> Book A Spoke in the Wheel A Novel about the Buddha Amita Kanekar

When Marian, an earnest romantic and idealist, goes missing ... Read more

When Marian, an earnest romantic and idealist, goes missing in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, her twin sister Ruthie, a pragmatic skeptic, journeys from Canada to search for her. When Ruthie uncovers Marian’s passion for a Bhutanese monk and her hazardous trek over a mountain pass to Tibet, she fears the worst. And those fears only intensify when a sinister Tibetan reveals that he is also in pursuit of Marian. As the sisters struggle to reach each other, they must overcome the demands of their own hearts and spirits. In easy, poetic prose, Elsie Sze paints an enchanting picture of Bhutan as she spins a tale of mystery, adventure, and romance, recounting the two sisters’ physical and spiritual journeys to find each other and their true selves. --- Elsie Sze grew up in Hong Kong and currently lives in Toronto with her husband Michael. They have three sons, Benjamin, Samuel and Timothy. A former teacher and librarian, she is an avid traveler, often to remote places which form the settings for her stories. Her first novel, Hui Gui: A Chinese Story, was nominated for Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award in Fiction, 2006. Minimize

The only thing certain about a journey is that it has a beg ... Read more

The only thing certain about a journey is that it has a beginning and an end—for you never know what may happen along the way. And so it is with this journey into the minds and souls of two very different men—one of them in search of the truth, the other a man who may have already found it.When Otto Ringling, a husband, father, and editor, departs on a cross-country drive from his home in a New York City suburb to the North Dakota farmhouse in which he grew up, he is a man on a no-nonsense mission: to settle the estate of his recently deceased parents. However, when his flaky sister convinces him to give a ride to her guru, a crimson-robed Skovordinian monk, Otto knows there will be a few bumps in the road. As they venture across America, Otto and the affable, wise, irritating, and inscrutible holy man engage in a battle of wits and wisdom. Otto, a born skeptic, sees his unwanted passenger as a challenge: a man who assumes the knowledge of the ages yet walks a mortal's path. But he also sees their unexpected pairing as an opportunity to take Volya Rinpoche on a journey of cultural discovery, with visits to quintessentially American landmarks (the Hershey's factory, Wrigley Field) and forays into some favorite American pastimes (bowling, miniature golf, dining out).It is Otto, however, who has embarked on the real journey, that of self-discovery, led by his strange and remarkable passenger. By the time they reach North Dakota, Otto's head is reeling with the understanding that so much of what he had believed—as well as so much of what he had doubted—must be rethought before his journey can truly begin.Witty and inventive, Breakfast with Buddha takes readers into the heart of America and in the process shows us a man about to discover his own true heart. Minimize

When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip t ... Read more

When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger-and amuse himself-he decides to show the monk some "American fun" along the way. From a chocolate factory in Hershey to a bowling alley in South Bend, from a Cubs game at Wrigley field to his family farm near Bismarck, Otto is given the remarkable opportunity to see his world-and more important, his life-through someone else's eyes. Gradually, skepticism yields to amazement as he realizes that his companion might just be the real thing. In Roland Merullo's masterful hands, Otto tells his story with all the wonder, bemusement, and wry humor of a man who unwittingly finds what he's missing in the most unexpected place. Minimize

The beguiling fourteen-year-old narrator of IN ZANESVILLE i ... Read more

The beguiling fourteen-year-old narrator of IN ZANESVILLE is a late bloomer. She is used to flying under the radar-a sidekick, a third wheel, a marching band dropout, a disastrous babysitter, the kind of girl whose Eureka moment is the discovery that "fudge" can't be said with an English accent. Luckily, she has a best friend, a similarly undiscovered girl with whom she shares the everyday adventures of a 1970s American girlhood, incidents through which a world is revealed, and character is forged. In time, their friendship is tested-- by their families' claims on them, by a clique of popular girls who stumble upon them as if they were found objects, and by the first, startling, subversive intimations of womanhood. With dry wit and piercing observation, Jo Ann Beard shows us that in the seemingly quiet streets of America's innumerable Zanesvilles is a world of wonders, and that within the souls of the awkward and the overlooked often burns something radiant and unforgettable. Minimize

When Marian, an earnest romantic and idealist, goes missing ... Read more

When Marian, an earnest romantic and idealist, goes missing in the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, her twin sister Ruthie, a pragmatic skeptic, journeys from Canada to search for her. When Ruthie uncovers Marian’s passion for a Bhutanese monk and her hazardous trek over a mountain pass to Tibet, she fears the worst. And those fears only intensify when a sinister Tibetan reveals that he is also in pursuit of Marian. As the sisters struggle to reach each other, they must overcome the demands of their own hearts and spirits. In easy, poetic prose, Elsie Sze paints an enchanting picture of Bhutan as she spins a tale of mystery, adventure, and romance, recounting the two sisters’ physical and spiritual journeys to find each other and their true selves. --- Elsie Sze grew up in Hong Kong and currently lives in Toronto with her husband Michael. They have three sons, Benjamin, Samuel and Timothy. A former teacher and librarian, she is an avid traveler, often to remote places which form the settings for her stories. Her first novel, Hui Gui: A Chinese Story, was nominated for Foreword Magazine’s Book of the Year Award in Fiction, 2006. Minimize

From an award-winning author whose debut story collection r ... Read more

From an award-winning author whose debut story collection received unprecedented praise, comes an elegant novel about mothers and daughters, secrets and silences, and familial bonds in a culture where custom dictates behavior. In her exquisite first novel, Mary Yukari Waters explores the complex relationships among three generations of women bound by a painful family history.Fourteen-year-old Sarah Rexford, half-Japanese and half- American, feels like an outsider when she visits her family in Japan. She quickly learns that in traditional Kyoto, personal boundaries are firmly drawn and actions are not always what they appear.In the midst of her acculturation, Sarah learns of a family secret. During World War II, her grandmother was forced to give up one of her daughters for adoption. The child was adopted by the grandmother’s sister-in-law, and the siblings were brought up as cousins, growing up on the same lane where both the biological and adoptive mother lived. Even into the present, the arrangement is never discussed. But as Sarah learns, its presence looms over the two houses. In this carefully articulated world, where every gesture and look has meaning, Sarah must learn the rules by which her mother, aunts, and grandmother live.Delicately balancing drama and restraint as only few writ- ers can, Waters captures these women—their deep passions and tumultuous histories—in this tender and moving novel about the power, beauty, and importance of mother-daughter relationships. Minimize

Twelve-year-old Peyton McKenzie isn't ready to share her wi ... Read more

Twelve-year-old Peyton McKenzie isn't ready to share her widowed father with anyone—certainly not with her cigarette-smoking redheaded cousin Nora, who just rolled into sleepy Lytton, Georgia, this summer behind the wheel of a pink Thunderbird. But her father seems to like Nora, and prim Aunt Augusta hates her, which means she can't be all bad. And when Nora takes a job teaching the first integrated honors class at the local high school, it appears she might be staying forever. But there's something troubling Peyton's unorthodox cousin, something more than the outspoken town gossips' complaints about Nora's "unsouthern ways." When the truth comes to light, it will rock the segregated small community—and teach Peyton an unforgettable lesson about the enormous cost of love. Minimize

Here is the core of the Buddha’s teaching in his own words, ... Read more

Here is the core of the Buddha’s teaching in his own words, as it was memorized word-for-word by his disciples and written down two hundred years after his death. These selections from the Buddhist scriptures deal with the search for truth, the way of contemplation, life and death, living in community, and many other topics, serving as an excellent small introduction to the Buddha’s teaching. Whether addressed to monks and nuns, householders, outcastes, or thieves, the Buddha’s teachings are characterized by one main concern: conveying the reality of our bondage to suffering—and the supremely good news that liberation is possible. It is a concern as relevant for people today as it was for the people of north India a millennium and a half ago. Minimize

Our hero is Turing, an interactive tutoring program and nam ... Read more

Our hero is Turing, an interactive tutoring program and namesake (or virtual emanation?) of Alan Turing, World War II code breaker and father of computer science. In this unusual novel, Turing's idiosyncratic version of intellectual history from a computational point of view unfolds in tandem with the story of a love affair involving Ethel, a successful computer executive, Alexandros, a melancholy archaeologist, and Ian, a charismatic hacker. After Ethel (who shares her first name with Alan Turing's mother) abandons Alexandros following a sundrenched idyll on Corfu, Turing appears on Alexandros's computer screen to unfurl a tutorial on the history of ideas. He begins with the philosopher-mathematicians of ancient Greece -- "discourse, dialogue, argument, proof... can only thrive in an egalitarian society" -- and the Arab scholar in ninth-century Baghdad who invented algorithms; he moves on to many other topics, including cryptography and artificial intelligence, even economics and developmental biology. (These lessons are later critiqued amusingly and developed further in postings by a fictional newsgroup in the book's afterword.) As Turing's lectures progress, the lives of Alexandros, Ethel, and Ian converge in dramatic fashion, and the story takes us from Corfu to Hong Kong, from Athens to San Francisco -- and of course to the Internet, the disruptive technological and social force that emerges as the main locale and protagonist of the novel.Alternately pedagogical and romantic, Turing (A Novel about Computation) should appeal both to students and professionals who want a clear and entertaining account of the development of computation and to the general reader who enjoys novels of ideas. Minimize

Anne Marie's dad, a Glaswegian painter and decorator, has a ... Read more

Anne Marie's dad, a Glaswegian painter and decorator, has always been game for a laugh. So when he first takes up meditation at the Buddhist Center, no one takes him seriously. But as Jimmy becomes more involved in a search for the spiritual, his beliefs start to come into conflict with the needs of his wife, Liz. Cracks appear in their apparently happy family life, and the ensuing events change the lives of each family member. Donovan completely captures these lives in her clear-eyed, evocative prose, rendered alternately in the voices of each of the main characters. With seamless grace and astonishing veracity, Buddha Da treats serious themes with humor and its characters with humanity. From prize-winning writer Anne Donovan, this stunning debut novel — shortlisted for the Orange Prize and the Whitbread First Novel Award — will appeal to readers of Roddy Doyle. Minimize

In the year 8 AD, at the age of fifty, the most famous poet ... Read more

In the year 8 AD, at the age of fifty, the most famous poet in Rome, Publius Ovidius Naso, known to us as Ovid, is suddenly exiled by the Emperor Augustus for an unknown reason. His young and beautiful wife Pinaria stays behind to try to salvage something of their lives and to work to bring him home. A woman alone, she is handicapped by the powerlessness of her position. It is not until she leaves behind the world of men to search among the people Rome has forgotten: the women, the slaves, the runaways and temple prostitutes, that she begins to understand what has happened to her life and her husband s, and what the world around her really is. Historically accurate, deeply researched, and poetically written, Betray the Night is a sympathetic reading of the position of women, and a study of the terror of power. Exciting and fast moving, it may be read as on its own or as a companion to Benita Kane Jaro's trilogy The Key, The Lock, and The Door in the Wall.Special Features * Written with scrupulous attention to historical accuracy* Supplied with reader-friendly aids: -List of principal characters,-Chronology of events* Provides insight into the position of a high-born Roman woman* Gives an alternate view of Caesar Augustus* Provides a view of Ovid when relegatedFor over 30 years Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers has produced the highest quality Latin and ancient Greek books. From Dr. Seuss books in Latin to Plato's Apology, Bolchazy-Carducci's titles help readers learn about ancient Rome and Greece; the Latin and ancient Greek languages are alive and well with titles like Cicero's De Amicitia and Kaegi's Greek Grammar. We also feature a line of contemporary eastern European and WWII books. Some of the areas we publish in include: Selections From The Aeneid Latin Grammar & Pronunciation Greek Grammar & Pronunciation Texts Supporting Wheelock's Latin Classical author workbooks: Vergil, Ovid, Horace, Catullus, Cicero Vocabulary Cards For AP Selections: Vergil, Ovid, Catullus, Horace Greek Mythology Greek Lexicon Slovak Culture And History Minimize

Meet five North Carolina women who are about to change the ... Read more

Meet five North Carolina women who are about to change the way you think about friendship. For Rhonda, a gritty, fun-loving hairdresser in tight jeans, the sights and smells of Ridgecrest Nursing Center are depressing. But before she can change her mind about working there, two residents glue themselves to her: Margaret, droll and whip-smart, with a will of iron that never fails her even when her body does, and Bernice, an avid country music fan who is rarely lucid. Together with Lorraine, their church-going, God-questioning nurse, and her daughter, April, bright and ambitious, they lock arms in courage and humor for a journey that speaks to us all — of how we live and die, of how we love and forgive. “He made me laugh and cry....Johnson’s five women are as convincing as Reynolds Price’s Kate Vaiden and Allan Gurganus’s Lucy Marsden....Pure Southern music.” — Raleigh News & Observer “Packed with so much poignancy readers might want to keep tissues handy....This is a novel not to be missed.” — Las Vegas Review-Journal “Heartfelt and stunning . . . a genuine page-turner.” — Adriana Trigiani Minimize

"Karen Stabiner's GETTING IN [is] humorous (in a wry kind o ... Read more

"Karen Stabiner's GETTING IN [is] humorous (in a wry kind of way) but pointed and surprisingly engaging novel about parental and teen obsessiveness regarding the college application process in independent schools and the debilitating, distorting impact of it on kids and families. Must read for college-prep kids and their parents." --Patrick Basset, President, National Association of Independent Schools"A savvy insider's take on a high-stakes, cutthroat campaign--except it's not about getting into the White House, but about getting into the perfect college. Stabiner's sharp, witty tale is as essential as a good SAT prep course--but a hell of a lot more fun." --Arianna Huffington "Getting In takes an edgy, knowing look inside the lives and minds of love-crazed parents--galvanized equally by desperation and devotion--as they try with all their might to thrust their cherished children into the universities of their dreams." --Carolyn See, Making a Literary Life "Karen Stabiner has clearly been through the crazy circus that is college admissions, and lucky for the rest of us she took pitch-perfect notes. You will come away from her book reassured that all the other families of applicants are even loonier than yours--or reassured that you fit right in. What do you mean, this is fiction?" --Lisa Belkin, New York Times parenting writer (and hardy survivor of her son's college application process) Q: What does a parent need to survive the college application process? A. A sense of humor. B. A therapist on 24-hour call. C. A large bank balance. D. All of the above. Getting In is the roller-coaster story of five very different Los Angeles families united by a single obsession: acceptance at a top college, preferably one that makes their friends and neighbors green with envy. At an elite private school and a nearby public school, families devote themselves to getting their seniors into the perfect school--even if the odds are stacked against them, even if they can't afford the $50,000 annual price tag, even if the effort requires a level of deceit, and even if the object of all this attention wants to go somewhere else. Getting In is a delightfully smart comedy of class and entitlement, of love and ambition, set in a world where a fat envelope from a top school matters more than anything . . . almost. Minimize

A fascinating and exquisitely written novel about the art a ... Read more

A fascinating and exquisitely written novel about the art and life of Robert Frost In his most recent novel, I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company, Brian Hall won acclaim for the way he used the intimate, revelatory voice of fiction to capture the half- hidden personal stories of the Lewis and Clark expedition. In his new novel Hall turns to the life of Robert Frost, arguably America’s most well-known poet. Frost, as both man and artist, was toughened by a hard life. His own father died when Frost was eleven; his only sibling, a sister, had to be institutionalized; of his five children, one died before the age of four, one committed suicide, one went insane, and one died in childbirth. Told in short chapters, each of which presents an emblematic incident with intensity and immediacy, Hall’s novel deftly weaves together the earlier parts of Frost’s life with his final year, 1962, when, at age eighty- eight, and under the looming threat of the Cuban Missile Crisis, he made a visit to Russia and met with Khrushchev. As Hall shows, Frost determined early on that he would not succumb to the tragedies life threw at him. The deaths of his children were forms of his own death from which he resurrected himself through poetry—for him, the preeminent symbol of man’s form-giving power. A searing, exquisitely constructed portrait of one man’s rages, guilt, paranoia, and sheer, defiant persistence, as well as an exploration of why good people suffer unjustly and how art is born from that unanswerable question, Fall of Frost is a magnificent work that further confirms Hall’s status as one of the most talented novelists at work today. Minimize

13 Things to Know About 13 1. This book is about a guy nam ... Read more

13 Things to Know About 13 1. This book is about a guy named Evan. 2. Three months before his 13th birthday, he has to move from New York City 3. to Appleton, Indiana, 4. where nobody knows him. 5. He's not very happy about it. 6. His mom is kind of nuts. 7. His dad is kind of nuts too. 8. Evan's not nuts, but he keeps ending up in nutty situations. 9. One of them involves a movie called The Bloodmaster. 10. Another involves a girl named Patrice. 11. But the nuttiest situation of all is his bar mitzvah— 12. which it's possible no one will come to. 13. Unless Evan can make some new friends really fast. Minimize

“The Buddha was as mortal as you and I, yet he attained enl ... Read more

“The Buddha was as mortal as you and I, yet he attained enlightenment and was raised to the rank of an immortal. The miracle is that he got there following a heart as human as yours and mine, and just as vulnerable.” - from the Introduction Bestselling author Deepak Chopra brings the Buddha back to life in this gripping account of the young prince who abandoned his inheritance to discover his true calling. This iconic journey changed the world forever, and the truths revealed continue to influence every corner of the globe today. A young man in line for the throne is trapped in his father’s kingdom and yearns for the outside world. Betrayed by those closest to him, Siddhartha abandons his palace and princely title. Finally alone and face-to-face with his demons, he becomes a wandering monk and embarks on a spiritual fast that carries him to the brink of death. Ultimately recognizing his inability to conquer his body and mind by sheer force, Siddhartha transcends his physical pain and achieves enlightenment. Although we recognize Buddha today as an icon of peace and serenity, his life story was a tumultuous and spellbinding affair filled with love and sex, murder and loss, struggle and surrender. From the rocky terrain of the material world to the summit of the spiritual one, Buddha entertains and inspires - ultimately leading us closer to understanding the true nature of life and ourselves. Minimize

What if everything you knew about your family was a lie: Wh ... Read more

What if everything you knew about your family was a lie: What if, when the lies began to crack, beneath them lay a truth so dark and deep, yet so compelling, that it pulled you inside?Ariella Montero is seeking the true identities of her mother and father-and of herself. She's been taught literature, philosophy, science, and history, but she knows almost nothing about the real world and its complexities. Her world is one wherein ghosts and vampires commune with humans; where Edgar Allan Poe and Jack Kerouac are role models; where every time a puzzle seems solved, its last piece changes the entire picture.When the last piece is murder, Ari goes on the road in search of her mother, who disappeared at the time of her birth. The hunt nearly costs Ari her life, and, in finding her mother, she loses her father. But gradually she uncovers the secrets that have kept the family apart, and she begins to come to terms with her own unique nature and her chances for survival.Set in upstate New York, England, and the American South, The Society of S explodes stereotypes-of the homeschooled, vampires, monkeys, FBI agents, and academics. In this strange new world, vegetarianism, environmentalism, biomedical research, and the ability to disappear are options for those who drink blood and face the prospect of eternal life.A taut, character-driven literary mystery, The Society of S is the future of vampirism, told in a voice that will haunt you-and make you think. Minimize

"Karen Stabiner's GETTING IN [is] humorous (in a wry kind o ... Read more

"Karen Stabiner's GETTING IN [is] humorous (in a wry kind of way) but pointed and surprisingly engaging novel about parental and teen obsessiveness regarding the college application process in independent schools and the debilitating, distorting impact of it on kids and families. Must read for college-prep kids and their parents."--Patrick Basset, President, National Association of Independent Schools "A savvy insider's take on a high-stakes, cutthroat campaign--except it's not about getting into the White House, but about getting into the perfect college. Stabiner's sharp, witty tale is as essential as a good SAT prep course--but a hell of a lot more fun."--Arianna Huffington "Getting In takes an edgy, knowing look inside the lives and minds of love-crazed parents--galvanized equally by desperation and devotion--as they try with all their might to thrust their cherished children into the universities of their dreams."--Carolyn See, Making a Literary Life "Karen Stabiner has clearly been through the crazy circus that is college admissions, and lucky for the rest of us she took pitch-perfect notes. You will come away from her book reassured that all the other families of applicants are even loonier than yours--or reassured that you fit right in. What do you mean, this is fiction?"--Lisa Belkin, New York Times parenting writer (and hardy survivor of her son's college application process) Q: What does a parent need to survive the college application process? A. A sense of humor. B. A therapist on 24-hour call. C. A large bank balance. D. All of the above. Getting In is the roller-coaster story of five very different Los Angeles families united by a single obsession: acceptance at a top college, preferably one that makes their friends and neighbors green with envy. At an elite private school and a nearby public school, families devote themselves to getting their seniors into the perfect school--even if the odds are stacked against them, even if they can't afford the $50,000 annual price tag, even if the effort requires a level of deceit, and even if the object of all this attention wants to go somewhere else. Getting In is a delightfully smart comedy of class and entitlement, of love and ambition, set in a world where a fat envelope from a top school matters more than anything . . . almost. Minimize

From one of America’s most beloved television actresses: A ... Read more

From one of America’s most beloved television actresses: A sharply observed, comedic novel about the flipside of fame—and a fresh take on Hollywood in all its outrageous, entertaining glory.On the outside, Kate Keyes-Morgan seems to have it all: a starring role on the hit television series Generations, a handsome husband who is also her manager, a stick-thin figure, and a career that, after a Kirstie Alley-style slide, is finally back on track. At the age of thirty, Kate knows what it’s like to have the tabloids turn on you, and she never wants it to happen again. Thank goodness her husband, Hamilton, is there to manage her every move—even if the strict dieting and morning weigh-ins are becoming more than she can manage. But when Hamilton leaves her for another actress on Generations, the ruthless diva Sapphire Rose, Kate suddenly finds herself in charge of her own life. Now she must decide whether she’s ready to stop playing by the Hollywood rulebook and discover who she really is. With the help of her wise-cracking friend and tough-love hairstylist, Paige, and Michael, a high-powered film agent who secretly dreams of becoming a novelist, Kate begins to question her role in an industry that venerates appearance, money, and fame above all else, and that applies ceaseless pressure on women to always be thinner, younger, and more beautiful, at any cost.From high fashion to on-set antics to the real-life whispers about celebrities that even the tabloids never tell, Courtney Thorne-Smith depicts the entertainment world as only an insider can. Yet beneath the glamorous facade lies a natural-born writer with a gift for comic timing and shaping memorable characters. If you’ve ever wanted to experience life in the spotlight or wondered what goes on behind dressing room doors, Outside In is your invitation into the glittering world of Hollywood’s biggest stars. Minimize

With a sweeping sense of history and landscape that contrib ... Read more

With a sweeping sense of history and landscape that contributed to making Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove a classic, and the precise sense of character and passion that made Cold Mountain so successful, Garth Murphy has written a brilliant saga about California in its last days as part of Mexico, and about the lives of those caught up in this moment of historical high drama. Peopled with a sumptuous cast of characters, both real and fictional -- Indians fighting for their survival against the Mexicans and the coming Americans; Hispanics desperate to hold on to the vast tracts of land they have usurped from the missionaries and the Indians; vibrant women determined to assert themselves in a man's world; adventurers, soldiers, scoundrels and heroes -- The Indian Lover tells a major story in the history of our nation, a clash of three cultures that has never been fully explored in fiction, and does it with drama, dazzling storytelling, and a scrupulous sense of reality. The Indian Lover opens in 1844 with the arrival of William Marshall, a penniless young American seaman, sailing down the coast of California aboard the whaler Hopewell. Enchanted by all he sees, Bill jumps ship in San Diego and falls in love with the mayor's elegant daughter, Lugarda. Thwarted in his bid to marry Lugarda and rejected by the Mexicans, Bill and his cultured Indian companion, Pablo, journey north to seek shelter in the crumbling grandeur of Mission San Luis Rey, Pablo's childhood home. But there is no going back, for either of them, and Pablo leads Bill farther and farther into the wilderness, to the native town of Cupa, where they take up life with the local tribe. Pablo and Bill settle into Indian society: Pablo dancing with the warriors, plotting against the wrongs done to him and his people by the Mexicans; Bill, innocent and naive, pining for Lugarda, learning the native ways, helping them to cope with the arriving Americans, and sliding into love with Falling Star, the beautiful daughter of the chief. Their love blooms, and Bill becomes dangerously involved in his adopted tribe's struggles, never imagining the eventual cost of his stubborn but divided loyalties and of the enemies he is making. Garth Murphy has crafted a novel of immense breadth, at once a great love story and an extraordinary unsung chapter of American history. The Indian Lover shouts out with truth: the growl of a grizzly, the sing of an arrow, the lover's cry, the toll of a mission bell, the crack of the lash on bent back, the rattlesnake's rattle, the sizzle of white-hot steel on living flesh, the roar of the mob, the silent struggle, the splash of falling tears on bare breast. Overflowing with affection, delight, wit, and insight, The Indian Lover captures the heart and imagination with timeless prose and holds them captive to the thrilling end. Minimize

Jonathan Ames, whose debut novel I Pass Like Night was enth ... Read more

Jonathan Ames, whose debut novel I Pass Like Night was enthusiastically praised by Philip Roth and Joyce Carol Oates, has followed up with a brilliant and comic second novel.Louis Ives, the narrator of The Extra Man, fancies himself a young gentleman fashioned after his heroes in the books of F. Scott Fitzgerald. He dresses the part -- favoring neckties, blue blazers, and sport coats. But he also has a penchant for women's clothing, a weakness that causes him to lose his job as a teacher at a Princeton day school after a bizarre incident involving a colleague's brassiere. Thrust out of Princeton, he heads to New York where he rents a cheap room in the madly discombobulated apartment of Henry Harrison, a failed but brilliant playwright who dances alone to Ethel Merman records, sneaks into Broadway shows, and performs with great style the duties of a walker -- an escort for the rich widows of the Upper East Side.The two men, separated in age by more than forty years, develop a relatio Minimize

Julienne Ashby, 24, must change her pampered ways after her ... Read more

Julienne Ashby, 24, must change her pampered ways after her father, a prominent businessman in Natchez, Mississippi, loses their fortune and family home to a bad gambling habit in 1850. Like a fish out of water, she aims to refit their one remaining possession, an old riverboat, in hopes of making a profit and restoring the Cuvier name along the mighty Mississippi.Desperate for help in doing the restoration work, prideful Julienne hires Dallas Bronte, a humiliated captain whose drinking problem stopped his water ways many years ago. Despite initial success, the struggles they will face with other ship owners are almost as challenging as the fiery feelings - of love and hate - that they must sort out for each other. When the riverboat and all aboard meet what looks like certain destruction, God shows Julienne and Dallas only one of those emotions is unsinkable.Acclaim for The River Queen:"I have read a lot of Gilbert Morris' books but I think this one is the best of them all."-- My Favorite Things Minimize

World-class cars are the objects of desire for a special br ... Read more

World-class cars are the objects of desire for a special breed of automobile enthusiast, collectors who are as passionate about their cars as others may be about paintings, stamps, or watches. In this thrilling tour of 11 of the greatest private automobile collections in the world, readers are given access to an amazing realm that is rarely open to the public. "Wheels: A Passion for Collecting Cars celebrates these incredible collections along with the fanatical car lovers who have amassed them. Included in this intriguing volume are profiles of each car-obsessed collector: one houses more than 100 postwar bubble cars from Europe and Japan in his Georgia barn, while another has made room at his Napa Valley winery for his stellar collection of sports cars. Captured in gorgeous photographs taken in the exceptional environments their owners have created for them, these rare custom models, elegant 1930s town cars, sexy postwar European exotics, and fabulously finned cruisers will appeal to classic-car connoisseurs around the world. Minimize

#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory weave ... Read more

#1 New York Times bestselling author Philippa Gregory weaves witchcraft, passion, and adventure into the story of Jacquetta, Duchess of Bedford, a woman who navigated a treacherous path through the battle lines in the War of the Roses. Descended from Melusina, the river goddess, Jacquetta has always had the gift of second sight. As a child visiting her uncle, she meets his prisoner, Joan of Arc, and recognizes her own power in the young woman accused of witchcraft. They share the mystery of the tarot card of the “wheel of fortune” before Joan is taken to a horrific death at the hands of the English rulers of France. Jacquetta understands the danger for a woman who dares to dream. Married to the Duke of Bedford, English Regent of France, Jacquetta is introduced by him to a mysterious world of learning and alchemy. Her only friend in the great household is the Duke’s squire Richard Woodville, who is at her side when the Duke’s death leaves her a wealthy young widow. The two become lovers and marry in secret, returning to England to serve at the court of the young King Henry VI, where Jacquetta becomes a close and loyal friend to his new queen. A sweeping, powerful story based on history and rich in passion and legend, The Lady of the Rivers tells the story of the real-life mother to the White Queen. Philippa Gregory is writing at the height of her talent. Minimize

Named the best Romance Novel of 2007 by the IndieExcellence ... Read more

Named the best Romance Novel of 2007 by the IndieExcellence awards , Moonlight in Vermont opens with a wicked New England Blizzard and the discovery of a frozen body trapped overnight on a ski lift. From BookReview.com: “And then we begin the examination of the life of Ethan Atwood, World Cup skiing athlete. Taking the world by storm on the Italian slopes, embracing the joy of the hometown mountains in Vermont and paying homage to ski gods of the Colorado Rockies all comes naturally to Ethan. Coming out of his personal shell is another matter. He is somewhat shy and very much focused on what needs to be done when he straps on the skis. When a fan club invites him to dine, he cannot refuse, and the wheels of fate are set in motion. After a terrible accident, Ethan finds a twisted comfort in one fan's attention. This time in his life will have drastic affects on his future, and dealing with the injury he sustains is only the half of it. Will the love of his life see him through? This novel so immerses the reader into the atmosphere that is Vermont. I cannot praise the author enough on this aspect of the book. Vermont weather is not simply put up with, it is experienced, and it is obvious that the author lives in it. The intensity that is downhill racing is sent to the reader's mind in images so vivid you will feel the rush of wind and ice crystals on your cheeks. The feel of the ski town comes right off the page and is as real as it gets in a novel. The descriptive writing here is absolutely well done. Characterization, plot and pace are all masterfully executed in John Hilferty's, "Moonlight in Vermont, a Novel." From the very beginning, readers will be hooked and the last few chapters will not allow you to out the book down.” Review by Heather Froeschl. A peek inside the Book: Lina had been shopping. She was carrying a plastic sack of groceries in one hand and a large bag in another with the printing "Just for Baby" on the side. As she walked on the footpath, the sun was showing a pink upper lip as it sank over the mountains. It cast massive, dark shadows upon the lake and the town. She loved the purple twilight when the harsh contrasts of daylight became blends of pastel. People moved indoors. She looked around, counting dots of white and yellow lights of windows. She failed to notice the snow-packed trail made a hitch to the left. The faintly dark roofline of the condos was just ahead. The snow crunched beneath her boots. She heard nothing when it happened, only a sudden coldness around her ankles. "My God." She knew immediately and screamed as a small blanket of ice began slowly collapsing beneath her, sucking her legs and lower body into the lake. The bags flew in the air as she flung herself on her back, arching her stomach. At the same time, she flailed with her arms, attempting to keep her weight distributed over the cracked and broken surface. An icy path of cold water began shooting down her neck and spine. Her legs were already heavy weights. They began aching. Her heart raced wildly. Panic-filled eyes fastened upward at an evening star and then to the shore onto the little row of houses. The lights of neighbors' kitchens were only a few hundred yards away, but it was an eternity in time. Would they hear the screams? Again and again, she shouted, "Help!" In Italian, she yelled, "Aiuto!" Lina kept her arms flailing backward with her back and head against the ice. She must not go under! Steve Porino, World Cup skiing analyst for NBC-TV, Outdoor Life, ESPN; former U.S. Ski Team member, wrote that the book is ". . . remarkably perceptive and plausible. Frankly, I feel like I'm taking a walk down memory lane in someone else's boots. . . .it was so incredibly accurate. I could not put it down." –First Place Award-Winner in the Romance Category of the National Indie Excellence 2007 Book Awards.–PubInsider.com "Author John Hilferty delivers a knock out romance-suspense!” –USABookNews.com Minimize

From Ethan Canin, bestselling author of The Palace Thief, c ... Read more

From Ethan Canin, bestselling author of The Palace Thief, comes a stunning novel, set in a small town during the Nixon era and today, about America and family, politics and tragedy, and the impact of fate on a young man’s life.In the early 1970s, Corey Sifter, the son of working-class parents, becomes a yard boy on the grand estate of the powerful Metarey family. Soon, through the family’s generosity, he is a student at a private boarding school and an aide to the great New York senator Henry Bonwiller, who is running for president of the United States. Before long, Corey finds himself involved with one of the Metarey daughters as well, and he begins to leave behind the world of his upbringing. As the Bonwiller campaign gains momentum, Corey finds himself caught up in a complex web of events in which loyalty, politics, sex, and gratitude conflict with morality, love, and the truth.America America is a beautiful novel about America as it was and is, a remarkable exploration of how vanity, greatness, and tragedy combine to change history and fate. Minimize

THE STUNNINGLY ORIGINAL, ICONOCLASTIC, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR ... Read more

THE STUNNINGLY ORIGINAL, ICONOCLASTIC, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA RETURNS WITH HIS FINEST, MOST EXUBERANT NOVEL. In the early 1980s Hanif Kureishi emerged as one of the most compelling new voices in film and fiction. His movies My Beautiful Laundrette and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid and his novel The Buddha of Suburbia captivated audiences and inspired other artists. In Something to Tell You, he travels back to those days of hedonism, activism and glorious creativity. And he explores the lives of that generation now, in a very different London. Jamal is middle-aged, though reluctant to admit it. He has an ex-wife, a son he adores, a thriving career as a psychoanalyst and vast reserves of unsatisfied desire. "Secrets are my currency," he says. "I deal in them for a living." And he has some of his own. He is haunted by Ajita, his first love, whom he hasn't seen in decades, and by an act of violence he has never confessed. With great empathy and agility, Kureishi has created an array of unforgettable characters -- a hilarious and eccentric theater director, a covey of charming and defiant outcasts and an ebullient sister who thrives on the fringe. All wrestle with their own limits as human beings; all are plagued by the past until they find it within themselves to forgive. Comic, wise and unfailingly tender, Something to Tell You is Kureishi's best work to date, brilliant and exhilarating. Minimize

THE STUNNINGLY ORIGINAL, ICONOCLASTIC, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR ... Read more

THE STUNNINGLY ORIGINAL, ICONOCLASTIC, AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE BUDDHA OF SUBURBIA RETURNS WITH HIS FINEST, MOST EXUBERANT NOVEL. In the early 1980s Hanif Kureishi emerged as one of the most compelling new voices in film and fiction. His movies My Beautiful Laundrette and Sammy and Rosie Get Laid and his novel The Buddha of Suburbia captivated audiences and inspired other artists. In Something to Tell You, he travels back to those days of hedonism, activism and glorious creativity. And he explores the lives of that generation now, in a very different London. Jamal is middle-aged, though reluctant to admit it. He has an ex-wife, a son he adores, a thriving career as a psychoanalyst and vast reserves of unsatisfied desire. "Secrets are my currency," he says. "I deal in them for a living." And he has some of his own. He is haunted by Ajita, his first love, whom he hasn't seen in decades, and by an act of violence he has never confessed. With great empathy and agility, Kureishi has created an array of unforgettable characters -- a hilarious and eccentric theater director, a covey of charming and defiant outcasts and an ebullient sister who thrives on the fringe. All wrestle with their own limits as human beings; all are plagued by the past until they find it within themselves to forgive. Comic, wise and unfailingly tender, Something to Tell You is Kureishi's best work to date, brilliant and exhilarating. Minimize