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

Finalist for the 2011 National Book AwardJulie Otsuka’s lon ... Read more

Finalist for the 2011 National Book AwardJulie Otsuka’s long awaited follow-up to When the Emperor Was Divine (“To watch Emperor catching on with teachers and students in vast numbers is to grasp what must have happened at the outset for novels like Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird” —The New York Times) is a tour de force of economy and precision, a novel that tells the story of a group of young women brought over from Japan to San Francisco as ‘picture brides’ nearly a century ago. In eight incantatory sections, The Buddha in the Attic traces their extraordinary lives, from their arduous journey by boat, where they exchange photographs of their husbands, imagining uncertain futures in an unknown land; to their arrival in San Francisco and their tremulous first nights as new wives; to their backbreaking work picking fruit in the fields and scrubbing the floors of white women; to their struggles to master a new language and a new culture; to their experiences in childbirth, and then as mothers, raising children who will ultimately reject their heritage and their history; to the deracinating arrival of war. In language that has the force and the fury of poetry, Julie Otsuka has written a singularly spellbinding novel about the American dream. From the Hardcover edition. Minimize

In her 53rd bestselling novel, Danielle Steel explores how ... Read more

In her 53rd bestselling novel, Danielle Steel explores how a single shattering moment can change lives forever. The Kiss is at once a moving testament to the fragility of life and a breathtaking story about the power of love to heal, to free, to transform, and to make broken spirits whole.On a warm June evening, a red double-decker bus, full of passengers, speeds down a London street. A few blocks away, a man and a woman climb into a limousine, reveling in a magical evening of dancing and champagne. As their driver pulls into an intersection, the couple shares their first, searching kiss. For a moment, etched in time, all stands still until, in a flash of metal and glass, their limousine is struck at full speed, crushed under the bus s tremendous weight. And a long journey begins toward healing, toward hope, toward dreams of an infinite future....Isabelle Forrester is the wife of a prominent Parisian banker who has long since shut her out of his heart. For lonely years, Isabelle has lived a life of isolation, pouring her passions into caring for her desperately ill son, Teddy, and into making their Paris home as happy as possible for her teenage daughter, Sophie. Isabelle allows herself one secret pleasure: a long-distance friendship by telephone with an American man, a Washington power broker who travels in the highest circles of politics and who, like Isabelle, is trapped in an empty marriage. To Bill Robinson, Isabelle is a godsend, a woman of extraordinary beauty and intellectual curiosity a kindred spirit who touches him across the miles with her warmth and gentle empathy. Their relationship is a gift, a lifeline that sustains them both through the heartache of marriages they cannot leave and will not betray. Agreeing to meet for a few precious, innocent days in London, Isabelle and Bill find their friendship changing. Then, amid the sudden crash of steel against steel, they are thrust onto a new path, a path fraught with pain but also with possibility.Now, inside the cool, sterile wards of a London hospital, Isabelle and Bill cling to life, their bodies shattered almost beyond repair. In the days and weeks that follow, they slowly, painfully traverse a road to recovery littered with challenges of the body, spirit, and heart. Together, they must find the strength not only to embrace life again but to face what they have left behind. For Isabelle, a loveless marriage turns into a brutal power struggle. For Bill, a time of healing exposes wounds that cut deeper than steel and realities that will test him to his core. For both, a tangle of changing relationships and the tragedy of another loss conspire to separate them once again. And this time they could lose each other forever. In a novel that is as compelling as it is compassionate, Danielle Steel weaves a story of courage in the face of unimaginable loss. With the grace of a master storyteller, she explores the strength it takes to conquer our greatest fears, showing us how the toughest choices can yield the most unexpected rewards ... and how the longest, most winding journeys can begin with a single kiss. Minimize

In her 53rd bestselling novel, Danielle Steel explores how ... Read more

In her 53rd bestselling novel, Danielle Steel explores how a single shattering moment can change lives forever. The Kiss is at once a moving testament to the fragility of life and a breathtaking story about the power of love to heal, to free, to transform, and to make broken spirits whole.On a warm June evening, a red double-decker bus, full of pasengers, speeds down a London street. A few blocks away, a man and a woman climb into a limousine, reveling in a magical evening of dancing and champagne. As their driver pulls into an intersection, the couple shares their first, searching kiss. For a moment, etched in time, all stands still—until, in a flash of metal and glass, their limousine is struck at full speed, crushed under the bus's tremendous weight. And a long journey begins—toward healing, toward hope, toward dreams of an infinite future...Isabelle Forrester is the exquisite wife of a prominent Parisian banker who has long since shut her out of his heart. For lonely years, Isabelle has lived a life of isolation, pouring her passions into caring for her desperately ill son, Teddy, and into making their Paris home as happy as possible for her teenage daughter, Sophie. Isabelle allows herself one secret pleasure: a long-distance friendship by telephone with an American man, a Washington power broker who travels in the highest circles of politics and who, like Isabelle, is trapped in an empty marriage. To Bill Robinson, Isabelle is a godsend, a woman of extraordinary beauty and intellectual curiosity—a kindred spirit who touches him across the miles with her warmth and gentle empathy. Their relationship is a gift, a lifeline that sustains them both through the heartache of marriages they cannot leave and will not betray. Agreeing to meet for a few precious, innocent days in London, Isabelle and Bill find their friendship changing. Then, amidst the sudden crash of steel against steel, they are thrust onto a new path, a path fraught with pain but also with possibility.Now, inside the cool, sterile wards of a London hospital, Isabelle and Bill cling to life, their bodies shattered almost beyond repair. In the days and weeks that follow, they slowly, painfully traverse a road to recovery littered with challenges of the body, spirit, and heart. Together, they must find the strength not only to embrace life again but to face what they have left behind. For Isabell, a loveless marriage turns into a brutal power struggle. For Bill, a time of healing exposes wounds that cut deeper than steel and realities that will test him to his core. For both, a tangle of changing relationships and the tragedy of another loss conspire to separate them once again. And this time they could lose each other forever.In a novel that is as compelling as it is compassionate, Danielle Steel weaves a story of courage in the face of unimaginable loss. With the grace of a master storyteller, she explores the strength it takes to conquer our greatest fears, showing us how the toughest choices can yield the most unexpected rewards...and how the longest, most winding journeys can begin with a single kiss.From the Hardcover edition. Minimize

The restoration of a majestic old home provides the exhilar ... Read more

The restoration of a majestic old home provides the exhilarating backdrop for Danielle Steel’s 66th bestselling novel, the story of a young woman’s dream, an old man’s gift, and the surprises that await us behind every closed door…. Perched on a hill overlooking San Francisco, the house was magnificent, built in 1923 by a wealthy man for the woman he adored. For her and for this house, he would spare no expense and overlook no detail, from the endless marble floors to the glittering chandeliers. Almost a century later, with the once-grand house now in disrepair, a young woman walks through its empty rooms. Sarah Anderson, a perfectly sensible estate lawyer, is about to do something utterly out of character. An elderly client has died and left her two gifts. One is a generous inheritance. The other, a priceless message: to use his money for something wonderful, something daring. And in this old house, surrounded by crumbling grandeur, Sarah knows just what it is. A respected attorney and self-described workaholic, Sarah had always lived life by the book. With a steady, if sputtering, relationship and a tiny apartment that has suited her just fine, Sarah cannot explain the force that draws her to the mansion and its history–to the story of a woman who once lived in the house, then mysteriously left it, to a child who grew up there, and a drama that unfolded in war-torn France…and to a history she never knew she had. Taking the biggest risk of her life, Sarah enlists the help of architect Jeff Parker, who shares Sarah’s passion for bringing the exquisite old house back to life. As she and Jeff work to restore the home’s every detail, as one relationship shatters and another begins, Sarah makes a series of powerful discoveries: about the true meaning of a dying man’s last gift…about the extraordinary legacies that are passed from generation to generation…and about a future she’s only just beginning to imagine. In a novel of daring and hope, of embracing life and taking chances, Danielle Steel brilliantly captures one woman’s courageous choice to pour herself into a dream–and receive its gifts in return. 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

An innocent man is about to be executed. Only a guilty man ... Read more

An innocent man is about to be executed. Only a guilty man can save him. For every innocent man sent to prison, there is a guilty one left on the outside. He doesn’t understand how the police and prosecutors got the wrong man, and he certainly doesn’t care. He just can’t believe his good luck. Time passes and he realizes that the mistake will not be corrected: the authorities believe in their case and are determined to get a conviction. He may even watch the trial of the person wrongly accused of his crime. He is relieved when the verdict is guilty. He laughs when the police and prosecutors congratulate themselves. He is content to allow an innocent person to go to prison, to serve hard time, even to be executed. Travis Boyette is such a man. In 1998, in the small East Texas city of Sloan, he abducted, raped, and strangled a popular high school cheerleader. He buried her body so that it would never be found, then watched in amazement as police and prosecutors arrested and convicted Donté Drumm, a local football star, and marched him off to death row. Now nine years have passed. Travis has just been paroled in Kansas for a different crime; Donté is four days away from his execution. Travis suffers from an inoperable brain tumor. For the first time in his miserable life, he decides to do what’s right and confess. But how can a guilty man convince lawyers, judges, and politicians that they’re about to execute an innocent man?From the Hardcover edition. Minimize

The great panoramic social novel that Los Angeles deserves- ... Read more

The great panoramic social novel that Los Angeles deserves--a twenty-first-century, West Coast 'Bonfire of the Vanities' by the only writer qualified to capture the city in all its glory and complexity. With The Barbarian Nurseries, Hector Tobar gives our most misunderstood metropolis its great contemporary novel, taking us beyond the glimmer of Hollywood and deeper than camera-ready crime stories to reveal Southern California life as it really is, across its vast, sunshiny sprawl of classes, languages, dreams, and ambitions. Araceli is the live-in maid in the Torres-Thompson household--one of three Mexican employees in a Spanish-style house with lovely views of the Pacific. She has been responsible strictly for the cooking and cleaning, but the recession has hit, and suddenly Araceli is the last Mexican standing--unless you count Scott Torres, though you'd never suspect he was half Mexican but for his last name and an old family photo with central LA in the background. The financial pressure is causing the kind of fights that even Araceli knows the children shouldn't hear, and then one morning, after a particularly dramatic fight, Araceli wakes to an empty house--except for the two Torres-Thompson boys, little aliens she's never had to interact with before. Their parents are unreachable, and the only family member she knows of is Senor Torres, the subject of that old family photo. So she does the only thing she can think of and heads to the bus stop to seek out their grandfather. It will be an adventure, she tells the boys. If she only knew. With a precise eye for the telling detail and an unerring way with character, soaring brilliantly and seamlessly among a panorama of viewpoints, Tobar calls on all of his experience--as a novelist, a father, a journalist, a son of Guatemalan immigrants, and a native Angeleno--to deliver a novel as broad, as essential, as alive as the city itself. Minimize

What if the mythical Serpent was really a savior, inviting ... Read more

What if the mythical Serpent was really a savior, inviting humanity to awaken from a mindless existence? What if Eve was a heroine, courageous enough to buck the system & take the Serpent up on his offer to bust out of the cage? The modern-day Eve is an exotic dancer, intent on questioning accepted religious norms & presenting her unique ideas about humanity's relationship to the Divine.Eve discovers her power to discern truth from falsehood at the hands of her religiously abusive foster family. She chooses to release her light into a dark world by combining her love for music & dance, stripping naked as a symbol of fearlessly unmasking her true self. Her passion for challenging society's labels as representations of truth brings controversial & dangerous repercussions from club patrons, cops, & religious zealots. Eve rises above the confines of extreme moralism, tempting all of us to live our own divine truths, free from shame & guilt.Heaven is a story about healing the perceived separation of the spiritual from the sexual self. The novel contains some explicit sexual content in relation to spiritual/philosophical content. It also contains nonfictional information woven into the fabric of a fictional story.Included with the book is a free CD featuring songs from various artists & intended to provide a musical experience to bring out the exotic dancer spirit in you! Songs include the book's title track, Heaven , written & performed by the author. Visit HeavenTheNovel.com to hear samples from the CD (only available with purchase of the novel at this time).What readers are saying:New & refreshing views of spirituality & sexuality - Eve rocks my world! A.C., Ft. Worth, TXI hope everyone will read this book. I loved it & will read it over & over again. I can t say it enough. Amazing. I want more from this author! Brigette B, Dallas, TXI'm not religious because I went to Catholic schools & religion was pushed down my throat. This book is refreshing; it will make you really think about your beliefs. This is what reading should do, take you out of your everyday life. I love the use of actual music lyrics. If you like Light Before Day by Chris Rice, read Heaven. Both authors are intriguing & weave stories that bring you into the characters lives & make you want to know more. Heaven is a great read! Chuck P, New Orleans, LAI typically read non-fiction for spiritual material & fiction for entertainment; it was a refreshing change to read a book that blends enlightenment & entertainment in one. I'm always looking for new or differing views of God concepts to glean something that resonates. I devoured the book; it was a pleasure! Elizabeth S, Los Angeles, CAEnjoyable! Humor in the midst of spiritual elevation through the exploration of Exotica! Fans of Octavia Butler will enjoy Heaven. Tamika S, Nashville, TNI Love this book! The story is a blueprint for living. Eve is a living, loving example of how to incorporate Spirit into daily life. She is Open, allowing God(dess) to move, speak & BE through her. So simple; beautiful! I will read this book again & again to remind mySelf to embody Spirit as Eve does. I'm expanding into the Feminine Face of God through Exotic Dance classes. That feeling of Power rising up through me when I dance, as Eve describes, has carried into daily life & transformed me. Reading Heaven caused me to clap my hands in glee & yell YESSSS!!! Kathy S, Flint, MII really enjoyed the stripping scenes with cool, current music, descriptions from the dancer's view & raw sexuality. Reading her thoughts, you feel the complexity of Eve in a scene where she’s not in total control—very human, showing how we’re not always in total control.” Scott C, Boston, MA Minimize

Get drawn into a novel of medical suspense that begins with ... Read more

Get drawn into a novel of medical suspense that begins with these chilling questions: Who ends up with the blood samples you routinely give for tests? What else are they being used for? Why don’t you know? Take a Deep Breath.... From Boston, a disgraced medical student travels to South America to deliver a research paper that could save her career and becomes a victim of an unspeakable crime...Thousands of miles away, a brilliant, reclusive scientist, dying from an incurable disease that threatens to make each tortured breath his last, is on the verge of perfecting a serum that could save millions of lives, and bring others inestimable wealth....In Chicago, a disillusioned private detective, on the way to his third career, is hired to determine the identity of a John Doe, killed on a Florida highway, with mysterious marks on his body. Three seemingly disconnected lives, surging unrelentingly toward one another. Three lives becoming irrevocably intertwined. Three lives in mounting peril, moving ever closer to the ultimate confrontation against a deadly secret society with godlike aspirations and roots in antiquity. Medical student. Scientist. Private eye. Three people who will learn the deeper meanings of brilliance and madness, truth and deception, trust and betrayal. Three lives linked forever by a single vial of blood - the fifth vial. Minimize

A NOVEL INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY, The Diary is set in Walla ... Read more

A NOVEL INSPIRED BY A TRUE STORY, The Diary is set in Walla Walla County in the Northwest when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was attempting to break America free from the grip of the Great Depression in the 1930s. The keeper of the diary is Al, a young man dealing not only with the deprivation inflicted by the Depression, but also with tuberculosis. Through his daily entries over seventeen months of hospitalization, you will come to know his wife, family, a cast of fellow patients who are both humorous and heart-breaking. . . and the secrets Al thought he had buried so deep inside that not even he would remember them. The story blends day-to-day life in a tuberculosis sanatorium with local and world affairs that include the threat of war as news from Germany, Japan and Italy floated across oceans to the men in Ward One. The Diary presents a slice of America in simpler times when the bond of family and friends was often paramount in surviving the hardships of the times. It is a tale of love, loss and triumph. 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

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

I was rather apprehensive about the contents of this book p ... Read more

I was rather apprehensive about the contents of this book purely because of the title, as it gave the impression of a book with many suggestions of little practical value. Yet, the lack of frivolity in the cover design and the very subtle silver letters on black for a cover evoked my enthusiasm beyond just curiosity. The Foreword did the trick, it simply convinced me that the book must be read in detail. At first glance I did not believe that there will be so many management insights in this book. The abundance of these intermixed with family life, people management and the comprehensive coverage of inspiration, innovation, motivation, creativity, etc. make this book a truly valuable asset to the young and the old in every sphere of life. If I reflect on my life s multiple roles and experience as an employee, a manager, a parent, a teacher or an employer; I will begin to realize that this book has catered to each role I have been in. This too, explained through very valuable real life examples, narrated experiences and authoritative statements. Fredrik has drawn on many examples from international history. Einstein to Jacob he brings to life for the reader their thinking, their curiosity, their enthusiasm, their desire, evoking that interest in the content. I was particularly absorbed in the following two quotes from the book. Under the curious creature of habit he goes on to explain the human being s desire to repeat, keep a habit. This avoids a newer thinking process taking root. The idea is not necessarily to find a new solution to everyday tasks, but to help identify all the things in life that we do out of pure habit The book states. Ideamations is a word coined by the writer which has a deep meaning and a meaning that embodies many of our failures. It is the king of apathy, the queen of complacency and the one that makes us renowned ME TOO thinkers! This is not only a book for reading and absorbing, but it is also given in the style of a work book with blank pages after every episode. His practical approach by the writer enables the reader to jot down thoughts and even go to the extent of writing in a visionary manner on how that what has been printed becomes relevant to the actual reader. This blank paging in the book is an excelled idea, the writer living up to his writings. The Idea book copiously revolves around innovation, creativity, thinking differently, which is that what makes the book so absorbing and valuable. It will be absorbing to the young and old and valuable to them too. However, the value of this book for managers, particularly those who carry proper corporate responsibilities, will be invaluable. I think management lecturers should make this a compulsory reading material for their students, not purely for its academic value-which is there in abundance, but also its very practical insights value. This makes the book different to many others on similar subjects. Many debates will continue to identify whether Creativity is more important than Innovation or whether Inspiration is the life blood of Loyalty. These debates and arguments will be healthy for the generation of the thought process and the culmination of best practices. Yet, the value of all these will be seen through the performance of individuals, individuals who will be different, who will leave no stone unturned, who will share and absorb knowledge, who will enthuse others and finally who will be passionate about what they do. Fredrik Haren, the author is undoubtedly such an individual. He has gathered inspiration from a number of people, used his innovative thinking and creative ability to deliver a book that one cannot resist reading. After reading it once, I am simply motivated to read it again. It is not just an Idea Book but, in my opinion an IDEAL BOOK, for all. Minimize

The trio in question comprises Robert and Clara Schumann an ... Read more

The trio in question comprises Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Trio (Book One) relates the story of the Schumanns, following Robert's courtship of Clara despite the savage opposition of a father who had groomed his daughter to marry a count, and threatened to shoot Robert if he persisted in his suit. It's no secret that they marry, and Robert the composer seems ideally matched by Clara the performer, but the happy early years are soon clouded by financial worries and Robert's multiple illnesses, culminating in his suicide attempt and subsequent incarceration in an insane asylum. Brahms, a lad of 20, visits them just six months before the incarceration and falls deeply in love with Clara - but he is also deeply indebted to Robert for proclaiming him the messiah of music before he had published a single work, and the conflict manifests itself in psychological scars borne the rest of his life. Trio opens with Clara's debut in 1828 and Trio 2 concludes with Brahms's death in 1897, encompassing a panoramic vision of the 19th century - not only in music, but culturally and historically, incorporating the growth of Germany from 400+ principalities to one nation under Bismarck. Book One concludes with the death of Robert in 1856. The story unfolds with the dramatic impact of a novel though derived from biographies, diaries, and correspondences. It includes cameos by Chopin, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and Nietzche among others when their paths cross those of the trio. Though firmly grounded in fact, it unfolds like a novel, not a biography, a great read for the beach, the summer, the winter, a holiday, a holiday in itself, a book in which to live for a while - a narrative of love, insanity, suicide, revolution, politics - and, of course, music. 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

Edited and designed by Frank Olinsky, founding art director ... Read more

Edited and designed by Frank Olinsky, founding art director of Tricycle magazine, Buddha Book presents over ninety sacred images of the Buddha -- both Eastern and Western, ancient and modern -- in the form of paintings, carvings, sculptures, photographs, and drawings. From rare museum pieces and exquisite temple art to striking modern interpretations by such artists as David Byrne, Henri Matisse, Bernardo Bertolucci, and Nam June Paik, Buddha Bookinvites readers to contemplate the many faces of enlightenment. 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

From the winner of the IMPAC Award and the Nobel Prize, a f ... Read more

From the winner of the IMPAC Award and the Nobel Prize, a fierce novel about a young Romanian woman's discovery of betrayal in the most intimate reaches of her life"I've been summoned. Thursday, ten sharp." Thus begins one day in the life of a young clothing-factory worker during Ceaucescu's totalitarian regime. She has been questioned before; this time, she believes, will be worse. Her crime? Sewing notes into the linings of men's suits bound for Italy. "Marry me," the notes say, with her name and address. Anything to get out of the country.As she rides the tram to her interrogation, her thoughts stray to her friend Lilli, shot trying to flee to Hungary, to her grandparents, deported after her first husband informed on them, to Major Albu, her interrogator, who begins each session with a wet kiss on her fingers, and to Paul, her lover, her one source of trust, despite his constant drunkenness. In her distraction, she misses her stop to find herself on an unfamiliar street. And what she discovers there makes her fear of the appointment pale by comparison.Herta Müller pitilessly renders the humiliating terrors of a crushing regime. Bone-spare and intense, The Appointment confirms her standing as one of Europe's greatest writers. 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

The Calling is a captivating story about a northern New Mex ... Read more

The Calling is a captivating story about a northern New Mexico cattle ranch, the Cross S or Piedra (stone), in the 1950s. The action unfolds through the eyes of a half-breed Indian top hand on the ranch, Frank Dalton, as he teaches an enigmatic young would-be cowboy named R. C. Roth the ways of cowboying, rodeoing, and life itself. As Dalton educates Roth to the ways of "the calling," both men become embroiled in complicated love affairs-Dalton falls in love with the daughter of the top hand on a neighboring ranch, and Roth with Francesca "Kika" Jaramillo, daughter of a Hispanic rancher-friend of the Cross SÂ’s Boss Stone. In addition, both cowboys are confronted with a puzzle begging to be solved-at the top of the formidable mesa overlooking the Stone ranch is a single, lonely grave marked with a granite headstone bearing the mysterious inscription "Abajo Verdad-Arriba Cielo" (below is truth, above is sky). As he unravels his tale of tragedy, deceit, and love in the land of enchantment, Hyson provides an absolutely fascinating reader-education in ranching and the cowboy life-including bronc peeling and controlling horses with a tendency to booger as well as respect for the old ways. Minimize

What do you do when you discover your spouse has an insigni ... Read more

What do you do when you discover your spouse has an insignificant other? How about when you realize your own insignificant other is becoming more significant than your spouse? There are no easy answers to these questions, but Stephen McCauley—"the master of the modern comedy of manners" (USA Today)—makes exploring them a literary delight. Richard Rossi works in HR at a touchy-feely software company and prides himself on his understanding of the foibles and fictions we all use to get through the day. Too bad he’s not as good at spotting such behavior in himself. What else could explain his passionate affair with Benjamin, a very unavailable married man? Richard suggests birthday presents for Benjamin’s wife and vacation plans for his kids, meets him for "lunch" at a sublet apartment, and would never think about calling him after business hours. "In the three years I’d known Benjamin, I’d come to think of him as my husband. He was, after all, a husband, and I saw it as my responsibility to protect his marriage from a barrage of outside threats and bad influences. It was the only way I could justify sleeping with him." Since Richard is not entirely available himself—there’s Conrad, his adorable if maddening partner to contend with—it all seems perfect. But when cosmopolitan Conrad starts spending a suspicious amount of time in Ohio, and economic uncertainty challenges Richard’s chances for promotion, he realizes his priorities might be a little skewed. With a cast of sharply drawn friends, frenemies, colleagues, and personal trainers, Insignificant Others is classic McCauley—a hilarious and ultimately haunting social satire about life in the United States at the bitter end of the boom years, when clinging to significant people and pursuits has never been more important—if only one could figure out what they are. Minimize

One of the best and move informative books concerning the I ... Read more

One of the best and move informative books concerning the IWW. First published in London in 1930, this is, astonishingly, the first American edition. Soapboxer, writer, poet, agitator, and publicist, the British-born Ashleigh was active in the IWW from 1912 until his deportation 9 years later. As a first-hand account of the Wobbly way of life in the 1910s, The Rambling Kid was few equals. "Charles Ashleigh's semi-autobiographical novel fills a void in the record of the events that led to the federal government's brutal attempts to suppress the 'One Big Union' during World War 1. Ashleigh's characters ride alongside IWW job delegates, bindle-stiffs, and gandy dancers as they crisscross the country hopping freight trains en route to jobs and strikes and everything in between. .....an intimate glimpse into pre-World War 1 workers' culture on the eve of the Russian Revolution. Steve Kellerman's superb introduction provides the critical and biographical context for understanding the importance of Ashleigh's work and the historical forces that produced The Rambling Kid" [Salvatore Salerno] 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

“My wooing began in passion, was defined by violence and ci ... Read more

“My wooing began in passion, was defined by violence and circumscribed by land; all these elements molded my soul.” So writes Charles O’Brien, the unforgettable hero of bestselling author Frank Delaney’s extraordinary new novel–a sweeping epic of obsession, profound devotion, and compelling history involving a turbulent era that would shape modern Ireland. Born into a respected Irish-Anglo family in 1860, Charles loves his native land and its long-suffering but irrepressible people. As a healer, he travels the countryside dispensing traditional cures while soaking up stories and legends of bygone times–and witnessing the painful, often violent birth of land-reform measures destined to lead to Irish independence.At the age of forty, summoned to Paris to treat his dying countryman–the infamous Oscar Wilde–Charles experiences the fateful moment of his life. In a chance encounter with a beautiful and determined young Englishwoman, eighteen-year-old April Burke, he is instantly and passionately smitten–but callously rejected. Vowing to improve himself, Charles returns to Ireland, where he undertakes the preservation of the great and abandoned estate of Tipperary, in whose shadow he has lived his whole life–and which, he discovers, may belong to April and her father. As Charles pursues his obsession, he writes the “History” of his own life and country. While doing so, he meets the great figures of the day, including Charles Parnell, William Butler Yeats, and George Bernard Shaw. And he also falls victim to less well-known characters–who prove far more dangerous. Tipperary also features a second “historian:” a present-day commentator, a retired and obscure history teacher who suddenly discovers that he has much at stake in the telling of Charles’s story.In this gloriously absorbing and utterly satisfying novel, a man’s passion for the woman he loves is twinned with his country’s emergence as a nation. With storytelling as sweeping and dramatic as the land itself, myth, fact, and fiction are all woven together with the power of the great nineteenth-century novelists. Tipperary once again proves Frank Delaney’s unrivaled mastery at bringing Irish history to life. Praise for Frank Delaney’s TIPPERARY:“[T]he narrative moves swiftly and surely…A sort of Irish Gone With the Wind, marked by sly humor, historical awareness and plenty of staying power.” — Kirkus Reviews“[A]nother meticulously researched journey…Delaney’s careful scholarship and compelling storytelling bring it uniquely alive. Highly recommended.” — Library Journal (starred)“Sophisticated and creative.” — Booklist“Delaney’s confident storytelling and quirky characterizations enrich a fascinating and complex period of Irish history.” — Publishers Weekly“Read just a few sentences of Frank Delaney’s writing and you’ll see why National Public Radio called him ‘the world’s most eloquent man.’” — Kirkus Reviews, “Big Book Guide 2007”From the Hardcover edition. Minimize

The trio in question comprises Robert and Clara Schumann an ... Read more

The trio in question comprises Robert and Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. Trio (Book One) relates the story of the Schumanns, following Robert's courtship of Clara despite the savage opposition of a father who had groomed his daughter to marry a count, and threatened to shoot Robert if he persisted in his suit. It's no secret that they marry, and Robert the composer seems ideally matched by Clara the performer, but the happy early years are soon clouded by financial worries and Robert's multiple illnesses, culminating in his suicide attempt and subsequent incarceration in an insane asylum. Brahms, a lad of 20, visits them just six months before the incarceration and falls deeply in love with Clara - but he is also deeply indebted to Robert for proclaiming him the messiah of music before he had published a single work, and the conflict manifests itself in psychological scars borne the rest of his life. Trio opens with Clara's debut in 1828 and Trio 2 concludes with Brahms's death in 1897, encompassing a panoramic vision of the 19th century - not only in music, but culturally and historically, incorporating the growth of Germany from 400+ principalities to one nation under Bismarck. Book One concludes with the death of Robert in 1856. The story unfolds with the dramatic impact of a novel though derived from biographies, diaries, and correspondences. It includes cameos by Chopin, Mendelssohn, Liszt, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and Nietzche among others when their paths cross those of the trio. Though firmly grounded in fact, it unfolds like a novel, not a biography, a great read for the beach, the summer, the winter, a holiday, a holiday in itself, a book in which to live for a while - a narrative of love, insanity, suicide, revolution, politics - and, of course, music. 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

A small wonder of writing and humanity. --L'EXPRESS Fol ... Read more

A small wonder of writing and humanity. --L'EXPRESS Following his brilliant portrait of Maurice Ravel, Jean Echenoz turns to the life of one of the greatest runners of the twentieth century, and once again demonstrates his astonishing abilities as a prose stylist. Set against the backdrop of the Soviet liberation and post-World War II communist rule of Czechoslovakia, Running-- a bestseller in France--follows the famed career of Czech runner Emil Zátopek: a factory worker who, despite an initial contempt for athletics as a young man, is forced to participate in a footrace and soon develops a curious passion for the physical limits he discovers as a long-distance runner. Zátopek, who tenaciously invents his own brutal training regimen, goes on to become a national hero, winning an unparalleled three gold medals at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and breaking countless world records along the way. But just as his fame brings him upon the world stage, he must face the realities of an increasingly controlling regime. Written in Echenoz's signature style--elegant yet playful--Running is both a beautifully imagined and executed portrait of a man and his art, and a powerful depiction of a country's propagandizing grasp on his fate. Minimize

A mesmerizing novel about estranged sisters and the cultura ... Read more

A mesmerizing novel about estranged sisters and the cultural and family history that binds themVan and Linny Luong are as baffling to each other as their parents' Vietnamese legacy is to them both. Van, the quintessential overachiever, has applied the same studied diligence to her law career and marriage-a beau idéal that vaporized when Mr. Right walked out. Linny-pretty, fashionable, untethered-is grasping for purpose when her affair with a married man takes a humiliating turn. Each is the last person her sister would call, but when Mr. Luong summons them home for his American citizenship party, Van and Linny find themselves communing about their past-their late mother, their father's obsession with his Luong Arm invention, even the irony of their romantic straits. As these unlikely confidantes chart the uncertainty that defines them, they forge a tentative new relationship and the wherewithal to overcome disappointment. Hailed by the Chicago Tribune as "a writer to watch, a tremendous talent," Nguyen recasts her gifts marvelously in this first novel, infusing it with humor, compassion, and insight into siblings, aging parents, and the desires and ambitions that drive us. Minimize

A haunting, prize-winning Latin American novel about a gui ... Read more

A haunting, prize-winning Latin American novel about a guilt-wracked mother and her inquisitive daughter, both coming to terms with an unspeakable past.With the harrowing power of Ariel Dorfman's Death and the Maiden comes a remarkable work of fiction. Winner of the prestigious Premio La Nacion Prize for Fiction in 2000, A Secret for Julia brilliantly depicts the lasting psychological attacks of Argentina's reign of repression and terror on a new, seemingly innocent generation. Set mainly in 1990s London, interlaced with vivid flashbacks to Buenos Aires, Patricia Sagastizabal's novel tells the emotionally wrenching story of Mercedes Beecher, an Argentinian writer living in self-imposed exile in London with her teenaged daughter, Julia. When a mysterious figures appears from her past, Mercedes must endure a new round of psychological terror and reveal herself to her inquisitive but embittered, daughter in a way that she never believed possible. A dramatic story of retribution and conscience, A Secret for Julia touches on many compelling themes: the politics of institutionalized and sanctioned cruelty; the wistfulness of a life lived in exile; the bonds of family, justice, and redemption. Much of A Secret for Julia reads like a personal diary, yet Sagastizabal propels it forward with elements of astonishing intrigue, drama, and terror. The savage murders and tortures that came to decimate an entire generation of Argentinian students and activists in the 1970s may remain—even twenty-five years later—so vivid and searing that they can be expressed only through the palette of fiction. In this way, Sagastizabal's novel represents the voice of the fallout from Argentina's so-called "dirty war," the voice of the next generation—Julia's generation. A Secret for Julia is a testament to the changing of the guard—an unforgettable, astounding novel for one simple reason: the reader is left with the lingering notion that it might be frighteningly close to the truth. Minimize