the hunt for cheap shared accommodation and stumbles upon the ideal set-up—a bedroom in the home of Amy, an attractive psychology student who has been abandoned by her condo-buying roommate. Not only does Amy have a surprisingly affordable penthouse apartment with rooftop patio and a fridge full of high-quality comestibles, but she also has a mysterious across-the-hall neighbour, Eldrich, who appears to be home all day, smoking weed and receiving an odd assortment of visitors. Before long, John is availing himself of Eldrich's pot, food and wine. He notices that these staples are provided gratis to Eldrich by friends and acquaintances who rely on him for spiritual guidance. That's when John, atheist and misanthrope, decides to start a New Age cult with Eldrich as guru. And so, as half art project, half money-making scheme, the Answer Institute is born. With Amy as a partner in the enterprise, the cult flourishes and grows exponentially, attracting a wide range of broken, strange and spiritually hungry individuals, including an obscenely wealthy Singaporean expat, a psilocybin-dealing hippie, a conservative mom mourning the death of her only child, and the star of a popular sci-fi TV show. Eldrich begins to embrace his role as Leader with a little too much zeal and introduces his followers to increasingly peculiar rituals. Amy becomes progressively more enamoured of the funds pouring into the coffers, and John lets sexual jealousy get the better of him. The more successful the Institute gets, the more it spirals out of control, culminating in a bizarre ayahuasca ceremony that ends in a way nobody could have expected. With humour and pathos, The Answer to Everything examines the gap between reason and faith, and the human need for connection, love and transcendence.

Casino Royale


Ian Fleming - 1953
    007, is sent to France to play in a high-stakes baccarat game in an effort to take down Le Chiffre, a financier for the villainous SMERSH. Things get more complicated when he is partnered with Vesper Lynd, a beautiful and smart MI6 employee with a dark secret. Bond is one of the most iconic characters in 20th-century literature. In addition to the 12 novels and 9 short stories written by Ian Fleming, there have been over 40 novels and short stories written about the spy by other authors, and over 25 blockbuster films starring such actors as Sean Connery and Daniel Craig.Here's the first.

The Graduate


Charles Webb - 1963
    Embittered by the emptiness of his college education and indifferent to his grim prospects—grad school? a career in plastics?—Benjamin falls haplessly into an affair with Mrs. Robinson, the relentlessly seductive wife of his father's business partner. It's only when beautiful coed Elaine Robinson comes home to visit her parents that Benjamin, now smitten, thinks he might have found some kind of direction in his life. Unfortunately for Benjamin, Mrs. Robinson plays the role of protective mother as well as she does the one of mistress. A wondrously fierce and absurd battle of wills ensues, with love and idealism triumphing over the forces of corruption and conformity.

Being There


Jerzy Kosiński - 1968
    It is the story of Chauncey Gardiner - Chance, an enigmatic but distinguished man who emerges from nowhere to become an heir to the throne of a Wall Street tycoon, a presidential policy adviser, and a media icon. Truly "a man without qualities," Chance's straightforward responses to popular concerns are heralded as visionary. But though everyone is quoting him, no one is sure what he's really saying. And filling in the blanks in his background proves impossible. Being There is a brilliantly satiric look at the unreality of American media culture that is, if anything, more trenchant now than ever.

Amistad: Tie-In Edition


Joyce Annette Barnes - 1997
    This text is based on the actual incident surrounding the rebellion aboard the slave ship Amistad and the subsequent trial in the US courts.

Riverdale #12


Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa - 2018
    From Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and the writers of the new CW series Riverdale, this ALL-NEW, ongoing comic series features stories set in between episodes of the new CW TV series Riverdale.

Salty


Mark Haskell Smith - 2007
    A-” —Entertainment WeeklyFrom the author of Moist and Delicious comes a raucous comic novel where anything goes. Turk Henry, an overweight, unemployed rock star married to a supermodel, has discovered that Thailand is probably the last place a recovering sex addict should go on vacation, yet here he is, surrounded by topless groupies and haunted by the stares of hundreds of luscious bar girls. Turk’s struggles with monogamy, however, pale beside a greater challenge when his wife is abducted by a group of renegade, shipless Thai pirates. As Turk, whose life skills are limited to playing bass and partying, navigates the back alleys of Bangkok and the deadly jungles of Southeast Asia to save his wife, Salty heats up and sweats bullets. Featuring skinflint American tourists, topless beaches, a hypochondriac U.S. government agent, suitcases loaded with cash, an over-eager full-service personal assistant, a horny Australian commando, inventive prostitutes, and an urbane pirate with a fetish for alabaster skin, this is a hilariously entertaining, thoroughly debauched caper novel — with a happy finish.

The Princess Bride


William Goldman - 1973
    Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.In short, it's about everything.

Mummy Needs a Break


Susan Edmunds - 2019
    So, she’s surprised to discover that her husband has found the time to have an exciting affair while she’s been bringing up their family.Suddenly, Rachel is left wrangling with a child who will only eat crackers and a 35-week bump. She knows even Mumsnet isn’t going to solve this.What Rachel needs is a handsome, good-with-children, single man. But she can barely leave the house without a stain on her top and child on her hip. How on earth can she claim her life back, let alone thinking about dating?

Night Music


Jojo Moyes - 2008
    When its reclusive owner dies intestate the Spanish House is left to his city-dwelling niece. For the recently-widowed Isabel, the house is a potential lifeline. For her neighbour Matt McCarthy, the house is revenge.

The Da Vinci Code Illustrated Screenplay: Behind the Scenes of the Major Motion Picture


Akiva Goldsman - 2006
    The Da Vinci Code Illustrated Screenplay goes behind the scenes of one of the most highly anticipated movies of all time, created by Academy Award®–winning filmmakers Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, and Akiva Goldsman.  Offering unprecedented access to the tightly guarded “closed set,” and a view of the filmmaking process that has never been seen publicly, screenwriter Goldsman provides a backstage look at the incredible journey to bring Dan Brown’s record-setting novel to the big screen.  Goldsman’s richly rendered screenplay is included here in its entirety.  It offers a fascinating new way to experience the story—and includes a number of moments (and even full scenes) that do not appear in the final cut of the movie. Lavishly illustrated with 275 images of the actors and filmmakers—from both the movie set and the film itself—this behind-the-scenes features include: • Filming in the Louvre in the dead of night, and re-creating a 400-foot section of the museum’s Grand Gallery on a soundstage—down to the precise architectural details, and complete with 120 oil-painting masterpieces • The full digital and soundstage re-creation of the Church of Saint-Sulpice • The transformation of Lincolnshire’s Lincoln Cathedral into London’s Westminster Abbey, and the reproduction of Sir Isaac Newton’s enormous tomb• Handwritten notes on pages from Ron Howard’s script • The evolution of script dialogue as it progressed from an early draft of the screenplay to final shooting form • Dozens of never-before-seen storyboards that were used to block out scenes before filming commenced  For any fan of the filmmaking process, and of the extraordinary movie and novel, this exquisitely produced book will be an invaluable companion.